Teacher Birthday!

Abbie has been in Ms. Glaspie's PreK 3 class since September!  We love Ms. Glaspie, and really enjoy giving her little gifts!  I think one of my favorite parts of Abbie being in school is having fun creating little gifts for her teacher!  I in no way am trying to suck up to her teacher or brown nose for my daughter, despite what some people have actually said to my face!  I just love doing crafts, and I love giving gifts... so this is really 2 hobbies put into one fun experience!

At Orientation, we gave her a little gift...

Then on Abbie's 1st day of school...

we brought a little teacher gift!!

So, it only seemed right that we take her a fun little gift on her birthday! I scoured Pinterest for some ideas, and ended up putting this together using a mesh of several pins!!  I found a insulated cup with a straw, and filled it with Starbursts. I also stuck a Fleming's gift card inside of it, because who doesn't love a nice birthday dinner! Since, my husband is the Owner/Operator of Fleming's in Richmond... we tend to do this a lot!!! I printed a fun little tag, and tied it on with a few colors of ribbon.  There is a little note on the back of the tag from Abbie, but I didn't take a picture of it.

And that was all!  

Ms. Glaspie loved it, and it made her smile on her birthday!!

Which was really the main goal!

Townhouse Conundrum

It has been 6 months since we moved our family from a single family home into our amazing townhouse!
There are soooooo many things that make townhouse living awesome!  No yard work is def a huge up to our move!  Derik's crazy work schedule made yard work a NO GO, and we refused to pay someone to do it.  SO... it looked like we lived in the Amazon jungle!  Another huge perk is the MUCH cheaper power bill.  Since we are an interior unit, we are insulated by the townhouse on either side of ours, which makes our power bill less year around.  We absolutely love all of the charm that this house has.  The 2 story living room ceiling certainly adds drama to the home.  The columns, wainscoting, and rich hardwood floors give the house a much more formal appearance.  And one of our favorite things is the rubbed bronze finishes throughout the home.  We also have a beautiful kitchen.  Honestly, I think the kitchen is really what sold us both on the house.  Granite counter tops, custom cabinets, built in wine rack, convection over, pull out drawers... I could go on and on!  Here are a few pictures of the kitchen we love so dearly!

The hood over the stove, and the drawers below it are so perfect!

Plenty of counter and cabinet space!

Wine rack above the fridge, and convection oven!

However, there is one thing about this kitchen that was driving me nuts!!!  I had a vision, but I just didn't know how I could actually make the vision a reality!  Since we are a middle unit townhouse, and our sink faces a side wall, there was dead wall space above it.  It seemed so empty, and it felt naked!

SO... I went to Pinterest!  What else?!?!  However, I couldn't find ANY ideas for a wall like this.  I searched for a LONG time and I finally found something that I thought I could make work!  

This frame at Target was originally $30.  I would never have paid that, but when I stumbled onto a clearance section that was hiding them for $17.48... I decided to go ahead and purchase one!

When we moved into this house, I bought a paint sample from Behr called "Newport Blue".  It was only a few dollars, and I have literally used it to paint every project I have done since we moved in!  Everything looks like it was meant to go together, because it all matches!  I LOVE IT!  So I pulled out my paint, and a white tea light candle.  I removed the backing and both pains of glass from the frame, and then removed all of the hardware.  I popped the tea light out of the metal tin it sits in and rubbed it all over the frames edges.

(Wax Distressing Tutorial)

Then I painted the frame with the blue.  I didn't try and get a FULL coat, I was fine with brushstrokes being visible.  I made sure to get the inside ridge, and the outside edge all around.  After the paint was dry, I used a sanding block to distress it!

Then I added the hardware back to the frame, and secured the back!  

I ordered a print of our family OUTDOORS, because I wanted it to look as if you were really looking out a window over the sink.  The frame size was odd because it wasn't intended for one large print, but Poster Print Factory allows you to print large prints in ANY dimensions for a reasonable cost.

I used Command Strips Picture Hanging Strips to secure it to the tile.  These strips are awesome, because they are almost like high quality velcro!  The frame just snaps to the wall, so I can change the picture out next year, IF I DECIDE I WANT AN UPDATE!!  I stuck the strips to the frame and placed it on the wall.

