The Road To 25K

Hi, friends!I'm so grateful that you're here today! This post has been a long time coming and if you'd asked me a year ago, I probably would have told you it would never come. But here it is and I'm just so full of gratitude to be able to share this little part of my story.About a year and a half ago, our whole life turned upside down when my husband Matt had a horrible relapse. He was diagnosed his senior year of high school with an auto immune disease and throughout most of our marriage, we have been able to keep it under control. Things were spiraling out of control around Christmas time in 2015 and we felt helpless as to what was going on and how to stop it. Finally in January Matt was admitted to the hospital and had emergency surgery. Turns out, he was almost septic and in a very dangerous situation. The surgery was a temporary fix but he would end up being in the hospital for over three weeks and then in and out of the hospital for the next year to follow.I say all that to give you a little glimpse into what our lives looked like when I thought to myself "Hey, maybe a blog would be a good idea!" Ha! I was in the hospital one day with Matt when I got this sinking feeling that he might not ever be able to go back to work. I started wondering what we would do. Since he owns his own business, if he doesn't work, we find ourselves in a pickle! I also knew that our medical expenses were going to start adding up. The anxiety started causing me to dip further and further into fear.I was willing myself to take deep breaths when I got this thought "I should start blogging again." I had dabbled with it a bit before but let it go while my babies were really little. I even had the crazy idea that maybe I could make it into a business and actually help support my family, all the while staying home with my babies. It still felt like a dream.At the time, I'm pretty sure I had about 5 followers on Instagram and couldn't even remember my blogger password. I was also frazzled and un-showered any given day of the week. I loved putting outfits together and I loved helping other people. So if I could help other people put outfits together, I may actually stumble into something I really enjoy.A few weeks later we were back in the hospital but this time, Matt was well enough to be able to walk around a bit. We took an afternoon walk around the hospital/college campus and it was a glorious day. I was so nervous but I said "Hey, babe. I know this sounds crazy. But could you take a picture of me?" My sweet Matt has really never thought any of my ideas were crazy (bless him) so he said yes of course. So there he was barely able to walk, still in so much pain and he's taking my very first OOTD. There I am with confidence the size of a mustard seed watching all these people walk by while I'm trying to act natural for the picture. Looking back it was just so funny and precious at the same time.I posted the picture that afternoon and then decided to keep on going. My goal was to reach 1000 followers on Instagram and I made myself a promise that even if it was hard, I wouldn't give up til I had at least given it a year.Now into year two and here we are at 25 THOUSAND of you following along and being a part of our every day lives. You guys are the ones that have sent countless prayers up on our behalf when Matt's been sick and you've laughed alongside me in this hilarious journey of motherhood. Yes, we have talked a lot of clothes but I think we've done more than that. My dream for this space has always been to build a community where we encourage and lift each other up. One of my favorite Proverbs tells a story about a wife of Noble Character. it describes her as being clothed in fine linen and purple, which would be equivalent to suede and Louie Vuitton (or something close to that!) but it also says she is clothed with strength and dignity. The two don't have to mutually exclusive. I want to learn to do both well.I have learned SO much about myself over this past year and a half and I am really SO grateful to those of you who have followed along with me and given a lot of grace as I've learned what the heck I'm doing.This week is all about celebrating YOU GUYS and I'm excited to be giving away a few of my favorite things as a way to say THANK YOU!All my love to all of you! You are a blessing to me and I'm so so so grateful that you're not just followers, you're FRIENDS!Thank you!!!!!All my love to YOU!

Front Porch Chats - Manners

 

It's picture day at school and we have been patiently waiting to wear these amazing little dresses from Bella Bliss! Oh my I can barely handle the sweetness!

I bribed the babes to take at least one picture with mommy! MnM's and a hopscotch board will do the trick every time!

 

My dress linked hereThe girls shoes linked hereThe girls dresses lined hereMy boots linked hereIf you follow me on Instagram you know that occasionally, when the girls are resting, I'll sit on the front porch swing and share a few ideas that are working for us in the parenting department. We certainly don't have it all figured out but we are doing our best to raise kids that aren't the worst. One thing that's always driven me bananas is how kids (and sometimes adults!) make demands of people when they want something.OR.Even worse. They'll make statements and expect people to do what they want without ever asking.I know these are kids we're talking about but for goodness sake, if we don't teach them some basic principals when it comes to respect for others and using manners, then no one will. And if there's one thing I've learned about children, it's that when you respectfully expect certain behaviors and you're willing to put in the energy over a consistent period of time to teach them those behaviors, they CAN and WILL rise to the occasion.For instance, if my three year old says "I'm thirsty" we respond with "Rowen, that's just a statement. How would we turn that into a request using manners?" And in the beginning we would also have to say "Try: 'Mommy, could you get me some water, please?" But now, if prompted to make a request using manners, she knows exactly what to say.If Reese says "Give me that cup" we say "That's a demand and we don't respond to demands. Can you turn that into a request using your manners?"Our tone is never condescending because that would defeat the whole purpose. If the goal is to teach your children to be respectful with their needs and wants, we need to do the same for them. I've never quite understood how a parent could bark orders at their kids and then scold them when the kids bark back. Yes, as a parent you are an authority but shouldn't that mean that you model the respect you want to see in your kids?I feel like it's really valuable to remind our children what their words mean so they know that they carry weight. Whether ugly or kind, the words we speak have great meaning. This is a very safe and practical way for children to start understanding and taking responsibility for their words. Yes, it would take less time to just say "Try that again and say it nicer this time" or to just give them what they ask for. But it's a teachable moment that doesn't take a whole lot of effort on our end to incorporate.So here it is in an easy takeaway:"I'm thirtsy"That's a statement."Give me water"That's a demand."Could you please give me some water"That's a request using manners and that's what we're after!What I've loved about incorporating this into our home is that it's changed the overall tone in which our children speak to us and to each other. It sounds so gracious to request something in a kind way.Cultivating kindness in our home takes on a lot of different forms but this is something we practice all. the. time. And we have been so excited to see the outcome so far!I hope it's something you'll be able to use in your home and that it'll make a positive difference!"Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healing to the body." Proverbs 16;24 

Falling for Stripes

I blame it on my mom. I can remember as a little girl looking up into her closets and seeing so many stripes I thought I might go cross eyed. There's something so classic and sophisticated about stripes and when I'm wearing them, I feel put together.Momma obviously felt the same way.I've already found myself with approximately half of my closet selection being of the stripe variety and I'm not even mad about it. I love to mix pattern and a good stripe is the perfect foundation.When I found this bell sleeved baby blue sweater last week, I immediately swooned! My general rule before purchasing something is that I need to be able to have at least three different ways I could wear it in order for it to make sense. I love this sweater with white jeans or front tucked into a suede skirt. It's also long enough to wear over leggings for a relaxed feel. The price also needs to be right. This one is under $38. Check the boxes and welcome to my closet, my friend.      I love that the color of the sweater is slightly lighter on the bottom and gets a little deeper at the top. I also love the cutout detail by the hem.Sweater linked hereBlush loafers linked here 

Memory Verse Monday - August 14

Hi, friends! I just shared on this week's memory verse Monday on my instagram but I decided to share it here too just in case! "For we are God's workmanship created in Jesus Christ, to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 One of the reasons we taught this one to our girls is because we want them to always remember that God loves them AND He has a plan for them. So after we recite this one, we talk about God's love and His plans. Both are placed individually on each of these precious lives and that is something to celebrate! Hope y'all are having a great start to your week! Laura