Jesus and Dresses? Yes, Please!

Targeted Obsession: Boutique Clothing

This mommy is obsessed with children's clothes. We've already discussed that. (If you need a refresher or missed my "world of BST" intro, you can read it here.) I wasn't planning on doing a blog post today but I discovered a new (to me) clothing brand and am OBSESSED! (Are you surprised?)

You have to check out Robyn & Wren! The owner, Monica, explains her mission this way, "Each garment has a little bit of God's word sewn on it, reminding God's daughters that He created us to be children of strength and beauty with a divine purpose." I love supporting women of faith and having garments that contain visual pieces of God's word is awesome... but add that to the fact that the clothes are beautiful (AND made in the USA) and you have a trifecta of awesomeness!

We boutique mommies know that you find the brand name of boutique clothing proudly displayed in a strategic location on the outside of a garment. Instead of the brand name, Robyn & Wren gives us pieces of blessings...

You get to select which tag is added to your outfit, which I adore. (But be warned, if you don't select then your garment will come without a tag.) Currently, there are dresses, rompers, and personalize hair clips for sale on the website with a price range of $12- $52. Don't be afraid of the price tags though, there's a BST page on Facebook that has even more goodies. Sizes range from 3m to 6y (and soon all the way up to size 12!) and as soon as my PayPal funds are replenished, one of the precious 18m rompers will be mine! (Or Ellington's... ha!)

Adorable, right?! Now for a confession. I'm full of irrational fears. They've actually become a joke within my inner circle. I worry about everything all. the. time. I'm not alone though... I'm just a mom! We all worry... I just do it about weird stuff. I have to remind myself DAILY of God's promise from Matthew 6: 

26"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?

… SOOOO... how perfect is a clothing brand whose name reminds me of that promise? ADORE! Okay... that was my unplanned post of the day! Happy Friday and may your weekend be full of unexpected blessings!

Grape Game!

Targeted Obsession: Son/ Soccer Mom Perfection

Remember a while back when I said the verdict was still out on whether Ridge was going to sign up for baseball or soccer (or possibly both)? Well... we stuck with soccer. And it's going great! Our crazy boy still loves to pretend he's a super hero on the field and gets in trouble at least once per game for "playing bumper cars," but his focus and participation have improved ten fold! Another "high five" to those veteran moms who said it gets better every season! They were right!

One of the reasons we chose to stay with soccer was the team. Ridge has some wonderful teammates! Ivan enjoys coaching and along with his awesome assistant coach, has really done an amazing job with this group of kids. (Which to me, is incredibly sexy! It's crazy how what's attractive to you changes as you get older! One of the biggest turn ons is watching my husband being an amazing dad... but I digress...)

After a scorching hot game during our first season, Ivan saw some kids walking around eating orange slices. He proceeded to tell me that one of his favorite memories from playing soccer as a kid was the cold orange slices the moms would have for them after their games. Well geez Iv... thanks for the heads up! I totally didn't realize I was supposed to be doing snacks!!! When I asked if he thought I should organize snacks, he looked at me like I was crazy (didn't he just say he loved after-soccer snacks?) and we headed to brunch. (Brunch after soccer is our family tradition... which sounds much nicer than saying there's no way we can get up, dressed, and to the field on time for a 9:30 game AND eat breakfast.)

Enter season two. I was no longer pregnant, no longer working, and determined to be the quintessential soccer mom. So I created a Sign-Up Genius (online sign-up forum) for after game snacks! **insert congratulatory pat on the back** The other moms thought it was a great idea- and a few even mentioned how much they loved the cold oranges from when they were little. (My thought here was, "Really?" 1- I didn't even know our generation played soccer that much growing up and 2- if cold oranges are so good, why have I never had one?) I signed up for the first week and I bet you can't guess what I brought?! Cold oranges! (They really are good!)

But get this... none of the kids ate them! What?! So the following week, a different mom brought a ziplock bag with a variety of goodies- for each kid! I guess the thought was if you didn't like one thing, you might like something else? Anyway, from that point on, our snacks spiraled out of control. And I can poke fun because I was (and still am) a part of that spiral! Ha!

