I want to start with an appropriate MLK Jr. quote today....

I love this on so many levels. Of course MLK stood for civil and human rights, but this applies to all of life. You can't move forward if you don't start trying somewhere! I needed this reminder this morning when it seems like it's the middle of January, I am potty training a defiant toddler, and dealing with life in general.

1. I confess I despise potty training. It's like a horrible game of trying to get a toddler into submission while dealing with bodily fluids. This just isn't a good combination. Some of you might think "hey, I thought she potty trained him at the end of the summer?!" I sure was trying but he started a huge regression so I let him be for a while. I told myself after the holiday hub-ub, it was time. He got his "big boy" toddler bed this weekend and we have been trying to convince him that big boys don't pee their pants!

2. What is up with the fact that I have another birthday right around the corner and seriously the gray hair has divided and conquered?! It's no joke friends, might have to start taking drastic measures!

3. If you are a stay at home mom, I read the funniest blog post I have seen in a while. It pretty much sums up most of mom life at home. I WANT TO THROW MYSELF INTO TRAFFIC: AN ESSAY ON BEING A STAY-AT-HOME MOM . There's lots of good one liners, "My house would be the epitome of a Pottery Barn catalog ... My husband would wonder how he got so lucky to have such a perfect wife and prance me around town like a sparkly little show pony, and my kids would idolize my every move. Usually this fantasy also included me winning a break dance competition of some sort in front of a crowd of hundreds." Hilarious....

4. I have three screaming children as I attempt to write this...Nothing about being a stay at home mom is glamorous and it rarely feels productive which is a struggle for me! One child is begging for cheese curls when he has not yet even eaten his waffle. I know, why did I even buy the cheese curls?!! Oh and now the youngest has peed on the floor...AGAIN....

5. I just finished reading Silver Linings Playbook, which I really ended up liking. It is written from the perspective of a man who has spent years in a mental institution. It's also written in the setting of Collingswood, NJ and Philadelphia, PA. A good friend lived in the town next to Collingswood for a few years so I am familiar with the setting, as well as all the Philadelphia Eagles references. It was a different type of book for me, which was refreshing. There were strange concepts like a hatred for all things Kenny G, but that's what made it endearing. You definitely find yourself rooting for the lead characters! I am going to try to rent the movie now to see if it lives up to the book!

I better run today friends! I have tinkle to clean and a glamorous life to lead! Ha....I wish! I also hope to get back to blogging photography as work rolls in. February 1 is my first wedding of the year that I am very much looking forward to! Have a great week friends! I am currently booking sessions now through spring/summer if you are intersted or know someone who is engaged!

Emily Troutman Photography