Struggling

Just breathe.

Tread water.

Pray and be faithful.

A new struggle is surfacing.  

This is a hard post to write.  

I love my L with all my heart.  

He has such a big heart and can be so loving.  But I don't know who this child is lately.  

This week we have hit a new low.  Not that we've never had behavioral issues with him before but we're facing a new challenge and I'm not sure how to handle it.

There is lying.

There is sneaking.

There is disrespect and backtalk.

And not in small doses or I wouldn't be writing this.  The first thing that comes to mind is maybe new exposure in school.  I really can't think of anything else that has changed that may have brought on this level of increased bad behavior.  He's using words we've never used at home and certainly don't approve of.  He's lying about almost everything.  I get lying, I understand why kids (and adults) do it.  But he lies about things that don't even make any sense.  Like things he wouldn't even get in trouble for regardless of his answer.  And the backtalk.  OOOHH the backtalk, dished out at every turn.  It almost feels like living with a rebellious teenager.  Of course E is soaking all this up and emulating his big brother which just compounds our frustration.

What could be different about kindergarten versus preschool?  Is there really that much difference from the 6 hours a week he was in preschool last year to the 35 hours a week of kindergarten? 
I just don't know...

But I do know that this too shall pass, it's just going to be one
of those struggles we need to go through.

And it surely won't be the last.

I pray for the right words to say to L, the right actions to take, and peace in our home.

We Encourage - Featured Follower - Megan

It's Tuesday, that means it's time for another "We Encourage" post! 

Meet Megan of Our House of Pink.

I found Megan several months ago through a "day in the life" link-up at The Busy Budgeting Mama.

She's a young mother of two beautiful little girls with another on the way. One of the things I love best about Megan's blog is her honesty.  She bravely writes about her reality, the ups and the downs and everything in between.  And the fierce devotion she has to do right by her girls is remarkable.  Though I often feel the same way as Megan, she is so good at putting those feelings into words.

Megan told me her favorite post was Happiness.

"That post is always there to remind me what really matters. It's not our car or if my girls have a different outfit on every day, it's the small things. Their laugh, the way Kyleigh smells after a bath, the bond they share. Those are the things that matter. I often forget and need to be reminded. "

Not only is she an awesome mama, 
but she has a crafty side too...

Check out her Minnie Mouse party for her daughter here.

 And peruse some of her gorgeous photography here and here.

Megan is counting down the days to the arrival of her new daughter in the next couple weeks so drop by and leave her some encouraging words as she prepares to embark on another mama adventure :)

Thank you Megan for sharing your beautiful girls and being such an encouraging follower!

Favorite Things Friday

It's been a strange week.

Peace and beauty mixed in with frustration and sadness.

But that's life I guess.

Here's what I found immense joy in.

A simple family walk in the woods

You can see my boys aren't really meanderers but it was still peaceful being in the quiet of the woods and smelling all the wonderful fall smells in the air.  This is one of our favorite things to do as a family.

My favorite gift

I adore my digital picture frame.  My hubs got it for me a few Christmases ago and it hangs on my office wall.  A perfect daily reminder of what I love in this life and reminder of the best moments I've had.  Aside from my kids and wedding ring, this is THE BEST gift he has ever given me.  LOVE IT!

My iPhone

I know, I know.
You're porbbaly all sick of me rambling on about how much I love my phone.
But God has really been using it to help me out this week.
That's right people, GOD will use an iPhone if need be!
I had a bad day at work one day and it was getting to me.  The next day started out to be pretty much the same so I turned my Pandora channel to some Christian music (the fact that I can listen to this at work is a blessing in itself!) and it totally kept me centered on what is truly important and helped me maintain a Christian attitude toward all the people I dealt with.

You can see my hubby is a man of few words :)

Not to mention with the new phones my hubby and I can message each other for free.  Lo' and behold we've been using it several times to drop little lovey reminders to each other throughout the week.
Who doesn't love that?!

