Overwhelmed:::sigh:::

Posted by Poki
According to dictionary.com overwhelmed is "to overcome completely in mind or feeling". I think we have all felt this way at some point. Some of us feel this all too often! With work, school, kids, and all those mundane tasks like paying bills, cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping and personal hygiene (LOL! totally kidding!) our daily lives and busy schedules often make us feel overwhelmed.
For those of you that know me, I stay pretty busy and I am constantly asked how I keep up with everything: 4 kids, a husband with a crazy schedule, 3 children are in extra-curricular activities, I'm in school, I work at DPU and as a Realtor®, we try to stay active in church and try very hard to make good, healthy choices for my family while shopping for bargains and still have special moments in between to spend with my family! >8-( Yes, it's a lot, but it's what I know. I don't know what I'll do with myself when our lives slow down!
Personally, I think it's normal to feel overwhelmed, but it's what we do with ourselves when we are feeling this way that matters. I think we need to examine what is causing this feeling at the time and really find solutions to relief. We each have our own personal struggles and what triggers the feeling of being overwhelmed.
For me it's usually organization and planning: I want everything to be neat and organized because I feel this is the best way to be more efficient. I want to know and plan everything in advance and have a plan B in place so I don't have to stress out when something goes wrong. I'm a list maker and really find pleasure in checking things off!
For my husband I'd say he gets overwhelmed with his job (and who wouldn't as a police officer). I cannot imagine what his daily life is like on duty. Right now, as a result of the stress, he has Postherpetic Neuralgia (say that 3 times fast!) from shingles he had over a month ago! Poor guy.
For Tyler, I think he gets overwhelmed with the whole pre-teen school life and drama. He wants to do well in school, in sports and have a good group of friends and right now, everyone is changing. He has not yet hit his growth spurt like others have and he is super worried about his size.
For Savannah, right now, she is struggling with a few things academically and it really overwhelms her. She literally cried for an hour the other day! Broke my heart. She's always done really great in school and to now be challenged, she feels that others may think she is "stupid" and judge her and make fun of her! This is 3rd grade...really!?
Oh Addison, is probably my least overwhelmed of them all, she is so care free. Maybe its because she's only 5 so she just hasn't come in to that phase of life yet. If only we could freeze time and make everyone feel this way again!
And Griffin. My little man is still quite overwhelmed with our schedules. Daddy went to days, then mommy went back to work after having the summer at home and all his siblings went to school and that leaves him alone with mawmaw (who he adores, but still gets lonely I think). After almost 2 months, he still asks me daily not to go to work (which is heart wrenching!).
So...what overwhelms you? Time, work, school, kids, money? I think as long as we try to remember that we don't have to "keep up with the Jones'" we'll be just fine.
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." ~Romans 12:2
Until next time. 
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Football!

Posted by Poki
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!

Okay, so you probably thought I was talking NFL (I do love some Colts football, but this season will not be the same without Peyton)! This time, I'm talking about good ole youth sports. Particularly GMS 7th grader football, because, they happen to have on their roster, one of my all time favorite players, Tyler Edwards :)
The season started out a bit rough, but I really believe it's because we lost some practice time waiting on the hire of a new coach and that we just needed time to really practice on working together. You see, I've been waiting for this year for a while! Tyler has played youth football since he was able to and he has played on multiple teams with different, new team mates and coaches each year. So, I've been waiting for the time when they all got the opportunity to play together, as one team because we have some real talent that has always been split up between youth teams. Now, all of our boys are all on one team and can unite together as one and really embrace each others talents.
Tyler has had some issues with confidence and as I parent I have struggled with how to build his confidence without making him arrogant. It's nearly impossible to force you child to be more confident (trust me, I've tried) and then you just feel helpless. Tyler is a good athlete, he's very humble and a great team player. He does exactly as he is asked and will play just about any position, he just never seems to be confident, which to me, makes it seem like he goes in already defeated. He a past experience with a a coach where his spirit was completely broken and that's when this all began. It's been so frustrating for me.
I've talked with other parents and coaches and everyone said to just give him time and wait for a moment. Not just any moment, but a rare moment that something happens and his spirit and confidence will be regained. I've been patiently waiting, and pray that this season is it.
Last night our team played a tough game and held off their opponents until the ladder half of the 4th quarter. Then the game got really great! Our boys really turned it on and I was super proud of all of them. Tyler had a few great defensive plays and even an interception. Then his best friend ran for a really long touchdown. All in all, all of our boys in purple looked great! The whole vibe on the sidelines had changed and the boys were so excited. I waited after the game for Tyler to tell him how proud I was of him and the rest of the team. When he finally came out of the locker room, his smile said it all and deep down I thought "this is it, this is the moment!" And of course, it made me smile! I hope that this is the case, but if not, I'll gladly take any suggestions on how to build his spirit and confidence!
CONGRATS TO MY #31 AND TO THE REST OF THE GMS 7TH GRADE TIGER CUBS! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! :)

