Mama!

For the past 16 years, I have been blessed to have the title of Mama, Mother, Mommy, Mom.  It is one of my most favorite titles in fact, but it comes with a HUGE hat to wear.  That hat is a busy, and often times a challenging one.  It also comes with an abundance of blessings!

I am a chauffeur...and get to talk with my daughters and their friends.
I am a confidant...and get to shoulder their worries, pain, and sorrow.
I am a nurse...and get to help them feel better and take care of them.
I am a house keeper...and get to help ease a bit of their young stress.
I am a referee...and get to help them work through their issues and get closer.
I am a teacher...and get to help learn about life and academics.
I am a chef...and occasionally they eat my meals and enjoy them.
I am a birthday planner...and get to see their dreams and ideas come to life.
I am a personal shopper...and get to help them feel confident in their own skin.
I am a comedian...and get to cheer them up by making them laugh at me.
I am a genius...and somehow know what will happen before it does.
I am a bummer...and sometimes have to disappoint them.
I am a comforter...and get to give comfort and unconditional love when they need it.
I am a helicopter...and try to save them from mistakes, trouble, and pain.
I am a disciplinarian...and have to tell them no, but am able to guide them in the right path.
I am a disciple...and lead them by words and actions to a closer relationship with God.

I am a Mama!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  James 1:17

Today, on Mother's Day, I am reminded of how much my life has changed over the past 16 years.  There have been many ups and downs, but I wouldn't change any of it because it brought us right here, to this moment, and what a precious one it is.  In the fall, both of my girls will be in high school, and I cannot even imagine how within 4 short years, my precious daughters will be in college and out of the house.  Watching them learn, grow, live, and love has been such a JOY!  Both of them make me so proud every day, and I will continue to cherish each moment I have with these angels. 

To me, there is no sweeter sound than that of their laughter and the epic, "Mama!" that comes whether there is an emergency or they just want to tell me the latest drama.  These are precious sounds I love, and they will forever stay close to my heart just like Giggles from Heaven!

Happy Mother's Day!
Tammy

Cinco de What?

Cinco de Mayo?  When did that happen?

The past 2 months have seemingly flown by while at the same time been the longest 2 months ever!  Why?  A historical pandemic call the Coronavirus, or COVID-19 has kept me personally inside for 8 week, except for a total of 9 hours which includes time walking the neighborhood this week.  I had surgery March 9th to remove my tonsils, fix my septum, and open up my sinus cavities.  Three days later, Dallas declared a state of emergency as we had our first positive case in DFW. 

I was healing from surgery and I am asthmatic, so my family began shelter in place immediately.  Online shopping, curb side groceries, and food delivery were our new normal.  We saw no friends or family aside from ZOOM meetings or FaceTime.  And for a solid month, I only left the house for 2 hours, both for post-op appointments with my doctor. 

Normal is missed.  I miss my family and friends.  I miss my church.  I miss my students.  I miss meandering through the stores at my leisure.  I miss hugs!!!  What?  I'm an extrovert!

But...I believe in the plan and purpose from God.  We live in a fallen world where bad things happen to everyone...good, bad, it doesn't matter.  Instead of focusing on all that I miss, I choose daily to focus on the blessings that come shining out each day.  My favorite verse gives me hope!

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"   Jeremiah 29:11

Before this pandemic, our lives were crazy busy.  Two parents working full time, two teenagers involved in several activities, two teenagers with very busy social lives, and two teenagers who didn't drive yet.  This equals a hot mess, and that is before we add in church and leading a life group at church.  So for all the negative aspects of this pandemic, there are also many positives.

I was able to heal from my surgery and an infection after surgery completely while working from home.  I have had more time with my daughters and husband now that we are all at home together.  As a result of us being home, we have had more movie nights, laughs together, and a ton of game nights.  We have also started exercising...Chris and the girls are running together and I am walking. 

I have also been forced to slow down, which my body, mind, and soul desperately needed. And while Chris and I are still working full time from home, our schedules are somewhat flexible.  Savannah and Payton are completing their 10th and 8th grade years at home, but doing really well with a flexible schedule and time management. 

And somehow, we made it to May 5th and were able to enjoy the perfect day...where Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday collide!  We celebrated with mexican food and some time doing our various activities around the house that make us happy.  It wasn't a big hoopla and that was completely fine! 

So today, and every day, slow down a bit and really enjoy all the blessings that surround you.  And if you are super quiet, you might hear Giggles from Heaven.

Tammy

Thank You Hallmark!

For the past 7 years, I have been busy...evidently too busy to write on my blog!  My daughters have definitely been more involved which changed what my "free time" looked like.  The 3 years of Kindergarten kiddos, followed by those same 3 groups of kiddos in 3rd grade, followed by the last group of those kiddos in 4th grade this year as I went back to work teaching full time surely had an impact on my time!

No matter what the reason, likely a combo of the above plus much more, it has been too long since I sat down and wrote on my blog.  In fact, so much has changed, that most people who are actively in my life now don't even know this side of me existed!  Is it a secret?  No, just forgotten...like a long, lost friend.

So what brought me back to writing, which I LOVE doing?  A Hallmark movie of course!  Last night, while watching Hearts of Spring with Lisa Whelchel (2016), I watched the character Carly Ashby enter many entries on her blog.  And by the 3rd entry, I grabbed my Surface and looked up my dusty blog.  After some searching, I was able to log in and update my About Me section.  Before the movie ended, which I enjoyed by the way, I had decided that excuses were a thing of the past. 

Which leads me to the title of this post...Thank You Hallmark!  Without Hallmark, I likely would have gone another 7 years before dusting off this blog and falling back into something I love and enjoy.   And that would be a heartbreaking shame because I am a writer.  Writing has always been easy for me.  It relaxes me to write.  And in a way it makes sense...it's an extension of talking, and if you know me, you know I am a talker!  So a huge shout out and thank you to Hallmark for making a movie 4 years ago that I would watch at the perfect time.

Now, I'd like to address those who are still sitting with their jaws on the floor asking, "She has a blog?"  Yes, I have a blog!  In January 2012, my Nana, my best friend, went to be with Jesus in heaven.  I missed being with her like crazy, but what I missed most about her were her giggles.  We had such a special relationship, and for whatever reason, she thought I was a very funny person.  I could get her giggling without much effort, and her giggles brought such joy to my heart.  So when I was down and missing our chats, I would picture her in heaven giggling and smiling.  I felt such a peace and could practically hear her giggles from heaven.  Thus, Giggles from Heaven was created in her memory. 

Alright, for today I am done, but I hope you check back often.  And whenever life brings you down, I hope you can hear Giggles from Heaven!

Tammy