Old Dog & New Tricks

Silent treatment still going strong on the home front, so, I decided to throw myself into other activities to keep me busy. 

This week my Doberman, Red Boy and I had a private session with a dog trainer to help me teach this 80 lbs. guy to not drag me when we go for walks. She was amazing! In one session she taught me that my dog is not hyper like how I thought but that he has high anxiety when out for walks. The smell of other dogs, the noises and all the commotion going on around him scares my gentle giant, making it hard for him to focus. I felt so bad! She showed me how to redirect his attention with snacks and praise. And it works! 

I take him on walks 3-4 times a day about 20-30 mins long and only up the street and back. Our goal is to get him comfortable with one street at a time then later we can introduce him to the next street. With one session he is a changed dog and I am so happy and proud to walk him. Though, he is not 100% "trained" but such a huge improvement. 

Since I sought out training for my beloved dog, I figured I'd seek out some help for my marriage as well. I've been vigorously looking for a marriage counselor that specializes in the areas that can help us. Yes, there is more then one area that we need help in. We have talked about it in the past but nothing ever came of it. Now thinking back, if we would've followed through maybe we would be better off right now. Well, no time to dwell on the should've, I'm on a mission. 

The search has been rough, I found one that I felt would be perfect but sadly, they aren't taking on anymore clients at this time. At least I know that I'm not the only one now. Haha. I spent all last night looking and started to feel discouraged. He has no idea that I'm searching so the next step I'm going to be faced with is telling him I made an appointment. How will he react? Will he be as open to it as he was in the past? Will he even be willing to save and grow this marriage? Regardless of his reaction I need to know that I tried. My silent husband and I need to seek help fast or just walk away from one another. If not then it will be the same disagreement every other month with no progress in sight. I don't know about him but that arrangement just does not work for me. 

My Big Red "Puppy" Boy

Is It Me?

How do I say this without sounding repetitive? How can I say it without not sounding like I don't love my family? I don't know but here it goes.

This is how it goes down, my son gets argumentative with me and I let it go. He does it again and I stay quiet. My daughter doesn't feel like she can have a normal conversation with him because he gets loud with her and aggressive and I tell her, "he's just a teenage boy, ignore it." He continues to be confrontational with me over the tiniest things and I still let it go. He gets loud with me again and my daughter feels increasingly uncomfortable and it pushes me to my breaking point. I finally tell my husband a bit of what is going on and he just tells me to tell him something next time. No big help but at least I let him know that I can't take much more of it. Our son gets mad at me for telling him to take a shower before school even though he mite be late cause he didn't set his alarm clock, this takes me below my breaking point.

The smallest things set this kid off. I can't even have a conversation or ask a question without him losing it with me. I can't joke with him because he takes everything so literally. I can't talk, can't laugh with him so when it's just me and him it feel awkward for me, almost like I'm home alone.

I have a close relationship with my daughter. We talk, we laugh, I discipline her, we hang out and most of all she knows how to respect me. I would love to be able to do this with my son but it feels impossible.

When I tell my husband about the latest blow up, he assures me that we will talk with him later tonight. But in the process he makes me feel like I'm the issue and that my feelings don't matter. He's always so caught up in who's right and who's wrong, throws my family in as if that has anything to do with what we are talking about, tosses in the two older kids and keeps telling me things can't be perfect. It feelings like arrows being thrown at me. So, of course I completely get unhinged and blow up, it's frustrating! Why bring my family into it? Why bring up the two oldest ones?

Alright, lets talk about it. My family is not a bunch of losers, people in my family are not disrespectful, my family doesn't cuss each other out, my siblings and I respect our parents and I can not say that for his. So maybe we should be focused on HIS family so that our son does NOT turn out like that. Our oldest had her many issues long before I came along such as lying to her parents, selfishness and being disrespectful (which is an understatement). The other one, steals, lies and goes AWOL. All these behaviors were there way before me, I just happen to be the person to not put up with it and for that, they do not "like" me. Perfect? To want to have a conversation without our son getting aggressive with me or my daughter is asking for things to be perfect? Perfect would be for the ex wife to fall off the face of the earth but I'm not even asking for that!

Anyways. Yes, he's a good kid. He gets great grades and is athletic but that does not teach him right from wrong, how to be respectful, how to treat one another or how to be an independent individual. His mom doesn't teach this because she doesn't want to upset him and thinks him being a "good kid" is good enough. And my husband doesn't because he is at work all day. So does that come down to me since I'm home with him the most? Or do I just leave him to himself?

I can't do the latter. I can not, not be a parent to my kids and not prepare them for the real world or help them along to develop those important skills that will get them through life. Why am I the only one that see's this as being vital to them?! If they don't want me to be that example and help teach him then do not leave me alone with him cause I can not sit silently and let this behavior continue.

Already I can see how this evening is going to go. My husband will come home and we will be distant. We will talk with our son, he will stay radio silent and have nothing to say. Later he will call his mom "crying" and possibly say he doesn't want to be here anymore. The ex wife will call my husband demanding to know what is going on and disagree about how we handled it. My husband and I will remain distant for the next few days maybe even week. Sadly, I've gotten good at the silent routine. I use to cry now I just feel nothing.

Many times I feel alone and depressed because of issues like this that we go through. After two years of marriage it has not gotten easier.

My Hopes For Him

My older brother has been blessed enough to have a girlfriend that he is in love with. This is great news! I enjoy seeing how smitten he is with this nice girl. She really is something special. You really must be if you come around my family and want to stick around after meeting us. Haha. But in all seriousness, my brother is getting up there in age and we have all been hoping that someone would come his way and fast. When this angel came along we couldn't have been happier for him. The only thing that makes me a little concern for him is that she has two kids.

I was raised by a single mom, was a single mom and have no issues with a single mom, however, since my marriage to a man with three kids, I do know how hard it is. Three kids and two different women in my life. If my brother's love continues to blossom he will instantly have, two kids and a man in his life. Like I said I have no issue with these circumstances but there is much challenge that comes with the instant family. Whether it be with the kids, the other parent or both. I wouldn't wish these challenges and heartbreaks on anyone but these days just about everyone comes into a relationship with kids. 

Seeing how it's so common these days, you think the parents would know how to better handle all that comes with the visitation schedules, holidays, birthdays, etc. I'm chasing a rabbit here, let me get back to my point...

I feel like I have had my heart broken in ways that I never thought possible and seen people act in a behavior that makes me think, is this is really happening? Pretty much, I just hope that my brother will have a better experience than what I have had. 

