My Supports

Emotional Support:

My Husband, Jeff - The support Jeff gives is in many different forms.  He helps take care of the boys, he takes care of our financial investments (this is a weak point for me) and he is my best friend.

My sons, Jason, Joshua, Jacob and Jordan - My boys are my life.  I wake up happy every single day because of them.  Everything I do, every choice I make at this point in my life is for them.

My parents, Jo and Grover - My parents are the absolute best parents anyone could ask for.  They have always supported me 110% (and sometimes even more than that).  I am who I am today because of them.  Mom taught me to be a strong, independent woman.  My dad taught me the value of honesty, integrity and hard work.  My parents are my sounding board when things are not going as planned.  My dad is the only person in the world that I trust 100%.  It is very rare that you have someone in your life that you can trust that much and I am very, very lucky to have him.

My sister, Christy - Christy is my link back to my family in Ohio.  I live in Washington DC, but my entire family (parents, siblings and extended family) all live in Ohio.  Christy calls me a couple times a week to keep me informed of all the craziness going on back there.

My Colleagues, Dean, Brian, Ben and Bryan - These guys keep me sane.  Without going into many details, my office/work environment is very stressful and annoying (for lack of better words).  These guys keep everything in perspective when times get really crazy and they make me laugh every day.  They are definitely more than just colleagues; they are my friends.

My neighbors, Bill and Judy - Bill and Judy moved into the townhouse right beside us about a week after we moved into ours.  We have been together for the past 7 years and consider them family versus friends.

Practical Support:

Lists!  I am an organization freak so I make lists for everything - work-related "to do" lists, developmental checklists for my boys, lists of activities I want to do with the boys, lists of new recipes I want to try, etc.  My life revolves around lists.

Calendars - I have several calendars to keep me straight - Microsoft Outlook calendar for work, Google calendar for personal appointments (I merge these 2 once a week to keep everything synchronized) and a calendar on my kitchen wall where I document the boys' milestones because I never have time to stop and find their baby book to document things.  This way I can remember the exact day they did or said something new or funny!  One day I will sit down with all the calendars I have built and update each of their baby books.

My laptop - Although I am a "paper copy" person, I love my laptop because I use Google often.  I love recipe websites!  I have several cooking and home websites that I love to visit for ideas.  One of my favorites is Martha Stewart and Allrecipes.com

My job - As with any job, some days are better than others.  I feel very fortunate in this day and time to have a really good job that supports my family.  We live very comfortably and I am very proud to be able to do all that I can for my family.

My husband's job - Just like with my job, he has good days and bad ones.  But, we are fortunate to have jobs that provide for our family.

Clean House Company - This is the company that cleans our house every 2 weeks.  I stopped using them 6 months ago in order to save money and be able to pay for Jason's ABA therapy, but I finally admitted that I couldn't do everything and needed help.  With the commute, we are away from the house 13 hours a day, 5 days a week.  The weekends are completely filled with errands, grocery shopping and finding time to spend with the boys.  I just could not keep up with everything.

Physical Support:

My Chiropractor!  I have problems with my back and neck.  Thank God for my Chiropractor!  I feel like a new person after a re-alignment and acupuncture.

All of these things keep my life running.  I need each and every one of them to keep sane!  I tried to give up the folks who clean my house but that did not work!  It really added a lot of stress to my life because the house was never as clean as I wanted and I could never find the time to do it.  Additionally, I just started going to the Chiropractor about a year ago.  Before that, I was in a lot of pain every day and some days it hurt to pick up the boys.  Now I am not nearly in as much pain and can play with the boys all the time.

The challenge I chose to talk about is losing my job.  If I did not have a job, I would still need each and every one of the supports listed above.  I would lean heavily on my parents for support, asking them to visit more often or even going home to Ohio more often.  The boys would no longer be in preschool so I would rely even more on the developmental checklists and activities to make sure I am doing everything I can to help them meet all the goals needed before entering kindergarten.  Obviously, I'd rely heavily on my husband for emotional and monetary support.  Many things would change in our lives, but I don't think it would be unbearable.

Even if Jeff lost his job too, we would still survive.  My family asks me all the time to move back home to Ohio.  My mom and dad just told me yesterday that they had discussed the idea that if I ever wanted to move home, they would give me their house and move to the farm house.  They said we wouldn't need to put the boys in day care...they would keep them for us.

I am so lucky to have so many great supports in my life.  I have a loving family that stands behind me 100%.  They are there when things are going right and are there even quicker when things are going wrong.  There is a song by Dolly Parton that describes my family perfectly:

When it's family, you forgive them for they know not what they do
When it's family, you accept them, 'cause you have no choice but to
When it's family, they're a mirror of the worst and best in you
And they always put you to the test
And you always try to do your best
And just pray for God to do the rest, when it's family

Some are preachers, some are gay
Some are addicts, drunks and strays
But not a one is turned away, when it's family
Some are lucky, others ain't
Some are fighters, others faint
Winners, losers, sinners, saints, it's all family

And when it's family you trust them and your heart's an open door
When it's family, you tolerate what you'd kill others for
When it's family, you love and hate and take, then give some more
Somehow you justify mistakes, try to find some better way
To solve the problems day to day, in the family

You take the trouble as it comes and love them more than anyone
Good or bad or indifferent, it's still family
You choose your lovers, you pick your friends
Not the family that you're in, nah
They'll be with you 'til the end, 'cause it's family

And when it's family, you forgive them for they know not what they do
When it's family, they're a mirror of the worst and best in you
When it's family, when it's family
Let me be all that I should be to the family


Bottom line - If I did not have my family, I would feel very unsafe and vulnerable in this world.  Thank God for family!