Dear Single Mom Who Wishes She Could Give More to Her Child

Dear Single Mom,

I am not, for one second, going to try and pretend that I know how hard it is for you. I don't. I can only imagine.. I can, however, identify with your child. I was raised by a single mom.  While every situation is unique, I can at least offer some insight into your child's life.

For my mother, her biggest hurt as a single mom was feeling like she was never enough. She couldn't give us the trendy clothes (our wardrobes were mostly made up of hand-me-downs from church friends), she couldn't buy us the expensive toys, or take us to amusement parks or the zoo. She felt like she had deprived us of a good childhood. She couldn't stand the thought that we might feel like we were less than our peers because we didn't have the things or the lifestyle that they had.

But looking back, do you know what I recall of my childhood? I don't remember feeling deprived. I don't remember feeling like I was less than because I didn't have the things my peers had.

What I do remember is how she was always there to hold me as I cried when people hurt my feelings. She was always my biggest supporter and was always there to comfort me.

I remember her finding a way to make it to every school play and every choir performance.

I remember her making sure I went to church every Sunday and Wednesday and filling our home with faith, hope, love, and Jesus.

I remember the scavenger hunts she set up for us at home.

I remember her showing up at my school just to give me a hug and a chocolate kiss.

I remember unconditional love.


Your child doesn't need fancy things to have a good childhood.
They just need the love of their mother.
That's what they'll remember of their childhood.

You're strong, momma. It's hard to be a mother with a partner. I can't imagine how hard it is for a single mom. But I do know that God can get you through any situation. Ask Him for help. Ask him to guide you in your parenting. When your children are grown, they'll look back and see a mom who did everything she could to give them a great life full of love and joy. Keep up the good work, mom.

To the Mom Who Feels Lonely and Isolated.. You're Not Alone.

Dear Mom who feels lonely and isolated.. you're not alone.

I know it feels like you're alone. Trust me, I do! You feel isolated, trapped, and like no one truly understands what you're feeling. I understand. I feel it too.

Your days consist of cooking, feeding, cleaning, chasing, wrangling, and wishing the coffee gave you more energy than it actually does.

Sometimes you go weeks without leaving the house.

You count down the hours until your husband comes home.

You have no adult interaction except for the few hours between when your husband comes home and you go to bed.

You recall the days when all you ever wanted was to be married, have kids, and stay home with them.. but now that it's here, something is missing. You have all you ever wanted but you're still not happy.

You miss the days when you felt like you were actually good at something. When you were praised for your accomplishments. Being a stay-at-home mom can feel pretty thankless and often leave you feeling like you're the world's worst mom.

You love your children more than you ever thought you could love someone.. but the loneliness is still there.

It's hard, mom. I know it is. I wish I had the answer and the solution but most days I'm struggling with it, myself.

All I can say is that you're not alone. I feel your pain. God feels your pain. Reach out to Him when you're hurting. He's waiting to wrap you up in His arms.

Here is a verse that I tend to cling to when I'm deep into these hard times and it really gives me hope. My hope is that it will do the same for you.

Psalm 23:3 He restores my soul;

There is more to the verse but that part is what has always stuck out to me. He restores my soul. He loves you and wants to see peace and healing in your life.

If you're feeling this way today, leave your name in the comments and I'll be praying for you.

These times are hard but we'll get through them.

Go give those babies a big hug and remember why you wanted to stay home in the first place.




Here are a few more posts to encourage you in this season of life:

• When You Need a Lift in Your Motherhood - The Purposeful Wife
• 8 Scripture Verses for Struggling Moms {Free Printable} - The Purposeful Mom
• Rediscovering Joy in Motherhood - The Purposeful Mom
• 10 Promises for Tired Moms - Smart Mom Smart Ideas

Sneaky Mini Pizza

If your kid is anything like mine, getting them to eat their vegetables can be a real struggle! While it's very important to introduce new and health foods, and encourage them to try them, sometimes they just won't. So how do we get those important nutrients into those growing bodies?? We sneak them in!

