When I gave birth to my son, Andrew, Elizabeth was only 18 months old so when my parents brought her to the hospital to meet her new brother, she thought he was a baby doll. She sat on the hospital bed beside me while I held my sleeping newborn. We told her to “Be gentle!”…
One of the questions we always ask when we stop by a studio is “what quote keeps you motivated?” The quotes always make us smile, and get us going…and they also got us thinking. Since our artists have graciously shared their favorite quotes with us, we decided to share ours with you.
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits..."
My neighbors herbs have started creeping over the fence onto my property. I really should talk to him about it, but I can afford to be patient since by...
Inspirational and motivational quotes are just what you need sometimes. These cute and funny quotes will help you smile through every monday. Check it out!
There are lots of superfoods that have sparked our interest in the last few years, but none as alluring as this strange yet beautiful fruit. Dragan fruit, also known as pitaya, is the exotic pink fruit you’ve probably picked up a time or two in the produce aisle wondering what you’d do with it. Native to Central America, dragon fruit comes from the cactus plant Hylocereus Undatus. The pulp of the fruit varies from white to a deep pink hue with tine black seeds. The taste is often compared to part kiwi, part pear. It’s delicious by itself but beginning to be a favorite in smoothies, smoothie bowls and even cocktails. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading...
The humble cucumber has more health benefits than you might have thought. Just don't forget the seeds, which have their own special nutrients.
Totally love this!
The difficulty with teaching girls to have positive body images stems from society celebrating a plus sized model in Sports Illustrated.
Sometimes we are more easily motivated when we see inspirational quote images. The right quote and image can inspire and motivate you to make changes.
Research has found that eating more servings of fruits and vegetables daily can reduce the risk of heart attack, cancer, stroke and early death. They contain essential nutrients that our body needs to stay healthy. Even knowing the importance of fruits and vegetables, we don’t include them in our daily diet. In this post, we are […]
Need some inspirational quotes to help you and encourage your kids to eat healthy? Check out these 34 amazing healthy eating quotes!
I have so many free printables for you today! I'm gearing up for summertime at home with three kids very close in age. I'm being proactive about the inevitable bickering, lots of time together and the dreaded "I'm bored." I want to talk about a few things that are changing the way we are disciplining,… Read More Behavior chart, consequence jar and bored jar
Eat local on your next trip abroad with one of these exotic fruits from around the world.
Paper Type: Value Poster Paper (Matte) Your walls are a reflection of your personality, so let them speak with your favorite quotes, art, or designs printed on our custom Giclee posters! Choose from up to 5 unique, high quality paper types to meet your creative or business needs. All are great options that feature a smooth surface with vibrant full color printing. Using pigment-based inks (rather than dye-based inks), your photos and artwork will be printed at the highest resolution, preserving all their original detail and their full-color spectrum. Browse through standard or custom size posters and framing options to create art that’s a perfect representation of you. Gallery quality Giclee prints Ideal for vibrant artwork and photo reproduction Matte finish with an acid-free smooth surface Pigment-based inks for full-color spectrum high-resolution printing 45 lb., 7.5 point thick poster paper Available in custom sizing up to 60” Frame available on all standard sizes Frames include Non-Glare Acrylic Glazing
I asked permission to post and answer this question on my blog because I had a few similar emails just like this one and I thought I'd share my thoughts all at once. Hello Sarah! I've been reading your blog for about 10 years now. I stumbled upon it when my oldest was just a baby and I was trying to navigate life as a new full time mom. I always look forward to reading your thoughts on motherhood and your wisdom, advice and toy recommendations have been like gold to me so thank you! Your latest blog entry about attitude really struck a chord with me and as I was looking through your book recommendations for boys (thank you!) I thought I would email you and seek a little more advice and wisdom in regards to the area of attitude. I am now a mom to 6 kiddos 10 and under. 