A life to hold my standards to, maya angelou

Maya Angelou will forever live on in our hearts and minds.  The world would be a better place if we all followed in her footsteps.

Love thy neighbor.

finding balance in motherhood with Michelle Nikitaras

Michell and I met over five years ago through my best friend, Abby ( theturqoisepenguin).  Michelle is the wedding planner and designer of AKM Events.  I've been following her through  instagram and her work is brilliant.  (follow her!) She is also a wonderful mom of three.  So excited to introduce you all!   Ls

Hi Everyone!  My name is Michelle Nikitaras and I am a mom of three by day and a wedding planner by night (and in between my kids’ tantrums)!  Our household is usually pretty busy between raising our children, caring for two dogs, and trying to run a home business. Friends sometimes ask me how I manage to balance everything in my life.  My response is: If my life is not chaos, I don’t know what I am doing! Good chaos, of course.

I love being a mom.  My oldest son, Aidan, is 11 and teaches me how to do things, such as high school math and problem solving, on a daily basis.  He is definitely a smart guy and I’m a super proud mama.  My two little ones are Noah, 2 yrs old, and Gianna, 9 months old.  This is where it gets tricky.  They keep me running all day long, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. They are the loves of my life.  But, let’s face it;  sometimes us moms need something outside the home to keep us sane! Whether it be an occasional mani/pedi or doing something we are passionate about.  It’s definitely a MUST to put away the sweat pants and have a little adult time once in a while.

My passion is weddings.  I am so obsessed with the thought of two people falling in love and vowing to spend eternity together.  I am lucky enough to help them plan and prepare for one of the biggest days of their lives. It also gives me a chance to have a creative outlet that doesn’t involve glue and macaroni!

It started as just a hobby back in 2000 and slowly took on a life of its own.  As a working mother, I have become a master at time management and organization.  These are two things that are very important to event planning and wedding design.  AKMEvents is now booming and, thank God, I work with some really awesome women.  I am super lucky to have the best of both worlds.  My kids don’t even miss me when I’m gone, and I miss them more until I come home.  

Being a mom is a full time, crazy, fun, exhausting, rewarding job all in itself.  We are all “Rock Star Moms” whether we work outside of the home or not! Here are a few tips that work for me to try to maintain balance.   When you think about it, all of life’s twists and turns is a balancing act so we might as well have fun doing it!  I hope you find balance in your life by trying some of these tips, or coming up with your own that work in your own situation.

·          
      Turn the music up!  Sometimes my kids are crying or just plain unhappy in the car.  Wouldn’t you be too if you were strapped into a car seat and forced to face the rear of the car when you obviously have ants in your pants?  Duh! We turn the music up and sing at the top of our lungs.  It’s a win- win.  I release some stress and my kids think it’s hilarious.  Don’t be afraid to act silly!  Your kids will love you for it.  

·         Pray/Meditate.  Take some time to thank God for all that you have.  Reflect on your day, on your loved ones, and on all of the good things that life has to offer. I usually do this when I’m in the shower since this is the longest period of quiet time I get in a day.

·         Drink Tea, Wine, or something special.  When my kids are snug in their bed, the first thing I do is make myself a cup of chamomile tea before I sit down in front of the computer. It relaxes me and makes me feel at ease while I go about the daunting task of catching up on emails or blog posts. On Fridays I substitute the tea for a glass of wine! J

·         Unplug once in a while.  Sundays are family day in our house.  We unplug! No Facebook, no phones, no tablets, no Xbox!  We take this time to enjoy each other and have a little fun.

·         Do something nice for yourself.  An occasional spa day or shopping day works wonders! My hubby and I try to have a date night once a month too. Working outside of the home when I have a wedding is super rewarding.  We all feel energized when we just get a break once in a while.  When we come back together as a family we appreciate each other that much more!

Good Luck to my fellow Rock Star Moms, and I hope this helps you to find your balance in your life.

xo Michelle

AKM Events

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photos courtesy of m rinaye

I'm learning to have fun again.

The past two weeks I've spent in a very small town of western Minnesota.  We are here visiting my husband while he is on temporary job assignment. A one bedroom apartment and a two year old makes for very long days.

Enter mom guilt here.

Very long days? No mother should be uttering such words. I should be embracing these two weeks with my child, right?  We have two weeks away from all distractions. No play dates.  No errands to run.  No appointments.  No responsibilities.  Only thing on the agenda all day everyday is to love this little one and play, play, play.  I should be grateful.

Why then is it so hard to spend the entire day playing?

As an adult we are so tied down to our responsibilities and obligations we've taken some of the fun out of everyday.  Maybe even all the fun! I'm a planner and live by my lists.  If I want to have fun I literally have to pencil it in.  And then it starts to feel like its a job as well.  "Must spend evening reading book everyone else has been raving about."  Check.

At what point in our lives did we lose ourselves in all the other stuff?

Everytime Anna and I get out the giant jug of bubbles we always end up making a mess.  She is at the point of independence where she wants to dunk the blow stick and blow her own bubbles.  What is my first response?  ICK!  And I go running for a baby wipe.  And then I want to take over the bubble blowing because its much cleaner if I do it.  When did the mess become more of a priority than the fun?

I'm in awe of my child as her entire face lights up over a swing at the park.  Its a gorgeous day outside.  And I have to remind myself to soak up this moment.  As I push her she squeals "weee!"  And I am thinking "ok what's next, its getting hot out here.  Did we put on enough sunblock? (among other thoughts swirling around in my head)" I wish I would just embrace this happy moment instead of constantly reminding myself slow down.  Reminding myself to be thankful for all things big and small.

Reminding myself just to sit and be still.

At the end of this summer if you ask me what one word summed it up I would say "bubbles"  or "swing".  Those two words are yelled out with glee at least once a day at our house. I'm learning to bite my lip when we are covered in soapy bubbles or when Anna has buried herself in dirt from our backyard.   She is just being a two year old.  She is enjoying the moment of discovery and new adventures.  And more importantly I'm outside savoring these moments with her.

And hey,  you know what... I'm actually starting to have some fun!

RECIPE BOX | cinnamon rolls

I wish I had a before picture of the ooey gooey deliciousness these rolls were made of.  However, I hope my after picture displays just how yummy they really are.  They didn't last long at our house or at MOPS brunch this past week.  I love a recipe that I can make most of it the night before.  I'm not a morning person so the less I have to do in the morning the better.  Enjoy my friends!

15 Rhodes frozen dinner rolls (half a bag ... or use the whole bag and double the recipe!)

1 stick melted butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamin

1 (3oz) vanilla pudding (not instant)

 

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Place frozen dinner rolls in pan. Mix butter, brown sugar & cinnamon together. Pour over dinner rolls, sprinkle dry pudding mix over top. Let rise overnight and in the morning bake at 350* for 20-25 min.