monotony of motherhood

I have found myself feeling a little bit in a rut of monotony when it comes to motherhood lately.

And it's honestly hard for me to admit this, especially when I have a husband who does very monotonous, tedious work all day, every day.

But it's a different kind of "monotony" than just working through legal documents.

And it has actually surprised me.

I really never thought I'd feel this way being a "SAHM" (that's "Stay At Home Mom" in case you don't know!).

Especially because I am not the parent who has much "routine" with my littles.

Besides a few planned dance classes or swim lessons, we pretty much just go with the flow around here. So I guess thats why its surprising, because I had no idea it could ever feel like I was being repetitive in my days as a mom.

But here I am...feeling lately like I live the same day over and over.

(Groundhog Day, anyone?)

Maybe it's just the season I'm in with a toddler who throws fits every day and wears me out with her constant "nagging"...and maybe it's that I have a newbie who still nurses round the clock and doesn't do much yet. Or that we watch the same Angelina Ballerina shows every single day, and have the same battles about eating her meals every single day. I don't know.

I just know that I have been feeling the need for a "hiccup" in my days.

So this week, I have tried to mix it up a bit.

{I went to a Zumba class at the Y for the first time ever, and have been three times already this week...it's addicting to shake your booty to Latin music (you should seriously try it if you never have) and it burns a ton of calories too!}

But even in that, in my stepping out to make things a little different in my days, and do something for myself so I don't go crazy....

it's been hard.

Twice now at the gym, the nursery had to come get me because Bethany was crying, interrupting my workout. Last night, because I had to leave Zumba halfway through that day, I went to workout after the girls were in bed...my sweet husband encouraged me to go.

But alas, I was texted halfway through that Abigail was freaking out that I was gone and so I left and came home.

Don't get me wrong people...my babies and my job as a mother are the BEST thing in my life and I don't want to be doing anything different right now.

I love being needed, and being a source of comfort for them.

But I'm just being honest here. (and maybe complaining a little too..sorry!)

I just sometimes crave a little different in my day....a little break from it all.

(Ill take a beach vaca if anyone wants to pay for it)

ONE thing that has helped me...our little neighborhood lake.

fresh air. sunset. breeze (well really WIND, I do live in Oklahoma). open skies.

babies in the stroller, occupied by looking at something other than me.

just being outside.

I need more of this.

And really I need more of Jesus right now too.

(just throwing that out there, ha...clearly I really DO need more of Him and His strength to get me through this season!!)

Anywho...that's where I'm at right now.

Any of you mamas tracking with me here??

Am I the only one that gets in this rut?

Well, I'm off to another day.

But hopefully I will find a way to spice it up a bit...

Maybe a little booty shaking at Zumba will help. :)

the girls' rooms {a tour}

I always love seeing other people's rooms and nurseries. :)

As you will see, I like to say my style is not very "pinteresty" or "crafty", but I feel like it is evolving a little as I explore some inner creativity. hehe.

I also plan to do more when we own a home here someday, and can do more with it.

All that said...

welcome to my two favorite rooms in the house!!!

First up: Big Sister

(the green room!)

(quilt set: Target)

I LOVE these colors. They are very Abigail...sweet but with a little sassy brightness. :)

Abigail has been in her "big girl bed" since she was about 21 months and she loves it! She took right to it. I think WE love it more though, because we get to cuddle close in her bed every night. :)

I painted those wooden letters from Michaels, and hot glued pink ribbon to add a little "pretty" to them.

(sorry the picture exposure is terrible in that shot)

This is of A's nice window and window seat, she LOVES looking out the window and climbing up there to read. Both girls rooms are upstairs, so she has a nice view and can see Daddy driving up from far away!

her "wall". All kinds of fun pictures and such.

The wooden cross in the middle is one of my favs. It has buttons and jewels on it!

I got it at a craft fair in Dallas, and have recently contacted the maker, and she's gonna be opening up a shop soon...Ill keep you posted on that!

I got that awesome pink dresser at a vintage resale shop in town, right after we moved here.

I am in love with the color and shape! It just fits perfectly.

I got those letters at a little store in Dallas before we moved, and I wish SO badly I knew who makes them...they are one of my favorite decorations in her room.

They are magnets that hook together! cute, right?

