Yes, I’m doing cyber TUESDAY! I’m keeping my sale open today as I’ve had lots of responses. Today, when you enter ‘CYBER25′ you will receive 25% off of your entire purchase at my!Etsy store !

Take advantage and get your shopping done for teachers, co-workers, friends and relatives! And I’d absolutely love for you to pass the word on for me. I want this charity to succeed!

I feel like a have a few too many balls in the air right now.  Ever feel that way?  Perhaps the question is “ever NOT feel that way?”  We’re all busy, I know.  I often feel a little jumbled when I have too many things going on and then things slack.  And I don’t ever like giving less than 100% to any project.  That being said, I’m just taking a quick hiatus for a few weeks from Jumping Waves.  I will be back.  And when I do come back I’ll be able to share my awesome news.  But until then, I need to work with the balls in the air and get some more to come down.  Because frankly, I can hardly juggle two balls at once, let alone multiple!  Thanks for your understanding and keep popping in to see if I’ve shared!

Until then, don’t forget to check out my Etsy shop…up and running and ready to be shopped!

Don’t forget…only 3 more days left of the jewelry sale on my Etsy Shop!  My mom made all of the jewelry on here to help offset all of the educational costs that Brett and I have had to endure.  She’s done a really nice job.  Here are some of my favorite pieces.

Jumping Waves Double Strand Bracelet

Jumping Waves 3 Piece Set

Beaded Double Strand Memory Wire Bracelet

Beaded Triple Strand Bracelet

These pieces are perfect gifts for teachers, friends, family, etc.  Get a head start on your holiday shopping and enter BLING15 in the check out at my shop!

Emma and I were driving to pick up Mason before gymnastics last week.  While driving she had a lot of questions about where Mason went to school.  Amidst this discussion I asked her if she wanted to go to Mason’s school.  (I feel like I should do this every once in awhile to make sure that I’m doing the right thing by her.  It’s like trying celery every once in awhile for me…do I still hate it?  Yep!  So, upon talking about Mason’s school and asking if she wanted to go there this was her reply.

No, Mom.  I go to a real school.

And there you have it, friends.  Does anyone need anymore convincing?  Certainly not me! She’s definitely a smart cookie, and no one will tell us otherwise.

On a side note, please check out my newest cards in the Paris Collection!  I am in love.  And I’m also working on a new product that will be perfect for the upcoming holiday season!

Click on the picture above to go straight to my Etsy store!

Have you started shopping for the holidays yet? Not me!

I received an email from my awesome advocate, Kristina, and I thought it was worth passing on.  This was written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of Cleveland Ohio.  She says of this article,

“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught

me. It is the most requested column I’ve ever written.”

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and
parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry;
God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one
is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no
for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t
save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will
this matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you
did or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d
grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come…

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”

How awesome are these?   I really need to keep these in mind: 2, 6, 13, 25, 31, and 41.  Which one/ones speak to you? 

On another note, I am adding new note cards to my Etsy this week!  And I have listed a bunch of my mom’s jewelry.  Please go take a peek and let me know what you think!!

So I have some jewelry to show off.  Just a sneak peek.  But really, my mom has given me about 50 pieces of jewelry that she’s created and I asked her to slow down!  The time it’s taking to take and edit pictures, write and edit listings, etc., is more than I thought!  I’m having fun with it though…creativity is poring through me right now and it replaces most stress going on.  I think I’d be more productive if I wasn’t getting over a bout of food poisoning from last night though.  TMI?  Too late.  Anyway, I’m devoting all day Thursday and Friday to posting my mom’s jewelry on my Etsy Shop.

After lots of picture taking outside (with my new lightbox), coming back inside to edit those photos and then matching them with the jewelry, I have a nice little start to a collection I think will become very popular.  What’s more, my mom can and will custom create any piece with the colors and stones you choose.  So if nothing suits your fancy, email me and we’ll make something that fits your personality!  Here are a few things in my jewelry shop:

Jumping Waves 3 Piece Set

Double Strand Memory Wire Bracelet with Amethyst and Quartz

Double Strand Memory Wire Bracelet with Frosted Amber

Let me know how you like my mom’s creations! And if you know someone who would like her work, please pass on our link!!

