Being a Mom

Being a mom certainly makes me appreciate other moms out there... especially my own mom. Not just because Grandma is a great babysitter but because I now realize how much she sacrificed by being my mom.

Let's talk about how wonderful it is to have your life totally consumed by mini-humans. You do the cooking, the serving, the feeding, the shopping, the cleaning, the laundering, the bathing, the scheduling, the driving, the entertaining, the reading, and the teaching. To name a few of the job duties. These are all wonderful things to do. Wonderful, wonderful things. But they are time-consuming things.

How did my mom, or any mom--past, present, or future, have time to, I don't know, write a thank you note?!?? I barely have time to brush my teeth, so how do I put pen to paper in a thoughtful way to thank those who have been so helpful or giving to us? Well, I'll tell you... 1) It's by the grace of God and 2) It. Takes. Days. Several starts and stops during a period of days.

My tiny army

As a mom to this "tiny army that I created myself" (thank you, Jen Hatmaker, for that painfully accurate description), I have some daily decisions to make. During nap time, should I, a) clean up the whole house because uninterrupted cleaning, hello? b) take a shower because umm... I can't remember if it has been one day or two or three since I last showered? or c) also take a nap? Yup, also take a nap usually wins.

My mom has told me that when I was a little girl I did not take naps. I never thought about how challenging that could have been until now. She said sometimes she would lock us both in the bedroom and let me run around while she "napped" on the bed. A mom will always improvise.  I believe it. I would do it. I may have already done this.

What an absolute contrast to when they are awake

Scripture from Romans puts it all in perspective: "... we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit..." So these wonderful, time-consuming things that we do for the mini-humans in our life is really God's love poured out. Now, isn't that the truth?

The sunny view outside my kitchen door...

...compared to what awaits inside my kitchen.

Remakes

Then...

Rachael Ray came onto the scene when I was in college. So, of course, Christin and I watched all her shows. This one always made me want to travel to fun eateries all over the country. $40 a day to a college kid did not seem like much of a challenge. 

Now...

This guy has a similar premise but eats in fun towns for $35 a day! In my thirties, this seems like a real challenge so I am riveted. 

Then...

When there is something strange, in the neighborhood, who you gonna call? That's right. Classic film (with sequels, of course) that created iconic icons. We loved it. We relish it. 

Now...

Whoa! Girl Ghostbusters! Sounds good to me. Leslie Jones is not my favorite but I will take it because I love Melissa McCarthy, Kirsten Wiig, and Kate McKinnon. I just hope I can figure out how to see this movie. I know Keith and I saw one in the theater at some point this past year, maybe we can do it again. Or just wait until it is OnDemand. 

A spending list... of sorts

It is no secret that I am not a fan of spending money on too many things. Here are some things I dislike spending money on the most.

1) Windshield wiper blades. I wish someone would just gift these to me every six months so that when I get in my car while it's raining I am not forced to remember that I should have bought them 6 months ago!

2) Make-up. I always get sticker-shock when I stand in front of the Cover Girl display and see $11.99 for mascara?!?  This is why I went 3 months without a single tube of mascara this year and then bought the $5.99 mascara that, turns out, is not that great anyway.

3) Christmas Lights. Luckily, my husband enjoys buying and hanging these EVERY year. He always makes it look so beautiful despite my resistance to purchase.

4) Trash Bags. Environmentally AND financially opposed to these but how else do we get our trash out to the curb to be picked up?

5) Seafood. We have been spoiled by a North Carolina fisherman who distributes his bounty among our family.  What a blessing!

Running to a rain puddle on campus.

 6) Umbrellas. Oh, they are so pretty, but I always resist. I have one that I still use from high school (which means it has provided over 15 years of use). I also seem to find ones that have been missing at just the right moment. How merciful. And what is a little rain anyway?!? I figure that I am saving by not spending in this case.