52 Weeks of Blogging with a Purpose: What Marriage Means to Me

Linking up with Becky to talk all things marriage today.

 

How do you even begin to talk about what marriage means to you- it really means a different thing to so many people.

 

To me, marriage means three basic things.

 

1. Spending each day with your best friend.  When you are married, its a lifetime commitment. It means you have someone to talk with, share with, commiserate with, laugh with, and grow old with.  It means always having someone in your corner, and being in someone's corner- even if you don't agree with them.  You don't have to necessarily agree with every decision and feeling your partner has, but you realize that even if you don't agree you're still there for them when they need you.

 

2. Work.  Marriage is work. Its very easy in the hustle and bustle of life and kids and work to overlook and forget about each other. You cant let that happen. You have to constantly work at your marriage to make it stronger and keep it going. This means spending time together, going on dates, putting the other person first- even when other things get in the way. Its a sacrifice that you do for each other.  The days you want to rip your hair out and scream because you simply cant take one.more.pair.of.dirty.socks.on.the.bathroom.floor- it means taking a deep breath and putting the socks in the hamper. Its no longer just about you, its about the two of you. Every single marriage expert out there will agree, a good marriage takes work. The people who say it doesn't, well they're crazy.

 

3. Laughter. You have to have fun with your husband. You're in this for the long haul, for-ev-er. You simply can not go through life not having fun and laughing.  Will you laugh every single day of your life? No, there will be days where you will not be in the mood for laughing. That's okay, as long as they are just days. When the days stretch into weeks and months, then that's a problem. Even on the days when I'm ready to kill the hubs for always piling his crap on the kitchen table, or leaving all of his work stuff on our front porch, or forgetting things that I have told him repeatedly, or the aforementioned socks on the floor- all it takes is for him to look at me with his big blue eyes and say something silly and I'm dissolved in laughter. We have fun together in whatever we are doing, and we laugh a lot. Its those moments that I know we can make it until forever...because those moments overcome the squabbles and strife.

 

 

 

So if you're reading this, I love you hubs, you're stuck with me forever.

Now, please learn to pick up your dirty socks so I don't have to beat you with them in the laundry bag.

 

I said I would Never- 52 Weeks of Blogging

Linking up with Becky to talk about the things I swore up and down I would never do, that now that Im actually a Momma of course I actually DO.

 

 

 

1. Let my child watch tv shows. Was I out of my gourd?? I thought that TV would stunt his imagination and I didn't want him relying on pictures to entertain him, because I wanted him to be able to entertain himself. Now? When dinner needs cooked or Momma has a phone call to make- why hello Calliou and Thomas On Demand. You are loved in this house.  Now obviously I try to keep it reasonable and I don't stick him in front of the TV all day long, but sometimes you just have to hit play.

 

2. Make two separate meals.  My child will eat what we eat was always my motto.  Until Grayson decided that he'll eat chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, rice, fruit, veggies and bread. I cant eat those every day. So when we have spaghetti and he wont touch it, he gets easy mac. He eats and is happy and that makes me happy.

 

3. Allow my child to dictate routine. Pssh. Anyone who is a parent realizes how quick that thought was getting tossed out the window. I let Grayson go with the flow, and you know what? He broke himself of the binky and bottle. He lays down without a fight. It may not have been on my terms, but we got there and we got there just fine.

 

4. Let my child go outside unless fully dressed.  If we are going to the store, he's always dressed, don't get me wrong. But to go play on the porch with shave cream and bubbles? A diaper is perfectly well dressed in my book.  If I don't have to wrestle him out of clothes then attempt to get the stains out its just easier on me.

 

5. Let my child wear character clothing. This used to be a pet peeve of mine. I didn't really like when kids wore shirts with cartoon characters on them. I don't know why it bugged me, but it did. Until my almost two year old started requesting his "ISSSS" shirt or his "Orge" shirt.  In time I learned that letting them pick an outfit makes the fight to get dressed so much easier I don't care what's on his shirt as long as its clean.  I even let Grayson get his two year old pictures wearing his beloved Thomas hat.  Because you know what, hes two, looks adorable, and I was wrong.  I can admit it when I was wrong and Moms and Dads I have seen the light. 

