Highlight reel..and why im annoyed by this topic

So hello there on this crazy Thursday morning where here in Iowa ( some places ) we woke up to snow!  Ya I know I too am just ready for some warm weather!!

This morning I was on instagram (  Click to go to my instagram ) scrolling along and at least 2 or 3 times a day I see a post about reality vs highlight real. Most of the time its a negative post about people that are posting positive things and upbeat things.  

Now my thoughts are this :

Why is this a bad thing? There is enough negativity in the world around us. I really dont want to go on to every social media and read or look at every single struggle that is out there. We all know that not every one is having a great time in life every every single day. Do I think that every day is perfect for these people posting about how happy they are? No reality is that they have struggles just the way the rest of us do.  The difference is that they dont need to broadcast every bump in the road!

I don't think anyone really wants or needs to see a social network full of posts about every tragic or depressing event in their life. 

I have found myself in the last month looking through feeds and loving posts that are positive and uplifting! I give a lot of credit to those that despite whatever struggle they have in their personal life they aren't publicizing it on social media. Then they would be criticized for being an attention seeker or pity party poster.

To each there own with their posts and how and what they want to share with the world. No one is having perfect days every day of their life. I wouldnt call this highlight reel I simply call this POSITIVE VIBES ONLY!

Kisses & Hugs #staypositive 

Chelsea

Live Love Simple body care! COUPON CODE 10% off!!

hey guys i know i know its really been a while for me but im at my new house now! YAY!!

Ive been crazy busy with unpacking and today I finally got a break to set up the computer and I got my bathroom all situated! Just after I finished I got a package in the mail from a business I have fallen in love with. Its a company called LiveLoveSimple body care!

Now I have now done 2 videos on the products but today my video was pretty quiet and Im not sure why since I am in my own home office and all. But anyways!  I was really excited because I ordered More Natural shaving soap ( OMGOSH I LOVE it!) serious the best shaving product i have ever used! ANNNND i havent cut myself once since i started using this!

I also got my replacement argan oil since my first bottle i accidently spilled and cried over it! I love the smell of it so much and I found out they make a body lotion that smells just the same so hey I ordered that stuff too!

Honestly they have a HUGE variety of products and they are Cruelty free products! And they are natural products you def gotta love that

check out my videos below! <3 

You can save 10% of your order with code 10%AIFUN

  valid for 30 days  on  http://www.livelovesimplebodycare.com 

 I def would suggest trying the shaving soap and the argan oil or even the black amber and lavender body lotion!

DISCLAIMER -  I RECEIVED THIS PRODUCT FREE OR HEAVILY DISCOUNTED FOR MY UNBIASED REVIEW. AS ALWAYS MY OPINIONS ARE MY OWN AND NO ONE ELSE'S

Eww what IS that smell!

19 days and counting until we close on our new home and it stinks!

No like for real IT STINKS in this rental house! 

Ive checked the garbage, smelled the dogs to make sure they didn't bring a clinger back inside. 

Asked the kids and the man if they ripped a stinky.

None of the above is the culprit! It seems to be coming from somewhere in the kitchen though. 

I'm guessing in the sink area!  Its absolutely terrible! 

I don't know if its the trap or what but wow!

Ive ran water, put a few drops of lavender oil and its still stinky but somewhat better!

I swear everything and anything is going to happen before we get to the new house.  I'm already anxious to get into our new home but this stuff makes our wait just this much worse! Sometimes I feel like I'm totally dealing with a situation that no one else has been in. Even though I am sure its happened to others.

COME ON FEB 5TH!

I don't even think my fiance is as excited as I am. I've been Pinning Ideas... looking for things for the new house.. thinking about where I am going to put furniture and dishes and blah blah blah.

Someone save me from the insanity lol!

-Chelsea

Winter and your pets

Iowa winters are seriously no joke sometimes! Today for example its like all of -8 and Im pretty sure thats not taking in the wind chill.

I am sitting at me desk working and I myself am constantly cold so I of course have my handy space heater blowing right on me.  My jack russell is sitting in front of the heater as well. ( Hes just a lil guy after all)  I look down at him and hes just chillin hanging out soaking up all the heat. I reach down pick him up put him in my lap and Im cuddling him. Jack looks at me like "yo can you put me back at the heater?"

