Hello friends! It feels like forever since I have been on here chatting with you guys. We have been so busy with the move. I am so thankful that we are finally in the house and things are beginning to seem normal again. I didn't vlog a ton while everything has been hetic, stressful and busy. Hopefully that will change soon. I did pull out the camera a few times to catch little moments in time. Hope you enjoy!
Apparently in my busy state I never posted my last video which was a quick food haul a week or so before we moved. Here it is in case you missed it.
I actually should have another food haul for you guys tomorrow. My family has been going crazy trying to get me to the store. But we have made it and I finally have the kitchen together so it's time!
There has been so much that has been going on from things with the kids, to all the unpacking and setting up house again. I plan on doing some kind of catching up vlog in the coming days...stay tuned and don't forget about the giveaway going on right now as well! I'll see ya tomorrow with a new haul! ♥
Hello friends! Happy snow day to many of you. We have some cold weather going on here in South Carolina tonight and the kids have loved it. Zane has really never been in the snow much and it's all new to him. They played out there for a couple of hours. One of the neighbors didn't like the kids in the yard but their family was all over our yard at Christmas....yada...yada...yada...another story for another time. I don't know why someone has to be mean to some kids but no big deal. They still had a fun time! Scott is in a big truck right now making it easier to get around so they headed out to the golf course to enjoy some sledding. I've had a bunch of computer problems but hopefully everything is ok now. It's all thanks to Windows 10 but I wont even get on that subject. I could seriously bitch forever about it taking up all my time for days and making it impossible to get anything else done. I lost some clips that were for this vlog so I just kinda pieced together what I actually did have. Hope you enjoy!
I hope you guys are having fun with all the winter weather. I have been freezing all day but it's been really sweet to see the kids play and enjoy the day off. However, we are not too prepared for this kind of weather. I think by time we move up north, we better get some more winter gear and clothes. :) See ya soon! xx
If you want to find me buzzing around online, here's where to go! :)
Hello friends! I hope you are having a wonderful evening. I am back saying hi and sharing a new day in the life vlog! The vlogs on the week in reviews are always so long that I thought I would just go back to sharing 2 vlogs in one week. I know many of you guys enjoy these videos even though they are not always exciting but it's our lives....take it or leave it. Hope you enjoy.
Thank you for all the sweet comments on youtube re Cooper. You guys seem to be as devoted to your animals as we are. Cooper is not dying or anything but he is very uncomfortable and we are just trying to prevent a lot more trouble in the future. It's a constant struggle but one day at a time right!?
Thanks so much for stopping by. It's been a busy day of just doing random jobs around the house. I am kinda sleepy right now but I am going to move forward right into the kitchen soon to get dinner under way. Jackson came home with a few not so good grades on his mid terms so we are dealing with that. It's so hard to motivate a child when they really dislike school. I think he is going to have to suck it up, do the work and learn it otherwise it's going to be an extremely hard year for him. Right now he is grounded from all internet and we are going to have a talk with his teachers. But really he is the only one who can do it. I think we are going to have a long talk tonight about better study habits, organizing the back pack better and see why he is struggling so much. It breaks my heart but I honestly think a lot of it is Jackson just being lazy and not doing what he has to do. We will not give up though. :)
Anyway, I need to wake up and move on into the evening. Thanks for stopping by! I'll see ya tomorrow. xx
Happy Saturday friends! I hope you guys are having a great weekend. Sorry it's been a couple of days but I have been busy! Brittany is here and we decided to just go on a little road trip to the Biltmore House in Ashville NC. I had been before but she had not and it's such a nice estate where we could spend a few days. Scott had to work so we left him at home and took off on our little adventure! I recorded a vlog each day and will be sharing them all in the coming days. We already did day 1 of school shopping which you can see here if you haven't already and here is day one at Biltmore. Hope you enjoy!
I have a ton of pictures which I will show in time. She is not leaving until tomorrow morning so today is finishing up school shopping and spending our last night together. I hate seeing her go back to her dads but that's where she is happiest where she can be in her school with her best friends...and cheerleading. And I can't just can't take that away from her. See why I am ready to move back? We have a few things to handle with our other kids before we can make a big change like that but that move looks like it will be happening in the future sometime. Thank you guys for stopping by. I will be back on Monday. xx If your new here, get subscribed!
Late night hello to you all...or good morning! I haven't had a lot of extra time here lately so I have do let my blog post go live whenever. Anyway, I am back sharing Monday with you guys in this new day in the life vlog! There is a lot of shopping, outfit try on's, piercings and so much more. You'll see I started out doing pretty good and ended exhausted! Hope you enjoy!
It was a fun exhausting day. My 13 year old daughter runs circles around me! She's not here all the time so I am trying to pack as much into one day as possible...and we sure did! I understand if this is not your kind of vlog but we had fun and wanted to share it with you guys! :)
We are now in Ashville on night one of our girls only adventure at Biltmore. Scott is holding the fort down for a couple of days and tending to all the animals and we are getting in a little more summer fun. Be sure to subscribe on instagram for daily updated pictures. ( The link is below! :)
Hello friends. I hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday. I am back today sharing a video that I am hoping will help some of you guys. During my time on youtube, some of the most asked questions have been about my divorce, my ex husband and how we co parent our kids. I published this video at midnight and checked it out this morning and more than 2k people have watched it. So like I said, it's certainly a hot topic. First and foremost....divorce is hard no matter what. It's painful and there is no big formula to get through it in one piece. You have to lean on your family, friends, and above all keep your kids out of the line of fire. Here is what my experience from divorce and co parenting...and I hope it helps some of you guys.
In a way I don't feel like I gave you a check off list of sorts to get through it. And that's because every couple/family is different. This is just how I coped and how we work hard at putting the kids first above everything. Thanks so much for watching. If you feel like sharing your experience to co parent through divorce, share it in the comments on youtube. So many women and men out there are looking for ways to get along for their kids in a very hard time. We can all help, support and learn from each other. If you are new here, I would love it if you took a second to get subscribed so you don't miss anything!
Hello friends! I told you I'd be back with another video today! I wanted to start making some direct question and answer videos on random topics. I get so many questions and not everyone sees the answer in the comments or sometimes I can't even respond in the comments if they are not linked up with google +. Plus not everyone watches the vlogs where a lot of times I respond to comments. These videos will hopefully be shorter and more to the point. For this first one.., here's a very very common question I get all the time:
Where are your Kids!!??? Here's the answer...
I hope this video explained everything well. You know, we are not your " normal " kind of family. Even though it's not ideal, it's what is working for our family at the moment. It's not easy to parent from afar but I promise you it can be done. And I feel like I have a close relationship to all the kids, even the ones who are not with us everyday. Our main goal is happy healthy kids no matter where they are. And so far... that's what we have!
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you guys have a wonderful night. Tomorrow is a busy day for us so I am trying to get some household stuff done tonight while hubby paints the boys bathroom. Not so fun but things we have to get done. If you are new here, I'd love it if you took a few seconds and subscribed so you don't miss anything. :)
Hello friends! I hope your Friday is going well. I have been busy most of the afternoon cleaning up the first floor. Really it's Zone Cleaning that needed done. I sometimes find it hard to balance my time with everything I need to get done. However, this week I have done a great job at catching up! I am back right now sharing a new day in the life vlog. This will take through what life was like around here Monday - Thursday! I will be back on Monday with another vlog.. stay tuned. In the meantime, grab a cup of tea and settle for an hour with us!
The rest of the afternoon/evening I am going to work on finishing things up on the first floor. Then tomorrow and Sunday I can hopefully work on the 2nd floor and finish that area up. A big house means more cleaning. :( If you are new here, I'd love it if you took a few seconds and subscribed so you don't miss anything. :)
Before we get into the WIR, I thought it would only be right to tell you about my Aunt. My moms sister Donetta had been battling health problems for a while now. She's been very ill and everyone has been worried about her. Sadly this morning she passed away and now is resting in peace. It's very sad. My mom was with her and she leaves behind 2 beautiful daughters and a son. Plus grandchildren and of course my mom and the rest of her brothers and sisters. All night I have been talking to my mom getting updates, helping her cope with watching her sister fade away and I feel bad I am not there. All of my family is in Indiana besides my sister and my mom and its a place that's always going to have a pull on me. It's very hard for me to hear my mom so heart broken. Strangely enough, I have been through many more deaths that my mom has ( we have pretty much lost everyone on my dads side ) and it breaks my heart to hear her cry and be in so much pain. At least she was there. The bond between all my moms brothers and sisters is a bond like no other. Growing up, they went through so much stuff together and I know this is forever going to change my mom and the rest of my family. My grandma Marry almost made through this life without loosing any of her children. Imagine how hard it is for her right now. It's so sad. I am really hoping now that she is pain free and in peace now. I am realived that my mom was able to be there with her in the end. She felt like she had to be with her sister and nothing was going to stop that. She has been sleeping in her room and praying for a miracle....as I am sure her kids have been too. Life is not promised to any of us. It could end anytime so I really hope everyone reading this blog post, takes the time to make as many good memories as you can. The love and memories are the only things we take with us in the end.
Rest in Peace.
So the week around here was pretty laid back and routine. I feel like I have been so unproductive this past week. The short days, cold nights, just make it so hard to find any motivation. I am back to having serious sleep issues. I seldom fall sleep before 4am and then I toss and turn the few hours I am in the bed. It's nuts. I have got to get it under control. Last night I was talking to my mom a lot and up late but really I am up late most nights anyway. It awful and what sucks even more is I have to get up and clean today tired. Yea. loving that. When I am done with this blog post, I'll get started and this time I think I am going to start on the first floor because it's a mess down here and you see it first when walking in. Maybe tonight or tomorrow, I will be able get the upstairs done.
This past week, I got in another planner. I know that planners and calenders are not for everyone and I understand that. But I love them and I like sharing them. If you don't like them the way I do, skip those videos and blog posts! I had been waiting on the Passion Planner for a while. I can't wait to share it with you guys in full and I am also hosting a giveaway for one of you guys! And don't forget to click here to get entered in all the giveaways that are going on right now. We have 3 that you can still get entered in. Good luck to everyone.
The week and even the weekend was pretty laid back. I didn't even take a lot of pictures. I had a hard time just getting what I had to done let alone anything extra. But we did have fun over the weekend together playing games, watching movies, and staying warm. We had such a cold rain Sunday. It's was next to impossible to stay warm. We had to go out and run errands Sunday which was just miserable. I really wanted to stay laid up on the couch but I took advantage of going while Scott could drive. It actually was kinda like a little " day date " for us and I was totally grateful that he didn't mind doing the driving.
Another thing this weekend that happened is Brittany finding her a new dress for her Cheerleading banquet. Its really hard to parent from a different state. But it can be done because I am living proof of it. Brittany and I are extremely close but its hard being away from her. I am going to make a video about parenting from a far because I get so many questions about it. But she picked out a wonderful dress.. I got pictures of each one and then she made her decision and she did a great job. It crazy how fast she is growing up on me. I can't even express how proud I am of who she is becoming. But it's a lot of work and her and father and I are trying to navigate raising teens. I think the trick is just staying one step ahead of them!
Today is here and I have so much to do. My eyes are heavy, the coffee is not helping, all the animals are sleeping....all things that make me want to go back to bed. But I am going to push through it and maybe just maybe get to bed at a decent hour tonight. Here's some of my to do list for next week.
This weeks to do’s
Weekly Cleaning...which at this pace, will take me all week to finish. I think today is going to be a mental health day.
Clean out frig. I am sure there are some science experiments going on in there.
Whiten teeth. YUCK.
Look for a new kind mattress and box spring.
Still need to get my hair cut. I think I am going to do bangs again to cover up wrinkles on my forehead! :)
Call phone company for some tech support regarding one of our phones.
Get some lunch.
Check on local classes that Scott and I need to take.
Start walking 30 minutes every other day on the treadmill.
Clean oven....it didn't get done last week.
Check voicemails. Ha! Another job that didn't get done last week.
Give the housesitter more money. I keep forgetting to do it. Gotta go to the ATM first. It would be nice if residential neighborhoods had individual post offices and atms.
Buy some new sports bras.
Buy another ivy plant. The one in the kitchen is so pretty.. I want another.
Continue with yoga and mediation. I need a clear mind to balance my life properly.
Find a fun craft to do with Jackson.
Keep checking on mom. She is having a very hard time due to her sister passing away this morning.
Continue working in the spare bedroom. Still have a lot of clutter in there.
Decide on what blogs to sponsor for the month of March.
Bake some cookies
Film planning video today.
Make Vet appointment to go have Gabby spayed this week or next.
Try to get another chapter done in our love story. There is still so much to write.
Get to bed at a better hour. Story of my life.
Work harder on getting healthy.
Make more cuddle time with Scott. We need to just turn off the world, electronics and spend time with one another. It's not always easy but it's needed.
Help Jackson more with his handwriting.
Clean up DVR's
Comment more when I read other blogs or watch videos on youtube.
Buy some new workout clothes.
Get the dog slobbers off the sliding glass doors.
Move some vlogs over from the old channel to my main channel. Just to make it easier for everyone to find them.
Do a photo shoot of the cat. But gotta get him groomed up first.
Here's something to think about through the week:
I hope you are having a beautiful Monday! I am going to take my sleepy self and power through the afternoon and evening trying to get our house cleaned up. Scott is off work tomorrow and I doubt there will be much time to clean. So gonna get a move on! Thanks so much for stopping by! If you are new here, I'd love it if you took a few seconds and subscribed so you don't miss anything. :)
Hello friends! I hope you are having a wonderful Monday. As many of you know...I post a week in review recapping what happened over the week & weekend. Its something that I have been doing off and on for years. Its just a simple way to give you guys a glimpse into our week. I have changed up the vlogging schedule where I will be uploading a Day in the life vlog Monday...as always and then another on Thursday. Monday's vlog will cover Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the previous week and Thursdays vlog will be for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Actually I might be adding more vlogs in during the week...depending on how much I vlog.
Here's whats been going on this past week:
This past week started off with winter at it's finest. I don't get it. Aren't we suppose to be moving into spring!? Well, Monday the snow blew in to South Carolina and while we didn't get near as much as so many of you guys, we got enough to shut the town down. I was actually out shopping when I looked through the department store windows and saw snow flying around. Scott was calling non stop asking me to pick up the pace with the shopping and get home. He's a typical husband who doesn't want his wife out driving on snowy icy roads. So I did just as he asked and got home. It was barely covering the porch at that time but as the night fell, it picked up and we got a nice little dump of snow in our neighborhood. The happiest one in the house about it was our Super Cooper. He pranced right out the door and playing out in the yard for a while. I have to admit...I might like the no snow area but just for a couple of days, we had a winter wonderland.
Tuesday morning the neighborhood kids were out sledding and giggling. It was worth it. I spent Tuesday cleaning and packing to get ready for our trip. I stuck to my mighty to do list and got it done. Jackson was out of school and actually helped around the house which I totally appreciated. We had a lot to get done in a short amount of time. By time I hit the bed on Tuesday, I was exhausted. I had everything mostly packed but still a few things to finish up in the morning before we had to leave.
Morning came wayyyy to fast. I was kinda grumpy and I moving at a snails pace. Scott was being the cheerleader trying to pep us up to get things finished up so we could leave. It was lunch time before we were on the road. The major highways were not so bad but the ice on the trees looked so beautiful. We all settled in for an 11 hour trip one way. Scott did the driving while Jackson and I kept busy with the electronics.
I was happy that I could actually plug my laptop into an outlet in the car...yep! I love that... and then I hooked up my phone to it and got perfect internet while driving down the highway. It's called tethering and it allowed me to work for many hours. However, I blew through our data and actually had to call and up the plan from the car. Opps. It really helped pass time and it was so fun doing the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Scott. How often does that happen!? It was worth it.
