when life hands you lemons...you toss them in the fridge, grab a cup of coffee, put your hand on your head and think "what have we gotten ourselves into!"

i took a much needed break from writing a couple months ago. and honestly it's still needed. i have been trying to do so many things at once i MAY have over estimated my abilities lol. long story short, i have picked up two work from home (temporary) side jobs, i just opened my Etsy shop for my natural product business "naturali nourished" AND im raising two littles who keep me on my toes all day long. Oh, and to add to that mess....we just found out i'm growing another human being! if super mom exists...well i'm not her haha.

true story

of course with the little life growing inside me, that means my caffeine consumption will be substantially lower. which wont help my current situation. dont even get me started on the loss of my wine:( Ok im not a huge drinker as it is, but let me tell you how much i appreciate the rare glass of moscato! only 34 weeks to go! 

i do have to say i am pretty pumped about my etsy shop. it is quite a tedious task setting one up. and it kinda stinks that they charge fees to list items and then when you sell. but it is what it is. i love the idea of making products people can feel good about using. its so disappointing to see all the crap that is in everything we use. i spent most of the 2 months that i wasnt writing, preparing and gathering stock so that i could put my business out in the open. i have spent hours during my kids naps deciding exactly what i was going to offer, for how much, and all those other tiny details. i am sure it will be slow for a bit, but i hope to make something out of it. i hope more people will realize that chemicals suck and that they can find the same types of things they love...without em!

ive shared this before....but its so freaking true

moving on....as i look around my house im wondering why my husband hasnt left me yet. its a shit hole. ill admit it and while i apologize for the language, its quite true. there are toys and laundry and bits of food and dog hair etc etc everywhere. i cannot keep up!!! i have this vision of being this happy little housewife who keeps the home clean, the children alive and happy, who greets the hubby with a smooch and dinner when he gets home. HA! living in a dream world! i mean, i am certainly a happy wife, but all the rest of that is a joke. i clean this house up best i can when the kids are sleeping. so it looks great for 2.5 hours. after that...forget it. they wake, there are toys everywhere, because...we cant just take out 1 or 2 toys to play with....we have to dig to the bottom of the toy box for that toy no one uses and in doing so we dump out all the others in the way. 

the laundry...forget it. i wash it...fold it, put it back in the basket to "bring it upstairs and put it away". what happens? we end up digging through said basket when we need clothes. the clothes then become unfolded, and thrown downstairs when dirty again. if i dont get those clothes upstairs asap...this is how we will be living until i do. 

i mean...am i the only one?

i posted a while back about how i was going to try and focus more on "me" and making sure i get some time for myself. well, i had my one moms day out months ago and it has not happened since. with a third baby coming it needs to happen, or i may actually go insane. the hubs says he understands and that i just need to tell him when i want to go. but he doesnt REALLY understand how we moms feel. he is a sweety for offering, but usually when i want to try...something has come up of course. the most peace i get usually comes around 8pm when everyone is in bed. sometimes i sit outside and just SIT. the weather is usually super calm at that time...its quiet...and still light enough out. i typically get to watch the sun set. aaaaaaaand then i am in bed by 9 haha. yipeeeee a whole hour to myself! i have to HAVE to get better about this before this one comes. i think its crazy now...i cant even begin to imagine 3. 

until next rant!

xo

self care saturday

...you know that old saying, "if mama aint happy no ones happy"? Well I have realized just how true that is, especially after having my second baby. I have always been a happy and bubbly person. Always the one to make people laugh and put people in good moods. I still am that person, but I have never experienced true stress until having kids. Oh my gosh. I have worked with kids all my working life but it sure is a whole new ball game when you can't clock out at three. I am home all day every day with my littles and I am so blessed to be, but it is a rare occasion when I get a break during the busy day. My toddler naps the same time every day but the baby is not on a set schedule yet, so dual naps hardly happen. Truthfully even if I could get some time alone I would spend it cleaning. I do...spend it cleaning. When my kids are crazy, and the house is a mess, or finances are real tight or god forbid we are OUT of coffee, a mama can start to lose her shit. I have a lot of patience dealing with my kids because I worked with children for so long, but I will be honest...sometime I flip. I give my toddler more chances than my parents ever gave me and still he can be defiant. I eventually end up yelling at him because it is the only way he will listen. Not every time...there are times when he gives me no problems at all. But he is two and a half and this is completely normal. It is mostly when he is bored too...he is a boy that likes to be on the move (ever since in the womb lol) so when it's a day where we are stuck inside or the baby is being very needy, my toddler will act up. I do my best to keep him busy and do activities other than TV, but sometimes nothing helps. Thank goodness for my Stress Away roller bottle. It helps ease the tension (most of the time lol)  Since there is only so much I can do for my children, I decided that perhaps I need to do more for me. I mean, in order to be able to take care of my family, I really need to take care of myself. So....

I came across this list on Pinterest and I thought that it couldn't be more perfect for my dilemma. 

These are great. And simple !! I can do all of these things I just have to make time. The best part is that these are not all physical things you need to do in order to relieve stresses...they are little things that will just brighten a day. Number 3 is buy yourself flowers. I mean come on! I never think to do that, and I love flowers in the home. Peonies are my favorite and last Spring I had some in the middle of the kitchen table and they were gorgeous. How can you have a bad day when a vase of your favorite flowers are there to greet you when you walk in the room? 

Number 12: cook a new dish. I do love to cook but with two kiddos under foot most the time, I try and do the quick and easy dinner routine. Still making healthy meals, just with the usual ingredients. I have not cooked "outside the box" in forever. Guess I can take out my cook books again and find something I have never made and give it a whirl, the hubs would love it. 

Anyways, just seeing this list brightened my spirits a bit. I think parents (not just mamas) forget that they need to take time for themselves. I know many parents are working parents and there is probably less of a chance when you work. But honestly...if it can be fit in somewhere on a weekend or during the week we really should try. I know, easier said than done. But I wish I had thought about this more when I was pregnant. I had more time then than I do now. But I am determined to give it a try...if I am not stressed than my family as well as myself will benefit. 

Also, there is nothing wrong with having a third iced coffee at 430 in the afternoon...absolutely nothing! ;)

xo