Skip to main content

The Answers: Part I

Thank you guys for all of your fabulous questions! You made me laugh more than once with the funny things that you wonder. I will be dividing the answers up and answer a few each day. :)

1. I think you sound like a fabulous mom and a fabulous person! I want to know what you were like as a toddler, so I guess this question is for your mom. Were you a sweet agreeable toddler? or were you feisty like my 3 yr old, stubborn, talkative, and extremely opinionated? I'm just looking for some hope that our darling little gremlin can turn out to be a nice and likeable adult. (so yes, I'm hoping you were an unruly toddler)

This question made me laugh out loud! I love it!

Well, I have always been a very agreeable person. Even as a child. (I'm SORRY!) I have hated conflict since an early age and always kept my mouth shut when I knew it was best (even as I got in trouble, etc.). My mom always described me as "a very easy person to live with" from my childhood to teenage years (although of course there were fights and disagreements when I was a teen and "thought I knew it all".) But also, I was always the "leader" in my relationships - I was always the Principal when my friends and I played "School", I was always the one making up new games and making every one play them, I could talk my friends into pretty much anything (within reason)and they would go along. Though I was a "sweet child", I wasn't a pushover child. I was very much "in charge".

Your little girls stubborn and opinionated attitudee will be such a good thing later in life! She will be dead set in her ways and people will not be able to persuade her into things she doesn't want to do. She will speak up for her opinions and won't waver when people try to argue them. Never fear, your sweet girl will likely be a fantastically likable adult. Just keep steering her in the right direction and toward the right things and she will not be moved! :)


2. Is there ever a day where you just feel defeated?

Of course! There are days when I feel like I just can't keep up with everything that I have going on and want to burst into tears and soak away in a bubble bath eating hershey kisses and crunching ice. And sometimes I do! But the Lord has given me the most gracious husband, who continues to encourage and lift me up when I slip into that funk. And if you never "see" any of my "overwhelmed-ness" here on my blog, it's because I try to keep this place a fun, upbeat place, both for my readers and for myself. I don't want to bring others down with me and if I sit and write about it, I would probably just wallow in my pity of whatever I was defeated about. So instead, I spend some time in prayer, snap out of it and go play Peek-A-Boo with Weebie. :)



3. How many kids would you like and what age gap are you thinking?

I always said I wanted two kids. But now…I don't know. I definitely want two, maybe three….we'll see what the Lord has in plan.

I would like for Levi and his next sibling to be 2.5 to 3 years apart. But again, we shall see. And ideally, I would like to be finished bearing children by the age of 31 or so (I'm 26 now).


4. Before you had Levi-were you ever afraid about not being a good mom or scared of all the responsibilities that come along with motherhood? What about your hubby-was he ever fearful of any of these things??

I was definitely nervous about the unknown, you bet'cha! But at the same time, I knew I was ready for this baby and for the responsibilities that came with him, so I just kind of jumped in and let instincts take over. There are still times when I think about the future and all of the heavier responsibilities I have ahead of me in parenting and that can definitely raise my blood pressure and make my heart race, but those are the times when I take a deep breath and remember that I have to take it a day at a time. Challenges will come, my parenting skills will be tested, my smile will brighten with the ups and my hair will grey with the downs. Being a Mom is a seriously huge role and I strap on my big girl boots every morning and pray for a day of success.

Husby? I don't think he ever worries about anything.

5. What kind of camera do you use and what do you do all day long?

I use a Canon Rebel xsi. I love it!

Whew, what do I do all day long? Well, this one varies because I do different things each day, but let's go with a day that I'm just home all day.

(And this will answer all the other questions that I got asking me to describe a typical day as a SAHM)

8:00 am (usually): Wake up with Levi!

8:00-11:00 am - Breakfast for Levi (and me sometimes, but I'm not good about eating breakfast), Play Time, Get laundry going, check e-mail/respond to, Phone Calls, Decide about Supper and Set Out Appropriate Meat (to thaw).

11:00 am-11:45 am - Nap Time for Levi. Which means I run around the house doing as much as possible, more laundry, picking up, unloading dishwasher, etc.

