Posts

Dear Momma, please give yourself a little grace...

Dear Momma,     I see you. I see you struggling with the daily chaos of being a mom to little ones both under the age of 3.  I see you struggling with your child with special needs. I see you having to be a single parent because your spouse works out of town.  I see you struggling to be a good example of Christ's love to your children when your spouse is a nonbeliever. I see you struggling as a wife and mother when your spouse has an addiction to drugs or alcohol. I see you struggling with personal and painful health issues that make daily life almost too hard to bear. I see you struggling to find your place as your children grow and slowly start to pull away from you. I wish you could see yourself as I do. I see your children look at you with such love and adoration that it takes my breath away. I see your child look at you like you are a superhero. I see you rocking this motherhood gig because you are simply amazing. I see you loving your spouse just as Christ lov
Post a Comment
Read more

Am I ready to rejoin the work force?

Image
I've been at my current job for 11 years, 2 months, 2 weeks and 6 days...  I don't get paid, there are no vacation days, no sick days and definitely no overtime pay.  But it has been the most fun, rewarding, never boring job I have ever had.  I'm a mom, but not just a mom.  I'm the CEO, CFO,  alarm clock, chef, seamstress, maid, janitor, handy-man, personal assistant, chauffeur, nurse, teacher, police officer, judge and jury.  As busy as I am and as happy as I am, I still feel like I'm missing something.  I volunteer as much as I can outside the home, at the kid's school, at church,  or with my Mops group.  But it still doesn't feel like I'm getting what I need.  Do I sound selfish yet???  What I miss is working outside the home. It may sound crazy, but yes, I miss working.  I miss talking with other adults, using my brain for something other than remembering when Zach's favorite cartoons will be on, how many loads of laundry I need to do, what
Post a Comment
Read more

"The Ache"

It's June 2013, a beautiful day outside and I'm in an exam room at my doctor's office.  After putting it off for way too long, I had finally made an appointment for a yearly physical.  After talking with my doctor about some issues I had been having, we did a physical exam.  I'll never forget her face as she left to let me get dressed.  I immediately knew something was wrong.  After a few minutes she comes back in, sits down and looks at me with tears in her eyes.  Without sharing too much, my doctor explained that my issues would best be cured with a hysterectomy.  I laughed, a hysterectomy? But I'm only 32 and if I have a hysterectomy, I can't have any more babies.  That's where I first felt the ache.  I recently came across a blog post from Sarah Bessey , in which she describes dealing with the ache .  The ache a women feels when her stage of having babies is over. Many women are content when this stage happens. I am not one of those women.  Being a mot
Post a Comment
Read more

To write, or not to write...

I've always loved writing. I was one of the weird students who enjoyed writing assignments.  I even received awards for my short stories.   I tried college and it wasn't my thing.  So please excuse any grammatical errors :)  Since having children, I've had ideas for books, written down my thoughts, but being a mother and a wife has kept me too busy for much more.  When blogs became popular, I wanted my to start my own, but didn't think many people would care about my life as a mom of 5 kids.  I did eventually start one, mainly to keep faraway family updated. Plus it gave me a small taste of what I had been missing.  If you notice my numbers, this is my 5th post in 2 years.  Surely you'd think running a large family would have lots of great stories to share, and it does. But getting time to myself is hard. Who would've thought, right???  So why am I starting this blog again? Because I can and I need something for me. I need to write.  I need to share. If pe
Post a Comment
Location: Bushnell, IL 61422, USA
Read more

Mommy guilt

When I became a mother for the first time in 2002, I had this ideal of what my life would be like.  Most has come true, 5 amazing kids, a husband turned daddy that has been not only my partner, but often a support beam holding me up when post-partum depression held me down.  A family that is just minutes away and just a phone call away. And friends that love and care me like family.  But what I didn't expect was the mommy guilt. Guilt that I don't give each child enough one on one time, that I don't listen enough, or snuggle enough.  Can I even love them more than I do now? What triggered the guilt today? A cookie...  Zach asked me to open his cookie so he could lick the cream out. (He never eats the cookie part)  I thought to myself how sweet he is and how in just a few short years, he'll be in school and I'll be alone at home.  Which led to me to think of my older 4 who are in school already and how much I miss them.  Then it hit me, like the wind was knocked
Post a Comment
Read more

Happy Sunday

Image
     I apologize for not posting yesterday.  My oldest daughter had her first sleepover this weekend and I had no idea how much energy it took to keep a 10 year old and an almost 10 year old busy.  We watched movies, played Wii, ate junk food, made crafts, did make-overs and painted our nails.  Stick a fork in me, I am D-O-N-E, done.      But I have to say I am so glad my oldest daughter has finally found a good friend in our new town.  They are both very sweet, extremely smart, comedic and very unique young ladies.  My daughter is somewhat awkward socially.  I fear I didn't teach her the appropriate skills needed while we were homeschooling.  We were around other homeschooling families and other children at church, but even then she had trouble being included and didn't notice when other kids were being mean and purposely excluding her.  But her new friend compliments her well and I see lots of memories waiting to be made.       That being said, on my 3rd day of thanks
Post a Comment
Read more

God bless teachers

Image
     Sorry my post is so late... It's been a crazy & busy day. It's late, I'm exhausted and I want to get this posted ASAP.  I spent the day with my son Wyatt and his Kindergarten class.  I learned that being a teacher is an incredibly hard job, but I think being a Kindergarten teacher is especially tough.  Having the ability to keep 18 five to six year olds under control, keep them all on task and do it all while fighting a cold, makes you a super hero in my eyes.  Image courtesy of Google images        30 days of thanks, Day 2: I am thankful for the wonderful teachers that my children have been blessed with. It was a very hard decision to make to trust the public school system with my children, but they are absolutely thriving and love going to school each day. Thank you Mrs Purdy, Mrs Spangler, Mrs Cindy & Mrs Connie, Mrs Jackson, Ms Dreyer, Mrs Davidson, Mrs Hensley & Mrs Allaman for giving so much of yourself and caring & loving my children so m
Post a Comment
Read more