Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Monday, August 18, 2014
And of course that title should most definitely be sang exactly like Ozzy Osbourne does it...I love that song!
Wow, it's been a long time since I've written a blog post, it seems like the majority of my time is spent working and trying to keep my house from looking like a hurricane came through that I just don't have time for much else...sadly. Since I have missed blogging so much the past few months, I decided to clear my schedule and do some writing and honestly, I couldn't be happier!
In June I resigned my position at The Popcorn Factory to start another work from home position with my dream company, which was both sad and exciting, sad because I loved the people that I worked with and the customers that I had the pleasure of helping every day, but it was also exciting because in leaving that job, I had the opportunity to work for my dream company...Apple! While I am still very (very, very) new and still learning each and every single day, I know that I made the right decision for me and my family and I couldn't be happier!
June also brought the official end of the baseball season for my husband's Tee Ball team, The Rockets! In the span of a few short months I had the pleasure of watching a group of amazing little boys become awesome baseball players and getting to see my husband do what he loves best, teaching kids about baseball, was worth all of the long, hot games and running around that I did. I have to say, I am so proud of how far our team came in such a short amount of time. I cannot wait to see what next season holds!
July was a tough one for all of us, as it marked one year since my Dad passed. It still seems unreal and often I find myself making plans to stop by and see him, before I catch myself and remember that I can't. Since it's still a little too much for me to talk about, I'll stop there.
August so far has been a blur of school shopping, work and getting myself mentally prepared for my youngest baby Lil Diva to head off to kindergarten...oh my gosh y'all where has the time gone. Given that this blog was created when Diva was just a month old, way back in 2008, it puts a lot of things into perspective for me. I can't believe that in just a few short days I will find myself alone at home for the first time in seven years, part of me is excited for the alone time, but the other part is terrified to let my baby go. Thankfully Lil Diva is super excited about kindergarten and making new friends and just everything that starting a new chapter in her life entails, which makes it both easier and so much harder on me, but I have faith that she'll do amazing and that I will learn to relish the quite time before the school bus stops in front of my house and unloads all my kiddos!
And that's about it...changes are a comin' and while I am nervous to see how those changes are going to impact life at our house, I'm excited for what the future holds for my family!
Until next time...
Wow, it's been a long time since I've written a blog post, it seems like the majority of my time is spent working and trying to keep my house from looking like a hurricane came through that I just don't have time for much else...sadly. Since I have missed blogging so much the past few months, I decided to clear my schedule and do some writing and honestly, I couldn't be happier!
In June I resigned my position at The Popcorn Factory to start another work from home position with my dream company, which was both sad and exciting, sad because I loved the people that I worked with and the customers that I had the pleasure of helping every day, but it was also exciting because in leaving that job, I had the opportunity to work for my dream company...Apple! While I am still very (very, very) new and still learning each and every single day, I know that I made the right decision for me and my family and I couldn't be happier!
June also brought the official end of the baseball season for my husband's Tee Ball team, The Rockets! In the span of a few short months I had the pleasure of watching a group of amazing little boys become awesome baseball players and getting to see my husband do what he loves best, teaching kids about baseball, was worth all of the long, hot games and running around that I did. I have to say, I am so proud of how far our team came in such a short amount of time. I cannot wait to see what next season holds!
July was a tough one for all of us, as it marked one year since my Dad passed. It still seems unreal and often I find myself making plans to stop by and see him, before I catch myself and remember that I can't. Since it's still a little too much for me to talk about, I'll stop there.
August so far has been a blur of school shopping, work and getting myself mentally prepared for my youngest baby Lil Diva to head off to kindergarten...oh my gosh y'all where has the time gone. Given that this blog was created when Diva was just a month old, way back in 2008, it puts a lot of things into perspective for me. I can't believe that in just a few short days I will find myself alone at home for the first time in seven years, part of me is excited for the alone time, but the other part is terrified to let my baby go. Thankfully Lil Diva is super excited about kindergarten and making new friends and just everything that starting a new chapter in her life entails, which makes it both easier and so much harder on me, but I have faith that she'll do amazing and that I will learn to relish the quite time before the school bus stops in front of my house and unloads all my kiddos!
And that's about it...changes are a comin' and while I am nervous to see how those changes are going to impact life at our house, I'm excited for what the future holds for my family!
Until next time...
Monday, June 9, 2014
Last night I decided to take a little trip down memory lane via my blog, so I clicked on the Family link in my menu bar and was instantly transformed to when I first started my blog way back in 2008; I cannot tell you how many laughs (and even a few tears) those posts caused, it was so much fun to look back and really see how much my family and I have grown in the past 6 years! One of my favorite posts was one that I called my "Allisonisms", which were just basically what I'd consider "Rules to Live By", my rules of course, they don't have to apply to everyone, though I do kinda think they totally could! So, I thought it would be fun to revisit my "Allisonisms", only this time I want to call them...