My next time to bring the snack was the week prior to Halloween. It was going to be the first really cold game and I was trying to think of something the kids would like that paired well with cold weather. Are you thinking hot chocolate? Because that's what I thought. I didn't want to make hot chocolate for 8 kids plus adults AND figure out how to transport and serve it... so I called Dunkin' Donuts. Genius! And that would have been more than enough... but we soccer moms are out of control, remember? So I then began to wonder what snack would go well with hot chocolate. Did you say marshmallows? I love the way you think! Annnndddd guess what?! Around Halloween, Peeps puts out ghost shaped marshmallows! I packaged them in plastic wrap and wrote "Boo-tiful Game" on the outside. I was enamored with my after-soccer snack!

The picture is of the left-overs because I didn't actually go to the game. Ridge was SICK! Ivan went to coach and another team mom took over distributing the snack. (Thanks, Erin!) And by-the-way, if you're impressed with my snack, you should have seen what one mom did the next week, which just happened to be Halloween. My poor little ghost are pitiful in comparison.

Enter season three. I was late creating the Sign-Up Genius this time. **insert frustrated slap to the head** I honestly didn't know if any of the kids ate their snacks. (We don't hang around after.) My family still heads for brunch post-game, so I thought it might not be necessary. When I brought this up to the other moms, I found out that the rest of the crew really looked forward to the snacks. Oops. 

This past weekend was my round of snack-bringing and I was stumped as to what to do. Enter Pinterest. A long time ago I pinned "Sourpatch Grapes." See recipe here. I'd never tried them and always wanted to, so I did my own rendition of the recipe. I used red grapes (because they were on sale- whoo hoo!) and strawberry gelatin. They were crazy easy to make. The linked recipe says to roll the grapes in the gelatin, but I just washed a ton of grapes, put a pack of dry gelatin in the bottom of a bowl, put the wet grapes in, covered with a lid, and shook the bowl like crazy. Shaking is easier than rolling, and I'm all about easy. It worked great! I even came up with another cute slogan...

I refrigerated the grapes overnight, kept in a cooler during the game, and they were a hit! Or at least, I'm going to tell myself they were. We never hang around after... remember? At least grapes go with brunch... even if they are sugar-covered! I do believe I'll be making these again though- especially this summer. I might even freeze them. We shall see. Until then, remember- shaking is always easier, order out for hot chocolate, and another mom will always one-up you. Just give them a high-five and keep on rolling (or shaking... you pick.)    

*****Edited to add DON'T serve red gelatin covered grapes with white jerseys!!!! We have white jerseys. Oh the things you don't think about... until you do!*****

The first step is admitting you have a problem...

Targeted Obsession/ Boutique Clothing

Well Dressed Wolf

It's 8:50 on a Thursday night and the alarm on my phone goes off. At first, I'm thrown, but then I get excited remembering what that alarm means... It's time to cart Well Dressed Wolf! Okay... rewind to early October when I had no idea what that meant.

A sweet friend of mine who always dresses her daughter so perfectly texted me a picture of a dress, saying that Ellington needed it. She was right. Ell did need it. And that friends, was my first hit of the drug known to underground mommies all over Facebook as BST.

BST stands for Buy/ Sell/ Trade. There is an amazing world of boutique clothing pages hidden within Facebook (I say hidden because the pages are private and your membership has to be approved... and can just as easily be withdrawn!) dedicated just to buying, selling, and trading particular brands of children's (mainly girls) clothing. This is how it works...

Boutiques set release days and times for limited quantities of one or a few items of their clothing line. At that time, mommies all over flock to their computers, refreshing every few seconds to see when the new items will load. It then becomes a competition to see who can click, type, and "copy/ paste" into check-out screens the fastest. The best brands sell out within seconds! Yes. I said SECONDS! It's crazy, but genius!

Prices on these items vary, but you can typically find things anywhere between $34-$68 on average. When I began the BST world, $68 (before tax and shipping) sounded pretty steep. Let's face it, I'm a girl who loves a bargain and mid $70s isn't a bargain on a dress that a baby will grow out of in a few months! But the more I became acquainted with this mystical world, the more I realized that most items were re-selling on the BST pages for just as much, if not more (to WAY more) than what was initially paid! I was astounded... and then the "bargain shopper" in me started chomping at the bit! I wanted to see if I could buy something and sell it for a profit. I could. I DID! And it was addictive. I've since come down from my high and realized that what goes-around-comes-around (even in the BST world) and I've stopped trying to cart simply to see if I can sell it for a profit.

