Bear's mom (Life With Two)

Hope

2014-04-14T09:12:00.002-07:00

Learning to be disappointed and be OK with it.

Learning that self worth is not based on other's opinions or actions.

Learning that I am the only one truly in control of my own happiness.

Learning to let go.

Learning to turn a negative experience into a stepping stone for something better.

Learning to be present.

Learning to be exactly who I am.

Learning to create my most meaningful life.

Learning to never give up.

Happy Monday

Have a blessed week!

{Highlight Reel} Two Weeks And Counting..,

2014-04-11T15:00:00.001-07:00

It's been over two weeks since I posted my highlights. I guess we've been busy...

A new rose popped up in my garden. Bear and I both agree that it must be Sleeping Beauty's rose - it's certainly fit for a princess!

It was hot last week. We spent a lot of time running through the sprinkler.

It cooled down just in time for my race. I ran Fallbrook's first annual half marathon last weekend. My two favorite parts were seeing my daughters and husband cheer me on as I ran by, and then the finish line. Oh my goodness, I love a good run!

Painting with bear.

Easter egg hunt. The Easter bunny left our eggs in the yard - our first Easter with a yard!

Easter breakfast: Amazing croissant French toast with carmalized sugar and orange zest on top.

My beach babies making sand angels.

xoxo

A Perfect Day

2014-04-03T21:16:00.001-07:00

Today was perfect.

We were busy doing things we enjoyed, periodically together and periodically separate, but always side by side.

The girls didn't need TV today, their morning had been perfectly structured, and they were satisfied with how the day was playing out.

While the little one slept, bear and I relaxed out back, reviewing her numbers and letters. Bear in the shade and me warming myself in the sun.

When the bear had had enough, we sat together, smooshed into one lawn chair, talking. The warm sun still warming me.

Daddy arrived home early.

Bear and I had moved on to tap dancing and the little one was just beginning to stir.

It was time for chores.

The girls moved to play-dough and played quietly in the back yard. The husband and I worked.

When the chores were finished, I took off for a run. When I came back, my two girls had connected their ikea play tunnels to their sleeping bags. Two green and pink tubes extended across the playroom and a muffled voice from inside one of the sleeping bags began to talk.

"I'm in the dirt, mommy! I'm a worm!"

"You are a worm!"

Dinner time.

The husband and the little one went to our garden to collect our salad, while burgers sizzled on the grill. The girls helped me wash and peel our veggies and life began to slow down for a bit.

Today we are getting it right - this moment is right - I thought to myself. We don't always get it right, but today, in this sliver of a moment, we are.

We sat down to eat and bear requested to say a prayer.

"Thank you God for this food, for this family, and for camping..."

The little ones chomped away, mostly on their veggies, and I certainly couldn't complain. Veggies straight from the garden always seem to be more delectable.

We ended the day with frozen yogurt.

The sun was setting, pink and light blue hues stretched across the sky as we drove towards town. The little ones knew they were staying up past their bed time.

Bear and daddy picked their own yogurt from the large industrial-esk machines with the thin white handles. The little one and I shared, she requesting while I manned the handles.

We quietly sat down together, enjoying our treats. The little one slowly ate, taking the tiniest bites known to man. She had asked for cherry but it was evident that only the vanilla was up to her standards, as she scrapped away any pinkness that cross contaminated her vanilla spoon.

The sun had set.

The little ones were ready for bed and without a sound, they crawled out of the van, put on their pjs, brushed their teeth, and went off to bed.

"Goodnight moon. Goodnight house and the red balloon..."

{Highlight Reel} Simplicity

2014-03-29T21:38:00.001-07:00

One more dinner at Stone Brewery & World Bistro. We celebrated a wonderful winter. The girls were pretty silly - I love seeing the happiness in their faces.

"If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely" - Roald Dohl

The little one got her first sleeping bag. My two noodles have barely left their little camping cacoons since the husband set them up. It should be a fun camping trip next week!

