Dear Future President Trump....

For those of you who are reading this, I'm gonna put a disclaimer here because I know that it is human nature for everyone to respectfully have their own opinions and thoughts. I, along with many others in this nation and around me are still grappling with the election results. I am still processing it myself and trying to understand what is happening around me. I myself resonate with all the feelings that everyone is displaying and sharing. I am a SAHM and I guess I title myself "naive" sometimes because I refuse to watch or listen to the NEWS ALL THE TIME or even social media like FB.  So call me "naive" or judge but this is me. I like to write what I'm thinking and it helps me get it out of my head. From what I've read and seen on the news and social media, I really appreciate those who are speaking words of love, unity, and acceptance. Yes, we all are grieving and we all grieve for different lengths of time. But ultimately I believe that God has more for us. I believe that the energy that I spend on grieiving can be used for prayer and being open to hearing from God. I believe that there is hope in Him and His power to bring good from something that seems so dark. This is me and how I deal. God is Here and has always been. I hold onto hope that God is at work and that He is in control. And so, I wrote a letter to our future President because hatred and anger will not overcome me and intoxicate me. Instead I will use my energy to pray for our future leader because that is all I feel that I can do to help me through this time that seems so despair and downright depressing.  So where there is darkness, there is also light. Where there is evil, there is also good.  Let me love just as God loves me.


Dear Future President Trump,

I am not writing this in hopes of you seeing this letter but I am writing this as a way for me to help me process all that is happening around me. First off, I didn't vote for you but I am not writing to tell you why I didn't vote for you. However, a majority of the people of this nation voted for you and I am left wondering and trying to understand this other view of our nation that I clearly was blinded by. Because it all honesty, I was very surprised and am still in shock that you are to be our nation's future leader. What pains me even more is seeing how much this your election win has affected so many people on both sides. It has brought out the worst in people such as racial discrimination, it has brought out fear because the nation that people thought they knew is now in question, it has brought out anger that has caused a divide between the people of our nation.

BUT..and I write this again in all capital letters..BUT..your election win has brought forth good. I know that's hard to believe, especially coming from a person who didn't vote for you. It has caused people to be courageous and brave to fight for what is right. It has brought people to come together to stand with each other. It has brought us to the point where we realize we have so much more to work on as a nation. It has brought people to try to understand how we got here as a nation (trying to understand those that supported you). It has enabled people to speak words of love, unity, peace, and acceptance as an encouragement to those around them. It has brought people closer to their faith in prayer and in worship because in a time of uncertainty and fear, the one thing that is constant is people's faith in the Almighty God.

But for you President Trump, as much as I am still processing and grieving for what has happened because it's not what I voted for and wanted, I am still going to pray for you. And so here is my prayer for you and for our nation.

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are the God of all the nations, You are the God of Heaven and Earth. You created us and all that is around us. You are the one that knows what is best for us and leads us. You are always walking alongside us as You have been and are doing so now. Lord, you have heard the cries of disappointment, anger, fear, sadness AND you have heard the shouts of joys, celebration, and relief. I thank you that You hear them all and you take the dark feelings off the shoulders of those who are feeling them and you bear it on Yourself because it is sometimes too much to bear on our own. You love ALL of us despite our sins.  We can not understand the ways of this world and why things happen the way they do but what we do know is that You are the one who is in control and that all things happen according to Your plan. So for this moment in history, this season that this nation is in, I pray that you help us walk through it and into a place of healing and confidence in You, that You ARE HERE in the midst of this divided time. 

And now for you, future President Trump, I pray that God will mold you and surround you with people filled with empathy and the gift of doing good for ALL people in this nation. I pray that your heart and mind will be open and accepting of all the differences that make this nation what it is today. I pray that God will use you to do GOOD and GREAT things that is for ALL the people of this nation. I pray that God will use You for His purposes because He has gifted you with a great gift of power as leader of this nation. I pray that God will give you discernment, the ability to extend grace, mercy, and forgiveness. I pray that God will give you words that will speak of love, unity, peace, and acceptance. Ultimately, I pray that God will be YOUR LEADER during your term as President. 

And so I thank you Lord for hearing our prayers and that You are working among us and through us. May we each (in our own time) find that place and space to rest in Your presence, consoled by the very truth that You oh Lord are in control and are here with us. 

Amen

Thank you for reading with grace and understanding. 

