I Know What It Is...

...It was so obvious. I wonder why I hadn't seen it before. It's probably because I didn't want to see it.


Dishes piled up in the sink, trash cans overflowing, crumbs under the kitchen table, laundry waiting to go in the washer. The morning starting out the way I thought it needed to, just 30 minutes later then usual.

Kids got off to school good, a little hiccup being called to preschool because the baby had an accident (I predicted this, but it doesn't make it easier). Got my workout in, despite all the other things that needed to get done.

My stress level, my anxiety level, all slowly going up...sneaking up on me. My patience level slowing going down without me knowing, until it's too late. Until I'm not functioning.

I'm just sitting on the couch watching soaps, scanning Pinterest for a kick start...something to spark my interest to get up and get myself out of this funk, because just staring at the messes will not do it.

"Just start." 

"Stay on top of it and that won't happen." 

"Put things away as you are done with them." 

"You just have to do it." 

These are all things that people have said to me. All things that if I didn't have anxiety would be sensible things to say. But I do. My anxiety is debilitating when it hits. And if you don't have it it's hard to understand how hard it is to break yourself out of it.

I search for solutions, none of which actually have helped get rid of it. Lessen it, yes. The stretches of time where it is hits get longer, but when they do come, it isn't easier. I still haven't found that magic "get out of anxiety free" card. It's not that easy. I wish it was, I wish I didn't have it. At times I wish that there was a magic pill out there that I could take and it will just all go away. There isn't.

So, I keep going. I keep searching for help, for things that will make the stretches longer, that will make the hits softer. Maybe someday I'll find it, maybe I won't. But I will stay hopeful...coming out of the darkness keeps me hopeful. Every time that I can at least come out of it is a step forward.

I hope anyone out there that can't see the light at least keeps moving forward, because it's there if you just keep moving. I'm here, I'm proof.

5 Goals for the Week // Nov 9-15

Last week I decided to post my goals for the week. I wasn't sure how I would do, but I thought that it was a great motivator to get those things done. I didn't do too bad either. Here's a quick recap:

1. Read a Chapter a Day
2. Make Over Your Mornings
3. Blog 4 out of 7 Days
4. Menu Plan
5. Clean Out Kids Summer Clothes

So, as you can see I only really accomplished 2.5 out of 5. (I menu planned, but didn't actually stick to any of it). I didn't get a chance to read as much as I had hoped. I am going to try and read everyday again, but I'm not going to make it one of 5 goals. Speaking of, here are my 5 goals for this week.

1. Owl Costume

My daughter is in a play on Tuesday and she needs to look like an owl. I don't want to buy an elaborate costume, so I decided to make one. I have pulled a bunch of ideas off of Pinterest and I think that I know what I'm doing, but I procrastinated and now I have a little over 24 hours to get it done. So, this is a must!

(Source)

2. Menu Plan

I tried to do this last week and it didn't work out too well. I wasn't prepared enough though, so this week I'm going to try it again and hope that we do better.

3. Exercise

For a few weeks I was doing great. I started the 21 days fix DVD's and loved them, but I got off track and have gained 2 lbs of my weight loss back. So, today I am starting again. With the holidays coming up a little extra movement will help to keep those extra pounds off.

4. Girl Scout Meeting

I am a procrastinator. It's just who I am, but I am trying to get better and I have 4 other leaders this year who are also pushing me to be better. No one wants to stress of waiting till the day before to plan a meeting with 20 girls and I am thankful for that. So, we have bi-weekly leader meetings and I would like to have some ideas going into this meeting of things we can do.

5. Bedroom Drawers

These are a mess. I am hoping to purge quite a bit also. My drawers are literally overflowing and I have no idea where anything is, so I have to go hunting every time I want to get something out. It's such a pain! So look for a post on how to organize your drawers better :)

So, there it is. I'm hoping to be able to stick with my goals this week. I would love to hear your goals for the week and see how you accomplish them!

I'm Good at Fixing Socks

A few times a day one of my kids asks me to play with them. It's usually my baby, my 3 year old daughter. Sometimes I say yes, not usually though. Each time I say no I feel bad.

