Happy birthday to our 9 year old goob! We are so p Happy birthday to our 9 year old goob! We are so proud of this boy. We are constantly told by others how kind and sweet his is. I mean, we know it too, but it means even more when his character shines through even when mom and dad aren't watching. We love you so much "Puppy!"
More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽ More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽
The start of a new school year has always felt lik The start of a new school year has always felt like more of a “New Years” to me than January 1st ever did. The air starts getting more crisp (thank goodness), the leaves start to change, and the house is quieter (now that the kids are in school, and just during the day, ha). 

Every year around this time I can clearly look back and see how our family has changed. Last year, we had just said goodbye to the boys (our first foster placement) and our family was making sense of the whirlwind that had just happened over the summer. This year, David is way more into soccer, Evy is telling me about the conversations the girls at school are having (she’s a huge people-watcher), and of course Cleo is getting so big! Her first two teeth made their appearance this week and we’re also pretty sure she said “Dada” the other night. 

It really goes by so fast. But little memories like the ones in these photos will last. I remember going apple picking with sweet family friends as a kid and I love doing that for our kids now. 

What traditions have you tried to pass down to your kids?
Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Sinc Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Since she's been a baby, I've been learning that she needs love in a very different way than David does. After school and before bed, she especially needs all the love, attention, and cuddles. 

Today I had a pretty hard day with several hours of intensive Zoom calls. They ended right as the kids got home from school and when I was done, I just felt this deep exhaustion and wanted nothing more than to cuddle with my kids and never look at a computer again 🤪. 

I realized that's probably how Evy (and David, but mostly Evy) typically feels after a long day. I can tell that it's especially draining for her. So I was reminded to be extra gentle with her emotions, especially on school days when there's just so much going on and it can feel pretty intense, especially at that age. And especially to us introverts 🫠 Anyone else have highly emotional kiddos?
My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling away from dropping the kids at school. A little baby needed a home until his adoptive family could come get him. 

At the time, we didn’t know his name, his gender, or anything about him. We were told he was healthy and we’d get more details later.

And we said yes! We thought it would be longer but his adoptive family is BOOKING it to get here and take him home forever. He will be so loved!!

I love that we get to share moments like these with our kids. I know they’ll remember them for a looong time to come.
Sometimes I just need to remind myself that not ev Sometimes I just need to remind myself that not every moment needs to be filled with productivity. And sometimes I don't need to multitask. Easier said than done for me anyway. But I'm trying to intentionally practice slowing down. How do you try to slow down?

Shoes @naot.northamerica
Dress @shopbohme
Butterfly hair! It's easier than it looks 🦋 Do Butterfly hair! It's easier than it looks 🦋

Doing fun hairstyles with Ev has been a new way for us to bond, especially since Cleo's joined us. Would you try this one??
I'm working to adjust my mindset from thinking I n I'm working to adjust my mindset from thinking I need to rush while the baby's asleep to get things done to rather bringing them along with me when I can. 

Cleo loves being worn and, for the time being, is super content just watching me unload the dishwasher, make dinner, or tag along to grab Evy and David from the bus. 

And I'm way more at peace when I don't feel like I need to rush or time is running out. We have time and most things we have to do in a day aren't urgent.
Baby's first taste of solids: banana edition 🍌 Baby's first taste of solids: banana edition 🍌 What was the first food you gave to your baby?
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Family, School · September 9, 2015

9 Things I Wish I Knew when I Started College

9 Things I Wish I Knew when I Started College

An open letter of advice to my sister, Sarah, and all others who are beginning their college journey:

Well, first things first…

Things costs money.

