Why I'm Not Promoting #NSale

Ok, so let me begin by saying I actually love Nordstrom. Seriously, their shoe department is top notch, they have free shipping and returns, and the people that work their are lovely. I'm not promoting or shopping this sale for other reasons which I felt like I should share today.

First off, it is July. July people. I honestly want nothing to do with fall clothes, I don't want to think about them, talk about them, or try them on. Fall clothes means school is in session and that my sandals are stored for the year. I like fall clothes....once it's fall.

Secondly, I don't want to cave into peer pressure. All I see all over the internet is blogger after blogger sharing their #NSale reviews.  It hadn't occurred to me to do this before, so it's no longer an original idea, so I don't plan to do it now.

Next, I don't run my blog as a business. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just already have a job, and this blog remains my hobby. I can imagine many bloggers make some big bucks with their links to products this time of year, but like I stated before, I don't really want to even think of fall clothes, so there you have it.

Lastly, and probably the biggest reason, I need more clothes like a hole in the head. Seriously. I feel like social media has us always thirsting for more. Buy, buy, buy. I literally just went though my closet and pulled out at least thirty things I haven't worn in at least a year to take to a resale shop, none of which I will miss. This summer I did get a few tops from Old Navy to freshen up my summer wardrobe since I was pregnant this time last year, but I'm putting on the brakes with shopping this fall.

I recently had a girl email me to remove her from my newsletter list as "I didn't wear clothes she could still buy and she could care less to see pictures of my kid." Ok, then.... Although I was a bit offended by her email (there is an unsubscribe button at the bottom of my newsletter she should could have clicked, by the way), she hit the nail on the head. I don't have a lot of new clothes to show, and I like to show pictures of my kids.

I still like blogging, don't get me wrong, but the #NSale onslaught right now really solidifies for me how different I am from how I was a few years back. I don't need to "buy all the things," and I don't need to try to impress anyone else, which used to be a huge issue for me. Clothes are something I wear, not who I am.

Maybe you need to hear this too....fashion is fun but "buying all the things" will never make us feel whole. For me, my faith and my family are so much more important, and there were definitely a few years in there when fashion was taking the front seat, which was pretty foolish in my opinion.

Thank you to all who read my posts....I love to write them. Thanks for sticking around even though I'm not showing new clothes all the time, I'm sharing my faith, and I definitely share a lot pictures of my kids. ; )

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Mathew 6:21

Making the Most of It

The sad reality is, summer for us is pretty much over. I start back to school next week, Hannah will start daycare, and Grant will be going to kids' club at his school for two weeks, because he doesn't start until the 16th-lucky guy!

This week we've tried to make the most of it. Grant went to a local amusement park with my mom, we went to the zoo, the library, and have a playdate tomorrow. I know I said this before, but being a stay at home mom is no joke. It's definitely more work than working outside of the the home is. I really feel like we've just gotten into a decent grove, and it's back to reality.  I'm excited for what this years brings for the kids. Grant will be in first grade (say what???) and Hannah is starting at a great school (daycare/montessori) I think she'll really thrive at.

I, on the other hand, am not super excited for my new school year, but I'm sure it will be fine. With curriculum changes I feel like I have a lot of ground to cover. I'm not apposed to change, but I am a bit pragmatic and a creature of habit, and I really dislike when changes are made over the summer without an time available for us to prepare for them.   I am excited to get to see my work friends more again and I do enjoy getting to wear my school clothes again too. I'm sure things will be fine once I get back in the swing of things.

This embroidered blouse just came in the mail and I adore it! The quality and fit is good and it's less than $20! It's perfect for now and will be great once I'm back to work too.

Perspective

Last week Grant spent a couple of days at my parents' house. He and Hannah are the only grandkids, and luckily my parents live close and have always had a close relationship with us. Grant and Grandma have been on more adventures than I can count, and a few times a year he'll go to spend a few days with them.

It is crazy how only having to take care of one child instead of two feels like a vacation. Perspective is everything, right? Brian and I had two nights to ourselves, because Hannah goes to bed at about 7:00 and Grant doesn't usually go to bed until 8:00. We've recently started watching a series on Netflix together, so we had some extra time to talk, watch our show, and hang out.

During the two days while Grant was gone Hannah took two long naps each day and it gave me so much more time to myself, which is basically non-existent otherwise. It was so nice, but man, I missed Grant! Even though he has been more challenging at times lately and boys seem to be made of messes and noise, it was too quiet around here. I can find myself wishing for a break in the midst of the craziness, but then I get one and realize it's more than I needed. Now a break every now and then is nice, of course, and Grant always has so much fun with my parents, but my family matters more to me than being apart from them does.  Perspective is everything, right?

