the daily struggle

Lately I've had such conflicting emotions that I want to share but then once I blog about them, I think that maybe it's just too personal and will be misunderstood. So I don't post. Everyone has their ups and downs, good days & bad. On those "hard" days there's certain things that lift me up; prayer, a phone call with a close friend, my husband, reading an inspiring story or blog from another mom and always....my relationship with God.  

I know that He has a plan for my life, and each and every person's life, and that I can't see those plans or the big picture but have to find a way to walk in faith. Some days, I just get in a rut and get stuck on what I'm struggling with that day. I can let it get the best of me and let it negatively affect who I am as a mom, especially, and as a wife and friend. It's hard to find a way to handle things that are completely out of our own control without letting them get me down. 

I guess most people struggle with something; their marriage, their children, their career, overwhelming responsibilities, financial struggles, their faith. For me, I think its the feeling that I should be doing more to help support my family. What a huge burden that must be on my husband's shoulders, to provide for 7 people! I ask God every day to bless his career, to give him wisdom as a father and a husband and to fill his heart with HIS love and purpose for his life.  I LOVE being a mom, obviously or I wouldn't have 5 little ones! It is the most challenging thing I'll ever do but there's nothing better than sitting with my husband and watching our children playing together.  My husband has been my best friend for the last 18 years and God has truly blessed our marriage. We struggle with one income and on the difficult days question God as to why it is this way, but I know that God has me where I'm suppose to be-- home with our children.

Being a mom and running a home is demanding and feels like a never-ending job. It makes me wonder how the working moms do it! I have nothing to complain about when I consider that I don't have to drop my kids at daycare and go to work 8 hours a day. My passion is health and fitness and has been since I was a teenager. I became a Certified Personal Trainer after having Brayden in 2001. I thought it was the best job I could ever have. I made my own hours, was paid a very well hourly rate, got to develop a relationship with my clients and take care of my own health and fitness all in the process. The downside of personal training is that its not a reliable income and it's hard to do on your own without working for a big gym that requires you be there 8-10 hours a day.

A little over 6 months ago I created a name for my Personal Training and decided that I could encourage others to get fit and live healthy thru my website and social media, without leaving my home or my kids behind. My intention was to build my personal training business  and hopefully find new clients especially moms in my area, as well as help others online with daily posts about quick home workouts, healthy recipes and fitness tips. 
It has been much more challenging than I expected! I knew that it wasn't easy considering I've been a trainer for 11 years, but I was very hopeful that I could get a group of people together in my neighborhood and the surrounding communities for morning "bootcamp style" workouts. I only needed a handful of personal training clients or a successful class to significantly help our monthly income. My little sister has kept me inspired! She is a Personal Trainer near Newport Beach, CA . Her boyfriend has built her webpage and helped her build her business over the last few years. She has gone from working two other jobs plus training, to hiring a trainer to work for her and maintaining over 60 clients! I am so proud of her! She has followed her heart and it has paid off.

"Persistence is key" is what I have written as my health and fitness philosophy on my webpage. I have to keep telling myself this when trying to build my business. But, there's days I just want to say "screw it!"   When you want something really bad, no matter how discouraging, you eventually keep going back to it. I'm going to keep at it no matter what. And even if I don't make a penny I will hopefully inspire others to take care of themselves, to exercise and eat right and pass that along to their kids and families.

http://train-pure.com/
 https://www.facebook.com/TRAINpure
 http://pinterest.com/puretraining/

http://train-pure.com/

So, it's been a while.....

It's been a while..... a year to be exact! I started this blog last summer with the best intentions of journaling by experiences as a mother, wife, daughter, friend and follower of Christ. Life got busy & I thought so many times "I should sit down and blog about this day" but any free time I get after the kids are in bed I try to spend with my hubby or catching up on my sleep! So much has happened in the last year, I deeply regret not keeping up with this so that I could look back and see all the struggles we've overcome and the many ways God has answered our prayers.


I'll give you a quick update on our family. Last October, we found out that we were expecting  baby #5, for those of you that are counting :) We were thrilled! Although we both felt that we were done after Hudson, our fourth, my heart changed as I approached my 30th birthday. I wanted to go through all the joys of a baby again, savoring all their "firsts" and watching them grow and change each and every day. What a blessing they are!! We shared our news on Thanksgiving day with our families. No one seemed too surprised. In the past we haven't always had the best of reactions when announcing that we are expanding our family. Everyone has an opinion. "You should be in a certain place financially" or "you should own your own home" or "do you know what's causing that?" That one always irked me the most! But, with this baby no one had a single negative thing to say, or at least not to us. I think everyone finally figured out that having a big family is what we wanted & if it was God's plan for us, then it would be.

We've had some challenges this last year as well. In late January we found out we were going to have to move out of our rent house. This was something I had prayed for for a long time but not in this way.  In "my plan" it was for us to buy our own home, not move into another temporary rent house. The problem was we didn't feel like we were able to commit financially to our own home and mortgage but on the other hand couldn't find a rental property that was large enough for our family that also met our budget. We weren't sure what to do, other than PRAY! We had just over 30 days to find another home. After many hours with a Realtor searching for properties, and time discussing our options and praying with family & friends, God worked everything out (as He always does) & to our surprise we were able to purchase our first home!!! We moved in on February 28, 2012.  

                   I have loved making this house our home with lots of little projects.

 old kitchen

    new kitchen

 I've always wanted a black front door!

I painted the staircase too

We were so far out of our comfort zone, but knew that if all the variables & requirements fell into place, that this is where He wanted us. We moved about 20 minutes from our last home. Our kids were going to finish the year at their schools. Our oldest was in 5th grade & in Intermediate School and our second oldest was in first grade at Old Union Elementary. The drive back and forth (which could be 30-45minutes with traffic) was a major adjustment. I didn't want to move them with only 3 months left of the school year. Plus, we all needed time to get use to the change. Not only would they no longer be living next door to their grandparents (whom they adore) but they would be leaving a school that had been a part of our lives for 6 years. We loved this school and everyone that was a part of it. 


Change is hard, it pushes us out of what's familiar & comfortable and into an unknown. This was hard for Stephen and I but I knew that it was best for our family. The kids start at their new schools at the end of this month. They are excited and a little bit anxious, as am I. This unexpected move has been an answer to our prayers. Not only have we been blessed with our own home, and a neighborhood & community for our kids to grow up in, but we were also  removed from an unhealthy living situation that has made our marriage and our family stronger! 


"But He lifts those in need out of their troubles. He makes their families grow like flocks."  Psalm 107:41


I will be back soon to update on our newest addition!




Blessings,
Erin