Some Catch-Up

Hello Ladies!

 

Last week our modem started acting up, and well the earliest someone was able o come out was Tuesday...talk about annoying!

 

Hope you are all having a great week so far!

 

I don't know about you guys, but this time of year is always so crazy, busy for us.  The school year is wrapping up, so the kids have summer on the brain!  We are full swing in baseball, we have those dreaded EOG's coming up, field trips, field days, class parties, promotion ceremonies, and then just our day to day stuff!  June 11 can't come soon enough!

 

This past weekend was a TON of fun!  On Friday, Olivia woke up super excited that it was Friday, and that her dad was coming to town!

 

She is just precious!

 

After I got the kiddos off to school, I spent the morning eating Hostess cupcakes, drinking Pepsi, and catching up on the Kardashians.

 

All guilty pleasures...and all equally fabulous!

 

Around noon I decided it was time to get dressed and start my day, however I would have much preferred to stay on the couch, in my pajamas!

 

I bought this shirt from Target a few weeks ago, and girls it is seriously fabulous, and it's only 24.00!

 

After dinner my ex-husband arrived, and we spent the rest of the night just hanging out on the deck, playing with the kids!

 

AJ had a tournament on Saturday, and I am always so happy when their dad can be here to watch them play.  AJ is a terrific little athlete, and this boy did NOT disappoint Saturday.  He pitched the entire game, and was on point all day long.  Definitely the best pitching I have ever seen him do!

 

It was a GREAT afternoon of baseball for sure!

 

The NASCAR All-Star race was here this past weekend, and it is probably one of my favorite days of the year.  I am not a huge race fan, but I really enjoy this race and all the fun that comes along with it.  So many people come into Charlotte each year for this race, and we have been fortunate enough to meet some really great people, that we look forward to seeing year after year.  A few years back we met up with some police officers from Virginia, there is about 10 of them that come down every single year, set up camp in the same spot, and they are super fun to be around....they are probably our favorites each year! 

 

My husband is a service writer and handles all the NASCAR accounts...he loves his job, and I love all the perks that come along with it!  We had the best time being right on Pit Row, smack dab in the center of all the action.  it really is so great to be down there with the drivers, their families, and their crews.  Though I have seen it a million times, I am truly amazed how quickly they change the tires on the race car...it is insane!

 

 

I am in serious awe of how quick they do this!

 

 

 

 

 

 

After about 40 laps we decided to head back over to the tiki bar, our police officer friends set up the most fun little tiki bar ever!!!

 

Every year they spend their first day there setting up "shop"...it is such a good time!

 

I was having a TON of fun, the drinks were delicious and my hubby thought us throwing back shots of fireball was a fantastic idea..I really thought I was a rock star staying up until 4am drinking and dancing the night away!  Well here it is Wednesday night and I am still trying to recover...ha!  Though it has ben a "rough" week, it was so great to be out with my husband, get out of "mom" mode, and just have some fun!

 

This weekend we are headed back to the race track for another fun-filled weekend...we are bringing the little kids with us, so it will definitely be more low-key...but no doubt just as fun!

 

Thank you all so much for everyone who emailed me checking in on me this week, I am so thankful to all of you who take the time each day to read what I have to say.

 

Be sure to check back tomorrow for Friday Favorites!

 

 



 



Teacher Gifts

Happy Wednesday Girls!

 

I am so glad we are halfway through the week!  We are for sure ready for the weekend over here!

 

The saying "time flies" sure is true isn't it??  I cannot believe that the school year is just about over, the time is truly flying on by.  I don't know about you guys, but we are so ready for the school year to be over.  I love having my kids home! 

 

We have been once again blessed with fabulous teachers this year, and I always love giving them little gifts, a small token to say thank you for all they have done.  When Brooke and Harrison were younger and I was their class mom, I would always take up a collection at Christmas time and at the end of the year, and we would present the teacher with a gift from the class.  I always loved that because, it can definitely be stressful trying to buy teacher gifts.  We don't want to spend a lot of money, and I mean how many candles and coffee cups does one teacher need right???  This way, everyone in the class chipped in a little bit of money, and we were able to give the teacher something nice.  At the schools my children attend now, we are not allowed to collect money, personally I think it sucks, but it is the rule, so we must follow it:)  I have 3 kids in school, Jack is in middle school with multiple teachers, so buying teacher gifts can really add up!  Last year Jack had one teacher that he just LOVED, and that was the only teacher we purchased a gift for.  I know that probably wasn't very nice, but I just cannot spend a small fortune on teacher gifts.  I feel like in elementary school the teachers really get to know their students, they spend the entire day with them.  In middle school here, they have no year round classes, so for example he only has English every other day for the first two marking periods...so crazy to me!

 

In our school, the kids bring home a list at the beginning of each year of the teacher's "Favorite Things", and I am so glad they do this.  I would much rather buy them something I know they will love or use, rather than guess! 

 

Here are some great things that would make AWESOME teacher gifts.

