Two Months Later

I'm not sure how long this post will be, but I finally decided to sit down and write. Even if it's only a few sentences. I miss this little space for hashing out my thoughts and sharing our family's goings on. My problem is that I keep waiting for the right amount of time to take a break and blog. But, as y'all know, that break hasn't happened. I can't believe that it's been two months since my last post. Good thing I'm not counting on this blog for income! ;-)

Working (outside of the home) Mama

I'm a bit anxious.

(Ok. Bit is an understatement.) 

Depending on the moment, I'm excited about starting my new job next week, and the next moment my head is reeling through all of the lists of "What I Must Do Before Monday!!!!" (and other general worries)...

Godsend

I was having a rough morning.

The Mean Girl resident in the penthouse was beating up on me. All. Morning. Long.

I’m talking mean - "You're a bad mama. You can't handle any bumps in the road. Anyone else would be just fine transitioning with this move. You’re overwhelmed because you aren’t strong enough. You’re not a positive person & never will be. Just get over it." and on and on and on.

Blah.

I finally pulled myself and the kiddos and the dog out of the house. Mr. C was strapped on my front. Miss S was walking alongside me. Mars was leading the show.

Our destination was White Bear Lake. 

Snippets: 1st Minnesota Post

We arrived in Minnesota on Sunday, August 3^rd – exactly a week after we planned to leave Arizona. Our departure was delayed, but I believe that we left at exactly the right time for us. En route we decided to take 4 days instead of 3 (or our normal drive straight through 30 hours). I’m still attempting to process the last three weeks of our lives. My last day of work was 3 weeks ago tomorrow. Wow.

Since I’ve not yet been able to solidify my thoughts into words, I decided to write a quick “hi” to everyone. Thank you to all of you who helped us with our move – whether it was packing the truck, helping with the kiddos, coming to happy hour, praying for our journey, riding/driving with us, and/or unloading the truck – we truly could not have made it without your help.

Pinch Me! This Post was Written by Diana Stone!!!

Today is super special. Diana Stone (of Diana Wrote) wrote this post for me! Gah!!!

Diana's blog was my first blog crush. I had read friends' blogs but hadn't "followed" a blog of a stranger. Let's just say I was new to the world of blogging. Diana also was the main inspiration for my starting this blog. So when she said she'd write this post for me? Let's just say I was a bit excited.

When Karl and I officially decided we were going to move, I turned to Diana's blog to seek out expert packing advice. (One of her gifts is keeping a tidy & clean house and being amazingly organized. My piles could use her help!) I searched her blog but couldn't find any posts that unlocked the secrets to successful packing and moving...so I decided to email her asking if she'd possibly consider writing about this topic, and maybe, perhaps, she'd be willing to write it for me to post on my blog...

Without further ado, here are packing tips from Diana Stone! (And huge thanks to her for her tips and for writing a post for my little blog!)

Saying Goodbyes

I only have five shifts left at the only hospital where I've been a certified nursing assistant then a patient care technician and finally a registered nurse.

It was all a dream 7 years ago.

I was working in Washington state as a development associate (aka fundraiser) when I realized that I needed to do something else.

****
In high school, I wrote my first research paper on the destruction of rain forests in the Amazon.

That was it.

Two Months from Now

As much as I really, really, really work to live in the now (mindfulness...not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future), I'll be honest. I'm a worrier/dreamer about the future. This future is a new future. In a new state. Searching for the first house that I will have ever owned. It's exciting and frightening all wrapped into one.
****

The R Word & One of My Soap Boxes

I just watched a video about a dad's story of his daughter with Down Syndrome and have tears streaming down my face. A little background on this story...

A word that I really dislike and that people use casually is Retarded.

I've heard people who are over-the-top PC use it.
People who
never would speak derogatorily about another race
abhor anti-homophobic putdowns
despise the use a negative phrase to make light of a mental illness
don't utter a curse word
describe themselves as open-minded
believe that everyone should be treated equally.

Humbled

Do you know someone who has an amazing upbeat personality & positive outlook? Not just an at-the-surface pretending to be happy, but someone who emits happiness? Beyond that, she's someone who doesn't annoy you with her positive attitude. It's truth. It's beauty. It isn't sugar-coated. It's just who she is.

I wish I were that woman. I really work to portray a positive attitude. My viewpoint has always been that I want to portray a positive, happy, warm, and caring attitude. Each day I am consciously aware of not wanting to be negative. I attempt (most of the times) to hold in my negativity because I really believe it pulls other people down (and me). I want to help buoy others, not pull them under. But underneath it all, I have my grey side. Melancholy. Sadness. Perfection. People-pleaser. 

