5 years ago I started my blog with this post: Squishy is a Month Old Today.  I have since published 1,912 posts. I’m so grateful to have this blog. It’s been a struggle to balance it with everyday life, and there are times I think I should throw in the towel and spend more time with my boys. Especially recently as I’m feeling the pressure of life passing me by as we prepare to send my 5 year old to kindergarten. I will never get those moments back, but then I think about all the things I’ve done with my blog and how important it has been to me.

Thanks to my blog I’ve:

• Created a digital baby book of my babies growing up.
• Turned a passion for writing into a growing business where I make my own rules.
• Interviewed celebrities.
• Been invited to do a morning TV news segment on Back to School products. (EEK! That’s happening this Sunday!)
• Made some amazing friends.
• Become an ambassador for companies I truly love!
• Reviewed and shared my honest opinions for baby gear, fitness products, and more!
• Had a creative outlet to keep me sane during deployments.
• Documented my 2nd pregnancy from beginning to birth

• Created an online community via Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter that has helped me to grow as a parent in more ways than one.
• Become an advocate and voice for not only breastfeeding, babywearing, and cloth diapering, but for supporting all moms in their parenting journey no matter how different it looks from our own. (FYI for any mom who may be reading this… YOU ARE A GOOD MOM!)
• Found the courage to do things I’m scared of.
• Shared my concerns and fears about not being enough for my children.

Really, I could go on and on, but instead I’d like to share where I hope to take my blog. In the next year I’d love to post less, but share more. I know that doesn’t make sense, but I’d really love to get back to what I love most about blogging. Sharing parenting stuff, my fitness journey, writing letters to my boys like I used to do with Dear Squishy… I’d love to get on a schedule for posting, but every time I do that I end up feeling a serious lack of creativity. So instead my focus isn’t going to be on creating more personal and parenting content. If there is one thing I’m sure of I don’t want to look back and think I missed a single solitary second that could have been spent laughing with my children.

Why do you blog?

I’m blogging everyday in August (BEDA) with Emma from Outmumbered.com

Catch up on my previous posts!

• BEDA: Day 1: An Introduction
• BEDA: Day 2: 20 Facts About Me
• BEDA: Day 3: My Favorite Quote
• BEDA: Day 4: In 10 Years (<– One of my favorite blogs in a long time!)
• BEDA: Day 5: A Vivid Memory
• BEDA: Day 6: Best Friends
• BEDA: Day 7: 10 Songs On My Playlist
• BEDA: Day 8: What’s In My Handbag
• BEDA: Day 9: 15 Things That Make Me Happy
• BEDA: Day 10: 3 Things I’ve Checked Off My Bucket List
• BEDA: Day 11 & 12: Movies & Guilty Pleasures
• BEDA: Day 13: Living in Las Vegas

What do you mean you live in Las Vegas? Like it the hotel/casino? – Yes, I’ve actually been asked that more than once…

Um, no. I do not live in a casino. Nor near one. Okay, that’s relative – I’m about 15 minuted from a few of them, but no where near the strip.

At a park near my home.

I live in a part of town way north of the Las Vegas strip. While it would be considered a suburb of Las Vegas by anyone outside of Las Vegas, we don’t actually call them suburbs and my mailing address has Las Vegas listed as my town.  It is a newer part of the city. It’s way north of the strip, and it’s quite nice up here.  I’m driving distance to easily 45 parks, a few national parks, 4 targets, 5 major grocery stores, and one of the best cupcake stores in the South West!

No NEON lights here baby – just lots of sunlight!

How on earth do you raise your kids in Las Vegas? Isn’t it a city of sin? – Yes, I’ve actually been asked that exact question…

Yes, it’s known for it’s more adult entertainment options and on any given day my sons can easily see scandalous billboards or a line of ladies bums in thongs on the top of a taxi advertisement, and my son has certainly had his share of experiences most don’t. However, the city actually has a lot of wonderful family friendly destinations and happenings.

I live close to a place called Floyd Lamb Park where I can drive in, park, and be surrounded by peacocks, trees as big as I’m used to in the midwest, and ponds my children can fish in. It’s also where I did our second baby’s gender reveal for my husband when he was deployed overseas!

