Life of a Wannabe Archives - Page 11 of 23

March 23, 2011 · in Life of a Wannabe· Parenting· Random Fun Posts

Conversations With a 5 Year Old

Do you ever have those days where you feel like you’re on a debate team? Except you’re not really on a team, you’re on a desolate island left to fend for yourself with a vicious 5 year old as your opponent.

5 year old DAUGHTER might I add.

Lately everything I say to my daughter turns into a two hour argument which in the end leaves me throwing fits and saying things like:

“Uh huh”

“No I’m not”

“Ya huh… I think I know what I’m talking about… I AM a mom ya know”

“I’m telling daddy”

“SEEAAAAANNNNN, Lily’s not listening to me”

Once I run out of all my ingenious rebuttals, I tastefully complete the dispute by sticking out my tongue.

Then she say’s things like:

“MOM!!! You have to be nice to your childrenS or Santa won’t bring you ANY toys”

“If you don’t let me watch a movie then I’m not EVER going to brush my teeth again!!!”

Then Sean say’s:

“GIRLS! Stop fighting right now or you’re both going to time out!!!”

*sigh*

I think I DO need a time out.

Okay, now you HAVE to watch this video. I’m serious! No no, I’m REALLY serious!!! Watch it okay.

March 14, 2011 · in Inspiration· Life of a Wannabe· My Thoughts and Feelings

Am I REALLY 30?

With age comes beauty…

Oh wait

That’s not right is it…
With age comes WISDOM.

Or so they say.

Doesn’t seem to be that way in my case. More like, with age comes memory loss, saggy skin, fine lines and little black hairs on my chin.

I know there are many positive ways of looking at the aging process and I’m TRYING to see them 🙂

I do feel grateful for what I’ve accomplished up until now, but I guess I just want to be young and vibrant forever. I want to be able to have the energy and stamina to do many more things in my life. I’ve been actively working on my bucket list and actually feel like this last year I’ve grown tremendously. Turning 30 is a huge milestone in ones life. At this point we all hope to have collected a certain amount of triumphs. Nobody wants to live with the “coulda woulda shoulda” thoughts.

Most of you know of my monthly “Life list” goals. Each month I choose one thing from my bucket list to focus on, like public speaking, photography, writing a song, ect.

This month is my month to learn how to write better. I really suck at this whole writing thing, but I’m determined to enhance my skills and get better. Turning 30 has really made me focus more on what I want to accomplish in my NEXT 30 years.

Lately I’ve been thinking about a bigger more lofty goal.

To write a book by the time I’m 35.

There I said it.

It’s out there, I’m committed, I’m gonna make it happen.

I find it kind of scary sharing such a goal. Perhaps it’s fear. Fear that I’m not good enough, smart enough, talented enough. Fear of what people will think?

Will they laugh? Will they believe in me? Will they support me?

Fear of FAILURE.

By sharing your goals with others, it holds you more accountable. It pushes you to work harder because failing in front of others is much worse than failing at something only you knew about.

It’s an absolute fact, that by SHARING your goals with others, you are more likely to achieve them.
Although I may not be the most talented writer in the world, I do believe I have a special story to tell. As most of us do. It’s all a matter of putting forth the effort to get the story told.

This month I’m reading a book called One Year to a Writing Life: Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer’s Art and Craft.

For those of you who may have the same goal, or simply want to improve your creative writing skills, then this would be a great book for you. Here are a couple tips to start out.

* KEEP A JOURNAL
Journaling is the best way to start because it establishes a habit of writing. Make it part of your routine. Record the significant events in your life. Describe how you’re feeling, what you’re feeling and why. Write about your dreams and aspirations. Write about love. Love for God, love for your spouse, love for your children. Write about your disappointments, trials, and most importantly lessons learned.

* TIMED WRITING
Incorporate regular timed writing. Start with just 10 minutes a day. Write what ever comes to mind and don’t stop writing for 10 minutes straight. Notice your surroundings and write about them in detail.

I’m really excited to dive into this new goal of mine and I hope you will all stick with me over the next 5 years to see it come to fruition.

So with all the fuss I’ve been putting up about turning 30, I guess it’s really not that bad. I’ll sure miss my twenties, but I’m excited about the story these next few decades will write.

March 10, 2011 · in 52 Weeks of Balance Project· Giveaways· Life of a Wannabe· Making Dinners

Tortillas Soup PLUS Another Planner Giveaway!!!

