My friend sent me this podcast episode last week from God Centered Mom. It came at just the right time, as I was recovering from weeks of guilt after traumatizing my toddler over a poop accident (that was mostly my fault to begin with).

“Grace never calls right wrong. If right were wrong there’d be no need for grace. The assumption of grace is that wrong is wrong and that’s why grace is needed.”

It helped me shift my perspective toward “responding” in situations verses “reacting.” Take a listen, and let me know what you think.

I mommed hard today and failed; my hormones and emotions got the better of me too many times to count. “From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” (John‬ ‭1:16). Let me just say how thankful I am for God's grace today…and that His mercies are new every morning. Today was an opportunity to teach my toddler about forgiveness. She was patient with me even when I wasn't patient with her. She's growing up too fast and today it hit me hard that my baby is becoming a big girl before my eyes. Y'all–I am NOT READY. A moment of bedtime snuggles before she hopped into her big girl bed was more for me than for her, and I think she knew it. "Mommy, are you sad? Do you need another snuggle?" #dailyclaire #bestillmyheart #allthefeels #momlife #letthembelittle #postpartum #motherhood #bigsister #stopgrowing #justkiddinggrowupjustslowdownalittleok

A post shared by cαιтℓιη ✿ wαℊηℯr (@caitielin34) on Jul 12, 2017 at 8:12pm PDT

Potty training: two words that make any parent cringe. I admit, I was dreading it too. However, when I least expected it, my toddler decided she was ready. If you knew her at all, this wouldn’t surprise you! It happened about a month after we had our second child (she was about 2 months shy of 2 1/2).

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When I first got pregnant, I read a ton of books (including the usual What to Expect When You’re Expecting), and got a few more as gifts. I appreciated the knowledge I gleaned from each one, so I now recommend them to new moms on a regular basis.

These books make great shower gifts for the expecting or first-time mom, gifts for second- or third-time moms who don’t need anything, gifts for the mom who didn’t register or already has everything, or last minute gifts for really any mom!