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 💗!!!