Ode to my mama!

My mom is an amazing woman! She's my best friend, and my role model for motherhood. Now that I've been a mom myself for awhile, I have a new appreciation for all she's done, and all she continues to do. Here are a few things I've learned from her.


Be a good listener! My mom is a great listener. She engages people, asks them questions, and truly cares about what they're saying. She doesn't feel the need to always talk about herself. This can be a quality that is hard to find in people, so I am thankful that I had such a great role model in this area.

Frugality! I inherited my love of garage sales from my mom. But not only that, she's taught be how to be frugal in most areas of life. Because we were pretty poor growing up, we rarely ate out, went to movies or took fancy vacations (usually we traveled from Michigan to Illinois to visit my dad's dysfunctional family, if you want to call that a vacation). However, I don't feel like I missed out on anything! We have great memories of the times we had as a family. We didn't need McDonald's to make us happy!

Cleanliness does not equal Godliness! No, we didn't grow up in a pig stye. My mom was a great housekeeper, she just didn't get overwhelmed by a bit of clutter and dust. My sister and I had are usual chores and such, but i don't ever remember my mom getting too bent out of shape if our rooms weren't spotless or there were a few dirty socks sitting around the house. It may be from her that I first heard the saying "a clean house is a sign of a wasted life" (at least when you have kids!) I try to keep that in perspective when the house looks like it exploded an hour after I've tried to clean everything!

Don't spoil your kids, save it for the grandkids! We were by no means spoiled. We were provided for and rewarded with special gifts on occasion, but my mom did a great job of teaching us that we aren't entitled to anything. Now that she's a grandma, I see her do things with and for Ian that she never would have with us! I guess she's earned it :)

If you're going to be a nut, be a health nut! My mom has always loved nutrition! Had it not been for a terrible experience in a chemistry class during college, she says she would have become a dietician. Instead, she majored in home economics. I'd say she's utilized that degree to the fullest. We all know that moms really are dieticians anyways! When we were really young, nary a smidge of processed food made it into our house...except maybe King Vitamin cereal. My mom is always coming up with new recipes, ideas, and theories that may sound crazy to me at first, but then I do a little more reading and research, and I end up doing the same thing myself! She's the queen of sprouting beans, roasting her own coffee, mixing up concoctions of salad dressings, and making healthy things from scratch! She's a great role model for healthy living and eating.

Exercise is important! Like most women, my mom has struggled with her weight most of her life. BUT, she never made weight a huge issue for me or my sister. She encouraged us to be healthy and to live active lifestyles and she modeled this herself. I used to throw in her Jane Fonda VHS while my sister sat on the couch and laughed at me (sorry, Heidi, you know it's true!) Plus, she took me to my first Zumba class almost three years ago! Who would have thought I'd get the crazy idea to start my own class?!

Be faithful to the Lord, even when times are tough! My mom didn't grow up in a Christian home. In a way, I think this has forced her to really think through and seek guidance on issues of sprituality and raising a family. When she was 19, she and my dad began their marriage as house parents to deliquent teenage boys. She cooked, cleaned, and attempted to keep them in line, all for $8,000 a year for both of them. Sounds like torture to me! Since then she and my dad have had their share of ups and downs, especially with my dad losing his job twice in the past ten years. She has graciously supported him while being honest about her struggles and questions. I admire her faith, and her honest look at the world around her.

Self sacrifice! We were pretty poor when I was growing up. My dad was a social worker who was also trying to earn his masters degree, but my mom felt called to stay at home with me and my sister. To do so she did daycare in her home for a while, cleaned other people's houses, and worked as a school aid where she had recess duty, to name a few of the jobs that make me cringe a little. I'm so thankful she chose to work these crappy jobs so she could make enough extra money to stay home and raise us. And even though I got a little embarrassed in sixth grade when the most popular girl found out I got my outfit at a garage sale, I wouldn't have traded my mom staying at home with us for all of the Guess jeans or Keds sneakers in the world!

This is a bit lengthy, but it barely scratches the surface in trying to explain what a great God has blessed me with. Love you mom!!