Sunday Social

Its been forever since I've linked up with Neely and Ashley for The Sunday Social- but this ones all about the end of summer, so here I am!
 

 

 

 

1. What was your favorite trip this summer?

Taking Grayson to the Outer Banks, NC. Growing up it was easily my favorite place on earth and the fact that he now loves the beach too made it perfect!
 

 

2. What was your favorite outfit look/clothing item of the summer? 

My Ann Taylor Loft Skinny Crops- I could wear them as skinny jeans or roll the cuffs to make super cute capris. Win Win!

 

3. What is one thing you wish you would have gotten to do this summer?

Take Grayson to Sandcastle and have more pool play dates. Oh well, there's always next summer.

 

4. What was your favorite song of the summer?

I don't know- I didn't really have a song this summer. So Im going to say the moment that N'Sync reunited on the VMA's. Middle School Me was dancing in the living room nearly peeing my pants for those two minutes.

 

 

5. What was your favorite movie/tv show of the summer?

Well in this house we watch a lot of cartoons. I was thrilled to watch Big Bang Theory re-runs and Live with Kelly and Michael.  Seriously though, I could watch BBT all of the time. It cracks me up!

 

I said I would Never- 52 Weeks of Blogging

Linking up with Becky to talk about the things I swore up and down I would never do, that now that Im actually a Momma of course I actually DO.

 

 

 

1. Let my child watch tv shows. Was I out of my gourd?? I thought that TV would stunt his imagination and I didn't want him relying on pictures to entertain him, because I wanted him to be able to entertain himself. Now? When dinner needs cooked or Momma has a phone call to make- why hello Calliou and Thomas On Demand. You are loved in this house.  Now obviously I try to keep it reasonable and I don't stick him in front of the TV all day long, but sometimes you just have to hit play.

 

2. Make two separate meals.  My child will eat what we eat was always my motto.  Until Grayson decided that he'll eat chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, rice, fruit, veggies and bread. I cant eat those every day. So when we have spaghetti and he wont touch it, he gets easy mac. He eats and is happy and that makes me happy.

 

3. Allow my child to dictate routine. Pssh. Anyone who is a parent realizes how quick that thought was getting tossed out the window. I let Grayson go with the flow, and you know what? He broke himself of the binky and bottle. He lays down without a fight. It may not have been on my terms, but we got there and we got there just fine.

 

4. Let my child go outside unless fully dressed.  If we are going to the store, he's always dressed, don't get me wrong. But to go play on the porch with shave cream and bubbles? A diaper is perfectly well dressed in my book.  If I don't have to wrestle him out of clothes then attempt to get the stains out its just easier on me.

 

5. Let my child wear character clothing. This used to be a pet peeve of mine. I didn't really like when kids wore shirts with cartoon characters on them. I don't know why it bugged me, but it did. Until my almost two year old started requesting his "ISSSS" shirt or his "Orge" shirt.  In time I learned that letting them pick an outfit makes the fight to get dressed so much easier I don't care what's on his shirt as long as its clean.  I even let Grayson get his two year old pictures wearing his beloved Thomas hat.  Because you know what, hes two, looks adorable, and I was wrong.  I can admit it when I was wrong and Moms and Dads I have seen the light. 

 

Caitlin Thomas Photography

 

Im sure as he grows my list of never will I ever's will slowly switch, because we never really know what we will do until we're in that moment. As long as our kids are happy, healthy and loved that's all that really matters. But I really will never ever let that child leave home and go off to college or kindergarten without his Momma. That one is for sure!

 

 What were some of your Never Evers? Go link up with Becky and let me know!

Second Birthday Party Planning is in Full Swing!

One day a couple months ago at dinner I asked Grayson what kind of birthday party he would like to have.  I honestly didn't think he would answer me, you know seeing as he only said a few words at this point.  Much to both mine and the hubs surprise, he looked up from his plate of rice and said "ISSS" Which in Grayson speak- is Thomas the Tank Engine.

 

So, obviously, we're throwing a Thomas party.

If you've been following my Birthday Pinterest Board, you'll see a mix of Thomas and Curious George. That's because goobs couldn't decide for the longest time between the two.  So we decided for his big party with friends he will have his Thomas Party, then we'll do a small George family party on the day of his actual birthday. Yes, I am certifiably insane, I know this.

