Well her IG smack talk worked! Meg Lybrand you won the giveaway! Apparently the odds were in your favor! Congrats! I’ll get that gift certificate to you pronto! Thanks everyone for entering!!
*For those that asked, I use the “Pick Giveaway Winner” plug in for WordPress to pick my winners.
Have y’all heard of Matilda Jane Clothing? Well, brace yourself for some cuteness. Denise DeMarchis started the company to bring a youthful spirit back to girl’s clothing. If I have a little girl one day, she’d be ALL UP IN these clothes. They make me feel twirly and remind me of the stuff my mom used to dress me in.
Like what you see? Well the nice folks at Matilda Jane have given me a $50 gift certificate to give away to one of my readers! So just enter your email address in the comments and I’ll randomly pick a winner next Monday, May 26. FIFTY BUCKS YALL! CUTE CLOTHES! DO IT!
This is not a post with all the right answers. This is raw post about how I’m feeling after leaving a play area with my head down, sons in tow, yogurt spit up on my shoulder, and mumbling apologies on my way out of the room.
I’ve prayed a lot of prayers over my son these 3 years. I wonder what his little personality would bloom into. I wonder what kind of activities he will be into. Sports? Theatre? Music? Ribbon Dancing? But I can say with complete honesty, aside from him having a passionate connection to the Lord, the thing I pray for the most is that he’ll be kind. I don’t care if he isn’t popular, smart, or good looking. I just want him to be kind.
Perhaps that’s why I took his actions so personally today. We were at one of those indoor play areas where cooped up moms go to let their cooped up PNW kids run around out of the rain. They have a little cafe with food and drinks where we can pretend that we’ll be able to drink a tea while it’s still hot when really all it’s there for is so we can take one day off of making lunch on a Lightening McQueen plate. I was getting the baby settled into the infant cage made of styrofoam and activity blocks (they should use that description on the packaging) when I heard another mom yell, “No! We do NOT hit!” I thought to myself, “Oh how embarrassing, her delinquent chi- oh SHIZ, she’s talking to my kid. That’s my delinquent child!” I made sure the baby was relatively secure and I ran over to see what happened. Apparently Bud hit this little boy over a toy. Great. GREAT. We went through the “I’m dorry” song and dance and I apologized as well. Bud sat in time out and we talked about how we never use our hands like that, we always want to be kind, etc. etc. And after a few minutes, I let him play again.
Why did he hit? I realize it’s developmentally normal for them to feel out boundaries and physical aggression but the only things going through my mind were:
– That was humiliating.
– What if he is the bully?
– What if they think he sees that at home?
– How should I discipline that?
– Should I have just hid in the baby cage and yelled, “Whose kid is that?!”
Then after we finished lunch (aka a $5 PB&J) I was getting Bennett Rippy settled into the carseat and gave Bud the 5 minute warning. (You know the one that you give 15 minutes before you need to leave?) Well, I look over and there’s an adorable tiny little angel girl standing in front of him and he’s just standing there looking at her.
What’s he doing? How is this going to play out? Is he going to kiss her? What does he want? Should I sing some song from Daniel the Tiger about how it’s not polite to stare? Why is he just standing in front of her?
Then he pushes her down. Not hard, but a little shove and she falls down.
And again, ONCE MORE WITH FEELING, we did the “I’m dorry” song and dance. I talk to him about never using our hands that way, walking in kindness, and I tell him that he’s lost his privilege to stay there and we leave.
On the way out, I asked him why he pushed her and he said, “She looked into my eyes.”
What.
I try to do the math of how much money I lost since we were leaving after an hour instead of the two that he was supposed to be there while I made my way out of the room feeling the daggers of the moms who are NOT wearing stained jeans and HAVE washed their hair being shot into my back. I swear I heard applause after we left the room. I fought back the tears as we made our way to the car and I tried to come up with the after school special speech that I was going to give Bud on the way home.
