I am always touched by the stories from the women who so honestly open up their hearts to share their true stories with us on Real (Experienced) Moms. Jill’s story is no exception.
Unfortunately Jill didn’t have a relationship with her own mom to model with her children. But I think her trust in the Lord more than made up for that. Read on and let me know what you think…
Real (Experienced) Mom Interview with Jill
What are the approximate ages of your children now?
32, 29, 26, 19, 17 and two 15 year olds!
Do you have grandchildren?
I not only have grandchildren but I have beautiful, talented and loving the LORD grandchildren, all 7 of them!
What are some of the qualities that you admire in your children?
The most awesome quality that they have is a willingness to serve other people. They have a heart of service. Probably the other thing I most admire is a teachable spirit. They want to learn and grow. My hubby told our kids growing up that he wanted to be a better parent then his was and he in turn wants our kids to be better parents then we are which has turned out to be true.
How much of their personality now was a part of them as children?
They were each born with a little personality already formed. Some came out saying “How can I please you Mama?” and others demanded to know where their dinner was. Our challenge was to mold them within their personality to be all God wanted them to be.
Before your children were of traditional school age, were you a stay at home mom or were you employed outside the home? At the time, how did you feel about that decision? How do you feel about it now?
It was my dream to be a Mama.
My mother died before I got to know her. I spent part of my growing up years in an orphanage. I promised myself that if I ever became a Mama I would be there as much as possible. When my precious hubby and I married we were of the same mind. I felt so blessed that I never felt bad when people looked down on me. During my time raising the first batch of kids we lovingly referred to as Team B, it was not popular to stay home. I was so focused on raising kids to honor the LORD that I didn’t worry about what others thought! No one ever says on their death bed, “Boy I wish I spent more time at the office.” I did not want to have any regrets in that area so I loved every minute. Okay, honestly, not every minute. Sleep deprivation does wild things to your already mushed brain!
Tell me about a difficult decision you remember making as a mom concerning one of your children. If you could do it over, would you make the same choice?
Some of our children are adopted and one of our sons didn’t come to us until he was 14 years old. He had lived a very hard life. We wanted to give him an opportunity to have a family who loved and adored him. Three years later he decided he didn’t want a family and all that it involves. He wanted the streets and all that it had to offer. In the end we asked him to walk out the door at age 17. We would no longer allow him to stay. It was the most painful thing I have ever had to do as a parent. It was the right thing to do and I have no regrets asking him to leave but the pain is still there.
Tell me about something you feel you did ‘right’ as a mom.
Isn’t it so easy to focus on what we did wrong? I could tell you lots of things I did wrong but you didn’t ask me that :) so one of the things I did right as a Mama was to read to them. Our firstborn is a daughter whom I adore and I read to her in the hospital at a day old. I read her the Bible and sang to her. I sang a lot raising our kids since I love music. One of our daughter’s fondest memories is the summer we spent sitting on the couch and reading “Castle in the Attic.” A year ago I bought the book for her firstborn son and she read it to him and his siblings! I instilled a love of books in my children.
What were some of your family’s favorite meals that you served? Would you mind sharing any of those recipes?
Cooking is a passion of mine. I discovered it is the way I show my family just how much I love them. So I spent lots of hours preparing yummy dishes. I still love to cook and now get to cook with my grand-daughters on occasion.
My very best meal is a family recipe. I married into a family that loves cooking and eating so my mother-in-love gave me my first taste of gravy and, boy, was it fabulous! That gravy became a tradition. The meal is Iowa Pork Roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh greens beans and homemade bread. I would love to share the recipe!
Iowa Pork Roast (one of my favorite recipes)
Take a small onion, slice it and put in the bottom of a crock pot. Add 1 pork roast (3-5 pounds).
In a mixing bowl put 1/3 cup of sugar, ¼ cup of soy sauce, 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar, 2 Tablespoons of ketchup, ½ teaspoon of ginger and 1 ½ cups of hot water. Stir well. Sprinkle the roast with a generous amount of garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the roast. Put on lid and cook on low for 10-12 hours. The sauce should be thickened with 4 Tablespoons of cornstarch mixed in cold water just enough to make a paste. Thicken gravy with the cornstarch mix and serve over the roast and mashed potatoes. This is so yummy!