 

Caitlin Thomas Photography

 

Im sure as he grows my list of never will I ever's will slowly switch, because we never really know what we will do until we're in that moment. As long as our kids are happy, healthy and loved that's all that really matters. But I really will never ever let that child leave home and go off to college or kindergarten without his Momma. That one is for sure!

 

 What were some of your Never Evers? Go link up with Becky and let me know!

My Goals for Motherhood- 52 Weeks of Blogging with a Purpose

Linking up again with Becky today to talk about my goals for motherhood...because that's an easy post to knock out. This one took awhile, and there were a few tears while writing it.

 

 

 

How do I set goals for something I will do for the rest of my life? A goal is sort of like an endpoint (its actually partially defined as an end point), and you never really end being a mother. I chose to look at another part of the definition, a target or an objective so that I wasn't so emotional thinking about the time that will come when my child(ren) won't really need me anymore. 

 

1. Be patient.  Grayson is almost two and he knows how to try my patience already.  It's important that when I am frustrated or THIS close to loosing my cool that I stop, take a breath, and find that extra dose of patience. I want to give him the room to grow and become his own little person, so sometimes I need to resist the urge to say "No, let me do it" or correct the way he is doing something because its not exactly "right". But you know what, HE is doing it. He is trying, growing and he's so proud of himself for accomplishing the task.  Sure, sometimes that means it takes us 15 minutes to brush our teeth and comb our hair, but it gets done and we're both better for it.  I've also noticed that when I am more patient with him, he shows more patience with others.

 

2. Be in the moment. Nine months of the year, I'm a working momma. I get three months of SAHM where I get to do all of the fun stuff that I miss out on all school year long. Embarrassingly enough, sometimes I don't take enough opportunity to enjoy that time as I am thinking of all of the other stuff that needs to get done in the day.  Rushing him inside from exploring the bugs in the mulch beds because we have to make dinner or checking my work email while he is coloring because I need to respond to a question from my boss.  I'm there, but I'm not as in the moment as I would like to be; and I need to change that, esp when I head back to work and only get a few hours a day to be with my kiddo.

 

3. Be a Yes Mom.  There is that old saying that used to appear on bibs and t-shirts 'I think my name is no-no'.  I try everyday to say "yes" to things that Grayson wants, even when they are harder for me or not what I want.  Last night I made him dinner, and he didn't want to eat. I made him chicken fryz and cut up a banana, which he usually loves. He shook his head no and cried. Rather than telling him to eat and ignore him, I asked him what he would like to eat. I unstrapped him from his booster seat and let him show me around the kitchen as to what he would like to eat. He picked mac n cheese and an apple. I made the mac, cut up the apple and sat it in front of him. By the time he was done eating there was nothing left on his plate and he was asking for more apple. Sure, by the time I sat down my dinner was a little cooler than I would have liked but I was okay with it.  I don't want him to get the idea that he can demand whatever he wants for dinner, but I want to be able to say yes to his thoughts a lot more. Even if that means blowing bubbles in the living room or squeezing a whole can of shave cream out into the tub and playing in the foam.  It makes him a happy kid to hear "Yes" to his ideas, so I try to make a mental note to do that more often.

 

 

4. Have him grow up surrounded by love.  I want to show him what a normal, healthy relationship is like. I want him to see parents who love each other unconditionally. I want him to see that we disagree, and I want him to see us work through our disagreements. I think its important that he not see us bottle up emotions, but rather talk about them- so that as he grows he feels free to express his opinions to us and other people in his life.

 

5. Teach him how to give. I want to raise a child that knows how important it is to give back and to serve others. I see lots of very self centered teenagers in my profession, and I don't want to raise a child who thinks he is at the center of the universe. I grew up serving on mission trips and volunteering, and working to earn things I wanted.  I want Grayson to do the same.