The Children’s Discover Museum was just re-built and rivals many nationally ranked children’s museums in the country. I love taking my boys there because on any given day they can lift a car with their own body weight, climb a tower of slides and hands on exhibits, be a banker, veterinarian, or an archeologist, perform on a stage, or even dress up like a king, or ride on a pirate ship.

My boys have witnessed a flash flood on several occasions from the safety of The Springs Preserve where they have learned all about desert life and the creatures that share the desert with us.

Holidays in Las Vegas have no shortage of family friendly events from sleigh rides to train rides, and more light shows that most other towns!

Okay, but it’s it like a million degrees in the summer? You can’t really go outside can you?

Las Vegas summers can be very hot, but you adapt and we have now have two water parks and more splash pads than I can count to keep cool at!

Plus getting out early to hit up the farmer’s market means the kids get to try new local food, and get active before it gets too hot!

Do you really like Las Vegas?

We have been here for nearly 8 years now. We have been home owners for 5 years this September. I’ve had both my boys here in Las Vegas, and made some amazing friendships here as well. Las Vegas in the fall is so gorgeous! I miss my family, and don’t like living so far away from the, but all in all – yes we like Las Vegas – EVEN with kids!

What to hear more about Vegas with Kids?

• Finding Adventure With Kids in Las Vegas
• 5 Must Have Baby Products for Summer
• Best Christmas Activities In Las Vegas

I’m blogging everyday in August (BEDA) with Emma from Outmumbered.com

Catch up on my previous posts!

• BEDA: Day 1: An Introduction
• BEDA: Day 2: 20 Facts About Me
• BEDA: Day 3: My Favorite Quote
• BEDA: Day 4: In 10 Years (<– One of my favorite blogs in a long time!)
• BEDA: Day 5: A Vivid Memory
• BEDA: Day 6: Best Friends
• BEDA: Day 7: 10 Songs On My Playlist
• BEDA: Day 8: What’s In My Handbag
• BEDA: Day 9: 15 Things That Make Me Happy
• BEDA: Day 10: 3 Things I’ve Checked Off My Bucket List
• BEDA: Day 11 & 12: Movies & Guilty Pleasures

Well, I knew I’d be late on one or two days. Life is just getting busy for us in August.

K is getting ready to start Kindergarten, so it’s back to school shopping and fall sports sign ups for us. I’m balancing the emotions of sending him to kindergarten with getting ready to say goodbye to the hubs again as he heads out to another deployment. While deployments are part of his job as a contractor, they never really get any easier.  Plus the thought of parenting alone for another 4+ months is always daunting.  I’m also training for my first 1/2 marathon, and some days I’m just putting my head down and getting through it.  Blogging is almost always the first thing to take a backseat, even if it means that I’m just indulging in a guilty pleasure and watching a movie or catching up on a TV show after the kids go to bed.

Wikipedia defies a guilty pleasure as something one enjoys and considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. For me that is usually how I define “me time”. No matter how much I need to do it for my sanity I almost always feel guilty taking any time away from my home. There is always something I could be doing there, so any time I choose to spend that is just for me is a guilty pleasure.

Anyway, we all have them so why not admit them right? Here are some of my favorite guilty pleasures…

• Pajama & yoga pants… sometimes all day long
• Crappy reality TV. Especially Teen Mom on MTV.
• Getting my hair and nails done. Such a luxury.
• Popcorn – totally not Paleo, but I love it!
• NAPS. I love them!
  I need this shirt!
• Signing while cleaning. Cleaning isn’t fun, but I love jamming out to music.
• A good movie

Don’t you just love a good movie. Personally, I have a hard time picking favorites. I’m not really the kind of person who likes to re-watch movies although there are a handful of them I could re-watch again and again.

The Way We Were

For the Love of the Game

Clueless <– Can you say guilty pleasure?

Glory

Good Morning Vietnam <– So sad he passed yesterday. Robin Williams was a pretty amazing actor.

As far as more recent movies I just saw Divergent and Heaven is Real. I liked both of them.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?

I’m blogging everyday in August (BEDA) with Emma from Outmumberedfollow.

Catch up on my previous posts!

