10 Years and Counting!!!! Married To The Most Wonderful Man!!!

So I know this post is late but I still had to do it! 

On December 31, 2014 Christopher and I Celebrated 10 Years of Marriage and Counting!!! So I thought I would write a 10 year count down to being married to the most wonderful man of my life!!!

Our Drinks From Our 10 Year Annev Date At The Melting Pot: Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life 

December 31, 2004 we got hitched!!!

Our Wedding 12/31/2004:  Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

Our Wedding 12/31/2004- He Dropped Cake Down My Dress:  Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

1- Christopher is my one and only! He is so loving and caring even though he is a big strong Marine ;) . He is willing to do anything for his family to include defending our country. He is not only my husband but he is my best friend as well!!! Plus he looks damn good in his uniform.

My Marine:  Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

2-  We have been through a lot such as deployments and living with my bipolar. We however went through one of the biggest struggles and journey of our lives and that would be to have children. It took us almost 6 years to have children but we were finally blessed with two miracles... Caleb and Caydance and with these two precious miracles we know our family is complete.

Christopher and I pregnant with Caleb but actually did not know it was him we were finding that out the next day:  Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

Caleb and I at Christopher's Homecoming 2012:  Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

Caydance 2013:  Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

3- We are oddly obsessed with C-names.... All of our fur babies start with C's as well (Charlie, Chloe, Corona, and Casper). Please note Caydance came way before I even met Christopher. Her name was inspired from the movie Shallow Hal. Cadence was the little girl in the burn unit.

4- Christopher and I have celebrated many holidays, anniversaries, and birthdays apart. You got to love the military!!!

One of the Valentines Day we were seperated from due to a deployment:  Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life 

Homecoming kiss 2012:  Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

5- Christopher and I did not go on real honeymoon until our 5th year of marriage after he returned home from a deployment. We went to Helen, Georgia and also visited the Cabbage Patch Hospital...Lets just say Christopher was a real trooper and we adopted a soft face cabbage patch baby.

6- My husband and I do not fight. We do bicker from time to time. We also do not get along on the phone because he cannot hear. It is actually a little funny because we met via an online chat room (when chat rooms were cool) and also talked on the phone. We are also given a grace period when he deploys... other than that we hardly talk on the phone.

7- I punched my husband in the face once on accident when we first got married and he has yet to let me live it down. The story goes we were driving to see my parents from Beaufort, SC and we were talking about wrestling and fake punches and my brother practicing those type moves on me when we were little. I proceeded to show him and have no sense of space and punched him right in jaw. He swears his head bounced off the window (I debate this fact). I however not let him live his "night in shining armor moment down". This was also early in our marriage and we were camping with his parents. His brother, mother, and we were all playing in the ocean. Christopher and I were having romantic moment when all of sudden he drops me! When I finally come up I find me running towards the shore and turn around just in time to see a wave about to pummel us!!! So until he lets me live it down I have this...

8- I turned my Georgia boy into Oregon loving man. He is still southern as all get out and eats those nasty grits aka wallpaper paste! No I am not from Oregon it where most of my family is from. I was born in Germany via the United States Army and then lived in multiple areas where my Daddy was stationed.

9- It is amazing what we have learned and what you do for each other. When we first started dating Christopher found out my best friend was a guy. Was he jealous? Nope! In fact they are really good friends an act like brothers from another mother. Our friendship has evolved to show that platonic relationships do exist and his wife is just the same. We also learned new things about each other such as I do like on anime (spelling) series "Bleach" however after that I cannot tell any other ones apart. He however puts up with my mini craft store. He will go antiquing with me as long as I give him a mission to look for something (must be the Marine in him). We cannot be game partners and I refuse to be his spade partner he is a meanie! We will also learned how much we truly enjoy each other company and how much our time is cherished each other!!!

Christopher and I through the years:  Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

Christopher and I through the years:  Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

Christopher and I through the years:  Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

10-  We knew we were going to make it this far. We however did not know what we were going through to get to this point... so if we could go back of course we do it all over again but we would tell our younger selves to keep holding on  to each other and there is light at the end of tunnel.

The Man Never Smiles But I Promise He Is Happy:  Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

So this is our first 10 years of marriages <3 . We still have much more to do and learn about each other! We know it will not always be easy and I sure there will be more ups and downs. There will also be more adventures to come and personally I cannot wait to see what the next 10 years has in store for us.

Christopher and I at 10 years:  Property of A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

Caleb is Turning 3: Part Two -Family Birthday Party Justice League of Vaughn

Caleb's birthday falls just a few short days of Christmas so I am sure it will make celebrating it very interesting as he gets older but that will be for another time and place. We were originally going to celebrate Caleb's third birthday at my parents so he could run wild with his cousins playing super hero games. However, Christopher was being transferred back to his old unit so his leave and everything that we had planned was thrown up in the air (it is the Military not much we can do) . So we decided to celebrate here throwing a small family super hero party here.

So a couple of days before the 21st we picked a day to celebrate little mans birthday. This day included playing in the park, silly string, balloons, a special cupcake, presents, and make your own pizza!

 I stand by the fact that you do not need spend hundreds of dollars to have a great party! Money does not make the memories.

