everyone deserves some sparkle + a giveaway!

as i mentioned in this spring, i joined Stella & Dot. 

and i've been loving it and all it has to offer me!

awesome company. awesome product. awesome community. awesome opportunity.
{and i'd say awesome again, but it might start to lose it's sense of meaning.}

as a stay at home mom, it's totally easy to get lost in the non-glamourous life of dishes, diapers & making dinner. but that doesn't mean that we have to dress the non-glamorous part!
i have a pretty straight forward & versatile wardrobe.

and the easiest way to mix up any outfit is with accessories.

i wore this tank, skinny jeans, colored sandals {remember i live in florida} & some bangles to a school carnival & Chickfila last friday night. glamourous life, i know!

i think we all need a little something pretty to put on with our daily uniform of jeans & t-shirts. 

if you haven't worn anything besides your wedding rings in a while, go dig those baubles outta your drawers & give it a try. 

seriously, you'll be amazed at what it does to your outlook on the day!

nothing pretty to wear you say?! well THAT i can help you with!

 i'm offering my 1st giveaway on this blog!
and i'm giving away this beauty...

Stella & Dot Odyssey ring in Labradorite

silver & natural labradorite stone. adjustable band fits size 5-9. lead & nickel free.
and that's my little sister showing off her ring. isn't she cute?!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Giveaway is open from Friday, Oct. 19 thru Sunday, Oct. 21.
please leave a comment below for each entry
all entries will be numbered and a random winner will be announced on monday
the winner will have 24hrs to contact me to claim prize.

so let's get down to it...here's how to enter:

1.Answer this question...
when it comes to jewelry, what do you wear most often:
earrings, necklaces, bracelets or rings? {1 entry}
2. follow this blog via Google Friend Connect {1 entry}
3. become a fan of Adventures with 4 under 4 on Facebook {1 entry}
4. follow @kristiruckel on twitter {1 entry}


good luck to all!

adventures finding purpose in alone time

y'all i've had a revelation...

it's not just about getting me time away from my kids.

it's about doing something good, fun, productive, purposeful...in my time away from my kids.

yes, there is always the floor to vacuum, dishes to do, laundry to fold & toys to put away. or tv to watch, stores to window shop & the internet to surf. 

but truthfully aren't those things part of our everyday routine?!

i realized i was jealous of matt when he would slip out to the garage to work on "his stuff"...and i'd be sitting on the couch. alone. zoning out watching tv. 

he's out there playing music, making cables, working on editing music for others. 

his time had purpose.

i wanted purpose. 

i wanted to be sure of that purpose.

i wanted to have something to "work on". 

and i felt like i was 5 years old...i wanted a job to do. 

{y'all with kids know what i'm talking about!}

now i realize that not everyone understands where i'm coming from.

i was there in the not-so-distant past. and i was totally ok with it. 

my boys. my husband. my house. my friends. they were all more than enough.

but as i found myself in a new place, both physically & spiritually, i longed for something more.

and i just added this to the list of things i was searching for...

something to call my own.

there are few things i know about myself & it's that i'm no painter, seamstress, or crafty lady.

so an opportunity was presented to me. 

it's something i NEVER thought i'd do. nev.er!

and yet, it seemed to fit more than 1 of the things on my list. 

i'll be honest...i'm pretty stoked about it.

i've signed on to the stella & dot team!

it's boutique style jewelry sold at in-home {and online} trunk shows. 

i'm in love!

and since i have pretty things to wear, i'm doing it more often. 

i have several WHY's for diving head first into this. 

but for right now, at this moment, it's a hobby. 

i'm not in this to become top sales lady.

if by chance that does come eventually, then great. 

but for now, it's time for me to have purpose &

to have some girl time-apart from my boys.

so i'd love to introduce you to their great products. 

here are some collections i've put together of my fav pieces.

{maybe you'll even find some mother's day inspiration!}

while i know that this move is a bit extreme for some...

what are you doing with your time to make it purposeful?!

do you craft, knit, paint, sew?

**psst! here's a little reminder: 

vote for us to be a part of circle of moms top 25 blogs for moms of multiples

vote 1x daily until may 23!

adventures in mommy style: denim shorts

as part of a follow up to my post the other day...i'm rediscovering my personal style

here's my 1st what i wore post...and i by no means declare myself a fashion diva. 

i mean i'm about to talk about jean shorts of all things. so not fashion forward!

i am trying to find cute stuff that fits into my lifestyle. for instance, i live in florida. it gets hot...and humid. and i'm outside corralling or chasing down boys on the reg. or lifting a giant double stroller out of the car. therefore, i need clothing that makes these things easier, but still allow me to look put together & feel cute.
ya know what i mean?! 

while i love summer dresses & skirts, sometimes a skirt ends up being one too many things to have to worry about.
{like on a windy day while hauling the stroller out of the car}

i'm not really a shorts-lovin-kinda-gal, but i suppose it's time to embrace them.  

so i've been on the quest for some shorts i like...jean/denim shorts specifically. 

