Confessions from a Mom on a Tight Rope

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T07:01:00.000-05:00

The paperless life

2012-01-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have started the year 2012 with a new initiative.

To be paperless!

The hardest part was my weekly planner - life on balance. I scheduled out my week so I would be balanced in all areas and achieve my goals. After meeting with a few different people I created my own "system."

Today I thought I'd share it with my readers. Maybe it will help you to use less paper and embrace more technology :)

1. On Sunday evenings, I look at the upcoming week to see whats going on. I also look my quarterly goals to make sure I schedule in some things I need to do to make those goals. My calendar is on Google Calendar and my goals are all typed up in Evernote. Note-If you haven't used Evernote yet - I highly recommend it.

2. I then use Remember the Milk to put all the tasks in that need to be done. I have created lists in Remember the Milk to keep things organized. See screenshot below. All the tasks are first put in the inbox because its easiest to type them all in. Then after all the tasks are in - I organize them into whichever list they belong. Note - the lists have an alphabetical letter so they stay in that order.

3. Any tasks that are calendar specific, I add them on my calendar so my time isn't wasted. Things like breakfast with Finn, review a product, finish up filing my taxes, etc would go on my calendar for the upcoming week.

4. During the week as things come in that I need to to. I just add them in the Remember the Milk inbox to be looked at that Sunday. Also, if you have an iPhone 4s - you can connect Siri and Remember the Milk. It's pretty awesome. Here's the instructions: http://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/siri/

And that's it. Pretty simple. I like this system so far. The most important part is that I'm intentional with my time. Last year my main goal was balance. This year it's intentionality. I want to make sure everything I do has purpose. Without purpose, I'm just wasting precious time that my Savior has given me.

24 week update

2012-01-19T07:15:00.000-05:00

Baby is the size of: Papaya

Any symptoms? Same ole, same ole. Still nauseous from time to time. But I definitely have more good days then bad days. So I praise God for that!

Are you wearing maternity clothes? I am now in full maternity clothes. I got my closet changed out this past week. So I feel much more organized. And boy do I love these stretching maternity pants!

Are you feeling movement? I just love the movement. Over the past 2 weeks, I've been able to feel the baby on the outside. Finn was the first to feel it, which is so cool to me! And Allison (my work friend) was second in line. Very special. This baby moves all day long so it's great feeling life inside of me!

Food cravings: Still Mexican. Pretty sure I could eat Moe's veggie nachos daily :) haha!

Do you have a name picked out? I forgot to share the names last month. So I will today. We haven't settled on middle names yet. But our boy name is Micah and our girl name is Selah. I love both of them. But I really love my girl name.

Have you gained weight? I finally hit my pre-pregnancy weight 2 weeks ago. Since then I have gained maybe 1 or 2 pounds.

Belly Button in or out? Almost completely out now!

What I am looking forward to this next month? I can hardly believe I will be entering the third trimester next month. This pregnancy is really flying by for me. I'm looking forward to being a month closing to meeting this baby!

How was the last month? We had our 20 week ultrasound and it was so awesome having Finn with us. He pointing out the baby. And since then he has been much more engaged in the pregnancy. My favorite thing is him asking to say "hi" to the baby all the time!

And just for fun....I have a funny story. Finn was feeling the baby move and the baby kicked him. He said "Mommy, what's that?" And I replied "That was the baby kicking your hand." And with that Finn thought for a few minutes and then responded - "Mommy, I kick baby too? (with his foot lifted up)" He is so funny. I just love how his mind works.

**And for a picture. I don't have a 24 week picture of me when I was pregnant with Finn. But I did round up an ultrasound pic of Finn at 28 weeks and a pic of Micah or Selah at 21 weeks. So I made a comparison of the two babies. Similar? Different? What do you think? Also, boy or girl -what's your vote?!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T06:45:00.000-05:00

There is some of me in there...

2012-01-17T17:30:00.000-05:00

Last week Finn started playing with my phone. He recorded himself and it was too cute! I see several faces that he makes and they look like me. So I just had to share. Enjoy...

Distractions

2012-01-11T19:30:00.000-05:00

So I sent messengers to them, saying, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" Nehemiah 6:3 NASB

Ring, ring...beep beep..vibrate...vibrate...

Distractions. We all have them. The question is how do we deal with them?

