Connect What is the most rewarding part of being a mom?

Every day after school I ask my children how their day was. Ninety-five percent of the time I get the same response of "good". Every once in a while, I get a different answer such as my daughter telling me she got a 98 on a real hard math test, that she studied very hard for or my son telling me he got a "paw" at school for helping someone. These are the most rewarding times for me to know that I am raising kind, caring and hard-working little humans.

What is the biggest lesson motherhood has taught you?

It has taught me so many lessons and important things. One very important lesson is that when you are a mother your needs come last and you have to persevere. Mothers have to show up for their kids every single day even when it seems impossible. As a woman with a nerve pain disease, fibromyalgia, there have been days that I didn't know if I could make it through. Battling pain, sadness, sickness, financial worries, work stress, none of it matters when your kid's hockey practice starts at 5pm.

What would you do with $20,000?

I live pay check to pay check just to pay the bills and even then, I do not make it, in a very expensive state. I need a new HVAC system. I have no idea where I will get the money for it. I could lose heat at any moment and I was already told I cannot turn on the A/C this summer with this old failing HVAC. That would a large portion of the money. The other money I would use towards bills. Being a single home owner I turned to credit cards to help get through.