Working Mom and Mother

I must confess, when I am not in the office around the holidays, I really enjoy being a Mother. I am a working Mom and I am a Mother! A working Mom is a Mom who works outside of the home as well as in the home and a Mother is a Mom who works within the home. Both jobs are equally difficult and my respect level for both are equally high. With that being said for those of you who are working Moms, my hat goes off to you. It is very difficult to work both outside of the home and be a mom. I love being at home with my children, but the challenges of the workplace are, I must admit, quite exciting as well. I feel "purposeful" at the office. At home I don't feel as "purposeful" if you will. What is your feedback?

To Top It Off

Yes People To top it off -the power steering in our one 4 wheel drive (suburban) is out-heading in for the diagnosis tomorrow!

I do not feel the least bit old!

On 9/16/09 my middle little miss turned 13, tomorrow on 11/17/09 my oldest little miss turns 16. I do not feel the least bit old, but I do feel a little tired. I can not believe these two beautiful souls. Even when i could just pull my hair out, I still have an undying love for my children. I hope that I have portrayed my love well and that I have taught love, compassion, loyalty and faithfulness. Happy Birthday to my little miss 1 and 2 one belated and early. I love you girls!

A Quick Note

The Flu has hit our home. My poor little miss #2, she was pitiful and I made tea....lots of it! My amazing husband/cook/hero came to the rescue with homemade chicken noodle soup. I always worry about my precious babies when they are sick, even if they are 13 years old. I still checked her breathing 3 or 4 times that night and shamefully, but proudly at the same time will I admit that I still rest my hand on their backs on many an occasion as I did when they were babies......at 15, 13 and 2 1/2 years of age. Yes, some things never change.

I Must Be Insane

So my 13 year old daughter is having a birthday/halloween bash tonight.....and she invited 26 children.(13 year olds at that) She and her friends have decorated our unfinished basement and put black dividing curtains, a disco ball etc etc. Being that she is the hostess, she asked her Maw Maw to come and do her hair. What we didn't know is that Maw Maw had been working on throw pillows for her new bedroom ensemble in our new home. So take in the "touch of Maw Maw" (pics on the right) she made the top two throw pillows. This is one of the many reasons my Mother is so wonderful. There is just something about all of the wonderful things that she does that just can't be done by anyone else, and she is the ONE AND ONLY "MAW MAW". Doesn't it look fabulous!

by the way

pictures to follow

Dare I say-we have moved!

Well I said I wouldn't comment on our home or anything about it -for sake of not being jinxed-but I can now. We have moved. After 4 long weeks we are somewhat settled. We could not believe the amount of cleaning we had to do, but we did it. It was non stop for literally 2 weeks and I mean non-stop. had it not been for my Daddy, Mother and Brother it would not have happened in that time frame. They were here day in and out for seven straight days. I can not believe how lucky I am. I am incredibly blessed, but I must admit that the utmost thought on my mind was to make sure they had a place to sleep in my new home so that if by an off chance they wanted to stay one night they could.. So I splurged (credit) and our sofa sleeper was delivered this past Saturday. I can not go without saying that my husband was a maniac mover. When I was ready to just throw in the towel, he was there still going. When I almost melted and went to my parents house the first night in our new home, he was there putting all of our beds together, when we went back to work and we would come home in the afternoon to more "honey do's " to get our home in gear he was there to do it. When I was freakin out because the deck to the pool needed power washing (before the necessities in the home) he spent 5 hours power washing. I know I do not always show my husband my undying love for him, but I can not do this "life thing" without him. My older girls were incredible too. I worked them pretty hard, but they seem happy. I hope they are happy as I feel our family needed this home (as my husband says...not a place, but a home) for a very long time. I am feeling very blessed these days. I am being watched carefully by God and I think may just be realizing this......Thanks be to God. Having such realizations makes me wonder if all of us could not use a revelation or two and be thankful for the cards we have been dealt and the choices we have made to get us where we are in this "thing called life" So tonight I hope that many will hang there heads in prayer and thank God for the health of their children, the roof over their heads and maybe just plainly the sanity to live in this crazy world. Finally, tomorrow my goal is to thank as many people as I come in contact with if they have made a difference in my life.........You might try the same.

