Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Marbles in a Jar

There is a jar on the shelf in my office.  There are 677 marbles in the jar.

A few weeks ago I saw a facebook post from a friend of mine.  She had filled two jars with marbles.  One marble for each week she would have with each of her two children before they turned 18.  She created the jars of marbles because she wanted a visual way to mark the time she had with her children-- the time she and her husband has to mold and shape them as people.  Each week they will take one out of each jar, marking the time as it passes.

I was interested and intrigued by the idea.  Of course I had to research it first.  My friend got the idea from the Orange Conference she recently attended and in my research I discovered a book by Reggie Joiner called "Losing your Marbles."  The premise is that from birth until a child's 18th birthday parents have about 936 weeks with their children.  The challenge is for parents to use those weeks and make each one count. 

We are losing our marbles one week at a time...

Brooks' preschool graduation was today.  I realize that the time is moving fast and in a few months he will start Kindergarten-so I made a jar of my own.  I calculated that there are 677 weeks that I will have my son Brooks in my home from the first day of Kindergarten until his high school graduation.

When Larry and I started out on the parenting journey folks kept saying things like “don't blink, they will be grown before you know it.” “Enjoy it while you can.” “They grow so fast.”

As the mom of two young children- a 5yr old and a 2 year old and a third expected in November there are more moments than not that I feel like I am “losing my marbles.” There are also moments when I think "can they grow up a little faster?"  or "is there someplace I can send them right this minute?" 

Those are usually the moments of  legos all over my floor, temper tantrums, a spoiled sippy cup discovered under the couch, and wrestling eye drops into pink eyes.

When I have those less than perfect parenting moments, I am always reminded of the time- passing quickly.  The weight of all those marbles in a jar and how they will too soon be gone. I need to do better and get my act together!

From the day my son enters Kindergarten until he graduates from high school it is 677 weeks. All those marbles in the jar are a visual reminder that we are charged with making each week count with our children.  There will be three jars in our home and one day they will all be empty.

Knowing the number of days or weeks my children have with us, at home, will hopefully make my parenting more intentional. 
I am also counting on it to help me in those moments when I am “losing my marbles” to have some perspective.  
I can take each week as it come (or each day/minute) and do my best that week.  

I pray daily for the beautiful and bright little people God has entrusted us with- that our weeks will be filled with joy, wonder, and God’s grace.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

A whole "latte" love!

The kiddos and I made valentines for their teachers and a few others today. We made them with Starbucks cups and gift cards.
When I bought the giftcards I just asked for cups and lids instead of envelopes.

We (I) cut out hearts from construction paper and the kiddos signed and decorated them. I wrote a cute message of love or thanks.

Brooks applied some heart stickers to the cups. We added some red ribbon and voila! Super cute valentine gifts!





Sunday, February 10, 2013

Happy Birthday Lucy!

 Two years ago today, we drove to Atlanta as snow fell and this little ray of sunshine was born!

She is sweet, cuddly, and almost always sunny.

Daily she amazes us with how smart she is, saying new things, remembering everything and constantly trying new things.

She has a gift for getting into trouble- whether it be writing on the hardwood floors with a sharpie or taking off all her clothes AND diaper (happens multiple times a day)- Lucy explores the world with gusto!

Her big brother is her hero- she follows him around everywhere and tries to do everything he does and say everything he says- she is our little echo- a very enthusiastic echo.


She does a happy dance when she is excited, she yells (loud) when she is frustrated, she can put on the pouty face with the academy award worthy drama, and she loves shoes as much as her momma.
She makes life so much fun and interesting everyday-




Happy Birthday Sweet Frances Louise- we love you!






Thursday, January 17, 2013

A year in review

We have filled up our "Picture of the Month" frames for 2012 and here are all the pictures- our year in review:

JANUARY- Riding the carousel at the Mall of GA
( I can't find this picture anywhere on my computer or my phone- but it is in the frame...)



FEBRUARY- Lucy turned 1!  

MARCH- Brooks turned 4 and had a Dinosaur party!


APRIL- We enjoyed spring weather at Bishop Park  in Athens, GA

MAY- LARRY"S GRADUATION!!!!!


JUNE- Spending time with Brooks and Lucy's favorite "big friends" John and Zoe Bolen right before we moved from Athens to Winston-Salem

JULY- How we feel about moving...

AUGUST- Watermelon in the backyard- YUM!

SEPTEMBER- Day Out With Thomas- We got to spend the day with our Mimie and cousin Austin too!


OCTOBER- We took our first annual trip to the apple farm!



NOVEMBER- We visited GA and stopped by GA Tech to see John Bolen and brought Zoe Bolen home with us!

DECEMBER- Christmas with family in SC



Because we can only choose ONE picture per month- here are a few other highlights from our year:






Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Pants Gone Wild!

I fixed up a pair of Brooks' play jeans today with some felt and an idea I saw on Pinterest. They turned out super cute!





Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Oh the places you'll go...

We have lived in a lot of places.  We are new to Winston-Salem and people are always asking "Where are you from?"  I usually answer-"I grew up in SC, my husband is from Texas and we are most recently from Athens, GA.

That is the simple answer to the polite question folks ask, they don't really want to know that we have moved more times that I care to tell, lived in several states, some more than once.

To document all the places we are "from,"  I created a really cute photo collection using some inspiration from pinterest and old licence plates that we somehow collected.

Here is the result:

I used cheap ikea frames, cut out a map (free from most state welcome centers on the highway or their tourism websites), some little heart stickers, and ribbon.
They turned out super cute I think.  Now we have a way to show folks all the places our family has lived and loved.  





Monday, November 12, 2012

Looking for a deal on Holiday cards?

I've got one for you!
Cardstore

Cardstore.com is offering 70% off all holiday, photo, and greeting cards right now until November 15 with coupon code: CCN2170.

You can get a customized photo card starting at $1.09 per card- with 70% off cards are as low as .33 each! Here is the best part- if you order a bunch- like me, you can get them cheaper.  100 cards are .20 each!
They have tons of cute designs in flat cards, post cards, and folded greeting cards.

Here is the even better part- THEY WILL MAIL THE CARDS FOR YOU!!!! FREE!
Yep- you can upload your address book and have the cards mailed to your Christmas Card list for just the price of the card.  They let you schedule the delivery date up to a year in advance.

So for less than I can buy the stamps, I have mailed out just under 100 Christmas cards.  I have finished my Christmas card mailings for this year!:)  You better hurry- the offer ends November 15!

Holiday Icons Collage 7x5 Flat Card    Merry Christmas Bow 4x8 Flat Card   Holiday Christmas Trees 5x7 Flat Card