Count your blessings

 

Mama’s with everything we have going on, good or bad we are blessed. Sometimes we are so busy with our day to day duties that we forget to count our blessings. So while this post is short and sweet I’m going to take time out to count my blessings are I encourage you to do the same!

#1- Life, health and strength: I used to always hear my granny say this every morning and I wondered why, but I’m wiser now and I’m happy to be alive and kicking in good health.

#2-My family: I love my husband and my kids and I am so happy that God saw fit to give me such a great family.

#3-Needs are met: I have a roof over my head, live in a safe neighborhood, have food, clothing and shoes.

#4-Great friends: I have a small group of friends that support me and don’t judge me I am very appreciative for them.

#5-Being able to be a homemaker: I love that I am able to be a stay at home mom for my kids and be 100% available to my family every day.

I am grateful for my life and I do my best to live every day to the fullest. Mama’s I task you with remembering to always take the time to count your blessings. There is always something to be grateful for. Just think about it…if you’re alive then there’s more work for you to do!

Don’t just live your life, Enjoy it!

          Nicole

Finding my inner “Skinny Girl”!

 

Mama’s I know I’ve ranted and raved about my newfound Paleolithic (Paleo) lifestyle that my family and I have adopted. Well I am in love and apparently so is the skinny girl inside trying to get out LOL…I started this journey almost 2 months ago and I was 17lbs heavier, always tired, lacked energy and just felt kind of bad about myself. I knew I wasn’t healthy but I wasn’t quite ready to commit to being healthy and losing weight. I kept saying to myself, “Girl you look good to have had 4 babies”. Yes, Mama’s that was my crutch, my babies. I finally decided that I wanted to actually enjoy my life, not just live in it and watch it pass me by. Here are some of the tips I used to help me get the weight off, eat plenty and enjoy my journey. Seriously who wants to lose the weight only to gain it back…um not this Mama!

#1-Set a Goal: I set my goal in increments of 9 lbs. Weird I know, but in my mind the double digit number of 10 just seemed so far away so 9 worked for me and it didn’t seem too overwhelming. I gave myself 1 month to lose the 9lbs and so far so good for the first 2 months. Now I’m working on goal #3 which is another 9lbs until I reach the place where I am comfortable.

#2~Stand in your truth: You have to know what your weaknesses are, sweets, chips, pasta, whatever. These things need to be removed from the house, not just the pantry. You want to allow yourself to have the foods you love as treats in moderation and in their healthiest form so you don’t feel deprived and over indulge. When you want these items you need to go to the store and purchase them in single serve portions, eat them slowly and be done.

#3~Have a weekly plan: I planned my meals out for the week. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and snacks were all planned for each day of the week. When I went grocery shopping I only bought fresh food, nothing packaged. Mama's I even had a contingency plan in case I was away from my home…Yes ma'am I got me a cooler and ice pack, bagged up my snacks and took them with me so if I got hungry while I was out I wouldn’t go to the drive thru.

#4~Eat foods you love: You will not lose weight and keep it off if you are eating foods you don’t enjoy.  Eat fruits, veggies and lean meats that you enjoy and don’t be afraid to try new foods. You’d be surprised at what you end up liking.Try to avoid foods that have ingredients that you cannot pronounce or a lot of ingredients in them.

#5~Don’t give up: If being healthy is important to you then find out what works for you and your lifestyle. If you make a mistake don’t throw all of your hard work away and quit. Being healthy is a state of mind. If you aren’t used to eating healthy and exercising then allow yourself time to adjust to your newly adopted way of life. If you stumble, get back up and brush yourself off  and try again. You’ll never achieve your goal if you give up!

Mama’s I know some of you are saying to yourself the same thing I used to say, “I’m happy in my skin”. Please know that no matter what your size you should be happy in your skin, but most importantly you need to be healthy in your skin. I can’t tell you what that size is, but I can tell you that it feels really good to accomplish your goal of getting healthy. I have found a new way of life in “Paleo” living and I don’t want to go back to the way I was. I like being healthy and losing 17lbs is icing on the cake, plus the fact that I get to shop for new clothes since my old clothes are falling off. Mama’s remember your life is a journey, not a sprint. Happy Hump Day!

