Happy 3 months Baby Blackie!

Happy 3 months baby Blackie! And I mean it, it has been a happy, joyful, journey! There have been tough times, but many more happy moments than sad.  & knowing that babyhood passes all too quickly, I choose to celebrate the happy.

At one of the first MOPS meetings I attended 5 yrs ago I first heard the saying,

"It takes a village to raise a child".

Today, I want to thank our village.  Our village is made up of family, friends, neighbors, a lactation consultant, our pastors, church family, & even strangers offering help with doors (as I carry a hundred pound carseat/baby/diaper bag & hopefully have two other kids trailing close behind), & offering random encouraging words.

Thank you all!

This past 3 months have drawn us closer to God, & closer to each other.  With an immense amount of help from these village people (smile), I've proven to myself that God did equip my body to not only care for, but also feed my child.  I didn't feel I was able to care for or nurse my last baby & gave up on all things motherhood too easily & for too long.  It's good to be back into the season of nurturing a baby.

Thank you Jesus! & Thank you Jacques Morali!

Homeschooling the boy

While homeschooling my brilliant, sweet, boy...

Me: So, what would thirty-eight look like using numbers?

Him, totally serious: I think I need to take a dump, but keep talking.

Say What, Kid??!?!  Just yesterday he was still saying poo-poo...  The joys of boys!  & the joys of homeschool. ;) That turned into a teachable moment, real quick like!
I doubt I'll be hearing that out of his mouth again anytime soon!

Bath Toys

When my daughter... well my OLDEST daughter (that'll take some getting used to), was a toddler she had all sorts of bath toys.  She had rubber ducks, spoons, bath paints, my husbands old toys and bath flutes. 
Yes, Bath Flutes...

Seriously these things floated in butt water, then you put them on your mouth to make music- who came up with that idea, and why did I ever buy into it?  Oh yeah, it was because I made a trip to Wal-Mart.  I always discover all sorts of garbage I didn't need when I go there.


The best toys she had I didn't think were visually appealing or fun, so I believe I threw most of them out when I was a dumb teenage mom.  They were these "Fisher Price Floating Family" toys that belonged to my husband as a child. 

Those were really the best toys... Darn it, what was I thinking?

 

 

 

Well over the years I found that the little plastic ducks that I favored got full of mold. YUCK!  Don't believe me?  Chances are if your little ducky can squirt water, it's squirting moldy water!  Cut into one and check it out for yourself.  They're only a buck or two, it's worth the experiment to know if you're letting your child bath in mold or not.  & those old toys stood the test of time.  No mold, and were actually still fun!

 

The big kids mostly shower and rarely take baths anymore, with the exception of special occasions.  Like New Years Eve.  We had the kids open a gift each hour as a part of our countdown.  The 11pm was bubble bath.  Something we don't normally buy anymore so it was a treat.  Yeah, well, that "treat" is full of toxic chemicals and smells like barf bubble gum.  Within minutes of being in the tub the 5 year old was in tears because it made him feel sick. :(  I'm sure it wasn't just the bubble bath.  We also let them have pop and candy thinking it was a treat.  When will I learn that rewarding my kids with toxic chemicals and GMO's is not  a treat?!  Soon, I hope!

 

So with a baby in the house I am going to pledge NOT to buy into bath toys.  They are totally unnecessary and just one more thing around the house to care for. 

 

What are you pledging to give up and move on from?  Think of something that will benefit you, your family, or someone else, even if just slightly.

Counter Clutter

What do you do with all of your counter top clutter? 


I'm great about putting away the mail as soon as it comes in.  I put the dishes away as soon as we're done with them (most all of the time).  But the one thing that still keeps the counter looking cluttered is all of the appliances.

I've got a stand mixer, a toaster, a blender & a popcorn popper that always stay out.  I have a breadmaker that comes out when I use it, and stays out until company is coming over, then it gets put on the floor of the pantry until it's used again- and the cycle continues week after week. 

