Meet our MOMumental Mom of the Week (August 7, 2008)

Meet Missy, our third MOMumental Mom of the week.

Name: Missy

City: Plano

Marital Status: divorced

Mom to: 18 year old daughter, Sarah and 16 year old son, Scott.

Occupation: Elementary school teacher, 3rd grade

What was the last movie you saw and what did you think about it?
Just saw Mamma Mia and had a fun time singing old Abba songs & wishing I could afford to go to Greece!

What is sitting on your bedside table right now?
Four unfinished bestsellers, a lamp, a phone, and my brain (a pad of paper & a pen)

What is the last thing you told your children that your own mother told you when you were a kid?
“I shouldn’t HAVE to tell you to pick that up!” followed shortly by “Oh my goodness, I’m my mother!”

What was the last meal you cooked from scratch and when?
Cooked a crock pot roast last night and made gravy & mushrooms this morning. I do this about once or twice a year….

What was the best piece of parenting advice you got? Who gave it to you?
“Just wait a couple of weeks.” Given to me by my mom when my kids were infants and I thought I couldn’t live through whatever they were going through at that time—hunger, teething, etc. She taught me to hang in there & usually whatever is happening passes, & that I would survive it, and she was right!

What are three products that you could not live without?
My computer—email is my contact with the outside world; elastic waistbands (there’s a reason they call it ‘middle’ age); and Nestle Creamer—I must have a hot cup of tea with it every morning!

If you could put one product on the market that doesn’t exist today, what would it be?
I would like to have a day extender, you know, that gives you two extra hours each day in which you could sleep, exercise, or do whatever it is you just don’t have enough time for in the regular 24-hour day.

Has your definition of success changed since you became a Mom? If so, how?
Of course, it’s all about money & status before kids, and then after that, it’s all about passing your newfound ideas about success on to your kids and celebrating them each and every day for who they are at that moment in time.

What do you do in your “me”-time? How do you protect it?
When possible, I like to spend time in or near a body of natural water or watching a nice cozy indoor or outdoor fire. If time, I like to travel. It is really hard to find me time once the school year starts, but I protect it by saying no to certain people and projects and by letting my housework slide (understatement) so I have down time.

How are you different today than you thought you’d be at this point in your life?
Well, for one I thought I’d be married, but other than that I think my path has rendered me more wise and mature and unselfish. One dream that has come true is that I have successfully raised two well-adjusted kids who can cope with life and still love to be around their mother!

If an expectant mother asked you “what it’s like to be a Mom”, what would you tell her?
I would tell her that if you do it right, it is both the hardest and absolutely most rewarding choice in the world. Plan to learn a lot about yourself, and plan to find out what unconditional love really means.

Thanks, Missy, for sharing a bit about yourself with our Mom readers! If anyone else would like to get a copy of our MOMumental Mom Questionnaire, please email us at MOMumentalMom@momsoutloud.com!