History of Valentine's Day

Is the history of Valentines Day expressed in the current celebration of yummy chocolates, lovely cards, and sparkling engagement rings? What is the story behind such a highly-retailed celebration?

Some say the day is named after a bishop named Valentine, who was stationed in the Roman Empire. Claudius II was the Emperor at that time. He thought that unmarried men made better soldiers, so he decided to make it a law that young men could not marry. Around 270 A.D., Valentine took pity on the ostracized soldiers who were not permitted to marry or see their sweethearts.

He became an advocate of these young lovers and began to perform secret marriages. He was soon found out and jailed. Emperor Claudius II attempted to convert Valentine to begin worshiping the Roman gods, but Valentine refused. Instead, he tried to convert Claudius to Christianity and Valentine was sentenced to be executed on February 24, 270.

Another version of the history of Valentines Day tells that Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s daughter. Just before his death, he sent her a note and signed it “from your Valentine.” An aura of romance surrounded his demise and those who knew about it spread the tale. Bishop Valentine became Saint Valentine with his fame extending to England and France.

After his death, Valentine then became what is known as a “Patron Saint.” Some considered him the spiritual overseer of an annual festival in which young Romans would distribute cards of affection to those they wished to formally see. This festival was held each February 14. There are Valentine cards in museums worldwide that date back to 1415.

February has been the month to celebrate love ever since the Middle Ages.

A New Mom... Again

I became a new mom in March of 2006 when my son was born.  I had no idea what I was doing, all I knew was that I was completely smitten with my little boy.

When my second son came along in October of 2007. I was a new mom again because I had to figure out how to be a mother to 2 amazing and adorable boys.  Once again, I had no idea what I was doing but I was completely in love with my two little boys.

Then there came baby number 3, our little tattered angel in October of 2009.  She came with a lot of unknowns and again I became a new mom of 3.  I had to figure out how to care for my spirited boys and my special needs daughter who needed a lot of medical attention.  Thank goodness I was not alone.  I had my amazing husband who helped wherever he could even though he was in medical school for the majority of her time with us.  I had family that stepped in to stay with her in the hospital when I needed to spend time with my boys or watched them while I was in the hospital.  I had friends that provided meals for us and child care for the boys.  Life was crazy but good.

And then you come to the present... 2 miscarriages, two boys, a sick little girl who passed away when she was 2 and 3 more miscarriages and then I am a new mom again.

On April 7th, 2018 I was able to fly home with my entire family... all 7 of us.  We are in the process of adopting these 3 beautiful children, 2 girls and a boy.  I once again have no idea what I am doing but I know that I am driven by the love I have for these children.  I can be overly protective at times and then at other times lack the empathy needed at the moment.  I can be loving and fun one moment and at other times I have the "Stern Mommy Voice" that even I do not like that comes out when a few too many bad choices have been made.  Every day is up and down.  Each day has it treasures to be cherished and moments best left to be buried.

As I reflect on each of the changes that have occurred throughout the 12 years I have been a mother, I realize that I will continually and repeatedly be a new mom.  Each time I gained a child I became a new mom.  Each time my baby became a toddler I became a new mom.  Each time my toddler became old enough to go to school I became a new mom.  When my oldest went to middle school I became a new mom.  And the cycle will continue with each transition in each of my children's lives.

As mothers we may not know what we are doing all the time but the important part about being a mom is moving forward with love.

May we each embrace being a loving mother to our remarkable children. 

Self-Reliance

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints... in other words, I am Mormon.

One of the great things about my church is that there are always learning experiences available.  I am currently taking a class called "Personal Finances for Self-Reliance."  We meet once a week for three months and go through our manual.  At the end, hopefully we have learned a lot, made some new friends, and get a certificate (I know I LOVE certificates... it is an outward sign that I ACCOMPLIASHED SOMETHING GREAT!!!)

Tonight was our first meeting and I can tell you that I already feel empowered to take charge of our personal finances.

