Naturally Chic Mama

Reflect. Repent.

2012-02-22T21:23:00.000-08:00

The pains in my empty stomach remind me throughout the dayof what this day is all about.

Ash Wednesday. Repentance.

This is my first year observing Ash Wednesday and Lent. I decided to fast today and now I just want togo to bed so that I can get up and eat breakfast. How did Jesus do it for 40days?

Self-discipline. Something that I am not so great at. Theevidence of which has once again reared it's ugly head in this most recent season of my life. Too many cookies,endless episodes on Netflix, drinking coffee and soda like water.

So I am giving upthose things for these 40 days of Lent. Those things that often characterize alazy and undisciplined season in my life, which always spills on over into myspiritual life. Scattered prayers, an unopened Bible. Quick to anger, easilyfrustrated, growing more impatient . The mind focused on the shallow, the temporary,the fleeting. Feeling my own needs so great, much like this hunger, and othersneeds as merely an inconvenience, much like this fast. Repentance.

I think about these things as I go throughout my day.Laundry in, hunger, reflect, repent. Bathtub filled, hunger, reflect,repent. Toys picked up, hunger, reflect, repent. I used to think thatfasting was something that I did to earn extra points with God. Now I know thatfasting is all about the denial. The void. The reminder. As I traipse throughthe seemingly mundane of my day, I am seeing things differently.

I see two little people right in front of me thatdesperately need me to be Jesus with skin on. More apple juice in the sippy cup…serve.Little fingers fumbling the carseat buckles…patience. Tears spilled overscratchy tags…empathy. Whatever you did for one of the least of these…

My mind races throughout the day as I plan my observance ofLent. Prayers to pray, devotionals to read, activities to do with the boys. Istop. In all of my planning for reflection and repentance, I am forgetting toreflect and repent.

It occurred to me today that I am really good at the knowingand the doing, but I struggle with the being. I think my One Word for 2012 islarger in scope than I first thought.

Be.

Be like Christ.

Be. Embody his very attributes.

Be kind to those who have hurt me. More than tolerant andsuperficially nice. Truly kind.

Be selfless in putting others needs before my own. This. Is.So. Hard.

Be merciful. Not judging those who are judging me. Graceextended.

Be focused on the deep, not the shallow. The eternal, notthe temporary.

Reflect. Repent. Be.

Celebrating

2012-02-17T13:27:00.002-08:00

Yesterday was Little Man's 2nd birthday. We are planning a joint birthday party for Little Man and Buddy in a couple of weeks, because Buddy's birthday is in March, and they both like the same things and have the same friends. So yesterday, we just kept it simple and sweet.

While Little Man napped on Wednesday, Buddy painted him some pictures and found some small toys out of the playroom to give Little Man as gifts. Then he went and got some white printer paper and wrapped the gifts for his brother. It was so sweet!

I made Little Man a wool felt birthday crown using this felt and this tutorial. After we got home from church Wednesday night, I decorated our dining area and sat his gifts and crown on the table for him to find when he woke up.

Sure thing, he found his little crown when he woke up, and his brother helped him tie on a playsilk cape.

Buddy gave him his card and helped him open his first present.

Little Man loved the wooden shapes hammering set we gave him. Then Buddy gave him one of his little presents that he had wrapped.

It was his Sheriff Badge for Little Man to wear on his birthday.

After his gifts, we had Little Man's favorite breakfast...cinnamon rolls!

We hung out around the house for a few hours, and the boys played with the hammering set and cash register that we gave Little Man. Then we went out to lunch at a local pizza place, because Little Man loves him some "petzuh"! At lunch, we gave him another small gift to carry around with him for the day.

Then we headed to the children's museum in Atlanta. One of our big gifts to both boys this year is purchasing a family pass to the museum, so that we can go throughout the year. Another plus to this is that we can use our pass at children's museums all over the country, including the awesome one in Virginia that we went to this past summer.

I'll have to be honest...I was kind of disappointed in Atlanta's museum. It wasn't nearly as nice as the other two that I have been to (Virginia and Tennessee), but it was still full of awesome creative play environments.

After we left the museum, we went and got some ice cream at a cute little fudge and ice cream shop in Atlanta.

Then we went down to his Grams and Papa's house for dinner and cake with the family.

It was a fun and full day of celebration! Can't you tell?

Hope you have a great weekend!

xo,

Amanda

Two

2012-02-16T05:41:00.000-08:00

This is starting to feel like a while ago...

But this seriously feels like yesterday!

Where has the year gone and where is my baby?

He's the big TWO today. (But he'll always be my baby as far as I'm concerned.)

This little guy brings so much energy, silliness, zeal, sweetness, and joy to our family. Just as I thought I had this mothering thing down, he came along and challenged me in new ways. But I think after two years, I almost have him figured out.

He prefers tickles and wrestling to snuggles and cuddles.

He won't let his Daddy walk out the door without giving him a kiss.

He loves "chock-it" milk.

He can't stand to get his face or hands dirty.

He hates clean rooms. (That's all that I can figure because he always destroys them immediately upon entering. I guess he prefers the "lived in" look.)

He is fearless.

He wants to be just like his big brother.

And when he sleeps, he looks like an angel.

Dear Aidan,

The other night I woke up to find you lying on top of me, your head against my chest. I felt your little body go up and down with each breath. Your soft hair tickled my nose.

I live for those moments.

You are so full of energy and you never seem to stop. I love to watch you run around and be silly. You always make me smile. But I also love it when you wear down and want your mama to hold you. I cherish every moment that I get to hold you close and nuzzle your hair and pat your back. I know that much too soon, there will come a day when you will be big enough to hold me. So for now, I am going to hold you and love on you whenever you will let me.

My heart is so full of love for you. Happy Birthday!

xoxo,

Your Mama

DIY Magnetic Felt Fishing Set

2012-02-14T21:06:00.002-08:00

I love to make things for the boys that encourage creative play. I have been planning to make them a magnetic felt fishing set for a while now. I purchased the supplies well before Christmas, but was never able to get around to it. After my husband made them the cardboard pirate ship, I knew the fishing set would be the perfect accessory, so I decided to make it as their Valentine's Day gift from me.

I used a wool blend felt that I purchased from this very sweet etsy seller. Acrylic craft felt would have worked just fine, but the wool blend is so much nicer!

I was inspired by these two different sets of felt fish. This set from Ikat Bag, and this one from Purl Bee. I looked to them for ideas, but just drew my own fish shapes onto the felt with a Sharpie. I made two identical sides and then sewed them together with embroidery floss. After I had almost made it around the entire fish with about an inch and a half left to go, I stuffed the fish with some wool roving and added a metal zinc fender washer inside and pushed toward the mouth area of the fish. I then finished stitching up the fish.

My husband purchased the washers at Home Depot in the hardware section for about $.20 each. They are a little thicker and heavier than normal washers, so they attract the magnet better through the felt than a regular washer would.

To make the fishing pole, I simply tied some twine to a large wooden knitting needle. A dowel rod, drum stick, or small branch would also work well. At the end of the twine, I tied a hook magnet that I purchased in a 2-pack from Hobby Lobby for $3.99.

Here is an up close picture of the washer and the magnet beside a quarter for size reference.

Buddy absolutely LOVED the fishing set. He played with it for most of the day. He was very creative and would place the knitting needle on top of something and then roll it to lift the fish up off the ground like a winch. (He's a big Bob the Builder fan.)

It was also his first experience playing with a strong magnet, so he enjoyed running around the house finding metal objects to see what the magnet would stick to. It was like a mini science lesson!

It was a fun and mostly relaxing Valentine's Day with my two little sweeties. Except when I discovered that Little Man drew on our newly painted playroom wall and shelf with a non-washable black marker. It's my own fault for having the markers within reach on my desk. Oh well! A little Kilz and touch up paint will fix it just fine.

Hope you had a great Valentine's Day!

xo,

Amanda

(I'm linking up today with Sew Much Ado. Head on over there to find a bunch of other great projects!)

A Love Story {Epilogue}

2012-02-14T09:34:00.001-08:00

I have so enjoyed writing out our love story to share with all of you. Phillip and I have had fun reminiscing and talking about the things we were thinking and feeling at different times in our relationship.

Our love story is something that I hold near and dear to my heart. It is also an important layer in the foundation of my faith because I see God's hand so clearly at work throughout my life, both in preparing me for and leading me to marry Phillip.

We have often wondered why we didn't start dating in or right after high school. Looking back we can see that God had not yet finished fully preparing our hearts for one another. Had we dated then, we probably would have broken up due to our immaturity, and who knows if we would be together today.

Of course I dated other guys and he dated other girls along the way. I thought I was in love a couple of times, and even had my heart broken. There were times when I knowingly veered off the path that I knew God had for me. I wanted to find Mr. Right so badly, and often convinced myself that I had found him in some other guy. I would pray and God would not move the way I wanted Him to, so I would often try to make things happen on my own.

I thank God for His grace in allowing me to try and fail, and for His gentle hand that always led me back to the path that He had set before me.

In my teens and early 20's, I kept a journal off and on. Mostly when my heart was broken or when I was deeply yearning for God to move in my life. I had written out a list of the type of man that I felt like God wanted me to marry because I knew that I was called to the ministry and that I was to marry a man of God.

Even though I dated other guys and try to convince myself that they were the one, deep in my heart I knew that they weren't. A few months into the relationship, I would feel a check in my spirit and a reminder of the man that God had waiting for me. I actually remember one day writing in my journal and thinking, "If I could just meet a guy like Phillip Medlin."

Little did I know, he was the one that God had already chosen for me, and I am so glad that I waited for God to bring him back into my life at the perfect time.

I recently found this song, and I feel like it tells my story in so many ways....

He's Always Been Faithful by Sara Groves

Morning by morning I wake up to find

The power and comfort of God's hand in mine

Season by season I watch Him amazed

In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways

All I have need of His hand will provide

He's always been faithful to me

I can't remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can't remember one single regret
In serving God only and trusting His hand

All I have need of His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me

This is my anthem, this is my song
The theme of the stories I've heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end

All I have need of His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me

I'd like to wish my wonderful husband and all of you a very Happy Valentine's Day!

xo,

Amanda

Hey Girl...

2012-02-13T13:35:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist linking up with Ginny for a little Hey Girl fun!

xo,

Amanda

A Love Story {Chapter 7}

2012-02-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

If you need to catch up, click here for a listing of previous chapters.

It's a cold winter morning in February of 2012. Pitter-patter...the sound of little feet running down the hall, golden curls bouncing with every step. With his big brown eyes and rosy cheeks, he looks just like his Daddy. Following close behind is his big brother. Decked out in his Superhero attire, he looks up at his mama, his blue eyes reflecting hers.

At the breakfast table, his tired eyes meet hers and they share a smile, as the two little voices jabber away in the excitement of morning. With his dark beard and flecks of silver throughout his hair, he barely resembles the young boy that once sat behind her and drew 100's all over her papers. The years have been kind to him and she thinks he only grows more handsome with age.

Even though her body has changed since having two children and she often can't find the time to put on her make-up, he still tells her she's as pretty as the day they talked on the sidewalk, with her blue sparkling eyes and big curly hair.

Almost nine years have passed since they stood in the altar, pledging their lives and their love. Together they have experienced many of the ups and downs that life tends to bring. Job changes, ministry challenges, less than ideal living situations, health issues, the passing of loved ones, and the loss of a baby. But through it all, their love has only grown stronger, as they have walked side-by-side and hand-in-hand.

They have also seen much joy. Two precious little boys fill their home with laughter and excitement. Two beautiful expressions of their love. They look around at the home that the Father has blessed them with and see themselves growing old together within those walls, hopefully someday welcoming more children, then grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Together, they continuously pursue God's calling on their lives, and challenge and encourage each other to do great things for His kingdom.

When her childhood Pastor conducted their pre-marital counseling, he told them that their love would only get better with time. They smiled smugly thinking that there was no way that they could love each other more than they did at that moment.

Now they know that he was right.

{The End...for now.}

Click here to read the Epilogue

A Love Story {Chapter 6}

2012-02-12T17:02:00.000-08:00

If you need to catch up, click here for a listing of previous chapters.

It was a warm day in May of '03. The stained glass cross glowed in the darkened sanctuary as the sunlight streamed through, casting glorious hues of color on the altar. Candles twinkled and doves cooed as he stood there, waiting for his bride.

He looked around the beautiful old church that his grandfather had built. The walls of this sanctuary had witnessed so many of his family and friends pledge their love and their lives, and now it was his turn. He watched as the doors slowly opened.

********

She squeezed her Daddy's arm as they walked down the long hallway toward the sanctuary. The day she had been dreaming about since she was a young girl had finally arrived. She had always imagined that she would be nervous on her wedding day. She was never fond of being in the spotlight, and any other situation that would cause all eyes to be on her would have caused her heart to race and her stomach to ache. But instead of nervousness or anxiety, she felt an overwhelming peace and joy. This truly was the best day of her life. She took a deep breath as the doors slowly opened.

********

It was a beautiful wedding ceremony. With tears in their eyes, they pledged their love and committed their lives to each other before God and their family and friends. As they took of communion, they truly felt the presence of the Lord as His Spirit witnessed the union of the two He had so lovingly brought together.

********

With smiles on their faces, the once red-cheeked boy and frizzy-haired girl with the big glasses, were now husband and wife. With eleven years of shared history behind them, and a lifetime of history still to make, they walked out of the church hand in hand to the sound of Harry Connick Jr. singing...

"We go together, like a wink and a smile."

{To be continued...}

Click here to read Chapter 7

A Love Story {Chapter 5}

2012-02-11T12:26:00.000-08:00

If you need to catch up, click here for a listing of previous chapters.

It was a hot evening in August of '02. In the sixth grade classroom up the stairs and to the left, a once red-cheeked boy nervously knelt in front of an excited, and still a bit frizzy-haired girl.

