seriously...ON my EAR LOBE...
What in the world?
My forehead resembles a mine field of pot holes left from WWI...
and that's being kind...
I'm not sure what causes this outbreak every other year or so...usually right around the same time of year, and usually it coincides with me trying to work out...
Maybe I should take that as hint... WORKOUTS = BREAKOUTS
I don't understand why exactly...I start to eat healthier foods, I wash my face day and night...I've now started to use a medication on my red, blotched T zone because to be honest, these large, mountainous craters are painful!
I'd like to know why they felt the need to cross over to my ear lobes however...were there just not enough dots to connect from my chin to my temples? Come on now!!!
I thought I was too old for this sort of thing...I was gearing up for dealing with these little "inconveniences" with my tween in the coming years...not ME standing in front of a mirror trying to decide whether to (lord forbid) stick an actual pin in to pop it and rid me of the misery or to wait it out another day and refrain from going within a 2 inch radius around the area!!! BLEH...
Fun topics for a Sunday night huh?
In other news...
a friend turned me on to a supposed "miracle" brush, called The Wet Brush in order to deal with the tangles that seem to infest Peanut's hair...
oh the joys of discussing "girl beauty" this evening...
I purchased it tonight and so far, so good...it doesn't necessarily take away all whining, but it does make the detangling go a bit faster and therefore results in fewer tears...
I will take that anyday of the week and TWICE on Sunday:)
This is just what my life tends to look like here of late...and I just thought I'd be kind enough to share that with you:)
In fact...here are some more tidbits in case you were just BEYOND curious as to what "life with Mamarazzi" might look like at this time of year...so here it goes..
IT LOOKS LIKE...
...holding onto the jiggle, that is my muffin top, while doing the Heismann during Insanity workouts just so it doesn't produce anymore stretch marks than what is already there:)
...doing mounds of laundry daily, only to get distracted while piles load up on the couch so that I can grab a quick chapter read from whatever book happens to be laying around the house. ( I do not struggle with relaxation, that's for sure:)
...listening to really great sermons from Mark Driscoll about Real Marriage
...tucking 3 little girls in at night AT LEAST 5 times because: "i need some water, i forgot some homework, don't forget to wake me up early, i'm hungry, i'm having bad dreams, i think my foot hurts..."
...drinking Teavana Tea and pretending I'm a complete Tea snob whilst I walk out to the bus stop in my pajamas.
...spending hours on the computer after everyone is in bed trying to create the PERFECT 2012 scrapbook for my family and having to start over almost every other night because I can't make up my mind about size or page layouts...oh the joys of being a perfectionist in areas that don't really make much sense???? UGH
...watching basketball games played by Peanut and being so proud that she has found something that is hers alone (not to mention, I actually understand the sport a bit, seeing as I actually played in highschool...which is more than I can say about my understanding about ANY other sport out there)
...saying DROP and NO BITE at least 102938472039457 times a day to my sweet puppy whom we've decided is now able to roam more areas of the house...perhaps that was a mistake this early in the process...hmmmm????
...buying stock in chapstick because lord have mercy, this constant change in weather and the licking of the lips is causing every girl in this household to have swollen lips!!!
...curling up with a big blanket, and reading books to Little Munchkin AND having her read books back to me because she FINALLY feels like learning to read "might" be fun...although, "I like it MUCH better when YOU read to me, Mommy!"
...drinking green smoothies and actually LIKING them!
...watching episodes of Downton Abbey and wishing I could visit England and have tea with Kate or Pippa...Teavana Tea of course:)
Life is good...it's never boring, that's for sure...
Hope you have a great week!!!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
SEEING more clearly...
Our lives are the sum
Of each moment and interaction.
Each day we work, eat, laugh, teach, play, read, remember…
And work at it all again the next day.
Within seemingly small moments we find opportunity
To build relationships, develop character, find joy
For the price of our time.
Life’s most essential possibilities are realized at home.
Where we share, teach, grow, learn, serve, give
Our best without praise or fanfare.
Because every effort, every moment matters
In the development of a person.
Nothing is really routine.
To all who see the everyday.
I know that I shared Ann Voskamp's video last year...
Both of these combined seem to encapsulate what I really want this year...and here it is only 2.5 weeks into the new year and I'm struggling in my moment by moment...
I get so distracted...so pulled off course...
my lack of time management skills...NO...that's not it...it's my lack of SEEING what's truly important and what I feel necessary to CHECK OFF MY LIST!!!
When will I get it right?
And then I stop...
and I remember the One who is control of ALL of my moments... and I am utterly thankful for His grace...
I wonder if He rolls His eyes when I realize yet again that the attraction of facebook pulled me away, yet again, from finishing a song with Little Munchkin...or the distraction of housework yanked me away from spending time with a friend...
Thankful that He doesn't give up on me...even if I sometimes give up on myself...
