Instagram, Goodbye!

So, I wasn't going to return to my blog until August or until school started, and I also planned to reduce or even limit my use of technology this summer. But, do I ever stick to goals? Not really.
I wanted to write a little update about my thoughts on instagram while still fresh in my mind.

I told myself I was never going to be a social media person. I said no to facebook for years, until finally joining, I said no to instagram until someone talked me into it.

I am easily persuaded by people, so I decided, why not.

Let me say this now, while pregnant, I am super duper emotional. Anything can tear me up. I am not normally that way. Pregnancy gets to my last nerve and the best way to sum up how I feel most during this time is I just crave a lot of caring people.  Normally I don't, but right now, I just want to feel someone cares, anyone! Is that a pregnancy thing or what, haha!

As I lay on the couch just crying my eyes out that nobody on instagram wants to to give me a chance, my visiting teaching pulled up. I opened the door with my eyes all puffy and teary. She asked if I was okay, I said, yes.  Again, normally, this kind of thing would not get to me so quick. I only gave instagram a chance for 3 days before calling it quits. I am such a quitter, I know!

I realize this is so immature for me to behave this way. My gosh, this isn't high school anymore. I know my ridiculously sensitive pregnancy hormones don't help right now.

One of my sisters had a birthday last month. I decided to do something extra special for her, so I made her a cake and frosting from scratch. Sunny and I spent a good portion of the afternoon prepping for this cake. My mom finally got ahold of her. She picked my mom up and took her to a big birthday celebration that her kids threw for her.  My mom told my sister that the cake i made for her was at the house and to come try some when the party was over. My sister never showed up, she never tried my cake I made for her, she never told me thank you. She ignored me. It got to me so hard that I am still so emotional about it. My best sister and this is how it goes.  It just saddens me full throttle right now.

I spent years of my teens babysitting for her, devoting my time to help her, cleaning her house, everything. I would do anything for her and always have. I was at her beck n call.  I have never done anything but help her in my life.  That is what hurts the most.


I am the type who really reaches out to people. I put my heart out a lot and try to get to know people and let people know I  care about them. By doing so, I know I am susceptible to getting hurt. I can't even tell you how many times my heart was broken in college by some guys or even some of my gal friends who I helped and helped but learned later they were only using me.
I get some people are not overly friendly back and so I draw away from them in fear of getting hurt. It's just who I am or have become.
 Why oh why does it bother me? Because we are supposed to be unified sisters in the gospel of Jesus Christ, a sisterhood, a support, a friend, someone who loves and cares about each other.
 I feel more sadness because of that very reason. A reason centered around some gravitating towards some, either by choosing to connect with them or not.

I believed instagram could be a way for me to have a support group, a mom group, anything. I love talking to people. It seems in our society, it is harder and harder to connect with people in real life. Technology and social media seem the root of all connection nowadays. Does this seem wrong? In some ways it's great, in others, not so great.

I was reading an instagram article. It pointed out do's and dont's of instagram etiquette. One thing that really stuck out to me was it mentioned followers.  Similiar to manners, it said if someone follows an individual,  that individual is really supposed to follow back. If they don't,  unfollow them.  Instagram should never be one sided.

Instagram proved to be a mistake in the long run. I can't control others, but I can control my reaction.  There is so much good out there and so much competition, I just felt my feed was a tiny needle in a HUGE haystack.  I suppose I could of given instagram a chance, read up more about how to get followers, but I can't even remember some of my friends last names now from my childhood.

How am I supposed to find anyone?. It just got to be too much, and quite frankly, It feels right not being involved with social media in such a way. My life feels lighter again. I don't feel the need to compare myself to others, I don't feel the need to take perfect filtered pictures, and I don't feel the need that I need to take pictures of interesting things, just to feel cool on there. I just like living my life simple. This feels right.
 I am a daughter of God and I know social media is just part of the plan to test our strengths and weaknesses on this earth.  I can't turn worldly, but I can turn more spiritual. Going to the temple with my husband, reading my scriptures every morning and daily prayer are my strengths and my focus now and I feel my greatest acceptance when I am closest to the Lord.

source for picture: http://feelgrafix.com/group/images-of-flowers.html

Sunny's 3rd Birthday

I never got around to sharing these photos.

Sunny's 3rd Birthday.

