Simplicity, chaos, but so much love!

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!

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.

As you all know, we are really, super busy and run ourselves ragged most of the time. With our opposite schedules and busy-ness, we rarely have time to just relax and enjoy our family. We were so excited to finally take our first, real family vacation last month. We had a connection to rent a home in Cape Coral, Florida and were able to go down for a week and a half and just relax, enjoy our family and rejuvenate.  We were even blessed that my wonderful parents were able to come along with us. It was not full of running 24/7, but more relaxing by the pool or on the beach. :) Although, I did have to do homework while there, because it was my last 2 weeks of school before finishing my Associates Degree (which I did graduate, and with a 3.94! Very excited to start the Bachelor program this fall!).
Anyway, it was nice to be in a house while there because it was like our home, away from home. We hardly ate out and we had a pool there and were able to do laundry! Yes, we packed half as much because we had this feature and that what wonderful. Not to mention, we didn't come home with a bunch of dirty laundry either!
We spent some time in Ft. Myers and had an amazing day at Sanibel Island. The weather was absolutely perfect!
Yes, this is a picture I took of one of the many sunset we watched while walking the beach at night shelling! The kids all became quite the water bugs and Savannah even learned to swim better above water thanks to her pawpaw! Though, by day 3 she had a bad outer ear infection that sent us to the Urgent Care for meds, and it but a damper on things as she couldn't swim for 2 whole days and then had to use both ear plugs and a swim cap, she still enjoyed her time there!
We did go out to an aquarium one day and saw alot of neat creatures there. We mini golfed on the hottest day we were there (then when home for a nice, cool swim!). We had the best ice cream in waffle cones one night while strolling the boardwalk and beach. We really enjoyed ourselves and were blessed with a fabulous trip. Even the 20 hour drive there and back wasn't too bad! The nature lover in Adam, had a blast shelling and finding all of the live sea creatures on the beaches.



Cannot wait to go back. Cannot wait to go with the WHOLE family! Though, we'd def need a bigger place.

Oh, and once we returned, Adam went to dayshift for the first time in 12 years which has been another answered prayer. It's making a huge difference in our lives.

That's our story for vacation this year. Hope you all have wonderful times as well. I hope to get to go back to Mexico next year! Happy summer everyone, take time to enjoy the little things!

We've all heard a thousand cliche's. We've all said some at one time or another. We've all been given unsolicited advice including them at some point in our lives, so today, I list some of my all time favorite cliche's, quotes, verses or sayings.

• Can't never DID anything!
• The grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side! (I just saw on a friends Facebook this "If you think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence... Fertilize your own yard, because the poop stinks over there too, you just haven't smelled it yet"! LOL!)
• Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me! (Untrue, words do hurt!)
• The Golden Rule "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise"~Luke 6:31
• A HALF truth is a WHOLE lie.
• Don't put off until tomorrow what you can get done today.
• A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link! (I've had many coaches use this one!)
• People in glass houses should not throw stones (We all have faults.)
• Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black.
• Whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger!
• If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!
• This too shall pass!
• Life is not about waiting on the storm to pass, but about learning to dance in the rain! (I'm part Indian, so I not only dance in the rain, but dance FOR the rain! ...totally kidding!!!)
• "Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye"~Luke 6:42
• Pain is weakness leaving the body.
• Friendships may come and go, but family remains.
• To everything there is a season. (While sometimes all the leaves are brown and all the skies are grey...soon, the sun will be shining!)
• My all time favorite is from my very wise grandmother who always said "believe half of what you see and none of what you hear!"

