Life Happens

So, it has been a long while since I did a blog entry and I missed it. I missed having a place to write down my thoughts. I missed having a place to recap my life. And I missed the “conversations” I had with myself and my pretend readers. J Blogging is a type of therapy for me and I missed it. But life happens and other things take priority. But today, I am priority and so I am going to catch up!

My kids …

 Braeden is talking more and more each day. He has always been a quiet kid, but now our house is filled with goofy sound effects and singing and he is practicing his letters and numbers. He likes to count for you “ 8 … 9 … 10… weben (11) “ It is so dang cute. And he sings along to his cartoons all the time. He has one heck of a memory!

Emilee is excelling at school! I couldn’t be more proud of her. She is wonderful in band as well, and has a busy month with a ton of fun girl scout things and end of the year field trips. She has grown into such a beautiful girl.

Rebecca is super busy. Not only does she do well academically but the kid likes to stay busy with sports and singing too. She is currently participating in track and field. She was even recruited by the high school coach to start practicing the pole vault for next year! She is gearing up for soccer too, now that her foot has healed. We have one more follow up exam this week and then she should be good to go! Becca leaves on Friday morning to audition for X Factor. This will be her first time to audition for them. She has auditioned before for America’s Got Talent. It is such a good experience for her. When she is famous and touring one day, she’ll be able to look back on these auditions and say “Remember when..”. J

Ashlee ….. well, she has had a rough year. I am not ready to divulge all of that on the interwebs yet but I pray every single night that she finds her footing and begins to live her life in a positive, healthy way. She is so bright and beautiful and funny.. and it is so heartbreaking to see her struggle with issues that even adults have a hard time dealing with. She is stronger than she gives herself credit for. She is worth more than she is taking right now. And I KNOW in my heart that everything will be ok in the end. But I just really hope she listens to the voice in her head and her heart and hears the guidance she’s been given her whole life. Don’t settle for mediocre Ashlee. You are worth SO much more than that. And you are loved more than you will ever know.

Flashback! First day of school 2009 I believe.

My love… Sweet Brian. My best friend and the deepest love I have ever known other than for my children. I don’t always say it or show it, but I would be lost without him by my side. I love this man more than words could say, and I am so excited to get away here next weekend and celebrate our anniversary! He is such a loving, and sweet guy…. To me, and our children. Plus, he still takes my breath away. And keeps me laughing. And would do anything in the world to make me happy. I am so blessed.

 

So, now that I am done with the mushy stuff, I can pick up where I left off. I am signed up for another fun run in May, The Gritty Goddess. Super excited about that! I have found a wonderful group of ladies that not only inspire each other, but are also supportive of one another. Imagine that … women who empower other women! I am starting to enjoy running and the way it makes me feel when I am done.

Easter has come and gone and now we get to look forward to Memorial Day and school getting out. I have a business trip in May to Nashville and then I am headed to Wisconsin for the 4^th. Should make the next few months fly by! So, that’s it for now. Here is a BIG photo dump. Until tomorrow….

Fat Girl Friday at its BEST!

 

Xoxo - SR

I love Friday's!

Hola, and Happy Freaking Friday!! Not much time to chat, just a quick update to what’s been keeping me busy this week.

Kids went back to school which means that the extracurriculars are back too. Early morning practices and private lessons and tutorials, etc. I did manage to get myself to the gym though so that was good. In case you’re wondering how much of a hot mess I can be, judge for yourself.

Nice, eh?

I spent some time at the park with my little guy too! He’s getting so big, ya’ll. He’s chatting away and is so animated and imaginative. We spent a good part of demonstrating how an Alligator sounds. I showed him the good ole University of Florida arm clap, and we yell a big “SNAP” as it claps down. Pretty awesome watching your kids learn new things each day. And maybe he will learn to love some college football too!

