Friday, February 27, 2009
Cleaning going well!
So far my cleaning project is going well. I was able to get rid of two large boxes in my bedroom. I hope to finish my room and the girls' room by this weekend! I have a lot of work to do but when it's all done, I know it'll look great and I'll feel much better! Wish me luck!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sweetheart!
This is Alicia. She is the sweetest little girl and is a great big sister! Alicia is a very loyal friend and has a huge loving heart! We are really proud of her!
Chocolate Monster
This is my Abigail, AKA "The Chocolate Monster!!!". The girls left Valentine's Day candy out and Abbie got a hold of it. She ate right through the wrapper!
Long weekend!
This weekend was a long one. Andy and I started cleaning out the garage. We got through 2 large boxes of kitchen cleaning products and paperwork. The garage still looks messy but we are well on our way. Alicia became ill during Sunday school and I had to take her to the doctor today. Turns out she had a sinus infection coupled with a cold. She's doing better now. I plan on starting my cleaning up adventure tomorrow. I'll be taking before and after pictures and posting them for everyone to see, EEEK! Oprah.com has many tips on how to get rid of clutter and creating a cleaner home. I also plan on taking the Oprah's Clean Up Your House Tour Pledge. If you are tired of staring at clutter and piles of laundry, books, magazines, and toys in your home, I suggest you decide to make a change. Don't wait until a Monday or the beginning of next month, you'll never start if you do that. Do it now! I'm starting tomorrow, when will you start?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
LITTLE MOM big world Introduction
I've been a mom for ten years. I was only twenty when Alicia was born. I was scared. Of course, I was happy. But I was really scared. I knew that everything was going to be different. My husband and I were engaged and crazy about each other after 5 months of dating. Two months after that we found out we were pregnant. We had hoped for a long engagement, but things change and that's O.K. I was attending college and was only working part-time. My husband was also attending college and working full-time. School became a second priority for us when Alicia came. We had bills to pay and in all of the excitement of being an independent and young married couple, we created more bills for us to pay, if you know what I mean. I tried to continue my education whenever I could and managed to complete an Associate of Arts degree. It wasn't what I had always wanted for myself but, HEY it's something, right?!
Well, I have three girls now (Alicia 10, Aleyna 6, and Abigail 1) and sometimes I wonder if I'm doing a good job as a parent. I'm at home now, but have worked full-time in the past and felt incredibly guilty for not being with my children. What I have come to realize is that as a parent you sometimes feel as though your part is little in their great BIG WORLDS. But to be honest, I have learned that we play the biggest role in their lives. It doesn't matter if you are a stay-at-home parent or if you work full time. It's what you do with the time that you have with your children that counts. Do you come home and become completely overwhelmed with the gigantic amount of laundry you have to do? Do you come home and realize that you didn't defrost any chicken and therefore have to eat out once again for dinner? Do you bring home your frustrations from work? Are you so disgusted with yourself and your inability to succeed that even though you are at home you can't get anything done? I've been there. I don't want to be there ever again. I want to spend my life making it count for something. Not only do I want to be a great mom and wife. But I want to be a great somebody to me! I want to do this now!
I had a list of goals that I wanted to reach by the time I was thirty. Well that time has come and gone and I obviously have not reached all of those goals, so I have given myself an extension. I have decided that now is the time for me to get moving on my goals. This is not going to be easy for me. And to be honest, some of it may not be very fun either. But I will reach my goals and surpass them. My list may change from time to time, as everyone's does. And that's O.K. I hope that you all will join me in finding who you really want to be and what life you really want to have for yourself and your family.
Below is my "to do" list, feel free to read. I plan on giving myself deadlines and strict rules. I will lead a no excuse kind of life. If I don’t' know how to do something, I'll learn or ask someone to teach me. I will post my exciting mom adventures and any advice I can offer daily, I hope. I can't become somebody I want to be, by sitting on my butt all day, now can I?! And I certainly can't expect to help my children grow up to be strong and confident people if I struggle with this myself. So I need to change me and my way of living. The rest should fall in to place and if it doesn't, I'll give it a little push!