1.
Learn to depend on yourself! Let's face it even the best of friends may
not have your back when things fall apart! Knowing you can look at the
world and say, "You know what I've got this on my own." will make you so
much stronger than looking to someone else to pick up the pieces!
2.
Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in! Some people
mistake my willingness to stand up for what I believe as my being
bitchy, but I don't pay any attention to that. Knowing I have the
courage to voice my opinion no matter what the consequence means more to
me than ignorant people who judge others for having a backbone!
3. Live everyday like it's your last! I really believe this because nothing is guaranteed,
life is short and you never know when your number will be called, but
if you live everyday to the fullest then you'll more than likely leave
this life with no regrets. (And there's a good chance you won't have to
come back and haunt the shit out of someone...lol)
4.
Make sure you say "I love you" often. This is another one that I insist
on doing! My fiance and kids probably think I'm completely mental
because I seriously tell them "I love you" three million times a day. I
look at it like this, if I tell them I love them more than I need to
then I know that there's absolutely no question in their minds that they are loved by me!
5.
Learn from your mistakes. I know this one seems like just plain old
fashion common sense, but you'd be surprised at how many people (myself
included) seem to repeat the same silly mistakes over and over again. I
look at it like this; if I've done something and I know it was a mistake
chances are doing it again is going to produce the same results. So try
hard to make every mistake a learning experience and once the lesson
has been learned the chances of you repeating the mistakes that you've
made is a lot less likely!
6.
Know that this too shall pass! This one seems a little more difficult
for me to believe in than the rest the reason? When things are going
horrible it's very hard to believe that things will ever get better, but
I've learned that even the worst situations do eventually get better
you just have to give it time and believe that there are better things
to come in your life. Trust me it will get better.
7.
Believe in love even when it seems like your prince will never come.
Alright so this is one that I have done extensive research on (and by
research I mean I have been in countless failed relationships). I've
learned that love does exist, but most of the time it happens when you
least expect it! True love is a love that you never have to question,
it's a love that feels exactly right from the start, and it's a love
that will make even the harshest cynics believe in prince charming!
8. Being a parent will be the hardest job you'll ever have! This one is definitely true! Kids don't come with handbook and there will be times when you have no clue what to do; like when your newborn is up crying
for hours on end and nothing seems to calm her down or when your 6 year
old asks where babies come from and you'd rather cut off your own foot
than try to explain it to her. But in all the chaos and crying comes the realization that parenthood is the most rewarding job you will ever do!
9.
Life isn't easy, but it's the struggles that make you stronger! If life
were easy then you'd never make mistakes and then learn from them,
you'd never be challenged to find out what you're made of, and you'd
never appreciate the little things because you know how truly special
they are.
10. Having
people who love you and truly care about your happiness is one of the
greatest gifts in the world. I live with this in mind always, because
it's the people in my life that make it so incredible and I am thankful
every day that I have such great people in mine!
- See more at:
http://misadventuresinbabyraising.blogspot.com/2008/11/so-my-birthday-is-getting-increasingly.html#sthash.jSJ9E99m.dpuf
#1. Learn to depend on yourself! Let's face it, even your best friends may not have your back every time life falls apart! Being able to look at the world and say, "You know what, I've got this on my own!" will make you so much stronger than looking to someone else to help pick up the pieces!
#2. Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in! Some people mistake my willingness to stand up for what I believe in, as me being bitchy and you know what? I can deal with that! Knowing that I have the courage to voice my opinion, no matter how unpopular it may be and no matter the consequences, means more to me personally than being judged by people who have no backbone!
#3. Live every day like it's your last! NOTHING in life is guaranteed!!!! Life is short and you never know when your number (or the number of a loved one) will be called! If you live every day like it's your last then you'll more than likely leave this life with no regrets and there's a good chance you won't have to come back and haunt the crap out of someone! I wrote that post 6 years ago and while I believed it then, it didn't really hit home how true it is until last summer when my father died. I repeat NOTHING in life is guaranteed...make every, single moment count!
#4. Make sure that you say "I love you!" often! This is something that I insist on doing every single day! My husband and kids probably fully believe that I am mental (I'm convinced they do), because I seriously tell them I love them at least 50 times a day. I look at it like this, if I tell them that I love them way more than I need to, then there should be absolutely no question in any of their minds that they are always and forever loved by me!
#5. Learn from your mistakes! This one is one of the hardest rules for me to live by because I'm just so dang stubborn! I fully know that repeating mistakes will only produce the same awful results, but a lot of the time I do it anyway...why? Well, because I'm human and though I may repeat a mistake (and instantly regret it) I do eventually realize that I probably shouldn't do it again and that's what counts! The ability to learn from the mistakes that I've made (even if I don't learn the first...or tenth...time) always, eventually, leads to me understanding a whole lot more about myself and about life in general. So, if you're having a hard time not repeating silly mistakes, just give it time, don't be too hard on yourself and eventually, you'll learn the lesson and never repeat it again!
