Bacon Style

2010 ...

Where do I begin? 2010 has been one of the busiest most rewarding years of my life. I have been truly blessed in family, business, and health.

Family: the kids have grown up so much over the past year. Andrew has really transformed from a baby to a little boy. Not only intellectually, but in size too!! Andrew currently wears a 4T and is around 40 pounds. He started CU this summer and we have just watched him blossom. That is truly a marvelous school. It helps that he has one the best teachers on the planet. She was Abby's two year old teacher as well. He started walking exactly one year ago yesterday. He only started sleeping through the night 8 months ago, yet he moved into his toddler bed without a glitch. I think it helps that he and Abby share a room. He is such a loving, spunky, independent little man. I never knew having a little boy would be such fun!

My mini-me, aka Abby. She is a doll. Such a great big sister and helper. She is polite and courteous and I couldn't be more proud of what a little lady she has become. She is now reading, be it the very beginning stages, but it just seems like she was 2 yesterday! She has a sense of style that requires everything to sparkle, which you know makes me happy! She loves helping with "bow work" and going out to Canton. It helps that she's a walking billboard! She loves cooking, cleaning, and talking. She often is my motivator for cleaning! She sure didn't get that from me. Overall, she is one of the most loving and caring kids I've been around. I thank God for blessing with both a boy and a girl, for both children through their differences have taught me so much!!

John has had another busy year with Vought aka Triumph. It is such a joy to watch him grow with his career and see how much he has learned. He has become the man I knew he could and wanted be, but just needed a little motivation. I love him so much!!

Me, I'm still working at the railroad full-time and running Polkadot Posies full-time. With PP this year we launched the online store, added our products to too many stores to count, had our HQ building built, went to Canton 12 times, and sold 50,000 hair bows. To say it was a busy year would be and understatement. Mom and I managed to do this all after 7pm and on weekends. However, watching something I started turn into a full-time business gives me that sense of success that I've been searching for professionally. I LOVE every minute of it!!!! There is absolutely no way I could have done this without my mom. I'm forever grateful to her dedication and support in this crazy journey.

Hopefully in 2011 we'll be able to make a few changes and slow down a bit. But if not, then onward we go. I hope all of you have a great 2011!!

The cutest!

These are the cutest Red Raiders I've ever seen!!

Ramblings....

6 years ago, I threw my husband his first birthday party.  He was turning 29.  Today he turns 35.  I am so proud of my husband.  He has conquered so much in his life and his accomplishments in the 6 years I have known him are tremendous!
 
We are planning John's return to school, to get his MBA.  Should I venture out on a limb and say that my husband will be more educated than me in the very near future?!  I am so happy he has this desire.  I have no desire to return to school.  None.  I did at one time, even completing a few classes towards my MBA, but quickly realized I'm too smart for this!  Ha!  In all seriousness, I just don't have the desire to read, do group projects, read, study, read, pull all-nighters, and read.  I would prefer to spend my time sitting on the couch getting a degree in home improvement from Mike Holmes.  Or, I would be happy with a degree in cooking via Paula Deen.  That's ambition, right?
 
All those thoughts above hint that I perhaps have free time to accomplish said activities.  Yeah, no.  Having one child is a lot of work.  Having two kids is even more work.  Having 2 kids, a full time job is a lot more work.  Having two, kids, a full-time job, and running a start up company.  Yeah, there's not enough time in the day.  So, I sit here, being content in my un-ambition desires.
 
I've been doing lots of research lately on marketing and advertising.  Trying to understand what will best work for my business and be budget friendly.  I've spent so much time reading about blog advertising because that is something that intrigues me.  Did you know that MckMama is thought to earn $27,000 a month from the BlogHer ads alone.  I read it on one of her naysayer sites (that I won't disclose because they don't deserve the time of day), but still left me thinking.  There are studies that show blog advertising is expected to reach $785 million this year.  Incredible!  I contribute on both end of that, but to me this is so crazy.  It's amazing where social networking has taken us in the past 3 years from when I read my first blog until now.  I'm one of the 15.1 million moms that read blogs every day.  I'm a haphazard contributor, too.  I would say this blog has been poorly neglected.
 
