friends | laborofwonder

Not Gone. Just Living.

by motherofwonder

I’m hoping to get back into blogging…I know I’ve been far and few between lately. I’d made the decision to keep the computer off, or at least in use minimally (and I mean minimally) during the day and evenings… and if time was going to be spent on the computer, it would be after the kids had gone to bed. By the time that happens… I’m usually about spent. So I haven’t gotten there yet. We’re in the constant process of streamlining. Our lives our activities, and especially our things. I’m working on getting things more organized (well, I’m pretty much always working on that, but it’s been a more active process lately.), and paring down all the things that we have. A house full of things will not make anyone happy. A house full of love could make anyone happy.

It’s not just the distraction of electronics though. I’ve been guiltified (That’s right, it’s a new word. Accept it and move on.) about housework too. How many afternoons have we skipped the walk or trip to the playground because the whole house wasn’t clean? A lot. How many days have I wished we wouldn’t have gone to the playground and stayed home to clean? Absolutely none. So in the last two weeks we have spent afternoons on the deck, sitting in the pool. Making and playing playdough on days when it’s been gray and raining. We have been living and loving. And I have still gotten a few loads of laundry done in between. I’m calling success. There’s food in their bellies, clothes on their backs (or at the least covering their bottoms- hey, they’re little!), and definitely smiles on their faces. They’ve been happier with me, and I’ve been happier with them.

I have another confession. I thought I would feel really resentful of not getting the day time to process out blog posts, but I’ve actually found it to be freeing once I let it go. I don’t want to lose the blog (or my lovely, wonderful followers), but I do feel like I’ve found my life. You see, I was trying to have it “all.” (But really, aren’t we all?) I wanted to have a perfectly clean, perfectly organized home; a well-loved family who I spend intentional time with; a successful blog; an abundant garden; and the start of a new career. Most of these things could take up most of your day if not all of your day, individually. And I was trying for it all, simultaneously. I felt like everything was only being half-done and half-heartedly at best. So I’ve already mentioned how freeing it feels, but I’m going to say it again. Totally freeing. I can throw in laundry in between games, activities, and outside fun with the kids (and gardening too). And TV has been limited too! So there is no doing things around TV times, we watch TV as it fits around our life! Which is obviously, how it should be! Totally freeing. And I feel so much happier and content the more and more we move towards our intentional living ideals. It’s awesome. I’m less stressed, I’m less frantic, and I think I actually do get more things done because I have less distractions and aren’t trying to do 100 things all at the same time. As the kids get older, some things will be easier and time may be more easily managed (and maybe some day I’ll have help with the laundry), but for now this is where I’m at. And I’m loving it.

For my fellow bloggers- I’m still following! I do most of my reading on my phone which makes it impossible to leave comments, but I am still reading and enjoying all the lovely and funny things you have to say! One of these days you will each have a million notices from all the liking and commenting catching up I’ll do! I am also intending to get some posting done this week (and hubby has agreed to help make some time available for me on the weekends too so I can do some posting and scheduling.) so I’m not gone, just living.

Family Life According To Me Marriage

11 Comments »

Oh for the love

by motherofwonder

I don’t know how to explain it, but this last week I have been awarded 3 blogging awards! The Liebster Award, I was so graciously awarded last week, the Versatile Blogger Award for my 3rd time (! and !), and for the first time the Kreativ Blogger Award! Thank you, thank you to the clever cooker over at The Confluent Kitchen for the nomination love! If you haven’t been over to her blog and want to find recipes that are every-day-people friendly but extraordinarily impressive! Seriously. She make cheese making look like a breeze. Phenomenal.

Part of the deal is to share ten things that the readers don’t know about me. Since the top five readers are family, this could be a problem. I figure if there are things they don’t know at this point in my life, it’s probably because I don’t want them to know. But I’ll see what I can come up with.

