Today I found myself on my kitchen floor hugging my toddler like she was my anchor.

Moving backwards. It was the dinner I couldn’t envision because my dishwasher was broken, my dishes were clean and strewn across the counter tops and piled in the sink, and the undercarriage of the sink strewn across the floor.  It was the stroller that broke and then broke again with three toddlers in it.  It was the screaming baby I wore protesting my efforts to put the wheels back on the stroller.  It was the stroller breaking and the baby screaming at my efforts three more times.  It was trying to finish painting my office while all the children (or at least most of them) slept so I could put a bow on the project and stamp it “FINISHED” after several weeks of having it torn apart.  It was my dishwasher being officially flagged as “busted” and slated for repair in a couple of days.  It was the jackhammering in the basement bathroom.  It was that the basement bathroom is under construction thus labeling the entire basement “unfit for small children.”  It was the reworking the routine and sleeping arrangements to work around the basement bathroom project.

Moving forwards.  I am blessed after many months, years rather, of saving to remodel the bathroom.  I am blessed to own and operate a dishwasher on a daily basis.  Heck, I’m blessed to have running water on an all day, every day basis.  I am blessed to have food in our pantry and fridge.  I am blessed to have several amazing little girls in my house to love and be loved by every day all while contributing to our family income while doing so.  I am blessed enough to have a two year old girl that loves me very much and holds me when I need it.  I am blessed with a beautiful and joyful (though still slightly pneumonia stricken) baby.  I am blessed with a husband who is home, no longer on the road, and willing.  I am blessed to have a bathtub and be given the gift of cleanliness (since our shower has been not only been out of order but nonexistent for a week so far).  I am blessed to find myself alone in that bath tub and enveloped in essential oils that still the explosion of stress within me.  And, most of all, I am blessed by the love of the Father and even in my yuck He doesn’t stop seeking to tap me on the shoulder to turn me around and notice all the wonderful things He’s given me.

Because of all the routine disrupting action in the house I found it incredible that it was also because of that disruptive environment that caused me to seek out the cleanliness of a bath and, in turn, find the Lords peace wrap around me and His voice speak the list I just laid out before you.  God is so good.  He is so full of love and always looking to spend time with us.  In this moment I am thankful for the disruption in our home and that it plunged me into some quality time with my Daddy.

Penny sleeping (crazy) while they jackhammer (stopped just as I came down for a quick pic after over an hour of ruckus). And then just one of Josh and Maisy just after she woke because they were so adorable.

HER STORY
CMW January feature:  Kaia Calhoun

Monthly feature – interviews and stories showcasing common women who put their creative ideas and passions into action.