I'm not good at playing. I am not a great pretender and there are always rules to the playing that I am horrible at following. I don't know what a pony is suppose to say to another pony and I am not sure how a big Barbie is suppose to be a mommy to a Magic Clip doll. Plus, playing usually includes running all over the house and again, not a fan.

She's not my first child to get gypped out of pretend play with mom. I didn't really do it with my older two either. Fortunately when they were little they liked to play together, for the most part, at least when they were both under 5. She however rarely has anyone home (the older two are in school) to play with. When my bean, my older daughter, is home she will play with her...sometimes.

I have always felt guilty about not being a great "pretend play" mom. I have talked at length to people about it and look longingly at woman on Facebook and Instagram who seem to always be engaged with their children in one activity or another. I am, however, not one.

Recently though I have realized something. I am good at fixing socks, and I am good at having chocolate milk ready in the morning, and I am good at cuddling on the couch when my babies aren't feeling good or even if they are. I may not be good at certain things as a mom, but I love my babies and I make sure they know it. So, when they look back on their childhoods they may remember that I didn't play with them a lot or they may not. I do know that they will know I loved them and really that is all that really matters.

So, for those moms out there that sometimes feel less than, so do I. For those moms that don't play pretend or don't play sports or don't enjoy watching video games for countless hours, you are not alone. But if you love your babies, like I'm sure you do, they know, and that is enough.

Money Making Mom // Day 1 Chapter 1

Yesterday I began reading Crystal Paine's book, Money Making Mom: How Every Woman Can Earn More and Make a Difference. This is the perfect book for anyone who is looking for financial freedom.

One of the first thing that Crystal dives into is that Financial Freedom doesn't look the same to everyone. The first chapter, First Steps to Financial Freedom, starts out explaining what financial freedom looks like for her and also helps you to dig deep and find out what it means to you.

"We used what we had, wore a lot of hand-me-downs , drove used cars, and learned a lot about contentment in the process." (pp 2-3)

That quote really spoke to me. When I was growing up my brother and I didn't want for a lot of things. I am so grateful to my parents for working so hard in order for my brother and I to have whatever we needed, and continue to do so for my children. However, that being said, we also didn't see the struggles that my parents did go through, because all of their hard work was most often kept behind the scenes. I continue to guard my children from our struggles, however our struggles are much greater than my parents were, because we have not been financial responsible. Because I never had to want for anything in my childhood I have continued that need into adulthood, even if it meant using credit cards, an equity line, and even my husbands retirement. So, contentment is something that I have never really felt and is something I desperately want to work on achieving.

"We celebrated when we moved into our new house, not only because we finally had a house with the many conveniences we had missed, but because my parents had fulfilled their dream of building a house debt-free." (pp 5)

A long term goal is not something that my husband and I have really sat down and discussed at any time in our marriage. We have had goals; buy a house, have children, get a new car, but nothing that we have saved for, nothing that we had to really have a plan for...it's always been more fly by the seat of our pants. We've never sat down and said, "What is our dream?"

"This, my friends, is the heartbeat of financial freedom. It's being in the place where you can be intentional with your money." (pp 7)

We are anything but intentional with our money. I've tried to budget, I've tried to assign each dollar a job. So far it hasn't stuck.

"I want you to take some time to stop and consider where you are right now and what financial freedom might look like for you." (pp 12)

This is a hard thing for me. Right now we are literally living paycheck to paycheck. I'm not working, we decided last year that I needed to stay home so that our kids could have a more stable after school routine, especially since my son was recently diagnosed with Asperger's. So, financial freedom to me would be not living paycheck to paycheck and not having to say no to my kids when they want to go and do something fun. I think it sounds so petty though. I feel like my financial freedom should look more giving. It is what it is though, right? This is what it looks like for me right now and it could change; after all life is fluid and every changing right?

 

"You have to believe that you can stand on your own two feet and live in financial freedom. You have to believe that there are options out there that will work, regardless of your particular season of life or unique circumstances. You have to believe in your vision then make positive changes that help propel you and that vision forward." (pp 13)

What a great quote to leave you with. You have to think that you can do it. You are the only one that can make things happen in your life. I struggle with this, but I am determined. I will make my own difference in my life and you can too.