#6. Know that "This Too Shall Pass"! This one is a little harder for me to believe in on a consistent basis, because honestly, when everything that could go wrong does go wrong all at once, who really believes that it's going to get better...but ya know what? Doesn't it always? Of course it does and though sometimes it may seem like your life is just one big pot of messy, it WILL get better, just give it time and keep an open mind and a positive outlook on the future and you'll be surprised by how quickly things turn around!
#7. Believe in love even when it seems like your prince will never come! This is one that I've done extensive research on (and by extensive research I mean that I have been in countless failed relationships) and what did I learn? I learned that love, true, real love, does exist and that most of the time it happens when you least expect it! My husband and I went through hell in our relationship for a lot of years (honestly, at the time I wrote my original post we were probably going through it then) and there were times when I wasn't even sure we'd make it through another day together let alone another year, but then one day everything changed and we both seemed to realize at the same time that we were each others true love. As mushy as that sounds, it couldn't be more true and while we wasted so many years and so much time not seeing that true love was right in front of our nose, I wouldn't change anything that we've been through, because those things are what led me to my true love! Keep believing...true love is real!
#8. Parenting is the hardest job that you'll ever have, but it's also the most rewarding...DO NOT take it for granted! This one is so true! Kids do not come with handbooks (it would be most awesome if they did) and there are times when you're going to have absolutely no idea what to do; like when your newborn has been up all night long crying for hours on end and you've had 20 minutes sleep in the past 2 days, or when you're 6 year old asks you where babies come from and you'd rather cut off your foot than have to try to explain it to her. But I promise you that somewhere in all of the chaos and crying comes the realization that you are shaping someone's life, that it's your job to take that crying newborn and turn her into a productive citizen who can go out into the world and conquer whatever it is she wants to conquer and that my friends is both a pretty friggin' awesome feeling and one that you should never take for granted!
#9. Life ain't easy and it's the struggles that make you stronger! If life were easy, no one would ever make mistakes that they needed to learn from in order to grow...makes sense right? If people never made mistakes and then learned from them, we'd never be challenged, we'd never really know what we're made of or how strong we truly are and we'd never appreciate the little things, because we'd have no idea how truly awesome and special they are!
#10. Surrounding yourself with people who truly love you and care about your happiness is the greatest gift there is! Knowing that you are surrounded by a great group of people (no matter how large or small) kind of makes you feel like you're ten feet tall and bulletproof! Knowing that there are people in your life who will not judge you or hurt you and who have your back no matter what makes all of the challenges and struggles that life throws your way so much easier to deal with...so, surround yourself with people who bring value to your life and forget the ones who don't...it's much easier to deal with life without all of the dead weight!
And there you have it, 10 rules that I try to live by every single day...not much has changed in 6 years so that must mean that they're a pretty good bunch of guidelines for me and my life! What are some of your rules to live by? Do we share any of the same rules?
Until next time...
2.
Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in! Some people
mistake my willingness to stand up for what I believe as my being
bitchy, but I don't pay any attention to that. Knowing I have the
courage to voice my opinion no matter what the consequence means more to
me than ignorant people who judge others for having a backbone! - See
more at:
http://misadventuresinbabyraising.blogspot.com/2008/11/so-my-birthday-is-getting-increasingly.html#sthash.jSJ9E99m.dpuf
1.
Learn to depend on yourself! Let's face it even the best of friends may
not have your back when things fall apart! Knowing you can look at the
world and say, "You know what I've got this on my own." will make you so
much stronger than looking to someone else to pick up the pieces!
2.
Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in! Some people
mistake my willingness to stand up for what I believe as my being
bitchy, but I don't pay any attention to that. Knowing I have the
courage to voice my opinion no matter what the consequence means more to
me than ignorant people who judge others for having a backbone!
3. Live everyday like it's your last! I really believe this because nothing is guaranteed,
life is short and you never know when your number will be called, but
if you live everyday to the fullest then you'll more than likely leave
this life with no regrets. (And there's a good chance you won't have to
come back and haunt the shit out of someone...lol)
4.
Make sure you say "I love you" often. This is another one that I insist
on doing! My fiance and kids probably think I'm completely mental
because I seriously tell them "I love you" three million times a day. I
look at it like this, if I tell them I love them more than I need to
then I know that there's absolutely no question in their minds that they are loved by me!
5.