Mom, Photographer, and Entrepreneur – Kaia Calhoun 1/13/2017 Name: Kaia Calhoun Age: 28 Professions: Mom, photographer, daycare “mom” Website: www.kaiacalhounphotography.com Before you were a mom, you started a photography business.  Can you share a bit about how that came about? “Starting my photography business came about very organically.  Photography was something I was interested in, wedding and portrait photography was something I could make money doing, and I had plenty of requests from friends and family so I figured I’d roll it into a business.  I took job after job for the first few years, even worked for some other companies to increase my know-how.  One of these companies provided an introduction to a man in charge of a community-based magazine in Hinsdale, IL.  This is when my dreams came true.  Sounds small, and it was, but all I ever wanted out of a career was to do photojournalism.  Because of this magazine I was able to get a job as a freelance photographer for BRAVA Magazine in Madison when we moved to Wisconsin.  Perhaps one day I’ll work for an even bigger magazine, perhaps with more travel, but for my season with babies I couldn’t be more happy with the photography work I’ve been given.”   What makes you passionate about photography? “I love portrait and wedding photography in order to provide my clients with marriage-saving and family-making photography.  I’m passionate about taking pictures that are more than just pictures, that are memories that serve to keep the passion aflame in other families and marriages.  I love photojournalism for so very many reasons.  With photojournalism I get to tell a story with my images and see my work published at least once a month.  In the process I get to see awesome places, meet awesome people, and taste awesome food too, can’t beat that!”   How did becoming a mom impact your photography work? “In many ways becoming a mom improved my photography work.  It helped me streamline my process and focus on what mattered most about my business.  I learned to follow my gut more as I edited because I didn’t have time to tinker around with every preset or setting, I now strive to choose what feels right from the get-go and run with it. I’ve also never loved wedding editing.  I love photographing the wedding and taking care of all the correspondence but the hours upon hours of wedding editing was not my cup of tea.  In honor of being the best mom I can be I started hiring a great friend and fellow photographer to handle my wedding editing for me.  She edits the weddings as if she were me, it’s perfect.  This way I don’t get frustrated with my babies when they’re making it impossible for me to get work done.  I’m more than happy to pay my friend to do it too!  Better to put my money in the pocket of a buddy than a stranger I think, especially when she does a perfect job. Having kids, particularly hosting the daycare at my house, has forced me to be wiser with my schedule.  I like that I know more what to expect out of each day.  I have the daycare Monday through Fridays, I edit and otherwise work while kids are napping and playing nicely, I do my photoshoots on Saturdays and I take 2 Mondays off of daycare a month to do photography as well, then Sundays I take as a Sabbath completely.” So, on top of being a mom, and a photographer, you have started an in-home daycare.   Can you tell us what lead you to start that? “Starting the daycare was entirely a God thing.  He put the little idea in my head as Maisy got older.  I entertained taking on a kid part time as a guaranteed play buddy for Maisy during the week.  It never became something I pursued though.  One day on my Natural Mamas Facebook group a local mom posted that she needed a caregiver for her newborn, someone who cloth diapered.  I replied to her post simply asking what days and times she needed care to see if it’s something I thought would work for my work life and family.  Next thing I know another mom, who saw my reply, asked if I would take her two girls Monday to Friday.  Me and all my friends and family thought I was crazy for saying yes to four kids (including Maisy) under 3 years old.  All I knew is that I felt the Lord asking me to say yes, so I did.  And man am I glad I did!  The income is a side note for me, I feel so blessed to have such amazing playmates in my home every day for my fervently people-oriented and extroverted toddler.  Now, one and a half years after I said yes to daycare I have two of my own kids and five others in my care all day every weekday.”   Have there been any major obstacles or struggles to overcome in running your own business and being a mom at the same time?   “Oh absolutely!  Every job has it’s own set of struggles.  My main struggle is time management.  In order to do all the things I want and need to do I’ve forced myself to budget my time on a daily basis.  For each day I write down what I want to do and when in order to accomplish everything from my devotional time, quality time with my kids, quality time with my husband, date night, painting a wall in my house, writing for my blog, editing my photography, shooting my photography… and the list goes on.  There’s a lot of things this mom has on her list and with impeccable time management I can actually tackle it all! Other than that, when I started the day care, and every time I take on a new kid, I struggle with getting them on board with the routines and rules in the house as well as what’s expected of them as a kind and gentle playmate to all the other kids.  Kids catch on fast though! My photography world is mostly a well oiled machine these days.  Some shoots present themselves as a little more intimidating to me than others.  But really any challenges I have are related to areas of running a photography business that aren’t my favorite areas to tackle like website maintenance, social media, and other marketing things.  Since these areas are a struggle they also take longer for me to tackle which means it’s also harder for me to find time to do them.” What keeps you inspired and motivated each day? “I actually keep myself inspired and motivated each day.  First of all, one of my strengths is the “achiever” (according to StrengthsQuest).  That alone drives me.  But, on top of that, I also ensure I’m enjoying every day and for me that means setting up routines that enable me to “achieve” my tasks throughout the day and sprinkling in some treats or rewards as needed.  Sometimes this means I get myself a donut so I’m excited about the day, sometimes this means consuming caffeine to jump start my productivity, and this definitely means scheduling in time for myself to write and work out and go on a date with my man.” So, I heard you have chickens in your backyard.  Can you tell us about your decision to do that? “Several years ago I found a passion for homesteading planted in my heart.  And about five years ago I felt convinced about stewardship.  The Lord prompted me to treat His world and all that He created in it as best as I can.  This in turn fueled my passion for homesteading because that decreases your “carbon footprint” as they say to nearly nothing on the food front.  By producing as much food in my backyard as I can I am treating God’s world as kindly as I can.  Chickens included.  Besides being way too much fun and being awesome because of their egg production, they also fuel my other homesteading adventures my pooping fertilizer for my garden and stirring my compost as they forage.” What encouragement or advice can you give to those who are still figuring out their heart’s passion, or trying to get the courage to pursue their passion more fully? “Oh man, I’d say whatever lights your eyes up and makes your heart beat fast is what you should do.  Sometimes this just starts as some little ol’ thing.  For me, it started when I was a kid taking pictures on a dinky little film camera my parents gave me for my birthday.  And loving day care was a surprise to me, I did it, first and foremost, for my kid and realized how perfect it was for me as a result.” What do you think the future holds for you and your family? “I hope my future reveals a traveling magazine job, a published book or two, and perhaps several more children, but mostly just many more days full of love and joy.” Thanks Katie for featuring me on your blog! Feature Curated by: Katie Simkins Photography by:  Kaia Calhoun, Hannah Woods Massey, & Mandy Henry Photography

