Seven Questions

Griffin has been working SO HARD on reading this year and I feel like we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm so hopeful that this summer is the time she falls in love with reading.  We do a ton of reading together and are working on more independent reading. Mo Willems books are her current favorite mainly because she finds a LOT of success in them and can read them completely independently - I think they make her feel good to read which I totally get!  These "biggies" are the best because they're several books in one which makes taking them in the car, to the park, etc. super convenient.

She's also really enjoyed the following series...

And if you click the photo below it'll take you to an instagram post with TONS of great recommendations...

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I feel like I have the elementary-aged boy genre down pat (Captain Underpants, anyone?!?!) but would love any of your girls tried and true favorites for early readers 📚 #thanksy’all

A post shared by Andrea McAnally Momfessionals (@andrea2220) on Mar 30, 2020 at 6:10pm PDT

We LOVE movies and I feel like we have lots of favorites and the list just grows as my kids get older and we can share more of our favorites with them.  Here are a few of our go-to's...

- All of the Toy Story movies

- The Sandlot

- Secret Life of Pets

- Greatest Showman

- Aladdin (the new one)

- Pirates of the Caribbean

- National Treasure

- Lego Movie

- Remember the Titans

My current quarantine go-to-outfit are  these leggings and a t-shirt with  this denim jacket thrown over it if I have to go out in public :) hahaha  When I'm at home I'm pretty much always in leggings because they are ridiculously soft and smooth, hold everything in while still being comfy and they BREATHE - and then I'm usually in some sort of sweatshirt/hoodie or long sleeve tee because that's just how I like to live my life :) 

For school I have a certain maxi dress in black and white that I keep on hand for mornings when I'm in a huge rush or just have no clue what to wear.  They work with a denim jacket or a cardigan, flip flops or clogs and they're the perfect neutral base that I can jazz them up with bracelets and earrings.

Girl, no! hahaha :)  Bangs are way too high maintenance - says the lady who's had bangs since she was about 3.  

We've ALL been there and I feel like I'm supposed to say pray and ask for patience... but I think saying TAKE A BREAK (and while you're taking your break pray and ask for patience) is more honest ;)  There is NO SHAME in popping in that DVD, setting your kids up with some fruit snacks and taking a breather for a few minutes.  Play some Candy Crush, read a book, eat a cupcake... do what you need to do!  I will say - that I wouldn't recommend scrolling social media... it could just be me but when I'm having a particularly crappy day it seems like EVERYONE AND THEIR MOM on social media isn't - which never helps my mood.  If you have a friend you can text (particularly a friend who also has kids and "gets it") send them an SOS and I can almost guarantee you they've had a moment or two that day as well.

Let go of that guilt, enjoy a few minutes of quiet and then head back in there with your head up.

I have! Mason was diagnosed with a visual processing disorder when he was in the first grade and he went through a vision therapy program that was LIFE CHANGING for him.

You can read my initial post  HERE

... and an update  HERE.

To make a long story short he completely "caught up" to grade level and then just kept exceeding expectations.  The vision therapy strengthened his eyes to the point that his far-sightedness and astigmatism were corrected and he no longer has to wear glasses. 

This question CRACKED ME UP!!!  You pronounce it

MACK - AN - ALLEY

Believe it or not more people seemed to have trouble with my maiden name (Buchanan) than my married one.  

This post contained  affiliate links... thank you so much for reading and supporting my blog!

Seven Questions

Seven Questions - Christmas Edition

I asked for Christmas questions last week on my Instagram and y'all DELIVERED!  I got so many good ones and today I'm going to answer seven and then next week I'll answer another seven.  Here we go!

Seven Questions

7 Questions - Part 5

7 Questions - Part 4

1) What does your husband do for a living? 
Dave is the Service Director for a country club which means he's in charge of the food and beverage and service side of the restaurants, snack bars, golf course and then private events like weddings, meetings, etc.  He works crazy hours some weeks  and there are days his Fitbit looks like this...

... yes, that's for REAL!  Look at the stairs.... he says the elevator is too slow :)  But he really loves the variety and flexibility his job offers and Dave was MADE for the service industry. 

7 Questions - Part Three

1) Where is the necklace you always wear from?

