Big things

Oh, Hey!  Been a while, yadayadayada....but I am here now and that's what counts, right?  Who knows- maybe it will stick this time:).

Big things are happening around here lately that just deserve more than a Facebook status update.  First, our house is under contract!  Yippee!  We are so excited although also so sad too.  This house holds a lot of memories for us- its our first house as a married couple, the house we brought both our children home from the hospital to....it has so many happy memories.  But ultimately, we knew that there was one more house in our plans where we would make many more happy memories.

Which brings me to the second part of our big news.  We planned on building this whole time and even have our land....but surprise, plans changed:).  A house sort of fell into our laps and its actually quite perfect for us.  We really love it and it has everything we wanted in a house.  We just could not find one reason not to buy it.  So we did!!  And if everything follows schedule, we should be moved in to it in a few short weeks!  So yay! We are very excited and up to our eyelids in boxes around here!

Throw in our first year of homeschooling to begin shortly after we move and there you have it- the second half of 2013 is bringing lots of exciting changes for our family.

Guilty!

Has this ever happened to you?

Monday (or tuesday or friday or sunday...) morning, late again, dog bowl has mysteriously tipped over, phone is ringing, 4 year old whining because he doesn't want to wear his coat, yogurt stuck in my hair, and where are my keys anyway, 1 year old is jumping off the stairs, and why why why why can't I bring my monster truck to school, momma, whhhhhhhyyy?

You get one guess who gets in trouble for his transgressions and probably in a little more trouble than he would normally if everything else would have been going smoothly.  I mean, somebody's got to feel the brunt of my frustration right, and I can't really blame it on my 1 year old baby, or my friend who is calling me, or my dog....or myself.

Ouch.  This one hurts. 

How easy it is to punish our children out of the situation instead of the actual action.  Don't get me wrong.  We do not tolerate whining in our house.  It is cause for discipline.  But if I am honest with myself, in a situation like that, I expect Adler to act like the grown man that he is.  If he can't recognize the dire straits I am in and begin to act maturely as to ease my discomfort, there are consequences.....how utterly ridiculous does that sound?

I just finished reading, "Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches" by Rachel Jankovic and it has a whole chapter devoted to this nasty little habit.  This whole book really convicted me on a lot issues that I have already been struggling with but was unsure as to how to work through.  It really gave me a renewed sense of focus and direction.  It also reminded me to slow down and enjoy these years; they are SO fleeting. 

I could go on and on about the ways that it has changed my attitudes about motherhood and discipline, but really, what I think you should do, is pick one up yourself and get what you can from it. It is a short and entertaining but really delves into some important stuff.  I plan on reading it multiple times, as I have a pretty thick head sometimes.  I HIGHLY recommend it.

 

go hazel, its your burfday

PS- I know, I know, that is the dorkiest smile ever I was making.

The party- details only few really want to see

So we had Hazel's birthday party today.  I can't speak for everyone, but I know our household had a ton of fun.  And I had almost as much fun planning this party.  The girl in me loves giving parties!  Anyway, I went with an orange and pink Sweet Shoppe theme.  And was it ever orange, pink and sweet!  We had a candy buffet that was the source of quite a few grumbles and stink eyes from the parents, a jumpy balloon that showed me how old I really was and lots of family to help celebrate little Hazel turning one.  I am going to post a few pictures of the decorations just for funsies.  And I will get back on later and post some from the actual party.  I also wanted to say thanks to Aunt Janet for making those lovely paper flowers for me!

um, the front door!

cupcakes were made by a sweet lady at my church who made our wedding cake too (thanks Mrs. Kay!).  We also had candy sprinkled pretzels and fruit,  The cupcake toppers were made by Amy's Party Couture on Etsy.

so this may not be the most interesting one, but lookie loo- my drinks coordinate with the party colors!

the candy buffet- my favorite!  I also included snapshots of Z throughout the house

gumdrops from paper lanterns and lollipops from styrofoam and dowels

I made this one for the front door

favors were baby food jars of skittles with z's picture on them (from zazzle) and toothbrushes. 

close shot of the favors

Frugality: the new black

Unless you have been living under a rock the past few years, you know how our economy has affected people all across the country.  You have probably had conversations with your friends, read articles in the papers and well, probably looked at your own lives and re-evaluated your finances.  I know my family has been thinking about and adjusting how we spend our own money for the past year or so.

Actually a few days ago, I read an article from yahoo finance here that basically just talks about how most of America, even those who haven't really lost much or fear of losing much, are finding ways to cut back, readjusting their owns lives so that they are not so dependant on money.  What a beautiful, freedom-inspiring idea!  If only ONE good thing comes out of this recession, may it be our reflection and redirection of our own lives.  What is really important?  What can we give up?  How can we make the most of the least?

So, I wanted to share a few ways we are saving money and I hope that you will also share your ideas with me.  It feels DEEPLY satisfying to save money.  And I promise you, this is a new thing for me.  I haven't always valued frugality in my life.  But I have a deeper appreciation for it in the last year or so.  Its not even about saving just to make ends meet.  Its about being a good steward of our finances.  It is about being in control of what God has given us, using it the best way.  Its really what its about. 

