Changes....

So I have been making so changes around the house, with myself, with the kids and with how I do things around here. I had been focusing so much time on things that are not important and things that didn't need to consume my time so I decided it was time to purge the unnecessary and stick with the stuff that counts.

We have put ourselves on a budget. It is working so far. I took my credit cards away from myself and I only spend money if it is absolutely a needed item. I have a goal set for our bank account and I am hoping we can achieve it before the holidays. It honestly hasn't bothered me yet. I am enjoying finding creative things for the kids and I to do as well as knowing that if an emergency arises, we will be OK.

Another small change but very impacting has been to change the kids bedtime. Before they were going to bed around 9:30-10 and waking up at 7 am. Even when we kept them up later, they still woke up at 7. So we tried to see what would happen if they went to bed earlier and you know what, they still woke up at 7. So now, we start bedtime routine at 8pm and they are usually in bed by 8:45 at the latest. It is so nice to have them in bed that early because it has been giving Lee and I extra time to spend together. Last night we were able to watch both of our favorite shows and still head up to bed by 10:30. It was amazing!!

Speaking of TV, that is the other big change. The TV is going to become no more in our house. Well, maybe not no more but the new rule is that Noah can watch TV in the morning while I watch the news. After the news is over, his TV goes off as well as mine. At night, unless we are watching a movie as a family, they will not be watching any TV. The television has become too much of a habit in my family and not a privilege like it should be. It has been nice since we started doing this because we are spending more time together as a family and find more fun things to do.

Lastly, the biggest change has been me. I have been trying my best to not let the things that happen around me affect me unless it directly affects my family's life. The hard part about being a Navy wife is the high school drama always involved. I have crossed paths with so many women who have nothing better to do that cause drama and be hypocrites; and those are not people I want to waste my time with. So I am going to continue to keep my circle tight and if people have a problem with that, don't be the type of person I described above and we would get along great!! It is nice to know that I have the power to allow things to affect me. It has made me feel more free.

As a matter of fact, all of these changes have made me feel more free. I feel like things in our life continue to get better and better every day and I am so thankful for all that I have been blessed with but for mostly, the ability to recognize the need for change and to do it!!

What's important....

So I was going to write this blog about some things I found out that made me upset today but after a good day with my munchkins and cleaning my house, I decided against it. Not only is there no point in giving the matter a second thought but it is really something that is unimportant in my life. And you know what? I am grateful that I can say that. I am grateful that I have 2 absolutely adorable kids who, while driving me crazy and giving me gray hairs, melt my heart on a daily basis. I am grateful that I have an awesome husband who, despite our ups and downs, loves me with all his heart and loves me enough to let "me do me" (as he would say). I am grateful for my family who is the nuttiest group of people I know and I love them all. I am grateful for my friends who, near or far, are the greatest group of women I have kept in my life and I would do anything for every one of them (you know who you are). But most of all, I am grateful that I am who I am and I know what is important to me.
Can most people say that? Or do they lose sleep over the small stuff in life?

Life is precious....

Why does it always take something bad to happen to appreciate what you have in your life? Why don't we appreciate what we have right in front of us rather than always fighting for the next big thing?

On Thursday, the kids and I went to the pool to enjoy the sunny weather. When we got home, I got the kids down for a nap and settled on the couch for some quiet time. Then the phone rang and showed a phone number that I knew meant something was wrong. It was Anna's mom. Anna is one of my very best friends, my sister not by blood but by love!! I can't begin to express to you how much a part of my life Anna is. But anyways, Anna and her husband Matt have been on vacation in Naples, FL this week. Her daugher, Grace, has been staying with Rita, Anna's mom. So automatically, I thought something was wrong with Grace until Rita says "Anna is in the hospital". Anna is a diabetic and knowing how fragile her body is, my heart sank. Apparently, she woke up with intense pain so Matt took her to Urgent Care and they told her it was back pain and gave her pain killers. The day they were scheduled to come home, she started having difficulty breathing so he took her back and they immediately sent her to the hospital via ambulance. She got admitted to ICU and was a real mess. Matt said had they waited, they could have lost her. Her body was just all out of whack...her blood sugar was messed up, she had some sort of infection going on, her electrolytes were off, everything.

