Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Accomplishments

I'm not too sure what has gotten into me over the last month or so but it seems my work load has trippled from what it was and yet...I'm staying more on top of things then ever before...lol...partially because I'm soo afriad now to get to far beind as I may never recover if I do.

Over the last 2 months I have

made over 30 pillow....you can see instructions in a previous blog...and they are still alive and kicking....lol

Painted over 4 room in my house in one day! While cooking cleaning and doing the preschool activities with the kids and my night care kids....

Created 9 paperbag albums to sell on etsy

Created 4 beauitful candle and popurri displays and flower arrnagements to add some warm tones troughout the rooms.

Potty trained 4 children and a puppy

Stood up for myself in situations in which I normally would never of done

Bought, made and organized all activities for the kids Valentines Preschool Party

Cleaned out closets

Fixes three door handles, a bathroom wall, a stair rail and more!

Hmm like I said I have no clue how or why...but my rear has been moving tripple time...lol Hope the feelings of super woman doesn't leave me for a while!!! lol

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Being A Fiance and Wife

Is full of expectations. Expectations of your self, expectations from other moms, expectations from your fiance, expectations from people who don't even know you. No matter who you are, how you live, what you believe in there are always expectations......both good and bad.

I personally believe a wife is a servant to her husband.....ha I get looks all the time when I say that...esp. from the womans right gas, but I consider being a servant much different then those who choose to judge my way of life. I am not enslaved to my husband....but thats how they translate what I say...something so simple can cause someones expectations of you to drop because your not always in the appropiate spot or have appropiate time to explain such a remark about how you feel husband and wife are.

People speak to me on the phone concerning my preschool, they are thrilled, excited and ready to meet me. I am very honest with others I am upfront aout my age and my childrens ages. I used to hide my age, hide the fact that I was 15 when I had a child, but in a sense when I did that I felt shameful. I had a healthy, intelligent, well behaved and brough up child. Why would I hide the small fact of how old I was when he was conceived, I did so because I was scared. the 30 and 40 something moms would look at me when they heard that and it's like the respect they held for me drifted away like a fog cloud. In my eyes it showed how strong I was, hoe determined I was, how responsible I am. But none the less their expectations clearly slipped away, some blunt enough to tell me and some draw the conclusion I was a whore or some just hide the feelings but their face told their story. Expectations are soo scary. Expectations can hurt us. Expectations can fog our brans into thinking what we think is right maybe may not be. Expectations can never fully be lived up to.

Maybe there are expectations on how you handle your children, hoe you clean your home, your faith, your body. I know some woman whom I over hear speaking often discussing how their husbands would prolly leave them if they gained weight. Now I'm sure most are a bit of a stretch but none the less that expectation to remain in "good fitness" surrounds us even more as women. There are so many expecations. those of you whom work may be met with exectations of balancing work and home and doing it to meet certian standards. I work from home and find it even more taxing then when i worked outside of the home.

We can set them to high for even ourselves. As a wife, mother and preschool teacher i have many parents whom set the bar for their expectations of me very high. I tell them from the begining, I am not perfect, can not please eveyone and always try my best. I may have one parent whom thinks it's horriable that there are dirty dishes in the sink when she gets her child or messy tables, mean while I have another whom thinks my house looks appropiate for running a preschool. You can't win them all....and wil die trying. I know I used to bend over backwards...trying to please all.

I had it maped out how I was going to perfectly balance being a mother to my three children, run a preschool and be a wife, not to mention all the things that come between. But, truth be told....I laughed after fully thinking about it all. Expectations are normal. Christ had expectations for adam and eve...we may not see it that way but He did to me anyway. But, why have expectations become something in this world that we fear. Why have they become something so relevant in this world....you look at even the newpapers, teens killing themselves over college grades, mothers being judged everyday on some new talk show something is being challenged, I enjoy learning about new things as much as everyone else but when it feels as thought because you think, feel or act a certain way you may be stoned....lol I often feel like this when people find out how old I am, i am well educated and a great mom...or as great as I can be...and yet people have expecatations that say if you not 25 or older...what int he hell were you thinking...always makes me laugh cause i know many of them...and they were poppin many guys...they just didn't get caught...much less get pregnant and yet I'm the one judged. I never allowed my son to have a dripple of soda or store bought juice or candy until after he was 5....it was nothing that killed him but I found people and their expectations of me were unbelievable. i was doing something right and still seemed to failt o meet their expectations because I wasn't allowing him to experience things...HA I changed my way a bit over time but my chilren still are not allowed store bought juice or soda....lol