The cool thing about BST is all transactions are completed through PayPal. Therefore, once you put up your initial investment, when you begin selling (and things DO sell!) you begin a continuous cycle with that investment. That is, you begin the cycle IF you're disciplined enough to not add extra funds to your PayPal account. Currently, mommas that have been around the BST world longer than I have are complaining about the BST market, saying it's in a decline. Maybe I've gotten lucky with my carting, but I've been able to at least get my money back off of every boutique item I've bought and attempted to sell.

But for me, making my money back isn't the best thing about the BST world. And it's not the fact that my mailbox is super exciting either. Amazingly enough, it's not even the wonderful pictures I get take of my baby in all of her beautiful clothes (although, that's a VERY close second)... The best part is the relationships I've built with mommies all over the world. The BST boards aren't just for buying/ selling/ or trading; they're for sharing successes, stresses, prayer requests, and praises as well. Moms "pay it forward" all the time. They look out for each other. And as we help and support one another, our daughters are looking damn cute!

Squeaky Headboard? Get New Nightstands!

Targeted Obsession: Home Decor

My mom and stepdad visited this past weekend. Surprisingly, my stepdad is *almost* just as into home decor as I am. I am typically pretty frugal when it comes to things I purchase for my home and love items even more when they are a good buy. The HomeGoods by my house is amazing and I get 80% of my accessories from there. However, my stepdad is WAY more thrifty than I am when it comes to cash. One of his favorite things about my home (because of price, creativity, and style) are my nightstands! I'll give you a heads up... they're not really nightstands!

Rewind to October 2014 when my husband and I were moving from a queen to a king size bed. We couldn't agree on a bed/ headboard to save our lives! While I was going for style, Ivan was going for practicality. The headboard we were ditching squeaked horribly and woke us up all the time since neither of us are very still when we sleep. (I know what you were thinking... shame on you! hehe) Ivan wanted a bed that he KNEW would never squeak, which presented a number of problems for me. I couldn't get ANYTHING past him! Then he decided our new bed needed to be high enough for our dog to sleep under since that's where she was used to sleeping. (Let's just make it as difficult as possible, right?!) He rarely puts up a fight when I'm picking out things for our home, but wanted full disclosure on the new bed. Ugh.

We finally found an amazing reclaimed wood bed from West Elm. It wasn't what I consider a "good buy" at all, but the fact that we actually agreed on something was victory enough. You can check it out here. As much as I loved this bed, it created a huge nightstand problem. The bed is low since the mattress is meant to sit inside. Regular hight nightstands were too tall. The nightstands West Elm sold with the bed (which I was completely against at first because I'd already blown my budget on the bed) were too wide. I felt like Goldilocks. Nothing was "just right." Then one day I was browsing the aisles at HomeGoods and saw the PERFECT fit...

Laundry hampers. Yep. You read that right. I bought laundry hampers for my nightstands. They were the most perfect hight! They also fit the rustic/ industrial look of the bed. My metal accents in my room were already silver, so I grabbed some complimentary mirrors to hang over my bed and the rest was history!

The only issue with hampers as nightstands was the room to sit things. We like to each have a lamp, and since Ivan told me *&#$ no when I asked him to install sconces on either side of our bed, I had to get creative. I opted for a floor lamp on my side of the bed (because I have more crap- and no... that's not what the top of my nightstand normally looks like- I definitely tidied it up for the picture!) and a table top lamp for Ivan's side. There wasn't room for a floor lamp on his side, plus I wanted to inconvenience him so he might decide to install my desired sconces. I still have no sconces, so obviously Ivan's lamp doesn't bother him. Oh well.

The only other issue (besides size) is the fact that there are holes in the top. The holes make spilling the WORST! They also allow dust to get inside the hampers... this wouldn't be a problem if I cleaned them out more often. I love that there are no drawers because it keeps us from collecting more hidden junk. And they were CHEAP! In my book, cheap nightstands typically start around $100... $200 for a pair. These cost me a total of $70 for BOTH! Score. And they look really cool. Double score.

