Always Expect the Unexpected

As any mother knows, Always Expect the Unexpected! That is how you can describe my day. I was going to start off my blog tonight with a totally different subject, but thought this was definitly more suited to what happens in the days of my life...this might find some of you laughing, either bc you could never see this happening to you, or it already has....

*Reader Discretion Advised - If you have a weak stomach you may want to pass on this one* LOL

I am signing on tonight and I hear a frantic Ayden calling my name from downstairs, "Mommy, Mommy, Oh Mommy, there is a flood in the house!". My heart sinks. Thoughts are racing through my mind..."Did I load the dishwasher wrong? Did I put too much detergent in the washer?". I jump up and rush downstairs only to find water rushing out of the downstairs bathroom into the living room. And it's not just tap water, oh no....it's poopy water. Ayden sees my face and starts explaining..."Mommy I tried and tried to flush the toilet but it wouldn't go down, I think I used too much toliet paper". I am running around grabbing any available towel I can find within reach to stop it from getting on the hardwood floors. I feel the nausea beginning as I am cleaning up the poopy pee water. My socks and jeans are soaking and I am debating in my mind quickly how I am going to get the towels and me to the laundry room. I strip down, and grab all the wet clothes and towels hop over to the laundry room and dump them in the washer.

So, Sundays are my only days off right now. Most people are relaxing or cooking out on Sundays. Maybe watching the games or a movie. Laughing with friends over dinner. But me? I'm in my underwear mopping up poopy water from the bathroom floor and plunging the toilet. YUCK and GRRRRRR! I am so glad no one else was around to see that. No, scratch that, I wish it was Ayden's dad having to clean up the poopy mess. Yeah that would be nice let him have to clean up a mess for once. LOL Nope no such luck for me. But that's okay. I'll just chalk it up to another day in my single mom life. I would have taken pictures of the mess, but I thought I'd spare you. I think this blog is enough.

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On a sweeter note, we welcomed a new addition into our family today. She is a sweet stray cat, black and white long silky hair with green eyes. A friend at my parents church found her and took her in. She wasn't able to keep her and my mom being an animal lover offered. But with already having 3 dogs and a cat she knew it would be too much so she thought of me. We just had to adopt out our golden, Sam, to a loving home bc I am never home to spend time with him or let him out like dogs should. Ayden was sad and I was missing a buddy. I knew a cat would be the perfect solution. They don't mind being alone and they are much easier to take care of. So, we went and picked her up and she is just the best! She is so loving and follows me around everywhere, like a dog. I think she is only about a year old. She had to have been an indoor cat according to my mom's friend bc she has been so well taken care of. We haven't decided on a name yet, any suggestions are welcome :) As I am typing now she is sitting on my desk watching me. Here are some pics...

Well, that's it for tonight! I think I am pooped...wow bad choice of words there. Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll write again soon! Love you all!

XOXO,

Kristen

The Day It All Began

Hello Everyone! After seeing so many of my other friends starting their own blogs about their lives decided to start my own. For those of you that I don't know or those that I don't get to see or talk to on a regular basis this will be a small look into my life as a single mom! I am not an amazing writer and do not have a lot of free time so don't expect too much, LOL.

Here is a brief introduction about me and my life. My name is Kristen Alexander and I am a 27 year old single mom to my 4 year old son Ayden. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and work two jobs (mainly due to the failing economy and loss of hours to make ends meet). My main full time is as a Manager for a Metal Recycling Company but I am also waiting tables at night and on weekends @ OTB. My son is my life and whole world and I love him with all of my heart. I am a normal, loving, fun girl who will do anything for anyone if I can. I am gulliable and clumsy. I am not very patient and I put way too much pressure on myself and probably judge myself more than anyone else could. I put on weight after having my son, and although I am not obese, I want to lose some of that weight so that I can jump in the pool with my son during the summer and not feel self conscious about my stomach and thighs! I am trying to work out and eat right, but with my schedule it's almost impossible. For the first time in my life I am HAPPY! Seriously, I am HAPPY with my life and MYSELF. I am not worried about not finding "The One" or getting married. I am letting God write my love story for the first time ever and letting Him bring us together in His time. I have so many more blessings than I could ask for. My family is the greatest ever and it took a long time to figure out that no family is perfect but that they are the only ones that are going to be there for you unconditionally. Execpt for a few select friends that have stuck by my side, my mom and dad have been the biggest support team ever. They go above and beyond what they should or could do and truly shown me what it means to be a parent and love your family with the kind of love God has for us.

My life didn't take the road I thought it would, but nothing ever happens the way you plan. God had a different version of "my life" waiting for me. I was the sweet, good, christian girl who lived in a loving, protective world with my parents and little brother. My parents raised us in church with great Christian morals and values. Everyone always thought that I would be the one who would graduate with my nursing degree, fall in love, get married and have a fabulous family and life. Nonetheless, I was your typical prodigal child. I moved out at 18, started college, and a life of staying out late and having fun. I left my protective world and God behind and thought I knew everything. I was right and could justify just about any rebutal you could but in front of me. The extent of my partying was typical for most 18 yr olds on their own for the first time. While I was in school for nursing I found myself making poor decsisions and ended up pregnant by a man I barely knew and didn't love. The day I found out I was pregnant I couldn't believe it. Here I was a promising 22 year old girl with a bright future ahead of me and I was stopped dead in my tracks by a road block and a choice to dismiss that road block and go on about my life as if nothing happened or take the detour. Obviously I chose the detour and despite the ups and downs it was the best decsision I ever made! I ended up quitting school, for the moment, and getting a full time day job. Things didn't work out with Ayden's dad, as I knew they wouldn't, and about 9 months later I began my life as a single mom. The day I laid eyes on my "little person" I knew my life would never be the same. It was 2004 and I was living in Fayetteville at the time. I had just turned 23 and had no idea was I was doing. I sat down and prayed to God to forgive my and lead my life according to His will. I gave my son to Him and promised that I would raise my son to know and love Him as his Lord and Saviour.

That was almost 5 years ago and I thank God for all His blessings today and for the future. It has been a crazy ride so far and as any other Christian I have slipped and made more mistakes. I still sin and mess up. That is why God's forgiveness is so wonderful. Sadly many Christians take his forgiveness for granted (as I did in the past) and think as long as they ask for forgiveness they can live their life any way they want. That's not the case and I feel sorry for those people. They don't have a real sense of what it is to be a Christian and live by His word. I am working everyday on making my relationship with Him stronger. I am learning how to revolve my world around Him instead of bringing Him into my life when I have time. It's not easy but God never said it would be. The other day I realized just how much I had strayed when I told some friends of my new look on life and some decisions I had made on some serious issues that involved a life change for God. They looked at me and laughed and said "Yea right, you can't do it". That moment was very sad for me. I saw then that I truly had been a disgrace and not worthy of calling myself a Christian. Now I want to change that and change people's perception of me and my life.

I have many more days in my single mom life ahead of me and I am looking forward to each and every one of them. They have made and will continue to make me the woman I am today. I am stronger and more patient than I ever thought I could be. Thank you GOD, Mom, Dad, Sean, Trish, Christine, Alli, Julie and the rest of my family and friends for being there for me and Ayden since day one!

Word of Advice (from my friend Amber W.): "Never ask God for patience because He will give you things to make you patient for!"

XOXO,

Kristen