I Am Not Super Mom

My sister in law, and several other mom friends joke with me that I'm "super mom". I'm here today to tell you, "No, I'm just a mom. A tired, exhausted, very busy mom. Just like you."

My kitchen sink was full of dishes. This picture was taken Monday afternoon when I came home on my lunch break. These dishes started piling up on Saturday morning and didn't leave my sink until 5:30 pm Monday.

This is what my laundry room currently looks like. I have a pile of Gretchen's clothes to carry upstairs. I kid you not the baskets were empty on Saturday, and they're pretty much full today. I wash towels every other darn day. DJ and I even re-use our towels AND the girls bathe every other day. But, I always have dirty towels. 

I have a load in my dryer that has been there since Saturday, and the load in the washer. Well, I washed it Monday afternoon, and it's still sitting in the washer building up it's mildew smell. 

This is what my center island looks like.... after I cleaned it.

And my stove. Well, those cinnamon rolls were cooked on Saturday morning and they were finally picked up on Monday night. 

I gave my girls doughnuts for breakfast on Sunday, and for breakfast on Monday, and Gretchen had half of a doughnut on Monday night right before she went to bed. (I did make her brush her teeth though.)

This bench is in my bedroom. The laundry basket has been there for I don't know how many days. The scarf, since Friday, the dress since Sunday morning, and the pile of clothes that the white dress is laying on top of.... well, those have been there for over a month.

Here are two pairs of shoes that are sitting about 10 feet from my closet, yet they're not in there, and if you turn around, you'll find a pair of wedges behind you. Oh, and DJ has two pair in the bathroom, there's a pair laying on my kitchen floor. Actually, two pair- one pair is mine, the other pair belongs to Megan.

Thank God my living room is clean y'all!

I just want y'all to know that yes, I'm busy. I have a lot on my plate. But, I am not super mom. I'm just a mom who is trying her best, just like you.

And you know what..... we are super mom's... but only in the eyes of our children; and that is what matters most.

By: Unknown On 06.30

Continue Reading

Saying Bye to the Dede

Megan is a dede addict. She has had her paci for two years and three months. When she was 14 months old, DJ suggested that we take it away from her, because Gretchen was the same age when hers was taken away. I promptly told him no, that she was my last baby and that she wasn't ready. Honestly, I wasn't ready, and little did I know that she was not my last baby.

In March 2013, Megan's daycare teacher had successfully taken away the 'dede' at nap time. We weren't as successful at home. 

In June, Megan stayed home with me full time. There were a lot of changes going on, and I didn't want to take away her comfort. She had transitioned from her crib to a toddler bed, then to a full size bed, to being home, to traveling, potty training, getting a new baby sister, and finally in August, getting four teeth. Truth be told, I kept looking for excuses to keep her dede.

I think she calls her pacifier a 'dede' because her teacher, Miss Julie (JuJu) calls pacifiers a binky. Megan's word "binky" sounded like "dede" so it stuck.

A few weeks ago, we came home from a birthday party, and we had misplaced both of Megan's dedes. I ended up getting one that I had purchased for Adalyn and gave to her. My mom told me it would've been the perfect time to take away her dede. Again, I wasn't ready.

This past Sunday night, we yet again, misplaced two dedes before bed. DJ and I looked all over the house for them and could not find them anywhere. So, we tucked her in, told her the dedes were lost, and made the decision that she was done with her dede.

Meggie cried and cried, and DJ did find one dede, but I told him that we would not give it back. This was go time.

She cried for about two hours Sunday night, but she did eventually fall asleep and sleep through the night.

I had talked to her for several weeks about buying a dede bear. I had the idea after reading Kellys Korner blog. The plan was to take Megan to Build-a-Bear and let her choose an animal and safely tuck her dede's inside the bear. I had originally planned to do this on a day Gretchen was in school, but again, I wasn't ready.

So, after Megan slept through the night Sunday without her dede, we decided to celebrate by going to Build-a-Bear. 

It was a crazy morning trying to get all three girls ready and out of the house. I even got up early (okay, it was 7:45, but that's early to me!) but it was chaos, and we didn't get out of the house until 10:30. I almost changed my mind and decided not to go, but I was dressed, the girls were dressed, and I was somewhat determined. But man, i'm telling you, everything was going wrong. I'm pretty sure the bathroom sink was overflowed again, pee was on the floor, and the carseat attachment for our double stroller was in DJs truck.

I dressed the girls in a watermelon theme.

We eventually made it to the mall.

