Pinterest addict. Hiiiiiii, Jenni!
In case you haven't jumped on this bandwagon, Pinterest has become a new passion of mine. It's a website packed full of yummy recipes, craft ideas, witty posters and just about everything in between - and you can "pin" said items & keep them organized in cute little books for future reference. If you haven't checked it out, please do so. Or wait. Maybe you shouldn't. I don't really know what advice to give you other than... beware. Pinterest, linked with Facebook is like chocolate-covered crack. I mean, I'm guessing that's what it's like. I'm an addict of many things (coffee, sleep, laughing, Facebook...), but crack is not one of them. ;)
Okay so, the point of my post is this: I've been inspired by so many things on Pinterest that I think my blog will now consist of sharing these ideas from time to time. I've tried two new recipes, have organized several areas of my kitchen, and have a whole LIST of things floating around my head of how I'm going to decorate this or that.
Lots of my friends are also fellow "chocolate-covered crack" addicts as well. And the neat thing about Pinterest is that you can follow your friends, much like Facebook, and see what they're pinning as well. It's been interesting to see how our tastes are the same, and also how different they are in many ways. Several of us have tried recipes and critiqued them... deciding if they're worth repeating, sharing, etc.
So, I think I'm going to instill "Crockpot Monday" for a while. Let's face it, who wants to worry about coming home & fixing dinner on a MONDAY? You back there in the corner with your hand up? You don't count. ;) Monday's are a little crazy for us (okay, let's throw in Wednesday's and Friday's, too -- those are swim practice nights... oh, and let's not forget about Thursday -- that's Scouts night). Ya so only Tuesdays are normal for us. We don't always get to eat dinner as a complete family. So, having something in the crockpot is really nice so even if we have to eat in shifts, something is always ready.
I am challenging myself to try a new recipe every Monday to broaden our stale menu routine we seem to have going here. Who's with me?
Friday, September 30, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
It's amazing...
what a little sleep & a week with both kids going to school can do for a girl!
By no means am I caught up on ANYthing, but I'm getting a good start. After the previously mentioned "month from well, you know where", I've been frantically trying to catch up on things, regain my perspective and just live.
For reasons unknown to me, I was in the mood to paint on Monday. So, I decided to roll with it. While I love to paint (no really, I do!), the mood doesn't always strike me - mainly because I just don't have enough time to dedicate to completing a job. (wait, maybe it's that I just don't want to commit to finishing a job in a certain time. Hmmm....) So, three years ago we built this house. And for some reason, our builder would not paint the inside of our house anything other than the standard "flat white paint". Even after offering money under the table to the painters, the answer was still "no". Seriously?! The walls look so pretty with flat, white paint. NOT. (sorry, if any of you reading this enjoy flat, white paint, I didn't write this to offend you -- it's just not my choice of paint type or color.)
The day before our movers arrived, I painted the walls that the giant furniture (read: the furniture I never plan on moving until the day we decide to move again) would be up against. That equaled four walls. And those four walls were not in the same room. I thought having a blank canvas would be so awesome. I could pick ANY color I wanted! However, because I'm a freak, I have to have things "just so"... and make sure each room flows into the next. That has created a wall (no pun intended) for me to hide behind. Because there are many rooms in this house, it sort of overwhelmed me as to how one was going to flow into the next. I'm no interior decorator. I'm the girl who buys countless things to "decorate" my house, and they remain sitting in my basement storage room or garage because I can't figure out where to put them!
I finally painted the downstairs bathroom this week. Baby steps, right? It really is amazing how a gallon of paint can change the look of a room. What started out as a dull, boring room - (but really, are bathrooms meant to be exciting?!) has turned into a nice, classic room. And, might I mention, one that is in the same color family as the kitchen... which is right next to it. See, it's flowing!
