time is on my side...

it's late friday night...hubby is out, girls are down...what is a girl to do?  BLOG!  hello!  i CANNOT believe it's friday already!  wednesday was a rainy day and for this lady, that means there is not enough coffee in the world to get me going.  thursday i woke up w/ what i like to call a "rainy day hangover".  gosh i felt like dookie.  if it wasn't for me having to get my daughter to art camp by 10:00 a.m., i probably wouldn't have gotten the day started til the afternoon.  after an afternoon play-date at a water park, i got home just in time to shower and pretty-up for a new women's bible study that night.  and your probably thinking, why pretty-up?  this girl likes to dress for my girls!  these opportunities don't come often so yes, i'm blow drying my hair AND wearing it down.  and yes, i broke out the skinny jeans!  i arrived at my friend's house for the study and i just felt like, "ahhhh," and exhale.  the last two days just felt like somewhat of a blur.  i just somehow made it through, and at the moment i'm surrounded by my compadres, my team mates, my cheerleading squad.  we just happen to be reading a book by the same author of the book i mentioned a couple of days ago.  MAKE OVER: REVITALIZING THE MANY ROLES YOU FILL by jen hatmaker is a fantastic book!  this lady is honest, funny and makes you feel at home.  we started the the evening by going around introducing ourselves and telling everyone what we hoped to get out of this book.  a lot of us knew each other, knew of each other...somehow connected.  the biggest connection was the book of course and we're all just trying to figure out how to "reclaim beauty together in our roles: believer, wife, mother, professional, daughter, and friend." basically, we all feel frazzled most days and we're in this together!

gathering w/ all these ladies reminds me of the other jen hatmaker book i'm reading, OUT OF THE SPIN CYCLE.  one of the recent subjects was having those friends to join you in this crazy part of life.  i thank those friends of mine that are experiencing this young motherhood thing.  we chat it up about our daily adventures and laugh over how we all deal w/ the same day-to-day shenanigans a house of toddlers and babies bring.  it's funny though.  we're always offering each other babysitting, but we don't really take each other up on it!  no matter how many times people offer, we feel bad for asking.  we all have a lot going on and never want to add on to the madness of someone else's day.  i have a solution.  a schedule.  you wouldn't feel so bad asking me to watch your babies one afternoon if you knew next week you would be doing the same thing, right?  anyone else do this w/ your friends?  i've brought it up to a few ladies and hope we start something soon...i hope to let you now how it goes!

i'm amused by the timing of of what's going on right now.  the start of this blog, starting a new bible study and both books i'm reading all go hand-in-hand.  God has a lot in-store for me, and i hope to learn a lot from all of this and hope you do, too!

next week i plan to share a new recipe and project...this blog is about to get a little more lively ;)

it all started with cake pops...

i had been planning for my baby girl's first birthday party and decided i wanted to make cake pops.  i googled "cake pops" and looked at a few recipes.  i came across one that was posted on someone's blog.  there were pictures, step-by-step instructions and a cute narration from someone calling herself "little miss momma."  i had gone back to the recipe a couple of times and decided it was the one i wanted to do.  after writing down what i needed to buy, i started wandering around her blog.  this girl sounded like someone i would like...sweet personality, honest and into a lot of the same things i am.  she talked about fashion, home decor, being a mom, crafts, and even gave a tutorial on how to get her hair-do (which is super cute).  i got to thinking this is what i would LOVE to do!  after reading more about her and why she decided to blog, i was inspired.  i can do this.  it would be fun.  my friends would enjoy it (I HOPE!).  maybe they would feel inspired, too!  i could have links to my friends' businesses.  i could feature them and let them have a moment to shine!  the ideas just kept coming (and they still are) and so one night i went for it.  my husband walked into the study and asked what i was doing..."oh, i'm starting a blog."  you can imagine his bewilderment as i hadn't mentioned it to him at all.  i told him that it was a chance to just unload all the thoughts and ideas in my head.  "you never tell me about any of that," he said.  i explained it was different talking about these things w/ fellow moms and that he prob wouldn't be interested.  he then asked why i couldn't start it later and asked me to come to bed.  i said, "*nope."  that's the problem.  so many times i want to do something whether it be upload 300+ pictures from my camera to the computer, try sewing a pillowcase dress, or update my dandies blog (which i will introduce you to another day ;)), but i don't b/c everyone and everything in this house comes first.  and that's okay.  that's not going to change, but i will make ME a priority, too.  and that is what i hope you start to do, too.  you have an idea, go w/ it!  you want to start that project...the load of laundry sitting on your couch can wait (believe me, it's not going anywhere).  i hear it all the time, "a happy wife, a happy life," and isn't it true?  do something that makes you happy and makes you feel like that girl before you were a wife and a mom...and let it help you be the best wife and mom you can be!