I hope his situation is more smoother, I hope that his skin is thick enough to handle any comments that are thrown his way that may be attacking him as a person, I hope that his heart is big enough to see past any challenges, I hope that his heart is strong enough to handle the sadness, I hope that he is compassionate enough to comfort when needed and I hope that he will be a great example to those two kids. 

I wish him and Miss "D" a happy journey to where ever it is that they are headed. 

:) 

Beaming With Joy

Every year for my daughter's birthday I get emotional and without fail I was a big ball of emotions on her special day. I can't wrap my mind around how amazing of a person she is turning out to be! I'm sure this is how most moms feel but for me this is different. I can be a pretty blunt person and come out and call it as I see it, even if it is with my own child. 

For an example, she's always been a  good kid, even as a baby. She slept through the night, never had a tantrum and always respectful but she was very shy. Her shyness drove me crazy! It was embarrassing, she wouldn't even say hi to family members that she knew her whole life. The only people she talked openly with was my parents, my siblings and myself. I worried that she would be an introvert her whole life. Not that there's anything wrong that but I wanted her to be able to speak up for herself, use her big girl voice. 

I even put her in softball for 3 seasons hoping that it would bring her out of her shell but nope she wasn't coming of for nothing or no one. It was to my surprise that when I brought her around my boyfriend (now husband) she opened up to him a lot. Even when we brought all our kids together after a few times she was playing with them. Since my husband has been in our lives my daughter has shed her shell, talks to all family members, speaks up for herself in public and is just a ball of energy when out in public. She has become a huge chatter box and all this is thanks to my husband. 

These days she just turned 12 years old, finished her 6th grade level and now going onto 7th grade early, has a little job with a family friend washing dishes, always talking about her dreams for the future and planning on a career, she amazes me! She is more alert and aware of what is going on around her and in the world than the majority of adults. 

From the beginning I said I would never baby talk her or down play her alertness/intelligence because she was a baby, toddler or kid, even at those ages kids are very smart and soak up so much. I wanted to stimulate her mind, teach her how to make good decisions, learn to do things for herself, all of this within reason of course and never not teach her right from wrong. And I am so happy to see that she has picked up on these common skills that will last her a lifetime. 

Her and I have come such a long way in the past 12 years, we have grown together and I couldn't love and appreciated her more!

Beach Life

For the past two weeks my husband and I have been childless and staying right on the beach! We managed to be an hours drive outside our city but yet maintain a 30 minute drive from my husbands work. Two weeks of coastal weather, no WiFi, no kids, no having to do nothing but relax in God's beautiful landscape. 

The first couple of days felt weird, I had no idea what to do with myself. During the day while my husband was at work it was just me and my dogs. The closest drive to be in an actual city environment was at least 40 minutes and that's driving on a narrow road in the mountains. After a few days I started getting into a healthy routine. I figured since it was pretty much just me, that I should focus on me. I took a 30 minute drive everyday to the nearest gym and worked out every afternoon until it was getting close to the time that my husband was coming home. Met some interesting people there. We went on a 3 day cleanse/diet. Both Sundays and Thanksgiving we drove back "home" to be with our family for their birthdays and holiday. 

Everything about being away I loved! The air, weather, calmness, open range and can't forget about the fresh amazing sea foods! Even when it rained it was perfect! It kinda felt like we had no responsibilities out there. We were living the beach life! 

Knowing we were going to be leaving made me sad. My husband on the other hand was abit anxious to get back home so that we could start settling down. I've always wanted to move out of my city or state and this two week teaser just made me want it that much more! 

Before anyone questions our parenting let me set the record straight. Our son stayed with his mom for the week she normally gets him then asked if she could keep him for another week to take him on a trip, then we would get him for two weeks straight. Our daughter stayed with my mom so that she could finish up her online course. Missing them goes without saying. But they aren't babies anymore they can manage a few extra day without us by their sides every minute. 

The kids are the only reason why I'm happy to be back. If it wasn't for them, I'd be long gone! Pack up my parents and my mother in law and hit the road! Hahaha! 

Now that we are back we can focus on settling into our new place, training my dogs how to walk on a leash and get ready for Christmas. After all the craziness we have been through the past few months and the natural beauty that we were surround with, I refuse to get caught up in the hype of shopping for the holidays. Gift cards for everybody!  Don't judge me. 

Our view everyday 

Can We Talk?

I understand that there has been a lot on our plate but as a woman I am an emotional person. A simple conversation that he seems interested in (other then sports, work or cars) makes all the difference to me. There are times that I am talking to him and I'm looking at him waiting for him to say something, agree/disagree, nod, something and it's like talking to a wall! I get nothing! Does he even know I'm staring at him waiting for a response? Is my husband the only one like this? 

This has been an issue for us in the past but it seems like it just becomes more common. When this happens I just stay quiet and tune out. I know he feels me when I shut him out and he doesn't like it. Maybe he'll catch on how it feels then, yea right! All it does is causes more issues between us. 

He use to be the romantic type but somewhere down the line he changed. 

For our anniversary I bought 5 date nights for us, put them each in envelopes and gave them to him. I was hoping this could take us back to our dating time. The dates ranged from massage classes to a murder mystery dinner. So far we've done 2 and that's only because I was bugging him about them. Has he asked anything about them since the last date? Nope. To be honest he's never asked about going on any of them unless I press him about it. Who is this man? 

I am very vocal about my feelings on all this to him and he just sees it as I'm "nitpicking," then tries to tell me that I'm not the same either. Of course when I ask him to give me an example of what's different about me, he can't think of any. We just got round in circles with this topic. 

I remember before he use to give me cards every Monday. No occasion was needed. He would hide them in my car for me to find and behind every card he'd either draw a pic or right a funny comment on the back that only him and I would get. And the flowers he would always send me. Everyone at work looked at me with envy that he would send them to me just in time for the last delivery to be making it's way into the trash. Him taking the time to make my day like this would mean the world to me! I saved each card he's given me and from time to time I take them out and read all of them. To be honest, it hurts when I read them. Where did this man go? 

I get glimpses of him but he never stays long. 

There is no shame in saying, hey, my marriage isn't perfect there are things we need to work on or there are somethings that I don't like right now. This just happens to be one of the things we need to work on and that I don't like. 

I want to feel like my spouse is not only willing to put the effort he once did to make me feel special but I want him to be happy to do it. Doe this make me selfish?

The majority of my Monday cards

Attacks In Paris

I was out running errands today when my husband called me and asked if I've heard the news. Naturally, I got nervous and asked what happened? He informed me of what was  going on in Paris. I couldn't dial into the news fast enough to hear for myself what was happening over there. 

