Happy Easter!!

Good Morning!

It's early and our house is wide awake!! Why? Well, it's Easter..of course.

The eggs have all been found. The baskets have been turned upside down...um, literally!  My 3 and 5 yo are having fun with bubbles..In the house. (Thank you Hubby..)

I think they must've been good girls because our Easter Bunny was very good to them!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a blessed Sunday.

This is round 1 for my girls, apparently this Bunny visits Nana and Papa too....

Happy Easter!!

~KEL~

Warning: Today was a Good Day!

How often are we blessed with one of those days when the earth aligns with the universe and our day becomes much better for just that reason?

 

I have relief and still a bit of anxiety over the unknown today. I awoke at 5:00 a.m., not so much due to my internal alarm clock, but instead due to the pungent smell that was invading my nostrils as I slept. What was that smell, you ask? Ahh...a Skunk, of course... Our entire house reeked of said smell and was literally gagging Hubby and I. It even managed to invade our soon to be three years olds senses. So more than half of my house was awake and tired! The smell seemed to be growing more intense as the seconds, minutes, then hours passed. It was unbearable. We finally opened windows and waited for it to dissipate to the point that we were no longer contemplating an evacuation from the premises. 

My thoughts were, "Oh My God, who does that? Who has a Skunk spray inside their home?" Of course, it was inside, probably at the end of our home in a room that has no floor. Our area seems to have a large ration of skunks right now and of course one just happened to enter our home and spray. 

I sought shelter for my little one in her sisters room, who was not experiencing the smell as intense as the rest of the house, and went back to my own room, pulled the covers over my face, opened my mouth and tried to catch a few more zzz's.  It apparently worked because I awake after eight, fresh and feeling good, just cold from the Windows all being wide open!

It was time to eat, get girls ready and wake up Hubby for a quick trip to the store before I took the girls to my grandmothers to dye Easter eggs.

Everything went off without a hitch. Even got Hubby's birthday present, a Char Broil Charcoal grill, which he was super excited about! Cook out tonight! YESS!

A little after noon, we headed to my Grandma's and had lunch and while the girls dyed eggs with my Mom and Grandma, I headed for Meijers. I have been a bad Mommy this year and have not had time to sneak away for candy and sorts, until today, that is!

Well, over one hundred and fifty bucks later, I am all set with these things..can't wait to get them all together! #excited!

Picked up my little ladies, who had a blast and had beautiful Easter eggs to prove it! We headed home for some outside time, dinner (which Hubby cooked on his new Grill) and wrapped up our evening with a whiny soon to be three yo. 

To bed they went, without a hitch.  Another day for the books but gosh darn it, it was a good one!

Hope yours is well also!

Happy Good Friday.

~KEL~

Saying Goodbye is bittersweet..

Today was the end of a chapter, marking the beginning of another. My last day at my current job was anything but normal. I woke up this morning after a terrible nights sleep (thanks to my soon - to - be 3 yo.) thinking that this major migraine would move on by mid morning and was a combo of lack of sleep and some stress. Then I get to work and the real stress begins!  Basically my day was a wash as my replacement, whom I am training- did not have security to even train today. Um, can we say frustrating!!
But the end became real as I ate delicious cake (Thank you so much Wendy) and delicious pulled pork sandwiches (Thank you Tamara) and realized shit just got forrealz...yo.. 
Then I bid my farewells and leave the building shaking like a leaf all the way to the car...
My Bittersweet goodbye, of course. I am so sad to say goodbye, as I will miss all my coworkers and my work, but I am also very excited to be able to work from home.
So, I am trying not to mind the lovely face zits that are settling upon my face or the mad nose bleed that caused me to pull over on the expressway as blood gushed down my arm. Parting gifts...

Onto a new chapter, a new position and an office that I hope turns out like I could only dream.

To all my coworkers, you will be missed. I promise that as soon as we get this house together there is a BIG party to be had!!  And yes, alcohol will be on the menu. 

To new beginnings and the closing of a chapter.

~Kel

Letter to Teen Mom 2- Girls...

This is my letter to the Teen Mom 2 girls. 

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Preface: I would like to start by saying that I am not a teen Mom. I do not know your struggles, your hardships or your life-besides what is aired on T.V.  I do not wish to "slam" any of you, I believe that you are all doing the best with what you have been dealt.  This being said, I am a Mom, I do understand what it is like to raise children. I was almost a teen mother and although I have not walked in those shoes, I can imagine the things that must weight on each of your shoulders everyday. 
I would then like to say that I have watched not only Teen Mom 2, but all of you in 16 & Pregnant. I almost feel like I have been on walked along side each of you on your journey. I do not agree with *everyone's' choices, but feel that the show has brought to life the consequences of getting pregnant before you are ready. Each of your stories are inspiring and I hope will help me be a better parent when it comes to discussing sex and babies with my own girls. 