 

Don’t just live your life, Enjoy it!

                   Nicole

Mama Stress

 

Hi Mama’s I hope everyone had an awesome Mother’s Day! I sure did. It was very low key which is just what I needed after the week I had last week…ugh. Mama’s I wanted to pull out my hair. If was as if little aliens came and nested in my kid’s brains and their sole mission was to drive me crazy. If it’s your first time reading my blog I have 4 kids ages 7, 6, 2 and 9 months. They are always a handful, but last week there were really amped up, I mean like someone slipped them each a 2 liter of Mountain Dew and kept it coming all week long. My daughter Camryn got a note from school 3 out of 5 days which really sucked. She has ADHD and we are trying our best to get it under control with meds being a super last resort (don’t judge me). My son Brandon had an awesome week at school, but at home he was so silly and acted like he was deaf all week and couldn’t hear a thing I was telling him. He had the giggles about everything and that darn near drove me bonkers. I would tell him something and he would forget it 30 seconds later. My 2 year old, Daniel decided that he was not going to do his “stinky poos” in his pull up or his potty, but on my floor and on his bed like a puppy! He even decided to take it a step further by using my wall as a canvas for his “stinky poo” drawing…let it sink in…yep he drew on my wall with his fingers in poo! I ‘bout flipped out because I was up, alert and wide awake while he did this. He was supposed to be napping. He got up to go to the potty and I gave him a special treat and tucked him back in bed. When I checked on him again he was asleep so I decided to have a cup of tea while my daughter Hannah was finally settled. I was sitting about 12 feet from his bedroom door at my dining room table and I see his hair peep out of the door and here he comes running out butt naked. I knew something was terribly wrong when I say the brown finger print he left on the door frame. I ordered him to be still while I put him in the tub (no water of course) while I assessed the situation in his room. It was a BIG STINKY MESS! I had to disinfect the entire room with my daughter Hannah on my hip. She’s teething and for some reason she feels the need to have me put her on my hip in my Moby Wrap. Ok this baby weighs about 20 lbs so imagine a 20 lb rock snuggling on you while you clean up poo, cook, vacuum, dust, wash clothes, etc. She’s teething so I completely get it, but somebody gimme a break please!

So Mama’s I would say that this may have been my worse week so far as a Mama. The good news is I survived and that means you can too! That week is behind me and I am refreshed and rejuvenated for the weeks to come. Remember in all your parenting ups and downs to “Breathe”. I know I say that often and I honestly can’t tell you if I remembered to breathe it out last week or not, but I’m here and ready for this week’s adventure. I love being a Mama and I often times have to remember that this is a journey not a sprint. So hold on tight and enjoy the ride! Happy Monday Mama’s!!

 

Don’t just live life, Enjoy It!

                Nicole

A letter to my daughter

Dear Daughter,

You’re entering high school and this will be a time of fun and difficulty you will be faced with many challenges, but know that you can overcome them all. There will be days when you feel like the most beautiful girl in the world and other days you will feel like you want to crawl under a rock and hide. That’s ok and perfectly normal. Remember that you are beautiful and your dad and I love you past the moon. Don’t beat yourself up for doing what is right when others do what is wrong. That’s what separates you from the pack. You come from a great family of leaders and just remember that same blood runs through your veins. As parents we know there will be boys and that’s ok. There will be “that guy” who you think is the one. Trust me when I say take your time, enjoy high school and all it has to offer, you only get to experience it one time. You will encounter people who want to use you for what they can get, pray for the spirit of discernment in your life and remember to stay true to your morals and values.

