Father's Day Gifts

Happy Wednesday Ladies!

 

Yay....we are halfway through the week!

 

Father's Day is right around the corner... I don't know about you ladies, but I find it to be extremely challenging to buy gifts for my husband.  I ask him what he wants and his response, "babe I don't need or want anything".....seriously....I can assure you I would NEVER EVER  give that response if he was asking me that question:)  Lucky for me I have paid close attention over the years and pretty much know all the things he loves and would love to have, that he would never think to buy for himself.

 

 

This shirt would make for a great gift for Father's Day.  They have a ton of colors to choose from!

 

These sunglasses would also make a great gift...and one size fits all!

 

The one thing my hubby never buys for himself is cologne, so I usually buy it for him on either his birthday, Father's Day or Christmas.  This happens to be his favorite!

 

I don't usually like giving gift cards, I would much rather buy an actual gift for someone.  That being said when it comes to buying my husband anything he wants/needs for golf I am just clueless, and a giftcard from Dick's is what he gets.  Most people love getting giftcards and shopping for themselves.  Always a great gift!

 

I usually always get my husband a gift for Father's Day from me, and then I let the kids pick out something to give him.  One year they were arguing for days about what to get for their dad and Mark, I decided we were going to make them something....and let me tell you it was probably both of their favorites gifts ever they received from the kids.  I went to Target and bought super cute metal ice buckets, and filled them with lottery tickets, their favorite beverages and snacks....and it was seriously the best gift.  The kids had so much fun at the store picking out the things they knew they each loved.  The best gifts are definitely the ones where there is thought put into them!

 

Would love to hear some of your top Father's Day Gifts!

 

 

 



Weekend Wrap-Up

Happy Monday Ladies, hope you all had a great weekend.

 

 

I can assure you that I have 3 very excited kiddos to be finishing up school this week!  Hurry up and get here Thursday!

 

We had a great weekend, it was also our last baseball tournament of the season, and as happy as I am to have my weekends back, I am sure going to miss watching my little man playing ball.

 

Olivia was super excited to go to school Friday, it was pajama and movie day.....

 

I wish Carters would make these flamingo pajamas for adults!

 

After school it was time to paint with her BFF....I will admit I am that mom who dreads when the kids want to paint or play with playdoh...always such a mess!  But they had fun and made lots of beautiful masterpieces.

 

Not even sure how this is possible, but my little AJ is heading off to middle school...I mean I swear just yesterday he was born!  He is so excited to head out to his little 5th grade celebration/dance.

 

It is so nice to see him wearing something other than a Nike t-shirt, basketball shorts and elite socks..I know all you boy moms know what I am talking about!

 

I looked over at him sitting in the car and I just wanted to cry...I mean he looks like a teenager.  And I know I am biased, but seriously, this boy is HANDSOME!!!

 

He had the absolute best time hanging out with his friends, eating pizza, and dancing....the boy has got the moves.  I am so proud of him and how hard he works in school.  I have no doubt that this boy is going to OWN middle school!

 

Saturday morning I was up early, straightening up the house and getting ready for our last baseball tournament of the season.  If you read my blog or follow me on social media than you know my life pretty much revolves around baseball this time of year, and as much as I love watching my boy play, it is a huge commitment for not only AJ , but our entire family.  There are weekends where we are at the ballfield 10 hours a day, both Saturday and Sunday.  I am going to miss watching him play, but I am so looking forward to a little break (football starts August 1), and having somewhat of a life again! 

 

My 3 sons....never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be a "boymom", let alone have 3 boys...and today I couldn't even imagine not having these three guys....they are truly the best sons a mother could ask for.

 

It has been an amazing season for these boys.  We have loved spending our weekends with them and their awesome families.  And the icing on the cake...we ended our season with winning our tournament this weekend.

 

 

I love watching each season how much AJ grows as a player, and this year he has exploded.  He had a great season and we saw some amazing pitching from our little guy.  I am really looking forward to what the future holds for my little athlete.

