On my mind

4.25.14

I was sitting on the couch watching my two children rumble and tumble all over the floor wallering on one another and knocking each other down. I watched as they giggled hysterically, one mimicking the other, belly laughing, tickling, and dancing around holding hands. I watched quietly, thinking to myself how rapidly time changes things and how beautiful it has been to witness their bond not only form, but grow in tremendous ways over the year.  I took it all in, and could not help but smile.

You know, it is amazing to me that there was ever a surprise as to how one could possibly love a second child. I look at Graham and I feel guilt that I ever {up until the day he was born} questioned what it would be like to have to share my attention, time, and love with. As if love could not grow and love could not be shared. I distinctly remember even while he was a newborn thinking that I had this great bond with my son, but that it could not possibly develop into anything like what I had with my daughter. Or so I thought. 

Not only does that bond grow, but it grows in amazing ways. The bond between both children. Not only does your routine change when a second child is brought into the home, but everything changes---from the way you do things, to the way you handle situations. And also, the way you love. 

Watching Graham grow, and knowing the different milestones and changes that we have to face has made me appreciate each of those steps much more. I'm also more aware of what is "normal" and that while I do get excited about him growing up and achieving independence more and more with each passing day, I allow myself to appreciate the "baby" stage much more than the first time around and quit putting high expecations on everyone--myself, and the kids. I have let go. I've become loose. I've allowed them to be just as part of the decision process in every day tasks as I am. I want them to be kids, and to be able to act like kids, and to be loved for every aspect of who they are and who they want to be.

I'm always learning. I'm always trying to figure out how to be better and to do better by my children. I want to do everything right for them so that they have all the necessary tools to survive this crazy world that we live in. Emotionally. Physically. Mentally. Socially. I want them to be healthy in all areas, and I want them to feel that love, trust, and bond between those closest to them. Their family.

How do you teach that? You just allow life to happen. That's what I've learned. The more I stress, the more I over-think, the more I put this heavy burden on silly decisions---the less I am able to actually teach and be the model that I want to be to my children. I've learned that I'm the best kind of mom when I just let go. Let go of fear. Let go of high expectations. Let go of stress. Just simply let go.

Don't get me wrong, I still stress. I still lose my patience. And I still have moments where I am happy to leave the house to go to work simply to allow my mind to think without the noise. I am human, and I just need to stop beating myself over the things that I do wrong every day. And believe me, there are plenty.

But there are so many more things that I do right. That my husband and I do right. There are so many positive things that we have instilled in our children, and I have to just learn to remind myself of those things. That while I sit on the couch and watch my children enjoy themselves, be kids, and allow their relationship grow, that we did this. That we are a part of their every day childhood and that we are the biggest influence. The most powerful positive influence there is.

For that, I am thankful. That I have these moments to reflect one. That I allow myself to grow and to learn from these experiences.

I'm not even sure where I am heading with all this.

I started this post wanting to talk about this bond that has developed between my two children, and it has somehow morphed into these little lessons in parenthood that I have picked up on throughout the years. Either way, both things were something that have been on my mind and that I've wanted to say.

There, I said it.

I love this bond, and I love this life. I love that my husband and I get to parent these two very special children, and that we get to remind ourselves every day what life is truly all about. This. We are living it.

I think I hear the little one waking up. That's all I have for now, and as always---thank you for listening.    

Becky @ From Mrs to Mama

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A Day in the Life

6:45.

It's time to wake up. I rub my eyes, kiss my daughter on the cheek, and tell her I'll be right back as I go to get her crying brother that has recently built this internal clock that deems it necessary to wake up on the 6th hour. Never failing. I slowly slip out of my husband's hold and make my way to the hallway.

I stumble running into the basket of clothes that I had sat out a couple days before {folded mind you} reminding me that I need to put them away today. I open the door, and I see him. I see him standing there, pouting his face, reaching his little arms up at me. I scoop him up, turn off the sound monitor and bring him into our bedroom.

This is one of our favorite times in the morning, as I have the chance to feed him, touch his soft skin, and kiss his sweet little forehead. He attempts to fall asleep, but it isn't long before big sister realizes that he's in bed with her and she can no longer contain her excitement.

"Graham man! You're here! I'm so happy {kiss kiss} to see you! Did you have sweet dreams {squeeze, squeeze."

With his eyes closed, he fling his arms up in the air trying to push her body out of his way.

