Tag: summertime

Wanderer

I can’t sleep so I will write.

It is strange to me how the human body can basically have a mind of its own. I seem to be getting 4-5 hours of sleep before waking up and staring at the ceiling. If you know me personally this is unheard of as I am a lover of thy 7-8 hours of sleep. So why now body why are you going on sleep strike? Is it because all we have done summer break is rest and recoup and now your taking a stand against me and rising up in rebellion against my will for you? LOL It sounds funny when worded that way.

I haven’t blogged since January. That is insane! I honestly don’t even know why I keep this thing. I use it and abuse it, love it and then leave it. I don’t know as we age our time becomes so filled with so many things that take us in all sorts of directions.

I have a friend who was talking about how not all who wander are lost and she was expressing that sometimes we do have to get our hands into a lot of things until we figure out what it truly is we want to do. it reminded me of myself and for the first time made me realize I am a wanderer and have been for years.

I wander into writing, I wanderer in my art, and mostly what gets me off track are these two things 1. Procrastination and 2. Boredom.

I know I’m not lost (after all it is Christ who has set me free) ;)….. but how long must I wander?

Well the simple truth is the length I wander is actually co-dependent on me. I am the captain of this ship.

I think fear also handicaps my focus. Fear of being selfish and self- gratifying. I go all in so to speak and then tend to neglect my sweet family in my pursuits of finding and indulging in my creative outlets.

Maybe you feel the same way, I don’t know?

Do you wander and get your hands into a million things trying to figure out what you enjoy the most?

Do you have a hard time staying committed to writing or journaling?

I use to be a journaling queen and all that seems to have stopped. Maybe this will be the start of a new blog quest or maybe this will be a blip in the air space for 2019.

🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

Ash’Leigh

#SurfsUpVoxBox Unboxing Review

Oh my goodness the wait is finally over because I just received my first ever #VoxBox from Influenster.com!

I am super excited to be able to finally blog about my review of my complimentary products that I received.

Influenster is a fun website that allows you to take surveys and write product reviews on your favorite products. When you participate they send you VoxBoxes containing free products to review for them based on your interest, surverys, and badges you accure.

I wanted to share the unboxing of my first #VoxBox that I published to Youtube! I will be blogging product reviews here in the next fews days as a follow up to my unboxing!

I hope you enjoy! 🙂

*This was my first ever video review, so please extend your grace and don’t make fun of me too much! HAHA

“I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.”

If you are interested in receiving free products to review yourself for FREE, I can invite you via your email address.

Surfs Up Dudes!
-Leigh Leigh

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Swimsuit Season

I have always been obsessed with swimsuit season. I have no clue why, but it has always been a MAJOR thing to me. Clothes can be very forgiving, however swimsuits are not! In the past 10 summers I have aggressively searched for the perfect swimsuit that would bring compliment and grace to my girlish figure. Well take in account two of those summers I was carrying my two children in my tummy, therefore those years really didn’t count! 😉

I have gone to the extremes of finding the perfect swim suit. I have spent Hours upon hours spent online shopping, Victoria Secrets, Venus, to name a few. There have been countless hours trying on swimsuits in local department stores, with small children! Which you know is as successful as making your children sit down and eat their lunch at a place that provides a children’s playscape! It’s more of a struggle then an accomplishment. Not to mention to all the dollars spent on these expensive swimsuits! Why? Because if it holds everything in place, really good, its going to cost some extra dough! I’m sure my husband never really minded this process though, after all, I wanted to share with him my favorites and get his opinion on which suit he liked the best. 😉 It’s a hard job to have to check out all these gorgeous swimsuit models, but someone had to do it!

This year I dared to do something different. I can honestly say that I didn’tt window shop, online shop, or catalog shop one time this preswimsuit season.

I actually fell in love with the look the little Lifeguards were pulling off at our local YMCA. Sporty and Modest. I thought to myself, I work out, why not!?

