On living life.

Been a while, wouldn't you say? To put it in a very small nutshell; I've been living my life and avoiding this blog because it feels like a big black hole. After seeing a fellow blogger's life being stolen from her by finding out someone was stealing all her photos and essentially pretending to be her really made me pause before spilling every last detail on the internet.

Then I read this:

My Girl Thursday was such a huge part of my life for years. I spent every single spare moment on it. Unfortunately I stole a lot of other moments away from other parts of my life. Time and energy that would have been better invested elsewhere. I found myself feeling tired, grouchy (because I was tired), overextended, out of touch and always (always) lacking. And for what? Seriously, what was all of that effort for? Free shoes. A few bucks. Ego stroking. Or to put it less pessimistically - as sense of belonging, acceptance and even popularity. Those were not feelings I have come by very often in my life and I have to admit that I was addicted. Plus, the only trade off was that I had to forfeit almost all of my quality time with my family (or make a bloggable moment out of any of those aforementioned moments).

 

Reading this was confirmation to myself that it was okay if the blog was put on the back burner because I know I am still living life and it's okay if the rest of the internet didn't hear about it. I hadn't got to this point she was at but if spending time on the blog took away from any part of my life then it wasn't worth it.

So here I am; it's taken months to find the right moment to get back in the water and I'm doing it one toe at a time. So if you don't hear from me for weeks, it's because I'm smiling back at the squishy baby in front of me. Or making two dozen eggs for farm day at Preschool. Or laying on the couch savoring 30 minutes to myself when quite time is happening around here.

See you soon? Or maybe in 5 weeks? 

Cra.

Happy Monday my friends; where the iced espresso drinks are never large enough and my To Do list is a mile long because IT’S MONDAY AND I NEED TO DO EVERYTHING RIGHT AWAY.

Today I’m over on Julie’s blog sharing a little glimpse into just how crazy I really am. Not the crazy sexy cool kind but the she’s losing her mind kind.

With my last pregnancy being over 4 years ago and a good case of Mommy Mush Brain it’s hard to say if last time was anywhere close to this pregnancy and my Super Senses. I’m not sure if the Super Sniffer or my Super Taster is worse but the combo of the two has me acting like a blood hound most days.

For example I’m sitting on the couch trying to enjoy my Dove dark chocolate square (in case you haven’t heard 12 doses of sugar a day keeps the Gestational Diabetics at bay) when all the sudden...

Keep reading at http://back2basicsblog.com/2013/01/tales-super-senses/ ...

I’ll be posting a full update later this week with bump pictures and all!

too many shades of grey.

Remember when Facebook was your internet outlet only a few friends would see? And then that random cousin you see once a year friended you and you got to stalk all their pictures and pretend you knew each other deeper than you really do? And then your aunt joined and then your mom and then your grandma and you realized it was no longer an outlet? That everything you said was liked or commented on by your peers and you had to water it down so much so it became vanilla. So then you turned to Twitter as your outlet because it wasn’t catching on fast and old people certainly didn’t understand it so your outburst were safe. And then Twitter got more popular and people joined because they were bored and then they would tell other people what they would see on Twitter because they didn’t understand how to tweet and then all those people that were on Facebook started to get a Twitter and it started to become vanilla? Then finally you get on Instagram and take kooky pictures of yourself because it’s a safe place then too many people you know start following your picture grid then all the sudden your entire life is one big grey area.

I’m there.

And I hate it.

There needs to be separation of how I choose to outlet on the internet. For a while I had two Twitters; one for all my “mommy friends” I connected with through blogging and we could chat about poop and cloth diapers and husbands and private things we find perfectly ok to vomit onto the internet. Then my other Twitter was for more of my in real life friends to keep up with. Eventually it got too much and they were merged into one but as a consequence has made me edit my tweets.  

I need simplicity but I need separation.

I need an open outlet but I don’t want a censor button.

I love that friends at church come up to me and reference my blog.

I hate that in real life acquaintances talk to me like they know me based off of a few posts.

I love that I have met so many friends from having an open blog and twitter and although we are thousands of miles apart we are so much alike.

I hate when people comment on my social media but act like a stranger in person.

