Mrs. Rogers Neighborhood

Delay of Gratification is defined by encyclopedia Brittanica as the act of resisting an impulse to take an immediately available reward in the hope of obtaining a more-valued reward in the future. The ability to delay gratification is essential to self-regulation, or self-control. Bill and I have been discussing this idea quite a bit lately.  How our culture has become a culture of immediate gratification.  If we want something, we buy it.  Everything is available at the tip of our fingers.  When birthdays or the holidays come around and I am asking what people would like, no one needs anything, they just want more things or more stuff.  Some don't even have anything they want because they wait for nothing.  We purchase to excess.  We cannot fit our stuff in our homes and they take over our garages.  One of the biggest items looked for in new homes in storage. However, this goes well beyond material possessions.  If we want something specific to eat, we just go buy it

23 Years Old and so Insecure - 10 Years Ago I have felt compelled to write about something lately, and been shying away from it, which is not my typical style.  As I look back over my life, I have recently realized that I finally feel like "enough".  I know my worth is in the Lord and I know I am beautiful and worth people's time, but that has not always been my story.  Far too often from the ages of 12 to 30, I defined my worth by whether someone was interested in dating me or not and after I got married, whether people "liked me" and wanted to be my friend or to hire me.  Was I pretty enough?  Interesting enough? Worth someone's time?  Talented enough?  Smart enough? etc... Recently, as pictures pop up in my Timehop (an app that shows pictures taken the same day as far back as it can reach through social media and the camera roll on my phone), I distinctly remember feeling like I was either fat or unattractive in most pictures.  I remember being

I recently finished a book by Brene Brown titled, DaringGreatly .  It really moved me, and I am definitely still processing it. At the beginning of the book I wasn’t resonating deeply with the topic of vulnerability, as most people will tell you I am an “open book”.  I will answer most questions without holding back and love to deep dive into good conversation.  However, what I came to realize through her many examples is that we all wrestle with vulnerability, guilt and shame throughout this book even if is more momentary than constant.  I gleaned SO MUCH from this book that I did not anticipate, and I thought I would share this Parenting Manifesto that she put right at the end of the book.  I am printing it and framing it for our nursery, as I think it communicates some deep parts of my heart cry for parenting my kiddos well. I hope this resonates with someone else as much as it did with me.   I needed these words to remind me that parenting is not a checklist,

I am guessing I have a similarly titled post every year since I started blogging if I were to look back because right around this time every year I start day dreaming about all the things I want to do and eat and enjoy when summer hits.  I have been compiling a list to share, and this year I will be on maternity leave all summer long, so I can't wait to delve in with my sweet 2 year old daughter and new baby! I am also focusing on making this list toddler friendly and attainable for me to do (sometimes with a bit of help!).  My hope is this inspires you to make your own summer list and mix it up a bit to enjoy all that summer has to offer! 1. U-Pick farm for strawberry picking 2. Take out Laventinas Pizza and Beach Sunset 3. Attend an outdoor movie 4. Park Picnics with friends 5. Drink a beer on the roof top at Ballast Point Long Beach 6. Spontaneous pool days 7. Go to a baseball game 8. Throw a Bastille Day dinner party 9. BBQ/Bonfire nights in our backyard 10.

March was a tougher month to complete books for me, but complete them I did!  Excited to share these 3 books that made me laugh, cry and think.  I would LOVE any and all recommendations that you all have to share.  What books have impacted you like Just Mercy did for me?  Any series you recommend?   What other comedians memoirs have you read and loved? This book will stick with you... I'm not even sure what to say about it.  It broke my heart.   You follow a lawyer who represents people on death row or sentenced to life in prison who were unfairly sentenced or are flat out not guilty.  Honestly fascinating cases and lots of things about the justice system I was not aware of.  Lot's of really sad stories and people that had me feeling lots of emotions.  It left me feeling hopeless, but also grateful for a greater sense of awareness on the issue.  I would love to know what to do when I read a book like this and how to act.  It feels wrong to move on with my life but