Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Confession

So I realized this morning that I completely and totally forgot about the Mommy Challenge! Not a good way to start out trying to be closer to my kids...but that's okay because I can just start today. Isn't that what's great about parenting...? You can commit each and every day to be a better parent. If you feel like you failed today, that's okay. You aren't going to be perfect. There are going to be days where things go awry. There's going to be those days where everything is going fine and BAM! your kid falls and you're at the hospital, you realize that you forgot to pack a veggie in his lunch, or maybe you didn't get all of the dirt from under his fingernails. That's ok. Big or small, you're going to find little things that you wish you did better. I know that my sons know that I love them and I try my best every day to show that.
So, yeah, I forgot the Mommy Challenge. That's okay beause today is the 10th and today's focus is joy. I am going to find joy in everything I do with my kids today. We don't have any play dates planned, we don't have to go to the store, and it's a rainy, blah day. This sounds like a great day to curl up and watch a movie or pull out a board game and try to teach my 5-year-old how to play. The definition of joy is the feeling of great pleasure or happiness. It doesn't take a lot more my guys to find happiness and I don't have to go all out trying to do help them achieve that. Just spending a little time with them today will do that. I can't wait for school to get out. In the meantime, Emmett is taking a nap. I'm going to find a little of my own joy by finishing up my blog post, reading some other's blogs, and maybe finishing watching last night's episode of Castle that I DVRed. Joy has to come from wherever you can find it when you're a parent!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

30 Day Mom Challenge


So this morning I was on Pinterest (one of my obsessions) and came across a picture of the 30 Day Mom Challenge which was from a blog and from another website.

The idea is to do something different each day to have a closer bond to your child. I have been feeling guilty that I am not giving enough attention to either one of my boys so I thought this might give me a good start.
You could wait and start on the 1st if the month, but why wait?
I'm going to start with #7 and write a note for both of my guys. I decided not to read ahead in hopes that it will help me concentrate just on today.
You can go HERE and print out your Mom Challenge or you can save it to your desktop and make it your background like me.
Who else will take this challenge with me?

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Here today, Gone Tomorrow


Life is so fleeting. We take for granted so much in our lives every day (or at least I know I do).
My sister lost her brother-in-law yesterday. He was 24. I have so many emotions on this. They range from sadness to anger to fear.

Sad because my sweet nephew won't have the chance to know this guy that seemed to have a smile on his face each time I saw him, even though I now know he was deeply hurting somewhere inside. The last thing I remember of him is washing my sister's dishes. What BIL does that?? Sad because my sister only got a little over a year to know him. There are so many things they didn't get to share. And sadness because I know that Jason, my sister's husband, only reconnected with him this past year. They missed a lot and now they will never get to make up for that lost time.

Anger because of the choice he made. He did drugs and died because of it. Now his family has to live each day without him and that just sucks! I don't understand why so many that do drugs think they're invincible! So many people die each day, each hour, each minute from doing drugs. What makes a person think they're special enough to be skipped over? It's just not fair to the families that now have to figure out how to move forward because of a decision that was made. I'm also angry because I feel like it's selfish. Selfish to make your family and friends feel like they weren't good enough for him to not be more careful in his choices. The regrets they will have from past arguments and for memories that won't be made. Life isn't fair and that proves it right there.

Fear because I don't know how to teach my kids not to do drugs. I know so many people that do drugs. From all walks of life. Some of them are from families that, honestly, I think just didn't care what their kids did and didn't raise them to care. Others I know come from good, loving homes. So how do I teach my child to make those decisions and know when to "say no?"
Death is something I'm terrified of. Not the idea of knowing where I'm going. I feel confident about that. I'm terrified for two reasons. One that I (or my husband) will die too early and my child will have to grow up without me (or their dad) like I had to without my dad. Two that my child will die before me. I know there is a greater plan and all that and if it's time, it's time. But I just don't know how I'd survive that.

So today I'm making soup so my sis and brother-in-law don't have to cook. So they can spend time with each other ans sweet Noah. I'm going to get a little cleaning done too. But mostly I'm going to spend time with my boys. We don't know what tomorrow holds and I want to strive to live life to the fullest and without regret. I challenge you to do the same.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Busy Day

Today was the last day of Christmas Break so I decided to get out of the house...yes, we didn't do a single thing the whole break other than Christmas stuff.
First we went to Joe Tucker Park. How have I never been there? It's seriously like 3 minutes from my house.
Robbie had fun...



but this was about the best smile I could get from Emmett. Seriously what child doesn't like the swings?



After the parks and naps, we went to the $1.50 movie. Yes, they jacked up the price $.50. Guess I can't complain too much. We saw "Hoots in Boots." Robbie decided that it couldn't possibly be "Puss in Boots," so there you go. It was actually pretty cute and Emmett even fell asleep halfway through, which made it more enjoyable.

We got home and mom fixed up the cheesy chicken bake from the other night. She added more salsa, salt, pepper, more cheese, and, of course she couldn't resist, sour cream....It really did make all the difference and was much better this go around.

Now the kids are asleep (at least they both are until Emmett wakes up for his every 2 hour waking here shorty). I need to make Robbie's lunch, set our our clothes for tomorrow, and kiss the hubs before I go to sleep myself....or now the baby's crying so I guess I'll deal with that first.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Cheesy Chicken and Rice bake

So I started using Cozi as a part of my "New 2012" and found some pretty great meals that seem pretty healthy! Below is the first one...it needed some kind of seasoning...mom put salt on her's...I just ate as is. Next time I'm thinking onions?



Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake



Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake is a one-dish comfort food meal that can be made a day ahead. It works well with extra veggies of your choice mixed in, too!
Link
http://www.cozi.com/live-simply/recipes/cheesy-chicken-rice-bake
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled or broiled and shredded
4 cups cooked brown rice
3/4 cup frozen corn
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup plain greek yogurt (you can use sour cream)
1 4-ounce can green chilis
1/2 cup chunky salsa
1 cup grated cheddar & monterey jack cheese (low-fat cheese works too!) + more for topping if desired
cilantro for garnish

Preparation
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 25 min

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese is stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

2. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with chopped cilantro.