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Saturday, January 23, 2016

Daddy-Daughter Dance

My sweet little gal attended her very first daddy-daughter dance tonight held at her school and put on by our wonderful PTO! She was so very excited! She wore a special dress I bought for her when we were in CA for Thanksgiving. It was a splurge for sure....part of her Christmas gift. Isn't it just gorgeous!? It'll fit her for a few years. 

I am so blown away by her beauty!


And my husband is looking pretty hot too. ;) 


Sammy didn't have his phone on him, so I am very thankful our friend took these photos for me! Sam said Molly was being bashful and it took her a while to warm up and get out there, but I'm glad she finally worked up the courage. She said she had a good time with her Papa and was happy to see all her friends. 


You're beautiful, Molly Lynn, inside and out! I'm so happy you enjoyed your dance date with Papa! 


With love,
Mama Hauck

Monday, January 18, 2016

Namaste




Yoga. It's what the Dr. ordered. 



It's no secret that I suffer from chronic neck, shoulder, and back pain due to my scoliosis. There are so many other things that go hand and hand with that too....poor posture, headaches, muscle stiffness, stress, etc. 

The thing with my scoliosis is that it's not bad enough to warrant any type of corrective brace or surgery (not that I would want surgery anyway!) or any other type of medical intervention. I'm left to my own devices to figure out what needs to be done to help with the pain. Over time I have learned that strengthening my core muscles through stretching and different exercises is the golden ticket to helping to alleviate my pain. 


When I was in 11th grade, I started going to physical therapy 2-3 times a week after school. While there, I learned different stretches and exercises that would help build up my core muscles. I had help from physical therapist, guiding me, making sure I did everything correctly. I took accountability for myself by filling out a chart about what I did, how many times, and for how long. I really enjoyed my time spent there. It was awesome and helped so much. I felt so much better my last year of high school.  


After graduating and moving to Washington, I did keep up my workouts. I took care of an elderly lady, taking her to the gym 2-3 times a week. In return, she paid for my gym membership and I worked out while she did her pool aerobics. After that chapter in my life was closed, I started a new job. I managed to keep up my workouts, despite now having to pay an expensive membership, going to the gym 2-3 times a week. All was well. 

Gradually though, life got full. I became busy with new work. I moved. I got married. I moved again...twice. I had Anthony. Then Molly. Then Timothy. 


I think we all know how life goes with a family and how much of ourselves we sacrifice during that journey. A regular schedule was thrown out the window and I never did put forth the time and effort I should have to really concentrate on ME. Sure I got a big Bowflex and had my seasons of doing what I was suppose to do, but I could never stick with it more than a few months. 

Now a days, with the amount of time I spend hunched over the table painting, or on the computer working on photos or making up my plans or doing e-mails for all things Cub Scout related....I'm truly a hurting unit. And now I've thrown my wrists into the mix of body parts that hurt. Bummer. 

Time for a change.


My doctor suggested yoga. I had never thought about it, but it makes sense, and I'm up for anything at this point.  I'm not able to get out of the house to take a class, so the next best option is to get a mat, check out some movies and books from the library, and grab my yoga partners....which in my house are never in short supply! 

I have to say, yoga is way easier said than done. For real. I honestly didn't think it was going to be so hard, but I was wrong. Watching the videos and reading the books, you think you can do it easy peasy exactly as shown. But no. I'm dying. And without someone who really knows what they're doing checking my form and helping me out, I'm sure 99% of the time I'm doing it wrong. With my neck, shoulders, and back the way they are....there's no way I can come close to being as perfectly positioned as I'm suppose to be. So for all those looking at and critiquing my photos, I know I'm a hot mess, hahaha! As with all things, there is a learning curve. At least I'm trying and I know with time I'll progress and my form will get better. It's a journey after all, right? 


I am now officially a week into yoga. That doesn't seem like much, but it's a small victory for me! I've done it every day, with and without my little helpers by my side. Sam's been helpful too, helping me get my posture correct as much as possible when he's around to help. I feel great doing it. My muscles are sore, but from working them, which is a good kind of sore. Right now I'm just following the two movies I rented from the library which are specifically for neck, shoulder, and back pain. In time, I'll rent different movies and explore different positions. There's a lot of good positions in the book I checked out, but I find it easier to follow the videos rather than read the book and try to follow along that way. 


If you have any advice or tips for me, I'm all ears. Until Timothy is in school full time, living room yoga is how it's going to go. It would be nice to get input from others who actually have a clue. I have a lot of questions....Do you do it every day? What time of day do you like to do your yoga? What kind do you do? Do you follow a certain yoga sequence each time, or just do whatever you feel like doing, continuously mixing it up? Do you watch a video or do it out of a book? How long did it take before you felt confident in your moves? What is your favorite yoga position? Do you do it more for the stress relief and relaxation, or for the core and muscle strengthening?

See...I have a lot of questions!


I hope yoga proves to be helpful to me! Wish me luck! 

With love,
Mama Hauck

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Newsflash

I have to say, my desire to be a people pleaser and make others happy sure has taken a toll on me over the years. 

I don't know if it's because I don't like to rock the boat and create unneeded tension, or if it's because I don't like the thought of someone thinking ill of me. Or maybe it's because of my desire to live up to other's expectations, or because I feel like I have to prove my self-worth to others.....but holy hell do I get walked all over. Time and time again. 

