I love creating

So, its no big secret, that everyone who knows me, knows that I love to create.  I think the best things I have ever created have been my 5 kiddos!! ( I had help with those!)
My favourite quote of ALL TIME goes like this....."I'm so crafty, I make people!"
But seriously, I love making stuff, craft stuff, food stuff, anything that looks pretty or adds something special/individual to my home.
I have been making and selling crafts for a number of years and although it doesnt make me a lot of money( really it doesnt!), it sure does bring me alot of joy!
So the latest project have been these wonderful Birthday boards.  I've been selling these on several of the local fb pages and and super excited that people are loving them!
I've put Damian to good use too - he's been my cutter outerer and hook hanger ...I guess that would make me his boss!! sweet!!
anyway
check these sweet babies out and let me know what you think.

I have been selling them on my facebook business page called The Letter Block Shoppe....
Love creating!!!

Super Mum

I wrestle with the idea that there is such a thing as a Supermum.  Is this person real? Is there really a mum in this world that can do it all? And then I go to pinterest and see all those supermums, raising big healthy happy families, running their own businesses, keeping a successful income making blog, being attentive wives, keeping slim and active, keeping a ship shape household all while running their high achieving children to all their different activities.  Then I question myself as a mother/wife/provider and wonder 'What am I doing wrong?'  I 'only' have five kids (some supermums have more kids).  I have a job that takes me away from precious family time.  I have my own little business that doesn't produce much of an income but keeps me somewhat sane. My house is not up to the standard that I would like. I drive my kids around but mostly to church/youth activities or friends houses, not to semifinals or finals sports activities.  My blog is far from successful and doesn't make me money (yet! ha). I'm overweight and while my desire to fix this problem is amazingly high, my will is not! sad face! I admit I'm not super attentive to my children a lot of the time and purely because I am so tired.  I'm not providing enough nutritious meals for my family. I'm not really the best wife either as I am finding it hard to forgive and let go certain things. Basically I'm just doing abit of everything to keep everyone afloat but why cant I excel at EVERYTHING? I know why....we are not meant to excel at everything!  Most of us will master one thing at a time and move onto the next - that is normal and that is what makes a supermum!
If we think about all the little success's we have had you could quite easily group yourself into this 'supermum' label.  Infact, those supermums are not always soo wonderful right - everyone has flat days, - I bet they sit and eat a whole tub of icecream when they are sad right??!! (maybe their tub size and my tub size would differ somewhat!)
So as much as we know its not good to compare ourselves to other people, we still stupidly do it!!  Let me tell you people, and know this....are your children fed? do you love them? do they have something to wear? and a place to sleep? My then my loves - you are a supermum! anything extra you do is a bonus!  Its so easy to compare ourselves to everyone else - but why compare yourself to someone you don't know or someone who hasn't lived your life. You are doing well my sister!
While some people 'appear' to have it together and they very well might, these people are rare and not the norm.   I am the norm.  I am creative in my own way. I am successful in my own way, and some days, I feel like I have it all together - those days are gold!

You know, I even think some of my stuff should be on pinterest ;)

PS Am I not the coolest mum for letting this sticky dinosaur stay on my ceiling for a week? yeh!