If you made it to the end of this post, thank you! My future posts for the book probably won't be this long, but I wanted to give you background on me and what this book means to me. I would love to hear what you thought of the first chapter of the book. If you would like to read my future posts make sure that you follow me.

5 Goals for the Week

This week I decided to post my Top 5 "To-Do's". I normally break my week up into Top 3's for each day, but it doesn't always work out where I get all 3 done each day, so instead I decided to do a top 5 for the week and hopefully that will be a little easier to accomplish. So here are my Top 5 for this week.

1. Read a Chapter a Day

Last month I was ecstatic when I was chosen to be on Crystal Paine's Launch Team for her new book. I absolutely LOVE her website, MoneySavingMom.com, and was so excited to hear that she was coming out with a new book, Money Making Mom. So, I received the link to the book and started reading...and then life happened. One of those life lessons that I learned is that I read books better when I have the hard copy in my hot little hands. We had the opportunity to get a hard copy, but by the time I had my realization I had missed the window. But, have no fear...I just went and pre-ordered my copy and received it TODAY! I am so excited to start reading it live and to highlight and write in the margins! And I'm taking you along with me. I am going to read a chapter a day and then recap what I've learned from it on here the next day. Did you pre-order your copy? Want to order it NOW? Get it and start reading with me!!

2. Make Over You Mornings

Speaking of the wonderful Money Saving Mom, Crystal Paine, she has this fabulous 14-day course that she created to help you Make Over Your Mornings. I purchased it a couple of weeks ago and started to go through it, so when The Intentional Mom decided that she was going to start it again and blog through it I decided to start over with her. So starting yesterday I started it over. I will be recapping yesterday, today, and tomorrow on the blog tomorrow. If you'd like to join me you can hop on over to Crystal's site and purchase the course, you can also preview the first day before you buy if you scroll all the way to the bottom of her site. Come join me and Make Over Your Mornings!

3. Blog 4 out of 7 days

Starting November 1st, running Sunday to Saturday I am going to attempt to blog 4 out of 7 days. I have tried before to give myself a goal, but in the past I have tried every day and with 3 kids, a dog, a husband, and countless extra-curricular activities it just wasn't realistic. So, 4 days it is. 2 down, at least 2 to go...

4. Menu Plan

Uh! I hate thinking about dinner. I hate thinking about the fact that my children hate everything that I make unless it is fried. I hate that there is not a food that all of them like and don't complain about. But, eating out when you have a fridge and freezer full of food just can't be an option. Because of that, I have decided that I need to go ahead and plan out our meals for the week so that we are not trying to find something to eat (when everything is frozen) at the last minute when everyone is starving.

5. Clean Out Kids Summer Clothes

Even though it is in the 70's in Michigan today and it sounds like it will be for most of the week I am still going to go ahead and pack away my kids summer clothes. Because we live in Michigan many months we have closets that are over flowing with clothing for both summer and winter months. It drives me insane!! For that reason, the summer clothing is getting packed away this week and the will not be seen again till next year. Maybe then all of the closets will not be overflowing with clothing and my children will actually be able to find something to wear in the morning (probably not, but a mom can hope).

Do you do a Top 5 for the upcoming week? Or maybe you do what I use to do and write a Top 3 list for each day. I would love to know what you do and how you accomplish your lists.

5 Things I'm Loving This Week

Taking a tip from Money Saving Mom, Crystal Paine, and writing about what 5 things I am loving this week.

1. Halloween Fun

My kids had several Halloween Parties this week. The end of last week our elementary school had their first annual Trunk or Treat, which was SO fun! I really think it was a hit, even though it was pretty chilly, and the kids had a blast and got plenty of candy. Then, my two girls had dance class and got to wear their costumes and hand out candy. Finally my preschooler had a Halloween party and both my 3rd grader and 5th grader had classroom parties. So, needless to say with all of those things, plus Halloween night my kids have an abundance of candy and I am going to need an abundance of will power to NOT eat it!

2. Meeting Up with Old Friends

I was fortunate enough to be able to meet up with an old friend from high school this week. We have been trying to get together for a while, but because we both have 3 kids and are busy, and I have anxiety and it's a hard thing for me to go or do new things, we just haven't been able to. Well, I pushed myself this week and was able to go and had a great time.

