/Day 11//

I got my hair did. #feelinsassy #dpp2014

::Day 2:: DPP 2014

December 17

Mama + Son time on the the Ferris Wheel at Scheels!

 He loved it!

So I hoop a little

Mama don't have much flow yet. But she can move while she hoops. Flow will come with practice and more practice. So for now I look like an awkward dancer. So is life!

Psst. I'm a hooper and I love it!

HELLO my friends.
For those of you who don't yet know, I have become a hooper.

A Hula Hooper!

I have 2 adult size hoops. One which actually comes apart to make for easy travel.  I love them.

I'm not that good at it yet. But I have been having a blast learning how.   It is an amazing workout and just so much fun.  I know I hoop best to music. All types of music and have created a few Hoop Mixes that Travis says seem be played on repeat. 

(They aren't, but He thinks so)

Hooping takes practice, practice, practice.
It's what every hooper tells you. So when you are impatient and just want to 'get it' , it doesn't always happen.  So I've  been practicing. I've actually stepped out-doors with  my hoop and even taught a few other friends how.  This was a big step and took courage.   There is something about a hula hoop that draws people in. It is joyous. It brings smiles.  How I love that.

Oh how I am excited for Autumn.

Hooping outdoors in the crisp air without breaking a sweat the first minute I 'm out. I'm ready for open space to practice in. My living room isn't quite cutting it. 

I seem to feel clumsy with my hoop and am working on the "FLOW" of moving my hoop around. So I practice.

Will you join me. Practice with me?  I promise you will love it.

I have become an avid follower of hooping.org and love all the inspiring videos that help encourage my journey. Here are a few of my favorites.

 

Boat Song...lullaby for our littles

Kind of love JJ Heller here in this house. What a sweet lil' lullaby love song for our littles. Enjoy!! (don't forget to shut off our music player on the left side of the blog)

Nadia's Birthday Celebration

Our sweet birdie turned ONE year old February 1st.

Oh how she had weeks of celebration.  On her actual Birth Day, Grandma and Grandpa Lucas took her to The Amazing Pizza Machine. I mean where else would a birthday girl want to go? Though she was a wee one for most games, she loved every minute of the noise and lights. Big brother had a blast letting loose and playing with Gpa Steve.

It was my first time ever to Pizza Machine. What a fabulous place to burn off kiddo energy. What a fabulous place to pick up germs. I hate to say but that is what was going through my head the entire time we were there. Protective Mother bird I am.

He saved me from being eaten! "Wresting dinosaurs is my past-time."

Love those sleepy lips.

Birthday celebrations continued through the next week and we celebrated with family. The little love 'turned on' the charm and worked the crowd.

Love being close to family.

Evan helped make our Happy Birthday banner and hanging yarn balls. He was so exciting to help with Sissy's party.  These notes were hung all around the house.

Happy Birthday Sweet Little Birdie of mine.



Untitled from Rebecca Lucas on Vimeo.


More cake eating. Listen to her MMMMM.



Untitled from Rebecca Lucas on Vimeo.

Slowing down. Love her so very much.



Untitled from Rebecca Lucas on Vimeo.


This girl ROCKS!

 She is awesome. In every way. She is feisty and sweet.

We are happy and proud. Thankful for a creator who blesses over and over!

Nadia. Beauty. Joy. Growing. Fun.

Dirty dishes prove I feed my family, a full trash can shows I clean up after their messes, messy floors mean I let my children have fun, the pile of unfolded clothes mean I keep my family in clean clothes & wet bathroom floors mean I bathe my kids!!! So the next time you walk into my house & see a "mess" think twice before you judge me! If you come over to see me, come on in....If your coming over to see my house, make an appointment! Keep this going if you are a parent!!

disaster at house cleaning

So here I am...AGAIN...working hard to clean my house.  I really want to be playing and doing fun activities with my sweeties, but the house is a wreck.  WHY CAN'T I KEEP MY HOUSE CLEAN?

By clean I mean:
1. Picked up.
2. Organized
3. Swept/Vacuumed

Why is this so difficult?  Why do I feel like I am constantly working hard everyday and don't seem to see much progress? What am I doing wrong?  Am I the only one with this problem? Is it because I have little ones?

