What's Important to Me

I took the weekend to really think about what is the most important for me. Not things, time for things, image, etc...what's most important to me is what you see pictured here to the right-my family. I love my family I was born into, grew up watching and learning from, friends who have become more like family than friends but when it comes to the little, priceless moments in life, its right here. We are currently a family of three with one more on the way-anticipated arrival time somewhere in the beginning to midst of July 2010.
I run a home-based business, offering all natural bath and body products by way of Farmer's Markets, small local shops, and word of mouth by way of friends. I work diligently to create products that people are first of all, going to be interested in, and ultimately, happy they made the consumer choice to purchase my products. I work very hard as a stay-at-home mom to keep my business time, home management time, and family time separate. I can tell you, it hasn't always happened so easily to do so. Sometimes things bleed into each other, dishes get left longer than they should, a tv show goes a little longer than it should, and I find myself on my hands and knees, vacuuming Cheerios from under the sofa and the coffee table. Despite the heaping pile of laundry waiting to be done, the lost library book that keeps eluding me to go back to its shelf, and the days when I feel time just flies by as we move from one activity to another, the best moments are when I can look in on my sleeping child, pull the blanket up to cover his back while he sleeps with his behind pointed up in the air, and hope I've done a good job earlier that same day.
I led a very different life before I became a mother, and sometimes I wonder who I've become. Spontaneous moments have all but become a dinosaur, the latest style in shoes are NOT in my closet, and teaching myself a variety of fiber crafting has become one of my newest cool things to learn these days. I'll not complain too heavily, though; I'm on my path, my journey as a mother. Its not a glorified job that pays well, there's no worker's comp, no vacation, no sick days or pay, no insurance or retirement benefits, no 401k plan, and the "Thanks, Mom!" has yet to come into play. Yet, those priceless moments of toddler's laughter, playing from one area of the house to the next, those walks to the park, trips to the library, discoveries @ the market...well, those no one can box up and put away. I love those moments, the fleeting memories of growth and development milestones and the ones yet to come and be discovered. Money can't buy hugs and kisses, and happiness doesn't grow on trees or fall out of the sky. I just want someone to tell my how Cheerios get in my shoes....
~Mom