I have an announcement to make, so listen really, really closely.......
I despise people that rush things.
There. That's it. My announcement. Did I trick you? *mischievous giggle* Are you just here because you thought I was carrying another mini-Marty for the world to see? Sorry to disappoint you guys. Instead, I want to talk about exactly the opposite.
I hate it when people rush things in life.
When you start getting serious with your significant other, people are immediately like "When are you getting a ring??"
When you get engaged...and I mean literally, the moment you get engaged, people are like "When's the wedding??" "Not sure. I just received a ring like 0.2 seconds ago."
Then, you get married and it doesn't take long for people to be like "When are you guys going to have a baby???" "I don't know. In the meantime, we'll just practice :) (sorry mom.)."
Finally, and my biggest pet peeve of all, before your little bundle of joy is even a year old, people are all "So, when's baby number two coming along??"
Here's the thing. I realize that everyone has their own schedules. Some couples want to be married for over 5 years before they even have the baby talk. Some are ready for babies as soon as they get married (crazy kids). Some people want one child. Some people want multiple children spaced multiple years apart. And then there's the people that barely let their babies stop being babies before they want another. Lately, I've seen or heard people talking about having crazy baby fever and wanting a second baby before their first is even barely a year old. Listen, if that's you, and I'm offending you right now, please accept my sincerest apologies. I just don't understand it. Avery, my one and only for the moment, turned 18 months old yesterday. She's still a BABY to me. She's my walking, talking, screaming, fighting, crying, smiling, giggling, pouting, learning daily, stubborn little baby. Modern medicine and my pediatrician can call her a toddler if they like, but to me, she's still my baby. She's still unsteady when she runs. She still giggles when she learns something new. She still curls up in a ball when she's still sleepy and when she wakes up in the morning. She still sleeps like a baby (as in, not at all). Yes, Avery is doing lots of toddler-ish things right now. But she has SO many more milestones to hit before I want to think about bringing another little Gaddie into our household yet. I would love it if my kid could eat normal food without pretending to choke. I would love her to be potty trained (BIG one). I would love if she could drink out of a straw by herself without spilling water all over herself (and me, and the floor, and Minnie Mouse). I would love it if she would consistently sleep through the night (BIGGEST ONE OF ALL). All of the things I still feel like Avery and I need to do before I even think about splitting my time with her and a sibling.
Now, don't get me wrong. I know plenty of people whose children are super close together and are incredibly awesome moms. I just don't think I'd be one of them. My child takes up 110% of my time right now. I'm trying to be more involved in my community through Relay for Life, find a little more time to myself by crafting and trying to squeeze in time with my hubby every now and again. Most of the time, simple things like cleaning house and doing laundry don't even fit into the schedule because I just am not a good homemaker/multi-tasker. So the idea of having baby #2 right now (or even 9 months from now) sends me into a brown-paper-bag, full-blown panic attack zone. Let me clarify something too. Do I want more children? Abso-freaking-lutely. More than one more, if I can drug my husband into signing a contract that we can have more than two little Gaddies running around. Do I want them to be spaced years apart? Not exactly. I'm not saying that I want to wait until Avery is in middle school before we have another baby (can you imagine how exhausting THAT would be??). I'm just saying that I want maybe a year or two more to enjoy my baby now. To watch her grow. To watch her learn. To know that I can devote all of my time to her without feeling guilty about needing to split my time with her brother or sister. I'm not saying that there's a magic age or number of years your children should be spaced apart. I'm just saying....quit trying to rush things people. Enjoy your babies while they're still babies. And let me enjoy mine.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
I was a witness.
Every once in awhile in this life, we experience a moment that we're humbled to be a part of--that we know we're witnessing something fantastically amazing happen. Friday night was one of those moments for me.
As you may or may not have known, on Friday, my childhood church decided to hold a chili supper and benefit auction for miss Brooklyn {read Brooklyn's story here}. Somehow, in the course of planning, I was put in charge of the auction portion of the night. Easy peasy. I love doing things like this. But, being in charge also meant that my obsessive worrying kicked into overdrive. Do we have enough auction items? Do we have enough big ticket auction items? Are we going to have enough people show up to bid on said auction items? As the week went on, however, those worries changed into something much different. Our attendance numbers began to grow rapidly. The word was spreading via Facebook, word-of-mouth, local radio stations and even on a Louisville based morning show. That's the moment I really started freaking out. Will we have enough chili to feed everyone? How are we going to fit 300-400 people in our church's parish hall? Where is everyone going to sit? How should we rearrange the tables? Last week was a blur of collecting donations, posting donations on Facebook for the world to see, spreading the word to make sure people would come, giving directions, making sure I was prepared. Then Friday came. Auction items flooded the tables. People flooded the building. They flooded the donation basket with money. And that was only the beginning. The chili supper alone brought over $4,100---in simple, give from your heart donations. Let me put it this way. Someone estimated that we had around 350 in attendance that night. That would be roughly $11 a person. For a single bowl of chili and a hot dog. Amazing, right? Oh, you haven't heard anything yet.
