Category Archives: random thoughts

random and staccato (disconnected)

home, mommyhood, random thoughts

Confessions.

10 Comments

unnamed (12)Confession time: This morning, I heard J fussing a little around 6:45. I didn’t really feel like going to get him yet, so I stayed in bed for a few minutes, willing myself to wake up. Well, during that time, he got quiet again, so I just drifted off back to sleep. In the mean time, I heard EK get up around 7:00, but she typically plays by herself with puzzles or her dolls for a few minutes, so I didn’t rush to get up then, either. She shouted for me a little while later, so I got up, and it was 8:00! Oops. I didn’t mean for there to be an hour of extra sleep while she played alone. Good thing she’s a little bit responsible (famous last words – tomorrow morning she will break everything into tiny pieces and then set it on fire). By the way, it’s after 9:00 as I write this, and I haven’t heard from J yet.

I’ll be honest. There are times like this that I like to keep on doing what I’m doing instead of turning back on my “mom mode”. Sometimes, when EK needs to potty, I put her on there, and leave the room, so that I can have 30 seconds by myself (often to pee alone in the other bathroom) before she shouts, “I’M DOOOOOOONE!” (At least she doesn’t shout, “WIPE ME!”) Sometimes, when they’ve been napping, I can hear that they’re awake, but I don’t get them just yet. I take my time finishing what I’m doing, or reading the last couple of pages of the chapter.

Sometimes, when they sit down to eat, I know I have about three minutes before they need anything else, and before anything starts to hit the floor. During those three minutes, I sit in a different room, sometimes with a cup of tea or coffee, and play on my phone. I “like” photos on Instagram. I read y’all’s blog posts and respond to your comments. I stare out the window.

Every once in a while, when there’s a grocery run that needs to be made, a check to drop off at the bank, and someone’s grown out of all their socks, I ask Hubby if I can run the errands while he keeps the kids. And he says, “Sure! Take your laptop too, and sit and have a cup of coffee and write.”

And I swoon, thinking about how wonderful he is to suggest such a lovely afternoon.

Someone… tell me you do the same; tell me you sneak your moments of sanity. Tell me I’m not alone in this!

Featured on April’s Everyday Mom Link-Up! everyday mom link up

random thoughts

One Lovely Blog Award!

5 Comments

I am incredibly excited to announce that I was nominated for the One Lovely Blog award! A huge thank you Autumn at Welcome to my World for nominating me! I am truly blessed to have entered the blog world, made friends, shared my story, and been encouraged and challenge by all these wonderful people. I love doing it, so I’ll just keep it up!

one-lovely-blog

The first of my two tasks upon winning this award is to share seven things about myself. So, since I’m better at talking about my kids than myself, I’ll give it a try…

1. I love 80s music. And clothes. And makeup. Yep. I said it.

2. I love Greek food. We have two wonderful Greek restaurants in my town, both of which I frequent. Also, the Greek Orthodox Church here holds a big Greek festival every May, and I LOVE it.

3. I can’t think of any boy names that I like for this next kiddo. My husband has decided on a name he likes, and I CANNOT reconcile myself to it. So I’m stuck.

4. I haven’t had my hair its natural color in several years. Honestly, if it weren’t for both my kids having it, I wouldn’t remember what it was.

5. I’ve never had pets really (I had a hamster. And also I think once we had a fish.) but I truly dislike cats. There aren’t really any cats I can think of that I like, or that have liked me. I don’t really consider myself to be a “dog person” either (probably because I’ve never had one) but I am DEFINITELY not a cat lover.

6. I’ve been planning a mother-themed tattoo – not a silly, cheesy one, but an artistic and meaningful one – but I can’t seem to stay not pregnant and not nursing long enough to actually get it. Maybe after this baby…

7. I get cabin fever really easily. I am a “go out and do things” type person, the opposite of a homebody. If I haven’t left the house all day, I go mad.

My second task is to nominate 15 blogs for this award! I’m not sure I can come up with 15 (several in my “blog circle” have already won it) but I will certainly try!

