MWW- Being real in your struggles

Today I am struggling... 

-struggling not to freak out when MK runs to me this morning with a handful of poop that she collected from her diaper

-struggling not to compare my body, my home, my parenting to all the other "perfect" moms around me

-struggling with people pleasing when it comes to disciplining my daughter- I want her to like me, I don't want to be the strict mom even though I know discipline is critical

-lastly and most vulnerably, I am struggling with trusting God and his timing. 

I am gone back and forth about whether or not I should blog about this. I feel silly sometimes that our story isn't as painful, or as long or as "whatever" as someone else. But, I have learned that no two journeys are the same and that's God's intention! So, I hope that maybe my realness will encourage you to be real in your struggles. I'm not looking for sympathy- I don't need it! I am thankful for my journey because Jesus is meeting me in it and making himself known to me in incredible ways through it. 

For the past 7 months (8 cycles) God has given me an opportunity to trust Him ways I would never choose for myself or even have thought would be in my story. We got pregnant with MK the first month we tried, we are healthy and young... why wouldn't it happen right away for us again? I had friends getting pregnant left and right, it seemed to be in the water... why not me? 8 mornings over the past 7 months I have stood in the shower sobbing and crying out to the Lord "I don't understand why it's not time for us, but I trust you." My comfort is that I know that my God is for me, He loves me, and He wants the best for me. He is faithful- it's His character and He can't be anything different than who He is. He humbles me when He speaks to me in His word that I don't and can't understand His timing and His purpose... and maybe I never will. I am resting in Him today... but that's easier said than done. My mind is all over the place- "Why not this month? What could I have done differently? What can we try next month to give us a better chance? What's wrong with us?" I am trying my hardest to shut those thoughts out with one "His will, not mine." And when I say I'm struggling, I am hard core struggling. I am battling anger, bitterness, self-pity, jealousy. It's a hot mess up in my mind today but I am thankful that my God doesn't leave me in this struggle. Nope, He's right there in the middle constantly reminding me of his faithfulness. Thank you Lord! 

So, there you go... a little dose of honestly today! This is me in all of my rawness and pain and uncertainty and insecurity. I know I am not alone in my struggle to trust in the Lord... maybe it's fertility, maybe it's finances or your marriage or your children or your job or an illness. Be real about where you are with the Lord, He already knows your thoughts and feelings, but He wants to hear you tell Him. He loves you and wants you to know His peace. 

Love to you all... I promise I'll post something fun and not so serious soon! 

K. Vog

Maddie- 18 months update!

I know this is a week and a half late, but I wanted to wait for MK's 18 month check up to give you a complete update on her!

Dr. appointment update:
Stats:
Weight- 34 inches (95%)
Height- 26lb 13oz (85%)

MK at Dr. Hayes office on Friday- just chilling in a diaper reading a book! 

Dr. Hayes was slightly concerned that she's been dropping on her weight curve over the past few months, but she is eating very well and is very active, so I am not too worried. Other than that, she said Goo girly was very healthy and on tract developmentally! MK got her last shot for 2 1/2 years, that makes both mommy and Maddie happy!

Development-
Maddie's vocabulary is exploding. I'm not into "counting" words, because I feel like that just fuels comparison between moms and I hate that, but she does know a lot! Her favorite word as of lately is "no!" And it's a very sassy no. She is very sweet (most of the time!) and says "thank you" when I give her things and "bless you" when I sneeze or cough. I think Sesame Street has really help increase her vocabulary because we talk about the characters and the words on the show and in her books. She knows Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie, Grover and Abby. She also knows the number 2 and she can sing the tune of the alphabet song. We work on her letters during bath time with the foam bath letters.

Mk's favorites at 18 months:
-Elmo!
-Her lovies and blankets in her bed
-Mandarin oranges
-Her best friends Mckinley (aka "keey, keey") and Ava
-Face timing with Gigi and Poppy- she now gets very upset if I am talking on the phone and she can't see who I'm talking to!
-The word "no"

We have some goals/things we're excited for in the next 6 months:
-working on potty language and continue to move towards potty training
-getting our discipline routine down and being consistent in discipline
-Moving towards graduating from a crib to a toddler bed (prob closer to 2 years old than now)
-growing MK's vocabulary
-visiting the zoo in the spring
-going on a family vacation just the 3 of us (location and date TBA!)
-Gigi and Poppy coming to visit at the end of March

Mike and I had a discussion a couple nights ago about getting on the same page about discipline. Maddie is definitely testing the limits so we need to get ready! I feel like I've been parenting re-actively lately and I want to be as proactive a parent as possible with an 18 month old. It was a wonderful discussion and we both felt comfortable with the plan we have come up with- with a lot of equipping from books, church and wise friends.