I soooo want to SEE more clearly!!!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Not much of anything...
I woke with quite the ambition this morning...
I woke up fresh, alive, ready to tackle the day...
Okay...so I'm lying...I NEVER wake up fresh, alive and ready to tackle the day...it's more like I lay in bed with one eye open and one foot on the floor WILLING my body to roll just enough to balance myself off the edge...
today was no different...
But, we did get much accomplished, which is quite the task when the girlies are off of school and Mommy is going through the "moody blues" because she can't seem to keep her mind focused on one thing (WHICH, if you read my previous posts, was my WHOLE new year's resolution...oh how far we fall, in just a matter of a few days)
Accomplish we did however...by golly! I got those girlies workin'...got myself a regular work camp goin' on over here...
Which basically means that I set the timer for one hour and told them that we were cleaning for just 60 minutes and then we could have treats:)
yippee
I woke up fresh, alive, ready to tackle the day...
Okay...so I'm lying...I NEVER wake up fresh, alive and ready to tackle the day...it's more like I lay in bed with one eye open and one foot on the floor WILLING my body to roll just enough to balance myself off the edge...
today was no different...
But, we did get much accomplished, which is quite the task when the girlies are off of school and Mommy is going through the "moody blues" because she can't seem to keep her mind focused on one thing (WHICH, if you read my previous posts, was my WHOLE new year's resolution...oh how far we fall, in just a matter of a few days)
Accomplish we did however...by golly! I got those girlies workin'...got myself a regular work camp goin' on over here...
Which basically means that I set the timer for one hour and told them that we were cleaning for just 60 minutes and then we could have treats:)
yippee
We made our lists and were off and running...(while Mommy completely copped out and followed them around with her camera so she could document the fact that they were IN FACT working)
This all took place after the girls did a little "insanity" work out with me...I'm going to chalk it up to "muscle weighs more than fat", the fact that I've gained 5 lbs since day 1 of Insanity...it is now day 16...and though I feel better, have a bit more energy and can actually SUCK IN the muffin top with a tad more ease, I've decided that the scale is just not my friend and we're going to part ways for awhile...maybe until June...
In other WONDERFUL news...the acne that I had as a teenager did not feel that it tortured me enough back then and has decided to invade my forehead with such tenacity that I think I might cry...
bored to tears yet?
I know...my life is THRILLING...is it not?
Lives that ARE thrilling can be found in my new found television love of Downton Abbey...
I don't really watch TV...not much at all...and movies outside the realm of Pride & Prejudice and possibly Les Miserables (once it comes to our $5 theater) don't really hold my attention...I"m more of a "blog-reader, facebook stalker, book reader" type person..
But, someone last year brought my attention to this sweet drama...and seeing as I love all things English (did I mention that I long to see Great Britian one day..along with my Scotland & Ireland heritage homes?) Anyhoo...I got seasons 1 and 2 from the library last year and watched them all in about a week's time...and season 3 has just begun here in the states....
It makes me wish MY name was Pippa, instead of my sweet puppy:) Or maybe Anna (she's my favorite character)
Anyway, that's life right now on the homefront...we surprised our girls with some exciting news that I will definitely be sharing in the future (and no I'm not pregnant)
I hope to be able to spend a bit more time blogging in the future...I miss writing...
Here's to hoping for a fresh morning tomorrow:)
Sunday, January 6, 2013
One Word: SEE
Every new year people make resolutions...
I am not exempt...
there are a gazillion things that I wish I could RESOLVE to do...
I want to blog more, exercise, lose weight, eat right, spend more time in the flower bed, keep my house clean, keep up with laundry, read more professional books, practice more photography...
Nearly everything that I've ever "resolved" to do has involved ACTING on something...
And to be completely honest...I get burned out...
I've always been a person who has had to "do more"..."be the best"...I've always expected more out of myself than what I probably should have...
Don't get me wrong...I don't think it's wrong to try...to strive to be good at something...
The trouble is, at least for me, that in my striving, in my climbing to the top...I often forget WHO I am along the way...I know that sounds cliche', but let me explain...
I've always DONE and ACTED out of different motivations...I have called it "challenging myself" or "setting expectations" or "people pleasing" or "a competitive nature"... It's this intrisic desire to "check it off"...to proclaim to the world that I've accomplished something...it started in elementary school and continued until about mid way through my freshman year in college when I finally burnt out...although it still comes back in spurts...it usually happens when I "feel" like I"m not MORE...(more of what, I don't know...but it's usually when I don't feel content with myself or things around me)
Again, I'm not saying that I don't think it's good to try...(I practice continually with photography and I've recently started exercising again)...It's when "motivations" take hold of me...take ALL my focus and energy...it's when those THINGS that are seemingly "good things" to IMPROVE me, start to overpower me...and my whole BEING feels compelled to accomplish the task...sometimes at the expense of time with family and even sleep...and my contentedness with myself & who I was made to be is then marred with the lack of a certain accomplishment or disappointment...
