I’m A Mom Not A Super Hero

Have you ever played that game “Would you Rather”? It’s a family favorite of ours. It seems like whenever we all get together we play the game. Sometimes it seems like we play it for hours. We have some crazy “would you rathers” too, like “Would you rather pick your nose or have a wedgie all day?” Sometimes there’s not really a good answer, it’s probably what makes the game so fun. I find myself thinking about this game the last couple weeks. The question that keeps running through my head is “Would you rather be a mom or a Super Hero?”

I think this is one of those that doesn’t have a right answer. I think most mom’s feel like super hero’s from day to day, and if they don’t then they sure wish they were super hero’s. I find myself wanting a lot of super powers, especially now, when I’m 7 months pregnant and feeling like the simplest task is getting hard. Bending over is becoming a huge challenge, rolling over in bed takes minutes not seconds, chasing after a quick 17 month old is laughable, and staying cool--that just doesn’t happen anymore. I find myself daydreaming of super powers. The ability to clean at super-human speeds, flying, having super human strength, doing everything I need to during the day AND not being exhausted at the end of the day--I think that is the one super hero quality I would take above all the others.

As the title suggests, I am not a super hero I‘m just a mom. I believe I have some pretty awesome “super powers” even though they aren’t really seen that way. I think I have some super human ability to listen to a 3 year old question everything and anything all day every day. I think I have some super human ability to bring fairy tale creatures to life each night before my kids go to bed. I think I have some super human ability of patience (don’t laugh) for all sorts of things that take place around here during the day. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

So although I’m “just a mom” I like to think that maybe my kids look at me like a super hero. I like to think that when I look in the mirror in the evening before I go to bed I can imagine a cape flying in the background, and the baggy eyes are just the crazy make-up that some super hero’s wear as a disguise. The multiple times I wake up during the night and drag myself to the bathroom to relieve myself of that tiny bit of pee because of this little human growing inside of me--well, what’s more like a super power then growing a new life?

Here’s to all you mom super hero’s. Don’t forget that to your kids, you are the greatest super hero that there ever was. Make sure you remember that in all you do for them today and everyday.

Dog Days of Summer

It’s that time of year. It’s been hot and yucky outside and this pregnant momma doesn’t want to do much at all. I took the kiddos to the pool this morning, and we had a blast. We only stayed about an hour and a half, but they both seemed to enjoy the time. We came home and did a little housework and some laundry--Eliza is wanting to help more and more with everything around the house. This is a good thing, but also a bad thing. She thinks she’s big enough to do it all, and that’s just not the case. I’m working on being patient and allowing her to work through everything.

However, one part of pregnancy that I hate is the irritation that comes with it. A three year old is really good at bringing out the worst of that irritation. It’s not all her fault--she’s used to us going all the time and always having something fun to do. Unfortunately, it takes more time and effort for me to get anything done these days. We’ve had days with no naps, we’ve had days with random messes for no reason, we’ve had days of constant whining, and we’ve had days of just plain wildness. I’m hoping these are few and far between this summer, because I’m not sure either of us will make it otherwise.

These are the kind of days that I wish we lived closer to family so that I could have an Eliza break. I think it would benefit us both greatly, but since we don’t I’ve decided to just make the best of it. So on that note, we’re going to the pool--for the 2^nd time today. Happy Summer everyone!! J

　

　

Slacker??

“Don’t You Feel Like a Slacker?”

A question that has only been uttered out loud to me a few times, mostly in jest. However, if you could jump in my head for the day you would understand why it’s such a touchy question for me.

While I’m folding laundry I’m often thinking about what I could be doing that would use my “talents” better. While I’m scrubbing the dishes and loading the dishwasher I’m often thinking about what my hands could be better used for. While I’m on my hands and knees mopping the floor I’m often thinking that I’m way too smart not to be doing something else. While I’m picking up toys, vacuuming, making beds, changing diapers, kissing boo-boos, driving to story-time, weeding the flower beds, making dinner, singing lullaby’s, saying night time prayers, giving baths, grocery shopping, running errands, cleaning the bathrooms, and playing with my kids I’m often thinking “man I’m a slacker”. It might not be in those exact words, but you get the idea.

