Not Famous but Dared to Dream

Aspiring Lawyer Mother!

 Yesterday I sat down to watch MasterChef, and as the contestants each reflected on their journey on the show I noticed a common theme. They spoke of how being on the show was a dream come true and that they were proving it possible to 'dare to dream.' In being on the reality show they were showing their children, friends and family what it meant to go after your dreams, and that they too can do the same. 

I don't usually watch MasterChef but I do enjoy a good reality show. Real people from real places doing, real things, winning real money and ... on show [literally] for the whole world to notice them.  

I don't wish to degrade or downplay the talent, motivation and achievements that reality stars and contestants have but, rather show that we can all 'dare to dream.' It's easy to watch these TV shows and feel like we're missing out on something. That we're missing out on chasing our dreams unless we make it on one of these shows to showcase our will and talent. Daring to dream isn't just about making it to MasterChef's top six or winning The Block. It's not just becoming the next Justin Beiber, Prime Minister or Yahoos CEO, etc. We can all 'make it' without being cast for a reality show and/or without being a media interest.  

Of course media isn't the only platform society rates our success by, it's also your job title or position. Its how much money we earn, which suburb we live in and how big our home is. Its where we've traveled, the degrees we've completed and the performances we might have staged.  

As a little girl right up to when I was a young teenager it was my dream to have a husband and to raise a big family. And it had also become apparent that I was skilled with a needle and thread so, by the time I was 17 I had completed a diploma in fashion CTF (clothing, textiles and footwear) and was a qualified seamstress. Even though I can confidently say that being behind a sewing machine was where my talent lie, I still didn't feel successful enough for society. I drummed into my head that I could be something greater, something more powerful and something more successful. I felt the need to dare greater dreams. So, I became a law student. I aspired to first become a lawyer and than a judge and to one day become the first female prime minister (there were rocks in my head). "And when I am prime minister I would surely be successful in society"!

There and then I dared to dream, the only problem was that it wasn't really my dream. I dared someone else's dream that was meant for many people but, becoming a lawyer was not Gods will for me [to dream].

It took a few degree changes before I realized that there was nothing I actually wanted to study at uni, and that it was okay to drop out. Being a 'drop out' was hard and it came with a feeling of failure and guilt. But it was going to be okay and social pressures was going to have to accept it!  

June last year I 'dared to dream' a dream that God purposed for me. Matty and I were meant to have had a home and to have travelled the world first but we 'dared to dream,' to become parents to a precious son. I dared to endure nine months of a protruding belly. I dared to endure fourteen hours of labour. I dared to love another like no other. I dared to change 8+ nappies everyday. I dared to be awake every two hours around the clock. I dared to endure endless crying and constant rocking.  

I dared to be a MOTHER ... and it was a dream come true!

Commit to the Lord everything you do. Then your plans will succeed.

Proverbs 16:3

Let's Get This Blog Rolling!

So, it's been a very long time since I did anything with this blog and I'm going to give it another shot.

...

Back in December I finished up at work and commenced maternity leave. Our baby was due in mid February and I wanted a couple of months to nest and prepare for the big journey my husband and I were about to embark on.

I was a little concerned that I might miss work and get just a little bit bored being at home. Despite my deepest desires to be the 1950's housewife and mother! I like structure and routine and, the consistency that it gives me in life. And of course the security of a wage. I wasn't sure that it would remain without my job outside the home. But it did. I loved every minute of being at home and being able to put a good dinner on the table. Not being forever tired and exhausted from a full days work. I discovered myself to be a happier person and enjoying my days far more. I loved having the time to read my Bible, make new curtains and quilts. I knitted and decorated and enjoyed having a clean home. I did what I was always too busy or too tired to do.

No doubt your wondering what I think now, after having a baby. Do I still enjoy being at home? Do I still have the time to do the things I listed in the above paragraph? And do I now think that my job at work is easier? Well yes, being a mother is exhausting and no I don't have as much time on my hands as I did before Rupert. However, it's a lifestyle I've adjusted to and love living. Do I think going to work was easier? Yes I do but its also more stressful and not as enjoyable or rewarding. I love that even after a sleepless night of crying, feeding and changing nappies that, I can embrace, hold and cherish every moment of my sons life. Their need to have you as their naturing mother... it greets you every minute of the day!

Now, I might not have adjusted quite as well if it wasn't for my dear friend Naomi giving me a certain book. The book titled 'On Becoming Baby Wise'. As I mentioned earlier, I like structure and routine and this book follows a 'parent directed feeding' method [a routine]. A method that helps me plan my day and the hours in that day. There are of course days where things don't go to plan but on the whole it generally works. I highly recommend the book and, like anything you customise to what suits your family. Another book I recommend is 'Calm Baby, Confident Mum'. This book written by Simone Boswell who is a mother that follows the 'parent directed feeding' method. She's not a nurse or doctor ect. but a mother who writes from her personal experience.

Anyway, signing off now but before I do I have a blog written specifically to my son Rupert. Its made up of daily notes and letters containing little things that he and I might have done that day. Click here to follow 'Letters to My Son'.

Welcome to "Wives in Aprons"

"Welcome to "Wives in Aprons".

For some time now I have wanted to write a newsletter encouraging young women. Although I have boldly targeted married women in the title it is however, open to all women, of all ages. Women with old fashioned values, living in modern society. Women today more often then not have a working career outside the home. Suit by day and apron by night.
 And while there is nothing wrong with a professional career, I would not be honest if I didn't say I lack in the apron department. Is it so wrong to want a home cooked meal every night, crisply ironed clothes and not a speck of dust on the shelves?

Womanhood today is a balancing act and something I can't seem to master. And I know this because I am more often washing my work uniforms then my aprons. I want to encourage women to embrace their house duties as well as their career. Post your favourite recipes, cooking failures, sewing projects, send in a pic of the mold growing in your fridge or of your favourite heels.

Stay tuned for more on the newsletter... and consider if you would be interested in submitting an article."