"The Day I Stopped Saying 'Hurry Up'"

My cousin posted an article on Facebook last night.
The Day I Stopped Saying 'Hurry Up'

It could not have hit me in the forehead any more head on.

The first paragraph sucked me right in.

When you're living a distracted life, every minute must be accounted for. You feel like you must be checking something off the list, staring at a screen, or rushing off to the next destination. And no matter how many ways you divide your time and attention, no matter how many duties you try and multi-task, there's never enough time in a day to ever catch up.

Dead on.
After my post yesterday, I could have sworn this article was written for me.

The story about the little girl, the message, the lesson. I loved it from top to bottom.
It really inspired me. And made me think.
And confirmed I need to make an effort to change some things.

While my problems are more associated with the organization of my life and less with rushing my child, the part about lists, multitasking, rushing through life and never catching up couldn't be more true.

The last line really got me.

I will not say, "We don't have time for this." Because that is basically saying, "We don't have time to live."

Ya know, it's funny how certain things happen at just the right time. This article, popping up in my news feed on a day I was feeling so frenzied and exhausted with my lengthy list of to dos.

Just last week, Brian and I argued (yes, we argue) about balancing time at work and time with family.
Do we do a decent job of balancing? Well, yes. 
But could we do better? Of course.

We really struggle during the week and simply can't find something that works for us. And our baby is almost two years old. I swore we would have it figured out by now, but we don't.

Getting home close to 6:00 makes for a hungry toddler and those two hours every night for five days straight are really, really tough.

Monday through Friday, and that two hour nightly routine brings out the worst in all three of us.

I hate it.

And I realized it last Friday when something spoke to me.
Something in my head told me to be spontaneous.
Leave work right now, go run an errand for myself, pick up Carson early and go to the pool.
Make time to relax. Time to be spontaneous. Enjoy time with your family.

It's pretty uncharacteristic of Brian and I to leave work early on a whim.
And that's the part we argued about. He needed to work, I wanted him to leave to join us.

I prayed that night for guidance. Help with finding ways to slow down, finding ways to make more quality time, and help with controlling my feelings of getting things done.

This life of chaos is our new normal, at least for now. And although it's messy a lot of the time, it's extremely beautiful. To put it simply, I just need to learn to let go every now and then. BOOM. Just let go.

While some of my personal characteristics and imperfections will never change, I can find ways to be more spontaneous, carefree and stop being so critical of perfecting every single thing in my life.

I want my family to enjoy the best parts about me. Not the frenzied, over-analyzing part that makes me want to hide sometimes.

...things taste sweeter and love comes easier when you stop rushing through life.

Find time this weekend to be spontaneous my friends. Happy Friday.

 TOP | beer during bath + stinker face | Good Company antique store | enjoying the new play set

MIDDLE | peek-a-boo | floatin' and relaxin' | so proud. meanwhile, mom is hyperventilating

BOTTOM | the fish light switch covers win | pool time | toddler in adult shoes + the best dog ever

Problems

If I said we were settled in the new home, I'd be lying.
We've been scrambling every single night,
and staying up WAY too late in an attempt to get our home in order.

Unpacking, organizing, contemplating, rearranging, arguing.
You know...all the joys that come with moving into a new house. 

Sure, we have all the necessities put away.
But we're talking about an over-analyzing, nag-the-husband, perfection-seeking, want-everything-done-right-now human being.
I have no clue who would act like that.

I can't stand having my life out of whack.
The same reason why I can't handle one thing in my house being out of place.

Let me give you a little insight.

I can't go to bed with dishes in the sink.
Clothes are never lingering outside of my closet/dresser.
I pick up my house every night so that the little things don't pile up.
If Carson's clothes aren't laid out for the next day, I consider myself behind.
I can't sleep if things aren't "in order."

Y'all. I'm anal. A fast-paced, organized freak. A perfectionist. A worry wart about the details.

So, when I tell you that I still have unpacked boxes in the basement,
and things not hung on the walls,
TV remotes not programmed correctly,
and garage tools still laying on my kitchen island,
dust bunnies, and cabinets, and bathrooms, and blinds that have yet to cleaned,
and Carson's toys everywhere,
just know that I.am.going.absolutely.bonkers.

