A Day in the Life of a SAHM

I am so lucky that I get to stay home with my baby boy. I am so thankful that I do not miss a minute and I have been lucky enough to see every major milestone as it happens. I am thankful to my sweet hubby for working so hard so that I can enjoy this time with my little one. My husband fancies himself a jokester so sometimes he comes home and the dishes aren't done and he jokingly asks me, "What do you DO all day?" I have to repeat - he is joking! : )

So yesterday when he asked me this I decided that I would document my day for him just as my own little "joke"! Today I documented my day from the time I woke up to the time he walked in the door and presented it to him with a big, "THIS is what I do all day" and an even bigger smooch-a-roo! I decided to post it for other people who may be wondering just what stay at home moms do all day.

7 am: Wake up!
7-8: Walker has breakfast and Mommy takes two quizzes online
8-8:08: Pick up food that Walker threw down, Wipe down his highchair and wash highchair tray8:09-8:25: Nurse Walker
8:27-8:32: Diaper Change (Hubs wondered why this diaper change lasted five minutes. Welllllll, Mr. Man has figured out that he can get up and run off during diaper changes.)
8:34-8:52: Went to the dry cleaners to pick up W's bumper pad
8:57-9:02: Put a load of laundry in
9:03-9:13: Mommy has breakfast
9:15-9:22: Nursed W
9:27-9:37: Storytime - Read W's current favorite book which is 123 Sesame Street
9:37: Playtime - we played with cars, balls, and W's music instruments10:21-10:23: Diaper Change (woo hoo! Only 3 minutes!!!)
10:37-11:27: Nursed W
11:27: Walker fell asleep on the couch11:34: Mommy gets a potty break
11:36-11:52: Laundry
11:52-12:00: Clean up toys from playtime12:00: Cook lunch for W
12:06: Paint a frame
12:26: Walker wakes up and eats lunch12:49: Mommy has lunch
1-1:05: Diaper Change
1:05-1:33: Play outside - Rides Four Wheeler, plays with dogs, and chases mommy around the yard1:37-1:44: Counted frames for craft show
1:44-1:53: Took Pictures of items for sale
1:55 Put Items on Facebook
3:00-3:03: Diaper Change
3:05-3:19: Laundry
3:19-3:34: Washed Dishes
3:34 Baked Cookies
4:40 Daddy comes home!

Tackle It Tuesday

I have thoroughly missed my Tackle It Tuesdays. I have become a slacker when it comes to the blog and not that I have a shortage of projects to tackle but my enthusiasm has been lacking lately. I have been so busy working on things for my upcoming craft shows that Tackle It Tuesdays have fallen by the waist side but NOT TODAY! : )

I got an awesome machine for my Valentine's Day present from my sweet Valentine. This machine is for my little business but will be used often for personal use as well. I have been very intimidated of it and scared to get it out of the box. I read some reviews that it was hard to use but I finally decided to get it out and play with it. It was fantastic. It was not hard to figure out. It allows me to do many things but the main thing is that it cuts vinyl. I need practicing figuring out just how to align the vinyl so as not to waste any and get the most cut out that I can but, all in all, it was super fun.

My first project with the vinyl lettering was these blocks. I have an order in for a full set of the letters but I wanted to go ahead and get these done and up since I have so many friends who are expecting. These blocks go perfectly with Walker's nursery. I have posted many other background options on my facebook page.

High Expectations

Disclaimer: I started blogging to document the things that are going on in our lives. The main reason is to document Walker's achievements and milestones and give him something to look back on. Another reason is to give me an outlet to express myself. Lately I feel like I cannot voice my opinions about anything on my blog or on facebook without someone assuming I am talking about them and getting their feelings hurt. The truth of the matter is that these are my personal feelings and I am not going to censor myself. Most of the time the things that I write are not about any one person in particular.

Lately I have felt very alone. I wish that my family lived closer. I miss them like crazy and could really use their support at times. I talk to my mom at least once a day (at least being the key words) and the support she gives me is terrific but it sure would be nice to be able to have her over for dinner regularly or to go to lunch or go shopping or get our nails done. I really just miss my mom and sisters.

I have a great support system in my husband. He is truly my biggest champion and although some people refuse to believe it, he is the first to tell me when I am wrong and he is the first to have my back. I got very lucky that I have someone who stands beside me the way that he does. I have found another great outlet in the playgroup that Walker and I are involved with. It has been such a blessing to be able to go to these activities and meetups and get to know other Moms and children. Walker has become more trusting of people and more social and I have the opportunity to meet new people.

Meeting new people has always been a struggle for me. I am the type of person who doesn't like you before I like you. I dislike that about myself but it doesn't look like it is going to change. However, I feel like once I am your friend, I am the most loyal friend you could have. I feel like I go above and beyond for my friends and try to be there for them in any way I can. To me, friendship is sacred. Lately, I have felt like my expectations of my friends may be too high. It seems like people do not seem to value friendship the way I do. I expect my friends to be honest with me, even if I don't like it. I expect my friends to listen to my opinion, especially when it has been asked. I expect my friends to not talk about me behind my back (it always seems to get back to me). I expect my friends to be kind and considerate. I expect my friends to be real and true friends, not just facebook friends. I feel like facebook gives people a false sense of friendship. True friends communicate with each other, especially in times of trials. Posting something on someone's facebook wall or status is not true communication. Maybe I have too high of expectations for my friends. Maybe I am the problem. I just feel like the golden rule is just as evident in friendship as it is in everyday life. Treat others the way you want to be treated. It's as simple as that.

