Monday Message: It's Not Just a List

"I thank my God everytime I remember you."  Philippians 1:3

Taken in Portland, Oregon, May 2008

Whenever Paul wrote a letter, he always had a list of names of the people he wanted to acknowledge or remember from that specific place, whether it was the church at Corinth or Rome... These Bible passages, such as the one my preacher read yesterday, Romans 16:1-16, easily get skipped over in Bible lessons and reading.  But they are not just a list.  Paul was recognizing people he shared a special connection with in his faith family.  

My grandfather Pop (passed away August 2008)

We were instructed to write down the Bible verse from Philippians and then make a list of people that we thought about when we read that verse.  If those people are still alive, we were encouraged to let them know that we thank God when we remember them and tell them why.  It is so meaningful to let your loved ones and family members in Christ know what a difference they have made in your life.  

Mrs. Bea (took care of me and my sisters); passed away May 2009

I challenge you to do the same!  Write a letter, make a phone call, or send an email to those who you truly thank God for them when you think about them.  Write down your list and keep it close.  Add to it as needed and make sure they always know how special they are in your life!

Portland, Oregon, May 2008

Have a great Memorial Day!

Portland, Oregon, May 2008

Mimi's Babies Giveaway!

Webbisodes is having a giveaway that ends today! Hurry and check it out! You get a $15 store credit to Mimi's Babies etsy shop.  I would really like a cute t-shirt like this for my son!

Click here to see the giveaway, and then transfer here to enter!

Southern Jewelry!

Southern Living: Preppy Style is giving away a pair of beautiful Kate Puck earrings!  

Click here to enter!

freedom friday

Yes, this is Memorial Day Weekend and we celebrate those who fought for our freedom, but this Friday represents another freedom for me!  This is my last Friday with students!  Not just for the school year, but for years!  As of next Friday (the last teacher workday), I will become a stay-at-home-mom!

I need to learn some cooking and cleaning skills!

I will miss teaching because I have some wonderful students who actually enjoy coming to school.  I teach in a magnet school for the arts called ACTS.  All of the students have a special talent in the arts (voice, drama, dance, or art).  They have a special focus all year that they study, and we also bring the arts to the core areas such as Social Studies (my subject). 

ACTS Magnet School

But, each day at school, I truly miss Baby W! I want to be his mama full time!  So, with some serious money saving and a smaller budget to work with, we are going to make this work!  Yay for freedom and yay for family!

Not exactly my family

Parenthood

This is one show that my husband and I actually watch together! It is really well-written, and we look forward to watching it every week.  As a new mama, I constantly think about how hard it is going to be to raise a child in this crazy world where nearly anything goes...  You can't watch the television, listen to the radio, turn on the computer or go out in public without hearing or seeing something that is inappropriate.

Parenthood Cast

I pray that God guides me and my husband to be great role-models and lead by example.  I know that I will not be able to keep my child from being exposed to the dangers of the world, but I can prepare him and teach him the right way to do things, and to be a southern gentleman!

There are many different parenting styles shown on Parenthood, but I really like how all of the brothers and sisters communicate and are active in each others' lives.  My sisters and I still call often and give each other our opinions and advice.  I know that will continue as each sister gets married and has kids of their own!

 Sisters #3, #5, and me (#2) at UNC for #5's graduation

Sister #1 and me with Baby E and Baby W

Mae Whitman plays one of the teenage daughters in Parenthood, and she is the same girl that played Sandra Bullock's daughter, Bernice, in Hope Floats (one of my all time favorite movies!)  It is fun to see how different she is now (but also similar)!

Mae Whitman in Hope Floats

Mae Whitman in Parenthood

Have a great Thursday! The hubby and Baby W are coming to visit me at school today and bring me Subway for lunch on his day off!  Adds a little highlight to my day :)

"I love your blog" award!!

Thanks to Fried Pink Tomato for my first blog award!  Please check out her blog.  She is a sweet southern Mama-to-be! :)

When you receive this award, you share 10 things you love, and then pass the award on to 10 blogs you love!

