2010 September

The scariest Wordless Wednesday ever. EVER.

September 15, 2010 by Diana 17 Comments

It’s supposed to be wordless but honestly it needs a bit of something. This is a terrifying post, because you are seeing me first thing in the morning with no makeup on. And quite frankly?

It ain’t pretty.

But you know what? I had someone tell me the other day how she feels like she has to look perfect before vlogging or doing any blog pics. So do I. I understand. I almost didn’t do this, but for all of you out there who can’t ever put photos up of yourselves -

This one’s for you. Enjoy.

Before a shower and makeup / After a shower and makeup

I did the “after” so you would understand – this isn’t an everyday look for me. And because I’m shallow.

Filed Under: Blogging · Tagged With: A funny, FAIL, Real life

The Playdate and The Sweater

September 13, 2010 by Diana 18 Comments

I posted on going to a meetup.com playdate a while back, and told you all how I was debating going or not. Well, I did, and I’m so glad you guys convinced me to.

However, nothing ever goes smoothly with me – so here’s what happened.

The playdate was at 4pm. Google said the home it was being hosted at was about 15 minutes away. At 1pm, I suddenly remember I have no clean pants or shirts.

At 2pm I realize this again. I have no idea what happened between those times. I think I did my hair.

2:30. I begin to look in my closet for ideas. I try on 5 different shirts, and throw each one of them on the bed with growing anger as I realize I looked like the Goodyear blimp in all of them. It’s 75 degrees out, but I have no short sleeves. So I put on a long sleeved shirt.

Actually…sweater. :/ It is my favorite and hides my rolls nicely.

2:45. Sweating a little, I begin to search for pants. Que anger. Again, nothing fits. I lay on the bed in my underpants and sweater and began to panic. What would I do? Everyone was going to wonder why I was so porky and attending the Healthy Moms playdate.

3:00. Bella wakes from her nap in cranky mode. I realize that she too must be dressed. I rummage through her closet and put her in an adorable outfit with socks and shoes. I have had run in’s with her being barefoot before and didn’t want to hear it.

3:20. Freaking out. Why didn’t I lay out clothes the night before? Why didn’t I wash anything? I consider going in a dress, and then start laughing. I finally find pants with moderate food stains from Bella and take a washcloth to them in the bathroom.

3:30. Almost time to go. I’ve made myself sick over wearing this stupid long sleeved shirt sweater. I’ve rehearsed saying in my head, “Gosh, it was so much colder where I am than up here!” I can’t find my flip flops and have to wear sneakers, adding to the overdressed effect.

3:40. Bella, me, the giant diaper bag and my sweater all fit in to the car. I head out (dying but cranking up the air conditioning).

4:00. I pull up to a rather massive home in a neighborhood that looks like a scene out of Desperate Housewives and say a silent prayer that they will like me despite the sweater and my lack of playdate knowledge. They’ll love Bella (everyone does) so her prayers selfishly go for me.

Playdate goes well. I am not asked about the sweater, although I do make a comment on the weather (to discourage anyone thinking I am a moron). All the moms wear shorts or jeans, sandals, and tank tops/short sleeves. I look like I might be heading to the Arctic after the playdate.

Bella is the only child with shoes and socks (naturally), so off they go as soon as I can grab her. She’s headed to the Arctic too so…

While there, one of the moms says that her friend has already submitted a letter of intent to her child’s kindergarten, ensuring they will hold a place for him. The kid is 4 months old. Her friend is trying to convince her that if she doesn’t do this for her 10 month old daughter, her child will never be able to attend a good college.

I throw up a little in my mouth. I think everyone else did too. The mom telling the story is clearly still in shock by this. I really liked her.

Bella had a blast, and the other moms were wonderful. The kids were all between 9-11 months so everyone was on the same page physically and mentally. It made for a really fun afternoon.

I got home, removed the sweater, and swore that next time, I would be a heck of a lot more casual. I also joined two more groups and found a baby gym we’ll be going to during the week.

As for the Arctic, it was too expensive. And you have to have more than a long sleeved shirt to survive there. Who knew I’d be under dressed for something?

Filed Under: Babies, Playdates · Tagged With: A funny, FAIL, Motherhood, Something New, Weight woes

9/11 – Your Story Blog Hop

September 11, 2010 by Diana 1 Comment

Nine years ago today, our great country was shattered

For a moment, every life stopped, this was what mattered.

Lives were lost, things were destroyed, and families were torn apart

It was like suddenly America had a broken heart.

For everyone who lost someone, and your life was forever changed,

We haven’t forgotten you, though sometimes you may feel estranged.

To our troops that are fighting for us, so far away

We’re thankful for you, every single day.

Today I’m going to look around and be amazed that I can live here,

I’ll think about the lives lost, the lives fighting, and I’ll shed a tear.

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live in a place like this,

Until I think about if it was all taken away, how much I would miss.

That day, we all came together, American stood as one,

Keep that in your hearts; look back on everything we have done.

Stop, take a moment, and look up to heaven

And remember those who died, those who fight, on nine eleven.

- Alyson S. (my sister)

I was 17, Sam and I got engaged the day before he left for Marine boot camp in California.

It was June 17th, 2001. I was upset about him leaving, but knew he would be back soon. I planned all summer to go see him graduate. We only spoke on the phone once, but wrote hundreds of letters. I quit my job when my boss wouldn’t let me have the time off. My parents were leaving to go back east on the same day as I was flying to San Diego to see him, we were heading to the airport together. Our flight date?

September 11th.

As we boarded the bus for the airport parking lot that morning, I heard something about a bombing in NY city on the radio. My dad, mom and I tried to figure out what was going on, but couldn’t make out what was happening.

