10 Reasons Why Being a Mom ROCKS!

Being a mom can get repetitive, overwhelming, and gross. Between blowouts, spitups, and meltdowns it can feel like somedays there is no light at the end of the tunnel. This doesn't make you a bad mom, or a heartless person. This makes you a dedicated, sleep deprived, loving maternal figure. So for the days when we actually stop for a second to imagine a getaway while the little ones draw on the walls and dinner starts smoking up the kitchen, here are some amusing reasons why being a mom rocks!:

1. Dress up! - Yes I have a son, but boy do I love picking out his clothes! I am so excited to go summer shopping! I already have a list. The kid NEEDS a straw fedora and some RayBan knock off glasses because there is no way in heck that my baby is going to sport glasses that expensive. He'll just use them as a teething toy!

 2. The Rack - Okay, not to be obscene or tacky, but to go from flat to...well..not flat...all I can say is thank you pregnancy, thank you very much.

 3. Instant cuddles - I love cuddling, and I am really glad that my son does too, well, for at least a few seconds till he decides he wants to do something else.

 4. You're a comedian - My little one laughs at all my silly attempts to make him smile. This has me thinking I am one gifted comedian. I don't think everyone agrees. Psh, just wait till I have my own special on that comedy cable station haters! JUST WAIT!

 5. Free hearing checks - That scream, I am pretty sure he reaches notes even dog's can't hear. If I can still hear my mom talk on the phone after one of those earth shattering squeals, my hearing must be awesome!

 6. Excuses Excuses - "Oh I am sorry, I totally forgot to do that! I was busy taking care of the baby" *insert cute baby smile and giggle here*

 7. What's boredom? - I have to admit, I am never bored! He is so active, and always learning. I can't keep up! I love it!

 8. Toy time - I really enjoy the excuse to mess with all his awesome toys! This kid has the coolest sound making gadgets ever! I can get very distracted by them, and sometimes wonder who is having more fun.

 9. You look great! - I love the fact that if I step out of the house in anything other than sweats and 2 day unwashed hair, everyone talks about how good I look for being a new mom! Why thank you, thank you very much!

 10. You are the smartest person in the world - Oh yes, I can count to ten and sing my ABC's better than any Sesame Street cast member! I love that at the moment, I am the knowledge bowl, the master of answers.


Being a mom is pretty great, and the memories we get to make are treasured ones. We won't look back on these days and remember how sleepy and grumpy we felt. When our children grab their high school diplomas, or come to visit for Christmas with their families, we will remember their cute baby grin, and their reaction the first time they went to the part, or went to the zoo. This is the time of our lives!

Fierce Freedom

I have spent my days searching for the approval of others, when they are not constant and do not know my heart. I have molded myself into their liking, guided by a philosophy of rules said to be made by you. Told that if I do not follow them, I must not be a true Christian. Is this true, or have I let man made religion shackle me into silence? I have been told that "you are just held to a higher standard" but is that true?Do you really hold some more accountable than others? Did you give me a unique spirit just to be conformed by the church's idea of a "proper christian"? They sit there and twist your words making christianity so complicated, when you gave your life to make it so simple. Love, that is all you ask for. To live our lives madly in love with you. When we cheat on you through listening to desires and choices not from you, your heart is broken. Yet, you continue to open your arms ready to engulf us in the warm embrace of your never ending forgiveness and passionate love.

We have made it hard on ourselves though. We have denied your love and seen you as angry. We have written long things on this list of "what not to do" because these things make us uncomfortable or confuse us. We make our own personal translation of your word to fit our own ideas and throw them into a sea of a million different opinions. You took the time to make it clear, yet we can not accept something so pure and simple. We use your word to throw stones at each other and glorifying our own works against someone else who we view as sinning. We ignore our vanity and claim that it is purely righteous living.

You have given us short, but vibrant lives to live in expression and adventure as we worship you, but we waste it in fear of offending others. You called us to be kind, honest, humble, and pure while loving your fiercely. You created Eve for Adam so we would not have to write our stories alone. Then you breathed life into us so we could discover your wonder. You made us fiercely free in your image. Unique, creative, and strong beings exploring this world as we wait for the next.