Anyway, here are things I find helpful in the process:

1. Turning off lights.  Okay, not just turning off lights.  But using those energy efficient lightbulbs, have the energy star appliances, using wood burning stove in winter- this stuff WORKS.  Maybe the initial investment is higher, but I am a witness to this- our electric bill is 1/3 less than what it used to be.

2. Buying off season for clothes.  I try to buy as many of Adler and Hazel's seasonal clothes at the end of the season, meaning January for next winter's clothes and July for next summer's clothes.  I usually get them 40-80% off. 

3. I buy a lot of stuff online because it is way easier than taking two little ones shopping.  Before I buy ANYTHING online, I google the store and "coupon codes" to find out if there are any discount codes I can apply to the store, even the small online stores.  I save a TON of money this way.

4. www.shortcuts.com - online coupon site that automatically loads coupons to your grocery discount card.

5. cloth diapers- I use the flip system- super affordable, super effective, and super easy!  I only use them part-time, and cut my diaper cost in half.  It feels so good to save money on diapers.

6. We just don't eat out.  I would have much more of a problem with this one if I didn't have two children who made eating out the most miserable experience ever (sorry, kids, I love you both, but its true).

So, that's all I have right now.  I was thinking I was being way more frugal before I started this post.  So, how do you save?

Next blog post, "How I Don't Save" and there will be only one on this list- can you guess what?

Weary

We had a great Easter Sunday yesterday! I was feeling much much better and we were able to go to church and spend time with both sides of the family. Adler had a great time too- he is quite the egg hunter! He figured out that the good eggs were the ones that were hard to find.

We got home last night and finally got Ad down to bed around 9. I was exhausted. And then I had a chance to look at my house and realized how terribly unkempt (putting it nicely) that it was and felt even more exhausted. I have mountains of laundry that needs to be washed, and a bigger range of mountains that need to be folded and put away. I have toys scattered EVERYWHERE, dust 2 inches thick covering every surface of my house, a refrigerator and pantry that need to be organized and most definitely refilled, floors that haven't seen a mop in ages, a half finished room that NEEDS to be a playroom, a playroom that NEEDS to be a nursery, bathrooms that need some attention to detail, taxes that need to be filed....the list goes on. I feel weary at the thought of it, and ashamed that I am falling down on my job as the keeper of my home. I know that as a Christian wife and mother, God expects so much more from me. I am nervous about bringing another child into the world, about how I am going to be able to possibly handle the responsibilities when I often feel I am barely holding my head above water now. I pray today that God gives me the desire and strength to be the Proverbs 31 woman He calls me to be.

Home Projects- What NOT to do

So, I feel like I am running out of time to do things before this baby gets here (I'm almost 28 weeks now!) so this weekend, I decided to finally start clearing out the playroom so it can start looking like a nursery. The first thing on the agenda was to take everything off the walls. When Ad was a wee one, I found these adorable alphabet cards from The Land of Nod and used them as a border along the top of the wall. And then I found some cute little color cards that I also put on the wall. I don't regret putting them on the wall because we used them all the time; however, I regret my method for putting them on the wall. I couldn't get them to stick using traditional methods, so I, being the genious I am, decided to use the heavy duty double sided tape to do the job. And it worked really really well. They didn't budge for 2 years. And now I realize why Eric was so upset when he found out I had used it in the first place. Our little nursery now has holes in the walls where the tape pulled off the sheetrock! And what is worse, is that when I discovered it was doing this, I kept doing it. I don't know why; I just assumed that there was no way around it. I didn't realize "they" made something out there that could prevent it from tearing the sheetrock. So now we are looking at major repair work (meaning, shelling more $$$ out) and delayed progress on getting things ready for baby. I am so aggravated with myself!

Does anyone out there know how to repair sheetrock?

As a side note, I really need to watch what I say. Adler was in the room with me when I was doing it and after I pulled the first chunk of sheetrock off the wall, I exclaimed, "Oh Daddy is going to kill Momma for this one." So what did Ad say the rest of the day but "Daddy kill Momma" over and over. He alternated that with "Daddy kill Adler?" and "Momma kill Adler?"

Go USM!

So, I didn't actually attend University of Southern MS, but I did live in Hattiesburg for several years, so I have some sort of loyalty to USM at any rate. And E went there. And my sister graduated there. So, I think I can be proud of them for this too!

I read in my September issue of Parents magazine about a new paint (Nov 07) that is zero-toxin, zero-carcinogen and zero VOC (volatile organic compound). It is ultra-low odor and offers a line that is solvent free including the use of 100% non toxic colorants. I know what you are thinking, brown, off brown, and light brown, but no, they have over 1200 colors! And their prices are the same as your average gallon of paint, around $20 a gallon.

And the coolest part, it was created by the good ole' Polymer scientists at the University of Southern MS. Check out the website for Mythic Paint here.

I know as a first time mom, the fumes and toxins from the paint in the baby's room was a major concern of mine. Even though I used low toxin paint and painted my baby's room months before he came, I wish that this paint would have been around then. There is enough to worry about when the new baby comes; at least now we can mark this off that list!

