Back to life. Back to reality.

For the past week my hubby, our little one, and I have been living in a fantasy world. A world where a time change allows you to easily wake up before sunrise each morning for a quiet walk on the beach. A world where you never have to wear pants or a coat. A world where there are no dishes or laundry and you don't have to make your own bed. A world where you have NOTHING to do, but lounge around on the beach drinking pina coladas and watching your baby play in the sand. A world full of plenty of these:



Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Hawaii.

We had the BEST trip EVER. I can't even put our experience into words. All I know is that if you aren't setting aside some savings for an annual tropical family vacation, you should start doing so now. I think this was the first trip I have ever taking that really felt like a true vacation. We've been to Oahu a couple of times already, so we had already seen the sights. This time we only left our resort on one day - for a trip over to the beach we got married on and a drive around the island. But even that was so leisurely and peaceful. No places to be at any specific time. No people to meet up with. It was pure bliss. The rest of our days were spent lounging and playing in the sand and napping in our room. Leila loved every minute of it and I don't think I've ever seen her happier. She was an ANGEL the whole time (with one minor outburst on the flight back home, but even I was grouchy to be leaving). As for the leash, we only busted it out once in the Seattle airport (and really that was purely for a photo moment).

For now that is all I will say about our amazing vacay. The rest of the story will come in photos within the next week. We got some great family shots on "our" beach and I can't wait to share.

On a side note: I think Zefarch is gone! I spent a good chunk of my afternoon researching how to get rid of him and deleting files and downloading virus sofware and I haven't seen him since! I guess my mac book will have to wait...

Hawaiian Vacations & Viruses

I have a virus. No, not in my body...in my computer. His name is Trojan Zefarch and he is not very nice (yes, the virus is a boy - duh). He causes all sorts of annoying pop-ups and instantly takes me to a porno website, even if I am not in an internet browser. He sucks. So, I'm pretty bummed right now because all I wanted to do was get online, and type up this little post about how excited I am to go to Hawaii tomorrow. But Zefarch put me in a sour mood. I just spent the last couple of hours trying to get rid of him with no luck. So, now I am on my old laptop which took about an hour to boot up and actually connect to the internet. Lame.

Anyhoo, the real reason for this post is HAWAII!!! We are leaving on a jet plane tomorrow! I am absolutely terrified to be stuck on a plane for 6 hours with my feisty toddler, but I can't wait to play on the beach with her. Can you say sand in the crack? :) We'll be dealing with a ton of that, I'm sure. And, we will be returning to this very special place...

Waimanalo Beach...06/07/08



Ahhhhhhhhhh...it will be magical! And, we are planning on using our new tripod and fancy camera to take a family photo where we got married! Oh trust me, I will be posting a ton of amazing pics when I get back. So, for the next week you probably won't hear from me. I will be lounging on the beach drinking some lava flows. Oh yeah!

When I return I plan on hitting the dream list hard. Probably starting out with Leila's sleep training (boo!) and then maybe making a quilt or heading to the bead store to explore jewelry making options. And, I'll probably be purchasing a new computer, too (a brand new, beautiful, mac book pro...preferably). Take that Zefarch!

Wise Words Wednesday: MLK Jr.

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Since MLK Jr. Day was on Monday I thought I'd dig up a quote from one of the most famous speeches of all time. Reflecting back on what MLK Jr. did for our country makes my little blog and my "dreams" seem insignificant. They really are when you put it in perspective. But, obviously I have hopes and dreams that extend much further than what I list on this blog. We all do...

World peace. A long and happy life for each of our loved ones. A planet free from starvation and disease and terrorism.

The craziest thing is that we really all do have the potential to make a difference. Not just for ourselves, but for our town, or our state, or our country, or even our world. I mean, if one little black boy born at a time when all odds are against him can grow up to become a world figure, changing the face of our nation forever, than surely we all have that potential. Wow, it just amazes me to think about. Even I can do something. Now what? :) Think about it!

On another much less serious note, check out this goof ball!



Happy Hump Day!

I bought my kid a leash.