Learn from your mistakes. I know this one seems like just plain old
fashion common sense, but you'd be surprised at how many people (myself
included) seem to repeat the same silly mistakes over and over again. I
look at it like this; if I've done something and I know it was a mistake
chances are doing it again is going to produce the same results. So try
hard to make every mistake a learning experience and once the lesson
has been learned the chances of you repeating the mistakes that you've
made is a lot less likely!
6.
Know that this too shall pass! This one seems a little more difficult
for me to believe in than the rest the reason? When things are going
horrible it's very hard to believe that things will ever get better, but
I've learned that even the worst situations do eventually get better
you just have to give it time and believe that there are better things
to come in your life. Trust me it will get better.
7.
Believe in love even when it seems like your prince will never come.
Alright so this is one that I have done extensive research on (and by
research I mean I have been in countless failed relationships). I've
learned that love does exist, but most of the time it happens when you
least expect it! True love is a love that you never have to question,
it's a love that feels exactly right from the start, and it's a love
that will make even the harshest cynics believe in prince charming!
8. Being a parent will be the hardest job you'll ever have! This one is definitely true! Kids don't come with handbook and there will be times when you have no clue what to do; like when your newborn is up crying
for hours on end and nothing seems to calm her down or when your 6 year
old asks where babies come from and you'd rather cut off your own foot
than try to explain it to her. But in all the chaos and crying comes the realization that parenthood is the most rewarding job you will ever do!
9.
Life isn't easy, but it's the struggles that make you stronger! If life
were easy then you'd never make mistakes and then learn from them,
you'd never be challenged to find out what you're made of, and you'd
never appreciate the little things because you know how truly special
they are.
10. Having
people who love you and truly care about your happiness is one of the
greatest gifts in the world. I live with this in mind always, because
it's the people in my life that make it so incredible and I am thankful
every day that I have such great people in mine!
- See more at:
http://misadventuresinbabyraising.blogspot.com/2008/11/so-my-birthday-is-getting-increasingly.html#sthash.jSJ9E99m.dpuf
1.
Learn to depend on yourself! Let's face it even the best of friends may
not have your back when things fall apart! Knowing you can look at the
world and say, "You know what I've got this on my own." will make you so
much stronger than looking to someone else to pick up the pieces!
2.
Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in! Some people
mistake my willingness to stand up for what I believe as my being
bitchy, but I don't pay any attention to that. Knowing I have the
courage to voice my opinion no matter what the consequence means more to
me than ignorant people who judge others for having a backbone!
3. Live everyday like it's your last! I really believe this because nothing is guaranteed,
life is short and you never know when your number will be called, but
if you live everyday to the fullest then you'll more than likely leave
this life with no regrets. (And there's a good chance you won't have to
come back and haunt the shit out of someone...lol)
4.
Make sure you say "I love you" often. This is another one that I insist
on doing! My fiance and kids probably think I'm completely mental
because I seriously tell them "I love you" three million times a day. I
look at it like this, if I tell them I love them more than I need to
then I know that there's absolutely no question in their minds that they are loved by me!
5.
Learn from your mistakes. I know this one seems like just plain old
fashion common sense, but you'd be surprised at how many people (myself
included) seem to repeat the same silly mistakes over and over again. I
look at it like this; if I've done something and I know it was a mistake
chances are doing it again is going to produce the same results. So try
hard to make every mistake a learning experience and once the lesson
has been learned the chances of you repeating the mistakes that you've
made is a lot less likely!
6.
Know that this too shall pass! This one seems a little more difficult
for me to believe in than the rest the reason? When things are going
horrible it's very hard to believe that things will ever get better, but
I've learned that even the worst situations do eventually get better
you just have to give it time and believe that there are better things
to come in your life. Trust me it will get better.
7.
Believe in love even when it seems like your prince will never come.
Alright so this is one that I have done extensive research on (and by
research I mean I have been in countless failed relationships). I've
learned that love does exist, but most of the time it happens when you
least expect it! True love is a love that you never have to question,
it's a love that feels exactly right from the start, and it's a love
that will make even the harshest cynics believe in prince charming!
8. Being a parent will be the hardest job you'll ever have! This one is definitely true! Kids don't come with handbook and there will be times when you have no clue what to do; like when your newborn is up crying
for hours on end and nothing seems to calm her down or when your 6 year
old asks where babies come from and you'd rather cut off your own foot
than try to explain it to her. But in all the chaos and crying comes the realization that parenthood is the most rewarding job you will ever do!
9.
Life isn't easy, but it's the struggles that make you stronger! If life
were easy then you'd never make mistakes and then learn from them,
you'd never be challenged to find out what you're made of, and you'd
never appreciate the little things because you know how truly special
they are.
10. Having
people who love you and truly care about your happiness is one of the
greatest gifts in the world. I live with this in mind always, because
it's the people in my life that make it so incredible and I am thankful
every day that I have such great people in mine!