I'm tired. I'm worn thin. I'm done. I don't have the time, nor the desire anymore to please every person that crosses my path. I am suffering, and my family is suffering, due to the time I take to make sure everyone else in my life is kept happy and well taken care of. I have this nagging feeling that my priorities are currently screwy and it's due time for a change. 

I mean jimminy crickets, when my son is asking me to play train set with him and I tell him "give me just 5 more minutes" for an HOUR because I'm painting a sign for someone who is going to try to pay me $20 less than what I feel I deserve.....yeah. It's time for a reevaluation of my priorities and who and what should be getting my precious time. I shouldn't go about my days feeling like a bad Mama and wife because I am giving you time that I should be giving my children and husband. 


So newsflash....

If you don't deserve to be owed anything by me, then I certainly don't owe you a damn thing. And if you think I do, then you are off your rocker. 


I spend hours doing your photo shoot and then working on those photos. Hours that take away from my children. I don't owe you a photo shoot at a discount or for free because you know me. If I set a certain price, I will honor that price because I want to. But don't try to haggle for lower, doing so shows blatant disregard for my time. 

I also spend hours crafting and hand painting. More hours taken away from my children. I don't owe you a crafted item at a discount because you saw a similar item on etsy for cheap. Remember, I don't have to kill my back hunched over my kitchen table painting you a custom sign. I paint because I like to.....but not for jerks. 

I said no. I have a reason for saying no, otherwise I would have said yes. I don't need to explain to you the circumstances around me telling you no. I don't owe you an explanation. 

If you don't value and respect my time, then I don't owe you my time at all. No exceptions. 

If you've been a jerk to me, I will be polite and cordial to you because that's how I was raised, I want to be able to sleep soundly at night, and I'm not into heated conflict. But don't expect anything more from me, especially my time or respect. 

If you continuous don't put forth the effort when I do, consider this your invitation to exit my life. 

You reap what you sow. If you don't put forth the time and effort for something (like Cub Scouts!), please stop expecting me, or anyone else, to bust butt and pick up the slack. If it's important to you, prove it by doing your fair share. If not, leave. Please.   


I go out of my way. I put forth much energy, time, and love for the people and causes who are worthy of that time, energy and love because I WANT to. It matters to me. But now I feel the need to draw a line in the sand. Cross it, and I owe you nothing. Make no mistake, what matters more to me than pleasing you is this: 



With love,
Mama Hauck

Monday, January 11, 2016

My Little Big Helper

I think it is so important for children to help out with household chores. All of the children make their beds, fold their blankets to the best of their ability, and keep their room tidy. Other chores include clearing the table after a meal, helping to fill or empty the dishwasher, helping to sort laundry, taking the trash out, feeding the dogs, cats, and horse when asked, and other general tidying of the home and yard.

While all the kiddos started out helping around the house at a young age, and are good helpers and do so without complaining (most of the time!), Timothy just takes the cake. I love the fact that he truly enjoys helping me and gets excited when I ask him for some help! 

So here is my special "Thank You!" post to Timothy, so he will always remember how thankful I am for his help.....  



Timothy, you are the best little big helper in the World! I am so thankful you go out of your way to help your Mama get the housework done. Daily housework is a bit of a drag, but with you helping me out, it isn't all that bad!

You are great at making your bed. No stuffed animal out of place! You also do wonderful work with folding your blankets. I especially like how you sometimes fold them up like a super long burrito, haha.



And separating laundry? Pro status! I dump it all on the living room carpet and then you get to work. Just look at those nice piles separated into Mama and Papa's clothes, Molly's clothes, Anthony's clothes, and your clothes. You even take the time to fold the washcloths and towels! What a sweet boy you are. 



You love to vacuum....you don't quite understand that the vacuum has to be level on the ground to really work, but you know you're suppose to push it back and forth on the carpet, and you do a fine job at that for sure! You're always wondering why I go and vacuum right after you just did it, lol. 



Watching you sweep makes me laugh. Why do you always insist on lifting up and rolling back the corner of the carpet and sweeping under it? Haha! Whatever floats your boat I guess! 



Unloading the dishwasher is a good one for you, you especially enjoy doing the silverware. Throwing them in the silverware drawer every which way is your signature style. I love it and will deeply miss it when you decide to put each kind of silverware in it's rightful place. 



I love you, Sweet Pea! Thank you for always being excited to help your Mama out. You make my heart smile!! What am I going to do when you start Preschool in the fall? I guess just wait till you get home to do the cleaning, hehe. 

With love,
Mama Hauck

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

The New Year

My resolution.....wish.....desire.....mantra.....whatever you want to call it, for 2016 is pretty simple in theory, yet I know it will take some work:
 

I've come to realize that in order to cure what ails me, I've got to concentrate less on making others happy, and more on what makes myself and my family happy! For instance, getting better at saying no. Knowing it's ok to say no. Not caring what others think when I say no. Knowing my limits and sticking to them. Letting go. Spending more time on self, family, and fun. Spending less time on work matters. 

Because, in the end, this is what matters the most.....


Onwards and upwards! As always. Happy 2016! 

With love,
Mama Hauck