Meet a Gazette Mom
Alicia Redeker
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Alicia Redeker
Age: 31
Location: Olpe
Occupation: Certified public accountant at Pool & Wright Chartered
Family members: Husband, Ryan, 34; Hunter, 5; Dawson, 2
The last time my children made me laugh: The most recent thing that pops into my mind is when my oldest son, Hunter, was staying with my mother-in-law and she gave him bread and butter and he told her that she needed to give me the recipe for that. It made me feel like a terrible cook.
I carve out time for myself by: Going to eat with friends and shopping whenever we get a chance.
The hardest thing about being a mom: Finding enough time in the day to get everything done and also have fun with my boys. It’s so hard to let housework wait when the kids want me to play, but I know that in the long run I will never get these days back and should enjoy them every day.
The most fun thing about being a mom: I love when it’s their birthdays or holidays and they get new toys. I have fun getting all the toys out, playing with them and seeing what they do. Sometimes I even do it after the boys have gone to bed.
My favorite outdoor activity to do with my children: Swimming. I always loved going to the pool as a child, and my mom took me a lot. Whether it’s just in the little pool in our yard or going to the pool, I love splashing around in the water and enjoying the sun. I hope it’s something my boys grow up to enjoy like I did.
The most important life lesson I want my children to learn: I want them to learn to enjoy every single day and that life is too short to sweat the small stuff. This is one thing I wish I would have realized sooner.
The invention I wish I could create to make my life easier: I’ve always said I wanted something so I would never need to sleep. That way I could spend all day with my kids doing whatever they want, and I could do the housework and have time to myself at night when they are sleeping.
My proudest moment as a parent: I am proud of them every day but one thing that sticks out in my mind is how well Hunter handled his hearing challenges as a tiny baby. He went through so much testing, surgery and wearing a hearing aid at a young age and he just smiled through it all. Now you would never know he went through all that. My favorite book to read to my children: “When Mommy Comes Home from Work.” I read it to each of them the first day I went back to work after they were born and we still read it often.
The kid’s snack I am most likely to be caught eating: Ice cream. They never have to ask twice to get ice cream because I’m always looking for an excuse to have some myself.
The future parenting moment I fear the most: When they are both in school and not with me all day. I worry that their friends will become more important and I won’t have as much influence on them. Of course, I also fear the day they leave home but that’s too far in the future to worry about.
The last temper tantrum occurred because: Dawson did not want to take a nap in his own bed. He threw a fit and kept coming out of his room for over an hour and we never did get him to lay down and rest.
If I could throw a temper tantrum it would be because: The boys get out every toy in the house and don’t play with any of them and it turns the house into an obstacle course. And, of course, they don’t like to help pick them up or understand to put a toy away when you are done playing with it.
The biggest challenge I’ve faced as a parent is: Last fall I was diagnosed with cancer and had to be away from my kids for four weeks for chemo treatments. That was the hardest thing — being away from them. I missed them so much and I felt bad so that made it even harder. I just focused on the fact that I was doing it for them so I could have a lifetime with them and that these four weeks wouldn’t matter in the long run and that they would be home waiting for me.
The last time I said “I’m sorry” to my children was for: My cooking. They are picky and never seem to like what I make. And sometimes my cooking just doesn’t turn out well.
The one area of my house (or life) that needs some serious spring cleaning is: Basically my whole house because during tax season, my house gets seriously neglected. But the one major thing is the kids’ closet and dresser are a mess. They get their own clothes out and then nothing is folded. I really need to go through what they have outgrown and get rid of it.
hsbbfan (anonymous) says...
Well deserved credit for a great mom!!! Her little boys are some of the cutest in Olpe and that is saying a lot because Olpe has really cute kids!
April 11, 2009 at 10:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )