Toast 2 Mom

The Summer Checklist

Each girl created a list of things they wanted to do this summer. Today we began making some check-marks. The first thing on Natalie's list was to go to the yellow slide park. I have a feeling we're going to be expanding on their lists. We can probably achieve most of their summer to do's in a week. With all this free time, the sky is the limit!

The Full Weekend

It's the end of a three day weekend (after our summer has officially begun) - and I'm just getting around to typing. That's the sign of a good, eventful weekend.

We had a rib party yesterday. I had time to make my girls a full, hot breakfast! We swam. We biked. We had just a great busy weekend. 

A few words and a few photos is all I have tonight. I might actually put myself up to another photo challenge this summer. Taking pictures to document my days might be more reliable than my words as I know this summer will just fly by. 

Some pics...

 

Today Was Better

I have been riding a very fast moving train for about three months. And yesterday I had to finally blow off some steam.

Building a business, preparing for our home to be on display for an open house, running a household, raising two girls and all that involves and being a decent wife (and about to celebrate 10 years) has been building and building and building on my sensitivity. And all of a sudden, but not out of no where, the waterworks showed up yesterday - and I just had to let it out. 

Though I'm trying to start this cookie business to show my daughters another side of me - I feel like I've been failing as a mother. Every day they say, "mommy, you're so busy." Though I've been working my tail off researching right and left and trying to line up all the steps to this business, there are several pieces still missing and I think, how will I get this all figured out? 

And something I failed to mention in my blog recently - in the last couple weeks I broke my toe and I bumped Vanna into another car in a parking lot and dented in my bumper. Typically I share all these goofy moments that happen with me day to day. But my head has been so heavily weighted down - and I simply just didn't have time. 

Today was better though. My mind just needed some space. When I get stressed, I feel really insecure and paranoid. It's a horrible feeling and very unproductive. But eventually I start to see the light.... And the light was some much needed quality time with my girls today. I got lots of business stuff accomplished today - but even better I got some extra carved out one-on-one time with my girls - where I really listened to them, not multitask listening. I worked with them, not helped them while I was doing something else. And best of all I did lots of things WITH them not just FOR them. 

And I feel like maybe I'm going to get some decent sleep tonight....

A New Sweet Journey

I pretty much assume anyone that reads my blog knows me - and probably knows by now that yesterday I launched my new business - Sydalie's Cookies.  If you did not know - tada!! 

This was the tease I referred to a few days or so ago. I really wanted to write something here yesterday - but the day just was insane. And today was about the same. I'm not complaining - becuase the response to my new gig has been so very positive. 

This weekend I'll be selling my new cookies at an open house tour in our neighborhood. Homes that have recently been remodeled were chosen for this tour. Our home happens to be one of those on the tour. So with the house tour, the cookie business, end of the year school activities, swim team, dance recital practices and day to day - time is flying by! 

I'm very excited about this new journey and excited to market my product with hopefuly a very big crown this weekend! Until Sunday night, I might not come up for air. 

Check out my web site and visit my page on Facebook! And below are my business cards - which I just love!!! My awesome and super design-savvy friend Joelle helped me design them. Check out her business here.  

Good is Good Enough

I am a part of  a mom book club. I may have mentioned this before - but my brain is very fuzzy today. It's a "self-renewal" book club for moms. Initially I was a bit reserved to the idea of joining. For one, my children are older, and I felt this might be a book for new moms finding their way out of the sleep deprived world. Two, I wasn't sure I felt like digging up my flaws. I was in a fairly good place, though we all need a little tweaking. I wasn't sure I had the emotional energy to self-help. I have done the self-help books a dozen times, trying to find something within and always getting more overwhelmed. The reason I decided to join this group was that this wasn't self-help, it's group help. I liked the group and figured, eh, it's a chance to drink wine. :)

We're on month five now. I wouldn't say each month has been majorly rewarding. I do think in a lot of ways it is a great book for a new mom. With that said, I know by the end of the book, I will walk away with several new lessons learned in my mind, practices to continue to be practiced and mantras to try really hard to live by. 

