Category: Inspiration

grace, Inspiration, Life is beautiful, mommy blog

Deep Thoughts

benandavasmom

Before you doubt yourself, here’s some stuff to think about, remember, & do:

1) At the end of the day, you’re the one who’s gotta live with yourself. You’re the one who’s ultimately going to pull it all together…even if you’re not alone, it comes down to you. Make yourself proud first. Take care of you. Heal you.

2) Sometimes you’ll screw up. Sometimes you’ll act out. Sometimes you’ll be wrong. Sometimes nobody will understand. We’re conditioned to mold what we hear to best suit the story we’ve already formed, breaking out of that takes more talent and zen than I’ve ever had. Don’t let that stop you. Anything you feel is valid. Feelings are perception. No one can tell you what you feel or do not feel. And making a feeling go away without processing it is really, really hard and often dangerous.

3) Love people. Even when they’re unlovable. Especially when they’re unlovable. But don’t expect anything in return. Just do it. Spread well wishes. Smile. Validate. It actually takes very little effort but it’s good for your soul.

4) Listen. Listen to yourself. Listen to others. The only way to have a clear perspective of this world is to see things beyond your own self..while still respecting yourself..it ain’t easy. But try it anyway.

5) Know what you want. And don’t stop till it’s yours.

Happy Friday! Go kick some butt.

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fever, grace, Inspiration, Kids, Life is beautiful, mommy blog, strep

Mommy is the most effective fever reducer ever

benandavasmom

Ben and I both woke up and 2:30 this morning. He was achy and burning up. Fever of 104.7!!! His throat hurts. It’s gotta be strep again.

Soooo…we’re headed to the doc in a bit to get antibiotics. Meanwhile I loaded him down with ibuprofen and packed him in ice for a bit…but his fever didn’t break at all till he was able to curl up ON me.

This kid is just about 5’1″ & over 80 lbs, so…I guess thankfully I’m strong. 🙂 He’s my first born so he’ll be my baby forever…& if when he’s 6’3″ he wants to snuggle in my lap, that’ll be fine too.

Right now we’re holding at 100.9, which is a huge improvement. I’m supposed to work today. I’ve got a blood drive scheduled. I’m gonna try to run It remotely. I have fleeting moments where I wish there was someone to call to help me, but there’s not, so I won’t wallow, I’ll just take life as it come as take care of my babies. As long as I’ve got them I i know I’m never alone in this world.

grace, Inspiration, Kids, Life is beautiful, mommy blog

Some Days I Mom So Hard…

benandavasmom

Today was Ava’s school Mardi Gras parade. It was also a day of Ben’s pre-LEAP testing. And I had to work. But I got off to watch the parade, intent on going back.

As I arrived at school, my cell phone rang and it was the school. Ben had a headache. I checked him out and we watched the parade. Then we needed to pick up his prescription for his adhd meds from the doctor. Then he came to work with me for a bit.

We dropped off his prescription at the pharmacy and picked up Ava, only to learn that there’s an outbreak of head lice in her grade. 😳

So I spent my evening screening & preemptively treating my kids (& myself) for head lice. So far so good, we’re clear, but we’re laying on the tea tree oil and stuff. I convinced Ava that it was spa day and we deep cleansed & then deep conditioned. To be fair, we pretty much smell like we walked out of Aveda. I wonder what the difference between lice preventer and fancy shampoo really is…🤔

Then, after throwing dinner together, I finally plopped on the couch for a minute, next to Ben and before I knew it, he was sleeping soundly.

As I picked him up to take him to bed, he patted me and said, “you’re the best mommy. I love you.” ❤️

There were so many times today when I was overwhelmed but I didn’t quit. And the reason I didn’t quit is because of Ben & Ava. I’m benandavasmom. And they will need me forever. Almost as much as I need them.

flip flops, grace, Inspiration, Life is beautiful, mommy blog, Uncategorized

Broken flip flops

benandavasmom

I wrote this the other day and shared it on my Fb but I think it’s worth sharing here.

