Tag Archives: Husbands

Creativity, Daily Prompts, Life As A Mama, Reflections

A Few.

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What personal belongings do you hold most dear?

Obviously husband and kids can’t be my personal belongings…

#1 My giant metal bowl.

We have finally move again. We are in a townhouse for a year so that we can save up some money for a down payment. But we are unpacking boxes, and I found my giant metal bowl! It can rise four loaves of bread at once. It’s amazing. It’s been about two years since I packed it away.

#2 Mr. Pinky

I unpacked my giant pink bear named Mr. Pinky. It’s the one stuffed animal I didn’t want to pass down to my kids. However, my youngest saw Mr. Pinky and it was live at first sight. The hugs she gave him, made me happy but strangely possessive of him. Haha!

If you want to figure out what is your most important things; live in a 200sq ft camper and then a single 300sq ft room for a year. You unpack your belongs and it can make you cherish them more.

#3 The Sound Bar

The sound bar has been with us this whole time. Having the ability to play my music out load is a gift. Music somehow helps me with the chaos. And the more rock n roll type music calms my kids. I’m other parents worst nightmare.

#4 Berry

My two foot blue rubber chicken. I love Berry. He’s been with us the whole time too. Even in the camper. He has had his own perch this whole time.

#5 My skinny clothes

Since last August I have lost forty-five pounds. So I’m so happy I haven’t gotten rid of any of my clothes through the years. Because my clothes from ten years ago are now fitting. The clothes I wore when I had just begun dating my husband fit. It’s amazing.

I don’t have a picture of this. But believe me! Most of them fit!! Some I will just pack away and save for my daughters.

I know there are more, but I can’t think of them. As I unpack things I’ll find more. But for now I’m good with these few. Small blessings.

Enjoy your Tuesday!💕

Some tricks for losing weight. Realistic tricks:

I paid for 6 months of wall Pilates. But I got my deal on Pinterest for 50% off. I thought if I paid for it I would commit to it. And I did. (It was $36 for 6 months).

A big one is cut out all sugar. I know it’s quite hard because sugar is in everything. But switch to making things with honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar. What I learned from my years. For coconut sugar it’s a 1:1 ratio. But for maple syrup or honey it’s a 2/3 to a cup. So if a recipe calls for 1 cup sugar it would be 2/3 cup honey or maple syrup.

But also I did do the fasting part of watching your foods. It was included on the wall Pilates app. So it really did help to quit my nighttime snacking. I always loved to indulge in random sweets or chips at night. But if you don’t eat from 6pm to 7am you burn so many calories. As a woman you need to fast for 12hrs. My husband said a man needs to fast for 16hrs I think. Happy I’m a woman! But the fasting really helped.

The last one was stress. I don’t recommend it. I’ve been in stress maybe the last six months. I don’t stress eat. I only overly indulge myself when I’m depressed. I know when I’m in my depression. Painting helps with that. But I haven’t been in depression for a bit. I at least know the signs. I tell my husband and he super helps me stay motivated to get out of it. But back to weight. I know the stress helped me lose weight, but not a recommendation. Live happily and stress free.

But I’m human. I always eat the whole bag of chips. I can’t stop myself. Especially these spicy bbq chipotle chip we’ve found. If I’m given a bag, it’s mine. And it will be gone in a sitting. My husband now hides the chips. Haha!

Adventures, Creativity, Daily Prompts, Life As A Mama, Reflections

It’s All Mesh Together!

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How do you balance work and home life?

For me at least it’s all mixed together. Because as a stay at home mom I don’t get balance. I get chaos ties with a bow of craziness!

But if we go for the idea of me painting, then I try to set aside one to two hours of painting time. Not really keeping it separated, but that I try to allow myself that small window of time to focus on only myself.

But being a mom, home chef, whole house cleaner, personal school teacher, etc. It is all my work. I’m constantly working.

But when I originally read this question I thought of my husband. He currently started a new job. His schedule is going to be twelve days working, twelve days off. So he is going to have a harder time balancing his work and home life.

I will just struggle with how life is going to be when he comes home. During fire season he can be gone for fourteen days, in various places. Out of state. He might miss out on some big moments for his kids. He also wants to still become a pilot. So even on his days off he might be flying or hunting…

Life is changing! But it’s a good change.

P.S. I finally posted my paintings on a secondary page on my blog called Portfolio. We have been so busy the last month that I have not had a chance to paint.

But I’m excited to have the paintings able to be seen. Also, when I go to a gallery to sell, I can give them a link to see my paintings.

