10 Minute Declutter

I love a challenge. Summer is the time for  projects. Combine those two things and I did get a little tidying up done thanks to a challenge organized by Michele at Get Organized Wizard.  It not took me a minimal amount of time and I even got to put out my cool candle holders that my sister got me from Vietnam, they may or may not have been in the bag since April. Opps! Any who I will throw embarrassment to the side and share the before and after pics. Don't judge, I am 7 months pregnant. :P

                           Before,yikes and oh my!

                          Much better!! :)

the only cure

The only cure for getting over not writing is to write. Yeah, having a blog post idea is not the same as actually posting. Life has been good and life has been busy. There have been so many positives to my summer that I am feeling rather blessed and certainly happy.

I have taken two trips this summer. I went on a girls trip with my sister and my niece to Cleveland for a baby shower. It was my first time going to Cleveland. It was nice to be away, pretty cool temp wise and we enjoyed each other. Just a nice time.

The following week my bestie and her family came to visit. I hadn't seen my bestie in 2 years (when does that happen!) so it was fantastic to set eyes on her. Our littles play so well together. It is great when the cousins make memories together. Our families took a trip to NY and wow we crammed a lot into that trip: Statue of Liberty, Empire State Bldg., Time's Square, Harlem and a Broadway play! Did I mention I am 7 months pregnant and NY was boiling hot! Crazy and not in the crazy, sexy , cool way either!?

My folks are coming today- in a few hours- and my house is rather messy. Oh well. Thank gosh, my parents can look past the clutter :)

How is your summer going? I miss blogging and reading blogs!

confessions

~I clean before the house cleaner comes. Yeah, my house is that much of a wreck :) Anywho my little one exclaimed, " Wow this is the cleanest my room has been ever" after I cleaned it tonight. He is going to be over the moon when he sees how good it looks tomorrow.

~I haven't eaten like a madwoman this pregnancy but I often think about how amazing it would be to go plum crazy and then blame it on eating for two.

~I can't remember a gosh darn thing. I really can't. Yikes.

~All I want for Mother's Day is a day to myself without worrying about anyone else. Selfish me, huh.

~ The other things that I want for Mother's Day I have already covered: hair appt and housekeeper both  on schedule for tomorrow.

So, what confessions do you want to get off your chest?

Ten for Tuesday~ Gratitude

So grateful for so many things, especially these 10.
1. My super amazing, wonderful husband. He has really stepped up and has taken the get er done attitude. I am immensely thankful.
2. Warm temperatures and sunshine. I am so much happier when I get some sunshine. Lucky for me it seems like winter is officially done!
3. Grapefruits. No really I am loving grapefruit and grapefruit juice more than one person should.
4. The great news that I am almost finished with my class. Granted I start another one before this one even finishes but I will be glad to check another class off my required courses.
5. Heat basketball. It brings me such joy to watch my team chasing another championship.
6. My little boy. He makes me smile for no reason and laugh like I am twelve.
7. Comfy shoes. Really tell me again why all my shoes aren't Naturalizers?!
8. Instagram. Such a fun way to be a nosy rosey.
9. My students. They are so flipping cool and it is nice to see how far our relationship has grown during this year.
10. My blog readers. Really , I love all of the comments and I have met some amazing women through this thing. I consider that such a blessing.

Sunday Highlights

I love Sundays! They are such relaxing family days. I should use them to get prepared for my work week but nah, I love watching silly shows and taking it very easy. Today had a few highlights:
1. The start of the post-season for my Miami Heat. The Heat won with a great team effort.
2. Playing go fish with my son who refuses to say"go fish" no matter how many times I remind him.
3. Getting a response from Holly Robinson Peete on Twitter. Yeah baby! I was probably a bit too excited.

Great day! How was your weekend?

absences

I look up and it has been 3 months.
3 months away from this space seems like too long.
but then it also feels just right.
Perfect in fact.
But only because I have been away resting
and growing and nurturing
and resting.
While my sweet little new baby is growing
inside.
And while this pregnancy is so different than my first.
There is no real documentation of every moment.
I am still treasuring the newness and surrendering.
Allowing my body to lead me.
I felt the first flurries of movement
and everything is progressing so well
I am not feeling as beat down tired as I was
in the beginning and life is great.
I am happy to be back here.
Feeling more like myself.

