New Venture

Ever since my rant blog post last week, I've been doing a lot of thinking about some changes that I would like to make for me.  I even said that I needed something for myself- an outlet, something that I would enjoy doing.  Well folks, I took a step in that direction yesterday:

I'm so excited to announce that I have joined the Nerium business!  My mother-in-law has been selling Nerium since this past December, and has done incredibly well in the short time she's been in the biz.  Although I already knew this information, the big selling point to me was the changes to my mom's skin in less than 24 hours of using the Nerium AD product.  I was amazed!  After doing my own research I decided to sign on!

I'm very excited for this business opportunity.  Of course, I'm only one day into this new venture and have a lot to learn; however, I plan on working hard to do the best that I can!  I promise, this blog will not become solely about Nerium, but I will be posting new updates, launches, pictures, and information about the Nerium products now and again.  Feel free to check it out and if you're not interested, no problem!  No pressure from me whatsoever!

If you want to check out Nerium and it's incredible anti-aging benefits you can visit my website at:
www.lhmosely.nerium.com.

Have a Happy Friday!!

~LL

Mid-week catch-up

Happy Hump day!  I can't believe it's already Wednesday, but I'm not complaining.  The past few days have been for the birds!

We had Aaron's birthday party at the house this past Saturday and it turned out to be the perfect day for a party.  The sun was shining and it was actually really warm outside.  We rented a bouncy house for the occasion, and it did not disappoint.  Aaron and all his little friends had a blast; moving from the bouncy house to the trampoline and back and forth.  These kids like to jump!  The theme was "Monster Truck" and a couple of friends of mine made the most amazing cake.  Check it out:

It was actually a "cupcake cake."  Isn't it adorable?

I forgot to take pictures of the party (mom of the year) so I have nothing to show for all the fun the kids had.  I got Adam to snap a picture of Aaron and I after the party.  Next year I've got to do better.

My big birthday boy!

After the birthday party fun Saturday, my little buddy woke up Sunday with that vicious stomach flu that's been going around.  He couldn't even enjoy playing with his new toys he felt so bad.  Broke my heart.  Luckily, it was just a twelve-hour bug, and he was good as new Monday.  I kept him home with me Monday just so he could chill out, and after half a day of that I realized that I'm real glad he goes to preschool.  Adam woke up with the bug early Tuesday morning, but like Aaron it was just a 12 hour thing.  So far, I've been out of the line of fire and I hope to stay that way.  I have lysol'd the s$*t out of everything in this house, washed my hands until they've almost bled, popped Airborne like it's my job, and have opened every window in this house to get some fresh air flowing through.  Virus be gone!

Monday afternoon my mom and I drove to McDonough for a little shopping therapy.  We went to Ulta, and of course, I had to buy something.  Gah, that store is like crack to me.  The endless aisles of makeup -way too much for me to handle.  I was super excited that after my purchase, the saleslady popped a free sample of the It's A 10 Miracle leave-in conditioner in my bag.  I can't wait to try this out.  My hair has been super dry lately, not silky at all, so I'm hoping this will be my hair miracle.  Afterwards we headed over to Babies R' Us where I picked up the Baby Brezza Baby Food Maker.  I made Aaron's food when he was a baby, and I really wanted to do the same thing for Harper.  This machine is a beast.  I love it!  It's basically a one-stop shop for easy baby-food making.  The machine steams and blends all in one.  Very convenient.  All you do is cut up your fruit and veggies, add some water, pop the top on, punch in the amount of time the food needs to steam, and voila!  You have sweet potatoes!

Not a great quality photo- stole from my IG

So fun!  It even came with a recipe book that tells you how long to steam the food and everything.  I didn't have one of these with Aaron and I wish I had.  Making his baby food was a process: I used a steaming basket, a food processor, a blender, etc.  This was so easy! 

