Oh to be a mommy! It's one of the most amazing and life changing roles in life. There is really nothing in the world like it; however, if you have yet to become one it's almost impossible to explain. I can remember all throughout my pregnancy with my firstborn, Landon, people giving me advice and telling me, "your life will never be the same." Some of the advice was sweet, some of it was rather annoying, and some of it was more true then I could have ever imagined!! (Especially the one about life never being the same!)
It's true. Mommyhood changes everything forever! And while so much of it is amazing and for the better, it is a major adjustment for most. If you are reading this and you are a mommy, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Here's what's funny though... having a another baby will rock your world just as much, if not more! :-) You may think you have an idea of what it will be like and you probably think to yourself, "I've got this. I already have one." But let me be the one to tell you... you think you know, but you have no idea. After adjusting to life with one kiddo, throwing another one in the mix is sort of like readjusting all over again!
Almost 3 years into this mommy thing, it's hard to remember what life was before I became one. Sometimes I have small memories when I go into a store alone and think to myself, "wow this is too easy," or when I'm in my car alone singing at the top of my lungs to whatever I want, turned up as loud as I want it with no one telling me, "my music please," or asking for a drink or whatever else! It's amazing what some alone time can do for mommies! (We almost start to feel like a person again and not just a mommy.) We all need that time, I believe it's very important for us, our marriages, and our children, but the hilarious thing is, when we are finally out and we see other moms or families, we suddenly wish we had our children with us or at least a shirt on that said, "I'm a mommy. That's right!! And I have a 1 year old and a 2 year old!!" Maybe you don't, but I do, and while I do love my "me time," I would choose my hubby and my children over "me time" any day! This is only one season in my life and I don't want to look back and wish I had lived it differently. I want to enjoy my days even the long ones, because while the days can be long, the years are soooo short. (Don't get me wrong I pray a lot too for patience and strength to make it through another day!!)
Mine are 20 months apart which means I had baby when my first was still a baby and while everyone's situation is different I think us mommies are a lot more alike then we realize and we've got to stick together!! With all this said, I thought it would be fun to write a little tips and advice blog for all you mommies about to throw another one in the mix. I'll be collaborating with a couple other mommies who will be throwing in some fun, silly, but also some serious stuff too.
Be on the look out for part II. You'll probably get a big laugh, take down some good advice, get really excited about the new bundle soon joining your family and maybe even get a scary glimpse into what your future will soon be!
*This blog post is all in love and for fun, please don't over analyze. I love my children and would not change a thing about our little family of four! God has blessed us richly and I would never take that lightly.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Mondays are for Memories - Remembering Lauryn
I've started and stopped writing this blog post about a dozen times this past week. I knew it would be a tough one for me, but I don't think I really knew just how tough it would be.
I still really have no idea where to start... so let me say this... one of my favorite people in the entire world, left it, 3 years ago this Wednesday.
I still really have no idea where to start... so let me say this... one of my favorite people in the entire world, left it, 3 years ago this Wednesday.
Lauryn and I met about 9 years ago. I was immediately drawn to her spunky, upbeat personality. She was kind-hearted, yet wasn't going to put up with anyone's crap either (my kind of girl). In a lot of ways I saw a little bit of me in her.
She started attending Journey's youth group the first year that I started leading a small group for girls. She joined my group and we soon had a "forever friends" kind of bond. I picked her up often to hang out, drink coffee, and talk life. Lauryn was one of the most honest and up front teens I have ever known. If she was going through crap in her life, she told it like it was. If she was struggling with temptation she would openly admit it. And when I called her out, she accepted it with love and made the changes she knew she needed to make because the girl didn't want to rob God of the Glory she knew He deserved. Lauryn was one of the most refreshing young women I have ever met! I could go on and on about the amazing qualities she possessed and still forget a bunch. I honestly loved her like family and saw her as a little sister and, believe me, I would defend her and protect her like one too.
I have so many fun memories of us laughing until we cried and so many others of us crying until we laughed again. If I only knew then how precious those times we shared together were. I had the honor of seeing her baptism and reading the letter she wrote beforehand to confess her love, acceptance, and need for her Savior.
