Hi, my name is Libby. I almost never have time to do anything but throw my hair back in a wanna be bun and I’m even less likely to wear make-up. I don’t own any “cute shoes”, unless you consider my black low top chucks cute. If I’m lucky I remember earrings and a necklace, but it’s usually a rotation between the same three and I can’t tell you when they were actually purchased, actually they are mostly hand me downs from my mother (don’t worry, they are “classic” pieces.) You won’t see me with a cute scarf or outfit for that matter because I don’t own any to speak of. IF I paint my toenails it sticks around for months. On Sunday mornings I decide what I’m going to wear based on the last time I shaved.

I’m not the put together Church-y mom. Sometimes I wish I was, but in reality most days I make my way through the church doors I just hope I don’t look like too much of a hot mess.

Did I mention I’m the president of the women’s ministry at my church? I must admit, I don’t think I “look” very presidential.

I am as real as it gets friends. Not to say that those who have figured out what works for them, fashion wise, aren’t real, I’m just saying I can only go up from here.

It’s not like I had it and then lost it when I had kids. No, it just was never there. During my teen years I wore baggy XL t-shirts and men’s wide leg jeans to hide my body (which was amazing by the way, even though I didn’t realize it at the time.) I wanted to dress modestly and the best way I could think to do that was to have everything hang off of me. My hair was always pulled back because I didn’t know what to do with it. My senior year in high school I started to figure some things out but I still wasn’t great.

Senor year spring missions trip. I was totally rocking my goodwill grandma poly shirt and my wide leg jeans. This was the first time I ever had any kind of confidence in my appearance.

The thing is, I know what looks good. I just don’t have the money or the time to put it all together. Or there’s the fact that things don’t always “fit” for me. I l.o.v.e. boots. I have yet to find a pair of boots that will fit over my muscular calves. Then you have to consider the modesty aspect. I have set the modesty bar high in our house. Not everyone will feel it all necessary, but I do. I am the example to my girls of what beauty and modesty translates into. Sometimes I think I’m doing ok, most times I think I’ve got the modest part down, but not the creative expression and beauty part down. Shopping for modest, creative, and beautiful clothes can be so challenging that I give up and stick with the same old clothes I’ve been wearing for years. Often I feel like I’m conveying modesty survival mode.

I hope and pray I’m not in this place forever. At some point God will provide the money for me to create a new wardrobe. I just pray when that time comes that I won’t run and hide because it’s so time consuming, or because it’s difficult to spend money on myself. Regardless, I don’t know that I will ever be that person who always looks put together. At the very least though, I would like to get it right for church and date nights.

What’s the point of all this? I don’t know, other than you are ok right where you are at. And if no one else gets it or you, know that I do and you are not alone. You are beautiful and you are so much more than your hot mess outfit and hair.

Have you ever walked out of the house after doing the best you could, hoping you don’t look like too much of a hot mess? Share some comment love below and help a girl feel less alone in her hot messness!

Thanks for joining me in my mommy confession!

Do you ever let your kids get a toy that you are sure they are going to lose interest in literally days after they get it. You know this, but you do it anyway because, well you need them to be entertain TODAY. I had one of those toys find it’s way into my home at the beginning of summer when we were out garage sale shopping. It was a stuffed dinosaur, and Sammie had her own money that was burning a hole in her pocket. She was determined to find SOMETHING to spend her money on and that dinosaur caught her eye. At $.50 I felt it well worth it, though another stuffed animal was the last thing we needed in our house. I knew, just knew she was going to forget about that thing within days of it entering into our house.

Here’s a picture Sammie and the dinosaur. As you can see it’s really nothing special.

But to my great surprise, two months later, she is still playing with that thing, even sleeping with it at night. It has risen ranks over beloved teddy bears and kitties, and even baby dolls. Can you believe it?! What a lucky dinosaur!

So here’s my mommy confession for the week: Mommy isn’t always right. Sometimes our kids see something that we don’t. I didn’t find that dinosaur special in anyway. My daughter found it to be quite huggable.

What’s your Mommy Confession for the week? Have you ever given or let your kids have something you were sure was going to be making it’s way back out the door in short order only for it to become a prize contender for your child’s attention?

Here it is, I’m baring it all for you guys in today’s Monday Mommy Confession.

Have you ever said something completely harmless only to realize you spoke completely out of turn or said something that could be seen as directly applying to someone in the conversation in a negative way. There’s that split second when you run a check on what your about to say (or type. Can we say Facebook, Twitter, or even email) and for some reason your brain gives you the green light. It feels as though there is no amount of apologizing that can make up for what’s just come out of your mouth.

This usually comes about because by nature I try to be helpful or informative. I work on the general assumption that people know I’m well intended. The majority of the time this works for me. Pair it with the fact that in most cases I usually error on the side keeping silent, and when I do speak I try to choose words carefully. But then there are those other times when all of it goes out the window and I end up with my foot in my mouth, sick to my stomach, and a massive headache.