My daughter refuses to be referred to as smart, funny, silly, lucky or anything else… other than pretty.
My youngest is fearless. I know people say that about their kids. But it’s really true about Littlest E. To go down slides he just steps onto them and goes down however he lands. And he’s ok with it. He has no fear of heights or falling and rarely cries. When he sees a family member coming down the road on a 4-wheeler, he squeals with glee. He is so his father’s child, and he’s on a year and a half! It’ll be a miracle if I survive him heart attack free!
Biggest is my sensitive boy. Don’t get me wrong, he’s all dirt and grime and as long as there’s no blood that usually equals no pain for him (seriously, he dented a wall with his head and didn’t even flinch), but he does not want anyone to be mad, sad, or unhappy with him. This will be my saving grace in his parenting, because without that, he’d probably be as fearless as his brother.
This probably isn’t new news to a lot of you, but I’m adding it anyhow (because it’s one of my favorite things). Hubbyman was my first kiss, way back when.
Occasionally, hubbyman and I eat something that has gluten in it. We always regret it. Thankfully, we’re learning out lesson and are not giving in to the laziness that usually drives us to eat (instead of make) said food.
I get to be the support person/doula-in-training at my nephew’s birth and I am sooo excited!
I am hyper-sensitive/emotional about my children’s baby things in the face of not having any more babies of my own. Seriously, Biggest wrapped a toy of his to give to his cousin-to-be. Sweet, right? Did I mention I bought it for him when I was pregnant with him, and he’s loved it and kept it in his bed ever since he was born? I almost had a full-blown panic attack watching it get passed around the baby shower with everyone touching and squishing it and playing with it. Yes, they thought the story was sweet. No, I did not klepto it and take it back home. Even though I wanted to. I saw a baby book in my nephew-in-waiting’s future nursery that was one my children loved and was a special book between them and their daddy (It’s called Daddy kisses and it is adorable.). That did make me panic. I became like a 2 year old wanting to grab it and run and hide. After a night of sleep I recalled how when I looked through all of our many, many books to see which ones we could share with our new family member, how I thought of my brother reading this to his son and getting to share in those special moments with him, much like hubbyman had gotten to do with his Biggest Boy. (So, dear sister-in-law, it is yours to keep and I promise you won’t find it missing. I’m not sure I can promise that about the turtle. You may want to hide that in my presence. I’m sorry.) It’s ridiculous. And I can’t even help it.
Despite my previous confession, I am a little less baby-fever-frenzy lately. I think it helps that people I love are having babies. Babies I will love. And it will definitely benefit us all.
I think I always (or at least since having children) knew I wanted to be a doula. But as I sat with my brother and sister-in-law, talking about their hopes for the labor and the birth and each of our roles during those precious moments, I felt energized and re-affirmed in my desire to continue pursuing this. (And I am so, so, so blessed and thankful they are letting me be a part of this special time!)
My love language is food. Ok, so I’m not sure any of this information is new or all that important, but there you have it anyways.

I will be back to my regular programming tomorrow! This week I hope to have maple syruping galore! (I am blessed to be a part of a wonderful, maple syruping family!) I’m very excited about all the photos! As well as reviews of some wonderful, natural products- and man, do they smell good!! So be sure you stay tuned! (I know, I know, you’re on the edge of your seats!)

Life According To Me

2 Comments »

Does This Go Together?

by motherofwonder

Now I may have missed the actual time line to join in with all the bloggers that followed along with the 100 Way to be Kind To Your Children (from Toddler Approved!– who also happens to have totally awesome pinterest boards!). But does that mean it’s too late for me to work on being kind to my children? Absolutely. Not! Just in going through the list, I’ve found that not only will it be beneficial for my children, but it will be healthy for me too. It’s letting go of some of the pressure, some of the ideals… and just holding onto the fact that some days survival is good enough.

This weekend we will be creating like crazy! We are going completely organic (and homemade) in the cleaning products. I’ve made dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent before. (I liked the former but wasn’t impressed with the latter.) We use a homemade solution in our carpet cleaner. But as we continue on in our lives, trying to live with as much intention as we can… we came to the realization, did we really intend to put lots of chemicals on (and therefore into) our bodies, let alone our children’s? I think we all know the answer to that! So this weekend we will be traveling deeper down that path. Hubbyman made shampoo last weekend. He seems to like it. I’ll admit it does smell good. Hopefully I remember to charge up the camera so we can really document the process, as well as the outcome. An added benefit to making these things ourselves (other than the obvious health benefits)? Money. Pennies on the dollar, folks. Another benefit, you get to choose how they smell! Which for me and my smelly sensitivities is fantastic. My choices (of essential oils) lemon and tangerine. Together = heaven. Or pretty close to.

