Practice Makes Habit Start-Up Series

Are you ready to be a finisher? I am! 

Leslie from Violet Imperfection and I are asking you to join us in becoming finishers. I just love that feeling when I actually do the things I set out to do. As much as I love that feeling I tend to not follow through with what I need/want to do. This time I resolve to be a finisher. You all will help me because I will be accountable to you. We can be each others cheerleaders!

Here is what you need to do to join us. On August 7th post your goals and then link up with us. Come back and share your progress on August 14th, 21st, and 28th. 

I haven't chosen all of my goals yet but I have decided to come up with 5 goals to tackle and conquer. One of my goals is going to be to drink 64 oz. of water each day. 

Here is some advice to help with making goals:

1. Be very specific when setting your goals.
2. Write your goals down somewhere and put them where you can see them often. (I'm thinking about making my goals my phone's wallpaper).
3. Don't let doubt get in the way of writing that goal down.
4. Choose goals that you can reach in the right time frame. (This is a 3 week link-up so don't choose to run a marathon when you have never ran). 

I'm tired of being a quitter and I am ready to become a finisher. 

Don't forget to grab the button and link-up your goals on August 7th.

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Things That Have Simplified My Life

1. A trash can in the laundry room. I'm more likely to clean out the filter when I can just chunk it in the trash plus trash doesn't get pilled on top of the dryer anymore. 

2. A mail holder by the door. Hello kitchen table! There you are. I can see you now with all the mail gone.

3. A drop-all Jack basket in the living room. When you need a baby item you need it right that moment. Now we have the drop-all Jack basket we just put everything in there when it doesn't end up in its rightful place. Every so often I go put everything in it up. Now when we can't find something he needs we just go to the basket.

4. Two bookshelves. I am a reader but sometimes I buy books that I'm not ready to read or haven't had time to get to. Now I have a bookshelf in the guest room full of books I have read and I also reserve a shelf in the living room for books I haven't read. Now when I get in the mood to read a new book I just go to the bookshelf. Plus having it in the living room I can see them everyday as little reminders. 

5. Utilizing my kitchen table. Now that the mail is gone I have filled half of the table with scrapbooking supplies. We don't eat at our kitchen table. We are more into grabbing a plate and watching Big Bang Theory during our meals. I have wanted to do a scrapbook for Jack for awhile but every time I had a free minute I would have to grab the stuff and bring it to where Jack was. Now it is right there at the kitchen table. I don't have all of my scrapbooking stuff just enough to do a few pages at a time. Now when I am waiting on something to boil or he is playing I can take a few minutes to work on a page.

What I've Cooked Lately

The husband hasn't been home much lately but when he is home it is just at night long enough to have a quick supper and go to bed. This week I've cooked the following.

Onion Bacon Cheeseburger
My husband said I need to only cook hamburgers like this for now on. I even froze a few for him to take to work with him and he said they were even better. Next time I'll make them up and then freeze. Sounds like an easy supper to me.

Peanut Butter Oreo Mud Mars

What a yummy thing to have in the house! I only put marshmallows on half because my husband hates them (yeah he is crazy). He also doesn't like any type of nuts which makes it hard to bake a lot of things. Next time I will not put marshmallows on them. I'm not a big fan of the burnt marshmallows taste and that is what you end up with. Next time I'll also add salted nuts to my half. 

Blueberry Muffins

Thursday night we had breakfast food so I decided to make these blueberry muffins. They didn't turn out as I would have liked. They weren't near sweet enough. Also the recipe said frozen or fresh but the frozen blueberries made them too soggy. Plus it calls for one cup and that was way too much. So next time I'll add more sugar or make a glaze, such thawed blueberries, and will only use 1/2 a cup of them. 

To All of You Stay at Home Moms

How do you do it? As much as I looked forward to summer, I'm equally ready for school to start back. I'm starting to think I would like the school all year round idea. Just when you need a break, you get one. Summer is too long and the school year is too long. We need a better balance. 

So this summer my husband has either been in class, clinicals, or work. I have spent each and every day with my little Jack Jack. I adore him and am so thankful for this time together. BUT.... Oh my gosh this is boring. Regardless of Tuesday or Saturday our days are the same. 

