Author: Taylor Schae

Countdown to Thanksgiving…I’m Grateful For Shopping with my Daughter

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To be honest, I don’t go out and about shopping with Isla very often for a couple reasons. The first is that there isn’t money to spend on shopping, so it wouldn’t be fun for either of us. The second is that Isla hates being confined to a shopping cart and wants to get down and walk around on her own, making it near impossible to get any shopping done anyway. However, we managed to give it a try and went to Home Goods and Ulta (2 of my absolute favorite places in case you’re wondering). And although it went about as expected, we still had such a blast! Isla is so good at making friends wherever she goes, and I was able to get a couple things crossed off my to-do list as well.
It was a good reminder for me that even though I know it’ll be tough and maybe even stressful, these outings with her are super important to let her continue to learn what my expectations are of her when we are out in public and to also let her interact with others and make new friends.

Countdown to Thanksgiving…I’m grateful for surprise visits

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Yesterday my sister texted to let me know she was in the area and wanting to come by my house. That thrilled me to pieces because I love visitors! Most people can’t come during the day because of work schedules, but she was off work due to it being Veterans Day. Having people over or even going to others’ home in the middle of the day can be such a fun and refreshing way to break up the routine if you’ve been in the house alone with your children for too long. Thankfully, I know some other SAHMs that I try to plan play dates consistently with, but having it be your sister that comes by added an extra fun touch and surprise to my day, which I’m so grateful for.

Countdown to Thanksgiving…I’m grateful for dreams

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Not the kind of dreams that you have when you sleep, but I love to be able to just sit and think through hopes and dreams that I have for the day and the future.
To be honest, today was not one of my best mentally. I struggled to be in any sort of good head space where I was able to easily come up with something I’m grateful for. I was stumped for quite a while. But then I remembered the reason why I didn’t have the best day and came up with something to be grateful for out of it.
The biggest reason why I have my bad days mentally is when I feel completely insignificant. Being a SAHM is not always fun and exciting. I spend time scrolling through social media and find either working moms that seem to have more of a life or other SAHMs that have some sort of side hustle or frequent date nights that help to break up the monotony.
Today, I found myself thinking through ways to pull myself out of my pity party slump. I feel like ultimately that’s what it is when I’m feeling sorry for myself or my current situation. I really try to think through careers I might be interested in pursuing one day when the kids are older, or a side hustle I may want to start while the kids are young, and the list goes on…Ultimately, it can get me super excited for what’s to come—a reminder that the days of raising young ones won’t last forever. Yes, today was tough, but I’m praying for a better tomorrow. I’m thankful for the tough days that can bring about hope.

Countdown to Thanksgiving…I’m grateful for preparation

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When you’re looking forward to something, doesn’t it seem just as fun, if not more fun, sometimes to go through the planning process? Like with the anticipation of an upcoming vacation where you’re packing and getting everything ready while dreaming about all the fun you’re going to have. Or for me in this case, planning the menu for Thanksgiving dinner as I eagerly countdown the days until the day is actually here. I absolutely love the preparation process.

Mixed in with Thanksgiving planning, I find myself also starting to prepare for Christmas. I am definitely not a Scrooge—I welcome Christmas celebrations whenever anyone wants to fa la la. I do not judge because I know how happy this season makes me as well. It’s a whole new world too when you have kids and can see the experience as being so fresh in their eyes. I’m grateful for this season of thankfulness and preparation leading up to the holidays.

Countdown to Thanksgiving…I’m grateful for laughter

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The story I’m about to share will probably seem so silly and strange to you guys, but I’m going to share it anyway because it happened to me today, and I’m thankful it did.
This morning, we all went to the health department to get our flu shots, including Isla. As we were sitting in the waiting room watching her play with the different toys, Ross and I found a toy that seemed strange, and we weren’t sure how it worked or the point of the game. So we did what any curious person would do and start messing with it. I’m not even sure how to describe this game except for that you use magnets under this table to try and move the pieces that are on top of the table. Before you know it, Ross and I have turned an innocent children’s toy into a full-on competition between each other to see who could “win.” We were cracking up at each other for how much we had gotten into this game and had a blast being the only adults enjoying the kids’ toys.
I live for moments like this with my husband. Since becoming a mom, I can find it harder to break through my outer shell that is constantly worrying and having thoughts travel a million miles an hour to just stop and laugh at silly things. I’m thankful to him for helping me enjoy mundane activities like going to the health department for shots.

