I don't even know how to begin this besides..... wow. I can not begin to imagine what it's like. It's hard enough to be a parent with your partner next to you, let alone on your own. Since I have never experienced it, I can't really give personal advice. What I can do, is encourage you, and praise you for all that you do. This past weekend was not a great one. The three of us were sick and it was a challenge just to get out of bed. I couldn't imagine making it through the weekend without my husband. He was slightly less sick than we were so he allowed me to sleep a little extra while he took care of Vera. Now today, he is feeling worse than us so he stayed home and we are taking care of him, along with keeping the business going. It's so hard to picture doing this on my own though, completely. I realize that my husband works long hours and is gone usually from 8am to 7pm or later... so the general day is mine, alone, with my own child and other's children as I care for them and teach them all. So, I guess I have some experience of doing it "alone". But this is temporary...and only lasts throughout the day. Being a single parent is much more permanent, and there isn't that other person to rely on when you just can't fully perform that day. I admire a single parent's strength, dedication, and selflessness. When I feel bad about my day, I just try to focus on how it could be even harder than it is now. Those are the days I am EXTRA thankful for my husband. I am thankful for him everyday, but the hard days really show me just how lucky I am.
So for those of you who are doing this whole parenting thing "solo"... I look up to you. No parent is perfect and will never be. Just do the best that you can. Such an important job to have in this life.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
"icky" days
Do you ever have the days where you just feel gross? You don't even want to get out of bed in the morning. It takes every ounce of strength for you to convince yourself that you CAN get through the day. I have a day like that every now and again and it takes a lot of positive thoughts to get on with my day.
Some things that help me are:
Knowing that I am loved. That I have loved ones thinking about me daily. Beautiful people in my life that care for me and my little family. This view didn't come into clear view until I had Vera, really. Now I appreciate everything just a little more. I am sort of a sentimental person anyhow, but even more-so now. I think that as you become older, the little and petty things don't quite matter as much anymore and you start to see the big picture. We start to lose sight of the things that didn't matter and focus more on our dreams and goals. At least, that's how I feel most days.
Those days that you just can't seem to get out of bed really take an extra effort, some extra thought, and maybe even a little creativity! This morning, my motivation was just knowing that it's Friday. Most people are happy on Fridays (if you get to have the weekend off).... and I am definitely one of those. Our weekends are usually fairly busy, but a good busy. We start our Saturday with Vera's gymnastics and it's always a joy to watch her run around with her little friends and spend some much needed time with her daddy. I love watching the little smile on her face as she walks across the balance beam while holding onto daddy's hand.... or pulling herself up on the bar all by herself. I love that her teachers know her by name even though she's one in a really big bunch of kiddos. After that, we generally have errands to run and some house chores to do... but generally, we just spend the weekend hanging out together, talking, watching movies, playing outside, and attempting to relax. Brett generally works one of the weekend days so we sometimes go with him and just hang out in Ann Arbor.
Those are the things I think about to get myself out of bed on the "icky" mornings. Just the simple little things that happen during the day that make me laugh or smile. However, I don't want to live my life just looking forward to the weekends. I want to be able to get out of bed in the morning and just be happy that I am alive, healthy, and getting another chance to be me. I want to tell everyone I love them, every day. I want to make Brett and Vera feel special and show them how much they matter to me, each and every day. That's what should motivate me to get out of bed in the morning. Not necessarily the things that can be done for me, but the things I can do for others.
Another thing that helps is my job. Knowing that my attitude affects each little life I are for each day, helps motivate me a little more. I often find that my own attitude reflects through them. Sometimes just turning on funny children music brightens my mood. So find what it is that helps YOU, and do it. Enjoy the day! Each day is a fresh start. Tell someone you love them... or even better, SHOW them.
What helps YOU get out of bed in the morning on those "icky" days?
Some things that help me are:
Knowing that I am loved. That I have loved ones thinking about me daily. Beautiful people in my life that care for me and my little family. This view didn't come into clear view until I had Vera, really. Now I appreciate everything just a little more. I am sort of a sentimental person anyhow, but even more-so now. I think that as you become older, the little and petty things don't quite matter as much anymore and you start to see the big picture. We start to lose sight of the things that didn't matter and focus more on our dreams and goals. At least, that's how I feel most days.