So... if you ever find yourself in need of small nightstands, side tables, or accent tables... check out the laundry hamper aisle at HomeGoods. You never know what you might find!

Valentine's Quicky

Haha! Got you with the title... didn't I?! But it's not what you think.

I woke up this morning thinking, "Crap!!!! Ridge's Valentine's Day party is tomorrow!"

Kids are supposed to bring in their own decorated Mailboxes and Valentines to share. Of course, I immediately went to Pinterest to find a cool inspiration for a box. I fell in love with an R2-D2 design right away... and then reality hit. I had 3 hours until I was supposed to pick Ridge up from school, a baby that likes to be constantly entertained or attached to mommy, and a "to-do" list a mile long that had nothing to do with Valentine's Day. So I decided to keep it simple. I forgot about being a Pinterest super mom and scavenged around the house to see what I already had that would work.

Shoebox
Wrapping Paper (tape and scissors)
Sharpie
Stickers
Knife

The above resulted in this:

On Valentine's Day, a long time ago, in a heart box far, far away...

Not the most amazing, but Ridge loved it. I did everything (which included simply wrapping the shoe box, cutting the small slit with a large knife, and writing the words that made my Star Wars obsessed 4 year old giggle), but I saved the stickers for Ridge to apply. I thought he'd enjoy feeling like he was "crafting" with momma. FYI, we don't really craft together. I get too stressed out, but he loves it... so I try. But hey! We should all recognize our flaws, right?! I digress. Valentine's Day. You'll find out about the large hole at the top in a few...

I then began on the actual Valentines themselves. I saw a friend post the Valentines she made her son on Facebook a few days ago and asked if I could steal the idea. She very kindly told me where she found it on Pinterest and sent me the link. So Cassie, THANK YOU! And here's the original link in order to give credit where credit is due... Original Blogger of the Race Car Valentines 

But the whole point of writing this post isn't to say, "Look how cute my *copied* Valentines are." It's to share the ideology that you perfect as a teacher... Stop re-creating the wheel! During my original freakout this morning, I kept trying to think of my own creative idea. I felt like a failure for not being original. Did that matter to my ecstatic 4 year old? NO! He LOVES his Valentines! He giggled at the use of the word "wheelie" for "really" and immediately started telling me which car he was going to give which friend. So to him, I'm amazing. And that's all that matters to this momma!

Without further adieu, the *unoriginal, yet perfectly awesome* Valentines:

I am "wheelie" glad we are friends!

My husband grabbed a pack of 20 matchbox cars for $20 at BJ's and everything else we had. To make these, you'll need:

Cardstock

Printer/ printer paper

Glue Gun/ Sticks

Marker

Matchbox Cars

You can find a single image of the card print out on the original blogger's link above if you'd like. I put the pieces together and had Ridge sign his cards. I then realized that his Valentines wouldn't fit in his own box... so I had to cut a second, larger hole incase anyone else had big Valentines like us. (I'm crossing my fingers for chocolate!) And now we're ready for tomorrow's Valentine's Day party with a "wheelie" we didn't reinvent, but made work for us! Until next time...

Ready to Get the Best Gifts Ever?

***Disclaimer***  We all say, "You don't need to get me anything," but they never know if they should really listen to that advice. Make it easier on everyone...

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, you're going to LOVE me for this post!!! Go ahead... thank me now! My husband is a super thoughtful guy. He's SO thoughtful, that giving gifts is his WORST. Here's the cycle he goes through whenever something special is coming up and he wants/ feels like he's supposed to give me a gift:

"It's Whitney's birthday. What should I get her? She has everything. She likes gifts. I could just get her flowers. Flowers die. I could give her a massage. She hates massages. She likes candles. I have no idea how to pick out candles for her. She needs new tennis shoes, but I can't remember her size. I should take her on a trip. Yes! I'll book a trip... wait... I probably shouldn't spend the money. Maybe I'll get her a purse. Where do you buy purses? I'll check online. Those are more expensive than a trip!"

