Pic A Day Friday

Yes, I know, it's Tuesday. Let's just say Friday was a looonnnngggg and trying day.  I'm a teacher, it's May, there's 8 days left of school. Enough said, right?

Without adieu, here it goes...

Saturday:

Daddy was out of town, so I planned a mommy and Chloe day. We had a great time, just us girls. :)

 

 

Sunday:

I woke up to this gem Sunday morning. Some might get excited about this. I mean, it's my baby girl's third birthday for pete's sake! It actually made me kinda sad and a bit bummed out.  I don't want her to grow up. I don't want her to get older, bigger, and more independent. I want my toddler to be a toddler for forever! And, don't even get me started on big girl school. #notevergonnahappenpeople

 

Monday:

Ah,  Monday. You were no sweeter to me. Monday was greeted with my next countdown message. You see, Chloe has a slight addiction to her paci.  And, by slight, I mean extreme, over the top, heroine addict like addiction to her paci.  We've been telling her all year that on her third birthday she has to say bye bye to her paci. But, in return, she gets to make her own big girl Build a Bear, and when we go on vacation she gets to swim with the dolphins.  She's pretty darn excited about swimming with the dolphins, but honestly, I'm not looking forward to "Operation, Bye Bye Paci."  Besides her high chair, it's really all that's left of her baby stuff, and I know it's going to be hard on her....and Rusty and I. I think I'll be asking God to grant me lots of patience those first few days.  I know she and I both will be shedding a few tears.

Oh, and, to top off all this big girl action, my baby girl perfectly diapered her first baby without mommy's help! #stopgrowingup!

 

Tuesday:

Tuesday, sweet Tuesday brought with it dance pictures. Just look how adorable she looks! I even curled her hair!! We've worked for three long years to get her hair long enough to use a curling iron on. I won't mention that by the time we got to the dance studio, the curls were practically gone...or that she wouldn't smile for the photographer. We will just focus on how beautiful she  looks.

Wednesday:

On Wednesday, I mailed Chloe's third birthday invitations. Just look at these beauties!  Chloe is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse obsessed, and we will be having a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse extravaganza for her birthday....in a treehouse.  I must say, when it comes to her birthday, I tend to be a bit over the top. My two favorite parts of planning her birthday are the invites (no FB invites here, I like the real deal) and the birthday cake. Both must be over the top. With these invitations, her initial is on the mouse ears, and the invite actually slips into the red part Mickey Mouse head that has the buttons on it.  Both the mouse head and the invite are sewn, not glued, and the wording is as only Mickey himself would say it.  Love, love, LOVE these!  As for the cake, you'll just have to wait and see!!!

 

Thursday:

We ended our Thursday with a little playground fun. Rusty and Chloe had races to see who could climb the equipment and get to the bottom of the slide the quickest. It was comical to say the least.

 

Friday:

It's FRIDAY! Let's celebrate with a little picture for daddy before school.

 



There you have it, our week in review.

 



Till next time,

 

Lori

#picadayfriday

Here it is, my friends! My third attempt at #picadayfriday. I have so many fun pictures, almost solely of Chloe, to share this week. Let's just say, she's in a "take my picture" kind of phase. I'm really going to try to keep this up every week, but it's HARD to remember to take a meaningful picture everyday! 

Saturday:

A somber picture to remind you how precious life is. I taught almost all of these sweet babies, one of them for 3 consecutive years. Wear your seatbelt, friends. #RIPThomas

Sunday:

Happy Mother's Day!

Chloe: Mommy, open your mouth REAL big like this and I'll take your picture. 

Monday: 

My little fishie!

Tuesday: 

Cool weather means mommy gets to accessorize her outfit with a cardi. #fashionyes

My dance princess tried on her new recital outfit. Adorable! $100 adorable has yet to be decided...

Wednesday:

Chloe and I met Kelly and Kadence at the park. If these aren't the cutest, sweetest girls EVER!

One of the many perks of being a #girlmom. I thank God everyday for this sweet girl.

