Aside from the endless snuggles, the most rewarding thing for me is how my girls push me to strive for excellence & continuously work toward being the best version of myself. I am the financial provider for my girls, and growing up poor I’ve learned that I can set them up for success. It’s a very rewarding feeling to be able to put my oldest in club sports, or afford healthcare for my youngest who requires special care from time to time due to a rare genetic disorder. They keep me strong.

Motherhood has taught me what it means to truly feel and be alive. I’ve felt guilt before, but nothing compares to “mom guilt.” I’ve felt joy before, but nothing compares to the joy a child injects into your life—over the tiniest things. It’s taught me the torturous beauty of life and while my life is my own, everything I do is for them; from where and how I live, to how I love and communicate. It’s the most humbling, frustrating (at times) and gratifying experience raising my three girls.

Honestly, I live near Priest Lake, and to rent a cabin on the water for one week in the summer it costs 5k. My dream is to take my girls there during 4th of July. We never traveled or did anything when I was married and I am determined to change that. With the other 15k, I’d invest 5k into their Roth IRA accounts for each of them.