{favorite things} the classic beach bag

 

one . C Wonder / two . Nine West / three . Jack Willis / four . Celina Bailey / five . Moyna / 

six . Juicy Couture / seven . Initial-inc.

Check out these bags and all my summer travels collection on Luvocracy.

{prints} bachelorette for Brandy // classy with a touch of bling

I was pretty excited when my good friend Brooke asked me to design her sister's bachelorette invitations.  I did her sister's Save the Dates back in March.  And her invitations immediately following (stay tuned).  These were my two main ideas for the party.  Brooke had some inspiration and I went with it.  I love that chevron is trending right now.  And all of these fun font collages spilling out over the page. 

 

{mommy mondays} and rockstar mom of the month // Katie Bickell

I'm pleased to welcome you to one of my newest friends, Katie Bickell.  Katie (along with several others) have welcomed me into Canada with a gracious smile and kind heart.  Katie and I met at Daybreak, a women's group at our church this past fall.  I was going through so many struggles as a new mom and with Anna's reflux.  Katie and so many others in that group were there for me in support, comfort, and prayer (lots of prayer).  Katie even put her (very busy) Saturday aside and watched Anna for me.  Even just a few hours to myself was enough to do wonders on my soul.    I admire Katie for many different reasons I could probably write a whole blog post just on them.  One of her biggest is her way with words.  Where I struggle to get across exactly what I am thinking she can pinpoint a thought right on its head.  Her contribution to rockstar mom hits very close to home today.  I hope you are able to relate as much as I do.  

Enjoy meeting my friend, Katie!

  
One day I woke up and couldn’t get out of bed. My daughters pulled clothing out of my closet while I pretended to sleep. My reluctance to take on the day was due to what waited for me: dirty dishes, sticky floors, stale breakfast cereal, and lonely children - the knowledge that despite my desire for harmony, deadlines were too tight to achieve it. While the girls spilled my jewelry box’s contents, I admitted I was failing. It was time to find balance.

1.       Acknowledge the responsibilities and changes 
that may have tipped your scales.

In my case, I am the work-at-home mother of two children (ages 18 months and 4.5 years), and the wife of a shift-worker who balances three jobs (one full time, one part time, and one casual position).  My professional writing service, Young Mum Freelance Writing Services, has been experiencing its busiest year, and I am building my literary portfolio as well as editing my first novel. We live three hours away from extended family members, and very rarely use babysitters.

Two months prior to getting stuck in bed, I became the executive editor of BeautyBliss Magazine.

2.       Recognize the damage caused by taking on too much 

 Because of the success of my work and our busy schedules, I was no longer able to focus on my kids, my husband spent evenings alone, I missed my friends, we were eating frozen pizza far too often, and the house was filthy. I am prone to anxiety when things are not orderly, and the chaos was sucking the life out of me. I was doing too much - and none of it well.

3.       Accept that saying yes to something means saying no to another

Despite increasing my workload, I had failed to abdicate any minor responsibilities. I imagined my responsibilities as food on a plate: as well as loading up on potatoes, I had dug into fried rice, supersized the fries, and added a big ol’ bun. I can’t have that much starch! No wonder I was such a stress mess; why didn’t I put some of those carbs back?

4.       Prioritize

I listed areas in which I would not compromise: my marriage, my children, my creative writing, or my health. Then I listed areas which could be sacrificed: my home business, my role as magazine editor, and the cleanliness of my house. I soon realized the easiest and most sensible solution to my problem was to delegate the housekeeping. 

5.       Make a plan

I called a few cleaners and hired someone to clean the house for two hours each week. The cost is affordable considering that my YMF Writing Services income is extra to our budget, and has become consistent. Really, the help should be part of my business model.

6.       Let go of the guilt

My house in tidier and I feel happier and more energetic. Now I have more time to spend with my daughters, and because we spend higher quality time together more often, I feel less guilty enforcing office hours in the afternoon while my youngest naps. When my husband is home I don’t push the kids onto him so I can clean or cry in guilt-ridden anxiety – everybody wins!