Hopefully this will all blow over soon. I don’t know how much more my pride can take right now. I’m trusting that God will sort it all out and I’m trying not to assume the worst, which is something I have an uncanny ability to do.

It’s your turn. Do you have time when you said something without even thinking that became a huge deal once it was said?

It’s mommy confession time again. I’m getting to the point now that I have to start checking so I don’t write about the same things. Considering that we are pregnant with baby#4, I’m starting to live through the same scenarios over and over until and it all becomes a blur. And add to that the “no two children are the same and like to put their own spin on things” well, then you have to decide if it’s funny enough to share even though you shared some things similar a year and a half ago or skip it. Ah, the stresses of a mommy writing a blog.

Anyway, onto this weeks Mommy Confession.

Saturday was Lucy’s first birthday. Being that she is only one, we didn’t really plan anything special, however, what we didn’t expect is that she would wake up cutting a tooth and being super cranky and I would be sick in bed all day due to the pregnancy. Fun times.

So Lucy is one, and may I just say that she is figuring things out WAY quicker then her sisters. When she was littler she did a lot of observing and it’s paying off. She isn’t one of those middle children who don’t talk much because her sisters talk for her, no she yells at them if they don’t pay attention to her. She wants to do everything that her  4 yr old and 3 yr old sisters do.

Case in point, Joel picked up a bunch of flowers for the girls to give to me for mother’s day and wrapped them in smaller bunches so they would each have something to give me. Emma and Sammie came barreling in right away, blurry eyed and matted hair, exclaiming “Happy Mother’s Day mommy!” I get my glasses on and thank them just in time to look up to see Lucy toddling in behind them blurry eyed as well and walking like a drunken sailor (Joel had to wake them up which usually doesn’t need to happen). She made her way to the bed and shoved the flowers my direction. The two older ones each leaned in to give me a kiss, and not to be out done, Lucy tried to get to me for her turn. Her older sisters were paying no attention to her and her attempts to shove them out of the way were in vein. I quickly asked the girls to step back so Lucy could have a turn, and she made her way over as I leaned down to give her a kiss.

What a delight she is! She is always giving awesome hugs be it my neck or my leg, and she always, always has a smile to give.

Happy first birthday Lucy! I’m so glad I get to be your mommy. Thanks for being your own person and not being out done by your sisters before you!

Well I started off today not knowing what I was going to write for this weeks Mommy Confession, and since I skipped last week I really needed to post one today. I had tossed around an idea or two this morning planning to landing on one of them when the girls went down for a nap and punching it out.

Then right before nap time one landed in my lap that I wish wouldn’t have since it was an utter mommy fail. But alas, Mommy Confessions is about keeping it real, good and bad, so here it is.

We had finished up lunch and Lucy was still in the high chair playing while the older two were supposed to be  getting ready for naps. I was sitting on my bed resting for a moment (morning sickness and all) when I hear Lucy let out a blood curdling cry. I jump out of bed and head in as Emma announces that Sammie bit Lucy! I asked Sammie if she bit her sister and she informed me that she had bitten her on the finger. I immediately gave her the appropriate disciplinary action then sent her to sit on her bed while I dealt with the still hysterical Lucy.

I was very frustrated at this point because Sammie, who turned three in March, has started being physical with her sisters,  stepping on her baby sister, hitting Emma when she doesn’t get her way and kicking. She’s not really throwing temper tantrums and it doesn’t happen all the time, but more then I’d like. On the flip side she is constantly taking care of her “baby”; changing it’s diaper, nursing it, putting it to bed and making sure everyone is quiet so that it can sleep. I think she is just trying to figure things out, but her older sister didn’t go through this so I’m struggling a little.

Anyway, I calmed down Lucy and headed in to talk to Sammie about what she did and why it was wrong and how she should have done things differently. After I got her calmed down enough that I could understand her (because by the time I got in there she was hysterical herself) I came to understand that she was trying to play with her. You know the game we parents play with babies and little children where we pretend their fingers and toes and arms and legs are sooo taste and sweet, or “Tastes like Chicken” as my mom used to say. Well, that’s what she was trying to play with Lucy only she bit too hard.

My heart sunk.

I loved on her, apologized for disciplining her when it wasn’t warranted and she forgave me. Then I taught her how to pretend to bite without it hurting and had her practice on me.

It’s always hard to apologize to your children and admit that you were wrong. But what better way to teach your children what humility looks like and how to extend forgiveness then to demonstrate it yourself.

Do you have a Mommy Confession this week you’d like to share? Feel free to leave a comment below!