The night was filled with generosity, love and just plain selflessness. Would you like examples?
A painting I made of Kentucky brought $175--bought by a friend of mine in Eastern Kentucky who's never even MET Brooklyn.
A bracelet that was made with the Brooklyn's Believers logo was purchased by a local farmer for $300....then was promptly handed over to Brooklyn's grandma for her to cherish and wear.
A St John middle schooler won a mountain bike for good testing grades at her school. When she found out she had won, she told her mom she wanted to donate the bike to be auctioned off for Brooklyn. The bike brought $175...and then was given back to the girl for her to keep.
But all of that was nothing compared to the end of the night. The very last item for auction was a pink child's quilt that had the words "Brooklyn's Believers" embroidered on the top. The bidding ended at $500...but that wasn't enough for the people there. Bidders began yelling out their numbers and how much they would donate to raise the price of the quilt. "Bidder number 100 donates $50!" The room was silent, except for people yelling out that they would donate $25, $50, even $100 towards the quilt (I'm tearing up even writing this). In the end, the quilt brought several thousand dollars. And then was given to Erin, Brooklyn's mom.
Someone asked me earlier in the week what I was hoping the auction would bring. I told them I had no expectations because I would rather be blown away than disappointed. Well, blown away doesn't even begin to describe it. That small community chili supper and auction raised over $22,000 for Brooklyn and her parents. To say that people were generous that night is a gross understatement. People gave from their hearts. God's work was evident that night--his light shining through every single volunteer, bidder and person in attendance. It was truly a humbling thing to witness.
Here's my official thank you. Thank you to those of you that came. Thank you for bidding. Thank you for buying. Thank you for donating your items. Thank you for spreading the word. Thank you to those who came, circled the overly full parking lot and left--you still came. Thank you to those that helped me with the auction. Just thank you, thank you, thank you.
Erin and Daniel. I think Friday night was a true testament to how much this community loves you. They don't want to see you hurting or struggling. And most of all, they, without a doubt, believe in Brooklyn.
As you may or may not have known, on Friday, my childhood church decided to hold a chili supper and benefit auction for miss Brooklyn {read Brooklyn's story here}. Somehow, in the course of planning, I was put in charge of the auction portion of the night. Easy peasy. I love doing things like this. But, being in charge also meant that my obsessive worrying kicked into overdrive. Do we have enough auction items? Do we have enough big ticket auction items? Are we going to have enough people show up to bid on said auction items? As the week went on, however, those worries changed into something much different. Our attendance numbers began to grow rapidly. The word was spreading via Facebook, word-of-mouth, local radio stations and even on a Louisville based morning show. That's the moment I really started freaking out. Will we have enough chili to feed everyone? How are we going to fit 300-400 people in our church's parish hall? Where is everyone going to sit? How should we rearrange the tables? Last week was a blur of collecting donations, posting donations on Facebook for the world to see, spreading the word to make sure people would come, giving directions, making sure I was prepared. Then Friday came. Auction items flooded the tables. People flooded the building. They flooded the donation basket with money. And that was only the beginning. The chili supper alone brought over $4,100---in simple, give from your heart donations. Let me put it this way. Someone estimated that we had around 350 in attendance that night. That would be roughly $11 a person. For a single bowl of chili and a hot dog. Amazing, right? Oh, you haven't heard anything yet.
The night was filled with generosity, love and just plain selflessness. Would you like examples?
A painting I made of Kentucky brought $175--bought by a friend of mine in Eastern Kentucky who's never even MET Brooklyn.
A bracelet that was made with the Brooklyn's Believers logo was purchased by a local farmer for $300....then was promptly handed over to Brooklyn's grandma for her to cherish and wear.
A St John middle schooler won a mountain bike for good testing grades at her school. When she found out she had won, she told her mom she wanted to donate the bike to be auctioned off for Brooklyn. The bike brought $175...and then was given back to the girl for her to keep.
But all of that was nothing compared to the end of the night. The very last item for auction was a pink child's quilt that had the words "Brooklyn's Believers" embroidered on the top. The bidding ended at $500...but that wasn't enough for the people there. Bidders began yelling out their numbers and how much they would donate to raise the price of the quilt. "Bidder number 100 donates $50!" The room was silent, except for people yelling out that they would donate $25, $50, even $100 towards the quilt (I'm tearing up even writing this). In the end, the quilt brought several thousand dollars. And then was given to Erin, Brooklyn's mom.
