Show and Tell Tuesday: FAVORITE Blog Posts

Hey Tuesday! It's been awhile since I linked up with Andrea for Show and Tell Tuesday but here I am this week! =)

I've spent the last 24 hours learning about the right/left brain, bilateral stimulation, butterfly hugs, and processing that my brain feels like mush right now. This next post seemed like the perfect fit for a brain that doesn't really want to think too hard right now. I'm sharing my FAVORITE posts, EVER. It's been so fun looking back and reading through old posts and I  can't wait to share some of my absolute favorites. Some are very lighthearted and fun and some, more serious. Enjoy! Happy Tuesday y'all!

PS- We're down to 10 days till we move!!! (insert squeals!!!!!)


My 30th birthday was this August, I loved making a list of the things I've learned so far!
30 Things I've Learned in 30 Years 

I reflect on how my career choice has impacted other areas of my life- specifically parenting
5 Ways Being a Therapist Has Impacted My Parenting

Our 7th anniversary is coming right around the corner.. I love this post where I talk about all the ways Will wins my heart over each and every day

Show and Tell Tuesday: How to Win My Heart 

And the things I would tell myself about marriage... 

And sharing deep, dark confessions of mine.. =)

Owning My Crazy

A post about my struggles with perfectionism

Per-fek-tion

A post that questions if we can "have it all."

Having it All

A few posts about my journey with breastfeeding

If They're Too Old To Ask For It, They're Too Old 

All Done 

My thoughts on being adopted

National Adoption Month 2015

There are just a few of my favorite posts! As always thanks for visiting! Now excuse me while I go pack!

Life Lately

Dear Blog, 

I've abandoned you. When I go to sleep at night, I hear, "throw, toss or keep," repeating itself in my mind. And black garbage bags? Don't even get me started. So, blog you see, I haven't abandoned you intentionally, it's just that life right now is consumed by all things packing. It seems as though the last seven years of my life are in question and for good reason. A box of old textbooks? A box of unused cords? WHYYY for the love, WHYYYY did we feel the need to keep these things?! 

Needless to say, blog, it's been a long time coming. It feels SO good to purge unnecessary stuff out of our lives. This truly will be a fresh start and we're so excited! 

So, other than cardboard boxes and packing tape, here's been life lately..

Life as 1st grader is pretty great! 

Can you say, Hobby Lobby? Loving these pieces for Sophias new room!

Celebrated 32 year old's birthdays

Packing, all the packing 

and all the cleaning out

*happy squeals*

Took a break from packing and spent the day at Adventureland! 

Boxes are great for sliding down the stairs with! 

It's starting to look bare here...

Cheering for the Cyclones sometimes is painful but we still do it and love the team immensely! 

House Divided ❤️💛⚫️ 

Excited to decorate for our new house! An inspiration pic for an outside table potentially! 

So, that's life lately! Thanks for reading!! 

5 Things I Would Tell Myself Before I Started Blogging

Have any of you googled yourselves? Well, I have. And I've found out that I've made myself VERY available for anyone with the slight interest of figuring out where I live, where I work to how I hate bananas and hoard Bath and Body products. Which brings me to the 5 things I would have told myself before I started blogging- which hopefully, if you are ever interested in starting your own blog, you can learn from my mistakes!! 

1.) REALLY, REALLY, REALLY think long and hard on what your blog name will be. When I first started blogging, it was a simple, "Scholtes Family." I got the great idea to change it up and created "Three Gals and a Guy," a few years ago. Cute, right?! This would be the time that I wish I had a dirtier mind because if I would have, I probably would have reconsidered my blog name. I will spare you the details but if you search for my blog name, it does appear at the top in a Google search (thank goodness) but you won't want to scroll any further because yikes. And the interesting sources of page views I sometimes get? You don't even wanna know..

Don't scroll any further!! (insert monkey covering eyes emoji here)

2.) Your husband will roll your eyes because after anything significant happens, you are already planning how it will fit into a blog post. The wheels are always churning at how you can create the moment into a writable one. Not that I am so focused on that, that I miss the moment but you can catch me jotting notes after a certain conversation or situation has occurred. 

3.) An interest in photography- I never would have thought that I would care about how a picture looked. Snap, shoot and post. But one thing I've learned over the years is just how important a single picture can be. It can make or break a post. You can catch me now, carefully positioning myself or items to capture the moment just so. And then comes the editing. 

Just a few of the editing apps on my phone. I also really love PicMonkey, too but it's not available for mobile devices.. yet! 

4.) Keep a content calendar! Seriously. Without a doubt, if you want to keep consistent in posting however many times a week you've decided, this is an absolute MUST! The MINUTE I stop planning ahead and scheduling posts, is when I don't post for weeks. Why? Because so much does go into one post- it's not something you can really spontaneously throw together. I keep a monthly calendar and plan out posts to the day. However, sometimes an idea pops in and I start the draft right away. But this rarely happens.

5.) Blogging will become a source of stress and frustration at times, but always a safe place for me to reflect and connect with others. Whether I have 5 page views or 5,000, I keep on keepin on because of what it does for ME. Simple as that. It is my outlet for both creativity and personal growth, my joy and my therapy. I never imagined by simply sharing my thoughts and feelings would be such a life changer but it has.

Happy Monday all! I hope you enjoyed your weekend! 

Thank You

Hi friends! Welcome to the new look of Three Gals and a Guy! This is what YOU guys picked! I love the simple, fresh, yet eye catching design. Thanks for all your input- and no worries- if the one you voted for wasn't picked- I always am up for a change every once in awhile so you may still see your favorite! 