I was and still am so very proud of the young woman she was growing up to be. When I attended her high school graduation I cried like a baby and hugged her until her eyes were rolling just like a mom would. At her graduation she read her senior bible verse aloud and I thought it was perfectly fitting to so many of the "life" convos we had together. It was from Isaiah 55 verses 8 & 9. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." She often thought that life wasn't fair, but she was always so willing to except her circumstances, do the best she could, rely on God, and to know that His ways were better than hers. She was wise beyond her years and such a rare "what you see is what you get" kind of girl.
As she started college and moved out we didn't see each other as often. We were both busy with "life." I was getting married, wrapping up college, buying a house, and starting a family and Lauryn was taking classes, working to pay bills, and growing and discovering who she was as a responsible adult. We still met occasionally and she was still always so honest and straight forward with me (something I absolutely loved about her).
The last time we met was over coffee at Starbucks. I told her I was pregnant that afternoon and she was so excited for us. She was going through a little bit of a rough time and I could tell she didn't want to disappoint me. I reassured her that she couldn't disappoint me and that "stuff" happens. I just wish I had hugged her a little tighter, told her how much I loved her and how very proud of her I was that last time we said goodbye.
March 29th, 2008. I can remember it like it was yesterday and yet, sometimes I see it all as a blur. It was a Sunday morning and I was getting ready for church. My cell phone rang and it was one of my best friends, Jill. She was calling to see if I had heard about Lauryn. I had not. Lauryn worked for Chic-fil-A and was helping open a new location in Miami. She worked the week and missed her family so much she decided to drive home on Saturday night even though she had to be back by Monday morning. Jill told me that Lauryn was in a pretty bad car accident while on her way home, was currently on life support, and was not doing well. As far as she knew Lauryn was unresponsive. In my mind, none of that mattered. She was a fighter and was going to make it. I had settled on that. I was shakin' up sure, but not distraught because there was no doubt in my mind that she would pull through. First, I prayed and prayed for God to heal her. Then, I remember calling Julie, another amazing young woman I have had the privilege to lead and told her what happened. She was in countless small groups with Lauryn, shared her room and her heart with Lauryn on summer trips, and loved her very much too. Julie was of course upset too, but like me, felt as though Lauryn was too strong not to make it through.
I carried on with my day not too worried until that evening, when everything changed. I got the news that even after surgery (to release the pressure on her brain), Lauryn was not responding. Her family had made the tough decision to remove her from life support the next morning. I lost it. I was a mess. I had always been one to hold it together and at least put on a smile until I was in the privacy of my own house, but I was wrecked. I was in shock and denial and I was mad. Mad that it happened and mad that she was not being healed. I was even mad that her family had decided to take her off of life support. I felt like it was too soon, like she just needed some time. I have since realized that her family of course had more information and I'm certain their decision was not without prayerful consideration and guidance. I've changed a lot since those days, I've gained a lot more knowledge about life and that sometimes His will is not our will and like her senior bible verse says, "His ways are not ours."
Her funeral was on my birthday and while selfishly, I really didn't want it to be on that day, I could not have thought of a better place to be that day then to be celebrating the life of someone amazing.
Oh how I miss Lauryn and wish we could do lunch tomorrow. She was something special and I will forever remember the amazing young woman she was.
Monday, March 21, 2011
The "One Parent Thing"
Well here I am. Day 6 of doing the "one parent thing," as Tonya, my friend and military wife calls it. It only takes one trip to Matt's facebook page to see how much we miss our man. What's pretty awesome though is, we're doing great, much better then I thought we would! Kids have been fabulous and excluding night 1... they've been sleeping amazing! The support and prayers are being felt around here and we are so thankful for the people in our lives who have been loving on us in so many ways.
We've been keeping pretty busy but we've also been spending a lot of time at home. What's really weird is that the house is actually clean! Well, "I have two kids 2 and under" clean. We won't attest that to the absence of Daddy, but it sure makes me wonder... j/k honey! :)
I kind of made a decision at the beginning of this journey into the "one parent thing," that I would more than just survive these 10 days. I wanted to be able to look back and say, "you know what, I did it and I enjoyed it, and I could do it again." Now, it's only day 6, but I am feeling that way thus far. I'm not going to lie, this has not been easy! There have been moments when I just need a minute! And there have been a few car rides, because honestly, sometimes you just gatta strap em' in their car seats and drive straight to Starbucks!! I'll admit to doing that 3 times so far, but I still have at least 2 more cups of coffee waiting for me on a gift card so we'll see what my totals look like at the end of this journey.
