New Year's Resolutions and other stuff

So, as you all know, it's a new year. And with a new year comes new "resolutions"; promises to your self that you will do thing differently this year than you did last year in order to make this better than last year. But the problem is that most people tend to make the same new year's resolutions every year - lose weight, work less, get out of debt, etc etc. I am guilty of doing this very thing - for the last 2 years, I have been vowing that I would get back to my pre-pregnancy body. But, unlike most people I know, I have made more than 1 or 2 new year's resolutions - I have made many. I know that I may not keep them all or even half of them, but I like to set my goals high. Of the many resolutions I have made, here are a few:

• get back to my pre-pregnancy body by watching what I eat and exercising in some way everyday, without excuse
  
• spend more time with my kids - teaching them things, playing with them and learning about them
• de-clutter my house and my life - get rid of those things that I haven't used, or even looked at in years in order to make more space for the things I need space for.
• sit down at the table for dinner more nights than not, giving our family time to communicate, and ensuring that we're all eating better
• have a game night at least once a month
• spend less time watching tv/movies and playing on the computer, and more time outside - with the kids or gardening or just sitting and reading
• take more pictures - I realized I have many many pictures of Micah, and many many pictures of Micah and Elijah, but very few of just Elijah
• have a girls' night at least once a month
• spend less money eating out, and spend more time cooking homemade meals
• Read more books - I think I read 3 books all of last year, and for a girl who "loves" to read, that's not very many
• drink only 1 soda per day
• grow my fingernails instead of picking them short
• keep a regular journal - either electronically or on paper
  

My husband's one resolution this year: have a better year


Enough about that... Here's a quick update on the Nall family

We have recently adopted a calico kitten - we have named her Callie (Kalin's idea). She was born either the week before of the week after Thanksgiving (I don't remember which). The kids love her, but I'm not so sure the feeling is mutual. Today, as I was cleaning out a section of our back room (which is, in essence, our storage room), the kids were left to play. When I came out of the back room to give the kids their lunch, I couldn't find the kitten. I didn't hear her meowing anywhere, so I didn't figure she was stuck in a room or under a piece of furniture, so I didn't think much of it - I figured she'd come out when she was ready and sure that the kids weren't going to attack her again. Just before putting the kids down for their naps, I happened to check the basked under our coffee table where we keep extra blankets, and there she was - napping on top of the blankets. My guess is that she got tired of being chased and picked up by her ears that she found a cozy hiding spot and went to sleep.

Elijah is now potty training - we are on day 3. He has only had 2 accidents this morning, and I'm hoping for no more than that this afternoon, but we will see.

I have cleaned out the kids' toys and am trying to find a home for them - the local baby/kids resale shop isn't taking clothes or toys at this time, and I'm tired of storing all this stuff in my house. I have a rocking horse, a shape sorter box, a blue mega blocks truck (minus the mega blocks), a toddler t-ball set for inside play, a small rainbow colored xylophone with attached mallet, and some summer and winter 18-24 month clothing. I believe there are some TY beanie babies in the mix and a few other items I can't think of off the top of my head right now. Please let me know if you're interested in any of this stuff - I can send pics if you like.

Just today, I cleaned out my old college textbooks - I am not returning to school this semester like I had hoped (but it's for the better), so I decided to sell what books I could. I was able to sell less than half the books I had for more than $100, which is far more than I expected. The other books, I guess, are too old for the bookstores to buy back or have too much writing or too many pages missing (from the study guides and such).

I have also finished putting away my Christmas stuff - the majority of it was put away on new year's day, but I had a few lingering items that I didn't have space for in my totes, so I had to wait and bring in another tote from outside to put those in. Also, I got some great Christmas deals at Goodwill - some LED lights, some solar powered outdoor LED lights (so I can put lights on our front gate without having to trail 50 feet (or more) of extension cord up there, some gold round ornaments, and some regular tree lights with a round storage thing so they don't get tangled.

I have cleaned off 3 flat surfaces in my house to make space for decorative items - silk flowers, candles, pictures, etc. These 3 spaces have been covered in clutter for the past 2 years, and I just got tired of it.

