[The New] Messy Mom LAUNCH PARTY!!!

It's here. It's here. It's finally here! Happy Mother's Day to all the lovely mamacitas out there and WELCOME to the [NEW] Messy Mom Launch party!

I wanted to give you a little bit of a schedule for what's happening this week so that hopefully it will make sense when it all rolls out.


SUNDAY- The Messy Mom Movie Premiere
Okay, this should still be on track to happen today, but it might be at let's say 11:59 pm. Everything I say is subject to change (wink wink).

MONDAY- My First Messy Mom Giveaway

TUESDAY- The Messy Mom Link Up Reveal

WEDNESDAY- Traditional Post
Tuesday I will be hosting a link up, but Wednesday I will be participating in one. This was already on my calendar, so it doesn't necessarily go with the party, but it still sets the stage for what kind of content will continued to be featured on Messy Mom.

THURSDAY- A Special Announcement

FRIDAY- More Announcements

SATURDAY- The New Website


So I am still keeping a lot of secrets, but that gives you a bit of a preview. Basically this is the week I am just going for it! I pushed the deadline for the conversion to WordPress to the end of the week in hopes that it gives my husband enough time to get everything done for the grand finale. I know this Word Press/Self hosting stuff doesn't mean a lot to the non-blogging readers, but trust me, it's a big deal.

I've been blogging for a long time now and over the past few months I have been working hard along with my family  an official team of experts to take Messy Mom to the next level. This is my chance to get this blog off the ground. That's what launching is all about right? The idea that Messy Mom will be a little bit more of a brand, a business, a part time job. Don't worry, the integrity and purpose of this blog is safe with me. Messy Mom means way too much to me to just gamble it away. Over all I am just going to be doing the same thing I've been doing, but with a little more purpose, and if it also brings in some revenue for my family then that's awesome, because we could use it.

So that is the gist of what the [The New] Messy Mom is all about. The name and the identity behind my blog will stay the exact same as it has been over the past 7 years. I will just be implementing some new ideas, some of which are really old ideas that I have been dreaming of for a very long time.

 More to come my friends. Stay tuned. 

Things to Come

It's been another silent week here at MessyMom.com. Lots of end of the school year happenings and some other stuff that I'll be sharing more about next week. In fact I'll be making up for lost time by blogging every single day starting this Sunday!

I am wanting the week of Mother's Day to be the launch party for The NEW Messy Mom. The thing is, I am so nervous about having everything unfold smoothly. I don't know if the new website will be finished by the end of next week or not. It's been a ton of work. There is so much that could go wrong at this point, but I am stretching my muscles and will be getting a running start as I jump into the deep end of blogging. All I can say is expect the unexpected (such as delays, technical difficulties, emergencies, mass confusion etc.).

I'll have more blog reveal details next week, but for now I did want to mention one minor personal update.

An outtake from the photos that were taken for the new profile pic.

Some of you know I have dealt with a lot of issues with my left ear. I have a constant ringing in that ear along with difficulty hearing. I also sometimes experience episodes of vertigo. It's something I have dealt with for 12 years and has gotten progressively worse. Keep in mind what I deal with is completely unrelated to SJ's hearing loss. I diagnosed myself 2 years ago after extensive google research. I wrote all about Meniere's Disease and why I think I have it here.

Although the vertigo hasn't been much of an issue, the hearing loss has started to dramatically interfere with my life. I mishear words all the time. If I am in a noisy environment where someone is trying to talk to me you can pretty much forget it. I won't be able to hear anything unless it is spoken close to my right side. J has especially noticed it and was the one to insist on me going to the Doctor. I mention in that other post about how I did go to the Doctor about this issue, but that was 10 years ago and the Doctor I saw wasn't at all helpful. I didn't keep records or seek a second opinion. I didn't know what questions to ask. Now that I am in my 30's and have a daughter with hearing loss I feel a lot more equipped to get to the bottom of this.

I saw my general practitioner on Tuesday. He's not an ear Doctor so there isn't much new information there, but on Monday I will see an Audiologist so hopefully I will know more by then.

That's my little update. Next time I get on here it will be to kick off the launch party. Definitely come back then!

Mothers Are Like Clocks

Long ago, before we even had children we bought this large clock for our kitchen. It actually set itself automatically and changed when the time changes twice a year. It was just a simple analog clock, so I never did figure out how it could adjust the time like magic, but it was faithful to do so.

