A Little Grain of Faith

I am so thankful for the chance that we have to have faith in something. To have faith in ourselves, our situation and our circumstances. And seriously our faith can be bigger than your fear. This morning I have been talking with a woman about wanting more children. But it might not happen. I am in the same place. I was told that I could have more children, but what if I don't? Am I ok with that? I am still working on the answer, but I have faith that we have one more child meant to come to our family. I have so much faith in general. About my life, family and businesses. I put all my faith in front of me right now it seems.

I am not saying that I am perfect. No way, no how. But I know that if something is meant to happen that it will. I have always believed that. It took us 9 years to get Mason. To get my first positive pregnancy test. After my second miscarriage, I lost my faith. I didn't want to believe anymore because it was too hard. But I got stronger and started having faith again.

I was reminded of one of my favorite talks today and encourage you that if you just need a little ounce of faith building today read it. Listen to this talk. Know that you are not alone. Know that we all struggle with something. Exercise is so hard. Changing your diet or lifestyle is so very hard. Losing a child or family members is devastating  Dealing with the kids. Not having children. Finding a job or switching jobs. Struggling with a family member who has lost their way. And a thousand more things. The key though getting through your tough times, your challenges, your trials is to keep your faith. As hard as it is sometimes that little grain of faith is all we have. But you have to keep moving on. Let your faith be stronger than your fear of not moving forward. Of trying that hard exercise. Of changing your lifestyle. Keep your faith.

If you have a few minutes to watch this and need a booster in your faith, please check this out. I so encourage you to take just a little bit of time and check out the following video. It is amazing and helps to remind me that I am not alone in my struggles.

Tips to Dealing With The Chaos As Mom

I'm a stay at home mom, but don't stop reading if you aren't because even working moms feel the same way. We as mother's deal with a lot of screaming, temper tantrums, frustrations and don't get me started on the motherlode diapers that reach all the way to the head. EWWW!

Every morning I have a toddler screaming at me to make his "Eggies, jelly and cow mark, NOW" A dog trying to kill me to get my attention to feed him and a baby screaming at me because a) he is hungry and b) he wants to be picked up. But somehow I don't really hear it. I get into my little zone where I just work and say to everyone, "It takes a little time to make everything." I try to get Mason to feed the dog, because that is his chore and eventually he does but then it is the chase to try and get Collin to not eat the dog food. Yeah, we have a dog food eater!

But we learn to deal with the chaos as a mother. The same scenario happens at dinnertime too. How do we learn as mother's do deal with this? When I was recovering from my surgery Matt said that it took 2 people to do my job and still they weren't as good as what I did. Sometimes it can get frustrating. Sometimes we lose our cool. Sometimes we just can't do it anymore. Here are some tips to help combat the chaos.

1. Work really hard not to yell. It is so easy just to do it to get their attention but it is hurtful to them and they will never forget it. Even this morning, I raised my voice to have Mason close the back door. Because I didn't hear him do it and he has been leaving the door open. Mason ran and hid because he didn't want to get in trouble. He actually did close the door and I raised my voice at him. Why am I telling you this? Because this is something I am working on every single day. I am trying to sit down with Mason and explain things to him in a calm rational way so that he can learn and I don't want him to be scared of me. That ain't cool!

2. Deep breathing. This helps me because I can feel my boiling point rise, and rise so I have to just tune them out, as hard as it can be sometimes, but I just focus on me so that I don't scream and yell and lose my cool! So I deep breath to help me relax a little.

3. Count to 10 slowly. My dad told me this advice. Count to 10 before you react. So that you don't over react and regret something in the end. Kids are an open letter. They wear they heart on the sleeves. They show their emotions without any filters. If you over react they will learn to over react.

4. Show them love. Always tell them that you love them. Show them that you love them every chance you can get. Give them a hug. Tell them how awesome they are. Let them learn to trust you. Let them know you love them.

5. Have fun and teach them at the same time. If it is safe ask for their help. I have Mason count the eggs. The ones in the carton and the ones in the pan and how many are left after I put them in the pan. It keeps them occupied and entertained and lets them learn too. Doesn't help much with Collin but it can help teach him patience. And he wants to do everything that Mason does so if Mason is calm he usually is too!

Life as a mom is not always stressful and full of chaos. There are some pretty amazing times too and I look to those memories and love and cherish them more and more everyday because I will never get those memories again. Brothers meeting for the first time. First baths together. 2 boys playing together for the first time. I love my life, the amazing, the noisy and the chaos!