Adventures, Art, Creativity, Daily Prompts, Poetry, Reflections

Word Of The Day 02-23-26 Culminate

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What advice would you give to your teenage self?

Culminate

Synonyms: come to a climax, come to a crescendo, peak, climax, come to the end with, etc.

.-.-.-.-.

Why are you rushing,

Constantly brushing,

Important people off.

Slow down!

Life won’t pass you by,

It’s not just about finding a guy.

Enjoy the sights,

Enjoy the heights!

Growing up will come real quick.

Should have been patient.

Those guys were just a few some,

If you waited he could have come.

Now at thirty-two,

Your dreams have come true!

He is perfect.

At twenty-two,

You found your crescendo,

Finally taking life slow.

.-.-.-.-.

My advice to my teenage self would have been to slow down. Unless you are one of the few lucky ones, most people don’t find love at fifteen.

And if I had been patient, I might have met him at fifteen. We were in the same sport and at same sporting events. We lived close enough. I would drop my brother off at our cousin’s house, and it was just down the block from him. He worked right around the corner from where I grew up.

But by the grace of God I didn’t miss him, by being impatient. I just met him later in life. Meeting him was at the peak of life. Now I’m enjoying the lowering decent into my adult life. Of kids and adventures.

Life is good. 😊

Digital Art: By emily2jane
10-12-23
Art, Creativity, Daily Prompts, Life As A Mama, Reflections

Three? I think it said three..!

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Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.

Three different pairs of shoes came to mind.

First: My black combat boots.

Those shoes were throughout my teenage years. I wore them everywhere. They were so comfy. They laced up, but had a zipper. They went mid shin. Oh! I loved those shoes. They made me feel confident.

They took me to several different places. They took me to trivia nights. I was always so nervous to go to trivia. I’m not a social butterfly, but I wanted to try and work on my social skills. Those boots went with me.

I wanted to go to a Ball. (Yes. Think princess) but I had to stand before a panel of judges and say why I thought I should be selected as a Pasadena princess. I wore those combat boots. I looked cute, but compared to the other girls around me I looked tough. Haha! To help end your curiosity, I was not selected. But I still got to go to the ball, just because I tried. Getting ready was more fun than actually being there. That was too much socializing for me.

I wore those boots when I had coach banquets. They helped me walk into a situation I did not want to be in. Public speaking. Terrible. But my shoes were cute.

The shoes finally died. I really do miss that shoe. Maybe I’ll get another pair one day. But I got those from Nordstrom rack. They were on sale for $50. Normally $180. I can’t afford shoes like that anymore.

Second: My wedge sandle heels.

I love these heels. They are the most comfortable high heeled shoe I own. The straps are a light tan color. The wedge is light brown. They are quite tall. About three inches. So I’m taller than my husband when I wear them.

But I feel so pretty and fancy when I wear those shoes. My posture is also perfect when I wear heels.

Fun story. My mom and I got the same shoes at the same time. I tried them on and said they were so comfy, that my mom found a pair, rusty orange straps, and she thought they were super comfy too. So we got them together. I don’t think she has them anymore. But I do!

They are currently in storage. But occasionally I wish I had them currently. Some outfits would just pop a bit more with those shoes. My confidence would be back. I’m not one, but some women can wear the heels and deal with their toddlers. I can’t. My toddler is super fast and sneaky. Heels would just make it that much harder.

So as long as my feet stop growing with having babies, I’ll wear them again. At some point.

But they have taken me to dances, family weddings, dates (with hubby), all events where I felt the most fancy, just because I could dance the night away in those shoes. (without any pain!)

Third: My black short snow boots.

Its silly. But I’ve had those boots for so many different milestones in my adult life. I had them as my first daughter grew up. I wore them 95% of my pregnancy with my son. Also with my newest daughter.

I hiked trails, our old property, sledding, snowman, snowball fights, etc. And the boots still live on today. Merrel footwear is awesome! Expensive!! Buy them on sale, but they last for several years. Instead of buying a pair of shoes every two months for $12, it makes more sense to spend the price tag and not buy shoes for several years. (Not a sales pitch, just like the shoes!!) I like to use things until they are falling apart. And even then I still keep them sometimes. My husband usually has to throw them away, because I can’t seem to part with them.

But yeah. Those black boots are my favorite! But there is no snow…so they are too in storage. I can’t wait to have a closet big enough to have everything out! And me and my daughters can have a fashion show in mommy’s closet.

I’m excited for that day. I really want an extra closet in the house. And I’ll put all of the clothes I’ve been hanging onto. And for chores my daughter will get tickets. The tickets will allow them to wear clothes from that closet. But not to keep.

