Guest Post: Stopping to Smell the Roses

Hey Hey Living the Leviner Life readers! How awesome that Anna's little guy is already here, I'm so excited to be able to help a fellow parent out with this guest post while she's enjoying her little man!  I'm Katherine from Irish Italian Blessings, pretty much a super awesome blog about anything.you.can.possibly.imagine with a wee bit of humor. Come say hello, I'll make you laugh, guaranteed or your money back!

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite posts about being a parent, a mom, a busy, on the go, always doing something person and finding the reminder to stop and smell the roses. Enjoy!

(SOURCE)

Life goes by too fast. Every day feels like I'm running a race through Motherhood and Wifeyhood. With school work, play dates, holidays, birthdays, weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, trying to find time to see our friends, time with just Brian and I, fun with the kids, crafting, blogging...are you as exhausted as I am yet? Time for myself...what even is that?! Getting to go to the grocery store alone is like a one man party, as I dance down the aisles flinging things carelessly into my basket that doesn't contain a baby in a car seat and a toddler in the seat.

People always ask me how I have time to do it all and I don't have an answer. I just do it. Sleep is close to non-existent and I'm pretty sure Folgers (you're welcome for the free plug) has had a stock increase ever since Braden was born, with the amount of coffee I'm consuming to feel like a normal human being (you're welcome again, feel free to send me free coffee for life, thanks).

With all these things that I'm already doing, how do I find time to do the things I want to do? I want to continue doing community service for a variety of organizations that pull at my heart. I want to be an Anti Bullying Advocate and I want to raise awareness about School Shootings and offer some support options for people feeling like they have no other choices. I want to write a book. Heck, I WANT to put a few pictures up on my walls that I haven't done since I moved in almost 3 years ago!
There is already so much I have to do, there's little time for things I want to do.

 Life is never ending so how do you stop to enjoy it?

The other night, as my son had woken up for the umpteenth million time (yes, it's a number), in my exhaustive haze I went through the "What the heck do you need/want checklist?" Diaper, Hugs, Food, (if you have some magical secret I'm missing on this checklist, please feel free to share- #SleeplessinCalifornia) Anyhoo, as I got little man his bottle, in the darkness in his room, I looked down at him and just stopped and stared at his precious little face as he fell asleep in my arms. He looked so innocent and peaceful. All of my frustration about being awake all night melted away and I was just engulfed in his peace. It was at that very moment that I realized: THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. I must have sat there rocking and staring at that sweet boy for over an hour just happy to be where I was, falling in love with my son, enjoying being a mother, and remembering how if I was sleeping, I would be missing this beautiful moment.

How many times do you hear someone tell you to "Enjoy it while you can" or "They'll be grown ups before you know it." When I get old and grey and sit on my front porch (somewhere in the country, I don't know why, that's just how I imagine it), rocking in my rocking chair and watching life pass me by. When I think back to the memories of my life, THAT is the moment I'll remember. Not the play dates, or the crafts, or the blogging, and certainly NOT the homework, but those precious moments with my family are what I want my life to be about.

So Braden, Thank You for the reminder that sometimes we have to slow down on the to-do list, cut back on the schedule, and take moments in the wee hours of the middle of the night, to enjoy each other.

Source: e-tells-tales.com via Katherine on Pinterest

*Shocker! Pinterest had a sign that is perfect for this post*
AND! Thanks to everyone who has been so graciously putting up with my lack of  posting and visiting your blogs, I've written this post a million times in my head and finally am getting it out!

Please click here to Vote for my blog at Top Mommy Blogs!

Guest Blogger, Thankful Thursday

Hey guys!

Today Sarah from Gentle Recovery will be sharing with us. Sarah is an amazing author and blogger and uses her blog to truly inspire others daily.  I hope that you will enjoy what she is sharing with us today and be sure to check out her blog and show her some love. :)

Linking with Cami at  Thankful Thursday

"Anne Lamott’s priest friend Tom, how to get through:
"Left foot, right foot, left foot, breathe," he said. "Right foot, left foot, right foot, breathe." 

