This past Sunday a woman at church was telling me with tears in her eyes that one of her daughter's was been bullied at school. The worse part was that she went to speak to the principal of the school and she did nothing about it. I could see she felt incredibly helpless. A few weeks ago the same thing was happening to my cousin's son and it made me wonder why it is that bullying is trending right now.
My opinion is that the kids doing the bullying are in need of attention or have self-esteem issues. If more parents were involved with their kids and actually spoke to them on a daily basis we wouldn't have these issues in our society so commonly. I try talking to my son everyday about what he does at school and I try bringing these issues up. I want to give him the trust to be able to come to me if he ever does have these kind of problems at school.
These issues scare me because my kids are young and to think they have to deal with this at school brakes my heart. However, even with that fear I know I have to learn to deal with this because it is real. Hopefully my children never have to deal with this, but if they do I want to be able to help them through it as best I can.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Boston, Mass.
Today the U.S. is reeling yet again from another tragedy that has taken two lives and injured many others.If you haven't heard or live under a rock, we had another terrorist attack, in Boston. It happened at a marathon race being held in the city of Boston, Mass. Someone detonated a couple of bombs at the finish line and set other ones at other locations in the city. Thank God not all the bombs went off, but what an incredible act of cowardice.
From what I have seen in the news an 8 year old little girl died and it brakes my heart to pieces. I have children and I cannot imagine the pain that her parents are going through. She went to a race to walk for other little children, also victims of a nut job, and she lost her life. It scares me to realize that my children will have to grow up with that kind of fear because a few nut jobs feel they can be God. Long gone are the days where families could attend public events as this one and feel safe. It is a sad reality that my children will have to grow up with.
My prayers are with these people in Boston, but my heart goes out to the families of the 2 persons killed. I'm sorry that it had to happen at all, but most of all I'm sorry that such evil is allowed to keep breathing while a little angel can no longer do it. There is a lot I could say about this, but for now this is it.
From what I have seen in the news an 8 year old little girl died and it brakes my heart to pieces. I have children and I cannot imagine the pain that her parents are going through. She went to a race to walk for other little children, also victims of a nut job, and she lost her life. It scares me to realize that my children will have to grow up with that kind of fear because a few nut jobs feel they can be God. Long gone are the days where families could attend public events as this one and feel safe. It is a sad reality that my children will have to grow up with.
My prayers are with these people in Boston, but my heart goes out to the families of the 2 persons killed. I'm sorry that it had to happen at all, but most of all I'm sorry that such evil is allowed to keep breathing while a little angel can no longer do it. There is a lot I could say about this, but for now this is it.
Monday, April 15, 2013
New Beginnings, New Responsibilities
I have been extremely busy lately. My parents are head Pastors at a local church here in my hometown. They have asked me to help out with the youth ministry and it has been consuming a lot of my time lately. I'm not complaining however, I actually like it.
I grew up in a Christian home, but when I turned 18, I decided that it wasn't for me. I decided to leave the church and do my own thing. I met the Hubbs got married had my son and I still didn't feel the need to go back to church. However, right before I got pregnant with my daughter something inside me clamored to go back to church and not so much church, but to seek God period. Something inside of me needed that relationship and I decided to seek him in truth and in spirit. I began by renewing my relationship with him first and then decided to go back. Since then I have attended the same church I grew up in, but with a different perspective on faith. I don't go because I have to, but because I want to. As the cliche goes I have a faith not a religion, there's a big difference.
I went through a lot when I decided to leave my faith. Some were good experiences, some not so much. I want to be able to share some of my experiences with the youth of my church and if it can help them in anything, I will feel extremely blessed. It will be a hard task, but it will be one that will bring me much satisfaction.
I grew up in a Christian home, but when I turned 18, I decided that it wasn't for me. I decided to leave the church and do my own thing. I met the Hubbs got married had my son and I still didn't feel the need to go back to church. However, right before I got pregnant with my daughter something inside me clamored to go back to church and not so much church, but to seek God period. Something inside of me needed that relationship and I decided to seek him in truth and in spirit. I began by renewing my relationship with him first and then decided to go back. Since then I have attended the same church I grew up in, but with a different perspective on faith. I don't go because I have to, but because I want to. As the cliche goes I have a faith not a religion, there's a big difference.
