#thedertings

Finally bringing myself to "wrap up summer".....this was the best summer I think I've ever had...we had lots fun, made many memories and traveled often..... In June we visited Brooks' family in Washington State and spent some time in the FUN city of Seattle. We really enjoyed introducing our Britan to Brooks' grandmother and many aunts, uncles and cousins during our visit! The weather was cool and NOT humid at all during our stay which meant we had to purchase some winter clothes the 3rd week of June while in Seattle. We visited the Space Needle again and I hope that this time Bryson will actually remember it in years to come. He got a Lego Space Needle set while we were there so hopefully those memories will stay with him...and Britan enjoyed her 1st trip to the top...I guess we will need another trip in the future to make sure she remembers ;) We also searched for iCarly and Christian Grey, but no luck during our search....maybe next time??!!! The 5.5 hour fli...

Hallelujah for a GREAT 1st day of school!!!!!!!!!! My day was not as productive as I would have liked and consisted of sorting files, figuring out a workable schedule, trying to find my desk....AND most importantly seeing smiling faces & catching up with old friends! I was not myself when I posted last week and I TRULY don't like the negative attitude that I had and shared with many.....I would love to work my way up the corporate ladder one day, but for now I know that I am exactly where I am suppose to be.....and most importantly so is Bryson! I can't say enough about how great Stony Point is...but I will say that the 90% + we showed on test scores last year and the family morals that WE all bring to work daily is beyond enough for me to say that we are the BEST elementary school around!!! Britan has started a new transition with a new sitter schedule and today was a GREAT day for her! I am excited for her to try something new again tomorrow and I feel con...

I am so confused about my life's purpose right now....call it a midlife crisis, call whatever you want, but I think this is the HARDEST time I have ever experienced going back to work.....I have always said that I am better mom because I work because it keeps me sane....but I have really enjoyed being in my little cocoon with me and the kids all summer, our own world, no one to answer to...... Do I want to stay home with my sweet girl? YES! Do I want to work where Bryson actually is in school? YES! Do I want to continue to provide our children with experiences that give them happiness? YES! Do I need to feel like I have a purpose? YES! So what the heck is wrong with me..... Is it the fact that I need something NEW to balance my life about every 5 years? MAYBE Is it that I want new challenges maybe even a new career? MAYBE Again what is the problem, Alysha...... Do all these questions I am having mean I am going to breakdown and stop bein...

I am writing this post to keep myself in check because I tend to accomplish more if it's in writing.....I use to spend Saturday mornings cleaning the whole house...dusting, sweeping, mopping, washing sheets, cleaning all counters..it would take hours if I was uninterrupted and if I was interrupted it would take days...Therefore I need to find a way to hold myself accountable and not waste away my Saturdays..... Now there are MANY blogs, pins, and websites out there to help one STAY ON TOP of household things...cooking, cleaning, the laundry, etc...but unlike the other bloggers that get paid for it...if you are like me, it's an unpaid J-O-B! So....now that summer is sooo close to being over, I MUST reset my mind and move forward with a new school year and my 8th year in the classroom.... You probably know by now that my life must have structure...prime example of no structure = my house is a wreck thanks to the 2 weeks worth of Olympics I watched.....so now is the best tim...

Look at me...day 2 of accomplishing my goal ;) Life is good, when goals are accomplished!!! Today, just like yesterday, is all about Britan Rae! Today is her 10 Month Birthday! I mostly wanted to do this post because I honestly can't remember where the past 10 months have gone and can't believe that they have passed so quickly. So I wanted to do a quick recap of our sweet girl and some of her memorable moments so far!!! Month 1: Britan's 1st trip to the beach at 2 weeks :) Look how sweet this pink bundle of joy is! Month 2: This boy never knew how much he could love his little sister, but these two share a bond and love like no other!! Month 3: Such a girly girl :) Already eating baby food!  1st Halloween Month 4: A swimmer by month 4 & 1st Christmas Tree picking!! Month 5: Britan's 1st Christmas!! Sitting up by this month!! Christmas Morning Month 6: 1st Trip to TN...Such a water baby! Britan got her ear...

Hello ALL!!! I have been away from the "blogging" world for some time, but I am making a personal goal to complete some important posts this week! This is the 1st and the most urgent!!! Our SWEET, ADORABLE Britan is STILL NOT sleeping well at night!!!!!!!! For instance, last night she was back and forth between me and Brooks from 1 AM to 4 AM!!!!!!!!!!! What is wrong, what should we be doing, why can't/won't she SLEEP??!!! I posted several months ago about the "Magic of the Babywise Book" and that helped for approximately 2.2 seconds (MAYBE 3 weeks) and when I say it helped/worked, I mean she wasn't getting up ever hour and 1/2, she was only getting up every 4 hours, WHICH at the time was a HUGE improvement. BUT once we got her eating cycle regulated, her sleeping routine never quite reached PERFECT! And then we put her on a cruise ship for 3 nights and then "forced" her to have fun in Orlando for another 7 days (she really ha...

I am really not sure of the answer..... Life has not been too crazy lately, but I guess you could say steady! We have been spending lots of family together at home saving our pennies for our upcoming Spring Break vacation....and hopefully for the "new" car that Brooks and I have yet to agree on! Bryson is well on his way to kindergarten graduation, sadly, and he is also busy playing soccer for his new coach aka Daddy. I can't believe how much he has CHANGED in the last year. We had kinder screening at school last week and I can't even remember Bryson being so shy and apprehensive like some of those sweet upcoming kinders....hard to imagine that a SHORT year ago he was little and shy and now he acts like a grown up that reads and writes and everything else a 6 year old does! SAD, but FUN all in ONE! Soccer season is in full swing and the team is starting to figure each other out and hopefully before the season is over they will grab a win!!!! Britan is well on he...