Don't know when it started, but at some point over the last few years I fell into the trap of looking at the world through a pessimists eyes. I'd get frustrated because I was
just a stay at home mom, when I should have been thinking about how wonderful it was that I got to be home with my kids. I'd beat myself up for quitting school and being no closer to living my dream. Then I'd remember I'm already living my dream. Sure, some freelance design work would be awesome but that would be the icing on the cake not the whole cake. I'm done with that way of thinking. The days of beating myself up, not recognizing my achievements and rewards, never thinking I'm doing enough and always trying to make everyone else happy are over. I'm done listening to the little comments from well intended people asking when I'm going to go back to work and what exactly I'm going to do.
I am so blessed. I have a great husband who I've spent the last 17 years with. We've been sooo sooo blessed with our three beautiful kids. We have great extended family and great friends near and far. My life is so awesome, I'm doing it a disservice by looking at it through pessimism and letting self doubts get me down.
Approximately 8 years ago, the Mister and I sat down and wrote up a 5 year plan. It's one of the best things we've done. It's time for me, and us, to do that again. I want the next 5 years to be incredibly full of things and people that I love. Instead of sitting by and watching as years slip by it's time to grab ahold of time and make it work for me!
Things that are important to me right now:
*nurturing relationships with those I love...husband, kids, family and friends
*creating an environment in my home that makes my family want to be home and fits their personalities
*finding a church we can call home and being more than just Sunday attenders
*finding out who I am, other than mommy and wife
*finding an enjoyment in exercise and incorporating it into all our lives on a daily basis
*food! I'm discovering joy in bento boxing the kids lunches and am starting to cook more. Cooking always takes a dive after having a baby, we're finally getting to a place where it's a bit more feasible.
God, Family (including my friends who are chosen family) and Home...that about sums up what's important to me now and I don't see those priorities changing over the next five years.
With that in mind it's time to put pen to paper and write my plan. Can't wait to get started!
Bento Boxes are one of my newer joys in life. I bought some snack and lunch boxes last spring and we've been working towards waste free lunches and snacks ever since. The lunch boxes I bought, Ryan loves. They're a little big and cumbersome for the other two so I've been trying out different containers for their lunches. One that I like is this Sistema box. Just right for a little snack which is what we needed today.
Both kids got "sushi rolls", a babybel cheese, grapes and carrots. The fruit and veggies are separated from the sushi rolls by a little silicone cup and layered with the babybel cheese. The sushi rolls are just a piece of wheat bread, rolled flat and smeared with blackberry jam, then rolled like sushi. Makenna loved them! I have to admit, I think they're pretty cute too. If your snack looked like that, wouldn't you want to eat it?
