mommies

May 10, 2014 Leave a Comment

momblog

One day out of the year, we have this beautiful opportunity to give back to the people who have given us so much: our moms. Mother’s Day.

And while I think the holiday is precious, I feel like there really aren’t any words or gifts that can describe my appreciation and love. So, this doesn’t even come close to expressing how I feel about my moms… but I still wanted to take an opportunity to praise them!

I have two amazing moms. My mamasita, Luisel and my mother-in-law, Peggi. I mean I really really hit the jackpot with these two. There isn’t a day that goes by that I am not incredibly thankful to have them as moms.

They have given me an incredible example of what a Godly woman looks like. And, they have also shown me how to be a better a mommy.

As I get older (and now that I am a mommy myself), I realize more and more how much they have done for me and continue to do every day.

Peggi, thanks for being so thoughtful. Whether it’s a gift in the mail or flying here to help watch the kids… you are so sacrificial! Thank you for our phone conversations. Thanks for your support and encouragement. Thank you for believing in me. Thank  you for loving me as if I was your own daughter. Thanks for spoiling me and always having a coke and treats in stock. I love you!

Mom, First, ha thanks for birthing me (I know now that wasn’t easy.. whew). Thank you for making birthdays so special every year. Thanks for encouraging me and supporting me in my dreams. Thank you for your random cards in the mail, they are so encouraging. Thank you for being so present and involved in my life. Thank you for investing in my children.. They sure do love their Pinky. Thanks for teaching me how to clean, cook, and manage a home. Thanks for being there to randomly go to breakfast last minute. I love you mamasita! I hope you feel blessed today.

And to all the mommies out there, I pray you feel loved and blessed this Mother’s Day weekend! You deserve it!

 

Filed Under: Mommy Moments, Thoughts

from the mouths of babes

May 6, 2014 Leave a Comment

My mind has been on a roll today, last night… um,  all week.

First of all, it’s my time of the month… TMI, sorry. So, I am weirdly emotional and I have been eating like garbage (which makes me feel like garbage). I am exhausted on many levels. I haven’t been on the best terms with my husband the last few days (Not that we are fighting, fighting.. but you know those stretches where you don’t feel as tight? Like one of those times). Our schedules have been insanely busy (tis the time of year). Right when I feel I have caught up with my business.. I add 5 more things on to my edit/to do list. I am turning 30 in like a month (kinda freaking out). My foster son’s case has been all over the place.. and though it has made a crazy turn and the future looks so exciting right now.. I still have that doubt in the back of mind that the plan will change again. My laundry baskets are never empty. My floors are dirty again. Oh shoot, I forgot I am making a day trip to NYC this Friday for a session.. I need to figure out childcare. Is it Mother’s Day this weekend? I want a piece of chocolate….. You get my point? I could really keep this list going on and on… and it is does go and go and go in my head.

Ok.. breathe Jenny. BREATHE.

I was feeling a bit unglued earlier today. My hubby and I got in a little tiff. I went to the room by myself and immediately started praying asking God for help. But, honestly, it was one of those selfish- I am such a victim type- prayers like, “Why can’t you just help him see that he is being mean God? Can’t you convict him of his crappy attitude? Doesn’t he get that he hurts my feelings? Etc, etc”

My 4 year old Kira walked in on my crying… came and hugged me and said, “Mommy, you and Daddy are on a team. You will be ok.”

Welp. Didn’t take long for me to feel convicted. Kira was right. We are a team. We should be fighting for our marriage… not fighting each other.

What exactly was I doing to help the situation with my husband? To fight FOR the marriage? Did I put myself in his shoes? My attitude/words were disrespectful too. How does it make him feel? Should I apologize?

Not only that, why am I running to pray now? Just because I am emotional and crying? I should have been covering my husband and our marriage in prayer way more than just that moment. The more I thought about it, the more I realized… I hadn’t been spending time with the Lord this last week. I mean, it’s the same excuses.. I am busy.. I have three small kids. My time with Him ends up being rushed. But, in that moment.. that ugly unglued moment… I realized that it won’t cut it. I HAVE TO MAKE TIME. I am a selfish, insecure, and an emotional wreck without my Heavenly Father.

About an hour later, Ellie and I left for our date. I took her to Zumba tonight as a treat for behaving so well at school lately. While we were in the car, we prayed for our night. Her prayer.. “Lord, please help my mommy to see that she is loved by you. Help her to get rid of her fears and trust in you. Also, help her to know she is pretty.. even without makeup. Amen”

Wow. I opened my tear filled eyes and praised God for my little blessings.

Thank you Lord for speaking much needed truth to me today through the mouths of my children.

 

 

Filed Under: Mommy Moments, Thoughts Tagged With: , , , ,

kira graduates

May 3, 2014 Leave a Comment

My precious Kira Grace graduated preschool last night. Sniff!

