Yards and Outdoor Spaces

Wow...a two post day!!! Well, it is SUMMER! I work two more days! I so can't wait to play with the kids, visit the library, swim, and eat LOTS of ice cream. I have lost about 11 pounds this month by really trying to cut out gluten and things that I know bother my tummy issues but an ice cream diet sounds great!!!

Today I am linking up with Andrea at Momfessionals which you can find HERE! She has a wonderful blog that my sister in law, Lauren, introduced me to awhile back!

Now today they are linking up to show Yards and Outdoor Spaces. We have been in our house about 3 months and don't have much yard but that is exactly what we wanted. We wanted a cute place with low upkeep since we are busy. Our neighborhood offers a lot of green spaces, parks, ponds, walking trails, a pool, and clubhouse so we have all we need around us. It is simple, easy to keep up, and my hubby does pretty good staying on top of it!

Our plan was to keep everything minimal. If you notice the front yard, rocks and plants take up most of it. This makes upkeep easy. Some people love yard work and investing time into their yard and we get that but it's just not for us.

The lot we built on is open to where the jogging trail/green area will be. We love this and houses on these lots have iron fences which we love. We had a gate put in so the kids can run in the field in the back or can walk across to get into the main part of the neighborhood where the park, ponds, and clubhouse area is. The picnic table is our favorite and the kids love eating out here. Joey just ordered an umbrella for the table so we can enjoy lunch or dinner outside in the summer heat. We don't have a play area in our yard because it is small and the kids like going to the areas in our neighborhood.

I know it's a little simple. We still have some work to do but right now it's just right for us. I grew up on 5 acres of land in the country so city life has been taking some getting used to but I love it!!! I love being able to just walk around and have things to do around here.

Feel free to check out my blog post today HERE with a lil' introduction. Also, check out my fellow blogging partner and sister in law's blog HERE.

Now I am going to enjoy checking out everyone else's yard spaces!! : )

Behind the Blog

Lauren and I thought that since we linked up yesterday, we may have new readers...and we should totally introduce ourselves in case you don't know us.
Remember, you can find Lauren's blog HERE!!!  
It is pretty fabulous, so check it out.

 

Why, hello! I am Melanie and I am a very, very, , VERY early thirties mommy of two and a wife to my amazing hubby. Did I mention very early thirties...as in 31...haha....thirties are hard when your hubby is 29! This right here is my whole world.

 

I am a wife to Joey who is a wonderful, Godly man. He is an amazing husband and even more amazing father. We are going on 8 years (this month on the 24th) of being married. In some of my posts, I will blog about marriage because marriage is work. I always thought that marriage was a picture perfect fairytale but there are some days that are hard and I definitely will keep it real. Haha! So many people project perfection but you sure won't find that here. The important thing in our marriage is that we have bad days...days where we aren't each other's favorite person but we work at it everyday and this man is exceptional at thinking of ways each day to make our marriage better, stronger, and more Christ centered and I am so thankful for that.This is one of the reasons I wanted to blog. I wanted to have a real blog that may be a testament to others when it comes to marriage.

 

I am a Mommy to a 6 year old and an almost 4 year old (she will be 4 on the 24th, we had an anniversary baby)! I never knew I could love two little kiddos so much. They bring us so much joy and make us crazy all at the same time but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Grayson is our logical, ease into situations kid. He likes to read, analyze situations, and has the kindest heart. He loves the Lord already and wants to be in His word everyday. He is so thoughtful and just melts my heart and even more so as he gets older. He is also the super cuddly one!

 

Ella is our free spirited, spunky yet very girly kiddo. She can be so shy and sensitive or a ball of energy. She loves French music, Starbucks, and being with Mommy. I never imagined how fun it would be to have a little girl! She is so sweet and caring and picks up on people's feelings quite easily, we may have another counselor on our hands one day! 

