Rainbows and Me Time.....

 

 

 

I decided to set up a Facebook page for Adele's Over the Rainbow Baskets.

The Facebook page has been set up to share stories, pictures, blogs and to share our project, Adele's Over the Rainbow Baskets. Through donations from the community, friends and family, we are able to make up baskets for families who have a baby born with Down syndrome in the Calgary area. Our goal right now is to make twenty baskets, filled with lots of goodies for baby and resources for the family to access once at home with their bundle of joy.
Please share your pictures and your stories, no matter where you live and remember to always be respectful of others as they are travelling on their own journeys.
I am still waiting for others to share some of their pictures and we need more LIKES! :) I don't want to be the only one going all picture crazy, I would like it if others would go picture crazy too!

I want Adele's Facebook page to be filled with a lot of love and comfort for others. I will also post the blog link on there whenever I write a new post.

Adele's Over the Rainbow Baskets  :)

One of my friends, writes a blog on Down syndrome and her journey with her children, husband and extended family. She has a very insightful and personal blog that is shared with many people.
She recently discovered that parts of her blog have been copied and pasted on other sites and that pictures of her children were discovered on porn sites. She has decided to now make her blog private and only allow those who have asked to continue reading, to take part in her journey.

I am so disgusted by others. I am appalled that people would be so disrespectful and hurtful towards another person. Her blog is designed to help others and to share her story, which I know has helped many families. Her privacy settings are also fairly tight, so she thought, but I guess there are always ways to get the information or story and to disregard another person's feelings.

After I read all of this, I went into a bit of a panic, so I Googled the girls' names and the blog. I am safe. I am going to see if I can possibly increase the privacy settings without going private. The whole point to the blog is to share our story, to connect with others and to hopefully educate the world :) and to let families know that it can be done.

What a pain!

Loving my MONKEY!

 

 

I while ago, I wrote a post about stay at home moms and dads. Just a quick summary...I said that I didn't think that a stay at home mom has the hardest job in the whole world. I said that I think that a mom who has to go to work has it a bit harder. Having to get up in the morning, get ready, get the kids up, get them ready and fed and off to school and daycare then go to work, pick the kids up after work...you get the point. After that post, I was having a Facebook conversation with a childhood friend and she came out and said that she knows how I feel about stay at home moms and that she shouldn't whine instead she should realize that she is incredibly fortunate to be able to stay at home with her children. I then explained that I never said that it was easy. It isn't easy. It's hard. It's a lot of work. I think my point was that being a parent, period, is such a difficult job but I am turned off by moms who blog and list hour by hour what they do in a day and who whine about how hard this life is for them....

 

:)

 

 

This brings me to my next point. Our conversation then went in another direction. She told me that she doesn't feel appreciated. She doesn't feel satisfied. She doesn't feel like she is ever placed on a pedestal and that what she does throughout the day is expected by her family. That is her job. She should get everybody up in the morning. She should feed everybody breakfast. She should clean up after breakfast. She should get the kids off to school, healthy lunches that contain all the food groups packed in their backpacks. She should do the laundry. She should go grocery shopping. She should walk the dog. She should make the beds. She should pick the kids up from school. She should prepare dinner. She should clean up after dinner. She should sit down with the kids and help them with their homework. She should get everything ready for the next day. She should have the house in order before she goes to bed at midnight. She should...she should...she should.

 

She told me that there is never a thank you. There is no appreciation. There is no meaning to her day. She said that she feels lost. She said that she doesn't have an outlet, a time just for her to fulfill her needs. She said that she doesn't feel valued and because of this, her life sometimes feels like it is lacking so much. Her focus, all of her energy has been spent on taking care of others for the past 20 years. She has always put their needs before hers and it has now taken a toll. Her self esteem is almost non existent and her smile has faded.

I told her that she needed to do for herself. She needs time for just her, something that makes her smile. Something that interests her and that makes her feel more complete, something that makes her feel valued and appreciated.

 

Happy 6 months beautiful princess xo

 

 

When you stay at home with your children, you need to make sure that you are taking me time. You need to make sure that you are still pursuing things that make you happy. You need to get out of the house. You need to spend time with other grown ups and have grown up conversations. You need to feel worthy. You need to have a purpose. It is so difficult to be all things, a mom, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a niece, an aunt and a friend. There are so many roles that it is easy to get lost and forget that you are your own person. If you aren't taking care of you and your needs, you are no good to anybody. You need to be content. You need to feel appreciated. You need your own hobbies, your own interests, your own life.

 

Now, I'm not saying that you should up and leave every night at 6:00pm but that you need balance. You can't do it all. You shouldn't be expected to do it all. You did not enter a marriage expecting to do it all. It's a partnership. Both husband and wife need to put the effort into making their marriage successful and making sure that the other person gets recognized for all that they do. It's a simple THANK YOU! It's appreciating each other. It's about teaching your children how to wipe their own asses! :) Teach them how to take care of themselves and that a simple thank you goes a long way.

 

If you are a single parent, I bow down to you. I don't know how you do it. You deserve a medal!

 

 

Your goal this week......take me time.

 

 

I want to get to 100 000 views by April. I am at 81 820 right now. If you share my blog, tag me in the post and you will be entered in a draw for a great prize!! If you are sharing again today, you will have another chance to win! I will mail it to anywhere in the world. My goal...get the word out. Bring reassurance to families. Bring comfort and joy to those who are struggling. Lots of shares so far! If we are not friends on Facebook, send me an email after you have shared, at krowland23@hotmail.com. <3 The contest is almost over.