I figured if there were ever a time to re-introduce myself - maybe this is it. In other words, this is the clip show of blog posts. So, some of you who are closest to me might find yourselves bored to death reading this post (yes, yes, two girls, a husband, needs coffee, yadda yadda yadda) but I hope that it can help others who stumble upon the site (or who have had my favorite friends [hug] pass it on to them) to sit a spell and look forward to checking in again and again. Who knows. All I know is that God is keeping me writing. God is keeping the content coming and the coffee flowing, and so, I will continue to pour out whatever content that is supposed to be out here in the world instead of just stewing and rotting in my brain (there's always plenty left for that anyway). So - what's pardymama all about? Here we go...Motherhood.
I sort of initially started to blog in 2010, not long after the birth of my first daughter, Matilda. If you're as bad at math as I am (it's okay, I think there should be a support group out there for those of us who still use our fingers to count for everything from dollars to calories to how many children we have on a daily basis) that makes her just over 2 and a half (this "half" is very important in the toddler world).
I didn't think anyone would actually ever read what I wrote. I don't mean that in a pathetic, self-pity sort of way. I mean it in a "I am not going to be one of those mom bloggers who puts everything out there and writes stuff like her baby's birth story and breastfeeding at the office" sort of way. Ha. But then when I became pregnant with our second daughter, the inspiration was too fascinating to ignore. I had real, life-altering events happening to me on a nearly daily basis, and I needed an outlet to survive. So, I just sort of kept writing about them.
And, turns out, there are other moms in the universe besides me (really?) who aren't sleeping (huh?) and don't have much more than a cup of coffee and a prayer to keep them going through the day (who knew?) and sort of actually like to hear about how my girls are driving me so insanely crazy that I constantly walk the boundary line between frantic frustration and utter in-love-ness with them each and every day (you too?) and how motherhood is teaching me more about life and love and God than I ever thought possible even though there are times when I want to just huddle in a corner, plug my ears, and sing the Friends theme-song so loud that it drowns out the noise of any needs I might not be able to meet. And I wake up the next day. And I do it all again. And so do you...and we are all crazy together.
Marriage.
I love being married. A lot of people might say "I love my husband" and I do, but I also just love the idea/entity/purpose of marriage itself. To choose every day to put another person before yourself, to stick with them, to stand beside them and hold them through the most beautiful and horrendous moments in your life and to share them as one united perspective...well, it blows my mind. God's design of marriage is nothing short of a miracle, and the fact that we choose to be around each other after seeing each other puke or having two crazy babies or not sleeping for weeks on end or asking him a million times to take out the trash or forgetting over and over to pack him a lunch (well, you can see that we have plenty of practice left before we conquer the art of marriage) it's pretty much just amazing. But, it's not a flourishing garden if left unattended.
Having lived through a wicked divorce in my early twenties, I've learned the depth of God's grace and redemption and exactly what it means to lay down yourself and take on the humility and love that Christ offers for us all. I know what loneliness feels like. I've tasted bitterness and hate. I've felt the lies of insecurity and shame. I know how slowly time passes when your soul is healing and everyone identifies "who you are" with "what you've been through". And I've lived to tell about it. And I've survived to rejoice in the new day. And I'm here to celebrate marriage and be honest about what it can take to make it good and lasting (Jesus Jesus Jesus).
And my husband and I are silly and intentional and have ridiculous rules of fun that I want to share with the universe out there - you know, the universe with that ugly statistic half of us are now part of. That universe that keeps us unsatisfied and looking for more. And, instead, I'm determined to create and live in a place that God intended for us...an environment that can nurture selflessness and togetherness and keep our love humming and drumming for years and years and many date nights to come...through thick and thin, puke and craziness, kids and pets and all of it.
Mayhem.
If there is one thing the Pardys are known for, it's going to be this: mayhem. Just walk by our apartment and you will most likely hear someone screaming, be it out of elation, naughtiness, genius, joy, anger, or hunger...we are a spirited bunch. I am adamant about desiring to live a transparent life. I think Satan motivates pride and discontent under the guise of shame and insecurity...and so, I highly value the art of spewing my guts out for all to see. Pretty, right? Maybe not.
But, I don't pull any punches when it comes to how God is working in my life or how honest it may get around here. I'll tell you one thing, I'm not into shock value. I'm into honesty. Certainly I will tell grand tales that are exaggerated in the storytelling of them...but, the emotions and lessons behind them all will be sincere and genuine, I promise.
I want non-parents to know what this life of parenthood is like before they might enter into it. I want other husbands and wives to feel validated and encouraged when they are questioning how to keep loving their spouse. I want moms to feel hugged on with every word of mischief I write about my girls. I want the world to be so full of these stories of hope and honesty and conversations (i.e. this is where you come in) about how marriages and parenthood keeps getting better and better that we drown out the complaining and lies and reality shows and billboards that are frighteningly threatening what our hearts truly desire. But, it's not a journey we take alone, or silently, or without a few messes along the way.
Looks like this blog is here to stay and I hope you are too! I'm excited to see where pardymama is headed, what stories are to come, how the tales will roll out, and what God may or may not show us all through this weird world of internet that connects us together in a little hub of chaos.
I love questions, I love comments, I love hearing from each and every one of you who stumble upon this little blog. I love your stories, I love your honesty, I love it when you share how God is working in your own little world. I love being a mother, being married, and the mayhem that each new day brings my way. I also love those little toothpicks with the tiny cellophane frills on top. (See, I'm random like that.)
I hope that this little ole blog can be a giant hug for you every time you visit (Pardys are huggers, not hand shakers, btw) and that you keep checking in for a good dose of reality on a regular basis. Cause, Lord only knows, there plenty more crazy left to be written.
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