Get up, feed and change, play, nap, fed and change, play, nap, feed and change.....It is an endless cycle. Sometimes we go to the grocery store and mom ends up a sweaty mess and as she tries to balance holding a screaming baby that wants to be held as I push a buggy through a sea of people. Fun times people. I also get the joy of running around cleaning and possibly showering like a crazy headless chicken while he naps as I silently pray the dog doesn't start barking and wake him up. 

Don't get me wrong. I've really loved all of this time playing with Jack. Our days are just so monotonous. Seriously, how do y'all do it? 

I'm looking forward to having a reason to get dressed in the mornings because hey what is the point of getting out of your pjs when you aren't even going anywhere. Make-up? I don't even know where mine is at the moment. I need incentive and motivation. I don't feel guilty about loving work. Jack loves daycare. He loves playing with other kids and he also hates getting bored (he is like his mom after all). 

Crawling and Standing

Babies are amazing. They can be these complete helpless individuals one day and the next they are getting into everything. Three weeks ago he could only sit and roll. Suddenly he starts to semi-crawl. He would tuck one leg under and crawl with the other. He would go just about a foot or two and then stop. The last few days he has been really going places. Saturday he stood for the first time and the last two days he has been lifting himself up on anything he can. 

What really amazes me is how he can't or maybe won't pick up a yogurt bite but can find the smallest piece of dirt on the floor. I am constantly having to keep an eye on him as he has already found electrical outlets.

ignore the messy room

My husband loves this outfit and I hate it so I let him put it on Jack for bedtime.

Here is his 37 weeks picture.

Real Life Love

My favorite movie is Sleepless in Seattle. I'm a sucker for a great love story. Now that I've been married a year I feel like I have a better idea of what real love looks like. In the picture above the love was already there but the true knowing of someone is not there yet. Too bad there wasn't a sequel to this movie so we can see what this real love looks like. 

Real love looks like:

-opened bathroom doors

-calling your husband/wife a very bad word just for fun

-calling your husband/wife a very bad word in an argument 

-saying I love you when you want to rip the other persons face off

-throw-up

-making your love's favorite meal when you hate it

-farting during sex

-asking if you paid the water bill during sex

-saying to your love you need to brush your teeth

-bartering sex for a quiet hour to watch your favorite show

-arguing over money

-watching American Dad even though you hate it but you know the theme song

What does your real love look like?

Weekend Pictures

That is a heck of a lot of butter beans. I helped my mom shell these. She is still working on them but I did enjoy sitting with my mom watching SVU while shelling.

They are playing together! Bennett doesn't really care for Jack too much but Sunday morning Bennett sat beside him and they actually played for a few minutes together. 

I took this picture to show how my husband dressed my son like a hobo. I didn't know what he had dressed him in for bed and when I got up in the night to change and feed him this is what I saw. He is cute regardless. Oh and I know it is hard to tell but the shirt is really a gown and it is way too big for him.

We are working on pulling up. Saturday he was standing holding onto my mom's couch and I asked if anyone had stood him up. They hadn't. That was his first time pulling himself all the way up. He loves scraping his teeth on his baby bed. The sound drives me crazy. 

Jack at 8 Months

He Loves:

• looking at himself in the mirror
• mashed potatoes
• peaches 
• picking up super small pieces of trash
• getting into things he isn't suppose to
• his daddy tickling him
• flipping upside down when his butt is getting changed
• his daddy playing the "rattle the keys really hard" game
• row, row, row your boat
• being rocked and read to
• taking a bath in the sink

My Horrible Birth Story Part 4

Click here to read Part 3

First thing the next morning I called my doctor's office and learned that he would be out the whole day. Jack had a check-up so we drove him to that and while in J asked him what we should do. Jack's doctor was so concerned that he personally called my doctor right then. My doctor said to come in the next day. 

So the next day my mom, my nephew (my mom babysits him), Jack, and myself drive to my doctor. As soon as he walked into the room I could tell he was not happy. The entire time I had went to him he was perfectly nice. I now can figure he has some kind of complex where he doesn't think he can be wrong. He said it was not an abscess (even without looking) and even said to me "I'm wondering why you want something to be wrong with you". I teared up and when he left the room I broke down. He had totally written what had happened off. I couldn't stop crying. My mom looked at me and was mad. She wanted to go in there but I begged her not to. 