Thank God For Answered Prayers

My Co-worker's precious little angel of 8 months had to undergo surgery on August 12th. She was diagnosed with CCAM(??) in utero. What a whirlwind of craziness since August 12th for this loving family. My heart went out to mom for the courage and strength she "mustered" up, but it wasn't until visiting baby Avarie in the hospital the first day after a surgery that spanned 7 hours, that I knew I had a special place in my heart for all God's little people. It simply made me weak in the knees to see this beautiful little baby in such pain. While her strength amazed everyone at how well she had done and continued to do, I simply felt almost broke! Broke for her Mom and Dad and broke at the thought of what must be going through there heads. I felt the night before just helpless....I didn't even know what to do for them.....so I just prayed. And not only did I pray, I called and asked people whom I (in many years of knowing them) had never asked for there prayers, but I did that night, and I just kept calling and asking for prayers. The funny thing is.....within a short time of my phone call prayer chain, if you will, baby Avarie came out of a surgery much sooner than expected. For me, this was an answer to prayer. Who knew what would happen from there, but I felt as though this was another one of those times that I simply knew that prayers had been answered. Isn't it funny what strength you feel when you pray!

Popcorn! "My husband is awesome!"

I love popcorn! My husband makes fresh popped popcorn and clarified butter to "dribble" on top. Not so much dribble , but really pour.(usually olive oil for health benefits.....but every now and again...) All of the girls and their friends love it....he is famous for "the act." Tonight, after a very long weekend of "clearing for our new home move" (see a previous post), I asked for all of the above and he obliged. So in case I haven't said it MY HUSBAND IS AWESOME! I think he is awesome for all of the little things, yes the little things! There are many big things, but I find myself feeling gratitude and blessings for more of the little things that he and every other man doesn't realize make a remarkable difference. I count my blessings daily for his attention, love and the Father that he is! I especially love his "daddy's spa." Before "Daddy's Spa" Little miss #3 and I started her stepping stone mosaic. We had a blast!

Open Your Arms and Embrace Stellan

I am continuing to follow the "Stellan site" the my charming kids link you can find on the right column of my site. Tonight I am praying for this precious little soul to feel the warm embraces of so many many arms, I am praying for the mother of this little man to find peace with the path that has been chosen for her family and her son. She is a remarkeable woman and her strength and faith is astounding. I find myself finding strength that I didnt't know I had simply by trying to find some semblance of how it must feel to walk in her shoes......I can not! My prayers go out to this family and with that I pray The Our Father!

Revelation....or not

Always do more for others than you would want done unto to you and you will reap the benefits without asking. My midnight revelation and with that I bid goodnight!

Hesitant to say "we have found our home"

After 2 long years of endless searching....we have a contract on "our home." It fits all of our criteria with many awesome perks we were not even looking for....a pool for one. I will say no more until after closing on August 31, as I wish not to" jinx" myself. I leave it all in God's able hands, as I asked when we made an offer.....please guide us down the path to a nurturing, strong and loving environment that is right for our children to be raised in and make beautiful memories. So with that I bid good night.

Respect

Respect is esteem for, or a sense of the worth or excellence of, a person, a personal quality, ability, or a manifestation of a personal quality or ability. Defined by wikipedia. I recently used this word in a conversation with my 15 year old daughter, and I will at an appropriate time with my other two beautiful girls. As time goes by, my oldest little miss seems to push and push more and more to experience life at a quicker pace....such is 2009 for youth today. I am hanging on by as many threads as I can, but it is exhausting. My recent conversation with her was short but sweet with regards to herself....body and mind. I said to her "Portray respect to yourself and your body in the way you act, dress and conduct yourself or no one else will." I wanted her to know that the way you dress and act will tell others how you expect to be treated and what you are willing to accept in your life by way of acquaintances, career, social situations etc. I can not imagine, the literal (academic) genius that she is, that she does already "get that" so it is my hope that at least 60% of the advice I give to each of my little misses they will carry. That is all I ask, because that is slightly more than half.

