"Organize One Thing Wednesday" Bare Bones.

I hate to be discriminatory, but I gotta do it.  If you're a boy and you're reading this post (dad), then you need to leave.  Also, if you're a relative or just generally uncomfortable talking about an issue that's a little more personal, you should probably skip out on this post too.  I'd love for you to come back tomorrow when I post something a little more appropriate, but for the time being....toodle-oo.  Seriously, go right now.  No boys allowed from here on out. 
Alright ladies.  This "Organize One Thing Wednesday,"  I want to talk about an area of organizing that's not usually covered.  Your "unmentionables" drawer.  Undergarments.  Underoos.  Skiivies.  "Unda-wares."  I don't know about you guys, but this particular drawer in my house was a daggone hot mess.  My morning routine involved lots of digging and moving items around to find what I needed.  And that just is not acceptable.  Because I love you guys, I'm going to show you the before picture:

Hot mess, right?  I told you.  The amount of items in this drawer were out of control.  Bras that fit me in high school, old underoos that didn't fit anymore or I didn't feel comfortable in (So I wear granny panties now...don't judge).  Nightgowns.  Slips.  Shape wear.  Ridiculous!  So I rolled up my sleeves and dove in (not literally.  that's gross.)  I got rid of the items I don't wear anymore and reorganized the ones that I do.  I picked up some drawer dividers at my local Wally World.  I weeded and folded and organized.  After:

I can breathe again.  It's not a hassle every single morning.  I pick out my undergarments and I move on.  Amazing what organizing a single drawer can do to shorten your morning routine and make you feel better about your day.  Because if you start your morning unorganized, what's that say about the rest of your day?  So, go forth and conquer your underwear! 

Sick Day. Not my idea of fun.

I really dislike sick days.  I wasn't always like this.   In college, sick days were amazing...except for the being sick part, of course.  I could go back to bed and sleep for hours, wake up, eat and then go back to sleep until whatever infection or sickness that was invading my body was gone.  Those days are no more.  Now, when I have a sick day, I feel horribly guilty.  I try to sleep, but thoughts of my messy house or my to-do list run through my head.  I don't want anyone making a fuss over me.  Don't get me wrong, I love to be pampered as much as the next girl, but not when a sickness is the reason.  I want to be pampered and waited on hand and foot when I'm at the picture of health.  Not when I feel incompetent and people have to get me hot tea and medicine.  Being at home alone right now is driving me insane.  I've told myself multiple times "Just go to sleep.  You're going to feel like CRAP if you don't get enough rest."  Except I can't.  I keep staring at the shoes in the living room floor that Avery drug out last night and I didn't get a chance to put away.  I'm thinking about the load of clothes sitting in my hamper that need to be put in the washing machine.  The outgrown clothes in Avery's room that need to be boxed up and put away are nagging at me.  I notice all the little things that I need to do around the house to make it ready for potential buyers (which hasn't been very successful so far....but that's another story completely).  Instead of doing all these things, I'm sitting on the couch watching yet another re-run episode of "What Not to Wear" and "The Chew."  I know that if I don't rest and take a break, I'll run myself down and feel even worse than before.  I just think it's a mom thing.  We're so used to taking care of everyone else and running around, fitting 12 hours of work into the 3 hours that we're home after working all day, that when we have a little downtime (no matter what the reason may be) we feel guilty about it.  We feel like we don't deserve to sit down and we see the things that still need to be accomplished.  Lets give ourselves a break ladies.  We do it all (No offense men.  We recognize all the amazing things you do too) and we still push ourselves to do more.  Enjoy your life more.  Don't feel guilty about sitting on the sofa and enjoying the latest episode of "Once Upon A Time."  Don't feel guilty about running yourself a bubble bath after the kids are down for the night.  Don't feel guilty about helping yourself to that last chocolate chip cookie every once in awhile.  While our husbands are a vital part of the home and family, we think that the successfulness of a well-run home is largely to do with us.  I have some news for you guys that might be shocking: we don't have to do it all.  If we take an hour break for ourselves every once in awhile, things are not going to fall apart.  Our husbands are perfectly capable men that can handle the kids for just a little while without our help.  I'm not suggesting that we ignore our kids and husband and home every single night so we can have some "me time."  What I am suggesting is, that if we do need that little bit of me time every once in awhile, don't feel bad about it.  Why should we feel guilty about being sick?  It's not like we can help it!  So ladies, sip that Nyquil, watch that soap opera and enjoy your sick day (crazy, right?).  It may not be fun being sick, but it may be the only rest we'll get for awhile.

