Tag: motherhood

Everyone Needs One…

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Our five year old is my husband’s football team’s biggest fan. He goes to practice everyday. He’s cheering the loudest at the games. He asks each player their name.

Last week, they lost. Umari was there…sad and couldn’t understand why the Rams didn’t win. “I told them to run” was his response.

He walked inside the gate and high fived every player and coach that walked by.

After the game, our family stood by the gate, as usual, and waited for my husband to come over…not Umari.

Umari and the football team🏈

And that’s when it hit me…everyone needs a cheerleader. A person who’s there to celebrate when the times are good and the person to encourage and just be there when times aren’t so good. Think about it, the cheerleaders are there no matter what the score is or how the team is doing, they’re there.

As much as we need a cheerleader, be someone’s cheerleader…everybody needs one 🫶🏽

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COVID19…How are You Maintaining????

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Does this feel like a dream to anyone else besides me??? We have been at home for about two weeks and yes I have most of the same gripes as other moms everywhere….my little boos’ are off schedule, eating up all the food, constantly on my leg (literally-the toddlers), and are a little grumpy about doing their schoolwork from home. And please lets not add the mass amount of cleaning that I do daily. Seriously, today alone I have vacuumed at least three times and it isn’t even four o’clock yet!

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

However, even with all the uncertainty, chaos and adaption to a new normal, what I can say is that if nothing else, I see God redeeming the time. I am always feeling like I don’t have enough time with my family, I’m not being intentional enough with reaching out to people I know/care about, praying for others…like really interceding and going before God to just be with Him without rushing and not because I need something in that very moment, just to know Him…to hear Him, to feel connected to Him…

So, that’s how I am maintaining….

~By taking the time do to the things that felt time wouldn’t allow (ie, kickball games with kiddies, family walks)

~Creating a new schedule for our new normal

~Keeping our home clean ( I can think better when there is less clutter)

~Reaching out to others (text, social media)

~Prayer (been reading over and praying Psalm 91)

I pray safety and protection over you friends…and that you have the energy and space to maintain and thrive in a new normal<3

Silo Living??

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Wednesday morning, as I was getting ready, I had a thought…”no more silos”.  At first, I didn’t think too much of it but then I started pondering it.

Have I been living in a silo?? Do I isolate myself?  If I’m being completely honest is that silo living is easy for me.  That’s how I grew up.  There wasn’t too much community, it was just us.  It was always the underlying life lesson that “what happened in this house, stays in this house”.  There was no doing life together.  Even if something wrong or out of the ordinary happened it was never addressed and as if people turned a blind eye to whatever it was going on.

Before November of last year silo living was my thing.  My comfort zone. I am a introvert and being alone is my sweet spot.  Going through things and pushing past the pain and/or hurt to keep up a sense of normalcy is how I grew up, it’s what I seen all my life. All that I was used too.  Then tragedy hit…my older sister, who shared our home with us, died unexpectedly.  It was like my silo could no longer survive…I needed people, I needed community.  Looking back, I don’t know if I would have mentally/emotionally survived without the love and care of others.  People came in and did the things that I just did not have the capacity to do; cooking, cleaning, taking care of my children…just being there to catch my tears and pray healing over my heart.

My silo living has so shifted to communal living…and I’m okay with that because I seen all the good that came through the people in my community.

Balance…Is It Possible?!?

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Over the past week or so, I’ve been thinking alot about balance. 

Is there any such thing?

We have been pretty productive during this season. 

Marriage. 4.5 Children + 1 Bonus Baby (through foster care). Home Manager. Working Part-time. 

Honestly, there isnt a lot of me time. I love the idea of self-care but when the rubber hits the road, I have to make the best of our situation. While I would love to go get a pedicure and spend some time alone, honestly I have loads of laundry that need to be washed, dryed and folded so the best that I can do is listen to one of my favorite podcast and read a chapter in a book while I wait for my children at baseball practice.

I know it won’t always be like this but for right now I have to grab the moments when and where I can. So to all my mommy friends, take the little moments until the big ones are available. 

16 for ’16…

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2016 has been a good year…went by seemingly quick but it has been full. Full of good and some not so good…

Here’s 16 things that I’m thankful for in the year 2016…

#1 Community. During this year I have seen ppl support us in great ways. Our church, neighborhood and school have been a steady stream of support and encouragement.

#2 Minivan. The younger me never seen myself as a minivan driver, couldnt even wrap my mind around the possibility. But the 36 year old, mama of a crew- took a dive into the unknown land of minivans and has never returned. My 2013 Honda Odyssey, Heather the Honda, is neva, eva leaving!!!

