Hey, friends. Do you all know how much I value the community here? How much I trust you and care about what you say? And whether you come here and don’t say anything, just knowing you were here means so much to me. And how much I want you all to trust me?

I’m sure that if you’ve been reading here for a long time (I’m approaching my 6th blogging anniversary), that you may have noticed a slip in the transparency.

When I was pregnant with Hudson I was able to freely tell you that it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows and I had no clue what I was doing. And all the pregnancy sickness wasn’t glorious and beautiful.

When he was born, I was able to tell you about my struggles and that my long recovery sent me into such a funk and low place that I just felt cheated out of the beautiful newborn phase.

But as this blog has grown and has become a part of our lives… because, side note, it is part of our lives. Todd’s life, Hudson’s, Hayes’s, my parents’. This blog is real life. Everyone we know either knows about it or reads it. And that’s what I want. I want it to be real. To be a place of accountability and trust.

But. With all of that, I had to reevaluate. I had to give some privacy back to my kids and to my husband.

Some of my stories had to be sacred. It’s so fun to tell you all of the stories and for you to write back and say, “Me too!!” The “me too!” in blogging is one of the very best parts!

And for my friendships? There had to be sacred stories. There are things that I only want to share with my very best friends. Because at the end of the day, this blogging community is important to me, but the physical community, my neighborhood, my church, those doing-life friendships? They breathe life into me.

So while I will always love the community here and always be open and honest with all of you, there just have to be boundaries for me for all the reasons and people I mentioned.

What I do want, and always want, is for you to feel free to come here to connect with me. And for you to see Jesus in me. I fail, fail, fail. But He gives grace upon grace upon grace.

And I pray that you are getting out there and investing in your community, too. Finding your people and sharing your stories.

Hey, hey, hey! It’s time for Five on Friday with Darci and the gals!

-ONE-

On Labor Day, Todd and his dad took Hudson to play golf. Hudson got a golf bag and real clubs for his birthday, and he hasn’t had a chance to use them yet. But he got to play on Monday. 18 holes of golf is a lot for a four-year-old, but Todd said he did great and that he loved it. He ate a lot of snacks, but was hitting the ball well, was working on his form, and made great contact with the ball. I’m so excited for him! And he was so proud of himself for getting to go with the big boys.

-TWO-

I chose all the flooring for the house this week. Hardwoods, carpet for the upstairs, tile for the bathrooms and laundry room. They were all pretty easy decisions, although I second-guessed my hardwood floor choice a bit. With the dogs and the boys, we just wanted the most durable material we could get. I’m excited about the tile!

-THREE-

I made these amazing enchiladas this week. Make them. You’re welcome! Avocado, chicken, lime, sour cream. Amen and amen.

-FOUR-

I posted this on Instagram and my blog Facebook page (have you “liked” my blog on Facebook?), but I had to help the boys with homework this week. I had to do some little photo collages and interview both of them. Here’s a snip-it of Hudson’s little questionnaire. That boy makes me laugh. His first answer to “what is your favorite food?” was “I like silly sandwiches and coconut.” He just loves to tell stories! But I’m especially proud of his career aspirations.

-FIVE-

My blog and I were featured on the Shop at Home blog this week. I’ve loved Shop at Home for a long time for their coupon and saving tips, and they were sweet to ask me to be featured on their blog this week. I’d love it if you’d hop over there and read it!

I’d love to hear what’s new with you this week? For real, go make those enchiladas!

Sometimes a blog just needs a day to lighten up a little.

Aside from September bringing football season and the promise of fall on the horizon, it brings the next great thing about fall. That’s the start of a new TV season.

I wish I could assure you all that I’m a really intelligent book worm and I don’t waste my time with TV. But, the truth is, I do waste a lot of time with TV. I stay up ridiculously late and catch up on my DVR almost every night.

I do love to read, but I can’t deny my love for great television.

So here’s what I’m looking forward to this fall.

1. Homeland 

Please. Subscribe to Showtime just for the next Homeland season. But don’t try to watch this show unless you’ve seen the other seasons. This is one of the only shows that Todd and I watch together, and we just love it.  The season ended on a crazy note, and I’m still holding out hope that Saul is the greatest character ever written.

2. Scandal

I got hooked on this one this summer. I can’t believe I wasn’t always watching it. I love Olivia Pope and all of her white outfits. And the bad guy from Ghost sure does play a great President.

3. Parenthood

Another one that I got hooked on last year. I weep during every single episode. It’s just so good. I want four children because I want their quirky, weird, loving family. And Kristina and Adam are my fave!

4. Nashville

What is going to happy with Tami Taylor and Deacon? Or Rayna James. Won’t she always be Tami Taylor? Seeing Lennon and Maisy every week is enough reason to watch Nashville!

5. Revenge, Grey’s Anatomy, Glee

I stopped watching these three shows at some point last season, and would like to catch up. I didn’t like the new New Directions. I was weirded out after the super depressing plane crash. And the Revenge plot just confused me, and all the Emily/Amanda/Emily stuff was making my head spin. But I’m going to catch up and give them another go!

6. Dancing With the Stars

Yes. It’s true. I love watching it. I especially love watching when I can fast forward through commercials and some of the fluffy stuff. It’s just a fun, mindless one for me. I give it a 10.

I don’t even know what new shows are coming on this season.

So, how about you? What are you excited to see return and what’s new that you plan to watch?

Courtney, Kelly, Jennifer and I decided to start Build ‘Em Up as a way for moms to connect and share the good and the bad in a way that is encouraging and hopeful. Motherhood can feel weary and we often feel defeated and like we’re failing. But the truth is that we all love our kiddos and we’re all just trying to do our best every day.

The idea behind today’s Build ‘Em Up topic is for us to share and exchange ideas on how you are making progress in your home in regards to correction and discipline. Because sometimes “time out” just doesn’t cut it anymore.

For me, the truth is that I don’t have all the answers when it comes to discipline.

I wish I could tell you that I am always consistent. That I am crazy organized when it comes to discipline, the punishment always fits the “crime,” I always react in a calm, level-headed manner. I wish I could tell you those things.

But that’s not me. I lose my patience. There are so many times when I am literally begging my boys to please stop doing that. And I’ll make threats and say, “If you do that again, you’re going to time out.” And then five minutes later they do it again, and I repeat myself, but never send them to time out.

I’m not a push-over mommy, but some days, I just get tired of doing it all day long. And so I just don’t. And I know that this is completely ineffective and I’m not making any progress when I react this way. It’s not that I don’t care. It’s just that I’m tired of it all.

A lot of that is because our discipline techniques have to change and evolve with the kids over time.

Hayes gets his little heart broken by getting sent to time out. He will sit in the time out chair for two minutes. He won’t even try to get up. But he hangs his sweet little head and cries until his two minutes are up. And most of the time, he doesn’t repeat the offending action.

Hudson is my strong-willed child. It has taken me nearly four years to realize that the most effective technique for him is to take away privileges. No TV. No Leap Pad. He can’t play with the train table, or can’t go play at a friend’s house. This works for him.

The zero tolerance offenses in this house are lying, not obeying (especially when it puts the kiddo in danger, like not stopping before running into the street), and pushing or hitting a brother. And when that happens, it’s important that we send a message that we never ever want to see that again.

Every child is different, and every situation is different. Discipline is an extremely personal topic for the children and the parents. It always helps me to talk to moms of kids who have personalities similar to my kids’ personalities. Hayes is super sweet and passive. But he’s not always a good listener. Hudson is more hot-tempered, but is an excellent listener.

So, moms. Let’s encourage each other. I’d love tips on creative discipline and things that have worked well for different kids.