And this is something that was definitely not on my Dreams To Do list. I really believed that I would never be a parent who walked my child like a dog. But since becoming a parent I have done quite a few things which I thought I would never do (yes, my child sleeps with me at night). I used to see parents at the mall or at the airport with their child on a leash and I would judge them...think they were too lazy to keep a close eye on their kid, think they were treating them like an animal, not a human being. (Now of course I do not pre-judge, see this post.)

Now I believe that I would rather have my child on a leash than have some psycho snatch her up when my eyes are distracted for a minute at the busy airport on our way to Hawaii. I would rather be able to set her down while I order a coffee and not have to worry about her taking off. Part of me is still a little bit embarrassed to use it, but I wanted to have it with us just in case. Either way, Leila likes it! :)

Leila got new shoes for Hawaii, too!


Cute little monkey harness! (just trying to make myself feel better about it)

Masterpiece

I did it! I completed my painting for our bathroom! Wow. Maybe this doesn't seem like a big deal, but I am a person who doesn't follow through on projects like this. Well, at least not until now. I used to always say I was going to do something, but if it wasn't a "have to" kinda thing, I just would never get around to it. But, I am learning to make time. I'm learning that if I can just get off the couch, away from the sleezy reality TV for a half an hour each night I can accomplish a ton. Like my masterpiece for instance. Literally, I probably spent 30-40 minutes total on it. And just $14 at the craft store. Amazing. Check it out:

Some acrylic paint...


I painted some branches and let it dry over night...


Then I added the flowers to create some very unique cherry blossoms!


The finished product hanging in our bathroom (and Leila gazing adoringly up at it)!


Now what? A quilt maybe? :)

The Scratch

It's hard being a working mom. Really hard. Especially when your baby has to go to daycare. A place where there are lots of other kiddos. A place where yeah, you've gotten to know your child's caretakers, but you don't really "know" them. Every day you drop her off and put your faith in God that when you pick her up at the end of the day, she will be just as good and happy and pain free as when you left her. But, that isn't always the case. The hardest thing is knowing that you aren't there to catch her when she falls, to wipe her tears and tell her that "mommy's here, everything will be OK." I almost reached a breaking point in this whole daycare situation the other day...

On Wednesday I picked Leila up from daycare - she was happy to see me like usual and her teacher told me she had a pretty good day. So, we went home, I fed her some dinner, and we headed into the bathroom for a bath. As I was taking her shirt off, I was shocked to tears at what I saw. A scratch. And not just a little "oh poor baby scratched herself" kinda scratch... a deep gash from 3 little finger nails digging into my child's side. It was completely swollen and just starting to scab over. Check this thing out for yourself:



Gnarly, right? I put Leila in the bath and the heat from the water on it made her whine in pain. I cleaned it with soap while she squeeled and I fumed with anger at the fact the NO ONE knew that my daughter had received this injury that day. Ok, so I'm a very understanding person and I really do give people the benefit of the doubt. I understand that they can't keep their eyes on a child at all times and I understand that the scratch was under her shirt and they did not notice. But, what I do not understand is the fact that she MUST HAVE screamed bloody murder when it happened and someone had to have known she was hurt in some way. Did they comfort her? Did they wipe her tears and hold her? Mommy will never know because I wasn't there. All I do know is that yesterday (when Leila was home with daddy - thank God!) I called the daycare director and vented my frustrations. She checked with both of Leila's teachers and neither of them recalled her ever screaming out in pain. There is NO way that another kid took a chunk out of her side and she didn't cry. Baby girl freaks out when she trips over her own two feet!

Anyhoo, today I [reluctantly] dropped her off at daycare with a smile on my face and a positive attitude. When I picked her up she was super happy, I was told that she had a great day, and the director appoligized to me profusely, saying that she didn't realize the injury was so bad and that they would start doing body checks from now on. That's great, but I want to know that my child is being watched and loved on and comforted. It's just scary because you put your faith in these people and you never really know what goes on exactly while you are at work.

I could keep going on for hours about my constant struggle with working vs. staying home, etc. but I won't for now. Oh trust me, I will be posting much more on this in the future. For now I will just pray. Pray that Leila is taken care of and that I'm doing the right thing by continuing to work. One day at a time...

On a positive note, check out the VERY handsome men in my life. :)

My first born child...