Thursday:

I was allowed to be in her selfie for daddy Thursday morning. It was my pleasure. 😃 AND, after a long day at the trampoline park and at field day, I came home to these beauties on my doorstep.

#wedgelove

Friday:

Here it is, Friday in a nutshell. The alarm went off at 3:30am. I made it to 3:30pm before I busted out the big guns.

While I struggled to stay awake at work, Chloe went to a swim party with the best babysitter/friend ever. She was too excited to pack her pool bag.

There you have it, #picadayfriday for this week!

Till next time,

Lori

Mom Bags And A Case of the Blues

This week goes down in history as not the greatest, definitely not the worst, but not one I wish to relive again either.  On Tuesday, I can sadly say that I officially had my first student pass away. It's hard to believe, considering I've been teaching a while now and Northwest has lost so many students recently, but I had somehow seemed to escape having taught any of those sweet babies. So it goes, all good things must come to an end.  Sweet, funny Thomas, who could always make me laugh until I had tears in my eyes, was smarter than I could ever hope to be, and could spout out random bits of knowledge and quotes off the top of his head at any given moment, lost his life mere yards from my house.  Thomas was one of those students that I could always count on for 3 things:

1. He would always ALWAYS ALWAYS know the right answer.
2. He would never NEVER NEVER have his homework.
3. He would always ALWAYS ALWAYS ace the test with the highest grade in the class.

Thomas had the personality that stuck in your mind long after he was gone. Last month I saw him at Sonny Bryan's when I took Chloe in to eat. It was so good to see him, that I went back the next week to see him again. We didn't talk for long, but it's always fun to see how good my sweet babies are doing after they leave me for high school.  I'm so sad for his family. :( He would have done great things, I just know it.  Tonight I'm going to the candlelight vigil at the crash site. Anyone want to join me???

On Thursday, I had my first official weigh in and measurement since I began my diet 10 days ago. I. LOST. NOTHING. To say I was bummed is the understatement of the century. You can only deny this foodaholic yumminess for so long with no results.  I'm not giving up though.  Here's hoping to a more successful upcoming 10 days!

Now, onto the fun stuff.  The other day, over at Mix and Match Family, Shay did a post about what she carries in her mom bag.  You know, there's reasons it's no longer called a purse once you have kiddos. Seriously, the things you find in my purse are crazy.  My purse is even more crazy than normal right now because I feel like my life is going by in fast forward. There's not even time to shave my legs on most days much less organize my mom bag.  I thought it might be fun, and let's be honest, motivational, to empty out the ole bag, and photograph what exactly is in my mom bag today for you guys to see.  Seriously, people, the things we carry!!!

1. Frog bib
2. 16 Dance recital tickets
3. 2 combs
4. 2 pens
5. Lotion
6. Hand sanitizer
7. 5, yes 5 pacis in an assortment of shapes, sizes, and colors ;)
8. 5 lip glosses
9. 3 Chapstick tubes
10. Toddler hair ties for that kid who finds it funny to pull her hair down while mommy is driving.
11. Mom hair tie
12. Mom hair band
13. Taser
14. Goggles
15. Wallet
16. 5 day old pretzels
17. Sunglasses

Honestly, this is actually pretty mild. No phone today, no change of clothes, no baby doll....seriously, mild!

I'll leave you with this...it has come to my attention just how well my students really know me. This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Check out my gifts.  Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Dr. Pepper, and more Diet Dr. Pepper. That's eleven Diet Dr. Peppers, people! If I have taught them nothing else, they have absolutely without a doubt, learned the pathway to my heart. :) #lovethem

 

Till next time,

Lori

A Day For Pinspiration

It's finally Friday in this week filled with state testing and a sick mommy and baby. Let me be the first to say, it couldn't have come soon enough. There's nothing worse than being sick at work with 25 loud middle schoolers in each class. Scratch that. There truly is. There's nothing worse than being sick at work with 25 middle schoolers taking the STAAR test. i.e. You sit with them in silence from 9:30am-2:30pm. Like I said, Friday couldn't come fast enough. Now my poor baby girl is feeling like complete dog poop.   When I got her up this morning, I was really hoping she was going to feel better, but my hopes were crushed when I was doing her hair. She looked at me through the bathroom mirror with those big blue eyes and literally just lost it. She burst into tears...uncontrollable sobbing. My heart broke. I asked her what was wrong and all she could say was, "I dunno! I jus don't wanna doh. My nose hurts!"  It literally took me several minutes to calm her down. Talk about break a momma's heart!

