The Suede Sofa Blog

A Simple Solution for a Chaotic Life

One of the best things I learned as a first year teacher was, when I got overwhelmed, to take a step back and try to SIMPLIFY the situation. I am especially grateful that I figured it out before I had kids because I can’t imagine my life without it!

Are you overwhelmed about house projects? Starting your own business? The rhythm of your family life or how your child is doing in school? Maybe it is your cooking skills or the thought of your daily workload as a mother or in your career? We are usually so busy trying to keep our heads above water and control every situation that we can’t see the obvious solution:

SIMPLIFY THAT AREA OF YOUR LIFE.

How do you do that? Take a step back and prioritize what is truly important about each specific situation. If you are stressed about your house being out of order, maybe you should decide on what room is most important and ONLY focus on that. If you don’t, you get so overwhelmed about trying to do it all, which only discourages you from even starting!

If your kids are having trouble in school, maybe instead of nagging them constantly you should set really small, achievable goals so you can praise them for something they are doing right. I understand that it will feel like their progress is going at a snail’s pace, but focusing on the small successes will remove the tension. And we all know it is easier to be motivated as a kid if you are getting praised and not yelled at, right?

I don’t write this because I have it all figured out. In fact, consider this post as an entry to my journal, reminding me that I need to re-evaluate some areas in my life and toss the “all-or-nothing” mindset out of the window.

That being said, this post probably comes at a good time now that Lent is here. If you want to enrich your spiritual life over the next 40 days, try to think of a small and siMpLe thing you can do each day to spend time with God. Mine is as simple as having Christian music on throughout the day. Whatever it is, just remember….

LeSs is MoRe!

Lara

P.S. And because I am “simplifiying” the fact that I wanted to post something, I am NOT including a picture. If that is what it took for me to sit down and write, I still think it is bettering than doing nothing at all!

Valentine’s Day Treats for Kids (With Printable Treat Cards!)

Each year I try and think of a cute way to send out my kid’s VaLenTiNe TrEaTs at school. This year I found two cute ideas on Pinterest and then added my own touch! Our school has a no candy policy so we used individual packs of Teddy Grahams and Goldfish.

I printed the cards on light brown card-stock. Next, I glued the eyes on the bear and had my 3-year-old daughter draw a nose, a smile, and then sign her name!

I printed the cards on white card-stock. Next, I had my 5-year-old son draw the water in the fishbowl and then sign his name!

I attached the bear to a treat bag with Teddy Grahams and the fishbowl to a treat bag with Goldfish!

Click here to download the cards to attach to your treats!

Abby’s Valentine Teddy Bear

Nicholas’ Valentine Fish Bowl

Happy Valentine’s Day!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

What are you worried about?

If someone asked me that, there would be days that my response would be, “ EVERYTHING!” Do you ever go through phases like that? It seems like I can go through months without fretting over anything, and then other days where it consumes every part of me!

As a Mom there are SO MANY things that we can worry about; if they will be safe when you leave them with someone else, if their cough is turning in to pneumonia, if they are making the smart decisions with their friends, how they are doing in school, if we are doing the right thing as parents…I could write a novel on all the things Moms worry about!!

With my daughter going to Kindergarten this year I have been challenged with this more than normal. We want our kids to be safe, healthy and smart, yet we are reminded by all the negative things in the world as soon as we turn on the t.v. So what is a Mom to do?

I’m still trying to figure this one out. I’m not even confident I would be able to answer the question when I am 100 years old, but I’m determined to try. I just have to keep reminding myself that in some ways, worrying is good because it means that I love my kids so much! BUT I also have to remember that worrying is a result of the devil creeping into my life, and why let that take away precious time with the ones that I care about so much?!