Froyo date with my fancy bear on Main Street. We're blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

Happy Weekend!

Carrots (Finding Joy in the Little Moments)

2014-03-26T22:35:00.001-07:00

" Ca-wets, mama! Ca-wets!"

Yes, carrots she demanded, at ten in the morning, as it rained outside. I tried to tell her to wait for lunch, but when my little one gets an idea in her head, she's never easily persuaded to let it go

So we strapped our rain shoes on and went outside.

"Wain, mama! Wain!"

I told her I would stay in the garage and watch her while she danced in the rain, but the twinkle in her clear blue eyes kept me from staying still.

The excitement on her face and the pure joy she experiences in moments like these sends me shooting back to my own childhood. I danced with abandon beside her, around our little court yard, as the rain came pouring down. And she was happy.

We eventually made it over to our garden where my husband and children have spent many weekends planting and harvesting our vegetables.

The little one and I admired all the green leaved bunches, sprouting out of the earth, and I slowly picked two little carrots for the littlest one in my house.

It is these special moments that I don't want to forget. These moments are magical. They are what keeps my mama energy tank going. They keep me present and they keep me alive.

For life is always a bit more joyful and a bit more colorful through the eyes of a child.

{Highlight Reel} Birthday Edition

2014-03-24T12:09:00.001-07:00

We've been busy since last Monday. My parents have been in town and this past weekend kicked off my birthday celebrating; because one day of celebrating just isn't enough...

The preppings of a St. Patrick's Day feast.

A trip to the San Diego Zoo. The flamingos are their favorite.

I dressed up for a tea party. Please ignore the mess(eek). I just wanted to show some solid proof that I looked nice this week...

Early birthday celebrating at Stone Brewery. I tried Quail Knots or the first time and they were amazing!

Wine tasting in Temecula. We saw three wineries total.

At Calloway Winery, with my dad.

And Happy Birthday to me!

{Highlight Reel} Lego Men, Koi Fish, and the Most Frustrating Place on Earth...

2014-03-16T08:07:00.001-07:00

Four score and seven Lego years ago...

We found all of the Lego men you can collect from the movie; and Let It Go has temporarily been replaced with Everything Is Awesome!

When I told bear to pick up her Legos last week, her response was: Everything is Not awesome...

San Juan Mission

The Koi fountain was the highlight. Forget the history and beauty, large fish always trump history...

We met some old friends at the mission, that was actually the real highlight of the trip.

Reunited and it feels so... Silly...

We met my parents at Disney on Thursday and Friday. I spent most of Friday hiding in the hotel closet, trying to get the little one to nap. It was the most frustrating place on earth that day...

Luckily I had my trusty companion. David Sedaris does not disappoint.

And that's that.

Happy Week!

Gratitude

2014-03-11T09:13:00.001-07:00

I am asking for gratitude today. I have been stuck in a pretty negative place and I know the only way out is through gratitude.

Once our mind dips into a negative spiral it is really hard to get it to stop. It likes the negativity and feeds on it. Those *gremlins are alive and kicken' it in my mommy exhausted brain.

It all started on Saturday, I had one brief moment of insecurity and it has been a game of dominos ever sense. I kept trying to negotiate with it but the more you fight yourself to stop thinking about something, the more you think about it.

"Don't think about pink elephants!"

Are you thinking about pink elephants?

Of course you are.

But I've cried my tears and it's time to climb out of this hole and reach for gratitude.

What are you grateful for? What are your blessings? It is easy to get carried away with all the things that are going wrong. The minute we chose gratitude, is the minute everything changes.

Gratitude is the moment when God picks me up, wipes my tears, and reminds me that I am exactly where I am suppose to be.

We can either chose to see all that is wrong with the world or we can chose to see all that is right. I chose right.

I am grateful for this life.

{Highlight Reel} Frozen, Running, and Live Oaks.

2014-03-07T08:55:00.001-08:00

Not much happened this week. Bear and I were both sick so we spent more time at the house than usual.

