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About MamaBush - Taking the Challenge!

Ranked #1,052 in Squidoo Community, #123,033 overall

All the Juicy (Or Not) Details About MamaBush!

I have been challenged through the RocketSquids Boot Camp program to create a page to introduce myself to the Squidoo community. I'm discovering that it's very difficult to talk about myself! Not because I don't want you to know anything about me, but because I don't really think anyone would be interested in learning about boring MamaBush!

However, I have thoroughly enjoyed every single "about me" page that I have read from others, so maybe someone out there will find me interesting after all!

My favorite part of being online is making connections with all of you! Please leave me a note if you stop by and let me know that this About MamaBush page was not created in vain! I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Photo © MamaBush

Who Is MamaBush?

photo belongs to MamaBushReal Name: Brandi

Age: 34

Married: Since 1998 - almost 14 years!

Children: I have 5!

Home: For now, Pennsylvania...but who knows for how long?

Occupation: Stay-at-Home Homeschooling Mom

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About MamaBush

  • 1When I was young, I sat in the Presidential limosine and the Presidential helicopter and attended more than one White House Christmas party.
  • 2I have the coolest family in the world: My father is an Everglades tour guide and cruise captain, my mother is a beach bum that works at a super cool Harley Davidson store, my brother is an amazingly talented tattoo artist, and my sister is diligently working through law school...I'm the boring stay at home mom.
  • 3As a high school senior, I was captain of my volleyball team, cheerleading squad and track and field team...all in the same year.
  • 4In my 34 years, I have moved 22 times! That includes short little in-between moves that lasted 1 to 3 months...but still!
  • 5I traveled to Europe in high school. I visited France and Switzerland and drove through Italy. I want to go back so badly!
  • 6I don't like to read fiction, but I'm often reading 3 or 4 non-fiction books all at the same time.
  • 7My husband and I honeymooned in New York City for 3 days (I got to see Cats on Broadway!)...then, less than one week after we were married, he went to basic training and we didn't live together until 5 months later.
  • 8I have had many different jobs: retail associate, waitress, pharmacy technician, office assistant, office cleaner, home daycare owner, library page, grocery clerk...not to mention dabbling in several direct sales companies before discovering Lilla Rose, my current at-home business.
  • 9Out of my 5 births, 3 were in the hospital, 1 was a planned homebirth and 1 was a planned homebirth that ended up in a hotel room.
  • 10I have actually had 9 pregnancies. 5 of my babies are here with me, but I also have 4 little ones waiting for me in Heaven's Nursery.

I'll Hold You in Heaven

by Jack W. Hayford

I'll Hold You In Heaven: Healing and Hope for the Parent Who has Lost a Child through Miscarriage, Stillbirth, Abortion or Early Infant Death

I'll Hold You In Heaven: Healing and Hope for the Parent Who has Lost a Child through Miscarriage, Stillbirth, Abortion or Early Infant Death

by: Jack W. Hayford

Amazon Price: $1.86 (as of 05/28/2012)Buy Now


This is a wonderful book that offers healing to those who have lost a baby.

Priorities Keep Me Sane

Juggling Priorities at AllPosters.comIf I didn't break my life into priorities, I would go crazy. I am very scatterbrained and unorganized by nature, so I have to be able to look at my day in a logical way and make sure I'm putting the most important parts of my life first.

We only get 24 hours in a day. As a homeschooling stay-at-home mom of 5 children, there are a lot of things I have to handle and address during a typical day. Prioritizing these things ensures I get to the things that matter most.

Following are my Top 5 priorities and some goals I have in each area for 2012.

Priority #1: Faith

Faith at AllPosters.comIt's of utmost importance to me that I keep my faith as my #1 priority. I have been blessed beyond belief in this life and acknowledging daily Who those blessings come from is my focus. I don't always spend the time I would like reading God's Word and praising Him, but I try to pray throughout my day and I have a Bible time with the kids at bedtime. Looking back on my life, I cannot deny the fingerprints of God on every aspect of my past, so I could never deny Him in the present. Besides, I find that when I put my relationship with Him first...when I really trust Him...everything else just seems to work better.