My darling daughter there will be a lot of pressure to have sex, use drugs, skip school and do all kinds of things that you know are wrong. Everyone may be “doing it” but that doesn’t mean you have to. You may want to experiment with some of these things and as your mother I want you to come and talk to me about your feelings so we can discuss them. I’m not that “cool mom” that will let you do whatever you want and wear things that make you look 20 instead of 14. I am “that mom” who loves the hell out of you and will listen to whatever you have to tell me about boys, girls, sex, drugs and whatever else you want to talk about. I will be in your business because you are my business and. Please know that I love you and will go to hell and back for you! You may not like me for it now but when you get older you’ll love me for it and be glad that I did it. I don’t expect you to agree with all the decisions I make and that is ok. You probably won’t “get it” because you have not lived as long as I have lived. You don’ have the wisdom and life experience I have, trust me your day will come, but don’t rush it.

God gave you to me to love, protect and cherish. I loved you before I knew you were girls in my womb. I protected you before I even saw your pretty face and I will protect you until I am in my grave. There is nothing you can do to make me stop loving you. Just know that I am here for you and I want nothing but the best for you. My darling daughter you are BEAUTIFUL, AWESOME, SMART and YOU ROCK!

 

Love Always,

 

    Mom

P.s. Happy Mother's Day Mama's!

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Mama’s this week we celebrate teachers for Teacher’s Appreciation Week. I love my kid’s teachers and I like to say it and show it. So I do a few crafts for them. Last year it was pretty easy because I only had 1 kid in school. This year I have 2 kids, but my daughter has 2 teachers so that is a total of 3 teachers. I had to get creative and since I always have a kitchen stocked for those emergencies I decided to whip up some Cinnamon Honey Butter. So tomorrow I will be gifting my kid’s teachers with this tasty treat and bagel. I made it yesterday and it was a huge hit with my family. I’ve made honey butter before, but when you add cinnamon it just gives it a bit of a kick. So I’m sharing this one with my Mama’s. It’s so easy to make and it just taste so darn good! Now let me give this disclaimer right now: I will not be responsible for any type of addiction you may acquire from making this butter, nor will I be responsible for any extra pounds you may gain due to consumption LOL!

Here we go Mama’s

Ingredients

1 cup of butter (room temperature)

1 cup of powdered sugar

1 cup of honey

2-4 tsp of cinnamon*

*-I used 3 teaspoons in my batch because with 2 teaspoons I really couldn’t taste the cinnamon. Start with 2 and work your way up to your desired taste. You can also use pumpkin spice if you want a different taste.

Directions

Put all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use a whisk attachment to whisk everything together. Scrape sides as needed and continue to whisk until creamy and smooth. If you are putting this in jars use a piping bag or get a ziploc bag and cut the tip off and pipe the butter into the jars. Serve at room temperature. Told you easy peasy!

Yields about 1 cup of butter

Mama’s you can use small mason jars to gift these or you can store them in the refrigerator. This butter tastes good on bagels, toast, buns, rolls and even bacon. Enjoy Mama’s and Happy Wednesday!

 

Don’t just live your life, Enjoy it!

                  Nicole

P.s. If you haven’t sent anything in with your child for Teacher’s Appreciation Week, it’s not too late! If you aren’t that great in the kitchen school supplies are always a great choice as well as gift cards.

V is for Vasectomy!

Now Mama’s you already know that I have 4 kids, ages 7, 6, 2 and 8 months. My hubby and I have 2 boys and 2 girls that we adore completely. I love being pregnant, for the labor part of it really (I know, I know I just think pushing a baby out is a lovely event). If it were up to me I probably would have had one more, but the last pregnancy ended up with me walking around dilated 5 cm at 35 weeks and I had a few other issues as well. We knew we had to do some family planning but condoms were a NO GO because I did not get married to use condoms (rolls her eyes)! I couldn’t get on birth control for medical reasons. So that left somebody having to get cut. We both pleaded our cases with each other and I did some really hard praying. Convincing my husband to get his manly parts snipped was harder than pushing out my babies. However I wanted him to understand that I had pushed out 4 kids and the least he could do was save me having to get cut to get my tubes tied. Also my recovery time was going to be much longer than his would be. I told my husband and my doctor that if I had to get my tubes tied he would be going home alone with our daughter. I would be staying a few days in the hospital and I was not allowing myself to be discharged. I’m sure that both my doctor and my hubby thought I was crazy, but Mama’s I was dead serious.