Those days that you just can't seem to get out of bed really take an extra effort, some extra thought, and maybe even a little creativity! This morning, my motivation was just knowing that it's Friday. Most people are happy on Fridays (if you get to have the weekend off).... and I am definitely one of those. Our weekends are usually fairly busy, but a good busy. We start our Saturday with Vera's gymnastics and it's always a joy to watch her run around with her little friends and spend some much needed time with her daddy. I love watching the little smile on her face as she walks across the balance beam while holding onto daddy's hand.... or pulling herself up on the bar all by herself. I love that her teachers know her by name even though she's one in a really big bunch of kiddos. After that, we generally have errands to run and some house chores to do... but generally, we just spend the weekend hanging out together, talking, watching movies, playing outside, and attempting to relax. Brett generally works one of the weekend days so we sometimes go with him and just hang out in Ann Arbor.
Those are the things I think about to get myself out of bed on the "icky" mornings. Just the simple little things that happen during the day that make me laugh or smile. However, I don't want to live my life just looking forward to the weekends. I want to be able to get out of bed in the morning and just be happy that I am alive, healthy, and getting another chance to be me. I want to tell everyone I love them, every day. I want to make Brett and Vera feel special and show them how much they matter to me, each and every day. That's what should motivate me to get out of bed in the morning. Not necessarily the things that can be done for me, but the things I can do for others.
Another thing that helps is my job. Knowing that my attitude affects each little life I are for each day, helps motivate me a little more. I often find that my own attitude reflects through them. Sometimes just turning on funny children music brightens my mood. So find what it is that helps YOU, and do it. Enjoy the day! Each day is a fresh start. Tell someone you love them... or even better, SHOW them.
What helps YOU get out of bed in the morning on those "icky" days?
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Pinterest Inspired Decor & Projects
My name is Vicki, and I am a Pinterest addict. I definitely get most of our recipe ideas from there as well as home decor and classroom ideas. Unfortunately, my husband is not fond of the site because I often get my mind on a few things and must get them done. I know a lot of people who pin but generally don't do the projects.... I am guilty of doing most of them. I will share a few here and what I think about it!
Below: Our entry way in our house. Before, there was nothing above the door and I struggled with deciding on what to put there. Also, we have two tall windows which were uncovered and sort of worried me knowing people could see in there at any time. On pinterest, I saw where they installed a shelf above their door and in the brackets, they placed a rod to put curtains on. It's already an issue trying to get my husband to agree with any shelves at all, let alone a HUGE shelf all the way across the wall. So, we compromised. I purchased just a normal rod and some curtain brackets and put up a few curtains that we had here at the house already. They are sheer white so they still let plenty of light in but surprisingly, block the view of the inside the house, which is exactly what I wanted. As for the photo above it, I used our wedding photo and ordered an "engineer" print from Staples online. It was only $3 .... but the quality isn't the greatest, which is what I expected. However, it's pretty high up on the wall so I don't think anyone suspects anything. The frame was less than $20.... so this entire project cost around $30 and we get a ton of compliments from everyone who visits! I love it.
Ok.... so I had a deep attachment for these rain boots. My grandpa always thought it was hilarious when I would go outside, as a full grown adult, and stomp around in the rain puddles with my rainboots on. So I purchased these right before I visited him in the hospital before he passed and it was one of the only things that made him grin. I knew they were keepers! Well, I wore them for so long that I wore holes in them. I didn't want to throw them away so I planted flowers in them! I also found this pot in the middle for free, took it home and spray painted it, and planted flowers in it as well. The boots are now faded from the sun but the memories remain.
This is a "memory" jar. I took some sand, rocks, shells, bottle caps, and other small momentos from our very first family vacation and combined them in this super cute jar. It is now on the headboard of our bed to remind us of those warm days, camping, and beautiful sunsets spent just the three of us.
