The first A Mother’s Paycheck Newsletter

Below you will find the first newsletter of my new project A Mother’s Paycheck.  A Mother’s Paycheck is designed to help Moms of all ages recognize, record and remember the paychecks we do receive for the job of being Moms.  Isn’t it nice to know that in this economy, we can be assured of our paychecks as mothers?

You can sign up to receive A Mother’s Paychecks newsletters here http://amotherspaycheck.com/index.php?option=com_acajoom&act=subone&listid=1&Itemid=999  

This project is in it’s infancy and I would love to hear your comments and ideas.

Welcome to A Mother’s Paycheck  Newsletter Encouragement for the Mothering Job… Last month my oldest daughter turned 25 and I gave her words from my heart.  On her first birthday, I started a journal for her, writing in it on her birthday and other times throughout her years.  I actually kept it up until she was 13!  This year, it just seemed time to give it to her.  We talked by phone a few days after her birthday and she told me that she cried as she read through the journals.  She was amazed how beautiful and smart we thought she was and she was reminded of how much we love her.  The stories in her journals are paychecks for me and her.  Her response to the journals, which she declared as “amazing”,  were definitely my paycheck.  Read more about this story at Recognize and Remember blog post. ~~~~~  A Paycheck for a MOPS Mom… I got PAID! by Sara (Mother of a 3 year old and a foster daughter) Yes, yes, I received two paychecks in one day. I am one wealthy woman. If you slow down to think about it, you are probably just as wealthy as I am. I keep a calendar in my daughter’s room and write down memorable things she said or did that day. The mentor for my MOPS group has a better way to remember things. She has a website called A Mother’s Paychecks. http://amotherspaycheck.com/ “Us Mommas” don’t get paid for all we do in cash, we get paid in words or smiles, little weeds picked just for us, a poem a picture etc. After one very rough week, I got paid twice in one day.  One paycheck came from a social worker I deal with who came to pick up our foster daughter for an overnight visit. She praised me for 2 whole minutes. Her comments left me feeling very uncomfortable, but after I was alone with what she said, it really was very nice and needed. We are the talk of the agency for all we do for this little girl and how far she has come. The second paycheck came after my daughter and I were walking home from a little diner where I took her for breakfast, just her and I. It has been awhile since we have had any special time together.  She was so excited to tell the waitress just what she wanted, and say “excuse me” to call her over for more milk.  I even let her put the cream and sugar in my coffee! Oh my, she was so proud and happy to be able to do that little wee thing. Its a small place, so I even sent her up to register with the bill and the money.  It was very cute. We walked home hand in hand. I am loving the way her little hand feels and rubbing her fingers in my hand, so I never forget what it feels like.  And she says to me, “Mommy, you’re the best”! I laughed because I have never heard that before. “Aw thanks honey, I love you”. Then she says. “We are best friends, lets be best friends forever”!! I love getting paid!   Sara will receive a set of A Mother’s Paychecks for submitting her “paycheck’ story.  Please submit your story to be featured on the website or newsletter here. ~~~~~ The Winner of the Blessings Unlimited God is Faithful Frame Set Blessings Unlimited 3 Piece God is Faithful Frame Set Last month, Blessings Unlimited by DaySpring provided this wonderful God is faithful frame set as a give away for my Recognize and Remember Blog Readers.  “A MOPS Mom” was the winner (selected by the random number service Random).  Here is what “A MOPS Mom” had to say about her frames… “Thank you for having this give away. The timing was perfect in my life for a surprise win and treat in these gorgeous frames. I had a very rough 2 days prior to your give away. They look beautiful in my entry and every time I walk in the front door I am reminded that God is faithful. Beautiful frame set and a beautiful reminder.  Thank you!” To learn more about Blessings Unlimited, visit http://sjoseph.blessingsdirect.com/Pages/Story.aspx  ~~~~~ Another Mother’s Paycheck… from Stephanie (Mother of 4 ages 10,9,7,& 5)… This past Mother’s Day, our church interviewed the children for a video they showed during the services. One of the questions was, “What does your mom teach you?” My youngest daughter said, “To Love God.” I was so humbled and touched by her words. The same Mother’s Day my older daughter brought home a card. The teacher had typed, “My mom is the best mom because,” and she wrote, “She follows Jesus and helped me to follow Him too.” Again there could be no higher compliment in my eyes. I was so touched by my daughters’ words and God used them to bless me. ~~~~~ Information   This fall you can find me speaking at The Hearts at Home Regional Great Lakes and North Central Conferences.  The workshops I will be leading are Recognizing, Recording and Remembering and The Joys of Being a Mentor.  For more information, please visit Hearts at Home website.   I would love to come and speak at your event – for more information about my speaking visit: http://www.amotherspaycheck.com/images/documents/speakerbothsides.pdf A Mother’s Paychecks are available by contacting me at sandrajoseph@windstream.net.  Recently Angela at Becoming Me featured a write up about A Mother’s Paychecks which can be read here http://www.becomingme.net/2009/06/mothers-paycheck-guest-post.html.  I am open to any and all ideas for A Mother’s Paychecks; so if you have any insight or ideas … feel free to let me know at sandrajoseph@windstream.net. I have thought of making it a downloadable template so that you could print it at home for a small fee and would love your input on this idea.    “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21     Remember if you take the time to record just one recognizable moment each month – someday, your family will have treasures from your heart.   Recognize ~ Record ~ Remember   Sandra   Blog: Recognize & Remember www.sandrajo.wordpress.com Website: www.amotherspaycheck.com Invite: http://www.amotherspaycheck.com/images/documents/speakerbothsides.pdf   You can sign up to receive A Mother’s Paychecks newsletters here http://amotherspaycheck.com/index.php?option=com_acajoom&act=subone&listid=1&Itemid=999       `

