Survival Guide: Stay At Home Mom

The world of a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM) can be very isolated and lonely. I am grateful every day that I have the honor and privilege of staying home to raise C and I am NOT complaining, I am just stating the facts. Talking to a toddler all day can leave your brain mushy by 6:00. Being cooped up with a sick child can leave your feeling alone. The monotony of it all can seem like walking on a treadmill, all of the hard work but ending up right where you started. But, along the way I have discovered a few tricks to make myself stay sane...a few little things to make those isolated days more cheerful!

1- Open the blinds! Let the light shine in and enjoy the beauty around you! For me, opening the blinds (or windows if it's cool out) can be the easiest way for an instant pick-me-up! There's nothing worse than moping around a dark and gloomy house all day!

2- Get dressed! There's just something about putting on a little makeup and cute outfit that puts a pep in my step. Plus, the hubs always appreciates coming home to a non-yoga-pants-wife!

3- Turn off the TV. It's just a life suck. I get drawn in, Carson stops being imaginative and playful and my productivity drops. Instead, I set up a good, happy station on Pandora and go to town. I may or may not be pretending that it's the soundtrack to my imaginary life movie.{This sweet friend calls it "happy house music"}

4- Get out! Go to the park. Go to the library. Go on a walk. Just go for a drive! The kids will be happier, you'll feel like you've "done something" and your mood will be boosted! I'm a frequent go-to-Sonic-just-because-I-needed-to-get-outer.

5- Do something for someone else! Bake cookies for a friend, bring in your neighbor's trashcans, do a chore for your spouse. Giving is getting! I especially like doing things for people in secret. It just feels so good!

6- Call someone! Make some sort of adult contact each day. Texts don't count. I can sometime feel my brain getting less mushy by the minute as I'm on the phone with an adult.

7- Move your booty! Treadmill, YouTube video workout, jumping jacks, walk outside, chasing the kids in the yard, etc. The endorphins released are your body's natural "feel good" juice.

8- PLAY! Sometime I reach the end of the day and feel like I haven't spent any time with my son, which is crazy since we are together ALL DAY LONG. I find that if I spend some focused, un-distracted, personalized time with C, the day seems more productive....and I feel like a better parent.

9- Get up before the kids. This one is hard for me, but I feel so much better when I do! C is a late sleeper; he inherited this super power from yours truly. I love nothing more than a good, late sleep. But... If I can get up and ready before C wakes, I feel like I have invested some time in myself. I have gotten to go to the bathroom alone, maybe watch the news, put on makeup and invested time in myself before giving to others for the remainder of the day.

10- Get in The Word! I know that the Bible says to wake early and spend time with God, but ooooh how I hate the morning. I am all groggy and cloudy headed and craving my pillow. But, that being said, I feel like God speaks to us in the morning in preparation for the day ahead. I have an app on my phone with Bible studies to follow. This is a good way for me to stay directed on an applicable topic instead of feeling like I'm opening the Bible blindly. I like to do my study during breakfast and I read/say it all aloud so that C hears it. I like to think that he's absorbing some of the knowledge, or at least seeing mommy in God's Word.

What do you like to do to stay out of the loony bin?
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go!

My word for 2012 is "go."

Go...as in...

-Go make friends with the neighbors.
-Go for a good, long walk (frequently).
-Go outside to play.
-Go to one or more educational/social activities with C a week.
-Go have lunch with Ross more at work.
-Go workout...even though it's not technically a "go" since it's in my living room.
-Go for it! (whatever it is...just be gutsy and do it!)
-Go for that new hair style I have been scared to try.

Now, as for last year's resolutions.
-Run a 5K: Well, I'm doing it on Feb 11...missed the marker by one month and 11 days, but I'm still counting it as a win!
-Visit people in the nursing home: Nope. Didn't do it. I went and filled out my paper work, realized that it would be super-duper hard with a baby and never went back. Loser. Definitely not a win...and not a very good excuse either.
-Leave C in the nursery for MOPS and Bible study: Definitely a win on this one! It was so, super hard at first...but it was really good for him. He learned to be ok with other caretakers, to play with other kids and to know that I am coming back for him. For me, it was freeing and invigorating and refreshing. I love going back to the nursery after missing him desperately and getting such sweet sugar and hugs. Plus, I get some me time and feel all sorts of refreshed. In short...it's a win!

Maybe I'll post...

Here's what we've been up to lately...all through the lens of the iPhone.

Big boy baths in Mommy and Daddy's tub. He's sitting on a towel so he doesn't slip.

Scootchin all around...especially under the ottoman, which we have dubbed the "baby fort"

I finally remembered to stop and take a picture of Dr. Doctor's office! It makes me giggle every time.

Looking SO big in these clothes!

Some sweet time with Sister. C is sick right now with an ear infection and FIVE, count them F-I-V-E, teeth coming in! Poor punkin!!!

Here's hoping baby feels better in the morning!

