Welcome!

I wrote this on my sparkspeople.com blog and it inspired me to revamp my current blog and give you this!  I hope you enjoy it, I'll try to get my things on here frequently but you'll have to excuse me if I miss something from time to time!  So here you go...

To all my fellow housewives…
Being a stay at home mom is something I consider as a blessing. Sure I could put that college degree to use and "work" for a living, but right now I don't have to. I don't have to worry about what TV shows my kids are watching, if they have a jacket on while playing outside, or who is getting them on or off the bus. It's ME that does all of those things. I try to keep the house tidy and presentable incase of the unexpected visitor, but I know it doesn't always happen that way. As I type this I have dirty dishes in my sink, laundry waiting to be done, and a floor in dire need of a sweeping. My husband never has to worry about where I'm at, what's for dinner, or if he has clean underwear. My backyard looks like its very own park with a swing set, trampoline, and tire swing; and lets not even mention my living room. The room of all rooms that houses most of the daily activities for a 4 year old and 2 year old little boys. I cook the meals, wash the clothes, clean the house, and raise my children; and yes I do it mostly on my own. I don't ask for help much and usually I'm to proud to admit defeat. However with this glorious job that I feel I am blessed with comes some drawbacks. My weight isn't where I want it, my body looks funny, I haven't had my haircut in months, and I'm pretty sure my wardrobe is seriously out of date. Then I start wondering why is it this way, where did things change? When did I become one step away from a "What Not To Wear" special or worse one step away from being the old cat lady after my kids have moved on? (Okay honestly the cat lady thing would never happen, I am NOT a cat person!!) I've duelled upon my appearance since I gave birth the first time! I've researched homemaking, and though not perfected it I work hard at it. Then I realized something, I put all my time in my home and my family that as so many of us do I forgot about me. I forgot that my birth certificate does not read Mommy or Honey. It says Lisa, the name my parents chose for me some 29 years ago. I was Lisa long before I was a mom or a wife, and I will be Lisa on my tombstone one day. One of my low points is that I don't put forth the effort for me, and I don't take time to actually look at myself in the mirror with out pointing out the bad things. When was the last time I looked in a mirror and said wow I have pretty eyes, when was the last time you looked in the mirror and realized your beauty beneath the fat, or wrinkles, or new gray hairs? This year I decided to challenge myself to be better, and I'm now inviting you to challenge it with me. If you read this, pass it on to those who need it. Remind yourself if no one else will, that you are someone other than Mommy. All I'm asking is that when you wake up in the morning after you change those diapers or get those babies off to school, take a moment to look in the mirror and enjoy what you see. Then do something little that you feel would make you be a little more like a woman than you normally would do. This could be something as simple as brushing your teeth first, or putting on an outfit instead of those sweats. I once said I had no one to dress for when I was at home then today I walked out of my room in a pink T-shirt and my 4 year old looked it my with those HUGE brown eyes with the longest eye lashes you have ever seen and said "Wow Mommy you look pretty! I think your the prettiest Mommy ever!" My heart smiled, I then knew I have someone to look nice for, my babies are watching and they see a happy pretty Mommy and that makes them happy. So please join me and let me know how it goes, maybe by the time we bring in 2013 we will all be taking more time for ourselves and realizing our potential not just as Mommy or Honey, but also with that name that are parents gave us long long ago.