A Day In the Life part 2

If you missed part one, you can find it  here.


11:00- We usually read some stories for about 20 mins. and then I get working on lunch. I pop in a dvd for them to watch while I am cooking. Lately we have been watching Monster Inc. or Finding Nemo.

11:45- finishing up lunch, which usually consists of a turkey and cheese sandwhich on wheat with mustard. They would literally eat this for every meal. Some sort of fruit and veggie usually round out the meal. Today it was tomatoes and grapes.

12:00- get diapers changed and Kendra goes down for nap. She Generally rolls around in her crib with her stuffed animals for a good 20 or 30 minutes.

Kendra usually sleeps till about 2:30 or 3:00. During the time she naps Jaxson helps me sort laundry and put it away. Sometimes we prep things for dinner that night. We do puzzles and matching games a lot! He gets some quiet t.v. and/or reading time and I try to get any little projects done or I do some reading too.

3:00- Diapers again... and about a million more times a day too! Kendra is up and we get a snack and milk. If the weather is nice we head outside to play in the backyard for about 30 mins. - 1 hr.

4:30- I let the kids come in and play in their rooms and I get things going for dinner if necessary.
* it was pouring today so we played inside. I showed Jaxson how to slide across the kitchen floor in his socks. He thought this was hilarious and we were having a good time....until I slid to far and crashed into the cupboards! We all got a good laugh.

We like to crank up the Disney movie channel on Pandora and dance around this time.

6:15- Brandon gets home and we all sit down to eat. Tonight we had taco salads using leftovers from last night. We also had Spanish rice.

7:00- I usually am done cleaning up by this point and Brandon and the kids are "tackling," as Jaxson likes to call it. Basically they are rough housing. :)

7:15-We get the kids in the bath.

7:30- We all sit down and snuggle for a bit and watch some America's Funniest Video re runs on netflix.

7:45- This is where I like to sneak off and have a glass of wine and a bath.

8:00- Clean up time! The kids know all toys get put away and then they can have a quick snack and milk.

8:15- teeth brushed and diapers changed. Get in jammies and time to lay Kendra down.

Kendra is easy peasy when it comes to bed time. Jaxson, not so much. Generally he fights going to sleep every night! He snuggles with me on the couch while I read or watch some t.v.

By nine most nights, he is asleep on the couch next to me. I carry him to his bed and finally I can breathe! If I am not too wiped out I do some blogging, but most nights I crawl into bed and read. :)

A Day in The Life...

I have seen some posts floating around blog land and because I am so nosy, I love to see what everyone's days are like and how they spend their time! I have been meaning to do a post about what our days are usually like, for some time. I want to be able to look back at this, years down the road when I know I am going to be pulled in about a million different directions. I secretly can't wait for that, though. I look forward to soccer games, t-ball practice, dance and whatever else my kids are interested in.  But, for now we are just soaking up all this time at home together!

Okay, so we don't necessarily have a "typical" day around here. Depending on what we have going on outside the home kind of dictates how our day is spent. Lately, however, I have been trying to limit our trips to town to one or two days a week. Most of the stores I frequent or activities we do are two towns away... which means my gas guzzler has a distance to go. Let's face it.... gas is not cheap and right now we need all the money we can get. :)

My hubby works three days a week for a total of 48 hours. When he is home he generally gets up with the kiddos and lets me sleep! Love that guy!  But, all the other days... I do it. :)

7- 7:30 - Jaxson wakes up and rolls over and basically yanks up my eyelids! Yes, he still climbs into our bed EVERY single night! Ugh!! Then, because Kendra can hear us talking she starts banging her feet against the wall while she is singing in her crib! I love waking up to this sound every morning!

7:45- I get diapers changed and let the dog out. I let the kids have a little time to just wake up and play with their toys. I start getting breakfast ready for them.

8:15 ish - Breakfast time!!

8:40- get the kids and dishes picked up and let them play some more. This is when I usually empty the dishwasher and do a quick scrub of the counters and sweep the floor. If we are heading out for errands or playgroup I usually skip the sweeping and mopping. :)

9:00- Around this time I try to do a post and get caught up on reading all of your posts! If I don't catch myself I can end up spending way too much time doing this!

9:30- Take a quick shower with the door open so the kids can come in and out. I try to keep it really quick or the smoke alarm goes off! Great!