Just a way for them to “shop” without actually spending their money. Instead it’s hard work “buying” them.

I don’t know if that will be a thing, maybe they will just raid my closet like I used to do to my mom and sisters. (With permission) but good memories.

I think my most used shoes right now are my slippers. I wear them everyday, for almost 80% of my day. They are old, flat, and uncomfortable, but free. I like free.

Enjoy your Thursday! Just finished making my tortillas. Hubby wants Chicken Tortilla Soup tonight!!

Art, Creativity, Daily Prompts, Life As A Mama, Reflections

Changing It Up

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What’s your #1 priority tomorrow?

I need to make a change. I hurt. I hurt everywhere. I’m only in my thirties, and I feel like I’m well into my forties. I need to do more.

The point of having our kids young, was so that we could enjoy them more. But I have no extra energy in a day; not even to go on a one hour walk at night. Key word: Walk! Not even strenuous. But I have no energy to accomplish that. I need to say it’s an hour walk, but about 30min in my son is tired and “needs” to be carried back. He’s about thirty pounds…so I’m usually dead when we get back to the house.

My night doesn’t end there; I have showers, bedtime, story time, baby feeding time, then I get to go to sleep. But do I? No. By then I’ve missed my window of being tired and I have to wait until the next window opens.

So back to changing. My husband feels the same. He wants to start exercising. He’s in his thirties too. He shouldn’t be hurting so much either.

So we are starting things. I’m going to try and cook differently. Not severely. But less carbs and more vegetables. Not the kids, they need carbs.

The husband wants to start a military month workout. I’m all for this plan. Haha!

But I want to swim occasionally. Try for three times a week. Swimming is the best exercise for me. It works my whole body. It will also help loosen my back muscles.

But something needs to change. This is usually when we make these decisions. At the end of the year. But we are hoping to try for our last kid this time next year; so I want to loose sixteen pounds before trying again. That’s not a crazy amount.

My doctor told me I was a little overweight at my last appointment; that if I lost sixteen to twenty pounds my BMI would be back to perfect. But when my doc told me that I was ten pounds heavier and I already lost that.

So my #1 priority is to change things. Like even this blog. I wrote a post instead of mindlessly playing my game, I decided to write instead. Make a change!

Creativity, Daily Prompts, Life As A Mama, Reflections

Brands…?

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What brands do you associate with?

I am not really a brand type person. I’ve never cared about brands on clothes. If it fits, and it’s comfortable that’s what I’m buying. Which actually works the best for me because most brands are designed for smaller women. Like 5ft 3” to 5ft 6”. Add 5” and you’ve got me. So their dresses are shirts. Their pants are capris. Their shorts are…scandalous.

So instead I’ve always loved handmie downs. I love them! Free clothes! It’s gotten to the point though that I have to give handmie downs to my sister and not vice versa.

But I love shopping at thrift stores, Ross, Burlington coat factory. Any store where you have to dig for your pieces. Because then you really are picking them hints you like initially off the rack. Then you try it on, and decide again, “is this me?”

I used to take ten things into the dressing room and buy all ten things. Spending about $300 without blinking. My mom told me I had to stop. There was only so many clothes I could wear in a lifetime. $100 limit. So then before marriage I would take ten things in and maybe only buy 3-4 depending on prices. I actually was that person that did the calculations before buying, including tax. Making sure I didn’t go over the limit. Which is why I loved thrift stores. I could get ten things and still be under budget.

And now with kids I think differently. Also the thrift store I go to is a pay what you can. At least $1 an item. Which is awesome!! Because there was a while there that we had no extra money. And I was able to still get nice things for about $5 every few months.

I guess the only brand store I’ve gone into and spent the shiny penny recently was called Lilyful. The name was so pretty and their clothes were pretty too. But I still only shopped in the clearance section. Because I got a beautiful dress for $50. Originally $150…!

But I’ve gone back a few times. But always I go straight to the clearance. But now they are only online. Which I won’t be doing, because that means less clearance items and no trying on. And I have to try things on. Since I’m not a normal size ever.

But I do know other brands. Like Merell shoes. My husband likes them. Milwaukee tools. Again my husband loves. And Ram. My husband loves his truck. Haha!

Art, Creativity, Daily Prompts, Life As A Mama, Reflections

Various Things.

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What motivates you?

Cooking food for my family. Hearing my husband praise my food. Or even better, my kiddos yelling, “this is the best food ever, mama!”

Trying to be patient. I struggle with this one. But when I do succeed I usually get huge smiles from my kids.

