The Truth Is:

The struggle is real! This season of life is crazy and chaotic, but it's a beautiful chaos and I wouldn't change a thing!

Our days are long, the mom guilt is strong, the house is a mess, the projects are all adding up and the to-do lists are never ending. The main goal at the end of the day is that everyone goes to bed happy, no matter how long the day was, how exhausted we all are, we survived and we did it together! 

Stop comparing to the moms who look like they have it all together, because chances are they do have it all together, but that's today, not everyday. You can't see behind the scenes. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, but like I mentioned above, as long as by the end of the day everyone can goto bed happy, then you have done it in my eyes. Look at your strengths and be proud, and looks at your weaknesses and reassess. There will always be room for improvement! Ask for help when you need it. I struggle with this one myself, but when I do have the help, it makes the worlds difference! 

I can remember wishing for these days, the long days, the fun days, the crazy days, heck even the bad days!! They are here and I am embracing them the very best I can! That's not to say that some days I don't get overwhelmed, because heck, I am no super mom!! My patience level is exhausted every.single.day on the constant, but I must say, even it is getting better, or I am just getting better at acknowledging when I need to step back or pick my battles. 

Toddlers are no joke! They are needy, emotional, loud, frustrating balls of love and energy. I'm pretty sure they are bipolar as well, because there is no way someone can actually go from being super happy to the angriest in less than a minute. But what I have learned is that being a toddler is hard work! They are literally figuring out how this world works! They are learning what is acceptable and what is not, what is considered good behaviour and bad and they are testing what they learn constantly! Throw in the variables of teething, tired, and sickness and they are like ticking time bombs!! Consistency is key! 

 

My days are constantly divided with who needs what first! Priorities become a constant equation. Both kids end up crying and I have to decide who needs me first! 

Babies don't keep! Especially second born babies! I used to think it with Noah, but with Emilya, the days are just flying by!! Luckily she gives one heck of a good snuggle hug, but otherwise she already planning her next move - literally!! Noah didn't move or crawl until like 8 months, but Emilya is already moving around the room with rolling or army crawling.

I will say that while dealing with Emilya's hearing issues and sitting in various waiting rooms with other children with issues, it just opened my eyes big time when I think about how lucky we really are. Even after getting blood work done on Emilya, I went home feeling soo defeated, babies shouldn't have to have blood work and in a perfect world, they shouldn't be able to get sick either. It was soo heartbreaking watching her get blood drawn and then walking back into a waiting room full of children with all sorts of visible and non-visible problems waiting for various procedures and blood work. 

Being a parent is hard!! I think there is even more pressure on today's society of parents as well, because with all this wrong in the world, you want tknow raise them right. You want to teach them about love, yet prepare them for how harsh the world has come! You want them to be kids, but yet cautious in such a crazy world. Soo much violence and hate and it is our job to see them through it, to choose to make them aware or pray they can't see the world for how it really is! When I was a kid the biggest problem was not taking candy from strangers, today our children deal with extreme bullying, bombs, shootings, and BAD people. That isn't to say these things didn't happen when I was younger, but they didn't happen like they do now. 

 

So that is the truth - parenting is no joke. In every single aspect, it will be the most rewarding job, but the most difficult job. The pressure is on to raise a child right, and albeit, maybe it's a pressure we put on ourselves, but with good reason! At the same time, give yourselves a pat on the pack for surviving each and every day, even the days where you coasted by on survival mode! 

 

Survival

Is it bad that I am literally counting down the days until the spring rush for the family buisness is over??? I feel like I'm literally hanging by one thread over here. My patience is getting shorter, my house is an unorganized mess, my toddler is... Well - being a toddler and my newborn is being a newborn! The days are long, soo very long for our family at this time.

I can't keep my schedule straight, to the fact that if its not on my calander, then I'm going to forget it. M keeps trying to have me make upcoming plans and make decisions, and they all bang around in my head like rocks at this point! 

