Friday, February 28, 2014

Five on Friday

This week has seriously felt like foooooorrrreeeevvvveeeeerrrrr! So happy it's Friday and my weekend will officially start in a few hours, woohoo!

Linking up with Darci over at the Good Life again for some Five on Friday Fun :)





*ONE*

Practiced fine motor skills with Ella this week and of course big brother wanted in on it too, which didn't bother me one bit - who know a little play doh, Cheerios and spaghetti would keep these kids entertained for over an hour! #score





*TWO*

Took the kids to their "fun class" Wednesday night even though part of me wanted to stay home to avoid germs since we were just sick, but they needed it and boy did this little girl have fun! Big brother was off playing with his buddy the whole time so I kept my eye on this little trouble maker :)







OMG would you look at her on her tippy toes! Nothing is more adorable

*THREE*

Went to Hobby Lobby yesterday just to browse and came across this - I actually have a magnet that says the same thing and I just looooove this saying.  I didn't buy this though because there were lots of marks on it, hoping I can find another one







*FOUR*

Bought this LivingSocial and plan on taking Little Miss on Saturday morning to build her first bear :) 




*FIVE*

While I'm taking Little Miss to Build A Bear, the hubs is taking Little Man to Home Depot for their once a month free workshop 

This is from the last one, I can't wait to see how their project turns out!



Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Mickey Mouse was our savior

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse


So last week the stomach flu hit our house – it was a domino effect, starting with Ella, then the hubs, then Brayden and lastly with me.  I think anyone who has kids knows that when they are sick and miserable you will do anything to survive.  Que in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I think my kids watched 100 hours of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse over the week our house was sick.  I know, I’m going for Mother of the Year award over here. #dontjudge

Brayden was such a trooper since he has definitely has many other shows he would prefer to watch, but Little Miss? No, she only has 1 preference and it’s the big mouse.  I don’t even know when it happened because Ella has never really watched TV up until this point, but she is absolutely mesmerized by this show.  It seriously was the only thing that would stop her from crying or being miserable.

To make matters worse, we only have 1 episode DVR’d and there are only a few on demand, so we literally watched the same episodes on repeat the entire time my kids were awake until they went to bed.  I thought I was going to rip my hair out

I’m happy to say the stomach flu has now left and we are on to watching plenty of other shows, but Mickey was definitely our savior last week!

What have you done to survive through a sickness? Please tell me I’m not alone!

Monday, February 24, 2014

Baby #3 - 16 Week Bumpdate



Due Date: 8/8/2014
How far along: 16 weeks
How big is baby: The size of an avacado
Weight gain: Not sure anymore, ha
Sleep:  Tossing and turning a little but overall getting enough sleep
Best moment of the week: Last Friday - it was such a good day with the kids!  
Movement: None yet that I can confirm
Food cravings: This week I wanted steak and last night I got it :)
Food aversions: Nothing at the moment
Maternity Clothes: Pants and some tops
Wedding rings: On but not for long :( 
Symptoms: - Feeling bloated and big and a little irritable!
Stretch Marks: None - praying it stays that way
Belly button: In
Gender: We'll know in March!
What I’m looking forward to: Getting our family healthy again, we have all been sick on and off for a week
What I miss: Still alcohol, LOL. 
Next appt: 3/11/14
Thankful for:  My Mama! Last week our house was hit with the stomach flu and while I was at work (after I felt better of course) she cleaned my house and did all of the laundry, it was a lifesaver!

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Brayden's Preschool Valentine's Day Party


At the last minute I decided I wanted to be a helper for little mans first preschool Valentine’s Day party, the hubs signed me up and I took the day off work.  I was probably a little too excited to be going!

I have only taken him to school once, it was his first day and it was rough.  My gosh how things have changed! He led me right into the hall where he has to go wash his hands every day before going into class, he didn’t need any help!

When the door opened, he walked right in and put his stuff in his cubby and told me to put my stuff there too.  He then went straight to playing.  It was like this kid owned preschool! I was a very proud Mama in these moments.



It was beyond cute to see him interact with all his little school buddies.  They all seem to place really nicely together (for the most part)

After a few minutes of play time it was circle time, Brayden led me right to the circle and I sat behind him.  There were a lot of little kiddos that wanted to sit right next to my little guy, it was so cute to see them fight over it, all while Brayden didn’t even know what was going on. His little classmates were beyond adorable, asking me to play with them, read to them, or just telling me their stories.  One little girl even drew me a picture!

It was so nice to see my little guy interact so much with his classmates and his teachers.  I could tell Brayden felt a little extra special this day because his Mama was there and I am happy he felt that way!







