Today’s post is dedicated to all you mommas out there feeling anxious about the upcoming transition into having more children. That could be you’re going from no children to having your first, or maybe you’re going from three to four (not that I have much to share about that!).
Read MoreMom Life Monday - The Cure For Complaing
Hi!
Happy Monday to YOU! Hope you had a great weekend! For this week's Mom Life Monday tip of the day, I wanted to share an idea we have been using in our house to help with the issue of complaining. I'm sure your children don't ever complain but just in case, here's what we've found works for us!Whenever I hear one of my girls say something that resembles complaining, I always respond with
"Before you complain about a problem, try to find a solution."
For instance:Rowen's Problem: "Reeeeeeeeese! I can't see the TV! Mommy, Reese won't MOVE!"My response: "Rowen, before we complain about a problem, let's try to find a solution! Instead of complaining that Reese won't move, please just ask her (with kindness!) to please scoot over so you can see.If you have kids under the age of four, you will most likely have to help them find the solution in the beginning, but as they get more practice solving their OWN PROBLEMS, they will become much better at it! I've been so amazed to hear how much better the girls are at figuring out their problems all on their own, rather than complaining being their first resort.I wish I could say that we have alleviated complaining all together, but it definitely still happens. The key from a parenting perspective is to be consistent, not fix it for them, remind them what they need to do, and some times give them a little guidance.Now for today's Momiform, here's an outfit I get a lot of wear out of in the Fall.The key ingredients to pull off this look is a pair of skinny jeans (these are only $65!), a cute button down, and riding boots. I've been hunting the right pair of riding boots for YEARS. These are absolutely perfect. When I shared them on my instagram, I couldn't believe how many messages from followers that said that they've had these boots for years and they still look great!
I love a loose fitting button down, especially if it includes a pretty bow detail like this one. It's a little more of a splurge for me but it can be worn in so many different ways. I absolutely love the color combo, too! Like I said before, these riding boots are the most affordable and comfortable pair I've ever owned. They run true to size and also come in a wide calf version. They have the prettiest button detail above the zipper in the back and the color goes with everything!Thanks so much for stopping by the blog for Mom Life Monday! Today's memory verse is "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:23Outfit details below!
Monday Momiform & Daily Affirmations
If you've seen my instagram stories, you probably have heard my little cuties doing their daily affirmations. I made these up right before the first day of school after praying for some kind of reminder for the girls every day. I've always been a sucker for a good rhyme so this was right up my alley! I've gotten so many questions for posting these so I wanted to have a place for y'all to be able to access them any time.Here they are!I am ___I am awesomeI am good at listeningI respect my teachersI do the right thingI share what is mineI use my words to be kindI'm a good friend with a servant's heartI work hardI am smartI know God loves meMommy and Daddy do tooI know I am specialAnd so are you I literally tear up every single morning hearing them recite these. There's so much power in speaking the truth over yourself. It's one thing for me to say these things to them but when they own it and they speak it, it becomes a part of their belief system about themselves.I hope these will be helpful for you and your babies and please know that I LOVE hearing your babies recite these so send me ALLLLLL the videos of them saying their affirmations.Since we are kind of on the topic of mom life, I thought I'd share one of my go-to easy to put together Momiforms with y'all!A momiform is an outfit you constantly find yourself gravitating toward when getting ready in the morning... or in the afternoon. Just keeping it real! But some of us need to take a long, hard look at our go-to styles and give them a major refresher.
There's a common misconception that in order to look put together, you have to be uncomfortable. This is just not true. You don't have to sacrifice comfort for style, you just have to have the right pieces to put together a look you'll love.When I became a mom, I found myself wearing t shirts and running shorts almost every single day. I got so tired of feeling so BLAH that I finally admitted to myself that it's just as easy to put on a cute flannel button down and jeans as it is to throw on yoga pants and a tank.