And since we’re on the topic, you might want to go ahead and read the 5 Grossest Things You’re Eating from the Supermarket. Or even better, The 15 Grossest Things You Eat. Might make you think twice. Or lots more. If you read those 2 alone, even without doing any further research, I don’t think you’ll ever question why we buy our beef from a family farm. Or why we buy organic milk. Or why we make just about everything from scratch. And why I like to can my foods myself.

On another note- I woke up thinking today was Thursday. So imagine my surprise (and delight) that today is, in fact, FRIDAY! (*insert a big WOHOO! here*) And so… I’m going to start with my kindness, get my butt off of here, and make my kids clean their rooms! Hey, teaching them the importance of proper organization is showing them kindness, right? I like to think so!

*I am thankful for people I have never met, or have only met briefly. At least in person. I’m part of a MN Cloth Diapering Mamas group and they are so sweet (and just about the only group of mamas I have ever seen remain mama drama free. It’s refreshing!). And not only that, they have been willing to make donations to my brother & his expecting wife’s cloth diaper stash! Woohoo! It may not seem that exciting, but trust me when I tell you it is! And one of my absolute favorite diaper makers, Softbums (go ahead, like their facebook page too- tell them I sent you!), has offered to make a donation (in diapers)! This is incredibly amazing- and when I called my sister-in-law she definitely shared my excitment. (Plus, the softbum diaper style is her favorite. And out of the 2 diapers I got her for Christmas. One was a locally made by LetJoy Diapers (like her page while you’re at it too!), and the other was of course the adorable giraffe style Softbum. (I tried adding a picture, but for some reason, wordpress is not cooperating at the moment. Hopefully later I can add it in, because it is so cute that I really wanted to keep it for Littlest. Even though he has several softbum diapers himself, it’s the only print one that we don’t have!)

*I am thankful for girlfriends. With kids. Without kids. Girlfriends can be big lifesavers. And an evening with them can be so refreshing. Even without wine (last night it was *homemade* specialty lattes!). But let’s not kid ourselves, an evening with girlfriends and wine, well, only coffee can compete with that.

*I am thankful for children who love their mama. Possibly more than any other person in the world. (I say possibly, soley on the off chance hubbyman is reading this. I give them pretty much all of my time and attention. And while Daddy is still their hero and the funnest of the fun, Mommy is the favorite.)

*I am thankful for children who are very independent. You know, for the most part. (And sometimes this backfires, like the other day when I caught Biggest teaching Miss who was teaching Littlest how to fly and be super heroes. Which, in reality, meant that they were wearing their hooded towels as capes while jumping off the top of the bunkbed to fly.) Remember this, closed doors = children up to no good.

*I am thankful that I enjoy cooking. Seriously, life would be a lot harder for this foodie family if that was not the case. Plus, my coffee wouldn’t have been quite as good without the homemade (yes, that’s right- you may now bow at my feet.), delicious donuts that I added a swipe of cream cheese frosting too. Yum.

*I am thankful to be married to a man who sees the big picture, even when I just want to focus on surviving the next ten minutes.

*I am thankful for any and every person who stops by, says hello, or just reads a line or two. I’m always surprised, humbled, and blessed by the people who (both in person and on-line) tell me they read what I write. And occasionally, they enjoy themselves. You are the people that keep me sane. (See, now I hooked you in- you can’t stop reading, or else I will lose my sanity. And then you’ll feel the guilt. Gotcha. I’m kidding. Mostly.)

Happy Day of Friday to You and Yours from Me and Mine!

