The Sky is Blue

Sometimes I struggle with what to write here, and sometimes it just comes flowing out of my fingertips, like my heart and hands have bypassed my brain. It is weird how that works. Lately I have been trying to reach women who are frustrated by the limiting choices presented to them by our culture. I hope to share in future posts, the stories of women who have made different choices, and anonymously , share with you how they feel it has worked for them. I am fortunate to know all kinds of women. Some work full-time, some have chosen to drop out of the work world all together, some home school, some work part-time, some have booming DSA business's. I would love to hear the stories of those I don't talk to often. If you have something to share, please drop me a line at vicrhodes13@yahoo.com. I have been pleasantly surprised, and even shocked a little at the number of people who read this blog. Many are folks I haven't seen or talked to for 20+ years. How cool is techno...

Do you ever wonder why things happen when they do? Why you meet certain people at certain times in your life? Why you sometimes flourish, and sometimes suffer? I do. I have often wonder why through bad choice after bad choice, I met the man who was to be my husband. Why after indiscretion after indiscretion , I was blessed with beautiful healthy children. Why my mistakes have been used to give me insight to encourage others instead of reaping horrendous consequences . It is amazing to me that the answer was always right in front of me, but I chose to look the other way. When I rejected him, he was protecting me. What seemed a series of good luck scenarios was actually a plan. I was never in control, I was just arrogant enough to believe I was. Thank goodness, thank God.

I have been pondering this question, and I know you have too, right? I've been thinking about the options for women with children. I thought for sure the whole virtual office, and job sharing thing would really gain momentum. I believe it has to a limited extent. The likelihood that you can be Co-President of Human Resources & Training, for a prestigious firm, in a job share situation is slim. Am I wrong? I was kind of banking on something like that being possible when my career was in full swing. Lol , it didn't materialize. Nursing is a great option. My sister has had awesome success, with flexible hours, and amazing income. I'll recommend that to future young mothers, but for me, that train has passed. Beauty is a great option, hair & skin, can be lucrative, and flexible, but again, going back to school is hard. Cosmetology school is especially hard if you do have an advanced education, and have had success in business, because the beauty world has d...

Ok , so here are the typical choices for women with children... a) Be the kind of mother and wife I want to be, one who can stay home and take care of my child when he is sick, one who doesn't miss the school music performance, the one who goes on the field trip. This choice will likely result in the sacrifice of respect and upward movement at work. b) Leave my job to stay home full time with my kids, which after a while can leave me feeling disconnected from my independent self, disappointed with my failure to make it all work, and yearning for something more for myself. Professional validation if you will. All that tied in with the sacrifice of what was a substantial income, and the additional pressure that puts on my husband. Complete dependence on your husband for financial support is a huge leap of faith, and if you let it, it can put strain on your relationship. c) Work part-time, earning substantially less than I am worth, to bring in the money to pay for little extras ...

As a young woman, I was raised to go to college and prepare to take the world by storm. My mother led by example, going back to school in her 30's and getting the education that hadn't been available to her right after high school. My Dad always made it clear that I was to go to college, and to pursue a career. My mother juggled school, work, and motherhood, and seemed content with her choices. In my heart of hearts, I could always see a future full of children for myself. I did want that college education, and I pursued my career with verve, but the moment I met my spouse, my priorities started to morph almost instantaneously. I worked full time until my third child was born. I worked hard, learned from mentors, became a pretty decent leader, and was rewarded at work, but I always had a self imposed limitation. I maintained certain boundries at work, that allowed me to be the kind of wife and mother I desired to be. While my VP, Terri, was incredibly supportive of me...

Illness has decided to revisit the Rhodes Family. Friday, our lovely friend GastroNightmare , hit hard. It has decided to cling, and visit with each of us just a little while, doesn't want to be rude I suppose. My poor 10 year old has missed more days of school than any of his brothers have in their entire school careers. I am spending more on soup, tea, and cold and flu remedies than I am on groceries. We have had little visits from HeadCold Fred, and Chest Cold Marge too. Oh and headaches, ...oh and sore throats. I am weary of these unwelcome guests. I am tired. I have bags under my eyes, and I look like a wild haired house Frau . I try not to whine and complain, I really do. I don't know what I would do if I still lived back east, and I had this fun, plus the joy of freezing temperatures and no sun. :)

I am swirling in chaos! Our little remodeling projects, ie: painting the boys rooms, have resulted in a whirl of mess, mess, mess. My husband has been diligently painting walls, repurposing furniture, meanwhile all of the clothing, shoes, toys, junk, furniture we are no longer using, etc... is lining the hallways and rooms of my house! We have tried to engage the boys in this project, but it has somehow eluded them that they have any responsibility for putting the house back together, so it it a painful exercise of command and whine. Today, we must put it back, we cannot start the week in madness. So my day, is going to be interesting. They need to help, a lot. I need to figure out how to motivate them to help, without them feeling like they are being tortured. Wish me luck, at 10:30, video games, and NFL TV go off, and cleaning commences. I'd better have another cup of coffee, and pray for the next half hour, I'm gonna need it.