I {Heart} Fall

It's totally normal for somebody to take their kids to a pumpkin patch at least twice a year, right?

Well…that's how we roll. We are going to love the crap out of fall. 

The best part is there is still Trick or Treating!
How about a little preview…

The Time We Took All Of The Toys Away

The playroom was trashed. Literally…there was trash everywhere! Specifically, crayon wrappers.

Recently I have added a super "fun" addition to the playroom; a towel rod and roll of paper along with another rod with buckets of crayons, markers, and scissors. The hope was to spark their "creativity".
This decision, I have grown to regret.

During quite time the tyrants they find it humorous to chop paper into micro pieces and throw them all over the ground.
I kept finding broken toys, crayons, and books.

Then…one night…I lost it.

I went mommy crazy. Granted, it was past 7pm (that's my limit FYI) and I was exhausted! But still…enough was enough.

I told them I was taking away their toys. I called James up into the playroom and told him something had to change. We decided that they have been disrespectful and disobedient. The punishment was to take away the toys; nearly all of them.
We left the boys with 6 "guys" and the batman fortress.
We called the boys into the playroom (they had been banished to their room until mommy regained her cool) and told them what was about to happen; no more costumes, no more crayons, no more legos, and no more superhero gear.
That did it. Tears. Lots of tears; mostly from Micah (which is rare).

In that moment they knew we meant business.
It wasn't that we were tired (even though we were); it was that we felt disrespected. We, as their parents, felt as though they didn't care as to what we thought. I asked them to clean and nothing happened. Ok…maybe a couple spiderman costumes were put into the toy box…but not the "guys", and legos, and other junk.

So
…
that was it
…
6 "guys"
1 fort
…
and nothing else.

You know what….
It worked.
We set up rules.

#1- Do not ask for your toys back; we will say "no"
#2- We will decide the behavior that earns the toys back
#3- Good behavior gets rewarded; bad behavior loses toys.
#4- Clean up your junk

They cleaned it up better. Probably because it was easier without all of the excess.
They didn't ask for their toys back.
In fact….it's been a month and they have earned all of their guys back; along with the coloring and paper.
But nearly everything else is still packed away in my closet. Just sitting there.  This really makes me notice for the first time about how much excess my children have.
I'm talking about bins, and bins still just sitting in my closet that my kids have forgot about. They are happy with what they have, and have learned to treat what they do have better. If something breaks, it won't be replaced with something else. That is all they have.

I am so glad about our decision. Taking away their toys has taught our entire family about what excess can do. Having too many "things" doesn't just clutter your home; it clutters your mind as well.
Now it is time to pack up those toys in my closet and get them out of the house.

At this point they will be none-the-wiser.

WIW: To Tuck or Not to Tuck

First of all…look at the adorable little lady. 

Yes, Ella is so stinking cute these days. Even though her attitude is ridiculous…so is our restraint against saying "no" to her. It's been rough; but…she's cute, and that's all that matters!

Ella's Attire

Bow: Handmade by me

Tee: Old Navy $4

Jeans: WalMart $4

Glitter Canvas Shoes: WalMart $7

Smile: Her Daddy

Now onto what I wore. I had such a fun night the other night on a girl's night out. I will admit that it had been a while since I got out and I was super excited to hit up an outdoor shopping mall for some girl shopping and snacks. Much needed for sure.
Our first stop was GAP and we should have just stopped there. But I found 2 things that I wanted…and that fit!
I love GAP for their sizing (an XS is big on me, which makes me feel super skinny…I heart that), and their clearance. I have been looking for white pants forever now, and just haven't been able to find anything I've liked. Let's be honest, white pants are a risky choice in motherhood. But I found these for…wait for it….
$16.oo!
They fit both my body and my budget. Score!

Tee: Gap

Belt: F21

Jeans: Gap

Shoes: Target

Ring, Necklace, Bracelet, Earrings: Mila Jo Designs

The big debate is whether is should leave the shirt tucked or untucked. Obviously it's more comfortable to leave it untucked. But I have seen so many pins about how "fashionable it is to use a skinny belt and a tucked tee". 

Naturally I'll wear it both way…it' like two outfits in one!

But, what do you think? Tucked or Untucked?

Let me know…either way…I love the coral, white, bronze combo!

Also…did you notice I went back to brunette? It's suites me so much better. At least I think so.

Growing Pains

Josiah is six. I am the mother of a six year old boy and that makes me feel super old.
He is learning to read, to spell, and play sports.

