Category Archives: Uncategorized

Coffee Shop

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Guess where I am writing this post from today?…I am at a coffee shop.
Yes, you heard that right a coffee shop 🙂
  Not the coffee shop I have created in my own kitchen with my Kuerig and flavored creamers where I pretend to be the worlds best barista and speak in my finest Italian accent… 
 I’m talking about my absolute favorite coffee shop-
 with the most gorgeous marble counter tops,
 most scrumptious croissants,
 and most delectable blend of coffee it is out of this world. 
I’m here for 2 hours…2 whole hours!!!! 
{I don’t think there are enough exclamation points to follow that last sentence}  
The icing on the cake?  
The View is on in the background and I can actually hear what they are saying whilst typing!! 
And next is the news, oh how I love the news but have not watched it in months!
 Today this is exactly what this momma needed.  
I realized as soon as my feet hit the floor this morning that I needed a break. 
 I think hubby realized it too (is that a good thing?) 
Don’t get me wrong I am head over heels in love with our family (most days anyway- I swear!) 
But every once in a while it is nice to just unplug from them.  
From the spills, the messes, diapers, butt wiping, breaking up the fights, feeling like a live in maid (who is unappreciated), digging through the buckets of toys to find that one action figure they just have to have, or their favorite green Hotwheels toy because it’s the only one that will stop their tears.
It is nice once in a while to regroup and refresh on who I am.
It is nice to not be covered in mac ‘n cheese {that I did not eat}
It is nice to not hear screaming at the top of someone’s lungs because said brother took their toy and is hanging it over their head because they are too short to reach it.
The coffee shop is a whole different world.
It’s like I’ve taken the momma rocket ship to another planet and landed with a whole new species of people…
At the coffee shop everyone smiles, cleans up after themselves and uses their manners!
I’ve also got the most lovely window seat in the whole shop too…oh I am on cloud 9!
 So ladies I want to encourage you to do something for you this weekend.  
Take that 20 minutes to enjoy  your coffee and book on the porch, lay in bed for an extra 10 minutes while your husband makes them breakfast, whatever your outlet do it!  
I promise you, you will not regret it!

Choices

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Choices.
We all have them everyday.
We can choose to be angry, sad, upset, mad, overjoyed, pleasant, etc.
How many times in your life have you chosen to be happy? 
 Have you ever woken up one day and the day just started off awful?  
What if instead of continuing your day based on one tiny moment that went wrong you chose to be happy.  What if we chose to live every moment to the fullest and always look on the bright side? 
Imagine spending an entire day looking at the good side of everything?  
Having to wait in line for a long time?
 The upside could be time to make a mental checklist of things you need to get done at home? 
 Gone to the store to buy something and they are sold out? 
Perhaps you weren’t meant to buy that exact item that exact day for another reason. 
 Stuck in traffic?  
Maybe extra time to say a few prayers for friends and family. 
This is something that I am working on for me…
Something that doesn’t necessarily come easy for me.
With 3 kids, a husband, a home to keep organized and clean, work, and a full activity schedule it’s easier to get caught up in the nitty gritty of everyday life.
But quite frankly I’m sick of that.  
I’m tired of always being pessimistic.
In my last post I said it’s time for changes, and this gal is changing!
 I have started to become more appreciative, thankful and just plain happy on a daily basis…
and it’s a phenomenal feeling 🙂
 Yes my children might be fighting constantly, screaming “mommy” 1,000 times a day, and I don’t ever have a moment of privacy-even to pee- but hey I have to remember that I have 3 healthy, most of the time happy children. 
 It’s thoughts like this that make me happy.  
So why not try it?  
Today.
Wake up and make a promise to yourself to be happy for 1 whole day-no matter what is thrown your way…then come back here and share your story-I’d love to hear!