Missing the mark

So earlier on I was raving about how totally wonderful my children are - they are mostly but I am sometimes just missing the mark. Who out there thinks they may have finally sussed this whole parenting thing only to have it blow up in your face ? Let me explain in one word - TEENAGERS! Ahhhh yes you understand now! Hormones, opinions, rights, limits, ownership, its all about me me me!  I remember when the kids were little and being told that it will get more difficult when the kids grow up - HAH! whatever I thought - nothing could be more difficult than being sleep deprived, being followed everywhere, not having any 'me' time, having to take the kids everywhere, not being able to shower or eat or go to the toilet, having to be on the ball 24/7 so the kids didn't hurt themselves, surviving tantrums, screaming children, childhood illness, toilet training, ensuring they meet their milestones, driving them around to fulfill their social needs and the list continues! Little did I know that these very wise and 'experienced' women were trying to prepare me for what was yet to come! And it is coming to me now - just like the wise woman predicted.  Maybe not as bad as they said, we definitely have different challenges but yes, I now understand that teenagers are indeed harder work than little kiddies.  They are not harder work physically but by jingo they are sure hard work emotionally!  I worry constantly about their safety, their emotional wellbeing, whether they have good friends to help guide them.  I worry about their futures, their jobs, marriages, spiritual safety and whether or not we have caused enough emotional harm that will warrant the need for counseling - how much counseling? whoooaaaa. Mothers of young children - do you realize how amazingly hard it is to let your child go and ride around the block for the very first time without you? How hard it is the first time they catch a bus or train without you - to the city!!! OH MY!!!Stress levels peaking!!! So I know I am one of 'those' over protective mothers - yep I'll own that but at least my kids are safe right? But are they sane? I don't know - we will find out in years to come I guess but for now - I'm doing things as best as I can.  The firstborn always cops it hard and I am already hearing those famous words "you never let me do that at his/her age".  I guess I am growing up and learning with/from my children - yes my dear son James - you were VERY sheltered but how much of an amazingly respectful young man have you become? Everyone loves you, and I have to wonder if he would be the same if I wasn't so neurotic? I think he was nearly 17 when I let him catch the train on his own - but only if I took him to the station and I had to know who he was going to meet up with.  Sharni was probably about the same age - but she had to travel with a friend, which meant that on occasion her friend would have to travel all the way up our way to meet her at our train station just for her to go all the way back to their station at which point their mum(my friend) would call me to say they have her and she's safe.  Tommy is 15 and still has not caught the train but he has been able to bike to the shops for me on several occasions - woohoo!! So why is it that I find it difficult to let go? And I come up with this answer - I don't think its an issue of 'letting go' but more of  an issue of not trusting people - other people.  I have seen and heard of so many innocent people becoming victims of others selfish desires that the thought of this horrifies me beyond thinking logically!  I trust my children - but I do not trust other people - all these scenarios keep running through my brain (mostly from watching too many NCIS shows). Or maybe its the fact that as a child on a seemingly ordinary day at timezone with my brother, I too became the victim of a perverts roaming hands across my butt.  At the time I didn't understand - but after having children it made me aware how very easy it is for things to happen. The came the scenarios - he could have easily taken me, what would he have done? Would I be here? See where I'm going with this? I used to think my 'overprotectiveness' stemmed from my dad - but I realized that it actually came from experience after remembering 'that day' with the man in the trench coat. I was lucky sooo sooo lucky - now its my kids that's ever so gradually chipping away at my fears ... I'm sorry guys!  I so wish I could be one of those mums that can let go and trust that no harm will come to my treasures but Im not there yet - gradually getting there but not quite!! But seriously a WHOLE lot more chillaxed about certain things that would normally send me in a tizzy!!  My kids are training me!! Damian is totally opposite to me here - he has the 'she'll be right' attitude.  I have taken on some of this attitude - not so much with the kids but more with the housework side of things!! So mums of young children - rest later and build up your heart strength for what is yet to come.  I know there will be lots more for me to experience - I am just at the beginning of my teenage cycle and it scares me!  Encourage your children to choose good friends - they will be important to your children through 'difficult' times and we want good friends that encourage and lift rather than drag them down or make them feel inferior.  Why our kids still stand by 'difficult' friends is beyond me.  Ha! saying that, I clearly remember entering my 40th year and deciding to remove 'toxic' people from my life.  "they will come good" I would think or "I've been friends with them for such a long time" but when I sat and thought about what kind of friend they were, it was not hard to make the decision to cull them from my life.  I learnt the 'hard way' about people.  And I guess I hoped my children wouldn't make the same mistakes or go through the same hardships as I went through.  But my journey is not theirs, I can clearly see toxic people in their lives and on occasion I have not been able to help my mouth from giving my opinion or thoughts.  For the most part I work really really hard to keep my mouth shut. There are the times that the kids (as in the older teens) get mad at me and think I'm being mean, but I believe its my duty to intervene every now and then when things get out of hand to help my children 'think' about certain situations.  I wish my mum had taught me these skills - maybe I would have not made so many mistakes - I was so naïve, I was so wrong about people so many times.  One thing I learnt is that not everyone thinks like me..really? go figure - DERRR!! If I said some thing, I meant it. I wasn't sneaky or vindictive.  It is how it is and that's just it.  If only life was really like that! like sunshine and lollipops!  So seeing your children go through these challenges are much more difficult than I ever imagined possible..can I stop it? NO..but I can do whatever I can to help make the ride as painless as possible for them - even if it means being called mean or getting grumpy attitudes - one day they will thank me right?

