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Jun
25
I’m probably going to keep saying thank you for the kind comments, over and over. It means so much to me to read them, and I appreciate you guys so much.
I almost had a blogging breakdown earlier this week. I wondered why can’t I just blog and ignore my real life. Why can’t I just write fluffy, happy stuff and pretend that the sun always shines, just for a blog post. But I can’t. I don’t blog to be “fluffy”, I blog for me and hopefully for a few others, but more than that, I’ve committed to blogging “real”. Not fluff. I was really considering shutting it down, because I can’t be fake and I don’t like my reality right now.
I don’t feel like blogging real right now. To be honest, I don’t feel like doing anything. I feel myself slipping back to depression; for a while I felt like I was moving in the opposite direction, but the events of the past few weeks have just overwhelmed me. I can’t sleep, I’m anxious and distracted, I can’t eat, I can’t focus. And the thought of trying to write a semi decent blog post makes me even more stressed. I love blogging, and I don’t want to do it if it feels like a chore. I want to enjoy it, and then maybe people might enjoy what I write.
I’m trying to balance my family, my summer classes, and my jobs with going back and forth to be with my parents while my dad is in the hospital. I’m also trying to manage the worries that are overtaking me right now, and I’m not doing a good job of that. I’m just not good at juggling too many things; I wish I was. I wish my emotions didn’t take over and make me feel fragile and jittery right when I need to be strong and stoic. I wish there were about 10 more hours in the day.
I’m going to try to peek in here at least once a week; I finally felt like I was becoming part of a blogging community and I hate to take a break from that. But something has to give right now, til I figure out what I need to do for me.
I know many of you are struggling with different things right now, too, so please know that while I may not have responded to emails yet, I am thinking of and praying for all of you. And I always, always welcome and appreciate your prayers and kind words.
I am trying to get caught up here even if I’m not blogging. I am going to email the winners of the giveaways from earlier this month today, and I’ll post the winners’ names here when I’ve heard back from all of them. I haven’t forgotten that, it just got pushed back on my list of things to do.
I hope everyone is having a great summer. And I really hope you all will be here when I get my head on straight and can start posting again regularly.
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Jun
7
Rain in the summer. Not sure if I approve of this. I’m one of those moms that tells her kids “Go play outside” all summer long, so this rain is cramping my style! Also, it makes me want to curl up and sleep all day, and I can’t do that. At least my dog can, he’s taking full advantage of the rain and snoring the day away. Lucky.
I’ve recovered from my garage sale, I just have to make a trip to Goodwill now. No way am I putting everything back! My summer classes start tomorrow, so it’s back to the grind with lots of reading. June is a big birthday month for us, and we start the birthday fun this Saturday. We don’t do much, but I will bake something. He’s kind of untraditional, he may choose birthday pie instead of birthday cake 
Link up your Monday post here; it doesn’t matter what it’s about.
Here are the guidelines for my Monday Motivation blog carnival:
1. You can link up your Monday post no matter what its about, even if you have linked it somewhere else. Anything goes! This is all about sharing our posts.
2. Copy the permalink to your post in the Monday Motivation linky. Make sure it’s the link to your post, not your homepage.
3. Enter your name and post title in the linky.
4. Please include a link back to this Monday Motivation post in your post. Leave a comment after you link up.
5. Share the love! Visit the other links in the list. I’ll be visiting and spreading some Twitter luv for all the links
6. Grab my button if you want to.
I will keep the linky open until Wednesday at midnight. Link up anytime! This is just a fun way to share our posts and get some link and Twitter luv. Thanks for joining in.
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Jun
6
Visit Blogher and answer my question for a chance to win $100! “What would you flaunt..if you had it?”
Here’s my answer: On a very basic, superficial level, I would flaunt beautiful fingernails if I had them. Instead, I have these mangled, ripped nails that I can’t seem to leave alone. I think I have had nice nails maybe two times in my life, and even then they were barely there. But at least they weren’t torn and ripped to the quick! Of course, a flat stomach is right up there with healthy, pretty nails, but I’ve given up on that completely! And these days, no one sees my stomach, but it’s harder to hide unsightly fingernails. Oh the shame!
Go now and answer my question for a chance to win! You have until 5pm Monday, June 7.
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Jun
5
I forgot that getting ready for a garage sale is hard work. I’m used to hard work, but not such hard physical labor. My back aches, my arms hurt, my feet are killing me, and the sale hasn’t started yet!
Even though I won’t be doing any reading this weekend, I hope you will check out these great posts that I found over the past week. Enjoy, and think of me with all my aches and pains.
Multi-tasking Mama ~ Overcoming the Sense of Entitlement Are kids today growing up thinking they are entitled to the biggest and the best that life has to offer? I love this post!
Manumit ~ Filling in the Cracks A beautiful post about helping.
Ann Kroeker ~ People and Privacy Are we choosing privacy over relationships?
The Moonboat Cafe ~ Walking With God What does walking in faithfulness mean to you?
