Amazon Lately

I don't know about y'all, but having a 3 day weekend sure was nice! I know I'll be playing lots of catch up this week, and then we have our first football game Saturday! (#hookem)

 As always, I've been placing random Amazon orders, and I'm so thankful for that easy button. Sometimes, I feel guilty because it's a little too easy, but here's what we've been priming lately. 

A new stopper for the sink. I had noticed that the outside ring of ours was falling off, and had been for several uses, and I was getting tired of fitting it back in, so I just ordered a new one. I loved the look of this stainless one.  Also, this may have been the most random thing I've ever ordered on Amazon. 

Face shields.... I need to be wearing some sort of PPE for work, and the cloth masks are super hard to wear when you're a speech therapist; so I ordered 2 face shields, which basically remind me of a welding helmet. 

My favorite shave gel has been super hard to find, so I'm working on finding another clean brand that I love just as much as my original. I ordered this brand, and so far, I'm liking it, and it's a close 2nd to my favorite. Plus, the price point is perfect. 

My favorite yoga pants are from Amazon.... I actually found them years ago at Marshalls and TJ Max, but I've had a harder time finding them at the store. So, I've been ordering them from Amazon. I had someone tell me they thought I was wearing LuluLemon, so I'll take that as a plus without the price tag. Also, these hold your tummy in and don't ride down. 

We are really focusing on encouraging Adalyn to love reading.... math is her strong suit, and reading is more difficult. She's fine if we read to her, but she just doesn't enjoy it. She asked if she could have the Magic Treehouse books (her teacher read them last year, but didn't finish them because of COVID) so, I ordered her the 1st 4 sets. We also did a fun activity with the 1st book, and I'm hoping to find more activities we can do together based on the books. 

I ordered a package of pom poms to use as the girls reward system with school, per Adalyn's request. We are down for all of the positive reinforcement and each day, the girls earn fuzzies. They'll be able to redeem them for special prizes or even for money. #becauseitworks #whateverittakes

I also ordered one of these tablets and the girls are loving it! It's perfect for working on math, spelling, phonics, handwriting, drawing. I actually need to order a few more- we started with 1, but I think each of the girls would love having one of their own, and y'all, this would be the perfect birthday present or Christmas gift! 

And finally, a set of bicycle lights. Two of our neighbors have these, and they're perfect for lighting up bicycles in the dark.... we've been playing outside well past dark during these Summer nights, so I loved the idea of having the girls be more visible on their bicycles. You receive 4 colors (8 lights) so we actually had 1 leftover, and it comes with replaceable batteries, and a little bag to store them in. These are a hit! 

 

Ramblings: Mom Guilt

Yesterday, on my Instastories, I chatted about something that's pretty close to my heart, and something I haven't really discussed before. And, I thought that today, I'd share about it here. Which, can be pretty scary, because this is actually saved to the interwebs, whereas Instastories disappear within 24 hours. 

But, let's chat about mom guilt. I mean, we all have some form of guilt, and with social media, and online forums, the internet, etc. we have access to information and we all freely make our own opinions and judgements. 

When Gretchen was just a few years old, and social media was really taking off, I started hearing to enjoy every single moment with her; kids grow up fast. 

I was told that I should constantly hold her, rock her, play with her, snuggle with her, and that the house and mess could wait. But, that's where I struggled. 

I obviously spent a lot of 1:1 time with her. She was the only child and it was easy. We could quickly clean up her toys and the mess when she went to bed, and our house would stay relatively clean. 

Then, enter two kids.... and then three....

I struggled the most after Adalyn was born. 

I was stuck between having a 5 year old, a toddler, and a baby and I wasn't sure how to keep my house clean and still spend quality time with each of my girls. And, I had a constant present of older women, telling me to hold the baby, rock the baby, play with the kids..... the house could wait. 

But, it wasn't easy. In the back of my mind, my house needed to be cleaned. Dishes needed to go in the dishwasher, laundry needed to be put away. The baby needed to be fed. But, that voice, of the ever wise older woman, with the very best intentions, kept telling me to hold the baby, rock the baby, play with the kids. They grow up so fast. 

And, I was in a tailspin of feeling like a failure. 

Finally, one day, it dawned on me. 

I'm a better mother, when my house is clean. 

When my house is clean, I can focus 100% of my attention on the kids. I can focus on playing with them, reading the book, watching the show, playing outside, and taking longer to tuck them in at night. 

I needed to come to the realization that my kids would be okay if I wasn't playing with them all the time. They were somewhat forced to play with each other, use their imagination, get along. 

And, I could clean the kitchen, run the vacuum cleaner.... which I use to run every single day, and since I ran it so often, it would just sit over in the corner of our living room. DJ referred to it as "our statue." 

See the vacuum hiding over there?

Anyway, now, I've learned to give myself grace. Sure, my house isn't perfect 100% of the time. But, I've also learned that's it's okay if I need to clean, and let my kids play outside, or watch too much TV, or make a big mess in their rooms. 

I've learned that it's okay to put myself, or my house, first every now and then. 

And then, those times that we get together are more special. More focused. Better quality. 

I'm not typing this post to convince other moms to clean their house and forget about their kids. I'm just telling you that sometimes, the older wiser voices, are just that. Voices. Let them be voices, but you do you. Do what you have to do to be that amazing mom that you are! 

And, if you choose to put your kids first, and let your house get messy- I know that you're enjoying those extra cuddles and kisses because they DO grow up fast. 

And, if you have a house cleaner, then you're my #momgoals. 

And if you're Type A like me, and need to clean your house, then tell your kids to go play together, and you get your house clean. 

Just don't let other people make you feel guilty about your choices and always give yourself grace. We're all doing the best we can.