Family: Out with the OLD in with the NEW

I just spent an hour on a conference call regarding an upcoming parenting class that I am WAY excited for. This sounds like everything I have been trying to implement and change about the way I am parenting. I hope I get chosen for this in depth class. I had to apply and they are only accepting a small number of applicants. Either way I got enough out of the one hour class today to make some changes already. I feel so hopeful that THIS time I will be successful. Doesn't this sound wonderful???



Wish me luck and stay tuned!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Faith: Don't Worry!

Just about an hour ago I was starting to worry about something. Getting all upset, over reacting, full of anxiety and worry over the future. Then I sat down to check my email and came across a new post from Loving My Lot. I loved her post "7 Reasons There's No Reason to Worry" that I decided to share the list of 7 Reasons here. Find her blog here and subscribe to her posts :) Here is a little quote from Loving My Lot to help you understand what she is about:

"I think these two things–my faith in Christ and my love for my family–are what have stirred my passion for biblical womanhood. With my whole heart, I want to embrace the role and calling God has for my life so that when I do finally see Him face to face, it will be with no regrets."

From Matthew 6:25-34

1. Because if God has given me big, substantial gifts (such as my life & body), I can trust Him to provide for smaller, less substantial needs. (v25)

2. Because God is so sovereign He cares about even the insignificant details of nature. (v26, 28-29)

3. Because I am of great value to God. (v26b, 30)

4. Because anxiety does zippo to fix my problems or extend my life. (v27)

5. Because God knows what I need. (v32)

6. Because God’s kingdom and righteousness are more important than anything I could ever need or want. (v33)

7. Because tomorrow will bring new troubles I didn’t even see coming, so I might as well live one day at a time. (v34)

Reference: http://lovingmylot.com/2013/10/25/7-reasons-theres-no-reason-to-worry/

Faith: Give it a try...

Saw this today and for some reason it just resonated with me. This sort of reminds me of when I took a leap of faith, with... my FAITH! I love it. Here you are! Enjoy!! 

Family: Time to end the Mommy wars!

I really love this topic. Some Moms are very judgmental of others and it is hurtful and sad. There is more than one way to raise children, parent them, feed them, discipline them, teach them, mold them and shape them. Not one way is the best or correct. If it were, somebody would be teaching us all.

I LOVE this article below that I am re-sharing from Connecticut Working Moms.

Posted June 11, 2013
"It’s hard to believe that this month marks the one-year anniversary of our post-baby body photo-shoot – I mean where did the time go? In true CTWM’s fashion, we decided that we wanted to do something to commemorate this important anniversary so we chose to tackle a topic that makes our skin crawl – the mommy wars. Last year’s photo shoot was about embracing our bodies and this year’s shoot was about embracing our different parenting choices. Cause seriously people, the world needs more love and less judgment.



Personally I think the mommy wars were created by the media as a way to pit women against each other and gain ratings and I just don’t want to be a part of that. I am soooo over it. Who cares if some moms choose to homeschool vs. use public schools or if some moms breastfeed and others don’t or if some moms let their kids watch more TV than others? The only choices we have control over are our own. What another mom chooses is her decision – who are we to judge that? And when you really think about it – what’s the point? It feels so much better to treat people kindly with loving intentions than to go straight to a place of judgment. We should be supporting women’s decisions instead of critiquing them and making snap judgments based off our limited knowledge of other people’s situations."




What an AWESOME message! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! I am so glad to have found this. I also located a Facebook page for them. Go like them here!!



And honestly, in my opinion, sometimes it is not the judging that is the big enemy, it is the comparing. YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH JUST AS YOU ARE. You be you. Let everyone else be them. God made us each unique and different with our own talents and strengths. That Mom that you think "has it all together", could just be wishing she was more like you in some ways. We are all in this crazy, hectic, roller coaster ride of Mothering together. We need to support, respect and accept each other for who we are. And for God's sake we need to be KIND to one another.

Future: 8 Things you can do NOW to have a better life! GO!!

I really liked these 8 tips, which appeared in an article on Huffington Post today! Link to full article is at the bottom. Happy Reading! 

1. Stop believing your bullshit.

All that stuff you tell yourself about how you are a commitment phobe or a coward or lazy or not creative or unlucky? Stop it. It's bullshit, and deep down you know it. We are all insecure 14 year olds at heart. We're all scared. We all have dreams inside of us that we've tucked away because somewhere along the line we tacked on those ideas about who we are that buried that essential brilliant, childlike sense of wonder. The more we stick to these scripts about who we are, the longer we live a fraction of the life we could be living. Let it go. Be who you are beneath the bullshit.

2. Be happy now.

Not because The Secret says so. Not because of some shiny happy Oprah crap. But because we can choose to appreciate what is in our lives instead of being angry or regretful about what we lack. It's a small, significant shift in perspective. It's easier to look at what's wrong or missing in our lives and believe that is the big picture -- but it isn't. We can choose to let the beautiful parts set the tone.

3. Look at the stars.

It won't fix the economy. It won't stop wars. It won't give you flat abs, or better sex or even help you figure out your relationship and what you want to do with your life. But it's important. It helps you remember that you and your problems are both infinitesimally small and conversely, that you are a piece of an amazing and vast universe. I do it daily -- it helps.

