A Sweet Day

Today.
So many words could describe today. It was just one of those days where your life could pass for picture perfect. I like those kind of days. There aren't an absurd number of them so when they come around I like to bask in their wonderfulness. Makes me want to just sit back and say, "Ahhh..."

Today was my Hubby's second Father's Day. At first we weren't sure he would be able to even SEE us, but our luck changed and I woke up to him coming through our bedroom door :D
We went to the park, cuddled together, drank homemade lemonade, ate our family favorite dinner (tacos, of course!), talked about our family's future and our dreams. I didn't want it to end.

Some people are just great parents from day one. My husband is one of them. Really, he is.
He is gentle but firm. Kind and fun. He wants to give our son a life of adventure, wonder and opportunity. He works hard everyday to provide a beautiful life for us. I couldn't have hand picked a better person to raise a child with. He leaves me speechless.

I am SO blessed. And so is our son.
What an incredible role model he has. What a amazing partner I have.

This day is for you, honey. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you! For your love, sacrifices and the magic you bring to our lives everyday.
We are so grateful.

We love you!

Summer Heat

Summer is practically here.
Scratch that. It is here. And by here I mean, North Carolina.
It is HOT. Stifling. Hard to breathe hot. Yuck.

Being originally from Florida you would think that the heat wouldn't be an issue to me since I am a good 8 hours north from where I lived for almost my entire life. But nope, I think it's safe to say that the summer here is much more unbearable and my very least favorite season. How sad :( I'm so used to summer being happy and exciting.

To cheer myself up and make this summer a little less miserable, I have made a list (like all good list makers do) of all the fun things I will accomplish in the next few months.

1. Make lemonade, mojitos and margaritas often. And often meaning at the very least twice a week.
2. Enjoy our kiddie pool with my kiddie and also my girlfriends during nap time while drinking something from the list above.
3. Paint the trim in my house. Yes, this is exciting to me. I know, lame.
4. Go on a family vacation somewhere WAY north of here. Boston? Philadelphia? Who knows.
5. Read through the rainbow resource center catalog, that is roughly the size of an encyclopedia.
6. Eat what grows from my garden.
7. Go to thrift stores and search for treasures. (like the first edition Hardy Boys book I found circa 1958)
8. Read at least 5 books from my "Must Read" book list.
9. Watch season 2 of Glee.
10. Plan my living room makeover.
11. Re cover my vintage wing back chair with some nifty fabric.

That's all I have for now. I'll be sure to update how much of this list I actually accomplish.
Happy summer!

Organizing my Life

I LOVE being organized.

Problem is, I often have trouble staying organized. Especially, when I don't have a clear execution of whatever it is I'm trying to organize. For example, the cabinet under my kitchen sink where I house all my cleaning supplies was the most cluttered, scary, filthy part of my whole kitchen. I don't know how it ever got so bad or when it started to go down hill but this week I opened it up and really looked around down there and about had a minor stroke. I had been hoarding empty bottles of windex, all purpose cleaners and dish soap. There was a dried up, caked on spill under most of my sponges from my stainless steel cleaner that had been knocked over and never picked up. And I had piles of half used rags scattered everywhere.

It was down right horrifying.

I decided it needed to be cleaned up and organized ASAP. So I went to about 3 stores looking for shower caddies or utility caddies and finally found them at BB&B. I love that store. It's almost dangerous how much I love that place. Good thing it's about 30 minutes away on the other side of town. Any who, I bought two of those babies and set off to organize the disaster under my sink.

I scrubbed and cleaned and scrubbed some more. Then I organized my caddies into a bathroom caddy and a bedroom/ living area caddy. That way when I have to go up stairs to clean my bathrooms I just grab the handy bathroom caddy and everything I need is right there. And when it's time to clean bedrooms or dust and clean windows I just grab the other caddy. Simple as simple can be. And VERY organized.

The bathroom caddy contains: bathroom and shower cleaner, windex, toilet cleaner, rubber gloves, paper towels, sponges, a rag and masks.

The living area caddy contains: windex, dust spray, furniture polish, carpet cleaner, paper towels, sponges, a rag, a brush and masks (because I don't like to breath in dust and chemicals when I clean)

Doesn't it feel so good to get organized? :)

The Decision

I remember when I was in 8th grade, the assistant principal of our school held a goodbye assembly for all of the students in my grade before we left for high school. He said that in life there are 3 things you absolutely have to do. He listed them off in this order: birth, death and then he threw a curve ball to my then 14 year old brain. He said you have to make decisions. I remember thinking at the time that he was a little off his rocker because there were plenty of things that could also be put on that list but his point was a valid one and it stuck with me.

