Mom Moment Monday

Things have been pretty quite around these parts. However, "in real life" we've been busier than ever!  I think we feel more settled here each day and each weekend. We're spending so much time with our CO friends, that I hardly have the time to document it. Which, for me, I guess is an awesome lesson. Life life, don't spend your life "documenting" life.

I'm so incredibly thankful for the friends we've made here. When we left such a wonderful group in CA I never thought we'd feel the same about any other group of people. Sure enough, we now have people we can call on for fun, or if we need someone to watch E so we can spend 3 hours at Home Depot.

We're so lucky to have found other families that care for our girl and have wonderful children that we care about in return.

In a wrap up of the last few weekends...we've:
-Had an easter egg hunt
-Had easter brunch
-Played well passed bedtime with friends from pre-school that live around the corner from us
-Roasted marshmallows in our new firepit
-Had breakfast, lunch, and dinner outside on the patio
-E started "gardening." And by gardening, I mean digging holes all over the yard
-Skipped bath times and ignored bed times for more playing and fun!
-Had a mommy-daughter date night at Disney on Ice (it was amazing, I totally recommend it)

The common theme has been being outside with friends. And while we are supposed to get SLAMMED with snow for the next few days, I can keep in my heart the promise of spring and what wonderful outdoor memories we're making!

We've cuddled more. Fought less. And generally are just more appreciative of our little family (and our friends). E and I are coming to terms with her clothing issues. On Saturday she wore a pink dress with her Cowgirl Jesse hat. She looked ridiculous, and like she was a 4 year old that picked out her entire outfit herself. And, she got lots of compliments from the stores we went to....And, I'm coming to terms with not caring about it.

I'm a control freak. No denying it. My poor husband... It is truly a daily struggle to manage it and how it affects my little girl. But, each day is a little easier when I work on it.

Patience.

It goes right along with being a control freak. I'm getting better. I think.... breathe...

Recent snap shots

Picking my battles - a hump day post...

Happy hump day! The hubs left today for a few days of travel, so the rest of the week will be a bit touch and go for me and E. We don't function well when we aren't all together as a family. Wish me luck (prayers accepted).

I've talked a lot about my challenges with E and her attire. Eventually, we took the "fancy" dresses out of her dresser and put them in the closet. Now, when we send her to her dresser to pick out her clothes they are out of sight and mostly out of mind. So far, so good.

Yesterday E wore this adorable outfit. My cousin sent her the skirt for her birthday and she was really feeling the color pink. In fact, I joked that the day was brought to you by the color pink....

Today, same skirt. But a WHOLE different look. I wasn't interested in fighting with her this morning. The skirt was not really dirty and siting in a pile of clothes to be put away. If it wasn't "dirty" and in the dirty laundry basket, then why couldn't she wear it again. This was an argument I was interested in fighting, we'd already had one of those (more on that below). So, in the end, I gave up the process entirely and this is what she came up with. She loved it. I think it both looks ridicules and looks like a 4 year old choose her entire outfit herself.

In other E news...

Last night when we were heading up to bed, she said she couldn't walk because her back hurt. Really kid? You're 4. It's hurts from too much apple juice and Doc McStuffins? Give me a break...

E and I argued this morning about the following:
1. The number of suns there are - or as we call them, Mr. Suns
2. How many arms and legs Mr. Sun has
3. If Mr. Sun has friends

I wish I could make this stuff up. I also tried to put face wash on my loofa in the shower. Awesome.

Confessions of a Mommy

I feel like I should have a bottle of wine sitting next to me with a straw coming straight into my mouth while I type. But, I'm sitting with a sanpellegrino. Not fancy, but delicious none the less.

Can I just start by asking what it is that happens when daddy walks out the door in the morning and E and I loose our ability to function? I think our emotions and hormones go crazy and we stop being able to communicate with our indoor voices. It's nuts.

Today, however, went to a new level. Today, my 4 year old and I had a screaming match. For the first time, she yelled back. E has developed a very particular sense of style. It includes no jeans, no bows, no jersey dresses, no footless tights, no legging under dresses, no sequins, no sneakers, and no ponytails. Basically, she wants to wear the equivalent of an Easter dress with tights, sparkly mary janes, with a headband to school. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. She paints at school. Falls or is pushed to the ground most days. Fancy dresses belong in church, not a preschool every day. We fight every morning about this. Some days are worse than others. Today was the worst. She doesn't feel beautiful in anything else.