"Is it my birthday yet?"

J: " Is it my birthday yet?"
Me: "No, it's March baby, do you remember when your birthday is?"
J: " Yes, it's August 3rd."
Me: "Yes, so that means your birthday is not for awhile."
(We have had this conversation almost every month until today!)

Today was our oldest daughter's birthday! I am still in disbelief that she's 4 already! When people say "they grow up fast", they weren't kidding. It's so much fun watching her grow up and all the new things she's learning and discovering about herself as a person. So for her 4th birthday, we kept it pretty low key, basically no big birthday bash but we still wanted to do a few special things for her. This girl has been asking when is August 3rd for like the past couple of months. Well, actually, ever since her sister had her birthday party back in February! So for celebration, we just did a small Hawaiian luncheon with our small group community, a dinner with her grandparents and uncle, a day at Happy Hollow with our playgroup friends, making a birthday necklace with beads, special decorations in the house on the morning of her birthday, a special snack celebration at her preschool, and to end it all..a special shopping trip to pick out a new dress (She LOVES dresses right now). Okay, that sounded like a lot of things to celebrate her birthday but I think she enjoyed all of it because it was FINALLY her birthday! She's super excited to be 4 years old!

Thankful Tuesday!

Well hello Thankful Tuesday! Somehow my "Thankful Tuesdays" dropped off the radar and my motivation to blog about what I'm thankful was not there (aka..I got lazy..just being real here). So..I'm back at it again! I'm gonna take us back to the 4th of July weekend which was filled with hanging out with family and friends. We ate a ton, hung out a lot, laughed, and just enjoyed each other's company! So today for this Thankful Tuesday, I am blogging about my small group community at The River Church. I am very thankful for this family group and I love seeing how our kids are growing up with each other. During the 4th of July weekend, we gathered together to do our annual July 4th BBQ. It was fun to just sit around the table eating, chatting, and listening to the kids run around and play. I love moments like these where there's no rush to be anywhere or do anything. Just sit and enjoy each other's company. Dave and I have known most of these people for several years now (almost 10 years for some!) and we have seen each other through life's greatest and challenging moments. We've seen our families grow and it's fun to see our kids growing up together in this season of our lives. So thankful for this group and the community we are building with each other.

Family Tradition: #familyselfies

Long before we had kids, our good friends Elaine and Clement thoughtfully gifted us a book called "The Book of New Family Traditions: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays and Every Day" by Meg Cox.  I love having this book on my shelf as good reference for ideas aside from Pinterest (because sometimes I just want to look at a book instead of a screen) ;) Anyways, it gives great ideas for every holiday, birthdays, special moments that happen in life (first day of school, graduation, etc.), and everyday rituals (chores, homework, etc.). Here's the link to the book which you can get on Amazon!

We never really put this book to use until we had kids and I've been finding myself thinking about family traditions for our to remember as they grow up. So the first family tradition that we've really had and was started by Dave is family selfies. 

When I went back to work part-time after having our first daughter, Dave had the responsibility of taking her to daycare every morning since I had to be at work by 7:30am. It always broke my heart to leave in the morning without seeing her because she was sleeping. So, Dave's genius idea was to send me a selfie of him and her in the morning! 

Love these 2 and look how young my oldest looks! 

Love the funny face selfies too!

These selfies always made my morning and reminded me of how blessed I am! So now that I am at home with the girls and Dave goes to work early in the morning before they wake up, I get to continue the family tradition with morning family selfies!

What are your family traditions? Would love to hear about different things that other families do! #familytraditions #familyselfies

Fishing Fun!

Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend! It was a fun filled weekend for us! We started the weekend off with a fishing adventure with some good friends and their little girls! First time fishing for us and it was a lot of fun! We fished at Vasona Lake and turns out there are 2 days in the year where you can go fishing without a fishing license! So, we gave it a go and my "let's try new things attitude" hubby (Dave) got everything organized and ready for us to try fishing at the lake. So what did we get for our girls to go fishing? We found these 2 cute Frozen fishing poles which you can get on Amazon. I've included the link below. They were just the right size for my preschooler and toddler. Tip: before we actually went fishing, Dave had the girls practice casting and reeling in the fishing line out on our front lawn and let's just say we QUICKLY realized that the girls could only do 2 things: hold the fishing pole and reel in the line.

