Our First Game Day of 2015 (As Told by Snapchat)

Early games are our least favorite, but we're Rebels; it's never too early for Ole Miss Football!

As you know (or have figured out), we are ridiculous Ole Miss Football fans. Like, it's crazy. We were married on campus, had our first child in Oxford, and named him VAUGHT, after the legendary John Howard Vaught, who coached the Rebels for thirty years. Eric and I don't agree on everything, but we say that we agree on the most important thing: Ole Miss Football. Yes, we're extreme.

The Rebels started their season at 11 o'clock Saturday morning. We got up at 5AM and got ready. Yes, 5AM.

I made a skinny screwdriver using Taaka vodka and light orange juice. It was 6:15.

 

 

We dropped Vaught off with my parents at seven then drove on to Oxford.

We were in the Grove before 9 and drank mimosas in my friend Tyler's tent until it was time to go to the game.

L-R: Me, Tyler, Lindsey, Katy (all Phi Mu sisters!)

This is our fourth year being season ticket holders. It's a small but meaningful luxury we allow ourselves each year, saying that no matter what happens, we will always have our Ole Miss Football tickets! Per new box seats put in Vaught Hemingway Stadium, our seats were moved this year. We are further up, in the right hand corner of the south end zone. We're not entirely impressed with our new location, but it's only a year; we can change them next June.

61,000 of my closest friends

It was HOT, in case you can't tell! My arms are still burnt!

I snapchatted score updates throughout the game, but I forgot to save them before they automatically deleted after 24 hours. The Rebels dominated the Skyhawks and won the game 76-3!

 

After the game, we went back to the Grove for a snack before heading home. I posted the picture above to Instagram as my "victory photo." I got a little happy with my morning screwdrivers and fell twice: once while walking in front of the liquor store we park behind (irony at its best) and once in the Grove. I swear, no one even noticed. That's what I love about "Ole Miss people." You just get up and keep on going. If anything, someone will shout, "You okay? Hotty Toddy!" Also, the dress I wore, a size LARGE from the Lauren Conrad collection at Kohl's, had a partially open back with snaps. I had two wardrobe malfunctions: one involving the snaps and one where I accidentally flashed my bra (the front of the dress was lower than it looks).

Speaking of my dress, YES, it is a size LARGE. Not extra large, which is what I've worn in the past. I've always loved LC's Kohl's collection, but in the past couple of years I've noticed that I could not hardly wear anything from it. I tricked myself into thinking her sizes had gotten smaller, when really, I had just gotten bigger. I had just two days to find a white dress for Saturday's game, so I got this dress in size large and extra large. I had tried on the extra large in the fitting room and was surprised at how big it was on me. It was wearable, but loose in the chest and back. So, without even trying on a large, I grabbed one of those too and took them both home.

Standing in front of my mirror in the size large, I was so proud; it fit like a charm! Much better than the XL! I felt pretty and confident, even after my falls :)

Vaught had a great time at my mom and dad's. We picked him up around four and were home by five. Vaught slept from five until seven Sunday morning. We are so blessed to have such a good little sleeper!

This Saturday's game is another home game against Fresno State. They're a pretty decent team from California that we've played several times in the past. I've never seen them play in person, so I'm excited for this game! We're looking forward to another great season, Hugh Freeze's fourth as head coach. Hotty Toddy, Rebels!

And Happy Labor Day!

Did you watch any college football this weekend?

A day in the life...

… of a sixth grade English teacher. Welcome to my world :)

5AM
My alarm goes off and most mornings I am out of bed pretty quickly. Sometimes I'll hit snooze until 5:20, but I know I'm off to a rough start if I'm not up and moving by 5:30 at the latest.

6AM
I've already made my breakfast and loaded everything I need into my car. I wake Vaught up, get him dressed, and have a bottle ready for him to drink on our way to daycare.

6:15AM
I'm sitting in the Starbucks line for my morning cappuccino or latte for hopefully no longer than five minutes.

6:25-6:30AM
Vaught is dropped off at daycare.

6:45AM
I get to school and sign in then head down to my classroom to get ready for the day. Usually I am already prepared, but this gives me more than enough time to set up my PowerPoint, hole punch, and lay out documents for my kids, and do any last-minute adjustments to my lesson.
Oh, and sometimes I take my daily selfie for SnapChat...