Freezer meals (a.k.a. make ahead meals).... Brett and I decided to try this out and it worked really well for the most part. We looked up recipes that are good for this.... bought all the ingredients, and prepared about 10 meals in a single night. It was messy but definitely worth it! This really works well when you find a vegetable that's on sale but you can't imagine how you could possibly eat that much of it before it before it goes bad. Also, if you have the habit of making way too much food at dinner, you could always freeze the other half. This is really awesome for the days you have no idea what to make and just need to put something in the oven. It's kind of like the convenience meals you can buy at the grocery store... only without all the junk in it. I just use regular gallon freezer bags for most of it, label it and write the directions... and shove it in the bags. I found that most croc pot meals work well. Through trial and error, you'll learn which recipes work and which ones develop a strange texture during the freezing process.
We used family photos, framed them in 8x10 frames... and angled them up the stairs. As time passes, we plan on adding to it and making new arrangements.
You're probably wondering what these posts have to do with being positive... but I tend to think and feel more positive when I find inspiration somewhere. I also feel more positive when I create or finish a project that I have been working on. I love being able to stem from a simple idea and creating something unique to our family. I love putting extra meaning in the simple things around the house. Doing projects like this gives me something to look forward to and channel my energy. These are only a few things I have documented so far but eventually, I would like to post about others!
Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Organization-Children's Room
When we moved into our house, the "nursery" was already nicely decorated like a castle... so we didn't have to re-paint or anything like that, thankfully. The room is small, though, so I had to be creative with organizing. I even used some of the closet space as "play" space as well. Her clothes are all on the hangers and a few organizers in there as well. However, she also has a play vanity and a toy box in there. I open the doors to the closet a few times a week for her to play in there. This way, the toys are almost brand new to her each time! She has a tent-bed which is directly on the floor so there is no room for extra storage underneath.
She has a bookshelf designated for books and toys.... then the next storage unit contains "plastic shoe boxes" ($1 a piece at wal mart). Each contains toys that are similar to keep them separated. She gets a box or two out at a time and it keeps the toys organized, "new", and it teaches her how to sort. For example, one box is for legos, one is for baby doll care items (bottles, baby food, etc), she has a plastic tea set in a box, mr potato head and all his parts, and one is designated for her cash register toy with all it's parts... and the last is for her plastic food. Under that is a toy box for her larger toys and stuffed animals. She has a small box on her bookshelf that contains smaller toys.
We have a net hanging from her ceiling that keeps her other stuffed animals organized and a wood and canvas storage shelf that contains her pants, pajamas, and things like that. She doesn't have a dresser.
I can't seem to find the other pictures at the moment so this will have to do for now!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Photographia
As I have stated before, I am no professional photographer. In fact, my little camera was only $120. With that said, I don't intend on being a professional or doing it for any kind of business. I just have always loved taking photos. Hence the reason I have 233+ photo albums on fb alone!
Thought I would share some of my favorites and give a special thanks to those who have allowed me to take pictures for them! You guys rock
My brother and his family
some photos for valentine's day
Little Zachary is SO precious!
Another photo for v-day
Christmas photo shoot
Beach photo in Michigan
Gender Reveal photos
Love from a farmer family
random plant photo. Practicing on blurring backgrounds
Butterfly garden 
These two are such a precious married couple
The moon. Practice with night photography
Merry Christmas!
Beautiful Sunset in the Upper Peninsula
Rootbeer Falls
Lovely Couple!
I have plenty more, but I will leave it at this for now! Thank you for reading. Do you have a favorite?
(p.s. I have permission from all of these people to use their photos. thanks again, everyone!)
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Self Esteem
Today, I was thinking a little about self esteem. It was a topic requested by a dear friend. I think it's a great topic to cover and I am so glad it was brought up. A lot of people I know, including myself, suffer from low self esteem. And why not? Society and media pounds it into our heads that we're all supposed to be rocket scientists, thin, beautiful, never make any mistakes, educated, stick up for ourselves (but not TOO mean), perfect job, perfect house, perfect family.... and the list goes on.
