Hot and heavy

This bit of goodness about tending to marriage fell in my lap today and I just ate it up.  

Promises are much harder to keep in the making-breakfast-doing-laundry-carline-and-work filled days. I believe it’s called monotony. And it can kill your marriage.

{via}

None of the details are news to me, but it was one of those "right place, right time" things that hit hard. And I loved it.  And I think all of us who are threatened with the deadly doing-laundry-carline life should read it and take it to heart.  It is important to want a hot marriage and actively work for it. 

The full post can be found HERE

To: Kristen from We Are THAT Family ~ thank you so much for the reminder.  Please let Mr. Montoya know where to send the thank you card.

The Power of Thank You

It's not intentional that my recent posts have seemed a little melancholy.  I am not sad or unhappy. I am just humble.  And fearful that I am not grateful enough for all the goodness that is mine.  It's is my preference to smile broadly, love deeply and laugh loudly.  Always my preference.  And now added to that list is "say thank you".  Thank you is a word that comes easily to me, but maybe not enough. 

Amber over at London Reid is someone that I follow and admire. She makes beautiful jewelry and has handsome little boys. That should be enough, I think.  But she also is taking the time to say thank you in a very big way.  I am planning to join her.

This weekend I will be headed to the book store to pick up this book and get started on my thank yous. 



via London Reid 

 One thank you a day for 365 days.  My first thank you will go to Amber and it will come from the very bottom of my heart.

Spring's bringing Good Things

In my down time (Ha!! Ha!! Ha!! Ha!! Ha!!) I love to browse other people’s blogs and see what they’re talking about. I found some new favorite shoes that way and lots of great household tips. There are a handful of things right now that I am loving like crazy and that make some of my not so great days better. Maybe you need some new inspiration or lip gloss right now, too.  Spring has sprung after all.


Channel 809 on Direct TV. The channel is called Country Hits Radio. I’ve been getting all sorts of work around the house done listening to my favorites – George Strait, Merle Haggard . . . ahhhh. I love me some classic country!

Golden Spoon Tart Mango and Graham Cracker frozen yogurts swirled together. YUM!

OPI nail polish in panda-monium pink. it's a sweet spring color and makes me super ready for sundresses and sandals.

C.O. Bigelow mentha lip tint
They sell this at Bath & Body Works and when they have their really big sales (the one with the yellow and red bags and the rubber duckies) you can get it for less than $2. It's a sheer, not sticky gloss that tastes and smells like mint. LOVE.IT.LOTS.

The color yellow.  I want everything to be yellow right now.  If I had an extra $100 I'd buy a lightweight spring cardigan or this darling scarf from Pleated Poppy.  It's called sunshine yellow.  What's not to love?

Or if I couldn't find just what I wanted OR had even another $100 I'd buy some cool yellow pillows to lighten up the family room. 

DecoCandles in sweet mango

This is the signature fragrance from the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne.  They have these candles all over the hotel and they smell sooooooo good.  And, of course, they're yellow.

All of these great, newish to me, websites are making my days better AND more productive.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
Tracks calories, carbs, sugar and whatever else you’re into. Swimsuit season is looming and I am keeping this open on my computer and my iPad all the time right now to help keep me stay on track.

http://www.tipjunkie.com/
I am not a crafter, am not particularly creative or the owner of patience and fine motor skills. Sites like Laurie’s are perfect for me! She has cataloged great recipes, free printable downloads for Springtime entertaining, décor tutorials – you name it.

http://www.starfishblog.com/
Amber over at Starfish has shared some easy tips recently for making life just a little simpler. I really like Amber for a whole bunch of reasons.

She lives in Coastal San Diego where my heart will always be. AND her house is flippin’ adorable. I just die when she posts and shares pix from her house. I even love her throw pillows for goodness sakes. Oh, and she's a jewelry designer and made a darling necklace when my sweet new niece was born as a gift for her Mama.

Her recent tips for setting a 15 minute timer and quick bathroom clean ups are just icing on the cake for me. In fifteen minutes I can rinse and load the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher, make the bed and empty the bathroom trash cans. How's that for productive?!?!  LOVE IT!

Life just seems so short these days and since I my sugar intake is limited right now I'll take happy anyway I can get it  ;)  ENJOY

xoxo, Mrs. Montoya

The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.
                                                                                                                               ~Bern Williams

Friday Confessional

I Confess


One of the reasons I don’t cook at home more is because I am too tired to clean up after my family.

Last night I swept food off the counter and directly onto the floor for clean up.

I knew the dog would find it before I get a chance to sweep again.

I Confess

That I desperately want to finish The Athlete's Indian project for him.

Not because he’s not doing it the way that I want him to. No.

It’s because I think he’s learned the value of hard work in the THREE WEEKS that we’ve been working on it. Yep, that’s why.