To celebrate we had a “Kira and Mommy” day. One of my favorite things to do in the world is to take my kids and spend time with them individually. I feel like that is when we have the funniest conversations or I notice something new about their personality. I love it!

It’s sad to know that next year I won’t be able to do these little dates as much during the week because both girls will be in school full time (talk about really needing tissues now).

So, I really wanted to take advantage of this time together Friday.

We started the morning at Kira’s favorite breakfast spot..  Panera (which we don’t go to often anymore because mommy is trying to stay away from Gluten).

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Then we went for Kira’s first Mani/Pedi. She sat so still and was very polite to the woman helping her.

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Kiki loves car washes. I don’t know what it is about them.. but she is so intrigued. So next stop was the car wash!

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Then we stopped by Steak and Shake and had a M&M shake.

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We came home and snuggled and watched her movie pick, Frozen.

It was such a great day. I am blessed to have Kira as my daughter. She has a kind heart. She is hilariously funny. She is beautiful inside and out.  I am so proud to be her mama!

Here’s a few from Graduation night…

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Filed Under: Mommy Moments

garden fun

April 15, 2014 Leave a Comment

So, our family started a little adventure a few weeks ago. We decided to plant a garden. We have grown some other things before in our yard (mangos, bananas, blackberries, oranges, and other herbs and potted veggies). This was the first time we attempted a little fenced in boxed garden area.

I ended up finding two wooden boxes on the side of the road that somebody had thrown out (those are the yellow colored ones). I was hoping to find a dresser as well with some drawers, but no luck. We took the two wooden boxes and drilled a few holes on the bottom, put a barrier in the bottom, mulch, and then the soil. We also had a bunch of plastic pots from plants we had gotten a few months ago for landscaping. So, we reused those as well. Then we picked up the cedar box at Home Depot for $40. We are hoping to get a few different crops from the box.

The project probably costed around $100-$125 for the dirt, seeds, and cedar box. We had the fencing already.. which was helpful. We put that up so our puppies don’t get in there.

We planted lots of yummy things. Some were transplanted from little cups that we started on the porch.

But here’s what we have in the garden this year…

Watermelon, Tomatos, Cucumber, Sweet Peppers, Jalapeño Peppers, Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Snap Peas, Strawberries, Arugula, Cilantro, and Basil.

I am sure it is probably cheaper to just buy all of that produce at Whole Foods, but it has been/will be really fun to do with the girls. They have already been great about watering the plants each day.

I will be sure to keep you posted on how it goes!

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Filed Under: Mommy Moments, Thoughts Tagged With: , ,

letting go

March 24, 2014 2 Comments

My life has been so busy lately. And, it never fails… when I get too busy, I neglect my time with the Lord.

This morning I felt pretty convicted about that. My time has been rushed, forgotten, or delayed too much the last couple weeks.

One of things I notice in myself when I am not spending enough time with God, is I quickly begin to doubt.

I doubt that He does have everything under control. I doubt that He does care about the little things. I doubt that I am here for a purpose. The list goes on…

If I would just spend time in His presence actually listening to His words.. I would see those things are not true.

He is in control.

Say it again Jenny, HE IS IN CONTROL.

Which means I need to let go of trying to be in control.

Lately I have been barely keeping my head above water trying to keep up with my business, mommy duties, fostering, being a wife, and a good friend. I think I can keep it all in order and under control, but it’s not working. I am exhausted. I am overwhelmed. I am emotional.

It’s a lesson I am constantly relearning… but I need to LET GO. I need to BE STILL.

One of my biggest fears lately has revolved around my little foster son. We love this little guy so much and it seems every week his future could change. That’s hard. I literally don’t have any control over what happens. I need to let go of thought that I do. I need to turn to the ONE who does have power of his future. The one who does have a purpose and plan for this precious child.

It wasn’t by chance that my morning read was on this very subject today. Here’s a little snapshot.

Jesus Today

(And if you haven’t ever read Sarah Young’s little daily books… go and get one! They are so awesome. This is my second year doing Jesus Today…)

Anybody else in my boat lately? Anybody else need to give the wheel over to the captain?

 

 

Filed Under: Foster Parenting, Mommy Moments Tagged With: , , ,

q & a- the cradle coach

February 25, 2014 Leave a Comment

So today is an exciting day… because it starts my Q&A series on the blog. I am so, so excited about this. I have some awesome women lined up to share with your their stories and expertise.

My first interview was with Melissa, also known as the Cradle Coach. Melissa and I have been friends since college and I have always admired her mommy skills. She now shares those skills with other mamas… especially ones who struggle with their children’s sleeping patterns.

I am sure if you have been a mom….  you remember! Those long… long… nights of being completely exhausted. Some of you may still be there! I know I have been with our foster son the past few months.

Well, you need to read her advice below and be sure to check out her site here.