26 and my amazing husband

Today I woke up a year older. It's a weird feeling, too. I mean, I have never though much about my age, but last night I realized that 25 sounds really young and for some reason, 26 sounds pretty old! (now--I KNOW that 26 isn't old...I know...Just let me have my moment.) I think more than anything, having a child has made this age difference thing feel a bit more substantial. But now, onto more important things---

My birthday went something like this:
10:09am- Ross wakes me up with birthday cake pancakes in bed! The baby was napping, I was eating sprinkles in bed and all was right with the world :)


10:25am- Ross gives me my super-duper thoughtful presents. Do you remember how I had asked him for a lap giraffe? (which I later learned is an internet hoax---sad day) Well, he went to SIX stores and finally found me my very own! Before I tell you the next thing, you have to know that I always have cold toes and so I always, always have socks on. Then he said, "Do you remember about 2 or 3 months ago...we were in the study and you were sewing. You said that your feet always got cold when you are sewing because you have to take your socks off because they slipped on the pedal. Well, I got you these socks with little grippers on the bottom! That way your toes won't be cold." So sweet! Finally, he told me that I needed to get out of bed and get ready because I had an appointment for a massage! Yay!!


12:45pm- Ross drops me off at my massage.

1:00-2:00pm- Pure heaven. It was the best massage I have ever had.

2:00pm- We went and ate a fat hamburger. And fries. And it was delicious.

3:00pm- Ross drops me off at Loft and I shoppity-shop while he takes care of a screaming baby. He told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was to enjoy myself and take my time. When I got done, they were sitting in the back of the car beside a pond, playing with toys and baby was a happy camper.

4:00pm- We come home. Baby naps. We lay in back yard and take in the sun.

Evening- Sew/tv/shower/blog. Ross had everything set to make me the dinner of my choice, his special Lemon Pasta, but we were still pretty full from lunch...and maybe some cake...

Perfection.

He is amazing and so very, very thoughtful and
he knows that to me, it really is the thought that counts.

albuQUIRKY

last weekend we went to see ross' parents in albuquerque.
we had an absolutely fabulous time!

on friday, his amazing mother had planned a girl's day for me. we went shopping, had lunch and then she dropped me off at the spa for a facial (my first!), a massage and a pedi! aaahhhh! i was SO relaxed. then, ross picked me up and we went on a hot date! we at ate a super special place called seasons...the same place we went the night we got engaged! great steak, great wine, great creme brulee! AND- his mom watched little man. it was awesome.



on saturday, the boys went out on the motorcycles and drove a whopping 350 miles! i think it's safe to say that they had a good time. they saw an alpaca farm, ate some good food and certainly had quite a few laughs.


sunday was our last full day there. in the morning we went out to the middle of the desert and played with guns. i felt like a total bad a**! it was aaaawwwweeessome. i even got a ricochet wound! (again...total bad a**) then, we headed up the mountain to this quirky little town called madrid. it's pronounced MAD-rid. not mad-RID, like in spain. it was a fabulous place for looking at weird shops, walking around and taking pics!








it was a wonderful, wonderful extended weekend!

Snow flops

Sunday it was in the 70s...
Ross wore flip flops and shorts.
It's been snowing since Tuesday.
Today, I found these outside.
Only in Texas.

Please, Phil!

How I'm longing for a warm day like this...

Instead, we are having a FREEZING week like this...

and this...
Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow today. Maybe spring will come soon....

But, on the upside, I am getting a lot done.
Not knowing how to drive in the ice and snow does have it's benefits. Right???
*House cleaned.
*Good food cooked. (taco soup and chicken pot pie for which I did not have to purchase a single additional item!)
*Work out videos completed while simultaneously entertaining C. I felt like a big dork.
*Little crafty craft made for baby.


*Birdies in the back yard fed...I felt so sorry for them. They were pecking around in the snow looking for food so, I went and sprinkled bird seed all over the place. It made me happy.

Tomorrow I will do some more crafting, some more cleaning, some more laundry and a few more work out videos. Then, I'll pray (double time) that God heats up the ice so that I can
GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Image sources
Spring Pic/Snow Pic

SUPER guilty pleasure

Welcome to my little slice of trashy tv delight. Ooooh so entertainingly delish. I'd encourage you to join me in wasting several hours of you life and dvr some episodes, too!

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Happy 26th!

This weekend we celebrated Ross' 26th birthday! I planned a day of surprises for him...not all went as planned but we still had a good time.

Ross loves BBQ so, I did lots of research and found this place: Angelo's. It had fabulous reviews, was on Food Network, was #1 on Urbanspoon, etc. It was the best north Texas BBQ we have found. I mean, it was no Goode Company but it was still really good. We'll be back and that says a lot.



The next thing we did was go to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. It was a thoughtful place to go because Ross loves these types of museums. I thought he'd like to show Carson some of his favorite things like dinosaur bones but....it was a total bust. We were really disappointed. Turns out, it's super small and totally geared toward small children. We streeeetched it out and stayed almost an hour but it wasn't good at all. We even left before our scheduled viewing of the planetarium, one of Ross' favorite things ever.