There was a quote in the manual that really impacted me and gave me the drive I needed to feel like I have control of my finances versus my finances having control of me.

"Without self-reliance one cannot exercise these innate desires to serve.  How can we give if there is nothing there?  Food for the hungry cannot come from empty shelves.  Money to assist the needy cannot come from an empty purse.  Support and understanding cannot come from the emotionally starved.  Teaching cannot come from the unlearned.  And most of all, spiritual guidance cannot come from the spiritually weak." - Marion G. Romney

Because my family and I are very service oriented, this quote put my life mission into perspective and helped me to know what I need to do in order to serve around me...

The first step is to start at home.  Fill my shelves, get my finances in order, make sure I am emotionally sound, learn as much as I can, and be sure that I am spiritually strong by building my faith upon Jesus Christ, my rock, my foundation.

Whether you are a Latter-Day Saint or not, these classes are open to you.  There are more than just the personal finances class as well.

Feel free to check out the link below for the learning materials for these classes.

Self-Reliance learning materials on lds.org

I am excited about this initiative and cannot wait to improve my spiritual and temporal self-reliance.

New Year, New You!

It is once again a new year... 2018!  Wow!

I always love this time of year.  It is a time to think about who you are and who you want to be.  It is a time to make goals of improvement.

I am now 34 years old and I have spent the majority of my new years making goals and usually a month later I miss something and because of my perfectionist nature I just end up giving up altogether.  Talking to others... this is the usual pattern but I think it is a bit extreme for me because I really want to do 100% and in my mind if I do less than that I have failed.

If you think like I do then read on because I have figured out a beautiful thing that has helped me keep my goals the last few years that I would love to share with you.

I was taught all my life to write down specific goals such as "Work out 3 days a week," "Read one book per month," etc.

Though this is a proven method, I have found that if I leave myself a little breathing room, when I lack the specifics I am less likely to quit.

So here are some of my goals for this year:

1. Read my scriptures
2. Try new things
3. Attend the temple
4. Improve my talents/passions
5. Be creative
6. Be more active (exercise, go for a walk, play soccer with the boys, etc.)
8. Have better spending habits

So here is how this works.

If I am able to read my scriptures every day, GREAT, but if I miss a day, it is ok because I am reading them more than I have before.  As I remember to read them more often, then it will begin to be a part of my daily routine which I look forward to.

Another example... I always see these great deals on Groupon and Living Social and think to myself "I would love to try that some day" but then I close the website and move on with my crazy life. So instead of saying "I would love to try that some day," I am going to go ahead and buy it and try it!  Why not!?!  Life is too short to say "some day!"  So even if I only try one new thing this year it is still more than I have done before.

And so on down the list.  Life is not about becoming prefect all at once, but growing and learning little by little.  I found the following quote on Pinterest which I LOVE...

If I am able to improve in one area of my life at a time, that is better than not improving at all.  So instead I am looking at my goals and prioritizing and asking myself when life gets busy "What is the most important goal I have made?" and then taking the time for at least the top one.

My goals for last year were realized because I made them simple.  I did not feel defeated but I felt empowered.

As you make your goals this year I hope you realize that these goals really should be about improvement, not great leaps at a time but baby steps.  After all, you must learn to walk before you can run.

Confessions of Confessions....

Ok, so I have to tell you that the name of this blog is a little deceiving.

When most people think of a Super Woman, they think of a woman who is able to juggle things with ease.  She is beautiful, smart, talented, sexy, patient... the list goes on.

I am nothing like that.  I am awkward, goofy, rowdy and more... and yes, this picture is of me dressed up for "Nerd Day" in highschool (trust me, this was not too far of a stretch for me).

So why name this blog "Confessions of a Super Woman?"  Because unlike other people, when I think of a Super Woman, I think of someone who is growing and learning and willing to change where and when needed.  I think of someone who makes mistakes and tries to learn from them.  I think of someone who is far from perfection.  I think of someone like me.

