High Five for Friday

High Five for.....

1)  Our snow is almost all melted that we got last weekend and I don't plan on seeing it again for awhile like hopefully 9 months! 

2)  We made it to Georgia.  We left at 5:30 pm and made it here about 3:40 am. It was a long drive and the boys didn't sleep like we had hoped but we don't have to do it again until Monday.

3) For the next 3 days I get to enjoy spending time with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, 70 Degree temps and break out some sandals!

4)  I have a husband who puts up with my attitude.  I have been stressed and high strung a lot lately and he's done what he can to help.  Getting ready for a trip really gets me in a tizzy.  Thank you babe! 

5)  I went and tanned 2x this week.  I just needed wanted a little color.  Boy does it help me feel much better. 

 Have a great weekend and a Happy Easter.  

Preparing for a Little One Link Up

EXCITING news friends!  I am thrilled to be teaming up with Kaitlyn over at Wifessionals for a new link up series that I can't wait to share with you all!  Without further adieu here is Kaitlyn with all the details.  

My friend Jennifer and I came up with a great idea that I absolutely love. As you know, I am expecting my first child. This can be so overwhelming and I know that other first time moms probably feel the same. I have so many questions and would love to hear the opinions of moms who have already been through this a time or two before.

Because of this, we will be starting a weekly series for a few weeks to try and get some answers to some of the most common questions.

The series will be on Fridays and will be called "Preparing For A Little One". It will start next Friday, April 5.

We divided the series into two mini 4 week series grouped into questions Pre-Baby & Post Baby. The first mini series will be:

Friday, April 5: Registering (Everything you need to know, Must Haves, Don't Bothers, etc...)

Friday, April 12: Nursery Organization & Ideas

Friday, April 19: Packing For The Hospital: For you & the baby

Friday, April 26: Birth Stories (The good, bad, and ugly) / Birth Plans (yes? no?)

The second series will focus on bringing the baby home, new mom obstacles and losing the dreaded baby weight. We will schedule that as soon as we see how the first series does. Even if you are a first time mom, you may have posts or input on this first series especially!! I know some of you are due any day now, so I'd love to get your input as well.

If you decide to participate on any of the weeks, all you have to do is write a post answering and discussing the topic/question that week and link up to the main post on my blog. I think it will be a great resource for tons of moms to be!

Below you can grab a button to use on your posts and it will be helpful if you link back to Wifessionals or Five 27 Jones so that others can get the details to link up as well. I really hope some of you will share your secrets with us!!!

<br><div class="Wifessionals-button" style="width: 300px; margin: 0 auto;"> <br><a href="http://www.wifessionals.com"><br><img src="http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q501/Wifessionals/PFALO_Button_zps5e621c81.png" alt="Preparing For A Little One" height="300" /><br></a><br></div> <!--end button code box--><br>

The Joy of Playing with our Kids

Linking up with Kelly's Corner, Blue Eyed Bride, Lil Light O' Mine, and Life in the Greenhouse
These 4 bloggers are hosting a multi week link up with different topics.  This week's topic is The Joy of Playing with our Kids.

I'm so blessed.  My boys are so stinking cute and can be so much fun.  They are full of energy and always on the go.  They have the sweetest giggles and the sound of their laughter is probably my favorite sound in the world.  Carson is 19 months and he is really starting to talk and uses his words well.  He has such a sweet cuddly personality one minute and the next he's off spinning around, dancing and being goofy.  Noah is 3 years old and talks, talks and talks.  He says some of the funniest things and loves to think he is the family clown, but also can be such a sweetheart as well and tells me, I'm his best friend, or that I'm his sweet little girl and that he loves me so much.  I don't know what I would do without these boys, they are my world.  

But why is it soooooo hard sometimes to just play with them.  Somedays I have the hardest time putting aside my to-do list and just to be there for them. I'm a type A, busy body, neat freak.  Some days the messy floor, sink full of dishes, and the never ending laundry pile can take over in my head and seem more important in the moment.  It's so easy  to relax and play with my boys when the house is clean and the chores are done for the day.  But I want to be able to put everything down and really interact them when the house is a mess and when they need me.  I want to stop saying " Wait a minute" or "hold on" and just drop what I'm doing and play and not worry about the jobs that are half done until later.

In reality,  I know at their age all they care about is being with me and having my attention, they could care less about the house or how neat/ clean it is.

Now we can't be all about fun and games. The house will still need cleaned at some point, and dinner will need made, and the laundry needs done but there has to be a balance of getting stuff done and playing with my kids as well.  I'm thankful for this link up and the other women who wrote and shared their stories.  I know I'm not alone and that a lot of women struggle with this.  There isn't a doubt about it, motherhood is hard.  I also love this quote below, because I have already screwed up multiple times in the last 3 years and will continue to do so in the next 18+ but I just have to do my best.

One last note, my boys favorite thing to do with me is play lion.  It's simple but they love it and they laugh every time.  All I do is crawl around on the floor, chase them and roar.  They ask me to do it and the boys do it to each other.  I know with the added increase of social media and Pinterest, not only do I feel that I fail in the area of playing but even when I do that my playing isn't good enough.  But something to remember is they view playing as time with us.  It can be reading a book, doing a puzzle, going for a walk, helping us make cupcakes, or dinner.  I know my boys want to be with me and interact with me and it doesn't need to be some elaborate train track made out of masking tape, or a Pinterest Holiday craft, or using half the house to make a fort.  To them it's just as good when it's simple.  

My boys are fun and this has really made me think.  I hope to enjoy playing with them even more in the coming months!  

What are some of the things you do when you "play" with your kids?

Our Early Easter

This weekend, I'm taking my boys and heading to Georgia to see my grandparents along with my mom, sisters, and nephew.  That breaks down to 4 adults and 3 boys 3 years and under in 1 van for over 9 hours.  This should be fun!  Thursday we are driving at night so a lot of the time the boys SHOULD be sleeping.  I'm anxious to see my grandparents and the rest of that side of the family because we don't get to see them often at all and always have fun when we get the chance to.  Plus we should have warmer weather than here which will be great and my grandma is a great cook!

However, I am a little jealous of the hubs getting some time at home to himself.  I can be quite the loner and get refreshed by being alone.  He is quite the opposite and thrives by being around people all the time.  I can't imagine what I would get done if I was home without kids for days.  That would be the most productive weekend in the last 3 years for me.

Since I will have the boys over Easter, we thought we would do some stuff early so Matthew could get in on the fun.

 I wish I could show you some awesome pictures taken with DSLR camera and of my handmade baskets and crafts, but I don't have a fancy camera I use the Ipad.  I bought all the their items for the basket and their baskets themselves yesterday at Dollar Tree.  I sometimes want to be that Pinterest mom, but I didn't have the time or the extra money to get all crazy and it's just not worth stressing over right nwo.  And their young, so in reality they won't remember what was in their basket tomorrow.  I wanted to not do any candy and do all other stuff instead but I caved and decided to just get  them some candy, I may need it as bribe on our 9 hour drive anyway.  And a really quick plug, Dollar Tree can be extrememly awesome for stuff like this.  They had baskets for $1, I remember buying Noah one 2 years ago that was like $15.  And then they had all sorts of fun little things I got like Kites, water guns, Pick up stick game, Bible story books, bubbles, Sidewalk chalk, Little paint set, Glow sticks (they have tons of different kinds if you ever need any), stickers, and silly string.  I managed to do their baskets with all random things that were non candy except for they each got a bag of jellybeans, that's pretty much like THE Easter candy so I had to include that one.  Then their eggs, did have candy and money in them.  I saw an idea the other day that we will be using next year over at The Larson Lingo where she put these cute little coupons in her kids Easter eggs.  This year neither one of my boys would know what they said or what it meant, so I will have to save that idea but that's a great way to get around candy!  I had also bought a craft set at Dollar Tree that was foam shapes and stickers to make with the boys  and a cake pop kit but the way this day is been not sure if it will happen.  If not oh well, we can always do it after Easter.   Here are some pictures of our real low- key Easter morning.

You will also notice we had our Easter Hunt first thing this morning in our living room with just a few eggs.  We have had lots of snow that is now melting and creating a huge wet mess outside so we put them indoors instead.

