Even though my youngest is now 5, yes F-I-V-E, years old, I look back at this list and remember the exact moment each item happened in our lives. I have friends and family with babies and toddlers. Although my child is well past some of these items (#12 never grows old)- I wanted to share. Enjoy!!
1.Cribs are awesome- until you see your toddler crawl out AND back in again on their own.
2. Toddler mood swings are worse than a teenager with PMS.
3. You relish in the fact you can communicate with your child, but you also realize you will NEVER have a silent car ride again.
4. "What's that?" from the back seat DOES get old...after a while.
5. You can't wait for the day when you are done changing diapers - only to realize you may wind up changing diapers for older family members someday.
6. You never trust the silence coming from their bedroom until it is close to midnight and you can hear your child snoring through the baby monitor.
7. The day you think you don't need the diaper bag because your child is old enough, and the trip is just 20 minutes, you realize that smell isn't coming from outside the car.
8. You will never own anything new for 10 years.
9. Your child will go from cute and cuddly to the spawn of Satan in 2 seconds flat - all over a jelly bean.
10. Toddlers are smarter than you think - WAY smarter than you think.
11. Any person or piece of furniture is a jungle gym, at any time of day or night.
12. Toddlers KNOW they are cute and they know how to use it.
13. It is pretty cool to watch your child complete a task you asked them to do - after asking once!
14. Not so cool to have your toddler ask to help with every chore after that one, OR find them as they are trying to complete a chore on their own. "Yes mommy, I can unload the dishwasher all by myself."
15. You realize that you have more apps on your phone for your kid than yourself - and you use them all every outing you take.
16. You have broken your rule about "no children in the bed" - but only between the hours of 5-7 AM.
17. No matter how pissed you are at your toddler- they just have to smile and you forget why.
18. It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a mountain of M&Ms to potty train a boy...and stickers...and books...and bribes that include Legos, Matchbox Cars and ice cream.
19. You cannot go to the grocery store, Target/Walmart or church without an extra set of hands.
20. Your child can finally tell you where something hurts and it breaks your heart every time they tell you.
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Saying a quiet good bye
This is a prime example of my habit of writing, saving and never publishing. I wrote this a few weeks ago -finally posting now. Enjoy!
2016 was a spectacularly crap-tastic year in many aspects. I honestly don't know where to begin. We had the election that just would not die. We have war everywhere we look; domestically against each other, globally between factions that haven't been at peace for centuries. I could keep going but I'm sure you have your own internal list of "reasons 2016 sucked."
Yet as 2017 gets off to a bitterly cold start I find myself reflecting on the past as I try to prepare myself for the year to come.
I have decided to say a quiet goodbye to a lot of things in 2017.
I'm saying goodbye to social media. I fell off the map late in 2016 and you know what? Life continued!! The sun came up and the world did not end. I have Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. All of which I don't think I have had a legitimate post to in months. I got burnt out on crap so I quit. 2017 will see the same. I may login to Instagram every so often to see the pictures of my cousins and their cute kids and the shenanigans my brother is up to. I am replacing social media with old school communication - well "old school" circa 2010; email and texting. I want real connections again.
I'm saying goodbye to my big world dreams...one dream at a time. At some point in 2016 the light bulb slowly flickered on and the major career ambitious I set for myself when I was a kid had been accomplished, just on a much smaller scale. When I was a kid, I wanted to sing with a band. I wanted to perform in front of people, tour around the country, be the one people sing along with. You know what? I am! I get to sing 2-3 weekends a month with the praise band at church. My voice may have changed over the years but I get to be part of an amazing group of musicians live out my "rock band" fantasy. At my old lady age, I've realized that for now, my dreams of playing the Fargo Theater or venues larger than life just isn't in the cards. Instead I get to sing locally and still be there for my family. Rock Band dream- accomplished.
Same can be said for my modeling/acting "careers". I get to do local theater on occasion. I'm still modeling for a good friend of mine whenever she comes calling. It may not be the cover of InStyle or Cosmo, but I've realized that I HAVE been living my dream all along. I get to walk the runway with kids half my age (or even younger) and hold my own. I got to hold the lead in a major local production a few years ago. The last 3 years I've been the assistant director for the Passion Drama at our church. Acting/Modeling dream-accomplished.