• BEDA: Day 1: An Introduction
• BEDA: Day 2: 20 Facts About Me
• BEDA: Day 3: My Favorite Quote
• BEDA: Day 4: In 10 Years (<– One of my favorite blogs in a long time!)
• BEDA: Day 5: A Vivid Memory
• BEDA: Day 6: Best Friends
• BEDA: Day 7: 10 Songs On My Playlist
• BEDA: Day 8: What’s In My Handbag
• BEDA: Day 9: 15 Things That Make Me Happy
• BEDA: Day 10: 3 Things I’ve Checked Off My Bucket List

When I saw the prompt 3 items checked off your bucket list. I was a bit worried. It has been nearly 3 years since I wrote my 10 Things I’d Like To Accomplish In my 30’s post and I honestly couldn’t remember if I’d accomplished any of them.

Turns out…

I have checked off exactly 3… (Well, maybe 4)

3. Grow our family. We welcomed Baby D in 2012!

(I still hope to grow our family a bit more!)

4. Turn my blog into something that will pay at least 1/2 bills.  I’m kind of excited to be able to talk about this a little bit. Recently I got a not so nicely written message from a reader who was upset to see I had sponsored content on my blog. The reality is this…

I personally pay for my hosting and several other blog related items, so I found these type of posts allow me to continue to write what I love. However, I have the same policy I do with reviews. Unless it fits in well with my blog, I won’t take the opportunity. I’ve turned down several paying posts that I have no passion for or personal connection to. I could easily accept gaming posts, but it’s not something that I feel comfortable doing with my family blog. That doesn’t mean they are wrong, it just means they don’t fit what I’ve spent 5 years building. I treat ambassadorships the same way. Unless I can be fully honest, unless it fits in with my audience, I’m not going to accept that.  So yes, I do make money off my blog now, not nearly as much as the work I put into it, but I love my blog so that’s the choice I made. I feel like I’ve been able to get to a point where I’m finding a good balance of sponsored posts and personal posts.  I also recently started working in social media. As a result I’ve feel well on my way to turning my passion into my business.

8. Ride a 20/40/60/100 mile bike ride/race.  I almost raced 40 miles in October 2011.

Number 5 was Go on more dates with my husband. I have accomplished that as well, but it’s more of an on-going bucket list item!

Looking back at that list I’d really like to make #6 and #9 more of a priority this fall.  With my 1/2 marathon training and eating mostly paleo I’m sure I’m headed in the right direction!

6. Lose 50lbs and keep it off forever through daily fitness and healthy living.

9. Learn how to use my sewing machine and actually make something I am proud of.

So what about you? Have you checked any items of your bucket list recently?

I’m blogging everyday in August (BEDA) with Emma from Outmumbered.

Catch up on my previous posts!

• BEDA: Day 1: An Introduction
• BEDA: Day 2: 20 Facts About Me
• BEDA: Day 3: My Favorite Quote
• BEDA: Day 4: In 10 Years (<– One of my favorite blogs in a long time!)
• BEDA: Day 5: A Vivid Memory
• BEDA: Day 6: Best Friends
• BEDA: Day 7: 10 Songs On My Playlist
• BEDA: Day 8: What’s In My Handbag
• BEDA: Day 9: 15 Things That Make Me Happy

When was the last time you took a moment to think about the things in your life that make you happy? If you are anything like me, the rush and craziness of life can mean that it doesn’t happen nearly as often as it could or should. Taking time to think about these things tends to help me focus on what’s really important in life and let go of added stress or pressure I’ve put on myself.

15 Things That Make Me Happy:

1. The way my boys smile and laugh at the simplest of things
2. Hot yoga
3. Sparkling water
4. Being able to pick up the phone and call my mom when I need to hear her voice
5. Cherries in the summertime
6. Watching a good movie with my husband
7. Social media and being able to stay connected to those I love the most instantly
8. A new cookbook
9. Being a SAHM
10. Lilies
11. A summer sunset
12. Cupcakes
13. Reading a book (it used to be reading a good book, but post kids I will take any time I get!)
14. Watching funny videos
15. Bear hugs

Okay it’s your turn! What makes you happy?