I can't blame it on sleep deprivation, because that is one thing that is going really well, we are getting lots of sleep considering. But in all other departments in my life, I'm exhausted and you could say somewhat overwhelmed with the messes. When I get a minute to myself, I split it between down time (because that's the one thread everything's hanging on) and cleaning up the messes. 

Next week... Next week our life will become less stressful! Maybe not right away, because we have a lot of catching up to do, but the rush will be over! I will have my husband back and he might just find
his wife in all this chaos?? 

The good thing is the kids are healthy and happy and we are still making memories! The to-do list has been pushed aside for the last 2 months to ensure this. We got done what NEEDED to be done and not much more, because family time comes first around here. Clearly, the mess waits and the magic little cleaning fairies don't actually exist! 

Note to self for next spring: 

- Don't have a newborn during spring rush

- Don't let your basement flood during spring rush 

ALL AT THE SAME TIME. 

Yes, both things entirely out of our control and I know what your thinking, we could have planned the newborn situation better... But let's face it, when my body lets me get pregnant - a semi-surprise pregnancy at that... We take it and call it a miracle! 

So that is why things are falling behind on this blog of mine, but know that it is temporary and I have some really great reviews coming up, some fresh content, etc. So please continue to bear with me!!

Adjusting to Parenting 2 Children

Okay, so I admit, I honestly thought parenting one child was pretty easy... And maybe once I figure out this mom of two business I will say the same thing, but lately I honestly feel like everyone around me has thier shit together and I am over here with the following going down:

- my house is hit constantly with hurricane Noah. I have been working hard at getting him to pick up his toys before meals, but sometimes a few toys end up staying out all night. You bet it is those few toys that I end up tripping over when I get up to pump during the wee hours in the morning. I do blame the renovation and having more toys on the main floor than usual. I also pick my battles. 

- my kitchen... Oh my word. I am grateful for a husband who deals with the kitchen for the most part, because sometimes during my day, getting the dishes off the table from lunch, or cleaning up my mess from preparing just doesn't happen because I don't have enough hands balancing a newborn in one and preventing Noah from diving off his chair with the other. 

- dinner. We should just leave it at that. Hardest part of my day - hands down. Heck even when I have it prepared and just have to put it in the oven, I have miserablely failed because I forget to do it on time. Not only is it Noah's hard time, but now it is also Emilya's time to eat. 

- getting out of the house with two whether on my own or with M, usually results in someone crying. Emilya hates her car seat and Noah is just plain old slow or distracted. I end up frustrated, usually forget the keys or something else I will end up needing. Sometimes I feel like it's not worth all the hassle and arriving anywhere on time is a joke. Clearly I need to get more practice. 

- recovering from a c-section and following the restrictions - another joke. No lifting is the one I fail at most. I could likely get away with following the rule if I didn't have a toddler. But in order to make things happen at a reasonable pace and without exhausting my patience, lifting is required. I will say, it has left me feeling very insecure with leaving the house on my own with two though. I know I don't have the stamina to chase after a toddler in public with a newborn in tow. I know I just need to start doing it and it will come, along with my patience. But we have been practicing with walks and in the backyard and we just aren't there yet. Listening ears are the main issue lately. 

- potty training. Noah luckily has not regressed. We have had accidents, but not consistently. He is actually getting better at telling us in time and is even becoming more indenpendant in this department with helping pull down his pants and what not. But I have also started putting a towel down under his potty for the mess. Boys are messy and towels are easy to wash instead of constantly wiping up and disinfecting each time. Doing it once at the end of the day is fine. I'm hoping to get him going on the regular toilet soon, but the stool is an extra climbing hazard in our house... Unless you like seeing your toddler standing on the toilet seat balancing (not with the seat down either). 