To think that hundreds of families will never be the same after today, makes me feel guilty for taking my family for granted. Every night I go to bed with no doubt in my mind that my family will be here when I wake up and for years to come. 

Times like these makes one think. 

No matter what is happening in my life, good or challenging, I am happy to wake up everyday to the family that I have. 

My heart and prayers go out to families in Paris. 

Nintendo

Today is Friday, Sunday we spend the first night in our new place and Monday we turn over the keys to our "old" house! So much moving, cleaning, throwing away, excitement, fast food, it is sooo worth it! Not only are we moving but we are also downsizing, I cannot count how many 10 gallon bags I've taken to the Goodwill. My husband's niece's grandpa (I hope you can follow that haha) owns a dumpster company and gave us a great deal. A 20 foot dumpster for $200 is unheard of! We couldn't even have someone come and dispose of two mattresses for us for at least $400 and to get a dumpster for half that price, what a blessing! 

While I was dusting down the electronics in the living room I came across my Nintendo my husband bought for me a couple years back. The original NES. I started dusting it and debating about selling it. I looked on Craigslist to see what the going rate is for one of these systems. After my search I called my husband and told him that I could not part with the NES. Mind you, he's busy at work and here I come calling him talking about not parting with the NES, poor guy gets the strangest calls from me. Without, hesitation he tells me, "keep it baby, you don't have to get rid of it." Even though no one asked me to get rid of it or keep it for that matter, it felt good to have my feelings of not wanting to sell it confirmed that, it was OK to keep it.

Now I'm off to hunt down the Duck Hunt game and game gun for my NES! Cleaning can wait, Craigslist here I come!

My NES and my George in the background 

Words Hurt

A few weeks back I had a conversation with the biological mother of my son (please see The Biological Mom post for reference) and the horrible things that lady was saying had been playing over and over in my mind. The day after "that talk" my husband had a talk of his own with our son, explaining the reasoning behind the rules that we have at our house. He told him, that when his sister was younger he (my husband) let her do anything she wanted to keep her happy and now that she's 20 years old, she doesn't work, doesn't go to school, takes from everyone around her and lacks the simplest form of respect, he recognized that that was not the right way to parent. So now, he wants to have more structure, discipline and respect added to his parenting. Our son thought about it and after wards thanked my husband for explaining it to him. And that was that, between them.

Me on the other hand, I was still struggling with the things the bio mom told me that my son was saying about me. She even took it further by mentioning about going to court to limit our time with him. This was all too much for me to handle! I give everything I have to my kids! I do all that I can for them! I am the one who is spending time with them, not my husband and not his mom. And this is what I get in return? My son saying lies about me? But when he comes over here he wants me to take him here, take him there. This is not right in my eyes. I am no ones door mat nor do I condone such two faced behavior. Nope, not on my watch.

I wanted so badly to express all this to my husband but was scared it mite lead to a fight, this was eating me alive! Finally after a week and a half, I talked to him about it. I started the talk off by saying that, I was having a hard time and just need some encouragement. Then I let it loose, just talking about the situation I was brought to tears. This really rocked me to my core. My feelings were so hurt! My husband did good on uplifting me about our parenting together and that if she wants to go to court then she is in for a rude awakening. Here's this lady who's bf has called the cops on her for domestic violence and who's bf smokes weed, need I say more? This uplifted me, my husband was on my side!

The next couple of days after was even harder for me. Kids will be kids and complain, this I understand. But, when my son would do this to me it would frustrate me cause I wanted to tell him, "Hey just please do it." Before anything could come out of my mouth, his mother's words kept ringing in my ears. Despite the talk with my husband this feeling was not going away. My depress state erupted later that day with my husband, I left the house before an argument could take place. I went and talked with my family needing to laugh, needing to feel some type of joy cause I just was not getting it at home. I felt as if I was walking on egg shells so that my son won't go back to his mom and say more things about me.

When I went back home my husband and I talked, he had no idea that the root of my out burst was still do to this bio mom thing. I tried to express the true depth of my hurt. Somewhere along my venting he got it. Thank you Jesus! He went and had another talk with our son. This time, he confronted him about what his mom had said. Our son was truthful saying that he was upset about some of the rulers but that was before their talk about why we have the rules that we do. However, he said he never told his mom that he didn't want to be over here and that he never said I treated him bad or yelled at him. *Sigh* Then my husband told him, that when I ask him to do something just do it because I only want the best for him and looking out for him. And the best part is when my husband explained to him, that I do things for him because I want to, the stuff that I do nobody tells me to and I am not obligated. That part brought a tear to me because I everything I do is out of love and he needs to understand that. All kids need to understand that! 

This was the closure that I needed! Do I feel bad that we broke the bio mom's confidentiality by telling our son what she said? Not really because now that it is all out in the open we are closer as a family for it. I use to say that I respect my son's mom because she birth 2 of my husband's kids, that was before seeing how wicked this lady can be. I can honestly say that I do not like this woman. Her side ways comments, lack of parenting, her nosiness into my household and lies will no longer be tolerated by me.

I tend to get overly emotional about situations such as these, is it just or not, I don't know? All I know is that I thank God that my husband is supportive of me, our family and is no longer uncomfortable with addressing an issue like this. I feel closer to him, more protected by him and appreciated by him. :) 

Lip Sync Battle

Last nights Lip Sync Battle (please see Party Planner post to read about the details of this event) was so much fun! I am very proud to say that, I made it to the to the finalist round! Our son won the jackpot with his song choice of, Every Little Step by Bobby Brown and Candy Girl by New Edition. For someone who was reluctant about participating a month ago, he not only won $100 but was outstanding in his performance. He totally channeled Bobby Brown, he even took off his shirt and sang to the girls in the "audience." Last night was a moment that our family will forever remember. 

My family came over at 7pm, everyone brought something to munch on and we all sat around eating and laughing while some good party music was playing with the disco ball in full effect. By 8 o'clock we decided to start a warm up of Lip Sync Battle. We all danced around singing and lip syncing to, New Kids on the Block, Jackson 5 and my brothers favorite, The Thong Song, hahaha. Now thinking about it we probably all looked like a bunch of crazies. 