Ch-Ch-Changes

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Yesterday we got the phone call we have been waiting for since June.  
Ayden won the lottery (not the real one-the kid lottery lol) and got a place in our Township’s Pre-K program!!!! 
{Wooohoooo!}
 You see our town has so many kids and a realllllly tiny budget so they don’t have enough room for all of the kids to attend their Pre-K program.  
What they do is let everyone who wants to enroll their children sign up and then they literally pick names out of a hat type of thing to see who can attend. 
 This is a HUGE relief for us.  
Especially considering we took on a larger car loan for my new car in May. 
 On the other hand while this will be a huge relief financially for us it also means leaving the only preschool family we have known for the past 3 years…and that is a unsettling thought. 
I’ve mentioned before that I am not great with change.  
This will be another time where I am going to have to put my faith to work-hard. 
 Another time where I will be challenged to grow through change.  
After all isn’t that what life is all about? 
 Growing and changing so that we can be the best we can be?
Showing our children that it is okay to go somewhere new, to meet new people, to expand ourselves?
I think so! 
I am ready-I hope!
 I’ve done my research and I have friends whose kids have attended this same program Ayden will go to this fall and they have said nothing but good things about it so that is helping to put me at ease.  
But like any Momma I personally don’t know the teachers, staff, or other families which is not putting me at ease…
 At our former preschool everybody was like one big family.  It was run at our church so our kids were familiar with their surroundings and the teachers had so much love for each and every little one!   
I know we will make it through this transition-thought I don’t know who it is going to be worse for Ayden or us 😦  
I will keep you updated!
Now the only thing left to do it get started on our back to school shopping 🙂

Do Good

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I always want to do good-for others.  
It’s a feeling I’ve had inside of me since I can remember.
Ever since I was a little girl I remember always wanting to help others.  
But lately, this is something that has been heavy on my heart.
Dorky FYI shhhhh!:
I remember being in 3rd grade and getting my first karaoke machine.  My best friend and I used to “host” our own radio show called Helping Hands where our fake clients could call in with their problems and issues and we would help them…
In 3rd grade…I wanted to (Help them.}
Instead of singing to Whitney Houston and Patsy Cline (which occasionally we did dressed in our wigwams, frizzy hair, and neon tights-of course!) I created a talk show to help people!  
Now that I am older and I see the world on a larger scale my thought immediately goes to the fact that “little things” don’t matter.  
That they are too petty or small.  
That someone will look at me like I’m strange for trying to help with something so small.
I always think that my impact needs to be exponential…and then my mind wanders to helping large amounts of people and then the next thought is how can I reach a lot of people? 
And then I become super frustrated because I don’t know how to help a bunch of people…
and then comes the thought that this is overwhelming.  
It doesn’t make sense to help just one person, I have to help a whole bunch of people.  
Well guess what?  We have to start somewhere. I have to start somewhere.
My new, simpler outlook:  I don’t have to help an exponential amount of people, I just want to be exponential to one person.  
That is where I am going to start.  I’m throwing out my old outlook.  Unless I start becoming proactive and start putting some of my thoughts into actions it will never happen.  Even if I start with one person, maybe that person will in turn help somebody else who will help somebody else and that my friend will become a movement.  
Right now there are a lot of things on my heart.
A lot of ways I would like to help someone.  
It’s time to start living them out. 
Putting them into action.
Thanks to Pinterest I have found an easy-peasy way to help someone, or a few people I should say!  
My plan is to make up a bunch of these and hang them around our town where people might need them!  How cool is that?! 
Feel free to join..and share your stories! 
I’ll let you know how it turns out 🙂 
{Source Unknown}

A good day

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As most of you know from this post almost a month ago I suffered a stroke.  
There are many things I still cannot do that I was able to before.
One thing that I have missed the most since is being able to sit on the floor with our kids and play. 
 Play with cars, play with dinosaurs, play anything and everything!!  
Well friends today for the first time in almost 4 weeks I did just that 🙂  
I was finally able to get down on the floor knowing that I could get back up!
I sat on our new area rug and played with all of the toys Ayden got at his birthday party this weekend.    
And you know what? 
I have never felt better…or more free! 
I was filled with so much joy!
So much happiness, and light.
Yes, I did have a momma moment and tear up too…
And yes I did say a little thank you to God for letting today be a good day!
I didn’t worry about the mess, all the toys spread throughout the rug 
or the fact that I was still in my PJ’s at 2pm. 
 All I cared about was that I was creating memories with my children that they will remember for the rest of their lives.  