Meggie picked out a bunny rather than a bear.

She is my shy little child. Always cautious before making a move. The stuffing machine scared the crap out of her. I mean, she was terrified, like, running away screaming terrified. So, there I was in Build-a-Bear with a baby strapped to my chest, chasing a toddler, and Gretchen was all like, "i'll stuff it for you." And, she did. 

I pulled Meggie's dede out of my purse, and she instantly put it in her mouth. I'm sure to be relieved of the loud stuffing machine, or just as one last time. I told her she had to put her dede in her bunny, and she took it out of her mouth, we said, our goodbyes, and she put the dede in her bunny.

I teared up.

The bunny was finally stuffed and it was time to give her bunny a bath.

But, that wasn't happening either. The bathtub was entirely too loud for Megan. Instead, I convinced G to leave it off, and we brushed the bunny's hair instead.

Then, we picked out her clothes. A pink princess dress and pink high heeled shoes. And, we finally made a birth certificate for the dede bunny.

Meggie loved her dede bunny!

G was allowed to take her bear that she made this summer and pick out a new outfit for it. She chose a princess shirt, tutu, roller skates, and a wand for her Cinderella bear.

After Build-a-Bear, I decided we would just eat at the mall rather than getting home and trying to do a million things at once... you know, get the girls out of the car, in the house, feed Addy, fix lunch, eat lunch, potty, and get the girls down for a nap. No way was it happening without me pulling out my hair. So, a peaceful lunch at the food court was planned.

In line at CFA, I saw Meggie sucking her thumb. Uh-oh, I was a thumb sucker. I swear, I sucked my thumb until I was at least 8, and I fondly remember washing the hot sauce off of my thumb. I was a smart one.

So, this was our scene at lunch.

I left Meggie in her stroller to eat. No way was I going to chase her through the food court.

Addy enjoyed her nap in the bjorn.

Meggie snuggled with her bunny some more.

We went into the Limited, because everything was 50% off! Um yes. Just what I needed to make myself feel normal. I resisted though and only bought one new shirt. You're welcome DJ.

G had to have her picture taken with the headless mannequins.

Finally, we headed home. 

Meggie fell asleep for about five minutes in the car with her dede bunny.

While it was great that she fell asleep without her dede, she did not take a nap once we came home. In fact, she cried and then played in her room for over an hour.

G got sent to her room for a time out, and this is what I ended up looking like:

It honestly sums up our whole week! It's been a busy one and i'm exhausted!

It's now been three nights, and while Meggie still cries at bedtime, she's not crying for an obscene amount of time. The first night it was two hours. Now it's maybe 30 minutes. She missed a nap the first day, but has napped since then. She took her dede bunny to school on Tuesday, but not on Wednesday. In fact, I think it's just another toy for her, and not a replacement comfort object. The first night, she did try to look at the back of the bunny to figure out how she could tear it open to get her dede out. I gently reminded her that she had put her dede inside and that it wouldn't come out. In retrospect, we probably could have gotten rid of her dede sooner. She was probably more ready than I thought she was.

If I had to give you advice about getting rid of the dede, I'd say just go for it. Talk it up for a while in advance, but if you have an opportunity to take it away. Do it. Make sure your husband is home so he can endure the crying with you. Be strong together and don't look back.

By: Unknown On 06.00

Continue Reading

Moms Know: Big Ticket Baby Purchases

Today I'm linking up with Leslie, a fashionable first time mom to be over at A Blonde Ambition!

Over the next several weeks, she's offering a series of link ups for us veteran moms, new moms, and moms to be! I guess I fall in the veteran mom category since I have three honey pie's, but man, I feel like there's still so much out there that I don't know!

Today, i'll be sharing with you my picks for strollers, carseats, cribs, and high chairs and why we chose each item.

Six years ago when I was pregnant with Gretchen, we purchased an Evenflo carseat and stroller combination. It was on sale at Target, and it was a perfect purchase for just starting our family. I liked that it was black and neutral, so we could use it with future bambino's, and it's served us well. 

The carseat doesn't expire until this coming December, so we are using it over the next few months with Adalyn. And, I've walked MC around the block many times in this stroller!

At the time, I wasn't aware and i'm not even sure they made the fancy strollers that are on the market today! Part of me wishes I could go back and buy a new one, but there's no point now and they all look so fancy and space-agey!

When I had Megan, we  I decided that we needed a double stroller, so I purchased a Joovy Caboose Sit n Stand.  It had good reviews, I had friends who loved it, and it seemed like a fairly easy stroller to use.