Battle started exactly at 9 pm by drawing names from a hat to see who goes first. I was one of the first ones to go and my first song choice was, I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred. Performing that song was a blast! I walked down a cat walk, threw my hat, took of my shirt (of course, I had a tank top underneath), I went all out and regret not recording it. Everyone had a chance to strut their stuff. There was a 5 way tie that had to be broken, competition was no joke. My daughter and aunt did an amazing job being judges, they took this task very serious and were fair despite everyone trying to give their two sense. By time the 5 way tie was broken by having to do an additional round and the winner from that one and my son battled it was already after midnight. It didn't even feel like we were all dancing around for over 3 hours. 

It felt so good to be with my family, laughing and dancing. As a teenager I would've never imagine "partying" with my family like this. I was always in trouble or getting into something as a kid but by my parents tough love, guidance and prayers I turned out pretty good and couldn't imagine having a party with them not being around. Oh how far we have come. :) 

I hope that this will become a family tradition every Halloween with my family and I. Something tells me that we won't have to wait a whole year for the next battle. I love my crazy family and my chaotic life! 




Song Choice
Mom: Can't Get Enough of Your Love by Taylor Dayne
Dad: Double Dutch Bus
Brother: The Doors (Cant remember the name of the song)
Sister: Living On A Prayer
Me: I'm Too Sexy
Husband: My Girl
Son: Every Little Step
Friend: P.Y.T 
     

Love Letters

The past few weeks I've been setting some time aside to do something that rejuvenates me. It helps me to continue on with my day or with whatever it is that I feel up against. With my daughter going to school online there's a lot of quietness in my house during the day which I don't mind but it gives me a lot of time to think. Sometimes good thoughts and sometimes disturbing thoughts, I feel myself wrestling in my mind. Even though I don't keep idle, I'm always moving around and doing something, I guess the quietness gets to me sometimes. Maybe not so much the quietness but maybe the lack of conversation? 

Being at my wits ends with a lot of issues surrounding my family life, I figured there's no where else to turn, no one else to talk to that can help me, so I turned to God. Since He made me in His image then I'm sure He's up for a good conversation. :) 

Everyday, well to be honest most days, sometimes I forget, I pull out 3 scriptures from the Bible. I do my best to not pick out random ones but scriptures that are targeted towards what ever I'm dealing with that day whether it be needing encouragement, thank-fullness, or strength. I'm not going to lie, Google is a huge help in my search! Even after finding these comforting scriptures I tend to continue reading, giving me more insight to the scripture. After I find at least 3 focused scriptures I write them down and on another paper I write a letter to God. In my letter to Him I write down what it is that I'm going threw, what I need (forgiveness, direction ect.) from Him, it's my letter to Him to say what ever I want in that moment. After writing, I go back to the paper with the scriptures and read them out loud, after reading them out loud I pull out the letter I wrote to God and read that out loud as well. My reason behind reading them out loud is simply cause closed mouths don't get fed. My voice and my words are powerful and I want to exercise and strengthen that power by using it daily. 

You can call my letters, prayers or even wishful thinking but I refer to them as my love letters to God. Not all my letters are roses and daisies but just like a human, He wants me to tell him about my bad days just as much as He wants to know about the good days. He is there for me to vent to, plead to, ask anything, seek guidance or to say thank you to. He is alive and eager to hear from me. 

Since I've been doing this I find myself looking forward to the next time that I can write to Him. It also helps me to remember that He's there with me through out my day. When starting this I wasn't sure what to expect or how it was all going to work out but now I expect to have my letters heard and answered because He continuously shows me that He is listening to me. I've seen my letters answered in ways that I still can not believe! There's no return to sender with these love letters. :) 

My Not So Happy Get-Away

It was a "fun" filled weekend. Usually my husband works Saturdays but thanks to my sister being a guest speaker at a charity event, he took the day off. We took the kids and dogs and loaded everyone in the RV to make it a fun little get away on the beach. If only it would have gone as planned. It was one of those times where every thing did not worked out in our favor. 

We left late Friday night, for some reason we thought it be more adventurous, which turned out to be the same as leaving at a decent time, in addition to being dead tired. We parked right on the beach and I'm still kicking myself for not taking pictures of our view! For us, nothing beats waking up around 6am, with a coffee, on the beach, walking our dogs, it's the best feeling every. With all the moving and bio mom drama, that moment with my family made me forget everything. At home if I get 5 hours of sleep I am grumpy but on our get-aways I can run off of 4 hours of sleep and be happy as can be, funny how that works.

After our over night stay on the beautiful beach, we headed out to another RV park closer to where my sister was going to be giving her speech. On our way we stopped in a big empty parking lot next to a gas station to check our propane. Turned out our propane level was just fine, so as we were driving out of the parking lot my husband and I are joking around, the kids are hanging out, the dogs are laying down and out of no where we hear a, CRUNCH and SCREAMING! We hit a car! Our 44 ft RV didn't clear the turn. Thankfully no one was hurt but the lady was an older woman and was very shaken up. I did my best to calm her. After we switched information, she calmed down and told us that she was so sorry for being upset. We reasured her it was ok and that it was our fault. She later tells us that the reason she thinks she was so upset was because her car was given to her by her mother so passed away 10 years ago. My heard broke! Could this get any worse?! We hit this lady's car, insurance will probably tell her to buy a new one, we had a little damage to our rig as well and now it's her deceased mother's car! My husband felt really bad and told her, that he use to own a body shop so if the insurance company tells her to buy a new one then ask for a check instead and he will fix her car for her so that she can keep her mom's car. This made her feel better and at ease that at least now she has options. 

Once we got back on the road my husband's confidence in driving this big ol beast was completely shaken. Thankfully our site was 20 minutes away and a pull-thru spot, no turning or backing up needed. 

Noon time we arrive, there's was enough time to hook up and or me to jump in the shower and start getting ready for this fancy charity event. As I'm getting ready I see my husband getting upset. I ask what's wrong and wouldn't you know it, more bad news. He takes ONE full Saturday off and it can't even be a peaceful one with out work drama. I do my best to calm him down but by this time its a lost cause. 

With no time to sit around and sulk, we head to my sister's event. My whole family was there, my brother and I are laughing and catching up, I'm mingling with real grown ups, there was a silent auction, the wine and appetizers were flowing. Everyone is having a great time. I look over and there's my husband being distant and lost in his own mind, my son taking after his dad and my daughter complaining about her hair being pulled up too tight in a bun. Are you kidding me? I hope no one else was seeing what I was seeing. I did my best to ignore everything and focused on my sister's awesome speech. She had also donated a cake that made it into the live auction and sold for $325! Despite how great it all was, I needed to get my family out of there before they all further embarrassed me! We left early and 45mins after we leave my sister texts me and says the news station just interviewed her! I missed it! My fussy family made me miss seeing my little sister get interviewed for TV, not cool! By this time I'm not even talking to my husband, this man is not on my good side. 

