mamabird life {seventeen} and blog survey!

Mamabird life has been...

~ Little to no brain capacity for writing.  Hence my terrible lack of sharing here.  These pictures are from a family vacation we took a month ago.  Life hasn't slowed down since getting home.

~ Enjoying *some* cooler weather.  It was beautiful at our vacation spot in Wisconsin and the last couple weeks here in Indiana have been beautiful as well.  It's warming up a bit though... Go away, summer!

~ Overcoming some incredible anxiety while living on a lake for a week.  Lots of constant supervision and my heart skipping beats.  Eventually I was able to enjoy the water and even had my first kayaking experience (which turned into almost daily jaunts around the lake I loved it so much!).

~  Lots of coffee, cocoa, and pringles.  No regrets.  It was wonderful fun.

~  Beautiful skies and campfire laughter.

~  Switching out summer to fall decor and pulling out sweaters from storage!  *happy dance!*

~  Jessie's baby shower (the past weekend)!  Her love of teddy bears is no secret, so we did a Winnie the Pooh theme.  It was such a blast!  I can hardly believe how close I am to meeting my nephew.  He has already made it quite clear through numerous kicks to my hand that we will be best buddies.  <3

~  Rejoining worship team with piano and vocals full-time.  How I've missed it!

~  Attempting potty training and very quickly realizing Rennie isn't ready.  She showed some interest in sitting on the toilet and hates when her diapers get dirty but threw a FIT over wearing undies (and defiantly peed in them twice).  So, we're waiting a bit longer.  ;-)

~  Finally getting a meal plan figured out.  I try to be flexible about it on crazy days, but having meals listed in advance really helps with budgeting.

~  Switching more of my self care products for more natural options.  I already use all-natural cleaners for the home and began wondering why on earth I wasn't being a little more picky about what I use to clean my body and hair!  :-P  For now I really love using castille soap for shampoo and body wash for Rennie and me.  I condition with water-diluted Apple Cider Vinegar (have for quite a while and it works great!).  I use plain coconut oil for lotion (yep, on my face too!).  So far everything is working wonderfully!  I'm still really struggling with dandruff no matter what I use (natural and not)... so there is more experimenting to do.  I've also been brushing my teeth with baking soda and coconut oil for about nine months now and so far so good!  I've got some chemical free mascara and natural deodorant ordered (nothing I've tried at the health food stores has worked so far), so hopefully those will be a success as well.  Is there anyone else out there who likes to be chemical-free in their home?  Has anyone found ways to keep dandruff at bay?  HELP PLEASE!  ;-)

~  Setting up a doctor's appointment to *hopefully* figure out more about why it isn't easy for us to get pregnant.  Prayers for that would be so appreciated!  It's scheduled for October 5th.

~  Lastly, creating this new survey!  I'm really curious about your thoughts on where this blog stands and where it might go.  Life can make it hard for my to be a faithful blogger, but I do want to continue sharing and would love feedback.  There are only a few questions.  Thanks so much in advance to anyone who helps me out!


Have a blessed week!


<3