Ms. Mommy Poppins: Practically Imperfect in Every Way

Growing up, I wasn’t always on the “in crowd.” Well, I suppose I was on the fringes of the popular group where I would walk around with the super fly girls with my tight rolled jeans and Aquanet plastered bangs flopping in the wind at recess, but not a full fledged   B.F.F. with golden heart locket carrying member. In 6 th grade I remember really longing to be invited to a birthday party plus pillow fight inducing sleepover of the “double threat girls,” wielding both brains and beauty. But, alas I did not have the coveted handmade invite slipped into my knock off JanSport inspired bookbag. As if it wasn’t painful enough, on Monday morning I would hear all about their life-altering facemasks and prank calls to the cute boys, with jealousy swallowed down hard. In my heart I longed to be in their inner circle of friends, but in the midst of my pain, the Lord gave me beautiful, lasting friendships with fellow like-minded, and faithful young ladies. So why did I so desperately want the inv

Have you ever just longed for an encouraging word? Felt so discouraged in your soul, that you just pray that God would put someone across your path to lift you up? “Please, anyone, I need a word of encouragement!” I inwardly cry out, without verbalizing the need to anyone in the flesh.   At times when I’m feeling weary with the sleepless nights of young motherhood, long days of working, and juggling all the balls we juggle as parents, I just ask the Lord to give me a word. Just anything that is a message from Him, to me, through a fellow human on earth. I must admit that Sunday mornings can be trying times as a mom with a quiver full of 4 adorable, yet challenging young ones. With my husband serving on the greeting team at church from set up around 7:30 am til tear down, mid afternoon, that often means that I’m on my own to get our 4 kids (did I mention we have 4 kids? And yes we know where babies come from) fed, dressed, and out the door. On time…well that’s the goal anyway. So

I love being a mother. As a young child people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I would often say without hesitation, "I want to be a mommy when I grow up!" I meant that truly. It did not mean I didn't have aspirations for any other things, but to me that was my highest calling. Motherhood. Fast forward 30 years later and I am a mother of four beautiful children, ages spanning from 9 years to 4 months old. The Lord has blessed our family immensely. They are so precious and healthy and well, in fact, that I often feel like I don't have the right to even confess or utter some of my own struggles of motherhood. Lately I've run into fellow frazzled mothers that are trying so hard and wearing  themselves out in their parenting years. It is all consuming. Nursing around the clock and feeling like a human pacifier,  separating fights among siblings like a WWE referee, making nutritious meals like Rachael Ray, doing laundry at midnight so your child can