Long story short (and the actual point of this post)... I'm finally getting to the place where I am doing things that I want to do. I'm regaining control and putting things where they need to be in order for my family & house to run smoothly. Hooray!! It'll always be a work-in-progress, but this is the kind of work I like. :)
Just reflecting on the week, it's really been a pretty good one! I checked off painting a room that had been on my "to do" list for 3 years; I had brunch with a best friend (and then we did a little retail therapy!); Thing 1 & I worked on a science project together; Thing 2 started swim team; I got to spend time with my parents; took dinner to a friend who just had surgery; got to help out in Thing 2's classroom; and I get to spend today doing laundry. Okay so the last thing isn't super enjoyable (and for any of you who know me, you KNOW I really don't enjoy laundry!)... I'm not going to complain though. I'm just thankful for many things. And this week is one of them. :)
By no means am I caught up on ANYthing, but I'm getting a good start. After the previously mentioned "month from well, you know where", I've been frantically trying to catch up on things, regain my perspective and just live.
For reasons unknown to me, I was in the mood to paint on Monday. So, I decided to roll with it. While I love to paint (no really, I do!), the mood doesn't always strike me - mainly because I just don't have enough time to dedicate to completing a job. (wait, maybe it's that I just don't want to commit to finishing a job in a certain time. Hmmm....) So, three years ago we built this house. And for some reason, our builder would not paint the inside of our house anything other than the standard "flat white paint". Even after offering money under the table to the painters, the answer was still "no". Seriously?! The walls look so pretty with flat, white paint. NOT. (sorry, if any of you reading this enjoy flat, white paint, I didn't write this to offend you -- it's just not my choice of paint type or color.)
The day before our movers arrived, I painted the walls that the giant furniture (read: the furniture I never plan on moving until the day we decide to move again) would be up against. That equaled four walls. And those four walls were not in the same room. I thought having a blank canvas would be so awesome. I could pick ANY color I wanted! However, because I'm a freak, I have to have things "just so"... and make sure each room flows into the next. That has created a wall (no pun intended) for me to hide behind. Because there are many rooms in this house, it sort of overwhelmed me as to how one was going to flow into the next. I'm no interior decorator. I'm the girl who buys countless things to "decorate" my house, and they remain sitting in my basement storage room or garage because I can't figure out where to put them!
I finally painted the downstairs bathroom this week. Baby steps, right? It really is amazing how a gallon of paint can change the look of a room. What started out as a dull, boring room - (but really, are bathrooms meant to be exciting?!) has turned into a nice, classic room. And, might I mention, one that is in the same color family as the kitchen... which is right next to it. See, it's flowing!
Long story short (and the actual point of this post)... I'm finally getting to the place where I am doing things that I want to do. I'm regaining control and putting things where they need to be in order for my family & house to run smoothly. Hooray!! It'll always be a work-in-progress, but this is the kind of work I like. :)
Just reflecting on the week, it's really been a pretty good one! I checked off painting a room that had been on my "to do" list for 3 years; I had brunch with a best friend (and then we did a little retail therapy!); Thing 1 & I worked on a science project together; Thing 2 started swim team; I got to spend time with my parents; took dinner to a friend who just had surgery; got to help out in Thing 2's classroom; and I get to spend today doing laundry. Okay so the last thing isn't super enjoyable (and for any of you who know me, you KNOW I really don't enjoy laundry!)... I'm not going to complain though. I'm just thankful for many things. And this week is one of them. :)
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
The month from...
H-E-double-hockey-sticks!
Seriously. I don't want to relive this month again. Ever. I'm looking forward to the time when I can look back on it & not want to cry. So far, I haven't waited long enough.
It started out really great! Mike & I went on a fabulous vacation -- just the two of us! It was really wonderful. Florida, a cruise to the Bahamas, and more Florida beach time. We had no responsibilities. Life was great!
We got back, I got a double-ear infection. (A little souvenir from floating in the ocean in the Bahamas... but it was totally worth it!!) The following Monday (Aug. 8th) I went to Pilates, felt awesome & got some things knocked out that day.
Ryan was in the midst of his "two-a-day" football practices (only they combined both practices into one 4-hour practice). He came home that night, not in good shape. One ER visit & CAT-scan later, it was determined that he had a concussion. ACK!
It felt like we were in a doctor's office about every other day between seeing our Pediatrician and a Pediatric Neurologist. Whenever we weren't in a doctor's office, Ryan was flat-out on the couch. He was so dizzy & his head hurt. Things weren't firing quite right. It was a very trying & scary time.
I had some people telling me that a concussion was no big deal. Y'know, I'm sure lots of things seem like they're not a big deal until they happen to YOU or to YOUR CHILD. I'm sorry. It was a big deal. I love my kids more than the air I breathe. Something happened to one of mine, and all I could do was watch him -- I couldn't take his pain away. All I could do was be there for him. To help him. To support him. To love him.