So that person sitting in front of you in church with the leather jacket and tattoos. The one you shake your head at and whisper to your neighbor about their "obvious sinful ways", while you adorn yourself with gold and makeup, is not doomed to be dammed. It is our judgmental cold hearts that breaks his.

A Godly Warrior

  A friend of mine was really upset when I deleted my facebook due to rude messages I kept receiving  Apparently saying goodbye to a social media site out of sheer annoyance made me weak, and let those people win. [Side Note: a rumor (how sad) going around is that I couldn't handle advice even though I asked for it sometimes. You are wrong I appreciated the opinions I asked for. Next time come to me instead of bad mouthing me behind my back]. Learning to chose your battles does not make you weak. Sometimes the best move is to dust off your feet and move on. I decided to write this post because I know this is a common judgment I receive. I am tired of people seeing me as defenseless and weak because I refuse to kick and scream.

I am a warrior. My sword is made with truth and my arrow is dipped in love. I will not fight evil with evil, fire with fire.  I will stand strong knowing the power that lives within me (Rom. 8:11). My Lord and my savior is the one who will lead my life to victory. I will not fear the arrow that flies towards me (Ps. 91:5). I know that through him I can get through anything (Phil. 4:13), and that no weapon you use to try and destroy my spirit will succeed (Isa 54:17).

 I stand firm because I am confident, I do not yell in your face for it levels the playing field. When I step away it is not a retreat or a surrender, but to battle your words with the greatest weapon I posses, my peace in who God has made me. See I don't need to backtalk or try and make you jealous of my life through a social website. I don't need your approval or your virtual friendship that is a fine and fragile thread judged by how many of your pictures I like.

Being kind is not a weakness. Not cussing someone out does not make you a doormat. Throughout the Bible God instructs us to overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21). to pray for our enemies, and love them despite our persecution (Matt. 5:43-44) This does not make me a hippie, but a follower of Christ.

 I am a very strong woman, I have gone to battle with health, depression, and other trials and have come gripped onto my God's robe. So  don't sit there and judge me when my battle plan is not filled with big dramatic explosions. I will continue to keep post on my solid rock, and I will not be moved.

Why You Should Never Wear Your "Fat Pants"

It is early in the morning, and my son and I are just starting our day. The apartment is a total wreck from the night before. So I get up and realize I am PMSing so I pull out my granny panties which are unfortunately an obnoxious bright color, my "fat jeans" that are usually a size too big but feel really comfy for days like this, and throw on a comfy sweater. "eh I am planning on cleaning today,I will skip the makeup and shower till this afternoon."

Before my morning cleanup begins I hear a loud sputtering sound throughout the house "sputter sputter sputter". It sounded like an engine and was coming from the vents. They heat stopped and all was quiet. I shrugged it off and managed to somewhat clean the living room when the heat came back and the sound followed. Something was obviously wrong. I grabbed stuff together just in case....*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEP* our C02 alarm starts blaring through our small apartment I grab my little boy and head out the door. Flustered I called my husband at work and explained what happened. Right now we only have his car working which is a stick shift...which I have yet to get the hang of. He promptly came home, stuck my son and I in the car and took us to his work till the landlord got to the bottom of it.

Now in order for this story to truly be understood in all of it's glory, you should know my husband works at a College filled with the sweetest girls you will ever meet who polish their metaphorical peacock feathers before class to attract the Godly men in their major. (come on christian gals, admit it, we all did that...) So here I am, flustered, no makeup, had not taken a shower yet...in my frump outfit and large purple underwear which I am still hoping no one saw when I bent over to pick up a toy. If that was not enough, my darling son got spitup on my black ill fitting sweater. So for hours I tried to occupy my hyper baby, in the midst of college students going from one class to the other or to their dorm beds for a quick nap. It was like that stampede in The Lion King every hour or so.
These are the moments you feel you really deserve a mom badge. Not because taking your son on nature walks while a team ventures into your messy house with a C02 radar is a heroic act, but because you could really use a pep in your step.

