5 on Friday

1.  Jessie James Decker

It’s no secret that I love this gal.  I follow her on Instagram and always enjoy her posts.  Talk about a funny, down to earth lady!  Recently she has teamed up with Amore&Sorvete to do her own swimwear line.  She posted a photo this week of her sweet little daughter wearing one of her designs and I was smitten! 

As You Can See, This Is A Repost From Jessie's IG Page.

I mean, how adorable is this suit?  I love the floral print and the tiny ruffles.  There is a matching mommy one too.  I cannot wait for her line to launch in March so I can see all the other goodies she has in store. 

2. Bible Journaling

Have any of you out there heard of this or do you have one?  I have seen this concept all over the internet and I am fascinated.  I’m not one to call myself an artist (really, I’m horrible at drawing or doodling) but I really like the concept of these bibles.  I think it would be a great way to get back into reading the good book. 

 

I would love to hear from any of you that have a bible like this so I can get some insight on where you purchased yours and how you like it.

3.  Banana Bread Brownies

I love bread…ALL types of bread.  I am also a huge, huge, huge fan of banana bread.  When the weather starts to turn crisp and you can feel summer changing to fall, there is nothing more wonderful than the smell of freshly made banana bread from the oven.  Since it is still winter here in Iowa and shows absolutely no sign – no sign at all – of turning warm, I figure I have the excuse to try out this new recipe I discovered on Pinterest.  

 

Don’t these look amazing – yum!  You can find the recipe here.

4.  Quotes

I love myself some good quotes and humorous sayings every now and then.  My favorites are the short and sweet ones that get directly to the point.  I often find myself writing them down here or there just so I can remind myself on certain days.  It’s amazing how a few little words can put what you are dealing with into perspective.  That being said, here is a little one I came across this morning.  

How true, right?

5. Mommy Time

The world may be freezing over and coming to an end (well, maybe I shouldn’t use this comparison because it just might be with our below zero temperatures outside) because this mommy is taking some time for herself tonight and going to get a manicure and pedicure after work!  This has been a crazy week; aren’t they all?  I am hoping the insane workday that is scheduled will run smoothly and go very quickly so I can embrace the relaxation.  Now here come the big decisions, what color(s) should I choose?

5 on Friday

1. Coffee Mug

 

These first two sections require some help from my readers.   I am on a major hunt for the perfect travel mug.  It has to be able to withstand very hot beverages as I need to have either coffee or my lemon water during my early morning commutes.  It also needs to have a perfect lid so that there isn’t any leaking.  Finally, it has to fit in the cup holders of my car.  I have seen many neat mugs lately that seem a bit unrealistic in their size.  That being said, please-please-please send me some thoughts if you have a travel mug that you love.  I’m pretty tired of investing in new ones every couple of months.

2. Magic Paint Book

 

I am unsure of the proper term for what it is I am looking for so I will try and describe it best I can.  When I was little (yes, that was in the 80’s) I remember taking a paintbrush with water and watching the magical colors appear in my painting book.  I think Tessa would absolutely love one of these painting books and it would be an easy art project for little brother too.  Most importantly (to me), it’s easy clean up and I don’t have to worry about paint all over my children or my house.  So tell me this, does anyone know where I can find these?  Do they still make them?  Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?  I have searched Target and Wal-Mart with no avail so any help would be greatly appreciated.

3. My DIY

Do It Yourself

It has been a month or so since my post regarding my DIY project of recovering a large arm chair in our living room.  The project was on major delay because I couldn’t find the perfect material.  After multiple visits to fabric shops I had nearly given up.  Yet, one evening I ventured out in the freezing cold temperatures yet again and the hubs and I found one that we agreed on.  I’m not sure how it is going to look once it is all said and done but at least we are making steps in the right direction.  I’m sure there will be more on this project to come.  Baby steps, right?

4. NYFW

 

I don’t know about any of you, but I have been obsessed following a ton of beautiful women as they ventured to the shows during New York Fashion Week.  I can only imagine what it must be like to attend one of these in person!  It is on my bucket list for sure.  I definitely don’t have a designer closet these days but it hasn’t sequestered my love for all things fashion.  The colors, the fabrics, the make-up and hair, the lights…all ah-mazing. 