I went through a lot when I decided to leave my faith. Some were good experiences, some not so much. I want to be able to share some of my experiences with the youth of my church and if it can help them in anything, I will feel extremely blessed. It will be a hard task, but it will be one that will bring me much satisfaction.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Beautiful Memories
When I was in Junior High my dad and I had a ritual of going to get Chinese food and then to a thrift store on his day off, which was every Tuesday. To a lot of people this ritual may seem lame, but to me it is a beautiful memory I share with my dad. Just like me I want my children to have those beautiful memories.
My son is obsessed with wrestling and although I stopped being a fan a while ago, I still watch it with him every day it is on. Not because I'm a fan, but more so because I know he likes it and I want to share that with him. I love the way he gets excited with the story lines and wrestlers, it reminds me of when I did the same as a little girl. In the beginning it was annoying to watch it, I would even lie to him about it not being on, but slowly I began to realize how important it was for me to like and participate with things he likes. It is important for children to feel that bond with their parents, it let's them know we care.
Right now I have the privilege of being at home and this gives me the chance to make great memories with my babies. I want them to look back at their childhood with happiness and fondness. I want them to remember our rituals and make them want to build some with their babies.
My son is obsessed with wrestling and although I stopped being a fan a while ago, I still watch it with him every day it is on. Not because I'm a fan, but more so because I know he likes it and I want to share that with him. I love the way he gets excited with the story lines and wrestlers, it reminds me of when I did the same as a little girl. In the beginning it was annoying to watch it, I would even lie to him about it not being on, but slowly I began to realize how important it was for me to like and participate with things he likes. It is important for children to feel that bond with their parents, it let's them know we care.
Right now I have the privilege of being at home and this gives me the chance to make great memories with my babies. I want them to look back at their childhood with happiness and fondness. I want them to remember our rituals and make them want to build some with their babies.
Monday, April 8, 2013
DIY Canvas Pictures
As I have mentioned before I love photography, I'm not an expert but I love taking pictures. One of the things that used to frustrate me the most was taking pictures, but not displaying them. Now thanks to Pinterest I have gotten a lot of ideas of how to do this. One of my favorite is the canvas display. As you may know canvas pictures are pretty expensive, but I have found a cheap and easy idea on how to make these.
Materials needed are the following:
Canvas
Picture
Acrylic Paint (any color you want)
Sponge Brush (2)
Modge Podge (make it yourself 1/2 half glue and 1/2 water)
I got my canvas at Michael's. Most of the time they have awesome coupons and you can get a great deal. I got a 10 pack of 8x10 for $14. First, I painted the edges of the canvas dark brown to match my other picture frames in my living room. This project is so easy that even my 6 year old helped out.
Let it sit for a bit and once it is dry modge podge the top of the canvas. Give it a nice layer, but not too much. Place your picture on top of the modge podge (picture face up). I ironed out the bubbles by touching my picture with a tissue and I was done. I let it dry out overnight and hung it up in the morning.
Here is what the edge looked like after I laid the picture on top.
Here is the finished product.
For now I only have two pictures hung up, but I plan on making the rest of my canvas soon. I will update this post when I'm done with my wall.
Materials needed are the following:
Canvas
Picture
Acrylic Paint (any color you want)
Sponge Brush (2)
Modge Podge (make it yourself 1/2 half glue and 1/2 water)
I got my canvas at Michael's. Most of the time they have awesome coupons and you can get a great deal. I got a 10 pack of 8x10 for $14. First, I painted the edges of the canvas dark brown to match my other picture frames in my living room. This project is so easy that even my 6 year old helped out.
Let it sit for a bit and once it is dry modge podge the top of the canvas. Give it a nice layer, but not too much. Place your picture on top of the modge podge (picture face up). I ironed out the bubbles by touching my picture with a tissue and I was done. I let it dry out overnight and hung it up in the morning.
Here is what the edge looked like after I laid the picture on top.
Here is the finished product.
For now I only have two pictures hung up, but I plan on making the rest of my canvas soon. I will update this post when I'm done with my wall.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Garage Sale
My son and I like to go to garage/yard sales on the weekends. We don't do it every single weekend, but we do it quite often. It is something that I remember doing with my mom when I was a little girl and as it seems my son will continue the tradition with me.
I love it, through out the years of doing it, I have found a lot of great things for cheap. Just a couple of weeks ago I found a great craft desk for only $20, when at the store I haven't been able to find one like that for any less than $100. I have found Scrapbooking stuff, books, knick knacks, and even furniture for cheap. When my hubby and I moved out on our own I furnished our new apartment for for about $150, of course it wasn't the latest in furniture design, but it helped us out a lot.
