Thursday, April 24, 2014

Looking for Windows


I opened the windows today. There is a light breeze coming in the house and the sound of birds chirping. It's finally spring, and I'm enjoying the warmer weather and watching the flowers bloom. My week has been stressful, so I'm savoring this open window time.

Last Saturday, we were visiting family for Easter, and my youngest son, Liam woke up at 3 am coughing. It was the dreaded barking croup cough. He was weezing and struggling to breathe. We have dealt with croup before, so we knew a trip to the ER was in order. We were 3 hours from home. We drove to the regional hospital in the area. The wait times were long and my nerves were shot. My son finally got the medicine he needed plus a chest x-ray, and friendly visits by the nurses. Unfortunately, the doctors were few and far between and seriously understaffed. Finally, 4 hours later and with an inhaler and spacer in hand we were released from the hospital.

We went back to my husband's Aunt's house. Besides a yucky cough, you would have never known Liam had been in the hospital earlier. He was back to running and playing with his brother. The Easter egg hunts we had planned on taking the boys were rained out. It literally rained the entire day. Two boys stuck inside and two overly tired parents don't make a good combination. We napped when we could and had pizza and chicken nuggets for dinner.

I was emotionally and physically exhausted. I went to bed praying for sunshine and health. The next morning, I woke up. I squinted my eyes and looked to the window. The sun was big and bright and shinning in my window. I looked through the window and saw plentiful green grass and the cutest gazebo with a swing in the middle. It was so picturesque, it could have been a postcard of a lovely park, yet it was a backyard carefully designed by a talented landscaper.

I thanked God for this beautiful window view and my son sleeping peacefully through the night. I felt like God was telling me to start looking for these "windows" throughout my day. Not all my days are sunshine and flowers, but these "windows" will sustain me through the thunderstorms.



While my youngest recovers from his cough and croup, we've been trying to do less which means not going to the gym this week. It's been hard, the gym is where I find peace and unstress, but I found some at-home windows to get my workouts in.

I set-up my own circuit in my driveway while my son got some fresh air. I did four sprints around the cul-de-sac, jumped rope, squats, lateral raises, and leg extensions. It felt great exercising outside and Liam wasn't exposed to any extra germs.



So when the dark clouds roll in and it begins to rain, I hope you will look for the windows. They might not open right away, but just wait they will.


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Saturday, March 15, 2014

Inspired: Small Victories Sunday

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Welcome to our Small Victories Sunday Linky!

This week, I am co-hosting the Small Victories Sunday linky with Tanya from Mom's Small Victories. The Small Victories Sunday Linky is a way to share the small victories you celebrated with other readers this week. Whether it's a fabulous book you read, a recipe your family loved, a home organizing project that you completed, a goal you accomplished, or an awesome old or new blog post you wrote, Small Victories Sunday is the chance to share positive, uplifting and inspiring posts.

Follow our Hosts:

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Follow Rachel at FitTriangleMom: Facebook


Follow Tanya at Mom's Small Victories: Subscribe / Facebook / Google + / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter


This Week's Featured Blogger:
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I'm happy to announce, my Featured Blogger for this week is Love Food, Will Share. Cooking is not one of my strong suits, so I was drawn to this post about an easy slow-cooker bbq beef recipe. The step-by-step directions and pictures will help the not-so much cooks ace this recipe. I'm excited to try making the bbq beef and surprising my meat and potatoes husband with a dinner worth eating, maybe even savoring.



Feel free to grab the Featured Blogger button for your blog and share your good news! Be sure to visit Tanya to see which blogger she featured and whose post earned the most views this week.


My Weekly Recap:



I had a busy and tiring week. My husband was in Vancouver for work and my boys and I missed him terribly. I am thankful he doesn't travel often, but when he does it's tough. I think I heard "Daddy is better" and "I love Daddy more" about 100 times. I don't want to knock my sons' love for their Daddy, but it can get annoying. Anyway, I found creative activities to keep my Daddy boys busy and accompanied, and by the end of the week I got a big hug and an affirmation that "I love you and Daddy the same."






Fun Activities

  • Fed the ducks at Bond Park in Cary
  • Went to the Dollar Tree. Each boy got to pick 2 items. A got bubbles and mini pool set and L got a frog balloon and police helmet.
  • Had dinner at Firehouse Subs on Wednesday (Did you know that 2 kids can eat free with a paying adult  plus the boys enjoyed getting fire hats).

My Accomplishments

  • Went to the gym 4-days this week. Found new workouts on Instagram @the_perfectworkout that left me sore!
  • Spoke with 3 potential fitness and women's health providers about partnering with FitTriangleMom.
  • Prepped clothing and decor to consign for the Designer Consignors consignment sale. 
  • Volunteered with my son's preschool's walk-a-thon
  • Found added inspiration for my book


Thankful

  • So thankful my husband came home safely from his trip.
  • Very Thankful for warm, sunny days (I'm a flip-flop girl).
  • Thankful for God's love and the 3 cute guys He put in my life.



Now It's Your Turn to Share Your Favorite Posts and Small Victories!

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Linky Rules:

    • Follow Tanya and I so you stay informed of Small Victories Sunday updates and posts shared throughout the week.
    • Grab the Small Victories Sunday button and place it in your sidebar, linky page or the post you are linking up.
    • Share up to 3 of your favorite family-friendly blog posts you want to share. Enter your link below and let's celebrate our small victories together!
    • Visit as many of the other participants as you can and cheer them on. Please visit at least 2 others for every link you enter.
    • By linking up, you are giving Tanya and I permission to share your post on my social media pages to let others know of your awesomeness too!
    • By linking up, you are giving Tanya permission to email you notifications when the linky is open. You can unsubscribe to emails at any time.
    • Spread the word! The more you share about the linky, the more visitors you will get to your content too.
    • Stop by our Small Victories Sunday Linky Board on Pinterest and like and repin the posts to your boards.
    • Need inspiration? Click here for Small Victories writing prompts, but the sky is the limit.
    • Interested in Co-hosting? Send Tanya an email at tanya{at}momssmallvictories{dot}com.





Linking this post up with these other fabulous linkies too:

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SundayPost
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