Remember…

If you are having a rough day or a rough week, take a minute or two and start listing things that make you happy. I dare you, and I promise you will begin to feel better.

*I couldn’t find the source to the images above. Pinterest lead to dead links (Pin from the source people!!) If you know let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!

I’m blogging everyday in August (BEDA) with Emma from Outmumbered.

Catch up on my previous posts!

• BEDA: Day 1: An Introduction
• BEDA: Day 2: 20 Facts About Me
• BEDA: Day 3: My Favorite Quote
• BEDA: Day 4: In 10 Years (<– One of my favorite blogs in a long time!)
• BEDA: Day 5: A Vivid Memory
• BEDA: Day 6: Best Friends
• BEDA: Day 7: 10 Songs On My Playlist
• BEDA: Day 8: What’s In My Handbag

I wanted to be a little creative and do a vlog for my blog everyday in August challenge! I wanted all day for my video to upload and every time it failed to process. No explanation to it, as I’ve recently uploaded other pictures just fine… Oh well.

If you read my blog you know I’m a fan of a good diaper bag. I have a lot of them, and love all of them. However, I have fully fallen for my Ju Ju Be diaper bags. I adore the Be Right Back backpack for full day trips or traveling with the kids, but for my everyday bag I carry the Ju Ju Be Hobobe.

My Ju Ju Be Hobobe in Scarlet Petals retails for $100 and is perfect for everyday trips and still accommodates my cloth diapers.  Let’s take a peek inside!

What IS all that stuff?

•  Ju Ju Be small set piece (which has my portable medicine cabinet)
• Ladies stuff
• Young Living essential oils Thieves spray and hand sanitizer
• Anti-friction stick (aka no blisters when running)
• Lip glosses
• Say YES to carrots body butter
• Gymboss Interval Trainer (for 1/2 marathon training)
• Keys
• Petunia Pickle Bottom Wallet (Look inside my wallet with this video)
• Pen
• Sunglasses
• Bumkins Snack Bag
• PaciPod
• Kushies Wet Bag
• Toys
• California Baby Sunscreen
• Bubbles
• Be Quick in Animali from Ju Ju Be (keeps my cloth diapers)

What is one item in your handbag/diaper bag you don’t leave home without?

I’m blogging everyday in August (BEDA) with Emma from Outmumbered.

Catch up on my previous posts!

• BEDA: Day 1: An Introduction
• BEDA: Day 2: 20 Facts About Me
• BEDA: Day 3: My Favorite Quote
• BEDA: Day 4: In 10 Years (<– One of my favorite blogs in a long time!)
• BEDA: Day 5: A Vivid Memory
• BEDA: Day 6: Best Friends
• BEDA: Day 7: 10 Songs On My Playlist

So I went and did this crazy thing. I signed up for my first 1/2 marathon. And while I was working out a training schedule for that 1/2 marathon, I signed up for my first 10k race as well.

Now I love Pandora, and more recently Amazon Streaming Music (which is free for prime members). The Amazon playlists are pretty awesome! But for some reason my internet in the YMCA sucks and I can’t use either. So as a result I’m working on creating a few playlists to get me through my longer runs. I first headed to the top charts to add some new and fresh music to my list. Here is what I came out with!

Currently I’m Loving: (aka new to me music…)

1. Happy (From Despicable Me 2) by Pharrell Williams
2. Boom Clap by Charlie XCX
3. American Kids by Kenny Chesney
4. Let Her Go by Passenger
5. Latch by Disclosure featuring Sam Smith
6. Sail by AWOLnation
7. Pompeii by Bastille
8. Ten Feet Tall by Afrojack
9. Get Low by Dillion Francis and DJ Snake
10. All About That Bass by Meghan TrainorAlso adding two that also get me moving and are newer songs..
11. Turn Down For What by Lil Jon and DJ Snake
12. Fancy by Iggy Azalea

Stay tuned… I’m likely going to share my other playlists as well. (Country playlists, and Pumped Up Jams!) I should add that I run about a 12 minute mile. I didn’t build this list based on BPM but rather what kept me going through my run. Some music is only music I’d listen to when I’m running.

Help me build my playlist – share your favorite song to run to below!

I’m blogging everyday in August (BEDA) with Emma from Outmumberedfollow.