So..how did we do? I looked on my camera for some pictures and turns out we didn't take any pictures because honestly we were occupied with casting the fishing line for them into the lake, giving them the fishing pole to hold, teaching them to count to 10 as a lesson for waiting while fishing, and making sure they didn't fall into the lake while standing on the pier or on the lakeshore. Yes, that is what fishing is like with a preschooler and a toddler. Did we catch anything? NO. Did Dave or I get to use our own fishing poles? NO. Was it a successful first attempt at fishing with the kids? YES! Despite not having caught anything and we only did it for an hour, it was still a fun experience as a family and even more fun because we were in good company with our friends and their little girls!

After the fishing fun, we had ourselves a little picnic and then randomly decided to go pedal boating on the lake! Say what? Yes..pedal boating with a preschooler and a toddler IN. THE. LAKE. It's okay, they wore life vests. Was I worried about them falling in? Why of course! But, hey it's 4th of July weekend, we already tried something new earlier called fishing, and we had our friends who were going to do pedal boating too, so...why not? ;) I have to say..little kids with big life jackets on are the cutest thing!!

Pedal Boating on Vasona Lake!

Tip: place the little kid in the middle between the 2 adults OR place the 2 little kids in front with one adult pedaling!

Here is the link to the Frozen fishing poles that are perfect for little kids!

#FWM

To all the #FWM (full-time working moms), I applaud you! As I stated in an earlier post, whether you're a FWM or a SAHM, they both have its challenges and benefits. So, I'd like to share with you my thoughts about being a FWM when I did it during the school year of 2014-2015 (wow that seems a looong time ago!).

2014-2015 school year. Here's a little background before I share my thoughts:

• I decided to go back to full-time teaching after my 2 year job-sharing ended. I wanted to see if I could handle working full-time as well as being a mom of 2 young kids (plus I wasn't ready to be a SAHM just yet or more like if I wanted to be a SAHM at the time).
• My girls were 6 months old and 2 years old when I became a FWM. 

• After teaching 2nd grade for 9 years, I was moved to 1st grade and into a new classroom. Both moves were difficult at first but I'm very glad to have been with an amazing supportive team and an awesome classroom neighbor. 
• Halfway through the school year, my husband and I moved out of our house and into my parents' house because we decided to do some remodeling in our home. 

So now that you know the background, here are some of my thoughts about being a FWM and also what things helped me stay sane. =)  ** I understand that being a FWM is sometimes a choice that moms make and sometimes it is a financial necessity for the family. Either way, these thoughts are from my own experience and for me it was a mix of a choice and a financial necessity to be a FWM. 

It was hard...

2014-2015 school year was the hardest year for me. I struggled a lot with "doing it all" and "doing it well". I'm a Type A person that likes things organized, neat, done, and "having all my ducks in a row". I'm a planner and a part of me is a perfectionist. So you can imagine that teaching, taking care of my girls, husband and the home was quite overwhelming. Throw in a remodel and teaching a new grade level put the whole situation over the top for me. Guys..the STRUGGLE WAS REAL!! I'm not going to lie...I had a few meltdowns throughout the year. 2014-2015 was the year of SURVIVAL! I wanted to do it all and do it well. 

Taking a step back..

I remember asking my FWM friends how they did it and they gave me great advice about how they managed their time at work and at home. I really had to take a step back and be okay with doing what I could with what I had. I mean I wasn't SUPERWOMAN by no means (even though I wanted to be) and my sanity would have gone out the door if I wanted to be superwoman/mom. My husband was super supportive in reminding that I didn't have to do it all AND he was super helpful in helping me do things (example: washing dishes, starting laundry, etc.).

Trusting in God
I really had to put my trust in God during this time in my life. I learned how to release my own "desire" to control things in my life and let God in. I can't say it was easy-peasy letting go of my innate desire to control but I knew I couldn't do this all on my own. I learned a lot about having faith in Him that everything would turn out okay and if it didn't, then I still had faith that God was in control. When I look back, I can see how God placed the perfect people in my life at the right times and at the right situations.

My Non-Negotiable
So there were things I had to let go of and ask for help as a FWM. For example, having a house cleaner once a month. I also had to be okay with not doing things right away, like..leaving the laundry unfolded for days just because I was too tired to fold laundry or even do laundry. BUT...there was one non-negotiable for me as a wife and a mom. I wanted to be able to provide a healthy and home-cooked meal a couple days of the week. THIS WAS MY NON-NEGOTIABLE.  Yes I admit this would sometimes cause me stress to get home in time to cook and have dinner on the table at a decent time. However, this was one thing that I enjoyed doing as one of the many ways that I love and serve my kids and hubby.

