A friend of mine told me that she had recently seen an article about mom’s of three kids being more stressed than moms of two or four kids. When I thought about it, I decided I thought the article was probably right.

Any time I have just two out of my three kids things seem to run smoother. It doesn’t matter what two kids either, whether it’s Tucker and one of the girls or just both of the girls. There is less talking (which means less bickering), there is less mess (which really means just less toys out for them to argue over), & there is one less mouth to feed (& my kids are always wanting food!).

The dynamics with three is just different than the dynamics with two. & although I don’t really know what four is like, I assume it would balance out the oddity of the three-kids-equation. I decided, after mulling this all over, I needed to read said article that justifies my stress level as a mom of three kids. It’s funny how so much about this article is true, including the simple things about a husband sometimes causing more stress than the kids do (sorry hun, but it’s true!) & that as a mom you are acutely aware of your lack of “me time”.

Seeing as I can’t ditch one kid to destress as just a mom of two, I guess that just means we need to add one more to our crew! You know I’ve shared before about our want for four to be our lucky number but there have been so many times over the past few years where Mike and I would look at each other & just know that three was it for us. But now I wonder if maybe it’s because of this new rule of three thing. Could four really be easier than three? What do you think?!

We spent the weekend in Gainesville for Mother’s Day. My dad has influenced Tucker since birth in the ways of being a Gator fan & Tucker is learning to be their number one fan I’d say. He’s been wanting to go see “Gator School” as he dubs it, and it was really the perfect weekend to do it because it was after spring semester finals & before summer session began so the town was pretty empty as far as college students were concerned.

We spent Sunday just wandering around campus & he loved it! I am 99% sure now that Tucker will attend college at UF one day & he’s dying to go to his first Gator game this fall. It was so fun to see him thoroughly enjoy himself & just imagine him there one day!

After looking back at all of these pictures this week, I’m thinking we are going to have to make it a tradition to spend Mother’s Day weekend in Gainesville. I think Tucker will be up for it!

Being a mother has to be the hardest but most rewarding job someone could ever have. Shaping these little beings into the people I hope they become one day is mind boggling. I second guess each decision I make as their mother, wondering if it is the right decision. I struggle through the days where I know God must be trying my patience with them & I savor the days when everything seems to be going right for us.

It wasn’t until I became a mother myself that I realized & appreciated all the sacrifices my own mother made for me in everything she did when I was growing up. It wasn’t until then that I was truly thankful for her because it wasn’t until then that I understood what being a mother meant.

Today I’ll spend the day with my little family, taking the kids out for some fun. & one day when they are grown I know they will realize how thankful for me they are, too.

Happy Mother’s Day!

1. Fueling up on coffee, picking up our weekly Friday morning donuts, and dropping the kids off at my moms. 18 school days left until summer…not that I’m counting or anything.

2. Workshop. Enough said.

3. Messy table must mean we are learning something.

4. Walking to lunch on a gorgeous day is not something that normally happens on a Friday during the school year. I guess there is an upside to workshops.

5. On my way to pick up the kids. Seconds after I took this picture the floodgates open & it started to pour.

6. This girl might be sick.

7. Just bills & junk mail today.

8. These girls are just too much sometimes. Notice the accessories?!

9. That blur is Super Tucker.

10. I realized tonight that I keep finding this bear in this same spot very often. I think Lexie likes her bear looking at itself in the mirror.

This year, my friend Melissa shared with me what she was making in her first grade class for her students to give their moms & I thought it would be the perfect gift to give my mom (& Mike’s mom) from the kids. It was really easy, which is something I needed this year because life is a little hectic for us right now, and they turned out really sweet I think.

I started by painting the kids hands & doing the handprints on the center front side of the towels. After the paint dried, I used hot glue (yes, I totally took the easy way out over pulling out my sewing machine) and glued on the ribbon, made the bows, & added those with the hot glue as well. Last, I used a permanent marker pen to add the “Nan’s Helping Hands” & each kids name & year on their corresponding towels.