Then we had straw cowboy hats for all the kids attending. We had favors bags that included, sheriff's badges, bandanas, root beer candies, western pencils that said "Happy 3rd Birthday Griffin", toy horses, tops, yo-yo's that were all western themed. Then we also had real horseshoes as balloon weights and each kid got one of those too. We had straw bales outside and then played corn hole, needle in a hay stack and a stick horse relay for prizes.
All in all, I think it was a good time. The weather ended up beautifully and I'm glad everyone was able to come celebrate our little man's birthday! He was exhausted (and I have to add, so was I!)
Can't wait for the next party to plan....I have something in mind...but it's a bit of a secret! Oh, I realized it's my dad's 50th in November and of course, you can expect a bash! He won't be reading this so I know it's safe to post!
Oh, Tyler's birthday is in June and he want's a Hawaiin Luau! Can't wait...think a roasted pig is in the works!
On a side note, I'm running in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this Saturday in Indianapolis and am still looking for sponsors to help raise money for breast cancer research. It's super easy and again, anything you can give will help. You can donate online with just a few clicks and as this is a non-profit it's tax deductible. http://rfci.convio.net/site/TRC/Race/General?pg=peditor&fr_id=1090&px=1885660

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Okay, all (not that there are many of you following this) but, after talking about blogging today, I realized it'd been a good long while since I last blogged, so here I sit. After a month of leaving no updates for you, I decided.......it may be time for a new post! So, ready...set...blog!
We have not had a whole lot happen since my last moment of blab, but we are still, and always, super busy. Tyler has decided to run track. So, he's a sprinter (like his momma) and a long jumper (must get that from his dad!) He loves it, but still doesn't really have confidence. Still not sure how to restore that in an 11 year old after it's lost, so if you have any insights, please share. His first meet is thursday and I am both excited and nervous for him. Baseball season officially kicks off this week! So we will have nightly track practice or meets, plus 2 weeknight baseball practices, followed by Wednesday games (this is just Tyler's sporting events!)
Then Savannah decided to play fastpitch this year. After considering how last year went in softball and talking to several parents and coaches, she has her first fastpitch practice tomorrow. Not sure how many practices or when games are, but she has a great coach and I think she will be just fine. Oh, and she will move up to Red Squad at On the Flip Side next month after her last performance as a Mini at the Relay for Life. One of her best friends moved away last weekend and she was devastated. Even though she has other friends, it's hard to tell an 8 year old that it will be okay when a bestie moves away. She has shed so many tears. :(
Addison will continue on the Mini cheer squad and has shown so much improvement in the last 6 months. We only have a few more months until my baby girl will be in kindergarten! So hard to believe. She is so smart, yet so stubborn (yet another quality instilled from daddy :)...lol).
Griffin, my oh my, where do I start! My baby will be 3 years old in 6 days. I'm just in denial. He's a very determined little boy, and yes, I will own up to that trait. He surprised me with potty training much earlier, and much easier than his big brother and now, yes, this may be TMI, it kills me that he insists on standing up while peeing. It is just a milestone that makes him seem so much older and bigger. But, we are super excited to celebrate his birthday on Sunday. I am attempted something new with the cake and I hope it works out well! If not, I won't tell you b/c I never admit failure! LOL!
I have 2 months left for my ASB and then start in to my Bachelor Degree, though I'm still debating which area. But, we have just confirmed family vacation plans and we are so ready to go right now. Even more excited that my parents, who are so deserving of a nice vacation, are going with us.
Adam's new schedule makes his job even more trying than it was, but we still hold hope for a change in the future. There is potential, so with patience and prayer...you know the saying "good things come to those who wait"...well, let's just say we are still waiting.
I'm running in my second race next weekend. The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and I hope to raise some money for research funding for breast cancer. I have a friend right now suffering from this awful disease and I have to admit, I wonder often why such bad things happen to such good people. Especially when really great things happen to some that are less deserving. I would love to say that I don't question God on this matter, but I would be lying. But I question God because I know that He is all knowing and that one day, He will answer me. It may not me now, but one day He will. So, I ask and wait for Him to answer.
Okay, that's my babble for now. Hope this finds you all doing well and that I maybe made you smile for a brief moment or even provoked a good thought.