Cooking in my work clothes because I always cook with a necklace on.. hahaha! Not really..

Plan
Yes, I still had some type of plan in terms of what days I grocery shopped and what I cooked. That was the only thing I had planned every week. I always did my grocery shopping at Trader Joes on a Friday afternoon after work before I picked up my kids from daycare. I did my meal-planning on Thursday nights so that I had my shopping list for Friday. I wrote a blog post awhile ago about what I use to do my meal planning and grocery shopping.

Setting my limits
As a teacher, there is ALWAYS work to do, even when you leave the classroom. So, I had to really set my limits in terms of what time I stopped working in the classroom which was 4:30pm everyday (including days where we had staff or grade level meetings).  Setting this time limit allowed me to pick my kids up early from daycare and spend some quality "mommy and me" time. Whatever wasn't done in the classroom, I left it at work! I really tried taking work home once a week and work one evening night but that didn't last long because realistically, I was tired. Plus, after the kids go to sleep, I wanted to spend that time with the hubby and just relax!

Mommy and Me playing on the floor time

Mommy and me backyard fun

Would I be a FWM again?
I know I can do it and yes I think in the future I'll be a FWM again. When? I'm not sure yet! All I know is that being a FWM during the 2014-2015 school year made me realize how much I wanted to spend more time with my kids. Thus, I was fortunate enough to take a leave from my job and ultimately resign so that I could be a SAHM.

If you're a FWM, I would love to know your tips, tricks, and advice! Please share with your comments below! Thanks again for reading!

Sweet Surprises...

Have you ever had those moments with your kids where they totally surprised you by the way they acted or maybe something they did? It could be random acts of kindness they showed to another kid/ you or even something like swimming the length of the pool by themselves. It's in those moments where as a parent, you feel proud, excited, amazed, and yet a little sad all at the same time because it's a realization that "Wow, my child is growing up..."  And so folks, this post is about that...a moment that I am so grateful to have had with my oldest daughter J.

So one of the perks of being a SAHM with 2 toddlers is that you get to take them to fun places during the week! I really love taking my girls out and doing things together. For example, we've done mini hikes, go to the beach, walking the mall, going to the park, going to Children's Discovery Museums, etc. You get the idea. The things we do doesn't have to be extravagant because really it's about the experience and the time we spend together! So one of our favorite places right now is Happy Hollow Park! If you haven't been there, it's a great place for kids under the age of 5. It has a farm, a mini zoo, rides, several playgrounds, and lots of green space for kids to just run around!

J and M on the Mini Putt Putt car ride at HH

This past Thursday, the girls and I went with our friend and her 2 kids to Happy Hollow. We've been to Happy Hollow (HH) so many times I've lost count. Anyways, the girls are pretty familiar with the rides and what to expect at the HH. The favorite thing right now for them are the rides. However, there are rides where you have to be a certain height to ride it with an adult or by yourself. My oldest daughter J has gone on all the rides at the HH except for the Pacific Fruit Express Family Roller Coaster. Yes..the roller coaster! I can't even remember the last time I rode a roller coaster! Anyways, to go on this ride with an adult, you have to be a minimum of 36 inches tall. Well, J is definitely taller than 36 inches and so now it was a matter of whether she would want to try this ride.

Pacific Fruit Express Family Roller Coaster

The last time we were at HH, it was  about 2 months ago and I had asked if she wanted to try the roller coaster and she gave me a definite NO. So, this time, I asked her again and she said no again. I left it at that. Well, during our picnic lunch, we sat by the roller coaster and watched other people ride it. She was still a little hesitant and scared as she watched the roller coaster. Then one of her friends went on the ride with her mom, we stood by the fence to watch the ride and I watched as J, her sister and friend cheered, clapped, and laughed while watching the roller coaster go by. It was the most cutest and precious scene.

J, little sister and friend watching and waving as the roller coaster goes by

This is when I asked J if she wanted to go. Her friend was totally encouraging her by saying "You can do it, It's fun!" Well lo and behold...she said YES! Say what?!! Oh my goodness.. now I was the one that was scared for her because I really didn't know how she would react once we were on the ride.