- bedtime. I feel like we deserve an award when it actually happens on time, especially with M working so late with the spring rush. We work hard on avoiding the over tired melt downs, but they usually come. We are also trying to get Emilya on some sort of schedule and it's working. She's usually asleep by 9 pm, which should give M and I an hour to get stuff done around the house and then an hours time to ourselves if we are lucky, however more often than not, I'm heading to bed by 10 anyways. Even on the days both kids nap at the same time and I am able to nap too, I'm just tired. I often remind myself I am still recovering from my csection and I need to listen to my body over tackling the ever growing to do list, mostly filled with jobs that require lifting or vacuuming.

- renovation. This was just extra added chaos. M and I actually got a chance to talk last night while I snuggled a sleeping newborn before putting her down. We both admit we are struggling to get back on track, because we just have no time to get everything done. There is not enough time in the day. We want to get the basement put back together, but when? M is working his spring rush hours, by now include Saturday's, so that leaves Sunday to get the house cleaned and caught up and to tackle the to-do list all the while trying to fit in some fun activities with Noah and family time. I know it will get done in some sort of time and when it does our life will become a bit easier with just maintaining the house. Maybe that will be the goal this weekend. 

You bet I felt like an even bigger hot mess express when I had to take Noah to the hospital on my first week alone with two kids. It was not a boost to my mom confidence one bit. I did manage to keep it together and I know accidents happen, especially with a crazy climbing rough and gruff little boy.

And to think this mama hasn't even had a drink after some of the most stressful days, but in all honesty I'm just to tired! I keep saying it will get better when we get the house put back together post reno, but finding the time to even make that happen proves to be a challenge with M's crazy spring work schedule. 

So yes, it appears that I do not have my shit together. In order to shower, I am showering with my toddler before his bedtime to ensure I get one. 

But at the end of the day, I have two beautiful children and I couldn't be happier. I remember the days I used to pray for these "problems" - okay not the renovation part, but the parenting parts. I know this time with them is soo precious. This post is not to complain about all the above, but it is to remember this struggle and share with other new moms that not everyone has their shit together. We will all have good days and bad, easy or hard. 

Being a mom is one of my very best accomplishments I will ever do and I honestly couldn't be prouder. Our life in my eyes is perfect, even when it isn't. Even after the hardest days. It's beautiful chaos in all reality and the best kind to have. I am blessed beyond words and I couldn't be happier. 

21 Day Fix Progress

It's been a while since I have updated how we are doing with the 21 day fix!! We are still loving the program! Seriously Autumn is no joke with these intense work outs, but it keeps us coming back each day. This quote is pretty much my mindset these days:

Last time we checked in was after round one, Mike has lost 9 pounds and I had lost 6! Mike also lost 10.75 overall inches and I lost 5.25. Men lose weight soo much easier than women - so not fair haha! It's been approximately two months since the last update and we lost weight inbetween, however we did have some time off in between with vacation and what not. 

So where are we at now? Mike has lost 20 pounds now but has not measured himself recently and here are my stats: 

The weight is coming off slowly and steadily, which is the way it is supposed to. I have a total of 3 pounds to go to get to my initial goal which is my pre-pregnancy weight. My pants from pre-pregnancy are fitting well now which is always a nice surprise! 

I also finally bought a new pair of running shoes so I could stop doing the work outs bare foot! I went with my first pair of nikes. I'm usually an Adidas girl, but I love how light these shoes are! 

They are the Nike Lunar Hyper Workout Shoe XT. Love them so far!! 

We are still enjoying the work outs and we will be upping our weights soon! Infact today I am going to pick up a set of 15 pound weights I found someone selling used! 

We are also considering subscribing to the beach body on demand to change things up a bit, but we aren't quite there yet. It is getting harder to get our work outs in together lately with Mike's hours and we have been skipping the odd work out too but doing walking instead. I'm hoping to start doing mine outside soon now that the weather is nicer! 

