Saturday, August 31, 2013

To all the sleepless moms out there:

I'm here to tell you that I was once one of you, and I promise it gets better!

I used to dread bedtime. I love sleep and knowing that it was very likely that I would not be getting much sleep made me get anxious every time I laid Harry down for bed.


Now putting him to bed is a JOY! Hearing him pray with me, "Jeju...nigh nigh...ame" (which is short for "Dear Jesus, thanks for today and please give us a good night's sleep, we love you, Amen") is seriously the sweetest thing!  I lay him down give him his blanket and stuffed owl, named Owly and he says "nigh nigh".

No crying. No struggle. This kid loves sleep as much as me! Seriously, THANK YOU JESUS!!!

And apart from the random night when he wakes up from a bad dream or because he's sick...he gets about 11 hours a night (plus a 2-3 hour nap during the day). Hallelujah!!!

So if you're dreading the coming of night. If you're not sure that your little one will sleep well, or at all, and you're desperate because it feels like the sleepless nights will NEVER, ever, EVER end. The truth is that it sucks right now...but it will get better.

Just keep trucking away, loving your littles. Pray through the hard nights (and text me if we're friends in real life because I will pray alongside you)!

And next time around (no I'm not pregnant or planning on getting pregnant anytime (too) soon)...please remind me to read this post because when I'm in the midst of that crazy sleepless baby stage it seriously makes me feel like a crazy person. And I'm sure I'll forget in those moments how glorious it is to be sitting on the other side of that stage.



My hat's off to you mamas! Whether you're in the trenches now, or you're here with me in the land of more sleep. This job is the hardest one around! But isn't it the best?!

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In completely unrelated news, I only have two more days of summer before I'm thrown into the wolves, aka: the first few days of school. I am SO EXCITED and also SO SAD to say goodbye to summer and hello to (my favorite season of all) fall.

Let's just say, this is definitely the beginning of the end.

Change sucks is just part of life and I'm learning to get used to it. Hopefully by the time I'm a grandma I'll be a whole lot better at it than I am right now. In the meantime, baby steps.

34/52


"A portrait of Harrison, once a week, every week in 2013."



Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Join me in Prayer

I am so sad for a family that I don't even know. Diana Stone is a writer for She Reads Truth. She has a daughter, and lost twins at 20 weeks pregnant sometime in the last year or two. Yesterday Diana, along with her husband Sam and their daughter Bella watched as their newest family member Kaden Isaiah went to be with Jesus. He was 21 days old.

I cannot begin to imagine what they are experiencing right now. But I am so thankful for the HOPE that God is good, and that while this will never make sense...the Stone family knows Jesus. I know that He will be near to them and everyone else impacted by this tragedy.

Here's a post written on She Reads Truth that I read this morning, encouraging us to keep praying!

Sunday, August 25, 2013

33/52



"A portrait of Harrison, once a week, every week in 2013."

Friday, August 23, 2013

Stitch Fix #2 :)


I went for it again. Stitchfix

I seriously LOVE this site and am glad I decided to order my 2nd fix right before school starts. Now I'll be starting the year off in style!


You'll have to forgive me for the pictures. Not the best...but it's the only full length mirror in the house.



It's a little wrinkled but I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS DRESS!!! The only downfall is that it's dry clean only, but seriously worth it. It's the most comfortable dress I've owned in a long time. Can't wait to iron it, pair it with the perfect accessories and wear it somewhere fun (or just to work)!


This is the other dress I got from Stitchfix last time. Also love it. And it has pockets. I don't remember if I posted pictures from my first fix or not...but while I was trying things on I decided to throw this one in  for fun :)


The jeans are more of a burgundy in real life...but they are comfy, stretchy, they look nice on the bum :) and I think I will have a ton of shirts that will pair perfectly with them. Can't wait to wear them with boots this Fall! :)


Favorite shirt ever! It has apples. I mean seriously...of course I'm going to love it! So cute, right?!


Now this shirt was the one I was the least sure about. I'm honestly still not sure about it...but when I tried it with my favorite skinny jeans, boots, and a cardigan I kind of liked it. Green is not my go-to color (especially emerald green) but there's something about it that makes me want to try to get past my usual style and try something new. Plus it's comfortable!