Now for randoms:

• Kimye on the cover of Vogue.  Love it or hate it?  I'm on the fence.  I'm not going to lie, I like Kim K, y'all.  Not in a J Simp way because I adore her, but more in a "I like her from watching KUWTK for years" way.  Did I think she looked beautiful?  Absolutely.  Do I think her and Kanye should have been on the cover of Vogue?  Not really.  
• Gwynnie and Chris Martin have separated.  I'm not shocked.  Rumors have been flying for years that he and Kate Bosworth were hooking it up.  Why both of these women would be attracted to him, I'm at a loss: 

Gwyneth->Brad->Ben->Chris Martin?Kate->ASkars->Chris Martin?
Um, no.  I'm confused.  Maybe he's a really good dancer (wink). ;)

• I think Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher make a really cute couple and I'm really excited they're going to get married and have a really cute baby.  My hubby, who has a massive crush on Mila, thinks it's disgusting and that she's way too good for him.  (Poor guy- I made him watch E! News while rubbing my feet the other night.  I've got a winner.) A house divided!

Enjoy your day!

~LL

A follow-up

Happy Friday, guys!

I want to say thank you for all of the encouraging comments and feedback from my last blog post.  I took everything each of you said to heart and I appreciate all of the support.  All of you are amazing, strong women!

I would like to clarify something from my last post that I'm thinking might have come across the wrong way.  I was in no way complaining of my job or my "season" as a stay-at-home-mama.  There is nothing that I love more than being able to stay home with my children in this moment and time.  Of course, there are some days that are tougher than others. Working moms, single moms, stay-at-home-moms can all agree that parenting is hard work.  As one of my lovely commenters stated, there is "a sisterhood in motherhood" and we're all just doing the best that we can.  We all have our different challenges; I'm not saying my cross to bear is greater than anyone else. My point of the last blog entry was frustration with the fact that my husband is not home every day to help me out.  In fact, he's not home a lot of the time.  I am basically a single mother most of the time.  That's why the blog was titled "Burnt Out."  I was having a moment, and expressed my frustration with our current situation; this is what my blog is for: to express frustration every now and again. I'm just going to lay it out: it's easy for people to say "this is only momentary," "enjoy it because they'll grow up fast," "this is your season."  Most of the people that say these things and write these articles have significant others that come home every night.  I, in fact, do not.  And I know there are a number of women, like myself, that are in very similar situations.  There is no break at 5:00.  There is no light at the end of the tunnel some days.  But, that's okay.  I was raised by an independent, army wife. I am a strong woman and I am proud of the fact that I can be both mom and dad all.day.every.day.  Yes, this is a season of my life.  No, my husband won't be in a job that requires days and days away from us forever.  Yes, I will survive.  And yes, I am very thankful for all of my blessings; especially the two beautiful ones asleep in their beds at this moment.

Amen.

Have a wonderful Friday & enjoy your weekend!

~LL

Burnt Out

Warning: This post is solely dedicated to feeling sorry for myself.  I know it's not right and I know that it's selfish; however, it is my blog and I give myself permission to vent.  If you are not in the mood, which I completely understand, feast your eyes upon this and have a wonderful day.  You're welcome. 

I am friggin' exhausted.  My back hurts, my head hurts, everything hurts.  I am so completely over this doom and gloom weather.  It's not helping my attitude one bit.  I am sick of my phone and my entirely too high phone bill; $125/month for an iPhone 5.  A little ridiculous, am I right?  I'm seriously considering giving it up for a flip phone I'm that over it.

I know all of this is random, but it feels as if every thing that could go wrong has gone wrong over the past week.  My poor baby has been fighting a cold for days now.  There are only so many times I can squeeze saline in her little nose, and suck out snot with a Nosefrida.  Graphic I know.  I feel like shit.  I don't know if I've gotten her cold, or it's allergies.  As of right now, Aaron's managed to stay well, but that could change at any moment. 

I'm so sick of my husband's job.  I know I'm totally "biting the hand that feeds me," but I'm tired of my husband being gone for days at a time.  With two kids, it's just not manageable anymore.  I know there are single moms out there, and I give them big props for doing everything all the time.  With that being said, I didn't sign up to be a single mom which I feel like most of the time.  I do everything by myself.  I'm over it.  Maybe I just suck at time management, but I feel as if the time I do have to myself (nap time and bedtime) I'm too exhausted to do anything except watch the ABC lineup until I pass out on the couch.  Hell, I went to bed at 9 pm last night, slept until 7, and was still tired when I got up this morning.  I'm embarrassed to say that the last "non-mommy" book I read was Gone Girl last year. 