Family Life According To Me Marriage Recipes Thankful Fridays Things Kids Say

1 Comment »

I Really Am

by motherofwonder

We’ve had so much going on, for what feels like forever. While I always have things to be thankful for, sometimes by the time Friday night rolls around, I’m not all that thankful it’s the weekend. Because it means projects or running, or both, or me going places with the kids so that hubbyman can complete the projects! Last weekend was a wonderful weekend with the pumpkin patch and a somewhat decent football game. This weekend should be terrific as well! I actually don’t know our plans beyond tonight, but I love that!! After a much needed girls’ night in to watch some of our favorite shows, tonight we are having one of our favorite couples over! The hubbies were military men together, so we’ve been friends for a while! It’s so nice to have friends like them! We have our anniversary coming up, so instead of wearing our babysitters thin, (and because our friends don’t mind- they like our kids, and our kids like them) we are having another night in. I’m very excited about the food! They’re bringing burgers, and I’m making those delicious onion rings, trying out the mozzarella sticks, and hubbyman requested some form of potato. He said we could do them on the grill, which is relieving to me! (Because it means they won’t be my responsibility!) I’m in a great mood today… especially when you consider the fact that Littlest E woke up continuously from around 4 and didn’t go back to sleep until 6ish, just in time for daddy’s alarm to wake him up. Thankfully, he did go back to sleep after all three rounds of the snooze button. Miss E was up in the night too, but since I was occupied with a little person already (and really hubbyman usually assists in “the big 2” during the night, which thankfully- isn’t very often), hubby went to get her. I don’t know what the deal was, but I know he came back to our bed with her. As long as it means we get sleep, I am ok with whatever sleeping arrangement is necessary! And she’s actually still sleeping and it’s almost 10:30. This never happens with her. Like ever. I’m hoping that she just was up for a while in the night. She’s easy to put down the first time, but hard to get back to sleep if she’s woken up. Anyways… I’m chatty this morning, I guess. So back to being in a good mood in spite of it… oooh, did I mention the reason Littlest E was up? He’d taken his diaper off. And peed… all over me. That was fun. Anyhow, I washed us off, changed us (was very thankful that it didn’t get all over the bed) and there you go…. I think my adrenaline is just now starting to wear off, or maybe it’s just that this is the first I’ve sat down. The boys were playing quietly together and so I did the dishes, polished the sink, scrubbed the high chair, did a quick re-pick-up of the upstairs, made the boys breakfast, and then had my coffee. That’s right, even after that night, I did all of those household chores before having my coffee… maybe I’m sick? Speaking of whining, I hear my little girl… I’d better wrap this up.

So today, on this ever so thankful Friday, I am thankful:

for good friends! To go out with, to stay in with, to share our lives with!
For good food! (I’m hungry for the mozzarella sticks already!)
For good coffee (I bought hubbyman some French Roast because I could have sworn that he liked it. Turns out he likes it but its not his favorite, and I hate it. Can hardly swallow it, hate it. Can’t drown it with enough creamer hate it. Thankfully, I remembered to buy some coffee of my own since hubs is the weekend coffee maker.)
for a Saturday and Sunday of no plans (well, I have been working on a “honey do list” so there are some things I plan to get done!)

Honey Dew

for the wonderful weather we’ve had this week! And that we’ve gotten to enjoy it!
for how funny Littlest is. I know I’ve said this before, but seriously, he’s hilarious!
for how honest MissE is. I asked who wanted to share their snack with Littlest E, to which she replied, Um, not me very much.
for the way Biggest E will share and play with Littlest E.
for the way Littlest adores Biggest, it’s so sweet

OK, and now the tiredness is setting in, which means I’ve been sitting too long, so I’d better get up, pour another cup of coffee, and get movin’! Enjoy your weekend and remember to think about all the things you have to be thankful for!

