Monthly Archives: June 2014

31 Acts of Kindness – Part 1 – The First 5

  June 27, 2014 - 10:02 pm |
17 Comments

After losing a loved one, EVERY holiday is hard.  At least, it is for me. Even those that seem really insignificant, like Sweetest Day, still bring on a fresh new wave of sadness. But I have made it through each new holiday.  Some with A LOT more tears than others.  Both Christmas and Will’s birthday all ended with me literally laying in the middle of the kitchen bawling my eyes out.  But at least I made it through… Now, the next REALLY difficult holiday is coming up. Chaz’s birthday. He should be turning 31 on July 3… I can’t even … Continue reading →

Mommy Reality Challenge: The Laundry Room

  June 26, 2014 - 10:16 pm | Uncategorized
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For the past few weeks, I’ve been participating in the Mommy Reality Challenge hosted by A Lavender Life, JENerally Informed, and Leapfrog and Lipgloss. The challenge is all about capturing and sharing unedited moments of mommyhood!  They provide a new challenge each week, and I love seeing all the other “Mommy Realities” out there! I joined in because it fits perfectly with my goal to take the mask off and give people a look inside my life of a young widow. The first challenge I participated in was Mommy’s Meals. I also participated in the Moment of Trouble challenge. This … Continue reading →

Rainy Day Activity – Summer Bucket List

  June 23, 2014 - 7:37 pm |
6 Comments

Although the first day of Summer was actually just this past weekend, I’m pretty sure most of us have considered it the summer season for a few weeks now. In a previous post I explained that I made a Summer Bucket List for the kids and I to work on this year. Anytime we are bored or don’t know what to do, I refer to the list for an activity! And over the past few weeks, we’ve been slowly checking stuff off the list! It feels good to see what we are accomplishing! Which brings me to last week. It was … Continue reading →

10 Activities and Crafts Using Clothespins!

  June 20, 2014 - 6:00 am |
18 Comments
10 Activities and Crafts Using Clothespins - Love these ideas! Perfect for Toddlers & Preschoolers!

If you have kids, I would definitely recommend you keep some clothespins on hand. “Why clothespins?” you may ask. First, there are so many fun activities and crafts using clothespins. Second, they are great for developing fine motor skills! With so many different activities and crafts using clothespins, having them on hand is a great way to keep kiddos occupied for a good chunk of time. Consider pulling them out when you’re making dinner, cleaning, or just need a little time for yourself! To highlight the talents of my fellow members of the Kid Blogger Network and as a quick resource to … Continue reading →

3-Month Blog Reflection and Goals

  June 17, 2014 - 8:05 pm | Uncategorized
5 Comments

My 3-month “blogiversary” is coming up on Friday!  Woohoo! 🙂 So, I’ve been reflecting on my blog again.  Why am I writing this?  What do I hope to achieve? This is what I came up with: I want to inspire. I want to share what it’s like to be a young widow and a single mom.  To show my struggles, but also show how I try to find joy. I want to give people a look inside this life.  I know people see stories like mine on the news, or hear about it from friends of friends.  I know they … Continue reading →

Mommy Reality Challenge: Moment of Trouble

  June 15, 2014 - 8:33 pm |
6 Comments

*Post contains affiliate links.  Read full disclaimer here. I’m assuming we’ve all had those moments.  You know, the ones where we are so caught off guard by finding our kids getting into some serious mischief, that we can’t even find the words to tell them to “Stop!”  The only thing we can do is just stutter a little bit, sigh and shake our heads, and then whip out our camera to take a picture of the ridiculousness… And that is what this weeks Mommy Reality Challenge, a “Moment of Trouble,” is all about! The moms from A Lavender Life, Jenerally … Continue reading →

Confession: I’m Not the Mom You Think I Am

  June 13, 2014 - 7:39 pm | ,
10 Comments
Confession: I'm Not the Mom You Think I Am - We all have our imperfections, and this is mine. - www.MePlus3Today.com

*Post contains affiliate links. Click here for full disclaimer. When people give me compliments about being a “good mom,” I casually try to brush it off. Because in my head, I’m thinking “If they only knew…” I’m a yeller. And I was a cheerleader back in high school, so I can get some pretty good volume in my voice… I’m writing this, and I’m still not 100% sure I’ll share it. I feel like there are A LOT of people out there who would look down on my behavior. I’ve read those articles. I know what people think. I know … Continue reading →

6 Reasons Why I WON’T Give Parenting Advice

  June 10, 2014 - 9:09 pm | ,
8 Comments

This post was featured on the How Do You Do It? Parenting Link Up! 🙂   As soon as I announced I was pregnant for the first time, the parenting advice from family and friends started rolling in… Do this… Don’t do that… Buy this… Oh, you won’t need that… And on and on and on… Yikes! And so began the sleepless nights from worrying about how we were ever going to be able to raise these 2 precious little babies… Before they were even born!!! Then once the babies were born, the barrage of advice seemed to get worse! … Continue reading →

Father’s Day Gifts from the Past

  June 9, 2014 - 9:31 pm |
4 Comments

Well, Father’s Day is coming up… Hallmark holiday or not, it’s still one of those “firsts” that I have to get through. Not only do I have to endure this holiday dealing with the loss of the father of my children, but I also lost my own father in 2009 when he passed away unexpectedly from dilated cardiomyopathy.  So, I think it goes without saying that it’s NOT my favorite holiday. After losing my dad, Father’s Day had a gloomy feeling to it.  We still tried to remember my dad, but obviously, it just wasn’t the same.  However, when we … Continue reading →

Mommy Reality Challenge: Mommy’s Meals

  June 4, 2014 - 10:43 pm | ,
9 Comments

*Post contains affiliate links.  Read full disclaimer here. I’ve been browsing Pinterest and reading A LOT of different blogs lately, in pursuit of becoming a better blogger.  It’s fun and I’m reading a lot of interesting tips for parenting and some great activity ideas for the kids! And it has also made me see that I’m not the only one struggling with this rollercoaster of motherhood. I’m not the only one who struggles with yelling at their kids.   I’m not the only one who gets incredibly frustrated when their child won’t put their shoes on. I’m not the only … Continue reading →