We are totally having one of those weeks where I feel like the exact opposite of “Mom of the Year” simply because we have done a whole lot of nothing! It’s been so nice though. I keep telling myself that the girls need to learn skills associated with independent play and that a couple movies a day never hurt me growing up during the summer. 🙂
We’re doing a good bit of traveling the next five weeks, so a week with less activity is probably a good thing. I’ve had a bunch of blog-related stuff to do which I thoroughly enjoy, but it can be a struggle sometimes to find time to blog since the girls’ nap times are so wonky and unpredictable lately. That “mom guilt” is frequently ringing in my ear that I need to do more academic stuff with the girls (i.e. work more with Sadie on colors, shapes, etc. and Hadley on various things too), but I also know that I need to give myself a break and that I’m probably way more present with the girls than I give myself credit for. #momguiltcanseeitswayoutthedoor #byeeee
Let’s jump into a recent “Slice of Life”! I have a few “favorite things” to share as well as some pictures from recent DeSpain family happenings. 🙂
Military families, do you utilize the USO when you fly? We always do. It’s especially helpful when flying with the girls because the USO usually has a toy area, as well as snacks, drinks, WIFI, comfy chairs, and more. I had about 45 extra minutes at the Pensacola airport on Sunday morning after checking in but before boarding, so I made my way into the USO to grab breakfast and hang out for a bit. Continually grateful for this organization!
My sister is as financially thrifty and smart as they come, and she always has the best ideas for doing things a little more inexpensively. She and I were talking about a month ago about how we’d seen those cute little photo books you can make on Shutterfly that help little ones learn who their family members are; we both thought that Carly (my niece) and Sadie could benefit from these books since they’re not living near their relatives. A couple weeks later this showed up in our mailbox addressed to Sadie!
Jennifer took the time to print out pictures of our family members and put them together in a book for Sadie. Jamie and I were both SO touched.
She included our immediate family, Sadie’s aunt, uncles, grandparents, and great-grandmothers.
Teddy also got a page! Not only is this book just as functional as one that I could have made and purchased online, but seeing the time that she put into it meant the absolute world to me. Thank you so much, Jennifer!
PS: My mom is in Europe visiting my sister, and they’re all currently running around Paris! You better believe that I’m about the greenest I’ve ever been with envy! Ha. 🙂 I know they are having the best time, and it makes me so happy that my mom is getting to see Europe for the first time.
Have you ever heard of or used Rose Hip oil? I read about it on Julie’s blog well over a year ago, and for some reason it stuck with me. I ended up stumbling upon a bottle of it for $5.99 at Marshall’s about a month ago, and OH MY STARS – I am obsessed. Like, really obsessed.
I’ve always really struggled with dry skin and bumps on my arms, and putting this oil on my arms in the morning and at night (and sometimes again throughout the day) has made a bigger difference than any prescription ever has. I’ve also been putting it on my face along with the rest of my skincare products and can’t get enough of what it’s doing for my skin. My skin feels hydrated, smooth, and even. I’ll be keeping a bottle of Rose Hip oil in my beauty/skincare regimen for as long as I can see. Here’s a whole bunch of different brands for cheap on Amazon. The kind I have from Measurable Difference is also listed on Amazon, and though it’s one of the best rated, it’s a whopping $28.
Lately we have been having SO MUCH SUCCESS with only giving Hadley access to half of her toys, dress-up clothes, art supplies, etc. The other half we’ve been keeping hidden in the basement or storage area, and then every once in a while I’ll put away toys that I haven’t seen her play with in a while and bring out some stuff that I’ve had put away. It’s seriously like getting BRAND NEW TOYS! She’ll be captivated by them for days on end and not even question where some of her other toys went that I put away.
For example, I put away this treehouse toy about two months ago after I hadn’t seen her touch it in weeks. A few days ago she randomly asked me for her treehouse. She’s been playing with it nonstop, and so has Sadie. Since I brought the treehouse back up, I decided to put away her Magnatiles and Mr. Potato Head, two toy bins that she hasn’t shown interest in in over a month. I’m 100% confident that she’ll be super interested in them when I bring them back up in the fall.
I also noticed on Tuesday that she hasn’t been playing with her dollhouse in a while, so I decided to move it from her bedroom into the playroom. I could barely get it down the hallway before she was grabbing all of her princess Barbies and trying to play with it. Something about changing the location immediately renewed her interest! I think kids just get so bored and need things switched up sometimes. Give it a try!
I was recently inspired to go through the house and list a bunch of stuff to sell on our local B/S/T site, and I came across our fine china. I posted on Instagram wondering what others do with their china and if I should keep ours, and the comments were EXCELLENT. I now feel inspired to hold on to our china and to try to find special days to use it outside of traditional holidays. I encourage you to read through the comments here. So good! Thanks so much to those that weighed in. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been having this debate with myself over what to do with the china.
And last but certainly not least, on Tuesday our family celebrated my sweet friend Morgan’s high school graduation with a dinner out at Carlos O’Kelley’s. We picked this spot because they have activities on Tuesday nights for kids that are 3+ years old, so Hadley was entertained with the other kids and we were able to enjoy conversation with Morgan. 🙂 Love this girl, am so proud of her, and am excited for what her bright future holds!
Oh! One more thing. My reader and new friend Alicia who booked our recent Disney World trip just announced via email that she’s about to begin booking vacations for 2018. I did a whole review about her after our trip and know that she’s who we’ll use to plan our future Disney trips. You can find her website here for more information. You can also read about our Disney trip from start to finish here.
And the ESPRO giveaway winner is…
Lindsay!
Lindsay, I will email you later this morning to gather your shipping info! Congrats. 🙂
Let’s chat!
- When events/holidays do you use your fine china for?
- Do you keep some of your kids’ toys put away and then pull them out later when they’re bored? What’s your system for this?
- Have you ever used Rose Hip oil?!
Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo