Having 2 small children is a lot of fun but it's also a lot of work. Over the course of the last 3 years, I've lost pieces of myself. I've found a lot more but there are times when it is so exhausting to be a mom that I just shut down. At the end of the day, there is no time left for me or the things that I want to accomplish, be it chores or just fun stuff, like scrapbooking or heck, even reading a book!
My husband struggles with the same issues. I'm lucky enough to be a stay at home mom which makes the financial woes a little more but there are infinitely more rewards to it. But sometimes, we all get stuck in the mud. We can't see our way out of it. We see the dreams and hopes we had crashing down around us. We start to see only the bad and forget all the wonderful things we have going for us. That's when I know it's time for us to get out of dodge.
This past week just worked out so that Josh had one day off, one day on, one day off and then a late shift. Where we are in Ohio, it's only about an 8-9 hour drive to the ocean. Me being me, Josh's schedule and our bleak outlook sparked an idea. After a bit of discussion and a whole lot of running on my part, Thursday morning saw us off to Virginia Beach. It took us a heck of a lot longer to get going and a lot longer to get there thanks to 2 small children and some crazy bad rain but we made it. We camped, played in the ocean, saw parts of the country we'd never seen before....It was amazing. The car trip back took much longer than getting there had (isn't that always the case??) but in the end, it was incredibly refreshing.
I'm reminded that life takes us down paths we didn't envision but that doesn't make it the wrong path.
I'm reminded that life doesn't have to adhere to a schedule.
I'm reminded that it's okay to rinse off all the sand just to jump right back in it.
I'm reminded that the world is a bright, wonderful place.
I'm reminded that I can be spontaneous, even with small children.
I"m reminded that cutting loose is necessary.
I'm reminded that not everything has to be a huge, expensive production.
Onward and upward. I've got some novels calling my name. Have a wonderful day, beautiful people.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Sydney Logan's Mountain Charm
Let's give a round of applause to Sydney Logan for bringing us another awesome work! Sydney is joining us today on her blog tour for Mountain Charm, the second book in her Appalachian Heart series. I've got all kinds of things to share with you so please keep reading!! There's even a giveaway of Mountain Charm at the bottom!
Here's a summary:
One issue I have with most romance novels that involve magic is that they are incredibly hokey. The magic in books can be a hard pill to swallow....it comes out poorly written and really kills the tone of the book. Sydney NAILS it with this book. Magic is a part of it but it's not in the least bit hokey. Angelina and Celia have magic in their lives but it's not the only thing that defines them.
The relationships in this book are heart warming and honest. I truly believed every one of them. Sydney is able to capture the essence of an Appalachian mountain community and at no point did I question any of the characters' choices which is a rare thing in a romance novel.
Bravo on another job well written, Sydney! I'm stoked for future works!!
Here's a summary:
“True love and sweet whispers, till death do us part;
Send someone to love my Appalachian heart.”
At the age of thirteen, Angelina Clark followed in the footsteps of her ancestors by casting an Appalachian love spell, which promised she would blossom into a beautiful and gifted woman who would find her true love. A young Angelina had been thrilled to participate in the sacred ritual, but through the years, her father’s untimely death and her mother’s failing health have shaken Angelina’s magical faith to its core. As her twenty-first birthday approaches, she refuses to practice her supernatural gifts and no longer believes in the love charm.
That is, until Dylan Thomas arrives on her front porch.
Dylan, a Nashville writer, travels to the mountain town of Maple Ridge to unearth the family’s supernatural secrets. While her clairvoyant mother is convinced that Dylan is her daughter’s soul mate, Angelina refuses to see the nosy reporter as anything more than a nuisance.
Despite their constant bickering, sparks fly.
Dylan admits he feels strangely drawn to Angelina and is in no hurry to leave Maple Ridge or publish his magazine article. Fearful that his emotions are being influenced by the spell, a stubborn Angelina struggles to fight her own budding attraction to the reporter.
