The Age old mother's dilemma.....

Like a large majority of women, I have been faced with the decision to "work out of the home" or to stay home with the kids. I worked full time until after I had my third child, then my husband and I decided to take the leap, and I left my job. I gained enormous freedom to spend time with my children, enjoy every giggle, volunteer at their schools, what a gift that has been. I also cut our family income in half in one fell swoop, ouch. I enjoyed decent career success, with nice compensation-- and that my friend, was POOF gone. I know many of you know this tale well. Now my youngest is 4, the rest are pretty independent. They still need me (thank goodness), and I feel it is really important to be present and awake in these years too. The challenge is, how could I contribute to the family income, and have a little me/ adult time, without turning the world upside down for my husband and kids? How many times have you asked that question? I'll be exploring this question, and hopefully come up with some suggestions from people who manage it successfully. I will share what I learn. If you or someone you know is doing something that allows this awesome life balance, please share. I have talked to many women in the past six months who are ready for more. I would love to share the info.

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Fox hole parenting

I enter this new week a little tired, but smiling. Why? No drama this weekend. We had sunshine, and sports, and cuddle time--- less the drama. Most families don't experience the intense level of emotions that the Rhodes clan does. Sure, they have the hectic life of families, perhaps some fighting, the normal mess--- perhaps a little teen hormone induced drama....but we have drama of a different kind in our house. The kind of drama caused by a brain that is shooting off crazy chemicals induced by years of trauma. When our son Victor is home, the whole world is a great big land mine. Saying the wrong thing, calling him out on behavior, or even suggesting that he not eat a 4th serving of ice cream can cause the the peace to recede, and for chaos to ensue. He is now in a boarding school for kids with emotional issues. As sad as it is that our family isn't all together--- I must admit that the peace in our household is a welcome blessing. We are learning more and more

New season of renewal & refinement

I am a girl with strong faith. Strong, blind, childlike faith. My atheist friends are bewildered by it. They cannot understand how such a smart woman would believe such "nonsense". I have no explanation other than, I just do. I preface this post with that statement because, you won't find me quoting scripture here. Though I would if I were more confident in my ability to do so competently. I do not have that confidence, never have. I am a believer. My belief has been nurtured by life experience, by answered prayers, by constant evidence that God cares about me. I see his hand in big things and small. I look to him for guidance and help in all things. I am not a Biblical scholar. I have always been somewhat insecure about that. I am bolstered up by the words of a Godly woman much wiser than I who assures me that "I am living my walk out loud". My faith is not in my knowledge of the scripture, but in the choices I make each and every day. I

Networking can be expensive!

I went to a cool women's networking meeting the other night. It was with an organization called Heartlink . It was at some one's house. An awesome dinner was served. Tables set, lovely hospitality, and about 20 very interesting women were there. We each got 3 minutes to introduce ourselves and tell a bit about our business's. Most of the women knew each other already. Many of the women present had business's that sell through direct marketing. Most of the big ones were represented, and a few new ones I had never heard of but found interesting. There were also women with other business's like insurance, legal services, printing, etc... It is great to meet like minded people, and I can definitely see the benefits of attending regularly. The bad part however, is it leaves you wanting to go shopping! All of a sudden, I MUST have the new mango cutter from Pampered Chef, and I am yearning to freshen up my candles, and I NEED a hole new wardrobe from CABi .

The Sky is Blue

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