To Do List (goals)
Lose weight (I'm about 30 lbs. over the weight I want to be at)
Get my home organized (I'm somewhat of a pack rat, especially when it comes to paperwork) Teach Abbie to read by the time she is two (She's pretty bright, just like mommy)
1 hour playtime everyday with kids after school (No Matter What)
Include husband and kids in cooking meals daily (This is good family time)
Limit my TV watching to 1 hour daily. (This is hard, I love TV)
Plant a garden ( I would love to grow my own veggies)
Learn to tile (I have a fireplace that has never been completed and needs tiling)
Write and publish my children's books (I've already started writing)
Start my own business (I would love to be my own boss)
Buy a home with in 1 year (Cash, preferably)
Take my kids to Disneyland/Disneyworld (I have never been there and neither have they)
Take my kids to visit all of the National Monuments (They should know where we have been and where we are going!)
So these are some of the many goals and activities that I have set for myself. I sincerely hope that you will join me in my quest towards personal freedom and offer any advice you may have as well.
Well, I have three girls now (Alicia 10, Aleyna 6, and Abigail 1) and sometimes I wonder if I'm doing a good job as a parent. I'm at home now, but have worked full-time in the past and felt incredibly guilty for not being with my children. What I have come to realize is that as a parent you sometimes feel as though your part is little in their great BIG WORLDS. But to be honest, I have learned that we play the biggest role in their lives. It doesn't matter if you are a stay-at-home parent or if you work full time. It's what you do with the time that you have with your children that counts. Do you come home and become completely overwhelmed with the gigantic amount of laundry you have to do? Do you come home and realize that you didn't defrost any chicken and therefore have to eat out once again for dinner? Do you bring home your frustrations from work? Are you so disgusted with yourself and your inability to succeed that even though you are at home you can't get anything done? I've been there. I don't want to be there ever again. I want to spend my life making it count for something. Not only do I want to be a great mom and wife. But I want to be a great somebody to me! I want to do this now!
I had a list of goals that I wanted to reach by the time I was thirty. Well that time has come and gone and I obviously have not reached all of those goals, so I have given myself an extension. I have decided that now is the time for me to get moving on my goals. This is not going to be easy for me. And to be honest, some of it may not be very fun either. But I will reach my goals and surpass them. My list may change from time to time, as everyone's does. And that's O.K. I hope that you all will join me in finding who you really want to be and what life you really want to have for yourself and your family.
Below is my "to do" list, feel free to read. I plan on giving myself deadlines and strict rules. I will lead a no excuse kind of life. If I don’t' know how to do something, I'll learn or ask someone to teach me. I will post my exciting mom adventures and any advice I can offer daily, I hope. I can't become somebody I want to be, by sitting on my butt all day, now can I?! And I certainly can't expect to help my children grow up to be strong and confident people if I struggle with this myself. So I need to change me and my way of living. The rest should fall in to place and if it doesn't, I'll give it a little push!
To Do List (goals)
Lose weight (I'm about 30 lbs. over the weight I want to be at)
Get my home organized (I'm somewhat of a pack rat, especially when it comes to paperwork) Teach Abbie to read by the time she is two (She's pretty bright, just like mommy)
1 hour playtime everyday with kids after school (No Matter What)
Include husband and kids in cooking meals daily (This is good family time)
Limit my TV watching to 1 hour daily. (This is hard, I love TV)
Plant a garden ( I would love to grow my own veggies)
Learn to tile (I have a fireplace that has never been completed and needs tiling)
Write and publish my children's books (I've already started writing)
Start my own business (I would love to be my own boss)
Buy a home with in 1 year (Cash, preferably)
Take my kids to Disneyland/Disneyworld (I have never been there and neither have they)
Take my kids to visit all of the National Monuments (They should know where we have been and where we are going!)
So these are some of the many goals and activities that I have set for myself. I sincerely hope that you will join me in my quest towards personal freedom and offer any advice you may have as well.