Twinkle Little Star Refashion Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

I know. I have no place to go. But this dress, it makes me dream up the possiblities. I could see myself dressing up, something I haven't done in such a long time! But I could see me doing it. Wearing this cute little number. Can you believe it was made out of a Salvation Army find? That's what you call talent!!! Run and enter this giveaway. This dress is way too beautiful and fun to not enter. :)

Estate Sale Blue Blouse GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

Can you say, "Oh so cute. And chic!" 2 of my 4 are beautiful princesses. Yes, full on princesses. They love dressing up. The oldest of the 2, she likes to wear my clothes around the house. So when I saw this little number, I about died! It's perfect!!! Something I would wear, if it came in my size. But something that could look oh so adorable on my little one. Go enter the giveaway!!! :)

The Pajama Squid THREE Prize GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I'm a mommy of 4...all under 4. Ya, I know. A little crazy! But when I saw this giveaway, that included these blocks, I just knew I had to enter it! Yup, a giveaway at Grosgrain, not for just one amazing treat. But for 3!!! And they are from The Pajama Squid. Oh so cute!!! But these blocks, they're the ones that caught my eye. Remember, I've got 4 under 4. Anything educational, it's a total plus in my book. I hope I win!!! Between, if I had any sort of extra money, I would LOVE to dress my kids in some of the cute clothes at The Pajama Squid. :)

Magpie Lovely $50 Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Do you see this lovely bag? Doesn't it just scream Spring to you? Oh, it also happens to be my favorite color. It's from Magpie. And Grosgrain is hosting a giveaway for Magpie. Yay! You have the chance to win $50. There are so many wonderful things there. But this bag, it just caught my eye. :)

"New Baby" Monogrammed Wool Bonnet GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

I found a new blog. I was reading a friend's blog. And I clicked on a link, to find myself at Grosgrain. Kathleen has to be the most talented woman. I just wish I was that talented. But while I was browsing, I noticed that she has many, many giveaways. I thought I would enter a couple. Would you like the chance to win an adorable hat for you little princess? I know I would, so I entered this giveaway! :)

Sadness

I LOVE to read blogs. And I read a bunch. I "stalk" a few. Checking them every single day for a new entry. Because these are inspirational blogs to me. But in the last few weeks, 5 of the blogs that I read, have gone to "This blog is open to invited readers only." Complete sadness for me!

The 2 blogs that I'm going to miss the most are Adventures in Kandeeland and The Sims Family. Last summer I also had to say goodbye to A New Duck and Peanut Butter Burrito. At the time, those were my favorite 2 blogs!!!

AiK is Kandee's blog about her family. I just liked reading about her special time with her kids. It made me feel like I am able to get through this darkness. That there was hope. That my kids are going to be OK at the end of this journey we're on. TSB is just adorable. Sheaffer posts almost daily. Has loads of pictures of her son and their dog. Her husband was almost killed in a serious accident a few months ago. But I just liked reading about a normal family. And seeing that little boy in his pjs and cowboy boots! I also found Shay through this blog.

And in case you were wondering, AND is about a single mom. Who is also a lawyer. I just loved her blogs about her chair, cravings for pie, and the large amounts of snow she was always having to trek through. I found her through PBB. Andrea was a law student at the time, and pregnant. I actually found both blogs, while both women were expecting. Andrea's husband is a Jeopardy whiz. It actually got me into watching Jeopardy for a long time. And their daughter Becca, she is the cutest! I also enjoyed reading Andrea's monthly letters to Becca.

So there you go 4 of my favorite blogs. There are an additional 3 that have also disappeared. Well, I can't read them. So I consider them gone. It makes me sad. Because I feel like I've invested time into them. Like I know them. Then one day, they're gone to me. I still wonder how New Duckling and Becca are doing. Now I will wonder if Sheaffer's son's rash has healed. And what adventure Kandee and her kids are on.

But I also understand the need for anonymity. You're probably never going to see pictures of my kiddos. Well, I might post a few, but probably not with their faces. Maybe shots of little hands. Or from the back. I just feel safer that way. But I do miss these blogs. It makes me wonder what has happened that makes these ladies feel like they need to protect their blogs and their families. :)

Healing

We started counseling recently. OK, more like a month ago. But it's tough. But important. We all need it to heal and move past our past. Because it's been tough. My boys especially need it. They're bigger, older, and know what's going on. They understood the situation. Which honestly, made me a little sad. No, it made me really sad.

But the place where we're going, it's a good place. We go to a family session. Then the 3 of us have individual sessions. They also watch my kiddos for me when I'm in my session. Which is very generous. I'm lucky that it's a locally run office. So we're on a moving pay scale. Which means that instead of paying $80 for an hour, I pay $10. A lot more affordable.

It's nice to know that there are people out there that still care about human beings. And they really care about kids. My kids, they get to go for nothing. It means a lot. Because I really want them to heal. I want my kids to grow up feeling safe, loved, and able to thrive. This is a good thing for us. :)

Kid's Crafts

I'm looking for a nice website(s) with kid's crafts. You know, ideas, instructions, etc. I could use some help. My kids like things like this. But I'm not really a creative person. I try. And I can follow directions. I just need a little nudge. A little inspiration. You know what I mean? So if you have any blogs or websites, please let me know in the comments. Thanks! :)

One Month

It's been a month since I left. 1 month since I packed up my kids, called some friends, and said I wanted better for my family. Lilah was 6 weeks old. I had 4 kids under 3. And I had no clue what I was going to do. But I knew, I had to leave. 1 month ago...

Now, I have a house. I have friends that love and adore me and my kids. I have a job. We're getting somewhere. Counseling is definitely in order. And we're healing. As a family we're healing. It's tough. And it's hard. Sometimes at night, I lay in bed crying and scared. It's that tough. But then, I see my sleeping babies, and I realize I made the right decision. However hard it was, it was the right thing for us.

1 month. It doesn't seem like much. But it feels like a lifetime ago. The kids are enjoying all of our neighbors. Mostly because there are small kids to play with. And we're making the best of life. I really couldn't have done this without my friends though. They set up a house for us. Made sure my kids had beds and cribs. We had everything we needed. From food to diapers to toys.

I'm very grateful. And I know God is with us. Because there is no other way we could have survived the last month. And there is no other way I could have survived the last 4 years. It wasn't all bad. I was married to someone I had once loved, and who had loved me. But 4 years ago, I'm not sure what happened.

God gave me the strength to do this. To be a better person. To be a good mom to my kids. They're what's important. And I have to take care of them. They're my responsibilities. And I love them so much. I hope God continues to watch over us. We need all his love and guidance. :)

Happy March

I really can't believe it's already March 1st! Whenever I think of March, I think of daffodils. When I was little my grandma grew them in her yard. I always told her they were "sunshine flowers."

And she would tell me that we were going to go pick some sunshine. We'd cut a bunch of daffodils, then take them in the house and put them in an old fashioned water pitcher. During March, my grandma always had a vase of daffodils on her kitchen table. All month long, grandma and I would cut "sunshine flowers" and bring them in the house. It's actually the way I got my nickname, "Sunshine Dawn." That and I would wake up the house at the first sign of sunshine. Happy March! :)