An Open Letter about Parenting.

Dear Concerned Neighbor,

I get that you have children of your own, and that makes you feel like you know everything there is to know about raising kids but you just don't. There's something you should know about kids: they're all different. Which means they learn and grow differently.

Oh, your son and daughter can both read? That's cool! Good for them! Just because they can read doesn't mean I'm going to force it upon my son to read. Yes, my son did just turn 5 and your youngest is just 4 months older than Zander. Obviously both of your kids wanted to read. Zander has an interest in letters and numbers, but I'm not going to force something on him that he's not interested in; or that he's not ready to learn.
I get that he's going to kindergarten in August. I'm very excited about it. He's very smart and I know he'll do well. Him going to school does not mean he has to learn how to read by a certain age. I want him to want to learn so that when he does read, he loves it. He already loves books and I want him to keep loving them as much as I do. Ok? Thanks,

Wait, you say your six your old has been riding a bike without training wheels for a year now? Good for him, I bet he's so proud of himself! When did he start riding his bike with training wheels? Oh, at 2 years old. That's so cool! Well, Zander didn't start riding until he was 4. So, like the reading issue I didn't force him. I'm glad I didn't. He asked me to take his  training wheels off. He was obviously ready because after I took them off, it literally only took 10 minutes of me helping before he mastered it. That's the beauty of waiting. Patience is a virtue and it pays off in the best of ways.

For all other issues you have with the way I parent, you can kindly keep them to yourself. I don't want to hear them, and they will most likely be met in the same fashion as this. I'm going to let my kids be kids. I'm going to let them play outside, dig in the dirt, ride their bikes, do whatever they want to do to have fun! I will take them to the doctor as needed. I will make sure they stay healthy. I will also make sure they stay happy. I'm their mom, so I get the right to raise them as I see fit. I have some issues with the way you parent as well. We'll just leave it as that.

Thank you for your time and understanding.
Sincerely,
An annoyed mom.

Faves for Friday

I have to admit, y'all: this week has probably been the best week I've had since being home full time. Sure, it may not seem like it with my constant whining, but I feel better about this week. It's a big deal, and I'm feeling really happy!

A Few highlights from my week: 
:: I haven't had to watch neighbor kids everyday this week. The one day that I did need to watch them, all 4 kids (mine and the neighbor's) were in rare form, so I'm thankful it was just one day.

:: Zander is getting to be more creative with his artwork. He didn't used to care for drawing and painting & now he has amazing creations like this


:: I managed to knock one off of my Fifteen in 2015. I tried the Avovado Mashed Potatoes, and holy cow they were delish! They pair really well with turkey meatloaf!

:: I felt really good about all of my posts this week. That honestly hasn't happened in awhile!

:: I got a lot organized in my house. Call it spring cleaning. Call it boredom and me needing to keep busy. Whatever it was, my house looks AH-MAZING!

:: Getting to talk to bloggy friends on the phone. Props to Faith, Kristyn, and Anne for having nice long conversations with me even with noisy kids in the background! I'm a people person and I crave interaction with others so being able to talk with them about just random just stuff this week has really made me soo happy!

:: Super sweet texts from other bloggy friends about my post on Faith's blog on Wednesday for her Overcoming Insecurities series! It was tough for me to write, but I'm SO glad I did! Y'all are the best!

And while those were my favorite parts of the week, I had a few favorite blog posts as well! Since it's been a few weeks that I've linked up with Meagan, I figured this week was a perfect week to come back!

Linking up with Meagan

+ Emily / Ember Grey was a guest at Best Kept Self. Her post about Parenting Yourself was really incredible. If you have kids or not... or even if your kids are fur babes... this list is something great to think about throughout your day-to-day.

+ Kendra / Kenji is Here : You know when life just gets to be too much and you need to take a break? Well, Kendra did just that. She gave herself a Me Time Vacation. LOVE this idea.

+ Meagan / All the Joys : The Timing is Right. I really needed to read this more than I knew. A key reminder that time with your spouse  is important!

+ Cassie / Sage : 5 Tips for Building Community on Instagram. I love instagram. If I'm not on twitter, I'm on inta. Cassie's tips are really helpful to make sure you get the most out of it!

+ Kerri / HKB : Why She Won't Follow you on Twitter. I actually learned something about twitter from this post. So not only was it well written, it was informative too. Win/ Win!

+ Kristyn / Chits & Giggles : No Bean Veggie Enchiladas. I love veggie anything, and I love that beans can be added to this if you desire. This looks So good. Just go check out all the yummy veggies Kristyn used!!

And with that, I hope y'all have a great weekend!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Y'all! Baseball season is almost here! If there's one thing you NEED to know about me, it's that I really love baseball. Not just ANY baseball though. Atlanta Braves Baseball. Let's face it, I'm a born & raised Georgia girl and my dad brought me up the right way, watching every single Braves game! Sure, I'll watch football, but when the Braves are on, we're absolutely watching. No questions asked. It's the ONLY pull I have over the T.V. hahaha.

Clearly, I have a lot of baseball memories. If I had to pick my absolute favorite one though it would be from October 1995. For those that aren't familiar with Braves history, that's the last time they won the world series. I was 7 years old with a strict 8:00 P.M. Bedtime. However, for the World Series games, my dad let me stay up to watch! We belted out "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at the bottom of the 7th. Let's face it, who doesn't belt it out though?

Y'all... this was a huge deal for my little 7 year old self. Not only did I get to stay up PAST my bedtime, but I got to bond with my dad over baseball. I'll never forget cheering at the T.V. Or booing when Cleveland would score. My dad is absolutely thrilled that I still remember this. But, how could I not?!

A close second favorite memory would be taking Zander to his first baseball game. It was August 2011, he was 18 months. My boss at my old job had season tickets for the Gwinnett Braves. Every now and then he'd give out the tickets when him and his family didn't want to go. So not only did we have free (amazing) seats, parking was included! HECK YES!

I'll never forget how fascinated Zander was watching the game. At first he wasn't sure what to think, but he quickly got into it. A kid after my own heart!  It also helped that it was a minor league game, and the mascot interacts with the kids a LOT. He still watches baseball with me now.

What's your favorite baseball memory? Are you a diehard Braves fan like me? Link up with Kasey and Jessa to share!