 

I ordered our invites from SplashBox Printables via Etsy. I also ordered from them custom food and water bottle labels. Super fast turn around and great customer service.

 

I've been pinning like mad and crafting like a crazy person to get a lot of it done before I go back to school. Here are some of my inspirations-

 

 Cake pops and t-shirt are ordered. Birthday cake is being made by a talented friend- no idea what it will look like, I leave that to her. Food is ordered. The rest is up to Mommy and Nana to make. On the list is a custom Cranky the Crane to hold the sandwich tray, wooden fronts to turn the tables into trains, treat bags, various train themed food displays, backdrops for food, cake and gift tables, centerpieces and of course Grayson's present.   I cant wait to share with you my projects once the party is over!

PS- if you have any train party ideas, I'd love to hear them!



Toddler Moments to Remember

Every once in awhile I will catch myself wishing that I can remember what Grayson is like at this age forever. The little moments, the random things he does, they are amazing. Im so glad we live in an age where an iphone can whip out and record most of these moments.

How he reaches for my hand when he's watching cartoons and drinking his milk.

 

 

How he carries around his blanket and his Monkey when he's tired.

 

 

The fact that he has to have ALL of his blankies with him when he's falling asleep- hello, blanket hoarder.

 

 

The wonder he sees in bubbles.

 

How he picks up any bugs without fear and delights in showing them to me.

 

The ducklips he gives when he's coming in for a mooch.

 

 

How he giggles at Curious George.

 

The fact that tickle Mommy is a favorite game.

How he crawls up onto my lap and lays his head on my belly and rubs his face into my tummy with a giggle. He can spend a good hour snuggled like that.

 

When he learns a new word, and is so stinking proud of himself.

 

How he sits on the counter with me while I make dinner and eats a sucker jabbering to me about life.

How we call him El Destructo because he can destroy a room faster than any tornado could.

Those curtains used to be attached to that door. Sweet, huh?

Every time I think I want to remember this forever, he does something else that I want to add to the list. I'm so glad I can take pictures and videos to remember these moments because otherwise I would forget. Lets face it, I have to write down the passwords that I use to log into websites I visit daily- my memory is pretty shoddy like that.

Plus I don't know about you, but I love having them on my phone so when Motherhood has me waving the white flag (like above, when he ripped my curtains off the windows while I was on the phone) I can look back and remind myself that he's just learning and growing and these moments will pass.  Even if it seems like the difficult moments take longer to pass than the fun ones, they all go by far too quickly for this Momma's liking.

Snacking Done Right!

Its a favorite time of year here in our house, the start of football season. That means on any given Sunday you can find us crowded on the sofa watching the Steelers- and eating lots of snacks, of course! This year we decided that we wanted to try to eat a little bit healthier, since Grayson wants to eat everything we're eating. So when I was presented the opportunity to try out Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips, I jumped at the chance.

 

 

When I saw the slogan, bite into giant flavor I was a bit skeptical. I've had different veggie chips before, and most of them needed dip to cover up the taste of the actual chip.  Let me say right now, these are not those chips.

 

 

 

 

I first tried out the Garden Ranch Veggie Tortilla Chips, and they were easily my favorite. Why? Because they taste EXACTLY like Cool Ranch Doritos, but better.  Now, I know you may be skeptical. But this isn't like when someone tells you cauliflower sauce tastes exactly like Alfredo sauce- that is complete crap, and I'm telling the truth.  These chips are the perfect thickness and have a great amount of tang that keeps you going back for more.  But, they come without the greasy feeling and guilt- because even though they are chips, they are made with veggies. Its a great snack swap that I don't mind my kiddo sticking his hand out to snag a chip or two.

 

Now my husband is probably the one person on the planet that doesn't like ranch, so he much preferred the Multi Grain Sweet Potato Barbecue Chips.  He's a big barbecue chip fan, and his first comment was that these chips were not greasy like regular chips. The flavor-packed crunch wasn't overpowering, and they were just a bit thicker than regular chips making them just a bit more satisfying in my opinion. They were definitely delicious.  What you cant see in the above picture is the fact that between my almost two year old and my husband, they nearly killed the bag of chips before I even got to take the pictures for this post. 