So I'm keeping ALL FIVE ITEMS which means I get 25% off the total order. And now I have five new pieces in my wardrobe to mix-and-match with my current clothes.

And I never had to leave the house!

LOVE :)

If you haven't tried it yet, but are interested in getting your own fix...click the link below to let Stitchfix know that I sent you their way (and I'll get a little credit)...I figure you might as well if you're going to try it anyway ;)

Happy Weekend!

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Try Stitchfix yourself: CLICK HERE :)

32/52


"A portrait of Harrison, once a week, every week in 2013."



Thursday, August 22, 2013

Doodling in my Journal :)

I've said it before and I'll likely say it many more times! I love She Reads Truth! This site has gotten me into God's Word more consistently in the past six months than ever before. And it challenges me to think more deeply about Jesus, my faith and how my life/identity is impacted and shaped by my faith every time I read trough a devotional! If you haven't checked it out yet, please do. I promise it is life changing and LIFE GIVING!!!

Here is my journal response to today's reading. SO good! I love reading God's truth!

Monday, August 19, 2013

This is it: The Beginning of the End

Well today is the beginning of the end.

It's my final full week of summer and I have so many mixed emotions. My class list has been loaded so I can see the [twenty-six] students I'll be getting to know and teach this year. My planner is filled out for the year so I know when all of my meetings and fire drills are. Harry met his teachers this morning. He loved the toys and playground. They were so sweet with all the kids and genuinely excited to meet our little mister. I went through Harry's closet and packed away another tub of clothes that he's outgrown to make room for his fall attire. 

I have such a love/hate relationship with the transition between summer and fall. I love LOVE love summer. I love sunshine, long days, and less of a routine. I have the same affection for fall though. Boots, scarves, lattes, planners, pumpkins, leaves, candles...I could go on, but you get the point ;) 

It's not that I don't like fall, I just hate transitioning between the two. I don't like change, but I am a teacher. And I'm a mom. So basically change has become my daily life! 

Here's to my final hurrah! One last week to soak up this summer, seriously the bet summer I've ever had! 

And when fall finally arrives, I will embrace it. Change and all!






Thursday, August 15, 2013

Summer Reading


Wish it was a novel...but alas I'm stuck reading about designing heterogeneous group work!

:-/

Just bring me the kiddos...I love my job because I get to hang out with six-year-olds all day! But sometimes professional development can be a little dry ;)

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Grace

Yesterday afternoon my son dropped a ton of goldfish on the patio. "Oh no", we both said as I helped him pick each one up, blow them off and put them back in his little snack container. A few minutes later he spilled them again and then started stomping on them. After helping him again, he proceeded to  spill more, this time in a different location. Unfortunately in his attempt to pick them up he hit his face on the patio getting a scrape and bruise (on his forehead and nose). Not the end of the world, but it looked like there would be a bruise in no time. Every time I tried to put ice on it he would push my hand away. 

I wonder if this is how God feels about his constant offer of grace and my response.




Lord please forgive me for trying to pick up the pieces by myself. For not accepting your Grace when it is so freely offered, and always better for me than my own way.

Thank you that you care more about my heart than the struggles I may face in this lifetime. You are always by my side through every storm...there is no reason for me to try to make it through alone.

And thank you Jesus that your Grace never runs out. Ever!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Meal "Planning"

I use this term lightly. I'm not much of meal planner, but I saw this idea on Pinterest a while long time ago and am finally finishing the project.

It started with buying some binders, cheap card stock and page protectors. I then took my favorite recipes from my recipe box, printed recipes from the Internet, and recipes from dozens of recipe magazines I've collected over the years. I organized them into categories...mostly recipes I'd made before, but I sprinkled in a few new ones that looked easy and appetizing. Each category got a divider within broader categories that became these binders:


For example, the main dishes binder has dividers for Mexican food, pasta, meats, etc.

Once my binders were organized I found myself excited to plan what we would have for dinner as a family (don't worry, like with anything new, the excitement wore off after a (short) while). 

I will say that having my recipes in plastic page protectors has been handy. I just take the recipe out, make a mess while cooking/baking, wipe the page protector off and put it back. Easy-peasy. 