This past week Andy did a message about finding what your "one thing" is. By "one thing" I mean - what is the one thing that must be focused on this year. The one thing you must achieve, conquer, beat, etc.

In Andy's message, he used the story of Nehemiah. It's a fascinating book of the Bible. I highly recommend you reading it! Also, it would be great for you to watch the message online - http://northpoint.org/messages/this-one-thing.

Anyway, basically the message challenged me to rid myself of certain distractions. It can be people, projects, technology, habits, etc. So I'm working on that. I will definitely be easing off Facebook. It's always been a distraction for me. And G and I have implemented a no technology time at home. It starts when we get home from work and ends once Finn is down. I just love that time for the 3 of us.

Nothing in this life is easy. But I know my "wall" is my family. "The days are long, but the years are short." I want to make my family my priority. My husband and children are the most important thing right now. Especially Finn and this baby on the way. The kids are G and I's mission field. We are raising up a generation for Christ. Talk about great responsibility!

I will leave you with this. Find out what your wall is. And then stay on it. Remind yourself as often as possible - "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down."

A new year...

2012-01-01T09:30:00.000-05:00

Today's Jesus Calling was so good. And I thought this was the best way to start a new year on purpose! Happy New Year friends! Enjoy some encouragement from this devotional. I pray that each person reading knows they ended 2011 well and will start 2012 with purpose. So my question for you - how will you change the world in 2012???

January 1

Come to Me with a teachable spirit, eager to be changed. A close walk with Me is a life of continual newness. Do not cling to old ways as you step into a new year. Instead, seek My Face with an open mind, knowing that your journey with Me involves being transformed by the renewing of your mind. As you focus your thoughts on Me, be aware that I am fully attentive to you. I see you with a steady eye, because My attention span is infinite. I know and understand you completely; My thoughts embrace you in everlasting Love. I also know the plans I have for you: plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Give yourself fully to this adventure of increasing attentiveness to My Presence.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. —Romans 12:2

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-28T07:09:00.000-05:00

20 week update!

2011-12-25T20:22:00.000-05:00

Baby is the size of: a small cantaloupe

Any symptoms? I'm still nauseous from time to time. I have good days and I have bad days. The good days keep me going! Also, I'm having some pain where the stretching is happening. Baby is growing so that's a good thing.

Are you wearing maternity clothes? I am wearing maternity clothes. I'm much smaller this pregnancy so I'm very thankful for multiple friends that have let me borrow clothes.

Are you feeling movement? TONS! This is one active baby. And I am loving every minute of it. It is such an incredible feeling to feel the baby moving all around in there. It's just another reminder of what an amazing creator we serve.

Food cravings: MEXICAN. Seriously, one day last week I ate it for lunch and dinner several days in a row. I am also craving salads and fruits. I am choosing to eat healthy but I do cave for those cravings when I can.

Do you have a name picked out? Yes - we are not finding out the gender. So we have a girls name and a boys name. We haven't decided on middle names yet.

Have you gained weight? Not yet. I lost a ton of weight over the last 5 months due to nausea. But I'm getting close to my pre-pregnancy weight.

Belly Button in or out? Still in. But it's about halfway out.

What I am looking forward to this next month? Next week we get to see the baby in an ultrasound. We are taking Finn with us so that will be fun. But I'm really looking forward to Gregory being able to feel the kicks too. Hopefully that will happen over the next few weeks.

How was the last month? This past month has been one of my best so far. Just having days where i'm not nauseous has made all the difference. I praise God for that one!

And just for fun....Here's a picture comparing me in my pregnancy with Finn and with this baby. You can definitely see I'm MUCH smaller!

PS-I find it really funny that in May of 2009 I was wearing a long sleeve shirt - but here in December I'm wearing a short sleeve shirt. Random! The pictures are correct, I didn't switch them!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-21T14:08:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas EVERYONE!

2011-12-20T07:27:00.000-05:00

To my readers,

Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you all have a restful, joyful, and special Christmas holiday. I will not be writing again until 2012. Taking a break to be with my wonderful family.

Ps-I will still have the "Wordless Wednesday" posts because there is no writing and I just loaded in pics

Merry Christmas, I'm so grateful the Savior of the world was born so many years ago. Glory to God in the Highest! AMEN!

Luke 2:1-20 NIV - The Birth of Jesus

¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place whileQuirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register. ⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T19:06:00.000-05:00

Christmas traditions

2011-12-12T07:33:00.000-05:00

Every family has them!

