Motherhood: A Balancing Act- Interlude 2

I sort of interrupt this series to interject my formula for a balancing act. I am by no means a math teacher. I hate math actually. I am a language person. I am usually the one with the great, big discoveries, or the one spewing the philosophical junk. However, sometimes, just sometimes, my daddy proves to me that you can be a mathematician and still be able to spew philosophical junk.

My crazy daddy accidentally put on my mom's capri pants. My mom is 5 foot tall, they really don't look right on a 6 foot tall man. 

My daddy is my biggest fan. He has been my go-to guy for ever. My biggest cheerleader. Can I say that about a guy, especially a guy who is my dad? Idk. But I did.  

My daddy has always given me very sound and reasonable advice.
Although I have to admit that there were many years that I didn't take said advice. One of the things he told me was about how to create the perfect balance in life. This balance is more about success for life vs just success for being a mother, but I still think it is applicable anyway, as we all want to succeed, whether it is at life or being a mommy. It is success that drives most individuals. It is what we strive for day in and day out. Whether it is success at a presentation for work, a new product we have designed, a blog post that has tons of hits, or teaching our son or daughter to use a fork or go in the "big" potty. Our definitions of success are very different, depending on what we want to be successful at. 

So here is my daddy's formula for life-one in which to be successful.

*Note- this has been modified by me. I did not copy my daddy word for word, but took his general "speech" to me and paraphrased it. (Actually my daddy typed up a "plaque" for me once with this information on it to set it somewhere I would read it everyday). 

Reason+logic+emotion= success.

You have to determine the proper ratio that fits you. Just like with everything in life, you have to decide what amount fits you. What amount can you eat, how much does you body need you to exercise, how much can you spend on that dress that makes your legs look like the Victoria Secret Model in the catalog? 

Now on to the formula explanation: 

We all have the ability to reason things out. We all possess a certain amount of logic. We all can be emotional from time to time, even if we don't want to show it. Emotion is the one component that is the hardest to balance. It is difficult to keep from over weighting emotion when making decisions, especially when it comes to our children. 

Reason and logic are the major tools for making an emotional decision, but on the other hand, emotion has a major effect on reason and logical decisions. It seems like it is one of those situations that you have half a dozen in one hand and 6 in the other. 

The key, but also the most difficult part, is proper balance of all three components. Dang it, another thing to balance on my nose or whatever other appendage I have readily available.

If you don't like the path you are on or you just can't juggle the components or balance a ball so perfectly on your nose, make adjustments to your formula. If you see that you are in a hole, quit digging and climb out. Hopefully there is a ladder so you don't have to haul your behind out of a trench!

Reason and logic are the major components of common sense, while emotion is made up of feelings (guilt- over the fact that you ate that cupcake or didn't get that run in, happiness- that your son said momma or gave you a hug without you asking, anger-that your husband is teaching your son things that you don't want him to know, or is snoring when you have been up with the baby umpteen times that night and just want some sleep).

Before any major decision is made one needs to first think about what you are about to do, why you are about to do it, and what will be the short and long term effect be. Efffff. Who has time for that? I barely have time it seems to take a shower, clean house, and make sure a hot meal is on the table...you actually want me the THINK?! 

Yeah, unfortunately. I can no longer use the pregnancy brain excuse. Is there such a thing as mommy brain? 

The truth is: You can never ask yourself too many questions. 

• Do I need this? 
• How do I justify this? 
• What are the pros and cons ? 
• Was I honest and sincere in my thought process and my answers? 
• What will my life be like one year from now if I don't compared to this? 
• What effect doesn't this decision have on others?

Like I said here...this is like a diet. When you cheat, who are you cheating?

Motherhood: A Balancing Act Part 4- A Healthy Mommy -How to get in your Skinny Jeans in 7 days or less!

