ROOTED in Surprise

  My five year-old daughter and I were snuggled in for my "favorite time of the day."  This "favorite time" is notoriously known amongst my children as "Nap Time."

  Looking for insight and inspiration from the mind of one so young and unsullied as my little, sparkly blue-eyed cherub I asked her, "So, what's it like to be Evangeline Rose Yurkewicz?"  To which she responded without missing a beat...

  "Well, I've always wanted to be a horseradish."

  And there you have it folks...outta the mouths of babes.  Well, kiddo, I gotta admit...I did not see that one coming.

Better to Bless Than Impress (by Diane Gallagher)

Guest Blogger Wednesday :)

Phew… we made it!  We survived another busy weekend in the Gallagher household.  My 5^th and 6^th grade boys were playing the roles of Tweedle  Dee and Tweedle Dum in their school’s production of “Alice in Wonderland” so my in-laws were coming to town to watch the show.  To make the most of their visit, we hosted one of our combination birthday bashes. 

Since we have seven children, we have resorted to holding two family birthday parties a year – one in the Fall for our August, November and December “babies,” and one in the spring for our February, May (2) and June children.  Do not fear… we still honor the individual child on his/her actual birthday as immediate family but we hold off on the larger celebrations.  It works well (other than being a bi-annual drain on the pocketbook) because we consolidate gatherings and get more bang for our buck. 

To be honest, though, it takes a lot of motivation for me to host these events.  We have a large extended family, and we include some friends and godparents so it is rarely a small number.  We also like to provide a meal since our guests are so generous to our children.  It is the least we can do.  The problem this past week was that we had so many distractions -- I could not put the time and attention into the party and house preparation that I desire. 

We have established a tradition of allowing the kids to choose a cake design.  We have done footballs, Hello Kitty, race tracks, monster trucks, Sponge Bob, Winnie the Pooh, etc. Since I am not the most artistic person, I find a design that I can handle and do my best.  It is amazing what a butter knife and some skittles can do! J  My girls were requesting a princess crown cake while my boys wanted a repeat of the monster truck they had enjoyed years ago and were reminded of in a recent home video viewing.  As I put my schedule together for the week, I started to get panicky.  These cakes take a little time…when would I make them?  There were performances Thursday, Friday and Saturday, plus the card party I wrote about in last week’s blog.  Too much.  And what would my dinner menu consist of?  We like to offer new dishes instead of the same old standbys.  I perused the internet…nothing clicked.  More panic.  How was I going to pull this off?  I have not even mentioned the state of my house.  On top of all this, I also made two trips to the pediatrician during the week:  one child had an advanced bladder infection and one was suffering from chronic headaches.  Grocery shopping, laundry, purchasing makeup for dress rehearsal.  I like to put on a nice event, but this was a little too much for my sanity.  Both my mother-in-law, sister and mother had offered to help.  I knew I had support.  The main obstacle?  My pride. 

I want to appear like I have it all together (so far from the truth).  I like to make cakes that are admired by my children and others for being creative and fun (notice I did not say “beautiful” or “well done”).  I guess since I am a stay-at-home Mom, I find some fulfillment in being a good hostess.  Fortunately, God subtly reminded me that I needed to let go of these prideful tendencies and embrace the practical realities of our week.  I remember reading that it is better to bless than to impress.  This line has stuck with me for years.  I often forget to follow the wise advice, but am glad to be reminded of it. 

Will my children enjoy the party more because they have a princess cake?  Will the guests be better fed because the menu is original?  Will people enjoy their conversations more because my cupboards are scrubbed?  A friend once said, “as long as the bathroom is clean, no one really notices anything else.”  So goodbye monster truck cake, hello cupcakes frosted by my 5 yr. old.  My mother-in-law made her delicious macaroni and cheese while my mother provided her always reliable and yummy meatballs for subs.  The office door was closed so no one would get lost in the mounds of clutter in there but my front door was opened to the 50 family members and friends who graced our halls. 

Martha Stewart may not be calling to ask me to do an article on hosting a party, and Family Fun magazine may not want a photo shoot of my cupcakes, but I am optimistically hoping that everyone went away with full bellies and happy memories.  Yes – it IS better to bless than to impress.  I better keep that in mind in two weeks when we are hosting my 3^rd grader’s 1^st Communion bash. 

Multitasking Mama (by Sarah Grady Wingerter)

Harborlily Creative welcomes our next guest blogger, Sarah Grady Wingerter. A military wife and mother of four, Sarah will be sharing  her wit and poigniant insights with us from her "home base" of South Korea. Please welcome her, give thanks for the sacrifice she and her entire family are making for our country, and offer your support in the way of comments, etc. to help Sarah stay connected with all of you. Welcome Sarah!

While pregnant with my first, I proudly announced to my sister that I was not only talking with her on the phone, I was also sewing!  "I'm multitasking!  This is important for motherhood." To which she replied, "Multitasking is a weak motherhood trait."

I pondered this years later while making dinner, nursing the baby, chatting on the phone and bathing the older children, while chewing gum!  So if multitasking is a weak trait, what's a strong one?

 All of this I am writing from a hillside cottage just outside the concrete jungles of South Korea.  Why am I here?  I'm here on a mission.  That mission -- wife and mother.

Uncle Sam gave my husband orders to come here for one year and the children and I weren't on them.  So, what's a girl to do?  I tucked my three children under my arms, and along with my preborn wombmate, secured passports and visas, hitchhiked on a military hop and landed in our new home for the year.

I may have given up a lot; a support network, familiar surroundings, a dishwasher -- but what I have is greater.  I have my family, together.  I may or may not have "strong motherhood traits," but my motherhood has made ME strong and, I have the most important thing -- love.

Cheers to God's great gift of motherhood!  So go hug your man, all your little lambs and bring a rose to Our Great Mother.  And if you can multitask, you can do them all at once!