The day started at the park! Where Caleb and Caydance could start their super hero training. We ended up going to a park that had a little climbing wall where Caleb could practice his Spiderman training. There was also swings where little man tried his hardest to learn to pump his legs like his Daddy, sand to play in, a purple dinosaur ride, and slides to shoot down.

Caleb climbing the wall at the local park: Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life 

The purple dino: Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life 

Caydance trying her hands at the wall:  Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life 

After the park we went home but instead of going inside we took the little ones to the back yard for a silly string fight. I was telling Christopher when I first purchased the silly string this was a waster of money but in reality it was the best $8 spent on junk we ever spent. Caleb and Caydance giggling and laughing as they sprayed each other with color string! Mommy and Daddy laughing just as hard getting the string out of each other hair. So Spiderman training I believe was a huge success.

Silly String:  Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life 

Mommy teaching Caleb how to use the silly string:  Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life 

Caydance being covered in the silly string:  Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life 

Caleb and Daddy playing with the silly string:  Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life 

When we came from the silly string fight. We had had a snacks which included green hulk juice (Green Hawaiian Punch). After snacks were done we decided to turn Caleb into the Hulk! The previous night I blew up twenty balloons and grabbed one of Christopher's work shirt. So Caleb put on his Daddy's shirt and then stuff balloons in the shirt until the Hulk appeared. It made us laugh so much and of course what Caleb did Caydance wanted to do as well so we turned her into the She Hulk (which I guess is a real thing).

After turning the kids into the Hulk we decided little man could open his gifts! As you could imagine paper was flying as he unwrapped his new treasures! So the next hour was mainly opening his new treasures and figuring out what they did and how to operate all the super heroes! I swear toys these days are getting more complicated but to see Caleb having a blast with his new additions. With the new toys and the previous excitement! Caleb's side kick Caydance was ready for her power down nap so we put her down for a nap so Caleb could play with his toys undisturbed without extra hands that we would have to share with that instant.

The Caleb Hulk:  Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life 

The Caydance She Hulk:  Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life 

So instead of going out to eat and trying to wrangle to kids in a restaurant even a kid friendly/themed place we decided to make our own pizzas! One of Caleb's favorite things to do is help me in the kitchen and making your own pizza was the perfect opportunity for my super hero to help me in the kitchen! I am just upset that there were no pictures taken of this. We topped his dinner off with an ice cream cake and his special Spiderman cupcake! Which I think Caydance may have liked more than Caleb because she basically look like she ate a smurf!

Even his bath time consisted of party fun! We made them shaving cream DIY Bath paints! Where they painted the bath tub in multiple colors! Here is the link to my previous blog post on how to make your own DIY Bath paints... do not worry they will not stain your tub and your kids will love them! DIY: Bath Paints!

The last event of evening was to catch the bad guy! So we took two rolls of crepe paper and trying to wrap Daddy aka the bad guy up! Caleb also though thought he wanted to be the bad guy as well!

Capturing the bad guy:  Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life 

So all in all I have to say even though it was just the JUSTICE LEAGUE VAUGHN it was a great 3rd birthday for Caleb!

Thanksgiving Was Wonderful and Beyond Blessed

Image Found on Google Free Images

This family went from planning nothing special to make last minute plans and drove to my parents to celebrate Thanksgiving. I am always thankful for the holidays and family but this by far has been one of the best Thanksgivings in a long time. A lot of times the holidays can be so stressful and overwhelming and for this Bipolar Mom it can become stressful very fast. My Mom and I decided that a low key no fuss Thanksgiving. No turkey, no holiday trimmings, no obligated holiday traditions..we just let Thanksgiving take us to a new place of blessings.

My Nephews Turkey He Made At School :Property Of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

My husband and I loaded up our little family the day before Thanksgiving and headed out towards my parents. This was probably the most stressful part of the trip but it was to be expected on the busiest day travel. Well at least that is what the statistics says. It took us twice as long to get where we are going but we arrived safely to our destination which is always huge blessing when everyone is trying to get to their destination as fast as they can.

Traditional Holiday Travel ;) I hope everyone got there safely:Property Of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

We got settled in the guest bedroom and snuggled in for the night. It is always comforting to know that we can call this place home when we our always on the move as a military family. My kids were up and early playing with the Grandparents and I woke up to the smell of fresh homemade cinnamon rolls. Is that not one of best smells to wake up too? I am sure I truly woke up with traditional my mother let me sleep in hair! As we sat around the table just chit chatting there was no final prep of the turkey and setting in the deep hours of cooking but rather.... my mom telling my daddy make sure the steak count is right, JT decided on a pork chop, and of course Shelly's chicken breast. You heard me right the Franklin house hold decided instead of turkey or ham we would once again go nontraditional (last year we did traditional German meal) and do steaks on the grill! YUMMY!!!! So the next thing was waiting for my brother to arrive later on in the day.