We drove to the beach the other day. I was behind the wheel. My family knows.....I get confused with my left  and right. When they told me to turn left.....I started to go right. They finally just said, 'turn your side....or ours....'

I might not know my left from my right.....but one thing I do know now....when things get mucky and crazy.....to just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. I'm grateful for all the awesome things I've been taught that helps me live my best life. Things like.....

-Nature....it's a power that takes me from the yuck to the awesome. Love the smells, sights and feel of freedom I get being out on the mountains or in in the woods or at the lake.
-Writing...to sit quiet with pen and paper or keyboard and tap out what's in my heart helps release the angst and restores peace. Weird how wonderfully that happens
-Best friend. She's there for me through all the ups and downs... listening...encouraging...supporting and reminding me 'this too shall pass.' I do the same for her and can't imagine my life without her a part of it. 
-Playing with the kids. Shooting a frisbee, playing badminton or hopscotch or ball or chalking up the driveway and road.... laughing...being goofy and frivolous...the absolute best to get me out of my head. 
-Faith.....that's the ultimate best. One whisper to Him...my heart changes from sad to glad in seconds.

Guest Blogger, Ummm...did I mention my love for babies?!

Hey guys!

Today Noel from Beautiful Life will be sharing with us. I recently found Noel's blog through a Thankful Thursday link-up. Gotta love those! They are an amazing way to meet other bloggers. So just as I'm getting to know Noel better, it comes time for me to go on my bloggy baby leave, and she offers up one of her lovely posts. I was thrilled and am excited for you guys to get to know her as well. :)

Thank you Anna for asking me to guest host your blog today. I promise you have left it in good hands.

To you her readers I thought an intro would be our first order of business and then maybe something about babies since our dear Anna is on maternity leave so to speak from her blog.

Hello There Lovelies, My name is Noël Maria, but you can call my No dots for short.  I am a wife to a Giant man named Moses. We have been married 17 years now, going strong and in love. We have 4 kids, I like to refer to them as my Fab 4. Two girls Emma and Chloe, and two boys Solomon and Isaiah. And we have 2, 4 legged friends. We live in Seattle WA. Currently, I am working hard at home to raise those Fab 4 children I mentioned earlier and of course blogging it up with you all. I really like a lot all things vintage, black licorice,vw, yoga, crocheted, artsy, tattooed, and musical. You can find out more about me in these places if you like;

                                                                                                     Blog:Beautiful Life

Twitter:No..el (NoelScofield) on Twitter

                                                                                       Shop:No Dots Shop by NodotsShop on Etsy 

In Honor of Anna having a brand new baby, I decided to give you a revised version of an old blog I wrote back in 2006. You can find the original here; Beautiful Life: ummm... did i mention my love for babies.

My love for babies goes way back. When I was a teen I didn't have pictures of the latest heart throb hangin up around my room , no I had pictures of cute lil babies. When most girls my age were going out on friday nights I was usually babysitting.
It is not at all surprising that I grew up and had four babies of my own but now that the baby making dept in the Scofields home is closed for business, and now that my youngest baby is 8 well, it got me thinking ... unless the Giant allows for an adoption I will soon be going through some major baby withdrawals. I am going to have to get my fixes elsewhere. Like here on Anna's blog ;)Uh oh!! I don't think my obsession for these lil people is going anywhere so ..... I  look forward to when I get to enjoy my family and friends and other bloggers brand new babies. No pressure, Anna for those pictures...Really, take your time but umm.. just know I will be checking back everyday for your return and those cute lil newborn pics so I can get my much needed baby fix.

