A few words about our lives as of late...

Things have been kind of back and forth for us here in the Perryman household. I'm in the depths of domestic delirium. If you saw my house, you would understand. But I won't let you, so just imagine it and be very creative!

Waylon is in his second month of running his own office. It's been challenging to say the least! Don't get me wrong, he is doing a FABULOUS job! He has some great people working for him and they are doing awesome. But he is really stepping up and doing whatever it takes to be successful (within legal and moral bounds of course!). His business is already growing and expanding and he is in the process of hiring on some new, really sharp people. He puts in long hours and has to do things he's never done before. There's a lot of office work and paperwork and emailing to be done, which hasn't been his strong point. He's a great sales man, not an office person. But, that being said, I have to say that he's doing an exceptional job for someone who has never had to run an office before and deal with all of that. I just sit by in awe of him sometimes. I'm so excited to see where God is going to take him on this journey.

Then there is my job. I work for Waylon doing his recruiting and some office work (when I'm able to make the 40 minute drive north to his office and help). I've really enjoyed this job as I get to work from home. It allows me to save money on gas and spend more time with my kids than I ever thought I would be able to while still having a job. It's not about the money and it never was. I wanted to work for him because I want him to be successful at this. In order for him to be successful, his recruiter has to have his absolute best interest in mind and be on the look out for super sharp people. I don't think anyone else will be as qualified for that position as me! So here I am, plodding away and loving every minute of it.

While I work from home, my parents watch the girls 3 days a week. They come and get them from me by 8am and then I go pick them up after I'm done for the day. Sometimes right at lunch, sometimes a little after. Two days a week, Brooklyn goes to an in-home day care for a half day and I keep Layla here at home with me while I work. So far it has worked out pretty well. Layla still sleeps a lot so I can usually get her down to sleep for at least two hours at a time, which is plenty of time for me to do my calls. It's a win-win situation for all involved!

We're trying to get back on track with paying off our debt. In April of 2010 we went through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class and were really on fire to get out of debt. Well, we got off track since then and are somewhat floundering in that area. I think what's overwhelming me the most the the sheer number of bills I get each month and remembering to send everything out on time. It's pretty ridiculous. There are the regulars: utilities, rent, car, credit card, cable, internet, student loans. Then there are the randoms: medical, registrations for the cars, surcharges for previous tickets and more. It's those randoms that really get in the way and frustrate me the most! If they would just go away I could pay all my other bills with no problems! It just seems like no matter how hard I try, I always forget about 1 or 2 bills each month that end up being late. I have got to find a way to organize all that so that I don't forget. It's on my list.

Unfortunately, my weight loss goal has been put on the back burner. With everything else crowding my mind right now, counting points just doesn't fit in there. Of course I'm still trying to watch what I eat and try to eat healthier items when I have them. I still eat my lite butter with my high-fiber, 10 grain bread for breakfast. I still use Splenda instead of sugar in my coffee. But it's definitely not as rigorous as it was when I first started. I'm disappointed in myself. I really think Weight Watchers can work for me but I've lost the excitement and motivation I had when I first started. I HAVE started working out though. I downloaded some videos from DirectTV as well as dusted off my Turbo Jam video. I did Turbo Jam for the first time in over 2 years yesterday and it felt so good! I'm going to do it here in a little bit (as soon as I'm done typing up this post!). I figure if I can at least get a workout in each day, it's going to help.

In the midst of working and taking care of the little ones, I have really let things go around the house. We have loads upon loads of laundry that need to be done and the sink is constantly filled with dirty dishes. Toys are strewn about the house and half the grass in our front and back yards is dead. We also seem to have an ant problem in our guest bathroom. My office isn't as neat and organized as I would like it to be so I'm going to get that taken care of soon. I might be a messy housekeeper but my work space has always been pretty organized. I don't like to work in disorganization.

So, just try to not be jealous of me right now. I know my life sounds gloriously glamorous, but, envy isn't an attractive quality. I mean, really. But, if you are feeling generous and want to come over and clean my house or organize my bills or water the grass, I could be ok with that! (JK, but seriously, if you want to I'm not gonna stop you...)

A much-needed update!

Well, I posted a several things lately that I wanted to follow up on and just haven't been able to. Let me update you a bit as to what has been going on in our little lives here.

Waylon has been working hard on getting his new office up and running. He's doing amazing work! He was the top rep in the nation (again!) in sales and was recognized for it a couple of days ago on a conference call. I got to listen in while I was at his old office training with his old boss's office assistant. It was a very proud moment in my life. Waylon has such a gift in this area and he is really using it to it's fullest and God is blessing him for it. I'm so happy to see Waylon find something he is gifted at that is fulfilling to him. Do I love that I don't get a lot of time with him right now? No, of course not. In fact, we have had some tense discussions about this when I allow my emotions to cloud my judgement and start to feel sorry for myself. It's frustrating for him I'm sure to have me pulling on one side and his job on the other. I know he doesn't love being away from me and his girls any more than I do but he knows that for a season it is necessary. I'm praying for patience on my part to be more understand and have fewer episodes where I fall apart on him like that. I guess in that aspect, I was a little spoiled before. I got used to having him around a lot more. Humph!

