Sponges

Yesterday on our way home from church my 4 yr old noticed an Enterprise car rental place. Immediately after her saying "There's an Enterprise!" My 6 yr old said "We'll pick you up." I was so shocked that Bek knew what Enterprise was and even more that Han knew the slogan for this company! I don't think we've rented a car in several years and I don't even think it was from enterprise then. This got me really thinking... We don't usually let them watch tv with commercials. They typically watch either PBS or Netflix. So I don't think they regularly hear the commercial for Enterprise. But obviously only hearing that slogan a few times stuck with them. It was a great reminder that our kids are sponges. And that everything we say and do affects them. That they really are watching us.


It made me wonder what they think my "slogan" is? What do they typically associate with hearing my name? What do they think their mom most frequently says to them? I pray that it's not "Go away" or "Stop bothering me". I'm not saying I never say those things, but I don't feel like I frequently use those phrases with them.  I hope it's "I love you!" I pray that its "Jesus loves you, and I love Jesus!" 


I'm thankful for those little reminders that our job as a parent isn't just about their needs right now, but really shaping them to be who they will be in the future. As for me... I'm going to be working up the courage to ask my kids what they think my slogan is! 

Mom- I forgot...

Have you ever had your kid tell you the night before that they need something for school the next morning? Well this isn't the first time this has happened, but bc my girls are still little it hasn't happened that often. Thurs night Bekah informed me that she needed a Snowman shirt for Friday morning for pre-school. So after a quick trip to Target and Old Navy left me empty handed I thought "I can make one!" I promise you that that thought has NEVER entered my head before bc "crafty" certainly isn't an adjective that I would use to describe myself. But thanks to some really special friends and my bestie the last couple of months I've discovered a love of crafting. In fact at one point we did a sewing project for our Mom group and I had someone else sew mine. I had zero interest in sewing. It's amazing how our interests change! I love the challenge that these little projects present and I love how my girls look when they tell someone with pride "My mom made it!" I love that in some small way I get to show my girls how much I love them by making them something as simple as a shirt. 

So here is her snowman shirt:

So what has your kid asked you to do the day before it was due? <3

New Year New You Blog Resolutions

Ok maybe I'm not the only one who hates the thought of New Years resolutions. I hate the thought of starting something knowing that I'm probably going to give up on in a few weeks. Every year I say 'This year will be different..." knowing full well that it won't be. For the last 9 months I've been on a fitness/weight loss journey. I've been successful at times, and struggled at other times. I've lost a little over 50 pounds, knowing that I still have a long way to go on  my journey.  


The entire time I've said that I didn't want it to be just a physical journey, but a mental/spiritual one as well. So for the last week I've made it a point to get up before the kids get up and do a work out, take a shower and have my devotions. I was already doing all of those thing, just not in that order, or before the kids got up. I can't even begin to tell you how making this small change in my routine has made me feel. I feel so different, but I'm not really doing anything different. It's amazing how such a small change can make you feel. 


So my new years resolution is simple, to continue my journey towards physical and spiritual fitness. I pray that if you have a new years resolution you'll have success! Just remember it takes 30 days to make a habit... :o)

Its been a while...

I'm sorry it's been so long since I last posted! Let me show you what I've been up to...

I decided this year to do a mostly handmade Christmas. And thanks to all of the wonderful people in blogland (and Pinterest) I didn't have to search very hard for ideas. So here are a few of the projects that I did, well I didn't actually remember to take pictures, so here are the originals that I was inspired by. ;o)

A super hero cape and mask for my nephew: Mine for the Making Cape

My mom and sis in law got silhouettes like these:71 toes (scroll down to the bottom)

My grandmother got a wreath inspired by this one: Craftaholics Wreath

I also took on the task of making Hannah a Strawberry Shortcake outfit for her birthday party. Thankfully this I have pictures of, but here is the site where I found the tutorial. Strawberry Shortcake Costume from Me Sew Crazy

And I'm not quite finished yet... I still have several pairs of pajamas to finish up before Christmas day and a couple of small projects for teachers and my in-laws. So we're going to be working right up to the last minute around here.

Here are a few pics from the Strawberry Shortcake party. My friend Toni and I threw a joint party for our two girls. She is in the process of moving but I'm sure once she gets settled she'll post a blog post here. But here are a couple of pics.

The birthday girls Cadence, 4 and Hannah, 6

Here's wishing you all a very Berry (Sorry I've still got Strawberry Shortcake on the brain...) Merry Christmas!!! Love to all! :o)

Happy birthday Dad!

Today is my dad, David's 55th birthday. So I thought I'd share some of my favorite things about my dad with you. My dad was the kind of dad growing up that you could always count on to be on the sideline of whatever event you were having. No matter what sport or band or school activity we participated in my dad made sure to show up, most of the time he'd even drive the bus.  I remember one time when we were in elementary school that my dad made 3 different trips to school to pick each of us up on his motorcycle bc he knew we'd enjoy riding with him like that. My dad also was always willing to defend us to whomever we felt wronged by. To my dad family was always very important.