Here we are! Right before the roller coaster ride starts!! She's still smiling!

So...how did she do on her first roller coaster ride? See for yourself! Check it out below!

Yes my girl did it! I was super proud of her because it took a lot of courage. She was one brave chica! I was one happy mama and yet sad because my little girl is growing up. BUT..she's learning to become a brave and courageous girl who is willing to try new things and for that..I am PROUD of her. This was the biggest and best Sweet Surprise of the day!

Thankful Tuesdays!

Happy Tuesday everyone!  Once again, it's Thankful Tuesday! Seeing how this past weekend was Mother's Day, it's just natural to blog this Thankful Tuesday about my own mom. So here are a few things I'd like to share of how much I appreciate my own mother and very thankful to have her as my mom.

To my mom..
* I appreciate your strong faith and belief in the power of prayer. You always prayed for us (your kids) and had a strong faith that God would take care of us no matter where we were geographically or spiritually.

* I appreciate your love for the piano and music. Your dedication and affection for music has taught me how music can be a form of worship, reflection, and relaxation.

* I appreciate your patience. You had so much patience with my brother and I when we were younger and you still do.

* Thank you mom for loving me for who I was when I was younger and who I'm becoming as I'm growing older.

As I was looking for pictures of my mom and I. I realize that we don't have many of just her and I. Mom - we need to take more selfies together! 

Motherhood..

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday! It was a great weekend of celebration and relaxation in our family. We are fortunate enough to live close to both my mother and mother in-law to be able to celebrate with both of them this past weekend. Growing up and celebrating Mother's Day has always been just like any other day of saying "thank you" to my mother for being my mom. I don't think I ever understood the importance of celebrating my mom and what it truly meant to be a mother until I myself became a mom.

Motherhood...there are so many words and feelings that stir inside when I think about what it means to be a mom. I'm no veteran to motherhood because I've only just begun, like 3.5 yrs. ago but in this short beginning so far, I've come to appreciate my mom so much more than ever before and realize that being a mother is the most difficult and joyous thing ever!

You see, I realize that as moms, we put so much of ourselves into being the best moms we can be for our kids. We sometimes have high expectations for ourselves and we can be our own worst critics, which is so true for me. We try the best that we can with what we have.

Lately, I've been finding inspiration and encouragement through my conversations with fellow moms around me and reading words written by other blogger moms. I wanted to share with you two of the blogs that I read this past week that gave me encouragement as a mother.

First, I loved reading Joanna Gaines' letter to moms. (If you haven't read her blog or seen her "Fixer Upper" show on HGTV, you have to check it out!) I loved her honesty and her words of encouragement in what she wrote. I loved the main points that she wrote about the different facets of motherhood: You are enough. Taking the time. The littlest things. After reading her letter to moms, all I could say out loud was "Amen sista!" Such an inspiration and a great reminder for me as a mom. I highly recommend reading what Joanna Gaines wrote!

Second, I loved reading the Small Seed blog post about "Embracing Grace in Motherhood: Ruth Simons". Several mom friends introduced me to Ruth Simons and her wonderful scriptural artwork that she posts on Instagram (@gracelaced). However, what's even more powerful and inspirational are her words in her blog. In this Small Seed blog post, I really loved the main points about embracing grace in motherhood: When we are serving our family, we are serving Christ. Get rid of the checklist. With God all things are possible. We become stronger as we rely on the strength of the Lord. Can I just say that I am so thankful for all these words of wisdom and inspiration!

It's hard to remember all these things when you're in the midst of a toddler tantrum or cleaning up poo smeared all over the crib. Yes, motherhood is hard and trying at times but it is the best gift that God has given me.  I'm trying my best to enjoy every moment of it because truth is, my two little girls are growing up and I (and my hubby) feel it's happening so fast. So on that note my friends...I leave you with this video and song by Nichole Nordeman "Slow Down".  It encapsulates the joys of being a mother and parent as well as the heartache of seeing your kids grow up right in front of you. **Disclaimer: you're gonna need a tissue or two. Thanks to my hubby Dave for sending this to me.** 

Thankful Tuesdays!

Welcome to Thankful Tuesday! On Facebook, everyone does #TBT (Throw Back Thursdays) and it's super fun to look and reminisce on the past. I thought I'd start something new on my blog called Thankful Tuesdays! It's not something new because there is a #thankfultuesday but I thought for myself, it would be a good practice to blog every Tuesday about one thing that I'm thankful for. It's a way for me to take a step back in my life to see the blessings that God provides and the ways He's working around and in me.

