Father’s Day will be here in a few days. I got to thinking about fathers and what they represent in a family. According to the dictionary, a father is the male parent. He has many roles to fulfill: provider, protector, instructor, trainer, commander, corrector, nourisher. The list could go on and on, but you can get the general idea what their role in life should be.
I remember growing up thinking my dad could do no wrong and could basically walk on water if he wanted. When I was little I would sit on his lap and we would talk and play and I would tell him I would marry him when I grew up. I realized as I got older that that was not possible or even legal, but I also came to the conclusion I wanted to marry someone "like my father." I believe I did that. I married a wonderful man who is a super father to our four boys. He has set a good example for all of them to follow. He has not only been a good father, but a great husband, which is hopefully the model they will follow when they marry.
I was fortunate to get to be a stay-at-home mom while our kids have grown up. Hubby did not want me working and sticking our kids in daycare. Even though our youngest just graduated from high school, he does not want me to have to work outside the home. So thank goodness for the Internet and my online business! He has been an excellent provider as a husband and father. He has worked at the same job for nearly 26 years doing shift work. We added on to and remodeled our house ourselves to give each of the boys their own room to enjoy while they still lived at home. He has taught the boys a lot about construction and then encouraged them to go to the technical college where he went in order to gain more knowledge in that trade – which they have done. He is interested and involved in what the boys are doing and was a faithful supporter of them for 3 ½ years in their training to obtain their first-degree black belts in Tae Kwon Do. He has also been their Christian mentor and example since they were very little. I remember several of the boys having to write a paper for school about their hero. And guess who it was they wrote about? Their dad.
Fathers keep the family linked together and make the world go round. I feel sorry for those who have grown up without a father in the picture. Little boys need them to have a buddy or a hero to look up to. Whey they get to be teenagers, the dads have usually lost that status, but it made great memories for dad while their little boys were growing up. Little girls need their daddies in order to know what to look for in a husband years down the road. They have a way of wrapping their dad around their little fingers and before dads know it, they are telling the preacher they are giving their little girl to the man of her dreams. My husband and never had any little girls, but I know giving a daughter away at the wedding would have been really hard on him. He is not an overly emotional guy, but something like that would choke him up and cause very moist eyes.
I have two plaques hanging side by side in our bedroom. One says "A mother is a person who can take the place of all others, but whose place no one else can take." The other one says "Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a daddy." Both sayings are so true. Do not forget to wish your dad a Happy Father’s Day, but most of all, tell your father (and mother) that you love them. If it was not for them you would not be here! Plus, we never know from one day to the next how long they or we will be around to tell them "I love you," and once someone is gone it is too late.
Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.internettowealth.com/
Showing posts with label boys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boys. Show all posts
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
The Title of "Stay-at-Home Mom"
Once when an insurance salesman was helping my husband and I fill out a joint application, he asked me what my occupation was. I told him I was just a stay-at-home mom. He exclaimed, "Just! That is a very important job and very rewarding for both you and your kids." I thought about what he said and he was so right. Many women are not fortunate enough to be able to stay home to raise their kids because of needing the extra income. My husband and I decided when we started having kids that no one else was going to raise them for us, and we did not want them to be latch-key kids. It is a proven fact that that situation is not good for kids or society. So we cinched the belt really tight to be able to afford to do it. We had four boys, and the youngest is now getting ready to graduate from high school and leave for college.
I have enjoyed being able to stay at home even while they were in school, not just as preschoolers. It is great to be able to have them walk in the house after school and yell, "MOM! I’m home!" This has allowed me to be able to do things for and with them that I wouldn’t have been able to do if I was working. I went as a sponsor on several field trips, I helped as a room mother at school parties, I volunteered to help elementary kids with the Accelerated Reading Program at school, and I was able to help with high school post-prom decorating - all while many parents were at work. We have even been able to go take our sons out to lunch during college when my husband’s work schedule would allow for the 150-mile round trip to be worked in. He works shift work with a rotating schedule, which takes extra planning. That was another factor determining me being a stay-at-home mom. With his rotating shifts, there would have been times I would not have seen much out of him.
I have done several things at home to help with the finances. I have been involved in several direct selling opportunities. Those did not work out because you have to go out and sell – same as working a J-O-B. I help my husband with his part-time construction business when he needs my assistance. I personally have three businesses that I run from home to help with the income. The first one is raising registered Beagle puppies. We have two females and one male, so we have four litters of puppies per year. The second is my cake decorating business. I specialize in edible image cakes. The orders straggle in throughout the months (including a few wedding cakes here and there), but my busiest time of the year is graduation when everybody is wanting a cake – usually within a three day time period. No stress there! My other is an Internet business, which allows me the freedom to totally work it from home. The business I am in has a great support team of experienced online mentors. There is also a great back office that gets me the training I need in order to succeed.