After I had it placed, I took it down, and cut the photo to fit into the frame!

AND (drum roll please.....)  This is the final product!

I JUST LOVE IT!  

I plan to purchase a motion sensor under cabinet light for this area, and I am finished!

Total cost of this project was about $45.  That might sound like a lot, but I got the look I was going for!  And having a design that you are happy with is PRICELESS!

5 Share-Worthy APPs

Technology is advancing faster than I can grasp it!  There are so many ways that technology has made life a little easier!  I can snap a picture of a check and deposit it into my bank account without ever leaving my house.  I haven't cracked a cookbook in months, because I have any recipe I want on the web.  If I don't feel like cooking, and I decide to order out, I don't even have to pick up the phone!  I can order most take out online!  Technology has grown so much even over the last year.  That led me to thinking... how does this smartphone that I love so dearly, help my life?!?!  I have joked that I could run the world from my smart phone!  The only thing I can't do, is look at a website that uses Flash (COME ON APPLE... MAKE A DEAL WITH JAVA!!!).
I have an iPhone 5, and it is of course, loaded with tons of apps.  Apps that let me do just about anything I want!  This post is not about how amazing the Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vine, or Pinterest apps are... although they are great!  This post is about apps that actually assist me in feeling productive each day!  I thought I would share my 5 favorite apps with you!

1.  SimplyUs  - This app is absolutely awesome!  It connects a calendar between you and your partner.
 You can share any events immediately that you want the other to know about.  So arguing about not knowing that your wife had a girls night out planned this weekend, is no longer an issue!  My favorite feature of this app, however, is NOT the calendar!  I LOVE the calendar, but I LOOOOOOVE... the Lists!  If I run to the grocery store and my husband decides that he wants beer, he can open the app... type in whatever he wants in the grocery list, and it appears on my phone!  No more phone calls that go a little like this.. "WHAT, I cant hear you.  I have no signal in here... did you say you want me to get beer, or you are changing your career?!?!?!"

2.  HomeBudget with Sync - This app is another amazing app for families to share information.  No more wondering if the power bill has been paid, or if you still have money in your grocery budget!  This app has a feature that allows you to setup a group connection and once each iOS device is linked to the group... all of the information is shared!  My favorite feature about this app is the many many ways it graphs and charts your budget for you.  You can see how much you spend and where you are spending it.  We chose to pay for the full version.  There is a LITE version which is free, but it only allows you to put in so many bills per month!  I believe the full version is $4.99, and it was def worth it!

3.  My Fitness Pal - This app is actually very new to me, but I really like it.  It gives me the ability to
actually see what I am eating everyday!  You can't hide from the numbers right there on the phone!  You put in your goal weight, current weight, and input your daily food and exercise!  The app does all of the work for you!  My FAVORITE part about this app, is it gives me the ability to SCAN a food I am eating!  So, when I eat a cup of yogurt, I can scan the carton, and it pulls all of the nutritional information up for me!  The app posts your daily input onto your profile feed, and your friends actually become your accountability partners!  It is much easier to stay true to your plan, when you have friends who are doing the same thing!!!

4.  KeyRing  - This was actually one of the first apps I ever downloaded on my phone!  It is fantastic.  It gives you the ability to scan each one of your "frequent shopper cards" into your phone.  So, I no longer have all of those cards hanging on my keys!  Not only does it free up some space on your key ring, but it also shows you the sales, and coupons for the stores you have cards saved for!  Clicking on my Kroger Card, opens up a few options.  My card can be scanned by a cashier, I can view digital coupons for the store, special offers that the store is running, and the weekly sales ad!  This app is fabulous, and it is FREE!!


