Random Stuff

Funny thing about a stomach virus, it doesn't give any warning at all.  Thursday night my husband had been called in to work.  At around midnight I was finally heading to bed when Tegan walked out of his bedroom.  He didn't say anything but just curled up in the recliner like he was going to go back to sleep.  I asked him to either go back to bed or to come lay down with me since daddy wasn't back home yet.  He still didn't say a word but just came and climbed in my bed with me, snuggled up and then proceeded to throw up all over the bed.  It wasn't a pretty scene!  He acted like he felt much better once he finished throwing up.  I cleaned him up, covered the love seat in towels, told him to lay down and put a trash can by his head while I tried to clean up the mess on my bed.  I was hoping and praying that this was just one of those one time in the middle of the night throw ups like Ry will have once every couple of months.  My prayers were not answered as for the next 4 hours straight my baby boy threw up every 20 minutes.  He threw up HARD.  Like the kind that comes from the very bottom of your gut.  It was awful.  The dry heaving began sometime around 4 and that seemed just as bad b/c he was crying and begging me to make it stop.  We finally got to sleep in the early morning hours and we both pretty much slept on and off most of Friday morning.  Thankfully the throwing up was gone but then a very short lived fever started.  He woke up this morning like a new man, that I am thankful for.  Next time, I wish the stomach virus would give me a warning for three reasons: 1. Tegan had apparently had a lot of red Koolaid early that evening...not a pretty sight! 2.  I would totally have not taken him out for Mexican food that night had I known what was coming.  3.  I would not have let him in my bed!!! 

We were suppose to go to the circus with our church this morning but I was terrified of getting far away from home and the stomach virus hitting me.  Let's be honest, if it is going to get anybody next, it will totally be the anxious mommy that cared for her little man during his sickness.   At the very last minute we decided to chance it.  It was only about an hour drive away from home so we were just praying we could make it.  The tickets had been bought and paid for so we didn't want to miss out.  Thankfully all went well.  We made it there, through it and back home without anyone feeling sick.  Now I am just praying we can all stay well! 



We had a good time at the circus even though it made me feel old b/c the music was so loud it gave me a horrible headache.  I kept wanting them to turn that darn music down a little but apparently that is part of the show:) 

T-ball practice starts for my little man this week!  He is so excited to play at his "ball game" which is what he calls t-ball.  Thankfully his practice starts at a time when Rylee is on a two week break from play practice.  Can I get an Amen!!! 

Speaking of Amen, some ladies and I from my church have been working hard to sell tickets to our very first Ladies Night Out event.  I am getting a little nervous and just ready to see it all come together.  Say a little prayer for an awesome and inspiring night! This night means an awful lot to me and to see the ladies of the church and the community supporting it is just awesome!

Business is going great at Cohen Lane!  It is keeping me on my toes and out of debt, that is for sure!  

My pinterest addiction continues.  This week my entire grocery list is full of pinterest recipes (all easy ones of course:). 

That's all I got for tonight!  Happy weekend everyone! 

Perspective

I think that sometimes we all need to stop and seek perspective in life.  What direction should we be going in?  Are we really where we think we should be?  What can we do to change things? 
For four years I was a stay at home mom.  While it was way harder to stay at home than work (for me, not for everyone), I really miss that with all my heart.  The idea of not having to worry about who is going to keep your kids when school is out or which of the two parents are going to call in sick to work when one of your kids wake up sick in the middle of the night.  Staying at home did come with its downfalls with the number one being lack of money to go out and do much of anything.  There was a whole lot of just staying at home, climbing the walls for me and my babies.  It was a daily struggle to keep them busy and still get done what all I needed to around the house and with my sewing business at the time. 

I have been back at work on a part time basis for 6 months now.  It took some time to get use to it and there was a whole lot of anxiety to overcome.  Then during all that, I made the crazy decision to launch my new invitation,card, party business.  That in its self has become a pretty demanding job but atleast I am home and within talking distance of my babies.  Everyday I am working hard and still struggling to find a happy balance between working a job outside the home while running a business inside the home and keeping up with my rockstar mommy and wife duties. 

I have a wonderful blog that I read on a very regular basis.  I have been following this mommy of four's struggles and victories for a good while now.  Today I read THIS POST!  It is a post that will slap you in the face and slow you down while trying to gain some for real true life perspective. 

I seriously am not posting this saying that mothers shouldn't work outside the home because I do but yet to find a balance and figure out what we can let go of to make sure that we (or I) have as few regrets as possible.

Feeling Better

This past week I wasn't feeling well.  Four out of five days I had a horrible headache.  I would guess they were migraines.  They wouldn't go away and made me so sick to my stomach and weak.  I am so glad that I have felt better the past couple of days. 