The two inevitably grow closer just as her mother’s health begins to deteriorate, and Angelina is faced with the possibility of selling the family’s music shop to pay the mounting medical expenses. Desperate to help the woman he loves, Dylan explores his own family tree and finds support from an unlikely source. Can he finally prove his love is real—spell or no spell?
A story filled with love, friendship, family, and just a hint of Appalachian magic, Mountain Charm will leave you spellbound.
A little bit about Sydney:
Sydney Logan is an Amazon bestselling author and holds a Master’s degree in Elementary Education. With the 2012 release of her first novel, Lessons Learned, she made the transition from bookworm to author. Sydney has a very unhealthy obsession with music, and her iPod is filled with everything from Johnny Cash to Eminem. She is also the author of two short stories: “Mistletoe Magic,” available exclusively on Amazon Kindle, and “Stupid Cupid,” which is featured in the Romantic Interludes compilation. When she isn't reading or writing, she enjoys playing piano and relaxing on her front porch at her home in East Tennessee with her wonderful husband and their very spoiled cat.
Her second novel, Mountain Charm, is slated for a summer 2013 release.
My take:
Loved this! I had a little bit of a hard time getting into it but once I made it through the first chapter, I couldn't put it down!
The story follows Angelina, a small town girl whose family has always been a little bit strange thanks to the streak of magic in their blood. At 13, all girls in her family cast a spell that is supposed to bring their soul mate into their life when they reach 21. In the very beginning, Angelina casts that spell and the first chapter opens on her 21st birthday and who should walk in but a handsome Nashville journalist looking for her.
The following course of events causes Angelina and her new found friend Dylan to question everything they know about, well, everything. Angelina must come to terms with who she is and what she is capable of. Dylan must learn to accept the things that he can and cannot change about his whole life and what that will mean for him going forward.
One issue I have with most romance novels that involve magic is that they are incredibly hokey. The magic in books can be a hard pill to swallow....it comes out poorly written and really kills the tone of the book. Sydney NAILS it with this book. Magic is a part of it but it's not in the least bit hokey. Angelina and Celia have magic in their lives but it's not the only thing that defines them.
The relationships in this book are heart warming and honest. I truly believed every one of them. Sydney is able to capture the essence of an Appalachian mountain community and at no point did I question any of the characters' choices which is a rare thing in a romance novel.
Bravo on another job well written, Sydney! I'm stoked for future works!!
The Fun Stuff:
So you wanna win an ebook copy of Mountain Charm, do ya? Well, it's simple!
1. Follow my blog!
2. Go like Sydney's author page on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/SydneyLoganAuthor
3. Come back here and comment!
4. DOUBLE entries if you buy any of Sydney's other work and send me a copy of the receipt!
Accepting entries until August 3rd, with a winner to be announced on August 4th!
Accepting entries until August 3rd, with a winner to be announced on August 4th!
LINKS!
Lessons Learned on Amazon
Mountain Charm on Amazon
Mistletoe Magic on Amazon
Forces of Nature on Amazon
Lessons Learned on Barnes and Noble
Mountain Charm on Barnes and Noble
Friday, July 12, 2013
Coming soon....
A few years ago, I started reading works by this wonderful woman, Sydney Logan. While reading some of her unpublished stuff, I learned that she was working on her first novel and was attempting to have it published. Then she did. Do you have any idea how cool it is to know someone who is achieving one of their dreams? And to know that that person really deserves it? That's Sydney. Knowing her, I of course jumped to buy her book. That's what you do for friends. When they put something out, you buy it to support them. Know what though? I actually REALLY loved the book.
Lessons Learned was Sydney's first book. It completely floored me. It's about a teacher who moves back to her hometown and gets caught up in the life of a gay quarterback while attempting to put her own life back together. It's also set in Appalachia. Holy cow. I really boiled the book down to one line but there is so much more depth to this novel. I couldn't put it down and sobbed by the time it was all said and done. I truly believe that everyone should read it. You meet characters who are homophobic, some who are not, some who change and some who don't. It's not a preachy "get on the rainbow bandwagon" book but it does have an amazing message.