10, 8, 6, 4, and 2 year old twins! Lately I am having a terrible time finding joy in my role as a mom. I feel so overwhelmed with the needs of six kids, my husband, the house, food prep, grocery shopping, cleaning, organizing and then trying to look all my kids in the eye and have meaningful conversations with them - especially the older ones about school, friends, faith, etc. I feel like I'm completely failing the older ones...the only calm time of the day is after the twins are down and it's after dinner and I'm having a hard time not just wanting to sit and zone out on my phone OR just keep pushing the pace by prepping lunches for the next day or making sure everything is put back in order. I hope I'm making sense here! I know you have 6 kids with a wide age range so I'm sure you've felt the difficulty of having older kids with babies still in the mix. Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for balancing a large family and how to find joy when it just feels chaotic a lot of the time? How to parent the older ones when you feel like you're living in two worlds - pre teen (new territory!) and baby land? I can do babies easily - just love that phase but as my oldest gets older the fear sets in on how i don't know what I'm doing and it's all new all over again! Dear Mom of Many Who Feels Overwhelmed; I love you. I was you and I still am you sometimes. Maybe not every day since my older three are "adults"-but I remember the days when they were all at home too. (I put adults in parentheses because I am still mothering in a different way, sometimes with more on the line and more emotion involved-kids ages now: 25, 23, 21,16, 11, 7.) It is ok to not feel joy some days because the job you are doing full-time with almost no time off is the hardest work anyone can do. Yes, because you have six kids and two year old twins, you are doing the hardest work on the planet. The needs never end, your job is never over, there is no feeling of accomplishment and you are giving of yourself constantly physically, emotionally and mentally. Even when you are taking a break, you are conscious of the time and what needs to be done when you get back. And everything is new coming up to teen years, and it's scary as heck. You are stepping into a foreign country and the travel guides are too general and impersonal. You are not failing. You are doing what you are supposed to be doing and doing it well whether it feels like it or not. Your children are some of the most blessed children on earth and you are doing more for them than has been done for most children in the history of the world. They have full bellies and a safe place to live and a pillow to sleep on and parents who love them and care about their future. You are probably burned out. Be so so careful of being burned out. Burning out for me led to some icky functioning depression and anxiety I ignored for years. I felt just like you-that I could never be enough, the pace was so exhausting and I wasn't meeting anyone's needs. Like I was failing. Like I had no right to complain because look at all I had. I remember a book my mom owned for her career that was about girls growing up with pressure. The cover was striking so I have a visual memory of it along with the catchy title: I AM DANCING AS FAST AS I CAN. Does that resonate with you? I often repeated that when I was where you are. I am dancing as fast as I can...I can't keep this pace anymore, no one understands, I'm drowning. Step back. Look at your life really really honestly. Write down things that made YOU feel good and refreshed. Remember what those things were. Right down the things that make you feel bad and then brainstorm practically with a business mindset how you can change them. Do this every year, gosh do I wish I would have done this. Think of all of this as temporary during the most intense period of your life. Lead well! Make the logistics and practical housekeeping the easiest you can make it! You are trying to find a way to relax more and have more fun. PRACTICALLY: -Meal prep-buy frozen foods and make the same easy meals all the time. Do only cereal in the morning. Go through the pick up line if you have one. Order from Amazon Prime for everything else. (I just discovered this and why am I always behind on these awesome inventions!) Just do ANYTHING to make it all simpler for a few years, and a little more automatic so you can get it off your mind. Yes I am giving you permission to not buy organic food and cook something amazing every night. Right now your number one word for meal prep is EASY. -If you can afford a house cleaner twice a month get one-remember this is temporary if that makes you feel weird or guilty. If you can't do that than streamline like crazy (a million suggestions on Pinterest) and give your kids jobs, the same ones, every day and every Saturday. Cut your housework as much as possible-delegate, but don't make it complicated. My mom used to post jobs on the fridge and you didn't go anywhere or do anything till they were completed. -Say no to your older kids if driving or activities stress the family out. Or hand that duty to your husband IF that works. The parents COME FIRST. -Organizing-start putting half your house away. Half the toys up in the attic or away where probably no one will miss them. Half the clothes. Half of anything that makes you have more work. (For me this is clothes and toys.) Less things = more time. In other words, take a week to figure out how you can streamline the practical work of raising a large family down-WAY down. -Look at your calendar. Mark aside a time every week to