I try to have little to know expecatations of others. When I do I'd like to think they are modest and non-judgemental because of all I have been through. But, why...why all the thoughts that our beliefs and thoughts and ways of doing things are better and why when we hear otherwise from our peers, family or friends do we not take that as they are different...just that different...how often do you spend the time to ask questions or get to know them before lowering your expectations of a person.

i guess there's not too big of a point to this entry but I just wanted to share. And hopefully get people thinking about their own expectations of people. That everyone can makes mistakes, bad thoughts and well be human. Try to make your expectations relistic.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Teen Mom- to grown up blog

I have been wanting for sometime to post something along the lines of how it was to be a teen mom....kinda from the begining...emotions, actions and everything really....was working on a book...kinda but hard to do so with my current schedule so I thought I would create a new blog for it. So if you would like....please feel free to follow it...It's sure to be promising and something that truly...hopefully inspires and openes eyes and hearts. thanks!

http://fromteenmomtogrownup.blogspot.com/

That Spark

So, here is one of those wonderful entries to where I am once again seeking advice. For all of you gals who are in a commited relationship or married.

Everyone has heard or or knows of "the honeymoon period" in a relationship. Well I have been quite blessed and have always felt like even though we have been together for some time the hubby and I have had the honeymoon feelings our entire relationship. It seems just recently that I noticed a few things slipping. You know what I mean...you get into that comfortable feeling and kinda quite wooing eachother as you may have done during courting or your first few years of marriage. Now I say I am blessed because we have been together over 7 yrs...and I know many relationship slip into the comfortable zone only after one year.

But, I am curious...other than the actualy going out on dates.....how do you keep the love alive...call it what you want...the spark.....the romance, or whatever...I'm interested to hear what you do when you feel like things are kinda mundane...not borning but just when the suprises aren't as often as the were. We go through these spurts and I know they always pass within a week or two but I'm curious to see what other couples do to keep the spark, the butterflies the romance alive....lol...and I'm curious to hear what your hubbies do as well....

anyway ladies...looking forward to hearing what you got...don't get me wrong I am not in a rut or anything...I have a great relationship full of love and excitement but am just very curious what you all do do when you feel this way. thanks

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Quick-Easy-no Sew - DIY Pillows---lots of pillows

So, I am always looking for accent pillow...for my sofa and love seat for the kids to sit on while reading and playing and for everyones beds. But, when you go to the store its hard to find a pillow for under 5 bucks and pieces and the nice looking ones end up in the 10 dollar range or more.....

Now, I also do not have a ton of time. I run a preschool, have kids I have for over night care and my own family and home to tend to. So, sewing all the time is a bit out of the question as well...don't get me wrong I love to sew but I tend to find very little time to pull everything out and actually do it.

So, here's what I did. I took some fabrics I've had forever and even some old curtian shams I had from a garage sale. Gathered it all up...I cut different size squares....to add variety into the pillows.
Then i got some hem tape. This is generally used for heming and small other things but after some tessting I found it works perfectly. I don't need pillows that will last a lifetime...as I like to change things up often...but a good 6 months is great!

Materials Needed: fabric, adhesive hem tape, iron, scissors,



So, here's how to do it.

1. Take your cut pieces of fabric and iron set to the cotton setting. Measure and tear or cut the heat tape to cover all sides leaving a small opening to turn the pillow inside out and stuff when done. See pic in #2

2. lay the heat tape as directed on fabric as you see here.


3. Fold over the piece of Fabric so that your fabric is now covering eachother. Then iron along the areas you put the tape on. Some fabric you can see the tape has bonded as it looks wet where you have ironed and other you may not be able to.



4. When done set aside and let sit for about 5 minutes. Then tunr the pillow inside out. Check the areas to ensure you got all of the areas with no gaps or holes.


5. Now stuff with stuffing of choice. I did a normal poly stuffing. Stuff kinda thick....harder than you'd normally want as after a few times of being used they will loose some of that stiffness.



6. When done stuffing, take your stuffing hole and fold the materials in...making it even with the other hems....place hem tape on the fabric...then set down...and iron really well. I noticed if you dont put something weighted...like 2 books on the hem while it cools it tend to pull apart since its stuffed now. I used to large children books for just a little weight and it worked great!



And thats it!! you can make all kinda and sizes...shown are many I made....now sewing would of taken a while. I did this in my spare time...each pillow taking about 20 minutes or less depending on size...and got the kiddos involved by allowing them to carefully stuff them...and they loved it.

Now for an even more fun affect you can buy iron on letters or images and add them to them as well...as shown below... I did the childrens names on them and they found that to be wonderful.



Also looking to spice up old pillows...try itron on. Cheap and fun. I personalized our bedroom pillow with our names and rhinstones...lol...what you can't see is on the back of the hubby's it also says love you baby.

