When I start to get ahead of myself and put what matters most on the back burner, I quickly come to find out… that’s never a good route. When I think I can handle things on my own, or when I worry about things that I have no control over, I am disobeying God. God wants us; as His children, to trust Him in everything we do in life, and He truly means EVERYTHING! Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” We all get ahead of ourselves in our day-to-day lives and I find it is most important to take time out to praise our Lord and Savior!

I recently purchased this devotional: “365 Devotions To Embrace What Matters Most.” By: John Michalak. I am really loving it! I find that having a devotional leads me to the Bible. It always helps me to relate the Bible’s content to my everyday mundane life; it is a connector of sorts leading me to dive deeper into Gods word. Just by taking a little time out of each day to read this has really made a ton of positive differences! For instance this was todays message:

“The Season You’re In:

People often struggle to appreciate the season they’re in. In the heat of summer, they dream of snow. In the cold gray of January, they dream of barbecues and swimming pools. And although many favor the moderate seasons of spring and fall, too often those times are also marked with an impatience for what’s next.

In the same way that spring can be linked with renewal, summer with vitality, fall with letting go, and winter with death, so too do the seasons you’re living through have similar themes. And it’s important that you don’t miss what they have to teach you.

What time is it for you? Is it a time to start over, a time to embrace life’s fullness? Is it a time to regroup and let go, or a time for closure and moving on?

Here’s something to remember about seasons; they have a purpose. And they’re temporary.

Don’t miss the season you’re in.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. -Ecclesiastes 3:1″

-John Michalak

Reading todays message struck me to my core. I am in an amazing season; The “raising little mini’s” season! It is a season of glorious highs, filled with cuddles, laughter, kisses, milestones and love! But as we all know there is no season without the occasional storms… my season of life has storms of worry, anxiety, inadequacy, bruised knees, runny noses, and tummy aches. But, after reading today’s message I realized that I get caught up in the storms sometimes and forget about all the sunny days ahead of me! Raising our kiddos is so rewarding and I literally wouldn’t change a thing about it. Even when I feel like daydreaming about the less chaotic days ahead, I know I will miss this season with all my being! Its such an amazing time in my life and today I am so glad I was reminded to embrace each and every (sometimes stinky) season in life!

What it all boils down to, is putting God first! Don’t let the world fill you with doubt and worry. Put God first, treat Him like you would treat a brand new love… you want to know all about them, you want to be with them, you want to grow old with them, you want to be loved back by them! That’s all Jesus wants from us and He deserves it! So if it’s as simple as a cute little devotional to steer you closer to God or if it’s as simple as cracking open your Bible with your favorite worship music in the background, do it! And do it with all your heart! Each season will be a heck of a lot less stormy with Jesus as your umbrella and sunshine!

Have Faith Mama(s)…don’t forget to put what matters most first and remember, each season has a purpose! 

XO

Well, it’s time to ship out my HAVE FAITH MAMA tee’s! As I was putting these orders together I couldn’t help but feel beyond humbled!

I honestly had no idea how you all would like or even dislike my t-shirts… I put a ton of thought and energy into creating these shirts and I am just so thankful that people are actually supporting me with their purchases. It means the world to me + I am certainly not taking any of this for granted! Without the love and support of my amazing husband this entire process would not have been nearly as smooth, so he deserves a shout out and extra kisses indeed! So Paul, if you’re reading this, you rock! XO

Now it’s time to ship out my first 10 orders and I couldn’t be more excited for all you ladies to receive your HFM tee’s! Be sure to post a picture and hashtag: #havefaithmama so I can see how you style your new favorite t-shirt! Much love + Many thanks! I’m so glad I had faith to start this new business! God is GOOD!

**If you haven’t ordered one yet, go to the top of my page and click the three little lines where shop will appear and that will take you to my Etsy shop.

Have Faith Mama(s)… what starts as a simple idea can quickly turn into a humbling success!

Ok, so I’m super excited about this post! The sweetest Mama contacted me and asked if I would try out her amazing soap! she let me choose one so I picked “Utter Heaven” from her Etsy shop. Let me just tell ya, it really is heaven! Not to mention it arrived looking absolutely adorable! I mean the detail in the soap itself is honestly the cutest touch! My son saw it and immediately pointed to it enthusiastically saying, “Mama, MOOOOOO!”

