The Not So Much Room Mother, Room Mother

My oldest daughter started kindergarten this year and one of the things I was so excited about was getting to be a room mother.  At the beginning of the school year her teacher said they would be sending home a volunteer/sign up sheet for room mothers and volunteers, so I have been patiently waiting for months.  Finally at the beginning of December I sent her teacher and email saying how I would love to help with the Christmas party only to find out that two other Mom's who get to drop-off/pick-up their kids everyday had already talked to her and were the "official" room mothers.  Kielyn's teacher let me know who they were and told me to get with them to see if they needed help.  So I immediately texted one of the mom's and asked what I could do to help.  A day later she texted back and asked me if I could be in charge of cups/plates/napkins.  

Cups/Plates/Napkins!?!?!?

How could I get stuck with cups/plates/napkins?  Didn't they know that I had a million ideas on fun things we could do at the Christmas party?  Of course I said yes I would love to bring the supplies and then I pouted.  How am I supposed to measure up to my Mom's amazing school parties she planned every year for us?  Parties so amazing that I have friends who call 20ish years later saying remember when we were in 2nd grade and your Mom made those really cool xxxx's(insert really cool things that Mom always came up with).

And then it hit me I would bring the best cups/plates/napkins that have been to a school party.  Remember the episode of Friends where Phoebe was assigned cups and ice for the party she and Monica were co-hosting?  My Mom told me I was Phoebe.....

I decided that I would make melted snowman cups and reindeer plates.  My dear friend crushed my idea of snowman cups because the kids would probably spill their drinks looking at the bottom of the cups, so I decided I would make regular snowman cups.  I found the cutest snowman cups at Blue Cricket Design and copied her idea.

I love them!  So stinking cute!!!

And my little reindeer plates, they are cuter in person, I promise.

 

The girl reindeer!

And the boy reindeer!

I also bought some super cute napkins and paper straws from Michael's.  I am super excited to go to her first school party!  I also know that next year I will jump the teacher like a spider monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew at back to school night to make sure I get to be an official room mom!

 

Merry Almost Christmas!

Our Weekend Trip!

This weekend we headed to Denver to see my Mom and watch my sister run a half marathon!  We started off with a little shopping and dinner on Saturday!  I bought the girls the cutest little Levi's ever!  I can't wait for them to wear them!

My mom was nice enough to give us her bedroom for the night.  We went to bed at 10 and I yelled at the girls until 11 to be quiet and go to sleep.  I slept well until I woke up wet.  My first thought was OMG, I am 30 years old and peed the bed.....but when I moved I felt Taylor behind me and thought thank God I didn't pee the bed, Taylor peed on me!  Wait a minute.....it's not my pee it's hers!  So gross!  And then I proceeded to change her and put her back on the floor with her sister, strip the bed all while wearing my pee pants!  I have an excuse, it was 5 am!

We got up bright and early....um ok it was 8 and then my Mom yelled at me and told me I only had 15 minutes to get ready before we had to leave and that she would get a kid ready.  When I said 15 min!!!!!!!!! and freaked, her reply was "I let you sleep in!"  Love you Mom!

So my sister Rossi and her friends, Sarah, Susan and Alli ran the Rock & Roll Half Marathon today!  So excited and proud of all of them!  What an amazing accomplishment!

Rossi and Kielyn after the race!  I wish I looked that could after 2.5 hours of physical activity!

Rossi and Taylor!

Tay and the finger!

Kielyn!

We were having fun!

My girls!  Love them with all of my heart!

Taylor, my Mom, me, Rossi and Kielyn!  A lot of blonde going on here!

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

P.S.  I am finally on pinterest!  Thanks Shannon for the invite!

15 Things

Hi!  So we are about 9 months through the year long deployment.  Only 3ish months to go!!!  The past 9 months have been amazing, devastating, hard, fun, trying and a million other emotions!  I have learned so much about myself this year, some good and some bad.  So here are 15 I was originally going to do 30 things but after I got to 15 and it was kind of a long list I thought you might get bored reading, so I cut it down things that I have figured out or done this year!

1.  I am almost an official Young Life Leader!  I am so excited!!!!  I love Jesus!!

 

2.  I am strong!!  Never thought I was until this past year.  :)

3.  I create my own happiness, no one else.  If I'm not happy in my heart no one or nothing can make me happy!

"It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves and it is impossible to find it elsewhere." -Agnes Repplier

***so true, it's not a lie!!!***

4.  I control my own emotions.  They are my responsibility.  No more blaming others for feeling sad/mad/bad.  I choose how I react to someone's behavior and will no longer blame them/their emotions for my bad mood.  I can choose to not let it bother me!

5.  It's ok to say NO!!!  I don't have to say yes to everything, I can pick and choose.  And if I can't do something with a happy heart I shouldn't be doing it!

***Thanks Mom!  I finally listened!!!**

6.  I love girls nights to go dancing!  And it's ok if I go!!!!

7.  I am just as important as everyone around me.  My wants and needs are important.  It took me 30 years to figure this out but I finally did!