Recently, Sydney published her second novel, Mountain Charm. Again, I raced out to read it. Again, it didn't disappoint. A full review of it will be coming soon.
That's really what I'm here to tell you. On July 29th, I'll be hosting Sydney here as a stop on her Mountain Charm blog tour. So keep an eye out...I'll be posting an ebook giveaway of Mountain Charm!!
That's really what I'm here to tell you. On July 29th, I'll be hosting Sydney here as a stop on her Mountain Charm blog tour. So keep an eye out...I'll be posting an ebook giveaway of Mountain Charm!!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
A New Start
When I started this blog, I wasn't really sure what I wanted it to be. And to be honest, I'm still not sure. An online record maybe? Somewhere for my kids to come in later years and read about the crazy train we were riding?
Yesterday, I realized that this blog will be whatever it ends up being. And I figured this was a good day to get back into my blogging!
I've made the choice to reclaim my health. I used to be thin and fit. Post college, post 2 babies, post desk job...I"m not any more. I'm significantly overweight. In the next year, I'm looking to drop around 75 lbs. A good friend of mine turned me onto Jillian Michael's Total Body Revolution. It's a 90 day program and she went down 6 pant sizes. It gives me hope.
Since I'm breastfeeding, I can't do the full diet program. I have to maintain a certain amount of calories so that I'm still making enough milk for my daughter. So I don't know that I'll lose quite as much as my friend but every little bit helps!
So I'll try and check in every week. I've done two days of Jillian plus an extra 60 squats today. when I weighed myself yesterday I was 204.8lbs. So lets see where I am next week!
Yesterday, I realized that this blog will be whatever it ends up being. And I figured this was a good day to get back into my blogging!
I've made the choice to reclaim my health. I used to be thin and fit. Post college, post 2 babies, post desk job...I"m not any more. I'm significantly overweight. In the next year, I'm looking to drop around 75 lbs. A good friend of mine turned me onto Jillian Michael's Total Body Revolution. It's a 90 day program and she went down 6 pant sizes. It gives me hope.
Since I'm breastfeeding, I can't do the full diet program. I have to maintain a certain amount of calories so that I'm still making enough milk for my daughter. So I don't know that I'll lose quite as much as my friend but every little bit helps!
So I'll try and check in every week. I've done two days of Jillian plus an extra 60 squats today. when I weighed myself yesterday I was 204.8lbs. So lets see where I am next week!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Best Apps for a quick mom break
1. Shop Style - FREE Unless you happen to live near the Mall of America, there's no way you could ever get the breadth of stores that ShopStyle has in one place. The app sells everything – clothes, décor, kid and baby stuff, cosmetics, and shoes from stores like Nordstrom, Pottery Barn, Sephora, Banana Republic, Hanna Anderson – plus 300 more. Not only can you order your daughter a cute little dress while she's dozing in the stroller, but you can nab yourself a cute pair of shoes (and a lamp) while you're at it.
Works on: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
2. Cut the Rope - $0.99 Cut the Rope may not have reached Angry Birdsstatus yet, but it's getting close. This addictive game, mixing strategy and physics (it's not as hard as it sounds), comes as a welcome distraction any time you have a free moment. You wouldn't think that cutting rope would be so entertaining, but it really is!
There's also a free version of the game.
Works on: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. (While Cut the Rope isn't available yet for Android, a very similar game called Rope Cut is.)
3. Stanza - FREE We know you don't have as much free time as you did pre-kids, but Stanza lets you keep a library of e-books you can chip away at a few pages at a time. It has more than 50,000 titles – recent bestsellers, classics, even a huge selection of free books. Download a bunch and maybe you'll actually read something other than Goodnight Moon tonight.
There are several other major e-book apps out there, but we like Stanza for its customizable options, like adjusting page margins, line spacing, and coloring. Hey, if you're going to make time to read, you want it to be just the way you want it, right?
