Day 1.... Mondays are supposed to be lazy...

Day 1 and I am just now taking the time to start my challenge. Luckily it is an easy one for me because I already know the answer. The question is: Why Clean? I have to write a mission statement on why i want a clean home and why I want my home to be a haven. That way I will stay motivated to reach my goals. so here are the reasons I want a clean home in no certain order:

 I want my husband to come home to a stress free zone after work.
 I want to enjoy the time I have with my family in an uncluttered space.
 I want a healthy family.
 I want to be stress free when a guest arrives.
 I want a home that reflects who I want to be.
 I want to look back on each day and feel accomplished not only as a mother and wife, but also as a Homemaker, my chosen profession.

Today started out slow with a chance to sleep in and wonderful cuddle time with my baby girl. I had a great phone conversation with my favorite Aunt, and enjoyed the freedom of the day. Then my son came home from daycare sick with a fever, poor boy isn't feeling well. and it's been crazy ever since. Definitely one of those days that I wish I would have gotten up early to get the chores done so I could feel accomplished instead of lazy... So it's nap time and after jotting this down, I am going to straighten up the house a little so I feel better about it :) That's what Mondays are for right?

May= Momma Makeover Madness!

I am determined to change and change for the better! So starting tomorrow, I will be doing the 31 Days to Clean - Having a Martha House the Mary Way cchallenge. It isn't just about having a clean house, it's about having a Happy Home. I am continually trying to live up to my Blog's name : the "Perfectly Content" part. I want to be able to enjoy my family and friends without the stress of the chores around the house. We can all live in unison!

I will also be working hard on my weight loss goal this month. I will be eating better and exercising more, all to feel good, be healthy and look Hot! I am thinking about a little hair change also... we will see!

This is going to be such a busy exciting month! My GPA from OR will be coming to visit in just over a week and my amazing sis in law is graduating from college! So I am grabbing ambition and motivation by the horns and not letting go until I am one Perfectly Content Busy Momma!

The Sun at the end of the tunnel...

Thank Goodness for the Sun today! Its very encouraging to have a beautiful day after several stormy, rainy ones.
To celebrate The Sun, I decided to jump start my day with a couple cups of coffee, Barney for my 2 yr old and couponing for me! I have been searching for ways to cut down our spending and Groceries seem to be the big one... So I have been online finding coupons.
Another way I have tried to improve my Homemaker status is to do a better job keeping house. I'm not sure why I am so lazy when it comes to keeping my house clean. I was raised to clean, and clean a lot! Neither of my parents were ever lazy and they would probably be very shocked if they saw my house on a regular basis. My excuse, I'm rebelling from all the years I had to clean back then...lol
I am a huge advocate of playing with my children more than I care about the housework. They aren't going to remember if the dishes were done or not. I want them to remember all the fun we had not how much time I spent cleaning our home.
But that's just it, it is our Home, and I feel we would all be happier if our Home was cleaner on a daily basis. Now I'm not saying that my house is a disaster or filthy all the time, but I do the usual stressed out cleaning frenzy whenever someone calls to say they are stopping by. And that's if they call! You can imagine how stressed I am when someone just stops by! I don't want or need that extra stress in my life. So I am determined to keep it under control, everyday.
 I am super excited about this EBook a friend of mine posted on FB today and if you haven't heard of it already you must check it out!

31 Days to Clean - Having a Martha House the Mary Way  http://31daystoclean.com/

Starting on the 1st I am going to join in on the 31 day challenge!

 

I am feeling pretty accomplished today, looking forward to working out tonight at Fit Club. We are doing Turbo Fire... thinking about it wears me out already but I really need to get back onto workout mode! I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful day as much as I am!

 

What it means to be a MOM

This is a question that has had a lot of meaning for me my whole life and with Mother's Day coming up I thought I would rexamine the meaning of Mother.

