preschools and pantaloons

Newsflash all moms of future preschoolers (honestly, it's probably too late for you) women who plan to have children in the future! 

Apparently it's no longer good enough to buy a carseat and install it before your baby comes, or open a second savings account to stash Uncle Eddie's annual $20 check for baby's college fund, or to even search around for the pediatrician with the most gold stars on google and, bonus points, remember to actually make the scheduled appointments on time. 

Now, in order to be the best parent you can be, and for your child to not end up homeless and disease-ridden, you must begin planning for your child's superior education before they are even fertilized. And if you screw it up, make sure you're ready for your child to be a failure. For life. Or so one stellar New Yorker mama thinks. Apparently her daughter's preschool was too fun. So fun that she probably had no chance of making a high income later in life, which can only happen if you go to an ivy league school, which can only happen if you are rigorously trained as a three-year-old in the ways of Wall Street. So fun that she sued the piece of you-know-what preschool. True story. See for yourself. Nice huh? But for realz lady...how could you let this happen? Everyone knows a $19,000 yearly tuition pretty much screams ghettofabulous-lowtestingscores-wrongsideofthetracks kind of school. Duh.

Anyways, if you wonder what I'm up to this weekend, or the next fifty-two, I'll be stalking local preschools with gold-star-chart in hand, making sure I won't be paying a dime less than $20,000, and writing up a toddler resume that would make Ivanka Trump green with envy.

As my wonderful seminary graduate husband taught me (he's super smart), you never end a sermon/speech/blog without an application.

So go watch Nursery University. And let me know if you want a copy of my awesome gold star chart. 

:)

(I guess I should insert the fact that I have full faith in my baby boy who can already write the letter A. Take THAT, Ivy league!)

And for you (unfortunately that you also refers to me) moms who, as stated above, it's too late for, here's a little something for ya! So funny, so sadly true.

source: super funny blog that is especially good to read after a long hard day

a few of my favorite things

Some of the things Asher says just make my heart smile.

He calls PB&J "belly jelly"

He refers to Hallie as "my baby" or "sweet baby girl." He loves her to pieces. I truly see them being the best of friends.

He calls our piano a "piaNOTE"

He mixes up his pronouns and sometimes calls his little sister a "he" or his dad "her"

He says "wuv you" and I think he means it :)

He channels his inner "Vinnie" by saying things like "Yous got pizza?" or "Wanna give yous kisses"

Here he is channeling that same "Vinnie" as a 2 month old

And then there are the things he does.

Hugs and kisses every time we leave.

He will hide in a hiding place for what seems like forEVER..just waiting for someone to find him. Even when the other person had no clue they were playing hide 'n seek in the first place. :)

He can write the letter "A"

Sometimes I find him sitting in his little chair reading a book. He likes to change up the setting and carries his chair around until he finds his perfect reading nook.

The way he makes his way to our room every morning and sleeps on a pallet of blankets on the floor by our bed. My hubby and I made it a rule that no kids will sleep in our bed, but pallet by the bed...how could we say no?

He sleeps with 2, sometimes 3 flashlights. It used to be for monsters. Now that he's over monsters it's just for fun

No matter how messy it is, he insists on eating toast and sandwiches from the center, so his entire face gets covered with PB and/or jelly.

At 2 years and 9 months old he is finally potty trained. Pee, poops, and all. He speaks in full sentences, and almost everything he says is intelligible. Just a mere 6 months ago he jibbered and jabbered away and we just laughed and nodded, not having a clue what just came out of his month. He's such a grown up now.

He says his prayers all by himself now. Always starts out by saying, "Thank you God for today." As if my heart wasn't already a pile of mush on the floor.

He loves cars, trains, Go Diego Go, Thomas the Train, jello, coloring, and dirt. He can count to 20, knows his whole alphabet, can balance on one foot for 10 seconds, and can make a pancake with play dough (Yes.....I looked up what's expected for Kindergarteners and my crazy teacher self has been prepping my 2 yr old)

Where did my baby go? He's becoming a boy. And as much as I miss the sweet coos and cuddles of a tiny little baby, I am LOVING this little tornado that brings a ridiculous amount of joy to our family.

baby belly part 2

Well ladies and gents...4 months later, and 3 months late, here is the big update. (If you missed out on part 1, here it is).

I stink at working out. Especially working out the belly area. I stuck with the 300 ab challenge for about 30 days, and I did see results. I felt much stronger, I got to where doing 300 reps of ab exercises didn't bug me in the least. My back even felt better. I felt like super woman.

But, my mid-section started sticking out more. Almost like I was always bloated. Looking back, I think...come on, duh...the muscles underneath the baby blob were building and growing and obviously if I don't lose the blob, it was gonna stick out. But, I got frustrated, and busy, and lazy, so it only lasted 30 days.