Image found on Google Free Images 

When my brother arrived with his brood the house was filled with Grandsons and Caydance running back and forth. There was small talk, big talk, in depth talk, silly talk, sports talk, and so on.. in this household you never know what you are going to get when it comes to conversation. Dinner was easy to put together and we taught Shelly (my brother's wife) how to make pull-a-parts (sorry not sharing the yummy drool worthy recipe). We gathered around the table, said grace, and shared what we are all thankful for. I always say something serious and not so serious because I think it is to be thankful about the little things as well and in this case Caydance finally letting me putting her hair up!

Image found on Google Free Image

After dinner is always a joint clean up with my brother making an excuse to leave for about ten minutes to go do something and of course Mom says nothing ever changes and I am like he plans this! My mother, Shelly, and I did something that we thought we would never do in a million years well two things actually. The first thing that we are always against is going anywhere or shopping on Thursdays and promote being with friends and family. However, after weighing are options for this certain reason we decided to play our odds and head to the Radio Shack to see if we could purchase a laptop for my sister-in-law. My sister-in-law has been out of work but hitting the ground hard looking for a job. She finally landed an amazing opportunity but was in desperate need of a new laptop to help wit on call jobs instead of borrowing her boss's computer all the time. So we bundled up and I was stretching outside my truck making typical Black Friday jokes but when we arrived at Radio Shack there was no one there. I guess they were all at Target, Walmart, and other big places that choose to open up on Thursdays. When we entered there was older couple in there warning us not to go to Target we simply smiled and said we had no intention of going there or any other big store and this was a rare exception. Well come to find out this Radio Shack did not sell laptops... I am not sure why but the gladly looked it up for us and found then nearest one and called to hold it for us. So as people were probably pushing, shoving, and possibly getting a black eye we drove to an equally quite Radio Shack this one across Walmart. You just do not find wonderful customer service at all like that!!! At this Radio Shack they had the Christmas music blasting and my favorite silliest Christmas song came on..."I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas" so I busted out in a dance and singing lyrics and of course my mother just shakes her soon-to-be 32-year-old daughter is doing this in the middle of Radio Shack, This might explain why she surprised me with a pretty cool of purple headphones from Radio Shack as well ;) . She bought a couple of more little things from Radio Shack and headed back home and joked about we have no idea what people are complaining about this Black Friday shopping it was super easy. We however counted are blessing in this rare exception of going out on Thursday! The rest of the night was filled of a couple of board games and the kids watch the first Christmas shows of the season. We also talked about shopping on Black Friday and going to Lights at the Zoo.

So before I continue I would like to thank the Staff at these two Radio Shacks that had to work on Thursday night. Your Customer Service was beyond amazing!!!

Radio Shack- http://www.radioshack.com/

Columbia-Garners Ferry (Near Target)
6070 Garners Ferry Rd
#F
Columbia, SC 29209

and

Columbia-Forest Drive (Near Walmart)
5496 Forest Drive Unit G
Columbia, SC 29206

The next day Shelly, my mother,  little Caydance, and I prepped for the first time in a long time to go Black Friday shopping. Okay not really we got up like 9 and left the house at 10 there was no rush, no hurry, and no need to get item. We were so blessed for the rare exception of that previous evening. I guess you still have to call it Black Friday shopping because it took place on Black Friday. On the shopping list were winter jackets, clothes, and shoes for the little ones. This is probably the first year that probably everyone in the Franklin (maiden name) clan that everyone was in need of something vs any want. My kids were in desperate need of clothes even little Caydance. I also asked if Mom and Dad would help out with the winter jackets this year. My Mom and Dad love to help out with sport fees, school supplies, fundraisers, and so on just besides spoiling their Grandbabies. Well because I live a little bit aways and my kids are not in school yet or a lot of activities I often forget to ask or they come up blank in areas on the needs. So it is often help fill the gas tank and groceries when they are here which I am so grateful for!! So we headed to Burlington Coat Factory to check out the coats. I do not have one of these stores close to me and it is a store my Mom forgets about. The first stop was the little girl coats and come to find out my daughter loves to try on and model coats well up to third one. We settled on one that she can grow into so we should hopefully get a couple of years out of it unless she has a massive growth spurt and with kids you never know. Mom found this little purse for her carry like the big girls and you would thought she was carrying gold and because of this little purse I have found her trying to steal my car keys. When we were also there we found Shelly a couple of business suits, Caleb his jacket, my brother a jacket, and my mom surprised me with a new winter jacket as well! My mom told me I could that I was finally feeling good about myself in general and wanted to treat me :) . I also picked up a couple of stocking stuffers for my kids, slippers for  and bought one of Daddy's favorite candy for a just because treat for him. So I got a lovely black winter jacket that will be easy to clean (not fleece) if the kids and likely will if the kids get something on it. The day of shopping wrapped up at the Fort Jackson PX where we had lunch and talked to some troops to see if they were going home for the Holidays.

