Tag: parenting

Life, parenting, Reviews

Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff For Moms (vlog and giveaway!)

Courtney

Hello Dreamers! I know it’s Father’s day… but I have something special for all you moms out there! (Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!)

I received a copy of Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff For Moms by Kristine Carlson to review and share with you guys.

I have loved reading this book little by little and gaining great nuggets of wisdom from it. I made a vlog about it, that’s how great it was!

 

(Also, I found what chapter I was talking about that mentioned filling yourself up before pouring yourself out… It was Chapter 30 “Powered With Your Passion”)

Here is some info on the book:

“In the first new Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff book in nine years, Kristine Carlson shows how moms can live with less stress and more happiness. Kristine Carlson gives mothers tried-and-true advice that will empower them to find greater peace, joy, and harmony within themselves and their homes. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Moms reveals how to: be a mom (not a friend), balance being a woman and a mom, pursue your passion (but not at the expense of your children, and reclaim your family time.”

I’m a part of the Don’t Sweat Moms Community over at DontSweatMoms.com

You can get a free copy of the first chapter here

You can purchase a copy of the book here or here

and the best news?! One of you can win a copy!

Just comment telling me why you’re a Don’t Sweat Mom and you’ll be entered to win!

Comments must be made by Monday June 18 at Midnight to be eligible to win.

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Life

change in perspective.

Courtney

music has always meant a lot to me. certain songs hit me right in the heart. a lot of songs have made me cry. some make me laugh. i always tend to find myself identifying with one of the “characters” in the song. there are songs that become “anthems” of certain times in my life. some songs have no real meaning in and of themselves, but carry a memory. “my boo” by usher reminds me of my first boyfriend. “roses” by outkast and “yeah” by usher remind me of my junior prom. “save a horse ride a cowboy” reminds me of senior year military ball. “chasing cars” by snow patrol and “hey there delilah” by Plain white T’s remind me of when chris and I were dating. And of course all those girly fall in love songs…. I always was the girl searching for love. Rebecca St James “Wait for me” was a song I held on to for a long time.

Anyway, all of that to say this… Yesterday I was listening to some Taylor Swift. Her song “Fifteen” came on. Usually I find myself remembering my first day of 9th grade (and shaking my head as I remember the bright orange shirt and floor length jean skirt that I wore… and thought was cool. ugh) but this time those weren’t the first thoughts that came to my head. she sings “then you’re on your very first date and he’s got a car and you’re feelin like flyin. your mama’s waiting up…..” suddenly i wasn’t the young girl searching for love, i was the mom waiting up for her baby girl. it was my first thought. my perspective changed. i started thinking about Payton’s first date. her crushes. how to deal with her heartbreak (or how to break the legs of the guy who breaks her heart). I know she’s not even walking yet, dating is a long way off…. But it was a big deal for me to realize the characters i identified with have changed. I’ve been through a lot of heartbreak and gained a lot of wisdom. I realize now that I can try my hardest to impart that to Payton, but sometimes you do just have to learn for yourself. Watching her learn those lessons isn’t easy. Sometimes you don’t know the stove is hot until you touch it yourself. Those lessons are the ones that mean the most.

Anyway, I know I’m rambling now. You should have seen me yesterday, I was a blubbering idiot. Some days I’m thankful I’m home alone so people don’t have to see me like that. ha. so, cheers to “growing up” and thinking more mommy like.

parenting

9 months!

Courtney

Yesterday my baby girl turned 9 months old! I can’t believe it. When I look at her she looks more like a toddler than a baby. This month she seems to have had a growth spurt, not just physically but mentally as well. She is so smart! She loves to give high fives, she calls out to our dogs “Delilah” and “Little Dog,” she absolutely loves to dance, is really good at waving, and even stands on her own for a few seconds at a time! She still isn’t much for crawling, she hates being on her tummy. She loves rubber duckies, mickey mouse and Dora. She also blows kisses, or at least her version. She tries to mimic the “MMMMMUAH” noise and its just too cute. She loves picking out her clothes and shopping. When we’re looking at clothes in a store she’ll try to say “Pretty.” When you ask her if she’s hungry she’ll go “NUM NUM” and nothing gets her more passionate than food. She is a very vocal eater and loves trying new things. She loves bananas, applesauce, grilled cheese and pizza.

