As an at home mom I despise the question, "Are you employed?" If they want the real answer it would be yes. I am a cook, baker, taxi driver, maid, banker, judge, juror, prosecutor, defense attorney, therapist, nurse, bouncer, referee, hair and clothing stylist, professional discount shopper, laundry attendant, receptionist, student, teacher, artist, writer, mathematician, coordinator, repairman, pharmacist, office manager, photographer and nanny. I am the keeper of the cheerios, the trampoline, the listening ear....
I AM THE MOM! I do have a job....it just doesn't pay much for $, but it has great benefits!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Forgotten
I cannot believe that I forgot about this blog! It feels like so much has changed in a year. Emily is now 2 and a holy terror. She back talks like crazy and antagonizes the boys every chance that she gets. She has a sweet little face, but don't let that fool ya...she knows how to push the buttons. Ben is 4 and currently is in preschool, along with Noah who is 5. They can be best friends and worst enemies. Anyone with boys so close together can sympathize I'm sure. Kiya is 8 and as beautiful and smart as ever. Too smart for her own good sometimes. Tony and I are both currently enrolled full time at Baker College. He also has 2 jobs and considers himself a weekend dad, unfortunately it is true. He is so busy, but he wouldn't rather be anywhere else than with his kids. We just have to get through this time first. When he is with the kids he is litterally no where else. He loves them so much! That makes me love him more and more....
I am struggling with the realization that going to school ultimately leads to actually getting a job outside the home. I am nervous about not being there for my kids if they need me, about not being able to balance work and family, about letting my responsibilities around the house lack. I always dreamed of being home when my children got home from school, having snacks ready for them and being that "Leave It to Beaver" mom, unfortunately I do not think that will ever happen. First of all I am far from being the "perfect" mom and second of all this society almost requires 2 incomes in order to survive in the real world. I am so sick of the cost of living going up like we've never seen before! How is a low income family supposed to survive in this struggling economy? We are feeling the affects so hard right now, thank God we finally got our house financed with a fixed rate! Of course that didn't come without its obstacles.
I miss the times when things felt easier...Tony was youth pastor and music leader(2 things that he loved more than anything), we were in church 3 times a week, we were closer to God, we had a clear direction for our family. It seems that things just get lost in the hussle of everyday life, when do things get clear? My children are my world and I just want them to be happy and have a good life. They are my everything and I am deathly afraid of missing one important minute with them. I have had so much loss in my life and am petrified of any more. You never know what will happen in life, only the Man Up Stairs knows what will happen.
I am struggling with the realization that going to school ultimately leads to actually getting a job outside the home. I am nervous about not being there for my kids if they need me, about not being able to balance work and family, about letting my responsibilities around the house lack. I always dreamed of being home when my children got home from school, having snacks ready for them and being that "Leave It to Beaver" mom, unfortunately I do not think that will ever happen. First of all I am far from being the "perfect" mom and second of all this society almost requires 2 incomes in order to survive in the real world. I am so sick of the cost of living going up like we've never seen before! How is a low income family supposed to survive in this struggling economy? We are feeling the affects so hard right now, thank God we finally got our house financed with a fixed rate! Of course that didn't come without its obstacles.
I miss the times when things felt easier...Tony was youth pastor and music leader(2 things that he loved more than anything), we were in church 3 times a week, we were closer to God, we had a clear direction for our family. It seems that things just get lost in the hussle of everyday life, when do things get clear? My children are my world and I just want them to be happy and have a good life. They are my everything and I am deathly afraid of missing one important minute with them. I have had so much loss in my life and am petrified of any more. You never know what will happen in life, only the Man Up Stairs knows what will happen.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Lucky or Lost
So I guess that I haven't been on here in awhile. Noah finally did get completely potty trained. Now I'm back to square one with Ben. Emily is now 1 year old and walking, laughing, and nothing but joy explodes from her face. Kiya is reading anything she can and getting into as much trouble as she can now that she's the oldest of 7 kids. Tony is in school now and work is crazy, which means he is gone alot. I know that it's for our future, but I miss him sooo much.