Still, the choice to hire a house cleaning service came with a lot of guilt. Here I was, at home, and hiring another woman to do my chores. Words like lazy, slob, stupid, and wasteful, ran through my head; Come on, Katie! You have a dishwasher and a front-load washer; it’s not like you’re plowing fields all day!

Then the kinder me piped up, and reminded me that it is not a crime to ask for help. It is not a crime to sleep at night, or to play with the kids. It’s not wrong to spend $40 a week to calm a sense of panic, or to willingly forfeit the title of wonder woman.

Remember, it only took a straw to break the camel’s back, when he could carry no more.

                If you saw yourself in the opening sentences of this blog post, whether you’re a work-at-home mom, the mother of a new baby, or dealing with an illness, acknowledge that you can’t continue accepting duties without abdicating others. Think of how your load could be lightened– it may be as simple as dropping a child’s extracurricular activity, paying a neighborhood kid to walk the dog three times a week, or arranging an afternoon of childcare with your mother-in-law every second Tuesday.

The solutions may be long-term, short term, or even “just this once,” but let go of the guilt, and know you are precious and that your wellbeing is important. Accept your limits, and love yourself.

Writer Bio: Katie Bickell’s work has appeared in magazine such as The Yummy Mummy Club, Oh Baby! Magazine, and Reader’s Digest. She is executive editor of BeautyBliss Magazine, and runs the professional writing service, Young Mum Freelance, a service that produces quality resumes, speeches, and other writing needs at competitive prices.  Read more of her work at katiebickell.blogspot.com

----

check out more of Katie here.
 
YMF Writing Service's Facebook
YMF Writing Services
Katie's Blog
BeautyBliss Magazine
BeautyBliss Magazine's Facebook

what i've learned my first year as a new mom // all the things the baby books don't tell you

One year in to being a mother.  I read every book I could before Anna was born.  
Here's a few things the books didn't tell me. 

Breastfeeding is hard.  Really hard.  One of the hardest things I've ever done.

Colic is so much worse than just a fussy baby.

If your baby has colic its ok to wear headphones while she cries and you comfort her for hours on end. 
You are not a bad parent for trying to keep your sanity.

Everyone will give you an opinion on how you parent, how you should parent, why aren't you parenting a certain way, whats wrong with your parenting, etc.

You'll have as many clothing changes and your baby.

Your baby will probably fall off the bed, a changing pad table, down a step or two once, or a chair.  She'll probably get a bruise, bump on her head, or pinch her finger in a cabinet. Accidents happen.

You'll slice your finger open at least twice cutting baby food into teeny tiny pieces.

You'll get poop on your face.

Everyone tells you when they sleep you should sleep too.  Which is definitely true unless you have no clean clothes to wear.  Then maybe you should do laundry.

Your dog will act out because of  "single child syndrome" 

and probably start causing trouble at doggie day care.

Sleep deprivation is so much worse in person than just written down in a book.

The first time you hear her laugh is the biggest feeling in the world.

When she tells you a joke you don't understand but you both crack up because she is too cute.  

It will be the funniest joke you've EVER heard anyway.

You might not have that "unconditional love" feeling right from the start.  

Hormones can do crazy things to the body.

Postpartum anxiety is a real thing.

Random people will come up to you and give you advice or comment on your baby's growth/health.

Random people will come up to you and touch your baby without asking.

Random people will say your baby looks like a boy even if she is in hot pink from head to toe.

Your boobs will get big and beautiful but they are not pretty.  

They are for one thing only and its to produce milk.

Buy toys with a volume button.  Then turn the volume on low and leave it there forever.

You'll be folding a lot of tiny clothes. 
Tiny socks are the cutest but they get swallowed up in the large clothes. 
You'll constantly be searching for the match.

