I'm Back!!!!!

So, you may have noticed that I have been gone for awhile.  Still on Pinterest & Instagram, but definitely neglecting my Blog!  Sorry about that!  Well, I have just really been trying to focus on my goals for 2013.  I wanted a house and a baby.  One comes in June and the other in October...in that order.  We are feeling very blessed and excited about both!  I will have to give more DETAILS later, but it is late and I need to get to sleep.  This tornadoes make for long nights.  That's another thing that I haven't gotten used to.  I've had enough of tornado alley!  Our first purchase is a tornado shelter for our family!

It's Okay Thursday!

It's Okay........boy is it ever!  It's been one of those weeks!

As many of you know, I love this link up!  Please check out A Complete Waste of Makeup, & link up!  Leave me a friendly comment, b/c I love finding new blogs to read/follow!

It's Okay!

It's okay to be so F'ing exhausted!

To be so over this "looking for a house thing"

To be behind with work........and tomorrow is Friday!

To take a break and go thrift store shopping!

To drive around and find a drive thru so I don't have to get out of the car for coffee!

To be super excited that it rained so that I could wear my  $36 boots I bought for $10.

To have Daddy take Ladybug to a party.......it's his turn!

Balancing It All!

Messy Motherhood Link Up:
Balancing It All:

I absolutely love this topic.  Sometimes giving your all to God, family & career does feel like a balancing act.  Sometimes the balancing beam I'm on is no problem, but....sometimes I wobble & have actually fallen off.  I do several things to help stay focused on my goals, but the best advice I can give is to make sometime for myself and my husband.  If you haven't figured it out yet, my family likes to "Ball on a Budget".  Which means...we like to have fun....but not spend a lot of money.  :)  I hope this is encouraging to you ladies.  Please leave a message because I love find new blogs to read.

1.  QUIET TIME
This can be time alone with your Bible, devotionals, homemade mani-pedi, DVR catch-up or sleep.  It is definitely hard to come by, but you have to take care of you.....even if it comes at 11pm!  Hey....I've been there and visit it often!

2.  MARRIAGE
I love my husband and I want my home in order.  To have a happy marriage, be successful in my career and to be the mother I want to be.  I have to have the marriage God wants me to have.  If you're not religious....have a marriage that rocks!  I often buy things from Union 28.  They have great inspirational websites, clothing and advice for building a stronger marriage.  Things that you can do with your spouse on the weekends, once the little ones are down or a small gesture you can do during the day.  A sweet text, little letter left on the windshield.  Just something to let your spouse know you are so glad that you said YES! to him.

Funny story:  I was in Target and a woman came up to me & said she liked my shirt.  I told her about the website & then we talked for a bit.  Then....I overheard a husband tell his wife, "I wish you would wear a shirt like that for me"!  I love that !!!

3.  MOMMY

I really try my best to create & capture tons of opportunities to create memories with my Ladybug.  Now that she is older, she really enjoys helping me clean.  I like to clean with her, shop with her, read with her, silly play w/her & educational play with her.  Who cares if the kitchen is a mess or the laundry needs to be done.  I need to spend time w/my daughter and she needs to spend time with me.  

4.  CLEANLINESS

It's supposed to be next to Godliness, but I'm pretty sure at this point I am rubbing elbows w/the Devil!  I try to keep a clean house, but I work...inside & outside of the home.  That is really big part of the stress I have.  I try to clean dishes as I use them & do at least 1 load of laundry a day.  Its really difficult, but I try to clean a little during the week, so that I can use my weekends for my hubby and my Ladybug.  I mean....I want to clean my house, but if anything...I mean anything can distract me....I like to let it!  My husband is also a great help in cleaning.  He folds & hangs up the clothes....& that is a great help!

Don't let the organization of this post fool you!  I am not organized and sometimes I don't have enough time for everything, but my mommy cape is still going strong.   I try not to get down on myself b/c I try my best & I do my best for my marriage and my family.  Like many women...I have two jobs & I try to give them 100%!  But....that is actually impossible, so something has to give.  Something has to be neglected at times & something doesn't get the 100% that I would love to give it.  But.....that's okay.  The world keeps turning, my family keeps getting stronger, God keeps blessing us & we keep waking up to see another wonderful day.  In a perfect world I could wave a wand and get it all done!  But....I'm a mom and that is basically the same as being a super hero!

Saving Money Monday!

Well, since we are trying to buy a house & are working on expanding our family, we have been really sticking to our budget.  Something that helps us stay grounded and our finances in order is tithing, the fact that we follow Dave Ramsey's rules & the fact that we both respect the financial goals we are working towards.  Long story short, I wanted to be able to share with you ladies the deals that I find and money saving tips that can help you "Ball on a Budget"!  LOL!  I love that phrase.  Oh, please share your money saving tips with me!  I love hearing new money saving tips and reading new blogs!

1. I love to go grocery shopping, and I have found that shopping at more than one store is not wrong!  Some places are not for grocery shopping, but sometimes they do have good deals.  My staples to go shopping are Aldi and Crest, which is a local chain of grocery stores in my area.  I go to two different places, b/c I target the stores where I can save the most money.  Also, if I go during the week on my lunch break to the grocery store, I can save money on meats b/c they are marked down and ready to sell.  
2. Also, make a grocery list.  I can walk around the store for hours picking up random things and still not get everything that I need!   Making a menu of what you want to eat for the week, sticking to that menu & not going back to the grocery store until the week is over.
3. Blah blah blah coupons!  Yes, they work, but no I don't buy the paper....that defeats my purpose of saving money.  Very rarely do I find coupons for items that I actually buy.
4. FUN STUFF!!  I am an end of the season shopper!  I recently went to Carter's and got my daughter some super cute rain boots that were on clearance, plus 20% off.  I got them big b/c she can wear them this year and next year. 

