Shanda Rhea

 Hey there! As I sit here and write this, my sweet kiddos just left to go to their dads for Christmas and will be there until school starts back in January. I'm looking forward to seeing them soon, but have plenty to do to keep me busy. :) Oh my, this blog post has been a long time coming... Ever since I wrote the blog post about Touching lives and technology, this stuff I'm about to say has been on my mind.  Before I get to that, I'd like to tell you what we've been up to recently though...  As you may know from my LIVE video, I am transitioning back to a stay at home mom. I really enjoy being a stay at home mom and understand it's not for everyone, but recently I've been able to be part of the kids Christmas events at school and it makes me so happy inside. I can't wait to get back to volunteering at their school. Aria asks me all the time, "Mommy- when are you going to be a hot lunch helper again?" :)  Here's some pictures from Aria and Geor...

Hey there! Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend! What did you all get into?  My kids and I have had an awesome weekend and you could probably tell that we went to the University of Kentucky football game! Shew that was an interesting night with all the delays! But glad everyone is safe from all the lightening!  We've done a lot of laying around and cuddling this weekend too!  But hey I wanted to show you a new bathing suit I got for our trip to San Antonio Hill Country! We leave in less than 30 days! I just can't tell you how excited my kids are for this trip!  I think it's a perfect suit to match bathing suits with the kids on our trip( You all know I love the matching stuff ) :) So be on the lookout for us to match at the Hill Country soon!  Alright... My sweet and stylish friend-Kelli told me about this swim suit. She was wearing it at the pool we go to and I had her send me the link ;) Thanks Kelli xoxo I've ordered it in so many colas! There are ...

  Hey there! I don't know about you but I'm a snacker and my kids love snacks too. I'm sure your kids or grandkids do too! I'm just going to make this a quick one with more photos and short descriptions! Today, I'd like to share with you some of our staple snacks at the Techau house! I've got 5 options for you! Granted- my kids eat unhealthy snacks too. You've probably seen my daughter organizing our pantry with not so healthy snacks on my Facebook story haha! But as much as we can we like to eat healthy and I truly believe your snack options can improve your health and diet.  I know many people like to fast, but I think feeding your body healthy fuel helps you get the best results.  Okay, here are some options and our favorites: Snack 1: This veggie tray comes from Kroger and I love that its organic. My kids love when I open this up and leave it out for them to snack on after school or when we get back from the pool! They love that it has the ranch for dip...

Hey there! Hope everyone is having a great week so far. I also hope that who ever out there that has kids, their first day back to school went well. I think this topic of my blog hits well since school is starting back and crafts can be part of school.  BTW- my front door and front steps in this picture is definitely not super picture perfect and I do want to do some renovations one day(possibly install a double door, etc), but I've said in one of my blogs before that I'm not always out to get the best looking photo. Yes, professional photos are great and I've had them done, but my mothers helper took this photo and it works for my blog. :)  Okay, so back to crafting- did you know crafting stimulates the feel good neurotransmitter that is responsible for pleasure and enjoyment? Crafting also has been proven to improve mental agility.  I remember as a kid making scrapbooks! I was so into those! My scrapbooks were nothing great but I loved taking pictures from my life and m...

  Hey there! Let's just start out with how unwise I can be at times. No one is perfect but we can either learn from others/mentors or we just learn as we go. This helps us become wiser. I've asked a lot of questions as I've gone through life and especially on raising kids. I've asked a lot! Read a lot! I do not know everything but one thing I do know is technology has changed our world. The phone technology.   I want to keep this blog post short and not drag it out but it's really hard because we have so much technology accessible at our fingertips. Do you agree?  Touching lives... what's that mean? It means that we don't pick up the phone and call people anymore. (and listen-some may do this and good for you- love it) We don't sit in the moment and watch the sunrise and forget about the phone.  We don't just go show up at a friends door step and have a good conversation. I remember as a 5 year old little girl- I would go over to my neighbors house a...

Hey there!  Hope your week is going well and it's off to a great start. Tonight, my kids are away and I enjoy writing & finding a peaceful setting while they are gone.   FYI- I am pretty sure we sold our home!!! Some of you all may have seen on my FB story that our house was for sale! We don't have a home to purchase yet, but I'm sure it will happen like it's supposed to! (upside down smiley) Okay... I get off track sometimes so let's get to my favorite thing right now...  About 4 years ago I started a prayer group for some friends and myself. Since my divorce, I have put my prayer group on hold and recently I made the decision to start it back up! I've missed you all so much! ( you know who you are ) We meet over FaceTime and share our prayers & pray for one another. There are sisters from all over- Alabama, Georgia, Virginia and of course, KY!!! I’ve started this group to share encouragement for them and to provide a way for us to genuinely s...