Our daughter Hannah was born on my birthday August 12, 2012. My hubby decided that he would take the leap and get a vasectomy done (whoo-hoo!!). We put our deposit down and set an appointment with Dr. Doug Stein at www.vasweb.com I was 5 days postpartum and I hobbled with Hannah in tow to the office with my hubby. I was sore but this HAD to be done if we didn’t want baby number 5. Trust me when I say that baby number 5 would have been in my belly right now (no kidding). The doctor and his staff were very friendly and I actually sat there while the 15 minute procedure was performed. The doctor had his music playing on his phone, talked through everything and wha-la! Hubby felt a little weird, but everything went really well. The doctor (not an assistant) even called him later that day to check on him and a few days after. Hubby had the procedure done on a Saturday and he was back to work on Monday. He even admitted it wasn’t what he thought it was going to be.

Mama’s you have to decide if a vasectomy is best for your family and if you live in Florida I must say that Dr. Doug Stein was perfect. His bedside manner, technique and his follow up were awesome. If the name Dr. Stein sounds familiar you may know it from all the Vas Web/Vasectomy signs all along Florida’s busiest highways and interstates. Mmhmm, now you remember those signs, yep that’s our guy! If I could kiss him on the cheek I would. We don’t regret the decision of getting a vasectomy for our family planning needs. I can’t tell you what to do, but a wise doctor once told me if you’re not actively take the necessary measure to keep from having kids, that you’re planning for them whether you know if or not. Let’s just say we didn’t plan any of ours and we ended up with 4. Happy Monday Mama’s and make sure you have a plan!

 

Don’t just live your life, Enjoy it!

                       Nicole

Southern Sayings that I love and grew up on!

Mama’s I am a southern girl to my core. I live in the city and while I enjoy city life sometimes I wish we lived on a farm. Maybe we would have some chickens, a few pot belly pigs, ducks, maybe a cow and a goat or two. My daily attire would definitely be my dungarees (jeans and overalls) daily with my hat and rain boots while driving my red1984 Chevy Pickup (extended bed of course). I grew up in Florida (Tallahassee, Midway and Grand Ridge). My granny Lottie Bell taught me a lot as did many of my older relatives and sometimes I just miss hearing all of the southern saying so I wanted to share them today.

 

1. talmbout~talking about  “She talmbout she didn’t go out last night”

2. da recklar~in a minute or a short while “I’ll be over there da recklar”

3. sumtee ~something to eat “That baby needs sumtee!”

4. fidnuh ~about to “Y’all fidnuh go to town?”

5. whole heapa ~ a lot of something “That’s a whole heapa greens you got there”

6.nearbout ~almost “I nearbout hit a raccoon the other day”

7.highch~to let something up or raise “Highch up that window cause it’s hot”

8. cacklin’~laughing loud “Yall stop all that cacklin’ so we can hear”

9. dunnit~did it “You already know who dunnit”

10. reckon~ to guess  “I reckon she’ll be home for supper”

11. pert near ~ just about “Her pert near done ran over ‘dem roses”

12. pot likker ~ juice from something cooked “Pour me some pot likker over my corn bread”

13. mess ~ a whole lot of something “I got a mess of fish”

14. mess of granddaddies ~ smells bad “You kids smell like a mess of granddaddies”

15. highfalootin~ someone who thinks they are better than others        “She gets on my nerves with her highfalootin self”

16. good lil’ piece ~ far in distance “He lives a good lil’ piece up the road”

17. plum tuckered out ~ tired or exhausted “That baby is plum tuckered out”

18. y’ain’t ~ you are not “ I know y’ain’t on that phone”

19. doddlin’ ~being slow “Quit doddlin’ round so we won’t be late”

20. mamanem ~ mama and the rest of the family “How’s ya mamanem doing?”

Mama’s hope it put a smile on your face. Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend!

 

Don’t just live your life, Enjoy it!

                        Nicole