I don’t know about you, but right now, I don’t have time to go to the gym, or at least it doesn't seem like I do. I know that I could always go to bed later and get up earlier to carve out the time to do the things that I want/need to do, but the bed just calls my name. I have to submit, hey, sleep is an important part of weight management as well. But back to the issue at hand. I barely have time to have a Mommy time out, let alone drive to a gym and workout. 

I do have a Treadclimber and Bowflex in residence but by the time I put the babe in bed, I am too tired or maybe too lazy. I haven't decided which it might be. Actually, probably the lazy part. 

I do try to get on the Treadclimber and go at it for a while. But it is nothing like I used to be able to do or have time for. I used to be so active running at least 3-5 miles a day 4-5 days a week right up until the last month before my son was born. What the effff happened to that? I know what happened...a baby. 

I do want to get back to getting my runs/walks in, doing some Zumba, lifting weights, and generally getting my body to not feel sooo squishy. I mean I feel like I look good for a mommy. I don't have stretch marks on my belly nor do I have a belly that laps over my pants but I do lack the tone that I really desire. It is the tone that I want to get back. To be honest, I want to be better than I was before the baby just to prove to myself and to other mommies out there that it can be done. (Because I thought a baby would turn my body inside out and upside down and one main reason that I never wanted to have children til just a few years ago). But, again, with the right steps and attitude you can look just like or better than you did before. It just takes dedication.

I do try to do baby exercise like lifting him up in the air with my feet, or doing sit up while playing with him or carrying him up and down the stairs up-teen times. He is my almost 25 pound weight that I have on me at almost all times. 

I am glad that it is getting a little less scorching out now so I can whip out my baby jogger that I won on a contest and take my little man for a walk, jog or run (depending on how I am feeling that day) around the subdivision. 

I do not get to work out as much as I would like to. I do however do little things that I think add up. Fidgetcise...sounds like a load of crap but hey while you are waiting on dinner, getting ready in the morning, do chest presses on the kitchen counter, leg lifts, squats, etc. Little things do really add up. Promise!

That is not a fuzzy, wuzzy spidey in my hair, but part of a bow type thing. Idk what I was thinking!

I am always on the go and never it seems to have time to sit down. 

In addition to doing exercise, you can't always (notice I said ALWAYS, which leaves us girls a little wiggle and jiggle room) stuff your mouth with cupcakes and corndogs. It would be nice though wouldn't it? 

My post baby diet and exercise (or lack thereof to some people) has caused me to weigh in at 108 ( smaller than before baby) and all my 0 and 2s pants are a little looser now than they used to be. 

Ladies, I swear by the Belly Bandit (BFF). So much that I was in my skinny jeans in less than 7 DAYS!!! I kid you not. It was so impressive to my friend that she just had a baby yesterday and one of the first thing that she got was the exact same Belly Bandit (the BFF)that I had to help her lose the Baby Belly. She is loving it. It really helps with those back aches too post preggo.

I am a healthy eater 90 percent of the time. Mexican and pizza though are a big weakness. Nachos and Veggie loaded pizza-yummo. 

My diet- although I don't really call it a diet because I don't feel like I am missing something that I want-looks a little like this. 

(not all at once)

Breakfast 
Shredded Wheat, Egg Whites, Hard-boiled eggs and fruit, fruit salad and yogurt, yogurt parfait, veggie omelet with salsa, avocado and egg english muffin sandwich, oatmeal or a fritata. 

Lunch
Salad with protein like hardboiled egg, grilled chicken, or cottage cheese, soup, chili, yogurt parfait

Dinner
Grilled chicken or pork tenderloin, lots of veggies (broccoli is a fave), salad with protein, soup, pasta (always whole grain or brown rice pasta) always with something like broccoli or other veggies in the sauce. I am a big veggie and fruit girl. I think I could easily be a vegetarian. 

Snacks
Hard boiled egg, yogurt, nuts, fruits, veggies, occasionally a Fiber One Bar of some sort, that occasional Reese's cup that just jumps in my mouth

Not a 2008 picture, just a 2008 rag I love.