5. Nothing’s Perfect

If you follow along with my blog, you have seen my recent posts this week that described recent incidences in my life.  I choose to write about these little episodes because it is my way to show that life is not easy and it is surely not perfect.  I think many of us have the tendency to try so hard to make everything go smoothly and then get frustrated when they don’t.  This is only a natural reaction, especially after taking all the appropriate steps to ensure things do.  Yet, it just isn’t practical.  Things come up, and life just happens.  Not all of life is going to be good; there will always be struggles and hard times.  Although these hard times sometimes feel like they last forever, they are really only a small portion (minutes, days, weeks) of the grand thing we call life.  The good news is that we have 100% control over these situations; not that they happen but how we respond to them.  I know I have my up and downs every day, every week, and every month.  But it’s amazing how with a little change in attitude you can really focus on what is a big deal and what isn’t.  That being said, I will continue to share little insights into my struggles because hey…I’m only human. ;)

 

Real Life #6

I figured I would share yet another story of my ‘real life’ since I seem to be on a roll this week.

Monday, February 16^th

Monday after work, I headed across town to pick up the kids.  Once we were packed up, we drove another thirty-five minutes to get to Tessa’s gymnastics class.  Brady enjoys watching Tess for about three minutes and then I get creative about ways to keep him entertained for the remaining hour or so.  Luckily they have some toys in the lobby and many other parents help in this effort as well.  I had one nice lady chat with him and we got to talking as well.  She inquired about how old he was.  After a second of sitting back to think about it, I replied “he’ll be eighteen months next week.”    

Today, February 18^th

This morning I was blow drying my hair while I thought about the date and our schedule for the day; work, appointments, etc.  I realized that it’s the 18^th of the month and then it dawns on me…I missed a milestone.  Mr. Brady turned eighteen months old on February 16^th (as his birthday is August 16^th).  I completely forgot my son’s half birthday.  I know, I know, it’s not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things.  However, I was so good about remembering and celebrating each milestone with Tess and poor Brady boy seems to get neglected in these areas.  What makes it worse is that I even had a woman ask me his age, I had time to think about it, and then my answer was completely off.  Where am I and where is my mind these days?  Perhaps I need a day of rest but we all know that will not cease to happen anytime soon.  I am making up for it by writing this post, including sweet photos of my little blessing, giving extra snuggles to him tonight, and having a little celebrate treat for him too.  He’ll never know mommy’s two days late, right?

 

Little Bear

Hi!

He Still Loves His Lamb

My Favorite Photo. This Was Taken At The Children's Hospital Prior To A Kidney Procedure.  Little Did He Know...

That Hammer...Bang, Bang, Bang Is All I Hear

Yes, sweet boy, it's true.  You turned eighteen months old this week.  You are still the happiest child I have ever laid eyes on.  You have been through so much during your first months with us but somehow you stay strong.  Your big bright eyes and smile are such a joy.  You love your sister so much and get frustrated when she doesn't want to play with you.  You are completely a daddy's boy right now.  Second in line is Grandpa, followed by Tess, Mason, and then mommy coming in dead last.  I know it's only a phase and I'm hoping to be your number one again soon. ;)
You run around like crazy and I am anxiously awaiting the day when your little legs start holding up your body a bit better so you quit falling over so much.  Even still, you are surely growing and hit 20.1 lbs as of yesterday. 

You continue to eat everything in sight in the amounts comparable to an adult.  You have become more fussy with your vegetables but will eat shovel in any type of fruit, especially berries.  You also love the word "cookie" and have learned to ask for one of those each night as well.  Whoops, mommy mistake as I love my desserts!

Your favorite toys include you hammer and tool kit, your kitchen, the toy train set, Tessa's balance beam, and really anything that your sister has in her hand at the time.  Oh, and you love to play with Mason (he is so tolerant).

You have no fear, same as your sister, so you always have me on edge.  You love everything about the water and scare me already in your attempts to climb into the tub.  You will put your head under water on purpose and at the lake or the pool you are frustrated when we hold on to you.  Mr. Independent indeed.

