Theme Thursday = Bottle

This week's #ThemeThursday post is brought to you by the word "Bottle"

At four weeks in, this is the first word that has made me wonder what the he** I am going to write about. In fact, the more I think about, I can't help but reminisce about my fair ambassador/queen of the furrow days and doing impromptu speeches in competition. For those that don't know, an impromptu is when contestants are given a question to answer or a random object/subject to talk about for about one minute. The idea is to see how good contestants are on their feet. Thinking about "bottle" reminded me vividly of standing on the stage in front of everyone and pulling a thesaurus out of the box...what do you say about a book full if words? (I believe that's even what I said!)

Likewise, what do you say about a word that is such a common, everyday word?

"Bottle" is just that, an everyday word. There are hundreds of things that come in bottles: water, pop, milk, condiments, shampoo, cleaners, lotions, makeup, sunscreen, booze, medicine, and the list goes on. 

As a society, we are often guilty of judging people by what they have in their various bottles. As an anti-pop person, I often catch myself judging people chugging a bottle of pop...all of that sugar...oh jeez, is it DIET?? Oh god the aspartame! 

Is that his SEVENTH bottle of beer? Did she just finish off that second bottle of wine HERSELF?? OMG, Sara has a bottle of real bleach under her sink...clearly she is single-handedly ruining the planet. Meanwhile back at the ranch, Sara thinks Jackie is a weird, crunchy hippie because she uses vinegar in a spray bottle for her only cleaner. Jane uses regular shampoo...yet another planet killing heathen. Sally uses a bottle of some planet friendly shampoo...clearly she has more money than brains! We are passing judgement on people exclusively based on the contents of their bottles.

There is one bottle judgement that as a young mom I have had first-hand experience with...the epic battle of the baby bottle. As a mom, you are always judged by whether your kid takes a bottle, and if they do...you most certainly are judged by what is IN your kid's bottle.   And it doesn't matter what camp people are in, there is always judgement to be passed. 

I always wanted to nurse my babies...you know, "it's best for baby"...due to some unfortunate experiences, I was not able to nurse my youngest hooligan for very long (if you would like the whole story on that, check out my older posts here!). When I made the decision to stop nursing, I decided I would pump exclusively so that he would still receive the food that I felt was best for him.

The funny thing is, when someone would first learn he was bottle fed, it didn't matter WHAT was in the bottle. The automatic response usually went something like this: "Oh....you bottle feed?? That's great!" *with a super awesome fake smile* (You could almost hear them continue under their breath with: You know you should really consider breast feeding! It's WAY better for baby and not to mention cheaper!) The automatic assumption was that I didn't WANT to nurse my baby and that I must not have done my research.

So I would enlighten whoever was sticking their nose in my business and let them know that unfortunately my poor little guy couldn't nurse, so I actually pump for him. Want to see Judgy-McJudgerson do a 180?? Tell them you willingly milk yourself 4-6 times per day for the sake of your child! Suddenly I had went from that shitty mom ramming formula (aka poison) down her kid's throat for her own convenience to mother freaking Theresa! 

"OMG! Wow!!!! That is amazing that you are able and willing to do that! You are such a great mom!"

Really? Wasn't I just on the verge of having my kid taken away because I was an unfit mother for giving him a bottle?

Oh what's that you say? Your kid doesn't take a bottle? Sorry mama, but you're not off the judgement hook either...why? Because your kid WON'T take a bottle!! How on earth can you go anywhere for more than 3-4 hours when your kid won't take a bottle? Clearly you MUST be doing something wrong...coddling her too much probably...she will likely still be on the boob when she heads of to college.

See what I mean? There is some epic bottle judgement happening in the mommyhood! Nobody is safe!

So, in honour of this week being the week of the bottle, I propose that we as mamas make a pact to end the bottle judgement! Every mom is looking out for her babies' well being and while they may choose ways of caring for their kids that are different from your own, they are doing what is best for their children, their families and themselves. Let's have some respect for each other and save the lectures and judgement for situations when it's really needed.

Bottle...let's all try not to judge people by what's in their various bottles. There are far more important things for people to worry about!

DISCLAIMER: I will say though, there are two times when I WILL continue to judge people by what's in their bottle...pop and ketchup. Pop will eat your insides and ketchup is a food RUINER!!!!

Until next time!

Want to know more about #ThemeThursday? Click HERE and join the fun!

