My husband and I got married when we were just 19 years old. Over the years, especially in the first couple of years of marriage, we received a lot of advice. Some advice was good, some not so good. These are the tips we have found work really well for our marriage, but of course you need to figure out what works well for yours!
1. Communicate
One of my favorite things to do is just sit and talk with my husband. It can be easy to get caught up in the busyness of day to day life and not really talk to your spouse. Ask them about how their day went and take interest in the things going on in their life. Communication is so important with tough conversations too. If something is bothering you, don’t let it bottle up, but talk to your partner about it.
2. Put each other first.
Your spouse should even come before your children. Your kids are only at home for a season and when they move out, your spouse will be the one there. Putting your spouse first doesn’t diminish the love you have for your children,
Just a little back story to this post, I am someone who puts others first often and someone who wants to be there for my friends whenever they need someone. I have a hard time saying “no,” because I don’t like to let someone down. Growing up, I had a “best friend” that tended to take advantage of that. Looking back, I can’t believe some of the things I dealt with. I don’t want to go too much into detail, but some of the things this person said and did are not things you would do to a friend. I constantly felt like I was being pulled down, but I did nothing about it for years. In my mind, I always justified what she did and just brushed it off.
I grew up in church and one message in particular has resonated with me for years. It was a lesson about friendship using an analogy from the story of Jonah. If you aren’t familiar with the story of Jonah, he was called by God to go into the city of Nineveh. This city was known for its wickedness and Jonah tried to run from God, instead of going to the city he was called to. Instead, he headed in the opposite direction and made his way onto a ship. Consequently, God sent violent storms.
This post is a few weeks late, but I still wanted to get it up. Now that Dawson is 18 months old, I feel like we are finally in full toddler mode. He is such a happy boy who plays and runs around all day and loves to climb on the furniture. I feel like he is learning and doing new things each day.
Dawson would play outside all day if we let him. He loves to find rocks, sticks and anything else he can carry. He also enjoys riding his 4-wheeler and throwing his ball.
He has been pushing the limit to see what he will get away with.
He is always willing to give a hug and a kiss.
He will dance to familiar songs. (One Little Finger is his favorite)
Meals have been challenging with figuring out what foods he will eat. Many things end up thrown on the floor.
All kinds of fruit are favorites, while veggies are more of a struggle to try.
He only has 7 teeth, but has been teething more recently.
Dawson has been talking a lot and is saying new words daily. A few of his favorite words are: puppy, socks, ball, toes, yes, no, please, mine.
He said his first sentence- “I don’t want that.” when we tried to give him a piece of bread for dinner.
He shakes his head yes and no.
He can point to body parts on himself and on someone else (head, eye, nose, ear, mouth, chin, tummy, toes, arm, leg)
My thoughts for this blog is to share my ideas about topics I enjoy, but I also want to share things that are more on the personal side. I want to be able to look back and see where we were in life and look back on everything we have been through. I don’t normally write down goals for the new year, mostly because I never follow through with them. But, if I post them online, maybe it will serve as a better reminder to make these goals happen. Overall, our goals are focused around paying off debt and sharing new experiences as a family. These are my/our goals for 2019.
Plan at least 1 family outing each month
Go to a Detroit Tigers game
Go to the Detroit Zoo
Sign Dawson up for swim classes
Visit our family in Arkansas
Go to the beach- At least once
Go on a boat ride
Have a picnic at the park
Potty train Dawson
Pay off our smallest student loan ($2000) and add to the snowball for my student loans
Complete at least 1 “no spend” month
Make our upstairs more livable. (Add duct work for heat/cooling)
Make our downstairs bedroom a playroom
Better organize our home and declutter
Take more pictures
Better balance my home/work life
Read at least 3 books
Listen to more podcasts
Make more time for friends
Put myself out their to meet new people
Spend less time mindlessly scrolling through social media
Spend more time playing with Dawson
Read to Dawson every night
Consistently post on this blog
Drink less pop and more water
Try new recipes
Thanks for visiting my blog! What are your goals for the new year?
Hello! Today I wanted to share a review on the TWELVElittle Companion Diaper Backpack. I am someone who is picky about the bags I carry. For a diaper bag, I knew that I wanted a backpack with enough pockets on the inside and outside of the bag to stay organized. I was previously using an over the shoulder bag, but it was difficult to carry that while also carrying a toddler. I purchased this bag a couple of months ago and have been loving it so far.
The inside of the bag is nice and deep with 1 small zipper pocket, 2 elastic pockets and 2 regular pockets. The elastic pockets are able to hold a couple of diapers (size 4) and a pack of wipes. I am not sure if the inside fabric is the same in all the bags, but in mine was a cute animal print. The print is light in color so things are easy to find compared to a darker inside material. If you would like to read my post about the things I carry for my toddler, click here.
The diaper bag also comes with a decent size changing pad in the same animal print. The changing pad is compact once folded down.
The outside of the bag is a soft, quilted material. There is a large zippered pocket on the front that I mostly use for a “mom pocket.” On that pocket is a smaller one with a strong magnetic closure. I normally don’t use this pocket, but it could be great for keys or a phone. Above the mom pocket is a smaller zippered pocket. It is the perfect size to hold my sunglasses. That is about all that pocket will hold. On the sides of the bag are 2 insulated cup holders. They are a good size and are big enough to hold most sippy cups or bottles and a bottle of water.
The straps are adjustable and the bag is comfortable to wear because of the padding on the shoulder straps. The bottom of the bag has a small “secret” pocket that could be used for dirty clothes. I keep the changing pad there.
Color: I have the black, which is nice and simple. I also like that my husband feels comfortable carrying it. There are a few other colors to choose from including: camouflage, blush, wine, gray, cheetah print and olive green.
Pro:
There are a good amount of pockets to help keep things organized.
The outer material is water-resistant and can be easily wiped clean.
Padded straps making it comfortable to wear.
2 nice sized insulated pockets on the outside of the bag.
The zippers are nice and smooth.
There is a hidden pocket for dirty items.
Cons:
The price point is a little high. The retail value is $189. I was able to purchase mine for $100 by stacking a sale price with a coupon. If you are interested in this bag, make sure you shop around for the best price.
The bag can be wiped down with a wet cloth, but it shouldn’t be machine washed.
This bag is not sold in many stores. If you’re like me, I like to be able to go into a store and look at the bag in person before purchasing.
Overall I have enjoyed using this bag and would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a good diaper backpack. It holds everything I need and more for my toddler.