Two summers ago these shorts were my favorite. I didn't get to wear them last summer due to my pregnancy, so I was excited to pull them out again this summer. In the past I wore them with more structured tops, which is difficult for nursing, so I thought this top from Old Navy would work perfectly! I will admit I ended up wearing my  Vionic sandals instead. I love wedges with shorts for a night out, but I'd look pretty silly running errands in wedges around here.

Back to School

This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of OshKosh B'gosh; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

It is seriously hard to believe that Grant will be heading back to school in just a few weeks! One of my favorite memories growing up was always back to school shopping. There's nothing like new clothes to help you feel great about a new school year and confident to put your best foot forward. Thankfully OshKosh B'gosh has great clothes at great prices! In fact you can use code OKBG3136 to get 25% off your purchase of $30 or more! Check down at the bottom of the post for a printable copy as well as a giveaway! 

I'm also all about versatility when it comes to clothes too. We try not to buy anything that can't be mixed and matched. One of the things Grant was in dire need of was new jeans. Now, he doesn't wear jeans daily, but having a couple of pair for school and for church are great. I love how classic and mixable jeans are too. Grant chose these jeans, which are currently on sale and have an adjustable waist, which is one of my favorite features. Today I thought I'd share three easily mixable outfits with only three pieces of clothing and these great shoes Grant picked out!

Life Lately

Here's a look at life lately via pictures I've shared on Instagram!

I've gotten in the habit of trying to take a quick picture with the kids before church, they are my greatest accomplishment for sure!

Bucket List

I hate to say it, but I literally report back to work two weeks from today. On August 4th. It should be against the law to have to go back that early, seriously. With only two weeks left I have a number of things I want to try to get accomplished, so I thought I'd share them today.

1. Go to the zoo- we have only been once all summer, which really surprises me! We need to go again for sure!

2. Plan a couple of playdates-now this is more for me than for Grant. Grant has quite a few friends in the neighborhood that he can play with pretty regularly, which is great. We also have a few friends who are outside the neighborhood, so we don't see them as often. I want to get some dates in the books to get together, because it probably won't happen again for a while once school starts.

3. Plan some outfits- In years past I have also had an area in my closet with outfits I plan to wear. I haven't done that one time all summer. I literally pick out my clothes in my towel each morning without a second thought. However, I do have a lot of "work" clothes, skirts, and dresses that have gone unworn all summer, and some since I've had Hannah. I really want to get some outfits planned, because God knows I won't have time to think about what to wear in the morning once school starts!

4. Read two more books- I have two books from our neighborhood library I want to get read and returned. Once school starts I don't usually have the energy to read a lot in the evenings and with curriculum changes at school reading there is definitely out. (insert sad face emoji).

5. Make sure to work with Grant on reading and writing each day.  This has been hit or miss for the last couple of weeks, but I want to make sure to make it consistent for the next few weeks. Kids lose almost a 1/3 of what they learned the previous year without continued practice in the summer and I don't want that for Grant.

6. Enjoy the kids, soak up every minute, and let the house work slip a little. There will always be dishes and laundry, and cleaning, but pretty soon I'll only get to see them a few hours a day and that really stinks.

What about you?  Anything you want to get done before the craziness of the school year hits?

I have not been shopping pretty much all summer, but last week I did make a quick trip to Old Navy and Loft with Hannah while Grant was at sports camp. I found this top at Old Navy and these red pants at Loft. I already have another top like this one that is striped and I've been wearing it like crazy all summer, so getting the navy was a no brainer. As for these red pants, I love that the flare trend is back and they are on sale too!

Just Breathe

The song Breathe by Jonny Diaz has been on the radio a ton lately, or maybe it's just been on when I really needed to hear it. Two weeks ago I was kind of at my wits' end in the mom department. Grant was starting to act out with some behaviors and Hannah has been teething (still no teeth) and seemed fussier than usual. On top of that, I was (and kind of still am) dreading going back to school for the first time ever. They decided to make changes to our curriculum and are wanting it in place on day 1, but aren't giving us any time to develop new lesson plans and y'all know I don't have any free time to work on it with both kids at my feet constantly.  I was not really in a great place at all.

I shared my struggles with my attitude at church in our small group while asking for prayer, decided to be more purposeful with my devotions and started to really think about the lyrics to this song, and what do you know? Last week was great! Grant was at a sports camp in the morning each day, which he loved! It helped him to burn off his boundless boy energy. Also, spending the mornings at home with just Hannah was really nice. Hannah's disposition was back to normal, and I kind of resolved to not worry about school. What good would it do, really? 

My point is, some days are great, some days are not, but in the midst of the bad days we should look to find rest at the feet of Jesus. Take a listen to this song: 

          

These are the lyrics I'm trying to focus on:

"Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at My feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need"

"Is to take it in fill your lungs
The Peace of God that overcomes
Just breathe
Let your weary spirit rest
Lay down what’s good and find what’s best
Just breathe"

I'm not sure if you can relate to the craziness in my life right now, but I hope the knowledge that God
 has us covered will give you peace, like it has for me.