All posts by Only Hsuman

I'm wife to a fabulous husband Ryan, mom of three sweeties, Ella Kate, Joseph and Davis, worship leader at Reynolda Church, and follower of Jesus. Shine on.
home, mommyhood, random thoughts

The 5 Stages of Grief When My Alarm Goes Off

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This post also appeared on My Big Jesus!


Getting up in the morning is hard. I’m not a morning person until I’ve had a little caffeine injected into my system, and so when my alarm goes off, I’m a snoozer. Like, not once, or even twice. I usually snooze about 5 times, and even then, on occasion I accidentally turn it off and I’m terribly late. And as I (annoy the mess out of my husband as I) snooze, my mind is slowly going through the five stages of grief, because when my alarm goes off, getting out of bed feels like a tragedy. Here’s my thought process as my alarm goes off again and again.

  1. Denial. No way. It can’t be time already. Wasn’t I just brushing my teeth and getting in bed? Wait, wasn’t I up with the baby some time during the night? I haven’t slept at all. I don’t really have to get up. I’ve got my days confused. It’s Saturday, right? No one really needs me to do anything today. Maybe Hubby will get up. I’m not getting up. It’s not necessary to get out of bed. 
  2. Anger. Ugh, I HATE the sound of my alarm! I should not have to get up right now. If somebody else could just get up and do what needs to be done instead of me, that’d be great. I always do everything myself, and DANGIT! I deserve to stay in the bed! Mornings are stupid. Everyone should sleep later. School shouldn’t start so early. Jobs shouldn’t start so early, either! And children should sleep later! Ugh! I HATE MORNINGS.
  3. Bargaining. Hey, pst, Hubby. Could you get up and get the kids ready for school? Oh, you worked late last night? Oh yeah. Well, I’ll let you nap today if you let me sleep in a little longer. Please? I just need a few more minutes. If you feed them breakfast and get them ready for school, you can go back to bed while I take them. Just let me sleep a little longer. Please? Sweetie? I should probably just call in sick; my kids will understand. 
  4. Depression. I just can’t make myself get up. There’s no real reason. I just wish I had gone to bed earlier, and then maybe I could get up. I want to be productive, but I just can’t. My alarm sounds so sad, like it doesn’t want to wake me. It makes me cry. Every time I think about getting out of bed, I just get too sad. I’m calling in sick. It’s not like anyone else in my house wants to get up, either. 
  5. Acceptance. Okay. (Heave an annoying loud sigh.) Fine. I’m getting up.

The morning struggle is real. It’s not just all in my mind, right?

holidays, mommyhood, women

8 Things That Are Better Than Hallmark for Mothers’ Day

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We all feel like the pressure is on to give the moms in our lives a spectacular day, filled with presents, good food, and thoughtful words. However, I’ve discovered that this list might make that mom in your life even happier. 
1. Wine. If we go out together and drink it, or if you put a bow on it, I’m happy. 

2. Chocolate. I know this is a gift many moms might receive, but let’s add this stipulation: I don’t have to share it. 

3. Mani/Pedi. I’m always looking for a nice way to spend a couple of hours without my kids. Luckily, this way includes sitting in a massage chair. 

4. A babysitter. Must come with a “use whenever and however you want” clause. 

5. A housekeeping coupon. The next time I don’t want to clean the bathrooms, I’m cashing in. 

6. Gift card for my favorite take out. Because that’s easier and more delicious than grocery stores and cooking on my own. 

7. An adult coloring book. And a set a fine-tip Sharpies. And a few hours alone. It’s amazing how stress-relieving mandalas and kaleidoscopes can be, especially if coupled with #1 or #2. 

And my personal favorite choice:

8. A family fun event… That I don’t have to plan or do the prep for. I love family time and fun outings. But sometimes I run out of ideas of things we can do with the kids, and I burn out on getting everything ready/packed up. If a day of fun was planned out for me, and the kids were already packed? I’d do anything. 

What would you rather have this Mothers’ Day than a cheesy, $5 greeting card?

books, home, mommyhood, random thoughts, travel

Currently

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Hey there! It’s time for a little update about my life currently. I always link up with Becky at Choose Happy, and the first week of every month, I also link up with Jenna at Gold and Bloom, and Anne in Residence! Join us and let us know what’s happening with you currently!