With a trembling hand, he held out the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

He tells the story best...

We walked up the stairs of the school building that was so familiar and it seemed as if nothing had changed in all of those years. I remember being as nervous as I was the first day that I had ever walked up those stairs. This was the first real school that I had ever been to. Walking into that room for the first time and meeting all of those friends who had been together for so long. Many of them close friends since the age of six.

I only remember three times that I walked into that room, that the door felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. The first time was that first day of school when I was the most vulnerable that I had ever been in my long twelve-year span on the earth.

The second, almost as vivid, was Valentine's day in ’94, when I walked in the room carrying a balloon and Valentine's heart that I had gotten for another girl in our class. She rejected even receiving my gift, and the rest of that day all I could think about was getting back home to safety.

The third was this very moment that I am speaking of now. Vulnerable? Yes. Rejection? Possible.

With all of these thoughts racing through my head, I had to go through with the plan, or why else would we even be in this building. She had a strong feeling that something was up from the moment we drove onto the school property. I could hear it in her breath, and would not feel the same type of anticipation from her again until our wedding day. It was so distinct, and it made me more nervous.

The room had been changed around a little and the desks had been upgraded since our last time there. I walked to the back row where I had spent 180 days of my life staring into those golden locks. It was there that I turned around, dropped to my knee, and pulled a diamond ring from the pinky of my left hand. I paused, looked up into her beautiful blue eyes and said the words that I had rehearsed over and over in my mind.

"Amanda, we walked out of this room almost 10 years ago with plans, hopes, and dreams, but not knowing exactly where life would take us. Today we will walk out of here much the same way, but this time, I want to walk out of here together. Will you marry me?"

I was so glad that she said yes.

{To be continued...}

Click here to read Chapter 6

A Love Story {Chapter 4}

2012-02-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

If you need to catch up, click here for a listing of previous chapters.

In was a cool day in October of '01. After attending a community college for two years, she was settling comfortably into her new routine and making friends at the Christian university.

She woke up and headed to chapel in the large auditorium, sitting in the balcony on the right side. Unbeknownst to her, he was sitting directly across from her in the balcony on the left. As chapel was letting out, he caught a glimpse of her across the way and tried to get her attention. In the hustle and bustle of students exiting the building, she did not notice him. He ran down the stairs to see if he could catch her in the lobby, not knowing that she had exited out the back door to return to her dorm. It was a rather large campus and he only attended classes one day a week, so he knew his chances of seeing her again were slim.

But...

Later that afternoon, she was walking across campus trying to find her professor's office so that she could turn in a paper. At that exact moment, he was leaving class and headed toward the same building.

There they met on the sidewalk...

...where the Lord had directed their paths...

...just as He had been doing for all of those years.

She stared up at him. He had grown so tall and handsome. He looked down at her and thought that her eyes were like sparkling blue water. He knew at that moment that she would be his wife.

They talked there on the sidewalk for almost an hour. He said funny things to make her laugh. She curled her toes in her pink flip-flops and tucked her wild curly hair behind her ear. When it was time for him to go to class, she took a deep breath and gave him her number. She told him that he should give her a call sometime so that they could hang out.

He called her that night.

She was so glad he did.

{To be continued...}

Click here to read Chapter 5

Homemade Play Dough Valentines

2012-02-09T21:54:00.000-08:00

As you know, my One Word for 2012 is Be, as in Be a Friend. One of the ways I have tried to put this into practice is by starting a moms playgroup at our church. We meet once a month at my house, once at another mom's house, and also try to schedule in one monthly outing. It has been a great way for me to connect with other moms, and the boys are also getting an opportunity to play and connect with other kids their age.

Today, we had a fun little Valentine's Day Party at our house. I served heart shaped peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches, pretzels (which are naturally heart shaped), and fresh fruit. I made strawberry cupcakes with strawberry icing and garnished them with strawberry halves. I forgot to take a picture, but here is the picture that inspired me. (I just used the Pillsbury cake mix and icing.)

Source: iloveswmag.com via Amanda on Pinterest

The kiddos had fun playing with our Valentine's Day Sensory Bin and Play Dough.

The kids also exchanged valentines. The night before, Buddy and I made some for him and Little Man to give to their friends.

I thought all of the kids would enjoy taking some of the sparkly pink play dough home with them. I found great little plastic heart-shaped containers, and pink and red foam letters in the Target $1 aisle. Buddy and I made up another batch of playdough and filled the containers.

Here's my Valentine's Play Dough recipe...

1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Salt
1 Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons Cream of Tartar
Red Food Coloring
Red Glitter

Mix flour, salt, oil and cream of tartar. Slowly add water. Cook over medium heat, stirring until dough stiffens and begins to pull away from pan. Turn out onto wax paper and let cool. Knead the playdough with your hands until proper consistency. Add a few drops of red food coloring and glitter, and continue to knead dough until it is mixed thoroughly.

I thought I would emphasize a little natural letter learning while we made the valentines. First, I laid out basic letter flash cards across the table and we sang the ABC song. Then I gave Buddy the bowl of foam letters and we sorted them out, saying each letter as we placed them on the matching card.

Then I took out a dry erase board and wrote the child's name that he was making the Valentine for. He would look at the name, find the right letters, and stick them to a piece of white cardstock. He did a really great job!

After he finished all of the kid's names, we hot glued the play dough filled plastic hearts onto the cards. Then I wrote out the boys names in pencil and let Buddy trace their names with a marker. He had a lot of fun making the valentines for the kids and couldn't wait to hand them out today.

Hope you are having a great week!

xo,

Amanda

A Love Story {Chapter 3}

2012-02-09T12:21:00.000-08:00

If you need to catch up, click here for a listing of previous chapters.

It was a hot night in May of '99. Around the pool at a fellow classmates house, the new graduates celebrated.

He had spent his Senior year homeschooling while doing mission work with his family, but had come to cheer his former classmates on and to celebrate with them on their graduation day.

She had greatly missed him that year. No one could make her laugh quite like he could. School just hadn't been the same.

When the classmates started coupling off that evening, the two Pentecostal kids sat by the pool catching up on the last year, reminiscing about the past, and talking of their plans for their futures. For the first time in the six years they had known each other, they held hands. They whispered and laughed and held each other close. Neither of them knew if this was going to become something more, or if they were just two friends caught up in the bittersweet moment of a chapter in their lives coming to a close.

As the party was ending, she excused herself to the restroom. He was unsure of the next step to take.

Should he ask her out? Should he get her number? What if she didn't feel the same way? Would him saying something possibly bring awkwardness to their friendship?

Not sure of what to do, he left the party without saying anything.

They never spoke again, and at the end of the year, she moved out of state with her family.

{To be continued...}

Click here to read Chapter 4

A Love Story {Chapter 2}

2012-02-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

If you missed Chapter One, click here to start at the beginning.

It was a hot day in August of '97. In the eleventh grade homeroom in the little metal building, a much taller but still red-cheeked boy sat behind a curly, but still a little bit frizzy-haired girl. His glasses fit his face much better, and she had since found contacts. He was still funny. She was still a goody-goody.

Four years had passed since they had last seen each other. After completing sixth grade, she had went on to homeschool for the next few years, but now returned back to the same little Christian school to complete her Junior and Senior year.

She became a cheerleader and started dating a football player. She would often come to the tall red-cheeked boy for love advice.

He was the school mascot and loved to make the crowds laugh.

He still does.

He was still the class clown and she was still the straight A student. Unbeknownst to her, he now sat behind her to take the occasional peek at her test papers, until she figured it out and set him up one day by writing in all the wrong answers. Like I said, she was a goody-goody.

Despite all of these differences, they were good friends. He thought she was really pretty, and she thought he was the funniest boy she knew. In fact, she couldn't imagine school without him.

Little did she know, he would not be returning Senior year.

{To be continued...}

Click here to read Chapter 3.

A Love Story {Chapter 1}

2012-02-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

It was a hot day in August of '92. In the sixth grade classroom up the stairs and to the left, a red-cheeked boy sat behind a frizzy-haired girl. They each wore glasses far too large for their face. He sneezed six times and she rolled her eyes.

Little did these two sixth graders know that they would someday become husband and wife.

He was a funny kid, always making jokes. She was a good girl. A goody-goody if you asked him. When told to pass their papers to the student behind them for grading, he would always draw big 100's with smiley faces in the zero's. Good Job! Awesome! A+!

She would turn around and say, "I know you probably don't take your 70's home to your mother, but my mom hangs my 100's on the refrigerator and I would appreciate it if you would not draw all over them!"

He would make a face and she would turn back around, trying to hide a smile. She thought he was funny, and she always enjoyed their friendly little banter.

One morning they loaded up in a van to head to Alabama for a field trip to the space shuttle. He was asked to pray that they would have a safe trip. When he was finished, her dad looked at her and said, "That boy is going to be a preacher someday!"

He was right.

As the only two Pentecostal kids in a small Southern Baptist School, these two sixth graders found something in common. They happened to also attend the same church summer camp, and would surely go on to attend the same Christian university, as most kids in their denomination did.

Because of this, the frizzy-haired girl had the recurring thought that there was a possibility that they could get married someday. At the time however, this was not a pleasant thought to her. After all, he was red-cheeked boy who sneezed six times every morning and drew all over her papers.

Little did she know that he would someday become the man of her dreams.

{To be continued...}

Click here to read Chapter 2

Our Cardboard Pirate Ship {The SS Home Depot}

2012-02-06T08:16:00.000-08:00

Buddy asked me several times last week to help him make a pirate ship. I remembered seeing this one on Pinterest, so I emailed a picture of it to my husband and asked if he would pick up a few cardboard boxes on his way home from work. These boys are so blessed to have a creative Daddy. As soon as he came home, he got right to work building their pirate ship.

Buddy and I made an anchor from scrap cardboard, painted it yellow and added gold glitter. I tied on some jute rope and threaded it through a hole on the side. I made a few knots on the other end, but when Little Man showed us that he could successfully pull the knots through the hole, I pinched a binder clip over the knot. See if you can pull that through Little Man! (He probably will.)

Buddy also wanted a telescope/canon so we painted an old paper towel tube and I added a little cardboard loop on the front of the ship to hold it in place. He used this to "shoot" ping pong balls.

When the ping pong balls would get stuck, he found a way to push them through using his tinker toys.

Love the tongue poking out of his mouth as he concentrates!

I came up with a little number game to play with Buddy using the ping pong balls. I drew the numbers 1-12 on twelve ping pong balls and put them in an old egg carton. Then I sat in front of the boat and said, ( in my best pirate voice)...

"Aaaargggh, shoot me out the number ______."

And then Buddy would find that number and shoot it out the "canon" and I would try to catch it in a hat. He really enjoyed this game and it was a great way to squeeze in a little number learning for the day, since we ditched our lesson plans in favor of creative play.

The next day, their Daddy added a sail made from PVC pipe. I covered it with drawing paper, and then Little Man promptly tore it to pieces. I think he thought he was unwrapping a gift.

I might try to cover it with a pillowcase or something instead. Or I might just leave it the way it is. It kind of looks like a ship that has made it through a rough storm. And it kind of has. To survive a few days of play with two energetic little boys is no easy feat.

xo,

Amanda

(I am linking up Tuesday with Pin It Down!)

The Practice of Creativity

2012-02-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite bloggers has written a series about her practices of mothering, in which she writes about the things she does or tries to do to enjoy and love motherhood. Sarah has asked her readers to write about some of our own practices. This post is my contribution.

I will never forget the moment when Buddy and I were painting side by side, and he looked over at me with the biggest smile on his face, hugged my arm, and told me he loved me. He tells me he loves me often, but there was just something special about that moment. Something about the way he looked at me. It has happened again several times since then, usually when he and I are doing something creative together. Like this overwhelming feeling of pure joy and contentment hits him, and he can think of no other way to express it other than genuine love and appreciation for me. There is something sacred about the act of creating together. Something very bonding for this mother and son.

I wrote about why I want to raise creative children, and I know that the best way for me to do this is to live creatively in front of them.

Up until recently, I never considered myself a very creative person. I have never taken an art class, and do not draw very well. I struggle with perfectionism, and the thought of messing up or not doing it right kept me from venturing down many creative paths.

I don't know how or why, but something changed in me a couple of years ago. Maybe it was having children. Maybe it was moving into a home I love. I don't know why, but I started to create things, and allowed myself to make mistakes. I got a sewing machine and didn't worry about perfect seams. I bought yarn and needles and taught myself to knit. I started sanding and painting furniture. I started making things for my kids and with my kids. I began decorating my home in a unique and creative way. In practicing creativity, I discovered a part of me that I didn't know existed.

As a mother, creativity is an important daily practice. It brings a certain energy and excitement to the day for me and my boys. Sometimes it is just a simple craft. Many days it is helping Buddy make something he has imagined up. When I can, I love to squeeze in a home project or a little sewing myself. I try to resist the urge to wait until after the boys go to bed, and try instead to involve them in my projects. Or at the least, allow them to see me being creative.

I have learned to let go of perfection and embrace the act of creating together.

Goodbye cute clothes. Hello paint stains from a spontaneous art project.

Goodbye perfect furniture. Hello to paint drips and an afternoon of painting together in the back yard.

Goodbye straight hems. Hello to allowing Buddy to "drive" the sewing foot while I make a bedskirt.

Goodbye clean house. Hello to glitter on my kitchen floor and paint brushes drying by my sink.

Goodbye tidy back yard. Hello random bricks and pieces of scrap wood, essential items for creative little boys.

Goodbye intimidation, perfectionism, and hesitation. Hello creativity.

For more "Practice of Mothering", be sure to head over to Emerging Mummy on Monday, February 6.

