Mother's Day Truths

This post is sponsored by the theatrical release of Mother’s Day, in theaters April 29. #MothersDayMovie

Motherhood is the greatest gift, the biggest challenge, just the MOST of every emotion you can possibly fathom. And no matter how well prepared you may feel as you wait for your little one’s 

arrival, no matter how many books you’ve read or mom friends you’ve chatted with or viral Facebook articles you’ve shared on your wall, you simply cannot imagine the reality of daily motherhood until you experience it yourself. You will be endlessly surprised and frustrated by the things you’ll learn and experience.

No one else’s kids will ever be half as cute as your kids. Or even a third as cute. Or a quarter as cute. Your kids’ cuteness will absolutely demolish the cuteness of every other child you will ever behold. And every mother will think this about every child she has, whether they are actually beautiful or entirely average looking or even kinda goofy. 

Somehow, motherhood will simultaneously be the best and the very worst part of your life. You will understand deep in your soul that being a mother is the best, most meaningful, most beautiful thing you will ever experience in life. And I guarantee that less than five minutes after this realization hits your core, you will be at your wit’s end, fully prepared to set your children in a box on the side of the road with “free, no returns” scribbled on the side. And you will spend the next 18 years with these two extremes somehow co-existing in your heart. The good outweighs the bad—of course it does—but nothing else in your life will drive you to the brink of insanity with such merciless efficiency.

You’ll never feel like you’re doing a good job. You might feel like you’re doing an okay job, if you’re lucky. My oldest is only five, so perhaps the confidence comes later (I can only hope!). But so far, I’ve spent five years second-guessing my every decision, weighing myself up against other mothers (and consistently coming up short), and ending most days with a miles-long mental list of parenting regrets.

But they’ll let it go and love you anyway. I’m always amazed by how quick my kids are to forgive me 100% when I’ve screwed up and shouted at them for the fiftieth time in the span of an hour. They may sulk for a few minutes or use your mom guilt to manipulate you into buying them a donut at the grocery store (and it will work, every time), but they will always be ready with a hug and a sticky kiss. You’ll remember the mistakes you made today far longer than your kids will.

You’ll freak out as they grow up. And they’ll grow up so fast, just like everyone warned you they would. I do not consider myself a “baby person.” I always say that if I could just give birth to a 3-year old, I’d happily skip the baby stage entirely. And even so, I cry when I look at the pictures I took 3 or 6 or 12 months ago, wondering how is it possible that they’ve gotten so big?! 

But they’ll get better with age. This has been true so far. And I hope and pray with all my little heart that this continues for their whole lives. I am scared silly by the thought of my sweet babies growing into lumbering, sulky, emotional teenagers, but am comforted (slightly!) by the knowledge that each new stage my kids enter is my new favorite, and they just keep getting sweeter and cuter and more fun the older they get.

With Mother’s Day coming up, I can’t wait to see Mother’s Day in theaters April 29th. Three women. Three stories. This Mother’s Day, let go of your fears. Embrace the ones you love.

COME CELEBRATE THE MOTHER OF ALL HOLIDAYS. See #MothersDayMovie in theaters on April 29, starring Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts, and Jason Sudeikis!  https://www.facebook.com/SeeMothersDay/

This is the day that connects us all, and I’m so excited to watch this movie with my own mom! It’s a big-hearted comedy with a star-studded ensemble cast, and I bet it’s going to be the perfect way to celebrate.

The Nuggets' Christmas Sunday Outfits

When I was little, my sister and I always got new matching dresses to wear to church for Easter and Christmas. I'm happy to carry on the tradition as best I can with my kids.

We're also creating our own family tradition of being late to church every week because Mama needs pictures of her babies in front of the garage door. It's nice to have special traditions during this time of year.

Believe it or not, the stylish mittens you see here were not actually meant to be part of their outfits. But you can only make so many requests (demands) before these two are pushed into an irreversible meltdown, and I had already taken away the beloved pacifier, so the mittens stayed. And Darcy insisted on wearing hers for her nap, and to bed last night. Because mittens.