Highlights:

Let It Go

The acceptance speech by the writers of "Let It Go," was so powerful on Sunday night at the Oscers.

Let It Go has been our national anthem around here since we saw Frozen back in November. It has been a powerful song for me; not only do we frequntly dance around the house to it but it's a favorite on my running playlist. I was so touched by the quote up above. "...never let fear or shame keep you from celebrating the unique people that you are." I want my daughters to know (and live) this message, too.

Registered for my half marathon.

Late afternoon trip to the park. This picture makes me think of the 100 acre woods.

And that's about it.

Happy Weekend!

Lost In Blog Translation

2014-03-05T12:17:00.001-08:00

"You don't have to be perfect. Just keep going..."

I don't know what to write this week.

I gave up last week, convinced I needed a break. I chose to spend my free time reading and assumed I would walk away with more inspiration. Titillated with the stories of other fabulous writers, I would land myself a wonderful post to write. Unfortunately that something wonderful has turned into four different rambling drafts. On and on I type, but the words seem to go no where. Letters and paragraphs, chopped up and spliced, with no real story behind them, except nonsense and spelling errors.

I imagine Alice spinning down the rabbit hole, my lost blog posts spiraling with her. A random paragraph jabbing her in the ribcage, a couple of letters betwixt amongst her floating hair, gripping the strands, certain they'll never see the light of day...

My dead end ramblings appear to be coming from my lack of vision for this blog. I really don't know where I'm going with this tiny crevice I've created here on blogger. More than anything, I don't want to give up on it. I promised myself I would stick it through this time, with honesty and openness.

As I continue to commit myself to writing, I can't help but listen to those *gremlins, those voices in the back of my head, telling me I'm not good enough. They like to sit and pick at me, tell me I'm silly for wasting my time here, and that my writing makes no sense.

The gremlin induced fear sets in before each post and I find myself writing for an imagined audience rather than writing for myself, and that's the real problem. I chose to do this for myself, no one else. But it's hard to put yourself out there when it seems like no one really wants to listen.

And when the gremlin voices start to dissipate, I remind myself that the goal was never to become something big. I simply want a space where I can create and reflect, and maybe if I'm lucky, connect with others who feel the same.

Being the introvert that I am, I need to write. I don't fully understand where I am going or what I am feeling without writing it down. Writing is my way of getting everything out, otherwise it burns inside of me, sucking away at my soul.

Back in college stories pored right out of me, but years away from reading and writing have created an on going struggle. My creative muscles have lost their definition and my writing metabolism is struggling to spring back. The more I read and write, the more things begin to look clearer. Perhaps I needed this week to reevaluate where I am going and what my long term goals are.

So here's to not giving up. Even if no one is reading. Even if all I gain from this blog is the pure satisfaction of creating something of my very own.

Fall down ten times, get up eleven.

And that's all I have to say about that.

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*Gremelins, though a popular 80s movie, is also a term coined by Brene Brown in her books about shame. It is used to describe the negative voices in our heads that make us believe that we are not good enough.

{Highlight Reel} Disney, Coffee, and Rain

2014-02-28T06:48:00.001-08:00

An impromptu trip to Disney

On our way

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Goofy's playground

Princess Anna

A coffee break

Today it's rain-mageddon, we're avoiding the highways and snuggling up for a long wet weekend. I just hope the rain calms before my long run on Sunday.

Happy Weekend!

{Highlight Reel} Relaxed At Home

2014-02-21T20:44:00.001-08:00

A pleasantly mellow week. We did a lot at home together! When we're home and happy, I feel like I'm getting something right.

Next week will probably be completely different, but for now I'm patting myself on the back a little bit...

Here's what we've been up to:

I started working on a small scarf for bear, using an old sweater of mine.

I inspired bear to work on her own little project with the leftover fabric.

Lunch date diva.

Picnic lunch: We made muffins and then packed up lunch and headed out for the field across the road. As soon as we settled in, and started reading some Winnie The Pooh, we were overtaken by ants. The picnic was quickly relocated back home.

