My favorite products right now

Like any other mom, there are several products that are must-haves in our family. Here are a few of my favorites at this point in our life! 

Clorox Anywhere Spray - I use this stuff like water (which is sort of ironic since, you know, it basically is). It's flu season and I can think of no greater torture than toddlers with the flu, so we've been cleaning away with this or Clorox wipes as often as possible. I discovered a few years ago the recipe for it, so I haven't bought it since. The recipe is here. 

(source: clorox.com)

Olay Moisturizing Cream - So, this one's more for the mamma, but I figured I better start using some form of moisturizer while I'm a spring chicken or I'll age even faster. ;) I discovered this stuff at the pharmacy and it's like $6, so you can't beat it. 

(source: craffts.com)

Gummy Vitamins - If my dad were reading (which I suspect he is not), he would be saying "Told you so" I'm sure. I HATE taking vitamins. I'm sorry...for some reason swallowing horse pills every day makes me want to gag. I started taking the kids' dino gummies several months ago and discovered they were delicious. Silly me forgot they make gummies for weird people like me in adult form! Seth and I now take them every day and, for the most part, we've been healthy all winter, even when the kids are snotting and coughing all over us. WIN! 

(source: walmart.com)

LeapPad 2 - Carter got this for Christmas this year and I sometimes want to hug the person who invented it. It has the ability to quiet him down, calm him down, and help him learn--all at the same time. That's like the trifecta of toddler awesome. Shout out to my parents for getting it for him! 

(source: amazon.com)

Take and Toss Cups - Our kids are apparently sippy cup hoarders. At the end of a day, I can seriously find like six or eight all over the house. And they constantly need a drink in their hands, it seems. For $4 a pack, you can't beat these. They are toss-able--which we don't--but it's nice knowing that when we accidentally leave them somewhere--which we sometimes do--it doesn't really matter because we have 1,920 more at home. 

(source: bestgeekfriend.com)

My 2014 Goals

I'm not calling them "resolutions" because when I "resolve" to do something like this, I don't. So, we'll call them goals. :) My time is limited so I'm keeping it realistic. 

1. Continue to focus on fitness and losing weight. Come on, this is on everyone's list. BUT, I think I'm finally to a point where working out is part of my life now, so I'd like to keep that going. I'm stalled at eleven pounds but with Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in there (and me being out of the gym for three weeks), it was sort of to be expected. Back at it now though--and currently sore beyond explanation for Monday's Tabata class (OUCH!). Swimming suit season is a mere five months away and we may be taking a little beach trip after all thanks to a gracious friend who offered us their Ocean City condo for virtually nothing! 

2. Go on date nights with Seth. If mama and daddy ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. This one speaks for itself. 

3. Take the kids on more fun outings. I love to see their excitement at amusement parks, the pool, parks, etc. so I'd like to do more of that this summer. On my agenda would be Hersheypark, a zoo (other than the local one we've done), and camping, to name a few.

4. Be more intentional. This applies to many things--doing devotions at night, pleasure reading more, focusing on my hobbies and doing something I love for myself (photography, for example), and playing with the kids. I'm ready to make-believe the heck out of all their things like I did when I was a kid. Is it too soon to introduce Addison to the wonderful world of Barbie??? :) 

What's on your list for 2014? 

"So what" Wednesday

I always think these things are sort of funny, so I'm linking up to Life After I 'Dew' for So What Wednesday...a confessional of sorts.

SO WHAT if...

- We got our credit card number stolen on Thursday and then Seth lost the new card not even three days later.

- I haven't deep-cleaned my house in a month. At least.

- I sat in front of my children's tubs of outgrown clothes and got all weepy as I sorted through them for a yard sale, even though I want no more kids. So many memories! I can literally remember where they were and what they were doing when they wore pretty much every outfit.

- I sometimes tell my child that it's "the middle of the night" when he wakes up at 5:15. That's early, people!

- There are ZERO shows on TV right now that I even care about. We are thinking of canceling our cable and going with Netflix for shows. (Thoughts on that anyone?)

- I need a date night once a month (even though we don't do this). I firmly believe you can't be the best parents unless you focus on your marriage. Though hard to comprehend, it's to be the first priority.

