Have you ever felt helpless? I have always known what this meant, but I recently took a look in the dictionary to see what the true definition was. It said, "Unable to defend oneself or to act without help." The other definition was one word, "Uncontrollable." I feel that the latter is a better definition of how I feel. Out of control. Not able to help.
As parents, we feel this way about so many things. When your child is sick you want so badly to remove their pain and just take it yourself. Whether it be physical or emotional pain...you just want to make it better. Aiden has been having a lot of trouble with his allergies. We thought that we were kind of keeping things in good condition until a week ago. I noticed a rash covering his body. Truthfully, this didn't concern me at first because he has always been prone to eczema. We would normally give him a bath, put his lotion on, send him to bed and in the morning all would be well. This time I got a little concerned because instead of getting better, it started to get worse. I took him to the doctor and of-course I left feeling so much better with a plan of action. You have to realize, I have all the faith in the world in his doctor and have never once second guessed her. That's just our story...unfortunately there are so many others that are so much worse than ours.
I have been seeing and hearing so many heart wrenching stories lately. Today, a mother lost her son in Afghanistan. He has been over there fighting for our freedom and now, the next time she will see him will be in his casket. I can't imagine how this mother must feel. I can't begin to put myself in her situation. I am a Christian and believe in God. I know that I would eventually find peace....but what about the days before? Are you angry, sad, in disbelief....uncontrollable.
Another story I read had an expectant mother getting her room all prepared for her child. She had bought so many things in preparation, as we all do. Her precious baby came to her stillborn. That sweet life went to heaven far too soon.
What about the parent that has a child addicted to drugs or alcohol? They feel completely helpless. I can say this from seeing it first hand....it's an uncontrollable sadness to NOT know how to help your loved one. Your child! The person that you gave birth to, that person that you watched learn to walk and talk....they are now struggling and fighting for their lives and you have to sit back and watch that destruction.
And as parents we will try everything in our power, using all resources available, to try to save that life. The only advice that I have for myself and all other parents is, when you feel completely helpless...get on your knees and pray. Have faith in God, He has an amazing plan that we know nothing about.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
There are so many joys that come with pregnancy! Picking out the names, decorating the nursery, buying all the clothes and extras, the baby showers...wow...the list goes on and on! When we are young girls we think about having that perfect wedding and the perfect life with Prince Charming, how many kids we are going to have, being next door neighbors with our best friends, and growing our families together. During my pregnancy, I had that dream come true. I had already met MY Prince Charming, had the wedding of MY dreams, and now, I had a dear high school friend who was pregnant with me and had the same due date! It was amazing.
Our pregnancies were not at all ideal, to say the least. We were both sick the entire 9 months and both had some complications near the end leading to c-sections. No, it wasn't our ideal situations, but GOD had this all planned out. You see, HE made it to where we could lean on each other. We would text and facebook almost daily to encourage one another and listen to our pregnancy woes. LOL. I don't know what I would have done without her during that time. She just....got it. She understood exactly what I was feeling both physically and emotionally. Pregnancy can be a HUGE roller coaster and for the most part I loved the ride! God knew that we needed a friend. You see, we hadn't talked to each other in well over...10 years?? So it was definitely Him working His blessings.
Our sons are exactly 12 days apart. We have talked a lot since having our boys and our friendship has just grown. I am so blessed to have Brittany Duvall in my life and for her to just get me like no one does, other than my husband. Our friendship is one that will last a lifetime and grow into the young girls dream of raising our families together! I thank God for bringing her back into my life daily and can't wait to see how our son's grow up having a friendship that will, hopefully, last a lifetime!
Our pregnancies were not at all ideal, to say the least. We were both sick the entire 9 months and both had some complications near the end leading to c-sections. No, it wasn't our ideal situations, but GOD had this all planned out. You see, HE made it to where we could lean on each other. We would text and facebook almost daily to encourage one another and listen to our pregnancy woes. LOL. I don't know what I would have done without her during that time. She just....got it. She understood exactly what I was feeling both physically and emotionally. Pregnancy can be a HUGE roller coaster and for the most part I loved the ride! God knew that we needed a friend. You see, we hadn't talked to each other in well over...10 years?? So it was definitely Him working His blessings.
Our sons are exactly 12 days apart. We have talked a lot since having our boys and our friendship has just grown. I am so blessed to have Brittany Duvall in my life and for her to just get me like no one does, other than my husband. Our friendship is one that will last a lifetime and grow into the young girls dream of raising our families together! I thank God for bringing her back into my life daily and can't wait to see how our son's grow up having a friendship that will, hopefully, last a lifetime!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
The adventures of Super Aiden: The Tornado
Doesn't every little boy grow up thinking they are a super hero? Thanks to my husband and his obsession with all things Batman, Aiden has developed this super hero thing a little earlier than most boys! I love to watch him play and just recently my mother, being the wonderful Grammie that she is, bought Aiden some new pajama's with a Batman cape on the back! He loves them! This is where the story begins...