I will confess, I miss my husband and I miss him for more than just the help he is to me around this place. I miss his company and his silly-ness, his warmth and his touch, and I totally miss seeing him in his Daddy role.
It's only 10 days and I know there are so many wives around the world that have to say goodbye for weeks, months, and years at a time, and those woman have been added to my prayers!!! The sacrifices that families in the military make amaze me, and to all of those families I am grateful.
This time for me has opened my eyes to how much God can make up for all we are lacking especially as parents (even if it is your other half) if we rely on Him to do it. I'm also a lot more aware of just how strong I am and that with prayer, patience, coffee, and more prayer, I can just about do anything (even be alone for 10 days with a sassy, determined, nutty "just like her mama" almost 1 year old and a 2 year old who is starting to enter the, "I know better than mommy" stage).
Part of it for me too is knowing that Matt is somewhere with purpose. He's not just on vacation or something. He's part of a team who is working hard to help change lives. I'm so proud of him for the work he is doing and the sacrifices that he has made to be where he is now. He's an amazing man and we will support him in every way we can. I feel like one of the best ways for me to show him that support is by making sure he knows his family is safe, happy, and taken care of. And we truly are thanks to good family, friends, and a body of believers who loves us like their own. When I married Matt, I was all in and when you marry a pastor, this is the kind of thing you are signing up for (and many other things too)!!!
All in all, like the famous quote says, "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" has held true to me, but I will have to give the glory to God on this one. He has seen me through and I'm confident that we're going to make it another 4 days! His power is unending and He is faithful.
Can't wait to see you honey! We love and miss you!!
We've been keeping pretty busy but we've also been spending a lot of time at home. What's really weird is that the house is actually clean! Well, "I have two kids 2 and under" clean. We won't attest that to the absence of Daddy, but it sure makes me wonder... j/k honey! :)
I kind of made a decision at the beginning of this journey into the "one parent thing," that I would more than just survive these 10 days. I wanted to be able to look back and say, "you know what, I did it and I enjoyed it, and I could do it again." Now, it's only day 6, but I am feeling that way thus far. I'm not going to lie, this has not been easy! There have been moments when I just need a minute! And there have been a few car rides, because honestly, sometimes you just gatta strap em' in their car seats and drive straight to Starbucks!! I'll admit to doing that 3 times so far, but I still have at least 2 more cups of coffee waiting for me on a gift card so we'll see what my totals look like at the end of this journey.
I will confess, I miss my husband and I miss him for more than just the help he is to me around this place. I miss his company and his silly-ness, his warmth and his touch, and I totally miss seeing him in his Daddy role.
It's only 10 days and I know there are so many wives around the world that have to say goodbye for weeks, months, and years at a time, and those woman have been added to my prayers!!! The sacrifices that families in the military make amaze me, and to all of those families I am grateful.
This time for me has opened my eyes to how much God can make up for all we are lacking especially as parents (even if it is your other half) if we rely on Him to do it. I'm also a lot more aware of just how strong I am and that with prayer, patience, coffee, and more prayer, I can just about do anything (even be alone for 10 days with a sassy, determined, nutty "just like her mama" almost 1 year old and a 2 year old who is starting to enter the, "I know better than mommy" stage).
Part of it for me too is knowing that Matt is somewhere with purpose. He's not just on vacation or something. He's part of a team who is working hard to help change lives. I'm so proud of him for the work he is doing and the sacrifices that he has made to be where he is now. He's an amazing man and we will support him in every way we can. I feel like one of the best ways for me to show him that support is by making sure he knows his family is safe, happy, and taken care of. And we truly are thanks to good family, friends, and a body of believers who loves us like their own. When I married Matt, I was all in and when you marry a pastor, this is the kind of thing you are signing up for (and many other things too)!!!
All in all, like the famous quote says, "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" has held true to me, but I will have to give the glory to God on this one. He has seen me through and I'm confident that we're going to make it another 4 days! His power is unending and He is faithful.
Can't wait to see you honey! We love and miss you!!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Time
It's almost March and I haven't blogged once in February yet! I just can't seem to find the time anymore! Don't get me wrong I have things to say and to write about and I often say to myself, "I should blog about that," but I've got my priorities and I'm sticking to them.