With Birthday cash in hand, we made our way over to Academy and as dear husband took the kids to check out all the sales the store had to offer, I shopped alone. I went straight for the ” lifeguard swimsuit area” and fell in love with a super cute, super sporty one piece swimsuit. I tried it on, in hopes I would only have to try one swimsuit on this year, and too my surprise felt happiness in the eye picking choice I made. It fit my body and it was comfortable. No room for the girls slipping out or having to stay completely sucked in for the entire duration of swim. I felt confident in my choice and made my purchase! Oh and I have to add that it is reversible. One side is a safari print, the other black with hot pink trim! (The picture below shows like and blue because I couldn’t find the black and pink!) The price tag of $60 in my opinion was a steal. I had to hurry up and buy it before the company realized they were selling an awesome suit, two really for the price of one!!
I have to note, this is the cheapest amount I have spent on a swimsuit in the past 10 years as well!

My older swimsuits, to their defense are cute, but they were premediated, and searched for through out all ends of the retail world, haha just kidding, although at the time it did feel like it! Keep this in mind for what I am about to share with you!

I get home from Academy and try my swimsuit on for my husband, to my surprise, he loves it!

photo 1 (11)

Fast forward to a few days later. We were going over the plans for the next day and I had mentioned taking our kids to the pool to go swimming. His remark was, ” Your wearing your hot little swimsuit to the pool?”
I don’t know why it tickled me so but it did. AT LAST, after 10 years, He finally compliments my swim appearal on his on, with out any baiting on my part! SUCCESS!

The moral of this story is to chill out about your swimsuit! Don’t over think it, and put too much pressure on finding the perfect swimsuit. When we give up the pressures of perfection, there is beauty in what happens when we just let things be, accept our mom bodies, love them, and adapt to them as we need fit.

photo 2 (10)

It is noting fancy, but it is something that makes me feel good when I am in it. With the added bonus of knowing that if I move a certain way or bend over, I don’t lose everything I got! My kids are finally at the age where we can play and engage each other in a wide variety of water activities. I am all set to just have fun, and not focus on if my suit is in place!

 

xOxO

-Leigh Leigh

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Transitioning into summer break with the littles

Tomorrow signifies my first day back at my old J O B. Yes, my teaching duties are over until August and I am back to being a full time stay at home Momma! It always seems like a tense transition. This transition will be more difficult then the past because I had the privilege of having my husband home for the past six weeks!

We are foster parents and his job allows him up to six weeks fmla to help when we have a new child in our home. It was a HUGE blessing to us ALL! I can’t brag enough on him for what all he did for our family. I was working three days a week but was involved with things that kept me out of the house for technically four days out of the five. He cooked, baked, folded clothes, washed the dishes, straightened the house, took kids to the all the intake appointments, completed honey dos, and even grocery shopped! Seriously, he was a ROCK STAR and tonight I am sad because I am going to miss him being here helping me out so much!

MY MAN BAKES AND WASHES DISHES!!

dishes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week I will concentrate on getting the house cleaned, laundry caught up, a meal plan made, groceries bought, all while juggling a doctors appointment for my daughter and involvement in the activities the last week of school brings! I am excited that I do at least have a few more days to accomplish most of this while my older children are still in school.

I am promising myself that I will not stress on the mess summer brings with the littles home. This will be a peaceful transition as I find my SAHM groove back. This summer I don’t want to concentrate on completing all the lists of things that need to be completed upon the Pinterest SAHM standards, no I want this to be a summer that my kids remember how much fun there Momma was. We will play, we will swim, we will bake, we will go out for play dates, we will makes messes, we will be lazy on some days, we will have fun, all while I am teaching them still to become responsible clean young people.

Saying goodbye to the pressures of being the PERFECT stay at home mom makes you beautiful and free to get what your family needs accomplished first. These needs will change with the seasons of your life. My babies are not going to be little forever and I acknowledge this sad, sad truth.

How are you feeling with summer break days away? How will you transition into having the babies home for summer?

xOxO

-Leigh Leigh