FIve on Friday

Five on Friday...

1. My cookie sheet hasn't seen cookies in a very long time...too long. These days it is used for zucchini, carrots, and asparagus.

2. The bitter cold this winter is not my cup of tea. I only enjoy cold if it brings snow.

3. I have pretty much no clue about makeup. I'd really like someone to give me advice on what to use and how to use it.

4. I just realized Netflix has over 100 episodes of Law & Order: SVU. Jam!

5. I'm so excited to go with Lilly-Belle to her cheer camp tomorrow and watch her cheer at the Wake Forest game. She's such a cutie!

Typical Conversations

Maybe it's because she is the middle child. Maybe it's because she is a girl. Maybe it's the red hair.

Who knows?

Lilly-Belle likes to have control. She is fiercely independent and tests me on the daily. I have no desire to squelch these dominant traits, but it certainly makes things interesting. Meal times are especially fun.

Here are a few typical conversations:

Me: What you like for lunch? You can choose between turkey slices and a cheese stick or ABCs with meatballs. (I try to give a choice so she has some input. Not sure if it helps.)
LB: Or a sandwich?
Me: Or a sandwich.
LB: Okay, I'll have turkey and cheese.

LB: Can I have something to drink?
Me: Water or milk?
LB: Or flavored water?
Me: Sure.
LB: Milk, please.

I see a pattern. Do you? This is how it usually goes. Unless it is something she really wants, but she knows I will not approve.

LB: Mommy, I'll just get me a snack, okay.
Me: Lilly, what are you getting?
LB: I'll show you in a minute. Okay.
Me: Show me now.
LB: I'm just going to eat a few of these sprinkles and then I'll eat my yogurt. Okay. See, I got my snack all by myself.

She really likes to get into the baking baskets and sniff out the sprinkles or chocolate chips. She gets exactly what she is after under the guise of "doing it by herself" so I don't have to get it.

I have to admire her skills. She likes to throw in a few "okays" which aren't used as questions, but rather reassurances that she's got it covered. I may have met my match!

Top Five Friday

Top Five things I will be doing this weekend:

1. Completing some Halloween crafts...some for me and some for the kiddos! There will be pumpkins, paint, glitter, and mod podge.

2. Enjoying Colson's last soccer game of the season...go Cyclones!

3. Drinking lots of coffee with Pumpkin Spice Creamer.

4. Watching more of The Tudors. I've become addicted since I've been staying home...it makes staying off my feet more bearable when I have something good to watch. Thank you Amazon Prime for supplying me with four free seasons!

5. Possibly (not sure yet) taking the kids to the Corn Maze at our local nursery. I think they'd love it!

Happy Friday Everyone!!

Top Five Friday...Is It Fall Already?

Ok, I loved my summer, but now I'm back at work and I'm ready for someone to turn down the heat and bring on the fall weather. Here are the top five things I'm looking forward to this fall...

#1. Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. Nevermind that it's been 90 degrees, I've still had a few of these lovelies already, but I'd really like to enjoy one when it can "warm me up"!

#2. Boots. I'm ready to wear them...like yesterday. My riding boots, cowboy boots and Ugg boots are all ready to come out of retirement. Plus, I can't even reach my toes to paint them anymore so sandal season needs to be over.

#3. Fall scents. Oh, Apple Pumpkin! I smelled it in the store, but it just seemed wrong to buy it while it is still so hot. That was a mistake, so I'll be returning to bring it home very soon!

#4. Pumpkins on my doorstep. We planted some pumpkins this year, but we may have been a bit late getting them in the ground so I'm sure I'll have to buy some beforehand, but hopefully we'll have our own for late fall!

 Here's a picture of our little pumpkin family from last fall.

#5. Fall food. These are just a couple of my favorites from Our Best Bites:
Creamy Corn Chowder
Apple Dumplings
Caramel Apple Cider

What are you looking forward to this fall?

Top Five Friday...Me and Monkey

This week has been a huge adjustment for our family as school started back. I was just going to do my Top 5 on how I had to adjust, but Colson had such a big week at school I thought I'd share a bit about his week as well.

