As I shared last week, I returned to work after almost three months on maternity leave. I am still settling into my new routine and lowkey struggling because it isn’t as easy of a transition as I hoped that it would be. Two things that I have discovered about myself during this past week? I hate rushing now and I am slowly starting to love motherhood.
Slowly.
Please pass the coffee!
Hi, y’all! Things have been somewhat hectic on my end because the last ball to juggle (for now) has finally been tossed into the air.
First day at daycare!
Today is my first day back to work and Caleb’s second day at daycare. This past week, I have been completely overwhelmed with creating a new routine for us and preparing for this big week. This post about Sunday night prep from Katie at Live Half Full has been incredibly helpful. Gone are the days where I could just figure out my life each morning. No, I need to have the majority of that done WELL in advance so I can just be on auto-pilot when I wake up.
In other news… Due to the fact that I have been SO focused on my return to work, I wasn’t “planful” in getting the rest of my 13:13 series blog posts up before my self-imposed February 13th deadline. So, I am going to share the remaining content out between now and the end of the month, including a (now late) post about DIY Valentine’s Day mason jar gift ideas. HA! I’ll repurpose that one somehow. I was so excited about starting that content series that I have to see it through. After all, it is one of my February goals so I have to get it done.
Last update before I go and get Caleb dressed for the day… Red Pump launched our eighth #RocktheRedPump campaign yesterday! I can’t believe that Luvvie and I started this journey in 2009. It is incredible to see how far we have come with our particular style and message around HIV/AIDS education. For the details on the campaign, head over to this dedicated page on our website.
I’m off to get this day started… Wish me luck! I was promoted while on maternity leave so I’m just hoping that there is somewhat of a grace period to get me back up-to-speed. We shall see.
Xo.
A couple that gives back together stays together. While that may not be 100% true, there is something great to be said about couples who share mutual interests and activities. Giving back has a positive effect on us individually, so I imagine that doing good with your boo must double the benefits.
I’m not ashamed to admit that my husband and I haven’t had a date night in several months. However, that is something that I hope we turn around soon. While thinking of some outings for us, I started thinking of a few that have a charitable twist. If you are looking for some different date night ideas, I hope this list gives you some inspiration.
Yesterday in church, my pastor started a new series focused on marriage and parenting. During the message, he walked us through several key points about marriage and shared scriptures related to love. One of those scripture passages was 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
I love this scripture because it is a blueprint for how to demonstrate love through actions. As it was read in church though, all I kept hearing was “love does not keep score.” Argh. Guilty. I don’t mean to do it but I am no stranger to keeping a running list of who did what in my head. But, hearing that this isn’t love is so hard. I spent the rest of yesterday wrestling with this concept that you can’t keep score! What if the wrong was a big one? What if no one ever apologizes for the wrong? You just let it go? Argh.
To be honest, I’m still digesting this scripture. However, it made me realize that I need to ground myself more in what the Bible has to say about love and how we should be loving each other.
Ah, Saturday. A day made for brunch, naps, and some (online) shopping. If Valentine’s Day is your jam and you are still shopping for gifts, let me help you out. I’ve rounded up 15 fab gifts under $50 to help you spread the love to the special peeps in your life.
Happy shopping!
Happy Friday! Sorry that this post is getting up pretty late in the day, but Caleb just wouldn’t let me be great. Now that he has simmered down a bit, I felt like this was a good time to whip out my laptop.
In Tuesday’s post, I talked about why I love visual reminders to help me keep the faith when life gets challenging. I’ve never been big on prints and that was mainly because I didn’t get the point of them.
“So, I just frame paper?” Hmm.
Years ago, I clipped a powerful quote out of Essence and pinned it to a cork board in my apartment. The quote read,
The three pillars of deep spirituality are faith, hope, and love—yet it is courage that enables all three.
Listen, man. That quote blew my mind at the time. When I decided to focus on 1 Corinthians 13:13, I made my way back to those words and decided to really spend some time thinking about what the writer was trying to convey.
“Hope” is defined as “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” It is a word that we often use lightly like, “I hope they have this dress in my size” or “I hope Rihanna hurries up with her album.” Yet, to hope deeply for something requires an immense amount of courage. One has to really believe that it can happen and that can be scary. At least, it can be for me. There are so many projects and businesses that I have always wanted to launch but I haven’t because of fear. I’m talking the kind of fear that holds me back and keeps me from feeling hopeful about the future.
One of my goals this year is to do more to make my home feel more loved, lived in, and organized. So, I’ve been on a quest to find items that can help give a more personal touch. Instagram has been a great resource during this search. In fact, that how I was introduced to the beautiful calligraphic designs at Parris Chic Boutique.
Whether it is bad news at work, school, home, or in the world, it can be so hard to keep the faith and believe in anything good. Even when it seems that everything is going your way, it is inevitable that you will have to deal with a storm. How well you weather that storm is no doubt linked to your faith. Do you believe that things will get better? Do you believe that you will overcome?
For me, sometimes I have answered with a “Yes.” Other times, I have answered with a “No.” I am no stranger to telling God that I am not going to be able to make it out of a particular situation. But, somehow I did. It wasn’t easy but I did it. Through many difficult seasons, I have learned that there are some key ways to tap into and strengthen your faith.
I’ve been thinking a lot about love lately. Not just what it means on the surface, but what the bible has to say about the word. It’s no surprise that this search led me to one of my favorite scripture passages, 1 Corinthians 13, which is all about love. This passage is so rich with words that help us understand what it means to love deeply and it concludes with this seemingly simple statement…
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Faith, hope, and love are three pillars that are absolutely necessary to have in order to live a fulfilled life. In honor of this verse and in the lead up to Valentine’s Day, I have taken on the challenge of writing 13 blog posts in 13 days that touch on faith, hope, and love. I’ve wanted to do something special on the blog for February for the past few years, so I’m excited. I guess love has that effect on me.
Links to the posts are below:
Keeping the Faith When Life Says “Nah”
These Beautiful Pillows Bring the Love Home
{Giveaway} Faith, Hope and Love Prints
15 Valentine’s Day Gifts under $50
Monday Motivation: Focus on Real Love
10 Ways to Do Good with Your Boo