Works on: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
4. Long Deep Breathing - $0.99 When's the last time you actually stopped and took a deep breath? It does wonders for your psyche and can help you pull it together when you've got a tantruming toddler on your hands. The app is a simple breathing aid that provides visual cues for inhaling and exhaling. After taking just 10 deep breaths, you'll feel more relaxed and ready to deal with whatever's going wrong – without throwing a tantrum yourself.
Works on: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad (There's a similar app for the Android called Breathe.)
5. Make Up - FREE Let us guess: Some days you dash out of the house only to grimace when you catch a reflection of your disheveled self later on. But you can do better – even if virtually. Upload a photo of your face and get your eye shadow groove on with the endless colors loaded in this app. Once you've got your look right, it tells you what the exact product is. Now you've got some new items for your birthday wish list.
Works on: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
6. Pocket Booth - $0.99 Pocket Booth will take you back to your teen years, when you used to squeeze into one of those little photos booths and take goofy pictures with your friends. The app lets you take a photo (or use an existing one from your camera roll) and turn it into a strip of four pictures. Bring your friends down memory lane by e-mailing them a strip or posting it on their Facebook wall.
Works on: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
7. Tap News - $0.99 Tap News pulls from 18 mainstream news sources, like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and MSNBC, and feeds them into one place. Most of these news outlets have individual apps, yes, but this is a timesaving way to get up to speed on current events. Because, let's face it, sometimes we want to talk about something other than our kids.
Works on: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
8. Island Pictures - FREE Dare to dream about an exotic island getaway with your mate. A trip to Tahiti may not be on the calendar, but drooling over Islands magazine's photos of the most beautiful beaches in the world will take you there for a couple of minutes, at least in your mind.
Works on: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Daily Musings
Over the last 21 months, I've learned a lot about life.
I've learned that I took for granted the free time I had prior to being a parent.
I've learned that being a stay-at-home mom is a lot of work.
I've learned that being a mom while working full time is a lot of work.
I've learned that I can be lazy.
I've learned that I can be very productive.
I've learned that I have no clue who I am.
I've learned that I really have no idea what I'm doing.
We've been watching Mad Men a lot. We just started Season 4 and I've been really upset that I'm not a Betty Draper. I don't have a neat house all the time. My fridge is usually filled with junk. Of course, I recently reminded myself that Betty does have a maid.
Life has also been extremely adventurous. Just the other day, I decided to write a book about living with a child (soon to be children) 2500 miles away from your family. I decided this book shall be called Adventures in Poop. I mean seriously. Why is there ALWAYS poop involved?! I have many friends who dodge Facebook friends because they are constantly talking about their kids' poop. Or poop in general. Somehow, kids always end up associated with poop! Whenever my husband comes home, I immediately start on the daily poop updates. I understand why people who are not parents get bent out of shape because my whole day revolves around poop! (Sorta...)
I'm getting a hands' on experience on the differences in pregnancies. When I was pregnant with Orion, I worked full time from home. It was a very fast paced job that required me to be in front of my computer 40+ hours/week and I was on the phone for a good 30 of that. I had lots of information that I needed to just be able to call up at any given moment and that's one of the things that made me a valuable employee. I had a lot of info that I could just summon and I was quick and efficient at paperwork. I love paperwork. Seriously. Working from home allowed me to laze around and I spent many hours watching television or surfing the internet or playing World of Warcraft. If I needed to sleep, I took a lunch break and slept. I'd go to bed early and sleep late whenever I could. If I had an early shift, I'd take a nap and then still go to bed early.
When I brought my son home, I was granted 6 weeks maternity leave (30 business days). I took those days for granted. I took for granted when my son was immobile and when he was breastfeeding. I'd just block him out unless he needed something. Obviously I kept an eye on him but he was more a part of the furniture than anything else.
The more mobile he got, the harder my job became. I ended up on anti-depressants because I was having trouble coping with my life. A full time job, a full time parent, a full time wife and maid and cook? I mean seriously. That's way too much for one person to do with no help. Now, that's not to say that my husband didn't do anything. He was all of these things too. But when it's all said and done, where is the personal down time? It doesn't exist. Things start slipping.
