Life Lately

Here's an update of our life lately via pictures I shared on Instagram.

This last weekend was pretty relaxing, which is just what we all needed.  Here we are watching a movie together.  Grant never wanted to sit on my lap for any extended period of time, little sister on the other hand will happily hang out for quite awhile and I don't complain one bit. : )

Kindness Project Updated

A few weeks ago I shared with you all a kindness project I was doing with my kids. I was seeing so much negativity I really wanted to try to do something about it. I asked the kids to try to do one kind thing each day, then they'd come in and journal about what they did, how it made them feel, and how it made others feel.  I selected a few great examples each day and gave the kids pride cards they can turn in for treats at our school. I didn't push it, but encouraged it. Throughout the two weeks I saw some kids really rising to the occasion, some that are always nice who were excited to see others jump on board, and some not take it seriously.  After a few weeks I told them I wasn't going to ask them to continue each day and share with me, but I hoped they would continue.

I saved all their kindness journals and passed them back and had them take a look at what they'd written. Then, I had the kids fill out a little questionnaire  about if they think they took it seriously, if they felt kinder, if the school felt kinder, and it they'd try to continue to be kind. In general the results were kind of what I expected, some kids said they took it seriously, some said they didn't. Some said the both they and the school felt kinder, some didn't. My biggest reaction was to the last question though about if they'd try to continue doing acts of kindness.  99% of kids said they wanted to, because it made a difference and they wanted our world to be better. 

These results kind of gave me pause, even the kids who said they didn't take the kindness project seriously said they wanted to keep going and be kind. It's like they know it's important and valuable, but then they get so wrapped out in themselves they forget about others. I was hoping this project would help with that. I know for some kids it truly did, and I did see some big changes in a few kids, but we're still not all there yet. 

Unfortunately, I don't think my seventh graders are that much different than the rest of the world. We can get so caught up in "our" plans and "our" agenda we forget the one simple moral "rule" pretty much everyone agrees on- treat others as you want to be treated. But if we don't look up and take off our horse blinders we won't see how how we can treat others kindly. 

Ultimately I think it all goes back to Jesus, who did the ultimate act of kindness in sacrificing himself for us. John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world he gave his only son, and whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life."  If we fix our eyes on Jesus I think he can help point us in the direction of those who need our help. Those who need our kindness. Our world will never be perfect, but we are here for a reason, or else the second we believe in Jesus we'd just drop dead and he'd cart us off to heaven. I alone may not be able to change the world, but I can do something, as we all can. 

I'm hoping to end the year on a good note with my kids and hoping the idea of being kind sticks with them. I'm working to make it stick with me too.

I recently got this elephant tee, and it's so fun and easy, it's really inexpensive, however it does only come in one size, so if you typically wear larger than a medium, I'd pass on this.  I thought it would be fun with my flare jeans, and wore this easy outfit last weekend.

Binge Watching

I just finished watching One Tree Hill on Netflix, and it was pretty much amazing. I honestly hadn't even heard of it, but started it when Hannah was born and was hooked. Last year I watched Gossip Girl and it was equally amazing. I honestly don't know which one I liked more. I don't know about you, but there just aren't a lot of shows on t.v. right now I actually want to watch...other than Shark Tank, which I love and my husband hates. So, I need a new show, what should I watch????

This top just recently came from thredUp and I am in love! It's J.Crew and pretty much amazing. It retailed for $98 and was only $20 and I had credits. #winning. J.Crew factory has a similar version right now that I'm loving too. These heels are also a thredUp find from last spring. The came in like-new condition and were less than $20 too. If you haven't tried thredUp yet, use this link to get $10 off your first purchase.

Also, these boyfriend jeans from Old Navy are pretty much my favorite. I love the wash and they are get for dressing up, like I did today with this top and heels, or down too.

It's Only a Phase

Last week I mentioned that Grant was seeming to go through a new phase where he was being too chatty during work time at school and starting to argue and not listen at home. It really caught us off guard, but luckily setting up a plan at school and home is really working and Grant has been back to his normal self.

Around the same time I think Hannah was having a growth spurt.  She had about a week or so when she was up five or six times a night either to eat or needing help getting back to sleep.  She is normally up only once, so I was feeling like a walking zombie. We ended up upping her bottle ounces at daycare and I let her nurse on demand during the growth spurt.  She has also seemed to level out now and is back to being up only once, thank goodness!

Even though both of these situations above really are minor in the big scheme of things, they definitely felt all consuming at the time. It can be easy to let these small things become big,  I'm reminded of Ecclesiastes 3, where we are told there is a time for everything.  If we didn't have times that were difficult, we wouldn't appreciate or recognize when time were good. "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity in man's heart." So, when times get tough, it's then we should remember the good we have and the eternal place God has set aside for each of us who believes in him.  After all, this life her really is only a moment in the realm of eternity.  Why let ourselves in bogged down in the small things.

I mentioned last week how much I'm loving my kick crops in red, so when I realized they came in white (off white, really) and were on sale for 40% off I knew I needed the white kick crops too. I kept this outfit pretty easy and added this top from Target I've had for three years or so. It's one of my summer favorites, and I adore the print! I love this one and it's on super sale right now too!

