Babies don't keep

Cleaning and scrubbing 

can wait til tomorrow, 

for babies grow up 

we've learned to our sorrow. 

So quiet down cobwebs, 

dust go to sleep, 

I'm rocking my baby, 

cause babies don't keep.

This framed cross stitch is hanging in my family room at the bottom of the stairs where I can see it multiple times a day. It was painstakingly done by my grandmother, per my request. She put alot of love and time into as she had to come up with design/wording placement herself. I love and cherish it so much! It serves as a great reminder to me of how quickly this time with my children goes by and helps me to keep my priorities in check. I'm learning to let some things go and take the extra time to rock my babies, snuggle them and play with them because all too soon the time will come when they won't me to do those things with them! this is one of my favorite sayings and might be because of this season of life I am in. I have known the working side of mother hood and the demands that places on a mother and limited time you get with them and I have known the joys of being able to stay home with them and watch them grow up and experience life with them. As I start my job search to return to the workplace and my daughter gets ready to start kindergarten, I am all the more aware of how short my time with them is! Oh how I wish time would slow down. My youngest is already 5.5 weeks old and I can't remember my life without her!

 My son picked his first flower for me this week! He melts my heart!

I am so blessed in my life and I don't want to waste the precious time I have been given!

Our baby girl has arrived

The arrival of our newest addition was one that was much anticipated as the gender was known only to my husband. Everyday that past, I thought that surely today will be the day. I actually made it to my due date this time around and I found I was not very patiently waiting this little ones arrival. The night of my due date was a full moon and like every other night I thought this is it. I had been having mild contractions since about 20 weeks so that was nothing new. However, this time I had 2 contractions that made me think I was dying and I knew this was really it! So I woke Patrick up who proceeded to ask me what the matter was, then I went downstairs to head to the car and my mother (who was staying with us for the week-thank goodness!) asked me "What hurts?" when I told her I was in labor! not sure why everyone was asking me such stupid questions but nonetheless we headed to the hospital, this was about 12:00 midnight. The hospital was about 40 min away and when we were about 2 min from home I knew we weren't going to make it! So we headed to the local hospital that was 5 min away. I had to go through the ER because I was not familiar with the hospital and the poor gentleman at the desk turned ghost white when he realized what was happening. By the time we got to the elevator he was in a full on trot, probably cause I told him I wouldn't make it too much further. We arrived in L and D and the rest happened so fast. Except the doctor who took his time putting on his gloves to deliver the baby, therefore the nurse proceeded to use her hand to keep the babies head from being delivered until the doctor was ready. Our baby girl was born at 12:25am without any interventions, pain medication, or warning. I just kept saying, "No not again! I don't want to do this again!" referring to not getting an epidural. Lets just say I'm not one to labor gracefully. At one point the nurse grab my arm and sternly told me in a loud voice I needed to get control! However, I had no control over my body and I had no idea how to gain control as it was all happening so fast! The rest of my hospital stay was uneventful and baby girl and I pretty much just hung out and bonded. Since this was my third I was fairly well versed in baby care so the nurses and doctors pretty much left me alone. I was just glad we did not have to deliver on the side of the road, that Patrick was able to be there with me, and that my mom was there to watch the kids cause if we had to take 5 min to get them out of bed or even to take them to a friends home we would not have made it!

Our sweet baby girl who was born 25 min after her due date was a solid 8#2oz and has been such a blessing as she is an eating and sleeping champ! My husband says she is a tiny answer to a very big prayer that we have been praying since we found out we were expecting! After the 1st year with my son and his challenges in the sleeping and eating department, this new little one has been so great! We are smitten with her and I can't get over how big she is!

Meeting baby sister

Daddy and baby (He was still in shock over the whole situation!)

We have thoroughly enjoyed our most recent addition and can't wait to see the lovely lady she will become!