I’ve tried to make sense of it, but honestly, the only thing I’ve come up with is this: he’s my sweet kid who is going to make some bad choices. I can do the best I can to show him grace, patience, and kindness at home. I can do the best I can to show everyone we meet grace, patience, and kindness so he can see that’s what people deserve. I can continue to discipline him when he acts unkind and aggressively. I can pray like crazy over his heart so that it is full of kindness instead of anger. But most importantly, I cannot place my shame onto him because he doesn’t act perfectly all the time. The last thing in the world I want for him is to feel anything short of complete, all-in grace and love from me. THAT is what will mold him into a kind man.
Or I could just hide in the baby cage and yell, “Whose kid is that?!”
Happy Friday y’all! Now, I’ve been keeping a random list of “game changers” in my mind bank to share with y’all. And this isn’t to be confused with the Sarah Palin movie “Game Changer” that I watched one too many times because I thought I was cool and culturally educated…. then I realized that I get most of my news from Jon Stewart or people sharing articles on Facebook. So without further ado, here are 7 game changers that have made my life a bit easier:
1. Tall kitchen trash bags in the Diaper Genie. No longer do you have to spend oodles of money on the Diaper Genie refills. Just buy one and then use that container and thread tall kitchen trash bags through it! I think it’ll save you like $3000 a year…. or like $500 but still, that’s like $500 worth of Cadbury Eggs I could buy instead.
2. This little wake-up clock. Once we potty trained Bud, he became a bit more aware of his body so he would wake up at 0:Dark Thirty and be ready to go. So we bought this “Ok to Wake” clock and he actually stays in his room until he sees the green light! Every now and then we have to go in early to take him to potty but then he’ll lay back in his bed until he sees the light….aaaaaand I just realized how creepy that sounds. “Stay in your room little boy until you see the light.” Oh well, if creepy means I get to enjoy a few extra sips of coffee in peace, then creepy I’ll be.
3. Hulu Plus has yoga stations. That is all. Yoga during nap time and in the privacy of my own home instead of in a studio where people are forced to look at me in spandex? Yes please.
4. Learning Path LeapFrog App. We all know what a fan I am of LeapFrog. They have this awesome app that gives you day by day activities to do with your child and some cool facts to share with them. It lets you customize it to your kiddo so they suggest developmental appropriate activities and facts. Pretty cool.
5. Limeritas. Over ice. Trashy? Maybe. Delicious? Absolutely.
6. The Nose Frida. Screw you nose bulb because the Nose Frida may be the grossest and least attractive thing but it works y’all. 
7. Have you looked at Weelicious yet? Bud is a crazy picky eater so I cook things for him from her website and can even do batch cooking. Between batch cooking for him and using the ice cube tray baby food method, my kitchen basically looks like a kid food version of Breaking Bad.
So there ya have it. Some of my game changers. What are some of yours?? Change my game!!!!
Have an awesome weekend y’all!
Congrats BR, you’ve survived and thrived through 7 months of life! (You turn 8 months tomorrow so I’m still on time) You have brought us so much joy this month. You still have the greatest joy-filled smile just beaming out of you and you woo everyone you meet. You smile at everyone from Mama to the Postmaster. I pray over you that you don’t let anyone steal your joy and that you’ll always be a light to others. You laugh at everything your brother does, except when he tries to headbutt you…. you don’t think that’s very entertaining.
You still take 4 bottles a day and are eating 3 little meals. I can’t quite get you to understand how to eat with your hands but you’ll get there. You’re loving the purees just like your brother did. You love sweet potatoes, carrots, yogurt, any kind of fruit, green beans but not peas, you’re totally over avocados, and you love it when I sneak you some bread onto your tray. You’re a carb lover like your mama.
You have been working on a few more teeth this month and though only a third bottom one has come through, I’m expecting to see the top ones any day now.
You want to crawl SO BADLY. You get so frustrated that your body won’t let you do what your mind wants it to. Your brother was a late mover too so I’m sure you’ll do it in your own time. Plus, just look at your Gruncle, Bennetts are slow movers.