Happy Friday!

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Happy Friday all!! 
Notice anything new on the blog today?!!!!
Thanks to my saucy & gorgeous friend Aunie I have a B-E-A-UTIFUL header 🙂
*******
 This weekend we will be celebrating a birthday in our house!  
In honor of Ayden turning 4 I made my very first balloon wreath and boy was it easy-peasy!! 
I followed this tutorial.
I added the number 4 myself.
Total cost of wreath around $15 and the number can be taken on and off so I will be able to use this for everyone’s birthday in our house 🙂
Enjoy your weekend!

To My Husband

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Yesterday was my husband’s 29th birithday so HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUNNY!!!  
I have pretty much been able to walk myself to the bathroom (and that’s it) since the stroke almost 4 weeks ago.  
He has washed and folded every piece of laundry, changed every diaper, served every meal, started back to school shopping…well you get the picture! 
 We are celebrating his birthday tomorrow with a cake, a few presents, and close family.  
Unfortunately I have not yet been cleared to drive so he will be driving himself to pick up his own cake, boo!  Anywho I thought I’d write him a letter to let him know just how much he means to me, not just at this time, but all the time in my life.  
And I’ve decided to share it with you…shocking I know!
Here it is…


Hunny,

I cannot believe this is the 8th birthday of yours we are celebrating together!  I am so thankful and blessed to have you in my life.  Every single day I say a little thank you to God for bringing us together… for putting you in my life.  You are my rock, my peace, my strength, and sometimes my punching bag!  You give constant support to every single idea I dream up…even if you think I’m crazy!  You enjoy seeing me grow, and let me explore the world on my own without an ounce of spite.  I could never have dreamed of meeting {let alone} falling in love with such a selfless, caring, loving, man like you.  I love how we still act like love-struck teenagers and our late night chats when you come home from work.   Every boo-boo you kiss from one of kids sends my spiraling head over heels for you again!  Sometimes I think to myself what did I do to deserve a man as good as you?  God truly brought the two of us together, and certainly sealed the deal!  I remember being a little girl and playing dress up as a bride for my wedding.  I love that we still hold hands in the car, and every other place we can (when our hands aren’t already full)!  Never in a million years would I have thought I would be so lucky to marry a man as great as you!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for always bringing out the best in me, loving me and our kids past the stars, and for loving us each and every day!

~Your sweetie

YOLO

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I went to our local high school graduation to support our babysitter who is moving onto college *tear* this year and the saluditorian gave a speech based on the word YOLO. 
 Now let me break that down for you in case you are not sure what it stands for.  
YOLO stands for {you.only.live.once.}
 My first thought was these poor kids they are going to hold onto these words for the next few years to come and she is basing a speech on a lyric from a pop song!  
Given the recent events that have occurred in my life over the past few weeks my perspective on the word YOLO has changed.  
 So if your thinking, like I did, who couldn’t possibly write / talk about a word from a song {let alone an entire post!} feel free to hit that red x in the corner right about now…

For those of you who decided to stick around I think you will be pleased with what I have to say or at least I hope you will be!

I have decided //probably for the first time in my life// to live each and every day to its fullest.  
To not dwell on the small things.
Tomorrow is not promised.  
From the fields of wildflowers we pass while driving,
 to the beads of rain on our windows, 
to they way clean clothes smell coming out of the dryer
 we have to take every opportunity we have and appreciate it. 
 Even the little things.  
The big things too.  
It’s unfortunate that it took a life changing event for me to feel that way but at this point I.don’t.care.
I’m just glad // relieved that it did happen.
It was a dose of reality.
Some people go their entire lives without knowing how to appreciate the little things.
Like dancing in the rain,
letting your kids serve their own drink-even if it mean spills,
watching brothers exchange hugs instead of hits,
and getting in some extra snuggle time with the hub-ster!
Here’s to sleeping in for extra cuddles,
holding your kids hands long after they need to be held,
and
late night chats with my husband long after the kids have gone to sleep.
Here’s to a tomorrow that is not promised and the notion that You.Only.Live.Once
{source uknown}