If you are one of those few mom’s out there that never questions your vocation to motherhood--I envy you. I would bet that more often than not most stay-at-home moms question their contribution to this world. In today’s society it’s nearly impossible not to question our motherly tasks. Let’s be honest, it’s not like our mom jobs are mentally challenging like being a lawyer, our mom jobs are not physically challenging like contractors, our mom jobs are not mentally taxing like most medical jobs out there, and our mom jobs are not emotionally challenging like dealing with patients who are emotionally or physically dying. Although, I believe that our mom jobs are most certainly mentally, physically, and emotionally challenging. There’s not a vocation in this world that’s not.

It’s still hard to get over that slacker feeling. Especially when you go to bed some days and think--”what did I even do today?” I think if I had the perfect answer to take away that feeling of uselessness that mother’s go through I could make a lot of money. It’s human nature for us to think about what more we could do. What I do know, and what I was taught by the greatest mother I’ve ever known is that we are all perfectly us. We all have our ups and downs and our days of doubt, but we are important. One of the things I think when I’m doubting my calling or my usefulness is “What if the devil got to all us moms, what would the world be like then?” Maybe that’s kind of a morbid thought, but it sure motivates me! I want to keep the devil as far away from my household as possible. I might not be able to change the world, but then again, maybe I can. My advice for getting over those “slacker thoughts”, take a look at your children’s smiling faces and know that God is smiling down on all you do. That should be enough. And if it’s not, look at all those “you” that God gave you.

Take a listen:

God Gave Me You, Blake Shelton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-Xpt1SxDJw

Right after I posted this, I flipped on my radio and started cooking dinner...the first song that played:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVTeIMursb8&ob=av2e

God is listening today I guess!! Wild.

Making Beautiful Things

Sorry for the week off of posts. I had to catch up from being gone to Indiana for a long weekend. I’ve begun nesting, which means I have lists of stuff all over the place that needs to get done.

I think I have our weekends planned full of re-organizing house stuff from now until the baby arrives in September. I guess I’ve had a lot of the ideas floating in my head for a while, but now it’s kind of crunch time--they will take a while to accomplish so it’s not like we can do it all in one weekend. We started off this past weekend by re-organizing our kitchen, and re-organizing our master closet. The closet still has a bit of work to do, but major props to Brian for working so hard. We were able to do what we wanted without spending a dime. (That’s my favorite type of home improvement) It looks GREAT too! I still have a full page of things to get to, but I think the next room we’ll tackle is the laundry room. I’m much too excited for this project, but I guess when you spend hours every week in a room you’d like it to look wonderful and be as user friendly as possible. I’ll try to remember to post before and after pictures next week. (Assuming that we get it all done over the weekend)

Along with re-organizing the rooms in our house, we’ve begun to re-organize or re-prioritize our eating as well. We’ve been doing paleo at about 70% since I got pregnant, but we decided to cut out even more junk. I know I’ve said this before, but it’s amazing how great I feel. We’ve been doing what I call “hardcore paleo” for almost a week, and I’m already able to feel results. Real food is just the way to go. Not to mention that I got a huge cart of groceries from Sunflower Market (a local grocery store/farmer’s market) today, and my grocery bill was less than normal by about $40--and I got a TON! I keep telling Brian that I can’t wait until after our little boy arrives to see how paleo affects the recovery. I have a feeling it’s going to do wonders!

I guess with the official start of summer comes some tweaks to life’s every day routine. Maybe you have some tweaks you need to make. No time is as good as the present! You don’t have to wait--if a room in your house is boring-- change it up a bit, if you are feeling gross--eat better and get some exercise, maybe you just need a night out--go for it. It’s amazing how far just a little change can do for your life.

　

Here’s a song that has been very inspirational to me over the past few weeks. I LOVE it! Check it out:

You Make Beautiful Things Out of The Dust - By: Gungor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NaTxMK60Wk

Going Home

Exotic vacations, wild road trips, wine tasting tour, and hanging out at the lake all weekend are just a few of the things people will be doing this Memorial Day weekend. It’s the official start of summer. Everyone looks forward to a little rest and relaxation. I look forward to going home.

Going home is something I look forward to from the moment I return to Oklahoma to the next time I get to travel the 13 hours to Zionsville. There is nothing more comforting in the world than being around all the people you love the most. Home seems like such a simple word with such a simple meaning, but really there’s no other word that makes my stomach jump, gives me thoughts of the past, and gives me that excited kid on Christmas morning feeling.

