Guest bloggers wanted

I need guest bloggers!!

Who wants to do it?!

It will be the week of April 6th-15th. 

Please email me if you're interested!

dnsmith09  @ gmail . com

Don't forget to enter the Missy's Portraits giveaway!

Thursday randoms

• I cooked a pot roast, for the first time ever, and it was okay. Kind of dry. Blah. I'm over cooking.

• My back ordered sandals have FINALLY shipped. I only ordered them 2 months ago. Good thing it's summer all year long here.

• We went to one of our favorite BBQ places and Rylee was being a holy terror until we let her have some...I think it's safe to say she loved it!

• I had to babysit the other day & she wouldn't stop crying so Rylee thought it would be nice to give her a hug & when she did? She screamed even harder!

•  We have pink eye #2. Along with 5 new teeth coming in- 4 of which are molars. Can you see why I've been so busy lately? My poor baby. :(

Don't forget to enter the Missy's portraits giveaway!

Sand all up in the cracks

Being in Florida is pretty nice. We don't really have a winter & when we do it's only cold for a month or two. Feb-May is awesome freaking weather.

We decided to take advantage of this weather & head to the beach for a little this past weekend.

 She absolutely LOVED it! We had a lot of fun. She was walking around everywhere, throwing sand & splashing in the water....oh and modeling?!

And this is her face anytime she saw a bird. She loves them & kept trying to run after them!

I think we are going to be beach bums this summer!

Missy's Portraits giveaway!

Alright ladies..don't miss out on this!

Missy over at  Missy's Portraits is being so generous & offering one of my lucky readers a mini portrait! This is painting is a 5x7. 

Go check out the review I did earlier this week on Missy's Portraits !

7 weeks

I have been so busy lately & getting pulled in every other direction, I forgot to take a 7w bump pic. Oops. The only one I did take cuts my entire body out, but it will have to do.

Cravings: anything sweet, Italian beef sandwich (which I had my fix today-yum!)

Clothing: Pants are getting pretty tight & my tighter fitting shirts definitely show a bump- looks more like bloat. 

Symptoms: I've still been feeling pretty nauseous- like all day type of crap. Sucks! 

Wednesday we have an appointment & I'm hoping I can talk the doctor into a quick ultrasound! We had one with Rylee when I was 9w- maybe he will!

3 memories from my childhood..

Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.

I remember going with my dad every Sunday to the bowling alley & we would fight until the end on who was going to win.  

I remember my 8th birthday. I got off the bus at my memes, walked in the house & a few family members were there with a cake & presents. It was such a fun surprise!

I remember being out of town for a dance competition and all I kept saying was "bood and bun" it should have been "food and fun"..I think I was 3?

I have such a horrible memory..hence why I update this thing. 

Missy's Portraits Review

I am LOVING this oil base painting I had done of Rylee. I've been wanting one for a very long time & just never got around to it- I figured it was time now that #2 is on the way.

It's from the talented Missy over at Missy's Portraits. She does ALL sorts of paintings & even has a cute children's book!

Paintings can get pretty expensive, but she is so reasonable. She now offers miniature portraits ranging in sizes from 4x6 & 5x7. She has bigger paintings & even has a special for the month of March for an 11x14 for only $100! That is 50% off the original price & up to 4 people in the painting! Seriously? This is such an awesome deal.

I loved working with her. She's so friendly & once I sent her the picture she had it done in 4 days! I am so pleased & I can't wait to order more!

A giveaway coming this week so stay tuned!

If I could live...

If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

If you would have asked me this question 3 years ago I'm pretty sure I would have said 'somewhere tropical.' 

Now?

I want to live with my family- where ever that may be. I would like to be somewhere close to water, with lower humidity. Out West is so, so beautiful, but that's a loooong ways away from our families. 

Pretty sure I'll always be in Florida, but where in Florida is the question. 

Orlando? 

The most difficult thing..

What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?

I've had a hard time trying to think of the most difficult thing I've had to forgive..

I'm pretty sure it was with my ex, Jerry of 5 years. One night things got heated and there was lots and lots of drinking involved. He ended up doing a few things that he shouldn't have and that was that. That same night we ended up splitting up. Just like that. 5 years ended in the blink of an eye. It took me a while to get over it..a long while, but when I did I was so thankful that things ended. It was hard to forgive him for what he did because I never thought I would be put in that type of situation, but I was.


After all, I wouldn't have met Jeremy.

What a cute mess

We are at the beach right now & I'm sure we are enjoying ourselves, but here's a cute little video of Rylee feeding herself & being super messy! My little girl is growing up.

The one thing..

What is the thing you most wish you were great at?

 Honestly, school. I'm not bad in school, but I'm not that great. I have to study my butt off in order to pull off A's. (While that's not abnormal...) I wish I was one of those people that didn't have to study & pulled it off without a hitch. 