- I want to rip my hair out between the hours of 4:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. right now. Teething SUCKS. It's sad to get the grumpiest hours of the day, but thankfully, teething is just a phase!

Happy Wednesday!

My goals this week!

In an effort to make our lives slightly less hectic, we've been chatting about ways to save money, live stress-free (or with less stress, since "stress-free" is not likely), more content, be happier, etc.

So, I've come up with a few goals for this week. I think we do better when we focus on short-term goals, and I think this will help me be more accountable. :)

Goal one: Work out or go to the gym five days. I joined the gym at work and have gone every work day so far. I know that I won't continue to go every single day because I like to still hang with my friends sometimes, but moreso than not, I need to be at the gym. Jean season is upon us. On the days I'm not at work (Friday-Sunday), I will find something else to do to be active. A walk. Yard work. Something--anything--five out of seven days. Already did the gym at lunch today and yesterday, we walked to the grocery store, did our shopping, and walked home with all our groceries, so that's two! Seth jogs at night, so his goal is probably similar. :)

Goal two: Be more intentional about effectively disciplining Carter (not all negative! Many positive "disciplining" and reinforcement as well). We attended a toddler discipline class on Sunday and we got some great advice and tips. We've implemented many in the past 24 hours and we want to keep this going.

Goal three: Have a dinner plan before we even leave for work. This helps us avoid last-minute dinners out or picking up a pizza (hence making goal #1 worthwhile). :)

Goal four: Do not go shopping.

Goal five: Do something fun with the kids. We may take them to the zoo nearby this weekend, and the weather is to be gorgeous!

Let's do this!

Life Lately.

I wish I had time to blog more, but life has been hectic. I have another entire vacation to blog about, plus who knows what else in between?!

I thought I'd do some "life updates" about what's up with us. I love looking back on these things down the road and remembering what life was like day-to-day and what our kids were doing.

1. Carter is growing up so insanely fast. He literally talks your ear off and goes from sun (son? ha) up to sun down, with a two-hour nap in between (thank you, Jesus!). He is losing so much of that cute baby-talk, which is good and bad at the same time. What was once "lellow" is now yellow, "ket-ku" is now clearly ketchup, and so on. BUT, one thing remains: chocolate chips are STILL "rocklate chips" and popsicles are still "pop-ick-els." The movie "Madagascar" is pronounced "out-of-gas-car" to little man. Precious. Oh, and he still calls anything stringy "ties." (think: hair, melted cheese, pulled pork, ribbons, etc.) He FREAKS if he gets a tie--in any of its definitions--in his mouth.

2. Addison is a teething monster. I mean that in the nicest sense of the word, but she is craaanky between 5 p.m. and generally 7:00 p.m. and has been crying out during the night and waking up freakishly early again. PRAYING those bad-boys come in soon or mommy and daddy might lose their ever-loving minds! (Sidenote: I'm pretty sure God makes babies so stinking cute between 12-18 months because they are terrors. Just sayin') :)

3. Seth is back to school so the insanity of every weekday morning has begun. But, he did quit his part-time job so we have FAMILY TIME AGAIN. It makes me incredibly happy.

4. I am majorly itching to re-do our kitchen and have gone on a full-fledge research mission to find something that is both cost-effective and nicer than what it is now (i.e. not super...sort of 1990s countertops). I will find a solution!!!!

5. It was four years ago this week that we found out we were pregnant with Carter. So crazy!

A few random things.

My brain is fried. Though I--for obvious reasons--did not announce it publicly, Seth was in Chicago this past week. And my kids were not the kindest to me. :)

So, here are a few random things from this week.

1. We were at a wedding reception on Saturday (they got married in HI but then had a reception back here in PA) when Carter told me to "shut up." Um? WHAT DID YOU SAY, little boy? I promptly picked him up and removed him to the outside of the reception place to have a little discussion. I told him that we do not EVER say those words to mommy or anyone and asked him if he thought Jesus appreciated him talking to his mommy like that.

I KID YOU NOT, he looked at me, rolled his eyes and said "Praise father and holy ghost" and started to walk back inside.

WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED??? For starters, he's obviously referencing a line from the doxology, which he knows well. But did my three-year-old really just say that to me?!?

He obviously got scolded again for the disrespect, but that ranks up there in the list of times I've had to hold myself from laughing while disciplining because seriously?? Where does he come up with this stuff?!?

2. Addison has a double ear infection (it has been 8 weeks since the last one, after all), which explains her MISERY for much of the time Seth was gone. I couldn't possibly leave the room without her freaking out and don't even THINK of even turning your back to stir dinner on the stove, lady. Holy cow, the screaming. I can still hear it days later. And Carter and Addison are playing so poorly together lately (lack of sharing much?) so it most certainly escalated all minor "anthills" into "mountains." I'm so old to say that.

At one point while Seth was gone, I declared that if someone offered me my full-time salary to be a stay-at-home-mom, I would say thank you, but no thank you. It's for some and not for all. I'm a better mom for working.

3. I need a date night. Of the overnight variety. (see #2).

4. Addison went from "sort of" walking to practically running. And I sort of love it. Sure, it means we'll never sit down again, but she's 25 pounds, so that part is nice. Plus, I've never seen anything cuter than chubby baby legs in brand new sneakers, booking it down the hallway, while accompanied by squealing laughter. I dare you to find something cuter.

5. We leave for vacation this weekend. Our neighbor is house and dog-sitting for us and we are excited to get away and maybe enjoy SOME relaxation. Please, kids? :) 

Have a great week!

2013 Bucket List

Resolutions, shmesolutions. When you call them that, it sounds all nice and pretty at first, and then just sounds like something no one cares about.

So we'll call it a bucket list. Ha!

Here are a few things I'd like to do in 2013, in no particular order:

1. Lose this darn baby weight and then some. And then a little more.
2. Put new siding on our house. (Fun, huh?)
3. Paint the garage and door trim of our house and the trim of the shed.
4. Go on at least twelve date nights with Seth. I'd like to focus on little things in our marriage and be more kind, accomodating, and generally more helpful to each other.
5. Learn my Nikon better and take one class -- online or in-person -- and learn how to use Photoshop Elements.
6. Hug, kiss, and play with my kids more. Not just regular playing, but good, quality playing.
7. Exercise more, even though I hate it. (P.S. Fun ideas for this, anyone? What type of exercising is FUN? And don't say take a class at the gym. I have two small children and no childcare at the local gyms; that will not work....or happen).
8. Count my blessings more, and try to be less stressed.
9. Teach my baby to sleep. (Had to throw it in there)
10. Pray more. (See #9. Just kidding. Kind of.) But seriously, pray for not only those "little," mundane things, but things like our marriage, my childrens' hearts and salvation, my heart, my patience, the world, safety, health, etc.

What do you hope to accomplish in 2013?

My To-Do List Update

(This is solely for me to look back on someday, so feel free to skip if you'd like!) :)

- Remove guest bed from guest room/nursery.
- Paint nursery.
- Arrange/set up nursery.
- Buy curtains (and put them up) for nursery.
- Buy a baby book for her and other little things like mattress cover, girl blankets, pacis,  etc.
- Buy pump, accessories, and necessary supplies.
- Begin buying diapers, wipes, and things of the sort so as not to be overwhelmed 2 weeks out!
- Borrow McKenna's baby clothes and go through them. :)
- Get all baby things out of storage and clean them.
- Touch up paint throughout entire house (note: this time, use CORRECT paint).
- Shampoo carpets (or get them done professionally) in living room/hallway.
- Clean out tupperware cabinet. MY. WORD. Where will bottles go?!?!
- Buy a big brother gift for Carter.
- Take photography class.
- Clean out any messy closets or storage areas that stress me out before I even have 2 kids.
- Deep clean house including baseboards, vents, etc. (my mom and grandma come Friday!!!!!!)
- Make freezer meals for when she arrives.
- Make plans for Carter and Bentley for when I go into labor. (Sort of done, though this will change constantly depending on when this labor thing occurs!)- Mulch the flowerbeds. (I have to be honest, we're running out of available weekends and I don't have much hope for this.)
- Install carseat (not quite yet). (In progress....got it out of storage and took it a part and washed all the pieces!)
- Finalize work maternity plan. (In progress)
- Potty train Carter?!?! (This is low on the list for a reason. Would be nice, but not sure it's realistic) (Well, we bought the underwear...that's a first step, right?!?)

