Applicant #15: Anya Monroe

Anya Monroe is a mom from Bremerton.

My video application:

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A bit about me:

I am a 29 year old stay at home mom of six living in Bremerton, a ferry ride from the heart of Seattle.

My husband and I grew our family through birth and older child adoption. I am thankful to have the support of my family, as parenthood- no matter how it comes to be- is an endeavor that is much richer when other people are walking beside you.

With toddlers and school kids and a tween and a teen- I understand what other moms are going through. I am figuring this out one day at a time also; trying to troubleshoot before I am in over my head. The days are going fast, and I know my mother always told me that- but now I get it.

Everyone keeps growing up and as much as I make them promise to stay small, they can’t. Their wings are growing just like their hearts and it is the heartbreakingly good thing about life.

We all keep on growing.

Everyone asks how I can get everything done and not be a wreck. And my answer is that I am a wreck. I mean, come on, I watch the Bachelorette.

But I also have a love for writing and a love for reading and a love for cooking and coffee and dreadlocks and movies and friendship and life.

And those things help keep me sane. They are ways I can find the balance in this life work called Motherhood.

Being the next Verity Mom would be another part of the balance. A part that thrills and excites me; a wonderful platform to communicate with other women because we are in this together. I am passionate about being apart of a team that gives Moms A Voice- and I hope to partner with Verity Credit Union in making that happen.

My blog post:

What’s For Dinner?

Recently I was making a pot of pinto beans. My dinner plan was to have homemade pinto beans, tortilla chips, sour cream and shredded cheese. Yum right?

Well, as the beans were simmering, I went ahead and made a batch of rolls. I was out of bread, didn't want to run to the store, and knew I needed to pack a few lunches for school the next morning. The rolls rose nicely and I cut them and formed them into little crescents. I had them rising near the oven where they would soak up the heat.

As I was doing this a child of mine asked what was for dinner. I said, 'Oh I am making that yummy pot of beans!' I was given a face of confusion (read: disgust) and was asked, 'Well what is going with them?!'

Maybe I was tired after a long day, maybe I was grouchy because my husband was away at a conference- either way I was annoyed at the comment. So I said, 'Nothing. Just beans'. The child walked away.

As I was dishing the beans into bowls and calling kids to the table, another child pointed to the still rising rolls and asked (as if I was completely incapable of making a meal) if I was going to put the rolls in the oven because there was no way they would be ready in time since dinner was already being dished up, and we needed them for dinner. (Does this happen to all parents of children of a certain, ahem, age? Where suddenly you know nothing? I think so. I vividly remember my mom telling me to stop rolling my eyes just this minute for about 5.4 years of my life. Good grief!)

I responded by saying the rolls, in fact, were not for tonight’s meal, and that we had plenty of food in our bowls already, and that we should be grateful for what was already before us. I turned around just slowly enough to see the exaggerated eye rolling which allowed me to come to my next conclusion quite quickly.

The conclusion being, we are way to spoiled if we think a lovely bowl of homemade beans is beneath us.

That was Thursday. We have only had beans for dinner since. Granted, it has only been four days, but we need to get back to the roots and point of food. And also, or more importantly, to hearts that see how our cup is overflowing. Suddenly a salad isn't a salad unless there is feta or blue cheese, oatmeal isn't oatmeal unless there is brown sugar, pecans and craisens, and apparently, dinner isn't dinner if it just consists of beans.

I don't know how long my little home grown rant will go- but I do know I went to the grocery store this evening and bought seven dinners worth of beans.

Well, to be fair, I did buy split-peas too...

Anya