Sunny is such a cute 3 year old. Age 3 is a hard one, but a great one.  She is independent, sassy, defiant,  emotional, stubborn, picky, the list goes on.
But, don't we all carry these traits from time to time?   After all, life can be a challenge!
The saying goes,  "The days are long, but the years are short. "
  I love you Sunny Sophia Tracy.

Zero Technology Summer

So my friends and followers of this on and off blog I have had for almost 7 years now, I am going to be signing off for the summer and I wanted to say goodbye until fall. I feel it's a little more kind to give my readers a heads up, rather then just dissapear on here and leave people wondering what happened to me.

For quite some time, I have wanted to go technology free. It is so hard for me at times because I love to shop and browse online, I love to look at online recipe's, I love to look at pinterest occasionally, I love to catch up on facebook now and then (out of curiosity sake) and I love to email and connect with people. As a stay at home mom, the internet is like my social outlet if you will.

However, I need to connect with people in REAL LIFE. That means talking to people in person rather then via technology.  Internet leads to addictions anyway. I believe there should be a healthier approach to un-wire the brain and focus on what is here and now right in front of us.

I know a lot of people will miss me and wonder how my pregnancy is progressing.  I do plan to update on here with some maternity pictures towards the end of August (fall) when I will be almost ready to be due.

I am feeling great this pregnancy. I consider myself lucky this time to have had an actual cute baby bump really early on. With Sunny, I didn't show until about 7.5 months, seriously frustrating, and I was going through that self-concious thinking of "When people glance at me, do they know I am pregnant or do I look like a fat/bloated/unhealthy looking person." I hated that thinking.  However, this time around, people know I am pregnant. I have an obvious bump and I get questions of what I am due all the time.

This summer, I am going to be enjoying those baby kicks. I am one of those who LOVE, LOVE, LOVE BEING PREGNANT!!!!

So, thanks for reading. I will be starting my no-technology goal tomorrow. Wish me luck.  I will be spending my time time working on potty-training my toddler (She is doing very good by the way, trying to earn a new bike) finishing up house projects, such as painting the house, and harvesting some veggies and fruit.  We have a nectarine tree that is full of delicious fruit and I am eating about 10 of them a day. Can't wait until our grapes come in soon.

So that is all for now.See you in the fall and have a great summer ya'll.

7 Years

I am a little late in posting about our 7 year anniversary, but I can't believe how fast the years have gone by.

Here are a few pictures of us when we got married 7 years ago, just a few weeks later.

This was up in Brighton, UT. It is seriously the most breathtaking place I have ever been.  They have a ton of cabins you can stay in or a hotel that offers a bed n breakfast kind of thing. We made it a tradition to go up once a year when we lived in Layton, but now, I doubt we will ever go again.  Great memories though.

I believe that every year of marriage, you grow a deeper bond with your spouse. Rodney has been by my side through the hardest of times. He helped restore my faith through our times of trial, and he has continued to be my better half through our marriage. He is dedicated in service, his church callings and is the hardest worker I know.  He also manages money better then anyone I ever met. He worked since age 15 and is skilled in more areas then I comprehend.

Happy Anniversary my love, here's to many more!

Potty Training Update

 Sure there are tougher days then others, but I never thought it would take this long for Sunny to use the potty consistently.

I decided I needed to let go of my fears of mess around here. And by mess, I mean getting used to cleaning pee/poop off the carpet.  It wasn't something I was ready for.  Our carpet is a little over a year old. I like to keep it clean.

A few days ago, I decided that she would need to go naked or wear underwear around here. No more pull-ups around the house. 

Let's just say there's been a lot of accidents.  I fear the pooping the most, but so far, the pee has not been too bad.  A little vinegar and scrubbing works wonders.

She has been going on the carpet and refusing to run to her potty on several occasions.  

I am using a reward system.  I offer things she loves, but it hasn't been enough to excite or motivate her.

I decided to be that mom who uses TV as a reward only, I didn't think I would ever do that, but she no longer can watch any show unless she uses the potty.  So far, still not enough of a motivator.

This has been tough.

I had a heart to heart talk with her and and asked her, "Why won't you use the potty?"

She replied, "It has to be a Minnie Mouse potty"

My first thought was what a total waste of money for me to toss out her perfectly fine potty that I bought long ago, only to trade it in for a Minnie one.

I decided to check out Walmart first.  There on the shelf sat three Minnie Mouse potties that also sang songs and other shabang.  It came with a cost of 25.00. Oh brother.

I put the potty in the cart and then stopped to think.  "Why am I doing this?" She already has a potty, what if the novelty of a new one wears off, and she stops using it."