Ahh..maybe one day.

Chocolate Socks

When I saw that Holly Durst was giving away free copies to bloggers- I knew I had to sign up! First- I love her & second- who doesn't want a new children's book?!

It is such an adorable book with awesome bright colors. I loved reading it! I loved that the story line is based on making your dreams come true! I can't wait to see what other books she comes out with! 

I had the chance to do a quick interview with you & honestly I didn't know what to ask. I wanted to know more about The Bachelor/Bachelor Pad, but figured I should keep it more directed towards the book. 

How long did it take for you to write this book & get it published? All together it took about 6 years. I wrote it, it took a couple years for the illustrations and finding a publisher was the hardest part!

Do you have any other books in the works? Yes! I have plenty of books I want to publish and I cannot wait for that!! I also started writing a novel years ago! I need to get back to that project!
I'm a huge fan of The Bachelor/Bachelor Pad&   I was wondering how much is the 'real' you that they show or do they edit a lot out?  Most of it is real. They can edit it anyway they want though. That is where the trouble begins!

Do you plan on having kids & will you write about them in one of your books? I do plan on having children! I am excited for that day but we plan on waiting some time before that happens. I'm not sure I'll write about them but I will read my books to them!

Go grab your book either on Amazon or Barnes & Nobles!

What animal I would be..

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

Hmmm...I think I would be a bear! 

I like to think of bears as cuddly animals when they're around someone they love, but protective around strangers & if they or any of their loved ones are in  harms way. 

Water day

It has been beach weather for a while now & I'm just now getting around to buying some water toys for her. We had lots of fun outside! 

She LOVES being outside & in the water!

The best $20 I've ever spent. :)

My 5 strengths

Describe 5 strengths you have.

A brain

Many people lack brains these days &

 I'm one of the lucky few that still has one. 

  I don't hide how I feel

If I'm happy, you'll know it.

If I'm mad, you'll know it.

Being an awesome mama

I'm going to go ahead & toot my own horn, 

but I think I'm an awesome mama & 

I'm pretty sure Rylee is lucky to have me. :)   

A good friend

I would consider myself a good friend & 

my friends know I'm always there when they need me.

Good friends are hard to find these days.

An awesome wifey

I would do anything in the world for Jeremy & he knows it.

 I would go across country for him to chase his dreams if he ever wanted to.   

Easter Bunny!

I have to keep up with the tradition & have Rylee's picture taken with the Easter bunny! 

Last year she loved it & this year? She screamed. She was fine until I sit her on his lap & she just lost it all.

Are all bunnies creepy?

5 weaknesses

Describe 5 weaknesses you have.

Being too nice to people
I've been known to be a softy, but I'm slowly changing.
 I'm sick of being nice to people that continue to hurt me.


Shopping
HA HA. Seriously. I shop a lot & may have a slight problem.


Holding grudges
I never forget what people do/say & that may be an issue.

I'm blunt
I will, more than likely, tell you how it is & I don't care if you don't like it. 

Vacations
Seriously. 
I almost demand at least 1 vacation a year with just the three of us (soon to be four. ;) )

Fun at the park

Sunday hubs wanted to ride down to the lake & let Rylee play on their nice playground.

She was not happy I wanted to take her picture!

We had so much fun!! She loves watching all of the other kids and climbing up and down on the steps! Oh and she loves swinging. If you take her out before she's done you can expect a full temper tantrum.

She loved strutting her stuff too!

5 greatest accomplishments

What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?

Graduating high school

Believe it or not- I never thought that I wouldn't graduate high school, but a lot of my family did. (I was a bad kid.) I think it's a huge milestone these days because so many kids don't graduate.

Getting married

I didn't really think I would get married at 22, but that's the way life works out. I'm lucky to have found someone, my forever. =)

Having kids

1 kid at 23 and another kid will be here when I'm 25. I'm happy to be a younger parent & I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with these rascals. 

Being a stay at home mom

I guess some people would say I'm not a 'true' stay at home mom. I am with her during the day, but I also go to school 2 days a week & I work 2-3 days a week.  In total I'm gone from her for about 19 hours a week. A much needed 19 hours away, I will say.  I'm so lucky that I don't have a 9-5 M-F job like I used to. I'm so lucky to be able to wake up every morning & spend my days with my love bug.

Motivation

I think it's a huge accomplishment to have motivation these days as well. I'm on track to apply for nursing school in January & I couldn't be more thrilled. I'm doing this all for my kids. :)     

6 weeks

Well...the time has come that I've been dreading.

Being nauseous.

I was hoping that this time I wouldn't be so nauseous so early on, but my body proved itself wrong. =( I started feeling this way on Thursday which made me 5w4d. I don't remember when I started feeling this way with Rylee, but I do remember it was early as well.

