What I didn't Wear

My one-year-old is cutting teeth.

Like 4 teeth.  At once.

This is what my days look like.  Oh you think I am exaggerating??  Ask my mom.  Or my dad.  Or my mom-friends who were at the pool today who witnessed me break down in the bathroom.

So I don't have a 'What I Wore Wednesday' post.  Because quite frankly I haven't worn anything.  Well, anything worth posting anyway.  Without daddy, we're in survival mode over here.

Riveting stuff, I know.  But this is the glamorous life of a mother. 

My kids crack me up...

They have to eat messy snacks outside.  For obvious reasons.  I mean, they are boys.  This is the faces I get when they want to come back inside...

 

 

As you can see from the messy door, they do this often.

What I love about summer.  I send them outside and say 'don't come back inside until dinner's ready!'

Not really.  But kinda.  But, like, nicely at least.

I love summer.

No longer the victim

That's it.  I'm done.  I am no longer playing victim to 'that's not my gift' line.

I do believe that people are blessed with particular talents.  I am not exactly sure of my greatest talents, or where God is able to use me best, but I am most certain of talents that just aren't in the genes, ya know?

Source: permanentsunshine.tumblr.com via Natalia on Pinterest

For example, I am not an organized person.  I see a messy house or room and get overwhelmed.  My sister-in-law however, would get excited and immediately think thousands of thoughts of beautiful files and neat shelves would be dancing through her head.  That's her gift.  And trust me, she is good at it.

I struggles to maintain organization in my life (granted we live between 2 countries).  I don't have a system of cleaning the house.  Unless you call clean-it-when-it's-disgusting a system.  And I am not too great at organizing my blog either.

And frankly I am sick of it.

Source: indie-handmade.blogspot.com via Natalia on Pinterest

I am tired of copping out with the 'it's not my gift' line.  I mean seriously.  When someone is overweight and wants to be thinner, can they be?  Of course.  Can a flaky person become more consistent?  Yes.  Can a lazy person become more energized?  Most definitely!! They all have to do the same thing.

Make a choice.

Make a conscious effort to choose the healthier option or hit the gym.  They choose to make it to the appointment they don't want to go to.  They choose to get off the couch and do something productive.  It's a choice.

Source: letsdriftaway.tumblr.com via Natalia on Pinterest

So I am here, with my blog friends as my witnesses, I am choosing to be better.  I am choosing to seek help from those who have this gift and be more organized.  I am going to make choices to help me be more organized.

Phew!  Thank you for listening!!  So, who's with me??  I know I am not the only one who struggles with something like this.  So what is it?  Are you going to make a choice today to be better?  I hope so!  Let's do it together!!

This time of year...

So it's that time of year again. The time I drop off Lavar at LAX to go back to Europe and I am here with the boys. He is preparing for us so that it is comfortable when we get there. And for that I am thankful. It is, however, hard to be a single mommy for the times when he is gone. He does so well with the boys, they listen to him on a different level. It seems like they never test him, but somehow I have days where I end up on the floor crying from all the chaos that ensued.

But c'est ma vie, learning to adjsut as our life changes as it constantly does. We are heading back to France this year, same city we were last year, St Etienne. We don't know what house we will get or what area we will be in but he has a job and I am thankful for that!

This time of year always comes with different emotions, I can hardly explain it. It seems like everything about my life is bittersweet. I love being in California with my family and friends, I really do. I will miss everyone and the fact that it's all in English. Friends are so much easier to come by and Tae has quite a bit. But I adore France. I love the people and the culture and lifestyle. I just love it. As much as there is hard, there is great that makes it all worth it to me.

I am learning another language. I never thought I would be at the point to have a conversation with someone in their native tongue. How awesome is that!

I love being able to visit so many places that I otherwise would not be so fortunate to see.  England, Switzerland, Italy, Paris, Bordeaux win country.  And I can't wait to add to that list this year with Denmark, Sweeden, Nice, Cannes, and maybe Germany. 

I love the slower lifestyle.  I love that coffee and food is an art.  I love that the smelliest cheeses are the best.  I love walking Tae to school everyday and spending lunch together.  I love basketball games and watching my husband do his thang. 

I don't like not having my husband here.  I don't like to struggle to find my words and think through everything I say.  I don't like feeling intimidated to speak to someone as I am not yet entirely fluent in French.  I miss having a church and other Christian moms to talk to about raising kids, marriage, and just life. 