I couldn’t wait to shower that night after receiving this soap in the mail. This particular soap (Utter Heaven) is made out of oatmeal, milk, and honey with pure shea butter… It smells so yummy I wanted to take a bite right out of it! The texture is soft and creamy leaving your skin feeling, not only clean, but smoooooth! 😉 I also love how thick it is, so you really get good bang for your buck, priced at only $6!

I asked Emily, the Mama who creates these dreamy, soapy bars of goodness to tell me a little bit about how she got into the soap business. This is what she had to say:

“When my son was born, it became immediately evident that he had sensitive skin. After trying lotions and soaps across  the market, without much avail, I knew it was time to dig deeper in order to make progress. That is when I learned to make old fashioned handmade soap. What I love about this is knowing every ingredient going into the soap, and I can include additives that naturally improve the skin. In my journey as a mother, I have met many people that have endured the same struggles, and simply want to have healthier skin by using natural handmade soaps. And so, O’Neal & Co. was created in order to spread the love of healthy skin and natural soaps.”

Emily is such a great example of a Mama who put her baby first and went the extra mile to help him out with his sensitive skin. What a blessing it is now that we can all share in on her natural, simple, handmade soaps! Check out her Etsy shop and all the other soaps she offers:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ONealAndCoShop

Have Faith Mama(s)…sometimes the early trials can turn into the later triumphs!

XO

 

So I must admit, sometimes when I am at home all day with the kiddos and my husband is out working I feel guilt set in. I feel guilt that I’m not bringing any bacon home, ya know? Although, he does an amazing job at assuring me I am doing THE most important job right now… that is, raising our babies as a stay-at-home mom! For that, I am truly thankful and would never take it for granted! I digress… So there are many days I try and think of small ways to generate any type of income. Well, let me introduce the “HAVE FAITH MAMA” t-shirt!

I am honestly so excited to finally have my little Etsy shop up and running for all you Mama’s to be able to purchase this amazing t-shirt for yourself! A ton of thought went into designing this shirt. I wanted it to be simple but classy. My goal in creating this unique t-shirt was basically to inspire Mama’s out there to just “have faith!” We all know raising kiddos is no small task! So when you have days you just want to curl up on the couch with your new favorite t-shirt and an oversized comfy sweater, you should be able to do just that!

Or when you finally get the chance to have a girls night out and you want to show off how cute your new favorite t-shirt is, you can do so!

Seriously though, one of my favorite clothing items is a simple, yet comfortable t-shirt that I can pair with just about anything. When I created this t-shirt I wanted to make sure it would be great quality and fit, so I chose to print this very important message on an American Apparel shirt. It’s a 50/50 blend of cotton and polyester. I’m telling ya, you won’t want to take this bad-boy off its so soft and comfy! Being able to throw it on with a pair of leggings or putting it under a leather jacket with your favorite ripped denim is such a classic trendy look!

No matter how you pair this t-shirt, the message remains… HAVE FAITH MAMA! As a Mom I know all to well that days are frequently out of my control and that’s when I am reminded that God is ultimately in control! So when we put Him first and remember to just have faith everything is going to be just fine!

Have Faith Mama(s)… One day (before we know it) our little mini’s are going to grow up and ask us how in the world we did it! In which case we’ll have the perfect hand-me-down t-shirt for them! 😉

Here’s the link to my Etsy shop where you can purchase your own HAVE FAITH MAMA t-shirt: https://www.etsy.com/listing/280742918/have-faith-mama-t-shirt

Hope you’ll love it as much as I do! Make sure to post a picture of your new shirt and hashtag: #havefaithmama on Instagram so I can see how you style it!

