Mommy Reflections: What I've Learned So Far

I can not believe my baby girl is three already. Whoa. Time sure is flying. I remember the day she was born. She was a tiny little angel with bright pink lips. Her hair was jet black. I held her as much as I could and she went every where I did. Always. She was my precious sweet little baby.

Fast forward three years and here we are. She's a big girl now. She's full of imagination. Her bright eyes fill me up. She's still my baby but she's a big girl now. I find myself thinking about how we got to where we are. She's so smart and funny.

This past three years has taught me a lot. I've learned to be less stressed about the little things. I still struggle with it but it helps so much not to get all worked up over every little thing. Perhaps the biggest lesson that I have learned is to keep things simple. As parents we want to create all these amazing memories for our kids and I think sometimes we forget that you don't always have to be over the top and perfect. Savannah has reminded me that it's the little things that she enjoys. I don't have to throw her big parties or fancy play dates. I don't have to spend a lot of money or buy her the latest greatest toy. All she wants from me is my attention and time. Both of those things are free. 

I am reminded that children are just like adults in many ways. All they want is to know that someone is paying attention to them. They want to know that someone cares about what they have to say and how they feel. You don't need superMom powers for that. You don't have to be the craftiest Pinterest pinning Mama for that. All you have to be is yourself. After all, God chose me to be her mother so I am enough just the way I am. Of course, there's nothing wrong with trying or learning new things but I am enough just like this. 

As I am coming into my own as a Mom I keep reminding myself that the tough times are temporary. She won't always be this little. She won't always be this busy. She won't always need me. While she still does it's important that I soak it up. I have to learn to slow down and not just go through the motions of the day. I am learning that every moment that we have together (even her sassy testy moments) are times that I should enjoy. I've got to become better at taking a deep breath and not letting every time she misbehaves send me to a bad place. It's not always that serious.

I must remember that she's only three. It's not fair to her for me to expect her to behave any older than that. So I've learned to appreciate the days where she acts five and understand the days where she struggles with growing up. It's going to happen. I won't always be the perfect Mom and she won't always be the perfect kid -- And it's all going to be OK.

Giveaway: The Juppy Baby Walker

We haven't done a giveaway around here in a while. Since I just had a baby I've been looking at all the new baby products that are out now. Of course there are tons. When I came across the opportunity to check out the Juppy baby walker I couldn't pass it up. 

It's so cool. When I was teaching Savannah how to walk I remember it being a very fun but crazy time. She was wiggling all over the place and there I was trying to help her. My back would be all hunched over and she'd be doing her best to show me her new moves. A product like the Juppy would have come in so handy for me then. Luckily, I'll have one when Baby M starts learning to walk.

There are so many things to love about the Juppy. I personally love the fact that you can take it with you because it fits into a pouch small enough to go in your purse. This means that when I take Savannah to play dates or the park I can use the Juppy with Baby M. Perfect!

From the Juppy Baby Walker site:

What is The Juppy Baby Walker "Momentum"?

"The Juppy "Momentum" is a solution to a previously recognized but unsolved challenge for parents of babies beginning to walk. Babies strong enough to  begin walking but not strong enough to walk alone. The Juppy builds confidence in your baby and teaches balance while you maintain your  natural posture, eliminating the grueling task of hunching over while teaching your baby to walk. "

Enter now for your chance to win! Good Luck!

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Chic Link Up: Face to Face Fridays Week Four

Hi everyone! If you're new to this link up thanks for joining us! We don't have many rules here. The only thing that I ask is that your link contain a video. It can be a link to your blog post with video or a link to a video on YouTube. All are welcome!

Feel free to tweet, FB, Google+, grab the button (it's in the sidebar) and share. I'd love to see some new faces around here. Have a great weekend!

The Beach vs. An Amusement Park

So here's the thing. My baby girl asked for a trip to the beach for her birthday. Of course the weekend that we're suppose to be frolicking in the sand and sun mother nature decides to call for a little rain. Now I'm stuck with trying to figure out a quick plan B. My husband has already taken off from work so there's a part of me that feels like we should just go and make the best of it.

I considered taking her to a local amusement park as a plan B. After calling and speaking to someone about their water park admission I learned that it would be $75 for our little family. Our general admission is free since active duty military get one free trip to the park this year. However, I just can't see spending $75 to go swimming.  Maybe I'm being cheap but I see that $75 as gas money to the beach. Round trip.

So in true Mommy fashion I have spent the day researching other activities for us just in case we get rained out. Hopefully the rain will provide cooler weather for the baby. One can only hope. Anyway, I will be doing laundry and packing for this getaway for the rest of the evening. I can't believe my baby girl will be three next week. Time flies. What is she going to want for her birthday when she's 16 if she's already asking for beach trips at three?

Chic Mom Style

Alright. I said that I was going to share when I wore the Pinterest inspired denim cut off shorts outfit. I feel like this pic isn't really doing the outfit justice, haha! It looked great! Instead of the Tory Burch leopard print shoes from the inspiration pic I paired my outfit with my gold spiked toe Sam Edelman flats.

Since I was planning on getting matched up for some new makeup my face is fresh.

Here I am trying on some booties. (That are now living in my closet!) Check out my husband wearing the ergo and photo bombing me in the background, haha!

Shirt - Express (The Portofino Shirt) Shorts - H&M Booties - Steve Madden Flats - Sam Edelman Watch - Michael Kors Bangle - a gift

Face to Face Fridays Week Three...

Welcome to week three of Face to Face Fridays! Every week the link up gets more interest from fellow bloggers. Very exciting! Hopefully, we'll start seeing some of those faces around here soon!

Remember, on the First Friday of the month we'll be chatting about a certain topic. This week we're sharing five things we're most proud of ourselves for. The link up will be open until Tuesday. 

I hope you enjoy my video. Of course, Sav makes a brief cameo. :-)

I'll be checking out everyone's videos this weekend. Happy Friday!

eShakti Fall Collection

I wanted to quickly share a promo offer that just hit my inbox! You all know how much I love eShakti. Well, their Fall Collection is now available and it's full of feminine classic modern items. Remember eShakti always has your size because you can provide your measurements and have the items customized to fit you. It's like having a personal seamstress and tailor via the web and I love it! 

You know I've been doing a lot of online shopping lately and any time I find out about a great sale I spread the word on my Facebook page. Here is another offer. Take 20% off while you shop eShakti's Fall Collection. They have everything from the very now menswear inspired look to the very pretty cobalt blue. I can not wait to start scrolling through their new line. Check me out in some of my past favorite eShakti looks.