But, like I said, the good definitely outweighs the bad and I cannot wait to be back in France.  It feels like home to me.  I know it is going to be a sad day when Lavar stops playing.  So I might as well live it up now!

So today I am thankful.  Thankful that this crazy thing I call life is my life.  I am thankful for the awesome opportunities that I have every year.  I am thankful that the Lord has blessed my life in a way that fits for me and my family.  I know living abroad might not work for everyone and that is understandable.  But for us it's perfect. 

We got some Winners here!

And the winner is.........

Sweet Aveline from OaxacaBorn!

Thank you so much, ladies {and possibly gentlemen} for being a part of this fun photo contest!  I truly enjoyed hosting it! I am thinking I might do one each season, so keep that in mind taking those fall pictures! 

Gina, awesome pic of your super happy girl!  I will be e-mailing you with more deets!

Scroll down for another winner!!

And now the winner of the Shine Project giveaway is going to be....

Gia from I didn't sign up for this!!  Congrats girl, e-mail's been sent!

And the lucky winner of the All is Bright giveaway I hosted a while ago.  I feel bad, I was such a delinquent, but I let summer get the best of me so I didn't choose the winner.  But here I am now, trying to redeem myself and choosing a winner!!

 Inspired by... Congratulations!! E-mail has also already been sent!

 Well I am glad to have some winners on the blog today.  Makes me smile. 

I hope everyone is doing awesome.  In some sad news, my husband leaves Friday and I won't see him again for another month and a half.  I know military wives are calling me a baby right now, but hey, it still stinks no matter how you look at it...

But I am woman, I am strong, I have chocolate! :)  Have a great day!

What I wore, Vegas Edition

As you might know, my husband and I got to take a little trip to Vegas. Our anniversary {which he rocked} and my birthday are only a week and half or so apart.  We also own a timeshare in Vegas, so we took our week, split it with our parents and we took the first part of the week and they took the second.  It was nice, we needed a little vacation before heading back to France with no vacations {just us} at all.  Thanks mom! :)

Shirt - Express; Shorts - H&M; Sandals - Target; Sunglasses: Target

The drive up there wasn't so bad.  We chatted, blasted music we usually don't play with the kids in the car, and enjoyed each other's company.  The 5 hours flew by.

Dress: Don't remember, Sorry!

Lavar had some friends out in Vegas so we hung with them a little bit.  This is my first night's outfit.  I have had this dress for a while, I actually don't remember where I got it.  The hair was really cool, looked better in person though, I am seeing as I am looking at these now... oh well.  It was something different, which I am always looking for.

One of my favorite parts of Vegas is laying by the pool in the scorching heat.  I know this might not make sense to some of you, but you can lay, dip in the water, lay some more, take a swim, flip sides.  You know the drill.  With no kids, it was great. 

Cover and suit - Target

Lavar's suit is the colors of the Bahamian flag. Coincidence? He says so, but I'm not too sure...

Shirt & Skirt - Charlotte Russe; Shoes: Payless

You guys have seen this outfit before.  Boo, I wasn't very creative.  I actually was going to wear a different, very cute dress that I have only worn once, the next night, but then I got a call from my mom about my cousin and we high-tailed it home.  So this is all I got for ya.

Gotta love Vegas with it's excuses to dress up cute!  I wore clothes I would never wear in 'real life'.  They just aren't mom-appropriate.

Have a great day!

Swimming and Pet Turtles

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I have felt a little out of it lately because of everything that happened with my cousin.  There is just a full range of emotions that are seriously draining.  But thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.  He isn't out of the woods yet, but he is making progress.  God still is good and He still has a plan.  Praise the Lord for that.

So I thought I would share some pictures of what our summer days have been looking like.  Full of love and pools and friends.  I love it.  I am looking forward to school when I can get a little bit more time to myself, but I am truly enjoying our summer. 

Since we can't really have a dog {traveling too much}, my dad thought they needed some kind of animal to take care of.  So one day my dad came home from work with two baby turtles.  Can I just tell you, my boys were excited.

Well, we had just woke up puffy eyes and all...

The boys have been loving the sandbox. 

And playing in the pool with friends, a must have.

And if you follow me on Twitter you would know that I just bought myself a new Cannon Rebel T2i camera!  I am so excited about it and learning more about what it can do.  I just love having good photos!  If you have any tips for me, send them my way, I always wanting to learn more!

Have a great day!