We are only 2 yrs into this. And we didn't do much of any purpose before kids. But here's what we do now...

Adopt a child for Christmas that's the same age and gender as ours. We shop for them as a family.
G collects stuffed animals with his class and we take them to Scottish Rite as a family.
G decorates the outside of our house and I decorate the inside!
We go to Kinsey Farms to cut down our Christmas tree.
We all pick out an ornament that represents us
We watch Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer on Christmas Eve in our new Christmas pjs.
We don't travel anywhere on Christmas day. Being home and celebrating our Savior's birth togetheris the BEST!
On Christmas morning, G and I cook breakfast together. When Finn (and next addition) get up we open stockings, then eat breakfast together, and then do present time! All presents are wrapped.
And starting this year, our Christmas meal will be all be Puerto Rican style foods!
The day after Christmas, we go shopping and get pjs for the next year and more decor - cheap!

Lets spend some time sharing...what are some fun things you do for Christmas?

Pendley Pics

2011-12-09T09:03:00.000-05:00

Our photographer is amazing! If you are looking for a photographer, he's the one! Check out our latest session...and the best part is that these haven't been fully edited yet - this was my sneak peek!

Jason Pendley Photography http://www.jasonpendley.com/

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T06:04:00.000-05:00

Confession

2011-12-05T07:26:00.000-05:00

Being a mom is hard. Doesn't matter if you work or stay home. It's hard. By hard, I mean challenging.

Temper tantrums. Yelling. Time Outs. Consistency. Exhaustion.Those are just a few words to describe my days with my Finn.

I don't relax. Even through the night, I'm randomly waking up thinking I hear Finn crying. Being a mom is a 24/7 job.

Being a mom, does have it's rewards. My son's hugs, kisses, and I love you's are priceless. He shows me God's love. He just wants my attention. He longs for mommy. He is a momma's boy - I love that. I could play with him for 2 hours - then get up to go to the bathroom and when I come back - he's saying "mommy, play you?" On our car rides to work/school, he asks me to pray. That melts my heart. And even at 2 years old, he's already told me he "loves Jesus."

So on the hard days, what do I do? I rest in Him. I rest in my Savior. He's the only one who can give me peace, perspective, perseverance, and patience. How's that for all P's? HAHA! I can't take credit - that was from Ashley.

I hope this truth filled post will encourage you other moms.

I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. Psalm 62:1

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

Immeasurably MORE!

2011-12-02T07:35:00.000-05:00

We just ended a series at my church called The Immeasurable Life. It was a GREAT series that dove into a verse in Ephesians. This is one of my favorite verse. It always reminds me of the power of God.

Here is the verse, first in the NIV version and then in the Message version:

Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-12 MSG
20 God can do anything, you know-far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.21 Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

Wow. My God can do anything. That is incredible.

I give him all the glory. Check out the series http://www.northpoint.org/messages/the-immeasurable-life

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T14:04:00.000-05:00

Photo by Jason Pendley Photography http://www.jasonpendley.com/

4 month comparision pic

2011-11-27T06:33:00.000-05:00

This pregnancy has been so different from mine with Finn. I've definitely been sicker. Nausea/throwing up, colds, heartburn, and headaches. So I still haven't gained weight but I'm sure it will come. I think that's why I'm so much smaller this time. Plus I have been choosing to eat better.

Be sure and go to my main blog page to vote on your guess - boy or girl!

Taking Back the Twos!

2011-11-26T20:17:00.001-05:00

Finn is officially entering what most call the "Terrible Twos." I am choosing not to refer to them as this. He has only lived 26 months and he is just discovering all about life. Basically, I'm declaring that I'm taking back the twos!

It is not easy. Especially when I don't have the hubs to help. He's WAY more patient and calm than I am. But I want to enjoy this year with Finn. I will do this by following these rules for myself:

ALWAYS explain. We explain EVERYTHING to Finn. He's always asking and talking so we know he's curious.
We set expectations with him before going anywhere! That way when he freaks out, we leave and I can say I told him what I expected before.
Distractions. Yes, this has been a great one for him. When all else fails - distract so we don't have a tantrum on our hands in public.
Last but not least, ~~bribery~~ - no I mean incentives. We let him know what's coming next if he acts appropriately.
Punishments - we have found time out and taking things away works the best for him.

