Thrifty Thursday.

I just love going to the thrift store.  I can spend hours in there looking and hunting for treasures.  The other day, for the first time in a long time, we had nothing to do so the boys and I decided to head on over to the thrift store and see what we could find.  We ended up scoring big time - especially in the book section.  I have two little boys who absolutely love books.  I am so thankful they do but books can be very expensive.  I try to find cheap books at yard sales and even at stores like TJ Maxx but they are starting to get expensive even at those stores.  The thrift store is a great place to find books.  I always look through them to make sure there are no torn pages or coloring.  We usually end up with quite a pile and narrow down our choices to a few great ones.  Here's what we ended up with on this trip:

            

Dora Storytime Collection, Chicka Chicka 123 (My boys love Chicka Chicka Boom Boom), Toy Story book, a book about Shapes, Thomas-Sauras Rex (Thomas the train AND dinosaurs? Score!), Thomas the train sticker book, and a brand new Buzz Lightyear Color Wonder set - my boys love these.  We keep them in the van and they are great for keeping them busy with no mess.

             

I also found some great clothes.  I found two pairs of Old Navy jeans in excellent condition, an Old Navy vest that is just begging for a monogram, an Old Navy hooded shirt, and a Santa shirt that will be cute this holiday season.  I found Walker some great deals too including shirts from The Children's Place and Gap. 

              

My grand total was $36.51.  The two pairs of Old Navy jeans would have been more than that.  Not too bad for a fun trip to the thrift store.  :) 

                            

Halloween Costumes - Past and Present.

One of our favorite traditions is getting Halloween pictures made of our boys.  It started when we were celebrating Walker's first Halloween and we have just continued it every year.  It is something we look forward to and signals the beginning of Fall for our family.  Living in Alabama, the first day of Fall does not always feel like the first day of Fall but we know when it is Halloween picture time, it is officially fall!

Photo by: White Cotton Photography

 

As I have mentioned before I do not dress the boys in the same outfits, ever really.  If they are the same I try to do different colors.  It's just personal preference, really, but I do like for them to coordinate.  They are not twins although Wyatt is catching up fast to Walker in size.  I had their costumes picked out in my mind for quite some time but we were in TJ Maxx and spotted this astronaut costume and those plans were quickly changed.  Walker is obsessed with space right now - the planets, rockets, the whole shebang.  He can recite all of the planets AND give you facts about each one.  Just the other day he stopped two different ladies in the store and told them all about the planets.  They asked him about Pluto and he quickly corrected them that Pluto is not a planet.  So we had the astronaut costume and we figured what could be better than a monkey to go with an astronaut? Space monkey, get it?! : ) 

 

Here's a look back at our previous years costumes...

 

Photo by: Melissa Wells Photography

Pirate costume: TJ Maxx

Frankenstein Costume: Spirit Halloween

 

Side note: I know a pirate and Frankenstein do not coordinate but I could not help myself with either of these costumes.  I just loved them! Walker was super into pirates last year and ended up having a pirate birthday party and we used pictures from this session to create custom photo stamps for his party invitations.  It worked out perfectly!

 

Photo by: Melissa Wells Photography

Costume: TJ Maxx

 

This was Walker's second Halloween.  We actually planned for him to be a train conductor but the costume was too big when we received it and we had our session booked and had to find something QUICK.  That's why the shoes do not coordinate.  :) 

Photo by: Melissa Wells Photography

Walker's first Halloween.  This is still my favorite costume and I plan to put it in a shadow box and hang it up with this picture.

 

I have loved every one of our costumes.  I know the days of sweet and cute costumes are coming to an end.  I know it's only a matter of time before we trade in these sweet costumes for super hero capes and whatever else they want as they get older but I am cherishing the sweetness for now.  I have kept every single costume and I am trying to decide what to do with them.  I just can't bring myself to get rid of them.  We are looking forward to Halloween!  

Playing Catch Up.

I started this 31 Days of Blogging challenge with so many ideas and a real plan to blog every single day.  It didn't take long for me to start playing catch up.  At first I would get a day or so behind but I would always catch up.  I logged in today and it says my last post was October 10th.  Ouch. 

