Time for Myself

After chatting with the hubs this weekend (we had lots of time to talk due to Hurricane Sandy), he said, why don't you workout or something. After restraining myself to not glare daggers at him, I said, because I have SO much other stuff that needs to be finished before I even think of doing anything like that. He replied, why don't you make time for yourself? I thought to myself, why don't I? I mean, I have LOTS of things to do as a stay at home mom and wife however when do I do something truly for ME?

I got to thinking, well, I love to sew. BUT when was the last thing I made for myself. Every project over the last year or so, I have made for my children. I love to read, but lets be real, I never get time to just sit and read with a 3 year old and 1 year old around. I love to bake and yet again, I am always baking for the other critters in my house. Man, this mothering gig is pretty self-less....

Don't get me wrong, by the time 8pm rolls around, I am so spent or tired that I finally take "me" time. Usually the time is me lounging on the couch trying to keep my eyes open. Sometimes I wish I could make more time in the day. 24 hours is just not enough, I swear! Between homeschooling, dance lessons, MOPS, playdates, cleaning the house, cooking meals, etc, I am not sure where my time goes. Sometimes, I feel that I am lost in the mix. Not in the directional sense, but in a what makes me, me, sense,

I learned at the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) Convention this year, that we mothers, including myself, lose who we are in our children. I am more than, C & N's mom or that lady who looks tired all the time. I am Katie. A woman who loves her husband; loves God. Who loves to read books and sew things. Enjoys dancing and letting my hair down. Loves to spend time with her family and just let loose. I also would love to one day learn to scuba dive. Also would love to run a half-marathon. Its amazing what we learn about ourselves when we think about ourselves. (does that make sense). That weekend, I learned so much about ME and my fellow moms.

So, what I am getting to is that I, Katie, am going to make a HUGE effort to carve out me time. Whether that me time be 30mins or maybe, if I am real lucky 90mins (during kiddos naps) and take that time to do something for me. Just for me. Not this "well, it could be for me, but the kids really like this"....NO! Just me. I recommend that all moms everywhere be a little selfish when you can and do something that makes you happy. Makes you, you.

Motherhood is a wonderful gift that God in trusted us with, but doesn't mean that we cannot be Katie or insert your name here. I think that we would all be better mothers because of that.

Nikolas' 15 month check-up

First off, I will start by saying I cannot believe that my son is 15 months old. It seems like yesterday, he was in my tummy and I could feel him kicking me all the time. It was a wonderful feeling having him in-utero. Not to mention, the wonderful birthing experience of his. Looking into his big eyes the first time I laid eyes on him was a feeling I can never forget.

Nikolas' first picture

With that being said, I cannot believe that 15 months have passed. He has really become quite an amazing little boy. Nikolas is so funny, hammish, smart, etc...I could go on and on about my son. I love to watch him grow and learn new things everyday. His new sayings are, "Elwo Ducts". Translation: Elmo's Ducks. He loves to watch Elmo's Ducks on my computer. Keith and I created a monster now everytime I go towards any electronic device, Elwo Ducts. ELWO ELWO ELWO!!

My boo at 6mths

My son is also quite the flirt. He loves to show off for all the women around him and flash his big blue eyes :) Ooooh man, ladies watch out!

Nikolas was 22lbs 10.5oz and 31.5inches long Wednesday. He has almost tripled his birth weight. He loves to eat bananas, yogurt and apples!

My son means the world to me. I have my snuggle bunny, mommas boy who loves to just be with me. Loves to be carried in my carrier, sleep on my chest, and share his snacks with me. Loves his big sister and idolizes all that she does. Wants to be just like her.

Nikolas as a pirate!

2 steps forwards....3 steps back

Do you ever feel like sometimes that you're ahead? Like woah, the house looks amazing! I can sit and relax!! The kids are peacefully sleeping and I can read my kindle? ....And then you wake up!

I swear lately, I have been moving backwards in direction. I will get something off your list accomplished for the day and then BAM, I look around and thing, REALLY, did I get something done or was I just dreaming?