It Does My Heart Good!

Tonight after watching my fav tv series The Bachelor with Little Miss 2, while the littlest Little Miss ran between us and Dad. I ran up to have a quick bath. Before I could even blink Little Miss 2 was tapping on the door to let me know our smallest was fast asleep. I love these moments, not because she did the sleep time chore, but because it does my heart good to "feel the love" in my family. These trying "12 and plus years" are enough to send any woman into the crazy house, so I basque in the glory of loving siblings and great deeds that free me up at any moment in the evening.

My Husband is Awesome......

My husband quietly got up this morning and scooted out of the room to grab our jibbering 2 year old. His intention was to let me sleep in, but I couldn't do it. I wish I could sleep in, but for some reason I can only get to about 9 am. Either way I am so grateful that he tried! I feel blessed.

An Interesting Blog

I began following a blog spot a couple of months ago http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ I found this woman so interesting and her (one of many) sweet children and his health an obsession ( in a good way) I could not believe all that her family has endured and while I still follow and pray for her and her family, I realized there are many families who have and/or are "enduring." I feel so lucky to have my health and the health of my family. I feel lucky to have my family period! So tonight I will pray a prayer given to me today by a lovely family I connected with through business. I will ask God to give me more answers to the questions I have and hope that the answers I seek will be clear. I will not ask for the answer I want, but for the answer that has been chosen for me and my family.

My Husband is Awesome

My husband is standing next to me as I post this blog. He is completing a computer build for a client. He has literally saved this client $600.00. He is so excited about this computer build and that he actually built it with his own two hands! It is actually amazing! So I will try now to get him to go to bed, but it is almost going to be impossible as I am not as exciting as this hard drive, monitor gigawhatever, memory, etc, or am I?

"baby fix"

I am so excited. Tomorrow I am going to get a "baby fix." My dear friend will be giving birth to her baby boy. I call it a "baby fix" spoken so truly by another of my close friends, to snuggle and admire a precious little life....and then be able to go home and sleep! You see these "baby Fixes" actually keep me on the straight and narrow road (the one with no more babies for me)! After all I do have three beautiful girls and a wonderful husband.

It's Nothing Personal It's Just Business....one of my fav sayings that I believe I first heard from Donald Trump. While the DOnald Trump part isn't so impressive to me, the words are! I find myself thinking though, this is very hard to do(especially for me).

My husband actually "has it good"

I actually talked to a woman today who has seven yes 7 girls. I told my husband that he actually has it very good. I am in total awe that anyone could possibly and sanely raise seven girls...okay even seven children. My husband is surrounded by all females excluding the one (out of two cats) other male in the home-a cat. He really is a Saint and literally is our chaufeur, protector, brain, mr fix it, hurry i see a spider.......Mr. Everything. And although our three girls don't know it, he is their rock too!

My oldest daughter whom we will call little miss 1(affectionately called by my husband) came home with a long awaited completed birdhouse. (from art class) From a block of clay, to design, painting, glaze and fire came this gorgeous work of art for Mother's Day 2009! The photo does not do it justice, it is absolutely spectacular. She did a completely creative job. It looks totally like it should be in a shop for sale, and I am not just prejudice. I can not tell you the depth of gratitude that she chose to gift it to me. She is such a thoughtful young being, whom in good times and bad has brought such joy to my life!

Little Miss (whom we will call little miss 3) had a blast stomping in puddles after a draining of a drenched sandbox.

My Husband does not want me to blog. He does not want our life on the internet. He may be right, but I like sharing with family and friends, and this is an easy way to do it.