I have a pretty decent size hoodie on and he looks sleepy and so this happens....

My point is that if you are cold your animals are probably cold too. Yes its cute and yes he is so very spoiled! I know that not everyone spoils their animals Im not saying that by any means. What I do think is that there are far too many animals that are left outside on days like this brutally cold with no shelter. This is really unacceptable. I understand that in history dogs were left outside and were fine. That may be true, but that doesnt make it right!

Our animals depend on us for nearly everything in their life not just love. 

Jack also wants to say...

Please make sure your furbabies are warm and safe in this kind of weather! 

A safe and comfortable dog is a happy dog! 

GLASSTIC?! love THIS!

#glassticbottle

I totally love this! Customizable and interchangeable! Change the look as much as you want or as often as you want!

Yes it COULD break ..hello its glass

 

but the difference is.. 

if it breaks its all contained within to plastic outer walls! 

Check them out!! www.glassticwaterbottle.com You want to check it out they have Deals & Giveaways 

I was provided this product for testing and review for free or heavily discounted and was asked only to give my honest review

ActionFly Led lamp! wow!!

#actionfly

#ledlamp

What a great little product! Just what I needed to give myself additional light with out bothering my fiance while hes watching videos in the dark! 

I decided to not type too much today and do a video instead so take a look :) ♥

Check it out here on Amazon!

I was provided this product for testing and review for free or heavily discounted and was asked only to give my honest review

Crazy comfortable leggings!!

I can't begin to tell you how much I love the leggings From jojo's goods!

 They are super SUPER soft! 

This particular pair of leggings works really great with a hoodie top that I have! 

These leggings are thin but warm, so even though they are lined don’t appear bulky (winning!!) 

The fleece feels soft and crazy comfortable! 

I have washed these already ( i typically will wash my leggings on delicate so the lining stays really nice and soft and then i no heat dry them or ill air dry them) 

These are perfect for both winter or any other season! 

* I do want to mention these look grey not navy ( im not sure if it was a mistake or not but you can see in my photos they are grey) 

Only $10 !! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019W3GSVA

 I was provided this product for testing and review for free or heavily discounted and was asked only to give my honest review

 #leggings

Clever creations Diffuser! ( aka my new love!)

#clevercreations #Diffuser

 I have been wanting one of these for soooo long!!

 Its small so i can put it just about anywhere! ( which i LOVE) 

I dont think this thing has been turned off since the first time i turned it on other than when i refill it.

 I find that it delivers a great smelling room if not 2 rooms depending on where i place it. 

 love this thing so much! 

It holds a decent amount of water and then i add a few drops of essential oils and put the lid back on and its ready to go! 

I love that the top can be rotated 360 degrees so i can control where the mist goes! 

The touch button on the left is super nice you can let the unit cycle through the different colors and if you press it again you get the solid colors keep pressing til you stop on the color you want to stay solid. ( i personally keep mine cycling or solid purple or blue) I def want another one or 2 for my new house! 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012NYIF7K

I was provided this product for testing and review for free or heavily discounted and was asked only to give my honest review

Step parents, kinda like super heros!

I can easily say that my mom taught me a lot of great things that is for sure.

My actual family story is really quite strange or maybe its not anymore. I have 2 brothers Shane & Zachary. I also have 3 sisters  Alexandra, Caroline and Jaclyn. No my mom and dad didn't have 6 kids. 

Here in iowa my family was never called blended, or stepmoms or step dads or step brothers or sisters. 

Laura Kramer was giving the title MOM from me pretty much right away! I never once felt any different that My brother or sister ( Zach & Alex) I was her child too, she showed me the same amount of love that she did for my siblings. When i would come for christmas or summer she would be so happy when she saw me she would cry. I am often told of the time that i ran past my father and right into her arms saying "mommy mommy" 

I had my own things in iowa, my own clothes, toys, bike ect.  I am sure that my mom and dad had things for me even when they weren't sure they would ever see me. Even when they were spending THOUSANDS of dollars to get rights to see me.