Separation. Censorship. Outlet. Freedom. Vanilla. Dark Chocolate.

But how?

Blip.

I was home sick yesterday so my week has started off kind of wonky!

We had a great weekend! Look for a fun post including pictures (that I didn’t take, of course) this coming week from our Saturday morning adventure.

A little fun teaser for another upcoming post…something wonderful arrived in my mailbox yesterday I cannot wait to share! It was one of those moments where I opened the mailbox, saw the package and squealed! Get ready to fall in love!

Other posts to come include another big milestone at our house, hormonal mommy messes, and a picture post from a wonderful event that I failed to even mention on here!

There is a lot swirling around in my head today and I’m eager to share….but…seeing as my Tuesday is my Monday and there are other (ya know, important) things to do I will be sharing another time!

Disney mini-cation

Meet me friend Ashley. We have shared many emails about her & her husband’s love for Disney and their adventures as Disney Vacation Club members. At the beginning of last week she sent me an email graciously offering us their extra DVC points that were about to expire; with Disney only 4 ½ hours away and our little family of 3 itching for adventure I knew we needed to take them. After a few emails and our first phone conversation we had 1 one bedroom villa booked at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort (side note: has anyone else connected with other blog moms well enough to talk on the phone? It felt like old friends when we started talking and was oddly comfortable. Obviously there are a lot of not nice people out there but who would have thought blogging would bring friends from a few states away?). 

I wanted to surprise the boys so I waited a few days before even telling Davy about our little adventure but kept most of the plans a secret; it was fun unfolding the details of the next 48 hours as the day went on. We were on the road by 9am Sunday morning and 5 hours later slashing around in one of the resort pools (note to self: Moses is not ready to go down the big water slide by himself! Picture toddler + life jacket + all limbs fully extended + terrified face flying down the slide looking up at me like WHY OH WHY are you trying to ruin my joy for life?) . This was our first time visiting Disney as adults and definitely our first time staying at such an incredible resort. Holy moly our room was incredible, our view faced the river overlooking Downtown Disney, and everything about our stay was magical. 

Sleepy face checking out Disney

This was the mini slide he LOVE! (note the big one I scared him on)

Later in the afternoon we headed to Downtown Disney for sightseeing and a special dinner. Going into this mini-cation we knew three things 1) we had an incredible place to stay 2) we don’t have a lot of extra money and 3) we were going to relax and soak up every bit of this blessing. I loved that we took it easy browsing store after store and letting Moses spend time exploring. At 6:30pm we strolled over to the Rainforest Café where I had made us dinner reservations; good call because the boys loved it. Dinner was followed with Moses joining a hulu-hoop contest, me eating sweets until I was sick, and getting lost on boat ferry rides for all the right reasons. 

The animals move around and Moses swore it was watching him the whole time!

Yes, that's a caramel bowl for dunking!

He may look annoyed but he is actually faking this! Good faker, eh?

The next day we signed up for a Disney Vacation Club preview and spent an hour drooling over the beautiful rooms, the resorts, and the dream of one day buying into the club. For a thank you we got $45 in Disney gift cards which were such a blessing because we were able to buy the souvenirs we eyed the day before.

Thanks DVC for the ice cream parlor treat before 11am

His 2nd huge treat before lunch! Greatest place on Earth, remember?

This is why I worked out 5 times last week, right?

After leaving Saratoga we headed over the much raved about Animal Kingdom lodge to visit exotic animals in the Savannah. A resort with zebras and giraffes walking around the property right outside your balcony? Really Disney, you’re incredible.

I’m still recovering from our 48 whirlwind but oh my gosh we had the best time! Thank you thank you thank to Ashley and Josh for giving us our first mini family vacation and being awesome blog friends. Driving home from Orlando we both shared how much we loved our family vacation and how this will be first of many, many more.

Say it.

You want to know something strange we all do but it never really gets addressed? How many of us read 5+ “stranger’s” blogs a week and yet we never, ever comment? I have at least 30 blogs I read on a regular basic (sometimes every few days, sometimes almost daily) and on average I comment on 3 of them. I’ve taken the time to follow their lives and get excited when they have a new post; I quickly scan the post and smile at pictures of their lives and then just a fast move on to the next one without saying one thing about what I read. What’s the point in reading the daily documentation of someone’s life if you’re not engaging in it? Why don’t we take the time to say the words we are thinking in our head? Wouldn’t it make that other person happy to know someone out there has read the words they took the time to write and actually have something to say about it?