One of my BFFs directed me again to a different concept with regards to resolutions...I've heard of it before, but have never explored it...
until this year...
It's called ONE WORD...
You choose one word that you resolve to use during the year...it can be anything you choose..but, I'm assuming it should be something that, when you look at the word, it strikes an inner nerve and spurs you on to BE...
This "BEing" is what strikes me...I've always associated myself with what I have accomplished...and when I think about that picture, it's a lie...I'm NOT just the cullmination of whatever I have set my mind to conquer...
I was created in the image of a God that made me unique...purely for His pleasure...with a purpose that He set out for me...
All this to say...My ONE WORD for this year is SEE...
Jesus is always saying, "Come and See" ~John 1:39
We are called to "See the wonders..." ~Ps 66:5
I want to "See his face..." ~Ps. 17:5
As I'm navigating through this life...through the endless loads of laundry...through the photo sessions of beautiful people...through the homework at the kitchen table...through the preparing of meals and packing lunches...through the sweat & effort of exercise...
I want to SEE...
...my girls' hearts
...my husband's needs
...more of God
...how God sees me
...situations for what they are and not what I make them out to be in my head
...deeper to the soul of a person and not just the outside
...good, when bad is all around
...the personalities and relationships of the people I encounter
...beauty, when my mood tells me otherwise
...clearly and not through whatever "glasses" I've put on b/c of my past experiences
This is my New Year's Resolution...
My hope is that in my SEEing this year, my heart will draw closer to Him...that my vision will change and become closer to what He sees...and in turn, it will allow me to offer more grace not only to others, but to myself as well:)
I am not exempt...
there are a gazillion things that I wish I could RESOLVE to do...
I want to blog more, exercise, lose weight, eat right, spend more time in the flower bed, keep my house clean, keep up with laundry, read more professional books, practice more photography...
Nearly everything that I've ever "resolved" to do has involved ACTING on something...
And to be completely honest...I get burned out...
I've always been a person who has had to "do more"..."be the best"...I've always expected more out of myself than what I probably should have...
Don't get me wrong...I don't think it's wrong to try...to strive to be good at something...
The trouble is, at least for me, that in my striving, in my climbing to the top...I often forget WHO I am along the way...I know that sounds cliche', but let me explain...
I've always DONE and ACTED out of different motivations...I have called it "challenging myself" or "setting expectations" or "people pleasing" or "a competitive nature"... It's this intrisic desire to "check it off"...to proclaim to the world that I've accomplished something...it started in elementary school and continued until about mid way through my freshman year in college when I finally burnt out...although it still comes back in spurts...it usually happens when I "feel" like I"m not MORE...(more of what, I don't know...but it's usually when I don't feel content with myself or things around me)
Again, I'm not saying that I don't think it's good to try...(I practice continually with photography and I've recently started exercising again)...It's when "motivations" take hold of me...take ALL my focus and energy...it's when those THINGS that are seemingly "good things" to IMPROVE me, start to overpower me...and my whole BEING feels compelled to accomplish the task...sometimes at the expense of time with family and even sleep...and my contentedness with myself & who I was made to be is then marred with the lack of a certain accomplishment or disappointment...
One of my BFFs directed me again to a different concept with regards to resolutions...I've heard of it before, but have never explored it...
until this year...
It's called ONE WORD...
You choose one word that you resolve to use during the year...it can be anything you choose..but, I'm assuming it should be something that, when you look at the word, it strikes an inner nerve and spurs you on to BE...
This "BEing" is what strikes me...I've always associated myself with what I have accomplished...and when I think about that picture, it's a lie...I'm NOT just the cullmination of whatever I have set my mind to conquer...
I was created in the image of a God that made me unique...purely for His pleasure...with a purpose that He set out for me...
All this to say...My ONE WORD for this year is SEE...
Jesus is always saying, "Come and See" ~John 1:39
We are called to "See the wonders..." ~Ps 66:5
I want to "See his face..." ~Ps. 17:5
As I'm navigating through this life...through the endless loads of laundry...through the photo sessions of beautiful people...through the homework at the kitchen table...through the preparing of meals and packing lunches...through the sweat & effort of exercise...
I want to SEE...
...my girls' hearts
...my husband's needs
...more of God
...how God sees me
...situations for what they are and not what I make them out to be in my head
...deeper to the soul of a person and not just the outside
...good, when bad is all around
...the personalities and relationships of the people I encounter
...beauty, when my mood tells me otherwise
...clearly and not through whatever "glasses" I've put on b/c of my past experiences
This is my New Year's Resolution...
My hope is that in my SEEing this year, my heart will draw closer to Him...that my vision will change and become closer to what He sees...and in turn, it will allow me to offer more grace not only to others, but to myself as well:)
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