Hot MAMA Monday

I think I'm going to change the name of today.  Instead of being a "Hot Mess Monday,"  I'm thinking it should be retitled a "Hot MAMA Monday" because that's exactly how I'm feeling.  Why? 

Original weight:  142.5 lbs
Last week's weight: 134.2 lbs.
This week's weight:

Loss from last week:  0.6 lbs
Overall weight lost:  8.9 (you might as well say I've lost NINE pounds!)

I'm back in the 133s y'all.  Finally.   It's been baby steps, as I'm not completely back into the swing of things and used to being disciplined and super healthy again, but I'll get there.

Biggest challenge:  Watching what I'm eating...again.  You don't think that a hamburger here or a trip to the drive thru there every once in awhile will affect your eating habits, but it completely does.  When I stopped disciplining myself and allowed myself to be a little more lax on what I was eating and how many calories I was consuming, I lost control.  Not to the point where I was binge eating or eating out everyday, but I definitely stopped watching and even caring what I was putting into my body.  Horrible mistake.  Now it's back to watching every snack and counting every calorie.  Not fun, but it produces results and it's how I'm going to get close to my goal weight.

What worked: 
Staying active.  I've been chasing after Avery, doing laundry, picking up, dancing...whatever it takes to not be a bump on a log and sit on the couch all day.  Still not "formally" exercising.  I just cannot find the motivation.  Ugh. 

See you next "Hot Mess Mama Monday!"

My Purse: The Inside Story.

I've seen this type of post floating around blog-world and I think it's just a fun way for you to get to know me a little bit better.  It's a glimpse into something that is really important to me.....my purse.  If you know me at all, you know that I have a slight purse addiction.  I'm MUCH better than I used to be (it used to be a struggle to go into a department store and not buy a purse...or at least go over to the accessories department and look at them), but I still love my purses.  I switch them out almost every day depending on what color my outfit is and I take pride in keeping it organized and clutter free.  Wanna take a peek inside?

If you can't tell, I keep everything in their own separate bags.  I CANNOT STAND having loose odds and ends floating around in my purse.  It makes it frustrating when I go digging through my purse trying to find something and it drives me bananas.  So, inside my purse is a bunch of mini-purses, if you will.

Mini-purse #1:  My makeup bag.  It contains:  4 chapsticks, 5 lipsticks, one eyeliner pencil, one eyeliner pencil sharpener, two nail files, one travel size hairspray, a makeup sponge, a concealer stick and a compact mirror.  I have a problem.

Mini-purse #2:  My medicine bag.  I have the world's worst immune system.  For reals.  If it's an illness and it's within 10 miles of me, I'm gonna catch it.  I have also been blessed with outrageously ridiculous allergies (if it lives or grows, I'm allergic to it) and a food allergy to carrots (dumbest. food allergy. EVER.).  Hence the band-aids, hand sanitizer, Zyrtec, Gas X, Benadryl, migraine pills, Advil and Epi-Pen.  If you're dying, I can fix you.

I also have a mini-purse #3 containing many, many, many pencils and pens.  You never know when you're going to need to take notes or write a check or sign a document.  Big believer in being prepared.

Now, for the rest of the story in my purse.  I have a little bag (the turquoise one) that contains all the junk I don't want floating in my purse....receipts I wanna keep, checkbook registers, etc.
Here's where I think I may have a little issue with OCD (the first step is admitting you have a problem, right?).  I have not one, but TWO coupon containers.  The blue one you see has all of Avery's coupons--broken down into diapers, wipes, food, medicines, toys and clothes.  Inside the blue container is a red floral coupon container that has all of my grocery coupons.  It has slots for freezer items, deli, household cleaners, pantry items, paper products, etc.  I LOVE it.  It makes the obsessively organized me very, very happy.
Finally, the little Coach handheld thingy is where I keep all of my cards that I use every day:  my license, insurance cards, credit cards, all that jazz.  It's in easy reach and I don't have to take my ginormous wallet or entire purse in when I'm just on a trip into the store to get two things.