There are so many things I want/need to do for me: make Harper's baby food, cook dinner more often, catch up on the laundry, wake up an hour early each day and get ready before the kids get up, go to bed early every night to ensure I get at least eight hours of sleep, start the Paleo diet and kick this pregnancy weight to the curb, exercise more- if not every day at least every other day, read a good book every month, get off Facebook because all it does is waste my time, take a vacay somewhere warm with my girlfriends for a week (we'll be all "Luh Ya Papi" JLo style with cute cabana boys everywhere).  The list goes on......

Ugh.  Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer today.  I know that I am blessed.  I know that God has given me so much in my two beautiful, healthy children, my always-patient husband, my amazing family and friends, and so many other blessings that I could go on and on.  It doesn't change the fact that I'm eager for change.  I'm ready for my husband to be home more often, the kids and I miss him dearly.  And as much as I love being a stay-at-home-mom to these precious loves, I need something for me- both physically and mentally. Once I figure that out, I'll let you know.  Until then.....

XO,
LL

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

And most importantly, Happy 4th Birthday to my boy, my love, my Aaron Mo!!!

I cannot get over the fact that he's 4.  It blows my mind.  Literally.  I can remember the day he was born like it happened yesterday.  I went into labor at 7:15 on a Tuesday night.  I was watching E! News (given), and felt a contraction.  Fast-forward five hours and Adam and I, with my mom and sister in tow, were headed to the hospital.  After 18 long hours of labor, and 2 hours of actual pushing, he came out at 2:45 on St. Patrick's day.  That day immediately became the best day of my life.  I remember looking at him for the first time; he was so beautiful.  Round and rosy, with a head full of hair.  I remember thinking to myself, "I knew you were going to be cute, but I had no idea you'd be this beautiful."  He came out screaming and I thanked God for his healthy lungs.  As soon as he came out, he started peeing...everywhere.  Haha.  It still cracks me up to this day when I think about it.  As soon as they wiped him off, and handed him to me he immediately stopped crying.  Like "There you are, mom.  I was looking for you."  The first night in the hospital he kept whimpering; I had fed him, changed him, everything I could think of.  My mom said, "Honey, I think he just wants you."  Sure enough, I put him in the bed cuddled up next to me, and he dozed right off.  Just wanted to be next to mom.

To this day, he's still my love that wants to be cuddled and kissed.  Not a day goes by that he doesn't climb in my lap, or next to me on the couch for a cuddle and a kiss.  At night when I tuck him in, right before I close his door he'll say "Wait!  I love you, mama."  My heart melts.  He is hilarious and so smart.  He makes Adam and I so very proud.  Although he has his days (boy does he have his days), Adam and I are so grateful God trusted us enough with His child.  He is the love of our lives.

A few of our Aaron Mo's favorite things:

• The color blue.
• Monster trucks
• Chocolate.....lots of it and chicken nuggets.
• Sophie May
• Paw Patrol, Team Umi Zoomi, and WallyKazam
• Monsters Inc
• "Dark Horse"-Katy Perry
• Dancing (just like his mama)
• Riding his bike and hitting his tee ball.
•  His sister, "Harpa"....although he'd never admit it!
• Brushing his teeth
• Riding the "show-wheeler" and the "Gata."

And the list goes on.  Here's a video I made of our love.  Enjoy!

Happy 4th Birthday, buddy!!  We love you so much!!

~LL

The J Simp/Daisy Dukes curse

I need advice.  I am in a major rut weight-wise.  These pounds are not falling off fast enough.  I won't even go into the numbers on the scale because that is just too depressing.  I've been doing Weight Watchers steadily for the past three weeks and I've lost 3 pounds.  That's basically a pound a week.  Not bad, but in the past I could have lost 5-6 pounds by this point.  It's so depressing.  I know the second kid is "harder" to lose, but technically Harper was my third pregnancy.  Given, I haven't been eating egg whites, spinach, and salad for every meal, but I've stuck within my given WW point range.  Why is it so hard??  It doesn't help that there are all of these unrealistic expectations that women should be a size 6 within 3 months of spitting out their kid.  I'm over it.  Today, I was so over it that I went back to Chick-fil-A and ordered the number one combo.  Good news?  I ate two fries and threw them away- not worth the extra calories.  Bad news?  I inhaled the chicken sandwich. 

