Inspired

When I was a teenager, my mom and I had a horrible relationship. We’d scream and shout at each other, slam doors for effect, and then not speak for days. I called her “the Drill Sergeant” because she was so good at barking out orders. We were constantly at odds over everything from my messy room and unfinished chores to my attitude.

Thankfully, those days have passed. In the years since I left home, our relationship has improved and I’m now proud to call her a friend. She’s my biggest fan, my most unwavering supporter, and an inspiration to me as a person, friend, and mother.

I aspire to be just like her.

Where I have trouble keeping my house tidy, she always keeps a neat house. She’s disciplined in her housework and does chores each day, keeps everything picked up, the kitchen clean, and laundry put away. There are no piles of paperwork scattered around and no clutter.

Where I come home from a long day at work and throw a frozen pizza in the oven, she comes home from a long day at work and makes a real home-cooked dinner. She’s a good cook, too, with a much greater repertoire than I.

Where I’m lazy and chose to play on the computer, watch TV, or putter around instead of being productive around the house, she has the strength of will to do housework and chores first before she does anything for herself.

She always thinks of the needs of others first, and is one of the most dedicated and giving people I know. She works hard at her job, and still finds time to volunteer her time and energy for a good cause.

But no matter what she had going on in her own life, she has always had time for me. To help with a problem over a mug of hot tea, deliver a forgotten item or project to me at school, or to simply take a time out to enjoy a moment in each other’s company.

My mom has always been my biggest role model. Even in the throes of adolescence, I always looked up to her. She has always encouraged me to stretch beyond my comfort zone, try new things, and be a better person. She taught me with words and showed me by example about good values, good relationships, and good life skills.

I’m the person that I am because of the way she raised me, and I’m proud of that. And especially now that I’m a wife and mother myself, she continues to inspire me to strive to be a better person. I hope that I can be just like her when I grow up.

Home is where the heart is

I'm participating in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop today!

Today I'm writing about my dream home. I just spent the last 30 minutes writing up a list of all the awesome things I could add to dream up the best house ever and finding inspiration pictures from real estate listings and Coastal Living. Beautiful New England ocean-front 3-story home? Check. 4 car garage? Check. Heated bathroom floors for those cold winter mornings? Check.

Then I realized that none of that really matters. Would I love to have a home like that? Absolutely. But all that is worth absolutely nothing without my family to share it with. So I'm erasing my list and creating another description of my true dream home.

My dream home is one where I can be with my family every day. Where I can watch my children learn to walk. A place where I can look out the window and watch my hubby teaching them to play catch, and then scrub the carpet of the dirt they've tracked in from outside. Where we can entertain our friends as though our home is theirs, and where I can sit on the back porch and relax with my husband at the end of a long day. The sounds of our laughter will echo throughout the house long after they have gone to bed, and every place I look will evoke a fond memory in my heart and a smile on my face.

Image credit to Etsy seller JennSki

My home is where my heart is, and my family is my heart. Anywhere we go, as long as it's together, we will make it a home.