You are such a sweet blessing to us and as I said before, I will attempt to not forget or miss any more milestones in the future!

Real Life #5

Tess is at a wonderful age where she can do so many tasks and activities independently. She chooses her outfits (which can be quite entertaining at times), gets dressed, helps with her hair, eats, plays, and cleans up with minimal assistance if necessary.

 

Brady boy is also gaining independence. We definitely still dress and feed the child but he has always been wonderful at independent play. I feel some of this is due to him being a boy and also in part because he was the second child. With Tess, I had nothing but time to coddle and cuddle with her.  Mr. Brady had to share my attention from the second he came on board with our little family.

 

All this being said, my days and nights at home with the kids are getting easier each and every week. I finally feel like we can play so much more and even take little trips into town without me wanting to yank my hair out by 4pm.

 

And then we had a situation last week...and I'm hoping it was an isolated incidence.

Here I am with the kids buckled in the car, the independent kids I mentioned above.  They are dressed, fed, have books and toys for entertainment, cups of water and snacks on board. We are set to go into town (which always seems to look and feel like we are taking a weekend vacation someplace magical). There is nothing, nada, that my children should need. We make it two minutes from the house and Brady begins to talk loudly. That slowly progresses to a scream and breaks into an all out wail. I'm puzzled trying to think of what on earth he may need.  This wailing annoys Tess and she starts to yell at him because "he's too loud, mommy!"  He doesn't stop, she becomes more frustrated, and soon I have two extrememly loud and fussy children.

 

I am two seconds away from pulling over onto the side of the road just so I can turn around and deal with the situation.  However, the highway didn't seem like the safest place to park so I continued on.  Even though I wanted to scream myself, I tackle the task of calming the kids down best I can.  I start with Tess and see what I can do to relax her.  Passing back a snack seemed to do the trick, along with an agreement that I will see why Brady is so loud. ;)

 

Next, I attempt to talk to Mr. B.  You momma's know it is pretty much impossible to level with a one year (plus) old.  I safetly pass back a toy and miraculously he calms down.

 

Now, tell me, when I have snacks, toys, and books in my children's possession already - why do they need more? 

 

I'm starting to conclude that my children are nearly self-sufficient up until the point where we get in the car!  Maybe it's a new game for them?  Or perhaps it's their (Brady especially) way of saying "I'm here too" as if I could forget as I load them and the entire car before leaving.  Regardless, it puts into perspective yet again how we, as parents, are amazing human beings.

 

 

 

I know I can relate to some of these too!

5 on Friday - Valentines Edition

1 to 5. Valentines Day

This week has been all about love; from writing out cards to sending little gifts to show we care.  The trend shall continue into the weekend as we celebrate our dear love of Valentines Day!

We will be sharing good quality time with friends and family, indulging in heart-shaped pancakes and donuts (if we beat the crowd to ‘em), and opening some surprise little trinkets.  I’m also hoping there’s some chocolate for mommy in the mix there as well…

 

Isn't This Neat?

Tess walked into school today and saw her Mickey Mouse Valentines Day box all full to the brim with fun little cards.  She is pretty anxious to get home tonight to read through them all.  I imagine we will be doing that a few times throughout the weekend.

Last night we embraced the holiday and mixed up some homemade sugar cookies that we could cut out.  We kept nearly all of them to a Valentines Day theme, with the exception of a dog bone cookie that got thrown in the mix.  Maybe it was for Mason?

The kids were up way too late, but hey, you only celebrate your second and fourth Valentines Day once, right?



Late Night Sugar Rush = Gymnastics In The Kitchen

 

So tell me, and don’t be shy, what are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

A Valentine's First

Today was a special day for Miss Tess.  She and I made her very first Valentine’s Day box over the weekend and brought it along with us to school.  They are having little L.O.V.E celebrations each day at school this week in celebration of the upcoming holiday.  She won’t be there for all of the activities, but I am making the most excitement out of those she can attend. 

I feel like she is finally at the age where she is starting to understand the happenings of each holiday and she is more excited to participate in the little fun activities.  When I told her about writing out valentines cards, making a Valentine ’s Day box, etc. she was beyond ecstatic!  “Mommy, let’s go to the store now!”

