What I've Realized

Reminder: I'm switching blogging sites and this is an oldie but a goodie... enjoy!

Its been a couple of months since my thirtieth birthday. I didn't know what to expect when I turned 30, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary which was just as I would have guessed. I have noticed some things about myself lately. Not like, "Oh my gosh I'm growing a tail!" kind of things. Things like: I need frickin' glasses to write this dang blog!

I'm now comfortable in my own skin. I don't think this epiphany has come to me in my thirtieth year, like a curse that has been lifted from my life on my birthday, and now I am excepting of my own self. I think it has come alive, because I've realized that there is no other Dannielle Scruggs. God made only one of me. People who cannot except me for me can go fly a kite. Being a woman, and a mother, which by nature are people pleasers I have put myself on the back burner a lot. But you know what? IT'S OK TO PUT YOURSELF ON THE BACK BURNER... sometimes.I would go extreme either way. I have been timid for the most part of my life. When I felt like a doormat for others, I became extremely opinionated and stuck in the mud, even. In life there is balance. Too little or too much of one thing is not good. My moral compass is sound and I know I can count on that. I am no longer lost.

I have felt misunderstood most of my life. As if I couldn't quite get the right words out of my mouth. I don't know of more than a couple of people who truly "get" me. But you know what? THAT'S OK! I don't think of any of that as a burden anymore. When I was younger I tried and tried to be like everyone else going down the wide and traveled road. I realize that I may be a perfectionist. I have tried so hard at something like let's say handwriting. Yes, handwriting. I remember being in middle school that I saw another girls lower case letter "a," and I thought it looked better than my current "a". So guess what? I practiced and practiced that "a". Writing every word I could think of that contained the letter "a". Of course I didn't think it would make me a better person, but that my handwriting would be better. I always strived for being better. Really just better than the Dannielle the day before. I am perfect just the way I am. That Dannielle that is full of useless information, yes, she is grand. That Dannielle who wants to do it by herself just because she wants to, yes, she is magnificent. And so are you. By the way, I don't use that "a" anymore.

Choose your battles carefully. Really, I mean really, in the whole scheme of things is it important for you to scream or get pissed because someone cut you off in traffic? No, of course not. Most of the time when we get mad or our feelings hurt it's not us it's our pride. Pride is no bueno. Pride is like your ugly twin. In my relationships with my children I sometimes get carried away.

"Don't scream! Don't run in the house! Don't jump on the bed," I yell. What I've realized, there's a time and place for everything. I don't want to smother my kids. Aiden told me the other day that I take fun out of things. I laughed, because I am sure I do sometimes, and it was funny the way he put it. But I explained to him that you can't stand in your chair during dinner. Maybe during breakfast... just kidding. With the relationship with my husband, choosing my battles has been very important. Best advice that I can give: if you're not sure what to say, or you are angry, don't say anything! Words hurt. Period. Our mouths have gotten away from us at times. You can't take those words back.

I can't eat whatever I want anymore! Gravity has taken a hold of my various body parts, and let me tell you what... it is unforgiving! This second pregnancy really did it for me. I am not the same size as I was in high school, and I haven't been since highschool, but I can still wear the same earrings! Yeah, yeah. I find myself tracking my calories, pining over my dreams of cheesecake and buttercream frosting. By golly I will still eat sweets and other delicious faire, but it may not be as spontaneous as before.

Pics of my sweets... gosh I love them.

Always ~ D

How I Survived...

Reminder: I'm switching blogging sites and this is an oldie but a goodie... enjoy!

... a trip 8+ hours away from home.

This week the Hubby has class on his two week time off. It's in Houston, Tx, and since Aiden is now out of school we decided to tag along. Ava has not liked riding in her carseat... ever. Needless to say, I was apprehensive about this 8+ hour trip.

Portable DVD player.

RCA Twin 9" Mobile DVD Player

This. Is. Essential. This happened to be the second one we bought in two days. The first one went kaput in 30 mins of use. This one is pretty cool. You can either watch the same DVD on both screens or watch two different movies. At this point Ava doesn't care what she watches, but I can forsee  them wanting to watch different movies. Each screen has a remote and a carrying case.

Stretch your legs and your belly.

 

Do any of y'all love the show Diners Drive-ins and Dives like I do? My dad gave me the idea of looking for a restaurant that  has been on the show, and eating there. There happened to be a restaurant in Gulfport, Ms called the Blow Fly Inn. Crazy name, but great food. It really helped the kids, and our sanity by stopping, getting out, and eating. Of course this made our trip longer, but more enjoyable nonetheless.

Hallways are my best friend.

When I see a hallway, I can't help but think if The Shining or Poltergeist (AHHHHHH!)

Being that Ava is starting to really get the hang of walking and running, she absolutely loves going up and down the hallways in the hotel. The hotel room is definitely not big enough for her energy. Aiden even enjoys is too, although I don't let him run.

Discover the city.

        

No matter where you are at, there is something new out there for you and your children. We are grateful that Houston has a lot to offer and that I don't have to be super creative. Even though there might be things that we have seen or heard, for your kids, it might be the first  time. It's fun to see their amazement at things that we find mundane.

While we were in Houston, we went to Downtown Aquarium, Children's Museum of Houston, The Space Center, and The Houston Museum of Natural Science. They were all great, but the best one, and the one we didn't get to finish touring was the latter. It was amazing!

Take a breath, and breathe in the moment!

It's hard I know, but remember this fun moment isn't going to last forever. There were moments when I kept thinking, " Oh gosh I cannot wait till we get home and Ava goes to sleep in her own crib in her own room!"  But I had to take a breath look for the good in the moment, like when I could see Ava's head peeking up out of the pack play jibber jabbering.

All that being said, boy am I glad being back home...

Still pooped ~ D

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...

Reminder: I'm switching blogging sites and this is an oldie but a goodie... enjoy!

... this week.

Baby powder at the beach.

I love the beach. Minus the sand. Minus the icky sticky feeling of the salt that has dried on your skin. Other than that, I love the beach. Then, I found my saving grace, my best friend for the beach. I would never again have disdain towards spending a day at the beach realizing that every crack and crevice I had would be covered in sand.

My first thought when I saw this baby powder trick on Pinterest, "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard!" My first thought when I tried it on the beach, " Oh my gosh! Where have you been all my life!"

It's pretty simple really. You just sprinkle the powder on your sandy self, then start rubbing the sand off, and Walaa! It's gone! Now let me tell you, you will have a little of the powder left behind, but these are the sacrifices we have to make when having a sandless body on a sandy beach.

A happy baby at the beach.

 

Aiden as a baby did not like the water. He did like it on his face. He did not like it on his hair. He did not like it anywhere! (Btw I love Dr. Suess!) We took him to the beach a couple month before he was one and he would freak out when the waves would come onto shore. He hated when we washed his hair. He happened to get some water in his eyes once, and that was it. For a long time. Now, Aiden is fine and loves the water. Swims and all. Needless to say, I was a little apprehensive when I knew we were having a day at the beach.

Let me tell you, I was completely wrong. She LOVED the beach! I have never seen a more joyous baby at the beach. I was tired before she was. She's still working on her walking, so she fell quite a bit. Never once did she cry. The day couldn't have gone better. I was so grateful.

School is out!

I think I am almost as excited as Aiden is about school being over. Woohoo!  We are both looking forward to starting homeschool in a few weeks. Technically we have one more week until school is out, but we are going to Houston with Hubby while he has a class to attend.

Always,

D  :)