For real. He stresses himself out so much over what to get that he can never make a decision. He winds up running out of time and either doing nothing or something he feels is lame which in turns makes him feel even more terrible and then "grouchy Ivan" comes out. The thing is, I need nothing and have terrible self-control... so when I want something, I generally buy it for myself. This helps him none. On the flip side, I always tell him to not get me anything, but he never listens. After about 5 years of marriage... I FINALLY figured out a way to help my adorable husband with his inner gift-giving turmoil... PINTEREST!

Yes, you read right. I said Pinterest. I know what you're thinking, Pinterest would probably make the problem worse... but no...

When Ivan finally broke down and told me about how much he struggles giving me gifts (even though I say not to get me anything), I decided to make a Pinterest wish list board.

Create a Wish List board!

We've all made them... the boards where we pin things we love, but this one is slightly different. Here's what to do:

• Create a new board in Pinterest and give it a direct title (ex Wish List)... creative "Pinteresty" titles can confuse husbands. For real. Keep it simple. 
• Go shopping! You can do this within Pinterest, but it's better to go to stores online and Pin from there. You never know when a pin within Pinterest will be deleted, so it's better to make your own. Most stores have a "pin it" link anyway. 

Most online shopping sites have a "Pin It" button that will link the product directly back to your Pinterest board.

• Pick items in a variety of price ranges. I have things all the way from my favorite body lotion ($25), to my favorite candle ($50)... all the way up to a Range Rover! (A girl can dream, right?!)
• Be creative! Pick things from different genres. Even though you're narrowing down the world of shopping for you to a small Pinterest board, you still want your shopper to feel like they're picking something out for you. Give them different types of options. Your shopper may feel like giving you something special, like jewelry, but would never know that a $30 initial necklace from Stella and Dot would be something you'd like. Or he/ she may feel like giving you something practical (remember those tennis shoes I mentioned?). 
• Make sure when you pin items with options (sizes, colors, etc) that you make note of the size/ color/ option you'd pick in the comment section of your pin. Even write what monogram you'd need if monogramming applies. (Remember, this is supposed to be easy for them! My husband told me once that he wanted to get my "letters" put on something he got me, but didn't know if I would like them because I didn't say it in my comments. He then said he wouldn't know how to organize my "letters" anyway. Bless it!!!)

Be sure to comment on the specifics, if necessary. 

• After you've created your board, download the Pinterest app to your husband's phone and show him how to locate your board. Walk him through how you've set it up. (I skipped on this and Ivan asked why I gave gift ideas for myself that included a Ranger Rover! When I explained I picked items with a range of prices in the event that he won the lottery, he came around.) Believe me, he'll thank you!
• Once you receive something from your board, delete that pin and pin something new. (I didn't realize this was a necessary step until my husband mentioned one day that I needed to "clean up" my Pinterest. When I asked him to clarify what he meant, he said he couldn't remember what he'd already bought me and what he hadn't. Okay. I can fantasy shop some more. Sure thing!) 

Easy pea-sy... right?! AND... the best part of all? It's SO fun! My husband has also shared "wishes" on my board with his mom when she's asked what she could get me for my birthday or Christmas. I'm telling you... I've gotten some awesome gifts from my board! If you have a hard time shopping for yourself, I have linked some of my favorite items below to get you started. OH! And if you love this idea, but are unsure of how to start the conversation of, "remember how you always want to get me gifts but never know what to get," then just send him the link to this post!

Happy Shopping!

Amazing Grace Body Wash by Philosophy

Trish McEvoy Wild Blueberry Vanilla Candle

Initial Necklace
Rain Boots
Monogrammed Travel Bag
Hummingbird Feeder
Handwriting Jewelry

It's Raining, It's Snowing... 10 Tips on Taking Pictures of Your Kids in the Snow

Targeted Obsession: Photography/ Children

If you're in the targeted zones of winter storm Jonas like us, than you've bought your milk and bread, laid out your kids make-shift "snow gear," and are watching the world outside turn white. We get at least one good snow a year in Charlotte where the world shuts down and a surprise holiday ensues. It's fantastic! I always look forward to the special family time required by the dangerous driving conditions that keeps us all at home. It's such a wonderful time for my family that I always want to "capture" the memories on camera. So if you're like me and want to take some great pictures of your kids in the snow, keep reading! Here are my tips to capturing your powdery holiday behind the lens:

1. Take your photos within the first 5 minutes you're outside. 

Still nice and toasty... However, with all the layers I had her in, she probably wouldn't have gotten cold. Poor thing could hardly sit up!

