Meet a Gazette Mom
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Age: 23
Location: Emporia
Occupation: Daycare provider
Family members: Husband, Chuck Samples, 38; daughter, Isabella, 2
The last time my child(ren) made me laugh: Isabella makes me laugh everyday. The funniest thing she does is when she will stand in the middle of the living room and sing and dance to the songs off of the movie, “Mamma Mia.” She is our little performer.
The hardest thing about being a mom: The time constraints. I never have enough time to get everything done.
The most fun thing about being a mom: I get to act silly and play.
My favorite outdoor activity to do with my child: I love taking Isabella to the park. We love to swing! The municipal band concerts in the summer are another favorite of ours.
The most important life lesson I want my child to learn: That life is not easy and you have to work for what you want. You can’t rely on other people to carry you through life. You have to carry yourself and then be proud for the accomplishments you’ve made.
My proudest moment as a parent: When Isabella runs up to me to give me a big hug and kiss and says, “I love you, Mommy.”
The thing about my younger self that I’d like to reclaim: I’m still pretty young, but I’d love to have the figure I had back in high school.
I get my kids to eat their fruits and vegetables by: We have a rule in our house that you have to take a bite of everything on your plate. If you don’t like it then you don’t have to eat anymore. Most of the time she expects it to taste worse than it actually is.
The kid’s snack I am most likely to be caught eating: When I have chocolate chip cookies for snack, I am usually the first to snag one. Shhh, don’t tell.
When I have 30 minutes to myself: I’m usually on the computer or I try to get out of the house for awhile.
I realized I turned into my mother when: I was considering opening up a daycare in my home. I had flashbacks of when I was little, and we had all kinds of kids come to our house to play.
My most embarrassing parenting moment: We were at the St. Patrick’s Day parade here in Emporia, and every time Isabella would see an exciting float come down the street she would yell, “Oh my God!” Now, every time she sees something cool she yells that. We are definitely working on this.
The one thing as a kid I promised I’d never do as a parent: Get a divorce. I’ve been there and I don’t want that to happen to my kids.
The biggest challenge I’ve faced as a parent is: Letting Isabella explore life and do things on her own without me butting in and doing it for her.
If I had an “I’d rather be...” bumper sticker on my car, it would say: Duh, it would say, “I’d rather be dancing!”
One part of my home (or life) that needs some serious spring cleaning is: Our basement. It needs some major organizing too!