Upcoming Themes

1/2/14 – one

1/9/14 – equal

1/16/14 – arctic

1/23/14 – bottle

1/30/14 – ice cream
2/6/14 – snow
2/13/14 – flat
2/20/14 – lights
2/27/14 – memories

If it's not your bottle, it's not your business.

Theme Thursday = Arctic

This week's #ThemeThursday post is brought to you by the word: Arctic

The arctic...A place that is home to Santa, polar bears, a small selection of other hearty cold weather creatures...and not much else. 

As a kid growing up here in Canada and learning about the far north, I always thought it would be neat to go to the arctic. From the pictures, it looks like a magical winter wonderland almost all I the time! But then winter would actually roll around here and I would be reminded that being cold wasn't really my thing. In fact, if there is such a thing as past lives, I'm fairly confident I must have lived somewhere warmer...like Hawaii or maybe even somewhere on the Mediterranean. Anywho, winter would come and I would spend from November to April wrapping myself in multiple layers, cursing the windchill and praying that spring would arrive quickly!

Now according to many of our non-Canadian friends, Canada IS the arctic. But, while there is an area in the north that falls within the arctic circle, a LARGE majority of the population actually lives nowhere near the arctic circle. That includes all of us right here in Southwestern Ontario. Sure, we have winter, and sure, it's colder here than a lot of places, but a typical winter here is NOTHING in comparison to a real arctic winter. 

Two weeks ago, we had the closest taste of an arctic winter that our area has had in over 50 years. Several days of -25 to -35 degree weather with windchills that were significantly colder than that even. Kids couldn't go outside due to the threat of instant frostbite, vehicles wouldn't start, water pipes froze (fortunately for us...just in the barn!) and many people experienced a "frost quake"...it's a real thing...Google it! It was freaking cold! Especially for this past Hawaiian-Italian (clearly I look the part with my translucent skin tone, freckles and red tones in my hair!).

Anyways, as I sat in my warm house (thank you carm and our "fair" division of household tasks), I was thinking about how stupidly cold it was and how i couldn't wait for spring to arrive...my usual winter thought train. But, then in an effort to be more positive, I decided that winter must have been created for a reason, so I tried to come up with a few cool things about winter...here's what I came up with:

1. Winter kills bugs: creepy crawlers but more importantly, germs. Ironic that flu season falls over the winter, but after a really cold snap, what had been ailing people for the previous weeks, suddenly disappears. I learned from a vet that when your calves are sick, you need to make sure you are thoroughly washing the milk feeding equipment with hot water and soap, and then store it in the freezer until the next feeding to kill anything that didn't get washed off...there ya go! Winter kills bad stuff!

2. Snow days: No need for much explanation on this one...everyone knows snow days are AWESOME!

3. Winter Olympics: without winter, there would be no Winter Olympics. As a Canadian and sports nut combined with my overwhelming desire to win things, I LOVE to watch the Winter Olympics. According to the hashtag, #wearewinter so naturally Canadians excell much more at the Winter Olympics than the summer games (not to take anything away from our awesome summer Olympians!)...who doesn't like watching their flag raised while the anthem plays...and this just happens a lot more often at the winter games as Canadians skate, ski and sled their way to victory. 

Speaking of sledding, 4. Tobogganing: if you haven't tried it...you must!! You'd think that sliding your way down a hill only to have to trudge back up the hill in all your winter gear and dragging your toboggan with you would get old after the first time down the hill...but it doesn't! Trust me!

5. Water: we are fortunate around here to have many lakes and rivers and overall abundance of fresh water. This is due in large part to our winters. Snow is made of ice and ice melts into water which replenishes our water tables every spring. A snowy winter is always welcomed by the farmers around here for this reason...a winter with not much snow leaves a lot less room for a dry summer and therefore a lot more rain dances need to be performed throughout the summer months. Farmers don't like to dance...so they like snowy winters! Haha

6. Maple Syrup: Yup! Canada's (and Buddy the Elf's) favourite condiment! More than 80% of the world's maple syrup is produced in Canada (mainly in Quebec). There are two vital ingredients to making maple syrup: maple trees and winter...both of which we have here in Canada. I won't go into the science...you can google that.

7. Snowmen: this one came from Miss M. Her daddy is a mean snowman making machine...tradition says that the children roll balls of snow and stack them up and decorate them into Frosty-esque creatures. Again with the competitive nature, Carm can't just build a regular snowman with the kids...his involve loader tractors to lift the giant boulders of snow on top of each other! Clearly that kind of industrial sized snow art can't be done in any other season.