February Sensory Activities and A Few Other Things

2012-02-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

When Buddy turned three, I started getting more serious about our learning activities. I'm the kind of person that throws myself into things 110%, so I kind of went over the top trying to fill up each day with tons of themed learning activities. I quickly fizzled and went the complete opposite direction, with each day being unplanned and random, which explains the absence of Learning at Home posts. Over the last year I have learned a lot about myself in regards to educating my children.

I am not good at following a strict schedule.

I am not disciplined enough to do heavy planning/preparation. There are amazing homeschool moms that write curriculum's and make awesome printables. I am not one of those moms.

It has been hard for me to find anything that lined up with the way I want to teach which is why I felt the need to create my own. (Fail.) Most preschool blogs use a ton of themed printables and that's not really my thing. I think it's a waste of paper, and I would rather use real objects if possible. Although I am very drawn to Montessori, it is still a little too structured for me, and difficult to recreate in the home. I love and appreciate Waldorf, but after a year of trying to fit myself into the Waldorf mold, I have come to accept that I will never be a true Waldorf mom. I read Charlotte Mason's Towards a Philosophy of Education in Modern English, and very much agree with her philosophy, but I know there are many aspects that I will not be able to follow in reality. Although I will definitely incorporate things from all three of those theories into our education, I find myself most drawn to the Reggio Emilia style of learning, because I feel like it lines up naturally with the way our family already operates. To better understand the Reggio Emilia method of education, you can check out these blogs.

Irresistable Ideas for Play-based Learning
Play at Home Mom
Teacher Tom

True Reggio Emilia is all about the learning environment, and I have done my best to create that in my home, but there are limitations. I will post more on this in a few days.

Coming full circle, there are still aspects of traditional preschool that I do like. I am so excited that I found an amazing homeschool mom blogger that has free simple lesson plans that are exactly the way I would plan out our week if I had the self-discipline.

Her lessons are Bible Story based, but not too heavily themed. There are only three lessons per week, so it's not too much. There are a couple of optional printables, but most of the activities are play-based, and teach numbers, shapes, colors, and the alphabet in simple and natural ways. She is also big on reading and environmental print versus traditional letter of the week, which I love.

So in addition to trying to have a creative and natural learning environment in our home, we will be following her lessons each week.

I am also going to create a themed sensory bin with play dough each month for the boys. I think I can handle that. This month our theme is Valentine's Day. (Big surprise.)

Sensory Bin

I filled a small plastic bin with a lot of red and pink items that we already had on hand.

Red Heart Silicone Ice Cube Tray (IKEA)
Plastic Heart Shaped Cookie Cutters (From my box of Wilton's 101 Cookie Cutters)
Pipe Cleaners and Beads
Snap Cubes
Counting Bears
Other items from the Target $1 aisle and Party City

Play Dough

We also made pink peppermint scented play dough with red glitter. (It didn't photograph very well.)

I used this recipe and added red food coloring, peppermint extract, and red glitter. I introduced the sensory bin and play dough this morning and it has kept the boys attention for most of the day so far.

Sometimes it is easy to read a blog and feel like the blogger is some kind of Supermom or has this perfect little life, because we often write about and photograph nice and pretty things and experiences. There are blogs that I have had to stop reading because I just ended up comparing myself to them and feeling bad about myself. I don't ever want that to happen to any of my readers, so I want to be REAL with you.

When we do these learning activities, it isn't all smiles and sunshine. We are not living in a Barney episode where everyone says and does the perfect and well-mannered thing with a sparkling smile.

So here is my behind-the-scenes reality check...

When I brought out the sensory bin, Buddy complained about there being too many red items or something like that, and I lectured him on being grateful and thanking me for making him a sensory bin. Little Man thew all of the sensory bin items on the floor instead of playing with them at the table. While we were playing with the play dough, Little Man kept trying to throw it in the trash can and then in the dishwasher.

I started the day in a grumpy mood, so I was not as pleasant during those experiences as I would have preferred to be. Now I am letting them watch Netflix, while I drink some coffee and have some quiet time to try to work on improving my attitude.

So there you have it.

xo,

Amanda

Why I Want To Raise Creative Children

2012-01-30T08:52:00.000-08:00

To me, creativity is bigger than being crafty. It is bigger than having some type of artistic ability.

Creativity is a mindset.

When a creative person looks at something, he doesn't just see what is in front of him. He sees the possibilities of what it could be and how it could be used.

When someone tells a creative person that something is impossible, she will figure out a way to make it happen.

When a creative person doesn't have the money or exact items necessary, he will use what he has and make it work well.

A creative person doesn't care how something has always been done. She will think of a better and more efficient way to do it.

It is very important to me to raise creative children. I do not want my boys to limit themselves to what they see around them.

I want my boys to...

Be resourceful.

Think outside of the box.

Dream big.

Not let proper technique and/or training scare them away. I want them to paint, draw, tie, glue, build, write, and make things that they love.

I don't want my boys to feel the need to copy or compare themselves to others. I want them to be unique, and to be bold and confident in their individuality.

So as their mama, I am going to live creatively in front of them, and I am going to do my best to cultivate creativity in their lives.

xo,

Amanda

On Pregnancy After Loss

2012-01-25T20:14:00.000-08:00

Last week, one of the bloggers I follow posted about her new pregnancy. Because she had miscarried a few months ago, she wrote openly about her fears in sharing the news of this new pregnancy. I felt like I needed to send her a note of encouragement, so I emailed her about my similar experience over 4 years ago.

It is something that I have never shared here on the blog, but I know that there are other women going through this same thing, and I want to help in anyway that I can. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." I believe that sometimes that good is worked out as we share our stories of pain to bring encouragement to others and strengthen their faith. So here is my story in the form of a note to Casey.

Casey,

I am a big fan and follower of your blog, although I don't comment often due to the two little ones keeping me on my toes all day! I just read your post about "a new life" and I had to email you. First of all, I want to say congratulations! I am so happy and excited for you guys! Second, I wanted to let you know that I have been exactly where you are.

My first pregnancy ended with a miscarriage at 11 weeks. I was devastated. When I found out I was pregnant again a few months later, I was overcome with fear and anxiety that I would miscarry again. I didn't want to tell anyone until after the first trimester. But then I wrestled with guilt because I felt like if I didn't tell anyone, it meant that I didn't have enough faith. It was a really emotional time.

It is sometimes hard to balance all of the feelings and questions we have. Happiness mixed with fear. Hope mixed with faith, add in a little doubt and then guilt. If I just pray hard enough...

It is hard to understand God's ways. To know that no matter how hard we pray and hope, we have to trust that He is sovereign in all things.

During my second pregnancy, the Father taught me to let go of the things that I could not control (life and death), and to focus on what I could control...my mind. I searched the Bible for every verse that I could find on worry, anxiety, and our thoughts. I typed them out and read them everyday. Sometimes multiple times a day.

I actively practiced taking captive every thought that was not in alignment with the Word of God. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

One of my favorite verses was Romans 8:6...

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;

Right now the enemy wants your mind to focus on death and fear of death, but I encourage you to let your mind be controlled by the Spirit of God, so that your focus will be on LIFE for your new little one and PEACE for your heart and mind.

Every time the enemy sends a negative thought your way, you can come back at it with the Word of God.

I can't tell you that everything is going to be okay, because no one knows what the future holds except our heavenly Father. But I will tell you that He loves you and your baby, and He wants you to walk in peace and joy today.

I don't know you, but I feel love for you in my heart as your sister in Christ. I want you to know that I am praying for peace and joy for you and Chris, and the Father's hand of protection in and around your womb as you grow and nourish this precious new life.

xo,

Amanda

(Click here to download my list of scriptures on Worry, Anxiety and the Mind.)

Chalkboard Prayer Door

2012-01-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I kind of impulsively painted our pantry door with chalkboard paint and I LOVE it! I intended to use it for daily to-do's, but I always end up using the dry erase board in my office for those. So my pretty pantry door has sat rather empty of words. When I saw this on Pinterest the other day, I had an "a-ha" moment, and decided to turn our pantry door into a "Family Prayer Door".

Here's the plan. Each week, I will write a specific thing that I want to pray about for Phillip and each of the boys. Then as a family, we will choose a few other people to pray for, and write their names and needs on the door. This will help me tremendously in reminding me to pray for others, because I walk by that door about 500 times a day. As a busy mom, prayer isn't always the first thing on my mind. (Except for "Lord, please help me survive Little Man's terrible two's!")

I have always struggled in praying for others aside from my immediate family because I feel like there are so many people and so many needs, and if I don't pray for all of them, I feel guilty. With this door, I hope to focus my prayers on just a couple of people a week, unless of course an immediate need arises that needs prayer.

I think this will also help me in my One Word goal for the year, which was to be more intentional in my friendships. I have several friendships that I specifically want to invest in, so I will keep their names in rotation on my door.

Hopefully this will help out with teaching and encouraging the boys to pray. Buddy is funny. He refuses to pray for meals right now. He tells us that he doesn't pray anymore. Hmmm...might need to add that to my door.

xo,

Amanda

(I am linking up with Sew Much Ado and Pinning It Down!)

Recycled Crayons

2012-01-20T18:21:00.000-08:00

My boys love to watch Fireman Sam on Netflix. Little Man is nothing short of obsessed with the show and runs around the house saying "Watch Ham" all day. There are times when it would be nice to let them "Watch Ham" all day, so I could get tons of stuff done, but that would be the easy way out. I usually let them watch it for about an hour or so after dinner before we put them to bed, and an occasional episode during the day if I am truly at my wit's end.

Today was a cold and rainy day, and I was very tempted to let them "Watch Ham" all day. Instead of completely giving in, I tried to balance "Ham" with a few fun activities. One of the activities we all enjoyed was this little crayon project.

My boys do not like to color with crayons. They are marker people. So I thought we would have a little fun with their crayons in a different way. I laid out a big sheet of drawing paper on the kitchen floor and the three of us sat there and tore the paper off all their crayons and broke them into smaller pieces. This held their attention for quite some time.

Then I greased my mini muffin pan and we sorted the crayons into little color families. This was my favorite part. I probably got a little too into it. (I recommend Cooking Spray for your pan, but I was out so I used my Wilton's Cake Release.)

While we were working on this, I had the oven preheating to 250 degrees. When we finished sorting our colors, I placed the muffin pan in the oven for about 10 minutes. Once the crayons had melted, I pulled the pan out and let it cool for a while. When the pan was cool to the touch, I placed it in the fridge for about an hour. After that, all I had to do was turn the pan over and the crayons fell right out.

I am thinking that maybe these shapes will interest the boys a bit more than the traditional crayons, especially for our big sheets of paper. And I think these will be great for doing crayon rubbings of leaves and other objects.

I think these would make great birthday party favors too. And if you had a heart shaped mini muffin pan, you could make them for Valentine's Day!

Even if my boys still don't care to use them, they sure will look cute on display in a mason jar in the playroom. The important thing is that we had fun making them together. And for me, it is much about the process as it is the product.

xo,

Amanda

The Best Gifts Ever

2012-01-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

Have I ever told you what a great husband I have? Not only does he help with the kids and the house, love to shop at thrift stores, and watch Grey's Anatomy with me...he is also a very thoughtful gift giver.

Prior to Christmas, I told him that I really wanted to redecorate our Master Bedroom after the holidays. I say redecorate, but it has never really been decorated in the first place. Our Master Bedroom has always been the neglected space. Since we have been married, we have never purchased bedroom furniture and our bedding was whatever I could find on clearance. We do not have a lot of extra money, so any decorating I do usually comes from selling something on Craigslist or a $20 DIY project. And the main areas of the house usually take priority when we do find the time and money.

I had been pinning a lot of beautiful bedrooms on Pinterest, and was searching Craigslist every week for cheap king headboards. I was always showing Phillip things that I liked, and unbeknownst to me, he was taking notes.

So one day prior to Christmas, Phillip took the boys down to his parents house for the day so he could work on something, and I could have time to do Christmas shopping. Because he can't keep a secret very well, I knew that he was working on something for one of my Christmas gifts. I thought he was doing some work for his dad to earn a little extra money to buy me an extra present, but that was not the case. They were gone all day and when he and the boys met me for dinner that night, Buddy let the secret slip.

It's kind of a funny story. At that time, Buddy carried his Jessie doll (from Toy Story) everywhere he went. Not Woody, not Buzz, but Jessie. At dinner, he promised Phillip that he was not going to tell me what they did while they were at Grams and Papa's. He was going to keep it a secret. Then he turned to me and asked if we could go back down to Gram's and Papa's to build Jessie a nice headboard.

So technically, he didn't tell me what they made me, but I kind of figured it out.

Turns out, Phillip remembered on of the headboards that I had shown him on Craigslist. There was a small local company that was making them from reclaimed wood, but they were backed up with orders until February. So he searched the internet, and was able to find the exact same plans they were using. And he BUILT me a gorgeous headboard for Christmas!!!

But that's not all. He also remembered one of the pins I showed him from Pinterest of this bedding I loved. He found the picture and located the exact same bedding and surprised me with the duvet cover for Christmas as well!

So my Master Bedroom isn't finished yet, but it is well on it's way!

The duvet cover is the Waterfall Ruffle Duvet Cover in Grey from Urban Outfitters.

I like more of an eclectic feel when I decorate, so I didn't want to buy the shams and dust ruffle that matched. Instead, I purchased some vintage fabric from etsy to make the floral pillowcases. When I received the fabric, I actually liked the reverse side of the fabric more than the "right" side, so I sewed them "wrong" side out.

How about that headboard? He did an amazing job!

I was able to buy inexpensive white sheets and curtains. I also wanted a shabby chic white bedskirt, but did not have $60 to spend. So on Saturday, I made this bedskirt out of an old white sheet we had using my previous bedskirt.

For those of you that want to know how I made it...

