It's a I-Can-Do-Everything attitude.

Superwoman I am not!

I am the type of person that feels (in most cases) it's just easier to do everything myself. Otherwise you're spending all your time telling or showing the other person what to do or how to do it.

But I am realizing more and more that I can't do everything myself.

Cleaning, cooking, working, mothering, wife-ing, and being preggo at the same time.... it's exhausting! I have to realize that there are limitations and sometimes a person just has gotta ask for help. Well, that or just not get some things done. Which, speaking of, my house is quite dirty, the bathrooms haven't been cleaned in almost 2 weeks, I haven't vacuumed in 4 days, the pantry is due for a stock-up shopping trip, and I have many cards to get in the mail! Oh, and I need to pay some bills.

Oh well. I do what I can.

And I'll procrastinate a little more and just look at this picture from our recent camping trip... it makes me happy. :)

The Rain in May... oh wait... it's September!

Colorado has been getting hit with torrential downpours the past week. We have flooding all over the area, and while my own family and friends are safe from danger, there are many people who are missing, a few who have lost their lives, and many who have lost everything that they own. It's scary how powerful the roaring waters can be and there's no way to stop it once it does get moving.

Photo from kdvr.com

Mr Wonderful has been dealing with some of the disaster from a water standpoint (sounds kinda funny in this situation, huh?). He's a water operator for a multitude of small water systems here in the metro area and he has been working hard making sure that his clients have clean drinking water. For instance, last night he ended up leaving at 9pm and didn't get home until after 3:30 this morning! Several of his plants are in the danger zone and they've had to man one of them almost non-stop to keep filters clean and the pumps working. They are waiting to check on the other ones, but are currently unable to because of the washed out roads.

Photo from kdvr.com.

Photo from thedenverchannel.com

It's just so sad to watch the devastation and think about all the families that have lost their homes, their properties, cars, pets, etc. To see it so close to us makes me consider the value of what we have/own. I want to go through stuff and get rid of the unnecessities.

Photo from kdvr.com.

We're expecting more rain tonight... additional downpours actually. Even our yard can't handle any more moisture. So we'll see what additional damage happens tomorrow morning. Keep your thoughts and prayers headed this way! There are a lot of people here that need it!

It's a fine life...

Sometimes this child gets on my every nerve. Daddy walks in the door after work and all I can do is retreat to the basement or go grab a shower (usually the first in several days) and just grab some 'me' time before I go crazy.

But I do love my precious girl and she brings such joy to my life as well.

She's starting to say words, clear words. She has some sign language down pat. She puts her arms all the way around my neck and holds me tight. She'll cuddle with me for a few moments at a time and I cherish each one of those moments.

Munchie is a handful for sure. There's no denying it. She wears me out and causes me to fall into bed each night with an exhaustion that I've never felt before. She still keeps us up at night for a few nights before sleeping through the next couple nights, then it's back to waking up again. This schedule of hers is not ideal for either Hubs or me, but it makes me cherish those nights that she does sleep through, and I partially enjoy (tired as I may be) getting up and rocking her in the wee hours of the morning.

I love having my parents within driving distance. My mom has been a HUGE help in watching Munchie several times a month and she gives me a short break as well as tag-teams when we run errands (she shops while I watch Munch and then I shop and she runs after Munch). It works pretty well. :) Not sure what I would do if we were to move farther away.

Yeah, this kid is pretty special to me. :) Thank you Lord for giving her to us! I pray every day that I will be the kind of mom she needs me to be.

I'm going to be a mom... full-time!

It's official! I'm quitting my job!

I have been struggling with working full time and being a good wife and mother. Us women try to do everything and do it all well, and I for one cannot do it all anymore. I am being unfair to myself, to my husband, and to my baby. My mind was constantly on work and the next project that needed to be done and I was missing

This blog posting was shared with me and I am 100% in agreement with it (well, 97% really - I disagree on her opinion of spanking... with the right attitude towards it and love backing your reason for the spanking, and hugs and a discussion following the spanking, I believe it is a very important aspect of disciplining my children). But back to the main purpose of the article...