We arrived at the hotel around 830pm. We picked the Holiday Inn this time and it was pretty nice. It was a bit smaller than the last room we had but we didn't need a full kitchen. The hotel is new and really comfortable. We were in there only long enough to clean up before we were off to Buffalo Wild Wings for a quick easy dinner. With our full bellies we headed back to the room for some sleep for the early morning that was going to show up wayyyyyy too soon.
Scott and I actually woke up in pretty good moods and managed to get ready without even waking Jackson up. Guess he was super tired too. It was a long day of appointments but we just went with the flow of things and didn't stop until we finished everything. Jackson stayed in the hotel and during a break we grabbed him some lunch and dropped it off before speeding away to the next place we had to go. We ended the night with a quick dinner at Applebees. Mashell, a sweet online friend sent us a gift certificate for dinner on our trip. It was so sweet, kind and touching. These trips have been really expensive but we are getting by with the grace of God. And we are very thankful for the love and support from our family and friends. I wish I could update you guys on what happened but I just can't. Even still we need your prayers and faith that everything will work out.
Friday morning we were back in the car heading home. I can't even begin to explain how uncomfortable 11 hour car rides are for me at this point. We thought about flying but it would cost more with the tickets and rental car so Scott prefers to drive it but once night sets in.....its so hard. But Scott drove the entire way home even though I was asking over and over if he needed help but I think he was on a mission to get us home. We had 2 wrecks we had to wait on and lots of traffic in the Atlanta area. We arrived back at the house around 10pm,
When we walked in all the cats kinda looked scared but Cooper was jumping all around super happy to see us. It was long before the kitty cat tales went up and they came alive. Speaking of the cats, we are starting the process of Romeo being a therapy kitty cat. He is so laid back and would be so great to take in hospitals or what have you to pick up kids and adults spirits. So were doing it!
Once we got in and settled we all kinda split up and had some alone time. After being in the car and hotel together for 4 days, we needed the break. One thing that I actually missed that night was Scott in the bed. We slept together every night on our travels and it was rather nice. I think we might just switch things around and start sleeping together again. We do here some but its so much easier to go to bed on our own that we have been kinda lazy about it. However, I kinda liked it and might just get a new king bed to cozy up in. :)
The weekend started with us back home and I got busy doing all the housewife life duties that I have which included grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry and then on Saturday I tackled our insane plastics cabinet. Its been driving me crazy so I got rid of a lot of the pieces without lids and such and moved it all to a top cabinet. It's easier for my family to keep it organized if it's a cabinet on top. The bottom cabinets they seem to just toss things in because they don't want to bend down. Honest to God I am still figuring our family out. I guess learning about each other and learning how to make things work for us is never ending. ♥
Sunday showed up and it was just a lazy day for the most part. We all just hung out and relaxed until Scott and I jumped in the car and took off to run errands. I totally feels like we have been living in the car lately. Once we got home, Scott actually cooked his own fish dinner, Jackson and I had dinners that we liked so it was super easy. We watched the Oscars for as long as could handle it and then found other things to watch. It's just sooooooo long. I ended the night with dying my hair, editing videos and talking to one of my best friends.
And here we are! Lots going on this week.. here's some of my to do's. :)
This weeks to do’s
Do weekly cleaning today......and tomorrow. I have just had too much online work here lately.
Write out thank you notes and mail.
Work in planner.
Keep up with Yoga routine.
Get to bed earlier.... and shut the computer sooner too.
Clean the oven.
Get nails done.
Call Dr. re Jackson.
Try to keep up with videos... PRERECORDS as much as possible.
Have more patience with Scott and Jackson.
Work on Trader Joes grocery list.
Spend 1 hour in my closet this week picking it up and organizing.
Start a new book.
Remember to put Cooper on the treadmill every other day.
Clean out Jackson's backpack.
Drink more tea than coffee...wish me luck!
Find new daily devotional book and order.
Reply to emails.
Check PO Box
Clean up spare bedroom.
Budget for cruise
Work on information pack for Louisiana.
Wash bedding.
Run to dollar store and get more dishwasher soap. I totally forgot it at the store.
Go to the Drivers Licensee Branch to get a new one. I hate that errand. Hopefully I can get Scott to go with me!
Test out a new bread machine recipe.
