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

Catching up...again

Oh my gosh.  Let me just say that I know I am not living up to my new years resolution of blogging more often.  My last blog was two weeks ago!  Not good.  I promise to get better, people.  Especially since I have a new blogging adventure to share with y'all....BUT- first things first:

The past two weeks a lot of things have happened.  Well, I say a lot, and it's really only been like two things, but in boring mom world, it's a lot. 

I got a new car.  Whoop!  I use the word "new" loosely, because it is pre-owned.  Here's a pic:

I named her Lola.  And I love her. 

Adam and I hit the jackpot with our new ride; a 2005 BMW X3.  We went out on a search for a Chevy Equinox last Friday.  There was a beautiful white one on the Cronic Chevy/GMC lot in town that I had my eye one.  Lo and behold, by the time we got up there it was gone.  After leaving there, and driving up to Carmax in Morrow and still not finding anything, I suggested we hit up the Hennessy Southlake location since I'd spotted a few Equinox's at their lot on Autotrader.  The dealer (who I liked a lot and would highly recommend) pulled up the Equinox's and other mid-size SUV's on the computer that he thought we might have interest in.  That's when he said these magic words: "A BMW X3 in your price range just pulled onto the lot an hour ago.  Would you be interested in looking at it?"  Um, yes.  Hell yes.  That's like asking me if I would possibly be interested in going on a date with Ryan Gosling.  Or ASkars.  WHAT DO YOU THINK?!?!  Given.  In order not to show my excitement, and put on my best "poker face" (everyone who knows me knows that I don't do poker face) I said "sure, we can look at it."  The whole time I was trying to avoid eye contact with Adam, because I knew that just as soon as I looked at him I would die laughing.  Once the dealer got up to grab the keys, the following is my conversation with Adam:

Me: (smiling so big my face might split) "Holy hell.  This is not happening.  We don't have this kind of luck."
Adam: "I know!  There's got to be something wrong with it.  We don't have this kind of luck."

Around this time our dealer pulled the car up.  Uhh....SOLD!

So yeah, basically we were both sold on this car before I even drove it.  After our test drive, Adam and I said at the same time "WE WANT IT!"  After three more hours of of waiting and signing the proper paperwork, she was ours!  We walked out to our new car, and in the words of our man Jesse Pinkman, yelled out "yeah, bitch!"  Then we drove our girl off the lot. 

Thank you, Jesus!

I heart you, Lola.  <3 p="">

Another huge thing happened: my babies got baptized.  Hands down, the best part of our eventful weekend.  I was so positive that I was going to bawl my eyes out watching my beautiful baby girl, in her beautiful christening gown (thank you for this gown, Shannon!), but Aaron killed me with his bravery.  He stood so tall as our pastor sprinkled water over his head...makes me cry when I think of it now.  He's growing up so fast, and getting so big.  My heart swells with the biggest love for these two angels.

Thank you, God.

Of course, I was the mom who didn't take any pictures of my babies and our family all dressed up for their big day.  Wth??  I think my dress was so tight that it prevented my brain from working.  Yep, that's what I'm going with.


I have some exciting news to finally share!  I will be blogging for the online shopping boutique Ella Bleu! For those of you not familiar with Ella Bleu, they are a very successful online shopping boutique co-owned by three of my dearest girlfriends out of Macon, GA.  Click the link and go check them out!  Their clothes are so fabulous, and the prices can't be beat.  With their amazing success and huge popularity, they are now branching out into web-based selling, and will be starting their own webpage very soon.  They asked me if I would be interested in writing their weekly blog, and I of course said yes!  I am so completely flattered in their confidence in me, and I hope I can live up to their expectations.  I will certainly try!  Cheers to new ventures!

Now for a round-up:

• I made the mistake (again) of watching the last few episodes of Breaking Bad this week.  Netflix added them Monday, and I, or course, fell right into that trap (again)!  Am I glutton for punishment??  I want a spin-off!  Of Jesse.  And Saul.  Who wants to help me make that happen??
• Speaking of the above, my friend Carrie, FB'd me a couple of weekends ago to inform me that she was, indeed, sitting next to Aaron Paul and his lovely wife at a restaurant in Atl.  DYING!!!!!!  And.....he smiled at her.  AGH!!!!  Cannot.handle.it.
• Grey's Anatomy comes back tonight!  #teamjackson
• Oscar's are this Sunday!  Getting prepped for a red carpet recap!

That's all this tired mommy brain can think of today.  I think it's time for another cup of coffee!

Muah!

~LL

Ice Jam 2014

The sun is shining, there's a soft breeze blowing, and my windows are open.  Is it spring yet?  Nope. Just the day after Snowpocalypse 2014 Part 2.  How bipolar is the weather here in GA?  Yesterday we were locked inside, watching ice accumulate on everything, and today the sun is shining and it's a cool 36 degrees outside.  Until yesterday I thought that was really cold.  Today I'm just thankful to walk outside. 

We've been camping out over at my parents house the past two nights.  Thank God, they never lost power.  We did, indeed, lose power over here; thank goodness we weren't home.  With Adam traveling, and me home with a toddler and a baby.....Lord help.  The past two days have consisted of my fave stretchy pants, lots of coffee, lots of wine, lots of carbs, lots of TV, and lots of pinning low-carb recipes when I do get back on the wagon.  My low-carb diet has been significantly botched in the past 24 hours: pigs-in-a-blanket for lunch yesterday, frozen pizza and fries for dinner, peanut butter brownies (yes, I did just say peanut butter brownies) as a mid-morning snack....and an after lunch snack.  Eeekk.  I'm bad.  I'm not stepping on a scale for another week. Luckily, we are back at home now and both kids are napping.  We have power (thank goodness), but there are still plenty of people who don't.  Say a prayer for those people, and that everyone gets their power restored very soon.  Hurry up, Spring!

Moving on....I have some exciting news.  No, I'm not prego and no, Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes have not called it quits.  I don't want to share too much on here yet as details haven't been finalized, but I will say that there is a new blog "venture" on the horizon and I'm super pumped about it.  No worries (for you five devoted, amazing readers of mine)- LL's not going anywhere.  This is something new and exciting.  I can't wait to share once everything's ironed out!

While both kids are napping, I'm going to take advantage.  In the past two days, Harper has decided that naps of only 30 minutes are perfectly acceptable.....um, no.

Ciao!

~LL