Regret getting married so young?

The other day in class I was asked by a girl I barely know if I regretted getting married so young. Well my first thought was to tell her to mind her own business. But then I started to think. Did I regret getting married at 19?

Today is my five year anniversary with my one and only husband. I'm 24 years old, so yes, that puts me at becoming a wife at the ripe age of 19. 

And while some people may look upon this as "regretful", I do not. 

The way I look at it, I'm blessed to marry so young.

I get to live with my best friend longer than most people.

I appreciate everything we have, because we started with nothing.

I get to grow up with him AND grow old with him.

We get to be kids WITH our kids. We can laugh about silly stuff, dance around the house in a Hulk mask, and watch Disney movies without thinking twice about it.

I don't have to worry about impressing "some guy" anymore because I've found the one who loves me best in sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt.

Even though we started from the bottom, we are gradually making our way to the top with support from each other and hard work.

Since we got married young, we were able to grow from each other. We didn't have much time to ourselves so we never became selfish people. That made it easier to live with each other.

Although we did have a child together before marriage, being young makes a world of a difference when it comes to keeping up with kids. But that's a whole other blog post ;)

My husband is my best friend. I couldn't ask for better. He knows me better than I know myself. He always stands by my side and always has my back. We put each other first.

So to answer my first question: Did I regret getting married at 19? The answer is no. Forever no.

We've worked hard to become the people we are today, and I'm so blessed to spend the rest of my life with my husband and the father of my children.

Real Talk, with coffee.

If you were at my house this morning, I would offer you a cup (or two) of coffee and we would talk.

I would apologize about the way I look. I haven't showered since Monday and my hair hasn't been washed since Saturday night. I would also apologize for not wearing a bra. Or anything but my pajamas.

I would apologize about the house. There are blankets thrown all over the living room floor. I haven't vacuumed in a couple of days. There are piles of clothes in corners of the house that need to be put away. The laundry room/my bedroom/and the bathroom hamper are filled with clothes that need to be washed.

And if I'm being honest here, I haven't even cooked a meal in about a week. We've either grabbed something to eat in town or I've warmed up Spaghetti-O's. #Momoftheyear

I haven't done any observations at the Preschool this week because almost everyone in this house has been sick. Doug had a stomach bug Sunday. I had it that night, which equals barely any sleep. Tucker started running a fever yesterday and got up a few times last night.

I'm tired ya'll. I'm physically and mentally drained from all energy. Yesterday I cried because I literally sat in front of my laptop at the kitchen table for 8 hours. I'm not even kidding. I was just catching up on assignments + taking a math quiz (which I failed), and taking notes. I cried because I was tired. I cried because I felt like I was neglecting my kids, even though I kept giving them activities to do. I cried because that was the only thing that felt right. I literally thought I was going to pass out from just being so tired and stressed.

Yesterday, I couldn't even remember if I had eaten lunch.

And I'm telling you all this, not to "get attention" or whatever. I just like to keep it real.

I could literally bonk myself in the head for quitting college when I got pregnant with Kenzie. I didn't listen to anyone who said going back to school would be hard when you had a child. But silly me waited until I had TWO kids to go back to school.

I know this will all pay off in the long run. I know I will be so proud of myself for graduating with a degree. I know I will jump for joy when I finally get a good paying job in a career that I love. But right now, I'm just trying to figure out how to balance being a wife/mother/student/housekeeper.

And it's weird. Some days, I'm really on top of my game. The house is spotless, my homework is finished by noon, and everyone is happy happy happy. But then there are days (or weeks, in this case) where I just feel like I'm failing. I feel like I'm failing myself, my kids, my husband, and my friends/family. I'm not taking care of myself like I should, and I think that's the problem. I need to take time for myself, but I don't HAVE time. And even if I did have time, I wouldn't have time BY myself. My kids, who I love more than this whole world, are always with me. 24/7.

This weekend is my anniversary, so I'm hoping I get a break. I think a mini getaway is just what I need.

Busy Week! {Weekend Recap}

This week has been crazy. I'm still trying to adjust to my schedule, which now includes two days a week of observing in a PreK classroom! It's SO much fun and I love watching the kids/teacher! I can't WAIT to have my own classroom! Hopefully that will come sooner than later. One of the pluses of observing at the Elementary school, is that I get to see Kenzie at lunch. :)

Tucker started daycare, too. I was so nervous for him. I didn't want to leave my baby boy. But turns out, he didn't mind at all! He went right to play when I dropped him off. He was so excited to tell me about his day when I picked him up:) That just made it SO much better on me.