I understand that there are different levels of concussions. Actually, I've read so many articles - whether they were given to us by a doctor or on the internet, that I feel fairly well-versed on the subject. But the thing with concussions is this... there really isn't a set timeline as far as when a full recovery is made. It can be days, weeks, months or even up to a year. It's not like a broken bone, when at the end of 6-weeks the cast comes off, and viola... your arm is good as new. Nope. It's a sit & wait thing for concussions.
I know that Ryan has youth on his side, and that is a wonderful thing to have. And he's an extremely bright kid (how did I get so lucky?!). But it was scary to watch when I'd ask him to go & wash his hands before dinner & he'd freeze. He could hear what I was saying, and he knew what I was saying... but his brain wasn't telling his body what to do. Then he would get frustrated & break down. So tell me, is that a big deal? Um, yes. It's a big, fat, scary deal. So to anyone who thinks they're not a big deal -- you can keep on thinking that, I certainly can't stop you. But please, I'm begging you, do NOT say that to someone else who is currently dealing with it. Because I can venture to guess they're going to disagree with you. I take my child's head & brain very seriously. He's a smart kid. One stupid sport isn't worth him being permanently damaged because of it.
It took Ryan a good 2 weeks until he was able to be upright without being too dizzy. He still had his headache, but it had lessened. We were getting glimpses of "Ryan" again. And while his teen moodiness is not usually appreciated on a daily basis, it was good to see it back. ;) Things were starting to take a turn for the better. Hooray!
I tried to do as many PTO & photo things as I could from home during Ryan's ordeal. I was essentially at home, almost like when the kids were infants -- I couldn't leave. Mike was working a lot, and we didn't really go much of anywhere. I couldn't leave Ryan alone for long due to his dizziness... so I chose not to go anywhere. It just wasn't worth risking that he would get dizzy & fall... all for me needing to get some bananas? Nope. Thank GOD for good friends. Good friends that go to the grocery store for you. Good friends that come and get your other child & take care of him. Good friends that call & check on you to make sure you haven't lost your mind.
The boys started school on August 23rd. Ryan was more than ready to get out of the house & see his friends. After all, he was starting MIDDLE SCHOOL! (wait, wasn't he just in Kindergarten last year?!) Brandon was starting FOURTH GRADE! (whoa, wasn't he just in Preschool last year??! Ack!) We were all ready for a normal schedule again. And I'll be completely honest, Mama had some serious cabin fever!
Ryan came home from school, was stressed, and took a turn for the worse that night. That landed us back in the doctor's office again the next day - he was out of school on day #2. He was more dizzy than he had been since the concussion happened. After our Pediatrician and the Neurologist conferred, they decided that the dizziness was just his body telling him he needed to slow down. So, he finished his first week of school out in half-days.
While Ry is much, much better... we are still dealing with the recovery. Fatigue seems to play a big part in things. If he's well-rested, he seems to be fine. If he's not, he gets confused easily, and isn't remembering things as he should. All of his teachers are aware of this, so that is a good thing. We are almost a month out from it. I would say he's about 90-95% recovered.
While sitting home during those 2 weeks it allowed me to really take stock in our lives. And after really re-evaluating things, I decided that my priorities were out of whack. I had myself spread too thin, and something had to give. I had been voted in as PTO President (my second go-round), and while I truly love everything about that school/it's staff/students, I decided to resign. I know the amount of time it takes to do the job well -- and I just don't have it. And the thing is, I would make myself crazy knowing that I couldn't give it the 100% I had given it before. It was not an easy decision, but one that needed to be made. I know lots of people can juggle a lot of things at once -- but I had too many things happen within a short amount of time for me to function, and I had reached my breaking point.
Along with missing school from the concussion, we've also dealt with Migraines out the wazoo here. Ryan missed school, Brandon missed school, and I've been down with them. Of all things I could've passed to them... ugh. I wouldn't wish those on anyone!!!