Last time I wrote I mentioned that I joined a Bible study and that I've really been making an effort to keep up with the house and to spend quality time with the ones I love. Since then, I've also made a commitment to get this booty in shape and I must admit, I'm kicking some butt! Today I write to you 10 pounds lighter then I was the last time I blogged and I have to say, I feel so much better already! I've got another 15 pounds to reach my goal and about another 40 days to do it. My goal will bring me right to my sweet princesses' 1st birthday and to my 27th!
It's amazing how much changes in just 1 year. A year ago tomorrow was my baby shower and Monday would put me a year from my preterm labor, my lovely hospital stay, and the news I'd be on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. Those were some of the most challenging days of our lives, but He saw us through and for that we are thankful.
We've had many more challenges over the course of this year, but God is GOOD and He has been so good to us.
This year He has taught me so much about time. How precious it is and how what you choose to do with it will affect the fruit you produce.
Now that I have 2 little ones my eyes have been opened wide to just how important the time I have with them is. They're little now, but they are growing fast and before I know it my influence will be a thing of the past. I don't want to waste a second of the time I have with them now especially on things that are so not important.
I've also realized how important taking time for myself is. Before children, I had no idea what it meant to be fully responsible for someone other than myself. I quickly learned how a baby changes everything, especially in the area of time. Gone are the days of spontaneous movie dates with my hubby or sleeping in or napping or doing whatever I want whenever I want to do it! It is important however for mommies everywhere to have a bit of "me time" to keep the sanity and to keep the person who was before "mommy" alive. How refreshed I feel this week after getting out for Bible study, exercise, and date night!
Finally, I've really started to think about how short our time is. We've heard it before, "life's a vapor," but I don't think we really grasp that in the everyday grind of our lives. The days can be long, but the years are fast and while 27 may be "young" in the eyes of the world, my life is flying by! I can hardly believe I'm a wife and mommy. I still feel 18 (until the end of the day when I crash)!! Ultimately though, I want to make my little life count for something bigger than myself and to do that I've got to live for something other than myself. In the words of Beth Moore, "I want to live in such a way that it would cause others to be surprised to find me any other place then "in Him."
I'm not sure what you do with your time or what you think of the time you have, but we've all got a limited amount of it and realizing that often helps us use it wisely.
I do hope to find the time to blog more often, but like I've said, the time I've been given is precious and at the end of my life I don't want regrets. I want to be able to look back and say I used the time I had wisely.
Happy Weekend All!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Mondays are for Memories
Side note: I'm totally slacking here. I've just been so busy being wife/mommy/homemaker/etc... And I actually feel like I'm doing a pretty good job! Chandler Rae is on the move and is INTO EVERYTHING! I can't take my eyes off of the girl for even a second and we've been really trying to be active so we've been spending a lot of time at the park or outside. Amazingly, I've been keeping up with the house work too and for once, I don't feel like it's swallowing me whole! What's more... I actually joined a bible study (yes, that's right folks, I'm doing something for myself)! Even crazier... I've been reading! Do you even know who I am anymore!?! There just hasn't been enough hours in the day for blogging around here, but at the request of one of my fellow SAHMs I'm trying to work it back into the schedule! This is for you girl!
With that being said... Mondays are for memories and today I'm remembering a day when I once served like crazy for the youth at Journey.
Long story short... I didn't grow up in church, but I started attending (and I use the term attending loosely) my freshman year of high school. It wasn't until my Junior year though that I was 100% sold out for God and his plan for my life. I didn't know much about the Bible, but I knew I wanted to be a part of a story bigger than myself and I wasn't looking back! After high school, I got right into serving in elementary and middle school at church and once I entered into my sophomore year of college I started serving the high school youth.
My time as a "high school sponsor" (aka small group leader and someone for the kids to count on and trust) helped mold me into the person I am today. God grew me and used me in ways I never imagined He could. Some of my favorite times came in a tiny little room in the children's wing of our church with a room full of girls sitting in tiny chairs at a little table with Bibles in hand and hearts open. The memories made and talks had will always be in my heart. I will admit, the job was not always easy! I was stretched, challenged, and sometimes exhausted after long nights in group discussing questions about God and life that I sometimes couldn't answer. I was sometimes emotionally drained after road trips and conferences or dealing with the "drama" that can happen in a youth group, I was sometimes disappointed in decisions made and consequences that followed, but I wouldn't trade a second of the time spent with my girls.