3. A Clean House

My husband and I spent most of Saturday morning cleaning and organizing the house. I even was able to wash my window in the kitchen that had been severally neglected. It felt so good to be able to take the kids out Trick-or-Treating and come home to a clean house.

4. Parents

Each year since we have had kids my husband and I have been lucky to have my parents come to our house to celebrate Halloween with us and hand out candy so that we can take the kids out Trick-or-Treating. I am so thankful for that.

5. Calm and Relaxing Sundays

Because we cleaned house yesterday today I am able to sit and relax. It feels so good to be able to wake up in the morning and walk downstairs to a clean kitchen. Plus, since the house is clean I'm able to go through and finally do some organizing. My kids still have summer clothes in their closets and, even though it's suppose to be in the 70's here all this week, the cooler weather is on the way and when it comes back it's most likely here to stay.

So, how was your Halloween and what 5 things are you loving this week?

10 Truths

In order to get a kick start on my blogging since the new school year is starting up (more time) I have decided that I am going to try and blog every day starting today (even though I'm posting this on Day 2).

So, to get a great start and let you in on a little bit of my life here are 10 Truths About Me...

1. Most days I feel like a complete failure as a parent. But, everyday I strive to be better and make sure my children know how much I love them. 

2. I am so indecisive that most nights I would eat cereal for dinner so that I don't have to decide what else to have. Dinners are a nightmare at our house. It doesn't help that my husband loves trying all different kinds of things, I love boring "eat the same thing every day" kind of things, and each of my kids are very picky and rarely like the same things as anyone else.

3. I am not patient at all when it comes to reading books. Currently I am in the middle of 1 book, might start another because it is calling to be for some comedy relief, and a 3rd is in the lineup. Normally I would have already read the last few pages of the 1st book, but I am trying to be a little more patient and read the book in the order it was meant to be read. 

4. If I am stressed out or anxious or just having a bad day you can most likely find me balancing my checkbook, finance and numbers calms me. I've been doing this for as long as I've been with my husband. Even before kids and mortgages. It's probably one of the reasons that I am going to minor in Math when I go for my Elementary Teaching Certificate.

5. I probably say "yes" way too much, and "no" way too little and yet I still feel like I could do more. I think that many moms have trouble saying no. I have massive trouble telling my kids that they cannot try an activity or join a club. I even started a whole Girl Scout troop because my daughter wanted so badly to be one (and then hated it and didn't want to continue). My husband, mother, father, and many others tell me I need to say no more...I'm working on it.

6. I could watch TV all day long, every day; I'm addicted. I could...I am a sucker for reality TV. I like to see other people's lives and how they deal on a daily basis. I used to watch and read the news a lot, but it's sad and repetitive. 

7. My favorite holiday is New Years Day. Just like I love the mornings because it is a chance to start over and do better, be better. A new year is like a massive restart.

8. I may or may not have a shopping problem. Ok I do. I like to shop, doesn't really matter what it is, even grocery shopping. 

9. I make a delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake, but not like Cheesecake. My husband loves, loves cheesecake, so one year I decided that I would try a fabulous Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe and it was a hit. So now I have to make it every year and every Fall holiday. I don't like cheesecake though, so I hadn't even tried it until this last year...I didn't like it, but I can see how many people do. 

10. I could definitely be more detail oriented. Details are boring. I like to accomplish things and sometimes details get in the way. BUT when I do focus on details I get VERY focused on them. 

Now you've probably noticed that not all of my 10 truths are happy-go-lucky. I am pledging this month to be real. So often I look at people's Facebook/Instagram/Blog posts and they are a snapshot of perfection in their lives. It makes me feel bad and less then. I know that it's just a glimpse into what is most likely NOT a perfect life, but that's what it feels like. So, for all my readers I want you to know that you are more than enough in your life and MY life is not any more perfect than yours...mine is perfect because it is mine and it is a work in progress.

First Girl Scout Camping Weekend // Post #1 Arrival

Wow! I can't even tell you how much of a learning experience this first camping trip was with my Girl Scouts.

