My Bonus Mom Life: Adventures Full Of Grace and Chaos Coordinating

Wait…. what?  I know what you’re thinking.  Who is this person and what does she know about Grace and Chaos?  Well… I’m not an expert at Grace… Lord knows.  But I’m an expert at NEEDING some but I’m finding my way through the chaos of motherhood and blended family and all the chaos that it brings and coordinating our lives.  

I’m a small-town Illinois gal, and when I say Illinois, I mean soybeans and cornfields not big city Chicago.  I’m a Mom, Bonus Mom, wife, daughter, and friend.  I’m a trained musician but have worked in healthcare most of my adult life; however I’ve been a SAHM for the last year and a half and I LOVE IT!  I’m obsessed with Jesus, family, carbs, travel, and photography.  You will likely find me at a sporting event or on the porch near our pool (unless it’s that awful season we call winter).  That’s the “Spark notes” version of me… read on for the rest!  

 

Why did I begin a blog?

I’ve been a mom for almost 12 years, which has been the hardest but most rewarding job of my life.  When I became a single mom in 2011, I realized that becoming a single mom was even harder and it’s a very lonely road.  Then in 2013 when I began dating my husband who was raising his boys full time, I started walking the bonus mom road.  It was then that I started to understand that this was a new aspect of motherhood with a whole new level of lonely and the challenges could seem insurmountable at times.  And yet, I still wanted to do this bonus mom thing every single day.  However, I don’t have many women in my life who are bonus moms and the few that are do not raise their bonus kids every day.  I’ve learned that my family’s circumstances has put a strange spin and made things that are already a challenge for most a tad bit harder for us.  But I figure that even though in my small group of family and friends, I may be unique, I know I can’t be the only one out there.  So by writing this blog maybe it will help me and my family and maybe we can help others out there as well. 

 

I love to travel!

I love to find places to take trips with the kids and to take get-a-ways with my husband.  I plan to share my pieces of travel gold with you on this blog too. We have 4 kids – 3 boys and 1 girl – ages ranging from 9 to 17, and it can be a challenge at times to find a good vacation that everyone appreciates.  So, I hope to let you in on our secrets and our failures.