As a nurse, I've often wondered what kind of patient I would be. I have patients who I would hope to emulate, but really you never know until it's you in the hospital bed. 

Sick Day and Other News...

I've got the crud, so I'm home sick today. The kiddos are at preschool, and after I write this post, I'm taking a nap. Despite my best efforts during my #30daysIBTP, I got an F in going to bed early. My exercising has been a little better (as long as Wii Fit boxing counts!). I've been drinking more water (especially now that we have a water cooler at work!), but everything has finally caught up with me; my immunity is on strike.

It's strange how revolutionary and frivolous it feels to know that I'm only going to be taking care of myself today (until I pick up the kiddos). With all of the busy-ness of these last few months, I've not had much downtime.

But before I take a nap, I wanted to share some big news.

When I started this blog, one of my motivations was to stay "connected" to friends across the country, especially with a move planned for 2014.

Friday Nightlife (Working Mama Style) #30daysIBTP

Today's (this week's) highlights...

I got to meet a professional football player while he was committing a(n) (un)random act of kindness. Warmed my heart & gave me goosebumps.

Miss S has an imaginary friend - Anna (pronounced AHHna). She's small enough to fit in Miss S's hand, but isn't little. According to Miss S, she's big. Grandma even gave Anna kisses and hugs at bedtime.

Mr. C is 13 months. Today. How did that happen?? Even though I'm sometimes thankful that time moves quickly, I wish it would slow down for my kiddos. I can't believe he's 13 months! He isn't walking yet but is saying words and pointing (da for dog, mama, dada, nana for grandma) and moved up to the Twaddler classroom (where he sits at a little table in a little chair & sleeps on a cot. How cute is that?!)

I had a busy but good day at work & am enjoying my new short do. Plus, I got to bed before 11 pm last night. It felt great.

Who needs more excitement than that, right?

Good night, y'all. Have a wonderful weekend!

Why Hello, June

Another month has flown by. The month of June is stretched in front of me, and I feel uneasy.

I worked on Friday and Saturday, and both days were busy - Saturday left me feeling like a mush ball. It was a strange day with patient issues that I don't normally encounter on our unit (rehabilitation). As my track coach always said (yes, Nietzsche said it first), what does not kill me makes me stronger. One of my coworkers told me that she proud of how I kept my calm & didn't seem flustered through it all. It felt like a final exam or initiation before entering the next "grade" as a nurse. I'm glad I made it through and am praying that tomorrow is uneventful.

I really, really, really love my job as a rehabilitation nurse. I work with patients who have experienced strokes, car & motorcycle accidents, and other traumatic injuries. Patients stay on our unit for a longer time which means we have a different type of relationship with patients and family members. We see patients progress and get stronger. Our patients become each others' temporary communities, and these relationships are so important to the healing process.

Right now we have the gentlemen's club - each member has experienced a brain injury (stroke/bleed) and is in a different stage of mobility/cognition/healing. They warm my heart, and it will be really hard to say goodbye to each of them. They are the reason that I love my job.

I also love my patients who've experienced other brain injuries (from a fall, car or motorcycle accident, or physical trauma).
But, some days are more trying than others.
Like yesterday.
A day where I made it through by grace and with the help of coworkers.
Despite feeling like I was on a roller coaster on Saturday, it wasn't a downward plummet.
I had great moments with patients. Moments that made me smile and brought true joy to my day. Some of those moments with the same patients that were my hardest struggles.
Welcome to the world of being a nurse. Especially a rehab nurse.

Now Go Fall in Love

Dear Karl,

As our anniversary approached, I was planning to write an awesome, inspiring post about the two of us & our love story. Something along the lines of the post about the anniversary of our engagement.

But, I’ve been stuck. Uninspired. (Not about our marriage - just about writing the “right” words that expressed everything perfectly).

I logged into eHarmony last night because I had thought about including excerpts from our first emails. It was fun reading through our profiles together - the first glimpses that we had into each of our lives - but I realized that it wasn’t right for this post.

Then today after we walked around the house with a potential painter I knew what to write.

I want to write about what marriage really is - for us.

The reality of marriage was today. 

#30daysIBTP

In April, I kept thinking that May was going to be a month of change. I was going to Set Goals! (probably too many) and Establish Routines! No pressure. Then I realized a week in that May was happening, and I had forgotten about my grand plans. Whoops. Life in between the piles...