A little background on our troop. We are a multi level troop, which means that we have 9 Daisy's, 9 Brownie's and 4 Junior's. I also had 2 other troop leaders this year that helped me. My daughter is a Brownie, so those are the girls that I led, my co-leader's daughter is a Junior, so she led those girls and then we were fortunate enough to have a Daisy mom volunteer to lead those girls. Altogether at the end of the year we had a total of 22 girls, which was a lot. We also were lucky enough to have a lot of parents that were very active this year and were more than willing to jump in to help.

Since, this was our very first camping trip and I had no idea what to expect I enlisted the help of the troop parents. We had 13 of them going to camp with us (since it was most of the girls first weekend trip) so I split them up in to groups and each group planned a snack, a meal, and and activity. It worked out really well.

We arrived at the camp about 6:00 pm and once we were all checked in we let the girls move into their bunkbeds and get their things situated. I recommended that the girls pack their things in a Rubbermaid container so that if anything spilled or was wet everything didn't get wet. I'm so glad that I did that, because we had a few times that things spilled on top of the bins or from bunks and everything would have been wet if they were in bags.

Our first activity of the weekend was to decorate our camp shirts. We had "Camp Playfair, Troop 71596, 2015" and a little girl roasting a marshmallow over a fire on the front. They came out adorable thanks to one of my Brownie moms. 

When we were finally done with our shirts (they took a long time) we decided to start a fire and make a few snacks. There were 3 moms that were in charge of this nights snack and they definitely delivered with hobo pies and popcorn over the fire. The girls loved that they could put whatever they wanted in the pies (we had apple filling, pizza ingredients and cheese). 

 

The one thing that I would change for the first night at camp, was I would make our activity more active. When it was time to go to bed it was a little bit of a nightmare. The girls weren't very tired at all and most of us didn't get much sleep. The mom's were able to sleep in the room with the girls (many of them didn't want to sleep away from their parent), but because of this the girls kept us up  most of the night (mostly my daughter and a few others). So, for next year I will probably plan a very active event for when we get there and a filling snack or even dinner...tire them out and fill them up! Overall our first night was successful and we were all excited for the rest of the weekend.

More to come...

Stitch Fix #4 // Brighter Color Requests

I received my 4th fix a week ago and this was a definite winner! I left my stylist a note that was a little speciifc, bright colors, a dress, tunic, and romper, but also told her that I trusted her to send me things that I would love and would look good on me; that's her job after all, right?

For those that aren't familiar with Stitch Fix I will give you a quick synopsis of how it works. 

1. First you will start out by filling out your Style Profile. You'll answer questions about your sizes, your color and print preferences, your preferred items (tops, bottoms, jewelry), and what you think your style is. 

2. Next you'll schedule when you want to receive your first fix. You will also decide how often you want to receive your fixes, ever 2-3 weeks, every month, every other month, or every 3 months, at this time. Don't worry you can change this if you need/want to any time. You can also write a little note to your stylist at this time.

3. You will get a shipping notice and tracking number when your fix ships so that you can stalk the delivery man ;) When this happens your card will be charged a $20 styling fee. The $20 styling fee will get credited towards your purchase. I always recommend buying at least one thing from your fix so that you don't lose this fee.

4. When you receive your fix you will have 3 business days to try everything on and decide what you want to keep and what you want to send back. The great thing about Stitch fix is that the shipping is free. They will enclose a bag that you just put the clothes in and put right in the mail, simple. You will also go to your account and checkout. You will tell them what you liked and didn't like about each piece and you also have a chance to write a little note. 

So, on to my 4th fix review...

41Hawthorne - Moni Abstract Chevron Stud Detail Blouse, $58 (KEPT)

I wasn't sure if I was going to like the top when I saw that I was getting it (tip: you can peek once your fix is shipped). I had seen a lot of other people getting it and loving it, but I just wasnt sure. However, when I got it and put it on, it is very comfortable and light weight, so you can still wear it even in the warmer weather. I can definitely see myself wearing this a lot come Fall with a pair of skinny jeans and tall boots.

Brixon Ivy - Priya Abstract Floral Print Knit Back Tank, $48 (KEPT)

I had asked for bright colors in my fix and this top definitely delivered. I hadn't seen it before I googled it and was pleasantly surprised. I am not necessarily a flower girl, but I feel like these are so abstract that they don't feel all flower/feminine/girly like. 

