The way time has passed

In 2019, my ever-supportive mom commented on this page saying “Life is a journey where you have to reinvent yourself at different steps of the way.”

My life has changed tremendously since I’ve last posted. It’s been so long and there’s so much to catch up on, so in a nutshell – I am finally happy.

This page brought me so much joy at one time and I think it’s time to bring that back. One thing I struggle with on a daily basis is sticking to my schedule. I make one up in my head and then I retreat. I’ve given all my responsibilities to my nighttime routine when I am just extremely exhausted, so I think that’s something I should work on. I’ve realized (oh, I’ve known, and it’s been a tough pill to swallow) that I could be so much more productive if I wake up early. Mornings really shape my day so I feel like dedicating time-luxury tasks on that time of day would be a shift of energy as well. I’m less focused on my task list being so much about cleaning, and more focused on being mentally organized. My goals are to prioritize studying for my CMA, get involved more with my church, read my bible daily and not feel so rushed all the time. It’s all about the mind.

In the last few months, I have strengthened my bond with Jesus so much and that has really been the root of my happiness. Overall, I started prioritizing myself in ways that I have never before; I have become more aware of what I actually like and things that bring me joy; I’ve been spending more quality time with people who make me happy; I’ve consistently been in therapy and reading the bible. I noticed that my self-care is a direct reflection on what kind of mother I can be. I love being hands on with my son and teaching him new things. He’s so brilliant and funny – it makes me the happiest mom ever.

I’m trying to focus on one thing at a time, but I have all these ideas of who I ultimately want to be and what I want to do in life. All of the things I once prayed for are happening in my life right now. It’s important to be still and enjoy the moment. It’s amazing to see things from a new angle. The world is such a complicated and chaotic place, but with God all things are possible. One day at a time. Rome wasn’t built in one day.

Can we PLEASE stop being too busy to remember the important things?

Today, I read a story about a little girl left in a car for 15 hours before being found. She was found dead. Her name was Joseline Eichelberger and she was 11 months old. Her parents said they each “thought the other one was carrying the child out of the car.” (Infant left in car) This is not the first time this has happened. Why is this happening?!

I know every person is only human and we all forget things, but, for 15 hours? For 15 hours they didn’t see their baby girl’s face, they didn’t feed her dinner, change her, bathe her or put her down to bed?

I didn’t come to rant – although I feel like every person should for this innocent life being lost. No, I came to remind myself and others to stop being so busy and remember the important things. Remember to bring in your pets from the car after taking them to the vet. Remember to lock your doors when your significant other is home alone. Remember to kiss your babies and give them hugs because there are so many beautiful children in the world who are currently being neglected and mistreated. Remember to be nice to the person next to you because you don’t know what they’re going through.

The world needs more love. Let’s stop being so hard on ourselves and pushing ourselves to go above and beyond so much that it’s practically killing us. Let’s take care of the Earth and the wildlife within it. Let’s smile at each other instead of judging. Let’s be more understanding when plans are cancelled because someone needs R&R. And, let’s be more willing to tell people we need R&R instead of making another excuse! Rome wasn’t built in one day and neither was the Ark. Naturally, it’s going to take time for us to make a change, but let’s start today.

It’s the little things that matter

So, here I am, 22 weeks pregnant and already feeling like I’m in the “nesting” phase. I have a whole list of things that need to get done before the baby comes and about a three month deadline. Realistically, I’ve been tackling these little by little.

One of the things on my list is working on old laundry. I used to have a washer and dryer in our old apartment, but since I moved, I’ve had to go to the laundromat. I know I’m not alone when I say I don’t feel like sitting in a laundromat all day! With that being said, laundry has piled up. It’s not excessive; it’s mainly out-of-season clothes and a couple of comforters which totals about 4 garbage bags. My goals are to wash the comforters and out of season clothes so I can store them. Then, I can donate whatever else we actually don’t use. So far, I’ve been dwindling down on old clothes but added new maternity clothes.

Today, I worked on some of that goal. I decided the only way to get the pile knocked out of the way, was to handle it bag by bag. So today, I took a bag from the deep dark secrets and washed it when I did the normal wash. I was at the laundromat a bit longer than usual, but it was better than trying to get it all done in one day. Yes, it is possible to get done, but I honestly don’t feel like it. I give myself a HUGE high five for doing at least this.