He's unsuccessful.

7:15

We make our way downstairs. The kids each have a banana, and I attempt to begin to clean up what was the remains {as I like to call it} from the dinner the night before. I wait for the water to boil, then pour it into the kids' bowls of oatmeal. Graham sits where Elliana used to sit, and she sits in his high chair. Her choice, don't ask. He gets a bib. A strawberry bib. And a place mat. A pink place mat. Spoons in, and they go to town.

When they finish, I wipe their faces and rush them to go play already. While I try to finish what I started.

FINISH READING HERE

Dear.....

Dear 50 corvettes that stopped traffic for 5 minutes,

I'm so glad that you were able to have police escort you, five by the way, and stop each intersection so that all 50 of you could zoom right by with your smiling faces and flowing hair and get to where you are going on time. I guess I'm a little bit confused as to what the emergency is exactly. But don't worry, I clearly did not have anywhere to be but work while I sat through two stop lights.

Dear husband's hat,

Thank you for fitting on my large head. Thank you for also making my eh-not-so-good-hair day all of a sudden acceptable. 

 

Dear baby Graham man,

Not sure why you are boycotting food all of a sudden. Food that doesn't consist of oatmeal, bananas, apples, and snacks. Everything else just seems to have a quick date with the floor as you proceed to launch your plates {angirly} on the floor. I mean, what child actually refuses pasta, or chicken tenders, or MAC N CHEESE. Oh but no worries, you have no problem using me for your milk needs. ALL THE TIME.

Dear polar bear,

You are my daughter's favorite animal at the zoo. Thought you might want to know.

  

Dear pork chops in the crock pot,

You looked so good. You probably would have tasted so good. And I'm really sad that I will never know because you sat in there for 8 hours only for me to come home and realize I never turned on the crockpot to begin with. 

Dear Elliana,

Tonight you told me that a boy said "I love you" to you for the first time. This made me giggle. I proceeded to ask you what you said back to him, and with a big angry look on your face, you told me "I saaaaaid no thank you." I told you it's okay to love our friends, and you were having none of it. I wouldn't think much of this, except over the weekend while playing at the park, you told your papa that you don't play with boys. I'm sure he was pleased with that. 

Dear garage sales,

You gave me a $3.00 large wooden box that is now storage to the ridiculous amount of stuffed animals in the playroom. I cannot begin to tell you how happy this makes me.

 Dear go word fish,

You were so easy to make, and so easy to please. Amazing what a few pieces of construction paper, scissors, marker, and paper clips can do. 

Dear George Clooney,

You probably never imagined making it into a blog post of letters, but, here you are. I know, you must feel honored. What I want to say is important though: Congratulations. Congratulations and that I am proud. I am proud that you have decided to settle down, but more importantly settle down with someone who seems so wise, traveled, and unique. I am ashamed to hear other women comment on her "looks" and how they are not good enough for you. She is beautiful, and I wish you well.

Dear laundry,

When will you finally learn how to put yourself away. Sitting in the corner in the hallway is not doing anyone any good. Stubborn are we now?

Dear Becky,

You started talking to laundry. You demanded things out of laundry. You expect it to listen. Now? It's officially to catch up on some sleep.

Good night.

I'm getting organized and getting my brain back thanks to the Post-it Brand

Thank you to Post-it Brand for sponsoring this post. All opinions stated are that of my own. 

Becoming a mom has done a lot of wonderful things to me---made me a better person, given me a deeper meaning to life, and shown me a part of the world that I could have never imagined nor dreamed of, and more. Regardless of what you may hear, becoming a mom is that amazing and there is no denying that fact.  However, being a mom also comes with some extra unexpected surprises as well.

Such as:  the joys of being scatter brained. Note the sarcasm here.

I used to be able to rely on my brain. I paid my monthly bills online solely by memory--- car, car number 2, house, gas, electric, cell phone, student loans, and so forth. And of course each had different due dates, and different logins, but somehow I managed to never had a problem with remembering it all, and on time at that. At work, with all the detailed information on each of my patients, I could remember each system, every number, and every drip rate without ever having to write it down. Plans, appointments, and events of importance were drilled in my head, and I never missed a beat.

Life was that easy. Why? Because I never had to write anything down.

And then I had kids. And as we all know---everything changes when you have kids.

