Goals 2010 Revisited

I listed my goals for 2010 on New Year's Eve, with every intention of revisiting it halfway through the year to keep myself accountable, so here's the update:

1) Become a Stay-at-Home mom, and do it well- Yay! In my first full week with this new title!

2) Take a cake decorating class, or two- I finish my first class on Wednesday!

3) Take a sewing class, and sew more- Yikes, not even close.

4) Make a quilt for Sweetpea's big girl bed- Finished my part, but still need to send it away to to have my quilt top and back quilted together by a pro

5) Finish landscaping our yards- Well, almost done with the backyard, but put on hold a bit due to #1 and #12

6) Read the Bible all the way through- Have started, but I'm not half-way yet, so I better keep at it!

7) Find a new home church, and get involved- Yes! And slowly getting involved, due to my enormous social anxiety!

8) Be a good friend and make connecting with friends more of a priority- Some...

9) Have a Girlfriends weekend with my college friends- In the works...

10) Have a weekend away with Gary- Does a night away count? We're heading to a resort locally for our eighth anniversary.

11) Call out of town family at least once a month- Whoops.

12) Have a baby- In the oven, due in October :)

13) Build L'alfabeto, my Etsy shop, and spend more time on it- My summer project...

14) Participate in two Christmas Boutiques- Hmmm, maybe not realistic because of #12

15) Find, and set aside time for, a couples Bible study with Gary- We're doing it! Consistently even!

16) Spend time with God, everyday- Getting better, but honestly, its not everyday yet.

17) Pray for the things in my life that are important, consistently- Yes!

18) Expect, and pray for, a miracle of supernatural proportions for Kate- Yes! Can't wait to hear good news at the end of her treatment this month!

19) Grow out these pesky bangs (Why do I keep thinking bangs are a good idea?!)- Boy, do I know how to sabotage myself or what? Read here to get the lowdown. On this goal, I failed spectacularly (at least I have six more months to maybe get it done!)!!

20) Laugh more- Oh yes!

Well, there are a lot of reds still up there, and quite frankly a few goals that I forgot I even made, Room to grow, yes. I feel good that I have accomplished some of them at least! Did you make a list? Have you looked at it recently as a little kick in the butt?

My New Gig

My secret dream was always to be a mom who got to stay at home with her kids. When I became a mom, that dream was so far off from reality, that I soon had to dismiss it completely, lest I be discontent with what God had provided for our life. Three years ago, I got the chance to teach part time, three days a week, rather than five days a week. I was thrilled, I felt completely blessed. Thanks so much Lord, for giving me more time with my own precious two, I prayed. With baby number three on the way, we decided to take a little (okay, maybe huge, but I'm not worried) leap of faith, and drop down to one income so I could stay home and be the full time mom and home-maker that I always yearned for deep down. Can I just say that I feel completely shocked and awed by how God provides, even "in this economy". We will make big sacrifices, financially... and perhaps won't be able to sock away a huge savings, but I am thrilled to be the mom I always hoped and prayed I could one day be. I do not take this job lightly, and I know that being a full time mom, and doing it to the best of my ability, is a big job. I'm up for the challenge. I was reminded last week at church of the old saying, "If Mamma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy". This is so true! It is my responsibility to set the tone for our day, remain calm, speak with love, use self-control, and teach my children through example how to respond to the unexpected... even the occasional jerk-o. I can't wait to see how God is going to use this new opportunity to change and bless our family!

Now I can check #1 off My List! :)

Piggy Paints

I really try to be smart about our family's exposure to chemicals. I buy organic when I can, choose my cleaning products carefully, use glass instead of plastic, and we don't eat lead (bonus, right?!). I always had a little nagging voice in the back of my head when I painted Sweetpea's toenails. After all, wasn't I painting chemicals right onto her little body, just waiting to be absorbed? Recently I heard about Piggy Paints, a mom-based business that creates nail polishes and other products that don't contain the usual suspects in normal nail polishes, especially created for little girls in particular. We ordered a few colors for Sweetpea, and we love them! There was no odor at all when we painted, and they look just as pretty as a regular polish. If you're interested, they have many shades to pick from, as well as some gift sets too. If you become a Facebook Fan of theirs, they post discount codes all the time. In fact, here's the coupon code for the month of May for 15% off all orders: MAYDAY15L. And what's a ballerina princess to do with freshly painted piggies? Dance with her brother, Ironman Batman, of course!

By the way... I wasn't paid or compensated AT ALL for posting this!! I just really like Piggy Paints and wanted to share a healthier product for our little gals :)

My Moral Dilemma

To flush, or not to flush... that is the question. I am in full blown spring cleaning mode and nothing, nothing will get in my way. I am purging all unwanted items, and organizing any thing that doesn't get obliterated in the process. Well, unfortunately for the guppies and plecostomus that are Goofball's pets, they are on the chopping block. Why? That stupid, humongous fish tank that takes up a third of the entire floor space in his room. That tank is bound for the garage sale this Saturday. So why flush? There are simply no takers for these rabbits of the fish tank world. Seriously, new babies everyday... yowza. The plecostomus sucker fish on the other hand, is truly frightening to me. This guy is no less than 8 inches long and has the strength of a grown man ('s hand). I'm not sure I have the stomach to try to flush that thing. He would probably cling to the inside pipe and flourish for the next 5 years, growing to a freakish world record length and come back up the pipe at 3am to seek it's revenge on my backside. I shudder to even consider the possibilities. So he's a different story. Does Petsmart take in stray sucker fish? Maybe I could pack him up all cute like and leave him at the doorstep at opening time. They wouldn't turn him away would they? But then I would somehow have to manage to wrangle him out of the tank, which incites a whole new slew of fears. I really want nothing to do with him.

Then there's the very un-PETA-like option (as if the first option was pro-PETA), of digging a hole in our garden, then just tossing them in to die, albeit nourishing a very tasty cucumber plant in the process. I'm afraid this will lead to many a nightmare.

What's a mom to do? These guys have got to hit the road no later than Thursday. Dead fish walking (or swimming).