Working Momma

5 DAYS LEFT!  I don't count the last day because that is just cleaning up and going to lunch with my friends/staff.  ;)

Here are some tips for how I make it as a working mom :) And, most days I forget to follow these and end up in the fetal position.  JK.  Kind of. 

***Stay at home moms have a very hard job- I am one for a few months a year and it is tough- unfortunately/fortunately? I am not able to be one year round, so here are tips that help me.  

1.  Pray.

I am in constant communication with God.  CONSTANT.  I changed my prayer life two years ago and it has made all the difference.  

2.  Let it go.

This is my life motto.  As a victim of being an over-analyzer, worrier, and hormonal woman, I have to remind myself to LET IT GO.  Nothing is too big or too important.  Be PRESENT and in the NOW.  Usually following the tips below help me not to feel overwhelmed but when I do I have to LET IT GO.  Just like the song…. you go Elsa…… Let it go, Let it go!  

3.  1 load of laundry a day.  That's #3 you say?  Why yes, because laundry is the bane of my existence. I loathe laundry.  I don't like collecting it, (from wherever people have thrown it) sorting it, or putting it away.  I asserted my feelings and told my people they need to at least put them in the hampers.  Even Jack knows the word 'dirty' and 'hamper'.  Then, I told myself only 1 load a day.  We have enough clothes (thank you Lord!) to make it with only 1 load a day.  This helps it not pile up and spoil my precious weekend.  I also remind my OCD self that even if I get all the hampers emptied (I've been known to scream YYYYESSS!!) they fill up again that day.  

3.  I delegate.  I am a 'I'll do it myself' person.  Always have been.  I have had to teach myself to ask for help and to let Jon and the kids do things.  I pick easy chores for the kids that are developmentally appropriate.  Jack picks up his toys and puts his clean socks and underwear away.  Ellie makes her bed and picks up toys and puts up all of her clean laundry.  She also started making her own lunch.  My mom also helps me out quite a bit.  She takes care of Jack in the morning and afternoon but in between has been known to run an errand for me :)

4.  I remind myself of my victories for the day.  This one is HUGE for me.  I tend to be a perfectionist and take things to heart.  I may have parenting fails or teacher fails throughout the day, but have to remind myself tomorrow is a new day and what were some of the great things that happened or that I did.  

5.  I surround myself with encouraging, Godly people.  Can I brag on my teaching partner?  She prays for me.  All.  the. time.  We pray together.  She keeps me grounded in faith and gives me words of wisdom daily.  We also laugh a lot because with our job, that's all you can do sometimes. ;)  I've already told you about my mom, but my dad is an encourager too.  I'm so thankful that I have two parents who tell me daily, still, that I am loved and pray for me constantly.  

6.  I use essential oils and take hot baths.  I also use this nifty little thing I bought at the Farmer's Market that I'll share next week in a post about my 'favorite things.'  The oils really do work and calm me down.  They also make me smell good when I haven't showered in a few days.  Just saying.  

7.  I relax when the kids go to bed.  I finish up chores and Jon and I usually watch one of our shows.  I just started Parenthood on Netflix so that will keep me busy!  I try to finish up work at work.  Sometimes I need to grade papers or plan or create a test, but for the most part I leave work at work.  That includes any emotions or issues pertaining to work.  

These are a few of my working mom tips that have helped me make it through the year!  Summer here I come!  Sleeping in late (ha!) and doing nothing all day (double ha!)…..

Three things

Three things today:

1.  My 30th birthday was super fun.  We had our parents over for pizza and cake on my birthday then had a party on Sunday of that weekend.  I love birthdays, so much.  I especially like my own.  I always have.  I am not that person who is like oh yeah, thanks, I don't care.  Nope, I might be 94 and I'll be like wooo it's my birthday!!!  My family knows this about me and did a great job showin the love.  My teaching partner and team at school celebrated as well.  My students went nuts about it and made me feel like a queen.  :)  They made cards and one had a picture of me with several cats… what the what….she said I love cats…clearly I have gone wrong somewhere this year... ;)

That says coffee repeatedly…

A surprise banner , so thoughtful - love my teaching partner- she 'gets' me.

Waiting on pizza!

Strike a pose!

She was so excited, she loves birthdays as much as me!

Typical.. he's attempting to bite me.

Now he's hugging me!