If you are worrying a lot these days…no matter if it is kids, health, money, your job…try to TaLK BaCk to those negative thoughts as soon as they creep in your mind. This is sooo hard, I know. It is a full-time job on its own! The other thing that helps is to KeEp BuSy. If silence traps you in bad feelings, turn on the radio, listen to books on tape, or start singing. If you have too much time on your hands, find a new hobby that requires a lot of concentration so you can give your worrying a break! And of course, the obvious, pRaY about it. Try your best to hand your worries over to the one that created you. That is what He is there for ;)

Take comfort in knowing that you are among the rest of us mommies out there that are losing sleep and feeling like we are going crazy. That in itself should ease your mind and give you motivation to shake those bad thoughts along with the rest of us!

For another one of my posts related to worrying, read: Become A Trainer

~Lara

Valentine’s Day Handprint Crafts

Maybe it’s the first grade teacher in me, or maybe it is just simply the Mommy in me trying to bottle every minute of my kids being LiTtLe, but I am hooked on handprint crafts! When my son was born I made about 20 handprint turkeys for Thanksgiving and sent them out to family and friends. Since then there hasn’t been a holiday that has gone by without the creation of a handprint project to proudly hang in our home to remember how little their hands once were and to remind us how quickly time goes by. Maybe my Handprint Memories post last Christmas prompted some of you get out the paint and start MaKiNg SoMe MeMoRiEs…if not, here are some easy Valentine’s Day ideas to get you started!

This year my 5 year old son was able to paint the L and the E after I traced them! — This year my 5-year-old son was able to paint the L and the E after I traced them!

hands — I found these wood hearts at my local craft store and stamped them with the “special name” that my kids say I call them the most!

valentine2 — You can also do a family handprint craft!

valentine4 — Here’s one my sister did last year and gave out as Valentine’s Day gifts from my niece!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

A Quick Reminder…

I was reading from My Jesus Calling devotional and knew if this spoke to me today, it would probably speak to at least one of you…

Read this as if it was Jesus speaking this to you:

“Give up the illusion that you deserve a problem-free life. Part of you is still hungering for the resolution of all difficulties. This is a false hope! As I told My disciples, in the world you will have trouble. Link your hope not to problem solving in this life but to the promise of an eternity of problem-free life in heaven. Instead of seeking perfection in this fallen world, pour you energy into seeking me: the Perfect One.

It is possible to enjoy Me and glorify Me in the midst of adverse circumstances. In fact, My Light shines most brightly through believers who trust Me in the dark. That kind of trust is supernatural: a production of My indwelling Spirit. When things seem all wrong, trust Me anyway. I am much less interested in right circumstances than in right responses to whatever comes your way.”

Boy, did I need this reminder! And don’t you love the excitement in “the promise of an eternity of problem-free life”? Won’t that wonderful!!

If you are down in the dumps or caught up in trying to perfect your life, just stop. Take a deep breath, and read the words above one more time. It gives you an immediate ~~reality check and slight kick in the fanny~~ sense of relief, doesn’t it?! God wants you to LET GO, sister!!

For another post I had written about getting through the trials of life, read: Making the Best of Human Life

Lara

Remembering Grandma

Last week I lost the last of my four grandparents. My grandma was 91 years old and had been living in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimer’s for the past 10 years. She lost her ability to speak about 5 years ago and hasn’t recognized any of us in over 5 years. Over the years it has been devastating to watch what this disease has done to the woman who taught me how to sew, bake, cook, and craft.

As I sat at the funeral home I kept starring at my grandmother’s hands holding the rosary and then all of the beautiful flowers that surrounded her from our family. Those hands had taught me so much and I immediately began to think about what I could do with all of those flowers. My grandmother would have hated to see all those flowers thrown away which is what typically happens with funeral arrangements so I asked the funeral director if I could take the arrangement home with me. Now I have a little piece of my grandmother watching over my family…I know she would be proud!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

Eat What You Want

Already lost moTivAtioN with your weight loss/get healthy resolution for 2013? Well Robynn and I talk about weight loss a lot and we came across something this week that lines up exactly our philosophy, so I had to share! Check out this short and informative video by Bobby Flay: Bobby Flay Fit

I don’t believe in diets and I couldn’t agree more with Bobby that you shouldn’t have to give up the foods that you love. Eat what you want…just not as much as you want!!