 

6. I want to be the parent my kid feels like he can come to with anything.  So often I have students open up to me with their biggest problems, fears and worries.  Things they REALLY should be talking to a parent about. I always ask if they've talked to Mom or Dad, and it breaks my heart when they say "They wont listen".  I always want Grayson (and any future children) to know that I will always listen, even if its something that I don't want to hear.  I want to help him work through his problems and know he always has two people in his corner no matter what.

 

7. I want him to get frustrated. Yep, you read that right.  Life is hard, and we get frustrated. If we don't let him get frustrated he will never know how to overcome his frustrations.  He will just give up when things get tough, and that's the last thing I want.  I tell my students life is tough, get a helmet. I will tell Gray the same. Just because things are tough does not mean you give up, it means you get though it and it makes you a better person.

 

Thank you, Eric Matthews.

 

8. To be adventurous. I want him to have the same wild spirit as his Daddy. To soar down a mountain on skis or want to see and do everything.  To explore and investigate and enjoy life. Just please, no jumping out of an airplane.

 

9. Be fun. Life is not always so serious, baby boy. We need to laugh and have fun. I want to be the Mom that when you have chores to do,  but the ice cream man is coming down the street we head outside to eat snow cones on the sidewalk. We have water balloon fights with Daddy. We blow bubbles in the kitchen and have dance parties. We LAUGH and create memories. Life is a balance between work and play, and I want to teach you that.

 

 

10. To know that no matter what happens, we love him more than words can ever say. We will make decisions for him that he feels are unfair, he may think we 'hate' him at some point in his life. I hope that he can always see that we love him and all of the decisions we make are out of love. We promise to always do our best for you and to give you everything you need in life. We will do this because we love you. You are the center of our world, and we will do anything for you. It is from this love that we will not buy you everything you demand, let you do unsafe or stupid things, quit when life gets hard or give up or pull away from us. We love you Bubbers, we really do. My ultimate goal in this parenting thing is that you always know that.

If I could turn back time...

Linking up with Becky again for this weeks 52 weeks of blogging with a purpose.  

 

 

Life is so full of moments when you think "Crap, I wish that would have gone differently." From the silly deciding on a route to travel and picking the one that leaves you stuck in traffic to the interactions with people when you say things you probably shouldn't have said, we all wish at some time we could go back and make a different decision. But the thing is, every decision I made lead me to where I am today, so do I really want to change anything?

 

Truth is, no, I don't. But in the grand scheme of things there are things I wish I could have known that would have made life easier.

 

If I could turn back time, I'd tell my 7th grade self that it will get better. Seventh grade was a rough one and kids can be class A jerks. I wish I could tell myself that it doesn't matter what those people say it will get better.

 

I wish I could tell myself to not worry about the heartache after boyfriends #1, #2, #3, and #4. Some of them were amazing, some of them had moments where they were not amazing. Some broke my heart and said things that were not so nice, and I took it hard. Some (okay, one) acted as if I were stupid and treated me as such, and I let it go because I thought they loved me. I wish I could just tell myself to move on, because they were not the one for me and in reality they were wrong.

 

I wish I could go back and tell myself to spend more time with my grandma. Growing up I lived with her and its not that I took her for granted, but I took for granted the fact that she was there. When she passed away from cancer in 2001 I realized that I would never get the chance to go to bingo with her again, or help weed the garden. I wish I would have taken her up on those offers more. I also wish I would have learned her recipes. That woman could cook, but was horrible at writing down a recipe.

 

If I could turn back time, I would have done a destination wedding.  So much time and effort, so much stress- I should have just paid to get married in Hawaii. Then whoever wanted to come would come, and I wouldn't have been up till 2AM tying wedding programs. Someone I paid would be doing that, and I would be on a beach drinking something fab with an umbrella.  I loved my wedding, and thought it turned out wonderful. I think if I just knew what I knew now, I'd just do it differently.

 

If I could turn back time, Id stop a few outfit choices from ever becoming reality.  Just because a trend is popular on celebrities does not mean it should grace the halls of a PA high school. Here's a visual- spandex shorts, oversized t-shirt and knee socks with kisses all over them. Eep.