This morning, at 5am, Super Aiden, in his Batman pajama shirt, with cape, and sporting a diaper as his bottoms, was up and raring to go! First he started with his cars, then it was his legos, from there he moved on to his tractors and trucks that make the appropriate noises (ugh), then it was every utensil in the kitchen and bowls, then we ventured to our bedroom where he proceeded to pull every piece of dirty laundry out of his basket and put it in different places on the floor, and then it was the Mickey Mouse train! You know that every super hero has the gift of some sort of power...Aiden's is his super lungs! Imagine me following from room to room to remind a toddler that he needs to use his "inside voice" and to "keep it down". HA! That's funny!
I feel that I should let you in on a secret. I am OCD! This moving from toy to toy, room to room, was driving me bonkers and I was following behind "the tornado" trying to pick up! I should tell you that no matter how OCD I am, Aiden is not and this did not go well with him. Whatever I picked up, he would get back out and giggle! What a fun little game to play with mommy as she is pulling her hair out and talking to the voices in her head! LOL.
Needless to say, my friends, that at 8am the storm has finally calmed. The tornado is over and Super Aiden has gone back to his cave for a small nap. We are expecting more storms later but for now....the clean up begins! Have a good day and remember to have fun with your children! They are only small for a while. No matter how messy it gets...
This morning, at 5am, Super Aiden, in his Batman pajama shirt, with cape, and sporting a diaper as his bottoms, was up and raring to go! First he started with his cars, then it was his legos, from there he moved on to his tractors and trucks that make the appropriate noises (ugh), then it was every utensil in the kitchen and bowls, then we ventured to our bedroom where he proceeded to pull every piece of dirty laundry out of his basket and put it in different places on the floor, and then it was the Mickey Mouse train! You know that every super hero has the gift of some sort of power...Aiden's is his super lungs! Imagine me following from room to room to remind a toddler that he needs to use his "inside voice" and to "keep it down". HA! That's funny!
I feel that I should let you in on a secret. I am OCD! This moving from toy to toy, room to room, was driving me bonkers and I was following behind "the tornado" trying to pick up! I should tell you that no matter how OCD I am, Aiden is not and this did not go well with him. Whatever I picked up, he would get back out and giggle! What a fun little game to play with mommy as she is pulling her hair out and talking to the voices in her head! LOL.
Needless to say, my friends, that at 8am the storm has finally calmed. The tornado is over and Super Aiden has gone back to his cave for a small nap. We are expecting more storms later but for now....the clean up begins! Have a good day and remember to have fun with your children! They are only small for a while. No matter how messy it gets...
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Epic Fail :-(
Do you ever have those moments when you feel that you have failed the world? Well, I have those moments. I am sure, or hoping, that every mother does from time to time. You know...those moments when you just lose your patience or...maybe even you temper. *sigh*
Let me set the stage here. Every good story begins with a back drop right? You need the visual...the background. So, my son, Aiden, is teething and has been for a while. You know the look..sweet smile, drool dribbling down the chin, runny nose, running low grade fevers, the whole nine yards. On top of all of this he is now starting to get those evil, top molars. Oh yes...they have given him some trouble. I should say they are giving us ALL some trouble because with this wonderful gift that God has given us, our sweet boy has grown quite fond of biting! I know, I know...it's hard for me to believe too but it's the truth! lol.
So tonight while we are playing with his cars and trucks, he decides to give me one of his big, slobbery, perfect kisses! I have to admit, while I feel the need to go wash my face afterwards, they are the most precious part of my day and I would NOT give them up for anything. Anyways...on with my story...he gives me a kiss and then gets very excited and BAM! he takes a hunk out of my shoulder. He has broken skin before but I am going to be honest...this hurt. Now, a couple of weeks back, he had done the same thing only he had bit my hand and broken skin. My immediate reaction was to smack his leg and tell him a very stern "NO". Well, that smack resulted in me leaving a hand print on his little leg and me feeling like I should probably call the child abuse hotline on myself. No need to make me feel bad folks...I felt TERRIBLE. So tonight I chose to do things differently. After him biting me I put him in his time-out and explained to him that that hurt. I let him see the blood and that mommy was sad. He gave me hugs and went on his way. Everything is grand in the life of a one year old! Not five minutes later we were playing and he bent down and bit the top of my foot!!! *big sigh* I spanked him. I didn't leave a mark this time so I felt a little bit better about my life but....I just feel like I am failing him in some way!
I used to work at a daycare. I know that this is a question that parents have had for YEARS. What do you do with a child who bites? I know that he isn't just doing it out of meanness. His teeth are hurting. He has been biting everything that comes into his path, but what happens at a play date when he takes a chunk out of a poor, defenseless child?
So...parents....those of you that read this, I need your help. I want to teach Aiden all the things to mold him into a smart, confident, well mannered little boy....that doesn't bite!! lol. I am open to your suggestions and will be blogging about whether or not they work for this family.