#3 Hospitality. This year I have cooked more meals than all my years put together. Being a wife of a head high school football coach has blessed me to make many meals. Throughout the season and summer, Sundays were for team dinners and anywhere from 6-10 teenage boys calling me “Mom” and making our home theirs. Not to count the days when I would get random phone calls from my guys asking what was for dinner. I love it and wouldnt trade it for anything!

#4 Self-Care. Cant say that I have completely mastered this but I have made threading my eyebrows and fresh sushi a part of my monthly regimen.

#5 Introversion. I have accepted that I am an introvert who loves people. I used to long for a best friend-that person who I could tell everything too and spend lots of time with. Well, that person is me…and alot of times my husband. Im okay with having a super small circle and for the acquaintances that life has introduced me too. 

#6 Supportive Wife. I absolutely love my hubby and supporting his goals and dreams is non-negotiable. Being his number 1 fan, being at his events, being his listening ear and biggest confidant are all my priviledge. 

#7 Home Ministry. Home= Husband. Children. Household. If home aint right, its impossible for me to serve at 100% anywhere else.

#8  Welcome Baby. A few weeks ago we welcomed a new baby into our through kinship program. This wasnt planned, by us, we got a call, went through the process and a week later brought home a 3 week old baby boy. Dont know how long he will be with us, just committed to loving him, taking great care of him and praying for his parents. 

#9 Saying No isnt Hard. I used to dread saying no bc I thought I would make ppl angry and that scared me. However Ive learned that its okay for me to say no and without explanation.

#10 Everybody Isnt For Me. I used to really get down on myself if I didnt have an instant connection or feel a certain warmness from ppl. Often I’d ask myslef what had I done or what was wrong with me. Now I’ve realized everybody isnt for me and that’s okay. It doesn’t even have to be anything personal. Somethings/ people arent worth me wasisting my time pondering over.

#11 God is my Source. Its been times when I thought certain hhings happened bc of me or what I’ve done, but I come to realize that God is my source. He is my source of eveything good whether its him providing or allowing someone else to see His glory through my family-It’s Him!

#12 No Longer Living in the Comparison Zone. I used to be so horrible at comparing myself to others. Eventually Iearned that comparisons don’t compare. We are all unique and can only live our lives to the best of our abilities.

#14 Being so Blessed in My Marriage. This year I have seen and heard of so many married couples living like roommates. No affection. No friendship. No sex. No fun. No butterflies. To for me to be in a marriage with a man who truly is my best friend; who I can do life with all while loving, appreciating and wanting to be with him is lit!!! I’m blessed.

#15 Evaluation of My Words AND my Actions. Yes, we as people have to speak good things over ourselves. Heck, I have a list of affirmations right now!! However Ive learned that my actions have to line up with my words in order for change to take place.                             So speak it. Do it. Be it.

#16 Cutting of limitations through Limiting Thoughts. Ive caught myself mentally talking myself out of greatness quite a few times. Like Id think of something or see something and instantly think “that’s great…for her, for them. I couldnt do it bc Im just (fill in the blank)”. No more limiting thoughts. No more self-imposed limitations!!!!!

I hope you have learned some great things in 2016 that will carry you to greatness in 2017.                                              HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!🎈🎉🎈🎉🎈🎉🎈🎉

The Process and the Promise…

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Can I be completely honest????

We were supposed to close on our home last week…and we didn’t. So we are a week behind.

There is stuff everywhere! To pack up a family of six is no easy task. There are boxes everywhere. Add to it that we ordered two sets of bunk beds and matresses that were supposed to be delivered to the new house but are now here…and we have borderline chaos not to mention towers of boxes that seem to be causing the rooms to close in on me…

Even in all of this I have a choice. I can choose to focus on the process or the promise. The process is the delayed closing date and the disarray that temporarily surrounds me. The promise is that our family will be moving into our new home and creating beautiful memories for years to come…I choose the promise.

The moral of all of this: Dont allow your process to deter you from your promise…keep the vision of what will be before you at all times.

A Day in the Life of Me…..

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Today has been one of those days…
The type of day when all I wanted to do was run to my favorite coffee shop, with journal in hand and write…write until I no longer felt impatient, overwhelmed or frustrated.

Although going to my favorite coffee shop is not an option
b/c I would have my kiddies in tow…I do plan on taking 30 minutes to journal.
It will be 30 minutes to get all of my frustrations, thoughts, impatience, excitement over upcoming opportunities, sadness about changes in relationships and the anxiousness I feel about a new season of life coming up, all out of my hedd and heart and on to paper and into the hands of my DaddyGod!
I’m sure that God can handle the weight of it all much better than I can…
So, my question to you today is what do you do when your having “one of those days”? I hope that it causes you to run to Jesus, like I have today…