I Confess

My blog layout and header got totally screwed up when I was trying to give it a little New Year's spruce  I can’t figure out how to restore it to it’s former glory.

I almost don’t care.

That’s a lie. It’s driving me nuts and I just don’t know when I’ll have a chance to do it unless I am willing to forego bedtime soon.

I’m not willing to forego bedtime anytime soon.

I Confess

Sometimes I make inappropriate generalizations based on gender, race or sex.

I know that’s inappropriate.

However, if one more slick little asian man walks into our office building ahead of me and lets the door slam in my face I will embarrass him by kicking his ass.

I know that’s inappropriate.

And I don’t care.

So THEY (Glamazon and Mamarazzi) say confession is good for the soul. So confess and link up. Don't forget to add the SUPER cute button.

Pour Your Heart Out

My friend Kellie just told me she's not blogging lately because there's not anything she's passionate enough about that she wants to share in writing.  Amen, sista!  I LOVE my blog, but in the middle of the days that are a blur of lunch boxes, traffic, conference calls and the grocery store there really aren't a lot of things that are worthy of the attention a blog post would command.

Then I heard about Shell's "Pour Your Heart Out" and tonight it's the perfect outlet for my misplaced frustration and heavy heart.  Tonight, of all nights, I have to pour my heart out about two sweet you know who's ~ of course.

There's nothing in the whole entire gigantic world that matters more to me than being a parent to them.

Nothing

No One (sorry, E!!)

Anywhere

Being their Mom is the reason I get out of bed, make lunches, sit in traffic, pretend to be interested engage fully on conference calls and go to the grocery store.

Them

Those Two

Him and Her

And anytime I am not with them or they're sleeping it's all I think about.  But they don't sleep much.  And I end up feeling like a failure as a Mother most of the time.

I am not patient.  I yell too much.  I don't cook enough vegetables or make ants on logs out of peanut butter, celery and raisins.  I threaten consequences for swampy bathroom floors and unpacked backpacks.  I send them to bed without kisses and prayers when I am at the end of my rope.

And I loathe myself for being that person as often as I am

They are so good. And funny.  And talented.  And sweet.  And smart.  And they're still young enough that they WANT ME TO HELP THEM.  In the essence of Pour Your Heart Out I am heartbroken even as I type.  They WANT ME TO HELP THEM and on too many days I am just spent.  The selfish thirty something that went to work at 6 AM and has traffic court tomorrow can't keep it together until 8 PM to do whatever they ask.  I can't curb my innate sense of whateverness long enough to help with a Venn Diagram and a butterfly graph.

That.Really.Sucks.

I did pray tonight, and read Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies with her and have "Talk Night" with him, but it should have been more.  They deserved more, but all of my more got sucked up before they got me.  I knew it and I fought it and felt guilty even as I tried to salvage something for them.  Always guilty.

I want them to move confidently in the world and get good grades.  I want them to be the kids that are always welcomed by other parents because of their impeccable manners.  I want them to make good choices when they don't want to listen to me anymore.  I want them to be the very best versions of them they can be.

I want them to know how much I love them.

Those Two

Him and Her

Because I Don't Scrapbook

I have given up on trying to stay current with my blog and always writing something meaningful.  These days I am lucky to get all the laundry done and keep the car filled with gas - I have zero time for meaningful writing.  What I don't want to give up, though is the chronicle of my family.

I started blogging so that my family could stay current on what's happening at our house and have an ongoing dialogue with my adorable kids.  That can't end.  We can't skype enough or buy enough cross country airplane tickets to stay truly current.  And there's a historical quality to writing about young children.  My first posts were just a diary of what my kids were up to and how grateful I was for our life.  None of that has changed, it's only gotten better.

My kids are bigger, smarter and funnier.  We are busier, older and happier.  All of those things are inevitable and worth writing about.

Technical Difficulties ~ Please Stand By

I write a blog because (1) my parents like it when I brag about their grandchildren, and (2) I like to write and typing is easier than handwriting.  Now ya know.

Somehow, while I was sharing funny stories and photos of my cherished offspring I got sucked into the swirling vortex of the blogosphere. I've spent hours browsing free blog layouts and debating on whether or not I should pay for something more beautiful and custom.  I learned how to embed a link and highlight it.  That was a big day.  I intermittently spend a fair amount of time trying to keep up with the Blogging Joneses.  However, I am not a model citizen of this planet.  I've got technical issues.

A blog friend of mine recently created a meme and other blog friends complimented her in her comments.  TRUE CONFESSION - I don't know what a meme is.

I comment on SITS roll call almost every day. I browse sites of other roll callers at random and comment on the featured blogger.  I think their rules say I am supposed to comment on the post before and after mine or something.  TRUE CONFESSION - I don't.

