Category: Life

Putting Down The Phone And Getting Back To Paper.
Life

Putting Down The Phone And Getting Back To Paper.

Deby Ciui (Chewy)Leave a comment

These last two months have been quite something. Somehow, so many of our plans/trips ended up lining up in such a way that almost every weekend was something, one weekend driving to beach, not long after driving 6 hours to Tennessee. We’ve put in a combined total of 32+ road trip hours in the last 2 months. Our most recent adventure was a 4 day cabin stay in the Smokies where we had booked a ride on the Polar Express, a great little train ride that the kids really enjoyed. The great part about this trip was that it was with family, and as I’ve heard someone say before, cousins are the best free babysitters. Now that the girls are a little older, more specifically old enough that I don’t have to constantly worry about them being near staircases, this was a nice relaxing little trip. The girls spent days hanging out with their cousins while I got to enjoy my time with family, soaking in a hot tub, and playing board games.

As we get closer to the holidays I have really been getting hit with the chaos of everything going on. I have chores to do, presents to wrap, and more plans on the schedule, thankfully though no more road trips for the time being. But I also am not able to crochet for the time being which was one of my go-to methods of unwinding and with this new development I have decided to get back to what I would call the root of my hobbies, and that would be reading. I have always considered myself a book worm as I have always loved reading ever since I first learned how. I own well over 500 books (not counting children books) but after having my 2 girls I have to admit that I have been slacking. This is not to say that I haven’t read anything, but when it came to my growing pile of books in the ‘to read’ pile my response was always “I just don’t have any time.” But I do have time, it just involves better time management, after all I still find time to browse through social media or play games on my phone, if I have time for those then I have time to read a book, even if it is just one chapter a day.

Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate.

Anonymous

Another big, big, factor in why I am pushing myself to put down the electronics and pick up my books is because I also want to instill this love of books in my daughters. It is why I also try to read to them regularly and why they probably have close to just as many books as I do. Children learn more by what they see and watch and I want them to learn healthy habits and hobbies.

Moms-Only Trip
Life · Travel

Moms-Only Trip

Deby Ciui (Chewy)Leave a comment

Take time off. The world will not fall apart without you.

Malebo Sephodi
Sisters!

This past weekend was our planned girls(moms)-only trip with 2 out of my 3 sisters and my sister in law. It was a trip we had begun planning back in April of this year, a trip that my mom wanted to take back when she was alive but we now fulfilled in memory of her. This trip was the first time that I had ever left my girls alone with Josh for the night. That’s 4 years of me not having a break from them, despite knowing that it was needed. To be honest I was reluctant to even consider taking this trip, I felt guilty and nervous even though I knew my husband is perfectly capable of taking care of them, I mean they are just as much his kids as they are mine. But I was struggling with this sense of guilt, I felt excited for going on a vacation and guilty for being excited.

To be perfectly honest the trip was fantastic. I got to bond with my sisters, two of which live out of state and I essentially only get to see on special occasions. I learned things I never knew before and I recharged on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. It was a vacation filled with walks on the beach, prayer, girl-talk and chick flicks. It was only one of the first times I feel I actually came back from a vacation relaxed and recharged instead of more exhausted than when I left.

One of the things that really stuck with me was my sister who said that she took similar trips like this or even just a day or few hours away from her kids when they were younger for the specific reason of letting her recharge.

I take these trips to become a better mother.

It wasn’t until I came home that I realized the accuracy of that statement. Toddlers are tough, they’re tough to raise and tough to handle and when your patience is already running on threads that are barely holding on, it is very easy to forget that they are in fact toddlers. It is easy to catch yourself beginning to expect a 4 year old to have the understanding of someone two or three times their age instead of taking the time to explain something and teach them what they are trying to learn. This vacation has been a big eye-opening reminder of that and I hope that I can continue going forward with that reminder to become a better mother and teach for my girls. I am relaxed and recharged and ready to go.

How I like to unwind after a chaotic week
Life

How I like to unwind after a chaotic week

Deby Ciui (Chewy)Leave a comment

If the lack of posts says anything about this week, it should explain just how chaotic and crazy this week has been. Busy enough that I really haven’t had much time for a little piece of quiet. If I haven’t mentioned it before, I am a mom that wears many hats: wife, mother, engineer, teacher, student, etc. This week we finished the first quarter of the preschool curriculum (A-Z, A is for Adam. Curriculum is from Masterbooks) next week we get to start over, as in starting from letter A again. Apart from the joys of homeschooling, work has been notoriously busy and on more than one occasion have had the whole house asleep before I sign off for the night, hazards of working the second shift. Finally, the icing on the cake, I am behind on my own school work, Operations and Supply Chain management class (which is so unbelievable dry), which means even later nights ahead.

To summarize the above self-pity session, it has been a busy week. When life gets so busy that it feels like the remote control is stuck on fast forward, this is when I desperately need to take some time and unwind and rejuvenate.

Coffee, coffee, coffee

Boulevard West in Clayton, NC

First stop, COFFEE more specifically, coffee shops. Working from home is fantastic but I love it when I can take a moment of alone time to myself. I love small coffee shops, especially when I get to try a new ones and I like to take the time and actually sit there. For starters, I get to savor my coffee, read, write in my journal, or sometimes just people watch. One of the cons (or pros if you’re antisocial) is lack of human interaction. Sometimes you just need a moment to interact with other people who are not your husband or kids. Then of course, Coffee in and of itself, is soothing and while I don’t handle the caffeine the way that used too I still enjoy my cup of coffee every day, sometimes two.

Rub a dub, dub, soakin’ in the tub

Floating candle bath bomb. Awesome, pretty, slightly hazardous if you have long legs.

Option two, is my most used option and is my go to for after those tough days at work. Late night bath soakin’ in the tub. There is nothing more relaxing to me than taking a hot (or boiling if you ask my husband) bath. Sometimes I read, books, webtoons or webnovels. Sometimes I watch a show, and other times I just pop in some headphones and just enjoy blocking out the sounds around me. The experience exponentially improves when I have candles and bath salts/bombs.

If you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself.

Dalai Lama