MOM

March is a very big month for another reason though. It’s my Mom’s 60th birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I look at my Mom in a WHOLE new light now that I’m a Mom. She is an AMAZING lady, and I thank God every day for her. I have NO idea how she put up with my during my teenage years…Oh was I a little devil, and that’s putting it nicely. 😉

Let me tell you a little bit more about my Mom because today I’m totally going to brag about her. 🙂

My Mom is not my biological Mom. But you would never know.

She has been in my life since I was two years old. She is the one that raised me. She is the one that cuddled me when I was sick. She was the one that held my hand when we crossed the street. She was the one that was the Math Super Star’s Mom in 3rd grade for my class. She was the one that went to EVERY SINGLE one of my cross country & track meets. (have you ever been to a track meet? It’s about 5 hours long & oh so boring. She didn’t complain once! She sat through rain, freezing cold & crazy hot weather) She was the one that took me to all of my doctor appointments when I was going through treatment for anorexia. (In the beginning I had to go three times a week for the first year…and after that it was two times a week for another year & then finally once a week for two years. She NEVER EVER complained or made me feel bad.) She was the one that held me tight & watched my favorite movie with me while I cried when I had my first heart break. She was the one that drove me to college, unloaded my stuff, and then gave me the biggest hug & kiss before consoling my Dad on their drive home. 😉 She was the one that would send me random cards while in college just to let me know she was thinking of me. She was the one that cooked my favorite meals whenever I would go home…which was nearly every weekend when I first started college. 🙂 She was the one, that upon meeting Craig, immediately told me how much she liked him. She was the one that had a BLAST on my wedding day (let’s just say she had a few drinks 😉 ) and still to this day we laugh about the stories. She was the FIRST person we told that I was pregnant. And she was the last person to give me a kiss and tell me how much she loved me before I gave birth to Gabriella.

The MOST important lesson I’ve learned in laugh I learned from my Mom. You

Want to know what lesson that was? How to be the BEST Mom in the WHOLE world.

Being a Mom is more than a title. Yes, you can give birth to a child, but just because you did does NOT make you a Mom. It makes you an egg donor.

Being a Mom means being there for your child, teaching them life lessons, using discipline when the time is right, loving them unconditionally, and making sure that at the end of everyday your child knows how much they mean to you & how much you love them. And that is EXACTLY what my Mom has done for me.

I just want to thank her for ALL that she has done for me. She not only put up with me during those crazy years, but she has always stuck by my side even when she knew my decision was not the right one. But she wanted to let me learn my own lesson, rather than telling me what to do. And for that I appreciate things even more.

The thing I love most about my Mom? Seeing her with Gabriella.

That was the day she was born! 🙂 But now my Mom can’t get enough of her. She actually gets upset when I don’t ask her to come down every weekend. She would never tell me that, but I have the inside scoop. 😉 My Mom just adores my little lady. She calls her “my little peach pie” because she says G is so sweet. (I tell her it’s an act…no, totally kidding 🙂 )

Once you have a child, you really do appreciate you parents SO MUCH MORE. I am SO blessed to have the best parents in the world.

Happy Birthday Mom!! I could never ever thank you enough for all that you have done for me.

I LOVE you SO much and I cannot wait to see you this weekend!

Oh, and ps: I still owe you a trip to Universal Studios for the Harry Potter ride. I didn’t forget 😀

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Most Miserable States

First things first, it’s my Mom’s Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!

She’s been by my side since day one, and I could never ask for anyone more. She is the definition of true sacrifice. She did everything she could to raise the best daughters, and I have to say a fine job she did!

No matter what, she always put her daughters above herself…and she still does to this day.

I  am always SO PROUD to introduce her as my Mom. She knows me inside and out. She knows how to comfort me, and how to tell me the truth when I need to hear it.

She still makes my favorite foods whenever I come home. And she always keeps an extra jar of peanut butter there for me.
She has my heart, and always will. She means MORE than she will ever know to me.

HUGE Happy Birthday to you Mom! Can’t wait to see you soon- we ave some good surprises ready for you!! 😀

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I happened to read this article yesterday about the country’s most miserable states. Sounds kind of depressing, right?! Sorry about that!

The thing that I found interesting is how MUCH obesity & income effect a person’s ‘well-being.’ I mean they seem kind of obvious, but I guess I never really thought about it until I saw this survey. If you read the whole article, you will see that the things that stand out the most are poor health & poverty.

This year America did not get happier overall, they actually got more miserable. Goodness! We really need to CHEER up!! I’m sure we all can think of a few things we are thankful for this morning, right?! 🙂

Anyways, here are the top 10 most miserable states. (all information below is found here)

1. West Virginia

Obesity: 32.5 percent (2nd highest)
*Random Fact: Life expectancy is the LOWEST in the country at 75.3 years.

2. Kentucky

Obesity: 31.3 percent (5th highest)
*Random Fact: Kentucky residents are among the highest rates of smoking, obesity and heart disease, as well as the highest rate of cancer in the country.

3. Mississippi

Obesity: 34.0 percent (the highest)
*Random Fact: Mississippi is a very poor state. Its median household income is $36,851, which is the lowest in the country. It also has the highest poverty rate in the country at 21.8 percent.

4. Delaware (I always thought Delaware was such a cute little state. Call me strange, it’s ok 😉 )

Obesity: 28.0 percent (20th highest)
*Random Fact: Delaware also has the worst score in the country for Gallup’s work environment ranking, which measures elements such as job satisfaction, the ability to use one’s strengths at work and the way supervisors treat their employees.

5. Ohio

Obesity: 29.2 percent (16th highest)
*Random Fact: The state ranks quite poorly when it comes to health metrics, as it has among the highest rates of cancer, diabetes and smoking in the country.

6. Alabama

Obesity: 32.2% (3rd highest)
*Random Fact: Just under a third of Alabama’s population is considered overweight.

7. Arkansas

Obesity: 30.1% (12th highest)
*Random Fact:  Arkansas has the fourth highest rate of smokers at 22.9% of adults, and it has the has the sixth-highest rate of cancer.

8. Missouri

Obesity: 30.5% (10th highest)
*Random Fact: Missouri’s well-being score went from 17th worst in the country to eighth worst. Conditions in the state declined in every category Gallup measured.

9. Florida (<—Eek! That’s me.)

Obesity: 26.6% (23rd lowest)
*Random Fact: Many Floridians do not have any work, as the state has the sixth-highest unemployment rate — currently 9.9%. The state also has one of the highest rates of violent crime in the U.S. (lovely, no?! :/)

10. Tennessee

Obesity: 30.8% (9th highest)
*Random Fact: Physical health and healthy behavior, two categories measured by the index, are among the poorest.

Just goes to show how much health can really have on your well being. I know it DEFINITELY affects me. Whenever I have an ‘off’ day, I can usually link it to my diet. Of course not always, but it really does have a huge impact on my overall attitude. You know the whole ‘scale story,’ and how much that number affected me. I know how to stay on track, and not to stress over one thing. Now it’s all about eating healthy, eating enough, and eating lots of fruits and vegetables!

What’s your opinion of how health affects your overall attitude & well being?