5.  Ink - This app has saved me a few times!!  I have a REALLY difficult time remembering birthdays, anniversaries, and any other important dates that are not for my immediate family members!  Even for those people I remember the dates for, I am terrible about not making it to the store before it will be to late to mail out a card!  This app eliminates that worry!  It is connected to my facebook, and notifies me when someone I am close to will be celebrating an event!  I can open the app, select a picture of my kids, add text saying Happy Birthday from your favorite people, enter their address... and a birthday card is on the way to their front door.  It's so awesome!  The app is FREE, but you do have to pay for the cards.  I think when you first download it, you are given 2 cards for free.  After that, you can purchase credit packs, or pay for each card individually.  They are $1.99 each for most of the cards, which is actually cheaper than me going and purchasing a card and mailing it!  Plus this is personal and custom!  LOVE IT

So... those are my top 5 apps that I love and use often!  Do you have any apps that you think are worthy of sharing???  I am NOT a fan of SnapChat, so you don't need to share that one ;).  Feel free to comment below with an app you couldn't live without!  I would love to know about them!

Thankful For a Thankless Job

From early on, we are asked what we want to be when we grow up.  Doctor, dancer, painter, photographer, are just a few of the careers that kids dream of having.  I have never asked that question to a child and heard the response "a stay at home mom".  We are taught to shoot for the stars, because you can be anything you dream of being.  Succeed in school, so you can go to a good college, so you can get a job in the career of your choice.  Many women have NO desire to stay at home!  They enjoy their careers, and kids will not change that.  And, I would like to say, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that mentality.  It just wasn't what I wanted for my life.

If you had asked me in elementary school what I wanted to be, I would have told you an Olympic figure skater or a gymnast!  I only went ice skating a hand full of times, and my parents couldn't afford gymnastics classes... so I obviously wasn't given the training that this dream would require!  In middle school, my dreams shifted.  I wanted to be a doctor, and the first female president!  I had plans of going to Duke University, and was going to be the best in my field... I just wasn't sure what that would be!  Then I would go on to be the first female president!  By high school, I had decided that I wanted to be a singer.  Professional, of course, like Britney Spears!!  If I wasn't successful, I would fall back on acting!  Being an actress couldn't be too tough (in Greensboro, NC!!!!) right??  After I graduated, I started college, but it wasn't much later that I realized college was NOT for me.  I didn't know what I wanted to do, but spending another 4 years in school was not something I wanted to sign up for!  After years of waiting tables for quick cash, I decided that I wanted to work with kids.  I started working at a daycare center, and spent several years working as a teacher and a nanny to a few families.

I got married at 22, and found myself working as a nanny for an amazing family.  I loved their kids to pieces,

and I knew that I wanted to have some of my own.  I NEVER planned to stay home!  I wanted to have the baby and promptly return to the job I adored.  When I was 5 months pregnant, I was laid off.  The family hit some tough financial times, and I was let go.  I was so sad to leave them, but I found myself in an odd position!  HOME.  I had no job, and was unable to get one, as no one has any desires to hire a pregnant woman.

In February of 2010, we met our daughter.  After a difficult pregnancy that put me on a month of bed rest, I was thankful that I had been given the chance to stay home.  However, it wasn't until my first meet and greet with that little girl, that I decided being home was where I wanted to be.  In order for us to survive on one income, we had to make some sacrifices.  One of those included a relocation for a promotion to another state.  A month after our move... pregnant again.  Another baby meant more expenses, which meant more sacrifices.  You decide quickly what you need versus what you want.

I wanted to stay at home and watch my kids grow up.  I cook, I clean, I do loads and loads of laundry.  I make beds, I tidy rooms, I wash sink full after sink full of dishes!  I make lunches and dinners, I play puzzles, and build forts.  I take trips to the museums and libraries, and sing lots of silly songs.  I run a successful Etsy shop from my home, in which I sell many fun and unique crafts and keepsakes.  I do therapies with my son, and take my daughter to and from preschool 3 days a week.  My husband's long work days and odd hours means I am doing most of the daily grind alone.  I do not have a boss who tells me I am doing a great job.  I am not rewarded for a successful month with a bonus.  I do not accrue vacation time, and there are no medical benefits.  If I want a 401K... I will have to do that myself.  There are many days where I feel unappreciated, and taken for granted.... but I wouldn't trade it for a career that I dreamed of so long ago.  I have days that feel lonely, and days that feel like they will never end... but I am thankful for them.