I go nowhere without my planner.  I feel lost without it.  And, because I'm a color coded nerd when it comes to my planner, I carry colored pencils so I can literally "pencil you in" when something comes up.  I also carry a little notebook because you never know when you're going to need to remember something and jot it down.  Yes, I know my iPhone has an app to take notes.  I like handwritten, physical notes.  Call me old-fashioned.

I do actually carry a big wallet with me too.  It's kind of a wristlet type wallet that contain my checkbook, register, gift cards, cash, change and store loyalty cards.  Also, a picture of my Peepaw because my day is instantly made better when I get to pull out my wallet and see a picture of a man who always brought sunshine when I was around him.

Finally, the very few random things that are floating around, un-bagged:  my Disney World zebra sunglasses (each side has a Mickey head), a name tag from my recent trip to the National FFA Convention and two Andes mints from a fabulously yummy dinner at Olive Garden (my favorite). 

There you have it.  My purse.  If you were to stop me on a regular, unexpected day, it would look exactly like this, give or take a few packs of gum.  I realize that I'm obsessive.  But I am in my every day world, shouldn't my purse be reflective of that too??  It's so funny what the contents of a purse can say about a person.  What's in your bag?

High Sixes!!!

I'm going to make up for not having a High Five for Friday post last week by giving you a High SIX!  (Heads up, a lot happened this week and I went picture crazy.  Prepare for a bunch of photo collages). 

1!
These little beauties have been getting together for playdates for almost a year now.  At our first playdate, they didn't really want anything to do with each other--except to steal each other's snacks and sippy cups.  They now range in age from 14-18 months old and are actually kind of "hanging out" with each other.  I hope they become great friends!!

2!
I found THE cutest Halloween costume at a consignment sale a couple of months ago.  I was so excited for Avery to wear it.  I'm not really a "let's wear whatever TV character is popular this year" kind of costume fan.  I want something unique, something adorable.  Avery obviously has other plans (doesn't she always??).  If I even bring this costume out of the closet, she starts to whimper.  Don't ask me why.  So would you like to see the Halloween costume that never was?

*sigh*  Good thing it was only $7.

3! 
I was hugely involved in FFA in high school.  I got the opportunity to serve as the 2005-2006 Kentucky FFA State President.  Naturally, I had to have the "I Wore the Blue Jacket" shirt.  FFA is in my blood and I hope that Avery catches the blue and gold bug too.....hence the "Future FFA Member" shirt. 
Finally, on Wednesday, my sister Dayna (the redhead on the left) and I got to go up to Indianapolis for the National FFA Convention to judge the Agricultural Issues contest.  Our youngest sister Kristen (the blonde in the middle) is a senior this year, so she was in Indy with her chapter.  My dad requested that we all get a picture at National Convention together.  He was at National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri thirty-someodd years ago and never dreamed that, one day, his children would all be at a National FFA Convention together.  :)

4!

I saw this at Barnes & Noble last week and almost died.  It would make an awesome Christmas present (hint, hint Marty)......

5!
Last week, my family went to a Fall Festival--where Avery got the opportunity to paint a pumpkin (and mommy's hands), pie her Granddaddy in the face and show her pumpkin off to Aunt Dayna.  I hope my child inherits my love of Fall.

6! 
Our Minnie population in this house is getting a little out of control.  Minnie plates, silverware, cups, pillows, shirts, hats, pajamas, beach towels, socks, toys and stuffed animals.  They're taking over.  I'm a tiny bit nervous.

Hair.

I have a hate/hate relationship with my hair.  I hate it and it obviously hates me because it refuses to do anything I want it to.  Lately, I've been undecided on the status of my hair.  I look at pictures like this....

...and I think I want long hair again.  It was pretty, I felt younger and skinnier.  Then I remember that it was always a pain to curl and make it look just right and most of the time, it looked messy and heavy.....

