Spending My Time

This, dear bloggers, is my 100th post. I've thought a good bit about how I wanted to spend this post...did I want to talk about blogging or the fact that this was my first REAL week at home as a stay-at-home mom? Did I want to talk about my babies and the fact that Hollyn will crawl any minute now? And then it hit me: I want to use this post to talk about how I spend my time. I don't mean my day-to-day living time, I mean how I'm trying to make a difference and do something lasting and real;  I'm trying to be someone to somebody.

Here's something you probably don't know about me:

In 2006, on Libby's second birthday, I almost died. 

In that I don't mean I ALMOST had a wreck or ALMOST drowned

or ALMOST got bitten by a big, nasty spider;

I mean I went into cardiac arrest and had E-coli in all my major organs kind of almost died.

I was super sick, thankfully the sickest I've been to date and hopefully the sickest I'll ever be.

And coming that close to dying really made me think-- I want to make a difference. I want to do something lasting. I want to be the kind of girl someone can look up to and admire one day.

So, I got my priorities in check and started what I consider to be my very own version of a ministry: my kids. I'm not referring to my birth kids, although I do try to be as good to them as absolutely possible. I'm referring to my students, whom I've come to consider as my very own. If you're a regular reader, you've heard me talk about them before here, here, here, here, here,  and here.

At the time I was teaching gifted English in a town not too terribly far from where I live now. I was teaching THE MOST AMAZING group of kids that I think I'll ever be blessed to teach. I used this situation as a way to be the person I was trying to be. I tried to set an example in words, thoughts, and actions. I went out of my way to invest in them- like REALLY invest in them. I supported them, I prayed for them, I held them accountable, and I challenged them to be better people. I fell in love with their families and went out of my way for them every chance I got.

And it worked.

When I was in high school, I didn't have a teacher like this. I had some great teachers, but not a one of them ever went above and beyond to push me to meet my potential or hold me accountable or help me to see clearly when high school and all its drama blurred my vision, so to speak. I believe this could have made a difference- to have someone I respect, in addition to my mom,  helping me to see that there is a great big life full of possibilities waiting for me and all I have to do is try my best to live an honorable, focused life and it's mine for the taking. Heck yes, this could have helped. And THIS is the person I try to be for the ones I call mine.

A year later I moved, and things only got better. Now I was no longer their teacher in a literal sense, and that opened the door for me to be more involved in their lives without the fear of crossing a 'teacher line'. I was then able to support them and get to know them in a way that didn't involve turning around and having to issue grades to them. I've cried with them and fussed at them, given them advice and counseled them, loved them unconditionally and supported them indefinitely. And I am nothing special. I have not done ANYTHING that ANYONE else could not have done, given a phone card, a couple tanks of gas, some stamps, a facebook account, and a little time out of every day.

It's been four years since I got sick, and all I can say is thank you. Getting sick encouraged me to do better, to try harder, and to love deeper. I have come to truly LOVE this group of kids. And investing in them and serving them has brought me one of the greatest blessings I have ever known.

 Since then, they have become some of my favorite people on this planet and have poured blessings on me in big, giant bucketfuls. They're mostly in college now, and to sit back and watch them excel--- well, that's like the cherry on top. All the visits and phone calls, facebook chats and letters, trips to the ER and dorm room decorating, adventures and nights spent doing nothing, serious conversations and tears, laughing hysterically and giggling non-stop-- it has so been worth it.  I've opened my home and my heart to them, and  I have made a difference. They remind me with every thank you, acknowledgement, phone call, visit, and praise.  And they're in on my secret-- many of them are now going out of their way to serve others and make a difference, each in his or her own little way, and I PROMISE I could not be more proud or more humbled by this if they actually were my very own children.
I have done something great; they are the living proof.