So there you have it! Seven cool things about winter! We don't live in the arctic and thank goodness for that, but we still live where we experience winter and all of the cool (and sometime downright cold) things that go with it!

Now, is it spring yet?

Until next time!

Want to know more about #ThemeThursday? Click HERE and join the fun!

Upcoming Themes

1/2/14 – one

1/9/14 – equal

1/16/14 – arctic

1/23/14 – bottle

1/30/14 – ice cream

Authentic Weather = Best Weather App Ever! 

Theme Thursday = Equal...Equal vs Fair: An Epic Battle

Wow...that's a lot of equaling in that title...

Today is Saturday and not Thursday, but it's time for another installment of #ThemeThursday! In my defence, I did write this on Thursday, but just didn't have time to type it up until this morning!

So here it is...I present to you, a post on the theme of "Equal" 

The word "equal" is a term that comes up on almost a daily basis. The word itself is not necessarily used, but the theme will come up, or another word or term meaning the same thing will be used...either way, there is a lot of talk about equality. Perhaps it's chatter about equal rights, pay equality or gender equality. Or maybe it's referenced in a mathematical sense...money, a recipe, store inventory. In other words, it can describe amounts or things or actions that are the same, or it can be used as a verb "to equal"...one plus two equals three.

Anyone that knows me knows I am NOT a math person, so in my daily life, the word "equal" tends to be used more when talking about things that are the same.

As a member of a family farming business, there is A LOT of talk about "equal" as we move through the process of planning for the future of the farm and the generations that will assume responsibility of the business. There are siblings that are active participants in the day-to-day operation, and there are some that have chosen careers away from the farm. The internal struggle that all farming parents have in a situation like this when it is time to integrate the next generation is: "How do we make sure we are fair to all of our kids?" Chances are, over the years ALL of the kids contributed to the farm in some capacity even if they eventually chose a career elsewhere.

While we are certainly not the parents in this particular situation, we are the next generation and see first-hand the struggle his parents go through to ensure the farm carries on, but that everyone is happy! Carm and I have had the opportunity to attend a number of presentations and workshops aimed at helping to ease the transition from one generation to the next. We have learned lots of different tips, techniques, theories and strategies, but there is one statement we heard that absolutely stands out in my mind. It really resonated...not because of the roles Carm and I play in the delicate web of family and business, but because it was a statement so simple and logical that I immediately began to think about how this statement can be applied to almost anything in my life.

"There is a big difference between "equal" and "fair"; you don't have to be equal to be fair."

Let that sink in for a minute...

The speaker was using this in reference to farm succession planning, but like I mentioned, it really jumped out at me because there are SO many situations where we as humans use "equal" and "fair" interchangeably when we shouldn't.

Think about a marriage. A husband and wife are often referred to as equals. In terms of rights and human beings deserving of love and mutual respect from one another, this is ABSOLUTELY true! But, when it comes to the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities that occur in the home they have built together, it is sometimes next to impossible to split all of the responsibilities down the centre equally.

As newlyweds, this was certainly something we struggled with in the beginning. Why should I have to do the dishes after I cooked the meal every time? He should do them half the time! I learned rather quickly that was NOT going to happen...and it's a good thing...otherwise our house may have started to look like one of those disgusting houses you see on the show "Hoarders". Instead of battling over whose turn it was to take the garbage out or load the dishwasher, we decided I would look after the majority of the household chores and he would be in charge of the garbage and recycling and maintaining our outdoor furnace.

If you write our chore lists out on paper, it is clearly not an EQUAL division of tasks based on quantity, but for us, it is fair...that furnace is a 2-3 times per day job in the winter and it doesn't matter if it's -1 or -31, he has to be out there chopping wood in a snowstorm like he's Paul fricken Bunyon! I'll take washing dishes or scrubbing floors in the warm house over that any day! I should also note that we do help each other out when needed! Carm does help around the house when I need him and I will often collect the garbage for him to take out or whatever he needs help with.

