Age: 44
Location: Emporia
Occupation: Social worker with Hand In Hand Hospice
Family members: Husband, Rob Clausen, 43 (pastor at the First Baptist Church ); Tony, 9, Steve, 8; Nicole “Coley,” 5.
The last time my children made me laugh: We laugh at things the kids do and say all the time. My husband and I typically wait until the kids are in bed and share funny stories about them.
The television mom I’m most like: Clearly, any of the ‘50s moms are out. I’ve never put on a dress, high heels and lipstick before vacuuming the house. And I don’t even own one of those little aprons. I think if I had Alice (from the Brady Bunch) move in with us and do all the cooking, cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping, I could pull off being like Carol Brady.
The invention I wish I could create to make my life easier: The washing machine and dryer are great. However, I need the clothes to be sorted, folded and put away.
My proudest moment as a parent: Anytime my children are spontaneously nice to each other or someone else, it warms my heart and makes me so proud of them.
The thing about my younger self that I’d like to reclaim: My girlish figure. (Really, I would settle for the figure I had in my 30s.)
I get my kids to eat their fruits and vegetables by: I’m a little embarrassed to say that they probably do a better job of eating their fruits and veggies than I do. Our boys spent the first few years of their lives in foster care and when they moved in with us, they were good little eaters. When we order pizza, our daughter won’t eat it. She insists we open a can of corn or green beans for her to eat. Given the fact that she is our biological child, my husband and I find this behavior quite unusual.
My favorite book to read to my children: I have two favorites. The first is “Guess How Much I Love You” by Sam McBratney. The second is “Hush Little Baby” by Sylvia Long.
My no-fail stress reliever: I find a bowl of ice cream usually does the trick. One of my college roommates had given me a little plaque that said, “When the going gets tough, the tough get ice cream.” It’s a good motto to live by. This is the first town we’ve ever lived in with a Braum’s; we’re so excited. (We’ve been in Emporia about 1 1/2 years)
I hope my kids inherit: Their father’s love of God and his sense of humor.
The kids snack I am most likely to be caught eating: Those yummy little pudding cups or the Trix yogurt.
When I have 30 minutes to myself: I try to get a load of laundry started.
The Web site I go to for parenting advice: My siblings all have older children. I just ask them. I’m always quite confident that if there were any Internet research to be done, they will have done a very thorough job of it.
My best money-saving tip: My husband feels that it saves us money if I never go to Walmart. We make a list and he does the shopping. (I have perhaps purchased one or two things on impulse in the past.)
I realized I turned into my mother when: Years before we ever had children of our own I found myself correcting the grammar of kids in our church youth group.
My most embarrassing parenting moment: Our children are usually pretty well-behaved if they are out in public with us. I did get a call from the Village Elementary principal last year about the behavior of one of my children, and at that moment I was embarrassed. I won’t go into detail, but that child was really in trouble.
The best thing money can’t buy is: Seeing a little face light up and getting a big hug.
If I could change places with anyone living or dead it would be: My life is far from perfect, and there is probably not one single area or aspect that could not stand some improvement. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything or anyone else’s life.
If I had an “I’d rather be...” bumper sticker on my car, it would say: Getting a massage
Our favorite fall activity to do as a family is: This will be our second fall in Kansas. We were in Colorado for several years, and we used to drive up in the mountains to see the fall colors. However, the fall colors in Colorado consisted mostly of the color yellow from the Aspen trees. We’re planning a trip to Branson this fall to see all the fall colors.
To nominate a mother for Meet A Gazette Mom, please contact Ashley Walker at ashley@ emporiagazette.com.