Day 4,5,6...??

Ha! I have gotten sooo behind in my Days of changing... :-) BUT I have been doing stuff! Like on Day 4, I organized our entire room! Isn't that awesome?! It looked horrible and Ash walked in after work completely amazed! It's amazing what an organized room will do for you and your mood.  I feel like I am able to breath again and relax in our room.  So yay! Today I will be organizing the kid's closets... this will be a big one! I am wanting to organize their toys and put away half the toys.  I rotate toys so it's time for a new rotation!

I have also decided to NOT get on the computer while the kids are awake any more.  It takes away from my time with them.  As it is, I often feel like I am overwhelmed and have WAY too much to do in such LITTLE time.  So I need to take control of that! If I feel so overwhelmed, how is it that I find 10 minutes during breakfast to check FB? I need to take that 10 minutes and talk to my kids or clean the kitchen.  So no more computer while they are awake.  This will be a very hard but very important change! (That was for Day 5)

Then today I have decided to focus more on Jesus and his Birth this Christmas season.  We took Cy to see Santa and while we had a BLAST and we will continue to do that, I started thinking to myself last night: its sooo easy to get excited about Santa because we SEE him, we FEEL him, we HEAR him.  But then when I talk to Cy about Jesus and how Jesus' birthday is in 2 weeks, he doesn't get excited.  I do that to him.  I get him so excited to talk to Santa that when it's time to talk to the ONE person who was sent to this earth to take away my SIN, we can't SEE him, we can't physically FEEL him or HEAR him... it's all faith-based.  And I need to share and teach Cy that FAITH is even more important than the things we CAN see, hear, and feel.  Next year we will be doing the Christmas Angel - I will explain more later.  But I want to get out of Santa World and into Jesus' Birth because that is truly what the Christmas Day is ALL about! Though I will still have a blast with everything else ;-) Just more focus towards the true reason that Christians celebrate Christmas Day!  More to come about how I am getting Cy excited about Jesus' Birthday! :-)

Happy Monday everyone!

To finish out real quick -I feel pressed to say a few things.  Friends hurt us.  Friends stab us.  Some friends forget us, some friends always want want want but never give.  I am hurt at times towards my friends and this year I have learned sooooo much about friendship and the meaning of a true friend.  But while it is so easy to point fingers at those who have hurt me this year, I would love to take this moment to address those that I have hurt this year. If I have ignored you, if I have always taken taken taken without giving, if I have hurt you in any way - I am truly, from the bottom of my heart, so so so so so sorry! Truly! I genuinely want and TRY to be the best friend that I can be and just the thought of me hurting ANYONE just kills me.  So if I have hurt you, please know it is NOT intentional and I hope that you will let me know so I can fix that.  I want to only show love and kindness to my friends. 

Day 3 of 20-something Days

So yesterday was Day 3.  For yesterday, I cleaned the frig! WHOO! And to complete it - I kept all my sandwich condiments on one shelf (on the door), I put all fruits and veggies on one shelf (If you prepare your veggies and fruits (the ones you can) ahead of time - you will be more likely to eat them! And if you put them on the top shelf, you will be more likely to USE them :-), then I put all my breakfast/protein items on one shelf.  Protein is a very very important part of one's diet so I make sure each meal has protein!!

A little more on the veggies - if you cut up your carrots and wash/ready your grapes - put them in containers with lids.  You will find yourself reaching for them a lot more when you are in a hurry mid-week than reaching for the quick un-healthy cracker-ish type snack!

That was for day 3.  Don't judge the rest of my house though! I am reminded WHY I do not do these extra jobs around the house that take an hour or 2.  Because then I get behind on ALL my other duties.  BUT do not despair - I will be catching up on those right. NOW! :-) And I have a nice, white, CLEAN frig too.  Even with the 4 loads of laundry on my couch last night - I felt very accomplished, knowing that I knocked out a much needed task!

What are you doing today that has been needing to be tackled for quite some time??

Day 2 of 20-something Days

Ok so one thing I want to start getting back to is doing more projects with Cy and spending more time at home with the kids... and FOR the kids. 

Sleep is so so so important for toddlers and baby and often times I get very upset because I see parents not being respectful of their kid's needs.  When you had kids, you SHOULD have made a commitment that their needs come before your wants.  Staying out late or making the kid get less than 10-12 hours of sleep (each kid is different) a night is NOT fair to the kid.  Being out all day so the kid doesn't nap day in and day out is NOT fair to the kid.  Kids are to get 1-3 hours of nap in a day up until the age of about 2 or 3.  Some even go until 4.  I will talk a lot more about sleep later.  The reason I bring it up is because sleep affects soooo much of a child and is soooo important so I have decided to start staying home more.  Lulu is a very sensitive sleeper and will wake up at a drop of a dime.  Which is funny because I always thought you could train babies to be heavy sleepers - nope! Not this one! I have TRIED... she does NOT sleep if there is noise around.  5 months in and I am accepting her unique sleep needs and giving in! We will be staying on a strict napping schedule for her because her naps are sooo important for her growth and development. 

Ok the other thing is activities - I found this one amazing activity on pintrest - so fun! We took baking soda and dumped in a pan

Walrus HAD to help and yes, Cy still has a paci - that is one battle I am ignoring for now

Then I got vinegar and mixed food coloring in each container.  We started making mini volcanoes or BUBBLES!!!

We also talked about the colors and what happened if we dropped the red onto a green section - we watched as it changed colors.  Cy loved that the most!

We ended up dumping all 3 colors in and watching the bubbles

This was by far the coolest, most easy activity that we have ever done! In fact, he loved it so much, I rinsed out the pan and we did it again just seconds later :-) Also, I used expired, old baking soda - which is a great way to recycle and not just throw it out :-) This is seriously a MUST try for all mama's out there! Clean up was easy, what kid doesn't love bubbles, and this seriously kept Cy entertained for an entire 10 minutes - WOW!!!!

5 Months

My sweet princess is 5 months old today.  I would like to say "that went by so fast" or "how is it already 5 months" ha - but to be honest - it feels like it's been 7 months.  At least this month it has.  That's what long days, hard toddlers, fussy babies, virtually no time out of the house without the kids, and a house to care for does to ya! ;-) But I am so proud of my sweet baby girl! She is so precious and I am so thankful everyday to have been blessed with her.  Today was an uneventful day.  Tomorrow - we start her on solids! So be watching for that post! ;-)

Lulu, at 5 months you are:
- In 9 month clothing but you are not growing any more.  Cy was already in 12 month clothing by this time... so I can tell that you have slowed down a lot in the growing - which I am happy about! :-) I can throw you in the air, you are still in your carry car seat (Cy had to taken out at 5 months b/c he was too heavy lol)
- You smile ALLLL the time.  I have never seen such a happy baby!
- You love daddy and when he is in the room, you stare at him until he looks at you.  Then you give him the BIGGEST smile! It is heart-warming! You have daddy wrapped around you finger - he is soooo in love with you! Everyone says it too - they can tell that he's a daddy's girl!
- Your hair is turning a lighter black but still looks blackish brown, it is getting so long!! Love it! Though you are bald underneath the hair - no one can see it, so it's all good!
- You still wake through the night - I am so exhausted at this point, I haven't found the strength to sleep train you and still think your reflux is bothering you.  So for now, we will continue with the waking.  I am trying to enjoy it - for I know soon enough, you will be sleeping through the night and I will be missing my Lulu cuddles
- Big brother is starting to warm up to you a LOT more this month! You are interacting with him and LOVE laughing at him when he is running through the house or talking to you - so he is loving that and starting to care more about lil sisa.
- You are still eating every 2-3 hours due to the fact that if I feed you any longer than that, you will spit it all up because it's too much for you and then proceed to scream for 30 minutes.
- You love love love to talk! Tonight daddy said: "Lulu, we already have one talker in the house... we don't need another" to which mama said: "Yeah, Cy does talk a lot, huh?" and he said: "I wasn't talking about Cy, I was talking about her mama!" HA! I guess the apple won't fall far from the tree in that area ;-)

We love you so much Lulu - you are the sweetest baby girl in the world! I could NOT have asked for a sweeter baby.  I wish your reflux would GO AWAY so I could have a cuddly baby but I know soon enough it will be gone and I will get to cuddle more with you :-)

Day 1 - Organize & Utilize

So a little clarification - as I was reading the comments off my FB wall, I noticed that some were telling me "You are doing great Sariah"... I felt like my last post might have been read in a negative light...? Well, let me explain for a bit.

