My Return to Blogging After a Struggle with Life....

•❣ Have you missed me?! ❣•

•❣ Because I've surely missed all of y'all!!! ❣•

Hiya there y'all! Long time no see! I'm sure you've all noticed that I haven't really been around too much these past 2-3 years. First off, I wanna apologize for my extremely long absence. I never intended on for this to happen. I owe you all an explanation... My only issue is, where do I begin?

I suppose I should begin from where things first started going downhill: Near the end if 2013, my family lost our home due to financial difficulties. We wound up staying with friends and family for a little over a year before be made the HUGE decision to move from my hometown of Asheville (NC) to my fiance's hometown, near Lenoir NC. We needed a change of scenery. A couple months after the move, we got our own place again and things were going great. That was until the big snow storm came in January of 2015 and the power went out. As you know, I have 2 daughters and they couldn't stay in a house without power during a snow storm. This led to my fiance's and I having to make another huge decision... This one required us to send our girls to stay with their Maw-Maw until Alan, my fiance, and myself got things situated once again. But luck hasn't been on our side. After having a disagreement with our landlord after my fiance unexpectedly lost his job, we found ourselves in a very similar situation as before... After months of searching for decent jobs, Alan and I were running out of options. We were literally living in our car and things weren't looking good for our family. One of our friends informed Alan of a job opportunity back in Asheville where he'd be making good money, so we took a chance. We came back to Asheville in hopes of quickly being able to get back on our feet. Since it was in the middle of the school year and we couldn't guarantee a stable home at first, we left our daughters in Lenoir with their grandmother. Turns out that the job was great but didn't last long due to the company running out of work and many employees practically left with no job. Skip ahead a few months and we get to the present... My fiance finally has a decent job, him and I have recently been staying with my dad until we can get enough cash saved up for another home. Unfortunately, the living conditions aren't exactly up to par for us to move our girls back home with us. They're currently still living just over an hour away, with my fiance's mom. Being away from my daughters is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It's extremely stressful and I often find myself in a state of depression. Alan and I are both witnessing, first hand, the stress and difficulties of Long-distance Parenting! It's a challenge but we love our girls more then anything and only want the very best for them. Of course we visit them and they've came up to visit us as well... But it's just not the same.

On the bright side, my favorite cousin lives right across the road for us with his wife and 3 year old son. We'd actually lost contact throughout the years and I had yet to meet my little cousin 'Harley' until this past July! He's adorable and full of energy, which helps keep my spirits up about not having my own daughters around like I'm use too. Family is always important during stressful times like these.

Soooo..... There you have it! My mess of a life that's shook up every last crumb of my 'once-normal ' life. Things are different and continue to change but I'm keeping my head held high. Which is why I've decided to, once again, grab ahold of the blogging reigns! Not only as a distraction but as a way to give myself purpose during one of the most stressful and difficult times of my life. Just the thought of me telling our story to the world and possibly touching other families who may be struggling with long-distance parenting or something similar, is worth the effort.

You may start to notice a few changes here and there, but nothing to drastic, promise! I hope y'all continue to follow my blog though the struggles and new beginning! Don't give up on me, Please!!!

I love you all and look forward to reconnecting with y'all once again!!

13 Things Your Toddler Can Do But You Can't.... #7 gives me stage fright

Does any of this sound slightly familiar to the moms in the world?

Numbers 7 & 10 are my favorite!

Which one(s) made you giggle?

The demographic above was found in a Facebook post via unknown account. Photo originally belonging to NickMom

Do you ever feel slightly jealous over tasks & activities that you're no longer able to do... While the kids know no struggle.... Making mommy jealous while wearing one of those "Mean Girl" smirks that makes you start to wonder about the thoughts running through that tiny head of theirs. Something like: "I bet money she's thinking -Haha Mommy! I can do this but you can't!! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Or possibly "It's not my fault mommy can't fit in the park swings anymore... But I'm not complaining..."

Toddler vs Parent

The struggle is real!!!

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You may also be interested in:

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All opinions are my own and may differ from those of others.
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The "Love Yourself" Movement Giveaway - YOU ARE IMPORTANT!