 

This cute little travel mug would be so cute for a coffee loving teacher with a Starbucks gift card.

 

A super cute pair of earrings, like these would make an awesome teacher gift...and talk about affordable...only $8.00.  Both Olivia and AJ's teacher are getting these for Teacher Appreciation next week.

 

I have these pens and LOVE them.  Teachers always love a great pen, and these would make a great little gift with a notepad or something!

 

 





I had picked up these cute notecards in Michael's in the $1 section a few months back, these would be adorable to give with the pens above or even on their own.

 

I always think candles are a great gift too, I don't think there is such a thing as "too many" candles.  I love getting candles at Bath and Body Works.  Their 3 wick candles are the BEST!

 

This Spiced Pineapple happens to be the greatest scent ever:)

 

I would love to hear what everyone else gives as teacher gifts.  Have a great day!

Thursday Thoughts....Carving Out Couple Time

Happy Thursday Girls.

Yay!

If there was one thing I could get more of it would be time!  There are some days when there is literally just not enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to get done.  Some days are just so crazy busy that by 8:00 I am just done and find myself heading to bed as soon as I get the kids settled, and then there are days when I am pushing myself to get it all done and I am up until 2am.  It's a vicious cycle for sure.  Like most moms, I tend to focus most of my time and energy on my kids, and unfortunately my husband and my marriage gets kind of put on the back burner.  My husband is a super great guy, and he really doesn't ask for much, but the one thing that is super important to him is for us to make it a point to find time for "us".  I am very ashamed to admit it, but I have been seriously failing in this area lately.  I certainly don't take my husband or marriage for granted, but sometimes I get so caught up in the kids and everything else, I kind of push him to the side, thinking he of course knows I love him and want to spend time with him, but I am just busy doing other things.  When I actually write that it makes me feel just awful, I mean how can I be too busy for my husband?  Mark is so so good to me.  No matter what he always puts me first, he makes such a conscious effort to let me know every single day how important I am to him, and I am truly thankful for that! 

When we first met, we had lots of date nights, you know, that whole new and fresh relationship stage, well when you are in your mid 30's and have children, that doesn't last too long, and real life quickly settles in.  Probably the first two years we were together we had a date night once a week, usually just dinner, home by 9, but it was so nice to just get out and be away from the kids for just a little bit.  The past couple of years life has just gotten so crazy, the little kids are not so little anymore, and are involved in sports and activities that occupy so much of our free time.  Now don't get me wrong, we love how involved our kids are, and we love being there to support them, but it's a huge commitment of time, and it absolutely effects our entire family.  When we have a weekend free, we are usually so exhausted we both just prefer to stay home, and we are usually pretty content to be curled up on the couch and watch TV.  We have both decided though, that as much as we love hanging out at home in our sweats with the kids, once a month we need to go to dinner or something, just the two of us.  So my goal right now is to make that a priority, and make sure it does in fact happen. 

Mark and I probably go away twice a year, for the weekend, by ourselves.  I see that so many couples take little weekend getaways like once a month, but that right now doesn't fit into our lifestyle or budget.  So the couple of times that we are able to get away for a weekend without the kids, we truly treasure every single second of it. 

One of the most important things to Mark is that we go to bed every single night together, and that is something I am really trying make sure happens each night.  With 5 kids and a whole lot of craziness here from dinner time to bed time, it's hard sometimes for the two of us to even have a conversation some nights.  I find on the nights I make it a point to go up to bed with him everynight, we are able to just have simple, yet important conversations, talk about our day, make plans and set goals for the future, and this little mundane time is so so important in our marriage.

My mother always told me that your children of course should be a priority, but always make your husband and marriage your first priority.  When she first told me that, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard, I mean how could anything be more important than my children????  As I have gotten older, I see that she was right.  When I truly make the effort to make our marriage a priority, we are both happier, we are solid and strong, and that makes us better parents. 

Life is crazy hectic not only for me, but for every other mom out there, and it's so important to make a sincere effort to be sure to carve out time for just you and your husband.  I have learned over time, to not feel "guilty" about us going out or doing something without our kids.  As much as it is our jobs to nurture our children, spend time with them doing what they love, take care of them, etc...it is just as, if not more important to give that same attention to your marriage. 

Would love to hear what everyone else does to make time for just themselves and their husbands!



Happy Wednesday

Happy Wednesday girls!

It has been one of those weeks, so though I don't have a post for today, I hope you all have a fantastic Wednesday!!!!

Tuesday Talk

Happy Tuesday Ladies!

 

 

 

Friday is coming.....right???  Ha!

