I can’t begin to recall how many times I have received a hand picked boquet of Dandelions that have been presented by a sweet little boy with the sweetest little smile on his face. My reaction to said boquet has always been… well… not so enthusiastic.

I detest Dandelions with all my being. I have all but shunned their very existence, especially when the nasty things are brought into my house. So when a sweet little boy delivers a bouquet of them, my immediate reaction is and always has been, “thank you sweetie, can we keep these outside though?”.

So when I got the adorable project featured to the right here, complete with Dandelion Poem. And I saw his adorable cuteness, holding a bouquet of the aforementioned detested weeds, I found myself taken back.

It didn’t just make me stop and think, it all but made me kick myself in the rear for all my mistreatment of those precious Dandelion bouquets. Suffice it to say, there were tears involved on my part, and a commitment made to never again shun said bouquets.

Dandelions

Guessing your favorite flower
Shouldn’t be all that hard.
I’ll bet they’re green and yellow
And grow all over the yard.

I only pick the special ones
Because they’re just for you.
They’re my way of saying thanks
For everything you do!

And even if these flowers
Only seem to last for a day,
The love that they are given with
Will always be there to stay.

For when it comes to picking
The mommy that’s the best,
In my precious little eyes
You stand out from all the rest!

In the hubbub of everyday life, and even days like Mother’s Day that are intended to celebrate us, it’s all to easy to lose sight of the little things that make it so special. I’m so very thankful for this reminder that came in such a simple and thoughtful gift.

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Just a note… or two:

1. I do not know who to credit for writing this poem.
2. In an ever present attempt to find fun projects for the kiddos to do during the summer this one definitely stood out to me as a fun idea. It’s a simple one, where they can write out the poem and at the bottom there’s a little space for them to write their own note. Great for Preschoolers through about 3rd grade.

If you’re planning on joining me in Writing Life and still just haven’t quite found that perfect journal, be sure to check out my Writing & Journaling Pinterest board. I just started it, but ALL of the ideas featured in this post are there with links to the source. Be sure to check back often for amazing ideas to find and make the journal that’s uniquely you.

Artsy Creative & Mish-Mash {yes, that’s a real word} Journals

I have already pinned the fantabulous SMASH folio, and I just have to say that if you’re the kinda gal that loves to just smash it ALL into your journal and go, this is so the one for you and I am GREEN with envy… yes, seriously.

You see, I love that artsy type of journaling, it appeals to my innermost color loving self…. filled with snippets of this, doodles of that and bits of the other. It’s creative, collective and colorful… but my mind simply does not function that way easily. I am a creature of habit and doggonit, that Holly Hobby diary had simple lined pages… somehow it’s taking a lot to break out from that.

Calendar Journals

Another type of journaling that I love and highly recommend for nearly any kind of mom… especially the busy kind {which pretty much means I just talked myself in a circle} is a calendar journal.  These are great for moms that prefer to write snippets through the day instead of a full page.

Again, you can be so creative with this, you just need to find the right size and composition of calendar for your needs, or create your very own perpetual calendar.

This is also a great place to start if the idea of trying to sit down and write out a full page totally overwhelms you, yet you still want the option of just jotting notes everyday.  The perpetual calendar {right image} can be found here and the artsy journal calendar {below image} can be found here.

Despite my insistance that I’m more of a traditional journaler, I have to admit I’m more than a little intrigued by these journals and definitely plan to give them a try… the craftiness is almost oozing out of me about now from all the time I’ve been spending on Pinterest…. I feel a Crafty section coming on {oh dear Lord help us all!}.

Traditional Journals

For those of us who are more traditional sit down and write-like-crazy types, there’s still some beautiful and fun options. There’s something about writing on a pretty page that really just makes me happy… I know I’m a little nuts.

Basically there’s a journal for nearly every type of person. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but if you’re even a little like me and want something that’s pretty, or otherwise unique, there’s just so very many options even at your local supermarket’s office section, office supply stores or online.

Again you really don’t want to miss the great ideas on my Pinterest Board!

A few of you may have noticed a little nostalgia going on around here. What you can’t see is that a few years worth of posts (well, several years worth actually) did not fully transfer when I re-installed this site a few years ago. It’s a long drawn out and frustrating story, but the point is that in order to restore the lost posts I have had to go back through the one archive I had and copy/paste all of the content to each post. Yikes!

All of that to say that I have had the unique opportunity to revisit some great posts from the past and it has inspired me to encourage all of you to get writing! Now, before you panic and go running the other way, hear what I have to say.

I firmly believe that every single woman has a truly unique and unbelievably wonderful story to tell and only she can tell it, even if she’s her only audience.