Many people think that being able to stay home with their children is either a blessing or an inconvenience. An inconvenience because that means that they can't buy the things that they want, or do the things they want, or even be who they want. A blessing because they don't miss a moment (which can even be a curse sometimes ex: whining, screaming, crying, etc.), they get to see all the smiles, and teach them to love completely (which I often see in my children). What happens when you lose yourself in either? What happens when you can't figure out if your blessed or not? Many people would wonder why I would wonder such a thing. I have a wonderful, beautiful, loving family. It also has grown rapidly, one minute I was engaged to a beautiful loving man, with the blink of an eye (or opening of a letter) I was a parent. Then next thing I know I have 3 more kids of my own. Don't get me wrong, I am a very lucky woman to have so much love around me. My kids are my world, and that's ok. But, some where in the whirlwind, I don't know if I became lucky or lost. I am not only a mom, but also, a woman. Sometimes that is forgotten.
Many people think that being able to stay home with their children is either a blessing or an inconvenience. An inconvenience because that means that they can't buy the things that they want, or do the things they want, or even be who they want. A blessing because they don't miss a moment (which can even be a curse sometimes ex: whining, screaming, crying, etc.), they get to see all the smiles, and teach them to love completely (which I often see in my children). What happens when you lose yourself in either? What happens when you can't figure out if your blessed or not? Many people would wonder why I would wonder such a thing. I have a wonderful, beautiful, loving family. It also has grown rapidly, one minute I was engaged to a beautiful loving man, with the blink of an eye (or opening of a letter) I was a parent. Then next thing I know I have 3 more kids of my own. Don't get me wrong, I am a very lucky woman to have so much love around me. My kids are my world, and that's ok. But, some where in the whirlwind, I don't know if I became lucky or lost. I am not only a mom, but also, a woman. Sometimes that is forgotten.
Friday, May 26, 2006
GOAL!
We have just reached a milestone in my house this morning!! My son, my 3 yr old, finally decided to poop in the potty!!! It could be because that I threatened him with taking him back to the hospital to have blood drawn again(for school) if he didn't, is that bad parenting? It wasn't completely a lie though because he has to be potty trained before he can start school and if he had to wait until next year then he would've had to go through it again. Anyway, it worked because HE DID IT!!!! I am obviously so excited about it.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Love
Ok so it's been awhile for this. Tonight my husband and I will be celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary. We are getting rid of the kids for 2 nights (we haven't done that since our honeymoon 5 yrs ago). I have been waiting to do that obviously for awhile. Only, I thought that I was looking forward to it but it turns out that I am a little sad because I am going to miss them like crazy!!! I am with them everyday from morning to night and I feel like I'm mentally unstable by the time bedtime comes, but they're my kids!! I know that I need a break, but I am so close to them that I breathe nothing but my beautiful loving children. It's such a miracle the love that you have for these little people that depend solely on you. All I want to do is keep them safe and happy. To look at their smiling faces and to know that you helped put that there, that you created this little life, it's more than a heart and a sole can bear. I ache to be with them. I am scared to death for their future, yet so excited to see what kind of influence that I will of had on their lives. With mother's day approaching, I hope that when my children are old enough they will undersatand the love that I have for them and that they will truly appreciate it. Being a parent is so hard because you have to give so much of yourself, but the rewards are numerous. I feel like I'm overflowing in love. When I look into my little girl's face and she shows me that big toothless grin, uhh, it's as close as I can get to heaven right now.
P.S. My step-daughter came home from school yesturday with a Mother's Day gift. I asked her if it was for her mom, she replied "No, it' for you." (Ususally for special days she gives these things to her mom, I get the rest of the stuff so I don't get too upset.) So needless to say I was surprised and so happy. I opened up the gift, because she said I could (she's gone at her mom's for Mother's Day) to find a beautiful hand made card that said "Happy Mother's Day Mama. I love you. Kiya" Well my heart melted right there, then the gift. It was a planter with dirt and seeds to grow flowers. She decorated it with flowers and butterflies. It was honestly the most beautiful wonderful gift that I have ever received. I wanted to burst into tears, she made this very special gift for me, her step-mother. Instead I gave her an enormous hug and told her that I loved it and that I couldn't wait to plant the flowers with her, but first she had to eat lunch.
It's more than I could've asked for from her. She thinks that she gave me some flowers to plant, she doesn't realize that she gave me so much more.
P.S. My step-daughter came home from school yesturday with a Mother's Day gift. I asked her if it was for her mom, she replied "No, it' for you." (Ususally for special days she gives these things to her mom, I get the rest of the stuff so I don't get too upset.) So needless to say I was surprised and so happy. I opened up the gift, because she said I could (she's gone at her mom's for Mother's Day) to find a beautiful hand made card that said "Happy Mother's Day Mama. I love you. Kiya" Well my heart melted right there, then the gift. It was a planter with dirt and seeds to grow flowers. She decorated it with flowers and butterflies. It was honestly the most beautiful wonderful gift that I have ever received. I wanted to burst into tears, she made this very special gift for me, her step-mother. Instead I gave her an enormous hug and told her that I loved it and that I couldn't wait to plant the flowers with her, but first she had to eat lunch.
