When you can't choose just one....

Tonight I have to bring dinner and dessert for life group. Every week that I have to bring dinner I end up in the kitchen practically all day. This normally isn't really much of an issue except that this week has just been crazy busy and I just don't really feel like being in the kitchen all day, wouldn't have much time to get everything accomplished that I have on my to do list ;)

So tonight I'm bringing Chinese. Yummy! I don't know about you but I LOVE Chinese food! The only thing I have to make is dessert. Now for the hard part...what to bring? Of course I did what any loving and possibly crazy wife/mother would do. I asked my family. Didn't I know that this is the Stevens family and nobody EVER wants the same thing?! What was I thinking?

Matt wanted peanut butter Oreo dessert, Gavin wanted tried and true brownies, and Megan wanted "pink cake". I did my best to get people to compromise. I told Matt... we had Oreo balls last week! I told Gavin... we have brownies ALOT! I told Megan... Mommy really wants pink cake too honey but Gavin and Daddy want ______.  Yeah I know, pretty convincing arguments huh? So what's a girl to do when everyone wants something different? Do I make peanut butter Oreo dessert? Or fudge brownies? Or strawberry refrigerator cake? Also known to Megan as pink cake.

Once in a while.... you just gotta.... GO FOR IT! After all, with 17 different people, there is bound to be someone who wants exactly what Matt wanted, or maybe what Gavin wanted, or maybe what Megan and Mommy wanted! And... if not.... that leaves for some yummy leftovers!

Kids Day 2013

When Gavin was 3 years old he asked a question that would spark a tradition in our family that we have now been doing for 4 years. "When is Kid's Day? There's a Mother's Day, there's a Father's Day, Grandparents day... everything... so when is kids day?" Of course our first reaction was everyday is Kids Day! But as we really sat and thought about it, that really isn't true. Other than their birthday, they don't get a day where they are celebrated for how important they are in the family. They don't get to choose the food we eat or get a present. It was at that time that Kids Day was created. We decided to celebrate Kids Day the last Saturday of August. (Yes, I already know... this year the last Saturday is on the 31st.)  In years past we have always gone to a completely FREE yet super fun event called the Kids Spectacular at the NC Fairgrounds but this year we decided to switch it up a little. We didn't really have the money for big vacations this year so most of the things we were able to do were small weekend trips. With school starting back for Gavin, we decided to celebrate Kids Day and have our last hurrah of the summer. Saturday we headed to Fantasy Lake Water Park.  Everyone had ALOT of fun... well... except Matt. He was suffering from what he thinks was food poisoning after eating at Red Robin on Friday. Boo! Anyway.. here are some of the pictures taken that day!

 

No celebration is complete without balloons!

 

 

Or presents!

 

 

Pancakes and food coloring of their choice yogurt by request...

 

 

Lots of playing in the water

 

 

Will make for some good naps!

 

 

And unfortunately some sunburns!

 

 

 

Overall, it was an awesome day as a family celebrating two very special kids and what they mean to this family!

 

 

The First Day of Second Grade...

 

Today my boy started second grade! I can't even believe that this is happening! How is he old enough for second grade. Scratch that.... how am I old enough to have a second grader?!

Gavin was super excited (and a little bit nervous) this morning. Megan, unlike last year, was all smiles. Although she will definitely miss playing with him, she is super happy to be the "only child" during the day again! And mommy... yeah, well... although I've been counting down the days until he started, I definitely got a knot in my stomach as I walked away from his classroom and in true emotional Lauren fashion... a few tears were shed. These kids may drive me crazy but I sure do love them a ton and I feel blessed to have this chance to be at home and to spend so much time with them!

Second grade comes with new rules, expectations, friends, etc. So as my boy begins this new school year I want him to remember these 5 things...

1. Don't worry about what everyone else thinks. Just be yourself and don't try to change for anyone! You are an AWESOME kid and people will like you for who you are!

2. You are capable. Don't worry about the hard stuff. Ask for help when you need it and just do your best! You thought first grade was "gonna be sooo hard" but you made it through it... and very well I might add! There are lots of people who will help and support you along the way.

3. Don't worry about the bullies, the kids who call you names, or treat you bad. "Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too!"

4. Everybody has bad days. Nobody is perfect. If you don't get the best grade, if you make a bad choice, or you just are feeling down... it's not the end of the world. There's always tomorrow.

5. You are LOVED! By so many people and most importantly by God.  Always know, that no matter what happens or what choices you make, you will never stop being loved!

The Library Rocks!

