Make Plans… God Laughs

Wow.  Today on my memory feed on Facebook, a link to this blog appeared.  Honestly, I completely forgot I created this blog!  I started it shortly after I became a stay-at-home-mom with one little guy…

Life sure has changed!

I’m still a SAHM, but now have a 2.5 year old and an 8 month old.  Life is fuller.  Busier.  More frustrating.  Not as rosy.  A lot more chaos.  A lot more screaming.  A lot more “no.”  A lot less sleep.  A lot less getting done (hence no blogging for two years…).

And I realized today, maybe I’ve allowed myself to fall into a way of life I’m not too keen on living.  I look back at those happier blog entries and wonder, “what happened to her?”  She was so positive, happy, and full of joy….  These days, I just want sleep.  And quiet.  Quiet would be nice…

I read those old blog posts at 6:30 this morning.  It’s 4:30pm now…   The hubby took the kids to play at the neighbor’s house – and I’m taking a moment to myself to put into words what I’ve been thinking all day.

It’s time to start with a clean slate.

I need to find ways to bring joy and gratefulness back into my everyday, every moment…  I need to find ways to incorporate peace and stillness, reading and walking back into the daily grind.  I need to center myself again.

This parenting thing takes it out of you.  Big time.  Toddlers take every last morsel of life and devour it whole…  Leaving crumbs for you to gather in their wake.

Not anymore.  Mama’s taking it back.  (Not sure how, yet, but realizing how far I’ve strayed is a start!)

Maybe we’ll start here.  Let’s re-write that 3rd paragraph:

I’m still a SAHM, but now have a 2.5 year old and an 8 month old. Life is fuller. Messier. More unpredictable. Not as quiet. A lot more giggles. A lot more singing. A lot more snuggles. A lot less nights out. A lot less projects.  But more reading books.  More building blocks and knocking them down.  More pretending.  More trying new things.  More cheering and screaming with delight.  More splashing and spraying.  More garbage trucks, diggers, firetrucks, and lawn mowers.  More “Good morning, Ruby” and “Please and thank yous.”  More dance parties and singing in the shower.  

Life is good.  I just need to pay attention to ALL of it.

So here’s ten things I’m grateful for today, in this moment:

1. Hubby took the kids for a walk = Quiet.
2. This blog, and the reminder that it exists.  The reminder of who I was.
3. Sunshine after a storm.
4. Sawyer, the 2.5 year old, loving “parfaits.”
5. Ruby, the 8 month old, trying to pull herself up with such determination.
6. A four day weekend with the hubby home.
7. Decorating the house for the 4th of July with Sawyer, and adding decorations to his little kitchen.
8. Library visits.
9. Sawyer trying to help me pick out sunglasses.  (He picks up the gaudiest ones there, and says, “Here Mommy, these would look soooo pretty on you!”)
10. Naps.  Long naps.

Keepin’ It Real

Gross.  Ish.  Ick.  Nasty.  Ewww…

All words that were said and thought today…

I went downstairs to make lunch for baby and me – and there were ants everywhere!  Seriously.  On the counters.   On the floor.  Coming out of all the crevices in our oven and stove.  By the front door.  Near the door to the garage.  I even had one crawl on me from the COUCH!

Seriously.  Anyone who knows me, knows I am addicted to Clorox wipes – and my counters are clean.  What do these stupid ants not understand?

Hubby came home for lunch – and got to jump into helping me.  I had to laugh when he turned on the oven full blast, and all four burners.  As the ants raced out of the cracks and crevices, they were instant “crispy critters!”  Ha!  Got ya!  (And in the process, found out that our vent has a safety measure – it turns on automatically if things get too hot.  Huh!  We’ve lived here 8 years and have never seen it come on by itself…)

I avoided the kitchen the rest of the day.  Hubby brought home ant killer and has been cleaning behind and under the stove and refrigerator….  I cleaned all the counter tops and emptied and filled the dishwasher – in the midst of making and cleaning up dinner.  Not the way we thought we would spend this evening…  (And I have a constant case of the heebie geebies…  Sleep should be fun tonight!)

Oh!  And my diet has kicked into high gear.  Limited calories = limited energy and a sinking mood.

Gross.

On the bright side…

Lovin’ my hubby.  He’s good stuff.

Got some stuff organized today.

Sawyer’s playing Peekaboo!

I added a bit of peanut butter to my diet brownie – much better.

I have plans to go out tomorrow night.  There might be a glass of wine in my future.

Dad sent me a lovely text today.  Made me smile.

Watching our dog go under the baby gate makes me giggle.

My orange bell peppers are finally turning orange!

One of my best friend’s birthdays is tomorrow…  Thank God she was born!  I have no idea what my life would have been like without her..!

This little guy makes me smile…  Who knew baby proofing could be fun?

So there ya go…  Not everyday is paradise.  Some are just downright icky.  Sometimes, you just need to make a list and remember the good things.  And so what about those annoying ants?!  They’ll be gone tomorrow…  Right?

Please?

What annoyed you today?

Cup of Joe

My new best friend…  Coffee.

I used to be someone who could sleep.  I mean really sleep!  I could wake up at 8…  or 9am…  Take a nap in the afternoon.  Doze while watching TV in the evening…  Then maybe go to bed at 1am and begin all over again.  Man, I loved sleep!

Now, my typical day seems to be starting at 5:30am.

And there are no naps.

Therefore, coffee.

My husband has always made coffee to take to work in the mornings – and now he makes extra, and buys me yummy creamers, so I have a treat to start my day.  (He’s a keeper!)

Caffeine used to be my enemy…  Now, I can’t imagine a day without it!  Funny how things change.  I guess you could say it’s a new “vice.”

So what’s your vice?  What gets you through the day?  What makes you smile and “keep on truckin’?”

 

 

(And yes…  For those of you who knew me before baby – that is my desk.  Messy.  Piles.  Things to do.  The neat freak is at rest.  Life has taken over.  And guess what?  I’m good with it!  It’ll get cleaned up when it needs to get cleaned up…  For now, I need to go play “peek a boo!”)