We had Mops in Thursday. The little one joined her Moppet friends and I had mommy time - FTW!

Today was ballet. We found out bear's tap routine for her recital is going to be "Fun, Fun, Fun" by Pharrell (woot-woot!) from Despicable Me.

We went home, bought the song, and practiced. And since Friday night is movie and pizza night in our house, we had to watch Despicable Me <insert minion emoji here>.

I'll leave you with my favorite Pharrell song. Listen and try not to be happy, I dare you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM&sns=em

Happy Weekend!

How Running Saved The Momma in Me...

2014-02-19T07:31:00.001-08:00

About two years ago, after my second child was born, I was stewing in a serious mess-of-a-fog. Stampeded by the terrible threes and a colicky baby; I was exhausted, tired, and out of shape. From looking into the mirror to looking out at my life - I was a mom zombie, just trying to survive.

Drowning in diapers and tantrums, I was at my lowest of low, struggling to manage life with two very little children.

I didn't want to admit it at the time, but looking back, i'm pretty sure I was suffering from a bit of postpartum depression...

In an attempt to change things I started going to the gym, but that wasn't enough. It was as if my body had frozen in time and no eleptical machine was going to zap me back to the present.

That cloud of fog continued to follow me around, like Eeyore and his gloomy rain cloud...

With the encouragement of my husband, I decided to begin training for a marathon; things began to change.

Slowly, week after week, the running pulled me out from the fog -- It pulled me out from my darkest of places. It brought the color back into my heart. It showed me how amazing life can really be.

Most importantly, it showed me how to enjoy the journey, because life is the journey -- The ups and the downs, the hard moments and the simple ones, the mediocrity and the extraordinary.

And, for when I feel like I have no control, when I feel worn out from the day, when I'm sad and broken, and I just want to give in...

I run.

And my run always brings me back. It helps me climb life's hurtles. It helps me reach the mountain tops and the steep hills. It helps me push through the pain, all in the hopes of reaching the other side, stronger than before.

Running: It helps me step out the door when I don't want to. It's the one last whisper, telling me to try again. It's the door to my soul, the door to my faith...

It's putting one foot infront of the other, every single day.

Because that's life.

That's running.

{Highlight Reel} Favorite Moments

2014-02-14T08:16:00.001-08:00

Disney

My photogenic bear

"Sun in my eyes mama..."

Waiting for Dumbo to start. It never started. That's our luck with Dumbo...

The little one fell asleep so I treated bear to an ice-cream break, by these beauties, to help curb some disappointment. Disney isn't always easy with a two year old sister...

New favorite read: Wild

I'm completely lost -- in a wonderful book wormy sort of way -- in this book.

Nothing makes me happier than a good book to read.

Valentine's Day!

We made heart brownies on Thursday.

I made the girls heart shaped French toast sandwiches with bananas for breakfast on the big day! They also woke to red balloons all over their floor and a couple of surprises in the kitchen.

At the end of the day we caught a plane drawing hearts in the sky.

Hope you had a good valentine's day!

Confessions of a Chocoholic

2014-02-11T07:36:00.001-08:00

Eating healthy - It's a battle!

If I have healthy food prepped and ready to go, I am much more likely to eat it. But there are some days where I only eat whatever I can find to cram in my mouth.

Those are my least favorite days.

I am certainly making some progress in regards to cutting back on random food cramingness...

But there's a much bigger problem, which I am not making any improvement with: my chocolate addiction.

It's almost impossible for me to go without chocolate after a meal. Or after a stressful moment, or after a content moment, or after a non-content/non-stressful moment...

Chocolate is life.

Chocolate is heaven in bite size form.

I run for chocolate.

Giving it up completely is not an option.

I do have a goal though, it's to start having a little bit more, Ahem, control over the amount of chocolate I choose to consume.

It's been baby steps with everything else. So I expect the same with my chocolate habit.

One chocolate craving at a time, I suppose...