8.  I'm not scared to be on my own/alone anymore!  If I can work 40+ hours a week, take care of 2 kids and 1 dog, get all of the house work and laundry done, keep up with the yard I can do anything!

**Special thank you to Gram for feeding us not that she feeds us every night, but A Lot!  And I don't ask her to, she invites us!**

9.  I love God!!!  Not that I haven't always loved him, but I finally let him get in the drivers seat and I can tell you that it makes my life so much easier!

10.  It's ok to have "me" time.  Until this year I always felt guilty leaving my girls to have "me" time.  After working all week, I wanted to spend every extra minute with them.  After doing it on my own, I realized that I need some time to myself, it's healthy for everyone otherwise someone might seriously get hurt!

11.  Laughing is more fun than crying.  I have laughed a lot this year and about 40% of the time it's to keep from crying!

12.  If nothing changes, nothing changes.  I can't change people, they have to change on their own.  And if they do, great!  And if not, ok.

13.  I'm codependent, but I'm working on it.....it's a really hard thing to change, but I realize when I am doing it, so yay for me!!!  And soon I will be "Codependent No More"

14.  Faith is amazing!  One of the hardest beliefs to have but so worth it!

15.  I finally feel like a grown up!  I always remember my Mom telling me that you aren't a grown up until you turn 30 and I really think she was right!  Damn it!  Just kidding, kind of.....hate when she is always right!

A Little Update...........

I can't believe that July is almost over!!!!  Where has the summer gone?  Where have the last 6 months gone?

I know, single mom, chasing 2 kids and working while my husband is gone.  The good news is that we are 6 months through the deployment and we only have another 6ish months to go.

We have been busy with swimming lessons, volleyball, the girls' first fishing trip, a long weekend in California for Mommy and a quick 2 week mid-tour deployment break with my husband.  And you know that I turned 30 in April and had a little third-life crisis.....so I pierced my nose!

Me and Tay!!

Mid-tour Deployment R & R

Kielyn, she is growing up way too fast!!!

Look, I'm still smiling, crazy but smiling!

 

I hope everyone is having an amazing summer!

Never Forgotten

12 years ago today I was a senior in high school.  I can still remember the day, Tuesday April 20, 1999.  It was cold and gloomy that day.  I remember freezing at track practice and I was so excited for it to be over so I could go to the tanning bed to warm up and then get my nails done.

I remember sitting there having my nails done and hearing on the radio about the Columbine shooting.  I spent the next 3 days glued to the TV because my neighbors Grandson, Matthew Kechter was killed that day.

So today my thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims and the families of the Columbine shooting, especially the Kechter family.  RIP Matthew Kechter, taken too soon, but will never be forgotten.

Never forgotten........

Dear Tuesday.......

Dear Tuesday....OK, I really couldn't think of anything more clever than that at the moment!  So life is crazy like normal lately!  Between kids and work and house work and the dog and yard work I don't do a whole lot!  Actually I take that back, I have started reading after the girls go to bed, it's my "quiet" time where I can disappear for an hour or two and I don't have to think about all the things I need to do or should be doing.

There are a few new things going on, I turned 30 2 weeks ago.  I didn't talk about it on here, but I had major anxiety about this birthday, I don't know why, but something about not being able to say I'm twenty-something bothered me, but I'm over it, the pity party is over and I survived!  My sister told me that 30 was the new 20 so I will listen to her!

I started going to Zumba 1 night a week and it's so much fun!  I think that my 10 years of dance lessons is finally paying off because I don't look like a complete idiot!

My amazing sisters and cousin bought me plane tickets to California for a weekend for a Sister/Cousin weekend, I can't wait!  We are going to have so much fun and I can really use a break from my sweet they are trying to kill me angels!

I went on a Hobby Lobby shopping spree!!!  I had $100 in gift certificates and today was 50% off of all metal and poly so I stocked up!  I will post pictures of my finds when I locate my camera that my children hid from me.

I have not crafted in months and I no longer feel guilty about it, the bug will bit me again soon enough.

Without my family and friends I would be lost right now, so a huge thank you to them for listening to me babble, listening to me vent and watching the girls for me every once in a while so I can breathe again!

My brother's girlfriend Ashley and I on her 21st birthday!  Isn't she gorgeous?!?!

My rules/reminders for the week.............

1.  Faith

2.  Patience

3.  Strength

4.  Laugh...it can always be worse

 

A Little Birthday Fun!

I have a 4 year old!  She was so cute on Saturday when we had her birthday party, she woke up and said "Mommy, am I 4 today?"  And I said "no, not until tomorrow."  Her response "But it's my party day!!!"

I then had to explain that yes it was her party day but she didn't really turn 4 until Sunday.  So on Sunday when she woke up she said "Mommy....am I 4 today?"  And she was so excited that she was finally 4!!!

 

I am really hoping that someone else had a camera because I hardly took any pictures :(

Here are a few of the girls enjoying their new sidewalk paint.

 

I don't think they got the idea of "sidewalk" paint.