with two cats

The doll is precious and so is Violet! And the pi...

2012-05-25T15:22:27.282-04:00

The doll is precious and so is Violet! And the pillows on her bed are gorgeous!

such a beautiful post lauren!! looks like Merriwea...

2012-05-25T11:50:25.131-04:00

such a beautiful post lauren!! looks like Merriweather has a new best friend:)

xo
lori

I'm in the process of freshening up our room a...

2012-05-24T22:32:40.949-04:00

I'm in the process of freshening up our room as well. It was the most neglected in our house for a while. I've slowly been updating here and there but now I'm on a mission. I've been able to pull a few things we already had as well and that feels good. Your items that you've pulled together are great and will make you so happy.

It was 100% true for us. I just did our room recen...

2012-05-24T08:34:09.560-04:00

It was 100% true for us. I just did our room recently, and we've been in our house for three years! I still have loads more to do...but for now it's at least it's not the same paint colour as the previous owners, ha ha!

That Michelle Armas piece is beyond amazing. I can't wait to see your freshened bedroom!

Hi Lauren - I was catching up on your blog this mo...

2012-05-23T13:02:58.935-04:00

Hi Lauren - I was catching up on your blog this morning as I sit at my desk here at work (shhh, don't tell). I saw that adorable picture of Violet and thought, hey, I want to ask her where she got those fabulous gold sandals for Violet! Then I started reading...

All I can say is I know exactly how you feel. I have a 21 month old and a 3 1/2 year old, work full time and try to keep up with my blog and flower business on the side. Having that creative outlet really helps balance me. I'm sure now about a week removed from this post you're feeling a lot better. Those heartbreaking moments leaving your kids just sting and you begin to question everything in your life.

You know in your heart what is best for your family. Trust your instincts, it's our best gift! I keep telling myself that I'm working hard now to make my kids have a better future. Just be kind to yourself and it will make you a better mama! Take care!

These are great. :) Lucia loves Goodnight Gorilla ...

2012-05-21T21:06:36.155-04:00

These are great. :) Lucia loves Goodnight Gorilla and the Bean books by Sarah Hines Stephenson (about a little black cat and a baby.)

It looks amazing!

2012-05-21T19:14:27.739-04:00

It looks amazing!

Julia - I'm going to do a big post when it'...

2012-05-21T15:11:20.000-04:00

Julia - I'm going to do a big post when it's finished (hopefully soon) and I'll list all of the sources!

Holly - LOVE the hamper. Wish it went with my room!

I love it all...especially the accent bed pillows....

2012-05-21T14:36:00.494-04:00

I love it all...especially the accent bed pillows. Where are they from??

I've always loved that ombre hamper - do you l...

2012-05-21T13:37:47.111-04:00

I've always loved that ombre hamper - do you love that? And big props to you for hanging those hooks. It's always a job when we have to hang anything in our house (ugh...plaster!). The room looks adorable!

Love everything except the antlers and whatever th...

2012-05-21T13:35:09.228-04:00

Love everything except the antlers and whatever that other thing is that looks like an animal head coming out of the wall. I banned those things at my house. Of course Poppy was welcome, (if he ever got one), to put them in his workshop. I don't go in there.

Love
Grammy

Any little girl would be SO lucky to have such an ...

2012-05-21T11:07:26.410-04:00

Any little girl would be SO lucky to have such an adorable room. My childhood bedroom also had a bed nestled in a dormer. This takes me back to the good ol' days of pretend... <3

Have a wonderful week!

It looks amazing! I love the banner!

2012-05-21T11:06:14.660-04:00

It looks amazing! I love the banner!

I read Little Blue Truck to my little guy about ev...

2012-05-17T16:51:30.766-04:00

I read Little Blue Truck to my little guy about every other night. :) He loves it!

Lauren - it seems pretty clear cut to me. If you&#...

2012-05-17T08:33:02.477-04:00

Lauren - it seems pretty clear cut to me. If you're feeling guilty about not being at home, on some level the 'reasons' for working outside of the home are not enough for you. You seem like a bright and talented individual, however just because you 'put in your dues' with your current position, it doesn't mean you can't be successful in a different capacity, or in an entirely different career once your children grow up. It sounds like your family is in a sound financial position to allow you to quit your job long enough to either work for yourself on a part-time basis or in a part-time position elsewhere. Having been a SAHM, WAHM and now transitioning into working full time out of the home, I can tell you that none are necessarily 'better' than the others, it just depends on your priorities and beliefs.

Being a regular reader, I too have observed your avid feelings of guilt, but I’ve also observed your dreams of working elsewhere - like with the paper fashion gal.

So I suppose that the real question is: do you like your job enough to give up the time you could otherwise put towards spending more time with Violet, working towards a career fulfilling your passions and dreams (and talents, you're clearly a skilled artist and designer), and living the life you'd like?

