Gaining some inspiration...

It has been a challenging couple months trying to really boost my BeautiControl business, but I am excited about making things work and really pushing myself to be the best that I can be with this business! My biggest hope in joining this BC family was that I would gain the confidence that I have always wanted in my life. Although I am a very outgoing person, and I sit here "talking" alot because I enjoy the interaction very much, the majority of my life, including now, has been spent being very insecure. I constantly feel that I don't belong in situations, or that I am not the person others expect or want me to be. I feel like a chronic disappointment to my family & friends, and it has caused me to be so hard on myself and set my expectations of how I should live my life so high, which in turn has made me overcompensate in my relationships with others because I am not satisfied with who I am as a person, wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend. I am working very hard on changing this- on gaining confidence within myself, so that I can feel that I am living up to the expectations I hold for myself and maintaining my standards at a manageable level. I have turned to many different sites, including Pinterest to find some motivational and inspirational quotes to help me in this process. 

I have always felt that the infamous Audrey Hepburn has been one of the most inspirational and iconic women in our society. She has some of the most motivational quotes, that typically relate to women, that I have ever read. She inspires women to be their best and to hold their standards high in life and to have confidence, so it is no surprise that I would be attracted to her poise, elegance and confidence with my journey towards gaining more confidence in my life.

After joining the BeautiControl team, I realized that these women have confidence. They know exactly what they are doing and they are not afraid of rejection, disappointment or negativity. So, with that said, I collaborated all of my favorite Audrey Hepburn quotes and have decided to blow them up on a poster to bring with me to my spas for BeautiControl, to inspire other women. 

So these are some of my absolute favorites and I am hoping that in addition to inspiring and motivating me, I can also motivate other women as well. I want women to be able to relax, enjoy luxurious spa treatments, and feel inspired to be the woman they always have wanted to be- to feel beautiful on the inside and the outside! 

"You all are beautiful"

What being a girl mom means for me...

After delivering Kelsey in August of 2010 (not knowing she was a girl until delivery), I knew my world was going to be different in so many ways, (besides that of going from one child to two!) I now would have a set of SISTERS growing up in my house! Reflecting back on my childhood days growing up with my brother & sister, even though my sister is 5 years younger than me, I always have had a wonderful relationship with her. There is something to be said about growing up as a little girl with a sister. Don't get me wrong- the teenage years I am sure I may be biting my tongue a bit (you'll all still be reading this sweet little blog then right? like 10-12 years from now? C'mon- we're all going to need to vent, drink and find ways to support one another in that crazy time lol). I always feel that all babies are adorable, boy or girl, but I am slightly biased (being a girl mom and all), that I love the fine, delicate features that little baby girls typically are born with. Even my sweet Julianna at 33 weeks gestation, was born with such dainty features and beautifully long, thin, pianist-like fingers- just like her Aunt Jennie. There was never a doubt looking at her, no matter what she was dressed in, that she was in fact a little girl. 

I always dreamed that when I found & married my Prince Charming, that he and I would have a daughter someday, well- I found & married my Prince Charming (my darling Andrew) and we had TWO daughters! :) Our girls mean everything to us- we are so blessed and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world, and I say that because of the continuous question I am asked whenever I am out "so when are you going to try for a boy", as if that is the only way my family would be complete, or as if my girls aren't enough for me, or that I NEED a boy - in their eyes. My girls are so special, so unique, so imaginative, so creative and simply pure joy. Please don't confuse that previous statement as "they are perfect angels", because every child has their moments. They are really good girls 98% of the time, but as any mom would tell you- that 2% are the moments we want to throw in the past and never look at again (i.e. the hair pulling, the scratching, the biting, the bashing of toys over the other's head- you know what I am talking about right?) There is not one day that goes by that I don't continuously praise God for giving me the two amazing daughters I am able to call my own. 

I truly believe that my husband was a man destined to have daughters (just like my grandfather who had FOUR- God bless him for it!). I say this because my husband is a very kind, patient & gentile father, who does so well having two girls. Despite the increasing levels of female hormones in this house on a daily basis, and him realizing how truly outnumbered he is- Andrew is seriously a perfect father especially for little girls. I know that he will ALWAYS protect them, the same way he protects me, and certainly the same way he protected/still protects his own sister (there may be a story about him standing at the front door of his childhood home with a Louisville slugger when my SIL was approximately 16...). God help the guys who ask my daughters to prom, or eventually to marry them! (which will obviously be at least 40 years from now according to the hubs!)