Unfortunately, after washing these pants they wrinkled terribly and I literally spent a half hour trying to iron them to no avail. I ended up returning them on Monday and am so disappointed. The red and black have been washing and ironing up really well, so I'm not sure what the probablem was with the white. Now I'm on the hunt for another pair, such a bummer.

Four Months Old

Hannah has adjusted to daycare really well, so that makes being away from here much easier, although I'm definitely counting down the days until summer break! Depending on when she wakes up from her nap at daycare depend upon if she'll take one more nap at home before going to bed for the night. Although it's easier to get dinner made when she's sleeping, I don't dare complain about getting to spend more time with here.  

Right now she is loving her bouncy chair, and laying on a blanket on the floor with a few toys.  I'm thinking I'm just going to sell her swing, she never wants to be in it for more than a few minutes and more space in the living room is fine with me.  

Hannah is also getting really good at grabbing and holding toys, and as you can see above, she can sit up on her own on the couch too. She now really likes her bumbo and sitting between my legs on the floor too. 

Every time Grant walks in the room she lights up too, in the picture above she's not smiling at me, it's Grant who came up to say hi. : ) She loves her brother and is all smiles and giggles around him. He loves her so much too! I can only hope this continues as they get older.

Speaking of giggles, she's definitely found her voice and will squeal, scream and talk to herself and us for what seems like hours. She does the same when she wakes up from naps too. It's really nice that she wakes up happy and will entertain herself until I get her up.

We have Hannah's 4 month check next Monday and I'm excited to see how much she weighs and get the go ahead to start giving her cereal. She's still up once at night, so I'm hoping the cereal helps her sleep through the night. Fingers crossed!

Over all I really am pleasantly surprised at how easy of a baby Hannah is and I am really looking forward to all the fun things Grant, Hannah, and I can do this summer while Dad is at work.

Friendships

I wore this outfit a few weekends back to take Grant to a friend's birthday party.  It was for a little boy he's literally been friends with since they were both less than two years old. Through the boys' friendship I've also gotten to be good friends with the little boy's mom, which is always the best.  Now, the boys go to separate schools, so they don't see each other as much, although we try to do playdates.

I'd prepared Grant that there would probably be a lot of kids he didn't know there, being they are at separate schools. Both Grant and I were pleasantly surprised when almost every kid there was one of Grant's friends from daycare-all who now have basically scattered to different schools and don't see each other regularly. But, man, they all picked up right where they left off and Grant had a ton of fun.  And to me, that's what friendship is all about.  I was also excited to get to talk to all the other moms I hadn't seen for most of the year either.

Grant has had a great year in kindergarten and I've gotten to be friends with a couple of moms, but I do miss seeing all those other moms.  Our kids were together for nearly five years and we had endless playdates. As the weather warms up I'm really looking forward to playdates at the park again and time with other moms.

With the combination of winter and Hannah's birth I really do feel pretty disconnected from friends. I love my family to the moon and back, but hunger to reconnect with my friends, in pretty much every facet of my life. I could sit and make excuses, but just this last Sunday it took the prompting of a friend's husband, who I haven't seen in forever because she also has a new baby and two other kids which keeps her hands full, to say "You two just need to make time to get together!" Why yes, you are right. So we made plans and are getting together this Thursday night for frozen yogurt. Actually talking instead of sending texts back and forth will be so nice!

Here's the thing, we can sit around and make excuses all day long as to why we do or don't do something, but what good does that do?  Yes, getting time to myself hasn't been a priority since Hannah's birth, but seeing friends a few times a month would not be that hard to figure out. I'm working to do a better job of reconnecting with those other moms in my life that "get it." If you're feeling disconnected, I encourage you to do the same thing. I know you won't regret it!

I have been on the hunt for a navy utility jacket for a few years now, so when I came upon this Sonoma utility jacket on thredUP for $9 I was super excited!  This one in navy is very similar and on sale now too. As for the rest of my outfit, these Loft jeans were also a thredUP find for $10! These are very similar and currently on sale.  I find as long as I buy my go-to brands on thredUp, I don't have to worry about fit, as I know how the sizes run. I didn't have a light pair previously, so these really fit the bill. As always, use this link to get $10 off your first purchase.

Uncomplicated

I've been seeming to have an affinity for all things floral this season and this Loft top I scored from thredUp is no exception. (Use this link to get $10 off your first purchase).

I got these jeans last year from Loft and they are perfect for work as well as the weekend. I also just got these kick crops in "popcorn," which is like a soft white, after loving them in red and black.

This necklace from Uncommon Goods is continuing to be one of my favorites. I love the uniqueness of it, it would be a great Mother's Day gift for your wish list too!

I feel like my style has been becoming more streamlined and less complicated in the past year and outfits like this are ones I feel great in. Uncomplicated and comfy are pretty much a winning combo. I look back at some of my old outfits in the archives and sometimes I think, "I need to wear that again!" Other times, I think, "Man, that's just not me anymore." Having a style blog is such a fun way to chronicle my outfits, but it's also a good reminder that clothes are just clothes. Not every outfit I wear needs to be photographed, nor should they all.

What about you?  Do you feel like you've nailed down a consistent style or is it ever evolving?