I Have Another Full-Time Job

It sounds like a confession of sorts, but it's not. It's more of an invitation for you to know me better.

My other full-time job is being a mother and wife. I'd like you to meet my family: My husband Tom and our three sons, James, Bryce and Ryan. On the Internet I am careful to not use their real names or post pictures of them for privacy purposes. But know I am very proud of my kids. (No motherly bias here!)

My husband Tom and I were married while he was home on leave after being deployed to Iraq for a year. There is a beautiful, romantic story about how we met and his year at war that could someday be made into a novel or movie. Maybe someday I'll write about it for those of you who love a good love story. I know I do!

The boys are all in middle school, so life is full of girls, texting, sports activities, voices changing, eating lots of carbohydrates, and me being a taxi driver. I'm thinking about having an In Service sign mounted on the top of my SUV I can turn on while driving them all over town! My husband says if we start charging them taxi fares, demand for our taxi services might diminish. Optimistic? Hopeful? Perhaps. I'll let you know if it works.

James is 17 months older than Bryce, who is 14 minutes older than his twin brother Ryan. There were many years I was submersed in breastfeeding, diapers, car seats and strollers. Even though it's been a lot of work, I LOVE being the mother of these three boys.

Before I had kids I taught parenting education skills with another woman who had two sons who, at the time, were in high school. When she introduced herself at workshops, she would say, "The thing I am proudest about in my life is raising my sons." Since I had no children, I didn't understand the full impact of this statement. Now that I have kids, I get it.

Being a mother is probably one of the most difficult jobs I've ever had, but it is also the most important and most rewarding.

What is top on your priority list? What do you value most?