As of today, she is doing much better and will be moved to a regular room. I got to talk to her for like 2 seconds this morning but hearing her voice made me so happy!! I haven't been this worried about someone since my Mom was sick so it has been a rough few days for me. I came so close to losing someone who means the world to me and I hadn't been taking that too well but it is going to be better now, espeically now that I talked to her.

All I know is that once she gets back here, not only will she have her husband on her case to take extra good care of herself but she will have me on her back too!! I am going to make sure I do my part to ensre this never happens again!! This whole ordeal has made me really look at how precious life is and how, in an instant, things can go downhill fast. Chreish every moment, both good and bad. You never know when those moments will no longer happen!!!

With that said, I am off to play with my munchkins.....

Turning a corner?

I am thinking (knock on wood) that we are finally turning a corner with Noah and potty training. When we first started training him, he did awesome with going tinkle on the potty and pretty much got it down pat within a week. But poopy on the potty was a whole other story. He absolutely refused and would wait until he took his nap to go poopy regardless if he was in a pull-up, diaper or underwear. Well, while we were in NY, he told me he had to poopy on the potty and he actually did. We were so excited and everyone made a huge deal out of it!! Since then he has gone on the potty almost every day and hasn't had a single accident!! I am so excited and am continuing to make a huge deal out of it every time it happens. I am hoping and praying that we are going to be done with pull-ups completely soon. But I am definantly not counting my chickens before they are hatched. One can hope though right?
Other than that, things are pretty mellow around here. The kids and I went to the pool yesterday and are planning on going again tomorrow. I am just trying to get the kids outside as much as possible since we were cooped up so much this winter. I am so looking forward to our move and not having to worry about -50 degree weather again!! Right now it is raining so we are spending the day inside.
Well, the kids are sleeping so I think I am going to head to bed myself!! Noah is having nightmares again and he ended up in our bed again last night so it was a long night!! My bed is calling my name!!!

Weddings, trips, family.....Oh My

What a trip!! We got home on Saturday July 4th from a 10 day trip to New York for Corey's wedding. It was an amazing trip and an amazing wedding. We had so much fun and I truly enjoyed spending time with my parents and family. It was so nice to see people I haven't seen in years and to show off my gorgeous little family. Noah looked so handsome in his tuxedo and did so well in the wedding. At the reception, we danced till our feet hurt and I was beat by the end of the night. I can't beleive Corey is married, in my eyes he is still a little kid. But I adore Leanne and I wish them many, many years of happiness.
After the wedding chaos was over with, we settled into a week of visiting with family, spending time with old friends and taking the kids on adventures. We spent Monday in Buffalo spending the day with my grandmother which was such a nice visit. On Wednesday night, we went out to Plum Garden for dinner with all my siblings and no kids. It was weird being out without the kids but we had a blast. On Thursday, we took the kids to Strong Museum of Play and had so much fun. Then that night, I had "Sister's Night Out" and went to see My Sister's Keeper with all of my sisters. It was such a great movie and I balled my eyes out during the movie. On Friday, Mom and Dom took Lee, the kids and myself on a boat tour and out for lunch. It was so pretty to see Rochester from another angle. Friday night was our last night at home so Mom made some of my favorite foods...ribs, macaroni salad, etc...It was amazing!!! We got the car packed and then hung out with Mom, Dom, Corey and Leanne playing cards. Saturday morning, we got in the car to head home and the drive was not too bad. The kids did ok and that is the best thing we could ask for.
So we are home now. We made it home in time to go see the fireworks on base which the kids loved. They are truly my kids!!! We are finally having so decent weather so I went out today and bought the kids a pool. I can't wait to play with them in it when they get up from their naps!! It will be a good time.....