Don’t forget to show your children how proud you are to be a mom and a wife. I think especially us homeschool moms we tend to want to focus on making sure we teach our kids core curriculum, and we emphasize the importance of being smart so they can get into college, and get a job. I remember my own mom who was a stay at home mom always saying “don’t be like me, get a education so you can work”, which is good advice, education allows you to be able to earn for yourself. She was always feeling less than the working moms. I don’t recall her ever saying, if life leads you to be a mama and a wife, those are beautiful goals too. But it’s not the 90’s anymore, we don’t have to force feed college as the only way to feel fulfilled. Being a mom is also a life to be proud of. I went to college, got the degree, had a very good career , and I left it to be a mom. Being a good mother and wife are by far the most amazing, fulfilling, love filled, job I’ve ever had and I would NEVER trade this for my old career back. There is nothing more special i will ever going to do in this world than care for my babies, and be a great partner to my husband (which in turn shows my children what a good relationship looks like so they know what to look for). Yes of course we care deeply about pushing them to be smart but don’t forget to also encourage them to have goals for a future family if that’s what they end up wanting. Instead “I’m just a housewife” try “a mom’s job is so valuable, important, and special” BECAUSE IT IS. My daughter lately has shown a real interest in helping me in the kitchen, and she said “I can learn how to make this so I can make it for my babies one day” and I said, “What a beautiful thing to hope for. I hope you do have a beautiful family one day and you will cook them all the things you love that I cook”. It was a reminder to me that I don’t have to just help with her academic goals but her entire life goals, and make sure she grows up knowing that being a mom is just as important a job as any office one. I want her to know choosing to be a full time mom is something to be SOO proud of it’s what she decides to do. That I CHOSE it because I love it, and that I don’t ever for a second resent leaving a desk job behind.

Well, God is always listening as you know. I got my reminder today. As EVERYONE knows (and believe me I’m sure you’re just as tired as I am about it) I’m STILL sick. I said out loud as I got ready today “God! Please! I need to feel better, please make this virus go away for good! How long can this last?” Well right after I said this out loud to God, I walked over to change my prayer card to the next one in line (I have prayer cards on my vanity where I get ready and I daily change it to the next card in line as inspiration for the day) and do you know what today’s said? A verse we are all familiar with but one God knew I needed to be reminded of: This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" Psalm 118:24 Well…instantly I said, God you are so right. Even my days of being sick, or tired, or being sick and tired of being sick! I have been blessed to be here on this Earth with my babies, and my husband, family and friends. I have so much to be thankful for, and you have blessed me in soooo many ways, including the blessing of this day, sick or not. The Lord made this day, and I will find joy in his creation of another day. Often times when we are going through something, it’s easy to complain, or feel bad for ourselves, but God says “look at this day I’ve made for you”. It’s humbling to also keep in mind that there will ALWAYS be be someone who would take my worst day in a heart beat compared to what they are going through. My worst days are someone else’s idea of a great day. Yes I’m sick, but sooo many others in this world have much bigger problems, and so rather than praying for this viral infection to move along faster, I offer today’s prayers to those who are less fortunate than me and ask God to bless them. This is the day HE has made, and I will rejoice, even if I’m STILL sick. Have a blessed day

Do you ever find yourself feeling resentful or like your doing more in the household than your spouse? Right now (as many of you know) my kiddos are sick, and as a mama you know that means you are gonna be doing the nurse duty and the late nights along with your normal duties like the cooking and the cleaning etc. I caught myself a few days ago feeling exhausted from the lack of sleep and stretched thin and I’ll be honest for a minute a little resentful like “he should be helping more in the night when they are sick” but then I caught myself. It’s easy to feel like you’re doing it all when you’re not considering what YOUR PARTNER is also doing. If he did the late night sick time would he be as prepared and rested for that important work meeting? Would he be energetic enough to use his break time to take the car serviced? Since he did get more sleep he’s all the more willing to do the grocery shopping after work, and grab takeout so I don’t have to cook. I hear women all the time complaining or comparing their load to their husbands load, which I know we are all guilty of, myself included 👋🏻 but it’s important to remember that we BOTH have a load to carry and if we can have a discussion of what we can do to help each other during these types of days (sick kids etc) we can be a great team. But if one parent is silently harboring feelings of out performing the other as a result of being tired and over stressed it’s only going to drive a wedge and cause resentment. Sometimes I need to remind myself how lucky I am to have the partner I have who shows up, works hard, provides for this family without complaint, and while his load looks different than mine, it may not be late night temperature checks and administration of meds, it is full of long meetings, stressful decisions, and trying his best to still let his family know we matter most to him. We are a team. We chose each other to walk this life together. Some days are harder than others but that’s when we need to lead with appreciation for the portion of the load they carry along side us so we don’t have to carry it alone, rather than knit picking the hour more of work you did here, or he did there.

Feel like they desperately need to put up healthy boundaries with extended or immediate family members? What are some ways you implemented boundaries so that you can protect you and your families peace?

Hey guys, I am so sorry to cancel our very first meetup but I’m still very sick. There is just no way I can host. I am so bummed I was really looking forward to it but hoping to be 💯 for next Monday. So sorry