I was catching up on some of the blogs that I follow and one of my first stops is always Life with the Goodnoughs. :) Kristy and I met for about thirty seconds years ago at her wedding (she went to school with Wes), but we now happen to be pretty much in the same exact place in life, at the same exact time, with a lot of the same struggles as new moms of two little ones.

She recently posted about an article about The Invisible Mother. I was pretty intrigued by the title, but the article really brought tears to my eyes, so I thought I would share it as well (hope you don't mind Kristy)!!

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On a day when I was wondering why no one had nominated me for a major award because I was able to get three beds stripped and cleaned and remade, a colorful and balanced supper on the table, a toddler entertained on my own from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., an entertaining column written and submitted, and a first grader taken to school with everything he needed and brought home with nothing that he didn't, I received this in my inbox.

I am grateful to Mother-in-Law for passing it along. I can give no credit to the author, because I don't know who wrote it, but from the sound of things she seeks none.

Religious or not, an at-home-mom or professional mom, read it and take from it what you need.

Invisible Mother

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, “Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The Invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, “What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, “Right around 5:30, please.”

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.

I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, “I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, no one will ever see it.” And the workman replied, “Because God sees.”

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, “I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.”

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, '”My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.” That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, “You're gonna love it there.”

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

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One of the things that struck me as I was reading this, was not only the obvious, but how as soon as you become a mom, it's like your eyes open up for the first time to truly see your own mother. So to my own mom, although you may have felt invisible for a long time, you aren't invisible to me.

The Great Debate of 2011

Even though Emma Kathryn is only two years old, she has actually had four Halloween costumes. I can't help it! Each year I find two that I love and can't ever decide. I was actually hoping this year that Squishy could sport Emma's first Halloween costume (pumpkin) but seeing the he is growing like a weed, I'm pretty sure there is no way he is going to fit into a six month costume two months from now. But, that's a great excuse to go looking around for new costumes!

For Emma's first Halloween...she rocked a pumpkin and pink poodle costume.

For Emma's second Halloween, she was the cutest Minnie Mouse on earth, followed up by a fairy princess.



So the great debate now is if we go with "separate" costumes where Emma can pick out whatever she wants and Jackson is whatever Mommy picks, or do they coordinate? Tigger and Pooh? Ketchup and a Hot Dog? Angel and little Devil? Smurfs? Animals? Crayons?

So many choices! So little time!

One thing Emma hopefully won't be rocking this year is the two giant bruises and bumps on her forehead like last year. Knock on wood (which is ironic because that's how she got the bruises and bumps in the first place...from knocking her forehead on a wooden boat)!

Hurricane Irene (Part 2)

So after painting (both pretend and real), making faces at Mommy while she is taking pictures, 457 games of Hide-and-Seek and learning to crawl...you then give Mommy a break and go take a nap. During that time, Mommy gets to make some homemade baby food! It's so easy (and much cheaper), you apparently just need to have a hurricane come so you have enough time to actually make it. :)

You then wake up after a short nap and give Mommy the ooogly eyes that she can't resist so she then breaks the camera back out of the bag.

That's exactly when you begin to drool on the floor again, so it's impossible for Mommy to get a picture of you without the string of drool attached from your chin to the floor.

While you are waiting for your sister to fully wake up from her nap so you can annoy snuggle her, you decided to annoy play with Shamie.

You then force your hand in Shamie's mouth, stick your fingers up his nose, poke him in the eye and then pull his ears. All of which you think is absolutely hilarious.

::: Disclaimer: No Shamie's were harmed in the taking of this picture ::::

When Shamie responds with a swift lick of the face, it takes a minute for you to snap out of it and figure out what just happened.

At some point, you drag your little rocking chair across the house and watch some shows. It's very important that you remain in your jammies for long periods of time as well.

You then give your homemade zucchini a try and despite first glances...

...you end up loving it and almost eating an entire zucchini.

Hurricane Irene (Part 1)

Last weekend, (you know, the weekend right after the earthquake...crikey), we spent inside waiting out the wrath of Hurricane Irene. We were really lucky throughout the whole thing with no damage, just two small leaks and we (unlike thousands) were lucky enough to keep our power. Although we were prepared for a few days with no power, we go really lucky.

I was a little nervous on how the weekend would go with two little ones stuck in the house all weekend (and obviously scared of what the hurricane would bring), but it turns out our little ones did great. So...what do you do in the house all weekend with a hurricane looming? Well....after all of the laundry is done, water is purchased, house is cleaned and everything is prepared...here's what you do...

Disclaimer: These pictures are all pretty terrible quality photography wise...the lighting due to Irene was pretty bad and I keep trying to practice on manual mode so I didn't switch it to auto...maybe I should have. Ack.

You stick with napping as close as possible to routine so you don't go crazy. And yes, this also means sticking to the one and only position that you ever sleep in.

You play with your Shamie while wearing last year's Easter dress because you snatched it out of Mommy's hands while she was cleaning out your closet, even if the dress is only big enough to be a shirt at this point.

You then contemplate what water-color masterpiece you are going to pretend to paint on the front door next. Either that or you stick your paint brush up your nose while Mommy isn't looking.

Then you play with your Shamie some more and get lots of kisses while clinging tight to your paint brush.

You then make funny faces at the camera to make sure it's near impossible for Mommy to get a good picture of you and your sibling at the same time. Oh, and don't forget to demand to keep wearing last year's Easter dress.

You then either stick out your tongue at Mommy or you continue to drool on the floor.

Then, you decide that its a good time to snuggle. ::: heart breaks :::

Then you decide that you have had enough of snuggling, and it's time to tackle your baby brother.

Then, instead of pretend painting...you actually do some painting.

Then, you play hide and seek. A.L.O.T.

When it's your turn to "seek", don't forget to hide your eyes and count!!

But when no one is looking, go ahead and take a peek to get a leg up on the competition.

Once hide and seek is over...you then practice crawling even though you are only 5 months old and Mommy is no where ready to have a mobile infant again.

To be continued.....