I need to take a moment to thank God.  Today was one of those days that filled my insides up with warm tingles and my eyes with tears.  I am so blessed and so thankful for it.

Today I’m thankful for…

Sleeping in.  Good morning hugs.  Cinnamon roll Saturday.  Castle (fort) building.  Tea party.  Antibiotics to heal my baby’s pneumonia.  The antibiotics that healed my first baby.  More tea party.  Real tea party with chocolaty trail mix and Candy Land.  Books and snuggles and more tea at bed time.

They day filled my heart with so much joy.  In short, the day was spent snuggling and calming a feverish and miserable Penny while catching golden moments with Maisy each time Penny slept; we built a castle in the living room, had 4 tea parties, enjoyed a bed time snack with bed time tea and a before bed family game, and enjoyed my ever favorite time of day doing bed time with Maisy with our books and snuggles.

Dear Maisy,

You’ve been intensely ill for most of a week.  I’ve loved every minute of it that I wasn’t worried for your safety. I’ve loved your sweet, mellow, snuggly disposition.  I’ve loved napping with you, watching movies with you, and holding you close.  For me, it felt like a staycation. We didn’t go anywhere, I didn’t work, and you didn’t play.

I’m beyond thankful your fever broke and that you’re obviously on the mend, but I also, not so secretly, wish for one more day.  One more day of nothing with you.  One more day of snuggling on the couch with you.  One more day of napping with you.  One more day of holding you close.  You are growing up too fast and I loved my week of getting to experience just you – no other noise, no other distractions.

Oddly enough, I thank God for the gift of these last several days.  I thank Him for giving me a breath from a life that can get so crazy and busy just to soak up the best quality time with you.  I thank Him even more that He did heal you and restore you completely.

With all my heart,

Mommy

Dear Maisy,

Today I took you to the doctor.  It was day three of a high fever so it was time.  I expected a routine visit.  We walk in, they check your vitals, and tell me it’s a simple cough/cold that your little body would take care of on its own.  Instead, you get examined, reexamined, reexamined again, then x-rayed.  You sit and listen through it all, turning this way and that, lifting your arms and standing as requested, until we get to the x-ray room.  We take off your dress and your necklace and put a hospital gown on you.  It’s adult sized so you’re entirely lost in the garment.  You smile because we all chuckle at your cuteness.  But then you start to get nervous when they put you on a goofy chair and start strapping you in with x-ray protectant stuff.  Yet you make it through the first picture with only a minor whimper.  When they ask you to do it again and turn you away from me to take a picture of your profile you can’t handle not being able to see me at all and start to cry soft, heart wrenching tears.  They take the second picture quickly so I can rush to your side and comfort you.

At the end of it all they say it’s influenza or the RSV infection and give me some care instructions and inform me that it’s dangerous enough that they want to keep a close eye on you.

On the drive home I’m feeling a little anxious as you and your sister sleep peacefully in the back seat.  I’m anxious for your safety and I’m anxious your sister might catch it too and then I would really be nervous.  She’s so tiny and so helpless and these things could hurt her even faster than they could hurt you.

As we pull into the driveway I get a call back from the doctor saying you actually have pneumonia.  I get an instantaneous sinking, sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I’ve been on the verge of tears the rest of the evening: so proud of how chipper and sweet you’ve been even in such a state of physical turmoil, fearful of where pneumonia might take you, and just so gosh darn thankful for the sweet presence and joy you bring to my life.  You’re my sweet little buddy and yet just my sweet little baby and it physically hurts me to see you hurt.  I wish I could take it for you.

I love you so much it hurts, my darling.  I am so proud of you.  I pray passionately that you heal quickly.

All my love,

Mommy