2012 July | A Day in Mollywood

Drive-By Blogging

July 30, 2012 By Molly

It’s time for another brain dump on this hot Monday!

1. Brigham is showing readiness signs for potty-training. At first I thought NO WAY, it’s too early. But then I remembered we started potty-training Landon at 27 months. Brigham will be 27 months on the 2nd of August! So I guess it’s not as crazy as I thought. We have been reading Karen Katz potty book every night. Afterward Brigham will ask to sit on the potty. Then he smiles and laughs and makes fart sounds with his mouth. It’s awesome. But no pee or poop in the potty yet.

2. I’m starting to have second thoughts about the dental assisting career change. I had an interview at an endodontic office and got called back in for a second interview. I was pushed into assisting on a root canal and I had no idea what I was doing. It was very overwhelming. All the instruments and such. I left feeling like I could never do something like that. I’m wondering if I should just try to find a job in the same field I’ve been in for years. It would be more money and at least I would have some confidence because I know what I’m doing. My poor brain. It goes back and forth every single day and the indecision is exhausting.

3. Landon turns four in just nine days. NINE DAYS! How did this happen you guys? As for plans we are not having a big party and once again, I am so happy we aren’t. We are going to the brand new SeaLife aquarium in Kansas City and then having dinner with family at Chuck E. Cheese’s. This is at Landon’s request. He says he wants to play skeeball, lol. I can’t believe I will have a four-year-old soon. Oh, how time flies.

4. I am so tired of our brown/beige/tan walls. I am ready to make some changes around our house. Add some color and get some new decor items. But the budget won’t allow for any of that right now. Huge bummer.

5. I had lunch with a friend that I met through my blog. I blogged about a church service one day and she emailed me wondering if we went to the same church. We do! How funny is that? So we finally met up for lunch and it was so nice to just sit and be myself with someone. Blogging is strange because it makes you feel like you know someone already without ever having met them in person. Thanks for a fun lunch, Rachel!

6. I’ve started going to the gym again. All of my clothes are too tight and I really want them to fit. I also know how good I feel after I walk/run for a little while and I’ve got to get that back. It is so important to my well-being and I don’t know why I can’t seem to make exercise a priority. We have a membership to a nice gym and it’s time I start using it at least two times a week. I would like to go three times a week but man, it’s hard to get there some days. How in the world do I stay motivated to keep going when there is netflix and popcorn?

Filed Under: Blogging, Brigham, Friends, Landon 4 Comments

Speaking out against bullying

July 25, 2012 By Molly

This post is sponsored by Chase – a strong supporter of the Bully Project, a program committed to ending bullying and ultimately transforming society. Learn more here: www.jpmorganchase.com

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“Mommy, why is that kid mean to me?” Landon asked looking up at me with confused eyes.

“I don’t know, baby,” I say unable to explain the other child’s behavior.

It’s hard to believe that at the young age of four Landon is already coming up against what I would consider to be bullies. There are a couple kids in his class that name call, push and shove and taunt other children.

It also happens sometimes when we’re on the playground. A bigger kid will shove Landon or call him a name. Landon always backs off. Sometimes he runs to me and buries his head in my lap, completely defeated.

That’s when mama bear comes out. It may not be what I’m supposed to do but if it’s an older child and the parents are nowhere to be found, I will tell them not to do it again. The kids are usually shocked that I would say something. But if there is one thing I am as a parent – it is AWARE.

I believe it’s the parents duty to be aware of their child’s surroundings. We can’t do anything about bullying if we’re not looking.

After someone says or does something mean to Landon I have a heart to heart with him.

I get down on his level, “You know you can stick up for yourself, Landon, right? If someone pushes or hits you, you hold your head high and tell them not to do it again.” He usually nods his head in agreement and rushes off to play with newfound confidence.

I don’t want him to be afraid. But I also want him to know that he can tell me anything. I want to let him know that when someone does something mean to him, at the playground or at school, he should always tell me. We can’t do anything as parents if we don’t know what’s going on. It may just be an innocent incident. But as kids grow older, bullying can have more serious consequences.

And yes, I will probably be that annoying parent who is always reaching out to my sons’ teachers. I will stay on top of how they are doing in school. I will even ask the tough questions. Do they get along with other kids? Is there anything bad happening that I should know about? I will even talk to other parents about their school situation. I think parents sticking together is what can make a big difference in how our kids interact.