Someone asked me earlier in the week what I was hoping the auction would bring. I told them I had no expectations because I would rather be blown away than disappointed. Well, blown away doesn't even begin to describe it. That small community chili supper and auction raised over $22,000 for Brooklyn and her parents. To say that people were generous that night is a gross understatement. People gave from their hearts. God's work was evident that night--his light shining through every single volunteer, bidder and person in attendance. It was truly a humbling thing to witness.
Here's my official thank you. Thank you to those of you that came. Thank you for bidding. Thank you for buying. Thank you for donating your items. Thank you for spreading the word. Thank you to those who came, circled the overly full parking lot and left--you still came. Thank you to those that helped me with the auction. Just thank you, thank you, thank you.
Erin and Daniel. I think Friday night was a true testament to how much this community loves you. They don't want to see you hurting or struggling. And most of all, they, without a doubt, believe in Brooklyn.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Terrible Twos or Bratty Kid?
I've had a magic trick happen in my home. One day, I had a happy baby that laughed often, snuggled with mommy and daddy, willingly gave kisses and hugs and was polite. Then *poof*! I wake up the next morning to a whiny, clingy, demanding little 17 month old. Could this honestly be the dreaded "Terrible Twos" already?!?
What's happened to my sweet baby girl? We are deep in the throes of Temper Tantrum Land. Squealing or growling or just plain "pitching a fit" when she doesn't get her way. Perfect example: last night, we were driving home in my car. Avery wanted to listen to her Mickey Mouse CD (isn't it funny how you know what they want without using any words?). After a little while of listening, she was still grunting and growling at me, so I turned Mickey off. When she threw a fit to listen to him again, I told her that if she wanted something she needed to say please. Cue terrible tantrum. Cue the pouty lip and the waving of fists. Which made me insist: "Avery, we don't act like that to get what we want. If you want to listen to Mickey, you have to say please." You see, this line ALWAYS worked before. Want a banana? to watch TV? to wear a bow in your hair? You must say please. And she would. Until recently. Now she'll throw a fit to get what she wants...saying please is an absolute thing of the past. I would like to say that I don't give into those embarrassing temper tantrums, but sometimes you're caught in public when one comes on. What do you do? You leave your cart full of groceries in the aisle and walk back to your vehicle because your child just HAS to have that rubber ducky she spotted on the shelf? Sometimes, it's just easier to give her the rubber ducky that will keep her entertained the rest of the time we're in the store. I know that's not the best thing to do. So sue me. It's hard disciplining a 17 month old. She doesn't fully understand everything I'm trying to tell her. I say "We don't pull mommy's hair. That's not a nice thing to do Avery." Who knows what she's hearing? Probably: pull mommy's hair!
Let's move on to dinner time. Eating out at a sit down restaurant is going to have to be retired for the time being. Avery wants to throw her cup, throw her toys, throw her food, get out of the chair, pretend to choke because she thinks it's funny (yeah....that really happens). I understand that she's still a baby, leaning towards being a toddler and that she isn't always going to sit still whenever we're in public or eat all her vegetables. I'm not naive. But I definitely don't want to be embarrassed any time Marty and I decide to go eat dinner at Cheddars.
Then there's playing well with others. To summarize: it doesn't happen. Well, let me specify. Avery plays well with others at a neutral place (i.e. someone else's house). When those playmates are on "her turf," don't even think about it. A while back, there were a couple of Avery's friends over at her Gramma's house. They played with Avery's toys at Gramma's house....and Avery wanted nothing to do with it. Harper would play with Avery's kitchen...Avery would run over and play with her kitchen. Delaney would pick up Avery's play vacuum....Avery suddenly wanted to vacuum. Lots of growling and yelling took place that day. How do you teach a child that's Avery's age how to share? I can tell her that she needs to share her toys, but again...what does that mean to her? I have been blessed to have an amazing family that watches Avery during the week, thus keeping her out of daycare. Am I doing Avery a disservice by keeping her out of daycare and keeping her away from the chance to learn how to interact with other kids her age? What's a mom to do??
Someone told me that this could be the result of lack of sleep. Well, at 17 months old, Avery is still not consistently sleeping through the night. We may have a week of sleeping through and then a week of being up every night crying it out. Then she may sleep through two days and cry the next three. She's also not getting regular naps. She may go to my Granny's house and take a three hour nap around 11 one day and then go to my Aunt Pam's and sleep 30 minutes at 12 the next. Without me being with her every single day, it's almost impossible to regulate her naptime schedule. Could I just have a grumpy baby because she can't figure out a consistent sleeping pattern??