Comments from blog friends are cool.  It's a little like chatting with your girlfriends, but no one is paying for cocktails and the kids can still be in the room.  I dig that.  I like to think I am a good commenter because I am considerate that way.  Sadly though I don't know how to keep up with comments left on my page and get back to everyone.  I think there's an unwritten rule somewhere that you're supposed to go back and comment on all of your comments.  TRUE CONFESSION - that seems a lot like another part time job I can't fit into my schedule.

There are lots of blog writers that feature their current posts through their Twitter page.  I follow their tweets on my Twitter account so I can stay current.  TRUE CONFESSION - my Twitter account has been idle for weeks because I gave up.  TMI at it's pinnacle.

I was awarded twice recently by fellow bloggers.  That really is an honor.  It means that someone I've never laid eyes on read something I wrote and liked it.  Woo hoo!  I've gotten a couple of other awards in the past.  There are rules attached to the awards that say you're supposed to share the love and pass along those same awards to other bloggers.  TRUE CONFESSION - I've never done that.  But I will this time.  For reals.

Thank you to Amanda and Emmy for the Dragon's Loyalty Award.  They both awarded this to me in honor of my loyally following and commenting on their blogs.  And with good reason.

Emmy over at Emmy Mom is the sweetest girl and spends an awesome amount of QUALITY time with her kids. I admire so much the time she puts into life with her children and the faith that she shows through her writing. She's the inspiration behind the monthly "Ten Things to Smile About".  Her positive vibe never fails to put me in a good mood and make me want to try a little harder.

My friend, Amanda, at Family of Shorts is ridiculously funny and I always enjoy her posts.  She's the brains behind "Letters to Someone" and has saved me some cash on therapy, no doubt. She loves her husband and kids and makes the time to be grateful for the little things.  If you don't know already, I dig that sort of thing.  AND she has a food blog with some crazy good recipes that she makes with her daughter, Rhiannon.  I'd make her a Malibu cocktail and have some fun in the kitchen if we lived in the same state!!

So, of course, there are rules for this award!

1) If you have a blog, post it on your blog with a link back to the site who gave it to you.


2) Leave them a comment on their site, email, etc. to let them know.


3) If you don't have a blog but have a website, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or other type account, post there with a link back.


4) Pass this on to 3-10 loyal fans.
 
'kay, here goes and I do mean this.  Thank you so much to my bloggy friends who follow me and always stop by to comment even when I don't have anything nice to say.  I love reading what you're thinking about what I'm thinking.  Seriously.  Thank you.
 
Mimi - Living in France
Georgie - Decisionally Challenged
Rose - Desert Rose Moments
Tyne - The White House
 
And then Amanda gave me another award.  And this one really touched me.  The caption with it was so dang sweet.  I am not always complimented on my honesty :) Thank you very much, friend. 


I am going to pass along the little teacup which is the warm and cozy for those blogs that make you feel like a cup of coffee on a cool night. These blogs make me cozy whether through sweet words or honesty or pure laughter.


I am sure that there are some other rules that I have ignored overlooked and I will try to do better.  G'night Big Blogosphere.  I'm happy to be here.

R is for Recap

Weekends always get in the way of my blog time and this weekend was no exception. I've said before that I am disappointed in my choice to blog through the alphabet. Sarah did it so beautifully and I wanted to be like her. I'm not. In so many ways. But the thing that I most definitely am not is dedicated. And she is dedicated. I am dedicated in limited quantities and broad brush concepts. Not dedicated to the day to day commitments that I lose interest in.

Remember when I said I was finicky. I am. And I am NOT loving following the template of the alphabet and blogging it every day. I am falling off of my blogging wagon. I just keep reminding myself that there are only 26 letters and I can do ANYTHING 26 times. Particularly if I committed in print to doing it. While I am finicky, I am not a quitter. And so much fun is happening in my bloggy world how could I possibly turn my back on it now?


JennyMac at Let's Have a Cocktail granted me an award. Really? That's too cool. I mean way too cool. I've mentioned Jenny's Blog before and follow her constantly. She is sassy, articulate and hilarious. Just my kinda girl. Thank you so much, Jenny. I love you long time.

Chris at Just A Girl was trying to track down this darling family rules idea from another blogger she saw and she found it!!! Good for her. It is a terrific project and I am already wondering how I can use it myself. Chris doesn't know this, but she is constantly on my mind. I fawned over her Organization Station last month and finally got my own version of perfect installed in my kitchen over the weekend. It's not quite as fab as hers, but I also don't need a mudroom. I live in sunny Southern California and just have a cabinet inside the kitchen door that works. I had to say that to make myself feel better. I swoon over her mudroom, but don't want to NEED IT because my kids clothes are covered in snow. We've all got our own issues.

Super cute Michelle shared some three month photos of her darling son, Tyler. I love anyone who is so shamelessly in love with their son. I have had a sip of that juice myself. I am a little smitten with her guy, too. He reminds me of Max at that age. I need to find a photo and put them side by side. First born boys are so special and I love following Michelle falling in love with him. Absolutely adorable.

