Praying for my kids | The most important conversations of my life

Lately I've been reading about praying scripture intentionally over your children & how it can bring fresh perspective & power along with it. My hope in sharing is that it encourages your soul as much as it has mine ...

Jesus has promised that every prayer of a God-seeking person would be answered. "Everyone who asks receives." [Matt. 7:8] So, how good to know that when we as parents pray for our children, that we can be certain our petitions are always received & responded to! The Bible is a ready-made prayer book, so whenever we speak to God with the words of God, we move closer to the type of vital, effective prayer life we long for. And my heart longs for this ... !


With children who need to be prayed over daily ... sometimes hourly, it's vital for me to speak God's word when I lift them in prayer. My mediocre prayers just don't cut it for my children who I so passionately love! Praying the actual Word of God has helped me pray with confidence & expectancy.


It's me moving away from the "Lord, keep Noah safe today" prayer to the "Lord, You've promised to content fiercely with every circumstance for Noah's life [Isa. 49:25-26]. You have commanded Your angels to guard him [Ps 91:11]. Be Noah's champion today, as you've promised [Isa. 43:5-7]."

YES. YES. YES.

We don't pray to accomplish our parental goals; we pray to grow in wisdom, to recover ... & we pray to give thanks. We pray to stand in the gap & plead before God on behalf of our children - they NEED us to do so! Our concerns can make us so focused on getting God's help with our parenting tasks that we overlook the fact that He has also asked for our help. He has invited us to make a difference! Listen, I can not tell you how encouraged & blessed I have been by the book "Praying the Bible for Your Children" [Kopp] ... I highly recommend it.

Kopp states, "being a parent makes praying feel as necessary as breathing." YES.

My hope is that my prayer life, along with yours, will become our own heart-felt expressions & encourage us as moms to go deeper in the most important conversations of our lives! 

Oh how I LOVE this growing boy of mine ... thank you Jesus for such a GIFT. xo

Vanessa Warren x GM/Buick

Recently, Kelli & I were approached by GM/Buick to take part in an all expense paid "Buick Bucket List" trip - awesome! Sadly, Kelli couldn't make the trip ... so I asked my husband to come along for the little adventure. So, off we flew to Cincinnati, Ohio not really knowing what all to expect. We decided to embrace the unknown & relish in the fact that we were kid free for the first time in ... oh, six years!

Fun story ... on the flight to Ohio, I recognized a mom that had been featured on our My Everyday series ... the lovely Emily Anderson! How crazy that we had to meet in an airplane when we both live in the same city! Well, I adore her & am so happy we got to spend time with her & her husband Keith on the trip.

So, we arrived at the 21c Museum Hotel in Cincinnati ... & oh my heavens that place! Unreal. The boutique hotel is contemporary & so chic. The first two floors of the hotel is a museum that is open to the public 24 hours a day. It's filled with such incredible art ... we seriously loved all the details & enjoyed our stay there immensely.

On Friday soon after all the bloggers had checked into 21c, the entire crew was whisked away to the American Sign Museum. The museum was rented out by Buick to host us & it was awesome. Countless classic signs greeted us the moment we walked in. I was stunned at what great lengths Buick went to ensure the dinner ... wait, make that the entire trip ... was branded Buick. So much HARD WORK was put into every detail - most definitely this did not go unnoticed ... they have an INCREDIBLE team that I grew to love!

Saturday morning was a new day & oh was it just beginning! After a lovely breakfast, we all walk outside the hotel to see rows of the NEW 2014 Buick Regal lined up in an alley way in downtown Cincinnati. So cool! Mark & I instantly looked at each other & said ... this feels like the Amazing Race - HA! Although this wasn't a race, we were handed a super nice book of what our day entailed as we drove off into the city. Our first pit stop - Louisville, KY!

Driving the Regal to Louisville was a blast! First off, it's so nice to drive in a fancy new car. The exterior of the car is very sleek & elegant. The Regal is their luxury sports sedan & truly is luxurious! They describe the Regal as the athlete in their Buick family. The car is extremely comfortable, rides smooth [& fast] and the technology inside the car was mind blowing! The white diamond exterior color was my FAVORITE. Would select that one in a heart beat. We *loved* cruising the road in the Regal!

When we arrived in Louisville, our first stop was at the Flame Run to create our own glass ornament. We actually got to blow the glass ourselves ... so cool! I created a red ornament & Mark a dark purple one. Because they had to cool down, we couldn't take them with us so they mailed them to our homes. So nice! It was a memorable experience for sure ... really, really fun!

After creating the ornaments, we headed to lunch in the rain. We dined at a really great place called Harvest ... where everything is farm to table. SO delicious!

We then headed to Hound Dog Press to learn the history of letter pressing. I absolutely love anything letter pressed, so it was really neat to learn the art behind it, plus we were given the chance to create our own little piece to take home w/ us!

