Adventure Mom

Posted on September 18, 2010 by Kerri

Ahh…see that smile on my face?  That’s a genuine smile.  I love my family.  I love the 4th of July.  I love the beach.  I love ice-cream.  And the day this picture was taken, I was getting the combination of it all.  Ahhh…that’s a real smile!

I’m Kerri and I live in Chicago.  My husband and I have three busy kids:

An inquisitive, passionate 4-year old boy,

A sweet, peacemaking 2-year-old son,

And a beautiful 1-year-old daughter with shining eyes who everyone falls in love with. 

We do too, every day.  
 
In college, I received my degree in Early Childhood Education.  Perhaps I wanted to be a teacher at one point, but I really did it to be a Mom.  I taught in preschools in Illinois, California, and Utah before our first son was born, and in that setting I found the energy that comes from really connecting with kids, getting down on their level, and seeing the world from their eyes.  I loved creating a world for them to explore and watching as they made incredible dicoveries.  As a mom, I try to apply these things in my own home…

…but I’m afraid no textbook or school setting could have prepared me enough for being a fulltime teacher, nurse, counselor, referee, launderer, seamstress, chef, social planner, wife, secretary, chauffer, cleaning lady, accountant, soccer mom…everything!

So how do I do it?  I create adventures.  I create fun.  I find field trips in ordinary things, like the post office, the dry cleaners, even the grocery store.  I try to make each day memorable, not just livable.  Bloggable, not just marked off the calendar.  My boys start the day asking “What adventures do we have today.”…ahh, I’ve trained them well.

I love being with friends, hosting parties, playing games, laughing, and being with my family.  My greatest supports in life are my husband and my sisters, who know me far deeper than anyone else.  They keep me grounded through the hard times, but let me sail through the good.  Each day is an adventure to discover who I am and who I want to be.  I’m learning to bridge that gap. 

Welcome to my adventure.

Kerri

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One Step At A Time

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Sunny


Greetings from the west!

My name is Sunny, and I live with my husband and our five children ages 16 to 2.  I love learning.  I have a M.F.A. in Humanities and dream about going back to school some day (as a student, I mean, not just to help with the bulletin boards, which I also consider a treat).  I teach a few piano students, and I thrive on creative projects when possible.

But really, my life is about my family.  And it’s a good thing because cheering for the high school swim team and turning around to cheer potty-training triumphs while promising to sew on scout patches (all the while thinking What can I make for dinner with the time and food I have left?) is dizzying.  In general, I feel overwhelmed (and I’m “home” full-time—you working moms are just amazing).

I take a deep breath and keep going because I have learned to be grateful that my teenager actually acknowledged me at the swim meet, that there are scout patches to sew on, and who wouldn’t be grateful for some potty-training success?  Surviving each day is a challenge, but how today’s choices affect our tomorrows is constantly on my mind.

I am working on improving my own and my family’s nutrition and health, finances, getting along, making good memories, nurturing and enjoying my marriage, disciplining without degrading, and recognizing the hand of God in our lives.  I look forward to your sharing your wisdom with me.

I find life is harder than I expected, but I deeply love the gifts I have been given—my husband, my children, my opportunities.  So I’ll keep doing my humble best, one step at a time.

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Keeping It Balanced

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Janae

Hello from Colorful Colorado!  My name is Janae and I live at the edge of the beautiful Rockies with my five kids and wonderful husband.

We’re a busy family who loves to work together, learn together, and most of all, play together.  Whether we’re BBQing on a summer night, sledding in the winter snow, or hiking in the fall, our family loves to have fun.

With five kids, as you can imagine, life can get pretty crazy.  My days get quickly filled with ortho appointments, schoolwork, piano lessons, sports practices, playgroups, diaper changes, meal prep, housework, etc.  It’s easy to get lost in all the busyness, but one of my greatest goals is to keep our life balanced (A goal, mind you, not always a reality).

To do it, I use my strengths…a little something I call “Effective Efficiency”.   I love to figure out the quickest and best way to accomplish my daily tasks so that I have plenty of time for fun.  (Or in some cases, how to make the tasks fun!  Two in one! Yeah!)  It’s the only way I’ve been able to do all that I have to do and still have time for what really matters to me.  Hopefully I can share a few tidbits about how to balance it all with all the other busy moms, women, and wives out there.

Welcome!  I can’t wait to share more with you!

Janae

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Pulling a Big Load

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Heidi
Paddling with my girls

Paddling with my girls

Aloha!

My name is Heidi and I live on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. I have three young girls and a husband who makes me laugh. We love to turn up the music and dance in the livingroom, bend down and smell fresh grass, and play at the beach in the sunshine.

I balance being a mom to these girls and running a full-time business as an owner and instructor of a stand up paddle school. Sleep is a luxury to me that is often set aside to keep up with the demands of a working mom, and humor is my antidote.

My strengths are helping my kids find the beauty in the simple things in life and constantly trying to keep a happy home amidst a chaotic schedule.  My passions in life are simply living and nature. I love the feeling of life’s energy that flows through me and surrounding nature which fills me with joy.

I often am asked how I balance it all. I am hoping I can share what has worked for me and be a support for all the other “two-burners-on” moms out there.

Welcome and enjoy the blog!

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Jack of All Trades

Posted on September 11, 2010 by Cheri

Hi!  I’m Cheri and I’m so excited to be blogging with you!  I am a stay at home mom with 3 little girls, ages 4 and under.  Our home is filled with pink, dress ups, princess things, pink, Fancy Nancy, jewelry, arts and crafts, pink, and oh, more pink.

We’re busy from sun up to sun down, but whenever I can squeeze a minute out of my day, I love to bake, cook, and sew.  If I had to choose one word to describe my passions it is to CREATE.  I love making something new, or taking something old and making it new.  I love trying new things and going out on a limb to develop a new skill.

I constantly struggle to find the balance between being the mom I want to be and the homemaker I want to be and the wife I want to be…and the person I am.  I am grateful for forgiving girls, a wonderful husband who has enough patience for both of us, and family who lift me.  And I’m grateful for my spiritual understanding that teaches me who I am and why I’m doing what I’m doing, as well as how to get to where I want to be.

We each have different experiences, perspectives, needs, struggles, and goals, but I hope that we can learn from each other and grow together.  Welcome to my life!

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Discipline on a Dime

Posted on January 6, 2010 by Heidi

Something happens when a child learns to speak: their ears shut down.  Unless, of course, you’re offering them candy or a chance to see a movie or something of desire.  But remind them of a responsibility and forget it, they don’t hear a thing.  Well, that was the case with my 7 and 5 year old.  But not anymore.  Now they are quick to obey, and even try to do their responsibilities without being asked.  No, I didn’t hire Supernanny.  I noticed how motivated these two young girls are with money.  They’ll do a whole load of laundry — washing and hanging to dry and taking down and putting away for $2!  So I decided to use dimes as a motivation for obeying.

Each Monday morning I put a stack of 10 dimes per child in an area accessible to me.  I explain to them that this is the money they will receive at the end of the week, as long as they are obedient.  Each time they need to be asked more than once to do something, a dime is taken away.  Each time they do something they are supposed to without even being asked to do it, a dime is added.

Of course, kids will be kids, so it’s not totally disobedience-proof, but what a difference it has made in our house!  So much less nagging and lallygagging.  I’d pay a dollar for that any time.

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