My Superman (doesn't he kinda look like Clark Kent)...






Stayed tuned for the big reveal of my bathroom masterpiece tomorrow! Yes, I've painted it and now it is drying. Go ME!

Wise Words Wednesday: Rachel's Challenge

“How many of us have enough trust, strength, and faith to believe that we could
do the impossible?” - Rachel Joy Scott

Today I had the honor of sitting in on a very special presentation on an AMAZING organization, Rachel's Challenge. Rachel's Challenge was established in memory of Rachel Joy Scott, the first victim of the 1999 Columbine High School shootings. Their mission statement sums up what this organization is all about:

Rachel's Challenge Mission Statement: We exist to inspire, equip and empower every person to create a permanent positive culture change in their school, business and community by starting a chain reaction of kindness and compassion.

I entered the presentation with no expectations, but to get a little overview of a non-profit that our TV station would be working with. I left with teary eyes and a whole new perspective on life. We were honored to have Rachel's very own dad, Darrell Scott, share his daughter's life, hopes, dreams, and beliefs with us. I have been inspired... inspired to tell the ones I love just how much they mean to me every day, inspired to seek out the good in EVERYONE before placing judgement, inspired to start a chain reaction of kindness, and inspired to live my one sweet, short life to the fullest.

I feel like God sometimes has strange ways of speaking to each of us. I started this blog on a whim - to help me think a little bit more about my future, to motivate me to take action in my life, to create a diary for Leila to look back on - and I feel that today I was reinforced in what I have started. Maybe I am taking baby steps in going for my dreams (and hopefully discovering more of my dreams along the way), but at least it's a start. Rachel Joy Scott, at the young age of 17, believed that each of us have the ability to do the impossible. It's just a matter of having enough trust, strength, and faith to believe that we can.

I encourage anyone who reads this to learn more about Rachel and Rachel's Challenge by visiting www.RachelsChallenge.org. Check it out... do it!

A Blank Canvas

Literally.



Yesterday I took a little trip to the craft store. Why? I wasn't sure exactly, but I knew I wanted some inspiration, something to get me on my crafty, artsy, dream-doing way. I left with a blank canvas. And, some bright orange and green paint! See that lime green wall behind the canvas? Well, that is our cheery bathroom. And my wonderful mother bought us orange towels for Christmas. Soooooooooo, I wanna paint something orange to tie it all together.

Here's a shot of our bathroom with the already beautiful blank canvas hanging on the wall (oh, and of course our little fishy back there):



Doesn't the green and orange look good together? Originally I just had plain white towels, but mother thought orange would look good. And it does! So, the plan is for me to paint my masterpiece sometime this week. I'm not going to commit to a specific day or time because I am taking my "dreams to do" game plan one step at a time. I'm not gonna push it. Either way, I'm just proud of myself already that I've been doing more, not just sitting back, watching TV, and dreaming. Go me! Baby steps, I say.

On another note, I started tackling another dream this past weekend when I actually cooked dinner! Okay, so maybe it was the easiest dish EVER, but it was delicious and we all enjoyed it. Taco soup. My co-worker shared the recipe and I have no clue who came up with it, but it rocks.

TACO SOUP

• 1 lb. ground beef (browned and drained)
• 1 can corn
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 pack of taco seasoning

Seriously, you just cook the beef and drain it, then dump everything else in and heat it up. That simple. Then ya add some fritos and cheese and sour cream and you are in taco soup heaven. (Or, if you're on a diet, you can skip the Fritos, cheese, and sour cream, and sprinkle some Sensa instead!) Oh yeah! Even picky eater Leila took a couple bites.

The finished product ready for the little one:



Here's to a wonderful, productive week ahead! Cheers!

A Year & A Half

My beautiful baby girl is 1 1/2 today. WOW. Time sure does fly when you are having fun! Each day she is becoming more and more fun and more and more loving with Mommy. Leila never used to snuggle with me, but now she will actually let me hold her and lay her head on my chest. This morning she woke up bright and early at 6am (yes, on a Saturday!) so I got up with her and we snuggled on the couch and watched the premiere of The Bachelor (finally! but hey, I did pretty good in going all week before watching it!). It was a beautiful moment.

My bathing beauty...






