Christmas Cookies

Cookies for Santa

A holiday tradition that I have taken to heart and am continuing to do with my boys is to bake and decorate cookies. I LOVE to bake and do so throughout the year but there is something special about baking cookies for the holidays with your kids. So we cut out sugar cookies and then when they were cool decorated them with icing (all homemade of course!). The boys had a blast (ok, ok, I had a blast too) and they came out SUPER yummy. Santa was very happy with his tasty plate of treats here at the Carter house!

cutting out shapes

lots of sprinkles!

spread that frosting Wyatt!

CJ is very focused on his cookie decorating

Finished products

What Jameson did during cookie decorating... rolling all over the house

::le sigh::

RaNdOm TiP #3

Keep on keepin' on!

If you get behind on a day don't get upset or frustrated and say "oh well, I'll try again next week"! 

Keep up on your schedule so you don't get any farther behind! The tasks you missed will be ok to wait till next week or maybe you'll find some spare time to do a quick catch up... either way it's easier to keep on with your schedule that to call it quits and try to start all over again. Take it from me, I keep doing this and will want to just forget it for the rest of the week and it does NOT end up working out that way. Keep on going and in the end you'll see the pay off when there is just 1 extra chore to do and not 6!

Happy Holidays!

I suppose it's a good thing that I haven't posted in a while. That means I've been busy cleaning, right? Well, perhaps not as much as I would like BUT it is the holiday's and things have been BUSY! We've had a Chanukah celebration with family and then at home and today we went out to look at Christmas lights with the boys. Then of course there is wrapping presents and keeping them UNOPENED under the tree! (the boys have actually been doing really well!) Add to that getting invitations ready for Logan's birthday party, taking them to his class to hand them out, holiday baking, and trying to plan for Jameson's 1st birthday party next month too! It feels like things are just unending. Oh! And I have to get my hair cut, the boys too, and schedule our family pictures for this year... and still register for my teacher certification exam (I am scared to take it so I keep putting off even signing up! lol)

So here I am at the end of another day and the house is not as clean as I'd like it but who wants to clean anymore? Hubby is playing a video game and Jameson is playing upstairs while the 3 older boys are asleep so I guess it's that time for me again... cleaning, cleaning, cleaning....

Keeping up

Here we are at the end of my first week back on track of my quest and I'm feeling really good about myself! My house is by NO means immaculate but every time I walk in I feel good about the state of things. The hubby has even noticed how much nicer the house has been looking. Heck, even the boys rooms and the upstairs toy room has stayed in a pretty good state of cleanliness - a pretty amazing feat actually! I still haven't gotten my schedule totally worked out, the days are still crazy with trying to squeeze in observations and hubby going to school but hopefully by the end of next week I can have a basic schedule worked out (for now I have a rough draft on the dry erase calendar).

The boys have been doing really well with the schedule we have been on too and I've been really good staying off the computer (well, I still check in but I haven't been just sitting on my butt online). The TV is off most of the day and I think things are going really great right now and I couldn't be happier! I really hope I can keep it up for the long haul.

RaNDoM Tip #2

Take things upstairs every time you go up.

If you don't have stairs take something to be put away every time you go from one room to another.

TIMBER!!!!

So the whole cleaning thing was on hold a bit yesterday because we went to go get our Christmas tree! I had done some observations in the morning and then made lunch and when the boys were napping I went to pick Logan up a little early from school. We sang Christmas songs and the boys were so excited when we got to the tree farm and couldn't wait to get out of the car. The boys ran around as we picked out the perfect tree and then they each took turns helping daddy cut it down (well all of them except Jameson)

Wyatt

CJ

Logan

Jameson just being cute as his big brothers help daddy

When we got home the tree went up and got decorated. As usual the boys helped me pick out the perfect tree and we had a great time in the crisp cold air picking our the beautiful tree that will decorate our living room for the next few weeks of the wonderful holiday season.

Then today (another day spent doing observations) I cleaned up a bit, I got the boys bathroom scrubbed down and the laundry got folded and put away, diapers too. Then before clean up time Justin went upstairs to help Logan make a robot that he drew out. It came out pretty awesome and Logan did most of it on his own!

Monday Mission....

COMPLETED!