4. Let people in.

Truly. Tell people that you trust when you need help, or you're depressed -- or you're happy and you want to share it with them. Acknowledge that you care about them and let yourself feel it. Instead of doing that other thing we sometimes do, which is to play it cool and pretend we only care as much as the other person has admitted to caring, and only open up half way. Go all in -- it's worth it.

5. Stop with the crazy making.

I got to a friend's doorstep the other day, slightly breathless and nearly in tears after getting a little lost, physically and existentially. She asked what was wrong and I started to explain and then stopped myself and admitted, "I'm being stupid and have decided to invent lots of problems in my head." Life is full of obstacles; we don't need to create extra ones. A great corollary to this one is from The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz: Don't take things personally. Most of the time, other people's choices and attitudes have absolutely nothing to do with you. Unless you've been behaving like a jerk, in which case...

6. Learn to apologize.
Not the ridiculous, self-deprecating apologizing for who you are and for existing that some people seem to do (what's up with that, anyway?). The ability to sincerely apologize -- without ever interjecting the word "but" -- is an essential skill for living around other human beings. If you are going to be around other people, eventually you will need to apologize. It's an important practice.

7. Practice gratitude.

Practice it out loud to the people around you. Practice it silently when you bless your food. Practice it often. Gratitude is not a first world only virtue. I saw a photo recently, of a girl in abject poverty, surrounded by filth and destruction. Her face was completely lit up with joy and gratitude as she played with a hula hoop she'd been given. Gratitude is what makes what we have enough. Gratitude is the most basic way to connect with that sense of being an integral part of the vastness of the universe; as I mentioned with looking up at the stars, it's that sense of wonder and humility, contrasted with celebrating our connection to all of life.

8. Be kind.

Kurt Vonnegut said it best (though admittedly, and somewhat ashamedly -- I am not a Vonnegut fan): "There's only one rule that I know of, babies -- 'God damn it, you've got to be kind.'"

Kindness costs us nothing and pays exponential dividends. I can't save the whole world. I can't bring peace to Syria. I can't fix the environment or the health care system, and from the looks of it, I may end up burning my dinner.

But I can be kind.

If the biggest thing we do in life is to extend love and kindness to even one other human being, we have changed the world for the better.

Excerpt taken from an article authored by Kate Bartolotta. You can read the full article here.

Faith: Love this!!

Family: Cross Country Adventure Part 1

This morning I cried. A lot. For the first time. Just cried and cried. The kids and dogs were in the car. Everything was packed. And I was standing in my empty house. And this was my view.



The night before we had celebrated our last night in our house with one last dinner and swim with our besties.





With one last beautiful sunset in our backyard.




Sparklers...



And lastly, with camping in the living room.



I thought I was ready. But as I stared at my empty house, and the toys, drawings and notes we were leaving for the two children who would be arriving soon, it hit me. It would be their laughter that would fill that home, their heads that would bob up and down in the pool in the backyard. It would be their cries and boo boos, their playdates, their Halloween fun, and Christmas mornings in this house, and not ours. It was a little overwhelming, ok a lot maybe, and the tears just started flowing.

"It was a great house" I told Jimmy through my tears. And it was. The first house I ever owned. The house I was married in, had my babies in, had tons of parties and friends in. And I felt like I was leaving a piece of my heart and a piece of my soul, to live on forever in that house. To keep loving it from a distance for all of time. I came out to the car and Ryen could see my tears. And then she lost it. Just started crying and crying about how she didn't want to move and didn't want to leave our house. I felt bad for triggering this response in her. Not as if I had any control over it.

She was over it soon enough and we were cruising on the highway on our way to New Mexico! Our first stop was lunch at Burger King!





Here was another one of our pit stops in NM. We were ALMOST there :)




Some of the scenery along the way.



I tried to get Ryen to fall asleep the entire 6 hour drive but she would not. Until the last 10 minutes of our car ride to the hotel. (ha ha- of course)



Finally checked into our hotel in Las Cruces, NM. The girls couldn't wait to get some time in the hotel pool and hot tub!



The next morning we were out of New Mexico...



Feeling ready to tackle Texas.



Such a long state it was going to take us 2 days to get through it.



Our first stop was Midland, TX and there was not a whole lot to see on the way except for some of the oil fields.




Another crappy lunch stop today... Subway in the car! At least the girls got creative and had some playtime during lunch, so I could spend some time with Daddy and the doggies in his car :)



It was a little crowded...



The girls were so excited when we finally made it to the hotel they had a dance party.



Then we hit the pool and hot tub again for some relaxing!



The next day it was time to tackle the rest of Texas and head to Dallas! We were ready!!



I thought the girls deserved to have a decent lunch and not something on the go, like we had done the last two days. So we stopped for lunch at The Olive Garden. Poor Daddy had to sit in the car with the doggies :(



Here is some scenery we saw on our way to Dallas. We even saw some windmills, which reminded us of our old drives to California.




In Dallas I got some yummy take out from a local Mom and Pop Italian/Pizza place and we had a fancy dinner in our hotel room. Followed by more swimming, then tv time, and Mommy snuggles in bed.



Loved the way Ella and Ryen shared a bed on this trip!



In the morning we were finally going to get out of Texas. Now we were already in Central Time baby!! Almost there... Stay tuned!