Friday, February 6, 2015

Lots of love to go around!

Well... we are in the thick of it at the "W" household... it is Birthday and Love season in our home!  So what I mean by this is that literally January 20th kicks off our birthday season!  Jimmy is the 20th of January then comes my sweet Eva with her 6th birthday on the 18th of Feb., little Luna Mae will be 3 on the 26th, and then mine is the 28th... finally!  I laugh because I used to call February "my birthday" month, ( a good excuse for my hubby to feel like he could wrap Valentines and my Birthday into one celebration) and then we ended up having two children born the same month as me! So here we are the season of birthdays and love!  Between trying to plan two parties,  Valentine's Day celebrations, the 100th day of school, running two small businesses (with a potential new one on the way!) my hubby got us a couple of sweet new pets.... wait for it... a mommy and a daddy New Zealand Blacks (bunny wabbits:) Yeah, surprise indeed.  "Babe- I'm headed to the feed store to buy duck food".  Me- "Okay" and hour later...."I almost forgot the duck food, but look what I did get!"- says the man who slept on the couch that night.

Meet Jack Jack.  He is handsome isn't he?  His other half is Violet, also a New Zealand Black but with spots of gray.  They both love carrots and snuggles (Jack Jack even more so). I know what you are thinking... Like we needed one more thing on our plates.... They are sweet and super loveable which means we will have lots of bunnies soon!  So how do we talk about all this love going around. We ARE going to have to explain how these two bunnies made so many more bunnies! In our house being open and honest is our motto. Like everything else we take on in our crazy lives, we want our children to learn from life. Teaching them how through exploration and discussion.  So needless to say if your kiddo needs a lesson on the birds and bees (or rather bunnies) or if you want a bunny of your own, let me know!  We should have some at the shop this Spring! :)

Valentines Day is around the corner and what better time to talk to your babes about LOVE! I know that Hallmark has taken this day and made it so commercialized but look at it from the eyes of your littles.  They get to see their parents showing affection and love to each other, they get to show love to their siblings, parents, grandparents, neighbors, and whomever else is in their life!  It doesn't have to be romantic love. 
Teach our children that with love comes respect and care for one another...

So around our house we start making our cards and love notes all from scratch so that we understand how much work and creativity goes into our creations for our loved ones.. oh and so Hallmark doesn't get a dime! :) Glue, crayons, stamps, paper, oh and pinterest!! are must haves to create all the wonderful crafts. Leaving little hearts all over the house, their lunchboxes, on their food.... wherever I can put it! All signs of love.
This one can be made two ways:
The Martha Stewart way with melted crayons.  Shave your discarded crayons down, put them between two sheets of wax paper, melt with your iron, cut out a heart, hang form your window. :)
The easy way with coffee filters and markers. Have your littles draw a beautiful creation on a large filter, spray the filter with water so that it "bleeds", allow it to dry, tape to your window! 


XOXOXOXOXOOOXXOOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX- Aly!



Friday, January 2, 2015

I get knocked down but I get up again...

What a year it was... 2014.  I cannot tell you how excited I am to begin a new chapter of life! After-all, every year is a new chapter in this journey. With every year, birthday, and experience something can be learned.  Good or bad, these experiences make us who we are. I feel that this last year taught me so many lessons, and as I look into what is to come of this next year, 2015, I keep focusing on the words honesty, hope, and success.

Last years lessons of honesty made me so incredibly humble. The most honest moment I've ever experienced in my almost 35 years was when I realized I had to move my store or shut it down completely. Literally this time last year I had one of those "come to Jesus" talks with my hubby, mother, and father. What are we going to do? Can your small business support my small business' move?  Can we maintain and keep a roof over our heads?   My husband and I looked at finances, savings, not paying myself so that I could afford the move, and then what about our kids? Our oldest, started kindergarten, our youngest old enough to be in a preschool but could we afford it? All questions that many families incur when dealing with LIFE! There was such uncertainty in our little nest.  Truly humbling with the whole year ahead of us with unanswered questions.

Well, clearly we made it.  We made many sacrifices and had help and support from friends and family through every moment. We have friends who took our children when we had to work, picked them up from school, dropped off at the store, helped with dinners, contributed to camping trips, and a family that helped us get away on a vacation so that we wouldn't get burnt out.  Thank you if you are reading this, you know who you are. To ask for help can make an un-modest person like myself extremely quite. I love that you never questioned, you just loved us.  Thank you.






So yes, I truly felt knocked down by last year, but here we are the second day into this new year and I am up... again.  Going to work at my small business; closing early to have a staff party at my house, where my friends (again and not the last time) have come through and helped prepare a dinner so that I can feed and celebrate these amazing women and their families that have helped me get by this past year. I am so hopeful for a wonderful evening as I am hopeful for the year to come.  I am hoping I can keep my resolutions of keeping healthy by running and exercising this year, as well as my resolution of keeping my mind sane by meditating daily, thus creating a healthy me so that I can be successful in business, but most importantly I can be successful in all my roles of motherhood, marriage, friendship, and being me... 



I hope that your 2015 is filled with light and love.  If your 2014 was hard, and you've felt knocked down, get up!  It's a new year and the year of the Sheep.  A tranquil year filled of hope and promise.  

"I am a passive onlooker
I let bygones be bygones
Goodness brings me fortune
I believe in the human race
I understand the meaning of giving
My cup is never empty
I am loyal and just and in others I trust
I AM THE SHEEP"


XO-
Aly