You know how sometimes when the going gets rough it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel?  Well, fortunately I’m not at that place anymore.  But we still have our rough patches, like yesterday’s massive tantrum- courtesy of Emma, the whole side effect of gaining 22 pounds in 3 months- Emma, not me (unfortunately I can’t claim medication as the reason for my weight gain), etc.  So it’s important that we always celebrate the little milestones in our lives.  Becomes sometimes those tiny little milestones really feel like gigantic leaps.  And they are in their own right.  So, even though we’re doing pretty good over here at our house, here are a few milestones we’ve accomplished today.

~ Emma got up at 4:45 in the morning to go potty all by herself! If you recall, she had some pretty big hip surgery, which required the use of a wheelchair or a strong Mommy, Daddy, or Miss Jenna. (seriously, the reasons my arms aren’t ripped by now is still a mystery to me).  Anyhoo, that being said, trips to the potty required us carrying her.  Not thing time.  While she’s not allowed to walk up stairs (because of said stairs), she got up, crawled into the bathroom, and even washed her hands!  Of course 5 minutes later she was calling me because she wasn’t tired.  And then she was hungry. Yadda, yadda, yadda.  After a cheese stick, water, lights on low, reading to herself, she finally fell back asleep.  Mommy never did but nevermind that.  She went potty by herself!

~ I had a really great coffee date with my girlfriends.  To me, that is a milestone because I am blessed to have such great women in my life!

~ I had dinner in the crockpot by noon and on the table by 5:30.

~ I didn’t screw up the rice.  I’m not sure what it is with me and rice (same goes for jello), but I just can’t get it.  Thank you to Safeway’s brand of Jasmine rice for being foolproof.

~ I was working on homework with Mason and we were writing numbers.  3′s and 5′s are really hard for him.  I gently tried to correct his 3 and he got frustrated.  I asked him if he wanted to do it the correct way or his way.  Can you see where this story is leading?  After about 2 minutes of thinking, he decided he wanted to do it his way.  So, not a milestone but a really cute story I want to remember in the future.

~ I worked on my Etsy shop and got a bunch of draft listings done.  I will take pictures tomorrow.  Which brings me to my next milestone…

~I made my very own lightbox today and it cost me under $5!  And it was fun to make!  Kind of.  The great tutorial I used can be found here.  Super easy to follow and this guy is funny!

So it may have seemed like a mundane Tuesday to most.  But I feel pretty accomplished with what I got done. Lots of little things, which sometimes can yield the best results!

On a separate note, have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall regarding a certain situation?  Tell me about it!
And related to that, can you comment on my blog? I’ve heard it’s down. And I need to switch some settings. So please leave me a comment so I can see if it’s working or not! And tell me about the time you wanted to be a fly on the wall!

First things first: Check out my girl!!

She’s crusin’ alright!  And the smile on her face says it all.  She is one happy camper.

Brett took her to school after her appointment today.  He called me right after because he had to share the story.  When they got into the school, Emma told him that she didn’t want to be wheeled into school, she wanted to walk into school. And he held her hand to help her (she didn’t get to take home a walker, I rented one from here).  When they got to the classroom and the kids saw her walking, they all started cheering for her! Her aide got choked up and even had to leave the room.  Just witnessing such support and adoration for our little girl meant so much. I wish I could’ve seen it.  This school is a place of total acceptance where no one is singled out or different.  What more could a parent ask for?  This was definitely a high-light in a long list of struggles we’ve had.  And no one deserves this praise more than Emma. She’s such s trooper and a survivor.   She continues to amaze me daily!