I CHOSE to stay at home!  I prefer to call myself a CAREER MOM!  I think it comes with a lot less presumptions about what I do in a day!  For a long time, people would ask me what I did for a living, and I would respond...

I'm a Creative Specialist for Domestic Development.

Sounds important, doesn't it!  Well, what I do is important, and I am thankful that I am able to do it.  Each day with my kids is special.  Even if the oldest is coloring on my walls with a permanent marker (it has happened more than once) and the youngest has a diaper issue in which poop ends up all over my floors (again... more than once)... I am still thankful for my job!  Being a mom is work.  You are constantly sacrificing for yourself for the benefiting of your family.  Being a mom who stays at home, is an entirely different type of challenge!  You do NOT get a break!  There are no weekends... you are always in your office!  

BUT... I am thankful... especially for my thankless job!

“I am doing a great work and I cannot come down..."

Nehemiah 6:3

You Probably Don't Know the Story...

It has happened more than once, in fact... it has happened more often than not.  I park in the handicap space, I display the handicap sign, I exit my vehicle, and begin to get my children out... only to find someone giving me the stink eye.  I GET IT!  I used to be one of those people.  It is obvious when I get out of the car that I am not handicapped.  From the outside looking in, it appears as though I am a mom in good health, who has 2 healthy children, who is more than likely too lazy to park somewhere else.
The part of being judged by a stranger that really bothers people, is the part where you aren't given the opportunity to defend yourself.  You aren't able to explain yourself and maybe if you could, they would understand your situation.  The fact of life is that we are all living with a unique situation.  No 2 families go through the same issues, and judging others for any reason is really never okay.  It is not your place or right to judge someone.  I heard something the other night from a new and wise friend that has really stuck with me.

ALWAYS ASSUME POSITIVE INTENT...

Let that sink in for a moment.  Do you really grasp the concept?  Do you exude this concept in your own day to day?  Think of how much better the day would go, if you always assume that the intent behind anything is positive and never malicious.  When someone cut you off on the way to the grocery store, you wouldn't honk.  You would assume that their intent was positive.  Even though the move may have been dangerous, it is possible that they didn't see you.  It is also possible that they are on the way to the hospital to say goodbye to a dying relative... whatever the situation is, it wasn't malicious.  

When people judge me for parking in a handicap space, they have no clue that I am not the one with the handicap.  They have no clue that my innocent 1 year old is the one who is disabled.  We are not able to purchase a wheelchair, so we are still using standard strollers.  So to the onlooker I look like a capable woman who is putting a capable child into a standard stroller... where is the handicap?!?!  They may or may not see me struggle to get my 30lb child, with no concept of helping with foot placement or holding his own weight, in or out of the stroller that is not intended for use as a wheelchair!  However, they do not understand, so they judge.  I am guilty of judging others too, we all are.  We all need to begin assuming positive intent, and spend more time lending a hand than staring at something we don't understand!!!

Footnote... except the US Government.  I am pretty sure there is no positive intent, just money hungry politicians trying to get reelected! 

Back to School

While to others, it may appear that I was happier for my daughter to return to school than she was, that really isn't the truth!  She was 100% happy to return to school!  Parent Orientation was last Thursday night and she was all but running into the school!  We made a treat for her teacher.  We weren't sure who it was, but we love everyone that works there... so we knew we would get someone good!!

She actually gave this to the wrong teacher, and when we found out who her teacher was... it was a touch awkward asking for it back!!!  However, Ms. Glaspie, Abbie's teacher, really enjoyed it after we reclaimed it!  Abbie was able to go play with her friends while I toured her classroom and talked with her teacher about what we can expect over the next year...

Getting through the weekend was tough, because she wanted to go to school!!!  But, eventually Monday came, and she was up and ready to go at 5am!!!  She got up, got dressed, made her bed, and came into my room at 5am!  While it was very adorable and sweet that she was so ready for school... I was not quite as eager to get up.  After going back to bed and waking up at 715, I was a bit better.  Derik managed to snap a cute pic of her before leaving.  I made a sign for her to hold, and she was very excited to hold it!!!