Well, I hope y'all have a great weekend.  Just thought I'd take a moment to ramble, since it's been 2 months!
 

Not Me Monday

In following with Mckmama's Not Me Monday, here's my contribution.

After buying my daughter an ice cream cone and watching it run down her arm and mouth, I surely didn't grab it and lick up all the drippies. After which she started crying saying that it had "your germs all over it." I most certainly didn't tell her mommies don't have germs!

I leave you with a picture of said little girl. Happy Monday y'all!

Hello Summertime

So much going on, so little time? Is that a good enough excuse for not blogging?

It has been so crazy the last couple of months. The growth of Polkadot Posies has been absolutely absurd, leaving me no free time whatsoever. This is such a great story on the business front, but now I'm struggling on getting the work-life balance in check. By working both my day job and this one, and still making time for family is a bit overwhelming. I can do it, I can do it! I put my husband and kids first, which means I take my time from sleeping. I've been trying to utilize every free moment that I get, so I don't have to take away from family time. Y'all wouldn't believe how many places you are probably buying my bows and don't even know it! It's great!

The kids are doing great!!!! Andrew started running a few days ago. It is so cute! We got him new shoes and I think they've inspired him to run! He trots along, but I know before long, I won't be able to keep up. Andrew will be starting his new school on Monday. I am beyond thrilled. I will have one drop-off in the mornings!!! WOO-HOO! This also means he will not be sitting in the car with me for 3 hours a day to and from work. I know he would rather spend that time on the playground anyways!

Abby's official last day of school is today. She will start the summer program a week from today. It's hard to believe she will be in Pre-K in the fall. Our conversations now consist of spelling, letter sounds, and books she wants to read. She is really growing up. Her imagination is great! It has really developed in the last couple of months and its so neat to see her interpretation of the world. She's become a little lady and has opinions of her own. She still loves Spiderman and Hello Kitty and her favorite color is green. She's obsessed with police officers and make-up and always wants lipstick. She's the perfect mix of a diva and tom boy.

I'm glad it's summertime. Our weekends stay full of great activities and it really wears the kids out! Which makes for nice and relaxing evenings for mommy and daddy because both the kids fall asleep before 7! We have some very well fed ducks over at park in Dalworthington Gardens. I kid you not, we've fed them about 40 pounds of dog food over the last couple of months. However, they just come right up to the kids and they love it. There is this one stray goose that gets a little quirky with the kids. Abby started yelling at the goose to go away last week and it had me cracking up. "Go away Goose! Go away!" Andrew just squawked back at it. This past Saturday I got the swimming pool out again, but filled it with water and 50 water balloons. They had a blast! We've started another Saturday morning tradition, with a breakfast picnic in the park. I pack up breakfast at 7:00am and we head to a park to eat it. They can then play before it gets too hot. They have enjoyed it so much. John on the other had, not so much. He went with us on Monday and he's not a fan. I think we will just keep this a mommy thing and let dad sleep in.

Y'all have a great week. I'm headed out to Canton tomorrow and am dreading the heat! We've got an improvised solution … I'll be sure to post pictures of our creativity and whether or not it's a success!

Arlington, Texas

I live in Arlington, Texas.  It's between Dallas and Fort Worth in North Texas.  I have lived here most of my life.  There was a 4 year stint in Lubbock, Texas for college and then a couple years in Kansas, but outside that I've been here!

Arlington has a ton of fun stuff to do.  First off, Six Flags Over Texas. 

It was the original Six Flags theme park created 1961.  Hard to believe this place has been around for almost 50 years!  We spent many summers there as kids.  We always had season passes and went on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the least busy days of the week back then.  We always went on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays to Wet-n-Wild, or as it is more commonly known now, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor.  It's across Interstate 30 from the other park.