Webster defines Mother:

1

a : a female parent b (1) : a woman in authority; specifically : the superior of a religious community of women (2) : an old or elderly woman  

2

: maternal tenderness or affection

 

Becoming a mother was a very scary thing for me. It was something I wasn't sure I could do. My Birth-Mother didn't make the requirements of the definition above and it often made me worry that there was something in my genes that would make me make the same bad choices she did. I always knew that she loved me, but even at a very young (too young) age, I knew that love wasn't enough. Being a Mom means changing your lifestyle in order to take care of your child. It means always puting your child first. It means sacrafice. I was very fortunate to have a new mom at the tender age of 2, one who did sacrafice everything to be with me. To raise me. I grew up with an amazing father, a great mother but still there was always the nagging question of why my actual birthmother didn't fight for me. How could she put me in those bad situations? Why didn't she change for me? 

 

The mom who raised me was wonderful but strict. Growing up I thought it was horrible, but looking back now I can see that I turned out ok becuase of it. Although she was great to talk to about everyday stuff, I wish we had been closer. Today I am closer to her than I ever was then, I guess I have more respect for her now.

 

It took us 3 years of really trying to get pregnant with our first child. 3 years of wondering what was wrong with me, was I meant to be a mother, could I really do it? It got to the point that every try was a chore, just one more let down. I think all of my anxiety over my past issues with my birthmother was the problem. Once I faced it all, we were able to get pregnant...

 

It had been 20 years since I had seen my birthmother and I had decided it was time to confront this fear of mine. I had to know if I was Her or not. With my husband holding my hand, I met her for the first time since I was 5 yrs old. I was determined to put the past behind me and forgive everything. What an amazing feeling, Forgiveness. If you have someone you need to Forgive, Do it. It will enrich your life!

 

I still dont have much of a relationship with her, not the mother daughter type, just friends. The mom that raised me is who I go to for that realtionship.

Seeing my Birthmother didn't give me all of the answers I was looking for but I did learn that I am not her, that I am strong enough to sacrafice anything for my children. That my love for them can and will overcome any obstacle in my life. Thats what being a mom really is.

 

 I want to build a household of fun and wonderful memories, of game nights and good life lessons. I am an amazing mother, a fun mom and will work harder and harder everyday to be the best mom for my family. I aspire to be the kind of mom that my daughter will want to be one day, one that my son looks for in a wife someday.

 

So this mother's day, celebrate what being a mom really means, not just the giving birth part.

 

 

Naptime = Blogtime!

Where to start? I have sooo much to say!

First of all I have made a major decision about my future. I have been going back and forth about whether it was the right time to go to school or not and decided to wait. I have been doing so much soul searching lately, trying to figure out what I want from life and the answer is always to be the best mom that my children can have. I want to focus on them, to shape their lives, to learn and grow with them. I don't want to be stressed over school work or trying to manage my time around them. I want every moment to be for them. I want more than anything to be that perfect "soccer mom".

D and I have had a really hard time with the whole college issue. We had both decided to go back to school, me to get my basics, him to pursue a career in Engineering. Well the local college doesn't offer anything for either of us besides the Basics. We have talked and talked about it and have come to the conclusion that neither of us wants to move away, to transfer to a 4 yr school. I have always been interested in Psychology and Sociology, Mental health, what makes people tick... here I can become a nurse or something along those lines. Why settle if it really isn't what I want?  We have both been in a kind of Funk about the Future but after a wonderful talk yesterday have realized that we want to live for our children now. Shape and teach them to pursue their careers early on if that's what they choose. There really isn't anything here for young people, but it is a great place to live. So we are staying and are going to enjoy making memories with our family.

Also because of our Funk, I had made the desicion to get a part time job in the evenings, to bring in a little money and to get out of the house. Well after our long talk I changed my mind, wanting to just spend as much time together as possible. There have been so many losing loved ones all around us lately, it really shows you how short life can be. Lets embrace every moment!

Oh, and in case you live somewhere very far from here, it has been raining nonstop for several days and going to continue for many more. And did I mention the storms? We have had Severe Thunderstorms and Tornado Warnings for the last few days. Ever since the Tornado that hit our town in 2008, I get really anxious if it gets windy outside or if there is a chance of a Tornado Watch. I feel so much better when my whole family is home together in weather like this...More to come tonight, thank goodness I am stocked up on wine. ;)

Luckily we got out of our Funk early, this not having any sun might have done us in! I decided instead to focus on how to be an amazing mom this morning and started it out by making heart shaped pancakes (not that turned out that way) and building a Fort with Grant. We had so much fun playing, even Lela (who will 6months old on Thurs) *wipe tear, sniff* figured out that she could reach anything in their room by pulling and scooting herself around! Oh man do they grow up fast. Both my children are at points in their lives that milestones are just coming one after the other. I have been just a little emotional about it as of late!

