Relieving Stress

When it rains, it pours.

This little saying has been ringing truefor me lately. Lots of things are happening, I'm needed in multiple places at once, and a lot of people need my attention right now. I used to boast that I was a "multi-tasking queen"- that is not the case any more. If I am concentrating on more than one person/project/situation I'm lucky if I don't start crying. It's taking every fiber of my being (and then some) to keep it together.

My body is trying to tell me something.

What exactly it's saying, I have no clue, I'm hoping my doctor will tell me in a few weeks when I go see her. In the mean time, I need to do something different than what I've previously been doing to alleviate some of the stress. So I started coloring.

I'd rather be coloring. - This is basically my motto or mantra right now. It is kind of silly how well coloring is relieving my stress. I have a coloring book and pencils at the store so I can whip it out and spend a few minutes unwinding after a rough customer. (This last week has seen some horrendous customers.)

It's something my son and I can do together. I have found when we're having a little rough patch, if we both sit down next to each other and color, after 20 minutes we're both feeling rejuvenated and ready to do, and be, better.

Who would have figured this simple activity would be so effective. I guess a lot of people have, and I'm late to board the train. That's ok though. I'm on now, and I'm ready for a nice relaxing ride.

My Summer Look

I have a summer uniform:
Layered tanks + jean shorts + flats + iced coffee = my typical summer look.

(Oh, and cardi or button up because the AC at my work is chilly.)

This summer I am making a point to expand out from this wardrobe a bit and get out of my comfort zone as much as possible. Wearing white more often. Wearing striped shirts more often as well. Wearing dresses even! These are some things that I feel completely uncomfortable doing, but am pushing myself to do.

This outfit for instance, I really wanted to wear but was nervous once I put it on. My pear shaped body doesn't really like stripes because the stripes plus shadows bring into focus my... well... my middle area. Other than the shadows I had no reason to not wear this outfit so I left the house owning it. "Fake it 'til you make it" or some other jazz like that.

One of my favorite parts of this outfit (and other little thing that nudged me out of my comfort zone) was this AMAZING Cover Girl Star Wars lipstick I found at Big Lots for $1. I passed on all the Star Wars make up while it was new in stores because I wasn't in love with any of the colors or shades. This lipstick, while definitely darker than anything I ever wear and not nearly as dark as the picture shows, and wasn't too far off from my favorite lip gloss from StarLooks. I figured for $1 it couldn't hurt to try it out.

I love it! The color is fairly sheer and I think it's a great look for a golden, shimmery, summery look. The lipstick and the stripes are definitely going to stay throughout the summer- maybe longer. Do you have a particular summer look? Also, have you ever done a capsule wardrobe? (It's something I've been thinking about doing).

Lesson's from the Garden!!!

Gardening is something that I have always loved. Though I haven’t always been very good at it. I have made several attempts over the past 7 years or so and none have every really panned out due to lack of knowledge, summer heat, moving or being unmotivated. One of the reasons that I love gardening is that I believe that it teaches you patience, which is something that I need a lot of.

Another reason that I love gardening is using ingredients that you’ve grown in dishes you’ve made. And to be able to provide for yourself, to get just what you need from your own backyard or front patio. My oldest, A, also agrees with me. She came home from school one day and said that it would be awesome if we were able to grow all that we need. It put such a smile on my face that after lunch that very day I loaded her and E, my youngest, up in the car and we headed to Lowe's to buy stuff for a mini garden. It was also kind of an early Mother's Day gift to myself.

    

Since we are renting a house I decided that doing a planter garden would be best. We bought some colorful planters and some yummy plants. In the purple planter we put straw berries, in the orange we put banana peppers, in the blue we put raspberries, in the teal planter we put cherry tomatoes and in the smaller teal we planted lavender. The girls have been helping me water then everyday. They fight over who gets to do it. Here are some pictures of the progress of our planter garden about 4 weeks in. Lavender, peppers and tomatoes.

Our first harvest was two cherry tomatoes that were delicious.

Here are some pictures of the tomatoes, peppers and lavender from about 6 weeks in.

These are some pictures that I took this morning, about 7 weeks in.

      

The peppers are about 3 inches long and we have about 15 cherry tomatoes waiting to turn red. Nothing from the strawberries yet and sadly the raspberry didn't make it. I guess the hot heat from the valley was just too much for it. I am so very happy with our little garden. Maybe one day I'll have a permanent garden that I can grow tons of fresh fruits and veggies for us. I will keep you all up to date with our garden and how delicious the crop is. Well, TTFN!!!