Guest Blogger, Glitter Pumpkins

Hey guys,

Today Katherine from Irish Italian Blessings will be sharing with us on a fun fall craft. I'm so thrilled that she agreed to help me on my blog hiatus, she is one of the first blogs I found once I made the transition over to Blogger. She has a fun, family-oriented blog, full of great ideas, tips, and stories. Okay, I'll stop singing her praises and let you see for yourself. ;)

Hey Hey Living the Leviner Life readers! I am thrilled to be guest posting for Anna while she takes care of her baby bundle! I've been a reader of Anna's blog for such a long time so we go way way back...as bloggies buddies of course. She's one of my favorites. and I'm honored to be here! I'm Katherine from Irish Italian Blessings, pretty much a super awesome blog about anything.you.can.possibly.imagine with a wee bit of humor. Come say hello, I'll make you laugh, guaranteed or your money back!

Today I'm sharing a great Fall Tutorial on how to make Glitter Pumpkins. I make them every year and the opportunities for color are endless. Enjoy!

Every year one of my favorite things to do is to make Glitter Pumpkins. If you've never heard of them, you're in luck and you're probably going to want to make them. This is a super simple craft to do, I mean, if I can do it, YOU definitely can do it.

Oh and one more itty bitty piece of advice, if you're doing this with a toddler (like me) just be prepared for glitter to be on your floor, table, chair, and toddler...no matter how hard you try to avoid this. But hey, Everyone could use a little glitter in their life right?!

OK let's do this!

Supplies: A small brush, Elmer's glue, Glitter - Fine Glitter is best, paper plates or newspaper & Pumpkins

 I use Martha Stewart Craft Glitter in the following colors: Yellow Gold, Fire Opal, and Bronze.
You can use ANY colors you like, I prefer these since they're Fall-sh.
I've seen these done in everything from pink to black and they all look pretty great.

 I choose smaller pumpkins because they're easier to use and don't require as much time, energy, glitter.

 Since I'm not equipped to take pictures and complete the craft, I'm going to tell you what I did ;)

I work over a paper plate to reduce the mess but you can use newspaper.

• Paint your glue on the pumpkin in sections
• After you apply the glue, shake on the glitter. The glue will dry clear.
• You can shake the glitter directly on to the glued pumpkin.
• I do this over a paper plate so it catches the extra glitter. Then I use a spoon and take the glitter off the plate and spoon it over the glued pumpkin to get a better coating.
• Repeat all over the pumpkin until your pumpkin is coated in glitter.
• Let dry for about an hour and then shake off the extra glitter. I also pour the excess glitter back into the container.

Go here if you'd like to see a video from Martha Stewart making these pumpkins.

Helpful tip: I don't coat the bottom of the pumpkin in glue or glitter because really, no one sees that part of the pumpkin and it just reduces the amount of glitter left wherever you decide to place it.

So here is the end result. I put the larger pumpkin up on the mantle with my Fall decor.

 I bought some leaves from the dollar store and placed them on a silver plate and put my pumpkins on top of that and used them as my table centerpiece. They look beautiful under the light.

Guest Blogger, "The Tattooed Mom"

Hey guys!

Today Amanda from With Love and Pickles will be sharing a post with us. Amanda is new to the blog world and I'm so glad I found her. She is a wife and mother to 3.  She shares stories about her life and interests on her blog, which is a fun read and breath of fresh air! I encourage you all to enjoy this read, comment, and be sure to stop by her blog and share some love! :)

 If you haven't noticed I am a tattooed mom. Over the past 3 years my shoulder tattoo has slowly turned into a half arm sleeve and will probably eventually turn into a full arm sleeve. I never intended to have a tattoo this big but over the years I have found more things to add to it and I am loving the way it looks. In the spring I finally finished coloring in my bottom pieces and it is kind of the first year I have had a noticeable big tattoo.  So far I have never had anyone say anything hurtful or rude about my tattoos. I've gotten the occasional remark like "those look like stickers" or "do you need something to wash those off?".