Now that I've ranted, let me explain. Avery rarely ever acts this way with anyone else (unless all my babysitters are lying when they tell me "She was perfect today!"). It seems to be just when she's with me. That makes me feel like crap. And let me clarify something else: I know I just talked about everything that Avery is doing to misbehave, but my child is no means a terror. She's still enjoyable to be around (for the most part), ALWAYS says thank you whenever you hand her an item and is so much fun. Everything I mentioned above is behavior that happens occasionally. No, she doesn't throw a fit every time we go to Wal-Mart. No, she doesn't embarrass me every single time we're at a restaurant. No, she doesn't throw a temper tantrum every single time she doesn't get what she wants. But these instances are becoming closer and closer together. And I want to raise a well-behaved and polite child (for the most part...I understand kids aren't perfect).
I'm a little worried about this new development in Avery's behavior. I worry that it's my parenting or disciplining style that's made her that way. Help??
(I leave you with Avery's best "gimme-what-I-want" pouty face, as given to her Gramma)
What's happened to my sweet baby girl? We are deep in the throes of Temper Tantrum Land. Squealing or growling or just plain "pitching a fit" when she doesn't get her way. Perfect example: last night, we were driving home in my car. Avery wanted to listen to her Mickey Mouse CD (isn't it funny how you know what they want without using any words?). After a little while of listening, she was still grunting and growling at me, so I turned Mickey off. When she threw a fit to listen to him again, I told her that if she wanted something she needed to say please. Cue terrible tantrum. Cue the pouty lip and the waving of fists. Which made me insist: "Avery, we don't act like that to get what we want. If you want to listen to Mickey, you have to say please." You see, this line ALWAYS worked before. Want a banana? to watch TV? to wear a bow in your hair? You must say please. And she would. Until recently. Now she'll throw a fit to get what she wants...saying please is an absolute thing of the past. I would like to say that I don't give into those embarrassing temper tantrums, but sometimes you're caught in public when one comes on. What do you do? You leave your cart full of groceries in the aisle and walk back to your vehicle because your child just HAS to have that rubber ducky she spotted on the shelf? Sometimes, it's just easier to give her the rubber ducky that will keep her entertained the rest of the time we're in the store. I know that's not the best thing to do. So sue me. It's hard disciplining a 17 month old. She doesn't fully understand everything I'm trying to tell her. I say "We don't pull mommy's hair. That's not a nice thing to do Avery." Who knows what she's hearing? Probably: pull mommy's hair!
Let's move on to dinner time. Eating out at a sit down restaurant is going to have to be retired for the time being. Avery wants to throw her cup, throw her toys, throw her food, get out of the chair, pretend to choke because she thinks it's funny (yeah....that really happens). I understand that she's still a baby, leaning towards being a toddler and that she isn't always going to sit still whenever we're in public or eat all her vegetables. I'm not naive. But I definitely don't want to be embarrassed any time Marty and I decide to go eat dinner at Cheddars.
Then there's playing well with others. To summarize: it doesn't happen. Well, let me specify. Avery plays well with others at a neutral place (i.e. someone else's house). When those playmates are on "her turf," don't even think about it. A while back, there were a couple of Avery's friends over at her Gramma's house. They played with Avery's toys at Gramma's house....and Avery wanted nothing to do with it. Harper would play with Avery's kitchen...Avery would run over and play with her kitchen. Delaney would pick up Avery's play vacuum....Avery suddenly wanted to vacuum. Lots of growling and yelling took place that day. How do you teach a child that's Avery's age how to share? I can tell her that she needs to share her toys, but again...what does that mean to her? I have been blessed to have an amazing family that watches Avery during the week, thus keeping her out of daycare. Am I doing Avery a disservice by keeping her out of daycare and keeping her away from the chance to learn how to interact with other kids her age? What's a mom to do??
Someone told me that this could be the result of lack of sleep. Well, at 17 months old, Avery is still not consistently sleeping through the night. We may have a week of sleeping through and then a week of being up every night crying it out. Then she may sleep through two days and cry the next three. She's also not getting regular naps. She may go to my Granny's house and take a three hour nap around 11 one day and then go to my Aunt Pam's and sleep 30 minutes at 12 the next. Without me being with her every single day, it's almost impossible to regulate her naptime schedule. Could I just have a grumpy baby because she can't figure out a consistent sleeping pattern??
Now that I've ranted, let me explain. Avery rarely ever acts this way with anyone else (unless all my babysitters are lying when they tell me "She was perfect today!"). It seems to be just when she's with me. That makes me feel like crap. And let me clarify something else: I know I just talked about everything that Avery is doing to misbehave, but my child is no means a terror. She's still enjoyable to be around (for the most part), ALWAYS says thank you whenever you hand her an item and is so much fun. Everything I mentioned above is behavior that happens occasionally. No, she doesn't throw a fit every time we go to Wal-Mart. No, she doesn't embarrass me every single time we're at a restaurant. No, she doesn't throw a temper tantrum every single time she doesn't get what she wants. But these instances are becoming closer and closer together. And I want to raise a well-behaved and polite child (for the most part...I understand kids aren't perfect).