I plan to do the same. Yesterday I had gotten some cute little storage boxes for my 3 kids ( Yes 3 ) 

Kinnick, Danielle & Lily ( She  is my fiances daughter ) I have met her this last summer and she is a beautiful child who looks like her daddy and is so full of life and energy!

I have been starting to collect things for lily so whenever she comes home to see her daddy she has her own things, I want her to know that she is loved and cared about.  I dont know if I will ever be able to be the mom that she didnt have to be. I just hope that someday I can show her the same kind of love that i was shown. I know my mom was at my dads side fighting for me.

Just as I am by Todd's side fighting for lily. 

I dont know the details of the struggles my daddy had to go through, I just know that it must have been very hard. I understand more now because of the battle my fiance is in now. Its the hardest thing in the world to watch someone you love with all of your heart suffering and struggling to just be a part of his child's life.  I struggle watching him lose hope, with the lies being told and the accusations being spoke. 

I refuse to give up, I wont ever allow him to give up either. Lily will be with us eventually and she will know that she is loved, she will have her own things. She is a beautiful child that if  some day she ran past her daddy and ran to me.. my heart would melt into liquid! I dream for the day that her daddy can be blessed with being able to have her in his arms and be a father to his child the way he should be allowed to.

You dont have to like your ex, you dont have to like his new significant other. You do however have to love your child and you should want them to have a father. No one can TAKE your role as a mother, your role will never change no matter what. Dont be afraid of someone loving your child, its  not a bad thing! No one can replace you but its truly a blessing to have someone love your child when they dont have to. 

I will continue to acquire things for Lily, I will make sure that she knows we have never given up on being a part of her life. She will know someday how hard we have tried. We will never talk badly about her mother, no matter how badly she has spoke of us and no matter how many times she lies. We simply want whats in the best interest of the child. The child who skypes with her daddy and you can see she loves him, she is well aware of WHO he  is. 

Its more harm to her to prevent a natural loving relationship between her and her father. I often wonder if people actually think preventing parenting time is beneficial to a child, or if its just out of selfish fear. Im blessed and my children are blessed because they have SO many people who love them. I am thankful for the extra hands and hearts that hold my kids when i can not, and show love for my child when i can not. 

Step parents are people who are strong enough to love a child, when they didnt have to! Thats a great thing! 

- chelsea

Impatient thats me

So on December 18th we put an offer In on the house that is perfect for our family. 

It was a day we never thought would happen!! 

That very night our offer was accepted! (insert yay scream here)

 Ever since then it seems like the days get longer and the anticipation is totally insane.

Could be due to the fact that I started packing boxes up within 24 hours of the offer! (i know I know but I like to be prepared.)

We've had the inspection.. Which was pretty informative for sure. 

I quickly realized the perfect home isn't so perfect, but fixable and not cheap. 

Then again we were not the only ones who were shocked at the inspection report.

Our realtor has been a total rockstar and helped us so much along this journey I can't imagine doing this without her. She is taking care of our interests and what we want making sure that we are taken care of with this HUGE purchase.

So we have her talking to the seller and their agent in regards to the repairs. 

--Now we just have to wait for the response to it.--

I always thought growing up that buying a house was simple you find one you like make an offer and pay for it.. Nope! It's so not like buying a car or anything else for that matter.

Its frustrating and exciting all at the same time! Its like the song that never ends.

Yes it goes on and on my friends.... LOL

So between Todd and I we just say that if this is meant to be it will all fall into place.

One way or the other whats meant to be will be and if not it wont.

I think we both have very high hopes that it will work.

I realized that I have not shown you the house itself.  

Maybe now would be a good time to do that huh?

2016 what will change and what will remain the same

Happy New Year everyone! 

I don't know about you but I enjoyed my NYE! ( adult style )  I was totally OK with being in bed and asleep before midnight! YEP! That may seem boring to some but hey Ive done the bar thing.  

After a while I get sick of seeing the same ol people doing the same thing every weekend. 

I see it this way.. I save a ton of money by not going out to the bars. Not paying cover and not having to worry about how I'm going to get home at the end of the night. Truth be told I would much rather go to a friends get together and have a beer or 2 during the summer.