- See more at:
http://misadventuresinbabyraising.blogspot.com/2008/11/so-my-birthday-is-getting-increasingly.html#sthash.jSJ9E99m.dpufTuesday, June 3, 2014
As a lot of you know, my family is a blended family. My husband and I have six children between the
two of us, I came into the marriage with two children from a previous marriage and my husband came into the marriage with two children from a
previous marriage and then we had two children together…lost yet? Given that I have, in the past, talked about
being part of a blended family, I do occasionally get emails from readers who
also have blended families, asking questions or just wondering how I handle
certain situations that may (and often do) arise. Since I always find it helpful to get other
people’s input when I’m dealing with my own problems and given how important it
is to have a support system when you’re a part of a blended family, I thought I’d
share a few of the most frequently asked questions with all of you and my
answers to them.
How do you deal with the exes involved?
Honestly, it’s a true exercise in patience, mixed with an
awful lot of tongue biting! Without
going into too much detail (because technically I am subject to a “gag order”
by my husband’s ex-wife…fun times), I will say that for the most part, with
respect to my own ex, he never gives me any issues and I don’t give him
any. We co-parent our daughter in every
sense of the word, I respect his opinions and input where she is concerned and
he respects mine. Our daughter is 12 and
for the past couple of years we have allowed her to pretty much decide where
she wants to spend her weekends and it’s what we’ve found that works for us. I think we’ve both just come to the
realization that everyone in the situation is happier when there is no
fighting, no drama and no pressure put on our daughter! As far as my husband’s situation, it is the
complete opposite from my own and a very tense, unnecessarily drama-filled, not
very fun time for everyone who is involved…sadly.
How do you and your husband deal with disciplining each
others children?
Bad attitudes and mouthy kids are a big problem in our house…I’m
just being honest! All of our children
are mouthy and don’t like to listen, so there is always someone in trouble for
something and the older they get, the more groundings and having things taken
away there seem to be. My husband and I
have always felt comfortable disciplining each others children, we are
extremely laid-back in the way we discipline our children anyway, so we prefer
taking things away and changing wifi passwords to spankings. On the rare occasion that something does
warrant a spanking, we usually don’t spank each others child, that’s just the
way I think we both prefer it and what’s worked for us.
What’s the one piece of advice you would give to someone who
is new to a blended family?
Be patient!
Seriously, it’s hard enough to deal with the adjustments to having new
children in the house who are used to doing things a certain way and only
having to listen to their parents, but it’s a whole other thing entirely when
you have to deal with exes! Honestly, I’ve
found that the children seem to adjust to the situation (for the most part) so
much easier and with a whole lot less drama, than the parents and that should
tell us something! I know that for us,
being a blended family is an ongoing learning experience, there is not
necessarily one thing or one way that works for us all of the time, we have
days (weeks, months) that go by smoothly and without incident, but then there
are those times that make all of us wonder how we ever made it eight years with
so much craziness!
While patience is definitely super important, it’s also
extremely important to remember that no one gets it right, right away or all of
the time. It’s totally alright to make
mistake, it’s not the end of the world if you argue with one (or all) of the
exes involved (trust me, it’s nearly impossible not to), you’re not the world’s
worst step-mom/dad if you make an unpopular decision and you have to do what
works for you and your family!
I hope me giving you some insight into what works for us has
given those of you who are new to blended families a little more confidence, I
promise, it gets easier with each passing day and as long as you are actively
trying to make your situation work, well you’re already ahead of the game!
Good luck!
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Have I told y'all how much I've missed this whole blogging thing, because I really, really have!
Unless we're friends on Facebook, chances are that you didn't know that recently we moved into a new house, a house in a new town (one that I've never lived in, but that my husband grew up in), and a house that I love SO much that I can barely stand it! Of course, the very first time I saw the house we left and I told my husband, in no uncertain terms, that I would not, for any reason, be moving there. Obviously, I changed my mind and fell so in love with it that I couldn't imagine now not living here, but when I say that it was a challenge from day one...I mean that!
When we first decided to move into the house, we decided that there was quite a bit of remodeling that needed to be done before it was ready to move in. We gave ourselves a month to complete all projects (we wanted to do all of the work while we were still living in our old house) and a modest budget, because initially we were only supposed to do a few cosmetic changes ( a few new floor treatments, new paint in all of the rooms, that sort of thing), but then the water leaks...yes leaks, happened and that kind of changed everything!
Everyone knows how completely awful this winter was and the previous owners of our house decided to turn off the water, electricity and gas in the dead of winter...bad idea. The day after I had the electric, water, and gas turned on my husband and I were working in the bathroom and something that sounded like a bomb went off under the house...that was the first water leak. Several water leaks under the house, a recurring water leak outside and a massive water leak in the upstairs bathroom later...we had blown past our budget and were running out of time... not a fun start to our new house.
