So, I finally decided what I want to be when I grow up...a writer! Congratulations on deciding, I know. I informed my family a few days ago to get some praise and talk of how wonderful I would be at it and although my parents encouraged me, as usual (I call often and announce my "new" calling in life) my youngest sister, Heidi (14 yrs) was quick to clue me in on the fact that I was already grown up. So she says to me "Wow. You are married, have a Bachelor's degree and a one year old daughter. I am pretty sure you passed the grown up milestone a while ago Wendy." So, my dreams were shattered...all this planning and thinking and it's too late, I'm already grown up. Who me? Never. I shutter to think of a person who doesn't keep making goals and dreaming, for aren't we all still growing up? Of course, we cease to grow vertically at some point, but we are always growing and I hope it is upward. I hope we are learning, maturing, becoming better people, trying out new talent's, figuring out how to get a little more out of life everyday, as well as giving back 100 fold. (Didn't know this would turn into such a sermon.lol) So I change hobbies every couple months...you could say I don't know who I am, a misguided soul, who gets bored way too easily and obviously heading nowhere with frivolous ideas...or as I prefer to think, I just have too many talents and if I don't change hobbies every couple months, I will never perfect them all!
With all of this being said, now the meat of my story. A writer I will be...but of what? A novelist? A Journalist? What do I know? What can I write? Well, it is all fine and good to want to write, but you have to have something to write about. As I daydreamed I realized, all I ever want to write about is Lucy, but there just isn't an audience for my love poetry about my daughter. Every now and then I'm sure you love to hear about her, but no one wants to hear how my daughter is a genius, excels in every way, and is clearly the most brilliant child to have walked the planet, not to mention, most likely to win a Nobel Prize (especially if you have your own little joys to dote on). Is there any way to generalize my experiences to gain an audience? And then it dawned on me, I could write Mom Advice. That would be really fun! I love giving advice to new Moms... but then again, so does everybody else that has ever been through labor. Clearly moms already get enough advice from their friends, neighbors, parents, and random strangers, so that option is ruled out...besides with the fact that my daughter still wakes up a few times a night, who would listen to me? I know I wouldn't. There are enough sleep books that don't work and pages of info on feeding your child, so what could I offer anyway? Maybe I could write a column with advice on how to love being a mother. How to enjoy every day. Okay, I'm not all the way there yet, but I would definitely benefit from the research and be able to practice before I preach. So here goes my first writing assignment as an officially declared writer, writing practical advice to help moms keep their spirits up, brought to you today, free of charge for visiting my blog.
A little mess, A little moment. Enjoy the messes. All kids make them, you will inevitably have to clean them, so why not let your kids enjoy it before you clean it up? Better yet, why not join the fun and remember what it feels like to get sticky? But I wouldn't throw out some nonsense like "completely mess up your house" without testing it, so naturally I had to make a mess. Just when I started to get into a bored sort of mood the other day I thought "what an opportunity, why don't Lucy and I make a mess?
" So you can see the Ball Hut pictured to the right (we bought it with a gift certificate Dave's Boss gave us for Lucy's birthday, so now she is totally spoiled, but as long as she doesn't know it, it doesn't hurt right?). 200 balls in that hut. Sound like fun? The answer is yes. Could it be more fun? 200 balls later, all over the kitchen floor, the answer is yes. Lucy and I literally had a ball rolling in these balls throwing them all over the house. The only problem was, we did have to pick them all up, and since Lucy only managed to put about 5 balls away (you gotta give her props for trying) 195 balls rolling all over can take a little while. So I don't recommend looking for and creating messy situations everyday. If you are up for it, go for it and have the time of your life. If you aren't up for making messes, no worries, I am sure they will find you. For example, when your child is attacking the spoon you are trying to feed them with and accidentally gets the baby food all over your clothes, her hair, and the floor, you have a choice. You can sigh, and start wiping it up. You can curse the baby food, bibs and Gerber altogether and then start wiping it up. 
Or you can take your baby's clothes off, give her the spoon and the food, let her do what she likes with it. Take some pictures. Let her try to feed you. Laugh Laugh Laugh and then start wiping it up. Those are the memories you will love. Those are the times you will miss when they are all grown up, but you could have just wiped the mess up right away and never had a memory, only added a metaphorical rock to your "Being a Mom is hard" pocket. One of my favorite childhood pictures that always hung on our wall was of me and my little brother covered from head to toe in flour lying, probably in an entire bag of flour, on the kitchen floor. I am glad my Mom had the wisdom to laugh about the mess and preserve such a fun childhood experience I could always look back on. I don't even remember the experience, but I think I remember it because I have seen that picture so many times. The truth of the matter is, we are women and so sometimes we get a little hormonal. Maybe our outlook on life isn't always shining, and we definitely all have a "Being a Mom is hard" pocket that has at least a few pebbles in there weighing us down. But we must never forget to continue emptying that pocket and filling our "Being a Mom is the most fun, fulfilling and worthwhile thing I could be doing" pocket, even amidst sleep deprivation, messes and more. These are our angels. These little mess machines are the ones who will be changing the world. Taking a little time to enjoy a mess every now and then is just one small way we can live in the moment while our precious jewels are so young. These moments are the ones that build your child's character, and teach them what to do when life takes unexpected turns. Will they laugh or cry? Give up or brave the storm? When you think of it that way, enjoying a little mess here and there, is all worth it, for them and for you.
