Throwback Thursday.......

Kyser has never much liked school.  The kid is brilliant, and therefor he thinks that school is a waste of time.  When he was in Kindergarten, he came home shortly after the start of the school year and informed me that he was quitting school.  I told him that he can't quit school because the law says he has to go and that if he does not go it's called truancy and that mom could be sent to jail if that were to happen.  He was sort of in disbelief that this could occur but he agreed that he should stay in school and keep mom out of jail.  Well fast forward a couple of weeks and this was how the conversation went down............

Kyser: "Mom, I still want to quit school".

Mom: "Remember that you can't do that because mommy could go to jail"

Kyser: "Mom, I really hope that jail isn't too bad.  I am quitting for sure." 😂

Thanks a lot dude!  The good news is that he never quit and is now two grades advanced (he is supposed to be in 4th grade but is in 6th grade instead).  I continually am reminding him to keep working and don't ever quit on your dreams.  I love you to the moon and back Kyser Bryant 💙!!!!!!!

Mornings can be rough 😩

As we all know, mornings can be rough 😩!  And have you noticed that as the week goes on, it gets a bit tougher each day to get out of bed?  This morning was no exception in our house!  Like usual, I woke up all of the kids very gently with a kiss and a back rub.  After giving them 5 minutes to get out of bed, I went back and woke them all up for a second time.  The boys woke up this time, but when I went back to check on Tayvia, I found her lying on her couch and this was how the conversation played out........

Mommy: "Tayvia, why are you on your couch and not up yet?"

Tayvia: "Mommy, it's not time to wake up yet?"

Mommy: "Yes it is time to get up Tay.  I have asked you 2x to get up already."

Tayvia: "I know you are just tricking me mom because it's still dark outside.  We do not have to get up yet."

Mommy: "Honey it's winter, we have been waking up in the dark for the past 2 months."

Tayvia: "But why would you do that to us mommy?"

😂😂😂😂😂

As you call tell, she is not a morning person.  When she was littler and I tried to wake her up she would look at me with closed eyes and say "I can't get up because my eyes are not working"!  This girl kills me most days!!!  Thank you Tayvia Rose for always keeping me on my toes and being totally honest all of the time.  I love you baby girl 😘

How Do Parent's Survive?

There are some days that I reflect and wonder how parent's survive the daily shuffle of life?  Yesterday was a wonderful yet very busy day for me.  Work, go pick up Kyser for training, go to training with Kyser (which I am paying for this morning😏), go back to pick up Pax and Tay, head home to make dinner, wash dishes, throw in a load of laundry, shower kids, fix the PlayStation, fall asleep with the boys, up in the night with the dog/Kyser/Tayvia, and then back up early this morning to fold laundry and pack lunches before getting everyone ready for school.  And to most of us, this is a completely normal day.  I guess as parents we just do what we need to do and don't take time to consider all of the crazy things we do to keep everyone happy.  So to all of you parents out there who are burning a candle at both ends, keep up the good work!  I am proud of you and your child(ren) will be all the greater because of everything you do!!!!!

Compassion

Sometimes I wonder where why we can't all just have more love and compassion in our hearts?  I don't often watch the news because it makes me ill most days to see stories of killing, road rage, abuse to children, etc....  But every once in a while I will take a peek and I was so surprised to find this story 😃  "An Indiana school superintendent is accused of pretending a sick student was her son so she could get him treatment. She's been arrested and charged with fraud, but the school board says it stands behind her.  According to court documents that detail the charges made Wednesday, Casey Smitherman, the superintendent of the Elwood School District, relied on her son's insurance when she was unable to get a sick 15-year-old treatment because she wasn't his guardian" (https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/24/health/superintendent-fraud-using-insurance-student-trnd/).  This story warms my heart because of the compassion this Superintendent showed and in doing so, got herself into legal trouble.  It also saddens me that the child was having to suffer without his own guardian taking him in for medical care.  I don't know the circumstance of why that did not happen and am grateful for the Superintendent intervening the way she did.  So thank you Casey Smitherman for going above and beyond your job expectations.  This sounds like something I would do............ 😉

My Fellow Americans........