My day has been a bit ridiculous so far. My phone is acting stupid so I’m limping along on my work cell. I thought I lost my debit card last night. Normally losing my debit card wouldn’t be a huge deal bc up until recently I had debit cards for two different accounts and would just juggle my funds electronically, whatever, but a scumbag compromised my other debit card a while back so I recently canceled it. So yeah…I was feeling pretty beaten up and angry and frustrated this morning.

Then one of my favorite flip flops just up & broke while I was trying to locate my debit card. Thankfully I DID find my debit card tho so yay!!

And it looks like my phone is under warranty so now I’m just mourning my flip flops. This is silly but significant because I don’t like shoes in general. But these were different and I wore them every time I could get away with not covering my toes. They had rhinestones and a little bit of platform. They were perfect.

All of this has bigger significance too tho. (Maybe?) The last time I had a pair of flip flops break on me was the day I passed my ASCP exam to officially become a med tech. My flip flop broke as I was approaching the front door of the exam place…but I limped along, unthwarted, asked the test administrator for a stapler, stapled them temporarily together (I couldn’t take the test barefoot…technicalities), and rocked that test.

So…I dunno if there’s really any deeper significance here, but it took a great deal of tenacity not to give up back then and this morning was similar, as I felt like everything was going wrong. I wanted to be like, “oh well. I’m screwed and cursed.” And just give up. But somehow I kept moving…and sometimes that’s all it takes to turn it all around.

I keep saying better days are coming and that things improve if you do…and it turns out maybe I’m right. the past few weeks have been difficult for me for many reasons. But at the same time, they’ve been kind of awesome…I’ve tap danced in between devastation and dignity, perfectly bipolar. And I’ve come to realize when faced with great difficulty, you just need to reach deeper and radiate deeper grace. As you improve, so will your conditions.

For every paralyzing defeat, there is at the very least a lesson, but often, something better lies in the wings. I find that many people do somewhat great things while somehow managing to stay in their comfort zone at the same time. I wish I could do that…I’ve come to realize that I only flourish when all hell breaks loose. In chaos I find my calm and in rejection I only try harder and I swear for every door that’s slammed on me in my life, a bigger blessing has come my way.

Anyway, I’m rambling, but just let me say that there are really good things coming down the pipe. When the crappiest part of a day like today boils down to a broken flip flop, I know I’m either pretty blessed or I’ve found a level of serenity to deal with whatever bs life throws at me. Fingers crossed. One foot in front of the other.

Inspiration, Kids, Life is beautiful, mommy blog, Uncategorized

Stroke your own ego

benandavasmom

“Stroke your own ego,” I whisper to myself in the morning. Mornings are hard for me. A lot of people have a particular time of day that’s tougher than other times of the day. Mornings, to me, can be a reminder of all of things I didn’t do yesterday and everything I need to do NOW. Do this. Do that. Do this. And don’t be late.

Mornings are when every naggy voice from my past speaks up and tells me how and why I’m gonna fail. And every gloaty doty on social media is talking up their manufactured lives. Mornings are when two cranky, hungry bellies are whining about not wanting to go to school and I’m praying to myself that there are no traumas between the time we wake up and when I drop them at school.

So…mornings can be when I’m at my most broken. They’re when I feel the most alone. That’s one reason I started doing morning live videos. And they’re when I sit aside just a few seconds to stroke my own ego.

See…I used to spend time sending good mornings to people…and sometimes I still do but I found that it was disappointing when no one responded and there were days when literally no one did. It wasn’t their fault. We’re all busy. And it was a silly thing to do. I’ve learned you can’t spread sunshine in hopes of getting sunshine back. It’s gotta come from within. Like happiness and pancakes.

So instead of worrying about others, I started spending a bit to point out good things going on with me. And…it’s helped me. It’s like meditation, only quicker. It’s a tiny bit of gratitude that I can give myself. It’s serenity and grace and all of that good stuff.

So yeah…that’s what I recommend…especially on days when it feels like everything is crap and you’re just a plunger. Stroke your own ego…bc sometimes nobody will do it for you.