Dog for sale: FREE.

The kids are napping, it's storming out, and I have a cup of coffee in hand.  And I'm actually writing.  Also, I am sitting in a long maxi dress with my husband's golf cap on my head. In case you were wondering what I was wearing too.

And I'm writing. And If I just quit talking about writing, and actually do it, then I may even just publish it today {as in, hit "publish}}. Instead of scheduling out for two weeks and then forgetting about it.

I found my dog.

That's a good starting point. Well, before I found him, I lost him. And by lost him, I mean I saw him sprint in between my legs and 4 other tiny legs out the back door and across the neighbors out of sight barking and howling like a free animal. He was, at this point, a free animal.

Now, I know the first reaction of any reader when hearing about a lost animal is... "Oh no, I hope you found him." Two things about that. One, it's not that sad of a situation {he's run away about 20 times this year alone}. And two, I did find him, unfortunately.

You see, time after time, I would do just that. Throw the baby on my hip, and tell Elliana to follow along as we walked around trying to follow the sound of his bark {the one the whole neighborhood probably swears about}, and then proceed to chase him down and brink him back. When he would get far out, I'd even get in the car and go looking. Since then, I've learned.

Clearly haven't learned a way to keep his fast little sneaky paws out the door, but learned how to not run after him anymore. It's pretty easy actually.... you just don't.

Let us get back to today. Three hours had passed.

THREE. The longest. I called Andrew and told him that I think some child had probably found him at this point, taken him in, and begged their mommy to keep him. I sit here on the couch snickering as this dog lays right next to my hip digging his head in the pillow, and my side. Snickering because clearly no one found and him, and second, because who would want to keep such a crazy animal.

So where were we? I get distracted easily.

Three hours had passed, I probably looked out the window and stepped on my front porch a good 30 times during the last hour {the first 2 were spent outside with the kids} listening/looking for the dog, and finally decided to put the kids down for their naps as a storm was heading our way.

I heard the pouring down hard rain and thunderstorms while I was nursing Graham and thought to myself---Carson hates the rain. That he does. If there is one way to get this dog inside, it would be it--rain.

After I headed downstairs, I looked out the window to check out the weather only to find a very familiar looking dog sitting on my front porch {that just so happens to be covered}. And yes, by familiar, I mean the exact same dog.

I let him in, dry him off with a towel, give him a bowl of water and food, and curse him under my breath. Hopefully he found some female friends on his wild escapade out in the neighborhood. Hopefully he scouted out some good kids too and figured out how to swoon them also. Hopefully he realized how much more fun a warm cozy home is with good quality food {hello toddlers be throwing their food to him all day long} than out in the wild with rain pouring down on him.

Who am I kidding here, he knew what he was doing and he knew he'd be back to his "safe haven" in no time.

I'd offer a reader a free dog, but we all know the last time I wrote about Carson I had some crazy folks down my throat accusing me of just giving up on him and letting him die {essentially} from not being loved. Sorry, I had to laugh there for a second.

So, anyone want a free dog?

Joking.
Kind of.

He can go to the highest bidder. Bidding will start at:

FREE.

Clearly, he'll probably live to be 80 just to torture us as long as possible. And laugh while doing so too.

Sigh.

Man, I got so side-tracked with this smelly wet dog laying next to me that I never even got to show the beautiful pictures I took this morning. I mean, they're pretty standard. But I took pictures.... that right there is BIG. And they aren't of a dog, I promise.

Tomorrow. I'll save them for tomorrow.

You learn from days like yesterday. You do. It's there for a reason.

I feel like I've been in hiding. Not on purpose. Just kind of happened. Not that I think anyone noticed, nor that anyone should care, but I definitely feel like I've left this little space behind for a bit. That's okay though. I learned a long time ago that if you have nothing to write, then don't write. If you don't have anything to say, then don't say it. If you are just not that into it, than that's okay--- don't be. And if you just don't have the time, then you take care of what you need to take care of and come back when you can.

