A Reader Comment That I Need to Address

I received a comment the other day from a reader that I want to address. I had sent out an email highlighting some posts I thought would be helpful for the back to school season like first day of school signs, 20 ground beef recipes, etc or something like that. Then a long time reader left a comment. I know she is a long time reader, because I remember her leaving me a comment years and years ago.

Her original comment was back on a post about life with young children, family and my thoughts on it all. The reader really enjoyed these posts. She said that they make her excited for someday when she is married and has a family of her own.

So in response to that email, she told me that while she loves the things we have made and are sharing, she really misses those posts about life. She didn’t know if I would remember her, but she wanted me to know that she is now married with a beautiful 16 month old boy.

There are many of you who “grew up with my family”. Watched me grow babies, have babies, struggle through raising babies. Who have seen me rearrange and redecorate my house a million times. Who have come along on so many of our family adventures.

And I have so much to tell you that I don’t even know where to start. Life has been nothing short of amazing, and crazy around here. I share so much of our life on Instagram, so if you aren’t following me there, you should!

For starters, summer was amazing. My kids had the kind of summer I remember as a child. At the start of the summer a 7-year-old boy moved in behind us. The very first neighborhood friend my children have ever had. He practically lived at our house this summer.

One night, after going to bed, Quinn asked me what the best thing was that ever happened to me. Of course, my family, was my answer. He told me making his new friend was the best thing that ever happened to him. I remember that feeling so well with my dear friend Emily.

Needless to say, the kids spent a ton of time playing with their new friend, which made them feel like they were always doing something and having some sort of new adventure with minimal effort from me.

It was such a hot summer that we finally caved and decided to get a pool. Turned out all the store shelves were empty! We ended up ordering this one off of Amazon (affiliate link) and it was such a hit. Even our elderly neighbor stopped me yesterday to tell me how much fun she had watching the kids play in that pool all summer. I guess sometimes, when you are surrounded by all the noise and giggles and joy of children, you forget how fleeting it all is.

Speaking of fleeting, the kids had their first day of school on Thursday!! Quinn started second grade. Montessori multi-age classrooms meant he was going back to the same teacher and class, which made for an incredibly easy transition.

Eleanor, who was just a few months old when I started this blog, started Kindergarten!! She too, was going back to the same class/teacher but now she is extended day! So when the morning friends (4k and preschool) go home, she stays for lunch and an afternoon of lessons. She is incredibly excited about eating lunch at school and being the “big kid”.

The new preschool friends are starting one by one and Hudson starts on Thursday. He will go from 8:30-11:30 and will be in Eleanor’s class. He is really excited. Anyone who follows this blog knows that he has challenged me as a parent. I have to tell you guys that he has grown so much. He just continues to amaze me. He is so sweet and fun and I’m really going to miss my mornings with him. I cannot believe it will just be me and Fiona!!

Fiona is really going to miss her loud and crazy brother’s and sister. She can crawl, but despises it. She is really into clapping and waving and eating. Her favorite foods are bananas and string cheese. She babbles and things we swear we have heard her say include: all done. hi daddy. hi! and cat.

Just like last year, Quinn and Eleanor are playing soccer and Eleanor will continue in ballet. September is going to be crazy busy, because aside from the start of school, soccer and dance, I will be flying out to Utah for the DoTerra One conference.

I started this blog on a crazy whim. Looking back, mostly as a place to share and connect and have something that was mine. As a new mom with two young children at home who had just quit her job as a teacher, I really needed it for me. It turned out to be the best gift I have ever given myself or my family.

This blog has provided income when we so desperately needed it and it has pushed me so far out of my comfort zone. I have grown and learned new skills and by far, the coolest part, is the relationships I have made along the way. As we look into our family’s future and our goals, we knew that flexibility and the ability to be there for our children is still a top priority.

The most amazing group of leaders approached me about a new team they were starting with DoTerra and invited me to join. I took the leap. My goal is to empower families and specifically, to give moms safe, effective & natural solutions for their homes and to show them they can build something for themselves and their family without sacrificing who they are or who they want to be as a mother.

Part of this big adventure is leaving my family for a week in September to meet with my team and attend this conference. This is the longest I will have ever been away from my children and makes this September that much more crazy! To learn more about this adventure you visit me at my site, on Facebook or on Instagram.

While my favorite part of being a mom, us- all-together is over, I’m really excited to watch the ways in which we all grow and change. We all have so much to learn!