ONE MORE TRY...MAYBE

I’m BACK….well sort of.  It has been a little over year since I created this blog and I think I might have post 2-3 times at the most, the last one being right at a year ago.  Most people would have looked at these numbers and realized they are obviously not a blogger and move on to something else, but not me.  Nope, here I am once again trying to become a “blogger” WHY??? Well for one, I love blogs and read them every day! And two, I want to find a way to really keep a record of my children and our family.  They are growing up so fast I want to capture as much of their story as I can.  Sadly I haven’t done a great job of accomplishing this so far but a girl can change…right?   

The truth is ever since I created this blog I have wanted to contribute to it in so many ways but just never did.  I thought about it all the time and would have the intention of actually posting a picture or sweet conversation I got to experience with my children but sadly good intentions are never enough.  For one reason or another I just didn’t do it and now here we are another year of no memories being kept or posted in anyway.  Don’t get me wrong…I take photos and post funny things my kids say on facebook but I’d really like to do more, share more, save more and keep more.    

Before I became a mother, I wrote all the time in a journal.  It was my way to release things I needed to release and hold on to the things I needed to hold on too, but that practice slowed down after my son was born and then stopped all together once my daughter arrived (sorry Levi and Layla but I’ll be pretty much guessing on most things related to your toddler days).  There was just no time most days, and when there was…there was no energy or brain cells left to even form a sentence, much less a journal entry.  So while we lived life each and every day…I did very little to record it. And I’ve decided that’s ok.  I am beyond blessed that I got to experience those years in the first place and...well that just has to be enough, because honestly, it was! 

BUT here we are, 7 ½ years later and I’m finally in a place where I feel like I can maybe manage this “record keeping” a little more and would ultimately love for it to become a natural part of my life, not only for myself but for my children.  Do I have more time? Nope, if anything I have less.  I currently work a full time (sometimes) demanding job, on top of trying to be a wife, mother, chauffeur, house keeper, cook, etc.  Life is busier now than ever before and I honestly I only expect it to get busier as the years go by.  Do I have more energy? Not even close! I rarely sleep like a normal person so I’m tried every single day of my life! But I’ve decided I will no longer allow myself to make excuses. Life is busy for everyone and in reality, most people I know don’t sleep like normal people either!

SO here I am (I hope).  I’m not going to guarantee this will work out, although I realize that’s major mistake according to 7 Habits of Highly Successful People but who cares.  I’ve come to embrace the fact that when it comes to stuff like this, I’m not a “make it work not matter the cost” kind of girl and tend to fall into the “maybe I'll try and see” category.  I suppose that’s why I’m not highly successful, but honestly, I’m totally cool with that.   I’m just finally in place where I think I can make it work, and...well that’s all it takes to make me want to try. So this is me attempting once again to enter the world of blogging…maybe I'll find a home here, maybe I won't, but I know that I'm blessed just to have another chance to visit.   HAPPY FRIDAY!

Here and Now…

Obviously I'm not the greatest blogger, since it's taken me this long to post something other than my introduction, but at least I'm finally posting something! My life is so very busy these days, but in all honesty, this blog is really intimidating me, so I've been avoiding it! I seem to be having trouble getting my thoughts together, not to mention, forming those thoughts into complete sentences so that they make sense to someone other than myself. I'm truly hoping this will become easier with time and practice but for now…please try to stay with me.

About six months ago I officially entered a new season of parenthood! Levi started kindergarten and I became a mother of a grade-schooler. I'm still not sure how that happened! It seems like only yesterday I was attending my first "Mothers of Preschoolers" (MOPS) meeting and trying to adjust to the sweet, overwhelming season of "new motherhood" but yet, I've spent the last week helping that sweet little "baby" prepare for his very first spelling test. WOW! Every night he has written those eight words over and over (he has trouble with his hand-writing, so this is good practice). Last night I handed him a blank piece of paper and called the words out so he could write them without looking or talking. He struggled with this the first go round, so we did is a few more times. He can get so worked up and stressed out when placed in a new situation without warning. He's a "planner" by nature (NO idea where he inherited that from), and absolutely loves to know everything about what could possibly happen, before it does. It can drive me crazy at times and I'm quite certain he lives in a state of frustration, having me as a mother….the person that "plans" nothing! J So this was my way of easing his nerves and proving to him that he could do it (before he had too). By the third "practice test", he wrote every word without asking me if it was correct first!!! I was so very proud of him and could tell he was very proud as well! This morning, on the way to school I decided to run through the words one more time. I could see his confidence rising with ever correct spelling and by the time we got to school, he was almost excited about his "first test" experience!!! As he was getting out of the car, he said "Mom today is going to be great day! I'm going to be the best speller ever, just call and ask my teacher later"! I'm not really sure that being able to spell the words cat, can, run, red, etc., qualify you to be the "best speller ever" but I'm so very proud of him! He has worked so hard this week and I just know he did great today!

