Tag Archives: Mothers

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

My name.

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Where did your name come from?

This is a great question. And my answer is actually quite funny.

Turns out my first name was just because my mom loved the name. All my other siblings were given family names. But I was named my name because of pure love. Which makes me happy, and I am okay with that reason.

Especially since I have a name for hopefully another little girl, and the first name is not a family name. It’s just a name that I love.

My middle name is a family name. And this is the funny part.

My entire childhood I thought my middle name came from my grandma on dad’s side. She was an awful human being. I only met her once; once was enough.

Through my entire childhood I thought about what to legally change my name to when I was old enough. That was how much I was disturbed.

Obviously I kept the name. Only to find out, from my mom, that I’m actually named after a grandma on my mom’s side who was a lovely person. Haha 😂 Mind you I found this out when I was maybe 17-19. I can’t remember exactly. But for a long time I wonder how my mom could name me with love and hatred.

Safe to say I was mistaken, and now I love my name. And maybe when I become a grandma, maybe my name will be the start of a family name. 🥰

Have a wonderful Thursday!

“Love Slow Living”
Photograph By: emily2jane
P8-25-23
Adventures, Creativity, Journey With Cookbooks, Life As A Mama

Journey With Cookbooks #28

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It’s been a while since I did one of these. I have been cooking, but I’ve been trying to figure out how to cook with a new tiny one at my feet.

Todays recipe is from….the mother in-law! Haha 😂 Our relationship was rocky at first but now we have found a common ground. Cooking. I share recipes and she does too. This recipe actually comes from one of my many cookbooks; she discovered it when she visited many years ago.

It’s called…Southwestern Rice Bake

This is the picture she sent me. I love getting recipes like this. Where you’ve changed things to be more delicious!! And I did make it the same as she wrote.

The ingredients. I was also making pickles at the same time. I’ll write about the pickles on a different post.

Cheese, rice, beef, garlic, cilantro, etc. What could go wrong.

First comes the tomatoes.

This lone tomato came from our garden. 😎

Chopping tomatoes, chopping tomatoes, chopping, chopping, chopping. I’m making the salsa for the top first. She wrote that you should let it sit and stew I. The fridge while you make the other part. (My new spiffy knife!! That thing awesome.)

Super easy to make. Just Tomatoes, onion, green chilies, cilantro, salt, pepper, garlic, and fat. I didn’t know about the fat, but she insisted it would taste good. I might just use oil next time. I don’t need to eat extra fat.

The meat! Definitely going to drain off the fat. I’m always looking for ways to be healthier. I’m not too old; my body shouldn’t be hurting.

The gathering…

Mixing!! Mix, mix, mix the stuff up. (I don’t know why I’ve got the shake my wiggles out song stuck in my head… but I do.

Well I did it again. I forgot to take a before picture. I was doing the pickles, the casserole, and the dishes all at once. Ignore the ugliness of my oven. Ewww….I’m going to need a day of scrubbing.

The smaller casserole dish was just left half plain. But look at that delicious salsa. 🤤

Finished! And I must say that mother in law recipe looks amazing. Let’s taste it…!

Taste: 10/10!! I’m happy I did one extra tomato. The salsa makes this dish!!

Easiness: 10! It’s actually not too hard. I just started making dinner a little too late. Took me about 2hrs total. But I also had a baby on my ankles for maybe 30min.

Overall: 10! I will be definitely making this again. So all you daughter-in-laws out there. This is mother-in-law approved. If you want to try it out. My daughter loved it without the salsa. And my son ate maybe a 1/8 cup. He is a hungry thing.

Hope this recipe works for you. Have a good Wednesday.

Art, Creativity, Daily Prompts, Life As A Mama

Ummmmm…..?

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What are you most excited about for the future?

I’m not really excited about any one thing. I’m hoping for many things, but I’m not really anticipating anything.

I’m hoping that I can actually be an artist. A known artist. I will always be an artist; I just don’t know if I will ever take it anywhere.

I’m hoping we can have more babies. But that is in God’s hands. He decides. So I’m trying to be content with my kiddos and not just wait for the next one. If there will be another one.

I’m hoping my husband can go back to school and actually accomplish what he wants. Find a dream come true job. (Personal opinion: if you are going to try for a degree, do it while you are young. Not when you are full-time providing for your family.)

I’m hoping my mama will have an easy change to her life. That it won’t be so stressful and that God will provide a laid out path for her follow.