Wild Child was in a year long phase of not trying ANYTHING and even stopped eating some things that she used to love. Thankfully, she has slowly started to open up to new foods and has accepted pizza back into her repertoire. In order to up the nutritional value in her pizza I have been sneaking spinach into it! Here's what I do:

Since this was a mini pizza, the portions are very small but could easily be increased for a regular sized pizza.

First, I took a few leaves of baby spinach and finely chopped them.
(Next time, I will probably try to chop them more finely than I did this time, just so they are less noticeable.)
Next, I put them into one of the small containers that go with my Magic Bullet.

Next, I added my pizza sauce into the container and blended it with the Magin Bullet.
(Don't let your child see you put the spinach and sauce together!)

After that, the pizza assembly is pretty standard. I used an English muffin as the crust, spread the sauce (I let Wild Child help with the assembly portion of this), sprinkled cheese, chopped pepperoni and placed them on top (Wild Child snuck a few into her mouth, as well!), one last little sprinkle of cheese to help the pepperoni stick, then popped it into the toaster oven until the cheese was melted and starting to turn a golden brown.

My Sneaky Mini Pizza was a success! Wild Child loved it and never noticed the spinach!

Do you have a picky eater? What ways do you get them to eat healthier?

Weeds, Flowers, and Little Hearts

I knew a little girl who loved flowers. Flowers of all kinds. Anything colorful and petaled was a flower to her.. even what most would consider weeds. To this little girl, a weed was just as beautiful and special as a rose or peony. She loved to pick colorful bouquets of dandelions and henbit and present them to her mom as a heartfelt gift.

Upon receiving her bouquet, her mother would say with sarcastic enthusiasm, "Oh, weeds! Thanks!" The word "weed" stung that little girl's heart. Somehow, that word made her gift less special. It made her feel as if her gift was unwanted by her mother. It hurt her spirit.

Today, as my daughter ran around the local playground, she found some bright yellow dandelions. To her, they were radiant flowers. She picked them and brought them to me. I immediately remembered that little girl and my heart stung for a moment. Then I smiled and thanked her for the beautiful flowers. She smiled back and carried on playing.

Words that are said with little thought can have a much greater affect on little hearts than we realize. Today, take notice of your words as you speak them to your child. Are they uplifting or spirit-breaking?

What I've Learned Since Becoming A Mom..

Before I had my daughter, I had worked in childcare for 6 years. I had seen so much. I saw things I agreed with and didn't agree with. I saw well-behaved and mis-behaved. I thought I had it all figured out and knew exactly what I would and would not be doing when it came to my own. I was dead-set on my opinions of what I thought was the right and wrong way to raise children. In fact, on several occasions, I thought I could write a parenting book because I knew better than so many parents. I thought motherhood would be a breeze because of all of my experience with children.

So, what has motherhood taught me? I was wrong!

Yes, I may have had a slight advantage to someone who had no experience with kids, whatsoever, but I did NOT have it all figured out. It's not the same once you have your own. Your views take a complete 180. Things I was set on before I had her, I'm questioning now. Things I was sure I'd never do, I'm doing or seriously considering.

I was one of those "Let them cry", "Stop carrying them so much", "Germs aren't a big deal", kind of people. Now, I'm paranoid about anything that goes into her mouth, I can't handle hearing her cry, and I want to hold her all the time. I've become and am becoming someone I never thought I'd be. I'm baby wearing, co-sleeping, baby food making, considering cloth-diapering, and am suddenly all too aware of what I put in and on my baby's delicate body.

My advice to new mothers out there.. Don't be too set in your ways or attached to a certain way of thinking. Be open minded. You may find that what you believed for so long, is not what you end up wanting after all.

Most of all.. savor every moment with your baby.. Time has never flown so fast.