2017 is going to see a quiet goodbye to clutter and crap. I'm tired of seeing things we haven't used in years just sitting there. Our house is too big for our family but that does not mean our house has to be full of stuff. I want 2017 to be a year of connections and experiences. Our older kids are to an age now where they have outgrown toys. Gadgets are cool for a while, but what life lessons are learned when you are face deep in a screen? I'm hoping by eliminating the extra "stuff" we can invite in new experiences.
I'm also saying goodbye to money stress. This one is pretty remarkable. I know it won't be a 100%, cold turkey, turn around and run kind of goodbye. Last year my husband and I went thru Financial Peace University. It was a game changer. We learned so much about each other and our finances it was just scary. We've changed how we communicate - not just about money but about things in general. We now have a budget that we both understand and support. I am sure we will have an occasional bump in the road. But now, after that class, those financial bumps are just that, a speed bump. No more crater-sized holes to work around.
I think that is enough for good-byes. It should be a pretty remarkable year. I'm excited to see where life takes me and my family; physically and figuratively. Check back every so often - you never know when a new post will pop up. And don't forget -there is a link on here for pictures. If you miss me on Facebook, you can check out our family Shutterfly site that has pictures from all our adventures.
2016 was a spectacularly crap-tastic year in many aspects. I honestly don't know where to begin. We had the election that just would not die. We have war everywhere we look; domestically against each other, globally between factions that haven't been at peace for centuries. I could keep going but I'm sure you have your own internal list of "reasons 2016 sucked."
Yet as 2017 gets off to a bitterly cold start I find myself reflecting on the past as I try to prepare myself for the year to come.
I have decided to say a quiet goodbye to a lot of things in 2017.
I'm saying goodbye to social media. I fell off the map late in 2016 and you know what? Life continued!! The sun came up and the world did not end. I have Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. All of which I don't think I have had a legitimate post to in months. I got burnt out on crap so I quit. 2017 will see the same. I may login to Instagram every so often to see the pictures of my cousins and their cute kids and the shenanigans my brother is up to. I am replacing social media with old school communication - well "old school" circa 2010; email and texting. I want real connections again.
I'm saying goodbye to my big world dreams...one dream at a time. At some point in 2016 the light bulb slowly flickered on and the major career ambitious I set for myself when I was a kid had been accomplished, just on a much smaller scale. When I was a kid, I wanted to sing with a band. I wanted to perform in front of people, tour around the country, be the one people sing along with. You know what? I am! I get to sing 2-3 weekends a month with the praise band at church. My voice may have changed over the years but I get to be part of an amazing group of musicians live out my "rock band" fantasy. At my old lady age, I've realized that for now, my dreams of playing the Fargo Theater or venues larger than life just isn't in the cards. Instead I get to sing locally and still be there for my family. Rock Band dream- accomplished.
Same can be said for my modeling/acting "careers". I get to do local theater on occasion. I'm still modeling for a good friend of mine whenever she comes calling. It may not be the cover of InStyle or Cosmo, but I've realized that I HAVE been living my dream all along. I get to walk the runway with kids half my age (or even younger) and hold my own. I got to hold the lead in a major local production a few years ago. The last 3 years I've been the assistant director for the Passion Drama at our church. Acting/Modeling dream-accomplished.
2017 is going to see a quiet goodbye to clutter and crap. I'm tired of seeing things we haven't used in years just sitting there. Our house is too big for our family but that does not mean our house has to be full of stuff. I want 2017 to be a year of connections and experiences. Our older kids are to an age now where they have outgrown toys. Gadgets are cool for a while, but what life lessons are learned when you are face deep in a screen? I'm hoping by eliminating the extra "stuff" we can invite in new experiences.
I'm also saying goodbye to money stress. This one is pretty remarkable. I know it won't be a 100%, cold turkey, turn around and run kind of goodbye. Last year my husband and I went thru Financial Peace University. It was a game changer. We learned so much about each other and our finances it was just scary. We've changed how we communicate - not just about money but about things in general. We now have a budget that we both understand and support. I am sure we will have an occasional bump in the road. But now, after that class, those financial bumps are just that, a speed bump. No more crater-sized holes to work around.
I think that is enough for good-byes. It should be a pretty remarkable year. I'm excited to see where life takes me and my family; physically and figuratively. Check back every so often - you never know when a new post will pop up. And don't forget -there is a link on here for pictures. If you miss me on Facebook, you can check out our family Shutterfly site that has pictures from all our adventures.
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