My Parenting Perspective

When I became a mom, the most important thing was to keep my children safe, happy, and to provide them a life better than what I had growing up.  As time goes on, I've realized I added another important task to my job as a parent.  To raise a better breed of people for the future.
Now I know that at first, this will all sound pretentious but I hope you'll hear me out.  Through all my experiences in life I've noticed that things are definitely different from when I was young.  People are less considerate of others, less giving, more selfish, and generally heartless.  Read a paper, watch the news, violence and indifference are everywhere you look- and all of this makes me sad.  When I was growing up, there was zero tolerance for not following the rules, you were told constantly to behave and to act a certain way.  But it made me a better person, I cannot deny that at all!!  So I have made a conscious decision to instill the values I was raised with into my girls.  How wonderful would the world be if only a few of our "Family Rules" were followed by everyone?? 

Here's a few examples:
~ We don't judge anyone by the way they look, talk, act, etc.  Every person you meet could someday be a friend.
~ We don't call others names. No matter how upset you are.
~ We are a team, a family, a unit. We do things together and to help everyone out when we can.
~ In addition to all bad words we do not say Stupid, Shut Up, and Hate (those are the biggest ones)
~ Do as much as you possibly can to help others.  Donate things you don't use, your time, anything at all.
~ Use your manners- Grown ups are addressed as "Mr." or "Ms." and their name.
~ You have to work for things you want, money doesn't grow on trees.

The list just goes on and on!  My daughters are now 8, 6, and almost 2- if you ask either of my older girls what a good person is and what they do, I'm sure they'd talk your ear off.  I can take my children anywhere and not really have to worry about their behavior.  I'm very proud of my princesses and the people they are becoming, my hope is that they grow up to be a positive influence to everyone around them. 

Crafty Beginnings

If anyone would have asked me three years ago if I thought I'd ever be making as many crafts as I do, I would have immediately told them "no way!" But now as I look back on how it really got rolling, I can't ignore the fact that this was bound to happen.  I am honestly very passionate about art and creativity as a whole, always have been.  My background in art began in elementary school with advanced art classes ( I gave up my study halls!) and proceeded to a semester of art college.  But life doesn't always pan out the way you want and I ended my schooling to pursue a steady job and pay the bills.

I worked in various retail stores for 11 years, and as time went on I noticed that all the items that were carried in these stores were getting consistently cheesier and made with less quality.  I can't say this really bothered me too much until I had my girls.  Little girls want to be cute, pretty princesses- plain and simple.  My girls are all divas who love fashion and glitter, and mommy wants them to have what they want.  But as I began to buy various items for my girls, the low quality began to bother me more and more.  Not only were the things I bought breaking or falling apart but they were also burning a hole in my wallet!!

Finally my frustration got the best of me and I took the time to really examine some of the things I was constantly buying my girls.  It all started with clippies and bows- the stuff my store was selling was so boring and basic, and it fell apart after one use!!  I checked online for tutorials and DIY info to attempt making my own style of bows that could withstand the wear and tear of my divas.

I'll be the first person to admit, my first creations weren't really the greatest, but I am definitely not a quitter!!  I kept at it and ended up finding a couple different things I really liked.  A friend of mine suggested I start listing my bows for sale on Etsy and it all kind of snowballed from there.  Now I find myself trying new things just to say I tried it, it's really quite exhilarating!!  Now I have an extensive variety of things I create: Bows, simple clippies, headbands, baby headbands, pony-o's, necklaces, bracelets.....  the list goes on. I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve (I sew, quilt, paint, draw, etc) and have acquired lots of fun art tools and toys over the last couple of years, my goal is to really encompass all aspects of accessories and to constantly create new and fun items for people at an affordable price because as a Mom, I appreciate value and that's what I want to give other Mommies too.

Some Days I Miss Having A Life

Although most of my blog entries will probably be about crafting, being clever as a stay at home Mom, saving money tips, and general cute kid stuff, today I was feeling a little aloof and figured I'd share and kick off with a really good insight to my mind.
I have been a Mommy for over 8 years now and I still have days like today where I wish I still had a social life.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE being a Mommy!!  The things I have learned from myself and my children through the years has really given me a sense of accomplishment and pride.  Still, there are certain aspects of life that I think any Mommy would agree disappear once you have kids.  I miss friendships, going out for dinner on a whim, hitting a bar to hang out, shopping with no agenda, the list goes on and on.  These feelings only strike occasionally, but they are still there.  I almost feel guilty sometimes because it seems so petty to crave little things like this but I think it is more human nature to want to be social, to have some "adult" time where there is an age requirement to get in.  Now I know that there are some parents out there that make the time to do some of these things- I honestly don't get that luxury.  No one wants to watch 3 kids, it's a lot to handle.  There's also the double whammy of finding the time and the money to do the things you want to do!  Since I am a stay at home Mommy, funds are definitely tight, and my poor hunny works a crazy schedule where I hardly see him at all for 4 days out of the week.  Being a Mom is the most rewarding, stressful, chaotic, intense, amazing, and wonderful journey I have ever embarked upon, I just sometimes wish that I could also get my fix of doing a few grownup things every once in awhile too.