What a great day for my new start on my quest! I was up first thing in the morning and got ready for the day. Justin was going to take Logan to school with all the little boys but they were are out cold so we let them sleep and I dropped Logan on my way to my meeting (which was short and I was home around 8am). When I got back home I fed the boys and go started! I did a few loads of laundry (::sigh:: but i still have lots to fold) I organized my pantry (I should have taken a before picture because it was REALLY bad). I did dishes, cleaned the kitchen and eating area, swept and mopped the floors, cleaned both downstairs bathrooms and even wrapped some presents and ran to walmart with all 4 boys :)

I already have one friend who is following on this quest and I would love to invite everyone else to join us too! Feel free to respond to my blog and let me know how your quest is going! Leave helpful hints and tips that work for you and check back often for tips from me and others!!!

RaNDoM TIP #1

Pick things up or clean things up as you see them

Reflection

3 boys tucked sound in their beds
as memories of torturing Mommy dance fresh in their heads

1 baby boy as cranky as can be
staying up late to occupy me

hours and minutes and seconds tick by
all as I watch and ask why, oh why?

so much to do before I can rest
being a mom is the ultimate test

cooking and cleaning and tenderly giving care
at times it can be so much to bare

alas it is truly a blessing, indeed
to provide all the love and care these little ones need

the payment something of pure perfection,
unconditional love and affection

Cookies!

Given the choice between making gingerbread houses and baking cookies today the boys chose to bake cookies! I found a recipe for come chocolate cookies and made a few different variations and they were super tasty! Of course the boys have 2 favorite parts to baking cookies... of course the end product, eating the cookies and then their other favorite part...

EATING COOKIE BATTER!

But who doesn't love that part? I think the best ones were with chocolate chips and some peppermint extract added in, maybe could even have added more extract! 

Then after dinner and some cookies I loaded the boys up to get the mail (it hadn't come earlier when we had walked to the mailboxes) and we took a quick trip around part of the neighborhood to check out some lights! It was a nice way to get out of the house for a bit but not really do anything or spend any money hehe

SuperMommy....

Eh, not so much. I've had numerous people refer to me as such and I hate to disappoint but I am far from super. More and more so lately I feel quite the opposite actually. Yes, I have 4 boys and manage to stay fairly sane. They are fed regularly and are in a general state of overall good health but that just makes me a mommy, nothing super about that. I used to be so much better at this, back when it was just me and 1 or 2 boys. Having so many little ones running around make it nearly impossible to complete even the simplest of tasks leaving me in a near constant state of frustration. Add to that the fact that I am lazy.

Yes, I can and do admit it. I am lazy and I can't seem to break myself from it. I suppose it's to be expected, I've always been this way. As much as it hurts when I cook for family and they are so shocked and surprised by how tasty it is (I have aquired a little knack for cooking) I can't say that it is surprising either. Growing up my mom always called me a JAP, that is Jewish American Princess, and went on and on over how I would have to marry a very rich man to take care of me and have a maid and a personal chef... sounds almost mean but I suppose it was true, at the time at least. I didn't cook anything aside from making a bowl of cereal and brownies from a package until I was almost 20. I still hate to clean but have found a passion for cooking and baking, but even then I can't seem to get my lazy butt up to do it most of the time.

Add to all this the consistent mess I call a home. As hard as I may try it is a futile effort to keep anything clean and I always seem to come to a point where I just give up. One day I swept the floor, mopped it, swept it again and by the time I put the broom away it was a disaster again! --- and NO I am NOT exaggerating

I have friends with just as many kids as I do and they seem to have so much together and even finding the time to make things from scratch or sew or something fantastical that I can only dream of doing. The baby has become an excuse but even that is my own lazy fault. I find it so much easier to just calm him and nurse him or  carry him around, but that limits other things that I can be doing.

Here I am now, standing on my soap box speaking only to a mirror... I have been sick this week (the "real kind of sick" as my husband calls it, with strep throat) but come Monday morning things are going to change. The TV is staying off (it's been off a lot as it is but I have to restate this to myself to remind myself that I am serious)!
Facebook is going to be a reward when I have completed tasks (sorry to my mama's that I going to miss by this minor fast, but I know you will understand).
I will stick to the schedule I wrote out this week and have posted on the fridge!
As this week progresses I will create a chore schedule and print and post it as well and then FOLLOW IT!
My home will remain in a state where a surprise visitor will not leave me embarrassed as they step through the door.
And finally, I will spend more time doing projects, playing, reading, and just overall spending time with my boys!

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!