Good Before The Bad

I'm a private music teacher and right now we are preparing for our BIG spring recital. Basically it is the culmination of everything they have learned in the last year. During our lessons the last 2 weeks I have been having the students "perform" for me to help them prepare. After they finish and practice their bows we talk about how they did. I always ask, "Tell me 3 things you did really great!" Often a student will say, "I kept the tempo except at this place." I then say, "only positive. So you kept the tempo at the beginning really well, right." They nod and get a smile on their face because they realize that they really did do well! Then we continue with the other 2 things that they did well. Most of the time they have to really think about what they did well. And it is hard for them. I help them along and then we talk about 3 things that needs improvement.

The first inclination my students have it to say something that needs improvement. I am so sad that a 6 year old and older already see the negative in their life before they see the good. I know they want to do better but I think it is so important that we always look for the good and then we look for the bad. I get it that adults think this way because eventually through school and receiving homework we find out the bad before we realize the good. But if we could change our way of thinking. Imagine how much more positive our lives would be. 

Yes, this is a the glass is half full kind of thinking but that's ok. The main thing is to always remain positive. In working out with Matt I have caught him saying, "ouch I'm really sore, or that really hurt." But hun you did the workout, you did the exercise. Be glad that you were able to do it with 10 lbs weight. (he has chronic tendon problems and sometimes lifting weights can be really hard on his body.)

During this week I want to challenge you. At the end of the day think of 3 awesome things  you did. Think about your whole day. Write it down and write how your day went. The reason for writing it down is to see if it influences the way you think about the next day and the next. Did you talk to someone new? Did you compliment someone? Did you get your report turned in on time? Did you play more with your kids? Try it out and see what happens! Good luck and let me know below! Leave a comment! Like my FACEBOOK page! Send me a message or EMAIL! Let me know how it went! 

Memorial Day BBQ Ideas

Just a quick shout out to my hubs and all those who are currently serving and who have served. Thank you for your willingness and sacrifice to protect our great nation. May you and your family be blessed, always! We honor you this day and everyday for your amazing bravery and patriotism! Thank you!

Here is a collection of a few recipes I found that would be AWESOME for today's BBQ! Check 'em out and let me know what you think. Comment below! We are having steak because I just had an amazing burger on Friday night, and I found a nice steak in the deep freezer begging to be used! But I'm doing the zucc, and the berries. Maybe the water and the fries. It all looks yummy to me! Enjoy and Happy Memorial Day!

Start with a nice Patriotic Drink of Blueberry and Strawberry Infused water! 

Grilled Zucchini -

Classic Hamburger- Make them slider size for better portion control. Use lettuce leaves instead of buns for gluten free option. I make my own homemade buns so I know what is in them. Here is the recipe for them.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries: 

Stuffed Strawberries-

Happy 1st Birthday Collin Baby!

Here we are. 1 year old. My baby is 1 year old. So scary how fast this year has gone and how blessed we have been with this amazing year. Collin was our surprise baby. The one where I decided that it didn't matter if I sat on my butt or kept running. I had no control over if I miscarried or not. (I had 2 previous miscarriages just before him, and he stuck!) I still worried that what I was doing would make me miscarry but I put my faith in the Lord that if he was meant to be with our family he would be with our family. AND HE IS!

Collin is THE most laid back baby ever. He doesn't really fuss, doesn't really cry, doesn't really get mad. If he gets hurt he stops crying very quickly thanks to his 2 fingers that calm him down, and mommy of course. He is just a super observant baby and loves to watch his big brother do anything.

Collin loves to follow brother around too. Wherever brother goes, Collin is sure to follow because he doesn't want to miss out on any cool things. Or if dad is home Collin is always hanging out with daddy. Such a daddy's boy.

He is our little runt of the litter. He is still in 9 month old sized clothing. He is a little short but he will hit a growth spurt and get taller. He is also the healthiest eater in the house. His favorite meal of the day is breakfast that he inhales, actually he inhales everything he eats, all 2 cups worth of it! HE IS A BIG EATER. But check out what he loves for breakfast everyday: 1-2 eggs soft over easy cooked, 1 banana mashed, 2 teaspoons flaxseed, 1/4-1/2 cup oatmeal all mixed together. He loves it and is so sad when it is all gone. Healthy eater! He has his yearly check up on Wednesday so I will post his stats after to show he is growing and how much!

Here is a photo purge of some of the pictures I took at his Birthday Party this past Saturday!

~I made the comic book cover banner and we will be hanging it in the boy's room!~

 ~Sugar Coma~

Workout For Kids

Kids need exercise! I know that but I had no idea that Mason has actually been watching what I do, but he sure has. The other day he picked up my weights and said, "Look how strong I am mom!" He was so proud of himself that he was doing it and he wanted to do it. So yesterday I tried to help him with his "form" yeah that was real fun. But now I am going to try and make a little workout plan for him and me together here at the house. WHY NOT! If he wants to, right?!?

