Tag: mom blogger

A SECOND POST IN ONE MONTH???

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WHO IS THIS PERSON?!

I was going to write a post about cats, and my journey from being a cat person to not being a cat person to OMG CRAZY CAT LADY but maybe that’s a blog post for a different day, because it’s late, and I’m lazy, and the cats are all up in my business anyway so it’s hard to type.

So instead I’ll leave you you some real-time photos of what it looks like when I try to sit down and write a blog about cats….. because, you know, this is my life now. Kids, cats, a husband, and a dog…. constantly something touching me.

Thinking inside the box…

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Leaving my Target run and as I’m loading my things on the belt at the register I start thinking to myself, this is weird, literally every single thing I am purchasing is in a cardboard box. Right about the time I’m thinking this through the cashier looks up at the belt and says, “Wow, everything you’re buying is in a box!” and gives me a funny look…

What can I say, at least I’m consistent in my weirdness. 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤣

SD Day 3: Feeling it already

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I’m tired, y’all. Just… tired. The anxiety and mental stress of wondering constantly if I’m doing the right things for my family and myself. Wondering how this is all going to affect the kids in the long run. Wondering how our economy is going to come out on the other side. Worrying about all the small businesses that probably won’t make it or will suffer if they do. Wondering how everyone else is feeling. It’s draining, and it’s scary, and it’s currently all-consuming.

I ventured out to the grocery store today, and while it wasn’t quite as bad as I had built it up to be in my mind, it was still a very sobering experience. There were literally NO canned goods on the shelves, people were snapping up packages of ground beef faster than the worker could put them on the shelf (I will say, I was pleasantly surprised at how nice all the shoppers and employees were to each other). No pasta, no bread, no toilet paper or paper towels. Lunch meat was so picked over there was barely anything left. Oddly enough there was plenty of produce, but that’s a puzzle for another time, most likely because it spoils so quickly? Who knows.

It’s kind of like a really bad dream that you can’t wake up from. Everything is so uncertain, the outcome isn’t written. You have people who are holed into their homes refusing to step foot in the light of day, and then you have people who don’t seem to give a shit what happens or who it happens to. Scary stuff, y’all.

I was actually going to try to write something funny and lighthearted tonight, but I just don’t really seem to have that in me, so I’m going to cut it here, go do something calming to my mind and come back at it tomorrow.

Here’s hoping tomorrow is a better day for us all. <3

I’m kind of a big deal…

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Me in all my nerdy glory

Well, not really, but after THIS INTERVIEW with me from Kristin from Exploring Domesticity came out on her blog today I kinda feel like it.

(If you can’t get that link to work here it is in all its glory: https://exploringdomesticity.com/jamies-mom-life)

Seriously y’all, after a really tough, trying day with both kids (the boy in particular) I actually needed to read through this interview again myself and remind myself all of the little joys in parenting and ALSO to stay as low-key as I possibly can. Believe me, it’s hard enough sometimes taking my own advice, but it’s fairly sound….. I think.

Make sure you take a look around while you’re over there, such a fun website full of awesome tips! <3

I came, I worked out, I might die.

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Yesterday Wade made fun of me when I invited him to do day 2 of 21 day fix with me. He laughed at my silly workout, but he did it. 1/3 of the way through he got real quiet, 1/2 of the way through he started grunting and moaning, and by the end he was toast. I’m pretty sure he went off to the living room to cry after that. #LegDay 😂

BUT.

He showed up today, and worked out with me again.

After leg day it was hard enough just squatting down enough to make it to the toilet seat without groaning, and now with Upper Fix and the “Bonus Abs” I feel like raw meat. 😂😂😂

Also, I went to Sprouts today and came home with a much better selection of healthier foods and produce, and rid our pantry of most of the items that would cause me to stray off-course.

I CAN do this.

Dinner tonight:

-Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs trimmed of fat, with a citrus poultry spice blend in the air fryer (I ADORE my air fryer!!)

-Brown and Wild Rice Blend

-Avocado

-Banana for a nighttime snack. ❤️❤️❤️

Introspect.

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From my teens to my late twenties I was always rail thin. Seriously, no meat on my bones, stick figure thin. I’m certainly not trying to brag, that’s just how it was. My high school nickname was “Twiggy”.

For quite a while now, since I started fertility drugs before I had my daughter, I gained what I’ll call “The Mom Muffin”. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not much weight, maybe 30lbs extra, but I didn’t make much of an effort at all after I had her to get it off. I always joked that I was just going to have another baby and there was no point.

Well, second baby came along in June 2017, and here we are, TWO YEARS LATER and it’s still there. It’s time to do something about it.

