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10 Reasons That Single Moms Rock! (As told from my experiences as a single mom)

Let’s face it, single moms are resourceful. We are bonded by our ability to get things done and make things happen under the most limiting, seemingly impossible set of circumstances. This takes creativity, ingenuity, sacrifice and smarts. Now, I’m sure that you have respect for the single mom who works hard to provide for her family but I’m not sure that you can even begin to fathom just how savvy and determined we actually are. So let me be the first to give you the real inside scoop…

10 Reasons That Single Mom’s Rock:

  1. We’re not afraid to be alone – Contrary to popular belief, we are really okay with not being in a relationship…I’m not saying that having a relationship isn’t nice, but true to our hearts, our children come first.
  2. We find a way to provide our families most basic needs – It only takes one friend from school staying for a sleepover and one unpaid electric bill to equal, lesson learned. You can’t let the power get shut off ever again…plus using the excuse that a car must have hit a utility pole up the street only works once.
  3. We figure it out on our own – Sometimes the only way to have enough money to purchase the cleats for baseball is to scour through your closet looking for clothing  (that you got as gifts) with tags still on, hoping that you’ll be able to return them for cash. Been there, done that. Got the cleats.
  4. We lean on each other – Truth…We complain, we joke and sometimes we even cry but we lean on our other single mother friends for support when the going gets tough. There is always strength in numbers. 
  5. We take on the big challenges – Great. I have to purchase three laptops for school by the end of this week…PANIC…IMPOSSIBLE. “Don’t worry guys, mommy will get them for you.” After running around to a multitude of stores and realizing that you really can’t afford this, you end up at the local pawn shop. As fate would have it, not only do you find three affordable laptops, but there just happens to be a computer teacher from the high school there when you are. He resets all of the passwords and clears the memory on all of the laptops out of the kindness of his heart. Victory! Mom comes through, even if it took a day of running around and four hours at the pawn shop.
  6. We go without – Probably true of all moms but we single moms really put ourselves last. No vacation, no haircut every six weeks, no popular trends in clothing or fashion. If we don’t look good, know that we’re smiling because our children do. Sales, clearance, thrift stores…they only know that somehow mom got them what everyone else is wearing.
  7. We can turn nothing into something – It might be a recipe that becomes a family favorite created solely of “Whatever I have to work with” or a birthday or holiday that we make memorable on a shoestring budget…in retrospect we can’t even remember how we pulled it off, but we did.
  8. We find resources – Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Google it, inquire, seek it out. Somehow, someway, you can accomplish anything with a lot of drive and effort. 
  9. We understand the struggle is real – It ain’t easy! That’s the God’s honest truth and I challenge anyone who thinks that they can do a better job to come on over and hold the fort…but you have to come alone.
  10. We don’t give up – Being a single parent, male or female, isn’t for the faint of heart. In fact, it takes everything that you’ve got, everyday, and everything that you’ve got even on the days when you have no idea where you’re going to find the strength…but I do know this, I’ll never turn my back on the challenge. In the end it all comes down to love…and what better driving force is there than that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on by mylifeiswear.com

B.O.G.O Before the Big Snow

The threat of a snow storm, or even a snow flurry sends throes of panicked consumers straight to the grocery store to stock up on eggs, milk, bread, toilet paper and a laundry list of enough items to potentially topple an average grocery cart. I’m not judging. I must admit, once before a potentially big snow storm hit (and after purchasing my first brand new deep freezer) I found myself among the frantic shoppers at the classic buy one get one / buy one get two free sale.

Upon arriving at the store, the sky was clear and John and I joyfully grabbed two carts on a mission to stock our new freezer. Together we covered every aisle as the merchandise mounted. Buy one bag of chicken wings, get two free. One package of hot dogs, get two free. Better get some hot dog buns. Also on sale…Milk,  buy one get two free soda, coffee, half and half, eggs, chips, cookies, ice cream… oh,hot pockets…the kids will love that…better get some meat…steaks…wait, buy one bag of potatoes, get two free? This is fun!

Before we knew it two hours had passed and we couldn’t fit another item in either of our carts. “Do you think that we’ll have enough money for all of this?”  I asked John as I dug my heels into the floor to push the cart into the checkout line.

“Sure will we.” John confidently replied.

The cashier looked fear-struck when I stated that we were together, while  I began to place some of our items on the belt.

Finally, the grand total before discounts, $500. I am sure that my expression now mimicked that of the cashiers, as I stared at the total.

John handed the store card to the cashier. Once the discounts were applied, our total was now $250. I was elated and so proud of what we had accomplished. It is no easy feat to feed three teenage boys under any circumstances, any day of the week.

Victoriously, we pushed and pulled, what was now three carts of bagged groceries out into…four inches of snow.

After loading the car to the hilt, we began our slippery ride home. Finally approaching our neighborhood, we took on the first small incline. Our car slid and started to do a 180 as my cell phone rang. Oh God, it was Marc, the youngest and least patient of my children.

“Hello?” I nervously answered as I simultaneously directed John to go another route.

“Mom, mom, mom, where are you guys?” Marc bellowed into the phone.

I replied, “Marc, we’re trying to get home.”

“You’re lying and I’m starving!” Marc argued.

“Marc, I am not lying,” I stated.”We are going to need all of you boys to help with the groceries. I have to get off the phone.”

“Mom, don’t hang up. What did you get?” Marc asked.

“A lot.” I replied and hung up the phone.

On the third try, we made it to level ground but we weren’t home yet. We still had another massive hill to climb. As we began the ascent, our car began to quickly slide backwards. John was confident that with the weight of all the groceries (regardless of our lack of snow tires) we could make it. I was already shutting my eyes, clenching my teeth and fighting back tears as we once again tried to make the crest of the hill. Faced with an oncoming car on a narrow road we slid back to the bottom of the hill. After a brief and stressful argument, John hit the gas and tried to make the hill for the final time. The snow was thick as we slid back down, trying to avoid a car parked at the bottom.

“That’s it!” I yelled, “Park the car!”

John replied, “What about all of the groceries?”

“I don’t know,” I said, “We’ll have to carry them up.”

Getting out of the car we grabbed as much as we could and began a slippery trek up the huge hill.

“I can not believe this!” I said as I tried to keep my footing. “For once in my life I have $500 worth of groceries and this happens.”

John stifles a laugh as he says, “Don’t worry, we have teenage boys to help us. Ya know, they’re gonna to want to eat.”

Once inside, freezing and covered in snow, I yell and try to round-up the troops. True to form on the return from any given shopping day, Kevin is in the shower. Great.

Thankfully, Eric and Marc have some friends over (whom they never asked me if they could invite) but I say nothing, as I’m actually happy for the extra manpower at this moment.

Forty minutes later and multiple slippery trips up our steep hill of a road, all of the groceries are finally in the house.

Exhausted, I have to laugh. My life I swear…