Eating is all about balance. It isn't an all or nothing kind of thing. If I know that I didn't eat so healthy one night because my husband and I had a date and I picked a not so healthy dish because I don't do that often and a beverage other than water, then well, I know that my choices need to be better the next day. Do I punish myself for making a bad choice? No way. I know that if I don't do that for myself on occasion then I will binge at one point, and I don't want to do that. An occasional bite of chocolate cake will help me from trying to devour a whole cake.  

Just like everything else in this life it is a Balancing Act. You have to be able to balance out life, work, children, food, exercise, time, and whatever else fills your life at the moment. But if something is important to you, then you make it a priority and you just do it. No excuses! I know I have my excuses that I use-I am tired, the baby didn't sleep good, that cupcake just looked too good to be true but in the long run, it is like a diet, when I cheat, who am I really cheating?! MYSELF!

FROM THIS TO.....

THIS IN 1 WEEK FLAT!

One week postpartum-if you look closely you can see the Belly Bandit on underneath

Add caption

Motherhood: A Balancing Act Part 3- A Mommy Time Out

Well, if being a mommy isn't enough. You have to add in going back to work. This causes a little bit of a time crunch. It also creates less time for us to have time for us. You can read about my time crunch here.

We hear all the time about our children getting a Time Out for bad behavior. Some parents have their child sit in the corner, some have them face the wall, some have them go to their room (where I am sure that they are not sitting and reflecting on what they actually did wrong) some, like me, actually have this cute time out bench and timer. 

But what do we do when WE need a time out? 

Motherhood: A Balancing Act Part 3- 

A Mommy Time Out

A mental break from being a mommy, a wife, a teacher, a citizen of this society and world. How do we steal away those precious moments that help us regain our composure and perspective? Especially when we have a husband asking what’s for dinner, a child fussing because he wants you to hold him, your mother (though she means well) asking you how you fold your laundry when it would take more time to explain how you fold it then just doing it yourself or having her do it her own way.

Quite frankly, I get very ill (aka not a nice person) if I don’t get some time out time everyday. Sometimes, I am just like, I am done. My brain, my body can’t process anymore. I lock myself in the bathroom, run a hot bath, grab a good book, a good drink (my favorite right now is strawberry kiwi Ice with a splash or two of pineapple and some fresh strawberries). Oh my goodness, it is to die for. AND it is alcohol free! For a little color, I add a smidgen of Sugar Free Torani raspberry syrup. Then, I steal my time. I am talking I really steal my time by taking it away from other things-especially after the little guy is in bed.

I take a T.O. for me. If I don’t, I feel like a crap teacher, mother and wife. We all need a little break. Even if it is for 15, 10, even 5 minutes. Even if it is walking to the mailbox, taking a hot bath, making that drink, searching online for a cute dress that might make you feel like a hottie again instead of just some little guy's mommy. 

My first real evening out for a birthday party!

Sometimes, mommies have the bad reputation of making other mommies feel badly. Why? Why do we do this to one another? Sometimes, my own mother makes me feel that way. It is like nothing I do is ever good enough. Again, why?

Isn't our job hard enough already? Why do we have to reduce ourselves to our 12 and 13 year old drama queen selves by comparing us to others and listing all the things we do better than another mom or that another mom does something better than we do. In this Pinterest laden, Facebook, Twitter world the competition to be super mom is fierce. I am one to say, I don't want to compete. I don't want to tear down other mommies who are just trying to do the same job that I am doing-raise my child. 

We criticize over the laundry, the dishes, the way we are rearing our children, what we do in our spare time, the fact that we go to the gym instead of spending time with our kids, the fact that we go out on dates with our spouses instead being with our kids, and so many other things. Can’t we just cut each other a little slack? 

Seriously you all, I don't want to appear in an episode of MEAN GIRLS-except all the girls are not girls but women who just want to be overly catty to one other and overly critical of everything that another mommy does that is not exactly the same as "the group" or the "norm" or even that one person. 

