you look up &

your first born has a hospital stay after an allergic reaction
the week after his little lungs were congested & he was feverish
your husband is knocked out with the flu
you have a looming deadline at work

your second born has discovered her hands, how they work and
how to blow raspberries
both your house and your car is over run with stuff and bags galore

and somewhere in that insanity you pause to count your blessings
because there are always abundant blessings to count
and life seems good and full despite the plans that fell through or
the dinners that never got cooked

and you find yourself smiling listening to bubbles splash
while he spins a tale....almost bedtime for all.

Hair

I never shared this here but in Nov 2012 I got my last relaxer/perm. The primary reason I decided to do it was because I owned that one day I would have a daughter and I wanted her to see the beauty in her hair in its natural state. I did not want her to think that her hair was less than or want permed hair like her mother. What is interesting about that is that was 2 months before I found out I was pregnant and 5 months before I learned I would be having a daughter. Words and thoughts are so powerful. Now it is little over a year later and I have my baby girl and a head full of natural hair.
I have had my hair permed for pretty much my entire life so I am learning it and what makes my hair happy. It is fun to try new products and new looks. I am totally loving these tresses and I think I am getting into a nice groove. Yay natural hair!!

Today I took my hair to hair in a different direction with an hairstyle popular on Pinterest for natural hair wearers: the Frohawk. Picture a mock mohawk with your natural fro. I think I nailed it. I even got a compliment from my hubby (and he NEVER notices my hair).

this week

We shall eat:

Sunday- One pot pasta
Monday- Sausage and peppers- we did not have it last week
Tuesday- Pulled pork sandwiches and baked beans
Wednesday- Burgers and french fries
Thursday- Leftovers

Go us!

last moments of maternity leave

3 months has flown by
typing one-handed
holding baby Z
who refuses to be put down
hubby stuck at work
the temperature is at a record shattering low
i haven't polished my nails
or packed my lunch
my outfit is not laid out
but the ones for my children are
his lunch, her bottles
some stuff is done
a bunch isn't
instead i hold her
knowing this is what i need
at this moment

Meal Planning

Like many other folks, I am going to try and do better about planning our meals. A plan will help us not waste so much time thinking about what is do dinner and wasting our dough at the pizza place. You see what I did there ;) I would like to incorporate things like meatless Monday and theme nights but not now. Right now I am working on operation use why we hve in the overflowing pantry. Plus I had the best grilled cheese sandwich so you may see a couple if soup and sandwich nights around these parts. Oh and it is freezing (doesn't help that we just spent the last month in Florida with temps in the 80's) so you will certainly see some warm weather meals too. Maybe those things are a theme in themselves: Pantry Purge and Warm Me Up. Anyway here is my menu for the week!

Sunday- Meatloaf, roasted veggies and roasted potatoes

Tuesday- Chicken with black beans and rice

Wednesday- leftovers

Thursday- chicken tacos 

Friday- Burgers and fries

How about you? Planner or no?

2013: in review

Each year starts with the hope of something better than the year before. A chance to right some wrongs and grow in the process. Without even checking on a long lost post or trying to recall any real resolution, I would like to take a moment to look back on the year that was and how 2013 changed me.

* The biggest change was going from the momma of one amazing little boy to being the mom of one amazing little boy and one amazing little girl. Two is better than one. My heart grew to make room for her and she is all that I could have hoped for in a daughter. I really feared how my son would react to having to share the throne in the household but he has done well :)

*I learned that getting help is well helpful. Sometimes I have a do it all attitude and that can get a little overwhelming.This year I was all about the help. I hired a cleaning lady, assigned pic-up days for my husband and my mother came up for months to help out with the children. She helped stock the freezer before she left too. For all of this assistance I am  beyond grateful.

* I reevaluated some relationships and my expectations for those relationships. A big part was accepting that people don't always do what I want them to do or what I would do. Accepting this only frees me from crazy expectations.

Of course there was much more learning and growing but these are the big 3.