Excuse me but I think you dropped your Sense of Adventure

Did you lose something? What that isn't yours???? Are you sure? Because if I'm not mistaken I think you are missing something.... Your sense of adventure. Believe me I understand, I often misplace my own. I promise I am not overly crazy. Although I express myself as a crazy person at times. Seriously, though answer me this - how many times have you let fear of failure hold you back from trying something you REALLY want to do? How often does the fear of looking ridiculous keep you from living life? Think back, when was the last time you truly laughed and enjoyed yourself? In that moment was fear holding you back? Probably not. The truest moments, the happiest times, are those precious times when we through inhibitions aside and be ourselves. If you are worried about being judged for your appearance, or competence. Have you ever really wanted to sing along to your favorite song but didn't know all the words or were just afraid of people watching you? I hate that. I think back to my teen years, and while I was admittedly very self centered in my thinking, I also enjoyed so much more, because even with all the drama around me I was not afraid to speak my mind, even when I was completely wrong. I am still that way a little. I am sure I talk louder than I should in stores or do not quite react appropriately to all situations. However, I am much more reserved. I also know that I now have much more trouble making friends. Why you ask? Because I'm afraid. I'm afraid of being unaccepted.
I hope if you are like me and have occasionally misplaced your sense of adventure, or have been brick walled by fear, that you will not remain trapped. I hope that you will start the project that you have put off because you didn't want to mess it up, that you will talk to the people waiting in line with you, and that you will sing along to your favorite songs, and dance even when you don't know how. Just enjoy life and let me know if there is something that fear has been stopping you from doing? I hope it will become your new goal to accomplish all the adventures your heart has longed for.

Expectation

You go to the movies expecting to be blown away and you come away somewhat disappointed WORST NIGHT EVER, but you go to a party expecting to feel out of place and find you fit right in BEST PARTY EVER. Ok so those are just random scenarios. Yet in truth, our expectations can often set us up for disappointment. Even most of my arguments with hubby (not that they are frequent) start from some expectation his or mine not being met. We expect mind reading self sacraficing people in our lives the type we are not willing to be. So anyhow. Just a random thought. Maybe if we expect less we will be pleased more often.

Earning Gift Cards through Swagbucks

Crystal Paine, author of Money Saving Mom, had a recent post about earning gift cards by searching through Swagbucks -an online search engine that rewards you for searching online. I don't know about you, but I search for everything online. One mother at Economic Endeavors tells how she has earned enough in Swagbucks in the last four months to receive hundreds of dollars in gift cards. Most of her Christmas shopping paid for through using AND referring others to this site.


Swagbucks is very simple to sign up for. There are no fees, no credit card required, and no phone number or address requested. They do not track your searched or spam you. After signing up, you are credited 3 points to your account. You can either do your searching directly from their site or download one of the toolbars or plugins to use every day as you're searching online. After only 45 points earned, you can get a free Amazon gift card. There are dozens of other prizes, too.

Tell all your friends about Swagbucks, send them your referral link and you'll also earn points for the searching they do online.
Tell lots of folks and you're well on your way to funding your entire Christmas budget with free gift cards from Swagbucks. I'm not kidding you, that's exactly what Lavonne did. See her post here with the details.

If it sounds great to you I hope you will sign up using any of my Swagbucks links in this post or in my sidebar sign up and keep on searching online. So what are you waiting for? Go sign up here.

All the Time in the World

I know a lot of you are going to be upset to hear the next statement but.... I PREVIOUSLY thought that stay at home moms had all the time in the world to enjoy themselved. Sure I did imagine that they had the occasional small task of child care and picking up a few toys or something. But a stay at home mom should have time to do all those projects that they always wanted to do but never had time for.