I feel the need to address what's been going on in America lately.  After a month of the government shutdown, I can't help but worry about the furloughed employees who have had to suffer through the process of not being able to work and missing 2 paychecks.  The real scary part about this is the fact that most people would not be able to survive missing even 1 paycheck.  "Seventy-eight percent of full-time workers said they live paycheck to paycheck, up from 75 percent last year, according to a recent report from CareerBuilder". (https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/24/most-americans-live-paycheck-to-paycheck.html).  

And even though the shut down has been put on hold for a couple of weeks, there is an even larger problem looming that most of us are unaware of.........

"Unknown to most Americans, a parallel legal regime allows the president to sidestep many of the constraints that normally apply. The moment the president declares a “national emergency”—a decision that is entirely within his discretion—more than 100 special provisions become available to him. While many of these tee up reasonable responses to genuine emergencies, some appear dangerously suited to a leader bent on amassing or retaining power. For instance, the president can, with the flick of his pen, activate laws allowing him to shut down many kinds of electronic communications inside the United States or freeze Americans’ bank accounts. Other powers are available even without a declaration of emergency, including laws that allow the president to deploy troops inside the country to subdue domestic unrest" (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/01/presidential-emergency-powers/576418/)

So, I hope I am not alone in saying that I am proud to be an American, but I am also very worried for our futures.  This country was built on the premise of freedom, and it seems as though this liberty is being challenged as time goes on.  And so many Americans have fought and lost their lives defending our freedom.  All I can do is pray that this state of unrest in America will settle and we can return to being the amazing country that we all love💙

Tired 😴

Mom life is great, but some days I am just tired 😴.........  It's Saturday, and I have been up since 4am.  After packing lunches and chairs and bags, doing laundry, and cleaning the house, I spent the day watching Kyser and Paxton play lacrosse.  We played from 8 am-5pm.  That a full day's work!  But you know what, I wouldn't trade this time for anything!  I really feel that these days will go by so very quickly and I want to cherish every moment that I have with my kids.  So, I will continue to be tired because I know that it's all worth it!  So tired mamas, remember that everything we are doing is making an impact and our role is so very important!!!!!!!

Take Time to Unplug.........

We spent the past weekend up north in beautiful Flagstaff.  It was a great opportunity to unplug and spend time together without our usual electronic distractions.  The weather was perfect for skiing and snowboarding, which the kids tried for the first time.  They learned how difficult it is and I am super proud of them for trying!  While they were in lessons, mom got to get away and do some solo skiing after a 10 year hiatus.  It was so fun to get back on skis and enjoy the beautiful scenery.  The older I get I am learning the most important thing is to spend quality time with the ones we love 💗!!!!

Happy "Gotcha Day" Tayvia Rose!

January 22 is Lil Miss Tayvia's "Gotcha Day"!  In case you are not aware, "Gotcha Day" is the day when all of the adoption proceedings are legally done and by the letter of the law, we finally "Gotcha" for good.  Since adoption is so unique, I make a BIG deal out of the kids "Gotcha Day".  I mean, most people don't have one so why not make it a super fun day for the kids that do.  Since she had school yesterday, I picked her up after school so we could do something special that she picked.  So first, we went to the store to get another LOL Doll.  Next, we went to get her a mani and a pedi (gel polish so it will hopefully last longer than the last time we tried this).  She was so spoiled during her spa time that they gave her an ice cream bar during her pedicure 😂.  After that, we ran some errands, went to a basketball game, and watched her boys at LaCrosse practice.  It was a pretty good day!  I am so very grateful for the gift of adoption and that we "Gotcha" Tayvia Rose!

Love you so much my little peanut💖!!!!!