7:10AM
First bell rings and the kids file into the gym. Luckily, I'm not on duty until second term, so I get another twenty minutes to get my life together.

7:30AM
Second bell rings and students are dismissed from the gym. I have hallway duty and monitor as kids come into our building.

7:40-9:37AM
This is my first and second period. After second period, I walk my group of students (each teacher is assigned a group) to their activity period then come back for my planning time.

9:45-10:37AM
My planning period is just under an hour, but it seriously feels like twenty minutes. If I'm lucky, I get a few copies made for the next day, and I tweak my lesson a little. Most of my planning is done at home or after school. Don't think for a single second that teachers' jobs are over once that final bell rings.

10:37AM-3:13PM
Teaching, teaching, teaching. By three o'clock, my throat is raw, and I'm ready for a nap. I've tripped over fifteen backpacks in the middle of the floor. I've corrected a sixth grader who threw himself out of his seat (no reason, just because). I've handled friend drama and settled "he stole my favorite pencil" disputes, but my day isn't nearly over.

3:15PM until...
I usually stay at least an hour and work. I am most productive during this time in the early afternoon. If I'm working out before picking Vaught up, I leave by 4:15. If not, I'll stay until 5:15 or 5:30.

5-5:30PM
I pick Vaught up before 6PM (childcare center closes at 6) and head home to cook supper. Between that and other mom/wife duties, I try to play with Vaught and get household things done simultaneously. At first, I tried so hard to be Supermom, and I was so exhausted that I was sick at nighttime with nausea and a headache. It didn't take long for me to realize that I'm just going to have to do a couple of things each day instead of trying to keep our home spotless constantly. I realized that I can't put a five-star meal together every night either. I enjoy doing those things for our family, but the time I get to spend with Vaught and Eric at the end of the day is precious to me.

Vaught gets a bath and is in bed before seven, sometimes a little earlier depending on my afternoon. I'm so thankful that he sleeps the whole night through! He sleeps until I wake him up to leave in the morning.

Once he goes to bed, I usually have papers to grade and lesson plans to work on, so if you've been adding everything up along with me, it comes out to something close to a fifteen hour day for this mama!

Some may read this and think Bless your heart. I'm so glad that's not me! And I totally understand, but I love my job and enjoy what I do. I love the time I get to spend to myself in the afternoon. I love that time with Eric once Vaught's in bed. And my weekends are absolutely precious.

Teaching is not meant for everyone, and yes, it gets tough sometimes--mentally, physically, and emotionally for sure. But I love my job; I wouldn't trade this crazy, busy, fun-filled life for anything!

"Who are you and what is wrong with you?"

I rolled out of bed Friday morning, looked at myself in my "selfie mirror" that hangs outside my bathroom door, and said these exact words to myself.

"Who are you and what is wrong with you?"

I didn't care that I was already running ten minutes late (welcome to my life, seriously). I couldn't shake the feeling that something was different about me. Something was wrong.

I didn't realize it at first, but not having Eric for a week (he was at a training in Indiana) changed me. Initially, I was okay with it. Whatever, I can deal. I like being alone sometimes. By the end of the week, I felt drained. Empty. There was nothing left in my tank.

I stayed up late Friday night. Like, really late, for me at least. I think the last time I looked at my clock it was after two. Luckily, Vaught slept from 5:45 that evening until 8 the next morning, so I still got a decent amount of sleep.

Stress from work has been getting to me, to the point where I collapse on my desk in the afternoon. No, I'm not miserable. I love my job actually. I'm just so exhausted by the end of the day that by the time I have a chance to catch a little break I start stressing about the next day.
So I gave myself all the time I needed to get caught up Friday night. I drank three cups of coffee and did a few jumping jacks when I felt tired. I have lessons plans made for the next two weeks and I am almost done with all of the PowerPoints that go with them. Knowing that the only thing I need to do for the rest of the week is make copies and grade my kids' daily work takes a load of stress off of me. So there's that.

Such sweet comments from a lady who observed me teaching one day!

But me without Eric... I have always prided myself on how independent and self-sufficient I am. I swore I married him because I loved him and no other reason. I swore I didn't need him, just wanted him there. I mean, is that okay? It doesn't mean I have to be this whiney, clingy wife who can't function without her husband nearby. Right?

I have never missed anyone so much in my entire life.

