Vacation!

Because Ryan and I are full time parents, vacations together...alone...are like figments of our imaginations. We have taken short trips alone to see our siblings graduate high school in Texas but other than that...nothing.
So when I found out that a good friend of mine, who lives in Tennessee now, was getting married I started saving for our plane tickets. We thought about taking the kids with us but ultimately decided that this would be a really good opportunity to spend some uninterrupted grown up time. We would have had to buy another plane ticket for Max since he's over two anyways. I finally bought the tickets (About five months ago!) and started counting down the days and making plans for the five days we are going to spend in various cities in Tennessee.

We are...
going to Grace Land...and absolute dream come true for me. I'm a major celebrity history buff!
going to the Civil Rights Museum...another dream come true. I will go and stand where one of the most influential people in history stood.
going to a few different restaurants that Guy Fieri went to for his show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
visiting some other historical places around Memphis and Nashville.
and finally...seeing my friend marry her man.


I cannot wait to experience new things with my husband and to cross off some of the things that are on our bucket lists together.

Talk to you soon,
J

Thankful Thursdays- 33

This week I have tons to be thankful for but these are just a few of them.

I'm thankful...
301. that despite the lack of encouragement from virtually any one my whole life, I have my first college degree.
302. that I have self motivation.
303. that Ryan is proud to have a smart wife, and will tell nearly anyone!
304. that Ryan keeps surprising me.
305. for the help my two younger brothers have been in the last six months. They dont even know how wonderful they are...most of the time!
306. that Maximus was awarded Principle Prize Winner his first month of school! Not only was I proud enough to cry (I know I'm a baby) but he is proud of himself as well and it shows.
307. that we're slowly making headway on this thumb sucking crap...it's beyond irritating but in the end it'll be worth it.
308. for Latchkey...without it I would probably have had to quit my job.
309. for all the people that bought stuff from Max's fundraiser!
310. that Bella is starting to talk more!

What are you thankful for this week?
Talk to you soon,
J

Thumb Sucking

How many of you out there have thumb suckers? I never thought any of my kids would do that because its not cute to me...but Bella came out of the womb sucking her thumb. She gets really shy and sucks her thumb, she gets tired and she sucks her thumb, and when shes upset she sucks her thumb.
I've done a ton of reading on how to make kids stop and when is it age appropriate to start explaining to them what its doing to their teeth. All kinds of stuff. Nothing that I read convinced me that it was time to start cracking down and getting this habit stopped.
THEN, Bella has her first dentist visit. Now she did exceptionally well for a 20 month old if you ask me! There were no tears or anything! They cleaned her teeth and took X-Rays, then it was time for the dentist to take a look. As soon as he looked at her mouth he asked if she was a thumb sucker...uhh ohh. He then let me know what I already knew, that this is a terrible habit and that it was going to be hard to break. After that he showed me how her upper mouth is starting to protrude and how her teeth dont close all the way when she bites down. OH MAN. I left that dental office feeling like crap because we have allowed this to go on for this long! How could I let my baby girls beautiful face be altered in any way even if it is from something so seemingly innocent??

I decided right then and there that there would be absolutely no more thumb sucking. On the advice of the dentist we started that night at bed time with socks on her hands while she slept so she couldn't just stick her thumbs in her mouth while she was sleeping. During the day we have everyone on thumb patrol. Two days of hearing no thumb has worked apparently! Yesterday {my day off} she went the whole day without doing it even one time! So for now we are ahead of the game and I'm hoping to have the whole habit broken before the end of the month!
Wish me luck and keep us in your prayers! I want my baby's face to stay the same forever!

I'll leave you with a few pictures!

Talk to you soon,
J

Thankful Thursdays- 32

Instead of doing a list of things I'm thankful for this week I decided to just share a little something with you.

The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom should I be afraid?
When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though a war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
--Psalm 27:1-3

I have always been pretty confident in my decisions as a person, as a mother, as a wife, and as a friend. I rarely have ever second guessed myself. That being said there are people out there that dont have the same kind of confidence that I do. There are some people that need more encouragement. So I wanted to share that short part of the Bible for everyone to read. Share it with someone you know that may need the back up.

I am beyond thankful for the strength that I was given and the confidence that I have built up over the years. Without it I don't know where I would be in life.

What are you thankful for this week?
Talk to you soon,
J

The Quarter Life Crisis

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn’t know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren’t exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don’t recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren’t really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you. You look at your job and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

 

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn’t. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure.

 

You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

 

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can’t meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you’re doing this because you know that you aren’t a bad person. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself and while winning the race would be great, right now you’d just like to be a contender!

 

What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. 

 

We call it the “Quarter-life Crisis.”

 ---------------------------------------------------

This was sent to me via email by my friend Crystal. 

I thought it was so relevant and it actually hit something inside of me. 

I originally had a whole thing typed up and I was about to post it but some thing just told me to delete it all and just let everyone draw their own conclusions and let it touch them without my words guiding them. 

So I hope it means something to you.

