Jamie - Motherhood Series 2012

Shortly after I met Jamie she invited me to join her book club. Which I was very excited about and which says a lot about Jamie herself. She loves to read, of course, but she is also open and kind and likes to get involved and have fun. She has passion for the arts/music, family, work and her friends. And crafting! And really good chocolate!

Jamie your enthusiasm and your candid nature are inspiring.

1. Tell us about yourself!
Oh man, what do you want to know? I am almost 32 (my birthday is on Friday!). I have been married for 11 years this August - I married my high school sweetheart. I have 3 children - all boys - ages 8, 6 and 2 1/2. I went to university to get my Bachelor of Music degree in elementary education and you guessed it, I teach music. I have a couple of jobs that add up to a part time gig as a music teacher. My full time gig is QUEEN of the house - or what other people might call, MOTHER. I love music of most varieties, art, books of the good variety (yep, I'm a book snob), and trashy television. I am also a bit of a crafter, though not really that great at it - I'm not Martha Stewart! I like to blog because I used to want to be a writer, and because it's a good way to remember these days that seem to fly by so fast. Oh yah, and I have narcolepsy, which is mildly interesting I guess! :)

2. What were your expectations of motherhood before you had kids? (ie. Did you think you'd have a whole houseful of kids? Did you see yourself as a mother at all? Did you wonder if it would ever happen?
I always wanted to be a mother. Ever since I can remember. I've always loved kids and nannying, camp counseling were my summer jobs until I got a real, grown up job. You know, teaching kids. I thought that raising kids would be easy - especially as I watched everyone else's parenting mistakes. I wanted 4 kids - don't know why.

3. What has been(was) your biggest surprise about Motherhood? (different than you expected? or wish someone had told you?)
How hard it is. How much work it is. And I don't mean physical work - that part I think I was prepared for. I had no idea the emotional toll it would take and I expect that it will only get worse as they get older. I also thought that my innate sense of what to do would be enough. Turns out, parenting is a lot more complicated than that. 

4. Biggest joy?
This sort of answers the last question...I was not prepared for the amount of love I would feel for these little beings. No one can explain to you what it feels like to have a piece of your heart walking around in the world. It's a different kind of love than the love you feel for your parents, your siblings or your spouse. And it is priceless.

5. Best wish for your children?
I want them to be happy. Enough said?

6. How do you find time for yourself/what do you do?
I have been blessed with amazing children who sleep well at night. I also have an amazing mother who helps me watch my kids when I need help, which is pretty much every day. While I think it's really important to spend lots of time with your kids, I think it's equally as important to find time for yourself and have a life outside of being a mother. Balance is everything. But if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!

7. What do you wish you had more of? Less of?
I wish I had less laundry, less dishes and less cleaning to do. I wish I had more time - always more time.

8. What do you hope your kids learn from you?
I hope they learn SOMETHING, ANYTHING, from me. I hope they learn to always be kind, even when it's difficult. To work hard. To be respectful of all people, no matter what.

9. What are some of the best things you learned from your own mother?

To be honest and loyal. To give quietly. To love unconditionally. To love books and reading.