Self-Imposed Time Out

After this giveaway, I will be taking about a week off from blogging, the internet, and my computer in general. I know I've been in and out, and I guess it's because I am kind of ambivalent about the blogging world right now. I want to write, I want to share, but the games get so exhausting and overwhelming that it stops being fun. The frustrating part is that I have SO MUCH to write about and I am too busy to do it! I need to be able to clear my plate a little before I can take the time to do any quality writing. (Which sucks, because I am so excited to have new readers!) I keep saying, "One day, this will be running like a legitimate blog. One day..." But I can't keep up!

I also live with anxiety and depression and my symptoms have been worse since our big move. I feel the constant pressure to be a good mom and wife and I feel like I can't do everything I need to do, which makes me feel inadequate and worthless (as long as we're being honest...) So, what happens instead is I pretend my daily responsibilities don't exist and drown myself in stupid tasks (like playing Candy Crush or watching Season 2 of The Walking Dead for the fourth time.) Of course, that's counter-productive and makes everything worse. The dishes and laundry won't do themselves, and obviously my daughter needs me. I need to dig back in my memory to my early therapy sessions and do what I know will HELP:

1. Make lists. My "wiring" makes it difficult for me to prioritize, so in my head, getting the mail is just as important as showering and checking Facebook is right up there with showering. The only way for me to fix this is to physically write out a list and put things in order of importance from 1 to whatever. This forces me to see what needs to be done FIRST and what can wait. If I don't do this, I get overwhelmed by EVERYTHING that needs to be done and end up doing nothing.

2. Work out. It's tough to get motivated when you are dealing with even a small bout of depression, but medical studies have shown that exercise is proven to help with depression and anxiety. There are both physiological (releasing endorphins, lowering blood pressure) and psychological (gaining confidence, feeling healthier) benefits of exercise.

3. Eat cleaner and healthier foods. I haven't even looked at a Paleo recipe in MONTHS. When I start getting depressed, I tend to eat foods that appease my need for instant gratification. For me, that's anything sweet. A box of cherry cordials from Valentine's Day, cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, etc. And because of my addiction to sugar, it just snowballs out of control from there. To the point where I NEED to eat at least one sugary food a day or I get a miserable headache.
 
4. Drink more water. In addition to cleaning up my eating habits, I need to drink more water. This will help me feel full when I am only craving sweets and not actually hungry as well as fighting off fatigue and those nasty headaches.

5. Meditate and play with my baby. Instead of turning to TV and games, I need to work on my breathing (which will help keep my anxiety in check) and PLAY. Nothing in the world makes me happier than hearing my little girl laugh. Getting on the floor and making silly faces, or making a fool out of myself by singing and dancing for her, is truly the best therapy for me right now. So instead of wasting my days on time suckers, I will live in the REAL world for a while. The internet can wait.

Here is what I am working on right now:
Reviewing products for Mami's and Papi's (my awesome local cloth diaper store/baby boutique.)
Becoming certified as an Elite Personal Trainer with ISSA.
Custom orders for my Etsy store.
Organizing and keeping my home.
Watching my baby girl grow up.

So, there is the top of my "Priorities" list. I love to write, but the blog will have to wait until I have a few things figured out. Thank you for understanding! <3

Handmade from the Heart *GIVEAWAY*

Happy Valentine's Day!

To celebrate Valentine's Day, I've joined the Blogging Mamas Network in the Handmade from the Heart Giveaway Hop!  This Event is all about the Love for Handmade things - each blogger involved, including me, has a great prize for you to enter to win!  

My sponsor, Unique and Chic Creations, is offering a tutu wreath like the one below to one lucky winner!

After you enter my giveaway, be sure to hop around to all the others.

And you definitely don't want to miss the Grand Prize...

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fine print: Open to US only. Winner chooses any two colors and letter initial they'd like. According to Jenny, So Easy Being Green, and the Handmade from the Heart participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations. Anyone found to have fraudulently claimed an entry will be reported. 

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Unique and Chic Creations

Megan Hamer (KraftinMommy on Etsy) is a former elementary school teacher who now stays home with her baby girl and managed to turn her dream hobby into a business. Full disclosure: She's the sister of an old friend and she specializes in LOVELY custom decor for kids' rooms and events. I super-heart (go ahead and cringe, people, but I mean it!) her work and she has agreed to sponsor me for the Handmade from the Heart giveaway event which begins on TOMORROW!

Her shop features an array of adorable and attentively handcrafted gifts for the littles in your life. She makes name plaques and personalized letters to hang in a nursery or child's room, unique diaper bikes (as opposed to diaper cakes), and ribbon wreaths and banners for any celebration-worthy occasion!