 

I went to parent/teacher conference Thursday for Kenzie, and of course, she's doing just fine. She's adjusted to taking her 1st grade class SO well. She's even made a 100 on Phonics, Spelling, AND Reading on her progress report for 1st grade! 

Saturday I went to get my phone replaced. Yes. My phone that I JUST got less than a month ago....I dropped it on the concrete and it cracked. But thanks to Best Buy's Geek Squad insurance, I was able to replace my phone with a brand new one for freeeeeeeeeee! Then we went to watch the UFC fights that night with some friends and delicious food.

Sunday was the lazy day, duh. Subway for lunch. Homework assignments. Avoiding housework. The usual lol.

And I guess I didn't take one picture this weekend! Shame...shame....

Give a Minute, Help Make a Wish!

I participated in this sponsored campaign for One2One Network. All opinions stated are my own.

If you have never heard of the Make-A-Wish foundation, you should really read this post and help a sweet child make their wish come true!

Straight Talk Wireless has teamed up with the Make-A-Wish program and will donate $1 for each person that visits their participating Wal-Mart and takes a minute to learn more about Straight Talk.

They will donate a minimum of $500,000 and up to $1,000,000!

I understand that not everyone lives near a Wal-Mart. But don't worry! You can still participate in the "Give A Minute, Help Make A Wish" campaign! From now until September, 28, when you share a video from straighttalkwish.com, Straight Talk will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish (one donation per viewer, per day). It's fast, easy, and worth every second!

 

This is the second year in a row that Straight Talk will be hosting this program. Last year’s program was very successful, reaching its $1,000,000 donation mark!

Straight Talk believes there is nothing greater than granting a sick child’s wish. They are thrilled to be able to be part of making that happen again this year.

Here's a little more info about Straight Talk:

• Straight Talk is a service provided by TracFone Wireless Inc., America’s largest no-contract cell phone provider in the U.S.
• Straight Talk partners with existing wireless networks nationwide to provide no-contract wireless phone service.
• Straight Talk is available exclusively at Walmart and the cost savings of not having to maintain stores is passed directly on to customers.
• Straight Talk has all of the same great phones as the contract carries, including name brands like Samsung, Apple, Windows and LG.
• Straight Talk offers the same networks and the same phones at half the cost.
• Straight Talk provides service in more zip codes than any other wireless carrier and reaches more than 300 million Americans.
• The “ALL YOU NEED” plan for $30 a month to receive 1,000 minutes, 1,000 text or multimedia messages, 30 MB of data transfer for data phones and 411 calls at no additional charge.
• The unlimited plan for $45 a month to receive unlimited talk, text and data Nationwide anytime with calls to 411 at no additional charge.

So please take a minute to help make a wish come true for a precious child! That's all it takes: One Minute!

Playing IS Learning

Being a full time student + stay at home mom has its challenges. Like keeping your child entertained while trying to study/do homework for 2+ hours. That is easier said than done. Especially if your child has the attention span of a pebble. Although my children are allowed to watch television, I REFUSE to use it as a babysitter. I'm not going to ask my son to sit in front of the TV for a couple of hours while I get stuff done. No way. Instead, I try to be creative and give him something that will benefit him, as well as myself.

I decided to give him his own Sensory Box. For those of you who don't know, a sensory box is a container that can be filled with "sensory" items, such as dried rice or beans, sand, water, leaves, etc. Most children learn by "doing" and touching. Also, it provides a way of learning for them as well as a fun activity they can do by themselves! 

You can add pretty much anything to a sensory box. You could even have a theme! Think Fall, Birthday, Ocean, anything! 

For my box, I just put in some stuff I had lying around. I used 2 bags of lentils. Let's be honest, I'm never going to cook them anyways haha! I threw in some straws, a plastic spoon, a cup, and two paper towel rolls, and a toy car.

I tried to contain the lentils by placing a blanket underneath his box. We'll get to that in a second...

He loved it! It was something different to do and he wasn't staring at a screen all day! He's even using some fine motor skills by pouring the lentils into the tube! 

And the best part? He did this for almost two hours!

I was able to get so much done. I loved watching him use his imagination. And yes, some lentils ended up in the floor. 

Well....more like A LOT of the lentils. But it was so worth it. They vacuumed up just fine haha:)

How do you keep your child learning/entertained while getting stuff done? I'm all ears! :)

#6SecondsFlat Sweepstakes!

