The Good Life

Matt and I joined the YMCA . I knew it would be good for me to get back in a routine of physical activity (more than just chasing a toddler around in my pajama pants), but what I didn’t know is how much fun it would be to share that time with my husband. Last night was our first night of putting Colton in the child-watch area, getting familiar with the equipment, learning our way around the Y and figuring out a routine. I had a lot of mixed feelings going into last night. Feelings of excitement, frustration (for letting myself get so badly out of shape) worry (that Colton wouldn’t do so well) but the biggest feeling I had was determination. Determination that I was going to make a change in myself, for myself.    Do you know what you get when you mix a body that hasn’t worked out in 2+ years with the crazy thought “I got this”? Well, I got a body that can’t get out of bed or pick up my child. You know the awesome part? I’m going back to do it all again today! It’s that ridicul

December is coming to an end, as is another year! So many wonderful moments have happened in 2014. It's hard to believe that Thursday is Christmas Day! This week, I hope that we all can stop and appreciate the true meaning of this season. Christmas is a time of God showing His great love for us. It can be a time of healing. You see, Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of the Christ, but not just the birth – what that birth meant for the world.  Why did God send His son to this (sometimes) cruel and hard world? Why was Jesus even born? He was born as salvation to all of us. Without Jesus, we would all die in our sins. The Bible says that all have sinned and we do things that do not please God. Through the sins of Adam and Eve, we have all inherited that sinful nature. We need to have that sin removed and the only way is through Jesus. Jesus was born so that He could die on the cross for ALL of our sins. If we believe that Jesus died for our sins, we can ask Him to come into

It’s 11:30pm. I went to bed at 9:30pm. I’m now up sitting in my living room with just the Christmas tree lights and my computer. I’m dealing with some crazy emotions tonight and my mind won’t shut off so I’m typing… Wednesday afternoon, Colton woke up from his (very short) nap and walked into my bedroom to tell me “Colton nap done”. Cool, huh? Well, he was in a crib when I put him down for his nap! Needless to say, I was a little bit surprised to see him and a slight bit of panic set in. Given Colton’s sleep history, you understand why. Maybe it was just a one-time thing?!? We can hope! Wednesday night, we went through our normal bedtime routine. Colton said goodnight to Daddy, I took him in his room, we said our prayers, I laid him down. There was no fuss, no crying, no whining (should’ve been my first clue to what was coming…)! I shut the door, walked across the hall to our bedroom and (within 20 seconds) hear “hi Mommy” standing in our bedroom doorway. Oh boy – here we go.

I am seeing more and more internet based/direct sales options. Everywhere we look, we have an offer to join and become part of something amazing. Everybody is interested in making extra money. We just don’t want to get “scammed” into something that sounds great but isn’t. We don’t want to have a lot of investment because “what if I can’t make my money back? What if I’m not successful? I don’t want to be penalized if I decide to stop”. Because I know that there are people out there, looking for the perfect fit, I’m sharing this with you! Maybe you’re considering partnering up with a company or maybe you’ve tried direct sales before and hated it. Maybe you aren’t a good “sales person” (me either). Maybe you don’t want to host parties (me either) or maybe you have no idea what you want. The truth is, there is something out there for you and if you want it bad enough, you can make it work for you. Do the research and find your fit. The following is from a R+F business partner, Elizabet

I wake up some mornings and wonder, “what is our world going to be like today?”. I see so many stories come across my news feed and hear so many hurtful, violent and terrible things on the news. I realize that when dealing with people, you have all sorts of opinions, beliefs, actions and reactions. Ultimately, when dealing with people, it’s just hard. Sometimes even within our own friendships and families, it’s a big, huge mess! I wish this world was perfect. I wish we could just all be at peace. But, the reality is that relationships with people can be the hardest thing in the world to navigate. There’s a very important promise I have tried to make to myself over the past several months, regarding my relationships with people: I will do my best to live at peace within myself and with others by speaking the truth, leading by positive example and letting go of things I cannot change. When being in a relationship, I’m learning that I have to allow myself to be vulnerable without

I’m sitting here putting my thoughts down because it’s a great release for me. Plus, it’s quiet time while Colton is napping – my one chance at thinking for the day! J I’m overly emotional this week. I have been crying over little things and I’ve just been way more in touch with my feelings than normal. Maybe it’s because the holidays are rolling around and I’m always more emotional this time of year. Maybe it’s because I realized that Colton will be 2 in just about a month. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman/wife/Mom who lacks sleep and I’m just a hot mess. What I think is really hitting me this week is Colton and this new season we have entered. He is growing so fast. Every day, he wakes up able to say new words, pronounce “old words” better, move faster, jump higher and laugh louder. He moves like a little boy, not a baby – not even like a toddler. He is very determined and observant. He has discovered the meaning of “no” and has started to use it. He is testing his every bounda