Just like everyone, I have made my fair share of poor decisions. Thankfully, I turned out alright, maybe a little quirky with a hint of OCD and not always as patient as I would like to be but I'm working on it.

Since the minute I found out I was pregnant, I have painstakingly thought through just about every decision that would involve my baby with the utmost attention, research and prayer. Dont misunderstand me, I am not in any way claiming to be a perfect mother. I couldn't be farther from it. There is just no such thing. Making decisions for another life has been a very sobering experience but one that has given such great purpose to my existence. I knew I would breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months, and continue for as long as it worked for both of us. I co-slept, made my own baby food and rocked the baby wearing look. I've been a huge advocate for natural parenting and read labels constantly. So when, I started looking into the school system where we are currently living ( I am a planner so although it seems early to be looking into schools, that's just the way I do it and it has proven beneficial time and time again) I was horrified with what I found. I was a public school graduate and had a great experience but location is everything when it comes to public education. Needless to say I quickly threw out the idea of sending our son to public school. Then I researched private schools in our area and wasn't very impressed with what I found, not to mention they came with a price tag that was a little too far out of our budget.
I felt defeated, discouraged and frustrated. What was I going to do? How could our son possibly receive the education that we so wanted for him? It came down to moving or homeschooling. Since moving is not in the cards for us, homeschooling was the last resort.

I guess I had the same negative opinions that most people have when the topic of homeschooling is brought up in conversation, unless of course they are homeschooling their children or they had a homeschool education themselves. I'd say the two main comments I have heard are A. Homeschool families are all weirdos and B. What about socialization? Honestly speaking, I was guilty of having such thoughts back in the day. I was speaking from knowledge that I gained only through movies or tv and we all know how close to the truth that can be. The more I read and talk to families who homeschool the more I love the whole idea of it. The benefits I have found from not even starting yet outweigh any cons that I can think of. Actually my cons list is completely blank except for some scribbles and stick figures that I started to draw when I got bored from not being able to put anything negative on the page. It's funny how some things fall in to your lap out of sheer circumstance then turn out to be something that means so much more. I feel that way about my quest to homeschool our children. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to go down this path, I'm looking forward to having a hands on relationship with my son's education and truly being able to watch him grow and develop in a entirely different way.

To address the common concerns in the case to homeschool, the first one being that all homeschooling families are weirdos.... Well maybe they are but aren't we all a little weird? So you are saying that sending your kid to public school means that they won't be weird? I don't think so. I went to public school and I'm all kinds of weird. And the infamous socialization concern, that one is like people asking me how I get my protein if I don't eat meat.... Silly and just plain uneducated. You don't send your child to school to socialize. You send them to get an education. There is actually very little time given to "socialize" in school. Socialization stems from the home or it should stem from the home. I can't expect a teacher with 20 something five year olds to have time to make sure my son knows how to interact with others and be a functioning member of society. That is my job as his parent and something I want to teach him. The nice thing about homeschool is that there are usually only a few children to teach so actual school time is complete much quicker then if there were 5 or 6 times that. Meaning much more time left over for extracurricular activities, field trips and time for kids to explore subjects that actually interest them.

I don't believe that homeschooling is for everyone but I think that everyone could homeschool if they so wanted. I am excited to see how this chapter of our lives plays out. Hope this has given the skeptics a little food for thought :)

Full Plate

Do you know what happens when you are me and your plate is FULL with life and a toddler and a husband and cooking, cleaning, laundry, errands, bills, a new puppy, a garden, a new career path AND you try to write a blog? Well, you go from having BIG plans to write on your blog everyday to not posting for 6 months. Yep, that's what happened. I am in no way proud of my lack of commitment to my blog but I am not beating myself over the head either. A few months after my son was born, (and after a minor panic attack)I came to terms with the fact that I will never be the perfect housewife or mother and that I can't do it all. I have simply made a list of the things that are the MOST important to myself and my family and those are the things that take priority in day to day life. Unfortunately, my blog is just not very high on that list. But, and this is a big but, I have started to organize my life much more and with my new sweet organization skills, I have become pretty good at my time management skills as well. Hence, this recent post.

Here are a few pictures to help illustrate what the past 6 months have looked like here.

Oh, the places you'll go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!


You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

My baby turned one yesterday.

My sweet, tiny baby who was 6 lbs. 11 oz. that would sleep so soundly on my chest is now a toddler running around squealing and screaming with shouts of pure joy and excitment.

That was fast. 

I always knew it would go by quickly but here I am, post first birthday wondering how did that happen? 

