The internet has really changed a lot of things in our lives these days. One of those is the ability for us to take peeks into other people's lives via social networking and blogs. I'll admit that I'm addicted to both, although you might not think so if you read my blog and see how sporadically I post as of late. But yes, I'm addicted to blogs, or I should say, reading OTHER people's blogs. Namely, mommy bloggers who have it all "together" - or so it seems compared to my life.
I read their blogs and see all the things they accomplish and how clean their houses are and all the great things they do with their kids and the fact that they still have time to blog and look great! It's really something that I get jealous of...which I hate to admit! I don't like admitting to being envious of other mom's lives. I feel like if I do, it means I'm not happy with my life and that I'm ungrateful for all the great things God has blessed me with. And yet, I struggle with the green-eyed monster. I struggle with negative feelings towards those who are doing what I wish I could be doing - not working full-time and getting to be home more with my daughter (soon to be daughters). I'm happy here. I have no desire to move anywhere else. I can see us building a life for ourselves here and that gives me the warm fuzzies.
But.
I find myself at a cross roads. What AM I meant to do? I struggle with the desire to be a stay-at-home-mom and worry if that's really what is best for me and our family. Sure, there is the financial side to worry about but I have complete faith in God that if He does have planned for me to be a SAHM, He will provide a job for Waylon that will meet our needs (along with us being willing to sacrifice and be better stewards of our money). But I also wonder if staying at home with my kids will be something that I am able to do. I see the moms on the blogs I read who seem to run a household so easily and make it look fun. Yet, when I try to run my household (during long breaks or, during our 4 day snow-pocalypse break from work) I find it hard and frustrating and that it does not come naturally to me. I'm not a naturally organized person. I have a cluttered, messy home. I don't keep to schedules or routines well (unless it's a work routine). If I know I'm going to be home all day, I have no desire to put presentable clothes on, comb my hair, brush my teeth or wear an ounce of makeup. So does this mean I will be a failure if/when I get to be a stay at home mom?
I also struggle with the desire to find a new and interesting job/career and go back to school to take more classes. If you looked at my college record, you would see that I have had 6 majors and I graduated with 208 college credits - needing only 128 for my degree. I'm easily swayed into new fields of study and new career opportunities. My job history will also show you an array of different interests in jobs. Most of which I really enjoyed and was really good at! I always strived to become the best at whatever I was doing and could usually reach that goal and be amongst the top workers wherever I was working at the time. I took pride in that. Teaching is a whole different type of job though. There is no "ladder of success" to climb. All teachers are equal and there is no seniority or moving up - unless you're talking about going from teaching to counseling or being a principal, which involves more school and a master's degree. That aspect about my current job takes away one of my biggest drives when I have a job - pushing to see how good I can get at something and achieving the next goal. For someone like myself who is very task-oriented, teaching can be very frustrating. This is not to say that teaching has not been extremely rewarding to me and that I have gained no personal growth from it. That would be a huge lie! I've learned SO MUCH from my four years teaching. But I don't think I'm cut out to be a teacher long term. I see that now. I will miss the summer breaks and a week off for Thanksgiving and two weeks off for Christmas and another week off for Spring break and all the little days of sprinkled throughout the school year...but I don't think I will miss the job itself. It's just not me. I feel a void right now that is very disconcerting.
The good news is that I have 4 weeks of work left until I go on maternity leave for the rest of this school year. I look forward to it for many reasons. I was supposed to meet with my principal two weeks ago on one of the days we were out due to bad weather to tell him my intentions of resigning after this school year. I've already told my department head as well as our supervisor (one of the assistant principals). It felt really great to get that off my chest and out in the open! The possibilities seem endless right now. I know that for now I won't be able to be a full-time SAHM so I will have to find at least a part-time job until we are financially stable enough for me to quit working completely. But then there's that little question nagging me in the back of my head, asking me: "Do you really think you can handle being a full-time SAHM?" The answer to that is: I truly don't know. If I had to give a definitive answer right this second, based on my feelings, I would have to say No. I could not handle being home all day everyday with my kids. But I serve a much more powerful God than my little feelings. If God truly has plans for me to be home with my kids and become a full-time housewife, then He can change my feelings and my heart and my focus and make me into a housewife extraordinaire...or just a regular housewife who isn't perfect at everything and still struggles with day to day chores. That sounds more like it.