No, it wasn't because I had Vaught all to myself. He's such an easy baby and actually was in bed before seven each night. I didn't have to cook all week and the only "cleaning" I did was sweeping the kitchen floor and a bit of laundry by the middle of the week. But the achiness and emptiness I felt without Eric there... I can't even explain it.

By Thursday, I was ready to call and beg him to come home. I had never felt so alone.

So, while sitting at the kitchen table grading lesson plans Saturday night, my heart skipped a beat when I heard the garage door opening. There was only one person it could be.

My Eric.

He walked in, and I ran into his arms like a child. We stayed up talking and visiting and doing other fun things for hours. We woke up Sunday morning and went to church together. We held hands on the drive there and on our way back. We made a quick, simple lunch, and I finally unglued myself and went to the gym.

Once there, I felt a little more peace settle down within me. I started to feel like "old me." Eric told me to take the afternoon to myself, get coffee, grab any groceries for the week, so I did. I went to Starbucks where I worked on some more stuff for school for two hours. A lady I used to work with at my first high school came through the drive-thru; I texted her and she came inside and visited with me for half an hour. It was awesome catching up, Amanda!

I went to Aldi (my very first Aldi outing) and got everything we needed for enchiladas Sunday for--wait for it--$15!!! OMG. We've had an Aldi for nearly two years now, and I can't believe I've just now shopped there. Definitely going back!

I called my sorority sister and "Groving" friend Tyler and we made plans for the game this Saturday. I went to bed Sunday night feeling happy and peaceful and totally at ease.

If you every have those days (or a few weeks) where you feel stressed out, crazy, and completely out of your element, take it from me: hang in there. Say a prayer, grab your rope, and hang on.

Give it time. It gets better.

Special K® Red Berries on My Doorstep...

The post you're about to read is sponsored by Special K® Red Berries. All opinions are 100% my own.

A couple of weeks ago a mysterious box was delivered to my doorstep. "What did you order, babe?" I asked Eric as I carried it into our kitchen. He couldn't remember having ordered anything recently, and I definitely knew I hadn't. Imagine my surprise when I opened the box and found two perfectly good boxes of Special K Red Berries cereal wrapped in bubble wrap!

It took me just under two hours to figure out why: I had landed a spot in this amazing campaign featuring Special K Red Berries cereal! Needless to say, I was stoked.

I knew from the beginning that this cereal would be perfect for me. As a busy, active mom, wife, and teacher, I need delicious, filling breakfast options that are quick and healthy. Special K Red Berries is made with whole grains and now comes with more real strawberries! Not only is it delicious, but one bowl feeds my body with folic acid, vitamin D, and fiber--just what I'm looking for in a quick, delicious breakfast!

Special K Red Berries has been my go-to breakfast cereal for the past two weeks, and I mean it when I say I am obsessed! Just one bowl leaves me full and satisfied until my next snack or meal--did I mention it's delicious?! It can be difficult to find everything you need to start off your morning in a cereal, but I've truly found it with Special K Red Berries.

In addition to being my go-to breakfast, I've also incorporated it into my pre-workout and/or afternoon snack. It's quick and filling and is just what I need to hold me over until dinnertime. I've even caught Eric filling a bowl or two as his afternoon snack--husbands approve too!


Lola wanted to know if it was dog-friendly too!

To feel special, you have to eat special. To feel well, you have to eat well. I'm so glad to have discovered the perfect amount of nutrients in Special K Red Berries. It's the perfect breakfast or snack for active, on-the-go moms and individuals... just like me!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Special K® Red Berries.

Have you tried Special K Red Berries?
What's your go-to quick and healthy breakfast?

Vaught: 11 Months

This will be a pretty short update, as I'm a busy single mom this week! No, really--Eric is out of town, so Vaught and I are on our own until Sunday. So far it's not been too stressful... Just extremely busy!

It's hard to believe that in merely one month I'll have a ONE-year-old! The past eleven months have flown by, but they've been so much fun!

We're not sure on Vaught's length, but he still weighs about 23.5 pounds. He is crawling EVERYWHERE and putting EVERYTHING in his mouth. I cannot let him out of my sight!

We've had our first run-in with mommy's hot curling wand. He pulled it off the bathroom counter and it hit him on the cheek. He cried for about five seconds then was on to the next thing. In some of the pictures, that's the little red mark you see. It's almost healed!