Darcy's adorable little dress is not the most Christmas-y Christmas dress ever, but I love that it is versatile. She'll be able to wear it all through the winter and into spring and summer without it looking too seasonal. I found this dress on sale at The Children's Place a few weeks ago, and ordered it in a 3T. Darcy just turned 2, but she's quite tall and outgrowing most of her 2T stuff already, and I wanted to make sure she had a little room to grow with this one. It's a bit big in the bodice, but not bad. I think it was $12 when I bought it, but is now marked down to $9.

Forrest's pants are also from The Children's Place. We have a really hard time finding pants that fit him. He has a nice big round tummy, and it's been very tough to find pants that will button around his belly, without looking too big in the legs. We finally had luck with size 5 husky jeans and chinos from The Children's Place. He's so excited to have pants that fit him comfortably now!

I made his bow tie a few years ago, and was glad to see that it still fits (and coordinates perfectly with Darcy's red tights).

Do you do the matchy-matchy look for Christmas, too?

Deep Thoughts with Forrest #16

Forrest: Now that I'm 5, I am the most smart!
Me: Yeah! You'll just keep getting bigger and smarter as you grow.
(pause)
Me: Well, some people never get much smarter.
Forrest: Like Daddy.
Me: ???????

As you may recall, I trimmed my pixie up a bit with the idea of styling it in a faux hawk . . . which I ended up feeling a bit awkward wearing. It's growing on me now that I've done it a few times, but I was asking the family what they thought of it.
Forrest: Your hair makes you look like a man.
Jeff: I like it. I think it looks cool.
Forrest: No, Daddy is lying to you. He is just saying that to be polite.
Jeff: No I'm not! I really like it.
Forrest: . . . You look like a man.

Relayed to me from his preschool teacher.
Forrest: (at school) Miss ___________, did you know you are my buddy?!
Teacher: Thank you, Forrest! You're my buddy, too!
Forrest: I know.
(pause)
Forrest: But you are not my best buddy. And I can't tell you who my best buddy is, because it would hurt your feelings that you are not my best buddy.

At his 5-year checkup with his pediatrician.
Doctor: Forrest, do you have any questions for me about your body or your health?
Forrest: (without even a second of hesitation) Yes. How did Jesus make my brain?
Doctor: How did . . . how did Jesus make your brain?
Forrest: Yes.
Doctor: . . .

I forget what we were talking about here, but I jokingly said . . . 
Me: Are you crazy?!
Forrest: No! I'm not crazy! But I actually am a little bit toot-ish. *farts*

While I'm scurrying around, getting dinner ready.
Forrest: Are you tired of doing all this work?
Me: Yes.
Forrest: Do you wish you were a little girl right now so you wouldn't have to work anymore?
Me: . . . yes.


I tried a new foundation and knew that Forrest's brutal childhood honesty would be a good indicator of whether or not I picked a spot-on match for my skin color.
Me: Hey Forrest, come look at my face. Does it look okay? Does anything look different about it today?
Forrest: (inspects) It's fine.
Me: Okay, thanks.
Forrest: You look nice. Today you do not look like a man.
Me: 
Forrest: Sometimes you do look like a man, but not today.
Me: 

Jeff and I have noticed that Forrest has pretty much no resiliency or self-motivation . . . if he wants to do something and he finds it hard, he gets upset and gives up immediately. He's been enjoying his karate classes until the last few weeks, when he's been complaining that they're too hard and he wants to stop going. We don't really want him to give up on it just because it's difficult, so we've been talking to him about giving his best effort and not giving up on things. 
Jeff: So, do you understand what it means to try your best and not give up?
Forrest: Yes.
Jeff: Ok, awesome.
Forrest: And do you know what?
Jeff: What?
Forrest: I am going to not quit. I'm going to eat my whole breakfast now and not even give up until it is all gone!

2015 Christmas Cards

This is our 2nd year in a row ordering our Christmas cards from Shutterfly, and I'm feeling particularly relieved to have this year's cards finished up and ready to mail. Sending and receiving Christmas cards is one of my very favorite holiday traditions, but it was kinda stressful this year. My kids do not make the photo experience easy. I still cannot believe we ended up with a single decent photo to use. It's a Christmas miracle.

I had envisioned a full family photo on our cards, but it turned out to be impossible for us to take a decent picture together. And even asking for a decent picture of just the kids together was totally unrealistic. More on that later.