I'm just not the party person I use to be. Now my life revolves around my kids.. and my dogs!

2015 was a crazy year and that's no lie.  I will celebrate my 1 year anniversary with the love of my life on Jan 22! Our time together may be kinda short in reality but the road we have travelled together is long and its been bumpy at times! We seem to be able to get through darn near everything. At the end of each day bad or good I look at him and know how lucky I really am. 

Here shortly we will be out of the house I have been renting for nearly 3 years, and will move into our very own FIRST home that will be OURS! That is very exciting and also so very scary! Rent turns into MORTGAGE, repairs will be our own RESPONSIBILITY, but at the end of the day its what we need for our family to grow and be stronger than ever. 

 This year will be a year to define and refine. No more dramatics, no more negativity. There will be alot of hard work and sacrifices being made. These are things that I am looking forward to. 

I'm curious what will change for you in 2016? What new adventures will you have?

<3

Chelsea

Mommy's Time out tonight!

#mommystimeout 

( i had to take a photo and while it was full then, its sure empty now!)

Seriously the BEST gift for any mom!! 

Im not a huge fan of pinot but this was pretty good, typically in my opinion its usually very bitter tasting to me but this i quite enjoyed, nice citrus but also sweet too it was a nice lil balance! 

Nice glass of wine and a hot bath.. i made sure to tell everyone to leave me alone because mommy was taking a time out!

What really caught my eye about this wine was of course the name ( check them out on facebook) Mommy's Time Out Wine! They have the pinot grigio , delicious red , moscato and Delicious Pink! 

Dont worry Dads they have a bottle for you too! 

heart emoticon

They were also featured on Fox & Friends 

heart emoticon

 

every mom ( and dad ) deserve a break ... after all its tough to be a parent!

http://www.mommystimeout.net/

*I received products for free or heavily discounted for my unbiased honest review! My opinions and thoughts are my own and no one else’s!

Moments of Power..MamaPower ( this was pretty emotional for me)

This is probably the best time for me to do this particular review! I think i NEED to do it now.. MOTHERS pay attention! ( and please read the whole post!)

Over a month ago I was looking at products and I stumbled across a video that really touched me. This woman was talking about being proud to be a mom! ( I stand with you there Anya! ) She also touched base on something that I never really thought much about until she put the words out there... and then I remembered back to when I have my lil ones..

As a woman being pregnant there is typically a lot of kind words, compliments, support and heck we even have special parking spots.. there is so much fuss ( the good positive kind of fuss) over a pregnant woman.

After our kids are born it lingers for a little while.. and then motherhood is in full force. Once that happens we aren't treated the same as we were before motherhood or as we were while being pregnant. Moms typically are assumed as unattractive and boring or not as much fun. ( Tell me you cant relate to that on some level... how many of us have become distance with certain friends that dont have kids.. you know this is true)

Its important for EVERY mother to feel special, important, powerful and YES even HOT! ( yes i know quite a few friends of mine whom have children are hot moms! )

Anya started mamapower to really celebrate moms, celebrate the great thing that moms do! Becoming a mother doesn't mean your life stops, it simply means that your life is beginning with a even greater purpose! Its not ever just ONE mom raising a child, its a collaboration of moms new or old. We are not just a person that became boring or old or anything negative! We are teaching, raising and caring for a child we have carried and loved even before the first time we held them.. and that is POWERFUL!

I want to quote something that was in the package with my absolute FAVORITE article of clothing now.. ( you will see it in a moment )

"Motherhood is often defined not by a daily feeling of triumph, but instead by small moments of power : moments of love, laughter, fun, learning, redemption wisdom in the making."

Now i will not go into details about the last 2 days. I will tell you that thursday morning I got a call that made my mega mom protector mode go off in the biggest way. I was scared, sad, worried and most of all I was ANGRY! I was rushing to get ready and I spotted this shirt. All I could think at that point was that's the shirt i need to wear.

