Short and Sweet!

Ever had one of those moments where you know you are exactly where you should be and you’re completely content with your life? Well, I had one of those moments today and it was amazing! It happened in the middle of a chaotic dinner with friends. We went for pizza and a few rounds of bingo (I suggest never doing this with young children!) with our two children (2&5) and their child (2).  For most of the dinner the kids were moving around, whining, or just wanting attention which made it difficult to play the game. When many parents would have been at their wits end and ready to go crazy, I felt myself looking at everything in slow motion and completely enjoying every second of it. In no way would I have wanted tonight to go any different.

As I recall that moment I can still feel the content that I felt deep within me. I can also tell you about 10 things that I need to improve on; however, that is not what I am dwelling on today. My prayer for many of you is that you have many moments in your life where you feel content, even if everything around you is chaotic.  

On a side note: I have been doing better with bed time and with getting up in the mornings. It is still a struggle but I know that with pray I can do it. Today I was able to get up by 5:15. My goal is 4:45...so close!!

Mommy

Making the hard choice.

Yes, I know! Although it has been a few days since I was able to post, I have not forgotten. We have been super busy the last few days.

Back to the post:

Have you ever been in a situation where you didn’t want to hurt someone’s feelings but you had to do what was best for you? Well, we encountered that problem this past weekend. As parents, my husband and I have tried really hard the past month to do better. We had gotten to the point where we were letting our busy schedules affect our children. We wanted time alone with each other and would pick that time together over our children. (Please don’t judge, we already feel bad enough!) We were able to see that we were doing that and have been correcting it. Well, we have recently worked it out so that we no longer had to rely on others to watch our children, therefore we no longer feel like we have to make sure that we don’t make those people made.

My beautiful children. I love the joy on their faces!!

This opportunity has given us a better control over our own lives. This weekend we made a decision that we are sure made many people made, however, we felt it was something that our children should not be around. As their parents these are decisions that we must make, no matter how hard they may be for us.

Making these changes has been demanding emotionally on us. Today has proven that we made the right choices. We were able to spend time with our children that were much needed. I have realized that we should not allow our busy schedules to be excuses for not keeping promises that we have made our children. We have done our best to put a stop to that and will continue to make that progress in the future.

We should all remember that our children grow up WAY too fast, and take with them the knowledge that we give them. I want people to see my children and know that their parents invested their time into raising them. People should realize that our children are all ways watching us to see how we treat people, handle situations, and live our daily lives. Please let your children see the good in people through you and I pray that they see Christ in you daily.

Mr. Wonderful and me!

To those of you that are struggling to make hard choices in your life, remember that you must do what is best for your family and to ALWAYS pray about it. It may hurt for a little while but those pains will fade as you learn to follow God’s will for your life. 

Mommy

Trying to Keep the Balance~

So, first I have to pat myself on the back! I am actually writing two days in a row (even if it's almost 11 pm). I'm working on it!

How many of you have a hard time balancing life, family, and all the other hats that moms wear? I have been a stay at home mom for several years now, even though I have been going to school for the last three years. In January I began student teaching, which has been an amazing experience. The problem I have is keeping everything balanced. I am in the third month and still struggle getting everything done when it needs to be. I feel that I am going to bed later and later and in return have a hard time getting up in the morning. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If I am keeping up with my own school work, lessons for student teaching, the kids’ homework, sports, and house work something always ends up falling behind. How do I find time to do each of these and still have time for myself? I feel that I am finally getting a routine down, yet I can't keep up. There are a few things that I would like to consider when trying to do this; I would like to go to bed at a decent time so that I can wake up early enough to spend 30 minutes in God's Word. I would also like to learn how to manage the time that I do have better. 

Please leave any suggestions that you may have in regards to my current goals. 

On a side note: Darlin' has gone TWO days without an accident!! I pray that it continues.

Mommy

WOW....disappointed in myself.

My husband and I sing this song to our
children every night!

I just realized that it has been a year and four months since I have written a post. :( I have thought about it often but never really got around to write one. So, today is going to be a little update on what has been going on.

First things first, I have to apologize for every horrible grammar mistake I have made in my last blog posts. I was reading over them, when I realized that there were many errors in my writing. I think that my first step with blogging is to find someone that can edit my post! Anyone want to volunteer their time!?

Now, on to the important things! My Little Man is five today! I cannot believe how fast the time has flown. I know many of you have heard this before, but please enjoy your time with your children. One day you will wake up to see that the years have passed. Back to Little Man, I am amazed to see the person that he is becoming. I have never met a child that has so much love and compassion for other people. Don't get me wrong, he is still ALL boy and knows how to wrestle and play rough. However, if someone is crying or upset he is instantly telling them it's going to be okay. He is also very friendly, he never meets a stranger and will talk to anyone no matter what. (This scares me to death sometimes!) Whenever he meets a new child, even if it's only for five minutes, he walks away saying they are his friend. He loves playing soccer, playing with friends, being outside, and going to church. The fact that my Little Man loves going to church brings me to my next point. Church!