10 things I love:

1. my sweet, sweet, son Baby W
2. my husband
3. my 5 sisters!
4. God
5. good music
6. the beach
7. a good laugh
8. Mountain Dew
9. fried okra
10. history

I'm passing this award onto the following fabulous blogs:

1. living a beautifully blessed life
2. daily bites
3. Fashion Meets Food
4. It's the World I know
5. How I Met Your Father
6. Sweet Carolina Girl
7. Seersucker Scrapper
8. Simply Said by Kate
9. Lily Lemontree
10. passport in my pocket

Have a great day!

wordless wednesday: sweet baby boy

Murfee Scarf Giveaway!

Pink Preppy Lilly Lover is giving away this adorable Lilly Murfee Scarf!

Click here to enter this fabulous giveaway!

Tuesday's tip for new mamas: The Exersaucer!

At some point within the first few months of your new baby's life, you should get an exersaucer!  It can provide lots of entertainment for your little one.  We thought Baby W was too small for the exersaucer, but right around 4 months we realized he really enjoyed it!  He is 8 months now and still hasn't tired of it...

In the beginning, he was just mesmerized and would reach out for the gadgets, but now he beats on everything and tries to eat everything as well!  I love watching him laugh, babble, and play in his exersaucer.

There are some exersaucers that have bouncy seats built in.  Baby W's does not bounce, so he also has a Johnny Jump-Up.  When he gets tired of being in the exersaucer, I simply move him to the Johnny Jump-Up and he is immediately happy.  His favorite thing is when his Daddy or I swing him really high.  We get to see his face light up!

We were fortunate to get the exersaucer at a baby shower, but if you are looking for one, this is the one we have:

Baby Einstein Discover and Play Activity Center

Sweet Carolina Girl!

I am a new follower to Sweet Carolina Girl's cute blog! She is currently giving away two personalized monogrammed wine glasses!  You pick the colors!  

Click here to enter! Good luck!

Monday Message: Feel the Spirit!

Yesterday, instead of a sermon, the choir sang several songs about the Spirit.  It was a beautiful service, and while I enjoy listening to a good sermon on Sunday mornings, I feel that I worship best through music.  I was in our church choir until my pregnancy got too far along and I couldn't really stand and sing without getting lightheaded!  I would love to join again, but Baby W goes to bed so early that I can't make it to practice on Wednesday nights. 

I am going to sing at school in a couple of weeks.  I sang in our school talent show last year.  It was a song called "Carry Me Through," by Dave Barnes.  I was not going to sing this year, but my students all requested that I sing again.  The talent show is on June 2, and I have no idea what I will be singing yet!  Any suggestions?! I want to sing something that inspires the students, but that is current and will get the students into the song.

Hope you all have a great week.  This is my last full week of school!  (and Baby W's last week of daycare!)  So excited for the summer to begin!  It will be busy, but I will get to spend lots of time with family!

fitness friday: don't set your goals too high!

This tip is for new mamas, but it also goes for anyone that is trying to start a new exercise or health plan.  Don't set goals that are unattainable! 

When beginning a workout routine, I like to think that I will be able to commit to working out 5-7 times a week.  That would be ideal, but probably not possible for me with an 8 month old son at home.  Some days, I will simply not be able to get anything checked off on my "to do" list.  But, if I set a goal to work out 2 to 3 times a week, that is a goal that I am more likely to achieve.  And if I happen to exceed that goal, then that will make me feel all the better.

make a goal list

In fact, working out 2 to 3 times a week is my new goal.  I will let you know how I progress each Friday.  I have also lost 2.2 of the 9 pounds that I plan to lose by September.  Slowly but surely...

excuses, excuses

So when setting a new goal for health or other areas of life, stick to goals you can meet.  If you constantly meet a goal, then you can think about raising the bar a little bit.  Good luck achieving your goals! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

reach your goal

TGIF!

thankful thursday

Today, I am thankful for getting a good night's rest!  Baby W has not always been the best sleeper...in fact, until he was 6 1/2 months old, my husband or I would be up with him anywhere between 2 and 15 times a night! Sometimes he wanted to be fed, and sometimes he was just crying.  At 6 1/2 months, by the doctor's recommendation (and against my mama instincts), we let him cry-it-out.  Fortunately for us, it only took one night, and he became a wonderful sleeper!  Last night, Baby W slept from 6:45 to 7:30 with one feeding at 5:15. 

He has been doing this well for awhile, but his feeding usually is around 3:30 or 4:30...so I hope he decides to keep the 5:15 time slot or drop it altogether! 

(picture here later of Baby W sleeping last night...thank goodness the flash didn't wake him!)

