Little Sponges! They are watching!

As a parent, I don't know about you but when my older child does something that is so meaningful & its caught in a precious moment, I can't help but tear up.  This moment was so special to me that I probably will NOT forget it.

This week we had our first parent/teacher conference with my baby girl's Kindergarten teacher.  We went over how well she is doing in school since she started in August/September.  One major skill in Kindergarten now is WRITING.  =)

Now, my sweet girl has the gift of being chatty, you know, she talks ALL of the time.  (Unless she is using an electronic device.)  This girl has so much to gab about so, now is the time for her to learn how to put her thoughts down on paper!  It's a beautiful process to me, being a thinker & writer (a work in progress) myself.

We just recently finished up November & Thanksgiving.  At school, my daughter's class had been talking a lot about being thankful, what it means to be thankful, etc.  So, naturally, her teacher has the class write about something they are thankful for and then, tell why.

(Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of her writing but I'll have to see about getting that copy.)

Ok, I've had you on hold long enough.  You're probably wondering WHAT she wrote!

Here it is:  (minus the cute Kindergarten way of spelling & writing)

"I am thankful for my mom & dad because they are married."

Melt my heart, so sweet.  Sooo special.  She is paying attention!  When they say kids are like little sponges, they aren't kidding.  This little girl of mine has been learning what mommy & daddy are all about over the last 2 years.  She's that typical girl who loves fairy tale movies, princesses & all things pink!  She already dreams about her wedding day.  She even, in the past, has talked about wearing a white dress at our wedding because she wants us to get married again (you know, renew our vows) so that she can wear the pretty white dress & be there to see my husband and I in our fancy clothes.

With that being said, parents, your kids are watching.  Some people have different circumstances & might not be married or maybe remarried.  Regardless of where you find yourself in the scope of things, this one thing is important...our kids look up to us!  Even when we don't realize it.  Being a parent is no walk in the park.  It has its ups and downs.  It is a challenge but even greater than that...we get to leave a legacy with them.

The most important thing to remember is that our kiddos are little sponges.  Always love on your babies, spend time with them, teach them their value, direct them in a way that sets them up for success in the future, dance around the house with them, snuggle with them, camp out with them, and whatever it is that is meaningful to your family because that lasting impact will go with them their entire life.

What kind of legacy will you leave with your little sponge?!!


~Lori

Tearing Up the Excuse

Monday : Letting No Excuse Tear me Down

Here it is.  Monday.  The most dreaded day of the week for many people.

Personally, I love Monday.  Why?  Well, because its just another day to me.  It's another day I get to pursue life even if it sucks or if it rocks or whatever is in between.

Since I'm just starting out with this blog, I would like to take a simple poll & find out who Likes Monday and who Doesn't Like Monday.  Anybody want to participate?  If so, Comment below or email me at teach1teachall@gmail.com & comment by saying either "Like Monday" or "Don't Like Monday"  Hope to hear from you!

Since Monday is a Like day for me, my topics for this day will include something about pursuing the NO EXCUSES theme.  Excuses are so easy to come by.  Excuses are made to derail our attention onto something that seems more fun or appealing to us.  We like excuses because we can escape reality and then live in a make believe place even if just for a few minutes.  But how do we free ourselves from such a binding little thing?  Well,  it takes conscience effort to SAY NO.

I've been battling with a huge excuse for as long as I can remember.  Sleeping in.  Now as a mom, it is so hard to sleep in.  My kids are up around 7:30am (sometimes earlier) every morning.  You might be wondering why that is so difficult.  Well, I am a night owl which means I LOVE to sleep in.  Sleeping in to me means 9:00am, as a mom.  I know good & well that if I were to sleep in until 9am every morning that I would get NOTHING done.  =(  I have kids to feed, get dressed, play with.  A house to clean up after ourselves, laundry to get washed, folded & put away; etc, etc, etc.  You know, all the regular tasks of a Mom.  =P

So, knowing all the tasks, responsibilities, blah blah blah that I have to get done, when am I ever going to have time for myself?  When am I going to take care of me so that I am refreshed, renewed or recharged to take care of "my business?"  It's not a simple task to stare in the face & change right away.  Nope!  Some things in life take time & discipline AND for me, this is one of them.  I have had to make a conscious decision that I am going to wake up by 6am M-F to get myself going.

Some of the things I start doing so early in the morning are spend time with God by reading the Bible & praying, exercising, blogging, writing and/or showering.  All of those tasks, to me, are extremely important & make my day flow a little bit more smoothly.  Now, I don't complete all of those things in 2hrs so, I am working on prioritizing my week days so that I don't overwhelm myself or beat myself up over getting these things accomplished.