You know that corner in your room with all the clutter? The one you say "I'll get to that next week"... it's now been 120 weeks and still it's there? Or the Laundry Room that has a basket of mis-matched clothes or clothes that need hemmed or clothes that you don't know what to do with because they aren't quite fitting you right now but you don't know if you should get rid of them just yet... so they are in a hamper instead? :-) Well, I have a bunch of tiny projects all over the house but either exhaustion, kids, business, or laziness (there, i said it - I can be lazy!) gets in the way and they never get done! SO for the next 20-some days, I promised myself to be better, to work harder at my life and to get things DONE before the new year :-)

Today I focused on Cy's stuffed animals.  Since he was a baby (22 months ago) - I wanted to put up a net on his wall.  Well, I couldn't find one at Target, Wal-mart or Toys'R'Us (It totally could be user error and they actually DO sell them) but I couldn't find them! So, this morning I started thinking about how to fix it.  OH! Take a sheet, fold it, and nail it up.  No... sheet is too big.  A pillow case? No the pillow case is too small. 

But what If I cut the pillow case? This is an old pillow case and I'm all about recycling what I can and using them in other ways.  I still don't do well with it but it's something I want to be better at.  We just throw away SOOO much trash in the country - it's ridiculous!

I cut it down just one side, and it was ready to go!

I nailed it up on the wall.  The Back of the pillow case to the back of the wall and the 2 flaps were nailed up front.

We threw the stuffed animals in (yes, I threw them from across the room because I wanted to make sure it would hold) and we are good to go! I love this! It was free, or cheap for those who don't have extra pillowcases and I can do so much with the pillowcase now! I can tie-dye it, dye it to match Cy's room, I can cricut (Is that how you spell it?) the letters of his name and iron them on, I can do so much with that plain pillowcase to make it "Cy" and match his room! But for now... I'm just proud of have finally found a home for all those annoying animals that take up SO much space! ;-)


The other thing I focused on today was Cy and letting him help.  He needs to start learning how to do chores and helping around the house.  I really want to teach him to be clean and respectful of his things.  So we washed dishes together.  It was a blast... and my kitchen floor got a real good moppin'! Now if you do not have patience, I do NOT suggest washing dishes for you.  It was very hard for me to keep my smile on while he dumped water on the floor and got himself soaking wet or how he constantly put the clean dishes back into the soap water.  But he had a blast and then went around the house looking for more dishes to clean :-D See? He's already wanting to help clean up! LOVE IT! I'm sure after nap he'll have forgotten all about it but for now... I'll enjoy Mr. Super Clean Cy!

Happy Monday to all my dear friends! What are YOU going to accomplish today that has been waiting for you??

Next 20-some days

A lot is going through my mind.  Thoughts about friendships - what they mean... how you know when someone is a real friend... how to be a good friend... how to give to those who are in NEED (whether that be physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally giving).  Thoughts about housekeeping... what in my house needs to be cleaner, shinier, picked up more, what I can do without.  Thoughts about cooking... how to cook healthier, quicker, better... anxious about Lulu starting to eat solids soon and how I'm gonna juggle making her baby food on top of 2 kids.  Thoughts about mothering and the differences between the 2 kids... Lulu does not sleep AT ALL... Cy is being very very moody and "fun" right now... Sleep habits = happy kids, so trying to figure that all out... eating healthy, cutting out sugar... the list on being a better mom could go on and on and on! Thoughts about being a better wife... not complaining so much... giving more to DH... supporting DH more and loving him more.  See? Lots going on in my head.  So for the next 20-some days, I will be focusing on 1 area of my life that I am bettering.  And you lucky dogs get to read ALL about it :-) Aren't you EXCITED?! I know I am!!! It helps to blog so people can keep me accountable and I can keep myself accountable.  What do you want to better in the next 20-some days? Join in and let's get better together right before the New Year!

Lulu with her 1st baby doll! And yes, it does look like the baby doll has a bigger head than my baby - ha!

Rain drops on Roses & wiskers on kittens...

My friend Whitney took part in a Favorite things party blog - it was so fun reading through the favorite things, that I just HAD to join in!!! Who doesn't like finding amazing products that they never knew existed?! :-) So basically each year we have these White Elephant gifts.  I get soooo stressed picking out mine because I want it to be the best, but it never is (Thanks Michelle for bringing those cute little pig shakers.. made my lotion look like dirt compared to those things). See? I mean, no hard feelings... I just think all of us want our gift to be the best $2 gift EVER ... right? ;-) Well how about having a party where we all bring our favorite thing for each guest?! That's right! Invite 5-6 friends and we all bring our favorite thing for each friend.  We get to all get amazing gifts, it's fun and no one feels like their lotion was overlooked ;-)

SOOO here are my favorite things of this year:

My MOBY WRAP!!!! This thing has been a life-saver these last few months! Ignore my face of exhaustion ;-)

Caramel Brulee Latte From Starbucks!!! This has been so wonderful to me.... :-) Another amazing drink is Panera Hot Tea - the Peach one, that is AMAZING!! And has gotten me through some hard weeks of no sugar :-)

A must have all year long to keep a beautiful glow is Arbonne's Made in the Shade self-tanner! I used this ALL year long and LOVE it! I've used my bottle for over a year and still have some left - love love love!!! It doesn't turn me orange and doesn't streak either - perfect! Especially for those winter months when you become all pasty white ... yeah... this would do you WONDERS for those family photos ;-)

Ok so those are my top 3.  :-) At least the ones that I can think of and absolutely love right now! Would you like to have a Favorite Things party with me? Link up to this fun blog and share your favorite things!!!

By the way, I am totally having a Favorite Things party this December - sounds like a TON of fun and I could totally use some time with friends and a kid-less evening!!! ;-)

Thankful In all Things

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thess 5:18. 

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful and grateful for all that we have, given to us by Jesus.  It's hard during the holidays for me to remain upbeat and excited at times.  It just gets super lonely because DH works sooo much and when he is home, he is exhausted from all the talking and selling he did all day - that we usually take it easy.  It's hard when I see so many people spending SO much time with their families because often times, this is when most people can take a few days extra off and spend time together... where as, with DH - he is in black-out and cannot take any days off from November through December.  So today, I drove home from my friend's house and the streets were filled with cars.  Cars filled with family.  Cars filled with bags and luggage as they are able to leave town for a few days and enjoy family/vacation elsewhere. 

Thanksgiving this year will be short for us because DH has to work at 3 am for Black Friday so we have to be home and sleeping early... and then he will be working like a dog until New Years Eve.  I really do not like holidays much anymore.  I try and remember the reason for the season - but at times, like now, it gets hard.  But as I have this pity party, I pulled up that verse.  I will be reading this verse a lot this coming month.  In ALL things give thanks! So, while I feel somewhat lonely, ignored by some, exhausted with new baby, and so many other things - I want to give thanks.  For it's our positive attitude that can change our day around.  Now it's time for me to be positive and make the most out of all this!

- I am thankful for 2 beautiful children, for I could be sitting at home alone right now (actually I'd be working... but still) ;-)
- I am thankful for early Thanksgivings that we were able to celebrate with Nana and Papa instead of having no thanksgiving at all
- I am thankful for a table full of food, for many will be visiting shelters tomorrow, looking for a biscuit and gravy to get them through
- I am thankful for DH having a job, for many right now cannot find work and are trying so hard to do so
- I am thankful to be able to stay home with my children and talk to them about Thanksgiving, for some kids are at a sitters house right now, missing their mom and dad
- I am thankful for family who is willing to spend their holidays with me and my kids, for some are not fortunate enough to even have 1 person who can spend time with them


In all things give thanks! Even when things are kinda yucky and you feel down about your circumstances - you still have it SOOOO much better than sooooo many people out there - so be thankful! You are blessed beyond imagination of many.  We are not starving, we have friends, we have family, we have each other.  :-)

Thankfulness

With this movement going on throughout facebook about thankfulness - I've loved reading what everyone is thankful for but was never moved to do it myself.  Then the other day, I read a status reading something like this: "You are thankful but are you thankful to GOD"... it got me thinking.  This movement has made all of us post what we are thankful for ... because I know we are all thankful for our blessings but in the moment we typed up our thankful thoughts - did we also say a heart-felt thanks to the ONE who gave us those moments/possessions/people in our lives?