While he is at school, and away from me {for the first time in his life} I am learning too. He's teaching me that his father and I are no longer his only instructors. We are no longer the only people he is learning about life from. He is learning from his teacher, and more so, from his classmates.
Josiah has never been around other kids who didn't know about Jesus. He has never had friends who have talked about things we don't like. Zombies, ghosts, vampires, skeletons, and creepy things are the hot topic right now.
{For the record we love to trick or treat but we despise all other aspects of Halloween, read more about that here}
The other night at the dinner table Josiah uttered the phrase "Oh my god" {and nearly gave us a heart attack}. James and I looked at each other the same way…eyes wide open, not sure what to say to him. I know it is a very mild phrase…but it's not spoken in our home. James and I struggle with many things, but our language isn't one of those. I quickly told Josiah that he was not in trouble, but that he's not allowed to say that. It's taking the Lord's name in vain, and it's not allowed to come out of our mouths.

We understand that this was not major. That they are not putting his eternal soul in danger but, we don't love some of the things his ears are hearing, and his mind is processing.
My first reaction is to pull him out of school, keep him home with me in our little, happy, Christian bubble. But wouldn't the devil just love that? Does he not relish in the fact that I am scared that Josiah will not make the best decisions; that his tiny mind will be overwhelmed with the ways of the world?

Just at dinner last night we asked Josiah to stop drawing pictures of "spooky things". This hurt his tiny, innocent heart. He doesn't know what makes these things wrong. He is surrounded by kids who love spooky, scary Halloween. It's not his fault. He doesn't know these things are not from God.
We are having to explain the difference between the light and the darkness. We have to tell him that we, as followers of Jesus, are the light of the world. The Devil is dark and he loves us to be scared, and fearful, and hopeless. But Christ has come to overcome the world. We have come to bring light into the world, and therefore, we cannot love the darkness.
Isn't this awful though? I hate having to "shed light" (pun definitely intended) on the evil that is in the world to my child. He knows there is good and evil, but trying to spell it out for a child isn't fair to him. It's not fair that this world is so corrupt and bankrupt of virtue.
Call me old fashion, but I just want him to grow up with a pure heart and mind.
But, while the devil unfolds his wickedness around our children we will be vigilant in our fight against his evil ways. We will arm our children with the tools they need to be a light in the darkness. We will not shelter them, and hide them away from the world. We will thrust them into it…fully armed with the armor of God.

Ephesians 6: 10-18
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

And lots of prayers from his parents (who will be shaking likes leaves).

I saw this and thought that my boy would love this.

Home Tour {Ella's Room}

I've finally gotten around to showing you another room in my home tour.
You can find the others here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Are you ready for an overload on your "girly" senses?



Ok…I warned you….

I'm about to show you Ella's room. It's by far the girliest, brightest, and pinkest room in the entire home. As it should be.

I went for a very girly "garden-esc" room. I love green, and pink, and white. So this is what happened.
It's like a garden fairy threw up in here. And I love it. I can't help mylsef!

Here's a closer view of the circle of butterflies. I got these 3D butterflies at her baby shower and I painted a few more onto the wall to give it a bit of dimension. It's so fun!

I also got her this flower nightlight at IKEA and knew I needed to paint behind the nightlight to give it that "pop".

And my talented sister made Ella this butterfly mobile.

She needed a tutu table…of course!

I love the wall decals, and the ballerina bow holder.  I know….I have problems…

But can you blame me?? Look at her door!!

Adorable. Just precious. 

It's like her own secret when she's in there and the door is closed. 

I made these darling little rosette flower balls for her 1st birthday party. They fit perfectly in here.
I found the tutorial here.

I have a friend who is such a talented artist and I had to have this print in baby Ella's room. It was the perfect addition!

Her great grandpa made her the shelf and she's worn both of those rompers. I will never, ever depart with those.

This is her life verse (Matthew 5: 14-16) {you can learn why we pick out verses here} and I was so happy that I could use some of the fondant from her baby shower cake to embellish it. It's like a little memory keeper!

My dear, sweet sister in law painted that canvas for her. Talk about talent!

And… of course her curtains. The best part of the entire room.

It just happens to be my most popular post as well. I give you all the details on how to hang curtains this way! Isn't is just lovely?!

So there ya have it. Are you totally pinked out? I adore it.
I will be so sad if ever one day she decides she hates pink.
At least for now she's super girly. I love it.

And I just have to show you her little tree during Christmas. Never too much sparkle…right?

Thanks for joining me on this tour-de-pink. Hope you'll stick around a while!

Cheers!