We stayed with my parents a few more days and then decided it was time to go home. Sunday night I was taking a shower and when I moved my loofah over my stomach something felt weird. I touched there and it was hard. It was probably the size of a half dollar. In the morning I made an appointment (with a different doctor) and he did an ultrasound thinking it was a hematopa. He said it felt like there was fluid in there but the ultrasound showed no fluid. It was very sore. He gave me some antibiotics and had me come back in 5 days. After 5 days the place was bigger so he admitted me to the hospital. I had to relinquish my baby to my parents which just made me sick in itself. Plus my husband had to work or lose his job. I felt so alone and nervous. I was in the hospital a whole week with no answers. Four different doctors saw me with no answers. I asked to be transferred and the answer was "they aren't going to do anything different and if you release yourself your insurance will not pay". They sent me home with antibiotics.

Bennett and Jack at my parent's house while I was in the hospital.

A few days later the hard spot (which was now covering 1/3 of my stomach) starting turning black. I went back to the doctor that sent me straight to a surgeon. The surgeon was in the same building as the one who had done my c-section and was so rude to me. I went anyways and he was a jerk. He said he can cut me open but things would either be better, worse, or no change. I asked what he thought I should do and he said "take responsibility". I had no idea what to do. I didn't know why this was happening but I did know I was not letting him cut me open. 

At this point it was December 19th (my mom's birthday). I made the decision to go to Baptist Hospital in Little Rock. My mom drove me there. They admitted me right away. 

Okay Seriously-Throwing My Hands Up

Can I just go back to bed? It isn't 9:30 yet and I'm ready for the sun to set. So yesterday I got the bright idea to put in that unopened DVD of Chris Powell making me work my butt off. This morning I can barely stand or sit or bend or just be.....it HURTS. I also woke up with an earache. You all know how bad an earache can be. It has also closed up again which happened around 3 months ago and took a whole month to open back up. Looks like I will be talking louder than usual and only hearing with my right ear. I'd go to the doctor but since I can barely move I doubt I can transport my baby with me without looking like I need a disability sticker. 

So at 5 am I drag myself to get a crying Jack fed and changed. Thanks husband you are wonderful (I love sarcasm). Pop two Tylenol and go back to bed at 6. Jack wakes me back up at 8 and I haven't miraculously healed.  He has a dirty diaper. I didn't know this when I inspected, I knew when I hobbled into the room. Get him changed and as I'm rolling up the diaper what should happen? My damn finger lands in baby poo which has happened many times but this time I have to hobble to the bathroom to wash my hands really good. I try to remind myself that I need to walk so I can work these muscles. 

I sit down by just falling into the recliner. I know Jack is probably getting hungry but he isn't crying so I just sit there. Then I hear this noise and I'm looking trying to figure it out when I see our dog Lexi hoovering by the back door and I just know she is about to vomit on my carpet. My slow moving self can make it there fast enough. 

So that has been my morning. It can only get better...right???

Horrible Birth Story Part 3

Here is part 3 of my horrible birth story. You can click here to get to parts one and two. 

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to finish this story but it really was such a scary time in our lives that I hate reliving it. However, it is important for my readers to know me and this story has definitely written on the soul of this person.

Jack was born on a Wednesday and that Monday we were finally released. My mom drove us home since my husband had to work. Of course, he wanted to be there but because of everything that had happened it was very important that he worked to make money. It took them forever to finally release us. It was miserable waiting around when all I wanted to do was get out of there.

By one o'clock we finally were able to leave. My mom drove us to her house to stay the night. Originally we had planned on going home but with everything that happened I really wanted my mom around. Your baby getting flown away from you really puts your worry hat on you. When J got off work he came to my parents. There was a crib in the guest room so all three of us slept in there. At around one o'clock Jack woke up which woke me up. As soon as I opened my eyes I knew something was wrong with me. I felt the worse I had ever felt in my life. My insides were freezing and the world felt fuzzy. I tried to wake J up but it is such a hard sleeper that I couldn't get him up. My baby was crying and I wasn't sure how I was going to get up. I forced myself to get a bottle, pick him up, and feed him. My whole body hurt. By the next morning I was worse. J had gotten up and left for work early. Everyone else was off to work except my mom. The whole day I slept on the couch with a portable heater beside me. I could hear people talking around me but I couldn't bring myself to talk. It was the weirdest feeling. My insides felt like they were frozen. I was dizzy. My whole body hurt. I couldn't hardly talk because my mind wouldn't think.  I felt like I was dying. 