I feel like I'm rambling at this point so I want to stop writing before this gets really out of hand. I guess I just needed to get some thoughts out there into cyberspace for all of you who read my blog to know and pray about for me. This year is going to be a year full of new things for our family. To be honest, the reality of having a second baby simply has not sunk in yet. It hasn't become real to me yet. I have 2 months to mentally prepare and then it's game time. Waylon just started a new job and we don't know if this is THE job for him or if it's another transitional stepping stone job like his last one. Either way, we are so grateful he has one now and that his last job was a preparation for this new one as they are very similar. He also works for a very nice Christian man, which is always a plus!
So if you feel led to, please pray for us as we are coming into a new phase of our lives. I will no longer be the "bread winner" of our family - working full-time and failing at house-wiving. I will take my proper role in our marriage and Waylon will step up to take the reigns on the working front. He has been extremely supportive of me these last two years and has done his part in going to school to finish his degree (although he still has 4 classes left to graduate). I am excited, anxious and just a little petrified of what this year will bring for us. But I know God is in control and He's not going to throw anything at us that we can't handle with His help.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Living in a bipolar state (NOT state of mind!).
No, I'm not talking about myself. I'm not bipolar. But the state I live in is. Texas is well known for having bipolar weather. Hot for a few days, then freezing temps for a day or two and then back in the 70's. That's just the way things go around here.
You would never guess that this picture was taken two days before we had below freezing temps and 4 days of roads covered in ice and snow, would you? (By the way, isn't she just the cutest little spring chick you've ever seen??)
You would never guess that this picture was taken two days before we had below freezing temps and 4 days of roads covered in ice and snow, would you? (By the way, isn't she just the cutest little spring chick you've ever seen??)
Yes, I live in Texas, and it's bipolar. The weather changes drastically on a regular basis, especially during the winter/spring months. Unfortunately, we never have drastic changes in our weather over the summer. It's very consistent then with temps over a 100 for several days, sometimes weeks!
But I wouldn't live anywhere else to be quite honest. I love my bipolar state.
After spending 4 days out of work last week due to the weather, it looks like we just might get another snow day or two this week as well. Tonight we are expected to have freezing rain and snow through the afternoon tomorrow. The temps won't get up past freezing until Friday so that means anything that falls tonight and tomorrow will still be around Thursday, making all roads very dangerous for driving on. I'm not counting on the day off tomorrow so I will still go to bed at a decent hour, just in case. But I sure am hoping!
Counting this week I only have 5 weeks till I go on maternity leave. 5 WEEKS!!! I can't believe it's this close already. Wow. I will still have a month of maternity leave before Layla arrives (assuming she waits till my scheduled c-section) but I'm very much looking forward to my maternity leave. Yes, I am.
This week, assuming the weather doesn't screw it up again, I will have my 1 hour glucose test. That appointment was cancelled last week because it was on one of the days that we had bad weather. I also had Brooklyn's 18 month appointment scheduled for the same day and yes, that one was cancelled as well. Now I have them both back on Friday and am hoping we won't have to reschedule anything! I'm ready to get this glucose test out of the way!
Here's hoping I get a call at 6am tomorrow telling me my school is closed due to inclement weather!
Friday, January 28, 2011
27 Week update on my pregnancy
I can't believe I'm already 27 weeks! This pregnancy is flying by unlike anything I've ever seen! Each Saturday when I hit my next week of pregnancy I'm amazed that yet another week has come and gone and I'm that much closer to meeting this little soccer-playing princess in my belly!
I'm happy to report that this time around, I'm not experiencing a lot of the negative symptoms I was experiencing by or before this time of my first pregnancy. For one, I have yet to get the tingling hands/fingers and wrist problems. My hands are starting to swell but it's barely noticeable and I'm still able to wear my wedding ring. I haven't noticed any considerable swelling in my ankles or feet but they are starting to take on a puffier look.
The things I AM experiencing are trouble talking for long periods of time (which makes for a really hard time as a teacher!), sciatic nerve pain, discomfort sleeping, increasingly frequent need to pee, occasional heartburn and itchy skin. I also have noticed an increase in my headaches but I don't know if that's just the stress from my job lately or the pregnancy. Either way, Tylenol has actually been working for me lately. Miracle of miracles!