Next morning, Sunday, I wake up ready to express my disappointment and that did not go over very well. For the rest of the trip it was the silent treatment. This wonderful get away turned into a nightmare! By this time I wanted to be home and away from everyone. We get home and I decided before I left to my mom's house to watch my sister's interview that they recorded for me (since I missed it) I was going to let everyone know how disappointed in their behavior I was. I give all that I have to each and everyone of them and all I asked was to go and support my sister for one evening as a family and they couldn't even do that. To say I was hurt is an understatement. Right after I left. I arrived at my mom's but couldn't go inside til I got some kind of closure with my husband. I called him and sat in front of my mom's house for a good hour on the phone. By the end of the hour he seen where I was coming from and even though I could see where he was coming from, it did not make his behavior right and once I knew he realized that, I felt better. 

I watched the interview and it was amazing! My brother was shown, my aunt was shown, my dad's arm was shown and my mom's face was covered by a vase of flowers but I could still see her hair. Everyone looked so good on TV! Hahaha. What I would give to go back in time and have been there! My baby sister has accomplished so much in her short life and without a doubt am so proud of her! 

It's now Monday evening and looking back on the weekend, it was long, emotional but at the same time learned more about my husband and he learned more about me. The real sad part of the weekend is that out of all the beauty I was surrounded by the only pictures I took was of the accident!  : / 

This poor lady's mom's car

My Funky Chicken

Between the kids, moving, cleaning, cooking, school work, my dogs, I have to also tend to my chicken. Recently Miss Abernathy's companions passed away, RIP Abernathy #2 and Abernathy #3. I was really worried about her being lonely so I would keep my Doberman, Red Person, outside in the backyard with her. He's a gentle giant and the two of them have formed their own unique bound. I was considering getting more chicks to keep her company but I had a feeling our move would be happening sooner than later and wouldn't be able to take them all with me. 

Right now I am facing 2 issues regarding Abernathy. Issue #1, I can't take her with me when we move and have asked my parents to take her in to love and care for her. Of course I will still be seeing her often, cleaning her coop, dropping off her food and snacks. I just need someone to house her. My mom is on board but it's just my dad that we need to work on. I have asked him a year ago to please start thinking about having her live with him because there was no way I can take her with me and I just can't send her to a farm. I love her too much! My dad is coming over Sunday to reunite with Miss Abernathy. My hope is that when he see's her he will see her unique personality shine and instantly fall in love with her. Or I'd just settle for him feeling guilty and take her in, haha. 

This brings me to issue #2, she is molting! The molting process for a chicken is not pretty. Their feathers fall out and their egg production either slows or stops and hers has stopped. It's even common for them to feel embarrassed because of their feather lose. This process can last for months. 

How can my dad fall in love with my once glamorously silky smooth chicken when her feathers are falling out all over the place? Not only that but her falling feathers makes a bit of a mess in the backyard. We don't live on a ranch or farm, we're city people with a backyard chicken on our green, clean and trimmed lawn. I put up with it cause honestly, I'm not the one who cleans the backyard and cause I love her and her fresh eggs. But for my dad who's the one who cleans his backyard and doesn't understand the joys of fresh eggs, this can be a huge downside to Abernathy living with him. 

A huge plus for my dad taking her in is saving money on buying eggs. Eventually, yes she will start producing again but I need it to look like he's getting a good deal now not 4 months from now. How else can she pull her own weight over there?

Oh, Miss Abernathy, you are not giving me much to worth with. 

Well I have from now til Sunday to clean up the backyard, give my chicken a good ol pep talk and get some tasty snacks for my dad to feed her with. Wish Abernathy and I luck. 

Before and after pics of my funky molting chicken

The Biological Mom

This week I've had the (not so) pleasure dealing with my husband's ex wife, who is also the mother of his son. The conversation started with a simple schedule talk that turned into a bigger issue. She dropped a bomb on me by saying, our son does not want to be at our house and hates coming over here. Shocked is an understatement of what I felt. He's always happy to be here, smiling, helping plan our week together, where was this coming from? 

After talking more she comes out and says, he said it a couple months ago, well a couple months ago makes a whole lot of sense. A couple months ago he was being rude and moody towards me. Frankly, a couple months ago I didn't want him here either cause he was mean as hell to me, of course I didn't say that. What I should've said was, "read my blog because his attitude is well documented on there" haha. 

She said he didn't like the way I talked to him. I assured her that I have never yelled or raised my voice at him but I was firm with him and let him know that talking to me that way was not OK. I was brave enough to tell her that, I do not regret telling him that because while he's talking to me like that I have my 11 year old watching and I need to show her that it is not OK for someone to talk to me like that.  I asked if he has said he doesn't want to come over here again recently and she said no. 

It just strikes me as odd that she showed no concern about how he was being rude to an adult and that she even had an issue with us monitoring his phone use. Saying that it's not right to cut him off from his friends by taking his phone. I told her, he's without his phone for 3-4 hours out of the day, that's it. That seemed to just go over her head. 

She went even lower by saying, our 2 other daughters don't live with us and now our son doesn't want to, so we must be doing something to the kids. 

The fact is that our oldest is 20 years old! She shouldn't be living at home with us and doesn't even live with her either! In fact our oldest was living with us before she turned 18 full time and not going to her moms, until she got rebellious and moved out. Our other daughter (who is from another woman )lives far away. Which makes her statement not only irrelevant but nasty and unjust. I could have stooped to that level and point the finger about what's going on in her house and how her step daughter refuses to live over there but instead I just listened and corrected whatever lies (from my son )were being said to her. 

I called my husband, now I see why he doesn't like dealing with this lady. After telling him everything he was not surprised and said he wasn't worried about anything that she said because over there she lets him do his own thing and here there are rules. He did say that he will talk to our son to reassure him that we love him, we only want the best for him and we are always here for him. 

Why would a mother be OK with their child being disrespectful? Is it OK because I am "just the step mom?" How can she not be concerned as a mom about her son spending 8 hrs straight on his phone? Are we in the wrong? How does she run her household? What is wrong with this lady? How many more years do I have to deal with her?

I hung up the phone with way more questions and more disturbed of her thinking than my son saying he doesn't want to be here. Kids will be kids, I have not met one that will not spin a story in their favor or be overly dramatic. He's a teenage boy, it's expected. But she made it seem as if we were depriving him or torturing him without even acknowledging that she understood it's OK for kids to have rules. She seemed like her son was overly righteous to be having rules. 