I'm a little worried about this new development in Avery's behavior. I worry that it's my parenting or disciplining style that's made her that way. Help??
(I leave you with Avery's best "gimme-what-I-want" pouty face, as given to her Gramma)
Monday, January 7, 2013
Hot Mama!! Update!!
Well, ladies and gentleman. I'm back on the diet track. Is it fun? No. Is it as yummy as eating cheeseburgers and drinking Dr. Pepper? Absolutely not. But it's healthier. And a healthier me means a more confident me. One that can keep up with my daughter and hopefully be around for a long time because my arteries aren't getting clogged with McDonald's fat.
Weigh in!
Original weight: 142.5
Last time: 131.4
This week's weight:
Loss from last week: 1 lb.
Overall lost: 12.1 lbs.
Holy weight loss Batman! I feel a lot better. It took a major wake up call for me to get my diet back in gear. I kind of had the attitude like I didn't care for awhile. I ate out a lot. I drank a lot of Cokes. I ate in excess. Until I couldn't button my pants one day and my skinny dress that I worked so hard to get back into didn't fit anymore. Wake. Up. Call. Ladies and gents, I'm back on the wagon! And can I make one tiny observation?? This is the least I've weighed since before I had Avery. I'm at my smallest I've been since starting my "Hot Mess to Hot Mama" journey. Can I get a high five on that one? *virtual high five* As awesome as I feel right now, I'm not done yet. I still have 10 pounds to go before I hit my goal weight. Think I can do it?
Weigh in!
Original weight: 142.5
Last time: 131.4
This week's weight:
Overall lost: 12.1 lbs.
Holy weight loss Batman! I feel a lot better. It took a major wake up call for me to get my diet back in gear. I kind of had the attitude like I didn't care for awhile. I ate out a lot. I drank a lot of Cokes. I ate in excess. Until I couldn't button my pants one day and my skinny dress that I worked so hard to get back into didn't fit anymore. Wake. Up. Call. Ladies and gents, I'm back on the wagon! And can I make one tiny observation?? This is the least I've weighed since before I had Avery. I'm at my smallest I've been since starting my "Hot Mess to Hot Mama" journey. Can I get a high five on that one? *virtual high five* As awesome as I feel right now, I'm not done yet. I still have 10 pounds to go before I hit my goal weight. Think I can do it?
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
I'm Baaaaaack!
Hey y'all.....remember me? The mommy behind the Super Messy blog? Well, lately this mommy has been SUPER BUSY--and absent from the blogging world. It's all been for a good cause though, I promise!!
Remember Brooklyn? And the bracelets that I committed to making, selling and then donating the money to Brooklyn and her family? Well, those bracelets have consumed my waking moments over the last few weeks. Orders, payments, getting addresses, volunteers to make the bracelets, stressing over when the charms would arrive....and finally, MAKING them today. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining in the least. I've enjoyed every minute of this bracelet making whirlwind. I've loved watching the order count climb higher and higher, knowing that more money is being sent Brooklyn's way. After multiple bracelets, knots, beads, hand cramps and FIVE HOURS LATER, all 109 Minnie Mouse bracelets are complete. Whew.
Remember Brooklyn? And the bracelets that I committed to making, selling and then donating the money to Brooklyn and her family? Well, those bracelets have consumed my waking moments over the last few weeks. Orders, payments, getting addresses, volunteers to make the bracelets, stressing over when the charms would arrive....and finally, MAKING them today. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining in the least. I've enjoyed every minute of this bracelet making whirlwind. I've loved watching the order count climb higher and higher, knowing that more money is being sent Brooklyn's way. After multiple bracelets, knots, beads, hand cramps and FIVE HOURS LATER, all 109 Minnie Mouse bracelets are complete. Whew.
So. For this moment, I'm caught up on bracelets. We have no more orders coming in and the believe charms aren't here yet, so I can semi-relax other than taking payments. Which means...I'm BACK! With that, I'm going to do what every other blogger out there is doing today, on January 1st: making resolutions. A lot of people are super negative when it comes to making New Year's Resolutions. "Who keeps them?" "You'll make them and be back to your old ways by January 5th." "Resolutions are a waste." I, for one, completely disagree. I know it's just a symbol, but the New Year is a chance to start things fresh. I saw this completely appropriate and motivating quote on Twitter yesterday:
"Tomorrow (New Year's Day) is the 1st blank page in a 365 page book. Write a good one!"
New Year's is just that--a brand new year. It's no secret....2012 wasn't the best to my family or the best year of my life. A lot of things happened that made 2012 a year that I won't be sad to leave behind. So, here's to starting new things and hoping that 2013 is better than 2012 even thought about being!