Waxing Poetic!  I fell in love with the brand 10 years ago while working at a boutique downtown McKinney and have worn one of their necklaces pretty much exclusively since then.  I wear them in the shower, pool, etc. and they look as good as new! 

My original necklace is a medium rolo chain with 5 of the insignia charms...

... and then this past December Dave got me a new one with smaller charms on a daintier chain.  I love them both so much!

2) Is Luke in Speech Therapy?

Yes!  Luke has been in weekly private therapy for the past 2 years for articulation issues and has made AMAZING strides.  He's currently working on mastering his problem sounds at the conversation level (they started with sound, then word, then sentence and then conversation) and we're hoping that he'll wrap up his therapy this coming school year. 

We noticed articulation issues pretty early on, but when we had him evaluated he was within the range that was considered "normal" and so we didn't do much of anything - but by the time 1st grade came to a close we had him reevaluated and enrolled him that summer. 

He does private therapy because my kids attend private school and therefore they don't qualify for the services provided at public school (let me clarify - we could go through the entire process, wait for a "private school opening" and then we'd be assigned a day/time where I would have to bring him to a location to meet with his therapist - with both Dave and I working and Luke in SCHOOL that didn't really make sense) - so we went the private therapy route and couldn't be happier).  

If you're concerned about your child's speech I'd HIGHLY recommend seeking out an evaluation!

3) Where did you buy your couch?

We bought our sectional from Weirs in Plano and we LOVE it!  I tracked it down and you can find it  HERE 

(ps - this isn't an affiliate link...it's just a link where I can track how may people click on it) :)

4) Do you and Dave do date nights?

Dave and I don't do date nights in the traditional sense of the word :)  Dave works in the service industry (he's in the Food and Beverage/Service management side of a country club) and he works several nights a week.  Since going out on a Friday or Saturday night isn't really a possibility for us 99% of the time (he's in charge of service at a restaurant, snack bars, on the golf course and then any special parties/events/weddings that are going on) we like to make the most of the time we DO have which often means dinner and a movie at home after the kids go to bed.  This works for us because we are both total homebodies and would pretty much always prefer pizza in bed to a fancy dinner out :) We're also nerds who like to play card games and backgammon and I actually have a notebook with scores dating back to our honeymoon - yes.... we played Gin on our honeymoon.  We both genuinely enjoy each other's company and so even if we're not out on a "date" we can still have a great time together.

5) What shampoo and conditioner do you use?

I've tried several salon brands and products but always return to my absolute favorite -  Pantene Sheer Volume shampoo and conditioner.  I shampoo REALLY well all over, then condition mainly the ends (although I do use a little at my roots) and then lightly shampoo my roots one last time before getting out of the shower.  It works well for me and nothing else leaves my hair feeling as clean, shiny and not weighed down.

6) How much sleep do you normally get? 

This question varies GREATLY for me depending on a few things... ideally (during the school year) I would be asleep by 10:30 and up by 6:00 and sometimes I am.  Other times I get behind on blogging, or have a ton of papers to grade or am up working on Christmas cards or playing Candy Crush and I'm in bed at 2:00 a.m. :)  My family will vouch though that I go-go-go and then crash.  I can go on very little sleep for a couple of weeks and then I completely collapse for two days.  It's just how I operate and what works for me ;)

7) What are your favorite nail polishes? 

I find that I gravitate toward blues/purples/greens and stay away from pink and red on my fingers mainly because I don't feel like they go with as many things as the cooler colors do.  The other nail essential for me is  Seche Vite top coat.  My friend Lori told me about it YEARS ago and I can't do my nails without it now!  It makes your mani look super shiny and smooth and it dries insanely fast.  You can find it at Target but I usually buy mine  HERE from Amazon. 

You can check out my other Seven Questions posts  HERE  and HERE. :) 

PS - This post contained a few affiliate links - thank you so much for reading and supporting my blog!

7 Questions Part Two

Back in February I answered seven random questions from readers and today I'm going to answer seven more!

SEVEN QUESTIONS

I receive a LOT of questions and today I thought I'd answer seven that I've received recently (and often) and then I'll pick another seven to answer in another post on a later date (and so on and and so on) ;)