Today was the first time I have ever received a rude and hurtful comment about being a tattooed mom. I was in Target with Liam looking for a good calendar for our refrigerator (I've been preparing for the start up of school and wanted to get better organized). I walk around the corner to hear an older lady laughing and telling her friend she was laughing at a tattoo. I ignored that comment and thought "she can't be talking about me". Then as they proceeded to pass me one lady said something about the tattoo behind them (me) and made some remark about "mothers today" and a few other things about me as a mother. I stood there completely shocked. How can these women say such hurtful words about me and my mothering capabilities just because I have tattoos? Liam was even being an adorable little boy, giving the women no reason to negatively comment on my mothering skills. I wish I had not been shocked so I could have told them how hurtful their remarks were, that I am a wonderful mother that loves my children more than life and that if they had nothing nice to say they shouldn't say anything at all, but I couldn't speak, I was genuinely shocked. I left the store with a sick feeling in my stomach and a bruised heart. 

Now I don't doubt my mothering capabilities or if the decision I made to have noticeable tattoos was the right one. I love the mother I am and love the way I look. I know that by choosing to have a big tattoo I open myself up for criticism, because that is just what people do. I completely understand that these women are from a different generation and that they just "don't get" tattoos. But to completely judge someone solely on the fact that they have tattoos, I do not understand and I was not prepared for. I am just thankful that Liam was too little to hear or understand those women. 

So yes I have tattoos and just to cover the bases here are some answers to any questioning that comes with tattoos. (I am talking about questions that come from strangers, not from family, friends or fellow bloggers.) No there is really no meaning behind my tattoos besides the fact that I think they are pretty and they make me happy. Yes they hurt like hell and I have no idea why I keep going back for more. No they do not come off nor do I want them too. No I do not care what my tattoos will look like when I am 80, I will just be happy to be alive. Last but not least I really don't want to see your tattoos that require you to remove or pull up your clothing. For more tattoo etiquette visit Nicole's blog on being a tattooed mom. Anyone with tattoos, without tattoos or who just don't "get" tattoos should read this post.  

Here are some of the tattoos that were so offensive to the women at the store and made them think I was a terrible mother. I happen to think they are beautiful. They do not make me a bad person or a bad mother. They just make me a little different than you. 

 

 My tattoo originally started as 3 stars on my shoulder with my children's names in them. Then it grew into stars all over my shoulder with two birds on my arm that lightly signify Bryan and I. I decided to extend it further down my arm with the cherry blossom branches, wedding bands and the three birds that signify my children. I recently added the rose to the inside of my arm, the heart and key and this weekend added the pink peonies.  Eventually I will fill in the space with blue for a sky. I also have smaller pieces on my back, my neck, chest and wrists.

Guest Blogger, "A Day in the Life: 10 Things I've learned from a year with twins"

Hi guys,

Today Mary will be sharing with us from A Day in the Life. She has a wonderful blog that is such a great read. She is a stay at home mom to twins and blogs on her adventures in motherhood. :) So enjoy this post and be sure to check out her blog and comment below.


Penny and Ben are quickly approaching their 1st birthday and I am in disbelief.  There is just no way it can be that long!  It has been a crazy ride getting through this first year with them.  The year has been full of tears, joyful, frustrated, sad, overwhelmed, any kind of tears, they are they have been cried in this household this year!  Now I am not nor will I ever claim to be an expert on raising twins, but I have compiled this list of things I have learn with a year of them.  I am not perfect and sometimes forget these lessons and have to keep relearning them.  Some of them I have to remind myself of daily, but I'm trying.

Penny and Ben's newborn picture

1. It's ok to not be happy when you learn you are having twins.  The second you announce you are having twins, all you will here is how doubly blessed you are.  And while this is true, sometimes it is not what you want to hear.  This is something that is so hard to voice.  All of us have friends or family who are trying to desperately to get pregnant.  You may even have been in the same boat, but it is still ok to not be thrilled.  It does make everything harder.  Your pregnancy will be hard.  You will never get that one new born baby one mommy bonding.  You will not sleep for atleast 2 months.  Things are just a lot different.  Some people are over the moon when they find out, and for them I say fanastic!  But if you are anything like me and go back and forth from being happy to being terrified it's ok.  Don't feel guilty!