I'm trying to prepare for another milestone that is fast approaching…my sweet baby girl will turn 5 years old in 10 days!!! She is so excited and talks about her birthday non-stop, to anyone that will listen, but I'm just…..heart-broken! How did she get so big so fast? In a few months I will have to register her for Kindergarten! It's just so hard to believe!! I was recently looking back at pictures of her as a baby. While they were only 5 years ago, I was amazed how much she had changed, how much we all had changed! In fact my life, our family, doesn't even resemble those images anymore. It's amazing to me how everything can completely change, without noticing. A small change here, an adjustment there, before long you look up and realize… it's all different. We are currently planning a triple princess tea party for her and two other little girls! It's going to be a local B&B and all the girls are coming dressed like princesses!! They will be served a variety of snacks and tea (punch), learn about proper table etiquette, and some other fun stuff!! ! I'm hoping it will be a lot of fun!! Layla is really looking forward to it!! It's so cute to see how excited she is and I hope it lives up to her expectations!!

I have big plans this week-end that involve a lot of spring cleaning and organizing (it's an exciting life)! I truly have no idea how we managed to gather so much "stuff", but I'm hoping that will no longer be an issue very soon! Shane was notified of my plans yesterday, so he moved the utility trailer into the garage last night! YAY!! I plan to start going through all the closets, cabinets and storage areas around my house early Saturday morning!! It will be a big job, but I know I will feel so much better once it's done!!

I made the decision some weeks back to run in a 5k March 19^th and begin training to do a half marathon (eventually). I really have no idea why I want to do this! Running is not something that comes naturally to me and it's not like I have a lot of free time to work on it! I suppose I had a plan to work it in somewhere, but apparently I've failed because I've only ran 4 times in the last 2 weeks! UGH!! I do have excuses though…I have the worst head cold and not able to breathe out of my nose correctly. Also, I seem to be struggling with a form of insomnia and currently living in a constant state of exhaustion, which is exhausting! But I also know that excuses are not going to run that race for me, so I suppose I will have to suck it up and get out there, if I really want to do it!!! Wish me luck!!

I'm trying to put together a small group Bible study by Lysa TerKeurst called Made to Crave! I recently read the book and absolutely loved it, so I was very excited when I discovered she created a 6 week small group study on the subject. I'm in the early stages of putting it all together but planning to start that towards the end of March!!

Right now, I'm in the middle of a 7 week Bible study by Priscilla Shirer called Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted! I've known the Bible story about Jonah and the big fish for as long as I can remember. It's defiantly thought-provoking and not easily forgotten, but has never really been a story I would have ever chosen to study on my own. I think this is because I felt that I understood the main point to be "you can't run from God", and so there was really no need…but that is so not true! While the whole "you can't run for God" point is there, this story is really about so much more and has taken me on a journey deep inside myself and the life I have lived. "What have I done when God has interrupted me and asked me to do something I didn't want to do?" "How many times have I ran, only to be swallowed by the "big fish" of consequence, in order to bring me right back to where I started?" I can honestly say that I never thought the book of Jonah would be a path to self discovery, but it has truly altered my views of life in general. It is truly allowing me to see that sometimes those "interruptions" that disrupt our lives, could actually be "divine interventions" sent by God, to swallow us and bring us back to the path he asked us to take in the first place. This idea has been a great struggle for me and I still don't believe that all "interruptions" are sent by God (some are because we live in a fallen world and others we bring on ourselves), but I do think God interrupts us when He needs too! I'm really looking forward to finishing this journey through the very small book of Jonah….hopefully with a heart that is more willing to obey and less likely to run!!

 

 

 

 

Building Roads...

Ok! I’ve decided I’m going to blog!!  About what… I truly have no idea but I’m going to do it anyway.  If nothing else, I hope this can serve as a place to document the happenings of my life, which are not that exciting but they are happening none the less. 

 

The fact of the matter is my memory seems to be slipping as fast as my age, so I really need a way to document the here and now...before it’s gone.  I’ve tried several things, scrapbooking, notebooking, post-it-booking…etc,...but all have fallen short of my expectations (which are not that high).  I always have really good intentions but then life happens and before I know it, I haven’t written a single thing down in months.  I seriously hope this will serve as my turning point otherwise; my children are going to grow up and realize that the memory lanes of their childhood are short ones.  So, in reality, this is me trying to actually accomplish the crazy task of documenting memories in hopes those future trips will last a little longer.    

  

Although, I will admit that  I actually created this blog some months back, but never really got around to posting anything, so it’s already not looking that great! BUT I think I’m finally committed (I hope) and ready to really embrace the world of blogging and capturing the moments that make up this crazy thing we call “LIFE”!!!  Stay tuned....