Starting today I am looking in the mirror at a Brand New Woman: A better Mom, A better Wife, A better friend, A better person.

Who's with me?

The Power of Positive Thinking

What's good about a really bad day? It makes you determined to make the next better. Today has been wonderful so far. Thanks to a push from a friend, I have decided to participate in a 3 day Shake cleanse. Im hoping its the boost I need to get back on track and lose this stubborb belly fat! Ha! Grant appoligized for his crankiness last night by sleeping in this morning and both kiddos have been fun. I even got some cleaning done in between playing. Now we are resting waiting for Daddy to come home for lunch.
The Cleanse involves drinking a shake for breakfast, another one for lunch and eating a salad for dinner. I'm doing my best to remember to drink lots of water in between. I have a great support system of girls doing the same, so I am positive there will be good results. I decided to skip out on my coffee this morning, just to prove to myself I can, and so just a little headache. And maybe a little tired too ;) Silver lining: No coffee cup to wash!
As far as money issues, as always, these things tend to work themselves out. I think it's Magic and God...God's Magic?

Wine helps the Whining...

This day started out wonderful...
  Grant (my 2 yr old) goes to daycare twice a week to get acclimated with other children, while I spend much needed time with Lela (my almost 6 month old). So today I was able to sleep in til 9 am because my daughter knows what beauty rest means. Started my day with baby smiles and 2 cups of coffee. Had a great time Skyping with my sister, and had big afternoon plans to Easter dress shop with my Lil girl. I'm not big into frilly dresses, but something about a baby girl in an Easter dress just makes me want to shop! Well before all the fun shopping I had to go and get our minivan legalized. Insurance, Accessor's office and Revenue Office. Fun Fun. This is where my wonderful morning turns into a crap day.
  By the time I left the DMV I was ready to cry. Somehow we had thought that we wouldn't have to pay sales tax on our trade in. Turns out you have to pay it on the difference of the trade in. So an unexpected $100.00 later I am on my way home instead of dress shopping with my daughter as planned. It's hard enough being a stay at home mom, with no income coming in. I feel guilty anytime I want to spend money on something for myself or something we don't need. Not that my husband makes me feel that way, I have just always worked for what I spent. So knowing that The Budget was going to be set back that much I knew the first thing I had to do when I got home was to figure it out. Well after a lot of figuring I figured it out... yep I figured out that we are short. Short on money that is. That figures... As I tell my husband I see his face fall. He works so hard as it is, no wife likes to see her husband like that.
  At least dinner was a success, I have a knack for throwing stuff together and making it edible.
  By the time dinner was over I had accepted that somehow money problems always work out and was ready to tackled the rest of my evening. D went out to work on a Job in the shop, and I continued my Job as Supermom :)
 hmmm how to describe what happened then... well to shorten it: time-out, tantrum, spanking, and meltdown. Those are just a few words that come to mind. Grant came home from daycare yet again without taking a nap, he has an issue with sleeping anywhere but in his bed, and made sure I knew it! Lela decided she needed every once of my attention because all day wasn't enough for her, and I am going to be brutally honest: I am PMSing. Yep I just wrote that out loud. So the combination turned lethal and bedtime did not come soon enough. Not that bedtime is any easier these days. Grant being 2, has decided he doesn't love bedtime like he used to. He fights it to the point he actually asks for time-out and spankings, anything but having to sleep. While hurrying through Grant's nighttime routine, Lela was screaming in the other room waiting for her night time routine. I am only one person, supermom or not. By the time I got both kids down, I was chugging the last half of Wine left in the fridge. So, to sum things up, If any of this is readable, you can thank the Wine. My night ends slightly intoxicated and pondering looking for work... Tomorrow will be a new day, a new beginning and hopefully a better day.