Having a set of sisters is just such an incredible gift because there is a very special bond between sisters. I've always felt that sisters are each others' first best friend and they trust each other, confide in one another, encourage one another and love each other in such a unique way. I can only hope that this type of bond my girls have already begun to form as toddlers, will last them their entire lives! Being that Julianna and Kelsey are close in age (19 months apart), I also believe that that aides in strengthening their bond even more so. They have this sense of "closeness" that if we had two children, one of each gender, leaves me pondering if that "closeness" would exist. The love that they display for each other is priceless- they will hug each other soooo tight to the point of one of them gasping occasionally, they give each other plenty of kisses throughout the day, they miss each other when Julianna is at school & Kelsey is home with me & they interact in such a way that I want to grab the video camera or my phone at every moment and capture them (which I really should do instead of just sitting there smiling while watching them play). They have already started to share clothes (lol)- because they wear the same size, weigh the same amount and are only 1.5" different in height, with Julianna being the taller of the two. 

These girls bring my husband and I so much joy in our lives. There is no doubt in our minds that our life would not be complete without both of them. While I find it extremely challenging to have to divide myself in giving them the individualized attention they would like, I do the best I can and it is always nice when there is at least one other person around so that each of them have someone who can provide them with the attention they would like to have (and I do realize that was a major run-on sentence...I promise to teach my girls proper grammar too haha). 

Julianna and Kelsey have hearts of gold, they love with all of their being, they fight with all of their might (when necessary), they give generously, and warm the hearts of all those around them. I can'r even begin to put into words other than this lengthy post, how much I love being a "girl mom".  For those moms out there who have two girls or more, I am fairly confident that you know what I am conveying. And for the moms of two or more boys- I am sure that the bond that brothers share is extremely similar with some minor tweaks thrown in there because let's face it- they ARE boys! :)

"Sisters are each other's first and forever best friend"

Trying...

Recently I have found myself trying a lot to do certain things. I have been trying to be the best wife I can be despite not getting to spend much time with my husband. I am trying to be the best mother I can be to the girls even though my patience can be very thin by the end of each day. I try to be a better friend- reaching out as often as I can. Once I went off Facebook for the 3.5 month hiatus I took recently, I noticed that there were friends of mine that wouldn't talk to me unless I was on facebook and that hurt...alot. So I decided that I would reach out and if I didn't get anything in return. I am trying to be a better daughter to my mom & MIL- not being dependent on their advice on child-raising or necessity for assistance in other ways with the girls. I am working on being a better sister because I have noticed a change in my relationships there and I want to make sure that I am supporting my brothers & sisters the way they need me to and provide the unconditional love and support that family is supposed to do.

I feel like I am always in a state of trying- it is tough to figure out when to take a few steps back and let things just happen on their own so that I don't try too hard to make things better because some things aren't meant to change, or those changes don't involve me. I just want my friends and family to know that I am trying every single day to be the best that I can be- for them! Especially in recent months I have realized that I probably overcompensate in trying so much, when in fact it would benefit me to try a little less.

Hopefully I can begin to learn a balance about when to try and be the person my family & friends need me to be, while working on being the person I WANT to be. I know that life is always changing and we have to kind of roll with the punches with that, but there are definitely things that I see that I need to change about myself- and I am working on them, every single day, as I am sure some of you are doing as well.

So...I am going to continue to try, to try and be the best version of myself, and hopefully that will lead to people loving me unconditionally and realizing that the values and standards that I have always had, remain deep within me, and will never change. I think everyday is going to be a day of trying something new, trying to be better than I was the day before, and hoping for the best of each day as I work towards my goals.

Love & Marriage...linking up with some fabulous ladies!

When I first saw that two of my favorite bloggers : Mandy and Jenn started a  "Love & Marriage" series with three other bloggers, I thought "I should really join this link up at least once". So here I am, on a Wednesday night, writing about my marriage- yup that relationship I have with my husband. I have had so many people say to me "you have nothing to ever complain about your husband for- you guys have the perfect marriage". Well- news flash- there is NO such thing as a perfect marriage- for anyone! 

I do, however, believe that my husband and I have a strong marriage. We believe in each other and what we are capable of individually and as a couple. We support one another with our endeavors in life, whether it be me supporting him in the job he has currently which means I do not see him virtually at all Monday-Friday, and only sometimes on the weekends because his job is so demanding, or whether he is having faith in me for starting my own small business with BeautiControl that has been a struggle for me. We are there for each other- whenever, wherever, however we need to be. 

Marriage is a journey- it is a road, a path- that is meant to be traveled on together- with that person you married. There are always going to be bumps and obstacles along the way, but that is how most roads are that anyone travels. I believe it is how we handle those bumps and obstacles that truly define our strength as a couple.

