do as i do.

Hola lovers,

  This post should have been written yesterday but when you're busy rockin' the world with two little handsome men, seconds alone are few & far between. While driving to visit a stellar friend at her city view pool yesterday, I had a breakthrough. Judeman, the Duck, & I were bouncing to some Mumford & Sons, I looked in my rear view mirror to see that both of my boys were mimicking me. I had my hand out the window tapping the side of the car to the music & at that second it hit me. These kids are my clones. They watch every move I make. They will do whatever I do. They will love like I do. They will find happiness if I do. They will fight to be the best they can be every single moment... if I do. So here I am, pushing through struggles & I will overcome & because of that, they will too & that feels good. 

there's my little man mimicking mommy.

(via pinterest)

It's truly as simple as that. As I sit around & complicate things, the truth is all there slapping me in the face. Be happy, Carly & your kids will be too. They will face so much in this world, it's inevitable & if they learn from you that happiness is key then you, in turn, are a successful mother. They will never long for love, or attention, or discipline, or joy. It will all be instilled in them by their happy mother. 

Short insightful post for today! writing things like that down helps keep myself accountable for staying happy despite the battles. Now, off to meet the newest edition to our circle of friends, little baby Derek Thomas Schueler! this momma can't wait to get my hands on him & my camera into his little face!

Stay Lovely despite all struggles.

never ever ever

hola lovelies!

since i am what you would call a suckaaa for my buff, katie girl, i am doing this post per her request! so here goes nothing..

{ things you will never evaah hear outta this mouth}

+ " jude, you are listening to every word i said"
+ " no, i don't want to go home to cincinnati this weekend"
+ " sorry, i don't have my camera with me"
+ " no, i don't want to help you" 
+ " i think i'm going to be underdressed"
+ " i don't care if it doesn't match"
+ " i think i over planned that"
+ " i'll just go out like this, i don't need to get ready"
+ " i'd rather have a miller lite"
+ " i don't want to go for a run"
+ " i want to change the diaper genie this time"
+ " i want to share a blanket"
+ " i hate the sun on my face"
+ " i think i'll pass on the starbuck's very berry hibiscus refresher"
+ " i'm tanner than you"
+ " no, you don't need to iron that"
+ " i think my finger nails look better with no polish"
+ " flowers are a waste of money"
+ " i think i'd rather sit at home alone instead of have friends over"
+ " jude & declan, i'd rather not read you a story tonight"
+ " nah, i don't have OCD"
+ " i have too many dresses"
+ " my whole life doesn't revolve around my kiddies"


i could go on & on for like evahhh but i'll keep things a little bit mysterious! Hope everyone has a wonderful week :) 


StayLovely.

for safe keeping.

It's been almost a month since my brother & sister in law, Phil & Megan tied the knot. Wow! Time flies. I just wanted to post my speech for safe keeping & also so I can reminisce about their special day!  

Matron of Honor Speech

Hi everyone, First off congratulations to the bride and groom and thank all of you for being here to help celebrate this happy occasion. Thanks to Megan's parents, Mark & Beth, & Missy & Steve, for hosting this beautiful wedding & Phil's parents, Ken & Vickie for the amazing rehearsal dinner.

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Carly Kipp. Kevin's wife, & Phil & Megan's sister in law! Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I have 3 big brothers & when i married Kevin, I inherited yet another big brother in Phil. I was never the little girl who wished for younger siblings. I've always been the baby & I'm pretty darn good at it. So now, everything has changed, & today, it is official.  I have a BABY SISTER! I always imagined hating this but I was wrong.  I now have a friend forever. A friend with such a kind heart, sweet disposition, a sensitive soul, a little bit of sass & my gosh, you look absolutely radiant tonight! Megan, I am so honored to be by your side as you start the next phase of your life as a Kipp.  I will always be your sister & friend, & I will be right here holding your hand as you & Phil hit many of life's big milestones. I will be here through anniversaries, new homes, & as you bring beautiful babies into the world. I promise to always play with your hair, paint your nails, tell you if an outfit looks okay, and answer my phone when your future babies have been up all night screaming & you can't figure out why. You forever have a sister in me & I thank God everyday for blessing me with you. 

Phil, I can't decide if I should take this time to thank you or curse you. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have met Kevin but I also wouldn't have my 2 amazing kids & I wouldn't be standing here tonight so I think I should Thank you. Thank you for being a good friend, a loyal brother to Kevin & I, a wonderful uncle to my children, and an adoring husband to Megan. I do have a one request from you. Tonight, I ask you never to steal, lie or cheat, but if you must steal, steal away Megan's sorrows. and if you must lie, lie with her all the nights of your life, and if you must cheat, then please cheat death because she couldn't live one day with you! 

When I look at the Phil & Megan, I feel such a whirlwind of emotions. I know that the two of you have found your true match in each other. Separately, you are two special, remarkable people, but together you are complete. You two truly are a team. My heart is bursting with love for you two today. I know you have a wonderful adventure ahead of you.  My wish for you is that the happiness surrounding you today will be there for many years to come. On this roller coaster of life, remember to scream from the peaks, hold hands through the dips, laugh through the loops, and enjoy every twist and turn.

Now before I finish, I have just one more thing I want you to do, Your wedding day is one the seems to fly by. Its a day filled with emotion, friends, rings, and dances. Many people remember how fast their own wedding day went so I want you to take a few seconds to look into each others eyes & think about the happiness that you're feeling in this moment. Really let that feeling sink in. Now, i want you to think about your life together in twenty years. where are you? what are you doing? We all know that your visions of the future are not identical, but always complimentary. John Lennon once said, " a dream you dream alone is only a dream, a dream you dream together, THAT is a reality." That new reality starts now.