I was homeschooled growing up and there were a lot of benefits and great memories that my brothers and I were able to share and experience because of our parent's choice to teach us at home. We had family time in the morning and started school in our pajamas. We went on field trips and had co-op classes and play groups and sports days. We were able to plan our own schedule and work on certain
topics with more detail if we needed to. In our older years, we played sports for our local high school, took some great after school classes (Biology was the best! We were able to dissect a 2lb fetal pig!), and even took classes at our County Community College. I went to college with 34 college credits and several basic classes checked off my list.

We still have time before Munchie is ready for school...of course my goal is to start teaching little things every chance we get even at this young age. It's never too early to start learning! But the more I think about it, the closer I'm leaning to homeschooling my children when the time comes. There are just too many benefits to ignore. Honestly, I'm a little scared about the prospect. There is so much involved in making sure they meet state requirements and testing requirements and that they learn what they should when they should. There is so much that I have forgotten, since I am ___ years removed from school myself. :P But at the same time, it would be good for me to go back and relearn a lot of it with them. And I know that the Lord will provide me the strength, the courage, and the knowledge to teach my kids properly.

So here's to teaching our kids the right way for them AND us... whether you homeschool them or send them to private or public school or however you do it in your home.

Happy 2013!

Can you believe how fast 2012 went?! I feel like Munchie was born just yesterday... but now that the year is over and we've moved onto writing 2013 on everything, I realize that I have to start planning my baby's first birthday party! Yowza! Talk about a reality check!

This year we put together a family newsletter. Well, I put one together. :) It was all I could do to get hubby to agree that it might be good to let people know how we've been. Lol. But it was nice to write out some of the events of this past year. I'd like to make it a yearly thing... if nothing else but for my own benefit. But hopefully this next year I can finish it before the last minute rolls around. Literally! I finished the 2012 'year in review' letter the morning of Christmas!

Resolutions - I used to make resolutions... but then like almost every other person out there, I'd break them before the snow began to melt. So I'm trying to be realistic this year. Here is what I'd like to do:

Digital - There are a lot of things that I want to do, but I know that I can't do all of them. Yes, I have come to that conclusion. Now, if only I could get my brain to remember that. :) I do know that I need to keep up with the latest trends and keep my design skills up to date. So that is one of my goals this year. I don't have a set amount or time to put toward this goal. I'm really just leaving it open-ended. But I do need to work on some designs in my free time ('free time' - what's that?! Lol!).

Caffeine - I'm addicted to Starbucks. It's a problem. And my Christmas shopping experiences this year didn't help...every trip out warranted a Venti treat for me. Lol! So I need to work at limiting my treats to myself. I got a couple really nice travel mugs this year for Christmas, so coffee from home is my goal. Not to say that I won't enjoy a cup or two at the famous coffee spot, but that's all it will be... one or two a month. I think that's doable. :)

Domestic - I'm a busy working mom and it's been difficult to maintain the house along with taking care of my hubby and baby, keeping dinner on the table, getting laundry done, etc all while working a full-time job. Needless to say, I haven't done a fabulous job in any of these areas. I really would like to be better at maintaining the house, pre-planning meals (so that I'm not digging through the cupboards at the last minute trying to figure out something to make for dinner), and staying on top of my own messes (ie stacks of magazines, to-do quilts, letters to write). I think it'll make my hubby happier and teach Munchie the importance of taking pride in one's home.

Spending - Along with my coffee-splurges, I have been a little free with general spending. Even though we are a dual-income family, I really need to be better at living under a single-income household. Hubs has been doing so well at putting extra on the house and I have been paying for all the other necessities. But I haven't limited my fun spending. If we need clothes or a fun meal or new shoes or there's a sale on fabric, etc then I don't hesitate to spend a little more that month. But this year I'm going to be extra careful on limiting those extra purchases.   

Motherly Duties - My daughter is growing up way too quickly. And she is proving her smarts at an increasing rate. So I have my work cut out for me. It is important for me to teach her young and teach her well and while this is quite scary for me, I can't just sit back and wish it not so. Thus, I need to get on the train and figure out some good things for us to do together - constructive things, but fun at the same time.

So there are some of my to-dos for this year. I tried to keep them simple, but they are all necessary. Here's to a good 2013! Happy New Year!