Mary E. Mahowald
I’ve missed you friends!
Did you miss me? It’s been a minute… I’d like to say that it was all part of an elaborate plan to make you miss and love me more! Sorry, not sorry. I didn’t feel like I had anything to say for a bit, and it was simply some much needed time away. Let’s Catch up!
So, here’s what I was up to during my writing hiatus, and oh yeah, that little pandemic thing:
Homemaking
This Spring I have finally realized a dream. One that seemed for years would never come to fruition. I purchased my very first home in May! Coming off the dregs of a broken marriage, medical debt from almost a month long hospital stay and 2 major surgeries for my little guy a couple years back, near crippling debt and being on the verge of bankruptcy at one point. After being introduced to Dave Ramsey and his Financial Peace University program, I was able to apply many of his principals. Though I am still very much a work in progress, I was able to turn around my finances and purchase my very first home-as a single mama! It’s a small, 4-bedroom town home in Omaha, Nebraska and it’s mine! I absolutely love it! I’m still working on making it all my own, but here’s a little preview on some of my rooms and completed projects that make it feel like home!
Work-life
I love to work. No job is perfect, but I have 3 just for variety. I love challenges and finding new ways, being showed new ways to look at problems and figuring out solutions that work.
I am still working my full-time gig, and work on-call weekends for this job occasionally. I also am working part-time creating Social Media and Sales Content for the amazing SHOLDIT® brand. If you haven’t already, check out Angela’s unique and patented accessory designs, she takes totally wearable fashions into everyday functionality and I’m so here for it! She has been an incredible example of a scrappy, funny, intelligent businesswoman, and one heck of a boss, mama and mentor. I am so blessed to be in her creative space and learn from her knowledge of small business, copyrights, patents, and the world of the online marketplace!
And also…. Drum Roll Please… I am thrilled to announce that I am finally. Officially. Launching my own book business. With Heart Booksellers went live this month! I’m waiting for a few additional pieces of businessy officialities to come back to me (tax info, business permits, name registrations, etc.), before I am fully set up to sell, and I am so ecstatic to announce that our first publication Frankie Drives a Freightliner will be going on Pre-Sale beginning in October!
Frankie Drives a Freightliner is a bright and cheery Children’s Book that highlights 2 strong female leads, hitting the open road with the rescue pup Marlow in their cherry red Freightliner Tractor. This was a collaboration with my incredibly talented friend Joe Davis in cooperation with our advertising partner Truck Center Companies. Frankie and friends will also be on Amazon and in select retailers, to be announced soon!
Home Life
I promise I have one! It’s just a crazy mess of little boys, scraped knees, soccer practice, dinners that don’t get eaten, all the mom-life things, some business and side hustle thrown in the mix, lots of pickups and drops-offs and trying to keep up with all of our schedules. I cook, sometimes, and do my best not let them tear the house up while trying to sprinkle in some fun. As much as I love to work, I love vacation time and time to unwind and spend uninterrupted time loving up on these little humans that God gifted me.
This year’s vacay included some of my most favorite things: family, beach time, and lots and lots of coffee and splashes! We vacationed in Galveston, TX. Despite the “social distancing” and mask wearing, it was all relatively normal. The beach time was epic and a memory I will carry with me for always. One of my sisters came with kids in tow and my boys treasured the cousin time more than anything. It was everything that we needed this year and thank the Lord, everyone remained healthy and happy, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Homeschooling
So, there was this. I’ll be the first to admit, I was not cut out to be a children’s teacher of this capacity. Not with everything else that was on my plate. Contrary to the super woman façade that I know I give off (ha), homeschooling was incredibly challenging, hard and just downright not the best experience for my family. I was fortunate enough to have an understanding employer who worked with me as my schedule demanded, but the taking off and putting on of 25 different hats in an 8-9-hour window of school day and workday was just not my cup of coffee. I may have been their only teacher on those days (minus the zoom classrooms), but I’m pretty sure that I was no one’s favorite.
The good news ya’ll: we all survived. Now, pretty, pretty-please don’t ever close the schools again! Thank you!
What I Wasn’t Up To
If you wanted to know the things that I haven’t been up to, here goes… Sleeping, that’s hit or miss these days. Writing. Fasting. Finally getting back into shape. Running Marathons, nope that didn’t happen. And finally, folding and putting away laundry. Seriously. Truly. Anyone looking for a side job and doesn’t mind folding clean laundry, find me, I will find a way to pay you!
And that’s about it. That catches you up on my whole “2020 vision” b.s. Let me know what you’ve been up to, how you’ve been handling life in lockdown, and I swear if you give me another 2020, I will find 9,253 more ways to not be bored. Thanks for your patience and love!
Mary E Mahowald: The Writer 