I've dropped off the face of the earth, and other holiday happenings

Man, I pretty much missed the major holidays completely, didn't I?  Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years... gone in the blink of my very sleepy eyes.  Oh well, such is the mommy life, right?  

I've admittedly been preoccupied lately.  New business ventures (Mary Kay), plotting how to revive old ones (portrait photography!  yay!), and lots of time enjoying my babe (who will not be a baby much longer, eek!).  I'm going to be better about posting this year.  New Years resolution.  *wink*

So in a nutshell, here's what is going on with me right now.  I'm fat.  No really, I am.  Don't feel like you need to post a comment telling me I am not.  I'm totally not being self-deprecating here, I'm just being honest with myself and all of you.  It is, sadly, a fact.  SO.  What does that mean for me this year?  It means I have a lot of work to do, because the hubs and I would like to start trying for baby number two probably some time this summer.  And I don't want to be ridiculously overweight while I am pregnant.  Not fun.  At all.

So my goals for this year (notice I am calling them goals and not resolutions...  who the heck ever sticks to their resolutions?  Not me!) are to get my eating habits (and sometimes lack of eating) under control, and to exercise way way way more often than I do now.  Which is to say, I am going to start exercising.  Because I stepped on the scale this morning ladies, and while I am not quite honest or confident enough to admit the number, I will say that it is not good.  Not good at all.

I almost peed myself.

SO.  Today begins my new lifestyle.  I'm going to juice fresh fruits and veggies, eat whole and healthy foods, and take Eisley for lots and lots of walks when the weather is not too frigid.  It's probably going to suck completely at first.  Let's be real here.

But I don't want to be a horrible example for my daughter as she starts to become more and more aware of everything I do.  The child watches me like an adorable little hawk, and I see her taking it all in.  I don't want to pass bad habits, poor self image, and most of all poor health on to my daughter.  Not the kind of legacy that I am looking to leave.

I would love to hear your success stories, tips, tricks, and motivational anecdotes (as well as any awesome juicing recipes).  We could all use a little encouragement sometimes, and I am sure I'm not the only one in this boat.  We can do it ladies!

Now wish me luck, because this is going to be a long hard journey, though completely worth the struggle.  Someday, hopefully some day this year, I will step on that scale and not have to fight the involuntary pee-myself reaction.  Someday (soon!) I will be able to shop at whatever store I want for clothes.  Someday (starting today!) I will have more energy to be a good mom and chase my little princess around.  Here we go...

OH!  And should you want to make some of that delicious looking juice for yourself, it's super easy.  Just juice two oranges, two apples, one big carrot, and about a cup and a half of spinach.  Yum!  That was my breakfast this morning, and it was amazing.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Fourth of July from E, Me, and the hubby!  

Living With a Sense of Wonder

Ever since having Eisley, I just love love LOVE holidays.  I enjoyed them when I was single, and then a little more once Nick and I got married, but there is just something about holidays with a baby.  Suddenly they are magical again, you know what I'm talking about I'm sure.  It's the way you felt when you were a little kid.  Christmas, Easter, the Fourth... they were days that you did something out of the ordinary, celebrated, and created traditions with your family that would last for the rest of your life.

So she may be a little young to do fireworks this year (and that's ok because with the drought we're having, I'm pretty sure everywhere around here is under a burn ban, which means no fireworks.  Bummer!) but we've had fun dipping her toes in her very own little baby pool, cooking out, and spending time with her aunts, uncle, and grandparents.  Just knowing that this is her first Easter and first Fourth of July and so on just makes it so precious.

I just love how this little girl is bringing magic back into our lives.  It's too easy as an adult to take things for granted and feel like every day is just another tick mark on the calendar.  It makes me want to be really purposeful about making her "firsts" super special.  I need to sit down with Nick and figure out what family traditions we want to start for our daughter and our future kids.  I want everything to hold a sense of wonder for our littles, because wonder is one of the most important parts of childhood.

I remember when I was a kid, my parents did such a great job at making holidays special.  We'd come home from church on Easter sunday, and there would be five of the most beautifully done Easter baskets that you'd ever see.  Somehow my mom would quickly set it all up as my dad corralled us all into the van before we would head out to church.  When we would get home I just remember being so excited that the Easter bunny had left us such great stuff.  Every Christmas they got us an ornament that had to do with something we'd done or loved that year, and we would open them up on Christmas Eve and put them on the tree.  When I moved out I had a box full of memories to put up on my own tree.

I'm just really enjoying the fresh eyes that having a baby has given me.  Now don't get me wrong, those fresh eyes also open you up to a world of scary stuff that you have to protect your little ones from- but it's the magic and wonder and beauty that you need to focus on.  We have such an amazing opportunity as moms to shape the world into something better.  We can start by creating a world full of beauty, wonder and traditions for our babies.  We all face the harsh realities of life eventually, but let's try to make sure that we hold that off as long as possible for our kids.