Finally, we went to Sweet Sammies for some dessert! This was FAB! They make these fantastic ice cream sandwiches from homemade cookies and Bluebell ice cream! Can you think of anything better? You pick your cookies and your ice cream flavor...then you sit in complete gluttony and devour every last morsel.

Happy birthday to my wonderful, fabulous, caring, providing, supportive, helpful, loving, handsome, driven, successful, kind husband!

The Resolutions

This is the quintessential New Year's Resolutions post.
But, before I get started on this year, let's debrief 2010.

Last year, my resolutions were to:
Drink less Diet coke- Accomplished...pregnancy nipped that in the bud
Floss my teeth every other day- That lasted until March.
Try new things- Accomplished...Pickled herring (sick), water aerobics (good), spin class (excellent), lots of new recipes (some good, some not), not to mention all of the newness that comes with pregnancy and motherhood

In 2011 my goals are to:
Run a 5K- Now, this may not be a large goal for many people but, for me it will be exceptionally difficult. For one, I have never been able to run even one lap around the track, not even in school...never. ever. ever. For two- it hurts my knees and ankles for days...not like sore muscles...but sore joints. BUT---I'm going to do it. My goal is to run a 5K during Breast Cancer Awareness month. My grandmother and aunt have both survived it and it would be in honor of them.

The next thing I am going to do is visit 2 people in a local nursing home every week. I went last week and filled out my paperwork and am waiting on a phone call. I want to build relationships with 2 people who do not usually have visitors. I will be bring Carson, so they need to be appreciative of children and not sick with something contagious. I hope that this turns out to be a worthy endeavor.

Leave C in the nursery during MOPS and Bible study. YiKeS! This will be the toughest of the resolutions but, I think it will be good for the both of us. I will be able to enjoy some mommy time and he will learn to be ok in the care of others. Still, it will be brutal.

What are your goals this year?

In other news...
WE LEFT CARSON WITH MY PARENTS OVERNIGHT FOR NEW YEAR'S EVE!
Wow was it hard but, wow was it awesome! It was so fun to have a night to just be Ross and Kacie and not Mom and Dad. We went to the beach with friends and that night the boys had their annual almost-die-blowing-things-up-marathon. Here are some pics of the fun! I'm not going to even attempt to explain them. We'll just say that there were costumes. There were laughs. There was fun.

Not in the mood...

I haven't been in the mood to blog lately. Instead, I have been...

Taking care of a hubby with a never-ending migraine...


Having cramps and contractions that confuse me a lot....


Buying things for the nursery, like this this sweet little book shelf...


Making lots of these nifty towel wraps, perfect for my dorm-dwelling sister...


Baking dozens and dozens of these to share...


Forced to hold up my end of the deal and watch Star Wars Episodes 4-6. I'm 2/3 done...

Dead Dog Flowers

Background: When we found out we were expecting, we had to get rid of our German Shepherd, Lexi. She had been showing some aggressive tendencies and we were told that she was not safe to have around children. We ended up giving her to a shepherd rehabilitation group who will work with her until she is well enough to live with a family again. It was the hardest thing I've ever done.

Story: The other day I took Berkley (the male kitty) into the vet. While I was there, I told them that we no longer had Lexi and asked that they please remove her from our file. We had been getting constant reminders that she was due for her shots, etc. Ok- no problem. I don't think about it again, until...

A few days later we got a sympathy card in the mail about the "death" of Lexi. Every single employee signed it and wrote extensive notes about how sorry they were, how they were praying for our family, etc...Ross and I laughed and laughed. I don't think about it again, until...

A few days after that, Ross got a phone call that we had a delivery. The vet had sent us flowers for the loss of Lexi! Hahahaha.....So, we named them the Dead Dog Flowers and placed them on our mantle. Now, what do we do?!?! Do we keep the vet or do we change? Do we tell them about the mistake or just keep it our secret?!?!?! So funny!

3rd Anniversary Trip

Ross and I just got back from our 3 year anniversary trip. I wanted to surprise him with a mini-vaca so, I arranged all the details and just told him to take off of work. (and to not ask any questions) He was so excited! It was so romantic and fun. It was sooooo what we needed before the baby comes!

On Friday we drove to San Antonio and went for a downtown helicopter tour! Ross looked like a 5 yr old on Christmas :)



After we left the helicopter tour, we headed to Natural Bridge Caverns. It was amazing! Ross took about 100 pictures and we were sweating our butts off, but it was great!
At this point, I was pretty pooped and looking rough....18 steep, slippery stories down and this was on our way back up.


After an "I-survived-the-caves-Icee," we moved along to our hotel on the river in New Braunfels and then had a good little dinner at a local sea food restaurant.



Saturday was spent hanging out in the pool and river so there aren't pictures. It was so relaxing and fun!

Saturday night we went to Gruene for dinner. Ross had never been so we walked around the town and ate at the Grist Mill (of course). It was fabulous!




On Sunday we met up with some precious family friends (more like family) for lunch and visiting. Then we began the 5 hour trek home. It was THE BEST WEEKEND EVER!!!!