1. Kizzy, Izzy and Baby

2. Our Cuckoo’s Nest

3. Way Off Script 

4. I’m Totally Faking It

5. From the North to the South

6. Guns – n – Pemberley

7. So, I Had a Baby

8. Loves Do Vita

9. Mamacravings 

10. Dandelion Pie

11. Snarky Momma with Love

Alright, I came up with 11. That’s close to 15, right? I would’ve given some of my favs a second award, but since they’ve already gotten it, I’ll stick with these. Go check them out, because they are all blogs I love! And thanks again, Autumn, for nominating me!

holidays, random thoughts

Valentine’s Day – Why, Again?

Leave a comment

Is anyone else totally underwhelmed with the marketing ploy that is Valentine’s Day?

I mean, I get where it came from. I’m not arguing that. I’m just arguing what it has become. Why does my husband (or your boyfriend, fiance, etc) have to be pressured to buy item A (chocolates, flowers, ugly teddy bears, etc) and take you to nice restaurant B (local favorite, most expensive, or hole-in-the-wall with privacy) so that you know  his love for you extra on this random day in February? There are already birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions to show me that.

I think holding our men (or ourselves) to that standard is ridiculous. Just my two cents. I think that showing love and affection to our significant others should be an every day thing. Not, everyday like boring or common, but every single day, like kisses and hugs and quality time and acts of service and words of affirmation and even gifts. Gifts don’t have to be extravagant, or expensive. Gifts could be a favorite meal prepared for dinner, or a favorite latte brought to them at work, or a pint of their favorite ice cream gotten during the grocery trip.  Showing love shouldn’t be a “special occasion”. It should be the way you live your lives.

That being said, if you and your love waited too long to get those dinner reservations, or the show you wanted to see is sold out, go some other night. Make it a random Tuesday about showing each other your affection and admiration. Do those things any day and every day. You can make a boring evening, a typical lunch, or a stay-at-home weekend a special one, just by the way you treat someone.

home, mommyhood, pregnancy, random thoughts

Currently… – Back Again!

7 Comments

If you’ve been following me for a while, I used to do a Currently series every Monday and link up with several other blogs. Well, that Currently series kinda tapered off, and I’ve been missing the weekly prompts. So, when I visited From the North to the South and saw her Currently post, I was ecstatic to join Becky at Choose Happy for her Currently link-up! So here’s my rebooted, brand new (again) Currently series kick-off!

currently button

Thinking About || What to name our sweet (healthy!) baby. I feel like we are getting nowhere. We used family names we loved for our first two kids, and now there isn’t a name that I feel super strongly about, and I’m not finding inspiration anywhere else yet.

Reading || Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. It’s semi-historical fiction about architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the woman he had a years-long affair with. It’s actually a great read, despite the cheesy-sounding nature of it, and I’ll be sure to post a review when I’m done! It’s a little slower-going that the Divergent Series (I wonder why? Oh, teen fiction. Got it.) but I’m loving it all the same.

Crafting || Nothing. At. All. Y’all,  my crafting game has been out since Christmas. With this basement reno (they’re drywalling today! WOO!) my space has been more limited, we’ve been hopping around to friends’ houses to do laundry and avoid noise, and also hopping around to pick out cabinets, tile, carpet, etc. I feel like my “crafiting” has morphed into “interior designing” for the time being. And I’m totally okay with that! I’m sure I’ll find a lovely project for the kids’ new rooms that I can blog about.

Watching || The Bachelor! But I’m way behind, so please don’t post any spoilers. The next episode for me to watch is the fourth one… so I haven’t even seen why (apparently) I’m going to dislike Kelsey from now on. Sad times. Anyway, I’ve never watched a season of the Bachelor or Bachelorette, and so this season has been a new thing for me.