And when I was catching up on comments I saw that ShortMama had something to say about my P is for Politics post. I respect her opinion and like to read about her cowboy Levi and her sweet little girls. I appreciate that she reads what I write and actually cares what I say. The challenge I always have with controversial topics is that I don't really want to "get into it" with most people. I certainly don't want to tangle with someone like Amanda who I like so much. That's what husbands are for :)

But I do want to clarify something - I am NOT saying that everyone who doesn't agree with President Obama is racist. I so, so, so am not saying that. There are certainly things he has said that I can't stand behind. What I AM saying is that I am mortified by the lack of respect that is being spread in our Nation, particularly the lack of respect that is shown for the President. Racist or not, the leader of the most powerful Nation in the world deserves the respect that every other President has been allowed. Period

There are lots and lots of good things going on in my blog world and I am so happy to have found so many cool new friends. Only 8 more letters of the alphabet and I am back to being random! What I'm best at . . .

My Bloggy Friends

One of my favorite places these days is the blogosphere. I still love Maui and my kitchen and Ann Taylor, but I have met some of THE coolest, wittiest, most faithful and inspiring people of my life through their writing. Some of them I have other contact with ~ some of them I don't. But I love to read what's happening. Everyone's story moves me in some way. There are lots of Moms with funny stories about their kids, home improvement tips, advice on parenting or cooking and really heartfelt moving tales.

I'm still not sure what I want my own blog to be when it grows up. It used to be a photo album for my parents to see what the kids were doing on any particular day. It's grown to be more than that for me and I want to raise it tenderly and see what comes from it. No doubt, my bloggy friends are a good push towards that. I have a blog project coming up in September that will be a test for me. For now, I want to share with you what some of my favorite blogs are up to. You just won't believe the work that God is doing all over the place right now.


Kellie - Life in the Soup Bowl

This sweet Mama is not a bloggy friend to me. She is a God given friend who I admire and cherish deeply. Our paths crossed not long after she had her first child and had returned to a storm wrecked New Orleans to start her life again as a Mother. Technically we are colleagues, but she is way, way more than that to me. She has a brand new blog that I am anxiously anticipating amazing things from. Her first blog entry is moving and genuine. Just like her.


Sarah - Sarah Markley

Wow - this woman's writing leaves me breathless time after time. She is a very real example to me of an imperfect wife and mother who is working with God to make her life and others better. I have been following her writing for several months, I won a terrific book through a giveaway on her blog and have consulted with her on writing etiquette. This week she is sharing the very true tale of the almost demise of her marriage and I am positively captivated by her story. Sarah is nothing short of remarkable.


MckMama - My Charming Kids

I've posted blog entries asking you to pray for Stellan, MckMama's youngest son. Just a few weeks ago he was in the hospital struggling for his very young life and I followed them intensely for days. My affinity for small children is uncanny considering my lack of patience, but I believe that God gives us every single child for a very specific reason. I really didn't want Stellan's reason to be as a teacher about loss. Outside of the fact that MckMama is a fantastic writer, an amazing photographer and some sort of superhuman Mother I love her candor and her wit. She did an update post on Stellan this week and he is absolutely precious. Check out how big he is getting and those amazing eyes.


Jenny - Let's have a cocktail

This is a very recent obsession and this lady is one hot mess. She says all of the things that I dream about. You know, now that I have transformed into my more conservative, adult self :) I am not entirely sure that God is doing any work here, but he has give me Jenny for some serious comedic relief. There are so many days lately that I need it desperately and there she is. Saying something wildly cunning and hysterical and I am whole again. She is a gift.

Oh, I could go on and on. I love my bloggy friends and there is just so much greatness to share. Funny, charming, pregnant, organized . . . It's like my very best version of Girls Night Out and everyone is having show and tell. A dream. After you stop crying and laughing simultaneously from the links above check some of my other favorites. You'll be hooked, too!

Rita - Fighting Off Frumpy

DrewB - Momtog

Kat - Mama's Losin' It

Chris - Just A Girl

Things I've Learned from My Toddler - So Far

The days of toddlers in our house have passed us by, but my babies taught me some gorgeous lessons about life along the way. Per MamaKat's Writing Workshop today, here are the lessons I learned from my toddlers.

The world is magical if you make the time to look beneath the surface

The most cherished gifts don't have to be expensive

Enjoy Yourself - even when things get messy

Sometimes you just need a nap

A new dress can be life changing

Life is way too short to take yourself too seriously

Thank you God for giving me toddlers. They are an extraordinary blessing to me that I might not have even known I needed.

Peace

She's not kicking him.

He's not taunting her.

It's early morning and short lived, but it's sweet.

I love sweet