*May contain affiliate links*

YOU ARE SPECIAL,

IMPORTANT & AMAZING!

*--------------------------------*

*LOVE YOURSELF*

10 Parenting Life Hacks to Help Ease Your SuperMom Brains

We should be allowed to add Super-Parent to our resumes since I'm sure that everyone will agree that it's one of the hardest jobs that we'll ever take on! Right? It's time to give those super-capes a break by trying out some of these neat parenting hacks while adding a bit of fun to our routines, for both mommy and child.

(1)

For better handwriting, send the kids out to play on the monkey bars!

(Source: www.movingsmartblog.blogspot.com)

(2)

Let the kids "join in" on your video gaming by giving them controllers that aren't hooked up! (My fiance and I use to do this with our girls all the time!)

(Source: www.lifehack.org)

(3)

Trace your child's feet onto a sheet of paper and keep it in your purse, no longer do you have to have your child with you when shoe shopping!

(Source: www.abeautifulruckus.com)

(4)

Freeze a pacifier in a bottle lid with water, juice, formula, etc to help sooth a teething baby.

(Source: www.buzzfeed.com)

(5)

Store your babies pacifier in little plastic containers with lids to help keep germs and dirt out of your child's mouth.

(Source: http://wonderfulengineering.com)

(6)

Make a few simple cuts to create the PERFECT SANDWICH!!!

(Source: http://news.distractify.com )

(7)

Turn your child's old crib into a new and useable desk! Isn't this absolutely wonderful?

(Source: http://news.distractify.com)

(8)

Attach a self-stick hook to the back of your toddler's high-chair to help you keep up with clean bibs.

(Source: http://www.lifehack.org)

(9)

Change up your punishing method a bit: Fill a bottle about 3/4 full with water. Add a bottle of glitter glue as well as ultra-fine glitter. Flip the bottle or give it a little shake. When the glitter settles... TIME-OUT IS OVER!

(Source: http://news.distractify.com)

(10)

Finally there's a solution to the waiting game of heating up more than one bowl in a regular sized microwave... USE A CUP!

(Source: http://www.emlii.com )

Disclaimer: This blog accepts compensation in the form of products and/or monetary for selected posts which will be labeled as sponsored. No matter the compensation, I only write about items and/or services that I have personal experience with and believe my readers will enjoy and/or benefit from. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of others.

This post may contain affiliate links.

View Full Disclosure for further details.

7 Week Old Baby Boy Hears the Voices of His Mom and Dad for the First Time

(This post may contain affiliate links. View Full Disclosure for further details.)

WARNING:

Guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes!

This is baby Lachlan.
He was born with moderate to severe hearing loss in both of his little ears. At age 7 weeks, he received his first set of hearing aids which gave his parents a moment they'll never forget...

Watch as Lachlan reacts to the voices of his mom and dad, it's a special moment indeed and I can't thank his parents enough for sharing their precious baby boy with us!!

Lachlan is now 2 years old and doing great!

Keep moving forward lil' man, your life is going to full of surprises and gifts and you deserve each and every one of them!

Disclaimer: This blog accepts compensation in the form of products and/or monetary for selected posts which will be labeled as sponsored. No matter the compensation, I only write about items and/or services that I have personal experience with and believe my readers will enjoy and/or benefit from. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of others.

Having a rough morning? (Quote)

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Good morning!!

I hope you have a wonderful, drama-free day!

"Having a rough morning? Place your hand over your heart. Feel that? That's called purpose. You're alive for a reason. Don't give up."

Disclaimer: This blog accepts compensation in the form of products and/or monetary for selected posts which will be labeled as sponsored. No matter the compensation, I only write about items and/or services that I have personal experience with and believe my readers will enjoy and/or benefit from. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of others.

View Full Disclosure for further details.

Turn Your Summer Memories into Life-Long Treasures with Blurb Travel Books

(Sponsored by Blurb)
**This post contains affiliate links which means that I may receive a small commission if a purchase is made after my links are clicked. View FTC disclosure for details.**

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Disclaimer: This blog accepts compensation in the form of products and/or monetary for selected posts which will be labeled as sponsored. No matter the compensation, I only write about items and/or services that I have personal experience with and believe my readers will enjoy and/or benefit from. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of others.

