Ashley Mattei
Bio
I am a 34 year old Boy Mom times 3! My wife and I just celebrated our first wedding anniversary in October! Writing is a passion for me and I believe the best stories are told through experience!
Stories (7/0)
We don’t have room.
They say the best things happen unplanned. I have to say in this instance they are correct. Working a day at the school I was n out supposed to even work. I get a call from my director that there are 3 little girls waiting in the elementary office needing a ride to their foster home respite. Their ride fell through. It was an hour away. I had a soccer game to get to so I said I couldn’t. But they had no options because I was the only one there from our agency. So they called me back and explained that and I said okay. The only hour drive was a T. Swift concert. Stopping for fast food to get fries and shakes as they were hungry. I knew their story. Everyone in town did. 4 foster homes over almost 5 years of brutal trauma after trauma. My heart ached. My wife sent a text message and it showed on my screen as “babe”. The littlest said “is that your husband?” I said well no that’s my wife so what are you doing this weekend? I tried quickly to get through the answer to not have to initiate that type of conversation. Some littles don’t understand same sex relationships yet. She said “YOUR WIFE” and her 11 year old sister said “well her wife, I mean some people are married to phones on tik tok so at least it’s not a phone”. The whole car burst out in laughter! The little then said.. “that sounds so amazing to have two moms”. My heart crushed. They asked if I had kids. I said I had three boys. They asked if my wife loved them. I said she absolutely did love them, just like they were her own because well they are. Then the middle girl said “if you ever consider adoption maybe you can adopt us”. Now I know it’s a trauma response and attachment response to cling to people so fast. But this hit me. My wife and I thought about fostering one day but a far day down the road. We had a 13, 14 and 15 year old boys at home. 2 with medical struggles at home. That.. and we had no room. I dropped them off at their respite home and they all gave me a hug. Something did not feel right. I called my wife. I told her.. babe we have to take them. She said what I already knew. We had no room. I said okay. This was Friday.
By Ashley Mattei11 days ago in Families
Season of Believing
This year might be a little tougher to dig on down to our celebratory feels when it comes to Christmas. 2020 has been no easy year for any single one of us. We have let holidays and birthdays pass without seeing the ones we love in effort to keep them and ourselves healthy and safe. We have walked around with our faces covered and our identities masked themselves. We have had fear in our hearts for our neighbors, friends and families and not only because of Covid-19 but for equality reasons and more. This year has been a trial. So this Christmas should be a celebration that we who are here can embrace the magic of the holiday however we celebrate it. Normally we would be gathering with our family for a huge family party which now will be done through a zoom session. We will however still make our ham dinner on Christmas eve and put out the milk and cookies for the big guy to grace our boys beautiful mind, which is what this story will be about. He was asked today to write about Santa and the North Pole and what he imagines it to be. Through everything life has thrown, he still believes in the magic of wonder, something we should all dig on down and find again. So here it is, magic through imagination. Enjoy.
By Ashley Mattei3 years ago in Families
Fear
When you fear something you gain appreciation over something else. It’s a given. If you fear death you appreciate life in some small way in the least. If you fear losing someone, you do everything you can to keep them because you start to appreciate some form of having them. Or if you don’t or can’t do everything you can to keep them you at least admire the small things about them, the things you are afraid to lose.
By Ashley Mattei3 years ago in Families
Perspective
What is the saying "when one door closes another one opens"? Or when something bad happens to you people say "everything happens for a reason"? These are things we hear from other people when they feel like we could use a pick me up right? Right. It is about perspective. It is about changing ones perspective.
By Ashley Mattei3 years ago in Families
Coming out After Being Married
When I was 11 years old I used to get butterflies around this one girl at school. I never knew why, I just knew she made me feel different. That summer her and I decided to experiment with a little making out sesh in the tent at my house. That was the last her and I ever sooke of it! We never acted different around one another and we were perfect friends there after. It just wasn't something we spoke about.
By Ashley Mattei4 years ago in Humans
Attraction to Perfection
I know that girl over there. I have seen her somewhere but where? Ah, that is it, softball six years ago we played on the same team. It was brief because she was a sub player on a team that I had been a part of for two years. She came to play and fill in for some girls we were missing that night and she had brought her girlfriend with her to play too. I remember thinking “wow that girl is hot”. I never acted on anything regardless if she was single or not because well, I was technically in a relationship, at least to the outside world. Though that story is for another time! But that was the thing about back then, it was simple attractions to what I knew I could not have.
By Ashley Mattei4 years ago in Humans
Coach to Mom
Its something isn't it? When we look at our kids one day and realize we only have limited time with them left. It might be when they are doing something silly with their siblings. My son LOVED shaving cream and glitter! His Santa beard was the best I ever saw! That Saturday when I handed him his very first ball and white soccer ball, oh his face lit up like a firework!! You would have thought it was Christmas in the Mattei house because he was so excited that he finally had his own soccer ball! I didn't know it then, but I know it now. He was going to love this sport!
By Ashley Mattei4 years ago in Families
