This is a sponsored post. All views are 100% my own.

Lately, I have been on a kick. A “Let’s redo everything in this house.” kick. Our kids are getting a little older and so is everything else in our house. Slowly but surely, all the baby and toddler stuff has been given away. The amount of toys have diminished. The chances of things being ruined with sharpies, scissors, or….well…the downsides of potty training have become very slim. There is space that needs to be repurposed. The kids’ rooms need to be updated and organized. I want furniture that hasn’t been marked and linens that haven’t seen the horrors of the last ten years. Don’t even get me started on the state of my towels or that the majority of my dishes are plastic and adorned with cartoon animals. It is time people.

We are not rolling in money. This is not an overnight project and I need to be thrifty. One of my first stops is always Groupon Goods. I am signed up with them and I get emails letting me know what new items they are offering. You can alway follow them on Facebook and Twitter as well! Once over their site, it is easy to use and there are always plenty of deals. I have found so much through them. Sheets, towels (Did you know that not all towels have bleach stains? I had forgotten that.), kitchen utensils, dishes, storage options for toys and clothes, and even decor. All from the comfort of my home office. Which we all know is my ideal shopping spot.

My house is starting to look less like a daycare/frat house and more like a place that mirrors myself. I am really happy about that. And with the money I am saving, I can afford to try new restaurants and splurge on pedis. Oh yes, they have Groupon deals on those too!

What kind of amazing deals have you found with Groupon? I would love to know so be sure to comment below!

In July, I did a personal challenge in Instagram. There was no method behind what I posted, which honestly made it pretty difficult sometimes. I just tried to and almost succeeded in posting a picture a day. It was fun. And interesting to see who the different hashtags made my pictures available too. I connected with some cool people through it. Totally worth my time. I figured I would do another one but really hadn’t thought about jumping back in so quick.

Monday morning I drop off the 2 older kids for 1st and 4th grade. A week later I drop Red off to preschool. Let that sink in for a minute. All 3 kids will be in school at least 4 days of the week. I have not been this alone since Blondie was born 9 years ago. What am I going to do with myself? I don’t know honestly. Hopefully a lot of this right here. Maybe I will read a book. Clean out the hall closet. Take a walk. Get drunk. Who knows.

This is what I want to do. Another 30 day challenge on Instagram. Monday –  Friday for the next 6 weeks, I am going to post at least one picture a day as I figure out what to do with my new chapter in life. So head on over to Instagram and follow me to keep up. Either hit the link here https://www.instagram.com/neverdrinkfrommommyscup/ or check out the Want More Of Me section in the right column to see all the ways you can follow me.  Want to join in? Just use the hashtag #NDFMCchallenge, I would love to see what you are up to!

This may be the most exciting thing ever or a disaster. But that is half the fun, so why not!

I am sad. So damn sad. And lonely. And anxious. And all the shitty stuff that goes along with the valleys of my moods. It hurts, I physically hurt.  I have not slept well in weeks. My joints ache and my head pounds more often than not. I am not focused at all. Nothing has been done around this place in quite a while. It is messy, my house and my life.

August, in general, is not a great month for me. The monkeys get a little older. Summer ends and life gets busier. Another year passes since I held my dad’s hand as he left us. I don’t believe these things are the culprit, a chemical imbalance is, but they don’t help. They sit in my heart, weighing me down like the rocks the boys insist on collecting and shoving in their pockets. These rocks may slow them down but the boys would never give them up, “Them is our treasure, mama.”  As are these things that weigh me down. My babies are healthy and smart and hella funny. They start school in a few days and I am so grateful for a great school system (and time to myself to be honest). Along with the pain of his passing comes a downpour of memories of my father and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

My depression is like a bad houseguest. The anxiety may stick around constantly but the depression often just shows up unannounced. It overstays its welcome, destroying my spirit and leaving me exhausted.  It is both overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time. But it is always temporary so I march on despite it. I try my best to manuever around it. Be patient. Be still. Be busy. To try not to lose time. I listen to music. I find ways to be creative. Focus on how great the kids are and not on why I am scrubbing who knows what that is out of the carpet AGAIN. I let the extrovert side of myself shine a little brighter because it makes me feel better in times like these. I force a smile in public, not to hide but because it makes me feel better. I do my best to wait it out because it will pass. Until it does though, I will treasure those rocks in my pockets.