It's more than I could've asked for from her. She thinks that she gave me some flowers to plant, she doesn't realize that she gave me so much more.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Who I Want To Be Like
Have you ever thought who you would like to be most like in your life? I think about it all the time. Some people may say a movie star or singer or even our Lord Jesus Christ. Though I would like many of the qualities from those people, that's not what I want. I want to be me. I want to find myself. I want to find who I am and be that person with the kindness, patience, innocense, love, frienships, honesty, etc. The list goes on and on. How many people truely find this. How many people can honestly say that they know who they are and who they want to be. How many people can truely say that they are comfortable in their own skin. I am not one of those people. I don't feel the outside matches the inside. I struggle everyday whether I should try to be myself, someone that other people will want me to be, or simply wishing I looked like someone else. I find myself quite often representing a chameleon changing who I am so then other people will like me. I was recently in a situation of accusations of an individual and I, instead of taking that color, decided to defend that other person. That is a huge step for me. It's a huge step because I did it without thinking. Instead of sitting back and just listening and not saying anything, I said don't jump to conclusions about this person. I would normally just think these things to myself to avoid confrontation, but I confronted it head on. Maybe this is a least one step to finding me and being who I want to be. Maybe I'll take 2 steps back tomorrow, but I can be proud of myself today.
So how does a person truely find themselves when they have to put everyone elses needs before their own? How can I be happy within my own skin? How can I feel beautiful from the inside out? Maybe I will never find out, maybe it will have to wait until my kids are older. As of now I feel my only talent, my only purpose, my only meaning is to be the very best mom and wife that I can possibly be and to hope that it's enough for now, even though some days I know that it's not.
So how does a person truely find themselves when they have to put everyone elses needs before their own? How can I be happy within my own skin? How can I feel beautiful from the inside out? Maybe I will never find out, maybe it will have to wait until my kids are older. As of now I feel my only talent, my only purpose, my only meaning is to be the very best mom and wife that I can possibly be and to hope that it's enough for now, even though some days I know that it's not.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Wife or Mom
So I've never done this before. I've never really let people this far into my life, but it should be ok, right? The only people who will care are people who care about me, right? Sometimes we often struggle with who that really is.
I'm a mom of 4 kids and a wife of 1 big kid. I sometimes struggle with what title should come first, wife or mom. Most of the time I struggle with what kid I should take care of first. What needs should come first, their needs or my sanity. I have a 6 yr old stepdaughter who for some reason can never stay out of trouble, a 3 yr old son who cannot grasp that you have to do the number 2's on the potty not in your pants and who thinks that whining is a pass time, a 2 year old son potty training who I know is smart enough to do it, and a 7 wk old baby girl who really doesn't have too much to say most of the time until I want to do something like this. Needless to say right now I'm at the end of my rope grasping for a way to climb higher. Is it even possible with 1 screaming her head off and the 2 boys fighting like their aren't enough toys to go around? Maybe this blog will help me release some frustrations and calm down. My husband is a great Christian man who does everything to make sure that we are taken care of, but sometimes I wonder if I'm doing enough to take care of everybody. He doesn't complain but maybe underneath I'm not doing enough.
Who knows what should come first, Wife or Mother?
I'm a mom of 4 kids and a wife of 1 big kid. I sometimes struggle with what title should come first, wife or mom. Most of the time I struggle with what kid I should take care of first. What needs should come first, their needs or my sanity. I have a 6 yr old stepdaughter who for some reason can never stay out of trouble, a 3 yr old son who cannot grasp that you have to do the number 2's on the potty not in your pants and who thinks that whining is a pass time, a 2 year old son potty training who I know is smart enough to do it, and a 7 wk old baby girl who really doesn't have too much to say most of the time until I want to do something like this. Needless to say right now I'm at the end of my rope grasping for a way to climb higher. Is it even possible with 1 screaming her head off and the 2 boys fighting like their aren't enough toys to go around? Maybe this blog will help me release some frustrations and calm down. My husband is a great Christian man who does everything to make sure that we are taken care of, but sometimes I wonder if I'm doing enough to take care of everybody. He doesn't complain but maybe underneath I'm not doing enough.
Who knows what should come first, Wife or Mother?
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