Prepare the kids. Let them know you want just a few pictures of them smiling and then you'll play too. My four year old has realized if he smiles, it's over quick! Don't push your luck though. If you say you're only taking 3 pictures, only take 3. Those four year olds can count! ;) Also, taking pictures first means the snow around you is undisturbed, family members aren't wet, and no one is whining because it's cold... yet.

2. Pick a spot with a good background. 

Nothing distracting from that handsome face... except the neon colors... but you can't win them all! 

Consistency is key. If there's a spot that's totally wooded, that's perfect... but if there's a shed in front of those woods, the shed could take away from your pictures. You want nothing in the background to stand out so attention isn't taken away from the main subjects of your picture. The less in the background, the better.

3. Put distance between your kids and the background. 

See that blur?! 

If you have distance in-between your kids and the background, then you're going to get a bokeh effect, or blur from the part of your photo that's not in focus. A blurred background helps your kids stand out even more. This is where nicer cameras and awesome lenses help photographers. Good lenses enable you to control your focus... this is also why it's nice to learn how to shoot SLR cameras on manual settings... you can control the bokeh. BUT... even putting distance between your subject and the background on a cell phone camera will help you obtain the bokeh effect.

4. Get low... shoot from the level of your children!

Life from their viewpoint.

Don't stand up and take pictures of your kids in the snow. Crouch down so you can meet them at eye level. This helps the picture to seem more life-like.

5. Every photo doesn't have to be perfectly centered.

Text aligned right... haha... get it?

In photography, it's called "the rule of thirds"... but all you need to know is that things don't always have to be centered. Think of it like Microsoft Word. You can align your text in Word to the right, left, or you can center it. The same thing applies when you're lining up the subjects of your picture in your camera.

6. Overcast light is best.

Today was perfect for pictures! Cloudy all day!

If you shoot in direct, bright sunlight, you are going to get hard looking pictures. The light will either make things too bright or will cast unflattering shadows. If you shoot in the shade, you run the risk of your picture looking grey or dark. Often on snowy days there are lots of clouds... this is perfect! Try to start your "five minute" photo session when there are clouds overhead.

7. Be in a picture!

Always makes my day to be in a *good* picture with my kids!

In 20 years,  you'll be glad. I love looking back at pictures of my parents with me when I was little. Too often we forget to take pictures of ourselves because our lives are so centered around our children. But by being in a pic yourself, you ARE thinking of your children! They'll love seeing you in the pictures years down the road and most likely, you'll make their memory of you stronger by giving a visual reminder of you on that day.

8. Let them play.

This began the snow eating for the day. Playing in the snow for Ridge includes eating it. Oh my.

Pictures of kids playing are always the best. The smiles are genuine. I love my son's profile. And his sweet laugh. I feel like all of the small things that make him who he is to me come out so much more in pictures where he's just being himself. So let your kids play! Sometimes it's even fun to play a game of "Simon Says" while you're taking photos. The kids will do what you want, so the photo session will be easier on you, but they are also playing- so they're happier and being more genuine.

9. After 5 minutes, put the camera down.

Certainly not the pic I was hoping for... but at least I was in a few!

It took me a while to learn this one. If you don't get the "exact" picture you want, put the camera down. Maybe it's not meant to be on that day... what IS meant to be are the memories you'll make playing with your kids. Taking pictures the whole time isn't as fun for you or them, so set a photo time limit and then join your family.

10. Mess around with your photos in an editing program.

This picture was horribly bright until Photoshop rescued it.

Even if it's only in the photo viewer on your computer or the filters in your phone, play with your photos. You might hate the way they turn out, but if that's the case, then you just don't save your edits. It hurts nothing and very well could enhance your pictures tremendously! Adding just a little color saturation or brightening a picture just a tad could make all the difference. Before hitting "save," ask yourself... does this look "real?" If not, keep the picture the way it was to begin with... after all... it's all about capturing your family's memories!