A New Year; New Resolutions

Can I just tell you how much my life consistently changes at a rapid pace?  It has been a year and roughly 4 months since my last post.  At that time I told you my life had changed in that I was no longer living in the South, homeschooling the kids, but had moved to the West Coast to begin my life as a First Grade teacher at a private Christian school.  Well, guess what?  I'm still a First Grade teacher but I've moved again - same city, new house, and my career is changing again...next year I'll be back teaching High School Spanish (Spanish I and II) and who knows what else...I am constantly amazed at how God moves and directs my path in such a short amount of time!

So a new year has begun and like you, I've made a mental note of things I would like to accomplish this year.  However, as I sit here and write, I believe I should write down my ideas because I definitely will not succeed in my endeavors unless they are daily in front of my face, right?  One such goal is to blog weekly...I'd say at least twice a week because who knows, maybe someone out there is actually reading this blog!  Life has changed since I was able to stay home and be with the kids 24/7 but even though I am working, I am blessed to work at the same facility where my children attend school and where even my husband works! 

Another goal?  To lose those last 10 pounds that haunt me.  You know, I once calculated all the weight I had gained (adding the six pregnancies together) and I came up with an astonishing 235 pounds!  Well, I've lost 225 of those pounds so I feel pretty good but I wanna LOOK amazing, right?  I mean, gotta keep the hubby interested in ME! :)  So, maybe this is the year I go on the Hollywood Diet every other weekend...the cleansing diet...on second thought, I'll just jog.

This brings me to goal #3:  Jog 5x's a week for at least 30 minutes.  I was a runner back in the day...actually ran with the 1996 Olympic Torch in Cincinnati...I was such a scrawny teen back then.  I absolutely enjoy running because it is the only alone time this gal gets so if I'm not jogging, chances are I am not getting some little amount of alone time and everyone needs a dose of that now and then.  Currently I jog about 1 day per week so I'm ready to begin this venture!

I have other goals for the year but basically I purpose to be the most amazing wife, mother, and teacher!  I'll strive to further cultivate the relationship I have with my husband as well as the relationship I have with each of my six children.  The baby just turned 2 this week (awww) and the oldest turned 11 at Thanksgiving time.  Time is fleeting, isn't it?  Although I may feel overwhelmed or overloaded at times, I can find no greater source of joy, than being a wife and a mother. 

Here's to the New Year and all those new resolutions!

Another Chapter

It's been, what, four months since I last posted?  Too many things have happened WAY too fast around here in my family.  The short of it is this: God drastically changed our family's path.  My husband and I went from having NO jobs for the past two years to having two full-time jobs which means that I am no longer a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom and my children now attend "real" school for the first time in their lives!  What an emotional rollercoaster ride I have been on for the past two months!

We moved from our wonderful idyllic home near the mountains in SC to the hectic bustle of city life in the Los Angeles area.  Talk about culture shock, right?  We used to live out here in Cali way back when there were only three children crawling around but now there are six and we look like a freak sideshow - a possible contestant for a new reality series of sorts :)  I cannot even tell you how many times people have told us we remind them of a certain reality family on TLC or how we should totally have our own reality show.  As if our white 12 passenger van screams, "Reality TV Family Wannabes"  Puhlease!

Anyway, so I've been busy adjusting to this new lifestyle: working full-time as a first grade teacher at a large private Christian school alongside my husband and also adjusting to having my kids be taught by other people.  That part is not so hard but the homework they bring home is amazing!  Homeschooling didn't have homework so this part has been the biggest shock-a-roo! :(  My kids are resilient and I'm so proud of how they are accommodating to their new roles in life.

I do miss the days of just being home with the kids but I am SO grateful for how God has directed our family and has provided for our every need.  HE is amazing!  So, we begin a new chapter in this crazy life of motherhood and let me tell ya, I have never been more overloaded than before!  Here's to the next chapter!  More details, stories, etc to come!

Two Mothers...One Real, One Fake

The other night we sat down as a family to watch a movied called Coraline.  Wow!  We turned it off half-way through because the kids were getting a bit weireded-out by the two sets of parents that the main character, Coraline, has - one of which is "real" and the other set is "fake" with buttons for eyes.  Anyway, it appeared that the gist of the storyline was how Coraline loved her "real" parents but wished they could act more like her "fake" parents because the "fake" parents let her do what she wanted and were there to spend time with her while the "real" parents were more focused upon their work and would usually snap at Coraline.