Luckily, I chose a design that had room for one small picture on the back. There weren't any family photos good enough to make it to the front of the card, but at this little size, you can't even tell that it isn't the best shot ever.

I typically spend a lot of time clicking back and forth between different card designs, torn between lots of lovely options. This year though, I fell in love with one design right away. Shutterfly has hundreds of beautiful choices, but this one looked perfect at first sight. You can find the design I used HERE.

And I particularly love all the adorable coordinating details--like our colorful envelope liners that match our cards perfectly and add such a fun pop of color:

And I love the matching address labels and personalized stamps! I couldn't resist adding one of our photo shoot rejects to the stamp. It was just too good not to include somehow.

I used some glitter washi tape to fasten the envelopes . . . because glitter. Why not, right?

And I love the quality of the cards--the print job is beautiful, and the cards are so thick and sturdy. If you're shopping around for Christmas cards, look no further . . . I 110% recommend Shutterfly.

Now, for the not-so-pretty behind the scenes of our Christmas card photos.

I had envisioned a cute little Christmas morning scene for our pictures--matching pajamas, all of us sitting in bed together, maybe a pile of books nearby for us to pretend to be reading. I suppose it goes without saying that I envisioned everyone smiling and looking at the camera at the same time, but this is clearly expecting way too much.

I'm actually thinking that next year I'll give up on the cute picture entirely and just put together a collage card of all of us crying in front of a Christmas tree.

Sass and Smilestones

If you've been around this blog for a while, you might recall that my oldest, Forrest, put us through one heck of a difficult infancy and toddler stage. Colic, terrible twos, tantrums galore--we had a rough go of it with that kid for a while. But Darcy couldn't have been more different from Forrest as an infant--where Forrest was consistently grouchy and angry, she was always so sweet and pleasant and happy. So I figured, of course, that her good attitude would last forever and we'd never ever have a moment's difficulty with her. *cue maniacal laughter dissolving into tears* Let's discuss her sass and smiles for today's post brought to you by Orajel™ Kids. Whatever stage of oral development your child is in, Orajel Kids has you covered.

This sweet princess, who truly--and I really mean this--spent about 95% of her infancy smiling sweetly and giggling over everything, has hit her terrible twos in a major way. If only those pictures above came with sound; I wish you could hear the angry whining and shouting that accompanied them as she begged to hold my camera and became furious that I wouldn't hand it over.

Today alone, she has had meltdowns over:
1) being buckled into her car seat for Forrest's preschool dropoff without having her shoes put on first
2) seeing Forrest get out of the car when we got to preschool
3) being put back in the car for preschool pickup 2 hours later
4) not being allowed to lock herself in my closet
5) locking herself in my closet and not being able to get the door open by herself
6) putting on a pair of my shoes and tripping while trying to walk in them
7) not being allowed to dump nail polish on the bathroom floor
8) having to share a tablet with her brother
9) the tablet's battery getting low and needing to be plugged in
10) finishing her cheese at lunch

For the sake of everyone's sanity I'll stop the list at lunchtime. But believe you me, there was plenty more before bed. The attitude is unreal. So much sass packed into one tiny body.

Despite the twonager attitude, though, I do think this phase isn't as bad as it was the first time around with Forrest. I can't decide if she is truly not as extreme and defiant as he was, or if I've lowered my expectations and am just less blown away by the difficulty of living with a 2-year old this time around. It honestly could be either.

But one thing that is definitely a change from when Forrest hit this frustrating stage, is that I've learned to stress a little bit less over how frustrating it can be, and soak up her smiles when they come. Because there are always some smiles, even during her most terrible and frustrating days.

Like today? Despite all the stress of the morning, she was beyond thrilled to be handed a toothbrush and her Orajel Kids toothpaste. She was nothing but smiles and giggles while she tried to brush her teeth all on her own. Sweet moments like this one help me power through the difficult moments. And having some Baby Orajel teething gel on hand helped provide some extra smiles a few weeks back when she sprouted two brand new teeth--that gel is a total sanity-saver for rough, uncomfortable teething days.