Again, I think that’s how we can ultimately combat bullying. By staying on top of what’s going on in our children’s lives. By speaking out when we see or hear something that just isn’t quite right. We have to follow our guts when it comes to bullying and stand up for our children.

After all, we all want the same thing for our children. We want them to be happy and get along. I think we can accomplish that.

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Have you encountered bullying? If so, what did you do think/do about it?

Filed Under: he's growing up, Landon 5 Comments

BlogHer – One Year Later

July 23, 2012 By Molly

This time last year I was really struggling. My depression and anger were raging. My medicines weren’t right. My anxiety was through the roof. And in a couple weeks I was supposed to fly across the country to the largest blogging conference in the world where I essentially knew no one.

Due to all the personal issues I ended up having a lot of trouble coping while there.

Now a year later, as I watch blogs and twitter and facebook and instagram blow up with anticipation of BlogHer 12, I’m left feeling incredibly sad. I didn’t think not attending would matter that much to me. Turns out it does. A lot.

A year later I’m doing much better. There were long agonizing months to get me where I am mentally. Taking medicines that made me physically ill and emotionally worse. But my medicines and regular doctors appointments have finally stabilized me. I can say with certainty that I am no longer suicidal as I was while at the conference.

I probably would have had a good shot at having fun at the conference this year. There are still so many people I would have liked to see and hug again. There are new online friends that I would have loved to meet too.

I would have liked the chance to say, ”Hi. This is the real Molly. I’m actually a lot of fun if you get to know me.”

But there are no business cards to hand out this year. There are no shopping sprees to buy sparkly things to wear. There are no, Oh my God I can’t wait to meet you in person conversations on twitter.

Don’t get me wrong. I am so happy for every single blogger that has the chance to go this year. The BlogHer conference is an amazing experience. If that’s you, I hope you have the time of your life.

I just wish I could have the time of my life with you.

But just because I’m not going doesn’t mean I can’t hand out my own little piece of advice . . .

Blogging is so important to me. I don’t have the words to say what having this space has meant to me over the past five years. I don’t care how sponsorless and small I am. This means something to me. This small community that I (and you) have created speaks to my heart. Every time someone engages with me through a comment, short or long, I am ever so grateful. Whether it’s on a “look at what I did last week” post or something much more dark and deep. My readers have been through it all with me.

When I came back from the conference last year I made the difficult decision to be open and honest about what happened to me. I bit my lip and hit publish. I was utterly shocked at the outpouring of love and support. Shocked at the amount of people who reached out. Who gave me a little minute of their time to tell me that it’s okay that the conference didn’t go as planned. That there would be a “next time.”

They gave me hope that I would get better. They gave me hope that I could still trust that this blog does good things. For me. For other people.

A while ago I received a handwritten note from a woman who reads my blog. I read it with tears in my eyes. I was so thankful that someone could relate. I helped them see that being real, being imperfect, being vunerable, is okay.

It’s okay to be real, imperfect and vunerable at the conference too.

That’s what I hope everyone gets out of BlogHer 12. I hope you come together as a community. I hope, above all else, that you are YOU and that everyone is accepting of differences. I hope you hug and squeal for a little bit when you meet someone you’ve adored online. And then I hope you take the time to give yourselves a pat on the back. To understand the importance of your daily words.

Because hey. We’re all really doing something important here. No matter what kind of blog we have.

This blogging thing. This platform of millions of blogs all rolled up into one big powerful community.

I’m so proud to be a part of it.

Don’t ever let someone make you feel like what you’re doing is small potatoes. You’re a BIG DEAL.

From the bottom of my heart, friends, have fun at the conference.

Have fun blogging no matter who or where you are.

Filed Under: Blogging, Depression, Friends 12 Comments

Oreck Air Purifier Giveaway

July 19, 2012 By Molly

You may think it’s just another Thursday on the old blog. But it’s not. Why not? Because I’ve got an Oreck AirInstinct 200 air purifier to give away to one lucky reader!

I was so excited when Oreck contacted me and wanted us to try their newest air purifier. The first time I really started to think about what was in the air was when we moved.

We had so much trouble with Brigham during his first year. Wheezing, coughing, sneezing. We had no idea what was wrong but one doctor even suggested reactive airway disease!

But the strangest thing happened when we moved from our old home to our new home. He no longer wheezed, coughed or sneezed at all and began sleeping through the night for the first time ever. Now we know that there must have been something in the air at our old house.

So I have been really in tune with keeping the air inside our new house as non-toxic as possible. The Oreck AirInstinct 200 helps me feel like I’m doing that.