Brixon Ivy - Bernadino Split Neck Blouse, $58 (KEPT)

I also asked for a tunic in my fix this month and was sent this beautiful one. I love the colors and the patterns. I had asked for a tunic to wear with leggings and this doesn't necessarily fit that category, because it's not long enough for my liking, however I absolutely loved it and can definitely wear it with other things, shorts and jeans in the Fall. 

Pixley - William Dress, $64 (KEPT)

Last month I asked for them to send me a dress and the hit the mark on the casual dress preference, but not the style that I think looks good on my. This month I asked them to send me another one and they hit the mark on the style, higher waste and shorter length, as well as the color (color seems to be my go to in the summer), but it is a little too fancy for my stay at home mom lifestyle. I did keep it, because my husband and I are trying to go out on more dates, but I am going to ask for a dress again in my next fix in hopes that I will get one that is casual and the right style. 

Pixley - Frida Romper, $68 (KEPT)

I really wanted a romper in this fix. I had seen a few, but when I saw that it was this one that I was getting I was a little worried. The picture I saw of this looked like it was a thick material, but when I actually got it and felt it, it's definitely not. It's a light weight satiny like material. Very cool, even in really hot weather. I loved the way that it fell at my waist and hid my wider hips. The colors are very pretty too. 

Overall, I loved this fix. Not everything hit the mark, but after the 25% discount, and a $50 credit for referrals, I only ended up paying $172 for my fix, which ends up to be about $34.40 per item, not bad!

What do you think of my items? What would you have kept or sent back/sold? Want to try your own fix? Click on my link on the right side of this post and fill out your own style profile!

Stitch Fix #1-#3 // Stitch Fix Firsts

I have recently jumped on the Stitch Fix bandwagon and instantly fell in love. You see I love clothes, but with 3 kids it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to go clothing shopping and come out with things that fit AND I love. Plus, I'm still not positive what flatters my body and what doesn't. On top of those things, what woman wouldn't want a stylist picking out clothes specifically for her and her body type. 

So, since I have had so many compliments on the clothes I've received from my "fixes" I decided that I would start doing reviews of my boxes when I get them. Now, I've already gotten 4 fixes so I'm not going to do 4 different reviews, however I am going to do my first 3 in this post and a separate for #4 and ones I get going forward. 

For those that aren't familiar with Stitch Fix I will give you a quick synopsis of how it works. 

1. First you will start out by filling out your Style Profile. You'll answer questions about your sizes, your color and print preferences, your preferred items (tops, bottoms, jewelry), and what you think your style is. 

2. Next you'll schedule when you want to receive your first fix. You will also decide how often you want to receive your fixes, ever 2-3 weeks, every month, every other month, or every 3 months, at this time. Don't worry you can change this if you need/want to any time. You can also write a little note to your stylist at this time.

3. You will get a shipping notice and tracking number when your fix ships so that you can stalk the delivery man ;) When this happens your card will be charged a $20 styling fee. The $20 styling fee will get credited towards your purchase. I always recommend buying at least one thing from your fix so that you don't lose this fee.

4. When you receive your fix you will have 3 business days to try everything on and decide what you want to keep and what you want to send back. The great thing about Stitch fix is that the shipping is free. They will enclose a bag that you just put the clothes in and put right in the mail, simple. You will also go to your account and checkout. You will tell them what you liked and didn't like about each piece and you also have a chance to write a little note. 

So, on to my first few fixes...

Left side: Papermoon - Bastille Tulip Sleeve Blouse, $38 (KEPT) & Romolo - Laguna Mixed Metal Square Layering Necklace $28 (KEPT)

Right side: Collective Concepts - Rosco Floral Print Crochet Detail Tank, $58 (KEPT), Pixley - Abriella Waffle Knit Cardigan, $48 (KEPT), & Dear John - Finnegan Roll Cuff Short, & 58 (KEPT)

Love, love, love all 5 of my pieces in my first fix. I was very lucky. Because I kept all 5 of the pieces I got a 25% discount on my total, which helps a TON! The black top is perfect for a casual dinner out or even dressed up for date night and the necklace is the perfect compliment for almost anything considering it is several metals together. The cardigan is absolutely perfect for Michigan evenings. It gets really hot during the day during the summers, but at night it can get fairly cold so, sitting around a bonfire roasting smores sometimes you need a little more warmth. The top is beautiful and you can't see it completely in this picture, but the back is crochet also and I love those details. I typically have trouble finding shorts that look cute, but aren't really big in my waist and tight in my hips and thighs, but these Dear John ones are amazing. They are comfortable and chic too!