You see, as I have been looking back through these posts I see glimpses of my life before depression. I see a light shining through that didn’t have the fog that I still sometimes try so hard to push out of the way in order to really live again.

Being able to look back through these old posts has been inspiring, motivating, bittersweet and above all encouraging. I want this for all of you as well and right here, right now, I want you to join me in Writing Life.

Telling your story, one day at a time, as it’s happening is a priceless adventure. Not only will you never get today back, but you’ll also never remember it in the same light with the same emotions and the same feelings you have today. Tomorrow you will forget as each new memory is created and left behind.

It’s a simple process that can be done on paper, on your computer or even on an online blog (public or private). The choice is yours, but choose one and WRITE!

Wondering what to write about? How often to write? How to write?

That’s the beauty of it, all you have to do is have a moment of inspiration and just a couple minutes of time (yes, both are fully attainable trust me). To help you out, I’ll be offering a writing prompt and a few tips once a week.

For those of you who are wondering, a writing prompt is a great way to inspire writing. I’d love to hear that all of you are simply jotting down life moments. Or jotting down what you are feeling or thinking during a certain occasion, event or moment. But, for those of us who need a little extra inspiration, a writing prompt is a great way to take writing to the next level.

So, this week I’d like to encourage you to prepare to write… do one of the following three things (if you don’t already have one)…

• Go out and buy a beautiful journal and a great pen that you love.
• Or create pretty paper on your computer or iPad, etc. that you will use as your journal, make sure you have a folder to save all of these into.
• Or sign up for a free blog at Blogger (you can choose to have it be public or private and it’s quite simple to navigate).

Ready? Set? GO!!!!!!

Today, I’m updating some posts that for some reason never fully transferred when I moved my blog to a new server due to problems I was experiencing. As I have been going through them, a few have really just been such a blessing to re-read! So, here’s an excerpt of one (plus link to full article) that I truly hope blesses you as well.

Breathe

Originally posted August 10, 2010

One day at a time.

One adventure at a time.

One child at a time (ok two in the case of the twins).

One moment at a time.

Breathe.

Sometimes being a mom feels like a balancing act. Ok, a lot of the time. There are little lives in our care and we are totally responsible for the health and well being of those little people (or not so little as the case may be).

I can’t tell you how many times that thought alone has overwhelmed me. I in my totally fallible humanity, have been put in charge of the lives of 6 boys. To help shape and form who they become and to prepare them to enter society when they get to that age as a socially responsible person. WOW!

Just Breathe.

{Read the full article here…}

Children definitely crave that moment when they are in the spotlight all by themselves. Who can blame them? In today’s world of hustle and bustle and running around to keep up with the next guy over we often lose sight of the pure individuality each child needs and deserves.

Last night was J-man’s school musical concert. It’s a fun event that they do at the elementary school around this time each year and the kids put on a stellar performance of very silly and fun songs for their families.

Last night was his time to shine!

As I drove home with a very smiley and happy 8 year old boy in the backseat, I began to wonder if in a large family it doesn’t mean even that much more to have that individual moment in the spotlight. That moment where you are definitely not “just one of six”.

Yes, we love each of our children very individually and recognize that each of them has unique needs at all times. Watching their faces light up and spending one on one time with them for even a little reason is so priceless though and I realize each time how easy it would be to miss that or simply overlook it in the everyday hubbub.

I am thankful that we don’t have the insane sports season schedule right now. We have been laying low in the area of having all the boys in sports for many reasons, primarily financial (not only the cost of the sports themselves but the gas to take them to all the practices and games was out of control). With that has come some very significant benefits of not feeling so overwhelmed by the ins and outs of everyday life.

If life feels overwhelming and if you feel like you’re missing out on the all-important little things in everyday life with your kids, check your schedule. See what can be omitted, is it really going to be life changing if your child doesn’t play a sport every single season this year? That’s not for me to determine, but the point is that if you feel like you’re missing something, maybe taking a break from a hectic schedule by eliminating a few things is the solution.

I encourage you, whether you have 1 child or 10 to “make a date” for each one of your children to have their moment in the spotlight. Yes, life isn’t a one man show but spending that time with our kids helps us parent their individual needs even better.

Making a more conscious decision to work out isn’t always easy, but the great thing is that the rewards for doing it are phenomenal. After joining the MapMyFitness challenge I have been a lot more consistent with my workouts and when I do workout I feel amazing afterward.

Have you joined yet? If you haven’t be sure to check out MapMyFitness Quaker Challenge for all the details. No, they won’t police your workouts but knowing that it’s there and that you set goals can mean a better chance that you’ll feel more driven to work out each day.