 I am a past Kinder and First teacher, elementary counselor, and now middle school counselor. I have been so blessed to have been at such amazing schools with sweet kids. I love my job and am happy as long as I am working with kids. I learn so much from them and hope I can make an impact on their lives.....even if it's for a tiny moment. I also blog about ideas and resources at my counseling blog: The Stylish School Counselor

Most importantly, I am a follower of God. He has my heart. I would be nothing without Him. He is my rock and is another big part of why I blog. I want to share my testimony each day and write about my struggles and celebrations with my walk with the Lord.  He is the center of our family and we try to pray about every decision that is made in our household. We owe every blessing to Him.  

I love shopping, Starbucks, creating fun yet simple things and activities for kids, trying to decorate on a budget (our budgeting will be a whole other post), Nordstrom has my heart, my family and friends and BFF are everything to me, wedges and dresses are my official dress code, and I am slightly obsessed with NYC and Gossip Girl is my guilty pleasure (PTL for Netflix)!  

 I started this blog in 2009 as a way to document Grayson's milestones and to keep our family from around the world in the loop of our family's happenings. Since then I have blogged about adding a new baby (Ella), graduating from grad school, job changes, celebrations, losses, moving, and just the day to day moments as a family. I look forward to many more posts full of fun ideas for kids, testaments of faith, fashion finds, recipes, and much more.

 I am also so excited about all the fun me and my sister in law, Lauren, will have with our new blog series. Good times, ahead!!!

Mommy Must Haves Monday!

Hey, y'all!!! I am SO beyond excited about partnering up with my sister in law, Lauren! You can find her blog HERE! We have been planning away for daily posts (yes, I REALLY said daily)! We want to be able to share with you a glimpse of our lives, things we love, and a way to answer any mommy/wife/educator questions. We have themed days and oh.so.much.fun! We are a hot mess.

Today we have Mommy Must Haves Monday! Each Monday we will blog about things we as Mommies Must Have!!! So here are mine for the week:


1. A Calendar and Planner (and of course special, colorful pens)

As a mommy, counselor, wife, and the wearer of many other hats....I have to be organized. There is no other option. This month's calendar is a little light because of summer break and we are doing camps/activities in July.
I have a planner that runs my life...haha...and one main calendar that Joey adds to. We usually try to sit at the table on Sundays and discuss dates for the week/month and add them to our family calendar which hangs in our mini mud room. This calendar is the Note Nook by Avalanche and you can find it HERE and the Stabilo pens (they have my heart) HERE.

I also have a calendar for me that I put work, family, and FUN stuff!! I buy an Erin Condren planner every year and I switch between this and the Erin Condren one. This one is just from Target for like $12 and I like how big the boxes are for each date because I have to see a monthly glance. Yet, I still use the Erin Condren because it is small enough to tote around in my purse.


2. Summer/Kid Organization

With summer here and a gorgeous community pool, we will spend a lot of time swimming. Thanks to Thirty One's amazing bags, I feel so super organized. Ella has the large retro metro fold over bag in coral dot and she uses this for school because it is big enough for some extra clothes and her nap stuff. Grayson has the Keep It Caddy in navy to carry his Kindle and his asthma stuff. The large utility tote has their towels, sunblock, pool toys, first aid kit, and always has packaged snacks that won't go bad. I check this every week when I wash and put in new towels....sometimes more if we swim a lot. It stays in our little mini mud room so it's not in the way and I can walk by and grab it all ready to go!! Interested in some fab Thirty One products? Check out my site HERE. There are some great specials!!! Even if you don't use Thirty One, just pick up a bright tote somewhere to fill with your summer goodies and you will be one prepared momma!


3. Relaxation
This is definitely a Mommy Must Have. Taking time for yourself is so important. As a counselor, this is one of the first things we learned about mental health. Time for you is not a commodity, it is a necessity. Whether it's a quick trip to Starbucks, a pedicure, shopping, or a couple minutes on the back porch reading your fav magazine...mommies need this. Heck, everyone needs this!
Of course, it all depends on the age range of your kids but even setting up time with your spouse or a friend or family member a couple of times a week makes a huge difference. I enjoyed a little time reading magazines and enjoying some iced tea. Amazing.

Well, for the 15 minutes it lasted before the kids were needing me but I wouldn't have it any other way!!!