Family Life According To Me Thankful Fridays Things Kids Say

2 Comments »

Thankful Friday

by motherofwonder

Sometimes I think I can get a little too stuck in this, “Well, this is just how my life is, right now…” mentality instead of: Look at how great my life is! I mean I’m always tired (last night I was up with kids until after 3:30am and then they got up at 7:30 this morning!), I’m always hungry (I’m nursing and chasing the kids- constantly! It’s always one or the other!). And I’m always behind on 3 things: laundry, dusting, and showering. Sometimes I get so caught up in all the things I’m doing, I forget the wonderment of it all. And so today, (actually I’m thinking of making every Friday, Thankful Friday, where I take a moment to acknowledge all the good things I have in my life) I am taking at least these few moments to commemorate the things in my life that give me lots of love, laughs, and joy:

1. Littlest E has the silliest, goofiest laugh… and he shares it almost every time I look at him. Plus, he’s a hugger. Really. Always has been. Throws his arms around you and squeezes. Heart melting.

2. Our puppy (who just celebrated his first birthday!) is such a good boy. Seriously. He’s a lab, who gets tired out after playing fetch for like 5 throws. He’d really rather spend his day cuddled with one of the kids. Or napping next to where they play. Seriously, he is that big of a sweetheart, and that much of a big ‘ol baby. Love him!

3. Hubbyman has been making a big effort to be more present in his time at home. Playing with the kids (without the distraction of a project in the background) and in doing things (like the dishes!!) around the house, on a daily basis. I am so thankful for the partner he is- in our marriage and as a co-parent.

4. After always thinking that I didn’t really have a preference about having a daughter, I find I enjoy having one more and more each and every day. She is a girl who knows what she wants and she will either melt your heart or break it to get it! And I love that about her! She is my sweetie pie that would gladly sit by my side as I cook or clean and just keep me company and entertained with her chatter.

5. My oldest is growing by leaps and bounds, it always amazes me the things he understands more and more on a daily basis! He’s currently obsessed with lying and telling the truth. The whole truth and nothing but the truth. If you ask him to tell him the truth (if you know he’s not giving you the whole story- and you have to specifically say, “Tell me the truth.”), he will. Begrudgingly, but he will. And he will not tolerate you telling him something that he knows to not be the truth. He may have a black and white view point, much like his father. He is also a sweetheart of a boy, who LOVES to give kisses and bear hugs. Truly. He’s not happy unless he’s hugged you hard enough to knock you on your bee-hind.

6. I have wonderful friends. Seriously. They totally rock. And I lived with one of my bffs for a month and a half this summer. And I love her more than ever. That’s how cool my friends are. Another friend came for a 2 week visit that he had to drive cross-country for! And we loved every minute of it! You know how sometimes by the end of a visit you’re like, “Get gone already!” This was not that way. We try almost daily to get him back here! And that’s just two examples! We are blessed with long time friends as well as newly made ones. They do our lives good- as a couple, as a family, and as individuals.

7. I find it totally amazing to witness the firsts of my children. First words, first steps, first time they see fireworks and point and “ooohh” and “aaahhhh” over every single one (Seriously, Littlest E truly did that). Total wonderment over the joy I feel in getting to be a part of their little lives.

8. I am 5lbs away from what I weighed in high school. Did I mention I’ve had 3 children in the last 4 years? I’m pretty proud of myself. No, maybe everything doesn’t fit or sit the same as it did back then, but I have earned every curve of my body, and I’m (learning!) accepting them.

9. I love the amount of laughter that goes on in my household. I am continually thankful for their sweet giggles amongst each other, and the ones they share with me. I am thankful for the way my husband and I can laugh together- and at each other, as much as at ourselves. Even the biggest hurts can feel manageable if you can intertwine laughter into the equation.

10. I am so appreciate to have this space. To have a place where I can say what I think and write how I feel. It’s empowering, liberating, and equal parts confusing…hey! I’m still learning! I feel more me, as an individual, when I can be open and honest about life, love, children, parenting… and living. Plus, where else would you find fabulous dinner ideas?! (*giggle, grin, and eye roll* yes, I even roll my eyes at my self. But you know, in a thankful, self accepting way)

These are by no means the only things that give my life joy, or in any particular order.I just needed to take a moment and internalize all the wonderment I do have in this crazy, busy, kid-filled life of mine. And to acknowledge that I love it completely, even if, at times, it doesn’t sound like, or feel like, I do.