Jack loves his girls

Jack was on cloud 9 with grandparents and singing the birthday song!

Jack and his Gigi

Family Photos are hard to get!

How cute is he, and he makes direct eye contact so much more now!  He did great with so many friends/family at our house!

My cousin :) Yes, I am wearing the dress from Matilda Jane that Andrea has!  It's so comfy and easy to throw on.  It's bright, unique, and fun.

2. I love this woman and her blog.  If you don't follow it, you must.  I relate so much to her and it is such a relief to hear another mama say things I have thought and wondered.  She has TWO sons with autism and is a rock star in my opinion.  I wish we lived in the same state so I could attack her with hugs, I mean casually say hi and mention how great she is.


3. My sister-n-law is super talented and creative!  She has launched a site and business called Blue Elephant Creations.  She sells items on the website and at Canton.  Go check it out and shop til you drop!  We have two of her creations in our house and I have my eyes on more.  She is doing this to fund mission work in South Africa for her and her husband.  They will work with some amazing organizations.  I truly believe Vanessa and I are meant to be since we have the same taste/style and both have hearts for mission work.  Not to mention she's super pretty and hilarious…. I really hope you check out her site!!!

30 Things..

In honor of my 30th birthday, here are 30 things you might not know about me...

1.  You probably know all of these, if you know me, because I'm pretty much an open book and a talker.
2.  I lived in Africa after college.  It forever changed my life and I am thankful to have seen things that many people won't see in their lifetime.  I am also thankful for plumbing and electricity ;)
3. I lived in Las Vegas after Africa.  Insane I know.  Ironic I know.  I went to help my brother take care of his baby while his wife (ex now) was in Iraq.  They were both in the Air Force and stationed in Vegas.
4.  I have moved 10 times in the last 12 years. (sorry dad!)
5.  I have neuropathy.  After my c-section I had NO feeling from the knees down.  It took all 8 weeks to start walking again.  I have been to 7 doctors- chiropractors, neurologists, neurosurgeons, and a family doctor.  No diagnosis except idiopathic neuropathy.  I still am missing feeling in my feet and legs and hands.  My handwriting is different.  I can't run, jump, ride a bike, hop, skip, and walk very well.  It has been very upsetting, especially when it was combined with Jack having autism, but our God is faithful and good and I am thankful to be alive.
6.  I had my ears gauged in college.  My bestie Holly and I, wanted to be skater girls.
7.  I've always wanted to be a teacher and a mom.......and now I am!
8.  Jack is named after Jack on Lost.  It was the last season and I was obsessed.
9.  I have had EVERY hair color..blonde, brown, black, blue, green, pink, purple, 'ombre' on accident
10.  I have been every pants size from 0-10.
11.  I can quote all of Dumb and Dumber and can always find a way to insert one in context.
12.  I used to make all my passwords be Elijah because I was in love with Elijah Wood and Lord of the Rings.
13.  I had Kidney Stones and they hurt worse than having a baby.
14.  I miss college and would do it again in a heartbeat.
15.  I love teaching kids how to read and write.  I love when kids get aha moments or read a book they had been struggling with.
16.  I wore ties with thrift store shirts before Avril Lavigne.  True story.
17.  In 7th grade I said out loud that I wanted to go to A&M.  I'm sorry.
18.  I rode in a hot air balloon once.
19.  Planning and organizing soothes me.
20.  I like hearing our kids laugh.
21.  Harry Potter is my favorite book series.
22.  I have seen every episode of Law and Order SVU.
23.  I drink 1 cup of coffee every morning.  If I don't have it, I feel 'off' and my kids at school say, 'oh no.'
24.  I try to cook dinner almost every night of the week for my family.
25.  I had hot pink headgear when I was in 7th grade.  And no friends.
26.  I chopped off my hair the summer before college and looked like a boy.  Luckily I had to get my driver's license renewed that summer and was reminded of that haircut for many years after.
27.  I voted for Ross Perot in our 5th grade mock election because I felt sorry for him.
28.  I was a die hard Mavericks fan and watched every game, until this season.  Just lost interest.
29.  My aol screen name was 'MegoRulz'.  Yup, with a z.
30.  I love ice cream- my parents used to bribe me with ice cream to eat my vegetables- I would do anything for a bowl of Blue Bell.  Any flavor except mint!