The pressure to be perfect is paramount. If I don't throw my son this kind of birthday party then I am not a good mom, or if I don't breastfeed then my son will not be as smart, if I do a cry it out bedtime then my son will be unattached. (Effff) Really? None of that is true. Everyone has their own little quirks-whether you are the brainiac maniac, or the organic green godess,or the Foody Freaker, or the Lactation Activist, or the Opinionator, or the Living Camera Lens, or Face in the Phone mommy...we are all different. We are all just trying to do our job at raising our children. I don't know about you...BUT...

I am NOT freaking Martha Stewart. 

I am not a Stepford Wife. 

I am Jone, mother to Korbin and wife of Jeffrey. 

I do things my own way, in my own time. I am not perfect and don’t ever plan to be.

But if you are, please, please leave me a note with sure fire directions on how to be perfect and I’ll do it just for you.

Motherhood: A Balancing Act Part 2-Rejoining the Workforce

Previously, I spoke about trying to balance my life out after a baby and how I was completely dropping the ball after trying to balance it and everything else that life has to throw at you with a new baby. I struggled for a long time with the idea of having to go back to work and leave my son. The thought almost devastated me. But finally five months in, I accepted it and then:

Motherhood: A Balancing Act: Part II-Rejoining the Workforce

Previously, I spoke about trying to Balance my life out after a baby and how I was completely dropping the ball, among other things. You can read it here.

Teaching was always my calling in life. When I was little and someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I never answered “A Princess, or “She-Ra” or a “doctor” or a “lawyer”. I simply answered “A Teacher.”

Someone once told me that teachers were not made but born that way. This profession truly is a calling, and I heard my name being called loud and clear from the time I was old enough to play school with my stuffed animals and my baby dolls. Being a teacher for me was my niche. It was were I belonged.

Everything else in my world could be falling apart and to pieces (and has) but I still had my job to cling to. I had my students.

My house might have been disorganized disarray but my classroom was organized down to the last book. I had filing systems, book systems, and lists for my lists. My main strengths were always my planning and organizing. I guess that is why I like to plan well anything-parties, birthdays, trips). If the truth be known, the easiest way to make me happy and make me feel useful is to give me something to plan.

My marriage (not this one) might have been crumbling in around me, but you would never know it. Not at school. At school, I was different. I was in my element. Looking back on it now, if I had not had my job, I might have went straight-jacket psycho during these major upheavals in my life. But my job kept me grounded; it kept me focused and secure in an otherwise crazy time in my life. It kept me going.

Before I got pregnant, actually before I even married Jeffrey, I had this notion that if I ever did get pregnant (which was a real doubt in my mind that I would ever want to have a carbon copy of me or worse, my spouse running around) that I would casually take my 6 week maternity leave and then be right back without missing a step. I knew I couldn't stay away from the job that held me together during one of the toughest times in my life. Then, I married Jeffrey and go pregnant with Korbin Bru.

I began thinking, Welllllll, I could take my sick days that I had banked up off, and just stay out through the semester and come back at the beginning of the New Year. I told myself that would make much more sense anyway, instead of flipping back and forth with teachers. Or at least that is what I tried to convince myself of.

 Then, Korbin Bru came along and changed my life, my world forever, on September 7, 2012. It wasn’t until about Thanksgiving that I started getting very antsy about returning to work. I started doubting if I should leave my son. Truth is he slept so crappy at 2-3 hour stretches, I didn't know if I could physically do it on the rest he allowed me at night.

However, around Christmas time, I became resigned to the fact that I was going to have to suck it up and go back to work. Then, Korbin became sick and was diagnosed with RSV. He was put on breathing treatments around the clock 24 hours a day 5-6 times a day. I knew I couldn't trust anyone else to giving him the treatments or the other medications that he had to take. The poor baby had 8 different things that he had to have everyday that his changing table was starting to look like a mini pharmacy. So I didn’t return to work until a couple of months later, when I had a healthy baby boy again.

