Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Raising the future...

I bumped* into a blast from the past yesterday, and upon chatting it up and discussing the MANY years it's been since we last spoke, he happened to say something that kind of made me giggle a little... "s0, what else is going on with you...besides raising the future".

I mean really, have you ever thought about it that way? I know daily I struggle to make sure I'm raising my children to be polite, respectful, well mannered children but I never stop to think the impact my raising now will have on their future. To be honest with the way things go around my house (AKA 10000 miles per hr) I hardly have time to stop and daydream about what the days will be like when the kids are full grown! I try to be the best Mom I can be, everyday so that when the day comes SEVERAL SEVERAL S E V E R A L years from now that my children are raising children of their own, they feel like they have learned all the good stuff from me!

It's bizarre to imagine but even the smallest things today can shape and mold their young minds and ultimately design their future. That one small trip to the space center could send my son on a path of aeronautical engineering, or a pony ride for B's birthday can make her want to be a vet or trainer or just someone who enjoys a game of polo now and again! lol you never know, strange...huh? It really makes you think about the day to day- the hustle and bustle of life and how you handle things.

Which got me thinking even more- I know how young I was when I had JM, but I look at friends of mine today, or on TV that just could not even handle a baby NOW let alone five years ago!! People have always said that having a baby makes you grown up, but it doesn't- you have to be the one to make the self conscious effort to want to grow up and be a good parent to your child! I see so many young moms and dads that really are just not 'right for the job' in so many ways! Living with your parents still and depending on them to raise your now, what six year old child is absurd!?! Working at the 7/11 because its easy even though you know you don't make enough money to take care of your child, is NOT being a good parent. When I think about being a mom, for me it was such a bitter sweet thing. Yes, I missed out on things like Prom, and being a freshman in College, and late night parties at frat houses, but I gained three amazing beautiful children, a respect for myself that I wouldn't of got living day to day pay check to pay check just to have money for beer, and the opportunity to raise our future! :D I feel so lucky, and so blessed that I took the selfless road and decided to be a Mom, and not just have the title.

You have to be willing to give it all, and then 10% above and beyond that! If there were anything today I could instill in my children it would be this- a great work ethic, a true and pure love for God, and a open, helping heart. I want my children to BE the future, not just part of it! I want them to make their mark, and leave behind memories and legacies they can be proud of- that I an be proud of knowing I had a hand in creating that future! I know my kids are only three and five, but every day that passes they grown and learn and progress into their ever expanding futures- so, you can never be too ready!

My advice for any new parent, or mommy of the future is to be selfless- give your all + your 10% extra, take a leap of faith and struggle when you have to! Instill great values and morals in our youth to ensure that we all, they all have the future they deserve!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

End of an Era




So this has been me latley at work- with all this new conversion stuff going on it's been leaving my desk full and my brain stretched to it's means! But, there is an end in sight! I can now see the corners of my desk, take a minute of my time to walk the plant for a diet coke and start to breath a little easier! I never thought I'de say having my job outsourced would be a good thing, but new opportunities are sure to present them selves even in the most bizarre situations! PATIENCE it what I have to practice, which for anyone that knows me is pretty near impossible!

For now I'm taking the Mary-poppins-ish route, and delighting in knowing that in just a few short weeks there will be no more vendor calls for payment, no more researching long lost checks or filing copious amounts of unnecessary paperwork! Ahhh just to type that out makes my shoulders feel lighter- I know Bob (boss man) will take care of me, he always does- and somehow someway will create an amazing job from scratch for me that i will love...er- learn to love! ;)

This weekend I plan on "escaping" with the kids for splashing around in the pool, visiting with friends and family and maybe even venturing out to Chuck-E-Cheese (since we do have about 100 tokens left over from out last 4hr visit!!!!) Something small, yet still very appreciated by them right now! I love that about the age their still at- amazed and pleased with the small things. I don't remember if I've written about our new complex yet, but they have a fabulous resort style pool with a splash pad, putt putt golf, sand volleyball AND an amazing park- did I mention I love it here? We'll on any day it's not raining or still muddy from the rain, I take the kids out to run around and get their sillies out before dinner and bed! They love it, and I love that it's right there at our finger tips! No trip- no fees- just F-U-N fun!
What fun places around Houston do you go to, that are family friendly, and don't cost an arm and a leg?

Monday, July 19, 2010

Before I'm 30..

Reading through blogs the other day, I stumbled upon a "before I turn 30" bucket list of sorts. I thought it was a great idea to get the things you want to do/have done/ see etc. out on paper for one, if your like me so you won't forget- and two to post it on your blog and make it seem more "real" or important to follow through. So in short, I have started working on my mini-bucket list, and it goes a little something like this...

-Take my kids tent camping for 4th of July
-Make close to, if not at least 10k more than I do now
-Run a half marathon
-Work out regularly at least three times a week
-Go to college/trade-school/work-program to further my education
-Buy a Cannon camera
-Take a romantic vacation on a beautiful beach
-Take my kids to CA to visit my long lost family- FINALLY
-Buy a new car- probably not new,new, but new to me ;-)
-Get B into dance lessons
-Take at least 2 different dance classes- like hip-hop and jazz.
-Travel to Europe- preferably London, Spain, Italy, Germany and France
-Buy a home
-Rent a boat and cruse around the lake tubing, water skiing and enjoying time with the kids
-Go to NOLA with an amazing group of friends
-Explore Austin...in its entirety
-Visit Misty Mac and her ever expanding brood of testosterone fueled boys
-Feel like I am in my career, v.s at my job
-Buy myself the Michael Kors gold watch I've been taunting myself with
-Spend as much time with Owen as K&T will possibly let me
-Take TONS of family pi cutes- formal and silly
-Lose weight, tone up and feel sexy in a bikini
-Take B on once a month "mommy and me" tea dates consisting of tea, lunch, mani;s, pedi's and gossip
-Finally have my braces off and all dental surgeries in my past!!!
-Meet new people, enjoy old friends and learn new things
-Take a family cruise!!!
-Take a mommy and P Cruise! ;-)
-Put more money into my 401k
-Put JM in Soccer and B in Dance ASAP and for as longs as THEY want- not me!
-Have a holiday where my ENTIRE family comes and not just one or the other.


For now,that is all I have...well, that I can think of at the moment. So, what's on your bucket list?

Our FIRST family vacay

I've been blogger lazy lately, but work has consumed my life to the point where I find myself dreaming about Olmstead Kirk and Clampitt paper...gross!

Anyways, back to topic! A few weekends ago, P and I took the kids on what would be our very first, new family vacay. It went rather smooth, (Despite JM throwing up all over the couch cushion of our friends beach house)and we had a boat load of fun! Jeff and Ashley are really great friends of ours, and have two beautiful kids close to the same age as ours. It works out perfectly, and the kids all love each other and their mrs.Ashley!! :)
JM and B loved splashing around in the water, sticking close to shore and finding about 12 dozen sea shells for Phillip to inspect for "Sea babies" and decide if we should keep them for show! We ran, played, swam and fished! JM even reeled in his first catch ever and boy was he excited! We took the kids to Golden Coral to eat lunch, which was actually my first time ever going. Im not usually a fan of buffets, but this a perfect choice on P's part- the kids had a blast picking for the 7 different styles of food they offered and then loading up on the huge ice cream bar once we were done! The weekend ended with a sunday-funday with my parents, swimming and bbq'n at home and getting settled into the new apartment- which we, by the way L-O-V-E.