I am giving away a tester sample set of 5 of my handmade 100% wool dryer balls on my friend Kim's FB page.

Snuggly Baby Boutique

Go to this page and LIKE it and when we reach 300 likes there will be a giveaway! Don't forget to check out all the other awesome handmade things that my friend makes as well!

Black Friday!

This was the best Black Friday for me yet! I got to Wal*mart around 8pm (sale started at 10pm) since my dad was able to come by and sit with the older boys (I kept Jameson with me) and I got everything I needed and was in line to check out around 9pm (only an hour waiting in line lol). Then came home and got to sleep around midnight before getting up at 4am to take my dad to the airport. On the way home stopped in at Toys-R-Us and got what I wanted there on sale and then last stop at Big Lots for the last of my awesome deals. All that really mattered were that I got the boys their gifts from Santa and I did, Logan gets a grill, CJ gets a tool bench, Wyatt gets a kitchen, and Jameson a computer. HORRAY! I got 95% of my Christmas decorations up and hopefully Justin will get up on the roof tomorrow to finish and we'll get our tree Tuesday! I love this time of year, I just wish it wasn't 70 degrees so it would feel more like Christmas time.

What's cookin' good lookin'?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well... almost Thanksgiving. This year we are celebrating a day early so today is my shopping and prepping day! My list is all made and I'm starving just looking at the menu! A few things I love to make are being taken out of my hands but I still have a ton of food I'm making. Below is a list of a typical Thanksgiving spread in our house and I'll try to get a few of my recipes posted up tonight!

Turkey (well duh, it's Thanksgiving!)
Ham (yup, we don't make it like ever so it's a special request from the hubby)
Gravy (made from all the good drippings)
Mashed Potatoes (my auntie is bring these this year)
Stuffing (auntie is taking this over too)
Candied Yams (whipped with sugars and butter and topped with marshmallows, the only way to go)
Green Bean Casserole (made with fresh green beans, so delish!)
Cresent Rolls (yeah, I cheat and get the pilsbury - another hubby request)
Corn on the Cob (this will actually be a new addition per my oldest son's request)
Cranberries (my grandma has ALWAYS made these fresh, they are so good)
Jello (another special treat my grandma makes, my boys are looking forward to this the most! it's not your ordinary jello people!)
Apple Crumble (my take on a dutch apple pie)
Some Pumpkin Dessert (normally I would make a pumpkin pie but my auntie said she has a new recipe for a pumpkin dessert she wants to bring)

I think that sums it up. Plus some sparkling apple cider to drink :)

So what do YOU serve on Thanksgiving???

Dryer Balls

A week or so ago I was scrolling through a FB* group I am in called Cloth Swap/WAHM Shop (basically a place to swap all things cloth and to find awesome handmade items) and I came across some 100% wool dryer balls. I was really intrigued because with my cloth diapers I can't use dryer sheets to help soften them (it can counteract the absorbency and make them repentant). I had heard of other types of dryer balls but didn't know there were a type that could be made at home so I decided to look it up online and see how difficult it would be. Turns out, it's not all that difficult! Mostly because they were about $4-$6 PER BALL plus shipping and you need, I've heard, anywhere from 4-12, and I knew my husband would NOT give me the OK on that purchase I decided to give it a try.

Today I set off on a short adventure with the 3 littles and find some 100% wool yarn (my local Wal-Mart only has acrylic or blends which won't work) and came to Hancock Fabric and found a less than overwhelming selection. I had hoped to find some pretty colors but only found 4 very neutral colors. Next trip out to find yarn I'm going to hope for some luck at Hobby Lobby. So far the felting process (that makes the balls solid to  work) isn't going so well... maybe an extra wash or two till success! If I get it to work a little tutorial will follow :) IF you want to make them yourself. If not I'm going to team up with my friend and sell them on her FB page Snuggly Baby Boutique.

*Facebook

CHECK!

Plan menu.... CHECK!
Stick to shopping list... mostly CHECK!
Do art with the boys... CHECK!
Baths... CHECK!
Dishes... CHECK!
Set up sewing machine in office.. CHECK!

Ok... you get the point :) I got a bunch done today that I wanted to do. Unfortunately I couldn't get my sewing machine working still. ::POUT:: But I did get to do some art with the older 3 boys. Logan had to disguise a turkey for school so while he did that the middles drew pictures and made their own little turkeys.