I love statement tennies and I don't think you can ever have too many flannel button down shirts. I get most of my button downs at Old Navy and J Crew Factory and I've linked some of my favorite tennies below![show_shopthepost_widget id="2846664"]If you don't already own a tee shirt dress, I'd highly recommend this one. It's super versatile and affordable. Plus there are a ton of different ways to dress it up and down. Add booties and a cardigan for a dressier look OR slides and a denim jacket to dress it down a bit more.I'll keep sharing more mom style looks each Monday along with a parenting tip or two. Hope y'all enjoy this new addition to the weekly blog scene!You can tune into my insta stories today to hear the girl's recite our verse for Memory Verse Monday! Here it is:"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1Thanks so much for stopping by today, yall![show_shopthepost_widget id="2846673"]
Loving Where You Live
Hi, friends! Happy Monday to you! There's a shiny new week ahead and I want to start it out with a perspective shift. It's so easy to get hung up in the game of comparing and contrasting the haves and have nots in our lives. Unfortunately comparison just wont't stay put in one area either. It buries it's claws into all the areas. I mean I could talk about how it affects my parenting, how it affects the way I view my looks, or even what kind of purse I carry, but today we are going to focus how it affects the place I wake up and take up space day in and day out.Let's talk about the home.We've lived in our house for almost nine years. She's a cutie but she's got her faults. Not too long ago I found myself throwing a massive pity party when I started to realize that most of my friends had moved out of "starter homes" into bigger and better houses. I was still "stuck" in this one. Bless my poor heart. As luck would have it (or God would ordain it!), that same week, my little potty trainer had an accident on the couch. I took the cushion off to wash it and in the process, the zipper busted and the cushion cover didn't even fit anymore. We put a towel over the cushion as a temporary solution. Just use your imagination to envision how classy it looks.In the past I might have tried to pep talk myself into feeling better about the situation. I used to find myself saying things like "Well, at least you have a couch. People in other countries sleep in the dirt and have no place to sit". But comparison, even if you're the "winner" in the game, still doesn't help in the long run. What does help is to shift your perspective. Here's what this looks like for me...First off, I speak life into my space. I know it sounds cheesy but we've gotten into the practice of saying something kind about our home every time we pull into the driveway. We've done it long enough now that we even hear the girls say "Look at that sweet little house" when we get home most days. We also say things like "Isn't it so fun that we have a porch to swing on?" or "I love that we have such big trees in our yard!" It's simple but it's effective. Remind yourself daily why where you live is a good place to be.Another thing I do when I begin to feel dissatisfied is to CLEAN the heck out of my house. Even an old car looks good with a little wash and wax. Get rid of clutter and excess in your home, give her a good clean, light a candle, and voila! Some days I'm shocked at how much I can fall in love with my home again just because I took the time to clean her up.Now that the house is clean, I invite people over! There's nothing sweeter than hearing conversation and laughter flow through your home. I always find myself wishing I had a bigger house so I could host more people and then I'm like WAIT. I can totally host people here now! I used to think I had to have a perfectly planned and executed dinner party in order to have people over. Now I'm kind of loving the idea of having a big pot of soup, a football game, and letting people fight over who gets to sit on our "special cushion" ;-)What I love about perspective is that it changes nothing about your life but how you view it. There is sooooo much power in that! I love in Romans 12:2 where Paul reminds us to "renew our minds". Shifting our perspective to an attitude of gratitude helps us to do that.I hope you already love where you live! But if you don't, I hope that a few of these ideas will change that for you.Happy first of the week, sweet friends!
Front Porch Chats - Manners
It's picture day at school and we have been patiently waiting to wear these amazing little dresses from Bella Bliss! Oh my I can barely handle the sweetness!
I bribed the babes to take at least one picture with mommy! MnM's and a hopscotch board will do the trick every time!
My dress linked hereThe girls shoes linked hereThe girls dresses lined hereMy boots linked hereIf you follow me on Instagram you know that occasionally, when the girls are resting, I'll sit on the front porch swing and share a few ideas that are working for us in the parenting department. We certainly don't have it all figured out but we are doing our best to raise kids that aren't the worst. One thing that's always driven me bananas is how kids (and sometimes adults!) make demands of people when they want something.OR.Even worse. They'll make statements and expect people to do what they want without ever asking.I know these are kids we're talking about but for goodness sake, if we don't teach them some basic principals when it comes to respect for others and using manners, then no one will. And if there's one thing I've learned about children, it's that when you respectfully expect certain behaviors and you're willing to put in the energy over a consistent period of time to teach them those behaviors, they CAN and WILL rise to the occasion.For instance, if my three year old says "I'm thirsty" we respond with "Rowen, that's just a statement. How would we turn that into a request using manners?" And in the beginning we would also have to say "Try: 'Mommy, could you get me some water, please?" But now, if prompted to make a request using manners, she knows exactly what to say.If Reese says "Give me that cup" we say "That's a demand and we don't respond to demands. Can you turn that into a request using your manners?"Our tone is never condescending because that would defeat the whole purpose. If the goal is to teach your children to be respectful with their needs and wants, we need to do the same for them. I've never quite understood how a parent could bark orders at their kids and then scold them when the kids bark back. Yes, as a parent you are an authority but shouldn't that mean that you model the respect you want to see in your kids?I feel like it's really valuable to remind our children what their words mean so they know that they carry weight. Whether ugly or kind, the words we speak have great meaning. This is a very safe and practical way for children to start understanding and taking responsibility for their words. Yes, it would take less time to just say "Try that again and say it nicer this time" or to just give them what they ask for. But it's a teachable moment that doesn't take a whole lot of effort on our end to incorporate.So here it is in an easy takeaway:"I'm thirtsy"That's a statement."Give me water"That's a demand."Could you please give me some water"That's a request using manners and that's what we're after!What I've loved about incorporating this into our home is that it's changed the overall tone in which our children speak to us and to each other. It sounds so gracious to request something in a kind way.Cultivating kindness in our home takes on a lot of different forms but this is something we practice all. the. time. And we have been so excited to see the outcome so far!I hope it's something you'll be able to use in your home and that it'll make a positive difference!"Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healing to the body." Proverbs 16;24