One perk that comes with a second child (that I'm sure sinks in more and more if additional children come later) is that I've gained a little perspective. No matter how frustrating and all-consuming and exasperating a stage may be, I know now that it will pass.

I remember thinking during Forrest's terrible twos that I would never survive and would never recover from it. Now it's hard to even remember the specifics of how difficult it was day in and day out, and I know it will be the same with Darcy. I find myself worrying about her a bit less, giving her more freedom before little issues turn into enormous power struggles, and trying to focus on everything that's fun about her at this age.

Fun things like:
1) her tickle fights with Forrest and how they both end up lying on the ground, laughing their heads off
2) snuggling with her in her rocker before bed
3) the way she clings to her favorite stuffed bear and offers him to me for a cuddle, too
4) how she stands at the window to wave goodbye and blow kisses whenever a visitor or family member leaves
5) how she nibbles all her food straight off her plate like a puppy
6) her big, earnest smiles and adorable belly laugh
7) her strong and stubborn fashion sense
8) her wild hair that always looks like she's just woken up, even after I've brushed and styled it
9) the way she shrieks with excitement when daddy gets home each night
10) her insistence on helping Forrest brush his teeth every night (something she has done for over a year now--bless him for being so patient with her!). We've been using Orajel Kids toothpaste for as long as I can remember, and she gets so excited to help squeeze it onto the brush, and help her brother brush his teeth. Slightly less cooperative when it comes time to turn the tables and brush her teeth, but she's getting better.

And when worse comes to worst and I simply cannot deal with the 2-year old sass for a single second more, I put her to bed early, collapse on the couch, and scroll back through photos of her smiling happily on my phone, to remind myself that there is indeed a happy girl in there somewhere, even if she's currently hiding beneath layers of sass and defiance.

I highly recommend keeping a stash of smiling photos on your phone for this purpose.

As difficult as the terrible twos are, I know that this is just one of many milestones my kids will face as they grow. From early teething pain to brushing new teeth to helping kids learn to brush independently, there's an Orajel product to help make the milestones easier and healthier. And Orajel knows that every milestone deserved to be captured and preserved forever, from the screaming baby photos on Santa's lap to crying in their Halloween costumes. Not every moment can be picture perfect, but they are all worth remembering.

Orajel Kids is offering one lucky winner a chance to turn their milestones into Smilestones with the Smilestones sweepstakes and a grand prize of a $1,000 gift card and an Orajel product prize pack to help you keep that smile healthy and vibrant for their next Smilestone. To enter, share your Smilestone photo that you wish you could re-do HERE! 

Enter the sweepstakes today for your chance to win big!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Orajel™ Kids.

Asymmetrical Pixie Cut

Guys, it's another hair post full of selfies. I'M SO SORRY. One of these days I'm going to bust out an actual camera for these pictures and you will be BLOWN AWAY.

Ugh. These posts are always so embarrassing. *cringes* 

Also, sorry for the super blurry shot of the back below. Forrest took that picture for me. We're working on his "hold the phone steady" skills. I guess you can only expect so much from a 5-year old.

The siren song of the pixie was too strong. I couldn't resist. I went for it, with a deep part on one side and longer bangs, and tons of texture through the top. It's so much fun.

(Same exact haircut above and below.)

 My favorite way to wear it is with some flat iron curls/waves through the top. It's messy and crazy and super fun.

I love love love this haircut with a capital L. It's really quick and easy to style, and still offers a bit of variety/styling options with the longer top and side. 

The pictures above were mainly from August/September. I went in for a trim a week or so ago and had the bangs brought up just a tad shorter, with the idea that I could faux hawk it. The bangs came out . . . a little shorter than I had anticipated. And it turns out I feel SUPER goofy and self-conscious in a faux hawk anyway. Not sure I have the confidence required for this one! 

Here's how it looks now. I like it, and it really isn't that big of a change from how it was before, but I'm planning to grow the bangs out a tad more again, to get back to the pictures above.

I bet someone is going to comment and ask for styling recommendations and favorite products. I really don't feel like I have any expertise to offer (at all!!!), but I'll work on putting something together!

Bring on the pumpkins, corn pits, and boots

Now that we've made our annual pumpkin patch visit, we can say that fall has been officially kicked off (even though we are just starting to see some color change in the leaves and the weather is barely beginning to cool down).