As you might have noticed, I only addressed Monday-Friday on this.  I cut myself some slack on the weekend because I don't want to burn myself out.

Here's my challenge to you, if you are compelled:
What is that one Excuse you keep allowing yourself to do?
What is that thing you really want to do better at, have more discipline over, but can't seem to make that choice you want?
---My advice, start making small steps everyday toward your goal.  On the days you fall back on it, remind yourself that its okay...Just remember to get back up, dust yourself off & continue making those steps.  Remember, a baby can't start running until it has learned to walk.  Things take time but have the courage to start making steps so you can reach that goal you really desire to conquer!

You can do it!  We can do this together!

Courage,
Lori

Refresh, Renew, Recharge: Here We Go!

Ok, so I really do love to write & blog & journal...
Well, sorta!

Are you one to think a lot to yourself but never end up writing things out for yourself or even other people to read?  I am.  I have been told before that I'm a thinker.  Maybe I think too much.  I don't know but since this is true of me, I have decided to find a way to put my thoughts, findings, learnings into a simple, fun format.

And I just don't want to share with myself.  That is boring.  =P
So here's my new challenge/adventure:  Starting today, I am planning to blog everyday. 

On Sundays, I will be writing about something to help kickstart the week off to refresh, renew or recharge myself for the week.  My hope is that it will be beneficial to some of you as well.

Day 1: Sunday
This is my way to recharge one of my passions.  Starting this blog.  Today's post is meant to be simple & short.  So here ya go! 

Going to start somewhere!

I took this picture from the Red Rock Mountains that we live close by

Love. How deep is it? What do we do with it?

Ok, I consider myself a person with the ability to write.  Yet, most times I have writers block.  It's odd because my brain runs a mile a minute but when I try to sit down and write/type, it all comes out messy...

So with that in mind, here it goes!

Thursday, Mark & I celebrated 10 years of marriage.  Now, let me tell you when we first were engaged & then in the honeymoon stage, I thought everything was always going to be easy.  Haha!

Not true!

Engagement pictures

I have grown more in the past 10 years than I EVER thought was possible. (Random Side note: this coming from a person who, as a kid, never thought a basic countertop microwave could be updated/improved. ha!)  Anyway, marriage is tough stuff people.  Mark was wise enough from the very beginning to let me know and I quote, "This is going to be tough, Lori."  He knew what I didn't know from the start & he wasn't afraid to say it up front.  At the time, I thought he was crazy...haha!  Now, I know exactly what he was talking about.  I had to slowly come out of my fantasy world to realize the truth about what marriage really is.  So here's a glimpse of our journey over the past 10 years:

 

Marriage.  Love.  Selflessness.  Growth. There have been times when I didn't "like" my hubby.  It's not because I have ever felt that I didn't love Mark.  It's all the insecurities, immaturity and idiosyncrasies.  You take two people who have those different things (which we ALL do) & have them live together for the rest of their lives, well, let's just say LOVE better flourish!!

Here I am reminded of the bible verse on love.  Don't check out on me now.  I truly believe this verse sets the bar to a level where we can build an understanding of how to truly Love in this life.

"Love is patient and kind;
love does not envy or boast;
it is not arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way;
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing,
but love rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never ends
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Take a moment to honestly think about all of these ways to love.  As I go down each one, I'm either thinking...umm, I'm horrible at that OR I'm ok on that one OR hmm, I wonder how Mark thinks I do because I think I could definitely do better.

I have to admit, I've lost my patience more times than I care to count and said many unkind things that I didn't mean but I let my emotions take over.  At times for me, it's what I don't say that gets me in trouble  ;)

When it says love bears all things, I really believe it means you let go & allow yourself to grow.  You let go & allow your spouse to grow.  There will be plenty of times when you won't agree on something.  So when that moment comes, a decision one way or the other will be made.  Now, whether that decision was correct or not, well, that's when you have to figure out how to move forward.  And you bear, hope, believe and endure through it.

Memories! 

2004

 

2013

After 10 years + 2 days of marriage, I can truly say that this verse speaks volumes to me.  It reminds me that I don't have it all together.  But at the same time, I'm not shutting myself off from learning the truth behind it.

Life continues to challenge us.  Seasons change.  At the end of the day, I am very glad that I get to share my days with my hubby, Mark.  He gets me.  He allows me to grow.  He encourages me to grow & vice versa!