As I thought about writing this post I began to realize that not everyone looks forward to trips home the way I do. In fact, I think a lot of people don’t enjoy being around family or home at all. It really makes me sad to think about those people. I wish everyone could come visit my wild family for a weekend just to see what my excitement is all about.

I love the late night conversations, the random coffee shop trips with mom, the outdoor fun with dad, the picking on younger siblings, the laughter, and the food just to name a few. As I’ve grown up going home has come to mean even more though. Bringing my own children back to the place where Brian and I grew up is wonderful. Sitting on the porch with our parents watching our kids play in the same backyards that we used to play in all summer long brings such joy to my heart. I can’t wait until they are old enough for us to tell them our old glory stories from sports in the past. I think the joy that I feel when my entire family is together is just a little piece of what my parents must feel too.

We have a huge family and it’s growing more every day. By the end of the summer we’ll have two new kids in the mix. However, we all get a sort of empty feeling if just one person is missing from the fun. This weekend everyone will be home. We all get to spend time together and just being with all my siblings, parents, nieces, and nephews is what I’m looking forward to the most. Time at home. What a wonderful way to start summer!

Blessings to everyone this Memorial Day weekend--travel safe, have fun, eat a lot, and give thanks to God for all of it!

　

Growing Up

Today I looked around at my kids and realized that they are quickly growing up. This is kind of a bitter-sweet thing in my eyes.

Eliza has started to really act like a 3 year old. She is drawing “real” pictures, helping with household chores, cooking, and continues to ask a million questions a day. Jackson understands pretty much everything I say. He’s not able to totally communicate back, but he does his best. He’s turning into a little boy. Today he went over and sat down in front of the couch and “asked” for cartoons. It was pretty darn cute.

As this little guy in my womb continues to get bigger and bigger I keep thinking that in just a few months everything is going to be so different. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing Eliza home from the hospital and starting this wild journey. Now we are gearing up to bring our 3^rd home!

I’m so thankful for this summer. Not because of the crazy heat, but because I feel like it’s a couple of months of time for me and the kids to just be. We’re wrapping up a part of our lives and will begin another chapter just at the end of summer. This little guy is due to be born right after Labor Day, so from Memorial Day to Labor Day I’m really looking forward to spending time with Eliza and Jackson. I can’t imagine how much more they will both grow….I guess I’ll be growing too. I’m ready to be a mom of 3, but for now I’m just going to appreciate the 2 I have to play with every day.

What Drives You?

Since the complications that I had in early pregnancy have all been gone for a few weeks I feel like I have finally gotten back into a great routine. I am 25 weeks pregnant and I’ve been able to workout like normal for about 5 weeks. It’s amazing how great I’ve been feeling. I occasionally overdo it--it’s kinda hard not to with two little ones at home, but overall I think I’ve found a great balance.

As I sat talking to my doctor at my check-up today he told me I looked wonderful and to keep up whatever I was doing. I exclaimed that I had gained a whopping 5 lbs. last week, and wondered if I should be worried. He pretty much laughed in my face. As he looked at my chart and back to me, he said “I wish all my patients could be as healthy as you. You barely gained a pound early in pregnancy so you’re just making up for it. No worries.” I should have known, it’s not like this is my first go around. However, it got me thinking about what drives people. Pregnant or not, what is it that makes people do what they do?

It seems simple to me, I feel wonderful when I’m eating well and working out. So when I’m pregnant or when I’m breastfeeding or when I’m neither I’m going to eat well and work out. I know it’s not that easy for everyone though. So what is it that drives you? Maybe it’s all about how you look. Maybe it’s being able to “brag” to those around you about how much weight you’ve lost or what size you fit into. Maybe it’s about that feeling you have after a good workout. Whatever it is--try to hold onto that feeling.

I’m a firm believer that motivation has to come from within. It’s great to have outside sources push you a bit, but when it’s all said and done it has to come from within or it won’t last. I’m urging you all to look inside yourselves and figure out what that “thing” is that motivates you. This might be easier said than done, but trust me--it’s so worth it. We don’t have control over much in this world, but taking care of ourselves is one thing that we have complete control over. So whether you are 21 or 91 find your drive and keep at it. You deserve to live the best life possible.

Side note: I’m always here to help. So if you’re stuck in a rut and need some advice, send me a message. I’d love to help. J