View Full Disclosure for further details.

This post may contain affiliate links.

#WednesdayWisdom - Today's Choices

#WednesdayWisdom

"The choices you make today mold more than just your tomorrow..."

Coming to the realization that you are the person you are today because of the choices than you made many years ago is quite mindboggling. It's not often that we think so far ahead that we know how one simple decision made today is going to change the person that we become 5 years from now. Believe it or not, but that's how our life works. Choosing to either walk away from a relationship or hold on tight can both open and close future doors of opportunity as well as choosing to take the path of kindness and honesty oppose to a path of secrets and lies. It's not often that we have the time or the strength to fully break each decision than crosses our path and many are made due to current feelings as well as current situations. Not having a clue in the world how our decisions will effect the future for years to come. My only thoughts about keep ahold of even the smallest amount of control is that we make sure the choices we make are the right ones for that moment. If your second guessing yourself then it's possible that the path taken may have curved a bit to the left without you realizing that such a small and overlooked task has changed you as person - even if the change is so small that no one notices but yourself...

So watch out for a forks in the road because the path not taken could of created a whole new you.

My #TuesdayThoughts about #Honesty

Life hasn't been too easy for me throughout the past 9 months. I've been through quite a bit on my journey including many struggles and even a victory here and there...

I've learned life lessons and found out who's true and who's fake.

During this time, my brain has been on overdrive, so many questions, so many thoughts... So I figured - Why not share those thoughts with all of my readers!? Maybe some of you can relate or maybe even shine some light on a subject that I may be struggling with!?

Sounds like fun huh?

I've decided to share a small thought that I'm sure you all have thought about yourselves....

Enjoy my #TuesdayThought about #Honesty

"Honesty is one of the hardest things to find these days, and even harder to keep hold of."

What do you think about today's random thought?

Have you had someone close to you break your trust by not being honest about something they did or said?

Do you have something else you would like to share about Honesty?

I'd love to here your thoughts a d opinions as well as stories! Let's get petsonal, if your up for it... I'm up for it! Share a small thought or story about Honesty and I'll let you in on how I came about learning just how hard it really is to hold on to honesty these days.....

Diary of a Blogger w/out internet ...

(2/1/2014 •°• 1:53pm)

Times are tough.
2013 ended with a boom and I'm still cleaning up the debris. Living with friends can be stressful but we're doing pretty good. Everyone has their own struggles and worries and have been dealing with them as best as they can. My main struggle is personal space and finding time for myself. I've always been a quite type of girl and enjoy my privacy. When you have 4 adults & 3 kids living in one home, it can get hectic. There have been many days where frustration has gotten the best of me and I've ended up getting a little ill at moments. Stealing a few minutes, sitting alone in the car while Alan and the girls are inside, is the only way I'm surviving my personal space issues. It's not perfect and would be better with internet, but it's better than nothing. Now if I could only find a way to enjoy some better "together time" then we'd be in business.

Alan works all the time and if it's not the kids who "hover" it's the roommates. A night, it's sleeping or silence. Something's gotta give...

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS - Survivor’s Guilt: A Ripple Effect of Domestic Violence

Survivor’s Guilt: A Ripple Effect of Domestic Violence

Why me?

This question normally fits into a context of… why did X bad thing happen to me? For me, it’s different. More of why was I spared from what could have been a very bad childhood environment when many others are not? It is a question I have wrestled with for years now, and one to which I cannot find an answer that resolves the question in my mind 100%.

It’s called survivor’s guilt, I’ve been told by a Psychologist friend. It’s ripple number one in my life and personal experience with domestic violence.

Hi, there.

My name is Anne and I normally write about food and share recipes on a food blog with my husband, professionally trained in Culinary Arts by Johnson and Wales University. We would love for you to stop by and peek at some of our recipes. Most are simple but with amazing flavor!

I’m excited to share with you today, though, some of my personal story in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. As someone whose whole life was impacted directly by the effects of domestic violence, I deeply appreciate Autumn shining the spotlight on this problem.

And it is a huge problem, with one out of three women having been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime, most often, by a member of her own family.

