Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Cupboard Play

Baby Bella is always
doing something silly.

So last night while I was
doing dishes.

She decided to play
a little game of
hide & seek...
                        {Kitchen Style}


Peek-A-Boo
             I see youuu!


To me...

It was almost like
     one of those magic tricks
where the girl looks bigger than the box,
but somehow..
          she fits, everytime.

....Or something like that.

A Surprise from Picasso

I should start a column
devoted just to how much I love
Baby Bella's daycare.

I mean seriously...
between book orders,
     "what I did today" sheets,
receiving pictures of Baby Bella during playtime,
   && a great staff
I couldn't have asked for a better place
      to have my precious baby girl at
80+ hours a week.

But wait...
this is like the icing on the cake.

Look what I found in her "folder" today :)


... Her First Piece of ART!
{Not to mention the words:
          love you this much!}

My little lady is going to be a Picasso.

Yes. I know they are just scribbles,
       {probably with the help of an adult.}
& the words were already printed...
But those tiny little scribbles belong to
      my beautiful Baby Bella.
&& they were made by her
for me.

{Talk about being a proud Momma,
this is going straight to the fridge.}
                              <3


Friday, September 9, 2011

How I do it {All}

I have been getting a lot of questions lately
asking
       "How I do it All..."

It's too much for me to type
      in a text.

Too often asked to make individual reply's through
      email or facebook.

&& A very long phone conversation to be had.

So this morning I was inspired
to share with all of my
blog readers & followers,
a little bit about how I
Run my Life.

Since becoming a Mommy
I have done a lot of thinking,
debating, changing & re-prioritizing.

It wasn't easy in the beginning
as I felt needed all the time...
almost {too} needed.

But thanks to the help of my family,
close friends & lots of patience
I survived the first year
of Baby Bella's life :)

First I want you all to undestand
why I do what I do everyday.
         Where I get my Motivation.

You should all know
that Baby Bella is my
number one priority.



She is my life,
my reason everyday.
She continues to inspire me so much
& she's not even two years old.

       How can she inspire you
        if she can't talk much,
       doesn't really participate in activities,
               makes messes all the time,
     & takes time away from your
                 young adult experiences?!

She just does.
I have never been wanted by
another human being
more than I've been wanted
          by my daughter.




She doesn't just want me...
but needs me.

I had to take a step back
& look at what I had to provide
for Baby Bella when I became
a single Mom.

There are the essentials,
A home, food, love, etc.

....but there are also things like
          health, hygeine, creativity,
    manners, & developmental skills.

The desire for my child
to strive in a world with
so much negative became an
overwhelming urge, a duty.

I quickly realized though,
That I had a lot to work on, myself
before I could teach her how to
be a light & overcome her own obstacles.

First I needed to find
the things I love
& what makes me happy.



I took about two weeks to craft
what I thought made me happy
& inspired me to be a better person.

{This came through the help of
        exploring the Internet}

I looked up quotes...
this gave me motivation & started
{turning my brain
from my negative situation
            into a postive one.}



then Pinterest came into my life.
It gave me pictures to look at for inspiration
& let me define exactly
     {what I wanted to have.}



Then I discovered blogs
which explained & mapped out
everday moments, tutorials, recipes,
& molded my opinion on
       what I thought the perfect
                 Woman would be.
    {who I wanted to be}

Now making a list of things
    I loved was simple
because it was based on
{Living positively, knowing what I wanted to have
              & outlining who I wanted to be}

   1. Making & Saving Money
          {Couponing & Selling things}

    2. Maintaining my figure
           {Running}

    3. Having a genuine interest in learning new things 
           {This is where my obsession for blogging started}

    4. The Arts
            {Painting, Crafting, Sewing, Music}

After I took the time
to realize what made me happy
{outside of being loved
       by another person}
I did a little something each day to expand or
     improve in those areas.

For example: Couponing
I like having more money but also shopping
so I spent four consecutive months
learning how to "coupon"
So I could get a lot, for nothing.