When my husband got home he took one look at me and said we are going to the ER. They did numerous tests and gave me two shots. Even before we left I felt better. It was amazing. The tests came back that I had a abscess. They wanted to admit me but I really wanted to wait and go to my doctor. They said okay but only if I went to him first thing in the morning. 

3 Simple Dessert Recipes

I love to bake and especially when I know the recipe is fail proof. Today I'm going to share a few recipes that are quick, easy, and yummy. Some things I cook and they are good and all but I might or might not make again. Every so often I find keeper recipes and those are the ones I am sharing today. Click on the picture to take yourself to wonderfulness. 

I'm talking seriously easy to make. I knew they were going to be good when I tasted the batter.

I've made them for Valentines day but I've also made them for other occasions by changing out the candies. 

I've made in cake and cupcake form. Works great for a brunch.

I'm off to make some 4 ingredient cookies. Man my husband is lucky :)

I Talk Myself Out of Things

I can make a decision so quick and then spend my time talking myself out of it. It is annoying to myself and my husband. When our 1 year anniversary came around I knew I would be making the plans. My husband isn't a planner but a doer. When you have a baby you need a plan. Money is tight so I knew we would do something low key. I arranged a babysitter so me and J could have a nice sit down dinner. Once those plans were made I suddenly started second guessing my own plan. I looked up the menu and the prices and thought do we really wanna spend that kind of money on food? Is it worth the hassle of packing Jack's stuff up and driving him 30 minutes to my mom's house for a meal? I was looking at it all wrong. My practical side can get the best of me. Of course I never shared these thoughts with my husband until the day of. Cue argument.

He thought it was stupid to give this any thought. The plans were made so let's just follow them. This fight was with myself really and it was ruining our anniversary. We never left the house and we were frustrated with one another but mainly I was just frustrated with me and how I had ruined this. I didn't want to ruin it. My practical side did it for me.

Since then I have been working on this personal issue. Being practical is a great thing but it can also be a curse.

Have You Read Any of These?

Every so often I like to go to Target and look at the book selections. There is something about Target that I really like. For some reason I can always find good books easily there. I'm also kinda cheap. So what I do is take pictures of the books I want to read and then go a lookin'. First, I'll check our library (but since we live in a small town they rarely have what I want). Second, I look on Amazon for a good deal. Third, wait it out until I break down and pay whatever. 

I've gotten back into reading since Jack is more capable of entertaining himself. I don't get long periods of reading time but I'm able to get a little time here and there which adds up. My favorite way to read is an actual book but the easiest way is using the kindle app on my phone. I'm able to read randomly (grocery line, doctor's office, waiting in the car, commercials...you get the point). 

So these are the books that I snapped today. 

My mom pointed this book out to me. It looks like a fun and simple read which is nice at times. 

I read Gone Girl and really enjoyed it. I typically like books by the same author. 

I haven't watched the show yet but I really want to. I'm thinking about watching it and then/while reading this book. I love all books dealing with the female relationship. 

I read another one of her books and it was really good. Need to get my hands on this one soon.

I like some of her books and this one sounded like another fun and easy read. I need books where I don't have to focus too much. 

She is so funny so I just know the book will be funny also. I can't help but love a book that keeps me laughing. I recently finished Chelsea Handler's newest book and my ribs were sore from laughing. 

Has anyone read any of these books? Does anyone have some suggestions on what I need to read next?

Being a Quitter

My name is Ashley and I'm a quitter. It isn't a quality I like in myself but it's there. Starting things is my favorite part of anything. The beginning is always the best part. Make a cleaning schedule and stick with it a few days. Diets usually last shorter than that. Washing my face before bed lasts about a night. Keeping my car clean about one good mess. It gets aggravating getting all hopped up on the thrill and watching it fizzle. I make the best excuses. The worst part is that when I start something new I believe I'll stick with it. Actually I don't even think about quitting when I start. I dream about my new thing and how it will make me happy. I'm sick of being a quitter. I am going to spend this week trying to finish everything I start. One week. That is my goal. No quitting for a whole week.

I'm giving myself 3 things that I will not quit at for a whole week. Is it funny that I want to quit writing this right now because I'm afraid of not finishing. Now on what to stay dedicated to...I gotta make it doable but not too easy. 