Consider a few more statistics from DomesticViolenceStatistics.org:

• Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten.
• Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.
• Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten.

It’s kind of ironic to me that Domestic Violence Awareness Month falls in the month of October because on October 1, I was born into a family that I would later learn was torn apart from the ripple effects of domestic violence. That would be ripple number two.

I was adopted as a 2-year-old. For as long as I can remember, I have always known I was adopted. My mom loves to tell stories about what a verbal, talkative 2-year-old I was. She tried to change my “go-by” name to the first name she gave me, but that didn’t work out. Every time she would call to me by that name, I would not respond. As soon as she called to me by the name I knew, Anne, spelled A-n-n pre-adoption, I answered right away.

I also always wanted to know more about my biological roots and the first two years of my life, at least from the time that I began to mature emotionally enough to grasp deeper meaning in it all. I was able to begin a search during my senior year of college, and over the course of a number of years, I learned lots of details and answers to questions I had always had.

About two years after my initial search and reunion with several birth family members, my foster parents and some friends of theirs that had considered adopting me and who had also prayed for me when my birth family tried to regain custody, I was devastated to learn about the years of abuse my birth-mother had experienced from her father. As difficult as that was for me, it has helped make sense out of some of the other experiences I have had during my lifetime.

The best example of this is there were two men I knew during my adolescent years around whom I always felt uncomfortable or uneasy, especially if I thought I might be alone in a room with them. At one point after discovering the history of abuse in my birth family, I sought counsel from the pastor of my church at the time, who had extensive family counseling experience. I was going through a lot of emotion in processing what I had learned.

When I shared with him about the uneasy feelings I had gotten around the two men earlier in my life, wondering if there could be any connection to my past, he explained to me about how the human brain stores memories, even those memories of events that happen before we are old enough to be able to recall specific, vivid memories. But when we get older, a sight, smell, sound, etc. may trigger the memory in a different way, such as through emotion we feel depending on what type of memory it was. He said this was likely what I was experiencing, that something about these men, perhaps a facial feature or a scent, reminded me of someone from a past experience.

Years after learning this, I was going through some photographs and found a picture of one of those men. I could not believe when I looked at that picture how much he looked like my maternal grandfather! It was a stark resemblance. I mean, I thought to myself… they could be related! Not that I thought that in a literal sense, but that is how much they looked alike to me.

This is another ripple effect, number three, of the domestic violence that occurred in my birth family, reaching into a third generation. There are numerous others.

But the biggest message that I want to communicate in sharing these very personal experiences is that domestic violence affects people beyond the victim.

Further evidence of this lies in what we know about the cycle of abuse. I also learned that my maternal biological grandfather himself had left home as a teenager and had been abused. So the ripple effects in my life actually stemmed from some source prior to the abuse in my biological family, and the more I thought about this, the more I realized that I probably would never know the answer to where the abuse actually started.

I was incredibly sad. I felt some sense of anger, but it was difficult to have one person to feel that anger towards. I know and strongly believe that people have to be responsible for their own actions and abuse can never be rationalized in any way. It is wrong no matter how you look at it.

But I also have some level of compassion for the abuser who was also victimized at some point in his life.

What if someone had found out he had been abused and got him “help”? Would the cycle have ended there?

The recent news of the three girls in Ohio who were held for ten years and abused by Ariel Castro was horrifying.

Cycle of Violence - (Photo Source)

Absolutely horrifying!

My heart goes out to those ladies. It is unimaginable what they went through.

I know that many people have strong feelings of judgment and anger against abusers, and rightly so. They take so much from their victims and what they do to them has a lifelong impact.

Yet, when Ariel Castro pled guilty, I was quite relieved that in doing so, he did spare the women from having to go through a trial. He spared society from all of the costs associated with it.

I’m sure he knew they had so much evidence against him, he did not stand a chance in a trial. But that does not stop most of the alleged perpetrators who put us through the expense and media circus resulting from those trials. I felt some appreciation that he chose not to go that route. It’s almost like the others want the “glory” of a trial, seeing their faces and names in the news.