Northern Maine Oatmeal Bread
In a large bowl pour 2 cups of boiling water on top of 1 cup of old fashioned oats. Stir and let stand 30 minutes. In a small bowl put 2 packages of yeast (I recommend the quick rise) and pour ½ cup of very warm water along with 1 tsp. of sugar. Stir and let stand 5 minutes and then pour on top of the oatmeal. Add 2 tsp. salt, ¼ cup of molasses, ¼ cup of light corn syrup, 2/3 cup of raw wheat germ, 2/3 cup of raw wheat bran, 2 cups of whole wheat flour, stir well. Add up to another 3 cups of white flour and then knead on a floured surface for 5-10 min. Cover for 10 min. Grease 2 loaf pans put dough in a let rise. Bake at 375 degrees 30 minutes. Take immediately out of pans and put butter on top.
Mandarin Orange Salad called (Happy)
1 package of orange Jell-O
1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 package of tapioca pudding
Mix all three in a pan. Drain 2 cans of mandarin oranges into measuring cup. Add enough water to make 3 cups. Mix with pudding and stir well. Bring to boil
Chill and set up for about 2 hours add the 2 cans of mandarin oranges. Add 1 container of cool whip and let set for another hour in the refrigerator.
Are there any particular foods that your grown children now ask for at family gatherings? Would you mind sharing those recipes and any story behind the dish?
Probably one of our favorites outside of my roasts and mashed potatoes is my pasta salad. I discovered Olive Garden’s dressing. I put together lots of fresh veggies, corkscrew pasta, olives, onions and pepperoni and add a bottle of their dressing and let it marinate a few hours. They love my pasta salad and my mandarin orange salad which our grandson named “Happy” when he was just a toddler and it stuck so we have “Happy” when we have a special meal.
Did you establish or follow any family traditions with your children that you especially cherished… then or now? Tell me about a few of your favorites.
Traditions are so important. I did not grow up with traditions but thankfully I had a pretty wise husband who felt we needed our own traditions. We went away for Christmas once to the grandparents and vowed after that we would always have it at home so our kids could have their own traditions. Christmas Eve we have a huge meal and afterwards we gather around the tree and my husband reads the story of Christ’s birth and talks about the significance and then each child opened one gift, usually from their favorite Aunt who always managed to find just the perfect book for each of them!
How did you celebrate birthdays with your children?
My hubby was in the military the first 22 years of our marriage so we moved 14 times. Birthdays were always a family affair. Each child gets to pick any meal they want for their dinner and what kind of dessert to have. After dinner we sang to them and they opened their gift. As some of them got into their teen years they would invite a friend over to our house. The most special birthday was our only daughter’s 16th birthday. Her daddy brought her 16 red roses to her and took her out to dinner just the two of them. I have the pictures of him giving her the roses and it is a very special memory.
What were some of your family’s favorite things to do together when you had preschoolers? Elementary-school age children? High schoolers? Now?
I loved rocking my children. Our eldest son at around the age of 4 was rocking with me one day and he proclaimed his love for me and that we would always rock even when he was older! I told him someday he would be too big for me to rock him and he said that was okay because then he would rock me!
I loved it when the kids would come into the kitchen and cook with me. Now I love it when they come in a peel potatoes with me or just sit and talk with me while I cook.
Is there anything about your parenting that you are especially proud of? What is it?
I suppose the one thing I am most proud of is they knew I was the same on Sunday as I was on Monday.
Is there anything about your parenting that you now regret? Do you mind sharing that with us?
There is one thing I regret, I did not get on the floor and play with my children very often. I never really played as a child so I didn’t know what it was to sit and play. I wish I would have forced myself to play with them more.
When your children were very young, did you have any hobbies you enjoyed just for yourself? If so, what were they?
When our children were young I always had a book I was reading or doing counted cross stitch. I made a series of Amish pictures while they were growing up.
If you could give newer moms three pieces of advice, what would they be?
- Love their daddy with a passion and put him first
- Seasons- everything is about seasons, no stage will last forever so hang on!
- Develop a heart for the LORD that your children can see.
Can’t get enough of Jill? Want to hear more from her? You can! And here is what she has to say about it:
I write a daily devotional geared toward women who would like to have a closer walk with the Lord. My goal is to inspire each of us to be better than we are. I send out the devotionals through email but I also have a web site, From the Heart of Jill, where you can read and comment. Please stop by and, if it interests you, please email me at jill6758 at cablespeed dot com and I will add you to my list.
Thanks, Jill, for sharing your stories with us!
If you, or a mom you know, has at least one child 20 years or older and out of the house and would like to share your stories, please drop me a note and let me know. I’m always looking for new Real (Experienced) Moms to feature.
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