New year, New things...

Here we are again. The start of 12 new months on dear planet Earth. I have to be honest, 2015 was an insanely busy year here. A baby, a toddler, school , taking care of a house, (barely) managing bills and in between all of that...trying to find time for myself. It was great, and stressful, wonderful and exhausting. At this very moment I am sitting down for the first real time today. My kids are in bed, my hubs is making popcorn and we are getting ready to continue RE watching "Breaking Bad" on Netflix. I love this time so much, though in the back of my mind I am thinking that I shouldnt stay up too late because my darling little one will be waking to eat at some point. That point is usually as soon as I am falling into sleep. Oh well, as mamas we do what we have to do. I will take my two hours a night with my love and risk less sleep. It wont happen forever, and one day I will be missing snuggling my babies in the middle of the night. 

I am not one that believes in making New Years resolutions. I feel like when trying to make one of these promises to yourself, it is just really for talking purposes. It is hype. I am sure there are people out there who do it and can stick to their guns and that is wonderful. I am not one. I wish I was. No, what I believe in is setting goals. Taking little steps to accomplish something you truly want. There are a few things I want to try and change this year. Things for my family, but also for me. Since 2012 I have either been pregnant or nursing (with about a yr in the middle off) and yep, still nursing at the moment. However, there is no reason why I cannot set a few goals now evem though part of me still physically belongs to someone else for the next few months. Dont get me wrong, I love being home with my children. The thought of having to have left them and gone back to work makes me want to cry! I wouldnt trade one crazy day of the last 2.5 years, but when you are a mama, one that stays   home and probably one that works also, you tend to lose a bit of yourself. You become so wrapped up in taking care of your little family that you sometimes forget to take care of yourself...or perhaps youre just too darn tired. I have decided that this year that will change. In order for me to be the best mother and wife, I need to be happy and to focus a little on myself. And there is nothing wrong with that. 

So, here are a few goals I am setting for myself in 2016. They may not happen in order, they may not happen at all...but I am going to do my best to tackle them in small bits. If I try to many things at once, forget it. I will become overwhelmed and will give up all together. 

1. Budget!! By The end of March I will have a budget in place and will stick to it best I can. With a husband who works seasonally and myself who does not work...you can imagine how tight things get this time of year. I WILL find a budget that works for us. No more sweating and stressing over bills.

2. Use my cook books. I have many cookbooks that are taking up space in my cabinets and I refuse to get rid of them. Every few weeks I will take out my books and plan meals. I will post each that I do. 

3. Keep up with my blog. I was not great with this in 2015. This is a wonderful space to be creative and get my thoughts out, even if noone reads it. I will try for the first 3 months of this year to organize and plan blog topics. I will try to make this page more fun and informational. Continuing on the theme of natural living.

4. Me time. This will be sporadic b/c I do have two littles who require my attention 95% of the time...but I am promising myself that I will find time to do something that I want. Read a book, take a drive, get coffee with a friend, take a bath, etc...It is going to happen. 

5. Take charge of my health. Even if it is only 30 minutes a day, I need to get some exercise in. I do not do anything besides chase kids and go up and down stairs. I have this post-double C section pooch that I want gone. I will try to add healthier options to my food choices and try to work out at least 3 times a week.  

6. Random Acts of Kindness. This is something that I have done and enjoy doing, but would like to do more of. I think I can handle a RAK once a month.

In fact I KNOW I can. It is important to think of others even when trying to better yourself. There is so much negative going on on the world, we need to remind people that good still exists. 

7. Put more energy into my business. As I may or may not have mentioned, I am a Young Living Essential Oil distributor. Hoping to spread the word about a product I love and help out my home financially. My goal for this is to have sold at least 1 full kit by April. I will invest more time in talking to clients and sending samples etc...time to get serious. 

For now, these are the main things I want to focus on in my life for the start of 2016. It seems like a lot, but like I said...they may happen randomly and when timing allows, or they may not happen at all. I set them as goals however because I plan on meeting each one this year. No matter when it happens. I will follow up with posts and I encourage anyone else to set their own goals. Start with one and once its met, try another. Just the thought of it already makes me smile!!

Have a peaceful sleep all 

Xo

New Developments!

There has been a lot of changes happening in our home over the last few months. I have not had any time to sit down and create a post. Truth be told, there was not much too interesting to share. I have just been busy, and although I could write a lot about it...it just did not seem like anything worth reading. Everyone has busy lives, that is nothing out of the ordinary. Now that things are (sort of) settling down, I figured it was a better time to share. 