We visited Jaker's in Springville and had a great time. I'll admit, we were a bit worried when we pulled into the parking lot--it was absolutely packed and there was even a bit of a line waiting to get in. But we were happy to find that there were enough attractions to keep the crowd spread out fairly evenly, so it didn't feel as crazy as it looked.

Forrest was really excited about the 'pumpkin rocket!' until we realized it was a pumpkin drop that charged per drop. It sure looked cool, though!

But the petting zoo was a huge hit. You guys, that piglet. THAT PIGLET!!! Forget taking a pumpkin home at the end of the night. I wanted that little guy to come home with me. He was so adorable. His little twirly tail was in constant motion, spinning nonstop as long as we watched him. Cutest thing ever.
 

By far, the kids' favorite part of the night was playing in a humongous corn pit. And we smuggled a good deal of it home with us by accident--we kept pulling kernels out of pockets, socks, underpants, and diapers. I found a handful of them in my purse later--not sure if they dropped in on their own, or if a little someone thought a handful of corn would make a great souvenir?

There is literally not a single thing about fall that I don't love, except I guess the knowledge that winter comes after. We have the scientific know-how to send people into space--I vote that we apply that knowledge and energy to creating a perpetual fall.

One of my favorite things about fall is switching from summer clothes to some warmer fall style. I know there are states out there that bring the heat in a far more serious way than Utah does, but still . . . I could do without 100+ degree days, and it is glorious--glorious!--when I can put a jacket and boots on.

And this year, I wanted to try out the ankle boots that have been so trendy lately. I got these ankle boots from Famous Footwear and have been loving them. I'm so accustomed to wearing knee-high boots that this height took a little getting used to. They are such a fun change from boots I've worn in the past, though, and I feel like they really go with just about everything, which is nice.

If you're like me and can always use a little help and inspiration when it comes to style, make sure to check out the #ohsofamous style gallery. It's a great way to find new style ideas for the season and see how others are styling their Famous Footwear shoes. I've been scrolling through and I have to say, it is really helpful to see other ladies wearing these exact boots, and the outfits they've put together around them. I'm making mental notes of what I like best, so I can try some new things with my boots. 

(And little fashionista Darcy is sporting these sweet little boots.)

Even Jeff got in on the action with the first pair of boots he has ever owned in his life (can you believe that?! my dad and brothers always wore boots so it kind of blew my mind that Jeff has never worn them before). And he promptly filled them up with corn kernels from the big corn pit. A hazard of pumpkin patching. You can see the pair he chose HERE.

What's your favorite thing about fall?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Lately

I realized it's been a minute since I've just rambled pointlessly at you about random family happenings, and I'm sure you really miss that, right? So today, a bullet list post of our lives lately.

- Forrest fractured a bone in his foot a few weeks ago, and is going to need to spend some time brainstorming a more impressive story to tell people about his broken bone experience, because the reality was embarrassingly dull. He was running, tripped, and fell. Boom. Broken foot. I don't even understand how anything could have been fractured by such a commonplace occurrence (and I was sitting on the couch, watching him do it!). He spent a few weeks in a boot and is fully recovered now. He thought the whole experience was very exciting, and flirted shamelessly with all the nurses, doctors, radiologists, and receptionists he met in the hopes that one of them would change their mind about the boot and give an awesome red cast instead.

- The piglets have been introduced to Krispy Kreme and talk about it basically nonstop now. I am having a hard time turning down their requests for Krispy Kreme runs, especially since we live about 5 minutes away from them now and it is all too easy (and delicious) to just give in and get donuts rather than argue them into a more nutritious snack.

- A new used bookstore opened up a few minutes from my house. I am proud to say I haven't spent a whole lot of money there, but it isn't for lack of trying--the books are $1 each, so it'll take a while for me to make a good solid dent in our bank account. I'm making great progress though!!

- I'm sorry to say it, but Darcy has really pulled one over on you guys. People seem to think she's all sweetness and smiles when the truth is that a lurking demon has been awakened deep in her soul. Her terrible twos set in early and hard, and if anyone is looking to spend some quality time with a feisty, opinionated toddler, I have one you're welcome to borrow.