Clean more windows. There are so many windows in this house....it takes forever to get them all clean.
Use fireplace more. February's electric bill was a bit high.
Here's some inspiration to take a long with you throughout the week:
I hope you are having a beautiful Monday! I have a busy to do list just for today and I am running behind. I am going to be working into the evening to catch up. It's trying to warm up around here and melting most of the snow. I am so ready for spring. Thanks so much for stopping by! If you are new here, I'd love it if you took a few seconds and subscribed so you don't miss anything. :)
Hello friends! I hope you are having a great Thursday. I am back with another vlog for you guys from the past few days. To be honest, there hasn't been a ton going on around here which I am happy about actually. We did however, last night was a fun family night out to see the circus. We know that it's not politically correct for us to go but it looked like so much fun and I have no memories of going when I was a kid. Jackson also wanted to go so Scott us tickets and we had a great time. I did cut down the footage of the circus a lot because it was long enough already! Hope you enjoy.
Thanks so much for watching. We have so much fun sharing with you guys....and we love getting to know you so be sure to leave a comment anytime... and say hi! If you are new here, I'd love it if you subscribed by clicking below so you don't miss any new videos!
Hello friends! Happy Sunday to you all. My family is going in a ton of different directions today. Scott just headed out to play golf and I am enjoying starting my day super slow. I didn't even fall asleep until around 5am and eventually dragging my butt out until 11am. Jackson got up about the same time. We don't start weekends in a hurry around here unless we have something going on. :) I am kinda shocked Scott is heading out to play golf in this kinda of weather. They better play fast otherwise they might just get rained on. I guess he just wanted to get out there with the boys and try to hope some spring like weather will allow them to get in 18 holes. In just a little while, Jackson and I are heading out to paint ceramics. We made some Christmas gifts last month but Jackson wanted to go back today and actually make something for himself. And I too thought it would be fun. We love painting!
So on Thursday, we got some bad news on Zane. He is mad at everyone...hates everyone and doesn't want to come here. The social worker told us she cannot move any child who feels that way. It was like being crushed. It totally changed the day and even the days following, we have been going on with broken hearts. For a while I even thought about not going to the court hearing....thinking that it would make no difference. I kinda lost faith on that Thursday that we would ever even see Zane again. I know I am an adult and he is a child. A child who has been through a lot but it just didn't make sense to me that we are not the ones who abused him but we are being punished like we did it. It really doesn't make sense to our family. All the kids don't understand it either because we know we can give him such a better life that what he has been living. It wouldn't be perfect around here but we don't abuse kids and we love him. All of us love him which again...tested my faith in everything. I prayed for weeks that he would come here. Many nights I fell asleep while praying and still thought God knew what was in my head and heart. So I didn't think it really mattered. Now I'm thinking it does.
I made was vlogging on Thursday. I planned on just putting it in Monday's DITL vlog but it was too long. I was so upset that I just talked and talked to you guys about what happened. I expressed all my feelings, right or wrong to you guys. I really think that you're a huge part of my village. For years I had made not well thought out, rash, decisions that were emotion based more than anything. So now as I get older, I still take help from my village. My family, close friends, and you guys help me now to make better decisions. I normally run all my bad ideas past you guys before I do it. This time I poured my heart out in a very honest vlog and you guys responded. You reminded me of so many things that I was forgetting in the moment. Most of all you guys told me to not give up and have faith. Not just in the system but in God and more importantly Zane. Thank you guys for that. I mean it. Reading your comments, kinda helped bring me out of so much emotion into a little more reason.
I am going to the hearing. After thinking about it, reading your comments and praying I am going. I was being selfish. I was thinking of my own pain and hurt instead of keeping my thoughts on Zane. It took a day after the initial shock to think clearly. I also need to keep my faith in God. Maybe it's less about my path and more about Zanes. Maybe we are just the collateral damage. My husband is still upset as well but we are going to go together and show Zane we will respect his wishes but also to show him that we love him. I don't think we will even get to talk to him but we are going as a family for a young family member. Its been heart breaking to say the least but its about more than the adults broken heart. I know Zane is probably really angry and scared. So thank you guys for the sweet reminders. You guys were so loving and caring and I am so thankful to each of you for reminding me what is important.