Since the birth of my almost two year old girl I have been a stay at home mom. I have not gotten anything done in TWO years. It is crazy. I stand in awe of those mothers who do all the cooking, cleaning, PTAing, chauffering, and mothering and still seem to have some life. Because I tell you I hardly ever can see the floors in my house, and laundry gets done when... well when we run out of clean underwear. Although it isn't much of an excuse, for the first 18 months after birth I watched my lovely nieces as well as my own ball of joy. That took ALL of my time. It has been about 5 months since then and still I find myself misusing my time.

Now as mentioned before TV addiction has claimed much of my day. I HATE this. So the past two weeks my loyal tv viewing has stopped. It has been liberating. While I still have to develope a schedule, and a lot more structure to my day, for myself as well as my little one, I do find that I've gotten more laundry done, and some of the piles of clutter have been uncluttered. There is still more to do. But I feel like I'm not glued to my television. Maybe, just maybe, I can do something on a Thursday night without feeling resentful for not seeing what happens on my favorite show. I will say that I am not forbidding these shows, I just don't feel that same draw. It has helped that many of my shows have now become so liberal that even I am slightly offended and uncomfortable watching them. It is nice to not worry so much about the influence of all these shows and all the gender confusion they display.

So my questions for you new and experienced mothers - How do you keep your act together? Did you start off being able to do it all? Also, what are your thoughts about the drama in your television dramas?

Toilet Paper

So I was reading a post over at Crazyland that reminded me of my husband's wise Grandmommy. She always has said, "If you don't need it more than toilet paper..." I have been thinking a lot about frugality. Trying to read many many blogs about couponing, budgeting and all of that. Motherboard's post just really reminded me about how I shop. I have endless wants, we all do. But I try not to buy things unless I really love them. However it is easier for me to compromise when I'm buying it for my little girl.
Going off of Grandmommy's buying mantra. What do I need more than toilet paper. Food for sure, and other assorted grocery items. But most things wouldn't comfort me much when I'm stranded at the toilet with nothing but my hand. But hey.... somedays I could get creative. Especially when i'm craving some of those things I don't need more than toilet paper. LOL

So on that line of thoughts what are some things you think you might give up toilet paper for if you had to choose between buying one or the other? Do you have a shopping mantra to help you shop with frugality?

Lost & Found

To all of you who have been succeeding in your goals to lose a few pounds, I would really like to congratulate you....UNFORTUNATELY, I can't. Instead I plead with you to stop losing for a week because I need to figure out whose weight I keep finding. HA HA right. Truthfully you are a motivation and I'm proud and inspired by all those with the determination to achieve such a hard goal.

I have completely derailed from my goal of weightloss. I need more structure in my days. I feel like my 22 month-old daughter doesn't get as much from her day as she should because I am always tired. I'm always tired because I eat poorly and do not exercise. (One of my excuses for not exercising is being too tired.) So I keep myself trapped in an unhappy cycle.

How can you balance all the jobs of motherhood while still finding time to care for yourself? Can any mothers give me some motivating tips?

More Giveaway Tips

Tip Junkie is helping to promote & feature some of the amazing women who have joined the Mom-preneur Shop-a-thon, she has set up the 12 Days of Junkie where there will be two winners every day! Drop by and check it out and enter to be a contestant.

Projects

So I've been getting into the mood of wanting to try new things and aquire new talents. I've painted one of my dresers and need to do another, I made my hubby's Halloween costume, and various other things. So I was looking online and saw from a blog I read that there is a website called Sense and Sensibility Patterns you can follow the link. On the site they have very well priced e-patterns. So if you are like me and have spent hours watching all the Jane Austen films that come out and wishing for dresses from that era well here you go. If you are willing to tackle the challenge of making it yourself. It seems to be my new motto. If you dream, then do it. So here is to trying to do it all. Do you have any projects that you are working on? If you could dress in any era style what would your clothes look like? Leave a comment let me know.

