Stephanie Howell

stuck on you winners!

1.105 Courtney Gregory said...Those are so cool! Would be great for my daughter!

 

2. 127 marianne b said...These are darling!

 

3. 166 jung a said...cool! need those for my 2 girls!!

 

4. 86 Janna said...I would love these:-) Not to reduce fighting between my own daughters but to label their stuff to cut down on the fighting with their cousins that live down the driveway and are near the same age. They end up with a lot of the same shoes etc. Would be awesome! And yes thank you to stuck on you also!!

 

5. Note: The random integer generator chose 58 twice for some reason. So I am replacing this 58 with the number 57. 57 Chelsea said...These are sooo adorable!

 

6. 12 Briana said...These are so adorable and could definitely help Logan and Quinn figure out which articles of clothing (or shoes!) are theirs and Miss Olive would just love anything with her name on it.

 

7. 37 Rosie M said...Super cool! These look awesome! Would love a gift certificate and chance to test them out. My son is 18 months so I'll be needing these soon! Checking out all the links now!

 

8. 5 Kristyn G said...fabulous giveaway! Thanks for the chance to win!

 

9. 58 Pidgen said...What a fun giveaway! And I do remember you talking about this company -- so it's great to see that you still appreciate their products! :)

 

10. 234 Jen Davis said...Very cool giveaway indeed! I'm a mother and a Montessori preschool teacher and would LOVE it if all the families that have their children attend labeled their kiddos items! :) Would make for such a smoother day. Thanks for the opportunity!

 

YAY! Way to go everyone! What a fun contest. Thanks again to Stuck On You!

If you are a winner, please email me at harpersmama8(at)gmail(dot)com.

See you tomorrow!

*love*ly things- a father's love

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He loves them with all of his heart. He tells them often how proud of them he is.Hearing that your daddy is proud of you...that is a wonderful feeling (whether you are 3 or 34).

He isn't afraid for them to see him make mistakes. And when he does he says "i'm sorry". He doesn't hide his flaws from them.

He has a lot on his mind, but when he is here he is PRESENT.

He hugs them,kisses them,cuddles them. He expects a lot from them and is firm with them when he needs to be.

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Every day he tells them their "specials" at bed time. These are things that make them special. His favorite things about them. And when he is not here, he texts them to me.

He leaves them notes, sends them emails and messages. He calls them on the phone if he can't tell him he loves them in person.

Every single day he is showing them (by example) the man they should aspire to find one day.

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Kind,strong,brave,steady,selfless,true. He has never called me an ugly name. He has never spoken unkindly to me in front of the girls. He treats me,and makes me feel, like a gift. A rare jewel.

He is showing them that they deserve the best. That they should expect NO less.

He is teaching them self-confidence,grace,self-respect.

He rough houses with them, giggles with them, teaches them to play football,paints their toenails.

He is a superhero.

His love for them gives them courage and wings.

His love for them is like our father's love for us. Pure.

It's a beautiful thing to witness.

s

let them be little.

*my mission statement (if you will) when it comes to parenting*

let them play with dolls.or trucks.or whatever it is that makes them happy. but let them play.

don't teach them to be obsessed with weight,or looks,or their hair. don't tell them they aren't smart enough. or pretty enough. or good enough. tell them they are everything. anything. the sky's the limit.

don't demonstrate the behavior that their self worth depends on what someone else thinks of them.

let them know it's wonderful to be SMART. that playing dumb/ditzy/cutesy isn't cute. i remember reading a survey of elementary age children a few years back. the question was, is it better to be smart or sexy?

overwhelmingly? the response was sexy.

tell them that class and elegance and grace and BRAINS? that trumps sexy any day.

dress your girls like little GIRLS. not women. not teenagers. why in the world is there even a tee-shirt made in child size that says "made you look"? why are there teensy hoochie clothes at almost all the stores now?

it's not that i dress my girls in "little house on the prairie" chic....i mean, we all know harper loves her skinny jeans. but dress your kids like KIDS for pete's sake. WHY WOULD YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO LOOK SEXY? it enrages me.

i say NO. hell no. to these things that are available for CHILDREN. i say no to booty shorts, low rise jeans,padded bras (FOR KIDS???? YES I'm YELLING),slogans across the chest,"juicy" on the booty.

there are so many good points brought up in this article.

the title of it? Parents, don't dress your girls like tramps.

i could have written that myself. heck, i wish i would have.

let your children be children.