I'm focusing on my family & growing my business. I've been given some wonderful photo opportunities, and had to turn them down due to other obligations. I feel like God keeps giving me things & I keep turning them away. It's time that I stop and appreciate what is given to me instead of going 20 directions at once and not having or taking the time to appreciate them. I'd rather do less things & do them well, than do too many things & half-ass them. Y'know? I'd rather sit at a sporting event for my kids & just be thinking about the sporting event... not about 12 other things.
I purposely took the majority of the summer off from doing pictures so I could enjoy the kids fully when they were home - and I'm glad I did. I got to watch my kids grow & have fun. I saw one have a true passion for a sport (albeit short due to him getting konked in the head!). I saw the other have a passion for claymation & making videos. It also made me realize how much I do love taking pictures (whether I'm good, bad or otherwise - it's my creative outlet... and most of all, it makes me happy), and how much I was missing it. Things are starting to pick up again, and I couldn't be happier! :)
Sorry for the whiny post. It's just not been the greatest month. We're (read: I'm) ready for one complete, normal week of school, attended fully by both boys. I need one uninterrupted week at home to catch up on everything that I haven't been able to do for the last month. If both boys attend school each day this week, it will be the first time since August 8th that I've had time to myself at home: 1) for a period longer than 2 hours; 2)have not been to a doctor's office or 3) have been able to be productive.
I know that my family's month may be nowhere near as bad as someone else's. But, it's all relative, right? All I'm hoping for is a better September. And, it will be. I've decided! :) I came back from vacation in a good place, and felt like I had a new lease on life. After all that has happened, it's hard to push myself to remember how I felt after vacation. August was pretty much a speed bump... but September will be GREAT, I can feel it! :)
Seriously. I don't want to relive this month again. Ever. I'm looking forward to the time when I can look back on it & not want to cry. So far, I haven't waited long enough.
It started out really great! Mike & I went on a fabulous vacation -- just the two of us! It was really wonderful. Florida, a cruise to the Bahamas, and more Florida beach time. We had no responsibilities. Life was great!
We got back, I got a double-ear infection. (A little souvenir from floating in the ocean in the Bahamas... but it was totally worth it!!) The following Monday (Aug. 8th) I went to Pilates, felt awesome & got some things knocked out that day.
Ryan was in the midst of his "two-a-day" football practices (only they combined both practices into one 4-hour practice). He came home that night, not in good shape. One ER visit & CAT-scan later, it was determined that he had a concussion. ACK!
It felt like we were in a doctor's office about every other day between seeing our Pediatrician and a Pediatric Neurologist. Whenever we weren't in a doctor's office, Ryan was flat-out on the couch. He was so dizzy & his head hurt. Things weren't firing quite right. It was a very trying & scary time.
I had some people telling me that a concussion was no big deal. Y'know, I'm sure lots of things seem like they're not a big deal until they happen to YOU or to YOUR CHILD. I'm sorry. It was a big deal. I love my kids more than the air I breathe. Something happened to one of mine, and all I could do was watch him -- I couldn't take his pain away. All I could do was be there for him. To help him. To support him. To love him.
I understand that there are different levels of concussions. Actually, I've read so many articles - whether they were given to us by a doctor or on the internet, that I feel fairly well-versed on the subject. But the thing with concussions is this... there really isn't a set timeline as far as when a full recovery is made. It can be days, weeks, months or even up to a year. It's not like a broken bone, when at the end of 6-weeks the cast comes off, and viola... your arm is good as new. Nope. It's a sit & wait thing for concussions.
I know that Ryan has youth on his side, and that is a wonderful thing to have. And he's an extremely bright kid (how did I get so lucky?!). But it was scary to watch when I'd ask him to go & wash his hands before dinner & he'd freeze. He could hear what I was saying, and he knew what I was saying... but his brain wasn't telling his body what to do. Then he would get frustrated & break down. So tell me, is that a big deal? Um, yes. It's a big, fat, scary deal. So to anyone who thinks they're not a big deal -- you can keep on thinking that, I certainly can't stop you. But please, I'm begging you, do NOT say that to someone else who is currently dealing with it. Because I can venture to guess they're going to disagree with you. I take my child's head & brain very seriously. He's a smart kid. One stupid sport isn't worth him being permanently damaged because of it.
It took Ryan a good 2 weeks until he was able to be upright without being too dizzy. He still had his headache, but it had lessened. We were getting glimpses of "Ryan" again. And while his teen moodiness is not usually appreciated on a daily basis, it was good to see it back. ;) Things were starting to take a turn for the better. Hooray!
