Happiness with a spot of Tea (review, giveaway) (we have a winner!)

To see the winner, scroll to the bottom.

This is an interesting time to choose to write. This past Thursday was originally supposed to be my first day back from maternity leave, but the reality is I've been working in a part-time capacity for the last two weeks, taking Tuesdays and Thursdays off so we could ease back into the timesuck that is the Real World. And of course, there have been challenges. Learning to be away from my kids again, for one. Waking up with Liam and then getting up for the day at 5:30, for another - though we now have three consecutive nights of sleeping through the night under our belts, so maybe that problem is behind us (for now). Meanwhile, Luke's been managing drop-off and pick-up for Kara's and Nathan's school shenanigans two days out of the week, three starting next, and overseeing dinner while I'm navigating an hour-long drive home from my employer's new headquarters. Plus, we are once again maintaining a delicate balance on the budget tightrope, waiting patiently to receive my first full paycheck and build up our savings once again.

That last bit is partly why I agreed to take on my first sponsored post for a clothing boutique called Tea Collection. Fall wardrobes don't pay for themselves, you know.

Here you see Kara donning a lovely floral top/ribbed tee combo. She is so wearing this for preschool pictures next month.

Nathan, meanwhile, scored a long-sleeved hoodie, perfect for the rapidly changing weather.

Pros for Tea: Beautiful colors, incredibly soft fabric, items true to size. The company has a fun story - designing collections inspired by the different cultures they encounter while traveling around the world (their fall line is "Modern Mexico"). Plus, they're involved with a charity called The Global Fund for Children; according to the "Our Values" section of their site, they donate all proceeds from their Little Citizens line to this fund. That's one of the reasons I was drawn to Nathan's hoodie.

Cons: Price. In our current situation, Luke and I couldn't justify buying more than one or two Tea pieces for the kids once or twice a year. Tea granted me a $100 gift certificate in exchange for a review, and it was just enough for the three shirts/tops pictured here. I do, however, love the idea of occasionally splurging on Tea presents for nieces, nephews, and the other special children in our lives. Especially things from Little Citizens, with its philanthropic ties.

Another reason I agreed to the review is that the good people at Tea are allowing me to raffle off a $100 gift certificate to one of my blog readers! And because they also have a women's line, all the ladies can join in the fun.

Here's how this will go down:

Each day, I inch ever closer to finishing The Happiness Project, and one of the concepts from the book that's most resonated with me is Gretchen Rubin's attempt to follow her twelve Personal Commandments (find them here), to the point that I've started a list of my own affirmations to maintain perspective and hold onto my Zen in challenging situations. Some I've stolen from people I admire (Gretchen included), some are universal cliches that are especially meaningful to me, and others are just plain old common sense. I'm not always good at minding them, but hey, it's a place to start.

Bree's Affirmations (so far)

Just for today.
Put down the (smart)phone.
Quality, not quantity.
Be the bigger person.
Make the time.
Cleaning doesn't count.
Let it go.
Don't make it my problem.
It's not about me.
View everyone as a "10."
Go to sleep.
Act the way I want to feel.
Focus.
Say yes.
Consider the spirit.
Know when to follow and when to lead.
Speak less, listen more.
Other people's choices are not a judgement on me.

I realize some of these are vague upon first read, so if you want explanations on any of them, just let me know.

Why you care: To enter the giveaway, share one of your own affirmations or feel-good type sayings in the comments by Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST. That night, I'll jot down all your names and have Luke draw one from a hat, the same way I distributed my Kevin Smith goodies a few years ago. I'll update this entry with the winner and let you know via Twitter and Facebook once it's been posted.

So! There you have it. My first sponsored giveaway. I didn't even have to use my A-K!

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Updated 9/27/11: Wow, you guys. I had no idea that Tea was so well-known in the blogosphere. Or that my readers had such a vast amount of wisdom. I loved reading all your affirmations; I'm even going to add a a few of them to my own running list. But you don't care about that, do you? Alright, alright, here we go.

In total, there were 38 entries submitted for the Tea giveaway. Paper slips were made, names were written, and one husband was used to draw a winner. And that winner is:

Congratulations, Maddie! I'll e-mail you with more details. And THANK YOU to everyone who participated. I was really nervous about doing this, but you made it so much fun.