Sure, you'd have to cut back, but if it's cutting back for a better life, why not? My husband and I both took the plunge and gave up corporate careers paying MUCH more to do what we're doing, and we haven't looked back. We make less money, drive older cars, live in a small house, yet are working hard to living our dreams - - not once have either of us regretted this.

Wow, thank you everyone for your words of encourag...

2012-05-16T21:25:38.612-04:00

Wow, thank you everyone for your words of encouragement! I know I'm not alone but it does help to hear it sometimes. Amy - thank you for your quote. In my heart I know that it is true, but somehow I still have days where I feel like this. Laura, I think you've hit the nail on the head - I think it is a side effect that is almost unavoidable. Nichole - we should totally talk sometime! Holly - I have the same roller coaster of thoughts in my mind almost daily.

My daughter loves Little Blue Truck too, but we do...

2012-05-16T20:45:13.406-04:00

My daughter loves Little Blue Truck too, but we don't have the other 3 - I'll have to check these out.

I've had a lot of moments like this lately and...

2012-05-16T20:43:59.553-04:00

I've had a lot of moments like this lately and have been really quite emotional. I go back and forth about leaving my job, going part time, finding another job, not working all together (but that's not an option at all). I struggle with this ALL the time and my daughter has been really clingy lately too, so I've had days where I cry myself to work because I hate to leave her. You're not alone.

As a SAHM I will say to just follow your heart. Th...

2012-05-16T19:01:52.031-04:00

As a SAHM I will say to just follow your heart. The way I look at it is that they are only little once and this time is very precious. If this is something that you and your husband really want for your family then I would make it work, even if it means doing without other things. This really is such a special time!

Giiirl, I am with you. My daughter is just a month...

2012-05-16T18:07:33.396-04:00

Giiirl, I am with you. My daughter is just a month older then miss Violet, and it seems to get harder the older they get. Ramona was a preemie, so I took four months maternity leave (so I could have two months at home) and I was SO ready to go back to work when those four months were up. But now...we do stuff, we converse, we have fun. I am feeling the pull of stay at homeness. Unfortunately, it won't work for us right now. Too much credit card debt, too little savings. Something I am working on remedying so maybe someday. I wish you the best of luck, and think of the bright side...at least you don't work weekends! (Trust me, it's for the birds.)

I just spoke to an audience of a couple hundred ab...

2012-05-16T17:52:48.574-04:00

I just spoke to an audience of a couple hundred about what it means to be a mother, and nowhere did I include anything about whether the mother works or stays at home. I think that has little to do with the kind of caring, nurturing, loving mothers we are. A favorite quote of mine is by M. Russell Ballard: "There is no one perfect way to be a good mother...Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children... Some may have to work part-or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
Best of luck! :)

Lauren, I too am a teacher, and I too love my job....

2012-05-16T17:50:42.661-04:00

Lauren,
I too am a teacher, and I too love my job. I have a 3 1/2 month old, and will be going back to work in September. For financial reasons, staying at home isn't an option, but I've still seriously entertained the idea. I think about it daily, even though the decision is already made. I think guilt is a side effect of the intense love we have for our children. I don't think we'll ever feel as though we're good enough, or around enough. I think you'd still feel guilt if you stayed home. You are clearly a wonderful, attentive, creative and loving mother. When Violet looks back on her childhood, she will know that, and know how incredibly loved she is. Be at peace. You are doing the best you can, and that is enough.

Lauren, Thanks for the Marsh quote. It really put...

2012-05-16T17:07:37.110-04:00

Lauren,
Thanks for the Marsh quote. It really puts things in perspective. I totally know how you feel about leaving the teaching profession and wanting to get back into it later in life. I love my job (even though, as you probably hear from Kevin, I'm not sure I love my district as much as I used to!) and I wouldn't want to take a gamble that I'd be able to find something a few years down the road that I love just as much. The thing that I keep having to tell myself is not to compare everyone's "spotlight moments" to my "behind-the-scenes." Easy to say, not so easy to do! Thanks for sharing your "behind-the-scenes"!

Those look great. I'm going to have to save th...

2012-05-16T16:30:21.530-04:00

Those look great. I'm going to have to save this post for later. My almost sixteen-month-old prefers short and sweet books at this point; the fewer words, the better! Ha!

I am a SAHM so I don't know what your going th...

2012-05-16T12:59:43.801-04:00

I am a SAHM so I don't know what your going through but I think of it this way, if you stayed home you would have worries about that (I do all the time) there is no easy or right way about this ( I worry about when I do go back to work how the heck am I going to make what I have been making after being away for so long) and in the end you have to do what's best for you and your family. No matter what there are benefits in each scenario and drawbacks but you have to do what's best for you all.