Nothing Beats Free

So I haven't been keeping up with you, but don't take it personally I haven't been keeping up with me either. I have hardly had time to think recently. I have been cleaning, costuming, garage saling, and nursing a little one back from a stomach virus. But I will admit after paying some bills I started wondering how I can start saving money, or at least make my money go further. I am sure many of you have similar worries

So there are many websites I've looked at websites about coupon clipping, and free offers, and some of it has caught my interest I will let you know if I find anything that works for me. I just have to say though that the idea of free stuff is very appealing. Everything seems better when you can get it for free. Well maybe not everything. But if you could walk out of the grocery store with a lower bill I don't think you will be complaining. So in the spirit of free stuff, I hope to share with anyone that stops by that has never used redbox a nice chance to rent a movie and cuddle up with someone and enjoy a flick for free. At the bottom of the page it should give you a promo code DVDONME If you have any questions let me know. But over all just tell me, have you found something that helps you stretch your pay check?


If you haven't already start following my blog I would love to have you.

The Last Place!

Now I know that it doesn't make much sense to say that you found something in the last place you looked, because of course it is going to be in the last place you looked. How many people do you know that keep looking for something after they have found?? And if you do know any can you tell me about them? I can use a good laugh. That being said, Eeyore is found and he was in the last place I would have expected to find him. Any guesses??? I'm sure you may get a guess that is close but if you are like me then you didn't quite expect it.

About 3 Christmas's ago, my mother-in-law bought me some wing back chairs that I had been wanting. Then we both set out to reupholster a few chairs. Well, it took us until May to finally finish our project. Mainly because we would watch movies while we were working and always ended up more into the movie than our work. That and taking staples out is very time consuming. Any how, I'm sure you can see where this is going. I had already checked as far as I could reaching into the crevices of the chair when I was looking for Eeyore. Truthfully, I HATE reaching my hand into spaces that I cannot see. I just think of the movie Roman Holiday, when Gregory Peck's character tells Audrey Hepburn's character to reach into the "Mouth of Truth". If you have not seen this movie you have no idea what I'm talking about. But the movie is classic.

Well my previous searches into the couch and chair crevices revealed nothing. I was laying on the floor in the living room reading books about Winnie the Pooh and friends. I had just finished saying "Man, I really wish I could find where Eeyore is." And My husband agreed I look back and notices the lining on the bottom of the chair was sagging. I reached over to lift it with my hand and felt the familiar shape of Eeyore. I laughed and told my hubby that I found Eeyore. There was a short rejoicing by both my daughter and I and we returned Eeyore to his place on the piano.

Even as I type she is sitting with the piano on her lap playing. Her toy is now whole and very entertaining after a week of Eeyore missing. All is well in her world.

A Total Addict

I have a problem, but I don't think I am the only one. When I talk to my friends they seem to be doing the same thing as me - watching TV. I have way too many shows that I like. The sad part is that most of them are on at the same time. So I spend my nights riding my stationary bike while I flip through 3 -4 channels trying to get the highlights of all the shows I watch. Then since I do not feel that I've seen enough to know what was going on, I search online to find the full episode and proceed to waste more time watching internet TV.

I worry about my daughter watching too much television. She is not even 2 and she will stop whatever she is doing if she hears any pbskids or playhouse Disney show theme song. That tells me that I'm right to worry.

Over the past couple of weeks I've made an effort to have her play more and sit less. She loves playing outside. I've tried to take long walks and stop at the park for her to play. But I only get in a couple of walks a week. There always seems to be something to do at home. I don't drink caffeine, so most days I just feel tired. Not that caffeine should make a difference. Because on the days that I do get out I feel more energized. Which I think most doctors would agree that it takes energy to have energy. LOL

When friends come over to play with my little girl I find it so much easier to get things done. But I have never joined any playgroups. I am not sure why. So I need advice how do/did you entertain a two year old without the use of a tv? Also, what are the your favorite shows? I need to shorten my list.

