Swim Babies

 

We just returned from a long weekend away. Here’s a few pics from the indoor pool. I love the top one. Sprout is being a great big brother, making sure his baby brother doesn’t slip on the wet tile. The second one, Cubbie is tuckered out and ready for Daddy to bring him back to the room.

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“Mama Guilt Mondays” Meme

Why talk about "Mama Guilt," you ask? Because I think it is good to share our Mama Guilt so we know we are not alone. We all struggle in this wonderful, chaotic, ever challenging thing called motherhood! See the MckLinky at the bottom of this post to link up.

Here’s my Mama Guilt from the past week:

1. Sprout had pajama day at Preschool and once again, he was the only one NOT in pajamas! I don’t know how we keep forgetting!

2. It’s been warm and sunny this past week. However, when I get home from work, it’s so hard to get outside with my kiddos since I still have to make dinner!

3. Cubbie is still teething and has an especially swollen left gum. My poor baby, I just feel so guilty that I can’t do anything to help him but give him teething medicine.

Do YOU have any Mama Guilt on your mind today? Blog about it, funny or serious, post a link back to me, then come back here and enter your post link into the MckLinky. Don't forget to leave me a comment too!

Or feel free to write about your Mama Guilt in the comments below.

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Who Am I?

(I’m reposting this in case you missed it!)

Thanks for reading my blog. Here’s a little bit about me...

I'm 36 years old. I've been married to my DH for six years. We have two boys we love dearly; "Sprout" who is three and a half, and "Cubbie" who is 21 months. Both boys are highly energetic, active, crazy, funny little guys. We live in the Midwest in a fairly decent sized metropolitan area.

Both my DH and I love the outdoors. Before boys (BB), we kayaked the Apostle Islands, hiked the mountains of Colorado, laid on the beaches of Mexico (honeymoon), mountain biked, skied, and camped. Now, AB (after boys), well, we pretty much stay home. It's just too much work right now to go anywhere, other than short trips in our camper that I blogged about here. I get in a run or an elliptical workout 3 to 4 times a week. My DH is a road and mountain biker (pedal bike).

I am a police officer in a fairly large city. I'm currently a Sergeant assigned to investigations. I've been with the same police department for fifteen years. I started when I was 21 years old. At the time, I was the youngest officer on the department and one of the small percentage of female officers. I am intentionally vague about my job because, well, it is the Internet :-)

My DH is a Dr. in the natural health field. He has graciously condensed his hours at his clinic so he can be a part-time stay at home dad. We both attempt to eat healthy, organic meals when we can. We believe in the body's natural ability to heal itself (to a point). We don't vaccinate or immunize our boys. We also do not believe in circumcision. I nursed both boys until they each voluntarily weaned themselves. That being said, I would never force my views on anyone else. Each to his own.

I'm a Christian, I believe in Jesus and the Bible. I try to be the best example of God's love that I can be, but oh do I fall short! I'm a positive person for the most part. I care about others and try to be uplifting, encouraging, and a good listener. I have a heart for the hurting. If I could do it all over again, I would probably be a counselor to troubled adolescents. I just have a heart for teenagers. But for now, any extra time I have is spent loving up my boys and being a wife to my DH.

So, that's me! Thanks for listening to the mini version of my life!

If You Can’t Say Something Nice…

It’s time for Friday Fragments, Blogging edition:

1. My laptop died one week after the one year warranty was up! But I’ve complained, whined, and tweeted enough about it. So, I’m going to turn the other cheek and forget about the $265 said computer company (cough, cough, HP) cost me and just be happy I finally have it back.

2. Therefore, I’ve been missing out on all your wonderful blogs, my friends. After a long weekend of family fun with our munchkins, I’ll be back around next week!

3. I’m in the process of getting a new blog design. I’m going for more of a clean, contemporary look. Hopefully, it will be up next week, so check back!

And yes, I’m double dippin’ today! Because now it’s time for…

 1. What's your guilty pleasure?

 

2. What is your favorite TV series?

3. Can you speak any foreign languages?

Espanol, un poco and a little bit of Hmong

4. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

I’m not a big shoe person. I have three or four pairs of dress shoes/boots for work, and a few for casual. And, of course, my running shoes (Saucony all the way, baby!)

5. What's your favorite kind of M&M's...peanut, almond, straight up regular, etc.?

Happy Friday Everyone!

So what are YOUR plans for the weekend???

Six Word Memoir

Terresa at The Chocolate Chip Waffle is hosting a contest. The prize:

Chocolate!!!

The rules: If you had to condense your life into six words, what would you write?

Poet I am not, but for chocolate, why not! Here's mine:

"Arrived home through marriage and motherhood."

So, what's YOUR six word memoir???

I Remember When…

Oh, I couldn't resist!

This is Sprout when he was only three months old.

And now he's three and a half years old!

Here’s the color version:

 

My first baby boy!

Where did the time go???

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“Mama Guilt Mondays” Meme

(Link up at the bottom of this post)

The meltdown was inevitable.

Thursday morning. Sprout was up before I left for work, which is fairly usual. But, instead of just giving me a kiss on my cheek and saying, “Luv you, Mama”, he had an all-out fit. He attached himself to my leg and pleaded, “No Mama, no Mama, don’t go!” I knelt down, wrapped him in my arms, kissed his little blond head, and told him I would be home later. Then, DH had to pry Sprout away. I turned to leave down the steps, fighting back my tears as I heard his cries.

Mama Guilt BIG time. I went to work and told the Chief I was retiring.

No, not really, but that’s how I felt. And this is my struggle, my ultimate Mama Guilt. The pull between career and family. I love my career, I’ve been doing it way before kids or even my DH were in the picture. But now, it’s a different story. I have two tiny little beings that need their Mama. So I do my best. My family now comes first. But I’ve made a choice to continue with my career, and it comes at a price.

And this is why I hold this little grass roots “Mama Guilt Mondays” Meme. So us moms have a place to come and share our challenges so we know we are not alone!

Do YOU have any Mama Guilt on your mind today? Blog about it, funny or serious, post a link back here on your blog, then come back here and enter your post link into the MckLinky.

Or feel free to tell us about YOUR Mama Guilt in the comments below.