Little video's about my church

Here's a couple of short little videos - They outline the basics of what I believe...if you want to know more go to www.lds.org :) or ask me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUaHacwLxao

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg7OVOKqeQU

Stuff, motherhood and rantings!

Welcome to my new blog...I have started this blog because I'm so slack at keeping a record of my thoughts, ideas and events - something that I used to be soooo good at when I was younger and have become unbeleivably bad at since the years have progressed. My brain is always thinking about 'stuff'. Making stuff, craft stuff, business stuff, family stuff, kids stuff, house stuff, church stuff, everyday stuff, work stuff, just anything and everything stuff! Sometimes it drives me CRAZY!! Sometimes I can't go to sleep because I'm thinking about stuff and I even waking up thinking bout stuff - and not even because I am stressed or worried about anything but it's like my brain is working 24/7 thinking of things - constantly! I think I even come up with some good ideas sometimes - ask Damian - You should see how he reacts when I announce the fact that I have 'another great idea' ( ..and this the best idea I have ever had - even better than the last one)!!...It's like he instantly reverts to an auto listening mode and just politely nods and agrees with whatever I have to say for fear that I might just have to talk him into my good idea if he doesn't agree with it! I've always wanted to invent something - I used to mix all the different shampoos, conditioners and soaps together as a kid in the bath and pretend that I had just invented the most luxurious and sought after products in the world! Everyone wanted to buy my new Soap/shampoo/conditioner combo and they couldn't get enough of it!! haha - if it were only that easy. I was quite an entrepreneur at such a young age, I think I was 8 years old and I made my own bobbles to tie my hair in pigtails - I wanted to make heaps of them and sell them coz they were sooo cool!! or so I thought!! Oh and I remember making baked goodies and selling them to friends and family (using all of mums ingredients of course!). And this trend has continued into my adult life - and not because I want to make a quick buck but I actually enjoy making 'stuff' and I love that people buy my 'stuff' and have my 'stuff' in their home (or eat my 'stuff'). So anyway, I have decided that I am an idea girl - I have heaps of really really good ideas - some of which I have been able to use to help people out and others that get wasted purely because I don't have the time or energy to actually do anything about them! I will share some here on this blog and talk about other stuff that happens in the life of a busy mum and wife! And going onto the topic of motherhood - WHOOAAAAAA - who ever said that motherhood is easy?? what the heck!!! really? How many times did you hear the saying 'they don't come with a manual'... gee I wish they did. I wish I knew then(as a younger Eva) what I know now. Wouldn't it be cool to know that if you did 'A', 'B' would happen. I feel confident that my kids are 'mostly' coming out ok? They are becoming lovely people and we get lots of lovely comments so I guess we are doing something right! right? Not having a large family circle has made it difficult as far as raising our children - we have pretty much watched people we have admired and picked things that we have wanted to implement into our family. We've formed our own 'style' and we like it! So I'm flying by the seat of my pants here as a working mother - trying to balance it all... if there is such a thing!! Can you really have it all? Well we will see? I know for one, my house is suffering...housework is less of a priority, but I feel it should also be shared with the other members of the family right? Who else has a hard time getting kids to do their chores? I feel like a naggy mum sometimes, but I know that I'm doing the right thing by teaching my kids to be 'self sufficient'. I think about how 'grateful' their husbands/wives will be when they are married and mum has taught them the value of work and being houseproud - right? hahaha - I feel a chore chart coming on!! So sit back, let down your hair and enjoy my rantings! goodluck to anyone else flying by the seat of your pants!! Join the sisterhood!