A Mommys Dream Job

Most Moms I know wish they could stay home with their children, something I have been lucky enough to accomplish. I want to help other moms do the same, and like most I learn best by example. Don't get me wrong it wasn't and still isn't easy but here is how it went for us:

The first step for us was taking the Financial Peace University course with Dave Ramsey. It was the best thing we ever did for our financial future. Some of the things we learned : pay off our debt, secure an emergency fund and learn how to cut back our spending.

We didn't have big debt to start with, only little cards here and there besides our house and car. So I took on a second job, working in the evenings at a fast food restaurant to pay off each one at a time. After that we started paying extra on our car payment each month. We had it paid off before our first baby was born. That was the easy part. Then came saving money. I don't have to tell you, that its a challenge. We started out saving  up $500 for an Emergency fund. Then we started having fun trying to see just how much money we could save. It is amazing how different your outlook on life gets when you stop spending. We realized what was really important. I'm not going to go into all of it, but I definitely recommend checking out Dave Ramsey, he will change your life!

Well having a baby changed things, added a little more debt and bills to our budget, so for a year I worked on figuring out how to cut our monthly spending. I still have the notebooks of charts I made showing what was coming in and what was going out. I never got it to equal out. I missed out on the fun of staying home with my son for a whole year. So my husband and I sat down and decided to take the plunge. We had recently built a shop (more debt) in the backyard that he could do some side work out of in the evenings, he was willing to be the one to take on the extra job in order for me to stay home with our children...yes by then I was pregnant with our second baby. It's all about sacrifice, and jumping in. We knew we could make it, we just had to cut back some.

OK, now that I have laid out the fairy tale of how to stay home, let me throw some reality at you. IT IS HARD! It is a complete lifestyle change, it doesn't happen over night, and you will always struggle. In fact we are struggling right now. Somehow money makes you make bad decisions, if you have it you spend it. So we are living one paycheck to the next and still wondering where it all goes. My husband feels like all the burden is on him to bring home the proverbial Bacon, and I feel like I never have any fun money. I get lonely most days with only a 2yr old to talk to a 5 month old to take care of. I rely on FB and Netflix to provide any needed drama in my life, and my daily routine includes laundry and snack time. We don't have health ins (but we do have an emergency fund), I don't go anywhere if I don't have enough gas for the week, and some days I feel I deserve an award for not flushing my children down the toilet. I'm telling you this not to discourage you, but to show you that if we can do it, so can you. Somehow we do it and I would never change any of it. I get to spend my days watching every moment of their lives, the changes, the milestones and soak up there love. I get to be the Mom they will remember making cookies and finger painting with. If you are stubborn enough (and most of you are) then you can pull this off. Sit down and make a list of all (don't leave anything out) your monthly expenses. Add it all up and compare it to how much money would come in that month if you weren't working. Then go through and take out or cut down the going out expenses until they equal the coming in. it is do-able. Start thinking like you only have one income, start living like the biggest obstacle standing in your way is your job and find a way to eliminate it. When you want something bad enough, life finds a way of working itself out.

I have been struggling on the budgeting lately, not staying as organized as I once was, not saving like we used to. But today is a new day, Today I Stop Spending and Start Saving!

Backwards and inside out...

My Cool Dude on his way to Backwards Day at Daycare today.

 It's crazy how fast he's growing up. Before I know it he will be Kindegarten...

    

    I'm starting a new weightloss goal today, Lose 10lbs in 10 weeks... Its completly do-able, as long as I can get out of this slump that i am in. I have been on a junk food binge as of late. Which is really sad because I had finally gotten down to my pre-baby weight and was feeling great about myself. i have no idea how things turned around so fast. So I have decided to get back on the horse and win a little sisterly competition! I will be visiting my sister at the end of June and plan on being in the best shape of my life, we are eachothers motivation. I really need to start excersising again, I have an eliptical that is standing alone in front of my tv, not like I never see it. Im also going to start going to my Thursday night Fitness class. I loved getting out and I always left feeling great. So here's to becoming "One Hot Mama" in the next 10 weeks!

I'm also working on getting more organized with our budget. As Dave Ramsey puts it, I'm the Free Spirit while Dusty is the Nerd. We are making it day to day but are failing puting anything to savings. So here goes project Saving!

Before you know it I will be one Hot Money Savy Mama!