Now everyone raise their glasses! Here's to love, laughter, & happily ever after! CHEERS!  

highlight of my day.

I've been having rough couple of days but there's always something to give you a little ray of sunshine! wanna see mine?

oh come on, i know you do!

StayLovely like this little sweetheart.

"you will never have this day again"

   How is this even possible? I am a stay at home mommy & I spend day in & day out with these handsome little nuggets who I am so blessed to call my own. They push me to my absolute limit. As much as I love them, they're downright exhausting. And here I am, laying in bed, sick as a dog, missing them while they are right downstairs. While in the moment of chaos with two little ones, the constant thought in your head is, "I just need a break!". One night in a hotel with room service, someone to clean up your mess, & precious silence. I am so positively sure that the entire time I spent in that said hotel room, I'd be missing my boys, turning the television on to mask the sound of quiet.  Not only that, I'd be cleaning my own mess (I can thank the OCD for that).

Jude keeps popping in my room to say, "Mommy, I'm sorry you're sick & I love you. Here's batman to make you feel better." {little does he know, a little batman would make me feel MUCH better} But my little Declan has stayed downstairs with daddy most of the day so I just want to hold him & kiss those chubby cheeks!

 --via pinterest --

I'm aware that I can't be with my babies every second & sometimes, I do need a day or even a half a day to recover but thinking that I will never get this day back makes my heart a little sad. I'm missing bath time as we speak & seeing the boys interact with each other is what I live for! Tonight, I will enjoy hearing their little voices and the pitter patter of feet around the house from this bed & I will start tomorrow loving all over my baby boys.

StayLovely.

"you still believe it to be a beautiful place."

"Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.”

-Kurt Vonnegut

  

    So, I know this is a repeat from my Facebook but let's be honest here, it's true. In our house we don't watch "adult tv" while the kids are awake. Heck, we barely watch any television really which is nice, although by no means does it make my house quiet. Both of my boys could take it or leave it. Any who, while at the gym last night I was able to watch the footage from the Terror Attack at the Boston Marathon. Naturally, It made me very emotional & my heart poured out with sadness for everyone involved. As a mother, your whole body clenches in rage when you hear about a child being killed. You think the normal thoughts like, "Who would do this?" "Why would someone want to hurt innocent people?" but I find myself getting so angry when people say things like, "What is this world coming to?". 

   This is not "the worlds" fault. This is ONE (or more) person. You watch the footage and you see THOUSANDS of people helping. Putting themselves at risk and running to lend a hand anyway they can. There were soldiers, police officers, firemen, & bystanders actually running toward the explosion while it was still happening.  For every one horribly sick person there are tens of thousands of good souls on this earth. Why can't we focus on that? If we would put our energy into the good, maybe less bad would happen. 

   Of course I fear for my kids. I'm scared of what might happen to them but I also am afraid for them to ride their bike into the street and get hit by a car. The world is not a bad place. I do not feel like I should live in fear because of something that could happen to us. I haven't lost faith that the love in the world over powers the hate. You know why? Because we have God & because of that I feel as though my children are protected. They have someone to look over them, guard them from harm, and to show them more love than they could ever comprehend. I see the beauty in this place that God has created for us in so many ways. I see the love every day and I will continue to "Believe there is good in the world" & try my absolute hardest to "Be the good". 

StayLovely&KeepPraying.

no one is lovelier than you.

       Oh, Zooey. You make me feel so good for being an emotional over lover. My favorite line of this inspirational is, "Don't allow the coldness and fear of others to tarnish your perfectly vulnerable beating heart". Yes, I cry at everything & tell way too many people I love them ( I think it freaks some people out) but I can't deny the truth. I love so many people & all very differently. I love the ones closest to me with all of my heart. I love them so ardently I feel like I could burst sometimes but you know what I also love? I love the cashier at target who's line I always go to because she is so kind to my boys. I love Jude's preschool teacher because she gives me a feeling of comfort whenever I have to leave him. I love fresh flowers in my house no matter how much money it wastes. I love ribbon, & pretty pens,  & the smell of a library book. I love watching people's mouths when they talk. I love a hug from someone you haven't seen in awhile and how your stomach tingles when they hug you back as tightly as you're hugging them. I love hairlines, that one curl that couldn't quite straighten, the direction of the hairs going every which way, a widows peak, or ducktail (good thing I'm a hairstylist, although temporarily retired). I love people's eyes, the colors can tell a story - green are my favorite, there's always so much detail. Speaking of that, I love detail, I love thinking out & planning every little spec of something. I love the sound of a vacuum picking up crumbs or my Dad turning the page of the newspaper he reads every morning. 

     Now, because I love all of these things, does this make the word love mean less? Sometimes I think I should change how much I use the word but no, that would be a mistake. I wholeheartedly love all of those things I listed & I suppose that just makes me passionate. Who could ever complain about someone being too passionate? Not me. So the answer to my question is NO. Love is love & although you may love something on different scales, it's still all the same.

      I need a daily reminder. Although I am very sure of what I love, I need to open my eyes to these beauties & embrace them more. I tend to notice the tender feeling I have for these things that are dear to me when they are not around (ain't that always the truth?). If I were to consistently think about how blessed I am to have so many joyful things to surround myself with, I would for sure be a happier person. 

Lastly, I love ME. I love that I'm sappy (hey look kate, i'm sappy too) I love that I'm a little bit spastic, and OCD, and a control freak. I do have normal qualities too. I have a big heart, I want to help people, organized, over caring, down to earth, funny (at least I think I am), compassionate, sensitive yet tough, opinionated, happy, smiley, and lastly, I am a damn good mom. 

"Whatever you love is beautiful; love comes first, beauty follows. The greater your capacity for love, the more beauty you find in the world."

— Jane Smiley

StayLovely.