Finally, I made a gift for her to take to her teacher on the first day!  I thought it would be fun, and Abbie loves to give gifts!  I love the way it turned out :)

Ms. Glaspie really liked it!  Abbie's first week back was really great!  She enjoyed being back very much, and I have enjoyed having a few mornings to hang out with Brady!  I think this is going to be a great year for Abbie, and I am excited to see what all she learns!

Find the Blessing

My amazing little boy, Brady.  Diagnosed with PMG.

I truly believe that in every bad circumstance, you can find a blessing.  Sometimes, you have to look much harder than others, but if you look hard enough... you will see a blessing.  I like to uncover it.  I like to go on a treasure hunt through all of the mess and find the blessing.  Sometimes it is the only way that I can cope with a situation.  It is hard to "make sense" of things sometimes, but when you manage to find the blessing in something terrible, it seems to help.  Let me explain...

There isn't much good that one can find in the senseless death of a high school girl.  She hasn't even lived her life yet.  She was still a kid, and she had so much going for her.  Her family and friends are devastated by the loss, and no one can make sense of it at all... until almost ONE HUNDRED high school kids decide to call Jesus their savior.  That is a lot of people saved because of the death of one person.  ONE HUNDRED baptisms, I think that is a blessing.  Especially when the high school girl was known for her faith.  She kept a stash of little bibles on her all of the time.  She handed them out and did everything she could to spread the name of Jesus.  If she had known that her death would turn so many kids to Christ, she would be happy.  BLESSING!

How about the high school boy who had an aneurysm in the middle of class and died.  Imagine how traumatic it was for the person sitting next to him, for the teacher, for the classroom full of students who are now looking at their peer, and he is no longer alive.  How can you make sense of that?  A family lost their son, friends & teammates of his... all saddened by the loss.  But, what if something like this brings people together.  What if the rest of the school manages to put their differences aside, and help one another.  Provide a shoulder to lean on, support the family, and stop judging each other, because they all realized that life is short.  BLESSING!

The groom who was killed in a car accident on the way to the church for his wedding...
The 3 year old little girl who is fighting leukemia...
The 38 week pregnant woman who delivered a still born child...
The 15 year old boy who learned of his cancer when it was stage 4...
The wife who has been beaten by her husband...

HOW CAN YOU MAKE SENSE OF ANY ONE OF THESE THINGS???

The thing is, none of it has to make sense.  We aren't supposed to understand God's plan.  His plan is bigger than any one of us, so trying to make sense of it will only make your head spin.  We also need to remember that none of these things are God's fault.  While he could change any one of those things... it isn't his responsibility!  We can pray, and prayer gives us hope.  We can seek treatment or answers, and maybe we will find what we look for.  OR we can seek out the blessing in any situation, and realize that God's plan may not be as bad as it seemed.  Death brings people closer together, it brings people to God, and it is a part of life.  I am not going to pretend for a second like I handle death well, because I do not.  However, we all cope with things in our own way.  While cancer and illnesses are far from a blessing, medicine has come a long way.  Treatments can be harsh, but the fact that treatments are available is a blessing.  Maybe a bad situation has led you to know someone that you would have never met another way.  Maybe something terrible, taught you a valuable lesson that you now use to help others.  Life is full of lessons, trials, and tests.  You can either choose to be bigger than the terrible things in your past, or you can let your past decide your future.  Personally, I choose the first option.

19 months ago, we met our beautiful baby boy.  He was perfect.  So tiny, and so precious.  We were proud parents of 2 children that day!  Our daughter was a very proud Big Sister, and I don't think anything could have made that day more perfect.  (Besides the terrible doctor that delivered my son... however that is a very long story, which I will not go into now.  BLESSING is that he arrived safe and healthy, no matter what the doctor said!)  It wasn't until 4 months later that I noticed he was favoring one hand over the other.  It wasn't for another 2 months that the doctors really seemed concerned by his favoritism of his right side, or his eyes that seemed to constantly shake.  It wasn't until October 19th, 2012, that we received an official diagnosis and our world seemed to crack and shatter around us.  What mother wants to hear that her baby son has a "brain development abnormality"??  What mom wants to hear a prognosis so bleak that she leaves fearing that her son may never live on his own??  What parent wants to hear that their child will have setbacks, and challenges that other children will never know??