 Noah was moving fast, couldn't get a decent picture

 Didn't take long for Carson to catch on to the idea

 Got sidetracked by the 3 deer in the backyard

 Putting money in their piggy banks.  Noah always loves putting money in there, Carson got upset when he put one in and couldn't find it.  He started crying, "where'd it go?"

 Brother Sweetness... And Candy sweetness..Yes, they are eating candy at 6:30 in the morning.  I'm not a perfect mom.  I couldn't say no.  I'm weak like that.

I'm sure we will have more to add.  We will be some more Easter festivities this weekend with the family in Georgia.  Hope you have a great Easter Weekend!

Meet My Other Half Link Up

I saw this think up and thought this was a great idea.  You always get to hear from me and Wednesday's happen to be Matthew's day off so he had no excuses but to sit here and answer these fun questions.  

1. What are your thoughts on your {wife's} blog?  She is a hard worker and has done a good job on it.  I'm just glad that she enjoys doing it.  Mostly, it keeps her out of the taverns...
2. Do you know what IG stands for? How about OOTD? A quick Google Search tells me that its "Inspector General."  I doubt that's the answer you had in mind. Google did tell me that OODT is "outfit of the day." However, it would make more sense to me if it was "OfoTD."  Oddly, I thought I kept up with these phrases fairly well. I'll have to ask Jen about IG later.  I must admit, some of the blogger lingo, like "amazeballs" tends to annoy me. 
3. How long would you say you've been together?  I would say that I agree with whatever Jen says...  but probably around 9 years.  Dated for 2 years, married for almost 7.
4. Does her working out and eating healthy make you want to join in?  Haha... Not a chance.  People make fun of me for working out. I tried muscle sculpting about a year ago... turns out when you have no body mass, its hard to tone nothing.  Don't be hating, ladies.  Just telling it like it is; I am 5'10" and have never weighed more than 140 lbs on a good day, with shoes on and pockets full.  
5. Is there anything you can do to inspire her to workout/eat healthier?  I am proud of what she does already.  In fact, I think she thinks about losing weight too much.  We have made a lot of changes already to improve what foods we eat.  To me, some people take it over board.  So far I'm ok with the changes to our eating choices.
6. What do you love best about fit/healthy life?  The fact that I no longer have to hear Jen complain about hives everyday.  Also, since she no longer takes 15 benadryl a day, she can stay up later with me (I'm a night owl).  
7. What do you like least?  Sometimes the working out and marathon training takes valuable time, so she gets frusterated.  
8. How long did it take you to agree to answer these questions?   5 to 10 minutes... took longer to agree on a photo.  

And here is the hubs in pictures!  We realized as we go through pictures that all we have is pictures of the kids and we never take them together!    We need to work on that!  

Our Wedding day almost 7 years ago!

 Our Engagement Picture

2010 When we were only a family of 3

2012 at Carson's 1st Birthday Party

Cara Box Exchange

I just received my first Cara Box over the weekend!  When I saw the package on my doorstep I was so excited and couldn't wait to open it.  If you haven't heard of Cara Boxes you can read about them here.

Kaitlyn over at Wifessionals came up with this great idea to match up bloggers, and some non bloggers with each other and exchange a box of goodies.  Each month there is a different theme.  This month was the letter of your first name.  For example whoever received me had to think of a J theme or get items that started with J.  Then you find items to fill up your box, and mail it to your match.

My partners were Jennifer and Jennifer.  I got to know the Jennifer I would be sending a box to a little bit via email and you can find out what I got her over here.  It has been fun follwoing her blog and instagram to learn more about her and her boy is adorable!  

My Cara box friend that received my name was Jennifer from Bubbly and Buttercream.  We emailed back and forth for a little while when we first got matched up and she is one super sweet girl.  We  actually found that we have quite a bit in common with each other.   We both love to bake, especially cupcakes and do some running.  She sells 31 and so does my best friend so I feel like we kind of have that in common!  I'm not creative and didn't know how creative she was until I received her box.  She came up with some great ideas.

Here are my Cara Box Goods!  When I opened it up, my excitement built even more.  Fun, bright colors get me every time, and labels and ribbons she outdid herself!

 Each individual wrapped package was a theme that started with J, in case you can't see them all here is what the labels all said

-to make Junk food

-to Jot notes

-for Jogging

-for family Joy  

-because J is hard

-Just because 

-Jellybeans

Great idea, right!  So creative and sweet you were Jen.  I absolutely loved it all!