Chaos ensued in the airport. Flights were being delayed and canceled, everyone was panicking. A flight attendant finally stood up on a chair, and told everyone that the World Trade Center had been hit with a hijacked plane and all flights in the US were grounded.

I remember it being eerily quiet as everyone just stood there in disbelief.

We waited around for a while until the airlines announced that no one was leaving for at least the next 24 hours. Still hoping that the next day would bring good news, and wondering what had happened in NY, we headed to a hotel to spend the night.

I sat watching the news in horror as the towers collapsed, and my dad said, “This right here – it changes everything. America will never be the same again.”

He was right. With flights not leaving the next day, and the airlines not giving any time soon for that, we headed home. Being 18, I was devastated more for me than anything else. I didn’t comprehend what had really just taken place. It was beyond anything I had ever seen.

In the next 3 years, my husband headed to war in Iraq and Kuwait, among other places. What I thought was just a routine military 4 years turned into combat training, being apart for up to 16 months at a time, and one of the worst days of my life.

It took several years, and a news special one night, to understand the impact of that day. 9/11 changed the world. Mine, and everyone else’s.

Want to share your 9/11 story? Link up here so we can all read it. It’s open till tomorrow night.

Grab the code for your post (put it in the html part) Make sure to keep the spacing before src and type – 1 space.

Filed Under: Growing Up, Sam ·

9/11 Blog Hop

September 10, 2010 by Diana 2 Comments

Tomorrow is a day that 9 years ago, changed my life forever. Along with thousands of others. As I reflected on 9/11 today, and the ways my life is different, I began to wonder about all of you.

Did your life path change on 9/11? Are you a different person because of what happened? Do you view things differently than before? Where were you when you heard the news or stopped to watch it happen?

What is your story for 9/11?

That’s what this blog hop is about. Whether your wedding date was that day, or you had a friend in the Twin Towers. Maybe your spouse or someone in your family was in the military and left for war because of 9/11. Perhaps you lived in NY. Whatever it is, I’d love to read about it, and I know many others will as well.

I’ll be posting my story tomorrow and leaving the link up open for 2 days. I will visit every one who links to read your thoughts and stories, and hope you will share about this to your friends who blog. This could be a very powerful way to remember 9/11 as we all write about our part of it.

Link up opens tomorrow at 12:01 am till Sunday at 11:59 am to give everyone a chance to blog and comment.

*Don’t have a blog? Feel free to leave your story in my comments tomorrow.

Filed Under: Blog Hop, Blogging ·

Beyond Motherhood

September 8, 2010 by Diana 4 Comments

When I was little, I wanted to be a famous ice skater. In so many ways, this was not possible. Mainly because at the time I may have skated once in my entire life. I was convinced once I hit the ice I would be amazing.

No. The only amazing part was the fact I still have ankles.

I also wanted to be an actress – which was odd since I hated getting up in front of people. I could have had everyone just close their eyes while I was on stage.

I always wanted to be a mom. And now I am, and I love it.

However, being a mom in the sense of what we are right now is short term. Children go to school, they leave home, they get married. Sam and I agreed we are raising our children to have their own lives, not to be attached to ours indefinitely.

What do I want to accomplish during this time so my life wasn’t completely revolved around my child? I love being a mom, but I have a strong sense of that’s not what I “am” as an individual. The last thing I want is to watch my last child leave and think, “My whole sense of self just walked out that door.” In my opinion, that isn’t healthy for my marriage, my children, or me.

So now I’ve been thinking about what I want to do with my life.

I’m really not sure. I know I want to be a great wife, mom, and friend. I want to be a stronger Christian, and to have a clearer understanding of what that really means. I want to be the kind of person that people think, “I’ll never forget her.”

Other than that, I’m kinda at a loss these days. I love my life – these past few weeks have brought about changes that have turned our life completely around for the better. (To be written about later.) But I do have moments where I think, “Now what?”

When my kids aren’t around, who am I? What do I do? What purpose do I serve? That is still being figured out. I want to look back at my life and see that I did something I loved outside of my children, my husband, my friends.

Something that defines me. Beyond Motherhood.

Filed Under: Babies, Growing Up, Marriage · Tagged With: Family, It won't be like this for long, Motherhood, Real life, When I grow up, Why I do what I do

Priorities

September 6, 2010 by Diana 8 Comments

I’m all about giving Bella the best we can afford in life. From organic food, homemade meals, natural toys, and safe lotions. Cloth diapering, Maclaren strollers and HABA toys.

So imagine my surprise when the other night it hit me – so what?

Because in worrying about all of the “right” things, Sam and I have forgotten the most important. The thing we should be spending more money on than anything else.

Us. Our family.

We have neglected our marriage. The one thing that every child wants growing up is a stable, loving family with parents who are happy and love each other. Right? I mean, how many of you growing up thought, “It sucks my parents fight all the time but at least I know tomorrow I get to wear organic clothes to school.” :/

So while those things are still important to me, and always will be, my priorities are all wrong. My focus needs to be on my marriage and our parenting. Yes, being healthy is wonderful, caring about the environment is great, but that comes after a stable marriage for us. It’s been easier to work on being more eco-friendly since everything around us was falling apart.

I’m still going to do all those things, but I’m taking the focus off them in my life a little more, and start spending the money on us as a family and a couple. My daily and long term goals are to provide Bella with parents who love each other and give her a safe, happy place to grow up. That is what I should be working on, stressing over, fighting for.

Good memories of your childhood and becoming a self confident adult, because you were secure in your parents love for you, are more important than BPA free bath toys any day.