Cincinnati O-HI-O

We had such a fun little weekend family getaway to Cincinatti! We always love getting to see our good friends and really love when we get to visit the Great American Ballpark and watch JJ pitch! 

Friday's game turned into a rain delay right about the time JJ stepped on the mound so we actually got to watch him throw both days which was great. And the girls did go good at the games. I even had one man comment on how well behaved they were! 😳 I guess when you feed them ice cream, cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, and suckers they don't have choose to behave. 

JJ and Megan Kate are always the best hosts when we come to visit. Pretty sure Hadley's favorite part was getting to "wrestle" with JJ ☺️ We had such a great time and I can't wait to come back and cheer on JJ and the Reds again! 

What I Read- Hands Free Mama

I have been "reading" a lot of audio books lately on my commutes to and from work.  I am in the car over an hour each day so a good audio book really helps pass the time.

I just finished Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford. She really talks about putting away the distraction and soaking up the precious moments with our loved ones that we too often miss because we are busy on our phones and ipads or too focused on marking things off the to-do list and getting everything done instead of stopping to take in those moments with our family that we will never get back.  While there were several things she said that I wish I could've jotted down, one really stood out to me.  She recommended taking a certain time each day to put away all the distractions (especially the phone) and focus only on your kids and husband.  She reminded me just how quickly my girls will grow up and how I will never get that time back! 

I highly recommend this book to anyone who struggles with balancing their time or who often catch themselves with their eyes glued to their phone more than to their kids.  She has some great ideas on how to break free from the distractions and live a more hands free life!  Really makes you realize what all your are missing out on when we waste our time with all the unimportant and wasteful moments of our lives.. especially when those times take time away from our kids!    

Living Proof Deal

So I have shared before about how much I hate to wash my and how much love Living Proof hair products for helping me go days between washes. I don't tend to really splurge on a lot of high end and name brand products, but this one is really worth it! However, I found a great deal for this if you are planning to buy these products.

First sign up for ebates if you don't already have an account here.

Then go through ebates to the Living Proof website so you can earn 4% cash back!

Then, I found this little trick to score a few free products...

Living Proof offers TWO free perfect hair day minis with the purchase of $39+ and have free shipping and returns with no minimum order requirement. Plus you get a free sample of a product of choice with every order. Since I needed both the shampoo and conditioner and decided to purchase the jumbo size of each (which cost more than $39), I placed one order for the shampoo and a separate order for the conditioner. The jumbo size bottles are pretty pricey but are about 20% cheaper if you figure up the per ounce cost! If you know you like this stuff and are going to use it for awhile, the jumbo size is a pretty good deal for you.

It took me about 3 more minutes to go back through my ebates account and place another order but I ended up getting 6 free samples and it didn't cost me anymore! AND I got like $5 back in my ebates account which is always exciting!

So I just thought I would share for all you other Living Proof fans out there!

Set Apart

We have started a Bible reading plan at church that consists of reading 5 chapters of Psalms plus 1 chapter of Proverbs every day for a month. I got a late start so I am a bit behind (okay more like a week behind but that's okay).

This passage really jumped out at me in my reading this morning. "How long will you turn my glory to shame? But know the Lord has set apart..."

As Christians, we are never going to be perfect. No matter how much we strive to be sinless perfect Jesus-like people, we will never get there. We are human and full of sinful desires and selfish ambitions. But we can strive to be set apart.

It's so easy to throw the excuse up "well all the other 'Christians' do it" or "just because I do this doesn't make me not a Christian" or whatever excuse you want to use to justify filling your selfish desires and making your sins seem okay. God doesn't want us living in sin like everyone else. As Christians, we should be set apart! When others look at you, do they see someone who is set apart living a life glorifying our God or do they see someone who is just like everyone else, just going through the motions of being a Christian, and following the bits and pieces of the Bible we choose, consciously and purposely turning His glory into shame over and over and over again?

I'm not saying that we will ever get to a point where we will be able to defeat all of our fleshly desires and sins that we struggle with but I do believe that if we focus on being set apart to bring glory to his name, we will be closer than we ever were.  

Friends, Football, and a whole lot of FUN!

I love September! It's definitely one near the top of my "favorite times of the year" list! Football season starts which means lots of extra time with friends and lots of good food! The weather starts to cool off and my boots get to start inching out of the back of the closet. And fall clothes are by far my favorite! 

This Saturday, we started the day off sipping coffee and reading on the front porch while the girls played. This is one of my favorite things to do and I really love lazy Saturday mornings when we get to enjoy this time. 

The girls and I went to our friend Mason's fun wrestling birthday party. The girls loved playing in the bouncy house and going down the slide. They always love to go to Mason's house to play so it was really fun to get to play and eat cake!

After naps and a little house cleaning, some of your friends came over to grill burgers and watch the Bama game! We all had so much fun! I love our friends so much and love having an excuse every Saturday to get together! And the girls love having someone to entertain and play with!

I'm so excited fall is right around the corner and am looking forward to a fun football season ahead! Roll Tide Yall!

Realigning my running goals...

So I know I said it was one of my goals to run a half marathon this year... and well that just ain't gonna happen.  I totally underestimated the time commitment to train for a half and right now, I just really don't have the time to do it. 

I realized that I only get about 48 non-sleeping hours with my husband and kids a week and I just don't really like giving up a ton of those to go run.  Yes, I could technically take them with me, and I do some, but they are usually good for a total of about 10 minutes before they decide they rather be doing something else than sitting in a stroller.   And yes, I could get up earlier but I already get up before the sun and way earlier is just not an option for me.  And Saturdays... well I just don't like to set the alarm on Saturday so that's my excuse for that one!

So there are my excuses for giving up on my half marathon for now... I am not totally giving up on this goal and it is still near the top of my bucket list but for my life right now, it's just not possible to prepare for it without giving up some precious other moments in my life that I don't want to part with!  I have really slacked on my running this summer and I think it is because I kinda knew in the back of my mind that a half wasn't going to happen and I honestly just got frustrated and feeling sorry for myself. And it has been super hot!! I don't have the time right now to run miles and miles and miles each day, but I do have the time to run a 5k almost every single day! It only takes about 30 minutes and can be done without having to give up much, if any, time with my kids!  

So with that being said... I am just replacing my half marathon goal with a new goal!  I really want to run at least ten 5K races this year.  Races keep me motivated and keep me moving!  So far, I have finished 4 and I am registered for 4 more in the next couple of months.  I have a few options for the other two but it is all definitely doable!    

So there you have it.  And just like that, I have a new goal!  So let's get running!

(Be prepared for an overload of running posts and pictures because I am super motivated right now!)

To my besties...

Over the years, I have learned just how very important it is to have really good girl friends.  Friends that you can share with and vent with;  Others that are going through the same season of life as you that you can lean on and turn to for advice and relief.  We share tears of joy, tears of loss, tears of sorrow, and tears from laughing so hard!  We chat.  We plan.  We play.  We pray.  

I cannot even begin to express how much my "besties" mean to me.  They are my sounding board and my voice of reason.  They don't judge me or put me down.  They are all so completely honest and caring and loving.  Some have been around forever and some are new but they all mean the world to me. 

So to my dear sweet bestie, I just want to say thank you!  You have no idea how special your friendship is to me!

Oh and by the way, I want to apologize for skipping Testimony Tuesday yesterday. I will try and get back on track next week...