And you know what I've discovered through this little mission of mine?
 Doing for others is like a drug, only a good kind. It's highly addictive and leaves you longing for more, more, and more. After bonding with these kids, I found myself being not only a better person but a better teacher. Have I ever mentioned that I never wanted to be a teacher in the first place? I wasn't that girl who grew up saying, "I just love kids. What can I do with that? Oh, I think I'll teach." Nope. Not me. I was more like, "I love English but am not sure I want to go to law school. What can I do in the meantime? Teach? Oh, I don't know about that. I guess I can try it until something better comes along.....".  I'm still honestly not sure I want to be a teacher forever, at least not in the literal sense. But none of that changes the fact that these kids have TAUGHT ME what I think living is all about: helping others.

After investing in this special group of kids, I've found myself investing in others more often. It's become the very core of who I am. And now that I've once again left my last teaching job, I sit and hope that I can serve these former students the way I served my others.

Ok, so you might be wondering what exactly is my point in sharing all this with you. Well, first, I hope you heard me earlier when I said that I am nothing special. I meant that. I make mistakes every single day, sometimes I totally drop the ball, and I've been known to insert foot into mouth on a regular basis. But I wanted to share this with you to let you in on a little secret I've discovered. Other than being a mom, doing for others has brought me the greatest joy in my life.  I believe that there's a special kind of happy reserved for the way you feel when you've truly sacrificed and given 100% of yourself to serve someone else.  I think this is part of the reason so many women are so blessed by motherhood. My way of serving happens to be these kids, as well as my own. I do my best to help them meander through this mess we sometimes call life while still keeping their little heads above water and being the best people they can be. But I wanted to make sure you know that whether you have a group of kids to serve at your disposal or not, you can still make a difference.

 

I'm a very firm believer in the notion that God gives us each gifts, and when you use whatever gifts you've been given to serve others, the rewards will be great.  I believe one of my gifts is that of an encourager.  

And I confess:

Hi, my name is McCall, and I'm addicted to doing for others.

The only catch is.....I have no plans of stopping.

Ever.

So, for my 100th post, I'd like to encourage you to serve. You can start small with just one person, you can serve your family or a total stranger, you can give via money or via time and effort. You can serve from the background or end up in the spotlight, but I encourage you to try. Please don't make it take a near death experience for you to enjoy what life is all about. They don't call it the 'Golden Rule' for nothing, you know.

So, go ahead........big blessings are waiting.

And it begins

Today was huge....monumental, even.

 Today my baby made a major milestone, a milestone that will set the stage for the next twelve years of her little life and start what I pray will be a lifetime of learning.

Today my baby set out on her kindergarten adventure.

As adventures go, I'd say she is off to a pretty good start.

She had a morning filled with blueberry waffles, hugs from her Mimi who spent the night for the very special occasion, and the family was up and at 'em bright and early just for her big day.

I'd planned and prepared for tears, but there were none.

 Instead, there was a lot of pride,

a lot of joy,

and a whole heaping truckload of excitement.

She's ready. Scratch that. She's more than ready.

She's been ready for two years, but thanks to her six-days-too-late birthday,

 kindergarten is just now ready for HER.

It was big for her in so many ways, which was to be expected.

What I did NOT expect was how big it would be for me, the lowly mom in this house.

 It's like her taking these big steps boosted me to a whole new level of mommy-hood, one filled with carpools, PTA meetings, and packed lunches. I seriously feel like I'm in a whole new league.

I think I'm gonna like this league...in time. It's just that I'm the first of my close friends to get to this point...I'm paving the way, so to speak. And while that's great and all, it sure would be nice to have someone to hold my hand through this transition.

I mean, seriously--- how did she grow up so FAST???

I can't BELIEVE she's in kindergarten,

and don't even get me started on the fact that she'll be six next month.

But I know one thing-- she sure is one cute kindergartner.

My Libby- your adventure has begun.

 So while I sit back and try to find my place in your ever-changing world, you show kindergarten what you're made of, laugh your little heart out, and enjoy every stinkin' minute.

You won't be little much longer, so let's please make the most of it and enjoy what we've got left.

And in case you're wondering, she had the best first day. She loved every single thing about kindergarten: her teacher, her music class, her new friends, her nap mat, and lunch in the cafeteria, just to name a few.