A short little article, but what do you think? Could I make a hobby of giving tips to uplift mother's everyday life or should I just stick to writing in my journal? Okay, so I won't quit my day job or anything. If you are worried that you will have to read more long, articles by Wendy to do your duty as a friend to me, no worries. This will most likely be my only article (unless the crowds swarm me and beg for more advice by Wendy), but since it was on my mind and I had already dreamed it all up and taken pictures, I had to write it and share my new insights on loving motherhood. Besides, you had to hear the whole long story about why I took a picture of Lucy on our floor with 200 balls...I couldn't just post the picture and say "Yeah, I'm a nut. I made this mess on purpose." The truth of it is, I guess I am a nut, but as a newfound writer, I at least did have just cause. The question is, how do you feel following the blog of such a nut?
" So you can see the Ball Hut pictured to the right (we bought it with a gift certificate Dave's Boss gave us for Lucy's birthday, so now she is totally spoiled, but as long as she doesn't know it, it doesn't hurt right?). 200 balls in that hut. Sound like fun? The answer is yes. Could it be more fun? 200 balls later, all over the kitchen floor, the answer is yes. Lucy and I literally had a ball rolling in these balls throwing them all over the house. The only problem was, we did have to pick them all up, and since Lucy only managed to put about 5 balls away (you gotta give her props for trying) 195 balls rolling all over can take a little while. So I don't recommend looking for and creating messy situations everyday. If you are up for it, go for it and have the time of your life. If you aren't up for making messes, no worries, I am sure they will find you. For example, when your child is attacking the spoon you are trying to feed them with and accidentally gets the baby food all over your clothes, her hair, and the floor, you have a choice. You can sigh, and start wiping it up. You can curse the baby food, bibs and Gerber altogether and then start wiping it up. 
Or you can take your baby's clothes off, give her the spoon and the food, let her do what she likes with it. Take some pictures. Let her try to feed you. Laugh Laugh Laugh and then start wiping it up. Those are the memories you will love. Those are the times you will miss when they are all grown up, but you could have just wiped the mess up right away and never had a memory, only added a metaphorical rock to your "Being a Mom is hard" pocket. One of my favorite childhood pictures that always hung on our wall was of me and my little brother covered from head to toe in flour lying, probably in an entire bag of flour, on the kitchen floor. I am glad my Mom had the wisdom to laugh about the mess and preserve such a fun childhood experience I could always look back on. I don't even remember the experience, but I think I remember it because I have seen that picture so many times. The truth of the matter is, we are women and so sometimes we get a little hormonal. Maybe our outlook on life isn't always shining, and we definitely all have a "Being a Mom is hard" pocket that has at least a few pebbles in there weighing us down. But we must never forget to continue emptying that pocket and filling our "Being a Mom is the most fun, fulfilling and worthwhile thing I could be doing" pocket, even amidst sleep deprivation, messes and more. These are our angels. These little mess machines are the ones who will be changing the world. Taking a little time to enjoy a mess every now and then is just one small way we can live in the moment while our precious jewels are so young. These moments are the ones that build your child's character, and teach them what to do when life takes unexpected turns. Will they laugh or cry? Give up or brave the storm? When you think of it that way, enjoying a little mess here and there, is all worth it, for them and for you.A short little article, but what do you think? Could I make a hobby of giving tips to uplift mother's everyday life or should I just stick to writing in my journal? Okay, so I won't quit my day job or anything. If you are worried that you will have to read more long, articles by Wendy to do your duty as a friend to me, no worries. This will most likely be my only article (unless the crowds swarm me and beg for more advice by Wendy), but since it was on my mind and I had already dreamed it all up and taken pictures, I had to write it and share my new insights on loving motherhood. Besides, you had to hear the whole long story about why I took a picture of Lucy on our floor with 200 balls...I couldn't just post the picture and say "Yeah, I'm a nut. I made this mess on purpose." The truth of it is, I guess I am a nut, but as a newfound writer, I at least did have just cause. The question is, how do you feel following the blog of such a nut?
