Getting Real

As if being a wife and mother wasn't stressful enough, when you're a homeschooling mom you add in all of the insecurities about "Am I teaching them enough?  Will I do a good job?  Will all of this be worth it when they are grown?"  not to mention the crap you get from unsupportive family/friends over your decisions.  People seem to think I am either nuts for being with my kids 24/7 or they seem to think I am some sort of alien super-breed of parent.......I am just a woman who has never wanted anything more than to be a mom to my family - I don't understand how women with demanding careers that keep them away from their kids can function. It's just not me. However, there is nothing about me even remotely resembling a supermom - I am a mom full of faults just like everyone else. So, in the spirit of making some other overwhelmed, self-doubting mother know she is not in this alone - here is my REALITY -------

1. I am not a patient person. I yell at my kids - some days much more than others. It's okay, I'm human. I also dish out way more hugs and snuggles since my kids are home with me.

2. I try to give my kids chores to help teach them responsibility, but some things are just easier done myself and so I do them. Then I complain that no one appreciates all that I do! Only sometimes.

3. As much as I try, and even though my DH pays for me to have a cleaning lady once a week --- there is dog hair on the floor, spills in the kitchen, counters that need to be cleared off, a pile (or two!) of laundry waiting to be done, etc. etc. etc. There are 8 people living in my house. There will be chaos, but this too shall pass when they are all grown up & gone and I will miss these messes.

4. Some days we are lucky to get out of bed and everyone dressed. Others, we're still in jammies and schoolwork is done. Will we have everything done on every single day? Probably not, but most of it done in whatever order on most days is adequate enough for me.

5. We don't do family devotions or even attend church. We have several preachers we watch on tv that we especially like - Joel Osteen & Joyce Meyer mostly.

6. Despite not attending church, my husband & I have some of the strongest faith of anyone you will meet - we simply feel we don't need to be in a building with others telling us what to do while they live their lives according to another set of rules. "Five card poker on Saturday night....church on Sunday morning...." We choose to lead by example to our children of God's love and plans for our lives.

7. I feed my kids cereal for breakfast far more than they would like. I am not a morning person. Not until I've had my coffee and it's closer to lunch. Pancakes and waffles and eggs are for weekends when I am feeling guilty and DH is here to benefit from my guilt.

8. I hide chocolate from my kids. There I said it. I hide it and tell them it's all gone and then when they go to bed, I sneak in the kitchen, get a big ol' glass of milk and my chocolate and take it back to my room to lie in bed and watch tv.

9. I use the tv in the afternoon to get an hour of peace while I make dinner. PBS channel with Dinosaur Train or Martha Speaks, but the evil tv none the less. Desperate times call for desperate measures - I love to cook, but not with screaming toddlers around my legs!

10. I hate to exercise and I love to eat. I am 15lbs overweight and as much as my mother continues to harp on me for it - I'm okay with it. I love my husband, he loves me and going out to eat is something we enjoy together so I'm not going to make myself miserable dieting or exercising at this stage in my life. I try to eat healthy and walk with the kids, but if I don't I don't stress it.

Book Review - Same Kind of Different As Me

Same Kind Of Different As Me

From the book's back cover ~
A true, inspirational story that crosses the barriers of society.
Meet Denver, raised under plantation-style slavery in Louisiana until he escaped "da Man" in the 1960s by hopping a train. Then, after another 18 homeless years on the streets of Dallas, God moved . . . and a godly woman named Deborah prayed, listened, and obeyed. Mountains began to move, beginning with her husband, Ron, an international art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani suits and art-collecting millionaires. The story takes a devastating twist when Deborah discovers she has cancer. Will Deborah live or die? Will Denver learn to trust a white man? Will Ron embrace his dying wife's vision to rescue Denver? Or will Denver be the one rescuing Ron?  There's pain and laughter, doubt and tears, and in the end a triumphal story that readers will never forget.

In my opinion, this book is a must read for everyone. It's so easy in our modern world to get caught up with tunnel vision that only sees "me" and what affects "me" and to lose sight of the world and people around us. There is such a line drawn between the reality of poverty and hardship in today's world while those who are blessed find it easy to look the other way and keep on going. This books makes you step back and take a look at how you are living your life & the attitude you have toward others that you may just pass by on the street trying not to make eye contact. For me, I didn't like the parts of myself I could see reflected back as I read & it's easy to think "how can I make a difference?" when there is so much work to be done in our society. This book shows that you may only make a difference in one person's life, but that difference can be HUGE if you just take the time and effort to do it. Step outside of your comfort zone and put someone else first - the world may not know of your efforts, but you'll know and what you will gain from the experience is worth more than the material things you have. One woman's courage, stubbornness and faith changed more than just her own life - that is how I want to live my life and be an example to my kids. I was so inspired by this book that rather than breeze past a charity project, I jumped right in having my kids all help out with it also. I didn't tell many people what we were doing and quietly made a difference in the lives of 70 children in an African orphanage - it's not about saying "look what I did", but knowing in your heart that you did the right thing at the end of the day. I challenge you to read Same Kind of different As Me and not feel that there is more that you can be doing to make a difference in the life of someone else.

NOTE- I do not receive any compensation for writing this review - just a copy of the book to read from booksneeze.com. This is my opinion so take it for what it's worth - just my thoughts on a book I read, nothing more and nothing less.