So for my first Thankful Tuesday blog post, I am thankful for my little family.

6  years ago, I would have never imagined that God would bless me with a little family of my own. We struggled with infertility for a couple of years and when our first daughter arrived, it was the most amazing  gift ever from God! Then 18 months later, our spunky second daughter arrived and that was the best gift that God truly blessed us with. I am very thankful that our girls are healthy and happy. I am thankful for my husband who has walked with me and supported me through the entire journey of becoming parents and now being parents. I am thankful that he loves spending time with us even when he's tired and has worked a long day. I am thankful that my girls love to spend time with me and their daddy in this season of their lives (I hope this never ends and they'll continue to enjoy spending time with us as they grow older). I am thankful for all our little family moments from big ones like family camping and road trips to little ones like playing hide and seek before bedtime. Yes, I am grateful, thankful, and blessed by this little family that God has given me. Love.

My Hopes and Desires...

I can't believe 2016 is almost halfway through, how are we in May already? Time seems to fly by so much quicker as you get older. Hence, time is precious and every minute counts. I've been thinking a lot lately about my hopes and desires. At the beginning of each year, a lot of people make New Years resolutions or goals. I use to do that too and those never panned out. For example: I'd make a resolution to exercise and workout (haha, yea right). Those of you who know me, I hardly exercise and there's absolutely no motivation for that.

Anyways, I began think about this whole New Years resolution/goal in a different way. What if I thought of it as hopes and desires? I mean, who said you had to make New Years resolutions/goals at the beginning of every new year? 

So in this season of life, these are some of my hopes and desires. These aren't set in concrete and of course as life continues, new ones will arise and these will evolve.  

In this sesason of life, I hope and desire:

• to understand and practice what it means to REST in God's presence.
• to be present to my kids and husband and serve them wholeheartedly
• to build deeper friendships with my friends 
• to serve the people around me with humility and a grateful heart 
• to be more aware of the blessings that God provides in every situation

Short and not too complicated. It's always good to actually write these down because it makes it concrete versus being up in my head. What are your hopes and desires? Would love to hear from you guys!

A new chapter..for now..

Hello again! It's been awhile since I've blogged. I think it's been since January since my last blog update? Wow, time sure flies by because we are in the end of April already! A lot has happened since I've blogged. I'm not sure who reads this blog but this blog is really an outlet for me to share my thoughts, things I like to do, and record my memories with friends and family. I guess in the grand scheme of things, this blog is like my little time capsule of my life. So, if you've been with me since the beginning when I started (like just last year), thanks for sticking with me. And if you've just started reading, welcome!

I plan on posting blogs once a week on Mondays to keep my blog fresh and alive. I realized that if I didn't have a set time to blog, it would be put to the wayside and I really enjoy sharing my thoughts in writing. 

So, what's happened since January? Well, the biggest change is....I've resigned from my job as a teacher after teaching for 10 years! Say what?! Those of you who've known me for a long time, my passion is teaching and kids. Yes, teaching has its pros and cons but overall, I truly love it. Well, I wanted to share my reasons/thoughts for resigning at this point in my career and what's next for me and my family.

Why did you decide to resign now?

This past 2016-2017 school year, I was on a leave of absence from teaching to stay at home with my two little girls. This means, that I am still an employee of the school district but on sabbatical leave without pay. Before the 2016-2017 school year ends, I can decide to return or resign. I decided to resign. 

I love being at home with my two little girls and spending time with them. A lot of you told me that it will be the best decision that I will have made as a mom and one that I won't regret. You guys have been totally right. I realize that time is precious and making memories with my two little girls while being a SAHM (stay at home mom) is the best gift to them and myself.

Also, while working full time last year, I really struggled with being the best wife, mom, and teacher all at the same time. Sure, I did it, it was a busy/crazy school year, and I know that I can be a full-time working mom. However, when I had the choice to be a SAHM with my kids, I couldn't pass up the chance. Family first.

Do you miss teaching?