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Twenty Five Years Ago

Several days ago my oldest daughter celebrated her birthday.  Twenty-five years ago I became the mother of a wonderful, beautiful daughter whom we named Alycia.  She has been a total joy all 25 years – easy to raise, delightful to be around, fun and overall she just made the mothering journey smooth.  She is a wonderful first-born, the perfect older sister and I am totally in love with this young woman. 

When my book, Scrapbooking Your Spiritual Journey, was published I wrote this about her…

“You are special because you made me a mother.  Everything was a first with you.  I will never forget how strongly I loved you even before you were born and how I still am amazed at the love I have for you. ..”

This year for her birthday there were many things I would have loved to get her as a gift, but as you can imagine – our funds are very tight with a wedding on the horizon.  So along with some small gift items, I gave her her childhood memories.  When Alycia was one, I started a journal for her (as most mothers do).  I completed 1 1/2 journals through the age of 13 for her and for some reason, it seemed right to give these journals to her this year.   Of course, my hope had been to complete her journals through age 18, but as I sat down to start that process I realized that from 13 on she would remember life events (plus we have lots of scrapbooks).  So I wrote a last entry about several of her life events (mission trip to Brazil at 14, High School graduation, leaving her at college, her summer at Focus on the Family Institute, and her hard work obtaining her Physician Assistant Master’s degree), then I put a ribbon around them and gave them to her. 

When she saw them, she said she couldn’t believe that I was parting with them.  Of course, I started to tear up because in those pages were the intense emotions I felt (and still feel) of being her mother.  That morning, I shared one sweet story her Daddy had written of when she was 2 and he was burning trash and Alycia told her Daddy about Moses and the burning bush.  That made us all laugh and lighten the moment.

This morning I received a text message from my 25-year-old professional Physician Assistant as she worked in the large city hospital that read … “Read through my entire journal last  night – they are amazing.  Thanks so much!”  As we talked later, she shared how she cried the entire time she was reading, how special it was when her Daddy wrote something, and she could not believe how much we loved her (and thought she was the most beautiful, smartest little girl ever).

And there is  it again, A Mother’s Paycheck  – a payment for writing down my emotions and memories of mothering a sweet, precious little girl.  And even though it was not complete or perfect (there were lots of writing mistakes – but I had forewarned her and she had told me that was the “beauty of journals”) – it was amazing to her.

Our kids don’t need all the “big-ticket” items for their birthdays – they need a Mom who will take the time to recognize, record and remember the amazing gift of their children.  It doesn’t have to be perfect scrapbook pages filled with artistic flair, or a beautifully written journal – it just needs to be the recognizable moments that their Moms take the time to record and remember.  Once again, may I encourage you to take the time to do this important task of mothering….someday your 25-year-old daughter (or son) will thank you for it and know that they were so very important and loved.

Happy Birthday Alycia – I love you!!

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