As a family we are worried about Zane and what is happening with him. However, I feel defeated and I feel hurt. But God is in control and I have to believe that he will bring us all peace. Especially Zane. All I can do at this point, is pray and hope that what is going to happen, its the right thing for everyone. God has a plan, I guess and who am I to mess with it. I just hate this entire situation and wish more than anything we all had peace of mind that our child is safe and happy. Right now he might be safe from abuse but he is not happy. Neither are we. I wish we could get him here and wrap him up in our love. Until then I am putting it in Gods hands and letting go. What is meant to be will be and there is nothing I can do about any of it. Prayers still needed. xx
Hello friends! I hope you are having a wonderful Monday. As many of you know...I post a week in review recapping what happened over the week & weekend. Its something that I have been doing off and on for years. Its just a simple way to give you guys a glimpse into our weekend. I also vlogged a little each day which you can see in the video below. I have been trying to move all my video's to my main channel including the vlogs but for right now I am uploading them to both channels. I think that is the best way to do it right now but eventually they will probably all move to my housewife life main youtube channel. I hope you don't mind but I have been trying to figure out a way to make everyone happy. I don't expect you to watch them twice but now you will be able to find my vlogs on both channels. ↓Here it is↓ Hope you enjoy! More pictures and info below!
This Past Week:
I think many of us have been hit with a jolt of cold weather....which is the way the week started out for us. It turned from 77 degree days to 40 degree days overnight. I am not one who enjoys the cold so finding motivation to do anything than sit in front of a warm fireplace has been hard. I'm serious...I've been known to stay in the house for a week straight just due to cold weather. Yea....I am way too tropical for freezing temperatures. I know you guys are feeling it too. Leaves have been falling off the trees faster due to all the wind and the rain and gone are the days of open windows and doors. I really love fresh air....warm air that is, so I am none too excited for winter. I think its going to be worse than ever this year. We'll have to wait and see! Thankfully on Monday I stayed in and just worked on the computer all day long. And I still didn't get caught up. I switched my weekly cleaning to Tuesdays so I was happy at home for the first 2 days of the week.
By time Wednesday rolled around, I finally got up and ran errands and went to the store. I was seriously dreading it. The wind was whipping my little bug all over the road but I slowly got there and slowly made my way around the store.
Jackson was totally upset because somehow someway when his friend was here, his new little tablet got broken. Yea... I was none too happy and Jackson was so upset he was crying. He had just bought it a week before on his birthday with his own money. Even though I was mad as hell that yet another electronic was broken, I felt so sorry for him. I grabbed the tablet with the box and took off to Walmart. I planned on shopping at my local Ingles but Jackson's dilemma had me at Walmart.....so that's where I did all the shopping this week.
And let me just say... It took a total of an extra 1 hour and 20 minutes to get the tablet exchanged. Not that I am not happy and grateful but it just made the day extra long. I stood in the looooong customer service line not 1....not 2 ....but 3 times.
I was totally exhausted by time I got home. Jackson was thrilled but he has to learn to take better care of his stuff. And the kids wonder why I don't share my laptop and phone. No thanks. Hopefully he learned something this time and we won't have this problem again but I'm not holding my breath on it. Both Brittany and Jackson are extremely hard on electronics and when they broke an iphone and tablet over the summer we were all pretty over it. I just refuse to keep replacing expensive electronics because they can't take care of them. Accidents happen but wow...thank you Walmart for changing it out.
In the middle of the week, we finally got carving our pumpkins for Halloween. I have to admit, Scott's is better than mine because I messed up the bottom of the cat. But it was a lot of fun and we all had a great time together as a family carving pumpkins. Scott is 46 and totally enjoys it one time of year.
Its totally a tradition as it is in many homes and we are slowly getting better at it. Jackson didn't want his shown because it didn't turn out exactly right but I was happy he was there trying anyway. We didn't have a single tick or treater and we live in a neighborhood with kids. I totally don't get it... just like I don't get why NO ONE swims in the lake by our house. But we had a fun little dinner and enjoyed the night in. Really it was too cold and wet for anything else.
