Time for me!

As much as we would all like to feel like Super woman, there comes a time when you have to stop and have me time. Refueling is what I like to think of it as. A mothers job never ends. Life is go, go, go. From the time you wake up and feed everyone breakfast until the time you drop to your knees at night asking and pleading that your children stay asleep all night, so that you may get your rest. We as women need a break. These types of refueling can come in many different forms. Mine are as follows:
- window shopping
- exercising
- hiking/any outdoor activities
- Relief Society lessons and activities without babies
- Manicure/pedicure/message treatments
- scrapbooking and crafts
- blogging
- movies/TV
- visiting teaching without children
- date night

These are just a few things that I like to do when I can get away for an evening. I spend about 2 hours per day going to the gym and my children can stay in the child watch, so that is provided to me without burdening anyone or paying for babysitters. Steve also gives me a night out each week to help me refuel, so that I can be a more effective mom. You just can't really include vacations in your refueling time unless they are vacations spent without your children. Sometimes vacations can be just as taxing on mom as any normal daily routine, if not more taxing.

I will add some insight to date night because time spent with your spouse and without the children is a necessity. It is extremely important for you and your spouse to rekindle over and over the love that you have for one another. Even if you can't afford a babysitter, just put the kids to bed early and cuddle up with a good movie. We like to break out the games every once in a while, too. This is important for several reasons but just remember...Who will you be spending eternity with? Make sure that you are spending the quality time needed to be with your spouse and learning to love doing things together.

My motherhood game plan

If a coach wants to win state or nationals, what does he do? He has a game plan! He knows his team members well, he knows the plays that are successful and he teaches and trains his team.

I am a mother and I want to be successful. I want to win state. I want to win the nationals. I want to raise children who will be a strength to their community, family and to their Heavenly Father.

There is a primary song that starts off, "I am a builder, working each day to build my family, and I will do the best that I can to serve them lovingly." I am a builder and I am building my eternal family. I have to set goals and work on achieving those goals.

Goals - 1. To help my family to be together forever.
2. Help my family to be self-sufficient.
3. Teach family to love to serve and work hard.
4. Help my children to be well-rounded.
5. Work on keeping an orderly home.
6. Work on knowing each of my family members likes and dislikes

List is still a work in progress.

How will I achieve these goals?

TO HELP MY FAMILY TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER
- Church attendance
- Read from scriptures daily
- Say family and personal prayers daily
- Family Home Evening every Monday night.
- Keep myself worthy to attend the temple.
- Temple attendance
- Being an example.
- Visiting teaching
- Fulfilling my callings

HELP MY FAMILY TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT
- Continue my education
- Teach my children the importance of education
- Teach my children the importance of hard work
- Helping to provide if the need arises

TEACH FAMILY TO LOVE TO SERVE AND WORK HARD
- Example, example, example!
- Give experiences that will help them to serve others
- Chores and opportunities to earn money

HELP MY CHILDREN TO BE WELL-ROUNDED
- Give opportunities to experience new and different things
- academic/reading
- sports/athletics
- music/arts
- cooking/cleaning
- building/construction

WORK ON KEEPING AN ORDERLY HOME
- Spend enough time each day to keep up with household chores
- Teach and train children to do their part
- Organize and keep free of clutter and non-essentials

My mother-n-law!

I believe that we as mothers, model the women in our lives. We watch them, we learn from them, and we model them. I want to surround myself each day with women who will teach me to be the best mother that I can be. I want the influence of a righteous mother to be what I watch and learn and model.

I am a lucky girl because I was raised by a great mother and father. I had sisters-n-law from an early age, who were great role models for me and taught me so much about motherhood. Then, about thirteen years ago, I met a woman who built on the foundation that I had already been given. She strengthened me and guided me as I worked on building my eternal family. Patricia Kathleen Filip Robinson has been the perfect mother-n-law for me. She has quietly provided the loving guidance and support that has been greatly needed throughout my life as a wife and a mother. She has taught to me the importance of spending good quality time with my children and making sure that they have experiences in their childhood that will be both uplifting and memorable. I think that the Lord not only provided Steve with the mother that he needed so dearly but has prepared Pat to be the mother-n-law that I needed so dearly.

My mother!

What better way for me to start my blog on Motherhood, than to give tribute to my own mother. My mother is Georgia Mae Stephenson Wolfe. My mother was born in Tennessee and raised in Cleveland, Ohio as an only child. When my mother married my father, there was never a question in her mind about what she wanted to do with her life. My mom was 38 years old when she had me, number 8 of 9 children. I believe that my mom has had a life of love, sacrifice, and service. Who better could stand before their maker, than a faithful mother? She is one who has committed herself to the nurturing and rearing of her children. I don't believe that she did everything perfect but she did everything the best that she knew how. She educated herself on how to be the best mother that she could be and taught her children values that are diminishing so fast in our world. My mother is a great example to me of unconditional love, which helps me to have a surety of a perfect love that my Father in Heaven has for each of us.

Purpose!

The purpose of this blog is to record my experiences, insights, and thoughts on motherhood. I want to provide something for mothers to give them strength and encouragement and purpose as they work to fulfill their responsibilities as mothers. I not only do this for the sole purpose of helping others but to also give myself a tool and a reference as I continue to struggle with everyday challenges that I am faced with as I raise my four beautiful and curious children.