what i can and cannot do

- i can put my kids to bed at a decent time. i can put my kids down at a not decent time. i cannot make them fall asleep.

- i can try my best to tire the heck out of my kids so that they will be really really tired when they go to bed. i cannot cause them to stay asleep until 8am (which is what i really really want! though at this point i will also take 6:15am!)

- i can put healthy food in front of my kids every day, 3 times a day. i cannot make them eat it and swallow it and digest it.

- i can hide junk food from my kids. i cannot keep them from finding it and eating it. and they do! every time! they're such crafty toddlers...

- i can show my kids the right way to treat others and speak to them. i cannot control every impulse or action they make, or filter every word that comes out of their mouths. (but i know i can keep trying to train them!)

- i can tell my kids to hug and kiss people. but i cannot make them love those people. even if they are our family. (i mean this mostly for the family members they never really get to see. like my poor brothers!!!!)

- i can tell my kids not to hug and kiss people later in life. but i probably cannot actually control that either. (but i bet you chris is going to try really hard on this one. surveillance is one of his fortes and all.)

- i can try to be organized with the toys, mail, coupons, general things of life. i cannot keep it up for more than a few short days.

- i can make my kids laugh all the livelong day. i cannot get tired of hearing that wonderful noise!

- i can spend a lot of time doing other things instead of hanging out with my kids- make dinner, do the dishes, fold laundry, etc, etc. but i cannot get that time back.

- i can lead a million small groups. but unless i have some meaningful quiet time and focus on my own growth, i cannot be an effective leader for long.

- i can tell my kids to pee or poo on the potty. i cannot make pee or poo come out of their bodies (that's a little piece of mind for you moms who are potty training! but when we used to have our little dog, meeklo, if you scared him, he would pee on the floor. every frickin time. miss that dumb dog...)

- i can tell my family and friends i love them till i'm blue in the face. but i cannot make them believe it without actually making efforts to grow our relationships through spending time together. even if it's mostly e-mails and text messages due to distance and my lack of owning a jet plane!!!!