Wednesday, January 31, 2018

More and Less: January Edition

I decided a few weeks ago that I'd like to do a monthly update on how things are going with "More and Less". More of the good and less of the not so good are my goals for the year. My words and my theme if you will. But when I realized I was forgetting some of them ALREADY- what?!- I knew I needed a way to remind myself and hold myself accountable. And, lo, this is it. Maybe it will work. #it'sworthatry

Here's an update on each area I'm working on...

MORE....

*Going to bed early. I have actually done really well with going to bed earlier this month. Yay! I credit a lot of this to the fact that it's the off season for us and it's been easy getting the boys in bed at a good time. And an earlier bedtime for the boys makes for an earlier bedtime for mama. It's a win-win. 😊 The only times I've stayed up late this month have been snow days or occasionally on the weekends. More of going to bed early has been a success in January.

*Cleaning during the week. This has been hit or miss. Mostly miss. Ugh. I did good cleaning during the week leading up to Garrison's party, but does that really count? I want to do more cleaning during the regular weeks. I did a little here and there maybe 1 other time this month. So not so great. I honestly just didn't think about it very often. (Except for vacuuming. I vacuum on the regular. The crumbs and trash/dirt are my nemesis!) Anyway, I'm going to shoot for more next month.

*Praying and time with the Lord. Getting back into our school routine with my quiet time and prayer life as a top priority really made a difference for me this month. I am loving my devotion I'm doing (Pressing Pause: 100 Quiet Moments for Moms to Meet with Jesus) and I have been way more intentional about praying... first thing in the morning but also throughout the day. I'm especially thankful for my progress in this area this month.

*Physical Activity. Hmmm. I didn't add much physical activity this month. I went on 2 different 1- mile walks this month but that's about it. Of course it is still Winter. So that can make it tough to get out and get moving, but I still want to do more. Even in the Winter. Even if it's just some planks or stretching. Something. Hopefully February will be better.

*Blogging. I continued blogging as much as I could. And I think that will be the case every month. There just isn't always time to write as much as I would like, so I think the goal here is to continue versus more. Once or twice a week is probably my max when I'm in school. 

LESS...

*Time on my phone. This is by far the hardest "goal" on my list. WHY?? How did I get here?? Technology is the devil!! SIGH. Without even realizing it or thinking about it or noticing it, I have been keeping my phone with me just as much as before, and I'm still on it... just as much as before. Noooooooo! It is crazy to me how second nature it becomes to always have your phone. To automatically "need" it. To keep it with you constantly. To search for it (without even thinking about it!!) when it isn't near. It. Is. Ridiculous. Ughhhhhhh. My new approach (as I didn't even realize my phone addiction was so severe and tragic) is to set an alarm for 5:35 each evening (around the time Terrell gets home) and to put it away (in our bathroom where Terrell charges his phone) until after the kids are in bed. I will most certainly miss some texts and phone calls by doing this but I need it out of sight, out of mind for this to work. And for my kids to see that I don't have my phone constantly. As for the car... I'll have to make a habit of putting it in the console. If it's in my purse versus my hand, which I did actually try to do more of this month, it won't work. At least not effectively. So this is serious. And calls for drastic measures. Big time. Hopefully my update will be much improved for February. 

*Sweets. I had ups and downs with this one. I'm doing way better with not having anything sweet after lunch. So that's a success. Yay. After school, however, is a different story. And usually when I cave. It sort of depends on how hungry I am and how I'm feeling. Getting sick hasn't exactly helped my resolve any. But, baby steps. Breaking habits ain't easy.

*Being overwhelmed. I think I did pretty good this month! So I'm definitely calling it a success. The off season has been a big help and being ahead at school (with lesson plans mainly) has also been HUGE for me. Those 2 things aren't going to last forever though so the true test hasn't come yet. I will say that planning Garrison's party and getting everything ready while being sick and working full time and not losing my mind due to being overwhelmed was a major feat for me. MAJOR. So Praise the Lord for helping me stay somewhat calm!! I'm praying I can keep up the pace with school and hopefully be somewhat prepared going into Spring sports. Being ahead at school just makes a such a big difference. 