I will say last night though we did some stretching before bed. To the song: HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES and TOES. It was the cutest thing ever. I would hold the word head and have him reach his hands WAY above his head or toes and he would stretch the whole time reaching to his toes. Then I had him sit down and have him stretch to his toes and hold it with legs straight in front, straddle and butterfly. Kid is flexible!

AND IT WAS FUN! He loved it! I LOVE IT! And it was a great bonding exercise. He then proclaimed, "WHEW! I'm tired. Time for bed!" And he climbed right in, no fuss or muss.

I love that he is such a copy cat sponge! He just wants to do what everyone else is doing and will absorb it in and want to do it ALL THE TIME! So proud of him. Now to get a little routine going and I will share it with you when WE figure it all out!

Oh, this isn't the first time I have done this. At the gym, I sometimes pull Mason out of the kids zone and we go run around the little track they have inside. He holds my hand the whole time and he runs as fast as he can. I do this on the lighter patron days (Tuesday and Thursday) and when there is really no one there or on the track. And I have taught Mason that this is for exercise even though it is fun. Once we are done with the track and running we have to get off. He loves it and it is fun to see all the people smiling at him. We get lots of ooo's and ahhhh's and "how cute!" from the older patrons! Now we will just take his exercise to the next level.

Do you workout with your kids? What exercises do you do.

Mother's Day Weekend

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! I sadly spent mine sick as a dog with an upset stomach. The cramps were the worst part though. I almost felt like I was going through the miscarriage again which was not fun. But I'm doing better now and just relaxing this day away!

I wanted to share some pix we took over the weekend. Mason was the big man this weekend. Helping dad out with some very "manly" chores. Mason helped dad mow the lawn for the first time and LOVED IT! It was all he talked about the rest of the day. He came in all sweating from the work he put into it. Matt said that Mason was pretty much doing it all excpet for some parts as it goes up hill and Mason needed the extra push. But he was so proud of what he did! In a few years this is going to be Mason's chore so why not start him young! But what a great sight it was to watch how much fun Mason was having with Daddy.

Poor Collin was looking on wanting to go play. He does not like being left out and will whine about it. But we got to spend some fun time together watch brother and dad do the work.

I made a cake for Mother's Day to practice for the cake I was (notice the past tense there) going to make for Collin's birthday party this coming Saturday. The cake turned out ok. But it was a lot of work and I don't think I will have that much time to actually do it. So I am calling the bakery today to order a cake. Collin's smash cake is already ordered I just need cake for everyone else.

Matt had drill for the military so it was me and the boys during the day and we enjoyed playing on the floor with Mason's dinosaurs and watching Jurassic Park! Mason's favorite show as he now proclaims. He doesn't think it is scary at all. He loves it! He has seen it so many times that he knows what is happening and he will tell me that if it is too scary to cover my eyes. Kid always trying to protect mom! That was our weekend in a nut shell. What did you do?

Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day today and that you all have a marvelous day today!

I know and understand that this day can be hard for some of you. Maybe you haven't had kids yet (been there!), or are estranged from your kids or they have passed on. But today is a celebration of womanhood to celebrate all women. A day celebrate how amazing you are! So I hope you have a wonderful day!

Mother's Day 2015- Last Minute Gift Ideas

Can you believe that Mother's Day is SUNDAY!?! This year I was a little late to get the gifts sent out to my mom and mother-in-law, sorry mom! Because the past few weeks just got away from me. But I feel like I am back in the game now and in control of what is going on.

I wanted to share some awesome gifts for any mom out there in case you were a little "behind" like I was!

~Breakfast in Bed: What better way to help mom feel super special to wake up early and fix her breakfast and bring it right to her bed! And the kids love to help with this. It doesn't matter if it is Lucky Charms cereal, or an extravagant omelet. Any mom is going to appreciate not having to make breakfast the day of.

~Homemade cards by the kiddos: Kids love to color. So dad's get them coloring! Let them draw a picture of their mommy and see what they do. Write a nice little letter and try to have them sign their name. Mom's can tuck this away to bring out and show future girlfriends so this is an awesome idea!

~Chocolate Covered Fruit: One of my favs! And super easy to do. Dad's just melt the chocolate in the microwave, 30 second then stir, and so forth until it is all melted. But chocolate covered strawberries, pineapple, apples or anything is YUMMY! (edible arrangements has them too if you want to go that route!)

~Flowers: Always a good choice. Try to go with something more fragrant so that every time she walks in the room she can smell the beautiful flowers. Or get a new flower that you can plant outside together so that when you see it for the rest of the season you can remember Mother's Day. That is a gift that keeps on giving right there!

~Clean house: My dream, waking up to the house that is clean so that I don't have to do it. Or better yet... House clean for the whole weekend. Saturday and Sunday. Give me 2 days off. No dishes, no vacuum, no tripped over dinosaurs. No having to clean. I am off duty for that. (without it just piling up so that I don't have to clean it all on Monday anyways.) Ah that would be nice!