As most of you already know I’ve developed a day planner I like to call the Wanna Be Balanced Planner. Inside this planner you’ll find all kinds of useful organizational tools as well as 3 months of meal plans WITH weekly grocery lists. My goal is to make 12 months of meals, so far I have 5. You can buy the additional months as they become available.

I’ve borrowed recipes from all over the web, but now my new goal is to start creating my own. I usually add my personal touch to basic recipes anyway, so I thought why not share them with you.

Another thing I’m working on to go in the day planners is a 4 week exercise program with meal plans catering more towards weight loss. This can be purchased separately as well. It should be ready to present to you within the next couple of weeks.

Last week I made some delicious Tortilla Soup ( recipe is included in month 5 of the planners). I’ll share the recipe first, then below I’ll give you the details on the giveaway. You’ll all have a chance to WIN one of my specialty day planners.

Here are ALMOST all the items you’ll need for the soup. Later I decided that the consistency was too soupy for my liking. I like soups to be on the thicker side, so I added a can of tomato sauce.

Chop the onions WITHOUT tearing up in the process.
Man I think my eyes are just so sensitive because every time I cut onions my eyes are burning so bad to the point where I’m cutting with my eyes closed.
I’m known for my brains 🙂

Chop 3 cloves of garlic, then saute them in a tablespoons of olive oil.

I really hate measuring, so I usually just guess, but I would say that a couple teaspoons of chili powder would do the trick.

Then a couple sprinkles of dried oregano…

Add a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies…

A can of chicken broth…

Then a can of rinsed black beans and a can of corn…

Chop up some fresh cilantro and add it to the pot. About 1/4 cup.

I really hate cooking chicken. Handling it raw just grosses me out and I never seem to cook it right. Either I don’t cook it enough and the middle is pink which of course makes me lose my appetite and end up throwing it out, OR it’s extremely dry. So in my opinion, buying the rotisserie is the way to go:) It saves time, is cooked to perfection and tastes incredible!!!

Just start pulling it apart with a fork and adding pieces to the soup.

Now here is where I noticed I needed to add the tomato sauce to thicken it up.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes or so. While it’s simmering you can get your garnishes ready.

Crushed tortilla chips, avocado’s my favorite, green onions, Monterey jack cheese, and sour cream.

Isn’t it beautiful!!!!

Okay, now for the giveaway!!! One of you lucky ladies now has the chance to get one of these for FREE. Just help me spread the word by doing some of these things below, then you can leave a separate comment in the comment section of this post for each thing you do. Be sure to leave your email address if it’s not already public in your profile. This way I have a way of contacting you if you’re the winner. Giveaway ends 3-25. The winner will be selected using Random.org.

*Must be subscribed to this blog in some way. Google friend connect, networked blogs, or via email. Leave a separate comment for each one.

*Become of fan of Balanced Moms on Facebook. Just click the “like” button.

*Suggest to at least 5 of your friends to “LIKE” Balanced moms on facebook.

*Share the link to this post on your Facebook wall. You can leave TWO separate comments for this one.

Also, I’d love it if you voted for me on Top Mommy Blogs. Just click this icon below and that counts as a vote. No need to do anything else beyond that. Just click!!!

Next week on Wanna Be Balanced Mom

*Turning 30
My dreaded 30th birthday is on Monday. Can we just skip that day?

*Spring Fashion
I’ll be posting some cute spring finds for ya.

*Purse Pics
What’s in your purse? If you’d like to submit your purse pics then email me at crystal@escoweb.net. I’ll be sharing your pics next week. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, refer to this blog post for the details.
http://www.wannabbalancedmom.com/2011/02/whats-in-your-bag.html

February 16, 2011 · in Inspiration· Life of a Wannabe

For Whom Do You Feel Most Compassion?

I’ve been reading this new book called Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make A Difference. It has really opened up my eyes and gave me a new outlook on how I’m living my life. I love the spoken truth right there in the title, “you were made to make a difference”. Each and every one of us are here for a special purpose, and we CAN make a difference. So many people succumb to the idea that we are the way we are and there’s nothing we can do about it.
Life is about becoming the best WE can be, and hopefully lifting others in the process. There was a part in this book that really stood out to me.

“If you are in Christ, God’s Spirit will speak through you.
Let God unshell you. And when he does, “make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that”(Gal. 6:4). Don’t miss the opportunity to discover your language.
With whom do you feel most fluent? Teenagers? Drug addicts? The elderly? You may be tongue-tied around children but eloquent with executives. This is how God designed you. “God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well” (Rom. 12:6).
For whom do you feel most compassion?”