This week’s challenge: take the time to comment.

Even bigger challenge: take the time to tell someone how you honestly feel.

Weak excuses; Happy list

So remember how I was all “oh yeah I’m posting something special on Moses’ half birthday to make up not posting on his actual birthday?” Well…that was yesterday…and…nothing was posted! It’s all swarming around in my head, I promise! And my goal is to have it posted….by…the end of the day? Tomorrow? Maybe?


The past 24 hours I’ve overloaded my brain with lists and busyness which is somewhat unnecessary; why can’t my brain be whimsical and flowly like the fat under my arms?

It’s not even Friday yet but I have to post a happy list:

1. Last night my mom came over to help me with one little thing but after a few minutes of house talk we were rearranging furniture. We are so blessed to have a great house but it was made in the era of lots-of-small-rooms and our living room is so awkward. During the whole rearranging process I kept saying “Oh it’s not going to work”, “No way will that fit”, “Davy’s going to hate it”. Then all the sudden it clicked…and it looked great! It blew my mind that we have never tried to rearrange this way before and how perfectly it worked out. The living room feels 3 times larger now and at the same time more homey and happy.

2. A really special lady I know is having her baby today and I am overwhelmed with happiness for her. She’s one of those people (and they are one of those couples) that deserve 5,000 kids and wonderful things to happen to them and God has finally blessed them with a bundle of joy to enjoy here on Earth. She’s been laying down for most of her pregnancy letting that baby grow which along in itself says something. He’s making his debut today and I’m someone stalking Facebook for the special announcement.

3. A dear, dear friend of mine is coming to visit Friday and she’s bringing her sweet baby girl! Her friendship is one I’ll always cherish but don’t nearly get enough time with. She’s the kind of friend you call or see and it’s as if no time has passed. Sadly she had a baby 4 MONTHS AGO and I have yet to squeeze those chubby cheeks. Kicking myself for not getting in the car and driving to visit but all that will change at 6pm Friday night! Get ready for a baby gush fest next week!

4. Best friends + brunch + yoga pants + Saturday morning = enough said!


I might be a little MIA this week and it’s because I’m getting ready for the big announcement Friday followed by lots of fun! I promise you will see pictures of my son pretending to have fun on the 4th of July and the half birthday post this week but that may be it!

Mid week reminder.

Remember those awesome fruit popsicles I talked about? We cannot stop eating them at our house! Later in the week I made the tropical version with dices pineapple, mango, kiwi, and orange just and HOLY MOLY they are delicious! Davy was hesitant to try them thinking they were bitter but then quickly realized how much flavor they had! So easy to make and store and eat and eat and eat! I think mentally after Moses is in bed I want to be eating a little treat so being able to naw on a 40 calorie fruit popsicle for 15 minuets does wonders for me. If you haven’t already made them, you must!


Also remember that secret I mentioned a couple weeks back about bloggy stuff? Well get ready because it will be ready in a couple weeks! Still not sharing what it is however I will do an (obvious) teaser in advance so you won’t miss it!

Tip of the day: exercising will give you more energy! Sounds like an oxymoron because exerting all that energy should drain you, right? Nope! Even if it’s a 20 minuet jog or fun group fitness class; moving around will boost that energy you need to get you through the day. I have to remember this little tip about 1,587 times a week. Another thing exercising will help you do is be more conscious about what you’re eating! Mentally there is no way you can exercise for 45 minutes then sit down and clean out a pint of Ben & Jerry’s; you would hate to “ruin” all that work you just did.

(I’m sure majority of you already knew this time but if I need to be reminded 1,587 times a week you do too!)

Drop me a lifeline.