I had a part-time job on campus 3 out of my 4 years of college. Even when I was living on campus, had no responsibilities, and had food that was covered by tuition, I have no idea where my money went. I didn’t save a penny. It wasn’t until my junior year when I moved into a townhouse with 4 other girls that I learned to budget- fast. Each month I had my rent/bills/groceries budgeted down to the dollar. I was using Mint.com a lot (see my post talking about it here. I remember one month when I had just paid rent and the few bills I had and just bought the cheapest groceries I could afford and I had $1.50 in my bank account. But hey, at least everything was paid for. In those times, though, I really wish I had saved my money when my responsibilities were a little less expensive.

Just because it’s free, doesn’t mean you should eat it.

college chubs vs nowHere’s a picture of me beginning my sophomore year of college (19 years old, no children) paired with a picture of me now (23, one child). I had no idea at the time that had even gained weight. I was living under the idea that I was young and I could take advantage of a young metabolism. I had no idea what portion control was (which is a problem when there’s free food at your fingertips), I ate when my friends ate (not necessarily when I was hungry), I had unhealthy snacks on hand, and I had sugary coffee A LOT. What’s the difference between then and now? Well everything I eat now is something I have to prepare, even if it’s just a little bit. As I’ve mentioned before, Josh and I have majorly cut back on sugar (I only drink my coffee with unsweetened almond milk now, plus many other not so hard habit changes), I’ve realized that just because it’s there doesn’t mean I need to eat it, and I make much more of an effort to exercise even if it’s just an hour every other day.

There is no more “popular crowd”

This isn’t high school where everyone knows who is popular (even if it’s not said out loud) and who’s awkward. In college, there are so many opportunities to make friends and join different groups that there is a much smaller chance of being the left-out awkward one. Even if you have to go to dinner by yourself some night, no one is thinking “Who’s the weirdo sitting alone?” Hopefully at this point, students have matured enough to know that you don’t need to be surrounded by loud people all the time to be validated

Not every color goes with every other color.

Sorry if this sounds random. This was more of a personal problem- it probably doesn’t apply to most of the people reading this. I used to dress as if I thought all the colors of the rainbow matched. In hindsight it was kind of cute and quirky, but I also think to myself “GOSH what was I doing??” And then pinterest was invented and I was saved. Moving on.

“The test will pretty much be common sense anyway” is false.

I graduated high school with a GPA of 3.8. I’m not going to tell you what my GPA was in college, because it’s that embarrassing. The thing is, I loved my classes. I loved sitting at my desk and listening to the professors, learning new things. What went wrong? I never studied. I had the self motivation of a snail and spent way too much time with my silly boyfriend (jk- he’s my husband now. But really though, we spent way too much time together. He agrees). You’re in college to get a degree. Yeah you’ll make awesome friends, awesome memories, maybe even meet the person you marry, but work hard. Those 4 (or 5, or 6) years are going to fly and you’ll get senioritis a lot faster in college than you did in high school. Work hard now- you’ll develop great habits and it’ll pay off later.

Professors aren’t scary.

Hey get this- professors want you to do well in their classes! Yeah they may seem intimidating, some may even try to come off as mean (some might just be mean) but most professors love what they do and love seeing students who love their subject and love to learn. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, stay after class, or meet them during office hours if you need help. More than likely they’ll be happy to guide you through a legitimate question. Be teachable and treat them like real people who probably know more about something than you, but want to help you.

Be a friend, make a friend.

I can usually take a while to make a good friend. And most of the time it has to happen in the context of something (small groups, work, etc.). I find that the way I talk with people when I first meet them is completely different than if we were friends. If I’m keen enough to notice that I’m doing this when I meet a new person, I make a conscious effort to believe that they’re already my friend, and it takes a load off the friend-making! This isn’t saying that faking to be someone’s friend is how to make friends. Quite contrare. Be sincere, be generous, be helpful, make jokes, be relatable. In the end all it usually takes to make a friend is to be a friend!

Guys make you nervous? Make them nervous.

