Wise Words Wednesday: Living for Today (part 2)

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are.

After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, when we are able to go on a nice vacation or when we retire.

The truth is there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with ... and remember that time waits for no one.

So, stop waiting ..

Until your car or home is paid off.

Until you get a new car or home.

Until your kids leave the house.

Until you go back to school.

Until you finish school.

Until you lose 10 lbs.

Until you gain 10 lbs.

Until you get married.

Until you get a divorce.

Until you have kids.

Until you retire.

Until summer.

Until spring.

Until winter.

Until fall.

Until you die.

There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt and dance like no one's watching.

~ Author Unknown

A couple weeks ago I posted this about how I've been struggling to just live in the moment and not dwell on the past or worry so much about the future. And then I saw the above chunk of text circulating around Facebook via friends' status updates. Love it! Don't you?

Since my original post I've actually been very conscientious of my thoughts/feelings and have really been working on just living in the moment and soaking up each and every second that God is giving me to bond with my children and love on my hubby. Seriously, just being aware of how precious and short life is makes all the difference.

Word Vomit

I think I will make this a regular feature on my blog... word vomit. I just feel like my life is crazy right now and so are my thoughts. I've been struggling with piecing together meaningful blog posts ever since little man arrived, so word vomit it is. Here's what's going on in my head today:

{If you haven't already noticed, I heart bullet points.}

• In T-3 days I will be 28. That means in 2 years I will be 30. And ya know what? I feel like I'm not a day over 23.
• Landon goes to bed around 9pm. He wakes up at 2am and he wakes up at 5am and then again around 8am. Not too shabby, eh? But ya know what kills me? The 5 o'clock waking. Why can't he just sleep until 6? Five is too late in the morning for me to fall back into a deep sleep and too early for me to wanna wake up. Painful I say.
• With Christmas quickly approaching I have been spending a lot of time perusing Etsy. Oh how I heart Etsy. I have been inspired by the personalized hand stamped jewelry and I'm thinking I wanna incorporate hand stamping into my jewelry making endeavors. This prospect excites me!
• The smell of BBQ pork in the slow cooker is driving me crazy right now - I want some!
• Now that food's on my mind... I'm gonna have hubby make me this for my b-day dinner. Gotta love that Pioneer Woman. Drool.
• Guess what? I just updated the About & My Dream List pages of my site. I'm feeling like my dream list is kinda pathetic. I totally need to expand on it... and actually get some things crossed off! Pressure!
• Landon turns 6 weeks old on Friday - 6 WEEKS! That means I'm half way through my maternity leave and the thought of going back to work makes my heart ache. I can't bear the thought of leaving him for 9 hours/day. Ok, moving on now before the waterworks start...
• Christmas is a coming and the decorations are coming out! We've got stockings up and a wreath on the door. This weekend we will get our tree and get lights up outside the house. Oh joy! (photos coming soon)
• I have watched Toy Story probably 5 times in the last few days. I just introduced Leila to it because we're taking her to Toy Story 3 on ice on Saturday. And now she is obsessed.
• Went to Costco today and bought Jesus Calling. I highly recommend it for a little daily inspiration... or a great Xmas gift!
• Speaking of our trip to Costco... do you think it's weird that we ate cheese pizza at 10:30am? How could we resist that cheesy goodness?
• Just watched the movie Bridesmaids last night (and finished today - movie watching is tough with 2 little kiddos) and it was friggin HILARIOUS! Highlight of my week so far.
• Have I lost you yet? Hope my blog isn't getting too boring. Maybe we'll have some more action around here (or in my head) soon.

And lastly, I will leave you with some random photo vomit:

:-)

Recovering from Turkey Day

Happy Sunday! Well, I think the turkey tryptophan is finally wearing off around here and we are settling back in to every day life. But I must say that this year's Thanksgiving was quite fabulous! We had the pleasure of spending the holiday with Andy's family since all 4 of his siblings and their children were in town at the same time (it has been a while since the whole clan was all together). AND, this was the first time that all NINE of the cousins were under one roof!

Grandpa B. with the newest family additions, Ashleigh and Landon...


Leila getting her hair braided by cousin Kayton...


Needless to say, it was sheer craziness! The kids had the BEST time running around (literally running around everywhere) and us adults enjoyed chowing down on some serious grub. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm... I could go for some more turkey and stuffing right now! I guess that's the problem when you don't host your own Thanksgiving dinner - no leftovers to enjoy!