The biggest thing for us is portion controlling, and water intake we find. We usually skip the yoga and Pilates, as we just really don't enjoy either one! I have never been a yoga fan, and I am far from flexible, but I am getting better with stretching. 

So we are approximately 3-4 months in and still going strong!! Seeing the results is the best reward and it makes it all worth it!! If you are thinking about getting started, I highly recommend this program!! 

[ Weekend Rewind ]

Soo nice to have positive temps still floating around these parts! The fact that the grass is starting to become visible excites me, but we have a long way to go!

Thursday I found out my sister was able to get us tickets to see Luke Bryan!!! Soo excited for this concert!!! 

Friday night we had our couples night and played some Cards Against Humanity - highly recommend that game haha - we enjoyed some yummy snacks and beer! It was a fun, and easy night!

Saturday morning after breakfast M took Noah for a crop tour to check on the jobsites while I headed into town to make some returns at Carter's (love their return policy) and picked up a new jacket for Noah, as well as few other goodies! 

He is actually starting to outgrow his socks, so I bought the next size up! I also got him a new summer hat since we apparently don't have one! I need to find him a ball cap! 

We actually timed it perfectly and were back at the same time! I was supposed to go to Winners to look for a spring coat for myself, but I just didn't feel like it! 

I finished watching The Judge (I had watched about half of it on our flight to St. Martin). It is an excellent movie!! Highly recommend it! 

The afternoon was spent playing and while Noah slept for an hour and half, I treated myself to the hot tub since my neck was still sore from the day before. I have a big knot in it preventing me from turning my head properly but it's too tender to touch, so heat it is! It felt much better after! 

I also did a little online shopping and ordered myself 2 new books by Robert M. Drake! His books consist mainly of quotes and thoughts, which I really enjoy! Here are a few quotes:

I can't wait for them to come in! I also can't wait for:

-the new baby gate to come in so we can stop tripping on chairs barricading the kitchen! 

-Noah also started chewing on his crib rail a bit, so I bought the crib rail protector. 

-Shutterfly sent me another free offer for a stationary pack! Yes please! 

-While we were in St. Martin they offered me a free 16x20 print! Perfect for the bathroom!! 

Needless to say next week will be a happy mail week! 

Saturday night was spent snuggling with this little cuddle bug:

We watched a boring movie called Stay with Taylor Schilling. I thought I would stick it out and watch it because I like Taylor Schilling but man it was slow and boring! Which reminds me, I bought the new InL3D Box for the TV, so watching movies and tv shows online is soo much easier now!! No laptops wires everywhere, etc. 

Sunday after breakfast we headed to Cambridge to go to Old Navy to pick up a coat I had on hold for Noah! Lesson learned - don't wait until last minute for these kind of things!! Luckily I ended up hitting an awesome sale and got 2 for the price of 1!! As well as a few extras and 

clearance for myself!! 

The red coat is actually going to get exchanged for the next size up, as it fits now, where as the blue one gives him more room to grow for spring! The red one will be great for fall!! 

I also got myself this shirt just in time to start up round 3 of the 21 day fix! I was pleasantly surprised to find myself an extra pound lighter since finishing round 2! 6 more pounds go to get to my pre-pregnancy weight! 

Excuse the make up free look haha! 

The afternoon was spent playing and putting away laundry! We are pretty much caught up now! Noah also spoiled us with having a 2 hour nap!! He had some stellar hair afterwards too: 

I was happy to see The Kardashians back on! Yup just admitted that dirty little secret on the blog haha. I'm not even sure why I enjoy that show, but I do!! 

That's pretty much our weekend wrapped up! Tomorrow Noah has his 12 month shots - only a month late! Soo not looking forward to him feeling crummy afterwards! Mikes parents also get home tomorrow night! 

Life After Beating Infertility

This week marks Infertility Awareness Week. One out of seven couples struggle with infertility in one way or another.