Megan has offered a small tutu wreath, similar to the one above, to the lucky winner of our Handmade from the Heart giveaway!

Quite literally, a rainbow of colors to choose from. You can match ANY decor!

Something about theses wreaths just makes me so happy! I personally plan to order one in orange and blue so I can represent my Florida Gators out here in Texas. ;)

In addition to shopping her Etsy store, check out her blog and follow Unique and Chic Creations on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with sales and giveaways she has going on!

It has been 9 short, incredible months.

Oh, Little Monkey...

I'm typing this in bed from my iPad and you are sleeping right next to me. Funny how I was scared for so long about letting you share my bed and now I can't imagine putting you anywhere else. You are spending more and more time in your own crib, it is attached (sidecar) to ours, which is great because it means more room for everybody!

I know I can never describe you as calm, laid-back, or quiet. You are loud and crazy (just like your mommy!) and such an awesome person. I wouldn't trade a single thing about you. Not even the number of times you (still) wake me up at night, because I know not to long from now, I am going to miss our o'-dark-thirty nursing sessions. You still cry most of the time if I leave your sight for even a second, but I think you're falling in love with your daddy because as soon as he comes home, you smile and squeal and crawl toward him at an impressive speed and suddenly I don't exist. It's fine, I don't blame you. He's a handsome fella. ;)

You are growing so fast, I have to remind myself that soon these moments will all be memories. They aren't ALL fun, sweet memories. For instance, I would love to make a sandwich with two hands again or shower with the curtain closed. But I know I have to take advantage of you wanting to spend so much time with me before it becomes "uncool" or whatever you kids will call it 10 years from now.

You have been doing the most awesome things lately! In the past couple weeks, you've gone from pulling yourself up onto your feet, to standing by yourself, to taking legitimate BABY STEPS! I can't believe the girl who wouldn't roll over until three months ago is going to be walking soon. That's crazy! You also keep stealing my food. You have officially shown disinterest in purées and you made your point very clearly when you ate half of my banana yesterday and then stole my apple from my lunch this afternoon toting it around the living room and gnawing on it like a little squirrel. I get it, you're a big girl. Time for big girl food. *sniffle*

Nakie baby chewing on my apple.

Every day I think, "There is no possible way I could love her any more than I do right now." But then the next day, I do.

A million hugs and kisses,
Mama

REVIEW: Sew Silly Designs

I know I said I was moving away from cloth diaper-related posts, but I saw Kammie, the mama behind Sew Silly Designs at a local community fair and I caught myself drooling over her diapers. I am such a sucker for cute prints, and I kept going back to stalk her table even though I didn't have any money. I contacted her a few weeks ago about possibly reviewing a diaper of hers and she sent me one! *yay*

The first thing I noticed was how lush and soft the inside of the diaper was. And the insert is made with the same cotton velour material as well. [I hate when a cover or AI2 is minky inside and then it gets covered by a less luxurious diaper or insert, so this made me happy!] According to the Sew Silly Designs Etsy store, "The insert is made with 2 layers of matching CV and 6 layers of absorbent, all natural fiber, pre-washed bamboo fleece."

Another thing I love is that this particular diaper is an AI2 with a cotton outer layer and a hidden layer of PUL, which means it looks like an adorable fitted, but doesn't need a cover!

This is a one-size diaper, which means it has three different rise snap settings, and they run a bit larger than typical OS diapers, so they should fit babies from 10lbs. through potty training. You can even use the shell as undies while potty training!

At first I had issues with gaping at the legs, but I am certain it was user error, because the next time I put it OTB, it didn't seem quite as bad. If the insert seems a little thick, you can always switch it out for a trimmer one in your stash. (I used a BabyKicks hemp insert the second time just for comparison's sake and it worked just fine.) The only change I would make to this diaper is adding an extra row of waist/hip snaps to reduce "wing droop." It's purely aesthetic, as it doesn't affect the function of the diaper at all. Lucky for you, if you want a double row of snaps, you can request one for $1.50 extra.

All in all, I LOVE this diaper. I honestly do. It fits my chunkster around the thighs, which is a feat! The print is one of MANY adorable prints she has available. It also fits around the waist with room to grow. If you have a small or thin, lanky baby, the waist snaps cross over for a tighter fit.

Where can you get a Sew Silly Designs cloth diaper?
You can find OS AI2s, newborn AI2s, and OS fitteds in the Sew Silly Designs store on Etsy. She also does custom orders!

If you want to see what prints she has in stock, LIKE the Sew Silly Designs Facebook page! Stalk away, I know I do!