Sign up for a strollercise class.  It gets you out of the house with baby and
you burn a few calories while you are at it.

You'll never leave the house again without 20 pounds of stuff in your arms. The "just in case" stuff.

It'll take you an hour to get ready and into the car for a 20 minute shopping trip.

You'll probably have a baby girl and she'll refuse to wear hair bows or anything in her hair.

You'll have so much more laundry every week.  Especially if you use cloth diapers.

You'll probably get pooped on out in public.  That will be the day you don't bring a change of clothes.

Always bring a change of clothes for baby AND yourself.

You'll find cheerios everywhere.

Other moms with babies will become your new best friends.

Take at least 5 minutes for yourself everyday to renew your soul.

Breathing techniques help.  Yoga has done wonders for me.

Picking out a stroller, carseat, bottles, formula, pacifiers, etc. is like picking out a needle from a haystack.  There are too many bells and whistles on everything this day in age.  

Shopping for a newborn is overwhelming.

Every baby is different.  Every mom knows best for their own baby.  

But they don't know whats best for YOUR baby. 

Anna is turning one // Nursery Art Prints

My baby is turning one next week.  Where did the year go?  I'm spending a lot of time reflecting over it these past few days.  Its been a whirlwind of happiness, laughter, challenges, new relationships, and love.  It seems like only yesterday I was folding all her newborn clothes and putting arranging her stuffed animals on the shelves.  I'm finally posting the artwork I created for her nursery.  It hangs over her crib complimenting the whimsical animal prints by Trafalgar's Square.  Check out more of Anna's nursery here.

all prints by sixteen sunbuckles.  please visit the shop for more detail.

{favorite things} tuitorial // and how to curl your hair with a curling iron

I stumbled across Kate at The Small Things Blog awhile ago via Pinterest.  She has perfect hair and a face to go with it.  Her tuitorials are so easy and so personal that you instantly fall in love with this girl.  I am by no means a hair dresser.  My idea of "doing my hair" is a straight iron or throwing it up in a bun.  And even that bun doesn't look like those prefectly placed / top of the head / chiffon buns you see trending all over the place.  Kate actually taught me how to use my curling iron though.  I've gotten a lot of compliments on it.  So many that when I do it I always wonder why I don't make time to blow dry it more often.

^ Did you catch my headshot last week?  I used Kate's curling iron tuitorial ^

^ Rocking the same hair tutorial last year with short hair ^

Check out the full tuitorial below.  Thanks Kate!

sixteen sunbuckles is getting a makeover // business cards

Its official.  I ordered business cards.  I've had a lot of online business but am starting to get a lot of hand to hand referrals too.  My husband is even talking wedding shop at the fabrication yard.  So, business cards were drawn up.  Check out my shop at the Big Cartel.  Its up and running finally!

getting a makeover // sixteensunbuckles is under construction // headshots

A HUGE thank you to my favorite friend Chelsea for spending Saturday with my little family.  We spent most of the afternoon making silly noises, blowing bubbles, and jingling keys trying to get Anna to laugh and smile.  Needless to say, I was exhausted when I got home.

Chelsea got in a few quick snapshots of myself while Anna took a snack break.  I am always the one taking the photos around here at the shanks household.  I'm not in many of them if you've noticed.   So thank you Chelsea for getting me in front of the camera!

{all photos by Chelsea Dawn Photography}

new look // big changes

As you can see everything around here is getting a facelift!  I'm continually learning more and more about code and web design.  I'm having a great time dabbling in all of this tech stuff.

I also wanted to announce I've launched a Big Cartel shop.  Why you ask?  Big Cartel is so much more business friendly than Etsy.  From a shop owner point of view, the fees and service provided is so much easier, (cheaper), and all around more awesome.  I still have the bulk of my services at Etsy.  I am also working very hard to get it updated with new designs.  However please check out my new shop on the Big Cartel! 

