Marshall learned about plants a couple weeks ago at daycare, so I figured he would enjoy helping me plant flowers the other day. I didn't realize how much he would enjoy it (and how upset he would be when the dirt was put away 😂), or how much I would enjoy it myself. <--Mom, you read that right. haha.
This past week, I found planting flowers to be really relaxing. I know, who am I? lol. Which then led me to wonder why it had to be something that could end up being really expensive that was relaxing to me. Ha!
But, this is also one of my new favorite memories: planting flowers with Marshall. He loves helping pour the dirt into the pot, even though his cup barely has any in it and some ends up in the yard.
That time I finally understood Marshall's perspective...
We have what seems like a hundred episodes of Mickey and the Roadster Racers and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse recorded on DVR, for those times when Marshall needs to chill out. Mickey always does the trick (as does Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy--he loves those shows). The DVRd episodes don't have any commercials, other than the intro and a few at the end, which we can fast forward through.
This child knows his Mickey Mouse so well that when the Hot Dog song comes on at the end of an episode, he starts looking for the remote to bring us so we can fast forward to the very end and start the next episode. This kid picks up on everything!
In the beginning of December, Matt and I started binge watching Arrow on Netflix, so we could catch up on all the previous seasons to get to where we were in the current season. Once we finished all of Arrow, I started binge watching The Flash to get up to speed*, and I did, just in time for last night's new episode.
*For those of you who watch The Flash...was that joke funny, or no?
So we watched last night's episode of The Flash..without fast-forwarding through commercials, and when it went off, I said, "I can't believe we have to wait a WHOLE WEEK before the next episode! Now I know how Marshall feels when he's watching Mickey on actual TV and he wants the next episode to start right away!"
I never wanted to believe "mom brain" was a thing. "I'll be able to remember everything, no problem at all."
HA.
I'm laughing at my old self now.
Especially since I'm noticing it more often now. Seriously, don't ask me to remember something, because chances are, I won't. Last week, I was talking to Matt about it and how it made me feel bad, and then I've noticed it happening more and more. So much so, that I can't remember something I just said or did. I don't understand HOW it happens or HOW I can be so forgetful, so let me just apologize to everyone for it NOW. 😂😂
A few months ago, I made our own Life Flow Lists. I got the idea from the amazing Amanda Hedgepeth (a photographer I've loved for years!) because I'd seen her talk so much about them! She'd share about them on her blog, her Instagram and Instastories, and I loved them! At first, I couldn't get it, or couldn't understand how helpful it'd be. Then I saw how she was putting even the smallest things on there to make life easier! And they've really been a game changer, for me at least. (Matt can remember stuff like no other.....not fair.) If you're not up to making your own, she has her lists for sale in her shop! At least go check them out!
On our daily lists, we have everything from feeding Maple breakfast and dinner (as two separate line items) to preparing lunches for the next day for all three of us. Weekend lists including washing Marshall's nap mat for daycare, doing laundry, and cleaning out the fridge (all that fun stuff, haha). At the end of the day, they do make me feel like we accomplished a lot by being able to check everything off that list. Biggest of all, each thing on that list is one less thing I have to "remember."
Maple, don't worry, I could never forget to feed you. Your cute little self couldn't ever let me forget that 😉
And just for any other moms that might need to read this:
P.S. Is ironic or just proving my point more that as I re-read this before posting it, I found SO MANY works left out of the middle of sentences....?
P.P.S. I then had to go change my P.S. statement to actually say "left out" instead of "left over."
I feel like I need to start a series of "mom life" posts, a category that this post could fall under.
As we were listening to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse station on Pandora the other day, the ending theme song to The Lion Guard came on, and I actually listened to the words of the song. (Before then, I didn't know the words and only sang the, "Whoa oh oh oh oh"s when it came on.) However, once I listened to the words, and Googled the rest, I realized how applicable these could be for our lives:
There's a time in life when you may get a great calling
And it seems so big at times, you feel like you may be falling
If you believe in who you are, there's no need to go runnin'
You find your place, and with your friends, the adventures keep on comin'
I'm sure many of us can think of a time where we've had a dream or idea we wanted to pursue, but the only outcome we could think of was fear or failure. With any new situation, it's so much easier to list all the negatives rather than the positives. And we let those negatives weigh heavily on our decision. I'll give you my example: two summers ago, I had this crazy idea: "Hey, I should start selling LuLaRoe! I love the clothes so much anyway, so why not?" I knew this was a crazy idea, because I'd never done anything like it before. I did think of every reason why I shouldn't do it, or what happens if I get stuck or fail. I also knew it would be a big investment to get started (I hate spending money as it is, haha). But, once I told Matt the idea and he was on board too, it made it SO much easier to submit the paperwork and anxiously wait for my call. I was so thankful to have the money (and a Disney credit card to build points on 😉) and I was able to put money into LuLaRoe so that now, we have a third income for our family. Are there rocky times? Of course! But if there's anything I've learned through this experience, it's to believe that I can keep trucking along, and with the support of my husband, family, sponsor and team, I can keep on living this dream.
Chorus
Looking after the Pride Lands
Staying strong and united
And no matter where we stand
We'll never be divided
All the lions in the sky
Always keeping a watchful eye
Fierce, fast and brave and strong
Look out, here comes the Lion Guard!
I wrote this whole paragraph to go right here, then deleted it because all I wanted to say about the chorus is this:
I'm making it a life motto to live by.
Now how in the world did I come to realize how meaningful these lyrics are? Well, when you're in the car with a crying kid, while your husband is in Qdoba picking up lunch, sometimes all you can do to block out the crying is listen to what's on the radio instead. #reallife
And, for those that may not know (what, you don't watch The Lion Guard, too?), the show is about Simba and Nala's son, Kion, who with his friends--the lion guard--protects the Pride Lands.
If you listen to this video, you're welcome for getting the "Whoa oh oh oh oh"s stuck in your head 😁
With the new year, I've seen a lot of people choosing their "word of the year." At first, I wasn't going to choose one...because it would be "one more thing to keep up with"...when I'm trying to eliminate things to keep up with and/or remember. However, the other day, it just kind of hit me that I would choose a word, and this is what it was going to be for the rest of 2018.
thankful.
I always try to be a more positive or optimistic person* (but I know I'm not 100% of the time, haha), so I thought this would be a good word to start with. I think this word will help me the most on bad days--even on those bad days, there's something positive that we may not always think about right away.
For example,
I had a terrible day at work and nothing went like I wanted it to, but I'm thankful I have a job to financially support our family.
I was stuck in traffic and everyone forgets how to drive when it's raining, but I'm thankful I have a car to get me places.
The kitchen is a disaster after dinner and I have no desire to clean up, but I'm thankful that we had all the food we needed to make dinner. I'm also thankful for an awesome husband who does the majority of our cooking. :)
It's 2:00 am and I'm so tired and don't want to go upstairs and get Marshall's paci that he threw out of the crib, but I'm so thankful for him in more ways than I can count.
So, if I can stay in this mindset all year--and we'll see how much it happens--then hopefully it will be a good year!
Did you choose a Word of the Year for 2018? If so, I'd love to know what your word is!
*The week of our wedding, we had a hurricane come through Richmond. I'm talking rain, rain, and more rain! We were planning on an outside ceremony and cocktail hour, and three days before the wedding, Matt and I had to decide on whether or not we wanted a tent put up. Well, we voted "no" and got some crazy looks for it, haha. But, come Saturday afternoon, it might've been extremely hot and humid, but it wasn't raining! I think this is the MOST optimistic I've ever been in my life. haha!