When we got home briefly discussing our day of shopping we could only take a small break for the next adventure. Mom and Daddy took the entire family to Riverbank Zoo to the Lights Before Christmas! Which is where the zoo basically covers itself from head-to-toe in Christmas lights. I have been a couple of times through my life in South Carolina but the last time I think I went was in 2004 right before my husband and I got married.Christopher and I treated the Nephews and are two to light up toys that all the kids were running around with. It was a little overwhelming for Caleb at first but he really loved where the fake snow was falling and thought the pony that he could touch. I guess the only down side was they use to keep the aquarium part open but he did get to see the gorilla and a koala bear that he thought was neat. Caydance took forth and was in thralled with just about everything the lights, sounds, fake snow, and the hot chocolate! The trip was topped off with a visit to the gift shop where Grandpa and Grandma bought something to remind them of this adventure. The boys all picked out something similar and Caydance ended up with this cute stuff animal monkey that ended up being as big as her because it was on sale and cheaper than the smaller ones. We got home and everyone passed out except for Caleb. This often happens when he becomes over stimulated so I stayed up with him just having Mommy and Me time but he could not have had made his Grandma's night for when she asked for a hug goodnight he grabbed her face with his little hands and gave her a great big kiss!

Lights Before Christmas :Property Of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

Caydance playing on the statue and both of us rocking are new winter jackets... Thank you Grandma/Mom :Property Of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

J2, JT, Caleb, and Caydance aka The Franklin Grandkids at the Riverbanks Zoo, Columbia South Carolina Lights Before Christmas :Property Of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

The next day we woke up exhausted and planed to take it easy. I however, to run out and get a oil change for our truck and make an Aldis run since there is not one close to me. So Shelly and I loaded up in the truck ran to Starbucks and went to oil change place where you can sit in your car while it is being serviced on. We had a great chit chat and counted all the Gamecock vs Clemson fans working there (all the rivalry games going on that weekend) and wondering what we were going to do during the Ducks vs Beaver game. It is not that we do not like football it is just not our life and I rather much be reading a book or crocheting just saying ;) . So we finished up the oil the change and Aldis and headed back towards a day of football talk. So during the big game there was also a big fire where I could I listen to fire and my nephew JT could tell me that this was "favorite" song about every other song. I was not able to make it through the night and curled up with Caleb who kept me up the previous night.

Caleb and JT hanging out by the fire with me during football breaks :Property Of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

On Sunday we woke up early waiting for my brother to come by from his Sunday service to help load up the truck and say goodbyes. I always hate saying goodbye and hate when are visits to come an end. We ran by Daddy's work to say goodbye because he had to work most of the time we were there. For a final nature surprise there were huge perfect pine cones!!! So I collected several pine cones for crafts projects!!! As we hit the road our kids are out like lights so I put on my music and chill for the ride home!!!

 I love being and so does Christopher being around my family they have taught me over the years it is not where you live, how much you have, and so on what family is truly about. So as you can see as I type and share this Bipolar Mom's Thanksgiving was non-traditional, last minute, fast paced, but wonderful and beyond blessed!!!

Just me :Property Of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

I hope you guys had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

What My Page and Blog Is Really About...

What is your page about?

What does this have to be with being bipolar?

Are you really Bipolar? 

You seem to positive all the time do your moods ever change?

Your Page Is Not Like Other Bipolar Pages?

I am a mom, wife, and daughter but I am also diagnosed and live with two health conditions bipolar and PCOS. However, these two sole thing do not define my life or are "me", there are numerous things that make me. That is why I created the blog "Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life" and then after the Facebook page. Now the overall purpose/goal of this blog and page is show people that you can live, strive through the obstacles that you face, and accomplish so much through in ones life. 

I can achieve this with a small amount of education of mental illness and PCOS but also how I live my life with these two health issues. So what does this have to be with being bipolar? I ask you how is this not related to being bipolar? I am me! I live my life! I do not wake up going "How is this going to be a bipolar day?" but instead think of what I have to do that day and if my moods happen to go off like a light switch or I feel myself going up or down then I do it what I do when it comes to being bipolar. As I stated before being bipolar is only aspect of my life. So on my blog and page you will discover in many aspects I am just like anyone else! Who would have thought! I love to craft, cook, diying, and everything else in between. I take care of my household which includes a handsome Marine and two beautiful miracles. So why not share it? It is my daily life! If  I share my experiences through my page and blog of my music therapy, crafts, my journals, routine, books, doctor appointments related to my mental health or PCOS and end up help just one person then I have reached my purpose of this blog and the forms of Social Media I created.

I was questioned the other day are you really bipolar? You seem to be to positive do your moods ever change? At first I was taken a back but then laughed to myself about this question. I guess I do not super show it on my page but I choose not express my 24/7. If I did express my mood like that on the page I would never get any sleep and you would likely get sick of my page and think of my page nothing more of attention seeker. Instead I love to express myself through humor, sayings, quotes, inspiration, and so on. This type of expression would also include areas of my health as well. However, this page is about Bipolar too so there are times I will and have focused on my mood. I believe it is important to let people who follow my page that I do go through downs or not feeling well. It is something I need to be open about because it is apart of my life. I do not however post or blog about all my downs or mood shifts because I do not believe that serves the overall purpose/goal of my page and blog. It is often very hard to explain mood shifts especially the downs because I just don't know. I can educate you mood shifts and what it is like to fall down the rabbit hole but I like to show you how I pull myself out of that hole as well. I also believe to much negativity can be a very bad thing not only to purpose/goal of pages in your actual life and it is something I would rather not have on page or blog every day but instead replacing it with overcoming whatever that negativity is one life. 