It's crazy now to see the journey's they've all taken and are still on. A few are married and a couple, now moms. Some are in college or pursuing their dreams while others are struggling through life still searching for their calling. Some of the girls I'm still close with, when we talk, it's as if we talk everyday. Others I see on facebook and share comments here and there with. More of them than I'd like, I don't see or talk to at all and that makes me sad. One of them is no longer with us and I'm still in shock over her death. I still love and miss her and wish so badly I could tell her how proud of her I was. Some of my girls are still as in love with their Savior as they were years ago and others have walked away or taken a different path in life. Regardless of where they are now or what they're doing now there will always be a place in my heart just for them.
While these days I'm wife, mommy, and homemaker and unable to serve as a sponsor, I still feel I'm a role model to the girls currently in our high school youth group. I'm not able to have late night convos, or lead bible studies or attend most trips, but I feel that I'm showing them how to be a Proverbs 31 woman (or at least how to try). One day my schedule will open up again and I'll be free to lead and serve and while I miss it so much I know that I'm serving my husband and my children by being the best wife and mommy I can be and I can't get this time with them back!
I'm learning everyday to embrace the season of life I'm in and today I remembered how sweet one season was.
Happy Monday Everyone!
I will hopefully return for more blogging soon. :) Love you, Jill!
With that being said... Mondays are for memories and today I'm remembering a day when I once served like crazy for the youth at Journey.
Long story short... I didn't grow up in church, but I started attending (and I use the term attending loosely) my freshman year of high school. It wasn't until my Junior year though that I was 100% sold out for God and his plan for my life. I didn't know much about the Bible, but I knew I wanted to be a part of a story bigger than myself and I wasn't looking back! After high school, I got right into serving in elementary and middle school at church and once I entered into my sophomore year of college I started serving the high school youth.
My time as a "high school sponsor" (aka small group leader and someone for the kids to count on and trust) helped mold me into the person I am today. God grew me and used me in ways I never imagined He could. Some of my favorite times came in a tiny little room in the children's wing of our church with a room full of girls sitting in tiny chairs at a little table with Bibles in hand and hearts open. The memories made and talks had will always be in my heart. I will admit, the job was not always easy! I was stretched, challenged, and sometimes exhausted after long nights in group discussing questions about God and life that I sometimes couldn't answer. I was sometimes emotionally drained after road trips and conferences or dealing with the "drama" that can happen in a youth group, I was sometimes disappointed in decisions made and consequences that followed, but I wouldn't trade a second of the time spent with my girls.
It's crazy now to see the journey's they've all taken and are still on. A few are married and a couple, now moms. Some are in college or pursuing their dreams while others are struggling through life still searching for their calling. Some of the girls I'm still close with, when we talk, it's as if we talk everyday. Others I see on facebook and share comments here and there with. More of them than I'd like, I don't see or talk to at all and that makes me sad. One of them is no longer with us and I'm still in shock over her death. I still love and miss her and wish so badly I could tell her how proud of her I was. Some of my girls are still as in love with their Savior as they were years ago and others have walked away or taken a different path in life. Regardless of where they are now or what they're doing now there will always be a place in my heart just for them.
While these days I'm wife, mommy, and homemaker and unable to serve as a sponsor, I still feel I'm a role model to the girls currently in our high school youth group. I'm not able to have late night convos, or lead bible studies or attend most trips, but I feel that I'm showing them how to be a Proverbs 31 woman (or at least how to try). One day my schedule will open up again and I'll be free to lead and serve and while I miss it so much I know that I'm serving my husband and my children by being the best wife and mommy I can be and I can't get this time with them back!
I'm learning everyday to embrace the season of life I'm in and today I remembered how sweet one season was.
Happy Monday Everyone!
I will hopefully return for more blogging soon. :) Love you, Jill!