As a teenager in Arlington in 90s, you are all but expected to have had a job at either park during the summer.  I was fortunate enough to have been a lifeguard at one park for 2 seasons, and work at the other park for 3 seasons.  The other big employer in Arlington is none other than The Ballpark in Arlington, which has changed names to The Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, I think.  I also worked there one summer, too!

Aside from those venues, we have one other quite famous, the billion dollar Jerryworld Stadium.  Some also call it home to the Dallas Cowboys.  It's quite impressive!  We have attended a college football game in the stadium and I was quite impressed. 

If you're up for shopping there is The Parks at Arlington and The Arlington Highlands.  These two cover just about every bit of retail therapy one might need.  These malls/shopping areas are located adjacent to each other, so in a one mile stretch you can see every restaurant and store known to man.  Across Interstate 20, you can see one of the very first Super Wal-mart stores known as Hypermart.  It was a concept store that was built in 1988 as a trial of the combined Wal-mart and grocery store.

We are also home to a pretty decent state university, the University of Texas at Arlington.  They have many nationally known academic programs.  My husband just happens to be a product of that school!

Arlington would be a great place to visit in the summertime, but I definitely recommend coming during the week.  The attractions are much less crowded and make for a lot more enjoyable experience.  However, if you're coming in the summertime, I must let you know the heat is a killer in July and August so beware!

The best thing in Arlington, are these two cuties!

  

Ok, I might be a bit biased ...

Polkadot Posies (my store, where all hair bows are $3 or less) is also headquartered here!

Thanks for stopping by!  Visit Arlington, Texas if you get a chance, we're still trying to pay off the new stadium!

Andrew is 19 months

Andrew cracks me up!  My little boy will be 19 months old tomorrow.  He has progressed so much in the last few weeks.  His talking is more and more understandable and uses words very frequently.  The word he says most frequently is EAT!  Imagine that.
 
- He wears 3T tops and 2T bottoms
- Size 6 diapers
- eats anything and everything
- does not like milk
- loves to sit next to me or john on the couch
- gives great kisses, lip smack and all!
- asks to watch Elmo every morning on our way in to work
- sleeps 13 hours at night
- still has a pacifier, but I'm in no hurry to get rid of it
- LOVES sliding
- loves dogs, big or small, mean or nice
 
Lastly, a funny story from this morning.  When walking along, Andrew doesn't like transitions - door thresholds, the tiny step from the garage to the driveway, carpet to tile.  I mean for the one inch lip from the garage to the driveway, he puts his hands on the ground and steps off slowly.  So, we have seen this behavior many times.  It cracks me up!  This morning was the best.  He refused to cross a crack in the sidewalk at school.  You know the lines they draw in the sidewalk.  He stood there and started squealing and raised his hand because he wanted me to hold his hand so he could step over/off the crack.  I've been giggling about that for 2 hours now.   Love that boy!
 
 
 

What a weekend!

We had a very busy weekend! Saturday we drove to east Texas and back to attend a memorial service. The service was great and it was great to see family, but it was one of the most challenging "mom" days of my life. I have never seen my children behave as badly as they did. I know they didn't get their naps and were in a new setting, but OMG! I was at the end of my mom rope.

We got up early, well actually, the normal time, but early for Saturday. We were loaded and in the car by 7:15. We stopped and got the kids juice and breakfast and then headed on our way. I was convinced they would fall asleep at some point and take a bit of a nap. NOTHING. Not a single eye closed. So, as we arrived in Marshall, I thought we would stop at McDonald's and let the kids run around in the playland and get their tummies full again. I knew it was going to be about 3:00 before we ate again and wanted to eliminate food as gripe point! One minor problem, the fast food restaurants in Marshall don't have play areas. FAIL! So, we drove straight in to my grandmothers. They were bouncing off the walls. We arrived at 10:30 and the memorial service wasn't until 1:00. By 11:45 they were in full meltdown mode. So I swooped them up and started driving. After about 20 minutes they were both sound asleep and I parked the car at my grandmother's store and let them rest. They slept until 12:45 when I woke them up for the service. A 45 minute nap didn't solve any problems.