12:00-3:00 pm - Lunch for Levi and Me, Play Time (we read books, and I "teach" him things during the afternoon), Folding Clothes, Dusting, Vacuuming (basically, whatever needs to be done.)

3:00-4:30pm - Levi's second nap! I start preparation for supper.

5:00 pm - Supper time for Levi and I finish preparing supper for Husby and me and it's usually simmering on the stove/cooking in the oven/etc.!

6:15 pm - Husby comes home! We give kisses and hugs to Daddy!

6:15 - 7:30pm - Husby plays with Levi and then we eat supper.

7:30 - 9:00pm - Supper clean up, watch TV, play with Levi, give him a bath, get him ready for bed and give him his last bottle.

9:00 - 11:30pm - Levi is asleep so Husby and I do whatever we want! :) I usually use this time to blog or just crash and watch a movie.

Now this is a typical Day In The Life, but it definitely varies depending on what we have going on that week! And the times also vary, but this is generally about how it goes!

6. How did you pick Levi's name? Also, do you already have names picked out for any future kids?

I had a friend from summer Bible Camp who always talked about this guy she liked. His name was Levi. Right then, I realized how much I loved that name! When I found out I was having a little boy, flashes of Bible Camp flooded my mind and I thought to myself, "I bet my baby will look JUST like a Levi!" And then I convinced Husby of this.
I do not have any names picked out for future children. I have ones I like, but I go back and forth between them. Names are hard!

7. Don't you just love your fantastic friend Katie?

Yes, Katie. I love you so much that my heart is about to burst! You make me laugh so very much and you are a treasure of a friend!

8. Ok, what I am always amazed about is how COHESIVE your decorating is. And I've picked up on that you're having to budget w/ med school and all. So, my question is, how do you make it all work together doing it bit by bit? I never can seem to follow through...

Well, I have several tricks when it comes to making it work bit by bit. The first one is Hand Me Downs!! My Mom and I have very similar taste for our homes. We love gold, pretty, sparkly and French Country styles. So, when she re-decorates a room or gets something new to replace the old, I snag her treasures!

Another thing is don't settle. If I have an idea of what I want to do with a room/space/wall, I save until I can do it. I do not go out and finish it with a cheaper/different version because ultimately, I know I won't be happy with it and will end up replacing it which means I would have spent MORE than if I just waited and got what I really wanted. It's worth it to have a bare space for a little bit if it means you get what you really want when you can afford it.

Sales! Sales! I shop at Hobby Lobby a LOT. They have fabulous decor pieces, great art work, picture frames, etc. And the beautiful thing is EVERYTHING goes on sale at least once a month. So if I see a piece of art that I can't live without, I wait a few weeks until it goes half price and then snag it!

9. Lets see- Please describe your style/taste in clothing decorating, Etc.

My style in clothes is very classic. I'm not big into trends; I'd rather go with a classic look and then jazz it up with accessories to make it more personal to me. My favorite stores are Banana Republic and J. Crew. Their clothes are timeless and take you from year to year without having to buy a whole new wardrobe each time a new trend hits! I love girly clothes - frills, full and flouncy skirts, ruffled collars, etc.

My style in decorating is French Country. Imagine a little villa tucked amidst the rolling hills of Tuscany. That's the look I aim for!



10. Did you always want to be a mom? If you had had a girl, what would you have named her?

In my first grade book report (that is captured on video), before we began we were asked to state our names and what we wanted to be when we grew up. My statement was as follows. "My name is Whitney and I want to be a……a…….well, I don't want to be anything when I grow up. I just want to be a Mommy." So yes, I have always wanted to be a Mom.

Honestly, I don't know what we would have named Levi had he been a girl. I just KNEW he was going to be a boy so I didn't really think about it!

11. How do you make it all work?? as a med-school wife contemplating starting a family, i am pretty scared about the challenges: having daddy around, being able to stay home (financially), being far from family (though i guess yours aren't too far!).