All in all this month has been rough with her getting a UTI and me having problems with my teeth… but she has just been the best. Her smiles and giggles are adorable. She brings so much joy to our lives and we are so thankful for her! Happy 9 months baby girl!

grilled cheese and tomato soup!
Delilah and Payton
Princess Payton
Big Smiles! (with all 6 of her teeth)
Standing up
Big girl playing with her "music table"
parenting

8 months.

Courtney

Yesterday Payton turned 8 months old! I can hardly believe how fast time flies, but at the same time how it seems like she’s been here forever. This month has been a fun one.
She is developing quite the personality.
She has experienced the emotion of frustration quite a bit over the last month, and even has her own cry/scream to express it.
She is a master at blowing raspberries.
She has the cutest open mouth smile, which allows you to see her now 4 (and almost 6) teeth. She has two on bottom, the two eye teeth have broken through an her two front teeth are on their way out.
She pays close attention to our facial expressions and tries to mimick them.
Daddy taught her to stick out her tongue.
She loves to laugh.
She is still working on crawling… she gets frustrated and stops trying. She would much rather be standing up than laying on her tummy.
She has learned what the word “no” means and doesn’t like it.
She learned to drink from a straw and really likes that.
She is so much fun!

Showing off her teeth
How big is Payton? SOOOO BIG

Family Life, parenting

recovering.

Courtney

so i’m still “recovering” from this cold/cough or whatever miserable thing it is. I feel fine in the middle of the day, but mornings and evenings are rough. The cough and the sore throat are killer. swallowing is a chore, which is sad because I love to eat. I guess that could mean its a good thing for my waist line, or so you would think! I’ve eaten tons of soup and had countless cups of hot tea. I’ve been trying hard to take care of Payton while also trying to not “share” my germs. Thats so hard! I didn’t realize how much I love to kiss her little face until I try not to!

Speaking of Payton, she is nearing the 8 month mark! Time flies doesn’t it? She has been developing quite a bit lately. She loves to clap her little hands. She tries to mock the noises we make and even some of the words we say. Her most recent work is “yes”. She has been saying “dada” for awhile now. She tries hard to say Delilah (thats our cocker spaniel) but it usually comes out “DUH”. No sign of “mama” just yet, but i’m working on it. She has been on the verge of crawling for a few weeks now… but just hasn’t had the motivation to do it. I’m ok with her not starting to crawl just yet, I kinda like the peace of knowing she will say where I put her… but I know it won’t last for much longer! Speaking of longer… she’s actually starting to get some hair (ok… it might just be some “fuzz”) but its better than bald!

Heres a few pictures we took today. We always have fun, even when I don’t feel good!

Family Life, parenting

sick day

Courtney

so yesterday afternoon i started to get a dry scratchy throat.
by the end of the night my throat felt swollen, i had a slight cough and a pounding headache.
when i woke up this morning my body was achy, still had the same closed-throat and pounding head.
i was going to call in sick… until i remembered moms don’t get sick days.
babys still need to be fed and diapers need changing.
school deadlines don’t change.
dishes don’t do themselves.
food doesn’t cook itself.
luckily my baby girl picked up on the fact i wasn’t feeling too hot and all she wanted to do this morning was cuddle….

cuddles

(please excuse my messed up hair and no make up face, since i took a “sick day” we stayed in our pjs until after nap time)
and i realized that while i can’t call in sick, i don’t think i would want to. my days spent with this precious little girl are just priceless!

so heres hoping this pounding headache, sore throat and grogginess disappears sooner rather than later.

parenting

it won’t be like this for long.