No my shirt didn't have special powers, it didn't give me invisibility nor was it going to give me the answers or the solution that I needed to make it through what i was dealing with. BUT it did remind me that Im NOT weak, im not uninteresting or boring! I am was and will always be powerful and most of all I wasn't alone.

Im quite emotional during this review and I wanted to share this with you because I know that as a mother there are days when you just feel like you are under appreciated or overwhelmed. The last 48 hours have been pretty brutal! Thankfully Im never alone.. i really do have a great support system!

Anya has her website www.mamapowergear.com on the page there is a "moments of power" page where you can share your moments of power and be in touch and read other stories from moms. When your story is featured.. you will get a mana power gear card set to thank you for your wisdom and bravery.

Now I have not yet reached out to Anya to tell her any of this.. I will wait til tomorrow to let her know that when i wore MY shirt.. I felt stronger and braver.. and I was the mom I needed to be with the strength I honestly didn't think that I had in me.

Thank you Anya & Mama Power Gear-www.mamapowergear.com

www.mamapowergear.com 

I will also post more about MAMAPOWER tomorrow on my blog when I get a chance but i needed to share this TONIGHT!

( i did receive this shirt in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. MY story is mine and not influenced by anyone! )

‪#‎mamapower‬ ‪#‎moms‬ ‪#‎mother‬ ‪#‎kids‬ ‪#‎momentsofpower‬

For the love of all good books!

My child has been reading so many books in the last few years she just gets more and more interested in reading. I cant keep enough books in the house for her!

I allowed my daughter to review this book because the target audience is children 9 and up. I personally loved watching her read this book. She was very interested in it and is and has been for some time now a book lover. She hardly put this book down and in turn had it read in 2 days. 

She did tell me that Winnie and her were very similar they are both pretty smart 10 year olds. (♥ that )

Here is her review of the book

" A is for The Alchemist is a book about a 10 year old girl and her brother, a series of animals including a mechanical Hawk and a Mad Scientist who wants to turn base metal into gold. I wont tell you if they were able to stop him but it was fun to read how this all played out. The characters were so easy to visualize for me while reading this book! I think i am a lot like Winnie because we are the same age and very smart.
I think the author did a great job on this book and I can't wait for "B" is for "
D - age 10
So I would say as a parent and her as the child we both would recommend this book! She is thrilled with it and can't wait for the next book by Mr Larson!

Buy your copy here ( also available for kindle)http://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Winnie-Winsl…/…/ref=asap_bc…

‪#‎AISFORTHEALCHEMIST‬
* I received this product for free or heavily discounted for unbiased honest review! These opinions and thoughts are our honest review!

Law Enforcement and the Media..

Mother of Johnson STEAM academy student sues school district, police officer over lunchroom incident



These are the kind of headlines that cause mass hatred for all police. Despite the fact that deep down we know that not all law enforcement officers are this way. We have seen headlines and videos on social media of the good deeds that officers do, and the differences that they make in lives. I fully believe that there are more good officers than there are bad. You can't see it because MOST of the time you are just hearing about the bad headlines. Excessive force, shootings, sexual abuse, violence. etc is what is MOST often reported on. I know it's very rare that I see many headlines about officers doing good things. Yes they a positive headlines but you and I both know that good headlines don't increase viewer ratings for TV stations  or sell newspapers and magazines.  Chances are you can't remember the last time that you saw a good story about law enforcement outside of social media. They never make national news.. unless someone dies. 

How sad is that?  

There is a large portion of really great upstanding officers but you won't hear about them unless you by chance you are scrolling through your social media and find something from another state that someone else has shared. Please understand I'm certainly not blaming this on the media, but they make it so easy for the viewers and reader to conclude that all officers are corrupt and evil. Any rational person can understand the truth about law enforcement is that the majority or law enforcement is good and most do this job not because they have to but they had hopes of making a difference. The ones who growing up wanted to protect their community and family and have hopes of making the communities safer. I know some departments have body cams and i think that should be national all across the country. They should have them to not only hold accountable the officers that are clearly abusing their power but also to protect the ones who do the job as it was intended to be done. So many officers having a target on them for the job they do simply because of the ones who have done wrong. 