My stomach is seriously growing like a weed. 

So far everything is identical to Rylee except salad not agreeing with me. I can (so far) eat it without an issue! woo! 

I think it's a girl. 

I think I'll be in maternity clothes sooner than I want to.

A day in my life..

Describe a typical day in your current life.

Oh, how my life has changed dramatically since becoming a mom. 

The recent time changed has messed us up a little bit too, but not too bad.

I normally wake up between 7:30-8am and Rylee is right behind me. 

I'll get up, brush my teeth & go potty. 

Get her out of the crib & change her diaper.

She immediately has to have breakfast..I'll make a waffle, yogurt, cereal or something of that sort. 

We play until about 9:30-10am inside & then we go outside and spend about an hour or so of our time playing, running and walking around.  

She takes a nap at 11am and will sleep anywhere from 1 hour to 2 hours. 

After that she's ready for lunch which is usually around 2pm.

Daddy comes home around 2:30 and we play the rest of the day! 

She snacks off and on all throughout the day. If we don't run errands we play outside, go to the zoo, go to the little water play area or go to the playground..

We eat dinner at 6pm, play until 7pm & then it's her bath time. After that we gave her milk & she's in bed by 8-830pm. 

She goes to bed. The husband goes to bed & this is when I blog. I try to write a few posts any chance I get because I don't always get around to blogging everyday. 

So, yep, that's my life. It changes throughout the week- especially the days I go to class. Nothing is really different except Jeremy gets home at 1:30 and I go to class from 1:30-3:30.

10 pet peeves

Describe 10 pet peeves you have.

 Biting your nails.

Do I really need to describe this? 

Your nails are disgusting with all sorts of germs/bacteria. yuck. 

Burping in public.

Burp at home all you want. In public? gross. No one wants to hear your noises.

Smacking your food.

Close your mouth! Didn't your momma teach you manners? 

Yelling at your kid.

Stop yelling. Calm down. Relax. There's no need to yell & it doesn't teach them anything.

The husband started laundry & not finishing it.

I'd say I'm lucky because I do have an awesome husband that will do laundry, but he doesn't finish it & drives me nuts! He will leave it all in the dryer & wait for me to get it out & hang everything up.

Having a messy house.

My house is definitely not the most cleanest after having Rylee, but I still clean & can't stand a mess. That's not to say that my house isn't a disaster during the day when she's awake, but the moment she goes to bed I have to clean up. I think it's sort of gross to live in a messy house.

Lying

There's no need to lie. Just stop. People will like you a lot better if you tell the truth & you may even not have to keep lying to keep your story straight.

Dirty nails

Something about seeing dirty nails on anyone grosses me out! YUCK. Go wash your hands & clean underneath those things! I don't even like seeing dirty nails on babies. 

Crooked teeth

I have an obsession about this. I understand not all people can afford braces or any type of fix for their teeth, but my teeth were jacked up BIG TIME. I had braces for 5 years & any time I see a person for the first time I look at their teeth. I can't help it. :/ 

Yellow teeth

GROSS. This is part of your hygiene. brush your teeth 2 times a day and maybe they wouldn't be yellow.  

Catching fish

Rylee is obsessed with her fishing pole & even more so- catching the bait. So we played a fun game yesterday & she loved to put the bait in her mouth after catching it! :) 

 

 

My most embarassing..

Describe your most embarrassing moment.

This probably would have to be when we were in Costa Rica in 2010. It was June and I was 18 weeks pregnant. 

 
The boys woke up one morning & decided it would be a great day to go fishing. We got ready & started walking down to the dock. It started raining & lord knows how clumsy I am when pregnant. The dock was really slippery & bam I fell right on my hands & knees. My ankle started bleeding really bad. It was in front of EVERYONE. I immediately turned red & felt so stupid.  To this day I still have a scar on my ankle from it getting a metal piece on the dock. ouch.

This fishing charter? Sucked. You can see how nasty it was & on top of that I started throwing up on the boat. Which I've never done since I pretty much have lived on a boat my entire life.


Let's just say when we go back to Costa Rica there will be no fishing charter in my future!

My 10 influencers..

List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.

Wow..this could be long & take forever!

1) My mom. While we get along great & she's taught me a tremendous amount of strength & hard work there are still things that she's taught me not to do. Don't smoke, don't drink every day (although she still does both like they're going out of style- yuck) She's a good mom who has always been there for me & I hope to be an even better mom than her.

2) My father. I really don't like referring to him as my 'dad'. However, he was a great 'dad' when I was younger & then all of that changed. He has taught me how not to pick a father for my kids. He's taught me I need to put them 1st before ANYTHING or ANYONE. Is it sad that I can't even find 1 picture of my dad & Rylee together?

