today’s post is a reflection on what being a mom means to me.
(with a great big thank you to my mom and mother in law for teaching me what it means to be a mother).

i can’t believe how lucky i am to do what i do. 

its not everyone’s dream, and that’s ok.

this is my dream.

i’ve wanted it my whole life.

ask my 7th grade science teacher.

she went around the classroom one day and asked each of us what we wanted to be when we grew up.

i thought about it.

teacher.

dancer.

nurse.

writer.

but nothing could top my real answer.

a mom.

there were a few giggles.

i was embarrassed.

but it was true.

mrs. gill still sends me a christmas card every year. love her.

 i used to have a career of my own, very short-lived. 

i taught 7th and 8th grade sewing and foods for a year.

i loved my education and job and would never trade the things i learned.

some days i think i’d love to work full time again.

but then i remember that i do.

i just don’t get paid for it. 🙂

not to say i haven’t tried my hand at earning a few $$ on the side.

see here.

in the end, the pay-off didn’t add up.

so i went out of business. 🙂

to supplement our income,

i’ve started a babysitting job twice a week.

what a blessing.

and i plan to teach clogging again.

perhaps if i had a real job, i’d be doing things i love and miss

but it would be away from my children. and my heart’s desire is to be here to raise them.

to not have to pay anyone else to it for me.

i am so thankful for that option.

for now, we’re not raking in the dough,

we sacrifice, skimp, save, while learning life’s precious lessons.

things like…

cable, preschool, eating out often, fancy cell phones, we do without.

so i can stay home.

where we work. play. learn. teach. make mistakes. forgive. love.

and i’m so thankful i don’t have to sacrifice my time with our kids.

they’re only mine for a few precious years. before school starts and the world sets in.

until then, i help shape them into the person they will become.

you could call it sheltering.

it is.

they will branch out eventually.

i realize there’s many different ways to raise a successful child.

we’re still experimenting.

and doing our best.

i’m so thankful for family and friends who inspire me daily.
so thankful for my mom and mother in law who are amazing examples.

 i don’t have perfectly perfect kids.

(but they sure are cute).

i’m not a perfect mom.

there’s days they have mismatched outfits and crooked parts in their hair.

there’s times i let them eat too many cookies or watch one too many movies.

there’s nights i put them to bed an hour too late.

thankfully its usually the exception.

and we all continue trying our best.

some days i catch myself daydreaming about

teaching.

studying.

going to thy gym alone.

cooking without “help”.

using the bathroom without 3 kids pounding on the door.

being in and out of the grocery store in 5 minutes flat.

vacuuming my floor everyday.

having a phone conversation uninterrupted.

taking a photography class.

things i could be doing if i wasn’t home with my children.

then i snap out of it and think to myself how lucky i am.

i pray every night to have the strength to keep serving my family.

it could all change or be taken away so quickly.

many people would love to have a husband so supportive.

kids who beg to be snuggled with at night.

a home to keep clean.

i’m so thankful for my time and season.

i believe everyone has a time that is right for raising children. some start early. some start later in life. some raise children and have a career at the same time. some moms do it alone. some aren’t able to have children at all, and my heart is heavy for them.

i’m not saying that we should all be the same type of woman, the same type of mom.

everyone’s circumstances are different.

there are many working women, and i believe the world is a better place because of them.

there’s also many women like me, who spend the majority of their time at home and in the community. i believe the world is better because of them too.

my point is that we’re all in this together, and should never tear each other down for wanting different things.

we should always strive to share and help and inspire one another.

that’s the ability that women have.

 i’m so happy to be a stay at home mom.

i chose this.

and the good lord saw fit to allow me the opportunity.

i love what i do, i’m so thankful to be

living my dream.

happy mother’s day