And when she told me that she made a new friend and he called her his princess, I giggled and knew that all was well and right with our world.

One day down, one hundred and seventy-nine more to go.

Sporting a pair of these

Those dang pinchers

See this baby?

She's pretty darn cute, right?

So this cute baby and I did the unthinkable today. Well, 'unthinkable' may be a strong word....let's instead say we did something today that I've been dreading: we went to the store. (Do you hear the creepy music playing in your head yet? Well, you should. This is pretty creepy stuff.)

Yes, she's been to the store before now.

However, she has NOT been to the store and sat in the buggy, carrier free, before today.

To those of you non-mommies out there, you may be wondering what the big deal is.

What's wrong with taking the baby to the store?

I'll tell you what's wrong: it seems that the minute the little is out of the carrier, people feel as though she's suddenly fair game for cheek pinching and chin tickling.

 Today THREE complete strangers proceeded to pinch, touch, pat, and rub on my Holly Belle.

I swear one lady was two heartbeats away from kissing her had I not resorted to my infamous 'don't even think about it' look- you know, the one that came in so very handy during my days as a high school teacher. 

Don't get me wrong,  I'm all for people admiring my little one....from a far. Admire her, wave at her, and please feel free to tell me how cute you think she is.

However, I draw the line at touching.

What makes random people think it's ok to get in my baby's face and touch her at will?

THIS IS NOT OK, PEOPLE!

Would you walk up to an adult and touch as you please?

I certainly hope not.

(Not that any of you reading would ever do this-- I know you're all way too cool for acts such as this. :) )

We all have our pet peeves, and this is one of mine. There are germs out there, people! And while I'm not anywhere near what I consider germ-aphobic, I'm also not ignorant to the fact that strangers carry more germs than the people I know. I mean, that is proven, right? Ok, maybe not-- but it certainly seems that way. There's all kind of scary stuff out there, and I'd really prefer to keep it all as far away as possible from Hollyn's cheeks.

I know they're squishy and appealing.

 I'll even go as far as to say they're begging to be pinched.....by me....at home.

Not by strangers at the store.

I love new people.

I love my baby.

I just don't love new people touching my baby.

Don't worry folks (here's where you can push 'pause' on the creepy music player)- next time we head to the store, I think I'll make Hollyn a sign to wear...it'll look something like this:

Hopefully, this will do the trick and help the strangers keep their pinchers to themselves.

Father and Child

I don't do this often, but I'm entering a photo challenge this week, seeing as how when I originally posted this photo on my blog, the ladies went nuts! So, here it is again-- in case you didn't get enough the first time. The theme is 'father and child', so what could be better than this?

Five days

Last week was bliss.

 I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I come from a very small family. I'm an only child and have a mere two first cousins. However, I prefer to see this glass as half full and make the most of the wonderful family I've been given, no matter how small it may be. And rockin' the small family means visits as often as possible. So, last week we packed up everything we own (ok, not really- but it seemed that way) and headed south to Louisiana, because six kids are far more relaxing than two.

 In all seriousness, it was fabulous and just what I needed to refill my cup. There is just something so comforting about being surrounded by those who know your history.

 It was the vacation to top all vacations.

It was the vacation where Libby spent five days doing this:

.....where I spent five days loving on this cute little fella......

......where I spent five days seeing this every time I looked out the window.....

....where I spent five days oodling over my cousin's birthday present....

....where Libby spent five days playing dress-up with someone who loves it just as much as she does.....

......where my grandmother spent five days in her very own version of heaven on earth.....

....where I spent five days fulfilling my overwhelming desire to get a dog....

....and where Hollyn spent five days being welcomed to the family.

And it couldn't have been any better.

Here's hopin' you rock the family visits every chance you get.

Fun Ways to Keep Your Kids Writing This Summer

So you want to know how you can keep the kiddos writing this summer? Well, you've come to the right place. I wrote an article about that for Blissfully Domestic. You can find it here. Hope you enjoy and stay tuned...I got a post coming up that I think you'll enjoy. In the meantime, happy Friday!