8 minutes after midnight

After I wrote this post, I made it to bed after midnight. Unlike how I sometimes respond when I've made a plan and fall short, I decided to challenge myself and aim to go to bed earlier the next night. Even if only by a few minutes. I met that goal (woot woot!) last night. So silly that a little goal like that makes me smile, but hey, life's more joyful when joy is found in the little things.

23 hours 36 minutes later

Then I realized that I had left some goals off of my list. (Because really, can you have too many goals & make too many changes in a month?) Why, no.

Here's my full list...(until I realize that I forgot to include something):

1. Go to bed earlier (before midnight, at the least)

2. Drink more water - I've been having throat issues and cramping legs which I'm thinking just possibly could be because I don't drink enough water. Especially since I live in the desert. It's at least worth a try. Bottoms up.

3. Exercise on my days off - I've been dormant for way. too. long. I had back problems last fall, and I've been nervous to start working out again...the last time I went for a run, I aggravated my back again...just maybe because I was neglecting my home exercise routine created by a physical therapist to help strengthen my core. Maybe. Since that run, I've somehow stopped attempting to exercise at all. Yes, I've been better about doing at least one back exercise a day, but I think I need to up the ante. Just a little bit. My goal is to walk on my days off (ideally) and/or do a little Wii Fit, and my core strengthening. Yesterday I managed to do a few core exercises, a little Wii boxing, and walk. Today I worked. Tomorrow I work. I'll attack again on Saturday.

Ebb and Flow

I've had a hard time taking a break to blog lately because the piles keep coming.

We are making progress. Really. Pretty soon I'll even show you some pictures. We decided on flooring for the kitchen and bathroom today. (Yay! Yay! Confetti is thrown in the air!) The flooring is really pretty. We aren't going to want to put our house on the market when we're finished...Here's a sneak peak into the tile we chose for our bathroom (linen) and for our kitchen.

Happy happy birthday, Mr. C - Part 1

Dear Mr. C,

When I got home from work tonight, you were already fast asleep. Crashed out, as your daddy said.

It’s so hard to believe that a year ago you were still safely tucked into my womb. You were our baby – we didn’t know if you were a boy or a girl. While I hoped I’d be going into labor the next day (or hoped I was already in labor), we didn’t know.

I can’t believe that you are almost one. It’s gone by way too fast! I’m not ready for you to be a year old. I’m loving seeing your development and am excited about each stage, but it doesn’t feel real that my baby boy is almost one. How is that possible?

The Blog Hop that Didn't Happen #SliceOfPerfect #MessyReality

I thought I was going to join my first blog hop, but I was too late. I want to credit Jill Krause at Baby Rabies for starting the hop and for creating this awesome idea!

My blog title gives it away. My house is usually more messy reality than a slice of perfect.  That's one of the reasons why I love this idea.

My slice of perfect? Well, at least my most recent slice of perfect...

Cats, They are Kitty Cats

Sometimes I forget how good it is for me to purge my brain. That last post that I wrote? It was cathartic. (That's the perfect word and the fact that it starts with "cat" was unintentional...)

I'm now able to look at my relationship with my kitties in a different way.

I still don't like it when poop ends up on the futon, (I mean, really that's not unreasonable of me)

or when Sol bites my fingers (unintentionally...I am thrusting my fingers in his mouth) when I give him his medicine,

but I've been reminded that they have good great lives, even if they don't get loved on like they did 4 years ago.

Geriatric Cats...In Sickness and In Health

I was ready to go to bed early tonight (well, early for me...which means getting in bed before 11). Then I walked into the "cats' room" aka our house's master bedroom.

It was sitting on the futon.

In the middle.

They had gifted me with a poo-resent. And, not the easy kind to pick up.

As I was cleaning it, I realized that the carpet had patches of wetness. It turned out to be white, frothy spit up. An internet search led me to the high likelihood that one of my cat's has asthma (which I'd thought was a potential issue in the past).

Kidney disease. Hyperthyroidism. Asthma.

Hello, again! I've missed you...

I've been busy. Like, kitchen is still getting pieced together busy. We have a countertop. <<yay!!!>> We have base cabinets. <<yay!!!>> We are definitely making progress. It may be just a bit faster than a snail's pace, but we are moving forward. Because of all of our kitchen remodeling fun, my blogging has been deprioritized for the time being. (Not a word, but it should be.) I've been mostly ok with that because I haven't had time to think about not blogging.