XO

 

Don’t get me wrong, I certainly wanted to get away from the gloomy Wisconsin weather for awhile, but just the thought of packing and traveling with our mini’s was giving me slight anxiety. I was stressed about what I would need to pack for the kids…like, “Do I bring their monitors?” “How many outfits should I bring for each kiddo?” “Do I pack diapers or do I save room and buy them when we get there?” EEEEK! I was overthinking ever little thing. Vacation is supposed to be relaxing right? All I could think is, it might be easier to just stay home. Hindsight, I realize how crazy I was for thinking that way (haha)! Thank God for my husband! He puts up with me and my nuttiness… He assured me everything will be fine; he was right, he’s always right somehow (eye-roll)! If you were wondering… Yes, we brought their monitors and yes I packed their diapers along with waaaaaaay too many outfits each, but ya know what? I’m so glad I did! Totally worth it!

As soon as I finished packing for all 4 of us, I then began getting nervous about the flight. I have never been an anxious or nervous flyer… until I had children. If I am on a plane and it goes down that’s one thing, but my babies being in any type of danger scares me more than imaginable! I needed to remind myself that God is watching over us and HE is ultimately in control! Giving all my fears to the Lord gave me the confidence I needed during our travels. Being calm and collected (I believe) helped keep Lazar and Mila calm on the flight since they both did amazing! Our sweet little travelers exceeded our expectations. They are truly wonderful! Also, and SO important, traveling with Grandma and Grandpa was clutch! Without them, I don’t think things would have went as smoothly!

With the flight behind us, it was now time to get ALL our luggage and the rented van. We decided to check Mila’s carseat and rent Lazar’s. This worked very well! Renting Lazar’s carseat was worth every penny… not sure we could have managed lugging around two carseats. The only reason I brought Mila’s, is because she is still in an infant one and it clicks right into our double stroller, which Paul’s parents brought down for us (since they drove). That worked wonderfully! Thankfully we had one set of grandparents fly with us and the other set driving down with a couple of larger items like our stroller and pack-n-play (talk about life savers)! What a treat it was having both sets of grandparents on the trip to make memories with!

As soon as we got to the house we rented, it was bedtime for the kiddos. Lazar is old enough now to realize he was in a strange place. He was not happy that first night… This is where the monitor totally came in handy. Lazar finished his bottle and I placed him in the crib (provided by the house) just like I do at home, but with the added exhaustion from traveling all day and the new surroundings he wasn’t pleased. I knew he would fall asleep in a jiffy if I just let him be. So having the monitor to keep an eye on him was perfect! He was out within minutes! Bringing his noise machine and a crib sheet with familiar smells of home was also helpful in aiding him to sleep! It’s the little details I swear by!

Waking up in that beautiful house was so refreshing! The decor was exceptional and the location was great; minutes away from the beach and yummy restaurants (like Starbucks for our morning coffee runs)! I was so happy I didn’t chicken out and opt out of this vacation! I wanted to move in for good after the first night!

I loved that Lazar and Mila seemed right at home as well! They were able to nap, while Mama got some much needed sun! I was so thankful for every moment! Of course not everything went off without tears here and there, but for the most part the kiddos did fantastic and I’m honestly proud of them!

There were days spent on the beach and days spent at the home we rented in the pool. I quickly realized the Florida heat and humidity for a 4 month old can be a bit much. Mila wasn’t the biggest fan of the beach, but we certainly made the most of it! Lazar loved the water, although it took him a couple tries to get used to it. So again,  having the help of family and friends was such a blessing!

It was definitely a unanimous feeling that everyones favorite time to be at the beach was at sunset! We took this vacation with a bunch of family and friends so we knew it would be challenging to make plans with such a large crowd, especially with mini’s involved, so meeting up each night on the beach for sunset was so special! Not to mention beautiful!

God truly blessed us with amazing family and friends! Being able to travel with them was an absolute pleasure! I will remember this trip for a lifetime. Each day was a new adventure, even if that “adventure” was just taking a walk down to the local park, it was a blast! Without my parents and Paul’s parents I don’t know if we would have been able to do it. At least not as smoothly! Having a glass of wine and chatting each night as the babies slept was one of the other memories that is just so simple but so great. The laughs and good company were even better than the sandy beaches and palm trees!

I swear Lazar and Mila both grew so much on this trip! Paul and I made sure to get our cuddles in with them and really soaked up this beautiful family vacay as a family of 4!

Can we go back already!?

Have Faith Mama(s)…taking time away as a family is worth every sweet moment!

XO