It’s pretty inevitable that during college, some guys will want to date you. That being said, don’t be afraid to show your confidence! Say what you’re thinking! Don’t be afraid to give your opinion before you’ve heard theirs. This isn’t at all to say that thinking before speaking is out the window, I’m just saying that if you want to lose the awkwardness around guys, just be confident and be yourself. If they turn out not to like that, it spares you the heartache of dealing with bigger issues down the road. Beyond beauty and body image, men find confidence attractive. And it’s not a bad thing to have a guy who is a little bit nervous to ask you out 🙂

*NOTE* Just because a guy may not like a certain quality about you doesn’t necessarily make them wrong. I think in our culture today we have way too much of a “my way or the highway” attitude. I ended up dating a very mature guy in college (his name’s Josh 😉 ) and I wouldn’t be who I am today without him being honest with me and telling me things that I need to work on, grow in, or just plain cut out of my life. This happened when we were already dating, however, and somewhat committed to each other. Let me exaggerate, though, that this was done from someone who was mature and done in humility, not for selfish gain. If the man in your life is asking you to make a change and there’s a chance his motives are mature and humble, it may be time to do some self eval. Ok- enough on that!

Just because you grew up with things a certain way all your life, doesn’t mean it’s the only way.

In college you’re going to live with lots of different people. I lived on two different dorms, in a townhouse, and then with Josh when we got married our senior year. Every single time there was conflict. Yes, lots of times the people I lived with were just slobs. There will be those. But lots of the times I was just used to a certain way of things being done and it ruffled my feathers a little bit when someone else did it differently. You’ll have roommates that are just plain lazy and they will drive you nuts. Maybe you’ll be that roommate (sometimes I was). You’ll have roommates that will come from families that fight as their normal means of conversation you’ll have to be the person who chooses to make it worse or make it better. my junior year I lived in a house with 4 other girls. Every once in a while we had “meetings” basically just to bring up what had angered us recently. One roommate was frustrated that her laundry had been “carelessly” plopped on her bed (when it had been sitting in the dryer for 2 days) and that it hadn’t been folded for her as an act of service. One roommate would get so hangry (definition here), that about once a day she would yell at someone, cry, storm up to her room, and slam the door leaving us thinking “What just happened…” So yeah, you’ll have roommates and friends that are different from you and how you were raised. Take the opportunity to learn from them and realize that lots of times there’s more than one way to do something. And for those roommates that are just a pain in the bum, try loving them anyway. Killing with kindness isn’t always the easiest thing to do, but it’s the fastest way to bring peace, and isn’t that what you want anyway?
Chels

In: Family, School · Tagged: college, family, school

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Comments

  1. christina says

    September 21, 2015 at 10:30 pm

    This is really smart, straightforward advice! I hope your sister paid attention to it!

  2. Taylor says

    September 24, 2015 at 2:45 pm

    I love this so much, it’s so on point!!! Definitely sharing

  3. Chelsea says

    September 25, 2015 at 2:16 am

    I loved the “just because it’s free, doesn’t mean you should eat it!!” That was TOTALLY ME! I took advantage of that dining hall freshman year and gained 10 pounds. It wasn’t pretty.

    • Chelsea says

      September 25, 2015 at 2:23 am

      I completely relate (obviously). Why wouldn’t you eat free cake?! I truly believe that one of the reasons I’m a healthy weight now is because I can’t afford to overindulge 😛

  4. Chelsie says

    September 25, 2015 at 5:01 am

    I love what you said about there not being a popular crowd anymore! That was one of the biggest things I learned when I went to school that I could pick my own friends and not be stuck with the people I grew up with! And it didn’t matter who my friends were because there was no “popular” crowd so it just didn’t matter anymore. I loved it!

  5. Natalie @ A Fit Philosophy says

    October 1, 2015 at 1:50 pm

    Oh my gosh! Just because things are free, doesn’t mean you should eat it!!! OR, just because things are on the $1 menu at McDonald’s doesn’t mean you should eat it! AGH, that was my problem. Man, college was a learning experience in so many ways!