My favorite thing about it, besides the fact that it is so white and pretty, is the turn it on and walk away™ technology. It has a “monitoring” mode, which takes the guess work out of the settings. It continually checks the air and adjusts the speed accordingly. Um, hello. Busy moms rejoice at not having to do anymore work!

Even if I think the air smells great we really have no way of knowing what is floating around. The AirInstinct keeps me at ease knowing that my kids are breathing clean air.

An air purifier may not seem like a necessity but if you have kids I think it’s a great thing to have in your home. And if you enter my giveaway you have a chance to win an Oreck AirInstinct 200 worth $499.99!

You can just smell the fresh air already, can’t you?

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Oreck.com and tell us one thing you learned about the AirInstinct

Additional Entries:

Follow @oreck on Twitter
Like Oreck on Facebook
Tweet about the giveaway, mentioning you and @oreck with a link to your post

Please use a separate comment for each entry.

The giveaway winner must be a resident of the U.S. 48 contiguous states. I received the product to review for free from Oreck. Oreck Corporation provided the prize for the sweepstakes but is not the sponsor of the sweepstakes.

Filed Under: Giveaway, Reviews 58 Comments

Wordless Wednesday: Sprinkler

July 18, 2012 By Molly

Filed Under: Landon, wordless wednesday 7 Comments

Boy Mom BlogHop

July 17, 2012 By Molly

It’s time for the MOB Society’s Second Annual Boy Mom BlogHop! I participated last year and thought I’d do it again this year as it’s a great way to find other moms of boys in the blogosphere. If you’re here for the first time, welcome! I’m glad you stopped by!

These are my two little rascals. Landon is almost four and Brigham is two. They bring me more joy than I could have ever imagined. When I was a little girl I always said I wanted boys because I had three sisters, and well, that’s a lot of estrogen in one household.

Looks like I got my wish with my sons. I feel so blessed to have been given the job of raising two sons. I want to raise them up to be Godly men. We started going to church for the first time last fall. I wanted to give them a good foundation in Christianity. Landon goes to a pre-Sunday school and learns a little bit about God and Jesus. It’s amazing how he uses what little information he learns. One time it rained and Landon said, “God makes it rain so the flowers and grass and trees can grow.”

Brigham turned two in May and is exhibiting all normal behavior for a two-year-old. Running around like a chicken with his head cut off. I have trouble wrangling him as he has perfected his “get away” moves. His temper has reared it’s head the last two months. He wants it his way or he gets pretty upset. He is loud and silly and a bundle of energy. He likes to drive his brother crazy by taking toys away from him.

Landon is so smart. His thirst for knowledge astounds me. He asks so many questions a day and is always wondering why things are the way they are. He can count in Spanish and is beginning to sound out words in books. This is a recent development. He will grab a book and say he wants to read it himself. I realize that learning to read can’t be too far off. Each stage presents new highlights and challenges in my motherhood journey.

Even as my boys get older they still love cuddles from their mama. I get lots of kisses and hugs and “I love you-s” every day.

It is the light of my life that I get to see them grow and learn and seek right in front of my eyes.

Are you a mom of boys? Go link up! The MOB Society is a great community.

Filed Under: Blogging, Double Trouble, Mommy Moments 4 Comments

Lately

July 16, 2012 By Molly

Do you guys like these type of posts? Just some happenings in our little world? I’d like to get back to doing more of that. Documenting the fun we’re having by just living life. It’s nothing earth shattering but I promised I would post more photos this year. Instagram makes it so easy to snap, snap, snap away. All of these photos were taken on my iphone.

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Landon really wanted beach buckets and shovels but we have no real beaches in Missouri. I bought them anyway and we went to a sand volleyball court at the park instead. The boys thought it was pretty cool.

We went to the zoo last week with my sister Kelli, nephew Harrison and niece Charlotte. Aside from it being in the nineties it was really fun. We saw the bird show, which let us see endangered parrots, owls and a vulture up close. The blue picture is actually of the polar bear exhibit. She is still fairly new to the Kansas City Zoo and is the main attraction! We like watching her do flips in the water.

Just some random happenings around the house. Brigham skipped his nap after the zoo. Um, not acceptable Brigs! Landon watched daddy change the oil. He was very interested. We recently signed up for ABCmouse.com after hearing the commercial a bazillion times. It is an educational computer program with games, songs, math, reading, etc. It’s fair to say that Landon is obsessed with it now. He woke up wanting to play it. I don’t mind it so much since it does teach him important things. It’s fun for me to watch him learn and help him along. He is really good at using the mouse and can quickly find letters on the keyboard. He’ll probably be typing faster than me by age 5!