I Corinthians 10:26
"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."

At church on Sunday, the preacher talked about money and how money can ruin marriages.  How money is the root of all evilness and how we are to ask GOD (who actually OWNS our money) what to do with it.  And he quoted this Scripture verse.  So this verse has been on my heart today.  Everything we have belongs to the Lord.  So while I can be thankful 1,000 times over, I really need to be thankful to the Lord.  I need to be telling my thanks to HIM... while witnessing to others of how He has blessed me.  So this Thanksgiving - let's not forget to thank the ONE who gave us all our blessing and take a moment to really, truly, heart-felt and passionately thank HIM.

That kind of Day

HA! I re-read my title and just thought to myself: "It seems like ALL your days are becoming 'that kind of day'" ;-) True, very very true... but with a very smart, spirited boy and a reflux baby girl (which, her reflux is getting a lot lot better - WHOO!!!!), every day is bound to be crazy.  HA! Even if baby girl didn't reflux and was a normal baby, my days would be crazy.  For it's not the baby that creates the havoc - it's the TODDLER!!!!!!

12:30 pm - Toddler enters the world of nap time, Baby sleeping, MOPS just ended - Mama is HAPPY
4:15   pm - Toddler leaves the world of nap time, Baby is AWAKE, MOPS is a distant memory - Mama is frustrated
6:00 pm - Toddler and Mama leave Target - Mama is flustered
8:00 pm - Toddler enters the world of bedtime, Baby asleep - Mama staring blankly at the wall

3 hours.  3 hours is how long I fought Cy to take a nap, while rocking baby and getting laundry done.  In those 3 hours, I left my post at his door (sitting to make sure he doesn't leave) 3 times.  Once - he threw all his toys at the walls and emptied his toy box.  Second time - he emptied a container of soap all over his bed, animals, and pillow (I must say, his room has never smelled better!).  Third time - He made his wicket laundry basket into a stepping stool so that the lights could be turned on.  3 hours.  After 3 hours - I give up, willingly.

What better way to relieve stress and tension than to sit at home, chiling.  But NOOOOO there is nothing to eat and pull ups for night time sleep are out and wipes are out and my floss is out.  To Target we go.  I'm sure everyone at Target would vouch for this - but we left everyone with a very very pleasant shopping experience as they were able to listen to the kids' as they strengthened their vocal cords - the ENTIRE TIME (30 minutes of screaming from both kids - NOT fun!). 

Finally home, I start catching my breath and relaxing again - only to find Cy filling his pant in the living room.  It's funny how their face is always so angelic and innocent as they do something that they aren't supposed to be doing.  I get him showered and cleaned - NOT an easy task by any means.  Then clean the entire bathtub so baby sisa can take a bath.  She takes a bath and I get to watch as my sweet angel kicks and has a great time in the water.  It's so quiet and peaceful watching her.  Wait! Quiet... I don't like when it's quiet! Snatch baby out, throw her in a towel, run out to the living room to find....

A 2 year old boy EMPTYING a tall can of 409 foaming carpet cleaned ALL OVER MY FLOOR (wood and carpet).  Foam is in his hair, on the floor and he has a scrubbing brush, in the middle of the foam mountain.  "Helping mama, clean floor".  Yes, thank you dear but please stop! Move away from the chemicals.  Move away from the mess.  Let's go back and take another shower while sisa screams at the top of her lungs.  :-)

It has been a very very long day.  Never a boring moment, that's for sure.  But when my heart starts hurting from all the stress... maybe I could use a 'boring' moment ;-) I constantly remind myself through this phase of trying to find my place in a world with 2 kids - that God will never, ever give me more than I can handle.  Though at one moment tonight, I felt my will giving up - I quickly straightened back up and went to 'work' again.  God will never give me more than I can handle - after the kids went down, I folded 4 loads of laundry, cleaned the entire apartment, and am finally at 10 pm sitting down for the first time since MOPS at noon.  I found strength I never knew I had.  Strength to not scream at Cy ... well not the entire day at least.  Strength to bath my child twice.  Strength to hug him and still show him love at bed time, regardless of what my heart might have been feeling.  I have become stronger from today - and tomorrow, I'll become even stronger. 

Just some thoughts

Recent events have really got me thinking about friendship and time and family.  NOW - this is NOT necessarily about my family - but just various events I've been watching unfold...

1. If something or someone is important to you - chances are, you make time for them... no matter what! I was talking to some friends who were saying it's hard to make friends now days with families and such because everyone is so busy.  But I disagree.  I don't think everyone is "so busy", I just think they do not want to find the time to see you or be your friend or go to your events or support you.  I always try and prioritize and there has been times when I had NO time for anything but was still able to go to the hospital and hold a baby while the mama had surgery or go to a shower 1 1/2 hours away... because I found the time.  Time is what we make of it.  If something or someone is important to you - you make time for them... no matter what!

2. Family is all you have at the end! Do not burn bridges, do not spend your time hating on people or being mad.  Because time passes too quickly and things are missed and feelings are hurt.  Say your peace and move on.  Be there for each other - forever and always.  Understand.  It's easy to get caught up in our own lives that we forget that our mom/brother/sister/dad/cousin/aunt/grandma also has a life and while we are at different places or in different chapters of our lives - we need to be loving, kind, caring, empathetic, and genuine - and understand.  Support each other as much as possible.  Hug! Find time to chat at least 1x a month to say hello.  Because at the end, while you might have friends - when someone in your family passes away, you will not be sitting at their funeral going "I'm glad I was so mean to her or never tried to understand her or missed that stupid event of hers or missed out on so much of her life"... chances are, you will be sitting there, sobbing: "I wish soooo bad for just 5 more minutes with her".  So be good to your family.  Love your family.  Be there for your family.

Now with that being said - I am going to be working on that myself! I love my mom, my sister and my brothers to pieces! It's high time I start showing it... unconditionally.

The Perfect Day

As I sit here, awkwardly holding Lulu (when she has reflux, she arches back a lot... so I am holding her while her head is arched back & her body is upright and straight... see? awkward) - I am pondering my day and how absolutely awesome it was!!!

Firstly, I was awoken by a handsome lad, briiight & early.  Since it was soooo early, I grabbed all 40 pounds of cuteness & we snuggled in bed.  I noticed he was looking at the top of the curtain.  Still.  Pondering life's great wonders. "Oh Mr. Sun Sun, Bright & shiny sun" he begins to sing.  Turns to me and says 'Sun awake now?" - See?? Life's great wonders ;-)

Well since it was so early, I decided to dress the little munchkins and head to the mall.  They have a team that practices hockey in the Mall on their Ice Rink and we want to create a passion for Hockey in Cy - so we are starting young! I head to Panera first, pick up some breakfast sandwiches and decaf tea (Still trying to keep all sugar and caffeine out of my diet... minus a few slips here and there) and we sit by the rink, watching the guys practice hockey. 



Yes, he was VERY excited!!

Then we headed off to church - we have a great marriage series going on right now and my sweet husband took his lunch WAY early (6 hours early) and came to church with me so we could be there together and learn together.  So awesome!!!

Cy took a wonderful nap, we ran to Target and got a frozen pizza for dinner because mama forgot to grocery shop on Friday (oops) & we sat at home.  Relaxing.  Hugging.  Watching Veggie Tales.  Playing with Baby Sisa.  Unloading salt on the pizza (cy! ... no I wasn't happy at that moment ha ... wait till daddy eats that piece and no, I didn't tell him - thought it would be more fun this way, ha!).  Building Blocks.  Waiting for daddy to come home.

At bed time, we read "Goodnight Moon" and my genius boy almost read the entire book BY HIMSELF! No kidding.  Ash and I just sat there and kept kissing on him - I am soooo proud of him! He then made sure we all prayed to Jesus & sang "Jesus Loves me".  Then it was off to lala-land for the Prince who has given my life soooo much meaning.  So much love.  So much pride.  So much.... everything.