The clock moved from Texas, to Kentucky, and finally Ohio where it adorned our kitchen once more. It wasn't the cutest or trendiest home decor item but it had an important purpose. Our son even learned how to tell time the old fashioned way thanks to that clock. I'll admit that it had gradually sped up over the years to the point that I knew it wasn't perfectly accurate, but it still helped me stay on schedule. It just kept faithfully ticking away.

That was until recently when the clock stopped.

I thought it was 12:55 pm for two hours before I realized what happened. I panicked and rushed out the door to pick up my kids from school. When I returned home I immediately went to change the batteries. The problem is that it still didn't work. We tried different batteries. We tried reseting it. Even the fixer of our family couldn't revive it. So we had to face the fact that after ten years of service to our family the clock had come to the end of it's life.

Time of death? Unknown.
Bad joke. Sorry.

Anyway, into the trash it went and about a week passed by without the clock hanging on the wall. Even despite our phones, computers, and other various digital clocks I had relied on that one for so long that I thought I would loose my mind if it wasn't replaced soon. I looked up at that blank spot on the wall probably 20 times a day. I expected to see the time only to be repeatedly disappointed. I feel lost when I don't know what time it is.

Today we finally replaced the clock and life can proceed as normal.

With mother's day around the corner this got me thinking. Moms are a lot like clocks. As a child you rely on your mother to keep time, to get you where you need to go, to maintain a steady rhythm, to be there to keep the machine running non stop... like clock work! Then one day you grow up and enter adulthood and you realize just how much you looked up to your mom. It's in hindsight that you can fully appreciate the depth of what she did for you.

When I think about my old clock I see so many parallels to my mother.

I don't know how she did it all- all the time, but it happened. Like magic. And if sometimes her timing wasn't perfect it didn't matter because she got the job done. She served our family faithfully. She was committed every second, minute, and hour of every day. Her purpose was and is invaluable.

She taught me how to cherish the time.

So this is for all the mother's out there that are constantly running. To the moms that are a source of reliability and consistency for their families, and those who are trying to embrace every moment as time marches on. Your role in your family is obviously deeper and more intimate than any old clock, but maybe next time you look at the time you can think about the bigger picture because whether you feel it or not, I can assure you that you are appreciated.

 Happy Mother's Day.

#WhatIsGoingOnInThisPicture TWO

I  can't believe that today is the last day of April! It really did sneak up on me and I almost missed April's edition of What Is Going On In This Picture!? 

The idea behind the series is to pull random photos from you phone camera that could potentially need a bit of an explanation.

I have a couple more of my own silly moments to share with you, and as promised this time I am taking submissions from my readers. I was so happy with the feedback from last month. I went back through some of the ones you all sent me or tagged me in and it was so hard to choose! I got a great laugh out of all them! I'll be doing this again next month and posting more so please keep 'em coming.

ONE

SJ got this bunny sweatshirt for Christmas and it zips all the way up. She was very enthusiastic to get in character when she met the Easter bunny at the Library. 

TWO

This one definitely needs an explanation. My waffle iron automatically heats up when you plug it in. So when I opened up to pour in the waffle mix I found the Joker melted to the top half of the waffle iron! Luckily the non stick surface cleaned up pretty easily. As for The Joker, he had it coming. 

THREE

This one is from Angie Keith in Northern Kentucky. 

"Look mom. I made some new friends!" 

FOUR 

Maria Meyer, also from Northern Kentucky, sent me this one. 

She said after being repeatedly asked to zip him up she thought, sure why not.

FIVE

This one is from Rosemary Fleming all the way from New Zealand. 

Everything was fine until her husband started moving furniture around. Now they have a broken home! Her husband promised he would fix it, but she said she would always know that he fractured their home! To which she received an eye roll. Luckily, their family is doing great, but I love the play on words! That's totally something I would do.  

Alright now it's your turn! Post your funny phone outtakes on instagram along with the hashtag #whatisgoingoninthispicture. That is not a one of kind hashtag, but if you tag @messymom I'll know what it's about. If you don't have Instagram feel free to share with me on Facebook, Twitter, or via email. If yours is chosen I will give you a shout at the end of May when we do another round of #WhatIsGoingOnInThisPicture? 

