About

A little bit of coffee and a little bit of wine makes this mom life mighty fine!

I taught fourth grade for six years and was a writing resource teacher for two years. After my second was born, my husband and I decided to give the one income thing a try.  So now I’ve assumed the role of Stay at Home Mom.  I am grateful for this role but it doesn’t mean it’s easy.  Being a stay at home mom is work.  It is a job.

It was scary for me to leave my teaching career behind.  I’m thankful for the safety net I was provided with at first.  I only had to take a leave.  I knew I could roll right back into teaching if I needed too.

However, as six months passed by after my son was born, it was time for principals to start determining what positions would look like for the following school year.  I was nowhere near ready to return and my husband was okay with this decision.

A couple of months later, I officially resigned from my teaching position.

In many ways, this role fits me.  I often remind myself, as I always question my choices, that THIS is where I am suppose to be.

Stay At Home Mom Life

Each year of this stay at home mom life has been different for us.  The first year was my son’s first year.  Of course, the first year of a child’s life goes a little something like this…many milestones one after another- rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking, etc.  Their food consumption slowly decreases away from your body as time goes on.  There are lots of cuddles and very little sleep, for mom and sometimes dad, of course too.  So we did that first year.  I also had my daughter home.  She was three at the time.  We met for play dates.  We did learning activities around the home a couple days a week.  And that was life.

Stay At Home Mom Life: Year 2

But so quickly I have learned that life does not stay the same when you have kids.  The next year, my daughter turned four and she headed off to part-time preschool.  My son remained home with me.  I began planning learning activities for him and started visiting a site near us that provided play groups.

Stay At Home Mom Life: Year 3

Year Three of Stay at Home Mom Life started yet another journey as my daughter began Kindergarten.  I continued learning activities at home with my son and scheduled play time at our local children’s site.  By the end of this school year, we were surprised with covid and life changed dramatically.

Life Happens

I always feel that everything happens for a reason.  I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to live motherhood on each side of the fence.  I have been a working mom and a stay at home mom.  It has implanted an appreciation for both of these lifestyles in my mind.  It has shown me that no matter what your walk of life, you will always have something that stretches you, grows you, and challenges you.  And that is okay.  I have learned so much as a stay at home mom.  I WISH I could get inservice points from all of the opportunities of growth I have received from witnessing both of my kids mature with their ages.  I continually learn about life every. single. day.  That’s why my catch phrase for this blog is Learn WITH Me!  I know nothing.  I am always learning and growing.  It is a blessing to have others on Instagram follow this journey of life that I embark on every day.

Live in the Moment

Now, I find myself in the year 2020.  I turned the educational choices for my kids over and over in my head, during the summer time.  I landed on homeschooling them.  It kind of made sense for so many reasons.

I love it.  I am, of course, growing as a teacher and mom.  But it is fun being able to create learning experiences for them throughout the week.  I enjoy being able to help my daughter through so many of the intricate skills she is expected to know in first grade.  I love being right there for her.

But here’s the funny thing about motherhood.  “It’s like your kids are slowly breaking up with you.”  I may have heard this quote from the show, Little Fires Everywhere, but I am not sure.  It sort of makes sense and describes the feeling of motherhood.  Your children start inside of you.  They are with you, everywhere.  You love them.  They are born.  You love them.  You hold them, cuddle them, raise them.  You love them.  You love them so much.  You worry about them.  You will do anything for them.  But THEIR love seems different than the love YOU give.

The love a mother gives is full of service.  Children do not always return that servitude back to their mothers.  As a matter of fact, since you carried them, fed them, picked up their toys everytime they dropped them on the floor, and cleaned up after them, they sort of just come to expect it all.  They think it’s your job.

But the funny thing is, once a upon a time, I was my own person.  I didn’t have anyone else to take care of.  They don’t get that.  They just see you as a mom. Their mom.  And of course, there are these really sweet moments, like when I say, “Where are my shoes?!”  And my kids go running through the house searching for my shoes and place them right in front of my feet.  And if one kid reaches my toes before the other they are upset because they didn’t serve their mother as well.

But there other times when their little independent minds awaken and they know what color cup they want and how they want to spend their time.  That, my friends, is the huge challenge of homeschooling.  When they become upset, they whine.  They wouldn’t ever whine at school, because people are watching.  But at home they whine.  If they don’t want to do something, they tell you.  They constantly want to negotiate.  I appreciate their strong willed minds.  It will serve them well in adulthood, but right now, not cool.

However, with all of that said, I will once again, say, I am enjoying homeschooling, and I HOPE (I’ve been referring to our educational experience this year as, The Hopeful Homeschool) that they retain massive amounts of experiences that aid them along in their future education.  I HOPE that everything I am doing for them benefits their future.  I do not know so I can only HOPE.

But this is where we are now.  I remind myself daily to be here.  Right HERE.  Yes, my mind likes to float to the clouds at times, BUT, I also try to plant my feet on the ground, look around, and live right here in the moment, without worrying about what’s to come.  I hope for good things in the future.  But I am just working to enjoy what is in front of me RIGHT NOW.

What can you do right now?  Go find me somewhere and say hi!  Comment below.  Follow me on Instagram.  Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.  Like my Facebook Page.  This blog is about connection.  It’s about writing my story and sharing it with you.  It’s about meeting other moms from all over the world.  It’s about understanding YOUR story.  It’s about using your story to shape my own story.  It’s about learning.  To be a teacher is to be a learner, so please, Learn WITH Me!

May the adventures that lie ahead bring you joy, growth, and experiences that inspire you to be the best teacher and mom God created you to be. Have a Happy Day!

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Are you a blogger?  I love to connect and collaborate!  I hope we can chat soon!