Though my husband advised me to, "let it go," I couldn't help but wonder, are we in the wrong? Later that day I went to pick up my son from school, he got in the car happy as can be ready to tell me about his day. As I dropped him off at kickboxing, he exited the car with a smile and a wave bye. His positive nature towards me assured me that, yes he is a teenage boy that gets upset, just like anyone else but...we're OK. :) 

My husband and I are both in an agreement with how we conduct our house and raise our kids. We have seen positive results from the rules that are in place. We are close as a family, through the good and bad times. My husband said it best, "I'd rather he's disconnected with his friends for a few hours than disconnected with his family." 

Will we change our parenting because of this woman's two (non)cents? No. Will we keep an eye on our son's behavior? Yes. All we want is the best for our kids. Even if they can't understand why we do what we do, when they are older and parents, they will understand. 

Date Night, Paint Night

This week my husband and I went on a paint night- date night. It was our first time and it was a blast! We went to a place that was in a city next to us, which made it feel like a little get away. In our city it is so fast paced, everyone is always on the go, in a hurry, literally going til you drop. Even though the city next to us is about a 20 minute drive, it feels so much different. There is a more slower pace. People are strolling along. Horses are being taken for a walk on the road. Faces aren't bared in cell phone or tablets. Best of all, no one knows us. 

I got to admit I was a little intimidated seeing the picture that we were going to paint. We had a plate of only 5 colors to work with: red, black, white, blue and yellow. We were given two brushes to use, a flat head looking brush and a pointy tip brush. I felt like a real artist in my cool looking apron. Our instructor was hilarious, he definitely knew how to work a room. His jokes were funny and his music selection was the cherry on top.

It was all the right makings for a great night out with my husband. Then again I say that every time we go somewhere together. I can't help it, he's good company. We walked away with 2 very cool paintings that will be on display in our new place. 

If you have not been to a paint night, go, you will without a doubt enjoy yourselves! 

Moving On Up

My husband and I have been planning to move for a year. We have sold a lot of our items in our house over the last year, saving money, repairing our credit so that we can get the highest score possible and most importantly praying and waiting for God's will. 

We seen a place that we felt will do, it was decent, cheaper in price so we figured we'd qualify no problem. Got a call back and we were not approved. I was shocked! How can this be, it's cheap and we're settling for less than what we want and we still can't get qualified? We went to the gym to work off this let down and came to the thought that maybe God just does not want this for us or maybe we need to go cheaper? Obviously, we had no idea what was going on. Later that night we figured since we already got rejected one time that day mite as well aim high. That evening we put in a request for a place that was everything we could possibly dream of having. This is the exact place that we have been day dreaming about for a year. If were getting rejected then we're going to get rejected for something worth it.

The next day I was getting out of the shower going about my day and my phone rings. I didn't reconize the number but answered anyways. It was a man calling to follow up about my request, I thought, that was fast. This nice man gave me news that just about made my towel fall to the floor! We were APPROVED! First thought was, what and thank you Jesus! I had him explain to me exactly what "approved" meant just to make sure we had the same definition. Poor guy probably thought I was crazy. Haha. Right after I called my husband and couldn't help but scream out what just happened. Now, my husband is a very laid back guy, hard to get any reaction out of him and he didn't fail with this laid back approach. I'm over here jumping around and he's as calm as a cucumber. He later told me that he was like that because he felt like it was too good to be true, seeing how we have been let down in the past. 

Fast forward to almost a week later, we're signing the papers tomorrow and this weekend I will be calling our landlord to give our 30 days notice! No more renting, we are going to be home owners! 

Looking back, it's funny to me how we were  going to settle for something neither of us wanted but that's not the way God works. He wants the best for His people and that is exactly what we are getting! My mom tells me, "Don't you know you are the daughter of a King and you deserve the best." Momma is right again. Haha. 

The Joys Of Raising A Daughter

Call it woman intuition or wishful thinking but the day I found out I was pregnant I knew my baby would be a girl. I've had from that day til now to think about how I would handle, "the talk," comfort her broke heart during break-ups, deal with her hormones and help her along when she starts her menstrual cycle. These talks have been a ticking time bomb for me that seemed to always be right around the corner. Eleven years isn't enough time to prepare for all of this! 

The first of the series was "the talk." Not to brag but the birds and the bees conversation was as natural as the act it self! Haha. There was no actual sit down of a talk and the talk still continues to this day. Every time she wants to know something new or when I feel that she needs to be educated on something we have a discussion about it. I'm not one to tell people how to raise their kids, but this generation is moving fast and I feel the need to be on top of what's being paraded around everywhere. Caitlyn Jenner, need I say more?  

We still have a few more years til we get to mending a broken heart. This one may be the hardest for me. I spent her whole life protecting her and loving her and for some jerk to come and be so loosey-goosey with her heart will not go over well with me. See, it hasn't even happened yet and I'm already getting worked up. 

When the moodiness started coming I had to act fast! There was no way I was going to let this little girl get all moody on me, she was going to have to learn how to control it. We downloaded some books onto her Kindle to help her understand what was going on inside her. This was a huge help because it broke it down in better ways then I could have. The books also went into depth about maintaining a clean body, just all around great books.  

Preparing for the first visit of Aunt Flo, yay? I love that we have an open relationship so that I could help her long with this milestone. For the past few months we have been on, "period watch." It was just a matter of time and kept our fingers crossed that it would happen discreetly. Thank you Jesus, our prayers were answered! It happened in the comfort of our own bathroom while studying on online school! Poor thing had cramps for days. She tells me, "now I know why some times you just lay in bed and when I come in there to talk to you you tell me, step out please I need to be alone." Haha. Finally, someone is understanding me! After everything was all said and done, I have to admit, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Time to pat myself on the back. 

Communication is key to healthy marriages, friendships and even parenting. I combine a lot of prayer with communication to grow a happy marriage and raise kids that are ready to take on the world. 

Spare The Rod Spoil The Child

I talk about our two kids often and nothing about our other two, there are many reasons for this. My husband's oldest is 20 yrs old and she does not live with us nor is there much of a relationship between us. She is every bit of the troubled or rebellious child. It's hard to talk about her and not sound like I'm bashing her character but the sad truth is that she is not much of a moral person. We have done everything imaginable to help her and did our best to guide her to live a good life. It breaks my heart to see how she chooses to live and treat her family. I can only imagine how my husband feels seeing his little daddy's girl grow up to be this way and not have a relationship with her.