~Lori

My Newest Adventure

DRAWING & CRAFTS
I recently saw a quote that said something like Crafting is therapy.  It has proven true for me.  It's a release of tension, a moment of calm when life is so busy with being crazy.  Ha!  What makes it even more worth-while is a crafting buddy! 

DRAWING
Mark has always enjoyed drawing so, when I decided to create the Arendalle castle for Violet's birthday party, I knew Mark would really like to draw Elsa's North Mountain Castle to complement it.  Over two weeks ago, as I was prepping for Violet's birthday party, I found some joy in drawing.  The funny thing is I'm not a big fan of drawing, especially on a large scale.  Yet, somehow I have found great pleasure in starting to draw more.

We definitely had a great time creating these two pieces.  Maybe Disney will hire us.  ;) 


CRAFTING
Now, my crafting buddy is my amazing sister, Jodi!   This lady can craft and make awesome things all day long.  Plus its a bonus that I get to tag along with her and craft as well.  I might be the annoying little sister but we have tons of fun together.  Recently, we discovered a new wood store in town that is full of many goodies!  Pre-cut wood that just needs some paint, bling & crafty sisters to make such cute things.  Here is a look at my latest project:

SIMPLICITY is my favorite!

The remaining blocks above are still waiting to be completed & I can't wait.  Simple crafting projects is where it's at for me.  Release. Calm. Fun. Easy. Bonding. 

This is just the beginning of many things to come.

 Look for more of our projects later.

~Lori

My Desire to Write

For some time, I have really wanted to get back to writing on my blog.  It has been a difficult task to do because so many other things compete for my time & attention.  I am starting this venture again because I know it is a tool in my toolbelt that needs to be brushed off & used.

For years now, I have wanted to write on different topics.  Maybe even get something published.  God has taken me down a certain path to understand how to appreciate this.  I very excitedly have followed & gone with the flow (some times much harder than others).  I am constantly flooded with different thoughts on many topics from day to day. 

My life is a mix of many exciting things: 
**Topics of passion:
Walking out my life for God's kingdom (Matthew 6:33)
My adoring husband & 2 precious kiddos
Life as a stay-at-home mom
Marriage
Parenting
Education
Health & fitness

**Hobbies/Interests
Couponing
Crafting
Writing 
Traveling
Drawing (newest)

My life is unique from yours.  We are all different.  We all have the opportunity to grow, learn & find our purpose.  I don't believe anyone is exempt from this.  So, if you choose to, I would love for you to follow me through this blog or send me a message through Facebook social media. 

Remember, we are able to grow, enjoy life more & push through even the toughest of circumstances.

Constructive dialog welcome.  =)

Grace,

Lori

Wanting to Blog

It has been one year since I last blogged.  Wow, that is not such a good record.  Oh well!  Suppose there are much worse things to be behind in in life.  This blog will be short in hopes that I can start to remember to blog just as a good habit to form...

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

What a great day!  (Minus the rainy weather.)  Our subdivision had its 1st annual Cookies with Santa today!  Milk, cookies, hot cider, warm fireplace, beautiful Christmas tree, wonderful people and, of course, Santa!...What else could make for a fun fall morning?!  The whole event turned out really well!  The decorations were gorgeous, the treats were yummy, and Violet had an absolute blast playing with all the older kids!  She thought the kids were soo much fun!  Ever since she could recognize kids (probably around 4 or 5 months old) she has watched them intently, studying every move.  Well, today with so many children running around, she was in playtime heaven!!  Haha!  She just made herself at home with them by waving to them, trying to follow and keep up with them.  I can definitely tell she won't have any problems making friends as she gets older.

Not Enough Time

So, here I am blogging for the first time in several days.  I'm not typically a "bloggy/journaly" type person but it's pretty neat to sit down and type.  Of course, when do I ever have time to write a blog?!  Good question.  Between being a full-time wife, mommy, and intervention specialist, its definitely challenging to balance it all.  But I often remind myself to take it day by day and to get done what I can...anything to take the pressure off is best.  It works pretty well for me.  The best part of all my daily roles is that it is building more character, experience and love for my family.  God won't give me more than I can handle.  HE has blessed Mark and me very very much.  We want to be the best stewards of what HE has given us presently and in the future.

Here it is a lovely Saturday afternoon and so much has been accomplished already but yet still so much to do before 3pm!!!!!  We are headed out in a couple hours to get our family Christmas pictures done.  So I'm stressing that in my ever challenging time-management skills, will I be able to pull of what I need to get done in the next couple hours.  Well, it boils down to priorities.  What is really important to get done before we leave and what can wait until tonight after Violet goes to bed?  The answer would probably be A LOT of tasks could wait.  But eating lunch, giving Violet a bath, and putting on makeup should be top priority.  So, I better gooooooooo otherwise my priority list will be shot. 