I think more than anything, she is looking to control what she can since she has experienced a lot of chaos and change at school. New teachers, a lot of new kids, new class and her bestie leaving the school. She thrives off of a schedule and knowing what to expect. So, her response, I hope, is to control what she can (or thinks she can) - her wardrobe.

Moms - help! How can I expand her wardrobe choices. She said she might consider shorts in summer. maybe. ughfhdklasfdsajklghdsl;afjksdkla;. That's pretty much how I feel on the subject. I locked myself in my room and called my husband who was traveling with his boss today to talk me off the ledge. It was nuts. Stupid really.

In other mommy confessions....

I often in snacks after E is in bed, or in a closet because I don't want to share.

I hate giving baths. I'd rather her shower with me (or not at all) than give her a bath. I hate it.

When the hubs is traveling I go home 30 minutes to watch reality TV by myself before swooping into E's school at the last minute to pick her up. I need that time for my sanity.

I have conditioned E to sleep with me when her daddy is traveling because I hate to sleep alone. Now she thinks it's some type of special treat... it is. For me.

For a long time I said I didn't want another baby because I really didn't think I could handle it emotionally. I'm in a much better place now.

I struggle with patience every day. I pray for patience with E every day.

My greatest struggle as a mother is balancing her happiness with how much it will affect my own.

The evening that E had her febrile seizure was the single scariest moment of my life. Even just thinking about it, to this day, makes me cry because I remember how scared I was. Now, it's no uncommon for me to check on her breathing in the night. Or wake her up. Just to be sure...

Dang. I had know how idea how emotionally screwed up motherhood would make me. It makes me nut, but also the most emotionally fulfilled I could ever imagine. These are just some of my confessions. They aren't pretty, but I own it. What about you?

I just wish every moment could be as sweet as watching these two cuddle on a tiny loveseat. Holy cow, I love them.

An update on my kid and her school bully, but mostly a thank you!

I'd like to start by saying THANK YOU! I wrote a post on Monday about how I was at a bit of a loss because I thought E might be getting bullied at school and I wasn't sure what I should do about it. Was I overreacting? Could kids get kicked out of preschool? Who should I talk to?

The outpouring of support via comments, email, texts was amazing! Thank you! You all gave me the support and confidence to talk to the Assistant Director of E's preschool. I felt like I had all of you with me, supporting me when we had the tough conversation this morning. It should be said that I couldn't connect with her on Monday, so I sent her an email to initiate the conversation. We didn't connect yesterday either, but another teacher mentioned that she had talked to them. But, finally, this morning when dropping off E she shared with me the conversations with all the teachers that E interacts with and the plan they've come up with. I won't get into the details, but I'm pleased with how they've handled it.

You place an enormous responsibility in the people that care for your child. You hope they love them enough and help them feel safe. I've had concerns and issues with E's school in the past, but they really stepped up to the plate here. They prioritized her. They valued her emotional and physical safety. They came up with a plan that, at least for now, will keep her happy and healthy. And that, is so valuable to me. No one is getting kicked out. Parents are being kept in the loop. Communication is happening and hopefully behavior will change. That's the best we can ask for when working with 3 & 4 year olds, right?! So for now. We'll see. We'll keep an eye out. We'll keep talking about it. We'll keep loving our kiddos!

E has had a lot of change at her school since we got back from the holidays. She cries more, naps less, and in general is having a "tough time," as she calls it. But, in the next two weeks her life will be returning a lot more to normal. Her besties and her will be reunited, and I think she'll start to feel a lot more comfortable and safe in her environment.

Again, seriously, thank you! I HATE confrontation. I'm not good at it. Even when I know it needs to be done and I know it's for the good of my family, I still really struggle with it. But, I so appreciate your support and help.

That's all I've got for you today... but tomorrow, I've got some confessions, including the details of a yelling match I had with my 4 year old this morning. I'm not proud of it. But it happened. And this time, she totally yelled back.... oh boy!

Finally, some color!

Since the move to CO, I've committed to bringing more color into our home. We've always had all brown furniture with mostly neutral "accents." Think a lot of beige and sage green. BLEH!

Chevron Curtains
Floral/Home pillow
Navy pillow & Grey Chevron
Lamp

Land that I love
California Love
Tennessee Print
YOU ARE subway: gift from hubs

To say that I'm in love with the way it's turning out is truly an understatement. I've spent more time than is appropriate to admit on pinterest and etsy finding items to buy and inspiration to arrange. I'm not entirely convinced that it's done and may always add something from HomeGoods or TJ Maxx. Those two places are seriously my go to for fun, inexpensive items.