 

Overall, I'm thrilled with the way life has turned out- and it really did all worked out in the end. I'm sure if I did this same post in 5 years I would feel the same, but there will probably be more questionable outfit choices in there somewhere. Fashion plate, I am not. However, I have graduated to big kid stores, so hopefully that helps!

 

What would you do if you could turn back time?



If I could be anything in the world...

I'm a day late on my link up with Becky for her 52 weeks of blogging with a purpose. This week is all about what would I be if I could be anything in the world...and its a fun one!

 

 

 

If I could be anything in the world...I really think that I would be me. 

 

When I was little and was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said a teacher. I achieved that goal, I am a teacher. Twice over. I get to teach my little guy everyday, currently today we're working on why we can't ride the dog like a pony and why it isn't acceptable to drink from the dogs water bowl. It's rewarding and fun for sure- but that's not the kind of teaching I was talking about. I  have a B.S. in Biology and a Masters in Education to teach high school science. I get to spend my days in room 207 teaching teenagers cool things about the way the world and their own bodies work.  I love my job, and I couldn't imagine doing anything else for a living. I not only get to teach them science, but also things like manners, respect and valuable life lessons. I get to teach all levels of kids, from special education students to gifted kids and I make each one of them work hard. Some of them think I over work them, but ask any kid who has ever had me and they will tell you I care more about them as little people than the score they get on a test. Contrary to popular belief, I do not stop working at 3. I bring papers home to check, prepare lessons for the next day by reading my chapters while I'm making dinner, and answer emails at 9 PM. Sure I get weekends and summers off- but keep in mind I've already been to work three times this summer to get ready for next year. I easily work well over 40 hours a week during the school year, and my work spills over into the summer as well. I'm okay with that, because I love what I do. But please don't ever tell me I have an easy job- because if you saw the kids I teach, you would not agree.

 

 

 

I also knew I wanted to be a Mom. Grayson made that dream a reality. He keeps me on my toes and drives me insane but I really would not trade him for anything. Because when he's attempting to scale the tv stand or slide down the stairs on his belly and I'm just about to tell him to stop before Mommy looses it; he comes over and wraps his little arms around me and gives me a big, wet kiss. He fits perfectly into our family and gives all of us more joy than we ever knew we could have. I think he's perfect, even when he gives me gray hairs. Some days I think there is no way I'm going to have another, and other days I cant wait to give him a sibling. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it- but for now, I'm content being this little man's Momma.

 

 

Are there things I wouldn't mind tweaking about my life? Sure! I always tell the kids when they are demanding things they "want" that I want to be a size four and a millionaire, but guess what else isn't happening today. It throws them off because I'm joking with them, and that's the torture part I always talk about. It's true though, I would like to be a smaller size. I was a size four when I met my husband. Now I'm not. I'm working on it, but it's going to take awhile to get there and I may never. As long as I am healthy I'm okay with it.

 

I also wouldn't mind having the cash to pay off student loans. I don't need to be a millionaire, just enough to get the balance on those bills to zero would be more than enough.  They will get there, eventually, one way or another.

 

I'm pretty happy with my life, and the things that I want to change about it- I can. I've got an amazing husband, a perfect little guy, the best friends around and a job I love. Not many people can say that I really wouldn't trade me for the world.

 

What would you be if you could be anything in the world?

If I Hit the Lottery: 52 Weeks of Blogging with a Purpose

Linking up with Becky again for a fun topic- what I would do if I won some cold hard cash.

 

 I'm just going to go ahead and pretend we're talking a good chunk of change- and for that reason I would take the cash up front option. I don't exactly trust the fact that I would get payments over time. Call me crazy, but Ill budget it on my own and know that the money is there.
 

First and foremost? Student Loans? BYE! I would pay those bad boys off in a hot minute.  I may actually personally drive the check to AES just to photograph that amazing and momentous occasion. Both me and the hubs have student loans, and together we pay more for them than I ever care to think about.

  

After I was done doing the "WOO MY DEBT IS GONE!" dance I would go out and get myself a financial planner to invest the money.  I remember playing the stock market game in eighth grade, and I'm pretty sure I picked my stocks by the eney-meanie-miney-mo method. Not exactly the way I choose to handle my finances now. I'll leave that up to the professionals.