It's hard for me to keep up with all of Vaught's new words, but I swear he said "You're welcome" plain as day the other day in the kitchen. He also says "Huh?" really high-pitched and squeaky. Eric and I both hard of hearing, so we say "huh" a lot. Vaught is picking up on things we say!

His birthday party is set for the last Sunday in September, and I can't thank my mom and mother-in-law enough for gathering up some party supplies for me. Next thing on my to-do list: invitations!

Just one more month until our little guy is ONE! 

Seven is my lucky number...

Wow... Okay, I promise to be a better blogger in the very near future! I am still adjusting to my new job as a sixth grade English teacher. I'm working on lesson plans and other things for class nearly every afternoon until I absolutely have to leave to go get Vaught; I've only been able to go to the gym twice in the past week! Even still...

I am SEVEN pounds down in the past two weeks!! (Cue happy dancing)!

In addition to that, I can wear a pair of Seven jeans. The real Seven jeans... The ones that have never in my life fit me before. The ones that would have caused me to break out in a hot sweat if I'd even attempted to pull them on two months ago. Yep. I found these babies for $25 at TJMaxx yesterday!

This style originally goes for anywhere between $125-$200, but I found them at a great price. I couldn't believe it! In addition to the price, they're a size 14, a size I haven't truly been a long time. Like, a really long time. I was in between a 14 and 16 for a while, but in the past few weeks I've noticed that anything size 16 looks and feels way big on me--like noticeably too big. I now sit between a size 12 and 14. These Seven jeans are great, but a few more pounds and there will definitely be extra room! It excites and motivates me to know that I'm not far off from having to size down again!

I was so excited when I stepped on the scale Monday morning to see a number I honestly don't know when I last saw. I am ten pounds from the lowest I can remember being my freshman year of college (after Eric broke up with me and I didn't eat for two months). I wasn't really working out then, just doing a bit of aimless cardio here and there, so I'm excited to see the difference of the me now versus my body back then. I'm eating well, but not eating nearly as much; some days I probably log around 1,000 calories. Yes, I know that's too little, but I stay so busy during the day... You wouldn't believe it!

I'm going to work on packing some higher calorie snacks in my lunch bag next week!

Sorry this update is a little short, but I am blogging as I wait on my tests to be printed out... I've worked on some stuff for the blog this week (SORRY to my fabulous companies who have asked me to do sponsored posts--I promise they're coming), so I've got to spend a good bit of time this weekend getting that all together!

Hope you all have an amazing Friday!!

Kate

Weekend Recap::: Darby's Birthday, My Jeans Fell Off

I'm sure I've said it before, and I'll say it again: if I recapped every single weekend on my blog, you'd eventually stop reading. While I think my life is grand, from the outside looking in, I seem pretty boring... That's why I only recap the truly great weekends. This weekend was one of them.

Keep reading for Darby's birthday!

There's not much to say about Friday night... I'd had a good but busy week at school, and I couldn't wait to crash! After dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, where Vaught discovered a new love of small plastic cups, we headed to the house to put on our pjs and get in bed! All of the Paces were conked out by nine!

 

When we got home from BWW, these were on my doorstep. It took me two hours to figure out why I was sent this cereal! More on that in a few days.

I overslept my 6:30 Saturday alarm for the gym, so I didn't go until eight. If I don't make it to the gym before seven on Saturday and Sunday mornings, I've basically lost all motivation. I just did a mile and a half on the treadmill and a little ab work. Hey-- a workout is a workout!

 Afterwards, I grabbed a few groceries and had my car washed. No time for breakfast when I finally got back home at ten; I had to get ready for a birthday party!

I picked my mom up in Potts Camp at noon, and we set out for Saltillo, MS.

I make friends easily, but you all already knew that. I am charismatic, curious, and friendly, and I've never met a stranger. Already friends on Instagram and kinda-sorta friends from several years prior, Sara and I instantly reconnected when we were both pregnant at the same time in 2014. Both riding the pregnancy train, of course we had a lot in common! She was due a few weeks before me, and her little girl, Darby, is about six weeks older than Vaught. Yesterday, Darby turned one year old, and we had the honor of celebrating her birthday with her on Saturday!

 

 

The party, which included a lot of pink of course, was a blast, and Vaught had so much fun!