Colson's Top Five Best Moments: 
First Week in First Grade
1. Day 1- His sweet teacher traded popsicles with him because he wanted grape flavor.

2. Day 2-The principal chose him to come to the office and pull the fire alarm for their first fire drill!

3. Day 3- He got to watch a video about manners. (Watching videos in school rocks!)

4. Day 4- Getting to write about people from his bubble map. (I remember teaching my first graders to write stories using a bubble map!)

5. Day 5- Getting to go to the prize box and get a mini Hungry Hungry Hippo game. Colson's words, "I don't know where she finds all this cool stuff!" -on the game and the rubberband ball he saw in the prize box


 My Top Five Biggest Adjustments:
Back to Work
1.  Getting up before 7am. It's not for me.  Especially not for me when I'm pregnant. Who do I lobby to change the start time for school?

2. Trying to remember everything. Folder signed, lunch packed, snack packed, clothes laid out, my bag packed, Lilly's bag ready for the sitter, and on and on. I need a checklist!

3. Letting the little things go. There's just no time or energy to be spent "tidying up". Only the necessitites are taken care of, the rest just has to wait.

4. That thing called dinner. It doesn't seem quite as daunting when you're at home during the day, but it's just about the last thing I want to think about when I get home. I just want to SIT.

5. No naps. :(  I'm not going to lie; this third bebe has wiped me out and I loved the fact that I could take a nap if I needed to during the summer (Bug still sleeps 3 hrs and Monkey will nap if I tell him to).  Now that precious gift is gone. I miss it dearly!

I NEED this!

I know that I will adjust, but this week's been a hard one.  Thankfully we have a three day weekend to recover before we are back at it again. Happy Friday friends!

Top Five Friday

Today's edition of Top Five Friday are the top five things every pregnant woman needs.

#5. A personal masseur who is on standby 24-7. This would cut back on the constant requests for my husband to rub my feet/legs/back.

#4. Pillows. Lots of pillows and a Snoogle pregnancy pillow. A good night's sleep is like the holy grail of pregnancy and can only be accomplished with many, many pillows.

 
#3. A mama to call when you think you're going nuts. You need someone to tell you that it is, in fact, the hormones and you're not certifiable (at least not yet).

#2. A page who's only errand is to fulfill your every craving whim. Pecan pie from the Honey Monk. Chocolate Covered Doughnuts from Krispy Kreme. Double Pan Fried Noodles from ENoodle. Just send the page.

#1. A mini-fridge and a toilet installed right beside the bed. I know it may seem counterintuitive to put food next to the toilet, but these are the only two things you need when you wake up for the 5th time during the night. Just roll out of bed, take care of business (keep some Germ-X nearby), have a snack and drink, and back to sleep.

I think pregnancy would be a bit easier if one could just have these five simple things!

Happy Friday!!

 

Top Five Friday...Smiles

I haven't done one in a while, so I thought I'd do an edition of Top Five Friday.

Five things that have put a smile on my face this week...

 1. New Essie polish, Bachelorette Bash

2. Lots of yellow and gray goodies for ButterBean, with a sweet little elephant in the mix.

3. Eating a cone of this delicious icecream, Front Porch Sublime Key Lime Icecream (made right here in NC!)

4. Arm Candy

5. Watching my babes learn to swim like fish

What has made you smile this week?


 

Top Five Friday

Today was another gorgeous day and luckily I was able to scoot out of work in time to enjoy it! Here are the top five things I'm looking forward to this weekend:

1. Sittin' in the sunshine with my little Buggy Boo!

2. Honoring the Irish tomorrow.

3. Riding with the windows down.

4. Watching Colson play lots of basketball.

5. Making this yummy delight...Key Lime Pound Cake

Happy Friday everyone!

Top Five Friday...Oh Bother.