Family Life According To Me Marriage

This Is My Confession The Remix

by motherofwonder

I can’t even say “this is my confession…” without instantly hearing the Usher song in my head. But this really isn’t that kind of confession. Not a, I did this horrible thing and now my life is over kind of confession, anyhow. Just a: this is my life. My real life. I’m not sugar coating things to make myself sound better, or wiser, or funnier… it’s the long and the short of it. This is my life as I feel it.

There is a lot of pressure in relationships (of all kinds- parenthood, marriage, friendships, work) for perfection, and as it turns out, I am not perfect. (*insert collective gasp here*) I make mistakes. (I know right?! I find it both shocking and appalling as well. Feel free to insert another gasp here.) But I am aware of my imperfections, my mistakes, my less-than-ness. At least most of the time. That said, sometimes I hold people in my life to a higher standard than I do myself. I accept that I am going to fall short (I don’t like that quality, but on most levels, I do accept it.), but somehow I have the tendency to believe that those I surround myself with, should try harder, do more, invest more, and toe the line…possibly more than I do. Even in typing this, I don’t like it. I don’t want to admit it. And I don’t want to be that way. I especially don’t want to admit it out loud, you know, where I can be quoted on it. But there you have it.

Hubbyman had a revelation of sorts this last week. He took a very long road trip with one of our dearly loved friends. Therefore he had more time than usual to process and talk. Probably more time than in the last 5 years. (And by probably, I mean definitely since this was the longest we’d been separated since military days.) This last week he has put forth a lot of effort to make sure I was feeling appreciated, and more than that, that I was feeling taken care of. The first day I was convinced he was in trouble for something, or was paving his way before getting into some trouble. Not because he’s proven that to be true previously, but because he doesn’t always live up to my expectations. I do not mean this disrespectfully or as an implication that he is not an amazing father, husband, and provider- because he definitely is all of those things. What I mean is that sometimes I have expectations for him that he cannot fulfill. They are often unfair, and occasionally unreasonable. But there I’ve said it. Just like he sometimes is less than appreciative of the state of the house, despite how many hours I spend on a daily basis trying to keep it from looking like a hurricane went through it… sometimes I am underwhelmed at how much housework he gets done, or helps with, after he gets home from a long day of work. We all have our downfalls. I by no means am saying that we should no longer expect the best out of each other, or to lower the bar… but when do we start being realistic with each other? Can we know that we’re imperfect, with some acknowledgment that we’re trying out hardest to do our best within our imperfect capabilities? Doesn’t that count for something?

So here is my ultimate confession: Sometimes I have unrealistic expectations for my hubbyman and fail to acknowledge all the things he does do, or give him credit when he does go above and beyond the normal wear and tear of the day. Unfortunately, I don’t limit this to my husband, it’s also with my kids (It’s crazy how sometimes I can have the expectation for my CHILDREN to behave like anything other than CHILDREN.), my parents, brothers, sisters (yes, they’re in-law, but they’re still sisters), and even my friends. (Apparently it’s unreasonable for me to expect them to foresee all my needs and accommodate them. Weird.) So ladies and gentlemen, tell someone in your life who maybe you feel like isn’t pulling their weight (in your home, in your family, in your relationship/friendship, church… and I mean pulling their weight emotionally and time-wise, as much as I do actual work) that you are thankful for all the things that they actually do. Be grateful for the times when they do go above and beyond the call of duty. And then go one step further (c’mon, I dare you!), you go above and beyond for them. Whether it’s bringing home flowers for the first time in a year (or more), or you make a favorite meal and clean up the dishes afterwards, or even just sitting and listening- without rolling your eyes or acting annoyed (no matter what the topic!). Sometimes it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference. Yesterday, my husband did the dishes three times. Once when he got home from work, once after dinner (that HE made), and once right before bed. Did I mention that he also made dinner?! And he also got out, thawed a little, and served me some of my wine slushie! Does it get better than that? Hardly.

