Self Care and other Adult Decisions

After a much-needed break to get my world around me in order, I am now back and ready to rock life to its fullest. Its been a rough last year. We've since moved to a new bigger and nicer apartment, my guy is doing well and working from home which is pretty great! Now we live closer to my kiddos so that makes my mental health certainly feel much better than it used to. I am becoming more organized and keeping up on things so that they don't end up overwhelming and even harder to maintain. Over this past year, I have made goals that haven't panned out the way I had hoped but I have re-set my goals since and re-adjusted my strategies so that I can feel more successful and on track each day. Which is way better for my mental health since I thrive on schedules and organized days. It is one of the reasons I have To Do apps on my phone and make a plethora of lists throughout the weeks for all kinds of things. 

I have also started making smarter adult decisions about my own care as well as my family's. I have learned the hard way that if I do not take care of my own needs and listen to what my body and mind are trying to tell me, I WILL fall apart and have a hard time getting back on track with myself. To do this I have incorporated small silly things that keep me happy and able to cope more easily. 

To refuel my body and recenter I meditate, do some yoga, or take a nice hot bath. The hot bath is definitely something that helps my body, mind, and spirit because I can read, relax and even breathe in and feel all at peace. 

 Things that make me smile also help me cope, which is great because some of the things are simple and easy. I love to chew on ice, it helps my anxiety and it is something that helps me through my frustrations. I love to play games with the kids, it keeps my mind busy so my racing thoughts and depression don't have time to take over. I like to clean when I have the energy. It helps me stay organized and being organized helps my OCD, my possible autism, as well as all the other things my mind has going on. 


(As I progress more on this blog I plan to give you some insight into my mental health and maybe you will find somethings I say helps you with yours or someone else you may know.) 

Now as August came in full swing and the school year loomed close I became the super Mom I have always wanted to be. I set up a "back-to-school" order to be placed, I labeled the calendar with upcoming things to remember and made sure to communicate any things that may concern the children with my ex-husband. The kids and I came up with new house rules that I plan to put up somewhere we ALL can see and follow them. We have devised a new "chore-chart" that the kids have been blasting through and totally earning their "stars and hearts" to trade in for 10-mins each of game or screen time, or save up for prizes along the way. (15 of them and they can get a trip out for Froyo or shakes!).

In September the kids and I had some last day of summer vacation fun. We visited the waterfront near our house and had a picnic at the park before playing at the playground and exploring the shoreline for fun finds. After that, we stopped at the library and stocked up on books to do our daily reading.  Bags heavy with new books and movies we headed home and the kids helped me cook dinner. It was great.

Mid-month my daughter and I got to attend an Andy Grammer Concert to celebrate her 12th birthday! It was totally awesome! (and a SUPER big thank you to my wonderful guy who was the one that made it possible for us to go!) That month also brought paying for school pictures, the first dreaded "Fundraisers" and of course the almost weekly Scholastic flyers with tons of books my kids beg me to purchase. Always fun to try to sneak those flyers into the trash and post a link on social media hoping someone will order from my kid (even though some of the items I aSWEAR are overpriced versions of things I could find elsewhere!)

Now here we are nearing the end of October, Halloween just days away and the days starting darker and chillier. It's that time of year that has the air (and store shelves) filled with the scent of pumpkin spice and apple cider. The same two flavors can also be found in so many things on the shelves in the store as well, it is quite overwhelming and very amusing to see the things that they will flavor or scent like that! 
My youngest is now in a six-week karate class and my daughter has been bitten by the "sing ALL THE TIME" bug. The summer spoiled me and made me forget how busy a school year with children involved in various extra activities can be. One particular day had me stressing so much that the entire night before I was up making sure there wasn't anything I was going to forget. It had to also be a Monday of course which we all know has that funny way of causing us to dread it just upon its arrival. That particular Monday found me rushing to give my youngest a bath because his hair was being a particular pain in the "you know what", making sure he also had breakfast and that his sister got off on time with all she needed for the day. Then once he was off to school I had to run some errands at a few places before coming home and squeezing in some lunch and spot cleaning here and there because my weird brain keeps losing focus and worrying about making it to everything on time. Then before I know it school is over and it is on to bring the youngest to Karate for his update on his progress, then his actual class, then bring him back home before heading to his older sister's concert at school which happens to run so late that by the time we get home, it is dark, cold and I am very very hungry. I have to say though I was glad that my guy and I were able to make it to the show because my daughter was stoked we were there since her father decided he didn't want to go. Its a damn shame for her too because it bums her out that he is so uninvolved. I am glad that I try so hard to put them ahead of myself because the smiles and "thank you"s and "I love you"s make it all worth it! Now Halloween is just a few days away and it should be a fun week. Today starts their week of half days and conferences with their teachers. I was able to meal plan and made sure Thursday (Halloween) is a simple Pizza-Salad-Berry Cobbler** night. Tonight since it is just me and Mr. Wonderful tonight for dinner we are having roasted turkey thighs, garlic rice, and green beans! It should be a nice meal to end out a busy day of errand running, baking banana bread, and attending Karate class. I hope you enjoyed catching up with us and seeing what this new chapter has brought. Hope to hear from you all soon with ideas of topics you would love me to cover or anything you would love to read about! 
**If you ever would like a recipe for something mentioned in any of my posts just comment and I will send it your way!**

Time Flies, When You're Having FUN!

A full year in fact and I apologize for our absence. If you stuck around and are now seeing us again YAY! 

It is time for us to get back in the groove of things. We are starting back up during the preparations for school starting and the ending of the first two months of living in our new apartment! The past year has had some big changes for us. We moved, my guy now works from home so I see him way more, I now have a better custody arrangement and have gotten a lot more organized in many ways in my life! 

Now it is time for the summer fun to end and that wonderful time of year when the kids do all that great learning is upon us. It is time to send them back to school. (Or homeschool if that is what you do) Some students are already back in the habit and attending classes but I still have a couple weeks of fun with them before mine head back on the 4th of September. This school year I have one going into first grade, one into seventh, and one into tenth. That means all kinds of scheduling and making sure that all paperwork and school supplies are ready to go and that we get back on our school schedule with sleep and waking up. We have also been refreshing our memories with what we learned last year so that there isn't brain mush during the first week of school. 

Now coming up in the weeks ahead I will be giving tips, links, and recommendations for the things that help our life run smooth. Also since the holiday months will be upon us shortly I will be sharing some fun family favorite recipes and traditions that we love! 

We hope you will continue following along and maybe find something that helps you "Make it Work" in your own life!