Parenting is another instance where I have learned the fair vs equal battle is fought on a daily basis. If I had a penny for every time one of my parents told me "life's not fair" when I was growing up, I would be filthy rich! As a kid, I can remember whining about my sisters getting something I didn't or a friend going somewhere I wanted to go...when I was told "no," I would immediately follow it up with a "but mom! That's not fair!!"...sometimes with tears, and sometimes not. Looking back at being told "Well, life's not fair sometimes" I now believe the statement should be: "Well, life's not always equal" You could also go so far as to add ", but it's usually fair" to the end.  I realize that due to poverty or other unfortunate circumstances this may not be the case for some people, but in mine it was. So I didn't get to go to a particular party...I did get to go to lots of other ones. All of our friends got to go to Disney World and we didn't, but we got to go to lots of other cool places instead. Our parents didn't buy us every single thing we opened our mouths for, but in turn, we learned to appreciate what we had and the value of money and earning something...FAIR trades I would say! Besides, outside of necessities like food, water and shelter, if every person, couple or family did all of the same things or had all of the exact same items and experiences, the world would be a pretty boring place.

Now that both our kidlets are old enough to verbalize their displeasure about things, we have started to hear the familiar "But that's not fair!" I have caught myself on more than one occasion channeling my inner Sheryl and John, responding with the familiar "well, sometimes life is not fair!"

They are maybe still a little young to understand the difference between equal and fair (let's be honest, a three year old only knows that his bowl has less ice cream than daddy's and THAT is the end of the world...who cares if it is fair!), but perhaps we will have to work on that with them when they are a little older!

"Equal" and "Fair" - two words constantly used interchangeably that really mean two different things. When you keep in mind the difference between the two, it's amazing how much your perspective and attitude can change!

Remember: "There's a big difference between equal and fair; you don't have to be equal to be fair!"

Until next time!

Want to know more about #ThemeThursday? Click HERE and join the fun!

Upcoming Themes

1/2/14 – one

1/9/14 – equal

1/16/14 – arctic

1/23/14 – bottle

1/30/14 – ice cream

Master C undoubtedly thinking "Life's not fair"

If You Ain't First, You're Last...Thursday Theme = ONE

I realize that it's Sunday and not Thursday, but if I'm going to do this project...I'm going to do it right dammit! That means catching up on week one. Besides...I'm a dairy farmer's wife...everyone knows dairy farmers are ALWAYS late!

So...Theme Thursday Week #1...Theme = ONE

When I think about the word ONE, what comes to mind is something that worries me as a parent; especially now that Miss M has started school and the situations I fear are not so far away.

You see, I am a competitive person...I like to win, I like to be #1. "If you ain't first, you're last' - Thank you Ricky Bobby for summing it up so eloquently!

As a kid, I was on sports teams, in choirs, dance, 4-H and speech competitions, and I worked my butt off in school. Fun fact: I actually received not one, but TWO 100% grades on my grade nine report card...what?! Who does that?! The point is I was a perfectionist to a fault and often was way harder on myself than necessary...I still am. Nothing makes me more disappointed than opening our magazine fresh of the press and my eyes falling on a stupid, little spelling or grammar mistake...UGH!! Or, how about when my rec league slo-pitch team gets smoked in a game...again...COME on! If only I had read that article 101 times instead of 100, and if I had just hit 3 grand slam home runs - the magazine would have been perfect and we would've won the game.

The truth is, I could have read that article 200 times and I still may not have caught that silly error. I stared at it for HOURS as I wrote it, then I proofread it multiple times, then I had several other people proofread it and still nobody caught it. And the ball game? Who do I think I am? Even Jose Bautista doesn't hit multiple grand slams in a game!

As a kid, I'll admit, I sometimes cried if I didn't win something. Not always, and I don't recall ever making a scene about it, but I liked to win and when I didn't, there were sometimes tears; especially in the cutthroat world of 4-H dairy shows. If I was beat by someone I deemed worthy, then I was happy to be second or third or even just in the top ten if it was a big enough show. But, if someone beat me that "shouldn't," then I took it personally. Same goes for singing, dancing, speaking or any other individual competition.

"So what?" you say...what's the big deal?

The issue is that essentially, I married the male version of myself when it comes to winning and doing well at things. Now, if you know my husband, you'll know that chances are he would never have cried about not winning something, but he was certainly NOT happy with himself. His mom loves to tell the stories of Carman's rise to goalie superstardom (the Paris Beer League IS pretty much the NHL). Like myself, he was THAT kid. He spent hours and hours and hours standing in net and taking shots from whoever he could convince to slap a puck at him. He wouldn't quit until he was satisfied with the number of shots he had stopped...or his mother dragged him into the house and ripped the goalie pads off of him herself! He was the same with fitting cattle...he practiced and practiced until it was perfect every time.