No one.

So, after I cried, and mourned the loss of a child that I thought I had, I began getting used to the child I was now meeting!  I was sad (still am some days), I was angry, and I was confused.  How could something so rare, happen to my son?  I hadn't had the easiest pregnancy, so things were supposed to be fine now.  He was here, and I could protect him... from just about anything except this.  This brain defect can not be fixed.  There is no medicine, there is no treatment, there is no surgery... there is nothing I can do.  I can however, chose to love him for who he is.  I can support him, and I can encourage him through his challenges.  I can provide therapy that may help him overcome some of his obstacles... 

and I can thank God for trusting me with this. I can thank him for believing 
that I am capable of raising this amazing little boy!  I can thank him for letting 
me be a part of this process.  I can thank him for given me the knowledge 
and interest in researching this condition.  I can thank him for giving me the 
opportunity to help spread awareness of this condition to those who may 
not learn any other way.  I can thank him for giving me a baby that 
he hasn't "grown up" just yet. I think God knew what he was doing, 
because he knew that with me not wanting anymore children, 
that I needed my baby to be a baby for a lot longer than most!  I think 
God knew that I will not be such a graceful empty-nester, 
and he provided what I needed!

If you learn to look for the good in every situation, you will find yourself to be a much happier person!  You will find that nothing can get you down, if you choose not to let it.  

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, 

and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me!

Play date at our house!
We walked to the park and the fountain!

As a mom of 2 littles, we have many play dates!  We enjoy them very much, and we especially love to host them!  We spend time with school age kids, preschool age kids, toddlers, and infants!  No play date is ever the same, and I think that is part of the reason why we enjoy them so much!  Some kids prefer to relax with their favorite tv show, some prefer a princess party in dressup clothes, and some prefer playing out back... no matter what the preference is, there is never a dull moment!
After spending time with kids from so many different age groups, I really began observing. No 2 parents have the same "parenting style", and it has been interesting to me to see what parents chose to punish a child for in front of other parents!

Let me start by saying this... I came from a home in which punishment was always given if deserved.  It did

Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC.

not matter where we were, who we were with, or what we had done... if punishment was deserved... we were punished!  Sometimes the punishment given was worse than others, and those are the instances that I still clearly remember as an adult.  I can vividly remember sitting in the front row of the balcony at Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC, when I was about 8.  I was sitting in the balcony, because Walter, an elderly man whom everyone loved, had a huge bag of candy each week.  He was always in the balcony, and if you sat in the balcony... you were able to choose a few pieces to enjoy during church!  2 friends of mine, and myself, made our selection and headed to the front row.  It wasn't long into the service that we were very bored, and decided we would throw our candy wrappers off the balcony to see who's head they landed on.  While it seemed amusing to us at the time, I can see now why people were so upset!  What I couldn't see however, was my mom sitting in the choir, watching my every move.  I also didn't see her excuse herself from the choir, nor did I see her walking down the side aisle straight back to the balcony entrance.  In fact, I didn't see her at all, until she was standing beside me.  The punishment I received was not good or fun for myself or my mom!  She was mad at me for being so disrespectful and completely embarrassed by my behavior... so the punishment was well deserved!

(Mom, I know I have apologized for this many times, 

but I am still very sorry for my actions that day!!!)

The point of this little walk down memory lane, is to prove that I come from a home that dealt out punishment when it was deserved.  My parents expected me to be respectful, honest, and obedient.  My dad was very firm on manners.  No elbows on the table (after a few forks jabbing my elbows, I learned!), say yes mam and no mam, yes sir and no sir, please and thank you.  They taught us to be very respectful of everything we had as well.  Money in our family was tight (if my mom or dad is reading this, they are probably laughing, because tight is really a huge understatement!!) so we had to take care of what we had because we couldn't afford to replace anything.  My sister and I have a huge stash of Beanie Babies, all with tags still in tact. Our dollhouse was always very organized and each piece of furniture was in it's rightful home. Our Barbie's never laid naked, because they were always in a fashionable outfit with their hair neatly fixed.