P.S. I revamped the blog a bit... I ♥ed my bright and pretty page but it just didn't feel right with the weather and it being fall and all :) What do ya'll think?

P.P.S. We are going to do Thanksgiving a day early in our new house! I'm really excited since this will be the first time we host it!

Mommy VS 6 Kids

We'll call it a draw! The house isn't destroyed but boy did I end up with a headache! It wasn't too bad but having an extra 2 kids was definitely an interesting experience :) I watched a friends 3 year old and 5 month old and I think the hardest part was giving the baby his bottle and nursing Jameson. As soon as I'd go to make a bottle Jameson wanted to nurse lol. Jealous much?All in all it was a productive day. I got cleaning done in the morning, vaccumed, did some dishes, cleaned a bathroom, washed some diapers and I got my homework done for the day. Kids all ate breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks and all finally went to sleep! I'm feeling good about how things are going, I even took a long walk with the boys to get the mail (we walked around the other street instead of coming straight home). I know I keep saying I'm determined to get back on track but now I really am making steps in that direction. Hopefully tomorrow I'll start back on my menu planning and get my shopping list to a point where I don't start to stray and pick up stuff while grocery shopping! I have 1 more week of this class I'm in and I have a HUGE assignment due so I'm going to be juggling a lot, but after next Tuesday it is ON like DONKEY KONG! I am getting the house in perfect order (well kinda have to since we are going to host Thanksgiving early on Wednesday at the house) and then I'm setting up my cleaning and laundry schedule and I WILL stick with it! Hopefully I can get back on my work out regime again too.
Alas, it's time to go again and get a little house touch ups done before the hubs gets home. Maybe I'll go to bed early... but probably not...

Uhhhh....

I am going to take it as a good sign that I haven't been finding the time to blog lately. One f my issues before was that I was spending way too much time online or just sitting on the couch watching TV and I have definitely cut back on that A LOT. I guess it helps that Jameson isn't nursing as much so I don't have that excuse. I haven't even had to call a break on internet use to cut back, I've just been busy cleaning and doing homework and just keeping up with the house. It's proving to be a little more work than I really thought so I'm still trying to get into a groove to get everything cleaned. Heck, I'm still not all the way unpacked! Most of our things have places now but our bedroom/closet and the office really are disasters, the garage too. But over all I'm really happy with the house and proud of myself for things being pretty presentable. Right now I have a goal and I'm doing my best to keep with it :

My house will always be at least presentable to a point that I would not be embarassed if someone just stopped by unexpectedly!

Granted this has never happened but I'd like to keep it at a consistant state of neatness. At least as much as can be expected with 4 little tornadoes boys!

Now I am hoping to get back to a point where I'm on here blogging a little bit more. It really doesn't take long and I do enjoy it! :)

Still settling in...

I start to catch up and then fall back behind again. Hoping after baseball is over (November) I can get my schedule worked out and get ahead. Then I'll be on a break from school too so that will help. I can't believe we've been in the new house for a month and a half already. It's a little stressful though because we still need to rent our old house out. So much going on all the time and the holiday's are right around the corner. Hopefully next year will be the start of better days and I can get to a place where I really want to be.

Long time no Blog!

WOW this move is really taking it's toll on me. We ended up getting the house but between moving and trying to get the old house on the market I'm just worn out. Hopefully we'll get the old house rented soon and in the mean time I have to start working on a new cleaning and laundry schedule. There is a lot more to clean here now so I really need to get my stuff organized. Add to that having to do homework and observations and then add to that 2 of the boys in baseball and I'm starting to feel stretched a little too thin. I'm a little overwhelmed but once I get settled I think everything will be ok.

I'm going insane!

This whole buying a house thing is going to make me insane, if my boys don't do it first! Long story short we keep thinking we are closing on a certain day and then something happens and it changes... so here I am losing my mind not knowing which way is up. As of now we are set to close, I think officially and for real this time, on Monday afternoon so we can start moving in that day! So here I am packing, packing, and packing while trying to clean. On top of all the house stuff the boys are starting Fall Ball soon and Logan has his first ever try outs (he starts coach pitch this season) on Saturday morning! Add to that my toe that is probably broken so it hurts to do stuff for too long and I've started observations for school and it's just crazy, crazy, CrAzY!

Free Stuff?!?! YES PLEASE!!!

so... this is just pretty cool :)
Free Reuseable Bags!!!