We are into Thanksgiving week and it’s hard for me to believe that November is almost over.   I have so much to be thankful for this year. I’m thankful for my good health and the good health of my little family. Thinking back to all the sickness we battled at this time last year makes me ever more grateful for the good health today!   I’m thankful for Matt and how hard he works to provide for us. I’m thankful for my family and the love that is shown to us all year long. I’m thankful for a warm house and food, not only on our table but in our cabinets. I’m thankful for new friends and new experiences. I’m thankful for my R+F business that allows me to contribute financially while not missing a moment with my little man! I’m thankful for the “lows” that have happened this year, because without them, I wouldn’t appreciate the “highs” as much. I’m thankful to live in a country where I can express my thoughts, opinions and beliefs without fear or shame. Above all else, I’m thankful fo

I was driving yesterday and the song "I've been watching you" by Rodney Atkins came on the radio. If you've never heard the song - give it a listen. I have heard that song a million times and I sing along when I hear it. But yesterday, I'm not going to lie, I cried as I listened to the words. For the first time those words hit me right in the face because I have a little man who is watching everything. I am with Colton a majority of the day and he sees and hears what I do. I know he's watching me and listening and learning. But when Matt comes home, that kid is like white on rice. He is a little sponge, soaking up every movement, every word, every look, every action and every emotion. He watches his Daddy like a hawk. If Matt says "thank you", Colton says "thank you". If Matt says "hey Renee", Colton says "hey Nay". If Matt does it - Colton is right behind him, doing his best to match it (no matter what "it"

As a Mom, I’m learning that there is a fine line between expectation and reality. I have expectations of what I want out of Colton, but the reality is he is not going to meet all of those expectations. It’s funny that it took me becoming a Mom to really understand this concept because it’s really no different when I’m dealing with adults. I have spent months trying to pinpoint what areas of my life area causing me conflict, stress and negativity. I have come to the conclusion that most of the conflict, stress and negativity that I feel is due to my reaction to the reality of a situation versus my expectation. Over the course of several months, I’ve been soul searching and reflecting on, not only what kind of person I am portraying to others, but the kind of person I really am, with no filter. It’s so easy to post cute pictures of Colton laughing and doing fun things or to post a Facebook status update of what a great day it is – but behind the scenes, is it a great day? Am I liv

It's interesting to me that when I'm struggling through hardship or when I don't understand something, or I feel tired/frustrated/defeated I seek God so passionately and with so much purpose. I pray boldly. When things are easy and life is "good", do I maybe take Him for granted? Why do I not pray just as boldly in thanks for His goodness? I've been digging into God's word more and more, learning and searching. It's so inspiring. While reading tonight, I found something interesting. I'm sure that I have learned this along the years, but never really stopped to give it thought (in depth). There are many aspects of sin. The interesting thing for me is the sins of commission (doing what is wrong) and the sins of omission (not doing what is right). I have always known that if I do something that is wrong, it's wrong (or a sin). I never stopped to think that NOT doing something that I should could also be a sin. What does that mean anyway? Not d

There is something special about Fall. The smell, the chill in the air, the colors, the sounds. It brings memories and emotions flooding through me. I can remember exact places, songs, events, relationships, talks, trips. It's nostalgic. I reflect, I think, I examine myself and I am hopeful! Many wonderful things have happened throughout my life during the Fall and I absolutely love this season. Matt proposed to me 5 years ago this month. I think back on these past 5 years and how far we have come as individuals, as a couple and as parents. Life has thrown us some curve balls but God has been so good to us. Hand in hand, we have fought some hard-won battles. One year ago, we got the keys to our house. This is the first house that Matt and I picked out and bought together, making it very special to us. We have done some updates and made some changes over the past year and we have slowly made this house our home. As I think about the last year in this house, I can't help bu

Did you know that back in 2000, Blockbuster passed on buying into Netflix? Blockbuster had 7,700 stores open and Netflix had just 300,000 subscribers and relied on the post office to deliver the movies to customers.   Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, wanted to form an alliance. Essentially, Netflix was willing to become Blockbuster's own streaming service. Hastings was going to sell a 49% stake in the company and take on the Blockbuster name. Blockbuster didn’t understand the business model. They couldn’t think outside the box and see where things were headed with technology and growth and they passed on the opportunity. Fast forward to 2004, and Blockbuster's downward spiral began. Blockbuster tried to launch its own subscription service but it was too late. By 2005, Netflix had 4.2 million subscribers and membership was steadily growing. Also, Hollywood studios began offering Netflix more movies for its library, and that hurt Blockbuster's video archive revenue. It se