Excited About || A gal pal’s recommendation for Piko shirts. I’m pretty sure they’re going to change my life. I’d never heard of them until last night, when my friend Sarah was wearing one, and I knew immediately I needed to live in them for the next… rest of my life. I ordered two last night from Simply Dixie (very cute boutique, by the way!). They were reasonably priced and had tons of colors. I may be ordering… all of them.

Thankful for || A good report for my tiniest baby! A supportive, wonderful Hubby. Two (soon to be three!) healthy, adorable kids. LOTS of sweet friends and family who have loved us well, and let escape to their quiet houses to do laundry.

What are you Currently up to? Join the link up!

pregnancy, random thoughts

6 Old-Fashioned But Classic Names For Girls

Leave a comment

girls names

After perusing some lists and some family trees, I’ve picked out six favorite names for girls that are old, but still beautiful. Some old names can’t seem to work on younger people, but I feel like these do.

Dorothea/Dorothy
This vintage name is due for a comeback. The meaning just makes me think that more; God’s gift is a sweet name for any girl baby, because they are all sweet gifts.

Evelyn
I think this one is a beauty. It’s long, without being too many letters or difficult to spell, and flows nicely when you speak it aloud – which you just did, as soon as I suggested it. Right?

Hazel
I’ve always loved this one. I’ve got a great-aunt (or that’s what we always said she was to me) with this name, and she’s a sweet memory to attach to it for me. I don’t think it’s too old-sounding or quirky to use now.

Vivien/Vivian
I personally like the spelling with an “e”, a la Vivien Leigh (the actress who portrayed Scarlet O’Hara) but I’ve always loved the beautiful sound of this name. I had a student by the name of Vivian, and she went by Vivi (Vih-vee, not Vee-vee). Not to mention, I like this “V” name more than I like Vera or even Veda.

Edith
Hubby’s grandmother’s first name (that she doesn’t go by) is Edith, as well as one of my mom’s friends from childhood. I’ve always had good connotations with the name, and so I love it even more, now that I’ve had the idea that it can be shortened to Edie. WIN.

Phoebe
I know, it takes a few minutes for those of us who grew up on “Friends” to get Lisa Kudrow out of our minds, but I’m digging Phoebe right now as a cute baby girl’s name. I’ve got a cousin who just named her daughter Phoebe, and already, at less than a year old, the little gal looks like a perfect Phoebe.

What vintage or “old lady” names do you wish would come back around? Do you have one yourself?

pregnancy, random thoughts

Six Names for Successful Boys

Leave a comment

boys names

Upon reading list after list of “strong boy names”, I noticed a trend. There were lots of names of American icons (former presidents, founding fathers, actors, inventors and heroes in general) that are considered to be names that would let the boy next door grow into a great man. Here are a few of the ones I thought stood out…

William
Yes, it’s a common name, but it’s considered a strong one, and has been held by many famous Americans, such as William Faulkner (author), William Holden (wonderful actor), William Wordsworth (poet), and including four presidents (William “Bill” Clinton, William Howard Taft, William Henry Harrison, and William McKinley).

Charles
Another common name, with a lot of history to it. Famous Americans include Charles Schulz (Peanuts!), Charles Dickens (author), Charles Lindbergh (aviator), Charles Goodyear (inventor) and Charles Houston (civil rights activist)

Benjamin
A Biblical name, but also a strong, male name. Big Bens include Benjamin Franklin (I refuse to explain him on principle), Benjamin Bratt (actor), Benjamin Harrison (president), and Benjamin Guggenheim (businessman, died on the TITANIC!)

Henry
I like this name a lot, and think it’s a classic. American Henrys: Henry Ford (obivously), Henry Winkler (the Fonz actor), Henry David Thoreau (philosopher and poet), William Henry Harrison (some of these presidents really doubled up), and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (poet)

Christopher
Hubby’s middle name, so it’s obviously important, but it’s also a famous one. Famous Christophers: Christopher Reeve (SUPER actor), Chris Paul (one of the only famous basketball players I would know), Christopher Ferguson (astronaut – I’m a nerd), and can we just count Christopher Columbus as an American?