OK, on with it already Kel!

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My Letter to Chelsea
I have watched you grow up girl! I mean, thinking back to you in your episode of 16 & Pregnant, I remember scratching my head, thinking to myself that this poor girl has no idea what kind of ways her life is about to be turned upside down.  Adam was a jerk then, he is a jerk now, and unfortunately for him, he will probably always be a jerk.  OK, not to totally bash Adam. I love watching you grow, you are a Great Mom! Do not ever let anyone tell you different!  I am glad, (you are NOT going to want to hear this) that Adam is finally trying to be a part of Aubrey's Life. Unfortunately, this journey has been recorded and she will see that it is only when he is expecting a new baby that he steps up for Aubs. But, I think that being a Daddy's girl myself, it is important for a girl to have her Dad. Even if he is a hot mess.  The best decisions you made were moving on from the toxicity that is Adam. You are a devoted Mom and it has been a joy to watch you blossom into the person you have become. Keep striving for those stars and don't give up.  The kicker is when you were going to change Aubrey's name on the Birth Certificate because Adam was such a nasty person, kind of wish you had. I can totally feel your insecurities when it comes to not being with her and I think it is sad that Adam doesn't get that. I think that he can't relate because he has always been a piece of her life, not a part. Hang in there. You will be a better parent for sharing custody, even when you want to be selfish (I would too) but for Aubrey, and for her growth. I think that if anything, when he is with her he does love her and she will make HIM a better person. (Ironic, isn't it!)

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My Letter to Kail
You have been busy girl!  I think that you are a wonderful Mom. You are NOT your Mother, not even close. All I ask of you is to cut Javi some slack. He is a good one and deserves all your love and attention. I totally understand that editing happens, but you always seem so cold towards him. He is a stand up guy and you are so lucky to have found him.
You were a beautiful bride. Your ceremony brought tears to my eyes and I thought that it was a new start for you both and so romantic. I love that you are also having a civil relationship with Joe. Just remember, Joe is a GREAT Dad, you are so lucky! Don't discredit him. He has been the best Teen Dad ever and deserves that credit because a lot of the Teen Dad's kind of distances themselves and he has fought for Isaac as much as you have. You are both great Parents and I love that Javi and Him are also trying to build a civil relationship. It says a lot about you guys and your Co-Parenting. Now, onto Vi, give her a chance. She is great with Isaac and you found happiness, let Joe find it too! It will be better for Isaac in the long run.
My last words are, keep doing what your doing. You have grown so much and have turned into a good person, Kail. I just wish you would let your guard down a little and warm up a smidge! ;)

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My Letter to Jenelle
Oh girl..I do not want to bash you, you get it enough from Barbara and your fans, but I just wish you loved yourself! You need to start with YOU, work your way to Jace and then, maybe, just maybe, you can find love elsewhere.
Bi-Polar disorder is tough and I am proud of you for putting yourself out there, letting the world see how the disease affects you. I do not personally suffer, but I do have a Mother and Brother who battle the disorder and I see the struggles both internal and external that they afflict. Stay strong, find the right medication and look at yourself in the mirror. You are a beautiful person with a huge heart. Give yourself some of that love from that heart and start there. You need to love you before you can let anyone else love you and the love you are getting is not the right kind.
As for Nathan, hopefully you have moved on. Although with a baby, I am sure there will always be a back and forth that will happen for now on. He is bad news. I saw right through his pretty boy face from the get. He might have his own money and all the flash, he inflicts anger in you and twists stuff to set you off. Any relationship like this is best to avoid.
As for Jace, don't leave him behind. Fight for him. I really haven't ever seen you fight for him and he is suffering. Stop being selfish and love you and love him. He is the only guy you need in your life. Parenting is tough and keeps you grounded at the same time. It is kind of amazing in that aspect and if you could worry about him more and being the best Mom your could be, you would improve your disorder and rid yourself of the depression.
Hang in there girl and next time I see you, I hope that you have Jace, new baby and are smiling and all about your babies. They deserve it!