Are you starting to see why I am a little worried for our kids?

Assuming perfectionism and competitiveness are inheritable traits...our kids are screwed!

They will either be little versions of the two of us, or they could be the complete opposite...I'm not sure what's worse!

All I know is both kids are already showing early warning signs of perfectionism. Miss M is only 4 and gets terribly disappointed in herself when she colours outside of the lines...which is almost never! Master C will be only 3 in a month and a half (where did the time go?) and he will spend HOURS riding his broomstick "horse" around the yard, practicing on an imaginary jump course. When he misses a jump, you can hear him reprimand himself and his "horse" and then they start all over again. Both kids showed calves in the peewee show at the fair this past year, and BOTH will tell you quite emphatically that they were the winner.

We laugh at their antics mostly...let's be honest, it's pretty fricken funny watching a little dude ride a stick around, neighing like a horse and galloping over whatever "jumps" have been set out. But, I am being honest when I say I also worry a little about what the future will bring in this department!

If they are anything like their parents, I foresee a lot of chats about winning and losing graciously, letting things go, just doing your best, not gloating, not pouting, having FUN doing the things they like to do and not always making things a competition. If they aren't like their parents...I have no idea...that's uncharted territory...I guess we'll cross that bridge if we get there!

Now that I am sort of an adult (real adults are old), I can admit that I need to be better at letting stuff go and having more fun myself. I can still strive for perfection, but if I come across an extra comma in an article I wrote...don't sweat it! Or, if my ball team finishes in last place...it happens. There is always next year. I hope that by trying to be a little less uptight in my own life, I will be able to have a little more fun and be better able to help my own kids keep their competitiveness and perfectionism in check...and possibly keep myself from morphing into that crazy-ass stage mom that I am destined to become if I don't chill!! So, here's to ONE, and not always having to be number ONE!

In honour of this being a post brought to you by the number ONE, I am going to proofread this post only ONE time. So, if you come across a typo, get over it...I did!

And remember...if you ain't first, you're last!

Until next time!

Want to know more about #ThemeThursday? Click HERE and join the fun!

Upcoming Themes

1/2/14 – one

1/9/14 – equal

1/16/14 – arctic

1/23/14 – bottle

1/30/14 – ice cream

The expert at anything was once a beginner - Helen Hayes

#ThemeThursday 2014

Since I am apparently terrible about relaunching my blog and then promptly forgetting about it, I figured I needed a little motivation. Now that I am back to work, by the time I get home at night, get dinner on the table, lunches made, baths done and kidlets to bed, the last thing I want to do is sit down at my computer and stare at the screen again! But, I do miss writing for fun on my blog. So, when a friend proposed #ThemeThursday 2014, I jumped at the chance to get back at it!

The best part? She gives me the theme for each post! I don't even have to think about it! Yes!

So here we go...let's see if this is the ticket to truly reviving The Tales of a Modern Mama in the Country!

Want to join in and blog more in 2014? Check out the details right HERE

Powered by Linky Tools Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list… If you want to join in check out the theme list for the year! Come on...you know you want to!

1/2/14 – one

1/9/14 – equal

1/16/14 – arctic

1/23/14 – bottle

1/30/14 – ice cream

2/6/14 – snow

2/13/14 – flat

2/20/14 – lights

2/27/14 – memories

3/6/14 – three

3/13/14 – circles

3/20/14 – green

3/27/14 – fast

4/3/14 – slow

4/10/14 – fuzzy

4/17/14 – egg

4/24/14 – chain

5/1/14 – force

5/8/14 – button

5/15/14 – legacy

5/22/14 – drive

5/29/14 – thrown

6/5/14 – vintage

6/12/14 – tie

6/19/14 – summer

6/26/14 – pride

7/3/14 – stars

7/10/14 – boom

7/17/14 – sugar

7/24/14 – science

7/31/14 – frost

8/7/14 – fruit

8/14/14 – square

8/21/14 – whirl

8/28/14 – button

9/4/14 – apple

9/11/14 – stripe

9/18/14 – pirate

9/25/14 – blue

10/2/14 – fast

10/9/14 – leaf

10/16/14 – eat

10/23/14 – yellow

10/30/14 – boo

11/6/14 – dots

11/13/14 – paper

11/20/14 – new

11/27/14 – fizz

12/4/14 – give

12/11/14 – green

12/18/14 – glitter

12/25/14 – bright

Family Matters

Well world, it has been a LOOOOOONG time since the last time I posted on here and made the false promise to make sure I posted more regularly! I could make every excuse under the sun to convince you (read: myself) why I have been MIA and not followed through on my commitment. But, the long and short of it is that life got BUSY, I was running 50 different directions and quite frankly, AWAY from the computer was one of them once I finally had a moment or two of work-free time.