Our new family of five

Bringing home baby

Grandma and her girls

Chubby baby

Mom challenge update

Since its been over a week since I started the Mom challenge, I thought I would update you on how I've been doing with it so far. Day 1 my daughter requested to go to the park. So we did. Day 2 I have 420  weekends until my daughter graduates and 575 until my son graduates which puts things more into perspective and has helped me really focus on spending quality time with them while they are little. I found this little ditty that helps to remind me of how quickly my kids grow up.

Day 3 was to focus on Patience which ironically I had in short supply this day making my conversations with God very frequent this day. On day 4, my child graciously did not ask to do very much but we did do puzzles, played games, and just goofed around but nothing crazy. My favorite so far has been Day 11, I love listening to my children laugh from deep in their bellies and its even better when the reason they are laughing is because of me!

So far this challenge has been good for me to help me focus more on the little people in my care and less on the fleeting things of this world.

Have a great month and Happy Mother's Day!

May Mom Challenge

I feel as though I should caveat this post by saying our lives have been crazy busy and stressful the past few months. However, that doesn't justify my actions or behaviors as a parent. One thing I love about children is there brutal honesty. A few days ago, my daughter says to me, "Mom I have something to tell but I'm scared to say it cause I don't want you to get mad." She went on to say that she feels like she doesn't like me or love me even though she knows in her heart that she does cause she is frustrated or mad at me when I talk to her or do certain things or don't allow her to do certain things cause I'm busy. This broke my heart cause I know exactly what she is referring to and I know in my heart that I say and do things that are selfish on my part and not always with her feelings in mind because I have 'stuff to do' or  'I'm too tired and don't feel like parenting.'

So as I was perusing Pinterest, I found several versions of a Mom Challenge like this one here, that helps you focus on one thing each day related to your child and parenting and I thought, I can do that. But there were certain areas that I knew I needed to focus on so I used some examples I found online incorporated with my own ideas and created a monthly spreadsheet that can be printed out and put on the fridge for a daily reminder. I'm calling it the May Mom Challenge. So for each day in May there is a specific task or focal point. On the days were is simply says, Focus my goal is to really keep my mind geared toward that attribute related to parenting and spend intentional time in prayer about it.

I love this quote as it reminds me of my current calling in life and how important the little people God has entrusted me with are to Him and His kingdom.

So, will you join on this challenge through the month of May to be more intentional in our parenting?
I will try to post periodical updates about how I'm doing with this over the course of the month, so check back soon!
Click here to access the challenge and download/print for your personal use. And let me know if you plan to join in the challenge. I'm curious what you think!

How is it March already???

I can't believe it has been almost 3 mos since I blogged last! I didn't think I was that busy! I must say that I think about blogging and will often come up with ideas to blog about but alas that is only helpful when I actually sit down and blog about it! I would like to promise to get better however, my life is about to get even more crazy in the next 3 mos, so bear with me and maybe when I come up for air I will blog about it! So for an update:
Preschool in 2015 has fallen by the wayside. We do less structured schooling using lesson plans and focusing on a letter and more on learning as we go throughout our day. For example, we have been focusing on 4 y/o appropriate chores around the house (ie cleaning room, picking up shoes, matching socks). My daughter was complaining one night about having to match the socks and said, "I would rather clean the toilets then match these socks!" Oh you just wait my child, that day will be here before you know it. We also count things like rocks, trees etc and when she thinks of a word she tries to guess the first letter of that word. And since I'm Left/right dyslexic, we have been focusing alot on learning left and right. We do plenty of crafts and playdoh along with story time at the library, Kingdom kids (like AWANA), and both kids attend child care while I attend a bible study. With all we have going on, I felt like it was too much to add in structured school time.
Therapy update: For those of you who don't know, my son has a speech delay approx 9-12 mos related to fluid behind his middle ear causing mild hearing loss. He has started Early Intervention therapy however, since we are in such a small town there is not a ST available to work with him so he is receiving an intervention specialist once a week (in essence an OT). He is also scheduled to have tubes placed in his ears on Wednesday, so I'm hoping he is well enough for that surgery as it should reverse his hearing loss completely. Since he doesn't say any words, they recommended starting with animal sounds. Here is a video of his lion roar, but honestly after this  video he has done it maybe 1-2x more.

