What to do now

Can we take a moment and just think about all that has happened in the last month? Pray for those that need God's healing hand. Pray for all lives lost, for your life, for mine, for everyone? Because everyone is affected, even if you think you aren't.

I know today that every one is stepping on their soap box to talk about the recent shootings of the Dallas Police Officers, to ask for more gun control, to shout about the injustice that more gun control will bring, to preach that we should all love each other, to shout that Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter,  well I wanted to join them. Not to preach my views or anything but to simply ask what am I supposed to do now. 

I realize I have two young minds to mold. I have two little humans that I have to teach about the world , about people, about manners, about what is right and what is wrong, about God, about (insert whatever is important). But how do I teach them about evil. How am I to explain to these innocent minds that there are people in this world that want to cause pain, that want to destroy families, that are simply there to hurt them/me/you/us/everyone. 

As a parent I want to protect them. I want them to live in a world of rainbows and butterflies, but I know this is not plausible. I know I can't keep them in a bubble, but wouldn't it be so much easier if I did? I could protect them from evil and pain, but then they would be completely unprepared for the world. 

The best that I can do is find some sort of middle ground. I want to keep the rainbows and butterflies but show them there are also snakes and roaches (crap did I just offend snakes and roaches?) That the world is an imperfect place and sometimes evil things will happen but that God is always right there with them. I want my children to be armed with the knowledge that sometimes bad shit stuff will happen but that doesn't mean that they can't find the good in the world. I want them to be able to protect themselves and fight for those who can't. I want them to love and trust but know that there are still people out there that will try and deceive them. 

This is what I can do, and hopefully it will work. 

Things they don't tell you about being a grown up

Hello dear blog of mine.
It has been awhile. I know I know I have neglected you but I promise to try and keep you updated from now on.

So I must give a slight rant about a few things I wish I knew about being a grownup before it happened or maybe if someone could have given me this list the day I became one. Which I am not entirely sure was the day I turned 18 it possibly was years after. You know what I am not sure I am fully a grown up . Granted I do have a child, a degree, and I'm married but I still feel like I'm 16.

1. You know how when you are a kid and "Grown ups" always tell you, " You have to go to college, you wont get a good job without one." This is a lie. I have my degree, a good one too, and you know what! I still can't find a job. And it is not for lack of trying. I mean I applied to soooo many! I even got a few interviews, and NADA. I even had the perfect "Grown Up" job lined up. I swear I aced that interview, I know I was everything they were looking for but no, they shut me down. But I could understand that, maybe someone had more experience than I did. BUT you know what I decided I will even try for a small job a temp job so to speak, and you know what! I DIDNT EVEN GET INTERVIEWED! Just a rejection letter. It wouldn't have been so bad had I not just received 4 rejection letters that very same day.

2. When you have a party on Friday, you may still find random beer cans around your house on Tuesday because the cleaning fairy or Mom for short was not there to clean up after you.

3. So if you happen to land a nice little job and have money to buy fancy things, you really need to take care of them. Let me tell you this, if those fancy things break guess what, you are going to have to pay for it. Yes, you will have to come up with the extra cash to replace that fancy iPhone or that nice jogging stroller you strutted around with on your morning jog and then crash into a pile of dirt ( don't worry the baby was fine, I caught myself before anything major happened but my front wheel did come off.)

4. You have to worry about taxes. Yeah when you get a job and they tell you "Hey you are gonna make this much..." Well it's a lie. Sort of (sometimes you can get it back.) But there is a medicare tax, a state tax, federal tax, social security and possibly a few more. I mean what happened to the days of getting paid cash for babysitting or mowing the lawn.  Also you have to worry about tax season and making sure you fill out those thousands of forms out correctly.

5.  Unexpected bills are your responsibility. Like when you have to have your wisdom teeth taken out and your insurance doesn't cover it completely. Or what if you don't have dental insurance then you have to pay for the whole thing out of pocket.

6. Also the life you see people living on a television show does not exist. For one they always look perfect even after a bloody battle. I mean seriously it is unbelievable to think that if I got in a fight my makeup would still look the same afterwards. Also on TV shows everyone is just so damn good looking. Seriously I have considered moving to Bluebell, Alabama because everyone on the show Hart of Dixie is gorgeous. I would just love to be surrounded by that many beautiful people all the time. I dunno on second thought maybe not, I am not sure that would be very good for my self esteem.

7. You really really need to watch what you eat and work out because the metabolism you had at 15 won't last. OK my momma actually did teach me this but I know some people don't know it until they are surrounded by Oreos having a pity party because their old jeans don't fit anymore.

8. And last for now, cereal cannot be every meal you have. Nor can top ramen or macaroni and cheese, eventually you will have to learn how to cook.

Alright that is it. I think I feel a little better.

Cheers

20 tips to guarantee a great relationship with your kids

First off I would like to say hi! How are you doing? I know I have been MIA from blogging for like two and a half months but I swear its for good reason! The first reason is being Mom is more demanding than I initially thought, and also when it's not demanding well why on earth would I want to be away from that gorgeous face!

And second I was busy finishing my degree, that's right I am now an educated adult ! Boom! Job offers should be rolling in any day now right? School actually really sucked, I mean I had finals and papers due on Mother's Day how rude was that? My first Mother's Day and I was hunched over a computer! Ah well it was worth it to be done with school. Anyways for Mother's Day my mama sent me an awesome gift! She sent me a journal and inside she had written 20 tips to making sure I had an awesome relationship with my kids. I must say as a product of these teachings they really work. I love my mom, she has always been my best friend and I think that right there is proof that her guidelines work.

