Living in a place that you hate and being happy.

Living in a place that you hate and being happy. That's a tough thing to do but it's possible.  I currently live in the oh so wonderful state of Connecticut.  As you can tell I'm being sarcastic. I do not think this place is wonderful or exciting to live in.  People are rude as rude can get. They drive like they are in The Fast and The Furious just to get to a red light that they will honk their horn at you before it even turns green, turn signals and speed limits do not exist. The list goes on and on when it comes to the driving here. Everything is crazy expensive and people just seem out right miserable.  Of course this does not go for everyone living in Connecticut it's just what I have observed after living here for almost 2 years.

Just recently we have started going to church as a family and I absolutely love it! I have been looking for a good church since we have moved here and I finally found it! Something was said in one of the sermons a couple weeks ago that really hit home for me. It's what really inspired this post and my willingness to change things. If you are not happy about something change it if you can. You have the power to change it so you are happy. It doesn't even have to be extreme, all the little things help but if you don't change it you're not going to be happy.  I feel like I need to write that on a sticky note and put it up all over the house so I will see it every day.

Coming to the realization that the reason I'm miserable is MY fault and NOT the place I live was hard. I can't just put the blame on the fact that it because we live in Connecticut its not the states fault as much as I would like to put all the blame on it. Yes it's frustrating and stressful but there really is a light at the end of the tunnel you just need to take the first step.

GET OUT! and when I say get out I mean get out of your house and meet people!! Make friends I'm not saying you have to like every single person you meet or be friends with everyone but you will know good friends when you meet them. I'm excited to say that I have made a couple good friends since moving here it just took over a year to do it. We may not get to get together all the time but having someone to talk to, go have coffee with or play dates with is wonderful.  I'm trying my hardest to get out and do more with the kids and it will be getting easier as the weather gets better.

STEP OUT of your comfort zone. We joined the YMCA and I absolutely love it. I take a Zumba class that I have fallen in love with in fact I'm pretty addicted to it.  That was a big step for me, I am very self conscious and going to a class full of strangers when you barely have any coordination is a bit terrifying but you never know if you will love it or hate till you try it. But getting fit has made me so happy and I'm so proud of how well I'm doing but I go over that in a different post. I have also made some pretty good friends there too!

GET OVER IT and STOP making excuses! As much as I hate to admit it, I make a lot of excuses and I hate it. And then I ask why on earth did I just do that I'm going to be miserable because I didn't go out and do something. I need to get over the fact that things are crazy expensive here because in reality there is so much to do that doesn't cost money.  We just need to get out and do it. Like going to parks, having play dates and walking the mall.  It is a little difficult being a one car family but we can make it work. That is my goal, to get out more with the kids and stop making excuses just because my kids are a little on the hyper side (they are 3 and 1) it goes with their age and people will get over it. We can do this and we will.

So in the end you can truly be happy in a place that you hate because YOU are the one that has the control over it. You obviously don't have to do what I did/do because we are all different people, I just thought I would share. This is my learning experience and I'm sure I'll have many more.

God Bless

Crazy, Messy, Beautiful Life.

Do you ever just have those days where you feel like you are going to just rip all the hair from your head? I'm having one of those days.  As you know I am a stay at home mom of two beautiful, smart, loving girls. One is going to be 3 in just a few weeks and the other just turned 1.  I absolutely love being a stay at home mom, even when we have days like this. 

 The days where my 2 year old acts like she's turning 16 and not 3. She has recently decided that naps are not longer for her and by recently I mean like 3 days ago and I'm already going crazy. Nap time was my quiet time during the day, and where i could have the chance to get something done.  Like clean the house just so the kids could mess it up as soon as they get up from there nap.  I beginning to realize that my house is never going to be clean again and if it is, it's only going to last 5 minutes from the moment they wake up in the morning, which for a few weeks now has been 5:30 a.m.  This is the sole reason God invented coffee.

The days where not single hair in this house has been brushed because no one can sit still long enough for me to get the brush through it.  Half the time my hair doesn't get brushed until about 2 in the afternoon if I happen to get that chance to run into the bathroom and do it.  Speaking of bathrooms I have just recently admitted to my husband that the only reason I spend so long in the bathroom when he gets home from work is because it's the first time all day that I can be in there alone, with the door closed, and nobody yelling mommy, mommy, mommy. (I love being mommy but sometimes I'd like to change my name) Half the time I'm in there I sit on the edge of the tub and let my mind clear and relax a little.  I'm thinking about stashing a book in there. 

The days where my one year old is getting into everything imaginable and some things I'm pretty shocked about.  She usually has help from her sister. I am sure I'm pretty doomed for the future if they are already planning things together. For instance the girls were playing in their room, I had put the gate up in their door so i could try and get a couple things done since we had appointments to get to. But anyways the next thing I know Zada(2) is standing at the gate looking into the bathroom, I was thinking she had to use it since we were potty training. I was very wrong, she lifted Layla(1) over the gate and she was in there playing.  There is never a dull moment in this house. 

