Wow Where Has The Time Gone!

I can't believe last time I blogged was over 2 months ago! So much has happened and life has been very crazy in those 2 months. Little Miss is teething and crawling, I have fibromyalgia which really sucks when you live in a moist, cold state. I have been working hard as a mom. My hubby is working lots and hard. I guess to me it feels like it's been busy and crazy but it's really been the normal daily, boring life of a SAH mom. :)
There are two excepts to the normal daily grind; in the last two months we celebrated my hubby's 30th birthday and we also celebrated our anniversary. Hooray for us! I have a little one getting into trouble so I must run! I must say though I am SO excited for Spring & Easter. I think Easter is my favorite holiday after Christmas. Have a wonderful day and I will try to write a little more frequently!

Today I Feel Like I Woke Up In Oz.

As many of you are aware, Washington has been hit this last week with a HUGE snow/ice/wind storm (which seemed to have lasted the whole week)! We were very fortunate not to have lost power or had a tree land on our home, though we have several close calls. It is amazing to me how much damage weather can cause. Here are some photos in front of our house of the damage:

As you can see it's been a close call! I am so thankful for our friends up here helping us out including our home teacher Travis! Luckily the storm is over and clean up is being. One thing I'm not liking is living in a place that we can't clear away the branches ourselves (which means it will be here a few days). This has been a very interesting experience; not leaving home because impassable roads, falling branches, falling ice chunks & even if you got out where would you go with the power out to over 250,000 people around you?
But with all the bad there has been good. My hubby was home pretty much all week. We found Little Miss has her first tooth and she is crawling! It has been fun watching movies and making dinner together as a family.
Now with hubby back to work it seems like last week was surreal except when I look outside and then I feel like I am in the land of Oz.

New Start To A New Year

As you probably have noticed, I have changed a few things with my blog. Firstly I am now going with the name on my blog; Learning Ranch because I love learning and I think it will be easier to share names with my actual website name. I have also changed my background and have gotten rid of my blog button. The button may come back at some point but right now I am too busy (and lazy) to make a new one.
Things have been crazy the last month with Christmas, traveling, and one sick baby and then all of us. I am very excited about the beginning of this new year and feel it is a unwritten chapter just begun. I feel empowered and capable of accomplishing my goals. I feel alive and excited.
Normally I am not into the whole New Year's resolution but I decided to make some goals for this coming year anyway. Here are some of my goals;

• Make more things homemade. (This includes food, household products, and crafts.)
• Work on getting out of debt.
• Go through the temple and be sealed to my amazing husband this SPRING! (I plan on talking about my faith on here soon. I am LDS or Mormon.)
• Start some family traditions!
• Help out people more.
• Listen better.
• And be ME more.

I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas and have thought about goals for the New Year! Let's all make a fresh start! Here are some picture's from Christmas! :) Enjoy!

{Me & hubby}

{Little Miss}

{Our hooligans}

{Silly family!}

{My family whom I love so much!}

Ok I Lied!

I have been looking at old pictures of me and I have decided it is time to get back into shape and I am going to blog about it! Hooray!

{Before}

{Now}

New drive and encouragement! The goal; to be back in a size 4 pant by summer time! As of tonight I am giving up;

• soda
• chips
• cookies
• ice cream
• pizza
• corn dogs
• fast foot
• french fries
• fish sticks

These foods make me sick and unhealthy! Here is what I will eat instead;

• carrots
• yogurt
• oatmeal
• milk
• apples
• whole grains
• salad

I want to be healthy again so bad. And I can do it! We will see how it goes...

Taking A Break From Blogging

I won't be blogging for awhile. I need a break from having one more thing to worry about. Also have a ton going on this holiday season. Wishing you all a happy holidays and Merry Christmas!

Why Stay At Home Moms Rock!

I have heard a lot lately why being a working mom is so great and I think it's about time someone says why staying at home is great. I am not saying working moms are horrible and should stay home. I understand that it is an individual choice. I am just sharing why I love staying home with my kiddos.
I love being at home with my daughter. We have so much fun together. I am not the perfect mom. Here is a list (and they are all true) of why I love staying at home with my kids:

• I can stay in my comfy warm jammies all day (I do this more than I like to admit).
• I can nap when baby naps.
• I always have time for crafts.
• More time to clean the house.
• I can help out others more.
• I get to greet my hubby home for lunch and after work!
• I get to see Little Miss achieve all her big and small milestones.
• I get to raise her the way we want and not hope she learns what I want from a daycare.
• No one can care and love my baby like me which makes me feel good when I am stressed.
• I can cook and bake all day long.
• I get to chat with people who I would otherwise have little time to talk to.
• I can focus on my family more.
• Even when money is tight, we are happier for me being at home taking care of things.
• I actually have more me time and can develop myself as a person.
• No work stress!
• No commute.
• No work drama.
• I can kiss and soothe baby's ouchies.
• I am covered in "baby-loving"
• I am relearning how to see the little wonders in life.
• I get a workout just carrying baby.

There are 100s of reasons why being a stay at home mom rocks! I think we need to validate stay at home moms who sacrifice their wants for their children. Again I am not saying working moms are selfish or horrible but I do think we should praise both sides of the fence. I grew up with my mom working. She had to help provide for our family while my dad went back to college. She sacrificed what she wanted to take care of our family. It was hard growing up with her gone and exhausted all the time but she still loved me and taught me many invaluable lessons. Being a mom is tough period. Any mother who puts her wants aside to care for her family should be acknowledged. Thanks to all the moms who have influenced my life; working or staying at home, you guys are great!

Out Fishing

Ok I haven't been out fishing but I have been dealing with a very cranky daughter and a husband getting ready for military stuff plus add in all the holiday decorating, card sending, picture taking and you have my life right now. I am also working on a wall hanging quilt as my present to my husband. Here it is all laid out ready to be sewn:

{Bet you can't tell what colors our room are!}