Check out this sexy leg...


And my sexy hubby enjoying it... HA!


Hubby & his daddy in turkey comas...


And my own little turkey I could go munch on right now...


Now we are back in reality. We returned home to a fridge that isn't working. And I did NOT have fun cleaning out all of the messy, defrosted food from the freezer. But, I won't bore you with that. Otherwise, I've just been managing the 2 kiddos by my lonesome this weekend and trying to stay sane. But again, I won't bore you with that either. I guess I probably already did, though. :-)

Hope you all had a fantabulous Thanksgiving!

100 Things I'm Thankful For

HAPPY TURKEY DAY! On this day of thanks I would like to reflect on 100 things I'm thankful for (in no particular order).

1. Andy
2. Leila
3. Landon
4. My dog, Billy
5. The rest of my family & friends
6. God
7. The roof over my head
8. A reliable car
9. A good head on my shoulders
10. Hot coffee 1st thing in the morning
11. Chocolate
12. Financial security
13. My eyesight
14. Turkey & mashed potatoes
15. Ugg boots
16. My health
17. Health insurance
18. My fancy camera
19. My macbook pro
20. My blog
21. Hot showers
22. The internet
23. Pizza
24. Two arms, two legs, two eyes
25. Sleep sheep
26. Pinterest
27. Facebook
28. Email
29. My iPhone
30. My super comfy bed
31. Past travels and future travels to come
32. My education
33. My awesome job & even more awesome co-workers
34. Good daycare for my kiddos
35. Flowers
36. A warm fire
37. Living close to all our family
38. Hot soup
39. New socks
40. Our chaise lounge
41. Cable TV
42. DVR
43. Hot cocoa
44. Starbucks
45. The four seasons (not the hotel)
46. Andy's hugs & kisses
47. My kiddo's hugs & kisses
48. Billy's hugs & kisses :-)
49. Soft blankies
50. Light
51. Maternity leave
52. Daydreaming
53. Freedom
54. Being an American
55. Our soldiers
56. Ibuprofen
57. Infant gas drops
58. Birth control
59. A hubby who loves to cook
60. Girls' nights
61. Date nights
62. Snuggles with my babies
63. Bare Minerals makeup
64. Chapstick
65. My glide rocker
66. My engagement & wedding rings
67. My beastly milk supply
68. Landon's vibrating chair
69. Ergo baby carrier
70. Play-dough
71. Gossip magazines
72. Gummy worms
73. Hawaii
74. My blow dryer
75. My straightener
76. Deodorant
77. Clothing
78. Celebrating holidays with family
79. Cloth diapers
80. Easy labor & deliveries of my babies
81. Easy pregnancies
82. The news
83. Sunshine
84. Salt & Pepper
85. Books
86. Binkies
87. The ocean
88. Having family to visit in California
89. Fresh flowers
90. Mascara
91. Growing up in a small town
92. Jesus
93. My faith
94. My beautiful neighborhood
95. Baby smiles
96. Laughter
97. My creativity
98. Supportive friends & family
99. Surviving 27+ years and still going strong...
100. LOVE

And the list could keep going on and on and on! There is so much to be thankful for in this one short, sweet life we are given, so GIVE THANKS!

Hope you are all having a most wonderful (and delicious) Thanksgiving, surrounded by your dearest family and friends!

Wise Words Wednesday: Balance

"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some." - Robert Fulgham

The other day I received an email from eCollegeFinder, an established online education resource representing over 120 accredited online institutions, informing me that I had been selected as a nominee for their Top Parenting Blogs Award. (Exciting for me!!!) They asked me a few questions, including what inspirational words or advice I can provide to student parents out there.

The first thought that crossed my mind was, "Advice from me? What do I know? I've only been a parent for a little over 2 years... and I'm still figuring out how to balance my own life!"

But, then I thought about it for a little while (yes, the above pic is supposed to be me deep in thought, but I ended up looking more gangsta than anything - HA HA!) and realized that I have actually learned a lot about balancing life in my 2+ years of parenting and maybe someone can benefit from my opinions. So, here's what I have to say to parents out there who are struggling to balance school/work life with family life...

