Making Dreams a Reality through Hard Work
Sometimes family conversations are hard. Why? Because food is important. 🤣
Too much
Too little
Nutrition needs
Cravings
Sweet
Salty
And let’s not forget the question of…does it taste good?🤷♀️
So here I am…just a mom…begging her guys to eat what was prepared…trying to balance the diet needs of mom and dad against the growing needs of 2 athletic, teenage boys. 🤣
When you’re a part of a family, or a tribe, you bring a talent to the table, and so do the others! I am confident in what I have to offer to the group, AND I recognize my limitations…most of the time!
Right now, I wish John was home from school. I need his “lego brain” and gentle hands right now. He would be able figure out how to get the drawer off the frame so I could get the blue tape off! He would be gentle to not break anything, but persistent to get it done.❤
Sometimes it’s the little things that become big in a time of frustration, but working together they can be solved!🤗
Also, shout out to Lowe’s! All appliances are basically on backorder right now. We thought we were going to get call on October 1st to give us a date of delivery in the next 2 weeks. Instead, I got a call last night that delivery would come today! 🎉🎉
I had to take a ⒹⒺⒺⓅ ⒷⓇⒺⒶⓉⒽ this morning.🤦♀️
When plans don’t go correctly, or another’s lack or delay of decision creates chaos for your morning, its easy to say the first thing that comes to mind. But those words are not always useful or helpful to the situation. 🤷♀️
School was canceled this morning due to potential flooding from Tropical Storm Beta…it was canceled after I had already dropped off the boys at school. It would be easy to become a keyboard warrior and blast the district for it’s lack of early action, but those words from me would not be useful or helpful. Instead, I am thankful that we are now all home safe and dry, and school will continue online. 🤗
A ⒹⒺⒺⓅ ⒷⓇⒺⒶⓉⒽ and ᎶᏒᎪᏟᎬ can go a long way!
I left the junior high last week after a class meeting with the counselors where we planned out Robby’s high school course selection. 🙄 You know, the meeting the length of one class period, where you and your 8th grader plan out his entire life?!🤯
While it is crazy to think about this topic, we were prepared! Robby and I had already talked about options and his interests. We already spoke of his interest in computers and programming so that will be the endorsement he will pursue. ❤💻
I was surprised how many parents were not at the meeting. I’m very thankful that I have the flexibility in my schedule to make a mid-day meeting, I know others aren’t able to do so. The best part of the meeting was Robby giving me a hug bye in front of his friends and teachers. 🤗 Sometimes, just showing up is the love that they need!
This boy can frustrate me and make me proud all in the same day! 🤷♀️
Robby gets on the soccer field every weekend and transforms right before my eyes. He is focused on his position, he communicates with his teammates, and he can do throw-ins and passes like no other. He loves the game and his team. ⚽️
He’s also my “what” kid. He plays video games or watches YouTube and tunes all others out to the point of actually not listening or hearing what you just said to him. He’s loud and crazy with his brother and usually has to be told to do something multiple times.🤦♀️
Lord only knows that I’m tough on my boys. I’m raising young men, and I realize that I only have so much time with them. I want them to be successful in the workplace, to learn how to respect and love their wife, and how to honor and serve God. Robby is funny and thoughtful, he does not want to let anyone down, and will do almost anything for anyone….especially if dessert is involved. I’m proud to be his mom…most of the time. 🤣😍
I’m thankful for my premium nutrition that gives me the energy to keep up with my boys’ schedule, and the patience needed to raise them! ❤
Tuesday nights are our only down night during the week. I was cooking dinner and captured this moment out the window.
Richard and John had been working on John’s football snaps, and they took a break. They could have been talking about football, the need for practice, the discipline needed for an athlete, or the irritating squirrel that keeps trying to get into the eaves of the house. Either way, I hope this bond they have continues. I love these special moments and I love my guys!
I would like to talk about these ladies a little. I know this picture is a year and a half old, but this is the last one I have of all of us together. However, that doesn’t really matter because after 32 years of friendship, we are still there for each other no matter the distance that divides us.
I met these ladies when I was 12 years old. We had just moved to Sugar Land from Tulsa. I was the new girl at school and then at church, but these girls embraced me and have never let go. We went to junior high and high school together, and then college took us in different directions. College graduation had us spread out all over the state of Texas, yet we stayed together. Marriage and kids kept us together in the celebrations, yet apart in the daily family activites that continues to pull at our attention.
Yet in a time of need, we are still there for each other! We pray for each other and our families. We can still pick up the phone and continue our conversation like we had just spoken yesterday instead of months ago. I am thankful for this group of ladies. I’m thankful that the years keep adding on to our friendship. I pray that our kids find friends like these…friends for a lifetime! ❤
I wear this hat proudly. My boys love when I wear this hat. They love when Richard and I both make it to their games, whether it’s football or soccer. They know we’re there to support them in whatever they choose to participate in. I think they even like it when I scream like a crazy fanatic (see what I did there?) while cheering their team to victory. Yes, they know my voice; no, I don’t yell at the refs, they are human too.🏈
While I am by no means a tiger mom, nor am I a helicopter mom, I do try to be there for everything. I’m not good at hugging sweaty boys, but I’ll give high fives and fist bumps all day long. I do not coddle these young men I’m raising, but instead encourage them to not let their teams down and to give their all on the field of play. Play whatever position the coach puts you in without complaint and do not ask for a sub just because you are hot. Suck it up buttercup is a common phrase at our house. We do not talk about the faults of other players because we have no control over them, your responsibility is to make sure you are playing your best, listen to the coach and be coachable. ⚽️
It’s hard to parent a teenager, an athlete, a child. Each stage of a child’s life brings another challenge. How hard do you push your child to be their best? I’m learning that you have to push and then pull back often. They have to learn the life lessons on their own sometimes. They must go after their own goals and put in the work themselves. 💪
And I will be the cheering them on all the way!🎉🎉
In those moments when I look around the room and see the evidence of what teenagers can leave behind- nerf darts, socks on the stairs, trash that was in front of them all morning but still didn’t make it outside to the cans, throw blankets bundled on the couch, laundry left in the dryer, and cereal box left on the table….I remember to be thankful. 🤗
I’m thankful that they each do their own laundry, and I don’t have to touch stinky athletic clothes. I’m thankful that in the hustle of the morning routine, they get their own breakfast and make their own lunch, and the mess left behind is evidence of the personal responsibility they are learning. 💪
The nerf darts are examples that they still like to play, and even though they are teenagers now, they do not always sequester themselves in their rooms all the time. The blankets on the couch is there as a reminder of the family movie night from last night, and I’m thankful they still like spending time with the family. 😍
Yes, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the clutter and mess, but it’s evidence of so much more – love and lessons! And isn’t that what family is all about?! 😉
Yesterday morning I had the privilege to deliver 16 dozen homemade cookies for the staff at the junior high school! 🍪
The entire time my boys have been in school, I have been a working mom away from the home. I’ve always sent my bribe gifts and extra supplies when asked, but never have I been able to participate in something to this scale. I would not have been able to give enough time at night to bake and pack that many cookies! Extra time in my schedule just didn’t exist. 🤷♀️
Now, when asked to participate in things during the day, I have the flexibility to do so! My #sidehustle allows me to work the time I allow and provides the extra money to participate! ❤
Determined Hustle 