As far as my dream list goes, I plan on making a little trip to the craft store tomorrow to get some creative inspiration. We will see what I walk out with. ;)

Ruffle Butts

One of my favorite things in the whole wide world...





HAPPY FRIDAY!

The Pillow Hog

I would like to introduce you to The Pillow Hog...







Yes, she looks all sweet and innocent, but at night the beast emerges. As you can see from my dreams to do list, one thing I wish to tackle is getting my sweet daughter to sleep in her own bed all night. You see, for the last couple of months Leila has been waking up at midnight and coming to sleep with us. You're probably wondering how I can let that happen. I'm even wondering the same, considering that the one thing I said I would never do before I gave birth to her was to let her sleep in our bed. What happened is that a couple of months ago she was sick and was having a heck of a time sleeping. Hubby and I were exhausted and caved to letting her sleep with us... just for a couple of nights while she was sick. Well, luck would have it that that became a habit. She wakes up screaming like someone is stabbing her in the middle of the night until we come and get her and bring her into bed with us. Once in bed, she sleeps like a champ... most nights. This brings me to last night.

Last night Leila transformed into The Pillow Hog. She insisted on sleeping on my pillow. If I moved her off, she woke up screaming until I snuggled her up on my pillow. Eventually I gave in to The Pillow Hog and let her have the whole thing. I grabbed the crappy spare pillow (which she would have nothing to do with) and slept on that. A couple hours later, I woke up nearly falling off the bed with her hogging that pillow, too.

This is a sign. It is a sign that the time has come for us to "train the beast." She needs to learn to sleep in her own bed all night. I know it is going to be a rough few days of "training," but we have to do it. I think I have been putting it off for so long because part of me loves snuggling with her and waking up to her smiling face looking down on me. And she's my baby! I don't wanna let her cry all night! Ahhhh, the joys of parenthood.

Ok, so here's the deal. We are taking a little family vacay to Hawaii in a couple of weeks. The weekend after we return, we will sleep train poor Miss Leila Jade. It is going to be the most un-fun dream on my to-do list, but after it is over with we will be happy we did it.

To be continued...

Wise Words Wednesday

"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." -T.E. Lawrence

I love famous quotes (maybe because I'm not clever enough to come up with anything myself), so I have decided to dig one up each week for inspiration.

Oh TV, How I Love Thee

Wanna know something really sad? When people ask me what my favorite thing to do is, or what my hobbies are, the first thing that pops into my head is "watch TV." I don't really like this about myself. Why can't it be yoga, or photography, or sewing. Nope. Sitting on my lazy ass, watching TV. I love it. Now, let me just say that since I have become a momma, my TV consumption has decreased A LOT. I'm lucky if I get a good hour in after Leila goes to sleep. The rest of the time I am either working, playing with her, or cleaning.

Soooooooooooooo, I've come to the conclusion that if I really want to accomplish anything on my little to-do list I must cut back on TV. Bye-bye reality TV (last night's premiere of The Bachelor is waiting for me on my DVR right now). Or, I can still watch TV and start staying up later. Either way, I don't think I'm going to stop watching my favorite shows, they'll just have to pile up on the good ole DVR because I'm going to try to cut back. Maybe I'll even schedule my TV time. Is that super dorky?

Starting tonight I will watch less. I'm going to work on this little blog instead! And upload some photos off the camera! Yay for me!

On another, much more important note, check out this little diva I had to deal with at dinner tonight. Can you say picky eater?

Dream #1: Start a Blog

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! A new year, a new start. That's what I've decided anyway. And what could be more inspirational than seeing this on the first day of the year:



Or, this:



My beautiful daugher, Leila Jade, enjoying the snow on a sunny day followed by an amazing winter sunset. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Life is good! But, (yes there is a but) couldn't it still be even better? Sure, I am a full-time working mom with a busy toddler who keeps me occupied the rest of the time, but I still want more for myself. Who says working moms can't still have dreams? So, I've decided to start this blog as Dream To Do #1. I'm hoping it will become a diary of sorts for me and my daughter and help me stay on track in getting my "dreams" done! And, of course I want to join the ranks of all you great Mommy bloggers out there!

Let the journey begin!