I knew I wanted a 15" drop and after calculating how much fabric I would need to go around my bed for a gathered bedskirt, I knew that I could get 5 strips of 15" wide (plus seam allowance) out of a queen flat sheet. So I cut the sheet into five long strips, and then hemmed the three from the middle. (The outer two already had a hem from the sides of the sheet.)

I saw this the other day on Pinterest, and it helped tremendously in me getting perfectly straight hems on that length of fabric.

Source: jojoebi.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

After all of my strips were hemmed and ironed, I sewed them all together. Then I took a piece of chalk and marked a line about every 36". I sewed a basting stitch down the entire length of the raw edge, stopping and starting again at every chalk marker. I then took the giant strip of fabric to the bedroom where my husband had removed the mattress. I left the old bedskirt on the box spring and began pinning my strip on top of the existing skirt. Because I was doing a gathered bedskirt, my fabric was about twice as long as I would need if I had been just going around for a straight skirt. It was a LONG strip! I had already marked my center point and quarter points, so I first pinned them to the existing skirt. Then I began working in the 36" sections, pulling the bobbin thread to gather the fabric. Then I pinned, pinned, pinned as I worked my way around. When it was all pinned (I think I used every pin in my pin cushion!), I dragged it to the sewing machine, praying that it wouldn't come undone. I sewed over top of the gathers onto the old seam of the bedskirt, taking each pin out as I went along. When I was all done, I flipped the new bedskirt down on top of the old fabric.

I'm sorry that I didn't take more pictures, but I would have never finished if I had stopped to photograph every step. I hope these two pictures help.

I won't lie...it was A LOT of work! But it was free and that is exactly how much money I had to spend on a bedskirt. I am VERY happy with the results!

So anyway, that headboard and duvet cover were the best gifts my husband could have given me. I love my room so much. It makes my heart happy!

xo,

Amanda

Christmas Card Photo Album Project for Kids

2012-01-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

If you are having trouble deciding what to do with all of the Christmas cards that you received last month, here's an idea...

Buddy loves to carry a little photo album around with random pictures, so I thought we would make a new album using all of the photos from the Christmas cards we received. I found a great little album with a removable cover insert for $1 at Wal-Mart.

I gave Buddy a stack of photo cards and his safety scissors. I let him cut out the pictures and place them in the album. When his hands got tired of cutting, I cut them out for him while he continued to arrange them in the album.

He was so funny, because he wouldn't put two pictures in the same slot even if they were tiny. He said "No 2 by 2's". He always refers to two things as "2 by 2". Very Noah's Ark of him. :)

When he was finished, I let him draw a picture on the back side of the cover insert that came in the album. Above is a picture of Fireman Sam, which is his and Little Man's favorite show on Netflix. Little Man calls him "Ham".

Speaking of Little Man, he also is enjoying looking at his new little photo album of our friends and family while rocking his Nacho Libre fleece longies!

All of my non-photo Christmas Cards are going in a large box where I keep magazines and scrapbook paper for various cutting projects like collages and art journaling.

This turned out to be a fun little activity for us this morning.

What do you do with your Christmas Cards once Christmas is over?

xo,

Amanda

(I am linking up with Your Green Resource!)

For Mamas of Boys

2012-01-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

I found this via Pinterest the other night, and was very inspired.

25 Rules for Mothers of Sons

With things like this, I like to create visual reminders for myself, or else I will forget them. So I summarized a few of her rules along with some of my own, and wrote them on the boy's chalkboard door in their room.

Even though they can't read yet, these "rules" will work as visual reminders to me of things I want to teach my boys.

My favorite three rules were:

6. Make sure he has examples of good men who are powerful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity.
The examples of men with big muscles and a uniform (like Batman and LaMarr Woodley) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he also knows about men who kick butt because of their brains (Albert Einstein), and their pen (Mark Twain), and their words (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), and their determination (Team Hoyt), and their ideas (The Wright Brothers), and their integrity (Officer Frank Shankwitz), and fearlessness (Neil Armstrong), and their ability to keep their mouths closed when everyone else is screaming (Jackie Robinson).

7. Make sure he has examples of women who are beautiful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity
The examples of traditionally beautiful women (like Daphne Blake, Princess Jasmine, and Britney Spears) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he knows about women who are beautiful from the inside out because of their brains (Madame Marie Curie), and their pen (Harper Lee), and their words (Eleanor Roosevelt), and their determination (Anne Sullivan), and their ideas (Oprah Winfrey), and their integrity (Miep Gies), and fearlessness (Ameila Earhart), and their ability to open their mouths and take a stand when everyone else is silent (Aung San Suu Kyi).

8. Be an example of a beautiful woman with brains, determination, and integrity.
You already are all of those things. If you ever fear that you are somehow incapable of doing anything - remember this: If you have done any of the following: a) grew life b) impossibly and inconceivably got it out of your body c) taken care of a newborn d) made a pain go away with a kiss e) taught someone to read f) taught a toddler to eat with a utensil g) cleaned up diarrhea without gagging h) loved a child enough to be willing to give your life for them (regardless if they are your own) or i) found a way to be strong when that child is suffering...you are a superhero. do not doubt yourself for one second. Seriously.

What were your favorites?

xo,

Amanda

My Pinterest-Inspired Hallway

2012-01-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

I have always loved mud rooms and cool entryways. Unfortunately, my house does not have either. I do have a small square hallway-ish area off of the playroom and kitchen that leads to several bedrooms. I had never really intentionally decorated this space before, but recently was inspired by this picture on Pinterest.

Source: poppytalk.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I began looking for picture frames at my local thrift stores (and forgotten ones in my closets), and shopping around for cool coat hangers. I found out very quickly that cool coat hangers came with a higher price tag than I wanted to pay. So I began searching for cool DIY coat rack ideas. I saw this cool pallet coat rack on Pinterest and I was sold!

Source: shelterness.com via Amanda on Pinterest

We started our hallway project right after Halloween, so a local church had left over pallets from their Pumpkin Patch fundraiser that they were giving away for FREE, which is my favorite price! I first spray painted the entire pallet white. But not solid white. I let some of the wood show through in places to keep a weathered, vintage feel. Then I used those little $2 paint samples that you can buy at Home Depot to paint each board. The first time around, I copied the colors from the Pinterest pallet exactly, but realized they didn't really fit with the rest of my house. So after a few more trips to the Home Depot, I finally arrived at the right color scheme for me. I already had some of the hardware, that I had purchased on sale at Anthropologie a few years back. Some of the others I picked up on clearance at Hobby Lobby.

So here is my Pinterest-inspired hallway!

I love it so much!

Have you been doing any Pinterest-inspired decorating lately?

xo,

Amanda

{I am linking up today with Life Made Lovely and Pinning It Down!}

My One Word for 2012: {Be}

2012-01-05T23:44:00.000-08:00

Source

I have moved 26 times. I am 31 years old. You do the math.

We were not a military family, but we were a ministry family, and when it comes to moving, those can often look the same. Then I married a minister, and the rest is history. I'm not bitter, and I don't have any deep resentments or issues about it. In fact, I have been a part of the decision making on all of my moves as a married woman, so I do understand the thought process behind a decision to move.

But as I get older, I am recognizing the effects that my many moves have had on my ability and desire to invest in friendships. I tend to hold back because it almost feels like a waste of time. Because I know that in a short while, we will probably move away and that person will no longer be in my life. I am thankful for Facebook, and for being able to keep up with old friends, but it is hard to maintain a deep level of friendship when your paths do not cross in everyday life.

Don't get me wrong, I have friends. In fact, right now God has blessed me with some of the best friendships I have ever had. I think that is why this is so pressing on my heart. I am ready to be a better friend to these people, even if I do not have the assurance that they will always be in my life.

"The only way to have a friend is to be one." Ralph Waldo Emerson

So in 2012, I am going to be more intentional in my friendships. I am going to pick up the phone more often, open my home, my kitchen table, and my heart.

Something I plan to start this month, is a weekly playgroup at my house for moms of little ones. I think it will be a great way to connect with other moms and provide a place for us to regularly encourage and pray for each other.

So if you are one of my friends, watch out! I might be ringing your phone off the hook. Just kidding! No seriously.

So that is my One Word for 2012....be.

xo,

Amanda

So, about those 2012 goals...

2012-01-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

Source

The other day, I shared with you a bit about my goal planning process. So today, I will tell you my goals (i.e. resolutions) for 2012. Keep in mind, some of these are more like focus areas than specific goals. These are also not necessarily my only goals for 2012, but areas that I know I want to focus on initially. As the year progresses, I will re-evaluate and make additions and changes as necessary. I will also include some of the books I plan to read this year as they line up with my focus areas/goals (and because one of my goals is to read more books this year).

Spirituality:

This year I really want to broaden my faith. I kind of grew up in a small denominational bubble and there are many aspects of faith and spirituality that were not discussed. I just finished the book The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I feel like it really brought some things together for me and provided me some direction in my spiritual journey. I liked the author's writing style and I have now started reading his book, The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others, which has also already spoken to me in big ways. Some things that I am curious in learning more about are the church calendar, liturgy and creeds, the Saints, and overall church history. I was reading the beginning of Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, and I really agreed with the authors when they talked about how American Christian's think nothing of living by a calendar that celebrates the nation's birthday, presidents and veterans. But a lot of us do not even think of Advent, Maundy Thursday, Lent, etc. And instead of celebrating the lives of such Saints as Valentine, Patrick, and Nicholas, we use those days to party and buy things. I have to be honest, I struggled through Christmas this year. There is so much more meaning and depth I wanted it to have, but I too easily found myself busy shopping, baking, and keeping family traditions. I definitely want to read Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World? before next Christmas. In The King Jesus Gospel, the author talks about how the church calendar is a yearly celebration of the life of Christ, so observing the church calendar is, in essence, a way of living the Gospel Story. Also on my reading list in the area of spirituality is The Voice (a new translation of the New Testament). It was headed up by Pastor Chris Seay of Ecclesia Church in Houston. I recently discovered him at Catalyst and have since been digging into his church's website and listening to his podcasts. (I think it's my dream church!) Some other books I hope to read this year: The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God, Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extroidinary Nature of Everyday Life, and Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace and Learning the Hard Way.

Homemaking:

I really want to focus on healthy meal preparation this year. Meal planning does not come easy to me. It's a generational curse. I want to cook healthy and provide nourishing snacks for my children, but I get overwhelmed and never know what to make. We always end up eating out more than we should, and falling back on processed snacks for the boys. Toward the end of 2011, I took some time to work on meal planning and creating new eating habits, learning a lot from Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking. Then of course the holidays hit, and we fell back into our old ways of eating. I am ready to get back to healthier ways over the next few weeks. I received the book Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats for Christmas. I am excited to read through that. I am also very curious about the Paleo Diet that my friend Faith follows. Ultimately, I want to create a two week meal and snack plan and shopping list. Once I have that created and begin following it, I can slowly add more meals. My ultimate goal is for us to follow a healthy, non-processed food diet of meals and snacks that we actually enjoy, and that are simple to prepare so that I do not have to spend all of my time in the kitchen. I would so rather be doing something crafty. Did I mention that I would like it to also be budget friendly?

Mothering:

As always, I need to work on our rhythm and routines. Although I am an organized person in some areas, I can't seem to get it together when it comes to things like bath time, bedtime, etc. NEED TO WORK ON THIS! Much in line with this is discipline. Little Man is every bit of almost 2 years old. He is a fiery little guy, and I am not as prepared as I would like to be. I read The No-Cry Discipline Solution when Buddy was little, and I really got a lot of practical advice out of it. It is on my must-read list again, because I need a refresher course! I also want to work on establishing more of a daily devotional time with the boys. I really want to read Young Children and Worship as well as look into the Godly Play curriculum. They used a Montessori/Play-Based Method of teaching the Bible and the curriculum uses liturgy and the church calendar, which is something I would also like to introduce the boys to.

Education:

Since my initial posting about my educational plans for the boys, I haven't said much here on the blog. I have been doing a lot of reading, tweaking, adding new things, and taking away some that weren't working. All of this deserves a post of it's own, which I promise to do later. But I will mention here that I want to focus on reading more to the boys this year. I want a love for reading to be established early in their lives. I will probably use The Read Aloud Handbook and What to Read When to guide me in my selections. I will also reference this Charlotte Mason book list. I have personally done a lot of reading on the Montessori, Waldorf, and Charlotte Mason methods. I would now like to do some reading on the Reggio Emilia and the Unschooling methods, just not sure which titles yet. Any recommendations? I also definitely want to buy Playful Learning. I looked through it at the bookstore and was very inspired!

Physical:

I would like to begin training for a 10K. I really enjoyed running the 5K recently, and am ready to raise the bar. I also need to start taking better care of my skin. I have really neglected my skin since I had the boys. I rarely wash off my makeup before I go to bed, and have never used moisturizer, and it is really starting to show. I have some serious forehead creases, and in a momentary lapse of judgement, I cut some Zooey Deschanel style bangs to hide them. They have taken some getting used to, but I do like them. Anyway, this has prompted me to establish a skin care routine. The problem is that I struggle with acne, but still want to go the anti-aging route. I would also to go as natural as possible in my products. Any suggestions?

Creativity:

I dabbled in Art Journaling a bit this past year, and would like to explore that more. I also want to learn how to crochet. I have a mile long list of home projects as well as things I want to sew. I received the book Sewing For Boys for Christmas, and I am excited to try some of the projects. And as slow as I knit, I figure that I better start knitting baby things now, if I ever want to have a cute hand knit wardrobe for my next child. (No, I am not pregnant.)