I’m hoping I can have more patience with my daughter. She desires so much and I’m trying to juggle life as it is. I get frustrated easily it seems. So I hope God can help me calm down before reacting with her.

I’m hoping that any future plans are smooth for us. We are talking about some big changes and I hope that this actually the direction God wants us to go.

So yeah, I can’t really say I’m excited for any one thing. Because everything is still in the works. Nothing is for sure. I can only try to prepare. So maybe I will say I’m excited for will come for our future. As a mama and wife, it’s not just my future. Everything about me is connected to my family. ❤️

“My Whole Life”
Photograph By: emily2jane
07-11-23

Daily Prompts, Life As A Mama, Reflections

Of course! Emily Elephant

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Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?

My favorite book was called Emily Elephant. She cooks, she cleans, she picks flowers. My mom actually saved me the book, and I have read it to my own daughter.

I can’t remember being read the book. But I do remember wanting to clean, bake, pick flowers, have a party. I still do all these things, but I don’t know if I would say I want to clean.

Now, my daughter wants to do all these things with me. She loves to sweep, mop, and vacuum. She helps me with the dishes. She loves baking and cooking. (Her croutons are amazing!!) She is an excellent flower picker. I get to enjoy the wild flowers both inside and out. And she is only four.

If you have a daughter or niece or granddaughter; try the book Emily Elephant. It teaches you the great skills in life that you will always use.

Have a happy Wednesday!!🌼

Art, Creativity, Life As A Mama, Poetry, Reflections

Word Of The Day: Flounder 04-13-23

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Synonyms: flounder, struggle, squirm, wriggle, splash, stumble, blunder, etc.

.-.-.-.

Morning.

My eyes only flutter open,

When I hear the door creak.

She’s awake.

.-.-.

Brother lies still beside me,

Finally resting peacefully.

The night was a struggle.

.-.-.

Breakfast.

My essences left my body.

I stand hollow and empty.

Yelling and chattering,

Never end with these two.

.-.

Food is out.

Why such a battle.

I squirmed and wriggled,

To get one meal done.

Please nap time come.

.-.-.

Afternoon.

Chaos is constant.

Never a moment of peace.

Questions spewing, toys flying, emotions rising.

Will it ever be done?

.-.-.

Bedtime.

Screams of protest.

Anger developing.

Stumbles, fumbles, thrash, splash.

Silence follows all those blunders.

.-.-.

Silence.

Regrets and upsets,

Fill my brain.

Retrace your steps,

To learn again.

Sleep.

.-.-.

Morning.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Being a mama is tough. One child is different than two. Especially when your first child is intelligent and stubborn. She is determined to do it her way. He way or the highway. Except that doesn’t work when it’s supposed to be my way.

Little man is so mellow compared to her. He is smart too, noticeably for his age. My life will be interesting; calm way to put it.

But I struggle. I don’t know what I’m doing. I try my best and always some part of the day seems to be….Blarghbaaaaaaaaaa!!! If you couldn’t tell, that was me having a meltdown.

And I know it will continue to be difficult if we continue to add to our family. But hopefully I can find that flow…a current of productive moments.

I do have those moments. And I need to try and focus on the happy sweet moments of the day at bedtime. It’s difficult. But I know they probably outnumber the bad moments.

To all young moms out there. You are doing a great job. And all grandma’s now, you did amazing job raising your kids. Because they decided to continue the line of family. Your kids feel comfortable and confident enough to raise kids on their own.

Thank you to my mom!❤️

“After A Storm” Digital Art
By: emily2jane
04-13-23

I will starting to paint soon. And some of the art from my blog will finally be on canvases!! I’m excited to get my art out into the world. 🎊

The word of the day today might be a negative word. But it helps show you the good in life. Like the picture above. Always after something bad, the good will come into focus, and shine in your life. Have a wonderful day ❤️

Creativity, Life As A Mama, Reflections

Baby Brain

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It’s a real thing. Other husbands out there, don’t worry it is a temporary thing….through pregnancy and maybe the next 2 years. Haha 😆 Pregnant women get forgetful, slower, and zone out. Some might not, (some women might be lucky.)

But I definitely experience the baby brain.

It makes doing anything twice as hard. Also the hubby has days where he can’t talk to me. Haha 😂

But I’ve gotten better. I now can tell him when I’m having a bad baby brain day. He usually knows before I say anything and responds with, “Oh, I know.”