So, anyways, I did finally make it to school,  but I left my heart at daycare.  :( Which brings me to the topic of my post. I decided to skip my lunch today and focus on getting Pinspired. Chloe's birthday is a mere 53 days away! If you know me, you know I am nothing if not detail oriented.  Being a "more than full time" working mom, means I start the party planning process early. I like every detail to be perfect....especially the invitation, outfit, and the cake!  This year, it's only fitting that Chloe's birthday theme will be Mickey Mouse Clubhouse inspired.  This kid lives and breathes for Mickey Mouse...and Pooyo, Doofy, Minnie, Daisy, and Donald.  Here's a sneak peek at some of the Pinspiration I found.

Party favors?

 



Oh, the ideas!

The gift bags, the water bottles, the personalized sign...oh my!

Because everyone needs some Mouseketools, right?

 



I. AM. IN. LOVE.



More fun gift bag ideas!

 



 Add a fun mouse-eared straw, and the drink is complete!

 

  Every girl knows, you have to have the perfect outfit for the party...

 

 Give me your opinion, the super girly tutu or something like this??

 

I am now totally pumped to put on my mouse ears and get this party planning started! It looks like I have lots of crafting in front of me. Any craftistas out there looking to volunteer countless hours for free???? After Chloe's party, I'll be sure to post pictures of all the fun, and you can see just how Pincrazy I got.  

 

Till next time,

 

Lori

Ladies and gentlemen, let the coundown begin!

It's SPRING! Last week we talked about how, for Chloe, spring means a brand new wardrobe.  Oh to be so lucky.... For teachers, though, spring brings on a whole new meaning. Spring is when the abundance of countdowns begin.

I'm pretty sure you could ask any teacher on my campus and they could tell you exactly how many instructional days we have left in the year. Did I say any teacher? ANY teacher! And, in case you're wondering...

There are 50 day, or 1 month and 20 days, or what sounds even better, 37 actual SCHOOL DAYS left until school lets out for summer.

That's not the only countdown going on right now in the Thompson house, though.  Summer is a busy time of year for us.

There are:
 

5 instructional days left until my students attempt take get tortured by rock the STAAR test.

62 days left until my baby girl turns 3. 

Check out her birthday dress I just got in the mail! Thank you Jordan K Clothing! :)

61 days left until my baby girl says 'bye bye paci.' TBH, this totally scares the crap out of me.

This, in a nutshell, is my kiddo. Bow, "sundasses," and a paci. Every girl's must have accessories.         

 

I took this picture back in January, the first time we tried to say "bye bye paci." I found her climbing on the counter to get to where I keep the treasured pacis. As you can see, it didn't end well. :/

78 days left until the husband finally catches up with me in age. PTL!

81 days until I am laying on the beach in Cabo San Lucas.

Here is where we are staying! I know, we'll be roughing it. ;)

I can't wait to kayak to this little piece of paradise!

And, finally, sigh...131 days left until school begins...again. :/

Not that I'm counting or anything...

Till next time,

Lori

Blogging Blues & New Shoes

You know, they say winter can make a person lazy. I don't know if it's true, but winter sure does make me gain weight and just generally feel rather unmotivated to do much of anything.  I think that's what I'll blame my two month blogging hiatus on. Winter. Sounds like a grand excuse!

Seriously though, I'm really not sure what my problem was. Tons of stuff was happening in my life. I went to San Francisco in early February, turned 33, chaperoned 25 people to New York City and D.C. over spring break, taught every day, lived the life of a toddler mom... There were so many times when I would say, "I should blog about that!" Every time, the thought that followed that one..."Naw...."  L.A.Z.Y. That's what I've been!