And that's it. We will see how this works. Most of all, I go back to what my smart husband said today - "We most remember we are teaching him. Teaching him he can't have whatever he wants." It's responsibility - and I'm glad we get to teach him.

You moms/dads of twos - join me. And take back the twos!

Bad days, good days

2011-11-14T15:34:00.001-05:00

We all have them. Good days. Bad days.

But what happens when the bad days last for 3 1/2 weeks now?

Finn has been sick for 3 1/2 weeks now. First it was just a cold. Then at 1:00 am on a Saturday night, it turned to croup and we found ourselves at the emergency room. Then only 5 days later - he wasn't getting better. So I took him to the doctor and it was a double ear infection. So he started an antibiotic. Then just 10 days later, he got hit with a stomach bug. Poor little guy. It was so sad seeing my baby throwing up and just miserable. The next day he was all better and I thought it was over. But it wasn't 4 days later - he threw up again and spiked a high fever. So back at the doctors office we went...his ear infection wasn't gone. And doc thought the stomach bug came back. Oh and one more thing - it seemed like he had either strep or a sinus infection on top of that.

Now that is a lot of bad days. Bad days for my baby boy!

And me - Well, I've had my own ups and downs. Days where I cried. Days where I was pissed all day. But today, today I gained perspective. I had been praying for it. And I'm glad it came.

It could be worse. It could always be worse.

The fact is i'm thankful. Thankful for a God who loves me more than I can imagine. Thankful His mercies are new each day. Thankful for a husband who knows when I need to get out and away. Thankful for friends who call, text, and pray for us. REALLY thankful for a boss and an organization that make it ok for me to miss work to take care of my child.

It's been a rough 3 weeks. But I'm hoping Finn is fully recovered soon.

Thanks for listening to me vent.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T06:15:00.000-05:00

1st Trimester Update

2011-11-04T09:06:00.003-04:00

Here is a comparison picture of this pregnancy and Finn's.

My friend Amber has a cute way of documenting her pregnancy. And I had been looking for ways too. So - here it goes. I will be doing this monthly from here on out. Thanks for following along!

I am 13 weeks pregnant. (My weeks change on Fridays - so technically today I am 13 weeks along!)

Sick? Still have nausea and heartburn. But hoping to turn the corner soon. Yesterday I didn't have to take my nausea medicine. But I did have to take it today. Hopefully I will soon have more days like yesterday. For now, I'm taking it one day at a time!

Maternity clothes? Not completely. I'm still able to wear my regular pants. I have worn a few cute maternity shirts but that's just because I feel fat :)

Showing? I am beginning to show. You can see a perfect round circle if I pull my shirt up. I am smaller than I was with Finn but I think that's because I have been sicker this go round.

Weight gain? I have lost a total of 9 pounds. But at my appt yesterday I had gained 2! The doctor was happy.

Cravings? I have definitely craved all fruits. I have eaten lots of apples, grapefruits, and oranges. Now I have had 3 bad cravings and I caved. Krystals and then Taco Bell twice. Very strange. It was definitely the baby. I was just glad to have an appetite.

Tired? Yes - pretty sure I could fall asleep on command.

Names picked out? We do have names picked out. We haven't settled on middle name yet. If it's a girl - Selah and if it's a boy - Micah. Both names were brought to either myself or Greg while I was in Cambodia. So they are special to me! Selah means to pause and reflect and Micah means who is like God.

Are we going to find out the gender? Definitely not. If you have expereinced not knowing the gender til the baby is born you will understand!

Gender guess? Right now I think girl. But I also thought Finn was a girl. So who knows!?

Favorite pregnancy moment so far? Hearing Finn point out the baby in the ultrasound picture. So so precious!

Last but not least, a few pictures from the last ultrasound...

Halloween 2011

2011-11-03T07:13:00.001-04:00

Halloween was a wonderful memory with our little boy. We really enjoyed trick or treating, handing out candy, and just plain being together. It was tons of fun and a memory I will always remember. Here are some pics for you to enjoy. I was excited about his costumer because I picked it up at a consignment store on sale for $7. It had brand new tags on it - $24.99. Pretty good deal I'd say. It was a warm and soft costume. And he looks so cute! Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween as well.

Daddy and son

Mommy and son

Yes, he has 3 lollypops. He wanted to try all of them :)

"no, mommy - I do it myself"

Such a cute boy!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-26T07:30:00.000-04:00