Mommy VS Cloth Diapers

Overall I LOVE my cloth diapers but Jameson and I were having a tough time last week dealing with leaks. I couldn't quite figure out what I was doing wrong. Turns out I may have dried them with a dryer sheet (big No-No!) once or twice and then I figured out that Jameson just pees... a lot... So I started to double up on the absorbency levels in the diapers and we are sittin' pretty now! An occasional leak here and there (but nothing that wouldn't happen in a sposie* either. When we were camping we didn't take the CDs** and I was so excited to get back to his CDs and his fluffy butt! LoL We still do the sposies at night for now since I don't have quite enough to always make it through the night any I'm worried about him leaking too much since he pees so much and sleeps pretty well through the night. Even though I got a little frustrated with the diapers I'm glad I figured it out and I'm so thankful for my wonderful friends that made them and sent them to me! If you are interested in cloth diapers (or any other cute handmade things) you should check out my friends pages on FaceBook!

Snuggly Baby Boutique

Fluff of Enchantment

Whimsical Baby

Mamajewel's Jubilee

*disposable diaper
** cloth diapers

B2S 2011

OMG! I can't believe my baby is a 1st grader! Monday Logan started first grade and here it is Friday and he's finished his first week. He (as you can see to the right) was very excited to start school! I think he was a little nervous too since he requested that everyone take him and walk him in. Of course the parking lot was nuts so we decided to park in front of the new house and walk from there (our new house is so close to his school, it's going to be so nice when we get to move in!). Hopefully next week will go as smoothly as this week and the rest of the year will follow suit.
Hubby also started his Fall classes this week and I'm not looking forward to it since he's going M-W-F so that's 3 mornings he is gone instead of 2 and 2 days instead of 1 that I pretty much don't see him at all. Luckily I was able to get my school stuff worked out so I get a month break right now and then a few months break after Thanksgiving and then don't start student teaching until Fall 2012. Horray for more time with my babies!

So Long Summer Vacation!

Medina Lake

While it's the end of August and every day we are still hitting temps over 100 degrees summer vacation is officially over. Logan went back to school yesterday, I can't believe my *baby* is in 1st grade! Of course we had to squeeze in a quick vacation before B2S! Since it had to be a quick vaycay we decided to spend 4 days camping at the lake. The boys absolutely love it and they loved it even more when their Papa (my dad) came by for a night. 

Logan and Jameson by the fire

Dirty Wyatt Face Ready to Roast Marshmallows!

CJ trying to avoid a picture

Jamers enjoying the view of the water

CJ cooling off

Logan in a squirt gun fight with Daddy

"Sword" Fight!

CJ and Mommy looking for fishies!

Logan and CJ playing with the swing Papa put up 

Yeah, Wyatt ♥ s his Daddy

Flying kites

He finally got it!

Wyatt Hiking

Up we go!

CJ Hiking

Mommy and Jameson made it to the top! Whew!

Show Ready

Wow! This week has been simply NUTS! My husband sent me a message about a house... right there it's crazy and something is up... The house is gorgeous AND in the price range we were looking at AND the right size (although only 4 bedrooms) we went to see it, fell in love, and decided to put in an offer (after a bit of a dilemma) and to sell, or maybe rent, our house. The offer is in and we're waiting for a response and in the mean time I have GOT to get this house in showing condition and ready to go up on the market. I've already started pulling out things we don't use on a daily basis, my dad came over to do some yard work, and there is a LOT of cleaning and touching up that has to be done. We're shooting for Monday but we may have to put it off. I can't believe it, we are going to sell our first home and move into our second! It's so scary, I'm dying not knowing if they are accepting our offer or if they are going to send and counter, or WHEN! Hoping tomorrow morning, bright and early, we get to find out. In the meantime it's CLEAN, PACK, CLEAN!

Fluffy Mail & my 100th Post!!!!

My starting stash!