I started forgetting things. I started missing bill due dates by a couple dates, and I would wake up in the morning and it would suddenly hit me that we had a doctor's appointment in approximately 20 minutes to get to. Imagine the fun I had getting a newborn and a 2 year old changed, dressed, and looking half-way presentable so that the doctor doesn't imagine neglect on my part. As for me, I am always so thankful for the magic of makeup.

I forgot birthdays. I forgot due dates. And let's not even talk about the emails that have piled up and sat in my inbox for months. Most of which I simply never got around to replying. And before you start thinking that I am some important person with a busy life, rest assured that is not the case at all.

But being a mom, a mom of two kids, and working full time at night and staying home during the day, it definitely brings on a sort of busy that I could have never imagined before. Needless to say, I have been in the search for solutions, and in the process have learned that the more organized I am, the happier I am.

The Home Collection by Post-it Brand, Scotch Brand, and Command Brand has kicked it right out the park for me and has put me back into the peace of mind that I will now again be able to function and remember everything going on in our busy lives. It was specifically designed for families like my own to help facilitate with the functionality of our day to day lives. I'm sure of it. Clean, simple, vibrant, and detailed in all the right places--- those are all ways that I would describe some of the products that I have been using {and not putting down} around the house.

Here are a few of the products that I have been using:

The Post-it Reminder Tags: brilliant. They remind me of the old fashioned Post-it Notes, except smarter. The idea is that you write a little reminder note and then wrap it around wherever you want it to be seen. There is an adhesive side on one end that you loop around and stick to the other allowing it to wrap around the designated area. No more forgetting to wash the car seat covers on time. No more forgetting to remind the husband while I'm at work to get the touch up paint out and fix the cabinets. I stick it on and then rip it off when the job is done. And the job gets done a lot sooner than usual now.

Post-it Display Cards: ideal. These are great for my husband to take to work, allowing him to switch out pictures whenever he pleases and eliminates the need for a magnet with its removable mounting squares included that stick to any surface including stainless steel refrigerators.



Post-it Planner & Perforated List Pad: perfect. This has been my go-to brain. It allows me to keep track of what our meal plan is for the week, and also my ongoing grocery list. As I begin to run out of things, I will then jot them down on the list. I also use it at my "to-do" list for the week so that I remember important things like appointments and hair cuts. The space really allows you to do with it what you please in order to meet your needs. It's perforated so I just rip it off at the end of the week when it's time to go to the grocery store and then a new week begins.

Post-it Dry Erase Planner: easy. I love anything dry erase as it eliminates the need for extra unnecessary paper. I write our plans for the week, the week ends, and then I erase and start over. That simple. This planner I keep upstairs in my office while I am researching online what our meal plans will be for the week. My goal is to also add the blog posts that I will be working on. There are truly many possibilities and takes away any excuse I may have to not plan ahead.

I needed something simple {yet effective} that would work for our lifestyle, and I found that with the Home Collection. I feel like I'm reaching a whole new level of organization and I'm loving it.

Time to go write a little love note on Post-it Reminder tag and wrap it around my husband's lunch box.

 Connect with Post-it Brand

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Oh and Melissa & Doug toys {our favorite} are up to 50% off going on now!

I snagged up the 120pc shape puzzle builder on the right below. 

 

 

Five on Friday

I haven't done one of these posts in a while and I figured that it was more than appropriate for my scattered brain at this point in time. Plus, the quicker I finish typing out all these thoughts, the quicker that the wine on my kitchen counter and my lips can reunite. Kids are in bed and Andrew is almost done mowing. I have approximately 15 minutes to get to business....

Ready, set, go.

1.  Favorite book for the 3.5 year old- Disney 5-Minute Fairy Tales (5-Minute Stories)
Okay guys, we are a big big time family lover of books. My kids love to read books. I love to read books to them. My husband loves {not so much} to read books to them {okay he does, but just not the long ones}, and it is something that we are so glad that our children have picked on and hope that they continue to grow in their passion for books. That being said, we have a lot of favorites in our house, and rarely do we get new ones that can even possibly trump the old ones. However, this book
Disney 5-Minute Fairy Tales (5-Minute Stories) is at the top of my list. Elli's list, more importantly. We got it for her for Easter, and the main reason I picked it up was because Mickey was on the cover {true story}. Then I realized that they were the original fairy tales with the Mickey characters thrown in the stories {brilliant}. Better yet, the stories were 5 minutes long! The illustrations are so good, and I would recommend this to anyone with a 3-5 year old. You won't be disappointed. 

