As Mother’s Day is rolling upon us, I began thinking of all the words that might best describe what becoming a mother actually means for the majority of us. It is both immense joy and indescribable terror. It is experiencing the rush of emotion combined with such an overwhelming love, you feel your heart just might burst wide open! But most of all, it is learning and understanding a lot of “a” words: adjust; adapt; acclimate; attend; apprehend; articulate.
For young women who follow their hearts and husbands to new worlds where they have never lived, who have no ties to immediate (or even remote) relatives and no friends, all the while learning new customs, traditions and lifestyles, starting a new family with substantially little outside support can be a rather daunting experience. It takes a woman of resolute inner strength and determination to forge a new pathway that is no longer for herself alone, but one that includes her child and her husband.
One young mother I know is Libby Martin. Libby hails from North Carolina originally. She finished her degree at the Fashion/ Interior Design Institute in California, then set out as a young professional ready to take on the world of interior designers and joined a firm in Washington, D.C.,
During a typical D.C. social function, she met Andy Martin, who was working for Congressman Colin Peterson. Immediate fireworks set the couple on a whirlwind romance that eventually led them down the aisle. During this period Libby went to work for Barbara Hawthorn, a renowned and respected interior designer in Washington, D.C., where she and Andy anticipated they might stay for at least a year or two.
SURPRISES COME IN VARIOUS FORMS
In the midst of the ‘newness’ every newly married couple experiences, Libby was hit with a double whammy surprise gift. Surprise number one: one and one makes THREE! Surprise number two: Andy was offered a great job working for Senator Klobuchar of Minnesota.
Some heavy-duty decision making needed to be undertaken, and for Libby, the weight of some deep-down soul searching, seeking a fair balance between what she wanted for herself as an individual and what she felt would ultimately be best for her husband’s career and their growing family. Leaving Washington, D.C. and the friends she and Andy had made together, as well as a supportive network for her during her first pregnancy, would be hard. Yet moving to Minnesota, where Andy has family, would be a benefit, and the bonus was she would be able to stay home with the baby full time if she decided that’s what she wanted to do, or until she chose to do something else. Knowing that there simply is not a huge market for residential interior designers in the F/M area would mean she would need to consider another form for her creative nature to express itself. Yet she had rarely shied away from a challenge. The move to Minnesota would be no different.
Libby, Andy and their baby moved to Moorhead, and as it always does, settling in, finding a church, meeting new neighbors, going to Andy’s parents in upper Minnesota on weekends all filled the days that melted into the many weeks that passed. During this time Libby discovered she could retile and reconstruct just as well as she envisioned through her drawings. However, she still felt a need to keep herself busy, so she decided to take a cake decorating class through the Hobby Lobby. What she discovered was not just a new hobby, but very possibly her new stay-at-home business: BAKING. She loved the idea of creating something not only homemade and delicious, but fun to look at as it was being eaten! She began creating cupcakes and cakes for birthday celebrations of friends and family. And it wasn’t long before word got around and Libby Martin became the first name to call for committee donation listings. Her very first business baking project was for a friend’s wedding cupcakes. That was in 2010. Since then, Libby connected with the Minnesota Small Business Development Center, and has since applied for and received her Minnesota business license. Anyone wanting more information or to see Libby’s baked accomplishments, should go to: libbyscupcakesetc.blogspot.com/
The many weeks turned into a couple of years and during that time, their family of three became four. Libby also joined Moorhead’s Early Childhood Family Education classes that invite children as well as adults, and through ECFE she has made many new friends for both herself and the boys.
Libby Martin is a lady who believes in making the very most of whatever situation in which she may find herself. In just a little more than five years she has become an expert in the “a” words: adjust; adapt; acclimate; attend; apprehend; articulate – not always falling in that order, but nonetheless, words every mom alive learns to live by.
It matters not if a Mom is a stay-at-home mother working from home, has a part-time job, splitting her time between work and home, or is a full-time mom. The most important aspect of being a really good mom is learning that time changes all things, and being able to bend with the changes is a never-ending necessity when children are involved. Yet at the same time, mothers are also people who need to be confident in their abilities as competent, independent individuals, both emotionally and financially.
Today’s modern mom walks a tightrope in attempting to balance family and career. It isn’t easy and it certainly isn’t just serving up cookies and milk when the kids come home from school.
I WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY — EVERY DAY!
Libby Martin