The last time I made my children laugh: I have a little phrase I say, “Let me tell you a little secret!” I say it when I am upset with them. It is not a very big secret but it always makes them laugh.
The hardest thing about being a mom: The laundry. We joke about the river of laundry that flows down the stairs from the second floor through the main floor and down the basement stairs to the laundry room. Now that the oldest five do their own laundry it is not as overwhelming. I remember my mother-in-law coming to visit and helping me catch up with my laundry. I used to fill black leaf bags with laundry and hide it so she wouldn’t have to work so hard. I had to confess because when she got finished she was going to throw away the brand new socks that had no mates.
The most fun thing about being a mom: I love to do nice things for my children. I love to warm their clothes in the dryer on a cold winter day. I like to fix their favorite foods for them. I like to sew for them. I don’t even mind bringing forgotten things to school — but, I draw the line at Chapstick. I’ve always been grateful to be a stay-at-home mom because it gives me the chance to do these things for my family.
My favorite outdoor activity to do with my child: One spring the kids got kites for Easter. We took them to the field by the cemetery to fly them. It was one of those perfect moments I will never forget. Their cheeks were red, their eyes sparkled and their smiles were wide. I would love to recreate the wonder of that moment.
The one thing I wish I had known about parenting before I became a parent: I wish I had known how very fast childhood would pass. I remember dropping Abbey off at her friend’s graduation when she was a junior in high school. I told her, “In the blink of an eye, it will be you graduating.” I’ve got to stop blinking because here we are and our fourth child graduates in May.
The invention I wish I could create to make my life easier: I would love a super dishwasher — commercial ones take only minutes and the dishes are always clean. Why can’t a home dishwasher do that?
My proudest moment as a parent: When I go to parent-teacher conferences and the teachers tell me what good kids I have. They work hard, they show respect for their teachers and they try hard to be kind to others.
My favorite kitchen gadget: My favorite kitchen gadget is my Kitchen Aid mixer. I am on my second one. It churns out pizza dough, homemade bread and all of our favorite cookies.
My no-fail stress reliever: Our whole family loves to sing along to the Beatles and Queen! There is no way to be stressed when we are all singing out loud.
Favorite way to slow down as a family: Once a week we have family home evening. We sing songs (at least one round of Itsy-Bitsy Spider), have a spiritual lesson and read from the Scriptures. The only problem can be when it takes so long for the kids to settle down and stop laughing at each other. It is their favorite time to be silly.
I realized I turned into my mother when: I had my hair in a pony tail and was wearing my sweats. My son looked at me and said, “You look just like Grandma.” When I looked in the mirror I realized he was right.
My most embarrassing parenting moment: My embarrassing parenting moment seems to always happen when I am potty training one of the kids. Seems we would always get somewhere and one of the little girls skirts would fly up to reveal no panties!
The future parenting moment I fear the most: There is a Chinese proverb that says our job as parents is to give our children roots and wings. Giving my children roots was the easy part. Letting them go continues to be a challenge. Maybe that is why seven of the eight still live at home.
The last temper-tantrum occurred because: The last temper tantrum was mine. The older kids were teasing the baby. She was screaming at the top of her lungs and they were laughing hysterically. I HATE TEASING!
The one thing as a kid I promised I’d never do as a parent: I promised myself a long time ago that I would never go out in public without my makeup on. Now that I am in my 40s, I only wear makeup to church. I can also be seen driving around Emporia in my robe and slippers late into the afternoon.
One area of my house (or my life) that needs some serious spring cleaning is:
My diet. When my gall bladder was removed a couple of weeks ago, I realized just how unhealthy my diet is. It is time for me to clean up my act and live a healthier lifestyle.
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