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My Letter to Leah
This one is the one that I needed to save for last. Leah, my heart aches for you in so many ways. You are a hands down Ah-Mazing Mother! I give you nothing but tons of credit for the life you have created. You are strong and caring and active and just amazing. So, let's talk Jeremy. OK, I am married and I have learned the meaning of being a "Godly Wife" and seriously, look into this (it is on my blog) - you need to pick you battles and stop nagging. My life is similar, minus the day travel. I do not see my Hubby a heck of a lot because of his crazy work schedule. How do I get through it? Texting. Whether he responds or not, I text. I also remember why he is working. It isn't for him, it isn't for stuff he wants to buy..nope it is for me and my girls. I do not lose sight of that because at the end of the day I ask myself, Does he want to be away from us, does he want to be working 10 hours days, six days a week? You need to stay rationale, no matter how hard it is.
You have your hands full. I totally get that! You just have to take the time you do have with Jeremy and love him. Put the fighting away. One thing that does bother me, and again.editing might be obscuring my vision, but he is very cold. You say that you love him and get a blank stare, no words back. I think that counseling would help break that, but only if he is willing and right now he seems very adamant that he is not interested. Maybe it is just lack of communication, or maybe it is just the nagging but you might need to push with more affection. I think that saying, Kill em' with kindness, would work in the affection department.
You are under a lot of stress, but you still deserve to be treated like a great wife. Do not lose sight of why you were married and do not throw in the towel at the first fight. If you meant your vows, do not give up. This is something I wish someone would have told you with your marriage to Cory. If you would have bought that stupid old pick up...you never let me drive... there would have been compromise and a home might have followed. If is water under the bridge and you can not go back, just move forward. You found Jeremy, now it is all about showing him your love and getting him to show you his!

As for you absolutely beautiful girls...Alleah is a normal 4 almost 5 year old. Her behavior is hands down, normal!  I speak from experience, as my 5 yo exhibits the same rowdiness. My children are 2 years apart and completely different! Ali is so stinking adorable! You stay so strong for her and I swear it is keeping her thriving! I am still in shock about the results and just want to give you a huge hug. You and Cory handled the news better than I knew Hubby and I would have. It is a huge hurdle, but if anyone is going to get through it, it will be you.

I love the co-parenting that Cory and you are managing and although I personally, would love to have seen a happy ending between the two of you, I am happy with your life partner decisions and love the fact that you both talk regularly and work together. You have to  for those girls and I love the Mom you are for always keeping that as your primary focus! I love your Momma too! She did/does good with you and you are so lucky to have her always by your side. She is open and honest and listens and that is something you truly need.  I would never sit here and try to act like i know what your going through. I don't and I am so sorry you are going through this, but know that you and your girls have touch my heart. I know that you and Jeremy can gt through all these hurdles. Please just remember that marriage is work. It is not meant to be easy and understand where he is coming form. That being said, I hope that he can somehow understand where you are coming from and the things you deal with  and hold up on your shoulders daily. Men don't ever seen to though.

Please hang in there, live for you girls, your family and never give up! Keep pushing Ali, she was put on this earth as an inspiration. She is truly a kind soul and when you put Alleah and her together, they were meant to do something big in this world!

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You girls are all amazing. I hope that we see you again, that you keep inspiring us all, young and old. Keep your message loud and preach it to your own little ones. Having kids is not easy and it will not keep a man. Thank you for hopefully helping me instill some kind of protection and the importance of such for my own girls in the future. It can happen, it will happen unless you are careful and yes, to you!

Take care ladies and keep on being Great Moms. 

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#teenmom2  #strugglespayoff  #kidsarehard

~KEL~

Monday Madness..I work at HOME!!!

What does WAHM mean?

WAHM to me is a Life Changer! I am so excited/proud to say that I am a WAHM, or for those of you who are thinking to yourself,  a WHAT?  I am a Work At Home Mom!

 

I am over the moon excited to announce that the position that I was going for, as a Work At Home Administrative Assistant, has become a dream come true!  I landed the job and can not wait to get it all started! 

This was a huge, but easy decision for me! My Hubby was even pretty easily convinced. Of course, it was making sure it was on the up-and-up and all that good stuff, but the whole Work At Home aspect of the job was an easy sell for him. He knows how much I wanted to be able to be home and also be able to work, I have been busting my booty for the past three months with courses just to make this somewhat of a reality. I am so excited that this position just fell into my lap and that it is a dream that is becoming my reality! 

I was offered earlier last week and upon acceptance, and a few wonderfully happy phone calls from the Manager and a person on Staff (made my day!) I am officially a Sophrona Solutions Employee! 

I am running and haven't even bothered to look back as of yet!  I had to resign from my current position on Thursday, which makes me feel almost bittersweet about everything. I am sad to say goodbye to all my co-workers and my position, of which I have held for the past five years, but I am so happy about my upcoming journey and the opportunities that are waiting for me in this new position. It is the mixed emotions of not knowing exactly what to expect but thrill for what is yet to come, type of feeling! 

My children are thrilled and, although they wont be present for my work-day, they are just excited that Mom gets to take them where they need to go..after all I have missed mornings for the past five years, right!