Personal:

I really want to work on better "memory keeping". I struggle with the best way to print and organize pictures, keepsakes, etc. I was really inspired by the photo book that Ashley made for her daughter. I also want to somehow create of memory box of my father. When I was in Ohio, I spent a lot of time talking to my grandparents about their childhoods and memories. I typed as much as I could as we talked. I want to compile that in a nice way with pictures. I also want to write out my own memories and stories. All things for my boys to read when they are older. I think it is important to learn from your heritage.

New Endeavors:

I would like to open an online shop this year to sell some of the things I enjoy making. I have wanted to do this for a long time now, but have been afraid to take that first step. If I don't at least give it a shot, I know I will regret it. You will definitely hear more about this soon.

Random:

I want to get a dog.

So that's it folks. Well, except for my One Word for 2012, which I will share in another post because this one is entirely too long already. To see more of the books I hope to read this year, check out my Goodreads page.

It's going to be a good year.

xo,

Amanda

My Goal Planning Process

2012-01-01T15:21:00.000-08:00

Source

Sometimes I love it, and sometimes I hate it, but nonetheless, my brain seems wired to see everything in categories and lists. Several times a year, I sit down and do a big "life evaluation" where I re-evaluate my personal goals and create to-do lists to help me reach those goals. I often feel the need to do this after a period of time where life and schedules have been a little crazy like Christmas.

So here I am, January 1, 2011. We just got back from visiting my family in Ohio. The Christmas decorations are 1/4 of the way down, and I am so ready for life to get back to normal (if there is such a thing). On our drive to and from Ohio, I did some great reading, and Phillip and I had good conversations on various topics regarding faith, family, and our future. My mind has been swirling with thoughts, goals, ideas as I have unpacked from our trip and started taking down decorations. Now Phillip is watching a movie with the boys and has given me some precious time to myself to think and write, and get all of these thoughts out on paper.

Sometimes I forget that everyone is not wired like me, and some struggle in setting goals and creating realistic steps to meet those goals. So as I sit here and work on mine, I thought I would let you in on my goal planning process to perhaps help you in creating your own.

First of all, my goals are more than just New Year's Resolutions. I think that everyone wants to eat healthier, exercise more, spend more quality time with family, pay off debt, read the Bible more, etc. I think those are great goals for all of us to have, but sometimes they are too general and vague. I like to see my goals more as small areas to focus on in order to reach those bigger overall goals. For example, I want my family to eat healthier. Instead of just making that a general resolution, a more specific goal I have is to work on creating a healthy 2-week meal and shopping plan. Focusing on that specific area will bring me closer to my overall goal having a family who eats healthier.

Another thing that helps me is to not get too overwhelmed by the big picture. Someday I would love to have an amazing garden where I grow a lot of our own food, shop in bulk at health food stores using bags that I have sewn, soak all my grains, fill my freezer and pantry with things I have made and preserved, and the list goes on and on. When I think of all of those things, I get very overwhelmed. But if I just focus on one area, such as creating a 2-week meal and shopping plan, I am less overwhelmed. Once I complete that goal, I can begin to work on a new goal in that category.

When I first sit down to do some "life evaluation" and goal planning, I pull out a scratch pad and write out what goals or areas for improvement that immediately come to mind. I then categorize those goals according to the different areas of my life. You could look at these as the different roles you have, hats you wear, or layers of who you are. Here are my current categories:

Personal

Mind (Self-Improvement Goals - e.g. Read More)
Spirit (Personal Spiritual Goals, Disciplines and Habits)
Body (Physical Goals)

Homemaker (Daily Care of Home and Family)
Mother (Spiritual Goals for Boys, Discipline Goals, etc.)
Educator (Educational Goals, Plans and Activities for the Boys)
Minister/Christian (Different from Personal Spiritual Goals. These would be more outward focused.)
Creative (Because I am a creative person, I have a list of goals of creative things I would like to focus on this year. You could list this as your whatever your hobby is.)
Projects (Home Improvement)
Miscellaneous (Because some things just do not fit well into any category.)

There are other hats that I wear, that I do not have listed such as Wife, Daughter, etc. Because I am always working off a list such as this, the focus areas change every couple of months or so. So if there isn't an immediate goal that comes to mind in that category, I usually leave it off for now. If I dig too deep, I will create a mile long list in every category and will be so overwhelmed, that I won't make any progress across the board. My biggest piece of advice - don't over think this. Keep your goals simple and reachable. Don't try to plan your goals for the whole life or even the entire year, just list the areas that you want to focus on for the next three months or so.

Once you have your immediate goals written out and categorized, see if you can break them down even more. For example, if one of your goals is to read more books this year, go ahead and list some books that you would like to read. Reading more is one of my goals for 2012, and many of the books I want to read are actually steps to help me reach other goals on my list.

Once you have your goals broken down into realistic things that you can take action on, you have to figure out when you are going to take action. Let's face it, we can only focus on a few things at a time if we want to do them well. I have tried different methods of goal reaching. One thing I have learned that doesn't work for me is to put a date or time on my goals. Kind of like following a Bible Reading Plan where you read so many chapters per day and check them off on a dated list. That kind of thing stresses me out.

What I have found to work best for me is weekly evaluation and small goal setting. I have a small dry erase board in my office that I use for weekly goals. At the beginning of the week, I will write different categories on the board of things to work on for the week. I start with things that have to be done, such as grocery shopping, cleaning the house, doctor's appointments, etc. Then I pull out my list of goals from above, and write out what goals I want to focus on that week. I try to keep it all pretty flexible, so I will stick with it.

There is one last thing that I do that seems to help me stay inspired and focused. I am a very visual person, so I like to hang pictures, Scriptures, quotes, and words in different places around the house. If I am reading a book or a blog, and something really stands out to me, I pull out an index card and write it with black Sharpie. I will then hang it above my kitchen sink, on my bulletin board, on the bathroom mirror, above a light switch. You will find little things all around my house that remind me of the person that I want to be. I was very encouraged by Sarah's post about her One Word for 2012. That got me thinking about what my one word for this next year is. I have several in mind.

So that is my goal planning process in a nutshell. Later this week, I plan to share some of my specific goals for this year (next 3 months at least) as well as some books I hope to read, and maybe even my "One Word". I hope that you are having a great first day of 2012!

Happy New Year!

xo,

Amanda

Merry {belated} Christmas!

2011-12-26T11:27:00.000-08:00

We hope you had a very Merry Christmas!

xo,

The Medlin Family

Easy DIY Photo Card

2011-12-13T21:54:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of years, we have sent out a family newsletter in place of a Christmas card. This year, I thought I would try something different. A lot of our Christmas cards are sent to out of town relatives that we do not see very often. Several of them have asked for pictures of our family. So this year, I thought it would be nice to send a Christmas Photo Card that could be displayed year round.

I chose a nice recent family photo from a session that we did with a friend of mine. Although we were not dressed in Christmas colors, the strong red and black in the barn gave it a Christmas-y feel.

Normally, I would have cropped the left side so that our family was centered, but I left it this way for a reason. I will explain below. I printed 75 copies of this picture at our local drugstore in the 4x6 size.

Here are the other supplies I used, most of which were purchased from Hobby Lobby...

Scrapbook Paper, "Merry Christmas" Stamp and Black Ink Pad, Removable Glue Dots, and a Small Cutting Board (Scissors would work fine)

I cut my scrapbook paper into 1" x 4" pieces and stamped "Merry Christmas" onto each one. I chose a fun lime green scrapbook paper for a nice contrast against the red and black in the photo. I wanted something cute, but not so busy that you couldn't see the stamp.

I then took the glue dots and placed one on each end of the scrapbook paper strip and stuck it to the photo. (Now you see why I didn't crop out the empty left side.) The glue dots I purchased are completely removable and do not leave any residue. So when Christmas is over, my friends and family can remove the "Merry Christmas" portion of the card, and have a regular 4x6 photo of my family. Because everyone needs a picture of my family on display somewhere in their house! :)

I found a pack of blank note cards and envelopes at the craft store as well. I am going to only use the envelopes for my cards, and give the blank note cards along with a stamping set to my niece as a "DIY Card Making Kit" for one of her Christmas gifts.

On the back of each card, I am writing our names and the year. If I get lazy, I will just print our names off on some white mailing labels and stick them to the back. That's for those relatives that know our faces, but can't quite remember our names.

Not only were these photo cards easy to make, they were also inexpensive.

75 Photos at $.28 each (I could have gotten them cheaper online if I didn't procrastinate.)
4 Sheets of Scrapbook Paper = $2.40
Christmas Stamp = $4
Glue Dots = $4
Envelopes = $6 (They were $10, but I used a 40% off coupon!)
I already had the ink pad and the cutting board.
Total Spent = Approximately $.50 a card.

Now I've got to go get these cards in the mail!

xo,

Amanda

A Very Craigslist Christmas

2011-12-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

If you know me at all, you know that my husband and I are slightly obsessed with Craigslist. You know you have it bad when your 3 year old can't find one of his toys, and asks if you sold it on Craigslist. (And yes, sometimes I have.)

Over the years, we have found amazing deals and saved lots of money by shopping Craigslist instead of retail. Here are a few examples...

Last Christmas, my husband gave me a black Kitchen Aid mixer that he found on Craigslist for $75. I have always wanted a Kitchen Aid mixer, but at $250 retail, it never seemed practical. Now I have one that is in great condition, and guilt-free!

This Christmas, I asked for a Panini Grill, and my husband found such a good deal on Craigslist, that he went ahead and gave it to me. It was brand new, still in the box from Macy's. Retail $60. He paid $20!

A few years ago, I purchased a Bernina sewing machine and serger off of Craigslist for $100. I ended up not using the serger much, so I turned around and sold it for $75. So now I have a really nice sewing machine that I only paid $25 for!

My latest and greatest Craigslist deal was my camera. I had a Canon Rebel XS, and wanted to upgrade. But I had no money to do so. I watched Craigslist for a couple of weeks and found a great deal. I was able to sell my camera and accessories for $400, and drove straight from that transaction to purchase a Canon T1i with a battery grip, extra battery and external flash for $400! So I completely upgraded and gained some new accessories, and it didn't cost me a dime.

We have also purchased computers, iPads, iPhones, clothing, furniture, strollers, carseats, and game systems. You name it, we have probably bought or sold it on Craigslist.

So this Christmas, before you run to the mall to pay full price for something on your Christmas list, I'd encourage you to check your local Craigslist first.

Here are a few of my Craigslist shopping tips...

Be specific in your search. If you just browse categories, you are going to have to look at a lot of junk before you find anything interesting. Use keywords like store names or brand names (IKEA, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Pottery Barn, Canon, Nikon, Kitchen Aid, etc.) to narrow down your search to find quality items.
Email the seller to ask questions about the product. Ask about scratches, dents, stains, working condition, etc. If pictures aren't posted, ask them to email you pictures. Just be specific in your questions, or they might think you are spamming them. For example, if someone emails me something generic like "Is this still available?", I delete their email. If they mention the product I am selling, and ask specific questions, I will answer them back.
If I decided to purchase the item, I like to talk to the seller on the phone first to make personal contact. You can tell a lot about a person from a phone conversation. If they sound creepy, don't buy it.
Have a friend or co-worker ride with you to meet the seller, and meet in a public place like Starbucks. You can never be too safe!
Check out the item thoroughly before handing them the money. I can't stress this enough! Open it, look at it, plug it in, try it out. Make sure it is in good condition before you purchase it. There are no returns on Craigslist!
Bring exact cash to pay the seller. There is nothing more frustrating than someone showing up with their checkbook, not enough money, or large bills that need change.
Don't make a low-ball offer at the meeting, unless the item is in worse condition than you expected. If you want to try to make a deal, ask early on, not after they have rearranged their schedule to meet you. Be fair.
If you have any hesitation, don't buy it. Like I said, there are no returns on Craigslist. I have walked away from some items, and some I didn't, but later wished I had. You are under no obligation to purchase something that is not in the condition that you expected.

Those are just some of my Craigslist tips. I wrote a tutorial a while back that has step-by-step instructions on how to actually search the Craigslist website. You can check that out here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me anytime at naturallychicmama (at) gmail (dot) com.

xo,

Amanda

Frugal and Creative Gift Giving

2011-12-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

I have never been one of those girls that enjoy shopping at the mall. But take me to a thrift store and I am in heaven! I don't know what I love more, saving money or the thrill of the find.

Here are some Christmas gifts ideas that you may find at your local thrift store...

Picture Frames

I purchased most of the picture frames for my photo wall from the thrift store for under a dollar. A simple coat of paint followed by a little sandpaper distressing, made these frames as stylish as a frame you would spend $15+ for at a department store.

Here is a larger frame that my husband cut a piece of wood to fit that I painted with chalkboard paint. Everyone needs a fun chalkboard in their house!

If you find a really large frame, you can staple some chicken wire to the back and gift it as a unique "bulletin board." Glue some cute flowers to clothespins as the perfect second gift. Check out my "I Heart Flowers" Pinterest Board for some creative handmade flower inspiration.

Antique Books

There are a lot of beautiful things that can be made from the pages of antique books. Here are some of my favorites...

Painted book page inside a frame. That could be a double thrift score!

Source: inthefunlane.com via Amanda on Pinterest

A book wreath would also make a lovely gift.

Source: livingwithlindsay.com via Carissa on Pinterest

Jars

I get all of my jars from the thrift store. There are plenty of creative ways to give gifts in a jar.

For your crafty friends, here a some ideas in a tutorial from Little Miss Momma.

For the sweets lover, give Cupcakes in a Jar from Cakies.

Vintage Sheets

When I go thrifting, I always stop by the bedding and linens. I love vintage sheets and pillowcases, and I am starting a nice little collection.

What do you get when you combine a vintage sheet, a few clamps from Home Depot and a flashlight?

A DIY Fort Kit! What kid wouldn't love this?

I know mine do!

Those are just a few of my favorite things to go thrifting for. Over the next few days I will share some more frugal and creative gift ideas from Craigslist (my other love) and a few homemade gifts you can give.

