Sunday, February 27, 2011

Swinger Sunday: TO DO - Werk :)

Meet Ashely - The mama behind AE Photography... Shes Super Mom in my eyes... but like the rest of us WAHM's, sometimes we start to jumble out priorities and get overwhelmed. So I figured, what a perfect Swinger Sunday post with all the supportive and understanding mama's we have here :) Leave her some love!

The other day when Ella was getting her hair cut, it got me thinking. I watched the stylists clean their stations, call over a client, give them a cut, get paid, clean up their station again and move onto the next client. They show up to work on time, do their job, make a living and be done with it. They can head home and leave work behind them. I sometimes wonder what that feels like.

When you have three children and work out of your home doing a job that is both yours and your husband's full time deal, things can become jumbled together. It's safe to say work is never far from my thoughts--even when on vacation, during the holidays or while sleeping. There is always stuff to ponder, stress over and get excited about. I assume this might be much easier for husband and wife photography teams that do not have children, but there isn't much we can't do about that! It takes a lot of dedication and determination to say "I am done with work for the day and will focus only on the kiddos & the husband."

When I see something like this photo, it breaks my heart a little. I know that every child has working parents, and ours actually get to see us more than most children get to see their parents... but I know it can be rough for them, because we are always together, and yet we are focused on work a majority of the time. We have decided to make annual summer vacations a top priority in this household, as well as mini spring getaways. Babies grow up so fast, and as important as it is to be dedicated to your job and work as hard as you possibly can--don't forget to stop, free your mind and focus on your little ones. Work issues may see oh-so-important now, but the only thing you will ever truly regret is not being the parent you always meant to be. You only get one shot.

I have decided to add a little ice skating, monster trucks and bowling to my to-do list. I'll have to have Ella modify the one she made for me on our calendar for this month!



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Saturday, February 26, 2011

Note to Self-Saturday: A Full house...

Two toddler boys (3&4) a hubby, a mommy, a Dixie (20 year old live in friend/nanny/helper/awesomeness) & two puppies... wow. FULL HOUSE! Oh, and of course one on the way!! Good thing we bought a nice, big house this year or there wouldn't be room for us all!

Today has been a non stop day of laundry... I think I have done about 6 loads in the last couple days, and folded them allllll today. I swear, just as Im getting finished - the monster pile comes out of nowhere and I start all over. Its never ending. And today - to top it all off my lovely home destroying puppies pee'd all over my fresh out of the dryer sheets... RIGHT in front of me. Ugh. These puppies are gunna be the end of me. They are more destructive and messy than my kids. They are the only puppies in the world that I've ever head of to chew through rubber toys made for big dogs... I bet in the last 6 months we have spend well over $200 on pacifiers, why? Because in a BLINK, they pups will take off with one and disappear. Later we find it chewed to pieces... Zaq bought this one last night. Its outrageous. They have chewed trim off my walls and around some of the door frames, they have ruined expensive toys and countless puzzle pieces. They've been being potty trained outside for months and still poop & pee inside at least once a day. And the thing that makes me the most crazy... is that we have brand new shag carpet (which they scratched a huge hole into in one spot) but I can see if they have accidents on the carpet, so just have to get it cleaned. I don't even know what to do anymore. I love my puppies - but any more I can't even enjoy them.  Every time they are out, something gets ruined. Every room in the house has to have the door shut completely or something disappears! We are talking 9 month old Chihuahuas here!! Not giant great danes or St. Barnards! Im running out of ideas... out of patience... if any of you have any idea what i can do to make this chaos stop, let me know. Ive tried loads of toys... rubber chew toys, rope toys, congs, and they ruin it all... and the pacifiers, they will chew it right to the nub. HELP ME!! If i dont get this figured out before the baby comes, they're gunna have to go... I just can't take it anymore...


Belated Favorites Friday: We're Pregnant!!

So - as some of you may have heard from our Facebook Fan Page - were expecting! I am 6 weeks along as of yesterday, and feeling pretty great... aside from the sleepiness & bloating - so far so good. So of course, this calls for some major maternity shopping on etsy :) Which brings us to, Favorites Friday :)
(if any of you awesome sellers would like us to host a review & giveaway for you, please email us! rockerbyebaby@gmail.com WE LOVE GIVEAWAYS! 500+ blog follower & 3,500+ fans on facebook)

(click photo to enlarge)

#1: Mamasanmaternity - D-Rebel d-ring maternity dress
#2: JellyBeanApparel - Jeart Hands long sleeve shirt
#3: KSSMaternity - Cut the Cord tshirt (Bamboo)
#4: RunSystem63 - Striped Belly Band
#5: XYFactory - Double Sparrow Maternity Tunic
#6: Angeldamico - Magenta Day of the Dead Tunic (CODE: Winter15) for 15% off!
#7: WrenWillow - Mom Tattoo Heart Babydoll
#8: RainbowSwirlz - Floral Skull American Apparel Drapey Tank
#9: AsianApparel - LeSac Dress in Charcoal Gray (can be worn loads of different ways)