My Beautycounter Picks
Beautycounter clean beauty favorites. All the products I use for my skin care and makeup routine!
Mini Kitchen Makeover
When we first walked into our home I fell in love with the space! The house wasn’t exactly 100 percent my taste but I knew with my furniture, some paint, and new light fixtures I could easily make it look like home.
Not everyone can afford to remodel or has the time to do a full DIY project. (Although I definitely always want to do both). Paint is magical y’all. And I found some very affordable light fixtures and I think the two of those combined made a huge difference! Until we can afford, or have the time to do a full makeover, this is perfect for us!
Hadley’s Head Shape - why we decided no helmet
Man. I’ve been avoiding this blog post like the plague. And now that she is almost one!!!! (exclamation points because I’m dramatic about it) Let me start from the beginning.
When Hadley was two months old I noticed that her head was very flat in the back. At her two month appointment I brought it up to our doctor and she said that it should correct itself and that it really wasn’t that bad. Then at four months old it was still flat and she said I could do the helmet (doc band) to help correct the head shape if I wanted but she told me it was very expensive and that when she gets hair it won’t even be noticeable. So I tried to drop it.
Budget Friendly Kitchen Updates
When we first moved into our home it was not love at first sight between me and the kitchen. I had a very expensive vision with what I wanted to do with the space. To me, an updated kitchen really sells a home. Our kitchen already had granite counter tops and hardwood floors but it needed some TLC when it came to paint, fixtures, and hardware. If I had all the money in the world (well one I would have bought an actual move in ready house haha), but two I would have swapped out the counter tops and back splash, opened up the wall to the living room, and added bench seating in the breakfast nook. Can you guess who totally turned me down on all my wonderful ideas?? Husbands, am I right??
Walls Came Down, Anxieties Went Up
My husband had a grand idea to tackle a renovation during this quarantine because he got word he’d be working from home till the end of the year and he needed an office space. I did not want to knock down walls and undergo this big project with a newborn in the house but, you can’t always win in a marriage. You know because of… compromise.
The first wall came down, and my anxieties went up.
Toddler Water Safety
I’m going to start off this post by saying that I can sometimes be dramatic. As a mother my drama is sometimes heightened due to my anxious mama heart always going to the worst case scenario. But I don’t think I’m being dramatic right now in saying a couple days ago could have ended as the worst day of my life. But God intervened in the form of mother’s intuition. And now I’m sharing because I think this safety concern is so important.
Our love story
Colton came into my life when I wasn’t ready for him. I had just gotten out of a relationship - isn’t that how it always goes?? It wasn’t a bad relationship. It just was super not meant to be. But it was a breakup so I was sad. I was done with men! Again, isn’t that how it always goes? But really, I was. I was ready to focus on my relationship with Jesus, and myself, and my girlfriends and that was it.
The best baby toys 0-6 months
Anything to keep a baby entertained I am all about. Paxton loved these toys when he was a baby and now Hadley is loving them just as much.
Tummy timeplay mats - you don't NEED multiple play mats. However, we were gifted with multiple and have one in 3 different rooms and it is honestly helpful to be able to set Hadley down to play in each room if I need to do something. If you set them down on their backs to play I recommend getting this pillow to prevent them from getting a flat head! She loves her water sensory mat! It keeps them so entertained during tummy time.
My decision to be a stay-at-home mom
To be honest and transparent, this was always my dream. To be able to stay at home with my kids and not have to send them to daycare. To be there for them during their entire first few years of life to just raise them and be there through every milestone.
When I was pregnant with Paxton, I quickly realized that dream was not going to happen because it was not financially smart to quit my job as a teacher.
Oh Crap, I ruined my baby
If you’re a mom I know you’ve all thought this at least once. And if you’re like me, multiple times. I remember the first time this crossed my mind when my first child was a newborn. We were holding him to sleep so much that he wouldn’t sleep in his bassinet. So of course I thought “oh crap! I ruined my baby!” I held him too much. I didn’t give him enough opportunities to try and learn to put himself to sleep. He will never recover, we are doomed.
Wrong. When he was 3 months old he was fully sleep trained. It was almost as if holding your newborn baby a lot DOESN’T in fact ruin them. Crazy.
Toddler Toys- Paxton's Current Favorites
Entertaining a 2 year old can sometimes be a challenge. They get distracted so easily and move on to the next activity (or mischief). For the past few months these toys have been at the top of his entertainment list! He can play with each of these for several minutes (haha) at a time.
A Prayer for my Children
There has been so much that has happened in our world already in 2020. It has been a daily challenge for me to be actively seeking the good in every day. With the news and social media constantly ringing in my ears and in my heart it’s been a time of self reflection. I quit my job this year. I added a second baby to our family. I started this blog. It has also been monumental for ME. But as I take a step back I can so clearly see, it is not about me. I truly believe I was put on this Earth not only to be a servant of Christ but to raise servants of Christ. This isn’t about me. It’s about my children.
My husband and I went to marriage counseling
It took postpartum depression and an accumulation of built up resentment to put us in marriage counseling just a few months after our first child was born. But it shouldn’t have. I believe marriage counseling isn’t just for couples that are in the trenches. Honestly, I wish we would have started even sooner. Before the stuff hit the fan. If you read the post on “honest thoughts about breastfeeding” you’ll see that it took a hormonal meltdown for us to begin seeking help.
Honest thoughts about breastfeeding
I want to start off by saying that if you are not expecting, or you're pregnant so you haven't experienced breastfeeding yet, that yes this post is an honest one but it's just one mama's experience. Just like everyone's pregnancy is different, and everyone's birth story is different, so is everyone's breastfeeding journey. With that being said, here are some of my honest thoughts about breastfeeding.