However, we do have one amazing kitchen (more to come on that). Finally.

But, we still don't have a kitchen table. I just cringed.

Oh! In other exciting news (not), Carson is now climbing out of his crib. How fun.

20 Months

My sweet boy.
My germ-infested, dirt loving, rambunctious, destructive all-boy of a child.
How are you 20 months old?

You are so ornery.
And you are most definiltey spoiled.
Which I said would never happen.

You scream or whine if we don't do it your way.
And you can be really, really gross.
But I love you more every single day.

Even when you head butt me.
Or smack me in the face.
Or throw a toy at me.
You even think it's funny to kick sometimes.

We are doing our best as parents.
To discipline you. And tell you no.
You despise going in timeout.
We want you to be a good boy.
And you are, mostly. 

You have a sweet side that melts my heart.
Especially when you say "Ahh luh ooo"
And you still give open-mouth kisses. 
You go in phases of preferring mama over daddy, or vice versa.
But, let's be real, we all know you're a mama's boy.

Your favorite things are shoes, hats, cars, bikes and lawnmowers.
More like obsessions.

You wear your hat 24/7 when at home. Seriously.
We can't pass the riding mowers at Lowe's without you yelping "mowwwww!"

You are talking so much now.
Our favorite game is saying all our friends names at school.
Lainey, Mallory, Alex, Grady, Logan, Jack and Miller.
And Ms. Patty and Ms. Heather, of course.
I love it when you point all of them out to me when walking in the room.
It's just the cutest. You talking.

You're still obsessed with the book Go Dog, Go!
We took a 2-week hiatus, but you're back to requesting it. "Go Go!"
Another bedtime fave is looking at photo albums.
You can point out Nana, Gammy and cousin Maddie.

Kid, you finally ate ice cream and requested more!
We've only been trying for eight months.
I was beginning to question if you were my child.

Speaking of food, you're still a good eater.
Still love you some fruits.
You've tried a lot more junk food in the past few months.
So if you see a bag of chips laying out, or any snack for that matter,
We better be ready to give in or fight back.

It's not abnormal for you to have bruises.
In fact, your legs are constantly covered in them.
You have no fear, kid.
And are constantly falling down, being too adventurous, and testing the limits.
Only now, you like for mama and daddy to kiss your boo-boos.
"Do you want me to kiss it?"
"Yeeeah" (in the most pathetic voice ever)
I swoon every time.

Working full-time makes things really busy around our house.
And most times, I struggle to even get dinner on the table.
Our entire house is never clean all at the same time.
And nights with you are never long enough.

Baby, you take every single ounce of my energy.
And sometimes I lose my patience.
But, that smile, and sweet little laugh makes it all worth.
So very worth it.

You are everything to us, sweet Carson.
Big Boy. C. Stinker. Stinky. Stinks.
I promise we don't really think you stink.

Lately List

Hey y'all! Did ya miss me? I didn't think so.

Well, I've missed you guys.
And blogging.
And having five measly minutes to sit and reflect on what's been going on.
Which has been a lot.

My mind is mush and I can't wait to get back into a normal routine!

I could wrap up the past two weeks in about 10 posts, but I'll save you some time and give you a quick list of the first 10 things that come to mind. Apparently, lists are all I know how to do these days.

1. We moved. Yep, we did it. We left our first home. And didn't even really get to say goodbye because our buyers showed up on the doorstep five minutes before they were supposed to take possession. We're ecstatic about the next chapter, but the first home will always hold a special place in my heart.

I did learn at least one thing from this experience. I don't ever want to move again. Ever. Isn't it the worst? I also don't want to look at another box ever again. Crap, I still have about 40 boxes sitting in my living room and basement to unpack. Sigh.

2. We are living in shambles. We can't utilize our kitchen right now. At all. Not the microwave, not the stove/oven, not even the counter top. Heck, we can't even access our kitchen without going through the garage because it's separated off with plastic.

We're eating from paper plates and cutting strawberries in the basement. Weird, eh?

We decided to have the kitchen cabinets transformed from a light oak to a creamy white and it's a process not to be hurried. With that said, boxes are everywhere and our living area is our makeshift kitchen. Oh yes, the refrigerator, coffee pot, toaster, Carson's highchair and pantry food are all currently in our living space. It will all be worth it of course, but I'm ready to toast my bagels in the kitchen.