I feel like my life as a mom is a game of catch up - catching up on laundry, housework, play time, quality time, snuggles, my DVR, my reading, prayer, etc.  I tell my boys all the time that I want to stop time - for them to stay this little, but I must admit that I would also like to stop time so that I can just breathe. Lately my to-do list rarely gets finished and I feel my housework overwhelming me.  I find myself thinking, "I thought I would be so much better at this." And that is true.  I thought I would be so much better at being a mom.  I thought I would be better at keeping it all together. I thought I would have makeup and an apron on with dinner on the table when my husband walked in the door.  I thought I would be a coupon clipping, money saving Martha Stewart and my home would look like something out of a magazine.  The truth is that I do cook but many nights I am already in my PJ's when my husband gets home and some nights I sneak off to take a bubble bath and leave the ingredients for dinner on the counter and my husband takes my hint and has dinner ready when I get out - he's a keeper for sure.  The truth is that my house is a work in progress.  When I go to some of my friends homes I think that their house looks so grown up and I start to feel like our house looks like someone's home that is just starting out, and then I remind myself that we are just starting out. 

Although there will not be 31 posts for this series I did want to blog about real life.  And my real life is messy and chaotic and I do not always get around to doing what I want to do and that's what happened here.  But it's never too late to try again, right? I am thankful for a new day - everyday.

A real mom.

After a busy Wednesday I wanted to see if I looked as tired as I felt.  While getting ready for bed I snapped a quick selfie to see if I looked as tired as I felt.

 I did.

                            

So there ya have it - a real mom at the end of the day - exhausted, blood shot eyes, no lipstick, bags under her eyes, and thankful for a chance to do better the next day. 

Let go and Play.

When I found out Walker was a boy, I was devastated.  I come from a family of girls.  I am the oldest of three girls and all of my cousins are girls with the exception of one boy.  I knew just what to do with girls.  Having a boy was a whole other story.  I remember thinking, "What am I supposed to do with a boy?" I joke about it now but I was really terrified.  I had never really been around a little boy and so this has been a journey for me - a fun and challenging journey.  I have gotten better in my four years of being a boy mom.  I have learned a lot about little boys -  I know what they like to play with, I understand they are rough and tough, I know they like to be outside, and dirt does not, in fact, hurt.  But I still struggle with knowing exactly how to play with my boys.  I definitely know how to get in the floor and wrestle with them or tickle them until they can't stand it anymore.  I know how to push them on the swing or color and paint with them.  But when they bring me a race car and say, "Let's play" I freeze a bit.  I struggle with their toys and my super heroes normally end up complimenting one another on their outfits and eventually they get taken away from me so Walker can show me what they are supposed to do and say. 

My boys love to be outside.  I hate to be outside.  I hate the bugs, I have terrible allergies, there are gnats and flies and bees and it's just annoying.  I am thankful for a husband that takes them outside every single day and let's them get their energy out.  But today my boys asked me to take them outside so off we went to explore. 

It was a perfect fall day.  It felt great outside and the boys loved picking "flowers" and finding pine cones.  They found a stick and hit the barbed wire fence to make music.  We talked about the leaves changing and how they would be falling off the tree very soon.  We all jumped from one side of the ditch to the other.  It was really a great afternoon and for the first time I can remember they were ready to go inside before their momma.  Days like this just make my heart feel so full.  It's day like this when you can just feel the memories being made.

 

Knowing you are in the middle of a great memory is a special feeling.



A "Mom Job"

I have been meaning to write this post for a while now but I have not done so for fear of it coming off as venting or mean spirited.  I hope I can express my heart on this topic so that it does not come off in that way.  I have mentioned before that I started this blog because I wanted to show the "real" parts of parenting.  One of those "real" parts that I have experienced is competition among mothers.  I am guilty of feeling threatened by other mothers.  I am guilty of judging other mothers.  I am guilty of comparing myself to other mothers (like, REALLY guilty).  I am guilty of feeling inadequate as a mother.  So I understand all of those feelings.  I also understand word vomit better than many people because I am twenty-seven years old and it has taken me a long time to truly learn how to think before speaking.

  I took my son to a birthday party a couple of weeks ago.  We were all having a great time and the child's mother and I were making small talk.  She started asking me what my husband and I do and I told her that I worked at my son's preschool and I went on about how much I loved my job and being able to be there with my sons while they are learning.  She replied, "I don't have one of those mom jobs.  I work with computers."  Did you catch that? A mom job.  I felt the sting right away but brushed it off as me being uber sensitive, because I know that I am, but that comment stayed on my mind and my heart and the more I thought about it the more it bothered me.