Friday, January 14, 2011
WORD TO YOU MOMS. some humorous advice about daddies
My husband is the best daddy in the world to our two children, Landon (2 years old) and Chandler (9 months, going on 9 years). He is also an awesome husband who would do anything for me and does everyday (like going grocery shopping with me and the kids after he got home from work today and then helping me clean up our very messy [now clean] kitchen)! He pretty much rocks! With that being said, it is a fact that God created men and woman differently, so what that also means is that he created mommies and daddies differently too. And that my friends, is what my silly but so true advice is about today.
We'll just call this... things that all mommies should understand about daddies...
1. Daddies don't know how to be quiet. They make a good effort after being SHHHHed at, but they are not nearly as crazy as mommies when it comes to noise. Mommies will do everything from holding in sneezes to leaving toilets unflushed (even when they should really be flushed) just to keep a napping baby asleep. Tip: Use a white noise machine or fan for white noise. Landon sleeps like a rock through almost anything. Chandler not so much.
2. Daddies are not wired to multitask. It's not that they wouldn't want to, but they just can't. Mommies can make lunch while entertaining the kids, feed them, and then clean up the mess all within 20 minutes. Daddies usually don't work that way, so be happy if your kids get fed and clean up the mess with a smile knowing that your man is doing a great job being a daddy!
3. If your husband offers to watch the kids for you so you can get out be happy! Don't expect the house to be clean when you return. In fact, expect it to look like a DISASTER ZONE, but just be happy your kids are alive when you return. Consider it a bonus if they have fresh diapers and smiles on their faces. And really who are you kidding anyway, the house is pretty much always a DISASTER ZONE anyway.
4. Most daddies are not bothered by a house that is not sparkling. Our daddy is not bothered by a house that looks like a tornado made an appearance. Mommies, on the other hand, start twitching when the house looks awry, the laundry is piled up and the trash can be smelled from across the street! Look on the bright side, at least he's not going around the house doing dust checks or breathing down your neck to get your clean on and be sure to be appreciative if he helps out with the cleaning around the house! My hubby chips in by washing and sometimes folding the laundry and taking the trash out every week. He also helps in other areas whenever he can. It still makes my skin crawl when he leaves shoes in the middle of the floor, but I try not to say anything. If that's all I have to deal with, I'll take it.
5. If you are a stay at home mom (SAHM), sometimes it's hard for daddies to understand that you worked your booty off all day, probably even harder then people who have full time jobs! If you are a mom with a full time job, I surely hope he cuts you some slack!! If your husband is like mine he is always amazing enough to come home and immediately help with the kids. Most nights he helps with baths and bedtime too. I have to admit it might be hard to see what we SAHMs do all day especially when the house sometimes is more of a wreck when daddy gets home then when he left, but we know how hard we work! All it would take is one 10 hour day in our shoes though, and they'd quickly get it.
6. Daddies have the amazing ability to tune out whining and crying. I have to admit, I'm jealous of this one. In the car, Landon could be whining for "his music" or Chandler crying because she wants out of her seat and it doesn't phase Matt at all. Me on the other hand, I can't focus on anything else except for the kids. Forget having a conversation with me. All I can think about is getting out of the car and rescuing Chandler from her car seat. As far as the whining goes... it must come to a stop. Mommy is not a fan and concentration is nearly impossible when whining is present.
There are probably more, but I'll stop here. For the record, this is all in love and just for fun! I had my hubby read this before posting just to make sure he was not offended. I also know that this does not apply to everyone's daddy. I happen to know though that there are at least a few of you who can agree with most of what I posted because we share stories together often. I also happen to know we love our husbands and the daddies they are.
Feel free to add more to the list!! Please do not feel free to make a Jesus Juke!
Happy Friday all!!
We'll just call this... things that all mommies should understand about daddies...
1. Daddies don't know how to be quiet. They make a good effort after being SHHHHed at, but they are not nearly as crazy as mommies when it comes to noise. Mommies will do everything from holding in sneezes to leaving toilets unflushed (even when they should really be flushed) just to keep a napping baby asleep. Tip: Use a white noise machine or fan for white noise. Landon sleeps like a rock through almost anything. Chandler not so much.
2. Daddies are not wired to multitask. It's not that they wouldn't want to, but they just can't. Mommies can make lunch while entertaining the kids, feed them, and then clean up the mess all within 20 minutes. Daddies usually don't work that way, so be happy if your kids get fed and clean up the mess with a smile knowing that your man is doing a great job being a daddy!
