Not just a stay-at-home-mom.

When I tell people I am a stay-at-home-mom I usually get the "awe how sweet" look... Or the "must be nice" look... Rarely do I get the "oh wow you must be busy" look. 

I'll admit there was a day when I thought being a stay-at-home-mom would be a life of leisure  Sleep in... watch Good Morning America... have some bon bon's... do some shopping... make homemade everything... have time to work out... read books... have a spotless house...

Hahahahahahahahhahahahah

Yeah right... 

The truth looks NOTHING like the list above.  (I will admit that Adam let's me sleep until 8:30 when he leaves for work he also cooks breakfast for the kids. That part fits my delusion.)
However,
The only thing on TV in the morning is "Wild Krats" or "Dinosaur Train".
Bon Bon's.. do they really even exist?  I don't know...
The only shopping I do is grocery shopping...
Homemade... lol that is funny.
If doing laundry or unloading the dishwasher counts as working out then I am in the best shape of my life!
Books... I am a pro at Cat In The Hat... Charlotte's Web? gotcha covered.
My house is spotted... far from spotless!

So what is it that I am doing all day that keeps me from making my delusions reality?

I home school for 2-3 hours a day.
I cook lunch for three.
I run kids to sports practices, home school activities or field trips.
I go on adventure hikes in the woods, paint nature on the porch, play baseball,soccer, and do cartwheels and handstands.
I feed a dog, cat, fish and horses each day.
I do laundry, cook dinner (most nights) and clean.
I try my best to track the kids lives with photo books and blogs.
I practice and sing with the praise team at church.
8:30pm-12:30am are typically my "office hours" for volunteer work
I volunteer as the president of "Reach Out Orphanage Ministries".
I co-chair the mission's committee at church
I coordinate a yearly trip for 20+ to Honduras along with the 4 fundraisers associated with this trip.
This month I am getting ready to train Program Coordinators for Carolina Cross Connection's staff training. I am also helping plan the worship services and painting props for worship at the week long staff training.
Next month I'll be painting props for VBS...

This is my life, it is busy and chaotic at times; occasionally stressful and tiresome... it is a lot of things and I love it! but rarely would I classify it as the life of leisure. Yet somehow I still get the "awe how sweet" look.

So when someone says to you "I am a stay-at-home-mom." you should know that is probably just a polite way of saying "I am a woman at the end of a rapidly fraying rope who is hanging on for the ride until my kids go to college!"
and you should give her the "wow that is awesome" look. ;)

Here's to all the "stay-at-home-mom's" out there who don't just stay-at-home.

A little back yard baseball.

 taking a break to pet the horses

 She's safe!

 Slide tackling mom!

 Adam should be glad he ducked!!! That dot just above is head is NOT an apple in the tree.

Home Run!

I love spring time!

Just a walk...

in what will hopefully be our back yard within the next year. 

When The Pool's Not Open Yet...

On those warm days of spring... ya know, when the cover is still on the pool but you just feel the need to get wet.. What do you do then?

 Well my kids empty out a container and fill it up with water!
At first they were each going to "swim" but the water was a bit cold so they reverted to splashing

 and blowing bubbles.

 Of course keeping the water in the containers... well that just isn't much fun. Pierson wanted to see how high he could get the water.

 Maylin didn't want to just blow bubbles... No the little artist had to get creative. She needed a straw-blowing hat! She made a hat and cut a hole for her straw to fit through. She wasn't quite satisfied though. She wanted a little door that opened up to a compartment where she could store some raisins... Yep... raisins. ???
Why raisins? I have no idea?
To this day I can't remember the last time she even ate them. I guess they just seemed like the perfect size snack? Unfortunately the raisin door never came to fruition.

None-the-less we had a fun splish-splashy afternoon!
Happy Spring...
Come ooonnn summer!

A Little Baseball

I have to say that I think this is one of the cutest little baseball players on the planet. 

 Baseball has been a learning curve for Pierson but it has been a sharp fast curve. He has done really well (says his mom who doesn't really know a lot about the sport).

 They have played three games so far. He has been up to bat eight times... of those eight he has hit the ball all but once! Now I'll say that 4 of the 7 hits he has gotten thrown out at first but for a kid who has never played baseball I am so proud of him!

 His team is doing well! They won their first two games and lost the third by one point.

 He looks so grown up!

 He has been playing outfield and has a pretty good arm. He has made a couple of great plays!

 So far he has been enjoying it. The only draw back (compared to soccer) is that the ball is "very hard and it hurts!" He does however like to camaraderie of his team. 

Maybe I'll be a baseball mom... maybe I won't? But for now he is having fun and that is all that matters! 

Preteam

Doing a lot of this

 at home and in the gym leads to this...

Tonight as her regular gymnastics class wrapped up her coach called her over as the other girls were leaving. I wondered what they were talking about and wondered what the paper the coach was handing her said but thought I would let Maylin handle this on her own.  When Maylin turned around, she was trying to contain herself but had the biggest grin on her face. She came right over and asked me to read the letter to her. She told me that her coach said she was proud of her and that she was ready for a harder class!

Maylin can be hard to read and is extremely guarded with her feelings but as I read the full letter to her in the car she was physically shaking with excitement. I SO wish I had videoed her reaction as I read. She clasped her hands together and clenched her jaw as she grinned and giggled with excitement! It was nice to see her truly happy about something she accomplished on her own. It was beautiful to watch. I'll cherish that ride home together for years to come.

 I was so happy for her! We talked and laughed the whole way home. She couldn't wait to tell Daddy so I called him and had him meet us outside in the driveway! She about jumped out of the car before it stopped! But as soon as she got out of the car she slowed down and nonchalantly walked up to him to show him the paper. I think she was just waiting to see if she earned his approval before she showed him how excited she was. Of coarse Daddy equally shared his excitement with her and she relished it.

Maylin loves gymnastics. We would NEVER encourage her to put more hours in at the gym or push her into a sport if it wasn't her idea. Adding another hour a week at the gym... well it really isn't going to change our lives that much, but for one little girl it meant the world that someone saw something special in her and that the people who love her the most celebrated her accomplishments.

(PS she slept with this letter last night and came out with it in her hands this morning!)