Well I am just really glad it is all over. The majority of girls use our appearance to give off the illusion that we have it all together. When that fragile mirage is threatened, we freak out, it ruins our entire day! Most the people probably didn't even notice me. If they did they were probably looking at the baby, and if they did see me they will soon forget in the sea of lectures and papers.
So that magnify glass I felt was following today is just in my head. If I do happen to be the humorous conversation between a few freshmen girls at the coffee shop. One day, they may find themselves in a similar situation. It is just how the world turns....it is really no big deal...

I am so thankful for our C02 alarm, it could have saved our lives! That is no laughing matter, but sometimes you need a little humor to brighten a bad day...

5 Things to Pray for My Husband

My prayers for my husband have always been the same every morning after he kisses me and heads off to work. "Dear Lord, bless him and keep him, bring him home to me safely, and help his day to be positive. Thank you for your blessings, Amen." Considering I am usually half asleep when he leaves for work, forming a few sentences is usually an accomplishment. However, it is time I changed that.
 It is all to easy to just recite a prayer, to become complacent in my morning talk with God about the man He brought into my life. I owe both of them more than that. I truly believe that as a spouse, one of the most important things you can do is cover your husband or wife in prayer. Those dishes can wait just a little longer while your knees hit the floor and you bring one of the most important people in your life to the feet of the Father. So here are 5 things I will start praying for, for my husband. Honest, true things on my heart right now. This isn't a step by step instruction on how to pray for your spouse, for some of your needs and desires may be different. Your prayers won't always stay the same and they shouldn't! Life brings changes, marriage brings continual growth. This is just an example.

1. Help me love him as You love him

 I recently read in my devotional while my baby boy once again fell asleep during tummy time (never fails), that Jesus did not wait until we deserved his love to give it. Instead he gave it freely and committed to love us from the very start. How come we can be totally forgiving of all the things Mr. Darcy did  before admitting his love to Elizabeth (and even then his proposal was really pompous)  yet as soon as our husband proves less than angelically perfect we shut off, or lash out, or withhold emotions? We committed to our husbands for better or worse. Girls, men are humans, and they will let you down from time to time. We have to commit to love them as Christ does, and that is hard to do sometimes.

2. Guard our relationship and may we remember our vows

The world is a scary place. and it seems to be while the two of you are apart living your day that satan can try and come in with temptations, guilt, and whispers of lies more than when you are together. I pray that God will protect our hearts and bring us back to each other faithful at the end of the day. Rebuking satan of any schemes. I just love ruining his plans.

3.  May he smile in the face of his enemies.

It is natural to do one of two things when you see someone who very much did you wrong; treat them horribly or avoid them.My prayer is that if my husband comes face to face with an enemy he will find peace and strength in God's plan and return their past ill doings with a calm smile.

4. Traveling Mercies.

Truth be told, cars scare me! Maybe I should also pray that God gives me peace as he is on the road.

5. May he see your beauty in the day and find confidence in the knowledge you gave him. 

It is so easy to just get from point a. to point b. that we do not notice the little blessings around us. I pray that Zach remembers to stop and smell the roses. I also pray that he acknowledges that God has given him an amazing mind to perform whatever task comes his way during the day.

5 Ways I Became the Geeky Hot Wife

 My husband has introduced me to so many new things. I am a huge advocate for finding someone who has differences to help make your world a little bigger than it was before. While Zach has introduced me to such glories as "real hiking" and setting up hammocks, he has also turned me into something this fashion driven bookworm never thought she would be, a bonafide geek. Okay so honestly, the geek in me was always in there, just concealed in an air tight can with a bunch of padlocks on it. I am so grateful that my husband is able to free parts of my personality I've subconsciously kept a secret. So here is five ways I turned into the geeky wife (which apparently girls, there is nothing more attractive than a girl that knows how to handle a playstation controller.)


1. "I don't know where you get your delusions, laser brain."