This coming Tesday, February 1st, I have my 1 hour glucose test and monthly check-up. I'm not nervous because I highly doubt I will fail the test. I passed it with flying colors the last time and I don't see it being any different this time around. Of course, I'm also preparing myself for if I do have to go back for the 3 hour test, just in case. My sister was recently diagnosed with GD and is having to test her blood 4 times a day and is on a new diet. It seems to be working very well for her and hasn't been a huge inconvenience for her at all so I'm not going to freak out if I end up with it as well. I just don't think I will. I definitely think that if I wasn't working through this pregnancy, I probably would have a higher chance at getting it simply because I would be at home and probably eat a lot more throughout the day and it wouldn't be healthy food! Right now, I can only eat what I take with me to work and I try to choose healthy snacks that keep me full. One of my favorites right now is low fat mozzarella string cheese sticks. Keeping my fingers crossed and praying everything goes well!
As of right now, I have 12 weeks till I have Layla. I'm scheduled for a c-section on either April 20th or 21st (depending on their schedule). That's 10 days before my due date which seems early considering I was only 1 day early with Brooklyn. I'm not complaining though! As long as Layla is healthy and the doctor says everything looks good, I'm comfortable with this decision. I wouldn't want to schedule anything earlier then that unless there were some sort of complications, which I'm praying there won't be.
I've been approved for my maternity leave to start April 4th and will "officially" return June 3rd, just in time to check my room out and get signed off for the end of the school year. I'm very excited about this. :) I could possibly be taking off two weeks before April 4th too, depending on some things. I will be speaking with my OB about this on Tuesday. I can't say that I would be disappointed AT ALL if this happened. This means that my last week of work would be the second week of March! The 3rd week is spring break so that wouldn't count against me either, so I would be getting a bonus week in there. If this were the case, I will only have 6 weeks of work left until I'm on leave. If it doesn't work out that way, I'll have 9 full weeks of work (not counting that week of spring break). Either way, that doesn't leave me much time to prepare for the sub and get everything ready for the rest of the school year! Yikes!
Here's a picture of me that I just took from our iMac webcam (my hair looks horrible today so I cut my head out of the picture!)
Please ignore the slight messiness of our office. It's actually considerably better than it used to be when Waylon worked out of it! This is one of my new maternity tops I bought from Old Navy. It's very comfy. As you can see, I'm filling out quite nicely! I will be officially 27 weeks tomorrow.
There are still lots of things I need to get done, some I'm probably not even aware of at the moment, but I'm probably going to end up leaving those for when I'm on maternity leave. That's just the way it will go, I know it. It's hard to get things done during the week because Brooklyn goes to bed at 7 and most of the work needs to be done in her room. That leaves the weekends, which we have been using to get other parts of the house worked on. (like the garage we cleaned this past week - it looks so much better!)
I do still need to buy a double stroller and we need to figure out how we're going to keep Brooklyn and Layla's clothes all in the same room. It's overflowing at the moment and we already have a hard time with clothing control in our own room.
If you read my sister's blog, you'll notice that she just posted a 31 week update of her pregnancy and it may seem like I'm copying her. Well, I am! I realized I hadn't posted an official update of my pregnancy until I read her blog and had a 'duh' moment. So, Melissa, I hope you don't mind me copying your idea! I did give you credit though and post a link to your blog, so you can't be too mad, OK?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
My 18 month baby.
Brooklyn is now 18 months old. I can't believe my baby girl is a year and a half. She has grown so fast and she's doing/saying new things every day.
Here's a list of things she's up to these days:
- She loves the word "No" and goes around saying it CONSTANTLY. She says it in answer to our questions but also when there is nothing to say no to. She also will say it to her baby and then spank her. That's pretty funny when she does that. I wonder where she got that from...
- She says "hi" and "bye" to almost everyone. This includes people in stores or if she sees people getting in their cars and driving away. She yells it! It's cute. She also says it to us first thing in the morning when we bring her to our bed after she wakes up. I'll try to close my eyes and rest a little more in bed and she will be right in my face saying "Hi! Hi! Hi!" It's hard to be irritated with her at that point because it's so darned cute!
- She has 15 teeth and is cutting her 16th!
- She still takes a bottle in the mornings and at bed time but we are working on weaning her off that.
- She can tell us when she has a poopy diaper, but sometimes will confuse a poopy diaper with just having gas.
- She says "peas" for please any time she wants something or we ask her a question and her answer would be "yes". She hasn't figured out "yes" yet so she says "peas" instead.
- We occasionally spank her (usually a not-very-hard pat on the diapered bottom) and she has now taken to spanking herself! I'll ask her (when she's being naughty) "Do you want a spank?" and sometimes she'll nod her head yes and start patting herself on the butt. It's really funny and completely undermines the authority of the spanking!
