Moving Day for Larissa

It was a very exciting and exhausting day for me today.

I moved my baby girl into her first apartment. She was so excited and she ran around the house putting things into place and cleaning. She reminds of me when I had my first place. I hope she is happy and can start to find her adult self. I hope that this will give her the independence she needs to start a life. I hope that she will be here for a while and make this place her home. I hope this brings her much happiness.

I love you baby girl. I hope you know that all I want is the best for you even though we have our differences. I just want you to be happy.

My Baby Girl is Having a Baby

Today  I found out that my baby girl is pregnant…five months pregnant. I was in shock at first. My shock came from not so much that she is pregnant but that she is five months pregnant. I missed out on five months. It made me a little sad (a lot sad) that she didn’t feel as though she could come to me. With all the drama that revolved around her loss last year though, I can’t help but understand her trying to avoid all the drama.

My thoughts….

 

She will be very close to the age that I was when I had her. I know that she has what it takes to be an amazing mother. I know that I have taught her everything she needs to know. BUT…I worry. I worry because I know how hard it was. I worry because I remember trying to make each dollar stretch. I worry because I don’t want my baby girl to struggle.

A baby is a blessing, it’s a little miracle. I wish her and Brandon nothing but the happiness and joy. I hope that they can be amazing parents together. She is getting ready to move into her new place in two weeks. She wanted to wait to actually move in to announce it so that we would be proud of the steps she has taken and know that she is trying to be responsible. Larissa, I am proud of the steps that you have taken and this does not make me any less proud. You will be an amazing mother.

My 40th Birthday

I just wanted to share some pictures of me with the family on my 40th birthday.

Manic Monday

The weekends seem to go by to fast. I can't even really complain. I had a pretty relaxing weekend. I spent most of the weekend just hanging out at home with the family. Life seems to be passing so quickly and sometimes I just want to spend time at home. Just a few thoughts this rainy Monday morning.

This year's resolution was to simplify. I have to admit that I have seriously been doing good at it. The winter has helped with me just wanting to be home but let's see if I can stick to it once the nice weather starts. I have been simplifying all that I can though. I have been simplifying relationships. Sounds weird, I know. But honestly I am tired of having people in my life that do not give back as much as I give or they expect. A relationship is a two way street and anyone traveling on a one way street does not deserve my time or energy.

Today is the last day of March. In April is my birthday and I turn 40 this year. I am actually really excited about this. I feel really good. I have three beautiful children, I love my house, I have a good job, I am getting married next year to the love of my life and I not only look fabulous, but I am in the best health that I have been in a really long time. I have a few health concerns that I am taking care of but other than that, I have so much to be thankful. I am happy to celebrate my accomplishments of the past 40 years and prepare for the next 40. Bring it on !

In May we are taking a trip to Jekyll Island where we will be getting married in 2015. I should be stressed with as much as this trip is costing us but instead I am just really excited. This will be the only real vacation that Jose and I have taken alone without the kids. I can't wait to enjoy the tropical island and some much needed down time with the man that I will call be marrying next year. This is not just a vacation for us, this is a business trip as Jose puts it...lol. We are going to look at the hotels and restaurants to finalize some plans but I do plan on having a lot of fun while there. This is also the first time that we will be flying together. Can you believe that we have been together for 12 years and we have never flown together? I am very excited about our vacation.

So let's see what this rainy Monday morning will bring. I hope you all have a great day and a great week.

Simplify

I just had to share:

Simplify The Wedding

In this search to simplify our lives….

Wait a minute. I am writing like Jose has been part of this process to simplify (it has been my New Year Resolution to Simplify our lives). He has been part of it but not by choice. He has been dragged through this process with me but I have to admit that he likes the results he sees too.

Back to what I was saying. So, in this search to simplify our lives, we have made another important decision regarding our wedding. We have decided to just increase the wedding in Jekyll Island a tiny bit and cancel out the big party we were having here. Since making this decision, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel like the wedding is actually going to be what we wanted. No added stress, no added torture. Just the family and friends that are truly part of our lives to share in our special day.

More Time With Loved Ones

This year is all about SIMPLIFY. Are you tired of hearing that from me?

Well  the funny thing is that there are so many things that I am going to apply this to in my life, as the year goes in…right down to my wedding.

My Christmas was simplified, it was really simple and low key and I really enjoyed spending time with Jose and the kids…all the kids. It was such a pleasant surprise to have Larissa come by with Brandon and spend part of the day with us.

New Years was also simplified. We didn’t do anything New Years Eve except catch up on some shows, eat Chinese food and go to bed. New Years Day we celebrated with Jose’s mom and brother, Didi and Joshua and Christie and Gary. Simple little dinner party to celebrate. CJ was with us and Nathan joined later on after picking him up from Bianca’s. Nathan spend New Years with Mani and had a blast from what he tells me.

The more I simplify things, the more I enjoy my time with my family and friends. Not being stressed out about doing too much and all the crazy details has left me with more time to spend with my loved ones. It’s amazing how one simple thing can really help you open your eyes to what has been there all along. My kids are growing up so damn fast. I really don’t know where the time has gone. They say the older you get, the faster time goes…well that is true. I want to appreciate all the time I have with them so slowing down has really made a major impact on my life already and the year has just started. In all fairness, I did start simplifying at the end of last year already. I mean why wait until January 1^st to start something that you can start today.

I will continue to do things that make life easier on me. I am going to continue making my meal plans and shopping lists and I will try to stick to them more consistently. I will continue to declutter the house with things that we don’t use and don’t even know are there half the time. I will continue to think before buying things to bring into the house.

I am also going to take additional steps to help me on my journey to simplify my life. I have bought some birthday cards to keep home for last minute birthdays that pop up. I will try to prepare for the birthdays of the coming month in advance so that I don’t pay more than I need to for last minute gifts. I will try to come up with a laundry and cleaning system that works better than what I am doing now so that I don’t get stressed when we have people coming over.

Being prepared for things will allow me more time to enjoy and more time to spend with my loved ones.