New Week

Tomorrow starts a new week!!!! I am super excited! I have big plans everyone! Big plans! Ok well not really... I don't think I have more than 2 things on the calendar - which excites me! I think I'll be a hermit and stay in with Cy and Lu, cuddling and loving on my babies!

But I do have some goals for this week:
- ENJOY Church tomorrow - great sermon coming up about marriage - I cannot cannot wait and Ash is taking his lunch early so he can go with me - YAY!
- ENJOY my sweet babies - They are only this young for a little bit... so I'm going to hug and kiss on them as much as humanly possible :-)
- ENJOY the weather - it's been a nice 70-some degrees - so I'm gonna be out a LOT with my boy
- ENJOY setting up Christmas Tree with my baby boy and daddy - should be loads of fun! It's his 1st tree that he'll remember
- ENJOY the quiet and stillness of a "boring" week :-)

I hope y'all have a wonderful and enjoyable week as well!

Dust go to sleep...

A couple nights ago my dear sweet Lulu was up every hour.  Seriously, every. single. hour.  And to throw in some "Make sure you really didn't get any shut-eye" into the mix, Cy also woke 2 times :-)

Well, I then had an entire day of cleaning to get ready for my amazing Stop'N'Shop.  So, to the day of cleaning while having a sore throat and runny nose - WHOO! Stop'N'Shop was fun and long :-) Bed - nope! Baby up... DH grumpy... Mama tired.  It turned out to be a long evening of "who is taking baby" and "what are we missing, why won't she sleep... why can't she sleep... why is she still crying... WHAT do we do?!??!"

Well, this morning I was feeling very very low about everything.  I mean, let's be honest - when you are getting MAYBE 4 hours of sleep a night for the last 4 months and virtually ZERO breaks each day because kids do NOT nap together (Well at least a reflux baby doesn't... she doesn't hardly nap unless being held) - spirits are running on fumes.  I am running on fumes.  Enter Whitney! :-)

She came to pick up her stuff from the night before (Check out her website) & while she is packing up and I am nursing - she says something, I respond, and she turns around to me sobbing.  Because lets face it - sometimes all we need to do is cry.  And that's what I did.  I cried.  About my feelings of failing as a mom.  Because I cannot seem to make my sweet angel happy.  Because Cy is so affected by her screaming all the time.  Because my marriage is affected by the constant pull for attention with a reflux baby and a needy toddler.  Because I am EXHAUSTED beyond anything I've ever felt.  Because I'm getting sick.  Because I just want to be a good mom, a good wife, and good friend, a good daughter to God.  Nothing is ever enough.  I am always writing lists of things I need to get better at.  Maybe if I was a better friend, I'd have better friends or maybe if I love Cy more, he'd stop hitting other kids and Lulu or maybe if I just give myself 5 more minutes of cleaning - the house would be cleaner.  It's never ending.  Go look at my mirror in my dining room right now - I have a "THings to get better at" and a LONG list that I wrote out during nap time. 
- Do more crafts with Cy
- Be sure to brush Cy's teeth 2 times a day
- Learn more about Arbonne (This is actually a fun one!)
- Make more time to read the Bible
- Get calendar and schedule 1-on-1 time with Cy, Lu, DH, and God
- Make cleaning schedule and stick to it
- Make food journal and figure out WHY Lulu is refluxing still

See... never good enough.  And while rocking a screaming baby girl for 1 1/2 hours tonight while running toddler back to bed every 5 minutes... again - what am I doing wrong... what am I missing.  But then I got on my blogger and read my friend's blog and she sent everyone to this link, and it touched my heart.  I am breathing easier.  Not completely better.  I still need to let go and let God... but I am breathing better.


Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth


empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

hang out the washing and butter the bread,

sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.



Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue

(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew

and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?

(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).



The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.





by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mommy-sense

My doctor told me yesterday that Lulu is being spoiled and doesn't need to eat at night, and doesn't need to be held so often.  But I left, thinking "If this is true, why does everything thing in my being tell me otherwise?".  It's hard as a mom to make the decision you think is the right one.  Especially when circumstances are less than perfect.  It's hard enough trying to figure out if you should give the baby a Born Free bottle or Dr. Brown bottle.  Swaddle blanket or Miracle blanket.  Canned baby food or homemade baby food.  Similac or Target Brand formula.  7 pm bedtime or 8 pm bedtime.  See? Hard decisions! ;-)

What I am finding even harder is that there is STILL unknowns.  This is my 2nd kid - I knew with Cy that he was just hungry at night and he ate through the night until he was 7 or 8 months old.  I didn't want to push him to stop - I knew he would stop on his own.  So with Lulu I try and have the same approach.  But tonight as we were leaving the house, she was screaming and very very upset.  The MOMENT I would touch her - she's stop and go to sleep.  Then upon removing my hand - screams.  It crept in that she is spoiled.  She is spoiled rotten! All night she cried.  Spoiled Rotten.  I got home and fed her and she cried even more.  Spoiled Spoiled Spoiled! Then came the screaming.  And the projectile spit-up and the arching back.  Spoiled...?????? More spit-up, spit-up through the nose.  Screaming.  Definitely NOT spoiled...? Right?

At times of uncertainty, I need... WE need... to rely on our mommy-sense.  God gave us our mommy-sense for a reason! That is our commonsense! We know our baby better than ANYONE and we need to do what is right for OUR baby.  SO, I am going to stand firm that Lulu isn't spoiled... for the most part ;-) And that her reflux is still getting the best of her.  And I am going to block out all distracting, demoralizing comments about how she should be sleeping through the night or shouldn't be held so much.  I am going to do the best I can do for my baby girl because at the end of the day, that's all I can do. 

That's all any mama can do.  So mamas out there - if you are having a hard time, a hard night, a hard week or a hard year - do what YOU can do and do what YOU think is right! Potty-training at 4 years old - GO FOR IT! It's your kid, you know them the best! Baby eating every three hours through the night at 10 months old - GO FOR IT! It's your kid! To home school or private school or public school or boarding school - GO FOR IT! It's your kid!  Whatever dilemma you are faced with, throw away the guilt, ignore the comments and advice and listen to your MOMMY-SENSE - it's there for a reason! ;-)

4 months & Counting

We took sweet Lulu to her 4 month check-up today.  I love love love my doctor - she is amazing and soooo caring.  I just had to say that :-) She makes me feel so much better about Lulu's reflux and her sleeping and eating and everything.  It's a huge blessing to have such an amazing doctor for the kids! Ok now on to Lulu and her progress

Baby girl, the doctor went down the list of "accomplishments" that you should be almost hitting or hitting - you have already surpassed all of them:
- You laugh at mama all the time - I absolutely love love love it! you haven't shown anyone else and will only laugh when we are alone in the room.  I am loving the one-on-one feeling that gives me though ;-)
- You smile ALL the time! Even when refluxing and feeling horrible - you will flash a smile.  It helps soooo much when mama is feeling overwhelmed at all the crying.  Gives me a boost to keep my cool and keep going :-)
- You roll over from back to tummy every time you are on your back - it's too funny.  Now if you could just learn to go from tummy to back so you don't get upset.  Cy loves flipping you back over though - ha! But I do not because it scares you and you start crying.  He's just being "helpful" you know ;-)
- You are the worst sleeper.  Cy slept ALL the time and absolutely anywhere but you - after 15 minutes, you wake up most of the time.  We have good days where you will sleep for an hour stretch but most of the time - I am lucky to get 20 minutes of baby down time before you wake again.  And you are waking every hour to 2 hours at night - screaming and in pain.  We have tried everything and at this point - I'm just going to comfort you, love you, and pray for you.  I know it will all clear up... in the meantime - mama will just be exhausted
- You talk non-stop and will get loud just to get me to make eye contact with you
- Cy is starting to warm up to you (FINALLY!) and will copy mama when I'm playing with you.  Talk about making my heart melt! Love my 2 babies!
- You are in 6-12 month clothes.  You don't fill them out but you are tall in the torso so 3-6 month onesies don't snap.  BUT 3-6 month pants fit perfectly because you have shorter legs :-)
- You weighed 16 pounds today.  Not quite double your birth weight, I think the reflux has slowed down your eating and you actually lost a pound in the last couple months but the doctor said that you are perfect and now proportionate to your height at 25 1/2 inches
- Mama and Dada love you so much and you are definitely daddy's girl! You will find him in a room and stare at him until he smiles at you - then you give him the BIGGEST smile you can, and I can just see his heart melting for his princess.  Sweetest.  Thing.  EVER. 

