Influence

That's a big word with a lot of meaning. I've learned a lot about how people influence, for good or bad, starting around the time I moved out on my own. I had a long day and I know I'm a little late with this post, but here are my top 5 (in no particular order)

* I would have to say that my biggest influence was my mom. Since I've become a mother I have seen myself in ways that I am just like her, which is a good thing.....most of the time haha.
She did have eyes in the back of her head, and still does. She also kept a short leash on us, which I realize now of course, was a really good thing. I started appreciating her more when I moved to Arizona and saw how teenagers are these days (and I know I wasn't that bad, but still....). Now that I have my own kids it makes me realize just how she feels about me, and my brother and sister.

* My dad is a close second. He is a hard worker. He seems to know how to fix just about anything. He's really freaking smart but you wouldn't necessarily know it because he doesn't act like a know-it-all. He can read like no body's business, I once saw him read 2 and a half books in about 3 days (I As I've gotten older I think I've started getting to know him better and I know that will continue.

* My Grandma (my dad's mom) I was so blessed to have a woman like her as a grandma. She's the only one I had growing up, and she was the best. She would make me mashed potatoes after school if I wanted them (since they were my favorite food). She walked everywhere. Before she broke her hip and wound up in the hospital this year, she always visited people who were sick or couldn't get out. She had a lady she would read to over the phone (even thought her own eyesight wasn't the best.) I remember shelling peas and snapping beans from her garden. She grew a lot of her own food. She always had the best tomatoes, and strawberries. We used to roller skate around her basement. There is so much more, but I have to move on to the next person.

* My kids. I definitely have to say they have given me a reason to take a look at myself and it's helped me find a sense of who I am and what kind of person I need to be in order to help them grow into the kind of people I want them to be. That doesn't mean I am succeeding every single day, but I'm trying. I've learned that I'm capable of way more than I ever would have thought before I had them.

*My husband taught me early on what it meant to have a work ethic. Not that my parents didn't teach me this, he just helped me see it at work first hand. He also does a lot more than most husbands I hear about. He cleans, pays bills, is a great dad, and changes diapers too. He's also proved that you can make something out of yourself even if you don't have a very good education.

I'm starting to wonder if any of this will make sense when I read if later, because I'm almost falling asleep as I type it. I guess I'll find out in the morning.

Thanks to everyone who participated. Sorry if I didn't make it to your blog, I didn't wind up with a lot of extra time (still trying to finish all that laundry and cleaning that never ends).