What a simply fantastic day! There was a knock at the door (well he rang the bell but anyways) and the mail man had 2 packages for me! I knew a few of the wonderful ladies I've gotten to know and love over my pregnancy and the birth of Jameson had said they might send me a cloth diaper to try out (yeah I was a whiny baby about wanting to try lol) so one I knew what it might be, although I didn't expect it so soon! The other I was HUGELY surprised! Today I received a total of 6 diapers from some wonderfully amazing girls and I have about 3, that I know of, that are on their way! Seriously, these girls are amazing! What an awesome stash of diapers I have now! WONDERFUL! My husband is incredibly adamant that I am not allowed to buy any and that he thinks they are disgusting and I'm not changing his mind, but he can't complain since they were free and he doesn't have to touch them! As soon as I got the first one I had to put it on him (over his disposable) just to see what it looked like! Hehe :)

Oh yeah, I'm too cool trying on my new cloth

 I am so excited and jumped right in to try it out today... We're going to wait doing overnights right now and pick back up tomorrow :) After seeing him in such adorable diapers for a few hours today he looks silly in the regular disposable! He seemed to enjoy it too... well, maybe he doesn't know the difference but I think he liked it hehe

first time officially in cloth!

cloth diaper try number 2!

Going Green & Getting Crunchy!

Well... I'm not really all that green and I'm pretty low on the crunchy scale... but I find myself wanting and starting to come more and more to the other side! We've recycled forever (luckily we have recycle pick up so it makes it easy) and as for being crunchy, I've given birth naturally (no pain meds/not induced) with all 4 of my boys but recently I've taken small steps farther. Thanks to my dad I have a ton of reusable shopping bags that, if I remember (and I've gotten really good at remembering lately) have really cut back on the number of plastic bags I have and I either use those for small trash can bags or take them back to the store and put them in the recycle box. I also got a wrap to carry babies when Wyatt was little and I'm in love with my Didymos wraps (yes, plural! I got my second one as a birthday present this year!) and apparently that's on the crunchy side lol. And now my interest in cloth diapers has been incredibly peeked with so many of my friends (online, I don't know anyone IRL *that's in real life for those not as internet lingo savy --- and I'm not one to talk, I just recently learned that one lol* that clothe diaper (CD). Unfortunately my husband insists that it is disgusting (not that he changes diapers anyway) and we don't have the money to build up a stash... A lot of my friends make them and would help me learn but I still can't get that darn sewing machine to work right! Plus, I'd have to buy all sorts of fabric and stuff.... so still a no go :( I'm proud of my small steps to be green though . I may not change the world but at least I can make a small difference!

Find out how crunch you are here! I'm PRETTY CRISPY :)

Bedtime Bliss

Bedtime was no where near perfect last night, but it was so much better and a step in the right direction towards the blissful bedtime I am striving for. After a dry run last night I think I'd decided on a bedtime routine and schedule that should work (although when school starts it MAY have to move up a little bit if Logan is too tired).

7:00-7:30pm - Clean up/do chores (receive reward magnets if completed)
7:30- 7:45pm - Baths/Showers/Teeth and Jammies
7:45-8:00pm - Story time
8:00 - Tucks and Lights out --- hopefully everyone will be asleep no later than 8:30pm

I got them pretty close last night with the exception of Jameson (although he DID fall asleep but woke up again as soon as I laid him down in his crib). That is the hardest part, dealing with Jameson being cranky and wanting to nurse when I can't... Hopefully I can find a way to work that in better than last night.

No screaming or spanking or loosing my mind last night either. I raised my voice a little bit for them to know I was serious and it seems that my calmness rubbed off on them, it was wonderful. I don't know if it helped or not with the bedtime situation but I also had done some stamp art and glue with them before nap time - it was a mess but fun!

Mommy Flaws :(

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not perfect, not even close. I love my boys more than anything but they stress me out and can make me crazy. Today I think I realized 2 of my biggest mommy flaws...

First I realized today just how much my screaming and yelling is completely ineffective. Of course this is something I have known but I have a hard time not doing it. Lately the boys have been screaming more and it's making me insane and I know that it's because I get so loud... I have blamed it on the noise level and trying to be heard above it but that's a terrible excuse and there are ways around it and I'm going to find them. Then I tend to blame my "parenting from the couch" on the baby... but now I find that I do it even if the baby isn't nursing or sleeping on me and that HAS to stop.

The second thing I realized today was that so many nights I use going to bed as a punishment and I'm starting to think that may be playing a part in why bedtime is so stressful for me. I'm always saying I'm going to stick to a routine and what not but then I end up getting frustrated and, again, go to yelling and just end up telling them to get in bed and go to sleep. Hopefully if I stop sending them to bed when they are stressing me out and deal with the problem and then still go through with the routine every night they will be much easier to put them to sleep and lead to me being less stressed.