"Let's Talk about Love Baby"

I'm talking friend love... You know, relationships...
This has been on my mind a lot lately. The different types of love and friendships you go through in life. The ones you keep and the ones you lose. How growing up affects them.
I've always been the type to "fall in love with people", if I like someone, it has always been easy for me to want to be fast friends. In the past this has been good and bad, because you see, this also leaves me wide open to get hurt. When I was little I remember my Favorite best friends, the ones I looked forward to seeing after summer break, the ones I played with during the summer. I was always the "social butterfly" as all of my progress reports say. I was always the type to have one best friend or one group of close friends and talked to everyone. Relationships were easy then. (although the drama of H.S made them all seem so hard) Looking back you realize those were the "loving is easy" days.
Well then the growing up starts, Life takes over and you change. Getting Married, having babies, moving away: all that changes the relationships you have.
Your husband becomes the most important person in your life instead of even your Best Girlfriend. The saying " we will never let a guy come between us" doesn't apply anymore. We had a hard time finding other couples to hang out with because we were always on a different page in life. We got married young. And of course having kids changes Everything!
I learned over the years to not fall so hard for friends, to just enjoy the fun times. I have been hurt a lot but it was because I tried too hard. I am content with the friendships I have, the Bestie, the fun ones, the new ones, the talk or texting ones, the catch up with once a month ones, and the see eachother once a year ones. I love them all and have figured out that even the friendships lost were a lesson in life. A lesson on enjoying every moment and that what once was lost can always be found.

I've missed you!

I have had so much to talk about, I'm hoping I have it all stashed in my head so I can get it all on here! It's amazing how dependent we are on technology these days. My daily routine was so messed up for more than a week and I was completely lost. I wont bore you with the computer problems and the tech support issues... I am just happy to have it back and hope that it is now fixed.

The newest addition to our family fun : A veggie garden! We are so excited to finally have a garden. We have talked for years about puting one in but have always made excuses not to start it: too expensive, no room, blah blah blah! So this year we just jumped right in. We decided that if we put a raised bed in, we could always move it later if needed, or expand it next year. We went and prised all the material on it and were a little discouraged at just how much it would cost to get one started. So my super handy husband came up with a brilliant idea (as always) and used some scrap sheet medal leftover from the shop, and some 2X4 he had laying around to build an 8X8 box. We had to go out and get some fencing to keep our dogs out of it and put in a few tomato plants, jalapeno and bell peppers, lettuce, peas, squash and strawberries. Just enough for our little family the first year. We cant wait to watch it grow!

The best part of the day was spending so much time with the family! We all went and bought plants, took naps and planted together! here are a few pics to document the fun:

Grant played in the dirt for awhile

Puting the first Tomato Plants in...

Grant planted his own Strawberry plant, he's such a big boy!

Lela just hung out in here Bouncer watching the whole time!

What a wonderful Family fulled day! Even the Dogs enjoyed hanging out with us!




We had a really great weekend together. We were worn out and Dusty and I got a little sunburned ;) but overall an excellent weekend.


Next Blog: Something Serious...

What do I want to be when I grow up?

By my age most people already have their life planned: their schooling finished or almost finished and their career paths started or on the road to them. So why am I so undecided?

Do you remember the first thing you wanted to be when you grew up? At the age of 5 I just knew that I would be the next Reba McIntire, I sounded just like here after all. ;) Well as it turned out, I didn't sound like her at all, thanks to a good friend for letting me know "that I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket." If only some of the 1st week contestants on American Idol had friends like that!
From there I aspired to be anything from a Marine Biologist to an Archealogist. I had big plans.
When I started college in 2003 I decided that I wanted to be a Crime Scence Investigator, just like on the show CSI. Well there is something about living in a small town in AR that made me realize that I wouldn't get far doing that here. I also realized that I wanted a family more than anything and that would not be a job I could not bring home with me. So I quit school because of laziness and a change in major.
Now I am a SAHM and am thinking about going back to school. I just dont know what I want to do. I know that by the time my kiddos are in school i want to have a career of some sort. I know that I want to be the type of mom that is home when they get out of school, with snack on the table for them and all their friends. I want to be a soccor mom. I want to have time to go to all their games and school functions. I want to be mom first. So why do i still need a career? Why do I still need to be able to say that I have gone to school? A Title? I would love to just go to school and take a few classes I am interested in, but then what? What do I do with them? What would I do while my children are in school? Do I settle for a part time job? Would anyone hire me for the specific hours I would need?
Should I just be a lunch lady?
I am having a hard time knowing exactly what i want to do, I only know that I want to be Mom First.