Tonight is happy hour with a few coworkers and Saturday night I am running a 5K glow run… the Neon Splash Dash. As you run through each area they splash you with glow in the dark water…. Should be fun! And it’s at night, which I have never done before. Wish me luck!

Enjoy your weekend, because Monday comes all too soon!!

Xoxo - SR

Photo Dump Monday

Spring Break is over and the kids are back in school! If yours are anything like mine, they whine about wanting to have days off from school and then as soon as they do, they whine about wanting to go back to see their friends again. Whatever... I am just glad they're back in a routine. And now the countdown to summer begins. Ugh.
Due to my jury duty crap last week, I didn't take off much this Spring Break like I usually do. Instead, we had a stay-cation. We began the week with the rodeo and ended it with some much needed girl time.
We decided to head down to Kemah for the afternoon on Friday. It was crowded, but what can you expect for a beautiful Spring Break Friday near the water! We rode rides, ate some junk, and acted goofy - as always. :)

Before and after pic of the Drop Zone. Emilee was terrified!!

We then met up with Dad and Braeden for dinner. And of all of the places to choose, they insisted on Ihop. Mmmkay. However, we did find this little gem on our way out.

Saturday we got up and headed downtown to take in some museums. We lunched first at Chipotle (YUM!) and the traffic coming in to the museum district was terrible!! So, we ended up only going to one... and they chose the Holocaust museum. It is beautifully done, and the survivor documentary at the end is a must see. We then headed over to the Galleria and shopped! It was a great day, and I was so happy to spend some quality time with the ladies.
Sunday was the typical errands and such, and with gorgeous weather! Sorry to keep this short and sweet, but dinner awaits and I have hungry babes to feed.

Prehistoric drive - in snack

Aren't they adorable? (ignore the need for the pedicure!)

xoxo - SR

M.I.A.

It’s been a while since I blogged, and I have missed it! I am not even sure where to pick up but here’s what’s been happening in my world.

Last week I had jury duty. This was my first time ever to even be called to jury duty, and of course I am picked. And not only picked, but made foreman. While I was completely fascinated by our justice system and watching the ins and outs of the trial, the content was emotional and the testimony was exhausting. This was a murder trial, committed by a young mom. She claimed self defense but that was clearly not the case, and she was found guilty of murder. The lives these women led were tough, and they were both mothers… the neighborhood they lived in was awful, and I came home each night thanking God that I was fortunate enough to not have to raise my children in an environment like that. Hopefully that doesn’t sound ugly.. I don’t mean for it to. But I am blessed..and every single day I praise Him for those blessings. We so often take for granted the lives we lead. But most of us live a good life…One where we feel safe, and can provide the necessities to our families in an honest way. This trial reminded me to remember those blessings each day and to cherish the life I live. You only get one shot, right?? J

OK, now on to more fun topics… like Spring Break! Normally we sneak away for a vacation of some sort, but this year we decided to have a stay-cation. We began with the Rodeo last night. Here in Houston, we have an annual tradition and host one of the largest (if not THE largest) rodeo’s in the country. Over two weeks of festivities  include BBQ cook-offs, trail rides, concerts, carnival, livestock show, and the actual rodeo. Events are held each night like bull riding and barrel racing, and the very popular Mutton Bustin’! (This one is my fav) This is an event that puts little kids on the backs of sheep and they try and hold on as long as possible. It is SO cute.  

We spent the evening eating, walking around checking out the animals, eating, watching the events, eating, and then finished it up with a concert by Jason Aldean.

Here is a pictoral recap:

Yeah, that's a deep fried Oreo! It was DELISH!!

My weird kids.

And threw one in of the little guy, because he's so dang cute!

So, for the remainder of this week, the kids are mainly hanging out...doing things with friends... However, this weekend it is a GIRLS weekend and we are going to be out and about savoring the local spots, enjoying activities that are difficult to do when you have a 2yr old. The girls are very excited, and so is Momma!