A friend is letting me borrow her copy of  Tracy Anderson's Post-Pregnancy workout DVD which I've done twice in the past 2 days.  That in itself is a great workout, and I love that it really focuses on the abs since that's really my only problem area.  I'm needing cardio in my life; need to get that heart rate up and start burning some major cals.  With the weather finally starting to cooperate, it's now a great time to throw Harper in her stroller and walk.  I'm considering getting another treadmill; in the past we didn't have the room, and I didn't use it enough.  Now, we have the room and I plan to use it a lot.  I would join a gym, but don't really have the extra income for that right now.  Thoughts?  Advice?  What did you do to kick this baby weight to the curb?

Xo,
LL

Oscars Recap

Hey friends!

I totally meant to post yesterday about the Oscars, but my OCD brain decided to log on and make some changes to my blog instead.  By the time I finished tweaking a few things, both kids were up from their naps and I had to cook dinner.  Never enough time in the day!

Before we delve into all things celebrity, I have another exciting announcement.....I got a job at our church (Aaron's preschool) as a teacher's aide!  I'm pumped.  It'll only be two days a week, mornings only, but it's perfect for easing back into the working world.  The best part is that Harper can come with me, so I won't have to pay for outside childcare at this time.  Really excited about that!


Now, let's talk Oscar's:

• Jared Leto won.  He not only won the Best Supporting Actor category, he also won for best eyes.....hair....teeth.......you get where I'm going with this.  As Ellen said, he wins the award for "most beautiful!"  And, how cute and sweet is his personality??  Love how he loves his mama.  Love that he's not only a beautiful man, but also a beautiful woman in Dallas Buyer's Club.  Most of all, I love that Jordan Catalano is so smart and successful!  My So-Called Life representing, y'all!

"Your cuticles look like little moons!" (Prize for whoever can tell me what episode Angela says this to Jordan!)

• Matthew McConaughey won for Best Actor in Dallas Buyer's Club, as well.  He was incredibly handsome (per usual) and had the best acceptance speech out of everyone in my opinion.  He even capped it off with his signature "alright, alright, alright."  Dreamy.  Love a good ole' country boy.   

                                                 

Camilla Alves is gorge.  (image via)

•  I'm probably going to be in big trouble for saying this, but I'm a little over JLaw.  Don't get me wrong, she's beautiful, seems really down to earth, and she's freakin' hilarious.  But now I feel like she's trying too hard to be funny.  One of the best things about her is that she's hilarious without meaning to be.  Now, it's become her shtick.  Just be you, Jennifer! 

Notice how in both this year's Oscars and last year's she's doing the "necklace down the back thing."  (images via here and here)

•  Kerry Washington and her baby bump were beautiful.  This woman can do no wrong fashion-wise:

(image via)

•  I cannot believe these words are about to come out of my mouth, but......I thought Angelina looked really beautiful AND, (has Hell frozen over yet?) she seemed really nice.  Agh!  There.  I said it.  I was really impressed with how well she handled Ellen and that awesome selfie.  Usually, she's all weird, awkward, and uptight, but Sunday night she seemed genuinely nice, happy, and dare I say, a few pound heavier?!?  Go Angelina.  I'll never be on a "Team Angie" basis with you, but let's just say we're on neutral ground now.

(image via)

•  I thought Leo acted weird.  Shocker, I know, but he totally turned down a piece of pizza from Ellen.  Like, put his hands up in the air dramatically turned down.  Dude, you're a dude.  I mean, I'm sorry it's not Rack of Lamb.  Just eat a piece of damn pizza.  And enjoy it.
• John Travolta (eeek.....he gives me the grossies) calling Idina Menzel  "Adele Dazeem."  Wth??  He and his scary face got to go!
• Does Julia Roberts ever age??  She looked amazing.

A lot of people didn't care for her dress, but I liked it.  (image via)

I didn't like this dress on Jessica Biel.  I think it washed her out too much.  She's definitely beautiful, but get it together, honey.  You're married to JT- step.it.up. (image via)

Kate Hudson wins the whole night for me.  I mean, can she do any wrong?  So gorge.  This is a pic of her Oscars dress and after-party dress.  Obsessed. (image via)

Hands down, the best part of the show was Ellen.  She's just such a funny, joyful person and I think she needs to host every year.  As celebrity-obsessed as I am, I never stay up to watch the whole show, but I did Sunday night.  Good job, Ellen!  America obviously loves you!

(image via)

Xo,
LL