Well We Did it, We got a Minivan!

On the Menu Today: Animal Crackers With a side of Ketchup "pease and tank you"

Are you tired of me talking about myself? Me to!!! So here's what Life was like at the Woodell House today. Nothing all that exciting, just a normal day with a few cute highlights thrown in.
We started out the usual way, me staring into outerspace until my cup of magic kicked in, Grant being cranky beacause he doesn't have coffee to help him wake up...(hmmm I wonder if it is just a myth that it stunts your growth, and would it be worth it if it helped keep my stress level down?) And Lela sleeping in to a glorious 8:30, just enough time to finish coffee (shes my favorite child already) haha j/k really I would never pick a favorite between my children, what kind of mom do you think I am?
 Anyway our day went by without much fuss, I turned Barney on and solved the problem of my very cranky 2 yr old, thats right I am one of "Those Moms".
 For snack time, I gave Grant some animal crackers and he insisted on having ketchup with them. Now I know every kid goes through the "ketchup stage", in fact I thought Grant was already done with it. So I reluctantly gave it to him thinking he would realize his mistake.... but of course he loved it and asked for more.
 We would have gone outside but it was so cold out there today so we decided to play inside. Grant is now deciding that he likes his baby sister and even plays with her a little. I caught him sharing his cars with her, the ones he wont even let me play with. He did pretty good until he realized that he was sharing and had a melt down.... Then later today while I was making dinner,  Lela bounced in her jumper and Grant tried playing patty cake with her.  Then he would play like he fell down to make her laugh, She loved it! (he did say "push when I laughingly asked if he fell down, trying to blame Lela... lol )
Who is this boy living in my house and what did he do with my son? Can he really be outgrowing his bully stage already? He has been going to daycare 2 times a week to get acculmated with other kids. It seems to be working!
Now the boys are out playing in the shop while the girls chill on the couch. Daddy is showing Grant his "Daddy's Mare-o Car" which is just Grant's way of saying Camaro Car. I was going to bully Dusty into giving Lela her bath since I have worked so hard today..;) but since they are having so much fun out there I better go do the bath. Then off to meet the beautiful new addition to our friends home and a visit to nana and papa's to end our night.
That my friends is what life is all about, Family.

Next To Every Crazy Woman, There is a Strong Man...

I would like to dedicate this one to my Amazing and Patient Husband. Through the years I have changed a lot. My looks, my attitude, my outlook on life and my personality. Now I know that Im not alone in all this, there are plenty of crazy (I call myself crazy with the utmost affection) women out there like me, but lucky for me I have a wonderful man holding my hand through it all. Now this is going to get pretty personal and boring, but I promise to add some crazy pictures to keep it fun :) 

Ok Lets go back to the years of barbies and dolls... only I wasnt playing with those, I prefered the action packed Ninja Turtles! Oh yeah, Cow-A-Bunga Dudes!

I was super cute and sugar sweet...

I was a good kid, hardly ever got in trouble, and when I did I was super sensitive, a look of disaproval from dad would be enough to discipline me. Man my parents had it good, even through H.S I was good. I did a few things I wont want my kids doing but for the most part not too bad.


Heres where the 1st major change came in my almost adult life. My senior year of H.S. (Go Panthers!) I decided I had had enough of my parents strict and sheltering lifestyle and wanted some freedom... HA! You want to know what I thought would be the right amount of Freedom for me? Well I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps... you can stop looking so shocked, I already warned you of the craziness... Well to make that long story a bit shorter, I didn't go through with it. Let me be very clear on this, I was very proud to be sworn in, I would have been very proud to serve my country as a Marine. But as I said, I was looking for Freedom and when I moved out of my parents' house on Graduation Night, I got a taste of what I was looking for. This is where I came out of my shell a bit. I wont go into the details, you can just use your imagination to make this chapter of my life as interesting as you want. So after some "Living" and my dad insisting, I withdrew myself from the military, a week before leaving for bootcamp. This was not an easy process, and not anything I would reccomend to anyone. I had to write a letter with all my reasons etc... I was told that since they had already "met their quota for women, that they wouldn't throw the book at me". I'll never forget the day I turned in that letter, my Staff Sergeant said theses words to me; "By quiting this, you are setting a prescedent for the rest of your life, you will quit everything you attempt to do." Those words angered me for a long time but I have come to understand what they mean...