We finally decided, well more likely, our back account decided that it was time for me to return to work. During this time, my husband was asked to resign from his position at his company and decided to take time off before going back to work. Fortunately for him, he is well known in his business and had his pick of different job opportunities that we knew that he could have a job the same day he resigned. That was a relief. It is also a good thing that we both believe in saving for a rainy day because it allowed us to both have time off to take care of our little man.

Motherhood: A Balancing Act: An Interlude

As I mentioned in my previous post (you can read about it here), I was trying to balance motherhood and failing miserably, or at least what I would consider failing miserably. 

I wanted to be a stay at home mommy because maybe some part of me thought that I would get more accomplished if I had more hours in the day at home. That I would get more play time and snuggle time with this little handsome face. That is a joke. A big HAHAHAHA!

But somehow, the reality is quite the opposite. There is no time. Seriously, if you don't believe me, take time out to stay at home and see exactly how much you actually accomplish. If you accomplished lot, please email me and tell me all your secrets!!! I have tried schedules, nap time coffee drinking try to do everything at once binges, and wait til daddy's home to try to get something accomplished. Nothing worked the way that I needed it to in terms of getting the time I needed to accomplish all those things that needed to be accomplished, let alone do anything that I WANTED to do.

If I had been a stay at home mommy much longer, I am not sure if I would have gotten anything done. It seemed that my Saturday and Sunday with my son were less productive than the actual days that I had to go to work. What is up with that? 

A person would assume the opposite would be true. One would assume that a stay at home mommy has nothing else to do but watch a kid, but guys it is SOOOOOOOO much more than that! I promise you, it is soooooo much more. So don't dis those stay at home mommies because it is much more than a mommy that stays in her pjs all day (although that can be fun too). I PROMISE YOU!!

However, in the barefoot world, or at least in my barefoot world, work (job related) time is quickly pushed aside. What is it pushed aside for? That is easy. It is for play time, mommy's craft time, or barefoot in the kitchen time. 

However, even those moments (mommy's craft time or kitchen time) are quickly replaced with cuddles and snuggles.  

And work (as in the stuff I need to do to make our household run halfway efficiently or heck even at all) is replaced with storybook time, or  it is replaced with whatever else is left to do in the fraction of time that I seem to have to do it.

I will tell you what, those of you who are really listening. I have a new-found respect for the mommies out there, especially the stay at home ones. 

You must have some kind of schedule that I have no clue about (but would love to hear about seeing as how different school breaks are fast approaching, and I will again be a stay at home mommy for a little while at least). 

I have no clue as to what kind of schedule or how I am going to structure my day and my son's day. I don't want to do a complete upheaval of his routine as it is. 

SO MOMMIES OF THE WORLD HELP ME TO HELP MY SON:: give me guidance.

I respect us mommies out there. So much more now, than I did even 8-9 or even 13 months ago. We are mommies. 

We are mommies when we are hurt, or sick, or tired. 

We do the laundry, the cooking, the cleaning, the bottles, the diapers, the bedtimes and God knows what else which leaves us with virtually no time at the end of the day for us. Because we are mommies.

I feel like I "literally" have to claw my way to carve out some "me" time and usually that means something has to be put aside.  Even if it is for 30 minutes or even til the next day-heaven forbid. But ladies, it is essential to take a moment or two or even three to make some time for yourself. It is essential for you as a mommy. It is essential for you as a wife. It is essential for you as a woman and a human being. If you dedicate your entire life to one thing and one thing only it is gonna make for a pretty terrible outcome. Again, it is all about BALANCE. It is also about knowing that even in that balance, it is OKAY to drop the ball.

Trust me, those dishes aren't going anywhere ladies, and they certainly aren't going to be fairy god-mothered and get up dancing and find themselves magically washed in the correct cabinet. 

Those things only happen in children's movies-in real life-only we wished. 