When we were older, we had a chore chart that my mom had drawn out on poster board.  It looked similar to the picture on the left, but it was a little different.  She had drawn out a game board, and with each chore we got closer to a reward of our choosing!  It gave us something to work towards, and since we didn't get allowances, it was the only way we really could get something we wanted.  The biggest upside to it for me, is that it taught me to respect our home.  We didn't get to move up on the game board for everything.  When we completed our assigned chores we could move forward.  However, if our rooms were destroyed or our beds unmade, we could be moved backwards!  It was a simple idea with so much effect!  My mom doesn't have a picture of her chart, but I wish she did.  It was really a cool concept!  

As an adult, I still have a huge respect for the things we own, as well as the things that others own.  Respect, TO ME, is blanket term. It covers everything from physical items, feelings, opinions, and anything else that can "belong" to someone.  I keep my home clean, because I have a huge respect for this house.  Since we rent our current home, my respect level for it goes beyond it being my home, as it is literally someone else's home.  When I go to someone's home to visit them, I try to leave it the way it was when I arrived.  I do not want to burden anyone with cleaning up after me.  

Our UH OH box!

After a play date in our house, I usually tell people to leave the mess.  My reasoning behind that is I have specific homes for toys.  It takes me a lot less time to put them away myself, than to explain to someone where everything goes.  However, I do appreciate it when a child or a parent attempts to clean up a mess.  If I take my kids to someone's house for a play date, I expect them to take care of the toys they play with and clean up after themselves.  When we have a play date, I do expect for the toys we have to be taken care of.  If a child visits and is purposefully breaking toys... I will take them away, and likely not invite them back.  If Abbie breaks a toy at someone's house (unless it was by accident) she will be expected to give them a toy from her collection as a token of apology.  I recently created an UH-OH Box.  This box is my way of teaching Abbie to clean up after herself.  When we moved, we got rid of a LOT of toys!  She still has plenty to play with, but what she plays with regularly is a small selection!  If she leaves it out... it goes in the box.  She has to do a "chore" in order to get it back.  The chores vary from using a swiffer duster to clean an area of my choice, to cleaning up a mess that Brady has created, to using the handheld vacuum around the kitchen table!  If an item remains in the box for 24 hours... it will find a new home.  GOD FORBID THE ROKU REMOTE END UP IN THIS BOX!

There is a teaching opportunity in every
"wrong" that a child does!

Respect is something that I feel is very important and vital that my kids learn.  I want them to respect each other, their friends, their friends' parents, adults, children, toys, or anything else!  It has really shocked me over my few years as a mom how little respect some parents teach their children.  I am not hesitant to punish my child for harming someone any less than I would for disrespecting someone or their things.  Some parents however, seem so embarrassed that their child has done something disrespectful, that they choose to do nothing.  Doing nothing, teaches nothing.  If you think your child will learn these things on their own, without you teaching them, you are wrong.  In fact, I firmly believe that if someone is not taught early to respect something as simple as a toy, they will grow to NOT respect things with more importance, like their job.  If you do not teach them to respect you are their parent, why would they respect their boss??  If you do not encourage your child to clean up their toys at home, why would they clean up toys at someone else's home?  Or keep their own home clean as an adult?  If their feelings are not respected at home, what makes you think they will learn to respect the feelings of anyone else?  Will they respect their spouse?  Will they choose a spouse who doesn't respect them?

We have to remember that we are talking about children.  Children will make a mess, they will hurt someone's feelings, and they will break things... it is our job as adults to teach them that you need to clean up after yourself, you shouldn't say or do things that hurt others, and you need to respect what you play with or use.  The things that they learn now are the building blocks for the rest of their lives, and I want my children to be respectful.

I would like to end this blog by saying, I enjoy spending time with each of my friends, and all of your children!  This blog is not about any specific person!  It is just a general observation.  I think you are all wonderful parents!  I do NOT think the way that I parent my children is better than anyone else's method.  This was simply my explaination of the way we do things and why I do them this way!