The mantra this month I'm going to do my best to work on is, "good is good enough". There is a quote I recently read in a magazine that struck such a chord with me. It read, "womanhood is harder than it looks. To be a woman, you have to look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man and work like a dog." I definitely have felt all of those aspects of "womanhood" lately. 

Most women tend to be perfectionists. We want the world to believe we can raise the smartest, most talented kids, are the most supportive and loving wife, keep a clean house, are a gourmet in the kitchen, can throw a killer party, are the most thoughtful friend, the most loving daughter, volunteer for the greatest causes and will ever never drop a ball while juggling. For some reason we want the world to believe we can do all those things and we ourselves want to believe we can do all those things - but the truth is we simply can't. Something has got to give. And putting your finger on that something to give and putting your other finger on the something to hold onto can be very tricky. Society makes us want it all!

I am about to embark on a new journey. It's one that I am very excited about, very unsure about and very eager to know what all is going to happen. I will share my new journey in the next week. But due to this new journey, the number of balls I was already juggling has now grown significantly. I have a particularly hard time truly focusing when I have a lot on my plate. I can task-master it all day long, but when my brain is swirling there is not a lot of genuine focus.

So as of late, I have certain tasks that have to get done and a whole lot of other tasks that I would like to get done. But now more than ever I need to practice that "good is good enough".  My new journey is one that I hope will be rewarding for my husband and my girls. But in the meantime, my chores are going to be a little behind. My volunteer opportunities are going to take the back burner and my writing might be a day or more late.

This mom book also mentions how important self-care is. Then it goes on to describe that self-care isn't necessarily nurturing ourselves physically, that "one of the most powerful ways to practice self-care is to start eliminating and releasing critical or judgmental thoughts about ourselves." That's a tall order - but one definitely worth working on.  

My girls are growing so fast. I want them to see their Mommy being strong and make smart choices and be successful and happy.....most of all happy. Cuz "if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."  So let's all work on that "good is good enough" - and be happy moms, shall we?! 

The "Girl" Bunny Cake

We completed our next Easter activity today.... Behold the bowtie wearing "girl" bunny cake. You can also tell she's a girl "because she has eyelashes."  Happy Easter!

A Whirlwind

We've been in a tailspin for the past three days or more....so much so that I took a nap today! I feel like I caught up on my sleep a bit - but now I'm behind in my household chores. But at least I'm rested! 

Sydney's school had its carnival on Saturday. I ended up chairing one of the events from the carnival - the Cake Walk. You would have thought it would have been a "cake walk" - but ended up being a bit more of a task that I origninally thought. After the event was over, and seeing how successfully it all went down, I enjoyed being a part of it. It was great fun. 

Rewinding a little bit, on Friday, Cheekers had a program at her school. In between carnival set up and spending lots of lots of time in the kitchen baking the end of last week, I took a break to have a picnic with Cheekers and watched her perform songs about spring, the outdoors and Easter. Those programs always leave me with a warm heart and misty eyes. They are so sweet. 

Friday night was set up at the carnival. The girls were great volunteers with me.

Saturday we spent most of the day at the carnival. By the end of the day, the girls had their face painted, got their hair sprayed pink and purple, got tattoos, had pizza, a snowcone, did the jumpy house, won pink dracula teeth, went into a haunted house, and brought home three cakes from the cake walk. I think they had a good time!! 

Luckily we had a bit of down time yesterday afternoon. We went over to some friends house for dinner. It was another late night - like the night before and the night before that. 

Today we all slept in until 8:30 - a rare day - to probably any parent. The fun didn't stop there, though. We went over to some other friends' house for brunch, followed by a trip to the park. And then to make things even more exciting, we took the girls swimming this evening (after our naps this afternoon). 

Whew, a whirlwind, right?! 

Right now I've got the dishwasher and the washing machine going and I'm about to plan my week ahead - sure to be another busy one. 

A few photos from our past few days.