{i have no good ones to cut off or else i would have done so first!} 

i failed.

i shopped every store at the outlets & the mall. and while yes, there were shorts aplenty, none that fit my specific criteria. you know, that list that you have made up in your head while searching for the perfect item...yeah, that one. it can get lengthy & thrown out altogether sometimes, but it's nice to know what you're looking for too. it's a process to say the least!

and then after i'd given up & when i wasn't really looking

...i found these...

LC Cuffed Denim $24.99 

they may not have been exactly what i thought i wanted, but 

i love them so much, i've worn them 2x since buying them. 

i would say that is SUCCESS!

and since, i was already stepping out of my comfort zone, 

i grabbed this shirt too.

 LC Asymmetrical Ruffle Shirt $16.99

it's totally not me...with the ruffles AND the floral print.
{i know some of you are quite shocked! hang with me!}

don't mind the bad phone pic or the cute photo bomber!

but i must say, it looks better on me than the mannequin. 

those ruffles do a girl right & hide all kinds of wrong.

and that v-neck is the perfect length for a momma who is always picking up little boys.

how cute is this outfit?! 

i paired it with some cute white sandals. 

try some like these

SO Sandals in white $23.99

totally able to run errands around town, 

play with the boys at the park

and make dinner

wearing this outfit!

so tell me, when was the last time you stepped outside your style comfort zone? 

it's worth the risk!

adventures in mommyhood: rediscovering things about myself

i'm definitely in a phase of life where

 i'm searching for & reevaluating a lot of things. 

i'm searching my heart & God's heart for me...for what He's calling me to do & who I am in Him. 

{i have drafts of posts that i've repeatedly tried to write for the last couple of months.}

and thus far, i've come up with these things:

my style as a mom of 4 active little boys. 

i'm no longer pregnant. i'm not longer breastfeeding babies. and i'm no longer just hanging out in my pj's every day just trying to survive. i turn 29 in a couple of weeks, so i need to remember to be age appropriate but still cute & stylish. and...i just moved a super humid climate. so what does my wardrobe look like now?

friends. 

i realize i keep saying that i don't have friends. that is INCORRECT. i DO have friends, a lot of them...all over the country. i realize that  i'm longing for friends here. someone to go out with: see a movie, grab dinner, or a shopping buddy. so far, my loving & willing husband has filled these rolls. but i cannot expect him to always do this or want to do this. but when you're at home or always have 4 little guys {literally} running around you in circles, how in the world do you meet people that want to be your friend?!

a little something i can call my own. 

not sure if you know this, but i live in a house with 5 other people who all happen to be male. yep, it's true. and for the most part i love doing the things that they love, yet part of me is yearning for more. i never thought i'd say this...but looking for something apart from them. something that just for me...yet within my very limited available resources of time & money.

a creative outlet of self expression. 

i love having a creative outlet & that looks different depending on the stage of life i'm in. i do not find myself artistic by any means but i have a good sense of design {what's pleasing to the eye}. confusing? well i mean, i can picture things in my head, but i can't always make things to appear as in my vision...does that make sense? in the past i've dabbled with doodling, photography, a little digital editing, home projects. so in short i like to re-edit or arrange not create from scratch. {you can follow me on instagram @kristiruckel}

rediscovering my what my strengths are & defining my passions.

i recently started to follow hailey at the tiny twig because she started a series about finding our passion in life. one of her posts was about discerning your strengths to help define your passion. i didn't take any tests this time, but from past tests & knowing my personality i'd say some of my bigger strengths are being relatable/relevant, adaptability & learning {or trying} something new.  now i'll be honest, my personality is one that is seemingly always trying to figure out what i'm passionate about. but in the end, i know it's young women...building relationship & through that being able to speak God's love into their life. i've come to understand that  i only know these things in part because i still am not in the place for the Lord to fully reveal his plan to me. but i will embrace these things as i know them & continue to always seek them out.

working on my weaknesses

ready for some truth?! i believe that we need all identify our personal weakness, otherwise, they can be an easy foothold to be used against us. i'm a slight introvert. meaning, instead of just running from one party to the next, i need some quiet to recharge before the next event. it also causes me to withdraw when things get overwhelming. these things are a constant battle, but one i know i can win with the right tools: a little quiet, a little bible time & some coffee. i've learned that i'm wanting some of the things above to help me overcome some of my weaknesses. and usually that means battling it out head on. 

so maybe this is my readjustment of my new year's goals. things for me to work & focus on.  i'll be writing on these areas of life in the near future. that means some what i wore & mommy style posts. hopefully some posts of playdates & things i'm doing to meet & develop relationship with new people. 

what about you...what are some things that you are searching for?