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What Is Maundy Thursday?—How to Celebrate During Holy Week

As we celebrate Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter, you may start to wonder, what is Maundy Thursday? Three days before Easter, we come to Maundy Thursday. "Maundy" comes from the Latin word "mandatum," meaning command, order, or commission.

Abby & Brittany: Conjoined Twin Abby Hensel is Married!

They’re the most famous conjoined twins in the world, and now Abby Hensel, of the duo Abby and Brittany, is now married! 

Babysitter Knows Mom Is “Paranoid” After Her Baby’s Death—So She Texts Her This Picture

The 15-year-old needed to make a sandwich, but she didn't want to let the baby out of her sight. She was in quite the predicament.

What Nobody Tells You Before Having the “3rd Child”

Some days I feel like I am failing miserably at all of this.

This time about two years ago I was feeling very confident. I had two young daughters, and although parenting is always challenging, I felt like I had a pretty good handle on things. My kids were adorable, sweet, and truly life was idyllic. It was at this point I said, “I should have another.”

So we conceived our third child, another girl, and life hasn’t been the same since. She’s sixteen months old, and I’ve been waiting impatiently each day for things to calm down. They haven’t.

I knew from experience the newborn part would be hard, but I also knew we’d get past that. Heck, we’d done it before. Twice. What I didn’t realize is that it wasn’t the same, and it would never be the same. I don’t say that mournfully, and I don’t want it to appear that I’m not happy. I’m just challenged.

Adding a third child to my family turned things upside down. Something as simple as having three children, but only two arms came into play. Two parents, but three children. I began more and more to feel like a failure as a mother. I felt like I was failing the two children I already had, but also the third addition who received my leftovers. I was old, tired, and worn thin. The novelty was gone, and though she was so very special, it wasn’t that same as that new mom feel.

I would be rocking the new baby, and just as she was almost asleep another child would come into the room and loudly ask for something. I’d lose my temper, and I would feel like I failed.

My eldest entered first grade, and my middle child preschool. While they entered new grades, as a homeschooling mother I entered new challenges. I had to learn not only how to teach two children at once, but also center it around breastfeeding and nap times. Some days we didn’t even finish half of what the curriculum called for, and other days my patience was so thin in anticipation of a squalling baby.

“Hurry, hurry.” I would chide my child trying to read.

And I would feel like a failure.

One day my six year old said something to me that made me realize she thought I didn’t like the baby very much. It’s no wonder.

She had heard me say things like, “I can’t do anything with this baby around!”

“I’m always feeding this baby!”

Brie Gowen
Brie Gowenhttp://briegowen.com/
Brie Gowen is a 30-something (sliding ever closer to 40-something) wife and mother. When she’s not loving on her hubby, chasing after the toddler or playing princess with her four-year-old, she enjoys cooking, reading and writing down her thoughts to share with others. Brie is also a huge lover of Jesus. She finds immense joy in the peace a relationship with her Savior provides, and she might just tell you about it sometime. She’d love for you to check out her blog at BrieGowen.com.

What Is Maundy Thursday?—How to Celebrate During Holy Week

As we celebrate Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter, you may start to wonder, what is Maundy Thursday? Three days before Easter, we come to Maundy Thursday. "Maundy" comes from the Latin word "mandatum," meaning command, order, or commission.

Abby & Brittany: Conjoined Twin Abby Hensel is Married!

They’re the most famous conjoined twins in the world, and now Abby Hensel, of the duo Abby and Brittany, is now married! 

Babysitter Knows Mom Is “Paranoid” After Her Baby’s Death—So She Texts Her This Picture

The 15-year-old needed to make a sandwich, but she didn't want to let the baby out of her sight. She was in quite the predicament.