We love you lots baby girl! Happy 4 months!

Giving up Sugar - YIKES!

Well, I am sitting in the dark on my bed - having FINALLY gotten Lulu back to sleep for the umpteenth time tonight... wait, it's already morning - ok well then this morning.  And I figured - no point sleeping, let's blog about my big life change happening as we speak.

See that big bowl of candy from Halloween?
See that Big cake in the frig from DH's birthday?
See that lovely, delicious creamer in the flavor of CINNABON?

Yep - I'm giving it all up! For a few reasons but mainly because Lulu has horrible reflux.  I know it's not milk or dairy products so now I"m eliminating sugar (which includes breads/pastas/ect).  I'm also eliminating sugar because she's had horrible thrush and sugar can cause it to get worse.  It's been 3 weeks for her - so I'm trying to get that under control as well.  I am also eliminating sugar because I need to lose weight badly and what better way to do it than go cold turkey off sugar? I am also eliminating sugar because, well, it's horrible for you! Read this blog about sugar and the 76 reasons that sugar is bad for you.  It might make you reconsider your sugar intake as well! :-)

So if I seem a tad cranky in the next few days, that's because I am on a serious sugar low - ha! But I must get Lulu's reflux under control - I hate her taking medication and feel that if I just change my diet, she'd feel so much better.  So here I go! :-)

Photo Session Special over at Sea Song Photography

Add caption

Book your family photo session with Maria over at Sea Song Photography! She is wonderful! She's done 3 - THREE - sessions for us in the last 6 months.  We did a last session with Cy before Lulu was born:

Then I did Maternity Pictures just weeks before having Lulu

And finally we had Lulu's newborn shots taken with Maria at Sea Song Photography:

Stop by her facebook page: Sea Song Photography or email her at seasongphoto@gmail.com and book your family session today!!!! These would be great for holiday cards and at the price she is offering - you can't beat it! 2 sessions AND CD rights for $130! WOW! I'm beyond happy with all my sessions, with Maria's personality during sessions, and how quickly I got my pictures.  She's amazing - check her out today!

Another great one from Maria at Sea Song Photography

The ever-changing word of VACATION

DH is on vacation this week - so vacation is definitely on my mind.  :-) As I bent over a tub full of steaming hot water and vinegar - scrubbing Cy's toys (We have a massive Toy cleaning every 3 months) - I laughed to myself: "Some vacation" But to me, it's the best way to spend a vacation! Doing things around the house that I never get to when DH is working because they are time-consuming and with 2 kids - there is no such thing as TIME to begin with.  So as I sit here, there are a few words that have changed over the years for me that I'd like to point out.  If you are single, newly married, or a college student - read ahead to see what your life will look like in a few years.  And trust me, I know you are going to read and say: "Nope! That won't be me, I'll always love to go out or go on vacations.  I refuse to be cleaning toys on my vacation" - trust me - when the exhaustion hits, when it's harder to go out and more expensive than stay in - things change! But also trust me - it's for the better and it's so rewarding and amazing :-)

Eating Out:

- As a kid - something mom and dad paid for and if you complained loud enough - your choice would be picked!
- As a college student - roman noodles out of the "special" cup
- As a newly married adult - Let's go to the nicest place possible - and splurge! 2 incomes... no kids... yep - it's amazing!
- As new parents - Anywhere quiet so the new baby can sleep in peace and we can eat in peace
- As parents to a toddler - Anywhere loud, so not many people are disturbed by our son's yelling
- As parents of a toddler and a new baby - NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are eating in! It's too much - fussy baby + demanding toddler + too high of bill = NOT WORTH IT!



Vacation:

- As a kid - something mom and dad picked, you just went along for the ride
- As a college student - Going home on break
- As a newly married adult - VEGAS BABY! Or anywhere amazing, wonderful and fun!
- As new parents - Somewhere fun but close by.  Austin, Dallas, San Antonio
- As parents to a toddler - Let's go to the beach, or travel a little ways for him to really enjoy himself! These are fun vacations! Toddlers are a HOOT on vacation!
- As parents of a toddler and a new baby - NO!!!!!!!!!!! We are staying in Houston! It's too much - fussy baby (who cries every time she's in the car for longer than 10 minutes so NO traveling is even possible) + demanding toddler + too high hotel bill = NOT WORTH IT!!!!!

Night Life:

- As a kid - HA! Bed by 8... what night life?
- As a college student - Bible studies (I know some of my friends are laughing right now... laugh away), night games out on the field, cramming sessions for tests
- As a newly married adult - Eating out, going out until the wee hours of the morning - enjoying freedom
- As new parents - Do the books say to have him in bed by 8 or 9? Let's do 9pm...or 10pm...  and then move to 8 later when it matters... that way, we have more freedom to go catch a movie or grab a bite
- As parents of a toddler - Yep - definitely 8 pm.  We can rent a movie - we are staying in! Bed by 11... perfection
- As parents of a toddler and a new baby - NO!!!!!!!!! We are going to bed early! It's too much - fussy baby + toddler who exhausted us all day + high cost of sitter = NOT WORTH IT! We will be in bed with the kids by 8pm!

Day 2: Pray for him as a Father

I am going off the 31 days of praying for a husband because I cannot find my hand-out right now, am too lazy to look up online, and feel lead to pray for my DH and his role as a father today.  So here I go! ;-)

Today I am praying for DH as a father.  Many dads feel a huge load to provide for their family financially, while the women provide emotionally.  I pray today that DH can have the courage to CONTINUE (He does a great job) to provide emotional support to his children.  To raise sensitive, caring, kind children.  For how he raises these children is going to affect them for the rest of their lives.  Lulu will, more than likely, marry someone just like her father.  Thus, it is crucial for DH to show her what a real man, a real father, a real husband IS.  Cy will mimick DH in every way possible (Don't marry a man, unless you would be proud to have a son just like him).  So today, I am praying for DH as a father to Lu and Cy.  For God to guide him and give him wisdom in how to raise our children.  To give him insight on how to discipline Cy during his "fun" terrible 2's stage. 

Day 1: Spiritual Guidance, Desire to grow closer to God
Day 2: Guidance as a Father - emotionally


In other news - we are signing another year lease and staying where we are.  I am both excited to have a year to get out of debt so we can get a house but also sad.  The next year feels heavy on my shoulders.  It's not easy having 2 kids in a small apartment with no backyard.  Give me a backyard and you can easily take 200-400 sqft away! Ha.  But here's to the next year: sacrificing NOW so we can give the kids a better life.  I forsee many trips to the park in the next year ;-)

Must Share!!!

Cy has always had some dry patches of skin on his body - usually on his upper back and cheeks.  Well, I ran out of my Arbonne's Baby Lotion and started using Johnson & Johnson.  Now, for those who do not know, J&J - as well as a BUNCH of other companies - use unsafe, unhealthy things in their products.  Dimethicone, phthalates, & parabens.  I will make sure to write on all of these later.  I love this article because she explains how dangerous J&J is for our bodies... but I will write more later as well! Anyway, when I started selling Arbonne, I quickly changed lotions and started using Arbonne - Even DH used their lotion and REFUSES to use anything else!!!!! Which is saying a lot!

Anywho! I ran out of my Arbonne's Baby Lotion so used J&J while some more was coming in.  And what did you know - Cy's dry, bumpy skin came back! It was so horrible! His cheeks were turning red and very scaley.  I got Arbonne's Baby Lotion in, and within ONE application - his cheeks were almost clear - ALREADY! I am freaking out! I knew Arbonne's Baby Lotion was amazing, because when Cy was a baby he would have dry skin and the lotion would clear it up but I've never switched from the 2 and saw such a dramatic, QUICK change! It is incredible! I just had to share!! :-)

What lotion are you putting on your child's skin? Could it cause cancer? Sleep disturbances? Headaches? Dry skin (yes, lotion can cause dry skin!)? Memory Loss? Do your research - know what you are using - and change it if it's not healthy.  Kids are so young and it is so important to be proactive with their health!

