Today is quite the day for me. Actually, it’s a day I’ve been avoiding for a long time. I know that sounds like a rough start for a new blogger, nevertheless it is the truth.
Here is some of what I know… Life is beautiful… Life is hard… Life is simple… Life is complicated… Life is messy… Life is good…
On this blog I’d like to share all of the “tricks of the trade” I’ve learned as a mother of 6 who’s raised her children in “less than ideal” circumstances which in our case included some very real and very scary trauma.
While my story may be unique, as all of ours are, there are coping strategies, calming techniques, survival arts and so much more that I’ve learned that I would love to share with you.
Life is tough enough even for “normal” families (whatever those are). But there are ways to endure the trials of life, “shelter” children without leaving them helpless against the world, and ways to keep yourself more or less sane through it all.
There is HOPE! There is HELP! This is a SAFE place where your thoughts and fears will not be held against you. Life is HARD! It is NOT fair! But even so, there is beauty! There is Peace! There is Help! There is Hope!
What you will NOT find on this blog…. I will not try to convince you that I or my children are Perfect or that we have it all together. That would not be the truth, and truth is very, very important here. I am real. My children are real. We don’t have perfect lives, perfect bodies or even perfect habits!
What I DO want to share with you is something far more important than ANY of those things! I want to share with you our Messy, Complicated, Imperfect lives and give you the freedom to share yours with us! You will not find pretend here. You also won’t find judgment. I am here to help if I can, plain and simple.
I have been a mom for over 30 years. My oldest daughter I had while still in high school and my youngest is only 13. If you have questions I want you to be able to ask those freely. If I don’t have an answer, I’ll try to find someone who does.
Any advice I share should never be used without the important input of professionals in the field, but what I hope to share is help and hope from one mom to another. I see so many harried and harassed moms out there and I always feel so bad if they don’t have someone who can speak into their lives without fear of being judged.
It’s my hope that we can sit together in our online worlds, “share” a cup of coffee or tea and be a source of connection, strength and help in each others’ lives.
I felt so alone raising my own children. I didn’t have a mother who was willing to be there for me. If I can help someone else feel a little less alone in this journey, I will know I have found a worthy purpose.
Most importantly, this is for my children. For a very long time now they have begged me to please “write it all down, Mom! We want to do the same for our own children someday!” This is a love project for them.
Welcome. Welcome to my imperfect, messy, filled with love life. I’m so glad you are here. I pray that there is something here that blesses you.