Then I have times like today where I want to write everything important or not, big and little, birthdays and ordinary days. For now, I'm going to give y'all a sneak peak into my, "Things I Want to Blog About!" list.

Speed Blogging: Emerging from the Fumes

Just a short update. On our kitchen remodel.

I'm planning to write a more thorough description once it's complete.

I'm timing this update because I'm exhausted and need.to.get.to.bed. Plus I thought it would be fun to speed blog.

My list of new things that I've learned over the last few days?

Cottage White (Behr) Splatterings

Texture can come in a can, and the process of adding texture to a wall is texturing not texturizing. Our wall texture is "orange peel." The smell of the texture in a can? Potent.

Mastic is a fancy word for tile adhesive (which is better applied directly to drywall; if you paint the drywall first, you have to rough up the paint with sandpaper.)

GFCI plugs are code for a kitchen (ground fault circuit interrupter).

Snippets

The 30 year-old cold water supply line to our kitchen sink broke today. Thankfully, my parents are visiting, otherwise we would have had another house flood. Karl is fixing the pipeage right now.

That inspired the start to prayers tonight for Miss S. LOVED her prayers tonight. My gosh, that girl. I just love her so much. I promise to write soon about her 3rd birthday celebration.

Besides the prayers, my other favorite Miss S-isms right now are:

Minnie Mouse muffin (she came up with that all on her own)

Jingle Bell (Tinker Bell)

Hungring

Jofes (Joseph)

Yogrut (yogurt)

Brushteeth (toothbrush)

Miss S's Birth Story

3 years ago today, I was pregnant with Miss S…

I LOVE reading birth stories. Since I’m newer to the world of blogging, I never shared Miss S’s birth story beyond my friends and family. I can’t believe she’s going to be 3 tomorrow. This post is all about the last 24 hours BK for Karl and me.

**I want to acknowledge that I’ve learned a lot about births and pregnancies through friends’ experiences over the last 3 years. I know that our early arrival went smoothly, but I know that isn’t always the end of the story (or the arrival can happen a LOT earlier). I know mamas who have had their water break at 18 weeks, 21 weeks…I know mamas who have delivered a full-term baby after an ultrasound couldn’t detect a heart beat…and other mamas who have had their lives shattered when their babies have passed away…If you have experienced any of these situations, I am so, so sorry. I understand if you can’t read any further. I will never comprehend “why” one pregnancy results in a healthy baby, why some women can’t get pregnant even though it’s their biggest dream, why some babies are born into horrible situations…

March 19, 1909

105 years ago today my maternal grandmother was born.

Miss S's namesake.

She was a phenomenal woman with a quiet strength.

She was practical, loving, generous, faithful, and prayerful.

She was the family matriarch.

I never took our relationship for granted because I didn't want to have regrets that I didn't see her or talk to her often enough. (I wanted to fully cherish the relationship that I had with her, which was innocent and pure in the fact that I was her youngest grandchild and saw her through rose-colored glasses.) When I went away to college, I moved to the Northwest so that I could spend breaks with my grandma, my aunt and uncle, and my cousins. I visited her by train on fall break, and we went to the library together so that I could research Rajneeshpuram for a research paper. She rode the train up for my college graduation (at age 90). I called her often - to say hi, to ask her advice, and to be comforted.

March Madness

Kitchen in Progress: Saying Good Riddance to that Wallpaper

When I decided to blog more this month, I forgot about everything on our March to-do list/events calendar:

Finalize the paperwork for our new home equity line of credit
Say goodbye to Karl's parents as they head back to Indiana after a wonderful visit
Finalize our IKEA kitchen plans & place our kitchen order
Relocate all of the items in our kitchen cabinets
Demo our kitchen
Demo our master bath sink/vanity area
Install new kitchen cabinets
Install new master bath vanity
Attend staff meetings at respective workplaces
Take Mr. C to his 10 month weigh in
Take all the animals to vet appointments*
Say hello to my parents as they drive in town for Miss S's birthday
Celebrate Miss S's 3rd birthday
Go to Thursday evening classes
Work

Mr. C's Weigh In - 10 Months

9 Month Appointment (Growth Curve App)

Today was Mr. C's follow up appointment. 

The pediatrician loved the chunk on Mr. C's thighs. 

While he still isn't winning any heavy-weight competitions

(drumroll, please)

Mr. C is up to 17 lbs 9 oz for a total weight gain of 1 lb 2 oz ... 8.4%.

