I wanted to share my Christmas card for the 2013 holidays before I disconnect from my electronics and connect to my family. Christmas eve for the Taylor's will be filled with fun, food, treats and christmas movies and cookie baking and decorating......
From my family to yours....Merry Christmas and God's blessings!
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| This beautiful card was created using SHUTTERFLY. I just love their website. |
It HIT me BIG time this morning as I rummaged through my closet today for an outfit to wear that was not gym related and they were very scarce.
As a stay at home mother (AKA soccer mom AKA personal chauffeur AKA personal chef AKA financial planner AKA housekeeper AKA....the list goes on.....) I realized that I no longer have a sense of fashion. I'm sure I am not the only woman/mother out there that has lost herself in her family (which can be a good/bad thing).
This has GOT to change.... (not the first time I said this)
Task List
1. Figure out what my style is (must me child ready, comfy, weather forgiving and fashionable).
I decided to look on pintrest to get started and I think I hit the nail on the head after the first click.
I saw this beautiful outfit and the statement listed with it and clicked away to just my style. Although I may not be able to purchase the exact items (price is always taken into consideration) I can try to recreate this outfits and other outfits that fit who I am and what I want people to see me as.......This is just the beginning of my Fashionable Friday!!!
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Hey everyone...I made it through the weekend. I didn't totally complete my to do list but I did make a dent in it and had fun at the same time.
I didn't get a chance to work on any of my sewing projects (curtains) or get any laundry done over the weekend but I did get the following done.
1. Paint the kitchen pantry. I decided to paint it a similar color as the kitchen. If anyone said that painting is an easy job they LIED!!!! It's not rocket science but it I give my RESPECT to all the painters out there.
With Christmas approaching everyone is trying to get their house in order because as soon as Christmas is over it will be Jan 1, 2014.
This weekend I have a few small projects to tackle in addition to my sons basketball game, educational time and a festive outing with the family.
1. Paint the kitchen pantry white (I originally wanted grey but I opted for the easy way out). By the way I just had wooden shelves installed because the wire shelves were pulling from the wall and warped.
Many of you know my family and I recently moved to Maryland and purchased a previously owned home. Overall, I like the home but it needed a few updates and my little touch to make it a Taylor home.
The biggest project that needed to be tackle was the Master Bathroom. Everything about the bathroom was hideous and dated (to us)...the color, the fixtures, the flooring and the space. My opinion of the bathroom was so bad I never entered it without shower shoes although I had t professionally cleaned and I cleaned it myself frequently.
Doc and I knew that the bathroom would be our first big project and so we hired someone to tackle it head on (Sorry we are not that type of DIY family, although I wish we were.)
After interviewing various companies we finally settled on a local guy who owned his own business that were referred to us by a couple we met at a mutual friends party and we have NO REGRETS!
I had to post this to my blog (even though I should be posting my thanksgiving turkey) because I got such great feedback from people on facebook when I shared it and I hope that whomever stumbles upon this entry finds it as useful as I did.
to keep up your BLOG Erika (note to myself). My apologies to the few followers I have and to myself!
On another note. This week is "American Education Week" which I almost forgot about until my neighbor haphazardly reminded me by missing our Monday Aerobox class at the gym.
At my kids school (and many other schools) they invited all parents/caregivers to spend the day in school to see first hand what a day is like for their children. I am so glad that I took the time out of my busy schedule (dropped the mop, skipped the gym and left the dishes) to participate. My children were ecstatic and didn't want me to leave. As I sat in class today with my children I developed a newfound respect, admiration and AWE for educators. Both of my children's teachers had great classroom management, an organized curriculum, engaged children, and the list goes on.
All of this to say.....Take time to (just to name a few):
1. have an active role in your child's education.
2. partner with your child's teacher to make sure your child is being challenged and meeting all of their grade level requirements
3. do not wait to report cards and/or parent/teacher conference to get a status on your child's education.
I'm finally done with another small project that will make my life a little less hectic and a lot more organized.
If you've been following me you know that I don't have the ideal mudroom where you can have the much coveted Pottery Barn drop zone but I did create a mini closet mudroom a few weeks ago. Now that I have a drop zone for when the kids come home I moved on to creating a space where I can ensure that my family is all functioning on the same page.
I decided that the best spot for my command center calendar would be in the kitchen where everyone could see it...Mom, Dad and the kiddios. Since I decided to put it in the kitchen for everyone to see I tried to make it part of the rooms decor by using a large picture frame (I think I want to change the color to black). As the kids enter grade school and become more active with after school activities I found that this calendar ensures I don't forget class trips, school exams and parties, Doc's work schedule, doctor's appointments, family and friends birthdays and any other important event. It also provides a space to write important reminders or to pin up important papers the kids need for school. So without further delay, here it is......
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| the kids LOVE it too!!!!!! |
There are so many views on when to give children praise or rewards. Some feel you should give praise but hold off on the rewards as you are guaranteed to create a spoiled monster.
I believe you should give your child praise for all that they do and use mistakes as learning opportunities.
My children play a learning game on a daily basis called cranium crunch (more to come on that). I give them math problems and they have to complete them in 1 minute to earn points. At the end of the week if they collect enough points I give them a reward. Rewards can be anything from a lollipop, ice cream and pizza to a kiddie nail polish kit, special socks or an additional rainbow loom kit.
They ABSOLUTELY LOVE it. They are so competitive that they have not missed a gift yet. Last weeks gift (1 month goal) was a nail polish kit, another loom kit and a loom carrying kit. They were ecstatic and woke up the next morning begging for their morning cranium crunch.
Hey, as adults we love to get end of the year bonuses why can't kids! Their job is to learn and my kids are doing a GREAT job!
What a great weekend it has been for me. Why? Kids had no school on Friday, Caught up on some much needed housework, accomplished my to do list, took the kids on a mini field trip, enjoy family movie night and above all we gained 1 hour in our day....
Today's post is simple and to the point......
Life has become so busy that families no longer sit down to have dinner together unless it's Thanksgiving or Christmas. The dinner table is a great place for the family to reconnect and talk about the happenings of the day.
In a perfect world, I would have a perfect day. In a perfect day I would
1. Wake up to a clean kitchen.