Seeing as it's Valentine's Day this Friday, we are overstocked with chocolate. I also plan on making heart shaped brownies tomorrow, clearly not the best environment for cutting back on my habit.

But I'm hoping I can begin to practice some control and stick to one serving after dinner.

And maybe just one more serving when the kids are down for bed...

Wish me luck!

Happy Valentine's Day!

{Highlight Reel} Raising A Sensitive Four Year old

2014-02-07T16:45:00.000-08:00

We had another great week. Mostly due to my willingness to make some changes. I was able to let go, again.

This time I'm letting go of bear. Not physically, or literally, of course...

But I've come to realize that I've been passing my own fears, my own experiences and my own perceptions onto bear.

I've realized that I've been so afraid of not making good connections and friendships, in our new town, that I've passed it all onto my little four year old.

It's been the main cause of some of the problems we've been having.

Bear would cling to me during drop off at school and frequently tantrum on our way to the car, when I picked her up.

She also struggled with choices and became very moody at times.

I was so defeated by these events, so worn-out and frustrated. I could barely think straight.

And then - a clearing in the cloud - I heard an old interview on Oprah about the "sensitive child."

Bear is my sensitive child, just like me, she picks up on all the emotions around her and then internalizes them.

In my 30's, I can sort through my emotions, but a four your old has no idea what all these feelings are. Thus, they come out in clinginess, whines and tantrums.

So this week I let go of bear, as I'm learning that life is a big balance of letting go and holding on.

In turn, bear had a wonderful week. She's been getting close with another little girl in her class and she's playing really well with her little sister.

And since I wasn't so busy with bear during drop off/pick up, I was able to catch up with the other mommies. Which ment I had a wonderful week, too!

I feel blessed when I am able to open up and see where I'm doing things wrong. It's the first step toward making things better.

And there's nothing wrong with being wrong!

{Highlights}

So here she is, with a squirmy four legged, jumping friend. My girls are princesses but they are not afraid of frogs. Even when they're super slimy and icky (I was not as brave...).

On Wednesday I ran with the little one; she passed out. I got a good workout in & she got a much needed morning nap!

Thursday the little banana and I attended out first MOPS (mothers of preschoolers). Banana got to hang out with other little bananas while I got to hang out with other mommies. It was amazing and informative and I felt connected. It was great!

And today it was ballet!

Happy Birthday to my dad!

Have a wonderful weekend!

When You Hold On Too Tight...

2014-02-04T14:42:00.001-08:00

The biggest gift I've ever given myself is the gift of letting go.

Learning to let go took strength and courage, but once I started up that faithful staircase, my life changed for the better. And this wasn't something I was able to change over night, it took me over a full year to completely understand how much I was holding on to.

All sorts of baggage.

And that baggage weighed me down, made me angry, made me sad.

Like an emotional sherpa, I just kept carting my baggage up Mount Everest, waiting for someone to take it off my back. The problem was the only person that could do that was me.

I was sitting in the passenger seat of life, letting everything just happen to me. I wasn't taking charge or taking responsibility. I was letting the world dictate who I was and how I felt.

I had hit a wall and realized something needed to change - I couldn't keep going on like this. I began to dig deep and started noticing a whole lot of recurring events.

A year and a half later, I got the message:

Let go!

Let go of the negativity, the stress, the bad situations.

Let go of the people who want to walk out of your life.

Let go of the relationships that just leave you broken and sad.

Let go of what you can't control.

Let it go!

All these doors kept closing around me and I was just standing there waiting for them to reopen. When every door closes you either stay stuck or you move on. I was sick and tired of being stuck. I--for once--began to undoubtably understand that the only thing I had control over was me, my life, and my happiness.

So I summoned all the strength I could find and started letting go.

I unraveled the baggage slowly. Once the larger items were stripped off my back, I began to see that letting go wasn't only about situations and people, there were a lot of little things in my life that I was trying to control...

It took baby steps.

It still takes baby steps.