The latest was her mom calling my husband saying she hasn't heard from her in 4 days and that shes been a no call no show at work, prompting her to file a missing persons report. While her mom and grandmother were worried my husband was very calm and sure of what was going on with her. His prediction was that she was back with her loser boyfriend and took off with him some where and turned off her phone so there would be no interruptions. During the days she was missing her mom was going to her daughter's friends houses, calling her boss and in the process finding out how serious her daughter's deception goes. It came as no surprise to my husband or myself but her mom was really shocked and disturbed by it. She strikes me as being in denial about how or who her daughter really is. 

In the past my husband, her mom, her mom's boyfriend and myself have all sat down to make a plan of how to stir her in the right direction. The plan lasted only a week. It's hard because we can't make someone change or encourage them to do better when they are over 18 and can leave at anytime. She was brought up with a lack of discipline so now that there are rules it's foreign to her. Instead she chooses to live from house to house, or supposedly renting a room but in order to rent anything you need money and that's what she does not have. She sneaks living at my mother in laws house, the challenging thing with that is that she hides her there so that my husband won't go over there and tell her to leave. She's lived with my mother in law before and we thought maybe it'll work out but it just turned into her taking advantage of her 80 yr old grandmother and being disrespectful. What 80 year old needs that from a 20 year old let alone her own grandchild that she'll do anything for?

All the way around it is a sensitive subject. The only thing we can do is literally pray that she sees the error in her ways and that she is safe. 

In my teens and 20's I was not an angel, far from it to be honest, but I have always valued and respected my family. My parents never stirred away from disciplining me or showing me tough love. It is not easy to discipline but the outcome of it is so worth it. Now that I am older and understand why it was done I can honestly say, my mom is my best friend.

Party Planner

Next month I'm having my family over for a little theme party. I'm not sure if any of you have seen this show but it's the perfect theme for a party, Lip Sync Battle! I started mentally planning it 2 weeks ago and today I'm picking up an item for the party. We're all so excited for this party. 

Here's the plan, every "contestant" will buy into the battle with $10. Each person has from now til Halloween to choose 1 song, rehearse it if need be and make up some killer dance moves for their song. This is an all out  battle, anything goes, props, costumes, anything! Though one song will get you in the battle they will also need to have a back up song in case they make it to the final round. As of now I have 2 judges that will decide who will make it to the final round. Once in the final round the last two standing will have to perform their second song, which will hopefully be better than the first. The judges will determine who comes out the victor and the winner gets all the buy in money! 

Now that the rules are set I got to start getting my house battle ready. Later today I'm going to pick up a disco ball, yes you read right, a disco ball. ;) We are going all out. I'm still on the look out for a funky background that needs to give off the right vibe, something that says, it's about to get funky in here. This will be a great time to pull out our fog machine. My husband said that the fog machine can not be used cause that's part of his performance. Not sure if he's joking or not. My family and I aren't heavy drinkers, though I went through a time haha but that's a different topic. Anyways, we don't drink heavily but we will be needing some drinks on hand to help loosen up before stepping into our alter egos. I'm thinking jello shots. We're going to a get together this weekend so I'll make some jello shots for the occasion to give it a trail run. This is going to be so much fun! 

The song that I am choosing to do is the biggest secret I've ever kept! No one will see this coming, I haven't even told my husband and I tell that guy everything. Since the songs are picked I need to brain storm my outfit. "What to wear," is literally the question. Should I do a wig? Go sexy or funky? Microphone or no? Even if I did know the answers to all these questions I wouldn't confess on here, at the moment competition is tight around here.  

Salad Without The Lettuce

One of the things I enjoy doing is looking for new recipes. I love cooking for my family. If it was just me, I would live off of avocado sandwiches for the rest of my life with an occasional bowl of cereal, Honey Nut Cheerios to be exact. Tonight was just my husband and I so when it's just us two I'm able to make things that we wouldn't have when the kids are here. 

There's this recipe that I've been wanting to make for the past couple of months and today was the day that I was able to make it! :) 

It's a Chicken Avocado Salad, mmm avocados! It was super easy to make especially since today was about 90 degrees, way too hot for me to be cooking. The only thing I would recommend is it to chill it before eating. So here it is. 

Doesn't it look pretty? I love the way fresh greens look in food. I found this recipe on an app that I have called, All The Cooks. 

I boiled one chicken breast, used 1 large avocado, cilantro, green onions, 1 lime and a bit of light mayo. Mayo and lime? Yea, I was iffy about it as well but it worked out well. I tasted it after making it and was disappointed but after it was chilled I loved it! 

Just thought I'd share this real quick to get the word out about this salad. Try and enjoy! :) 

Experiment

This week we have been doing an experiment on the kids, bwwahaha, my creepy laugh, haha. I wanted to share it sooner but first wanted to see some type of results. In my previous posts I've mentioned about my son getting into his teenage attitude and always being on his phone. Too much of anything can be bad so it was time to take action! We decided that after school both the kids are to turn in their phones to me. 

Before I go on, did you know that kids can be on their phones at school these days? I don't know if it's just his school but yup it's allowed. After hearing this I started thinking, he gets to be on his phone at school then comes home, puts his ear buds in his ears and sticks his nose in his phone til it's bedtime? Keep in mind that I have no idea what he's listening to or watching. Another thing my son shared with me, is that his friends are looking at porn on their phones. I like to think that my son does not mess with that stuff but really all we can do is just keep letting him know that we trust him to not look at that stuff and trust his judgement. Trust is a huge thing in my house and he hasn't done anything for us to question his judgment.

OK, back to the experiment. After the phones are turned in they can use that time to do their chores, home work and anything else within reason til dinner time. It's nice to have their homework done before my husband gets home because after dinner we can use that time to hang out as a family whether it's watching a movie or talking (my daughter loves to talk). 

When we are done with our family time the kids are given back their phones. There is no set time as to when they get them back, every night this week it has been all at different times. One night they didn't get their phones til they fell asleep so they didn't really have any "phone time" at home. Another evening they got it back at 8:30pm. Now I'm a reasonable person, I had them helping me with a big cleaning project and they asked if they could listen to music on their phones while cleaning. I agreed but the rule was that they could not do anything else on their phones and no ear buds. My daughter can be so much easier at times than my son. He kept trying to sneak all this other stuff while wearing ear buds! I gave him 2 warnings and after that I took his phone away. My daughter on the other hand was able to keep her phone cause she followed our agreement. 

The pros of this experiment is that my sons attitude has been way better then in recent weeks. For my daughter, well she doesn't really have an issue with being on her phone a lot, shes more into painting her nails and wanting to hang out with us. I hope she stays that way! Downside, my son gives me a little mean look for time to time when he has to turn in his phone but it fades away after he realizes that it won't change anything. 