Today I am going to talk about infertility and how it has affected my life. My husband and I suffered with infertility for 4 long years. The problem being my diminishing ovarian reserve, as well as having a hydrosalpinx in my one tube. I ended up having surgery to block that tube, although my other tube wasn't great either. Treatment after treatment, month after month, I soon began to fear pregnancy tests for the simple fact of seeing that negative pop up. I stopped testing after the first year. We did IVF 3 times with no such luck. I would produce the minimum eggs, leading to very few embryos. But we always had hope that one would make it. 

It was hard to come up with various ways to excuse why we didn't have children, as we kept our struggle a secret, just as many people did. I didn't keep it a secret because I was ashamed, but more because I wasn't strong enough to talk about it, I can just now talk about all we have gone through without tearing up. Remembering the pain, the let downs, the questions, the lack of understanding as to why WE had to go through this. But as time went by I realized how strong this was making my husband and I's relationship. We were chosen for this life and this is just what we had to go through to bring us our miracle. God wasn't saying no, He was saying just wait! Hold on to hope, it was a major component for getting us through.

After our last failed IVF cycle, I was done, I couldn't bear the thought of another cycle, more bad news, it was all weighing me down. I started the new year off with a new goal to simply be the best me I could be. We went to a naturopath, did a yeast cleanse, we both dropped a lot of weight, we travelled and I was then finally able to consider another cycle. 

We tried clomid and ended up with a false positive. Clomid for me should have worked like a glass of water - causing nothing more to happen for me, ovulation was not my problem, but I just knew I had to try it. My fertility doctor decided to give me a 2nd month on the medication and sure enough we were pregnant! We couldn't believe it. It was officially the happiest, yet scariest time in our lives. I wanted nothing more but to enjoy my pregnancy and that is just what I did, despite the fear of anything going wrong, I enjoyed being pregnant to the fullest. 

My pregnancy started off super easy, with no morning sickness, I felt the best I had felt in years. At 25 weeks I ended up on blood pressure meds, 26 weeks I fractured my ankle, 32 weeks my blood pressure spiked again and 36 weeks it went up again and I ended up being induced and diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia. My labor/delivery was complicated with being put on magnesium sulphate to prevent seizures due to my blood pressure being soo high. I ended up with a c-section after 36 hours of labor. Our son was born blue, he had a heart rate, but wasn't breathing properly due to the medication they had given me. He spent the first 2 days in the NICU. Today he is a happy and healthy baby boy and we couldn't feel any happier or more blessed! 

I am here today to talk to you about life after infertility. A lot of people think that once you have a baby that infertility is done and over with. I am here to tell you that is not the case. Infertility is always with you. I wake up each day feeling soo blessed to be a mother to our little guy, but that pain we endured doesn't just disappear. I often find myself already wondering if I will be lucky enough to experience another pregnancy. I will never forget everything we went through to get to where we are today and if anything it has given me a new respect for my child, my life and my marriage. Infertility has made me stronger and I wouldn't be the person I am today having not experienced it! I have a whole new respect for a woman's body and conception, just knowing how lucky we were to get pregnant, having such odds against us!

You won't find me asking some one if they will have kids or when. I get it's the norm to get married, have kids, etc., but you don't know that persons story. You don't know if they are struggling and if they are, it is the worst question you can ask. Nothing drove me more insane. I know people weren't trying to be rude, I was just super sensitive about it. 

Another thing to never say to someone even just trying - just relax, it will happen. No it won't. Relaxing has nothing to do it. If you think there might be something wrong, get it checked out! Don't wait a year because that's what the doctor says to do! Trust your instincts!

One thing I will admit to is not knowing anything about infertility before the diagnosis slapped me in the face. You don't think it can happen to you or someone you know until it does! The best thing you can do before offering advice is to be aware of infertility. Your questions will change, your opinions will change, and most importantly your advice will change. Now a days it is becoming more and more of an issue for many couples. No one wants to talk about it and even today it is not an easy subject for myself.