 

Over the past few months I have gotten a handful of emails and comments that they wish I would stop trying to "push" items and trying to make money off the people who read my blog.  I know there are LOTS of people who use their blogs to provide income for themselves and their families, but that isn't what I am doing, or ever intend to do.  When I talk about a product, it isn't because I want you to click the link, so I can make some money, or go run and buy it, it's because it is something that I personally use and love, and just want to share it with other people.  I know for me, I love when someone recommends something they love, not because they are making money off it, but because they really love it.  If you "click" something I have written about, I can assure you I am not receiving any type of compensation for it, I am just sharing it because I own it, and love it enough to talk about it.  I think it is great that there are women out there brining in some serious money from their blogs, but for me, I just don't have that kind of time to put into, and honestly it never once crossed my mind to try and make money off this blog.

 

I am writing about this today, because a few of the emails I received said I was being "sneaky" not disclosing that I was receiving some type of commission for the products I talked about.  I appreciate everyone, even the not so nice ones, that take a little piece of their day to read what I have to say, and I certainly don't want anyone thinking that I am being sneaky making money if someone clicks on something I talk about!

 

Hope everyone has a great day!  See you back here tomorrow!

 

 

 



Weekend Wrap-Up

Happy Monday Girls!

 

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!

 

#truth!

 

We had another weekend jam packed full of baseball.  The weather here was WARM....so it was nice to be able to be outside all day Saturday and Sunday and just enjoy the weather and my boy playing some ball!

 

On the way to school Friday morning we hit up Starbucks so AJ and Olivia could bring their teachers in some coffee...we are so thankful they have such fabulous teachers!

 

I think it is so sweet how excited they get to bring in gifts for their teachers!

 

After I dropped everyone off to school, threw in some laundry and cleaned up the kitchen I decided I needed to start Mother's Day weekend off right...

 

Peach Green Tea Lemonade and a fresh "Funny Bunny" gel mani was a great start to the weekend!

 

When the kiddos got home from school, they hit up the pool for a bit, and after some swimming, it was dinner, showers and bed!

 

I know I don't speak too much about my oldest daughter, but she is amazing...and she pretty much always stays with Olivia when we have baseball tournaments, she is THE BEST!  Well a new part time job that she picked up requires her to work weekends, so for the first time in pretty much forever, Olivia had to tag along with us for baseball tournaments.  Those moms out there who are familiar with travel ball, know I am not talking about a game or two, but HOURS each day at the ball field.  I packed lots of snacks, and prayed for the best as we headed out Saturday morning.  I need to brag for just a minute, because this girl was a perfect angel....she sat and watched her brother play, ate a bunch of snacks, played with some friends....she was great...and we loved having her there with us!

 

This girl was ready to go!

 

A bag of candy, a good book, and she is good to go.

 

I think the sno-cone was her favorite part.

 

Always fun when your friends brother plays on the team too.

 

I love seeing these boys gather together after the game...great group of kids.

 

Saturday night I watched a ridiculous amount of Criminal Minds, and then we all headed to bed for another early morning at the ball field.

 

We woke up Sunday, got ourselves together and made our way to the ball field. 

 

I can't think of a better way to have spent Mother's Day than watching my #2 do his thing on the field.  Jack and Olivia were with us also, so getting the day with my 3 littles was perfect.

 

He was EXHAUSTED after playing this weekend...about 5 minutes into the trip home I turned around and he was out like a light!

 

When we got home, the older kids were here, and it was simply perfect...all my loves that call me "mom" together with me!  We made homemade pizza for dinner, the kids gave me some gifts, and it was seriously just perfect.  I cannot even begin to put into words how amazing being a mother is, I wake up every single day feeling so blessed to be their mom....they are truly amazing kids and have made my job as their mom, so easy!  Love them all so much!

 

There is no gift I can ever receive that means more to be than handmade things like this from my babies.  I have boxes full of 23 years worth of handmade Mother's Day gifts and cards from my kids...and these are things, the gifts that I have been given over the years, that I treasure the absolute most!

 

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.  Enjoy your Monday and I'll see you back here tomorrow.

 

 

 



Friday Favorites

Happy Friday Ladies!

 

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

 

ONE



 One of my favorites this week has been seeing all the news coverage of the new Royal Baby, Princess Charlotte!   I am in complete awe of how amazing she looked after giving birth! 

 

TWO

 

I am LOVING my necklace , I have worn it just about every single day and it's definitely a favorite of mine.  I had the hardest time trying to get the pendant off the chain, so I wound up taking it to my local jeweler and having him do it for me.  This would make a great Mother's Day gift also!

 

THREE

I was out running the other morning and I saw this adorable little bunny, sometimes it's just something so small like this that becomes a favorite of mine!

FOUR

Summer officially starts for me when I get my first Peach Green Tea Lemonade of the season.  This is my FAVORITE drink from Starbucks...you all need to try it!!!

FIVE

My little girl and super adorable school spring pictures are always a favorite of mine.  AJ "hated" his pictures and told me he doesn't want me to buy them...he cracks me up!

SIX

We have just about a month left of school, and that is definitely a favorite of mine!

Can't wait to read about everyone's Friday Favorites today!  Be sure to check back Monday for our Weekend Wrap-Up...we are headed back to the ball field this weekend! 

Have a great weekend.