Are Breasts the New Shoulders?

I've seen a lot of children/family movies lately where some of the women looked like they got their sexy wardrobes from a Bond girl. Seeing cleavage everywhere is nothing new, but it seems to be getting more prominent and mainstream everyday. Don't even get me started on swimsuits. When I am talking to a woman whose breasts appear to be coming up for air, I try to think like a good ol boy. Don't gawk. Look at her face. Be respectful. Unlike with men, it's not because I'm stimulated by all that skin. It's because some girls have their "girls" pushed up so high and their necklines so low that it really is an art form how they even manage to keep their nipples covered. Sorry to be so descriptive.

For years I have tried to ignore this. I don't want to be judgmental or legalistic. I was hoping that eventually I would just get used to it. Surely once we see enough boobs we'll all be desensitized and we won't even notice them anymore. 

Being as open and objective as I possibly can, I tried to compare cleavage to going sleeveless.

Not that long ago showing your shoulders used to be scandalous. My mother in law told me about a time her daughters were scheduled to sing a gospel song at church, but one of them had a sleeveless dress and so it was considered inappropriate for them to be on the platform and they were turned away. Pants used to be immodest as well and there are still plenty of cultures and religions where some of these practices are still in place, but it's certainly not the norm. 

So maybe that's how it is with cleavage now. It's something that used to be a big deal, but now it's not. There are modest ways to expose your breasts and I just need to embrace change. 

Except I don't buy that. To me it's still a big deal. Keep in mind this is my personal conviction and opinion as a christian woman.

I have decided that breasts are not the same as shoulders. 

People don't get shoulder implants. There aren't restaurants named after women's shoulders (ahem Hooters). Women don't sustain a newborn life with their shoulders. Children and men have shoulders, but they do not have mammary glands.  I know those are weird examples, but what I am trying to get at is that breasts are still sacred in my book.  It's not just the nipples, I'm talking about the whole organ. Medicalook explains "The glands are associated with the female reproductive system in part due to their assistance in attracting a mate as well as their role in nourishing a baby." In other words from a scientific standpoint female breast are not sexual organs, but they are largely associated with sexuality because they are in some ways part of reproduction. No matter how much we try to normalize it breasts are sexual and cleavage is provocative. 

There are so many different lines that can be drawn when it comes to cleavage and it's not a one size fits all issue (literally). My well endowed friends know what I'm talking about. This isn't about shaming women for having curves. It's about loving our curves enough to have some dignity.


I wear what I feel comfortable wearing. I went through a season where I beat myself up about the issue of modesty. Everyday I would obsess about every detail of my jeans, shirt, or dress and whether or not it could be something that would be a trigger for a man. This was bondage I had because of my past which I have thankfully been delivered from. I still want to dress modestly, but I feel like it's a who I am as a transformed and renewed daughter of the King not because of a modesty checklist. That's another topic entirely, but I just want to be clear that this isn't me looking down on other women because of how they dress. It's simply the stance I take for myself and the message I want to send to my daughter. 

I am not ready to just accept that breast are the new shoulders. It's such a lovely, complicated, mysterious part of the body and I don't want to exploit that. I want my daughter to know that unlike what you see on TV you can be beautiful, elegant, and feminine without having your breast on display. That's where I stand. 

Paper Bag Masks

I don't know about where you live, but it's been cold and wet here. J brought home some paper bags not that long ago that he thought the kids could make masks out of. It was snowy at the time that we did this activity, but it occurred to me that's also perfect for rainy indoor fun year round.

You've probably seen this craft before, or maybe remember it from your childhood. It's not the latest thing, but it was new to the kids and they had a blast!

We decorated brown grocery store bags with paint (and some stick on circles that we had on hand) and cut out spaces for the eyes and shoulders. It's a little bit messy if you decide to use paint, but it really couldn't be any simpler.

My over achieving seven year old wowed us when he decided to cut the circles I gave him for eyes and turn them into ears for his tiger creation. 

The other two kids were a little more uh... eccentric with their techniques. 

In fact they were so heavy handed with the paint we ended up blowing drying the bags so that they could wear them that night.

Z eventually finished up (both front and back) using a mixed media approach.