- Jeff (or Mr. Matilda, if you will) has been a busy little worker bee and has outgrown his current office space in a major way. A move/upgrade has been a long time coming for him and his practice, and we are super excited that it is finally underway. (Of course, we would be even more excited if we weren't the ones paying for the renovation of a new office space, but such is life.) I don't want to show any pictures until it's finished, but that little autumn scene up there was taken out of the window of the new location. Not too shabby. It's going to be an awesome office, and I can't wait to get it all finished up. For now, it is sapping all of my life force, and these renovation price tags make me want to cry. Send chocolate.

- I cut my hair quite a few weeks ago, and have been embarrassing myself tremendously with far too many selfies on Instagram. I suppose the new hair will probably get its own post here because that's exactly the sort of silly thing I'm always going on about online, so hang on, I'm sure that post is waiting in the wings.

What have you been up to lately?

Pacapod Bags -- kinda genius, if you ask me.

One fun thing about blogging is that I sometimes get a chance to experience products I might never have experienced otherwise. And if there's one thing this mom likes to take for a test ride, it's diaper bags. This is a really cool one, and I'm excited to show you some of its clever features.

But first: let's take a moment to acknowledge that I am A) wearing normal, everyday clothes in these pictures, and B) not  in some charming photo location, and C) not made up to look like some supermodel supermom. I'll admit that a bit of insecurity set in while planning this post--I thought to myself, "The nice people who sent me this bag will probably be disappointed when they see this post with a very normal-looking mom in very normal-looking clothes standing against her very normal-looking living room wall. They probably hoped for some Pinterest-sensation wowza photos." 

And then, a lightbulb moment. They ostensibly visited this blog before writing to see if I'd like to test out their bag. I assume they peeked around and realized within about 3 seconds of browsing that I am not a Pinterest-sensation wowza supermodel type of blogger. If anything, I actively resist pretending I'm that person, because yuck--who has the time to keep up that kind of charade?

And more than almost anything else in a mother's life, a diaper bag is, above all, utilitarian. And I think that is represented here today. I didn't fuss up for the sake of photos, or try to put on some show for you (or for Pinterest) here. This is real, everyday life--at home, in my living room, using a useful product in a very practical, useful way. And that's about as good as it gets for me :-)

So, let's break it down. What you see before you here is the Pacapod Cromwell bag. I love its sleek look and outer buckles. The gold hardware is a nice, trendy touch, and the fabric would be incredibly easy to wipe down and clean. It's so spacious inside, and that slim outer pocket is a handy touch. I love that it doesn't look like a typical diaper bag--I'm not sure I'd have guessed it was a baby bag if I saw it out in the wild.

What really sets Pacapod bags apart, though, is that it has a 3-in-1 organization system. You have, of course, the typical large diaper bag, but . . . 

. . . it also has a completely separate section on the outside of the bag that zippers open to reveal a changer pod (complete with a changing pad and inner compartments to store diapers, wipes, and rash cream), and a feeder pod (which is insulated to keep milk and snacks cold and hygienic). These separate pods fit perfectly into their zipper section, and can be removed and handed off to whoever else wants to take their turn with a feeding or a diaper change (might as well be optimistic, right?).

I love how easy it is to keep things organized here--no loose diapers floating around in the inner part of the bag, no mad search to hunt down a bottle cap or the tube of rash cream. It's all tucked away exactly where it belongs, and easy to find and utilize when you need it.

The bag also comes with a longer strap so you can wear it crossbody, as well as shorter, removable straps to hang it from a stroller.

My only complaint about the bag is that I wish it had more interior organization in the main portion of the bag--it's a large space and easy to 'lose' items inside of. Although I imagine that could very easily be remedied with a bag organizer, the likes of which you can find for all of $5 or so online, which makes this a relatively minor complaint. Just something to be aware of, if you're shopping around and comparing bags.

The pod system is totally genius, especially if you are bottle-feeding a baby. My kids are old enough that the feeder pod isn't an absolute necessity for me, but I think it would have been a life saver when Darcy was little. Such a clever design.

Visit Pacapod to see more of their bag designs, and check out this video if you'd like to see the bag in action.