I'm feeling a little stressed, overwhelmed, annoyed as of late. It's mostly me and I understand this so I'm hoping by writing it down I'll just get it out of my system. My Top 5 Bothers:

#1. My lips are uber chapped. In the middle of summer. What? Like burning chapped and clearly putting chapstick on 1,000 times a day isn't helping. Any suggestions?

#2. The fact that I'm not one of those people who, when stressed, claim "I couldn't possibly eat. I'm just too stressed." I say, "I'm stressed...pass me a gallon of icecream!"
**On another note, I did channel my stress into a major overhaul clean of our fridge. Sadly, while doing so I found the icecream.

#3. Realizing that I haven't packed ONE thing yet. The move into our new home is at least 6 weeks away but I still feel like I need to be packing now just to get it all done. (Icecream anyone?)

#4. The Monkey's lack of thanks when it comes to everything. I take him to the movies (Despicable Me is very cute!) and he asks if we can play games afterwards and if I'll buy him some shark Polliwalks. I know this is a phase, but it just doesn't fly with me. Here's an idea! I'll pack up his toys and then maybe he'll be appreciative of what he has AND I'll be started on my packing!

#5. ...

Ok, so just 4 things are bothering me. Feel free to fill in the 5th. And if you want to come to my pity party just bring some icecream.

**Okay, #5 can be that spellcheck wants me to make icecream 2 words. Um, no thank you. But you can still fill it in too.

Top Five Friday...Oddities

I've had a few moments of self actualization this week. Just little things that I noticed about myself that I wonder if anyone else does or if I'm just odd. So what do you think about these?

#1. I read my magazines beginning with the last page. No idea why, I just always start at the end. (Don't worry I never do this with books. That would just be weird.)

#2. Often times I will take my shower while the kids nap in the afternoon (on days we go to the pool). Every time I do this I have the fear that someone will break in while I'm in the shower or while I'm drying my hair and I won't be able to hear them.

#3. I refuse to let my child watch SpongeBob, but I have no problem with him watching the older cartoons on Boomerang that have villains, comic violence, and some semi-ugly words in them.

#4. I heavily rely on Google as my spellcheck. Don't know how to spell a word? Just begin typing it in the google searchbar and it'll find it for ya!

#5. I don't really have a number 5 but I feel like I should put something...maybe that's a little odd. Even on my own blog I feel compelled to complete something; like I can't break my own rule.

So, are these things odd or am I completely normal?

Bringing It Back...Top 5 Friday

*I just realized today isn't Friday, it's Thursday. Crap. Oh well, I'll just leave it up.*

I've been on a break from posting my Top 5 Friday, but due to circumstances this week (which I could not cohesively share in any other post) I'm bringing it back.

Experiences in Motherhood...This week I've:


1. had oatmeal sneezed at me

...twice.


2. recovered 5 random pair of underwear from Monkey's room. Locations included the toy box and on top of the television.

3. lamented the appearance of "the girls" in my bathing suit after birthing 2 babes.


4. experienced the Bug taking her shoes off, standing in the highchair, and testing her lung capacity in the middle of Sushi Thai ...prompting me to once again realize that I have what can only be described as one of "THOSE" children. (Thank goodness this side of her isn't always present.)


5. given up, cried uncle, waved the white flag, and surrendered to they toys. The mess is here to stay.

Top Five Friday...My way of venting

I have started keeping one of my good friend's two precious little girls on Fridays. So from 7:30 to 3:30 I have 4 children (ages 4,3,2, and 1). The two littlest ones go down for nap at 1:00 and then about 1:30 her older daughter has a rest time for about an hour.

That leaves me with my Monkey to deal with.

Normally, he goes down for nap around 2:30 and sleeps until 5:00. Yes, at 4 years old he still sleeps 2 1/2 hours. We've tried, on occasion, to eliminate the nap, but only with hell to pay later that evening. So...last week I tried to let him only "rest" but later that evening while I was out I received a video text from the RedHead showing Monkey pitching an Oscar worthy tantrum.

The plan for today was to put him in the playroom (the only room left once you're trying to separate 4 kids) to nap. Well, he was completely quiet, but when I went to check on him about 45 min later he was wide awake. No nap today.