I have come to the conclusion that working outside the home is not for me. I fill in very occasionally at the local hardware store for the secretary when she is gone. When I get home, I am stressed out and scurry around like a chicken with my head cut off – not knowing what I should try to tackle first on my list of things to do that I normally take care of during the day. I like my stay-at-home routine much better! I do not like when others assume that I set around and do nothing all day but watch TV. I am busy from the time I get up till my head hits the pillow at night. I always have something to do to keep the house running smoothly and my family on track. If you are a stay-at-home mom like me, never underestimate your worth in what you are contributing to your family. It is hard to put a monetary value on some things – and that is one of them. Next time you fill out a form and it asks your occupation, don’t just put in stay-at-home mom or housewife. Put in DOMESTIC ENGINEER. You have earned the title, so why not use it proudly. This is not meant as a term of political correctness. The dictionary says domestic means of the home or family affairs. An engineer is a person who is able to plan, organize, and manage. Us stay-at-home moms have so many rolls to fill and jobs to perform on a daily basis that we become experienced at them all. Being a stay-at-home mom is something I have been very proud of, as should anyone else who has been able to have that as their career. I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.internettowealth.com/
I have enjoyed being able to stay at home even while they were in school, not just as preschoolers. It is great to be able to have them walk in the house after school and yell, "MOM! I’m home!" This has allowed me to be able to do things for and with them that I wouldn’t have been able to do if I was working. I went as a sponsor on several field trips, I helped as a room mother at school parties, I volunteered to help elementary kids with the Accelerated Reading Program at school, and I was able to help with high school post-prom decorating - all while many parents were at work. We have even been able to go take our sons out to lunch during college when my husband’s work schedule would allow for the 150-mile round trip to be worked in. He works shift work with a rotating schedule, which takes extra planning. That was another factor determining me being a stay-at-home mom. With his rotating shifts, there would have been times I would not have seen much out of him.
I have done several things at home to help with the finances. I have been involved in several direct selling opportunities. Those did not work out because you have to go out and sell – same as working a J-O-B. I help my husband with his part-time construction business when he needs my assistance. I personally have three businesses that I run from home to help with the income. The first one is raising registered Beagle puppies. We have two females and one male, so we have four litters of puppies per year. The second is my cake decorating business. I specialize in edible image cakes. The orders straggle in throughout the months (including a few wedding cakes here and there), but my busiest time of the year is graduation when everybody is wanting a cake – usually within a three day time period. No stress there! My other is an Internet business, which allows me the freedom to totally work it from home. The business I am in has a great support team of experienced online mentors. There is also a great back office that gets me the training I need in order to succeed.
I have come to the conclusion that working outside the home is not for me. I fill in very occasionally at the local hardware store for the secretary when she is gone. When I get home, I am stressed out and scurry around like a chicken with my head cut off – not knowing what I should try to tackle first on my list of things to do that I normally take care of during the day. I like my stay-at-home routine much better! I do not like when others assume that I set around and do nothing all day but watch TV. I am busy from the time I get up till my head hits the pillow at night. I always have something to do to keep the house running smoothly and my family on track. If you are a stay-at-home mom like me, never underestimate your worth in what you are contributing to your family. It is hard to put a monetary value on some things – and that is one of them. Next time you fill out a form and it asks your occupation, don’t just put in stay-at-home mom or housewife. Put in DOMESTIC ENGINEER. You have earned the title, so why not use it proudly. This is not meant as a term of political correctness. The dictionary says domestic means of the home or family affairs. An engineer is a person who is able to plan, organize, and manage. Us stay-at-home moms have so many rolls to fill and jobs to perform on a daily basis that we become experienced at them all. Being a stay-at-home mom is something I have been very proud of, as should anyone else who has been able to have that as their career. I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.internettowealth.com/
Monday, April 7, 2008
25 Years Together!
On April 10, 2007, my husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary together. Where did those years go that passed by so quickly? Just what had we done or accomplished in those years since saying "I do?" I started making a list and was rather amazed as I quickly came up with 12 things right off the top of my head.
1. We gave birth to four sons who are our pride and joy. Our early married life was spent having babies – to where we are today of being on the verge of experiencing the empty nest syndrome as our youngest prepares to graduate from high school this year. It’s been a great experience of rearing our children that we wouldn’t trade for anything. They are very polite and respectable young Christian men and we are so proud of them.
2. When our youngest was about two years old, we realized how we had outgrown our small house and started our quest to put on an addition and remodel the old part of it. It took us 3 ½ years to do it, but we did it ourselves working side by side with each other.
3. My husband has worked at the same job for over 25 years at a plant that manufactures shingles and other roofing products. We have survived those years with him working rotating shifts every week and experiencing many disappointments when he wasn’t able to attend something such as an event one of our sons was involved in or a family get-together. We even went through a horrible experience of him almost getting his hand cut off at work and several months of therapy.
