It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Halloween!

Landon is a little excited for Halloween. He was so happy to see the decorations up! (He is not however excited to dress up).

These guys below came from Marshall's a millions years ago and I still love them!!

And this spray painted pumpkin and fabric are from Godmother years ago. I am putting together a little trick or treat party and I have to be ready! The kids are coming over for pizza and cupcakes before we go trick or treating. Fun!

Don't forget to look back at my Halloween dinner party with Godmother for inspiration!

Juggling Motherhood- Are we really getting anything?

I am reading the most fascinating book. Marcus Buckingham's Find Your Strongest Life. I am literally only on the first chapter, but the introduction already blew my mind.

He said he has been studying women and he found that we are no happier than we were twenty years ago. That in order to be successful today as a woman you must be a "virtuoso juggler", moving fast to keep all aspects of life going. "To keep every object in the air, you have to get rid of each one as quickly as possible, barely allowing it to register on your fingertips before you toss it away..."

Wow. How can you connect? How can you feel your life is meaningful while you are juggling?

I have prided myself in being  juggler, but somehow I still felt unfulfilled and unhappy. I started realizing the key was to be selective and intentional. Some days are busy and there's nothing you can do but hold on. Even on those days I try to connect with my kids in key moments. Give them my full attention whether it's on a car ride, a playground, or at the dinner table. I am also taking things off the calendar now and being more choosy. This is making all the difference.

This book is amazing. Really making me think. I can't wait to get past the first chapter! What about you? Are you juggling? Feeling disconnected?

Hillary Thomas Has A Bollywood 40th!

I was lucky enough to attend Interior Designer Hillary Thomas's 40th birthday party last week. All I can say is Namaste!

The night began as I was greeted by a man in a turban, telling me to select my bindi and take as many sparkly bracelets as my arm could hold. This was not a bad start, but as I walked up the candle lit garden path I could not believe what was coming in to view. Paradise.

Hillary decided to host 80 girlfriends for an evening of pure decadence and thus turned her back yard into a balmy night in India. We, her lucky guests, sat on colorful pillows, sipping drinks and dining on Indian food all while a Bollywood movie played behind us. It was divine. I had to ask Hillary a few questions:

1) What made you choose the Bollywood theme? I LOVE color & I wanted to celebrate Harem style with the great ladies in my life! I LOVE Indian food & big flowy comfy clothes!!

2) What do you feel is your design point of view? Have fun. Use color & texture with abandon. Mix & match & layer is my motto!

3) What's one thing someone can do to really transform a room? Accessories & art really do wonders. Also – color or wallpaper on the walls is a must. And have fun with the ceiling – often times people forget it's even there!

 

You can see Hillary's Design portfolio and line of bedding at: Hillary Thomas Designs. She also just joined twitter! You can follow her here!

Wordless Wednesday- First Day Of School!

I'm An Empty Nester?

Landon is now going to school three days a week 9-3, and one half day. For me to let him go for a whole day was a big thing. He's only four, I wasn't sure if he was ready but the afternoons at school seemed so fun we gave it a try.

He loved it from the start. Landon loves eating lunch as well as playing soccer, doing yoga, and all the other afternoon activities they offer. He was so excited about his lunch box he picked out I thought he was going to explode. In fact on the half days (everyone does a half day Friday), he begs to stay at school and eat lunch with his friends! I was thrilled about his amazing transition, and then the house was quiet!

Once again I am in the yin/yang of motherhood. Now that he spends three full days I am an "empty nester!" LOL. Truthfully this schedule has made my life more calm and easy and I am able to do a little work. Let's not forget that I have darling Coco to entertain me as well. She starts her Mommy and Me class today. Didn't I just give birth to them a minute ago?

Swimming In The Deep End

One thing I love about children is the way they can teach you a lesson without even knowing it. Landon had his last swim lesson of the season last week. I watched as he calmly swam into the deep end to go to the diving board, and something struck me. He had no fear. He didn't even know how deep it was, or even that he could be scared. He glided on top of the water calmly with all that water beneath him. There was something so beautiful and innocent about it to me.

I started thinking back to a time when I was free of worry or fear, of when my only concerns were how long I could play outside with my friends and what we were having for dinner. Life was simple and sweet.

I watched Landon march up to the diving board, climb up and jump off with wreckless abandon. I love his trust, I'm almost jealous of it. As my Renovation Of The Heart class continues, we were asked to set our vision of the perfect life. Since taking this class and realizing I need to give up being a worrier, the perfect life is seeming to be one with less fear and more fun.