- She has started doing this thing with her pointer finger when she wants something. She will point at whatever it is and wag her finger up and down like that makes it more emphatic that she wants what she's pointing at.
- She can name several body parts, including: nose, eye, and ear (eow) and can point out those three plus her mouth, hands, feet, hair and belly button. She's a smart girl!
She's growing up so fast and becoming a little girl instead of my baby. Once Layla comes in April she will be the big sister and that part makes me a little sad. I didn't think it would be so hard to watch her grow up and not be a baby anymore. But she is a barrel of laughs and cute as a button!
I'll leave you with a picture I posted on Facebook of her a few days after turning 18 months.
Here's a list of things she's up to these days:
- She loves the word "No" and goes around saying it CONSTANTLY. She says it in answer to our questions but also when there is nothing to say no to. She also will say it to her baby and then spank her. That's pretty funny when she does that. I wonder where she got that from...
- She says "hi" and "bye" to almost everyone. This includes people in stores or if she sees people getting in their cars and driving away. She yells it! It's cute. She also says it to us first thing in the morning when we bring her to our bed after she wakes up. I'll try to close my eyes and rest a little more in bed and she will be right in my face saying "Hi! Hi! Hi!" It's hard to be irritated with her at that point because it's so darned cute!
- She has 15 teeth and is cutting her 16th!
- She still takes a bottle in the mornings and at bed time but we are working on weaning her off that.
- She can tell us when she has a poopy diaper, but sometimes will confuse a poopy diaper with just having gas.
- She says "peas" for please any time she wants something or we ask her a question and her answer would be "yes". She hasn't figured out "yes" yet so she says "peas" instead.
- We occasionally spank her (usually a not-very-hard pat on the diapered bottom) and she has now taken to spanking herself! I'll ask her (when she's being naughty) "Do you want a spank?" and sometimes she'll nod her head yes and start patting herself on the butt. It's really funny and completely undermines the authority of the spanking!
- She has started doing this thing with her pointer finger when she wants something. She will point at whatever it is and wag her finger up and down like that makes it more emphatic that she wants what she's pointing at.
- She can name several body parts, including: nose, eye, and ear (eow) and can point out those three plus her mouth, hands, feet, hair and belly button. She's a smart girl!
She's growing up so fast and becoming a little girl instead of my baby. Once Layla comes in April she will be the big sister and that part makes me a little sad. I didn't think it would be so hard to watch her grow up and not be a baby anymore. But she is a barrel of laughs and cute as a button!
I'll leave you with a picture I posted on Facebook of her a few days after turning 18 months.
There's my princess!
We love you Brooklyn Alivia! I can't believe I lived 28 years of my life without you and I look forward to watching you grow into a beautiful young girl!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Good Morning Girls - An exciting journey
I recently (like 2 days ago) discovered and joined a wonderful online ministry and Bible study group called the Good Morning Girls. It's exactly what I need at this point in my life. I have longed to be in a study with other women, sharing and learning, but haven't had a schedule which allows for it. I have considered BSF as well and when my time allows me to, I will probably join one of their groups in my area. For now though, while I can't physically meet with other women for a Bible study, I'm thrilled to share about the Good Morning Girls. You can click on the link above and it will take you to the site which explains how they operate. In short, it's an online community of hundreds of women, from all over the country and the world, split into small groups, going through the same study (this 12 weeks we are going through the book of James) and keeping in contact with each other via email, twitter or facebook and holding each other accountable in our daily devotional time. It's a wonderful idea!! I encourage you to go check it out right now. They give you every resource you need to get started, including print outs for the each day with the passage you are to read and the break down of their S.O.A.P. study method. It's simple, easy and can be done quickly if you're busy like me, but can also be something you spend a little more time on. I can't say enough how excited I am to be a part of this.
The official start date of it was January 17th, but it's not too late for you to get started and catch up. You can also do it at your own pace. I've connected and become a group with two other young ladies that have a lot in common with me through the message boards on the GMG website. If you're interested in joining a group, I would be more than happy to have you in my group and add you to our email list. If you aren't ready for the pressure of being in a group and being in contact on a daily basis, then please don't let it stop you from going through the study on your own. The book of James is a wonderful book to study and I'm really looking forward to everything I will be learning from it and from the insights of the other ladies in my small group.
I will try to post once a week about what I'm learning in my study. This post won't include anything about my lessons so far, I just wanted to get the info out there for my small group of followers. :) I hope you will consider joining in on this! If you have any questions, Angela, the leader on the GMG website has shown to be very quick and attentive to the questions posted on the message boards. Or you can ask me and I can give you an answer if I know it!