Some progress, some not, but I'm glad I sort of stepped back to "review" and see what I need to do moving into February. For me, it's really all about being intentional and making the effort. I may not update every single month but I'm going to try. It's been helpful to self-evaluate. 😊



Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Garrison's 9th Birthday Party

On Friday night, we celebrated Garrison's upcoming 9th birthday with a fun and really WILD party! 😊 We had 12 boys and 5 girls, plus lots of family and friends. It was loud, crazy, and chaotic, and I think we may have been in over our heads given I STILL had no voice, but our birthday boy and guests seemed to have a blast so we're calling it a success. And Garrison's last huge "at home" birthday party. Hahahaha! 

My bestie Megan designed our invites last minute for us and did an amazing job! "Beyblades" was a unique theme and the invitation turned out perfect! Her work is seriously the best. 

We remembered a family picture shortly after the party started. Love this pre-party tradition. And my guys!!

The birthday boy! 

This is the only picture I got of the cake table and the lighting didn't turn out the best. But it was a Friday night in the Winter and I was sort of running around like crazy.... so it's all good. Ha. I'm just thankful I made some pictures. 😊

Garrison's Beyblade cake!

He requested a chocolate and vanilla cake with edible beyblades on top and our cake lady pulled it off! It was super yummy and just what the birthday boy wanted. 


Given the unique theme Garrison chose and the fact that we were sort of scrambling to pull off this party, we went with simple favors.... packs of starbursts. One of the official names of beyblades are "Beyblades Burst" so we thought Starburst sort of fit. Simple, cheap, easy. Check, check, check.  

Once the party guests arrived everyone went upstairs.... and it didn't take long for things to get C-R-A-Z-Y. Haha! The boys were so loud, so rough, so rambunctious, so wound up, etc, etc, etc, that I literally had to stage an intervention and bring my sister upstairs with me to be my "voice". Haha! 

At one point I'm afraid I got so frustrated with not being able to use my teacher voice and somewhat rein in the madness that I whisper-yelled to Terrell YOU HAVE GOT TO STEP UP!!! The funny thing is my husband is way more outgoing, loud, and sociable than I am but has said for years he can't handle birthday parties. They overwhelm him and he sort of takes a backseat and lets me take charge of everything. So in his defense he was out of his comfort zone a bit. Still. Muted-mama needed help!
    
These sweet girls weren't apart of all the craziness. Bless them. 😊

At one point Garrison even requested we sort of get everyone calmed down a little. It was that crazy! Haha!! I think everyone had tons of fun though. And no one was seriously hurt or injured. #phew

Believe it or not, we finally did manage some "controlled crazy" and I think the kiddos had a blast. And after eating pizza and playing a ton more, we were ready for cake and ice cream. Can't believe there are 9 candles this year!! My firstborn baby boy is growing up. #sofast #tryingtosavoreveryage

I took this picture right after he'd made eye contact with me and smiled BIG. He was so happy... and he's been eyeing me during every Happy Birthday song for at least the past 4 years. #meltme



After cake and ice cream we got everybody rounded up for presents. And the whole crew was super excited and watched every second of Garrison opening cards and gifts. 


And this was my view.... Haha!

He got his very first "real" Bible for his birthday this year too. He'd definitely graduated from Children's Bibles but still needed something kid-friendly. So Nana and Pops did the research and picked out what they thought would be best. We're so excited to help him learn more about God's Word. 



The party started winding down after presents and sometime before 9:00 we prepared for the 2nd half of Garrison's party and his first ever spend the night company. 😊 

He really wanted a few of his closest friends to spend the night for his birthday but still wanted an at-home birthday party for all his friends....so we stole the Friday night party idea from close friends and made both birthday requests happen. The party was huge and fun and wild, but his favorite thing was the spend the night part. He invited 3 boys to spend the night and they had the best time together and were so sweet. We set them up in the basement and got Austin and Layton to bed so Garrison could have some time with his buddies without his brothers present. (And this was a big deal because our boys do everything together and are super close. But it was the right decision.) Terrell and I LOVED watching the 4 of them together and hearing their conversations and the way they got along and played so well. Our baby is definitely growing up. 

We had a late night and an early morning but it was worth it. They had the best time. And doughnuts for breakfast was a huge hit. 😊 

I hope a table full of sweet boys becomes more and more regular at my house as my boys grow. Love this group and so thankful God gave Garrison these sweet friends! (Plus 2 brothers!)