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo - SR

My digs

So, I was randomly sitting in my office eating my breakfast, and then I glanced over at a picture of the kids. And then I missed them. This happens every couple of months, where I think to myself “Gosh, I wish I could be a stay at home Mom, and greet them after school each day, and make nutritious snacks and we would catch up about the day sitting at the kitchen table over some homework." And I snap back to reality. I love my job! Yes, I love my kids too… obviously. And I do miss them throughout the day, like my most parents. But would I really trade my job (and the money) to stay home all day and tend to their needs? And the housework! Because you know as a SAHM, there are expectations right? The house will be clean, laundry is caught up, dinner is ready when the hubs comes home, etc. But that shit doesn’t happen either. And then I would probably be stressed about not reaching that expectation and then it would snowball into me sipping wine from a box in the afternoon just to escape the madness! Lol  So, instead of whining about wishing I could blow this joint today and play hooky, I instead decided to share what my office looks like, since this is where I generally post my blog entries, early in the morning before I begin my day. It’s so quiet here! (much different than at home).

Love post-its! Thanks Romy and Michelle!!

My view... such a nice day, eh? See why I want to play hooky!?

Still selling cookies... Anyone need some??

A quote from a co-worker ... LOVE it

Another good one!

Need a pen? I apparently hoard them.

The rugrats I was missing this morning... they look so sweet huh? Dang teenagers.

Mmmm, my breakfast. Plain oatmeal...clean eating, right?  #ratherhaveadonut

Happy Wednesday!

Side note... do you ever open your photo album on your phone up, and get greeted with about 20 random pictures like the one above?? My kids do this ALL the time. I actually love it... You never know what you're gonna get...and then it just makes me miss them more. :)

Have a splendid day friends!
xoxo - SR

February's almost over??!

Happy Monday… well, that’s what you’re supposed to say at the beginning of each week. But Monday’s generally suck, right? … so.. yeah. 

Our weekend was good! We got so much accomplished (YAY!) and there was no teenage drama (EVEN BIGGER YAY!!!) Altough, my Friday started off rough, so I was nervous about the weekend. I got rear-ended Friday, while on my way to have lunch with Becca. It was by a co-worker too! Neither one of us was hurt, so that was good … but our cars don’t look too hot. I need a new bumper, and she needs a lot more than that. :(

Friday night Emilee had a band lock-in, so she was out until midnight. Becca crashed at a friend’s house, and the rest of us went and grabbed some dinner. Ashlee and I then curled up and actually watched a movie! I LOVE to watch movies… it is one of my most favorite things to do. And since the little guy came around, I have not seen too many. But Brian was kind enough to keep Bubs happy and I finally watched The House At The End of the Street.

 

Really good movie! I bought it a while ago, and JUST now opened the package. So sad. Lol Saturday, got up early and had the busted up car detailed and then ran around picking up the various kids from their activities. (If you want to call Dhall an activity) I had an eye appt, and then sold girl scout cookies in front of the most ghetto supermarket in our area. It was entertaining but not where I wanted to be on a nice Saturday afternoon. In between all of that I squeezed in the grocery store too. Yeah, I was BUSY. But like I said, productive. Sunday was mostly around the house stuff. Bri and I decided to try our hand at recycling an old dresser and turn it into more of an entertainment center. We’ll see what it looks like when I am all done. J Oh, I also made those little no bake energy balls. They turned out AMAZING!! So good!

So, I am beginning the 30 day Jillian Michaels challenge… again. Lol I will DO it this time! We have a good support group through IG so that should be fun to keep up with. I am also going to be doing the Advocare cleanse beginning March 4^th, with the ML Fit Campers. Excited to be doing that, finally! I hear nothing but good things so I can’t wait to see my results!

Here are some pics of our weekend. Take care ya’ll!

Still fascinated with Q-Tips.

Little man is getting a clubhouse!

My new favorite snack! Caramel corn rice cake and small smear of Natural PB.

 

xoxo - SR