My potty-training 2-1/2 year old

My sweet E has been keeping his diaper/underwear dry!
That is SOOO worth celebrating!  He loves the M&M's we give him when he is successful.  He will remind me to get them before we're even finished in the bathroom.  
Diaper days, I am about to kiss you bye bye :)

What's been bringing you joy?  
Go link up with Rachel and tell us about it!

finding joy

What's it all about? A thank you.

I joined the blogging world close to a year ago...

and I still don't know what my blog is all about.  

My intentions started out for it to be a vehicle to spread the word about Behind the Moon BEADWORKS,  my designs, and progress in building a small business.  Then I decided to throw in a little personal stuff too.  Well at this point my business is sort of on hold (boo)...so it's mostly personal. 

But what direction to go?  

What is the "voice" of my blog?  

I really don't know.

I just write by how I feel.

Sometimes I am inspired.

Sometimes sarcastic.

Sometimes blissful.

Sometimes grumpy.

Sometimes thankful.

So I guess it is all about the many facets of me.  

Some good...some bad.

I know I'm not the most entertaining writer but somewhere in this mish-mosh collection of posts some of you have found a way to relate.  And that my dear friends is priceless to me.  Knowing that I'm not alone in this crazy life is such a comfort.  I mean who knew adulthood and parenthood would be so ....complex?
Your comments are so appreciated and always seem to be so encouraging.  They're like little rays of sunshine that peak through even on my cloudy days.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
for reading and sharing in my life.
You all are the best!
 : )

Finally fall in my house

I love decorating for the different seasons and holidays.

Problem is I don't have a lot of decorations!  

I normally don't like to decorate for Halloween specifically.  I'm just not that into spooky stuff so I tend to stick with general fall decor and leave it up for October and November.  But L and E are typical boys and adore the ugly spooky skulls and spiders we see at the stores so I may have to start decorating with some of them too to make them happy.
L thinks my current decor is "boring"...ha!

Front door: Berry wreath and "twig" witches brooms

Happy "Jacks" on my front stoop

Fall jewel tones

Fun window clings

Harvest Hearth: complete with handpainted pumpkins from my little Picassos on the shelves

What about you?  
Do you do "spooky" or "boring" in your house?

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Finally getting close - the hair that is

Cobalt tank: New York & Co

Earrings: Drops of Rain - b e h i n d  t h e  m o o n  BEADWORKS (available on Etsy)

Necklace: Custom - b e h i n d  t h e  m o o n  BEADWORKS (email me for details)

Bracelet: Custom - b e h i n d  t h e  m o o n  BEADWORKS (email me for details)

 Five months ago I did this post about trying to grow out my hair and achieve those loose luscious curls I so often admire on celebs and several of you other bloggers!  I got a "body wave" that was more like a full on

"finger in an electric socket" perm.  Not that I minded it much once it started to relax but it was still tighter than I wanted.  Well my hair is finally showing some length gained.  And I curled it with a curling iron despite that my perm is still going strong.  I was actually able to get something close to what I've been wanting for a long time...which made me really happy.  

Me?
Happy with my hair? 
It's like an impossibilty and yet...I kinda am.

We recently had a Indian Summer weekend so we decided to have one last cookout at our house.  This is the prettiest I have felt in a good while so I had my hubby document it for me.  

Gee, I don't look stiff do I?  

Not used to posing for a pic ;)

Are you ever happy with your hair?

We Encourage - Featured Follower - Amanda

I've been wanting to join in this link-up for a while now and today I'm finally doing it!

Jami at Call me Blessed came up with this wonderfully encouraging link-up to take a moment to encourage someone in your life or write about someone who encourages you.
Lord knows the world could use some more encouragement going around!

So today I would like to encourage one of my sweet followers...

Meet Amanda of 
Simple Girl, Simple Pleasures

She a young 20-something with a refreshingly upbeat outlook on life.  I hate to sound like an 'ol lady here but in these days of dispassionate mindsets, I find this very refreshing.