Since I wanted to share with all of you the journey that we are taking with our new house; including what we started with, everything that we've completed thus far and our future plans, I decided that it would be easiest to do a series of posts documenting everything. This first post will be the BEFORE...can't wait to show you the AFTER!
Our New House Before Remodel
WARNING: It was a MESS! Ignore the blurry cellphone photos, my 12 year old was playing photographer and well, my phone just sucks at picture taking!
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The kitchen before.
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The living room before remodel and after the water leak...nice ceiling huh?!?
Downstairs bathroom before...pretty nasty, right!
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Downstairs bedroom #1
Downstairs bedroom #2
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Upstairs hallway.
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Upstairs bathroom
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Upstairs bedroom #1
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Upstairs bedroom #2
I told you it was a mess. There's another bedroom upstairs, but for some reason the pictures did not save on my phone, but I'll have lots of After pics of that too. I'm very happy to report that it looks a million times better now, we're no where near finished with everything that we want to do, but it's coming along and really beginning to look like our dream house! Stay tuned for lots of After photos of each room and remodeling updates!
Until next time...
Unless we're friends on Facebook, chances are that you didn't know that recently we moved into a new house, a house in a new town (one that I've never lived in, but that my husband grew up in), and a house that I love SO much that I can barely stand it! Of course, the very first time I saw the house we left and I told my husband, in no uncertain terms, that I would not, for any reason, be moving there. Obviously, I changed my mind and fell so in love with it that I couldn't imagine now not living here, but when I say that it was a challenge from day one...I mean that!
When we first decided to move into the house, we decided that there was quite a bit of remodeling that needed to be done before it was ready to move in. We gave ourselves a month to complete all projects (we wanted to do all of the work while we were still living in our old house) and a modest budget, because initially we were only supposed to do a few cosmetic changes ( a few new floor treatments, new paint in all of the rooms, that sort of thing), but then the water leaks...yes leaks, happened and that kind of changed everything!
Everyone knows how completely awful this winter was and the previous owners of our house decided to turn off the water, electricity and gas in the dead of winter...bad idea. The day after I had the electric, water, and gas turned on my husband and I were working in the bathroom and something that sounded like a bomb went off under the house...that was the first water leak. Several water leaks under the house, a recurring water leak outside and a massive water leak in the upstairs bathroom later...we had blown past our budget and were running out of time... not a fun start to our new house.
Since I wanted to share with all of you the journey that we are taking with our new house; including what we started with, everything that we've completed thus far and our future plans, I decided that it would be easiest to do a series of posts documenting everything. This first post will be the BEFORE...can't wait to show you the AFTER!
Our New House Before Remodel
WARNING: It was a MESS! Ignore the blurry cellphone photos, my 12 year old was playing photographer and well, my phone just sucks at picture taking!
The kitchen before.
The massive water leak did SO much damage in the living room that the entire ceiling had to be ripped out!
The living room before remodel and after the water leak...nice ceiling huh?!?
Downstairs bathroom before...pretty nasty, right!
Downstairs bedroom #1
Downstairs bedroom #2
Upstairs hallway.
Upstairs bathroom
Upstairs bedroom #1
Upstairs bedroom #2
I told you it was a mess. There's another bedroom upstairs, but for some reason the pictures did not save on my phone, but I'll have lots of After pics of that too. I'm very happy to report that it looks a million times better now, we're no where near finished with everything that we want to do, but it's coming along and really beginning to look like our dream house! Stay tuned for lots of After photos of each room and remodeling updates!
Until next time...
Monday, April 28, 2014
Frozen has been playing in heavy rotation at our house ever since Lil Diva received the movie as a gift (Best Mom Ever...or so she told me) which means that we all know all of the songs from the movie soundtrack...yes, even me. Just one of the hazards of being a Mom I suppose. Anyway, Lil Diva loves to sing and she's actually surprisingly amazing at it and her current favorite songs are all from Frozen so I thought I'd share a video that I made of her singing "Do You Want to Build a Snowman". I don't know about y'all, but I think she may have a future with this singing thing. I die, she's too adorable!
So, what do you think? Do you think she has a future in the music biz?
Friday, April 25, 2014
Holy wow it's been a long time since I've written a blog post, but I have to admit that it feels really, really good to be writing one right now! I've been working non-stop for the past seven months (I'm talking 6 days a week, sometimes 9 hours a day #dontloveit) and I've just felt like I needed a little break from blogging as it was beginning to be a little blah, BUT I'm very happy to report that I am back and renewed and SO ready to share my world with all of you again...if y'all are still out there...y'all are out there...right?
The past few months have brought with them so many changes for me and for my family and I feel like I'm not the same person that I was when I stopped blogging. I've learned quite a few lessons over the past few months and if you know me at all, then you know that I am always down for sharing some wisdom with all of you (hey, I call it wisdom, some people may call it being long-winded, whatever you call it, I'm gonna talk about it right about now...