The pressure to be perfect in this life is overwhelming. We're always worrying about whether we're good enough. Are we a good enough spouse? A good enough friend? A good enough parent? A good enough child? It's never ending. They always say to make mistakes, live and learn... but is that really reality? A lot of people thrive on the failure of others. It makes them feel better about themselves. To be honest, I am ALWAYS comparing myself to others. It's so hard not to! I just want to be the best of everything. That, however, is impossible. It's impossible to please everyone. It's impossible to go through life making no mistakes.
I think that once you realize this, you're a step in the right direction. What is it about our want to be perfect? Isn't perfect kind of...boring? Isn't it wonderful to find that person who accepts and even sometimes LOVES your flaws? Isn't that what family is for? To accept you for the person you are and see past the imperfections?
It's a nice thought, but it's not always the case. I know that personally, my flaws are thrown in my face a lot. People CAN change but that doesn't mean they want to. Some people are programmed to look at the negative in life and thrive on it. I am totally guilty of being a negative Nancy from time to time, but my main strength, is trying to find the positives in everything. Once you put this into action, you see life change a little bit at a time.
What if we just focused on being happy with ourselves? What if we put aside all those beautiful women in magazines and on tv (considering most are air brushed anyhow), and focus on ourselves. What do YOU like about yourself? Another downfall of society is making you think you can't think of yourself as a good person because that would make you "egotistical"... or self centered. Or bragging. What if I allow YOU to brag about yourself without judgement? What if you make a list right now about the things you like and love about yourself? What if you take that list... and focus on that rather than the negative. Sure, it's great to want to improve on certain things in life, but for once, I want you to think of yourself as the amazing person you are. There's a reason people love you. There's a reason people choose to be around you and to talk to you. Even if it's not completely consistent, you're on someone's mind. There's a reason for that. In life, it's so much easier to focus on the negative, especially when it's about yourself. So challenge yourself. What do you like or love about yourself? I will share a few anonymous things.... starting with a few not so anonymous facts about myself:
-I love that I stand up for myself. I love the fact that I stand up for others and what I believe in. I love that I have a few friends that would do ANYTHING for me any time of the day. I love that I have people who care about me. I love that even though I am not a perfect parent, I will never give up trying to be a great one. Not perfect, but great. I love that I am dedicated and motivated. I love that I never give up. I love that I care about others the way I do.
alright.... now here is a few things about other people I will anonymously write about! Guess who.... (don't really guess though)
-You are an amazing person. There is not a single person who could ever be mad at you, including myself. You are a wonderful father and an even more wonderful husband. You make me laugh and smile each and every day. You always keep your family in mind when making decisions. You save your money like none other and are so mature about every situation.
-I love that you are an honest person. That you are passionate. You are hard working. You have an un-believable love for your husband and so much dedication. You are hard on yourself but I love that you always strive to be healthier, more loving, more responsible. I love that you are YOU, no matter what the situation is. You never try to act like someone you're not. I love that you feel comfortable enough to vent to me even when you think you're being silly.
-I love that you are so independent. I love that you got yourself out of a situation that you knew you couldn't be in forever. I love that you moved on. I love that you are so smart, beautiful, and good at everything you do. I love that you treat your animals as if they were your own children. I love that we have stayed friends through all this. I love that you can be someone my daughter looks up to one day. I hope that one day, we can start an animal rescue together ;-)
-I love that you are a great mom. That you make things work no matter what. I love that you are always thinking of your family first. I love that I can talk to you about anything and that you wont judge me. I love that we can talk about the most random stuff, and still want to be around each other. I love your dedication and love for God.
-I love that you were there for me when my grandpa died. You made it a point to bring me a sympathy card even though you didn't quite know me much then. I will never forget how supportive you were during that terrible time. I love that you saw an ugly side of me one of the first times we met but still gave me a chance. I love that you are one of the kindest people I know. I love that you have a loud and unique laugh =]
-I love that you are so in control of your life. I know you have had some bumps in the road but you never give up. I love that you have stayed true to yourself through all these years. I love that you can laugh about things like "don't poke my frog" or other randomness even many years later. I love that we have been friends for so long and even though we don't chat often, the times we do make up for it.
