meet: Kelly Hubert, part 1

Kelly Hubert is a country girl who currently lives in northern Illinois with her never-a-dull-moment husband, Jake, and their two girls Livia Grace (4) and Finley Faith (2). In addition to being a mom, her other jobs include Pilates instructor and childcare provider at the local YMCA, foundation Creator and President, and blogger. She is most passionate about her family, her faith journey, running/exercising, creating/crafting, and their Foundation.

Her story is pretty much like anyone else’s - she grew up happy and dreamed of marriage and a family. Everything seemed to fall into place like she hoped it would - she married a great guy, they both had good jobs, they were raising two little girls. And then they received news every parent dreads – their daughter, Livia, was diagnosed with a terminal, un-treatable genetic disorder called Sanfilippo Syndrome. She prayed, looked for more information and then took action, creating Liv Life Foundation. Through it, she hopes to spread awareness and raise funds for research, and she wants to help others facing similar battles. The Foundation has given a purpose to her pain, allowing her to do what she believes God set out for her to accomplish.

How are you using your strengths to bless your family? The ability to recognize my uniqueness and that who I am as a person contributes to this world in a positive way blesses my family, especially my kiddos. It has taken me a long time to become comfortable in my own skin. I feel like I have a unique perspective on life that has given me focus and determination to do good. I want my girls to grow up loving themselves for who they are, to live their lives pleasing no one but God. I also recognize that one of my strengths is the time and care I put into my family. Because my family is my priority, I know how important it is to take time for myself. This time enables me to take care of myself, which in turn, makes me a better mom and wife. Living a healthy lifestyle contributes to the all around well-being of this family.

What do you wish you were better at? 

Praying. This is something hard for me to admit. I’ve struggled with this for a long time. I pray, but I don’t feel like I pray enough. I catch myself praying when things are bad, but not when they are good. I need to offer praise and not always pray for help or forgiveness. We all have busy lives - putting the Lord first, keeping my kids and hubby happy, doctor’s appointments, running a foundation, training for a marathon, and on and on. What helps influence our success as a Christian parent is how we choose to respond to the busy-ness and how we prioritize things. 

Describe your perfect day

My perfect day would start out with my house being clean and picked up, coffee made, and blueberry pancakes with my kids and hubby. Then, I would get my run in and shower in peace. I’d then be kid-free for a bit, have lunch with girlfriends and do a little shopping (OK…A LOT, if this is my perfect day!). Mani, pedi, and massage with my sister. Then meet up with Jake and the girls for some dinner at a hibachi restaurant.

Do you have a specific vision for your family that's beyond just surviving the day? If so, how do you keep your vision in all the chaos? 
Absolutely! Truth be told, surviving the day is definitely crucial. However, having goals and dreams for a bright future help with that survival. I feel like I’ve been given “new eyes” for our future. Having a glimpse of what our future looks like with Livia has given us a new perspective on what life and everyday living should look like. My vision for my family, which helps in the chaos, has taught me not to sweat the small stuff and to teach my children to the best of my ability. The rest will be up to them. My vision may not be the same as what they will want for themselves. I pray that they will make the right choices and become contributing members of our society and live a life serving our Lord. I want our family to be a giving family. I hope our family, and our story will help others find encouragement, God, and hope. 

Are there any routines that you’ve incorporated into your daily schedule that help foster faith formation in your children? 

Any opportunity that I get to teach my children why we are here or why the grass is green and give all the credit to our Savior, I take it. My kids are at the age where every word I tell them is something they believe to be true. Having that foundation of faith within myself, and with my husband, has helped foster that faith formation in my children. We attend church on a regular basis and we pray together as a family at meals and before bedtime. 

Do you have any practical tips that you have found especially helpful in managing your household? 

A schedule. We thrive on our daily routines. My kids like the routines, and they know what to expect. They are also at an age where, if that routine is broken, they won’t break. My kids still nap, but if we make plans to go somewhere or do something out of the routine it still works. Like I said before, I take some time for myself every day. Join a local gym or YMCA that offers daycare. Exercising to start my day only makes the rest of my day go better. There’s something to say about endorphins! They are my drug of choice! J

I don’t feel bad about turning on the TV or putting in a movie if something HAS to get done. My girls get my attention for the majority of the day, so if I need to clean something, fold some laundry, or fill out some paperwork, I do it! I’ve found that procrastinating over things that need to get done only makes things worse.

Ask for help. This is something that I really struggle with! It’s something that I should have included in the question above. Especially having a child with special needs, I find it hard to ask others for help with anything. I don’t want to burden anyone OR have to explain why my child isn’t potty trained or why she doesn’t sit still. Delegating anything is hard for me. Maybe it’s a control thing, but I really think it’s more of the latter. I have learned that my spouse is my ally in this thing called life. He and my family are my support system.

Read part 2 of her interview on Thursday

Craft Hope: Christmas in Dixie

By Karen Brown 

You may remember being introduced to Craft Hope a while back. Its mission is “to share handmade crafts with those who need them."