I'd love to hear about your frugal and creative gifts. Please leave a comment and feel free to add a link to any ideas you may have blogged about.

xo,

Amanda

"Songs for Saplings" Giveaway Winners!

2011-12-05T11:05:00.000-08:00

The two lucky winners of the "Songs for Saplings" CD giveaway are...

BrickHouseCooker said...

I've never heard of these CD's, I'd like to try them out!

-and-

rd said...

Would love to have this to listen to with my grandson.

Please email me at naturallychicmama (at) gmail (dot) com, so that I can get your CD in the mail to you before Christmas!

Thank you to everyone who entered!

xo,

Amanda

Embracing the Imperfect

2011-12-03T14:45:00.000-08:00

The other night, Phillip and I sat down and planned out our month of December and scheduled in all of our church activities, family outings, and Christmas traditions. Thursday was the night we planned to decorate our Christmas tree and begin our Advent celebration. I planned to cook spaghetti for dinner and envisioned hot chocolate, Christmas music, and a special time decorating the tree and making our first Advent ornament.

Of course, things did not go as planned or envisioned.

Phillip had already put the tree up and brought down all our decorations from the attic earlier that week. The boys were very anxious to start decorating, so Thursday morning, they tore into my ornament boxes (and I mean tore) and started getting them out faster than I could hang them up. We roughly got all of the ornaments onto the tree that morning, and planned to finish getting out all of decorations out later that evening.

That afternoon, the boys and I went to the church with my Phillip, so I could wrap some gifts for our upcoming Women's Ministries Christmas Party, while he worked. Things took longer than expected and we left the church later than we should have. We were starving, so we decided to order a pizza instead of spaghetti. Because Buddy had exhausted himself playing with a little boy at church, he fell into a deep sleep on the way home, and we could not wake him for dinner.

After dinner, Phillip had to send some important work related emails, so Little Man and I worked on getting out more decorations. (Well, I worked, while Little Man played/destroyed).

And I had a little pity party for myself because nothing was going the way I had planned.

Buddy was asleep, Phillip was on the computer, Little Man was in extreme destructive mode, and here I was, decorating all by myself. No music, no hot chocolate, no Advent devotion.

As I opened boxes, and put out more decorations, I tried to give myself a little pep talk. It didn't really work. (Especially when I found all of the ribbons and flowers that should have went on the tree BEFORE the ornaments).

I continued to sulk.

A little while later, I heard a door open, followed by little footsteps, and an exclamation, "Mom, it's beautiful!". Buddy had woken up and came to join us. I asked him if he wanted some pizza and he sat in the room and ate while I finished decorating. We turned on some Christmas music and Phillip joined us as well. We finished the tree, and it looked beautiful. Then we went to the dining room table and read our Advent devotion. We never made the ornament, which was supposed to be a candle, but that's okay. We lit a candle and read our devotion by candlelight, which was even more special. We finished the evening by eating chocolate chip cookies out on the sun-porch by the light of our little Advent tree.

It was a beautiful evening after all!

I can't help but think of Mary and how things did not go as she had planned. She never planned to get pregnant. Never planned to ride a donkey that distance at the end of her pregnancy. Never planned to give birth in a stable surrounded by animals, alone with no midwife or friend to assist. Yet, the night she gave birth to Jesus, was surely the most beautiful evening in history!

God has a way of taking the things that we see as imperfect, and turning them into things of beauty.

This Christmas season, among the busyness of all of your "mama planned" activities, I encourage you (and myself) to let go of your perfect plans, and see the beauty in the imperfect.

The beauty in little curious hands that take ornaments off the tree.

The beauty in take-out pizza by candlelight.

The beauty of home, family and togetherness.

Wishing you an imperfect but beautiful Christmas season!

xo,

Amanda

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There is still time to enter my "Songs for Saplings" CD Giveaway. Click here to enter!

Songs for Saplings Giveaway

2011-11-30T22:24:00.000-08:00

I have mentioned on this blog before that one of my favorite CD's for the boys is the Songs for Saplings: ABC's. They have since come out with Songs for Saplings: 123's and we love it even more!

"Songs for Saplings" is the music of James and Dana Dirksen. Their sound is folksy and sweet, and the songs are written to deliver the deepest of Biblical truth in a format that children will love to listen to.

The Dirksen's are being amazingly generous this Christmas and offering FREE CD's for the cost of S&H only. Because I want to support their ministry and pass along their great music to you, I am going to give 2 free CD's away here on my blog.

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post. (If you don't have a Google Account, you can leave a comment as "Anonymous". Just include your name in your comment.) On Monday, I will pick two winners, and I will pay the S&H to send you each a FREE CD!

This would make a great gift for the little one's in your life, and it is an excellent opportunity to begin hiding God's Word in their young hearts.

xo,

Amanda

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Giveaway now closed. But please check out Songs for Saplings anyway! :)

Advent

2011-11-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

Depending on how you celebrate, the first day of Advent has either already arrived (November 27) or will begin on Thursday (December 1).

Last year was our family's first time to do an Advent celebration. We used the Jesse Tree Devotional by Ann Voskamp. It was such a wonderful way to keep our focus on Christ during the Christmas season. This year, Phillip and I will once again read from Ann Voskamp's devotional, but I have chosen a different Advent devotional to do with the boys.

Each day you do a Scripture reading and story, and then you make a really cute ornament. It is a great devotional for young children and I am excited to go through with the boys. You can purchase your own here for only $4.99.

It comes with printable pictures you can hide in a pocket type of Advent calendar or a printable to make a paper chain. I think we are going to go with the paper chain version this year because I know that Little Man will take everything out of the pockets the first day. Plus, making a paper chain will be a fun thing to make together.

My plan is to make the ornaments during the day while the boys and I are home. Then when Phillip gets home, we will light a candle and do the devotional as a family. The boys can then take turns showing their Daddy the ornament they made and hang it on the small tree in their playroom.

Because I love all things creative, I thought I would share some pictures of some cute Advent calendars that I found on Pinterest.

Source: pickles.no via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: casasugar.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: theorganisedhousewife.com.au via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: sundayinbed.tumblr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: inchmark.squarespace.com via Amanda on Pinterest

How are you celebrating Advent this year?

xo,

Amanda

Our Gratitude Tree

2011-11-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

Last Thanksgiving, we started the tradition of making a gratitude project to take over to my in-laws house for our family Thanksgiving meal. Last year, we made watercolors leaves and each member of the family wrote what they were thankful for on a leaf and hung it on a branch. Then after dinner, we took turns sharing what we wrote.

This year, I thought it would be fun for the boys to paint a tree because painting is probably their most favorite thing to do.

My husband had a piece of scrap wood that he sanded smooth for us. I went ahead and painted a tree trunk and branches using brown acrylic paint.

After the that paint dried, Buddy and I began mixing colors for the hand print leaves. Even though the acrylic paints make nicer shades, acrylic is very hard to wash off of the hands, so I decided to use Tempera paints. Our temperas are very bright so Buddy and I toned them down by doing a little custom color creation. While we were standing side by side, he leaned over and kissed my hand. He is a sweetheart!

We made a nice brownish red, a reddish orange, and golden yellow. To not further mix the colors and end up with a solid color tree, I gave the boys their own paper plate with one color.

They each worked with their color and then switched sides so that the colors were pretty even.

We started out with the idea of doing hand prints, but ended up just letting them do their own thing. They did some hand prints, some smearing and used brushes.

I told Little Man to smile for me. This is what I got...

When they were finished with the main two colors, I sat out the plate of golden yellow and let them add that in.

The tree turned out to be quite a piece of art. I added "Medlin Family Thanksgiving 2011" up the side to commemorate the day.

I brought a bunch of Sharpies with us to dinner, and each member of the family wrote what they were thankful for on the leaves of the tree. After dinner, we all took turns sharing. Buddy was sitting on my lap and whispered to me that he wanted to share. When it was his turn, he said that he was thankful for...

Captain America

His Toys

His Mom, Dad and Brother

It was so cool to see that he understood what was going on and chose to participate completely on his own. My baby is growing up!

Today we hung out around the house, ate leftovers and hung the icicle lights outside the house. Buddy ran out and exclaimed "It looks beautiful!", which made every second of it worthwhile. Have you started decorating for Christmas?

xo,

Amanda

I Did It

2011-11-24T21:07:00.000-08:00

I joined with 10,000 people to support a great cause, and ran my first 5K this morning! Phillip and the boys came out to support me and my friend Chelsi, and they were cheering us on at the at the finish line. It was a great way to start my Thanksgiving Day and a tradition that I hope to continue each year. Who knows...maybe next year I'll try for the 10K.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner celebration with my husband's family this evening. And while many are out in the craziness of Black Friday, Phillip and I are going to watch a movie in the bed and eat a few more bites of Thanksgiving dessert. Tomorrow we are going to start putting out our Christmas decorations. I am one of those people that can't quite get into Christmas before Thanksgiving. I have to take it one holiday at a time. (Although I have been enjoying a little She & Him Christmas.)

We did a fun gratitude project with the kids and family today. I'll share that with you tomorrow. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

xo,

Amanda

Thanksgiving Playscape

2011-11-23T14:30:00.000-08:00

With Buddy being three this Thanksgiving season, I have really been trying to help him understand the story of Thanksgiving. I was visiting Rhythm of the Home the other day and I saw this cute idea for a Thanksgiving inspired wooden playset.

I already had some wooden peg dolls and acrylic paints on hand, so Buddy and I started our little project. Once we got started, the ideas just kept coming as we created the playscape.

(I found the paper towel tube canoe idea at Crafty Crow.)

We had all of the materials on hand except the wooden pot (candle holder) and little bowls. I purchased and dyed the playsilks this summer. They have come in handy in many creative play scenarios.

It was such a fun project for Buddy and I to do together. He has been playing with it non-stop. Little Man loves it too. Especially the fish!

Making peg doll playscapes are extremely easy. I am planning to make one of these sets for each of the boys for Christmas. If making these types of sets isn't your thing, there are great stores on Etsy that sell similar playscapes. One of my favorites to browse is The Enchanted Cupboard.

Well, I am getting ready to go pick up my pre-registration packet for the 5K tomorrow. So excited! Hope you are having a great Thanksgiving Eve.

xo,

Amanda

I'm Back

2011-11-22T23:50:00.000-08:00

Wow! When I mentioned I might be taking a small break back in September, I had no idea that it would turn into two months. We had such a crazy summer that went straight into a very busy September with my sister-in-law's wedding and my ladies retreat back to back. I didn't realize how much I needed to get my life and routines back in order until I actually did.

As a mama of two little ones,I only get small snippets of time each day to work on things that require mental energy. So where before I might have been blogging or on Facebook, I used that time to work on some projects such as giving our regular menu a real food makeover. (I'll share more about that later.) I also switched computers again, and because I can't function without things being super-organized, I worked on getting all of my documents and pictures sorted and organized.

But now, I am ready and excited to be back. This space is such a great outlet for me. You may have noticed that I have redesigned the blog again. Since I was coming back from a long break, I thought it would be fun to do so with a fresh new look. I hope you like it! Special thanks to my husband Phillip and his sweet Photoshop skills.

So what else have I been up to?

I am still running and working out regularly. In fact, I will be running my first 5K on Thanksgiving Day. I am really excited! I still haven't weighed myself (because I tend to obsess about numbers), but I have went down about 2 jeans sizes. The important thing is that I feel great!

I have started using fitted diapers and wool covers again for Little Man. I have made him a couple pairs of wool pants from thrifted wool sweaters. He loves them! I started knitting him a pair of longies using this pattern and this yarn, but I think they are going to be too small. Bummer! I need to hurry up and finish them so that I can cast on some fingerless gloves for myself.

I have been reading Charlotte Mason's Towards a Philosophy of Education in Modern English on my iPhone Kindle app. I agree with Charlotte Mason on many points. Although I don't think I will adhere to a strictly CM style of homeschooling, the CM Philosophy will definitely be a strong influence in my methods.

I've been working on redoing the boys room for a while now. The last big project is a patchwork duvet cover that I am making for their bed. I am one of those people that like instant gratification when it comes to crafting, so I am finding it hard to stay motivated to work on this. I just need to make myself do it!

The boys are doing wonderful! Buddy is such a cool kid. He is the most creative 3 year old I have ever seen. He is always building things and coming up with interesting ideas. Little Man is TALKING now! He can repeat pretty much everything we say, and speaks in two to three word sentences very well. My favorites are when he says both "Tanks (thanks), Welcome." He has also started saying "Wuvoo" (Love you). It melts my heart every time!

Tomorrow I am going to be working on a Gratitude Project with the boys to take over to Phillip's parents on Thursday. We started this tradition last year and it really helped to keep us focused on being thankful. Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions in your family?

xo,

Amanda

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Refreshed

2011-09-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

I do not think I have mentioned it much here on the blog, but I am the Director of Women's Ministries at our church. I usually work one day a week at the church and then do things from home throughout the week as it pertains to ladies events and such. Being a Pastor's wife and working with Ladies Ministries is something that the Lord showed me as a teenager. But when I received the position of Director last year, it is something I really struggled with.

Like so many unlikely people that God called to lead in the Bible, I questioned God, and gave Him a list of reasons why He shouldn't choose me.

Like Moses, I told God that I am not a good speaker in front of large groups.

Like David, I felt that I was plain and small compared to the glamour of Saul in his shining armor.

Like Timothy, I felt that I was too young to lead and minister to my elders.

I also struggled with the fact that the most important thing to me is my role as a mother, and I saw ministry as wanting to steal my time, energy and focus off of my home and children.

Basically, I had been believing the lies of the enemy for the past year. The enemy wanted to "steal, kill and destroy" the ministry that God prepared and positioned me for.