9:35- Seriously... I am that quick! I let my hair dry a bit while making an espresso. I sit in the living room (where I can supervise the kids) and dry my hair. Then I have to straighten it and do my makeup. The kids love watching me do this. Jaxson has my makeup routine down and hands me my products!

10:00 ish- I get the kids changed and ready for the day. If we are going into town this is when we would leave. If we are staying home this is when I get a load of laundry going and we do some sort of art project. Today we did some painting and coloring. :)

This post is getting a bit lengthy so I will continue it tomorrow!

What I love

I love..... the cool breeze on a hot day
I love.... iced peppermint mochas from Starbucks
I love.... a brand new pair of heels and an occasion to wear them

I love... family dinners and game nights
I love..... the look on my kids' faces when they are swinging!
I love.... reading magazines back to front
I love...... a glass of red wine and a steaming hot bath

I love.... baby giggles, aren't those the best?!

I love.... the way my kids run for the door when Daddy is home and he scoops them both up and covers them in kisses. Nothing like seeing the look on all of their faces

I love.... girl's weekends away!
I love.... finding that perfect gift for someone special
I love... doing small acts of kindness for strangers
I love.... searching for beach glass along the shore
I love... that Jaxson is so in tune to others emotions and is so sensitive

I love... that everyday Kendra has a new word or two! She is talking up a storm. Some of her new words are sunshine, mess, cart, fishie and kitty.
I love... that hubby and I are planning a weekend getaway! It is much needed!

I love.... our new refrigerator!
I love..... that we planted a new plum tree this weekend. Here's hoping we get some plums!

I love...that as I type this the kids are dancing around the living room together! I think I will go join them. :)

Obviously, I could go on and on about all the things I love, because there is so much in this life to love!

Weekend Recap

As usual, I somehow managed to not get too many photos from our weekend. Oh, well, that just means I was too busy enjoying it. :)

Saturday I was able to spend an afternoon catching up with my friend from grade school. It is amazing how much we have changed and yet so little all at the same time.

That night Brandon and I went to a local brewery and enjoyed a kid free dinner (thanks Mom!) and then met up with some of his friends for a few drinks. We were home by 9:30, but up till after midnight because Jaxson would not go to sleep!

Sunday morning we were up bright and early and did a little grocery shopping. We spent most of the rest of our day outside. For us it warm; 60 degrees!  The kids swung on their swings, dug in the dirt and chased the dog. It felt so good to finally be outside and not feel like I was freezing!

Kendra driving Jaxson around the yard. Her little foot just barely reaches the peddle now. 

Playing with their "ocean in a box".

Sunday evening we headed to Brandon's parent's home for a family dinner. They had been gone the past week in Hawaii and were anxious to see the kids.

All in all, it was a very relaxing weekend spent with all the people we love.

What did you do?

And today's theme is....COLOR!  

1.  My favorite color is     any shade of blue   .

2.   My home decor color palette includes   neutrals; lots of browns, blacks, some touches of red and yellow.    .

3.  Other people always tell me I look good in the color     red and pink. I have olive skin so maybe the contrast?   .

4. The color I detest is    orange?.

5. If you were to look in my closet most of the colors you'd see would be   blacks, grays and browns.Kind of boring, I need more color for spring!

6. A color that I simply cannot pull off no matter how hard I try is    orange. Maybe that is why I don't like it.

7.  The color of my favorite dress is   I don't really have a favorite dress right now, but if I had to choose one? My white eyelet dress that seems to cover up all my "problem" spots and accentuate my good features.

Pinned it, did it!

Okay, so if you are anything like me than you are obsessed with Pinterest. I love the whole concept of it and it sure has made me feel a lot more crafty than I really am. It is an endless source of ideas and inspiration. With that said, I have pinned ALOT of things. I thought I would share with you some of things I have actually DONE.

Source

 We made this Grilled Asian Sesame Chicken last night and it was spectacular. Seriously, guys, this was melt in your mouth good!

Source

I made this last week and I really liked the flavor. The  recipe calls for mini raviolis but I couldn't find any so I substituted with large ones. It made it a little awkward trying to eat it because I had to try to cut the ravioli with my spoon so next time I will try to find the minis.

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This was soo good! I ate way too much and didn't feel too guilty about it because, it is relatively healthy. Yeah! A new go to snack.