Countdown to Thanksgiving…I’m grateful for mornings

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I wake up so excited that it’s morning. I love everything about mornings to my morning routine, breakfast, coffee, everything! I often wake up feeling tired still, so don’t get me wrong, it can be hard to get out of bed at times. However, there is nothing like watching some morning news while snuggling with my whole family in bed after Isla has gotten up, opening our blinds to see the sun coming up, making my oatmeal, and making delicious coffee. It all just speaks to my soul.
Being able to have such laid back mornings every day is one the reasons why I love being able to stay at home with Isla and not be rushed to get anywhere first thing. And with my husband’s schedule, he is normally able to set his work hours and allow for a leisurely morning as well.
Being able to have something that I love to look forward to every day is so helpful in keeping myself in a joyful and grateful state of mind. It’s not always easy being home a lot and raising a toddler, but I sure am thankful that it allows for me to enjoy my mornings with my family.

Countdown to Thanksgiving…I’m grateful for a healthy pregnancy

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Leading up to Thanksgiving, I really want to place an emphasis on being in a state of gratitude and thankfulness. This is, of course, good to do all the time, but this time of year can place it on our hearts even a little more.
As I’m writing this, I am 17 weeks pregnant with baby #2. We just found out that she is a GIRL last week and, we are thrilled out of our minds.
Every pregnancy is different, and we are not guaranteed an easy ride during these 9 months of growing a precious child. Besides the occasional discomfort while sleeping, moodiness, exhaustion, etc…I am so grateful to be growing a healthy baby girl. I really can’t complain when I think about the blessing of being able to have another baby and have her grow in my belly. It really does far surpass any pregnancy symptom or discomfort that I may experience. Before I know it, we will be holding her in our arms and wondering how the time flew by so quickly that we are actually able to be meeting her.
What are you grateful for today? Write it down or share it with someone! Prioritize time each day to cultivate gratefulness in your heart.

I’m Grateful For…Cool Weather Days

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Today was the first day in a LONG time where wearing a sweater was a must, especially this morning. It was the kind of weather that refreshes my autumn-loving soul! Blend that with it being family fun day at the zoo, and today was perfect. I’m definitely a person whose mood is affected by the weather. I don’t know if you all can relate, but I think that’s why fall is my favorite season. Crisp air and crunchy leaves with Starbucks in hand makes this momma happy as can be! I’m so grateful for the changing weather, allowing me to dig out my sweaters after the sweltering summer that we’ve had.

Baby #2 On The Way!

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My husband and I recently announced that in April 2020, we will be a family of 4! It’s so exciting to think of Isla being a big sister. We don’t know if we are having a boy or girl yet, but we hope to find out in a few weeks. We are so grateful to be going through this again. I know that pregnancy can be difficult and frustrating at times as you can feel totally out of control of your own body, but I never want to take this for granted either.

I’m getting ready to enter my second trimester, and this pregnancy is definitely going by quickly. Staying busy with my 17 month old will do that! So far, I’m finding it to be very true that your belly can pop a lot faster the second time around! I feel like I started to look pregnant around 8 weeks. Needless to say, I’ve already been slathering the stretch mark lotion on for weeks now.

Overall, there is so much joy and love surrounding this little baby. We can’t wait to welcome him/her into our home. Ross and I feel more relaxed this time around for sure. We are also praying that this baby is super relaxed and loves to sleep! Regardless of how much or how little sleep we get, we feel so blessed to be entrusted with the precious life. You are so loved little one!

I’m Grateful For…Mom’s Night Out

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More than being able to eat a warm meal out with other moms without kiddos trying to climb out of high chairs and run around the whole time, I enjoyed the awesome conversations that we were able to have. Of course, it mainly revolves around parenting and all things motherhood, but the wisdom and advice exchanged was life-giving to this tired mama. My perspective on handling discipline, tantrums, and other tough moments during the day were given a freshness that I really needed! Even just hearing that my child is going to push boundaries to really know what they are and being reaffirmed that every child is different and that is totally normal helped to quiet my heart. I felt like it would race every time Isla pushed the limits and intentionally did the opposite of what I say. Now, I notice more grace and patience in my approach to correcting her, and I’m so thankful! To me, time with these moms proved to be necessary and something I need to prioritize! I’m so grateful for other moms speaking wisdom to me and encouraging me beyond what they even know.