Excited

Been gone for quite a while,  for that I am sorry.  Life is busy in many many ways. At this point in time I am super excited to host a Big Latch On event in my local area! I can't wait to share the love of breastfeeding with everyone in attendance! My event.

Share the love!

My little monkey is 15 months old!!!!

I can't believe it has been 15 months since my pretty little monkey arrived. Everyday has been a new adventure!
Over the last couple of weeks she has absorbed and learned so much.  She have a spoken vocabulary of 10-15 different words and a sign language vocabulary of 6 different words! Her favorite spoken words are puppy and socks and she loves to sign milk please!
I love being able to communicate with her and learning her mind and personality! She is SO AMAZING!  I can't wait to see and hear what she says next!
My monkey and mama monkey have to get shots today :( but we are big monkeys and can do it with a smile.
Lots of love to all the monkeys out there, have a silly monkey day!

 H0ly Moly! My baby is getting her molars :(

Enough

ENOUGH!

I have had enough of feeling like, "There is not ENOUGH time in the day." Or "I can never do ENOUGH to help my family and others. As well as, "I don't have ENOUGH to provide for my family. Lastly, "I am not ENOUGH!"

We all  feel this way, and we all need to know that we can take a minute (or longer) to think about our REAL priorities.

What is it really that we NEED to get done in 1 Day?

What is it I CAN do to help others and my family?

What does my family really NEED, to live, laugh, learn, and love?

Who do I feel I REALLY need to be and why?

It's OK if these answers change from day to day, for me my main priority is keeping my little monkey safe, warm, fed, happy, and learning. In that simple thought the answer to my first question becomes I NEED to provide food, shelter, shared/independent activities for my Monkey to do so I can accomplish at least one task around the house, one task just for me, and one task for my family. with that I need to accept that these three tasks are ENOUGH and if I can do more that is GREAT!

That answer contains part of my answer to, "What is it I CAN do to help others and family? " it's hard to remember and do, but I have to take care of myself, or I will not be able to help my family or others. Things I can do every day to help my family is accomplishing at least one task  from each part of the house/me/family list. What I CAN do to help others is to do  my best to listen, understand, and comfort those I care about.

What does my family REALLY need? We need to learn to be thankful for what we have (enough food, enough money to pay for our house, cars, heat, and water), work for things we would like to have or accomplish, to remember there are those that do so much more with so much less, and to give back to the community that has given so much to us to help us succeed.

My last question is harder for me to answer, in the simplest terms I need to be ME. Who I am is an ever-changing, learning and growing person. I need to remember I am ME and no one else, I don't need to be like anyone else or have what someone else has, I just need to be happy with who I am and who I can be. This for me is a constant battle of change and acceptance. Acceptance that change is never easy and it is NEVER EVER instant.

All the best.

Five Generations

 Ok, here goes nothin'! My inaugural blog post.


Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, My little Family and I packed up the car and headed East. Our purpose was to visit with our families in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. On this trip we made it a priority to get the two, 5 generation photos below. Now there are not too many families that I am aware of that have surviving great grandparents @ my age (30 shhhhh) let alone for my daughter the have Great Great Grandma's on both sides of her family. WOW!

This trip was a very trying and emotional trip for me as it was the first time in some 15 years that I have been able to make the pilgrimage to the tiny town of Stitzer, Wisconsin to see my Great grandma Lydia Stitch. It was also in all likelihood, the last time I will get to see her, given the photo below was taken on her 90th birthday and just a couple of weeks after a stay in the hospital that resulted in caner cells being found in her stomach. I wish that we lived closer and had more time, so I could be with my family and support them when the time comes to say goodbye. At least I know they are the same strong women that they have helped me to be and that we will all get through it in time. 

Making memories is tough and life is a shuffle, but we all have to play the hand we are dealt.

Love Always,

Sarah

Left to right: Christie (My Sister), Gloria My Grandmother), ZaBella( My Daughter), Lydia (My Great Grandma), Me, and Susan (My Mommy)

Top Row: Denise (Mother-in-Law), Darlene ( Grandmother-in-law)

 Middle: ZaBella (Daughter), Damian (My Husband) Bottom: Maxine (Great Grandmother-in-law)