We’re well into sunscreen season and this collection of photos from Nolan Conway for the New York Times totally nails the struggle of having to force your kids to wear sunscreen.
“You don’t want to be aggressive, but you end up being a little aggressive.”
So relatable.
If your kids also fight you tooth and nail when you attempt to protect them from sunburns and melanoma, hats off to you. But also hats on- another good way to keep the sun off 😉
h/t Cup of Jo
Are your kids out of school and home for summer break yet? Most kids are already out around here, but friends in the north might still have a couple weeks to go. Either way, we’re all starting to transition into that territory of summer parenting. Your schedule changes, you’re either way MORE busy or way LESS busy, but it definitely requires a different mindset than the rest of the year.
Thanks so much to our guest, Lina, for sharing her wisdom. Check out her site and be sure to follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
This week we have a brand new giveaway with prizes from THREE awesome brands- QuickZip, Lemon Vines, and Annie & Isabel. Learn more about these awesome brands and scroll down to enter via our giveaway widget. There are lots of chances to enter, so be sure to get them all in!
One of the things no one tells you about being a first time parent is how FRUSTRATING it is to change a crib sheet in the middle of the night. Crying baby + tired mom = how the heck does this fitted thing work?? Thankfully, the brilliant folks at QuickZip have designed an amazing zip-on sheet that comes off and goes back on soooo easily. You can pretty much do it with one hand and you’ll never have to struggle at 2am to make it happen.
They also do sheet sets for regular sized mattresses too, in addition to their crib sheets. Pop this on the list as your next must-have shower gift. Your friends will thank you!! (Also, check out the #GetYourSheetTogether hashtag on Instagram to see the sheets in action!)
You’ve probably spotted Wallace wearing his Lemon Vines amber necklaces on Instagram a couple times! There are lots of parents who swear by amber teething necklaces to help their babies through those tough teething moments.
Here’s what Lemon Vines has to say on their site: “For teething babies, amber’s healing properties will reduce inflammation and calm the baby, without resorting to over the counter medications. All of our teething necklaces are finished with softly rounded shapes and a pop safety breakaway clasp. Each bead is individually knotted onto the necklace, to ensure your child’s safety.”
Hospital gowns aren’t exactly the most stylish, and if you have to wear one, it should be something you actually like. Birth isn’t always glamorous, but the designer hospital gowns from Annie & Isabel totally are.
These gowns would make an awesome baby shower gift for a friend, or a present for someone going in for surgery or who might be in the hospital for a longer stay. Super thoughtful, comfortable, and miles above the potato sacks the hospitals provide 😉
You know how the weeks leading up to having a baby you’re just so done that you’re ready- eager, even- to endure the pain, the pushing, the sleepless nights, the bloody nipples? Just GET. THE. BABY. OUT.
The last few weeks have been like that, but not in regards to the baby- I’m happy to keep him in much longer.
No, I just became so over and done with having my kids home for the summer that I gleefully set my alarm for 6:30 this week, and I’ve risen with joy each day. I’ve packed lunches with love the night before. And not a single tear did roll down my cheek this year as I sent them each on their way, another milestone in the rearview.
They grow up so fast, but not a minute too soon because I AM TIRED, AND DON’T LIKE YOU THAT MUCH RIGHT NOW. We need a break. My heart needs to feel fonder about you, and absence is the cure.
My 2nd baby started kindergarten, and my stone cold heart didn’t feel a pang of sadness.
My 3rd baby is in a classroom with tiny lockers now. Cool. Whatever.
My oldest doesn’t want me to hug or kiss him goodbye at school anymore. Okay.
BYE, EVERYONE!! See you after I’ve had a nap and watched 3 episodes of Orange Is The New Black.
She cried at bedtime 2 nights ago because I told her there were still 8 days left until school starts. “That’s going to take forever!” she sobbed.
He cried at bedtime 2 nights ago because I told him there were only 8 days left until school starts. “What?! NO! Are you kidding me?! I don’t want to go back!” he shouted.
And this one can’t be more than 3 feet from me, and prefers to be actually stuck to me, at all times, especially while sleeping. I can’t remember the last time he slept in his room. “I just need to not be touched right now,” I huff to my husband about 50 times a day.
Summer is almost here! This is a post I wrote last summer, but I am dusting it off and made a video to go with it because summer is my favorite time of year to take pictures.
Watch the video below for 5 tips for great summer photos….
Then click through to last year’s post to see what my 6th tip was, especially those of you with access to photo editing programs.
I got a catalog selling “Back To School” clothes and backpacks yesterday. And then I went to Target and scored 70% off a new patio set because they were making room for aisles of crayons and notebooks.
It’s July 10th. Lowell turns one in 20 days.
NOPE.
Stop it, summer.
I’ve been quiet here the last couple weeks because we took a week to go visit Scott’s family in St. Louis for the 4th. We haven’t been up there in the summer for a while, and we rather enjoyed ourselves, despite the long drive.
It was an All-American kind of week with a gaggle of cousins, aunts & uncles a-plenty, doting grandparents, and GLORIOUS weather.
And this bloody mary at the Cardinals game.
I’ve been busy behind the scenes for a while trying to tie up some loose ends, and launch some big projects. July and August are going to be exciting around here! Unfortunately, that means I’ve had very little time and energy for real blogging lately.
I promise my silence doesn’t mean I’m sitting around in my pjs, catching up on House Of Cards and Orange Is The New Black while my house looks like this.
I mean, most of the time.
So anyway, here are some more pictures in lieu of words about things that I’m super excited about that I can’t really talk about or show you yet.
Then summer keeps happening.
And my 3 hours of productivity a day are often spent putting on and taking off little swimsuits, and covering little legs and arms in sunscreen.
Or taking Leyna to the potty. She’s nearly potty trained, but not really. It’s a strange little tightrope we’re walking with it all right now, but I’m very hopeful she’ll be mostly out of diapers (except for night and naps) by the time the baby comes… except not on days she has Mothers Day Out. Just for the summer session. She’ll be in Pullups those days (trust me, I’m groaning with you right now, I HATE them) because she only has one teacher in her classroom most of the time. So… it’s… we’re working with them on this. For now.
And, uhhh… I’m currently looking into switching to a new midwife. At 35 weeks pregnant. It’s a long story that I really can’t get into right now, but I will eventually. So that’s been a real blast.
Tomorrow we head off to the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX for a little family staycation. A few months ago, I planned to take the family to the beach this month. Then I got really pregnant and decided that was the stupidest idea ever. But an indoor water park that’s 30 minutes from home? Yes. We can do that.
Oh, and then there’s this thing I’m doing this Friday. Remember I told y’all how I’m going to make my national TV debut by revealing to the world that I eat sand? Yeah. That’s a real thing. So I’ll be Skyping from Great Wolf Lodge to… further embarrass myself? Is that even possible?