This week's link up for this series is about having a marriage and being a parent...whhheeeww- this is a  toughy let me tell you! I loved being in the "honeymoon" stage of our marriage- to be able to pick up and go wherever we wanted and whenever we wanted. We always knew we wanted to have children, and we also knew that part of being a married couple with children meant that it would be hard work to keep "dating" each other. I love the concept of "dating" each other when you are married with children.  Andrew and I had quite a few dates when it was just us as a family of 3 when Julianna was born. Everyone wanted to watch the new baby and wanted us to take time for ourselves- so, we let those people (really only family) watch her and we went out- whether it be for lunch, dinner, a movie, a walk down on the beach in the summer, we did something together- it was wonderful.

Then we added Kelsey to the mix, and it became slightly more challenging, but we still managed to get out every once in awhile. I say that it was more challenging not because of having two kids now- we still had family that would happily watch the girls and give us the time to get out together, but Andrew was working longer hours and I was nursing Kelsey (who ate literally every 3 hours until she was 10 months old- aaaaahhhhh!), so it was a challenge for us to get out for any significant duration of time. Nonetheless- we made it happen- we committed ourselves to still "dating" each other because we were a married  couple before we became parents. We didn't want to lose sight of that either. 

Now, even with the girls as toddlers and much easier to leave with family or even a trusted babysitter, we unfortunately do not have the time to "date". Andrew's current job as I mentioned earlier, is EXTREMELY demanding, and leaves us almost no time to see one another even as a family and we prioritize the "family time" because we want the girls to have time with him and I together- all of us as a family of four. Thankfully, Andrew has been pushing himself sooooo hard (which I don't know how he does it- he truly is amazing) during the week to be able to have much more time on the weekends than he did previously, so now we try and have one full day as a family, and then my mom will watch the girls for an hour or two for Andrew and I to get out and do something together. Let me tell you- this has done wonders for us! Our marriage was never "on the rocks" or "in danger" by any means, but we weren't able to even speak to one another for any long period of time during the week which made it challenging to just sit back and enjoy everything on the weekends because we felt like we were in a constant state of "catch up". I am so grateful that the position he is in now will be ending soon and he will be promoted into a different part of the company that has more "normal" hours, so he will be able to see the girls each night before bed, and him & I will have the "cuddle on the couch" time or just the time to sit back and watch tv or a movie together, or even just talk about what our day was like.

I am very much looking forward to this new position for him that will happen over the summer so we can get the time to get back to "dating" each other a lot more often. I know that it helps our marriage and probably every marriage when we are given the time to be a couple outside of our roles of being parents. 

I am grateful for a very understanding, loyal and loving partner, who is respectful of my hopes, dreams and desires. I, in turn, try to provide the same for him and support all of his dreams for the future especially within the company he works for since he allows me the amazing opportunity to stay home with our girls by working so hard. I count my blessings everyday and my husband is always among the very top of that list. Again, no marriage is perfect- it is YOUR  marriage, and it is what you decide to make of it. We choose to make the very most of our marriage and work as hard as we need to during the really challenging times especially, to make our marriage that much stronger. 

Thank you for reading my post for this series- I really enjoyed following the other blogs along with their stories and reading those who linked up with the other bloggers. 

Lots-of-Love

Spreadin' the News....a review & a GIVEAWAY!!!!

Happy Tuesday everyone- you are in for a real treat today! Ashlee from Spread The News Esty shop, has graciously offered me the opportunity to review some of her great prints and also host a giveaway for my lovies here at Love to the Moon & Back!! How sweet is that? Just from emailing back and forth I can tell how kind and compassionate she is as a person, but also as a hardworking owner of her own small business and we both know that I have a penchant for small businesses. 

So here are a few of her prints that I fell in LOOOOOOVVVEEE with and that she allowed me to review and play around with :)

This is one of my favorite prints as many of you lovies may remember from Valentine's Day when I recreated a half decent version of this for my hubs (Ashlee's is professional so it is picture perfect). This print commemorates all of the important dates in your life or your life as a couple/family! There is no doubt that when framed especially, this will make for a fabulous peace of art in anyone's home because of how unique it is to each person- no two prints will be the same :)

This quote is by far one of my favorites and I hadn't even stumbled across it until I did this review. Many of us moms would agree I'm sure. Our days can be very rough and challenging but there are definitely moments that will make a permanent imprint on our hearts and souls.

And how cool is this?!? you can turn wedding favors into something incredible by making them a CD of your favorite love songs and give this as your favor, personalized especially for YOUR big day!

Ashlee has numerous other prints for everyone to check out and enjoy! And as always, I love when friends, readers, etc support the small businesses that I support here on my blog. I take pride in finding businesses that have great customer service and definitely stick to what they offer each client.

The rules for this giveaway are super simple!