So from there my best friend and roomate roped me into enrolling in college, a week before classes started.

Let me insert another big issue in my life here: We will just leave it at

 "Very Bad Relationship With a Very bad Boy"

Ok, on with it... So college ended up being a bad idea... I guess I didnt realize you were required to actually show up for class and watched as my grades declined drastically. So using the excuse that I had decided to change my major (I no longer aspired to be a CSI) I dropped out a week before finals my first year. That didnt help my resolve to prove my staff sergeant's words to me wrong.... ( although I have plans on going back to school this fall)

Is there a limit on how long these blogs can be? You may want to take a pee break here....

This is the Best part: Meeting Dusty!
College did one thing for me, it introduced me to a very awesome fun friend

that to this day I still love talking to. She told me about this boy, this boy that I happened to be working with at Pizza Hut at the time. This cute boy liked Me! Me, can you believe it?


Well because of my recent "Very Bad Relationship" experience, I made a fool of myself...This is how that went down. I asked our mutual friend, the aspiring matchmaker, to take me to this boys house so I could talk to him in person. Thats me, up front and to the point. So I asked him to come outside with me and on his own front porch and said these words to him: "I know that you like me, but I just got out of very bad relationship and don't want anything to do with you." yep, I said just that. I know what your are thinking, "cold hearted B-word" but if you understood just what I had just been through you may understand those words better. A story for another time maybe. Well thank goodness he didn't give up on that crazy girl, we ended up hanging out and flirting on our first non-date and I agreed to go on a real date with him the next night we had off together. As the saying goes : The rest is history!


This is where the changes started in my looks. Somewhere after we were married and before we had our first baby I realized how fun it was to change my hair! I started out dyeing it different colors, then I cut it a little and a little more until it was very short! Then I got my nose peirced, which was fun until I had to take it out for my job at the bank. So I settled on getting Tattoos where I could hide them. All of this to some shock to my friends and family. But not to my husband. Somehow he sees me, knows just who I am even when I don't. And he accepts me for the crazy woman I am.




My outlook on life has changed drastically over the years. Of course in H.S, all that seemed very important and looking back we realize that none of that drama mattered. I grew up thinking that I would get married at 30, kids by 35 and live life happily ever after. As it turned out I found my soul mate (or rather he found me,) and was married at 19 and was ready for a baby by 21. Well God had other plans for us and it took 3 yrs of trying before we had Grant. Who may I add has changed my life so much! I never thought I could love like I love my children. (another blog on this subject later)

Getting Married at 19 was wonderful, but by the time I hit 21 I realized all the dumb fun stuff I had never done before. That was a hard time for Dusty and I, and again I thank the good Lord above that he stuck by me in that time of change. Knowing that Dusty was the man I wanted to grow old with, I made it a priority to grow up and stop worrying about the things I hadn't experienced and embraced my amazing life!

Of course becoming a mom was another major change in life, in fact it changed everything! My perspective on life has completly changed, everything I do, everything I say I wonder how it will affect them someday. Well this is where I close this very lenghty post, I am sure I will be adding to this subject in the posts to come. I hope that at the end of this, you understand me a little more; I hope to understand myself a little more each time I clean out the cobwebs in my head...

Minivan Mania!