Family is THE most important thing in the world and sometimes, the only family that you need are the ones who are right there beside you, sitting on the couch in their PJ's, reading you a book or telling you about their day. I've always had a super big extended family, but I've never really felt like we were "thick as thieves" so to speak. There have been a select few who I stay in touch with and consider some of the closest people to me (y'all definitely know who you are) and the rest I may see once a year, that used to bother me, but I've learned to be OK with that...why you ask (and I'm just assuming that you are asking)? Honestly, the older I get, the more I realize that the people who are worth having in your life are the ones who take the time to keep you in theirs. The people who don't make time for you, can't get over past differences, don't take the time to reach out to see how you are more than once a year, just are not the type of people I want in my world...family or not. If that seems harsh, it may be, but when it comes down to it, the only people I need to please are the same ones who are reading me those books, sitting with me on the couch watching the Real Housewives (even though he'd rather be playing PS4) and coming home from school with arms wide open asking me how my day was...that, my friends, is family!
Some people are just always going to "see" you as they "see" you, no matter how inaccurate or unfair it is and you know what? You just have to learn to roll with the punches and know when to stop worrying about what they think! I have to be honest, there are a few people who believe me to be some not very nice things (without knowing me from Adam I might add) and I used to spend a lot of time and energy worrying about what those people thought of me, but one day I decide that I just didn't care. You can't please everyone and the only thing you're gonna get by trying is a headache and a lot of hurt feelings, like Elsa says...LET IT GO, seriously, it's not worth it! And besides, I'm pretty freaking awesome and the people who matter already know that!
Sometimes people surprise you just when you least expect it! Without getting overly personal and turning this post into an episode of Dr. Phil, about a year and a half ago my husband and I were not getting along that well, alright, that's the understatement of the century, we pretty much hated each other, we were both miserable, he was hateful to me nearly every waking moment, and divorce was definitely in the cards, but all of that changed and literally over night. One day my husband was threatening divorce and the next he came to me and told me he didn't want to fight anymore...that was well over a year ago and except for a few minor arguments here and there, we haven't fought since. I'm not sure what happened, or why he had such a change of heart, but I can tell you that a.) I never thought it would happen and b.) I've never been happier in a relationship than I am right now.
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Last but not least, I've learned that life is about as unpredictable as a 3 year old with a box of crayons; if you're lucky they'll only color on paper, but if you turn your back for even just a second you'll be cleaning up crayons from your walls for days...life's the same way, one moment everything is fine and dandy, the next you're scrubbing that Magic Eraser till it falls apart cussing at yourself for buying those damn crayons.
Until next time...
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
A couple of weeks ago I received news about a loved one that made me change my perspective on a lot of things in life, mainly family and the importance of it. Though I’m not really ready to talk about that news yet, I do think it’s important to celebrate life and how amazing and fleeting it is. So, in the spirit of capturing all of the moments that make up this amazing thing called life, I thought I’d share a little of our 4th of July celebration with y’all. If we’re friends on Facebook then you can check out all of the pictures there. I hope everyone had a great 4th filled with food, fun and family!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
It’s no secret that 2012 wasn’t a great year for me, but I’m so excited to see what 2013 brings for me and my family. Our NYE party wasn’t as hard core as most, but we had a blast none-the-less!
My absolute favorite picture of the night, our 4 “big kids” (as we call them), words can’t express how much these kids mean to me!
My Bonnie and Clyde!
Daddy “playin’” on his phone
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
I love the weekends, no matter what we’re doing, we’re having a blast simply because we’re hanging out with each other…though to be fair, we’re usually fishing (SO not my thing btw).
Anyway, this weekend Lil Man learned to ride a bike… a big bike, without training wheels! Last year for his birthday, Lil Man chose a big wheel over a bike so he’s never even had a smaller bike to practice on, but that didn’t stop Lil Man, with the help of his big sister K, Lil Man was riding on his own in less than 20 minutes!
I have to say, I am very, very proud of my Lil Boo Boo, but I’m also kinda sad that he’s growing up so quickly…I know all of you moms out there can relate to that one.
Isn’t he the cutest thing ever…alight, I may be a bit bias, but come on, admit it, he’s one heck of a handsome boy!
Friday, October 2, 2009
**Updated With Winner At The Bottom**
Thanks to all who entered!
Have you ever walked into a store looking for the perfect gift for someone only to spend hours and end up with little more than an impersonal, impractical gift that you’re not too pleased about giving? Me too! As a matter of fact I’ve started giving gift cards in place of actual gifts because it’s just easier and more practical. But recently I was introduced to a company that may just make you rethink giving gift cards ever again.