I felt like my job was somehow less important all of a sudden.  Like I was inadequate for not having a "real job" as opposed to just a "mom job".  But the truth is that I love my job.  It is a real job.  And it is a mom job, I suppose, because I am a Mom.  I am a full-time mom and that is a real job too so if you're keeping count, it looks like I have two real jobs.  I wonder if that comment bothered that mom when she heard it out loud.  I also wonder when comments like this will stop bothering me.  The truth is that mothers are all just doing the best they can.  Every decision made is weighed carefully and nobody wants to feel inadequate as a mother or woman.  I know my job as a teacher is an important one and I am frustrated at myself for letting a comment make me doubt that even for a second.

It is so important for us, as women, to be mindful of the things that we say.  We need to build each other up and be kind.  Motherhood is not a competition.  There is no right way and wrong way to do things.   We made a lot of sacrifices for me to be able to stay home with my boys and I love my jobs - both of them. Working with computers is important but so is working with two year olds.  Both are hard, both take lots of patience, both take knowledge, both take skill, and both are real jobs. 

Sunday Funday

Honest Momma Confession Time - I am trying REALLY hard to blog everyday but I am struggling BAD.  I am not struggling with my topics or knowing what to write but I am trying hard to spend more quality time with my guys and that means going to bed when my husband goes to bed, which is usually when I blog.  So, today is Tuesday and I am playing catch up so hopefully I can be caught up today.  :) 

Sunday was a busy day for my crew.  We went to church and then had to book it out of church because I had a little craft show at a friend's house right after church so I had to drop the boys off at home and head straight to the show.  I got out of church at 12:30 and had to be at the show shortly after.  The show was from 2-4 and then I had a meeting at church at 5 pm.  During the car ride home from church Walker mentioned that he forgot to get a piece of cake.  I am still not sure what he was talking about or if there was some cake at church that we both apparently missed out on but after my craft show I had a little bit of time before it was time for my meeting so I stopped by the grocery store and picked up a cake mix and some icing.  When I got home that night we baked two dozen cupcakes, ate dinner while they cooled off, and then we iced them.  It was a really low key and fun night and these are the moments that make my heart so happy.  I know that we are making memories in these moments and I am thankful for both the memory and the moment.

Thank you, Pinterest!

I have learned so much from Pinterest.  Seriously.  I get most of my recipes from there and I have learned a bit about my style thanks to Pinterest as well.  I have always loved photo walls and I have wanted to create one for a while now but I am pretty awful at printing my photos out and ordering prints.  That was my only New Years Resolution this year and we are in October and I have only ordered one set of prints.  I really need to get on that before I get too far behind (as if four years behind is not too far).  Home décor is not my strong point but I am getting better thanks to Pinterest. 

 

After being back in our home for two months I was really missing seeing my kids pictures on the wall so I made the hubs hang some while watching football.   I came up with this grouping and I am really excited about how it turned out. I  purchased the white frames to use in Walker's room but I put some of them in this grouping and loved how it turned out.  Pre-Pinterest, I would never have mixed the colors but I really think it looks great.  If you look closely, you may be able to tell that the three bottom pictures are matted in ivory as opposed to white and the bottom left picture is missing glass that broke during our move.  Remember, I am blogging about real life, ya'll.  :)  I hope to get some glass and some white mats for those frames this weekend. 

 

Sometimes babies grow up...

There are lots of things I have learned about being a mom that I did not truly understand until I was knee deep in the trenches of it all.  The most important one is a mother's love.  One of the most beautiful things about becoming a mom is that you are finally able to understand the love your parents feel for you.  It's like a switch finally flips and you just get it.  For me, my love for my sons can be overwhelming at times and that is one thing I was not expecting.  I can be in the middle of an ordinary day and become so emotional when it comes to my sons.  Nobody warned me about this and I can just lose it over the smallest of things.  As I have mentioned I work at my sons' preschool.  Last week Walker got in trouble at school and he has never been in trouble at school before.  Let's be clear - he gets in trouble at home, and often, but he seems to do great with other children and with other adults. His teacher is a friend of mine and as she was telling me what happened I just started crying.  It was nothing major, and actually totally normal misbehavior if there is such a thing.  I still don't know why I started crying.  I know that I was disappointed but I also know that children are not perfect.

