{"id":3694,"date":"2010-08-12T00:01:31","date_gmt":"2010-08-12T05:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/?p=3694"},"modified":"2010-08-09T19:55:58","modified_gmt":"2010-08-10T00:55:58","slug":"meet-jill-our-latest-real-experienced-mom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.momstoolbox.com\/blog\/meet-jill-our-latest-real-experienced-mom\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Jill, our latest Real (Experienced) Mom"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am always touched by the stories from the women who so honestly open up their hearts to share their true stories with us on Real (Experienced) Moms<\/a>. Jill’s story is no exception.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately Jill didn’t have a relationship with her own mom to model with her children. But I think her trust in the Lord more than made up for that. Read on and let me know what you think…<\/p>\n

Real (Experienced) Mom Interview with Jill<\/h2>\n

\"Photobucket\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What are the approximate ages of your children now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

32, 29, 26, 19, 17 and two 15 year olds!<\/p>\n

Do you have grandchildren?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I not only have grandchildren but I have beautiful, talented and loving the LORD grandchildren, all 7 of them!<\/p>\n

What are some of the qualities that you admire in your children?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most awesome quality that they have is a willingness to serve other people. They have a heart of service.\u00a0 Probably the other thing I most admire is a teachable spirit.\u00a0 They want to learn and grow.\u00a0 My hubby told our kids growing up that he wanted to be a better parent then his was and he in turn wants our kids to be better parents then we are which has turned out to be true.<\/p>\n

How much of their personality now was a part of them as children?<\/strong><\/p>\n

They were each born with a little personality already formed. Some came out saying \u201cHow can I please you Mama?” and others demanded to know where their dinner was.\u00a0 Our challenge was to mold them within their personality to be all God wanted them to be.<\/p>\n

Before your children were of traditional school age, were you a stay at home mom or were you employed outside the home? At the time, how did you feel about that decision? How do you feel about it now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was my dream to be a Mama.<\/p>\n

My mother died before I got to know her. I spent part of my growing up years in an orphanage. I promised myself that if I ever became a Mama I would be there as much as possible.\u00a0 When my precious hubby and I married we were of the same mind.\u00a0 I felt so blessed that I never felt bad when people looked down on me. During my time raising the first batch of kids we lovingly referred to as Team B, it was not popular to stay home. I was so focused on raising kids to honor the LORD that I didn\u2019t worry about what others thought!\u00a0 No one ever says on their death bed, “Boy I wish I spent more time at the office.”\u00a0 I did not want to have any regrets in that area so I loved every minute.\u00a0 Okay, honestly, not every minute.\u00a0 Sleep deprivation does wild things to your already mushed brain!<\/p>\n

Tell me about a difficult decision you remember making as a mom concerning one of your children. If you could do it over, would you make the same choice?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some of our children are adopted and one of our sons didn\u2019t come to us until he was 14 years old. He had lived a very hard life.\u00a0 We wanted to give him an opportunity to have a family who loved and adored him.\u00a0 Three years later he decided he didn\u2019t want a family and all that it involves.\u00a0 He wanted the streets and all that it had to offer.\u00a0 In the end we asked\u00a0 him to walk out the door at age 17.\u00a0 We would no longer allow him to stay.\u00a0 It was the most painful thing I have ever had to do as a parent.\u00a0 It was the right thing to do and I have no regrets asking him to leave but the pain is still there.<\/p>\n

Tell me about something you feel you did ‘right’ as a mom.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t it so easy to focus on what we did wrong?\u00a0 I could tell you lots of things I did wrong but you didn\u2019t ask me that :) so one of the things I did right as a Mama was to read to them.\u00a0 Our firstborn is a daughter whom I adore and I read to her in the hospital at a day old.\u00a0 I read her the Bible and sang to her.\u00a0 I sang a lot raising our kids since I love music.\u00a0 One of our daughter’s fondest memories is the summer we spent sitting on the couch and reading \u201cCastle in the Attic.\u201d\u00a0 A year ago I bought the book for her firstborn son and she read it to him and his siblings!\u00a0 I instilled a love of books in my children.<\/p>\n

What were some of your family’s favorite meals that you served? Would you mind sharing any of those recipes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cooking is a passion of mine. I discovered it is the way I show my family just how much I love them.\u00a0 So I spent lots of hours preparing yummy dishes.\u00a0 I still love to cook and now get to cook with my grand-daughters on occasion.<\/p>\n

My very best meal is a family recipe.\u00a0 I married into a family that loves cooking and eating so my mother-in-love gave me my first taste of gravy and, boy, was it fabulous!\u00a0 That gravy became a tradition.\u00a0 The meal is Iowa Pork Roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh greens beans and homemade bread.\u00a0 I would love to share the recipe!<\/p>\n

Iowa Pork Roast (one of my favorite recipes)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take a small onion<\/strong>, slice it and put in the bottom of a crock pot.\u00a0 Add 1 pork roast <\/strong>(3-5 pounds).<\/p>\n

