It's Quiet 'Round Here...

Sorry for the absence here on the blog.

Life has been rich and full and very thought-provoking lately. So when that happens, social media tends to takes a backseat and I really try to focus on being present in my life.

Last weekend we hung out with some amazing people; had really meaningful conversations about life and current challenges we're facing; and it felt good to be vulnerable and honest and know that I wasn't being judged, or talked about when the night was over. Everyone should have people like that in their lives.

Of course we did the whole "beach thing" over the holiday weekend too, because... well, when you live 25 minutes from a beach and it's a gorgeous day out, you just feel compelled to do that sorta thing.

I took this one picture on the way in, and then put my phone away for the rest of the day (well, except to film some awesome duo-boogie-boarding my sons were doing).

  

We also had a date night on Friday evening. It was really great to sit across from my man for three-and-a-half  hours and still have interesting conversation (and a LOT of laughs). Sometimes spending $12 an hour for a babysitter kills me. But then we have a night like that and it reminds me that date nights are imperative... no matter the cost.

Photo courtesy of Payton Heckman ;)

On Memorial Day, we took the kids to a ceremony at a local Veterans Memorial Park. It was a beautiful program and I held it together emotionally for almost the entire event until a bagpiper started playing "Taps" and all the Veteran attendees stood at attention saluting the flag. Then I pretty much lost it. It was a pretty powerful moment to say the least.

After the program, we went to the adjacent park and walked down the long pier. We even spotted a huge family of stingrays. It was a pretty awesome moment.

And what Memorial Day would be complete without some sort of swimming, grilling, block party, etc? We did it all in a matter of about 3 hours. I love our little neighborhood. Such good people.

Between the shortened work week (which always throws me off and I think Tuesday is Monday all day until I realized I've missed basketball practice - oops!), and my oldest son home with a stomach bug today, my week has really been mentally confusing. All schedules have gone out the door. I had 3 cups of coffee this morning before it was 9 a.m. I desperately need to go to the store but can't because Payton doesn't want me to leave his side...

You get the point. It's kinda a hot mess around here.

But I stopped myself this morning as I was drying off after a hot shower, and I thought...

"Okay, yes, I'm tired from being up all night. Yes, I have a sick kid. But somewhere, someone today is going to get a cancer diagnosis...maybe even for their child. And here I am with two healthy (albeit a little ill) kids sitting on a comfortable couch, in an air-conditioned home, with all sorts of medicines and things to help my big guy feel better. Ya know what... life is good. Sometimes you have to choose happiness."

Bought this sign on a total whim last week. Best $20 I've spent all month.

 That's all I got for ya today. By the time this post goes live, tomorrow will be Friday. Where the heck did this week go?!?!

On "Giving Yourself Permission"...and a waffle recipe.

This past weekend we barely left our house.

No one was sick.

No one was injured.

We just enjoyed the quiet, laid-back nature of doing very little.

Friday night we had some of our dearest friends over for dinner. They have 3 little boys, so when our boys and their boys get together, it's a night of non-stop giggling. They all get along so well, it allows us adults to really enjoy each others company. We ate and talked and ate and talked and before we knew it, it was almost 9 p.m. and all the kids were up past their bedtimes.

But sometimes, letting the kids stay up a little late because you're having meaningful adult time with awesome people... it's worth it.

Saturday morning I literally didn't get out of my bathrobe until 11:30 a.m. I felt a little guilty about it, but then I remembered something I read recently by the author Aidan Rowley... she said, "Are you giving yourself the permission to do the things you really want to do?"

It resonated with me on many levels. But in this instance, I realized that I was kind of looking to Brian to give me permission to have a lazy morning - making homemade waffles, enjoying a third cup of coffee, learning how to use a Silhouette machine. All things that I really wanted to do.

Of course Brian was perfectly happy with the slow pace of the morning and probably didn't think twice about the fact that I still hadn't brushed my hair by the time he and the boys left to go to Lowe's...I had to stop and tell myself that I was giving myself permission to do something I really wanted to do. No guilt allowed.

And I did.

And it felt great.

