I go through phases where I think about the blog all the time (just ask Jennifer... or Josh). I make lists and notes and have expectations and dreams and I spend weeks implementing new strategies and deciding the best way to do certain things. On the complete flipside are the times when I completely ignore all of the important things like SEO and promotion and growth and fly by the seat of my pants. Otherwise known as: summer. I made a huge to-do list this week and I'm trying to get back into a routine of spending time working on the blog every morning. While I was working on said list, I kept running across things that I wanted to share or ask you guys and what better way to do that, than a themed Five on Friday blog post? 1 | The Taz + Belly Book Shop Did you see the new page I ...
Sophie’s 2nd Grade Interview
I shared Ella's back to school interview on the blog yesterday and now it's Sophie's turn! This girl is at such a funny age. She's like a chameleon and her personality and mood changes with the scenery. Most days she's grinning from ear to ear and happy about everything. Other days, she whines about -- literally -- every single thing that we say and do. Her diet has a huge impact on how she's feeling and processing what is going on around her and it's a battle that we fight every single day. It's rough not having a specific diagnosis, because the effects of certain foods seem to change frequently and we have to make adjustments on a regular basis. She has a great sense of humor and is always playing practical jokes on us or telling funny stories. She is OBSESSED with YouTube Kids and is ...
Ella’s 5th Grade Interview
Y'all know that back to school interviews are one of my favorite things we do every school year. In the past I've done the girls answers separately and other years I've done them in a single post. The thing that hasn't changed from year to year, is that the girls actually love this little interview. Even if you guys aren't interested in reading all of their silly answers that so perfectly depict their personalities, I love having these interviews over after school snacks and especially love comparing their answers to years past. I decided to split them up this year, so here are all the answers I wrangled from Ella after school yesterday. It's hard to believe she's in the fifth grade -- our last year before middle school! -- and will be eleven in a few short weeks. It's like her ...
Collaboreads | A Book in a Series
Disclosure: Affiliate links appear in this post. Any purchases made using these links will earn Taz + Belly a small commission. You can read more about our affiliate relationships here. You know what happens when the first of the month is on a Tuesday? The Collaboreads link up sneaks up on you! With a week of travel, a new work schedule, and the girls getting back into the swing of school -- August has been full. I had high hopes for the blog and social media over the last few weeks, but I've barely been able to keep up. I'm sure we'll settle into our new normal and I'll find a rhythm again, but until then I'll just be over here doing the best that I can! One thing I did do this month, was make it easier for you to follow along with what I'm reading. I started a companion ...
Journaling the Psalms | Part 1
It's been a long time since I shared any pages from my Bible here and, really, even longer since I spent a significant amount of time meditating on those pages. My relationship with the Bible has always ebbed and flowed -- not my relationship with the words themselves, just how intentional I have been about making time to spend with it. Bible Journaling offered a new way of devoting that time and it helped to focus my racing mind and really pay attention to what the word were saying. I think I expected journaling to bring with it a consistency that I was lacking and while it did serve to rekindle that passion in my life, I think I will always struggle with routine and focus. I have missed spending extended moments in the Word over the summer, though, and I'm eager to back to a place where ...
The Daily Dime | August 2017
Since the last two day in the life posts I've shared have been odd and childless days, I wanted to be sure and share a more typical day for this month's link up. It still had its atypical moments, but I think that might be par for the course as a parent, right?! Let's take a peek inside Tuesday, August 8th. The girls started school last week and I managed to capture the first day antics on film. This is a very typical look at a school day morning: Sophie making weird faces while eating gluten free oats for breakfast, Ella debating the necessity of breakfast while filming musical.ly videos on her iPad (looking thirteen), and me attempting to make something pass as a respectable lunch when I haven't been to the grocery store in well over a week. The red bin is our designated GF bin, so we ...
Five Pajama Party Must-Haves!
With summer winding down, I knew I wanted to treat the girls to a fun back to school date night to celebrate the end of summer and usher in our new weekly routine. Throwing a pajama party is always a win for the girls in my life, so I asked Sophie to make a list of everything she thought we needed to celebrate in style. Second grade handwriting and phonetic spelling will always be my favorite, but it doesn't hurt that she came up with the perfect list! PARTY ATTIRE Nothing says "party" like the perfect outfit, right?! I shouldn't be surprised that her first request was matching pajamas. She thinks color coordinating our outfits is a must. Don't worry about spending money if you don't already have a matching set -- evaluate your selection and make it work! We all had pajama bottoms ...
Rivers and Roads | Part Two
Forgive me for the bazillion photos in this post (even though I apologize about all the things I didn't photograph). There wasn't a great way to break it up, so we're just going with it. Grab a cup of coffee, because you might be here for awhile. Missed the first part of our anniversary trip? Catch up here! If days one and two of our trip were music and entertainment days, then days three and four were definitely the adventure portion of our trip. When we started planning this trip, I told Josh that I wanted to spend as much time outside as possible. It helped that both our concert and baseball game (obvi) were already at outdoor venues, so we just needed to fill two more days with outdoor activities. It's not that we don't already spend the majority of our time outside anyway (we ...