 

right now is the time for sticky hands, muddy toes,make believe,fairy tales,imagination,finger paint.

 

heartbreak,fear,wanting to look a certain way, insecurities,"does my butt look too big in these jeans?"...that comes later.

i know for a fact that we are going to argue over clothes one day.

just as my daddy used to say to me "isn't that a little short?" with a raised eyebrow...we'll say the same to our girls.

and they will huff and puff and roll their eyes to the heavens and stomp and sigh and gnash their terrible teenage teeth,

but they will leave the house with their dignity in tact.

and then said dignity will probably be stuffed into a backpack and they will do the old switcharoo...i know b/c i invented that trick...

but that's later.

now?

let them be little.

be a mommy to them. not their best friend. you don't need their approval. you don't need to be frightened of hurting their feelings if you tell them NO.

don't be deterred what all the other kids parents are doing. that has nothing to do with you. with your beliefs.

stand strong. love strong. hug strong.

what you are doing,teaching,demonstrating...

will have a huge impact on the women they become.

and even when they are having those brief lapses of judgement, those ugh-look-what-my-mom-made-me-wear-but-don't-worry-i-have-something-cooler-in-my-backpack-moments, may they maintain grace,class,composure,and BRAINS in that teensy miniskirt.

 

i know that i'll be keeping MY composure by remembering the years when lacy socks,patent leather soes,and smocked dresses were the clothing of choice.

yes, let them be little. :)

p.s. aren't the dresses BEAUTIFUL? i mean, they are truly the prettiest dresses we've ever owned. my amazingly talented friend maggie made them. did i mention she's amazing?

 

pretty pretty please

pretty pretty please don't you ever ever feel

like you're less than

less than perfect

pretty pretty please if you ever ever feel

like you're nothing

you are perfect to me.

 

i was listening to this song on the way home from harper's school this morning and it made me think.

about how sometimes i feel overwhelmed with the ENORMITY of raising four little women.

blessed and burdened all at once.

scared, hopeful, like i'm feeling my way down a path in the dark. and the path is HUGE and surrounded by complicated, twisted terrain.

and there are lots and lots of offshoots on this path. many branches. and i want so badly to get to the right place.

but i have NO idea where i'm going, and my flashlight is only casting a TINY beam into the pitch-darkness.

that's how i feel some days.

i have so much i want to teach them.

raising women is scary. as is raising men. whole other set of responsibilites there. but i have no knowledge in that area, what i worry about is raising strong, confident, virtuous women.

i know they are only four,three, and four months old.

i know this.

but how do i NOT think about the days to come? i must. i must start praying,learning, and preparing now.

much like major howell is already worried about the dating days. even though i say it's the BOYS that should be worried *wink*.

much like he fears those days, i think about the days ahead. the complicated days where everyone is NOT nice. where everyone is NOT kind. where others use words like weapons, thoughtlessly, not realizing the power words have.

**because even though sticks+stones can break our bones, we know that words can CRUSH sometimes**

the days where they might feel tempted to place their worth on what boys think of them, what others think of them...

the days where a single nasty remark from someone they thought was their friend might break their heart and send them home dejected and weary.

the days they feel they have to BE a certain girl, DO certain things to fit in...

oh yes i think about those days. when i'm smelling cate and lucy's baby smell, or holding sadie's hand, or watching harper learn to read, i think.

my goal is to be a safe place for them.

j and i talk about this all.the.time.

we want to teach them to be confident, graceful, kind...to realize their worth and that they are WORTH more than some boy.worth more than the perception of others.

to trust in the Lord with all of their hearts and lean not on their own understanding.

i could go on and on. and i can't believe some days i've been given this enormous gift. this enormous responsibility.

so i keep walking, feeling my way, praying.

confident i will get there, even though some days i make many wrong turns, some days i slip-up.

but my goal remains the same...to love them, protect them, teach them, catch them when they fall.

we'll get there.

xo

s