Thomas
A name meaning “twin” obviously gained popularity. We can start by naming the presidents (Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Woodrow Wilson) and move on to include Thomas Edison (inventor), Tom Hanks (actor), Thomas Wolfe (writer, playwright), and Thomas Eakins (artist, sculptor).

What names would you add to the list for the boy next door/future American icon?

pregnancy, random thoughts

Teachers’ Thoughts: Popular Names of School-Aged Kids

Leave a comment

Remember, like, a few years ago, every other boy was named Jason, and the girls were all named Brittany? -Pain, in Disney’s Hercules

I’m sure this happens in every generation, but it seemed to me that I had tons of kids at my school who all had the same names. Sometimes, that made it easier to remember their names (Oh, you’re one of the Evans!) and sometimes it seemed odd. (Wow, I didn’t realize Ezra was such a common name!)

unnamed (5)

I got some of my teacher friends to weigh in and tell me what they felt like the most common kinds of names at their schools are right now. So here are the results!

For boys:

The suffix -den. Examples are Aiden, Hayden, Brayden, Jaden, etc.

Other names that end in -en, -on, or -in. Examples are Justin, Carson, Cameron, Grayson, Finn, Austin, Jaylen, the list goes on.

Jack/Jackson. Not necessarily a shortening of the other, but related sounds for sure. Alternate spellings like Jax and Jaxson included.

Isaiah and Elijah. Unrelated histories, same Biblical origin.

“Traditional” boys names. Including last names as first names, are still prominent, such as George, William, Christopher, Michael, James, to name a few.

For girls:

M names. Such as Makayla, Mackenzie, Madison and all of their related possibilities.

Ella and Emma. Often used as part of double names as well.

Caroline. Maybe it’s because I live in North Carolina, but I know a ton of Carolines.

Katherine and Kaitlin. And all of the spellings and shortenings that that implies: Kathryn, Caitlin, Kate, Katie, Katelyn, Catherine, etc.

Another thing my teacher friends said is happening is waves of people just making up names. Not necessarily making up words (using punctuation and silent letters – Na’Ja, D’Andre, J’Keir) but combining syllables from two names to make on name (TyShawn, Devonte, Keyshawn), and using words that haven’t often been used as names before (Wisdom, Angel, Rainbow, Happy, Neveah – Heaven spelled backwards). I guess that leaves the floor wide open for creative types!

What are some names you feel like you see used often nowadays? Do you know several little girls named Norah? How about lots of little guys named Hudson?

mommyhood, My Big Jesus, pregnancy, random thoughts

10 Reasons I Want to Throw a Toddler Tantrum

2 Comments

This post also appeared on MyBigJesus.com!

2015/01/img_9255.jpg

Does anyone else wish they could hit the floor, scream at the top of their lungs, and cry it out?

1. I use wrinkle cream around my eyes, and acne-prevention face wash. At the same time.

2. The snack I made was for me, not the tiny pairs of hands that keep stealing it.

3. My coffee doesn’t reheat itself.

4. I want to take a nap, so why don’t my kids?!

5. I am angry that I don’t know the sound a rabbit makes, too.

6. I’m swimming in laundry. Seriously.

7. I just put those puzzles together, for crying out loud.

8. I can’t drink wine while pregnant.

9.  I was using the laptop! And no, I didn’t want to watch Frozen!

10. I want to go to sleep at 9:00pm, but I can’t, because my toddler doesn’t want to.

books, mommyhood, random thoughts

Ponderings on “What Alice Forgot”

1 Comment

Once I finished Where’d You Go, Bernadette? I read the next suggestion from my friend Ginna…

Here’s a short book review of What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty:

what alice forgot

It’s good. Great, actually. It is thought-provoking, to imagine losing the memories from ten years of your life. Alice falls off a spin bike at the gym, and when she wakes up, she thinks she is ten years younger and pregnant with her first child. She doesn’t remember her three children, crumbling marriage, or anything else from the past ten years. The greatest thing about the book is her journey to find herself, combining the woman she is at 40, and the woman she was at 30. There is heartache and pain, but also grace and redemption. I flew through it, just needing to know what the next page said.