-I love that you are always looking at the positives. I love that you listen to my advice and and even if you don't agree, you're still respectful. I love the mother that you are. I love that you are still standing upright even though people continue to knock you down consistently.
Last but not least:
-I can't believe you struggle with low self esteem. I know your past has contributed to it, but it's so hard for me to see even a single flaw in you. You are such a great person inside and out. I am so thankful that you joined our family. I'm thankful for the advice you give and thankful for you listening to my ridiculousness. I am thankful you are in the same "situation" as me when it comes to working from home and encountering loneliness from time to time.
The end.
So give yourself a BIG hug. You may not always feel like it, but you are a TERRIFIC person. I hope I can play a part in making you all feel that way, as well.
The pressure to be perfect in this life is overwhelming. We're always worrying about whether we're good enough. Are we a good enough spouse? A good enough friend? A good enough parent? A good enough child? It's never ending. They always say to make mistakes, live and learn... but is that really reality? A lot of people thrive on the failure of others. It makes them feel better about themselves. To be honest, I am ALWAYS comparing myself to others. It's so hard not to! I just want to be the best of everything. That, however, is impossible. It's impossible to please everyone. It's impossible to go through life making no mistakes.
I think that once you realize this, you're a step in the right direction. What is it about our want to be perfect? Isn't perfect kind of...boring? Isn't it wonderful to find that person who accepts and even sometimes LOVES your flaws? Isn't that what family is for? To accept you for the person you are and see past the imperfections?
It's a nice thought, but it's not always the case. I know that personally, my flaws are thrown in my face a lot. People CAN change but that doesn't mean they want to. Some people are programmed to look at the negative in life and thrive on it. I am totally guilty of being a negative Nancy from time to time, but my main strength, is trying to find the positives in everything. Once you put this into action, you see life change a little bit at a time.
What if we just focused on being happy with ourselves? What if we put aside all those beautiful women in magazines and on tv (considering most are air brushed anyhow), and focus on ourselves. What do YOU like about yourself? Another downfall of society is making you think you can't think of yourself as a good person because that would make you "egotistical"... or self centered. Or bragging. What if I allow YOU to brag about yourself without judgement? What if you make a list right now about the things you like and love about yourself? What if you take that list... and focus on that rather than the negative. Sure, it's great to want to improve on certain things in life, but for once, I want you to think of yourself as the amazing person you are. There's a reason people love you. There's a reason people choose to be around you and to talk to you. Even if it's not completely consistent, you're on someone's mind. There's a reason for that. In life, it's so much easier to focus on the negative, especially when it's about yourself. So challenge yourself. What do you like or love about yourself? I will share a few anonymous things.... starting with a few not so anonymous facts about myself:
-I love that I stand up for myself. I love the fact that I stand up for others and what I believe in. I love that I have a few friends that would do ANYTHING for me any time of the day. I love that I have people who care about me. I love that even though I am not a perfect parent, I will never give up trying to be a great one. Not perfect, but great. I love that I am dedicated and motivated. I love that I never give up. I love that I care about others the way I do.
alright.... now here is a few things about other people I will anonymously write about! Guess who.... (don't really guess though)
-You are an amazing person. There is not a single person who could ever be mad at you, including myself. You are a wonderful father and an even more wonderful husband. You make me laugh and smile each and every day. You always keep your family in mind when making decisions. You save your money like none other and are so mature about every situation.
-I love that you are an honest person. That you are passionate. You are hard working. You have an un-believable love for your husband and so much dedication. You are hard on yourself but I love that you always strive to be healthier, more loving, more responsible. I love that you are YOU, no matter what the situation is. You never try to act like someone you're not. I love that you feel comfortable enough to vent to me even when you think you're being silly.
-I love that you are so independent. I love that you got yourself out of a situation that you knew you couldn't be in forever. I love that you moved on. I love that you are so smart, beautiful, and good at everything you do. I love that you treat your animals as if they were your own children. I love that we have stayed friends through all this. I love that you can be someone my daughter looks up to one day. I hope that one day, we can start an animal rescue together ;-)
-I love that you are a great mom. That you make things work no matter what. I love that you are always thinking of your family first. I love that I can talk to you about anything and that you wont judge me. I love that we can talk about the most random stuff, and still want to be around each other. I love your dedication and love for God.
