I don’t know when it really hit me, but when it did I felt a sense of both relief and terror. The realization that I was a great teacher, a fun mom, a mediocre wife, and a horrible homemaker. To make matters worse, my priorities were exactly in the same order… except for wife and homemaker, sometimes those were interchangeable at the bottom of my priority totem pole. How did I let this happen? When did I let my home, my husband, my family come after my job? Okay, if I am being completely …
Family
5 Ways to Take the Hassle Out of the Holidays
If you are busy and often take on a lot at once (and don’t we all?), then the holidays can be a really stressful time of year. Here are some reminders and ideas on how to survive the season and the fast approaching New Year ahead. 1. Plan ahead: If you are able to prepare, usually life goes a lot smother. What kind of things during the holidays might you plan for? One obvious one is gifts. Make a list of whom you need to give to and plan accordingly. I also suggest that you have a few gifts …
Choosing to Forgive: Setting the Re-Do Button
When my kids are in trouble and have to say they're sorry to the injured or hurt party, I always make them say, "Please forgive me for..." Most of the time they follow through properly, but sometimes, especially with the youngest, it's met with puppy eyes, smiles, hugs and kisses for the recently bitten sibling. It seems innocent, but there is a process to an apology that starts at a young age and only gains more genuineness as they grow. Usually when a timeout or spanking is about to occur the …
The Supportive Spouse
Picture this... The kids woke up early making nap time a must for the little ones. The breakfast menu is limited due to the extreme need to grocery shop as well as the piling high of dirty clothes in the hamper making finding a matching outfit entertaining. The floors look no different from outside and the heat from the summer days have turned pleasant kids into cranky, sweaty, exhausted little humans who have no time to assist with house chores. You never had a chance to take a shower …
There is Always, Always Something to be Thankful For
Thankfulness is a word we throw around pretty nonchalantly. We utter a “thank you” to plenty of people through out the day whether it be to our family members, a coworker or a grocery store clerk. I never really thought much about being thankful until I found myself navigating through a situation in which I felt I couldn’t be thankful. In January 2010 our 5 1/2 month old baby boy, Case, died of SIDS. Grief was a process that I was familiar with, my mom had died 9 years before, but I didn’t …
I Want to THRIVE, Not Just Survive
Thrive: 1. to prosper; be fortunate or successful 2. to grow or develop vigorously; flourish I think we’ve all gone through seasons of merely surviving life. I have had times where I wake up out of the fog of survival and I realize that this is no way to live. The circumstances look different for all of us. Some of our circumstances are fleeting, some may never go away. Some may be a result of choices we have made or quite possibly life has given you something other than you …
Dinner in a Flash!
We all lead these incredibly busy lives. Seriously, for me anyhow, I have a front row seat up on Ozzy's train when it comes to life. I won't bore you with the details but I will say, dinner can get a little dicey at times. I've made it a mission to have some tasty, healthy, & fast recipes for the nights it takes all my willpower not to pull into the Rubio's parking lot. So here is 1 of my all time fav go-to recipes. Enjoy y'all! Bang Bang Shrimp Wraps Ingredients: 1 lb. shrimp, …
Happy Mother’s Day!
"Mother is the name of God in the lips and hearts of children." William Makepeace Thackeray On this Mother's Day we celebrate the Art of Motherhood. It is a joyful experience, filled with immeasurable love, sometimes immeasurable grief, and always a lot of giving. It is undoubtedly an art form, a craft, a creative, undefined, makeup-as-you-go noble profession that takes what seems like a lifetime to master. More importantly, it is a privilege. What is the Art of Mothering? I think Reena …