That is, unless you have a sweet hubby like mine who doesn't mind (occasionally) getting his hands dirty with the "womanly" duties.

 (As long as he refuses to wear the ice blue colored gown or even the daisy looking Vera Bradley print apron in the pantry, we are a okay).

Anyway, but by the time you steal away a second of time for yourself, then it is midnight.  So you pour yourself into bed, too tired to talk to your spouse, let alone watch a movie or be intimate. 

It is funny, I can remember a time when my husband and I couldn't watch a whole entire movie together and it wasn't because we were falling asleep. Oh no. It was that we couldn't keep our hands off one another. Tickling, poking at, cuddling up, and whatever goes on behind closed bedroom doors. 

But life, she changes. 

A baby changes your life. I am not saying that to freak you out, but you need to know that. 
Especially those teenagers of mine who think that everything is going to be a fairy tale because they are now pregnant. Oh you poor girls. You just don't understand do you?Never, ever will things be the same again. EVER.

A BABY

It changes your relationship. Unfortunately, too many relationships now are built on the wrong things and cannot withstand the strain that a new baby can bring. Because I can guarantee you, your life is going to change. It will be different, whether you are in your 30s like me or in your 20s or even your teens. I guarantee you that you have never experienced this kind of upheaval in your life before. 

If there is someone out there whose relationship didn't change even in the least little bit, I would love to meet you because you are truly an anomaly in my opinion. 

I thought my relationship was like the brick house. Like the brick house in the three little pigs...unmovable, unshakable and unable to be blown away by the storm or even pesky wolves in sheep's clothing.

But if all the residents of said brick house do not feel the same way,then the brick might as well have been straw or sticks. If one doubts, then your "house" is at risk. So said the last little pig. 

Now, I am not a little pig but a human being and for the rest of us out there, when you have a child, your relationship will/might stall out. It will be like you are on hold listening to that god awful elevator music. The biggest problem will be that the elevator is stuck in between floors and you can't get off. And the music keeps playing and playing and playing til you want to pluck your eyeballs straight out your head and put 3 lbs of pressure on each of your ears to remove them. 

It will remain that way-same ol' level, same ol' song, until you press a button-until you change it-until you make it a priority and get that elevator moving. Go up or down or even go Willy Wonka style and take it sideways and slantway-just get it moving again.

(I know it is crappy for a teacher to start a sentence with and and because but it is totally warranted in this particular situation) 

AND it is a priority! 
BECAUSE your children learn how to love from you. They look to you and what do you want them to see?

I want to teach and show my son how it is to love and be loved. I want him to see what love is and should be through us-my husband and I. 

Research shows ( I know there I go spouting research again in the middle of a serious, although somewhat funny topic) that we emulate our parents. 

If that is the case, I want my son to emulate what we were before sleepless nights, parenting conflicts, and time management or lack there of, claimed our lives.

Like I said, it is about priorities. Your priorities should be you, your children, and your spouse (not necessarily in that order and not necessarily the whole list). The other stuff, well it can wait. You can drop the ball. It will always be the OTHER stuff. 

The less important stuff. I guarantee it will always be there;however, you, your family, your children, your spouse, well they may not.

Motherhood: A Balancing Act~ A series

Standing, no hopping on 1 foot because my Yorkie is running around my feet, with a 20+ pound chunkers on my right arm, bottle in my right hand, baby spoon sticking out of my mouth sideways like one of those cavemen that have the bone sticking out of their nose, with my dinner in my left hand and baby's dinner in the crook of my arm, trying to juggle the ringing phone, the Facebook messages, the incessant @&$ beep of the I-pad telling me I have a new message or email, a husband asking me where something is that is completely out in the open in the refrigerator, but he still can't see it or find it and trying to choke out an answer to him over the spoon in my mouth, all while balancing a little colorful ball on my nose (just kidding about the ball-but that is how I feel sometimes). I feel like the little circus seal who does all these little tricks just to earn a fish-but I don't like fish. 