This weekend, I directed a Ladies Retreat for the women of our church. Honestly, I was much more STRESSED out about it than I was looking forward to it.

But I just have to tell you that the Father was present this weekend, and touched the lives of the many women that attended. I heard woman after woman say how much they needed the retreat, how blessed they were, and how much they were being ministered to. I saw how God used the ideas He had given me and how He had ordered my steps not only through the planning and leadership of the retreat, but during the many years prior, when He was preparing me for this role.

Needless to say, I left the retreat blessed, encouraged, and challenged. I was reminded that when God calls, He also equips and anoints.

There were some projects that I had planned on jumping into right away when I got back home from the retreat, but now I feel that the Lord wants me to just be still for a little while. You may or may not see my blogging slow down a bit. Right now, I am just praying for direction and focus in a lot of areas of my life. I do feel like He has given me a voice and an influence through my blog, and I am praying that I will be a good steward of what He has given me.

Yarn Along

2011-09-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

Today I am linking up with Ginny's Yarn Along over at one of my favorite blogs, Small Things.

I go through sewing and knitting phases, and lately my fingers have been itching to knit. Not too long ago, I saw the movie Life As We Know It, and I LOVED Katherine Heigl's hair in the movie. There is one scene where she is working in her bakery, and has her hair in a "tam" style hat. I thought it would be fun to knit a similar hat for myself. I am following this pattern and will probably add additional rows to make it larger. We'll see how it goes. I am SO excited that I recently found a luxury yarn shop a few miles from my house that specializes in hand-painted yarn!!! I purchased this yarn to knit my hat.

I am reading a book I picked up at a yard sale this past weekend, The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald. I don't love it yet, but I am only 70 pages or so in. It got great reviews, so I'm hoping I'll enjoy it. After reading and loving Jane Erye and then The Help, my book expectations are pretty high.

Updated: I ended up not finishing the book. There was some disturbing subject matter that I would rather not be "entertaining" myself with in my fictional reading.

*****

I had to share a cute photo I snapped earlier today.

Both of the boys had their little Bibles and Buddy was telling Little Man the story of David and Goliath. Precious!

*****

Tomorrow I am headed off to a Ladies Retreat for our church that I am directing over the weekend, so things will be pretty quiet around here. I hope you have a great rest of the week and enjoy your weekend!

31

2011-09-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

Today is my 31st birthday. No big post of personal goals for me today, even though I am always assessing my life, making changes and setting goals behind the scenes. It's just the type of person I am.

Today I just want to take a quick moment to share my heart.

I'm not going to lie. This past year wasn't an easy year for me. But a few months ago (after some evaluating, making changes and setting goals), I got myself back into gear and I am feeling much better. I am excited what this next year brings!

This morning, I took the boys to the playground and Buddy wanted to play restaurant. He gave me a birthday cake (piece of mulch) and I pretended to make a wish and blow out the candle. When I tried to make a wish, I truly could not think of anything to wish for because I have everything I need and have ever wanted. That is such a wonderful feeling!

So today, on my birthday, I want to thank the Father for His "birthday" gift to me...contentment.

"But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6

Giveaway Winner!

2011-09-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

The lucky winner of the My Memories Scrapbooking Software is...

Sarah Johnson

Please send me an email at naturallychicmama (at) gmail (dot) com.

*****

If you did not win, don't forget that My Memories is also offering all of my readers a special $10 discount on the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook Digital Scrapbooking Software and a $10 coupon to be used in the My Memories store - a $20 value! Simply use the following discount code at checkout: STMMMS1275

Happy Monday!

Easy Tent

2011-09-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

There is just something magical for little ones about building a tent out of sheets and blankets. The other day we were at Home Depot shopping, and I found these large clamps for only $.99! When I saw them, I knew they would be perfect for holding the sheets to the backs of the chairs more securely.

They worked perfectly! The tent never fell down.

With Buddy, everything turns into Superheroes.

Little Man was just happy to get Buddy's cup without him noticing.

******

If you haven't had a chance to enter my giveaway for FREE My Memories Scrapbooking Software, there is still time! Click here to enter.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Painting

2011-09-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

The boys had fun painting yesterday (except when I took the brush away from Little Man for trying to eat the paint)...

Happy Wednesday!

I am loving...

2011-09-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

{loving}...the cool weather that swept through Georgia last night.

Right now it is 62 degrees outside and Buddy asked if it was snowing. Our air conditioning is out again, so I have the windows open.

{loving}...the curtains blowing in the breeze.

{loving}...the new batch of lavender laundry detergent that Buddy and I made up this morning.

{loving}...my sweet husband who worked all day yesterday to put new shelving in my pantry.

{Before}

{After}

The dining part of our kitchen used to be a bedroom a long time ago, so the closet I use as a pantry, is actually a bedroom closet. We had stuck some large plastic shelving in there that took up a lot of space, but did not provide much food storage. So Phillip built custom shelves out of reclaimed (free) wood and made it a walk-in pantry with TONS of storage. We still have to paint and hang the door back on, but I couldn't resist showing it to you. I have always wanted a walk-in pantry!

{loving}...my funny little Buddy who LOVES to dress up.

{loving}...my sweet Little Man who LOVES to crawl up in the bed and pull the blanket over his lap.

{loving}...this awesome giveaway that I am hosting this week. If you want a chance to win FREE Digital Scrapbooking Software, click here to enter.

What are you {loving} today?

Labor Day Giveaway!

2011-09-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

As I hinted around on Friday, I have an awesome giveaway to share with you today!

Confession. I am not a scrap-booker. I can barely print my photos much less put them in scrapbooks with cute little papers and embellishments. I just can't wrap my brain around it. I have heard of digital scrap-booking, and have wanted to look into it.

So when My Memories contacted me last week to see if I was interested in hosting a giveaway of their digital scrapbooking software, I said "Yes, please!"

They sent me a free download of the software so I could check it out. It was so easy to use. I didn't even have to read any instructions. In just a few minutes, I created this.

They have tons of free papers and embellishments, as well as additional ones you can purchase to build your collection. I was surprised at how many free ones were included. Now I can get started on those baby books I meant to start a long time ago.

Another cool thing about this program is that you can export any of your designs as a jpeg. If you don't have Photoshop, you could use My Memories to make blog headers and buttons if you wanted.

So now for the giveaway!

My Memories is giving away (1) free download of their My Memories Suite 2.0 Digital Scrapbooking Software. A value of $40!

Mandatory Entry:

Go over to My Memories and check out the digital paper packs and layouts, then simply leave a comment on this post letting me know your favorite.

Additional Entry:

You can also leave an additional comment letting me know your favorite way of keeping up with my blog...whether you Subscribe by Email, Follow through Google Friend Connect, "Like" Naturally Chic Mama on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

My Memories is also offering all of my readers a special $10 discount on the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook Digital Scrapbooking Software and a $10 coupon to be used in the My Memories store - a $20 value! Simply use the following discount code at checkout: STMMMS1275

This giveaway closes at 12:00 midnight on Saturday, September 10, and the winner will be announced on Monday, September 12.

(Disclaimer: I did receive a free download of My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software for my review, but the opinions expressed are my own.)

Hope you are enjoying your Labor Day!

***

Comments Now Closed - 9/11/11

A Trip to the Dairy Farm

2011-09-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

A local dairy farm invited all of the youth pastors in our area to the opening of their corn maze for the fall, in hopes that we will take our youth groups their later this season. So last night, our little family loaded up and headed up the interstate or "fast road" as Buddy likes to call it.

They had added several things to the farm since we had last been there, including a gorgeous pavilion where we were treated to a delicious complimentary BBQ dinner. (Kind of blew the diet, but I'm back on track today.)

Buddy tried his best to shoo away the flies...

They also added a really cool little play area for kids. I thought these horse swings made from tires were adorable!

They had several different tricycles for the kids to ride. Little Man was in heaven!

I tried to get a cute brother shot, but Little Man was not too excited about it.

I did get one of Buddy smiling, which is a rare thing for pictures these days. Too bad it's a little blurry. I'm still learning how to use my "Nifty Fifty" lens.

By far, Buddy's favorite part was the Jumping Pillow. He could have jumped all night...

Do you like how I laid out those last pictures? It's just a little sneak peek at a giveaway I will be hosting on Monday. You don't want to miss it!

Wii Bowling Birthday Bash

2011-08-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

Monday was my husband's 30th birthday. I wanted to throw him a fun party, but struggled with a theme. The only ideas I saw online were sports, gambling or drinking themed parties. He is not into any of those things, so those options were out. Also, he already did an 80's party for my 30th last year. He's a techie sort of a guy, but I already did an iPhone themed party last year. Finally, I saw this party on Hostess with the Mostess, and I knew I had my theme.

It was easy and fun to decorate. The bowling pins above are from a play bowling set of the boys. I went with a lime green and black color scheme.

I made cupcakes with boxed cake mix and topped them with my homemade buttercream frosting dyed with Wilton's Leaf Green. I found little finger bowling sets on clearance at Wal-Mart for $.50 each, so I used the pins and bowling balls as cupcake toppers.

Phillip requested my Pumpkin Spice Cake with homemade Cream Cheese Frosting. The cake recipe is from The Cake Mix Doctor. It's amazing! I served his cake on our family birthday plate that I painted at a Pottery Studio a few years back. I made it for Buddy's first birthday, and now all of our birthday cakes are served on it each year. Just a fun little tradition!

For our menu, I served bowling alley food. I ordered pizzas and Phillip's mom made nachos and cheese. And a friend of our's made his amazing Buffalo Chicken Dip. Amazing! I made a fun little "menu" to put in the kitchen.

The biggest hit of the night were definitely the "Mii" name tags we made for everybody. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it.

I made a "Mii" character for each person on this website. For each one I hit "print screen" and saved them as individual images. Then Phillip removed the backgrounds on Photoshop. He made a name badge template (email me for a copy) and added each picture and name (using this font). Then he printed them on cardstock and we cut them out. After a quick trip to The School Box to have them laminated, I cut them out again, punched holes and strung them using Rexlace. We displayed them across the fence that people walk by to get to our door. I put a little sign on the door reminding people to grab their name tag in case they didn't notice them.

(In case you think I am a bad wife for letting my husband help me make the name tags for his own party, he wanted to help me. He knew he could make them much cooler than I could with his mad Photoshop skills. )

He later told me that it was the best birthday party he ever had. I am so glad. He's an awesome guy and I wanted him to have an awesome party!

I love you Phillip!

Glam Bridal Shower

2011-08-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, we had a bridal {lingerie} shower for my sister-in-law who is getting married in a couple of weeks. We went with a "glam" theme, using hot pink and zebra as our main decorating scheme. We had the shower at my house. I was in charge of decorating and my other sister-in-law made all of the food. She made the zebra cake above. It was gorgeous! She also made these fun cookies...

I had so much fun decorating for the shower!

I also came up with a few fun {and clean} bridal shower games/activities.

We dressed the bride-to-be up in a tiara and a large flashing diamond ring that I found at Party City.

All of the guests got to wear hot pink beaded necklaces and they had to pull a name-tag out of a bag and wear it for the rest of the evening. I had names like...Sexy, Hot Mama, Demure, Angel, etc.

We also played a game called "Pass the Teddy." I put a teddy bear in a box and then wrapped the box with gift wrap 6 or 7 times. At the shower, I told everyone that there was a "teddy" in the box. We turned on the music and passed the "teddy" around. When the music stopped, whoever was holding the box had to unwrap it once. They were told if they were the one who unwrapped the actual box, they had to model the "teddy" for everyone else. There was a lot of screaming and throwing the box around. Everyone was afraid to have to model the "teddy". It was a lot of fun!

We played one other game that made everyone a little more nervous, but they still had fun. I had purchased pretty tubes of pink and red lipstick to give everyone as a party favor.

After I passed the lipsticks out, I told them they had to try them on and we were going to see who the "best kisser" was. I had found this cute poster at Party City (you can see it in the picture below). I blindfolded each lady and had them kiss the poster. The one who made it closest to the lips won. Of course we had some fun turning the poster upside down and on it's side to trick them.

At the end, we had a spontaneous dance party and did the "Cha Cha Slide" and some other favorites. It was a great party! I hope I can team up with Phillip's sister again to do some other parties and events. I love to decorate and she loves to cater. I told her if we lived closer, we could go into business together.

***

Yesterday was my husband's 30th birthday, so my house was party central this weekend. I will share some pictures from his Wii Bowling Party tomorrow. Hope you had a great weekend!

Little Peter

2011-08-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

We have a little Bible storybook that I often read out of to the boys during breakfast. In the section about Christ and His Resurrection, there is a page that shows the soldiers taking Jesus away. Buddy is quite obsessed with that picture. That is the only page that he ever wants me to read from. He gets quite angry at those "mean soldiers" and often tells me how he is going to fight them because of what they did to Jesus. I always use this as an opportunity to tell him the story of Peter. That Peter cut off a soldiers ear, and then Jesus healed the soldier because Jesus loves even the bad guys. Buddy is more interested in swords and fighting "mean soldiers" right now, but I know that I am planting a seed in his little heart.

One of his favorite "open-ended art" activity is to make collages. I have a big container where I save all kinds of scraps: paper, ribbon, fabric, yarn, various textures. I will usually lay out a big sheet of paper, give him a glue stick and leave him alone to create.

The other day, I walked in the playroom and saw this...

I asked Buddy what he made, and he told me that they were crosses like the one that Jesus died on.

And I see that little seed starting to sprout.

No Time To Lose!

2011-08-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

The baby weight that is.

At least I'm still calling it baby weight even though Little Man is now 18 months old.

I have always had to stay on top of my weight. I'm not one of those people who can eat whatever they want and still be thin. If I want to be thin, I have to watch what I eat and exercise regularly. Unfortunately, I wasn't raised in such a way that eating healthy or working were a natural part of my lifestyle, so I have to make a very conscious effort to do both.

After I had Buddy, I got into the best shape of my life. I was eating right, running and working out regularly. I felt great! Then I found out I was pregnant with Little Man. I started out with the best of intentions to continue a healthy lifestyle, but first trimester queasiness combined with the Georgia summer heat, made me throw in the towel rather quickly.

I ended up gaining a lot of weight with that pregnancy, but I wasn't too worried because I had gained about the same with my first pregnancy, and lost it all easily. A lot of different factors contributed to my inability to get it together and lose the weight this time around...

When I lost the weight with Buddy, I lived in a small town with no restaurants. I was also part of a weight loss competition with people from my church. (I am very competitive...I won!)

Now I live in a town with every restaurant option in a 5 mile radius of my house. Also, no competition meant no accountability.

I began losing weight when Buddy was about 6 months. When Little Man was 6 months old, my dad had just died. Enough said.

When Buddy was little, I could just sneak out of bed early in the morning and workout. I can't sneak away from Little Man. He gets up when I do.

Having two kids is MUCH different than having one.

So those are my reasons....err....excuses. I'm tired of those excuses. And I'm tired of being overweight and unhappy with the way I look and feel.

Enough is enough. I am ready.

Phillip and I started a new lifestyle of health and fitness a few weeks ago and I am proud to say that we are doing great and have already begun losing weight and have noticed an overall improvement in the way we feel.

Because I tend to get a little obsessive, I am not weighing myself. I know what size clothing I want to fit into, and I will use that to gauge my results. Also, I am treating this as a change in lifestyle, not just a diet to lose weight. Even when I get to the size I want to be, I want to continue to eat healthy and workout. It is important to me to raise my boys in a healthy home.

For those of you that might be curious to we are doing, here is my plan.

Breakfast: Herbalife Shake
Lunch: Herbalife Shake
Snack: Zone Perfect Bar and Herbalife Raspberry Herbal Tea
Dinner: Sensible Dinner (Whole Grains, Lean Meats, Veggies)
Beverages: I am only drinking water and aiming for 64oz a day. I am tracking my water using this free app on my iPhone.

My workout routine is as follows:

Monday am: Power 90 Phase 1-2 Cardio & Abs

Tuesday am: Power 90 Phase 1-2 Circuit (5lb weights)
Tuesday pm: Walking/Running 30min

Wednesday am: Power 90 Phase 1-2 Cardio & Abs

Thursday am: Power 90 Phase 1-2 Circuit (5lb weights)

Thursday pm: Walking/Running 30min

Friday am: Power 90 Phase 1-2 Cardio & Abs

Saturday am: Power 90 Phase 1-2 Circuit (5lb weights)

Saturday pm: Walking/Running 30min

Sunday: Rest

Power 90 is the prequel to P90X. It is awesome, but less strenuous than P90X, so it is perfect for someone starting out who is not quite ready for P90X. You can purchase the version I have here. We hope to move up to Phase 3-4 (also included) after another month or so of Phase 1-2.

For my walking/running, I am using the Couch to 5K app on my iPhone. I love it! It takes all the guesswork and math out of trying to gradually go from walking to running. I am currently on Week 3 and by Week 9, I will be able to run 5K.

Phillip is doing everything the same as me, except when I walk/run, he bikes. This is the first time we have ever really been on the same page about health and fitness. It is awesome having him as a partner.

I've already noticed how our new lifestyle is influencing the boys. They are already drinking a lot more water because they see us drinking water all of the time. They usually get up with us and watch us workout. Sometimes Buddy joins in. They enjoy going to the trail where we walk/run/bike. Buddy already talks about how he wants to run and ride his bike too.

I am really excited about this new chapter in our lives! I'll keep you posted on our progress.

To see or not to see...

2011-08-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

I am in dire need of new glasses. Most of the time I wear contact lenses, but in the evenings, I wear my glasses. When Little Man wakes up, he always likes to hand Phillip and I our glasses and our cell phones off the nightstands. (I remember when Buddy used to do this.) I'm not sure how it happened, but recently he broke one of the side pieces off of my frames. So I have been wearing them lopsided for over a month, which makes for very difficult bedtime reading.

Some family members have purchased their glasses at Zenni Optical, which is a website with GREAT deals on glasses. I was browsing through the frames and came across these....

I think they are really cute and remind me a lot of Grace Kelly's glasses in this picture on my Pinterest Style Board.

Source: trixietreats.tumblr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I also really like these, which are a little more of a "cat eye" style.

What do you think? Should I go with the first pair or the second?

Summer Learning (A Summer Review)

2011-08-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

The few weeks we were at home this summer, we managed to squeeze in some learning activities.

Buddy loves to play with my label maker. He thinks it is his little computer. When he plays with it, I take it as an opportunity to work on numbers with him. Toy cell phones, the microwave buttons, elevator buttons and hotel room numbers when traveling, are all great and natural opportunities to talk about numbers.

Another fun activity we did was a color scavenger hunt. I laid different colors of construction paper on the kitchen table, and we walked around the house to find items of each other. It was really cool to see how Buddy recognized that there are different shades of each color and also how he could recognize the dominant color of a multi-colored object.

After we gathered all of the items, we counted them. Using a dry erase marker and a laminated sheet of plain copy paper, I wrote down several numbers and had him circle the correct number of items on each color.

I think he drew a pretty good circle for his first attempt!

Little Man also really enjoys drawing with the dry erase markers.

Buddy has always liked helping me in the kitchen. He especially loves to help me cut fruit with his plastic knives from IKEA.

Yummy cantaloupe and strawberries!

We tried making chalk paint for the first time. You just mix equal parts cornstarch and water, then tint with food coloring. It was a big hit!

Then we added a little more water and put it in a condiment dispenser and used it to draw.

I've been thinking about our learning "plans" for the fall. A lot of observation, reflection and reading are leading me to make a few changes to the way we were doing things this past spring. I'm still sorting out my thoughts and ideas, but I will be sure to share them with you soon.

Boys and Girls {A Summer Review}

2011-08-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

You may remember that last summer, I always had pictures of Buddy playing with his cousins. Sadly, they moved away last fall and we do not get to see them often. We were so excited when they came to visit us last month. The little friendships picked right up where they left off.

They played and played and played. We did a little art project together painting watercolor postcards.

We also made a fun dinner called Cowboy Stew. It's an old camp favorite. Each person takes a piece of foil and loads it up with some or all of the following: smoked sausage, potatoes, carrots, onions, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, butter, salt and pepper or other seasonings to their liking.

Then you throw the foil packets on the grill (or campfire) and cook them until the potatoes and carrots are soft. Then eat them right out of the foil with a piece of buttered bread. Yum!

We had such a fun visit with my sister and the girls. We can't wait for the next visit!

VA Children's Museum {A Summer Review}

2011-08-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

While we were in Virginia this summer, we took the boys to the Virginia Children's Museum.

Little Man's favorite area was the pet shop. And his favorite thing to do was crawl in and out of the dog house. He probably did this for 15 minutes or so.

He also really enjoyed looking at the trains.

Buddy loved driving the fire truck!

I think Buddy's favorite area was the theatre. They had lots of costumes for dress up. The kids could control the lights, sound, and backdrop. It was really cool!

They both also loved the grocery store, but it was so crazy in there I forgot to take pictures. We could barely keep up with Little Man. He's really fast!

We all loved the Children's Museum! It was the perfect play/sensory/discovery-based learning experience. I think it would make an amazing preschool. Instead of teaching in classrooms, the teachers would take their little groups from area to area and let the children just play and discover. In my little daydream, it would also be free. :)

I definitely want to check out the Children's Museum here in Atlanta when we get a chance.

Virginia Beach {A Summer Review}

2011-08-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

This was our third summer taking some of our teens from church to Virginia to work with an inner city camp in the Norfolk area. When we are there, we are only about 30 minutes from Virginia Beach, so we always try to head over there several times during the trip.

I knew I wanted to try to take some good beach pictures while we were there. On the 10 hour drive from Georgia to Virginia, I read the highly recommended photography book Understanding Exposure on my Kindle app, as I am always trying to take more pictures using the manual settings on my camera.

We didn't have great weather that week, so we only made it to the beach twice. The first time was July 4. The beach was crazy busy and with all of the stuff that we had to carry, I didn't even attempt to bring my nice camera for fear of something happening to it. I did take a few pics and post them on Instagram. (I am @naturallychicmama if you are on there.)

The only other time we went to the beach, was an evening following a late afternoon storm. It turned out to be a great time for pictures. The beach was pretty empty and the weather was perfect.

Here is Buddy in his classic Spiderman pose...

And Little Man...

I can't get enough of that smile!

Phillip got a box of Krispie Kreme and it was all over after that.

Mouthful of donut with crumbs on the lips as evidence...

Our attempt at a family portrait on the beach with a 14 year old boy photographer. He actually did a great job!

The boys don't love the beach yet. I am hoping they will like it more as they get older. Buddy enjoyed playing in the sand and doing a little "boogie boarding", but was mostly timid of the water. Little Man pretty much hated everything. The sand, the water, the whole experience. He did enjoy throwing sand in my face however. Not cool. But I am still glad that we were able to go, because I LOVE the beach!

Summer Blues

2011-08-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

Summer blues??? I know, crazy, right? Most people get the winter blues. Well, it happens to me in the summer.

For the last couple of years, our summer schedule has been NUTS!

Two weeks of youth camp, one week of mission camp in Virginia, a few days of having family in town, a week of Children's Revival, and a week in Ohio visiting family.

Our brief moments at home were filled with a lot of laundry!

I've learned a couple of things about myself.

1) I am a homebody. I would have never thought I would call myself one, because I have always liked to keep busy and be on the go. But I guess getting older, having children, and living in a house I love, have all turned me into one. And I really missed being home this summer.

2) I thrive on rhythm and routine. Also, something I would have never thought. A younger me would have found staying at home and doing the same thing over and over, day in and day out, to be very boring. But now, I LOVE the simple rhythm of our family and our home. And I really missed that this summer.

3) I am one of those people who leave the house a mess when traveling. My sink looked like this more than once as I walked out the door with my suitcase. GASP!

Don't get me wrong, I had a fun summer. I enjoyed our trips and activities (some more than others). I just kind of lost myself in all the busyness. So that explains my long and unexpected absence from this space. I just had the bloggy blahs along with everything else.

But now our traveling is over and we have been home for a week. We have re-found our rhythm and are happily back on track.

I do have lots of great pictures to share from our summer trips and activities, and I will do my best to post those over the next week or so.

It's good to be back!

We Survived Summer Camp!

2011-06-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

My husband is a youth pastor and part of his job includes him working at our denomination's state youth camp for 2 weeks every summer. Last year, having a 4 month old and 2 year old, I chose to stay home. But I hated being away from Phillip and was pretty miserable being home alone. So this year, I weighed the pros against the cons of going versus staying home, and camp won out. And I'm glad we went because we had a great time!

I knew Phillip would be extremely busy while we were there, and that I would be on my own a lot. I also knew that the campground is not super kid-friendly, and that I would need to be creative with our time. Keeping those things in mind, I knew I would need to guard my attitude to avoid becoming frustrated and grumpy. Before we went, I chose a few things to focus on while we were there so that I could maintain a positive attitude and perspective.

No cooking, cleaning or laundry meant more time to focus on the boys.
Small room + minimal packing = Less choices, simpler lifestyle
Zero expectations of Phillip...that way, any help he was able to offer was great. This worked out much better than me having high expectations of him and then getting frustrated when he was busy with camp stuff.
Swimming and slushies everyday!

I thought I would share some of my photos from our camp experience. Even though I took my nice camera, I never once got it out. So all of the photos were taken with my iPhone using the Instagram app.

This Sport Buggy from Step 2 was Little Man's preferred method of transportation around the campground. He liked to wave and say "hi" to everyone we passed.

Not many people can make Little Man laugh, but this sweet camper David, made him crack up!

Here is Little Man showing off his great tan. We are still not sure how he got an olive complexion, but he is as brown as can be.

Buddy wouldn't really let me take his picture much.

I wish that I had thought to take one of him while he was in the pool. He was definitely the ladies man with the high school girls. At any given time, he had about 5 girls playing with him and catching him when he jumped off the side.

After Week 1, we came home for about 48 hours to do laundry and celebrate Father's Day. Buddy picked out a Superman shirt for his Daddy and all the of them wore their Superman shirts on Sunday.

After church and lunch, we went to see Kung Fu Panda 2. Then it was back to camp!

We bought some sand toys and played in the sand at the volleyball courts.

Little Man fell and got his first black eye. He's my rough and tough boy.

Phillip bought Buddy a cool new hat...

Of course, Little man had to try it on too!

Buddy made friends with a couple of boys his age who were also at camp with their parents. Since he stays home with me all of the time, it is so nice to see him make friends easily and play well with others. I have no worries about him in regards to socialization. By the end of camp, I think every worker and camper knew who he was.

Little Man also made a "friend". He is usually my introverted one, but he really came out of his shell at camp and has developed quite a little personality of his own!

Despite Buddy and I getting sick towards the end of the second week (he had a 24hr fever/sore throat, I developed a sinus infection after swimming), we had a great time! Now we are home and I have lots of unpacking and laundry to do. Thankfully, we have no plans for the weekend so I can take my time.

My goals for keeping a good attitude at camp worked well. I think there was only one night where I got stressed and Phillip really came through for me. I feel like the boys and I really bonded while we were there. I know that sounds weird because we are together ALL of the time. Unfortunately, a lot of the time we are together, I find myself busy and distracted with housekeeping, church stuff or some type of project. I really want to work on my attitude at home and try to RELAX and ENJOY more.

I am linking up today with Jeannett at Life Rearranged.

I hope you have been having a relaxing summer so far!