The High Calling Blogs ~ Yes or No Getting away from the “lazy, automatic no”.
Odd Mom ~ Sage and Thyme Marinated Chicken Breasts These look delicious, and easy enough that even I won’t ruin them.
Rants and Rambles ~ Folding Up My Map Beautiful reminder that He has already charted a perfect course for our lives.
This post is linked at Saturday Stumbles at It’s Come 2 This
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May
31
Monday already?? I hope you’re enjoying the long weekend and having a wonderful Memorial Day. My family is home today, but they’re all worn out from their trip to Kansas. So it’s a lazy day for them.
This will be our first full week of no school – yikes! The first week is hard, because they really think I am just so thrilled to have them home (which I am) that I have nothing to do but entertain them (which is not true). They don’t understand why I have to work and do homework when they’re home. I wish life worked that way! It will take a couple of days for them to figure out that they are their own entertainment commitee; they’ll have to make their own fun. They can do it, it just takes some time to sink in. Ah kids.
I have written so much these past few days; it’s like a dam burst inside and my writer’s block is all gone. Wonderful but kind of exhausting for it all to come out at once like that, lol. Check out my fun giveaway to kick off summer and try to raise enough money to send my son to the Rose Bowl Parade with his high school marching band. I’ve got a few more giveaways coming up over the next two weeks, so check back for those.
I’ve made the mind blowing decision that regardless of whatever is going on in my life, this week – and all of June – is going to be awesome. I need it to be awesome, so I will make it awesome. It’s about time for some wonderfulness, don’t you think?
Link up your Monday -or Tuesday, since this is a holiday- posts here and share them with me. We can motivate each other as we start June off with a bang
Here are the guidelines for my Monday Motivation blog carnival:
1. You can link up your Monday post no matter what its about, even if you have linked it somewhere else. Anything goes! This is all about sharing our posts.
2. Copy the permalink to your post in the Monday Motivation linky. Make sure it’s the link to your post, not your homepage.
3. Enter your name and post title in the linky.
4. Please include a link back to this Monday Motivation post in your post. Leave a comment after you link up.
5. Share the love! Visit the other links in the list. I’ll be visiting and spreading some Twitter luv for all the links
6. Grab my button if you want to.
I will keep the linky open until Wednesday at midnight, so link up anytime. I look forward to reading your posts, thanks for joining in!
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May
29
Another great week for blog reading! Check out these posts.
Coming Clean ~ Respect-Ability This post echoes how I feel about the abundance of awards that our kids get these days, earned or not.
The Gypsy Mama ~ When You Start the Week Weighed Down by Worry Is your worry weighing you down? Beautiful words.
Confessions of a Snowflake ~ Defined by Love Wonderful post for anyone struggling with the dreaded “I’m not good enough”.
Finding Serendipity ~ Of Little Boys and Baseball Bats Beautiful words and images. As the mom of a baseball player, this just made me cry.
And since I’ve had such a downer of a week, I’m including some links to older posts of my own. Now I’m not saying these are “must reads”, but they do reflect a lighter, brighter time in my life which you may not have been here for. Hey – stick around, I’m sure a brighter season is coming around again very soon for me
Don’t these things happen to everyone?
Could he be a little less helpful?
Still looking for that peace and quiet…
Have a wonderful, relaxing Memorial Day weekend. I’ll be posting the Monday Motivation linky on Sunday evening as usual, so if you’re posting Monday (or Tuesday) stop by and link up.
This post is linked at Saturday Stumbles at It’s Come 2 This
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May
24
I am running in circles again today with school assemblies and getting ready for school to be over on Wednesday. Why does the last day of school always sneak up on me?? I wanted to get this linky posted so you can link up your Monday post, whatever it’s about, and I’ll be back online later to read and tweet your posts.
Here are the guidelines for my Monday Motivation blog carnival:
1. You can link up your Monday post no matter what its about. Anything goes!
2. Copy the permalink to your post in the Monday Motivation linky. Make sure it’s the link to your post, not your homepage.
3. Enter your name and post title in the linky.
4. Please include a link back to this Monday Motivation post in your post. Leave a comment after you link up.
5. Share the love! Visit the other links in the list. I’ll be visiting and spreading some Twitter luv for all the links.
6. Grab my button if you want to.
I will keep the linky open until Wednesday at midnight, so link up anytime. I look forward to reading your Monday posts, thanks for joining in!
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here? Subscribe to Unexpected Bliss or have it delivered via email.
May
21
I’ve been talking all week about how my in-laws were coming this weekend and all the cleaning I have to do to get ready. Well, the cleaning is done, but we just got a call that my father in law fell off a ladder today at work. He is okay, thank goodness, but he hurt his leg and can’t walk or travel. My father in law works in construction, so we have gotten many phone calls like this, the most scary being when he cut off his thumb. Even then, someone had to force the man to go to the hospital! So this seems minor, but still a scare. We’re discussing whether or not we need to go to Kansas tomorrow, just because sometimes you need to be with your family. Keep him in your prayers for a quick and painless recovery.
