Summa Summa Summa Time

I love this time of year. I love dry heat, beach days and time in the pool with the family. Summer means less running around, sleeping in (or so I hear, my kids don't do that yet), and hot nights.  In this post I am just sharing a couple little things that have made my beach going, pool swimming, sun bathing that much more enjoyable.

This sunscreen is great!  I actually get the bigger spray one, but this smells amazing, not sticky and keeps my guys from getting burnt! I no longer use kids stuff on them and this sunscreen works perfect!

This bikini top is ah-ma-ZING! I have a hard time finding tops that are flattering, but his one is perfect. Padded but not unrealistic, thick lined, and I like how the front ties so it can be adjusted. The bottoms are adjustable as well and I would call them full coverage. It's been a struggle this year to find a suit that I am comfortable in, that is mom appropriate but also still makes me feel like my age. This cover great and the adjustable sides make a cute little detail. My hat of course is from We Build America. My favorite brand ;) Love the sparkle detail on the hat.  

shop this picture: bikini top//the bottoms are from target and I am not able to find them any longer//Hats//the sunnies are Guess prescription glasses from a couple years ago.

I got a super cute one piece from American Eagle online! I will link it in my next post so stay tuned! I hope you all have a beautiful Wednesday and that you're staying cool!

It's been a minute

Hi friends,

Wow, it's been a while since I've been here. I don't have a good excuse except, life. I think about this space, a lot. I get carried away in the day to day, I let my second guessing nature make decisions for me...and we started a business.

With all of that said, I am hoping to be back here more often. After all, this is my little space. This is where I get to share my thoughts, be me, and have a creative outlet. I started this blog to hold myself accountable to stay in shape, and we can just say that I am struggling with that at the moment...a topic for another time. What I really want is a place I can reach other parents, a place people can read stories and say "thank goodness I am not the only one", a place I can give tips, and maybe some DIYs.

I stray from blogging because I am super protective of the boys. I never want to over expose them, I don't ever want to share something that one day they will read and either be sad, mad or upset in any way. That is probably what draws me away from blogging the most. I don't want them to ever feel like I shared THEIR lives too much, if that makes sense. Most of you reading are thinking, come on Nicole, some of you know me well and totally get my crazy, and some of you agree about your child making the social media decisions when they are old enough to say "yes I want my pictures on the internet". Ugh it's a battle, guys! And yes, I know that I am probably being extremely silly.

Now for the company! My husband and I started an apparel company called We Build America. I am loving this new venture. It's challenging on every level. I'm designer, sales, purchasing, web design, social media manager, you name it...I'm it! It's been hard to find balance. Between mom, WBA, and housewife. My house is definitely more messy, I have my days of self doubt and I wonder if taking this on is too much. The truth is, even though being a mom is my number 1 priority and the most rewarding and humbling job I've ever had, I needed another outlet. I needed to feel like I was working. God gave me that drive, and I need to run with it. I have my days that I don't work on WBA, but I focus on the house, kids etc. or the days that I'm working hard on it. When I hear the boys says "mommy makes hats and shirts", I am so happy. I love that they see me working hard at not only being a mom, but also running a business from the ground up. We have big plans. It's hard and we are just starting out but I know we have a great thing.

Thanks for catching up!

3 is the magical age...Until It's Not

Forgive me, friends for being MIA. I've been in a funk and had some major writers block. I find myself perpetually exhausted, but what momma isn't? The boys keep me on my toes constantly. One day they are best friends and the next I am playing referee all day.

The boys are 3 years old and five months. The first four months of them being three was awesome. They can really talk to me, we can have conversations and their imaginations are incredible! These things all lead me to believe I was over the hard stuff, but do you know what else comes with all of these fun changes? The voice to really talk back, the mentality of "no, I'm not your robot" and for some reason the noise decibels have gone up in my house. I love these little boys of mine like crazy, but my goodness, three years old is hard.

I had heard of the dreaded threenager years, and had been told that threes were worse than twos. It's not so much that threes are worse, they are just challenging on a different level. For the reason that I have twins who have completely different personalities, I feel like I am constantly trying to stay ahead of the next melt down, shenanigan or whatever might take place in the day of a three year old. At the end of the day, I'm flustered, not because my boys were misbehaved (at least not most of the time, ha) but because they have their own agendas and I DON'T LIKE IT.

Then again I don't want them to be little robots (although when they are running around my legs at the store, how nice would that be?),  I want them to speak up (when necessary), be kind and polite without prompting, and I want them to have the ability to make their own decisions. Yes, I know they are three and they still need to follow my rules, no one knows this or enforces this as much as I do, but I want them to be outgoing and comfortable in the world. I just pray that what my husband I have taught them thus far sticks and they continue to grow into amazing young men.

In the meantime, I'll keep pushing through these threes and continue to teach my little crazies to be respectful little boys even if they don't care for me at times, because I love them more than they know and I was given the most important job when God chose my to be their mommy.