 

Our games were delayed a bit, so we didn't even walk through the door until 9:45 Saturday night!  Mark threw some hamburgers on the grill, and then it was showers and bed for everyone!

 

Sunday was great because we didn't have to get up and race out the door!  I did my normal meal planning and grocery shopping and got things together for our FINAL week of school!

 

Mark cuts the little boys hair at home, and well the vacuum is the best way to get all the hair off!

 

After a day of lounging around Mark made us a fantastic dinner and we ended the night with sundaes from McDonalds!

 

Hooray for $1 ice cream!!!

 

Hope you all had a great weekend.  See you back here tomorrow!

 

 

 



 



Friday Favorites

Happy Friday Girls!

 

Today I am linking up with Andrea , Erika and Narci for Friday Favorites.  Be sure to grab the graphic and link up too!

 

ONE

Well, the something wonderful that has been happening every weekend for the past few months is coming to an end this weekend.  Saturday is our last tournament of the season...another awesome baseball season watching my boy do what he loves is always a favorite of mine!

 

TWO

You guys know how much I love my Kate Spade earrings, well these are just as fabulous and they are only $8...that's right $8 a pair!  I just ordered these black ones yesterday.  I have the pink and mint ones, and these are making awesome teacher gifts this year!  If you are looking for a super cute new pair (or two) of earrings, go grab these...super affordable and super cute, and a super favorite of mine.

 

THREE

This salsa is absolutely delicious.  Pretty much anything from Trader Joe's is a favorite of mine!

 

FOUR

Erika talked about these wedges the other day, and well since I don't own a single pair of wedges I thought these would be great as my first pair.  I have not received them yet because they are on backorder until June26...but I am hoping they are worth the wait...the price is amazing right now!

 

FIVE

Major favorite of mine this week...today is our last Friday of school.....just four more days next week and we are DONE FOR THE SUMMER!!!!

 

Can't wait to read everyone's favorites this week.  Hope you all have a great weekend.  Be sure to check back Monday for our Weekend Wrap-Up!

 

 

 



Thursday Thoughts...Let's All Practice Acceptance

Happy Thursday Ladies!

 

We are pretty excited over here that we have exactly one week of school left...bring on summer..we are ready!

 

Unless you have been living under a rock, then I am sure you know the story taking over everything...the world has met Caitlyn Jenner.  And it wasn't long after it took over the internet and social media that people started voicing their opinion.  I have to say that I was blown away a bit by some of what I read.  It's so crazy to me see a feed on Facebook that goes from someone giving their opinion to an all out pissing contest and people defriending people left and right for not having the same views as themselves.  For a brief moment I thought it was 1991 and I was back in high school:)

 

A few months ago I did a post on my thoughts on vaccinating your child, you can read it here , and I must have stated a gazillion times I was simply giving MY opinons, and wow people can be so cruel, and holy heck there are people who think if you don't agree with them you are just an idiot...truth is I loathe people like that.  I respect everyone's opinions, I may not always agree with someone's views, but I will always respect them.  It's my opinion that many people just have zero respect for others, and that is just so wrong.

 

As I was going through Facebook Monday night, I sat there with my jaw dropped reading some of the comments and opinions of people.  I love that we are able to express our opinions freely, but it seems as though lately people just cross the line. 

 

These are solely just my opinions, I am not saying it is right or it is wrong, it is just how I feel.  When I watched the Diane Sawyer interview with Bruce Jenner, there were times during the interview I actually teared up.  It made me so sad to hear how this was something he struggled with his entire life.  Can you imagine not being able to be who you wanted to be because society says it's "wrong"?  I think it was very brave and courageous, why shouldn't he be able to live his life for himself, what is so wrong with him wanting to be happy? 