The "A is for Abigail" print is from one of my real life besties, Jess.

Aren't those so cute? She can make one for you!!

(visit her new shop here)

and one of my bloggy bff''s, Aly, made that precious hoop art with Abigail's name and birthdate!

you need to get you one of these!! :)

(visit her shop here)

oh, and she also made that sweet print!

I made the yarn wreath! go me. :)

I keep a basket of puzzles, and that pink box is full of dress up clothes (think Princess).

On the other side of her room is a dolly bed and a little book shelf filled with books!

There were some shelves up really high in her room (we have really high ceilings upstairs),

and so of course I filled them with pictures and pretties. :)

NOW, on to Sweet B's room:

(the yellow room!)

It is also the guest bedroom. Abigail's nursery was the same way, sharing with the big bed.

(so if you come stay with us, be prepared to feel very girly)

But I love it that way, because I slept in there with her for the first few months while she as nursing all night long.

Bethany's "wall". Doesn't have as much as Abigail's yet, but it will someday!

Again, the sweet print and hoop art are from Aly at Blossom & Vine. Can you tell I love her stuff?

(She also makes a lot of B's baby headbands!)

Those sweet dancer prints were in Abigail's nursery. I got them way cheap at Michael's when I was preggo. I just added the same pink ribbon to them as on the name letters.

When I saw this canvas at Target, I couldn't resist it. (I am a dancer!)

Abigail made that for B when she was still in my belly. SO so sweet.

I had searched everywhere for a perfect "humidifier table", and finally found one at Hobby Lobby. I spray painted it light pink, and it is perfect! the perfect little size for the corner.

It holds the humidifier and sound machine.

This is Bethany's beautiful crib.

And I love her bedding. I found it on Babies R Us, but then contacted the maker and got a better price because she had just launched her line.

It is very Bethany. Light and sweet.

(swoon)

The rocker/glider was given to us by some friends (we traded a chair with them), and I love it.

and I love having a snuggle bug finally that likes to be rocked in it!

(that's my pink robe I hang by the door for the late night feedings)

That crib is very special to me.

When pregnant with A, I had expressed to my in-laws that I really wanted this particular crib but that we would not get it because it was too expensive.

But they got it for me as a surprise...a week before my father-in-law passed away suddenly.

So it holds a special place knowing that he had a lot to do with getting us my "dream crib"

this is my view when I come up the stairs...both their sweet rooms right there next to each other! We plan for them to share rooms eventually and I look forward to the adventures that will bring!

{I think that above shot is precious, don't you? you can see them together on Abigail's bed!}

and of course...my FAVORITE part of these rooms?

the girls who live in them!

Thanks for stopping by!!

{linking up here and here}

Abigail's phone call

We took dinner to Daddy's office one night and Abigail wanted to call her Memaw and Hop and tell them she was gonna go to the zoo tomorrow...and it is by far one of our favorite videos of her ever!! her little language and words crack me up. :)

A little pre-translation of this phone call for you:

(some of the things you might hear)

Wanna come see ME?

I go to animals tonight.

(then mama corrected her)

I go to zoo tomorrow.

I see giraffe and a effant and a heeppo.

(how she says hippo cracks us up for some reason)

Daddy's office looks really...really NICE.

(so random...I don't think she meant to say that but she just went with it, hand motions and all)

hokey pokey pokey!

(when my parent's dog rolls around she says she's doing the hokey pokey)

and then the awesome look at the phone saying,

"Wanna See?"

and seriously, those eyes.

enjoy. at least the grandparents will get a kick out of this. :)

Y'all have a good rest of the weekend!

no-pressure blogging

This has been on my heart lately, and then I remembered I posted about it before...

so here's an oldie for ya. I pray it will speak to you today, bloggers.

--------------------------

There shouldn't be any pressure in blogging.

No pressure to post at certain times or on certain days.

No pressure to link up with certain link parties.

No pressure to comment or follow.

No pressure to perform or please.

I truly believe that blogging should come from our hearts,

and not be in any way about performing for anyone, or pleasing anyone.

That performance mode is so sneaky, at least it is in my life.

But my heart is to BE MYSELF in real life, and in this blog.

and if that means that I can't blog or link up or comment or catch up on blogs

...it's OKAY.