My Faith Goals for 2012:

1. Read the entire Bible.
2. Start a prayer journal.
3. Pray daily.

Image: Faith by Shan_13 ~ Flickr Creative Commons

Priority #2: Family

photo belongs to MamaBushI've been married for almost 14 years and I have 5 children and a cat. That means that my #2 priority is really the most time-consuming...and the most rewarding! Family responsibilities include quality time with my husband and each of the children, grooming/bathing of kids, homeschooling, behavior training (4 of my kids are under the age of 6, so there is still a lot of training to do!), cooking/meals, making sure the cat's needs are taken care of and fun family time together.

I would say that 75% of my time is spent fulfilling my family priorities. I find that when I focus here, the kids are more well-behaved, we eat healthier meals, and everyone seems to be happier in general. When I let this priority slide to a lower slot, things just don't run smoothly.

My Family Goals for 2012:

1. Spend daily one-on-one time with each child.
2. Plan and implement a family game night.
3. Create several week's worth of meal plans with shopping lists for easier meal times.

Photo © MamaBush

Priority #3: Home

photo belongs to MamaBushThis is a picture of my home when I lived in Northern Utah. Isn't it beautiful? I miss that little place. It was small, but we updated it from the ground up and made it into a cozy modern cottage. It was so sad to leave it!

I have always taken pride in my home, but with 5 kids running around, it takes a lot of extra effort to keep it "company-ready". The kids have a couple of small chores that they do each day and we have a "quick clean" every day before Daddy comes home from work. I try to keep my deep cleaning tasks spread out on a weekly and monthly schedule so I don't get overwhelmed.

This priority also includes home improvement projects, running errands, bill paying, and couponing. Couponing is essential in a family as large as ours in order to keep our grocery costs as low as possible. I've become pretty good at finding great deals, but grocery planning can be very time consuming. I often cut and organize coupons after the kids go to bed and the hubby watches the kids while I shop. I can usually keep our grocery bill between $350 and $400 a month, including diapers for 2 kids and formula...pretty good for a family of 7!

My Home Goals for 2012:

1. Dust off my old homekeeping binder and start using it again.
2. Paint the master bedroom, both boy bedrooms and the dining room.
3. Complete the basement schoolroom/office project.

Photo © MamaBush

Priority #4: Myself

photo belongs to MamaBushI know they say you should put yourself first...that by taking care of yourself, you're more able to take care of others. That just doesn't work for me, though. You see, I tend to be selfish and if I put myself first, I get caught up in doing what I want to do (read, work online, take a bubble bath)...anyway, you get the idea. When I put myself first, nothing else gets done!

I would place the following things on the "Me" priority list: exercise, time I spend online, hobbies (reading, sewing, knitting, organizing, etc.), girl time out with my sister, and even grooming/showering...although, don't get me wrong, I still shower and stay well-groomed...I just do it AFTER the kids have been taken care of!

My Personal Goals for 2012:

1. Go to the gym at least 5 days a week ~ Lose 50 pounds this year.
2. Read 4 books each month.
3. Become a Giant Squid (!) on Squidoo
4. Treat myself to a bubble bath and a Mocha Frappe' once a week.

Photo © MamaBush

Priority #5: Ministry to Others

photo courtesy of journeyguyI always wanted to be a missionary, but with 5 kids at home and a husband who isn't interested in mission work, my main ministry has turned out to be my family. As important as I know that is, I still long to do things to help others. The things I can do from my home are limited. My husband and I donate to St. Jude's Children's Hospital each month and my daughter just cut her hair to send to Wigs For Kids, but that's about the extent of my charity work. I'm hoping to ramp things up a bit in this area this year.

My Ministry Goals for 2012:

1. I would like to volunteer at a local soup kitchen once a month with my oldest son.
2. I would like to begin delivering mid-day meals to shut-ins through a local organization...delivery time takes about an hour and the kids can ride along!
3. I would like to collect items all year to fill shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.
4. I would like to bake cookies with the kids and take them to the local fire station.

Image: Operation Christmas Child by journeyguy ~ Flickr Creative Commons

Achieve Anything in Just One Year

by Jason Harvey

Achieve Anything In Just One Year: Be Inspired Daily to Live Your Dreams and Accomplish Your Goals

Achieve Anything In Just One Year: Be Inspired Daily to Live Your Dreams and Accomplish Your Goals

by: Jason Harvey

Amazon Price: $17.00 (as of 05/28/2012)Buy Now



What do you want to achieve this year?