Yes I absolutely miss teaching! As I mentioned above I know that teaching has its pros and cons but overall, I love teaching! I miss being with students and the joy/fun of teaching them. I miss all the different conversations and stories that I would hear everyday in the classroom from my students. Oddly enough, I miss lesson planning (who would have thought!) because it was always fun looking for new and creative ways to teach a concept. Yes, call me nerdy and my teacher friends might just be laughing at me but when I left we had just gotten into this whole project-based learning and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) teaching and I was excited to try something new even though it meant more time prepping/planning. 

The BIGGEST thing that I missed this year while being at home was my colleagues/friends! I have to put a shout out and some love to them (Cumberland Elementary..wassup!!) because truly they have known me for awhile (10 years!) and have seen me grow not just as a teacher but also as an individual. They've been like a second family to me this past decade. I have learned so much from everyone and love teaching even more because of my time spent with them. I have so many great memories but most of all, I miss laughing and chatting with everyone. Yes, laughter...there was always something to laugh about because there was always something funny or crazy that happens in the classroom or around school. Here are just a few pics I quickly found in my files (just a snippet of the awesome people at Cumberland). Thanks for the memories and hope to stay in touch with these fabulous people!

          

Do you plan on returning to teaching?

Yes! I'm not sure when I'll be returning but I'm just going to enjoy this next upcoming school year 2017-2018 being a SAHM again to my two little girls. I have to be honest though, I am worried about finding a job when I want to return. I guess that's just natural because I haven't applied for a teaching job in 10 years! I just have to have faith that God will provide.

So that basically sums it up folks! I realize here in the Silicon Valley, it truly is a blessing and a privilege to be able to be a SAHM because guys, living here is super $$$$$.

A huge THANK YOU to my wonderful supportive husband who's making it possible for me to have this time at home with our little girls.

Last of all and for the record..being a working mom (WM) and a SAHM is NO JOKE! No matter what, each situation has its own difficulties and blessings. ;) 

Goodbye 2015...

Happy New Year everyone! Yes I'm a bit late but heck it's still January and I think it's still okay to wish everyone a Happy New Year. =)

So, is it just me or is it because I'm getting older that I think each year passes by more quickly than the last? I feel like 2015 whizzed by! Yes, it's almost midnight now and I'm here again reflecting. For some reason, I like to blog super late at night when I should be sleeping. If ya'll don't know me, I'm more of a "night owl" than a "morning get up and go" person. Okay, back to reflecting...2015 was another year of changes. Here are some of the changes that happened:

1. Took a leave of absence from teaching (crazy but the best decision I've ever made)
2. Became a SAHM (stay at home mom) - best and hardest job ever BUT loving every minute
3. Oldest daughter J started preschool and youngest daughter M is now full-time at home with me
4. Began serving in my church (moms ministry and kids community)  - totally stoked that I have the "margin" to serve and enjoying it.
5. Living on one income - Scary at first but God has truly provided for our family.

Okay..now for some reflections of things I've learned/observed in 2015 (in no particular order of importance):

1. God. His love never ceases. He knows what's best for me and I'm learning again and again to release my "control" of my life and give it all to Him.

2.  Desire to know God more. Ever since I left teaching, I've had the time and energy to want to spend time in reading His Word and really digging deeper into who GOD is.

3. Relationships with friends are something that I cherish. I realized this year that I really do cherish all my friendships but I haven't been great at keeping in touch with everyone. =(  I've realized that it's important to have that "community" of people walking alongside you through life. It's kinda lonely when you do it alone. I am thankful for all of you who are in my life now. Let's get together sometime!

4. Family is important. Despite arguments or drama that can happen in any family, I truly cherish all the people that are in my family (immediate and extended). I am grateful to have them in my life and that my girls will grow up with so many cousins, uncles, aunties and their grandparents.

5. I LOVE BEING A MOM!! I feel very blessed and grateful that God gifted me J and M. They are the best gift ever and I am so very lucky to be their mom.

6. I love spending time with Dave (hubby) because really with 2 kids and everything else in life, it's hard finding quality time to spend with your spouse. I realized we have to be really intentional about making the time for each other, so that our marriage continues to grow stronger.

7. Social Media is addicting and a time-sucker. Period. (Facebook/Pinterest/Instagram, etc.)

That's all I've got for now on my life in 2015. Thanks 2015 for yet another memorable year. 2016...I wonder what God has in store for me in 2016. Do I have any resolutions or goals yet? Hmmm..I guess you'll have to wait and see if I'll be writing a blog post on that! ;)