Courtney

He didn’t have to wake up
He’d been up all night
Layin’ there in bed listenin’
To his new born baby cry
He makes a pot of coffee
He splashes water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss and says
It gonna be OK

It won’t be like this for long
One day we’ll look back laughin’
At the week we brought her home
This phase is gonna fly by
So baby just hold on
‘Cause it won’t be like this for long

Four years later ‘bout 4:30
She’s crawling in their bed
And when he drops her off at preschool
She’s clinging to his leg
The teacher peels her off of him
He says what can I do
She says now don’t you worry
This’ll only last a week or two

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon you’ll drop her off
And she won’t even know you’re gone
This phase is gonna fly by
If you can just hold on
It won’t be like this for long

Some day soon she’ll be a teenager
And at times he’ll think she hates him
Then he’ll walk her down the aisle
And he’ll raise her veil
But right now she’s up and cryin’
And the truth is that he don’t mind
As he kisses her good night
And she says her prayers

He lays down there beside her
‘Til her eyes are finally closed
And just watchin’ her it breaks his heart
Cause he already knows

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon that little girl is gonna be
All grown up and gone
Yeah, this phase is gonna fly by
So, he’s tryin’ to hold on

‘Cause it won’t be like this for long

It won’t be like this for long

It won’t be like this for long

i love this song by darius rucker. reminds me to soak in every little moment. even when shes cranky and teething. love it.

Family Life, parenting

7 months!

Courtney

Today my baby is 7 months old. When did time start going so fast? It seems like just yesterday she was a little 7 pound bundle of joy. Now she is a big nearly 20 pound bundle of ever-changing emotions. She has such a complex personality already. Her emotions are typically female, happy and giggly one second and frustrated the next. She loves sitting on the floor playing with her toys. She is close to crawling, at least I think so. She scoots herself backwards, but hasn’t figured out forward motion just yet. I’m thankful for the last few minutes of calm before the storm, because I know once she starts moving she won’t stop! Enjoy a few snapshots from the past few weeks…

This is her playing with a toy that I used to play with as a baby!
She loves bubbles! The cutest bubble mohawk
Shes got some strong legs!
Family Life, parenting

overwhelmed.

Courtney

this mama is tired. i know i haven’t written on here in awhile… things have been crazy. since the last time i wrote i started my first term of college classes and i went back to work after being home for 12 weeks on maternity leave. it was hecka hard to say good bye to my baby girl on that first day. i didn’t cry as much as the week went on. it was a hard adjustment. while going back to work meant i didn’t see my baby girl all day, it also meant i didn’t exercise much. good news is i didn’t gain any weight. bad news was i didn’t lose any either. at the end of my second week back at work i was laid off. it wasn’t that unexpected considering the whole company is shutting down. i was actually relieved to be able to spend the days back at home with my little payton. i felt like all last week i was playing catch up with the housework and schoolwork. its crazy how laundry and dishes pile up when you’re not constantly doing them. i feel like i’m just starting to get back into the routine. i’m not gonna lie, it is still hard to find balance. just when you think you have a routine down she starts a growth spurt or begins teething. she has been extra cranky lately which makes for one tired mommy. while she still naps quite a bit i spend all the time i can working on my college classes when she is asleep. the problem with that is i find it hard to focus on schoolwork when the house isn’t clean, so i spend just as much time trying to keep the house clean. sometimes i just feel like i’m in a whirlwind of laundry, excel budget spreadsheets, shopping lists, dishes and diapers. some days i just feel emotional. and don’t want to do anything. then right in that moment when i feel like my head is about to explode i get a text or IM from my amazing husband… or a big gummy smile from my precious girl… and thats just what i need to recharge. i’ve learned quite a bit. like i’ve learned its ok to put her up in her crib for awhile if shes crying and i just need a mommy moment ((which is what i’m doing right now)) sometimes i just need a moment to recharge and refocus and remember why i do what i do. because i love it. and i love my husband. and i love my baby.