-I love that you were there for me when my grandpa died. You made it a point to bring me a sympathy card even though you didn't quite know me much then. I will never forget how supportive you were during that terrible time. I love that you saw an ugly side of me one of the first times we met but still gave me a chance. I love that you are one of the kindest people I know. I love that you have a loud and unique laugh =]
-I love that you are so in control of your life. I know you have had some bumps in the road but you never give up. I love that you have stayed true to yourself through all these years. I love that you can laugh about things like "don't poke my frog" or other randomness even many years later. I love that we have been friends for so long and even though we don't chat often, the times we do make up for it.
-I love that you are always looking at the positives. I love that you listen to my advice and and even if you don't agree, you're still respectful. I love the mother that you are. I love that you are still standing upright even though people continue to knock you down consistently.
Last but not least:
-I can't believe you struggle with low self esteem. I know your past has contributed to it, but it's so hard for me to see even a single flaw in you. You are such a great person inside and out. I am so thankful that you joined our family. I'm thankful for the advice you give and thankful for you listening to my ridiculousness. I am thankful you are in the same "situation" as me when it comes to working from home and encountering loneliness from time to time.
The end.
So give yourself a BIG hug. You may not always feel like it, but you are a TERRIFIC person. I hope I can play a part in making you all feel that way, as well.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Kitchen Re-do
And Picture this: your new house.... you walk into the kitchen. Surrounding you are white laminate countertops, white linoleum floor, light cabinets, old white appliances, and white walls with blue pin striped wall paper. Oh, and no hardware on the cabinets.
It wasn't our dream kitchen, by any means, but we were excited to make some changes. First, we added stainless steel hardware to the cabinets. Second, we ripped it down the wall paper (which was a HUGE pain) and decided on yellow as the paint we would use. It really brightened up the kitchen, but we were definitely not done there. Then, we laid hardwood flooring in the kitchen and diningroom. Our next move was all new appliances. Each appliance in the kitchen had broken within a few months from each other. We waited for a good deal then went in for all stainless steel appliances. (fridge, dish washer, oven/stove). The white counters really bothered us and we wanted to add some bold color into the kitchen. We purchased Giani countertop paint from online. I took two days on my own to paint the entire counter tops on my own while Brett watched Vera. It was a fairly easy task but the two weeks waiting for the paint and top coat to dry was a test of patience. Once the countertops were done, we went ahead and took on a really big project. The backsplash. We couldn't find anything pre-laid out that we wanted so we customized it. We purchased black tiling then some stainless steel tile for a border and cut them up ourselves. We laid and grouted everything ourselves. This was all quite the task. Once that was all done, we were really wanting to find a kitchen island. Our kitchen is pretty small and islands were expensive so we waited. Eventually, I got a call from a friend asking if I wanted these two changing tables from a daycare. I gladly accepted them. One went downstairs and one went upstairs in the kitchen. My husband purchased a wood piece to fit over the top to make it into a counter, and the doors below were PERFECT for storing our dog and cat food along with their bowls. The doors can slide shut if we have a curious toddler roaming around or when visitors come along. We put this under the shelf my husband installed with a cute little wine rack underneath. Another favorite in our kitchen is the picture I took myself, of Vera.... it matches the kitchen decor wonderfully.
take a look at what we did:
Before we painted the countertops and before the backsplash
During the painting process. This was the black base coat
After the painting of the countertops
The backsplash supplies we decided on
The photo I took for the decor. I used color selection during editing to bring out the colors of the kitchen I wanted to focus on.
Finished Product
Sorry, I forgot to turn the picture. This is the changing table with the shelf above which includes the wine rack.
Below is a photo of the storage I was talking about. We keep the dog and cat food in here and close the doors if we ever need to. Also, the bowls are raised a little from the floor while on the shelf which is actually healthier for your dog to eat that way. BONUS!
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