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To blog or not to blog!?

Posted by Poki
Okay, so again it's been awhile. Yes, I admit that I too get so caught up in life that I often forget that I started this blog as a purposeful way to document our lives. Because, once you post, it's there forever! And, often, it feels real when I finally post about something.
I've recently returned to work and deeply and truly miss being home with my children. After such an amazing summer with them, going back was hard. Especially as I was off from school for the ladder part of the summer and they had my undivided attention. Griffin has struggled the most with my return and often reminds me that he doesn't want me to go to work because he misses me too much. For any parent out there that has heard these words, you know how killer it is. Breaks my heart! EVERY TIME! :(
Sadly, we live in a 2-income world. It's almost impossible to raise a family (especially a family of 6) on one income solely (especially when one is a public servant!). Real Estate isn't what it has been in the past and who knows when it will come back. I start my bachelor degree in less than 2weeks and we now have 3 kids in school, sports and activities. Of course, it also doesn't help that I don't feel fulfilled at my full time position either. I'm sure there are others who've encountered this and I wonder how you deal with this? It's something that is constantly nagging at me.
I've always been a thrifty shopper and we do not have any real luxuries that we could cut back on, but I still secretly hope that something will happen and I will be able to come back to being a SAHM. By the time I finish school myself, Griffin will be going in to school and it would be just perfect timing.
I've been a coupon clipper for a while, but have become interest's in extreme savings. I want to know how to save 50% on my grocery bill by couponing, price matching, buying in bulk etc. I want to be wiser with my meal planning and potentially get in to cooking one day a week and freezing all my meals. I want to make my own cleaning products and be super efficient with our energy usage. All the things that could not only save us money, but make our household better for all of us.
I know, a bit boring...but I also just started reading a book called The Digital Mom Handbook. About 2 women who started blogging just for a release from being SAHM's and now have fully sustainable careers AT HOME! Now, I know that the chances of this happening for someone else, as it did for them, are slim to none, (especially with all the blogger, vloggers, etc. out there already), but it got me thinking. I need to really know what my passion is. I found this difficult when returning to school and picking a field. There are so many things that interest me. Of course, I love being a mom and doing anything and everything for my 4 children that I've been blessed with. I love fashion, makeup and hair, I love to read, love to write (I truly feel like I could write about anything if you just gave me a topic), I love to cook and bake, I love to be a bit crafty, I love to find great deals, and try the next BIG thing, I love organization (yeah, totally TYPE A here) and neat ways to decorate. I love running, working out and trying to be the healthiest version of me I can be. I would love to know more about photography. I love real estate and helping people live the American Dream of home ownership (I hope one day to make some great investments to help supplement our income)! I love Christ and love sharing His word and learning about Him. I love to listen and help people with their troubles and people often seek out my ear (which I love). I feel at the age of 32, I've had so many experiences that I almost feel really old.
So, in writing all this, it's still not clear to me, what my one true passion is. How do I take this list and narrow it down to just one thing?! So, that's my thoughts for now.
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