One final thought - I have been thinking of starting up a Mommy Meet-up group for the Seguin area. New Braunfels has a couple, and Seguin used to have one, but it kind of just dissipated. I would like to start one up again - one where we can do playdates with the kids, mom's night out, shopping, movies, lunches, home meets and more. I myself need a few more mom-friends that I can talk to - about the joys of being a mom, advice on how to handle certain situations, even just to vent to every now and then when things aren't working out like we thought they would. Plus, the kids get to learn how to socialize, share, play and make some friends, too. I would love to know if anyone would be interested in something like this. We could plan once-weekly or bi-weekly meet-ups, depending on how many members we have and how often our schedules allow for us to meet. Let me know if you're interested!

New Venture

So, I have been thinking for a while about making and selling custom baby slings, and other baby items, like grocery cart covers, blankets, bibs, etc. I made a reversible sling for my friend, Kayla, for her baby shower Saturday, and it turned out beautifully! She loved it, and at that point I realized that I would love to make cute things for moms and babies. I came up with a name last night: Pickles & Ice Cream Designs. I think it's really cute! I'm working on a webpage as I type, and I'm trying to decide where to go from there. I can't decide if I should make a couple of slings to show people, and try to sell "off the rack" or if I should wait and see if anyone orders one and then make it custom for them (which is how I plan to run the business).

Most of the slings I make are made of 100% cotton, and are double-layered for strength and security. I can make a sling from other sturdy materials, like silk or linen. The two layers can be the same design or a different one, to make it reversible. I use only rings from www.slingrings.com, which are made specifically for ring slings. Every sling is fully adjustable to fit mom, dad, grandparents, and just about everyone in between. There are many different positions for baby, from the basic hip carry, to nursing carries, and the piggy-back carry. I will be uploading pictures and instructions on how to use these carries, and more, to my website as soon as I can. The tail on the sling is great to use as a cover for discreet nursing, a wrap for the baby against the wind, rain, and other elements.

Prices start at around $30, depending on the materials used. I can ship anywhere in the US, starting at $5 per sling.

These slings make great baby-shower gifts, but they can be used for kids up to 3 years old.

I look forward to hearing from you with any suggestions you may have, and any questions or orders you have.

I will soon be making other baby items, like grocery cart/restaurant high chair covers, blankets, bibs, travel-size changing pads, nursing covers and more. Please let me know if you're interested in something in particular! Thanks!

www.wix.com/dnall1986/picklesandicecreamdesigns

Stuck in Limbo

So, as most of you know by now, Kalin lost his job at CMC Steel at the beginning of July. He is supposed to be getting a new job in Schertz, but it's taking longer than expected to get everything together and get him started there. We plan on moving to New Braunfels when he gets this job because he will be closer to work, I will be closer to EVERYTHING from WalMart to a possible job to school. But we can't move until he gets a job, whether its the one we're waiting on or not. I am also searching for a job, just in case he can't find one right away. We started packing all of our stuff up, since we plan on moving, and now that it's taking a bit longer than expected, my OCD is kicking in and I've started getting frustrated with our situation. I packed up a TON of our stuff, because we were moving ASAP, but now that we're not moving right away, I don't remember which box I put certain things in, and I need them, but I don't want to tear apart every box trying to find it.

On the plus side, this has given us an almost endless amount of time to spend together, helping us to become friends and have a better marriage. Whether this was our plan or not, God knows what he is doing.

Also, since my last post, Micah has officially turned 4. He got lots of toys and some clothes for his birthday, and he loves and appreciates everything he received. We had his party at the park, and while it was HOT, everyone seemed to have a good time.

Elijah will be turning 2 in October, 1 month, 3 weeks and 1 day from today according to my ticker on my FB page. We are starting to get ideas together for his party, but it all kind of depends on if we have moved to New Braunfels or not by then. I sure hope we have, but it's not up to me, it's up to God.

I am also planning on going back to school in January. My instructor has been able to get me a place in the Level 2 Semester (whereas most people would have to start over at Level 1), and I'm really looking forward to it. I have started reviewing all my notes, as I have to take a skills test this fall to ensure I haven't lost my skills from last year. I realize at this point, it's not a guarantee that we'll be able to afford for me to go, and if it's not the right timing, then I understand that and I'm ok with that. I know that my kids are more important than any school, and if God wants me to stay home and care for them for a few more years, that's fine by me. But I sure hope it's time for me to finish school.