One thing I now know for certain: it's ok to let go. In fact, it's necessary. You can't make any real decisions or changes until you take some steps back and let things unravel the way they are supposed to.

Sometimes we hold on so tight, we don't realize we're missing so many other wonderful opportunities.

The biggest realization in all of this is that letting go isn't about ignoring someone or being hurtful; letting go is removing yourself from situations, because it is too much for your own well being.

Letting go is setting your heart free!

New doors are opening because I'm willing to let the wrong doors close.

So have a little faith and let go!

Can you relate? I'd love to hear your story! How have you let go?

{My Highlight Reel} Favorite moments

2014-01-30T14:25:00.001-08:00

I think this is going to be a regular thing on the blog: pictures of my favorite moments through out the week. Seeing all these special moments at the end of a long week is definitely adding a little extra happiness to my life.

We had a lot of fun last week:

Duck pond vist; post-run. I offered her a "ducky" visit if she would sit in the jogger while I ran. And I patted myself on the back for running with her, instead of waiting until the husband got home.

We started hanging Valentine's Day decorations. This is in the girl's room - thank you Target for making this so easy!

We tried toddler story time at the library on this day but the little banana was more interested in running loops around the book shelves. So we left and split a frozen yogurt on Main St instead. I think it was an excellent back up plan on my part... Yum.

Waiting for ballet to start. I can't get over the cuteness.

Giving herself kisses between fairy dances...

A weekend away from the kids - One must drink like kings! Or get sloshed off of one large drink and fall asleep at 7pm. Just like all the other wild and crazy parents out there...

Blueberry pancakes all to myself! At Stacks in Dana Pt.

Waiting to see if we could spot any whales by Strands Beach. No such luck.

Good flower spotting though.

Happy Weekend!

{What I Wore Wednesday} My first try!

2014-01-29T10:22:00.001-08:00

I Thought I'd give What I Wore Wednesday a shot today, since I'm all about trying new things these days. I've been following The Pleated Poppy for a while; she has been inspiring me every week to get out if my yoga pants/hoodie rut and put myself together.

Here's what I wore this week:

I'm really into scarves, the white one above is my favorite. It takes my outfit up a notch but feels like a comfy blanket.

Aaaahhhh... Just hold me scarf...

Shirt - H&M
Scarf - H&M
Pants - H&M
Shoes - Toms

This one my MIL bought for me. It's hard to see but it brings some nice color and helps distract from my not so fab hair. I had half my hair curled before I ran out if time, (ha!) so it was a tight hair pulled back kind if day.

Scarf - Old Navy
Shirt - Old Navy
Cardigan - Gap
Pants - H&M

Shoes -Toms

Ah, natural light - you take pictures so much better...

This is my outfit today, I got up at 5:30 to beat the kiddos and get a shower in. We are not doing anything special-bear is home sick-but I promised myself I'd put myself together today and so I did!

Jacket - EMS
Shirt - H&MS
Pants - Anthropology
Shoes - Old Navy

So there it is-my first What I Wore Wednesday! The best part of forcing myself to do this post? I feel so much more put together and all around more productive - woohoo!

Happy Wednesday!

My Highlight Reel

2014-01-21T20:47:00.001-08:00

I've been feeling pretty damn happy these days... Like things are just falling into place... And the negative goggles I once wore are being replaced with a nice shiny pair of Rosie glasses.

And, take note - if you find yourself in a hard spot, it will pass. Just hang on & and try to enjoy the ride!

Here's what's on my highlight reel this week:

Meg's Miles: I ran for Meg over the weekend; an avid runner and mommy of three.

Meg was killed, while running, by a drunk driver.

Seeing how many runners supported Meg's Miles was amazing. Thousands of people come together to log their miles and share their run - she absolutely will not be forgotten.

I don't have the words to explain this but it's important to me and I wanted to share it. I think we've all been touched and inspired by something Martin Luther King Jr. has said. I spent a part of Monday looking over some quotes, this one struck a chord the most for me.

Some fun in the sun... Cheese!

