To all the invisible women that I know and love...

Thank you, Judy for sharing this!(I hope you don't mind that I blog-jacked it from you ;))

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the ha nds that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know .... I just did.

Did you miss me?

I know it has been forever since I last blogged anything. Here is an update, although it is pretty much the same old stuff around here:

After my last post, I got into my busy season of photography. I had sessions several times a week and a ton of what I call marathon days. That is when I schedule appointments back to back and try to fill a whole day. It was such a blessing that I had all the business this year since Mike was between jobs. He seems to like his new position with Discount Tires and works open to close 5 days a week. It is great for the overtime, but I miss having him home for dinner.

I have decided to start running races and marathons. My first one is in about 1 1/2 months. It is called the San Diego Mud Run and I am really looking forward to it. I think it will be a blast. Here is the website if you want to check it out... http://www.sandiegomudrun.com/
I will be running the 5K. I will post some pics when I run it. So, basically I have been trying to run 5 days a week to prepare for it. I am going to also attempt my first 10K in June at the Iron Girl Marathon.

Gosh, that is really sad. I think that is all I have for you right now. I will post again soon!

Perfect day at the Pumpkin Patch

Today we ventured out to Bates Nut Farm to visit the best known Pumpkin Patch in the area. We had a FANTASTIC time! It was drizzly out this morning, so we rescheduled the event with the playgroup but still took a chance and went anyway. It turned out to be a really nice day, so I am sooo glad we decided to chance it. Mike was able to go, too, which was such a great surprise. Anyway, they have a petting zoo, pony rides, a hay ride, and LOTS of pumpkins. Our good friend Cheryl and her two little ones were able to go with us. McKayla (Cheryl's daughter) is Tyler's best little girl friend. They really do play well together and seem to adore each other so much. We were able to get a ton of great pictures, so I will try to update the kids webpages tonight. Check back tomorrow if I don't get to them later. Well, I am super busy these days with photography, so I may seem a little MIA until after the holidays. I will try to write as much as possible.

Need some motivation?

A few days ago while walking to the park, Tyler yelled up to me "Run, Mommy, Run!" I replied, "I am not dressed to run. We are just going to the park to play today." His response was "I thought you want to lose some pounds. You need to run!" First of all, I guess I need to watch what I say around the little ones because even though their eyes are glued to the TV, they really are listening. Second, who knew a toddler could be so commonsensical? Lastly, why do people pay hundreds of dollars for a personal trainer? I can hire out my 3 year old to keep you motivated for half of whatever you are paying. So, anyway, I took into consideration Tyler's very valid point that these pounds are not going to just work themselves off and I broke down and bought me a treadmill. Today, I hit the (I was about to say pavement LOL) belt and I must say was quite impressed with myself. I ran a whole 6 miles in one hour! I thought it was pretty good, but Tyler kept shouting at me from the couch "Run faster Mommy! Look, like this." and then he would jump down and do a speedy lap around the room. I am telling you, if you need motivation I have just the guy for you!

Ummm....Thanks?

First of all let me tell you this is a true unembellished story. Even I can't make this shit up!

Today, Mike came in the door for his lunch break and he has an ice cream cake in his hand. My first thought "Great, there goes the diet train right off the tracks!". Then, I notice it is only a half of an ice cream cake. So, naturally I think they had leftovers from work and he brought it home. Wrong! As Mike was exiting the car to come in the house the neighbor came over and said "Hey, do your kids eat ice cream?" (Ummm...no. They HATE it. What planet is this guy from that kids don't eat ice cream?) Anyway, he then says "My daughter just turned 17 and we got her an ice cream cake, but we aren't going to finish it. Let me go grab it." He goes into his house and brings the cake back to Mike. End of story, right? Nope. So, I open up the container to take a peek, and I KID YOU NOT, there are fork grooves across the cake. You know like someone has eaten straight out of the container! Yeah, so there goes the cake in the trash. Next week I think I will take him over that partially used bar of soap that dried out my skin and say "Hey, you use soap to bathe right? Here you go!".

I mean, HONESTLY!!

My little boy. A ladies man?

First of all let me just say...
Forgive me for it has been way too long since my last confession. LOL Things have been busy and I just haven't been able to find the time to blog. Okay, those of you who know me will see right through that little white lie, but anyway here goes...

Tyler is growing up way too fast! He told me today that he thinks his friend McKayla is pretty. What!!?? He is only THREE. I am supposed to be the only girl he thinks is pretty! We were at the park today and Tyler ran around with his best two little girl friends Jaelyn and McKayla. Then, we went out to lunch with Cheryl, Mason and McKayla. I guess one girl is easier to manage than two because during the course of the lunch McKayla and Tyler sure did hit it off! They always play so well together, but today they were super cute. We noticed that they were walking around with their arms around each other so I told Cheryl to nonchalantly get her camera before they noticed we were taking pictures. I didn't have my camera for once, which really stinks! Anyway, then they hugged and gave each other a kiss. So innocent and adorable. I know it is not going to be cute in about 10 more years, but I am definitely eating it up at the moment. I hope this isn't a prediction to how popular he is going to be with the girls or boy am I gonna be in for some TROUBLE!

What a waste

I have spent a lot of time and money in order to give my children a nice playroom full of toys to play with and explore. Yet, they always seem to have more fun playing with the junk mail, empty cardboard box, wooden spoon, or other miscellaneous household item or happy meal toy. I think I should just get rid of all the toys and turn my playroom into a recycling center, because honestly, what is more fun than an empty water bottle? Today, Lorelei found my purse and proceeded to rummage through it (like always) scouting for the uneaten Olive Garden chocolate mint or empty gift card to add to her "credit card" collection. You would think she had just found an unlimited supply of fruit "nacks" by the way she came running at me with a huge grin plastered across those chubby cheeks of hers. I personally didn't share in the enthusiasm. After all, it was just a finger puppet...

A TAMPON finger puppet!