Can We Be Real? Part 1 - Getting to Know the Real Me 
Most of you, my readers here, are relatively new to the blog and as I start this new adventure, it seems appropriate to tell you who I am. After all, you don’t take a journey with a stranger, do you?
I am a firstborn daughter and when I was younger, my parents were missionaries in West Africa. We were there from the time I was about ten months old until I was a little over four years old. I have very few memories of that because I was so young. I’m told I spoke bits and pieces of several different languages – none of them stuck, except English. At least that one stuck! 
I’m a sister. My brother was born when I was a little over five years old. We weren’t real close growing up, because of our age difference, but it turns out he’s a pretty cool guy!
I’m a wife and that is more of a blessing every day. We don’t have it all together, but we make a great team! He makes some great coffee to start my day and encourages me to follow my dreams.
I’m a mom and our kids are certainly three of my greatest blessings! Our kids are – as of this writing – 12, 8, and 6, but will soon be 13, 9, and closer to 7. Two boys and a girl. And they keep us hopping, but I love it!
I’m a homeschooling mom. I’m a teacher by trade, and I worked as a special education teacher for a few years before we had our own kids. That has come in handy as our middle guy has been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, on the Autism Spectrum.
I’m a friend and I’m convinced that I’ve been blessed with some of the greatest friendships. My friends are not all local to where I live, and some I’ve never met but know through the common bonds of special needs, or homeschooling, thanks to social media. We’ve been blessed with a wonderful group of friends at small group and the investment in each other’s lives is a blessing!
A few other facts about me – I play the piano at our church sometimes, I enjoy knitting and reading, I dislike shoes and would rather be barefoot or wearing slippers or flip flops. I don’t like weather that’s too hot or too cold.
I like to cause a little trouble now and again – nothing major, just enough to keep people on their toes. I’ve been almost-banned from sitting next to a particular friend at small group. (Apparently our giggling can be a little disruptive.) ;-) I prefer spending time in smaller, intimate groups rather than larger settings.
I don’t mind tea, but I love coffee! I prefer dark chocolate candy rather than milk chocolate. My overall favorite color is green, but I have favorite colors in each season as well. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I watch “It’s A Wonderful Life” every Christmas season – at least twice!
I don’t keep a perfect home, but we’re genuinely happy together. I can’t even always carry off the appearance of a perfect family, but I’m learning that being real is better than being perfect. I can’t make everything run as smoothly as I’d like, or be as perfectly organized as I’d like to be. But I’m learning that perfection isn’t what I thought it would be – it’s more frustrating than energizing. It’s more life-draining than life-giving. I want to be a source of life to my family, not frustration, so I’m learning to let go of perfectionism and embrace the reality. There’s much more joy that way!
If you’d like, please feel free to leave a comment with a couple things about who you are. I love getting to know people a little better! I’ll share two more facts – both will seem random - about myself, because, after all, we’re wanting to be real, right?
1. My birthday is this month – and so is my first son’s. We share a birthday. He was born on my 25th birthday. Look for a special birthday post on Monday, April 22nd!
2. I have a small, red birthmark on the top of my head.
See? Random, but real!
Other topics we’ll be covering in the “Can We Be Real?” series will probably include:
*Craving Real Friendships
*Perfectly Imperfect
*A Real Relationship With God
Stop back next Thursday for more in this series.
This post is being featured at:
Katherine’s Corner
Freedom Friday
Create With Joy
Let me see….since we are being real. I know Becky from high school, we weren’t the closest but as we have gotten older and reconnected through social media I would say she is my good friend and a source of much encouragement. I too am a mother of three in a well blended family. Currently my three are 18, 15 and 11 (yes I started way early). My oldest is preparring to go to college, my middle is 6 foot 4 and a football player and my youngest has too much energy for even me and he was diagnosed a number of years ago with ODD with a particularly tough case of ADHD.
I wear a lot of hats. Wife, mother, doctor, secretary to my family, vet, full time employee and I own a bakery. I love to garden, read and occasionally knit. I drive my husband nuts when I rearrange the livingroom (at least once every three months).
My family may be unconventional but they are all mine and I love them. Now to be really REAL. I don’t know what my real hair color really is, I love our lazy boy chair and I have big feet but I am okay with it now
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Rebekah Reply:
April 5th, 2013 at 9:02 am
That almost seems like a challenge…approaching that big, magical number that our age is pushing us to, and finding out your real hair color!
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Being real is fun to read! I feel like I know you and we could be good friends!
Bobbie recently posted…Payday Friday with coupons at CVS
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Loved learning more about you my sweet friend! I’ve missed our regular FB chats, hoping we can do more of that soon!
So a bit about me:
1) I have a terrible fear of heights & clowns. Seriously…if I see a clown in public, I have to turn and walk the other way or I most likely will have a panic attack.
2) I love to sing & would do so every second of the day if I could.
3) My hubby & I speak in movie lines! Love that I have a husband that remembers movie lines like I do. Having 2 girls on the autism spectrum that remember movie lines as well makes for some seriously fun times in our house!
Julie recently posted…Attending Church with an Individual with Special Needs
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Rebekah Reply:
April 5th, 2013 at 1:11 pm
Movie lines - YES! We do that here, too! How funny! And E is quick to correct us if we are talking about a movie he knows. Sigh!
Love you!!
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Thanks for keeping it real, Rebekah and for linking up to Friendship Friday!
I am an over 50 mom blogger have 9 kids and 1 grandson. We are not your picture perfect family either. In fact, we’re a little bit dysfunctional but we do all love each other.
Sylvia recently posted…Friendship Friday Linkup and Collage Friday
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Stopping by for the first time from Friendship Friday…so I guess this was the perfect post for me to read! LOL
About me? Well, I am a newly single (separated, but not divorced) Mom of 3 kids, ages 13, 10 and 8. We live in the boonies of Maine with 10 chickens, 2 ducks, 1 dog, 1 cat, 1 hamster, and 2 fish tanks. We’ve been homeschooling for 9 years and I’m also a teacher by trade. We like hiking, camping and kayaking (when it’s warm enough).
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I’m happy to read your keeping it real post. Thank you for sharing at the hop, your participation makes the hop extra special. Big Hugs P.S. the new giveaway posted Friday!
Katherines Corner recently posted…Mushroom Ravioli
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