As an end to my emotional rambling, I would like to say that on a business level, today ROCKED! I may have my first recruit with Thirty-One and am talking to three other ladies about the business opportunity! Yes my friends, if you have a goal and write it down to where it stares you in the face everyday...you WILL NOT fail! Have I done this with my business? Yes. Have I done it for my weight loss journey? Did it this evening! You can't stop this girl :-) Now...if I could just solve world hunger...
Let me set the stage here. Every good story begins with a back drop right? You need the visual...the background. So, my son, Aiden, is teething and has been for a while. You know the look..sweet smile, drool dribbling down the chin, runny nose, running low grade fevers, the whole nine yards. On top of all of this he is now starting to get those evil, top molars. Oh yes...they have given him some trouble. I should say they are giving us ALL some trouble because with this wonderful gift that God has given us, our sweet boy has grown quite fond of biting! I know, I know...it's hard for me to believe too but it's the truth! lol.
So tonight while we are playing with his cars and trucks, he decides to give me one of his big, slobbery, perfect kisses! I have to admit, while I feel the need to go wash my face afterwards, they are the most precious part of my day and I would NOT give them up for anything. Anyways...on with my story...he gives me a kiss and then gets very excited and BAM! he takes a hunk out of my shoulder. He has broken skin before but I am going to be honest...this hurt. Now, a couple of weeks back, he had done the same thing only he had bit my hand and broken skin. My immediate reaction was to smack his leg and tell him a very stern "NO". Well, that smack resulted in me leaving a hand print on his little leg and me feeling like I should probably call the child abuse hotline on myself. No need to make me feel bad folks...I felt TERRIBLE. So tonight I chose to do things differently. After him biting me I put him in his time-out and explained to him that that hurt. I let him see the blood and that mommy was sad. He gave me hugs and went on his way. Everything is grand in the life of a one year old! Not five minutes later we were playing and he bent down and bit the top of my foot!!! *big sigh* I spanked him. I didn't leave a mark this time so I felt a little bit better about my life but....I just feel like I am failing him in some way!
I used to work at a daycare. I know that this is a question that parents have had for YEARS. What do you do with a child who bites? I know that he isn't just doing it out of meanness. His teeth are hurting. He has been biting everything that comes into his path, but what happens at a play date when he takes a chunk out of a poor, defenseless child?
So...parents....those of you that read this, I need your help. I want to teach Aiden all the things to mold him into a smart, confident, well mannered little boy....that doesn't bite!! lol. I am open to your suggestions and will be blogging about whether or not they work for this family.
As an end to my emotional rambling, I would like to say that on a business level, today ROCKED! I may have my first recruit with Thirty-One and am talking to three other ladies about the business opportunity! Yes my friends, if you have a goal and write it down to where it stares you in the face everyday...you WILL NOT fail! Have I done this with my business? Yes. Have I done it for my weight loss journey? Did it this evening! You can't stop this girl :-) Now...if I could just solve world hunger...
Friday, April 20, 2012
You ready?
I am starting on another big journey. I am overweight. There is no reason to sit here and be embarrassed to say it, it's true. After I had Aiden I had my "ah-ha moment" where I knew that it was time for me to do something about this extra weight. I started Zumba and FELL IN LOVE. I was starting to see it changing my body, self-esteem, my marriage....but then, like I mentioned in the post before this one, Aiden got sick. Our life changed dramatically and one of the things that I had to let go of was Zumba. I went through such a time of depression. I don't even think most of my family knew how bad I was getting. I was home with this precious child, but I was mourning. I was mourning the loss of my life, friends that I thought I had, money, freedom... Please don't get me wrong here, I LOVE staying home with my son and no one on this earth can take care of him like I can. It was a no brainer for me to resign from my job. It just came at a bad time. Suddenly we went from being very comfortable to...barely making it. I cried for hours most days. I wondered how I could make this work for my family. I found Thirty-One and suddenly I didn't feel quite so bad. I started making money for my family, meeting new people, being Celebrated*Encouraged* and Rewarded by my fellow Thirty-One ladies! It put a smile back on my face!
I was still missing something in my life...well...a lot of somethings but one in particular. I NEEDED to go back to Zumba. I am happy to post today that I will be starting back on May 1st! I can't wait to get that much needed "mommy time" back in my life! Suddenly, I am celebrating life again. Things are starting to look up and God has provided. This last year is in the past. It is something that I have learned from and will not be taken for granted.
I will be posting every day about the journey of being a first time parent and the personal journey that I am getting ready for. I hope that you will join me on this journey of change. Changing my body, changing my attitude, changing my business, changing our income, changing my marriage, changing.....everything. I can't wait!!!
I was still missing something in my life...well...a lot of somethings but one in particular. I NEEDED to go back to Zumba. I am happy to post today that I will be starting back on May 1st! I can't wait to get that much needed "mommy time" back in my life! Suddenly, I am celebrating life again. Things are starting to look up and God has provided. This last year is in the past. It is something that I have learned from and will not be taken for granted.
I will be posting every day about the journey of being a first time parent and the personal journey that I am getting ready for. I hope that you will join me on this journey of change. Changing my body, changing my attitude, changing my business, changing our income, changing my marriage, changing.....everything. I can't wait!!!
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