Browsing Category

Milestones

Last Day of School Printable 2017
Milestones MOMing

first day of school

As I approach my blog anniversary in a few days it’s hard to believe that at the birth of this little speck of internet space my girl was only a few months old and my son was 4.

Today I sent them off to 1st and 5th grades respectively. Lawd, father time has no chill.

N O N E.

They were excited to say the least. The opportunity to catch up with old friends was calling their names and I’m so glad they were eager to answer. After two whole months of practically being with them 24/7 I was just as excited as they were. If you follow me on Snapchat and caught that “Get Out” then you already know!

 

File Aug 01, 7 19 56 PM

 

File Aug 01, 7 18 32 PM

 

….and if you want to take a trek down memory lane here is back to school 2011, 2013, 2014, and  2015

 

Save

Save

Save

B.J. Reece Orchards
Milestones

t e n

October 14, 2015 marks 10 years that I’ve been working at this parenting gig. The retirement plan is up in the air, I haven’t gotten a raise and my hair is turning gray but my baby boy is living, breathing and thriving.

I remember that February day, it was the 14th to be exact and I knew something wasn’t right so I slid out of my cube and ran over to Target to get a pregnancy test. Let me say, Target back then isn’t like like Target now so I was in and out. Got back to the office, went to the bathroom downstairs and all I remember is telling myself to breath. I suppose I was completely discolored when I came back upstairs because my cube mate mouthed are you pregnant? All I could do was nod my head.

After an emergency C-section, 40 hours of labor and a whole lot of cuss words all in no particular order we were blessed with his presence.

 

prego

 

I knew we were in for a ride but had no idea. We were just getting on our feet and just this week my son overheard us talking about how we need a new mattress because the one we have we got when I was pregnant with him. We told him that we literally were sleeping on two mattresses on the floor because we were saving our money and he replied with, ” Y’all were poor? Look at all this.”

These kids have no idea of the struggle. N O N E.

As I round a new decade of parenthood, parenting has become a little bit more challenging yet familiar at the same time. He just got braces and she is starting to talk back, this here gig isn’t for the weak but I finally feel able to call in sick when I don’t feel like it, and give it everything I have the next day. After all I’m pretty sure on those days when I completely drop the ball my hugs and snuggles fix everything.

IMG_4868

Here’s to my sweet baby boy and his entrance into the double digits!

Oh…and the girls are starting with that nonsense already. I’m not ready.

No. Just NO.

 

Life Me Milestones Mimi

Learn to Say H*ll NO and Other Habits to Adopt in 2014

I’m not much of a resolution girl but I have been in deep thought about new habits to adopt in 2014 to make my life easier, encourage personal growth and see the ideas in my head go from thought to manifestation.

I am by no means an expert, but as I created my list for the new year I thought I might share them with you!

NO

 

Just Say NO:  Assuming you aren’t into recreational drug use this “Just Say No” has not a thing to do with Reagan’s campaign but everything to do with managing YOUR time and maintaining YOUR sanity.

Saying no shouldn’t be as hard as it is, but some of us feel the need to be helpful when in reality when we refuse to say NO we are often times making life harder for ourselves. In the new year I’ve vowed to never answer someone right away if I can help it. I have decided to respond by saying I need to check my calendar to allow myself time to decide if taking on said task will actually be feasible for me to accomplish without too much disruption to my routine. I give you permission to add H*ll no as necessary so that said party knows its real and to come correct before asking you to do things they could surely do themselves.

Write it Down: You would think this one is self explanatory and obvious, however as a person who has left the bread and milk in the grocery store when they were the main items I went for….I think pencil and paper need to be my friend in the new year.

Keeping track of children’s schedules, room mom duties and bills my mind will play tricks on me. I’ve found lately that if I make lists of the things I need to do, things I need to buy and places I need to be my mind doesn’t seem as cluttered and I don’t feel AS flustered.  I’ve bribed myself into this new habit my purchasing a plethora of planners, journals, pencils and pens. Make these necessary evils pretty and you are more likely to make proper use of them.

Designers Guild

Source

Plan Tasks and Allocate Time: Again, in the past my important tasks were jumbled in my head along with where I might find an AKA sweatshirt and if not careful the latter would come before the necessary and I would be left at the end of the day SMH because the important tasks weren’t accomplished but I had my sweatshirt though. This is a true story.

I am now writing down my tasks daily and prioritizing them by importance and allocating a time frame in which each needs to be completed. All business related matters are handled first and everything else comes second. If I haven’t completed the task in the allotted time I move on to the next task and come back around to it after all important tasks have been touched. Of course this is up for revision depending on how important the task is. I am finding this to be beneficial in making sure I get everything done daily.

Accountability Partners: Birds of a feather flock together anyone? There is nothing worse than starting in the same place as someone and they make moves and you are left standing where you started. Use a little friendly competition and let accountability to a like minded person push you forward in 2014.

The key is finding that person that will politely READ you if you haven’t accomplished that goal and reported back within the specified time. I have found some accountability partners where I will be embarrassed and shamed if I didn’t at least have some sort of update to give them on my goal progress. Sometimes being accountable to ourselves isn’t enough. We need deadlines and sometimes we need positive people to help us enforce them.

Start It. Finish It: In the past I have been the master of starting a million things and finishing none of them. Call me Jemimah of all trades, master of none. I’m tired of not seeing things through to completion when I know I have the ability to finish them.

The key to this I believe is being realistic with oneself before starting on a journey. Anything is possible but the real question is do you have the passion to see it through. Answering those hard questions before starting may help with making sure completion becomes the ultimate goal. I’ve decided to sit down and take the time as well as consult with my accountability partners before setting off on anything new. Sometimes perspective will let us know the likelihood of us finishing something before we even start.

start

Source

Y’all know I’m no kind of expert on life but I’ve made enough mistakes and as I knock on 35 I have come to the conclusion that processes are not here to hurt us but to make us better. I’ll roll with it.

Have you had an epiphany on new habits to adopt that may help some of us? I implore you to share! #SharingIsCaring

Family Milestones

2013 Was Epic

This time last year my mind was in a whirlwind. I knew going into 2013 there were two major hurdles ahead of me/us. Number 1 was moving and 2. was becoming an AKA. Both were up in the air and I had no idea how or if either would happen.

My level of faith in 2013 was like no other. We started building a house that we didn’t end up moving in because God blessed us with THE HO– USE that had everything that we needed AND wanted after looking at 1,687,467 houses that didn’t work.

Moving