My only complaint about this stroller is that it's so long and can be difficult to maneuver when shopping, but then I realized that it's much easier to shop without the kids in tow, so the stroller and the kids stay home!

The stroller also doesn't have any adult cup holders, but we make do. And, I purchased a stroller hook to hold my diaper bag. 

I love that it has the tray for the front seat, or it can be removed, and there's a separate attachment for the infant stroller. This stroller has seen us through many football games and trips, and I know we'll get two more good years out of it! G always enjoyed sitting on the little bench or standing on the back, and now it'll be Megan's turn to ride in the back!

Now that my girls are older, and out of the infant carriers (well, except Adalyn) we use the Britax Boulevard carseat. The reviews are just amazing, and I love that it can be used at 5 lbs on up to 60 lbs! If we hadn't of had Adalyn, G would still be in this carseat, but it was too big for the back row of our car, and she weighed enough for a booster, so we went ahead and moved her to one. MC uses the Britax, and I plan on putting Adalyn in G's Britax when she's 3 months old.

This isn't the print that we have, but I love it! I honestly rave about the Britax and recommend it to all of my friends. It's really the only carseat that you'll ever need. The only problem is that if you start out with the Britax, you always have to remove the baby for transporting, and infant carriers are just so convenient if the baby is sleeping!

When it was time to purchase a high chair, I really, really, really wanted the Eddie Bauer wooden high chair. I loved that it looked like furniture and it reminded me of the high chair my mom used for me. But, DJ won out, and he convinced me to register for a Fisher Price booster, and I have to say, that he was right. This booster has served us well with both G and MC, and I love, that we can take it with us on vacations, and it folds up so easily! This is also a really good choice, if you're tight on space, and 5 1/2  years ago, we definitely were! It's also easy to clean because it's all plastic, and the tray is dishwasher safe.

When I was pregnant with Gretchen, my cousin offered to give us her baby crib. I wasn't in love with it, but I also knew that for practicality purposes, we didn't need to purchase a brand new crib. Three children later, and we still have the same crib. DJ and I decided, that we would rather spend money on real furniture that could grow with the girls, and that they would have forever, rather than spending money on a crib. 

This crib has a drop down side, and just to let y'all know, i'm fully aware they've been recalled, and I wouldn't recommend buying one. Actually, we won't even be able to sell it when Adalyn is finished using it. However, i'm pretty sure that conversion kits are sold to keep the side from dropping down. DJ and I just decided that we would never use the drop down feature when it was recalled. 

Now, I do appreciate that this crib has held 5 sleeping babies, and we've managed to incorporate it into all of the girls nurseries. 

If I could choose any crib, I would definitely go with a Pottery Barn crib in either white or a dark woo with thick lines. I love this one and this one.

For me, I had to decide between practicality, budget, and prioritize. I won out with a few purchases, and in the end, they were all good solid pieces that have worked well with three kids. As I mentioned earlier, I'd love to have a super fancy stroller or even a brand new crib, but living within a budget, it just wasn't practical to indulge in some areas. I know that i'll only use many of these for another year, maybe two, and then they'll be put in a garage sale like so many other things the girls have grown out of.  And now, that i'm a "veteran mom", I'm glad we didn't purchase a $1,000.00 stroller! Although, I definitely think a $350.00 carseat is a wise and smart investment! 

Thanks so much for stopping over to ready our baby picks! Tomorrow, I'll be linking up with a baby clothes post!!!

Don't forget to follow HPA blog via Bloglovin!

By: Unknown On 05.00

Continue Reading

Our Favorite Books

I'm linking up at Kelly's Korner again for "Show Us Your Life". Today's theme is Favorite Kid Books.... we love books in this house, and I always make sure to give the girls a book on Christmas and Easter, and their birthdays. My mom is also good about buying them Halloween, Thanksgiving, or other holiday books! Needless to say, we have an overflowing bookshelf upstairs in the playroom, and both of the girls have books in their own bedroom.

We try to read to the girls every night before bed. DJ and I even read to Gretchen when I was pregnant with her! This is the very first book we bought when I found out I was pregnant with a girl and the book we would read to Gretchen.

I absolutely love this story, as it's all about two parent bears who wanted a baby, and how the baby grew inside, and then the baby came home. It's just such a sweet book.

Now that we are a little more busy with full time jobs, two kids, and our third on the way, reading is not something that happens every night, but it does happen most nights. I've started to get the girls on the couch before bedtime and the three of us read a book together, and then they go to their respective rooms, and we'll say prayers with each of them separately. 