What had originally drawn me to organize the binders was the dream of having color coded magnets (that coordinate with the recipes in my binders). And a magnetic meal planning whiteboard calendar to arrange them on of course! ;)

I love organizing things. I'm just not all that good at actually getting to the implementation stage. I've had the little recipe strips printed and ready for at least a year. Today I finally decided to "laminate" them using packaging tape (or is it packing tape...I never know) and stick magnets on the back of them. 

Here are photos to show you what I did:






I've got the next two weeks planned. The nice thing is that magnets are easy to move around. 

We'll see how long the enthusiasm lasts ;) but I'm hoping it'll help make for a less chaotic September. Because let's face it people...summer is marching right along and school will be starting before we know it. For some that might mean nothing, and for others it might be a relief. But for me, this year, I'm just so sad to say goodbye to summer days with Harry. 

I don't want to think about it because it makes me tear up. Praying for Jesus to give me the strength I need to make the best of being a working mama. My heart is (and probably always will be) torn because I love my baby, and I also love my job. Of course Harry means more to me than my job...

(I was just interrupted with a request for "muah" from a sweet 18-month-kissy-face. Twice! Melts my heart!)

...anyway, back to meal planning. What do you do to keep organized and/or plan ahead when it comes to grocery shopping and making meals? Maybe this will inspire you to try something new. Or maybe it stresses you out, in which case I would say...do what works for you! I honestly can't guarantee that this will even work for me ;) just thought I'd share what I've been up to!

Happy Tuesday!

Monday, August 12, 2013

So...

It turns out that Harry is allergic to peanuts. As in, we have to have an epi-pen. 

What is life without peanut butter?! I mean obviously it's not the end of the world...but some of my favorite things have peanuts or peanut butter in them. 

>> peanut m&ms
>> puppy chow (chex mix treats)
>> snickers
>> reese's
>> peanut butter pretzels

...the list goes on. 

At least he doesn't know what he's missing :-/ 

In all seriousness I am actually glad we know. I would rather be extra careful and prepared in case he is exposed in the future and needs the epi-pen to save his life. 


The appointment took ages, so we had plenty of time to play pirates, have meltdowns, and everything in between! 



Pirate down.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

From Whiteboard to CHALKboard!

I may be slightly obsessed. With what?! Chalk paint of course. I just can't seem to get enough. It started when I ordered some cute chalkboard signs for Harry's first birthday. Then I painted the wall above our fireplace with chalkboard paint. Now I've painted a few random items in my craft room.

My latest conversion to chalkboard has been a whiteboard I bought from ikea a few years ago. I have hardly used it, but thought I might get more use out of it if it were a chalkboard instead.

Here's what I did:

 

 

I like it so much better now! My goal is to use this space to keep track of each month's birthdays and anniversaries so that I can be better about contacting people re: those things. I've already missed a birthday (or two) and an anniversary, but by September I hope to be on track so that this school year I can be more intentional about getting in touch with family and friends to let them know how much I love them!

Saturday, August 10, 2013

10 on 10 :: August 2013 :: Just a Summer Day

I really LOVE taking photos on the 10th! In all honesty I woke up this morning kind of tired and grumpy. Not very excited about the clouds. And even though I had an enjoyable day planned for Harry and I...the thought of taking ten photos today was not very appealing to me.

And then today happened. I remembered to take photos all day, and was even working on using my manual settings on my camera (like a "real" photographer).

I am thankful that I will have these sweet moments captured to document this summer day.

Happy tenth everyone!!!


|| eggs and coffee ||


|| puddle jumping walking at the park ||


|| checking out all the police vehicles at our town's summer parade ||


|| firetrucks are always a hit in any parade ||


|| dishes, always waiting ||


|| peace and quiet during afternoon naps ||


|| my attitude has certainly improved throughout the day ||


|| he's a grape monster ;) my snack is always his snack too ||


|| dropping off daddy's ipad before his second overtime shift of the day ||


|| full circle, same plates (clean of course) but this time it's dinner and Bible stories ||

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How was your day? Maybe it started off like mine...and maybe it didn't get any easier. Either way, I would encourage you to try to find the beauty in the everyday. 

Check out Rebekah's blog "A Bit of Sunshine" for more info on the Ten on Ten project.

And now, my favorite part...checking out all the other photos.

Click here to check them out yourself! :)

Friday, August 9, 2013

31/52



"A portrait of Harrison, once a week, every week in 2013."