Catch up on my previous posts!

• BEDA: Day 1: An Introduction
• BEDA: Day 2: 20 Facts About Me
• BEDA: Day 3: My Favorite Quote
• BEDA: Day 4: In 10 Years (<– One of my favorite blogs in a long time!)
• BEDA: Day 5: A Vivid Memory
• BEDA: Day 6: Best Friends

I’m lucky to have a few women in my life that I consider to be best friends. First and foremost, my mother. She’s been the best friend I could ever have asked for – especially as I get older.  Lord knows I’ve only been able to survive motherhood thanks Alex and Desi. And I’m lucky to have made some amazing friendships via my blog (Shout out Lauren and Melissa!) However, there is one amazing friend in my life who has been with me through thick and thin. A friendship that has really stood the test of time. No matter how long it’s been since I’ve seen her or talked to her it is always like we just chatted the day before.

Taken in 2008 before we became moms.

I met Liz during my freshman year of high school (That’s back in 1995 people!), and while we didn’t really like each other at first, once we got to talking we have been friends ever since.  Initially I disliked her because she dated my ex-boyfriend after we broke up, and she didn’t like me because she thought I was flirting with her ex (a different guy).  However silly that may seem, no guy has yet or ever will come between our friendship.

She has been by my side through thick and thin, and probably could tell a story or two I’m not exactly proud of – although she’d never do that. She has been a voice of reason, a shoulder to cry on, a boost when I needed it, and a hug just because.

At my wedding in 2008 – My matron of honor!

It’s kind of scary to think that next year we will have been friends for 20 years, but at the same time it feels like she has always been a part of my life.

At the Aria Casino in 2010

Last year she became a mom and I couldn’t have been more happy for her. I knew the trouble and hurdles she went through to get to where she is now, and to see her become a mom and fall instantaneously in love was just amazing. I’m sad I haven’t yet been able to meet her little man-cub, but seeing as we are pretty far away from each other, it’s not as easy as it sounds. I hope to be able to see her next year when we go visit my husband’s parents.

As life and children often do to us, we haven’t been able to connect and catch up as much as I both know we would like to, but I know that if I picked up the phone tomorrow, she’d be there for me no matter what.

Liz, thank you for always being a constant in my life. Your friendship means the world to me. (Hopefully you aren’t pissed I posted a bunch of pictures of you and told the world how awesome you are!) I love you!

Tell me something you love about your best friend.

I’m blogging everyday in August (BEDA) with Emma from Outmumbered.

Catch up on my previous posts!

• BEDA: Day 1: An Introduction
• BEDA: Day 2: 20 Facts About Me
• BEDA: Day 3: My Favorite Quote
• BEDA: Day 4: In 10 Years (<– One of my favorite blogs in a long time!)
• BEDA: Day 5: A Vivid Memory

GHTime Code(s):   

Do you have a vivid memory that is associated to something you still regularly do? I have a few – hot dogs for instance will always be tied to the one time I was made to eat one by a babysitter we had even thought I told her I wasn’t feeling well.  You can guess how that one ended.

Or the smell of a radiator (which I don’t see/smell often anymore) will forever trigger the memory of falling down the stairs and knocking into the radiator with my head. The lady (she was a nice lady!) watching us thought I wasn’t hurt and just wanted to get sympathy (I’m pretty sure I was a dramatic child…), but later she finally looked at my head after I showed her my bloody hand. She jammed my head under the faucet trying to clean it out to get a better look at the cut. I was fine, but the smell of a radiator instantly takes me back to that night.

However, there is one particular memory that the moment I step onto a boat dock I can’t help but to relive it. I was young maybe 7-8?? We were in Lake Geneva WI at our family cabin and we’d taken a friend’s boat out for the fireworks on the 4th of July. It was late and I brought my baby blanket with me. (don’t judge – I love that freaking baby blanket!).

In the summer fireworks don’t start until dark which is easily close to 9pm. By the time they were over, I was so tired. We finally got back to the boat dock, and as we were stepping off the boat, I stepped into the water instead of on to the dock. I went right between the boat and the dock.

