Mama Loves: Swap and Sell

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!

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So. I realized earlier this week that I just completely forgot to do a Mama Loves last week. Doh! I was very under the weather Friday/Saturday last week, and we were in the middle of potty training (which turned out to be way harder and exhausting than I could have ever imagined it being). 

So, Saturday just sort of came and went. Please forgive me? Over the past couple of weeks I've been tardy with my posts, before completely dropping the ball last week. I know some of you plan ahead to post/link up, which is particularly hard to do when there's nothing to link it to. 

Today, I'm back!

But first...

...thank you to those of you who linked up your Real Life. I really enjoyed reading the comments under your posts. It seems you sharing the messes was blessings to your readers; to see a slice of the imperfect. Thanks for being vulnerable right along with me. 

• I love this one! Krista shares a lovely story about a craft/activity she planned for her son that didn't work out so well. 
• Melissa gives us all a beautiful slice of her life, and some very funny perception pictures that you should definitely check out! 
• Sweet Melissa inspired this in the first place. Thank you for sharing your messes here.
• Dearest Mandy, thank you for bravely showing us your kitchen counters. 

And then Ginger, thank you for linking up your fabulous "ice cream" idea----genius, as always!

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So, is anyone else on a local "swap and sell" facebook page? 

I've recently discovered our local swap and sell, and it is fabulous! I'm not opposed to yard/garage sales, it's just a lot of work, and involves waking up really early to get the good stuff. 

This is, literally, a virtual garage sale. And you get to meet some cool people too! (And, it's way less scary than Craig's List).

If you're looking for a specific toy, or article of clothing, or piece of furniture you can throw a comment up on the wall, and very quickly people will begin posting pictures of what they have that might just fit the bill. 

Or, if you're done with all your 2T pants, you can snap a picture and put it up on the page---"$3 each", and people will buy, buy, buy!

 

 

I've recently purchased:

• An organic Ergo baby carrier that was used twice for $50 (retails for $140---score!)
• A used train table for $40
• Two cute costumes for Halloween this year for $6!

I've met people at their homes, at Starbucks (great excuse to get one of those pumpkins spice lattes, you know, since I was already there), and even the parking lot of Walgreens. It's been fun to connect with other moms around the area, and to find gear/clothing at much cheaper prices. And, it's

a very "green" thing to do, if that does it for you.

So, if you live near me, and are not hooked up to the swap and sell, let me know, I'll invite you to join! And, if you don't live near me, and you don't know of one that exists, start your own! It's easy:

1. Start a group on facebook.
2. Invite your friends to join
3. Tell them to invite their friends, etc. 
4. Start listing what you want to sell/buy.
5. Have fun!

Can't wait to see what you're loving!

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Life is a beautiful struggle

This is long overdue.

(We've been full-on potty training and then I've been sick on top of that---so exhausting!)

I wanted to thank each of you that has reached out with encouragement, good thoughts, and prayers for our little baby's heart.

We belong to each other. You've revealed that truth to me over and over and over again. 

In the minutes, hours, days after I posted about little Pat's heart, prayers, words of encouragement, kind thoughts and personal experiences came pouring in. We were embraced and uplifted in love by so many people---some we've never even met.

Amazing! (My sweet friend's prayers for me to be amazed have been answered in more ways than one)

The echocardiogram revealed that our baby's heart has healed. The perinatologist spent a lot of time looking at our baby's tiny beating heart. He said there might be an itsy bitsy, pin-sized hole, but the ultrasound couldn't demonstrate it definitively. 

He said our baby's heart was beautiful.

See? Beautiful.  

I'm thankful to have walked through this experience. The month of waiting for our scan grew and blessed me in ways I never expected or knew were possible. 

So. Thank you.

Sharing with Ann.

Mama Loves: Real Life

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!

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Great ideas from the past week:

• Melissa shared some great websites, facebook pages and apps that can help with meal planning. Perfect for busy mamas! And even a great tip for cleaning baked-on food off pots and pans. That tip alone is reason enough to check out her great post!  

 

• Ginger didn't link this up, but I thought it was too good not to share, especially as I'm getting ready to potty train the girls. She came up with a super-festive way to kick off potty training. Check out her fun idea! 

 
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So, we've been doing this Mama Loves thing for over a year now. I love all of the awesome, creative, cleverness that I've seen over the past year. It has definitely made me a better mama.

My friend Melissa has a different idea. She is daring mamas to reveal their messiness. She suggests that maybe, by revealing our messiness, we can encourage one another too. Earlier this week I wrote a bit about real life mess and Krista had the awesome idea to have a Mama Loves link up revolving around this concept.

Krista, love this idea! You rock!

So. This week, is Mama Loves: Real Life. Where we reveal our messes. We belong to each other, sharing in this journey of mama-ing. We can encourage in our brilliant ideas and in our moments of imperfection.

Unmade beds, sinks full of dishes, piles of laundry, abandoned play.

Here's my real life:

I dare you to join us! Older posts are welcome too!

I can't wait to see your messes this week!

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Real Life

I click on the link. And stare in awe at the craft creatively executed by two three-year-olds and, elaborately orchestrated and recorded by their mama.

The snapshot of a perfect moment.

I pin it. Brynne and Hadley would love to do that, I think. 