I miss blogging on a regular basis. I miss exercising my mind to regurgitate life’s happenings into my little space on cyberspace. Not only do I miss writing but I miss reading; I hate to admit it but my Google Reader is out of control right now. When I finally find the time (and desire) to sit down and read it becomes overwhelming and I do a quick mental priority list in my head of who to start with; by the time I’ve read one or two my attention is taken elsewhere and I’m done. I hate to admit it because some of these people I consider best friends and can’t even keep up! Or some are my Blog crushes or “stranger” friends and I definitely can’t keep up.



Eventually I will find the time to get caught up; to see how far along pregnant she is or how big her little kids are getting. But until then I’m asking anyone who still reads to leave a comment to quickly inform me about your life. Did you announce you were pregnant last month and I missed it? Did you buy a house? Sell something? Start a new venture? Lose weight? I want to know! I do still care about my internet friends! This month I’m committing to (among 100 other things) start blogging more...start reading blogs more…get myself connected again!

Peak-a-boo

I'm scrubbing the crud out of my shower for my sister’s stay this weekend…


I’m talking about red being the hottest color at the Academy Awards this year…

I’m sitting out on my parents screened in back porch with a table set for 5 ½ tasting a steak better (and cheaper) than anything I’ve ever tasted in a restaurant…

I’m clipping competitor and feeling a revived love for saving money…

I’m slouched over half awake walking down the hallway holding the hand of a little boy who thinks it’s a good idea to get out of bed 10 times during the night and jiggle his parent’s door handle until they wake up…

I’m adjusting to this new normal that is so foreign yet incredible familiar…

I’m tearing up at the thought of one of the best women I know becoming a mother…

I’m writing up and calculating then recalculating budgets

I’m opening the windows and enjoying the spring night’s breeze…

 ….I’m still here, living life.

Dear Diary,

Dear Bronchitis,

Really? On my first week of work, not cool! Yes I know you were able to score me cough syrup with awesome drugs swirled in it to knock me out whenever I choose but still, you made me look bad!


Dear Ear Infection,
So what you thought why not kick me while I’m down? Did you think I wouldn’t notice this tugging on the right side of my head once the Congestion-of-Doom went away? I guess if I’m paying a co pay and shelling out a ton at the drug store I might as well get everything at once.


Dear Weird Rash that covered Moses head to toe,
Is it honey from the cough medicine? Is it peanut butter from his beloved daily sandwich? Is it some weird vitamin found in his Flintstone gummy? Is it something they are feeding him at school? Whatever it was you covered that boy’s body like you were white on rice (or brown in this household). Thanks for letting Moses experience his first ever oatmeal bath and letting me experience scratching someone else’s butt crack for the first time. It was real, it was fun but it wasn’t real fun.


Dear New Job,
I promise my life normally isn’t this crazy. Thanks for being understanding and asking me to come back for a second and now third week.


Dear House,
Yes I see the layer of crap that’s building under the couch. Yes I see the waist high mound of towels that need to be washed. Yes I know you rather I treat you better but gemme a break. The last thing I want to do after being sick for a week and working all day long is put on the cleaning apron. I promise I’ll remove that junk pile from the dining room table today. Or tomorrow. Ok maybe Sunday….

{when chemicals react}

For a moment there I thought connecting my Twitter and Facebook was a good idea. I’m always slacking with FB status updates so this way I could just write my one liner on Tweet Deck and the whole world gets to see it. That night, after posting an entire day, I was browsing FB and realized how much I hated the two linked together.
Twitter is meant for tons of one liners throughout the day whereas my FB is more for sporadic thoughts. I don’t interact on FB nearly as much as Twitter so my wall looked like one big Twitter vomit.

Another thing I didn’t like was linking my blog to Facebook and here’s why. I have nothing to hide; I don’t talk trash about other women, I don’t talk details about my bedroom life, and I’m not doing anything illegal I would get caught for. However I do have thoughts that I share on here that, well, maybe I don’t want everyone on Facebook reading. It’s something about having my own space to write whatever I want and it never turn around to bite me that makes me happy. If you read this blog it’s because you want to; you chose to follow or subscribe or type in the URL and read my random rants.

That night after seeing all my updates and seeing the blog links I immediately unlinked the two. I had overwhelming feelings of censorship and that’s something I don’t want to feel here. So with that being said, if you found this blog from Facebook and like the random rants, welcome to Busyland, I’m so happy you’re following along! If you’re already judging my poor editing skills and hope to find dirt on my life to make you feel better about yourself then I pray you wake up tomorrow and can’t remember where to find me :)

Bzzzzz.