This post is sponsored by Wendy's. All opinions are my own.

I teamed up with Wendy's to share with you this amazing contest going on AND to tell you about their amazing Honey Mustard flatbread sandwich! It's only 370 calories and totally delicious.You should also try the Asiago Ranch (with bacon!). They are only back for a limited time.

Let me tell you about the contest going on. Six seconds could win you $6,000 in Wendy’s #6SecondsFlat Flatbread Sweepstakes. Tell Wendy’s what you think about their flatbreads in a Vine or Instagram video then send it @Wendys (through twitter, Instagram or Vine) with the #6SecondsFlat tag and the my custom hashtag #tennesseehoney6. Each week of September, one lucky winner will be randomly selected to receive a $6000 prize.Visit the sweepstakes landing page for more information and view the “official rules” at the bottom of the page.

You can check out my Instagram video here. (I wish I could post it here, but I couldn't figure out how).

Anyways, go make a video! I would love to see it! And who wouldn't want to win $6,000? Just don't forget to use the hashtag #tennesseehoney6 AND #6SecondsFlat. :)

#NoMoreScales

Want to know my main cause in "failing" in my weight loss journey?

THE. SCALE.

I hate it. I hate that thing that puts those God awful numbers in my face and screams, "HAHA! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR SLIPPING UP ONE TIME THIS WEEK!".

No. No, scale. I refuse to let you turn me into an ugly number. I refuse to look at myself by YOUR standards. I'm putting you in hiding for a long time.

Some of you may not understand what I'm talking about. But some of you live like this, just like I do. You wake up, you weigh. You eat breakfast, you weigh. You pee, you weigh. You poop (lol), you weigh. You work out, and immediately weigh. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of relying on a machine to point me towards happiness. I'm tired of seeing "bad" numbers and just want to give up.

I am NOT a number on a scale. And I refuse to let it change my attitude.

So from today on, it's baby steps and ZERO weighing! I want to focus on feeling better, having better skin, and not being so tired all the time. I'm going to set mini goals for myself. And I want you to join me! It's a proven fact that people will more likely lose weight with a support team! So who's with me?

My first goal is to drink ONLY water for 10 days. Well, besides my one cup of coffee in the morning lol. Duh.

If you are going to do this mini goal with me, I would LOVE to hear about it! Tag me on Instagram; Tweet me; Facebook me. I don't care!! I just want to see some motivators! :) Use the hashtag #NoMoreScales so I can see!
 

A Poem for my Children.

I've heard your heartbeat, in sync with mine. 

I've felt you kick inside me numerous times.

I dreamt of your face; how beautiful it would be.

And I fell instantly in love, when they placed you on me.

You are my angel sent from heaven. My child. My world.

A new beginning of life, mine + yours, unfurled.

From tiny toes, to late night cries.

To runny noses and shoes that tie.

I've watched you grow. I watched you learn.

I've rocked you to sleep and I've looked at you stern.

I pray for you daily. I pray I'm raising you right.

Because sometimes being a Mother keeps me up at night.

I worry about your life. I worry about who you'll be.

I worry that somebody else could do this better than me.

But I know God sent you to be my child.

He knew that I needed an angel. So he sent you. And He smiled.

Because He knew I could be strong and do the best I can.

He knew I was up for the task that I did not plan.

I never imagined I could be who I am today.

I am your mother. You are my child. And no one can take that away. 

Surprise! 50th Birthday!

Saturday, we threw my Mother-in-law a surprise birthday party. After all, she DID turn 50, and that's something to celebrate! I just can't believe we all kept it a secret from her!

 Everything was decorated SO cute! My SIL did a great job. I made the Blow Pop decoration. It took 7 bags of suckers to fill that thing up! Ridic.

Everyone had a great time and it was so much fun to do something nice for someone who truly deserves it. My MIL is the best.

Happy Birthday, Debbie!

Weekend Update.

We spent our last "summer" weekend at the river with my Papa. And of course, we all had a great time.

At first, we didn't think it was going to be so great because we woke up to a thunderstorm and heavy rain Sunday morning at the cabin.

But it really was relaxing to sit on the porch and drink coffee while listening to the rain.

Kenzie helped cook breakfast. This girl is a jack of all trades. I don't think there's anything she doesn't like doing! 

 After the rain cleared off, the hummingbirds started to flock in. I've never seen so many hummingbirds in one area before! It was amazing. They are one of my favorite birds.

The kids are water bugs. They would spend every minute in some sort of body of water if they could! I guess they get it honest though!