connect with that older child in a meaningful way. Ten minutes, a breakfast, a walk, a laying on the bed and quick conversation when you are exhausted moment. Of course you are always there, but YOU need to KNOW that you did this to feel better. And if you schedule it, or write it in a list you will relieve yourself of the thought "I am completely failing..." Or write them notes and put them on their beds with gum or a candy bar. Capitalize on the time they are in school and it's quieter at home. My older kids say this meant so so much to them and that they read them all the time in the hard teenage years. -Share with your husband how you are feeling and ask for help, or suggestions. EMOTIONALLY: Write out what makes you feel good. SO much of this is a mindset. If you feel like you aren't enough and something makes you feel guilty (which never feels good, it's supposed to be a sign to wake up and assess) than see if that is actually warranted. Maybe it's just that your expectations are way too high? Examine that. Comparison is the thief of joy. Do you read a blog or look at Instagram and think that moms are always looking in to their children's eyes with big smiles on their faces while they are thin and have makeup on and all the kids clothes match, and having deep felt beautiful best friend talks with their teens who adore them every moment and that every home is organized and clean? (If you think that's me and I ever gave you that impression than I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart. I love my kids as much as you and have felt EXACTLY like you do now and that is SO not my life, in a million different ways, heck no.) Sometimes those images and ideas can seep into our minds as much as we know the truth-even I who write about this am guilty still of thinking some mom has special magical powers to do it all perfectly or "better" than me at all the things. Remember we live in a culture that thinks if you don't throw your child a birthday party you must be the worst mom ever. If your house doesn't look like one of those fake images on Instagram you must not have your act together. If your baby isn't speaking full sentences by the time they are 18 months old, you didn't stimulate them enough. If your teen isn't begging for service hours and wanting to wear one piece turtleneck bathing suits and read all day and go to church we really screwed up. When I compare our expectations of mothering to my grandmothers expectations (who each had a boat load of kids) it's laughable. Because we are going to KILL ourselves trying to meet those expectations and yes-never find joy. MENTALLY: Watch your negative thoughts. They grow. If you think "I am never enough" or "I must be doing this wrong" or "my kids will be messed up because they are being neglected because I am taking care of babies" :) STOP. I told my good friend with eight children (Hi Sarah) one day after my sixth was born that I go to bed feeling guilty, thinking of everything I didn't do, or who I didn't hug or talk to, or who I snapped at. She said, "I try to go to bed thinking of what I did give my kids that day." HELLO!!! And if it's a warm bed, and food, YAY!!! If it's a house where they know they are loved, boy, do they have an incredible start in life. If they have all that and a mom and dad who are setting an example of what love really is-serving others-how awesome is that. Go on from there-toys to play with, good schools, siblings to learn about life with, a mom who cares enough to write to me about how she is overwhelmed...see!!! They have what they need. Period. You are doing enough. You ARE enough. Love, Sarah I could write a book on all this so two things I will still address-transitioning to raising teens as a mom (OUR transition can be just as rocky as theirs), and raising many kids at once (so many benefits if you are lucky to have many children.)
Vous souhaitez vivre de votre blog ? Vous pensez que ce n'est pas possible ? Pourtant certains réussissent, mais comment ?
It is easy to be pessimistic, especially when it feels like life keeps knocking you down. But don't let things get you down! We've put together some of the best funny quotes about life to help you feel more positive.
Sean Charmatz anthropomorphizes everyday objects with universal emotions of surprise, frustration, and togetherness. By adding simple black lines to fruits, plants, and office supplies, Charmatz turns these otherwise unremarkable items into relatable characters. Though the California-based artist has gained quite a following for his one-off cartoonish “explorations”, he also has a long resume in Hollywood. Charmatz has worked on several Disney and Dreamworks films in addition to his previous roles as a storyboard artist and director for six years on SpongeBob SquarePants. More
The Print This art print displays sharp, vivid images with a high degree of color accuracy. A member of the versatile family of art prints, this high-quality reproduction represents the best of both worlds: quality and affordability. Art prints are created using a digital or offset lithography press. Paper Type: Art Print Finished Size: 24" x 32" Ships in 5-7 Days Product ID: 32952466987A