More than anything I want our home to be a place for friends and family to be together. I want color and comfort... function and fashion. It's a balance. Our home is becoming a reflection of our family. We're warm and inviting, but fun too.

And, I'm really just dying over my curtains and how it pulls it all together. I'm in love!

Where do you go for reasonably priced home goods? Any suggestions on additions to what I've got going on?

Mom Moment Monday - I need mommy advice!

I'm mostly just thinking ugh, it's Monday today. The weekend is NEVER long enough. There is always too many errands, too much laundry and not enough naps or cuddles. I finally tackled the laundry monster on Sunday evening. Seriously, it had taken over the bedroom. I had like 3 laundry baskets full of clothes to hang up...and a closet that was mostly still full. It's embarrassing  I love clothes. And now, I can totally justify it by calling some "seasonal" clothes. A luxury I didn't have at home in CA. muwaahahha!

But, while this weekend was jam packed, I did manage to capture one particular gen of a conversation with E. We were having lunch, or dinner or something  The point is that we were eating meat. We love meat. It's delicious. My kid agrees... This is what she told us.

"There is turkey inside beavers and its yummy.
I can actually eat cows and fish because its yummy and they have bones in them" 

None of this makes sense, and yet it is genius.

On a side note, I'm seeking some Mommy advice. For the past few weeks E has been complaining about two boys in particular being mean to her. She is a kid that LOVES school. She has cried on the weekends because school is closed and she can't go. Last night she told me she didn't want to go to school any more because these two boys are mean to her. Now, I'm no helicopter parent. I hate that. Kids needs to work out their issues and learn to deal with one another. But, I mentioned it to one teacher a few weeks ago because she one one of these boys pushed her down and spit on her. That wasn't the first time something like that happened. Basically  the kids a jerk. I got the "we know he's a bit aggressive  but ya know, his mom's pregnant...." speech. While I think that's a bunch of crap, I tried to be patient and let the teachers do what they do with the situation. But, I think I've about had enough. She says these boys push her down all the time and she was in tears because she didn't want to go to school to have it happen again. Moms: what should I do? This seems to be a problem and a pattern. The teacher's can't be there every moment of the day to supervise, but I expect E to be in a safe environment physically and emotionally and I just don't think that is happening right now. Do I let it work it's self out? I feel like I've been patient for several weeks with no change. Or, should I mention it again and ask for something specific to change or be done? Can kids get kicked out of preschool/day care? 

Help!

We're still in epic clean up mode from E's party a week ago. This is one of my favorites.... She looks like such a young lady... dying!

Tomorrow I've got pictures of our (mostly) finished living room/formal dining room decor! EEEK!

Friday, Bottles of Wine and a sneak peek!

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Happy Friday friends! Is it just me or can Friday NEVER come soon enough! Linking up again for Friday coffee dates with Alissa over at Rags to Stitches....I feel like I can just act like Alissa and I are besties now.. Because if we were to have coffee this week I would share that I got to google "hang out" with Alissa and another one of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Living in Yellow and a few other ladies with blogs I now adore!

For... Longer than I'd prefer to admit, I've been a blogger stalkerazzi (yes, I've coined that) of these two. They are honest, funny, and fun. They have fab pics and make readers feel like friends and not "stalkers"..... They post about their real life , something I think we can all relate too.

Well, this week I spent an hour and a half soaking I. Their wisdom when it comes to figuring out this "blogging thing.."

If we were to have coffee this week I'd share that the purpose and direction of this blog is a constant struggle for me. When I started this whole shindig, I entered the blogging community as a way for me to keep friends and family aware of our life... And love story.. But has turned into a really important community for me. It is a source of advice on writing to express myself, marriage, faith, motherhood... And mostly just life.

Life is hard, right!? Am I setting my kiddo up for success? Am I giving g back enough? Am I working on my marriage enough? Am I developing my faith enough? Is it ever enough? In a pinterest inspired world with ever growing pressures on women, I find that the blogger community is an amazing place of support. We build each other up, advocate for one another's causes, share in sorrows and celebrate successes!

If we were to have coffee this week, I'd also tell you that during this little google chat, I finished my very own bottle of wine. By myself.... It was not my finest moment if life or motherhood, but I own up to it. It was some yummy wine and fun conversation. I highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity with Erin from Living in Yellow. Each month she has a guest join her and you get to ask great questions and apparently drink in excess by yourself..=)

Finally, if we were having coffee today, I'd tell you that our formal living room/dining room is DECORATED! I'll be sharing the pictures on Monday. But, I have to share a sneak peek because it is just too colorful and fabulous to keep to myself!