I cant speculate on this particular event, but I would guess that he was in the wrong if he was trying to make this complaint go away. That must have happened or they wouldn't have evidence of the gas station or the phone calls. I feel bad that this happened but does this incident make me hate CRPD? No In fact it makes me very sad because they will be judged now on this officers actions, just as the one who was found sleeping in his car. I know there are good officers.. for instance some of the NICEST officers in the department will sit at Hy-vee on 1st ave and buy kids coming in candy give them stickers and be genuinely nice people. Walking employees out to their cars late at night to make sure that they make it home safe. Who protects the Officers that are doing the right thing from being judged and targeted  by the action of a highly publicized bad cop?  

I would really love for the media to report more of the GOOD actions of our men and women in law enforcement just as much as they report the bad! Also I challenge you to post and share when you see them doing something kind or making a difference! Most of you won't but I hope some of you will! 
Even if it's a story or a photo from the past. Let's start making that change! Make it known that they are not all the same by sharing the GOOD things instead of JUST the bad!

Here are some stories that you may not have heard about that should have been more publicly shared.

http://www.kcrg.com/subject/news/police-help-children-find-school-supplies-20150806

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/georgia-trooper-helps-siblings-after-parents-killed-halloween-crash-n458066

http://www.ketv.com/news/omaha-police-officer-goes-above-and-beyond-for-stranded-family/35288098

http://www.weareiowa.com/news/local-news/ames-officer-goes-above-and-beyond-call-of-duty

http://www.today.com/news/texas-police-officers-buy-car-seats-family-need-instead-issuing-t52281

http://www.people.com/article/sumter-south-carolina-police-officers-buys-bed-gives-teen-bedroom-furniture

http://ktla.com/2015/07/10/police-officer-buys-items-for-mother-of-6-caught-shoplifting-at-kansas-wal-mart/

These are JUST A FEW! These are the real men & women behind the thin blue line. Dont let the bad ones get in the way of remembering the good Officers! 

Ronda Rousey..I think I can handle it now

I think im finally ready to speak on the UFC 193 heartbreak..

Its really obvious that I love Ronda Rousey. I was so amp'ed for the fight I was very excited about it especially after the events from weigh ins. I was very anxious for the other fights to be done so we could get to the main events.

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the other fights except maybe for the Struve / Rosholt fight in my honest opinion neither of those guys should be proud of that fight. If anyone is even calling it an actual fight.

Uriah Hall is such a  nice guy! You can confirm if you watched him at all during the Ultimate Fighter Show. I really hope he can learn to leave his patience and kindness at the door to the octagon soon! I think he has great potential he just needs to be more aggressive, he's got some Big kicks and they do damage. Hes just got to bring the fight to them! Hes one of my faves!


Now... lets get down to the weigh ins. There are a few different videos showing what happened and I honestly cant say that I see Ronda pulling Hollys fist into her. I do know that I saw holly's fist touching on Ronda.. how it got there.. you decide for yourself. I personally think either way it was unsportsmanlike conduct. ( Insert all the random rousey trash talking.)  I know, I know Ronda has a habit of talking a Large amount of trash but up until this fight she certainly cashed all the checks her mouth wrote.

 I along with so many other fans talked a lot of crap leading up to this fight! Rousey VS Holm UFC 193 was expected to be much like all of the other fights previously. We all expected it to be more brutal due to the events at weigh ins. I watched Ronda come out rocking her "I'm going to kill you" look! It was certainly a look I'd seen many times. As the first round began I watched and waited for the take down, ground and pound. What I did see was Holly keeping a safe distance backing up and Ronda rushing in... but not delivering much rowdy. The first round came and went, and into the 2nd round I remember thinking maybe shes just playing with her, waiting for the perfect moment to finish her.

All the sudden the Kick that was felt all over the world. I don't remember thinking anything, but feeling like the world had just stopped for a moment. I stared at my screen and realized It was midnight and I'm screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" at the top of my lungs. I was in total shock, along with the rest of Team Rousey I'm sure! She had been knocked out from that kick, and was clearly out before she even hit the floor. Several hard fists from holly came one right after another and FINALLY the ref called it off. It was painfully obvious that we had lost..

