RED, White & Blue…

9 Jul

A late update on our Fourth of July festivities…

This little guy saw fireworks for the first time and the loud popping and shooting flames made him run…CLOSER to the fireworks, NOT away.  He was a HUGE fan, mommy not so much.

The week leading up to Independence Day we celebrated by tie dying shirts {as seen above}.  I watched a Youtube video to learn how to do stripes for my son and a heart on my daughter’s {not pictured}.  If you want to check it out yourself search tie dye on youtube…you may get lucky like me and hear one of the seemingly professional Youtubers yelling “No, Dad!! I didn’t feed the dogs!!” as the video comes to a close {I don’t know why, but it really made me laugh at the time}.

Next, we {as in my children} decorated strawberries as I had seen on several blogs…they didn’t turn out so beautiful, but my kids had fun and they tasted way more delicious than they looked!

And finally, I share my favorite RED for the Red, White & Blue…THE Strawberry Basil Margarita!  I ran across this amazing recipe one night when I was craving a margarita and I didn’t even have to leave my house for a single ingredient…it was meant to be!!  This is my new summer favorite and I don’t know what I’m going to do when fresh strawberries go out of season…pumpkin margarita anyone??  Kidding!!  Even I think that sounds gross!

It’s the Dad Life…

17 Jun

Happy Friday friends!!  I’m going to be spending the entire weekend working while my sweet husband manages our kiddos…what better way for him to celebrate Father’s Day??  No relaxing, just enjoying every moment with the two little people that made him a father!!    Haha!

I saw this video for the first time last year around Father’s Day.  It is probably the most hilarious thing I have ever watched.  I don’t laugh-out-loud too easily, so that is really saying something…

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads {who don’t read this blog} out there!  And, especially to my wonderful husband!

NEVER say never…

3 Jun

I must confess…I have never been a fan of the child safety harness/backpack.  I need to apologize to any parent that I may have stared at a little too long with eyes of wonder and possibly judgement…I walked in their shoes….through four airports.  I was nervous someone was going to scream “free the leash kids!!!” every time I was approached by a stranger.  Strangely enough, I only received words of encouragement from those happy to see me keeping my toddler close in the busy airport setting.  Whew!

I guess I imagined my son would walk like a well-trained dog when I strapped on his “monkey backpack.”  Instead, he acted like his usual toddler self….walking wherever he wanted to go, pulling on the tether when I didn’t follow, and falling to the floor in a temper tantrum when I still didn’t budge.  The backpack/harness is also a great way to develop sibling animosity.  My daughter was determined to be the controller of the leash and my son could not dislike that arrangement more.  It caused countless scuffles and screams between the two.

So, I carried my son through four airports.  I was envious of every parent I saw pushing a stroller and wondered why I thought it would be simpler to bring less baby “stuff” with me on this trip.  But, every time I had to rest my arms or search for an item in my bag, I was very comforted by the tug on my wrist from my son’s tether…I knew he was within arms reach even when I had to look away.

Captivated…

31 May

My little ones and I are safely home from a week-long stay at an American paradise that just so happened to be featured in this month’s Disney Family Fun Magazine.

There was lots of fun in the sun…

and shade…

Bicycle rides {although, not really in the sand}…

Some people watching…

breathtaking sunsets…

and shells galore!!

We miss you, Captiva!

I wear my most cherished accessories…

12 May

I am a baby-wearer.  I have never been a huge fan of strollers {I like to keep my babies super close}.  Stories about cars hitting or running over strollers and other horror stories like this and this have terrified me.  Only after having my second child, have I resorted to regularly using a stroller when I am out and about with the two of them.  

When I was pregnant with my daughter I ordered a Maya wrap…turned out to be way too much material for me.  I tried the Moby wrap…again, too much material and work for me.  So, I then purchased a Baby Bjorn and both my husband {yep, the husband wore it too!} and I LOVED it until my daughter reached 20+ pounds and it became uncomfortable for all involved.

I still wanted to have a way to “wear” my daughter even after she outgrew her Bjorn, so I was on the search for a new and hopefully inexpensive wrap.  I am an extremely amateur sewer, but I decided to give this pattern a try.  It didn’t cost me a penny because I had heavy material and thread remaining from curtains I made for our old house.  As with everything I have ever sewn, I made a mistake {this time while sewing the seam}, but it was easily covered with a pocket that conveniently carried my cell-phone or a pacifier when needed.  Overall, I was pretty happy with the results and was definitely happy with the price.  I put my new baby carrier to the test when I flew cross-country with my daughter later that week…it was the perfect hands-free, toddler-wearing device for me at the time.

This is not me, my baby, or my sling...

 Next week I face the ultimate challenge of flying with my 18 month-old son {please keep in mind that I don’t even take this child to the grocery store with me anymore…he is that difficult to wrangle}.  When he wants to “GO, GO, GO” there is really no stopping him and he doesn’t find being strapped to his mama fun AT ALL!

I have one toddler-taming idea in mind.  Stay tuned… 

For the Win.

27 Apr

Finish dishwasher tablets.

I highly recommend them.

Not only do they clean my dishes, and clean them well…

They have also provided my children with hours of entertainment.

Yes, I said HOURS.