 I really wish I had it figured out.  All I know is that when it comes to these two little boys, my eyes fill with tears a lot.  Whether it is from pride, laughter, bad days, or memories, nothing gets me quite like they do.  The hubs and I were catching up on our DVR the other night and we were watching The Goldbergs. I was working in the floor, barely listening when I heard this quote:

"It's all just going by so fast and it's hard because every year he gets older and I feel like I'm just having to say goodbye to a little boy I was just getting to know."

 

Yes. YES. Yes. My eyes filled with tears.  That is exactly how I feel.  Walker will be four years old next month.  I cannot even believe how fast time is passing us and I want so desperately to find some way to stop it.  He is obsessed over "growing big like you and Daddy" and he tells me that every single day.  I tell him to stop growing and he says to me, "But mommy, sometimes babies grow up."

 

You're right, my love, sometimes babies grow up.  And sometimes mommies cry at just the mere thought of them growing up.  And I am trying real hard to be okay with both of those things.

The Highlight of My Day

Remember, I'm blogging about real life here folks.  Most of the time it's pretty boring and the highlight of my day is nothing special to most folks - but to me, it was glorious to cross it off my never ending mental to-do list.  I finally cleaned out my makeup bag.  In case you missed it, cleaning out my makeup bag is my highlight of the day.  I took everything out, wiped it all down, and threw away things that should have been thrown away a loooooong time ago.  I literally cringe at the thought of what I am about to tell you but I threw away my eyeshadow that I wore to prom - in 2004. Gross, I know.  But I promised real blogging so there it is as disgusting as it may be.  I even threw away my makeup bag and organized it all nice and neat into another bag that I have had for years. 

Here are the super embarrassing before pictures.  It wouldn't even close because it was so full - mostly with things that were too big to be in there anyway. 

 

I'm a Merle Norman kind of girl.  As you can see in the pictures I have experimented with Mary Kay but it doesn't give me the coverage that I get with Merle Norman.  I am not picky about any other products other than my base and powder.  If it's pretty and shiny, chances are I will give it a try! :) 

 

So that was the highlight of my day.  It felt really great to sit down for a few minutes and do something for myself, as small as it may be. 

31 Days of REAL

 

Let me set the scene for you.  It's 7:30 am.  I am dressed in my leggings, amazing shirt, and perfect flats.  My ankles are crossed and they are resting on my perfectly staged coffee table complete with magazines and a bowl of decorative balls.  I have a book in my lap.  My house is completely quiet.  In one hand is my coffee mug and in my other I am taking a picture that will be perfectly filtered to showcase the perfect lighting that is creeping in through the windows. 

 

WRONG!

 

The REAL scene is that it is 7:30 am and I am still in my PJ's.  Some days I stay in my PJ's all day.  My legs need to be shaved.  We don't have a coffee table because my living room floor turns into a obstacle course (among other things) throughout the day for two little boys who start out the day as best friends and end the day with fist bumps and high fives.  I do get magazine subscriptions in the mail. Some of them I have no idea why I am receiving and go straight in the garbage (ahem-Traveler Magazine?).  Others I get for free by cashing in product rewards points and end up in a pile until ultimately meeting the same fate. I have been reading a book for weeks now.  I am finished with Chapter One.  My house is only quiet after 10 pm.  In my hands are usually little hands leading me to the playroom or handing me a book to read.  My drinks are usually taken over by two little boys who are convinced that mommy's drink is much better than their own even when we are all three drinking milk. No matter how hard I try I can never filter my pictures to look so perfectly light and airy as the pictures that show up on my Instagram. 

 

The truth is that I started this blog because I wanted to show the realness and honesty of motherhood.  I wanted to show the good, the bad, and the ugly - especially the bad and the ugly.  Being a mom is hard.  Being a parent is hard.  I wish people would stop pretending that it's anything other than just plain hard.  But I found myself struggling to show the bad and the ugly.  That's why this challenge is a big one for me.  I came across this blogging challenge a few days ago - 31 Days of Blogging.  The goal is to choose one topic and blog about it every day during the month of October.  I knew instantly what I wanted to blog about - REALNESS.  Sure, I'm a few days late getting it started but hey, I'm a mom and I'm usually running late.  REALNESS.