Encouragement

It's that time of year again. Moms everywhere are driving themselves crazy trying to create the perfect gifts, the perfect family photo, the perfect holiday party. I'm here to tell you: it's okay (even desirable!) to be imperfect. By keeping things simple and low-key this holiday season, you can save yourself so much stress and create opportunities to connect with friends, family, and community. Here are some ideas for simplifying your season: Consider giving gifts of service rather than material things. For example, you can plan dates, offer to lend a skill, or give a bottle of wine with the condition that you enjoy it together. If you just can't give up giving real, tangible gifts (I can't) focus on quality over...

Growing up, I wanted four children.  Two boys, one girl, then another boy.  I distinctly remember the day I changed my mind.  I was in college and working as a cashier at Lowe’s.  A woman with four young kids came through my line.  The baby was crying.  The other three were either whining or running around causing chaos. That mom didn’t have enough hands. The thoughts running through my head were, “Why can’t this woman control her kids? When I’m a mom, my kids will NOT act this way in public!” Fast-forward a few (okay, more than a few) years to today.  I’m in Target begging my fifteen month old to sit down in the front of the cart.  She’s...

My journey to become a mom hasn't been the easiest. The most painful moment so far was on April 4, 2011. I was being prepped for emergency surgery to remove a ruptured ectopic pregnancy (also know as tubal although mine was not in the tube). Not realizing I was going to need surgery, we brought our only living child with us to the hospital. The nurse asking me questions said, “So, this is your second pregnancy?” It was a knife to my heart when I had to answer, “No…sixth.” When Daniel and I got married, we wanted to wait 3-5 years before having kids, so we could just enjoy married life. Well, one thing lead to another, and we knew...

6:55 am in red letters on the stove clock. “Kids, let’s go. If we don’t hurry up, we will be late.” Now I see 7:00 am ... keep calm but we gotta get moving. “Bennett, you have enough toys for the 10 min car ride to school. You don’t NEED a bad guy. Buzz, Ninja Turtles, and Jake can all be friends in the car. How about we play nice and don’t bring a bad guy? Oh whatever, just get in the car.” “Avery, I understand you don’t like your shoes. You tell me every morning, but those are part of your uniform. The car is open, go get in your seat and buckle up!!” OK, kids out the door, lights...

In Part 1 of my post, I shared our typical day of being a mom and working full-time.  Now, I wanted to take some time to go into the reasons why I work, my tips for balancing life and work, and my advice for dealing with that "mommy guilt" that we all struggle with one way or another. Top reasons I feel that working full time works best for my family: Money - Life is expensive. Period. No explanation needed. Schooling- I went to college then graduate school to pursue a degree where I could make a difference in this world and I want to use it. Continuing Education and Intellectual Stimulation - I enjoy learning new techniques and procedures that will better...