DIY

To save money and make the most of our lovely rent house, I have tried to create decor or give life to old ones.  Here are some things that I have created we have created my mom has created.

In the kitchen, we painted an old table that I had in college.  We went ahead and scrapped the chairs.  I was going to paint and redo the seats with fun fabric, but the cost of fabric was = to a set of new chairs. And I'm lazy.  So, we bought these chairs at Garden Ridge.  I love how the table turned out- it's such a beautiful green and really makes me happy.  I despise the linoleum though and can't wait to have our own house with wooden floors.  Next, I'd like to make some curtains for the windows.  I'm looking at Pinterest for some ideas on no sew Roman Shades.

I painted this window pane that I got from the Old Red Lumberyard in McKinney.  I got some knobs at  World Market and Jon drilled them in for me.  (He might have muttered something about hating pinterest) 

I used a lot of crates at our wedding and turned them into seats.  My mom and I bought foam and fabric from Joann's and some wood from Home Depot.  We put the foam on the wood and covered it with fabric using a staple gun.  Pretty simple and brightened up the room/extra seating/extra storage.

Sometimes DIY projects aren't actually cheaper, but they are fun to do with someone else and gives you a feeling of accomplishment! :)

Week(end) Recap

Recap of last two weeks in pictures!  May is one of my favorite months.  STAAR test is over- so we are doing some exciting activities in class, Mother's Day, my birthday, the weather is warmer, field day at school, and so many more things that add to the fabulousness of May.

I've always wanted to go to Medieval Times.  Jon surprised me and bought tickets.  We had front row seats and cheered for the 'green knight.'  (our favorite color!) It was a lot of fun, even if there were more kids than adults in our section.  Such a fun experience and worth the $.

Jon was surprised that he actually enjoyed it.  We also got drinks so that we could enjoy it more ;)

I painted our kitchen table green, so we had a picnic for dinner.  The kids loved it and Ellie loved drinking her water out of the 'challis' from Medieval Times.

Teacher Appreciation Week- love my students- when they give, it is usually more than what they are able to give.

I love reading Kate DiCamillo books and finding creative ways to show comprehension.

Field Day- the best day of the year!

Field Day- the most exhausting day of the year!

Jack loves stickers apparently :)  Veggie Tales stickers?  Even better!  I put one on his leg as a joke and he really liked it.

Jon spoiled me by going shopping with me, going to a movie of my choice, getting a pedicure (me not him, even though he needs one!) and steaks for dinner!

 My crew knows me well- they got me these at anthropologie.  

My little man.

He's a moving target, so you have to be fast :)

Love my mama!

We love Noni!  

Mother's Day

I love being a mom and a step-mom.  When I was little all I wanted to be was a mom.  and a teacher.  Now I'm both!  My mom was such a good mom (and still is) that I wanted to have the same job!  Being a mom is hard sometimes, but it's also completely rewarding.  I was pretty upset/terrified when I found out I was going to have a baby, not being married and not being ready, but life before Jack and life after are vastly different.  Now, I feel an immense amount of love, joy, and commitment that I didn't know I had in me.  People always tell you that when you are pregnant but I didn't know what they meant until I had Jack.  It's the truth.  It's such a unique bond and brings out emotions and strengths that I didn't know were there.  Becoming a step-mom was scary at first as well, but life without Ellie is unimaginable.  I didn't know I had the capability of loving someone else's child as if they were my own, but I do.  Well, as a teacher I love kids everyday that aren't my own, which is why I believe God equipped me to be a step-momma.  I am so thankful for my chance to be apart of her life and be an extra set of hands to help her and an extra heart to love her.

Here are some tbt pictures for you.  Some from past Mother's Days and some just because :)

Mother's Day 2011- so squishy!

 2011- Jack in a box

2011, my little man

 She looks so little! 2012

Mother's Day 2013, someone got in the paint and knew he was in trouble!

Our wedding- 2012 with Ellie 

Me and my momma

Special Olympics

Jack had his annual Special Olympics/Young Athletes/Field Day!  It was so much fun :)  He was beyond excited and especially loved the Sea Lion.  I wanted to know if the Sea Lion does birthday parties…bowling was also favorite, so much that he kept barreling into the pins with his body… and everyone else's pins….I look forward to this event every year and know Jack does too :)  So glad they do it and so thankful for the sweet high school students who helped!