I went back to work last February when Master C turned one! I had done it once before as the working mama of one, so it would be a piece of cake right? Yeah....not so much. With daycare costing a small fortune, I worked out a work-from-home, part-time arrangement and planned to fill the rest of my time with the 16 weddings and other photography jobs that came up...all the while sending the kids to daycare just three days a week! It sounded in theory like a GREAT plan! And it was...until things got BUSY in July. Suddenly I felt like I was running a race and every time I got to the homestretch and I could see the finish line, I would blink and suddenly the finish line was out of sight and I had another 25 km to go. My workdays turned into work nights, and my five-day work week turned into a seven-day work week. I literally could have worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week and not gotten ahead. Those that know me know that I am a PERFECTIONIST to a fault. So for me, the worst of it was that I found myself rushing to get tasks done on time and never feeling like I was completing anything up to my standard. It took longer to get photos back to clients, my normally clever and/or witty headlines/taglines were exceptionally lame, I was stockpiling little things that I should've done right away for a day when I "had more time," and the absolute worst was that I felt like a TERRIBLE mom and wife. To say I was overwhelmed, overextended and filled with mommy guilt would be the understatement of the year.

I loved my job, I loved my photography work, I loved my volunteer work, but I was missing out on precious time with my family...ironic since I worked from home and sent my kids to daycare only part-time. I wasn't doing crafts or baking cookies with them, we weren't going for fun outings like I imagined we would on non-daycare days...I was THAT mom that was frazzled all.the.time. and plunked the kids in front of the tube in hopes of getting stuff done. Crafts consisted of handing Miss M a stack of paper and her crayons and telling her to "make a picture to hang in mommy's office"...and don't even get me started on the agonizing feeling I had when Carm would set off on a fun adventure to the local fair or somewhere with the kidlets, and I had to work...and then would have it rubbed in my face (usually unintentionally) later.

I was a shitty mom and wife.

Was I actually? No. My family was healthy, they were well-fed and had clean clothes on their backs...you know...all the essential stuff. But I still FELT like a shitty mom and wife. We had to make some changes and fast!

After a lot of tears, we decided I needed to cut down on my workload. Thank you baby Jesus for Jack Rabbit Post Production to whom I outsourced some of my editing work...they are amazing and a major lifesaver! I now do specific contract work for my other job and made a decision to only take on half the number of weddings for this year. I missed out on SOO much with my family last year.  I'm not talking about the big adventures and extra stuff...I'm talking about the everyday life stuff. That wasn't going to happen again... I needed to work to live and not live to work.

Now, given the cutback on work, that also meant a cutback on funds. We needed the money though!

This leads me to the next part of my journey over the last year. We NEEDED money. I have expensive taste. Ask anyone. If I walk into a store, I ALWAYS pick out the most expensive item without even knowing it. Winners? I don't have time to shop for a bargain, or sort through sale racks to find a gem. And the health food store? I could own shares! These are certainly not terrible qualities, but when your bank account says otherwise, it's definitely not great! So really, we needed money if we (read: I) wanted to keep up the lifestyle we liked. Carm was perfectly happy to eat potatoes and carrots, but this health nut was NOT giving up fresh fruit and veggies, or God forbid, her probiotics, vitamins and other well-researched (read: expensive) products.

If you asked me a year ago if I would ever work for a network marketing company, I would have laughed in your face. Actually LAUGHED in your face. *Cue the pyramid scheme comments* There was no way in hell that I was going to be one of THOSE people. I would happily buy Pampered Chef stuff all the time, or go to someone's Tupperware party, but become a consultant...I don't think so! That was until I met my ball coach, Mel and got hooked on Arbonne products!

