Under construction!

Hello! my blog is currently under constructions i'm working with the formatting a bit, so don't be surprised if it looks a little different next time your here!

Keep checking back :) and any tips or advice on how I can make it more user friendly would be great!

~Ashley

Nail tutorial!

So excited! Taking my daughter to disney later on this week, so I did a Mickey Mouse inspired nail tutorial. I saw an adorable Mickey Mouse nail design on Pinterest, but there was no tutorial to accompany it-- so I made my own :) hope you like it!

 

Tutorial Video:

Outa-Sync

When I became a new mommy I had to figure out a new way of living. I may have been the same age as all of my friends but my life was totally different from their lives and some didn't understand that.  I couldn't go out at 1:00 in the morning and sit at ihop. I had a child now and responsibilities, and my life wasn't just my own anymore. My life was about raising another life.

There was some growing time until I found my stride of being a young mommy and soon some of my freinds were having children of their own so we were all first time mom's together; but now that my daughter is getting older i'm entering new territory.

"Senior" mom territory.

Earlier this summer I signed my daughter up for a 4 wk. summer ballet class. I was a little aprehensive at first since she has only ever been home with me and has never gone even to pre-school. After much searching I found a dance studios that was a right fit for us. This studio had a super friendly staff and a family-friendly atmosphere. My daughter LOVED her summer classes. It was a small class with only 4 girls ages 3-4 so it was a good transition for her and the mom's were very friendly and everyone enjoyed watching their children, and cheering for them after they finished.

(i'm getting to my point I promise ;) just hang in there!)

so I decided to re-enroll her in the fall class. This was a bigger class, 9 girls in total, but my daughter took it with just as much joy as the summer classes, she had a fabulous time.

I on the other hand was the new duck in the pond and wasn't sure which way to paddle.

 I stood in the parenting room watching the girls through the glass and most of the parents weren't very interested in watching their daughter's dance.  While I was smooshed up against the two-way mirror snapping photos and video, they were sitting against the walls chatting about their children that have already gone off to college and how they all have atleast 2  or more children at home and some in highschool.

That's when I realized that not only am I the youngest parent in the room but I'm the only parent with 1 child.

All of these parents were "senior" moms or dads, and im a freshmen. They have already accomplished the potty training, loose tooth, riding a bike, driver's ed. phases of parenting life and i'm still on potty training. I suddenly found myself in this weird middle ground of not being a "New" mom but not being an "old mom" either.

Thats probably why I was the only one at the window gawking at my daughter's every step. This is my only daughter. Everyone else has 2, 3, 4 or some even 5 children. So I wonder... when you have  more children you have does the enthusiasm to see all of their "firsts" start to fade? I was one of 6 children but my mother was fawned over each one of us when we would do something new. So this non-chalant attitude seems so odd to me.



When the class was over and all the girls filed back into the room and I start clapping and cheering "you guys did a great job!"....but I was the only one and my clapping soon faded.My daughter looked confused why nobody cheered, all of the parents in the summer classes gave all of the children a round of applause after each, and those little girl's faces just lit up. I hoped that she didn't think that everyone didn't cheer because she didn't do a good job--I don't know if 3 year olds think that way or not but at that point I made a clear decision.

 I will assume the role of the over-cheerful mom.
I will tell the girls they did awesome and clap my little heart out everytime.
Cuz ya know what? Those beautiful little girls deserve it.

I feel like i'm taking a new turn on the road of mommy-hood.

So yes i'm the only mom in her 20's, the only mom with only one child,  and maybe i'll be the only mom cheering, but confidence shouldn't come from fitting in or feeling comfortable but my confidence comes from my faith in Christ--So  i'm gonna keep cheering!

 Being the 'only one' doesn't mean your an outsider... it makes you special ;)


"For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught."
Proverbs 3:26 (NKJV)

To Clean or Not to Clean....

There comes a time in every parents life when you are faced with a  certain decision. Finish what chores needs to be done that day or throw it all out the window to make your child happy.  This could happen in a multitude of ways, but for my lil princess it was all about a speedy little snail named Turbo.

Our day started off at a good pace, lots to do but enough time to do it. I needed to clean the bathroom, tidy my daughter's room, take a trip to sally's beauty to buy some things while they were still on sale, and clean up the hundreds of cottenballs lying all over my bedroom floor from the "snow balls" my daughter and her dad were tossing around the night before.

After my daughter got up, I got her some breakfast, straightened the living room and  thought it would be best to go to the beauty store first to order to get it out of the way (plus I LOVE the beauty store ^_^)

After taking my daughter potty in her princess potty chair and she had chosen her Princess gown of the day (she is either a princess or a ballerina everyday) we were off to sally's beauty supply!

Within 15 minutes we had gotten to sally's,  scooped up 3 boxes of hair dye, eyelashes, and foundation, paid and were on our way back to our car...and then it comes...

My daughter asks me "where are we going next mommy?" and I said "Home, baby" and then her little lip started to quiver and she says in the cutest 3 year old voice "But mommy... I wanna go to the movie theatres."

Now comes the dillema, Do I forgo all the housework to grant my child's request? I wrestle with the pros and cons as I strap my baby girl in her car seat and hop in the driver's side seat.

I then thought maybe I can reason with her!

Me: "baby don't you wanna wait until another day so daddy or nana can go with us?"
Daughter: "No mommy I just want you and me to go. We are best friends"


The dillema:

Leave the house a wreck and grant my daughters request.

OR

Tell my daughter no and finish the chores that need to be done at home.

So what did I do?
......

 I took my daughter to the movies. And here is why:


 My daughter  may only be 3, and she probably won't remember the time mommy dropped everything to take her to the movies, but it added joy to her life. She felt valued and loved, and I truly believe that even if children lose the memories themselves of childhood as they get older, that they never lose the feelings that those happy times gave to them. I think all things our children experience add to their personality and perception of the world. If I had told my daughter no, she may have forgotten about the whole thing the next day, but how would she have felt today?

So my room is still covered in a piles of cottenball snow, there are toys strewn around every room and dinner wasn't finished on time; but my daughter saw her speedy snail on the big screen. Her eyes glowed as she clapped and cheered; and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

 Proverbs 27:11 says "Boast not yourself of tomorrow for you don't know what the day may bring"

Getting Started ^_^

People often describe life  a journey, or a road. I like to think of as an adventure.  There are always new experiences and places to discover with the ones you Love. I have been truly blessed in my life. I am a 23 yr old mommy (to a beautiful 3 year old princess), a girlfriend , a student, entrepreneur, at-home cook, and this fall I will become a teacher to my daughter.

It is important to ENJOY your life. EVERY day of it. Not just special occasions but even ordinary things can be magical if you make them that way.

What is this blog about you might be wondering? Being a mom, being a  girlfriend, cooking, health, crafts, gardening--- A Little bit of everything. I have tried to make many blogs in the past and never could get rolling because I was always stuck in on one subject, whether it be a cooking blog or a gardening blog ect. But realistically life isn't about just one thing. Everyday all of us have to take on a variety of roles, we cook, we clean, take care of our children, maintain relationships, the lists go on and on. So why not blog about it all? I'm all about convenience so this is a one-stop-shop kind of a blog.

Have any thoughts about what I should write about or a subject I should research? Please let me know. I'm very interested in hearing what YOU think and do in your  lives. This is a new adventure and I want to take all of you with me. We can share ideas and experiences and learn and grow together :)

In short--I'm a young mommy with a blog, blogging about life.