Along with Waylon's job, comes the update on my job. I started training for what I'll actually be doing last week. I say that because, as some of you know, I had to do some training out in the field and do some sales before I got my training in the office. They wanted me to actually experience being in the field so I could better recruit people for the job. It makes sense. But I didn't like it. I mean, it was exhilarating when I made three sales in one day, but it's not something I could do day in and day out. Waylon would love it if I would do sales too, but I don't see that happening any time soon. Of course I will step in and help out if he was ever in a bind and needed me. I'm not going to leave him hanging like that in a time of need. But I won't be doing it on a regular basis. So...back to what I'm actually going to do...It's very easy! I'm mainly on the phone most of the day and the wonderful part about it is that I get to do it from home and it will only take me about 3-4 hours a day to get it all done! I love that! I'll be sending Brooklyn to my neighbor across the street two days a week and my parents will be watching both girls 3 days a week. We're going to see how I do trying to get work done with Layla here on the two days that Brooklyn goes to day care. If I see that it cannot be done, I will get one of my grandparents to come over for a couple of hours while she is awake. She sleeps most of the morning as it is so I don't think it will be too overwhelming. This week was my first week "on my own" and it wasn't a normal week so I still haven't really gotten in the groove of what it's going to be like. I still have gotten to work on my own though and it was really easy. I don't think I will have any complaints about my job!

There is the opportunity for moving up and making more money if I want that. I might eventually. There is one option that would provide a very good amount of money that is very easy and right up my alley in terms of work and it would get us into a place of financial freedom very quickly. I'm going to pray about it. It wouldn't be something I would do for another year or so anyway so I have some time to think about it and see how our situation works out here with this current set up. This coming week will be my first week doing my work from home and getting into our new routine. I'm excited to get that going and see how it's all going to work out. I love that I will be able to do something to earn some money but still have plenty of time with my kids. I also love that Brooklyn will just be across the street from me at an in-home day care two days a week and it will be super easy to just walk her over there! God really was thinking about us when he put us next to these people!

Moving on from the work talk, let's talk weight! I'm still on Weight Watchers but I have slacked a bit this week (and last if I'm being honest). With all the time we've spent at the hospital visiting Waylon's dad (we actually slept on couches in the waiting room one night when things looked very grim) and me working across town three days last week and not being able to get to the grocery store to buy food, I've ended up eating out a lot. I thought for sure I had gained weight last week but when I stepped on the scale Friday morning, I found that I had lost another pound! I was now back down to 191.6 which is what I got down to the first week I was on WW. I haven't weighed myself yet today and quite frankly don't think I will. This week was really bad for eating around here and I'm positive I've gained weight. I STILL have not made it to the grocery store and I've eaten out several times this week too. So...next week should be semi normal for me and I'm REALLY hoping to get back on track!

I also have not forgotten about my Project 333. I'm still planning on doing it but am waiting for our money to get back to a more steady flow of income before I go buying anymore clothes. We got a little behind financially after receiving a much lower check from my teaching job than expected. We had budgeted for several hundred more and it really threw us off when it was so low. Now we're getting caught back up and I'll be getting an almost full teaching check this next week so I'm hoping that will help us get back on our feet. The great part was that we had our emergency fund it place which really helped my peace of mind during this time. In the past, I wouldn't have had that at all since we rarely had anything in savings and lived paycheck to paycheck. Don't get me wrong, we still live paycheck to paycheck but there's a lot more peace of mind when you have an emergency fun in place. Thank you Dave Ramsey!

Today was Brooklyn's 2nd birthday. I can't believe my baby is 2 already. I'm a little sad that she's growing so fast but I'm so proud of how smart she is and how good she is doing with all her milestones. We will be having her party next week on a Wednesday because it's Waylon's only day off right now. I'm looking forward to a day spent with family and friends, celebrating 2 years of life for my little girl. Thanking God for not taking her from us last year on Mother's Day when she was hospitalized for swallowing a pill she found on floor and again keeping her safe in our horrible head-on collision in July of last year. God has really had his hand of protection over her and we are so grateful for that! To say that I'm not paranoid now and super protective of her in EVERY situation would be an understatement. Those two experiences have scarred me for quite some time but I'm trying to not let worry take over my parenting and to give it to God who is the One who is in control of all of our lives. (easier said than done!)

I'm quite excited about the upcoming fall season as it will be my first one in 4 years to not be working full-time and not be teaching. I feel like I will have so much more time to enjoy the holidays as they come and that I will be able to take Brooklyn to a lot more holiday activities. I'm so excited! I love the fall and I have always felt that I never fully got to enjoy it while I worked full-time. Hopefully things will be completely different this fall.

I know I've promised pictures a lot lately and have yet to deliver on that and for that I'm so sorry! It's so much easier to just hop on here and write and not bother with pictures. I do promise to have a post with pictures from Brooklyn's 2nd birthday, which coincidentally is on Layla's 3 month birthday! I will have a cake for both of them (I will be making the cakes this time).

Lastly, I wanted to give a really quick update on Layla. She is growing like a little weed! The girl is a little chubster with the cutest little rolls on her legs! She is smiling a ton and cooing all the time! She loves to sit and "talk" to us. She likes her boppy pillow and still LOVES to be swaddled when she sleeps. I am going to be very sad when I can no longer swaddle her to sleep. We need it for our sanity!

The high today was 108 in our area. Please make sure you are staying cool and hydrated in this horrible heat and don't forget kids or things that can melt in your car!