Parenting

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I can be honest with you guys, right? When I found out Sawyer was a girl, I was so so so very thrilled! But I was also really really scared about having a daughter.

I remember my teenage years. It was a challenge to navigate the world as a young girl coming into her own. There were television shows and magazines showing me what beautiful should look like. And I wasn’t any of those things. During my teenage years I was made fun of for a few different reasons.

Today I’m going to discuss a hot topic in the blog world – sponsored posts.

Last month I conducted a reader survey. The last time I asked for my readers’ thoughts and opinions was in 2011. So I thought it was time I figured out who is reading my blog. I also wanted to find out why you are reading and what you might like to see more or less of in this space.

Slish, slosh. Slish, slosh.

The dish water splashes back and forth in the sink as I hurriedly place dirty bowls and plates and silverware in the dishwasher. After a few days of ignoring the growing pile, it was the strange stench that finally convinced me to do them.

Dear God. How long has this been in here!? I say to myself as I open a sippy cup to find spoiled milk. Ahhh, yes. This must be the source.

The BrattySis series has emerged as a unique and captivating presence in the digital entertainment landscape, offering viewers a fascinating exploration of the complex and often controversial relationships between stepsiblings. The series has garnered attention for its bold storytelling and high-quality production, making it a go-to choice for those seeking an engaging and provocative viewing experience. This article delves into the various aspects that make watching BrattySis both convenient and enjoyable.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #OpticSmiles #CollectiveBias

I have shared with you before my hatred of winter. So I guess it’s no surprise I have a countdown to spring then, right? Do you wanna know how many more days we have until the first day of spring? Put down the snow shovel because OF COURSE YOU DO!

23 days, guys. Only 23 more days until spring.

Can I get an amen?!

It is hard to believe that my husband and I have been together for thirteen years and married for eight of those years. It honestly doesn’t seem like that long ago we were in our twenties, newly engaged and just beginning to dream about what our life would look like together.

At the time of our wedding we didn’t have any big responsibilities besides our jobs. There was no mortgage payment to make because we rented. There were no kids running into our bedroom after having nightmares.

In the nearly seven years I’ve been a mom, I’ve come to believe that parenting is just a long series of hellos and goodbyes.

In the delivery room – hello.

The first day of school – goodbye.

When they wake up each morning – hello.

When they go to sleep each night – goodbye.

But it goes even deeper than that, doesn’t it? Especially if you’re a sentimental mama like me.

I’ve said hello to tiny newborn clothes and goodbye to cribs and hello to bikes and goodbye to training wheels. And it will go on like this my whole life because I will always always be their mom. The only constant is change.

Last year one of my blogging goals was to grow my facebook page to 1,000 fans by the end of 2014. And to my surprise – I met that goal! I told my fans I was going to offer an awesome giveaway when I hit that number and here it is! You can enter to win one of two $500 paypal cash prizes or $450 paypal cash prize! Who couldn’t use a bit of extra cash after the holidays, right? Thank you for following on Facebook and good luck!

The other day I was perusing my facebook feed as one does and I came upon an interesting conversation about Christmas trees. A blogger asked this question on her page:

DO YOU PUT UP A REAL TREE OR A FAKE TREE FOR CHRISTMAS?

Consequently, World War III began. I had no idea how strongly people felt about Christmas trees. I also had no idea how quickly that little conversation would grinch the crap out of my Christmas spirit.

A few nights ago I spent some time working on Sawyer’s first birthday invitations. I couldn’t find any that were just right for the theme so I decided to design them myself. By the time I looked at the clock it was 11:00 p.m. I couldn’t believe how much time I had spent moving tiny graphics and text boxes around on a little 5×7 card. I was trying so hard to make it look just like I wanted. Trying to fit each part into its perfect spot. How could a few hours have passed by so quickly?

Congratulations, friends! We made it to the end of the week! TGIF!

It may not seem like a huge deal to get through five days. But sometimes when it’s Monday, you look at the week you have in front of you and all that’s still left to do – then yes – five days seems like a Herculean task!

I’ve got three kids – one in kindergarten, one in pre-kindergarten and one who still requires my body to be a food source.

Let’s face it – kids are expensive. As parents we don’t like to see our children as dollar signs (obviously) but there are times when we can’t help but think to ourselves, DANG, why does it cost so much money to raise these kiddos?!

As a mom of three kids one of our biggest expenses is clothing. Yes, you have to dress these tiny people after you bring them into the world. Most moms I know don’t stop at just dressing them – they also want their kids to wear quality, name brand clothing that costs a pretty penny when you buy it new.