Left side: Papermoon - Waters Printed Maxi Dress, $68 (KEPT) & Romolo - Munroe Feather Pendant Necklace, $28 (RETURNED)

Right Top: Kut from the Kloth - Kate Distressed Boyfriend Jean, $78 (RETURNED) & Papermoon - Alandra Knit Tee, $44 (RETURNED)

Right Bottom: Brixon Ivy - Fallon Mixed Print Sleeveless Blouse, $44 (KEPT)

My second fix was a 3 out of 5 for me. I absolutely loved the dress as soon as I put it on. It was very slimming and perfect for casual summer  nights. The boyfriend jeans and the tee were nice, but I couldn't see myself reaching for these jeans a lot (especially during the summer) and the tee was a little pricey for a tee. The sleeveless top I was very on the fence about, but my friends and family (I surveyed them) love it and I am so glad that I kept it, because I find myself reaching to put it on ALL the time now.

Left Side: Brixon Ivy - Pinson Drape Cardigan, $54 (KEPT), Pixley - Gonzalez Double Strap Tank, $44 (KEPT), & Kut from the Kloth - Carie Distressed Cut Off Short, $58 (KEPT)

Right Top: Skies Are Blue - Scribe Ruffle Front Blouse, $48 (KEPT)

Right Bottom: Gilli - Arisha Striped Dress, $38 (KEPT - SOLD)

My 3rd fix I asked for pieces that I could wear for our upcoming Traverse City trip. I definitely got a few, but they didn't all work for me. I ended up keeping all of the pieces, however the dress I sold and the green top I kept to sell, but didn't end up selling it. The cardigan was absolutely perfect. I had pinned it to my Stitch Fix Pinterest Board (you can put this in your Style Profile for your stylist to see) and was elated when I saw it in my box. It is a lightweight material, perfect for Michigan nights. The tank top is beautiful and definitely hits the "colorful pieces" mark. It also has a double strap detail that is unique. The shorts fit wonderfully, which I normally have a very hard time finding. The green top I liked, it had a nice front detail, however I have 2 newer tank tops hanging in my closet that are this exact color, which does show that my stylist is starting to know my style. The dress looks nice in this picture on me, however I am not a fan of this length on me. I prefer above my knee or all the way to my ankles. I was able to keep this and sell it to someone on one of the Facebook Stitch Fix boards I am apart of. Because I was able to sell the dress I still got the 25% discount (I passed this discount on to the buyer). 

So, there are my first 3 fixes. As I said I am absolutely hooked. I just received my 4th fix last weekend and will be posting that in a future post. Want to try your first fix? Click on the link on my sidebar to try it out. I guarantee you'll be hooked too.

** I do not have any affiliation with Stitch Fix. This is just my honest opinion. I do however get a $25 referral credit for people that click on my link and sign up for the service, when their first fix ships. You can get this too!!

Why This Blog, Why Now

Why Choose Now

I know that you are not sitting in your chair or your car or you bed wondering this, but I am.

I've tried to start a blog before, but somewhere between marriage, motherhood, and mortgages it just never stuck. So, why now? I find myself asking that...how is now different?

Because.

Since I tell my children that "because" is not a reason, I will try to express my reasoning. I feel like I need to find my voice again. I feel like I have something to say...even if no one else wants to listen. But who knows, maybe someone will. Maybe someone else will read what I'm writing and get it. They will be going through the same thing, or feeling the same way, or in the same place in life. What's there to lose?

There will be a lot of different things that I will post on. Children, marriage, life in general. Sometimes the posts may be quick and not have a whole lot of organization to them, other times they will be thought out and precise. Every time though they will be honest. I hope that in some way I help someone else out there to feel a little less alone, a little less crazy, and a little more normal...if so, you definitely have a friend and support here.