Today marks my step back into the world of blogging. Spring is here! It's beautiful outside, so sunny and warm, with tempertures in the high 70s. How can you not feel more perky, more happy, more energized!?!  I certainly do. AND, the big news to celebrate about Spring is, of course, it's WEDGE SEASON!  That's right folks, the wedge is back. Overnight, I went from a 5'3" winter boot wearin' momma, to a 5'8" wedge wearin' momma.  For this shortie, five inches is a dream come true! It's takes these legs from short and stumpy to long and lean err...leaner.

Here are my feet yesterday. Just look at how happy they are!  Thank you justfab.com for another great shoe purchase.  This beauty comes in ivory, mint, and fuchsia. You can find it HERE. They have a(n) great awesome UH-MAZING  selection of wedges right now. In fact, I fully plan on doing a little online shoe shopping tonight!

Spring also means that lucky Miss Chloe gets a whole new wardrobe. How nice would it be get all new clothes and shoes every season! #toddlerluck  I took her shopping this weekend. She got quite the loot from Old Navy and Stride Rite. Quite arguably, these stores are my two favorite places to shop for my little booger.  Here's some of what she got.

I really just can't get over the cardi look this season. It's amazing how a spring cardi can dress up any top. Chloe has this one in ivory, pink, black, and navy. Looking at this picture, I'm thinking she now needs the coral one too! Throw some skinny jeans with it and you're ready to take on the town. :)

This simple tunic looked great with her new navy Cardi and some skinny jean capris at Mamaw's 79th birthday dinner this past weekend.

Ahhh...the jean jacket. Every girl needs a jean jacket. It is truly a spring wardrobe staple.  What do you pair it with? See below!

The toddler maxi dress! Adorable alone, dressed up a bit with a jean jacket. You just can't go wrong!

This is actually the SECOND top like this that I have bought in the last month. I am totally digging the nautical look this season. Not so much the clothes with the anchors all over them, but the color scheme. When I originally bought this shirt, I paired it with a jean mini skirt and the navy cardi (see, the cardi is very versatile!) and LOVED it. Then, Chloe proceeded to spill my Dr. Pepper all over the shirt and ruined it. :( Never fear, Old Navy sales are here! When I saw that this tunic was on sale for $7, I knew I must have it again!

The romper. So so SO stinkin' cute on little toddler bums. Enough said.

 

The jean capri. Love. On sale for $10. M.U.S.T. H.A.V.E.

This is another one of Chloe's wardrobe staples this season. The khaki capri. It looks nicer than jeans, it's super comfy, and washes well with no iron needed. They come in white, navy, and fuchsia. Chloe has all three!

Everyday Steal Alert! Old Navy has their toddler "pip pops" as Chloe calls them on sale 2 for $7!

I can't tell you how many pairs of Stride Rite Butterscotch sandals this child has owned. We usually go through two pairs a season. They're not the cheapest sandal out there, but they are a great shoe. Stride Rite is my "go to" store for shoes that Chloe will wear a lot. I'm okay with a cheap shoe for one outfit kinda wear, but I want her everyday shoes to be great for her growing feet. This shoe has great support, wears well, and looks super cute with all of Chloe's Sweet Honey dresses and with her regular play clothes.

Stride Rite is having one of their BOGO sales right now, so I told Chloe that she could pick out another pair of shoes all on her own . She was really into trying on her own shoes and picking out styles. These Sperrys are what she finally settled on, and aren't they a great choice! They're so full of color, they'll match so much! The best part is, these adorable little shoes are actually Velcro, so she can put them on without any help!

 Simply put, that, folks, is Chloe what you will see Chloe sporting for the spring. :)

And, finally, with spring, also comes the announcement of the next big NKOTB concert....in LAS VEGAS, people! Tommi and I are totally thinking we should take a girl's trip in July to see them. Now, to convince Rusty that I need must go!

 

Oh yes, I really need to go. You can find more proof on why I really MUST go below.

See? I told you I needed must go! If you know my husband, please, put in a good word for me. ;)

Till next time,

Lori