3. Our shower has a seat/ledge. Seriously. Everyone needs one of these. How have I lived this long without propping my leg up on a ledge to shave my legs? Oh, the little things in life.

4. We've been without cable and Internet for more than two weeks. We canceled ours early at the other house to focus on packing and have just been too darn busy to get it set up at the new house. How on earth does one live without TV? Or let's be serious here, the Real Housewives? I'm missing my Orange County drama! Every night, we stare at each other in confusion not knowing what to do with such quietness. While my booty appreciates the activity, I'm excited for the return of reality TV. Thursday is big the day! Wahoo!

5. I completed my 4th triathlon. The day after moving. Am I crazy or what? It was the hardest it has ever been in all four years. Even harder than eight months post-baby last year. That's what I get for my lack of training and only an hour of sleep the night before. I had new house nerves! Nonetheless, I finished.

6. Jake's tummy has seen better days. We have walnut trees at the new house and Jake likes to eat them. And then get sick. All over our freshly cleaned carpets. Fantastic.

7. My son is gross. I knew having a boy meant gross things, but I was never prepared for this. It's happened twice now. When picking him up, his teachers have notified us that after going No. 2,  he has stuck his hands down his pants in the back and proceeded to wipe it on the front of his shirt. Awesome. I have the gross kid.

8. My best friend gets married in a week and a half. I'm so excited for the soon to be Mrs. Ilten I could scream!

9. Our carpet cleaner guy told me I was pretty. He stopped mid-sentence as we were discussing the carpets to say it and did it in front of our cabinet painter, who happens to be a friend. Said friend didn't find it to be funny. I too, thought it was a bit weird. What do you think, inappropriate or just nice?  

10. I went to the New Kids on the Block/BoyzIIMen/98 degrees concert last week. It was girls night and it was oh oh oh-ohhhhhh, the right stuff. I had a Jordan Barbie as a kid and I was disappointed to see he was no longer rockin' the rat tail. Not gonna lie, the songs I used to sing when I was 10 went through my mind all.last.week. What can I say? I'm a born again fan.

I need a vacation from my vacation.

Happy Friday!

Well, not really because this weekend...we get to pack!
Ugh.

The moving process is no fun.
If I was rich, I'd pay someone to pack all my stuff.
And put it away.
Man, that would be the life.
Keep dreaming and get to work.

Two weeks.
Two weeks and we will be living in a new home.
What a stressful, exciting, anxious experience this has been.
I definitely didn't think we would be leaving our first home this soon.
Crazy. Is this for real?

Our first home.
The home we bought right before saying I do.
The home where we combined our college furniture.
And the home we brought our baby boy home from the hospital to.
Bittersweet.

I'm ecstatic and emotional all at the same time.
Speaking of emotional, it's been a short week for us.
Still felt like a five-day week.

We just returned home from a mini-vacay to Denver.
Sans toddler.
I was a mess before we left. I'm not sure why.
It was the same amount of time away as our vacation in January.
I cried.

Maybe it's because we were state-side and communication wasn't an issue.
Or maybe because Carson is all grown up.
And saying "Mama" like he's five years old.
Sigh.

We all survived though.
Said toddler was beyond spoiled by his aunt, uncle and grandparents.
He welcomed us home by being a complete stinker this entire week.
But also gave us those smiles and moments we missed so much.
My real life.

Our vacation was jam packed.
Per usual when we visit Denver.
Friends, family, friends of friends and family...you name it, we see it.
We even attended a wedding.
And worked in hiking and a Rockies game.
A vacation that wasn't really vacation.

But we mostly ate. And drank.
I feel like I need a cleanse of some sort.
I even snuck in a trip to Ikea.  
Score!

I need a vacation from my vacation.

Happy Friday folks!

TOP | strider bike envy | peace dude | i wouldn't stop whining until my mom let me play with this baby toy

MIDDLE | trip to ikea = a way to piss off with your husband | ornery little wildcat | biking...what's that?

BOTTOM | spoiled rotten | breaking news: carson shares THE hat | play date

A Bachelorette Soiree, Dallas Style.

