I never want to misrepresent myself or my life on this blog; I never want to give the impression that our life is always perfect, that we meet with no trials or hardships, that all my silly crafting or cooking endeavors always succeed– or even that that is all to our life!
It is a difficult balance because the purpose of this blog is by nature lighthearted — to share glimpses of our life through pictures, posts, etc. — and not in-depth journals of my daily thoughts & struggles. These posts are, in fact, simply glimpses, snapshots, not a full-length movie of our life. This blog is not intended to chronicle all the details of our day, everyday. (Though I DO have fun every now & then showing a day in our life!)
But now that I have kept up with this blog for THREE years, here are some things I do want to be transparent with you about:
I am always pleasantly surprised when people — strangers or friends or family — share with me that they like or read the blog. I feel like if you know me, then you know that I am dorky & uncool, so the fact that people want to spend their time reading about our life makes me laugh and smile and blush all at the same time.
It is a good thing this is not a “deep things” blog because I can be over-analytical, extremely introspective, and poetically melodramatic. I can so easily exhaust myself with my thoughts, so the thought of overwhelming you who read Tatumfam makes me uncomfortable! : ) I’d much rather show you my silly & chipper side on here, though I can’t help every now and then to post some of my true thoughts & feelings. I want to be Real–but please know I am as much silly & dorky as I am brooding & introspective, but for my own personal reasons & for reasons Rust & I have discussed in great detail, Tatumfam is more for that silly, dorky side of myself.
Apart from Jesus Christ, I am nothing. I did not grow up believing in the God of the Bible; I was a self-proclaimed atheist by the time I was thirteen. It wasn’t until I was 16, when, through a series of difficult circumstances, I came to truly understand what the Gospel truly meant. I became a Christian in the midst of serious, black depression–which did not go away the instant I became a Christian. However, I learned & experienced how to face difficulties & emotional pain with Christ by my side & through the beautiful, lovely hope that only He can give.
I love taking pictures of people, particularly children! Give me good lighting & an expressive person & I am happy to snap away! I would not consider myself a natural photographer, but I have spent two years learning more & more about how to use my camera (now a Canon Rebel XSi; formerly, a Canon PowerShot A630). It has become a fun hobby for me!
I am a copycat crafter. I rarely dream up my own personal crafty projects, but if I see something I love that a thoughtful blogger has shared, I love to try it (and I want to ALWAYS give credit)! I have had to gain confidence & guts to just try certain projects, but I am so glad I did. Having a project fail isn’t a reflection of who I am–my identity– so one or two project-busts don’t have to stop me in my tracks! I think that makes a HUGE difference to approaching crafting. It is so easy to stop yourself because you doubt yourself, but–just try. Just try. : )
I love being a parent. It is such a blessing to be able to stay home with my daughters. I pray daily for strength to parent in a way that is pleasing to God. I tend to struggle with being lenient & indulgent! I have such a hard time saying “No” to sweet little faces, but I know that sometimes “No” is for their ultimate good (just like sometimes God’s “No’s” to some of our prayers are for our ultimate good!).
I have grown to love cooking & baking. This has also become a confidence-thing. I really had to gain experience before I felt more comfortable & more relaxed when trying new recipes. My “cooking world” truly opened up for me whenever I stayed home full-time after having Anna. Trying to work & then come home & cook made baking & preparing dinner so stressful for me! There is a big difference in how I approach cooking/baking now that I have all day to prep, plan, and think through our family’s meals.
I am an extreme introvert! I fumble through small talk, I get sweaty in large crowds, and I would rather endure awkward silence because I’m so nervous I will botch the basics of general conversation. I have been mistaken for being stuck-up & stuffy because I am very reserved at first, and I seriously have to swallow my nervousness in order to approach acquaintences just to say hello. I fail to talk to people more often due to my own social awkwardness than because of something they have done. I think behind all this is just big fat insecurity: “Do they really want to talk to me??” College helped me grow in becoming more friendly & blogging has helped me become more comfortable in being my dorky self.
I love natural childbirth & breastfeeding. I love talking about them! I am thankful I was able to have two successful unmedicated deliveries & nurse my daughters.
I am currently working in my dream-job as a stay-at-home momma & wife. I am also interested in counseling in a mentor/spiritual role (no plans on pursuing further education for that, though!), writing books (especially fiction!), & homeschooling.
I really try to honestly represent our life. I don’t want to portray an image of our family & life that is untrue. I want to be authentic & open & warm & real. Our pregnany losses aside, God has given us some joyful seasons since we became the “Tatumfam” (almost 5 years ago). My prayer is that I can authentically represent the hard times when they DO come & still share the beauty & gifts God will give us even in the midst of our trials.
Rust & I are normal people. We can be lazy. We can take short-cuts. We don’t always agree, nor do we always disagree nicely. : ) We eat too much sweets. We forget things we should remember. We can be homebodies & forget to open our home to others. We are works-in-progress & striving to grow daily into people who are noble, honest, unselfish, warm, and loving.
I hope this bit of my attempt to be transparent gives you the bigger picture about us! Thanks for reading.
{And if you are not going to barf because of information overload about me, you can read this 10 Things List about my hobbies.}