Did I mention we bought a house?  We drove into town and within 24 hours had put in an offer for a home and we got it! Woohoo! I am super pumped to be moving and can't wait to get settled and stay there for longer then 5 mos! And here is a picture of our AWESOME friends who took care of darling kiddos for the weekend while we went to look for a house

Pregnancy update: This pregnancy by comparison has been the hardest in many ways. I have been more sick, and fatigued. I go to the doctor every week for an injection to hopefully keep this baby from coming early. I have already started to feel contractions but I can mange them with rest and water so far. My goal is to make it to May 1st which will allow for me to get all settled into our new place, get stuff setup for the new baby and get my daughter registered for Kindergarten and my son started on services in our new town. I will be 29 weeks on Monday, I will be 31-32 weeks when we move. Everything about this pregnancy has been different from the way I feel, to the way I look (I originally lost 10# since I found out I was pregnant, gained back that 10 over time and have gained an additional 3# thus far-I was a huge balloon with my other two by this point in pregnancy and had gained 30-35#!) So maybe this one will be full term or at least closer to my due date! The other thing that is different is that I have no idea what I'm having! Time will tell!

I will leave you with these adorable photos and maybe I will get a baby bump picture up soon!

2015 Planner

I am obsessed with lists and writing things down. I have been eyeing up the Erin Condren planner for about a year but I just can't justify spending the money. Now that I am staying home with my kids, I am trying to get into a more organized routine and thought a planner would help. I tend to be more productive when I have a lot of stuff to do. For example, while my hubs was away I worked full time, took care of 2 kids, trained for a half marathon, taught AWANA, attended small group and maintained my house and cooked meals (sort of!). Now that I'm staying home I can't even seem to get the laundry done or make a simple meal. What is up with that??? So in an attempt to be more productive I needed a planner :) I wanted something specific for my daily needs but that wasn't just a day planner. I wanted something more fun. So with the help of my computer handy husband, I created my own using free prinatbles I found online and creating some myself. I got the idea from the busy budgeter but I was able to customize it to fit my life and needs for this upcoming year! It cost me roughly $15 dollars, but was fairly time consuming to ensure I had the pages exactly the way I wanted them. I LOVE the final product, so much so, that I already started using it! Here is it: (the cover before it was bound at Staples)

I used a free cover print from this blog (Handmade Home)

I'm a big goal setter so I had to include the goal page found here (Living Locurto)

I added 31 days of prayer for your children as a daily reminder of things I need to clothe my children in prayer of that I can re-use for each month. (To show them Jesus)

And even though I'm expecting a new bundle of joy this year, I wanted to maintain a certain level of fitness and stick to a routine. I found a get fit goals printable that you can keep track of workouts in 12 week increments so I added 4 of those to the planner. I'm hoping between my planner, my fitbit and a future half marathon I will stay motivated throughout the year! (Design Finch)

Next comes a dates to remember page for all those important dates that I forget every year! Well not this year, I already have it filled out and ready to go! (DIY home sweet home)

Now on to the nitty gritty planner. Each month gets a 2 page monthly calendar spread. (Scattered Squirl)

The each month is followed by a weekly 2 page spread divided by Morning, Day and Evening with a notes column and space for meals in each box. My hubs designed this as I told him what I wanted. Isn't he AWESOME?!?!