I cant believe I have an 18 month old! She is growing up way too fast, and definitely not a  baby in more but a full blown toddler!

Love you precious Goo-Girly more than anything on this earth (with the exception of dada!).

Love,
The Vogs

MWW (on thurs!)- I declare today, a stay at home day!

Remember last week’s MWW? Well, due to our crazy schedule, I have declared today a “stay at home” day. We will stay in our yoga pants and t-shirts, no make-up and a pony tail. We will play, relax, read books, take naps and maybe get a few projects done. 

MK relaxing while watching Elmo this morning!

We are also working on discipline in our house, so tonight Mike and I are having a pow wow on how we want to discipline our daughter and to get on the same page. I’ll let you know how it goes, my heart is so sad that we are finally at this stage… but also I see this stage as so critical for me to guide and “train up” MK. Prayers would be greatly appreciated!

“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)

Love, 

The Vogs

Get organized... a collaboration with twinny!

Getting Organized!!

** I'm so excited to introduce my twin sister, Vicky, who is going to be a guest poster on "A Baby Changes Everything". Vicky lives in Los Angeles with her husband of three years, Matt. She is in PA school and Matt is in seminary. Vicky will be guest posting for a while as we test out a potential combined twin blog...stay tuned! In the mean time, enjoy reading her little nuggets of wisdom about organizing, life as  PA student, and what its like to live as a "newlywed" in Cali! **

Vicky, Maddie, and Me in Florida, July '11.

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One of my goals for this year is to get organized. I’m not one of those people who needs the house to cleaning-lady spotless (although a cleaning lady would be nice at times...), but I do like my little one bed-room apartment to be tidy. My husband and I live in Los Angeles and have learned to live in some tight quarters. I have never been one for clutter but living in 900 square feet makes me extra anti-clutter :) Over the last year I’ve made many trips to Ikea to buy shelves, bins, and containers to hold shoes, books, and odds and ends. But, there were three big projects I wanted to tackle: 1) the pots and pans cupboard, 2) bathroom drawers, and 3) my underwear/bra/sock drawer. 

So as soon as my birthday money came in the mail I headed out to two of my favorite stores, World Market and The Container Store, and got organized!

1) Pots and Pans

I love to cook. I love trying new recipies and using every pot/pan/applicance in the kitchen (my poor husband – the “dishwasher”). But my biggest pet peeve is having to pull every pot and pan out of our tiny cupboard in search of the one pan that’s made its way to the dark, dusty back corner. 

  
Before:

Chaos! 

And After:

Supplies:

• Corner Organizer Rack $8.99 – I flipped this one on its side and used it to stack my baking sheets. To stabilize the rack, place a small screw at the top of the rack. This helps it from tipping over, especially if you have heavy baking sheets.
• Large Cabinet Shelf $6.49 – I order to keep my pots and frying pans separate I staked my large and small frying pan on top of the shelf, all of my pots on the side, and lids underneath. Cooking is so much more enjoyable now that my pots and pans are organized!

2) Bathroom Drawers

If you were to open my bathroom drawers a few weeks ago it would look like a bomb exploded. Our drawers are wide (13”) and deep (19”) so no matter how nicely you put things away they were constantly shifting. Matt has the top drawer (even though I’d practically taken it over at this point), I had the middle drawer, and hair necessities were in the bottom. 

Before:

After:

 

Supplies:

• Linus Deep Drawer Organizers (various sizes) $3.49-$8.99 – Visualizing the items that you want in each drawer can help determine the depth and width of the compartments you want. For example, I knew that I needed a large compartment to hold my blow dryer and straightner. **Tip: measure your drawers before you shop and bring a tape measure to the store. I laid out different containers and measured them to make sure they would be a perfect fit. 

3) Panty/Bra/Sock Drawer

After one too many times of rummaging through a mound of socks, sports bras, undies, and bras to look for that one pesky sock I decided it was time for a drawer make-over.

Before:

After:

 

 

Supplies:

• Boxer & Brief Boxes Clear Pkg/2 $6.99 – These clear boxes come in different sizes and I chose the “boxer and brief boxes” because they were the largest. These boxes are made from a thin plastic and required a little bit of assembly before they’re ready for use. I have four boxes, one for bras, one for undies, one for socks, and one for sports bras. I had so much extra room in my underware drawer that I decided to move my jewelry basket into the drawer. 
• Jewelry tree (World Market) $19.99 – This is probably my favorite purchase of the day! I’ve been wanting a fun way to display my earring for a while and love the look of jewelry trees. 