I know you are trying to be helpful

but please, stores I frequently shop at, stop sending me sale notices and coupons. Its too much, its just too much. I can't resist. The thought crossed my mind today that I may have some issues.
On the bright side though, I bought Ad some winter clothes and a few summer pieces for next year and only spent $96 at Polkadot Pony. I added up the original prices, and would have spent $374. See, now you see why I can't resist? Who knew children's clothes could be discounted that much? I surely didn't until this summer. Never again will I pay full price!

On other news, Adler has been hit and miss with his sleeping. He was up about an hour last night, crying and falling asleep, waking, crying and falling asleep. It was better than his average night, but still not where we need to be. I am trying some things though and am hopeful over the next few nights, it will get better.

We spent the weekend relaxing and playing in the pool, eating watermelon and catching up on some household stuff. We tiled our dining room a few weeks ago and finally painted in there and moved the furniture back in, thank goodness. I was tired of the table sitting in the middle of the living room. Now I have to get all my china out of the bathtub and put it back in the china cabinet and get the house back to normal. I am so ready to be DONE with it!

Alrighty, need to run!

airing my dirty laundry

My father in law stopped by my house the other day and came through my laundry room. For those of you who have seen my laundry room, you know that is something you hope to never see twice. I just can't get it together. ever. its always a disaster. Anyway, I feel as though I need to offer this blog as a forum to post my sincere apologies to my father in law for the image of dispair and wretchedness that is now forever burned in his retinas. Its that's bad.

So when I got home and found out that he had seen our dirty little secret, I panicked. Here's how it went down:

E: So, dad came by and saw our laundry room.
Me: stunned silence.
E: Got a good look at it too.
Me: Did you explain to him we haven't had time to do laundry since getting back from our trip?
E: No
Me: Well, did you tell him that a rabid squirrel got in and ransacked the place?
E: No
Me: what about the remodeling project we are under?
E: Um, No.
Me: That police raid? (must I keep pulling from my long list of reasons my laundry room is messy to make this point?)
E: Nope
Me: Well, did you at LEAST blame it on Adler?
E: No, and I won't do it anymore. I am tired of making excuses.

He just won't play my game. That hurt though- and it pushed me into action. My mission is to clean and organize the laundry room and keep it that way. I will post later what my master plan is (I know you must be on the edge of your seat.)

Clutter Issues

For those of you who know me and have been to my house PRE baby, you know that I have always kept my house very tidy (and mom- I am talking post living at home, I have no excuses for my room back then!). I couldn’t stand for things to be out of order and if my house was not dusted, vacuumed and well, just “clean-cleaned” every week, I felt out of sorts and irritable.

After Adler was born, I really struggled with clutter issues. Of course, he didn’t play with toys at first, but he had a lot of “equipment” that had no place, lots of burp cloths, diapers, blankets….and then there was all our mess that I just didn’t have the time or energy to do anything with. As Adler has gotten older, his toys have overtaken our house. In addition, due to his increased mobility and curiosity, there is not an inch of our house in which he does not comb over, un-do or move every single day.

I am taking steps to deal with the constant clutter in our home; there are baskets in almost every room for toys; and I am trying to remember to spend a minute or so straightening each room before we leave to it play in another. But it still gets to me sometimes.

The thing is though: I love my home now more than ever before. Last night, after Adler was in bed, as I was pulling Adler’s rain boots off the pantry shelf and grabbing the can of beans out of his toy-chest, I realized that I love to find those sorts of reminders around the house. It warms my heart and makes me laugh to find the results of his little busy hands at play and busier little mind in things like misplaced boots found in the dishwasher and stuffed animals carefully placed under the bathroom sink. I love that my house is now filled with shrills and shrieks of laughter and whirling toys; always buzzing with energy.

I always thought that for a house to feel like home, for it to feel like something you can be comfortable in, it has to immaculate and impeccably tidy. Understandably, order is important in a home. I am certainly not dismissing it and really trying to restore it. But the thing is, regardless of how clean my house it, I am most at home whenever my toddler is near by, toys and mess and all.

the housewife's pride and joy

So we finally broke down and bought a new dishwasher- its a bosch and its fantastic!! It has a santitizing feature and a half load feature and the best part- its so quiet you can hardly tell its running! Our previous dishwasher could only be run when we were sleeping or out of the house because it was so loud, so I am so excited!

We have been debating over the past few months whether or not we should move. Ultimately, we would like to be in a new or newer home, with a little less square footage and either in a neighborhood where we don't have to worry about its future or out of town a bit.
But, to do that would mean a higher house note, which would mean I would probably have to go back to work. We are not ready for that anytime in the near future, so we have decided to stay put. However, my one condition is to get rid of the floor in my kitchen and family room. For those of you who haven't seen my floors in those two rooms, they may be the ugliest floors ever. They are this terribly tacky 1970's faux pebble (I guess that was what they were going for, but its not really pebble color, more like a gravel color or something) laminate atrocities. So we are searching for floors now. I really do love our house- I feel like it has character and it fits our family well, except it is a pain to clean. But those floors, well, there is no love lost there. It was the one thing I wanted to do when we moved in the house and I am excited about it!