thankful thursday : 6

My mornings usually go like this...at around 6:45, I wake up to the sound of "moooommmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy" coming from my baby Parker's room. Some days his morning "call" is sweeter than others, but nevertheless...I look forward to him summoning me to his room to scoop him out of his crib and smother him with morning kisses.

Shortly after, my middle son, Tyson Kwaku...lazily walks down the stairs and cuddles with me for a few seconds before we start the tub to get him ready for 1/2 day kindergarten. My biggest boy, Devon, is pretty much on cruise control at this point....so I get a quick kiss goodbye as he's running out the door to catch the bus.

I am basically home with my children from the time they wake up...until I tuck them in at night. I get to experience the smiles on my son's face when he walks out of door #4 after morning kindergarten and I get to hug my 13 year old when he gets home and talk to him about his day. My baby is is my right hand man...you will often find him sitting on my lap with 300 snacks around him while I work away on my computer.

I am extremely blessed...I am living my dream. I am able to work and provide for my family doing something I love FROM HOME with my babies close by. I have not always had it like this...trust me. I TRULY UNDERSTAND the heartache and stress working outside of the home can put on a mother's heart. When I taught kindergarten...although I loved what I did, I missed my children terribly and almost mourned the fact that I was not able to be with them as much as I wanted. I am truly thankful for the path my life has taken.

I'm thankful that I had the ambition to branch out on my own and chase my crazy dream of designing stationery (which later lead to canvas prints and books, etc.)If anyone reading this ever has any questions about how I got started or if you're thinking about starting your own "thing" but aren't sure how...I'd be happy to chat with you. I'm NO expert, by any means, but I'd be happy to share some of my insight with you. You can always email me at stacy@nameyourdesign.com.

p.s. All the time I spend working in Illustrator has sparked the interest of my "almost" 6 year old. He sits on his laptop next to me for at least an hour a day and designs pictures. Today, he designed his OWN birthday invitation...ALL BY HIMSELF. I believe we have another "self taught" designer in the house, wouldn't you agree?