Lately & Links

Happy Summer All! 

Sorry I've been slacking on the updates- Summer at home with two busy kids plus a baby is kinda like being in really fun, chaotic... quicksand. Not getting much done beyond the basic feed-clothe-change diapers-etc. As we speak, I sent the kids outside in the rain with Jon and I have a baby sleeping in my left arm as I slowwwwly type with my right. But such is life with littles!

Anyway, I've some links & some pictures!

I don't know all that much about essential oils, but I do know that this is awesome for mosquito bites (among other things). It literally takes the itch and swelling away and completely worth the price.

Which brings me to my second link: my friend Kayla at Raising a Little River, who recently became a distributer of Young Living Essential oils. She's running a free online class on July 6 if you're interested in learning more- I'll be there for sure!

Even though they have a laughably dumb name, I'll still take a She-Shed. All of 'em.

My mom got us this cooling towel to have on hand for Ollie this summer. We've already used it a bunch of times (90 degree soccer practice, etc, etc...) And I'm all, where have you been all my life over it.

Father's Day was awesome. Especially breakfast.

J took Ollie to his first Red Sox game. It was later declared the first annual :)

Oh, and Papa was there too, so adding perfection to perfection.

At the game.

Waiting for a pop fly.

No pop fly's. Just flagging down a beer vendor. 

My Girls 

Best friends.

Flair.

Dylan had a few more firsts...

Ollie gave Dylan her first scoop of cereal! He was very proud.

Pey gave ger the rest of the bowl. Also very proud, as you can see.

First time at the beach (the lake in our town) We brought enough stuff that we probably could have camped out there all summer. Anyway, a success!

Shade-bathing beauty.

Peyton has become obsessed with face painting...

I bought a $15 face painting kit and it has rocked Pey's world. My college roommate, Jules, who happens to be an artist, surprised us with a visit and Pey now wants to be an artist just like her. Can you guess Pey's medium of choice?

Okay, okay, I'll tell you: It's paint on skin.

Another day, another canvas,

Price?
C'mon. Priceless.
We're talking genius here.

My sister is also kind of a face painting genius.

Another work by my sister.

This kid.

Grey tree frog that Pey found at her friend's house and love-smothered.

Better than rice cereal.

Pretty much broke the internet the day I grammed this one.

My favorite picture of her to date. Also, Petite Soul is restocking these bandits on Monday and I feel like I need to get every size up. 

Garden glove.

He told me he's the bestest golfer in the world and I agree.

If I can, I'd love to post some of the projects & other ways the big kids and I have been keeping busy this summer... but I make no promises as on any given day I can't recall when my last shower was. And with that bit of info...

Smell ya later!

weekend.

So... I've got these great pictures that I took of the kids over the weekend. 

 Saturday's adventure at the strawberry patch and Sunday at the Farmer's Market (which I had been looking forward to all week). Two beautiful days and two beautiful adventures. Or so it would seem. But be sure to read the end, k?

The Strawberry Patch

The Farmer's Market

I feel like I'm pretty honest with you guys, and in that spirit, I have to admit this: While it's true that a picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes those words can be a lie.

Sure, these pictures are true candids- I didn't ask the kids to smile or pose. There were some good parts- some really great parts, even- on each of our outings. It's just...  They don't show Oliver bolting off and demanding to go home every 2 minutes. They don't show Peyton whining and pouting. They don't show the baby crying so hard in the car that I started to cry. Or the kids fighting in line as we tried to pay for the strawberries. Or Jon & I losing our patience with the kids, or with each other.

The weekend, the in-betweens of these great moments that I caught, was rough.

I don't want to be a dark stormy cloud here- especially with so many pictures of beautiful blue skies to share- but I also don't want to come off like our life is as perfect as these pictures seem to suggest. I think that's a very easy thing to do on social media. Even today, I posted one of these pictures on Instagram with some comment like, "Farmer's Market in a Wagon a million exclamation points- heart- heart-heart." So I felt like I should come clean here. And since I'm coming clean, I'll tell you this too: 

I went to bed defeated last night. The kids' behavior over the weekend- which was a mix of wild, disrespectful, and at times downright nasty- put me in a low place, making me seriously question the job I'm doing as a mother. It's really depressing to feel like you're failing at a job that is so important. Really depressing. Being a parent is wonderful and amazing and incredible and {insert every shiny adjective here}... but it's also hard. And scary. And exhausting. 

I have no brilliant revelation here to share. I wish I did. All I have is this:

This morning I woke up. It was gloomy and raining-  nothing like the sunny, beautiful weekend. But when I woke up, it was a new day, and with it, a fresh chance to be a better mom. So there's that.

I'll let you know how it goes.