Name: Ashli

City: Frisco

Marital Status: married

Mom to: Almost 4 year old Zander and 2 year old Lana .

Occupation: taught high school Spanish for 7 yrs, now I stay home with the kids for the past 3 years

What was the last movie you saw and what did you think about it?
My husband and I saw Appaloosa; we love westerns.  The movie was good and the date night out was terrific, too!

What is sitting on your bedside table right now?
My Bible, cards from my husband, Paula Deen magazine, clock, answering machine

What is the last thing you told your children that your own mother told you when you were a kid?
Life is not always fair; yes at four years old, my son already started the “that’s not fair” speech.

What was the last meal you cooked from scratch and when?
I absolutely love to cook!  I made a recipe from Family Fun magazine called Potato Gatto.  It was mashed potatoes with chunks of fresh mozarella, salami and a crust of parmesan cheese.

What was the best piece of parenting advice you got?  Who gave it to you?
My mom always tells me “It’s just a phase.”  That way, I don’t think that the bad behavior of the moment will become a regular part of our lives!  My mom is a huge support and she is always there to help me to remember to laugh with my kids and listen to them!

What are three products that you could not live without (e.g., your journal, your Blackberry, your facial moisturizer – anything you use constantly!)
My Paula Deen calendar has all of my dates and appts in it.  My list pad: to do, grocery, etc.  My laptop (I teach an online Spanish course and check the computer often).

If you could put one product on the market that doesn’t exist today, what would it be?
A home ear infection detection kit    How much money have we spent at the docs diagnosing ear infections!   Wish I could take one look in their ears to see if they need antibiotics!

Has your definition of success changed since you became a Mom?  If so, how?
I thought gettting my Master’s degree made me successful and I am still proud of that.  However, if I can provide love to my children and be there when they need me to help them grow, that will be real success.  If I can pass on that sense of self-confidence to follow my heart and self-assurance that my mom gave me, then I will be successful.

What do you do in your “me”-time?  How do you protect it?
In my “me” time, I love to shop Garden Ridge, Dollartree and Michael’s for craft projects to do with the kids and holiday décor.  I also love to have a hot bubble bath.  Sometimes, I just say; I really need to get  away; but I usually wait until it’s way overdue.

How are you different today than you thought you’d be at this point in your life?
I never thought I’d be home with the kids; I loved my career.  But, I just felt like I was missing my kids and that someone else was raising them other than me.  So, my husband and I decided for me to stay home.  He is extremely supportive of my needs.  And it’s a good thing, my husband was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of Lymphoma (Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma) in July at 33 yrs old.  It has been a long haul with 4 in patient chemo treatments at Baylor Dallas and recently he had a stem cell transplant.  He just got home and is slowly recuperating.  Without my mother, our family, our church family, our neighbors and Ben’s work family; I don’t know how we and the kids would have made it.

If an expectant mother asked you “what it’s like to be a Mom”, what would you tell her?
I would tell her that she must realize that life is no longer all about you and your needs anymore.  You put your children first from the first day they are born.  It is the most fulfilling and exhausting job you’ve ever done and it will never end.   Being a mom is what life and family is all about; it will complete your heart and you will need to ask for support sometimes.  No one expects you to do it all alone.