Serentity. Courage. Wisdom.

We all know the Serenity Prayer, right?  I LOVE this prayer, it really has so much meaning to me. I've been wanting to get it tattooed on me for awhile, just wasn't sure where I wanted it.  Coincidentally I have also been wanting a tattoo on my right foot since I have one on my left. Well Saturday night, Brandon and I finally got a much needed date night. At the end of the night, I asked if we could go by and see if it was even feasible to get what I wanted done and get it priced. So we go in and I tell them what I wanted and how I wanted and it and they said it could be done and got a good price on it and said that we could do it that night!  I was beyond excited! So here it is:

Excuse the shadows, it was bad lighting and Brandon is standing right over it to take the picture.  This was #6 and my most painful to date!
For Those of you who are not familiar with the prayer, this is it:

God grant me...

Serenity to accept the things I cannot change.

Courage to change the things I can

and

Wisdom to know the difference.

Awesome words to live by.

Terrible Two's: Fact or Fiction?

At this point I'm going to go ahead and say FACT!  My previously sweet, well mannered, well tempered child has become a tantrum throwing, messy, loud, hitting, screaming toddler. The past few times we have went out, we have had at least one episode whereas we used to go out and get so many compliments on how well behaved our child was.  So at the age of 18 months (as of tomorrow) my child seems to have officially hit the terrible two's.  

We still have our fun and when she is in a good mood, she is still the best child ever. But she has discovered her wild tantrum throwing side that is not so much fun.  The worst is the hitting.  I can't stand that.  I have popped her hand and her butt for other things, but I really don't think spanking her when she hits is effective. Telling her not to hit as I'm spanking her?  That's sending mixed signals.  So I am experimenting in the discipline area and hopefully will find something that is effective. 

Luckily her tantrums are still few(but not far between) and are still manageable.  But where she used to be content in the cart while we shop or in her high chair during dinner, she wants down and wants to wander around.  Because of this new development we are now the proud owners of a toddler backpack leash.  It's a cute little dog that is a harness and she seems to like it.  People have looked at me like I'm insane when they see her in it, but to me it just makes sense.  When she won't sit in the cart and doesn't want to hold my hand, what am I supposed to do?  I am not one to let my child scream in public and I will not let her walk around without some connection to me, so this is the perfect solution.  She gets a little deserved freedom and mommy is comfortable because she is still attached to me.

It's not all bad though. I prefer to call it the "Trying Two's" because it's not really terrible. She is at a really fun stage and we are able to do so much with her. She is like a little sponge absorbing everything around her and it's awesome to watch her transform from a baby to a little girl. Her vocabulary has really exploded these past few weeks and we can really communicate well. At the stage of development that she is at, it's easy to get frustrated and I know that's where the tantrums are stemming from.  So the best thing I can do is be patient and work with her as much as possible and try to avert frustrations before they occur.  It's a learning experience for us all, but we are doing it together.  Like with everything else, it's just a phase and it will eventually work itself out.

Mid-mid life crisis

I got my tag renewal in the mail last week and that reminded me that my 26th birthday is rapidly approaching. I'm inching closer and closer to 30. For some reason I'm having a hard time coming to terms that I'm going to be 26.  25 was easy, 26, not so much. Maybe it's the fact that now I have to dye my hair to cover the gray hairs instead of wanting to dye it because I've grown tired of the color. Maybe it's because I don't feel like I've accomplished a whole lot as an adult when I look at the people around me who have graduated college and have these awesome careers.  Maybe it's because I feel like I'm just a mom and wife. Maybe it's because I miss the feelings of when Brandon and I first started dating 10 years ago. Now we are more like a couple that have been together for 20 years. After the hustle and bustle of a busy day, you can find him in the recliner watching t.v and playing on his phone or lap top and me on the couch reading, playing on my phone or on the lap top.

So what does a person going through a mid life crisis do? They make changes.  That's what I did. I dyed my hair a different color, cut over 8 inches of it off and went and got contacts (no more glasses!). With the psoriasis gone, I feel a lot better and more confident and it's amazing how much little changes can make you feel so much better. So for now, I'm feeling a bit better, but I do have some things to work on.

Tomorrow Miss E is going with her grandparents down to Meriwether and Brandon is out of town working, so I will have the day to myself. I can't explain how much needed this is. I actually stayed up late tonight cleaning so I won't have to spend my day tomorrow doing that. I still have some stuff that I need to do, but I'm hoping for some relaxing time. Hoping is the key word there=)