I'll be posting some pictures from the last couple of months soon, so keep an eye out for them.

Until then, God Bless!

It's about time

So I figured it was about time for me to update my blog, since I hadn't done so since January. A LOT has been going on around here, as usual. Some of it good, some of it bad, but with God's guidance, we will make it through. I won't bore you with all the gory details, but the short and long of it is that Kalin and I hit a very rough patch about 2 months or so ago. We are working things out, but, as with all things, it's going to take time to heal the wounds that were caused. I will admit that most of those wounds were my doing, and I take full responsibility for them. If I could rewind the clock, I most certainly would, and I would listen to my peers and those who knew what I was doing was wrong instead of ignoring them and continuing on my own stupid, stubborn, naive path. I realize now that I had many misconceptions about what love, commitment, devotion, trust, faith, patience, and dependability were because of the way I was raised. I am re-learned those concepts, along with MANY others, in order to make myself a better person, and to help create a better life for my husband and my two children.

But on to lighter topics. Yesterday was the 4th of July, and for the first time in many years, I didn't see any fireworks. We shot some of our own off a few days before, and some more the day before, but I didn't actually watch a fireworks show this year. Micah stayed at my mother's house the night they did the fireworks in Seguin so that he could stay up and watch them. Elijah stayed at my mother-in-law's house, and Kalin and I went out to watch the UFC fight with some friends. We had a BLAST, even though the guy we were rooting for in the main fight lost. I don't remember the last time I laughed that hard.

Micah is going to be 4 years old in less than a month. He will be starting pre-kindergarten this fall. Part of me is so excited for him, but the other part of me is realizing that he is no longer my little baby. He's getting so big, and he's starting to figure things out on his own. He's stuck in that stage where part of him wants to be independent and do everything himself, but the other part of him wants to cling to mommy for support and attention. It's so tough on him because sometimes he gets so frustrated trying to decide whether he wants to do it all on his own or if he wants help. It's tough on me, too, because there are many times where I don't think he can do something all by himself and I want to help him, and he tells me that he can do it and he doesn't want my help. Pretty soon, he won't need or want me around to help him.

I cleaned out the boy's closet the other day. I pulled out all Micah's old 24 month/2T clothing for Elijah to wear. It was so weird putting the clothes that Micah wore just last year into Elijah's half of the closet. It's even weirder watching Elijah walk around in Micah's old clothes. Then I had to get rid of all Elijah's old clothes, because we don't plan on having any more kids any time soon. That was so hard - to just throw out all those clothes that we had such wonderful memories in. I know that part is always hard, and I try to prepare myself for it, but it just hit me hard that day. Neither one of my boys are technically babies anymore...

Kalin and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary this year. As I was cleaning out some of our old boxes that haven't been unpacked in 5 years, I ran across my day planner from the year we got married. It had all sorts of stuff in it that brought up memories that had long been buried under all the stresses of daily life.

Kalin is looking into getting a new job that will pay better and will have better hours. I am also in search of a job or two that will contribute something to this family. My student loan is coming due this month, and we have about $4000 in debt that we have to start paying off asap, so I need to find something and quick, but I am having difficulties finding one job that would cover the day-care costs for both kids. Which is why I am preparing myself to work on full time job and another part time or full time job to help cover daycare and bring something home.

I am preparing to have a garage/yard sale, so if anyone has anything they would like to sell, let me know! The more stuff we have to sell, the more people will buy. We are also getting ready to sell our Arowana and the 55 gallon tank he is in. He really needs a 150 gallon tank, but for now, he's ok. We will be selling the entire setup including tank, hood, filter, plants, gravel, stand air pump and plecostomus that shares the tank with him. If you're interested, please let me know.

Also, we are still desperately searching for homes for our last 2 bloodhound/redbone puppies and their mother. The mommy, Kahlua, is almost 2 years old, and the puppies are 10 months old. We have one male and one female left, and we are only asking $50 each for them. They are beautiful dogs, and will make wonderful hunting dogs. They are very energetic, will grow to be rather large, and will need a large area to run and play. They get along fairly well with kids, although they are still too rambunctious for the little ones. If you or anyone you know is interested in one of them, please let me know.

That's about it for now. I will be updating this more often nowadays. Thanks for reading! :D