Lately we have been going non-stop – graduations, birthday parties, weddings, holidays, baby showers, and the list goes on and on… Ryan and I both come from large families and with both families living in the area, there is always something going on. I am a pretty simple person. It doesn’t take a lot to please me. I am laid back for the most part and Ryan is extremely laid back. We enjoy peaceful weekends more than busy ones. We function better if we are able to spend quality time with one another rather than going constantly. When we are busiest is when I start to notice a change in our relationship. Not a bad change necessarily, but a change. We lose sight of our relationship and spending quality time with our son because we are so worried about everything we have to do that day – packing Hampton’s things, figuring out what to wear, what to do with our dog while we are away. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle that we forget to take care of us and it can start to show.

We have busy weekends over the next couple of weeks. I am starting to feel like we are never going to have time to just stop and relax. It is tough. I don’t mind being busy and, in fact, I usually prefer it, but when your weekends have been full for the last 2 months straight with no end in sight, it begins to wear on you a bit. Honestly, we are just going to have to start saying no to things and that will have to be okay. I have a hard time saying no because a lot of the time, I would be saying no to something that I really want to do. Plus, sometimes our families aren’t crazy about us not being able to go to something, but it will just have to be okay from now on. I’m learning more and more that you can’t please everyone and the more you try, the more miserable you’re going to be.

There is nothing wrong with living a slower, simpler life. There is nothing wrong with spending a quiet weekend at home and turning down your family for a pool day or ball game or whatever may be going on so that you can spend time with your husband and children. There is nothing wrong with saying no when you are feeling overwhelmed or have other plans. If others aren’t okay with that, that is something they will have to deal with. I know that I don’t get my feelings hurt when someone tells me no. I don’t understand why some people do. I guess I’m just not wired that way. The fact is though, most people don’t do well with hearing the word no.

Bottom line, after God, your husband and children come first. Everyone else comes after that. That’s the way God designed it. We are going to get back to a simple life after these next couple of weeks roll by. I am really excited for the one on one time I will get to spend with my family.

Do you have a problem saying no? Do you ever feel overwhelmed with life’s obligations?

photo credit: Marcio Cabral de Moura via photopin cc

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Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
July 2009, Atria Books
Pages: 368

Synopsis from Goodreads: One of the nation’s most beloved and successful writers of women’s fiction, Jennifer Weiner has become a literary phenomenon with millions of copies of her books in print. Her latest work, Best Friends Forever will delight fans and critics alike, following the ups and downs of a long-time friendship between two young girls who grow up to be two very different women. Addie Downs and Valerie Adler were eight when they first met and decided to be best friends forever. But, in the wake of tragedy and betrayal during their teenage years, everything changed. Val went on to fame and fortune. Addie stayed behind in their small Midwestern town. Destiny, however, had more in store for these two. And when, twenty-five years later, Val shows up at Addie’s front door with blood on her coat and terror on her face, it is the beginning of a wild adventure for two women joined by love and history who find strength together that they could not find alone.




My Thoughts: I love the Jennifer Weiner novels I’ve read in the past, but this one fell a little short. I’m not sure why exactly, but the only word that comes to mind to describe this book would be “silly.” It started out so “silly” that I thought it was going to be a comedy. Maybe it was? It was just really hard to take seriously. It was an extremely light read – descent for a lazy beach or pool day. It made me laugh a lot, but it was also a bit ridiculous at times. Obviously not everything I read is deep, I enjoy light-hearted books, but this one was almost too ridiculous, even for me. I hate it because I really love Jennifer Weiner’s other novels, but this one just wasn’t good. I gave it 3 stars.


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The #bikiniseries is coming to an end. I can not believe how fast it went by. I hit some big milestones during these last 8 weeks including my weight goal and I have loved seeing everyone else meet theirs as well. I love checking in on my TIU Instagram every day and seeing everyone’s recipes and fitness goals. It is so encouraging and inspiring which is why I know I’ve had so much success with this program. It’s because of the wonderful community of women (and men?). So here is a look back on my Tone It Up Bikini Series 2014:

My favorite running buddy!

Our second 5k!

The day I hit my #bikiniseries goal weight!

That time I got soaked in a storm because I was determined to get in a run.

I beat my PR!

I bought some new kicks!

Our first 5k

This chicken recipe is coming to the blog SOON! I promise it will become a staple in your home as well. Did you participate in the Bikini Series? How are your fitness goals coming along this year? Join the Blog Love Facebook group to help grow your social media platforms! Linking up with Katie!