Then I came up with the brilliant idea of purchasing Minnie Mouse stickers and placing them all over her potty. So that is what I did.

Did it work?  Nope.

I then tried some potty training books. She still refused to go.

My sister suggested I use a chart and place a star next to it each time she uses the potty. So that is where we are at.  I am not sure this will work either.

For those wondering if Sunny understands how to use the potty, she does.  It is just a refusal phase she is going through. She loves wearing a diaper/pull up because I suppose she feels secure in them and can't deal with change.  Sunny does use the potty without being asked, first thing in the morning, but after that, it all goes out the window from there.

I guess Heavenly Father is really testing my patience right now.  I haven't gotten angry over the accidents (unless it's poop, that is a different story) but it's more about finding out what works and what doesn't.

Sunny is growing up/House Arranging/Newly Planted Trees

Today, I dropped Sunny off at her friend's house.  This was the first time ever that Sunny has played at a friends house without me. Usually, I have friends over, but today, I was going a little crazy cleaning and organizing and vintaging (is that a word) my home.  I got my new crochet table cloth today and after washing it, I put it on a little table next to my front door.  I love any kind of accent item in my house, and this really works well next to my lace curtains.

My house is a work in progress, but it is getting there.

So, after leaving her at said friend's house, who only lives a few houses down, I felt a little empty.  I am so used to my little sidekick around. How am I going to handle it when she starts pre-school? I realized I take for granted our days together, and with her gone today, I just wanted her back.

But I know this socialization is good for her and she is entering new chapters in her life. Plus, I got a lot of stuff done around the house. Yeah!!

Here are a few pictures of some updates around our house, including our new trees we planted. One apple, and one Arizona Ash to go along with our peach trees. I think taking pictures of a tree when they are first planted is important to look back on one day. Trees change and grow so fast.

Sunny's current pictures.  Below are pictures of my rearranged house, and evidence that my house can actually look somewhat organized some days.

                  Newly planted Arizona Ash tree

                 Peach trees planted in March

                mail package today, my new crochet table peice. Love the vintage look it gives my home.

While my house is mostly full of messes, today I got a lot done. Hopefully my house will stay this nice the next few days.

Current Favorites

During pregnancy,  I struggle being comfortable.  Sleeping is difficult,  eating is difficult (due to gagging often on certain foods that I used to love), back pain is constant, and temperature sensitivity is all the time.  Hormones and a shift of gravity putting pressure on back and spine are common culprits during pregnancy.

I decided it's time to invest in items to help me feel a bit more comfort.

For too long, I have worn shoes with no arch support. This is especially not good during pregnancy.  The time finally came for new comfort, versatile shoes.  While searching, I came across many flashy, bright sneakers, something I just can't wear with everything.

While looking online at J crew,  one of my favorite shops in the history of ever, I found the shoes I feel i've searched forever for, as well as a few other things I purchased. Must be pregnancy doing this to me, but I went a bit crazy shopping.

Note: I don't do sponsored posts (maybe in the future), but am sharing just for the purpose of sharing, the stuff I bought since it's been a long time since I've bought anything.

                        These are the New Balance for J. CREW sneaker. Absolutely adorable.  love the vintage look of them and according to reviews, they are very comfortable.  They are on backorder until September,  so I'll have to wait.

                      These Sea Vees Legend vintage sneakers are selling out fast at j. Crew, and I am glad I got these before they were gone. I love the comfort of them and they go with everything. Perfect pregnancy and post  shoe. Wish I just had them at Disneyland a few weeks ago.

       I love t-shirts and anything basic. I was able to snatch this Sailboat dyed tee at the 40% off during the big jcrew sale.

 I spied this on Amazon and couldn't resist it. It's the crochet tablecloth and hopefully its still available.  I am really into the vintage theme for my home with a touch of the farmhouse going on.

I am a tad obsessed with these chicken wire baskets.  I have quite a collection going on. I store books, toys, laundry,  etc in them. I get mine at Tj Maxx

 the Liz Lange collection of maternity dresses. I love striped clothing and saw this at Target in the maternity section about two months ago. I just checked and its still available online in solid and striped colors. Just size down one whole size. It is so light and comfortable. I have even slept in it. Whoops.

The pregnancy pillow.  These are easy to find. This particular one is from Walmart. I can't say enough about the support they give.

So there are my summer, pregnancy splurges. I know I will get tons of use out of each of these items.