My husband and I went out birthday shopping to target a few days ago, while little man was with Grandma. After we had looked at the toys and clothes, I wandered over to the book section. I always seem to find myself there. Books have always been a love of mine. Something completely consistent in an utterly inconsistent and sometimes disappointing world. Anyways, I love giving books as gifts. There is something personal and special about giving a wonderful story to someone. Makes my heart feel all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. Well, I happened upon one of my most favorite books. Oh, the places you'll go by Dr. Suess. It is traditionally given to kids when they graduate but I picked it up and started reading it. If you have never actually read it, it's basically in a nut shell about life and all of what it is made out of. That the reader can go anywhere, be anything and do anything he wants with it. I immediately started thinking about Kai and how his whole life was ahead of him.

He has only been on this earth for one year and already he has brought so much love, happiness and joy to so many people. What a blessing he is!

I am so excited to see what his passions will be, what kind of friends he will have, where he will travel, what his favorite color will be, what his greatest fear will be or what kind of son, husband, father, or friend he will become. 

I hope his life is full wonder. I hope he finds a great love. I hope he will find true happiness.

Motherhood is so beautiful. But it is also painful. It is hard to love someone that much. Every mother will agree, you pour every ounce of energy, time, patience, and love into that other person only for them to grow up and leave. And that is the point. To mold them into responsible, moral, kind members of society. To raise them to where they no longer need you. It is bittersweet, but it is life. 

So I have decided not to rush anymore milestones, to put away any distraction, and to completely submerge myself in every moment with my son. Before I know it, I will be watching my baby bird fly away and create a life for himself. Oh, the places he will go!

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!


So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
You're off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

A Leap of Faith

If I had to summarize the past two years of my life in one sentence, "A leap of faith" would be it. Actually the title of this blog is inaccurate. It is really more like several leaps of faith but it just doesn't sounds as good.

      I began skydiving in March of 2008. Unlike most stories of how people became hooked on the sport, my story was NOT love at first leap. Don't get me wrong, my first jump was amazing, breathtaking and unlike anything I had ever experienced but I was perfectly fine with beginning and ending my skydiving career with one jump. After being beat over the head with the idea of going through the AFF course so we could jump on our own, by two of my nearest and dearest friends (Thank you Brett and Yumi), I finally obliged and the rest was history. I think my passion for the sport grew more like a mature romance rather than a case of puppy love, it took time. Looking back, I find it hilarious that I knowingly threw myself out of planes without really being convinced that this was something I wanted to do. But I love a challenge and I am stubborn when I get an idea in my head. So I kept jumping, making leaps of faith, if you will. After investing almost all my time, energy and money, I fell in love with skydiving and I fell hard. It was one of the best times of my life. I was pretty much flat broke but so immensely happy. It was my escape and the most relaxing thing I had ever done for myself. It forever changed me.

    Fast Forward to the end of November 2008, along with jumping out of planes another passion was born through this part of my life. Indoor skydiving, tunnel flying, wind tunnels, whatever you know it as, it was and still is like a drug to me. And this is where my skydiving story turns into a romance novel. This is the part where I meet the man who becomes my Husband. He was an instructor at the wind tunnel in Orlando and I was a fairly regular flyer there. We meet. Sparks fly. And again the rest is history. We dated for 4 months then got married. So many people thought we were crazy, it was too soon, we barely knew each other, too young to take such a leap of faith..... the list continues. The way I see it is like this: When you find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. Good ol' When Harry met Sally. We knew, we just knew. Sure we could have waited and had a long engagement and had everything in a straight line but that is just not our style. I always knew that I would live my life differently, so did Jesse. We made a leap of faith, together, hands held, eyes closed, hearts open. It was the best decision either of us had ever made.

   Fast forward yet again, Jesse joins the Army with the small hope/chance that he will one day become a Golden Knight for the U.S. Parachute team and I am pregnant. Living a different life now turns into living a different/ difficult life. It was definitely not easy, it was actually quite hard but not impossible. We kept going, unsure what the future held. Holding on to the faith that we had made the right choices and that what was meant to be would be. Ten days after Jesse returned home from 7 months of training, our beautiful son was born. Again, we leaped but this time into parenthood. It has been the single greatest thing I have ever done. Ever.

    So here we are now, Jesse is now officially a Golden Knight, we have a precious son who will be one soon, our marriage is strong and joyful, we have a beautiful home and we are happy. We are living proof that Leaps of Faith can be and will be life changing in the most amazing ways. Its just a matter of having the courage to step into the unknown, letting yourself feel vulnerable and continuing to let life mold and change you into what you are meant to be.