"It is our hope to combine our love for crafting and desire to help others into a project to make a difference around the world,” the organization says. 

Well, they have a new project called Christmas in Dixie. Christmas in Dixie aims to “provide handmade stockings for the 12,000 families that lost everything to tornadoes this year. Yes, 12,000 families that will not be pulling the Christmas ornaments and decorations out of their attic. 12,000 families that have to build their lives again. We know we cannot do everything, but we can do little things. And these little things make a BIG difference.

In addition to having nothing, these families will face new needs that this season will bring, such as winter clothing, funds for heating, and gifts for their family members or in addition to the everyday needs they now face. There are groups helping supply toys for tots, churches help with clothing and food, even the Government will help somewhat. But no one will be concerned with these items that help form the traditions, and memories that we all remember as we grow up. We can only imagine how worry will begin to creep into the back of many moms’ minds, realizing Christmas is just around the corner and once again they will be reminded of those items that mean so much, like ornaments handmade through the years, pictures with Santa, and their own personal stocking being lost and gone for ever” (excerpt from the Craft Hope website).

If you like to sew or knit, consider making stockings this fall for those in need. This act would be a wonderful example of giving and love that you can share with your children and family as they watch you create. Maybe even get your kids involved in the project, like letting them pick fabric, cut out patterns, or pack the stockings in boxes.

The deadline for this project is Sept 23, 2011. Check out the website for more details.

Book Review: Stupid Things Parents Do To Mess Up Their Kids

By Katharine Grubb

I’ve been down on myself lately and I picked up this book from the library thinking that perhaps it would encourage me in my parenting skills. I know a little about Dr. Laura Schlessinger, enough to trust her opinion.  

Some things included in her stupid list are: neglect, irresponsible conception, lack of discipline, indulgence, and distractions. Each thing gets its own chapter and all of them are consistent with Biblical beliefs. Even though Dr. Laura is Jewish, she firmly supports a Christian worldview, conservative thought, and the importance of faith in a family setting. She cites articles, gives statistics, and quotes callers from her radio show.  And she backs up the reasons why all of these things are, indeed, stupid. I found her data to be disturbing but not surprising.

I am glad I read this book. I found it to be a quick read and I came away from it feeling like my own intentions in parenting are not stupid at all. (They’re also not perfect, but I’m grateful that Dr. Laura would probably not find them toxic to my children.) I highly recommend this book specifically to new parents. Especially to new parents who were raised by parents who may have done some stupid things themselves.

that's just how god made it

By Karen Brown

My kids are little and, like most kids their age, full of questions. If I had a nickel for every time a little one asked me “why,” I would be a rich woman. Don’t get me wrong, I learn best myself by asking questions. I get why they do the asking. It’s just that, at times, my answer doesn’t seem to be quite good enough.

It tends to go something like this.

Them: “Why do giraffe’s have long necks?”

Me: “So they can reach high up and into trees to get the leaves they like to eat.”

Them: “But why?”

Me: “Because sometimes that’s the only place there are still leaves left after other, shorter animals have eaten.”

Them: “But why?” (following me around asking again and again and again)

Me: silent (now frustrated and wondering myself why giraffes have such long necks)

But behold, our family has an answer that seems to leave everyone satisfied and at peace. It is an answer that was given once by one of my kids’ babysitters. Are you ready? The response is... “That’s just how God made them.” Seriously, it works like a charm. So simple, huh? And I hear my kids giving this response quite often when others ask them questions they may not have answers to. It always cracks me up when I hear my three-year-old answer his own question with, “that’s just how God made them, right?” I love it! Try it next time your kids have a question. It even works on husbands sometimes too.

treasuring God in our traditions

By Karen Brown 

I first came across the book Treasuring God in our Traditions on the blog Under the Sycamore. Since the blog always has such wonderful ideas and ways to make God real to kids, I thought the book would be worth checking out. (So is the blog, by the way.)

One of the things that really resonated with me when reading this book was the way the author hoped to instill traditions in her children that drew them closer to God. The ways they celebrated events and traditions as a family would remind them of God’s hand in their lives. The author, Noel Piper, used the word infiltrate; infiltrate our lives with God. It got me excited thinking about the ways our family can intentionally incorporate the Gospel into everyday routines and activities.

The book offers many practical suggestions for encompassing tradition into both everyday life and special occasions like Christmas and Easter. It also challenges the reader to evaluate traditions and customs we currently subscribe to. Some traditions are worth keeping and handing down to future generations, while others may need a little reworking in order to have Christ at the center. The purpose of traditions, in the author’s own words, is “remembering what God did for His people, giving glory to God for what He’s done and so our children and their children will know Him.” (pg. 103)

This book feels like one of those I will reread as my children continue to grow and mature. My hope is that our family traditions will be ones my children will look back on fondly as some of the ways they most grew in Christian growth and were nurtured. You can get your copy of the book here.