Gratituesday: My Backyard

What a pretty sight it was the other evening.  Sitting in my living room and watching the sunset in our backyard.  Really too snowy and cold to go outside and enjoy the backyard, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

Our backyard is one of the big reasons we bought our house nearly two years ago.  It is nice and flat, very shady in the summer (almost too shady...so much so that I can't grow a garden in our backyard but there isn't a single spot that gets enough sunlight...), has a play spot for the kids, and backs right up to woods - instead of staring into another's neighbor's house or an alley like at our old house.  We absolutely love it and are very blessed to have this big, beautiful backyard.

Why am I so obsessed with our backyard?  Because - compare it to our postage-stamp-sized backyard in St. Paul:

It was a great little house and we were blessed to have the house for over ten years, but still...not a whole lot of "breathing room" there.  (too bad my sweet little daughter was bending over this picture so you can't see her cherub-like 3-year-old face in this picture).

Deer and turkeys meandering through our yard.  Sunsets.  And room to breathe and run.

This post is linked to Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers.

A shout out to working moms

I watched an old episode of Dr. Phil recently on the "mommy wars." Working moms (or "work outside the home" moms") versus stay-at-home moms. The debate got pretty heated on both sides.

Stay-at-home moms claiming they are doing the best thing for their families by raising their children at home and being there for their kids "full time", keeping their kids out of daycare where they are raised by someone else, tending to the household duties, and making whatever sacrifices they have to in order to live off of one income.

Working moms claiming they are doing the best for their families and themselves by providing a second income for their family, raising thriving children by sending them to educational, social and loving childcare environments, being a better mom because they are taking care of themselves by having a career and a "life" outside of the home.

I am a full-time stay-at-home mom. By choice. I quit my job as a litigator when my oldest daughter, now 4 1/2 years old, was only 4 months old. I had the daycare for my daughter all lined up. The deposit was paid. But, my husband is also a litigator and, at the time, it just wasn't workable to me to have both of us keeping the work schedules that our job required. There were trials, depositions, client emergencies, and last-minute briefs due. This type of work life does not lend itself well to the standard "drop off and pick up" from daycare schedule. Plus, I really just wanted to be there with my kid all day. So, with the 110% full support of my awesome husband, I quit my job and have been home ever since.

I now have a kid in preschool so our days aren't quite as lazy as they used to be, but for the most part, the kids and I lead a fairly laid-back life with few stressors. We have preschool drop off three mornings a week, but otherwise we are not rushing out or getting up early in the mornings. We eat lunch at home when we want to. The kids have a fairly routine schedule throughout the day consisting of meals, naps, play, books, errands and TV time. When they go to bed, I don't have too much else to do other than pay the occasional bill or clean up the kitchen and living room. It's a good life that fits us well.

And to you working moms, let me say that you are AMAZING. You make it all work. You have to stick to stricter schedules and be more organized than I could ever be. You get everyone ready and out the door on time. You get yourself to work on time and do an amazing job there. You come home and switch gears into "mommy mode" and tend to the needs of your family. And then, when everyone is in bed, you likely have some work from the office you need to finish or start getting things ready and organized for the next day. I can only imagine that there are many times when you are at work thinking of your family and are at home thinking of work. You have a lot going on and you make it work. It works for you. It works for your family.

I often get stuck in a rut of feeling sorry for myself..."stuck at home" all day with the little ones. The only adult conversation I get is with the cashier ar Target. A daily shower is not a given. But really, I have it easy. Yes, I work very hard all day long. I am proud to say that I have never sat on the couch and ate a single Bon-Bon. :-). But I don't have to drop off a preschooler, a toddler and an infant at daycare each day while juggling my previous 60-70 hour per week career. I won't have to figure out how to leave work in order to pick up a sick child from school. I can go to Target on a Wednesday morning in order to avoid weekend errands.

But let me say this: I praise every single working mom out there. I do not judge you or think you, for whatever reason, are doing wrong by your family for having a job outside of the home. I do not judge you for having your kids attend daycare or having a nanny come into your home to watch your kids. In fact, I think you must have super-strength and super organizational skills. Not only are you able to get yourself ready in the morning, but you also manage to wake up, feed and clothe your children. You manage to get your things in order for the day as well as getting backpacks, coats, homework, lunches and mittens ready for your little ones. Many of you do this while wearing a nice suit and a pair of heels. You figure out who stays home with the sick kid and how to stay in touch with work while doing so. You get everything done, and then some. God bless you for that.