I’m too busy to blog right now. But if I weren’t so busy I would tell you:

• I flip between mother and wife to college student raising my hand and calling my teacher Mr. because he “demands that respect”.
• I secretly but not so secretly got great news from work today that makes this itty bitty family very happy.
• Hard core budgeting Dave Ramsey style starts October 1st. I went to Starbucks this morning knowing Carmel Macchiatos would come sparse in 8 days.
• I started using dish washing gloves to transfer the diapers from their wet bag into the washing machine after a little speck of leftover dinner got smeared on my finger. No thank you!
• In a text message my Mom abbreviated Praise the Lord as “p t Lord” and I knew exactly what she was meant.
• I tried out my hand in couponing this week and saved a whopping $60 at Publix. I am now convinced taking time browsing the internet, clipping and organizing is worth it! That was just one day of intense planning, I can’t wait to see what happens after I “build my stack” for a couple weeks.
• I had a coming to Jesus with my emotions after going through tubs of old baby clothes and seeing how much Mo’s changed in the last year. I’d be lying to say I didn’t hold the onsies close to my heart and burst inside. I also did a small “cha ching” motion with my arm as I realized we would be set if our next baby was a boy born in the same season as Mo.
• But I’m too busy to blog, so that is all!

So...about that rainbow.

Remember my post last week about Paint me an effin’ rainbow (wait, I didn’t say effin’? Maybe I was just thinking it) well…funny how things change. I find it pure irony that I used Rainbow in the title because a rainbow is what God used a sign of his provisions. Not only did God hear my cries (and cursing on the internet…..er…sorry about that God, you know I struggle) but He showed us time and time again he’s got our needs taken care of. Wednesday night we met up with my dad and The Girlfriend for dinner and throughout the evening the story was relayed in bits and pieces. No car....no car equals no school…sucks…ect. The night had almost concluded when The Girlfriend mentioned her niece is overseas for a month and she is driving her car; leaving Girlfriends car hanging out in the carport not being driven. She offered us her car. My education is important to her and she couldn’t stand to see me miss an entire semester of school because of one issue. The car runs great, has AC, and will withstand a collision; everything we could have asked for. In the meantime we are working with banks and super cool dealers (aka The Brother-In-Law) to find a permanent car. It could be weeks, maybe months away but for right now we are being taken care of and happy.
As for the other crappy parts of last week, they’re still crappy. They are situations that abound much further than my abilities therefore leaving prayer as my only option. We spent Saturday with family and close family friends remembering someone we all love.
This week starts my final semester. I am overwhelmed with joy that’s overlapped with fear. Fear that I waited to take the class I’m dreading the most until the end and there is a possibility I’ll go running out of class crying after the teacher writes our first equation on the board. Busyland may be taking a hit seeing most of my free free time (just free time is spent with the boys, doing housework, making myself beautiful but free free time is spent on the blog) is going to be spent in a math lab. I’ve started collecting images and prints for a new blog layout so this lull in blogs may lead to an opportunity for an overhaul…or just lighting my hair on fire and running around like the Holy Spirit is upon me.

Kelli makes my belly jelly!

A looong time ago I mentioned having a great cook (and women) write a guest post about something we all love; food! Even though I don’t know Kelli all that well she is someone I look up to and respect; she’s a pastor’s wife, resilient, a lover of God, and great cake baker, and an all about lovely person. Over on her blog she posts very straight forward recipes she cooks for dinner (lucky husband); most of them I’ve never heard of but look tasty. When we were discussing what recipes she was going to give me she mentioned she was making an avocado pie soon….yeah….she’s brave! The dessert she picked is great for these hot Florida summers! Enjoy!

Mini Key Lime Pies with Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients:

¾ cup key lime juice (or regular lime juice)
4 egg yolks
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 stick butter, melted (plus some for greasing pans)
1 sleeve chocolate graham crackers
Crust:

Place one sleeve of graham crackers into food processor. Pulse until very finely ground. Pour in 1 stick of melted butter and pulse to combine. Brush two muffin tins with melted butter. Place 1 tablespoon full of mixture into each muffin cup and press to form crust. (It will not be all the way up the sides.)