Like I said infertility will always be with me, always a chapter in my life's story.

You can read more about my story HERE, HERE and HERE.

Thanksgiving Reminders

As another thanksgiving rolls around, I can't help to remember what a hard place I was in just 3 short years ago. Our very first IVF cycle was cancelled and I literally felt like my world had just shut down. God had said no, yet again. Despite this being the beginning of our journey really, as far as treatments went, it broke us down and made us realize that this journey was not going be quite as easy as we had set ourselves up to believe. We had figured that our first IVF would bring us the baby we always dreamed of. You have to put that in your in head, in order to just get through the cycle, or even prep yourself for the cycle, without that hope why else would you do it? You have to believe it's going to work. But when it doesn't, the let down sucks, your world is rocked in ways you never imagined.

For me, I didn't want to celebrate thanksgiving, I was mad, I was ungrateful, as bad as that seems to admit. It was too difficult to look at the things in my life that I am forever grateful for, like our families and friends, our pets, our house, our dreams that have come true, our jobs, our accomplishments, I could continue to list the things that matter in our lives. I made up an excuse as to why we weren't going to thanksgiving with our extended family, because we hadn't shared our struggles, and now was not the time to. I couldn't imagine having to talk about it, yet here I am admitting my faults, because I was wrong. My Mom and sister had tried convincing me to go, but I couldn't bear the thought at that point of pretending to be happy, little did I learn that soon this would be my only coping mechanism to get me through these hard times.

The following years around thanksgiving, and Christmas, and any other time another bump or no came up in our infertility journey it brings me back to remembering how easy it is to forget those important things in your life, even just the small things. The kisses goodnight with M, the quality time with my nieces or nephews, the puppy snuggles, family dinners and games, the walks with friends, those little moments in life that don't seem like much at the time, but looking back it was those exact moments that got me through.

Obviously this year is different for us, I'm teary eyed just writing about how grateful and thankful we are for where we are this weekend! This baby inside of me growing and kicking up a dance party is the answer to soo many prayers at this time of the year. The one thing I have prayed I could be thankful for! Thanksgiving for me this year is good, I'm just soaking in all those small things and I'm happier than ever. But with that being said, I will never forget the silent walls that scream your struggles non-stop at you when you are alone. I will never forget about those still struggling. I will never forget about my own struggles or how far I have come and I will never take this season for granted again.

Now is the time to put the struggles to the side, even just for a day and to truly be happy with what you DO have in your life. Your struggles, no matter what they are will still be part of yesterday and maybe tomorrow, but for one day just soak in the season of thanksgiving. 

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends and family! May this weekend be filled with family, friends, positivity, reflections, faith and hope. 

What I Am Loving

I figure its been a while since I have listed some of the things I am loving as of late!

This weekend we have a photo session booked with a new photographer that I have found in the area. I am purchasing a small package which will give us just a few pictures, which is all I need and just enough to try her out. I purchased a coral lace high-low dress and I am torn as to wear my brown boots with it or my strappy sandals. I'm leaning more towards the boots.

 

 

It is super hot out again today, yesterday was too. I'm not complaining, just getting myself ready for fall!

 

We are going shopping in the states this weekend as well - which means I will finally be buying my maternity clothes!! I'm actually excited to go maternity shopping!

 

I had an engagement photo session on Monday evening and I am soo happy with how the pictures are turning out!! Here are a few of my favs:

 

 

We have decided on a theme for the nursery we think... we have both agreed on doing teal, grey and white, and although I want to incorporate chevron in some way, shape and form, here is an idea:

 

 

M finally budged on a white crib, as he wanted a wood finish.

 

Last but not least I am loving this quote about Baby V!! It is soo true, I have a smile on my face constantly lately!

Book Review: Bittersweet

Okay so I finally took some time to finish the book I had mentioned here.