         {Now I won't need to purchase
             any personal hyigene items
                for at least two years.}

Another example: Blogging
Blogging helped me define who I thought
     the perfect woman would be.
After following a couple for weeks,
       I started my own.
I knew It was going to take even more time
out of my day, but it was important to me
so I did something about it.

            {Now it makes me pay attention
              & be thankful for little joys in life,
             instead of the parties. It holds me
              accountable for what I say
                  & helps me to always be truthful.
           Lastly, it inspires other people, just like me
                to start doing what makes them happy,
               which in turn, makes me happy too}

Secondly I needed to work on
becoming a better "Mom Figure"

This includes:

          Keeping & maintaining
  a clean environment for myself & Bella.
     {I make my bed every morning
             & leave the house with absolutely
           no dishes in the sink,
       toys on the floor or items out of place.
       Dirty laundry is placed directly in the washer
           untill its a full load, then cleaned. 
        Daily discipline, or OCD? You choose :) }

       Learning how to cook
 & expanding my eating habits to include
           nutritious, bland & bitter, things
                       like {Vegetables}
  {I try to buy organic, gluten free,
       low calorie, or non-fat items that may be
      expensive at the time, but you eat less.
I eat salads, luna & larabars, rice cakes,
      parmesean risotto, cottage cheese, salmon,
& watermelon. I drink guava goddess synergy
            aka kombucha, water, lots of tea &
                                 green smoothies.}

       Getting resourceful
& learning how to use what you've got.
    {Sewing throw pillows out of extra fabric or old shirts
          instead of buying them. Creating lanterns out of
   yarn and glue. Making a table runner out of a
                        discounted fabric closet cover.}

      Managing my time correctly & Multi-tasking.
                This is probably
the most important bullet point of all.
        Without effective time management
                  & being a master at multi-tasking
            I would {not} be able to do what I do.

While Baby Bella eats in her chair
               {I tidy the house}
When Baby Bella is playing by herself
          {I craft}
When Baby Bella is sleeping,
      {I stay up for hours researching
           new projects, blogging, & crafting}
When I want to go get exercise, like hiking or running
                {Baby Bella comes with}
I get up when Baby Bella does- at roughly 7:00am
     {this means I have 2-3 hours of extra time
           than everyone else who sleeps in til 9 or 10}

I don't take time to...
watch Television or movies, complain, party,
           make excuses, play video games,
      just sit there, read magazines
  or question why I don't have something.

How do I do it all?
     Late nights, early mornings. Effective time management
& Multi-tasking. Defining what I want & having
ambition to make it happen. Staying positive.
Doing everything with a purpose.

&& Last but definitely not least,
           I do it knowing
my daughter has my back
                    at anytime.
  {because I raised her to do so}



     With kindness, educational skills,
a creative mindset, positive atmosphere,
         motivation & persistance, manners,
   the importance of physical fitness & health
           & to have a genuine love of life,
      appreciation for others
& to be grateful
      for all that you have earned,
for all the support in your life,
    & for breathing another day.



This life is too precious to let it go by
without squeezing every ounce out of it.
But to do so,
you must experience what its like
            yourself,
 to make everything you want...
                 happen.

In that, I promise you will find
     happiness, love
         & a strong sense of inner peace.



If I were to go out today
       I'd go out with a smile
& not because
       I'm happy at that moment
but because I finally decided
        to life the life I've always imagined.



Don't let happenings from yesterday,
take time from your life today.

Remember,
any situation is only as stressful as you make it,
   tough as you think it is
& as long-lasting as you dwell on it.

I also truly believe in
                "The Secret"
 {If you don't know what it is,
      I would highly recommend you
         purchase the book.}
It's written by Rhonda Bryne
      & basically states that
anything that's happening in your life,
             is called into it by you.
You are in control of your feelings,
    situations & daily habits.