And just because it is now May, here’s one of my all-time favorite memes: 

Celebrating || the start of summer! I know- it isn’t quite here yet. But the weather is warm, school is close to ending, and the pool is opening at the end of the month. I’ll take it!

Reading || I’m just finishing up a devotional book called Deep Cries Out. It’s by a favorite writer of mine, Kristen LaValley, whose blog I stumbled upon in the early stages of creating my own. The devotionals are short, accompanied by a verse or two of Scripture, but designed to be deep and eye-opening. It’s been a great little book, and I highly recommend it! Here’s the link to get it on Amazon: Deep Cries Out

Pondering || how to be creative at home with the kids this summer. The big kids are signed up for two weeks of camp, and we have a pool membership (YAY!) but I don’t want them to be bored. I want to spend lots of time at the children’s museum, and visit the one in the Greensboro (apparently the memberships give discounts to the other one? Does anyone know if that’s true?). I want to visit the parks/playgrounds in town we’ve not been to yet, and I really, really want to spend some time in the mountains (Tweetsie is a-calling) since they’re so close, and we have so many friends and family nearby. But even with all of that, we will have time at home, time when it’s raining, and time it’s just too hot to do much outside. I want to have crafts or activities ready. Any ideas for me?!

Sipping || POG juice! While we were in Disney, the Polynesian breakfast has a special drink made of pineapple juice, orange juice, and guava juice. Around here, the guava nectar I’ve found has high fructose corn syrup in it (yikes) so I’m on the hunt for syrup-free guava. The kids loved it, and I like the tropical feel! Bonus: it makes an incredible mimosa!

J REALLY enjoyed the juice.

Going || to Texas at the end of the month for a wedding! I know, this sounds familiar. Weren’t we just in Texas for a wedding? We WERE but we’re going again! This time for some dear family friends, and in Dallas (you know, instead of Fort Worth). We will likely have some fun stories and pictures when we get back!
What’s going on in your life currently?

home, mommyhood, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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Happy Tuesday, everybody! It’s been warm and lovely here in NC – you know, when it isn’t raining – and we’ve been enjoying outdoor time as much as we can! We’ve had a nice time with family and friends, and we are gearing up for a great last couple of weeks of school. Here are a few funnies from this week!!

So I do this thing when we are all getting ready to leave where I put the kids in the car, crank it up, and then get my last few things together while they’re already tied down. The other morning, this happened:
EK, as in strapping her in: Wait! I forgot my juice!
Me: I’ll get it while I’m inside.
(I go back in the house to grab my stuff, and EK proceeds to scream her head off, yelling “Mommy!” about 20 times at the top of her lungs. When I got back…)
Me: Why in the world were you screaming?!
EK: I forgot my juice!
Me: You already told me, and I told you I’d get it. The neighbors don’t want to hear your screaming about something you already told me.
EK: Sorry I was screaming. Our strawberries would be scared. Our neighbors don’t want to hear that.

Me, creeping up on J: Boo!
J: Mom! Don’t scare me! You’re like a cricket!
Bugs clearly scare him.

Here’s a gem form my friend Ginna…
E: Mom! Shh. Listen!
(Toot.)
G: Did you just toot?
E: Yeah! (Giggle) Wasn’t it beautiful?

Hubby: I love you.
J, huffing and puffing like a teenager: I love YOU. I just TOLD you.

Hubby and I were talking about the location of our modem…
EK: Where’s the motor shelf?

Randomly, EK: I was a blue dog when I was a dog.

EK: What road is this? (Yes, we’re still doing that.)
Me: Archer.
EK: Oh! Like my friend and cousin Archer?

EK: Oh badda. (Instead of “of bother”.) That’s what Winnie the Pooh says when he has a problem!

After Hubby shaved his head…
EK: My daddy’s hair is so little!

I caught this the other night…

He was jabbering away on the “phone” while driving his trike around the basement. You know. Just regular stuff. He also has been using the garlic press as a phone… since that makes sense.

EK got out of bed last night saying she needed pancakes for breakfast. This isn’t unusual, but this time it was specifically asking for Daddy and Mommy to make special banana pancakes. At 9:37pm. IF YOU GET UP AGAIN THERE WILL BE NO PANCAKES. 