I wish I had a better reason than that. That I've been doing some big things, working on a book deal, or traveling the world. Yet, the only big thing that I've been busy doing is mothering my children. To me, that's pretty "big" and extraordinary on its own. I read somewhere the other day about how important it was for women that are working to show their children independence and that women shouldn't stay home to be with their children and that we are bigger and better than that, and I couldn't help but stop and think---- that's where society is wrong. I never want my children to think that being a mother and choosing to invest the majority of my time to that is somehow minimizing my role in this world. In fact, I want them to see the opposite. 

And so this past weekend I thought a lot about what being a mother meant to me. I even started writing an entire post specifically on this topic {I know, me and the rest of the world}, but decided to step away instead. I couldn't exactly put into words what I wanted to relay and how I wanted to explain what was on my heart, but I felt like I didn't have to. 

Instead, I just want to use this Mother's day to talk about what I've learned. Some serious. Some funny. And some basic life lessons. A way to remember this year and how mothering my children has impacted me this past year.

1. A mother should never be sick on this day, or the days leading up to it. From Thursday through Sunday I was sick. I mean stuffy nose, can't breathe---therefore causing anxiety, sick. I could breathe, but the thought of only having my mouth to breathe just drove me absolutely bonkers. So then I blew my nose literally every 2 seconds, which I know only made the inflammation worse. As a result of that, I was exhausted physically. And then top it off with one other hacking child, traveling, and Mother day preparation---I was over it. I thought surely by Sunday I would feel better, and I started to. But then I had to go to work that night.

Complaining aside {although being suck on a holiday does truly suck}, the fact that I got to spend the holiday with my family is good {more than good} enough for me. 

2. The best toy for a kid to be busy is this. Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards   Not sure if the Mother's Day Gods just knew what was going on, that I felt crummy, that I needed a break, or that I just needed to relax, but this beauty that I ordered a couple weeks ago happened to arrive on Mother's Day {the day before, but we didn't come home until Sunday} and I kid you not my oldest played with this all day. The youngest tossed it around, but it was plenty enough entertainment to keep him busy. Seriously? This makes one of the top 5 toys in our house ever purchased. 

Worth.Every.Penny.

3. My favorite quote from the day, by far that I have ever read about a mother is this:

And trust me, I read a lot of quotes. I'm not sure why exactly really, but I sat on Friday night drinking wine with Andrew and reading him these quotes about Mothers while he cooked. He cooked. Yes, I was spoiled, and it was lovely all around. We laughed at a lot of them, but definitely agreed that this one just really defined it all around what a mother truly meant.

4. Projects are even more fun as the kids get older. Really, with each passing holiday I get all giddy about the fact that we get to make little crafts and the fact that the kids {well one of them} can understand this process and actually enjoys doing it and giving it. This year we made all the grandma's the same thing using the kid's hand prints and thumb prints {I used just dots for Graham's "thumb prints" because just doing a hand print three times was more than plenty and more than he can handle}.

5. The best gift to get:   Words from the heart from the significant other. Andrew wrote me the most beautiful email {yes email} while I was napping and it seriously touched me more than any of the {many} letters that he had ever written to me. It was so heartfelt and so touching, that I just could not have imagined a better gift. Even 

6. Sleep is the second best gift, and chocolate. Really, when you ask me what I want for the day? I want all the diapers changed, all the kids fed, dressed, teeth brushed, and while you do that... I nap. Really? Awesome gift. And I mean it... it's a gift.

7. Lastly, and most importantly, never take motherhood for granted. Not just on this day, but I am reminded daily by hearing stories of infertility, loss, and pain that others go through that help to remind me that this life that I am given is not one to be taken for granted. That although we are human and although we will have bad days, hard days, and even days that we are at our wits end, we should always be thankful for these children and to have someone that calls us mom here on Earth.

Not only that, I have a pretty amazing mother and mother-in-law that are the greatest grandmothers to our children.

Sickness, tiredness, and wits end aside, being a mother is the best and only gift I will ever cherish the most every day of my life.