There’s nothing that will knock me out of any kind of workout routine more than illness. I have been fighting a cold for the last few weeks and my energy level has been exceedingly low. So, although I have absolutely not worked out as often as I had intended in my goals for the program, I feel pretty darn good about the fact that I still did work out fairly frequently. All things considered that’s a big win in my book.

The idea is to get and stay motivated. Being part of a program like MapMyFitness challenges us to do just that in a real way. I even downloaded an app to help me stay on track and even update my progress. 

Did you know that February is National Heart Health month? Even if it’s only 5 more minutes a day, what extra step will you take to stay fit?

For your chance to win $750 complete these two steps:

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Quaker Oats Company. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

The life of a parent can be such a busy one, there are definitely times when it can all feel overwhelming. Lately I’m finding that in addition to the usual stress, I may also experience a bit of anxiety and even insomnia. So today, I wanted to take a moment to address all of this with a couple of tips for you.

Slow Down

Sure, we may not be able to really do a lot about our everyday schedule, but there’s usually a way to find a few minutes for ourselves somewhere in there. If you can, just set aside a few minutes to do something that’s quiet and helps you remove yourself from the busy-ness of the day.

What Refreshes You?

We all have a few things that truly can bring us relaxation and refreshment quickly, but we each need to decide what that is for us. Whether it’s drinking your favorite mocha, reading a bit of that novel that’s been sitting on the shelf for a few months, taking a long shower or even a few minutes for a bath or a pedicure, find that thing that just makes you go “Aaaaahhh”! The possibilities are endless.

Breathe

When my kids get upset or anxious the number one thing I tell them to do is take a deep breath. It almost always works, helps soothe them and helps them calm down. Adults often forget to breathe! Who has time?

Well, do it! Yoga is a great way to learn to breathe again, it is so relaxing! But, even taking a few minutes to just focus on breathing… steady and even… helps bring the right amount of oxygen to the brain (and the whole body) which makes you feel so much better!

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Image from fotolia.com

I thought I was the only one. That every other mom out there somehow had it figured out but me. I sometimes question my ability to be a good parent simply based on how easy it can be to get so very overwhelmed with the endless list of things I need to do. I sometimes can’t help but wonder if at any moment my competency as a parent will be called into question because of my forgetfulness or organizational difficulties.

It’s no secret that things are often chaotic in our teeny tiny house filled with 6 growing busy boys. There are few that don’t immediately question my state of sanity the moment they find out how many children I have. It amuses me when I can just see them trying to imagine what would transpire if they were to spend several hours cooped up in a little room with said number of boys. But I digress…

The age difference from my 16 year old down to the 5 year old twins seems monumental right now. The idea that I have to be able to smoothly transition in the course of a millisecond from “don’t break that” and “what on earth are you doing up there?” to worrying about the cost of adding the 16 year old to our insurance (can you hear me scream?), and talk to him about his future is all likely to happen in the course of a normal moment for me.

I have children in three different schools. For the first time ever all 6 of my sons are attending school, though the Twinks only have morning Kindergarten. The few hours that they are at school should feel like a time to breathe and rebuild, but I end up spending so much of that time tackling Mount Laundry, picking up, running errands and generally recovering from the whirlwind that is 6 boys, the time is gone before I have even taken a single breath.

I could go on and on… but I think you get the idea here. This may not be everyday life for the next mom, but the point is that I have spent the last several years simply surviving, and lately I’ve been trying to take a step back and evaluate whatever I can to help move past mere survival. As a mother, as a woman, as a wife, as a human being I want to be happy and healthy, even in my present circumstances!

I can’t tell you how many times I have not only thought that I am alone in feeling overwhelmed, but that I am a horribly incompetent parent because I can’t always just roll with every single spontaneous and unexpected thing that is thrown my way. Admittedly, I do have a few more than the average number of children, but I have discovered that so many other moms feel exactly the same way I do. We share the same or similar struggles, frustrations, feeling overwhelmed and so much more.

This year, the theme at A Frog In My Soup is Healthy Family, but that means taking a look at each individual part of that family to make sure that they are healthy in more than the physical sense.  Over the next few weeks I’ll be taking a deeper look at motherhood and I have a few thoughts on the demystification of certain aspects of motherhood. There are no perfect parents, but we can all be capable and equipped parents that still make mistakes.

Today, I want any mom who feels overwhelmed to know that you are not alone. We all experience it at one point or another, it’s how we face it that makes the difference.

Do the holidays leave anyone else feeling just plain tired? Maybe it’s just me, but I know that I’ll spend pretty much this entire week getting everything and everyone back in order after the holidays.

Laundry is no worse (thank goodness), but it’s no better either, even after a full two holiday weeks of no break from it. Mount Laundry is still a formidable giant.

It’s always challenging to try and keep on top of the needs of 6 boys, but at the end of the holidays when sleep deprivation has set in (either due to insomnia or children waking at 5am… or both), suddenly everything seems foggy and a little more difficult to grasp than usual.

Today, although a nap is sounding lovely to me even at 8:30 am, I have a busy day so I am going to make the best of it. For me this means having a few moments of quiet, a nice hot cup of coffee and just get moving.

If you’re fighting post-holiday fatigue, here’s a few tips…

Get up and move.

Getting outside, even if it’s cold or a little dismal, can do wonders for your attitude, brain fog, etc. It’s a great way to clear your mind and although it tends to make me sleepy at first it definitely puts me in a better mood and makes me feel far more able to tackle whatever I need to do that day.

Make a plan.

Have a purpose, especially this week. Make a to-do list and just whack away at it this week to see how much you can accomplish. Keep it realistic, it’s a great motivator if you know you can actually accomplish it.

Take time to rejuvenate.

Make a few moments each day to just be alone and unwind. This might not be everyone’s thing, but I love silence and it’s definitely more than a rarity around here. I like to cozy up for a few minutes and either read or just sit and relish the moment with a cup of coffee or tea.  For some of you it might be taking a bath or even just a long hot shower. Whatever it is, try to find that 10 minutes where you can just breathe!

Take your vitamins.

Make sure you’re taking a good quality vitamin. This is the time when a lot of us are run down physically (not eating the same, stress, less sleep or not sleeping well, you get the idea) among other things and making sure we have plenty of B and C vitamins in particular is essential to keeping our bodies healthy.

As you can imagine, life with my Twinky Dinks (aka. twins) in school has been interesting to say the least. Through the years I have given you all tiny little hints into the reality of life with them, but the full truth… well, I may have underestimated your ability to handle it. I apologize!

In an effort to bring life with my particular brand of twin sons to full light I hereby promise to tell you the whole truth… you have been warned.

As the expectancy of Christmas is fully upon us and this is the last week of school till the new year, life in our household has been buzzing…

“Is it time to put the tree up yet?”
“Where is Santa?”
“Is it time to put the tree up yet?”
“What Christmas movie is on tonight mom?”
“Isn’t it time to put up the tree?”

Yes, the ability of children to suddenly focus on one thing when Christmastime is upon us is astounding!

For whatever reason however Bugs decided to have a few “moments” in school last week. We still are not quite sure what provoked his two day rampage into the abyss of naughtiness, but we are breathing a huge sigh of relief that this trip was so seemingly brief (ok so I’m holding my breath a little still until the week is over).

As I picked them up on Wednesday of last week (the reason I pick them up has yet to be shared with you… I’ll save that for another time), Bugs’ teacher took me aside briefly and shared with me that Bugs had  not had the best day (such a lovely way to say that they were naughty). In that moment fear of unknown proportions washed over me. All I could think is “Oh Please NO! ”

I know what they are capable of, I have seen the destruction and mayhem, I know the reality of twin abilities. This is why they are in separate classes in school. But I digress…

“Well, first” the teacher begins (again, I’m panicking as I realize if there’s a first that’s not where it stops… aaahh!), “I found him under his table breaking about 25 crayons into pieces”. Oh lovely! My son, the crayon torturer! Although I was mortified, it wasn’t as bad as it could be.

“Then, he decided to hide in the coat rack after reading group instead of coming back to the class.” O joy, a fugitive. This isn’t the first time but neither of them had decided to go roaming about the school for a few months so I had hoped we’d passed this phase.

Although neither of those issues is a huge infraction, they were the beginning of a 2 day spree where during the bus ride to school the next day he apparently decided his brother needed to be wailed upon. Hitting and other such nonsense ended with a trip for Mister Bugs to the principal’s office.

He’s 6. In the principal’s office. For beating on another child (yes it was his twin but STILL). SIGH

The worst part is, when I talked to him about it later and expressed my concern at the severity of his crimes over that two day spree, he then turned to his twin brother after I had walked into the other room and told him “well it’s your fault I hit you, you wouldn’t stop singing”.

SIGH again!

Now, just to clarify, I do not allow my children to go around wailing on each other, and blaming another person for one’s overreaction in life is absolutely unacceptable in our home. You own up to your mistakes, we deal with it, we all move on (hopefully).

Also, I honestly do not believe that any of my children have ever ended up in the principal’s office before. So, as with so many things in life with my twins, we have yet another glorious radiant first … that I desperately pray we will not be a recurring event!