In a mixing bowl put 1\/3 cup of sugar<\/strong>, \u00bc cup of soy sauce<\/strong>, 1\/3 cup of red wine vinegar<\/strong>, 2 Tablespoons of ketchup<\/strong>, \u00bd teaspoon of ginger <\/strong>and 1 \u00bd cups of hot wate<\/strong>r. Stir well. Sprinkle the roast with a generous amount of garlic powder, salt and pepper<\/strong>. Pour the mixture over the roast. Put on lid and cook on low for 10-12 hours. The sauce should be thickened with 4 Tablespoons of cornstarch mixed in cold water<\/strong> just enough to make a paste.\u00a0 Thicken gravy with the cornstarch mix and serve over the roast and mashed potatoes. This is so yummy!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Northern Maine Oatmeal Bread<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a large bowl pour 2 cups of boiling water<\/strong> on top of 1 cup of old fashioned oats<\/strong>. Stir and let stand 30 minutes.\u00a0 In a small bowl put 2 packages of yeast<\/strong> (I recommend the quick rise) and pour \u00bd cup of very warm water <\/strong>along with 1 tsp. of sugar<\/strong>. Stir and let stand 5 minutes and then pour on top of the oatmeal.\u00a0 Add 2 tsp. salt, \u00bc cup of molasses, \u00bc cup of light corn syrup, 2\/3 cup of raw wheat germ, 2\/3 cup of raw wheat bran, 2 cups of whole wheat flour,<\/strong> stir well.\u00a0 Add up to another 3 cups of white flour<\/strong> and then knead on a floured surface for 5-10 min.\u00a0 Cover for 10 min. Grease 2 loaf pans put dough in a let rise.\u00a0 Bake at 375 degrees 30 minutes. Take immediately out of pans and put butter on top.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mandarin Orange Salad called (Happy) <\/strong><\/p>\n

1 package of orange Jell-O<\/p>\n

1 package instant vanilla pudding<\/p>\n

1 package of tapioca pudding<\/p>\n

Mix all three in a pan.\u00a0 Drain 2 cans of mandarin oranges into measuring cup.\u00a0 Add enough water to make 3 cups. Mix with pudding and stir well.\u00a0 Bring to boil<\/p>\n

Chill and set up for about 2 hours add the 2 cans of mandarin oranges. Add 1 container of cool whip and let set for another hour in the refrigerator.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Are there any particular foods that your grown children now ask for at family gatherings? Would you mind sharing those recipes and any story behind the dish?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Probably one of our favorites outside of my roasts and mashed potatoes is my pasta salad.\u00a0 I discovered Olive Garden\u2019s dressing.\u00a0 I put together lots of fresh veggies, corkscrew pasta, olives, onions and pepperoni and add a bottle of their dressing and let it marinate a few hours.\u00a0 They love my pasta salad and my mandarin orange salad which our grandson named \u201cHappy\u201d when he was just a toddler and it stuck so we have \u201cHappy\u201d when we have a special meal.<\/p>\n

Did you establish or follow any family traditions with your children that you especially cherished… then or now? Tell me about a few of your favorites.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Traditions are so important. I did not grow up with traditions but thankfully I had a pretty wise husband who felt we needed our own traditions.\u00a0 We went away for Christmas once to the grandparents and vowed after that we would always have it at home so our kids could have their own traditions. Christmas Eve we have a huge meal and afterwards we gather around the tree and my husband reads the story of Christ\u2019s birth and talks about the significance and then each child opened one gift, usually from their favorite Aunt who always managed to find just the perfect book for each of them!<\/p>\n

How did you celebrate birthdays with your children?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My hubby was in the military the first 22 years of our marriage so we moved 14 times.\u00a0 Birthdays were always a family affair. Each child gets to pick any meal they want for their dinner and what kind of dessert to have.\u00a0 After dinner we sang to them and they opened their gift.\u00a0 As some of them got into their teen years they would invite a friend over to our house.\u00a0 The most special birthday was our only daughter’s 16th<\/sup> birthday.\u00a0 Her daddy brought her 16 red roses to her and took her out to dinner just the two of them. I have the pictures of him giving her the roses and it is a very special memory.<\/p>\n

What were some of your family’s favorite things to do together when you had preschoolers? Elementary-school age children? High schoolers? Now? <\/strong><\/p>\n

I loved rocking my children. Our eldest son at around the age of 4 was rocking with me one day and he proclaimed his love for me and that we would always rock even when he was older! \u00a0I told him someday he would be too big for me to rock him and he said that was okay because then he would rock me!<\/p>\n

I loved it when the kids would come into the kitchen and cook with me. Now I love it when they come in a peel potatoes with me or just sit and talk with me while I cook.<\/p>\n

Is there anything about your parenting that you are especially proud of? What is it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I suppose the one thing I am most proud of is they knew I was the same on Sunday as I was on Monday.<\/p>\n

Is there anything about your parenting that you now regret? Do you mind sharing that with us?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is one thing I regret, I did not get on the floor and play with my children very often.\u00a0 I never really played as a child so I didn\u2019t know what it was to sit and play. I wish I would have forced myself to play with them more.<\/p>\n

When your children were very young, did you have any hobbies you enjoyed just for yourself? If so, what were they? <\/strong><\/p>\n

When our children were young I always had a book I was reading or doing counted cross stitch.\u00a0 I made a series of Amish pictures while they were growing up.<\/p>\n

If you could give newer moms three pieces of advice, what would they be?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Love their daddy with a passion and put him first<\/li>\n
  2. Seasons- everything is about seasons, no stage will last forever so hang on!<\/li>\n
  3. Develop a heart for the LORD that your children can see.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Can’t get enough of Jill? Want to hear more from her? You can! And here is what she has to say about it:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I write a daily devotional geared toward women who would like to have a closer walk with the Lord. My goal is to inspire each of us to be better than we are. I send out the devotionals through email but I also have a web site, From the Heart of Jill,<\/a> where you can read and comment.\u00a0 Please stop by and, if it interests you, please email me at jill6758 at cablespeed dot com and I will add you to my list.<\/p>\n

    Thanks, Jill, for sharing your stories with us!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    If you, or a mom you know, has at least one child 20 years or older and out of the house and would like to share your stories, please drop me a note<\/a> and let me know. I\u2019m always looking for new Real (Experienced) Moms to feature.<\/em><\/em> <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n


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