and thank you, ashley stock for doing what you do.  it was b/c of your blog and your words that motivated me to share my dandy life :)

*yeah, i said nope and my poor hubby went to bed. minutes later i followed him to snuggle until he fell asleep. bleery-eyed i returned to my computer to finish what i started!

let's get this party started...

so, i started this blog days ago and have yet to share it w/ anyone!  i wanted it to be a little more "finished", but i'm realizing it's going to be a work-in-progress...my life story!  i have soooo many ideas for this blog and hope to see it all come to fruition.  those of you reading it right now are dear to me.  my friends and fellow moms that are just trying to figure this mom-gig out!  while we absolutely LOVE motherhood, we all know it's tough.  it's a LOT of work...and at the end of the day, after the toys have been picked up and the kids are in bed, we wouldn't mind a little "me" time.  i want to give you a little "you" time.  when you have a moment, check the blog out for some crafty ideas, decorating ideas and maybe a new recipe for dinner.  OR read about how i too went to the dry cleaners to pick up my hubby's clothes only to find out i already had :)  AND get to know some of my mommy friends as i plan to have a "fab-mama-jamma of the month".  it's a place to feel at home...inspired...and leave you feeling like you're not the only crazy one ;)

i leave you w/ this...an excerpt from an awesome book, OUT OF THE SPIN CYCLE: DEVOTIONS TO LIGHTEN YOUR MOTHER LOAD.  i had heard about this book, and my friend, brooke, mentioned how much she loved it, so i went to buy it, and i too love it!  she also said she wanted to share this poem with everyone, but it was a bit long to type.  so, let me give you a hand, brooke ;)

here's to you lovelies!

A (Fairly Lame) Ode to Mothers


An ode to the marvelous woman called "Mother"
Though not one of us is exactly like another.
From the second we're born to the minute we die
Our preferences are as limitless as stars in the sky.

We might have been perfectly gracious before
But childbirth entered us in the Mommy War.
Rather than letting everyone else be
We criticize parenting that isn't exactly like . . . me.

So once and for all let me put this to rest
None of us owns the title of "best."
Natural childbirth does not make you a hippy
Epidurals are not just for women who want to feel trippy.
In a bathtub with a doula or in a hospital bed
We all got a baby with limbs and a head.

Nursing is great if nothing goes wrong
But some nipples turn inward and refuse to play along.
This is a choice for each mom - it's her route
So it's just A + B and everyone else can C their way out.

Schedules and timers do not make you cruel
Feeding on demand does not make you a fool.
In the nursery with a monitor or in the family bed
Every chick gets to pick where her baby lays his head.

If I see one more mom roll her eyes at "organic . . ."
"Partially hydrogenated" throws some of us into panic.
But neither judge Sonic burgers and fries
Some of us just want to enjoy food before we die.

Preschool, home school, public, or Montessori
Listen, my friends, and I'll tell you a story:
Two moms differed on favorite school trends
Their kids turned out pretty much the same.  The end.

If a girl gets the title of "mom" accidentally
The worst thing we can do is treat her judgmentally.
How about some love, some help, some advice?
She needs our love and we shouldn't think twice.

Discipline through various methods will prevail
Look, we're all just trying to keep our kids out of jail.
These things are just preferences, not right or wrong
What matters more is teaching our kids to get along-
To love and to share, to speak gently and kind,
To obey so that mom won't go out of her mind.

Showing them Jesus is our common ground
Teaching them how he can always be found.
He's present in public school and Waldorf (so trendy)
He's over at Whole Foods but also at Wendy's.
Jesus never cared about these sorts of things
It's our hearts that he wants and the worship we bring.

It's time for us moms to declare a truce
Regardless if we buy Capris Sun or 100 percent juice.
My way is not your way, and your way isn't mine
But both of our kids will turn out just fine.

Rather than judging and looking down our noses
Let's enjoy the common ground motherhood poses.
As believers, we all love the same good Lord
We all have children who tell us "I'm bored."

We all need more sleep than these tiny five hours
Most of us struggle to find time for a shower.
We haven't been to the bathroom alone in an age
Our mothers have all told us, "Relax, this is just a stage."

We all love our babies so much we could die
We'd take a bullet for each one without batting an eye.
Though we are different, we're in the same tribe
Motherhood requires a similar vibe-
Love and affection, sacrifice and grace
Laughter, which keeps the whole mechanism in place.

Though different, by the grace of God, I suspect:
ALL children will rise up and call us . . . collect.