Here are a few of our favorite books:

Ladybug Girl is about a brave little girl who thinks finds heroic things to do while her parents are busy in the house and her big brother is playing with a friend. I recently bought "Ladybug Girl at the Beach" for G~ she received it in her Easter basket~ but we haven't had a chance to read it.

Fancy Nancy is another one of my favorites. I don't think Nancy could be any more fabulous! She loves to be fancy and explore and loves dogs. We have several Fancy Nancy books and G received another one for Easter! 

I was first introduced to Fancy Nancy when I was pregnant with Gretchen. I received two of her books at a baby shower, and they were signed by the people who gave them to me. It was and still is one of my favorite baby shower gifts that we've received!

When I was pregnant with MC, I was given a Fancy Nancy baby shower because we were so in love with the books! 

.........

The next two books are fun for all ages, and I really like to read them to my therapy kids and to my girls.

We have several of the "If You Give a ________ a _______" books. I think "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" is the original book, and it's fun to let kids draw what they think would happen if they gave a mouse a cookie, and then serve cookies and milk as a snack! It also teaches cause and effect.

And, I can rave and rave about several Dr. Seuss books, but this classic is my favorite! It's great to read to your baby because of the rhyming sing-song pattern in the words and teaches your baby intonation of our speech. It's also easy for kids to memorize to feel like they are reading themselves, and it has several sight words and it's easy to predict what words will come next due to the rhyming and patterns.

And, if you're looking to expand on this book, there are a gazillion pins out there for you! 

I read this book every year to my speech kids as well, and plan an activity to go along with it. This year, I gave them a template of the Cat's hat, and we wrote vocabulary words on the lines and listened for the words in the book.

Thanks so much for stopping by my little nook!

I hope you've enjoyed a peek at some of our favorite books! Have you read any of these?

By: Unknown On 06.49

Continue Reading

Exhausted

The girls are upstairs playing, and what I should be doing is giving them a bath. Or, playing with them, but i'm utterly exhausted.

Work was a typical day, as typical as it can be when traveling between two jobs. Thankfully, my afternoon speech kiddo was rescheduled for tomorrow, and I look forward to the evenings where I have nothing extra after school. It means I can spend time with the girls. But honestly, when we get home on those days, I just crash. I'm trying so hard to get into a routine, and we have good weeks and bad weeks. I think the last two weeks have been bad. (and it's only Tuesday)

I look at my 'to-do' list and it just overwhelms me.

Vacuum the floors, do the laundry, make the beds, dust the furniture, pick up toys, cook dinner, finish up projects at work, start projects at home. Where is all the time in the day?

As I was looking forward to my "off" night, I remembered that the girls and I needed to run to the grocery store. So, there went my "off" night. G pitched a fit, b/c she didn't get the car buggy, then she wanted a cookie. I asked her to stop asking of the cookie, and if she was a good listener, she could have the cookie at the end of our trip. However, she missed the "please stop asking for the cookie" part. Needless to say, she did not receive her cookie. Which, made her pitch a fit the entire drive home. She was sent to her room for crying and arguing in the car.

Thankfully, after her time-out, she cleaned her room, ate a good dinner (pb & j) and went upstairs to read and play.

MC, on the other hand, was great at the store, and had a not so fun time once we got home.

It's either one or the other.

I'm ready for bedtime tonight. I'm ready for DJ to get home. I plan on retreating to my sewing space and working on bows and projects. I have several to ship and several to make, and honestly, I feel like crashing on the sofa, and not getting up until tomorrow. When I get to do it all over again. And, while my list continues to grow because I put things off tonight.

So, mothers, how do you get through your days? What helps you feel as if you are accomplishing something without spinning in circles?

Right now, I feel as if a huge glass of wine will be the only thing that will help :)

By: Unknown On 16.23

Continue Reading

The effects of "shut up"

This is the hardest post i've probably written; it's not my usual light-hearted post, but it's something that I wanted to share, as I think, all parents need to face the reality.

DJ and I were tucking G in to bed last night. Her bedtime routine typically consists of getting her pj's on, brushing her teeth, reading a book, and saying one of three prayers. She always gets a choice of what prayer she wants to say. She chooses from, "prayers from the heart", "The Lord's Prayer", or "Now I Lay Me." However, this choice is pretty daunting for a four year old and she has discovered that this is a fabulous way to stall and last night was no exception. Typically, if she does not make a choice DJ or myself makes a choice for her. This was the case last night. As G did not make her choice, I started saying, "Now I Lay Me", and no sooner than did I get through the first line of the prayer, G put her hand over my mouth and said, "Shut up".