5 years ago today.....

It was 5 years ago today that we packed up all of our stuff in North Dakota and made the move back to Arizona (we had lived in AZ for 4 years so I could go to school, went back to ND for 4 years so I could work, and then decided that we had enough of the bitterly cold winter).  When we left North Dakota on January 22, it was -45 and when we landed in Arizona, it was 75.  That's only a 110 degree difference😳.  People often ask me why I moved away from my friends and family and tell them that I wanted to live somewhere that my family blended in better (and the weather had some pull in that decision as well).  Don't get me wrong, it in no way bothers me to stand out in a crowd, but I didn't want that for my children.  When I lived in North Dakota, people would say to me all the time "your kids are cute-where were they born?".  Excuse me?  Do you ask everyone where their kids were born or is it likely just me you ask because I am white and my kids are chocolate?  (P.S. Using the term chocolate is something we created in our house-I will tell that story soon).  I guess after a while I just got tired of being stared at all the time and being asked ridiculous questions from people I didn't know.  I can honestly say that it was a tough decision to make, but in the long run it was one of the best things I could have done (although I do miss my friends and family so very much).  So, if you are on the fence about making a big decision, take the chance.  It's scary to start, but once you are on your way, the possibilities are limitless!

Here's my crew 5 years ago when we moved to AZ!

"I Have a Dream"

As I spent the entire weekend with my kids, I sat back and reflected on the significance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  He was the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement and is best known for advancing civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, tactics his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi helped inspire.  Although I was not alive for his famous "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington in 1963, it truly has impacted my life.

"I Have a Dream"

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.


I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.


I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.


I have a dream today.


I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and 
white girls as sisters and brothers.


I have a dream today.


Thank you Dr. King for all of your dreams, as I too have the same dreams even today.  I truly pray that my children will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.  You see, I had no impact on my children's skin color.  But the content of their character is something that I take very seriously and I work daily to shape and mold them into being amazing human beings who always choose kindness and love 🖤................

  

Let's Dance!

There was a school dance last night and all 3 kids got to go!  Since the kids wear uniforms to school, they were excited to come home and "get ready".  Preparing for the dance was so fitting with all of their personalities.  Tayvia picked out a cute new outfit and put on eyeshadow and lipstick (colored lip gloss).  Paxton put on a whole new outfit, brushed his hair, put on "man spray", and then asked me for a piece of gum to put in his pocket and said "you know mom, just in case"😂!  Kyser was playing Play Station so I asked him to go get ready as well, to which he replied "I am ready mom".  All he did was shove a donut in his mouth and we were out the door.  As I dropped the kids off I gave them teachers a big THANK YOU and told them it was the best babysitting service ever!  The kids were fully entertained, safe, and I had a full 2 hours to get my stuff done.  When I picked them up, they were filled with stories about all the stuff they did, who they danced with, the snacks they purchased, etc.  It made me so happy to hear them just being kids.  I think there are so many distractions for kids these days, so seeing them in a safe environment with friends, having fun, and moving their bodies,  is such a refreshing sight as a mom.  To all of the teachers who make school dances happen, thank you!  To my kids, always remember to take time to dance!

This was my crew after 2 straight hours of dancing (and getting face painting)!!!

Completely Exhausted.....

By Thursday, I am normally completely exhausted 😩.  Not the kind of tired where you fall asleep quickly, the kind of tired where you wake up exhausted and unsure of how you are going to make it through the day.  That's me today..... most days to be honest.  And I wonder why I am so tired and then I take a step back and realized that the schedule I maintain is just insanity.  This trend is something that we all do, especially when trying to work, keep up with kids, maintain relationships and friendships, take care of ourselves, keep up with the laundry/dishes/cleaning/yard work/etc.  I hope that when my kids look back, they realize that I tried my hardest everyday to keep up with it all in order to give them the best possible life.  So, to all of you out there that are burning a candle at both ends and feel like your flame is ready to burn out, just remember that you are making a difference in their lives.  And in doing so, you are probably an amazing parent who is completely adored by your kids 💛

Here's a Throwback Thursday picture of my loves 💚 

Be Kind or Be Quiet 💙

One of the most frequent things that I say to my kids is "Be Kind or Be Quiet".  And I really mean that, not just for my kids, but for every single person on the planet.  Can you imagine how much better society would be if the only things we said and therefor heard were kind?  It would literally transform everything.  And the thing that gets me is how we never really know what other people are going through.  There are some people out there that carry around heavy baggage and we choose to snap at them because they are standing in the middle of the aisle at the supermarket?  I challenge all of you to try live by the model that I push upon my kids.....  BE KIND OR BE QUIET💙!!!

P.S.  I was up for almost an hour last night with Tayvia.  But I will push on and Be Kind despite my exhaustion!  #realblessedmom

Goodbye New York..........

I had to say goodbye to New York yesterday 😩.   It was an AMAZING trip that combined continuing education, sightseeing, adult interaction (which can be hard to come by with 3 kids), and all around immersing myself in a wonderful culture that encompasses the foundation which America was built upon.  I saw so many amazing things (some strange and funny as well).  I am so grateful to live in a country where I can just pick up and go visit a whole different environment.  The experiences I have while traveling are so important to help me understand other people, other cultures, other entertainment, etc.  So, here's a small recap of my time in the Big Apple 🍎!

Friends Are So Important.........

As I travel through this journey known as life, I often think about how important it is to have friends.  The good Lord has blessed me with so many amazing friends and I thank him all the time for the fun times and great memories I have made with these beloved friends!  And even though I no longer live by all of them, they will always be so important to me.

As I was finally resting my feet tonight after a LONG day of continuing education and exploring Central Park, I got the most amazing text message from one of my long-distance friends💛.  This is what the text message read....................

"I am watching "The Blind Side" for the hundredth time and the mom reminds me so much of you!  It isn't that she adopts a child but that she is a force to be reckoned with!!  Don't ever change!  Happy New Years!"

I cannot even tell you how much this message warmed my heart 💗!  This is truly one of the most touching things that I have heard in a long time.  The best part about this is that the timing is so completely perfect.  You see, I have encountered some haters lately who want me to change who I am and be what they want me to be.  But, I am just me all the time, no matter what these haters think.  So to my wonderful friend Jess, thank you for reminding me to be myself.  And you have no worries, I will never change.  True beauty is when you can be yourself and truly love the person you are.............

All My Love,

#realblessemom

Working Mom

In the past couple years, I have found it difficult to balance being a full-time professional and also a full-time mom.  As it should be, the kids always win out when my time is being torn between them and professional development.  However, my career is very important to me and I hope that I am a role model for my kids (and girls everywhere) by showing that you really can follow your dreams and do WHATEVER you set your mind to.  I am very blessed to have been raised by loving and wise parents who taught me that if I want something and work hard at it, anything is achievable. 

Since I haven't been to many dental conventions in the past 2 years, I decided it was time to go learn more about one of my true loves....... DENTISTRY💜.  I looked high and low for a great course to attend, and low and behold I found one in......NYC 🏢 (yay)!  It's been great to get away and enhance my dental knowledge, but I do miss the kids 😭.  I guess for me it's all about finding the most ideal balance between being a good mom and continuing to follow my professional dreams.............

Throwback Thursday

Isn't it amazing to look at old pictures and remember back to that exact place in time?  I have been going through old pictures lately and I come across so many pictures that just make me stop and think "I miss them being that little".  I feel nostalgic, sad, and proud all at the same time when I see the kids little faces.  I want them to stay small, yet I can't wait to see everything that they will do with their lives.  The biggest lesson I take away from this is to truly be where you are and enjoy the heck out of the time spent with loved ones.  Truly, none of us are getting out of this life alive.  So lets make the most of every single day!  Eat the cake, take the trip, branch out to the new job, ignore the laundry, don't worry so much about the mess.............

                                    Paxton Elijah (3.5), Tayvia Rose (2 weeks), Kyser Bryant (4.5)

Back to the daily grind.......

Since the kids went back to school yesterday, we are back to the daily grind of getting up and preparing for each day.  This morning, my routine included cleaning up kids toys (lord help me), doing laundry, and getting lunches packed for everyone.  In case you didn't know this about me, I am not one to eat out very much.  There are a couple of reasons for this......  

1 - I cannot eat dairy or gluten, so eating out is risky because many restaurants prepare food with these items and I don't know until I have already eaten them and its too late 😮.  

2 - It's much less healthy.  Here's a little statistic for you: "On average, these restaurant meals contained 1,205 calories—about half of a person’s typical daily recommendations. In all, 92% of the meals gave a typical eater more energy than they need at a single meal (570 calories, which the researchers used as a benchmark for typical energy requirements.) And there was little difference between the calorie counts of food at chain and non-chain restaurants." (http://time.com/4187120/restaurant-meals-fast-food-calories/).

3 - It's much more expensive than making your own lunch! Here's some backing for this: "The average American spends $232 per month eating meals prepared outside the home. Given that there’s 18.2 meals eaten outside the home in an average month by the average American, the average meal outside the home costs a person $12.75.  If you were to simply prepare all meals at home, you’d move 4.2 meals from restaurants to your home. At an average cost of $12.75 per meal, you’d save yourself $8.75 for each of those meals. In other words, the average American would save $36.75 per person per week by moving all of their meals from restaurants to home-prepared meals." (https://www.thesimpledollar.com/dont-eat-out-as-often-188365/)

So this means that my morning food packing can be quite extensive somedays.  Today everyone needed lunches plus we need to pack extra food to have between school and lacrosse practice because we won't be able to come home.  It's always so much work, but it makes me happy to know that all of us are eating healthy and saving some serious💰💰💰 as well!  

We finally made it to the dentist........

As strange as it sounds, my kids are not the best about keeping on top of their 6 month dental exams (which is totally my fault) 😬.  This is probably because mom is always at work.... without them.  So, on the first day of the winter break we made sure that all three of them got in for their exam, x-rays, cleaning, and a WHOLE lot of goofing around 😂.  I am grateful that they all had no cavities or problems to report.  And a special thank you to my AMAZING dental staff who kept the other two kids entertained when I was working on one of them!!  With that being said, I encourage all of you to make sure you stay on top of your 6 month dental exams because if we don't see you in our office, then we can't help you if something is wrong!  Happy Monday everyone-stay smiling 😁😷!!!!!

About Yesterday..........

So, let's talk about yesterday.  First off, it is my goal to have one post per day, and that obviously did not happen yesterday.  What's the only reason that I would not get something done one time???  Probably my kids!  So yesterday was the last day of the holiday break (yay) and I had the kids all day.  Keep in mind that I still had to work, which meant taking all 3 of the kids with me to work.  From the second I got them back, it was obvious that Tayvia was beyond exhausted.  But, mama still had to work so off we went downtown to the homeless shelter so I could get my work done.  Whew, talk about an emotionally exhausting couple of hours working and getting errands run. Lets just say that if Tayvia's Grandma or Aunt lived in town that she would have been dropped off with one of them by lunch!  Our last errand of the day was taking the boys for haircuts.  I was wiped and just sat there trying to relax while we waited for them to get their cuts finished.  Well, little did I know that little missy was taking selfies and then decided to include me in them.  How is it that our children can takes to the brink of insanity, and then in one second bring us right back to cuddling and kissing on them???  The true essence of parenting is unconditional love 💞.   To my children, no matter what happens......  I will always love you Kyser, Paxton, and Tayvia 💗!!!