It's like a 6th sense type of thing.
             But I SWEAR by it.
    {weird I know but seriously}

With all of that said,
I hope this gives you a better understanding of
my life outlook,
why I do what I do...
& HOW I do it all.

Just do it. Make it happen.
        Be pro-active.
& Define your life
        one project at a time.

Love will get you places in life,
not just love for another person
              but LOVE for everything.   {<3}
















Thursday, September 8, 2011

Nike'd Out

I'm very partial when it comes to my brands...
&& I love Nike.
As most of my readers do too
I'm sure.

Before Baby Bella was born
her father went shopping in Missoula
                   &
brought a pair of Nikes home.

Ever since that day
I've been waiting to
           put them on her little feet.

I boldly attempted to try
when she started walking
at 10 months old
But for obvious reasons
they were way too big.

Just yesterday Baby Bella's
daycare teacher requested
"Closed Toed Shoes"
             for the playground.

I immediately questioned
whether I even had tennis shoes
that still fit her.
   {I had bought her a size 4
        pair of baby pink Nike Shocks
      but they got outgrown fast}

Then I rememberd
that little Nike box up in her closet.
That has been collecting dust
for over {two} years!

SCORE.
Check it out...


She loves them, they fit
&& they look adorable.

I was such a proud Momma
when I dropped her off
at daycare the next day...
You know why
                         :)



My little baby girl is
        R.O.C.K.I.N.
                 Nikes!



       


Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Green Smoothie Cups: A Drink of Champions


This is what I like to call
"A Drink of Champions"
but as reference
          we'll call them
"Green Smoothie Cups"

I cannot take credit
       for the following recipe
as I got it off Pinterest.
         {That one site I really like}
this particular "Pin"
       is under my fitness board.

This is perfect to make ahead of time
and a quick on-the-go smoothie option.

INGREDIENTS:
{Makes 12 Smoothie Cups = 6 Smoothies}
* 2 Cups Coconut Water
* 1/3 Cup Whole Natural Almonds
* 2 Cups Spinach
* 2 Celery Stalks
* 1/4 Cup Fresh Mint
* 1/2 Orange
* 1/2 Tsp Ginger Powder
* 2 Cups Frozen Mango Cubes {I used Tropical Fruit Mixture}

Put all ingredients into blender as listed above & mix well. Pour into muffin tins & freeze. To serve, take 2 smoothie cups along wth 1 cup coconut water {or regular water} & blend in blender. Drink upp! MMM...

STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3 {Remember to add 2 cups!}
STEP 4
STEP 5
STEP 6
STEP 7
STEP 8 {Remember to add 2 cups!}
STEP 9 --My blender needed a little assistance :)
STEP 10
STEP 11
STEP 12 {Stick in Freezer after all are filled}

PS....
I know these look gross and chunky
&& If you have a better blender
than my piece of crap
They'll be smoother.

{However,
they still taste WONDERFUL}
     No joke.. they're awesome.

Here's to a Healthier Me
              & YOU! :)

Banana Head

Banana Head...
        Literally.



This morning
I was getting breakfast ready
and had given Bella some Banana's
to keep her occupied.

Apparently she decided
she'd rather put one on her head
then eat it.

{I hadn't noticed the whole time
I was finishing up breakfast}

After a while
Baby Bella forgot she put it there
&& just kept eating the
rest of her Banana's.

I finally looked over &
started laughing so hard.

I kindly pointed it out to her
& she grabbed it
off her head.

What a great start to
         another beautiful day!




Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Big Girl Seat

Baby Bella climbed up on
a big girl chair for the first time...
{without a booster seat}
&& started eating her ricecake.

No, I never taught her how
& as I watched her
experience some difficulty
climbing up on something
that high...
I realized how strong-willed she is.


It's unbelievable how
something so little
       {like climbing on a chair}
can be such a big deal
   in a Mother's eyes.

I truly cannot believe how much
my little baby Bella is
           growing.

It continues to amaze me everyday.
                      {<3}