When I posted these on Facebook I had someone ask where we found plain paper bags. Of course you can get paper bags anywhere, but they often have print on both sides. In this case we went to Meijer (a midwestern grocery store). I'm sure you can find them other places too though if you are on the look out. 

You can see the snow on the porch!

Next time we do this project I will definitely be more strategic with where I put the eye holes. The poor things were peaking out of one side the whole time.

Z's turned out so great. He did it all on his own too. 

The cool thing is it isn't just one time use. The bags fold up for easy storage and then you can pull them out for endless fun whenever you want! 

Hooray for paper bags! 

Family Update

It's been a week since I have blogged! I would love to say the silence has been due to preparation for the great big Messy Mom blog party happening on May 10th, but I haven't even had a chance to work on any of that because life has been really intense lately.

Here is some of what has been happening. 

My photography business took a back seat for all of January and February. Things tend to slow down for on location photographers when it's freezing cold outside. Now that the flowers are blooming and prom/graduations and weddings are happening I am back in business.

I have some more "springy" photo sessions, but they aren't edited or watermarked yet. These are some from the past month though.

Two weeks ago my father in law had triple coronary bypass surgery. They moved him from the hospital to a rehabilitation center. It was a scary surgery that was a little concerning through some parts, but thank God that he is doing well. Now he needs prayer to be healed enough to be able to go home. Thanks for all of the prayers that have already gone out. I know the whole family appreciates it.

J's is almost finished with all of his technical classes and then he will start interviewing. His biggest project as a computer programing major has been to make a program that enables robots to play Tic-Tac-Toe. He finally finished that assignment and I know that's a relief for him. He also still leads worship for a church in Indiana. I don't get to go with him as often as I would like because it's a big drive to make with the whole family and if there isn't a photo shoot I need to be be at, there is a birthday party the kids are invited to. Or sometimes someone is sick, as was the case this past Sunday.

In other news, the lease is almost up on our apartment and it's been kind of a nightmare. We'd love to move, but J still has one more semester left of school and won't have a FULL time job until the fall. So that really limits what we can afford or even qualify for. However, if we get a 6 month lease then that means we'll move in the middle of the school year and I would hate to put Z through that kind of transition if it entails switching schools. We've looked at some places, but they don't stay on the market for long. So it's kind of pointless to even search until June when we are ready to move. I don't know how people do it! The timing and availability all has to perfect.

I am trying to focus on Psalms 3:5 

and Romans 8:28 

Z has one month left of school, but SJ goes a little longer and then starts summer school. Don't worry, it's not all summer and it's not all day either. Every kid deserves a break, no matter how much catching up they have to do. I just finished a conference meeting where I found out that she is going to the Kindergarten summer school!  So that means that she kind of starts Kindergarten in 7 weeks. I am going to be tuning into a Kindergarten readiness webinar next week. I really can't believe she's starting Kindergarten! One reason is because it's been such a long journey of just learning to listen and speak that I really didn't think she would be ready. On top of that I just can't believe I have two school age children. 

It feels like just yesterday they were both toddlers and school wasn't even on my radar. Back then those moms and kids that had school schedules and extra curricular activities were in another world entirely. Now I am in that category! When did that happen!? I know I'll turn around and be watching them graduate High School and I'll probably have the same thoughts. Time really does fly. It's so cliche, but it's true. It keeps going faster and faster. 

I don't want to leave out Ezie. He is two and half and on the go!


It's hard to see in this photo, but his pajamas have turtle cape and whenever he puts on a cape he instantly transforms into a super hero and blast through the room with his fist straight out in front of him. He has done this since he was just a year old and it is hilarious.

At home he's a really easy toddler to deal with. He doesn't get into too much. He's not needy or whiney.  However, if he is not confined he has me questioning if I am even qualified to be his mother. I literally can't keep up with him. The worst was at Chic-fil-A when he darted out of the play land and ran towards the exit. I ran after him and the rug in front of the door slid out from under me and I fell on my side with full force. I had a huge bruise up and down my leg from that one. He just runs off all the time. I've tried using a harness and he hates it so much that we just become immobile. Hopefully he'll be out of this stage soon because sometimes his antics make me fear for both of our lives! 

That's not even all the latest, but it's certainly enough for now. I hope everyone else is enjoying the spring so far. I should be back to writing more soon.