31 Days of Praying for Your Husband

A few things before I dive into this 31 days business :-)

- I was studying my Bible the other day, and looked up "Wife" (I read on Internet so I can look up certain topics that are speaking to me sometimes) and began reading.  I ran across Proverbs 21:9, that says 9 "Better to live on a corner of the roof

than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. "
This spoke to me a great deal! Many times DH says that I "Nag" and at that - I roll my eyes.  It's not nagging! It's simply me making sure you do everything the way I want them done! It's not nagging - I'm ensuring that you remember at least 20 times in 5 minutes what I need done. Yes, you've been there - go ahead and give that head a little nod! ;-) It's not nagging - I just didn't think you heard me, so I made sure to say it 3 more times.  This verse made me realize how much nagging can affect a man.  And when I'm in a bad mood and just looking to pick a fight - wow, DH would probably rather live on a corner of the roof - OUTSIDE - than share the room with me :-( Ok - time for a change! So I am in the process of nagging less, being less quarrelsome and more loving.  I want my husband to come home and WANT to come home.  I want my husband to WANT to spend his days off with me. 

- My husband.  He is such a great man! We all have our faults - and he has is, as I have mine.  But this week has been a very very very hard week with Cy's attitude, a baby girl who is literally waking EVERY hour, and soooo much lack of sleep I have had a constant migraine for the last 3 days.  But for the last 3 mornings - my DH has gotten up to be with Cy (you know because when you are running on 3 hours of sleep - getting out of the bed seems like an impossible task) and has made breakfast for all of us! How sweet! I am so blessed!

- Ok, now that I have pinpointed what area I really need to work on (especially when going on 3 hours of sleep a night for the last 4 nights) and how great DH has been as a help with the kiddos this week - I am going to dive right into a 31 days of praying for your husband thing-a-ma-jig ;-)

I believe as women of the house, we are to pray for our husbands.  We are to pray for our families too but I think we have a great responsibility to pray for our husbands.  They are the ones who are to LEAD the family.  Sorry if you have a modern look on marriage - but I firmly believe what the Bible teaches about this, that HUSBANDS (not wives and husbands) are the head of the household and wives are to be submissive and husbands are to love us as they love themselves.  As the leader of the house - DH needs a lot of guidance, strength, patience, love, support in this HUGE task that he has (Proverbs 31:11-12)! So for the next 31 days, I will be praying for him.  I encourage you to pray for your Husband too! Let's see how God can use us, as wives, to move in our husbands lives this coming 31 days! :-)

You can find the article here!

DAY ONE: Pray that your husband will grow spiritually and consider his accountability before the Lord.  Pray that he will guard his heart by developing spiritual disciplines - Bible reading and study, prayer, meditation, scripture memorization, church-going, ect (2 Peter 3:18; Prov 4:23)

Lord, I ask at this time that You would bless my husband, bless all that He does for this family, bless his hard work and long hours, his time at school and studying.  Lord, I ask that You would touch him at this moment, touch his heart, and help him to see You in everything that he does.  Please help him to guard his heart from the world, from things that would corrupt it, and help him to develop habits that will grow him closer to You.  Give him that desire and want to be closer to You and lead him in that. Amen.

Praise God in the Storm

I should be mopping (you'll understand why soon enough) or doing dishes, cuddling baby girl, cleaning bathrooms, or simply folding the surprise load I found in the dryer that I had TOTALLY forgotten about! But I have stepped away from my "work" to blog.  It's been a very interesting day and I just had to blog.  It's funny - while I am sitting here, I am not upset or angry (you'll see why in a little bit) - but I am so thankful to God.  I am praising HIM, in the storm.

I had wonderful MOPS this morning.  If you are a mom - you need to find a MOPS - it is simply a life-saver! I love that I can be apart of a group of women, who half the time I don't even talk to (I don't talk to ALL of them, just my table and I have time for a few others before leaving) but even without talking, being in a ROOM full of moms who are all going through the same things - it's encouraging! It gives me that "push" to get through the next 2 weeks of toddler-craze! :-) Well our speaker today told a story about when her son was 2 (who was hard-headed, strong-willed) and she had a new baby.  She placed him to sleep and he fought it but soon to be quiet and she thought "oh! He went to sleep! Yay!!!" only to find out he had poo'ed all over his crib and painted with it.  When listening to this story, at first my eyes filled with tears - because oh goodness - if that happens to me, after the month I've had... I will cry.  Then I started looking around the room - WHERE is Cy... is he listening?!??! (He was in nursery but still, can never be too careful with that one!).  She talked about her anger, her frustration, how she just wanted to hurt him.  How she went into the closet, prayed, took some breaths, and came out to tackle the job.

WELL.... I was very uplifted by this story - YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not the ONLY one with a strong-willed child! Cy had a great time at MOPS, crafts, lunch, friends - he was happy.  Got home.  Nap time! He would not poo in toilet so I kept his undies off, because this makes him tell me when he needs to use the toilet.  Tucked in. Easy.  Feed baby.  Quiet in the house.  Rock baby girl.  See little innocent boy peeping around the corner.  Walk him back to room.  Smell something horrible.  Open door.  Poo is EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cy looks up and says: "Mama, Cycy Poopoo"... yep, ya sure did.  Stood.  Stared.  Breathed through mouth.  Walked away. Gained composure and threw Cy in the shower.

Clean up! The boy has it on his face, bottom of feet, all in his hands, legs... yep - fun stuff.  I then sit him on the toilet and go to his room to assess the "damage".  Carpet is covered in Poo.  Bedding is covered in poo.  Big Gorilla got fed a LOT of poo.  Let's not forget headboard :-) I think the most infuriating thing about this situation is the smell.  If it smelled like roses - DONE DEAL! I could easily clean it up without gagging every 2 seconds... but it doesn't. 

Praise God in the storm.  As I bend down and scrub the carpet - I am praising God.  I firmly believe he had the speaker talk today - TO ME.  If I hadn't just heard that story hours before, I would have lost it on Cy.  She said something that hit home - how she didn't mean to yell at her son and make him feel this *fingers with just a sliver gap between each other* small.  It hit me hard.  When I yell at him - I make him feel small.  I never want to do that.  Hearing that story - gave me strength.  Gave me perspective.  Praise God that I went to MOPS and had a story just like one that I would soon have to share, myself.  I was able to calmly clean up the mess.  Calmly punish Cy.  Calmly and peacefully.  Praise God! For while there is a storm around me and things are whirling around - PRAISE GOD for giving me the message exactly when I needed it! I now understand more about praising God... in the storm.

Now, I just need to make sure to

1) Inspect Cy's room at church for any listening devices that he might be using to hear of "ideas"

2) Make sure no other speaker tells stories that might, could, probably will, happen to me :-)

Are they not the most adorable father/son combo EVER?! Love these 2 to pieces!!!! Oh and Cy is feeling Ash's head - I think he gets that from me.  Ash thought it was hilarious :-)

While there are bad days - there is ALWAYS a silver-lining!

I'm not sure what to blog about.  I have been thinking on it all day now and have decided to just sit... and write. I began this blog to help me express myself and since I am no longer on facebook - it's an outlet for me. 

This last week has been tough.  It's so hard to write about the toughness of my week because I know so many out there who have harder weeks than me.  Yet at this moment, I feel like I can't breath.  I am so beyond exhausted and worn down - emotionally, physically, mentally.  I don't think I ever understoodd what being worn down emotionally was until I had a 2 year old boy cry ALL DAY LONG and test EVER boundary known to man ALL DAY LONG.  I don't think I ever understood what being worn down physically was until I had a 3 month old, 16 pound baby who cries and needs to be rocked or chasing after a toddler and then grocery shopping with the baby in moby and toddler throwing everything into the cart. Or getting 2 hours of sleep total last night due to the kids switching off "night duty" ;-)  I don't think I ever understood being mentally exhausted until I had a baby who cries ALL the time it seems, a husband who is going to school on one of his days off and has been working 6 days a week for the last 2 weeks, being without a MNO or a good break from the kids in over 2 months. 