1. PRIORITIZE YOUR TIME... & put your family/loved ones first. In my opinion, nothing should come before your family, especially your children. Life is too dang short. Does this mean that you shouldn't work or spend time away from your children? No. It just means that if you have an hour in the evening before the kiddos hit the hay, take that time to bond with them and then go ahead and stay up an hour later getting your stuff done.
2. MAKE EVERY SECOND COUNT. As a working mom who has lots of experience spending more time each week away from my daughter than actually with her, I've totally adopted the motto, "it's not about quantity, it's about quality." I would rather spend 2 hours each evening deep in some serious mommy-daughter bonding time than several hours each day where I'm hardly paying attention to her. So, if ya only have a small amount of time with your family each day, don't feel guilty. Just make the most of the time you do have. And realize that all the hard work you do at school or at work is going to benefit them as well.
3. TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF. This is probably the hardest thing to do, but it is crucial to your sanity as well as your family's. With work and/or school work and meals to cook and laundry to do and children to care for, it is SO easy to put yourself last. Over time this will wear you down and in turn affect your family. Taking even just 10-20 minutes a day for yourself will make a difference. Take a quick bubble bath once everyone is asleep. Flip through a sleazy gossip magazine while the kids are playing. Stay up an hour later than usual and watch a favorite TV show. Or go to bed an hour earlier to catch up on beauty rest. And, if you can swing it try to plan one special thing for yourself each month. Get a massage. Go on a hike with your significant other or a friend. Play a round of golf. Make time to do what makes you happy, whatever that may be. In turn, your happiness will transcend onto your family.

Oh man, I could go on and on. It sounds so easy, right? Well, even I still struggle on a daily basis with these 3 things (okay, maybe not so much right now since I'm on maternity leave and get to be home all day). Above all, just take it a day at a time and don't take life too seriously. 

1 Month

I've said it before and I'll say it again... Time flies when you're having fun. And boy has the last month sure flown by! Looky who's 1 month old today...

My big, handsome boy!


So, what's up with Landon Drew now that he's a month old?

• He weighs in at a whopping 11 lbs 7 oz (89th percentile for weight)
• He just started meaningfully smiling at us on Saturday (11/19)! He still isn't smiling a ton, but if you get him looking right at you and you make funny faces at him, he'll give ya a big ole goofy grin. I still need to capture one on camera.
• He loves to eat! I'm nursing him every 2-3 hours during the day and a couple of times during the night. But, he did give me a good 6 hour stretch of sleep last night! Go Landon! Keep it up!
• He is a very chill, easy going baby boy. He eats, stays awake for a little while, and sleeps. And that's about it. Maybe he'll cry out once or twice a day, usually only if he's gassy.
• He isn't necessarily quiet, though. Landon is a grunter. He is constantly grunting. And it's quite annoying when you're trying to sleep.

We just love him so much! It feels like he's been a part of our family forever and I can't imagine life without him now. We still aren't quite sure who he looks like yet. I'm seeing more of myself in him than Andy. 

And now a couple more pics from our little photo shoot today. (Shot in natural light on a blanket on our living room floor!  <-- I'm quite proud of myself, can't ya tell?)

A year in the blink of an eye...

It seriously seems like only yesterday that I snapped this adorable pic of Leila Jade:

Enjoying the first snow in November 2010...


And, it literally was yesterday when I snapped these adorable pics of Leila Jade:

Same hat, much bigger gal...








While Leila and I enjoyed some time outside eating snow, the boys lounged in front of the TV:

We returned inside to find this. So stinkin cute - all my boys...


And then we made cocoa and took naps and all lived happily ever after! Ha!

Lactation Cookies

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm... Mmmmmmmmmm... GOOD!



I have been fully embracing playing housewife/stay-at-home mommy. Today Leila and I got busy in the kitchen baking up these most delicious & nutritious cookies. And these aren't just any ole cookie...

The other week my good friend Rachel brought me a bag of lactation cookies... cookies that are supposed to help increase your milk supply (not that I need any help in that department - seriously, I am one crazy milk-making machine!). She warned me that they were healthy and probably wouldn't taste too great. BUT, they were awesome! Andy, Leila, and I devoured the bag in like 2 days. They satisfied my sweet tooth without making me feel guilty, so I knew I needed to try to make them.

Soooooooo, I'm too lazy to type up the whole recipe, but you can find it here (courtesy of DrMomma.org, the recipe was created by Kathleen Major, PNP, RN). Key ingredients include whole wheat flour, oats, peanut butter, flax, brewer's yeast, cinnamon, sugar, nuts, & chocolate chips. I didn't have any brewer's yeast, so I left it out.