 

I had posted a comment on a feed saying we all need to stop judging him and others because they appear different than us, we just need to all concentrate on our own lives.  Well...that turned into a response about how God thinks its wrong, and the Bible says it's wrong, and well there is something just wrong and not ok with a kid being raised by two moms or two dads, no one is born like this, it's a choice....seriously...back down people!  Again, this is solely MY opinion, but I don't think this is something you choose, I do think people are born this way.  I have many friends that are gay, and I can say first hand, as I watched one of them struggle with "coming" out, that this wasn't a choice, it was who they are, right from the start.  I did get angry when I read the comment about how having two same sex parents is just awful and ruining our kids...I would love for that person to walk into Olivia's classroom and tell the little boy that lives at home with his two moms that...this little boy is happy, well rounded, social and most importantly living in a home surrounded with love...how on earth can that possibly be so wrong and damaging?  Again, this is just my opinion. 

 

My feelings and opinions are so simple, everyone should be entitled to live their life the way that they see fit, the way that makes them happy.  I don't feel like it is for us to judge or say how someone should live their life.  Constant "labeling" needs to stop, it really doesn't matter if you are gay, lesbian, transgender, pink, purple, black or white, at the end of the day we are all the same aren't we...we are all human beings. 

 

Someone made a comment to me yesterday that they were praying for my children, because I am raising them not in God's word....I am raising my children to be accepting, to be kind to others, to not judge or ridicule someone because they live their life differently than we do.  I think what surprised me the most was how many self proclaimed God loving, Bible reading, church going people, are so judgemental and so unaccepting of people who are not living their life the way they think is right. 

 

I am not writing this today because I am hoping everyone reading this agrees with my views and opinions, I am writing it because I am sick and tired of seeing so much ugly out there in this world.  There is a difference between voicing your opinion and trying to jam your beliefs down someone's throat, and then getting nasty when they don't agree with you.  I admit that we don't go to church often, and I don't read the Bible, but I do believe in God, and I do believe that God wants for me to live my life in a way that is right for me, and no one else.  Kids, young children are taking their lives because they are constantly being made fun of for being "different", this to me is tragic.  I would never ever try and change someone's opinions or beliefs or values or anything like that, but what I would love to see is us parents to really teach our children how important it is to be accepting of all human beings, being kind is just not that hard, and if you just can't be nice, do as my mother told me when I was a little girl..."if you don't have anything nice to say then just keep your mouth shut". 

 

#truth....that's all

 

Thanks for taking the time to read today, be sure to check back tomorrow for Friday Favorites!

 

 



What We're Wearing...Honey Pie Accessories

Happy Wednesday Ladies!

 

Hope you are all having a great week so far!  I have said it before that I love how blogging and social media has allowed me to "meet" so many great people.  Another thing I love is supporting moms and their home based businesses. 

 

If you guys don't know Elaine from Honey Pie Accessories you need to go and check her out! 

 

Look at her adorable little family!

 

I love anything monogrammed or personalized, and Honey Pie Accessories has got you covered in that area for sure.  A few weeks back I saw on her IG post the most adorable end of school year shirts, and I knew that Olivia needed one!  Aside from the awesomeness of the shirt, which I will show you in a minute, I loved how as soon as I contacted her she immediately sent me an invoice, and the turnaround time was super fast.  I hate nothing more than waiting weeks for something I have ordered!

 

When I was deciding on which shirt to get for Liv, I decided to get her one that she could wear on her last day of first grade, and her first day of second grade...I try and get the most bang for my buck at all times...HA!

 

I mean how adorable is this!  When it came in the mail and I opened it, Olivia had a smile ear to ear, she just loved it.  And she told me she liked how "girly" the sleeves and bottom were. 

Watch out 2nd grade....get ready for this girl! 

 

If you are guys are looking for super cute personalized or monogrammed items, please go and check her out!

 

You can find her on facebook here.

You can find her blog here .

Follow her on Instagram:  @ewelte

Twitter:  @elainewelte

You can email her:  elainewelte@gmail.com

 

Thanks again Elaine for making this super sweet shirt for my sweet, soon-to-be second grader!

 

Thanks for stopping by today, see you back here tomorrow for Thursday Thoughts.

 

 

 



Show and Tell Tuesday...What I Wanted to Be When I Grew Up

Happy Tuesday Girls!

 

Today I am linking up with Andrea for Show and Tell Tuesdays...grab the graphic and link up too!