We gave Darby this sweet t-shirt for her first trip to Disney World in November.

 

Vaught tried a cupcake again. He seemed to enjoy this one much better than our previous attempts at sugar.

 

Sweet Darby was picking up cake off the floor around her highchair. My mom said, "Here, let me get you a clean piece!" Bev is very serious about cake...

Us and our littles! I so wish we'd taken a picture together about a year ago right now so we could compare!

Darby & Vaught were instant friends!

Such a sweet family: The Davises

We left the party shortly after two, intending to go see my sister's new house. She called to let us know it'd be a little while before she was home, so we stopped by Kohl's to return something and look around.

My jeans fell off.

While getting dressed Saturday morning, I got really frustrated. I had a new pale pink top I wanted to wear that I knew would look great with sandals and skinny jeans. There's just one problem; none of my jeans fit me anymore.

I dug out a pair of size sixteen skinny jeans from Torrid and had absolutely no problem zipping them. As a matter of fact, I probably could have pulled them on without even unbuttoning them. "Maybe see if you can get a new pair today," Eric offered, as I cursed and grumbled at myself in the mirror. I knew as I was wiggling around at the birthday party, trying to keep them up, that it was bound to happen. And sure enough, as I got out of my car in the parking lot at Kohl's, I felt them slipping past my hips. I reached to pull them up and realized that they'd been so loose, the button had come undone. Screw. This.

Just right LCs!

My mom had noticed too that I'd lost even more weight since I've returned to teaching, so she gladly helped me find a new pair of jeans at Kohl's. It sucks being in between sizes. All of the fourteens I tried on fit, but the size twelves from the junior section were all too small. Seriously, ten more pounds and I'll be there, but I found these great Lauren Conrad jeggings that are perfect! I love her jeggings because they're not that cotton-y material; they're actual jeans with a little stretch to them. My sweet mom bought them for me, and it was all I could do to not wear them out of the store! Since it had begun pouring, I just decided to stick with my too-big Torrids... They are now in the trash bin :)

Too-big Torrid jeans :(

 

Also found this adorable top... because brunch is always a good idea.

After shopping at Kohl's, we grabbed a quick lunch at Five Guys. I'd never been, but we recently got one in Southaven, and I've heard great things about it. Mom and I both ordered a cheeseburger and fries, and we weren't at all disappointed. It was amazing! Vaught approved too!

After Five Guys, it was time for coffee! I ran (in the rain) into Barnes and Noble to get a small cup of the house roast for mom and an extra hot cappuccino for myself.

Finally, my sister was home from grocery shopping and we got to go see her new house. Is it bad that she's lived there for two months and we just now visited her new home?!

Vaught and Cherish played in the floor the whole time!

We left Lauren's house around six, and I dropped Mom off to meet my dad in New Albany. Vaught napped the whole way home and continued napping when I put him in his crib. He slept until seven Sunday morning... A day of birthday cake and shopping wore him out!

I went to the gym Saturday night, suddenly motivated all because of this cute ChinUp Apparel tank my mom got me! "Dancing is my cardio!"

Afterwards, I went to Starbucks and had every intention of working on next week's lesson plans until they closed, which I thought was at 10:30. Turns out they close at 9:30, so I only got about half an hour to work! I had a grande strawberry acai refresher with water... It was amazing!

I wasn't ready to go home yet, so where did I go?

Duh.
In my defense, I'd scored some awesome coupons for baby wipes and produce that I really needed to use. I'll just stop at that.

Sunday

Vaught slept until seven, and we had breakfast and got ready for the 9:30 church service at Life Fellowship in Olive Branch. This was our third time visiting this church, and we have really enjoyed it!

 

After church we got Starbucks for the ride to Potts Camp to see mom and dad.

Snapchat: kcpace12

We got home from my parents' around three, and I took a two hour nap. It was amazing! I owe an enormous THANK YOU to my sweet husband who entertained Vaught while I slept. When I woke up, I made this amazing peanut butter protein smoothie and worked on lesson plans for another two hours. Vaught got a bath at 7:30, and we were in bed before 8:30.

Overall, it's been yet another fun, relaxing weekend! We had such a great time celebrating Darby yesterday, spending the day with my mom, and catching up on a little sleep!

Hope you all had a pleasant weekend as well!