Garrison's 9th birthday party was an adventure for all of us! It was memorable, fun, wild, and special. Big, BIG thanks to my in-laws for picking up the cake and pizza for us and for all the ladies in the fam helping be my voice all night!! 

Now, we're on the countdown to birthday #9!! 😊

A look back at Garrison's parties recorded here on the blog....

PokΓ©mon Party

Happy Tuesday!

Friday, January 26, 2018

This Week...

.....We returned to school, work, and our regular routine for all 5 days. And man, it's been pretty exhausting! Working 5 days a week isn't the norm (not since before Christmas at least) and it can take a toll! Haha. I think it's just been a shock to the system having to get back normal with everything. Hopefully we'll adjust soon and be back on track.

......I got sick. Nooooooo! Thankfully my bestie came to my rescue and I *hope* I'm on the mend! Losing your voice and feeling like your head might explode isn't exactly conducive to teaching 4 and 5 year olds all day. So. That hasn't been the most fun and has probably made this week seem longer than long. But, I'm thankful I've been able to be there everyday and that I'm hopefully going to be good as new soon. And I'm hoping my voice returns soon.

......Layton came down with yet another horrible runny nose and isn't feeling his best either. We can't figure out what is causing the crud to attack him but we are over it. Ugh. He can't seem to catch a break lately. It's not slowing him down too much but his little nose is constantly gross. Praying he can get past the crud soon too.

......We're trying to get ready for a birthday party. That happens TONIGHT! Eeeeeeek!! This is my first ever birthday party to attempt on a Friday night.... after working all day.... while being under the weather and having no voice! #hopewecanpullitoff Things definitely won't be perfect but I'm hoping they're the BEST for my almost 9 year old! Him and his brothers are super excited!!

......I said "goodbye" to my awesome para who is having her baby boy soon and worked her last day on yesterday. She'll be back sometime this Spring, but still. When you work with someone and get along well and sort of compliment each other as a team, change is hard. But I'm sooooo thankful my long-term sub is someone I know will be just as great once she learns the ropes and we find our groove. I'm going to be blessed with 2 wonderful partners this school year.

.......We did nothing to prepare for Layton's party coming up in 3 weeks. Huge sigh. #momguilt He finally decided on what kind of party he wants but we've been so busy with getting ready for Garrison's party and working that we haven't done the first thing for Layton's party. Party planning for Layton begins tomorrow! Top priority! We will make it happen! We can do this! 

......I finished a really good book. My first from our new library. A Life Intercepted by Charles Martin. It's a football story which I loved, but it's also one of redemption and forgiveness. I really enjoyed it.


.....Our favorite Braves player of all time was inducted into the Hall of Fame and we all watched the announcement together. ☺ I loved watching Chipper Jones play growing up and Garrison actually has some memories of watching him play too. And Austin is a sports guy through and through so he knows his history. Haha. We're super proud and excited for him. 

.....Last but not least, on a reeeally happy note, we enjoyed some more pool progress!!! It's becoming more and more real and we're getting close to finalizing the "pool phase" of our massive backyard project! We are SO excited!! 

So that's what's been happening here this week. ☺ Hopefully I'll be back to normal next week. Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!!

Friday, January 19, 2018

Friday Favorites: Snow Days Edition!

We enjoyed lots of surprise days off this week!! We were off Monday for MLK Day, and then had 2 SNOW days mid-week Wednesday and Thursday, before finding out last night that we're off today too! All of my school plans were totally wasted and we'll probably be making up these days in some form or fashion, but right now it's okay because SURPRISE DAYS OFF! We've enjoyed our week and days off to the fullest. It was a special, lazy, "Winter break". ☺

Here's my favorite happenings from our week...

*Last Friday night we enjoyed our 1st movie night of the New Year! Layton chose Planes and we all loved our Friday night movie and snacks. Then we had another movie night on one of our snow days and watched The Secret Life of Pets. It was my first time seeing the movie and I laughed so hard throughout the whole thing. Haha! Another good movie night mid-week was my favorite. 