Id set up college fund for my kiddos- so they never have to deal with this student loan crap. That way, even if the money ran out they would still not have to worry.

 

I would sell our house and head out of the city for the burbs.  Something with land, an open floor plan and a pool. I also would like something with a little more space and a finished basement. I want my kiddo to have his own room and a playroom (that isn't where my dining room should be), and any of his future siblings to have their own rooms. A big garage for the hubs and a little quiet office for me. Then of course I would go decorating crazy. Oh, and I would build a few "guest houses" on the property- one for my Momma and one for my in-laws. Far enough away from the main house but close enough to send Grayson running to a Grandma when I need some peace and quiet.

Oh, and my Momma would be DONE working. I may keep my job, I love it that much. She, however, would never work again. The hubs would probably switch jobs, but I highly doubt he could ever not be working. He doesn't have the personality to sit still.

I would give my in-laws the money the need to retire, or at least the money to do with whatever they would like.

We would TRAVEL. Everywhere. The Caribbean, Hawaii, Europe, Australia, Alaska, everywhere in the continental US. I want to see it all. Id take my mom and my in-laws with us- because A) best baby sitters in the world and B) they took us everywhere they could as kids and now I'm returning the favor.

I would buy a place at the beach and a condo in the mountains so we have somewhere to go as a family for years to come.

I would give back. I know everyone says this- but I really do mean it. I try to give as much as I can now. I donate to St. Jude, I donate to the teachers scholarship fund at work, I give money when we choose students who are in need and buy Christmas gifts, I give to the church.  But I really don't feel like I give enough. Having disposable income would increase the amount of that scholarship for sure. I would also love to do crazy random things- like paying off the bills of a friend without them knowing it was me.

I don't know what else I would do- because its all hypothetical. I mean, I like to joke that I have all of these crazy occurrences in my life that are "one in a million" or only 0.01% of the population rarities but I cant for the life of me hit the lottery. I do play, I always try to buy one ticket when the jackpot gets up super high. I don't do it all the time because I usually forget and I'm too lazy to go back out once I'm home, but I figure it only takes one ticket to win.

 I know money can't buy happiness but it can pay off my student loans.
And that makes me happy.

What would you do if you hit the lottery?
Go link up and tell me!



 

Blogging with A Purpose: My Weakness

Happy Tuesday, Lovelies! Linking up again with From Mrs. to Mama for her 52 weeks of blogging with a purpose. This week's topic is all about my weaknesses. Geeze, Becky. This one is tough.

 

 

 

No, not because I don't have a weakness- we all have those. Its hard because I have to pick my biggest weakness from the list.  Speaking of the list let's see what's on it, shall we? I'm a procrastinator, I cant spell to save my soul, I try too hard to make others happy, I have problems saying no, big blue eyes (from a Daddy and a baby) make my knees weak and I give in every time, and according to my students they can bribe me with a can of coke and some chocolate. While these are all true things, I don't think they are my biggest weakness.

 

Mine biggest weakness is the fact that I over think everything and question myself. I lay in bed some nights hashing out situations and over analyzing and over thinking them worrying about my decisions and the outcomes- until morning comes and I've gotten zero sleep. Most of the time what I was worrying about is something so stupid, that I had no reason to worry in the first place. But I do. I stress myself out and make myself sick over next to nothing. A lot of the time it has to do with work and wanting to make sure I've said or done everything right so that no one can ever come back and say otherwise. Lately it has to do a lot with Grayson's speech- I keep wondering if I had read different books or talked to him more when I was on maternity leave or when he was a baby that he wouldn't need EI right now. I know that's silly, and I didn't "break" him or screw him up (not yet at least, haha) but Mommy Guilt coupled with over thinking can really throw you for a loop sometimes.

 

I hate it, and I'm working every day to try and stop doing it. I'm working with the mantra "You cant control it, so stop worrying about it". I'm a work in progress, but as my husband says that's what makes me fun.

What is your biggest weakness? Head on over and link up with Becky!

52 Weeks of Blogging With A Purpose: Five Years from Now

Linking up again with Becky to talk this week about where my life will be five years from now.

