Caught you being kind!

Let me be the first to say, a parenting expert I certainly am not. However I am a big believer of do whatever works for you and when you find something that works, share the wealth!

Lately my wild man G has been pushing buttons I didn't even know I had. Discipline was becoming a four letter word in our house. The little guy is a little too smart for his own good and nothing was working. Timeout, spanking, taking away toys. They all just brought on laughter from the culprit and frustration from the exhausted parent.

The other day at a friend's house I noticed a glass bowl with balls on her counter. Wondering if I had missed the latest in kitchen decor I asked what it was. She then explained, "Caught you being kind!"

Basically "Caught you being kind!" rewards good behavior instead of focusing on the negative. All you need are some ping pong balls and a big glass bowl.

Anytime you see your little one doing something good, you say, "Caught you being kind!" and they get to put a "kind ball" in the bowl. For G, we have told him he has to get ten balls in his bowl, and then can pick a treat. We told him he could go and pick out a toy or go get a milkshake, anything he wanted. He has requested Chuck E. Cheese {oh yippee!}. But if he does something that is not kind, we take a ball out. 

I have to say I was extremely skeptical if this would work, but it has! It's like he is a completely different kid. He now refers to himself as "Kind George." Don't get me wrong, he still has his moments, but I see a trip to Chuck E. Cheese in our near future.

We're all a mess.

The other day at my women's bible study the notion of "we're all a mess" came up in the discussion. Some of the girls were sharing how thankful they are that our generation has it so much easier than the generation of women before us who couldn't easily admit {or easily be accepted for admitting} that "we're all a mess."

I had to disagree though {B would respond right now, "surprise, surprise."}. I shared with the group that thanks to social media I think it can sometimes be harder to admit we're all a mess. We look at the highlight reel Instagram provides of adorable children, fabulous vacations and gorgeous home decor. Pinterest shows all the super moms crafting and creating projects and decorations. Even a basic lunch sandwich is turned into something cute and clever.

This hit me today as I glanced at my Insta feed. The last shots are of our amazing weekend celebrating Baby Jude, but what no one is seeing is that right now we are stuck at home with runny noses and cranky spirits. I'm still in my pjs and just made my third cup of coffee which will actually be my first since the other two set cold as I dealt with said runny noses and cranky spirits. Now don't get me wrong, no one wants to follow along the rants and ravings of everyday trials and tribulations, but every now and then it's good to recognize and admit, we're all a mess. I don't care who you are or what life stage you're in, we are all a mess. And quite honestly it's really good to say that out loud and cut ourselves a little slack every now and then. So I thought I'd share why I am a mess {believe me, this is just a sampling!}.

*I often buy fresh flowers to put around the house instead of just cleaning. People tend to notice the blooms instead of the dirt {at least that's what I'm telling myself!}. I'm such a mess!

*I lose my patience with my little men way too easily. I'm such a mess!

*I've been known to go several days without washing my hair {dry shampoo is a lifesaver!}. I'm such a mess!

*I have serious FOMO {fear of missing out}, and it makes even the tiniest decisions impossible. I'm such a mess!

*I snap at my husband way too often for no good reason at all when all he's trying to do is help. I'm such a mess!

*Instead of being productive, I've been known {more often than not} to nap when the boys nap {and I wonder why I can't get anything done!}. I'm such a mess!

*If I had a whole day to myself I would totally just lay on the couch and watch a marathon of the Real Housewives. I'm such a mess!

So tell me, how are you a mess??

Scenes from the weekend...Jude's Picnic Party

It might be Wednesday, but I feel like I'm just now starting this week. Oh what a weekend! Feeling very grateful as we celebrated my sweet baby Jude turning one, and as with any big celebration, I'm pooped. My fabulous mom {and partner in crime!} came in town to celebrate and help me throw our darling picnic party {as in baking all the desserts until 1:30am the night before!}. With doom and gloom in the forecast we prayed the rain would hold off, and thankfully it did. In turn, it was the hottest day of the year! Drenched in sweat we all still had a ball. We were sad more of our family could not make it in town, but our amazing friends made up for that. Plenty of food, some adult spiked lemonade and a hula hoop contest made for a good party. Jude absolutely loved his cake and got plenty of help from big brother and friends. In true picnic fashion the ants took over! It was just as the clouds started rolling back in, so we packed up our picnic. Luckily a little rain couldn't put a damper on our party, so the adults sat on the porch {sipping lemonade!} and watched the kids play in the rain. It was the perfect party for my sweet baby Jude.

Stay tuned for more pics featuring all the fun picnic goodies we used for the party!

Twelve Months of Baby Jude!