At one moment during the beginning of the movie, the "real" mother snaps, "Zip it, Coraline!" as Coraline asks a bazillion questions.  Without flinching, my 4 year-old daughter says, "That sounds like Mommy!"  Me?!?  I sound cruel and disengaged?!?  Hmmm....that hit me right in the stomach...my daughter wasn't being mean, she was simply calling it as she sees it and unfortunately,  I do sound like the "real" mother - the one Coraline wished could change. 

It's a timeless tale, right?  I mean, I suppose each chilld has envisioned what his ideal parent would be like - one who would spend tons of time with him, give him anything and everything he wanted, take him places, spend oodles of money on him, etc. etc. But the reality is that parents have to work in order to provide for the kids and although I love to spend time with my kids, there have been moments when I do say, "Zip it" while opening and closing my hand for emphasis on how my child should "zip" his mouth.  And I'm sure I deliver the words with an angelic disposition on my face - yeah, right! 

How do my kids envision me?  If they were to do impersonations of Mommy, what would I look like to them?  What facial expressions would I use?  What would the tone be of my voice?  How loving would I appear?  All these questions have been running through my mind since I watched a little bit of Coraline...man, I wanna be an amazing mommy but sometimes I'm just so worn out!  So stressed out!  So weighed down!  Why can't these kids understand that? :-)  Well, Coraline has taught me a lesson...I need to better work on my parenting skills.  I want to display characteristics of both a "real" and "fake" mother - I want to love, spend time with my kids, not be short/impatient, I want to be FUN while at the same time being consistent and enforcing discipline when necessary.  I make this vow today to wake up each morning with Coraline on my mind so that I can strive to be a better mother as a whole for my children.  Thank you, Coraline.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas out there today!  Bask in the love of your little ones as they give you handmade cards, breakfast in bed, lunch out somewhere on the town, and little gifts or flowers that are slightly messed up due to little hands smothering or wrinkling the gifts :)  Today is our day to not only receive the gifts from our children but it is a day for us to reflect on the kinds of mothers we are to our precious little blessings.

Each year on this day I take time out to examine the type of mother I have been since the last Mother's Day.  Having six children to take care of is a huge privilege and responsibilty therefore I want to make sure that I'm not screwing up!  So many times I lose my patience or I utter sarcastic words - hurtful words - that cause my children to cringe and I hate when I do it.  I know the moment that I let those words out I am doing something wrong and I try to get them back but it seems that my anger or irritation takes over the moment and I fail miserably at being a good mom.  Thus, each Mother's Day, I renew my vow and commit myself to being a fun, loving, devoted, giving, mother to my children.  They are awesome so don't they deserve the best from me?!?

Soccer Mania

Sweat pours from my kids' faces as they run excitedly to me, reaching out for their water bottles.  Next to me my toddler screams for water too as she pulls on my the hem of my shorts.  Attached to the front of me in an Evenflo Snugli, my infant whines for liquid as well - he's hot and crabby and tired and lets me know that he needs attention- can't forget about him! 

The smell of freshly-cut grass tickles my nose while gnats fly around my face and fireants crawl around my toes.  I hear my kids gulping down water in between heavy panting as they try to catch their breath.  Parents around me sing praises of their children's skills as the kids jump up and down, declaring their awesomeness in kicking a round sphere around on the field.  All of this commotion goes on around me while I think to myself, "Why am I doing this?!?"

It's soccer season and I'm immersed into a sea of soccer balls, practices, games, kids, gnats, fireants, and heat.  I used to lover soccer season but this spring has been rough and I've begun to dread the drive to the soccer fields at the YMCA.  I make this trek three times a week with all six kids by MYSELF!!!  My husband teaches night classes and thankfully, on Saturday mornings, he is able to attend the games with me.  But, I tell ya, I am simply, completely, and utterly worn out with all these practices and games! 

I caught myself falling asleep standing up earlier this week at one of the practices because I was so bored.  Don't get me wrong, I am totally enthusiastic about the sport.  I played it myself growing up and have even coached several of my son's teams but this spring I have had enough.  My two middle girls and son decided they all wanted to play and I was excited to watch them but I didn't factor in the time it would swallow up nor did I realize my husband wouldn't be around to help drag the kids to practice.  Spending 2.5 hours two nights a week trying to entertain a toddler, have an infant attached to the front of me, and support the kids who are playing soccer...well, it's gotten the best of me.  This 31 year-old woman is dragging and feels older than Sarah when she birthed Isaac way back when...I'm seeing wrinkles in places that I didn't know could wrinkle!!!