So don’t throw in the towel for good. Continue business as usual, and cut corners when you can. The most important thing is to NEVER sacrifice so much that you end up feeling deprived of the foods that you love. We all know that is a recipe for disaster. I don’t know about you, but thinking about giving up chocolate always results in me gorging in it later :-/

Lara

Feeling Like A Failure

Sunday morning I made my family breakfast. To me, I was going “all out” as I made the kids orange juice from a frozen can and threw together a quick and easy breakfast casserole. For a moment I felt like finding my SuPerMoM cape and attaching it to my p.j’s. “Look at me!” I was rejoicing inside. “I’m a pro at this Mom stuff!”

The t.v. just happened to catch my eye as I headed into the dining room. Pioneer Woman was on the food network. Consequently, she too was making breakfast that morning. I enjoy watching her show and am faSciNateD by her life. I couldn’t help but keep watching, noticing her amazing (spotless) kitchen. She put her homemade French toast in the oven and headed off to her garden to water her flowers. Of course, the plants were luscious and looked like something out of Better Homes and Garden. Everything was perfect, clear down to the beauty of the garden hose (I know…is that even possible?!)! Once breakfast was ready she told her daughter to “grab the hot syrup I have warming on the stove”. As I watched the hot syrup flow out of the beautiful serving dish I realized I hadn’t blinked in the last 5 minutes….

Remember the last sentence of my first paragraph? Well, those feelings were long gone. I felt so deFeaTed. The breakfast I made was a joke compared to what I had just witnessed. And the gardening? I would have been lucky to remember that I bought a small plant at Wal-Mart, only to find it dead in the back of our expedition a few weeks later.

I just want to be clear that I think Pioneer Woman is an inspiration, but I would be foolish to think that every part of her life is as perfect as seen on t.v. If, at the right time, you took a snap shot of every person’s life, it would appear that their situation and life is perfect. Someone is even looking at part of your life and wishing theirs was as perfect as yours! Doesn’t that make you laugh? Of course! Because we know how imperfect our own lives are, and can’t believe how much we have them fooled! Yet why do we think we are soooo different than everyone else?

With pinterest, t.v. and magazines, it is easy to feel like a failure! In the future, use these things as resources to moTiVaTe or give you some ideas. DON’T use it as a comparison tool, because the only person you are fooling is yourself!

Lara

Parenting Resolutions Worth Keeping

As we all begin our New Years Resolutions I PrOmIsE you WilL NoT find me walking around with a shiny new gym membership. Ooooooooh no!!! You all know I couldn’t even follow through with The Lazy Girls Workout! Looking back on that post, maybe I was pushing myself with saying I was going to start out aiming to workout 3 to 4 times a week. If I had started with 1 to 2 and gradually added on maybe I would have stuck with it! Anyway…I’ll worry about toning in the spring and stick with these ReAlisTiC ReSoLuTiOnS that will benefit my entire family!

I found this while looking for cute winter crafts on Pinterest and realized these are all things that I need to do not only for my family, but for MySeLf! I spend way too much time trying to get everything done and need to focus more on the important things in life. They may seem simple, but they so often get overlooked and could be the difference in making your child’s day go from OK to OuTanDiNg!

Happy New Year!

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

Make 2013 Your Year Of…

With the start of every year I like to WriTe oUt My gOaLs. Some years the list can get quite intensive including goals in my relationships, personal life, and finances. And while that is all well and good, sometimes I just need to pick one and focus on that. Maybe you can relate. If so, consider naming 2013 your year of…

It can be AnYtHiNg yOu WiSh. Maybe it will be your year to learn a new skill, develop a character trait or build/mend a relationship. Maybe it will be your year of slowing down and smelling the roses or finally getting fit.

Whatever your goals are for 2013, we at Suede Sofa wish you a PrOsPeRouS and BleSsEd year!! May 2013 be your best year yet!

:) Robynn