Husby and I have always been "planners" when it came to our future. When we got married we knew he was working toward Medical School, so as he worked as a Forensic Scientist and I as a secretary, we lived off of his income and saved mine. For two years. We had a timeline for when we wanted a baby, and that just so happened to be in the middle of his schooling. We knew if we wanted our dream realized, we'd have to have a stash for us to help us live so that I could stay home with the baby. That, along with the funds the schools gives for "living expenses", we just make it work (but not without hard work and scrimping, of course)! I am a huge advocate of plan plan planning! (And save save saving!) I also do random things for extra money for us. It's hard, but worth it to stay home. (Only a year and a half left before Husby becomes Dr. Husby and a steady income will resume!!)

As far as having daddy around, well, right now we are in the perfect situation for having a baby. If we would have had Levi in the first two years of school, Levi would basically never see his dad (I barely saw him!). The first two years are NOTHING but studying. Day in and day out. And to be brutally honest - it is AWFUL. But in the 3rd and 4th years of Medical School, they are on their rotations which means virtually no studying and when they're home, THEY'RE HOME! If Husby is on a rotation with a Dr. who has Thursdays off, well, Husby has Thursdays off! It's great! I see way more of Husby now than I ever did in the first two years of Med School, and he gets to spend lots of quality time with little Levi. (But of course we are dreading Residency where his hours will be reeeeeeediculous!)

12. It seems you have LOTS of overflowing Joy! I struggle with this area. How do you maintain your bubbly Joy throughout the ups and downs of life??

Please know that I am not always happy and I am not always bubbly. I cry, I get down, I get frustrated, I get mad. Joy is something that I pray for every day. I feel that joy comes from the Lord and that no matter what life brings, we can still find joy in the circumstance as long as we keep our hearts in line with God. Pessimism is a pet peeve of mine so I try and steer clear from it as much as I can, but there are definitely days where everything makes me frustrated (just ask Husby)! It is absolutely true that the woman sets the tone for the house, so I try my hardest to bring joy to our home and dwell on the blessings that I've been given. It's not me, though. It's something God gives me when I am open to receiving it (which again, I pray for daily).
I am a modern day homemaker with a passion for family, cooking, celebrating, decorating, travel, and memory making! The Lord has blessed me with the desires of my heart in my husband and our two sons. We recently built our dream home and cultivating a loving and happy haven for my family is where I find so much joy.

Comments

  1. Oh, I am so happy that you said third year is a good time to have a baby! My hubs is in second year right now (amen to the studying 24-7 . . . I never see the guy!) and we want to start a family soon. It makes me feel so much more comfortable hearing from someone who's doing it that it is a good time!
    Now we'll just see if it's God's time also =)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really enjoy your blog and look forward to reading more and seeing more adorable pics of your little guy!

    But just FYI... Tuscany is in Italy, not the French countryside. Both are beautiful, just not the same thing! (I am ridiculously in love with both myself!)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for answering my questions :) Love reading your blog!

    Tash
    tash.c@amnet.net.au

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love your answer about decorating, to not settle. I'm a total settler. I find something close to what I want or almost what I had in mind and I just go with that so that I can mark something off my to-do list. But that means I usually end up with things that I'm only half satisfied with. And then I end up spending even more money to replace something.

    I've never looked at this as a matter of not settling. Maybe I'll start keeping that in mind now...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hot Dog. You answered my question!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I enjoyed reading your answers! I love that you guys lived off of one income. That's how we rolled, too, and it has helped so much now that we ARE actually down to one income!! Sounds like you guys are doing a great job!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. i just found your blog and love reading :) can i add a question, if it hasn't been asked already? what mode do you typically shoot the around-the-house pictures in? i LOVE all of your pictures of your little guy, he's so adorable btw!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh goodness, Katie's question made me laugh! That funny girl. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Is your husband going to to a residency of any kind? If so, will that require you to move?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Joy is such a great thing to be praying for! You do have a great spirit!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This was fun!!! Thanks for sharing :) I always miss the darn days to ask questions though I feel like the ones I have get answered! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I just found your blog as well and am really enjoying it. Your positive attitude is inspiring.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

May the Lord bless you and keep you safe today! Thanks for the comment, friends! :)