Today we are telling about what we wanted to be when we grew up.  I can remember being a little girl, and talking with my friends about what we were going to be once we grew up.  All the boys were going to be either the president, a police officer, a doctor or an athlete, and most of the girls wanted to be the first girl president, a vet, or a nurse, and then there was me...from as far back as I can remember all that I have ever wanted to be was a mom. 

Little did I know my wish would have come true at 18 years old!  When my first daughter, Brooke, was born I was only 18, and though I was absolutely scared to death, I was over the moon happy.  I truly believes everything happens for a reason, and though my path to becoming a mom didn't go exactly as I had planned it out in my head, it could not have been any more perfect. 

The absolute second my child was placed into my arms for the first time, it was pure love, joy and happiness.  Every single thing changed at that very moment, this was the first day of the most important job I would ever have....being a MOM!

Motherhood has been everything I had dreamed it would be and more.  It has also been full of things I never even thought of.  But the good days, the bad days, the MANY sleepless nights, tons of dirty diapers changed along the way, and everything in between has brought me nothing but pure happiness for the past 23 years. 

The most frequent question I have been asked all my life is "don't you regret having a baby so young and not getting to live your life, have a career, go to college?".....this question used to offend and infuriate me, but now I just laugh.  REGRET.......no I absolutely don't regret having a baby so young, what many see as missing out, I see differently.  I didn't go to college, I didn't have an important career, I didn't get to travel the world and do lots of things that many do right after high school, but in my opinion none of that could have been half as rewarding as being a mother. 

 

I am so content as I sit here at 41 years old, having spent the last 23 years being a mom.  I don't feel as though I have missed out on anything.  Just like any other person who has a job, there are good days and bad days.  I feel lucky that I was able to live my adult life doing exactly what I always wanted to do.  Two of my children are grown now, and when I look at them I see that I did my job well.  I have raised well rounded, responsible, hard working, kind, caring and compassionate children. 

I know that if I had chosen a career outside the home, maybe at times our life would have been easier, maybe some of the financial stresses I had would have been less, maybe we could have lived in a larger house, maybe we could have had more "things".  But for me, nothing could ever be more rewarding or satisfying than raising my children and just being a mom. 

I can't wait to read about everyone else's "what I wanted to be when I grew up".  Hope you all have a great day today!

 

Weekend Wrap-Up

Happy Monday Ladies!  Hope you all had a great weekend.

 

The past two weekends we have been at the race track so I was very much looking forward to just being home, and being mom this weekend. 

 

On Friday after I got the kids off to school, I came home and did a ton of housework and caught up on a ridiculous amount of laundry!  After I was caught up on all my chores, I got a pedicure and hit up Trader Joes...it is pretty much my favorite place to shop!

 

I spent most of Friday night enjoying my wine and this salsa...it was delish!

 

Thursday night Olivia was out riding her scooter, and well lets just say the scooter won that night...so Friday night was also spent with extra TLC for my sweet girl!

 

Saturday morning it was back to the ball field for some baseball!  I didn't take a single picture on Saturday.  It was a super long day.  Our first game was at 2, and our second game was supposed to start at 4, and it was delayed until 6:30....we didn't get home until after 9....long long day!

 

Sunday morning it was up early and back to the ball field. 

 

AJ played some GREAT ball this weekend...and his pitching was on point!

 

The boys playing in between games!

 

We versed the team that AJ played on for the past 2 years, so he was chatting with some of his former teammates. 

 

It was a great game...and a great win by our boys!

 

When we got home from the game I needed to run to the grocery store for a few things for lunches this week, and well, this was what I saw when I turned on my car.  The one thing I hate most in life is getting gas!  I really do need to be better about this though.

 

So that was our weekend, nothing super fantastic or exciting!  It was so nice to spend time with the kids, watch some baseball and be in bed before 2am. 

 

Don't forget tomorrow is Show and Tell Tuesday with Momfessionals , and we are telling about what we wanted to be when we grew up.  Make sure you guys link up too!