If you know my husband, you know that he is always into a project at our house. It's both a blessing and a curse. I LOVE having a husband who does all of our home remodel projects and is handy around the house, but I don't always love the mess (especially with a toddler in the house). Matt works really long hours through the week, so we are weekend warriors when it comes to projects/anything fun/family time/etc... It's hard to cram it all in sometimes. Remodels and projects used to be so simple. Matt would get them ready for paint, I would paint and do the finishing touches and wham, bam, we were done! When you throw in a very busy toddler, who wants to "help" with everything - it really slows down the pace. Colton feels like the weekends are his time with Daddy (which he should). If Daddy is home, he wants to be in whichever room Daddy's in, doing whatever Daddy's doing. Although this is awesome on most occasions, it's not so awesome when you'

It's hard to believe that today is 9/11/14. 13 years have passed since the tragic day when our lives were changed forever. The America that I grew up in, was not the same. It was like an innocence was lost and brutal truth was standing in its place. I have always known that we live in a cruel, evil world but, as a freshman in college, I was still naive and innocent to the real harshness of the world. I came from a happy, loving home - in America. Land of the free, home of the brave. We don't have to worry about our safety - nothing happens on our soil. But, it did happen on that day 13 years ago, and things were different! Even 13 years later, there is devastation. All around us, evil is waiting to strike again. It's always been this way, from the beginning of time. Good verses Evil. The devil never sleeps. It's easy to get discouraged and feel weary of all the hatred and disgust in our world, but we need soldiers in Christ who can fight the battles! Today, I see

Matt took me to dinner tonight to celebrate my last night as a 31 year old. It was a total surprise and he actually called me and asked me to go “on a date”. As we sat there talking about the past and how fast time has seemed to pass, I am in awe of the amazing life I have had in 31 years. I am beyond blessed. Matt and I had a whole dinner, just the two of us, and for the first time in a long time, we talked about so many fun things from the past. I don’t know that Colton came up one time in the whole conversation (which is so weird). We talked about Garth Brooks and how we wish we were able to get tickets to one of his come-back concerts. Talking about Garth got us started on how much older we feel now, knowing that we were just fresh out of high school when he “retired” (we’ve been graduated for 14 years)! We talked about how Colton will be 2 in just 4 months (oops, I guess we did talk about Colton during dinner after all). We talked about how much we have been through in the (al

About 6 or 7 years ago, we found a campground in Virginia that we really like to visit. It’s primitive camping (meaning, no water or electric hookups, no cell phone service and no Internet) which makes for a really nice time for visiting with just the people you’re with – no outside distractions. This year, we had 19 people, 5 campers and 2 tents. We took up 5 camp sites and had a great time! Matt, Colton and I left on Friday morning and headed to Bristol so that we could stop and check out the brand new Bass Pro Shop up there. While we were waiting on the rest of our camping crew, we looked around the store, got Colton his first BPS hat and grabbed lunch at their restaurant (which was – surprisingly –   good). We had great weather driving and setting up camp but as soon as we had everything out, in came a torrential downpour. It was probably the hardest rain we’ve ever experienced while camping up there. It lasted for about an hour (long enough to completely soak everything) a

Writing a blog is a funny thing. For me, my blog is my outlet or my journal. The posts that appear on my computer screen are just random thoughts and events from my life. I know some people read them and some people don't. I do try to keep my posts upbeat and positive, but there are days that it doesn't come out that way. I try to stay away from political debates and drama. I simply like to share stories and my experiences as a woman, a wife and a Mom. If it helps somebody along the way, that's fantastic. I, in no way, am trying to preach, teach or influence anyone by what I write. I am not writing to anybody specific - just myself. I want to make sure that all of you reading my blog understand that my blog entries are just me, being me. I'm sorting through the messy and the good that make up my crazy life. I have learned through this writing process that it's helping me to grow into a better person, each and every day! After a really great conversation with my

One of the (many) things I love about my husband is that he will eat leftovers for days. He can put together some concoctions that I'm not really sure are even safe for a person to eat, but he cleans out the fridge every week! Love that. Here's a recipe that he has started requesting and I want to share! No need to worry about leftovers with this one. Enjoy. Bowtie Sausage Skillet Ingredients 1 Tbsp Olive Oil 1 lb Hillshire Farm Smoked Turkey (sliced) 1 Cup Diced Onion 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic 2 Cups Chicken Broth 1 (10 oz) Can Diced Tomatoes 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream 8 oz Bowtie Pasta (dry) 1/2 Tsp Salt and Pepper (each) 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar-Jack Cheese 1/3 Cup chopped scallions for garnish (optional) Instructions 1) Add olive oil to large sauté pan over medium/high heat 2) Add onions and sausage - cook until lightly browned 3) Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds 4) Add chicken broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt/pepper 5) Bring the mixture to a boil 6) Cove

I am finding that understanding Colton’s brain is impossible. I don’t understand why certain things are hilarious, I don’t understand what makes him tick and what makes him happy and how there is such a fine line between the two. I don’t understand (but embrace and appreciate) his mechanical mind. I am amazed at the challenges that come up every single day. Just when we overcome one hurdle, we hit another! I knew this was going to be a learning process, from start to finish, but I guess I didn’t really understand what that learning process was going to entail. I have done a lot of research on the “terrible two’s” because I dread it so bad. Dr. Woods informed me that we might already be in the stages of that now (Colton has done everything early, from popping his first tooth through at 5 months old to walking by 11 months). If we are, in fact, in the start of our terrible years, maybe they will go as quickly as they have come! I’m just making it known right now, terrible two’s ar

Today, I took Colton to the library for the first time. We went for "story time". I realized that I haven't been in the library, myself, for WAY too long. It always feels nostalgic when I walk into a library. I remember the old library in downtown Marshall . I remember the way the floor creaked. I remember the ramp walking in and the old (what my sister and I called the "secret") back door. I remember the stamps they put on the cards in the back. I remember searching through all the names on the card to see if anybody I knew had read that book before me! Ahhh, the good ole days. The Greene County Library has "story time" on Tuesday mornings at 10:30. I have to admit, I was a little nervous taking Colton because his attention span and "still time" is about 10-15 minutes (on a good day). He was a little wiggly and a lot distracted but overall, he did really well. Being in the library today made me realize, even more than normal, how techn

We live in a world of confusion and pain. It's hard to watch the news - I rarely do. I hate talking politics and I get totally worked up over lots of issues that I don't agree with. I can agree to disagree (I guess). I live in a country where I can still pray and believe what I want. I can uphold a standard that I believe good and not be punished for it...or can I? I'm not sure. That is why I say, we live in a world full of confusion and pain. I'm not going to start a political debate here, but I do want to share what's on my heart. I pray for Colton every day. I pray that this cruel, dirty, messed up world won't dim that beautiful light I see inside of him. I pray that he is confident enough in what he believes, and in who he is, to be able to face those who bully, hurt, degrade and cause pain just out of ignorance and lack of Godliness. I pray for our president, he needs guidance and direction from our Heavenly Father. I pray for our country and our people.

Mondays! They get such a bad rap. I mean, if we got to pick which day of the week we could be, who would actually pick Monday? Nobody has anything good to say about Monday! A lot of people actually spend Sunday afternoon/evening dreading Monday. I actually feel kind of bad for the day. But, there is something about Mondays... This morning, Colton had his 18 month check up with Dr. Woods. Yep, we're only about 18 days late, but whatever. :-) Colton goes to Dr. Woods for his check ups, goes to the health department for his shots, he's had to see 2 different specialists and had a small, outpatient procedure done (in March) so he is not a fan of anything that even looks like a doctor's office/medical building/hospital. He is terrified of scrubs and, sadly, the nice women who are wearing them. He is very vocal, very stubborn, very dramatic (no idea where he gets that from...) and very, very strong for only being 1.5 years old. The entire drive to the office, I was telling Co

My Mom sent me a link to "Scary Mommy". It's a blog written by Annie Reneau. The blog post was titled " Sometimes I Cry ". I did cry - reading it. With all of the emotions I have been feeling lately, I truly felt like I could've written that myself! It was everything I have been trying to spit out of myself over the past few weeks! I love how she says, "I cry little one, because the world's so big and you're so small...I cry because you're so big and I'm so small". Ugh, just thinking about the words she writes, makes me feel all teary eyed again. I've been struggling with Colton finding his independence and finding where I fit into everything! Annie writes "Sometimes I cry because in the process of gaining you, I gave up a version of me, and though I wouldn’t change that even if I could, sometimes I miss me desperately.".  This just hit me so hard. This is me! Right now...this.is.me! It's been a roller coaster

If you take a very active little boy (with red hair) who has never been a good sleeper and combine that with the 18 month sleep regression and add in a lot of strong will and independence you get a really tired Momma and Daddy. Matt and I have learned to deal with the fact that Colton has never been, and never will be one of those babies people talk about being "such a great sleeper. I put him to bed at 8 and he sleeps until 8 in the morning". But, he was actually sleeping about 7 hours a night and it was awesome!! The past 2 weeks have been horrible. I feel like we have a newborn all over again. I read some articles on "sleep regression". It seems that the 18 month sleep regression can be the hardest battle to face when it comes to sleep patterns/routines. I mean, Colton' last sleep regressions were difficult and exhausting enough, but this one at 18 months seems be one of the hardest. I think it's because there’s a discipline factor involved in this re