Of course I don't live in la-la-land, and by 2 p.m. I had run several loads of laundry, cleaned the floors, run to the grocery store and soothed a 3-year old's meltdown (multiple times). But the point is, I did take some time - some non-mommy guilt time - to do something I wanted to do.

My prayer for you is that you make some margin in your life for the things you really want to do. And then give yourself the permission to do them.

Oh, and those waffles I made on Saturday morning? They were THE BOMB! Seriously.

The recipe is a bit odd. It involves beating the whites of the eggs separately before adding them to the mix, but I think that's what made them so light and fluffy on the inside, yet slightly crisp on the outside.

I'm tellin ya... make them. Your family will thank you. Here's the link to the recipe. Enjoy!
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And for my sweet family that still reads this blog, here's a recent kid photo dump...

I took Parker to the zoo last week with one of his classmates. Although he really enjoyed viewing all of the different animals, he mostly just wanted to play in the water areas. Maybe I'll try the zoo again when he's a bit older. :)

With all of the nice weather lately, we've been trying to take Mocha outside more. She's still not super calm when we bring her out, but I think she enjoys it on some level... at least I hope she does.

This picture makes me realize what similar facial structures the boys have. Same. exact. chins.

We also had the chance to hang out with our good friends in South Tampa who are moving out of state soon. We are so sad to see them go, but have promised to make trips to see each other.

And on that note, I will post one last picture, just because it's funny...

Have a great week everyone...and make sure you get plenty of sleep. ;)

Recipe Re-Post - Double Cheeseburger Pizza Rounds

At the request of a dear friend of mine, I am re-posting this family-favorite recipe that we made for dinner tonight.


Really, how can you go wrong combining cheeseburgers and pizza?!? I assure you that it will become a staple in your household once you try it. (Just make sure you serve it with lots of veggies... it's not the most low-cal recipe). :)

Click here to view the original post with recipe. Enjoy!

Some Serious R & R

After a blurred week of volunteering, crafting, cooking and delivering teacher's gift, I was exhausted.

Friday mornings, I usually go to the YMCA with Parker and run on the treadmill while he happily plays in the nursery (our membership is so worth the free childcare!). However, when Friday morning rolled around, I just wanted to stay in my PJ's and enjoy a second and third cup of coffee...

So I did.

I told myself that I was kicking off my Mother's Day weekend with some much deserved "R&R" so skipping the gym was totally justified.

Around 10:30 a.m. when it started feeling a little absurd that I was still in my pajamas, I got myself dressed and rode up to the park with my little man. We fed the squirrels peanuts, played on all the equipment and then I said, "Hey, wanna ride up to Starbucks?" Of course his immediate response was, "YES! Can I get a cake pop?!?!"

He decided against the cake pop when he saw the giant sunflower cookies. And I couldn't resist, when he said, "Can I get that flower cookie instead Mama? Because I want to get one for Payton too." Melt. My. Heart. "Of course you can! It's only 8 zillion grams of sugar, let's get two of em!"

So off to the fountain we went...me with my iced latte and him with his enormous cookie.

But the delightful rest and relaxation was just beginning.

My parents took the kids for TWO WHOLE DAYS! WA-HOO!!!

I thought that maybe I should have felt guilty for not spending Mother's Day weekend together, but that thought quickly evaporated after driving them to Orlando and then returning to an absolutely empty, quiet house.

For anyone who is not currently a stay-at-home mom with little ones, you have no idea how rare it is to be home alone. It barely ever happens to me, so I was excited when the chance presented itself.

Of course I missed my kids throughout the weekend, but I think it's really healthy for all of us.

The kids get to go on a mini vacation and spend time alone with their grandparents (where they are spoiled out of their minds)... and Brian and I get alone time to be able to talk, stay out late, sleep in, do whatever we feel like at the drop of a hat... it's very healthy indeed.

And since we wanted to take full advantage of our free time, we went out on dates both nights and we went to the beach on Saturday.

Friday date night up at the Village

Let me tell you, it's quite a different experience to go to the beach alone with your spouse. Rather than lugging a mountain of sand toys, snacks, chairs, umbrellas, towels, etc. and then spending your time entertaining the little ones all afternoon...

We got out our chairs, opened our reading materials, and sat there. For hours. The only reason we got up was to go for a walk and to use the bathroom. It was heavenly.

