A Harsh Reminder

I arrived at work this morning to the news that a former employee had passed away over the weekend. It was an unexpected passing. I did not work with him for long, but the sadness in the office at this news has left me feeling off.

This past weekend my boys could not get along. They were constantly arguing and fighting and my husband and I were at our wit's end with them. Tonight, I'll spend a few extra minutes with them as we kiss good night and read bed time stories.

Today, don't hesitate to tell the people you love how much they mean to you. Life is too short.

A Little Crafty

Growing up my mother was always working on a craft project. She was either painting or making hair bows or sewing or scrap booking. I have limited time and limited skills, but every now and then I get a desire to create something.

A few months ago we successfully completed adding a half bath in the house but the walls are still white. We've not done the first thing to try to decorate. After spending too much time trying to figure out what I wanted to do I finally came up with an idea and just went with it.

I gave the boys some blank paper and a set of water color paints and told them to have fun. After I had collected about thirty original pieces of art I got to work.

With a pair of scissors, a big blank canvas, and a bottle of decoupage I was able to create this amazing piece of original art for the bathroom.

And some close up pictures...

I just love it. It was so easy to make and now I have a great piece that preserves the boys art work!

A New Title

My focus lately has been on trying to enjoy the little moments. My boys seem like they are growing up way too fast. The years are going by quicker and quicker. I know I can't slow down time, but I can make sure that I'm enjoy the moments that really matter.

I'm trying to not miss out on what's happening right in front of me because I'm worrying about tomorrow or next week. This is difficult for me. With a demanding job, busy boys, and just the every day happenings of life, I sometimes forget to just enjoy what's right in front of me.

I don't think I'm the only one that feels this way. In talking to my friends that have jobs and small children they constantly comment on how overwhelmed they feel or how busy they are or how tired they are at night.

So I'm trying to look at things differently. I'm trying to not rush through dinner just to get to the bath time and bed time ritual. I'm trying to have meaningful conversations with my children about their day. I'm trying to leave some free time on the weekends so that we can just be lazy and have fun. I'm trying to make sometime for myself so that I have an identity separate from "mom" or "wife".

So, my promise to you, my lonely reader, is that I will share with you the little things that make me happy. And maybe I will inspire you to enjoy a stolen moment instead of rushing through it to get to the next item on your to-do list.

I've got 2 little moments to share with you today.

First, I made homemade granola today. It was my first attempt but I must admit that it is delicious. I can't wait to eat it for breakfast in the morning with some yogurt and fresh fruit.

Second - a walk after dinner with my boys. The kids spent the weekend over at my parents' lake house. My dad dropped them off tonight just in time for dinner. Since the time changed last night I thought we'd take a celebratory walk through the park that is adjacent to our back yard. As we "hiked" through the woods I was reminded of how much fun it is to run free as a child.

And now I must go. It's bed time for the boys which means hugs and kisses and story time.

Good night, and remember, it really is all about the little things.

One Day

One day I know that I will have it all figured out.

One day I know that I will be able to balance work, motherhood, and marriage with little stress.

One day... one day...

But sometimes, it feels like I will never get it all together. I'll have a success at work and an epic fail as a mother. I'll be so patient as a mother that I could be nominated for 'mother of the year' but then pick a horrible fight with my husband for no reason at all. One day I hope I'll figure out the balance.

I often wonder if I'm the only one out there that is actively trying not to get caught up in the rat race of life. I hate the speed of modern society. I really want life to slow down, become simpler, and more enjoyable.

One day...

What A Week

It's Friday evening after a very long and stressful four day work week. I've missed dinner every night this week and two nights I didn't even make it home before the kids bedtime. Work doesn't always keep me away this much, but when weeks like these happen, I miss my boys so much my heart hurts.

I wonder, is this normal?

I love my job. I love the satisfaction that I get out of completing a tough week like this, but then sometimes I have to wonder if it's worth it...

I often tell myself that I would probably go crazy if I stayed home with the boys every day, but is that just something I tell myself to make it easier for me to leave every morning.

This morning as I was ironing my work clothes my littlest Ellis looks as me and asks, "Mommy, you not be long today, right?" I told him I would try my hardest to be home before bedtime. He looked at me with the saddest eyes and said, "Nooooo, you only be gone a little." He brought tears to my eyes.

I don't really have much of a point, but I just wanted to capture this feeling in the pit of my stomach where I am aching for my kids.

Tomorrow it's back to the office for a few hours but I'm going to bring my oldest Owen with me. Even if he's sitting in my office playing his Nintendo 3DS, at least I'll get to see him. (And I've promised everyone that Sunday we will do something extra special.)

A Belated Merry Christmas

It's a little late, but I wanted to take a moment to say Merry Christmas. We had a wonderful holiday. The week before Christmas we headed up to Charlotte, North Carolina with my sister, niece, nephew and parents. We spent a few days at the Great Wolfe Lodge. We had a wonderful visit and the cousins had a wonderful time playing together and swimming.

I love how much these cousins like each other. We had a great time visiting as a family.

My husband will probably hate me for writing this, but he is a NASCAR fan. If there is a race on TV he's watching it. He doesn't have much of a desire to watch a race in person, but if it's on TV it's on at our house. There have been many Sunday afternoons spent with the sounds of the race track in the back ground at our house. Since the race is always on, my boys have grown to really LOVE race cars. When we were in North Carolina we were so close to the Hendrix Motor Sports Museum that we had to check it out.

My mother-in-laws favorite driver, Dale Jr.

Back at home, Christmas day was perfect.

It's become a tradition in our house for the boys to unwrap a new pair of PJs on Christmas Eve.

Santa delivered a Nintendo 3DS, Mario game, and wheel barrel for Owen. Ellis got a new wagon, a basketball set, and "Woody Garbage Truck" (from Toy Story 3).

It was great getting to spend the day with my sister also. I miss her dearly.

After opening presents at our house and having some breakfast we drove over to my parents house in Alabama. We got to spend the afternoon visiting with family. Owen got a new iPod which he's really excited about. Ellis got a skoot bike and a camera. (I think he enjoyed the presents from Nana and Papa more than anything he got from Santa or Ed and I.)

Overall, it was a lovely holiday. I made an extra effort to take some time to just enjoy what was going on around me and I think it was a success. 

Happy belated Christmas!

Enjoying the Holidays (and not rushing through them)!

As the children get older, work gets more demanding, and my extended family moves further away the demands of the holiday season can get overwhelming at times.

This year I'm trying my hardest to just enjoy the time that I have with my family.

A stolen few moments at the local park with the boys...

Time with my parents (even if we bore my dad to sleep)...

And play dates with neighbors that my boys adore...

I'm not stressing about giving 20 holiday presents to my co-workers, but I am sending a hand written personalized card to them. I'm not going to spending 2 days in the kitchen baking holiday goodies, but I'm going to enjoy the 2 hours I got to spend with the kids on Sunday morning baking one batch of cookies. The kids aren't going to have fifteen presents each under the tree this year, but we've picked out five presents that they will LOVE!

We're still going to find time to do some of our family traditions like having a nice Christmas Eve dinner at the house, going ice skating, and driving around at night through downtown looking at the Christmas lights. I know that these moments that we spend together are going to be the memories that the kids have as they grow up.

(And, to be honest, Santa is bringing Owen a Nintendo 3DS, and he's getting an iPod from his grandparents, so it's okay that there a fewer presents under the tree.)

Happy holidays everyone!