 

My Hubby was kind enough to go get a desk we had at our old neighbors house (he is awesome and we so appreciate him allowing us to "store" the desk in his garage for the past, um, three years or so..) and brought it home last night so I can get "set up".  Now, I can not wait! I have a home office now, but I am looking for a little nook that is downstairs, so that I can have windows and fresh air and kind of know what is going on in the world! So, I am setting up shop in our enclosed front porch room. (We are currently using it as a makeshift play room for the girls and a storage area!)  I have a lot of work ahead of me in the next few weeks. I have cleaning, painting, setting up the desk area, working with Hubby to find a window (we are missing 1 bank window) and adding some more drywall on exterior walls. Then, I should be good to go and I can not wait!

 

Here is to working at home and having this incredible opportunity at my feet! I seriously can not wait to get this started and embrace this new adventure by jumping with both feet first!

The power of words is amazing to me. I wrote it and work hard to make this happen and honestly, I can not even believe it IS happening! It is a dream come true that I can not wait to start!

Until tomorrow...

~KEL~ 

Fabulous Friday!!! - BIG NEWS!

It has been a week of GREATS for us!

I have posted previously about a job opportunity that I was actively following and I was offered the job on Wednesday! Of course, I excepted!  I am scared, nervous, excited and happy with my decision, kind of in that very order!

I had to resign from my current position and it is almost bittersweet. I am sad to say goodbye to all the faces that I see on a regular basis, but happy to be moving onto a new, exciting opportunity. I just feel that I have been living my life in slow motion since October, when we received the news to start looking, because our company was up in the air with ObamaCare. 

The office has been very mute this past week also. There is a lot of chatter about letting people go in different departments...so this literally fell into my lap at just the right time.  The big guy upstairs always had a plan!

I have been praying a lot to ensure the safety of my family and for God and our loved ones to watch over us. I just feel like the bottom is going to fall out from under us and I can not explain it.  It does not have anything to do with job change, but just a feeling of the calm before the storm.

I start in a few weeks and I can not wait. I am excited to see what the job really entails, as well as workign with this super awesome crew. I am very impressed with this company and their kindness and think that it will be a great match for my and my skills that I bring to the table. Plus, I get to finally be a WAHM! I am more nervous about that and still having time for my kiddos and all that. It is a dream come true. I have been talking about workign from home for years now and for that to be a reality is creating unbelieveable feelings within!

Hope everyone else s Friday is treating them well.  We are finally getting excellent weather and have been spending a lot of time outside! (Love us some great outdoors!)

Just FYI- I will be changing up my format next week.  Marriage Mondays are getting a little repetitive.  I have some things, randoms, that I would love to get off my chest and I am sorry ahead of time if you follow my blog and have to muster through my thoughts. I just need to stay true to myself while trying to make this blog fun to read and interactive.  Still a work in progress, obviously!

Until next time.. Have a wonderful weekend!

~KEL~  

Throwback Thursday...Let's think back to College Years...

Let's take a look back..to those years when you were starting college, or well into it and all the things you did, or didn't experience.

What are some of the life experiences that you were able to take under your wing and embrace? 

What were some life experiences that you avoided? Do you have any regrets?

 

It has been so long since I was in school. Seems like yesterday, but it was a really, really, (let's face it, really) long time ago. When I think back to my freshman year I am hit with the memory of crying in August, days before my College Orientation.  I did not want to go.  A lot had to do with the fact that my Best Friend was not going to school, so I was going to be all alone..

But, I went to orientation (funny thing is that my College was about ten minutes from my house!) and I ended up meeting new people, fitting in just fine and made it through the day. 

My first day was full of anxiety, worry about where my classes were located, and if I could find an open seat far away from the professor! (I am social awkward..)

My college experience was fun. I met some people, including a guy who was in a fraternity and had a little experience with college life. Let's just say that nothing went far and it was not for me! I preferred my guy friends, whom I did not lose touch with. I lived life like I was still in High School, of course I did not know it then, but looking back, it was fun, we would drink, party and find crazy things to do. I guess that was what made it a great experience. 

Do I regret not getting more involved with College life, um, no.  I hung out with my friends from high school through my college life and we did the "club" thing and parties and bar hopping and all those things that you do as a normal twenty one year old. I even met Hubby and started a relationship with him during my college experience. 

I probably would not have graduated if it were not for him and his push. He did not go to school and really pushed me through my education and I really appreciate him for that.

As for looking back on those years I can honestly say that I do not have any regrets. I tend to live my life with the mentality that everything happens for a reason and as it should. (I think it is from a fortune cookie or something!)

I actually drank until I was twenty one and stopped. I have had a drink here and there, but it does not entice me in any way, shape or form.  I would seriously rather have a nice, cold Pepsi over an alcoholic beverage. 

Life is a journey.  Even as an adult, I am still on a journey...every other week.  I think that I will never stop learning, and I am OK with that.

Hopefully, you too do not have any regrets as to the way your have lived your College Years. Embrace your story, don't compare. It is your own and can be written in any way that makes it just that..Yours!
 

~KEL~