The Energizer Mama

Have you ever wondered how in the world we, as moms, get “it” all done? 

Seriously? 

We are the meal planners, bottle washers, outfit coordinators, Mt. Saint Laundry climbers, boo boo kissers and teachers. 

Add that to the taxi driver, vacuum operator, hygiene enforcer, social calendar keeper and dust bunny catcher section of the resume.

We are the sibling police, home decorators, brownie bakers (at the last minute because our child forgot to tell us they signed us up for 3 batches), home maintenance supervisors and more.

On top of all that, we need to be lovers extraordinaire, the bed time story reader, healer of broken hearts and bruised friendship fixer.

Don’t forget the need to be the hostess with the mostess, the loser of baby weight, toilet bowl scrubber and toy cleaner upper.

Somehow, we also expect ourselves to be the spiritual thermometer, the memory keeper, the vacation planner and the beauty sleeper. 

How do we do this everyday?  What charges a mama’s batteries?

•  One slobbery kiss from a sweet baby
• A picture, colored inside the lines, just for mommy
• A “please” or “thank you” spoken in public without prompting
• Your lap being the treasured sitting place of a special little one
• Watching chubby legs take their first steps
• The moment your child can read the story to you but still wants Mommy to read it
• Walking out the door with a child wearing stripes and polka dots with their snow boots in the middle of July
• Observing big brother *finally* share a toy with little sister
• Everyone at the dinner table eating the same thing and liking it
• 20 minutes to take a quiet shower because all the kids fell asleep at nap time
• Sleeping breath on your neck as you carry in the child that fell asleep in the car
• Little arms wrapped around your leg, feeling safest when protected by you
• The occasional hug or half grin from a grumpy teenager

All the little things energize me to not only stay the course while my children are young, but to enjoy each moment.  They grow so fast! 

I am energized by watching them grow and develop.  I am energized by catching glimpses of the men they will become. And, I am energized by the memories of the babies they once were.

We do “it” all because we love them.  And, we love them because they own pieces of our hearts. 

 To all the Energizer mama’s out there- charge on!

This post was written as part of the Energizer BlogHer ’10 contest, sponsored by Energizer and @kailani.  I have had the pleasure of working with Energizer for conducting product reviews and giveaways in the past and would be honored to represent their brand at BlogHer.

Road to Relevant

I started blogging in June of 2008, a few months after my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and in the midst of a period of being bedridden.  Prior to that I had no concept of what a blog was, let alone the idea that it was something I could do or would grow to love.

My blog grew from something I did for myself to something the Lord does through me.  It has been a humbling experience to write in a way that helps other women and their relationships with God, their spouse, kids and themselves.

I attended my first blogging conference in July 2009.  I went so excited to meet people I interacted with online and (I thought) to learn ways to grow my blog.  I left that conference disheartened, discouraged and not even certain if blogging was for me.

Since then I have attended four other blogging conferences of various sizes and venues.  I have found that the smaller the conference the more connected I feel.  Then I heard about Relevant.  I instantly knew I wanted to go.  The concept is exactly what has been lacking at the other conferences I have attended (even the good ones).  Getting together with like minded women who view the internet as their mission field, while remembering and honoring the fact that our primary mission field is our home.

There have been rough periods of blogging for me as well.  Whenever I lose focus of why I blog and get caught up in blog stats, comments and “measuring up” my writing and my passion for blogging suffer.

I can’t wait to meet so many of my twitter and blogging friends in real life.  And I have no doubt that I will leave Relevant refreshed, inspired and revived.  Can’t wait until October!

Yoursphere- Keeping Kids safe online

As a Yoursphere Test Drive mom, my boys and I have spent some time this week becoming familiar with the website and all it offers.  The registration process was fairly simple.  I did have to give my social security number which was a little off putting. 

The dashboard for parents is great. Comparing it to trying to keep track of my son’s “goings-on” with Facebook, Yoursphere makes it so much easier.  I get to see all their activity from the dashboard including friends, messages and activity. 

The only problem I have encountered is due to my laptop dying (yes, it was a sad day).  I haven’t been able to upload the boys profile pics yet and they are anxious to do that as they think it will help them get more friends (being popular is apparently important online too LOL).

The time my boys are allowed to be online is limited but Yoursphere is quickly becoming one of the sites they gravitate towards when they log on the computer.  That is a-ok with this mama.

Yoursphere is FREE.  If you want to sign your child up for a safe and fun online community, use this code:  YSMC-0054. 

I wrote this review while participating in the Yoursphere Test Drive program by Mom Central on behalf of Yoursphere. I received a free lifetime Gold membership on Yoursphere.com, Yoursphere t-shirts, and a $50 American Express gift card to facilitate my review.

My Bible in 90 Days Journey

Putting this last ninety (ninety four if you want me to be perfectly honest) days into words is proving more difficult than I thought it would be.

Renewed passion for the Word of God.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  II Timothy 3:16-17

Renewed conviction for the sin that so easily creeps in.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  Galations 5:19-21

Renewed gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice.

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.  Isaiah 52:5

Renewed reverence for God’s majesty.

Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?  You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them.  In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed  In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.  Exodus 15: 11-13

Renewed commitment and laser focus on my ministry.

But they were scheming to harm me so I sent messengers to them with this reply, “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down.  Why should the great work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”.  Four times they sent me the same message and each time I gave them the same answer.  Nehemiah 6: 3-4

Renewed patience for God’s timing.

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.  Psalm 27: 13-14

I could go on and on all day with the gems God shared with me during this concentrated time in His word.  It was so worth it and my prayer and hope is that this fire that has been ignited for the Word continues to burn strong in my life and the rest of those that joined in this challenge.

A special thanks to Amy from Mom’s Toolbox for starting this movement online and encouraging me along the way.

Steps toward a natural lifestyle

I haven’t liked getting my hands dirty since I was a little girl.  Gardening? Yuck!  I even mix meatloaf with a spoon.  Up until recently, I didn’t like to get anything under my french manicured nails (did you know all the chemicals in acrylic nails?  I do now and haven’t had them on in four months).

In 2008 things changed.  I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and nearly lost my life to a pulmonary embolism (that turned out to be related to a clotting disorder and systemic lupus).

I started looking at life and health a lot differently.  I discovered that I was deficient in several (important) vitamins and minerals.  In order to live my best life and insure that I am around to watch my kids grow up, I needed to change the way I viewed the world.

I started reading books on alternative medicine, diet and natural living.

And we started making changes as a family.  In the last two years we have switched to whole grains, gotten rid of artificial sweeteners, drastically reduced our red meat intake, and started paying attention to the ingredients on the foods and other products we buy.  We use natural cleaning products.  Many times I clean my kitchen with a simple vinegar and water mixture.

I take vitamin D, vitamin b12 injections, I have visited acupuncturists, I exercise, I drink lots of water and everyday I take more baby steps towards a natural, healthy lifestyle.

The hubby and I are even planting a small produce garden this year (I have pretty pink gardening gloves, in case you were wondering).

I know that taking control of my health and our quality of life is achievable.  And it is companies like Seed that inspire me to keep moving forward.  One baby step at a time, towards the best life possible.

This post is my entry to the Seed BlogHer ’10 sponsorship contest and is posted at Hip As I Wanna Be.

Sheer Bliss

Having your expectations exceeded is such an exciting thing.  And that is exactly what happened for me this weekend while attending a blogging conference called Blissdom.

My husband, the concrete, analytical thinker that he is wanted to know what I learned in the sessions.

I learned a lot in the sessions…I learned how to be introspective in the writing craft wisdom workshop, I was inspired during the opening keynote, I discovered I have veered {slightly but noticeably} from the voice I want my blog to have.

Those things were important and I am glad I was able to explain all that to my husband so he could be comfortable with the ROI of the conference.

But, I learned so much more that can’t be measured and in some cases, by those that don’t do what I do online everyday, can’t be understood.

I learned that when you get a group of women together, excited to have the opportunity to dress up but regretting their shoe choice, we will tuck our skirts beneath us and get comfy.

Photo credit of Casey

I learned that you can have a roomie, whom have only conversed with on Twitter and Facebook, and feel like kindred spirits {inserting Anne of Green Gable speak} immediately.  Frelle, you rock!

I learned that God will position you to meet and speak with exactly the women you are supposed to. And that He will use the impromptu chats on the floor at the (in)courage party to confirm what you already knew you are supposed to be doing {but had been putting off due to fear}.  Thanks, Emily.

I remembered that although I enjoy looking at, cooing at and holding other people’s babies, I am fine with being done with that stage of life.

I discovered that if your flight gets canceled due to the blizzard of the century and you decide to rent a car and drive home, Jessie is the gal you want to ride with {but be warned that she will have you laughing so hard you will not be able to see the speedometer through your tears and the Virginia State Police don’t take kindly to going 79 in a 65}

Thank you Alli and Barbara for putting together a phenomenal conference and to all the sponsors that made it possible- you rock too!

Thanks to Aircut for sponsoring my trip!

This post is linked to Tuesdays Unwrapped and Musings of a Housewife

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Technology and Marriage- a match made in?

I haven’t participated in Wifey Wednesday, hosted by To Love, Honor and Vacuum in quite a while.  But when I read Sheila’s topic for the day I knew God was sending me a message.

I have many friends (in real life) who complain about the amount of time their hubby’s sit in front of the TV, surf the ‘net or engage in gaming (online or video games)

I can’t relate to their issue…but boy, can my husband!

About a year and a half ago, I stumbled across a blog and the rest is history.  I am hooked.  I love blogging.  I love writing.  I love reading other’s posts and connecting with other fabulous women through the internet.

That is not a bad thing.

It becomes a problem when I allow the computer to become an idol in my life.  When I allow Twitter or Facebook updates to become more important than my marriage.  When I say “just give me a minute” as my children clamor for my attention.  That type of behavior is a bad thing.