As I mentioned before, I am SUPER particular with stuff I buy and cost was often not a deterrent. I tried out and bought some skincare products from Mel. I LOVED them! Mel conned me into hosting a show at my house (read: she asked and I said yes with little to no convincing required)...free stuff? Seriously discounted prices on products I was going to buy anyways? Heck yes!! After the show, a friend of mine was interested in becoming a consultant. As I sat there listening to Mel talk about it, what she was saying really started to resonate with me...discounted product, great money, fabulous trips, only $95 to start up, but most importantly, time with my family and for myself...why WOULDN'T I consider that?

I signed up on the spot. Smartest decision ever! My hard work is starting to pay off, but more importantly, it has done amazing things for my self-confidence, my attitude, it has made me start to dream big and really take time to enjoy life again. It sounds super cheesey, but it is absolutely true. I can fit it [Arbonne] into my life, feel good knowing that I am helping people choose safe products for their families and still take time to spend with my family without feeling like something else is more important. Nothing is more important to me than spending time with my family...I'm just sorry it took me so long to figure that out and make changes.

Mel asked me once in the beginning, "if you keep doing what you're doing, where will you be in five years?" I don't remember what line I fed her, but to be perfectly honest, whether I said it out loud or not, the answer was not a good one. At that moment in time, our finances sucked, our marriage was strained, I felt like a shitty mom, there was no end in sight to the work on my plate...when I looked ahead five years, I saw the same financial situation, the hubs and I would still be unhappy, the kids looking for my attention, I would still be working crazy hours to no avail...that was not the life I had envisioned for myself or our family. Not at all.

Today when I look ahead five years, I see a MUCH different picture. I see a happy marriage and kids that feel and know they are loved by both their parents. I can see myself being at every sporting event, music recital, cattle show, whatever my kids participate in, cheering them on from the stands. I can see us not having to worry about money. Being able to take a holiday. I will be loving my photography and volunteer work again. In five years, I can see a happy life like the one I have envisioned my whole life. I am in no way saying that magically because I became an Arbonne consultant we are rolling in cash and jetsetting all over. Definitely not. But, I can SEE now that with lots of hard work and SMART work, in five years our life COULD look like that picture. And I mean hard work in lots of areas...my photography life, my personal life, my mom life, my volunteer life, my money life, my Arbonne life, etc.

Do I owe this change in outlook to Arbonne? Again, at the risk of sounding cheesey, yes I do. But not so much the company... it is the people. We are all in search of the same things in life and everyone has been super supportive and encouraging. Our whole team has made me realize that I am the only one who can make positive changes in my life. If I have a goal, everyone is on the sidelines cheering me on as I kill that homestretch and actually CROSS that finish line rather than watch it disappear around the next bend.

I NEVER thought I would say this, but I am SOOO grateful that the Arbonne opportunity found me. It came at the right time when I needed it the most, and I am so blessed to have all of these new and wonderful people in my life and to finally feel like life is going in the right direction.

This post was quite the novel and for that I apologize...I just sat down to write and it just kept coming...I guess that happens after almost two years! I also realize that this post lacks the usual wit and maddie-isms that are staples in my blogs, but I had to get this sappy cheesefest out of the way...so as Callum would say, "I DID it!!!"

From now on, back to the tales of the life and times of being a mama to my babies, wife to the hubs and all things awesome about being a modern country mama!

I promise...for real this time!

My beautiful family!

Amen!

Kids Say the Darndest Things...

We all know the show. Bill Cosby (or in earlier times, Art Linkletter) would ask a little kid questions in hopes of getting a cute and/or funny response from them, after which the canned laugh-track would come on and everyone at home watching would laugh along.


Pretty much, we LIVE that show...everyday.


Miss M is a chatterbox. In fact, those that don't know her (i.e. grocery cashiers, store salespeople, restaurant waitstaff, the guy at the car dealership, etc.) always ask how old she is and are shocked when I tell them she is two.
 
Stranger: "Really?"


Me: "Really" (Actually she is 4, but I like to tell people she is only two...come on!)


Stranger: "Wow! She speaks so well and she must be quite tall is she?" (as they take in my 5'2"-ish frame)


Me: "Yeah she's a chatty one! And yes, she is quite tall...she doesn't get it from me" (in case you were wondering)


Miss M: "Mommy? Where's my daddy? Milking the cows?"


Me: "Yes, daddy's milking the cows."


Stranger: "Wow! She speaks so clearly! And she's only two?"


Me: "Haha yes, she is a chatterbox and yes, she's only two." (Really? Would you like to see her birth certificate?)