My little banana. She actually let me do her hair on this day (a rarity). She is dancing between snack munches in this shot...

Tuesday at the beach...

Because we can. Because we love it. Because we won't be able to do this next year. Because whenever we go here, it feels like it is exactly where we are suppose to be.

We are so blessed to live in sunny SoCal, I'm not going to deny it!

Stay warm friends!

It is in all of us...

2014-01-17T09:35:00.001-08:00

A little inspiration for your weekend...

One of my favorite things to do when I need a pick me up is searching for quotes and pretty art work on Pinterest.

I found this one a while ago and still love it.

What inspires you these days?

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This print is from a neat etsy shop. They have lots of beautiful prints.

check them out here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/maechevrette?ref=exp_listing

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The Force Is Strong With This One...

2014-01-15T10:02:00.001-08:00

My wonderful bear.

As always, she is amazing us with her new found interest in Star Wars.

We have been watching the movies and both of my girls are getting into it...

And it's kind of a breath of fresh air, that my girly girls are so into this story!

We took bear to Disneyland last Wednesday, without the little one. It was a day just for her! We rode Star Tours, bought her her first lightsaber (which she demanded be red, as she likes Darth Vader), and then waited for the Jedi Trainings...

It was a good thing we waited because bear was picked! She trained on stage with the Jedi Master and then fought Darth Vader. She was also the only Jedi in the training group to fight Vader's Storm Troopers by using "The Force..."

The rest of the day she carried around her lightsaber and tried various times to use the force on other Disney guests...

One of my favorite parts of being a mom: seeing the world again through a four year old's eyes :)

May the force be with you!

Take A Break (It's OK!)

2014-01-14T08:59:00.002-08:00

I'm not feeling very centered today so it's really hard for me to push through this post...

My weakest moments are during the week when I'm here alone, with the kids, doing my best to be my best...

My hardest struggle is to be more compassionate with myself. I don't have to be 100% perfect all of the time and until I fully give into letting go of perfection, it will always wreck some sort of havoc on my week.

Realizing that I'm not a saint and I'm going to hit my limits, and that I need to be willing take a break instead of pushing through, is the only thing that's going to help. Even Mother Theresa had her limits and struggles, we're human not machines--we have limits!

The real problem at hand is that I feel like a failure when I don't have the patience, when my brain is too frazzled to think, when I physically can't get up from the table or leave the coffee mug...

I didn't realize all this until yesterday when my husband pushed me out the door and forced me to leave. When I returned with a clear head, it began to make more sense to me. I didn't want to leave because I felt like I was failing again. I'm lucky to have a husband who's willing to push me out the door!

So... It's OK to sit the kids down in front of the TV for a bit so you can do something for yourself. It's OK to tell the kids to go busy themselves for 5 minutes of quiet so you can to process your thoughts. And it's OK to just leave the house when it feels like too much; let someone else take over for a bit!

As moms we want to do it all. We want to be everything to everyone but it's an impossible goal. We need to take care of ourselves so we can take better care of everyone else. We need to limit our caring too, we need to learn to say no to things, so we can focus on the more important things--our family.

Being a supermom means being willing to take a break! We are all amazing moms doing the best we can.

And oh my goodness, I feel so much better getting that down on electronic paper...

Go take a break!

bear's mom

One Word 365

2014-01-02T08:48:00.000-08:00

My one word for 2014 is patience.

Patience for life, patience for my children, patience for my husband, patience for my family, patience for my friends....

Patience because I want to show my children compassion.

Patience because my insecurities make me feel like I always need answers and responses right away.

Patience because life only moves at a certain pace. We cannot jump metaphorical freight cars in the hopes of getting some where quicker.

Patience because being OK with the present is exactly where I am supposed to be.

What is your one word for 2014?

Join me at Oneword365 and submit your one word! It can be whatever you want. What inspires you for 2014?

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2013-12-25T08:37:00.001-08:00

Hope you are having a wonderful Holiday!

From my babies to yours:

Merry Christmas!