You still love to be held but are getting less and less cuddly. You just want to move, move, move! You have to grab everything in reach to see what it’s all about. I hope you never lose that curiosity; except when it comes to what its in your diaper, you can stop trying to grab for that.
I think you’re close to 20 pounds now, sleeping 11ish hours a night, taking 2 naps like a boss. I never thought we’d get here pal, but man I’m glad we have.
Your daddy and I were just talking the other night about how worried I was the first 4 months because you never slept and you were so colicky. Now, you’re the happiest baby so anyone out there with a colicky baby, have hope because you too can have an adorable, chunky baby who smiles at you all day long.
We adore you Bennett Rippy. We are so blessed to call you our’s and I’m so grateful you carry the joy of the Lord in your heart.
Y’all- I gotta do a spotlight on my girly Liz. Now- this is mainly for my folks back in North Carolina. Liz has started her own furniture restoration company and it’s badass in the most badassery of ways. Her company is called Saint Rooster and she has a Facebook page that you definitely need to check out. Saint Rooster is a company that focuses on restoring derelict pieces of furniture to wonderful works of usable art. All hand-painted custom designs by Liz. She can take the most boring piece of furniture and turn it into something magical. You can look at her stuff over at her Etsy shop or commission her to paint you something special.
I have a few pieces from her and I can say with full confidence that you will treasure her piece for your house forever.
Check out her FB page to see her commissions that will make you want to redo every room around every piece she makes. In fact, I redid Bennett Rippy’s nursery around her chair. She made this for me years before I even had kids but when I was trying to think of nursery themes, I knew I had to go with a bird theme because of Liz’s chair.
She can do just about anything you request and its kind of annoying how talented she is actually.
She has her contact information up on her Facebook page but you can email her at saintrooster@gmail.com. If you’re looking to restore an old piece of furniture that you have but don’t have the time or energy, she’s your girl. And if you’re looking for the perfect baby shower or house warming or congrats you made it to Friday gift, she’s your girl. Do yourself a favor and check out her FB page and just drool over what she’s done. You’ll thank me later.
Congrats to Rebecca for winning the giveaway! I’ll send your email to Anna and she’ll get in touch with the information. Thanks everyone for entering!
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.”
Rachel Carson
I have gone through many different phases in my life. Each phase may bring a new hair style. I’ve been a red head, brunette, and platinum blonde. I’ve rocked a pixie cut and I’ve rocked such long hair that I look like an extra from the Lord of the Rings.
Each phase may bring a different jean size. I’ve been on both spectrums, too large and too small.
I’ve gone through the Clueless phase thinking it’s cool to talk like a valley girl, the She’s All That phase thinking it’s cool to wear fake glasses only to find out later that I did in fact, need glasses, and the current phase of Rosemary’s Baby… I kid.
My vocation in life has ranged from musician to counselor to youth minister to mama to author to mama again. My taste in men has ranged from the skinny-jean wearing musician to the boat-shoe wearing frat boy to the “Jesus is my Homeboy” t-shirt wearing Christian fully decked out in his worship leader goatee. (Thank God I didn’t land on that last one for the kissing chafing alone…).
But through all of that, one thing has remained. I love being outside. I love being outside in every season. I love the crunch of leaves under my feet in the fall. I love that I can actually smell when it’s going to snow in the winter. I love hearing birds chirp, seeing new growth, and feeling the coolness of dew beneath my feet in the spring. And I love the pastel bathing suits on dudes in the summer….. wait, that’s not nature. Lets try that again. I love running full speed into the waves that cool me off in an instant in the summer. There, that’s better.
The greatest thing I hope to pass down to our children is my love for the outdoors. It is something my father passed down to me and I hope to carry on. Sam and I hunt, fish, run, play outside together. It’s been the common thread that bound us together from the very beginning. It’s been the heartbeat behind our relationship together:
get outside. get outside. get outside.