Now that you’ve got the synopsis… I’ll tell you this: I’m not quite yet 30, but it made me brutally aware of how much can happen in ten years. Obviously, the last ten years of my life (aka my twenties) were vastly different than my thirties are going to be. My twenties consisted of college, partying, traveling, job searching, falling in love, getting married, and birthing two kids. My thirties will be full of raising toddlers (read: potty training), choosing schools (and running the chauffeur service to get various kids to various places), doing laundry, hosting holiday get-togethers and getting to know my kids in every stage of their lives. I can’t imagine waking up halfway through my thirties, and not remembering anything about it.

But on the other hand, what would I want to be the same? Which things would I want to wake up ten years later and know would be consistent? My marriage. My relationship with my kids (no matter how old they were). My friendships. My place at my church. Those would be my priorities, if I had to choose something to be consistent throughout my life. Just thinking about what I’ll be doing ten years from now makes me want to focus on those things more than ever, so that ten years from now, I’ll know where I stand.

What would you think if you woke up, and didn’t remember the last ten years? Would you have wanted something to change? Would you like where you stand?

mommyhood, random thoughts

A Line-Up of Mock Resolutions

Leave a comment
Growl less. Trumpet more. Figure out what the fox says. Reach higher. Drink milk. Sums it up, right?
Growl less. Trumpet more. Figure out what the fox says. Reach higher. Drink milk. Sums it up, right?

A few days ago, I posted about my New Year’s “Resolution” that wasn’t really a resolution. I tried to go along with the “one word” for 2015 thing that I’ve seen becoming a trend (I think it actually started last year, and I can’t even remember if I got on board – oops). As you might recall (or as you might be hearing for the first time!) I have decided to “Embrace It” this year. Embrace what, you ask? Embrace motherhood. Embrace messes. Embrace hardships. Embrace family and friends. Embrace life and all that that entails. I will make the choice, whenever possible, to not complain about my circumstances. If I choose to be positive, to make lemonade from lemons, and to make good opportunities arise from situations in which I could sink to the floor and give up.

I’m not saying I’ll always make the good choice. If I hold myself to that, I’d be more disappointed than any other resolution I could’ve made. But I’m saying I’ll try. I’ll try for me, for Hubby, for the kids, for my family and my friends. I’ll give it my best shot. So if March comes along and I’ve already forgotten, someone remind me, okay?

Anyway, in light of New Year’s and resolutions and moms (and the combination of all of that) here are some hilarious and impractical resolutions that I could have picked to make instead:

1. Put a stick figure family on my minivan.
2. Get the minivan mentioned in #1.
3. Monogram the back windshield of said minivan.
4. Get over the hangup about the minivan I don’t own.
5. Decide to never get frustrated with my children.
6. Clean more, so that I have a lovely, guest-ready home at all times.
7. Clean less, so that I can spend more quality time with my kids.
8. Get reusable bags for my groceries, and use them. Because I would always remember, right?
9. Practice random acts of kindness… such as not yelling when messes are made or punching Hubby when he snores.
10. Get back into yoga… because it makes me yell less.
11. Clean the leftover sweets out of the house, because I’m upset about how much junk food I ate during the holidays, then go to Starbucks and order a venti sugar bomb.
12. Stop eating fast food, so that I’m a little more stressed about making sure we have enough groceries and time to make three meals every day.
13. Stop spending so much time on my iPhone, because no one wants to see pictures of my kids or talk to me when they call. My relationships can WAIT!
14. Get more sleep at night. Because my kids made that their resolution also, of course.

And one that I really am going to try to do, even though it is a lot, and sort of a funny one:

15. Continue writing down all the hilarious things my kids do and say, because I know at some point during their lives, they’ll like hearing the stories.

What resolutions did you make? Do you have any hilarious ones to add to my list of “fake” resolutions?