We have recently joined a local church and I believe that we have all felt God's pulling and presence in our lives. I cannot talk for Mr. Wonderful, but I can see the effect that worshiping with others and hearing God's Word has on my everyday life. This is something that I will go into later in the week. Believe me good things are happening.

My Darlin' has had major changes in the last few weeks as well. She is slowly being potty trained. We have not had a day where there was no accident, but she does go to the potty most of the day. She also started going to a nursery everyday instead of a family member watching her. I think that she absolutely LOVES it. She has enjoyed playing with other children and learning new things. She is also growing up way to fast. She loves to sing, dance, and be a princess. She is going to challenge my inner girl as she continues to grow.

As for me, I am going to graduate in MAY!!!! I have never been more excited. I feel that I have worked hard for the last three years and can finally see the end. It is, however, short lived. I will be returning in the summer to complete my Masters. This is something that I have always wanted to do and look forward to getting it done.

Mr. Wonderful is still wonderful. What can I say; I snatched up a truly amazing man that knows haw to be a wonderful husband and father to our children. Mr. Wonderful is also turning 30 this month!! (I had to rub that in!)

Thank you for reading my long and boring post today. I just wanted to give everyone an update on where we were and what has been going on. Every morning I will have a quick update on challenges that we are facing and how we are trying to do better as a family. Continue to follow our journey, with many insights on being a Christian mother and wife even when it seems impossible.

Mommy

It never fails...

So I was doing really good about writing and getting my goals accomplished and everything falls apart. I didn't even go to school last week...AT ALL! I feel so far behind and too overwhelmed to even know where to start.

Did I mention that daylight savings time SUCKS?! Only about half the clocks in my house fell back.

This is what it looks like at about 5:00 at my house!

Today I was motivated to getting somethings done. I have finished most of my homework that is due this week. I also have my house close to being in order. As for my goal-did I mention daylight savings time?- I am so mixed up in my sleeping. I am getting up by 8 every morning when I don't have to work. I am going to try and move it back to 6 tomorrow and from now on. Wish me luck! I am also going to start back reading. 

There are so many times that you hear people say 'you make time for the things that matter'. I feel this is so true. There are so many times that we are running around when really we need to just get our priorities right. We are the problem not time. My project for tomorrow is to write down my list of priorities in order and how I plan to accomplish them. There is a project that I am working on and home to be able to blog about it in the next few days. 

My last little note for the night is to remind everyone to be kind even to strangers. I will post tomorrow about an experience that I had and an opportunity that I missed.

*Mommy*

Making the hard decisions.

First I would like to mention that I am currently writing this while waiting for my class to start tonight. That's how dedicated I am to this blog. Well, I started it in class but staying up late to get it finished!

Next I have to give just a little update on my goal of waking up early. Day one was a success but I am still having a hard time going to sleep. See the full post next Tuesday on how I did.

Now..on to the good stuff. Starting in just a few weeks I will be back to only one job (my favorite job) taking care of two of the most amazing blessings I have ever received!! After much consideration, praying, and crying we have decided that I will continue to be a stay at home mom. Believe me when I saw I cried...you can ask my co worker. Shocked yet? There were many factors that brought this decision up but the main one was the fact that I was hardly NEVER home. My children didn't know who I was any more. This was not the way that God intended for my children to be raised. For those that may be reading this that have to work I am not talking about you! We are in the situation where I did not HAVE to work but was just trying to supplement the income so that things were not tight. What I learned was that we needed to be tighter.

Sometimes you just have to weigh your options; we did and this was the result. My children were the ones that were being shuffled around from grandparents to sitter to who ever was available to watch them. I felt like they needed more stability. I'm not saying that my situation was so much worse then others. I am sure that there are people out there that do what I am doing everyday, we just can't be that family. Between my school and work and Mr. Wonderful going to school and working the kids were getting left behind.

So, we have a big change coming up in the next few weeks. I know that it will be rough at first but we will be a better family for being true to what we need and what God wants for our life.

God Bless
*Mommy*

Hit and Miss

So the other day in my Last Chance post I should have mentioned that I may still be a little hit and miss for the next couple of weeks. There are days when I simply do not have the time no matter what I do. Yesterday I worked then went straight to school. Once home I had school work to complete then went straight to bed! The good news is that these are the days that are the most challenging for me but also bring the most change.

The one thing that I still struggle daily with but would like to get under control is the time that I get up every morning. To make this happen I will make myself go to bed each night by 11. No matter what I am doing at that time I must put it down and go to bed. There is , however, one exception to this rule: if my little monsters angels ones are still awake obviously they cannot be left unattended! Doing this to myself means that I MUST have some time management in my day. Since these two things go hand in hand I will be working on them for the next week. When I give you an update on Tuesday you will see just how dedicated I am to turning everything around.

On a side note, stay close this week. I have some very exciting news and updates!

*Mommy*