*The boys are obsessed with bey blades right now. Thankfully it's a fun indoor activity that's perfect for all 3 of them. 

*Layton's snowflake activity from school cracks me up. Where did he come up with that?? Ha! 

*Monday morning we slept late and then Terrell took Garrison to a friend's house to play so we hung out with our littles before picking Garrison up around 1:00 and heading to the teacher store and Chick-Fil-A for ice cream and play time. It was an awesome day off. 

*And like a date for us while the kiddos played! ☺

*We also tested out the boys new Jenga game they got for Christmas and had so much fun! 

*Things definitely got intense and exciting! (I love Austin's face.) 

*And hilarious! ☺

*The outline of the concrete around our pool was laid this week and it's almost time to pour!! I am getting so, SO excited for summer! Being trapped inside a TON during the extreme heat of summer is worse cabin fever than the Winter months for us. So this a big, big deal. #dreamcometrue 

*Don't Break the Ice with these 2 while Terrell and Garrison got in a game of pool upstairs was super fun.  #snowdayperks

*It started snowing late Tuesday night and we woke up to beautiful white scenery Wednesday morning! 

*After breakfast the Selph 5 layered up and ventured out into the cold!


*The boys finally got to enjoy their sleds that we've had for 3 years while we've waited on snow! I snapped these pictures from the videos we made. ☺

*They had the best time.

*And thanks to our hilly yard, they had some pretty good options for sledding. 

*Garrison, Layton, and Terrell stayed out a while longer playing on the trampoline and sledding while me and Austin came inside to thaw out. Austin actually woke up sick Tuesday night so he still wasn't feeling 100%. Thankfully everyone has been fine since then. 

*Snow Day visitors! Our favorites!

 *I'm reading Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle right now and it's so good. She makes me laugh out loud constantly!! But this "serious" paragraph on marriage is one of my favorites of the book so far. So good and so true.

*These 3 are back into baseball cards.... and football cards, basketball cards, soccer cards, all the cards. I love them playing together. Especially when it's something calm and quiet. ☺

We're going to make the most of another snow day today by hanging out at home, going to lunch, visiting our new library, and possibly sneaking in a nap! And this weekend is going to be low-key and laid back. Woohoo! Happy Friday!!

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

A Snow Day List

We got a SNOW DAY today (yay for snow!!!), so I'm taking the opportunity to blog about some random things going on around here. It's been a lazy and pretty wonderful day. ☺

1. I'm doing so-so with my more and less these first few weeks of 2018. Some things have been going awesome and others I'm totally forgetting about. Soo, I'm thinking about doing a monthly update on how it's going and any successes or failures I'm experiencing. I think a monthly update will definitely help me stay on track with the priorities I established for the year and to REMEMBER. 

2. We are deep in party planning around here and just about have our firstborn's 9th birthday party planned. He's doing something a little different this year but still wanted a home party/giant play date. That's what I call it at least. Hopefully we can pull it off and it will be tons of fun for him. We are however a little behind when it comes to what we're doing for our littlest man. He changes his mind constantly and we're torn about what's best/what he'd enjoy most, and we live in a small town and it's Winter. So options are limited. In other words, the planning is a slow-go. #hurryupmama #Idon'tworkwellunderpressure

3. It must be noted that I am loving our Winter evenings. They have been soo nice, warm, and cozy. We are having a really cold Winter so cabin fever has crept in a tad, but our evenings are so laid back. There's no rushing around, no late nights for the kiddos, no cramming to get things done. I love the Fall, but during the Winter my life slows down some and we hibernate a little. ☺ My favorite part is getting the kids in bed early and getting to actually relax a bit and watch a show with my hubby. It's the best.

4. Pool progress is beginning again!! We've been at a stand-still for weeks thanks to Christmas, temperatures hovering around freezing, OR higher temps that have come with rain. But earlier this week the outline for the concrete around our pool was laid out and they're hoping to pour soon! Once the snow and ice melt of course. ☺ It's becoming real to us again and we are sooooo excited!! 

5. Our public library here in town has been under construction for almost an entire year making additions and renovating, and they are finally about to have their grand opening. I can't wait to see the "new" library and to go and check out some books! I rarely buy myself books so the library is my favorite. And my boys are super excited too because of the new Children's area. We can't wait to go check it out!