To all of you Grandmothers, moms, moms to be, fur mommy's and future moms, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. I hope each and every one of you have an amazing day filled with laughter and love. You are amazing. You are super. You are the best thing in this world. Know how important you are to your little ones (future little ones too). You are their example, their super hero. They look up to you and love you, because you are MOM no matter how old they are! What a beautiful blessing you are to them. I truly hope you have an amazing Mother's Day!

Thanks to my mom for being such an awesome friend and amazing mother to me. Your example and steadfastness in life has been such a great inspiration to me and I am so proud to call you my mom!

Check out this video on how amazing you are MOMS! Let me know what you think because I was crying just watching this. I can totally relate and I love being a MOM!

Water Kefir

Have you ever heard of kefir? I am sure you have. There is a brand at the grocery store that is a dairy product. Have you ever tried it?

Did you know that you can make your own kefir at home? Yep. There is milk kefir, like the Lifeaway brand, and water kefir. I have tried both and don't really like the milk kefir. It is tolerable but the water was so much better! Water kefir tastes like a carbonated drink. And you can flavor it to whatever you want. So it is a healthy naturally carbonated drink that actually tastes good.

What is water kefir? Water kefir is fermented water. You use grains (not really grains but that is what they are referred to as) which are a live bacteria that you add to sugar water and let it ferment for 24-48 hours. The bacteria feed off of the sugar and replace it with natural fructose. The drink becomes sweet but not like normal sugar. You strain the grains before you drink it up and you can use them again in your next batch of kefir water. It is really quite cool! My friend has a jar of kefir fermenting, one in the fridge ready to drink and a new one just started. So she has some every single day.

So why would kefir be good for your body? You know that Activia commercial where they say that Activia will help with bloating, and irregularity. Well, the yogurt has live bacterias in it and they help keep your insides moving. Our bodies naturally have bacteria in our gut for this purpose, but sometimes we need a little extra push. So now instead of spending $4 for a pack of Activia or Lifeaway Kefir you can make your own. A packet of water kefir grains is $17 and they are reusable! (they can die so you do have to take care of them. Think of them as a new pet in a way!) You can get the grains here!

You also need a strainer and some mason jars, and coffee filters and a rubber band to keep the bugs out since it is sugar water, while it is fermenting. So start up isn't that bad and you won't have to buy Activia or other kefir like products again.

Check out this video on how easy it is to make and use. But this is one thing I am, and have been for a while, seriously thinking about starting.

QOTD: Would you ever make your own kefir water? 

Overweight And Exercise

We all have to start somewhere. Right? Did you wake up this morning and think, it is time for a change! I need to change? I don't want to be like this anymore. Now what do I do? Exercise is hard. It doesn't matter if you are a size 0 or a size 24. Exercise does take work and effort.

~2010. Picking my hubs up after a deployment and surprising him with all the work I did to lose 35 lbs!~

Here are a few pointers to think about as you begin this new journey in your life style change. YES! LIFE STYLE CHANGE! This is not an easy battle. It will take time, it should take time. There are no quick fixes to losing weight. There are no pills, special drinks or wraps that will accomplish the results that last. It is a total mindset. How can she say this. She is overweight and hasn't been able to keep the weight off herself. Why listen to Becky. Because I have been there. I am there. But I have also lost the weight. I lost 40 lbs and not just once I have done it a couple of times. I learned to eat right and what my body wanted and needed. I have also fallen off the wagon and I trying to climb back in. I am just like you who has dieted, tried pills, drinks, HCG, meal plans, starvation, Atkins, I have tried it all! 

~Hard work and dedication to exercise and eating right and her is what I looked like. I will be here again! I AM WORTH IT!~

The one thing that worked? Eating right and exercise. When I finally started to eat right the weight just fell off. I didn't even have to workout for an hour or 2 a day. I was doing 30 minutes of exercise and the weight just fell off. Well if it is so easy... IT IS NOT EASY! It takes work and a total commitment and I'm human. I really like ice cream, sweets, candy, cookies, pasta. I mean I really like them. I lose sight of what I really need to be doing. And I am worth more than that. I know I am. And it isn't about being SKINNY. I want to be HEALTHY. I want to be able to run more easily. I want to be at a healthier weight when I get pregnant again so that when I do gain weight through the pregnancy I am not pushing 300 lbs. That scares the crap out of me. And that is just more work to do in the end. So today, eating better. Shakeology so that I know I am getting my super foods that I need. More veggies. Exercise. I can and I WILL do this. WE CAN DO THIS! 

~3 months into my nutritionist given plan and I lost 20 lbs by this point. Time and dedication! That is all it takes!~

Let me know if you want to join my Facebook group to become the healthiest version of you!