Well, my little girl is now a big girl. I had planned to keep Raylee in her crib for as long as possible. She was doing great with sleeping in it and never tried getting out. Why mess with something that's working, right? Well, we did it. The toddler bed transition ended up happening, a lot sooner than I had expected too. Once we found out we were having another girl, I decided I wanted the white crib for the new baby. Travis was already itching to get Raylee moved to a big girl bed since he does the bedtime routine and wanted to be able to lay down and cuddle with her before saying "night Continue Reading
Tips for Flying with a Baby
Raylee recently had her very first flight. We went on vacation to Florida with Travis' family, and there was no way I was driving all the way there with her. She is terrible on car rides! But I was nervous about flying with a baby. What if she cries the whole time and everyone hates us? What if her poor little ears won't pop and she's in pain? I'm happy to report, though, that Raylee's first two airplane rides were successes. For the first flight, she was wide awake even though it was past her bedtime. There was just too much to see and touch and even taste! On the second flight back home, Continue Reading
6 Bible Study Tools for the Busy Woman
Today, Rebekah from Hargraves Home and Hearth is guest posting for us. She shares some great tips and Bible study tools for digging deeper into God's Word. Because let's all be honest, we don't all have time to sit down with a hot cup of coffee and brand new highlighters and hear God's word every single day -- that's why these tools can be so helpful! Be sure to go check out Rebekah's blog after reading this post! If there is any one practice we desperately need to have in our lives, it is the practice of daily reading God's Word. We, as wives and mamas, need the comfort, encouragement, Continue Reading
Maternity Photo Shoot Tips
I had just hit 32 weeks in my pregnancy. It was time to document this big, beautiful belly of mine! Travis and I recently had a maternity photo shoot with our favorite photographer, Aubree. Before the big day, I asked Aubree if she'd be willing to share some tips for, not only me, but for all of my readers. I don't know about you but paying a photographer to come take pictures of you can be nerve-racking. What if you spend all this money and you hate the photos? What if you feel ugly? What should you wear? How should you stand? And what in the world do you do with your hands? We've all seen Continue Reading
Tips for Unwanted Pregnancy Symptoms
Pregnancy is fantastic, at least in my opinion. After experiencing loss and quite some time TTC, everything that comes with pregnancy feels worth it to me. But the fact is, there are pregnancy symptoms that are just no fun. Symptoms that we could happily do without. That's why I thought I'd share some tips for the unwanted pregnancy symptoms so that maybe we can make these nine months a little easier. These tips come from my midwife, my own personal experience, and the advice from other mamas out there. Pregnancy Symptoms That Just Aren't Fun Morning Sickness I was lucky that I didn't Continue Reading
Tips for Visiting Los Angeles
I told you all about our first few days on our baby moon vacation when we visited San Diego. Our next stop up the coast was Los Angeles. Today, I'm sharing what we did and a few tips for you in case you take a trip to L.A. We stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton next to the airport. We were able to get a good deal for the hotel on Priceline. The hotel was really nice, but the best part was it's location. It was close to Hollywood and Santa Monica, which meant less time driving in heavy traffic to get to any specific destination. Hollywood Blvd When we drove into Los Angeles, our first Continue Reading
Pregnancy Travel Tips
Travis and I recently returned from our baby moon vacation. We flew into San Diego, rented a car, and drove all the way up the coast to Seattle. It was beautiful, and we got to visit several big cities along the way. Our baby moon included flights, long car rides, and lots of walking and exploring. We had a great time, but being pregnant did make this vacation a little different than other times we've traveled. That's why today I'm sharing a few pregnancy travel tips for those of you planning your own baby moon. Copyright: alexandralexey / 123RF Stock Photo Tips for Pregnancy Travel When To Continue Reading
Ways to Prepare for a Military Move
This post about preparing for a military move has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions and tips are 100% mine. #RoadTripOil #CollectiveBias We celebrated our first anniversary while living in Georgia. Our second anniversary, I lived in Indiana while Travis lived in South Korea. On our third anniversary, we lived together again, but this time in Missouri. And this week we are moving to Tennessee, where we will most likely end up spending our fourth anniversary. Military moves (also known as PCS) come with the territory, but I have to admit I had no idea Continue Reading
Summer Road Trip Tips
As you read this, I'm sitting on a big beach towel looking out over the sand and waves with the sun soaking into my skin. Every year, Travis' family heads to Panama City Beach, Florida for the annual Stroud family vacation. The first year, Travis and I didn't have too long of a drive since we lived in Georgia. Last year, I came without Travis since he was in Korea. But this year, Travis and I took our longest road trip together -- around 900 miles of driving. We made it, and we have been enjoying time with family. But now, we are about to gear up for our next road trip to head back home. Continue Reading
How to Find a Church After a PCS
Military life means a whole lot of moving. A PCS is a Permanent Change of Station, or in other words a move. Most military members and their families move every two to three years. As a military spouse, I have now moved three times in three years, and at the end of the month we're supposed to be moving again. All this moving can make it hard to find a community and a church home. I think finding a church that suits me is really difficult, and to be honest I never enjoy the search. It's hard to know on your first visit if it's the right church for you and your family. And since church only Continue Reading
The Best Blogging Resources
If you are thinking of starting a blog, just started a blog, or are fairly new to the blogging world, you've got to check out my posts that I wrote just for you! But even if you aren't new and you've been blogging for years, finding valuable blogging resources to help you improve your website is so important. Check out these posts if you're new to blogging: How to Start a Blog: Part 1 -- The first six steps to starting a blog before you even purchase a domain. These steps will help you get on the right track and stay on it! How to Start a Blog: Part 2 -- The six steps it takes to Continue Reading
How to Start a Blog Part 1
In the past month, I've had several people ask me about blogging, how I got started, and how they can start a blog. So I've decided to write just a few posts for those of you out there interested in this. I started this blog in 2012 as a hobby. It was a way for me to therapeutically write after a hard break up with the guy who is now my husband. It started out with a lot of sad posts and a lot of rambling. My only readers were my mom and said ex-boyfriend/now husband who still loved me and couldn't stop reading. I'll say it -- it was a bit pathetic. Since then my website has grown a lot, Continue Reading