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This was such an easy recipe and so tasty. My kids gobbled it right up and so did my really picky 18 year old brother. This is something that will be making a regular appearance on our menu.

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I pinned this recipe from a fellow blogger after she raved about it and it did not disappoint! We all know how much I love my crock pot and I love learning new recipes for it.  This was so tasty and really filling too!

Junk Drawer Before and After

I finally got around to tackling another "to-do" on my re organization list. This one didn't take much time but I had been dreading doing it. It is amazing how much stuff you can cram into two little drawers. We were quite literally to the point of not being able to open the drawers anymore.

As you can see I have TWO junk drawers and that isn't even enough to contain all the "crap" .
First thing I did was organize all the photos and file them in a photo box I picked up at Michael's for $1.66. After that I just started sorting into three categories; toss, take to the garage and keep. It went fairly fast after that and I even found some things I didn't realize I had. Oops!

Much better! I picked up a three pack of bins at Dollar Tree.

Even though I had been dreading doing this it feels so good to have it done!

I showed you how I re organized my recipe binder here. I showed you how horribly messy my closet was here. I have yet to show you the after photos of that project because it is still ongoing.

I think my next project will be my craft are. It is in desperate need of a makeover!

Friday's Letters

Dear Weather,
Seriously? Can you just make up your mind? I would prefer sunshine and temps over 40 degrees, but this 40 mph wind, hail, rain, snow and sun (all within the last two days!) is getting old!

Dear delicious skinny pumpkin pie dip, 
Wow. I may have found a new addiction in you. Thank you for being tasty and low in calories and fat!

Dear birds in the tree outside my window,
Yes, your singing is beautiful and brings a smile to my face...just not at 5:30 in the morning. I could use all the sleep I can get right now.

Dear Jaxson,
I am not sure where you heard the word probably used so excessively, but it seems to be your new favorite word and you insert it into about every sentence you can. I generally think it is pretty darn cute except when I tell you to do something and you say; " I probably don't need to clean up  my room because you will probably do it for me"  Or "Probably Kona (our dog) wants some of your apples" as he steals them from my plate and throws them to the dog.

Dear Kendra,
You are cracking me up every chance you get! Tonight at dinner you climbed into my lap pretending to want a hug and then you ate my salad instead (your only 1 1/2 and love salads). I love how you make a really loud fake chewing noise when you take bites, and then you giggle. Tonight, however, you decided to do that while simultaneously putting your face in my cottage cheese. Thanks. :)

Dear Walking Dead,
I am angry with you because there is only 1 new episode left this season! I am not a fan of these short split up seasons. I am, however, pleased with one of the characters you decided to kill off.  Thanks!

Still on my mind

If you have been reading my blog for awhile then you may already know that I have been struggling with certain people in my life. People who, once upon a time, I considered to be really close friends. I wrote about this before here.

I touched upon the fact that I am learning to accept that sometimes people come in and out of your life at the times you need them most. We all grow up and people change. Sometimes things just happen and friendships fade. I understand that now, and it has taken me some time to come to terms with that.

However, it does not change the fact that sometimes it still hurts. Sometimes I still catch myself thinking "what did I do?"  Sometimes, it is sad to realize that people aren't really who you thought they were. This is the toughest realization to come upon and it has only happened to me just recently.

I am trying not to dwell on things too much and like I said before, I realize it is important to surround myself with people that I love that love me back, unconditionally.

I know that wasting my time and energy dwelling on people who bring me down is something I simply can not choose to do anymore. After all, I have some pretty amazing people in my life.

via

This is the attitude I am striving to have. 

via

This is so true. Real friends are those that stick by you through thick and thin and never leave your side.

via

 

 

So, I am knowing when to close the account!

Getting Organized (my recipe binder)

Back in January I resolved to get more organized this year. I made a big (really big!) list of all the areas in which I felt we needed to get more organized. I have slowly been plucking away at it, as time allows. My problem is that I will get so enthused to start and about half way through I lose steam. I have learned that I need to pick one room... or closet and start slowly so it is more attainable for me. I am a bit of a procrastinator at times, ;)

I did, however, manage to completely overhaul my recipe binder. I had previously used a binder and a recipe box and it didn't make much sense (to even me) to have recipes in two places. So, I bought a bunch of plastic covers for reports and inserted all my recipes into those and filed them under the appropriate tabs. I made tabs for 5 different categories; main dish, side dish, dessert, appetizer/snacks, and drinks/seasonal. I could have broken them into smaller categories and still may do that, but I already had five dividers. :)

At the front of each section I have a folder for recipes I have cut from magazines that I have yet to try, but want to. That way if I am in search of a new recipe I can always find something on hand.

