ALY ALLEN | THE BLOG

this is a daily occurrence. my shoes are constantly scattered across the house from little feet prancing around in them for hours, magic wand in hand, directing the invisible symphony that i'm certain plays beautifully in her head. someday she will actually fit into my shoes and i'll want to slow down time as she slips out from under my wing and into the real world. i know this is how life is supposed to happen, but it makes my heart hurt a little. i do cherish each milestone, but i know i'll miss this once it's passed. i can already see how she'll always be watching and learning from me. i will show her how to be a woman, a wife, a mother, a friend. i will show her how to love and serve and encourage. she needs so much from me. they're big shoes to fill, but i intend to fill them until she must fill them up herself.  someday she'll dress up and head out the door to her senior prom. and, Lord help us, a long aisle where her ...

i still haven't figured out why i always walk over there. sure, i have to buy toilet paper and shampoo, but those are clear on the other side of the store. i try to give myself a pep-talk before i go in, yet somehow i always end up in the little girl's clothing section at Target. and every single time, i find about fifteen things that my daughter absolutely needs to have. and every single time, i walk away with nothing but an ungrateful and disappointed heart. why do i torture myself so? good question. i really don't know why. i do buy clothing for my daughter at Target. but it's when she has absolutely no clothes in her size for the new season, and it's after i budget a certain amount for the month to buy her new clothes. the weekly trips into Target for baby food and toothpaste? as much as i want to throw in a few extra things for her, i just can't do it in this season we're in right now. we're comfortable, we have plenty, but we don't get to...

i've written about it before , and so have many other bloggers, but i sort of feel like it should be re-addressed every so often just to reassure people: i don't do it all. notevenclose . a darling blog-friend commented the other day on instagram how i'm her hero. i laughed out loud when i read it, and some of you who know me in real life are laughing right now too. because i know myself and i am no one to aspire to, as far as having it all together or being a supermom or being some amazing example of productivity or wonderfulness. i think i should do a "day in the life" post soon, just so you can see how crazy life is over here. not organized, not really planned out, not glamorous by any means. because here's what i don't ever want. i don't ever want anyone to read this blog or read my tweets or look at my photos on instagram or look through my shop and feel less-than or intimidated or envious or not good enough in some particular area ....