I gave birth to our second baby boy this past Monday the 18th. He was a planned C section, born at 7:48 in the morning. He was and is beautiful. Healthy weight and height and such a cuddle bug. I was very uncomfortable at the end of this pregnancy and I spent a lot of time in our bath tub trying to ease the pain I was feeling. I was very ready to get baby boy out of there. We spent only 2 full days and nights in the hospital and were let go by lunch time that Wednesday. Since it was a second C section the doctors said if I was feeling up to it and the baby was doing well then we had the option to go home earlier than the three full days they normally keep a C section patient. Of course I wanted to go home. There is no real sleep when you're in the hospital, and I was feeling stiff from being in the bed most the time. Plus my husband had to be home (besides delivery day) with our toddler the entire time I was in the hospital and I wanted to at least be home to give the boy some sense of normalcy.

We have been home a week now and adjusting ok. The first 5 days home I slept downstairs with the baby...just to get him used to his bassinet and to see what his sleep schedule would be like. I did the same with our first when he was born. I did not want my hubs to wake every time the baby had to feed. We are back in our room now and to my surprise this baby is actually letting me get some sleep in. Number one was up every three hours almost to the T...this babe is giving me a little more time that that. Last nite we only woke twice! He slept for 5 hours straight, woke, ate, fell back asleep for another 2 hours and woke at 530 am. He sleeps a lot during the day which is nice b/c then I can spend time with my toddler as well as get things done around the house. Fingers crossed he continues this behavior. I was and still am a little nervous about being by myself with the two kids. Not safety wise, just busy wise. My toddler is on the run and into everything, pushing my buttons and not listening all the time. Now I have an infant who is breast feeding and that takes time out of the day for which I have to sit and cannot chase the other one around. I sure hope the amount of busy I will be aids in the baby weight loss!! Haha.

As much as getting up early is never really wanted, I am enjoying it because my hubs gets up at 500am and for the last few days I can enjoy a coffee with him while he gets ready for work. The toddler is still asleep until about 730 and the baby usually falls back asleep after feeding, so I actually get some quiet/relax time. I need that iced coffee every morning and it is nice to enjoy it in peace!

Anyways, this is the newest development in our little corner of CT. I really and truly hope to find time a couple days a week to sit and write more. I do love to write. With the nicer weather and farmers markets, etc there will be so many fun things to talk about. I hope to try some new spring/summer recipes and share them here also. For those that read this, thanks for just looking! For those that don't, well I really write for me...so its ok.

Time to get the toddler up from bed. Until next post!

xo

Three Things Thursday

I thought instead of a typical post, I would talk about three blogs I am loving these days. When I find myself at the computer or on my i pad, I visit the same places almost every time. This morning, I am sitting with my second iced coffee, my son is enjoying some Mickey Mouse and toast and the hubs is off to work. These days my sons nap time has turned in to school time for me as I mentioned previously I am taking two online classes. So early morning or late night will be the only times I have to sit and write about things that interest me. So lets just get into it shall we?

 First blog: Natalie Creates. I cannot express how glad I am to have stumbled upon her site. Everything about her style is exactly what I love. From her adorable little farm house, to her actual farm "Freckled Hen Farm" it is so comforting to sit and scroll through her daily posts, look at her bright and colorful photos, and then wish I had her here to completely re do the inside of my house hahah. She is extremely organized and one thing I think is wonderful (though my hubs would never be into anything like this) is that she and her husband have weekly and monthly meeting together to discuss finances and plans etc. If you check out her pinterest board she has one dedicated to organization, which is something I could really get better at. She does a lot of decorating with simple items she gets at thrift stores. I never seem to find anything when I go to one! Maybe its just that I am not as creative. She owns her own Etsy shop and makes adorable home made items. Coffee cup cozys, head bands, decorative things, etc...On top of that she runs her farm with her hubs and its complete with animals and an amazing garden. The photos she shares of what they harvest are amazing. I would give anything to have land like that and to have a garden and place for all those animals. Right now our chickens will have to do. Trust me, if you are into the same things I talk about...you will love her just as much. She is on instagram and Pinterest. The farm is on facebook. Links are at the bottom. Seriously, take a peek!!

ETSY SHOP

INSTA

PINTEREST

FRECKLED HEN FARM

Second blog: The Chicken Chick  For anyone else who owns and loves their chickens, this is a new blog I came across that is super informative and all around fun to browse. If you want to know anything about the health of your chickens, to why they do certain things they do, how to keep the coop clean easily, fun healthy snack ideas, etc...this blog has all that and more. Take a few minutes and navigate around her site. One of my favorite things she does is Flock Focus Friday where she puts up photos of different chicken breeds. She has a lot of giveaways also. Her DIY projects are amazing. There is just so much going on on her website and if you love chickens like we do then you will find it nothing but interesting. I also follow her on pinterest. She has a lot of social media pages which I will list a few. Grab a big cup of joe and head over for a visit.