My 2013 Resolutions:
1. Be a better daughter of God.
I LOVE my Jesus. I love listening to WJIE and being uplifted in my faith and feeling like I can take on the world. I love going to church and listening to the wonderful things that God has at work for my little church and little corner. But I'm terrible about praying. I pray when things seem helpless or when I need something. I need to start praying whenever things are great. Just to thank Him for another morning or another day with Marty and Avery. I want to "pray without ceasing" (1 thessalonians 5:17). I want to stop worrying about things and start turning them immediately over to my Father.
2. Be a better wife.
I will be the first to admit---I'm really hard on Marty. He does more than I could ever imagine as a husband and father. He helps me around the house, is extremely considerate, always puts me first, is an absolutely incredible father to Avery...and I still find things to nitpick. I don't even notice I'm doing it. I complain about things that aren't done instead of thanking him for everything that has been done. That's why I'm going to restart my "Proverbs 31 Woman" journey again. I want to be the kind of wife that makes Marty happy to come home to every day.
3. Start 2013 with only things I LOVE.
I'm a terrible hoarder. I buy things I don't need in the clearance bin, I buy furniture when it's super cheap, I buy clothes because they've been marked 75% off--but I don't LOVE any of it. Those clothes will come home and sit in my closet, never to be worn. That piece of furniture will come home with me and hide in our storage shed because I can't find a place that it looks exactly right. I want to start fresh and with things that I'm proud to show off and clothes that I feel great in.
4. Finish my "Hot Mama" journey.
This holiday season has wreaked some MAJOR havoc on my diet. I haven't stepped on a scale in weeks because I'm terrified of what it will read. My pants are fitting a little tighter and I'm only wearing the shirts that fall loosely around my midsection. Not anymore. More packing my lunch, less eating out and more feeling like a Hot Mama again.
5. Save money.
Here's where I've always struggled. I don't blow money, by any stretch of the imagination. But I do buy things here and there for $20 or under that adds up to a lot of unnecessary spending. No more quick trips through the drive through--an extra $5 in my pocket. STRICTLY sticking to our family budget--feeling more comfortable when it comes to paying bills and living everyday life. It's time Marty and I start living the way Dave Ramsey taught us when we took his class.
6. Learn to sew.
Plain and simple. I want to learn how to sew. And sew well.
7. Start crafting more.
It makes me happy. It's my equivalent of a girl's night out. It's a hobby that I love doing and is MY thing. I stopped crafting and painting right before Avery was born. I was exhausted and busy and stressed and overwhelmed and painting was the last thing on my mind. Avery's older now and is actually sleeping well (please, can't talk about it or I'll jinx myself) and it's time I start crafting for myself again. Make some extra money too.
That's it. Sure, there's a million other things I'd love to do this year, but I know that making a ton of resolutions becomes completely unreasonable. I feel these are things that I can do. With encouragement and a lot of prayer, I can complete these 2013 goals. Happy 2013 all.....can't wait to see the book you're writing this year!
Monday, December 17, 2012
Are there any words?
I promise my posts will get happier again. One day. Until then, it just doesn't seem right to do a typical Hot Mess update with the events that transpired on Friday.
I'm still in shock....how on Earth did this happen? I don't even know if this post is going make sense because I have so many feelings since learning the news on Friday afternoon.
Of course, like most of you, I am completely heartbroken. Heartbroken for the children who were taken from this world far too early. Heartbroken for their teachers who won't see those 20 smiling faces in class every single day. Heartbroken, because I'm sure those teachers are feeling guilty that they couldn't save them. Heartbroken for the parents. For the classmates. For the brothers. The sisters. The aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. Heartbroken that someone had that much hate in their heart to do something like this. Heartbroken for school teachers and children and parents everywhere.
The more details that come out, the angrier I become. Children shot multiple times. The Westboro Baptist Church (you know, the ones that love to protest military funerals) talking about plans to protest the funerals of the children--because our "wicked" country DESERVED for this to happen. I don't even think I have words to talk about how furious that makes me. Angry at the people that want to talk about their anti-gun/pro-gun stance in the wake of the deaths of these 26 people. I do not care what your gun stance is right now. These are innocent people that were murdered for absolutely no reason--let's talk about that. I'm angry at the people that want to take this opportunity to blast the President. Last time I checked, we were still America. And we're an America that's hurting right now.....badly. I could care less if you agree with Obama or voted for him. He took the time to go to Connecticut to support those grieving families--and even shed a tear, as a father, over the little lives lost. Go tell someone who cares who you voted for in November.