Sweet Poem

I was feeling a little down tonight when I came across this beautiful poem and it made me realize just how blessed I am to have a healthy and amazing baby boy who is truly the light of my life. Walker has shown me the true meaning of love and for that I will be forever thankful. It is impossible to understand the love a mother has for her child until you become a mother and experience that love first hand. I am so thankful to my husband and my son for allowing me to experience this love.

Small Blessings

Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day
With little time to stop and pray
For life's been anything but calm
Since You called on me to be a mom
Running errands, matching socks
Building dreams with building blocks
Cooking, cleaning, and finding shoes
And other stuff that children lose
Getting lids on bottled bugs
Wiping tears and giving hugs
A stack of last week's mail to read
So where's the quiet time I need?
Yet when I steal a minute, Lord
Just at the sink or ironing board
To ask the blessings of Your grace
I seen then, in my small one's face
That you have blessed me
All the while
And I stop to kiss
That precious smile.

Walker's First Hospital Stay

The past week has been full of emotions. It all started last Tuesday when I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and barely made it to the bathroom. I'll spare you all the details but I will tell you the night ended with my sweet husband cleaning up after me while I took a bath. It was that bad. I was sick all day Wednesday and Thursday but by Thursday, Walker had become sick as well. When Chris went to get him out of bed he was covered in vomit and diarrhea and we had to get him undressed and straight into the bath tub. We figured that we both had a pesky stomach virus and it would work itself out. By Friday Walker was still not better so we called the pediatrician. We ended up going to the pediatrician Friday and she just told us it was a stomach virus and would have to work itself out. By Monday, Walker was still not better. We ended up spending Monday night at the emergency room. We knew something was wrong. Walker was just not himself. We had to wait in the emergency room for three hours and he just sat in our laps the entire time - so unlike him! We FINALLY got to see the doctor and they did a chest xray, tested him for the flu and pneumonia and both were negative. The doctor was very hesitant to send him home because his keytones in his urine were high. He was a bit dehydrated. She checked his blood sugar and with a promise that we would go back to the pediatrician on Tuesday, she allowed us to go home. Tuesday we spent hours at the pediatrician's office. She tested Walker again for the flu, and the test was negative again. She wanted us to stay at the office and force fluids in Walker until we got a wet diaper. Walker drank four ounces of gatorade but threw it all up. That's when we were sent straight to Children's Hospital. Walker was admitted to Children's Hospital and put straight on an IV to get some fluids. He was dehydrated and lethargic. Seeing Walker hooked up to the IV and so weak was very hard but I knew it was for the best. The doctors did some tests that night but we had to wait until the next morning for the Respiratory Specialists to come in to complete more tests. After a very uncomfortable night, morning finally came, and we finally got an answer. Walker had the flu. I couldn't believe it. He had been tested in the ER and at the pediatrician's office and both tests were negative. The doctors told us that the Rapid Flu tests are not as reliable as the tests they do in the hospital. Walker has the Flu type A, which was referred to as the H1N1 or Swine Flu last year. He is still very sick but I have seen glimpses of his normal self today which has made me very happy. I hope he will be 100% back to his normal self very soon.

Pause Button

From the time I was young, I always knew I wanted to be a wife and mother. It has been my dream to be a stay at home mom and I am super blessed that my husband has made that dream a reality for me. I love being able to take my son to playgroups, the park, story time, and more. I love spending quality time with him at home reading, dancing, singing, etc. So WHY am I itching to do other things? I started Impressions by Brittany which is awesome because I love doing it so much. I love to paint and be creative and it has been a great outlet for me. Now I am thinking of opening a children's boutique. I am a fulltime student, stay at home mom and wife, and running an online boutique - when do I possibly think I would fit in a fulltime business?

By the way, I feel the need to tell you that I am a facebook addict. I LOVE facebook. It is the best place to get an instant opinion on an idea. That being said, anytime an idea pops into my head it usually travels to my fingertips and onto facebook. If you see anymore of my ideas on facebook, please just know that I must be bored and the wheels in my head are in full gear. Remind me that in real life, there is no rewind button and these ideas can be solidified and turned into plans down the road.

Sometimes it is important for us to take a pause and really think about how blessed we are. When I really think about how blessed I am, it makes me feel so silly that I was thinking of doing anything else besides being a stay at home mom. The truth is, however, that I am at my best when I am busy. It is when the house is quiet and W is napping that these wheels get to turning.

Impressions by Brittany is going GREAT! I haven't been doing a whole lot lately because I am waiting for my new equipment to come in that will allow me to do vinyl letters instead of handpainted. The signs will all still be handpainted but the letters will be vinyl. This will be such a relief for me and will save me a lot of time. Handpainted lettering is still available at an additional cost. I hope to have pictues of my new pretty signs up very soon. They are painted and just waiting for those letters!

I hope you have great day! Pause for a minute today.

Tackle It Tuesday

I admit it, I have been a blog slacker lately but not for lack of reasons. I have bene so busy lately. Last week, I totally forgot to do my Tackle It Tuesday so this week I planned a huge project - tackling Walker's playroom. The previous owners of our house turned the garage into a room. They used it as their master bedroom because it is a large room but we wanted our bedroom near Walker's so we decided to make that room into a playroom. The idea of a playroom sounded great but the playroom became a storage room as time went on. Our living room has become overcrowded with toys and I decided to clean out the playroom this week and take our living room back! We will keep a few of Walker's favorite toys in the living room but the rest are going to the playroom. I did not take a before picture of the playroom but trust me when I say it was baaaaaad. The picture below shows about half of the playroom. What it doesn't show is a changing table in the corner and two shelves. One of the shelves has books on it and the other shelf has crayons, paper, and craft supplies.There are still a few things out of place and we have to get a TV for this room which we plan on getting in the next few days. But for the most part, it is complete and ready for play!