Now, we know the kids get their grubby little handprints on plenty of things, so I love the fact that their handprints are on these on purpose! & I know their kitchen’s will be a little sweeter now because of these!

Do you make handmade gifts for special holidays like Mother’s Day?!

Even though today’s school day is already over, the week is not. So if you haven’t thanked a teacher yet, you have plenty of time left.

As a teacher myself, I know how much it means to get something as simple as a sweet handwritten note of thanks (seeing as we do sometimes spend more time with your children than you do during the school/work week).

This year I took an idea that is already widely shared on Pinterest and went with it as our gifts for the kid’s teachers. The kids painted them and then Tucker & I wrote on them. We added flowers they picked out from Home Depot & we were done. I also wrote a nice card and plan on giving them a gift card at the end of the week (I also promise that as much as we love handmade gifts, we totally don’t mind gifts of monetary value from time to time either!).

It really is the thought that counts & when you look here & read all the quotes about what a teacher really does it sums it up pretty nicely. (I couldn’t pick just one quote to share so I had to share them all!).

So, if you haven’t thanked a teacher yet, get out there & get to thanking (because remember, if you can read this, it’s because of a teacher!).

& everyone else…keep an eye out, a few more giveaways coming soon!

It’s May already & I am looking forward to this month being over for a multitude of reasons. One is because June means summer & I am so ready for summer. Another reason is a little more personal and you’ll probably find out eventually. This May is going to be quite interesting for us, it will bring lots of joy eventually, but mostly when it’s over.

Want to help us out? Click below & vote for us, there’s just a few days left and we are jumping between spots 11-13 lately.

Hadn’t I just held him in my arms, & rocked him to sleep, and watched his little belly go up & down as he slept so peacefully in his crib at night.

Where has the last 5 & half years gone!? You hear it all the time as new parents from all those older, wiser, & experienced parents in your life that time flies. Cherish every minute. They grow so fast.

& man, it is true. Every last predictable word of it.

Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives. We take Tucker to kindergarten round-up & get him all registered for the first day of school. I know he’s done school already. Mom’s day out, pre-k3, and pre-k4, but this is the real deal. No more half-day nonsense, no more naps, & no more afternoons with Nana & his sisters.

I know he is so ready for it, and as a teacher, I’m so ready to watch him flourish in kindergarten. But, I can honestly say, I will be cherishing ever last minute of this summer with my baby boy before he goes off to big kid school this fall!

When I was asked to do this review, I automatically knew what I wanted to do with my custom t-shirt. Why wouldn’t I try to create something that had to do with one of my favorite things & my most loved outlet in life, blogging.

What was fun about creating this t-shirt was all the possibilities. First, you choose the style shirt from quite a few different options, then you choose your color & start to work on your design. I added my text to the shirt when I realized it needed something else. There are a ton of images you can choose from (almost anything you can think of, including some sayings) or you can upload your own art.

I went with a geometric zig zag and duplicated it a few times to make it look like it had been a print option. It was easy to make this t-shirt look just like something you’d find from custom print shops that cater to fashion. & the thing I loved most about this t-shirt is that it can easily be worn around the house with pajama bottoms for lounging or paired with some jeans & a few cute jewelry pieces & sandals for running errands around town.

I would say the size of the t-shirt style I chose runs a little big (the brand was American Apparel), I’m in a small but I’m not swimming in it either. It’s a great soft fabric & the way the v-neck hits on this is perfect. I also love whatever they use to screen the image & text onto the shirt because it’s somewhat shimmery and really makes the colors pop.

Not only does Dress United offer shirts, but sweatshirts as well. These shirts & sweatshirts are perfect for team sports, bachelorette parties, family reunions, and so much more!

P.S. Enter this yummy giveaway before it’s too late!

While Dress United provided me with the t-shirt to facilitate this review, all words & opinions are 100% mine.