They are for boys, but I am thinking that I can bedazzle some bows by the eyes, to make it more feminine.  I will post the end results soon.

I also went to Target and got two pairs of boots for myself, a dress and a fabulous faux fur shrug for Ladybug.  My total was $30 for all four of these!!

Sunday Social

It's that time again!  I have neglected my blog this week.  I was a little freaked out by one of the blogs that I follow.  Someone created a Facebook account using her images and her family.  Very odd...very weird and pretty scary, since her children were the ones mainly targeted in the blog!  I was disturbing.  To read more, please go to Growing Up Geeky and read her story.  Now for the fun stuff!  Don't forget to leave a friendly comment, b/c I love visiting new blogs.

 

TOP 3!!



Top 3 Favorite Kinds of Food:
Fried Pork chops
Sushi
Pizza

First 3 Things you do in the morning:
I turn on the news before I even have my eyes focused!
Make sure the baby monitor is on and go to the restroom.

Last 3 Things you do at night:
Get on the internet while talking to the hubs.
Take a shower.
Watch a DVR'd show.

3 TV shows you NEVER miss:
Well, I DVR the shows, so I think that counts also.
A new show I watch is Scandal!  LOVE!!!
Real Housewives of Atlanta!  Gone w/the wind fabulous, Honey!
Dance Moms!  You would think these women didn't know how silly they really look.

3 Places you want to visit:
Africa
Bahamas....or anyplace Bahama-ee
Washington DC & New York.......again

3 People you can always count on:
Hubs
Sisters
Parents
-----Babysitter!  She is awesome!



Sunday Social

Sunday Social

1. What is the name of your blog? How long have you been blogging?

These are the days....

I started this blog in 2011, but I didn't really make time for it until 1/2012.

2. Why do you blog?

I blog for me time, to connect with other mothers and with people who have the same interest as I do.  I also like to get all my thoughts out....and get some positive feedback on them.

3. What is the first blog you ever followed?

Wow, the first blog I ever followed was Little Miss Momma.  I still follower her, but she doesn't post nearly as much as she used to, because of her growing family.  She was really honest in her blogging and shared some really private parts of her life.  I respected that about her.

4. What is your favorite post you wrote in 2012?

Well, every time I get to write about my daughter it is a highlight!  I actually like doing the Saturday Top Five Laughs from Mommyhood Chronicles.  I like to read the funny posts of other mother's and post funnies that my daughter does.

5. What are your blogging goals for 2013?

I really just want to continue to make time for my blog.  I hope to document my daughter well, so that it will be a good source to print and keep for her to read when she gets older.  I would also like to grow my followers/readers.

6. Top 3 favorite blogs to follow?

Wow!  I have a lot of blogs that I like and I am always finding new ones to follow.  Well, I think it is a given that I like  my own blog and A Complete Waste of Makeup, but I also like:

1.  The Mommyhood Chronicles

2.  A PSR Gathering (this is a new blog that I am following and it is really helpful w/the children that I work with)

3.  Johnny in a Dress

 This was really hard to do!  Some others that I like are Running away?  I'll help you pack..., Growing up Geeky, The Momdiggity and We are that FAMILY.

I hope you enjoyed reading!  Please leave a friendly comment!  I love them.  I also love visiting new blogs and finding new blogs to follow!

Saturday Top Five Laughs!

Saturday Top Five Laughs!

I had a wonderful and super quick week that resulted in me having to do work over the weekend.  But, that's okay b/c I am making some me time to spend with my family and by myself.  That is wonderful!!  Well, here are some random funny/sweet sayings of my little 2 1/2 year old.  She is a trip!  Please leave a friendly comment, I love finding new blogs to read!

5.  Ladybug recently had an ear infection.  Last week she told me her ear hurt.  So, I immediately went to a new kid's clinic that has opened up and is open on Sundays.  So we get checked in, the doctor looks at her eyes and says that they look fine.  She said that I could give her the meds for two more days if I wanted to, but it didn't seem necessary.  So, true to form....my daughter makes me look like an OCD parent when she shouts.  "My ears feel much, much better".  Ugh.....this little girl!!

4.  Last night I was getting something out of the refrigerator & Ladybug told me she wanted to take her medicine.  I told her that it was all gone, she wasn't sick and she didn't need to take it anymore.  Well, she gives 2 fake coughs and says, "yes, Mommy...I am still sick....I still need it".  :-/

3.  Thursday she had to go to bed early b/c she was talking back.  I told her she needed to listen to me & she put her hands on her hips, push her head forward & shouted, "NO!  You listen to me!"  Um.....what......  She went to bed very early that night.

2.  While washing Ladybug's hair, she tells me that she doesn't want to take a bath.  I told her that Princesses had to take baths so they could be clean.  Her response, "I don't want a Princess bath, I want to be stinky".  Ugh!  This is what I deal with......:-)

1.  Since I work with kids and it is flu season, I disinfect often.  She was tip toeing out of my room last night like a little ninja.  I asked her what she was doing, and she had a container of disinfectant wipes.  Not sure where she was going with those. :)