Why doesn't your page look like other bipolar pages? How is my page and blog suppose to look? I follow many mental health pages and I can tell you each of us are unique each bonded together by some sort of mental illness. Some of these pages are pure educational, just personal blogs, focused on a certain mental illness, and so on. My page simply speaks for me as their page speaks for them hopefully. 

What I love about my page and blog I think it goes beyond just some one who lives with bipolar and PCOS. I have already met so many wonderful people through the page and blog growth. Of course I met other people like me who live with or know someone with a mental illness but I have met crafters, business owners, farmers, homesteaders, cooks, just for fun communities, bloggers, and so on! One of the best things that have happened though through this page and blog though are the people that have come forward with their own struggle with mental illness but never shared it with anyone for multiple reasons. 

I am not sure where my blog or page is headed or how big it will become. Am I afraid of unknown? Very much so but it is no different from a lot of the other unknowns. In life I know there will people I will come across people who do not care for me or how I run my page or blog. The fact of life is we will not be everyone' cup of tea. I can promise you though I will always promote respect, no drama, bullying, or bashing! I am a very open minded person and respect peoples values, morales, religion, and opinions. I ask you extend the me the same because I can tell you now my page will be far from being politically correct. So I will tell you Merry Christmas, send you prayers, and have post that specific overtones. You can tell me whatever you want, send positive thoughts and I will like your posts if I like them or can relate to them as long their is mutual respect. I will continue to focus on what this page and blog is becoming and getting to know other people and pages. I have already learned so many wonderful things from so many people and pages.

So this is Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life and this what her blog and page is really like! 

When Life Is Just Normal or What is Normal For Us... My Daily Life

Picture Found On Google Free Images 

I love when things in our household seem to be just normal. When nothing seems to be super exciting in either direction just the normal life events in this Bipolar Mom's life. I know people love to post pictures and share how exciting or bad their week or weekend has been but I love to embrace when things are just daily life.

Picture Found On Google Free Images 

We decided to run our errands earlier in the week so we would have no where to go on this past weekend. There were several places that we had to go so with our kids bundled up we headed out. One of our destinations was a craft store! Now I usually go into a craft store by myself which is often a disaster but my husband wanted to go. I could not help but to get excited because my husband has this idea for this outside Christmas tree decoration that he would like to make for the house this year. We also helped our son pick out a gift for his speech therapist for their last session before he transfers over to the school. Also for completing his speech with his EDIS we let him pick out an item at the Craft Store. We ended up with a toy truck from Melissa & Doug (which is a company that I love) you would have thought we bought him gold! He has been playing with truck non-stop! What I love about this toy no lights, no batteries, and no noise. Not because we do not like those type toys because we have plenty of those in the house but because they are so simple :) . Of course Daddy had to get Caydance something too so there was a My Little Pony stuff animal wrapped in her little fingers and I knew it was a battle I was happily going to loose. It is okay to do the just because once in a while :) .
Our weekend is normal cleaning, crafting (well I was crafting), playing, family movie night, routine, filling out next weeks schedule, a couple of melt downs, and talking to the Grandparents.

The movie we ended up choosing was Free Birds! It happens to be really cute Thanksgiving movie for the family and enough humor to keep the adults in the family entertained! I thought the movie had a really good message. For the people who have Netflix you can watch it there.

There start of this week has been so slow... I realized as I type this it is only Wedensday..

We have already been filled with hubs physical therapy, Caleb's final speech assessment, dinners, playtime, figuring what to do with the cold weather, and we are only half way there...

So as you can see this Bipolar Mom's Daily Life is not always full of ups and downs. I am feeling normal... thing are normal...and that is PERFECT TO ME!!!!

Image found on Google Free Images 

When One Door Closes, I Will Go Through A Window :The Closing of Gifts By Vaughn but The Birth Of A New Venture!!!

I am not exactly how to start this post off so I will just start typing...

I am a crafter and I have been dabbling in crafts ever since I could remember. Well a couple of years ago I decided to open a small craft business and sell my handmade goods just like many others have done. So I picked out a name got my first round of crafts made and GIFTS BY VAUGHN was born! 

Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

Business was slow but slowly trickling in. I however was full of ambition, ideas, and complete confidence this would be a huge success!!! I had support from my family and friends but I learned very quickly with all that in ambitions, ideas, confidence, skills, and support from family and friends it was hard. There were things I had to learn very quickly the business side of the craft world. I had to learn about advertising, policies, shipping, time schedules, watermarks, inventory, bills, and book keeping (the list really could go on). I had the hardest time trying to figure out why it seemed to come easy to others and I was struggling to make sense of it all. I had the passion... didn't I? 

Yes I had the passion for the love crafting but not the passion for the business. Which I discovered you need have equal parts to make your business successful! If could never get them balanced and the more I tried the more passion I lost in crafting... and that is something was truly heartbreaking to me. Crafting is something I love to do and here I am dreading to have to crochet a hat or make another bow. I should not be loathing something I love to do....

So the question I had to ask myself is it worth it? 

Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

The short answer is no... owning/running a small craft business was not worth it. I was losing to much of my self in the process. So I made choice to close down GIFTS BY VAUGHN. At first I had mix feeling about this but the more I thought about it I knew I was making the right decision. I knew I could still do private sales but I knew I would be free to be truly creative again. That is truly what happen... I started feeling like me once again in the creative side and wanting to get in my craft room once again. 

Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

There was something that I did miss on my page and that was daily interaction on my page. So I decided to open to along with this blog a Facebook Page : A BIPOLAR MOM AND HER DAILY LIFE which can be found here https://www.facebook.com/bpmomandcrafter83?ref=hl . When I first open this page in September I had slight reservations on how people would accept or receive my page. However, the response has been overwhelming and positive!!!! I had no idea that opening up this page would grow as fast as it did and the people who come just to follow and support me. More importantly people have come to me since the page has open about their story or just needing to talk. It has been just amazing what this page has done already and I am excited to see where this page is headed. I can only hope for continue positive growth. 

So as I sum this up... yes one door may have closed.. but I closed that door  and decided to go through a window instead! 

A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! : 52 Week Savings Challenge : Frugal Change or shoul...

A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! : 52 Week Savings Challenge : Frugal Change or shoul...: There are many aspects of the frugal lifestyle. As I have researched the many areas of being frugal the one area of being frugal is the abil...

52 Week Savings Challenge : Frugal Change or should I say ching ching?

There are many aspects of the frugal lifestyle. As I have researched the many areas of being frugal the one area of being frugal is the ability to start saving money. Now there are many topics about saving and which is the best way to go about it to pay down your debt and save at the same time and frankly for me it is overwhelming with all the information and which is sad I am a person who likes to research. All I can is say about this point I highly doubt I will blog about this exact subject and which way we decided exactly to go. However, but that will be for a different time and blog post if that does happen. There are also many articles out there about easy ways to save and how to cut cost to put some extra money in your pocket. So I figured that is prefect area for someone who is exploring the frugal lifestyle to start when it comes to savings and to really get started about serious about saving money.

Now with most of these frugal post I am going to put a little bit of testimony/truth/confession in here on why we are doing this. I feel like expressing these on here it helps relieves the stress but being honest where you at in your life makes you face reality and you can move forward. I also know if I can be honest openly I know maybe there is someone out there that I may reach and say "hey I am not alone","Wow they are really being honest about their life situations and they are taking it a step at a time" or "they are just telling me how to do it they are living it and really doing it step by step". When I ready for a change or want to make a change in my life I usually get all excited about it and bite off more than I can chew whether it is weight, taking a new approach to my bipolar disorder, organization, a new plan with the kids, and so on. I read stories, research, start with too much, and so on. I become overwhelmed, become very intimidated by all the success stories, and even a little jealous who I view has their life really put together (whether it is actually or not because I do not know what is going on behind close doors). However, it took me a long long time to realize with any change it really does take small steps and nothing will really happen overnight. Even though if you have this huge goal or change in mind if you take small steps, small goals, small changes to reach it... you will have amazing results. So at the end of this blog post I want to thank a couple of people who really inspired me. So moving on  from this sidebar and on to the truth part of this post.

TRUTH: My husband and I are horrible at savings whether we like to admit or not. Now we have multiple savings accounts and besides the one I keep for small craft business Gifts By Vaughn (https://www.facebook.com/GiftsByVaughn?ref=hl)  they are pretty sad. Now why cannot we save? Well the first answer is we can't but that really is a lie because we have an allotment going to one and if we were able to leave it alone than we would be "saving". Well the first honest reason is the main one that usually goes hand in hand with checking (like most people have with banking) we just do not add money to the savings account plain and simple. If we do start putting money in there it will eventually make it way back over to checking whether we moved it or the bank moved it because we were short in our checking account and then we lose a $1 for them moving our money for us. So we open an additional account outside to a different bank and set up an allotment to that account to start building our savings up. Well sadly every time we thinking we are getting ahead something comes up and we have had to take from that savings and when you take take from savings and only put the bare minimum in you have no growth in savings and a whopping no balance and the constant fear if something happens what are you going to do next? So what does this really mean? My husband and I really need to reprogram ourselves on how to save money and save it well. So that is why we decided on the 52 Week Savings Challenge as one way to approach to saving and the main reason for this post!!!

52 WEEK SAVINGS CHALLENGE

If you simply Google 52 Week Savings Challenge you find your answer and tons of charts on what type of challenge this is. However, the basic concept of this challenge each week of the year you will deposit a certain amount of money into a account or place of your choice. It is recommended that your  weekly deposit follow the week that you are on. So for week one you will deposit $1, week two $2, week three $3, and week fifty two $52. If you follow these amounts by the end of the year you will have saved $1,378. You can find more information about the basic concept of the 52 week savings challenge here http://www.52weekmoneychallenge.net/welcome-to-the-52-week-money-challenge/ .

How we are doing it. Now we decided to take this challenge but decided to leave the money outside the bank and a place to see the money to watch it grow.  So if you are going to leave the money outside of the bank you will need a 52 week savings challenge chart you can simply Google it or look it up on Pinterest there are tons out there that range from fancy, simple, and even are modified a little for people who have adjusted the challenge to meet their need. I posted below a simple example of the 52 Week Savings Challenge Chart for you but I will also show you what and how we are doing.