I stopped, dead in my tracks. What had just come out of my four year olds mouth? DJ and I looked at each other, and both of us in shock, laughed. Which, was totally the wrong reaction that any parent should have in that situation. After we regained our composure, we explained to G that we shouldn't have laughed, but that we were shocked a word like that would come out of her mouth. We are very careful about what we say around her, and we censor all of her t.v. shows. We told G that "shut up" is a dirty word, and that it is not a word we want her saying. We asked her where she heard the word, and she explained that she heard it on "The Power Puff Girls" while she was playing at our 7 year olds neighbor's house. Obviously, that is not a show that is approved at our house. 

We finished up our conversation, with G, and tucked her in for the night. But, the word, it just stirred in my head and I just couldn't let it go. I decided to take the scenario to one of my mom's group, and bounce some ideas, feelings, and parenting thoughts around with them. For me, it's the best way to think things through and come to a final decision. I need to work through situations. 

So, here's what I've concluded from this discussion:

~ Parenting styles are different. It doesn't matter how much we have in common, there is never a 100% mutual agreement, and this case was no different. From some suggesting that I needed to let go of trying to censor what my child is exposed to, those not allowing their child to play at someone's house if they are not present, and those that disagree with consequences. But, through all of the disagreement, I learned this. Respect. I learned that as we discuss, we can still respect each other's various parenting styles, and I just wish I could come across more moms like those that are in this group. I think that all moms would feel less of a failure and more of a mom if we could all just agree to disagree and not judge. One of the moms brought up that we all judge each other's parenting styles, and that we have to do what is best for our own kids and take it hour by hour. Then, at the end of the day, we can look back on our own success and failures. Another mom admitted, that she struggled daily if she and her husband were making the right decisions. That was exactly what I needed to hear. Because, I think we all struggle every hour if we are making the right decisions. There are just so many parenting decisions to make now, and we all feel the pressures. 

~ DJ and I decided together that for the time being, G cannot play at our neighbor's house. For one thing, their kids are older, therefore their t.v. rules are obviously different than ours. And, I don't feel that it's my right to ask them to change their rules for my child. The kids are more than welcome to come to our house to play. The t.v. has to remain off, because I know they don't want to watch Mickey Mouse, and the play will have to be supervised. The kids are also going to be allowed to play outside together, but our rule will always stand that a parent has to be present. 

~ God has also placed heavily on my heart recently, to "do everything you do to the glory of God". I turned on my pandora the other day, and the first song I heard was about a mom picking up toys off the living room floor for the 15th time today, and the song just continued about how a mom works so hard and feels there is no glory in it. But, that if we have the attitude to do our daily tasks for God, that it changes the entire mood of the person. That is what i'm struggling with right now. I need to do everything for God. I need to put joy into my daily routines. 

~ Throughout the last day, I've also had to decide what my end goal in parenting is. And, this is what i'm struggling to accept right now. I want G to grow up and do amazing things for God. I want her to have a relationship with God, and to be a leader and to do something powerful when she grows up. G is an arguer. Right now, we have a sticker chart in place, for every day that she does not argue with us. As much as I've tried to break her of this, in order for her to respect authority (and that's not just me), I've also tried to embrace it, because that feistiness could be a powerful thing when she's a teenager. I'm also struggling with the most effective parenting strategies to use with her. And, it's constantly changing. This month, the sticker chart has worked wonders. I just have to remind her of the chart, and she instantly stops arguing. But, I have to admit, I've tried everything under the sun when it comes to discipline. And, whens he finally earns the LaLaLoopsy doll that she's wanting, a sticker chart will probably not be effective anymore. 

So, all this to say, "Wow!" Parenting is hard work. I'm so thankful for my supportive, not so strict husband, and my totally reassuring mom that I'm doing a great job. I just wish all of us moms could be supportive of one another. Can, I just challenge y'all, that the next time you're in the grocery store, and you pass a mom looking totally frazzled because her toddler is climbing out of the buggy, could you just give an encouraging nod? Just let her know that you've been there, and that she's doing a great job- even if you'd drag that same kid out of the store and just leave. We all have different parenting styles, but no matter those differences, let's support each other and agree to disagree.

By: Unknown On 20.38

Continue Reading