A Review and a PROMO CODE!!!

Some of you guys remember this cute picture from a few weeks ago:

I know, adorable right?

I had a couple questions about where I got the cute '1 Month' onesie that Adeline is wearing in the picture.

Are you ready for something AMAZING!!

It's not a onesie!

That's right my friends, 

it's a sticker!!!!!

Around Christmastime of last year I was perusing some of my favorite blogs and came across these amazing little things called Sticky Bellies! They are stickers that you can place on any article of clothing to document your child's age and capture their changing looks, personalities, etc.

I knew I had to have them! 

So after Adeline was born I ordered the girly ones and had them in my hand less than a week later! Talk about turn around time!

They are so easy to use. You simply pull the sticker off the backing, stick it to any article of clothing, snap your picture and presto...instant cuteness. They make documenting monthly milestones stylish and convenient without the hassle of custom onesies or messy signs.

The best part is that they are completely reusable! Just stick the sticker back on the backing and store for the next little one.

I bought the Oh Sew Adorable stickers for 1-12 months. They come in the cutest of colors and have a homemade sewn element to them.

They come in a variety of other colors, both for boys and for girls and there are even 13-24 month stickers for your toddlers and weekly stickers for you expectant mothers out there! 

Another thing that I love about Sticky Bellies is the basis of their company! It was created by moms for moms and is solely based in the great ol' US of A. Their CEO has a love for children and is a former teacher as well as a child development specialist! They are always interacting with their fans via their facebook, twitter, and Pinterest pages and they even have an amazing photo gallery where they share pictures of their customers! And their blog is sooo fun! I love reading all their advice articles, participating in their giveaways and lots of other neat things! 

Now here is the super-cool part!

They are offering you, my readers, a limited-time-only 20% discount if you order before May 23rd!!!!

I'm so stoked for you!

Just use promo code: OBANION20 at checkout and you will be set. They also have free shipping so it makes it super affordable and economical!

Even if you don't have a little one or aren't expecting one, these would be super great gifts!

So go ahead and buy them online at www.stickybellies.com

I hope that you take advantage of this super offer from a great company! Let me know if you do so I can do a happy dance and congratulate you on one of the best financial decisions you will ever make. :)

On Expectations...

Expectations are a funny thing.

They come in all shapes and sizes and have the ability to make or break a person.

They can come in the form of a small request or in the form of a huge burden.

Expectations are placed on us by our friends, our family, our bosses, and our co-workers.

However, perhaps no expectations are as burdensome as the ones we place on ourselves.

How many times do we reach a breaking point where we find ourselves screaming at the universe to give us a break? We want to be released from the stress of perfection and supremeness only to find that we are the only ones who expect these things from ourselves.

I recently had a conversation with Landen that went something like this:

"I can't be perfect all them time!"

to which he responded

"Who asked you to be!"

It's a valid question.

Who asked me to be perfect all of the time?

The answer hit me right smack in the face.

I did.

I am the only one who expects sheer perfection out of myself all the time, all day long, every day.

I expect myself to...

...be a perfect mom who has it together 24/7

...be a perfect wife who dresses nice and is always put together for my husband

...have a perfectly cleaned house in case anyone should knock on my door at a given hour

...be perfect and skilled and a master at each and every craft or hobby I take up.

In the end I find that I am left ragged and confused with lots of unfinished chores or projects in my stressed-to-the-max wake.

The bible says it best about the true expectations I should have on my life:

He has shown you, O man, what is good ; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

Those are the key expectations for my life

do justly to others-treat them fairly and with respect

to love mercy

and to walk humbly

and yet we place hundreds of other stressful expectations on ourselves and wonder why before long we buckle under the pressure.

As I did an inventory over the true expectations placed on me I was surprised at how short the list actually was:

Be a servant of my King and live my life to glorify Him.

Be respectful and humble to those around me.

Be supportive and honorable to my husband and provide for his needs.

Be a caregiver to my daughter and provide for her needs and train her up to serve God.

Be a hard worker in my job and respect those around me.

Be responsible for my actions.

Take care of myself and this temple God has blessed me with.

Reading back over those, I realized that I do most of those everyday as it is. So what can I get from this? I am the one that is placing all the added pressure on myself. No one else but me.

It is my goal over the rest of the year to lighten my load a little. To release these pressures I have placed on myself. 

What pressures do you place on yourself that aren't necessary. Let's strive together to be burden free and live this life to the fullest! I'm in!