In five years I know parts of my life will be vastly different, and some will be exactly the same.

 

In five years Grayson will be almost seven. He will be in school full time. That blows my mind. He's barely speaking, certainly not potty trained and is still so much my little man. In five years, he'll be a little independent person and I can not wait to see what the future holds for him. I know he'll be smart, funny and compassionate, I know he'll play sports, and I know he'll be amazing. Other than that, I don't know. I'm okay with not knowing, because I'll learn in time.

 

In five years I hope that we will be able to give Grayson a sibling. Two siblings may be pushing it, but I know I want at least one more child. I wasn't a good pregnant lady- I threw up at lease once every.single.day from the moment two lines appeared. I didn't complain, because in the end I knew it would be worth it. But I will admit that now when I think about getting pregnant again that is one thing that makes me shudder in fear.

 

In five years I hope we're in a different house. That one is tough for me to admit. We got engaged in this house, came home as husband and wife to this house and brought our baby boy home here.  We've spent countless hours working and improving our 1890's fixer, and there is still so much more to go. I love this house, its our home. However there are problems with it. We'll start with the fact that it has one bathroom, no driveway, and a lack of outdoor space. I grew up on 3 acres and now I'm a city girl, its a crazy transition. There are other things, but those are on the list to be fixed.  A new kitchen, dry walling the guest bedroom and playroom, putting in a half bath and laundry room on the first floor are all in our plans to complete over the next few years. We'll see what the future has. If we want to have three kiddos, we're going to have to move because we only have three bedrooms and we need a guest room.

 

In five years my husband could be on a different career path. Currently he works as a general contractor specializing in flooring. Not easy work, and as a self employed person he has no real pension or back up plan.  His dream is to be a fire fighter for the city of Pittsburgh- and that idea terrifies the beans out of me.  I know its rewarding and wonderful, but its scary to send your husband off to work everyday and not know what dangers he will face.  Of course if this is something his heart wants, I will support him 100% but I will be a nervous Nellie the whole time.

 

In five years I hope to be an even better Mother and Wife. Because you can always get better. I want to continue to make memories with my husband and grow closer to him in our marriage. I want to be a fun Mom who jumps in puddles and makes messes, because those are the things that will make memories. After all, they're only little once. I'm trying to deal with the messes better. Today my child finger painted and there are now red footprints on the floor. He was so proud of them, I've left them there to show Daddy. I am trying. Wine may help this.

 

I will still be teaching- and I will be finishing up my -ahem- eighth year in the classroom. I love my job and unless we seriously hit the lottery and I can be a lady of leisure all day, I will never leave it. Its far too awesome of a job to just walk away from. I torture teenagers daily and get paid for it. I do hope to become a better teacher, because just like being a wife and Mama, you can always get better.

 

I hope that I will still be blogging. I love capturing moments of our lives and sharing them. I hope this blog will grow, and I hope you all will stick with me through the crazy.

 

I hope that in five years someone will finally invent laundry birth control so that my laundry pile will stop multiplying and I can get a handle on it. Please tell me I'm not the only one who wishes for this?

 

I hope that I can say that 33 is a good age. Eep. That's a tough number to wrap my head around. Wine may help with that, too. Lots of wine.

 

 

Where do you see yourselves in five years, lovelies? Head on over and link up with Becky and join in the fun!



Ten Things I Live For: 52 Weeks of Blogging With A Purpose

I saw this linkup from Becky the other day and I decided I needed to try it- 52 weeks to blog with a purpose. Of course I'm one week late to the party, but you all wont hold that against me, right?

 

 

Today's topic is ten things you live for/can't live without.

 

 

1. My family.  These two boys right here are my world. They are my reason for waking up each day and trying to be better. Life wouldn't be the same without them, that's for sure.

 

 

2. Summer Days. Ahhh. I love summer. Its warm, so I don't hate getting out of bed. The sun makes me want to go outside and run and play...or at least float lazily in a pool. In the winter I can not stand waking up, because the idea of coming out from under my nice warm covers is too much to bear at five am. But in the summer, I cant wait to get up to see what our days will bring us. Summer means adventures and fun, playdates and craft projects galore. Trips to the beach, picnics in the park, playtime in the water- its all summer and its all amazing. Plus, I get to spend my days with a certain tiny human and that just makes them even better.

