Summertime means ......

camping, swimming, lakes, friends, BBQs, and more shit to clean up!! I'm so thankful that we're leaving for vacation tomorrow!! It's not a long vacation, but it still means that for 2 nights I can make a mess and there will be someone else to clean it all up!! Yay me!! I love summers!! I always think of all these things I want to do but half the time money or time falls short so this summer I'm going to try to do at least one biggish things with the kiddos a month inbetween working on my tan!! I hope everyone has a fantastic summer ..... I know I will!!

The Dreaded SAHM Question ..... What DO You Do?

The age old question I've been asked for the last few years is simple, yet annoying ...... what do you do with your time as a Stay-at-home mom? When I first became a SAHM I thought this was going to be fabulous!! My house would always be clean, the kids would have the best meals ever, I would become hyper-organized, and I would always have everything done in timely fashion ...... wrong! OK, not just wrong, but WRONG!!

I'll set the record straight and this isn't for every SAHM, this is just me. I did all that the first 6 months. I cleaned every day, I cooked big meals, I knew where almost everything in my house was at all times, and I did it all with a smile (for the first couple of months anyway)! Then reality set in!! Cleaning every day, all day gets old. My kids really just wanted quick meals so they could get back to what they were doing. I was not happy which wasn't good for any of us! I went on a strike. I only did what I had to do. Now on any given day you can stop by and you may hit a good day where everything is clean. However, right now if you come by you won't be so lucky and it's been that way for a couple of months. But times are a changin'!! Before it was crafting stuff everywhere, right now it's big Spring cleaning stuff that's overrunning my house. But I am no longer depressed about it. I no longer apologize profusely for my mess. My house is what it is ...... it's mine! I don't like the mess, but I don't like being judged for it either. I have teenagers ...... my house will never look like a picture in a magazine unless I hog-tie the kids up and give them feeding tubes, catheters, and colostomy bags! It might help if I'd win the lottery too!

I guess the truth is that it's usually no elses business what I do with my time. Some days I nap, some days I read all day, some days I do laundry, some days I worry, some days I even do housework! Although it's probably the exact same housework I might have done the day before! So think real hard the next time you ask a SAHM what it is that she does with ALL her time ....... because she just might answer you!!!!

Hello, my name is Angie and I'm .....

That's such an open-ended statement isn't it? It's one that makes you take a deep, hard look at yourself. Every once in awhile I do believe that we ask ourselves that question looking for an answer to find perspective on what and who we really are. So, here it goes ......

I'm a mother, a daughter, a sister ..... a go-getter, sometimes lazy, a great friend, beautiful, creative, annoying, loving, abuse survivor, perfectionist, and so many other things! It's sometimes hard to look at the good things that we are and do, but I truly think that to be the best person we can be we have to embrace the good with the bad. It took me years to realize that I was pretty. After hearing it from friends or from people I'd just met I finally realized that they may be right! I don't think I'm gorgeous, or spectacular looking, but I do believe that some of my inner beauty transforms and shows through!

So, if you do nothing else today, take a few minutes to really search out WHO you are and what you're capable of and try to embrace it all ...... the good with the bad!

Could Someone Please Invent ......

a contraption that will make the damn bed?? Of all the things I have to do around the house this is one of the things I dislike the most! It ranks right up there with putting away the laundry! I don't mind doing the laundry, but I dispise putting it away!! Several times we've had to dig clean clothes out of baskets to get dressed! If someone would just invent a small robot that would come out and put the laundry away and make the beds I, for one, would be a happy camper!! So, that being said I guess I'll get off my sorry ass and go make the beds and put the laundry away!! =)

Pinterest Could Possibly Be The Devil's Work!

I'm usually all about trying out new things, even if it's just to see what other people are talking about. Friends of mine were talking about Pinterest so I had to check it out! It's a wonderful place to find new ideas ...... especially if you love to cook, are crafty, or just want to save a few bucks!! I've gotten some wonderful ideas from there, but when in the world am I going find the time to make these wonderful things?? Lord help me!! I tend to run myself ragged most of the time then crash and burn for a few days, so finding time to do more things means I have to build up my stamina so that I can just go 100% of the time right?? Wrong!! I would be a hot mess if I never got any "down time"!! My children would hate me and the rest of my family would disown me ..... not to mention my friends!! Half the people on my facebook already think I'm a nut and have way too much time and energy on my hands! Time, maybe, energy, most days, but the truth is that I love trying new things and hate sitting still unless I'm reading! Even then I tend to speed read and still get things done! So, I'm off to pin more things I'd like to do and will probably never find the time for!! =)

I'm In Deep Shit; Deep Shit, Arkansas

So, today I find out that the Granada Theater in Emporia is playing one of my all time favorite movies on February 18th and I'm so excited!! Last year I was blessed enough to get to see Gone With The Wind on the big screen ..... which I must say is a must do if it's at all possible ..... so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Thelma & Louise on the big screen!! One of my best friends and I lovingly call each other Thelma and Louise!! Being the eldest, I, of course, am Louise!! Actually I have several friends that I've had adventures with, but none will ever compare to the few that she and I have been in together!! So, on February 18th her and I will probably don our matching denim jackets, old rocker t-shirts, and funky sunglasses and hit the movies!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

When Minds Race, Bodies Get Tired!!

I do believe I have adult ADHD, which makes my mind race ..... which makes my body tired! I know we've all had those nights when our brains won't shut down, but can you imagine that on a nightly basis? Sometimes I envy my daughter ...... she pops some pills, it shuts her brain down and she sleeps!! I however lay there, sometimes for hours, praying for sleep to come! I think about the laundry I need to do the next day, go over the grocery list over and over, think about the bills, wonder if my kids are happy, and the list goes on and on!! Seems like the only times I crawl into bed and go straight to sleep are when I'm sick or completely exhausted! I've found a few little tricks that seem to work for me and make my brain shutdown faster, but I'm still insanely jealous of those people that can fall asleep anywhere, anytime! So here's to all of you that can crawl into bed and sleep ..... you can go to bed tonight knowing there's one chica out there very, very jealous of you!!! =)