Disclosure: In case it wasn't supremely obvious, I received a $100 gift certificate from Tea Collection to buy the clothing mentioned in this entry and to share that glorious tidbit with you. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Comments

[Brandy]

My biggest affirmation right now, while working full-time and going to nursing school full-time, AND being a wife and mother of 2 is:

It's okay to make time for yourself too.

As selfish as it may feel given that so much of my time is spent with work and school right now (approx 65 hours a week plus studying!) I also know that I'm just as important as everything else too. Or at least I try to remind myself of that. Thanks for the chance to win something so neat! :-)

[Melissa]

I'd love to put my girl in some tea clothes! Thanks for the chance.

Mine is "This too will pass." I mean, the bad won't last forever and the good won't either so enjoy it!

[Dawn]

One thing at a time.

Grad school is super busy this semester, so I'm just worrying about one thing at a time. Otherwise I'd just be totally overwhelmed. This goes hand in hand with:

It's OK to let some things go.

No matter how hard I try, I'm not going to get everything done. I've just accepted the fact that I'm going to be Behind On Life until May, really.

[Cassie]

Mine is, you don't always have to be perfect, as long as you do your best :)

[Maddie]

Mine: Everyone is crazy if you know them well enough. Sanity is an illusion caused by distance. And, everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.

[Keli]

Live life with no regrets. Easier said than done as we get older, ha ha.

Love the clothes!!

[Leah B]

I would love to put my daughter in some Tea clothing! One of my life's
phrases is an old family one "life is not an endurance test". Sometimes I think we forget it is not a competition to see how much we can take...my goal is to try and live the happiest, rewarding life I can. And to enjoy my little girl as much as possible, even in the middle of the night, because she won't be this small forever!

[Catie]

The thing I'm trying to make sure I remember is to take time to enjoy the little things.

[Cassie]

You can't change other people, only your reaction to them.

[Maggie]

So I decided to go ahead and read The Happiness Project a few months ago after looking at it on the side of your blog for a while, and seeing it in the stores. I liked it. Now there are some parts I'm ready to read over. Just thought I would share that with you :)
While my husband was in Africa for a couple of months, on of Gretchens affirmations that resonated with me was: Show up
I have a tendency to become something of a hermit when my husband deploys. So I decided I needed do things and be actively involved in being with other people while he was gone.
We're about to have baby #2 and I'm wondering what affirmation I need to hold onto while I'm adjusting. Any thoughts??

[jess]

Nothing looks as bad tomorrow as it may feel today.

It's gotten through many, many rough times.

[Cluelessmom]

Awesomely cute on both counts! My little kindergartener is required to wear drab uniforms to school and so on the weekends her inner fashion diva comes out in a big way...however our current post grad school financial meltdown means no extra sartorial shopping these days. So needless to say, it would be awesome to win the drawing!

The affirmation that helps me the most on the bleakest of all days is something I have trained myself to think of in the morning when I first wake up, because I dread mornings, fight them, and always have the most unbelievably hard time waking up.

Props are due, because this comes from a Jimmy Buffett song:

"In the morning when you rise, aren't you glad to be alive? Put on your barefoot shoes..."

This affirmation reminds me to be humbly awed by the simple, profound blessings in life and to look forward to new adventures every day.

[Operation Pink Herring]

"This too shall pass" has been my affirmation too lately... not that I don't love reading your blog at 3:25am, but OMG I miss sleeping.

[daddy d]

Good marketing rap around of that $100. You are always thinking. The kids look great.

[Jessica Louisignau]

You only have to tackle (blank) for the day. Tomorrow you can handle the next day. Basically, taking one day at a time.

[Joanne]

Be grateful for this excellent life. I really feel like if I could be more grateful and aware of what I have, a lot of other things would fall into place. Those clothes are adorable!

[Becky]

Mine right now is "just keep swimming"

[eva]

I'm not entering or affirming (too tired!) but I did get a Tea shirt for Megan at a local thrift store for $1.50 in the summer and until reading this I had no idea what a great score that was!

[Erica]

My mantra these days seems to be "Failing does not make me a failure."