The end of the day hugs. Usually at the end of a day I feel defeated. Like there were times I could have had mor patience. Or could have made better food. Or given my husband more attention. But usually at the end of those days I get my kids coming up to me saying, “you are the best mama ever! I love you,” and finishing with hugs and kisses.

Fitting into my skinny pants. When I’m good and stay within my healthy food intake I can fit into those clothes that should be packed away, but I keep them out to motivate myself. And as soon S I get to that point I….will be pregnant again. Haha!

Sometimes I just need a hug. When I’m feeling discouraged or useless, I need a hug from my hubby. His hugs gives me so much more energy, that I feel motivated to finish out the awful day.

Writing a post. Posting something on my blog makes me think that I’m having a more accomplished day than I might actually be having. But publishing something can motivate me to be extra productive. Which I have made breakfast, started bread, cooked food for my husband’s upcoming trip, started a load of wash, and have my kids ready for the day. Now I’m posting something. Pretty full first half of the day.

Swimming. Anytime I swim I feel rejuvenated and ready for life. I miss swimming. I really want to be in a pool.

Motivation can come from anything. Things said, things you do, things are done, memories, etc. It’s not going to be a generic motivation moment, you might have to look through your life and find unconventional types of motivation. They are out there!

Art, Creativity, Daily Prompts, Reflections

Hawaii

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What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a meal? Was it worth it?

I can’t really think of a meal that was so expensive, that I paid. I know my mom had bought expensive meals. I know my swim coach has. But until my husband and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon; we eat mostly fast foods. Cheap. Affordable.

But Hawaii, we discovered a restaurant that served fish tacos, with a pineapple salsa…so delicious!!

We ate there so many times. But we discovered that dinner prices are way more than lunch. Because yes, we went to the same restaurant for both lunch and dinner. And while lunch was $25 for the fish taco meal; dinner was $50 for the same meal.

So that night the dinner was close to $150!! Which is way too much money. When the same meal was $60 at lunchtime.

So I don’t know if I would say it was worth it, but we did eat their fish tacos multiple time on our trip. But only for lunch. We lived more practical on our honeymoon. We cooked breakfast and dinner in our rented condo. We also bought coffee and beer from Costco. (Kona coffee…best coffee ever!!)

So eating the tacos was worth it. But what made the trip extra awesome, was stuffing my suitcase with Hawaiian Costco coffee. We gave some as gifts when we returned, but we kept most of it for ourselves. 😎

Taken in Hawaii on a cruise. Where I got sea sick! Haha 😂
Art, Creativity, Daily Prompts, Life As A Mama, Reflections

At Least It’s Not One.

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List 30 things that make you happy.