When Ariel Castro made the statement that he was not a monster, but rather, sick, a part of me was thinking, Yeah, right. Anyone who abuses someone else is a monster, especially the way he did year after year to not one, but three girls. But then as I read more about his experiences as a victim earlier in life and his addiction to pornography, I had to agree with his statement that he was sick.

And again, I had to wonder… what if?

This is where I think Domestic Violence Awareness is so critical. I am not knowledgeable enough on the front of what to look for as signs of a child being abused, aside from the obvious signs of physical abuse, to address those in this article, but I beg those reading this who are working with children or teens to become knowledgeable and to be observant with the children/teens under your influence.

You never know when you might have an opportunity to help someone, to stop the cycle and to minimize the ripple effects of abuse in someone’s life. Or possibly saving someone’s life.

Visit Anne at The Saturday Evening Pot

Break the Silence - A Survivor's Story

My #PurpleRibbonAwareness Auction will go live on October 29, 2013 at 7:30pm EST on the Facebook page - The Realm of Freebies Deals and Fun
All proceeds will go toward Domestic Violence Services in North Carolina.
$4 shipping to US Only - Larger purchases may require a higher shipping cost.

I am a Survivor of Domestic Violence and this is my story...

Written By Danielle the Survivor

I left with my two young children (4 year old son and 4 month old daughter) from our abuser. I was with him since high school, for 9 years. We had our on and off periods, but stayed together for the last 5 years consecutively. The verbal and emotional abuse was ALWAYS there. But the physical started to show when I was just 8 months pregnant with our son. He slapped me. When our son was just over a year, he again got violent and treated me like a rag-doll.. in front of our son.. Common sense said to not fight back, play opossum so he would stop.. eventually he did. He was much larger than me. I was only 140lb at this time with him being around 300lb... Twice my size. There were a few other times that I was hit in the process that were claimed to be "accidents" but now I am not so sure... He was notorious for forcefully pushing his forward into mine, making me step backwards and yelling at me. It actually hurt. But their were other incidences that I cannot even remember.. one being in front of my parents where he pushed me into a wall... But the latest.. was just 3 weeks ago.. Started over nothing really. A bunch of BS. a pack of cigarettes. (for him, i quit smoking almost a year ago when i found out i was pregnant with my daughter who is 4 mo old now) After a loud verbal argument, he pushed me.. I pushed him back.. He grabbed me by my neck and pushed me to the wall. I got back up and he turned around as if to come back at me, and I went berserk. I started hitting him (but he was facing away from me) on the sides. Not hurting him.. I couldn't have. I have never been in a fight in my life.. I've never had to hit anyone.. I have always talked my way out of a situation. All I knew was I was upset BOTH of my children (my daughter being so young, and son witnessing so many times) watched this transpire and I was D.O.N.E. I called the police.. After I got off the phone with them and he found out they were coming he hit himself on the face, blacking his eye.. Blaming me.. He also stood over-top of my 4 year old son saying " Your Mommy is putting me in jail. You remember that. Mommy put me in jail." and then proceeded to call him " Mommy's little bastard " and "Mommy's little prick". The police arrived and separated us.. Each took our statements. He was arrested. They took pictures of a red mark/scratch on my neck. 

He post bail with the restrictions of No Contact or could return to our residence until after his court date Oct 1. (Which I moved out on Sept 30) and I have no idea what the result of his arraignment was. But I filed my EPO on Sept 25 (10 days after the incident..)

Many emotional roller coasters were ridden while he was in jail, and a lot of thinking was done.. I spoke with my mother who is also a survivor of domestic violence she has been my biggest support in all of this. I made the decision to leave and never look back. I do not regret it.. I instantly felt better. But the mental stress was still there and I had not realized it.. As I was moving out and smiling, I had a sore throat.. Within the next 24 hours I was extremely sick with an Upper Respiratory Infection and have developed Laryngitis. I have lost my voice.. Still no voice and struggling (Hard to live with 2 kids with no voice!) But I feel better.. About all the situation.. I have an EPO filed against him and have court on the 9th.. But I was just served yesterday with an EPO he filed against me.. FULL OF LIES!!!!! 

