Yay!  Wow, that was quick, I received my first Mission offer.  Can't wait to try the Nescafé Coffeemate combination. I'll let you know my feedback on the product in a couple of weeks when I receive and try it. 

Your chance to try it is here:

Creamy coffee made easy! #NescafeCoffeemate Click here for $0.75 off #freesamp http://h5.sml360.com/-/f5wg

Recently I have joined Smiley360. This is a product trial website in which you provide feedback via blogging, surveys, online discussions, and promoting products to friends and family if you love them!  If you want to join too click on the link below:
http://h5.sml360.com/-/f5th

I have just recently joined so have not had a trial opportunity yet but can't wait until I do!

My Pity Party

There are those that I love that are struggling with things much greater then what I am about to complain about but I really need to get my issues out so I can think them through.  Right now I am feeling like a horrible friend and wife and I feel I am being horrible to myself as well.  While I am trying to do it all and while I keep throwing myself in to a variety of activities and projects I feel like I am letting everyone else down. 

My DH and I are on completely opposite schedules and have so many side projects we are focusing on that we are like strangers right now.  I am confident that will improve because we are an amazing team but feeling like a failure in our marriage right now is a hard pill to swallow. I am forever grateful though that I have a great partner and to have the confidence in that partnership.

As a friend I SUCK.  I have several different types of friendships.  I want to be there for all of my friends but unfortunately when life gets crazy that is the first piece of my life that gets pushed aside.  How do you make time for everyone in your life?  My friends are scattered all over New England and some beyond so how do I cover all that territory on zero minutes left in the day.  I wish there was a course in how to be a good friend and provide your friends with the specific support they need.  Again, I am extremely grateful for having the most amazingly strong, beautiful, caring, thoughtful Moms and women as friends most people could only dream of having.

In regards to myself, I have fallen behind in my goals to put myself first.  My hair has not been cut in what feels like forever.  I have not taken any time to do something I really would like to do.  I have had the same book sitting on my nightstand for months because I am always staying up late doing things on my to do list rather then taking time to decompress and read.

The only thing I think I am doing right is parenting.  My munchkins are my world and I always make it a point to give them my full attention or a big hug or smile no matter what else is going on in life.  The kids thank me for things I do and say I am the Best Mom so I guess I am succeeding in that area of life.

OK, That is my little pity party. I am going to get over it and count my blessings. I just hope and pray those I am letting down right now forgive me for my faults!  xoxo 

My first weekly challenge as a new IHeartFaces member is called Over My Head...It can be literally anything over someones head. Hat, umbrella, the sky, anything! I immediately thought of a picture I recently took on our family vacation.  The waves were crashing onto Myrtle Beach and my husband was truly surprised by the wave that is crashing over his head.  Maybe not the prettiest but we thought it was pretty cool!

It's been a while

So it has been a LONG while since I posted on this blog.  But, thanks to one of my Besties I have joined the website I Heart Faces.  I have to keep up with my blog so I can post entries into their weekly "contests". 




My first weekly challenge is called Over My Head...It can be literally anything over someones head.  Hat, umbrella, the sky, anything!  I love the photos below. Maddie looks amazing in any hat.  The waves coming over Bernard's head though looks cool.  Can't decide?  Thoughts...

Life has been crazy but I have recently remembered how important friendships are and that maintaining them may take some serious effort and time but it is very important for your health (and sanity)!  It is nice to be able to celebrate the good things in your life or be able to vent about the not so great circumstances you may be going through.  Many times friends are closer then your actual family, I consider a close few my "sisters" because I do not have that closeness with my own sister.  I know they are there for me through thick and thin.  And, I am honored to be there to celebrate or cry with them.  My goal from now on is to maintain my friendships and build up those I had lost due to my crazy busy life.  No matter how crammed my schedule or how tired I am at the end of the day I will always pick up a call or at the very least send a text to let my girls know I am there and I love them :-)

Summer seems to get busier every year as the kids are getting older.  Currently we only have 2 or 3 weekends open for the rest of the season.  The kids are enjoying every minute though.  I am so proud of them and their accomplishments in the very first swim lessons.  Now they have confidence in the water, not the best swimming ability yet, but definitely no fear. 

We took our first family vacation of the season to Myrtle Beach!  We had what I think may be the best family vacation we have ever had.  We were able to relax, play on the beach, and have tons of fun doing different activities.  We went to Magiquest, Ripley's Aquarium, and spent lots of time at the water park.  Myrtle Beach is where the kids began building their confidence in the water.  It was a dream vacation.  The moments I miss the most were the simplest.  Every night I sat on the balcony with one of the kids and read bedtime stories.  We then just sat there cuddling and staring off at the ocean and chatting with one another.  Those moments were just so calm and peaceful.  During the craziness of everyday life we don't often get those moments because we are too wrapped up in the rest of the world to realize how important those are!

Our next family vacation will be to NH.  The whole family (The 4 of us plus my step-daughter Gabby, My Mom, Dad, Sister Val and nephew Joel) will be staying at our home away from home.  I am sure I will have plenty to say when I get back!  Til then everyone remember your friends and how much they mean...

It's the Simple Things...

Why is it the simple things in life can make me so happy?  Today started out really rough but all of that changed with things that didn't cost an extravagant amount of money or time. Things years ago before family I would have taken for granted.  We went to BJ's to do some shopping today while both kids were at school and I all of a sudden felt really dizzy.  So, I went and sat in the car trying to regroup and my awesome Hubby finished all of the shopping.  We got home and I started to feel slightly better.  While Bernard put everything away, I decided to take a hot shower.  I have been reading alot about living in the moment and not letting things pass you by.  So I truly thought about the heat of the shower and how relaxing it felt running over my muscles.  I listened to the silence in the room and how peaceful it was.  When I came out of the shower Bernard sat and brushed my hair for me.  The feeling of someone brushing my hair makes me melt.  I could fall asleep because I am so realxed.  They say there are an incredible amount of nerve endings in your scalp and apparently mine are hyper sensitive.  The touch of my husbands hand, the brush running through my hair, the silence throughout the house was as good as a Spa experience to me.  That short amount of time filled with simplicity changed my entire outlook on my day.  When the day is getting you down just try to focus on the little things that make you happy!  A song, a touch, a shower, or sneaking some alone time (even if it is in the bathroom-lol)...

In the beginning...

OK...Here it goes...I am taking the plunge into blogging because apparently I don't have enough on my plate!  I am hoping this blog will help me in my attempts to juggle all life throws at us all and to be able to diary all of the things I am grateful for in my life. 

As corny as it may sound I am trying to follow the Happiness Project.  So, I started with the calendar of things I wanted to work on or accomplish each month.  So far so good (even though it is only February!).  And then I set my goals for myself for the year.  Our 2010 did not start out on a high note so it was really difficult to focus on the positivity goal I had set!  With broken cars, broken appliances and death of someone close to our family it was beating us down.  Bernard (Hubby) and I decided to turn it all around and begin thinking positive and being truly grateful for what we have.  

It is hard for me to struggle with those tough days or show my gratitude without having an outlet.  Well, here it is.  I am new to writing so please be patient with me...