This is actually a picture of the causeway leading up to the beach. I stayed off my phone as much as possible once we arrived and realized I never took any pictures. :)

After the beach, we went home and cleaned up and then I went for a massage. Seriously...not the most stressful weekend I've ever had. ;)

That evening, we had date night #2 where we met up with our good friends at a local Caribbean-themed restaurant.

But as Sunday rolled around and it became time to go pick up the kids, I started getting really excited to see them. So excited, that I had butterflies in my stomach when I saw my parents car pull into the parking lot. Which I think just goes to prove two things: 1. It's good to have some time apart because absence really does make the heart grow fonder... and 2. I really, really love my kids.

And I really love my Mom! It was so neat to be able to see her on Mother's Day and hug her and give her a gift. After all, they had just given us an incredible gift of a two-day vacation!

So we headed back home and I spent the rest of the afternoon lovin on my babies.

I was showered in homemade cards and gifts and lots of hugs and snuggles. It was perfect.

Brian even cooked my favorite meal that night:

Wood-fired cedar plank salmon with grilled asparagus and quinoa. Yum-O!
It was so delicious and the perfect ending to a fantastic weekend.

I am very appreciative of all the love and spoiling I received last weekend. It is so nice to be celebrated for all of the hard work us moms do all year round.

In fact...maybe we should celebrate Mother's Day twice a year? Yeah? Anyone else on board with that idea?? ;)

Thank you Mom & Dad for watching the kids. And thank you Brian for making the weekend so romantic and meaningful. Love you all!

Beach Packing & Clean Up {FREE Printable}

I like to think of myself as a fairly organized person.

But for some reason, when we go to the beach - which is quite often - I seem to loose all sense of organization.

I get everything in the car - and it seems like we're bringing the entire house with us -  so I feel like I've got everything I need. But then I arrive and I've forgotten something critical...like towels! No joke, I seriously forgot towels one time. And then I had to buy a towel from the beach gift shop and it cost $15. Lesson learned...right?

Apparently not.

The last time I went to the beach, I forgot my entire beach bag. Like my bag that had the sunscreen, hats, reading material and MY CELL PHONE! Oh, the horror!

So, I am finally taking my husband's advice and making a family "Beach Packing List."

But alas...lucky for me, I did a quick Internet search and guess what? The awesomely talented Jen at "I heart organizing" has not only created a fun, colorful beach checklist...she's made it available for free download on her amazing blog. Just click here to find it.

 

I will be personalizing mine and then laminating it and storing it in my beach bag. I have a feeling I'll be using it quite a lot this summer.

One more thought while we're on the topic of going to the beach... the dreaded beach clean up.

No one likes all the gritty sand entering the house after a fun day of swimming and sandcastles.

My solution is an easy 3-step process:

1. Make sure you pack dry clothes and have your child rinse off at the beach showers. If you can do this, you'll eliminate almost all of the sand in your car and in your house.

If there are no showers, bring along a couple gallons of drinking water. (Just make sure they're not scalding hot if you've been at the beach all day.) Then have your children sit on the car bumper or edge of the car door and rinse off their legs & feet as best you can.

If there is absolutely no water available, and your kids are not wet, use baby powder to remove the sand. For some odd reason, baby powder makes the sand fall right off, like magic!

2. Lay a towel down on the floor boards of the front and back seat. This will catch any additional sand that is sticking to people's feet and hopefully eliminate the need to vacuum your car when you get home.

3. When you get home, immediately take the wet bathing suits and towels and throw them into the washer. Don't leave them in a heap on the laundry room floor. That will only cause the sand to dump onto your floors and thus, get dragged throughout the house.

Seems pretty logical and simple, right? That's because it is. And it will make your post-beach clean up a snap!

Happy Beach-ing Everyone!

Teacher Appreciation Gifts: Favorite Things & Free Printables

First off, thank you so much for all the kind, encouraging comments about my last post.

When I hit the "Publish" button, my stomach did a little somersault, knowing that I was exposing some very private moments from our lives.

But God has shown me time and time again that exposing my faults, and sharing my story, helps others who are experiencing the same thing. It gives a tremendous amount of comfort to people knowing they're not alone in their struggles.