Eeyore is Missing

I'm guilty. I am not the best housekeeper, not that I get much help. Everyday 60 percent of my daughter's toys get drug out into the living room. At the end of a good day about 10 percent of that mess makes it back to her room. So about 4 days ago, when I was attempting to make my living room look less like the inside of a toy chest, I discovered that Eeyore was missing off of the Winnie the Pooh piano. I was able to find the other three figurines but Eeyore has returned to an unknown location - maybe the Hundred Acre Wood. Suddenly, Eeyore is the most important character to my daughter. She asks about him daily. "Uh Oh, Eeyore! Ah go?" (a go = Where did he go?) She asks me this several times. This is the same girl that can tell me in which room she took off her shoes, yet when I say to her " I don't know, where did you leave him?" She has no reply. I've searched through piles of laundry (I've been meaning to get to those I swear), under couches (only forgotten crackers under there), in her toy box (nothing there - it is all in the living room), the office (surprisingly the cleanest room in the house - it is closed most of the day), under beds (nothing but dust bunnies), dresser drawers (empty waiting for the laundry fairy to fill them). I've run out of places to look. I'm check small crevices and large obvious areas. Eeyore has vanished. I've run out of ideas. He must be in the same place that my Smallville Season 5 Disk 2 is (that one has been missing since June).

So this week will be yet another top to bottom house decluttering. Yet last time with Smallville nothing ever turned up. I think there is a very mischievous person around, who like to still random items which are part of a set just to irritate the heck out of people. With me he/she succeeds. I hate the empty spot on the piano where Eeyore goes just as much as my daughter. And although I've already watched disk two of Smallville season 5, it bothers me that there is an empty slot in the case.

While I would like to blame someone else to have a place to turn this frustration, I logically doubt that there is a person stealing these things. So where are they? Do your things go missing? Have you noticed any extra toys or DVDs at your house? Maybe my stuff is just wanting to go visit someone else house for a while. Let me know, where is the strangest place you have found a lost item?

How Pregnancy Changed Me

When I was pregnant I gained much more than an adequate amount of weight (more than 60 pounds). I tried exercising while I was pregnant but it just never made a dent in the weight I was gaining. Within the first two months I had already gained 20 pounds without changing eating habits. My body just adjusting to pregnancy very well. My whole body was preparing for the next step, delivering a 10 pound baby. In general, my pregnancy was easy and so was my delivery. However, adjusting to this new life wasn't as easy. I couldn't get my girl to breastfeed properly and it all seemed so important after the birth. I was so focused on her. I do not think there is anything wrong with that to an extent. I still focus on her more than me and she is now almost 2. But in those first months I lost some of the almost 70 pounds I gained but I still had about 35-40 pounds of baby weight. They say that when breastfeeding a child the weight will come off. Well I breastfed until my girl was 16 months and I tell you what the breastfeeding didn't help me, but it did benefit my girl a lot. She hardly ever gets sick and I attribute it mainly to my willingness to breastfeed.
So now it has been almost two years and I still have 25 pounds to lose. I feel like I've spent the past two years so focused on being a mom that I forgot who I was, and how to take care of me. So recently, I've reclaimed part of my old identity and blended it with my new identity of mother. But I'm learning that being the best mom requires more than just giving all my time to my little one. If I want to be the best mom I have to take care of myself. I finally stepped into a salon and I got the haircut I've always wanted, and I returned to my makeup bag and found my good friends eye liner and mascara. I tossed the flats to the back of the closet and pulled out the shoes that automatically make me stand a little taller. On days when I walk out of the house looking more like the woman I see in my thoughts, I feel powerful. Beauty is powerful, it brings a positiveness to my thoughts and makes me more ready to conquer challenges instead of sitting on the couch waiting for life to happen. I can only hope that my daughter will see that a woman can be a mom and a woman both. That there is joy in being the yummy mummy I always thought I would be. And while it is almost two years and I still have 25 pounds of unwanted baby weight, I have faith that with my determination and new motivation that weight will not last for much longer.
So my question to you who are mothers is... have you discovered the power of your womanhood? How long did it take you to realize that mom doesn't mean no one looks at you anymore??? I guess I'm dense it took me a while. I hope all you recent mothers or mothers to be will not take so long to reclaim yourself.
Have a great day.