It is a wonder I don't drop things. 

Wait a minute! Sometimes, I do. I DROP THE BALL! I drop the effin ball!

I drop the food, the phone, the messages, the emails, time to blog and record my life and history, BUT NEVER, EVER, EVER do I drop the baby! 

But I do let him monkey climb into his Baby Einstein....ehhhh

Life for me has become a balancing act. A tight rope walk over a flood and fire, and everything else in between. Heck, motherhood has become a balancing act, a whole new host of responsibilities that now I have to juggle with two hands, two feet and one mouth. 

It has become all about making priorities, (and breaking them) all in the name of a little chubby boy that calls me momma or ma-ma-ma. And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

At first, the thought of not being able to do everything, not complete my daily, weekly, yearly check list seemed to splinter my mind as I could not fathom how I would be able to let things go. I didn't know how I would let things fester on the back-burner  I didn't know how I would simply let things pile up-the laundry, the dishes, the umpteen thousand emails and missed phone calls, but I did. And I would again. 

All in the name of a little boy named Korbin Bru. Do I regret it? Heck no! I would do it all again, exactly the same way, as long as my little man is happy and healthy.

The moments with him are fleeting at best. Everyday he learns something new. He grows. He surprises me with his understanding of what I say or sign everyday. He shows he understands emotions when he hits and I act like I am crying, and  hugs me to show he is sorry. But I am wise enough to know that the time like this is fleeting. It is not constant. It is like the wind and the rain-unpredictable to a point. 

Soon, he will not want me to rock him or hold him or feed him. He will want to do it all by himself because he is that independent type. know he will be squirming to get out of my lap and go explore on his own. In truth, sometimes, even at 13 months, he does it now. He won't want to give away his kisses so freely as he does now(or more exactly, used to do), or want to get in my lap to play, or have me to read to him. (although I have to say that the wanting to get in my lap to hear a story has drastically increased--as long as he brings me the book---usually an Elmo rhyming book). 

I know in a few months that he will not need me like he does now. He will want to do it. Mr. Independent. He will want to search and explore his own world, and discover it with his own eyes, hands, and feet. He will run freely when I open his playroom gate with the exclamation "Free the prisoners" because his Bella dog is with him too. This causes an absolute run to the adult retreat because it is sooooo cool in a babies eyes that he can't have all the cool toys and buttons to push in his room. 

But in the end, at the end of the day, Mommy will be there (all the time), watching with her watchful, hawk like eyes and proud heart. 

I always  never thought I would be a stay at home mom, until my heart began living outside my body on that September day. 

But then, just for a moment (5 months) I thought I could do this. 

I thought that I could be a stay at home mommy. 

But alas, the teaching profession beckoned me back again. It calls out to me like a ghost in the night...and I (kicking and screaming) rejoin the workforce.

And I kicking and screaming...rejoin the living.
And I kicking and screaming...rejoin motherhood...c

Barefoot in the Kitchen: Cream Cheese Danish

My husband loves all things sweet. I have watched him pound down four jelly doughnuts in the time that it would take me to eat a half of one-no joke. That man is a Hoover, and sometimes I have to ask him if he even tasted his food because he inhales it. I definitely cannot keep up-and really don't think that I would want too!  I guess that is the military man in him.

So one morning, I decided to whip up an alternative to his jelly doughnut- one that might be slightly healthier for him- but honestly not much. At least it isn't FRIED!

Cream Cheese Danish

2 tubes reduced fat crescent rolls

Filling
2 8 oz bars of fat free cream cheese
1/4 c egg beaters or one whole egg
1 c of Splenda
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 t almond extract
Optional 1 cup fresh fruit or pie filling or preserves
 * I personally pick fresh fruit but if I don't have any then sugar free preserves is always my next go to.