Well, that’s it for this week! What are your kiddos talking about?

faith, mommyhood, My Big Jesus, random thoughts, women

Freedom from My Mommy Guilt

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This post also appeared on My Big Jesus! 

Everyone tells you that the third baby is easy. He will be flexible! He will sleep anywhere! He will be calm! He will go with the flow! With my youngest, that’s often true. The sweet little guy loves his siblings, and he never woke up every two hours like newborns often do. He was an easy delivery, and slept through the raucous noises of two toddler siblings from early on.

He is also a mama’s boy. I don’t mean a “sissy”; that’s not a way we have used or will ever use that term in our house. What I mean is that he prefers me above basically any other human. He needs me every few moments. He is happier when he’s close to me. This could be the result of several things. I wear him a lot, mostly because it’s easier and sometimes necessary for survival. He’s also the only baby that I never “went back to work” after. I started my part time jobs back, of course, but he hasn’t experienced me working away from him full time. I’m home with him usually, and we’ve built our life and schedule around me not being away from him more than a few hours. I’ve taken a weekend away from him, and while he was totally fine, he missed me pretty terribly.

Every time we have a day that I don’t see him much (which with our schedule is about once a week), we are bonkers for a few days. It throws off our entire schedule for way longer than just the day I’m gone. He’s extra clingy, sometimes wakes up in the night (when he’s past that stage) and follows me around the house. It’s cute, of course, until I need to get things done and I can’t put him down. And then the Mommy Guilt sets in.

Maybe I shouldn’t stay away from him that long. I should just not take that job. I shouldn’t go on that trip. What if I’m causing him stress? What if he ends up with scarring from my abandonment?!

Hold it right there. What am I doing?! Im not abandoning him! But that’s where the spiraling mommy guilt just led me to think. I’m just placing undue blame on myself. I’m getting worked up, worrying myself to death, and taking responsibility for things that I can’t control. I do my best, but extenuating circumstances are always a possibility. I can’t help when my big kids will need me more in that moment, or when his nap was too short for me to accomplish everything while he was asleep, or when I’m exhausted or sick or stressed. He knows that I love him. No matter the crazy days or time spent away from him,Che is well taken care of, and I’ve made it abundantly clear to him that he is my baby and I’d do anything for him, just like his brother and sister. 

All you do when you give yourself all that blame is distance yourself from the person you can be, the person you already are. Guilt doesn’t become us; there is no need for it. It wastes time and energy, both of which I could be spending on and with my family. My guilt has been ultimately taken care of, and my debts have been paid- even the ones I have yet to owe. Jesus came to release me from guilt and shame, and free me to be exactly who I’m created to be, no strings attached. It is His sacrifice and love that has allowed me to be a woman, wife, mother, friend and follow Him daily. He continues to free me from sin, and free me from myself when I just can’t get out of my own head.  This doesn’t mean I won’t continue to make mistakes, or feel a little guilty sometimes. But with the strength of my Jesus, His guidance and His love, I can get on past that mommy guilt and move on to being the best mommy I can, no matter the circumstances.

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Your Best Friend Is Pregnant! Now What?!

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So. Your best friend just shared the news: “I’m pregnant!” What do you do? You congratulate her, ask her how she’s feeling, and maybe even offer to help with a baby shower. But then what? How do you encourage your bestie as she journeys through the months ahead, awaiting her bundle of joy? If you’re a mom yourself, you might have some ideas already. But if you aren’t, or you don’t, I’ll tell you what I did when my own bestie told me her news. 

I put together a gift basket! I’ll be totally honest and say that it wasn’t my own original idea. She had done the very same thing for me almost five years ago when I shared my news with her! She started with some belly butter (for stretch mark prevention), ginger tea/candy (for nausea), a gender neutral soft blanket, a hospital toiletry kit (seems early but it’s SO helpful!), a book of pregnancy advice/humor/devotions, and healthy snacks (there’s a lot of snacking). All of these are GREAT things to put in a “Hooray, you’re pregnant!” basket. If you’re an experienced mama, you can add a couple of your trusty favorites for the baby: gender neutral onesies and swaddles, bibs, soaps/lotions you used with yours, or other inexpensive but useful items. Put in it a little basket with some tissue paper and a bow, and voila! You’ve blessed your friend with some helpful and fun gifts!