But at the risk of totally embarrassing myself, I wanted to show that my little Tegan is my true puppy dog.  When I was sick and laid up in the recliner unable to move....neither did he!

He stayed right there!  He didn't move or talk but every now and then he would reach over and pat my hand or leg.  Rylee would bring him anything he asked for (a snack, drink, etc.).  While Tegan watched over me, Rylee watched over Tegan until Daddy got home!!

Valentines...

I had a lot of fun with the kids valentines this year.  You can see more about how I made Rylee's valentines over at Cohen Lane.

Here are Rylee's....

Here are what Tegan took....



We didn't really do anything special around here this year.  We got the kids a small little bag of stuff and then I cooked hamburgers, homemade french fries and brownies.  I didn't get my husband anything b/c all I heard was that we weren't getting each other anything.  Well he came home with me a card, some Reese hearts and a fake single rose:)  He is all about the gas station roses b/c he hates buying flowers that will die even though I have been begging and pleading for 11 years for some real beautiful flowers.  I did love his little gift though. 

Then he took Rylee to play practice and I enjoyed some time with my littlest valentine, Tegan.

Nothing special but just fine by me....this year.  Dear husband if you are reading, I still love getting REAL stuff for valentines and going on a date with my husband and not cooking:)

Sweet Teg!!!!

I am so excited!  Tegan went back to Emory today for his 6 month post surgery eye appointment.  It was a great news day.  As I did before the surgery, I still continue to pray and praise for complete healing of his precious little eyes everyday.  If his eyes & condition don't improve anymore than right now and don't get any worse, I am calling those prayers a huge success.

As most of you know, he had the surgery mostly for a major left head tilt/turn due to his Nystagmus.  When we went back a month after surgery, he showed lots of improvement but still had the head tilt but it just wasn't as bad.  Well I have been watching in the past couple of weeks and noticed that the left head tilt wasn't there but watching at home and having the Dr. check him are two totally different things.  I watched as they showed him the pictures and had him focus in on them.  I kept watching for the left head tilt.  I saw nothing.  I am so excited to say that he is pretty much straight on now.  He doesn't have to turn his head to look out of the corner of his eyes to be able to see. He still has a chin down head tilt but that isn't bad and barely noticeable. This is a huge deal for so many reasons.  One is that the head tilt would have caused him lots of neck and spine issues in the future.  The other is that without the tilt, his nystagmus is not very noticeable at all.  This is so awesome b/c we all know how mean kids can be to each other and I have feared that he would be picked on b/c of his eyes and the head tilt.  Now he just looks like any other kid! 

Also, he had showed some really bad farsighted issues before the surgery.  Even though we were told the surgery would not help that at all, the prayers did.  That has improved a little and she expects it to continue to improve the older that he gets.  So that means no glasses for him right now.  I do think he would have been so cute in glasses but I had such dread over how many pairs he would break!

He was such a good boy today.  Usually we are in and out of there pretty quick but today they were crazy busy.  We were in there for 2 1/2 hours!!!  Paul was going crazy but Tegan was being a perfect and sweet little man. We were so glad to hear that for the first time since he was diagnosed, he doesn't have to go back for a WHOLE YEAR!  What an awesome day! 

Cohen Lane

So I made a decision about my new shop and website name....Cohen Lane just seems to be the perfect fit.  The name just seems right to me and it makes me very happy.

 I have been working very hard to transfer things over to the new shop name but I have also been working hard to start up my very first .com website address, www.cohenlane.com.  This website will link you to my etsy shop.  I also have big plans for this site to have a life of its own.  I have felt very lead to venture in to a creative website where I promote other crafter's businesses, my own business, my favorite pinterest finds and so much more.  My hopes are that Cohen Lane will inspire you to be creative! 

This is one website that you aren't going to want to miss out on!  Please visit my new website for a chance to enter in to a website launch giveaway!  Thanks so much for your support in this big adventure.  As I have said before, I love my business and plan to go as far with it as I can go!!!

Sad Attempt at a Business Name Change:(

Happy FRIDAY!!!!!  I am just so excited that it is Friday!!!  Alright....I am needing some major help from you guys.  I know I have lots of lurkers out there and I am begging you all to chime in and help me out.  Right now my card/invitation business is called Paper Pretty Designs.  Someone else on etsy had the name Paper Pretty (even though they don't sell but just buy on etsy) so I had to add the designs to the end.  I thought I loved it but I totally dislike how LONG the name is.  The web address is 31 characters long, www.paperprettydesigns.etsy.com.  See how long that looks.  I want something short and catchy.  Like one word or two short words.  I need it to be short and cute.  It doesn't have to have anything about designs or paper or anything like what it is named now. 
I have been thinking of doing something with Cohen's name in it but still not sure how I feel about that.  Here are a few names that I have come up with that include Cohen...give me your vote!!!
Cohen Designs
Cohen and Me
Cohen M.
Cohen Lane
or do you think I should just stop trying to change it and leave it Paper Pretty Designs?
or do you have a single cute word that would make a great little shop name?  Suggestions???

