The Heart of a Child

There is no greater satisfaction for me than to see the heart of my children.  I work extremely hard to teach my kids that we love all people, just as God said to love thy neighbor.  But today's society teaches kids so many things different than my teachings and I often wonder if that can change their perception about people.  I got to see the true heart of Tayvia yesterday💜.  We were at Lacrosse practice for Kyser & Paxton and per the norm, she had to go bathroom.  As you can imagine, there are no bathrooms at the practice fields.  So, we packed up and headed to our favorite gas station (mainly because the bathrooms are superbly clean).  She wanted to use her own stall and she finished before I did, so I told her to go wash her hands.  I could hear her walk out to the sink and say hi to another woman in the bathroom.  Then I heard her say to the woman "you are beautiful", which of course made me smile because that is something she came up with on her own.  When I walked out of my stall, I was literally speechless. The woman she was speaking to was a homeless woman who had on worn clothes, dirty skin and hair, and had only a couple of remaining teeth.  But she was very sweet and had such a warm smile.  I knew right then and there that Tayvia could see into her soul and could tell that she was a beautiful woman on the inside, although life was being rough to her on the outside.  My heart was so warmed that it brought tears to my eyes.  Some days as a mother I wonder if I am succeeding, and then some days I get to see the kids walk the talk.  So thank you God for letting my kids see into people's souls and not judge them by their external appearance🙏..........

Is the Holiday Break Over Yet???

You can always tell when it's time for a break to be over because the kids are bickering more and more everyday.  The kids have been off school for 2 weeks now and it really is time for them to go back to school.  Yesterday was one of those high bickering days and mom really had enough of them not being kind to each other, so they got to get off of their Play Station/Xbox/iPads/phones and join me in the quest to thoroughly clean the house.  After scrubbing the bathrooms, dusting their rooms, vacuuming and mopping floors, and picking up all their toys, we then went outside and picked weeds and rocks for an hour.  They were complaining the WHOLE time and all I kept saying was "this was what I did all the time growing up".  I thought that would have been enough for them to stop fighting, but oh how wrong I was 😂.  So then they got to help put away all of the Christmas decorations.  It's sad for me to say because I have fallen victim to this as well, but as a society, we have made our kids soft and  whiny when things don't go their way (aka kids these days feel very entitled).  But I guess as parents, we need to keep holding them accountable and teach them how to work hard so hopefully that feeling of entitlement will leave our kids.  My kids really are good, they just need some correction and positive guidance from time to time!

Ringing in 2019!

Hello 2019!!!!!  It's hard to believe and also exciting to know that 2019 is here!  As I look back at 2018 and forward to 2019, I am extremely optimistic for everything that the future holds.  I hope that we are happy beyond measure, healthier than ever, and blessed greater than our wildest dreams.  And we wish the same for ALL of you as well!  So, here we go rolling into 2019 like Splash Mountain!!!!!

P.S.  This picture is from our recent trip to Disney World.  I just love how the kids are fearless and excited in the front row and the adults are behind them not looking so excited 😂.

Goodbye 2018........

As I sit here reflecting on the past year, it's hard to believe that it is coming to a close.  Each year brings new lessons, losses, changes, opportunities, etc....  I have been through the lowest lows and highest highs this past year and have learned that no matter what is going on in my life, it is so important to trust God and truly "Walk By Faith".  Although 2018  had many challenges, I am always so grateful for all of my blessings.  My three kids continue to be my purpose for basically everything and I have been working so hard to spend the best quality time with them.  Today we went for a walk around the Riparian Preserve because of it's close proximity to our house.  What a good time!  The highlight of the walk was definitely feeding the ducks.  I hope everyone is ready to take on this new year!  I know our crew is excited for everything that 2019 has to hold for us!!!!!

Sunday Funday

Everyone knows that Sundays are meant for church, lounging, watching football/tv, catching up on Facebook, etc. right?  Well, not in this house (at least not today)!  Our carpets have gotten to a point where I am no longer able to take them (mainly because of the dog having accidents).  So, instead of hiring someone to clean them, I bought a Bissell Proheat 2x Deep Cleaner.  OMG this machine is amazing!!!!!  And thanks to my vacuuming partner in crime, we got these carpets cleaned up in less time than I expected!  It is a process to do an entire house (well 6 large rooms), but they look and smell SO MUCH better!  Amen for modern technology such as carpet cleaners that are easy and effective to use.  Thank you #bissellproheat for making my day easier🙏.

A Space To Work

One of my biggest personal goals is to always be as efficient and organized as possible.  I spend quite a bit of time at my desk at home, and I recently decided that my desk was not big enough.  I like to keep my work space very organized so I can get everything completed in the short period of time that I have.  So, I bought a new desk and moved my current desk upstairs for the kids (which will be great for them to go up and do homework in peace and quiet.)  After many hours of sweat, the new desk is finally assembled and ready to be worked at!  A special thank you to my desk construction partner 😄

Spending Quality Time With Kids

As a busy working mom, the thing that is hardest to manage is spending quality time with my kids.  I mean normally after a day of work, I barely survive feeding them, helping with homework, taking them to activities, packing lunches for the next day, dishes, laundry, etc.......  So, I have been working very hard to find that good quality time to spend with them.  Since they are off school, I let each of the boys have a friend spend the night last night.  Whew, that means that we had 4 boys + Tayvia here for 24 hours.  All in all, it was a fun time!  The boys mainly wanted to play Fortnight, but we also listened to music, played pool, watched tv, and of course we went to the new Spiderman Movie today.  And through all of the chaos, I just keep thinking about how quickly each day seems to fly by and how time feels like it is speeding up the older I get.  So, thank you Lord for the days of chaos and sleepovers and lost sleep because it means that my house is filled with love, laughter, and happy healthy children!

From the mouth of babes.......

I love how kids just say exactly what they are thinking!  Here's a conversation that occurred today between Tayvia and I 😂.

Mommy: "Tayvia, do you want to rearrange your room today so your Barbie house is out by your couch?"

Tayvia:  "Yeah mommy that's a good idea.  That way my Barbies can be in time out with me!"

As you can tell, her couch is the "time out" location.  So now she can have her "friends" (aka her Barbies) share in her time out misery.  Oh Tayvia I love how your little mind works!!!

National Champions

We are a football family 🏈.  It's just who we are.  We start football conditioning in May and continue with that until practice begins the middle of July.  From that point on, football is life and the rest is just details.  Paxton likes football for the social aspect of it (and the cheerleaders)!  Kyser just loves to compete, so football is his favorite thing on the planet.  During the 2018 season, Kyser's team played themselves all the way to the National Championship Tournament in Orlando at the beginning of December.  When I say that Kyser played lights out, hard nosed, show them who is boss football, that's the honest truth and not just mom's opinion.  And the effort that Kyser put forth during the tournament was definitely a factor in them winning the whole thing and becoming the AYF 9u National Champions.  The thing that makes me most proud of Kyser's whole football scenario is that he tried to quit at age 5 the first day of practice and mom wouldn't let him.  I guess sometimes we crazy mom's do know what we are talking about.............  Congratulations Kyser on working hard to make your dreams come true!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!  As I sit and think about the true meaning of Christmas, I can't help but think how truly blessed I am.  There are so many things that I am grateful for, but the number one thing on my list will always be family.  The uniqueness of my family is so amazing that I know only the big guy upstairs could have created such a masterpiece.   So thank you God for constructing my amazing family and for sharing your one and only son with us today on his birthday.  I hope everyone has had a blessed day and is ready to move into the new year!!!!!