All in all, this has proven to be a huge success! We will definitely be doing this from here on out. 

Yesterday I was thinking how much your child needs you when they are babies. They need our love, attention and for us to show them how to behave. I always thought that as they got older I would be less in demand but it is the complete opposite. I find that we need to be more involved during the preteen/teen years than ever before. They need our love, attention and for us to show them how to behave still and will always look to us to not only teach but model right from wrong. 

Stay At Home Mom Melt Down

I use to be the kind of woman that wore heels (not just any little ol' heels but high heels) everyday, makeup perfectly done and my hair smoothly straightened. Now, that I have had the blessing of being a stay at home mom, my appearance has taken a 180. Let's get this straight, I do not wear a lot of make up in the first place and normally don't mind showing my fresh make up free face, the problems lays with this becoming the norm.

What I want to know is, is this normal behavior or am I just letting myself go?

I wake up, get my daughter started with school, start cleaning the house (sweep, clean bathrooms and do laundry), work out, help my daughter with school work, take a shower and rush to pick my son up from school. Once we get back to the house, I help my daughter with more school work, take my son to kickboxing, come home, make dinner and then eat with my family. When dinner is done I make sure the kids do their chores and try to catch up with my husband about his day at work. Normally, we try to take the kids to play basketball or spend time with them some how, after that it's bedtime and my husband and I are off to the gym. My goodness, my head is spinning just listing all the stuff that gets done on a daily basis, OK my point being, when is there time to do my make up and my hair? And where will I wear my heels to? 

To be honest I'm lucky if I'm in the shower by noon! Worse case scenario I'll jump in around 2 in the afternoon. So why do my make up, wasting my $50 bottle of foundation just to do house work, be a taxi and wash it off soon after? Yes, I know, so that my husband can come home to me looking like a prom queen. It just doesn't feel all that worth it when he is attracted to me with no make up equally. Like I mentioned, I'm not that bad looking in the natural to begin with. Taking a moment to toot my own horn, toot, toot. ;) 

Is this a crisis I'm going through? Am I not the hot woman my husband fell in love with? Do I still have sex appeal? Is wearing "mom jeans" the next step for me? Ultimately, it would be comforting to know that I am not alone in this. Yes, there are times when I go 6 days with out putting make up on and doing my hair but there are also those weeks when I do put it on and do my hair for the thrill of it. 

Pause. Be right back. 

I'm back. While writing this post I took a break to put some foundation, mascara and lip gloss on and I must say, I feel pretty damn good. I need to look at the bright side, my husband still finds me desirable with no make up on and at least I'm still shaving my legs on a regular basis. 

Why WiFi, Why?!

My daughter has been an official online student for one whole month and we love it!

We are able to make our own schedule that works for us, which we try to stay within the traditional hours of school. I get to be in the loop of what she is learning as well as being able to better help her with "homework." The exposure to the preteen girl drama is minimized, parents, you know what I'm talking about. Girls can be so catty. 

The downside is when the WiFi isn't working so well. This whole WiFi is a mystery to me, some days it works perfectly fine and days like today it's a headache! I unplug it and plug it back in, log out and back in, reboot the computer, switched computers, everything besides hit the darn thing with a bat! This is my only downside for online school. 

Technology, pffff.

The Dreaded Talk

The other night part I of the "dreaded talk" went well. Not so lucky with part II the other night.

No matter how I approach it, how I word it, what the situation is, I am always perceived as the one who is knit picking or being harsh. Every word I say is under a microscope. This is the challenge that I face and will hopefully one day, not. 

The teenage attitude has been going on for a little longer than I can handle. When it comes time for some type of consequences, since "talks" clearly aren't working, then, that's when things take a turn for me. I love and discipline my son no different then my daughter. Example: I recently I took away my daughter's phone because she was getting a little to sassy for my liking with me and did my husband have any issues with that, no. In my sons case, I'm talking about the next time he gives me an attitude or back talks me that I'm going to take away his phone, now it's an issue. All of a sudden it becomes, "let's give him warnings." As if a week long of talks isn't enough and not only that but comparing to my daughter, she didn't get any warnings. If a child is disrespectful to their parents there should be no warning. My kids know right from wrong and are raised to respect us, that is their warning.

Needles to say that part II didn't end so well. The real kicker is that my husband usually works Saturdays but took this weekend off and this is how we spend it? With distance between us days before our wedding anniversary? I thought we were passed all of this. Haven't we learned nothing? Why does it escalate to this every single time it has to do with "his" kids? 

Refusing to let this get the better of our weekend I decided we needed to have yet another talk, take two on talk two. Luckily for us, giving up is not an option. I don't care how many arguments we get into, one way or another we will figure it out, together! And that is exactly what we did. 

We agreed that, the more he is on his phone he does get crankier and phones are a privilege that can be taken away. The next time he gets testy when he is home with me, his phone will be confiscated and he will have to call my husband at work to tell him what just happened. With this new approach I will not be the only "bad guy." If my husband is home then he will handle the situation to let him know that he cannot talk like that to me. My husband is my hero. :) 

When you have kids no one gives you a rule book and when you marry into a blended it family it is no different. As our kids grow our rules and approaches change with them. What worked when they were 10, does not work at teenage years. This is not a lifestyle for the faint at heart, in my husbands words, 'if it was easy, everyone would be doing it." I am happy and honored to be taking this journey with a man that is willing to grow with me (and our kids) rather then giving up because the road can get bumpy, we will triumph together.  

Sleep Over On A School Night

I agreed for my sister to have a sleep over with my kids tonight, what was I thinking?!

My poor husband couldn't even watch his football game in peace with the kids, my sister, even the dogs running and screaming around the house having a water fight. My clean floors that I spent all morning mopping didn't stand a chance.

Doesn't anyone care about all the effort I put into keeping our beautiful hardwood floors clean? I mean, seriously, you can walk bare foot without dirt sticking to your feet, you can even act like Tom Cruise and slide across my floors in WHITE SOCKS and still be clean! Nobody? Just me? 

The shenanigans came to an end after I yelled at everyone over my floors being dirty. Make all the noise you want but don't mess with my floors. They made the mess so now they have to clean it. I still haven't been able to build up enough courage or patience to go and look at their mop job. I am not ashamed to admit that I like my floors to be mopped in a professional and detail manner, there is no way they could have pulled that off. 

Please tell me that, that's not round 2 I hear starting up...