  6. Sabrina @ Pink Little Notebook says

    October 1, 2015 at 1:56 pm

    Although I have been out of college for a while now, I think you pretty much nailed every point! Good luck to your sister on her new journey:) I’m sure this advice will come in handy for several new students as well!

  7. Kerin says

    October 1, 2015 at 6:13 pm

    A big hell yes to all of these!

  8. Jessica says

    October 1, 2015 at 6:26 pm

    This is one of the best “wish I’d known” posts I’ve ever read. If my current self could only go back and talk to my college self, life would be so much easier!

  9. Sara says

    October 2, 2015 at 2:26 am

    Too true, too true. I tell you, I don’t know where I would be without my sky-high metabolism. I would probably have to diet a lot. But it is definitely something that should be taken care of, not advantage of, and college (though often an instigator of sugar-rushes and face-stuffing) can offer a lot of programs to promote good health. And strangely enough, I too learned a LOT about fashion between my freshman year and senior year of college (and not a second too late, I might add). I’m sure a lot of my readers would aptly attest to this fact. 🙂

  10. Rose says

    October 11, 2015 at 3:50 pm

    I didn’t take the conventional route whend I graduated. I went into the Air Force and took classes. The military is similar to college. You get put up in dorms, your food is paid for but your expected to go to work as scheduled. However your young and on your own with a steady regular income with limited bills and that leads to its own disasters.

  11. Bri says

    October 11, 2015 at 8:37 pm

    I love the “Just because it’s free..” So perfect!

  12. Shann Eva says

    October 17, 2015 at 10:15 pm

    Such great advice! I wish I had read this before I went to college too. I gained way more than the freshman 15, and had a hard time making friends at first. I was also intimidated by my professors at the beginning too. I think this will really help a lot of people starting off for school.

  13. The She Suite Blog says

    October 17, 2015 at 11:40 pm

    What a great post! And SPOT on about the free food.

  14. claire says

    October 18, 2015 at 4:19 pm

    Love this. There are sooo many things I would tell my teenage self. So many.

  15. Nichole says

    October 18, 2015 at 10:27 pm

    These were so awesome! I have 2 younger sisters in college right now & I am gonna text them this link! love it!

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Hi! I'm Chelsea and we're the Damon's. We spent the last two years in WA state paying off student loans and just bought our first house in SC! I love a smooth black coffee, Josh's first love is the Seattle Sounders. Our kids are huge dorks and constantly make us laugh and we all love spending as much time outside as possible.

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Happy birthday to our 9 year old goob! We are so p Happy birthday to our 9 year old goob! We are so proud of this boy. We are constantly told by others how kind and sweet his is. I mean, we know it too, but it means even more when his character shines through even when mom and dad aren't watching. We love you so much "Puppy!"
More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽ More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽
The start of a new school year has always felt lik The start of a new school year has always felt like more of a “New Years” to me than January 1st ever did. The air starts getting more crisp (thank goodness), the leaves start to change, and the house is quieter (now that the kids are in school, and just during the day, ha). 

Every year around this time I can clearly look back and see how our family has changed. Last year, we had just said goodbye to the boys (our first foster placement) and our family was making sense of the whirlwind that had just happened over the summer. This year, David is way more into soccer, Evy is telling me about the conversations the girls at school are having (she’s a huge people-watcher), and of course Cleo is getting so big! Her first two teeth made their appearance this week and we’re also pretty sure she said “Dada” the other night. 

It really goes by so fast. But little memories like the ones in these photos will last. I remember going apple picking with sweet family friends as a kid and I love doing that for our kids now. 

What traditions have you tried to pass down to your kids?
Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Sinc Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Since she's been a baby, I've been learning that she needs love in a very different way than David does. After school and before bed, she especially needs all the love, attention, and cuddles. 

Today I had a pretty hard day with several hours of intensive Zoom calls. They ended right as the kids got home from school and when I was done, I just felt this deep exhaustion and wanted nothing more than to cuddle with my kids and never look at a computer again 🤪. 