My dad was the kind of dad that at the end of a hard day you could always crawl up in his lap and he'd wrap his arms around you and whisper "It's all gonna be ok baby girl. No matter what the problem is, tomorrow is still gonna come and it's all going to be ok!" Some days I'd give anything to be able to go back to those days when my problems were as insignificant as when I had an argument with a friend at school.

My dad also made sure that faith was important to us. He and mom together not only took us to church but modeled a relationship with Christ. I believe that a father's role in a daughter's life certainly is one of the most important and I'm thankful that my father cared enough to be in our lives and make sure we knew we were loved. I wish we saw my dad more often now and if I could change one thing in life, that would be it.

So happy birthday Dad. May your year be filled with joy and blessings! I love you!!!! :o)

Happy Fall Y'all!

I've been remiss at posting pics of the girls... It's been a crazy busy couple of months so here are a few highlights.  Here's how life in the Mitchell house really goes:

Bek continues her self portraiture

Sarah Grace isn't happy to be in the stroller

Hannah lost two teeth...

making that a total of 4 missing teeth (All I want for Christmas...)

 A friend of mine from college made the girls matching shirts for our beach trip that never happened (Thank you hurricane irene). So I got a couple of pics of them wearing them one day.

Check out her blog here: Sew Sweet Giggles

here's the applique up close. They're soooo sweet! :o)

Halloween... well what can I say... The girls dressed up in their flower girl dresses (I'm all about reusing things) and were all excited to go to the Fall Festival at HOP and it rained so hard all they got to do was toss a couple of bean bags and collect some candy. The most important part was the candy! So after we begged a guy to fill up their baskets we quickly headed for home where we hosted a few friends for a soggy after party. The kids could have cared less about missing the festivities but boy they sure checked over their candy several times! The parents sure had a good time "checking the safety" of the candy as well! Sarah Grace was going to be dressed as a bumble bee but she never made it into her costume bc of the rain. She stayed nice and dry in the stroller. So here are a few pics of the flower girls, or as they preferred to call themselves yesterday Fairy Princesses. :o)

Sarah Grace turns 1 yrs old in a few days... my how time flies! Happy Fall Y'all!

The heartbreak of infant loss

The heartbreak of infant loss... This truly says it all. Our little boy, Jack, would have been 7 in February.

The heartbreak of infant loss
By Laura Schubert

Oct. 6, 2011 |(10) Comments

Did you know that October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month? I'll bet not. Despite the infant mortality crisis that's been at the forefront of Milwaukee's public health news for months, the only people who have more than a cursory comprehension of what it means to lose a baby are those who've lived it.

Infant loss is nature's cruelest practical joke. It's investing all of the required time and effort into pregnancy, only to be robbed of the result. It's cradling a body that grew within your own and trying to reconcile the cold, lifeless form in your arms with your memory of the baby who turned double flips in your womb.

It's worrying that you'll forget what your child looked like and snapping an album's worth of photos that no one will ever ask to see. It's sobbing so hard you can't breathe and wondering if it's possible to cry yourself to death.

Infant loss is handing off a Moses basket to the nurse who's drawn the unfortunate duty of delivering your pride and joy to the morgue and walking out of a hospital with empty arms.

It's boxing up brand new baby clothes and buying a 24-inch casket. It's sifting through sympathy cards, willing your foolish body to stop lactating, clutching your baby's blanket to your chest in hopes of soothing the piercing ache in your heart.

It's resisting the urge to smack the clueless individuals who compare your situation to the death of their dog or who tell you you'll have another baby, as if children are somehow replaceable.

Infant loss is explaining to your 7-year-old that sometimes babies die and being stumped into silence when she asks you why. It's watching other families live out your happy ending and fighting a fresh round of grief with every milestone you miss.

It's being shut out of play groups for perpetuity. It's skipping social events with expectant and newly minted mothers because, as a walking worst-case scenario, you don't want to put a damper on the party.

It's listening to other women gripe about motherhood and realizing that you no longer relate to their petty parental complaints because, frankly, when you've buried a baby, a sleepless night with a vomiting toddler sounds something like a gift.

Infant loss is pruning from your life the friends and relatives who ignore or minimize your loss. It's recognizing that, while they may not mean to be hurtful, the fact that they don't know any better doesn't make their utter lack of empathy one whit easier to bear.

My baby girl would have been 5 years old this month. I don't know what she'd look like, what her favorite food would be. I've never had the privilege of tucking her into bed, taking her to the zoo or kissing her boo-boos. I will never watch her graduate or walk down the aisle.

Infant loss is more than an empty cradle. It's a life sentence.

Laura Schubert of New Berlin is a mother, teacher and two-time breast cancer survivor. Email ljschubert@aol.com