Just a little update

I know it's only been a week since I posted, but it feels like months. The kids are growing so fast, and learning so much.
The baby is crawling, and O is having a blast in the classes I enrolled him in.

I'm still adjusting. I find myself desperate for conversation several times during the day. Blogging helps, but I'm realizing I need to get out & spend time with other moms--"co-workers," if you will.
I realize that I used to spend the majority of my day talking with co-workers, and now some days I spend 90% of the day talking to a 3 year old.

I've connected with some moms through the Bible study that I'm taking, which is great, and I'm trying to meet more women at church.

Some really great news--I have 3 potential doula clients!!! Hooray! The website (www.nurtured-mother.com) is getting some great reviews. (Another shout out to the guys at The Tenfold Collective for creating an awesome site.) I've also been contacted for more marketing freelance work, so we might actually survive this summer.

Our finances are taking a major toll. Please pray with us that my husband is promoted soon. If we don't have a major increase in income soon, we'll be hurting pretty bad, which with the current economy is quite scary.

I hate to end on a down note, so let me give you something to look forward to next time. Badgers are really funny. In fact, badgers are a major source of laughter in our house. I'll tell you all about it next time, but you should check out www.badgerbadgerbadger.com in the mean time.

Little Victories

All weekend long my little boy went to the potty by himself!! This means he turned on the light, pulled down his pants & underwear, got on the potty, and redressed without my help!

Okay, for #2 I still had to assist in wiping, but these are MAJOR accomplishments in our house.

He was so excited, and I'm very proud of our little man!

Adventures of the Stay-at-Home Mom

I purposefully chose to "take it easy" while transitioning from working mom to stay-at-home mom. I didn't want to jump into classes, lessons, regular play dates, etc. until I had really gotten into a groove at home.
Thought we've definitely had some challenges (including O telling me to go to work & asking his daddy to stay home), it's going rather well. However, I was determined to continue on the "take it easy" routine for a while.

That being said, I joined a play date/bible study group for moms. Great, right? I thought it would be an excellent way for O to spend time with other kids while I could socialize and get support from other moms.
From previous blogs you can see how much I'm really enjoying the bible study, and O is having a blast with the kids.
However, this past Monday I realized that everyone is in swim lessons. (Okay, truly it was maybe 2 or 3 of the mothers who happened to have kids going or coming from swim lessons, but in my mind of "I've got to be a perfect mother" it seemed like I was the only one not providing this apparently essential life experience for my kiddos.) Tack onto this the constant decline from friends for get-togethers because their kids have karate, gymnastics, etc. etc. etc.
Yep, my "perfect mother" syndrome didn't take this too easy.
Needless to say, this morning I enrolled O in swim lessons, karate, and a "Petite Pioneers" experience at a farm. I also attempted enrolling him in rock climbing lessons, and debated on "Storybook Yoga." Rock climbing was full (BUMMER), and the husband finally stopped me before I went overboard with the yoga.
(I did try to enroll E in infant swim lessons, but I haven't yet found dates & times that work with our calendar.)

I am really excited, but it is sad to say good-bye to the "taking it easy" transition period. I have officially joined the ranks as a stay-at-home mom. Hoorah!

Best Kid-Story of the Week

I ordered a new skirt that arrived yesterday in the mail. I put it on (mind you, I rarely ever wear skirts), and O says to me "Wow....pretty." Yep, my heart burst. I think I glowed the rest of the evening.

Day 50

Okay, so I'm not really counting every single day, but I was reading back through my blogs & thought I would count up how long since the "Day 1" post.
I can't believe it's already been 50 days--7 weeks!

Every so often I think: "If I were at Group right now what would I be working on?" Today I'd be at the field test gathering ideas for writing the new scripts for the marketing and training events for the 2009 program. I'd also be hosting 10-15 VBS directors from across the country, taking them to dinners and various activities. Of course, these two things would be in addition to the day-to-day marketing activities.

So, do I miss working at Group? Yep--it was a major part of my life, and I have a lot of cherished memories of the work I did there.

Now, do I wish I was back at Group? Not even a little bit. I don't even have much time to even dwell on those memories. I absolutely LOVE being home, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to stay right here with my kiddos, supporting my husband, and working on projects that I feel God is leading me to work on.

I joined a new Bible Study today, led by an AMAZING woman, gifted mother, and someone I esteem highly. She's teaching on the noble, divine calling of being a mom. Today was the first class, and it was just a basic introduction--but, WOW just hearing words of encouragement was SO uplifting.

Being a mother (whether you're at home, or working, or whatever) IS a divine calling. It IS noble. It IS something God wants us to do & glorify HIM in bringing up these babies.

The first question Wendy (the amazing woman leading the study) asked was how did you imagine motherhood to be before you had kids.
I thought about that, and realized I had never really imagined myself as a stay-at-home mom. I really always imagined working, climbing ladders, busting through glass ceilings & whatnot. I always wanted to be a mom, but it was the icing on the cake. I never planned on being "just a mom." (I've realized now that the word "just" is horrible when referring to motherhood.)

Now, I'm seeing it as the opposite. My children and husband are my cake, the rest of the "stuff" is icing.

Starting my own business (which is turning out to be businesses), is great. I'm excited to do this work and bless other women. The real work though, the real BLESSING though, is raising my children. NOT cleaning house, NOT trying to be supermom, but truly raising my children is my VOCATION.

If you're a mom reading this--be encouraged, be UPLIFTED. God has called you to be a mother--no matter what circumstance put you in the vocation of motherhood YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED. It doesn't matter if you're reading this at the office, or in your bedroom while the kids are (finally) napping, or whatever. Seek out God's wisdom and guidance in how to raise your children despite your circumstances.