Almost two months ago (geez...that's embarrassing), my girlfriends and I spent a weekend in Dallas celebrating one of my dearest friend's upcoming nuptials.

We didn't have a whole lot planned outside of relaxing, sipping cocktails, gossiping, laughing and reminiscing our college days.

It was a worthwhile trip for a weekend away from my stinker.

In fact, it was a joint bachelorette party for these two sisterly beauties. Do they look like twins? 

Well they practically are, just four years apart.

Who knew that a large group of almost 30-year old Chi-Omegas could still hang with the best of 'em?
I surprised myself.

We spent an entire day basking in the sun on top of our fabulous hotel. 

What trip with nice weather would make sense without a day like this?

It doesn't get much better than catching up with college buddies I don't get to see very often. 

We always pick up right where we left off.

Saturday night, we started off over zealous. There was photo bombing, mini-bottle shots and inappropriateness via naughty bachelorette games. 

We then ventured to a quaint, fabulous patio restaurant to celebrate this special lady. 

We showered her with lingerie.
There might have been a toy or two.

We ended the night dancing our tushies off amidst swarms of young college girls.
I'd post some photos from our epic club experience, but my friends would divorce me.

I love you girls. My life wouldn't be the same without you.

To my dearest friend Smack, your wedding will be unforgettable.

You will be stunning. 

I can't wait to celebrate you and your new chapter with your prince charming. 

Friday Randomness

Well hello Friday! Boy, am I happy to see you.

The past month has been a bit crazy for us. I'd say I'm busy, because we really are, but every one's busy.

Aren't we all running around like chickens with our heads cut off? Or is that just me? 

As much as I'd love for everything on my list to get accomplished or to have a clean house and a home-cooked healthy meal more than two days a week, it just ain't gonna happen. For awhile at least.

The blog gets shoved to the back burner when everything else kicks into gear. And then I come here and try to write and nothing flows.

The next thing I know, I'm 10 posts behind and Big Boy is two months older than the blog says. Ugh. Definitely a stress I don't need.

So, please excuse my randomness on this wonderful Friday, it's all I got. This could be fun:).


{1} A grasshopper flew in the car window while we were at the farm and attacked me. I screamed like a little girl, and Carson got scared. Momma K and Brian made fun of me, but for real, it attacked me. No lie.

{2} I've read the same book to Carson for the past six nights in a row. He's obsessed and won't let me read any other book. I find myself reciting the book while working, running, driving, you name it. I can't get it out of my head. It's obnoxious. I don't know how many more times I can read "Go, Dog Go!".

{3} We sold our house and have a pending contract on a new house. Well, not new, but new to us. Eeeek! Here in a few weeks, we will be moving! We are SO excited!

{4} Said new house is only about a half mile from where we are now. Shawnee forever!

{5} I can 't tell you how excited I am to no longer make my bed. House showing with a toddler was exhausting, but really, making your bed everyday is the worst.

{6} Brian forgot to pay our taxes. Yes, I'm serious. We He didn't realize it until it came up with our lender. All is good, but seriously men, get your acts together or leave the important stuff to the women  (Love you babe!).

{7} It was nearly 100 degrees in Kansas City on Wednesday and we are expecting 79 on Sunday. Can I get a WOO-HOO (while fist pumping the air like Vicki from RHOOC)!

{8} I've once again gotten myself hooked on watching The Bachelorette. I told myself I wasn't going to, but this season hasn't disappointed one bit. This season is full of hair gel, bad haircuts, dramatic cry babies, high pitched voices and some men who I question if they need to come out of the closet. Good stuff.

{9} Were headed to Denver over the 4th for a wedding and to meet my bestie's baby girl, Harper. Carson isn't coming along and I'm already dreading being away from him. Flood gates have already opened!

{10} I've had two cookies today and it's only 12:32. Dammit. Good thing I haven't been to the pool once this year.

Happy Friday!

TOP | cooler in the wagon full of soda | carson and friends | picnic at the shawnee central park

MIDDLE | got my DSLR ma | wheach= wheat + peach | chick fil a play date with layne

BOTTOM | hk is the big 30 | concentration | night out with our DILFS