Super Mommies

SuperMommy of the Month: March 2010

SuperMommy of the Month: Stephanie B.

If you have one boy you know how active, intense, and WILD they can be, heck most of them never sit still. Well meet Stephanie, the mother of FOUR boys (all under SIX)! What makes Stephanie a SuperMommy (in my opinion) is that no matter where or when you see her she is always calm. When I watch her interact with her brood it's as if the job couldn't be easier, nothing seems to rattle her. She is incredibly patient, engaged and easy-going while juggling her four rambunctious bambinos. It always astounds me how well she handles the intensity of raising four young boys.

In her own words, this is our SuperMommy of the Month.

My name is Stephanie and I am the very blessed mother of four boys.  I am also the happy wife of a wonderful man, Jeff.  Our boys are Weston, 6, Brody, 4, Dane, 2, and Travis, 7 months of age.  I always knew I wanted a big family. I am the middle of five, four of whom are girls.  I had a very happy and fun childhood in a home full of love. I never expected to have all boys, but I wouldn’t change it for the world! 

I believe it was God’s plan to make me a mother of all boys.

After the birth of our first son, Jeff and I were on cloud nine. We had no idea just how strong you could love a child. We showered him with affection and attention. We jumped at his every sound! I think I even videotaped his entire first year of life! When we got pregnant with our second, although I was happy, I was secretly worried that I could never love another the way I love my first. Boy, was I wrong! Instead of sharing my heart I feel as though I grew a second, then a third and now a fourth.

I discovered early on that one of the ‘perks’ of motherhood is you worry all of the time! We worry about the food they eat, getting sick, vaccines, are they at the same level as other kids their age, do they have good manners, friends, will they be potty trained by high school!, and so on. It gets to be quite overwhelming so I try to keep this in mind…My hope and goal is to raise four gentlemen. 

I want for them to be good, compassionate, and faithful men. I want them to be close brothers that can count on one another long after Jeff and I are gone. I want to be a patient mother, not get upset over the little things and focus on having a happy family.

My favorite part of motherhood is listening to my children talk. They say such interesting things and have unclouded views and innocent ideas. It makes children feel so good when you don’t rush them and you just let them speak. I am often asked how I spend my days with four very energetic boys. Everyday is an adventure! Boys need to be busy or things can get out of hand and physical very fast! The best advice my mother gave me was to put the housework aside and play with your children. Nothing makes my boys happier, and I know this will not always be the case! We play Star Wars and Indiana Jones all day. They insist I be Darth Vader and the ongoing argument among them is who gets to be Luke Skywalker!  

Of course, I do stress over the housework, the endless piles of laundry and fingerprints on every window in the house drive me crazy... But, at the end of the day (as I unwind with a glass of wine), I think how lucky I am to have been blessed with four amazing boys, a wonderful husband, and a house full of love!

SuperMommy of the Month: October 2009

I have not met this nominee, but someday I hope to.

Stephanie Nielson SuperMommy of the Month

It’s not often that something touches you in a way that you cannot shake. That something happened to me this weekend. I rarely watch TV these days because “free” time is something that vanishes after you give birth—but I continue to DVR shows that “someday” I might watch. This Saturday night I sat down and randomly chose a show from the list. Oprah.

I had no idea what was in store for me, although I think God did.

In that half hour I “met” Stephanie and I don’t think I will ever be the same.

Even as I write this I find it impossible to even explain how profoundly her story has touched me. Maybe it’s because our youngest child is the same age, we are both vegetarians or because we both dance in the kitchen while we cook. Maybe it is the fact that she loves Halloween and fall as I do or because we both adore our husbands, whatever it is, I am drawn to her. We share a positive outlook on life.

If you don’t know her story, you should.

photo from nieniedialogues
  

Many people who read about Stephanie come away with the lesson that one should live life to the fullest, to appreciate the little things. That is not the part that strikes me to the core. Losing my mother at a young age I’ve never taken life for granted and I have always enjoyed even the most mundane moments of motherhood. I learned early on that life is precious-- but self acceptance--that’s another story.

My parent’s nicknamed me Farrah Facet as a child (I had a dramatic streak) and in middle school I dreamed of looking just like her one day. She was, in my opinion, the picture of perfection: tall, thin, and tan with blonde feathered hair and the most gorgeous teeth you’ve ever seen. When high school arrived it became clear that tall, thin and perfect I was not. At 5’3” I was a far cry from being “tall” and an "hourglass figure" with C cup boobs and hips to match disqualified me from being “thin”. Even as I lathered my Irish skin with gallons of baby oil and basked in the sun for hours I never achieved that whole “tan” thing either. Sadly, it was never meant to be.