**Deep exhalation**

Fat Tuesday Recap

My dad grew up in New Orleans, LA, so we celebrated Fat Tuesday since before I can remember.

I even have a Mardi Gras bead collection thanks to my paternal grandmother.  

My dad (I think?) hand-made a King Cake every Fat Tuesday of my childhood, and one of my parents took an obligatory photo of my sister and me with the cake. 

Parenting: Handling the Manic Stages of an Almost Three-Year-Old

Oh. My. Goodness. 

While I don't work on a psychiatric ward in a hospital, I work with patients who have psychiatric illnesses (in combination with other health issues). I **don't** take the use of psychiatric terms lightly. I dislike despise the casual/inappropriate use of words like "retard" and "schizo" and often do a double-take because a lot of people use those words...people who would never ever think about using other derogatory terms (but for some reason, these terms are considered acceptable?)

Let me step off of that soap box. 

I'm making this statement in all sincerity. I've worked with patients with bipolar disorder, and I cannot shake how much the moods of an almost 3-year-old resemble manic episodes. I made that realization recently and a friend of mine made that same comparison about her kiddo who is around the same age.

Miss S just stopped crying/screaming/tantruming.

It was at least a 10 minute affair.

It's been happening almost daily at nap time. 

I've read great plans about instituting a rest time, and maybe I'm doing it all wrong. (I believe it works for some people, and folks, I'm jealous!) 

Random Musings: My Life Today

I have a beautiful life. Even when my posts pull in the direction of melancholy or uncertainty about my parenting abilities, I am blessed. Some days I forget to remember my blessings. Instead I see the piles of things I need to do, things I haven't done, tasks to complete, laundry to be folded, piles of wallpaper that need to be picked up...

Thank you to all of you who have read my blog and have encouraged me in my writing. Y'all are counted in my blessings.

When I started this blog (I still have that post to write...all of the reasons I started this little space for my mind's wanderings and life's happenings), I thought maybe long term I might be able to make a little money with my writing. It wasn't a primary goal because, I mean...how many blogs are out there? Based on these numbers (which are almost a year old), at the least 240 million blogs exist. I definitely won't be holding my breath on being profitable.

But...

Valentine's Day - My Three Loves

I **love** Miss S's serious expression as she peels off the backing on a foam heart. And, Mr. C? How cute is he?!

After being single throughout most of high school and a good chunk of college, I haven't placed much significance on Valentine's Day. In fact, I've enjoyed dinner out more than once with a group of friends for an anti-Valentine's day gathering.

In some respects, I'm too practical for Valentine's Day. I'd rather get a bouquet of sunflowers (or wildflowers!!) on a random day than overpriced roses on February 14th. Karl and I don't get each other anything (one of the reasons we're right for one another). As we woke up for work, we whispered "Happy Valentine's Day" to each other.

I love how carefully she placed the sticker and hearts.

This year the holiday took on a new significance. I was excited for Miss S about experiencing the fun of valentines (especially at her age when the holiday has a relative simplicity and innocence). 

I'm not sure who had more fun making the valentines.

Growth Curves (or Lack Thereof)

(made with the Growth app)

Today was Mr. C's 9 month check up. 

He's a cutie (definitely medically important).

He just started to wave (and waves in response to someone saying 'hello'...making an awesome connection between a word and an action).

The pediatrician was impressed.

His height and weight? 

Yeah. The pediatrician was...concerned (a word I don't like...I'm not sure why I dislike it, but I do. Thankfully, the pediatrician didn't use that word, but it was the gist of her response.)

How to Eat an Avocado (starring Mr. C)

Mr. C does. not. like baby food. Pureed? No, thank you. He shudders and then gags. Sometimes he finishes with spitting up. I quickly got the message. We moved onto soft foods that can be gummed (since he doesn't have any teeth yet). We introduced avocado today which was a big hit.

So far he's tried banana, puffs (Miss S and Mr. C both have enjoyed happy puffs - sweet potato flavor), prunes, and avocado [besides rice cereal (yick), pureed pears (yuck), and pureed prunes (blech)].

And, the pink bib? Yes, a hand-me-down from his big sister.

When did your little ones first sprout teeth? How about favorite first foods?

Mama, You Aren't Alone

It won't be like this forever. It won't be like this forever. It won't be like this forever.

I have those days where I feel like a pretty big failure of a mama, for one reason or another. It is so easy to get lost in that sea of negative thoughts. I've had my moments where I knew that I was the one who needed the time out. With one kiddo, I could give myself a time out (close the door on my bedroom for a good 10 second count...) while Miss S was safely screaming in a crib or a pack 'n play.