50 Free Holiday Cards!!!

Hey everyone!   This is an outstanding promotion Shutterfly has going!  I have to say Shutterfly has been amazing to go to for any of my "photo happy" needs!  They have helped me out with their incredible designs like Violet's 1st Birthday invitation, her 2 photo books and many pictures that I have ordered over the past year.  So, with no delay, I knew I would order Christmas cards from www.shutterfly.com because they will deliver what I love and want to share with our friends and family.  We had some family photos done recently which will appear on our card.  One thing I LOVE about the Shutterfly Christmas cards is that you can put multiple pictures...haha!  Sometimes as a woman I can be indecisive (NEWSFLASH) so I am able to share more than one picture with the card I have chosen!!  And their collection of Christmas Cards this year are super duper cool!  I think it has doubled from last years choices!!  Go Shutterfly!!!

So, what are you waiting for...check out www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards
and go have some fun!!!  And for any Blogger friends, if you haven't heard about this great deal, here's where you can check it out - http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/

Would love to know if you chose Shutterfly Christmas Cards for your Christmas card this year.  Send me a comment.  Thank you for giving this year, Shutterfly!!

Day 1 - Perfect day to start a Blog ;)

Well, of all days, this has to be the best story telling day to start a new blog.  So, today has been a perfect day to record Violet's many "milestones", if you will...
The day started off great!  Mark had to get going early in order to accomplish some errands before he went into work for the afternoon.  As he walked out the door at 7:45 this morning, I jumped out of bed to start my weekly laundry, take a shower and at least dry my hair all before getting Violet out of bed.  And yes, I did accomplish all of those things.  The last half of that time Violet had woken up but she played in her bed for probably 30 minutes before I went in to get her.  After I proceeded to get her out of bed, I thought I would be a good wife =) and make my husband breakfast before he went off to work.  We all had eggs, my homemade banana bread and grapes for breakfast!  Pretty healthy, I think!   Well to cut the rest of it short, Mark got out the door for work while I was getting ready to put Violet down for her late morning nap.  To my delightful surprise, my precious angel slept 3 1/2hrs!!!!!!!!!!!  WoW!!  Needless to say, I was able to get TONS OF THINGS done!
Let's fast-forward to "after naptime"...
2 funny yet typical baby moments happened today.  1 semi-funny, and the other crazy, can't believe this story happened at such an early age...
Story #1 - I was sitting here at the computer learning about being "coupon saavy" when all of a sudden I hear a soft "swish, swish, swish, swish..." sound coming from the back door.  I immediately identified what the sounds was.  So lo-and behold I was right...Violet had gotten ahold of the tissue box and had, ONE-BY-ONE, pulled out at least 20 tissues from our "cute, little" square tissue box.  Right away I jumped up and took it from her all the while thinking, "we can't waste even tissue, tissue is expense." Ok, so not really expensive but you know.  So back to the story...  I quickly picked up all the tissue and stuffed them back into the box as if to make a little hill out of the top.  (Side note: No I wasn't going to fold each one and neatly place them back in the box.  Who has time for that mess.)
That was my 1st story...
Now on to STORY #2  - Classic yet most disgusting child story.  I can finally record that today was the 1st time Violet has pooped in the bathtub.  I was just about to get her out when I looked away for 2 seconds only to look back and find "it" in the tub.  I totally freaked out.  Violet was just sitting there looking at it and about to grab it when I rushed to get some toliet paper and scoop it out of the tub.  Oh, can I say GROSS!  The whole time I'm thinking to myself,  "I can't believe this "story" has already happened.  I mean, doesn't this usually happen for the 1st time when a child is around the age of 2."  Well apparently not, haha!  Next time, I need to remember to put her on the potty before placing her in the tub.  She could have taken care of her business in the proper place, more than likely.  Oh, well!  Lesson learned!
All in all, its been a typical mommy day!  And I love it!!  Wouldn't change a thing about it!!

The Beginning

Here I am setting up a blog and ready to post.  Hmm, I never thought I would actually get around to doing this but who does, right!  =)  As I learn to blog, I hope you all will find it fun, useful and well whatever its meant to be.  Since its just the beginning of this new blogging adventure for me, I will do my best to keep up with it.  Haha!

Hope you all enjoy!