Topping
1 egg white whisked

Icing
1/2 powdered sugar
2 tbsp skim milk
1 t vanilla but let's be honest I always use a little more

In a 13 x 9 greased pan, put in 1 can of the crescent rolls and pat it out, sealing the perforated pieces.

Barefoot in the Kitchen: Pizza

In my house, pizza is a must, but I hate the grease pooled extra large, extra cheese heart attack in the box that you can have delivered in 30 minutes or less. Now, I am not knocking it because yes I have and still do get a pizza on occasion, but if I have a choice then I choose to make my own. Unless I am out of time or in a hurry, then I hit speed dial. 

Pizza Ingredients 

• Pizza dough-whatever or however you want to make it
• Pizza sauce-homemade or choose a Chef Boyardee
• Minced garlic and butter melted (1/2 tbsp) together
• Seasonings: Italian, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper-optional (1 t each)
• Veggies:
• peppers-red, yellow, green (whatever I have on hand)
• Spinach (on my part)
• Red onion
• Mushrooms
• Black olives
• Banana peppers
• Turkey pepperoni
• Italian sausage (on his part)
• Fat free or part skim mozzarella cheese (freshly grated is optional)
• Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)

Prepare your pizza dough. Spread it out on a pizza stone. Brush the garlic butter mixture on the pizza dough. Spread on your pizza sauce. Sprinkle the seasonings all over the pizza. Add your vegetables and then meat. Top with your cheese and bake 425 for 25-30 minutes.

Baby's First Birthday: Inspiration

A baby's first birthday is a momentous occasion...at least for the parents. For my baby, as many others, it will be the first time he or she gets to rip into a cake. We are talking sugar overload here. Like cake on the walls, in the hair, down deep in the diaper, and the many folds of their chubby (read cute) legs.

If any of you are like me, you actually dread this moment because you know how much energy your little one has before you inject major doses of sugar into their little bodies. This fact alone makes me only want to serve him a cupcake and pray that he does the finger poke and that is all, but then again, I don't want to rob him from that right of passage. 

But me being the person I am, I want an unforgettable party-even if he will not remember it. (Except for the hundreds of photographs that the photographer I hired will take). 

I wanted to come up with an idea that hasn't been done to death or all together too clique or weird. So, after searching through many google searches, Pinterest searches, Amazon searches, and image searches for first birthdays, I came up with a Prince party. There have been so many princess parties-I am talking out the ying yang massive amounts of girly princess parties. Well, I think of my little boy as my knight in shining armor so why shouldn't I give him a little prince party. I found a few parties but only one that was the gold theme, royally sweet, and one more of a knight party. Of course there are all kinds of blue party stuff and even baby shower prince ideas, but just not exactly what I was looking for. So, I began with the lace crowns, a few empty bottles of Starbucks Frappuccino (hey how else could I get my energy), and loads of gold spray paint. 

When I started thinking of color, I got a little jumbled. I am a nice neutral Girl and started out with just wanting to use white, like in his nursery. However, while in his nursery one day I spied the little golden crown that I purchased from Hobby Lobby for like 2 bucks on clearance. Then, I knew my colors would be gold and silver and that the crowns would be my "crowning glory" so to speak (ignore my awful pun). 

So, that was that. I would have a gold and silver prince party featuring crowns for my son's first birthday party. 

Then, to the hard part, the food. This was really very simple as I decided that I wanted the theme to be "Royally Sweet" early one and do like tea party type foods. 

Check out My Pinterest Board filled to the brim with ideas about this wonderful event. 

Some of my favorites were the Homestyle Mac and Cheese Minis, the First Birthday Chalkboard (it is a must for those chalkboard lovers like me), the Milk Bottles, glitter dipped mason jars (love the black one, it is one my to do list), and the lace crowns.They all made an appearance at my little man's birthday party, with some of my own little twirks and twists. 

I love this keep sake. For the party I mounted it on a black dollar tree board. It was a little more expensive than everyone says to get it printed at Office Max. I have over 60 in this but to me, it is worth it.