With a new career, loving family and awesome boyfriend, this girl is on to great things!

Check out Amanda's blog here.

One of the unique things you'll find is her "yearly lists" to accomplish...

currently her list of "24 before 24".  

And let me tell ya, this girl gets it done.  

She is extremely accomplished...and only in her early 20's!

I asked Amanda to let us know what her favorite post was and why.

Favorite post

Rock 'n' Roll Providence Half Marathon

 Why? 

"I think that this post meant the most to me because it was more than just sharing about a race, it was sharing a piece of me.

I felt extremely proud before, during, and after running this race because I did something on my own and for me. Two days before the race, my three friends who were supposed to run it (and the original reason I signed up) told me they weren't going to run. I had been in Las Vegas for only 36 hours those two days before the race and felt exhausted, angry, and very disappointed. Part of me didn't want to move forward with the race, and in the past, I probably wouldn't have done it because I don't like doing things on my own if I had planned to do them in a group. This was a big step for me, a step to becoming more mature. So instead of feeling angry, upset, and skipping the race, I chose to feel grateful for this opportunity to run and be a part of this crazy group of runners. It was very empowering to get out of bed on a rainy Sunday in August to run 13.1 miles for me and me alone. It's a reminder of why I run and am a runner. But this race wasn't just feeling grateful for being able to go out and run a race, it was also about M.

You see, M is amazing, supportive, loving, caring, on and on and on... Sometimes we forget that our special someone goes above and beyond for us. Sometimes we wish for more surprises or flowers or cards, but those things aren't what count. It's having the person you love (and who loves you) get up at 4:30AM on a Sunday to go stand in the rain for two hours just to see you cross the finish line. And to give you a hug while you cry because it was hard, and you're exhausted. And to know that in this post-race hour, silence is what you both need.

I ran more than 13.1 miles that day. I took a step in being more mature. I appreciated that I have an amazing boyfriend and person in my life. And I was thankful."

Amanda always takes time to appreciate the simple things in life.  
She is a great encouragement to her family 
and friends...and inspiring to me.

Thank you Amanda for always having an encouraging word for me 
and sharing of yourself in this big wide blog land!

Stop by and give her some love!

Friday Favorites - Kids say the darndest things

Oh the joys to be found in the little ones. 
They are endless.
A few recent favorites from the mouths of my sweet babes...

While putting E to bed:

Me: Who is Jesus' mommy?

E: Mary

Me:Who's your mommy?

E: I don't know.

Me: I'm your mommy!

E: Your name is Babe.

(must've gotten that from his Dad)

During dinner:

Me: L, you need to eat your potatoes.

L: OK, I see your point.

(wha?)

While potty training E:

E: Daddy, I went pee on da potty!

Daddy: Yeah E!

E: It was nuffin' Dad. (it was nothing Dad)

During snack:

E: Can I share with you?

Me: Of course, thank you bubba.

E: OK, but the rest are mine.  The rest are mine!

(so much for sharing)

During prayers:

L: I'm thankful to God for making the people that made our toys.

('nuf said)

While playing in the backyard:

E: This is the plan, if we see any poop we need to stay back and not step in it.

(think he's heard that one a time or two?)

Out of nowhere:

E: I want to fly....but I don't have wings (said very sadly)

(One day you will my boy, one day!)

Relaying a message to me from Dad who was hard at work in the backyard.

L: Daddy needs some water and a beard.  (supposed to be a "beer")

(He he he)

What are some little funnies your dear ones have said? 

finding joy

You know it's love when....

Your man gets up at 3am to order you a new iphone...

and still gets up at 6am to go to work.

Tonight my hubby will be doing just that.

Yep, my man is awesome.  Most people would say "you want an iphone, you get up at 3am and order it your-*?#!-self"!  Not my hubs...he'll often bust out some completely selfless act like this 

and make me swoon.  

And ladies, he even does the Black Friday shopping while I 

snooze away in the warm comfort of our bed!

To quote SaltnPeppa and EnVogue...