Brothers sharing icy pops. All three boys got new tennis shoes last week. Can you say expensive? I went on a lunch date with sisters while my sister Jennifer was in town. The boys like to do anything with our sectional other than sit down. There they are climbing on the back of the couch. I don’t always let them. But on this day I just gave in and let them have some fun.

Naaman’s brother Nathan and his family are in town for a visit. They are currently in transition with the Navy and will be moving to Germany next week for three years! We went to Naaman’s hometown for a family get together and it was a lot of fun. We made homemade ice cream, the kids splashed in the kiddie pool, we fed the neighbor’s horses carrots. Levi is their six-year-old son and Landon just loves him. They usually get along really well. They rarely get to see each other but when they do I hear a lot of little boy giggles and I love it. We will miss them while they’re so far away but wish them luck on their next big adventure across the ocean!

And that’s what’s up lately. Have a wonderful Monday, everyone.

Filed Under: Brigham, Family, Landon 6 Comments

It’s not over yet

July 13, 2012 By Molly

I almost published a post last week that was just . . . horrible.

It was basically me telling myself what a loser I am for losing my job and saying that I wasn’t good enough for God to love, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, I was having a really bad day.

I actually had it scheduled to publish and then at the last minute I remembered this post.

POSITIVE

It was supposed to be the one word I concentrated on for 2012. Where did all that confidence in myself go? Where has all my hope gone?

So I lost a job. So what! It’s happened before and I’ve come out the other side okay. I always have.

God is trustworthy. He will never fail me. And no matter how much I think he can’t possibly love a person as broken as I am . . . He does love me. Immeasurably.

I’ve got some big decisions to make. So much so that my head hurts from all the stress. But no matter what I choose, whether it’s right or wrong, life will go on.

So I’m not going to publish that post where I was being totally shitty to myself.

I’m tired of negative-talking myself into a severe depression.

I’m going to try to remain positive instead. Checkity-check myself before I wreck myself.

2012 can still be a great year. It’s not over yet.

Filed Under: Depression 18 Comments

A little bit country

July 11, 2012 By Molly

Eating at restaurants with the boys has become challenging. Their attention span lasts about 15 minutes. Then starts the whining and food-tossing and wiggling around in their seats. We are forced to pound our food into our mouths at rapid speeds ensuring heartburn for later.

We do anything and everything to keep them entertained. Books, toys, games, coloring. Again, this doesn’t keep their interest for long. But they can certainly surprise you when you least expect it.

My mom and I were with the boys in Jimmy John’s the other day. We were hoping for a tantrum-free lunch. A country song came on and suddenly both boys hopped up and started dancing! No one was in the restaurant so instead of making them sit down we laughed about it. It was hilarious.

Maybe from now on we’ll have to go to restaurants that play country music!

Filed Under: Adventures in Parenting, Double Trouble, Videos 7 Comments

Good Tired

July 10, 2012 By Molly

I notice my legs and arms are tan. This never used to happen when I worked. I was always inside. Typing and analyzing the day away. Only to emerge nine hours later. Tired, whittled down . . . white.

I gave my kids what was left of me. Smiled for them even though I wished to be between cool sheets. Minutes away from sleep.

Now I’m not working. And I’m still tired. But it’s a good tired.

I knew the exhaustion would still be there. Stay at home moms have the hardest job in the world. But at least now I go to sleep thinking of my happy family. Instead of wondering what I’ll have to force myself to do the next day.

It was a lazy morning. A jammies until noon and cereal for lunch kinda day. I let the boys do things they’re not supposed to do. Like climb on the back of the couch and play basketball with the ball hurdling toward our fancy dining room table.

I wonder what it would be like to have the freedom to always be a stay at home mom. I know it’s not possible for us. At least not right now.

We were getting so close to having our credit cards paid off before I lost my job. Now our plan had to abruptly stop.

We’ll start it up again soon. Pick up where we left off. Finish what we started, damn it.

We will.

Our boys will be better for it.

Will I be better for this break in being a working mom? Will I learn to appreciate the time I do have with my family before it’s time to go back?

I sure hope so.

It’s nap time and it’s quiet and I’ve got a lot of straightening up to do before the boys wake. Soon it will be noisy again.

Soon I will be tired again.

Good tired.

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