Happy Tuesday! I don’t have much to share right now as the past week has been pretty busy, and when it hasn’t been busy lighting has not been my friend for photo shoots. So I thought I would share a bunch of open and honest randomness, and not just because I feel the need to have a blog post up (that’s not it at all!), but because you are my readers and friends and sometimes it’s important to fill you in on all the life stuff. I had some fun digging through old photos for this post, too. Sniff sniff.
I related SO much to this post yesterday. We are having our fair share of parenting struggles lately, but I just LOVE those guys so much that I keep on keeping on and work through the stress, hoping that we all come out on the other side better and appreciating one another even more. I am so thankful for an amazing elementary school guidance counselor who has been an immense help to me. When I was growing up, I recall the stigma that was attached with taking a trip to the guidance counselor. At our school now, the kids flock to him and want to have his attention. At recess he’s out there throwing the football with the kids, and he constantly sets up lunch dates with them. This man goes above and beyond and always with a smile on his face.
On a related note, I read this article from the Washington Post last week that really resonated with me. We ask our children to sit and behave, be quiet, listen to their teachers, pay attention ALL. DAY. LONG. I personally could not do what they are asked to do without moving much. They get short recesses, and no time to really move during the day. I think this lack of movement is a huge factor in the struggles I am facing.
Sawyer running around at the age 2 1/2…. I loved his hair!
I shared with you a couple weeks ago that I was doing Whole30. Well, I finished and the day after had a business meeting at a local coffee shop. I ordered an organic decaf tea latte…. I was SOOOOOO sick, and I think it was from the reintroduction of milk. Normally when recuperating I like to eat buttered toast or a simple grilled cheese. Well, I ate the crusts off of Emmy’s grilled cheese and had the same results. So now I am back to whole30 and I think I will be staying away from dairy. Goodbye, ice cream…. we have had some great times in our 36 years. I will never forget black raspberry.
In the midst of all of this sickness, I was working hard on my first project for Ace, which is actually the March project, so you’ll have to wait a month for the reveal of that one!
Also in the midst of all of this sickness I held talent show tryouts at the elementary school Friday afternoon. Did I tell you guys I am chairing it? Well, I am! Sawyer is playing his trumpet (We Will Rock You, and Jaws), and Emmy is dancing with a friend. We’re also adding on an art expo this year for those who have creative talent but don’t wish to exhibit it on stage! I have so many friends who speak of their introverted kids, and I think it’s kind of funny that I ended up with two extroverted children. The apples don’t fall far!
Emmy came home last week with a book about Taylor Swift from the library, and let me know that she wanted to be a “performer” like Taylor.
Emmy at her 6th birthday party
Sawyer told me once that he wanted to play football in college. I asked why not soccer, which is his sport. “Because soccer isn’t on TV and I want to be watched.” Well, there you have it. Extroverts.
Sawyer at soccer camp, age 6
Sarah and I have been working hard on getting Sweet Clover ready for our February sale in a week and a half. Usually a vendor styles the cottage, but we decided to do it this month and are creating a “naturalist’s cottage”. Here are a couple of sneak peeks…
Speaking of Sweet Clover, Sarah and I also ordered some new tees which will be available in February. We have squirrels, arrows, octopuses, and cameras for purchase, as well as dish cloths with gnomes and nesting dolls. I ordered myself this shirt, but from the reaction on instagram and facebook, I think we will be ordering some of these in our next order!
We also ordered some new pillows- how fun are these?!?!
The kids and I have been working on their Valentine’s for school. Sawyer is obsessed with Lord of the Rings, so we decided to work with that passion and create our own. His friends will be receiving ring pops with a sticky label Valentine we created in picmonkey and used Avery labels and printing templates to print at home. (not sponsored, I just love these labels for fun projects!)
And I think that’s all I have that’s on my mind and going on lately! I know it was a mishmosh of mainly useless information, but that’s what has been keeping me busy these days.
Have a great day!