4. We supported our sons through 3 ½ years of training to become 1st Degree Black Belts in Tae Kwon Do. We were very proud of them each and every time they attained a new belt rank.
5. We took our four boys and went on a major 10-day family vacation to the Black Hills of South Dakota after the oldest son’s graduation from high school. We knew that might be the last time to go on such an outing before the boys were all gone from home. We had a blast!
6. We have been foster parents for about nine years – taking in 40 some kids in that time. Some kids stayed for less than a week, but others had stayed for nearly two years. Yes, there have been challenges along the way with most of the kids we’ve taken in, but it is our hope that we gave them a good home and have been a positive impact on their lives.
7. Getting our kids through college has been in the process for the last six years. They all are or have attended the same technical college in the construction trades. The two that have graduated have good jobs as a result of their education. Two down – two to go!
8. We have been able to see one of our sons get married to date. It is our prayer that all four of our sons find a wife that makes them very happy and that they can have as many years together as my husband and I have.
9. In our years together, we were saddened by the loss of both of my husband’s parents – we miss them a lot. On the other hand, we were able to help my parents celebrate 50 years together with an anniversary party in February 2007. Not many couples get to reach that milestone and we are so happy for them.
10. A great joy that has happened in the last couple of years we’ve been together is that of becoming grandparents. First of all came a grandson through our son’s adoption of a little boy that belonged to our daughter-in-law. Less than a year later, we experienced the joy of the birth of our granddaughter. It’s great being a grandparent! A recent song of "Small Town Southern Man" by Alan Jackson says it best in the chorus with, "The greatest contribution is the ones you leave behind."
11. My husband has been able to start a part-time job with his own construction business. After his hand accident on his full-time job, we were afraid he may not be able to pursue that dream of his. But with many months of therapy and 80% usage back, his business is growing with people wanting him to do jobs for them. What makes it even more special is that our sons have been able to step in and help on the projects since they have been to college to learn the construction trades.
12. I have been able to be a stay-at-home mom while all of our kids have been in school. It’s allowed me to help some with the construction business. I also have a cake decorating business and have been in several retail sales businesses. But the best has been starting my online businesses, which has allowed me to earn money online while being at home.
This list is just some of the highlights of our lives. There have been many other events that compile the make up of the 25 years my husband and I have had together. But what holds them all together like glue is the love we have for each other. Just as Faith Hill has sung "I am so blessed" in one of her popular songs, God has blessed us richly!
Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.internettowealth/
1. We gave birth to four sons who are our pride and joy. Our early married life was spent having babies – to where we are today of being on the verge of experiencing the empty nest syndrome as our youngest prepares to graduate from high school this year. It’s been a great experience of rearing our children that we wouldn’t trade for anything. They are very polite and respectable young Christian men and we are so proud of them.
2. When our youngest was about two years old, we realized how we had outgrown our small house and started our quest to put on an addition and remodel the old part of it. It took us 3 ½ years to do it, but we did it ourselves working side by side with each other.
3. My husband has worked at the same job for over 25 years at a plant that manufactures shingles and other roofing products. We have survived those years with him working rotating shifts every week and experiencing many disappointments when he wasn’t able to attend something such as an event one of our sons was involved in or a family get-together. We even went through a horrible experience of him almost getting his hand cut off at work and several months of therapy.
4. We supported our sons through 3 ½ years of training to become 1st Degree Black Belts in Tae Kwon Do. We were very proud of them each and every time they attained a new belt rank.
5. We took our four boys and went on a major 10-day family vacation to the Black Hills of South Dakota after the oldest son’s graduation from high school. We knew that might be the last time to go on such an outing before the boys were all gone from home. We had a blast!
6. We have been foster parents for about nine years – taking in 40 some kids in that time. Some kids stayed for less than a week, but others had stayed for nearly two years. Yes, there have been challenges along the way with most of the kids we’ve taken in, but it is our hope that we gave them a good home and have been a positive impact on their lives.
7. Getting our kids through college has been in the process for the last six years. They all are or have attended the same technical college in the construction trades. The two that have graduated have good jobs as a result of their education. Two down – two to go!
8. We have been able to see one of our sons get married to date. It is our prayer that all four of our sons find a wife that makes them very happy and that they can have as many years together as my husband and I have.
9. In our years together, we were saddened by the loss of both of my husband’s parents – we miss them a lot. On the other hand, we were able to help my parents celebrate 50 years together with an anniversary party in February 2007. Not many couples get to reach that milestone and we are so happy for them.