A few things in my side dish section that I want to try

At the very front of my binder is my weekly shopping list and my menu plan for the next two weeks. I like having everything right where I can see it. I also pull whatever recipe cards I may be needing for the week and insert them into the pockets in the front of the binder as well.  This way there is no frantic searching required later.

My menu plan for the week and shopping list

A few of my recipe cards pulled for the week; cream of chicken over brown rice, turkey chili, and Mom's meatloaf!

 The only thing I want to add to this is a table of contents under each section. Because, as each section grows, it takes longer to locate each recipe. I will just have to save that for another day.

I got that great menu planning/shopping list printable here.

I am participating in another fill in the blanks Friday because honestly I needed some prompting for what to blog about today. Plus, I love dreaming about redoing my house!


1. My favorite room in my home is- Our living room....because it so comfy and the biggest room of the house so we can all fit and we seem to spend the majority of our time there.

2. My current decor style is- modern with elements of country chic ??  . but I wish it were more- colorful, I am slowly trying to infuse more and faze out some of our older pieces.

3. I wish I could redecorate- the kitchen!! It is a nightmare and so outdated To make it more- updated. Our refrigerator leaks, our counters are so porous that they soak everything up the minute it spills and don't even get me started on the cupboards!

4. My dream house absolutely has to have a-another bathroom! We only have one and for now that is fine but when I have two teenagers I am not going to want to fight with them for the bathroom!

5. One house item I am willing to splurge-  Hmm.... I would say furniture but while the kiddos are still young I don't think that is the wisest idea so I am going to go with is appliances. Our new HE washing machine is great!

6. A decor trend that I just don't "get" is-  All white. Well, I get it...it looks pretty but it isn't very practical. I would always be worried about spilling and I want to feel comfortable in my home. :)

7.  Plenty of family photos and kid's artwork is -a little touch that makes my house feel like home

To Jaxson

Dear Jaxson,

My hope is that one day you can look back at this blog and see how we spent our days together. I hope you can share in the joy with me of all the times that are now becoming memories. It feels like in the blink of an eye you have turned into a little man and I can not believe that you will be three next month.You like to tell people that you are 7 or sometimes even 26! Don't go aging yourself that quickly. It is hard to believe that you will be starting preschool soon and I won't have you to myself all day, everyday.

You amaze me everyday with the sweet little things that you do. You are so much like me that at times it almost takes my breath away. You are extremely sensitive and so passionate about things. Right now your favorite movie (which means I have to watch it over and over again) is Monsters Inc. At the end of the movie when the little girl goes home she has to say goodbye to the monsters. You cry every time...... you sense and see her sadness and that makes you sad too. I can not believe how perceptive and aware of other people's feelings that are around you. I had always hoped to pass along a sense of empathy and compassion for other people. 

Going along with that sensitivity is your passion for things. You can be a little hot headed and easy to anger.... like any almost three year old. Unfortunately for you, I think you get your need to be always right and your competitive nature from me. Sorry! But with that passion comes excitement. When you are excited about things it practically radiates from every cell of your body. You never fail to say, "mommy, I am so excited right now!" 

You are learning so much right now and I love to hear you say your ABC's over and over again. You have a love for music and can memorize songs rather quickly. Right now you think that only boys can sing songs that are sung by men and girls must sing songs sang by women. So, you tell me to stop singing quite a bit so you can sing to me instead.

Sometimes I like to watch you when you aren't paying attention just to observe the things you do so I can soak it all in and imprint into my memory. I know that these days are just going by so fast and I want to hold on as tight as I can.

While we have our moments, days and even weeks of tough times and tantrum throwings.....we always get by. Your little sister looks up to and adores you so much. When I see the bond growing between you nothing makes me more proud. When you think no one is looking you are so incredibly sweet to her. I see you "read" her stories, bring her blankie when she is sad, share your snack with her and give her boosts on the couch. Granted, it is not always like this and I know it won't last forever but my heart swells with happiness seeing these little acts of kindness.