 

The chip snatcher himself, hard at work taste testing. 

 

A healthy snack option that is toddler, husband and Momma approved? You better bet I'll be stocking my cupboard with these chips for football Sundays and all the days in between.  Green Giant also offers a Zesty Cheddar and Sea Salt variety- which I can not wait to try.  I'm thinking that the Zesty Cheddar will be an awesome replacement for the usual chips I use to make my Cheesy Chicken Dorito Casserole.

 

Happy Snacking!
 

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

Diamond Candles Review and Giveaway!!

Seriously? Who doesn't love a good candle? And when you pair that with the chance to find a ring worth up to $5,000 inside that candle? Well, Sign me up.

 

Enter Diamond Candles. The all natural soy based candles that smell AMAZING. 

 

 

 

 

When I first hit the website it took me forever to decide which one I wanted. After much deliberation I chose Sunwashed because I cant pass up the smell of fresh washed laundry, and very few candles can get that smell right. However, Peachy Mango, Miami Beach, Island Getaway, Cupcake and Lavender and Lemon you are all on my I need to buy you list.

 

When the candle arrived- super fast shipping by the way- I was really glad to see how well protected it was in the box. It arrived in perfect condition, and I have seen my mailman whip boxes from the front steps to the door so I was a bit nervous.  Like I said very few people can get that true sunwashed laundry smell and this candle nailed it right on the head. When I lit it, immediately it filled my whole downstairs with the most amazing clean scent.  The best part was that the smell wasn't overpowering, even when you were close to the candle. It was perfect.

 

 

 

The back of the candle shows you where your ring is located, and lets you know that your ring could be worth $10, $100, $1000 or $5000!

 

 

I was super glad they didn't put the ring too far down, because I was super excited to see what was in there. I will admit that I didn't dig through the wax with a spoon like some people but I may have poured a little of the wax off each time to get to the ring quicker!

 

 

 

All totaled, it took about 15 hours of burn time to get to this point where I could grab the ring with a pair of tweezers.  

 

 

 

My ring wasn't worth $1000, but its gorgeous all the same!

 

Here are some of the other pretty baubles that people have found.

 

 

 Check out more of the awesome ring reveal photos here!

 

It's crazy, I love burning candles but having the chance to find a ring- possibly a vary valuable ring- made the experience of burning this candle so much more exciting. I found myself just watching to see how fast it was burning.  Now that the ring is out I love that I have the ring to look back and remember the experience and excitement that I felt.  Normally with candles you don't get a souvenir, so Diamond Candles makes it extra special.  They are also priced cheaper than most large jar candles, and none of those candles include a piece of jewelry. Easily a win-win in my book. I may or may not have already ordered a second one or possibly a third...well shipping is free once you spend $45, so it only made sense to order two, right?! Check Diamond Candles out on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter to see other peoples fun ring finds!

 

Oh and the best part- the amazing folks at Diamond Candles are giving me the chance to give one of you lovelies a FREE candle as well! Use the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win!!

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Disclaimer: I was provided a free candle to review and one to give away, but all opinions and thoughts are always my own.

 

Its almost time...

The end of summer is vast approaching. My Facebook and Twitter feeds are full of two sides to this story. First is the parents, some who can not wait to get the bored kiddos back to learning and back on schedule and others who are sad to have the kids gone from the house all day long. The other side is my teacher friends, commiserating that the summer flew by and its almost time to head back to work. The latter always includes some type of comment akin to "Bout time", "Must be nice to have three months off", or some other equally dumb statement.

 

Listen, I don't want to poo-poo what anyone else does for a living as I know there are HUNDREDS of jobs you couldn't pay me to do; but let me say this folks- teaching is hard.

 

Source

 

Soon I will pull my car up to the building. I will unload bag after bag of things I have purchased for my classroom. Folders, binders, pencils (seriously my kids NEVER have pencils), erasers, glue sticks, rulers, kleenex, hand sanitizer, posters- you name it, it's there. Its not required that I purchase these things, of course, but I always have them on hand for kids who need them. I often have kids from previous years come back and ask if I have an extra binder because theirs is broken and they don't have money to buy a new one. They never get turned away...although sometimes they end up with a pink flowered binder and a blue book cover.