2. Fun outdoor activity: It is no surprise that with the warm weather amongst us, we have been spending the majority of our days outside. From zoo trips, to walks in the neighborhood, playing in the driveway, and visiting multiple parks on our ultimate favorite list. I can now understand why schools would get out or the summer.... because who actually wants to spend their time in a desk indoors---right? Right. So although this is true for us, I try to take some of the lessons {not all and probably not enough, and that's okay} outdoors and make them fun. The other day we discovered a new way to implement sight words outside:

Use chalk to write out 8 words, close together in two lines {4 to a line}. Then draw a circle close to those two lines and write the child's name and instruct them to stand on that circle. Then tell them the game is you tell them the word, they find the word, spell it, and then hop to it. Show them, and even jump in on the fun {that was the most fun for Elli. Here is a video of one of the words we did. 

3. I took a selfie and it was important to document it. That is about the extent of this number. I also want to make note that I have been in love with wearing my husband's baseball caps lately {although he tells me that I am not a hat person}. Regardless, I love it. And I feel like it makes me look like a.... soccer mom or something. Don't ask.


4. Steals and Deals

45% off Chicco stroller---Only $79 once placed in cart!

50% off Summer Video Monitor

5. Sibling bond. I'm actually working on a post to talk about this subject in greater detail, but looking at this picture just reminded me again of how precious and wonderful these years are, specifically because I get to watch this bond grow between two of the most important little people in my life. I could have never even imagined when I only had Elli what our lives were even missing out on, what we didn't know could exist, and how much more amazing it would get to have another one to share our hearts and home with. I truly have no fear of bringing home another child in the future as I did the first time around, because I have gotten a glimpse into this wonderful {sometimes crazy and a lot of times fighting between the two} world.

What should I teach my toddler?

As parents, we are constantly teaching our children. Everything around us is new and exciting to them, and therefore often times we may not even realize that what we are doing is actually stimulating our babies to learn. Although often times I share many tools and activities that were helpful during the first couple years of life, I do believe that the best resource out there is ourselves. Us and the environment around us. Really, you could do all of the learning simply with items found in the home, part of what encompasses the outdoors, and even places that we visit on a regular basis---such as the grocery store. 

That being said, here is a list of the exact {cognitive only} topics that we covered as our babies began to grow. I list them in order.  No these are not all things that your child should know, and more specifically there is no age that they should know them by. I list them simply to give other parents out there ideas on what they can cover next. And? There are so many more little things that I don't even begin to cover here.

Reading and communicating with our little ones will cover all our bases.

TOPICS

Animal sounds {cow says mooo, duck says quack quack, etc}

Pointing to body parts {where is your nose, where are your ears. Differentiating between their body parts versus another persons--such as mama's, papa's, etc}

Matching objects: mainly puzzles--shapes, colors, etc {matching circle to circle, pink to pink, etc}

Colors { the main--white, black, purple, red, yellow, orange, green, blue, grey, brown, pink}

Animals 

Nursery Rhymes/songs

Fruit vs. vegetable

Numbers 1-10

Shapes

ABC's

Uppercase and lowercase ABC's

Counting objects one by one

Sounds of the ABC's {A says Ah, B says Bbb, etc}

Weather {differentiating between hot, cold, sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy, snowy, etc}

Numbers 11-20

Learning differences: IN/OUT, UNDER/OVER, ON/OFF, FRONT, BACK

Beginning word sounds { Astronaut starts with the letter: A, Tell me a word that starts with the letter B, etc}

Days of the week

Months of the year

Left vs. Right

Sight words

Emotions

Numbers 21-100

Spelling common words {cat, dog, mom, dad, etc}

Learn more in depth on animals {polar bears live in the arctic, penguins are birds but they cannot fly, Hippopotamus love to be in water, Rhinoceros get muddy to protect their thick oily skin from the sun, etc----easy and fun facts that help kids remember }

Writing Name

Outer space { planets, phases of the moon, learn about the Earth, etc}

Some States and where people live: {Grandparents live: Oklahoma, Mickey Mouse lives: Florida, Our friend Kennedy lives: Michigan, etc}

Outdoors {learning about the different kinds of flowers and nature around us, that flowers need soil, water, and sun to grow, etc}

Math {addition/subtraction in single digits----in other words fun with animal crackers :)  }

Writing the rest of the letters of the alphabet

Money--- {learning value of nickle, dime, quarter, dollar bill, etc}

Rhyming words

   

My oldest is 3.5 now and we have so much more to learn. I will try to add to this list as time goes on and other fun subjects come up. 