Now if you want to join, head on over and sign up for next month!  I'm sure the next theme will be just as fun.  You get to be creative, get a fun package and get to know another blogger!  What's not to enjoy?

Finish The Sentence Link Up Round 2

I'm not witty at all and every day that I read blogs I become more aware of the fact.  So if you are reading lots of these sets of answers I apologize before hand for being the most boring ones.  I remember last time reading over others and thinking, Oh that's true for me, why didn't I think to answer it that way.  But I'm doing this early so I don't have anyone else's to compare to.  Here goes another round of Finish the Sentence.  

1. If calories didn't count, I would eat... Candy, Chips and Mexican White Cheese Dip,  Fettucine Alfredo, Little Debbie's, Ice Cream, and Pizza every day.  

 

2. On my Prom night.... Going to skip this one!  

3. When I go to the store, I always buy...Lately a box of Dots.  I have had a weird craving for them for over a month and no I'm not pregnant.

4. Family functions typically...Involve lots of food, noise and don't last long.  Every holiday we have multiple places to go so it's short stops at each one.  

5. I think my blog readers...probably think I'm boring and wish I would quit doing link ups!  I wish I was funny, but no matter how hard I try I'm just not!  

6. I'd much rather be.....somewhere warm and lying on the beach then sitting in my living room looking outside at all the snow.

7. I have an obsession with....Buying spring clothes at the moment, candy,  my new granola, and cleanliness

8. My work friends....are mostly all much older than me and don't like me.   I always get the "you sleep with the boss" line (one of the "bosses"  is really my husband)

9. When I created my Facebook account....I was really young.  Gosh I don't even know when that was.  

10. My least favorite word is... moist and panties, and even really awful together.  

11. I really don't remember....anything, something has seriously gone wrong with my memory, its pretty much embarrassing because I don't remember hardly anything anymore unless I write it down.  

12. Justin Bieber....is overrated.  My younger sister loves him, I just don't get it!  However, if I'm honest, I do like his music (I didn't say love , hints the overrated part)  

That's all.  Thanks to Holly and Jake for hosting another round of Finish the Sentence.

Happy Tuesday!

Spice Organization

I'm an organizing addict.  I love all projects that have to do with it.  I'm one of those weirdos that get giddy with excitement after I finish.  ( I say after because during, my heart is usually racing and I'm on the verge of a panic attack because the mess during a project completely stresses me out)  There are many things that annoy me in my house, mess wise and areas that are just constantly in need of reorganizing and my spice cabinet was one of them.  I have tried multiple times to fix the issue to where it wouldn't bug me and get messed up every week but just never worked.  Months ago I bought a carousel and a tiered shelf thing for my cabinet and thought that would help.  The tier shelf has worked out pretty good and I really do like it, however the carousel not so much.  It was a plastic piece of junk, doesn't spin well and hardly fit in the cabinet.

Then one day I was amazoning (if that isn't a word it should be, because let's face amazon has everything) for a solution for my spices and came across a spice rack for your drawer.  Genius!  Why hadn't I thought of that before!

I had a drawer that just held our foil, cling wrap and some baggies and knew I could put those somewhere else in order to house this awesome new organizer I found so I bought it and since we have Amazon Prime it was here in 2 days!

Here is my messy baking, spice, seasoning, random assortment of everything cabinet.  I may just have way more than the average person I don't know but to mess this is a REAL problem, haha!

Then here is my semi-solution.  I say semi, because I moved most of my seasoning and spices out but also kept the tiered organizer in the cabinet for all the larger bottles of stuff.  I just love the drawer organizer because you can easily see everything and get right to it, no reaching around other bottles and knocking them off the shelf, no more spinning that worthless carousel.  This drawer makes me happy everytime I need to open it!  Since I did this I also made a lot more room in the cabinet to spread everything else out and make nice and neat rows.  Have I mentioned how I love rows in cabinets, because I do.  Yeah I'm one of those weird people.  

Also just in case you are weird like me  and want one of these awesome drawers, you can go here to buy one.

Linking up SemiHomemadeMom for Show and Share Wednesday