Girl Maker

Being a “girl maker,” or mom of girls, is one of my favorite parts of my life.  No doubt, I would love boys too, but so far I’ve been dealt the girl card, and I’m pretty happy about it!  View More: http://staycsmartphotography.pass.us/boldbeautifullife

There are SO many things I have learned from raising my babes so far, and it’s clear to me everyday that I have so much more to learn.  I’m ok with that, though!  There are some important things I want my girls to glean. Being kind and compassionate, including to yourself, is a big one!  View More: http://staycsmartphotography.pass.us/boldbeautifullife

I loved this GIRL MAKER tee from Revol Roots because it connected to my heart.  It is made of the most comfortable material and I love how simple it is!  I wear it all the time!

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I’m going to get real here.  I’ve had to learn a few things the hard way, and as a result, my parenting style has changed quite a bit these last couple years.  I used to parent a lot out of fear.  Mainly fear that I wouldn’t teach them something they needed to know, or that they would grow up lacking some major component of life I hadn’t given them. I put so much unnecessary stress into my life everyday, even though my intentions were pure.  My stress, of course, was not helping my children to be carefree, happy, and confident like I wanted them to be.  Haha like I had been stressing to teach them to be! Thankfully, I hit my knees in prayer and was guided to some books that helped me come to a pretty clear realization…The only way for me to truly teach them, is for me to be what I want them to be.  It was daunting and overwhelming at first.  I was in a place where I knew I had a lot to work on, in many ways.  Being kind to myself was not even something I was comfortable with.  Looking back on it now, it’s hard to wrap my head around the daily thoughts and conversations I allowed to roll around in my brain, and even vocalize to myself.  No wonder I was feeling inadequate as a wife, mother, homemaker, daughter, sister, friend, etc.  Sadly, I was telling myself I was inadequate in almost every way with the hope that it would somehow motivate me to do better.  Hence the fear of not raising my girls “right.”View More: http://staycsmartphotography.pass.us/boldbeautifullife

It has taken daily prayer, and intentional action every single day for the last couple years, but I’m finally in a place where I am kind to myself.  I’m not perfect by any means, and I catch myself slipping all the time.  All it takes, though, is one look in my daughter’s eyes to bring me back. (Or my sweet husband not letting us leave until I appologize to myslef for the self-depreciating comment I made 🙂 )  The best and most effective way to teach, in my opinion, is by example.  I feel like one of the greatest gifts I, as a mother, can give my daughters is to embody the things I am trying to teach them.  At first it seemed selfish to me to put so much effort in my improvement, but it has made such a difference!

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Our home has become so much more relaxed and encouraging, the more confident I become in my imperfection.  I want my girls to know how beautiful and special they are, be confident, and the rest will come! I love being a GIRL MAKER!Girl maker t shirt- gray v neck! Girl mom shirt!

Have a wonderful week! XO

Photos by Stayc Smart

Day 4 Eliminate and Enhance: Pull Through Braid

Day 4! Today I’m going to show you a simple pull through braid that is great for any occasion.  I love it for working out because it stays tight, unlike other braids.  Let me know if you have any questions!

1. Make two ponytails.

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2. Split the first ponytail in half.

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3. Pull the second pony through the split and clip it out of the way.

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4. Make a third ponytail and include the hair from the first ponytail.

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5. Unclip the second pony.  It now becomes the first.  Split it in half, and repeat the steps again as many times as you want.

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6. Once you have braided as far as you like, begin to loosen the sections.

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Pull and adjust until you see fit!

The end. Have a wonderful day!

A Fourth of July Treat

Happy almost 4th of July! I love treats. All kinds, really. I love to make them even more than I like to eat them, so I decided for this post to share a quick dessert idea with you.  It feels like it is a million degrees outside, so I wanted something light and refreshing.  This is what I came up with! Start with angel food cake.  I usually make mine from a box, but if you are feeling extra ambitious, go for scratch. Or just buy one!  While cake is baking, whisk together instant vanilla pudding with 1 1/2 cup cold milk.  Refrigerate to let it set. When the cake is cool, cut it into small cubes and layer in the bottom of a dish.  Add blueberries and strawberries on top of cake.  I like my blueberries a little sweeter, so I sprinkled them with sugar before layering them in the dish.  Combine equal parts cool whip with pudding until smooth.  Spoon on top and garnish with a berry!

Hope you have a wonderful holiday and don’t burn anyone with your sparklers!

Don’t mind us, just sitting in the park, eating our treats haha

Photos by BreAna Thomas Photography

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Preschool Graduation

I’m always surprised at how fast time flies. You’d think I could come to expect it by now, but it still catches me off guard.  My little Myla has now officially graduated from preschool and is heading to Kindergarten next year! Crazy.  Part of me feels like she has been a teenager her whole life, and the other part still wants to carry her around on my hip everywhere I go.  She is charming, witty, intelligent, adorable, etc… I really could go on forever. I’m a fan.  So grateful to have this little babe in my life!

She asked me to make her “a b c” cookies for her last day as VIP so we came up with these.  Her requests are getting more and more labor intensive, haha, but she is worth it, right…?

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French and Pull Through Braid Wrap Around

Myla loves getting her hair done.  Well, actually… she loves the bribes I give her to hold still while I do her hair, but kind of the same thing ha.  She is so funny.  I don’t understand how so much personality can fit into such a little body.  Always posing and making jokes, I love her.  I will be posting her hairstyles every now and then because she is too cute to leave out.

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