I tried to do as many PTO & photo things as I could from home during Ryan's ordeal. I was essentially at home, almost like when the kids were infants -- I couldn't leave. Mike was working a lot, and we didn't really go much of anywhere. I couldn't leave Ryan alone for long due to his dizziness... so I chose not to go anywhere. It just wasn't worth risking that he would get dizzy & fall... all for me needing to get some bananas? Nope. Thank GOD for good friends. Good friends that go to the grocery store for you. Good friends that come and get your other child & take care of him. Good friends that call & check on you to make sure you haven't lost your mind.
The boys started school on August 23rd. Ryan was more than ready to get out of the house & see his friends. After all, he was starting MIDDLE SCHOOL! (wait, wasn't he just in Kindergarten last year?!) Brandon was starting FOURTH GRADE! (whoa, wasn't he just in Preschool last year??! Ack!) We were all ready for a normal schedule again. And I'll be completely honest, Mama had some serious cabin fever!
Ryan came home from school, was stressed, and took a turn for the worse that night. That landed us back in the doctor's office again the next day - he was out of school on day #2. He was more dizzy than he had been since the concussion happened. After our Pediatrician and the Neurologist conferred, they decided that the dizziness was just his body telling him he needed to slow down. So, he finished his first week of school out in half-days.
While Ry is much, much better... we are still dealing with the recovery. Fatigue seems to play a big part in things. If he's well-rested, he seems to be fine. If he's not, he gets confused easily, and isn't remembering things as he should. All of his teachers are aware of this, so that is a good thing. We are almost a month out from it. I would say he's about 90-95% recovered.
While sitting home during those 2 weeks it allowed me to really take stock in our lives. And after really re-evaluating things, I decided that my priorities were out of whack. I had myself spread too thin, and something had to give. I had been voted in as PTO President (my second go-round), and while I truly love everything about that school/it's staff/students, I decided to resign. I know the amount of time it takes to do the job well -- and I just don't have it. And the thing is, I would make myself crazy knowing that I couldn't give it the 100% I had given it before. It was not an easy decision, but one that needed to be made. I know lots of people can juggle a lot of things at once -- but I had too many things happen within a short amount of time for me to function, and I had reached my breaking point.
Along with missing school from the concussion, we've also dealt with Migraines out the wazoo here. Ryan missed school, Brandon missed school, and I've been down with them. Of all things I could've passed to them... ugh. I wouldn't wish those on anyone!!!
I'm focusing on my family & growing my business. I've been given some wonderful photo opportunities, and had to turn them down due to other obligations. I feel like God keeps giving me things & I keep turning them away. It's time that I stop and appreciate what is given to me instead of going 20 directions at once and not having or taking the time to appreciate them. I'd rather do less things & do them well, than do too many things & half-ass them. Y'know? I'd rather sit at a sporting event for my kids & just be thinking about the sporting event... not about 12 other things.
I purposely took the majority of the summer off from doing pictures so I could enjoy the kids fully when they were home - and I'm glad I did. I got to watch my kids grow & have fun. I saw one have a true passion for a sport (albeit short due to him getting konked in the head!). I saw the other have a passion for claymation & making videos. It also made me realize how much I do love taking pictures (whether I'm good, bad or otherwise - it's my creative outlet... and most of all, it makes me happy), and how much I was missing it. Things are starting to pick up again, and I couldn't be happier! :)
Sorry for the whiny post. It's just not been the greatest month. We're (read: I'm) ready for one complete, normal week of school, attended fully by both boys. I need one uninterrupted week at home to catch up on everything that I haven't been able to do for the last month. If both boys attend school each day this week, it will be the first time since August 8th that I've had time to myself at home: 1) for a period longer than 2 hours; 2)have not been to a doctor's office or 3) have been able to be productive.
I know that my family's month may be nowhere near as bad as someone else's. But, it's all relative, right? All I'm hoping for is a better September. And, it will be. I've decided! :) I came back from vacation in a good place, and felt like I had a new lease on life. After all that has happened, it's hard to push myself to remember how I felt after vacation. August was pretty much a speed bump... but September will be GREAT, I can feel it! :)
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