  1. God! Knowing He is always with me, gives me peace of mind!
  2. My family. This includes everyone. My husband, my kids, my mom, husband’s family, my siblings, grandparents, etc.
  3. My job. Even though I complain about being a mom sometimes, it is still the best job in the world. Just a lot of work.
  4. Chocolate. Yes. Straight to chocolate! But that’s what I’m wanting right now.
  5. Socks. Especially my Winnie the Pooh socks. My kids got them for me two Christmas’ ago.
  6. Organization! Not my own stuff. Other people’s stuff only. Like when my husband makes a mess in his shop, and I get to clean it up and put things away, that makes me happy.
  7. Art!! I forgot art. Art should have been before chocolate, but it can be here. All kinds of art. Painting, drawing, markers, pastels, paper machete, sculpting, etc.
  8. Playing with my babies. I asked my kids what makes me happy, and they insisted I needed this on the list. And it’s true. But it was funny that they insisted this made me happy. Not them happy. Haha!
  9. My car. My husband replaced my car that we had to sell. He got me a seven seat car!! It’s so awesome. I can separate my older kids. I can fit all my stuff.
  10. Cooking. Cooking does make me happy. I love cooking. The cleaning up after cooking…not so much. Haha
  11. Dried mango. Mango is so delicious. And for a while it was awesome because my husband doesn’t like mango. However, my son loves mango, and now my daughter likes mango. But my kiddos only like the sweet pieces. So I’m stuck with the sour ones.
  12. Being married to my husband. This one should have been first. But… my hubby!! He is the best person that ever came into my life.
  13. Chocolate Pudding. I know that should count towards chocolate. But my homemade pudding is in a category all by itself.
  14. Watching movies. I know this is kind of generic. But I do enjoy watching movies. But the same movies over and over again. Like I just watched the new Godzilla movie. I like that movie.
  15. Yard work. I love being in dirt. Mud. Mud is fun!! But planting a garden. Keeping up on flowers. I’m excited to being in my mom’s yard.
  16. Skorts. I like shorts. And I like skirts. But something about wearing a skirt, and knowing your underwear’s won’t show is a nice feeling.
  17. My new black shoes. My husband bought me a nice pair of shoes and I wear them everyday. I used to be someone that like to wear a different pair of shoes, but now I wear my black shoes with shorts, pants, skirts, and even dresses.
  18. Swimming. This should be an earlier number too. But swimming is what makes my body relax and feel energized. Or at least that’s what I remember.
  19. Dancing. I like to dance. But I also like to watch dancing. Any style that is done tasteful. Which doesn’t surprise me that my daughter also loves dancing.
  20. Seeing my husband with his son. To me seeing a man with his son is one of the cutest things. My husband with his daughters is super cute too. I guess seeing Father’s with their kids.
  21. Cardboard boxes. I guess I’m still a kid at heart. But when we get a large cardboard box, I instantly want to make a little house. With a door and windows.
  22. Reading my short stories. I actually read through my short stories often. When I want to read something. That I know has nothing inappropriate. Just feel good stories, that what I reread.
  23. Finishing. Seems like an easy thing to do but for me it is sometimes impossible. Like even writing this post. I’ve had to stop four times. Finishing a painting. Finishing a short story. I never seem to finish my long stories…but I will someday.
  24. Creative writing. I’m assuming you know this. But I really do love writing. And I do really get my ideas from dreams. Or when I daydream.
  25. Ross: Dress for less. I really do like that store. I haven’t been for a long time, but I remember liking finding gems in the chaos. But I also like thrift stores. The thrift store in our town is every item is $1. I’ve gotten great things over the years that I would have never been able to buy originally.
  26. Wandering. I like wandering in stores. We don’t have to buy anything; but I like looking at things with no crunch for time. This was my husband’s and I’s normal date, while first dating. We would walk around Home Depot and Lowe’s. Costco, Bass Pro, etc.
  27. BBQ ribs. Another food that should have been listed farther up. But yes, I love bbq ribs. My husband’s recipe. If my hubby didn’t stop me I could eat all of them! And I don’t use a napping until I’m done, my bbq stained face is my medal.
  28. Baby animals. Almost all baby animals make me smile. Tiger cubs, kittens, and baby hippos. Those are just my kids favorite animals, so I see those pictures often. But puppies too.
  29. Doing my daughter’s hair. When she allows me to braid, put up, style, her hair; it makes me happy. When she became the age to want to do her hair I was huge pregnant with my newest daughter; so I was exhausted. So sadly she taught herself. And now she wants to do it by herself, even when I have time. But I’m happy when I get to.
  30. Rain. I’ve come to realize that I’m not a huge fan of snow. Living in the North has shown me I don’t like being wet and cold. But rain is the exception. I like to run around and play in the rain with my kids. Or find worms the next day. Rain is fun.

This was actually really hard to fill in. But I like these types of prompts. It makes you think about what truly matters.

On the funny side…

My son said, going potty. Haha! It was a good laugh!!

Leaving in two days. So I had a chance to write this post, but I won’t for a while. Unless is one of my many drafted short stories. Those are easy for me to write.

“Sailing In The Clouds”
Photography By: emily2jane 08-04-25

It really looks like a sailboat is sailing on the cloud waves. Also looks like a moon…

Art, Creativity, Daily Prompts, Life As A Mama, Reflections

A Family Answer.

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If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?

My husband was home so I decided to ask everyone.

So for me I would wear my long black skirt/ dress. It can be either. I could hem up the length to make it any length. I would wear a tank top under my long sleeve button up. ( my grandma’s shirt). This outfit would give me various looks. It’s one look, but I could still look different. Haha!! I don’t know if that’s allowed, but if it’s not specified it’s allowed.

My six year old daughter: Princess dress, with shorts underneath for playing, ruffle socks, and sparkly princess shoes. Pretty much what I expected. I know my kids.

Husband: His answer was simple of course. Haha! Jeans, gray shirt, belt, socks no holes, Merrel shoes. That’s it. Which is really funny. Because that pretty much what he wears everyday. I would probably choose him his cargo shorts that have zip sections too. So they can be pants or shorts. But that’s just me planning ahead.

My almost three year old son: he didn’t want to answer. So choose for him. Shorts, Hawaiian shirt, black clip on tie, Spider-Man shoes.

Baby Nugget: She would probably say just a diaper. She gets hot easily. But I would choose her a shirt, skort combo. Because she likes to suck on her shirt. And a skort is just some added defense for the floor against a poopy diaper.

Hope the various answers were fun to read. It was fun for me to make it a family day.