Shared Toddler and Mama Meals - Breakfast Burritos

Happy Saturday friends!  Let's start this weekend off right with a healthy, hearty, and yummy breakfast to keep everyone full and energized. On my personal blog I've written a few posts about easy meals to make and share with your little one. Today seemed like a great day to share one of these meals here!

This is a variation of the normal egg breakfast we have.  I scrambled up a bunch of eggs with spinach, ground flax seeds, chia seeds, and turmeric.  Topped with some cheese, chopped sausages & avocado, and wrapped in a tortilla.  For my son I skipped the tortilla and plated his for easy finger grabbing.

Unexpected Exploration

Trains are just about the biggest deal in my little man's life right now. When we hear a train horn he wants to go "catch the train". I don't know where it came from, but it's pretty adorable. The other day we had the opportunity to stop and watch a train when I stopped at a graveyard/memorial site near the tracks.

It's a place I have driven by almost every day for the last 13 years but never paid any attention to it. Once the train went by and headed back to the card, I noticed I had parked next to a small building with doors that were propped open. I couldn't see well inside because of the sun, but all I could see was flowers so we walked in and were instantly transported in time.

The smell of the place is what I remember old libraries or some of the old buildings on military forts I went to as a kid smelled like. That plus the colors, fonts, and style to the room all made it look like it was frozen in time.

Some of the dates go back to the late 1890's. It was beautiful and impressive. I'm so happy we stopped by this place.

Are there any places you happened upon by accident that were pretty awesome?

Hiya!!!

Hiya & Welcome to our little neck of the interwebs.  I’m very excited to start this new venture with my sisters and to share it all with you.

My name is Kindra and I am the middle sister. I am a lover of books, all things octopus, the outdoors, running, campfires, all things geek, story telling, board games and the roles I have in my life. I’m a wife, mother, sister, daughter, reader, writer, creator, and scadian.

The most important roles in my life is being a wife to my best friend and the love of my life and a mother to my two beautiful daughters.  I am amazed by them everyday. In how fast they grow and learn and how smart they are. My oldest is just finishing kindergarten and is already reading better than I was in 1^st & 2^nd grade.  Her imagination runs wild and she tells the most amazing tales. She is loving, sensitive and caring to all around her. I’ve been told by many that she is my mini me, not only in looks but in personality. My youngest is a wild child with an attitude and facial expressions to match a preteen. She is so eager to conquer this world and is brave beyond belief. She is always testing her limit and pushing boundaries to see if she can go just a little bit higher and further. One of her favorite things is Zootopia and would wear the same Zootopia dress everyday if I let her. These two brighten my life and I couldn’t imagine it without them.

I’m not where I thought I would be at this age in life, but I wouldn’t change anything. I feel like I am entering a new chapter of growth and understanding. I’m striving to improve not only myself but also the lives of those that surround me. I’m excited to be able to share all of this with you. Most importantly I am ecstatic to be able to stay more connected with my sister through this blog.

Honor before Victory!

Hello Blogland!

First off, thank you for stopping by out little blog! My sister's and I are looking forward to filling this space with tons of fun ideas, DIY's, and laughs. We look forward to sharing all these adventures with you.

My name is Sarah, and I am the oldest of the three sisters you'll find around here. To give you a quick rundown of myself, I am: a wife, mama, small business owner, coffee lover, music lover, creator.

One of my favorite things to do is follow my son around. He is an adventurous little soul that loves to run. And run. And run. He really only knows two speeds: run and asleep. When we go on walks I let him pick a direction, and we'll just go wherever his little feet take us. Each walk we take when we step out our front door, or even walks down by the river, is a different adventure. It doesn't matter if we've walked a path multiple times, he will discover something different and new. His excitement is contagious.

Seeing and re-discovering the world through his eyes is exciting. It reinforces my desire to show him everything I can, and to teach him all there is to know. He has recently started to ask me what things are. When I don't know the answer, I whip out my phone and take a picture so the next time we see Papa or Grandpa we can ask about it.

Every adventure we go on I feel like I'm learning more about my little guy: what catches his eye, what he's paying attention to, what he looks for. It is so interesting and fun to watch his personality and mind grow. My hope is that I don't forget this while I am trying to keep pace with him. Parenting a toddler can be exhausting, and I really try to stay present with him so I don't miss a thing.

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