Like everyone else, especially all the parents of America, I'm scared. How do you trust that your child is going to be safe in school ever again? As terrible as this sounds, we're "prepared" for this when kids enter high school age. We expect that hormone-ridden teenagers are capable of doing something so terrible to their fellow classmates. But elementary school children? We think that school is where our children will be safe. How can you explain to your child that school is a safe place for them to be? My child isn't even of school age yet and I'm terrified for her. My first reaction--beyond shock and sadness--was the thought of homeschooling Avery. You want to tell people that it will never happen here, that it was an isolated event. How do you know?? If it happened in a small Connecticut town, who's to say it can't happen in a small (fill in your state) town? I feel robbed of my sense of security as a parent. Where can I take my child that this isn't going to happen? How can I keep her safe until she's an adult? It all comes down to a simple answer: I can't. I can raise Avery with every precaution in the world and she's still going to make her own decisions and live in this horribly evil world. I can't shelter her forever. Should I deny her the right to go to school or in public and make friends because I'm terrified of something like this happening to her? Should I keep her locked away in our home, not letting her experience any of the wonderful things that life has to offer--just because I'm scared? I know the obvious answer, but it doesn't ease my anxiety or worry one bit. All I can do is to raise Avery to be cautious of strangers and to listen to her teachers and caregivers in case something like this were to happen. Then I leave the rest up to my Heavenly Father. Can you imagine how God felt, knowing that His son was going to face a horrible death someday? So, I turn to Him. He's been here. He's known grief and suffering. He's known the loss of His child. He's known death and tragedy. As much as I want to shake my fists at Him and ask "WHY!!??," I trust that He has a bigger plan for all of us {"For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD." *jeremiah 29:11"}--including the 20 babies that left this world on Friday. All I can do is pray. Pray for comfort for all of us, as a nation that has been completely rocked to the core after Friday's events. Pray that He wraps His arms around the families and the friends of the victims {"He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge." *psalm 91:4}. I pray that He provides them with comfort and peace {"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. *philippians 4:7}. I pray that we all find comfort, knowing that those 20 children are playing in the streets of Heaven right now and listening to stories at Jesus' feet {"Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the kingdom of Heaven belongs to them." *matthew 19:14}.
I know we've heard it all over and over--don't take this life for granted, hug the ones you love--but one of my favorite quotes sums up how I've felt since Friday:
I'm still in shock....how on Earth did this happen? I don't even know if this post is going make sense because I have so many feelings since learning the news on Friday afternoon.
Of course, like most of you, I am completely heartbroken. Heartbroken for the children who were taken from this world far too early. Heartbroken for their teachers who won't see those 20 smiling faces in class every single day. Heartbroken, because I'm sure those teachers are feeling guilty that they couldn't save them. Heartbroken for the parents. For the classmates. For the brothers. The sisters. The aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. Heartbroken that someone had that much hate in their heart to do something like this. Heartbroken for school teachers and children and parents everywhere.
The more details that come out, the angrier I become. Children shot multiple times. The Westboro Baptist Church (you know, the ones that love to protest military funerals) talking about plans to protest the funerals of the children--because our "wicked" country DESERVED for this to happen. I don't even think I have words to talk about how furious that makes me. Angry at the people that want to talk about their anti-gun/pro-gun stance in the wake of the deaths of these 26 people. I do not care what your gun stance is right now. These are innocent people that were murdered for absolutely no reason--let's talk about that. I'm angry at the people that want to take this opportunity to blast the President. Last time I checked, we were still America. And we're an America that's hurting right now.....badly. I could care less if you agree with Obama or voted for him. He took the time to go to Connecticut to support those grieving families--and even shed a tear, as a father, over the little lives lost. Go tell someone who cares who you voted for in November.
Like everyone else, especially all the parents of America, I'm scared. How do you trust that your child is going to be safe in school ever again? As terrible as this sounds, we're "prepared" for this when kids enter high school age. We expect that hormone-ridden teenagers are capable of doing something so terrible to their fellow classmates. But elementary school children? We think that school is where our children will be safe. How can you explain to your child that school is a safe place for them to be? My child isn't even of school age yet and I'm terrified for her. My first reaction--beyond shock and sadness--was the thought of homeschooling Avery. You want to tell people that it will never happen here, that it was an isolated event. How do you know?? If it happened in a small Connecticut town, who's to say it can't happen in a small (fill in your state) town? I feel robbed of my sense of security as a parent. Where can I take my child that this isn't going to happen? How can I keep her safe until she's an adult? It all comes down to a simple answer: I can't. I can raise Avery with every precaution in the world and she's still going to make her own decisions and live in this horribly evil world. I can't shelter her forever. Should I deny her the right to go to school or in public and make friends because I'm terrified of something like this happening to her? Should I keep her locked away in our home, not letting her experience any of the wonderful things that life has to offer--just because I'm scared? I know the obvious answer, but it doesn't ease my anxiety or worry one bit. All I can do is to raise Avery to be cautious of strangers and to listen to her teachers and caregivers in case something like this were to happen. Then I leave the rest up to my Heavenly Father. Can you imagine how God felt, knowing that His son was going to face a horrible death someday? So, I turn to Him. He's been here. He's known grief and suffering. He's known the loss of His child. He's known death and tragedy. As much as I want to shake my fists at Him and ask "WHY!!??," I trust that He has a bigger plan for all of us {"For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD." *jeremiah 29:11"}--including the 20 babies that left this world on Friday. All I can do is pray. Pray for comfort for all of us, as a nation that has been completely rocked to the core after Friday's events. Pray that He wraps His arms around the families and the friends of the victims {"He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge." *psalm 91:4}. I pray that He provides them with comfort and peace {"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. *philippians 4:7}. I pray that we all find comfort, knowing that those 20 children are playing in the streets of Heaven right now and listening to stories at Jesus' feet {"Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the kingdom of Heaven belongs to them." *matthew 19:14}.