I may not be able to forget there is a deep end, but I can still swim and enjoy the pool!

That's Money In Your Purse

I am taking a class based on Dallas Willards "Renovation of The Heart in Daily Practice: Experiments in Spiritual Transformation." My preacher is a huge fan of Dallas Willard and so I thought I would give it a shot. The book is packed with information, and pretty hard to take on, but our teacher is amazing. In the book you are asked to take a part of you, and transform it. I have taken on worry. I, The Mrs, am a worrier! I needed a new way to live rather than riding the worry roller coaster.

Now instead of worrying I go to God and ask for help. It really has worked. So simple but hard to do when you are running the worry program like a little computer (which I was). The next step was to tell friends you feel safe with, that this is what you're working on and let them help you. The teacher explained that God will work though them.

At lunch yesterday with an old and dear friend I admitted my addiction to worry. I told her that at the present moment I was worried about finances. I was worried about being provided for. She listened and was loving and kind.

That evening before I left for class, I was going through my purse and found a $100 bill. It was simply folded up and stuck into the inside pocket. My friend wanted to show me I would always be provided for and I was safe. I cried. When I called to thank her she said: "Don't cry, I didn't want you to be mad I gave it to you. I am just so grateful for our friendship". That money did not solve my financial woes, but it made me feel more loved and cared for by God then ever.


What needs transforming in your life? Is your God big enough to handle it? How can you help someone who is trying to transform their life?

Wordless Wednesday- First Pig Tails!

Don't Mess With Me- I've Joined The Junior League

Can you hear my mother snickering? If not you aren't listening hard enough. She has been trying to get me to join "the league" for years. Then I had two kids and went to "Baby Vegas", where you have no idea what time or day it is and all you can do is survive!

A girl friend had asked if I wanted to go to the informational meeting with her and I agreed. I was a little scared, especially when I saw I was the old lady in the room! After talking with some "older" gals, I decided to join. I went to the provisional retreat to learn all about what my first year with the league will be like.

To be honest, my reasons for not joining before, was that I thought it would be a group of snotty women looking for something to fill their time with. BOY WAS I WRONG. These ladies are the most welcoming, sweet, and hard working women I have ever met. They are all about helping the community and empowering women and you know what? That is a group I am proud to be a part of.

Here are a few fun facts about the league:

-It was founded in 1901 in New York City by a 19 year old named Mary Harriman as a womens volunteer group.

-There are leagues in 292 communities including Mexico and the UK

-They provide trainings throughout the year for members on everything from social media to refinancing your mortgage


- They have been in the forefront of community needs for years and have received numerous awards (they were one of the first to work with babies who have HIV)


- This year their main cause is fighting childhood obesity with "Kids In The Kitchen".

So don't mess with me ladies. I've joined the Junior League! Are you a member?

Women And Fertility- We're Losing Our Eggs Faster Than We Think?

Don't kill the messenger here. I don't want to send women screaming into the streets, but I want to arm you with information.

It has now been proven that if you want to start a family, you need to make it happen early. Studies how show that age 30, 90% of your eggs are gone for good. By age 40, only 3% of your eggs are remaining. Women lose their eggs a lot faster than we thought. This is shocking to many people, because we see celebrities popping kids out over 40 all over the place. DON'T BE FOOLED. The fact is most of them do fertility drugs or treatments to have those kids.

I put off having kids for a little bit and then regretted it after I had fertility issues. I ended up doing fertility drugs, IUI's, and ultimately in vitro to get Landon. I was 36 when I had him so when I was wanting a second two years later I knew it would be tough. Coco was the product of Mojitos and the prayer list at church. I had her at 39. I was lucky to not need any fertility assistance.

I get mad sometimes hearing some women think that they have control over their fertility. "Oh I am going to have my first child at 35." There is no guarantee. I know you have to do things when the time is right, but if you are over 30, you may have trouble. 

So what can you do?

If you want to have kids and have not met Mr. Right yet, realize time does matter. Talk to your doctor. You can have your ovaries tested (ultrasound), have blood tests, and get some information about your chances of waiting a little longer. Know that as far as freezing eggs for later use, this is still experimental. They have been freezing fertilized embryo's successfully for years but human eggs are much harder to deal with. Either way, you have to be aware.

I have a few friends who are forty and trying to have kids. They are having such a tough time even with fertility help. It breaks my heart. Wanting a child and not be able to have one is horrible. It feels like it should be our right to have children but really it's a blessing. Don't take it for granted!