Note: You can also use permanet fabric gllue to make these but the sitting and drying time is much long,

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Edition 2- The things I live through

and don't die from. Ok ladies most of you prolly read my post on thing I live trough concerning my 3.5 yr old daughter cutting off all of her precious hair...a few weeks before Christmas...lol...well this post is dedicated to all of you gals who have boys... Edition 2 of the things i live through

My son had a tv in his room--- I am very against this personally but it has served as a good tool for him...anyway...so the other night I go upstairs to tell him it's time for the tv to go off. I believe in open door policies...or I have thus far...so....I walk in to his room and he immidiantly looks guilty...about 20 minutes before I had told him he could get a snack but no candy....

then i see his hands moving around...I ask him....what are you hiding...he says nothing...ahhh hes a horriable liar...always has been...he's go those tale tell signs. So, I ask again Taylor did u get into the Christmas candy...he says no and turn his head....thinking he's hiding candy I pull his blanket up...only to find

pants to his ankles...hmm seems he was exploring abit, well more than a bit---ALOT-way to much alot! I dropped the blanket. We've always spoken openly aout this type of thing...but I found myself in shock...complete shock and awe...he was embarrassed I was mortified...this is my little boy...9 but my first born and my little boy---you moms get this.....I shut off the tv and said goodnight. I knew it happen but never imagined I would catch him in the act or see the result of the act...utterly motifying

Now the next day we sat down me him and the hubby--and discussed more privacy and knocking first and things of this sort.

And yet this is another thing I have lived through and I have no clue how....

I turn...shut off the tv...

The inevitable question- How Come?

How come 2 weeks ago I was soo sick....like on the death bed kinda sick. You fellow moms know what this feels like. To be sick and yet the home still needs to be ran. Well for me I also have other peoples children in my home 24 hrs a day. So, my clock never stops.

But, how come when I was sick, I rec. no sympathy from parents or the hubby...HOW COME!! Everyone just considered me to need to stay on the ball. I stil needed to cook, clean, teach, pick up, drop off, wake up everything just the same.....hmmmm

Now how come this week the hubby was sick....every parents asked repeatedly about how he was doing...hahahaha, even gave adive on meds and such. How come he was able to lock himself in a room for 4 days only come out when he needed me for something...how in the heck come.

I swear I just dont get it...I mean I realize I am super woman...lol...but all jokes aside...how come when a woman much less a mom gets sick...no one seems to care....its like everyother day...but now when a man gets sick the world quits spinning for him. I have had many older gals...gosh I love their wisdom tell me..."hmmm hun thats just the way it is really...men are wimps" Hahahahah soo funny...but what does a gal have to do to get someone to pick up some of the slack when shes down and out....

It just seems that moms in general are seen doing it all-----all the time---because after all we're super heros---I mean we do more then many men can accomplish in a week in one day...but we're seen as like this rock....that unless bedded in a hosital stays strong no matter what. While I embrace this thought I also would have loved and pleaded for someone to tell me to go to bed for 4 days....lol

Ok, so don't get me wrong ladies...I'm in no way upset...i just find this somewhat humorous and aww inspiring...we are the Rocks that hold our families together and it's great knowing this...but every now and then a rock just needs a break...lol

Saturday, January 3, 2009

I Just Don't Get It

Ok, so this is going to be one of those ranting blogs. I go to the store today. Now as my readers know I had a son at a rather young age.....15. While n the store today wth my 9 yr old son....the gal at the register...young and innocent and iggnorant...made a commetn. She called my son my brother something along the line of " I bet you and your sister are going to have fun with this." My son...he's soo smart says "she's not my sister. My sister is 3." She continues to scan my items....then says "so is this your aunt or baby sitter" By this point I am slightly annoyed....I try to hold back because afterall shes just trying to make conversation. Then he just says "nope, she's my mom" She looks at me as though shes waiting for me to confirm.....I say nothing...cause well i just didn't want to...

Then she looks at me and says "really" I tell her yes I am...she says you look young and I say well thats cause I am young. Nothing but a stare from her. Ahhhhhhh why do people have to be soo obvious...and do people not think when they speak I mean my son is standing there. Sure he knows that I was young as we have discussed this many times....but must they make such a big deal out of it. I obvously care for my child...and gosh some of these people make me want to carry around all 4 of my degrees just to prove to people I'm not some crack head whore popping out babies. Ok I admit that comment may have been alot but thats the stares I get.

I just don't get it. I admit I don't agree with teens having babies, but none the less it has become quite common and yet...I get stares from old, middle aged and young...ahhh

So, ok thats it...just my rant and raves about yet more judgemental looks from people who have no clue about me and my life....ahh when will people realize juding me or these other young ladies will never help them. Drives Me Nuts.