Half way through 2013......

I can't believe it's been 6 months since my last blog!! So much has been going on that I just haven't found the time to sit down and put it in black and white. 

The cliff notes are below......

In March we decided to put our 4 year old horse in training and on the market in hopes of finding a kid friendly horse that would be more suitable to our family. Our sweet Remmy went to a wonderful show home with some experienced kids to start her show career. 

While her quick sale was unexpected, it didn't take us long to find the "mare of our dreams" who quickly stole our hearts and derailed Sams gymnastics career and steered her into the horse show world. 

I am now entering the equivalent of "toddlers in tiaras" in the horse show world. Call me selfish, but I LOVED it as a kid and I needed these creatures in my life again. BONUS, not only one but TWO of my kids are all in ;) I'm not one to brag but Ava clenched a first place ribbon (in a class of two where they both won first) in her very first leadline class!! Sam did great as well and is a true diva in the horse show ring. 

It's not what I expected though. Being 9 (almost 10) Sam is pretty sure I know nothing about horses. She is so convinced of that that we had to hire a trainer because all I got from her was eye rolls and sass. So here I am now, a glorified stable hand demoted to wiping off her boots before a class and cleaning the slobber off the horses mouth before they enter the ring. Not exactly what I had in mind but after she watches me kick butt at our show this weekend I think I might gain a little street credibility. We'll see. 

Ava beat all odds this year and became our first kid to land us at Children's Mercy hospital. Three sutures later and my 4 year old dare devil was good to go. My money was always on James. 

Not much else to report now, we are enjoying a fun filled summer at the barn, the lake and Schlitterbaun. School will be starting before we know it and I am finding myself ( for the first time ever) dreading back to school time. These little boogers are fun to have around and keep me laughing, screaming, and they single handedly keep our local winery in business. 

2012 in review, big hopes for 2013

So my first ever blog post of 2012 outlined my goals for the year. I didn't accomplish them all, but I did make accomplishments. I am a gun owner, though haven't completed my conceal and carry. (Still a goal for 2013 ;) I accomplished saying NO more often to other people besides my kids. Which in turn allowed me to say YES to my kids more often. This years goals seem beyond my reach but I will strive for them anyway.

1) Enroll in college to begin my bachelors degree. Though I am slightly embarrassed I will have to attend KSU, I am willing to sacrifice being shunned by my KU family and friends. My kids will all be school aged in a couple years and I will once again become a working woman.

2) Send my horse to a trainer and delve back into the world I love and have missed. I need to do something for me without feeling selfish. I need a outlet. People like me, type A's, tend to become self destructive when we have down time. I need an outlet that is true to who I am and what I love.

3) Be more open minded. The problems in this world will not be solved based on my opinion alone and I need to see others views and adapt them to reaching solutions we can all benefit from.

4) Strengthen my relationship with my oldest daughter NOW to prevent the distance and distrust that will certainly come with her getting older. If she doesn't trust me now she will never trust me as she gets older.

5) Somewhat shut out the outside world and focus on my family. They are more important than Facebook and Twitter.

6) Find time to focus on me and my dreams. Every mother feels selfish doing this but it is imperative to show your kids you value yourself. I've felt for so long that being a stay at home mom is a job that holds little respect and that just isn't true. I have sacrificed "me" for far too long and though they may not respect me now for it, they will when they are older.

7) Quit smoking! I am voluntarily sacrificing my life for no reason. I have lost friends and family to this terrible addiction and lost friends to cancer that lived normal healthy lives.

8) Start running again! My health is just as important as my children's and if I don't embrace that I can't preach to them the importance of making good decisions regarding their health.

I avoid New Years resolutions because I believe we set ourselves up for failure when we make them. These are my goals for 2013 and they may not all be achieved. Only I can make these changes and I intend to make every effort to see them through.