My kids are not smart.

I'm often told that my kids are 'smart', 'advanced' and 'gifted'

It's been the story of my life since my daughter Xierra was 3 years old and reading her first words.  It has recently continued with my 2 year old son Xander, who already knows what sound every letter makes in the alphabet and speaks clearly and in full sentences. 

As much as I'd like to agree with people when they say that I'm "lucky", I hate to inform them that I don't possess a four-leaf-clover, a horseshoe or a genie in a bottle, for that matter.  I've been handed my own cards, just like they've been handed theirs.

To the parents that wonder what I have done or am doing differently:

I have done nothing above and beyond what a parent should do.  Yes, I read to my kids -- but I'm sure you do too.  Yes, I talk to my kids - so do you.  My kid's watch TV - probably more than yours.. and they're on technology (iPhone and iPad) more than I like to admit.  Yes, I let them play video games.

I didn't breastfeed them more than average (in fact, Xierra only nursed for 3 months).  I don't miraculously have more than 24 hours in my day compared to yours.  I worked full time during my children's infancy, just like most of you. And I should add that I also ran a home-based business on top of working 40-45 hours a week.  Xierra goes to public school and Xander has dabbled in home daycares - no specialized education programs here.  

Perhaps you can credit their dads (yes, plural).  They both have different dads, and somehow my kids are equally intelligent.  But as a mother, I'm the constant.  And I reiterate -- I haven't done anything extra ordinary with raising them, whatsoever.  

Of course there's love -- we all love our kids (right?).  Some of us will show it differently than others, but love obviously plays a huge part in your child's character.  Trust me, I don't love my kids any more than you love yours..

***
So the question shouldn't be why my kids are so smart.  To me, they are 'normal'.  I'm simply saying that my children are progressing at the only level I know exists.
As a parent, you are ultimately responsible for your child's development.  I can't give tips on how to raise smart, advanced & gifted children - its all on you.

Rather than considering myself 'lucky', I prefer to consider myself extremely grateful for having kids that love me, above anything else.

Falling short...

My past few days have been spent off work (day job) and completely involved in work (business).
With the Wonderful Wedding Show coming up, I've been busy -- real busy. I won't get into details of what I've been working on, as that will come in a later post, but I will say that I've spent numerous occasions wondering what the HELL I was thinking by committing to such a huge project. All week I've been pushing through it and have found myself pleasantly surprised by my own productivity, my ability to persevere and eat up any doubt that I had with my abilities to follow through.  I've overcome obstacles that I never thought I could and have been loving the journey.
So I should be happy with that, right?  Sure.  Except that with the rise of my business and all of the glam that comes with it, I've been falling short in every other aspect of my life.  I've been so focused on getting good at being a 'business woman' and am realizing now, that I didn't even see my baby off this morning when he left with his dad for daycare.  It's past noon and I haven't checked in with my husband to see how his work day is going.  I haven't spoken to my daughter on the phone since she went home with her dad 4 days ago.


I realize that this is just a week of my life that is an exceptional situation, but I'm disappointed in myself for allowing myself to become so involved in work, and so disconnected with my family.


Let this be a life lesson to myself.  Without my husband and kids, I'd be nothing.  Regardless of what they look like when they first wake up on a lazy Sunday morning:

I'm pretty sure Xierra KNOWS what a comb is... she just chooses not to use one

...they are the reason why I wake up in the morning.

My October

I just spent a good 30 minutes on Pinterest, and realized that if I have the time to 'repin' stuff on there, I have the time to post something on my blog.


Hello blog world!  You have recently become such an unfamiliar place.  I'm glad to be back on here and sharing some of my recent life adventures...(okay, 'adventures' might not be the best description...it makes me sound adventurOUS, which I'm not).


Well this'll be short and sweet, but I'll just do a quick photo recap of my family-focused October:

at 'A Maze In Corn' cornmaze 

Yes, the Winnipeg Jets are back, and we went to the HOME OPENER! #partofhistory

birthday parties were attended

pumpkins were carved

and costumes were worn

In business news, I met with Emma from Events by Emma.  Exciting to say the least.  She was in search of an invitation vendor to partner with, and refer her clients to.  A girlfriend of mine worked for her and mentioned my business, and VOILA!  A meeting was set up!
I'm excited for the opportunity to work with such a high profile event design company :)


So that's pretty much it.  I mean, obviously there are a (more than a) few things that I've left out, but there's no sense boring you with the details.