This second pregnancy is very very much wanted but was as much of a surprise as when I found out I was pregnant with our son. I panicked because we'd been planning to get an IUD and wait 5 years for another baby and here I was pregnant again. At least I'd be delivering in September. Except that we found out I was much farther along than I thought. I would be delivering at the end of July. We decided that I should put in my notice for work (my job was pretty specialized and I'd been doing it for 5 years so I gave them 2 months' notice). My time got cut a month short and I've been a stay at home mom ever since.
But being a stay at home mom isn't easy by any means. I spend my days chasing my 21 month old toddler who is incredibly active. If I'm not chasing Orion, I'm trying to do the cleaning and cooking that need to be done. And I'm exhausted. I'm 7 months pregnant and all I want to do is sleep. Everything hurts and it's hurt for far longer than it did with Orion. I'm contemplating a maternity support belt because wow. Ouch.
I've learned along the way that I can't stick to some things and others I'm really good at sticking to. We watch a lot of TV. I'm tired. Orion loves Toy Story. If it's not Toy Story, it's Rio or Little Einsteins or Go Diego Go. We had Netflix on a PlayStation 3 for awhile so we also watched The Backyardigans or Sesame Street or The Cat in the Hat or Curious George. He eats more mac and cheese than I ever wanted him to. And French Fries? Forget it. Can't get enough of them.
But ya know something I've learned? My little boy is happy. He's healthy. He smiles and laughs and we have a good time. I've learned that I've been too plugged in for too long in his very short life. He'll come running up to me and slam my laptop closed if I've been on it for too long. So I make sure that I limit my computer time. My lazing about time. If we're watching TV, I pull him onto my lap and we talk about what's going on.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about the Time Magazine article (what mom hasn't?!) about being mom enough (This is a much much longer blog entry, not for tonight) and you know what it comes down to? My little boy is healthy and happy and loves me and knows he's loved. And that's what's important.
I'm getting a hands' on experience on the differences in pregnancies. When I was pregnant with Orion, I worked full time from home. It was a very fast paced job that required me to be in front of my computer 40+ hours/week and I was on the phone for a good 30 of that. I had lots of information that I needed to just be able to call up at any given moment and that's one of the things that made me a valuable employee. I had a lot of info that I could just summon and I was quick and efficient at paperwork. I love paperwork. Seriously. Working from home allowed me to laze around and I spent many hours watching television or surfing the internet or playing World of Warcraft. If I needed to sleep, I took a lunch break and slept. I'd go to bed early and sleep late whenever I could. If I had an early shift, I'd take a nap and then still go to bed early.
When I brought my son home, I was granted 6 weeks maternity leave (30 business days). I took those days for granted. I took for granted when my son was immobile and when he was breastfeeding. I'd just block him out unless he needed something. Obviously I kept an eye on him but he was more a part of the furniture than anything else.
The more mobile he got, the harder my job became. I ended up on anti-depressants because I was having trouble coping with my life. A full time job, a full time parent, a full time wife and maid and cook? I mean seriously. That's way too much for one person to do with no help. Now, that's not to say that my husband didn't do anything. He was all of these things too. But when it's all said and done, where is the personal down time? It doesn't exist. Things start slipping.
This second pregnancy is very very much wanted but was as much of a surprise as when I found out I was pregnant with our son. I panicked because we'd been planning to get an IUD and wait 5 years for another baby and here I was pregnant again. At least I'd be delivering in September. Except that we found out I was much farther along than I thought. I would be delivering at the end of July. We decided that I should put in my notice for work (my job was pretty specialized and I'd been doing it for 5 years so I gave them 2 months' notice). My time got cut a month short and I've been a stay at home mom ever since.
But being a stay at home mom isn't easy by any means. I spend my days chasing my 21 month old toddler who is incredibly active. If I'm not chasing Orion, I'm trying to do the cleaning and cooking that need to be done. And I'm exhausted. I'm 7 months pregnant and all I want to do is sleep. Everything hurts and it's hurt for far longer than it did with Orion. I'm contemplating a maternity support belt because wow. Ouch.