I expected them to not want to go down the aisle...I did not expect them to fight for the rights to throwing the flowers all down the aisle. It ended in MissE dumping her basket rather than continuing to have to share in the flower throwing duties with her brother

Family Life According To Me Marriage

The Dog Ate My Shoe

by motherofwonder

As I’ve said about a million times this last month or two… life is a little bit crazy in our household. And don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun crazy, but crazy none the less. The ups and downs, the fun, the whining, the visitors, the everything. I’m truly trying to enjoy every day for it’s own unique wonderfulness. That said, I get overwhelmed fairly easily. I crave order and organization as much as my children do. And I have been feeling overwhelmed a lot these last few weeks. A little chaotic. Maybe more than a little. And while between all our guests and the computer failure I haven’t had time, or maybe more accurate, I haven’t forced myself to make time to do all the blogging and recipe posting that I would really like to. But what little I have done, has of course made me feel more grounded. Because, as a female, I really crave that need to balance out the emotional aspects of my life. And for me, blogging helps to do that. In turn, these last couple of weeks I have gotten feedback in the form of emails and facebook messages, from family and friends. Both far and near. People I talk to on a regular basis and people that I haven’t talked to (at least in person) in years.

I am a people pleaser, and therefore, crave validation. I have grown, as I’ve gotten older, and it is not something that rules my life. That said, I still crave the validation. And if we’re really honest, don’t we all? So for this particular people pleaser, I’ve greatly appreciated that there are other people who feel similarly. There’s a little bit of comfort in knowing I’m not alone in all this madness. And for that, I’m grateful. Truly. So if you, like me have days where you just feel like you’re at the end of your rope, the last of your patience, and used up all your niceness by 9 am…just know that you’re not alone either. There are plenty of days I’m right there too. Biiig cup of coffee in hand.

...and the dog ate one of my favorite sandals

Life According To Me

1 Comment »

Feelin’ the love ♥

by motherofwonder

I don’t know about anyone else, but I look forward to Easter, every year. The fun, the family, the food. But also the renewal. Not that you should ever wait till a specific time of year to take it to God, or to be renewed in any form, but for me, the refreshing and the knowledge of what this date signifies resounds fully. And I feel a wide range of emotions. The greatest being thankfulness.

So on that note, I just want to say that I have been overwhelmed by all the love and support all my friends and family have given me every day of this blog. I thank you from the bottom of my heart! It’s been wonderful hearing from friends old and new and making new ones some along the way!

Ant on that note one more time, I have received a Versatile Blogger Award from the cutest of the cute, my friend from college days gone by, Jamie. Otherwise known as the author of Make It Healthy. She is fantastic!

The rules of accepting and passing on the Versatile Blogger:
1) Thank the person who nominated you (Thank You Jamie!!) and provide a link back to their site
2) Tell 7 random facts about yourself
3) Pass the award on to 15 new found bloggers
4) Let the giver of the award know if you’ve accepted the award or not
7 Random facts about me:

1) I have a dog that is the same age as my youngest (and we got him when littlest E was only 2 months old). Let’s just say we had some busy months in there!

2) I LOOVE vegetables. Make me pretty much any vegetable and I will eat it- and like it. Except beets. At least in the pickled form. Eww, and sweet pickles. Wait, does this mean I can’t say I’d eat any vegetable anymore?

3) I am passionate about all things baby. I’m pretty sure no one that has ever known me is surprised by this, but somehow, I was.

4) I ask for recipes from people, but I’m fairly certain I’m incapable of following them. I pretty much decide what I think would taste good together and just do that instead. Thankfully, most of the time it works out.

5) I miss “military life” (as a military wife) way more than I thought I would. Maybe I should just say, I miss the sense of community and family you have. That’s pretty much the only thing I miss. Oh and the NEX/Commissary (hello, cheap groceries!!)

6) I LOVE cooking and would LOVE to take a cooking class.

7) My family is amazing and I thank God every single day for each one of them. Especially on the days they’re drive me insane.

15 Newly Found Bloggers:

1. Uniquely Normal Mom

2. Living Is a Process

3. Lindsey Sews

4. Doodlemum

5. RaggamuffinPc

6. Peaceful Housewife

7. The Grass Skirt

8. The Cottage Home

9. Life, Gluten Free