I am so excited about blogging every day and would love any feedback from y'all!! Have any questions for us or about us... or ideas for future posts??? Email me at melroseacker@yahoo.com or Lauren at laurenlou5644@yahoo.com and we would love to answer them on our blog!!!!

Look like a Stepford Wife and Not Act Like One!

Haha this title makes me laugh. I am going to post my usual family update but also the things I am loving right now. I was thinking...Kate Spade bag, Lily Pulitzer dresses, Tory Burch sandals, and pearls....why that could be the dress code for a Stepford Wife.

I think that would best sum up the style I love. Girly. Classic. Pretty.
I love 50's style dresses, pearls, and heels. I think I love the look of Stepford Wives, I just sure don't act like one. I say this as I have a load of laundry to fold and dishes to put away.

Here are some things I am loving.....

Kate Spade purses. I actually do not own a Kate Spade purse. I am surprised and don't know how that happened but I hope to fix it soon! Kate Spade carries such classic bags in such beautiful colors.

Lily Pulitzer dresses. Oh.my.word. They are so pretty and have such fun patterns with classic lines.

Tory Burch. She designs such simple yet elegant things that add luxe to anything. I hope to get these flip flops so that they can jazz up my low key summer outfits.

And I have always loved put together, classic looks. They are mommy-friendly and modest......and look great! Perfect combo!

School is winding down, summer is near, and we are ready. I sat down last night to try to create a daily schedule. I know we won't stick to it exactly everyday but I wanted some sort of structure to follow. I hope to do some "home schooling" curriculum this summer. Grayson and Ella have been little sponges just soaking everything in. Joey and I feel like it is a great time to really expose them to biblical lessons and verses even more.

It has been a whirlwind of a week and it was only 4 days. That is how you can tell it is almost summer. Time goes slow leading up to the break and you just can't wait!!!
We celebrated Aunt Lala's, Papa's, and Uncle Dusty's birthdays at the Acker Birthday Party last weekend!! (May is an expensive month..haha)

I was able to go on Grayson's field trip with him last week and it was precious. It was a gorgeous day and I was so thankful I was able to be a part of his first field trip. My heart melted because there were many times he wanted to just hold my hand! He was so excited to go that he even wanted to decorate a lunch bag while Ella helped me bake cookies!

He also had some buddies spend the night. They were so stinkin' cute! They loved seeing all of Joey's Star Wars props for outreaches and then, of course, watching Star Wars.

We made a couple of Northpark trips to shop Nordstrom's huge sale. But I always have fun just walking around and eating at Snappy Salad (my aboslute fav place ever). Just being with Joey and the kiddos and looking around always ends up being a pretty good time.

We got our pictures back from Aj's Expressions and I was honestly not expecting many good ones. She is amazing but one of the kiddos was grouchy and it was sooo windy. But she amazes us every time and here are a couple I love!!

 The kids and I with Young Grandma leading the way.....enjoyed Dallas Children's Theatre's Charlotte's Web. I was a little nervous about how they would respond but they loved it and so did I. They loved when Wilbur ran down the row behind us. After the play, the characters stood in the lobby giving autographs. Ella enjoyed getting her program signed. Her favorite was Charlotte and Grayson liked Wilbur and Templeton. Young Grandma liked Templeton, too. It was a great treat that we really enjoyed!

For me, work is getting busy and I am trying to get everything done and also trying to get things in order for next year. We threw a Fun Friday for the staff to get the positivity going!

I had my last Friends of Rachel meeting and my sweet girls made me this!

And I got the news that my amazing principal got a job somewhere else. It is bittersweet. Everyone is happy because he received a promotion but we are all sad because he is a wonderful leader and person!! : (

Moving along, here are some snippets of randomness of our past few days....

Grayson got mail from University of Alabama which made his day.

I went shopping at an antique store and found a lot of super pretty, CHEAP stuff!!

Felt like summer. Gorgeous day at the pool and we look forward to many more to come!

My sister found this picture from her wedding last summer at the beach. Precious!!

Pancakes + Sprinkles = Silence

Ella's beautiful new necklace from the designer of Helena Children's Clothes. If they dress Suri Cruise then we feel pretty cool...haha!

I hope y'all have a safe, wonderful week! God Bless!