Kristin Hill Taylor

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{No More Perfect Moms} Imperfection on the inside

March 21, 2013 by Kristin Leave a Comment

I wear an insulin pump because my pancreas decided to stop producing insulin nine years ago.

My neck and shoulders have been tense, carrying the physical impact of motherhood right into little knots that the massage therapist once described as “layers of issues.”

I’ve started running this year and a 2-mile run makes me think my ankles and shins and thighs are going to give out. Yet I managed to finish a 5K and plan to run another, even though the cold weather has kept me from running for a few weeks now.

I wear contacts because my vision is terrible otherwise. I wore braces twice and my teeth still don’t line up perfectly. I’ve lost count of the number of fillings in the back and certainly don’t know how many have had to be repaired because my teeth have weak enamel.

I {mostly} don’t bite my nails like I used to, but don’t study the skin around them.

And I haven’t even touched on the infertility issues that mentally exhausted me when we spent almost two years trying to conceive. I took medicine, had surgery, took more medicine, had blood drawn more times than I care to count, met with a specialist who wanted to in-vitro fertilization. My imperfect body led us to adopt, which turned out to be a perfect decision.

Even among all the imperfections, taking care of myself is important so I can take care of my family, serve others and live this life God has called me. Truth is, God wants us to tend to our hearts first. Yes, he wants us to care for our bodies {First Corinthians 6:19-20} so we can serve him, our families, our friends, our neighbors, our community, and wherever else he takes us. But, more importantly, God  wants to shape our hearts before our waistlines so our lives can attract people to Jesus.

“When you look at yourself in the mirror, what filter do you see yourself through? Do you compare what you see in the mirror to what you see in magazine and television articles? Or do you see yourself through God’s eyes? His eyes care more about the condition of your heart than the condition of your skin.”

{From “No More Perfect Moms” by Jill Savage}
Our bodies are God’s creation. We should care for them. Move them. Exercise them. Use them. Nourish them. Rest them. Clean them. But we shouldn’t compare them and allow ourselves to be stricken with the Perfect Infection. That’s certainly a diagnosis our bodies don’t need. 

________

I’m linking up with Jill Savage’s Hearts at Home Blog Hop. This is another post in an ongoing series about how God’s teaching me to embrace imperfection. I received a free PDF copy of Jill Savage’s “No More Perfect Moms” as part of the book’s launch team, but I truly want to embrace this message and the opinions and experiences are mine. You can buy the book at Amazon, where it’s on sale for $7.19. 

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our ninth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear sixth-grade boy, and our joy-filled kindergarten girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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We are having fun — and some forced sibling love We are having fun — and some forced sibling love — at @wildernessresort in Wisconsin Dells. We’ve played at four water parks here since we arrived yesterday afternoon. 💦

#WildernessWI #WeAreFamily #WildernessResort #roadtrip #88daysofsummer #TeamTaylor #reallife #wisconsin #wisconsindells
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I appreciated the raw emotions of a wife, two brothers, and others learning of tragedy and processing the ripples of that moment. Of course, who doesn’t love a story set in the U.S. Virgin Islands? AND it’s this the first in a three-book series, and I’ve got the next two ready to go on my Kindle. 

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My kids had a yearbook signing party today. And ki My kids had a yearbook signing party today. And kids today don’t know how to sign yearbooks. Cate, my rising sophomore, says it’s because they have phones to take photos and text each other. She’s probably right. 

But the whole conversation and experience took me down memory lane. So much so, I got these yearbooks from my high school days off my bookshelf and read notes. Admittedly, I can’t remember a few people who proclaimed what a great friend I was and I never called some people who wanted to KIT — that’s Keep In Touch, kids — and left their phone numbers (and pager number in one instance!)! 🤣 

I also proceeded to text the three friends (well, really, five, because two girls married two guy friends of mine) with whom I do actually KIT. I have their numbers saved in my iPhone, thankfully. We have made grown-up memories together. We message and try to see each other. My husband knows their maiden names. 

Truly, how has it been 25 years since I graduated from Oldham County High School? I’m sitting on the porch now, rememebering how faithful God has been and thinking about how high school seems like a lifetime ago but also like yesterday. 💙

HAGS, everybody! 

#memorylane #highschool #livingfaithfully #yearbooks #choosingJOY #reallife
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#catsofinstagram #thirdchild #naptimeshenanigans #PorchStories #reallife #88daysofsummer #summerisbest
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But the real point of this post: we are regrouping and going to Wisconsin Dells next week. I’m excited to see somewhere new, even if it’s not what I’d been planning. Let’s be honest, the logistics to get to the cruise were already a lot, so maybe this closer-to-home trip is meant to be right now. 

Anyway, who has been to Wisconsin Dells area? We found a condo and have a list of things going, but I’m accepting all entertainment and restaurant recommendations.

#wisconsindells #reallife #covid_19 #covid #momlife #88daysofsummer #summervacation
I don’t really want to get into an abortion deba I don’t really want to get into an abortion debate here, but I will always champion the unborn, advocate for life, and support mothers and families. When I say “choose life,” I mean in and out of the womb. Choosing life begins with not having an abortion, but it continues to advocating for adoption, foster care, support for moms in lots of different situations. 

Western Kentucky is blessed with resources that do this, including @lifehousemurray in Murray and @_hopecenter in Mayfield. Those are great places to send your money and diapers, recommend to moms expecting or raising little ones, and keep in your prayers. 

If you know someone fostering, we have Partners In Care Foster Closet that offers clothes and supplies to western Kentucky foster families. No strings attached. 

I will forever be an open book about adoption, so I’ll be happy to talk about that with anyone who desires to know more. I even wrote a book about our adoption stories: bit.ly/PeaceInTheProcess #linkinbio 

My three kids have life because three women chose it for them. Those decisions changed my life for the better, and that’s only one piece of a much bigger story. 

#prolife #chooselife #adoptionislove #momlife #authorlife #livingfaithfully #PeaceInTheProcess #reallife #unplannedpregnancy #adoption #family #sisters #siblinglove #currentevents #roevwade #lifematters
Here we are halfway through the year, and so far I Here we are halfway through the year, and so far I've read 40 books. That pace is well beyond my usual number for the year. Last year I read 62 total. I don't join challenges, plan what I'm going to read next, or even have a goal. But I still love keeping track. 

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Today #ontheblog I'm sharing the list of the 40 books I've read so far this year. #linkinbio What else do I need to read this year?

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #kindlebooks #librarybooks #bloggerlife #amreading #favoritethings #choosingJOY
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