About My Blog...

I started this blog for several reasons.

First, I love to write. I may not be great at it... I don't have the best grammar, punctuation, or spelling, and I can't always paint the same picture with words that I see in my mind. But I certainly can write better than I speak. I can share what's in my heart and on my mind. And after raising six children, a husband who works two jobs, and a mother who can't hear me... this is the closest I get to adult conversation! Even if I only write for myself... I love it!

Second, I love to learn and I love to share what I've learned. Having a family brings many challenges and when I'm met with one, I like to learn all I can about how to deal with it (or, how I should have dealt with it) correctly. Weather it's how to budget, how to feed a family of nine on a dime, how to parent, how to make my marriage better, how to care for aging parents... the list goes on. I'm sure I've had to deal with issues that most families go through. Sometimes with a good ending and sometimes not. Either way... I always find myself wishing I would have known more earlier on. And if I can help anyone out there, or maybe someone can help me... then it's all worth it!

Third... now let me be painfully honest. As cheesy as it may sound, I would love to make an income from blogging. Not sure if it will ever happen, but God can do miracles. He knows what I need, and when I need it and I trust Him to be in control. I know for sure that nothing will happen if I don't try. I've been a stay-at-home mom for about 15 years. My youngest is now 6 and while things are easier with the kids being older, my mother is older as well and can no longer be left alone. So a home job/income would be a blessing... especially since being a "home executive" doesn't really give you the skills or training for outside employment. (There you go... something else I wish I'd known earlier in life!)

My dad always says "Do what you love, and you won't have to work!" So this is my effort. If nothing else, it is great fun. And that is my blog in a nutshell. A LARGE nutshell... but a nutshell all the same. It may take a while to post all that I would like, but I hope you come back to find out.


Thanks for reading and God bless!
Mary Ann :)

An Introduction.

Hello to all of you readers! Do I have one? Well... if not now, I am extremely hopeful to have at least one in the future. Hey, the sky's the limit! Right?

Well let me introduce myself. I am married... 12 years now. Yay! Quite the accomplishment! I have 6 children. Ok... 4 are 18-25 so I guess they aren't exactly children. But still... they are mine. The younger 2 are 10 and 6. I also care for my mother. She's been with me for about 25 years. Back when I was a single parent she would babysit for me - a lot - so I guess we're about even by now. And we have a dog. A very large, overweight black lab who thinks he's a puppy.

I was a single mother for 12 years before I got re-married. I know what it's like to stand in the food stamp line or shop at thrift stores (we still do that... it's in style now!). I know how it feels to have to decide if you should pay rent or buy food for the kids... and out of frustration... just order a pizza!

I've had to deal with many issues along the way. My mother was diagnosed with Meniere's disease which meant she couldn't babysit my kids and she needed a doctors care. She had no insurance so it was a great relief when she was old enough to recieve social security.

Getting married again was a whole new deal. My kids went from wondering why their 'real' dad wasn't around - to not understanding that their new step-father wasn't a 'fairy tale' dad. It was a hard adjustment and we still face issues like these today.

Throw in a few rebellious teenage years; addictions, sibling rivalry, poor decisions, wrong choices and you'll get the idea of what we've come through.

Thankfully God has brought us through it all. I am proud of my children and who they have become (and are becoming). I am very blessed! My husband is a great father and provider. My mother has come a long way and is actually healthier than she thinks. I may whine a bit(or a lot)... but I really can't complain. God is so good to me!!!