Building a House

My husband and I have decided to build a house. We were unable to find a house in the school district where we wanted the kids to attend to school. It all happened so quickly but not without a lot of thought and prayer. The decision to build a house has done several things. It has really tightened our budget. Michael and I are completely debt free for the first time in our marriage but the new mortgage is going to be considerably more than what we were paying for our old house. The girls will be starting school in one of the best schools in the area in the fall. We've also become renters again after 15 years of owning our own home. Building a house has certainly sent us on a spiraling road of change. It is very scary! We are trying to save as much money as possible for the unexpected things that will pop up living 15 minutes from town and we are praying that we have picked an honest builder that will build our dream home within our budget.

Blessed

My family has been so busy the last couple of months. I forget to slow down and really take in the moments with my kids. I am constantly struggling to find a balance in my life as a stay at home mom. Some days I feel like the laundry is piling up around my ears and toys are going to bury me alive.

I had a swift kick in the butt last month. I was feeling overwhelmed and unappreciated than my 12 month old son was suddenly hospitalized for failing to gain weight in the last 4 months. I was so frustrated and scared. How could I not have noticed?

I am so thankful that he is happy and healthy. I suddenly have a new appreciation for the chaos of my household. It feel so good to have screaming kids and piles of laundry to do. I am blessed beyond measure.  

The Drastic Life Changes of a Stay at Home Mom

I realized today just how much my life has changed since having children. It was wasn't really one of those ahhh haa moments. It was more like a "holy smokes" moment. I noticed today that I hadn't shaved my legs in nearly a month. I was lathering on the lotions and was horrified by my hairy legs. I looked at myself in the mirror and realized my eyebrows and upper lip could also use a good waxing.

I wouldn't be caught dead with hairy legs a decade ago.

I quickly get dress. The kids are getting restless. YUCK the smell of my body spray and my husband's body wash don't mix well. I didn't want to waste one of my precious ten minutes in the shower to jump out and get a new bottle of bodywash so I used my husband's. I walk into the living room with my wet hair wrapped up in a tight bun on the top of my head and I'm wearing a pair of comfy sweats.

I glance over to the kitchen table. My girls are wearing cute matching outfits and their hair is neatly combed into braids. My priority have completely changed since they came into my life and I'm okay with that.

I secretly vow to shave my legs before the hubby gets a glimpse. How did I get so lucky to experience being a mom.

Goals for the New Year 2012

It is the 5th day of the new year and I already feel like I am running behind. I am just getting over a really bad stomach bug and the kids have also been sick so we haven't had time to really look forward to this New Year. I am so excited to write about my goals. This is going to be a great year. Our son will be turning one in February. He has been such a tremendous blessing! My online endeavors are finally starting to pay off and our financial situation is looking much better. It is time to sit down and really think about what I want to accomplish in 2013

Business Goals:

1. Complete my bachelors degree in Business Management. I have been working on my four year degree for the past ten years. I only have three classes left so I can finally see the finish line.
2. Earn $1000.00 in a month with Squidoo payout and Amazon Affiliate sales combined. This is a very hefty goal but I am very optimistic. I earned $300.00 in the month of December 2012. It may take me the entire year to reach this goal but I am going to work my butt off to accomplish it.
3. Complete 100 quality lenses on Squidoo. I currently have 69 lenses. A few really need a makeover but I am confident I will reach this goal soon.

Personal Goals:

1. Teach the girls the alphabet. They will be starting preschool in the spring so I really need to be more focused with their education.

2. Organize and declutter the house. I am pretty sure this is my goal every year but I am tired of always being behind on the laundry and feeling like I am always cleaning house. We need a better system so I am really going to work hard on this one.

3. I am currently training for the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon. I will be walking it with my mom in March. I would also like to train to run for a half marathon. I used to be a distance runner back in my Army days but I have really gotten out of shape since I had my children.

Homemade Kids Table and Chairs

I am proud to say that the kids and I have really been able to cut back on TV. It amazes me how creative we can be without the television on and how much trouble the girls can get into when they are not actively entertained.

 The weather has been really nice here in west Texas so we decided to spend the afternoon in the backyard.

My husband has been chopping away at an old tree in our back yard and we had some stumps laying around. The girls and I decided to chip the bark off and make a set of table and chairs.

They came out great!! Now we have a cute little homemade table and chairs set for the kids that didn't cost us a penny.  My husband is going to give them a once over with the sander and a quick coat of varnish to keep them in good shape and keep the bugs out.

Homemade Gifts For Grandma

The girls and I have been very busy this week getting ready for Christmas. We are still trying to watch less TV and we have been working on some homemade Christmas gifts for grandma. Our projects this week included. Two Christmas lamps for grandma's nightstand and a coin jar to sit above her sink.

We cleaned up a few Spaghetti jars with dish soap and water. Sometimes they require a little goo gone but these actually cleaned up really nice.

 Now the fun part. These lamps will be for grandma to display during the holidays so we decoupaged them with pink and green tissue paper.

 

 While the girls were busy gluing I snuck outside and spray painted two small pickle jars. I also painted the jar lids for the lamps.

 I added a coat of Modge Podge to the jars when girls were done gluing on the tissue paper.



 

 

   I used a black permanent marker to write a special poem on the coin jar

 

 Here are the finished jars with the Christmas lights inside. The lids were still drying but you want to poke a whole big enough on the top to be able to fit the end of the Christmas lights.

Decorating Options:

1. Fill the jar with potpourri, poke holes in the lid and glue a doily on the top for decoration. The warmth of the Christmas lights will give off the aroma of the potpourri, without getting too hot and causing a fire hazard. 
2. Spray paint the jar with frosted painted, use stencils, lace or doilies to create delicate designs on the jar. 
3. Use different colored Christmas lights or battery operated candle sticks. 

Visit Homemade Gift Ideas For Mom for more Homemade Gift Ideas for Christmas 2012. 

What is the Price of Change

I decided to take this past weekend off from creating webpages on Squidoo.

 I am very pleased at my recent progress. I am now seeing steady sales and I’ve managed to get a few lenses in tier 2. 

I returned to find that Squidoo has a new layout and many of my lenses in shambles. The Soldier in me was saying “suck it up and drive on, adapt and overcome” but as a stay at home I wanted to put my head in my hands and cry. 

I wanted to cry for all of the hours I worked on lenses instead of playing with my children, for the household chores that were neglected and for the conversations I asked my husband to save for another time while I worked on building my profile. 

Many lensmasters are angry, stressed and tired from the change. Some are rejoicing and anticipate an increase in sales and traffic. Many lensmasters have stressed to keep things in perspective.

I fall somewhere in the middle. I sat and stared at the computer screen for what seemed like hours not knowing where to begin. I have invested too much time to simply throw in the towel.

Today is a new day. I will start from the top and work my way through each lens. I am still making sales! I will continue to make progress! I will continue to learn!  

The only thing that does not change is that change is inevitable and sometimes very hard to digest.