This is V and James - V is the girl that Brayden always talks about, but when we were there he barely paid any attention to her! Typical boy! 



I seriously had the best time helping out and I really look forward to doing it again! 






Monday, February 17, 2014

Baby #3 - 15 Week Bumpdate

I decided to jump on the weekly bumpdate bandwagon :) How fun will it be to look back at this one day?

Every Friday is my week anniversary so I will post my bumpdates on Mondays.


Due Date: 8/8/2014
How far along: 15 weeks
How big is baby: The size of a large lemon
Weight gain: 8 lbs so far
Sleep:  Getting plenty of it! I still don't have the energy I thought I was suppose to have in the 2nd trimester
Best moment of the week: Spending Valentine's Day with my loves
Movement: None yet but I swear there are times I feel tiny little kicks, for like a second. 
Food cravings: Pretty much anything and everything!
Food aversions: Nothing anymore, in the beginning I couldn't stand chicken or bacon but that's not a problem anymore!
Maternity Clothes: Just some pants
Wedding rings: On but not for long :( 
Symptoms: - Sometimes I get a little nauseous out of nowhere or when I brush my teeth but I haven't thrown up so that's good
Stretch Marks: None - praying it stays that way
Belly button: In
Gender: We'll know in March!
What I’m looking forward to: Feeling the baby move more :)
What I miss: To be honest, alcohol. This is the only pregnancy I really miss it and really crave it!
Next appt: 3/11/14
Thankful for:  Being blessed with another pregnancy, I really am making a conscious effort to enjoy it since I know it will most likely be my last. And of course I am thankful for my beautiful family and for the last 5 days off work to spend with them

Friday, February 14, 2014

5 on Friday

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!! For some reason I went crazy for Valentines Day this year, usually I get my kids something small but this year they have baskets! I know it's not Easter, but I couldn't help myself!

*ONE*

In case you missed it, I announced some pretty big news the other day!



*TWO*

After the kids went to bed last night I decided to make homemade pop tarts, my gosh were these time consuming! I made mine in heart shapes and they better taste amazing when we eat them today!

Vegan Berry Pop Tarts



*THREE*

Since it's Valentines Day I thought I'd share my DIY LOVE wreath, I love how it turned out!!




*FOUR*

I have been craving wings this pregnancy, well really when am I not craving wings?? I'v tried homemade before and they never turn out good, found this recipe though and am going to give a try on Sunday, I hope they don't fail me!


Madison House Chef: The BEST Chicken Wings in the Valley, Perhaps the Nation


*FIVE*

I'm off work until Tuesday and that makes this Friday even better!! I have lots on my to do list but really I just hope I can get the house semi-clean!


Happy Weekend!



Wednesday, February 12, 2014

BIG News!!

I have some big news to finally share on this little blog of mine....



Yep - that's right! We are soon to be a family of 5! I love the sound of that.  I always said I wanted 3 kids, then after having 1, then 2, I wasn't so sure.  But in the end, I knew we needed another and am just so happy to be blessed to experience pregnancy again.  It is truly a gift. 

So far I've been feeling good! Just suuuuuuuuuuuuuuper tired, but I guess that's what happens when you work full time and have 2 little ones.  My 3 year old can stay up much later than me and often I find myself falling asleep on the couch next to him watching some night time tv.  

We are looking forward to our next ultrasound to see our little baby and hoping that everything looks great, and then of course, to find out the gender!! I wonder what the tie breaker will be?!




Monday, February 10, 2014

Valentine's Day Mantel

I just love that I have a mantel to decorate! Our last house did not have a fireplace and I am seriously still loving our remodeled one.


I made the LOVE sign - it was super easy and I'll detail it below.  I bought those little white vases in the dollar spot section and painted X's and O's on them and bought some fake flowers at Walmart.  I got a new glass jar from Homegoods and added some V-day candy, and of course my DIY heart garland is across.



To make the LOVE sign:

Items needed:


  • 12 x 12 canvas
  • Red paint
  • Unfinished letters (of finished white ones) - bought mine from Michaels
  • Superglue

This is so simple, just paint your canvas



Paint your letters



Glue them to the canvas



And done! Love super simple and super cheap projects!




Friday, February 7, 2014

Five on Friday

Well it's been a hot minute since I've linked up with Darci for Five on Friday, thought I would join in the fun today!



*ONE*

Made this dip this week - so so yum! I actually made it twice since I ate it in one sitting

Best Dip EVER - tomato, feta, avocado, olive oil, garlic salt.