I was a Stay At Home Mom for the last 5 years. I am only 23 years old. I completed One Semester of College and have almost 5k in debt because of it. I do not have my license. I have 2 small children depending on me. It is very disheartening.. but I continue for my children. I continue on because I know there is more to Life than what I have been living. I continue on because of the feeling of inner peace I felt overcome me when I made my decision. 

I am a Survivor!

If you are in trouble and need help getting away from your abuser,
Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

Domestic Violence Awareness -- "I Got Flowers Today" - Poem

(Dedicated to Battered Women)

I got flowers today!

It wasn't my birthday or any other special day. We had our first argument last night; He said a lot of cruel things that really hurt; I know that he is sorry and didn't mean to say the things he said; Because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today.

It wasn't our anniversary or any other special day. Last night, he threw me into a wall and started to choke me. It seemed like a nightmare. I couldn't believe that it was real. I woke up this morning sore and bruised all over. I know he must be sorry. Because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today!

It wasn't our anniversary or any other special day; Last night he threw me into a wall and then started choking me; It seemed unreal, a nightmare, but you wake up from nightmares; And I woke up this morning sore and bruised all over—but I know he is sorry; Because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today!

And it wasn't Valentines Day or any other special day; Last night he beat me and threatened to kill me; Make-up and long sleeves didn't hide the cuts and bruises this time; I couldn't go to work today because I didn't want anyone to know—but I know he’s sorry; Because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today! And it wasn't Mother’s Day or any other special day; Last night he beat me again, and it was much worse than all of the other times;

If I leave him, what will I do?

 How will I take care of the kids? What about money? I’m afraid of him, but I’m too scared and dependent to leave him!

But he must be sorry; Because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today….

Today was a special day — it was the day of my funeral; Last night he killed me; If only I would have gathered the courage and strength to leave him; I could have received help from the Women’s Shelter, but I didn't ask for their help;

So I got flowers today—for the last time.

- Author Unknown -

Poem Source - Domestic Violence Angels on Facebook

Being a Survivor, I know the feelings that you go through when your being abused. It comes out of no where and even though that person just hurt you, they've been your "right-hand man" for years! Alot of times it takes alot for a woman to hit her breaking point. We can handle alot and we know what Love and Hatred looks like... We're not stupid, we're just scared, lost and alone. Most people ,who are being abused, just need someone who truly cares about them and shows that love on a daily basis. This person can be a friend, parent, family member... As long as she can trust someone and see that she is loved and needed in this world, She will Survive!

Domestic Violence Awareness - Speak Up - Guest Post

During Domestic Violence Awareness Month I've partnered up with Erin at 3SonsHaveI and have changed the focus of our blogs to help spread awareness for a very important cause, Domestic Violence Awareness! Erin was kind enough to share with us some information that may help someone get the help that they need. I hope you enjoy her guest post.

It is always hard for me to share these-but I saw this and had to! How could I not share?

This song and slideshow speaks the truth. You can see it in their eyes. Those were my eyes once and situations may change, but the horrible memories never go away...

You talk to your kids about drugs, sex and school - Have you talked to them about Domestic Violence? Odds are someone you & your kids know needs your help...

If you ever suspect anyone may need your help, speak up! Don't turn your back. I remember all those that turned their backs on me. I can't ever forget that. And I hold very close those who did and still do remind me they care...

The statistics for men who are abused are within 10% of women statistics. Educate yourself-hear the messages Amber and myself ( http://www.3sonshavei.com/ ) are telling you this month as our Blogs switch focus to Domestic Violence Awareness Month of October. Learn to see the signs, keep your eyes open to both Men & Women you know. You may get pushed away, you may feel like you are not being listened to, but you are heard! I can tell you from my own experience I heard every kind word, but my walls were built too high. It takes constant reassurance and words from friends to slowly chip the wall away. One day it will come down for them...just make sure it comes down because people cared, not because their life ended!

"It's hard to confront a man who is abusing his wife, but not nearly as hard as being his wife!"

What did you think about the video?

If you would like to Donate to the Domestic Violence Awareness Campaign on My Kind Of Introduction, Use the button below! All collections will be used to benefit Domestic Violence Services in North Carolina and are greatly appreciated!