Bittersweet

by: Shauna Niequist

 

This book was amazing! It spoke a lot about God, which at first I wasn't sure about, but by the end of the booked I just wanted more! The book spoke to me on soo many different levels! I went through and highlighted the lines soo important to me and almost every page has yellow on it!
 

This book was a nice easy read, as it is her telling her story, the way it was, how it made her feel and how she handled it. It was encouraging, it was real and it was downright honest. It was relatable and just what I needed! It challanged me to change the way I look at something now!

 

 

I can remember reading this book in Jamaica poolside with tears pouring out of my eyes! Thank goodness for big sunglasses! And just as I finished the book I was crying again! It just stirred up soo many emotions that I guess I have been putting to the side!
 

If you are struggling with anything in your life, this book will speak to you, no matter what the struggle.
 

As far as my faith goes, I can be honest enough to say that I am struggling, but this book gave me a new look at things. It brought faith back into my life even though I wasn't willing to consider it at this time.
 

It put soo many things into perception for me! It put so many of my thoughts into reality for me!
 

I am now going to share some of the lines that meant the most to me:
 

"I know what it's like to long for a new year, I know what it is like to feel like everything's on hold and you don't recognize your own life even though it's right in front of you."
 

"The middle is the fog, the exhaustion, the loneliness, the daily battle against despair and the nagging fear that tomorrow will be just like today, only you'll be wearier and less able to defend yourself against it. The middle is the lonely place, when you can't find the words to say how empty you feel, when you try to connect but you feel like a thick glass is seperating you from the rest of the world, isolating and deadening everything."
 

"What kept me stuck, when I was stuck, were my own demands and expectations, my own collection of fear and anxiety."
 

"I stop dreaming sometimes, because I am afraid of what it would take to change my life. I stop dreaming because I'm afraid of the chaos that a dream might bring, afraid of what a new dream will require of me. I practice being fine, and I tell myself that things are alright, just as they are."

 

 

"It's human to struggle. It's human to nurse a broken heart, to wonder if the pain will ever let up, to howl through your tears every once in a while."

 

 

"I don't have any idea why some bodies are strong and able and others seem to fail at every turn."

 

 

"I thought that what we really wanted are easy lives, and if we can't have those, then we can at least become deep, grounded people who grow through heartbreak."

 

 

"We become less fearful, more able, more comfortable with the idea of life as a beautiful mess."

 

 

This is a must read as far as I am concerned, even if you are not religious. You won't regret it! To be honest I would read it all over again just to get the messages that lie within it!

Choose To Be Happy

I think at some point in all of our lives we have situations that come up that aren't exactly what we planned. It can be job related, marriage related, health related, family related, friendship related, you name it - they all happen at one point or another! You do what YOU can do to try to make it better, but let's face it, it's out of your control.

Sometimes it is just easier to allow a bad circumstance to control us. Let it eat us inside, worry like crazy about it, lash out at those we love, you get it. In the long run, by allowing these things to bring us down, it is controlling us, our feelings, our thoughts and our actions, whether we realize it or not.

 

I'm not an expert by any means on what one should do when these issues arise, but I can tell you what works for me. Do I worry, heck yes, how do you not? But does it change anything for the better? No, most often for the worse, because who worries about the best case scenarios? It just beats you up more, however, I am not about to say that I don't worry. I do what I can do to make the situation better, I prefer to suffer in silence for the most part, because I for some reason think it is easier. I talk to those closest to me because I trust them, their discretion and their opinions. It works for me.

At the end of the day and for the most part the beginning of my day, I choose to be happy, I choose to get out bed everyday, I choose to count my blessings and not let whatever is trying to bring me down work.

Life is going to continue to be full of hurdles through every stage of our life, we can choose to jump over them and learn from them, or allow them to hold us back and beat us down. I'm not one to give up, as easy as it seems some days, I am just not willing to. Choose to keep fighting, choose to keep HOPE and choose to be HAPPY no matter what.

 

 

All quotes can be found here