I have so many hopes and dreams for you but we will leave that for another day. Right now I just want you to know that you fill me with so much joy and give my life purpose and there could never be a greater blessing than to be your mother.

A peek in my purse

Today I am linking up with Salena and Lena for this week's addition of Tuesday Ten. This weeks topic is ten things that you would most likely find in my purse.

A little backstory on me. I have a slight obsession with purses. I won't even tell you how many I own. I will say that it started at a very young age. I remember being in the second grade and insisting to the school photographer that yes, my parents said it was okay to have my purse in the picture! Really? Of course, they hadn't exactly said no... but they didn't say yes, either. Needless to say, when school pictures came out and I had a patent pink purse strap slung across my shoulder they were a bit  surprised. It is still my favorite school photo to this day. :)

Back to now.... and some of you may that I am also a bit nosy too. I love to see how other people decorate and the things they keep in their purses. If you are anything like me you have an aresenal of things in there. The bigger my purse is, the more I stash inside. So, it should come as no surprise that it is not very clean or organized. It does double as a diaper bag for quick trips, though.


Okay, on to ten things that you will most likely always find in my purse.

1.) Sunglasses. I have very sensitive eyes and you can pretty much always find me wearing my glasses...even when it's overcast or snowing.

2.) My wallet.... kind of goes without saying. :)

3.) An assortment of lip glosses and chapsticks

4.) My keys with about a million different customer loyalty cards.

5.) Coupons I plan on using that week

6.) My planner

7.) Hair clips for my little one... she has some crazy hair going on right now and it needs a good taming every once in awhile.

8.) Band aids and wet wipes. I have kids.....self explanatory.

9.) Headband for unexpected crazy hair day(by the way that cute one is from The Posh Daisy!)

10.) Envelopes..... we are doing a cash envelope system with our new budget. That one is empty. :(


So, what am I most likely to find in your purse??

Currently Counting Down To: 

A slumber party with my friends tonight!  Going to rent scary movies, get a pizza , have some wine and hang out.

Currently Super Proud: 

Of my kids and how many new things they are learning every day!

Currently Broadening: 

My cooking skills. I get stuck in a rut and cook the same 5 or 6 things over and over again.

Currently Concluding: 

That it isn't worth it to save the $30.00 dollars a month in gym fees. My butt is the sacrifice.  Not a fair trade off. :)

Currently Reading: 

An Eve Duncan novel by Iris Johansen. It is a series but I can't think of the name at the minute.

Currently Thinking: 

That I need to take a shower but I am too lazy this morning.

Currently My Favorite Thing: 

My espresso machine.

Currently My Second Favorite Thing:

  Our new bed and pillows. We were sleeping on a hand me down that was probably over 30 years old!

Currently Saving All My Pennies For:

A trip to Vegas for my friend's bachelorette party!

Currently Wanting To Travel To: 

Anywhere warm and tropical. Get me away from this rain and snow!

Currently Wanting In My Cupboard: 

Oddly enough, nothing sounds really good right now.

Currently Wanting To Learn: 

How to knit!

Currently Drooling Over: 

Kitchen remodels. I want new counters and cupboards so badly!

Currently Confessing: 

That I have gained 15 pounds in the last year. Yikes!

Currently Listening To:

Blake Shelton (my boyfriend).

Currently Obsessed With: 

Pinterest!

Currently 1st Place Comedic Genius:

  hmm.... Maybe not one in particular but I love the cast of Parks and Recreation

Currently Addicted To:

  Iced peppermint mochas

Currently Fantasizing About: 

Taking a trip with my hubby and relaxing on some beach. 

Currently Sad Because:

 It is raining, once again!

Currently My Motto:

Stop saying and start doing!

Currently Dreaming Of: 

A day where I can sleep in .

Currently Needing To Update: 

My closet. All I see is black, brown and gray.

Currently Want To See In My Closet: 

Bright colors and fun flirty dresses and skirts.

Currently Enjoying:

New found friendships.

Currently Have A Girl Crush On:

  Kate Beckinsale

Currently Shopping:

  A replacement piece for my espresso machine. :(

Currently Discovered: 

That my husband is somewhat of a hoarder. Okay, maybe more of a pack rat.

Currently Redecorating:

My walls in the hallway.