2. Schedule Schedule Schedule!  For your own sanity get the babies on a schedule.  I know that we should never wake a sleeping baby, but it you have twins I say if one is up, wake that second one.  Feed them together, sleep them together, play with them together.  And when they are old enough, a nap and feeding schedule will be your best friend.  Trust me, it makes your life easier, and in my opinion, your babies happier.

3.  Be Flexible.  Yes I did just tell you to make a schedule and stick to it, and now I am going to tell you to be flexible.  It's a conundrum I know, but it's important.  Getting them on a schedule will help you, but you can't be a slave to that schedule.  Never forget they are two little people and sometimes need a little wiggle room.

4. Reprioritize. Your house may have been spotless, you may have made gourmet meals, you may have been crafty, but I'm sorry to tell you that your just going to have to let it go for awhile.  Freezer pizza is now your friend.  If someone ask to help LET THEM!  It is ok to have a messy house and know your Chinese delivery mans name.  It happens.

5. Trust your mommy gut.  This is the most important part of parenting any baby I believe.  No one knows your baby and your situation like you do.  Only you can make decisions that work for your family.  Don't let others sway you from what you feel is right for your own family.

6. Stop comparing yourself to other mommies. (even other mommies of multiples.)  I found it easy not to compare myself to moms with one baby.  I would just think, sure you have one, easy for you to say.  But there will be twin moms who seem to have it all together.  They are the ones that got to me.  I would think "wow their house is clean!"  I would read facebook posts about the dinners they were cooking all while I was covered in baby puke, sitting on a mound of laundry, feeding a baby and shoving pizza in my face.  Just remember people have a good face they show the world.  And odds are they are doing the same thing when you post on facebook about the cute thing your little ones are doing now.

7. Crying is OK.  This is a hard one.  It is hard to listen to one baby cry while you are feeding the other one, but as a mother of twins you just have to do it.  It is a sad fact that you are out number.  Just know you are not harming them.  You are not scarring them for life.  You are not ignoring your babies needs, and for heaven's sake quit reading those books and article that say you are.  Cut yourself some slack.  You are doing a great job and your babies love you more than anything else in the world.  Literally

8. It's only for a little while.  Repeating this got me through sleepless night and collicky twins.  I just kept saying this is only gonna last a month, and I can do anything for a month.  Soon they will sleep, soon they will stop crying, and ya know what?  They did!  I know I am lucky but I now have two babies who go down with out a fuss for 12 hours at night.  This also goes for the good stuff to, so that is also important to keep in mind.  Those newborn coos only last for a little while.  Those first smile, chuckles, steps only last for a little while.  So you get will get through it, but try to cherish it too.  I know!  Another conundrum!  I'm sorry.

9. You can do It!  There are going to be days where this is going to be your mantra, and it is important to keep telling yourself this.  You will be pushed harder than you have ever been pushed in your life.  Getting through the first year with twins is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.  Just know God gave you these twins and you can do it!  No one else but you can be a mommy to those babies.  And you are perfect for the job!  Just remind yourself of that from time to time.

10. It gets easier. But then it will get harder, but then it is will get easier again.  It is a cycle of twins, with each new phase comes challenges.  Newborn twins is a unique experience, I feel like mothers of twins have almost a war bond.  I know that may sound extreme, but it's true!  No one knows what you have been/are going through like they do.  And after surviving my first year I will say, it has gotten so much easier.  I dare to say sometime I make dinner and sometimes I have a clean house... sometimes!!

10 and 1/2 months old

 So like I said, I am no expert nor will I ever claim to be one, but this is what I have learned.  My musings and lessons through the first year.  I love it!  The days are long but the years are short.  Looking back time has flown by.  I can already do so much more with them.  I just can't believe their 1st birthday is in less than a month.  So here's to the future lessons they will teach me!