Source: amittenfullofsavings.com via Google images

Like I stated above you just have to search and you will find tons of these charts! Now onto the way Christopher and I are doing it and I will throw a little psychology into it. Hey I have a Bachelors in psychology and working on Masters might as well use it! Well my chart is nothing fancy in fact I jotted it out on an index card... I know fancy right?

source: image belongs to Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! http://pcos4lifejourney.blogspot.com/

Well I decided to write it out one it was quicker to jot it down and because we are "both" doing the challenge I can write down the actual amount of each weeks deposit. So for us week one is $2, week two is $4, and week fifty two is $104. We also let room if were able to save a little extra. We actually just deposited week 2 and we actually put in an extra $1.77 so as long as the base deposit is met each week by 52 weeks we will have saved $2756! Do not fear the bigger deposits towards the end of challenge because by the end mark it should be easier to save which is the goal of this challenge!! Also if you are living frugal it should start having extra money to save making this challenge easier as is progresses through the year. You also need to decide when you are going to deposit your money each week since it is not going into a bank account. For hubs and I we decided on Sunday and since we may be adding more than the base deposit we store the deposit on the side until it ready to go into the jar so it can be counted.

source: image belongs to Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! http://pcos4lifejourney.blogspot.com/

Since the money is being stored in our bedroom we have these plastic leave dishes that went with our bedroom decor (we are country/woodsy) that I bought at the Dollar Tree a couple years back that ended up not being used and were collecting dust on top of jewelry box. So this where we sit that weeks deposit until the wend of the week until Sunday and count it put in  the mason jar! The cat is just my crocheted kitty that protects the money...hehe! Our challenge sits on my bookshelf  on the top shelf with Dean Koontz you cannot get any better than that in our bedroom!!!

source: image belongs to Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! http://pcos4lifejourney.blogspot.com/

Now if you remember earlier in this post I stated that my husband and I needed to basically reprogram ourselves on how we think about saving. That is why decided to keep the money outside of the bank and bare with me this where the psychology comes into this and why this is a good challenge for someone who needs to reprogram in the way they think about saving and how to positively reinforce that behavior by positive motivation. Motivation is simply defined as the process that initiates, guides, directs, and maintains goal-orientated behavior. It is literally the desire in which we decide to do something whether to actually make a change or just sitting around thinking about making a change. In psychology terms motivation involves biological, emotional, social, and cognitive forces to activate one's behavior. Now there are a number of theories on motivation and fancy terms that are used when psychologist discuss/debate about what motivation really is but that really is not the point. So lets stay focus on positive motivation and why me and hubs are using are using at as a tool to positively reinforce our behavior on saving. By seeing are money actually grow through the year we have a tangible results on hand to see that it is working and growing. You can also look at as extrinsic motivation or outside positive motivation at work at this challenge and at the end of this challenge we can take that tangible "result" and do something with it whether it is vacation, investment, savings, and so on. Now there is also intrinsic motivation or internal positive motivation at work as well in this challenge and what I view as the most important of these challenge. By completing this challenge not only will you have personal gratification that you completed your goal but you are helping yourself reprogram your brain on how to save and setting yourself up for positive results, success, and a long term future. Well that is what we want to do! Well that is my psychology degree at work now only if my grammar was better and my student loans would just up and vanish...hey I can dream/wish?

Sorry I had no idea this was going to be as long post

Personal Thanks: There are a couple of people I wanted to thank who have motivated me though my life. These thanks are not all directed at 52 week savings challenge but just in general about motivation and change. 

I first want to thank my parents. They have been one of my biggest supports in my life through so much through my heath issues, life struggles, ups, downs, good times, bad times, and so on. They are who keep me motivated besides my husband! I am not sure what I would do without them. 

Shannon-  I first met Shannon when we first moved to Camp Lejeune. You talk about a woman jack of all trades. She has been one of the most motivating people I have ever met!! She actually reminds me of a much younger version of my mother and which is amazing because my Mom is one of best friends. Now I can go into details of all things on why I am very motivated but all I will say she is an amazing military wife and mother and now it is her time to shine! So I am going to give her a shout out. If you live in North Carolina check out  https://www.facebook.com/shannon.sines.9  the Owner Formal Creations she does amazing work! I just want to thank Shannon from the time that I known you from your jokes that people often do not get, to some great conversations, being a role model whether you realized it or not, and reaching for dreams you truly are a motivating person to me. 

Lisa- she is also another positively motivating person I have ever met and the sweetest. She has helped me embrace my physical life changes as well as the emotional ones that come with trying to make a healthier lifestyle. Just with type of change it can be overwhelming and she is right there with you helping you. She runs a group Lisa Kingslayer Fit Future https://www.facebook.com/FitFuture1 and I promise she is not in your face about her group but actually cares about the ups and downs of obtaining a healthier lifestyle. She is a real person not a supermodel and embraces herself flaws in all and which makes herself that more motivating! I want to thank her so much for the impact that she has made on my life. 