3. If your husband offers to watch the kids for you so you can get out be happy! Don't expect the house to be clean when you return. In fact, expect it to look like a DISASTER ZONE, but just be happy your kids are alive when you return. Consider it a bonus if they have fresh diapers and smiles on their faces. And really who are you kidding anyway, the house is pretty much always a DISASTER ZONE anyway.
4. Most daddies are not bothered by a house that is not sparkling. Our daddy is not bothered by a house that looks like a tornado made an appearance. Mommies, on the other hand, start twitching when the house looks awry, the laundry is piled up and the trash can be smelled from across the street! Look on the bright side, at least he's not going around the house doing dust checks or breathing down your neck to get your clean on and be sure to be appreciative if he helps out with the cleaning around the house! My hubby chips in by washing and sometimes folding the laundry and taking the trash out every week. He also helps in other areas whenever he can. It still makes my skin crawl when he leaves shoes in the middle of the floor, but I try not to say anything. If that's all I have to deal with, I'll take it.
5. If you are a stay at home mom (SAHM), sometimes it's hard for daddies to understand that you worked your booty off all day, probably even harder then people who have full time jobs! If you are a mom with a full time job, I surely hope he cuts you some slack!! If your husband is like mine he is always amazing enough to come home and immediately help with the kids. Most nights he helps with baths and bedtime too. I have to admit it might be hard to see what we SAHMs do all day especially when the house sometimes is more of a wreck when daddy gets home then when he left, but we know how hard we work! All it would take is one 10 hour day in our shoes though, and they'd quickly get it.
6. Daddies have the amazing ability to tune out whining and crying. I have to admit, I'm jealous of this one. In the car, Landon could be whining for "his music" or Chandler crying because she wants out of her seat and it doesn't phase Matt at all. Me on the other hand, I can't focus on anything else except for the kids. Forget having a conversation with me. All I can think about is getting out of the car and rescuing Chandler from her car seat. As far as the whining goes... it must come to a stop. Mommy is not a fan and concentration is nearly impossible when whining is present.
There are probably more, but I'll stop here. For the record, this is all in love and just for fun! I had my hubby read this before posting just to make sure he was not offended. I also know that this does not apply to everyone's daddy. I happen to know though that there are at least a few of you who can agree with most of what I posted because we share stories together often. I also happen to know we love our husbands and the daddies they are.
Feel free to add more to the list!! Please do not feel free to make a Jesus Juke!
Happy Friday all!!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Word on the street is... TLC will be bringing us more Extreme Coupon-ers!!
If you caught my blog last week about TLCs Extreme Coupon-ers special then you know what I'm talking about. If you didn't you can read it here.
Turns out TLC's ratings were off the chart when their special about four of America's most extreme coupon-ers aired that they have now decided to turn it into a series! According to CNN there are 12 more half-hour episodes on the way!
I'm personally excited about it because after I watched the special, I was so motivated to get my coupon-ing booty in gear that I saved over $200 the next time we shopped! In some ways I can see how the special and the up-coming shows can make a bad reputation for coupon-ing in general, but I kind of like it. Jenny, the creator of Southern Savers (a coupon site I frequent) shares her opinion here. She has actually been approached to do such a show, but has turned them down for her own reasons and she shares why on her blog.
From what I've read the series will be debuting in the Spring. I will certainly be on the look out for air dates and times and I'll be sure to share if and when I find them out!
Turns out TLC's ratings were off the chart when their special about four of America's most extreme coupon-ers aired that they have now decided to turn it into a series! According to CNN there are 12 more half-hour episodes on the way!
I'm personally excited about it because after I watched the special, I was so motivated to get my coupon-ing booty in gear that I saved over $200 the next time we shopped! In some ways I can see how the special and the up-coming shows can make a bad reputation for coupon-ing in general, but I kind of like it. Jenny, the creator of Southern Savers (a coupon site I frequent) shares her opinion here. She has actually been approached to do such a show, but has turned them down for her own reasons and she shares why on her blog.
From what I've read the series will be debuting in the Spring. I will certainly be on the look out for air dates and times and I'll be sure to share if and when I find them out!
Happy Friday all!
And than you so much Sarah Morgan for sharing the 411 on this. You know me too well!!
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