{mommy mondays} and hiding vegetables in everything and anything

I'm still on the hunt for ways Anna will accept vegetables.  The stars aligned last week and she ate carrots and peas.  That was only one time though.  I tried them again the next day and we had insta/spitting.  I know you are supposed to keep trying and I will.  But for now, this is what's working.

Any other recommendations?

{baby spoons by Munchkin / photos by sixteen sunbuckles}

Munchkin 6 Pack Soft-Tip Infant Spoon, Colors May Vary

{recipe of the week} the perfect hard boiled egg and adding protein into my families diet

Two dilemas this week I solved.

One .  My husband takes his breakfast and lunch to work everyday.  He works a 12 hour shift and is on his feet most of the day.  His lunchbox consists of things he can munch and go.  There isn't any time for an hour - sit down - four course meal - that has been microwaved.  He needs portable finger food (that's healthy).

Two . Anna has decided she isn't eating anything that has protein in it.  That means all of them unless they come prepackaged in a food pouch and are mixed with fruit. You already have seen her little tantrum on Monday. She is at 20% for average baby weight which means she is on the petite side.  And that means Mom is getting creative with the food. 

Solution One . First off  the perfect hard boiled egg.  Why do I love the egg?  I can make a batch of them once a week.  They fit conveniently in a very small tupperware for his lunch box.  I can mix the yolk with banana and Anna will eat the entire bowl.  I can eat the egg white left over as a morning snack on the run and chasing after Anna.  I never grew up with hard boiled eggs.  We would get them on our salads at a restaurant and I would be repulsed.  However, I married  a hard boiled egg fan, so I have adapted. 

Lauren's Perfect Hard Boiled Egg
6 or 7 eggs (or however many you plan to eat in 5 days or less)
a pot of water
** Using eggs you've had for a few days in the fridge work better than farm fresh.  If they have been sitting in your refrigerator for awhile they are much easier to peel.

Wash off you eggs thoroughly and place in pot.  Pour cold water on top of them (cold water helps prevent cracking) until they are completely submerged.  They may pop up a bit.  I always add just a bit extra so they don't dry out while boiling.

Place pot on high heat.  When eggs start to boil move heat down to simmer/medium heat.  Then set timer for 12 minutes. 

When timer goes off turn off stove and rinse eggs in colander in sink.  I usually let them sit in the colander and cool off for a few minutes.  When cool, gently crack and peel shell off.  (If eggs are still too hot to crack rinse under cold water) Place eggs in Tupperware and refrigerate. 

Do you have dark rings around your egg yolks?  That means your water is too hot. 

 

 ^ This dish doesn't look like anything extra.  Its dethawed frozen banana and egg yolk.  I mix them together and Anna will eat the whole dish.  Its a great source of protein for her since she won't eat meat, tofu, or beans!  Try it!  ^

{knits} newborn neutral fuzzy blend // Lillian Grace

I'm taking a break from baby announcement designing and editing.  I'm actually designing for this little girl in the photo.  What a cutie!  Stay tuned for her official baby announcement...

I whipped up this sweet little hat back in March for my friend, Katie.  She was expecting their first child in April and they wanted it to be a surprise.  I LOVE that idea.  I wish I was better at surprises and could have waited myself.  9 months is a very long time to wait so props to you Katie.  AND your little girl is such a WONDERFUL (and beautiful) little surprise!  Lillian Grace arrived on April 23rd.  She rocked her photo shoot and modeled the hat I knitted for her.  I always love getting a photo of the end result.  These little knits are so much cuter on a sweet little face than propped up in my hand!

photo // harper grace photography . knitted hat // sixteensunbuckles . 

original knit pattern // Tricky Knits

For more knitted luxuries visit my shop.

my little lady on {film} // the "i'm not eating what's on my plate" tantrum

VID_20130522_175052_843.mp4 from Lauren 'Dougherty' Shanks on Vimeo.