The official start date of it was January 17th, but it's not too late for you to get started and catch up. You can also do it at your own pace. I've connected and become a group with two other young ladies that have a lot in common with me through the message boards on the GMG website. If you're interested in joining a group, I would be more than happy to have you in my group and add you to our email list. If you aren't ready for the pressure of being in a group and being in contact on a daily basis, then please don't let it stop you from going through the study on your own. The book of James is a wonderful book to study and I'm really looking forward to everything I will be learning from it and from the insights of the other ladies in my small group.
I will try to post once a week about what I'm learning in my study. This post won't include anything about my lessons so far, I just wanted to get the info out there for my small group of followers. :) I hope you will consider joining in on this! If you have any questions, Angela, the leader on the GMG website has shown to be very quick and attentive to the questions posted on the message boards. Or you can ask me and I can give you an answer if I know it!
Friday, January 14, 2011
A blog post about posting on my blog.
I have been struggling a lot with my blog lately. I have had the strong desire to write, and even think of several things I want to write throughout the day, BUT, when it comes down to actually sitting down and typing the words in, I draw a blank. Maybe it’s because I only have times in the late evening to do this and by then my brain has turned to mush and I’ve forgotten half of what happened that day, let alone what quickly entered and left my mind. *sigh* This brings me to the fact that if I truly want to keep my blog up, which I do, then I must come up with a plan to keep up with my thoughts and ideas for posts and things I simply want to share from my heart and mind.
I know that one way to do that is to just keep a small notepad on hand and jot down the ideas as I think of them. I know several people who do this for different areas of there life, such as to-do lists and work related things. I’ll have to try this. My problem will be remembering to get out the notepad and actually putting pen to paper with the thought I had at that moment. Forget the fact that, most of the time, when I have these ideas or thoughts, I’m not really in a place where I can stop and write it down. Often, thoughts come to me while I’m in the middle of teaching a lesson. Something funny/frustrating/”insert description here” will happen in my classroom which leads to me thinking of something else or some profound (yes, I have those sometimes!) concept in life and I’ll think “That would be a great anecdote to blog about!” or “I should do a post about this concept”. But then, my 20-something students that period will distract me from thinking about my blog by needing my mental capacity for their learning (gasp! How DARE they!) and I’ll forget all about it and go on with my day. Some days something like that will happen almost every class period. That’s 6 times in a day that I had good blog fodder and completely let it pass me by…oy!
Not that this means I want to constantly be thinking about my blog and coming up with ideas to write on it, BUT, I do want to have an interesting one that people want/look forward to reading (besides my immediate family who I know sit around wondering when I will post next! Haha).
One thing I enjoy about blogging is simply the catharsis it brings me to get things “out there” for someone to read, even if it’s just one person, or two – my mom and my sister. *smile*
I also am constantly inspired by some of the other blogs I read of women who are amazing writers with beautiful pictures and words that just flow together like music. I’ve never been one to write eloquently. I can write a good research paper and score an A, but inspirational writing just isn’t my gift. I’ve often considered taking another writing class just to improve that area. In fact, I won’t be surprised when community colleges begin offering a “writing for bloggers” class or something. Now THAT would be something I would definitely be interested in and that I believe would be a big hit with the up and coming blogging generation.
So, en lieu of this post about my blogging hopes and desires, here is a list of concrete goals I’m setting for myself in terms of blogging:
1. Write one post a week and maybe work up to 3 per week by the summer.
2. Keep my notepad handy for when ideas pop in my head for my blog.
3. Write meaningful posts that will inspire, help or encourage others out there who might be facing the same struggles/obstacles.
4. Be and honest blogger.
5. Blog in a way that is pleasing to God and, if that ever changes or it begins to take away from my serving Him, stop and re-evaluate whether I should keep one or not.
6. Have one day of the week where I have a theme or specific topic I blog about. I already have some ideas in the works.
7. Work ahead on future posts and get the ideas going so that I don’t have posts with too many different things going on in them.
8. Begin posting over at my other blog “What’s In My Coffee” again. Yes, I still have it up and yes, I still want to keep it up.
9. Take more pictures of my beautiful daughter and second daughter (coming in April!) and post them so you all can ooh and ahh over them with me.
10. Find a free layout I love or pay to have one designed for me. I'm so sick of not having a blog design that I like. It discourages me from blogging. I know that sounds silly, but it's true!