My kids LOVE going to the library. Whether it's going for a special story time or just going to pick out books. We go every Wednesday and my kids get super excited to pick out their own books! I'm pretty sure we leave every week with at least 30 books if not more! And the crazy thing is... we always read them! Now when you pick that many books in a week you can get some pretty interesting books. I do my best to preview their book choices but occasionally I'll miss a couple and we end up coming home with books like...

 

Yeah... that one was just a lovely read. But hey, it's true... everyone poops! Occasionally the kids will pick a book that they absolutely LOVE! Maybe it's super funny, maybe it has fun rhymes, or maybe it just appealed to them in this season that they're in. When we find one of those books I do my best to add it to the list of "make sure we buy this one!" This past week, the kids picked up a book and fell IN LOVE with it. I'm not gonna lie... this books is AWESOME! If you get a chance make sure you check it out. It's' informative, educational, and SUPER FUN to look through no matter what your age!

 



 

Seriously... how fun is that?

 

 I've been really trying to study for my Praxis II test (because apparently I'm not nearly as smart as one would think) and I had requested a study book be sent to the Wake Forest location. When I went in this week to pick it up I found out about another awesome aspect of Wake County libraries! As I was checking out my book, the lady asked me if I knew about the Praxis prep test offered on their website. Ummmm, NO! Turns out they have a prep test on their website (and for that matter a BUNCH of different school related, job related, you name it practice tests) for FREE!!! Those practice test books at Barnes and Noble are like $40! Needless to say I was thrilled and plan on taking advantage of that lovely service at some point next week! A big THANK YOU to the nice librarian for sharing such helpful information and a big high five to Wake County Public Library for giving me yet another reason to love you!

Comparison....

I think we all deal with comparison to some degree or another. However, I guess I feel like as a mom it is so much worse! I constantly find myself comparing myself, my family, the way I do things, choices, etc. to everyone else. Although one may believe that I am independent and unaffected by others, this just isn't true. To be honest... deep down inside... there is this part of me that wants to make everyone happy all the time! It shows up in my life in some of the stupidest ways....
For example:
* I often find myself worrying that if I don't reply to every tweet, comment on facebook, or email that people will get mad. Or maybe they will think I'm mad at them. Or maybe they just won't talk to me anymore
* I worry about telling people no. I might offend them by not going to a birthday party, helping with an event, etc. and we'll never be invited or sought out again
*After meeting new people, I wonder... What did they think about me? Did I come off too strong?
* Does my kids behavior make people never want us to show up anywhere for anything?

I know it's really petty. And just writing about it reveals how incredibly silly it sounds. But it's true. Comparison has become my reality. In fact, even when I do the best I know how to, even when I make a decision I feel comfortable with, sometimes I find myself back peddling just because of comparison.

I felt extremely comfortable in my decision to quit my job and stay at home with the kids. Well... until another mom questioned why I send my kids to the dreaded public school if I'm gonna be at home all the time. After all... isn't my degree in education?

Although I'm sure there are side effects to our food choices, my family seems to be fairing out pretty well. We make good choices when we can (and when the bank account allows) and also have our fair share of not so great for you things. I felt comfortable with allowing my children to eat McDonalds from the food court on a crazy afternoon. Well until another mom sat down beside me and pulled out a brown bagged lunch of super healthy (and I'm sure all organic) food and proceeded to give me the "I cant believe you would let them eat that!" look from across the table. Mom fail.

I understood that our family was in a way financially that didn't allow for big, exciting vacations. I was ok with just taking mini weekend vacations over the summer. Until another mom started talking of the elaborate Disney vacation they were going on shortly after school started.

Why do I let comparison get to me? I know I shouldn't, but I do. So to all of you moms who just have your act together, good for you. Please remember that what's good for your family isn't always what's best for other families and that when you flaunt your business everywhere it really feels more like you are just rubbing it in our faces!

On a another note...tonight Gavin meets his 2nd grade teacher for the first time! While Gavin is super excited, this momma has huge anxiety! I really hope his teacher this year is as amazing on his 1st grade teacher was!

Here is our usual "Meet The Teacher Night" gift we bring each year. This year we added hand sanitizer bottles to our monogram soap bottles. I actually like the sanitizer ones better believe or not!

I didn't realize how much I missed blogging...

Yep, it's true! My friend made the choice to start a blog for her family instead of posting her whole life on Facebook and it was just enough to jog my memory of when I used to blog. I immediately went back to my blog and basically "relived" my life over again. It was so refreshing and I'm so glad I did. Then I saw an advertisement online and saw that you can actually have your blog put into a book! How neat is that? Needless to say. I got the itch. So here I am. Here's hoping I can stick with it because honestly... some things are worth remembering!