I sigh, recalling our morning. I woke up exhausted. My allergies were in full effect, so I took the only thing that is safe and somewhat effective---Benedryl, which makes me even more exhausted. I ached too---the effects of over-doing it again at boot camp. I can't seem to reconcile my pregnant body with my competitive, athletic heart. What I wouldn't give to be able to pop a few ibuprofen.

I glanced at the clock, it was almost 11, and the girls are still in their pajamas, and so was I. Getting the three of us dressed just felt like a chore.

We read some books that were strewn about the living room. I asked the girls if they'd let me rest for a minute, and this erupted in two crying toddlers that now needed their noses wiped in addition to needing a change of clothes.

What a mess!  Brynne comes and tells me.

So, we abandoned the books, to organize the five puzzles that the girls have dumped together in a pile. What a mess, indeed.

My day isn't even note-worthy, let alone Pinterest-worthy.

The temptation for me is to compare my day with the mama-extraordinaire whose craft I just pinned. Then, to feel tragically sorry for my girls who got the boring mama. Right next to board with toddler crafts is the board with encouraging words. I see this:

 

Sarcastically I think, Mr. Roosevelt hasn't seen this woman's craft.

I know, deep in my soul that I am the very best mama for Brynne and Hadley. I know that comparing myself to other mamas does steal my joy. And there are certainly days when we do things that rival that super-mama and her fantastic craft.

And days like today? It's okay to have days like this. Really. It is.


photo credit

And you know what else? That super-mama has days like mine too, guaranteed. She just doesn't take pictures of them and put them on Pinterest. 

My sweet friend, Melissa suggested recently that maybe it isn't the Pinterest-worthy moments that are most encouraging. Maybe it's those messy, real life, books-strewn-across-the-floor, two-toddlers-in-their-pajamas-till-noon kind of days that encourage best.

Maybe we should take pictures of the mess that is everyday, real life. 



I've found this new (to me) blog, finding joy.  She writes these "dear mom letters" to encourage mamas. To make days like mine okay, normal, enough okay. She says this: 

Real is the everyday. Get up at the crack of dawn. Try to find underwear in the clothes baskets that still needs to be folded. Pour cereal in a bowl. Look for school papers. Change diapers. Wash dishes. Sweep floor. Read stories. And on and on and on. That's normal. That's real. ~Rachel Martin

There is a sacredness, a comfort in the mundane of everyday. The routine of living. The nothing special. When things are hard, that's where we go---to the familiar.

That's real life. That is okay.

Mama Loves: Construction

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!


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The winner of the Nellie's All-Natural Giveaway last week is Emily from hsquaredblog. Congrats, Emily! If you have a second, go say hi to Emily, give her some twin mama encouragement, and see some super cute pictures of her daughters Haley and Hazel.

A few great mama-ideas from last week:

• No-Spill Bubbles. You can probably already guess why these are a good idea. Katie will tell you all about them, and show you how they work too.

• Cat is a seasoned mama! She regulates sweets with her kids with a party bucket. This teaches her kiddos about economics and generosity. Check out this brilliant idea!

 
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Every time my girls passed by a construction site, we call all the equipment "tractors"---mostly because I don't know the technical names for most of them.  

So, my friend Ellyn suggested the book, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site.




The book has rhythm and rhyme and talks about several different kinds of construction equipment. The girls love to read it, and now when we drive past construction sites, they can point out the bulldozers and excavators (and so can Mama!).

Can't wait to see what you're loving!

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Mama Loves: Free Laundry {GIVEAWAY}

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! I'm so thrilled that you stopped by!

Not sure what Mama Loves is? Check out the Mama Loves page for the scoop on what Mama Loves is all about.

Also---to see all the amazing ideas that have been shared here, check out the Mama Loves Pinterest page. So many crazy-good ideas there!

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There's some great ideas from last week I'm eager to share with you!

• Before twins, Emily worked with infants in a daycare. She'll tell you all about how you don't have to wait till your kiddos are older to do crafts. Her six-month-olds fingerpainted some beautiful masterpieces with edible fingerpaints. She includes the recipe and tips for making the project all come together. Check it out!

 

• Melissa's twins love a series of books by Eric Litwin about Pete the Cat.

• Laura loves organizing her girls' lunch boxes by using Ball freezer jars---an inexpensive, eco-friendly way to pack lunches. She'll tell you all about it.

 

• Cat will tell you about the most awesome idea to both give her children responsibility and to keep peace in her home. You must check this one out! 

 
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A few weeks ago I told you about  Nellie's All Natural Laundry Soda.



This tiny little bag gives you a whopping 50 loads of laundry, and does a pretty stellar job of getting everything clean, especially our cloth diapers.

What's beautiful about this laundry soda is that it's dye-free and perfume-free. Perfect for babies' sensitive skin, and free of all those harsh chemicals for the health and well-being of your entire family. 

Nellie's Naturals is giving away one of these to one of my readers. That's 50 loads of laundry for free!!

To enter to win please do two things: 

• Go "Like" Nellie's All-Natural on facebook
• Then, leave a comment letting me know you liked them, and tell me one thing you've done to make your home a little more "green"----hint: It can be as simple as what my friend SarahFae does in the bathroom; they reuse their towels a couple times before washing them.   

That's it. Just those two little things will get you entered to win.

Entries will be accepted through Friday, September 7th at 5PM (CST).

Can't wait to see what you're loving this week!

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