Hours of pretending the individually packed tabs are anything from money to candy…

Hours of dumping them in and out of their drum-like container…

Hours of hiding them under couch cushions, between toys, and in drawers.

And that can only mean one thing….

Free time for ME!

{and just a little cleanup when the fun is over}

He is Risen!

24 Apr

Our Easter looked like this…

My baby boy’s first Easter egg hunt on Good Friday.  Big sister is already a pro egg-finder.  On a side note: My husband is not a fan of my daughter’s fuchsia dress {seen below}, but I loved it…I could spot her in a second while she ran through the kid-filled park.

I baked and decorated {have I mentioned how much I despise decorating?} our family’s traditional lamb cake…something that has been done every Easter since I was a child.   I have already made plans with my mom for Easter 2012…that SHE will be here to make that cake {NOT only me}!

My husband and daughter had a traditional Easter-Sunday church experience…having to listen to the service from outside the church since it was packed inside {I stayed home with my sick baby boy}.  And then it was off to Nana’s house for brunch and to hunt eggs {again}…

I hope everyone enjoyed their time with their family and friends as much as we did.  We are truly BLESSED!!

33 Drafts.

14 Apr

Yep.  I have 33 draft posts that I need to complete and publish.  Procrastinate much?  Actually, not really.  I just get busy…then get bored with the topic I started…and move on to something else entirely.

I got tagged by another mommy blogger this week, {I’m closely examining her life in case I ever convince both myself and my husband to have a third baby} and decided answering her questions sounded like a fun way to break away from my accidental series on child-safety.  So, here is a little more about me…

Places I Go:

1. Neighborhood coffee group

2.  Gymnastics- for my daughter, not me {although wouldn’t that me funny if it was for me?}

3.  Playdates in various locations

4.  Grocery shopping {Costco & Walmart}


Favorite Smells:

1.  Babies

2.  Rain

3. Nestle Tollhouse Cafe {always smells like fresh-baked cookies}

4. Christmas {that makes sense, right?}

TV Shows:

1.  ModernFamily

2.  Dancing With the Stars {although this season is disappointing me}

3.  Grey’s Anatomy/Desperate Housewives {aren’t these two the same?  No?  Oh!…I choose Grey’s when I am up for crying and Deperates when I want something easy}.

4.  Weeds {because Nancy Botwin makes me feel like the best.mom.EVER!}

Movies: 

1. Grease

2. Dirty Dancing

3. 50 First Dates

4. Elf

Recommendations:

1.  Love

2.  Forgive {yourself and others}

3.  Take nothing for granted

4.  Exercise

Favorite Things To Do:

1. Play in the sun on a beautiful warm day

2.  Nap

3.  Sip wine with my husband on our balcony

4.  Have quiet time {rare, but cherished!}

Dislikes:

1. Exhaustion

2. Illness

3. Seeing my children {or anyone really} feel sad/hurt

4. Lies

Friends To Tag:  (This means you answer these same questions on your blog!)

I have little idea who reads my blog {and am surprised in general by the people who do}. So, if you are on my blogroll, I am reading your blog, so consider yourself tagged and start sharing!

I’ll close with this recent picture from my home…it makes me smile and I hope it does the same for you!


t-r-o-u-b-l-e

4 Apr

The child-safety isle exists because of boys like this…

Oh…and so do plungers.

Links

24 Mar

I’ve been really, really behind on blogging lately.  I’m still living my life as a mom…busy reading kiddo-related stuff and children’s books.  Here are a few articles that I have found important as of late.

Looking Back

My son is 16 months old now, well over 20 lbs and still facing backwards in his car seat.  Why?  Because I love to hear him scream while I drive and have no clue what he is doing?  Because it brings me great joy to see his little legs scrunched against the backseat when I buckle him in?  I don’t know how we’re going to make it to the minimum of 2 years-old, but that is what the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending these days.  No, it’s not new news, but it’s a hot topic of conversation these days among moms of young children.  I will abide in the best interest of my child’s head, neck, and spinal column…legs are just a little less important.

Car seat No-Nos

Way back in the month of June, I tried to share some of my car seat education {I trained with the firemen back in 2005!} to discuss some common safety mistakes that parents make when securing their kids in their car seats.  This article does a better job as it quickly flashes through 11 of the most common mistakes.  I am non-compliant on #6: Tethers.  Shame on me.  If our vehicle was equipped for tether use, I would start using them today.

What Not to Eat

This link does not apply to me, but is for all my preggo friends out there.  I always assume other people know what is considered safe and  NOT safe to eat while pregnant, and then I watch some preggo down a pack of licorice and am greatly disappointed.  Just kidding…I had no idea licorice was on the list of forbidden foods.  Thank goodness that is not a flavor I craved during pregnancy {or anytime really}.

The Sleepless Toddler

This last link was actually forwarded to me by my husband.  We have been having a tiny issue with our youngest not wanting to sleep.  AGAIN!  The first year of his life it was probably my fault that he was a poor sleeper.  I don’t like to let my children cry it out.  Especially for the first 6 months of life when babies haven’t even developed object permanence {knowing that something still exists even when they can’t see it}.  I didn’t want MY child to feel abandoned.   So here we are again…exhausted.  It’s nice to know that we {the parents} haven’t messed up this time.  We’ll just call it a developmental milestone…although this one won’t be going down in the baby book!

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