We made it a family ordeal and let her select out the cards of her choice.  Can anyone guess what they may have looked like?

I asked for a class list from Tessa’s teachers and over the weekend she helped me write them out.  I did all the children’s names and she signed “Tessa” on each one.  She definitely has the ‘T’ down but those ‘E’s are a little bit tricky. ;)

Finally it came time to make her valentines box.  I gave her some photos to look at with ideas she could choose from.  I shouldn’t have been surprised when she said she wanted a Mickey Mouse box.  I’m not the most creative person but with a photo I found online, we created this!

She was thrilled to pick out the colored paper, pull all the tape, and use the scissors to make everything fit just so.   Not too bad for our first go around!

What made it all worthwhile was this…the happiest little gal at school this morning!

My Silly Littles

I will be the first to admit that the hubs and I were a little lazy when it came to baby proofing the house with child #2.  Mr. Brady has had a free for all and up until recently he has been very good about leaving things alone.  Now, he is all about the pots and pans, the Tupperware, and our giant popcorn bowl.  He insists that the only proper way to carry it is on his head. 

I Have No Words

 Also to note is the fact that Mr. B is only wearing one sock.  I'm not sure if this is a genetic deal or not, but both of my kids do this!  They only wear one sock or one shoe.  It drives me nuts and I always find myself putting the other sock or shoe on so they're "level."  Maybe they just secretly do this to get a rise out of me - ha!

My other silly child went through an “I’m not tired – I can’t nap” phase this weekend.  Tess is at that age where we no longer do a regular nap time.  Yet, I knew she was tired from our busy schedule and activities.  Here she is proving to me how un-tired she was on two separate occasions.

Little Fashionista On Our Way To Dinner

Cubby Time With Her Best Friends

5 on Friday

1. Secret To Great Hair?

In 2010 I was diagnosed with thyroid disease. I was put on medicine to regulate my TSH levels and only a few short months later I became pregnant with Tess. You'd think with the medication and prenatal vitamins I would have had beautiful, thick hair. Quite the contrary actually; I was a sick little lady for many weeks and lost a good amount of my hair. Looking back at some photos from Christmas that year you can see a bald spot on my left temple and near my part line. No gal should have to deal with that! It has grown in alright since then, but I would love to have some fullness again. I've done a lot of reading and research and decided that I'm going to give Biotin a try. Are there any ladies out there using this?

 

2. The Winter Struggle

If you're living in a cold weather climate you can probably relate to this one. 

Even though the "new year, new you" propaganda is everywhere encouraging a healthy lifestyle, I have a major struggle with being motivated in these temperatures. Why workout when you can snuggle in comfy clothes all night and hibernate with movies? And don't get me started on the Valentines day candy that keeps finding a way into my grocery carts! I can blame the kids, right?

 

3. Pitch Perfect 2

Who else out there is counting down the days until this movie comes out? The hubs and I threw in the original video last night. Even though we know each line and every scene, we still laugh our butts off! 

I love the acapella music, the characters, and the lines of humor. This will always be an all time favorite flick for me.

 If you're in my neck of the woods, I suggest we start planning a theatre date now!

 

4. To Upgrade Or Not?

I am due for an upgrade on my phone. Right now I have the Apple iPhone 4S. I know, I know...an oldie. Truth be told, I love my phone. The only area that needs improvement is the camera. While I am anxious for the new iPhone for better pictures, I'm having a hard time committing to the larger size. I always seem to throw my phone in my back packet or in my bra. Yep, the truth comes out. Hey, sometimes you just don't have an extra hand, or pocket for that matter. A larger phone may throw a wrench in my current practices. So, iPhone owners out there-what are your thoughts? Take the plunge or stay with what I've got?