...and I think that it wasn't worth it.  So then I look at pictures of my hair right after my wedding when I'd had enough of the long hair business and chopped it all off....

...and I think I want short hair again. It was easy, it was efficient, it looked cute.  Then I remember that I have craptastic thin hair that even the best root boosting, volumizing product can't help and I'm afraid I look balding with short hair....

...and I think I want to shave my head.  Not to mention my bangs.  My $*@(!* bangs.  Without mincing words, I HATE them.  I was cursed blessed enough to get a cowlick right in the middle of my bangs near my natural part.  Needless to say, having cute, bob style bangs was never an option for me.  So I thought I could pull off the side swept bangs that seem to be all the rage.  But, because of my cowlick, my bangs separate away from the rest of my hair:



So I'm trying to grow my bangs out to avoid this issue.  Except, right now, it's in the "growing-out-in-my-face-looks-totally-stupid-and-drives-me-crazy" phase and it's all I can do not to take a pair of scissors and chop them down to my scalp.  *sigh*  What do I do?  I've never been good at hair.  I don't know what products to use, I don't do hairstyles (although I wish I had time to do them) and I'm just at a loss on how to make my hair look good.  What's your vote?

Disney World as a Mom

Is there anywhere in the world that's as magical as Disney World (hint: the answer is no)?  The Disney Channel may be a complete disgrace to Walt's memory, but when you walk into the parks, you can clearly see his imagination, motivation and sheer determination to make families happy everywhere you look.  I LOVE Disney World.  If I had the choice, I would live there year-round.  I would take out a hotel room, turn it into my house and then visit the parks whenever I wanted.  Since that's not an option, I treasure every visit I do get to make to my favorite place on Earth.  At the beginning of the month, we had the chance to take our Avery to Disney for the first time.  Let me start by saying that NO, 14 months is not the ideal time to take your child to Disney for their first trip.  There were a lot of naptimes, snack breaks and diaper changes.  I know she won't remember our trip, but I will.  Disney is so great as a child and as a young adult, but it doesn't compare to Disney as a parent.  No, I didn't get to ride Splash Mountain (my faaaaavorite ride in the history of ever) and I didn't get to spend as much time shopping on Main Street as I would have liked and yes, it was a lot of work having her there, but that didn't matter because it meant I got to spend time at Disney with my little girl. 

There were crazy moments (like her very first haircut):

 

There were some family moments (on It's Small World):

 

There were some sleepy moments:

 

There were some snacky moments (discovering ketchup for the very 1st time at Pecos Bills):

 

There were some special moments (Avery, her "Gaga" and her cousins):

 

There were some absolutely magical moments (meeting Minnie Mouse):

 

There's also some little hidden secrets at Disney for parents that "regular" people don't know about.  Disney World thinks of EVERYTHING.  Even the comfort and convenience of those of us with little babies/toddlers at Disney.  They have this little gem called the Baby Care Center.  At first, I thought it would just be a room for parents to change diapers.  It was so much more than that. 

 

Although I didn't get pictures of the whole thing (I thought people might not like it if I took pictures of their kids), I can describe it to you--and you can look at pictures here.  There was a room full of everything you would need for a baby that you might have forgotten to pack for a day at the parks:  Infant Tylenol and Advil, Desitin, diapers, baby food, teething gel, baby toys, snacks, high SPF sunscreen, Infant Benadryl...everything.  Of course, you have to purchase them, but they're there for your use.  The next room had chairs for breastfeeding moms to sit in and feed their babies in private, along with highchairs, books, toys and a TV playing none other than a Disney movie (the selection of the day was Tangled).  The next room had changing tables everywhere, complete with fiberglass Disney characters hanging on the wall for the babies to look at.  It. Was. Genius.  To you, it may not seem like much, but to me, as a parent with a baby that needed to be changed 15 times while we were at Magic Kingdom (that MIGHT be a slight exaggeration), it was a Godsend.  And just proves that Disney goes the extra mile to provide excellent service for their guests. Just another reason for me to love Disney World. 

It was amazing to discover Disney World all over again through the eyes of a mom.  And through the eyes of my little Avery.  I hope to go again soon.  Very soon.