How did this happen? Were we not prepared? Did we assume that we would never get a comparable opponent? I cant answer any of those questions. I can only tell you from my perspective we learn that none of us are untouchable. We just keep pushing through because Ronda Rousey is far from being finished. The rematch will come and we will regain what was taken.

To make a long story short, yes I'm crushed over the outcome of UFC 193 and I didn't expect it to end this way. I'm a Ronda Rousey fan and that's not going to change because she was human and lost a fight. Just remember the sun never sets on a boss. Ronda is a boss!

Father & Mother rights ( and lack thereof at times)

This doesn't apply to you moms who have valid real reasons to keep your children away from dad. 

While I am QUITE aware that this will not change the minds of some, I do hope that it at least it will bring some much-needed awareness to the subject!

As a parent I know that it's important for my children to have access to their dads. Don't get me wrong I wasn't perfect when either relationship ended. However I never downright ignored, avoided or refused to communicate with either of them. I would never ignore a text asking if everything is ok, or how the child is doing. If you would ask either of their dads they would agree that we went through a very rough patch. It did not last long but I myself am ashamed looking back on even that temporary rough patch. I've never thought that I alone was the only important parent.

There are way too many women who have children that down right believe that because they are a mother to the child that their rights are far superior to that of a father. This is not the case nor should it ever be the case. I believe wholeheartedly that  a father's rights and love are just as important to the child. When did it become acceptable to refuse a man to be a part of a life that he created?  I believe this not only seems childish,  but also will only hurt the child that the mother is saying she loves so much!  Clearly this is becoming out of control as I see time and time again fathers get smacked with child support and then have to scrimp and scavenge for extra money to pay a retainer to fight for visitation with his own child.

If the father is safe, not abusive and is not going to harm the child or put the child in danger you have NO good reason to not allow a healthy relationship to take place. It's just really that simple. I don't care if you don't like his family or his new girlfriend or even if he broke your heart! If that man is safe for the child to be around and wants to be there, you should let him! You need to think about your child's feelings and how it will look when they get older and figure out that dad was there the whole time trying to be a part of their life and YOU prevented it.

It's also unfair to hold visitation over someones head to try to get the father back. Clearly that's not going to work for you. If he's moved on maybe it's also time for you to do the same. Being a mother means putting your child and their feelings before your own.

Don't hold your child as a pawn because he has a new girlfriend or wife. You may feel like they are trying to replace you but 98% of the time they just want to be a part of their life too especially if they are in a committed relationship with the father of your child. I'm a child of a failed relationship and I didn't know until I was much older how long and hard my dad had to fight for the little visitation he got. When I was around 12 or 13 I was sent to live with my dad and It was in that home that my grades turned around, I made friends and I was able to see my dad.

I actually like and get along with the significant others of my exs. I respect them and consider them family. Heck I was just as excited as any one for my sons step mom to have her first-born! I called and texted and went to the hospital soon after she was born. She's not trying to replace me nor has she ever tried to. It took a lil while but I realized she loves my son and wants the best for him!

MY mom ( my dads 2nd wife) had been my mommy since I was 4 and "tickled pink freezing" It was an unconditional love, I was never her step daughter. I was her daughter. "There are no steps in my house, just the ones that go up stairs and down" I asked her to adopt me after I was sent to my dad and she did. (I understand that someone may read this and be upset and hurt. It's not my intentions ) My mom as you know her did not give birth to me but she's been there since before I even knew her. She was the mom who made sure I had a tutor when I needed it, summer school to avoid me being held back. made sure I was eating healthy meals and she made sure I was safe and loved ALWAYS. 

My dad died about a year after I moved to Iowa to live with him. Honestly I have never said this before but there is quite a bit of resentment towards my birth mother I know that she loved me in her own way, but my dad & my mom loved me too and he deserved more time with me than what he was granted. I'm just one child that grew up to know how important and how much a good father means to a child.

Dont be the mom that uses petty selfish reasons to prevent a father - child relationship

Bad Boys and where are the cupcakes?

 

I honestly think that sometimes having a puppy or new dog is almost as bad as having a new baby.