Although I am weary and worn, I have enjoyed these moments of watching my 4 year-old score a goal for the wrong team, my 6 year-old fix her hair a billion times during a game and then regain focus and fiercely go after the ball, and watching my 9 year-old son kick the threads out of the ball from backfield.  I love screaming for my kids and chearing them on.  Oddly enough, out of the 3 teams my kids' play on, 2 of them are called the Tigers.  It's funny because I live about 45 minutes away from Clemson University, home of the....you guessed it, TIGERS! 

I have enjoyed countless times of running around trying to get that perfect picture to show Daddy when he gets home from work but for now, I'm wishing soccer would end soon...but then, what would I do with my Tuesday and Thursday nights and Saturday mornings?  So, here's to another game this weekend, more pictures to capture, more kids, gnats, fireants, and heat.  Aw, gotta love soccer insanity, I mean soccer mania :)

Happy Teacher Day to Homeschool Parents Too!

In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years. ~Jacques Barzun


This quote is not only applicable to teachers but to us homeschool moms/parents as well!  Teaching is a profession in which an adult is given the opportunity and privilege to instruct children in academics in hopes of guiding them to become productive and intelligent citizens.  Homeschool parents not only get to teach academics but we have the amazing task to train our children in character as well. 
 
As the quote states, we may not see these fruits for 20 years!  Teachers only get a child for one year and hope they make a difference in that child whereas we homeschool parents get the child for at least 18 years of training 24/7 at home!  Although a "real" teacher hopes to see fruit for her labor, homeschool parents pray daily for evidence that what we are doing does indeed make a difference - that the sacrifices we've made to have one parent remain at home rather than earning a living, will reward dividends in our children's lives. 

Homeschool parents choose a variety of reasons for which to stay home and teach their children and no matter our motivation to have the kids schooled at home, homeschool parents should never feel secondary to that of "real" teachers.  Today is a nationally recognized holiday where millions of students and parents all over the country will give a card, and maybe a small token, to say "thanks" for all the hard work their teachers have put forth this year.  Well, I want to say "thanks" to all the homeschool parents who teach their kids because I know the sacrifice, frustration, energy, and time it takes to effectively train our children while raising them too.  Keep it up, you homeschool parent freaks!  You are doing a heck of a job and your kids will forever be in debt to you!  Keep on teaching!  Today is for you! :)

Spin the Wheel

There are so many days where I feel like I am simply a lowly rat in a cage, walking/running on his little wheel toy.  Well, let's see, rats are rather ugly so let's compare me to a mouse? hamster?  Either way, I'm comparing myself to a fat, hairy, rodent - how lovely!  But, I do feel as though I am in a routine of daily waking up, eating, drinking, and jumping onto the spinning wheel and running all day until night falls.  Someone take that dumb wheel outta my cage!

These past few weeks I have been running so much!  Not literally, because if I were truly running, I'd be shedding some of those baby pounds that are weighing me down!  No, this family's schedule has hit high peak season for busyness!  Soccer is in full-swing and my husband's teaching schedule is at the point where only a few lectures remain before Finals. This means a whole lotta grading for him and a whole lotta inputting grades into the computer for me!  Plus, my kids' homeschool year is winding down which also means final tests and state standardized tests - ahhh!!!  So, there hasn't been much wiggle room time if you ask me.  Thus, the lack of posting on my blog!  Major bummer to all of my fans, right? :-)

In the midst of this running, I am reminded that the only important thing in life to me is my family.  I am so thankful for a husband with whom I can laugh, vent, cry, and walk through life for as long as we live.  He is my protector - always encouraging me, supporting me in whatever I choose to do, and always looking out for my best interests.  He is amazing and I love him so much!  My children are also equally important to me as they daily bring me joy, and at times frustration, but they are so full of energy and life that it is hard to let things weigh me down when I see all these happy little people running around me all day long.  Their giggles are contagious - I just want to squeeze them - give them bear-hugs 24/7!!!  They are growing up way too quickly!!! :(

So, it's been crazy - real crazy - around here lately but I'm thankful that even while I run on my wheel, I can see my family is around me, encouraging me, and working together to get through this crazy, hectic schedule we call "LIFE."