Leila had a ton of fun helping me make them (it got VERY messy!) and little Landon just slept through the whole process. :-) It was a great way to pass some time at home and I definitely plan on baking some more with her! Anyhow, I totally recommend these cookies, even if you aren't breastfeeding or don't even have boobs. They make a great breakfast cookie to have along with a banana and a cup of coffee. Yummo!

I also made progress in the kitchen last night when I busted out the good ole crock pot. I took a look around at what we had and threw in some chicken, teeny tiny potatoes, red bell pepper, onion, Italian seasoning, and about a cup of store bought balsamic vinaigrette. Turned out mighty tasty! (Although I did forget to season with S&P, which it needed).

Isn't she a beauty?




All in all, I'm pretty dang proud of myself for staying busy and productive on the home front! Now if only I could get to that dang laundry...

Wise Words Wednesday: Keep Dreamin'

via Pinterest

Time for me to take a moment and reflect back on why I started this blog. And the above quote sums it up pretty nicely. Before I started blogging at the start of this year I felt like I was at a stagnant place in my life. I was working M-F 8a-5p and focusing all my attention on my daughter when I wasn't at work. Sure, I liked my job, but it wasn't anything I was passionate about and it wasn't anything I would define who I am by. And, I loved being a mom to Leila, but at the same time I didn't just want "being a mom" to define me. I felt like I wanted to focus on myself a little more. Okay, that sounds super selfish, right? Well I wasn't thinking it in a selfish way. I was thinking it in more of a "how can I make myself a better, happier person and in turn become a better mother, wife, employee, friend, etc?" As a life long procrastinator and just plain lazy person, I decided I should blog about some of my goals, my dreams to do, and maybe start taking some actions to accomplish them. Thus my second baby (this blog) was born.

As of today, this blog has become much more than what I intentionally wanted it to be. It has become my public diary, my creative outlet, and my family photo album. Sure, maybe I haven't actually accomplished many of my little dreams to do yet, but I'm in no hurry! I've been learning more about myself along the way and meeting lots of new people. I never thought my silly little blog could become an inspiration to others, so I am thrilled and honored when I receive random emails that it has done just that. And THAT, my friends, is more than I ever could have dreamed of back at the start of this year.

As my 28th birthday quickly approaches, I'm not really stressing about getting closer to 30. Whereas last year when I turned 27 I was terrified for some reason! Now I realize I am still super young and I truly believe that we are "NEVER too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream" AND actually DO IT. But, I also realize that having two children does make it a little more tricky. :-)

1 Mom VS. 2 Kids

My 3 weeks of living in La-La-Land are officially over. It's stay-at-home mommy time now. Ariel versus the kiddos: one on two defense. Okay, maybe not at this exact moment... Leila is actually at daycare right now, but Landon and I will venture out in a bit to pick her up. Then it's show time!

Today is my hubby's first day back at work since Landon was born. That means I now have 9 weeks of experiencing stay-at-home mommyhood with my 2 kiddos. A VERY new experience for me. Will I love it? Will I hate it? Only time will tell. But I'm guessing I will love it at times and I will hate it at times.