I wanted to take a moment to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I have received such support from so many of you with this blog. This blog started as a way to track my pregnancy and keep family and friends updated on how my pregnancy was going. It has turned into so much more than that, it has become a special space for me to share my thoughts, dreams, struggles and most of all- connect with all of you. I hope that this blog in some way, at some time has inspired you, caused you to reflect on your own life, and most of all left a smile on your face. 

How I hope you all feel after you leave here

I wrote a post awhile ago about the reasons why I blog and I still stand by that today. Sure, sometimes I get bogged down with the responsibilities of blogging- the pictures, editing, and thinking of new ideas/posts. I have been incredibly busy with work and haven't taken the time to even THINK about a blog post idea, yet alone journal. I know I say it time and time again, of how important it is to set time aside to make sure you are doing the things that make you happiest- I am the first one to say that I need reminders to do so. THIS is what keeps me going- writing and sharing posts with you all. I can FEEL it in my bones when I don't write and I feel incomplete until I take the time to write. Sometimes, I get stuck in my own head and think I can't write a blog post unless I have something PROFOUND to say but then I remember that as long as I keep it real, it doesn't matter. 

And as long as we are keeping it real, I received TWO picture packets from Sophia's school today: 

The first thing that came to mind- HOLY HEADBAND. And holy headband that is all sorts of out place. Note to self for next year- use a bow or other headband that will FIRMLY stay in place. The second was laughter because quite honestly and hilariously, both pictures perfectly represent her little personality. The third- I'm not sure why we got two separate packets- I'm wondering if they saw the first one and thought she qualified for a retake THAT exact day. But I only paid for one packet? Something I will have to figure out today. But it made me laugh. And Sophia thought it was pretty funny- she told me NOT to give that grumpy picture to Grandma and Poppa, mommy, just the smiling one, please. 

I guess that's what school pictures are all about- bad hair and a goofy smile. At least her eyes were open, right?! 

 I am also going to keep it real by saying that right now, I don't have a whole to say. Life is good. I don't have too many complaints. Work is busy as ever and despite some craziness, I've learned that EVERYWHERE is going to have it's not so great parts. There is NO such thing as a perfect place to work- and even when there are less than perfect moments that have happened- I can absolutely, positively say that I am right where I should be. And I couldn't be more happier. I couldn't have said that a few months ago. 

So, now that I turned a quick thank you post into a rambling one, I just want to say again, thank you so much for stopping by this little blog of mine and sharing some of my most important moments in life with me. I truly appreciate your support as I make the journey to get to know myself better and always, always, try to embrace my imperfections and mistakes. 

Why I Blog

I originally started blogging to document and keep track of my pregnancy with Sophia. Not only would friends and family be able to keep up with my pregnancy, it would serve as a great memento for myself. I still look back on those posts and reminisce and hope to be able to share those posts with both Sophia and Saidey someday.

I did a pretty good job at keeping it updated on a regular basis but took breaks here and there. About a year and a half ago though, I decided to take a different track with my blog. I started to write more about things we were experiencing as a family along with some more personal posts. I started to get interested in blogging and exploring how I can expand upon what I was already doing. I started doing a little research on growing your blog and the possibilities of doing so. I got intrigued at even being able to make money off your blog. Although, it takes hours of energy and time, without getting paid, to build your blog- it can be possible to attract readers and start making money.

Yeaaa.. that sounds about right... sigh. 

So- I started posting more frequently, changed my blog design,  and continued to do research on how to grow your blog. Now, about a year later, I am still trying to grow my blog. I update my social media accounts to make sure I am posting regularly. I comment on other blogger's posts. I am doing all these things all the while checking Google Analytics to see where my traffic is coming from, how many page views I am receiving. And sometimes, I get so discouraged and wonder why I am doing all of this. What is the point? I spend probably up to 8-10 hours a week right now, drafting and creating posts, taking pictures, editing pictures and finalizing posts. Not to mention- updating all my social media accounts- Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Google Plus, and Blogher, every time I write a new post. Oh and did I mention the time spent simply journaling as they say you should write every day to practice your writing skills?

One of the things I've learned since starting to post more is that you have to put yourself out there. People aren't going to come to my blog if I don't let them know about it. I'm not really one to do that. I don't necessarily like a lot of attention or being in the spot light. Sounds a little contradicting, I know- trying to put my blog out there. I'm not the one to message everyone on my Facebook friends list to beg them to visit my blog. Or to follow my blog. I am not one to reach out to a company to do a sponsored post. Or submit a post to be published. But then, what is all this effort for? It's a question I ask myself a million times a week as I'm struggling to edit a post and dealing with a picture that is not going where I want it to go. And don't get me started on watermarking pictures. Headache starting at just the thought.

But then I remember why. I remember the private messages of people reaching out to me after I've posted a personal experience. Or the great conversations I've had that a blog post has created. Or the personal growth I've experienced since challenging myself to write authentically. Some people may wonder why I decide to share such personal experiences on my blog and share it with everyone who reads it. Some may even disagree that some of my posts include pictures of my children or that I've decided to write about them at all. I go back to the reasons why I initially started a blog- to connect with people. It's as simple as that. I want to connect with people, relate to them and share in these moments that we call life. If I can help let someone know that they aren't alone in their struggles whether it's struggles related to parenting or personal struggles- then I've done what I've set out to do. And that's why I continue to blog, crouched over my computer at 10PM, editing and hammering out a new blog post every week.

So, if you are with me on this journey, I ask you to please follow me, like my posts, share them and be inspired by them. For those who have been my biggest fans- I so appreciate you more than you ever will know.

This makes me giggle but is so true! 

Have a great weekend and I'll be back on Monday! :)