[Blanche]

If a mantra is what comes out of my mouth most of the time: stop chewing on that. (1 year molars, how I loathe thee!)

On a more serious note, I have to remind myself that /I/ am my child's best parent. It's not fair to compare her or myself to her friends or their parents.

[Lindsey]

I have been reading your blog for a couple of years now :) I have a 3 year old boy, a 21 month old boy, and boy #3 is due in 8 weeks. My mantra is not catchy or anything but at the end of the day it helps me sleep at night: As long as everyone was fed and everyone is mostly happy then I will count this day as a success! We'll see if this can get me through in 8 weeks when little man get here :)

[Beth]

Ack. I could probably come up with 1000 feel good phrases, that is, until someone asked for one!

I guess that right now, even though my entire family is sick, my one-year-old is teething and my two-year-old is two...My life is awesome.

[Aimee]

My mantra for the last few years is "this is such a short phase of life." With a 3.5 yr old, a 20 month old and #3 on the way in March, I think this is important to keep in mind. Each new phase is stressful in its own way but will soon pass. Yes, life is crazy right now, but it will not be like this forever!

[Jen L.]

For years, my mantra has been "Keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut." It's amazing what you can learn when you hush up and pay attention to what's happening around you.

[Su]

Mine are:
1- One step at a time
2- Breathe just breathe
3- Keep moving forward (heheh I know its form a Disney movie Meet the Robinsons, but the meanign of it is soooo true. No matter if you failed its ok, just keep going)
4- Always make time for hubby

Love the clothes, thanks for the opportunity!!!

[Lisa]

Mine are:
Don't say yes when you want to say no.
I can do everything, but I can't do it all.
Go to bed.

Thanks! My little munchkin would look adorable in some of their stuff!

[Beth]

My big one right now- not everything HAS to be done today.

I hope you guys have a relatively easy transition with you back to work.

[Danielle]

I love Gretchen Rubin! My affirmation is: Somebody wants what you have.

I say it when I want to complain about something; for example, going to work. Somebody out there wants a job and I have a job, so I should be thankful to have a job!

[Christina]

"Mind like water." It's from Getting Things Done, a productivity book.

[Kirsten]

"This too shall pass." And "it is only for today"...I have 5 month old twins (and a 4.5 year old), so there is a lot of good and bad. :)

[Amy]

The affirmation that I'm working on right now is: I'm good enough.

[Emily Judson]

Mine is: My life is a joy filled with love, fun and friendship all I need do is stop all criticism, forgive, relax and be open.

[kim]

If it is beyond my control try not to stress about it...

Do the best you can with what you have...

Enjoy the little moments, they go by way to fast...

Drama is not my friend...

[Dannielle]

There is a silver in everything.

No matter how awful something may be, there is always a sliver of good that will come out of it.

[Dannielle]

Ugh. I meant to type that there is a silver lining in everything :-)

[debi]

I read all the affirmations above and each one was my favorite. I am going to copy them all down. How uplifting. Thank you. Been having a hard time with me these days and so my affirmation is "fake it till you make it".I also love the good ol "Don't sweat the small stuff. It's all small stuff". I have enjoyed reading about your family for the last several years Bree.

[Mary]

You eat an elephant one bite at a time.

[Olivia Adair]

Two of my favorites are "God is still bigger..." and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8

[Olivia Adair]

Oh, and thank you for this giveaway! :)

[Katie M]

Two of my favorites to remember:

Give yourself a break, because no one else is going to.

Be nicer than you need to be, everyone is going through something.

Thanks for this giveaway--we love Tea but it is not in our budget!!

[Kate]

My current affirmation is something like, "If you numb yourself to (difficult) feelings, you numb joy too."

Tea is definitely a brand like JCrewCuts, Boden, or Hannah Anderson where I sometimes feel like I want to go very European and only buy a very small handful of their (super high quality) clothes and nothing else for the boys. And do a lot of wash, I guess. Mostly I find them in thrift stores, tho'.

[Katie]

I tend to be a little, um, uptight, so a good one for me is "just calm down!"

[daddy d]

Good Job on putting the give away together. It was well liked. Professional grade work.