Here is the gift basket I put together for my friend:


I tried to include a thing or two for her (belly butter, Larabars) and a few things for the baby. 
She said she was thinking grey for the nursery, whichever gender, so I chose grey baskets and grey hangers – these no-slip ones are fabulous!

The O-Ball! A favorite of all three of my kids, it’s easy to grab for newbies, light, and has a slight (but not annoying) rattle. I also use those split rings that babies love to attach it to the stroller, highchair, or carrier so when the baby lets go, it doesn’t hit the ground.  
A snuggly bath towel is a must. This brand happened to be on sale and soft, so I grabbed a green one – gender neutral!

Belly butter is a must for mamas-to-be, for itch soothing and stretch mark prevention.  
Swaddles are the single most used item in my house, for all three of my kids. They sleep with them (thankfully any one of them) and I have used them as nursing covers, burp cloths, blankets and swaddles. Naturally they’re my favorite gift, especially since they come in a thousand designs now! Aden + Anais is my favorite brand, mostly because they hold their shape better than most others, and they are slightly bigger (for actual swaddling purposes).

Halo sleep sacks are another brand favorite of mine. They are cute and practical. My last has now outgrown most of ours, but I love them to keep them cozy (on top of a long-sleeved onesie) without covering them in a blanket they’ll squirm out of.
Books. That’s the one thing I never deny myself or my children. Hubby might say we have too many, but I say, “NEVER!” These are two household favorites. I Love You Forever makes me cry every time. The Going to Bed Book can be recited completely by any member of our household that has a good hold on the English language (Hubby, EK and me). I’m a big Sandra Boynton fan in a general sense, but this masterful rhyming and adorable bedtime routine is our favorite.

A cheap but adorable bath toy. He was a nice basket topper!  
Babyganics is a brand that I love, across the board. They are new to diapers (aka I haven’t tried them yet) but I love their soaps, hand sanitizers, sunscreens and detergent. AND I am completely addicted to their “face, hand and baby wipes”. I literally use them as such. And luckily Babies R Us has sales on their brand regularly.

Larabars are a favorite snack of mine, being totally clean, gluten and dairy free, and very healthy for you. They’re also smaller than protein bars, and not intended to be a meal replacement. I love snacking on them, and my kids do, too!  
All in all, I think it was a very cute and useful basket!

Do you have something that you normally do for friends when they announce they’re pregnant? What would you add to my basket?

mommyhood, teaching, travel

Currently

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Hey there, and welcome to my weekly Currently post! I link up each week with Becky at Choose Happy. And I’m sure by now you’ve seen my posts, but we have currently been….

Traveling || to DisneyWorld and back! We spent two days in Disney and loved every minute! We flew early Tuesday morning last week, and flew back late Wednesday night. So obviously everyone was exhausted but they loved just being there. It was a first time for J and EK, so they were overwhelmed but excited. My mom was sweet enough to keep D at home so we could have a little less to do 🙂 

I’ll write a more detailed post on the trip soon. AND I’m getting a few of those really lovely pictures their photographers take while you’re there, and I’ll upload those as well – since mine are all blurry!

Teaching || music at my kids’ preschool! It’s just four short classes a week, but it’s been fun to be back in the classroom a little bit. I’m doing toddlers and twos, so it’s pretty much a show, and/or a dance party! I get to teach J’s class, which is fun for me. 

Enjoying || the weather and our garden! We have two more truckloads of dirt to get for the last bed, but we’ve got three full beds and we’ve already been eating our romaine! I’m glad we planted some things early.


Well that’s all for now. What are you up to currently?

mommyhood, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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Hey, Tuesday friends! We’ve had a crazy couple of weeks here, full of EK’s birthday celebrations, and a whirlwind trip to DisneyWorld, so I’ve been a little scattered and not writing things down as well as I normally do. BUT I do have some gems today, and here they are!

EK, coming upstairs when she should be taking a nap: I got a ‘prise for you!

The playground spoils were too good to wait till after her nap. She took them from her pocket (where they had been for several hours) and asked me to put them all in a bag together so we wouldn’t lose them.

Learning new words:
EK: I didn’t even notice my panties were stuck in my butt!
Me: That’s called a wedgie.

Parenting fail…
Necie takes a drink from a bottle of San Pellegrino.
J: Is that beer?
Necie: …No….? It’s water.