Fast forward, we left at 4:00 and I was convinced they would both sleep peacefully the entire way home. NOPE. They screamed and fought and we had to stop 6 times. Yes, 6. It's only 200 miles and there really is no reason to stop more than once. We only stopped once on the way there. But, we stopped 6 times on the way home. We were so far behind that my sister that left at 4:30 passed us. Needless to say when we got home it was dinner, bath, and bed! They both slept from about 8:00 until 8:30. Yeah! It still took all day yesterday to recover!

I leave you with a couple of pictures of my babies from this weekend. Andrew is sitting on my grandmother's tractor. He loved that thing. And, look how big and pretty Abby is. She's really growing up!

I don't know where to begin! Life has been so busy lately. I need about 4 more hours in my day. You can make that happen, right? Between 2 jobs and 2 kids, time just escapes me. It's a good thing because so many great things are happening.

On the home front, I'm continuing to lose weight. I am down to 268.0 as of this morning. Slowly, but surely. I've lost 11.6 pounds in 7 weeks. Blah! I stopped my nightly walks a few weeks ago and I've got to get back to them. I keep making excuses, but really there is no excuse. I'm just not walking. Abby has been asking about taking her tractor out, so we will start again tonight, hopefully because there is a chance of rain. If not, I'm going to plug my treadmill in. I have all the tools for success, but I'm just too lazy to use them. On a positive note, I did tell John I need his help to reach my goals and he lovingly brought home a Lean Cuisine for dinner for me last night. :) This really does make me happy. I need his support and gentle reminders.

Abby and Andrew are doing great. I'm counting down the 6 weeks until Andrew starts at Abby's school. It can't come quick enough. We've had problem after problem with his current facility and the new teach that came a few weeks ago. I really miss his old teacher that they promoted to a lead position in another classroom. Andrew really responded to her and she was very good with the kids. The new teacher, not so much. I feel like the classroom is chaos. There is biting, hitting, scratching, and yelling always happening. John and I talked about removing him but after a talk with the director, she promised improvement. We've seen a little, so I'm still optimistic. But 6 weeks will be here before we know it.

Abby is anxiously awaiting swim season. She asks me everyday if it's hot enough to go swimming. I keep saying not yet. I need to check and see when Hawaiian falls opens. We are getting a family pass this year. I can't wait! Well maybe I can because of the swimming suit confidence issue, but the fun we have out there makes my insecurity disappear pretty fast. Plus, I think Abby will be tall enough for the slides this year. She'll have a blast! She will start her swimming lessons in a few weeks to get her primed and ready!

As for work, my day job has been quite busy. My fun job (Polkadot Posies) is moving right along! I'm so excited with all the stuff going on. I'm going to try and do a blog today or tomorrow about what has been consuming all my free time, but everything is moving to the next level. It's all extremely exciting and rewarding.

I leave you with a picture of Andrew. This little man warms my heart. He loves this hat and will wear it as long as you let him. I'm so glad god gave me this joy, because everyone knows I was terrified of having a little boy!

Abby's show stopping performance!

She was one of 4, yes 4, kids that showed up from her class.  She sure looked adorable though!  Here she is before the big show:

They sang one of their favorite alphabet songs called "Apple Annie."  Abby was responsible for the apple part of the performance.

They really didn't sing, just kind of stood there and stared at us!  It was cute and I did get it all on video.  It will be something great to have.  The funniest part of the performance was when Abby snuggled up against a classmate.  They had equally spaced the 4 of them across the stage and I guess she wanted to be close to one particular little boy.  She was the first kid and then took off for kid number 3.  It was so funny.  I'll have to get the video uploaded.  The whole performance was only 3 minutes.

I've got a lot of blog catching up to do. Hopefully, over the next few days I can get in a lot of our activities.  We have Addyson's birthday party, Abby's new bike, our Easter celebration last weekend, and Andrew's school pictures.  I'll be back soon!