I'm working this evening on a couple of different posts with specific topics and one of them will be solely dedicated to Brooklyn as she will be turning 18 months on Sunday. I'll also probably do a post solely dedicated to my pregnancy as tomorrow I will be 25 weeks and am approaching my 3rd trimester with a vengeance!
All this and more coming up very soon! Stay tuned!
I know that one way to do that is to just keep a small notepad on hand and jot down the ideas as I think of them. I know several people who do this for different areas of there life, such as to-do lists and work related things. I’ll have to try this. My problem will be remembering to get out the notepad and actually putting pen to paper with the thought I had at that moment. Forget the fact that, most of the time, when I have these ideas or thoughts, I’m not really in a place where I can stop and write it down. Often, thoughts come to me while I’m in the middle of teaching a lesson. Something funny/frustrating/”insert description here” will happen in my classroom which leads to me thinking of something else or some profound (yes, I have those sometimes!) concept in life and I’ll think “That would be a great anecdote to blog about!” or “I should do a post about this concept”. But then, my 20-something students that period will distract me from thinking about my blog by needing my mental capacity for their learning (gasp! How DARE they!) and I’ll forget all about it and go on with my day. Some days something like that will happen almost every class period. That’s 6 times in a day that I had good blog fodder and completely let it pass me by…oy!
Not that this means I want to constantly be thinking about my blog and coming up with ideas to write on it, BUT, I do want to have an interesting one that people want/look forward to reading (besides my immediate family who I know sit around wondering when I will post next! Haha).
One thing I enjoy about blogging is simply the catharsis it brings me to get things “out there” for someone to read, even if it’s just one person, or two – my mom and my sister. *smile*
I also am constantly inspired by some of the other blogs I read of women who are amazing writers with beautiful pictures and words that just flow together like music. I’ve never been one to write eloquently. I can write a good research paper and score an A, but inspirational writing just isn’t my gift. I’ve often considered taking another writing class just to improve that area. In fact, I won’t be surprised when community colleges begin offering a “writing for bloggers” class or something. Now THAT would be something I would definitely be interested in and that I believe would be a big hit with the up and coming blogging generation.
So, en lieu of this post about my blogging hopes and desires, here is a list of concrete goals I’m setting for myself in terms of blogging:
1. Write one post a week and maybe work up to 3 per week by the summer.
2. Keep my notepad handy for when ideas pop in my head for my blog.
3. Write meaningful posts that will inspire, help or encourage others out there who might be facing the same struggles/obstacles.
4. Be and honest blogger.
5. Blog in a way that is pleasing to God and, if that ever changes or it begins to take away from my serving Him, stop and re-evaluate whether I should keep one or not.
6. Have one day of the week where I have a theme or specific topic I blog about. I already have some ideas in the works.
7. Work ahead on future posts and get the ideas going so that I don’t have posts with too many different things going on in them.
8. Begin posting over at my other blog “What’s In My Coffee” again. Yes, I still have it up and yes, I still want to keep it up.
9. Take more pictures of my beautiful daughter and second daughter (coming in April!) and post them so you all can ooh and ahh over them with me.
10. Find a free layout I love or pay to have one designed for me. I'm so sick of not having a blog design that I like. It discourages me from blogging. I know that sounds silly, but it's true!
I'm working this evening on a couple of different posts with specific topics and one of them will be solely dedicated to Brooklyn as she will be turning 18 months on Sunday. I'll also probably do a post solely dedicated to my pregnancy as tomorrow I will be 25 weeks and am approaching my 3rd trimester with a vengeance!
All this and more coming up very soon! Stay tuned!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
It's coming...
And there is nothing we can do to stop it.
Are you nervous about this new year?
Are you unsure if things will continue as they have been, or take a new path?
Do you have a long list of goals you plan to accomplish this year, only to find the list daunting and impossible now that it's down on paper?
Do you long for change but don't know how to make the change or you're afraid you won't stick with it?
Do you know things are about to change in a big, big way and are fearful of how it will all turn out?
You may have guessed, but these are all things going through my mind about the upcoming new year. 2010 was a very tough year for many Americans, myself included. Along with a bad economy making life financially more difficult, our family found itself in the midst of many trials. 3 car accidents, several trips to the ER, the loss of a beloved family member (my uncle Mike Rodgers lost his fight against cancer early Christmas morning), personal struggles, marital struggles, parental struggles, disorganization, chaos and just overall frustration. Yes, these are all things that happen in life, but for some reason it felt like everything came crashing down on us in 2010. I'm thankful to see this year leave and to welcome the new year and all the newness it brings to the table.