I realized that's probably how Evy (and David, but mostly Evy) typically feels after a long day. I can tell that it's especially draining for her. So I was reminded to be extra gentle with her emotions, especially on school days when there's just so much going on and it can feel pretty intense, especially at that age. And especially to us introverts 🫠 Anyone else have highly emotional kiddos?

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Happy birthday to our 9 year old goob! We are so p Happy birthday to our 9 year old goob! We are so proud of this boy. We are constantly told by others how kind and sweet his is. I mean, we know it too, but it means even more when his character shines through even when mom and dad aren't watching. We love you so much "Puppy!"
More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽ More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽
The start of a new school year has always felt lik The start of a new school year has always felt like more of a “New Years” to me than January 1st ever did. The air starts getting more crisp (thank goodness), the leaves start to change, and the house is quieter (now that the kids are in school, and just during the day, ha). 

Every year around this time I can clearly look back and see how our family has changed. Last year, we had just said goodbye to the boys (our first foster placement) and our family was making sense of the whirlwind that had just happened over the summer. This year, David is way more into soccer, Evy is telling me about the conversations the girls at school are having (she’s a huge people-watcher), and of course Cleo is getting so big! Her first two teeth made their appearance this week and we’re also pretty sure she said “Dada” the other night. 

It really goes by so fast. But little memories like the ones in these photos will last. I remember going apple picking with sweet family friends as a kid and I love doing that for our kids now. 

What traditions have you tried to pass down to your kids?
Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Sinc Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Since she's been a baby, I've been learning that she needs love in a very different way than David does. After school and before bed, she especially needs all the love, attention, and cuddles. 

Today I had a pretty hard day with several hours of intensive Zoom calls. They ended right as the kids got home from school and when I was done, I just felt this deep exhaustion and wanted nothing more than to cuddle with my kids and never look at a computer again 🤪. 

I realized that's probably how Evy (and David, but mostly Evy) typically feels after a long day. I can tell that it's especially draining for her. So I was reminded to be extra gentle with her emotions, especially on school days when there's just so much going on and it can feel pretty intense, especially at that age. And especially to us introverts 🫠 Anyone else have highly emotional kiddos?
My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling away from dropping the kids at school. A little baby needed a home until his adoptive family could come get him. 

At the time, we didn’t know his name, his gender, or anything about him. We were told he was healthy and we’d get more details later.

And we said yes! We thought it would be longer but his adoptive family is BOOKING it to get here and take him home forever. He will be so loved!!

I love that we get to share moments like these with our kids. I know they’ll remember them for a looong time to come.
Sometimes I just need to remind myself that not ev Sometimes I just need to remind myself that not every moment needs to be filled with productivity. And sometimes I don't need to multitask. Easier said than done for me anyway. But I'm trying to intentionally practice slowing down. How do you try to slow down?

Shoes @naot.northamerica
Dress @shopbohme
Butterfly hair! It's easier than it looks 🦋 Do Butterfly hair! It's easier than it looks 🦋

Doing fun hairstyles with Ev has been a new way for us to bond, especially since Cleo's joined us. Would you try this one??
I'm working to adjust my mindset from thinking I n I'm working to adjust my mindset from thinking I need to rush while the baby's asleep to get things done to rather bringing them along with me when I can. 

Cleo loves being worn and, for the time being, is super content just watching me unload the dishwasher, make dinner, or tag along to grab Evy and David from the bus. 

And I'm way more at peace when I don't feel like I need to rush or time is running out. We have time and most things we have to do in a day aren't urgent.
Baby's first taste of solids: banana edition 🍌 Baby's first taste of solids: banana edition 🍌 What was the first food you gave to your baby?
Just a Wednesday afternoon and a book 📖 👀 th Just a Wednesday afternoon and a book 📖
👀 the comfiest heels I own by @naot.northamerica 
#naotic

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