I can’t leave without sharing some of the great posts I’ve read this week:
The Art of Losing Myself ~ Tame the Tongue, Tame My Thoughts Excellent post about how not only our words can hurt others, but our thoughts as well.
Healthy Spirituality ~ Listen, Watch, Wait So simple, yet so powerful.
Coming Clean ~ 5 Ways My Teen Girl Has Saved Me Hysterical reflection on how teenagers improve our lives. As the mom to a teenage boy, I can attest that we definitely have to search for the good sometimes
The Run-a-Muck ~ Giving Up Asking for Tomorrow’s Bread “Believe today that He is what you need for today.” Beautiful.
SomeGirlsWebsite ~ Giving Out of Our Abundance We all have gifts; how can we share them? Great post! Be sure to read the follow up post too.
Have a wonderful weekend, and come back on Monday to link up for Monday Motivation.
For more Saturday Stumbles visit It’s Come 2 This
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May
21
- 1-
This week has left me drained. Completely empty. I hope that’s a good thing, emptying out all the worry and anxiety that’s been plaguing me to make room for renewed faith. I hope that’s it. I’m so grateful for those of you that have commented and emailed such kindness to me this week. It means so much.
- 2 -
I so wish that people would just say what they mean. Lately it seems like no one says what they are really thinking. For example, when I ask my husband if he wants any of the cheese dip, he always says No. But then he grabs it out of the microwave and starts shoving chips and dip in his mouth! Um, honey, just tell me you want some and I’ll make enough for everyone!
- 3 -
It’s the end of the school year, which means my son has decided that he doesn’t need to do any more school work. He conveniently “forgets” about the semester tests that he has the last two days of school. I have to be such a nagging mom right now to make sure he doesn’t blow all his hard work by blowing off semester tests.
- 4 -
I mentioned earlier in the week that my in-laws are coming to visit this weekend. Friday is the big cleaning day; it doesn’t do any good to clean earlier because with my family, the mess will just re-accumulate by the end of the week. We are so talented that way! This irritates my husband to no end; he thinks the house should stay clean enough for his parents to drop in anytime. Ha! To which I reply, go right ahead and make that dream of yours come true! Although it does kind of defeat the purpose when my kids always tell their grandparents that “Mom was up all night cleaning before you got here”. Thanks kids, way to spoil my image.
- 5 -
Finally, winners! The winners of my blogiversary giveaway have been notified and I’ll get their prizes mailed out shortly. Congratulations to:
Candace G - winner of the iPod touch
Cori @A SAHM Looking for a Deal - winner of the $50 Target gift card
I gotta get busy with my cleaning. Keep your fingers crossed that the rain and tornadoes are done for now, so we can resume our regularly scheduled baseball season! Enjoy your weekend, and come back to link up for Monday Motivation. Next week is going to be great, I just know it.
For more Caffeinated Randomness visit Under Grace & Over Coffee.
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May
16
It’s still Sunday and I’m ready for the upcoming week to be over! Just a tad overwhelmed here. With all the bad weather, we’ve got baseball makeup games almost every night, practices on the nights we don’t have games, a band concert, a piano recital and a baseball tournament next weekend. Whew, I’m tired just thinking about it!
Not to mention I’m scrambling to finish my assignments for the spring semester before the summer semester starts. I had a plan, but you know what happens when you plan. I intended to spend most of the week finishing my library observations, then finish the writing next weekend. Such a good little plan. We found out tonight that my in-laws want to come next weekend to go to the tournament and the piano recital. Now I love my inlaws, and I am blessed to have in-laws that I get along great with. But next weekend.. Sigh.
And because I am what I am, weekend company means a day spent cleaning and grocery shopping. I mean really cleaning, which hasn’t been done in awhile (I refuse to say how long it’s really been). So there goes my plan.
Okay, I’m relying on you guys to motivate me, otherwise I may just crawl in bed and stay there for a week. Link up your Monday posts. It doesn’t have to be about anything in particular, just whatever you’ve posted for Monday.
Here are the guidelines for my Monday Motivation blog carnival:
1. You can link up your Monday post no matter what its about. Anything goes!
2. Copy the permalink to your post in the Monday Motivation linky. Make sure it’s the link to your post, not your homepage.
3. Enter your name and post title in the linky.
4. Please include a link back to this Monday Motivation post in your post. Leave a comment after you link up.
5. Share the love! Visit the other links in the list. I’ll be visiting and spreading some Twitter luv for all the links.
6. Grab my button if you want to.
I will keep the linky open until Wednesday at midnight, so link up anytime. I look forward to reading your Monday posts, thanks for joining in!
New
here? Subscribe to Unexpected Bliss or have it delivered via email.
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Grab the button and join me for Monday Motivation
My boys
Where did those little guys go?Cuteness overload
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