Wife and Mother - a disclaimer

I'm a wife. 

I'm a mother.

I love those titles. Anyone who knows me, knows those are two roles I've wanted my entire life. I would go so far as to say I feel like this is my calling in life. Some people want to be a wife/mother but also want to be a doctor or a physiotherapist or a teacher. That's awesome! I, on the other hand, had no idea what to go to university for after high school because you just can't go to university to get a husband/kids. I did the next best thing and went to Bible college...where I met Nathan. And then we got married. And then we were blessed with kids - after a few years of having to seriously question what I was called to because kids weren't happening quickly nor easily. There's just no guarantee with the homemaking dream. If you want to be a __(enter profession here)__, you just work hard enough and you can accomplish it. Homemaking is something that, if you feel called to it, you just have to trust that God will give you what you need so that you can do it, or that He will give you something better.

But I digress. I have had numerous people tell me lately that they admire the passion I have for being a wife and mother; for making a home. I love that people notice my passion. But it also leaves me feeling a bit uneasy. It almost seems like the people who have said this have felt inferior, like they feel as though I've got it all together.

"I really admire the way you are just loving this whole homemaking thing. I never felt like that."
"I'm not like you. It seems easy for you. I'm having a really hard time."

Now listen. This is important. Ready? I'm.not.perfect. I'm not. I'm far from it. I'm not a perfect wife. I'm not a perfect mother. I make mistakes. I sometimes feel like I have no clue what I'm doing. I have days when I just want to throw up my hands and walk away...or pull out my hair...or scream until my voice is hoarse...or curl up in bed despite - or because of - the screams coming from the next room. I do my best, just like every wife/mother I know. And just because I feel called to be a homemaker, doesn't mean that I'm doing it perfectly nor finding it easy. We're all just figuring it out as we go.

I may give suggestions on this blog; sharing what is working for us. But I'll also definitely be asking for advice. I welcome advice! I'm always open to hearing what worked for you and considering whether it might work for us too! So let's work together. Please don't be intimidated. Please don't get the idea that I believe everything I'm doing is the only right way to do it. I'm not judging how you do things. I'm not sitting here and thinking that if you just did things the way I'm doing it, life would be so much better for you. Different families do things in different ways and that's great.

I'm so thankful for this family that God has given me. For an amazingly wonderful, supportive, gentle, wise husband. For two healthy, energetic, smart, and ridiculously cute kids. For this home that we have and the 10 acres that we own around it (or will own in 25 years once we finish paying for it!). I'm blessed and humbled to be able to do what I feel passionate about. That's not a small thing.

If you'd like to follow along, just go to the right side of this page and hit "follow" so you can be notified whenever I post. I'm not sure that I'll be linking my posts on fb all the time (let me know if you like when I do that, I can totally keep doing it!).