As fun as all that above has been to teach, I really am most looking forward to the real fun stuff---learning our presidents, our history, the human body {think dissecting the brain....ha}, etc.

Cloth Diapering 1 year in

I apologize if I have ruin your appetite in one way or another with this post.

You have been warned.   

To start with, I feel like this deserves a party. This---the whole cloth diapering for a year deal. I know, I know, people have been doing it for ages and it's not a big deal.  But for me? For me it's a big deal. For me it's a big deal because it is something I never imagined doing, and definitely not something that I imagined my husband doing. And even more importantly, something I never imagined doing this long.

But yet here we are, one year later, and still doing the dirty deed. No pun intended.

I do not even remember if I ever wrote about cloth diapering, aside from starting. If I ever actually sat down and answered the basic questions; why we did it, what we use, what we do, is it easy, the things I like/dislike, and so forth. I guess that is what the 1 year anniversary is for. To answer those burning questions. I'm sure half the audience has already left as soon as they heard the word: diaper.

WHY WE DID IT
 

There are three reasons, and I will list them in order.

First, I did it because I wanted what was best for our baby. I wanted the least amount of chemicals in contact with his skin, and I wanted to do what I felt was most natural.

Second, I wanted to save money. And money I have saved. They say that a baby goes through about $2,000-$3000 in diapers and wipes? Well, I have to tell you I own 8 at $17 a piece, add in detergent costs, that comes out to be about $200. Total. I have spent about $200 on diapering/cloth wipes {washcloths}.

Lastly, the environment. I say this last because I am not a big "environment" person, although I should be and hope to eventually grow to become more aware of the things around me. However, after looking at how much waste we went through with our first, I realized that we could make positive changes with the cloth diapering the second time around.

WHAT WE BUY

I know that a lot of people like to "shop around" when it comes to cloth diapers. They try multiple brands. They get different patterns and types. They like a variety.

I'm not one of those people. I'm that girl that when I find a shirt that I really like I purchase it in every color. And that is precisely what I did with the cloth diapers. I ordered the Bumgenius Freetime Cloth Diapers after reading multiple {nothing but positive} reviews. After testing those out and deciding I loved them, I decided to order more to bring my grand total to 8.

Yes. Eight. Different shades of colors, all one size, snaps, Bum genius diapers. Why 8? That is the number of diapers that I use in one day and requires me to just do one load of diaper laundry at night. I know that a lot of people purchase more so that they don't have to do laundry as frequently, but for me I hated knowing that wet/dirty diapers were sitting around waiting to be washed.

Plus, it saved me money. 

I also bought extra bamboo inserts { Alva Baby Cloth Diaper 4 layers Antibacterial Bamboo Viscose Inserts Super Water Absorbent 12pcs} that I love {a lot a lot}.

HOW WE CLEAN

Initially when I started reading on cloth diapers, I noticed that the popular thing to purchase was the "spray." This spray { Bumkins Cloth Diaper Sprayer, Chrome }attaches to your toilet and makes your life easier by washing off the mess. For me though? I just imagined the kind of trouble I would be getting myself in with a spray. It probably would not have been pretty.

Instead, we stuck to the traditional dump and flush {and a little bit of swishing around}. I then clean the rest by hand in the sink and throw it in my wet bag until ready for wash. Obviously when there is not a dirty diaper, those I just take out the insert and throw in the wet bag right away. I love when there are no dirty diapers. But then again, I have yet to find someone that prefers to change the soiled ones.

Also, we use cloth wipes and this is as simple as just using washcloths. I like the really thin ones and buy mine here baby washcloths. Cloth wipes with what? Just hot water my friends.

LIKES/DISLIKES 

This is easy.

Like: price, no chemicals, less waste, and can I mention again---money saving!

Dislikes: inconvenience at times, the mess, and the extra laundry. Also that my other family members really dislike this cloth diapering venture and make a stink about it. 