This part spoke to me in such a way, I immediately felt inspired to DO something about it. An idea just came out of nowhere, but it was loud and clear. I thought to myself, I should speak at high schools about my life as a teen. I’ve never thought to do this before, but I feel like this is something I should do in the near future. So many thoughts an idea’s I could expand on, and boy do I have some stories to share. It would be all about self worth of course, because those were the years I felt I had none. I always think, if only I could go back as the person I am now. It would have been a much better experience. I would have studied more, worried about boys less, and focused on reaching out to those who were in need of a friend.

I’ll never forget this boy in one of my classes. He kept to himself most of the time. Nobody ever even noticed him, including myself. He actually sat right in front of me and I never said a single word to him.

Later that year he committed suicide.

I can’t help but think, WHAT IF…

What if I had reached out to him. What if I took interest in him, talked to him, cared about him.

Could I have made a difference?

I love how the author in this book talks about figuring out what our language is. That’s what it’s all about. We need to be actively using those gifts God has given us. They are meant to be used to MAKE A DIFFERENCE, in our lives and the lives of others.

Here’s one of my favorite stories, and one I frequently read while I was on my mission.

There was a young man walking down a deserted beach just before dawn in the distance he saw a frail old man. As he approached the old man, he saw him picking up stranded starfish and throwing them back into the sea. The young man gazed in wonder as the old man again and again threw the small starfish from the sand to the water. He asked “Old man, why do you spend so much energy doing what seems to be a waste of time?” The old man explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun. But there must be thousands of beaches and millions of starfish! “How can you make a difference?” The old man looked down at the small starfish in his hand and as he threw it to the safety of the sea, he said “I MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THIS ONE.” – unknown

What is your language? And what can YOU do to make a difference?

February 15, 2011 · in Life of a Wannabe· Random Fun Posts

Things We Do

Oh the things we do to entertain ourselves during church.

Notice how we’re sitting on the metal seats in the very back.

Yes, we’re late pretty much EVERY Sunday.

February 14, 2011 · in Activities For Kids· Life of a Wannabe

Be My Valentine: A Super Easy Valentine Treats Recipe

So what are your plans for your Valentines Treats? Any other Valentines day plans? Sean and I usually go out a couple days early because getting reservations at a restaurant is pretty much ridiculous! My sweet sexy husband planned for us to get massages over the weekend!!!
I so needed it too.
I’ve been letting stress get the best of me these days. It’s funny too because I stress about stupid things like dealing with bad drivers, waiting in long lines, or when I can’t figure out this da** website stuff.
I’ve started a new goal for this month (each month I’m focusing on something new to learn). My goal is to move my blog over to WordPress and I’m literally going NUTS over it. Seriously, I thought I was pretty tech savvy, but apparently I’ve got a long ways to go. And I’m not the type of person that can just walk away and try again later. I will try until I’ve got steam coming out my nose and ears.

I’ve finally given in and decided to pay someone to do it. So stay tuned for more info on that as well as the reveal of a new blog layout here on this site. I’ll be sure to share what I’m learning in WordPress for those of you who may be thinking about starting up a blog or migrating over from Blogger.
Oh and just a heads up, if you are subscribed to my blog you MAY get lost in the transition. My URL will still be the same, so you’ll always be able to find me at www.wannabebalanced.com. Just know that you might need to resubscribe, we’ll see how it all comes together. I’m a little nervous about it, but I think in the end it will be a much better website and even easier to navigate.

I would love a little feedback too. What are your favorite topics on my blog? What would you like to more of?
Trying to decide what should be the 4 main topics in my navigation bar.

*Video blogs
*Video tutorials
*Beauty tips
*Fashion
*Home and Garden
*Organizational tips
*Weight loss
*Health
*Meals
*Parenting
*Budgeting
*Inspirational
*Success tips for your home based business
*My life lessons and stories

On another note, here’s a fun Valentines treats recipe idea I got from the Family Fun Magazine.

What you’ll need:

*Rice crispies, butter, and marshmallows.
*Food coloring
*Decorating icing
*Heart shaped cookie cutters

I couldn’t help but let Oliver lick the frosting off. It was too cute!

What is your favorite Valentines treat recipe? I would love to try it out for my family!

Conversations With a 5 Year Old

Am I REALLY 30?

Tortillas Soup PLUS Another Planner Giveaway!!!

For Whom Do You Feel Most Compassion?

Things We Do

Be My Valentine: A Super Easy Valentine Treats Recipe

Looking for something?

Stay Connected!

Welcome!

Subscribe To The Newsletter

You have Successfully Subscribed!