3) Jeremy. He's taught me so much about life, love & how to be selfless. He's the most loving, caring person I know. He would do anything for Rylee & I. He's an awesome dad & the list goes on & on.  He keeps me sane & he is definitely my other half. 

4) My meme. She helped my mom raise my sister & I. She's such a hard worker & I remember going over to her house when I was younger & loving it. We would go shopping or just talk. She's starting to get a lot older now so it's harder to talk to her (mainly because I think she's losing some of her marbles & repeats the same thing over & over.)   I love calling & being able to talk to her because we think the same. :)

5) An ex boss. He taught me not to settle for who you 'think is perfect'. Don't let people walk all over you & treat you like garbage. Don't judge people & live your life the way you want. 

6) Rylee. What hasn't she influenced me on? She's taught me to be an awesome mom, a better listener, a caring person, a selfless person & always to put her first. (Even when it comes to shopping.) I can't even express my love for this little person & how it just keeps growing & growing. She's influenced me to hurry up & finish school so we can have an even better life. 

7)  My peers. They influence me to be a better person. I see girls my age & I just think to myself  'what in the world are they doing to their selves?!"

Okay..and honestly I can't think of 3 more things and I'm tired..so I'm stopping here. 10 influences is A LOT. 

5 passions

What are 5 passions you have?

Helping others.
I love helping people in every way, shape or form that I can.

Making myself & my family happy.
I don't think there's anything more important in this world.

Becoming the best nurse that I can possibly be.
and making lots of moolah.

Being the best mom that I can be to my babies.

While we still want to spoil Rylee & give her what she wants/needs I want to make sure that she is a smart, selfless & respectful little girl.

Baby parade 2012

I'm sure you all remember me contemplating the baby parade with Rylee this year. I'm not a big fan of it, but I decided to do it just for fun and it was the same amount I would have paid to get in the festival (if you paid for the parade you got 3 free tickets.)

I decided why not, right? I'm still going to the festival & still going to pay to get in.

We get there at 9am Saturday morning & it was drizzling, over cast & so humid. What a great start. We get to the gate & they inform me that my mom or Jen couldn't come in the gate with me- only 1 parent per kid. UGH. So they had to wait until 10am to get in. :/

The parade was suppose to start at 10am- it didn't start until 10:25am and trying to chase 25 1 year olds around outside while trying to 'contain' them? Wasn't so great. They were all over the place, including Rylee. The ladies running the event do not have kids & were so young they obviously don't know what to expect. They were rude & kept saying "go get your kid. they can't do that" (not to me personally, but to others) I will NEVER do this again..unless it's more organized.

showing off for the crowd.

My dream job

What is your dream job, and why?

I've always, always, always wanted to be a nurse & still do. I'm still unsure on what type of nurse, but I'm slowly getting there. I remember when I had clinicals & we rotated on the floors I really didn't like being on the peds floor. I can't handle small, tiny babies poking & prodding at them. :/ 

I really liked dealing with the middle generation type of people. Old farts get on my nerves & I hated dealing with them.

Anyways...

My dream job is essentially to LOVE what I'm doing & make a lot of money while I'm at it.  I hope to become a nurse & just love, love, love it & love being able to give back.

5 weeks

Get ready to be bombarded with weekly updates of my bump & I! I started this with Rylee at 5 weeks & I'm planning on doing the same & continuing. I will say I wasn't too creative with her bump pics & they're blah & half of them don't even show my face, but it will be fun to compare!

I know I'm only 5 weeks, but since I found out so early I'm feeling like I should have morning sickness already. It came with Rylee at about 7-8 weeks so we will see in the next few if I have it again! (I hope not!)

The hardest thing..

What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

This probably sounds so petty & I know a lot of moms that have gone through so, so, so much worse, but for me this was the hardest.

When Rylee was born she had pretty bad jaundice & we weren't allowed to be discharged until her levels came down. She had to sleep under the lights & pretty much stay under them unless she was nursing. When they told me this I literally broke down. I remember just crying, crying, crying & not wanting to talk to or see anyone.   

To see her twitch & squirm and me not be able to snuggle with her was so, so hard. Thank god she only had to be under it for 24 hours. It was the longest 24 hours of my entire life.

The top 4 things...

...that make me happy.
 

What are the 4 things that make you most happy right now?

 1) Rylee. She is the #1 person in my life. Any time I'm having a bad day I can look at her & just have the biggest smile on my face. 

(Thanks aunty j lo for taking this.)

2) My husband. He's my biggest supporter (even when we bicker.) I don't know where I'd be without him & that's in the most sincere way ever.

3) My close friends. No need to point fingers & say names. They know who they are.

4) My little bean....and yes I had to take all of these before we he finally believe it. 

(Top one is Jeremy's....yes he peed on one) (Last one was most recent)