After an amazing time in Louisville, we hopped back into the Regal to make our way back to Cincinnati. That evening we had THE MOST incredible dinner of our lives. Seriously. I was staring at all the food thinking how can I go back to eating spaghetti & chicken sandwiches - NO! Ugh, I can't think of a dinner that I've loved more. If you ever find yourself in Cincinnati, do yourself an incredible favor & dine at Metropole. Everything is cooked on an open fire & it is just INSANELY good. GO!  

Overall, I want to give a HUGE, BIG thank you to Katie, Lauren & Patrick and the entire Buick team for asking us to be a part of such an incredible weekend. Kelli & I appreciate you reaching out to us ... truly an honor, it was lovely ... so thank you!

You can find my new friends at the places listed below. Thanks for following along on our little adventure - it was a blast!
Vanessa
XO


BUICK ONLINE
Website | Facebook | Instagram

VANESSA WARREN X BOBA FAMILY

Recently, Kelli & I partnered with Boba ... a company whose very well known for their baby carriers & wraps ... to style + photograph + try the carriers for ourselves. First of all, I can not even begin to tell you how many carriers I have tried ... in fact, let's not even talk about it. Seriously, I think it's every carrier on the market! Either Stella didn't like it or it murdered my back. I honestly had let go of the very dreamy idea of carrying her around hands free. But then, Boba shows up on my radar ... & can I just tell you - IT IS AWESOME!!!! Stella still enjoys being carried in the front & being that she's 20+ lbs, that's a lot of weight in front of me. My back would typically begin burning from pain w/ any other carrier, but the SUPPORT I receive from the Boba carrier is life changing friends. I could carry her around for hours & not be phased - so needless to say, Stella & I are both oh-so-happy!

One evening, we took Stella downtown to enjoy a little park date & had the BEST time. Walking around downtown stroller/hands free is a dream! She is able to enjoy the scenery & I manage to go w/o a bag since there are TWO POCKETS on different parts of the carrier. I'm able to hold my keys, cards & iphone all inside the carrier ... genius idea! And since we were at the park, I decided to let Stella out of the carrier to walk around for a bit. And rather than letting the carrier just dangle down in front of me, I snapped the arm shoulders around my waist & it worked out perfectly! I was able to explore the area with her, while still holding onto the carrier [& my personal belongings] hassle free. Awesome.

I can't think of anything else to say about the Boba carrier except that you need one. And you needed it yesterday. ;) It's greatness, a game changer & all around a wonderfully constructed carrier that I'm so grateful to have.

 boba carrier - a must!

NEW BATH PRODUCTS BY ADEN + ANAIS, by Vanessa

Before bringing home a fresh little newborn, we create "the list" ... the endless, very important list of items we need for that precious babe. While the list can get extensive, there are major essentials you can not go without: crib, diapers, bottles, swaddles & bath products. As with many moms, my swaddle of choice is aden + anais. It's a dependable brand with outstanding products! Your baby needs them in their life, trust me.

I'm thrilled to share that we've recently partnered with aden + anais to photograph + style + try their new bath line - mum+bub. Good news, friends - this can now go on your essentials list ... it's a must have! The bath products are a naturally-derived, pawpaw fruit infused skin care collection for baby & mom. The products have a fresh, spa-like scent to them ... most definitely a treat for you + baby!

The hair + body wash is extremely gentle on Stella's skin & hair. Stella has fine hair, so I'm always on the look out for products that leave her hair feeling soft ... this is it. Love it! The ultra-gentle lotion is just that - extremely gentle ... it's the *perfect texture. An added bonus is that after I use it, I don't feel the need to rinse my hands ... it actually leaves them feeling very smooth.

Now, let's chat about the new soothing ointment. Honestly, at first I figured it was a thicker version of the lotion. Oh, was I wrong! Not only does it work wonders on a diaper rash, it also helps minor cuts, insect bites, chapped lips & chafed/cracked skin. OH MY! It's a little miracle bottled up in a jar.

Stella & I also tried the hooded towel + washcloth sets. As with the swaddles, everything aden + anais creates is, as they say, made for baby ... perfect! The terry towel will last for years & the washcloths are 100% cotton muslin which means it's extremely gentle on Stella's skin. Not only are the washcloths generous in size, Stella loves the adorable little print on the cloth! 

Overall, I'm just over the moon thrilled about these new products & I hope you get to try some out for yourself ... your baby will be soooo extremely happy that you did!

Bath time with my little Stella Love is just that much sweeter now! Love these little baby days ... soaking them up as best I can!