HELP ME!!!!  If you have been lurking, don't deny me from having a cute name by not voicing your opinion:)

Random Stuff

Life has seemed a little more stressful this past week around here but then again, I'm thinking that busy and stressful is becoming my new normal!  I am working on taking the next step with my business, Paper Pretty while still working part time and running here and there for my kids and husband. 

Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike going to the post office???  My husband has been mailing lots and lots of stuff as he is working on a little something of his own lately and guess who the mail runner is!  Yep....me!  There isn't exactly a post office just up the street and everything cost more than you think it will to ship.  I seriously think I should be getting paid for being the mail runner these days.

Tegan goes back to the eye Dr. at Emory next week.  I don't really expect anything negative or new to be said and am hoping for appointments that are way more spread out from now on.  I don't know how much better his eyes are but I do know that there is a lot of improvement and they continue to improve as time goes on. 

The other day he wanted to play with the swiffer and "mop" the kitchen.  Well I decided to take advantage of it and put a swiffer wet pad on there and get something out of it:)  Moping is right there next to doing toilets in my book!

Rylee seems to be growing up right before my eyes.  Bless her, she hates riding in the new little gas saver car.  She says it is not a very pretty car.  Even though it is old, I keep telling her that it is a BMW....how can you not like that!!!!  Apparently, she doesn't care.  I am using it as a tool to teach her (and myself) a little about being humble and letting going of the idea of what others think you should have. 
I love the age that she is at b/c she can help me with things around the house but yet she is still young enough to be called my baby!  She had to draw a picture for school the other day that showed a time when she did a good deed for someone.  This is what she drew.....

Do you notice Tegan's really red eyes?

OK...that is all I have this week!  Can you tell I am having some writers block??

Gas Saver!

I have been complaining like crazy about how high gas is and how much my Explorer seems to be sucking it through a straw.  Seriously, every time I take off, I cringe a little inside as I can feel the gas just flowing right out!  I love that car though.  It is strange but it was the first thing I did to try to make myself feel normal again after I lost Cohen over 5 years ago.  It made me happy even if it was only a temporary feeling.  So I am super attached to it.  It has been a great car and has low miles on it for its age so I don't want that SUV to go anywhere! 

We had a 3rd vehicle, Jeep Cherokee, that my husband would drive only if he needed room for both kids.  Well yesterday my niece called and needed to buy a inexpensive car.  She came over, loved the Jeep and drove away smiling with it.  Since we still need a 3rd vehicle(for those of you just joining us my husband's heart belongs to an itty bitty truck that both kids can't ride in with him and that doesn't want to crank when it is super cold in the mornings:) and I needed to save on gas, the big search began.  Within 2 or 3 hours I came across a much older BMW.  An hour later it was ours:)  Great price, great on gas, plenty of room, able to still keep my explorer and drives great! 

Don't gasp about having a BMW....as with all our transactions these days, it had to be cheap enough to pay cash for.  This would be why it is a 1993 BMW.  Don't fear, we are still debt free!!!!

It isn't new or perfect but I love it and I am so excited to cut my gas in half!!!  My husband did this for me without hesitation.  He is such a great husband and is all mine!



Tales From a Mommy...

This past Saturday my husband and I were laying on our bed in the middle of the afternoon.  We were just chatting while both kids were to distracted to realize we were having an actual conversation without being interrupted by them.  Unfortunately, our talk time didn't last very long before Tegan insisted on joining the party.  He climbed on the bed and was all over both of us.  I started playing with him only to be injured in the process.  He had his back to me when he jerked his head backwards and slammed his extremely hard head right in to my eye/head.  It hurt.  It hurt so bad that I couldn't move or talk.  My ears were literally ringing and I was scared to move b/c I was sure there was going to be blood all over the bed.  A huge knot immediately graced me with its presence.   Somehow my silence had a huge affect on Tegan and he thought that I was being mean to him b/c I was making him feel really bad by not talking to him. 