I know we've heard it all over and over--don't take this life for granted, hug the ones you love--but one of my favorite quotes sums up how I've felt since Friday:
"Love the people God gave you.
He's going to need them back some day."
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Hot Mama Mon.....err....Wednesday!
I'm a little behind.....so shoot me. The last two nights, I've been covered in head-to-toe glitter---but more on that later. First, a Hot MAMA update!!
Original weight: 142.5
Last week's weight: 132.8
This week's weight:
Loss from last week: 1.4 lbs
A big group of us got together the past couple of nights and cranked out a ton of these little beauties. Then we split them up and are attempting to sell them all. I have about 30 or so ornaments in my possession. They're $6 apiece and 100% of the money made is going directly to the family. Buy one and put it front and center of your Christmas tree. Then, every time you see it hanging there, it'll remind you to say a prayer for complete healing for this sweet little girl.
SO! Who wants an ornament?!?! (or bracelet, or raffle ticket, or tshirt.... :) )
**To keep up with Brooklyn's progress and all fundraisers or events, like Brooklyn's Believers on Facebook!
Original weight: 142.5
Last week's weight: 132.8
This week's weight:
 |
| Wow. Turrible picture. |
Loss from last week: 1.4 lbs
Overall loss: 11.1 lbs
What worked: I've cut out a ton of Cokes (actually Pepsi and Dr. Pepper) from my diet. I've also cut wayyyyyy back on the trips to McDonalds and other various drive thrus. There for awhile, our life was super stressful, chaotic and our pantry was pretty much empty. I ate a drive thru meal multiple times a day....so gross. And so unhealthy. Instead, I've been getting up earlier so I can have breakfast at home. I've stocked a drawer at work full of healthy(ish) snacks for when that rumbly in my tummy hits. And I'm trying harder to make dinners more often. Things are still stressful and Marty and I aren't always at home together at night, so it's not the easiest thing in the world to do....but I'm trying. That's what counts, right?
Now, onto the glitter mess. Because she's been on my mind constantly lately, no blog post would be complete without a plug for little Brooklyn (read about Brooklyn's story here). As most of you HOPEFULLY already know, I'm selling bracelets to help raise money for Brooklyn and her parents. So far, I've reached 224 bracelet orders. If we give approximately $5 from every bracelet to the family, then we've raised about $1120! I'm so pumped about that number. We still have plenty of bracelets to sell. So, if you haven't bought yours already....what on earth are you waiting for??
The support for this little girl and her parents has been completely amazing so far....and she wasn't even diagnosed a month ago. There are TONS of fundraisers going around to help raise money to cover medical expenses, travel costs, food, etc. You can donate meals to Erin and Daniel (Brooklyn's parents) since they've hardly left her side since being admitted to Kosairs (type in Disselkamp for the last name and Brooklyn as the password). There's a raffle for a 22 Henry rifle (I hope that's right....my gun knowledge is at a negative level) where tickets are just $5 apiece (interested? I can put you in touch with the right people). Local restaurants are donating a percentage of their profits on specific nights to go to Brooklyn and her family. A charity auction is in the works. It's been a truly amazing thing to watch. I've been humbled and in awe of the outspreading of love and concern...I can't even begin to imagine how Brooklyn's family feels! Anyhoo! In addition to the bracelets, I've also got another item to sell: ornaments! Not just any old ornament....Minnie Mouse glitter ornaments!
A big group of us got together the past couple of nights and cranked out a ton of these little beauties. Then we split them up and are attempting to sell them all. I have about 30 or so ornaments in my possession. They're $6 apiece and 100% of the money made is going directly to the family. Buy one and put it front and center of your Christmas tree. Then, every time you see it hanging there, it'll remind you to say a prayer for complete healing for this sweet little girl.
SO! Who wants an ornament?!?! (or bracelet, or raffle ticket, or tshirt.... :) )
**To keep up with Brooklyn's progress and all fundraisers or events, like Brooklyn's Believers on Facebook!
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