Vanessa XO

Embracing the Routine

I love this little boy so much it wreaks me. Yesterday, was a long day at home w/ the kids. I counted that the three of us spent a total of 13 hours in pretty much the same vicinity. And I'm pretty sure I spent about 3/4's of that time at the kitchen sink cleaning up because it seems as though my kids eat every hour! By the end of the night, my hands were dry, my energy level was a flat zero & yet as they were sleeping soundly - I missed seeing their happy little faces! Today, most likely will look about the same .. we'll run this routine again. Does routine excite me? Not so much. Do my kids thrive in a routine? Without question. I'm slowly learning to [embrace] the routine. A wise mom I follow - @inspiredtoaction - blogged how as mothers we're like firefighters. Here's what she said ... firefighters are extremely routine & scheduled, yet they become heros in a split second. They've chosen the predictable routine & discipline so that when the unpredictable happens, there is no one more prepared. As moms, we live lives of service. We choose to lay down our own desires, embrace self discipline & routine in order to create security for others. How empowering is that? Wise words, Kat! I love being a mom ... I really, really do. Thankful for the reminder of why I do what i do. So, be encouraged today, moms ... you have been chosen to walk this journey - embrace it! As Kat says, we are a sisterhood of heroes - we're in this together. You are a hero. So, with that, have a AWESOME day ladies! 
Vanessa | @butterflysparks xo 

summertime sips | by Vanessa

i love summer.
i live in texas.
exactly.
it's HOT & there's nothing more refreshing then a delicious, chilled drink to sip on the porch while watching the littles splash in the water!
when i first ran across Bobbi's mason jar tumbler on IG, i knew instantly i a] needed one & b] needed to get her featured on our My Everyday series!
i absolutely LOVE that she's a mom who's working hard to build her company from the ground up & she's doing a might fine job at it!
her business, The Mason Bar Company, is one you should follow if you're on IG & also be sure to visit her lovely Etsy shop.
the tumbler is PERFECT for summer days.
TOMORROW we feature this lovely, hardworking mom + her shop on My Everyday, so be on the look out for an awesome deal on a tumbler!
thank you, Bobbi, for creating such a genius product!
- Vanessa
xo

NEW BEGINNINGS

A new chapter for my little Noah begins now ... he graduated Pre-K & is well on his way to KINDERGARTEN! How can this be?! I clearly remember his first day & then just like that it's his last.

In class, he won the "Smarties" award for always coming up with smart, creative ideas. Oh my gosh, my heart was so thrilled to hear that! I love the little creative soul that he has become.

I hear so many times from parents w/ kids heading off to college, how quickly the time passes & to cherish these days. I get so sad when I hear that because I know it to be true. Although Noah is still so little, I can't believe he's now FIVE years old! He knows so many things already & he's only been alive for five years! Five years is not long at alllll. I own shoes older than him.

But from infancy to this picture ... my oh my ... that went fast. And I know it will only continue to snowball from here. I want to remember everything. When he gives me a super tight, sweet hug - I want to remember that moment for the rest of my life. And I know I've said that SO many times since he's been born & I get a little teary eyed when I can't remember things I wanted to remember at those moments long ago.

However, I have the NOW. And need to live in the NOW.

My sweet boy is at a stage where he enjoys the cuddles, requests multiple hugs daily & says "I love you" at the very least five times a day. I mean, that is PRICELESS & I am soaking up every single second of that.

I know a lot of you are walking through this same season. It's bittersweet, but I'm choosing to embrace the sweet because it truly does get sweeter with time. And I chose to make time a priority with my kids because at the end of the day they are EVERYTHING that matters most.

Onward to new beginnings we go ... !
// VANESSA

photo by lauren larsen photography

i heart the bluum box

Stella & I both LOVE when this bright orange bluum box arrives on our doorstep ... it means a ton of fabulous goodies are inside for *both* of us to try! The concept behind bluum is genius ... you pay a small fee every month to be sent hand picked items specifically for your little one to try out. I appreciate how much detail goes into each box ... even down to the packaging itself! I was first introduced to bluum by a blogger friend who had posted a discount code for the first bluum box ordered. I quickly jumped at the chance because I had heard such great things. Well, I am SO happy I did ... I can not say enough about how much I love the company, the products inside & the people who run it!

I am incredibly thrilled to say bluum is offering our readers a 50% discount code on their first box order. Which means ... YOU can try this out too! DO IT ... I promise, you'll love it & so will your little one.

The 50% off discount code is : savesm50 // visit bluum.com to sign up!

And to add to the sweetness, bluum is giving away ONE toddler or baby box to one of our readers!!! All you have to do is sign up for the Kelli + Vanessa newsletter on the sidebar of our blog & you're entered to win. We'll announce the winner THIS Friday [3/29]. Easy enough ... !

Thank you to bluum for being so generous & for creating a killer product!
Vanessa + baby Stella
xo