I understand this is not every ones thing, but if people knew some of the stuff I have gotten from yard sales and the prices I have gotten them for, they would try it for sure. I'm sort of a nerd like that, but to me it's awesome because you never know what you will find. I recommend that everyone tries this at least once and I guarantee that more than one of you will get hooked. Happy Hunting!
I love it, through out the years of doing it, I have found a lot of great things for cheap. Just a couple of weeks ago I found a great craft desk for only $20, when at the store I haven't been able to find one like that for any less than $100. I have found Scrapbooking stuff, books, knick knacks, and even furniture for cheap. When my hubby and I moved out on our own I furnished our new apartment for for about $150, of course it wasn't the latest in furniture design, but it helped us out a lot.
I understand this is not every ones thing, but if people knew some of the stuff I have gotten from yard sales and the prices I have gotten them for, they would try it for sure. I'm sort of a nerd like that, but to me it's awesome because you never know what you will find. I recommend that everyone tries this at least once and I guarantee that more than one of you will get hooked. Happy Hunting!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Take it Slow
This past weekend I overheard a teenage girl saying she couldn't wait to be married to her boyfriend. I asked myself why do women have such a screwed up way of viewing LOVE. Why do we assume that if we don't hurry up and married the one we love at the moment we won't find happiness. Why can't we just accept things for what they are and enjoy them in their moment.
I have seen many women fall in love and automatically throw caution to the wind. As soon as a woman falls in love it narrows her mind to just that person and the entire world fades away. It's as if we loose all common sense and stupidity kicks in. In my opinion we are more emotional than men, which makes us fall faster and harder. If we took things slow like men tend to want to do, I think we would enjoy our relationships more.
Once upon a time I remember my relationship with the Hubbs was pure bliss. We were young, in love and all was just perfect. Then we got this crazy idea of getting married and of course I lost my head and dove in. I don't regret getting married, much less to my husband, but I do wish we could have waited a little bit longer. I wish I could have thought with my head then and not my emotions, which is what I wanted to tell that teenage girl last Sunday. I wanted to shake her and tell her to enjoy this moment in her relationship and take it slow. I wanted to let her know that marriage is beautiful when it is not forced and on its own time. What is meant to be will happen regardless of how many hours, days, years or decades pass.
I have seen many women fall in love and automatically throw caution to the wind. As soon as a woman falls in love it narrows her mind to just that person and the entire world fades away. It's as if we loose all common sense and stupidity kicks in. In my opinion we are more emotional than men, which makes us fall faster and harder. If we took things slow like men tend to want to do, I think we would enjoy our relationships more.
Once upon a time I remember my relationship with the Hubbs was pure bliss. We were young, in love and all was just perfect. Then we got this crazy idea of getting married and of course I lost my head and dove in. I don't regret getting married, much less to my husband, but I do wish we could have waited a little bit longer. I wish I could have thought with my head then and not my emotions, which is what I wanted to tell that teenage girl last Sunday. I wanted to shake her and tell her to enjoy this moment in her relationship and take it slow. I wanted to let her know that marriage is beautiful when it is not forced and on its own time. What is meant to be will happen regardless of how many hours, days, years or decades pass.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Organizing My Mess
With children it is very easy to have clutter. The Hubbs and I moved into our current residence because it was bigger than our old apartment. At our old apartment we had things on top of things due to our baby girl being born, but I think we could have made it work if we were a bit more organized. I was determined not to let that happen here, therefore I have follow a few simple rules to help myself.
First rule, is to "declutter" for 15 minutes every day and only 15 minutes. Each day I do a different area like my make-up station, garage aka the toy room, the closets, under the sinks, and especially the kitchen table. I make sure and do this with the areas that really need to be clean. This has helped me a lot to keep my house looking clean and you be surprised how great it feels.
Second rule, is to organize myself with simple tips I find on Pinterest or other blogs. For example, I purchased shower curtain rods to hang all of my handbags in my closet instead of having them scattered all over my closet. Another thing I did was to purchase a large plastic bin to put toys my kids don't play with. Little by little I sort out the toys and once it is full I donate them to my church. I'll make sure and take pictures once I get more done.
The last, but probably most important rule I created for myself was to make a to-do list. Some of the things on my list don't get done for a while, but having them on there is a reminder that they still need to get done. As a stay at home mom people automatically assume you have a lot of time on your hands, but that's not always the case with cooking, cleaning and running around after the kids. Therefore, we always need to find new ways to make it work and make life simpler. Every once in a while I will share new tips with you and if you have any share them with me.