Our newest little is due in September.

**************
I do feel out of the loop in some ways, pardon me while I go and peruse all of the blogs I haven't visited in a long time! What have you been up to?

Still Journaling

Well I am still journaling. Sometimes I am better than others. But overall I am happy that I am getting my thoughts and feelings out. I got some new pens from a friend and I love putting those new babes to work. Makes journaling that much more rewarding. I enjoy putting cards, ticket stubs and other moments in my journal. It helps me to see the beauty in all things.
Have a great week!

Scandalous!

Well, I haz a problem. It has me feeling like a bit of a latecomer to the party. Like there was some amazing event and I just remembered that they want me there, why o why 7 little letters.....
S-C-A-N-D-A-L.  My desire to watch this show has been going on for a bit. I had a grand plan that over the holiday break I would send my lo to school and curl up on the couch and watch both seasons of Scandal. Well that was before my fellas and I spent all of the break feeling rather cojoined :) So my Scandal watching was put on the back-burner. This long weekend I was determined to watch and I am SO glad that I did. My hubby and I have spent an unheard of amount of time curled up on the couch and you know it is a great show when both of us can't stop watching. Season 1 was phenomenal and Season 2 lived up to the first. I am now all caught up and I have a new favorite show.
Now what are you waiting for go order Netflix for Season1 and HuluPlus for Season 2, you can cancel when you finish. I promise you it is SO worth it!

Do any of you already watch? If so let me know what you think.

Happiness is

Driving in the fog with a clear mind
Cheering on student athletes
Spending time with the guys
A perfect belated birthday gift
Making small changes to make me better

What has brought you happiness recently?

the pursuit

of creativity.
your passion.
of life in general.

Today was a fantastic day. I mean really, really good. Not because something super duper special happened but rather because I was reminded of the pursuit. We had a poetry presentation from a local published poet. He was good and his work was easy to read/relate to. My students really enjoyed it and I think they got something from it. It was cool. After school I got my hair done at a new spot. It was cute and they treated me really well. The stylist was very nice and she took so much time with me~ asking questions about my hair and haircare routine. She did a good job and I will go back. That was cool too.

Two very different parts of my day. Seemingly unrelated but in actuality they were rather similar. These people loved what they were doing. The poet was engaging and powerful and everything that he needed to be to pull in a room full of teenagers & the stylist was warm, and cool and all that you would want in a stylist. I left with more of a pep in my step. Both of them used their strong gifts to add a bit of polish to the world.

They were a needed reminder to pursue the creative things that I am passionate about. I needed that reminder. Do you?

Hello 2013!

2012 was a great year. I was blessed with a healthy family. My marriage is constantly growing and I am amazed at how well we work when we are working. He is a phenomenal partner and I am so happy that he is on this journey with me. My son is so smart and funny and happy. He is pushing me in new (sometimes frustrating) ways and I love watching him grow and embrace each day. I have an awesome support system and I can't tell you how much my parents rock~ they had their grandson for 7 weeks this summer. Really, how wonderful is that! My work continues to bring me joy and I have started a journey that promises new opportunities on the career front too. All in all 2012 was more than I could have hoped for.
I am planning, as always, to keep my 2013 aspirations simple. I don't have a laundry list of aspirations but I do want to focus on 4 areas: Health, Home, Beauty and Love. Each month I will share some goals in these areas. I am still working through my overall mantra for this year. I recently celebrated my birthday- the day after Christmas- and birthdays are always a nice time to reflect and plan. Unfortunately we have been so busy that I haven't really gotten a chance to reflect as much as I would like but I am working on that...stay tuned.

1/2013 goals:

Health: eat better :)
-take my lunch 4 days a week
- commit to exercise 3-4/ week
-feed myself like I feed my son more often

Home:
- a load of laundry a day (wash, dry, fold and put away)
-spend 30 mins a day taking care of home

Beauty:
-polish my nails at least once a week
-moisturize daily

Love:
-date my hubby twice
-3 random affirmations

So what is on your agenda for this new year?