• I had a blank page at the end of the calendar, so I added a Freezer Inventory. (DIY home sweet home)
• Next I printed 12 TO DO lists (front and back so its only 6 pages). This will be a master monthly list of things that need to get done that month but don't necessarily have a time frame. (ie: renew my OT license) (DIY home sweet home)
• Because I love to write things down and plan things out, I also included enough blank home school planning sheets for the rest of our preschool year. I did not include the fall since I'm not sure what we will be doing school wise. (Handmade Home)
• The back cover I had laminated and is printed with my weekly cleaning schedule so I can use a dry erase marker on it to check of my weekly cleaning list and not have to print a million copies. (Happy Money Saver)
• I had the 1st and last pages laminated and the whole thing spiral bound at Staples for about $8. I needed to buy thicker paper for this project with brought my cost up but I have plenty left to make more for many years to come. If you are wanting to make your own, I would recommend InkJet 98 Bright and 24# so the pages don't bleed or become see through when you print on both sides. I also had to buy a new ink cartridge but I was planning on it anyways since I print so many things for preschool. 

I love the way it turned out and I'm so excited for this upcoming year! Happy Planning!

Homemade Christmas Part 2

This post is all things homemade! To start out, my SIL asked me to make towel backpacks for her kiddos. I scoured Pinterest but couldn't find something exactly like what I wanted so I created my own design! Go Me! I bought beach towels and a coordinating hand towel and a washcloth in an accent color to make the pouch, straps, and outer pocket. now each kid can carry their own towel to the beach! I  had to kind of trial and error on this to get it the way I wanted it, but I love the final product! I plan to make a few more for my own kids and I when I do, I hope to write a more in depth tutorial on how to make one! But for now, here are some photos of the finished product!

This is a pic of the back including the straps

A side view, (you can sorta see the pocket in the blue color-perfect for sunscreen, waterbottle, book etc)

And here is the towel all laid out with a sunbather on it!

For  my next project, I wanted to make a sensory board for my son. So I headed to Lowes and purchased some fun locks, switches, mirrors, etc that I thought he would enjoy. I got the board at Michael's (with a coupon of course!). I painted it construction yellow and asked my hubby to attach everything in place.What boy wouldn't love a board like this?!

My niece was also having a birthday in December, so I saw these cute wooden peg dolls on Pinterest and knew she would LOVE them. Actually, both my children loved playing with them until I had to mail them out! They come in packages of two (1 boy/1girl) so I only made 4 princesses and came up with 4 male characters. There are tons of ideas on Pinterest as they are all the rage it seems! So you can be as creative as you want. I freehand painted these gems so I am SUPER proud of myself. I hope that my Niece really enjoys them!

I made Snow White. Rapunzel, Aurora, Belle, a Pirate, Doctor, Fireman, and Policeman

I chose princesses who were more moderately dressed since this gift was for a 2 y/o.

I also made each of my niece and nephews a wallet from this tutorial here. I added buttons to the outside after I took this photo. The picture is terrible but the I used a coordinating fabric for an inside pocket as well that I was able to use from my scrap fabric stash. 

And of course every little girl needs a purse to hold her wallet. So I made some of those too. I used the tutorial from here.

And I couldn't make a purse without adding a felt makeup compact! I pretty much made this pattern up as I went along but it's so darn cute!

And now for the adults, I found some super cute tea towels at Target for less then $2 a piece! Shhhhh! Don't tell. So I scooped up a whole bunch and turned them into aprons. Since when  I'm cooking, I always wipe my hands on the dishtowel, I though I just need an apron made from a dishtowel then I can throw it in the wash when I'm done! So all I did was add a ribbon to the top and viola! I have a cute apron, that also made for a great gift for my SIL's and friends! I unfortunately gave them all away as gifts before I could get a good photo. :(

And last but not least, I saw this idea for a busy bag felt pizza. I made a menu that was personalized to the kiddos I was giving it to. It was a little time consuming to cut out all the pieces, but it was very inexpensive and keeps the kids busy! And I made a coordinating bag to keep all the pieces together.

I hope you enjoyed all of my homemade gifts! If you like any of these or are interested in any of these items, please let me know! I'm thinking of starting an Etsy shop and need some encouragement to do so! :) Enjoy the last days of 2014!!