So here's the Top 5 Reasons My Monkey Can't Give Up His Nap!

#5. He has needed 3 snacks, 2 cups of milk, and 1 cup of juice in a 2 hour period. Comfort food.

#4. I had to hear him whine about "forgetting" to play with a fishing pole toy at their house. He saw it, he forgot to play with it, he whined.

#3. Exhaustion quickly went from whining to anger. I was now responsible for not telling him to play with the toy. And when I tried to comfort him with a hug, he hugged back...just a little too tight!

#2. His mood was catching. The Bug is not one to be left out, so she started cranking out her own fuss (even though she had a solid 2 hour nap). One fussy child is bad, two is too many!

#1. After I quarantined him to my bedroom to watch toons until his father came home, I found him like this. *

At 5:45 pm. Tonight's gonna be a long one!

*Don't worry. I removed the balloon from his mouth before I left the room. You have to be some kind of tired if you fall asleep while blowing up a balloon.

Happy Friday!

Top Five Friday...I Wonder

Today's post is a list of the top five things I'm wondering about right now:

#5. We are currently picking out things for our house (as we will be for the next several months), and on the list right now is a front door. I, being the visionary that I am, had the perfect door picked out in my mind's eye. I found it here, with seeded glass...perfection. Then we get it priced. I wonder...How can the glass cost MORE than the actual door?

#4. I love my children. I do not always love the tornado-esque mess they leave trailing behind them. I wonder...Why do I even bother picking up the house?

#3. I really want to get back into shape. Not scary muscle woman who looks like muscle man shape, but fit. Lean. Strong. Like I felt before children. I wonder...Will I have the willpower to stick to it?

#2. I just ordered the Bug's birthday invitations yesterday. We're having a cupcake themed party. "Cupcake" was her nickname while I was pregnant. I wonder...Where has the past year gone?#1. My Monkey has taken over the remote control. He can navigate to practically any cartoon channel we have. Scary, yes. A bit embarrassing for me, even more so! I wonder...Who snuck into my house and taught him this skill, or is it an instinct all men possess?

Hope you guys have a great weekend! Oh, and feel free to share what you're wondering.

**A big thanks to those of you who offered sleep advice for the Bug and lunch ideas for me!**

Top Five Friday...Getting Springified

My goal this week was to get myself "Springified." Yep, it's my own made up word...it means to prepare yourself for Spring. And with temps in the upper 70s to mid 80s, there's a lot of motivation to do just that. Here's the 5 things I did to Springify myself this week:

#5. Cross that cardigan off my 'to-buy' list from a few weeks back. I did so well using coupons this week that I stayed in budget and I actually did use the Old Navy coupon to buy this cardi that was on sale anyway for $15. My price: $10.5!

#4. Get my nails did. I went on Wednesday and got a mani/pedi because a girl's can't be puttin' those neglected winter feet into pretty Spring sandals. I chose a pretty pink-coral color by OPI, Bright Lights. #3. FINALLY make that much needed trip to the eye doctor. I could tell my vision had changed after Bug was born and I've been putting off my appt mostly because of not wanting to pay for it, but when my HSA sent notification that I was eligible for a free yearly eye exam plus the store where I get my glasses offers a 30% discount for BCBS cardholders, I knew it was time.

**For the life of me I can not find a picture of the frames I ordered!**

#2. I cleaned out my makeup bag. My bag was long overdue, so I threw out anything that I hadn't worn in over a month or that was more than 6 months old. I cleaned my brushes and when I have a little extra money, I've picked out a new blush I want. Bare Minerals in Hint!

#1. I went and had the glare knocked off this white body of mine. I have sworn off the tanning bed after having 2 precancerous spots taken off of my head several years ago, so I opted to try something new. I did the Mystic Tan and I love it! I did the light color and it was just enough to give me a little glow; no orange oompa loompa, no streaking...just a natural color so I won't blind anyone when I wear my shorts this weekend. Are you prepped for Spring?! *Thanks Google and Old Navy for the pics.