It has been six days since we bumped heads.  Did I mention that he was totally fine but I have a crazy black eye with some blood on the whites of my eyeball???  Yeap...not cool.  Especially not cool when your job everyday is to go in and tell brand new parents that their baby needs to come with you unsupervised for about 30 minutes.  I have joked with parents telling them everything from I was bar fighting this past weekend to another parent didn't want me to take their baby and gave me a black eye. 

At first it didn't hurt once the whole shock wore off but last night and today it has been awful.  It hurts to have my eye open and gives me a horrible headache that makes me feel really yucky and sick to my stomach.  I was late for work this morning and had to get Paul to take the kids to school b/c I couldn't hardly hold myself up at 6:30 this morning.  The funny part is that when I ask Tegan if he can see what he did to my eye, he responds with "I not see anyfing". 

He better be glad he is cute b/c when he has that smug little grin and pretends that I am not walking around being stared at all day, I really want to chase him down and lick his face:)

Living Debt Free

First let me start by saying I am not expert at this.  In fact, I have had to follow my husband's lead in this season of our life all while kicking and screaming along the way.  It is so hard to not have what other's have or to not be able to do what other's are doing but the difference in us and other's is that we choose to live very simple.  Don't get me wrong, I totally want to go on a very ridiculous elaborate vacation or some awesome shopping trips or to have this big house that I can be proud of but the reality is that we are holding back now with great hopes of being able to do all those things both guilt and debt free in the future. 

We don't have a fancy house.  To be honest, I am embarrassed of my home sometimes.  Once about 3 years ago a little girl came to spend the night with my daughter and her mom dropped her off.  I could tell that she was hesitant to leave her daughter b/c she was judging a book by its cover.  My house is clean(some days:), not falling apart, safe, full of love and PAID FOR!  It isn't huge and perfect like their house apparently is b/c that mom has seen me out several times and has never spoken to me since.  Now when people come to my house I have this need to say this home is paid for and we don't plan to live here forever and then I want to ask them how much debt do they have (but I don't).  I want to clarify again that there is nothing wrong with my home and it is so much more than what other people have but it isn't a two story cape cod on a full basement and for that reason I am lower on the food chain than others and a little less safer from tornadoes.

We don't have brand new cars.  I drive a 03 Ford Explorer.  My husband drives a small little Toyota truck that is so old I'm not even sure what year it is.  We have an older 3rd vehicle just in case b/c both kids don't fit in the tiny truck with my husband.  I love my vehicle and the best thing about it is that we paid it off 4 years ago which was only a year and a half after purchasing it used!!!  We have bought both of the other vehicles in the past couple of years and just paid cash money for them.

We don't have all the crazy extras like most people do like smart phones, ipads, Disney trips etc...  But for now, that is OK and I can see all of those things in my very near future. 

The point is that we are living well below our means today so that we aren't still paying for living beyond our means 30 years from now.  We sold stuff we wanted to keep.  We haven't bought things that we really wanted.  We made hard decisions to get out of debt and now that we are here we plan to stay!  We have no mortgage, no car payment, no credit card debt....nothing but a rental property that pays for its self.  I struggle with not going out to eat all the time like we did before b/c let's face it, cooking falls on me and creates lots more work for me.  But we have cut back so much (only falling off the wagon every now and then like this past weekend when we ate out 5 times) and have found that we save a large amount of money by just having a whatever you want night at home for supper and everyone cleans their own mess.  I also struggle with my kids not having the same items as the other kids at school.  Yes, we can buy those things for them or put them on a credit card but we choose to give them what they need and be more cautious with giving them their wants.  I can promise that our kids aren't hurting for anything.

I think that is the hardest thing about trying to be debt free....separating your wants from your needs.  Yes you need to enjoy life.  Eating out and splurging on a new pair of shoes makes us all happy temporarily but every month when you write out bills that are just your regular household bills and nothing more, it feels good to know that there is money left over for those extras that I wanted a week or two ago. 

We have followed the Dave Ramsey program to a certain extent.  Now that we are out of debt we are saving up a very good emergency fund before moving forward with our wants but even then our wants will be simple and nothing outrageous. 

I am going to be the first to admit that letting go of the image that I wanted to uphold is hard.  Everyone wants to look like they have a lot but really some of those people are drowning in debt.  I have always said "how do they afford that house or that car" and later I will find out that they aren't affording it but have them telling me that they are struggling to keep it.  It is sad to be in that place and at the mercy of a house payment or credit card bill. 

I love my husband with all my heart.  He has to remind me daily to trust him in this process and that it won't always be this way.  He has lead us through the debt and out the other side.  I have gotten mad and bitter at him at times but he deserves every ounce of the credit.  We have recently been reminded of how awesome and stress free it is to be in this place that we are in right now and it is leaving me saying a whole lot of you were rights to my husband:)