This conversation is pretty typical when we're out with Miss M. And I have to say, as much as it can be annoying to have people seem skeptical about the answer I give them regarding her age, I can't help but be pretty proud at her apparent intelligence! I mean really, how many two-year-olds can use the word "ridiculous" correctly in a sentence...no word of a lie. Honest.


We do however, try not to get to pumped up over how brilliant she is as we are very aware that the majority of her "big kid" vocabulary is stuff she hears and repeats...very parrot-esque really. Like calling her daddy by his first-name when she wants his attention..."Carm! Drink of water please?"


Her actions are also often a reflection of what she sees...like giving her stuffed cow a kick in the butt and telling it to "Come on cow! Get up!"...hmm apparently she has been spending a little too much time in the barn with daddy and uncle CK...


The best though is the stuff that she clearly hears places other than home and then out of the blue she just spouts it out...


Miss M: "Mommy?"


Me: "Yes, Maddie?"


Miss M: "I have a penis!"


Me: "Pardon...what did you say?" {Eyes bugging out of my head, choking on my water and trying not to laugh at the same time}


Miss M: "Maddie has a penis!" (Nope! I wasn't hearing things!)


Me: "Well, no...you don't. You are a girl and girls do not have penises."


End of discussion.


What the heck do you say to that? What two-year-old says that?? And where did she hear it??


So Carm came home a little later and I asked him if he had heard M's new word. He hadn't, so I asked her to tell daddy her new word...


Miss M: "I have a penis!"


(Carm's turn to choke and bug his eyes out)


Carm: "What did you just say?"


Miss M: "Maddie has a penis!"


Carm: "Maddie! No you do not! And don't say that word! It's bad!"


Me: "Well no, technically it's not a bad word...I'm more concerned that it's incorrect..."


Carm: "Well we can't have her running around saying she has a vagina!"


Me: "Well at least it would be correct...but I see your point..."


So we repeated that girls do not have penises and left it at that...so far we haven't had a repeat performance thankfully...


We have NO CLUE where on earth she learned that one...she has never asked about C and the one time she asked about our nephew, my sis-in-law told her it was a wiener. So it's a mystery...if anyone knows and would care to enlighten me, tat would be super!


Good lord, imagine trying to explain the birds and the bees to a two-year-old...I don't anticipate having any trouble with "the talk", but let's hope it doesn't have to happen for several years...like ten would be good!


But seriously, our kitchen could have been a scene out of Kindergarten Cop or something! "My mom says that my dad is a real sex machine!" Bahaha I should watch that movie again sometime...


Anywho, in other news, how about them gardens? Anyone who knows our place knows there is a ridiculous amount of flowerbeds and gardens...really, there are too many, and then a few more! The lady who owned the property originally lived to garden and was very good at it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, anyone who knows me knows that I hate gardening and quite frankly...suck at it!


Over the few years we have been here, we have cut down a little bit and have a bit more lawn, but there are still a lot of flower beds! Since my sister and her fiancé will be holding their wedding here later this summer, it was finally time to really dig in and sort out the jungles.


My original idea of clearing them out and filling them with rocks and shrubs apparently didn't fly...instead the big guns were called in...yep the Horticulture society arrived one rainy morning and toured through the gardens with my father-in-law marking over 45 different species of plants that we should keep...including one that they were pretty pumped about and suggested that we shouldn't let anyone know we have it or it will disappear in the night! Whoops! I guess I shouldn't have said anything....but jokes on any of you planning to raid the gardens...I have no idea what the plant was or where it is, so good luck! Haha


Anyways, so instead of clear cutting, we are tidying up and reshaping what is already there. I really am not a garden person, but even I have to admit that the work has been paying off for sure...it suddenly looks like we have have actual flowerbeds instead of out-of-control jungles threatening to eat anything that gets a little to close!


I shall have to post some photos once we are done.


Master C is doing well as well. He went for his four-month check-up last week and weighed in at a whopping 14lbs 11oz. He is exactly average for his weight, exactly average for his height...but he still has a big head...90th percentile actually! I might be biased, but he is a cute little dude. He is pretty chatty (really? Maddie's sibling? You don't say!) and giggly, and he is already trying to roll over! I am tempted to figure out a way for him NOT to roll over...rolling over leads to crawling and crawling leads to walking...I want him to stay immobile a little longer...Maddie is busy enough! Gah!


Well Maddie is telling me it's time for supper...well actually she wants the strawberries I cut up for dessert, but nonetheless, I should roll!


Until next time my lovelies!