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So get out there and get organized!! You don't have to break the bank to do it either. Focus on one project at a time -- I would suggest starting with a drawer or cupboard that you use the most. And don't forget to bring your tape measure with you. Most importantly, have fun!!

XOXO,

Vicky

Catching up and a long overdue MWW!

Hello all, I am so sorry it's been so long. We've been crazy over here in the Vog house. I haven't had a low-key weekend at home for almost a month and I am in dire need of one. So, my mommy wisdom today is to SAY NO! It's something I need to do for myself and our family. I am overbooking my schedule these days. Everything I am booking is great, relational, eternally investing things, but I feel like my family and my house is getting cheated. Someone yesterday reminded me that we cheat something every day. Well folks, I've been cheating my family and my home. It's time to start saying no to things, even if they are wonderful things, because I've gotta get my priorities straight! Those are:
1. My relationship with Jesus- often cheated due to whatever lame excuse I can muster up (lack of sleep, no time)
2. Mike
3. Maddison and future kiddos
4. Myself
5. Family/community group/best friends
6. My home- being majorly cheated these days... my sink is overflowing the dishes and you can't see my bedroom floor today... just being honest!
7. Outside the home activities

So, there you have it! Simple as saying "no"... actually, it's not that simple at all for this people pleaser! I'll let you know how it goes.

Now to catch up on our lives! Here are the highlights:

-Two weekends ago my twin came in for a golden birthday/college reunion trip to Waco. We had a blast reliving the good old college days and catching up with our great college friends. I adore my twin and am always sad to see her leave... one day we will live next door to each other, but right now that's not in the cards!

Beautiful Baylor

Love these girls and so thankful for a weekend with them! 

-The weather here last week was gorgeous, so MK and I spent a lot of time at the park- one of her favorite things!

- Yesterday was Mike's 26th birthday and Valentines day. Mike always know how to make his girls feel loved!

An orchid for mommy and a rose of Maddie!

Not sure of what to think about this flower from daddy!

Love,
The Vogs

MWW: Get away and Be Yourself!

So, the first piece of mommy wisdom is get away! It is essential to your mental sanity and the health of your relationship with your husband and kids to have some alone time. You give and give and give all day, and in order to keep giving, you must be filled up! For me that looks like time with just me and Lord every day while MK is napping, putting MK in childcare at the gym 3+days a week to take a yoga or Zumba class, grabbing coffee with a girl friend while Mike watches MK, date nights with my hubby, and this last weekend it looked like going to Hawkins, TX with 500 of my closest girlfriends from Watermark! The Watermark women’s retreat was fantastic, refreshing, rejuvenating and growing. I bonded with my community group girls in a deeper spiritual way as we talked about the struggles of being wives, moms, employees and daughters of the King. I am so glad I took the time to fill myself up this past weekend. Don’t feel guilty that you are taking yourself away from your kiddos and husband to be filled up, they will survive without you and they will be blessed by a rejuvenated you! Even if it’s a 10 minute stroll around the block- get away and refuel!



Confession: I'm not a perfect mom! Point and case? I couldn't figure out for the life of my how to turn this picture around in Blogger... UGH!



One thing that I took away from the retreat was about the importance of just being myself- my second mommy wisdom for this weds. The speaker this weekend talked about taking off the masks that so many of us wear. Masks that we want the world to see, a persona that we portray. My mask is “the perfect mom” mask (among many, many, many others!). I try my hardest to make sure people think that I’ve got this mothering thing down. When, in fact, I do not! So, in an effort to take of my mask, I am going to be real. I am not a perfect mom. I lose my patience, get angry, am lazy, get annoyed. Sometimes MK watches TV (gasp!), sometimes she doesn’t eat a vegetable at dinner, sometimes I’ve let her cry just 10 minutes longer in the morning cause mommy is exhausted, sometimes MK walks around all day with a crusty bugger nose because it’s not worth the fight. I think us moms try so hard to let the world know that we are perfect moms because we as moms are so critical of other moms. You’ve been around those moms who never have a nice thing to say about how someone else is raising their kids. “Oh, I would never let my baby cry.” “Oh, if your baby was only on a schedule…” “You only breastfed for 2 weeks?” “My son has never watched TV.” “If only you would have had a natural labor and delivery, you would have had the perfect birth experience.” “You vaccinate your kids?” Come on moms; let’s give each other some slack. Let’s let moms be real. No one is perfect! Give your fellow moms the benefit of the doubt. Let’s celebrate every mom’s decision to choose what is best for her child, because for the most part, you know what’s right for your children. And let’s be honest, a little TV/formula/crying/crusty bugger/epidural is not gonna kill them! :)



MK watching Elmo... proof!



Hope you can find freedom from the energy wasting, time sucking masks in your life!

Love,

K Vog