Filling:

In a mixing bowl beat egg yolks until smooth. Add the sweetened condensed milk and lime juice. Mix together until creamy. Pour app. Two tablespoons mixture into muffin cups. (I used a large cookie scoop.) Bake at 325 degrees about 15 minutes, until filling is set. Refrigerate at least one hour.
Enjoy!

Top with your favorite whipped topping and enjoy!!

*For a lighter option try using fat free sweetened condensed milk. You won’t be able to tell the difference!

Cheers!

As an avid talker I find blogging the second best way to communicate after speaking. It’s a way to share a funny story or open a little window into your soul or just blab out into the internet universe. As I celebrate my 100th post today I reflect back on what the blogging world had meant to me. Back in the day, the day being 6ish years ago, Myspace was the place to be and I used their blog as a way to vent. It was normally all about high school drama and emotions of breaking up and making up umpteen times with my then boyfriend (now husband….irony). I used to make the fonts different colors and bold all those words that had secret messages. Back then I would code my feelings a lot more because they would change on a weekly basis. After posting for months and months I reflected back on all the blogs and realized they made up a journal that documented my life; so I printed every single post and they sit in a big binder collecting dust on our book shelf. They are there for me to pull out in 5 years and remember how everything I thought was important in high school is irrelevant to life now. I stop blogging for a while as I entered college and moved out on my own but got reintroduce to blogging through a pregnant friend of mine. She used a site called “blogger” and showed me the world of mommy blogging; blogging about life and babies and emotions that come with real life issues. I got excited to see this world existed beyond Myspace and started this very blog. Before Moses was born I didn’t think I had much to say and only documented 10 or so post before his arrival. I took time off during his first weeks because I could barley get through the day without sobbing and sweating out of nursing frustration. Once I came back to work and life started making sense again I made it appoint to keep up the post. I think it was important to remember Moses’ milestones and how I felt about all the change. I even got good at posting picture and love to scroll back and see how much he’s changed. I love the community blogging brings and the ability to connect with strangers all over the world. So raise up your glasses, or coffee mugs, or sippy cups and cheers to my 100th post!

Perfect way to be thankful.

Obviously Eclipse is the only thing on my mind today but if you want a good read check this out:


http://chroniclesofamonster-in-law.blogspot.com/

One of my girlfriends at work seriously has the craziest mother in law of all time! Once she started telling me little stories here and there I practically begged she turn it into a blog so all of us with non-crazy mother in law’s can appreciate the little things in life. She is just starting out so there are limited post but I recommend following her because the stories are far from over! She is a super sweet girl and if you think she is being mean or exaggerating, nope, she is just telling it like it is (and chose to protect her identity so MIL doesn’t turn Ax murderer)!

To whom it may concern,

Dear bloggy friends,



This week was a monumental week in our 3 peas in a pod family; our sweet little baby boy turned ONE on Tuesday. Unfortunately I’ve also been sick all week AND for some bizarre reason work has been super busy. Busy to the point of so-busy-I-couldn’t-even-blog busy. With that being said, I want to formally apologize for my absence and promise to sing my baby’s praises (including birthday party pictures) next week.


Much love,

Rogue Wave "Eyes"

Blogging has taken a backseat in my life, for a reason. It was consuming and just getting me too caught up in things I didn’t want to be.
So with that being said, I have 1 thing to share:
I LOVE MY BOYS. Everyday is a new day with them and its overwhelming to think of the love I have for them. Moses discovered my eyes the other night and he stood about 2 inches away from my facing just gazing into them. I could see the love pouring out in both directions and it was the best feeling ever. I could not ask for a better Trio :)
Maybe I’ll take up [controlled] blogging again in December and do most photo post of the Holidays/ Wedding/ Cruise….. maybe not.


** I'm updating this post and adding a FEW pictures. I didn't want another new post (for now) so here are a few wedding/cruise shots, enjoy!

** CRAP: as soon as I tried to upload it's not letting me upload anymore but this one! grrr....maybe later?