10. A great joy that has happened in the last couple of years we’ve been together is that of becoming grandparents. First of all came a grandson through our son’s adoption of a little boy that belonged to our daughter-in-law. Less than a year later, we experienced the joy of the birth of our granddaughter. It’s great being a grandparent! A recent song of "Small Town Southern Man" by Alan Jackson says it best in the chorus with, "The greatest contribution is the ones you leave behind."
11. My husband has been able to start a part-time job with his own construction business. After his hand accident on his full-time job, we were afraid he may not be able to pursue that dream of his. But with many months of therapy and 80% usage back, his business is growing with people wanting him to do jobs for them. What makes it even more special is that our sons have been able to step in and help on the projects since they have been to college to learn the construction trades.
12. I have been able to be a stay-at-home mom while all of our kids have been in school. It’s allowed me to help some with the construction business. I also have a cake decorating business and have been in several retail sales businesses. But the best has been starting my online businesses, which has allowed me to earn money online while being at home.
This list is just some of the highlights of our lives. There have been many other events that compile the make up of the 25 years my husband and I have had together. But what holds them all together like glue is the love we have for each other. Just as Faith Hill has sung "I am so blessed" in one of her popular songs, God has blessed us richly!
Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.internettowealth/
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Raising Four Boys
"It’s a boy!" Wow! Who would have thought I would hear that four times? I thought I would hear "It’s a girl!" at least once in my birthing experiences. However, I have not been disappointed to have all boys. I have talked to moms who have either all girls or a mixture and I have come to the conclusion that boys are much easier to raise. Here are a few reasons I feel this way:
1. I spent less money on clothes when they were growing up. Not only did I not have to buy all the frills and matching outfits, but time one boy had outgrown his clothes, his younger brother could wear them. They seemed to grow fast enough that the clothes were not worn out, just too small.
2. We didn’t have to make those frequent trips to the hair salon. My boys all preferred having military cuts as opposed to a style. Great news for me! I bought a good pair of hair clippers that cost about what one trip to the salon would have cost, and they get a buzz job every three weeks. 3. It’s nice to have big strong boys around when I need something done. This saves me getting a hernia if a large object needs to be moved. They are also taller than I am, so that means they can reach high up stuff – saving me having to go hunt up a ladder or stool.
4. I know when I go to a bigger city (I live in a town of 250 people) they can protect me. They are all four 1st Degree Black Belts in Tae Kwon Do. I put a sticker on our suburban window that says "Parents of 4 Black Belts". They other guy needs to at least be warned!
5. Girls tend to be picky eaters – not my boys. When they are growing, they have ravenous appetites. They pretty much eat anything I put in front of them. They even like fried liver and onions, which most kids will turn their nose up at.
6. No dealing with that time of month and all those girlie hormones. No need to say more on that subject.
7. But probably the best part is – I have four sons, but that means I will get my four daughters when they all get married, and I wasn’t the one who had to raise the girls!!!!
Raising children, whether all boys or all girls or a mixture of both is great fun, but is also a great responsibility. I compare it to running my Internet businesses. It takes time, patience, nurturing, understanding, and a few disappointments alone the way. But if you don’t lose heart, raising kids and building your online business will both bring you joy and something you can be proud of.
Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.internettowealth.com/
1. I spent less money on clothes when they were growing up. Not only did I not have to buy all the frills and matching outfits, but time one boy had outgrown his clothes, his younger brother could wear them. They seemed to grow fast enough that the clothes were not worn out, just too small.
2. We didn’t have to make those frequent trips to the hair salon. My boys all preferred having military cuts as opposed to a style. Great news for me! I bought a good pair of hair clippers that cost about what one trip to the salon would have cost, and they get a buzz job every three weeks. 3. It’s nice to have big strong boys around when I need something done. This saves me getting a hernia if a large object needs to be moved. They are also taller than I am, so that means they can reach high up stuff – saving me having to go hunt up a ladder or stool.
4. I know when I go to a bigger city (I live in a town of 250 people) they can protect me. They are all four 1st Degree Black Belts in Tae Kwon Do. I put a sticker on our suburban window that says "Parents of 4 Black Belts". They other guy needs to at least be warned!
5. Girls tend to be picky eaters – not my boys. When they are growing, they have ravenous appetites. They pretty much eat anything I put in front of them. They even like fried liver and onions, which most kids will turn their nose up at.
6. No dealing with that time of month and all those girlie hormones. No need to say more on that subject.
7. But probably the best part is – I have four sons, but that means I will get my four daughters when they all get married, and I wasn’t the one who had to raise the girls!!!!
Raising children, whether all boys or all girls or a mixture of both is great fun, but is also a great responsibility. I compare it to running my Internet businesses. It takes time, patience, nurturing, understanding, and a few disappointments alone the way. But if you don’t lose heart, raising kids and building your online business will both bring you joy and something you can be proud of.
Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.internettowealth.com/
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