• They cry and whine all the time
• You have to get up in the middle of the night with them
• They both at some point pee all over the floor.

I love our Dozer and I've gotten through the pee on the floor, and now we still struggle with the middle of the night stuff ( when its really bad we use the kennel )  Most of the crying i can handle. My super strength mommy tune out ears!!

OH HOW I LOVE IT!

What really drives me CRAZY.. is when Dozer relentlessly bites and plays WAY too rough with Jack.  Please don't get me wrong Jack can totally be a jerk!  I've just noticed a lot more that Jack is really DONE playing after a few minutes because Dozer is really rough and then i notice Jack being more rough to combat Dozers roughness. In the end I end up Kicking jack out of this area. I know there has to be a better way! Its not fair to Jack and its not going to teach dozer by keeping them apart.. I just don't want either of them to get hurt.

I get up this morning to get ready because I have to deliver cupcakes to the school for my daughters halloween party. I feed DozerDevilDog and attempt to let both dogs outside! ( HOT MESS ) Poor Jack cant even pee without being jumped on.  Finally get them both out and go to get the cupcakes out of the fridge and they are GONE. Clearly my daughter has forgotten mom was going to give the cupcakes a ride to school.

I think this day that's already given me a migraine can go away!

#momstruggles

HE WANTS TO DRAW A CAT? ( MUST READ)

So while I was browsing around a few days ago I ended up on the shark tank site. That is where I found the most crazy video I had seen. Here is this grown man dancing around and singing I want to draw a cat for you.. OVER & OVER!  I thought oh my .. surely he is glutton for punishment. I remember waiting for this guy to be laughed off the stage and out of the building.

That didn't happen.. in fact he got more of an investment than he even asked for. ( You are shocked right? I know I was)  So after seeing that I knew i had to find out what happened after the show, where was Steve Gadlin now and was he still drawing stick figure cats for $10 a pop. So I searched for this odd gentleman and found his site I want to draw a cat for you  and not only was he still drawing cats he had drawn almost 20,000 cats!  (19,214 and counting if you wanted to know)  #mindblown 

I watched a video he had posted called " The pursuit of awesome rejection letters!"  ( you can watch it HERE) In this video he talks about craving this old VW beetle (aka punch bug) of course he didn't have the money for them. This crazy guy found addresses of celebrities and asked them  can he have one. LOL in hopes to getting one. You can watch the video to find out what happened. The moral of the story is that you if you don't ask the question you will never get a yes! There is no such thing as a stupid idea or plan.

Long story short I knew I HAD to tell Todd and Danielle, I played the video and my daughter ends up drawing a cat for Steve while she is sing that dang song! I thought it was so cute and I wanted to share it!

I got  reply from Steve this morning"This is amazing!!! Please tell Danielle thank you for me. What a great cat drawing!!!   - Steve"

Danielle will be getting something from Steve ( How cool is that ) and while I didn't quite understand the cat drawing or the point behind it, I have a lot of respect for him putting himself out there and ASKING the question!  Thank you Steve for not only making me laugh but also reminding me that I will never get a YES if i don't go and ask!

WHY NOT SHOP LOCAL

So living in a small town, having a family member that makes some of the  very best homemade salsa that's now being sold in stores along with their Pepper Jams. I cant help but think back to when they first started as just a homemade recipe that turned into products being sold all over the midwest!

Quality items and services are often undiscovered hidden in our own communities  shadowed by big name brands and companies. I really want to change that and im hoping to make a start of that. I've been in contact with a few local to me business owners who have products i cant wait to try and review so i can refer my friends.

I'm anxious to tell you all about some great stuff made locally as well as some that are not local.

I believe that opinions and feedback is not something that should be bought, businesses grow on word of true experience. That my friends is priceless and should remain so!

Stay tuned as there are going to be a lot of exciting things coming!

♥

Chelsea

PS if you like spicy and you want to try something great and based right out of the midwest! Kramers Specialty Foods ( i wont plug them too much ... my aunt and uncle already know they have amazing stuff ) But hey try it yourself and let ME know what you think. If you live in iowa  hy-vee and walmart carry their salsa! Although i have not seen the jams there yet!