The Longest Thursday

I went to bed last night with such great expectations for today.  I had the Longest Thursday planned: Cleaning everything that became a mess during my 2 days of clinicals and 1 day of school, then I was going to make breadcrumbs for this Aldi Meal Plan I have been experimenting with so I could make Turkey Meatloaf for dinner tonight.  Somewhere in the day, I wanted to tackle some homework because I have 6 assignments, 1 exam review, and a 4 page surgical procedure record to do this week.

It’s the days that you have planned down to the end of the day that end up going haywire.. Poor Kennedy has a 102 temp that started in the middle of the night.  So duty has called.  The craziest things about these 2 year old girls is that for some reason if their medicine is of a pink variety they will take the entire syringe and push it in their own mouth.  The Children’s Motrin that we have on hand is dye-free, so I added a pen point drop of neon pink food coloring and WA-LA!  I don’t know why I haven’t thought about food coloring before!

Now, she’s laying on the couch all snuggled up watching Dora the Explorer with Haven.  Haven is being such a good ‘big sister’ (she was born a whole 1 minute before Kennedy) and it makes my heart happy.

I may not get the Longest Thursday to-do list accomplished, but the snuggles, cuddles, and time spent making 1 sick baby girl feel better is SO MUCH MORE worth my time.  Everything always gets done eventually! 🙂

DIY Cleaner Storage

I did this awhile back, but as I have been de-cluttering our home and organizing like crazy, I have come to appreciate this idea even more!  This DIY will get your household cleaners out of the cabinet {increasing cabinet storage} and out of reach for your crawlers and toddlers.  Just take a cheap door hanging fabric shoe rack and put it on your pantry/kitchen door.  It frees up space, saves the worries of little ones getting into it, and everything you clean with is at a glance!  No searching for the pledge anymore 😉

 

Turning Insanity Into Sanity

You wake up and everything gradually tumbles downhill.  No matter how positive you try to be, everything ends up negative.  Everything that can go wrong DOES go wrong.  Your house is a disaster, your kids are making messes faster than your tired hands can clean them, and objects are broken.  You try to unwind from the tornado, but nothing you attempt seems to make you happy or make things better.

Does this sound like a day you have had lately?  If you’re a mother, I’m willing to bet that it is.  And I’m willing to bet that you probably went to bed with the frustration of the day still hovering over you.  I have gone to bed like that several times, and why?  In the midst of the crazy you need to remember that YOU matter.  Even better, your SANITY MATTERS.

I’m going to share with you 4 simple things that make me feel more like a human, less like a robot, and SANE.

1- My first resort: PERFUME

My favorite scent right now!

It’s amazing what a good scent can do!  Not only do I spray some perfume when I need to calm down, but I also use it before studying/taking exams, and it makes all the difference in the world.

2- My second resort: SWEATPANTS

Nothing is better than your favorite pair of comfy sweatpants!

I don’t know about you, but the first thing I do when I get home is throw on some comfy sweatpants.  It makes me feel like I can breath.

3- Thrid resort:  MAKEUP

When you feel attractive, your attitude is attractive!

Even if you are not the ‘makeup’ type {and by that, I mean the type that prefers not to wear eye makeup, blush, or things that make you look like you have make up on} you can’t deny that a little coverage on your discolored spots, blemishes (or any thing that you want to conceal ) can make you feel a little sparkly.  Especially when you’re a mother, it’s a rare occasion that you get to throw some makeup, get dressed up, and feel like yourself.  So even if you don’t have anywhere to go, DO IT!

4- Fourth resort: When all else fails.. pull out the comfy footwear! In my case, TOE SOCKS!

I’m not normally a ‘sock’ person {I prefer bare feet}, but toe socks hit the spot when I’m down in the dumps!

If none of these things are your normal ‘go tos’, I would say try them {there’s nothing to lose when you’re already having a terrible day, right?}. Or maybe you should just utilize those things that you DO love more often.  Take the time to take care of yourself!  Even if it’s something as little as smelling good, dolling your face up, or wearing comfy clothes.

What do YOU do to turn your insanity into sanity? Let me know!

Learning Not to Cry Over Spilled Milk

Yesterday was an eventful day, to say the least.

The girls have been sick with an upper respiratory bug, so on top of being two they are extra moody.  So the entire day was a little haywire.. On my way home from school my husband sends me this picture:

Pretty good mani and pedi for a two year old.. right?

Well, one of my girls got a bottle of finger nail polish open and decided she would give herself a manicure/pedicure on the living room couch.  If you just mumbled to yourself, “hmmm, I wonder if the couch was DESTROYED..”, I’m here to tell you IT IS.  You would think hearing this news on your way home from a 3 hour lecture would ignite a certain kind of fury from within.  On the contrary, I actually laughed.  You heard me right, I had a good little chuckle thanks to this little disaster.

I’ve been working on intentional living, if you will.  I’ve been trying to look at trying scenarios with transparent vision, so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel before I’m blinded by the dark.  Because of this, I was actually able to come home and calm my husband down before he busted some blood vessels.  When I saw this picture all I could see was the satisfaction on Kennedy’s face that she did a good job.  Can you see it, too?  That warms my heart like you wouldn’t believe!  I’m astounded by how much they know and are capable of doing {in this case, trying} and by how aware they are of their own wants, motives, and knowledge.  It’s going to take days of baths before it comes off, but every time I see that painted skin, I am blessed with a huge smile.