Have you ever heard the expression, “It takes A Whole Village to raise a child”? Well that’s the concept behind the company A Whole Village! A Whole Village takes the concept of preserving wisdom for future generations to a whole new level with their amazing books! The company started with an idea that a mother and father had for doing something special for their child and grew into what it is today, which is a company that makes preserving the wisdom, life stories, and ideas of someone’s village (family and friends) as easy as logging in and sharing their knowledge! Here’s how it works:
- After you sign up at A Whole Village you can set up your profile.
- Pick the categories for your book (the categories you choose will be the guidelines for your village members to add their wisdom.
- Invite your village members (your friends and family) to participate by adding their knowledge!
- Add your wisdom to the book.
You can also choose to add a dedication at the beginning of the book, upload photos to be used within the pages of the book, view, edit, and delete entries, and determine the cover design of your book! You can choose from three different cover styles; softcover, hardcover with book jacket, and hardcover with image wrap. They also offer seven different cover designs that can be used on any style book. When you are satisfied with your book you can preview it and then click print and in 3 weeks you will have a beautiful, truly personal gift for someone you love. Imagine being able to give your child a gift that they will be able to treasure for years to come, that doesn’t happen too often! These books will bring the great wisdom of your “village” to life and keep them for reference as your loved ones continue to grow. A book that your loved ones will be able to look to for guidance when they are going through a tough time or just need to reconnect with a loved one who is no longer with them!
Buy it! Looking for a gift that the recipient will cherish for years to come? Check out A Whole Village!
You can also check out A Whole Village (and gets lots of great gift ideas ) in my Holiday Gift Guide 2009!
Win it! To be entered into this giveaway please check out AWholeVillage.com and look around, come back here and leave me a comment telling me which color book cover you would choose if you won(please give the name of the color not just blue or red) and who you would like to win this for! This is mandatory and must be completed before any extra entries count!
Extra Entries! Please leave separate comments for each extra entry!
- Follow Misadventures in Baby Raising via my RSS feed, email, or on Blogger…2 extra entries!
- Grab any (or all, thank you) of my buttons and display them on your blog…2 extra entries each!
- Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway…1 Tweet Per Day = 1 Extra Entry Per Day!
- Become a Fan (or Friend) of Misadventures in Baby Raising on Facebook…3 extra entries!
- Blog about this giveaway with links to A Whole Village and this post (or post on Facebook or Myspace)…5 extra entries!
- Enter my Plan Toys Giveaway…2 extra entries!
- Leave a comment on any non-giveaway post…2 extra entries!
This giveaway ends on Friday October 23, 2009 at 11:59 PM EDT. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced in this post! Winner will have 48 hours to contact me and claim their prize, failure to do so will result in the winner forfeiting their prize and me choosing a new winner via a live giveaway!
I was compensated for my time for this giveaway. I did not receive a product to review, any opinions expressed herein are my own.
Open to US and Canadian residents!
GOOD LUCK!
Winning number is:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
8
Timestamp: 2009-10-24 04:17:10 UTC
So that makes our winner:
Monday, May 4, 2009
There is nothing in this world that bugs me more than when the people at my house ask me every day, "Hey Mom. What's for dinner?"
Sure I realized when I started a family that I'd have to cook the occasional meal (this is actually what I thought...that it would be occasional) but never did I imagine having to do it every single day!
Now I will be the first person to admit that I do not like to cook...I used to love cooking and even entertained the idea of going to culinary school, but when you do something 3 times a day 365 days a year for YEARS it kind of gets old at least it did for me! The mere fact that cooking is something that I dread is not even what bugs me most...its being asked "What's for dinner?" I know it may sound crazy (I never claimed to be completely sane) but let me explain my reasoning behind the madness...
Sure I realized when I started a family that I'd have to cook the occasional meal (this is actually what I thought...that it would be occasional) but never did I imagine having to do it every single day!
Now I will be the first person to admit that I do not like to cook...I used to love cooking and even entertained the idea of going to culinary school, but when you do something 3 times a day 365 days a year for YEARS it kind of gets old at least it did for me! The mere fact that cooking is something that I dread is not even what bugs me most...its being asked "What's for dinner?" I know it may sound crazy (I never claimed to be completely sane) but let me explain my reasoning behind the madness...
- I am always the one who has to make the decision about what to cook for dinner...always! when I ask another memeber of the family they almost always respond with. "I don't care...whatever you want!"
- I always seem to get in a rut and cook the same 5 meals week after week and then my family has the nerve to complain about it...are you kidding me? I've been asking for your input for years now!
- I've been cooking what I want forEVER and I'm tired of what I want and I would love to cook what someone else wants but no one will ever tell me what that is...I know I have eyes in the back of my head and I always know where your favorites shirt are, but I can NOT read your minds!
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