Dear Belle,

I’d like to thank you for taking so much time to teach and share SOOO many ideas, thoughts and songs with my daughter Emma. I know you have your hands full teaching The Beast how to read, ice skate, and re-learn how to eat with a spoon. Emma is always sharing with me things that her mommy you have taught her and songs you have sang together. The songs you and Emma have sung together are….interesting to say the least. I always seem to miss you when you are coming over for tea parties, funny how that works.

Imagine my surprise to learn that you were pregnant the same day I told our daughters that I was pregnant. Isn’t it funny how those things work out!

It’s really to bad that we haven’t met yet, since my daughter adores you and we seem to have so much in common.

No offense, but I’d like her to make other friends that she can talk about, like say, Lucy from The Lion, The Witch, and The wardrobe, or maybe someone real from her classes at Church. If you could encourage her in that direction that would be great. No offense, but I’m getting a little tired of hearing your name.

Warmest regards,

Emma’s mom

Sorry for the late posting of this Mommy Confession. We were busy loading up the rest of the big stuff we still had at my parents house and heading back to kansas (we got in about 1am this morning) It was a fun Easter weekend, but I’m wiped and ready to slow things down for a few days.

Now on to this weeks Mommy confession. Some of you may remember seeing me last year looking like the picture above. This was me at almost 43 weeks. I was quite large at the end and it was all in front in that huge belly of mine.

Well, take a good look at that picture, because that is going to be me again the end of November! Yes, that’s right, we are going to have Terrell baby #4! We are so excited and the older girls are beside themselves with excitement. They’ve decided they are having a baby too. I haven’t decided if I’m going to nip that one in the bud or if I’m just going to let it play out.

I’m just starting to feel a little sick today, I think part of it is exhaustion and lack of healthy eating over the last few day. We shall see! We have a lot of things to work out, like a different car, finding a midwife and things like that, but we know God will be with us every step of the way and He’ll provide everything we need.

Today’s Monday Mommy Confession is all about empty threats, but first I want to take a minute and celebrate my 100th post here on the blog. Can you believe it, 100! Thanks to everyone who’ve been reading since the beginning, and to those who have jumped in along the way. I am ever so amazed that anyone is remotely interested in what I have to say, so to still be writing four years later is great. I hope you will agree with me that I think I’ve improved and refine my writing skills a bit as I’ve gone along. Hopefully it won’t take me four more years to reach 200, ha ha!

Now on to today’s Monday Mommy Confession.

(Deep Breath) Have you ever made an empty threat to your kids knowing full well that you don’t intend to keep it, hoping it will scare them into obedience, but they end up calling your bluff and you are left scrambling to save face and make it look like you are being a benevolent parent by letting them get to do what you just told them an hour ago they wouldn’t get to do if they didn’t obey (breath)?

Ya, I never do that either (ha, watch my nose grow!)

That’s me, the empty threat maker!

I’m getting better catching myself before that empty threat slip through my lips, but I still catch myself making threats that I’m either unable or unwilling to fulfill. 99% of the time this involves nap time. Yes, I still require my 4 and 3 year olds to take naps, and most of the time they do, though it may take some time for them to get there. I still do naps because they both need them. They are unbearable if they don’t, and everyone pays for it!

It usually goes something like this:

After forty five minutes of correction and trips in their for punishments, I finally say “Do you want to go to such and such a place tonight, because if you don’t go to sleep you won’t!”

Sometime this works, other times, one or both just won’t settle down and it comes back to bite me.

I end up saying something like “Mommy decided to be gracious today and allow you to go even though you don’t deserve it. What do you need to tell mommy?” (Thank you’s follow). For now it works, but I know given another year or so my eldest will have figured it out. That’s why I am trying to break the habit now while I have naivety on my side.

We have recently rearranged their room so they can’t see each other without getting out of bed, and it seems to be helping. But I’m sure I have not made my last empty threat yet unfortunately.

What’s your worst empty threat that back fired on you?

I thought I’d share a nice smelling photo today!

We are trying to teach the girls manners. It is something that has to be taught over, and over, and over again. Though I have girls, they have just as much of a fascination with passing gas (or tooting as we call it) as any boy around.

One of my girls (who shall remain nameless so she doesn’t kill me when she gets older) had been passing gas and not letting anyone know, leaving us to “discover” it with our noses. After gagging we reminded her that she must say excuse me to let everyone know she did so.

It finally sunk in one day when she came downstairs and proudly announced “Mommy, I tooted upstairs and I said excuse me!” What made it so funny was that the rest of us were downstairs, so she was up there by herself.

Both girls are getting the hang of it now. It doesn’t help with the stinkiness (which is my fault really, thanks to all the fruits and vegetables and beans I feed them) but at least we have warning now! The laughs haven’t subsided though. One thing at a time right?

Do you have stinkers in your family that get a good belly laugh out of passing gas, or any bodily functions really?