I have to stop thinking that there is going to be an immediate reaction to this change in my behavior. Whatever I do I have to stick with it and then, and only then, will the boys follow suit and change their behavior. These are things that I KNOW so WHY is it so HARD for me to FOLLOW THROUGH?!?!

Play date!

Sometimes I forget how much fun and how relaxing it can be to go over to someone's house for a play date! Today a friend I knew in high school out here invited me over with the boys to hang out and play on a little water slide. The boys had a great time and it was so nice to have an adult to talk to! I forget how much I miss talking to people being stuck with just the kids and my husband all of the time. Although there is always a problem with house envy! Don't get me wrong, I love my little house but it is, well, little! There are 6 of us now in a 3 bedroom  house that is just over 1400 sq. ft. so there is just no room to function.

More fun with Daddy

There is nothing the boys love more than having fun with their daddy and they got that all day today! The most fun they had was getting to ride their bikes and scooter outside after dinner. Logan FINALLY was doing really good on his bike. CJ does good on the little trike but didn't want to get on his big boy bike so he played on the scooter so Wyatt could practice peddling on the trike. It was H-O-T out so we didn't stay out long, but they had fun. 

I need to remember to pick up a helmet for Wyatt soon too... Safety first! :)

Splish Splash!

We do lots of fun things with the boys... Sea World, Six Flags, the zoo, water parks, etc. But I think their favorite thing ever is to hang out and play with their daddy. Although they were pretty naughty this morning... let's not get into that though, I don't wanna get grumpy again... after dinner they went out side with daddy and after I finished cleaning up a little I headed out with the baby. Daddy was watering, the boys were playing, and I was sitting... soon the fun ensued! Not only did the boys get soaked and sprayed but he got me and the baby drenched and I stole the hose and drenched him right back! We all were laughing so hard and got so wet! It was a blast, I'm not really sure why we don't do that more often... Then baths and jammies and family time watching some X-Men on Netflix before bed.

Trouble

Yup, that's what this could be! I have a bunch of friends that sew all the time and it has peeked my interest more than it already had been peeked. I've been wanting to buy a sewing machine for a while now and my dad had mentioned he had my mom's old machine and I told him I'd love to have it sometime. So this weekend (while we were over helping him move the swing set in his yard after going shopping for our new washer and dryer --- which is a story for another day) he gave me my mom's sewing machine along with the manual he went online and found and printed out! I turned it on last night and it is working! Now to buy some thread so I can play around with it with some random material I have around the house before really getting started and diving in with some new fabrics! I AM SO EXCITED! Maybe by next year I'll be good enough that I can make some costumes and stuff for the boys to play with, or maybe at least make some little outfits to add to their dramatic play bucket. 

Frickin' Frack!

"Moooooommy! Wyatt spilled Water in the laundry roooooooom!"

Ugh... of course he did, he spills water everywhere but I'm nursing the baby so I'll get up later and clean it... WRONG ANSWER! By the time I make it to the laundry room I realize very quickly that Wyatt did NOT spill water, there was WAY more than he could have gotten and my laundry room was officially flooded with a good inch or so of water (probably would have been more if there hadn't already been towels, sheets, and folded clothes on the floor that soaked up a ton of water. So we clean up all that and there is still standing water in the washer so I try to just put it on the spin cycle... didn't work... so I rewash it... didn't work and just stops running in the middle... I give up! Looks like we're getting a new washer and dryer... for now I have a huge mound of sopping wet clothes and towels (etc) on my garage floor... I guess I could toss it in the dryer, since that still works.... but they they'd just be dry and dirty... We're going to my dad's tomorrow so maybe I'll bring that stuff to wash there while we go look for (and hopefully buy and get delivered asap) a new washer and dryer set.

Quality Family Time

I have to say that I truly enjoyed just hanging around the house doing nothing yesterday with all 5 of my boys after my hubby got home from school. My favorite was everyone sitting down and eating dinner I cooked! We don't do that very often since he works during dinner time. And even more than I love being home with them I love when we get out of the house and do something fun, just the 6 of us, like today. Last week we did Sea World so this we we decided to do Six Flags. We've gotten passes to Sea World every year the past couple years and when one of my BILs were in town earlier this year we decided to try out Six Flags. The boys have fun but it's not worth it to get the passes again for a couple more years when all the boys are older.

the elusive CJ smile

The gorgeousness that is Jameson

Mommy & Wyatt all hot and sweaty!

Logan and CJ on a ride all alone together!

little crawl thing!