What are you thankful for today?!

wordless wednesday: Baby W is 8 months old!

Cute Camera Case!

I have been needing a new case for my camera since the zipper broke on the one I originally had.  My sister, Sweet Southern Prep, posted a camera case that she got from JonahDay's Etsy shop.  Click here to see the one she has.  I decided to check them out and got this one today:

I can't wait to receive it!  It was very affordable ($12) and shipping is free! She makes cases for other items as well.  Check them out here!

Wordless Wednesday pics to come later...Baby W is 8 months old today! :)

Check this out!

Sweet Southern Prep is having ANOTHER great giveaway! She is giving away this great Scout Mini Deano Tote from Preppy in Paradise!  Visit here to enter.  The giveaway ends May 26th!

If you enter the giveaway from visiting my site, please let her know! Thanks :)

tuesday's tip for new mamas: open your blinds!

In the weeks after Baby W was born, I have to admit to having the baby blues.  I did not have the kind of blues where I didn't want to be around the baby, but I had the exact opposite blues! I cried at every little thing that seemed to be wrong.  He had to have several doctor's appointments a week for minor issues.  I cried at every appointment!  A few days after birth we noticed a large bruise behind his ear and had to take him for x-rays! I was a wreck!  (There was nothing wrong.   He just has a big head and the bruise was from the birth.)  The x-ray tech asked me if I had done something to my baby or if it was from birth...I cried and cried!  I would sit in front of the television and if something sad happened...more tears from me! When my in-laws were staying with us, my father-in-law thought there was something seriously wrong with me! 

 

Baby Blues Cartoon

Well it turns out, I just had a serious case of the baby blues.  I talked to the pediatrician about it and she said it wasn't too out of the ordinary.  When my mother came to stay with us, she made sure that we had all of the blinds open to let the sunlight in!  And she encouraged me to go on a walk every single day.  That really seemed to help out.  I needed to keep the sun shining in the house, and get outside for a few minutes every day.  I would normally get out and push Baby W around in the stroller since he needed a little sunlight too (he had a little jaundice, but not too bad). 

Not my house

So the tip is baby blues or not, open your blinds and get outside for a few minutes every day!  It will help brighten your mood and keep you with a more sunny outlook :)

P.S. The baby blues only lasted a few weeks.  When we found out that Baby W had a partial biotin deficiency (very rare), I was able to handle that without too many tears, and I didn't cry at the geneticist's office.  I'm glad they didn't last forever!

Monday Message: Tuned out!

Yes, I did go to church yesterday.  Yes, I did listen to the sermon.  But no, I did not grasp enough of what was said to write a message based on it.  So...what was I thinking about?

Well, it was graduation Sunday.  All of the high school and college graduates were being recognized.  Now I was very emotional and hormonal during my pregnancy, but a lot of that still has not worn off 8 months later!  So, I was thinking about how fast life is, and how I am going to blink my eyes and I will be watching Baby W graduate!! NO! I don't want that to happen.  I want him to stay 8 months old forever.  Please! Tell me how to do that. 

Taken at 6 1/2 months

Whenever I tell someone that he is growing too fast, they tell me to enjoy each stage of his life, and that every stage is special.  But, I want to be able to hold him in my arms forever, and have him depend on me for life!  I am trying to savor every moment, and hopefully there will be more babies to come in the future.  But for now, I want to spend all of the time I can with Baby W!

How I Met Your Father

How I Met Your Father is having a great giveaway with lots of chances for entries!  She is giving away these perfect-for-summer Lilly McKim Sandals!  Click here to enter! And good luck!

fitness friday: celebrity edition

As a non-celebrity, soon to be even more extreme penny-pinching mama, I wanted to see what celebrities looked like during and soon after pregnancy.  Most of them, of course, look fantastic.  I believe that I could look fantastic as well...if I had someone doing my hair and make-up everyday, and a personal trainer and chef making sure my body stayed in great shape 24/7!  Here are a few beautiful celeb moms:

Jessica Alba

Angelina Jolie

Heidi Klume

Halle Berry

Julia Roberts

This is me on my due date:

And three weeks later:

Luckily, the nursing helped me get most of the baby weight off! Now it's time to tone up and get in shape! So ready for the summer time and to be out of school so that I can work more exercising into my daily routine.  Hope you have a great weekend :)