All the enemy needs in our life is a foothold.  Yes, I feel called by God to engage in the activities on the ‘net that I do (with the exception of Bejeweled ).  However, I have felt convicted since last fall that I was sending a (albeit unintended) message to my family that they are not priorities in my life by needing to look up from my laptop to give them my attention.

So, I did something about it.

I prayed and asked God what I needed to relinquish (some writing commitments, a radio show and a website), what I needed to cut back on (twitter, facebook, time spend blog surfing) and I set a schedule.  This new way of doing things has worked for me since the fall.  As a matter of fact, I have been blessed with several new opportunities that fall within that schedule!  Go God!!

When the internet is a source of income Starbucks money there is a certain amount of time networking, maintaining relationships and actually working that needs to be done.  It is a lie of the enemy that you can do that without a plan and not negatively impact your family.

I set hours for my computer use.  I don’t have the computer on after the kids and hubby get home unless they are otherwise occupied.  I take Sunday’s off from posting.  I plan posts ahead of time (this was hard for me, as I like to write as the mood strikes but I got used to it).  I have said no to opportunities that require me to be online in the evening.

It is possible to juggle (notice, I did not say balance) this unique world of blogging, internet marketing and social media.

Do you agree?  Do you struggle with this?  How do you handle this special juggling act?

Monday Mingle

Getting back into my blogging groove since the holidays and since it is Monday- it is time for Monday Mingle, hosted by Eighty MPH Mom.

Today’s questions are:

What is the neatest/coolest car you have owned (I have to include a picture)

The other two questions: Have you ever been to San Francisco? NYC?

Are you planning to attend BlogHer?  Did you attend last year?

So, watch the video below for my answers =)

A little bit ’bout me…

I borrowed this blog game from Tami at Hearts Make Families.

As if y’all wanted to know any more about me, right?

Here I go….

1. What color is your favorite hoodie? Red (My Maryland Terrapins hoodie)
2. Do you plan outfits? Most of the time.
3. What’s the closest thing to you that’s red? A Christmas catalog
4. Did you meet anybody new today? Yes, I met my friend’s new boyfriend, Michael
5. What are you craving right now? chocolate, of course!
6. Do you floss? Yes
7. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? Yum Yum, my mom’s ham and cabbage soup.
8. Are you emotional? Sometimes more than others
9. Would you dance to the taco song? I have never heard the taco song so I don’t know- not much of a dancer
10. Have you ever counted to 1,000? I have
11. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? who bites ice cream?
12. Do you like your hair? No but the style is convenient for me right now.
13. Have you ever met a celebrity? Yes, Rosie O’Donnell (a loooong time ago)
14. What are you listening to right now? the dog barking, my son’s video game, America’s Funniest Home Videos and the sound of me typing
15. Are your parents strict? Depends on what year it was…
16. Would you go sky diving? No way in Hades would this girl jump out of anything moving!
17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? I wouldn’t have much of an appetite but…
18. Is there anything sparkly in the room you’re in? the heart on my puppy’s dress
19. Have you ever been in a castle? Yes, when I lived in Berkeley Springs, WV I visited the Berkeley Castle- really cool!
20. Do you know your neighbors? I know our neighbors and love some of them
21. Have you made a prank phone call? No!
22. Do you own a gun? No but my hubby does
23. Can you count backwards from 74? I would certainly hope so….
24. Brown or white eggs? Doesn’t matter
25. Ever been on a train? Yes….
26. What year did you graduate? I dropped out when I was in 10th grade (1996, was pregnant with Jared) and got my GED in 1998.
27. Is your hair curly? Straight, no matter what I do
28. Last time you cried? a few weeks ago when I was having a pity party for myself
29. Ever walked into a wall? More times than I care to admit
30. Do you like your life right now? I love my life.  I feel blessed to be alive, watch my kids grow up, be Mike’s wife and experience everything God places in my path.  There are moments, in my flesh, when I wish I wasn’t sick but then I remember there are so many people worse off than me and I shift my focus back to my blessings.
31. How often do you talk on the phone? I am not a phone person.  I answer it (if I feel like it, to be honest) and speak as briefly as possible.  What is that about?  No idea.
32. What is your favorite animal? My mini schnauzer puppy, Chloe is my favorite pet.  I love pigs though, have since I was a very  little girl.
33. What was the most recent thing you bought? birthday presents for my best friend’s kids
34. Can you hula hoop? I use to…haven’t tried recently
35. Have you ever crawled through a window? yes… ’nuff

So how about you?  Feel free to copy and paste and answer these questions on your blog OR choose your favorite and answer in the comments!

I blog because…

This is my first time participating in Fill in the Blank Friday, hosted by The Unexperienced Mom.  I decided to join in this week because I love the sentence we get to complete.

I blog because…

• I needed an outlet to vent and share when I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008.
• I have grown attached to my online friends and love writing for them and reading what they write.
• I get lonely at home by myself most days.
• I loooove to write and have so much to say.
• I enjoy sharing my life with others (I’m an internet social butterfly)
• Blogging is a great platform for ministering to others.

There are probably a million more reasons that I just can’t think of right now.

Why do you blog?  Why don’t you blog?  Tell me!

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