So, thank you again for embracing our story and giving me the courage to continue to share so openly here on this blog.

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Now on to a much lighter topic... Teacher Appreciation gift!

I don't know that we officially celebrated "Teacher Appreciation Week" when I was growing up. But I am so glad that we do now.

Teachers are one of the most important people in our children's lives. They often spend more time with the child than the parents do on a daily basis, and they do so much more than just teach our children "book knowledge."

They show our kids how to socially interact with other children; how to express themselves when they have an idea; how to foster that idea and create something wonderful from it; how to take pride in their work and excel at things they never knew they could do. They are the cheerleaders, the counselors and the hug-givers. They are often times a role model and a superstar in our child's eyes.

I could go on and on, but I'll save my "Love Thy Teachers" speech for another post.

Today, I wanted to talk about what I'm giving my kids' teachers next week.

I am very fortunate to be friends with all four of our teachers. I really, truly like each one of them and have gotten to know them well throughout the year. So instead of just giving each of them a Target gift card (which all 4 of them requested) I thought I'd add a few more goodies to the bag and share with them some of my go-to favorite things.

These items don't cost a lot, but are such fun little things to receive.

First up, snacks and treats!

Emerald almonds are my all-time favorite nuts. They are a healthy snack and they taste great. I always have a couple containers of the "Dry Roasted" almonds in the house, but for a special treat, sometimes I'll get the "Cinnamon Roast" almonds. They are so addictive! These little boxes have (7) 100-calorie packs in them. So I bought both the Cinnamon and the Dry Roasted and I'll include a couple in each bag.

All of our teachers also like "Sweet & Salty" so this "Monster Mix" from Target was perfect. It has nuts and M&M's and chocolate chips. The perfect blend. And I thought it was just too perfect too pass up considering the teachers have to deal with my little "monsters" sometimes. :)

I also purchased two bags of these Dove chocolates. One dark and one milk chocolate.

I am a choc-o-holic. I love chocolate. And I've tasted a LOT of brands. Dove always reigns as my favorite. And it's on sale this week at Target!

Next up, some practical everyday items:

 How cute are these travel Kleenex? I love the new designs they have come out with, and I am never without a travel container of tissues. Especially during this horrible allergy season!

Another item you'll rarely ever find me without is Wet Ones. I'm kinda obsessed with them. They're great for cleaning little hands after the park or before a snack; they remove stains from clothing; they work well in a pinch if your kids are at a public restroom and there's no TP... the uses are endless.

I particularly like these Citrus-scented ones. They smell amazing...like pineapple or something tropical like that. Try em, you'll love em!

Then last but not least, I wanted to share a couple fun beauty items with my favorite teachers:

This Aveeno hand lotion is amazing. It's the perfect size for a purse or desk drawer, it doesn't have a strong scent, it gives you great moisture, but doesn't leave a greasy residue behind (gross!). I love it.

The little pot of rose-colored Vaseline is just too cute not to share. It's literally smaller than a golf ball, so it can travel with you just about anywhere. It has the slightest pink tint to it, but not so much that it looks like lipstick.

And finally... my little beauty secret...NYC liquid lipshine in "Nude York City." I'm telling you, this is the most universally-flattering lip gloss out there. It's not sticky, it's not wet, it's not too much color, it's just all around perfect. And the real kicker...this baby only costs $1.67!!! Can you believe it?!? SUCH a steal! I've only ever seen this NYC brand at Target though, so I'm not sure if it's available anywhere else.

And of course I'm also going to include little Target gift cards as well. Our teachers deserve to be recognized for all of their hard work throughout the year, and I intend to do so.

As for packaging all these little goodies, check out these adorable free printable tags:

This one is available at Dimple Prints:

 

  These cute apple ones are available at Tip Junkie:

 

These fun bright ones can be downloaded at My Frugal Adventures:

 Or maybe you prefer a softer pastel palette? You can snag these cute flower tags at Diva Entertains:

 

Whatever you choose to do - even if it's the sweetest handmade card from your child with a sincere note from you as well - please be sure to let your precious teachers know how much you appreciate them next week.