1. First and foremost talk to them about God and teach them how to pray.
2. Always listen to your kids..." Really Listen" and talk to them like real people.
3. Tell them you love them every day, kiss them everyday, and hug them every day. Never ever,ever,ever let them not hug you back. ( when I was growing up my mom would literally not let us go until we hugged her, and the one armed hug didn't fly) * This ensures they never get to old for hugs.
4. Treat them with respect, remember they are just like you.
5. Trust them. If they make a mistake, give them an opportunity to redeem themselves.
6. Make hot chocolate for them in the middle of the night.
7. If you make a mistake (which you will,) admit it.
8. Have donuts for dinner everyone in a while. ( I always thought this was the greatest dinner when I was a kid!)
9. Believe and encourage their dreams, no matter how crazy they may be. Support them! ( True story: my brother has always dreamt of drifting professionally,crazy right?, and my mom has always cheered him on, also this is what he actually does now. Well he is getting there.)
10. Always remember how lucky you are to hear their noise, see their mess, and correct their mistakes. What if you couldn't because they weren't there anymore? ( My mom also used this on us when we would complain about each other, it was so annoying because then I would feel guilty about being upset about one of my sisters taking my clothes or my brother being loud, but she is right)
11. Drink virginmargaritas with them and dance on the table.
12. Play in the rain and make mud pies.
13. Run around the playground and play tag. ( I always loved that my mom never just sat on the bench and watched us play but would join in)
14. Remember the best way to lead them in life is through example.
15. Sing at the top of your lungs with them.
16. Give them experiences more than material things.
17. Let them believe in Santa, the tooth fairy, and the Easter bunny for as long as they can.
18. Play dress up or get on the floor and race cars.
19. Dance around the house as you clean with them.
20. Always, always remember that just like when they are little and you stood under the tree to catch them in case they fell when they climb; in life you should always be there ready to catch them if they fall.

Well there you have it. Take this information and raise great kids. Love them, be their best friend and remember they are people too, just like you were at that age. I hope you all have a lovely weekend! Enjoy the holiday, stuff your bellies with Bar-B-Que and beer ( or wine, whatever hits your fancy)

Cheers!!!!

So you want to make your own...

...mud scrub.

The other day I noticed that I was running low on my salt scrub that my Dad got me from BathJunkie and I have taken this opprotunity to make my own scrub :) I searched through several post on Pinterst and found thismud scrub. I was super excited to try it out!!!

I tweeked the recipe a bit but here is how I made mine.

1/4 c sugar

1/4 c coffee ( I have a jar off Starbucks coffee that we never drink because it is gross. so glad I found a way to use it because it was just gathering dust.)

Some Olive Oil, I didn't actually measure it out, I just kind of drizzled a little into the jar.

a few drop of peppermint oil

I mixed it all up in a jar and tada it was done.

I actually made it like five minutes before my shower on a whim.

My husband looked at me like I was a little crazy at first. THEN he tried it and well he loves it too.

It makes your skin so soft and smooth and if it does what it is supposed to it will make my skin radiant. :)

Alright well good night folks!

So you want to make your own...

...yogurt.

Well I will try and explain the directions as best as I can.

I never really ate yogurt when I was a kid. In fact I only really started eating it towards the end of my pregnancy. I just craved it! With a little granola and I was set. Now yogurt is not terribly expensive but I decided I wanted to make my own because I would get milk from WIC and it would expire before I drank it and I knew if it was yogurt it would disappear quickly. So I found a recipe that worked for me.

Alright now get your supplies together. Go ahead I will wait... Also turn on your oven to 350.

• Supplies:
• Milk ( however much you want)
• Pot
• Thermometer
• A scoop of yogurt ( yes you need yogurt to make yogurt, or you can buy the live cultures but I never have used them so you are on your own there)
• Something to stir with
• Some coffee filters ( optional)
• And a strainer ( optional)

Ok what you want to do first is boil your milk. A lot of places on the web say to use a double boiler thing but I don't have one so I skipped it. Be careful not to burn the milk. Heat it up slowly to 180 degrees. If you burned milk to the bottom of the pan don't freak out. I do it all the time. Just make sure not to scrape the bottom of the pan when you stir. Which you should be doing every once in a while.

Once the milk reaches 180 degrees turn the stove off. Now for this next bit you can do it two ways. One you can fill the sink with ice and water and stick the pot of hot milk in it. Cool it down to 120 degrees. OR you could just wait for it to cool on its own. Now that the milk has cooled you mix in your dollop of yogurt. I usually like to mix a cup of the warm milk with the yogurt first and then toss it in the big pot.

OH and make sure that the starter yogurt you are using has live cultures in it. Alright so everything should be ready to put in the oven. Put the lid on your pot and stick it in the oven and turn it off. Now you wait. I usually do this at night and leave it in the oven while I sleep. Then in the morning TADA you have yogurt :)

You can stop here OR OR OR you could strain the yogurt and make it Greek :) Which is what I love to do. A lot of people use cheese cloth to strain, but again I do not have any so I use the useless coffee filters I have. Why I own them, I do not know for my fair coffee is brewed by thy mighty Keurig. Anyways....

So you get your coffee filters and line up your strainer.

Then you pour the yogurt in and once again you wait. While waiting put the straining yogurt in the fridge so it cools k.

After a couple of hours your yogurt should be ready. :)

Enjoy.

This here is my favorite way to eat yogurt:

Fresh blueberries, yogurt, honey, and granola. :) with a side of hard boiled eggs.