Ahhh...life....

So we all know that I am not the most consistent blogger....I blog when I feel inspired or when I am not working....and tomorrow is my last day of work for the summer...can I get a "whoop, whoop"....So, a lot has gone on this year. Health stuff was the #1 big thing that happened. Still recovering from that, but everything seems to be working itself out, which is a huge blessing! Another big thing is that I went from telling my boss, school principal, that this year would be my last year teaching (part-time) to signing a contract to teach 1st grade full time next year. Long story short, it is a God thing and I am crazy excited! Life has been really great lately. Derek and I are at an awesome place in our marriage, the kids have been super fun lately, and work has been amazing. We have also been spending some quality time with our friends and family, which is great.
I didn't write this blog post to do an update, that was just an added bonus! I did write it because my dear friend Jenna posted recently about "the type of mom she wanted to be" and I thought is was a great way to put is out there, to hold myself accountable for who I want to be....so here it goes!

The kind of mom I want to be (to MY kids)
*To teach them that our God is a loving, compassionate God, that loves people for who they are, no matter what mistakes have been made.
* PLAY with them....I mean like on the floor 100% present during play time. I feel like I do a pretty good job at this, but I know with the up coming job, it may be a little more difficult. But...it is very important to me that my children remember me as a mom who got down and played with them.
* Foster their creativity and development. As a teacher this is incredibly important to me. I do not want my children watching T.V. all day or playing video games every minute they are awake. I want to create activities that enhance their imaginations and help them to be problem solvers and critical thinkers.
*To teach them as much as I can about...EVERYTHING! People told me I was crazy and pushy for teaching Ben his letters at 18 months....but he was fully capable. I need to make sure that I don't put a limit on what they can learn simply because of their age...in fact, to realize that they are sponges and it is more important now than ever to feed them knowledge!
* To teach them to be polite and to be gentlemen.
*I want to show them how to be healthy...what they eat, to be active, but also allow them to have a treat....and really, my goal would be to teach them moderation (in every aspect in life).
* To show them that everyone makes mistakes
* Allow them to explore and get dirty!
*Know that it is okay that I do not have the cleanest prettiest house
* To teach them that they are in charge of their own happiness....and hopefully they will take this into their adult lives and find careers that challenge them and make them happy men/husbands/whatever. I was taught to do what you are passionate about and I hope to pass that to my children. Being successful will come with being 100% happy with what you do on a day to day basis. I truly believe that each of us has a God given talent, and I hope that my boys find theirs and USE that talent.
* To not just tolerate people who are different than them, but to celebrate those difference and to fully accept all walks of life, and to love people the way the Jesus would love them, without judgement.
*To not yell as much, I do struggle with this and have to remind myself that they are still babies!
*To hold them accountable for their actions and to allow them to make mistakes and teach them what lessons they can learn from those mistakes.
* Be an example of a healthy marriage, bickering and all....
* Teach them to be good friends.

Every night when I go to bed I ask myself "what could I have done differently..." I am always trying to better myself as a wife, a mother, a friend, teacher. It is important for me to always be growing and evolving. I am still a firm believer in some controversial issues....but I also know that those opinions could change at the drop of a hat. When I talk about being a better mom I also want to be more open minded about those who do things differently. What works for me may not work for everyone and the same goes for others. What works for others does not work for me. And with saying that...what worked for my first boy may not work for my second, or third (when/if that time comes)

So, there it is. I honestly could go on and on, but I fell as though it is a good start. I hope that I will refer to this to keep myself on track!