IN CONCLUSION

Cloth diapering has been one of the best decisions that I have made as a parent and one that I really enjoy {Eh, you know to a certain extent}, and that I wish I had done with my first. It's definitely not something that I push on others and I am totally not the anti-disposable diaper lady. I'm totally for whatever works for each individual family, but if someone decides that they want to try cloth, I'm also their biggest cheerleader. 

Now, excuse me while I go blow up some balloons, put on some party hats, and make a little noise.

The monitor every parent should have on their registery

This is a sponsored post by Levana, however all opinions stated are that of my own.

Snuza Hero Baby Movement Monitor.

 I was 32 weeks pregnant with my first child when I caught the bug. The paranoid scared out of this world bug. The bug that every parent gets when they have a child, and one that probably never goes away. At least for me in the past 4 years it has not come close to leaving my side, so I am assuming now that it probably never will.

It was during that time in my pregnancy where I found myself reading a lot on the internet. I was staying up late and reading these blogs and these stories of babies that left this Earth a little too soon. I purchased myself a fetal monitor right away and would carry it everywhere I went. At work, I would lay down and listen to my baby's heart so to be sure that everything was okay. And it was. And although I placed a lot of unnecessary fear in my life, I have always been a person that needed to just know with certainty, especially after working in the medical field and knowing how quickly things could change.

When my daughter was 3 months old, I remember distinctly reading a blog of a mom who lost her daughter to SIDS---her daughter that was just a couple weeks older than mine. I cried in my husband's arms feeling helpless and unsure of how these sort of things happen. It then lead me to get on the computer once again and begin reading. Which then resulted in me googling and finding a website that was devoted strictly to infant SIDS stories.

It was during one of those google searches that I stumbled upon the Snuza Hero Baby Movement Monitor monitor powered by Snuza. It took me a mere two seconds to read on the product and then proceed to click the order button with two day shipping via amazon. In fact, I barely slept those two nights prior to the product's arrival on my doorstep just thinking about the fact that it could not get here fast enough.

Does any parent sleep well during those first few months? Probably not. But I do have to say that I never slept as good as I had once the monitor was safely placed on my baby and was working properly. In fact, I slept all night without waking up once to roll over and check on the baby. And the night after that. And the night after that. 

And better yet, it was my lifesaver again when Graham was born.

WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT DOES

It is simple. A battery-powered, cordless, movement monitor. It attaches to the baby's diaper with no need for cords or monitors and therefore eliminating the risk for cord strangulation. Once the baby is in a deep sleep, the monitor will continue to monitor the baby's movement. If the baby is still for 15 seconds, a gentle vibration goes off to alert the baby. And if no movement is felt for 20 seconds, a loud alert goes off to alert the caregiver to check on the baby. Are there false alarms? Very unlikely. For us in the two years the only time we had a false alarm was when the monitor actually came off the baby and this would happen when both kids were older and would roll around in bed.

Another thing that I love most about this monitor is that it is portable. Sure, many monitors are portable but they require for you to grab the base, the parent unit, and the cords that go along with. Most times? I would simply forget. But the Oma+Movement monitor fits perfectly in the pocket of my purse, in fact, even my back pocket of my jeans.

Not only was it a peace of mind for my husband and myself, but it was something that the grandparents really enjoyed having. They did not have to run upstairs and check on the baby every 10 minutes to make sure they were breathing, but instead had the "ears" of the Oma+Movement monitor to alert them in case of an emergency.

WATCH THIS VIDEO FOR MORE INFORMATION

 

WHERE YOU CAN PURCHASE THIS MONITOR

Snuza Hero Baby Movement Monitor

Let us call it what it is: An Easter Recap

I am actually doing a recap the night after {event, holiday, birthday, etc}. I'm going to let that sink in for a minute. Queen of scheduling posts over here, and yet I'm actually going to be on point with current events.

The reason for that is because we put the kids to bed at 6:50 and I have time before Andrew and I get on the couch to unwind. Although... I probably should actually be cleaning the mess of a hurricane that came through my house.  I should, but I won't.

Oh and let us just reiterate the fact that we put the kids to bed at 6:50. That has to tell you something--- a glimpse of what went down the past couple of days. 

Most importantly, we did not even get one family picture.

I keep getting stuck on that issue right there. When I was thinking about writing what I was going to say, I kept telling myself that I was going to start with that. I felt it was important. How, when we had multiple hands and eyes available, did we possibly pass up the opportunity to get a picture of the four of us. How.