My mom throughout my growing up told me that with each child we stole some of her smartness. My mom is super smart!!! I’m not saying otherwise, but now I understand what she means. I’m on baby number 2, and I’m wondering how much my new baby will take. My daughter is scary smart. (I know that’s what most parents say) but to me for a three year old she is too smart. Haha 😂

So if she is so smart she probably took a 1/4 of my smartness; meaning I’ll probably be giving away another 1/4. Because he is similar to how she was during my pregnancy.

We shall have to wait and see.

But that’s why I haven’t been posting. Because these last months have been major baby brain months. Only one more to go!!

I hope you have a wonderful day, today!

The cover photo: a snap shot I took out our dining room window. To me it looks like the typical screen saver screen. The lushest green, with the blue sky. This was the first day of actually warm weather. “Spring” but it’s been raining for almost three days. Over 500 gallons of water later, it’s sunny. (We captured all the rain we could to use it for watering the garden. We ran out of ways to capture water, all that free water gone. 😞)

Creativity, Life As A Mama, Poetry

Happy 😊

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Today must be a happy day.

I woke up and found my little sweetness still asleep. I selfishly woke her up for some snuggles. She whispered a, “Mama” as she climbed in beside me.

Must be a happy day.

We decided to not to get up, but instead we decided to nibble on each other’s sweetness. Haha! She said I tasted sweet.

Must be a happy day.

We got up with giggles and hugs; as I carried her to the kitchen to fill our bellies up with good food.

Must be a happy day.

My breakfast smiled back up at me. My little sweetness is eating her food. I’m enjoying some delicious leftover cut up strawberries.

Must be a happy day.

The sun is shining. It’s supposed to be a nice 70° day. With all the rain we have been getting it looks like Ireland here. I feel blessed.

Today is definitely a happy day. ❤️

…

Have a wonder day;full of sweetness, giggles, and hugs.

The honey made a smiley face. I caught it before smearing it. Haha 😂
Creativity, Reflections

The Year 2022

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This year, so far, has been full. As you may have noticed, I’ve only been posting chapters of my story. That’s only possible because I can write multiple chapters at once and post them accordingly.

But there are many changes this year. My daughter is three years old, and I cannot believe how time has passed. Her shoulder now fits under the lip of our dinning room table. She is expressing herself with words. She helps and takes care of me as I would to her. Now with her little brother on the way, I can’t help but remember when she was just a small little thing in my arms.

Next… my niece is starting to walk. She will be one year old next month. I just watched a video of a confident little girl strutting down the carpet. Last time I met her was a tiny peanut. No personality, just a little ball of love.

And next… my nephew is turning 15 this year. 15!!! My nephew who is now taller than me by about an inch. My nephew who I remember how he used to chase my dog, Sammy, around the backyard in his onesie. RIP Sammy ❤️ He is turning 15! That’s crazy to me.

The final one for now, but definitely not the last: I haven’t competed in swimming in almost 10 years. I still have dreams about racing, and I remember all the struggles and successes I had in my swimming career. But I haven’t done that in almost 10 years… that’s just amazes me. Especially since I did it for 14 years.

Which is why I am loving writing this story of a boy’s life of swimming. Not everything is from my past, but I’m able to get my desires out of my heart and into a narrative. It’s my way of continuing to live the swimming life without giving up what I have gained in these 10 years.

My husband. My daughter. My expected son. My home. My family.

As much as I love the idea of competing again. It can not measure up to the amount of love I have towards my splendor in life.

Year 2022, has been full; to the fullest. But I’m excited for the years to come. My days competing might be over, but I’m excited for this new adventure!

Art, Life As A Mama, Reflections

Forgot to Actually Post… I Don’t Believe.

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I don’t believe I will be posting anything until the new year. I’ve been so exhausted and busy, that I only have this small amount of time to say sorry to all of you.

I’m sorry that I am unable to post. My brain is also not functioning, since it is running a mile a minute.

Please forgive me. I’ll begin again next year.

Thank you. Enjoy your chilly Winter ❄️

.-. About 2 Months Later.-.

I finally went back on my blog and realized that I never actually posted this post. I wrote it back in December… I feel like such a failure.

We have finally finished moving. I’m still exhausted but I missed you all. Also I’ve missed writing my story. IT WILL CONTINUE!! Even if it’s just for me; I need to actually finish a story. Haha!

So I’ll be back on here. Maybe not as much as before, but slowly I’ll work my way back.

Stay warm this winter! 👋❄️