1. Follow Ashlee's  Facebook Page

2. Follow my Facebook Page

3. Be a follower of this blog via GFC/bloglovin'

4. Pin one of your favorite prints from Ashlee's site to your Pinterest board and mention me in your pin (Lindsey love2themoon)

By doing these 4 simple things, you will receive 2 FREE printables from Ashlee's site of your choice AND a $20 Shutterfly gift card!! Be sure to comment letting us know what print(s) you like & that you've completed the entries! The winner will be chosen with Random Integer seeing as I am having troubles with Rafflecopter at this time (if anyone an help me with that I would definitely appreciate it- and pay you with love hehe)

Best of luck to all....oh and one more thing...because you are such great lovies and Ashlee is an absolute DOLL...she is offering all of my readers 15% off your purchase while this giveaway is active! Since sweet Ashlee is currently pregnant (and full term!) we will be selecting the winner on Friday- April 19th! XOXO

Fashionista Friday with ShopEllaMadison Boutique!

 

 

Recently, while catching up on a few of my favorite bloggers, I stumbled upon this fabulous boutique, Ella Madison. Based in Florida, this adorable boutique has a wonderful variety of fabulous fashion finds. All of the beautiful finds are up to date, trendy clothing and accessories that are bound to make your closet incredible! I have been searching for some great new ensembles that are "in" because I've always prioritized shopping for the girls.

 

I wanted some transitional winter-to-spring and spring-to-summer clothes, because I feel like the weather here has been so crazy, that I need to prepare for all types of ups & downs with weather conditions. So- I headed over to Ella Madison and decided to purchase a few staple items to start and see how things fit, and now I know that I will be shopping there VERY often.

 

Here is one of the tops I purchased that I am obsessed with and received so many sweet compliments on when I wanted to promote Ella Madison via Instagram. I am so grateful for your kind words and also for Heather from Ella Madison for the phenomenal customer service and fashionable items she stocks her boutique with. It makes shopping so easy for us ladies because with the different styles and perfect range of sizes, there is something for everyone.

 

 

  I paired the lovely olive top with my peach skinnies and the JCrew necklace that my sister gave me for Christmas because with the gold the beading had a perfect touch of peach to it that accented this ensemble nicely- at least in my opinion hehe.

 

I also purchased a great black peplum skirt that I could literally pair with anything and a navy/white striped infinity scarf because I am probably the only person on the planet that doesn't have an infinity scarf lol.

 

There are countless other items that I will probably be stocking my closet with as my 30th birthday comes around and people are asking "what do you want".

 

If you are in the market for some fabulous, new, trendy items to update your wardrobe, then head on over to Shop Ella Madison and browse all of the great finds.

 

 

 

** I was not compensated for this post, I just wanted to promote a small business that I believe provides beautiful and quality clothing. I purchased the items I mentioned myself and just wanted to state my honest opinion so that others will consider shopping with small businesses as well **



Enough?!?

 

 

So yesterday, I was on my "funny post" side linking up for "So what Wednesday" with Shannon , but today I am taking a more "serious" post. I have heard/seen/spoken to many women who are constantly questioning "Am I enough". A lot of bloggers have a multitude of ideas when it comes to this topic and as someone who is continuously asking herself this question, I thought I would offer up my take a little bit, not to spin off some of the great bloggers our there, but to present a very honest side of who I am, so that my lovely readers can get a better picture of who I am.

 

I am always asking myself "Am I a good enough wife for my husband, does he want someone better?", "Am I a good enough mom to the girls, do I provide a loving & nurturing environment for them to grow up in?",  "Am I a good enough daughter/sister- I never want my family to feel as though I have disappointed them in some way", "Am I a good enough friend to the wonderful friends I have made over the years- do they care about me as much as I care about them". These are daily thoughts for me and it is obvious that it reveals how insecure I am with myself. This is something I have been pushing myself to stop asking these questions, have a bit more confidence & understand that unless someone tells me that I am "not enough" for them, then I am enough.

 

I pray that each day gets easier for me to accept that having self esteem to be able to not ask myself these questions does not mean that I am arrogant or over-confident, it means that I understand who I am and what I can offer in my relationships with the important people in my life, and even those who I may not have met. I want to end the struggle of feeling as though I am a constant disappointment to everyone and always wondering if someone is mad at me. I hope that if someone is upset with me for whatever reason, that they know they can talk to me- because I value their viewpoint. I pride myself on being a good listener and someone that is approachable. I hope that I can work harder on being someone that "lets things roll of my shoulder" versus dwelling on how I may have burdened them. I am very hard on myself and that stems back to issues with my father to some degree, but it also is something that needs to end. I know that I am not alone with this. There are many of us who are "people pleasers", it is almost a natural instinct for women because we want to care and nurture the ones we love.

 

 

I am almost certain that anyone who feels this way or even similar, recognizes that they are "enough" and that with a little push/boost, we can finally understand what makes us "enough" in life.

 

 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday! xoxox