REVERSE ;-) Because there is always a reverse.  While I am exhausted mentally - I have never been so mentally aware and excited! My hubby is getting his degree and going places! My baby girl is crying and can cry.  I have kids to need a break from - and BEAUTIFUL kids at that! :-) While I am exhausted emotionally - I have a son who is so head-strong and stubborn, he will go far in life! Those characteristics are needed in a strong man and he definitely has them!While I am exhausted physically - I have a strong back and able arms to hold my pumpkin, I have money to grocery shop each week and push the cart full of food.  I have 2 sweet kids who I GOT to snuggle with last night - giving me those precious moments to smell their hair and touch their soft baby skin... for soon that will all be gone and just a memory.

So while I am exhausted and am at the verge of tears - I am also overwhelmed with how blessed I am! I am soooo blessed and if this exhaustion is the price I have to pay for my life - DONE! I will wake up tomorrow feeling refreshed and ready to start another week.  I need God's strength, but I know He will provide and I will get to have another week of watching my kid develop his strong personality and another week of smelling my sweet baby girl's hair while she cries ;-)

Accountability

There are a few things I need to change in my life and wanted to blog about it - I think accountability is BIG in reaching goals.  So hopefully at least some who read this will help and keep me accountable :-)

1. Fitness: I am needing to workout a lot more again.  This is usually the only time I get away from the kids on a weekly basis and at the same time help me shed the last 5 pounds of baby weight plus some more I'd like to lose.

2. Relationship with God: I am needing to have daily devotions.  I get so much out of them when I have devotions, yet those are always the first to go when things get busy or I have a hard night with the baby girl.  This needs to be top priority at all times

3. Grow my business: While pregnant with Lulu, I put Arbonne on the back burner.  Sickness, toddler, and life was just too much. While I am still over-whelmed, I want to start my business again and aim to succeed.  DH and I have a very very aggressive plan to pay off our debt within the year and I'd love to help with that and get even more paid off even faster! Arbonne can help me do that! So I am focusing again and getting back on track.  Want to help out? Host a show or a basket show for me AND earn rewards so you too can enjoy all Arbonne has to offer!!!

4. Budgeting: We are on strict cash system yet I still have a hard time with groceries each week and staying under my budget.  I need to buckle down even more and make it happen, while keeping meals healthy for the little guy.  I also need to drive less and be more aware of the activities I take part in that cost money

I think that's about it :-) Lot happening and I am excited to better my life in ALL aspects. 

A funny story: Someone taught Cy to say: "pray to Jesus".  Not sure who.  But it is the cutest thing EVER! Tonight we were leaving the park and he went up to 2 of my friends and said "Pray to Jesus?" - LOVE IT! I love that my sweet boy is thinking about Jesus in the middle of the park.  I love that he helps ME to remember my Jesus in the middle of the park! He asked 2 more times in the car before I realized: Why am I not praying to Jesus right now? I can still pray when I'm driving.  So right then and there we prayed and he was beaming! I am so proud of him and so thankful to whoever taught him that phrase.  Way to put mama on the spot baby boy - I love it!

Just a normal day at the store.... HA!

1st off - I woke up today, absolutely exhausted.  Cy has been waking up in the early early mornings and with Lulu still waking every 3-4 hours (She want 6 hours last night - yay!), It gets me tired.  DH has been working over a week straight and tomorrow has school all day - so it leaves for a lot of mama & kids alone time.  I was slightly crabby (I'm sure DH would kindly say that it was more than "slightly") this morning.  Cy was already fussy and exhausted from his "fun adventure 6 am morning" and I was not looking forward to the day with a fuss bucket.  Well, DH left and I sat there and thought: "WOW! How lucky am I to be able to have my fuss bucket home with me today.  I get to experience his moods, and hug his blues away.  I get to tuck him in for nap and take him shopping with me - letting him experience the world WITH me.  While at times this is the HARDEST job that I have ever had - it's also the BEST job! I would not change it for the world! I am so lucky to be sitting here, listening to him scream because soon he'll also be learning something new and I'll be the one to teach him!" I made this possible, DH made this possible.  DH works extremely hard and I know, if ever needed - would get 2 jobs just so I could stay home with the kids! And I make it possible with him but sacrificing SO much - shopping for clothes, new shoes, extreme budgets for food, gas, outings, vacations (ha those have become non-existent), concerts, sporting events, movies, cable, fast Internet (ha!), smart phones... ya, the list goes on.  We've cut down on a TON of things but it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO worth it to be able to stay home with the kids! I am so blessed!... Exhausted, but blessed!

Anyway, Just a normal day at the grocery store:
- Crying reflux baby - CHECK
- Baby in wrap, trying to get out with head hanging out - CHECK
- Picking the ONE broken cart that pulls to the left and takes ALL my energy/strength & 2 hands to keep it straight - CHECK
- Hungry boy wanting every item I put in the cart - CHECK
- SCREAMING boy, begging for every item - CHECK
- Baby blow-out all over my shirt and wrap - CHECK CHECK
- Toddler needing to use the bathroom in the middle of grocery shopping - CHECK
- A broken egg in the carton dripping all over my feet and jeans - CHECK
- People in the aisles (that do NOT understand how hard it is to push a broken cart with a huge toddler, while looking at the grocery list and holding a screaming baby in a wrap) getting in my way every 2 seconds - CHECK
- Getting all done with shopping and being exhausted... only to find that you forgot the ONE main ingredient for all the dishes of the week and it's on the other end of the store - CHECK
- Finding 3 items in the cart that I did NOT place there (CYCY!!!) upon checking out - CHECK
- Carrying 15 bags, baby carrier, and holding the hand of a toddler who is lollygagging into the apartment quickly before you drop all 15 bags & baby carrier ON the toddler - CHECK


Yep! Just a normal day grocery shopping :-)



Yes, I know - she's the cutest little goober EVER! ;-)



Sometimes you just gotta LAUGH

The last 4 days have been tough with a baby who has been crying a lot more than usual and a toddler with a fever and sickness.  Today I had the opportunity to go to Cy-Fest with a dear friend and her daughter.  When I looked it up online, it said 4,000 people went last year so I knew I was in for a busy time.  Little did we know HOW busy it was going to be.  While the amount of people wasn't the problem - the lack of staff/booths/size was.  If they had 4 face painters instead of 2, it would have been perfect! If they had 2 or 3 petting zoos instead of 1 tiny one - perfect! If they had 2 toddler bounce houses instead of 1 - perfect! you get the point - they did not have enough activities to offer to all 4,000 people.  So we found ourselves standing in the heat, with 3 kids (2 cranky toddlers who just wanted to get their faces painted... well 20 minutes after standing in line - that's not gonna happen.  Then just wanted to pet animals... after seeing the mile long line in the heat - that's not gonna happen.).  Yes it was an experience! At least we got their pictures taken by some magazine - so maybe one of our kids will be popular from this whole experience! HA!

- Heat, 3 kids, stroller, Cy who is grabbing candy wrappers off the ground and licking the sugar off them (yes, nasty and YES I stopped him each time but he did sneak a couple past me)
- Long Lines EVERYWHERE
- 2 1/2 hours later we had successfully gotten their pictures taken and Cy had jumped in the bounce house. Time to go!
- Heading to the car, it starts raining.  Yep, just our luck! Speed walking with the kids ALL the way to the other end of the parking lot
- Start leaving... Oh what do you know - the entire festival also decided to leave, causing a ruckus of cars all trying to run out and get on with their Saturdays.
- I just LAUGH... sometimes you just gotta LAUGH at your bad luck and bad timing
- Drive to Chick-Fil-A so a 3 month old starving baby girl can eat - took a while.  Got there - JAMMED PACKED!
- Walk across the street to Wendy's for crappy food and a quiet atmosphere (you'll understand the "quiet" in a minute)
- Lulu proceeds to SCREAM the entire time I am ordering... Cy then tells mama "CYCY POOPOO", which I ask him to hold so I can get seating (He then walks around the restaurant holding his crotch and proclaiming to any who would listen: "cycy need pooooo poooo, cycy need poopoo.  Hold poopoo mama?")
- I just LAUGH... sometimes you just gotta LAUGH at your "too much information" toddler
- I take him to the bathroom and afterwards, he walks up to a table of teenage boys and tells them that "Cycy poopoo'ed in potty!" haha - poor guys! On the way to the table (mind you, Lulu has been crying this entire time and the whole restaurant now looks on in frustration, begging me with their eyes to shut the kid up!) - Cy RUNS into a chair with a man sitting in it (he wasn't watching where he was going) - bounces off the chair and hits the mini wall on the opposite end, ending his bouncing fun on the floor.  OH DEAR! He then proceeds to cry.  Mama throws baby down, puts bag down and picks up 40 pound 2 year old. 
- At this point I just sit at the table, baby crying, kid crying - and LAUGH... sometimes you just gotta LAUGH at the chaos
- We eat dry chicken, kids have apples and ketchup, and Lulu refuses to eat - only wants to scream while I try to feed her
- My friend and I then look at each other - and I tell her 'Laugh, it's the only way to make it through" and we proceed to laugh.  I'm sure the people looking on all thought we were crazy - and we were! We were crazy to go to a festival with 4,000 other people, to think Chick-Fil-A on a Saturday at lunch time would be empty, to think a baby would wait 40 minutes to eat... Yes, we are crazy - but you know what? I'd rather be the crazy laughing lady than the crazy CRYING lady... any day!