 

3. My job.  I love, love, love what I do for a living. I am a teacher.  I get super excited to see the kids come in at the beginning of the year and to watch them grow and change and mature is just the coolest thing ever.  Teenagers will act different in front of teachers rather than a parent. I'm not there to judge them or expect anything from them but to be themselves, so they feel more at ease being who they want to be. Now sometimes that's good and sometimes it isn't, but they have choices and they get to make them.  I've helped students get through some pretty tough things, because they felt they could trust me and open up and that's an awesome feeling.  I often joke I will die in my classroom, but what I mean is I will never leave that job.  Until Im too old to function or have enough cash to travel the world, you'll find me in room 207. The only science room with carpeting. Ugh.

 

4. Baby giggles. I love nothing more than to hear that kid laugh.  It kills me. If he ever wants to get out of trouble, all he has to do is learn how to belly laugh on cue.

 



 

5. Traveling. I love to explore new places, and if those places have an ocean that makes them even better.  I'm a vacation dare devil. I try new things on vacation because the fear of missing out on them gets to me.  Snorkeling in an underground cave at home? Heck to the no. But in Mexico? Where's the flippers?  Trying curried goat at a local restaurant? Absolutely not, in fact, Ill pick a different place to eat. But in Jamaica? Sure! Put in on my plate!  I think I get this crazy rush because I'm afraid I might not make it back to these places, so I don't want to miss out on anything.  I can't wait to take my baby boy places and let him experience things as well, I think he's going to have the same adventurous spirit...or he'll learn to have it, at least.

 

6. Watching Grayson experience new things.  If I clean my house and the husband makes a mess, I could kill him. But, if I scrub the floors and then Grayson messes them up with finger paint/colored rice/chalk I'm okay with it. Why? Because I love watching him play and learn and grow.  Sometimes the most simple and mundane things, writing the grocery list on the chalkboard wall- are completely awesome to a 21 month old. Seeing him get uber excited about scribbling with chalk on the wall brings life into a new perspective, and I love it.

 

7. My pillow. I couldn't live without it, and I don't usually share it. I have been known to let Grayson nap on it, or lay on it with me but that's only because he's so cute. The hubs always tries to steal my pillow, but he never gets away with it. I've taken it off of him in my sleep before without even realizing it. I just can't sleep without that thing.

 

8. Making Memories and Following Traditions.  I love that when I look back at beach vacations I can think of places we always went. I love that when I remember holidays there are certain specific things that I remember happening year after year. I want Grayson to have the same experiences. Which is why every year the Elves will deliver Christmas PJs and a book, and the Bunny will leave his footprints. We will visit family and eat traditional foods because I want Grayson to grow up with great memories and great fun. Then I want him to do the same things with his kids someday, you know if I ever let him grow up and get married.

 

 

 

9. Iced tea. I love iced tea. If its sweet, that's even better. I don't do coffee, so I need to get the buzz from somewhere. If its an event where iced tea wont cut it, then I go straight for the red can of Coca Cola. That always does the trick. Could I live without Iced Tea and Coke? Yes, but it would be a sad day in my world.

 

10. Crafting and creating.  I can't draw to save my soul (seriously, ask my students- they will tell me to stop drawing and google it) but I love to create things. Sewing, painting, designing,

decorating- its my outlet.  If I'm in a funk, I'll make a new wreath for the front door. It always cheers me up to whip out the glue gun. I also love to write this blog, it's a different form of creating that no one can tell me I'm doing wrong. I DIY-ed most of our wedding and Grayson's baby shower/baptism/first birthday with a little help from blog friends and Pinterest. My mind just runs, but sometimes its frustrating that my hands cant execute what my mind wants. But I guess that's why we have Etsy. If I can't make it, I'll find someone who can!

 

So tell me lovelies, what do you live for/can't live without? Let me know in the comments!