Domesticated Lady

Mother's Day is rapidly approaching, and it's a holiday that should fall on a Monday. If anybody needs a three-day weekend, it's definitely moms. My house is one that stops running all together whenever I'm sick. So much so, that I dread the thought of falling ill for even half a day. God forbid I catch the FLU!!! I'm compulsive about keeping up with or ahead of my to-do lists and appointments. Though I tend to meet my own demands, there are times when I fall behind. This past week is the perfect example. Friday evening my daughter came down with a fever of 103.5 F. I didn't sleep well that night, or any other night until it finally broke. That didn't happen until Wednesday at 2 AM. We tried everything. Alternating Tylenol and Advil. Antibiotics. Popsicles. Nothing worked!!! She only got worse. By Monday afternoon she was vomiting all oral medications. True to my millennial nature, I Googled "home remedies for fevers" and came up with a Top...

Today is my mom's 48th birthday!!! WooHoo!!! She gave birth to me when she was 16 years old and then gave me two sisters by the time she was 18. This means that she gets to enjoy her empty nest and her grandchildren before reaching menopause.  That is not something that will happen for me, so I think it's pretty darn cool. In celebration of my mom, I will shine a little light on a lesson she worked tirelessly to instill in my sisters and I: Excellence without Excuses. Now, she didn't call it that. Her language was a bit more colorful back in the day. What she called it is irrelevant to what she meant and how it's still relevant. If my mother told us to clean the kitchen, simply washing the dishes wasn't going to cut it. We had to wash dishes, clean the counter, stove, table and floor nightly. Once a week we were required to clean the inside of the refrigerator. Of course, we also had to handle the trash. Anything less meant we had failed to do what we were...

I was embarrassed. I became domesticated under a set of circumstances that I did not choose. I felt like dead weight. I've always worked for what I want. I was afraid of depending solely on my husband's income. I was angry for trusting someone who didn't deserve to be trusted. I was delighted when I got my first client. I felt important again. I was re-filled with a sense of purpose . I could make financial contributions again. I would no longer be a burden . I gained access to BOTH worlds: The Workplace Wilderness AND Destination Domestication!!! I would ONLY mention one of them, because I was still ashamed of being domesticated. Until... My husband and I were having an end of the day chat. He asked me how was staying at home? So I confessed that it was a delight, but that I was also grateful to be able to contribute to the finances. He looked at me pointedly. Deep in thought. Before finally saying, "I thought you said that your m...

"Dear God. I just want to be the woman You want me to be." Be careful what you pray for. God has a way of developing you in ways that leave you sore and uncomfortable. If I stay honest. I have to admit that I am unsure what God wants for or from me and that is downright scary. I am afraid of not knowing what's next. I have spent thirteen years developing my professional career just for it to be snatched from me in the blink of an eye. The unknown is a fascinatingly frightening purgatory. Therefore, in an attempt not to lose myself to my anxieties about my future's financial stability, I am setting some ground rules. 1. No social media!     I need to hear from God, and that's so hard to do when I'm tuned in to everyone else. So for now, it's bye-bye Facebook. 2. Staying well-rested.     I have time on my hands now, so I might as well catch up on some much needed zzzzz's. Come back next week for more information about the importance of ge...