Another task on my list has been to figure out why the windshield wipers aren’t working. During the winter time (yes, 6 months ago), the windshield wipers stopped working. When I tried to use them, a weird sound came out. So, I thought it was either broken or frozen. Now that it has finally gotten nice outside (and then some), I decided to take a jab at it. Last week when I was picking up lottery tickets, I picked up a gallon of fluid. And today, since I was waiting for the clothes to dry anyways, I poured it in the car. Call it pregnancy hormones or just plain happiness, but I damn-near happy cried when I was able to clean my windshield. Turns out it was just empty! I admit, I hadn’t considered this as a possibility because I genuinely thought there was a dash light for when it ran low. The whole time I was adding fluid little by little and checking under the car for a leak. I’m laughing really hard at myself right now.

Anyways, today was a successful day. I’m just trying to get things done piece by piece so my life can be in order by the time my sweet baby boy comes. And sometimes, it’s the little things that matter. Rome wasn’t built in one day and neither was The Ark.

Routines

Time has been on my side lately. Within the past two weeks, I’ve given myself more opportunities to set myself up for better days. I’ve set aside time every day to clean, get myself ready for work and have breakfast; this is a step up from my regular routine, which was basically getting out of my bed in just enough time to look decent for work.

No, I didn’t complete the 30 day plank challenge, but I did stick to my word when it came to cleaning 30 minutes a day! Baby steps! My mornings feel less overwhelming now. In fact, I feel extremely relaxed, even when I have to plop myself at my desk and pay bills.

To add on, I recently came across an article by Allure about a woman with “glass skin”. If you haven’t seen it, check it out here. I became obsessed with this because I suffer from adult acne and psoriasis, so finding products that help with my dry, yet oily and acne prone skin is a challenge.

I typically wash my face twice a day, which I started a habit of about a year ago. Now let’s not go crazy and say that I still don’t fall asleep with makeup on, because I’m only human and I break this habit every now and then. But, when I find something that works, I typically stick with it pretty well.

Anyways, I was in a really good mood yesterday and decided to head to the store to pick a couple of these out. I’m not a 5 step woman. My ideal skin care routine consists of 2 or 3 super quick and simple steps and/or products. Therefore, I opted in for the makeup wipes, exfoliating scrub and hydrating cleanser. I already have a super awesome wash-off charcoal face mask from my Mary Kay days that I use once every month or so. Going forward, I am definitely going to try using it at least once a week. I’m on day two and 3 uses and, so far I’m very happy with the way my face feels.

I need to push myself to clean my makeup brushes more than once a month, too, because I feel like this contributes to my acne.

Better days are coming! Stay posted and thanks for sticking around!

Habits!

So, here I am, about to tell you about habits when I haven’t posted in almost a year. Well, in those 9 months, a lot has happened! I moved out of my little box of a 1-bedroom apartment and into a comfortable 3 bedroom – space isn’t much of an issue anymore but organizing always will be.

Does everything need a home? I don’t believe so. It certainly is an awesome feeling walking into a hosts’ home seeing zero clutter, but is it really that easy? I don’t think so either.

Nowadays, I absolutely suck at doing what I say I’m going to do, and I’ll tell you why. Within the last week, I’ve told myself I’m going to do yoga for thirty minutes every day, and in that time, I’ll use 5 minutes to do planks (part of a thirty-day challenge). I’ve also said I’m going to use thirty minutes a day to tidy up the house. None of these things have happened. Well, I’m lazy, but I realized if I don’t make it a habit, these things just become something I only talk about doing.

The only thing I can say I still do on a weekly basis is a budget. I don’t think I can ever let that go. At least I still have one thing going for me.

I’d be lying if I said, “today is a new day and I’m a changed woman!”. I’m not a perfect person. Between working and dealing with everyday obstacles, I haven’t made much of an effort to do things I love doing or things that are good for me, either. I’m sure the majority of people can relate to this struggle.

I can only take things one day at a time. Baby steps. Because Rome wasn’t built in one day. Until then, I’m happy I posted today and maybe sometime soon I’ll post again. 🙂