 

Ill set up my room with the help of Pinterest. Creating bulletin boards to inspire and jazz up the normally boring white walls to make a comfortable, cozy space. I live here for the next nine months- I want it to feel awesome.

 

Then I will sit in meetings. Countless meetings. Fire safety, Keystone Exam, Common Core Standards, SDI's, Co-Teaching, Differentiated Instruction. Who knows what they will be about this year. We will dutifully sit there as the newest buzz tries to re-invent the wheel. We will hear new ideas and plan with our departments and co-teachers how to incorporate them into our lesson plans. We will get trained on the new copiers/printers/technology, learn our duty assignments and just like the kids see who we eat lunch with and who has the same prep times. We will walk bare halls that smell clean as we gear up for the first days of school- which are always crazy.

 

Then the first day happens. The clean smelling halls will be gone as they fill with teenagers and lockers fill up with things and lunches that will be forgotten about- ew. Paper and pencils will litter the halls as kids scramble about from class to class. We teachers will be back to work, we will be on; and for anyone who doesn't teach, you just don't understand what that means.  It's okay that you don't get it, because I have no idea what you do at your job- but I'm going to try to explain it a bit.

 

When I get to work, immediately, I'm on a stage. I write and research my "script" every day on my own, but it always calls for a little improv when the natives start getting restless. I keep the kids engaged with cool stories and animations about DNA and Natural Resources. I plan projects that will allow them to show off their creativity and learning, that will take me three times longer to grade than a regular test. I give them chances to create their own assessments and participate and teach each other. I email parents CONSTANTLY to keep up on the kids who are slacking off and to give praise to the ones who are kicking butt.

 

I never sit down. Sitting gives the natives time to do something unexpected. If they never know where I'm headed next, their faces are much less likely to end up on Instagram during class.

 

I schedule my bathroom breaks and snack times not by when I am hungry or need to pee, but by the ringing of a bell. If something holds me up and I don't have time to get my coffee before the bell rings, I don't get it. Ill have another chance in 48 minutes.

 

I get judged by people who have no background in science. They come in one day of 180 and watch me teach for 30 minutes and truly they have no idea if what I am saying is fact or fiction. But they will judge me based on student participation and what's on my walls. That evaluation and how kids not even in my classroom score on tests help determine my salary and my "effectiveness" at my job.

 

I have kids who will share the most intimate details with me, things I never in my mind wanted to know. They open up about insecurities, relationships, problems at home, struggles and triumphs. I have been their through the loss of parents, kids getting bullied, kids who confess to me that they have an eating disorder or are cutting themselves, and kids who feel that their parents just truly hate them. I have held hands as we go talk to a guidance counselor or call home to let someone know what's going on. I've hugged them and told them its going to be okay when I'm not sure if it will be. I've gone to track meets, football games, baseball games, school plays and concerts. I've celebrated birthdays, earning drivers licenses, coming back from injuries and even the birth of a students child. None of the things in the above paragraph technically fall within my job description to teach science- but when you are a teacher, that's all part of the job.

 

I don't get to leave my job at 3:00 and not worry about it. Once I get home I still check email, grade papers, lesson plan and prepare for the next scheduled "performance".  Often I do this as I'm watching my own child take a bath, play with his toys or watch a show on tv. I always say that I don't have one child, I have 140. Because these kids really do become "mine". 

 

Most teachers will say the same thing. Even as we sink into our chairs at the end of the day, eyes glazed over as we feel we have just run a marathon. By tomorrow morning we will be back "on" ready to go and inspire these tiny (and some not so tiny) humans to reach goals they never knew they had.

 

 Its a hard job, but its my job. I love it and I couldn't imagine doing anything else. To some people it might seem easy, to some it might seem hard but I guarantee it takes a special person to do this job. Just the same as it takes a special person to be a serviceman, doctor or accountant. I couldn't do their jobs, and they probably couldn't do mine.

 

So do me a favor, next time you see a Facebook post saying "First day back tomorrow" resist the urge to make a goofy comment and instead say a simple thank you. We are going back to inspiring the next generation of citizens, the people who will pay your social security and inspire all other professions.  If that's not hard work, y'all, I don't know what is.