I’m so excited that Helene and Sarah chose this as the #TotalSocial topic for this week because I’ve actually had this post written for a while. I just haven’t hit that publish button. So here is my #9to5 :

I am a work at home mom. That means that I work from home while also keeping my 7 month old. I have worked many jobs and have had a part-time or full-time job since I was 12 years old. I worked from home for 2 1/2 years before having my baby. It was my full-time job. It still is. I just added a baby to the mix.

Are you a stay-at-home or work-at-home mom? I applaud you. A lot of women openly admit that they work to get a “break” from their children. Seriously, I’ve had multiple friends and family members say that to me. While I think that is so sad, I can also understand. Being a full time mom is so stressful. It is literally the only 24/7 job in the world. You are always on call.

Trying to work while also entertaining a baby is tough work. Can you imagine doing both at the same time? I do it every work day. In fact, about 90% of my weekends, I’m also having to work to make up for all that I didn’t get done during the week. I feel like a lot of people don’t understand what a WAHM does or what that means. A WAHM has a job that she works from the home while also raising her children. I’ve had a lot of people laugh at me and say I do “nothing.” HA, if only they knew.

Personally, I made the decision a long time ago to stay at home with my children. I feel a sense of responsibility for my child because I chose to bring him into this world. I wanted him. I prayed for him. I want to raise him and spend as much time as I can with him. Motherhood is about sacrifices, and I’ve had to make a lot, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I work as a web content manager for local lawyers and restaurants during the week, and if you missed my post a couple of weeks ago, I am now the BOM coordinator and social media expert for ALWB. Doing these along with my blog is a lot, but I enjoy every minute of it. Sure some weeks I could rip my hair out, but most of the time, I genuinely love working from home, raising my child and blogging about all of it.

Want a little bit more of a glimpse into what it’s like to be a WAHM?

I’m on a conference call while tending to a screaming child and wrestling with my mute button on my phone to try to sound like I’m not dealing with a screaming child while trying to conduct business in a professional manner.

I know the importance of a nap not necessarily because it’s good for my baby to sleep, but because it is my one opportunity to finally get some work done, uninterrupted.

I start working early with the intention of actually finishing on time only to realize it’s 3p.m. and I’m not only still in my PJs and showerless, but I’ve still got hours worth of work to finish. Sigh.

I have mastered the art of feeding my baby with one hand while talking on the phone and answering emails on the other.

I understand how hilarious it is when people say things like “oh, you don’t understand because you work from home” or “you have time to do this, I mean you just work from home.”

Do you work from home? Are you a WAHM?

1. What are you reading? Tell us about it!


I’m reading Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter for our Twitter chat tonight! 

2. Library or bookstore?


Bookstore. I don’t even own a library card anymore. I get impatient when it comes to the whole waiting list thing at libraries. I love to shop for books at discount stores, garage sales, and the clearance section at BAM.

4. What is the first book that made you fall in love with reading?

5. Who’s your favorite author? Tell us so we can binge-read!


Wow, I have several: Nora Roberts, Kate Morton, and Adriana Trigiani are the ones coming to my mind right now.

Ryan and I are planning a family beach trip in the next couple of weeks. We are so excited to take Hampton to the beach for the first time! He already loves to be outside and play in all things dirty, so I have a feeling he will love the sand. When planning a beach trip, I always like to pack my beach bag full of everything I will need on the beach so that I don’t have to worry about doing that once I get there. Here is a look at what’s in my beach bag:

Kindle or Book…usually both
Baby Lips lip balm
White lace shorts: Choies here
Sunglasses: Target here
Blue Ruffle Bikini: Choies here
Tank: H&M here
Hat: Choies here
Sunscreen
Small Bag or Make-up Bag for my cell and other small items
Flip Flops: Old Navy here
Hair Ties
Water and a healthy snack
Beach Towel
Mascara
Make-up remover wipes

There you have it! What’s in your beach bag?

White Wedges // Lace Platforms // Teal Wedges // Pink Wedges // Tan Wedges // Yellow Peep Toe  // Coral and Beige // Navy Wedges

Can you believe that the first day of summer is only 1 week away? Honestly, I can. The temps down here have been pretty brutal already.

I am semi-tall for a girl at 5’6. I usually pass half of the guys in my church or am at least eye to eye with them when I wear my 4″ heels. I rarely buy heels that are shorter than 4″ because I’ve found that that is a pretty standard ‘pretty shoe’ height. I try not to let the height thing bother me, because I do love to wear them often. I love wedges for summertime. They are easy to walk in for all of those outdoor summer weddings and graduations. I seem to always have trouble finding the perfect summer wedge heels shoes, so I have compiled a list of a few of my favorites while perusing the internet.

What do you think? Which are your favorites?

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