Over the weekend, I finally got my roots touched up. I am in love with the root touch ups because I am happy with the color of my hair over all but every time the roots grew out, I was doing an entire dye job. Now with the little root touch up kits, it makes it so easy and so much faster. I was one in 10 minutes and totally happy with the results.
Sunday rolled around and guess who turned 13 years old!? Yep, my Brittany Belle is growing up so fast and I really couldn't be prouder. She really is someone I adore and I am thankful for her fresh optimistic outlook even at her young age. Really she seems much older than 13 which is totally freaking scary. And its hard not being there with her day in and day out. I understand all her friends live where her dad lives and I choose to relocate due to Scott's work. She didn't want to leave and I didn't want to force her. But even though we are apart, I pretty much know everything going on with her and where she is all the time. We are constantly on the phone, email, texting, skyping... mailing packages and even though I feel like a failure with her most of the time, she thinks I am the best mom in the world. She makes straight A's, on the cheer team, compassionate, and full of drama like any young teenager would be! But we are so proud of her and I love watching her grow up. Happy Happy Birthday Brittany Belle.
So if you watched the vlog, you know that I got really emotional over another Brittany. Brittany Maynard. This beautiful 29 year old woman with terminal brain cancer took her own life on Sunday. It hit me soooooo freaking hard. She said that she was going to wait and not go through it on November 1 so naturally I didn't think it would be the next day. Her story breaks my heart and I just can't imagine having to make that choice and your family having to live with it. Lets all lift her family and her soul in our prayers. It totally tore me apart when I saw it Sunday evening. Tears came rushing down my face and my poor husband had no idea how to make it better. It just hurts and I don't even personally know her. She totally touched my life and on my Brittany's birthday it was another Brittany's death day. Wow... crying again. On the right is her last message on facebook. Please keep her family in your prayers.
May she forever rest in peace. ♥
Here's my to do list for the week...
Adapt to Scott's new Schedule. Now he is getting off at 6 instead of 8 on Mondays...off Tuesday...and doesn't go back in until 11am on Wednesdays. WOW. I thought Tuesday was a better cleaning day but maybe should try to stick to Monday. I am happy he might just get some time off.
Wash winter jackets. I keep putting it off but I really need to do it.
Give cats a bath on the warmest day of the week... Looks like it will be on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Gather up rest of empties for Octobers Favorites video.
Call and check on my mom. She was pretty messed up over some dental surgery but I think she is starting to feel better.
Pray more. Always pray more.
Call old friend and find out what her test results are. I am heartbroken that she may be battling thyroid cancer. I would be broken if something happened to her. Pray more. She is seriously one of the best people I know. And no... it's not Shanna.
Watch Fireproof your Marriage. It's on Netflix and I have been meaning to watch it for a while.
Quickly get the kitchen drawers organized....thanks Jackson for putting nothing where it belongs!
Film videos in a timely manner.
I know it might sound trashy but maybe get some of that tightening plastic wrap stuff for some of the windows to keep it warmer in this big house. Last year in the heart of winter our power bill was over $600 for just one month. Who knows... it couldn't hurt to insulate it a little better.
Schedule a tour of the Montessori school for Jackson. Just incase we need to move him.
Try to stop eating so many Goldfish Vanilla Cupcake Grahams. They are sooooo yummy!
Get to bed before 1am every night. Wish me luck... I need lots to make that happen.
Remember Coopers daily workouts.
Check the PO Box....before the mean mail people call me up complaining.
Figure out the Thanksgiving schedule today.....gotta call Trina.
Dump old shows on the DVR.
Reply to many many emails....today.
File away old paperwork... which will probably happen on desk day.
Do the planner tag.... since I was tagged! Stay tuned for that video later in the week!
Check Etsy for shipment updates.
Start putting together Christmas list for friends and family. I want to buy a little at a time until it's done. I don't expect to go in debt for the Holidays. Instead I am planning early and sticking to a budget.
Here's some inspiration to take you through the week.....really it's like a self reminder!
