Meet a Gazette Mom: Heather Lake
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Age: 30
Location: Emporia
Occupation: Mother and registered nurse
Family names/ages: Husband, Zack, 32; Gavin, 8; Brenna, 5
The last time my children made me laugh: We all watched “So You Think You Can Dance” the other day and afterwards the kids wanted to dance all over the living room. It was hysterical. Brenna has decided that it is her new favorite show.
I carve out time for myself by: Making sure they are in bed on time. Bed time can be such a difficult time. After a long day at work, I am tired and don’t want to deal with throwing fits about going to bed. I used to let them stay up until we went to bed just to avoid the bedtime chaos. But I learned that once the kids are in bed, I can enjoy some quiet time by myself and with my husband. I believe that the parents are the foundation of the family and need that time to connect. It really changed my life completely once I carved out that time for myself and for my husband.
The hardest thing about being a mom: Trying to balance being a mother and wife with work responsibilities and taking care of myself. I am very grateful for my job at Newman Regional Health that allows me to make a difference for patients while still giving me flexibility for my family. There are only so many hours in the day and it is hard to prioritize all of the important factors of my life.
The most important life lesson I want my children to learn: To become people who are full of gratitude. I fully believe that people can choose to be grateful for any situation in their life and use those experiences to make them better people. I believe grateful people are happy people.
My proudest moment as a parent: My children are the greatest people I have ever known. They make me proud every day. My husband and I are constantly looking at each other and saying, “Can you believe what great kids we have?”
The way I encourage green habits in my kids: We started recycling a few months ago. I am surprised by how easy it is. I can’t believe we didn’t start it sooner. I will go to throw something away and one of my kids will say, “Hey, couldn’t they be recycled?” They keep me on my toes. We also try to eat local. We have also participated in a local CSA (community support agriculture) share. The kids and I have enjoyed going out to the Shepherd’s Valley farm to actually see our food growing and talking with the farmer about what he does with the crops and animals to be sustainable and humane. It has been an amazing experience.
My favorite book to read to my children: My favorite book as a child was “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” so I love reading that to them.
Favorite way to slow down as a family: We love movie night, which we try to do on Fridays. We like to make popcorn and hot chocolate and cuddle on the couch and watch movies.
I hope my kids inherit: My grandfather Carl Kunish’s love of knowledge. Education was very important to him. My son loves learning about new things, so I think he has inherited that. When he was about 4 years old, he told me that he loves to figure things out, so he was going to call himself a “figurologist.” After hearing about his Grandpa Carl, Gavin thinks he was probably a “figurologist” as well. I think he is right.
One of my favorite family traditions is: Several years ago, the kids decided that we needed to have a holiday to celebrate our family. So April 3 is now officially “Lake Day.” I even go to Walmart and get a cake decorated with “Happy Lake Day.” It is just a day to celebrate our family and how grateful we are to have each other. I can’t think of a better reason to celebrate.
The future parenting moment I fear the most: I am nervous about having teenagers. Everyone talks about how difficult it is. Our kids are at that age where they love being with us and want to please us. I also remember all the tricks that I pulled as a teen-ager.
If I could throw a temper tantrum it would be because: Laundry. I hate laundry. It is never ending. If I could figure out a way to affordably outsource laundry, I would.
The best thing money can’t buy is: Happiness. It is all about choosing to be happy and grateful for what and who you have in your life.
The last time I said “I’m sorry” to my children was for: Snapping at one of the kids. I was feeling frustrated and lost my temper. I try to be liberal with my apologies.
If I had an “I’d rather be...” bumper sticker on my car, it would say: In Mexico. I love the beach. I have decided when I am old, I am going to wear a big floppy hat, have white sunscreen on my nose, wear flip flops all the time and live in Mexico.
The best thing about the beginning of the school year is: Just the excitement of the new year. Brenna is starting kindergarten this year, and I am so excited for her. I can’t wait to hear her read to me and read the stories that she writes. I am excited to see what subjects in school she loves and excels at.
Megs (anonymous) says...
This article is so true... I'm so proud of my sister- the incredible mother, wife, sister, and woman she is. She truly does have the most amazing kids.
I wish this article had the picture.... :(
August 16, 2009 at 12:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )