Success

As much as we don't want to admit it, success is our own personal responsibility.  Too often, people will let others affect or will blame others for their lack of success.  What it really boils down to is working at your gift.  Everyone has been given a gift from God, it is up to us to expand upon this gift and use it to fulfill our own lives.  The hardest part about this process is to constantly grind in order to put ourselves in a position where success is the only option.  This is my challenge to each of you..................

Which Would You Pick?

If you could go back in time or leap forward in time, which version of yourself would you want to talk to?  There are valid reasons to pick either of them, I however would pick the older version of myself.  There's something about experiential knowledge that can beat out all of the books and education that we think make us so smart.  And what do I think that the older version of myself would say?  I think she would tell me to do the things that make ME happy, not the things that make other people happy.  I think she would also tell me to accept my haters with open arms, because if you have haters, that means you are doing something that is making people notice.  She would also tell me to keep grinding but to have fun during the process and that laughter really is the best medicine.  Older Annie would encourage me to keep doing everything I do for my kids because one day, they will turn out to be amazing adults because I never wavered or faltered from being right by their sides.   I also think that the 80-year-old version of myself would tell me that she's proud of me for always choosing to love people just as they are 💗...................


The following is an excerpt from a book I just finished titled "The ONE Thing"by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan.  It's a GREAT read and I highly suggest it to anyone who is looking to advance their life.  Trust me, it's a good use of your time!

I LOVE My Mama💓

The kids and I stumbled across a new song yesterday and we all can't stop listening to it!  The song is "Mama" by Lunchmoney Lewis.  Here are the lyrics:

When I was hungry, she cooked me something yummy
And when I was sick, she would take care of me
Fix me up chicken soup, let me stay home from school
But if I did I couldn't leave the room
'Cause that was the rule
I could run in a race and come dead last
She say: "that's my baby" and stand up and clap
She taught me respect and I'm thankful for that
And if I ever fell in love make sure that girl love me back

Oho, a couple times when I was bad
Oho, she hauled off and whooped my ass
Oho, but I'm still her biggest fan
Oho, 'cause she made me who I am

This song is dedicated to my mama
Who taught me how to put on my pajamas
Always let me have a couple dollars
But told me that my dreams are there to follow
I love my mama, I love my mama
Oooooo, I love my mama, I love my mama
I love my mama, mama

I'ma hold her hand, I'ma kiss her cheek
'Cause that's my mama, I don't care who sees
I can't lie to her face, I can't lie on the phone
She can hear it in my voice, oh yeah, she knows something's wrong
She keep the family together, make sure we get along
You swear she a bodybuilder, man that lady so strong
And I'm still her baby, even though I'm grown
You can call me mama's boy all you want!
You could call me mama's boy all you want!

Oho, a couple times when I was bad
Oho, she hauled off and whooped my ass
Oho, but I'm still her biggest fan
Oho, 'cause she made me who I am

This song is dedicated to my mama
Who taught me how to put on my pajamas
Always let me have a couple dollars
But told me that my dreams I better follow
I love my mama, I love my mama
Oooooo, I love my mama, I love my mama
I love my mama, mama

This is for all the mamas
Grand-mamas, great grand-mamas
Step-mamas, single mamas, yeah
All the mamas working more than one job
Working real, real hard
Mamas all over the world, you know

This song is dedicated to my mama
Who taught me how to put on my pajamas
Always let me have a couple dollars
But told me that my dreams I better follow
I love my mama, I love my mama
Oooooo, I love my mama, I love my mama
I love my mama, mama

I could not have said this better myself so thank you Lunchmoney Lewis for sharing this with us.  And thank you to all of the mamas who selflessly care for their loved ones.  We mamas make the world go round!
And I love my mama💙💚💛💜


If you want to hear the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoisEe4jEMQ

Not to Brag BUT...............

I am not one to brag, but I was pretty darn proud of myself last night.  You see, I have a daughter who will not eat meat - like at all😩.  I have tried various forms of bribing her, disciplining her, begging her, and nothing has ever worked.  Our dinner routine usually ends with her eating a lunchable or uncrustable while the rest of us enjoy the fresh cooked meal.  Well last night I tried a new crock pot chicken fettuccine Alfredo recipe.  The chicken cooked all day so it became shredded, and when it mixed with the sauce and noodles, you couldn't tell that it was chicken.  So, I dished up a bowl for Tayvia and told her that it was cheesy butter noodles.  And guess what????  She ate ALL of it (although she did ask me several times what kind of cheese I used)!  Never mind the fact that I had to bribe the boys into keeping their mouths shut that she was actually eating chicken😂.  Sometimes a mom's job revolves around creativity and rolling with the moment!  I am so grateful that I FINALLY got her to eat some meat 🙌!!!!!

Be Silly!

I love the fact that my Tayvia likes to be silly (except for when we are trying to get out of the house)!  This is what happened when my friend let Tayvia play on her son's phone during the Lacrosse games this past weekend 😂.   Surprise-you got a Tayvia selfie!!!!!  I LOVE this little girl so much 😍

Education is SO Important!

There are not very many things that I preach about to my kids.  However, when it comes to education, you will definitely hear me preach!  Unfortunately for my kids, I completed a LOT of school.  After high school, I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from North Dakota State University (4 years), my Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from A. T. Still University (4 years), and my Master of Public Health degree from A. T. Still University (2 years).  That's 10 years total of post-secondary education!  So, whenever my kids complain or say something is too hard at school, they don't really get any sympathy from me.  You see, I am a firm believer that anything worth having is worth working and waiting for.  So, expanding your knowledge to allow for a future career that you love is definitely worth sacrificing for now.  I was SO happy when Paxton brought home his progress note from school saying that he had gotten A's on all of his tests last week.  He is definitely my child to get frustrated with me every time I say, "let's review your spelling words one more time".  So, it's gratifying for me to see his hard work pay off and bring home all those A's👍📚🙌.  WAY TO GO PAXTON!!!!!  Keep working hard my handsome dude 😎.  Mommy loves you and is so proud of you💕😘..............

L💗VE

Happy Valentine's Day!  As I sit back and reflect on today's holiday, I think about love.  Throughout my life, I have gained love, lost love, and finally when I became a mom, I learned about unconditional love.  The kind that never waivers, no matter the circumstances.  The kind where I can be completely upset and grounding a child yet kissing and hugging them at the same time.  One of my greatest goals for my kids is to teach them how to love with their whole heart 💗.  I want them to love all people and to find a way to look past other's problems, annoyances, disabilities, appearances, and just love people for who they are.  All this world really needs is more love.............................

Kyser, Paxton, and Tayvia - I love you more than words can ever express!  Thank you for being mommy's forever Valentines 💙💚💜💛!!!!

Life is Just Better With a Pet

I firmly believe that life is just better with a pet.  I mean, who else is 100% excited to see you every time you come home?  My dogs literally lose their minds every time I walk through the door.  Jumping, whining, kissing me, and spinning in circles all around me.  Who else acts that way just because you got home?  And what's better than someone who wants to snuggle with you and can completely sense your emotions without you having to say a word?  Maybe we should all adopt the philosophies of a dog and learn to overlook people's shortcomings and just love them for who they are?  I know one thing for sure - my dogs lift my spirit in a way that human beings are unable to do.  Today (and everyday) I am so truly grateful for my fur babies 💜🐶💚

Monday is a GREAT Day!

Hello and goodbye Monday!  It was so great to see you again!  As you can tell, I am that person that does not mind Monday one bit!  I mean, what really makes Monday so bad?  I guess to me, if you really despise the day, then it might be time to be looking for a different activity to participate in on Monday.  Maybe it's your job, environment, choices, any variety of reasons.  I personally love going in to work on Monday.  I have missed my co-workers and can't wait to hear about their weekend.  I have also missed helping my patients and changing smiles 😁.  I guess you could apply this concept to any area of your life.  If there are things that you truly dread doing, then maybe that is an area that needs some change.  We as human beings often know that things need to be changed, but the actual act of carrying out the change is where we get hung up. For example, so many people know they need to eat healthier, yet they just can't bring themselves to actually changing their diet.  Let's face it, we all have something that needs to be changed in our life, but we are just not willing or able to take the steps necessary to make it happen.  My challenge to you is to just go for it!  I have faith that you can make the change happen and increase the quality of your life 🙌

Tough Decisions As A Parent

There are some decisions that we have to make as a parent that are so tough.  Let me play out a conversation that recently occurred between Kyser and I as we were pulling up to Lacrosse practice...........

Kyser: "Mom, what is Fag Football?"

Mom: "Excuse me?"

Kyser: "What is Fag Football?"

Mom: "Can you please explain further why you are asking that question?"

Kyser: "One of my coaches told me that the reason we didn't have practice here last week is because the field was being used for Fag Football.  What even is a fag?"

Mom: "Two things.  First, a fag is a derogatory way to refer to a gay person.  Second, which coach said that because  I need to go talk to him."

Kyser: "No mom, please do not talk to him because I will get in trouble and get kicked off the team.  Mom you have to promise me that you won't go say anything to him!"

Mom: "Kyser you understand that it is very inappropriate for a grown adult to be speak to 10-12 year old boys like that right and that you cannot get kicked off the team because I spoke to the coach about this."

Kyser: "Yes mom I understant but that coach will be meaner to me and I won't get to play as much."

Herein lyes my dilemma.  In my heart, I am so upset that a coach would think it's ok to speak this way around children.  And for that fact, I want to go have a serious conversation with him to discuss my disgust.  However, I do not want to upset Kyser in a way that would cause him to stop communicating with me.  I have worked extremely hard to get my kids to open up and ask questions when they have them.  And my Kyser is the quietest one and does not often open up, so if the coach were to say something to him after speaking with me, it could be a huge blow to the communication process.  So, as of this moment I am still undecided to handle the situation.  I am hoping the answer will just come to me one of these days..............

What to do???

Somedays I am not sure if I need more sleep, caffeine, or some sort of a stimulant in order to survive the day.  Do you know what it means to truly be tired?  Not the kind of tired where you go to sleep, the kind of tired where you have been sleeping and you wake up tired.  That's me most days, and it's completely my fault.  You see, I can't stand the thought of missing out on something or "wasting time" sleeping.  And truthfully, there are days when I have no idea how I will complete everything that needs to be done.  But, I keep on moving knowing that someday everything will slow down and the kids will move on with their lives.  To be honest, the thought of that is harder for me to accept than my exhaustion.  So I will embrace the idea of not knowing how I will get everything done.  I know that God has a plan that is greater than me and this is what keeps me "walking by faith"...........

Does the Laundry Ever End?

It seems like every time I turn around, there is another load of laundry that needs to be folded😩.  Let me explain something about laundry.  I do not ever mind washing or drying laundry (because that's the easy part right), but when it comes to folding and putting the clothes away, I am neither speedy nor excited.  I don't even understand how we have sooooo many clothes that need to be washed all the time!  The one thing I have done to help is to make the boys fold and put away their own clothes.  They don't love it either, but I keep telling them that mom isn't going to college with them to do their laundry!

Watch Out World!

Watch out world, Tayvia is super excited today!  You want to know why?  She lost her first tooth yesterday!  Ok, let's be honest, the tooth was "kind of" loose and mom pulled it for her.  But who really cares because she has now joined the leagues of the "toothless" AND she had her first visit from the Tooth Fairy last night!  You still look adorable Tayvia Rose🌹!!!

And we just added to the crazy..........

We know that our house is crazy, busy, and just like a circus.  Well, we decided to add to the crazy this weekend.  Guess how?  We got a new puppy!  We were not expecting him, but he is completely perfect!  We are so happy to have a buddy for Sally and a new little fur ball to love 💚.  The biggest issue we have is the kids fighting over who gets to hold him!  Welcome to the family Tommy 🐶!