One Day At A Time

You know how tradition says that you should always make New Years Resolutions and Goals for the new year? Well... here is mine... Over the last year I have tried to be steps ahead instead of day by day. However, with the tole it has taken on my health, this year I am going to TRY to go one day at a time. Each day taking time to read, write, draw, learn something new, create something beautiful. "Mom Time" if you will. If I have learned one thing from my mom, it is that you need to put as much effort into yourself as you do others. If you don't, it will catch up with you. You will be no good to others if you are no good to yourself. This doesn't always mean that you have to take time away from everyone, you can relax with others. Play a game, read a book by a fire, do what relaxes you. I have a bookshelf that I have stocked with books. I can honestly say that I have only read one of them cover to cover this year. I have made a promise to myself that I will read every book on that shelf over the next year. As you can see, there are about 60 books on it currently. I plan to add another 20 over the year. That means a total of 80 books in 52 weeks. Some are 300 pages, others are 3000 pages. If I take 1-2 hours a day to relax (not always at one time), I can get all of the books read. I can even take them with me to the beach, my sanctuary! What keeps you calm? What relaxes you? What helps you release stress in a healthy way?

Mom Fail, Mom Win

With 3 days left until Christmas, the wrapping begins. Thankfully I have an entire studio that I can store all of the gifts, bags, and wrapping paper in so the little eyes do not see. That is, of course, unless you forget to lock the door and the kids come running in asking if you need help with anything. Mom fail: I left the door unlocked! When I heard them running down the hallway, I quickly threw what I could into the closet and lay over everything else!! (side note, nothing was breakable!) Mom win: My boys have enough manners that they are always asking if I need help with anything that I am doing. I am so proud of them for the thought, especially since they didn't know I was in there messing with presents. In their defense, they knocked once as they opened the door, hahahaha! None of the were fast enough to get in the door before I threw myself on to the last presents remaining out of the closet. Santa's wrapping paper was the first thing that got tossed into the closet and the gift were right behind! Now that I am 100% certain that they are all occupied or asleep, Itty Bitty is sick still, I can hurry and get them wrapped. Remember mom brain, lock the door behind you as you enter or leave! If only this creepy Elf was as easy to do! Who in the world decided a little doll with big creepy eyes and a homicidal smile was the perfect thing to watch over kids and report back to Santa?!?! Growing up I thought dolls were creepy to begin with, now you want me to take an even creepier looking doll and make it do obnoxious things to entertain a child without scaring them for life! This seems to me like one of those bad horror movies just waiting to happen! One of these things is going to come to life and be the next Chucky! And don't forget about the pets! Because, you know, you don't have enough to do around the holidays. Let's remember to do something with their pets too. Don't you even think about repeating the same thing you did last year, they WILL remember and call you out on it! Then what? What excuse could you come up with on the spot for why they did the same thing or why they didn't move because the kids outlasted you the night before and get up at the ass crack of dawn! But wait, there's more. You can't move it during the day either because "they only fly to the North Pole at night after we fall asleep mom!" Well shit kid, you are too smart for your own good! I'm trying to do something to keep what little childhood you have left fun and exciting, then you go and get all critical on me! Just you wait... You will have kids one day and understand exactly why that creepy little red doll didn't move for 2 days in a row! If you OCD, well, you're just screwed! You don't want to do all the "cute" messy things because leaving that mess overnight will keep you up all night long and have you cleaning the entire house the next morning. You can't just have one so you will end up buying him/her a friend. Now you gotta move two of these creepers! Heaven forbid you move them to different areas of the house... "they don't like each other now momma, we need to tell them to make up." Sure kid, let's write a letter to the Elves telling them they need to be friends again. Oh, but wait, they each need their own letter. While we are doing that, "can we write one to their pets telling them how much we like them and hope they like us too?" Yeah, why not! Let me lie on this letter real quick while trying to teach you the importance of honesty. Kinda backwards, don't ya think? Just be glad that little doll came back this year! Be glad it didn't have a sleigh accident on the way from the North Pole. Be grateful it isn't hanging from the ceiling over your bed at night with those big creepy eyes staring you in the face when you wake up!! Happy Holidays parents! The elves are almost gone again!

Boy Mom Life

Everyone always tell you how amazing it is to have kids. They are a blessing, they are pure joy... what they fail to mention is the fact they make you lose your entire mind! I'm not much of a writer, let alone a blogger, but today made me realize just how far gone my brain really is. Today was the first day of Christmas Break for my boys, I have 5 of them... yes, 5 boys. They are 13, 12, 10, 9, and 3. I know, I know and no, I'm not going to try again. Let's get that constant question out the way right away. Anyway, the first day of break... before I get into today's fun, let me give a bit of a 2 month back story. My husband is military, I am a photographer and Retailer, we have 5 boys and 5 dogs (one of which got pregnant through our fence), and we just bought a house! Sounds good doesn't it? Well, we thought so too until the "fun" started. Our laundry room floods every time we use our washer, dish washer or kitchen sink. For the last month we have had to use the laundry mat for our clothes and the bathtub to wash our dishes, yep, you heard that right... the bathtub! Long story short, it's complicated in our house right now. Back to the story of today. We get up and get ready to face today's chores and challenges. We clean up the house, do the bathtub dishes, and let out the dogs. No problem, that pretty normal here. Go through the rest of the day with little fighting between the boys, that is not all too normal. Obviously I enjoyed the semi quiet day. It wasn't until the evening that it turned in to one of those days. Husband is working later again, kids start fighting more, dogs are barking non stop with our neighbors dogs, itty bitty throws up all over himself... all while I am trying to make dinner in a kitchen that only halfway works right now. Stop dinner, clean up the little, bribe the dogs to come back inside, and get the kids to settle down enough to finish dinner. Oldest complains about having to put down his phone to clear the table, 12 year old is helping console his brother so I can cook, and the 9 & 10 year olds are fighting about every little thing. Fast forward to after dinner, which thankfully turned out better than expected. Little one didn't eat much with him being sick so his brother put his dinner in the fridge. The older 4 finish dinner and are told to rinse their dishes and put them in the sink. A water fight, a broken plate, and many many arguments later... Dad is finally home to take over. What does that mean for me... Well, being sick and fighting my own illnesses, I go take a relaxing detox bath. Put in some bubble detox, light a candle, get a glass of red Merlot and my book. Dad makes "everything" better with little D, the boys go watch a movie in their room, it's finally quiet! 15 minutes later, crash. I jump out of the bath and go to run to the door... the shit has now started. I knock my wine over spilling on my new shirt, my phone drops to the floor right in the wine, my book falls in the water, and I trip over myself. Ugh, could it get any "better," yes! The crash was simply the dogs playing and knocking in to the book shelf! Freaking dogs! Screw it, I'm over the bath anyway. Dry off and go to brush my hair so I can dry it. Can't go to bed with wet hair or my illness flares up. Well... Note to self... DO NOT wear your hair in a messy bun for 2 days straight bc you don't feel like doing anything with it. You WILL end up with lots and lots of tangles that hurt like hell when you try to brush them out! Does it stop there, hahahaha... Now it's time for the kids to go to bed, mom to finish working, dad to do the dishes, and the dogs to settle down... or so I thought. Dogs go out and start barking again, 9 dogs barking at each other. Little one gets up every 15 minutes, older ones start fighting over who knows what. I go to get under my blanket and finish up some work. Even without cold wet hair, it flare up. My sweater is soaking to get out the wine so I get under 3 blankets (it is not cold in my house by any means), my computer breaks, and tea spills all down my drawings. Just another day in the life of a Boy Mom!