Erin Akin Carroll

We have had a busy/eventful couple of weeks. I realized I had some pictures on my phone and on my camera that I hadn’t shared here yet.

1. We have had about 10 house showings in 10 days. We’re very encouraged by the amount of traffic coming through. We just need one buyer.

2. Hayes got tubes in his ears last week, and in true Hayes fashion, he did great! He charmed the nurses before the surgery. He cried a little bit when it was over, but he took a great nap at home and woke up a happy boy. it’s a very blurry iPhone picture, but he was so happy. Those sweet little hospital gowns always make me want to cry, but he did great.

3. The Hunger Games is coming out soon. I really cannot wait! I wish I could convince TC to read the trilogy because I want him to be excited to see the movie, too.

4. I have a very strong urge to cut off a lot of hair. And when I say “a lot” I mean about six inches. And six inches really won’t make that much of a mark on all this hair. I just need an appointment!

5. My dear Nina is sending us a statue of St. Joseph to bury in our backyard. We’re not Catholic, but she is, and while we’re already praying for God’s will on this house selling thing, we’ll take a little extra help, too. Now I need to find a way to dig a hole to bury St. Joseph.

6. We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in Columbia today and went to the St. Patrick’s Day parade. This has become a little tradition for us because we love so close to the festivities. Hudson absolutely loves the parade. Hayes chilled out in his stroller until he got restless. It was warm, so we ended up removing his doc band to help him cool off out there.

7. I am not a fan of March Madness. At all. I just don’t get into basketball and kind of tune out anything on TV related to basketball in March.

8. I took a week off from meal planning and working out last week because I was sick. And getting out of a good habit is such a bad thing for me. I slept later last week and I am going to have to get back on track planning meals, waking up early, and getting myself to the gym in the mornings.

9. Cinco de Mayo party planning is definitely coming along. I feel like I have 25 balls in the air and like there should probably be 26 or 27 balls in the air, but I’m just forgetting something. I know that Hayes will have a wonderful day and we’ll have a great time regardless of all of the planning. But it’s such a fun theme and I am having a great time with it.

10. Speaking of parties… Hudson will turn 3 in June. We’re kind of hoping to be mid-move. We had a Little Gym birthday party last year and it was fun, but I don’t know that I want to do that two years in a row. But I also don’t think I want a party at home for 15 3-year-olds. Any suggestions? We could always skip the party this year and just do a family night. That is actually very tempting.

11.What happened to Spring? Seriously. It was 86 degrees today. We didn’t have any of those nice, 65-degree days. I’m hoping there will be at least one more cool front before June comes and we have six months of heat without relief.

Do y’all remember this post? If you haven’t been around here very long, you probably missed it as it was almost two years ago. I was so young and ridiculous. But what in the world was wrong with me? (I realize I am still ridiculous.)

I was almost one year into my time as a stay-at-home mom and I was still struggling. I struggled with this major internal conflict and insecurity that I wasn’t doing enough. I loved being at home, but there was the guilt and there was this major insecurity. I always felt like I had to explain my decision to stay home to everyone I knew. I felt like I had to have something else going on so I could say, “I stay home with my kids, but I’m also doing ‘x,y, and z.'”

I was busy, of course. And I was happy. Hudson was learning and growing and thriving. I was enjoying myself. But I was insecure in my decision. As always,  I was worried about what other people thought of my decision. I have a graduate degree, so I was imagining people looking at me like I had three heads when I’d tell them that I was staying home. I was still feeling this way in June of 2010.

And then I got pregnant with Hayes. And then Hayes was born. Since then, there hasn’t been a day that I doubt what I’m doing at home.

Why? Because I don’t have time to think about it. These little boys are moving so fast and growing too fast. They change every single day.

I spent the majority of my life wishing it away. Wishing I was old enough to get my driver’s license. Wishing it was time to go away to college. Wishing I was 21. Wishing that college was over. Wishing that I’d meet the man I was going to marry- and wishing he’d propose. Wishing I’d get pregnant.

And then? Time took care of the rest.

Since becoming a mom, every single day has flown by. I can see how quickly time is passing in my boys’ faces. And in their clothes size, shoe size, number of teeth, and how many haircuts they’ve gotten. How many Christmases and birthdays they have celebrated. Each year just sends time barreling forward to the next year.