Now, don’t get me wrong…. I don’t WANT to start eating healthy and exercising, I LOVE my chicken fried steak and my grande Starbucks. However, I’ve gotten to the point where I hate my reflection in the mirror MORE than I love those delicious things. We planned a beach trip this year at the end of July with the kids and I started trying on bathing suits and was completely depressed with each suit I tried on… so much so that I just stopped trying them on.

So here I am, trying my best. I’m NOT going to try to sell you anything, so don’t worry about that, accounting my #MomBod journey in my blog is basically just for me, for accountability. I want to be my BEST me, both for myself AND for my kids. I want to be able to chase them around the yard and be around to see them start families of their own. So here starts my journey.

I’m not going to post a before photo here, because I’m not quite that brave yet, but I took one last week when I started out. I’ve been in the “mode” for a week now and I’ve learned a few things:

  • It’s not just about the working out, I’m going to have to make some major lifestyle changes about the way I eat. NO more chugging down a gallon of sweet tea every day. No more daily Starbucks. Less snacking and choose healthier snacks.
  • It’s not going to be easy – but I’m determined, so that should help.
  • For me, right now, it’s ok to “treat myself” every once in a blue moon. I really feel like if I just go cold turkey on all the things I love, that I’m dooming myself to fail before I start. For example, I’ve gone from drinking a grande or a venti Starbucks (loaded with whip cream and sugar) once/sometimes twice a day to having a tall once or twice a week. Moderation – and I’ll slowly wean myself off of it in favor of healthier drinks/snacks over the next several weeks.
  • I really have to plan out my meals. Mid-afternoon wondering what I’m going to fix for dinner is not going to cut it, and is going to lead to problems with my diet.
  • I have to stock my fridge and pantry differently, and get those items I will have trouble avoiding out of the house. Out of sight, out of mind.

I started the 21-Day Fix exercise program yesterday, after struggling through a couple of self-led workouts, so I’m excited about not having to decide what to work on each day. I also ordered the containers that go with the 21-Day fix eating plan, so hopefully that will get me on the right track eating-wise.

I know this is about the most boring blog post I’ve done, but again, personal accountability! If any of you are going through or starting up the same life change, I’d love to hear about how it’s going for you. Maybe we can motivate each other!! Tomorrow I have a different blog post planned, and you’ll probably enjoy it more, but for now, this is me!

Happy Tuesday y’all!

Advice from the Pros ;-)

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Doling out the unsolicited advice this week with Exploring Domesticity – love her blog, and I hope you’ll check it out! 23 of us mommy-folks share what made new motherhood a tad easier for us.

(Now we just need an article on how to make second-kid motherhood easier, because WHEW, it’s no joke.)

Link straight to the article here:
https://exploringdomesticity.com/new-mom-advice/

Projects in the works

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I’ve been wanting to try “shaker” projects for a while, and actually have had the tools to make them for quite some time and never taken them out of the package! Whoops!

So I sat down last night at my craft table after the kids went to bed and gave it a shot. It sucked. Seriously, I could NOT make that dang fuse tool work to save my life. I got more and more frustrated and finally just gave up and went a different route and laminated the thing so I could say I actually got something done.

But since I stay up late (vicious afternoon nap cycle for the win/lose) I spent some time last night on YouTube trying to figure this thing out. I didn’t find much that was helpful, lots of videos of people using their fuse tool with zero issues (doesn’t help me at all), and finally found this random video of a lady who gave some tips as she had the SAME issues I was having.

This morning I woke up and decided to give it a try…. It’s not perfect, but it was WAY less frustrating than last night’s projects!!

I used this We R Memory Keepers Fuse Tool I purchased a while back on Amazon, except instead of using the fuse tip, I used the CUTTING tip, which they don’t bother to tell you ALSO fuses. Woot! I have the silicone mat from We R Memory Keepers, but I really thing the tempered glass surface will do better and provide a cleaner fuse/cut, so that arrives tomorrow. Thank you so much, Amazon Prime. 😉

Hope you enjoy today’s project! What is everyone else working on this weekend?

My really dumb (tired) moment of the day…

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I had headshots/PR Photos done today by the illustrious and gifted Mary Gibson Photography. I’ve known Mary for about a year now and she’s done quite a few photo shoots of the kids and the family and so I asked her if she’d be willing to do the headshots for me. =)

We’re wandering around to different areas, looking for some different backdrops and whatnot, and some of the places are still a little muddy from the rains we had this past weekend. I’m setting my purse down on the ground each location and she sweetly offers to carry my purse along with all the other stuff she has so I don’t have to set it down on the ground.

Roughly THREE minutes after she tosses my purse on crossbody style, I’m leaning up against a wall looking at her and it occurs to me that I have a purse that looks JUST LIKE THAT! I open my mouth to tell her so, and then I realize…..

It’s my purse…. that I just gave her… three minutes ago.

*sigh*