Talk to you soon,

J

Guest Spot: Lisa @ MamaHood

I have a longtime friend who is also a fellow blogger named Lisa. She has a Bachelors degree in Psychology. She's been with her husband for 9 1/2 years and has been married to him for 2 years at the end of this month. She has two beautiful children and one on the way. She's had some amazing life experiences (Hello she gave birth in her bathroom!). She is crafty to the core, loving to the bone, and faithful to the soul. I decided to try out a different type of question and answer section. I got the idea from a magazine I was reading...I cant remember which one it was though. I gave her a few finish this sentence questions about her world.
I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did!

The key to successful marriage...I feel like there are so many “keys” it is hard to choose one but I will…communication. I think communication encompasses a lot of elements that are very important to a successful marriage. Couples need to communicate about money, important decisions, parenting…and many more things. We need to communicate to our spouse on a regular basis and vice versa. A lot of times communication is put on the back burner, and can result in a person feeling deceived, frustrated, or/and not appreciated. We all know when this happens it usually leads to some sort of fight or disagreements. And if healthy communication is not in place when a disagreement occurs it can be blown out of proportion. In turn, if arguing becomes a common occurrence one of you or both is going to get tired of the fights and the solutions not occurring, which can lead to big problems in a relationship...all to blame on lack of communication.

The best part of marriage…Having someone that knows you like no other person. Since me and Thomas have been together we have both been through some pretty significant and very hard life experiences. He knows exactly how I respond emotionally to certain situations, and always seems to know what to do to help me get through it. 

The worst part of marriage is…disagreements…ugh…I mean I know they are inevitable and healthy if solved in a constructive manner…but geez they can be so frustrating at the time!!

Housekeeping is…scheduled. Yes I am a list maker I have a cleaning schedule, and it is wonderful! Everyday excluding weekends my “days off” I have certain housekeeping that I do. For example Wednesday is the day I:  Clean the bedrooms {organize/de-clutter, vacuum, & wipe down furniture}, wash all the linens, and wash any other laundry that needs to be done. This is the way I have kept up with my housekeeping for several years now, and I love it. There are things I do daily like just a general pick of the house at the end of the day and dishes. Nothing bothers me more than a sink full of dirty dishes, so mine get done every night after dinner. 

Once I start a project I…Finish it!! I am not a procrastinator and once I start something I have a strong uncontrollable urge to get it done as soon as I can!

The one thing I always do around the house is…CLEAN…at least sometimes I feel like that I do the dishes everyday so I guess that is something I always do

Our dining room is used to…eat in that is it =)

Our daily family ritual is…related to the above question we eat dinner every night at the table. This is something me and my mom did when I was growing up. I think it is becoming a lost art of sorts. 

The hardest thing about having 2 kids and one on the way is…Getting everything done! Some days it seems like there is so much that needs to be done…help my 5 year old with homework, play with Teddy, crafts with Teddy, clean the house, do the laundry, walk the dog, go grocery shopping, mow the lawn, cook dinner, pack lunches. And since I am pregnant my body does not always agree with my to-do list especially lately since I have hit the half way mark! But somehow or another it gets done just not always on the timeline I prefer. 

My husband and I never agree on…timing of things. I don’t know if I worded that right, but he is a big time procrastinator and I am your typical type- A perfectionist never late, gotta get things type of person. So, if you can imagine we “sometimes” butt heads about when certain things should get done .i.e. school clothes shopping not getting done till the weekend before school almost sent my OCD into overdrive. But our personality difference definitely balances each of out, so there is a pro to his procrastination. 

Worst habit is…worrying. Now I know this is not your typical habit, but I do it enough I think it can be defined as one. I have always been a big time worrier, sometimes about things that other people would just brush off. I have gotten better over the years, but I think this habit is here to stay for me and that is ok. 

In marriage it is important to have…time alone. Even if you don’t have kids it is important to have regular nights/days where it is you and him, and have a date. It’s a time to relax from the day to day routine, forget about work, and leave the kids with the sitter or grandma. Me and my husband have a monthly date night, and I so look forward to our time together!

Thanks so much for reading! 

Talk to you soon,

J

Thankful Tursdays- 31

Finally I am able to sit down and write my TOAT on a Thursday like it says haha!

This week I have been disappointed by a few things. Unfortunately things cant be peachy all day everyday, but thats why I keep my head up and faith in my heart. I know that no matter what happens, there is someone holding my hand every step of the way. I am confident that even if we dont get what we want right this second, we will get it soon enough.

So this week I am thankful for tons of things...this is just a few of them...

291. for my husbands honesty.
292. that Max is adjusting well to Kindergarten.
293. that Bella wont remember me working everyday.
294. that I have enough sense to know when I need to wait for certain things.
295. that even if I didn't wait, Ryan would still support me no matter what.
296. for Ryan's excitement about the things I have accomplished.
297. for online shopping.
298. for a good book.
299. for the Saturday I got to spend all day with my husband.
300. for the simple things in life...

What are you thankful for this week?
Talk to you soon,
J