It seems like just yesterday, but it's been....

It's been 8 days...yes, 8 days...since I last posted on the ye olde blog. I know that life is hectic. Believe me, I'm living in a hectic life. 3 kids pulling you different directions and a husband just telling you "Relax, take a deep breath." I want to go in all directions at once. Please each person. 

The big kid wants Mommy to listen to his latest adventure in Minecraft. I'm oblivious to all this...even after 2 months, I still have no clue as to what he is talking about. But I do know that spiders can get into your houses and kill you...hey!! I think that in real life, too. hahahahah! :) 

Then I have the middle child wanting to spell every.single.word to me. She's doing great with spelling. 1st grade should be so much fun for her. And then throw in the random addition facts.... "2+2=4, 4+4+8, etc" Yep! I'm enjoying the educational side of the middle child. 

On to the youngest....she's taken on Mommy's bossy side. I can start correcting a child and I hear this little echo beside me. Believe me, It's no fun hearing a little one repeat every.single.word I say. lol We are also into our 3rd week of full blown potty training. We have been in panties now for 2 weeks. Fewer accidents each day. #1 is almost perfected....#2 is a different story...but we're making progress.

And the hubby...well, he's my rock. I get a bit stressed at times (yeah, that's an understatement). But he just reminds me "It's life. Just take a deep breath. They are kids. This is how they act." 

I know they are kids...I know this is life. I'm so thankful when he comes home from work. It gives me a break......a time to hand over the reins for a few seconds. I need that time. 

As for me....I'm still working out and eating right. I've "checked in" to myfitnesspal (an app that tracks calories) for 35 consecutive days. As of yesterday, I'm down 8 lbs and I plan to measure myself this afternoon. It's been 2 weeks since I took measurements. My clothes are looser, so I'm bound to see some inches lost!! It's been slow and steady but hey!! I'm losing  (YAY!!!) and it's not all coming back after a "bad weekend". A friend and I are trying out the different classes offered at our gym. We've done Zumba (great cardio session) and PiYo (awesome strength training only using your body). Wow!! 

So...that's the reason for the lack of postings. Believe me, I have lots of things to say (I can hear my husband amening right now) just not always the time to sit and share on the blog.

For now, truly live your life and it's okay to laugh at yourself (gosh! you should have seen my face when the instructor said "burpees"...it was almost the same look I got when my own kids burped on me)

-enJoy 

Barefoot little Texans

Life, the way things are done, has changed. At times, I feel as if I'm stepping back into history (literally, I am) when I tell the kids they way things used to be. My childhood was incredibly different from the childhood of my kiddos. No, it's not a bad/good difference. It just a technology difference. 

When I was growing up, if I wanted to learn how to do something, I would go to the library. Check the card catalog or try to remember the Dewey Decimal System to figure out which area I could find that perfect book to help me out. I was introduced to the Internet just before college or maybe it was right after that first semester of college. Present Day, Dakota wanted to learn  how to make a rainbow loom bracelet without the loom and he just has to search videos on YouTube. He watched one video and now we all are sporting his bracelet creations. :)  I was rather proud of him. The best part about this is that he used technology to do something nice for others. He made bracelets for Dad, Mom (me), his sisters, his Katie (who just graduated college). Yep! He's a good kiddo. It makes me happy that he was doing for others.

Yes, Life has changed. It seems that gone are the days of playing outside til your mom calls you in for supper. Drinking from the water hose was the best fun. Mom usually didn't get upset if you "drank from the hose" and accidentally sprayed your siblings. Oh, that was truly the best fun. We made tree forts (until the fire ants took up camp and ran us out). We swam in barrels...I think we all got pretty good at holding our breath underwater. And if it wasn't water related, we would turn the barrels on their sides and turn into a circus sideshow. I can walk on a barrel with the best of them. I could hang upside down from the swing set. It was nothing to us to spend all afternoon outside. I miss those days. I want my kiddos to have the same fun I did as a child. 

My kiddos are outdoorsy. They love going to the park. And if you catch them all at the right time, they can play happily in the backyard. Lately, it's dueling with light sabers and Nerf guns, but we do have some random episodes of baseball and catch happening. Most recently, the girls have found the wild berry bushes in our backyard. They love to search for the "good berries" and they consume them quite quickly. I love that even with all the technology thrown at us these days, my kids can still enjoy outside and nature. 

They are barefoot little Texans :)

Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE technology. I might go crazy without Internet, digital cameras, and my DVR. But don't forget about the world around you.

Take a few moments and step outside today. You'll be amazed! 

-enJoy

....that got a little older...

I'm not sure if turning another year older has caused me to take a step back and examine life or what. But within the last week, I feel as if I should live each and every day. Not just exist but truly live.

Last week, I moved closer to my mid 30's. While I love a good celebration, I'd rather it be for someone else and not me. But since the kids insisted, we had cake and candles....and singing. ♪♪ Happy Birthday ♪♪ ...now lets see who gets the  biggest piece of cake :) Yep, that's my kiddos.

I enjoyed my birthday. I spent most of it with my son. It was his class field trip and he was super excited that Mom was going along. He even requested that bring along a lunchable (his choice for "sack lunch") for myself, too. We did have a good time. We visited Gators and Friends and he got to hold the alligator.

While I don't always enjoy living far from my family, I do enjoy getting snail mail (letters) from them (and I love going to visit them, too..woohoo!! vacation time is coming soon). I have a sister. My oldest sister. She's the person who makes sure that each and every individual in the immediate family gets a birthday card. She's AWESOME!! Now, it could have started out to be job security for herself (she's a postal carrier), but I love that she sends me snail mail ♥ ♥ ♥.  okay, I'm rambling....

anyway, in my snail mail, I received some funny cards and a near 'n dear to my heart card. I loved them both. It's crazy how each one brought tears...tears from laughing, tears from memories, and tears from just realizing that life is grand. ♥ My dad wrote a quick blurb in one card. He always has a way of "re-designing" a card. He adds lines under words, commas, exclamation points, little phrase, draws pictures--this time he drew a spider on the duck's foot. I treasure each card.

Even reading it back now, I still brings a little tear... I never knew what people meant when they would say "Just wait. One day, you will appreciate _________." 

Well, I'm at that stage of my life. I appreciate it all. My parents, my family, my raising......each time I'd think to myself "they can't be serious?!?!?!? why can't they be like so-and-so's parents??" 

Yep! it was all for this...those Happy Birthday greetings that get ya right there.

♥♥♥ "you are still my little girl from years ago that got a little older" ♥♥♥

-enJoy