Still, after failing to look like Farrah, I never really ended my quest to be “beautiful.” In college I carried a brush with me at all times, refused to show my “fat” arms and obsessed about my weight by stepping on the scale every morning. Now in my 30s, I really struggle to accept the imperfections of my post baby body and cry several times a week over it.

The thing about this quest for beauty is that it’s a lose-lose battle. The truth is it’s not about how much you weigh, how tall you are or what the shape of your nose looks like. It’s about really truly accepting what God gave you. Being comfortable in your own body and liking who you are. Of course even knowing this, I still routinely fail to accept myself—the good the bad or the ugly.

Well, what an extraordinary wake up call I’ve now had. Stephanie’s story has just given me a giant fistful of perspective. How much time have I wasted worrying about my appearance? How many things have I missed because I don’t want to be seen? Here is a woman who has learned to accept who she is, and she is beautiful. She is beautiful because she is brave, because she is passionate about her family, because she is smart, creative and filled with spirituality. I am ashamed at myself.

Honestly if you have not read Stephanie’s blog please do--especially this one. She may have returned for her children, but she is here to teach the rest of us—I really believe that.

She has beauty that surpasses all beauty and I only hope that I can glow one tenth of the way she does one day. Every day is a struggle for her, yet she fights on.

Thank you Stephanie, you have deeply touched me and for that I will always be grateful. I will keep you in my prayers for the rest of my life.

photo from nieniedialogues 

SuperMommy of The Month: September 2009

Heather C. SuperMommy of the Month

I asked Heather to be SuperMommy of the month this month because she illustrates what it means (in my opinion), to be a true SuperMommy. Heather was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in 2005 and has been fighting it ever since. She underwent chemo for 6 months in 2006, and had a tumor surgically removed a year later. For a while the cancer did not reappear, but in 2008 a new tumor perforated her bowel and she had to have surgery. The doctors found some more disease at that time, and she has been in treatment ever since. Over the past year, Heather has traveled from Syracuse, NY to Pittsburgh, PA for medical treatment on a monthly basis. During these trips she must remain in the hospital (many miles away from her family) for an entire week. During the hospitalization she endures a constant infusion of the cancer treatment interleukin. Interleukin makes her horribly ill and extremely weak, giving her flu-like symptoms and leaving her exhausted. While most people only make it through 8 doses of this particular treatment, this SuperMommy does 10.  When she has finished with the heavy doses of medication it takes days for her to physically recover to a point where she can make the trip back home to her family. As I've watched her go through this process month in and month out I find her extraordinary. You see, Heather has three children under 10. Juggling her busy family while staying on track with her treatments  is a difficult feat many would succumb to, but not Heather. As difficult as it is to leave her precious children she fights on to beat this disease. Throughout the past year I have watched in awe at the way she makes it all seem like a piece of cake--taking it all in stride. She knows how to ask for help, she remains positive despite setbacks and in spite of her battle she still gives her children all that they need each and every day.

This is why I say “Heather, you ARE a SuperMommy!”

In her own words:

I work every day to try and be a good mom. It’s a tough job, but if we work hard at it, use our instincts and give our children lots of love and support, then we mommies are doing a pretty amazing job!

I always knew I wanted to be a mom.  I was the second of five children and just thought that motherhood was naturally going to be in my future.  (My youngest sibling is 9 years younger than I am, so I had some practice!)  I believed that I would get married and have kids, just like my parents did.  And lots of them.  Back when I was younger, I dreamed of having lots of kids (at least 6).  Well, that idea changed rather quickly.  Now I have 3 amazing boys (10, 8, and 3 years old) and they are the complete joys of my life.

The journey has been incredible.  Naturally there have been some bumps along the way (some really big bumps!), but I could not imagine my life any other way.  Giving birth to my first son was so surreal.  I remember just staring at him right after his birth and thinking what a miracle he was.  He’s mine!  He came out of my body!  And then having my second and third were just as incredible.  They are all very unique, with very differing personalities.  This parenthood journey has taught me to appreciate each of their special characteristics.  I love watching them interact with each other (especially when they are getting along).  And we have all learned how to compromise and take our turns. 

Naturally I was influenced a lot by the way my parents raised the five of us.  They definitely had the good cop/bad cop routine down.  My mom was the strict parent and my dad was the easier going one.  I have taken on my dad’s role (good cop) and my husband plays a pretty amazing bad cop.  It works for our family.  I also value family traditions from when I was a child…hanging the stockings on Christmas Eve, going on a family vacation in the summer, and taking lots of pictures on the first day of school.

I am blessed to be a mother.  It is the most incredible experience that I have ever had.  Every day brings new experiences and joys to my life!

Do you know someone who'd make a great SuperMommy of the month? Send me an email.

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