"What a man, what a man, what a man,

what a mighty mighty good man...yes he is"

To say I am excited to have my beloved iphone back is an understatement.  I'm not one of those people up in arms about the new phone, really I just wanted a better camera since I tend to use the camera on my phone a lot more often than my big jobbie.  And it will have that so I'm super excited to have my portable picture-taking, Pandora playing, scheduling, ipoding, facebooking, little buddy back in my life.

Sick I know.

Miscellany Monday

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Weekend recap...

Friday

Vomit and diarrhea anyone?  

Sorry to gross you out but that's how my day started out.  My poor little E had some intestinal issues the day before and somehow vomited and had diarrhea in his bed overnight....yuck.  And then when I got home from work my dog vomited on the floor...just great.  

So I had had enough of cleaning up puke and it was only 4:30pm!

But on the upside, my dear husband came home from having my car battery tested with a nice box of Merlot wine (yep, we do boxed).  He must have known I'd need it.  I've been having some issues with my car and the mechanic said it was electrical.....yikes....we could be in it for 50 bucks or as much as a thousand or more.  

Don't even get me started on cars, they are my nemisis.  

Nothing but gas guzzling, money sucking, unfortunately necessary...beasts.

We were supposed to go to family movie night at our church but since E was questionable about having any more bodily upset, we decided to play it safe and watch a movie at home.

Saturday

We have made a tradition of going to the annual Safety Days festivities at our local Home Depot.  They have demonstrations, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles, and most importantly free food!  They even have a helicopter come an land in the parking lot and then the kids can crawl inside.  Unfortunately this year we happen to be stricken with an ugly streak of dismal gray rainy weather so we couldn't go.  Hopefully next year will be better.  So instead I spent the day cleaning and rearranging some things.

After the hubs got back from some car shopping (long story) and we had dinner, he and I got to escape to Panera for some peace and quiet relaxation.  The boys got to go play with their cousins for a bit so it was a good time had by all.  We don't get much time to ourselves, with both the grandmas watching E during the week, we don't feel right asking them to watch them on the weekends and usually paying for a babysitter is not in the budget.  We had such a nice time out together, we may just have to take my friend up on her offer to watch them so we can go on a real date ;) 

That night as I was reading L his bedtime story, I started to get an ocular migraine.  If you've ever had one of these you know how weird they are.  They start with a sort of "blind spot" that is either completely composed of or outlined in sparkles.  It may sound cute but its like being forced to stare at a dizzying light show even if you eyes are closed.  Thankfully this time the "aura" only lasted for about 20 minutes but the migraine lasted all night so not much sleep for me :(

Sunday

Started the day off helping my mother with some things around her house.  She's been extremely busy lately taking care of my ailing grandfather so I figured she could use a little help taking care of her.  The boys spent some time playing while hubby and I (well mostly hubby) helped with a few things.

Then it was time to nap - there was no escaping it after the night I had.  Woke up to the Steelers losing...always a bummer. L wanted to play "barber shop" with my hair things, so he tortured styled his brother's hair first.  Then it was on to Daddy which is impressive seeing as he shaves his head bald.  Finally I was up. He handed me the mirror after I sat sown and said "this is how terrible you look".  Well now, that was nice.  At least he told me I was the most beautiful mommy when he was done.  I beg to differ, I had pig tails and several barrettes in my hair but hey, beauty is in the eye of the beholder ;)

We decided to attack some homework after dinner, we had a "family" project due for L's kindergarten class.  We had to decorate a construction paper pumpkin cutout.  It was actually pretty fun to all be working on it together.  L decided he wanted a spooky pumpkin so I made a ghost cutout, L made some spiders out of Bendaroos and Daddy made some awesome bats to fly ontop pipe-cleaners coming out of the top of the pumpkin.  Now we just need E to put his touch on it and it will be done.

Thank goodness the rest of the night was relatively peaceful :)

Hope you all had a good weekend and 

didn't have constant rain like us!