FACEBOOK

PINTEREST

TWITTER

INSTA

Third blog: For The Love Of Cooking This is not an actual blog, but she is a "food blogger" and this website is where she posts delicious recipes for those of us that like to cook. I have made a few things from her site. Her recipes are simple and she lists the steps easy to follow. Her photos are bright and close up so you can see how to make the dish. She tends to use a lot of organic ingredients which of course, I love. She has an amazing amount of recipes to choose from and they are organized into categories. So if you need something quick, just jump on and find what you're in the mood for. I hit the Italian link often. It can be overwhelming searching online for a recipe because there are so many wonderful sites out there. But if I can suggest one to make it a little easier...try here first. 

FACEBOOK

TWITTER


There you have it. Three places I enjoy spending my online time. Feel free to check them out and let me know what you think!!

Take care for now!

xo

Happy New Year! I'm back...I think!

The hub bub of 2014 has come to an end, and things are settling down around here. For a few months I just needed a break from writing. To be honest, there wasn't too much going on in that time that I felt was worth a blog post. I have a almost 1.5yr old that takes up the majority of my time and whenever I even thought about sitting down I couldn't. He is everywhere, climbing, "loving" our pets a little too much, getting in to ANYTHING his little hands could pry open, etc. If you have kids, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I felt bad about slipping with my writing, but I'm no fool, I know my blog is not famous and there aren't people waiting for posts. Which then, makes me feel not so bad. But I do appreciate those that take a moment and read once a post is up. So....back to 2015!

This year our family is growing by one! We just found out that its another boy! He will be here around mid May. I cannot believe that it is only 4 months away. I feel like we just found out we were expecting. So now it is time to work on another room and get it baby ready. I wont lie, a huge part of me was hoping for a girl. I would love to have one of each. I think my husband is all set with two kids and I am on the fence because of that little girl I want. But we will see what happens down the road. We also want to buy a house in the next couple years and that is really most important. We love our little home now, but we rent it from my in laws and it is small. Too small for our growing family. Two kids are fine for now! 

Another change this year (which I am probably nuts for attempting right now) is that I am going back to school this semester. I have been in college for more years than I care to admit, but money or work or lack of motivation always stood in my way. I finally decided that I need to make moves in terms of a career. I will be 31 in 2 days and I don't even have my associates. I never qualified for aid so I never could afford school. I finally sat down with someone at the college and was approved for full financial aid....most likely because I am not working and have a child/one on the way. I kinda think that's lame however. It shouldn't be just because I have dependents. That is a whole other discussion, I am grateful to finally be covered and afford to take some classes. I am hopefully working towards the major "Pathways to Teaching" with the goal in mind of teaching reading and writing at a middle school level. That could change, but Id like to stay in the teaching field. I will be taking 2 classes online this semester which starts Jan. 20 and goes right until May. So I have to squeeze out finals right around the time we are having a baby!! I'm determined though...we'll see how it goes.

I am not one for making resolutions for the new year...I feel like a lot of the time its pressure to stick to something and you quit. Many people don't, but its not my thing. It does however get me to reflect on the year prior and think about how I can change certain things or do things differently this year. I wont promise my self anything, but I do think more. I love this quote, its pretty much the way I'm thinking about 2015...Now, it is not meant to be literal, the chances of me swimming in the rain are slim haha, but I want to keep things simple. I love the idea of simple living. Buy a plant and water it...I can do that!!! Invite a friend over for coffee or tea and have a meaningful conversation...I need to do this more often. Come winter I tend to stay cooped up at home because I do not like the cold. Id rather stay in my sweats near the wood stoves. I need to venture out more, see friends and have them here. Adult time is a must. Id like to be more creative. I found this WONDERFUL blog and her style is everything I love. I have used some of her ideas as inspiration in my home, and I would like to do more. I just need to get motivated and do it. Her blog is here : http://natalienoack.blogspot.com/
It is my most favorite spot to visit these days.

 Lastly, LET GO OF WHAT DOESNT MAKE YOU HAPPY. I am not typically an unhappy person. I love to laugh and have fun, but there are a few people in our lives that are more negative than positive. Any time we have conversations with them they always have something or someone to complain about or talk about etc and it is tiring. In my home I put inspirational sayings in frames in each of our rooms, so that we can take a moment and think about the good in our lives. Also should these people ever stop over, they can see that we choose joy...not negativity. I know you cant always be happy, and things occur in life that are not always good...but I try to remember that it could be worse. I've tried to remind my husband of this when he gets stressed about money. We have a home, a healthy child, we have money though it may not be a lot, he has a good job, and family that we can count on. For that we are truly blessed. 

I hope to have a chance to sit and write more. With the nursery project coming I will try and share as it moves a long. I hope everyone had a wonderful end to 2014 and that 2015 brings new and exciting things, positivity, and laughter. 

Happy New Year to you!! 

xo