I had so many fears, insecurities, and concerns that being a stay-at-home mom wasn’t enough for me. I had this nagging feeling like I “should be” doing more. But for who?

The more I thought about it and when I think about it now, I know that I wasn’t having those feelings for me. I was looking for ways to fill up my life so I could make myself feel better when forced into one of those awkward small talk situations. You know, the ones I talked about the other day. Where I just sweat and start saying really stupid things.

The day will come again when I start wondering what I’m going to do. My kids won’t be at home all day. Will I stay home or go back to work? I’m not sure. But when I make that decision, I’ll make it for my family, with the help of my family. Not for anyone else and what they’ll think of our decision.

I know we all have things in our life that make us feel this way. But the most important thing for me, moving forward, is that I am confident in what we’ve decided. And that I learn to speak with pride about the decisions.

Gift-giving is my love language.

It is how I show the most special people in my life that I love them, appreciate them, and I’m proud of them. I use gifts to show people I love them.

It doesn’t have to be a big, elaborate gift. In fact, something as simple as an invitation to meet for coffee at Starbucks is a treat for me–and I know many mamas agree.

One of the things that meant the most to be after Hayes was born was a sweet friend who stopped by with my favorite Skinny Vanilla Latte and a bag of my favorite candy. She dropped by, gave me a hug, and gave me the little treats she had picked up for me. And just that simple little gift meant the world to me. Her thoughtfulness was written all over it.

My favorite way to pay tribute to my loved ones who are going through a special time (specifically when a new baby is born), is to prepare one of my favorite meals. I package it in disposable containers so they don’t have to worry about returning my dish. Then I’ll add in a salad and fix a dessert I know they’ll love. Comfort food goes a long way!

And then, for a little bonus, I pick up two Starbucks mugs and either Starbucks K-Cups or a bag of Starbucks whole bean coffee. If we can’t meet for a quick coffee date, I want to bring the coffee to her.

When Todd and I were dating, we were both working really late hours. Most nights, he’d work until 8:30, but we still wanted to see each other even though it was past dinner time. So we’d meet at Starbucks and talk until the store closed. We didn’t have a lot of time in those days to spend together, but we made time.

Thoughtfulness and just a little something extra go a long way. I love making cards to send to grandparents and making a favorite cake for my husband’s birthday.

Taking the extra time to do something for these special people always makes their day and shows them how much they are loved.

How do you honor or pay tribute to the special people in your life when they have accomplished or achieved something? Leave a comment answering that question to be entered for a chance to win a $100 card to Starbucks!

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This week’s post have been a little “light” and there have been a few sponsored posts, too. (Some of you probably noticed the Huggies post about the week before delivery in your Google Reader. We had to remove them for technical reasons, but it will be back soon!)

But I wanted to post some of the highlights of my week.

1. I realized that all little boys love remote controls. Hayes is obsessed with picking up any of the remotes and drowning them in his slobber. His two top teeth came in this week and he pretty much looks like a different baby. Stop growing up!

2. We haven’t lost any sleep since getting the doc band on Monday. This is a huge praise! I wasn’t sure how it was all going to work, but Hayes has adjusted so well. I plan to do a full doc band report soon.

3. Every day after lunch, Hudson walks over to me and asks if he can sit in my lap. He’ll sit really still and may even play with some of my hair. It’s just a sweet little daily moment.

4. My generic allergy medicine is working. The pollen is out of control, but I’m finally starting to feel a little better and less congested.

5. I’ve dropped a few more pounds since getting sick. That’s a good thing, right? (wink, wink)

6. I love a spinning instructor who likes great music that motivates me!

7. I went for a walk on the State House grounds this morning with my friend, Anna, and her two girls. So I got to see my husband in the middle of the morning when he came outside to give me the diaper bag (that I had forgotten) and say hello.

8. Planning a Cinco de Mayo birthday party is so much fun!

9. The 1982 babies are turning 30 this year (and I’m one of them) and I received an invitation to a crawfish boil to celebrate one of my best friends’ 30th birthday. I so wish I could be there, but I know it will be a blast!

10. Baking cupcakes from a box (yellow cupcake with chocolate icing- my favorite) in the middle of the week just to cheer up your cranky toddler may be a dangerous parenting tactic, but it’s delicious. It didn’t just cheer Hudson up, but I’m pretty happy about it, too.