 

5. Amen To The Weekend

I don't know about the rest of you, but this is the happiest I've been in a long time about seeing the weekend. It was a rough week for me and the littles. The hubs was gone Tuesday and Wednesday with work. Coincidentally this is when we got our second blast of snow. I don't know if you saw my Insta post from last weekend but we received approximately 10 inches of snow from Saturday night to Sunday (while the hubs was at work). We didn't invest in a snowblower this season as we used to live in an association. While the kids napped, I spent an hour and a half shoveling mountains of snow up to my boobs. Talk about cardio! Anyway, with the recent snow my Wednesday morning commute from home to daycare and then to work took 2.5 hours. I like to think I have a ton more patience since having children but snowy roads have a good way of sucking that dry. Here's to a calm and relaxing weekend with lots of melting!

Real Life #4

At least I think I’m on number 4?

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I just love the age of little ones from twelve to twenty-four months.  They learn to walk, they learn to speak, and they are little adventurous souls.  So much of their personalities shine through during this developmental age.

Mr. Brady is seventeen months now (did I just write that), and he is picking up words, phrases, and actions like a little sponge.  I told you how he discovered the word “mine” only a few weeks ago.  Luckily he hasn’t quite grasped the true meaning of the word so it hasn’t become problematic yet.  I stress the word yet. ;)

The most recent word to be added to his vocabulary this past week and a half has been “ou-ie.” (Is that how you spell it?)  When he tripped and fell in the living room, the first thing he said was ou-ie.  We were thrilled to hear yet another word.  At the time it seemed like he understood the meaning…or so we thought. 

Regardless of the situation and particularly when he wants our attention he will not only say “daddy” or “mommy” but will yell “ou-ie daddy” or “ou-ie mommy.” 

It seems cute and innocent enough until you are in a public place trying to put your little one in his car seat, get groceries, or quietly watch big sis at gymnastics…you get my point. 

Poor sis is often standing next to him when he yells as well.  It’s as if he has found a way to tell on her already; even when she’s innocent (although we know that isn’t every time).

Please get passed this stage quickly my sweet boy before people start to wonder!

As a side note, my ALL time favorite phrases that Brady says are “I don’t know” (because he exaggerates the –ow part like a true Midwestern boy) and “duckies.”  He was given a very soft blanket from the congregation on the day of his baptism that has ducks on it.  We made the mistake of referring to it and asking him if he wanted his “duckies” to snuggle with.  Now all blankets are “duckies.”  Whoops!

Healthy Pinterest Cookies

We all love Pinterest, don’t we?  I know I have a fondness for this website.  Where else can you get ideas for home decorating, tips for the kiddos, recipes, and fashion inspiration all in one place!  To say I am obsessed would be an understatement.

This weekend we had a nice LITTLE snowstorm hit Iowa.  That being said, we were tethered to the house (with the exception of when I literally blew over in the driveway removing snow) with no option of leaving for a solid 24 hours. 

The kids and I had some good play time and extra cuddling which made for a pretty awesome weekend all around.  (Well, minus Brady getting his first bloody nose.  The whole event scared me half to death.  Those tiny little legs got the better of him when his top half and bottom half didn’t agree.)

Anyway, I promised Tess that we could do some baking.  Since I didn’t have the option to run to the store, we were at the mercy of what was in the pantry.  I recently pinned a recipe for some healthy breakfast cookies and decided we could give them a whirl.  The recipe was easy; bananas, applesauce, oats, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and some spices.  You could add in some other ingredients if you so choose. 

(And no, we are not a peanut or pistachio free household despite Brady’s allergies).

Boo is a great little helper and loves to pour in the ingredients.  She gets a little wild with her mixing but a little mess never hurt anyone.

  It was a quick recipe with only a bit of improvising.  We didn’t have any chocolate chips so I rounded up some Christmas M&Ms and some M&Ms from her recent princess party and we made it work.  There’s nothing like smashing them up with a rolling pin to get your girl to giggle.

When it was all said and done we popped them in the oven for about 25 minutes and they were ready for testing.

The verdict = they were AWFUL!

“Mommy, this cookie is bad!”  Yes, sweet dear, I couldn’t agree more.

Ha!  There have been, on occasion, recipes that have totally flopped.  The picture looks good, the directions seem easy enough, and the ingredients by themselves are great; yet the outcome is horrible. 

I’m certain I’m not the only one who has encountered this, right?  Here's my attempt to save you all a little time and effort.  If you have this recipe pinned, delete it.

Wishing you all a good Monday!