My kids are at that age...

I love my kids. But right now, they are at that age where they ask me a gazillion questions a minute!

"Mommy, what do you think that truck is doing over there?"

"Mommy, can we watch a kids show?"

"When are we going to die?"

"Mommy, was that a Kenworth truck?"

"Mommy, is it time for you to buy me a new dress?"

"Mommy, when can we go to Miss Amanda's house (or any other person's house we have ever been to) again?"

"Mommy? When are we going to pick up Jackson?" That question is asked every day Jackson is in school

"Is it a school day?"

"What are we going to do today? Is it a homeschool day or a kids yoga day?"

"Are we going to kids yoga?" Same kid who asked the question above, asked this one just seconds later.

"Mommy, can I have a napkin? Can I have more almond milk? Mommy, can I please be excused?"

Those questions were asked all in the same breath by the same kid.

"Mommy, when will I get big like Daddy?"

"Who am I going to marry?"

"Mommy, why do the boys get to urinate in the bushes and I don't?"

"When will G-Ma come to live with us?"

"Mommy, what are we having to drink? Mommy? What are we having to drink? Mommy?"

"Mommy, will I get kidney stones!?" My goodness, boy! You are only 6! Don't worry about kidney stones!

"When are going to get a dog?"

"May I please have some trail mix? But I don't want to eat the Craisins!"

"Mommy, when are you going to get your rice out of the microwave? It's ready!!!"

He asked me that question right at this moment.

If I sat and recorded the sheer volume of questions from my three children, I could probably fill up an entire book. Studies show that children who ask a lot of questions are bright and intelligent, and I think that's true. I remember when we only had one child and my husband and I could tag team him and his questions. But it got tiring and I wasn't creative enough to keep coming up with clever answers on the fly. So we decided to have more kids so they would ask each other and not us. So far, that isn't working. In some cases, I have tried to flip the script and turn it back on them. "Well, what do YOU think we are going to do today?" Then they get an attitude! "I don't KNOW Mommy. That's why I asked you!"

At what age does the question and answer game end? Yes, that's another question.

*microwave beeps*

"Mommmmmieeeee? When are you gonna get your rice?"

Ugh.

always,
astreia

My girl

"And though she be but little, she is fierce" - William Shakespeare

Being a mom is tough. I love it, but it is, by far, the hardest "job" I have ever had. I'm blessed to have the experience of raising boys and a girl, and I gotta tell you... Raising MY girl is a challenge. She is so much like me! Moms, I know you can relate. Did your mom ever say to you when you were younger, "I hope you have a girl and I hope she is just like you!"? No one? Just my mom? Oh, I see.

My mom gets a kick out of the relationship I have with my girl. She tries to be supportive but deep down inside,  I know she's laughing at me. My girl is stubborn, strong willed, hard headed and is fussy about her fashion. She is a carbon copy of ME!!! You would think I can handle someone who is just like me, right? WRONG. She keeps me on my toes, tests my patience and raises my blood pressure on a daily basis. She can sometimes be mean to her brothers to get her way, she has her daddy wrapped around her finger, and she has more clothes in her closet than I do!

Little girl. Little girl.

But on the other hand, she is a gorgeous young lady. Her hair is the type that people pay good money for. Her eyes sparkle when she smiles. She is very caring when one of us is hurt or sad. She has a fantastic imagination and she likes to draw... just like her momma. I have caught her staring at me when I'm singing in the van or when I'm getting dressed to go out. She asks me what my favorite shoes are and she tells me I'm pretty when I wear a dress. She wants to work out with me and brush my hair. If she doesn't get a hug and kiss at bedtime, she cries. At night, when we say our prayers, she thanks God for her family.

Little girl. Little girl.

Yes, it's hard. Yes, she frustrates me at times. But I wouldn't trade her for the world.

Moms of little girls, I know you can relate. Your little girl is probably just like you and you are just like your mom; smart, strong, fierce and fiery. Now when I hang my head in my hands over something my girl has said or done, I just remember one day she may have a little girl that will be just like her... Just like me.... and that's a beautiful thing :)

always,
astreia

More isn't more.... Less is more

A friend of mine posted an article on Facebook yesterday {Thanks Jenn!} and it really speaks to what my husband I want for our kids. The area we currently live in, it seems that more is definitely more. We live in a community with million dollar homes, kids in the household each have their own iPads, iPhones, electric scooters and more toys and shoes than we ever had growing up. Have you been to a child's birthday party lately? They are much bigger now than the ones we had back in the day.

I have to admit, I have been sucked into that way of thinking as well. It seemed like a simple idea, or so I thought. Just the idea to give our kids more than we had and to live in a house or a community that is bigger and better than we had growing up. We have had birthday parties for our kids with bounce houses and mountains of gifts and decorations and goodie bags. I am totally guilty of buying clothes and shoes in excess for them, even when I know the clothes and shoes in their closets are more than sufficient.

In hindsight though, my husband and I turned out fine with less. We appreciated things more because we had less and that's something that many kids these days (in my opinion) are lacking. We worked harder to earn things because they weren't handed to us when we were young . Birthday parties included your immediate family and maybe a cousin or two; a homemade cake from a box and one or two gifts and cards. And you know what? It was more than enough.

Lots of changes are coming our way this year, and as we embark on this next chapter of our lives, our focus will be more on quality rather than quantity. Please enjoy this story from House to Home.

https://thishouseisourhome.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/kids-arent-expensive-but-that-other-thing-sure-is/

Ready to take on 2015

Happy New Year from the Bauers!

Happy New Year, friends!

Yes, I know it's 20 days into the new year... better late than never right???

