Monday’s Maven

Full Name: Kara Fleck

kids: Jillian, who is 9, Max is 4, Lucy is 2, and we’re expecting our 4th child in early August.  It is going to be a full house!  I can’t wait!

Location: Indiana

One Word that Describes You: patient

What makes you smile? Oh, my kids are always doing and saying silly things that make me smile.  And my husband.  Chris’s smile always makes me smile.

What is one of your dreams you hope to accomplish soon? My husband and I are working toward becoming debt free.  We’ve been inspired by Tsh of Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey.  I’m really looking forward to that Friday in the future where we can call into Dave’s radio show and announce that we are finally a debt free family!  It is harder than I thought it would be (and I knew it would be hard) but, baby step by baby step, we’re getting there and I know if we keep at it, we’ll reach our goal.

One of Your favorite motherhood moments? Oh, wow.  This is a good question.  I love those firsts, the milestones.  The births of my children, their first steps, first words, the day my oldest learned how to read – getting to witness those events and share in their joy and sense of accomplishment means so much to me as a parent.  I also appreciate so much those moments when they are playing together or when my oldest is reading to the younger two.  Those times warm my heart.

What is your guilty pleasure? Ah, another good question. I love to watch mysteries and crime dramas.  Lately my favorite guilty pleasure has been putting the kids to bed at night and then sitting down with my knitting and watching shows on Hulu or Netflix.  It is nice to unwind after the day and I like losing myself in the drama of the story for an hour or two.

What do you love most about you? What I love the most about myself is that I roll with the punches pretty easily.  I’m very patient.  I certainly wasn’t always this way.  It is a gift of parenting, really.  I’ve come to learn that things aren’t very often as big of a deal as they seem initially and that calmer heads usually prevail.  It isn’t that I don’t get emotional, but I’m learning, through grace, not to let things take me down or to give them space in my head and heart that they don’t deserve.  I try to keep the big picture in mind and not get too worried about the little things.

Favorite Hobby? My favorite hobby is knitting.  I love making things for my family.  I’ve been on a knitted toy kick lately as well as knitting things for the new baby.  I’d love to learn to crochet and to spin my own yarn, too.  All things fiber related really fascinate me.  I love seeing what can happen with what is essentially just a string and two sticks, you know?

Who is your hero?My Grandma Jean is my hero.  She’s bright, she’s funny, she’s vivacious, she’s loving, and she’s so strong and youthful that I forget sometimes she’s in her early 90s.  She has been through difficult times in her life, but she handles every thing with grace and dignity.  She is a lady in every sense of the word.  She has taught me a lot about family and about friendship.  She reminds me not to take my health or my family’s health for granted and she’s a living example to me of faith, no matter your circumstances.  I think everyone needs a Grandma Jean in their lives to help them keep perspective.