SO when you are stuck with a bad day - just laugh... it gets better and laughing is SOOOO much prettier than crying ;-)

Reading at the library, waiting to check out



Highlight of Cy's day - taking a picture next to a firetruck!



And of course, a picture of my sweet baby girl!

 

3 months Old, Steve Jobs, Sickness

This is such a crazy post.  I am just so overwhelmed with emotion this morning as I think on a few things. 

1. Steve Jobs passed away yesterday and I felt a sadness in my heart for the world losing such an amazing inventor, business man, and family man.  It is truly sad.  He went way too soon and yet, I am so moved and touched by his dedication to bettering everything he set his mind to.  How many men would co-found a company, get fired, and yet still invent something amazing (Pixar)?! What resilience! Then to come BACK to the company that fired you and make history there too? WOW! I cannot help but wonder what he would have created next, had he not passed and I can only hope that his death has stirred up fire within each of us to live to our potential and do what we can every day to make a difference in the world and in the lives of those who are in our life. 

2. Cy is sick today :-( I think the last time he got sick was over a year ago.  He has a very strong immune system but all kids get sick at some point.  I'm very sad for him - he is miserable.  I am also praying for my sweet baby girl so she doesn't get sick too.  That would be bad since she can't take any medicine and already has reflux to deal with.  So we are home bound until this nastiness goes away.  On a positive note, I could totally get used to cuddling on the couch and watching movies ;-)

3. BABY LULU is 3 months old today!!!!!! I left this for last because it is what I am soooooo excited for! I cannot believe my sweet mumpkin is already 3 months old! She has been such a blessing to us and changes my life daily.  Baby girl, you are so special to us and we love you more than you will ever know! You are still refluxing daily and had a HORRIBLE day yesterday - from 5 pm until about 10 pm you were crying almost non-stop.  I feel soooo bad for you when you cry and I see those tears coming down your cheeks.  If I could take away the pain - I really really would!

Despite your daily pains with reflux - you are the most happiest baby! You smile constantly at Daddy and Mama.  It is heart-warming! Cy smiled a lot too - I think we just make really happy babies (hehe).  You especially like to stare at Big Brother and smile at him... though, he is still warming up to you.  I know it'll come at it's own time and then he will love playing with you all the time! He does worry about you though when you are not around and when you cry - he tells everyone so we can get you, it's very sweet.  He definitely loves you.

You also coo ALLLLL the time! You talk at every chance you get.  Must get that from your mama.  I love listening to you!! Cy never coo'ed so this is a new and extremely fun stage for me! :-) You are a little sensitive - you get diaper rash easily, you are allergic to Huggies, you do not like tummy time, you like to be held (reflux), you do not like to stand on your feet, and cry at loud noises.  You also got a fever at your first set of shots and I only gave you 2 of the 4 that were needed... so I know to be super careful with shots for now on so you don't get fevers anymore. 

You are still waking at night, at least 2 times and sometimes 3.  I tried to wean you off the other night but you cried every 10 minutes for 2 hours until I finally gave in and fed you.  Little chubby monkey ;-) I weighed you last night and you weigh a healthy 17 pounds! You are wearing 3-6 month clothes and some of your 3 month clothes don't fit your torso so you are in 6 month onesies already.  I love you to pieces my sweet baby girl! You are my world!

Not the best picture but it's one of the only ones I've downloaded lately... I think today I'll be taking a bunch of 3 month pics of you ;-)

What do you do ALL day?!

"You are a stay-at-home-mom?!??! What do you do all day?" ... "You stay at home... and what? Just sit around?" Yes, I have had both of these asked of me quite a few times since beginning my journey of staying home ;-) It's hard to keep your head up at times as a SAHM when asked this in such a negative way from people.  SO, to let all know just how much I sit around - I would like to share what an average "sitting around" day at the Fouladi household looks like with a 2 year old and a 2 month old :-)

Let me start off by saying - My kids are genius and my house is a "magic" house.  I had the fairy godmother come in and make all my cleaning tools come to life! It has been a lifesaver!! I woke this morning... aw, who am I kidding - I don't "wake" to the morning anymore since I'm up on average every 2-3 hours anyway so technically, I never really "went to bed" ha.  Anyway, my day starts at 8 am to my sweet and amazing Lulu, at just a mere 2 months, walking over to eat.  She was able to nurse herself while I sat and chilled, unfazed by anything.  When I got up from that, to my expectations, my 2 year old had successfully pee'd and poo'd in the potty - BY HIMSELF, no assistance needed to get undressed, up on the toilet, wiped or down from toilet or redressed.  Yes - amazing, I know (This is something he does every 2 hours all day long! No help is needed at his 7-10 bathroom breaks lol)! He then proceeded to tell me "Mama, Cycy make breakfast for YOU - go sit around and wait" ;-) He made french toast with a berry sauce all the while holding his sister and rocking her the entire time and telling me to NOT break the blinds or to stop pulling the dogs tail.  WOW! He must have eyes in the back of his head! Breakfast made, I PRY myself off the couch, meander on over to the table and the food just pops onto my plate and Cy's.  Guess what?! They are already cut, dressed with berries, drinks prepared, silverware out, EVERYTHING! I eat while Cy feeds himself AND picks up his own droppings of food off the floor. 

We head to the park... BUT don't worry - I just "sat around" the entire time while Cy carried Lulu for me and fed her a bottle.  I sat around while Cy got out the lunch he had made himself and fed himself.  And when he fell and skinned his knee... no worries! I just sat there and let another stranger kiss his boo boo... My favorite part is how the kids got themselves packed up and in the car - stroller tucked away, seat belts on, and car started all on their own! It was a relief because that, if done by a mama, could be a very stressful series of events each and every trip taken... but since they do it all on their own - yay! Good thing because running 2 or 3 errands every day with them could get tiring if they didn't do it on their own! :-)

Nap time - EASY! The books open themselves and read to Cy, while he tickles his own back and a recording sings him a couple songs... all the while, Lulu is feeding herself and changing her own diaper (3rd one today).  Then when I walk out of his room - to my amusement, the vacuum is going off and cleaning the floor, the broom is focusing on the tile floors, and the sink is doing the dishes for me.  I proceed to sit and do nothing.  Then, I guess out of boredom, the mop gets out and mops the entire floor - TWICE! Because someone did finger paints the day before and painted more of the tile than the paper!
I find 4 loads of laundry already folded by Cinderella on my bed, bathrooms have been picked-up and clothes hung.  Lulu put herself to sleep after feeding herself - AGAIN and changing yet another one of her own diapers.  And all the while, I'm just sitting here - watching. 

Of course we can all infer what happens next - afternoon activity done all by Cy, I mean, who needs an adult to make slime for you or to pick up after it? Dinner made on its own and picked up after.  Kids fed, changed, bathed, lotioned up, ears cleaned, nails trimmed, books read, songs sang, kids tucked in - and all the while, I was sitting on my tushy on the couch! I KNOW! AMAZING! And at 11 pm, 2 am, 5 am, and 8 am - Lulu feeds herself, changes herself, and rocks herself back to sleep.  AWESOME!

Yes, by all means - I just sit around as a SAHM and do nothing.  :-) What about you?