There should never be any type of "war" between moms. We are mommies, first and foremost. Let's support each other and help each other. Stay-at-home moms: please don't think your neighbor is "getting off easy" when she drives her two girls to daycare each morning. Working moms: please don't think that stay-at-home moms do nothing all day but change diapers, watch Days of our Lives, and post pictures of our kids on Facebook. We all are strong, wonderful women trying to raise strong, wonderful children. Let's do it together.

That being said, I am grateful for my "job" as a stay-at-home mom. It works for me. And right now, I wouldn't have it any other way. Hooray for moms everywhere!

This post is linked to Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers.

This pregnancy - Gratituesday

Only nine days to go till my due date. I'm huge, uncomfortable, and I have to admit, a little on the cranky side a good portion of the day. But, on this Tuesday when I'm linking up with Laura at Heavenly Homemakers for Gratituesday, I am taking a moment to be grateful for this wonderful pregnancy and savoring every minute of it. More than likely, this will be the last time I will be pregnant. I am trying to savor every single kick, squirm and roll in my belly. I thank God that He has allowed this pregnancy to go full-term and that it has been a relatively smooth nine months for me. I am in awe of how you can fall so deeply in love with someone whom you have not yet met, do not know what they look like, and don't even know if they are a boy or girl!

So, during these last few days of pregnancy, I am going to try to forget how hard it is to sleep, how much I miss being able to bend over to pick something up off the floor without grunting and acting like a contortionist, and how tired I am of going to the bathroom every thirty minutes (seriously, that last one isn't even an exaggeration.) Instead, I will focus on this blessing God has given us, how cute my kids are in their excitement of waiting for the new baby's arrival, and how grateful I am that I am able to be a mommy.

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Gratituesday - Summer

Like much of the country, we had nearly unbearable heat and humidity here in Minnesota last week. With temps near the 100 degree mark and dew points in the 80s, the heat index was around 115 degrees for nearly four days. It was even too hot for us to go to the pool. The kids just wanted to stay inside in the air conditioning. (On a side note, this Gratituesday post should also be about showing my gratitude for our central a/c and the ability to pay our electric bill this month!)

Yes, it was hot. Apparently people were baking cookies on the dashboards of their car while at work during the day. BUT - I forced myself NOT to complain. I am extremely thankful for a warm, sunny Minnesota summer because, before you know it, we will be faced with a cold, snowy, LONG Minnesota winter. Below zero temps. 15 inches of snow at a time. Coats, hats, mittens, snowsuits. Unfortunately, we have that for about six months, too.

So I will not complain about the heat. Instead, I will enjoy this very brief time we have with running with sprinklers, shorts and flip flops, and Popsicles.

For more Gratituesday posts, please visit Heavenlyhomemakers.com.

Today is one of those great mornings...

where I'm happy and really, really enjoy my job as a stay-at-home mom to my two kiddos and wife to a very busy husband.

But then again, I'm the only one up and the house is blissfully quiet.

I woke up early (5:20 a.m. - thanks to not having adjusted to Daylight Savings Time yet) and turned on the coffee pot. I showered, did the whole makeup/hair/get dressed routine, and then wandered into the kitchen to make this yummy Applesauce Bread as a morning breakfast treat for my hubby and lil' ones. It is 7:05 a.m. I'm dressed and ready for the day. The bread is done and waiting for my family to tear into it. The house smells fantastic. The coffee is awesome. And the house is still blissfully quiet. Which is good because we have a busy day ahead of us, filled with preschool for the 3-year-old and an early childhood class for me and the 2-year-old.

I thank God often for this opportunity He has given my family. He has blessed us with the ability to have me stay home full-time with my kiddos. I know there are plenty of moms who love their careers and having that career outside of the home is a great thing for them and their families. But I also know there are moms who long to stay home with their kiddos but are financially unable to do so. And because of that, I can never forget give thanks for the blessing of being a SAHM.

SAHM, I am.

Now, I need to make sure I bookmark this post. I need to read...and re-read...and re-read again - when I have that inevitable day (likely this evening) when I'm exhausted, the kids are fighting and yelling "Mama!" every 6 seconds, supper is burning, and the cat puked on the rug. Remember, it's all a blessing....

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!