I could go on and on about the crazy, interesting, messy, fun life we live. It may sound like I was complaining a little but the truth is I wouldn't change a thing about the way we live life.  I will take all the messy, crazy disgusting, awesome days home with these children that I can get because at the end of the day, even if i haven't even gotten dressed yet, no job could ever pay me enough money because you can't buy love , you live it.  Cherish every moment you get to spend with your children, even if they are crabby, drawing on your walls or if their face is full of snot and all they want to do is kiss you because what I've been told is that I'm going to miss it when they are all grown up. 

God Bless

(All Pictures are from Pinterest)

Banana Oatmeal Cookies (gluten, dairy, and sugar free)

So today I decided I was going to bake some cookies.  I've been dying for some yummy sweet treats but i didn't want all the calories and bad that come with it since I've been working on losing weight and trying to make a lifestyle change.  I went out on a limb today and made Banana Oatmeal cookies it is gluten, dairy, and sugar free so pretty much anybody can eat it and  you can substitute and add what you would like to these. 

All you need is:

~3 ripe bananas 

~2 cups oats

~ 1/3 cup applesauce (i had just made some homemade apple puree with nothing added so i used that)

~ 2 table spoons of peanut butter

PreHeat the oven to 350 degrees. Then you mash up the bananas till they are at a good consistency and add everything else in and mix up. Use a spoon to scoop out the cookies onto a cookie sheet about an inch apart. They don't rise or spread so you don't have to worry about them running together.  Then stick them in the oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until they are browned a little. 

They are delicious and the kids love them! I'm thinking about adding different things to it to see how I like it. You can add dried fruits, chocolate chips, any kind of nut, more or no peanut butter.  I feel like the possibilities with this is endless. And the best part is, is that they are not that bad for you. :)

I hope you enjoy!

God Bless

No More Binky

Our oldest daughter Zada, who will be turning 3 in February took a very big step on Christmas Eve.  She got rid of her binky completely!! We had already gotten it so when only had it at nap time and bed time.

So this is how we did it....

We decided that on Christmas Eve that Zada would give her binky to Baby Jesus.  So we sat down with her and wrote a letter to him saying that she hoped he liked her binky. Then left the binky with the letter by the cookies ans milk for Santa.  We told her since he was a baby and she was a big girl now that he needed it more than she did.

In the morning when she got up she went out to the table where she left her binky there was a letter and a little gift for her. In the letter it said how Baby Jesus loved the binky and that he was proud of her for giving it up.  The note also said that the Minnie mouse that was left there was for her to take with her to bed every night.

So I'm guessing you're wondering how it turned out.  Well she cried and screamed and cried some more on the first night.  The second day at nap time and bed time  she asked once about the binky and only for about 10 minutes.  And on the third day nothing not a sound or a question, just went right to sleep.  So I think it's safe to say that we are a binky free household!! Our youngest doesn't take one, she's our resident thumb sucker and well that's a big step we will tackle some other time. 

Now its on to potty training. I'll be sure to share some tips and war stories about that when we are done.

God Bless!

The Christmas Tree

We just recently put up our Christmas tree.  Which I was supper excited for and dreading all at the same time.  We have two small children one is going to be three in February and the other will be one in January.  So you can see where it would be a little stressful with one. 

They just can't seem to keep their hands off of the tree.  The ornaments are just baby magnets and the toddler just wants to redecorate the tree 24/7.  I've gotten to the point where I wanted to take it down or I have gotten mad at them for touching it. They are little and they can't help it, but at the same time it's a little frustrating.

Then it hit me, like a big smack in the face.  Christmas isn't all about the tree. In fact that's the last thing it's about.  It shouldn't matter if the tree is perfect,  if the ornaments are in the right spot and if the tree skirt is straight.  If we are having fun, loving one another, and making memories that will last so much longer than the tree being up that's all that matters. If my toddler wants to move all the ornaments to one side she can, it makes it unique, it makes it our tree, and it makes our memories.  

So if your tree has been rearranged more times you can count, and your tree skirt has been worn as a skirt. Thing are going well for you. Tresure those memories and share the stories later.

God Bless.

A Little Background

  I'm new to this whole blogging world so just bear with me while i get the hang of it.

   Lets start out with a little background information on me. I am a stay at home mom of two beautiful little girls they are my world and certainly know how to keep my on my toes. My husband is in the Coast Guard so i'll be touching a little bit on my moving experiences and hopefully share some useful tips for moving. I am a certified Phlebotomist and CNA but as you know I'm a stay at home mom. I'll touch on my career choices in a different post. 

   With this blog I hope to help people by sharing some of my life experiences from the joy to those dark days. I'm going to use this as a journal to get some stress release tool. I would also like to share some DIY things, I love crafting and trying to save money and I'm sure some of you will enjoy that. 

God Bless