Heard from my bed in the morning…
J: Hellooooooo? Where aaaaaaaare you? Helloooooooo?! Anybody there?! HELLOOOOOOOO!
EK: Joe?
J: El’ Kate! (Runs back downstairs to start the day alongside his sister.)

Gross stuff…
EK: Mom, want to feel the crunchy on my swaddle?
Me: Ugh, no. That’s where you put it in your mouth. Ew.

When Hubby woke him from his nap…
J: I want Mama Necie.
(I’m not sure if he wanted me and Necie, or if he just came up with a new name for Necie.)

Necie: What did you do in DisneyWorld?
EK: I saw 39 princesses!

After riding the Seven Dwarves Mine Train (small roller coaster)….
Me: Did you like it?!
EK, eyes wide: No.  It was fast.

EK, as soon as Necie walks in our house: I want to ride in your car and go to your apartment!

J, randomly: One time I choked.

Playing with colored pencils…
J: Is this green?
(My mom and I are talking and don’t answer immediately.)
J: Somebody! Is this green?
Me: Yes. You knew that!
(J then starts asking whatever every single pencil, preceded by the word “somebody”.)

J: Look at my giraffe!

EK: Mom, our tattoos just hopped off our arms! (Fake ones, obviously, and after MANY washes.)

EK: Maybe one day we can go to NewYork, like Taylor Swift.

EK: Daddy, that was the goodest dinner I never had!

EK: Don’t leave me by myself or I would be only! (Obviously meaning lonely.)

EK: I just squeezed one out on to the table!
(She was eating edamame at a Thai restaurant, and squeezed the bean from the shell.)

And for his fiirst appearance… he’s not a toddler, but….

I’m pretty sure he’s saying: Give me more Thai food!

holidays, mommyhood, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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Short intro today, folks, because we are in DisneyWorld! So happy Tuesday and we will catch you up later! 

EK’s birthday prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for my birthday. And I love you. And thank you for my presents. I’m sooooo glad it’s my birthday. Love you, Jesus. Amen.

EK got this awesome art set from my MIL:

 When she looked at the pencil sharpener, she said, “Oh, that’s what tells you what time it is.”

EK: Could you get the crumb out of my nose? Verrrrrry carefully.
A booger. It was a booger.

EK: Hey mom! You know what kind of monster I saw that was a person?! It was a BEAR!
Me: …

EK, looking at Sully from Monsters, Inc: Mom! It’s my daddy!
He went as Sully for Halloween one year that EK shouldn’t even remember.

EK: When I’m grown up, I will be just like you! I’ll wear special chappicks (Chapstick) and have wiiiiiinnnnnne.

EK refuses to call Arlo (the main dinosaur in The Good Dinosaur) anything but “she”. I’m pretty sure it’s a boy but she just refers to Arlo as a girl when she talks about it.

In the car on the way to the airport…
J: Where’s my Davis?
Me: Oh, look at the sunrise! Do you see how the sky is pink?
EK: Pink is my favorite color!
EK: Look! It’s the airplaneport!
EK took this from the plane:

We will have a talented photographer on our hands. Anyway, see ya when we are home!

holidays, mommyhood, random thoughts, travel

Currently 

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Happy Monday, and I’m finally back for Currently! I’ve been so busy and scattered (and I still am!) that I’ve dropped off for a little while. But I’m glad to join the link up again and share what’s happening with my family currently! IMG_0614

Celebrating || EK’s 4th birthday! We had some family and a few friends over, ate pizza and cake, and played outside. It certainly was a lovely evening, and I can’t believe my big girl is FOUR! 

    
   

Working || at the High Point Furniture Market! It’s my third market, and I’m with the same furniture company (Artistica) out of California. They are INCREDIBLY beautiful and exactly my style. This year, I worked four days, and missed my babies SO MUCH. It’s unusual for me to be away from them for 11 hours a day.   

Traveling || to Disney! We have a whirlwind trip tomorrow and Wednesday, flying to Orlando, spending two whole days in the Magic Kingdom, and back again after bedtime on Wednesday! It’s a lot and it’s fast, but it’ll be awesome! Prepare for the flood of Disney cuteness when we get back!

Since I’m packing and preparing, this is all for now. Have a great week, everyone!