Brett and I get to head out of town tomorrow for a wedding.  We couldn’t be more excited for our little escape.  I know the wedding and the weekend will be beautiful and memorable.  And we so need this small vacation.  I will be back on Monday.  And don’t forget, tonight’s the last night to save 20% at my Etsy Shop!  Just enter NEWSHOP20 to claim your discount!  Keep checking back…next week I’m going to be adding so many pieces of beautiful jewelry that she is donating to Jumping Waves!  That’s next week and rest assured I’ll keep you posted!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Because mine could’ve been better.  It was just one of those loooong days that ended more on a sour note.  However, I will say that I have learned from my mistake.  I will never schedule 3 appointments in one day.  Two were for Emma, so she missed school.  I hate taking her out of school.  Epecially now that she likes it.  The first appointment was Emma’s DDD support coordinator who comes and visits quarterly.  He’s the one who approves her OT, PT, Speech, respite/hab hours, so he’s a good guy.  We keep him around!  No big deal.  Emma got to watch TV the whole time he was there.

Quick little jaunt to Nordstrom’s Rack (i love you, rack!) for new kids tennies.  If Emma’s going to start walking again she needs some good tennis shoes.  Check!  And a bathing suit on clearance (you’ll understand why below).

Next was her endo.  We also see her quarterly.  I was a little nervous about the visit this time around.  Perhaps you’ve noticed that Emma’s gained a bit of weight recently.  I was a bit nervous to see exactly how much she has gained.  Ready for this? 22 ½ pounds in 3 months.  Let me repeat that in case you thought you misread.  22 ½ pounds in 3 months. The good news in that is that I’m not going crazy and she really was getting heavier.  The bad news is that she gained 22 ½ pounds in 3 months.  Who does that?  Emma.  Courtesy of Risperadol.  It’s that new mood “stabilizer” med we started at the beginning of the summer.  Refresh your memory here and here.  I knew a possible side effect was increased appetite.  But holy cow!  Endo not pleased.  Reassured her we’d “fix” the situation.  Left feeling a little deflated.  I mean, I don’t even have ripped arms to show for all that carrying of Emma I do!

Oh, did I mention we had a meltdown at the endo?  Um, yeah.

Next up was lunch with my cousin.  Yay!  Emma ate great.  Surprised?

We headed to the psychiatrist next.  Lucky for me I didn’t cancel that appointment!  She noted the weight gain with a little less concern than the endo.  But she is a very agreeable doctor and when I give her my two cents she really listens.  We agreed we’d start her on something new.  Guess what the side effects are? Increased appetite.  Awesome.  Apparently all the drugs in this class have that effect.  But, again, it’s worth the shot.  You never know what side effects your kid will or won’t pick up.  So, I’m anxious to see how this new one goes.  Our “goal” for Emma is to lose 5 pounds by her next appointment in December.  Once she’s active again, I’m thinking that will help shed the weight.

Emma was really really ready to go at this point.  It had been quite a long day.  We hopped in the car and headed home.  For some reason we got stuck in rush hour.  I’m not sure why; it was only 3:30.  And while in said rush hour we got bumped from behind.  Pulled over and this ladie’s front bumper was hanging off of her car.  I was scared to look at mine.  Here’s what I saw:

See that little nick? What?  Can’t see it?  Whatev.  It’s there I promise.  Anyway, she got a little pissy with me when I told her I was going to call the cops (per my husband’s request).  And then I got snippy with her and told her not to get pissy with me because she was the one that rear ended me!  Anyway, thank you to Phoenix’s finest for helping me out and looking cute and smelling really good when it was 105* outside.

It was all I could do to get home and lock myself in the house.

Seriously, you would’ve thought it was a Monday today! Here’s to Wednesday, visiting my aunt, and getting my Etsy on!

And how was YOUR day?  

p.s. there’s still time to visit my Etsy shop and save 20% (when you enter NEWSHOP20)!!

1 highschool football game (I go for the socialization, don’t be fooled)

4 BBQs

1 tooth lost

3 Etsy orders filled (yay!)

1 ice cream cake devoured

4 kids swimming (one including Emma- yay!)

zero pictures (boo!) (But we have 2 more BBQs today, so hopefully I can post-edit some pictures in.)

20- the percent you can save on your Etsy order until Thursday. Your coupon code is NEWSHOP20 and you can find my Etsy Shop here.

And have you liked Jumping Waves on Facebook yet?  Do that here.

What numbers does your Labor Day include?