*TWO*

Read this article yesterday and loved it.  I am fully aware that I need to live in the moment with my kiddos (and hubby) and not wish for the future, but to enjoy today.  I love when I stumble across these articles because it brings it back right in my face and makes me really think - maybe this is why I had such a great day with the kids yesterday when I got home from work :)




*THREE*

My sisters MIL bought me a ticket to see Phantom of the Opera with them and we're going tomorrow, I'm excited to have a girls day in the city!



*FOUR*

The little man and I have to start his Valentines for his school party next week (which by the way, I get to go and be a helper, yay!) I found this adorable printable and bought this mold to make the crayons, I can't wait to get started on this, I think Brayden will love the making crayons part, but writing his name out 14 times? Not so much.  We will have to do that in stages.

Heart Crayon Valentines! So stinking cute and NOT candy!



*FIVE*

Went to Ikea yesterday on my lunch break to browse their toy storage options - they have a new line (at least I think it's newer) STUVA with some awesome options.  You can mix and match door fronts, use shelves or pull outs, ect.  I saw this on their website but needed to see in person.  Think I will definitely be getting 2 of these benches in the near future! PS - Browsing Ikea during a weekday afternoon is awesome! Hardly anyone there and I think it's the first time I didn't have a panic attack LOL

STUVA Storage bench IKEA Low storage makes it easier for children to reach and organize their things.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

DIY LOVE Wreath


I had been scouring Pinterest to get inspiration for a Valentine's wreath.  Since having kids, I LOVE decorating for each holiday, but for some reason Valentine's Day decor gets me just as excited as Christmas decor! 

I made this super cute simple wreath in less than 30 minutes and I must say, I LOVE how it turned out :)

What you will need: (I purchased all my items from Michaels)
  • A twiggy wreath 
  • Twine
  • Burlap
  • Ribbon
  • Fake flowers
  • Craft paint
I started with the twine and tied each end to my twiggy wreath.  Then I cut the burlap into triangle flags and painted by hand the letters.

Once the letters were dry, I super glued the top of the burlap flags to the twine. 

Then I took my fake flowers, cut them short and just stuck them through the wreath, you could super glue them on also.

Then I  just cut a piece of ribbon and looped it through the top of the wreath and tied a knot, and done! Super simple, super cute. 







Monday, February 3, 2014

Can I call you back.....in 5 years??


        Ha, isn't this great?! As soon as I saw this, I knew I had to write a post on this topic.

I use to love talking on the phone; I could literally talk to my friends for hours and hours.  I loved having endless conversations for endless amounts of time.

I have always been a talker, some would say I have the gift of gab –a Gemini’s finest traitJ I can remember in my early school days getting in trouble for talking too much.  My mom always said “you talk a mile a minute, slow down!” . I just couldn’t zip it.

Then when I got a cell phone at 18 (yes, I was living in pagerland until then) I was even more obsessed with talking on the phone.  Now I could take my love for babbling on the road, yes!! I talked so much on my first cell phone, each month I went over my minutes (back when I had a limited number of those…) I would spend hundreds on my bill.  Even that didn’t stop me from talking!

I remember hating texting, absolutely hating it.  I always thought; if you have something to say, just call me!! Don’t make plans with me over text don’t tell me important things over text, just do not text me! That was my motto for a long time….

Then I had a kid.  I remember in the early months I could still talk on the phone, but now it was really only when I was driving or if I had a few minutes at work I could spare.  Long gone were the days of getting home from work and catching up with my friends on the phone for hours.  I would see my friends calling and have to hit the ignore button, I would follow that up with a text “call you back in a few” which of course, I never did.  Months went by and one day I realized, I NEVER talk to anyone on the phone anymore.  Wow, so crazy to be here from where I once was. 

A big part of giving up my chatting time with my friends is due to the fact that I work full time and am away from my kids all day. How in the world could I justify coming home after a long day, sitting down yapping away? I couldn’t and I wouldn’t.  I told myself that the time I am home with my kids is time I need to spend wisely.  I want to be in the moment, spending quality time with them.

Now my main form of communication is texting, yes, the one thing I use to despise is now my only preference!  Of course I still like to catch up with friends/family when I have the time, but mostly, just send me a text. 


Surprisingly, I don’t even miss talking on the phone. Maybe that’s because with 2 kids, a house to keep up, food to cook, etc, there just isn’t time to think about talking on the phone.  Sure, at night when my kids are tucked away in their beds I could catch up with people, but at that point, you can find me planted on my couch trying to watch a show I DVR’d a week prior. 

 
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