6 Years

6 years ago Kaden and I made the biggest decision of our lives. I was an immature 19 year old and Kaden was a nieve 22 year old. We believed we loved each other but we had no idea what marriage really meant. Both our expectations were a little ridiculous. Kaden imagined dinners on the table, packed lunches and a wife that probably wore less than more when they were alone. I pictured lots of cuddles, door opening, your beautifuls and i am the luckiest man the world. The reality was that just not what our first year of marriage was made of. We had a lot of growing pains but only because we both had so much growing up to do. 6 years is not that long, but to me, a person who still catches herself telling people she is 18, (i'm 25) 6 years seems like forever. I can honestly say that at this point I can not imagine our relationship ever being better. Kaden is truly my best friend and I am his. I feel like we have a secret language, we can usually read each others minds and we are always there for each other. We know how to annoy one another more than anyone else and how to make the other laugh even when they aren't in the mood. Of course we still have our ups and downs but i wouldn't change a single thing about where we are right now. I love Kaden so much and i honestly feel like that love just becomes stronger every day. He is the only person i could ever imagine by my side and I am so grateful that 6 years ago we made the choice to spend eternity together.

On our honeymoon in San Francisco

Ramblings on Hustling

I took an ecourse a few weeks ago on productivity, business and social media. The girl teaching it said something that surprised me. "You can only hustle for so long before you fail." Bam my mind was blown. Everyone talks about hustling. It makes me feel like i don't do enough when i see all the cute quotes about it and basically working your A off for what you want. The past week has been the biggest whirl wind and i think it all caught up with me in the form of a migraine last night. This morning though i realized a few things. 1. no wonder you'll fail if you hustle for too long. 2. I have the most amazing friend ever. and 3. I really really really really really need a big car, like really. My LuLaRoe inventory all arrived last night, i sorted it hung it all up and then packed it all in to my car for a party. Actually Jess did most of it. She is amazing and so helpful. I was so stressed i couldn't think straight. 3 jobs may be a little much. After my party this evening i sat down and decided i really need to set goals and organize my time accordingly. What is my priority right now? What do i want to succeed at? In what ways can i do this?

- Right now i am going to focus on first and for most my children. My family and myself. I refuse to ever feel mentally unhealthy again and i refuse to ignore my children just to make some money.

- I am going to build LuLaRoe through personal connections, through a beautiful instagram, by throwing parties and collaborating with other amazing women.

- I am going to keep my home in order, stay organized, and not stress over the small things i don't accomplish in a day.

To build my business and clientele quickly i might have to hustle for awhile but that doesn't mean i have to feel like i am drowning. I am not going to glorify busy. I am going to work my butt off but in ways that benefit my family not only financially but in all aspects. Maybe that will be the key to being successful.

The Blog

Love & Life has changed a lot since i started blogging about, umm 5 years ago now. I have been so off and on and my content has never been much except for my family visited here and a very long crazy update over there…. I might be crazy, and now let me give you some motherly advice.

Well with the new year i have been thinking about my goals for the blog. Where i want it to go, what i really want to write about and what i hope my followers get from reading.

There is not much i can say that i am an expert on but there is quite a bit that i know. I am a wife and a mother after all and both are not easy. In school I studied education, childhood development, photography, and business. I have been a partner in a successful business and test out my creative side whenever i get the chance. I may or may not have an obsession with shopping, try my best to be healthy and enjoy staying fit.

Since that is pretty much how i would describe myself that is pretty much what i want to write about. I want to share our story, tell you about our lives, but i also want to give you my secret to finding love in all the craziness of it. I want every single person who visits this blog to feel like they can relate, or take something away from my words. I promise to be real. I won't post about clothes i can't afford, or tips that i don't use myself. Everything on here can be found in my simple everyday and that is why i am changing the name to LoveITT. 

LoveITT is love and leavitt together. This blog is all about my leavitt life and how i love it. Hope that makes sense. I'm kinda obsessed with it though. Love & Life was a little long and not personal enough. 

Seriously, can we just be one world wide web of friends? That is what i hope you find here. A friend, someone you trust, laugh with, and want to hang out with. How about this year we hang out together? See those follow options to right? Go for it. Become a follower and how bout we become bestsies already?