Our family does have a lot of changes headed our way. For one, I will be bringing another beautiful daughter into the world. Layla Paige, Lord willing, will be joining us sometime around the 3rd-4th week of April. Since I will be having a planned c-section this time around, it will be before my due date of the 30th but I don't know exactly when yet (I'm hoping we will discuss this and possibly set a tentative date at my next appointment this coming Tuesday). We are obviously overcome with excitement to welcome our 2nd child into this world. Brooklyn doesn't know what's going to happen but I believe she will be thrilled to have a "beebee" around the house (her word for baby). She loves all her baby dolls and I know she will love her little sister.
But with a new baby coming there are a lot of preparations to be made which I began over this Christmas break. I haven't made any huge progress by any means, but, I got a start. The logistics of fitting a crib and a toddler bed along with a dresser, organizer and changing table have yet to be ironed out!
I do plan on breast feeding Layla as I am mentally prepared for how difficult and painful it will be. I was nowhere near prepared for the frustrations and difficulty of starting the breast feeding process. I gave up all too soon and if I had a chance to do it over again, I probably would stick it out more. I truly believe it is completely the parent's choice of whether to breast feed or formula feed and I'm fine with either (obviously!), however, I would like to give my child the benefit the breast milk does provide along with the financial savings it brings along. I will also try to cloth diaper again since I quit a while back with Brooklyn. It was hard to keep up the cloth when I was the only one wanting to use them and the one who took care of her the least (once I went back to work). This time around, I will be with my girls more and working less and it will be worth the effort and time to do it (as well as the money saved and getting the use out of the diapers I bought!)
Which brings me to my next big change for 2011...we are working towards me not having to work full-time and being able to work part-time only (and hopefully VERY part-time!). I haven't turned my resignation in or anything of that sort yet. All the details aren't worked out yet and we will need to be very sure that this is what God is leading us to do. Right now we feel like it is, but we know things can change so we are keeping it in prayer and our hearts open. It's hard for me though, I'm not going to lie. I get completely giddy at the thought of only working part-time and getting to be with my kiddos more and actually feel like a real housewife!
With the new year always come goals and resolutions to make changes in our personal lives. I have for a long time had the desire (admittedly the desire comes and goes in waves) to make daily Bible reading and devotional time a habit that I can't live without. Sadly, I have failed miserably after many attempts. I always start the new year off strong and then, quickly, life's daily grind distracts me and I allow myself to be pulled in different directions and never end up following through. I think the longest I've managed was getting through February...how sad for a pastor's child! I believe that part of the reason I've always failed at this is because I go from not reading daily to trying a reading plan that is too ambitious and unrealistic for me. So this year I'm taking this challenge in a new light. I'm looking at two different reading plans which both pull at me. One is reading through the NT in a year along with Psalms and Proverbs (you read through those all the way through every month). The other is a topical reading plan that focuses on different aspects of doctrine. For example, the first quarter of the year focuses on theology, the study of God. All the reading passages focus on just that. I'm not sure what the second quarter is about because it has not been posted to print off. The passages of the second reading plan are shorter, so I wouldn't be reading as much, however, they are focused on a topic and I could easily make my devotions more focused and write in my journal with a purpose more-so than if I'm reading straight through a book, which lends itself to reading quickly and not focusing on what I am reading (at least that's MY personal experience). You can get both reading plans here at Kathy Howard's website (she's awesome by the way!). Make sure to look at her recent post titled "What's Your Plan" to get the links for the free downloads for each plan. I'm hoping that with either plan, and a lot of leading from God, I will stick with this and begin a habit that will enrich my life for years to come. Waylon is also joining me in a Bible plan and he will be using one of our yearly Bibles we have. It's a great habit we can do together and hold each other accountable to. I'm looking forward to it.
It feels good to write about my goals and hopes for the new year. It brings me some excitement, after all, it's only days away! How are you feeling about your upcoming new year? Please share!
Are you nervous about this new year?
Are you unsure if things will continue as they have been, or take a new path?
Do you have a long list of goals you plan to accomplish this year, only to find the list daunting and impossible now that it's down on paper?
Do you long for change but don't know how to make the change or you're afraid you won't stick with it?
Do you know things are about to change in a big, big way and are fearful of how it will all turn out?