My Lilla Rose Business

Click here to go to my online store!As a busy mom, I frequently don't have a lot of time to fix my hair or even look pulled together. I discovered Lilla Rose one day on a blog I was reading and was immediately intrigued by the company's hair clips. The claim was that I could create beautiful hairstyles in just seconds with these flexible hair clips made out of piano wire. I was intrigued enough to order one of their clips and was excited to get it the next week in the mail.

I immediately started playing with my Flexi-clip and creating the different hairstyles I found on the website. I fell in love right away with how beautiful the clips and the hairstyles were! More importantly, I was impressed with how easy they were to use. And they look so adorable in my daughter's hair as well!

I immediately signed up to be an Independent Consultant. Because of my schedule at home, I sell exclusively online, not doing home parties or local shows at this time. Maybe someday!

If you are interested in learning more about Lilla Rose, please click on the logo to go to my business website or click on my Squidoo page below to see the page I created for everything Lilla Rose.

Logo Image © Lilla Rose, Inc.

My Lilla Rose Online Store

My Home Business Lens

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Why I Love Squidoo

I started creating lenses (webpages) on Squidoo in August of 2011. It was addicting right from the start! I love being able to just write and explore any subject that comes to mind. It's also given me a better understanding of SEO and the challenge of getting my lenses on Google pages has been really fun. I've learned a lot about writing, webpage design, HTML and SEO.

But honestly? My favorite part of Squidoo is the people I have met. The lensmasters here on Squidoo are absolutely fabulous and always willing to help. The community is amazing and I'm happy to be a part of it!

Check out my new blog, SquidMama, to see me document my journey on Squidoo and some of the new things I'm learning every day!

The Lens I'm Most Proud Of

A Collaboration

I'm most proud of Bigfoot for Kids because most of the material came from my 11-year old son's research and writing. With a little bit of help from me, he created 90% of the content and design of this page. He loves getting comments and likes and SquidAngel blessings. It is also one of my highest ranking pages, so other people seem to enjoy it as well. It is very rewarding and gives him something to really be proud of, too!
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A Quiz About MamaBush

Were You Paying Attention?

Some of My Other Pages on Squidoo

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Please leave MamaBush a note!

I would love to know you were here!

  • tincy May 25, 2012 @ 4:25 pm | delete
    Remarkable! You managed to fit all of that into 34 years... and describe yourself as boring. Not in my book. Thank you for sharing... I feel like such as slacker now.
  • aesta1 May 14, 2012 @ 1:08 am | delete
    You have very clear priorities and I admire you for taking these on.
  • PastorCher Apr 26, 2012 @ 11:55 am | delete
    It's 4 months into the new year ... how are you doing on your goals? I see you are doing well here. Hope you are keeping up with your faith goals. Love the smile!
  • ScottiesRock Apr 24, 2012 @ 5:47 pm | delete
    It is so nice to meet you! I can't believe you have 5 kids. You are the women of the year! :) I only have two and that is quite enough. I am also from PA. It was so wonderful to learn a little bit about you. See you around the squidoo block.
  • vallain Apr 9, 2012 @ 10:09 pm | delete
    I'm a voyeur, peeking into other lensmasters' lives. Thanks for satisfying my curiosity. Well done.
  • karmicchristian Apr 1, 2012 @ 2:10 pm | delete
    Admire the positivity and the good cheer that you spread all around! Keep up the great work and it is nice getting to know ya! :)
  • billybraveheart Mar 20, 2012 @ 12:12 am | delete
    Great lens, thanks for sharing
  • Bananko Mar 19, 2012 @ 4:09 pm | delete
    Great story, i wanted to skip the part you where talking about 4 babies that waits you at Heaven's Nursery. You have great life, and I like to see positive energy, that can be easily spotted in your lens!.
  • suzy-t Mar 15, 2012 @ 6:32 pm | delete
    Wonderful story...and what a journey so far for you. I'm sure the best is yet to come. Thank you for sharing it.
  • ForestBear Mar 14, 2012 @ 9:49 pm | delete
    thank you for sharing your story, you are such an inspiration. It's incredible how many things you manage to fit into your life. All the best to you
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About MamaBush

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mamabush

I am a homeschooling mom with 5 rambunctious, but loveable, munchkins who inspire many of my Squidoo pages. I have a brand-new blog, SquidMama, where I... more »

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