Prayers Are Answered

Let me get a little churchy on you. I don't share my testimony often. It is something personal to me and honestly i do fear what other people will think. My beliefs are fragile. Especially about things like prayer. I am not perfect at prayer. I am working on it but for a long time i just didn't do it. I would wait until i was completely overwhelmed or until something was happening to someone close to me. It doesn't take long to do but it was just not a habit. Now that i have been really trying I have felt such a difference in my life. I leave the house feeling more balanced and confident. I am calmer with my children and i recognize my blessings daily. Lately Kaden and I have felt like we were in need of a little something extra. Financially we are trying very hard to get out of debt (including cars and student loans) that is huge! I have prayed so hard to know what would be the best way for us to do this and what i should be doing to feel creative and fulfilled in my work. Guess what 100 times over i have told Kaden i just wish i could find something that is great and i love like i do LuLaRoe. It would have been too hard and scary to sign up competing with Brittany (the cedar consultant). Guess What!? Brittany and i met a few months ago and instantly hit it off. I went to her looking for 1 specific item and quickly became an addict. Friday afternoon i texted her quick after having a random thought about spreading the word of her leggings and she shot me back a text asking me to become the local consultant because she is leaving. Ahhh! I was in shock! My heart almost stopped and i questioned everything about it until i sent in my contract Saturday. Really, this opportunity couldn't have came at a more perfect time. When i first told Kaden about this little idea he was so excited. Like I've never seen excited. I have only been a consultant for a whole 24 hours and i have an entire month booked with parties already.  a thousand followers on my sales insta and 100 likes on my Facebook page. I may or may not be ugly crying right now and not just because i am watching the final episode of Parenthood (even though lets be real my heart is completely broken that i won't get to see the bravermans every week anymore.) There are so many ways that i know our prayers are answered. I have always felt things have came together how they were supposed to for our little family but never before did an answer seem to happen so quickly or so blunt. The Lord knows what, when and how we need our answers. Past ventures have always felt like my will and this truly feels like the Lord's. We will see where it takes me and my family. 

L & EM- Week 4

These two. This week has been pretty laid back but these two have been funnier than ever. The fighting has begun. If Emersyn has it Leighton wants it and if Leighton has it Emersyn needs it. I die, really. Like how do parents not go bald from pulling their hair out on a daily basis? I am just going to embrace this little stage of life that will probably last the next 16-100 years. Em likes to be silly now, especially if it makes Leighton laugh. When i told them to sit by each other this is where they landed. The moment didn't last long so this is all i got. Leighton too tired to look at me and Em trying to strangle peaches (our miniature cat). 

Bright and Cheery

Dreaming of warm weather over here! Really i should not even say this because winter has been good to us, but these short days are giving me some winter blues. I feel a serious need for the sun to stay out until about 9 at night. That won't be happening for quite awhile though. I see a good spray tan in my near future and maybe taking the girls to the pool one day this week. Sunny days will come eventually and until then I am just going to be doing all i can to stay bright and cheery over here. You'll know I've gone too far if i post a bikini pic anytime soon. 

Do any of you suffer from winter blues? What keeps you going when you start feeling the lack of vitamin D in your life? https://www.etsy.com/listing/199885069/inspirational-print-typography-poster?ref=shop_home_active_13&crlt.pid=camp.cLcM5p9STAuv

A Freshly Picked Review

If you follow regularly then you already know my love for moccasins. Have you seen my insta? If not go follow it. If yes, then your probably quite annoyed by all my hashtagging which usually includes #freshlypicked Why? Because these are truly the most amazing baby/toddler shoes ever! 

When i first had Leighton she was a shoeless infant for wayyy too long. Baby shoes were all way too fat for her feet and fell off constantly. I remember when she was about 4 months old going to a friends graduation and her mother asking where her shoes were. Seriously? I was a little embarrassed and i didn't want to spend a minimum of $20 on something that would probably get lost. When Leighton was close to the 1 year mark we finally started investing in her little feet. We bought Toms like crazy and loved them because they were comfy, and for some reason fit her foot pretty well. So lots and lots of money into Toms later we discovered Freshly Picked. 

(lets take a moment to reminisce on little Leighton, she has grown out of both these outfits already.)

I was an insta follower prior to Shark Tank (they were on the show) and wasn't sure i could spend the money. We happened upon a trunk show in Costa Mesa and I couldn't pass it up. Over an hour of waiting, and i excitedly got to meet Susan and her team and snatch up a sweet pair of blush pink moccs. That was almost a year ago and guess what? Leighton is still wearing those same moccs. That was the best $45 dollars i have ever spent on her adorable little feet. (usually $60) She has worn them everywhere. Out to play, to the park, to disneyland. Leighton now has 2 pairs steal and blush and 9 out of 10 times when i ask her to put her shoes on she grabs a pair of moccs. 

The obsession doesn't end there though, my sweet Emersyn has the tiniest feet ever so clearly i had a bit of a shoe problem with her too. Luckily i knew exactly what to spend my money on this time. Em has worn the same 3 pairs of moccs for the past year as well. 

When i hosted a giveaway for Freshly Picked a couple months ago Em received this beautiful pair of Oui Oui moccs to review. Seriously! Look at these things. Gold and sparkly and perfect. They seem to be a little thinner than the metallic leather and suede moccs but they are holding up great still. I keep these as Sunday moccs or for nicer outings and her older moccs for all the days in between. 

Besides these little shoes being adorable and lasting forever what else do i love about them? They fit my girls feet, even when a little too big. (Great for fast growers.) They never fall off. We have never ever lost a mocc and i can not say that about other shoes. I don't have to worry about pairing socks with them, lacing them up, or pushing their feet in. They slip right on and tighten around the ankle with elastic. And they clean sooo easily, seriously i just use a baby wipe and wipe them off and voila they are all shiny again.

Are you sold yet? Probably should be. Check them out.

Freshly Picked

or here

Nordstrom