I've learned along the way that I can't stick to some things and others I'm really good at sticking to. We watch a lot of TV. I'm tired. Orion loves Toy Story. If it's not Toy Story, it's Rio or Little Einsteins or Go Diego Go. We had Netflix on a PlayStation 3 for awhile so we also watched The Backyardigans or Sesame Street or The Cat in the Hat or Curious George. He eats more mac and cheese than I ever wanted him to. And French Fries? Forget it. Can't get enough of them.
But ya know something I've learned? My little boy is happy. He's healthy. He smiles and laughs and we have a good time. I've learned that I've been too plugged in for too long in his very short life. He'll come running up to me and slam my laptop closed if I've been on it for too long. So I make sure that I limit my computer time. My lazing about time. If we're watching TV, I pull him onto my lap and we talk about what's going on.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about the Time Magazine article (what mom hasn't?!) about being mom enough (This is a much much longer blog entry, not for tonight) and you know what it comes down to? My little boy is healthy and happy and loves me and knows he's loved. And that's what's important.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Sunshine living
When we first moved to SoCal, I had this vision of how things were going to be.
So far, pretty much nothing has turned out the way I thought that it would.
Now that we've got an (almost) 2 year old and another on the way, I find myself struggling to keep my son engaged and myself from going crazy. In December, I left my job to be with my son full-time and it wasn't until recently that I realized that what I walked away from was also my adult interaction. I spent more than an hour on the phone with one of my good friends this past week - and it was the first time I had spoken to an adult besides one of my family members in a very long time. It felt good. I felt like I had a real shot at being a human again.
Where does that leave me now? It leaves me searching. My son needs friends and interactions that challenge him. I know every parent says it, but truly, my kid is smart. He doesn't talk a lot but he's smart. You can see in his face that he's constantly working out the laws of how our world functions. Gravity is definitely NOT his friend (sadly, he gets this adorable trait from me). So I spent a part of my day yesterday researching.
With a baby due at the end of July, I have a hard time plugging into new groups of moms because it takes a lot of energy to meet new people and form friendships. I just don't have the energy to share with new people and new relationships.
So what have I found? I found some fun kid friendly places!
Play Town Indoor Playground - http://www.goplaytown.com/general
--Cheaper than some of the other options I've found. Hoping to check this one out in the next week.
Kidville - http://www.kidville.com
--Also an indoor playground. Definitely going to check this one out too.
Any other suggestions out there for things to take a very active 2 year old to do that won't require this very pregnant mommy to expend very much energy?
So far, pretty much nothing has turned out the way I thought that it would.
Now that we've got an (almost) 2 year old and another on the way, I find myself struggling to keep my son engaged and myself from going crazy. In December, I left my job to be with my son full-time and it wasn't until recently that I realized that what I walked away from was also my adult interaction. I spent more than an hour on the phone with one of my good friends this past week - and it was the first time I had spoken to an adult besides one of my family members in a very long time. It felt good. I felt like I had a real shot at being a human again.
Where does that leave me now? It leaves me searching. My son needs friends and interactions that challenge him. I know every parent says it, but truly, my kid is smart. He doesn't talk a lot but he's smart. You can see in his face that he's constantly working out the laws of how our world functions. Gravity is definitely NOT his friend (sadly, he gets this adorable trait from me). So I spent a part of my day yesterday researching.
With a baby due at the end of July, I have a hard time plugging into new groups of moms because it takes a lot of energy to meet new people and form friendships. I just don't have the energy to share with new people and new relationships.
So what have I found? I found some fun kid friendly places!
Play Town Indoor Playground - http://www.goplaytown.com/general
--Cheaper than some of the other options I've found. Hoping to check this one out in the next week.
Kidville - http://www.kidville.com
--Also an indoor playground. Definitely going to check this one out too.
Any other suggestions out there for things to take a very active 2 year old to do that won't require this very pregnant mommy to expend very much energy?
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