As you read this blog, please do not feel like you need to be perfect.  Please do not feel like you are worthless.  Read this blog in order to help yourself know that there are others struggling in this world to get things right.  Read this blog in order to laugh a little at my expense (which I welcome you to do).  Read this blog to be inspired in little areas that you might need help in as well.

I dedicate this blog to all the Super Women out there who are imperfect.  Be proud of who you are and whatever you do, just keep trying!  You can do it!  I have faith in you!

Welcome, Friends!

Hello Everyone.

Welcome to my blog.  If you are here, it could be for a number of reasons such as:

You have young children and want some fun activities to do with them...

You are tired of your house being a wreck and want some new ideas on how to get organized...

You need some words of inspiration from another woman/mom in order to know you are not alone...

You got roped into reading this blog because you are a friend or family member of mine...

the list goes on...

Whatever your reason may be, I hope you will enjoy this blog as much as I am hoping to enjoy writing it.

I plan to include fun activities, inspirational thoughts, helpful hints, easy recipes, lessons learned and much more in this all inclusive blog.

I am a woman who enjoys learning and trying new things in order improve myself as a person and my impact on the world.

A little about myself...

My name is Amber M. Woolsey.  I am 34 years young.  I was born and raised in Southern California and relocated to Oregon with my parents while in my teenage years.  I have a high school education with some college credits.  I have worked in a movie theater, with city officials in City Hall, was a dispatcher for truckers, an assistant to a realtor, was a photographer's assistant and office manager, an apartment assistant manger and then manager, worked in Bath and Body Works, I  have scanned and shredded medical documents for doctor offices who are switching to electronic medical records, and as a photographer with my husband and then on my own, I was a practice manager with my husbands Cardiology office then the office manager there when I was unable to work full time, I have watched children as an acting nanny in my home, I make and sell things on Etsy and plan to increase this work starting this 2018, and I am currently the activity coordinator for a friends local Montessori Pre-School and in doing this I am thrilled to once again be a stay at home mom.  I spend my days keeping my house in order, playing with my kids and coming up with delicious recipes for dinner.  Who else can say that they get to work very little and play most of the day at their job!?!

I have been married to my best friend for nearly 14 years and am a happy mother of two(+)... I have an 11 year old and a 10 year old, both boys.  My little Emma passed away at 2 years old in January of 2012 due to a severe congenital heart defect and I have lost 5 other children during pregnancy.  So I have two living children.  Please do not feel sorry for our loss.  I have faith in God and in having such faith, I am able to focus on celebrating the children we were blessed to keep as well as cherishing the 2 years we had with our little tattered angel, Emma.  I know that out of trials come blessings and boy are we being blessed!  We are currently in the final stages of adopting 3 children (siblings), 6 year old girl, 5 year old girl and 3 year old boy and we could not be happier to invite them into our arms.

My hobbies include but are not limited to:

Photography, Sewing, Writing, Singing, Organizing, Counseling Others, Cooking, Baking, Reading, Listening to Music, Learning New Things, Home Improvement, Decorating, Crafting, Scrap-booking, Serving and Helping Others... I have more which is problematic at times, but always fun.

I love meeting new people and getting to know the inner workings of others due to their background, upbringing, race, and origin.  I enjoy hearing others thoughts on how their world works and helping them find the silver lining in every situation and letting them help me do the same.

I currently live in Maryland, just North of Washington, DC.  It is very different from the West Coast, but I love it here.  There are a lot of things to see and learn about and I love that my kids and I have endless things to do... most of which are free.

I can say that I have been through a lot in my life, both negative and positive, that have made me the person that I am.  If I could do them all over again, I would not change a thing.  I am happy where I am and hope to continue to grow in many ways the rest of my life.

Thank you for your support in reading my blog.  I hope you will find some of the things I write uplifting and insightful.  My over all goal is to help others learn through my own personal experiences.  Please sit back, kick up your feet, relax and enjoy reading "The Confessions of a Super Woman."