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Tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Melissa and I am a mother of two little ones, Riley (3) and Hudson (1), who I am totally in love with. I married the man of my dreams who I met in college. He makes me become a better wife, mother, sister and friend every single day by pushing me to be greater. There are three things I need every day to get me through; spending time in the word, running, and drinking coffee. If I don’t get those in, I feel completely lost. I absolutely love what I get to do and love the people I get to do it with.

What inspired you to become The Cradle Coach?

I was sitting on my couch, feeding Riley who was 2 months old at the time, and scrolling through my phone searching for someone to talk to about training my very stubborn little girl. I was up all night, every night, for 2 months straight and was exhausted. I wasn’t myself and felt completely out of control. I was desperate! For years I was a nanny and dealt with many situations like this with infants, twins and toddlers but when it was my own child with very real emotions to consider, I didn’t know where to begin. Nothing worked and I couldn’t find a single person to talk to. Then and there was when I decided to start The Cradle Coach. I wanted to help other moms create a routine for their children during the day and a game plan for the wake ups at night, while giving them that emotional support along the way.

What’s the biggest challenge you see parents running in to when it comes to their children’s sleeping habits?

Second guessing themselves. They start off with a technique and after a day or two, think that its not working and try something else. This causes so much confusion for their little ones – communicating by their actions one thing and changing things on them the next night. Stick to your plan for at least a week to see if you see progress. If you don’t then change things up a little but too much change creates for a harder time sleep training.

I remember when I had my first child, everyone had some sort of advice to give when it came to feedings, schedules, etc. What would you say to a new mom about the rush of advice they receive? How do they know who is right?

I always say to my clients, go with your motherly instinct. If your gut is telling you something about your child, more then likely you are right! Nobody can tell you more about your child then you can, so trust your gut.

Any other tips for fellow mamas?

Routine, Routine, Routine! Children thrive on routine. They like knowing whats expected of them and what’s next. Starting off with a little bedtime routine before you lay them to sleep helps them know it’s time to go to sleep. It slows them down and And obviously, enjoy the moments. Sometimes we are so exhausted that we cant see the joy in the moment. Be open to those moments. Love on those moments. They go by so fast!!

Thanks so much Melissa. And like I said follow her page on Facebook here and check out her website here. Great advice!

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Filed Under: Mommy Moments, Q&A Tagged With: , , ,

reward charts

February 20, 2014 1 Comment

Today’s post is for the parents out there with children in the 3-7 yrs range.

It’s a fun age.. honestly that 3-5 span has been my favorite yet! But, sometimes it can be hard work to keep your kids on track as a parent.

I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like I am constantly repeating myself.

“Go put your clothes in the the hamper.”

“Say Please!”

“Mommy has already asked you three times to….”

Not to mention the bedtime struggles (Do they really have to pee and get a drink that much?)

And the dinner struggles (Why won’t they just eat their veggies?)

So, enter in the Reward Chart. Luke and I started this about a year and a half ago. And we will go through seasons of forgetting about it.. and we can tell. I start to feel all of those things I just described before. We go back to using the chart more often and… walah! You start to see the change.

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We love it because it gives us a chance to encourage good behavior (instead of always nagging on the wrong) and it also gives the girls a reminder of what’s right. Not to mention they are competitive and love to try and fill their charts up quickly.

Once they have their chart full, the girls get to go to their favorite Frozen Yogurt place and have their own yogurt with toppings (This is a big deal in our house).

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Now, my good friend Beth has a son the same age as Ellie. She started a reward chart as well recently (but hers is way more creative).

She designed hers to be pirate themed… How fun is that? Especially for a boy!

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Here’s her description of how her chart works… you must go and check it out!

And while you are at it, check out some of her other great projects. She is one of the most creative moms I know.

So whether you put together a simple chart like ours or want to get more creative… maybe this is something that can help you with your preschool/early elementary aged child?

If you try it out, comment below and let me know how it works!

Filed Under: Mommy Moments

ellie is 6

February 10, 2014 1 Comment

I can’t believe my baby girl is six today! Time flies by so very quickly.

I remember when she was first born feeling this rush of emotions and I couldn’t imagine loving her more than I did that moment. But, my love continues to grow.

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Elena Joy is such a blessing. She has a contagious smile and laugh. She is so thoughtful and caring of others. Her cards and notes are my favorite. She loves giving gifts. She is very smart. Her singing voice is so pure and precious. She has an adventurous spirit. She has a wild imagination. Her dance moves are awesome. Not to mention, she is pretty darn cute.

I couldn’t be more proud of the lovely lady she is becoming. It is truly an honor to be her mommy.

Happy Birthday baby girl! What a great 6 years it has been.

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Here’s a few shots from yesterday. She wanted to have a picnic for her birthday with a few friends and family. Unfortunately, this mommy got the stomach flu early yesterday morning and couldn’t attend. While I was pretty bummed I could go to her party, I was also very blessed by friends and family who stepped up to make sure the day went as planned. And she had a blast!

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Filed Under: Mommy Moments
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