With two kiddos, it can be more challenging. Usually when Miss S is fully embracing a terrible-two moment (which I've now heard can stretch into the 3s and 4s...), Mr. C is napping. At least until he wakes up because of the temper tantrum being thrown by his big sister...

I usually remember to breathe, pray, remind myself that other parents out there have these same days, and comfort myself by saying, "It won't be like this forever. It won't be like this forever. It won't be like this forever..."

::think Dorothy 5 years post-tornado holding a crying baby while her toddler is screaming, and she's still wearing her ruby red slippers which now have worn out heels from so much clicking::

Other days, I lose my perspective and can't see beyond my own thoughts.

Christmas 2013 in Review

I can't believe that a month has flown by since Christmas. I still don't have my New Year's picture taken, never mind the card ready to be mailed. (A few years ago I took an idea from a friend and decided to take one thing off of the Christmas to-do pile and share it with New Years; hence why they are New Year's cards...but maybe they'll be valentines this year?)

I strive to keep stress out of Christmas and at some moments I'm better than others. It's a work in progress. I think different families have their holidays that they do really well and are relatively stress-free. My parents might disagree with me, but I remember birthdays to be the best "holiday" (with the lowest stress) when I was growing up. We'd sometimes do parties, but it was more about the specialness of the day. They weren't anything elaborate (especially according to today's standards), but we'd have a special cake and at least a few friends over to celebrate. I still love birthdays and celebrating them.

It's All about the Cake

Yesterday evening we celebrated Karl's birthday with the long awaited birthday cake (when Miss S knew we were making it, that's all she could ask about for the rest of the day). Dinner was merely a means to the end cake.

It was well worth the wait...

Happy Birthday to You, My Love (A Do-Over)

Last night (about 24 hours ago, exactly; the night before Karl's birthday) I stayed up putting together a birthday post. I scheduled it to post at 9 am. That way, even though I had to work, my birthday message would arrive on Facebook for him. It kinda worked. 

See?

My sister even read it. It existed for some period of time. By the time Karl clicked on the link, it had disappeared. Instead of reading the post, he saw this message.

Sigh.

So, here's a birthday do-over. 

It was a Good Day.

Tonight when getting Mr. C and Miss S ready for bed, I said to Karl, "You know what? Today was a good day. I kept thinking I needed to be stressed about something and then realized I didn't. I didn't need to stress about anything."

After Karl said prayers with Miss S, she said, "It was a good day." Definitively.

And again, when he left the room (I was breastfeeding Mr. C), she said, "It was a good day. Goodnight, Daddy."

Melts. my. heart.

While we all know that little ears hear everything that we say, it was wonderful to hear Miss S repeat those words. That I said.

Because...

I'm a perfectionist and a worrier...which has been exacerbated by postpartum hormones. Today was so remarkable because it wasn't really remarkable. It just was. And, it was good.

And, that is good.

Goodnight.

Potty Training: I Must Have Lost that Chapter in the Parenting Manual

First a warning...I'll be writing about poop in this post, so if that topic bothers you READ. NO. FURTHER! You have been warned. (I promise that it won't be graphic. This post contains no photos).

When we started taking the kiddos to Tutor Time (or TT as we call it in mama and daddy speak), I was a little nervous when a notice came home explaining that Miss S's class was going to be potty-trained together.

Nervous? Why nervous, you ask? 

Five Minutes in My Life

Where the Magic Happens

Mama: "Go potty and wash your hands."

Mama: "Go potty and wash your hands!" (with a little more emphasis)

Miss S: "It's too bright!"

The bathroom, that is. It's too bright for potty-ing and hand-washing. Who knew?

2013 in 1000 Words or Fewer

One of the blessings of this blog is capturing memories. I journaled very rarely over the past few years, so moments have passed that I'll never remember. That's ok...I don't need to remember everything, but I sometimes want to write something down so I don't forget. I probably write down about 80% of what I want to remember, such as sweet words spoken by Miss S, but other things slip away. I'm already thankful for giving myself the time to write.

Since I started my blog at the end of 2013, I decided to do the Cliff Notes addition of My Life - 2013 for anyone who might be interested. You'll never have to read the unabridged addition, and you won't be tested on any of the content. No need to write a summary or report, either. While most of it isn't remarkable, I'm learning that sometimes ordinary is more than ok.