Image source

I can remember the cold being shocking, and opening my eyes and it being so incredibly dark. I can still feel the seaweed wrapping around my legs. The only thing I can remember thinking was “don’t let go of your blanket”. I was a good swimmer, but I didn’t even try to get to the surface, or maybe there wasn’t time. I know a hand reached in and pulled me out, and I remember scrapping my leg on the dock.  Even after I was out of the water, I remember thinking why I didn’t try to get to the surface. I do know that I was never scared. So odd to be so little and in a scary situation, but not to have felt scared for myself by only upset that I could have lost my blanket.

After all these years I still get teased when we are waking on a boat dock. Over this past weekend my family rented out a water taxi for a private tour to celebrate my Dad getting married, and everyone had to remind me about that time I fell into the water. When I think of it it’s like it was yesterday. Cold, dark, and that seaweed. I can still feel the seaweed on my legs.

Do you have a vivid memory from your childhood?

I’m blogging everyday in August (BEDA) with Emma from Outmumbered.

Catch up on my previous posts!

• BEDA: Day 1: An Introduction
• BEDA: Day 2: 20 Facts About Me
• BEDA: Day 3: My Favorite Quote
• BEDA: Day 4: In 10 Years (<– One of my favorite blogs in a long time!)

I spent this past weekend in Ft. Lauderdale Florida visiting my father. He was getting re-married so I took the boys on a 4+ hour plane ride to attend his celebration.

The whole weekend people loved on my boys and after they were done they’d come up to me and say “Enjoy this moment, they grow too quickly, and it goes way to fast” or some variation of that sentiment.

I’m already in shock that five years has blown past me in the blink of an eye and I’m sending my first baby to kindergarten this year, so I am certain that they weren’t just saying it to be kind. Life really does go by way too quickly.

What is that saying?

I wonder sometimes where we will be in 5, 10, 15 years. Normally it is just a passing thought, so it’s fun to write it all down and imagine, hope, and dream about our future.

In 10 years I will be 42. For some reason turning 30 didn’t scare me at all, but I balk at 40. Hopefully by then I will have found peace with it. I’d like to be working full time in social media work. I hope to have traveled more with my family, and at least a few times with just my husband.

Aren’t we babies here? This was nearly 10 years ago…

In 10 years my husband will be 47 years old. WOW! That is insane to even think about. I hope he won’t still be deploying for his job. I hope he will have more time home with the family. I’m so blessed that he does what he does to give us the life we have, but I truly hope that in

In 10 years K will be 15 years old! I can’t even stand that thought. He will be working on his driving license and going to be a sophomore in high school. I imagine our afternoons and weekends will be filled with some activity or sport. At five he can’t sit still, so my hope for him is he finds a creative outlet to release his energy. I hope he has more friends than even he knows what to do with. He’s such a sweet boy, and I know that smile and a kind word will take him far in life.

In 10 years my sweet baby boy will be 11 1/2 years old. A pre-teen in 6th grade! No more elementary school for him – he will be in middle school. I hope he will still be the same dare devil he is today, because while it may scare the bejeezus out of me it also makes me incredible proud that he goes after what he wants and is fearless in doing so. I hope he’s doing something that makes him happy every single day.

In 10 years I hope my boys will still be as good of friends as they are now. They light up instantly when they see each other. I fall a little more in love with them each day seeing how they are not only growing into their own, but how they are growing as brothers.

In 10 years I’d love to have one or two more babies to complete our family.  In 10 years I hope I’m at peace with not having anymore. I know that sounds silly to say, but I feel like my body will always ache for more babies. It’s such an awe-inspiring process to grow and have a child. To watch them grow. To experience their “first moments” along side them.  I cry now just thinking about not getting to do that again and I know we will do it again, so I hope that peace comes along.

In 10 years I pray my family and friends are all still healthy. I can’t wait to see the memories we’ve made together as a family. I’m have to admit, writing this down has freaked me out just a little bit. I hope I find a way to slow life down. To not be so focused on what could happen and live for what is happening.

For the next 10 years I’m just not going to blink!

Where will you be in 10 years?

Catch Up:

• BEDA: Day 1: An Introduction
• BEDA: Day 2: 20 Facts About Me
• BEDA: Day 3: My Favorite Quote