Maybe I'll be back in a few weeks from now?  Haha.. I can only hope.


Happy November!

What I miss..

In the wake of my unhappiness, there are a couple of things that I've come to realize...
1) the life of a working mom sucks
2) it's so important to cherish your 'me' time

I had about 30 minutes to chill out today, by myself, while Xanderman napped. I got caught up on the blogs that I have (so poorly) been following, and I even found myself reading my OLD blog (http://web.me.com/roxyschmid/www.terlie.com/_blog/_blog.html) that I started through iWeb. I didn't have the patience to completely transfer all of the posts into Blogger, which I kind of regret. Re-reading the posts from my pre-working days, made me sad. I really miss having the time to cook, and craft, and blog about my daily adventures. I miss having the time and energy to go to the gym. I miss waking up with enthusiasm every morning. In as little as 4 short months, everything has changed so much.
The stress of work has taken a toll on my family life, and I can't seem to turn things around.

I keep waiting for a break, but I'm losing hope. Is this what the rest of our lives are going to be like? As long as Bri and I are working full time, will we just have to face this disconnect in our family life? I sure hope not.

*womp womp womp*

I don't blog often, anymore.  The reason for that is I started back at work (after being on maternity leave for a year), and simply put -- there just aren't enough hours in the day.

I foresee this post as being a total 'Debbie Downer' kind of entry, so if you're not in the mood, I suggest you stop reading now...

The past month has been hard for me, in pretty much every aspect of my life:  

Work is shit.  The hours are shit.  I'm completely frustrated with my position and the lack of appreciation I receive for the amount of work that I do.  I'm currently exploring different options, as I've come to realize that retail is simply not for me.

Due to my wacky work schedule, I've completely fallen off of the 'weight loss' wagon. COMPLETELY fallen off.  I eat crap, and I rarely have time to prepare healthy meals for my family.  I've gained back the weight that I so proudly lost, a few months back.. my clothes do not fit me and I'm suffering from a major case of muffin top.

My physical appearance has made me overly self conscious and has caused me to lose my self-esteem.  I have started doubting myself in all areas, including my business.  I no longer feel creative and/or motivated to be creative.  

My infant turned into a toddler overnight -- an un-controllable 14 month old BOY, that never seems to know what he wants at any given time of the day.  He's so much work, and I just can't keep up.  I'm overly impatient with him and am certain that my frustrations are what's causing to him to be the way he is.  The vicious circle is in constant rotation.

My husband and I finally decided that we're going to start the (long) process of moving down to the U.S.  The application process has been brutal and I lost steam as soon as I hit my first road block.  I've gone back and forth in my mind, and haven't 100% settled on the idea of selling my gorgeous home and leaving my beautiful daughter, to live in Unstable-Economy-U.S.of A. quite yet.  Some days I think it's a great idea, and most days I think it's not.  

I continue to over-fill my mind with more ideas and scenarios than I can keep track of.  This is making my head spin and I'm finding it challenging to focus on a single task.  

I feel like I'm going bonkers.

It's true what they say about people who have nothing good to say about anyone, because they are unhappy with themselves.  I'm finding myself to be overly critical and opinionated of others as of late, and can't seem to find an ounce of excitement in me, for anybody's 'good news'. 

*Woopty-Doo* seems to be a recurring phrase in my head on any given day.

So there you have it -- a much needed vent post.  Because not everyday can be flowers and butterflies.  I'm sure other bloggers out there have bad days (or weeks, or months) but choose not to share them.  

Staying true to myself is more rewarding than pretending that my life is perfect and craft-filled with angelic children playing by themselves in a corner while a batch of rolled sugar cookies bakes in the oven.

If only life could be like that.

the half-naked mom

Our summer, so far, has been super enjoyable.  Mother nature has been good to us Winnipegers, and my family and I have done our best to take full advantage of the warm hot weather.