I'm in the market for a new tea kettle which will stay on the stove just as my last beloved tea kettle did before I absent mindedly ruined it. *UPDATE- I did get a tea kettle, the exact same one I already had, and I love it-  check it out on Amazon.*  I'd also like to maybe get a coffee pot again and a juicer.  But where in the world do I keep all of these things? 

I use my appliances often, so I hate to put them away and lug them out again each day.  Any solutions to the crazy counter clutter battle?

Welcome 2013!

If you remember back to my posts in Dec. of 2010 I said I'm not much for New Years resolutions.  I feel like we should always be trying to be better.  I mean, why wait until a new year starts to make a change? 

Well back in Dec. 2010 we did take that time to implement changes.  My husband and I made some big changes that have been great for our family.  Mostly our food choices. 
Since being pregnant and having a baby in the house I've gotten a little more relaxed and have had to rely on some moderately-convenience type foods more often than I'd like to admit.  We went from being a no pasta family to having pasta every couple of weeks- and guess what- nothing major happened, other than of course we were more tired than usual when we consumed it.  But it did pull us through another day, even if it wasn't nutritionally the best choice, and I just have to be okay with that.  Over all I feel like we're doing good when it comes to our food.

So for 2013 I want to focus on spaces.  I fully believe that the spaces you are in have a huge impact on your overall well-being.
Our home was built in 2005.  At the time Mr. Awesome & I were dating/got engaged, we only had the princess, no pets, and I was working.  Now a little over 7 years later we're married,  I'm a SAHM to our 3 kiddos & we have a cat.  Our space has had to change to accommodate our growing family.  Not only that, we also have changed some of our hobbies, and what we do in our spaces. 

In fact the room I'm typing in right now has been:
My bedroom (before we were married).
My home office while I sold Mary Kay & did eBay.
The Princess's bedroom.
The Princess & Prince's bedroom for a short time.
The Home school room.
& currently is Blackie's (closet- since she doesn't sleep in here, but does store her clothes here!) room/computer room. 

Home improvement takes time & money.  It seems like getting the two together is a challenge.  I wish we could do it all at once and be done.  & to be honest, if we took out a loan we could.  But I do NOT want to still be paying on it when I change my mind and want to redo whatever we've just done.
 So things will be slow going, that's alright.

For 2013 I'd like to see:

• The Laundry room turned into a mudroom (But where on earth will you stick the laundry room you ask?  Well, uh, actually.....I don't know yet!).
• If it works, maybe pull out the big tub and put the laundry in the master bathroom.
• Build a swing set for the 1,000 kids that flock here in the summer. 
• Put blinds on the windows (Please God, I'd love to finally have blinds, let me pick a color and just order it already!).
• Make a backyard patio/seating area.
• Fix the kitchen faucet that has leaked for y.e.a.r.s!
• Install shelving in the basement bedroom closets.
• Paint the stairs leading to the basement.  Any color- I just want it all one color.
• Move the TV downstairs.  This means rearranging the living room.  I'm terrified of picking new furniture for that space. Furniture is expensive, and what if:  It doesn't look good, I don't like it, or it isn't as comfortable as our broken-in sectional? 
• Install new flooring in the dining room/living room.  It looks just awful, awful awful!  Next time we will pick a better quality floor and something that can stand up to 3 kids & a husband.  Oops- did I say that? It's mostly the kids.
• Sometime this year I'd also like it if Blackie has a room with her stuff, that looks like she actually sleeps in it, even if she doesn't.  She's our baby & right now I love her sleeping with us.  Judge me all you want, tell me that she'll never sleep in her own bed.  I know that eventually she will move to her own bed.  At some point she will also no longer want to be held and cuddled on a regular basis.  I am in no hurry for these days to pass.
• Move the big kids into their own fully decorated rooms.

There are probably more things I will think of here and there.  And maybe none of these things will happen, maybe some of them will.  If they do, I'll try to blog about it. 
My favorite DIY project of 2012 was when we painted our shutters & then did my FIL's shutters.  What a transformation!  I wish I would've blogged it!  Maybe I will some day, I did take pictures fully intending to post it here.

So what will your 2013 look like?