Happy birthday, Jude! Cannot believe it has been one year since you entered this world. Our lives were so richly blessed twelve months ago when you arrived, and it has been a joy each day since. There have certainly been days better than others, and I laugh thinking back to how hard I thought "two under two" was. Little did I know it just gets harder! Ha. But it's the best kind of work, because watching you grow and develop your little personality is the greatest gift. You have seriously been the best baby and make my life easier. You have been my little chill baby and just go with the flow as we keep up with your brother's crazy antics. It is my prayer on this first birthday that you know just how loved you are. I never knew my heart was so big until I met you. You fill it and make your momma oh so happy. Here's hoping you just learn to snuggle in this second year of life you busy little thing you! Much love my little man!

Mexican Getaway

A wise woman once shared with me the key to happy marriage is "a date a week, a honeymoon a year." I could not agree more! B and I are back from the most incredible weekend away. We tend to travel a good bit, but it's always to visit family and friends for either holidays, weddings or special occasions or for B's job. Now don't get me wrong, his work travel is always a ton of fun, and this weekend was actually supposed to be one of our favorite trips {Nashville in Napa}. We were so looking forward to it since we missed it last year {a little busy having Jude!}, so we were super bummed to find out a few weeks ago the event was unexpectedly cancelled. But as fun as work trips are, they are still work. Agendas, schedules, schmoozing and mingling with other people. There is just something about going away one on one with no plans and no one else to worry about. We had not done that since before we had kids. Luckily we already had MeMo lined up to watch the boys, so we called a travel agent friend and two weeks out booked a quick trip to Playa del Carmen. We are so not spontaneous, but this trip was just what we needed.

This trip was everything and more I hoped it would be. Seriously. It's like the minute we landed in Mexico we were two giddy kids on Christmas morning. We checked in and literally checked out. Lounging by the pool, laying on the beach, sipping on fruity drinks and stuffing ourselves silly with the most amazing food. The resort was incredible. Phenomenal service. I don't think we went more than a few minutes without someone asking if we needed another snack or something else to sip. Another fabulous part of vacation is not taking yourself too seriously. We totally enjoyed the afternoon poolside Bingo competition as well as a little karaoke. Can I just say people watching might be my favorite thing ever?? As intoxicating as the atmosphere was {metaphorically and literally!}, the highlight of the trip was the time spent together just B and me. A date night here and there is wonderful and we'll certainly take them when we get them, but four uninterrupted days together is a treat I do not take for granted. I joked with B that we could have been at a roadside motel just outside of Nashville for all I cared. I was just thankful and oh so grateful for the time alone with just him. But who am I kidding, it certainly helped to be in paradise!

Leaving on a jet plane

In just a few short hours this will be our scene for the next few days! I love my boys, but B and I lounging here, drinks in hand, sun beating down, I could not be more ready. Mexico here we come!

The Perfect Invite for Jude's Big Day

I cannot believe it, but my little man will be turning one next week. One year already?? Where did this first year of his life go? 

I knew I wanted to do something special for his first birthday. A sweet celebration with family and friends toasting this incredible year with our precious little man. We decided on a picnic theme and scoured Pinterest for the perfect invitations to set the tone for his special day. Unfortunately nothing was really jumping out at me.

That all changed when I received an email introducing me to the newest collection of invitations from Tiny Prints. I had the absolute best time playing around on the Tiny Prints website looking at all the darling creations! The best part about Tiny Prints is their flexibility. If you see an invitation you like but the wording or font is not a good match, the designers can work to customize it for you. For example the invite I ended up choosing for Jude's picnic party has a darling gingham print on the back which was just perfect for our theme, but it was yellow, which did not match our theme. No problem at all! The incredible Tiny Prints team switched it to red with no trouble at all. I was able to upload my little guy's sweet face, plug in our information and click submit in no time at all. Time is not my friend these days, so I appreciate how user-friendly their process is. The next week the invites were at my door, and I could not be more pleased with how they turned out!

And just like we did for George's first birthday party, we are asking guests not to bring gifts but a donation instead. This little addition looks perfect on the back of the invitations.

I decided to get a little crafty and packaged them up in brown paper lunch sacks with a little red and white gingham washi tape courtesy of the cutest little Etsy shop.

I am just so thankful to Tiny Prints for allowing me to create these adorable invitations that so perfectly set the tone for Jude's special day. The customer service they offered was above anything I've experienced lately! Another benefit of Tiny Prints? They have so much more to offer other than just invitations! Stay tuned to see what other fun Tiny Prints goodies we have for Jude's party.

Invitations c/o Tiny Prints