My biggest concern? Keeping Leila entertained in a productive way while caring for a newborn. It would be SO easy to just let her watch Dora or Mickey Mouse all day. And she would love it! BUT, I am not that mom and I refuse to let that happen. So, my goal right now is to find easy, fun, maybe even educational things that I can do with her AND deal with baby boy at the same time. Any advice? Suggestions? Favorite toddler/preschool websites with ideas? I know some of you SAH mommas out there seriously have your acts together! Please share!

~~~

Oh, and I wanted to post a couple of professional pics that were taken at the hospital after Landon was born - we just got the disk in the mail!

First Snow

Here's what we woke up to this morning:



A light dusting of snow. The first feeling that overcame me when I looked out the window was dread. While I grew up loving the winter, over the past few years I've started to hate it. The loooooonnnnnnnggggggggggg, dark, cold days. The treacherous driving conditions. The claustrophobia of feeling trapped inside all the time. But ya know what? I quickly pushed away that feeling of dread and made myself instead embrace the excitement of winter and all it brings with it. Here is what I am choosing to focus on instead...

• Thanksgiving is right around the corner (YUMMO!) and so is Christmas!!! And who doesn't love Christmas?
• My b-day is also just a couple weeks away and I still get giddy thinking about it (even though I'll be a year closer to the end of my 20s)
• Ugg boots on my feetsies!
• Can't wait to build snowmen and make snow angels with Leila Jade this year
• Christmas cookies! Pumpkin pie! And HOT chocolate! (Remember, I have a MAJOR sweet tooth these days)
• Lots-o-family time and LOVIN' in the air

Speaking of hot chocolate... this is what I am currently enjoying as I type this up and my little ones sleep. Life is good.

I've been much better about "living in the moment" since my last post. Writing out my feelings and goals makes me so much more likely to change my ways - I highly recommend this to everyone.

In other news...

Leila Jade got to feed her baby bro for the first time yesterday! And she loved every second of it.



Okay, maybe she didn't love the picture taking part of it...

Wise Words Wednesday: Living for Today

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present." - Babatunde Olatunji

Okay, so I know I'm not the only one who is guilty of spending too much time either reliving the past or looking to the future. Lately I have been catching myself ruining the current moment by dreading what's to come. I'm scared for my hubby to go back to work next weekend, leaving me alone for the first time with 2 kiddos. I'm scared that I'm not stay at home momma material; scared that I'm not cut out to balance a toddler and newborn on my own. At the same time I'm absolutely terrified for January to get here too quickly; for me to head back to work and leave my loves in the care of others.



Thoughts like this SUCK. I am so blessed right now to be able to spend time with my husband AND children, doing nothing but lounging at home and taking beautiful Fall walks. Why do I let the dread of the future get to me? How can I push these thoughts aside and not let them kill my current joy? It's funny because I am actually a very logical person. I know that this current moment is all that we are guaranteed in life. In the blink of an eye we could be gone and/or our loved ones could be. So why is it so hard for me to just live in the friggin moment?



And that is my current goal... LIVE IN THE MOMENT. Take it for ALL that it is. Savor every second. Life is too dang short to fret too much about the future or spend too much time reliving the past.

The Phantom Hand

It's gonna get you!



Ha Ha!



Happy Monday out there!

Cloth Diapers: Day 1

I finally got up the nerve to try out cloth diapers today! Actually, it wasn't about nerves. I chose to only invest in one size pocket diapers (a combination of BumGenius, Sunbaby, & Go Green), which typically don't fit well until the babe is around 10 lbs or so. BUT, my awesome friend Rachel (who inspired me to give cloth a try) brought over her stash of newborn diapers for me to test out. And today was day 1.

Ha! So I know he totally looks uncomfortable, but I swear he's loving the cloth so far. :-)


Unfortunately I don't think Landon will be in Rachel's newborn diapers for very long. He's already on the loosest setting and as of last Wednesday, he had already gained over a pound since birth! My big man! So, we'll probably be transitioning to our stash soon. Speaking of our diaper stash, check it out...

Cloth diapers are super cute! (along with many other pros)


As for how our day has gone... easy peasy! Now, I haven't done my first laundry load of stinkies yet, but I really don't think it's going to be bad at all. And maybe this is sick and twisted of me, but I kinda enjoy using our nifty diaper sprayer to spray the poo off (which apparently you don't have to do with breast milk poo, but I am anyway). So, I don't think I'm going to have a problem sticking it out with the cloth. And I will totally keep ya'll posted on how it goes and which diaper brands end up being my fave (for those of you who actually care).

Okee, enough about baby butts. I will leave ya with a few cute pics.

Handsome profile...


Heart...is...melting...


Sigh...

Wise Words Wednesday: Sweet Tooth

"There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles." - Author Unknown

Leila's 1st time trick-or-treating...




Halloween came at just the right time this year. Since giving birth to Landon, my sweet tooth has been out of control. Seriously, all I want to eat is candy. And drink soda. And I am not a soda drinker! It's so weird.

So, right now I am thankful for the hefty stash of candy that my daughter got for me on Halloween. She loved trick-or-treating, but by the next morning had already forgotten about the goods she had received. He He He... lucky for me! And now I sit back while Leila naps and binge on Snickers and Milky Way bars and Skittles and Dr. Pepper. Thank you breastfeeding for allowing me to consume these calories and quickly burn them away while sitting on my ass with my new little one. :-)

Here are some more pics from our sweet and simple Halloween...









I hope you all have more self control than me!