An Occasional Flash of Brilliance Is All It Takes

If you follow me on instagram (which, by the way, if you don't, you should), you may have seen this picture of the "special snack" we sent to preschool a few weeks ago. Now, if you saw that picture, you might think that I'm an awesome mom who does all sorts of Pinterest-worthy stuff with her kids. But then you may have read the caption. Yes, it's true. We totally rocked the letter S. But when we had the letter C, I sent a tube of crackers, prepackaged cheese sticks, and storebought cookies. Total Special Snack Fail.

But here's the thing: Micah doesn't expect me to be awesome all the time. An occasional flash of brilliance is sufficient for her. She thinks I'm amazing, even when we're doing the same old ordinary, normal things we usually do in the same old boring way we always do them. More often than not, I'll send crackers for special snack, but in the end, Micah won't remember all those times. She'll remember that one time we did something truly awesome.

I'm a recovering perfectionist, so trust me when I say that it's hard for me to simply let things go, but crazy, stressed out mommy is no fun. Just ask my kids. In the past four and a half years of mommyhood, I've learned that not every day is a day for something as extraordinary as an Easter Egg Dyeing Party. Every photo opp won't result in picture perfect images. And you know what? That's OK. I'm totally convinced that it's alright to be ordinary most of the time - as long as you're spectacular every now and then.

If you're a mom like me trying to keep up with all the stuff you see posted on Facebook and Pinterest, just stop. There's no way to win. Instead, choose to maintain your sanity and strive for an occasional flash of brilliance. It works for me!

What's your most spectacular flash of brilliance? I'd love to hear your stories of occasional awesomeness in the comments.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Freebie: Easter Egg Decorating Party Invitation

Every time Micah catches a glimpse of the box of food coloring in the cabinet, she asks if we can dye eggs. She really, really loves it - what kid doesn't? It's something she looks forward to every year, and it's been so much fun to watch her change from this little toddler who "dyed" plastic eggs into an independent little 4-year-old who can do it all by herself.

This year, I'm planning on having a small little egg dyeing party with some of the girls' closest friends. I worked on these invitations all afternoon yesterday, filled in all the blanks, and then realized that we'll be out of town that weekend. Guess we'll have to reschedule.

I'm envisioning a little party outside on the deck with Kool-Aid for egg dye, stickers and washi tape for embellishments, and fun memories with friends. If I get ambitious, there might be some snacks involved, but let's don't go overboard :)

If you're hosting your own Easter Egg Decorating Party, click here to download these DIY Printable Easter Egg Decorating Party invites, print and cut them out, and hand them out to all your kiddo's little friends. Or your friends. Because grown-ups like to have fun too, right??

If you download the invitations and enjoy them, please leave a comment to let me know! I'd love to hear about your party. Happy printing!

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Until next time, grace and peace.

THE SMALL PRINT: You may not accept credit for the design of this card or sell it to anyone. Leslie Ann Jones retains the copyright. If you wish to share the digital file with others, please direct them to this post. Do not e-mail the file all over the world. Please don’t link directly to the download file. Click to download your Free Printable Easter Egg Decorating Party Invitations!

Meeting Little Miss Maggie

This post is about a week overdue, but with my freak medical malady last week, I just didn't have it in me to write it. Better late than never, right?? So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce my almost brand-spankin-new niece: Maggie Kathleen. Isn't she the sweetest?

There's nothing sweeter than a baby girl, you know. I might be a bit biased about that. Maggie was born on a Wednesday, but we couldn't make the trip to Atlanta until Thursday afternoon, and I didn't get to see her until Friday morning. She was totally worth the wait.

My girls, Kendall in particular, were completely enthralled by her. It was the first time that Kendall had really been around a baby, and she wanted to hold her. And when I say that she wanted to hold her, I mean that she completely flipped out if someone else in her presence was holding Maggie and she was not.

It was incredibly sweet. When the screaming wasn't driving me crazy, that is.

I did take a picture with the proud mama (my sister), but I don't think she would appreciate me putting it on the internet for all the world to see. It wasn't a particularly good photo of either of us (totally not the photographer's fault, Dad!).

On a completely unrelated note, it really doesn't seem like that long ago since we made the trip to Atlanta to meet my nephew, Will (sitting next to Kendall up there in the "cousins" photo). But it's been three and a half years already. Where has the time gone?? Atlanta is a long way from central Mississippi, and I don't get to see my sister that often. This trip was particularly bittersweet. I loved visiting with Stacy and loving on sweet little Maggie, and I hated to go. I'm already trying to figure out when I can see her again. I don't know when it will happen, but I hope it's not too far down the road.

Until next time, grace and peace.