With Xierra out of school, she's spending her weekdays over at her dad's / grandma's house(s) -- so when we get her on the weekend, we've been trying our best to spend some quality family time together, doing FUN things.

This particular day, we spent soaking up the rays in the backyard - pool, sprinkler, lawn chairs, beach towels and all.

Add a pitcher or sangria to the mix, and call it perfect:

I am in love with reading this book -- I don't want it to end.  If I were 2000x sexier and a 10 years older, I would think that I wrote the book myself!

Hope everyone is getting out there and enjoying time with their families.  It won't be long till it's -40C, so let's all take in the heat while we've got it!

CHEERS!

Playing catch-up

Wow, what a crazy month it's been.  I've been on blogging-hiatus for the past month -- I went back to work after a year long maternity leave, and have come to realize that there isn't a whole lot of time to do much of anything anymore.  The transition back to work was fairly smooth.  Everyone was so welcoming and patient with me, and now that I've been back for a little less than a month, I feel like I never left.  


So much has happened since my last post -- visits from out-of-towners, my dad celebrated his 65th birthday and retirement, we celebrated Brian's 2nd official father's day, Xierra finished up her year at H.S. Paul school, Xander started daycare full time, and I started back at work.  Oh and of course, summer is in full swing and the weather is nothing short of gorgeous.


I'll try to follow this post with some detailed posts, but for now, here are some photos and short blurbs on what the last month of my life has looked like:




It's always tough when Grandma Jan and Grandpa Larry leave Winnipeg to go back home to Wheeling, IL -- their visit was short but sweet but they got to spend some quality time with the kids and were able to celebrate Xander's first birthday -- best present this little guy could ask for!

l-r: Brian, Xander and Grandpa Larry

l-r: Grandma Jan, Xierra, Me



We had the pleasure of visiting the newly renovated Manitoba Children's Museum before G'ma and G'pa headed back home.  What a great time!

How lucky am I to have a dad with an awesome sense of humour!  I made these centre pieces for his 65th birthday party that me and my siblings held for him at Marigold restaurant.  He was so amused by them and was letting everyone take pics of him posing with them.  Happy 65th dad!

It's rare to have all of us siblings together, considering one sister lives out in Mississauga and another sister lives out in Vancouver.  It was great to hang out with them and with the rest of the Cuevas family. 

Here's a pic of the little ones:

I love that Xierra's probably the only one that's going to remember taking this pic.  The rest of them are gonna see it 10 years from now and be like "who ARE these people?!"

This was breakfast for Brian on Father's Day.  I'll post more about this delicious recipe later:

Xierra had her last day at her school.  To ensure that she can keep in touch with all of her awesome friends, I sent her to school with these little 'cards'.  They were supposed to mimic little books:

"Xierra's New Chapter"

Library cards on the inside, with hand written notes by Xierra

As a little 'good-bye' and 'thank you' gift, I made this Candy Cake for her class on the last day of school:

Packaged and ready to go!

This was just a random day that we decided to take Xander to the nature park at Assiniboine Park.  Happened to be the same day as the 'paws in motion' walk -- bonus!  We got to play AND see doggies!

This was the day that Xander's fever started....it would be one week later that we would discover that he had a case of BABY MEASLES! :(

Our Canada Day weekend was pretty awesome.  We watched the Forks fireworks from Brian's office building with the kids.  That weekend, we made our first trip out to Grand Beach with my cousin and her family.  What a beautiful day to spend bumming around on the sand!

The next day, we enjoyed lunch at Kum Koon with the family for my little cousin's 7th birthday. 

 

Here's a photo of daddy and baby Beckam...I mean, Xander.

Well that was just a quick rundown of what's been going on around here in the last month.

I'll be sure to add details on some of the projects above, for anyone that might be interested.

Have a great weekend!

My green thumb.

Just a quick post about some productiveness I had last weekend.  We finally got nice-enough weather for me to go out and buy some flowers and plant them!

I'm very excited to have some colour along my front walk :D

 BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I even bought an herb planter, with parsley, chives, oregano, thyme and rosemary! Three cheers for fresh herbs!

 Okay, so I'm a little excited.  Shoot me.