2014 was a whirlwind of a year. Between photography, kids, traveling, homeschooling and everything in between, my blog time suffered. Blogging is hard! Okay, I take that back... time management is hard. Finding the time to all my daily tasks and have time to relax, exercise, or spend time with friends and family was tough. I have so many plates in the air at any given time, one of them is bound to fall every now and then.

This year is all about balance. Learning to let go of the things I can't control, and making time for the things and people who are important to me. This year, I plan to focus more on kids and how to get a grip on this crazy life. I was tremendously hard on myself for the things I wasn't able to accomplish, the goals I didn't meet or for the things that didn't go as planned. A good friend told me that her motto this year is "roll with it" and I'm going to adopt that mantra as well. No matter what, count it all joy and roll with it.

Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and my photography blog. You'll get some laughs out of it for sure!

Have a great week y'all!

https://www.facebook.com/astreia.bauer
https://astreiabphotography.wordpress.com
http://www.pinterest.com/abphotog12/

Welcome to the Bauer Spa

One thing that my husband and I try to do, is make everyday things fun. We love to find teachable moments in casual conversations and create experiences our kids will remember. Today, on a lazy Sunday, we went to the pool for playtime with friends and had lunch, but then it began to rain. We planned to give the kids haircuts because the boys were looking pretty shaggy and Amaya hasn't had a haircut in 2 years. I'm always coming up with hair brained schemes, so I said to Jesse, "let's give the kids a day at the salon! Our OWN salon! A Bauer Spa day!" The hubs was on board, so we made it happen. Here are some pictures of our afternoon. The boys got cuts by Daddy the Barber. Mommy gave Amaya a trim and every kid got their nails cut and trimmed. Amaya picked a pretty pink for her toes. I think the Bauer Spa is open for business going forward!

Andy and Amaya after their haircuts. 

Jackson's temporary mohawk.

All finished!

Time for nails

Now that summer is here, I will share my ideas of how to make the most of your everyday chores and make them fun for your kids. Stay tuned for more of our Summer Series!

always,

astreia

Fashion Friday 05.09.14 (on a Sunday)

Hi Everyone! I have been celebrating Mother's Day weekend with my family, so FF is coming a couple days late. Hope you had a great week :)

This week's look is a little "risky" for me and I stepped out of my comfort zone. I took a chance with the top, but it's really cute and could be substituted for something that's a little bit longer.

Check it out: Maxi skirt, jean jacket, and cropped leopard tank.

The red maxi is from Body Central Red Maxi. The jacket is from Old Navy (my favorite jean jacket ever) Denim Jacket and the tank is from Forever 21 and it was $13.80. I couldn't find it on their website, but almost any printed top would work to provide a bit a visual interest. I like the idea of it being a bit flowly so if you have a smaller bust and are self conscious about it, the top distracts from that. Crop tops are popular now but I know not everyone loves them. Here are a few other options:

Tribal Print Tank
Peasant Top
Mixed Print Tank
Zigzag Tank
Dandelion Tank

The shoes are new and are from DSW. They are Carlos Santana and similar to the sandals in last Friday's post. Wedge Sandal. They come in camel and black and I like both colors. I'm trying to push myself to not buy black sandals, because I always buy black sandals. These are pretty cool and can be causal or dressy. The sunglasses are super cute and super cheap from Forever 21. Quite often, inventory moves fast online, but you can find the items in the store or similar items online. Here are a similar pair, but the same low price! Sunnies

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend and an awesome Mother's Day!

always,
astreia

Fashion Friday 05.02.2014

Hi Ladies! It's the First Fashion Friday of May!

Today's look (as always) is simple and ready for summer. Maxi dress, jean jacket, cute sandals and a few accessories. Check it!

There's a little bit of back story with this dress. It's from Body Central and I think it's about $25. When I received the catalog in February, this dress was on the cover, and I really wanted it, but I resisted the urge to splurge, so I waited.

Body Central catalog cover

 

It's a beautiful kelly green color and looked so comfy. There are so many occasions you could wear it: running errands, hanging out with the family or even dress it up for a date night. I waited about 2 weeks before ordering it but the website said it was on back order until early March, but that didn't bother me. A week or two into March, I hadn't received any correspondence about it being in stock or a delivery date, so I put in a call about it. I was told the dress was completely sold out and there were no plans to get any more dresses in. WHAT?!? I was so disappointed because I had my heart set on it. Each time I went to the mall or Target, I was looking for something in the same color or same style, but never found anything comparable. Total bummer.

Cut to a month later, I was just browsing through Body Central at the mall with the twins, and I stumbled across the dress in 3 different colors; green, plum and orange. It was the best day! I purchased the green one and the plum one. The website doesn't carry it, but I'm sure you can still find it in store. But quite frankly, any maxi dress will work, and you can find them everywhere!

I bought the sandals about 3-4 years ago from Bakers. They are still pretty popular and they come in a few different varieties. Here is a link for the pair that Bakers is currently carrying and a pair from Aldo. Sandals from Bakers and Sandals from Aldo

The scarf is from Thirty One, and I bought it in 2012 when I was an Independent Consultant for them. The yellow isn't available any more, but they have a few others right now. It retails for $10, however, any cute, colorful scarf would work. Turquoise Scarf 

Each of the other pieces have been featured in past blogs. The jean jacket was featured in past blogs and it's from Old Navy. Denim Jacket. The sunglasses are from Forever 21. Sunnies

The bag is from the Nine West Outlet and it's no longer available. I found one similar on the Nine West website. It's a bit out of my price range (the one I bought was less than $20) but I wanted to give you a general idea. Clutch The necklace is from the Banana Republic outlet, but I found a super cute one in coral and yellow on the Forever 21 website. Necklaces

This might be one of my favorite looks for the busy mommy (or busy woman) on the go. Let me know what you think. If you make a comment, I will do my best to answer you quickly.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

always,

astreia