1. No Dr. Pepper until next Monday.

2. The book I'm reading Finished Being Fat. 

3. Going to wash my face and brush my teeth before bed every night (gosh that makes me sound like a kid).

I'll update you to let you know if I'm still a quitter or not.

He Wants to Go

For the last week Jack has made his way onto all fours and is even rocking back and forth. Does he go anywhere? Nope! He either rolls over or just goes down. He then usually screams and pitches a fit. He is so mad at himself for not being able to do something that he just can't do. I feel bad for the poor fellow because I know how it feels to want to accomplish something that you just can't do. As much as I want him to do this for himself I'm good with no mobility right now. We are in the process of getting new flooring and I would rather him not crawl and bite into carpet that 2 dogs have used as their playground. We are getting vinyl put in to make for easier cleaning and we are getting new carpet in the bedrooms. I'm so ready for the new look.

Before I know it he will be crawling all over the place and then walking. I so love this age. So many fun milestones for mom and baby.

Fourth of July Simply

We spent the day at my parents. Last year they did a big cookout and this year decided to keep it simple by having it just be immediate family.

We bought a small pool for Jack and my nephew Bennett. We filled it up but since my parents have well water it was freezing so we actually boiled water and put it in there with it. Bennett did not like the water and cried until we got him out. Jack loved the water. He splashed it up and even cried when I got him out. Looks like we have a water baby on our hands.

I hope everyone had a great 4th!

Life Lately

Just writing a quick post to share my fab date night. Yesterday my mom texted me saying she would come babysit Jack if we wanted to go out. We didn't have any plans but who are we to not take her up on the offer.

We ate Mexican quickly and rushed off to watch The Heat. It was so funny! Like hurt my ribs funny. Originally my husband scoffed at my choice of movie but at the end he was all praise. I love praise! Validates what I already know :)

Of course I took no pictures. So nothing to share visually. Now I am spending my day doing some cooking (no bake cookies and taco soup). My two men are napping and so I am getting things done while watching a little Gilmore Girls and thinking about buying one of those side sockets. I am a sucker for commercials.

If you haven't seen The Heat do yourself a favor and watch. Laughing is a good thing!

When Old People Are Mean

I have a mean grandma. Yep. That is right. Grandma. What prompted me to be honest about this was something she said tonight. She has done worse in the past. This however was half mean and half funny which is a whole heck of a lot better than the crap she pulled at Thanksgiving. 

My grandmother isn't a sweet little woman. She is mean, harsh, narcissistic, and hateful. I'll leave the adjectives there because I don't want to be brutally honest (out of some respect).  

She has never been a nice grandma. She slapped me across the face as a child because I wasn't fast enough bringing her a washcloth when my baby sister puked on her. I never realized grandmas were normally sweet until I met my best friends grandma who was always an absolute doll to me. 

Tonight my grandma called my parent's house while we were there having supper. My mom quickly got off the phone with her by saying that we were eating. Two minutes later she called back. No one answered (she has a habit of doing this). She called again so I answered. She asked what I was doing and I responded with eating supper. She said and I quote "you are like me and don't need to eat supper". Yep. That is my grandma. 

On Thanksgiving my mom made 2 coconut cream pies because they are a favorite of mostly everyone-my grandma especially. My husband knowing this joked to my grandmother that he was going to take 1 whole pie home. They joked back and forth about it. No biggie. Right? Wrong! By the end of the day there was one piece left and my mom said for us to take it. We didn't even think about it because it is merely a piece of pie. We left the one piece in the original throwaway pie pan. Well my grandma really thought we took a whole pie home. This really did happen and yes I know how silly it all sounds. So to make matters worse my grandma called EVERYONE we know to tell them about stealing the pie and then she added extras in that were complete lies. I ignored it for awhile until her lies got bigger. The people at our Thanksgiving gathering that day knew what really happened but who wants to stand up to an elderly lady who can throw down some tears when she really wants to??? 
I eventually just pretended she didn't exist. She admitted she may have took things too far (but not to all the random people she told) and I started to have minimal contact with her again. I have seen her twice since Thanksgiving and tonight she basically calls me fat. It really makes it hard to be respectful to mean grandma even if she is elderly. 

What would you do about a mean grandma?