So the Big Issue for Today is: Buying a Minivan.  Uh huh I have gone to the darkside... I want a minivan BAD!! I am so jealous of all the minivan moms out there. Right now we drive a little chevy malibu
Like this one minus the sweet rims...(insert major sarcasm)
 and there is definitely not enough room for my husband, me, our 2 children, our 2 dogs, and anything we might want to travel with at any certain time. (not that the dogs go everywhere with us but Im making a point) Grocery shopping is fun, the trunk is taken up by our huge double stroller and odds and ends u probably find in all trunks. Our back seat is filled up, and of course as most of you car driving moms probably sympathize with, the front seats are up so close, your knees almost touch the dash because of the huge carseats in the back. Our car is packed! We have been talking about taking a vacation... but before we ever do that I am getting a minivan, I am determined. At first we just joked about it, We worked very hard to rid ourselves of debt, no car payment for us! So taking on a monthly payment is not ideal or even possible at this moment. So I thought the dream of soccer-mom-dom was just a dream.... Well then my very smart husband mentioned trading in the car and we looked it up, would you believe it is worth something? (It would probably be worth more if we had those same ballin' rims) The thought of using our car to get another just never entered my mind, but when it did, BAM Obsession takes over! So we started searching last night, and found one, THE ONE (isn't it a beauty)
 4 hrs away from us. We couldn't call bc it was late last night. So of course I couldn't sleep. It was like waiting for Christmas Morning! Finally Dusty was able to get ahold of them this morning...but it was already sold...Im not going to lie, super Bummed. So We are on the hunt.  I have been calling all of the local car lots getting info today and hopefully we will find the time this weekend to drive around and check them out. So if you know of anything around the $5000 and under price range let us know! And just to be clear: Dusty is just as excited as I am, we are throwing sexiness out the door and bringing in the practical!

My First Day Blogging = Cleaning out the closet that is my mind.

Sorry For all the Random blogs, I promise once I get my head cleared out a little, I will start blogging about day to day issuses like a normal person... haha Well as normal as I get anyway. I dont think that is a word I ever hear associated with ME.
So, issues on my mind lately (not in any certain order) :

Weight loss (who isn't thinking about that now adays)
Relationships
Church or more specifically Religion
My Past
To Stay Home or to Work
How did I get so lucky in life? Will it stay this good?
Neverending Housework
Child Development: Who will our children be?
Going back to school and what to be when I grow up.

Have I lost the few readers i have yet? My Mind is a jungle of googly gook as of late. I wont go thru it all now, I just wanted to get them down before I forget...Im sure I will be adding to that list.

Let me add a disclaimer to my Blog: This goes to everyone reading; I am talking from my heart, from my crazy mind. Some things are thought about but forgotten before they are said. Some things should not be said. Some things do not have a specific audience to be said to. Some of the things I write will be just random thoughts and ideas so I ask please do not take anything I say personally or be offended personally.  


                                                                              

Let's Play Catch up...

First a little about me and my family: My name is Ashley 26 yr old Female lookin for a daily companion, a good listener, an outlet. This is why I am here.
 I am Perfectly Content with Life as I know it, I have an amazing Husband, who is my best friend and rock for sure. I have 2 beautiful children; Grant who just turned 2 yrs old, and Lela who will 5 months old in a few days. Thats where the Busy Momma part comes in! I have been a Stay at Home Mom for just over a year now. There have been ups and downs to staying home, I love every moment I get with my children, but I also miss the daily adult interaction that I took for granted before.

Grant

Lela

Thanks to FB I have started following a few blogs by some very talented women who have inspired me to put my thoughts on here.
 I have been doing a lot of soul searching lately, through that time I should have been blogging, it would have helped organize my thoughts and feelings better. I am in a constant state of  "finding myself"; something that feels like I should have done in Highschool, or during a mid life crisis. But here I am, figuring out just who this woman in the mirror is.
 I think I am playing catchup with life: as a child I grew up fast and looking back have realized how the past shaped my life today. It is such a relief to know that I have turned out to be an awesome mommy and my husband "says" I am a great wife (so I will just go with that) lol I've never been one to judge others, but I am super self conscience which is something I am trying to be better at. It very much matters to me how others see me, when all I want is for them to see me as one that doesn't.
 So that is where I wonder: who am I? Who do I want to be? All I do know is that being his wife and their mommy has been the best thing I have ever done!
So now you can follow me on the journey of this perfectly content busy momma's life!

I'm Joining the Blogging Mom Gang...

Well I have decided to do it, I hope I don't disappoint many...lol I'm not much of a writer but I always have a lot to say and my 2 yr old just doesn't get me sometimes.. ;) So Here goes!