 I quote Star Wars, and not because I look up the quotes on IMDB to impress my Star Wars fan of a husband. Nope, I quote them from watching the movies one to many times, and I really enjoy them.  So don't laugh at me or I just might unleash my force grip on you.

2. "Square, Circle, Triangle = KICK BUTT!" 

 Recently my husband introduced me to one of his playstation games filled with dragon slaying and awesome weaponry. When the baby is napping, and the bed is made I might just turn on our PS3 and enter a world as an elvish assassin. I also insist on playing Skyrim every time I visit my brother. (I really need to get that game..)

3. "Live long and prosper." 

 Okay, this one is actually my dad's fault but I think it should be listed. I am a Trekie. Every night before bed my dad and I would sit on the couch and watch an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation or Voyager. I had a secret crush on Captain Jean-Luc Picard and I always wanted to figure out how Captain Kathryn Janeway got her hair up in that bun. I also asked santa for my own Holodeck when I was little.

4. "Ah, curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!"

 One word - Firefly. ...okay 5 more words - WHY DID THEY CANCEL IT?!

5.  "Want to watch another episode of Stargate?" 

 During the first half of my pregnancy I was severely ill and on bedrest. Every night when Zach would come home from work/school we would watch an episode of Stargate: SG1 or Stargate:Atlantis. It was the perfect marriage between my obsession with archeology and his love for sci-fi. Needless to say I got  really into it and would insist on watching about three episodes in a row at least. Sadly I didn't get to finish the Atlantis series..anyone know where I can get a dvd copy of that?

Being a Mom, What I Have Learned

 My son turns a month old on Thanksgiving day, I can not believe it has already been a month since he made his way into the world! We have had our share of sleepless nights, and days where Mommy feels guilty when all she can muster up is tummy time on her stomach while 'The Cat in the Hat' plays in the background. Parenting is surreal, it's a fairytale, and it is TOUGH!

 There is a movie that is truly my guilty pleasure,  'Eat, Pray, Love' and in this movie, Liz's (main character) friend tells her "Having a baby is like getting a tattoo stamped to your forehead - you kind of want to be committed." It is probably the most honest thing I have ever heard. Everything you do from the moment your baby arrives is for them. Every moment you breathe you are thinking about them and how to be a better mom, a better person for them. I have been told so many times that you always love your children more than your husband, and I do not know if I really agree with that. The love I have for my little boy is so completely different than the love I have for Zach that it is impossible for me to compare the two. I can not explain the love a mother has for her child, because words do not do it justice, but it is a completely different emotion that you never knew you had.

So here are some things I have learned in my very short time of being a mother -

1. People in the super market will always have advice to give you, and if you chose to take your baby out before they are two months old, people will glower, it just happens.

2. You NEED to surround yourself with a strong group of mom pros that you trust for those late night questions and nursing woes. You can not call your doctor every second, and when you are going on little to no sleep, everything becomes dramatic. It's important to have women with wisdom to give you piece of mind and bring you back down to earth.

3. Take advice with a grain of salt, and never ever say "I will never do that with my child" because whether it is God's sense of humor or just the way the world turns, you will probably become an advocate for those little things you promised you would never do.

4. The house is going to be a mess at the very beginning...as in your husband probably won't be able to find his phone in the wreckage. You can go for a clean house and perfectly made meal in the first weeks, or you can heal and learn to rest.

5. Rest or sleep when your baby does. Sometimes you find it's noon and you would rather eat a sandwich than sleep. This is a perfect time to do what my husband calls "vege" and sit yourself down infront of something mindless and totally indulgent for you.

6. Babies get colds, and it isn't really your fault.

7. Baby socks are lost 10x faster than yours.

9.  Your baby really is the cutest baby in the world, don't let anyone tell you different.

10. You will probably go through three brands of diapers before finding one that holds in the pee most of the time. Yes I said most of the time, babies are talented and find a way to make a super lock protection diaper seem like a thin piece of fabric.

PS. 11. Being a mom is the best job in the world. God's hands are leading this child, you're just the help and what a great gift that is.