Mommy Ramblings: I've Had Better Weeks

Hi!! I'm glad this week is over and we've moved into the weekend. If you've had a week like mine then you too are grateful that the work week has come to a close and you can now enjoy time at home. I want to keep everything in prospective from this past week, so bear with me for a minute. What I've learned from this week...there will never be enough hours in the day to get everything done; your boss (no matter how dumb) is always right and you just gotta roll with that; and, I need to work out more to work out the stress!!

As always I look forward to time with my kids in the evenings, I didn't get that this week. I worked a 14 hour day on Wednesday trying to clean up messes that have been an ongoing problem in the office. We are moving into trial season (ugh) and the month of August is going to be just as stressful as June was and now July. I hope that those I love will be there to inspire, encourage and root me on through the next few months.

I'm excited to be blogging today! I woke up this morning with the mindset I had at the end of June...I'm going to try and be the best person I can be! Just because this week I didn't get to make dinners, clean my house or do fun family things with my kids doesn't mean that I can't start over today!! Hopefully you all will agree with me that just because 5 out of 7 days have been less than ideal, doesn't mean that the days ahead have to carry the weight from days past.

And now I must get some laundry done and get in a quick shower. I've had better weeks, but I'm not going to let it ruin the weekend! We are taking the kids to see Rio 2 at the Grand Sierra in a few hours and tonight I'm having a date with my husband! Ashley is baby-sitting so the boys will be HEAVEN!! I can't wait to reconnect with Trevor and put this week behind us. I've missed him, even though he has been right here! Somewhere in there I've got to get this house cleaned, grocery shopping done and things planned for next week!!

xoxo

Lazy Summer Nights

This week we seem to have fallen into a fun pattern of having a grand ole time making fun treats and enjoying the lazy summer nights.

We've been to Rancho for a fun night of swinging and sliding; gulped down Slurpee and peanut butter milkshakes, colored, ran around outside.

Tonight it was overcast and I kept hoping it would rain. The kids were running in and out of the house like maniacs and never even went down our new slide or jumped on the trampoline. Not to mention it was constant whining and arguing ALL night!!

In the brief moment of calm we decorated animal crackers with every kind of sprinkles I could find in the house!!

Now, that's what summer is all about! I'm off to bed now so I can enjoy tomorrow!!

xo

Mommy Ramblings: Raisin' 'Em Up

If only we could all be stay-at-home moms with the same amount of money per month we get from an outside career...oh and perpetually perfect hair! Because without fail my hair turns into a hot mess when I'm home! Parenting these days presents so many challenges, all of which seem to rear their ugly head on nights I'm alone. But kids still need everything now that they did back when being a domestic goddess was a 24/7 gig. It never seems to fail that the nights Trevor works I find myself navigating through choppy waters of mommyhood!!

This mama managed to survive a crying baby, whiney toddler, and defiant 5 year old!! Tomorrow is a new day!!

xo

Mommy Ramblings: A Better Mom

I am a mom, but I'm not just content to be a mom. I want to be a better mom...the best mom. This desire is the heartbeat and passion behind everything I do. It is the piece of my life where I feel most challenged.

I spend a lot of time frazzled, trying to learn to do everything the best I can...the way "they" say you are supposed to. Who are "they" anyway??? I often get frustrated and yell at my kids which then makes me want to lock myself in my room and cry. I find myself having little pep talks to remind myself that all of us fall short and no one is perfect (not even us crazy multi-tasking moms). But in the day and age of Pinterest and lifestyle blogs it's hard not to feel this insane amount of pressure to push for perfection.

That being said I have spent the last few years trying to learn everything I could from many different websites, blogs and even the people I'm closest with. Thank goodness that we can learn from on another and cheer each other on! So many people have inspired me to not just be a mom, but a better mom!

Thank you! xo

Pretend Campfire Fun

What a hoot! It was pouring rain this afternoon so any chance of having a real fire to make s'mores was definitely out of the question. Trevor is working almost every Aces game this month, so I decided tonight the boys and I were going "camping". We made s'mores in the microwave and colored pictures of a camping scene.

Ethan and Carter had so much fun, despite getting bored with their coloring project, that they desperately wanted me to tell them what I had in store for them tomorrow. I'm a little worried that tomorrow might not be as fun as all the things I've planned for the past 10 days!! I better get to thinking of something really awesome for tomorrow!

xo

Independence Day

We were all bright eyed and bushy tailed at the crack of dawn on the 4th of July, kicking off our Independence Day celebrations. We decked out the pipsqueaks in patriotic flare and headed to Boulder City for a red, white and blue parade.

After a yummy yummy breakfast at Egg Works the littles laid their sweet heads down to rest and prep for the fireworks fun ahead of them.

We went to our family friends (The Potters) house, as tradition has always been, for the Dave Bradshaw Fireworks Extravaganza!

Happy Birthday America!! xo

Bonnie Springs Ranch

While we all should have been sitting in a swimming pool, or even in the air conditioning somewhere we chose instead to brave the heat and venture into the ole west at Bonnie Springs Ranch. They have lots of things for the littles there, from a petting zoo to a wild west show.

We started our day by taking in a good old fashioned hanging. Tara's friend Jenny and her two pipsqueaks joined us for the day. Little did Jenny know she was going to be called out of the crowd to pull the lever! I don't think Bonnie Springs will ever be the same for Jenny again! The kiddos were a little freaked out by the cowboys hence why all the adults were in the photos first.

Next we ventured into the petting zoo. Now I'm going to be perfectly honest here and let y'all know I hate hate hate goats. Anyone who really knows me knows that I'm actually TERRIFIED of them!!! So this was going to be a parenting test for me.

After Ethan had a full-on meltdown about the animals, which Trevor later blamed on my irrational open fear of goats, we decided to just take some pictures of the littles in the little town then head off for naps.

Just a little slice of wild west history. I can never learn enough about our amazing state!

xo

Friends and Food

Anyone who knows us (me) knows that we (I) love good food! More importantly I love to eat good food. When Tara invited me to attend her friend, Jackie's birthday party at an Italian restaurant I was not going to turn it down! Brio was a delightful and delicious little bistro in Town Square.

With that being said, I had the pleasure of meeting up with some fabulous girls that my sister-in-law is good friends with. We had a delightful evening of great food, fun times with friends and ohhh ...mojitos. With husbands and pipsqueaks and all the extraneous things that come with being grown up, I truly treasure nights like this where I can sit back and have girl time.

"Good friends are like stars...You don't always see them, but you know they are there." - Unknown

Thanks Tara for inviting me!

xoxo

Road Trip Family

One of the many, many things I adore about having family elsewhere is ROAD TRIPS! It's the excitement of packing up the car and just going that is so thrilling to me. It's becoming a tradition in the Bradshaw Nook that we venture down to Las Vegas for the 4th of July. July 1, we packed up the pipsqueaks and set off for our second annual trek to the magic land!

Can't wait to meander back there in just a few short months! xo