You may have guessed, but these are all things going through my mind about the upcoming new year. 2010 was a very tough year for many Americans, myself included. Along with a bad economy making life financially more difficult, our family found itself in the midst of many trials. 3 car accidents, several trips to the ER, the loss of a beloved family member (my uncle Mike Rodgers lost his fight against cancer early Christmas morning), personal struggles, marital struggles, parental struggles, disorganization, chaos and just overall frustration. Yes, these are all things that happen in life, but for some reason it felt like everything came crashing down on us in 2010. I'm thankful to see this year leave and to welcome the new year and all the newness it brings to the table.
Our family does have a lot of changes headed our way. For one, I will be bringing another beautiful daughter into the world. Layla Paige, Lord willing, will be joining us sometime around the 3rd-4th week of April. Since I will be having a planned c-section this time around, it will be before my due date of the 30th but I don't know exactly when yet (I'm hoping we will discuss this and possibly set a tentative date at my next appointment this coming Tuesday). We are obviously overcome with excitement to welcome our 2nd child into this world. Brooklyn doesn't know what's going to happen but I believe she will be thrilled to have a "beebee" around the house (her word for baby). She loves all her baby dolls and I know she will love her little sister.
But with a new baby coming there are a lot of preparations to be made which I began over this Christmas break. I haven't made any huge progress by any means, but, I got a start. The logistics of fitting a crib and a toddler bed along with a dresser, organizer and changing table have yet to be ironed out!
I do plan on breast feeding Layla as I am mentally prepared for how difficult and painful it will be. I was nowhere near prepared for the frustrations and difficulty of starting the breast feeding process. I gave up all too soon and if I had a chance to do it over again, I probably would stick it out more. I truly believe it is completely the parent's choice of whether to breast feed or formula feed and I'm fine with either (obviously!), however, I would like to give my child the benefit the breast milk does provide along with the financial savings it brings along. I will also try to cloth diaper again since I quit a while back with Brooklyn. It was hard to keep up the cloth when I was the only one wanting to use them and the one who took care of her the least (once I went back to work). This time around, I will be with my girls more and working less and it will be worth the effort and time to do it (as well as the money saved and getting the use out of the diapers I bought!)
Which brings me to my next big change for 2011...we are working towards me not having to work full-time and being able to work part-time only (and hopefully VERY part-time!). I haven't turned my resignation in or anything of that sort yet. All the details aren't worked out yet and we will need to be very sure that this is what God is leading us to do. Right now we feel like it is, but we know things can change so we are keeping it in prayer and our hearts open. It's hard for me though, I'm not going to lie. I get completely giddy at the thought of only working part-time and getting to be with my kiddos more and actually feel like a real housewife!
With the new year always come goals and resolutions to make changes in our personal lives. I have for a long time had the desire (admittedly the desire comes and goes in waves) to make daily Bible reading and devotional time a habit that I can't live without. Sadly, I have failed miserably after many attempts. I always start the new year off strong and then, quickly, life's daily grind distracts me and I allow myself to be pulled in different directions and never end up following through. I think the longest I've managed was getting through February...how sad for a pastor's child! I believe that part of the reason I've always failed at this is because I go from not reading daily to trying a reading plan that is too ambitious and unrealistic for me. So this year I'm taking this challenge in a new light. I'm looking at two different reading plans which both pull at me. One is reading through the NT in a year along with Psalms and Proverbs (you read through those all the way through every month). The other is a topical reading plan that focuses on different aspects of doctrine. For example, the first quarter of the year focuses on theology, the study of God. All the reading passages focus on just that. I'm not sure what the second quarter is about because it has not been posted to print off. The passages of the second reading plan are shorter, so I wouldn't be reading as much, however, they are focused on a topic and I could easily make my devotions more focused and write in my journal with a purpose more-so than if I'm reading straight through a book, which lends itself to reading quickly and not focusing on what I am reading (at least that's MY personal experience). You can get both reading plans here at Kathy Howard's website (she's awesome by the way!). Make sure to look at her recent post titled "What's Your Plan" to get the links for the free downloads for each plan. I'm hoping that with either plan, and a lot of leading from God, I will stick with this and begin a habit that will enrich my life for years to come. Waylon is also joining me in a Bible plan and he will be using one of our yearly Bibles we have. It's a great habit we can do together and hold each other accountable to. I'm looking forward to it.
It feels good to write about my goals and hopes for the new year. It brings me some excitement, after all, it's only days away! How are you feeling about your upcoming new year? Please share!
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