The hardest adjustment to living in the PNW for me has been the weather. But it’s also brought forth a new level of commitment to my relationship with nature. Even in the rain and grey, we put our rain gear on and explore. The rain brings more green, more worms, more silence. Sometimes we go out without a purpose. Some days the goal is to find a four-leaf clover (my mother’s favorite outdoor activity). Some days I make a scavenger hunt list and give Bud a paper bag and we bring back our treasures. I make binoculars out of toilet paper rolls and we search for the eagles in the trees.
Even if our adventures require more laundry and my hair is so frizzy from the rain that I look like Lionel Richie from 1987 on a bad hair day, I am still glad we have walked the trails, got dirt under our nails, and shoved countless rocks into our treasure bags (which sounds kinda like an amazing band name The Treasure Bags… dibs!).
All that to say, if you find yourself in a rut, feeling antsy or run down….
get outside. get outside. get outside.
This blog has become really special to me not only because it serves as a digital memory book for my family but it has connected me to some pretty amazing people and opportunities. I feel incredibly blessed to review some amazing products and I always make sure that I only advertise products I truly believe in. And y’all- this is one of them.
My friend Anna reached out and told me about Beautycounter. She told me she was searching for “safe” shampoo & conditioner that actually worked and didn’t smell strange, as well as safe bath products for the whole fam, and she stumbled onto Beautycounter. She briefed me on the company and after I researched and told her I’d be happy to try some out, she sent me the kid’s shampoo, body wash, lip balm, and an adorable tote.
I rarely buy beauty products for myself so I tore into the lip balm and squealed when I saw the cute tote. The lip balm has now replaced my beloved Burt’s Bees. It’s that good.
I have only used Aveeno’s body/shampoo wash for the kids because it doesn’t have an over powering smell and got the job done without irritating Bud’s sensitive skin. But I was excited about trying something new and we love it. It smells fresh but not like they’ve been bathed in grandmother’s perfume. It doesn’t sting their eyes. And I love how safe it is.
I am definitely going to be ordering their kid’s sunscreen this summer because I’m aways on the hunt for safe sunscreen for the kids. And check out their other products because they have great stuff. They are coming out with a sunscreen this summer for adults and a full line of color makeup this fall.
Also, it is a huge opportunity if anyone is interested in selling, so if you are interested in building a personal business or joining the mission contact Anna Smith: annafsmith@gmail.com – & learn more about the mission here.
Anna wants to giveaway for one of my readers because she’s awesome. She’s giving one of you lucky hotties an adorable striped pouch and a kid’s shampoo and body wash. All together, that’s over $60 of goodness FREE to one of you! Enter… do it.
** Multiple Entry Opportunity!! Just leave a comment for each one you complete!
One Entry: Leave a comment with your name and email
Two Entries: Entry One + Share this giveaway on Facebook
Three Entries: Entries 1&2 + Follow Anna on https://www.facebook.com/
Four Entries: Entries 1-3 + Follow me on Instagram: @marthametzler
There ya have it! Good luck and I’ll pick a winner on Friday, April 25.
6 Month Stats:
26.5 inches long, 83 percentile
17.9 pounds, 57 percentile
17.75 inches in head, 83 percentile
You are such a joy Bennett Rippy. You’re starting to get the hang of this whole living on Earth thing more and more. You’re sleeping better, you have TWO teeth, and you still smile constantly.
You are loving playing with your brother Bud and just grab his head while he tickles you. I pray y’all are always best friends.
You are making more and more noises and interacting with us. You love to laugh and you shake your head back and forth when you want Dada to make his funny face (where he shakes his head back and forth and makes his cheeks flap).
You are eating 3 little meals a day on top of your 4 bottles. You love food! You had a pretty gnarly cold and cough this month that lasted for a week and a half and took away your appetite which almost killed me. It hurt my heart to see you so sick and not want to eat for that long! But luckily you are back up and running.
You started sitting up on your own this month too! Still not even close to crawling but I have to remember your brother didn’t crawl until he was 10.5 months! Lazybones Metzlers.
We love you little man and are so glad you are ours. I can’t believe its been half a year since you made your entrance into this world.
Love Love, Your Mama