Please share your strategies.  What do you do to keep a tidy house?  What are your routines? HELP ME!!!

To my breastfeeding Mamas.

Take time to laugh and be encouraged!

DEAR BREASTFEEDING MOMS (WHO FEEL LIKE GIVING UP)…

by Bethany Joy Galeotti

Dear Breastfeeding Moms About to Give Up,

So, you’re starting to feel like a cow, eh?  All that baby weight is still sticking to you, your nipples are cracked and bleeding and every time your baby latches on, you silently scream and tears roll down your face.  You look at the clock in dread and as the next feeding approaches, your stress levels shoot through the roof and you begin to anticipate the agony.  Just when you have a moment to yourself, it’s time to feed the baby again.  Just when you’ve begun to relax, the baby starts crying and your husband says “Can’t you just stick him on your boob?”

Yeah.  Love that one.

On top of this, your breasts feel like someone filled them with lead and they’re gonna pop.  “What’s this lump?” “Why do I have a fever?” “Oh, great, it’s just another bout of Mastitis.  Awesome.”  And maybe you’re one, like me, whose lump didn’t go away and needed surgery to have it removed (healing from which you had to nurse through to keep the milk out of the wound) because the milk crystalized and now we are boob-scar-sisters.  That’s called a Galactocele, by the way.   Sounds like a fruit from Jupiter, but it most definitely is not.

And then there’s breastfeeding in public… gotta make sure you’ve got that enormous sheet to cover yourself as your baby flails her arms trying to figure out why the hell she’s eating dinner under a blanket.  Or maybe your babe is the focused kind who refuses to eat without complete silence.  And forget sleeping through the night.  If you don’t wake up every three hours to nurse, your sheets will be covered in milk, which sometimes soaks through to the mattress and then your whole bed just smells sour…

Ahh, the pleasures of breastfeeding.  Sounds more like a nightmare, doesn’t it?  And for those of you who are at the end of your rope and feel like giving up, I have a message for you…

You are AMAZING.  You are a beautiful, strong, warrior woman and you are sacrificing yourself over and over and over for the sake of your child… for your child’s nourishment, bonding, emotional security and peace.

I know it’s hard.  I know it’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done.  I know you burst into tears on days because you just don’t think you can take it anymore.  But you are stronger than you know.  You will be SO SO SO grateful six and seven months down the line when you look back at your accomplishment of giving your baby the best possible nourishment she can receive.  The bonding time you will have with him is unique and important.  You are establishing a safety in your arms that will be the foundation for her growth.

And it DOES get easier.  Your breasts eventually stop swelling and feeling like melons!  Your hormones even out, the milk cysts disappear, you can eventually sleep for 6 hours at night or more without nursing or pumping, your baby’s latch gets better and you stop bleeding.  What you’re left with is an EASY way to feed your little one and an emotional connection that goes beyond anything you can imagine.

This message is not intended to make mothers of formula-fed or pumped milk-fed babies feel guilty or less-than.  There are unique bonding experiences available to every mother and her child.  I am speaking specifically to women who want to continue to breastfeed but feel worn out, tired and hopeless.

I promise there is a light at the end of this tunnel.  Keep going!  You can do it!  Talk to your partner and ask them to encourage you.  You NEED people cheering you on!  Pick up The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding from the bookstore – it will make you feel sane!  Make sure you use the time between feedings wisely… this includes letting your partner take the baby for a while and you getting out of the house, even just to run to Starbucks.  Take care of yourself, encourage yourself, and remember that you are not alone.  Women have been doing this for thousands of years and spurring one another on.  Just take it one day at a time… you can do this.  You can do this.

I promise, you can do this…

Bethany Joy Galeotti is a wife & mom, as well as an actress, writer, director and musician by trade.  She is currently seen as Haley James Scott on The CW's One Tree Hill and is one half of the indie-band Everly.  She is also a Sci-Fi nerd, probably should have been around in the 40s and has a sewing room full of arts and crafts that she hardly ever gets. However, she has great and noble intentions to create many, many things, including more children and maybe a self-sustaining organic farm commune... maybe. You can read her blog at bethanyjoy.com.
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