If I need to just gaze into newborn eyes,

or spend time with my (very needy) toddler, or call a friend on the phone,

or even just chill and watch TV...

instead of linking up with the latest link party, or blogging about whatever happened that day

...it's okay, no pressure.

And if that means that I don't post about the amazing crafts I've done with my littles,

or the wonderful dinner I cooked, or the beautiful decorations I "DIYed",

...it's okay, no pressure.

Because I'm not any more than what God gives me grace to be in that moment.

And if that day, we did an awesome craft and

I took amazing pictures of it to share here, then thats great too...

and i LOVE those days!

But if we didn't do crafts all week and I cannot "show" the world the

"amazing mothering" things I've done that week,

that's okay too.

I have found myself getting consumed before, thinking about

what i should blog about, and when I should post it, what pictures I will share, where I will link up, etc etc.

Any of you bloggers relate?

let me be clear:

there's NOTHING wrong with planning to blog,

or posting certain things.

I have done it and will continue to!

But my heart about this is that I would just

"go with the flow"...

that I would blog where there is grace to.

and that basically just means that if I feel peace about it,

and if the Lord has lined it up for me to have the ability to do it,

then that's what I will do.

But if I don't, and if I need to just snuggle with my girls

instead of meeting some "blogging deadline" i have made for myself in my head..

then that's what I will do.

Or if I need to take something to the Lord first,

before I "process" it out loud in a blog post,

then that's what I need to do.

...and on the other hand, if I feel led to post every day or link up every time,

and the Lord gives me the time and grace to do that, then I will.

Maybe it's all just me and noone else deals with this.

I even took a break from blogging last summer for a few months,

so I could re-prioritize my heart and see where blogging fit in.

Thankfully, He showed me it is a part of my life, and that I just have to follow His lead about what and when to blog.

I guess I just wanted to express these thoughts about blogging in hopes to give a little freedom to myself, and possibly stir some other hearts about

just simply blogging as the Lord gives grace to.

and also being okay with setting the computer to the side for a while...

I had to set aside the "plan" in my head for blogging today,

I wanted to do it much earlier in the day.

But life happened.

BUT now here I sit, the end of the night,

with the time and energy (and an unusually quiet house),

and the Lord has given me the grace to write this post

so I can link up with other bloggers here.

I hope that you know my heart is to always be a blessing to anyone who reads this blog,

and I feel it would be a disservice to you, and to myself,

if I blogged according to expectations from myself or others.

I just want to blog where there is grace to blog.

Thanks for listening, love yall.

5 months

Sweet B...

I cannot believe I met you 5 months ago today.

time. has. flown.

You are such a gorgeous little baby, inside and out.

You make my heart melt all the time.

Your favorite form of entertainment is your big sister.

When she is around you, nothing else matters in the world.

She loves you just as much as you love her.

Seeing you two interact already is so incredible.

Nothing makes you laugh and smile quite like Abigail!

You continue to be my snuggle bug, and I cherish that so much.

I love that you nuzzle into me when I am holding you.

You hug my chest when you are ready to nurse, and that makes me smile, it is so sweet.

You love to be rocked and expect it now at night night time.

I love how your tiny tongue quivers behind your paci whenever you are happy,

and it quivers as I rock you until you go to sleep.

We are still working on this sleep thing.

This past week we started some "sleep training", and you are doing so good...

Im so proud of you baby girl.

But I have to admit...even though I know it's best for us right now,

I completely miss sleeping next to you at night, with you cuddled right up next to me all night long.

But I am still getting some sleepy snuggles at nap time whenever I can.

You love your daddy, and light up when he is around.

He adores you too, his little beauty.

Your hair gets more auburn every day, which is such a beautiful surprise.

You love to roll over, sit in your Bumbo, and chew on your feet.

You are basically a happy little camper (unless you get over tired).

You have already survived your first virus and it was terrible...but you made it through.

At your last appointment, you weighed a little over 13 pounds,

and your height, weight, and head were all in about the 15th percentile.

You are just my dainty little lady!

Your personality requires a little more reassurance than your big sister did,

but I am sure that as you grow and learn what a precious child of God you are,

your confidence will grow.

I pray daily for Him to show me how to lead you in that.

I am amazed by you, little one.

Happy 5 months today Bethany Len!!