My to-do list and where I stand :)

- Remove guest bed from guest room/nursery.
- Paint nursery. (In progress)
- Get custom artwork made (Done, but need to send to be printed)
- Arrange/set up nursery.  (Seth put the crib back together in there, but it's obviously not arranged yet until I'm done with the painting)
- Buy curtains for nursery.
- Buy a baby book for her and other little things like mattress cover, girl blankets, etc.
- Buy pump, accessories, and necessary supplies.
- Begin buying diapers, wipes, and things of the sort so as not to be overwhelmed 2 weeks out!
- Borrow McKenna's baby clothes and go through them. :)
- Get all baby things out of storage and clean them.
- Touch up paint throughout entire house (note: this time, use CORRECT paint). (well, I did the upstairs, but that is going to suffice for before Addison)
- Deep clean house including baseboards, vents, etc.
- Shampoo carpets (or get them done professionally) in living room/hallway. (Scheduled for next Friday!!!!!!)
- Clean out any messy closets or storage areas that stress me out before I even have 2 kids.
- Clean out tupperware cabinet. MY. WORD. Where will bottles go?!?!
- Make freezer meals for when she arrives.
- Make plans for Carter and Bentley for when I go into labor.
- Buy a big brother gift for Carter.
- Take photography class (Next Wednesday)
- Mulch the flowerbeds.
- Install carseat (not quite yet).
- Finalize work maternity plan. (In progress)
- Potty train Carter?!?! (This is low on the list for a reason. Would be nice, but not sure it's realistic)

My "Before Baby" Checklist

I really didn't think I had that much to do before Addison arrives. HAHAHA. I began brainstorming, and ten minutes later, this is what I've come up with. Oh boy. I better hop to it. :)

- Remove guest bed from guest room/nursery.
- Paint nursery.
- Get custom artwork made (a copycat of something I found online). :)
- Arrange/set up nursery.
- Buy curtains for nursery.
- Buy a baby book for her and other little things like mattress cover, girl blankets, etc.
- Buy pump, accessories, and necessary supplies.
- Begin buying diapers, wipes, and things of the sort so as not to be overwhelmed 2 weeks out!
- Borrow McKenna's baby clothes and go through them. :)
- Get all baby things out of storage and clean them.
- Touch up paint throughout entire house (note: this time, use CORRECT paint).
- Deep clean house including baseboards, vents, etc.
- Shampoo carpets (or get them done professionally) in living room/hallway.
- Clean out any messy closets or storage areas that stress me out before I even have 2 kids.
- Clean out tupperware cabinet. MY. WORD. Where will bottles go?!?!
- Make freezer meals for when she arrives.
- Make plans for Carter and Bentley for when I go into labor.
- Buy a big brother gift for Carter.
- Take photography class (already scheduled!).
- Mulch the flowerbeds.
- Install carseat (not quite yet).
- Finalize work maternity plan.
- Potty train Carter?!?! (This is low on the list for a reason. Would be nice, but not sure it's realistic)

 ...PHEW! And now I'm tired just from writing that. Here's to beginning the nesting now so we can get it all done by then! :)

My Top 10 Christmas Songs!

Jo-Lynne at Musings of a Housewife did a fun post about her top 10 favorite Christmas songs. I'm slightly obsessed with Christmas music, so I made my own! We have a station around us that plays 24/7 Christmas music from Black Friday until Christmas and it makes me very happy!

In no particular order:

1. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays - 'N Sync
2. O Holy Night - Josh Groban
3. Where are you, Christmas? - Faith Hill
4. All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey
5. Christmas Eve Sarejevo - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
6. Little Drummer Boy - Jessica and Ashlee Simpson
7. O Holy Night - Clay Aiken
8. Joy to the World - Faith Hill (or any artist, really)
9. The Gift - 98*
10. Happy Christmas - Celine Dion

What are your favorite Christmas songs?