Fun Activity for Toddlers to Learn Colors & Numbers

A few weeks back {probably month or so actually}, we did this fun activity at home that I wanted to share on the blog and never got around to it. Actually, I think I did share it briefly but then still had some questions from readers about what they could use with the project. So I wanted to go ahead and explain it a little more {although I think pictures can do most of the explaining} and share what we used and how we used it as a learning experience.

Supplies Needed {I provide link to the items that we own and where we bought them with each category listed}


Construction paper Crayola Construction Paper, Assorted Colors, 240 Sheet (99-3200) {Or you can use paper towel and toilet paper rolls and let them paint them different colors---while doing so, you can talk about the colors}

Marker {to write on the paper}

Puffs Pepperell Craft Making Assorted Pom Poms, Standard Colors, 750 Per Package {or buttons, or both} REALLY BIG BUTTONS 60/PKG.

Feathers Feather Assortment (600 pcs)

Bowls {or cups to catch the items falling at the bottom}

Instructions

Roll up the construction paper and cut it out in different sizes so that you can talk about which ones are bigger, which ones are smaller, and which ones are the same.

Write Numbers 1-10 on each paper.

Give each child a cup with different goodies inside---buttons, puffs, feathers, etc.

Place a bowl under each roll in order to catch the items.


Conversation

If you used different size construction paper/rolls, talk about which ones are bigger, which ones are smaller, and which ones are the same.

As they learn their numbers, ask them if they can find "number 5" and then place an item in there.

As they learn their colors, ask them to match the colored item in their hand with the colored roll.

Once you establish numbers and are into counting, you can go down the line and they have to put the number of items down the tube based on what number is on the roll. For instance on roll #1, they would put 1 item, roll number 2, they would put 2, and so forth.


In Conclusion

Go with what the child is feeling. My oldest already knows the concepts listed above, so I just let her have fun with it and she would talk it through with her brother. The youngest, only 15 months old here is just learning his colors and so we focused simply on the color aspect for now, and then after a good 10 minutes, I stepped away and just had them free play with it. This activity gave us a good 30 minutes of solid good learning play, and for that it was well worth my time. I plan to whip it out as we begin to master those objectives more, and I imagine that they will have the same reaction.

The best part of all this? I had all the supplies right in my home and it didn't cost me any extra to make!

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Mother's Day Gift Guide

1. I'm A Mom, What's Your SuperPower?"  What a genius coffee mug and definitely speaks volumes of what moms all over do. It's a 12oz size, and comes in a gift box.

2. Momi Diaper bag: Whether she's an expecting mom, new mom, or an experienced mom of five, a new {and well thought out} diaper bag would make any mom out there more than happy on Mother's Day. This bag is made from South Africa. Totaling 6 pockets, this bag allows you the opportunity to get organized and ready for whatever may to come on a day out with kids. I love the patterns, and it's hard to choose from the 6 different ones they have available. I have the one in grey, and it's now my go-to bag!

3.  Willow Tree Close to Me: A mom and her daughter embracing, 8 inches tall, hand crafted. 

4. Gift card/Thought basket: Make a basket with different things that she may need/use. Attach little notes on a stick for her to read about the different things that you love about her. Attach gift cards like Starbucks, getting a medicure/pedicure, massage, or a day out shopping. You can even throw in a little coupon book for her to have random "daughter/son/mom dates"

5. Initial necklace: A beautiful, simple, yet classic necklace that I think would suit and compliment every kind of mom out there. You can also have the option of adding charms for every child and their first initial. There is also the option of doing a bracelet. I think these make great gifts.

6. Bath and Body Works Gift set: Feeling clean and smelling good is a must {and something us moms probably don't feel all the time}. I love these gift sets, they look good, and obviously they smell good.

7. Perfume Set: Again, with the smelling good stuff---we need it.

8. Send Flowers: And if you are last minute and waited until the day before, then you can never go wrong with sending flowers. It will cost you a little extra for the expedited order, but they will make it happen.  Even if you don't wait until the last minute, sending flowers or chocolates with a little note attached telling mom of how special she is will brighten her day.