I am a notorious list maker. There, I said it. I love making To Do Lists. I feel good when I cross something off my list. It is not unheard of for me to put something on my list, just to cross it off -----> my dirty secret :P These days, I feel like my list is getting longer and longer and no matter what I cross off, I swear "something" keeps adding to my list. Then by the end of the day, I am so bummed that I didn't get anything "done" for the day. Mind you, when I say nothing done, I fail to remind myself about all the other things that I do not deem "list worthy"...like cooking and creating meals, grocery shopping, homeschooling, playtime, etc.

Why is that we mothers sometimes forget to include those daily life activities on our To Do List? Like those things aren't work. Not work in a bad way, but something needs to be done to help the family function. As if those things are not important at all, when in reality, they are probably MORE important than having a clean toilet or laundry being finished. In hindsight, creating funtime with my kids or teaching them phonics & singing are things that will be remembered years to come NOT whether or not the lunch crumbs were swept up immediately after lunch.

Sometimes I need to remind myself to PUT DOWN the To Do List. Focus on whats important to you: Clean(er) House or Connection between mom & child? For me, I chose my kids. Hands down, no questions asked. I am not saying my house is a disaster zone because lets face it, my husband and his slight OCD'ness wouldn't allow that, but thats the awesome thing, he HELPS! But, my house is not showroom clean. Its lived in; comfortable; a place you can put your feet up and no one would mind.

So in other words, sometimes I just need a reminder that the chores will get done, eventually, but my kids, they won't stay this age forever. I need to cherish these times together, while they still want to be around me and think I am cool.

We had SO much fun at the farm. I knew what was "waiting" for me when I got home, but this was SO worth it! Look how happy they are!

The dreaded TRANSFER season!

First off, I'd like to say that I cannot believe that we have been in VA for over 3 years! I feel like it was just yesterday that we were putting in our dreamsheet for our transfer here. Ahh, its excited, nerve-racking, daunting, etc. I love the idea of seeing the country on the military's dime, however, this time around, its so much more difficult since we have older children.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the military life. every 2-4 years, you PCS (Permanent Change of Duty Station). Sometimes, you get to put in a "dream sheet" of places that are open that you would like to go to. They call it dream sheet because you're dreaming if you think you're going to get anywhere on it! Usually you put your list in November of the year before you move and then you wait...wait...and wait...until the detailer (the Warrant Officer who assigns you your next place) creates you orders. They have until March 31st of your transfer year to assign you orders, so hopefully you hear before then. Then somewhere between May-July, you move! Movers come, pack your stuff, and you leave! This lifestyle is not for everyone, however, I love it!

Last time we did this, C was just 5mths old. She had NO idea how much effort and work was put into creating our list. This time around, I had to research schools, recreational stuff, housing, etc. Its a lot of work on my end. However, out of 99 openings, we created a list of 30. Our top 10 picks are within NC, SC, FL, Netherlands, NY & VA. We're hoping that we get one of those picks!

Hubs & I tried to explain to our daughter, who is almost 4, about this whole experience. We used our best friends, who just recently transferred to OR as an example. What we were not expecting was the load of guilt that she served on a plate to us. "I dont want to leave my park and friends. The PARK will REALLLLY miss me. Maybe we can move to OR to be with L. Or maybe Grammy and Pappi's house." I told her its very exciting and we will find new parks, friends and all sorts of good stuff. She liked the idea of school too. I also explained that we will still have these friends from here and that they can come visit and have sleepovers, etc. She totally loved that. N, well, he will only be just 2 when we move, so I don't think he will miss the park as much as her....

I will miss this place that we've called home for the last few years. I would have never thought that I'd say that when we first got here. We live in the boonies, next to a farm. One stop light town. No Targets, Walmarts, malls for miles, including a $17 toll bridge. However, we've made this place a home. Made some great life long friendships, grown closer together as a family, enjoyed the nature and animals around our home and the closeness to the Chesapeake Bay. This place will always have a special place in our hearts.

Now we wait...this will go to the back of our minds for now. Hopefully in the new year, we will get orders to our new home. I knew what I was getting into when I married my husband, and I wouldn't change it for anything. Its most definitely an exciting lifestyle that suits this family :)

Days where you feel like your prayers are answered...finally!!

Ever have days, or in fact weeks or months maybe where you feel like everytime you're with your children, your are wishing you were transplanted somewhere else. Maybe a tropical island where you're waited on with a mojitio in hand?? (Maybe that might be just me...)

I pray for my children everyday. Sometimes, multiple times if needed. Most of the time its to help them stop acting out in their sinful ways. I mean, children are children and you need to help mold and shape those little beings into responsible, kind, warm-hearted, smart, etc, human beings that they were created to be. Sometimes, I feel like am smashing my head into a brick wall, repeatedly and praying the same things over and over...Then there are days like today.

Our day was set up to be a long one. I know, before I even leave, to get it into my head that meltdowns, troubles may happen. C has dance on Thursdays and we usually venture out to have lunch beforehand. We went to Chick-Fil-A and met with C's VERY BEST FRIEND, J! They love each other. Its so sweet to see their little friendship emerge. They ate, played, had a little spat, then played some more. Then off to dance...

Dance was great. She just loves it. I love to hear all about it and watch her "moves". Its especially funny to listen to what their teachers have to say about how they "dance". I cannot wait to watch a class.

C & J! Lil ballerinas in the making!

Afterwards, its grocery shopping. I know I am pushing the limit of their energy, but its something that needs to be done. All the meanwhile, my little N is just full of happiness and pointing to everything out the window to look at while trying to verbalize...too cute! Get to the grocery store and there is a huge sale! Strap the wee one to me in my Ergo and off we go. Long story short, 2 hours later, we emerge from there and I was thinking dang! I am pretty sure my patience and prayers were answered.

Not one meltdown, crying, etc!! C was such a big helper. N just happily was strapped to me. No fussing, no crying, no I WANT THIS! I was so pleased. My day was so much easier. I thanked them tremendously and gave them "special treats" (They think frozen grapes are candy te te) Its amazing how much easier your day is when these kind of days are like this.

Pretty sure, my luck will run out BUT I will still keep praying that these days, no matter how few and far inbetween they are, will still happen again. Because if I don't pray for my children, who will?

Why I love homeschooling

This marks our 2nd week of homeschooling my oldest, C who is 3. *C would say almost 4, c'mon! I did a lot of looking around and researching on what type of schooling I wanted to do for her, and chose Abeka K-4 program for her was the best. Its a really neat program. Some is her in a "classroom" with other students watching the teacher. The other parts are myself teaching her the curriculum. I was going to try my own curriculum, but this worked best for her.

Aside from the fact that I think homeschooling is a great option for us as a family, I am very pleased, thus far with the amount of information my almost 4 year old is retaining! She learns bible studies, phonics, creative activities, lanuage development, etc. Lots of songs, stories and other fun stuff to keep her attention. Its maybe only about 90 mins a day with plenty of stretching and getting our sillies out! The beauty of homeschooling is that if we have a busy day planned or C is "moody", we can postpone for another day! I LOVE IT!

If you would have asked me, almost 4 years ago, if I was going to homeschool my child, I would have said NO! Heck no! even. But, the way the American school systems are here, C will be almost 6 years old before she even heads to kindergarten. I couldn't believe that considering I was C's age when I first entered J-K (junior kindergarten). I have had chats with plenty of mothers and we go back and forth about whats the "appropriate" age for kids to enter into school. Personally, I feel that almost 6 is way too late to just be starting her educational endevours. I'm not sure why those rules and ages are in place, but considering how fast she has caught on with 1 week of homeschooling, I believe she will be lightyears ahead of other students her age.

Blah, Blah, Blah, I am sure I will be sparking something in someone who reads this.

On a side note, N loves when we sing in school. He at 14mths, loves to dance and clap along with us. I think he's also getting a lot of out homeschooling as well.

I will say, homeschooling is not for everyone. Its a lot of work and prep, but well worth it! Its definitely for our family! :)