6. I think I'm addicted to Quaker chocolate chip granola bars. I have loved them for YEARS and they've been a snack staple/breakfast item for me longer than I can remember. However, now that I'm trying not to have something sweet/chocolate after lunch every day, I'm having a granola bar instead. And I always have one with breakfast. So that's at least 2 a day. If I'm starving after school and can't find anything else to eat I might have another. Occasionally. Not daily though. Weekly maybe? Bi-weekly possibly. Is this a problem? Should I try to limit them? Why are they soo good and easily eaten guilt free? I need a nutrition expert. Sigh.

7. We booked our summer vacay this week!! #SGI With all the busyness and sickness that happened around Thanksgiving and Christmas we didn't get around to it until this week. But thankfully we found what we think will work out great being our home for a week this summer. We'll miss the O'Mary fam but know our pool will be in good hands. ☺ 

8. The boys have been playing really well together this Winter considering we've been home a ton and that usually calls for plenty of fighting mixed in. So I hate to complain. Because they've played a ton together without any drama at all. But you know what else they've been doing a lot of? Begging for the iPads. Pleading, whining, suffering, crying. Austin is the most dramatic about it but it drives me crazy. And makes me want to throw them out the front door! (The iPads, not the kids, ha.) I'm just not a fan of a lot of screen time. I believe in being bored, using your imagination, playing with humans, etc. So periodically I call for a break. A fast of sorts. And they go without for a few days or even a week and it's sooo nice. "Electronics" are out of sight, out of mind and mama doesn't miss the begging, pleading, whining, or crying one bit. But it's Winter....  Annnnnd I discovered that the 3 days a week they're in my room after school I need something to occupy them because I'm still at work, trying to work.... And they're driving me crazy! So. Some compromises have been established that I hope will help and allow for balance and eliminate the begging and such. We'll see. I'll keep you posted.

And I think that's a wrap on my snow day list. ☺

Happy Hump Day! Hope you're staying warm and cozy today!

Friday, January 12, 2018

Friday Favorites: Crazy Week Edition

We've had a pretty crazy week around here and are thankful to see Friday (and the long weekend!!) this morning! Between wins, losses, sickness, and being back at a school for our first full week in nearly a month, we've had a week of not enough sleep and some crazy emotions. So we're hoping for a really restful, low-key weekend! 

Here's a look at my faves from our week....

*On Saturday afternoon we added a member and the 4 cousins had so much fun together. We loved having Piper with us while her parents went on a date!! And then later that night we watched our Falcons win!!

*Monday night our Bulldogs played for the National Championship and lost a heart breaker. It was awful. It was deja vu. It was depressing. It made us wonder if our state and teams are cursed. Even though we love them the same and we know it's just a game, that didn't make it any easier on us. But my favorite moment was Monday morning when Terrell had the best "cheer up" talk with the big boys who were heartbroken. It even cheered me up. He's such a good daddy. And on Monday afternoon we enjoyed another "boost" and finally got outside and had some fun in the sun! 



*Monday afternoon was really good for the boys. And mama and daddy too.

*Then in the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday our littlest love got sick. Boo. Terrell had to be at the office so I stayed home with him. Thankfully he felt much better for the rest of the day and we were able to have some quality one on one time together that really took me back to my staying home days. I was sleep deprived but loved our day together.

*Austin is doing great with reading! He got a box pack of Pete the Cat books for Christmas and has been reading one to me almost every night before bed. I'm so proud of him and love his desire to learn to read and get better and better!

*Speaking of his love of reading... This week he earned his sight word karate belt and had his name added to the wall at school. He was SO proud and excited about it!! And so were we!

*To start this year I'm using this book for my quiet times in the morning. I've had it for a while and have always pulled it out when I needed to "press pause" rather than reading it each day. It isn't necessarily a daily devotion and obviously it doesn't have an entry for each day of the year, but it has been so good for me to read daily. It's similar to a devotional with Scripture and a devotion/writing, but it also has a prayer and a few questions to help you reflect. It is a big favorite for me right now and the perfect way to start my mornings. 

The main thing on our agenda for this long weekend is party planning! We're also going to prioritize rest, play time, and buying groceries. ☺ Happy Friday!!