Teacher Gift

Abbie will return to her beloved preschool a week from today!  She is very excited to go back, and I am excited too!  I think the time we have apart those 3 days a week is very beneficial for us, and the bonus is, she really likes school!  Parent Orientation is tomorrow evening, so I thought I would get a little gift together for her teacher.  We are not sure who her teacher is yet, but we love all of the teachers, so we will be happy!

I found FLIPZ chocolate covered pretzels in the $1 section at the front of Target!  I thought this was a big score, mainly because I FREAKING LOVE THEM!!!  However, I bought an extra bag to put another pinterest idea into action!  

This is our final product!  

This was pretty easy to make!  I designed a file on my computer, which can be downloaded HERE, for printing.  I wrote a message on it from my daughter, and used a clasp clip to secure it to the bag!  I wrapped some twine around the top to "decorate" it and I was finished!  

I hope she enjoys them!!

Dating My Kids

As creepy as the title of this blog may sound, there is so much truth behind it!  Relationships require work, and the relationships that I have with my kids are no different.  Derik and I try to go on dates as often as our budget and our schedule allow.  Sometimes we double with other couples we love, but getting out together for some "adult" time in which no one has to check on a child, change a diaper, or listen to whining because those aren't the right pajamas, IS REALLY IMPORTANT!
As a stay at home mom, I spend a LOT of time with my kids.  Some days I think they are just as in need of time without me as I am in need of time without them!  I mean, it is hard to miss someone who is never gone!  I try to spend one on one time with each of my kids, but scheduling that in can be tough.
Today, I took Abbie to the pool.  Just her and I, and she had a blast!  She LOVES her brother, but sometimes she needs time to just be Abbie!!!  Since Brady wasn't with us, she was able to jump right in the pool, eat when she wanted, and stay later than usual!  She had a BLAST, and I got a few cute pictures of her in action.
Derik got to spend one on one time with Brady while we were there, and tomorrow... he is taking Abbie on a date!  So, he will get to spend some time with her, and I will get to spend some time with Brady!

She just loves the water!

Jumping in over and over is her favorite pool pastime!

She was able to swim with 3 of her girl friends today too!  Kalli, Camryn, and Lexi.

Kalli - has the pink swim cap on in the front of the picture

Camryn - has on the purple floaties

Lexi - is not pictured

Random Blonde Girl - she just walked into the picture at the wrong time!!!

Wreath Party!

I have discovered a new love for making burlap wreaths!  I know, I know... me, like a craft, that includes burlap?!?!?!  NEVER!  Anyways... I have made a few wreaths that I posted pictures of on Facebook and Instagram and the reviews were wonderful!

I made these wreaths after I decided to have the party, and I used them as "practice"!  My plan worked well, because I had a pretty clean system on making the second with what I did wrong on the first.  I have never taught a craft before, so this was interesting for me!  Everyone crafts at a different speed, and I had to slow myself down, and actually show people how to do it.  We also celebrated Kristen, one of my fabulous guests, because she celebrated her 30th birthday the night before!  So, I decorated with a few party items!

I chose to hang the birthday banner on 2 spare slats I had from a bed we no longer use!

I didn't want random holes in the wall, and this worked well!

I saw the idea for the name plates on Pinterest, and I loved it!

They are tile caps from Home Depot which cost $0.77 each!  I can wipe them off and 

use them for food labels at parties, name tags, anything!

Everyone was in party mode and ready to make a wreath!

Everyone was hard at work!  Manipulating burlap in these wire frames is a learned trick!

They all did so well, and I was very impressed :).

We had a great time chatting and laughing too!  It's what ladies do best, right?!?!

The ladies all left with beautiful burlap wreaths!  No 2 were the same, and I loved them all!

Thank you all for coming!  I can't wait until the next craft night, which Jessie and I are already planning!

Jessie posted a picture of her wreath on her door today, and it looks GREAT!!!

Thanks for sharing Jessie :).

Meredith also posted a picture of her wreath hanging on her door!  

Looks great Mere!!  Thanks for sharing!

Thank you again for coming!  I had such a great time!