First rule, is to "declutter" for 15 minutes every day and only 15 minutes. Each day I do a different area like my make-up station, garage aka the toy room, the closets, under the sinks, and especially the kitchen table. I make sure and do this with the areas that really need to be clean. This has helped me a lot to keep my house looking clean and you be surprised how great it feels.
Second rule, is to organize myself with simple tips I find on Pinterest or other blogs. For example, I purchased shower curtain rods to hang all of my handbags in my closet instead of having them scattered all over my closet. Another thing I did was to purchase a large plastic bin to put toys my kids don't play with. Little by little I sort out the toys and once it is full I donate them to my church. I'll make sure and take pictures once I get more done.
The last, but probably most important rule I created for myself was to make a to-do list. Some of the things on my list don't get done for a while, but having them on there is a reminder that they still need to get done. As a stay at home mom people automatically assume you have a lot of time on your hands, but that's not always the case with cooking, cleaning and running around after the kids. Therefore, we always need to find new ways to make it work and make life simpler. Every once in a while I will share new tips with you and if you have any share them with me.
Monday, April 1, 2013
DIY Tutu Tutorial
Our Easter was awesome. I went to church with my babies and celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a very important celebration for me and I always like to make sure we are on our Sunday best. This year I got a bit inspired and I decided to make my baby girl a tutu for our Easter service. It was easier than I thought it would be, here's how I did it.
The materials I used were:
6 yards of Tulle. I bought 3 yards of pink and 3 yards of white tulle, but I didn't use it all.
1" non-roll elastic band
Glue gun or if you don't have one you can sow the ends of your elastic band
Scissors
Tape measure or ruler
First, I measured my daughter's waist to size the elastic band. A lot of websites say to subtract two inches from the size of your kids waist for a good fit, but I only subtracted 1 and it was perfect. I then used my glue gun to attach the ends of the elastic band together (If you don't have a glue gun you can sow them together).
Second, I cut 20" strips of tulle for the length of my tutu, I went with the recommendations of the chart below. It all depends on how long you want it.
Waist Size-these are very general
Preemie (under 7 pounds)-14 inches
0-3 months: 17/18 inches
6-12 months: 18/19inches
1-2 years: 20 inches
2-3: 21 inches
3-4: 22 inches
4-5: 23 inches
I then began wrapping the tulle on the elastic waist band. So the elastic band wouldn't slide I wrapped it around a paper towel roll. You have to fold your strips of tutu in half, like so:
Place the tulle in front of the elastic band and pull back at the fold. The keyhole should come out at the bottom of the elastic slip the two ends inside the keyhole and pull. It should look like this once you pull:
I cut 30 pink strips of tulle and 15 of the white tulle you of course can use more. The more tulle you add the puffier it will be. I only used two colors, but you can use as many colors as you want. I made a pattern with my two colors of 1 white, 2 pinks, and 1 white. Here is the end result:
It was a fun project and needless to say I can't wait to do other tutus for my baby girl. Let me know if you have any questions.
The materials I used were:
6 yards of Tulle. I bought 3 yards of pink and 3 yards of white tulle, but I didn't use it all.
1" non-roll elastic band
Glue gun or if you don't have one you can sow the ends of your elastic band
Scissors
Tape measure or ruler
First, I measured my daughter's waist to size the elastic band. A lot of websites say to subtract two inches from the size of your kids waist for a good fit, but I only subtracted 1 and it was perfect. I then used my glue gun to attach the ends of the elastic band together (If you don't have a glue gun you can sow them together).
Second, I cut 20" strips of tulle for the length of my tutu, I went with the recommendations of the chart below. It all depends on how long you want it.
Waist Size-these are very general
Preemie (under 7 pounds)-14 inches
0-3 months: 17/18 inches
6-12 months: 18/19inches
1-2 years: 20 inches
2-3: 21 inches
3-4: 22 inches
4-5: 23 inches
I then began wrapping the tulle on the elastic waist band. So the elastic band wouldn't slide I wrapped it around a paper towel roll. You have to fold your strips of tutu in half, like so:
Place the tulle in front of the elastic band and pull back at the fold. The keyhole should come out at the bottom of the elastic slip the two ends inside the keyhole and pull. It should look like this once you pull:
I cut 30 pink strips of tulle and 15 of the white tulle you of course can use more. The more tulle you add the puffier it will be. I only used two colors, but you can use as many colors as you want. I made a pattern with my two colors of 1 white, 2 pinks, and 1 white. Here is the end result:
It was a fun project and needless to say I can't wait to do other tutus for my baby girl. Let me know if you have any questions.
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