Don't get me wrong, I got pictures, not enough, but I did. Yet it's been too long since we sat down, the four of us, and captured the moment. And for that, I wish I could just turn back time a little bit. I'm done with the chaos, the constant cleaning and picking up, and I'm happy for the quiet home and to return to a schedule, but I'm just bummed that I forgot this very important little {yet big} thing on the list.

But, like they say, no point in dwelling on the past and something you cannot change.

Moving along, Easter was wonderful and I was surrounded by the people I love the most.

We got up early in the morning and went to the first Church service, which was just beautiful and for the first time Graham actually went into the nursery without screaming his head off and requiring me to sit out with him and chase him while trying to watch the service. However, he was screaming when we did pick him up and that partly had to do with the fact that they were attempting to change his diaper. Oh ladies, this little man barely lets ME change his diaper {biggest charade ever}, so I can only imagine what that was like.

Andrew and I then hurried home to pick up the house from the weekend {we had Andrew's parents in town}, and getting some basic things chopped and ready for my family to arrive.

Once we did that, and once everyone arrived, we were able to finally relax and enjoy ourselves. That is if you don't count chasing after the little one since he is go-go-go-go. But that's all part of our every day so it was nothing to write home about.

We ate lots of food, drank a few beverages, ate the kind of cake that bunnies eat {carrot}, and of course had an Easter egg hunt.

Oh, back up, I forgot to mention the first thing that happened in the morning.

The kids followed the string down the stairs and around the kitchen to their baskets where they saw bunny prints, and two baskets of goodies waiting for them. Their baskets consisted of basic goodies {books, play-doh, sunglasses, pajamas, and cars}, and they were as pleased as can be. We decided to do no candy in baskets and throw in some chocolate and other goodies in their Easter eggs instead.  

Good call on that.

This bunny over here {me} is definitely worn out and tired. From the candy and chaos part at least.

Having family over, celebrating Jesus and his resurrection, and creating memories never gets old. It never gets old and it is always something I look forward to.

In fact, I'm already thinking of ideas for next year.

First thing on the list: bag races.

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Flip your script and save 5% at Target + $50 GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Target.

My husband has high cholesterol. You know, the kind where you have to watch your meat intake, your fat intake, and increase your activity and exercise. Unfortunately for him, it actually has nothing to do with diet and exercise and everything to do with his genes. Which means that at the young age of 24, he was placed on medicine to help lower his numbers and has to go in for routine blood work to make sure that the pills that he is on does not have a negative effect on his liver. He also has this major responsibility of having to remember to take his pills every day. In other words, his wife has this responsibility of having to remind him. And here I thought I had another 50 years before we were faced with this challenge.

In all seriousness though, we are grateful that we have modern medicine, that we were able to catch these things through a routine physical, and that my husband is getting the treatment that he needs to continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle, not only for himself but also for his family.

And then I heard about Target pharmacy.

Target, a place that we frequently shop at and one that my husband always tries his hardest to pull me away from {and fails miserably}, also has a pharmacy where one has the ability to fill his/her prescription. I mentioned this to my husband, who in return asked me why? Why Target?

Simply put: "Save money!"

And then, because I'm a list person myself, I created him a list. Stood on top of our chair in the kitchen,

held the spoon to my mouth and presented my speech:

1. By switching to Target, and filling 5 scripts, I can save 5% off my total order. That's right, while we
wait for my husband's prescription to be filled; we get a 5% discount for flipping our script.

2. Rewards, Andrew, REWARDS! Then, after filling a script 5 times {vaccines also count}, we get 5% off our shopping order!

3. Text alerts. No need to call in to ask if your prescription is ready, while we are shopping they will text us to let us know.

4. Target has some generics for $4.

5. And if that wasn't convincing enough, then this ranking should be: “Highest in customer satisfaction among mass merchandiser pharmacies by J.D. Power.”

Although Andrew really wanted to roll his eyes at this grand idea of mine, I know that what he was really  thinking about is that finally there was a way to lower my Target bill. Not to mention that during the month of April, Target is having Double Credit Days; fill once, earn twice, and be that much closer to your 5% off shopping trip!

So what are you waiting for? Flip the script, make up your shopping list, and while waiting for your

prescription, fill your red carts and save 5% at the register!

