About Me

Why did you start this blog?
I've always wanted to write, but I didn't quite know where to start.  When the opportunity to write for Heart of the Matter came along, so did the opportunity to start a blog...or three.




My Road to Motherhood

Although I now have 5 children, the road to motherhood did not come easily for me. Strangers who see me out with my children often joke and make comments about not wanting to drink the water at my house, or may wink and ask if I know where babies come from. The truth is, I know all too well where babies come from. They are indeed a gift from God and the road to motherhood is different for many women. For me, it was a road paved through infertility. Our four oldest children were conceived through IVF at St. Barnabas Hospital and our youngest daughter came to us through the gift, heartache and miracle of adoption.

Because of our IVF journey I will be forever grateful to Dr. Chen and her staff for the excellent care they offered me while I was on my journey through infertility. Although I couldn't see it at the time, the infertility itself was also a gift from God. I do not think I would be half the mother I am today, had it not been for how hard I had to fight for my children. I certainly know my marriage wouldn't be as strong as it is, nor would my faith be as strong or comforting.

Interestingly enough, it was because of my IVF journey that I came to realize that the gift of motherhood does not only come when you give birth to a child from your own womb.  While I am grateful for every aspect of my pregnancies it is not the pregnancies that made me my children's mother. When Baby Sister was placed into our arms on September 15, 2010 it was just as momentous and emotional as the birth of each of our children.  Only with her came her birth mother whom I love more deeply than I could have ever imagined or thought possible and whom I grieve for on many levels constantly.  I cannot look at my daughter without thinking of her birth parents and their struggles. I know God has a plan for their lives and I hold fast to that promise when the despair for them gets too hard. I have no idea why God chose me to be the mother of any of my children, but I'm so grateful.

I am wife...just ask Big Daddy

My husband, whom I'll start calling "Big Daddy" for no apparent reason, is a Road Warrior CEO and now former golf addict, so between his former golf addiction and current business travel schedule, I like to say I'm a part time single mom, but I only say that jokingly because in reality, I am blessed to have a good husband who is the father of my children, my partner in life, my biggest advocate, a Christian and wonderful provider for our family.

Thankfully, Big Daddy brings home the bacon and as much as I'd love to fry it up in the pan, lately, that's just not happening. I am just not getting the meal planning thing down, especially with Big Daddy out of town and a house full of picky eating young ones. But that's another story that will no doubt unfold in the blog.  Just remember, I can cook.  If you can read you can cook and I have a stack of cookbooks to prove it.  So when I bust out with an occasional cooking post, don't be too shocked. I also make bagels from scratch every Sunday morning---so there!

Mother to children, reptiles and anything with fur

 I've always wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember, and I really don't care how politically incorrect that is now.

I'm the mother that brings the pets home before the kids can ask to have one.  We have quite a menagerie of pets including: 5 guinea pigs  (now at petting zoo due to 2 children's allergies), 2 bearded dragons, 1 tortoise, 3 leopard geckos and a Labradoodle!

Why we homeschool our children
I am frequently asked, "Why do you homeschool?" or "Did you always plan on homeschooling your children?" It's a fair question and one that I am not offended by in the least. Particularly since no one is perhaps more surprised that I am homeschooling than me! You see, I did not particularly care for school, although I did enjoy playing school and teaching kids at summer camp and Sunday school. One of our sons is actually named after a little boy I fell in love with in the first Sunday School class I worked in.  I also did not know a single person who homeschooled before I began homeschooling. But to be fair, when I first started homeschooling I really didn't even realize what I did was "homeschooling". I was just trying to get through the day with twin toddlers who were easily bored and were curious about everything. It was while researching  things to do with my young children that I "discovered" homeschooling.

When I first brought up the idea of homeschooling, Big Daddy thought I had a screw loose! I finally convinced him to let me try it since "preschool wasn't mandatory". I also innocently had not realized I needed to enroll our unborn children into preschool; so now 2 years later, they weren't going to be able to color with the other kids unless Big Daddy did some major networking and string pulling. Too exhausted from his travels to argue with me, Big Daddy gave in and we pushed forward. Big Daddy hoping this was just a phase and me hoping I could pull it off and ask for Kindergarten and First grade next. Now, five years later, I am blogging about our homeschool adventure on our homeschool blog and Big Daddy is by far my biggest supporter and a true homeschooling advocate. We have no idea how long we will continue to homeschool our children. Our plan is to take it day by day, year by year, and child by child.

Do you think everyone should homeschool their children?

While I think homeschooling has been a great experience for our family, I do not think it is for every family or child.  Please understand that I do not mean that in a backhanded way. Each family situation is different and I think of homeschooling as a personal parental choice. A little more than half of my friends do not homeschool. I do not feel inclined to "convert" them to homeschooling, and thankfully, they do not feel the need to convert me to joining the local PTA.

Women & Friendships

I sometimes wonder: why can't we moms just get along? Why are we recreating Junior High with each other?  Motherhood is not a competition.  We will get so much further along if we learn to work together and be supportive, rather than tearing one another down.  To that end, I've made it my personal mission to give mothers with temper tantrum throwing toddlers a BIG smile and a empathetic, " Hang in there. We've all been there!" Instead of looking down at them and smirking because my children are currently behaving like angels and nibbling on an organic mini rice cake.

I constantly strive to be a better wife, mother, homeschooler, friend, and Christian. I do admit that some days it doesn't look like I am bothering to try at all.  On those days I pray for grace and forgiveness. 


Before Motherhood





Before I was blessed with the best job ever, motherhood, and became a Homeschooling Mommy Blogger I tried on many working hats such as: fashion model, interior decorator, invitation designer, retail store owner and professional organizer. I think all of them have helped me in my current role as wife, mother and homemaker. While the transition to staying home can be an adjustment, don't sell yourself short. Its not easy staying home and raising a family properly. Find ways to use your skills in your life at home. Create your own dream job. Believe me, whether you believe it right now or not, you are living someone else's dream. Be grateful. Don't apologize for staying home with your children. If you don't respect what you do, how can you expect society to?

Thanks for dropping by my blog. I hope you'll stick around and join in on the conversation. Otherwise, I'm just talking to myself, right?