Ashley- I have known you through a couple of deployments now and I think you are an amazing and motivating person, wife, and mother. I know there are tons of wife and mothers out there in our shoes but you have always to me seem so motivated and positive in the things you do through the life of being a military wife. Which is extremely motivating and encouraging to move forward with all my goals in life especially as a mother and I thank you for that.

There are a couple of wives that I just need to thank: Jodie, Megan S, Dara, Dawn, Carri, Sarah C,  Shelly F, and Rebecca D.  

Life Events-You cannot stop them but we can Process

It is amazing of all the life events that can impact one's life. In other words... you believe your are one path the all of a sudden you are thrown off that path, shaken, confused, and in order to proceed you have to take a step back and process. This was made more clear to me this past week, in fact I was slapped in the face with it. There are things I am dealing with, things that I am keeping private and only a few know just to keep the stress down, others I am trying to figure out how to get started that I am very excited about, but nothing can ever prepare you for changes thrown at you!!!

In small world, I know how it is to think that one thing is going to happen and then something you were not expecting swoops in and you are like what in the world do I do now. The problem is by the time you seem to just getting on the path with one another thing happens. Right now it seems where ever I step: I am falling, stumbling, trying to make sense of things around me. It really started back when Christopher and I were going to start up our fertility treatments, we were on a set path and I went to the doctor before he came home to just get things in order to find out the "original" plan was no longer an option and we had to enter a step that we should not have to enter yet. I took be by surprise- I cried in the parking lot called a friend and just screamed it was not fair. It is very hard to make terms with life-events.So fast forward to now- I have graduated, going through some things, and about to start things I am really excited about. However, with that being said life happens! Now I am not going into detail what is going on because a lot of it is in the "air" but this event has ripped the floor right out from underneath me and well a lot of other people. A lot of us are still "processing" the news... in fact I will process until everything is set! I cannot stop this so what am I going to do? Well what can I do? - I can sit here and do nothing- that is not an option, that will only make things worse. What I can do is face the challenges head on... and that is what I am going to do. How I am going to get there will be one thing but with time I will know the way.....


Who knows maybe there will be a cruise....

PCOS - Passion, Life, and Support (HOPE)

One of my faces is living with PCOS. I have know I had PCOS for almost ten years now. PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and is one of the most endocrine disorders among females. There are symptoms that have taken over my body that I am in constant fight with some are silent others I deal with on a daily basis.

Daily Battles: Weight (up, down, and every where in between), Acne (close to 30 and I have fight with my skin like I am 13), Pelvic Pain, Anxiety and Depression. 

Internal Battles: High levels of androgens, Small Cysts on my ovaries, lack of ovulation, and insulin resistance

PCOS THE SILVER BULLET

• More than 50 percent of women with PCOS will have diabetes or pre-diabetes (impaired glucose tolerance) before the age of 40.
• The risk of heart attack is 4 to 7 times higher in women with PCOS than women of the same age without PCOS.
• Women with PCOS are at greater risk of having high blood pressure.
• Women with PCOS have high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
• Women with PCOS can develop sleep apnea. This is when breathing stops for short periods of time during sleep.

However, these internal an external battles leads to one of my biggest battles INFERTILITY. This is one part of PCOS that I do not wish that I had to deal with or wish on my worst enemy. The scientist can spout a thousand reasons on why women with PCOS often have trouble conceiving but it does not make it any easier. I have been married for over 6 years to my hero, my marine, and my best friend. We have been trying to have a child for five years. There is nothing that I can to explain what it is like to be infertile or having trouble to have a child. In life you find your soul mate, marry, and decide you want to start a family just to find out that you want the most. Living with PCOS is something I can handle, in fact knowing it is something that I will deal with most of my life (there is no concrete evidence that PCOS ends when menopause occurs). 

My husband and I have had gone through multiple test, procedures, and treatments. It is not an easy thing to deal with (emotionally, physically, and spiritually). There have been many days that all I can do is cry because I feel lost. I often ask myself how does something come so easy to others has become a path I would not like to be on but for some reason I was "chosen" to embark on. I use the word chosen because I believe everything happens for a reason, whether I like it or not. Even though, my husband and I are still trying to endure this path, I have known great things to occur. I never "physically" met this woman but we met in a social network site, both military wives, and both battle with PCOS. In other words we are "cysters", in the battles we face she was given a miracle. A lot of women, men, and families take for granted what a lot of women with PCOS often want most and that is to be a mother. She is proof that even in this WAR that we can overcome and win battles. Maybe one day our physical lives will one day actually meet but if not I know I have cyster for life.

If you have PCOS or you know someone with PCOS it is okay. We need to spread the word and let them know that we want to know more about this endocrine disorder. I know it is not easy for someone for just finding out they have PCOS or been dealing with this disorder for years. However, I know there is one word I live by with PCOS and that is HOPE. I give you Hope.

I HAVE INCLUDED SOME LINKS ABOUT PCOS (They Have Some Great Information about the Disorder)

http://www.pcosupport.org/

http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/polycystic-ovary-syndrome.cfm#a

http://women.webmd.com/tc/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos-topic-overview