 

Better yet, here is your motivation to get that foot in the door. Enter below for a chance to win a $50 e-card to shop at Target! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top 5 Healthier Alternatives

Want to know what my go-to healthier alternatives are? I talk about them here and I share all the easy secrets to cutting calories without cutting out the taste!

Read the rest here.

5 Things I learned about myself this week.

1. I won't flush the toilet when the kids are napping. That is how precious nap time is to me, and part of the reason I don't get any housework done and simply use that time to catch up on promotions that I am working on or random blog posts. Because flushing a toilet and washing dishes and even starting the laundry machine is just too risky. I love nap time too much.

2. I wait until the last minute. For everything. To leave the house for work. To do my mandatory education at work. To work on some blog posts. To schedule the kids appointments. To send out bills. Now, I get it all done--and on time. It's just literally during the last hour. I believe that I work best under short time constraints. I was also that way in college when I had to study for exams.

3. I love this girl and her family. And that we are basketball stars in the making.

 

4. I do not like to read my writing. I don't like to go over what I write and I hate to proofread. I know I need to do this more often, but something about reading what I wrote over and over again just makes me cringe. Especially things I wrote in the past. It's amazing to me how a couple years later and I feel like I am so much older, and wiser. Well, probably not so much wiser as I am a know-it-all. With sarcasm.

5. The best toys are free. I've known this. Forever. But I'm always amazed when we come up with something new how easy and more entertaining it is for the kids when it didn't come out of a box, it didn't cost any money {kind of}, and it's an easy clean up. This one below gave me 30 minutes to sit, watch, and enjoy.

 

6. I love deals. I mean, I know this is an obvious one here and something that I have made publicly known, but this weekend alone was big on deals and I did a whole lot of shopping. For instance, at Target I got 17 articles of clothing for the kids for only $60. We are talking shirts, pants, shorts, dresses, you name it. That's pretty darn good. And Target doesn't even have coupons or anything!

7.  I should never buy white. For myself. For my daughter. Or for my son. It's silly and a complete waste of money because there is such a high likelihood that one of us, if not all of us, will get something on said white shirts. Our white shirts have a one day lifespan. That's it.

8. I need to clean my ring more often. It's been over a year, and I forgot what it was like to have a freshly cleaned ring. This is coming from a girl who used to have it cleaned every two weeks {at least}. Prior to children, obviously.

 
9. I bought 2 maternity shirts for no reason.  Otherwise titled as, I'm a planner. Or you can see it as I'm a hoarder. Another good name would be spender. But I like to see it as I'm a planner. Because one day I hope there will be a 3rd pregnancy which means that my belly will ultimately get large again, and which means that it is impossible for me to pass up $5 maternity shirts at gap when I had the opportunity.

And at that, I went from 5 things I learned about myself to 9. Not 10. But 9. Summed up as: I'm gross, I love deals and nap time, and I'm a procrastinator.

The end.

Crazy Good Deals

There are some great deals I just had to share. I meant to make a post yesterday when there was free shipping going on at ON and Gap, but we were out and about all day and I just never got around to it. I hope though that people were able to still find out about it and be a part of the deal.

First things first:

BEFORE you even think about shopping, you better be signed up through Ebates first. It's a free website {seriously free no strings attached} where it tracks your online order and gives you FREE CASH BACK {literally a check in the mail} for a percentage of your purchases. Free money for shopping online. I know it sounds too good to be true, but it is---it is true! {Plus you get a free $10 gift card to a place of your choice just for signing up}.

1. Old Navy $5 Deals + $10 cash back for every $25 spent + Free shipping once you spend $50.
 There are too many deals to share with this, so I will just share a few picture snapshots---there are hundreds guys, I highly suggest checking it out! And remember... CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!

TODDLER BOYS

TODDLER GIRLS

WOMENS

AND MORE! Go check it out!

2.  Aztec Maxi Skirts $19

3. Seemless Capri Leggins $6

 4. Oversized Cardigans $12

5. Dress up chest+dresses+accessories $49
 Includes chest, three dresses, tiara, slippers, wand, three necklaces, three bracelets, four rings and three headbands

6. Art Set {41 piece} Sale $14

7. 0.99 Headwraps

Happy Shopping!


***Since my website was stolen, I have been trying to work hard to reach all my lost readers. If you love a post, would you mind sharing--Via facebook, twitter, and pinterest! Thank you!

Enter your email address:


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