I wish I had a spectacular before and after pic to show ya. Wish my miraculous post-baby trim-down would go viral and I'd have women stopping me in line at Target asking me how I did it. I wish that I could WELCOME the moments when friends and other women inevitably do the "belly stare," that look you get when you know they're trying NOT to judge your post-baby belly status, but they can't help but do the glance. My eyes are up HERE, ladies!

I will say that, at least for ME, losing the second baby weight has been 100 times harder than the first. Even though I gained a lot less the second time, it's staying on a lot longer. And hungry isn't the word for it. Constantly.hungry.

Let's be honest with ourselves, shall we? When I start the day at 6 am and go go go until 8:30 pm, the last thing I have energy for is 300 reps of ab workouts!

Ok, supermodel mom. Thanks for showing me up!

So, instead of making a promise that I know I might not be able to keep, I'm making a goal. The goal that by Hallie's first birthday, I'll be able to fit into the clothes gathering dust in my closet. The goal that I will no longer dread walking into my closet. The goal that my high-wasted stretchy pants will no longer be my go-to outfit every day. No gimmicks, no crazy fad diets, no wasted money on internet weight loss plans, just good old healthy eating and active living. Here's my 3-part plan:

#1- I will walk 3 miles every day with the double stroller (harder than it sounds, esp when you're battling wind!) to pick up Asher from "school."

#2- I will stop eating so many desserts. :) Like that goal? Bye cookies, hello carrots.

#3- I will not dwell on the number on the scale; instead, I will dwell on the blessings in my life.

Happy Wenzday.

Artsy fartsy

"This world is but a canvas to our imagination." ~Henry David Thoreau

Sigh. I love that quote.

I've always been drawn to bright colors, girly patterns, and eclectic art. I love to paint, mod podge, dabble in photoshop and illustrator. Before pinterest, I would cut out pictures from magazines or books and glue them in a special binder that I still have and cherish. I always knew that one day I'd have a home, and that I'd decorate that home to reflect my love for all things art. When I was 15, that meant painting each wall in my bedroom a different color. Hah. Now that I'm 27 (so old and well-versed in the arts, I know...), that means creating and collecting things that, pardon the expression, speak to me. :) I'm being serious, y'all! There is a painting at my favorite antique store that I stand and stare at every.time.I.go.there. It's a scene of an old Victorian street with ladies carrying umbrellas, wearing pale yellow and teal dresses, and a small white church with a gorgeous steeple, and you can tell it's lightly drizzling, and rainy days are by far my favorite kind of day. I want to jump in that painting and walk around carrying my own lacy parasol. Or better yet, hang it in my living room. I guess that's what it means to have art "speak" to you. I've thought about buying it a thousand times. If by Christmas that painting is still there, I'll take it as a sign that it's meant to be and add it to my wishlist.

Just past that crazy hair and those piles of laundry is my favorite yellow wall.

The first month we moved into our house, I was able to look at the whole place like an empty canvas. I painted a wall in my kitchen yellow. I took my favorite fabric to Lowe's, had them match it, then slathered on that paint the same afternoon. Shortly after that, I printed out a stencil template from one of my favorite blogs-and painted "wallpaper" on our entry wall. A year later, I've yet to finish it. Blame it on baby #1 and baby #2. There's beauty in imperfection, right?

Then, I decided the kids' bathroom was a snoozefest. White walls, blah. So I free-handed a stencil on some foam board, cut it out with an exacto knife, traced it on the wall across from the sink, and splashed on some lovely turquoise paint. This is my favorite project yet.

Lately, and especially since I work at home and have to stare at my own walls ALL day, I've been a little underwhelmed. Yeah, I've painted here and there, but ART is what I'm craving.

Well, I'm slowly getting my groove back, accepting that I don't have time to make my own art, so thanks to a couple birthday gift cards, I'm adding some character to my canvas. :)

This baby is going in our master bath, above the tub. I just love it. So fun, different, and I love that it's a limited edition...not a mass-produced box store print.

Much to my delight, today I stumbled across this darling print on sale at Land of Nod, only two days after I saw the same print in a nursery and thought how I'd love to have it for Hallie's room. I even spent longer than I'd like to admit searching for where one could buy this peachy little pear, to no avail.

Well, look no more! Get the 11x14 print here! Such a good deal. There's a cozy little corner for Miss Pear right next to Hallie's antique mirror. She'll be the perfect final touch to my baby girl's room. Picture courtesy of my friend Katie!

Anyway, a little art here, a little art there, and suddenly your blank canvas starts to feel like home. Not everything has to match, has to make sense (I mean, a sad-face gray pear with pink cheeks?), or has to be super expensive. Search until something speaks to YOU and your own wacky senses. :)

Happy Toozday!

Friday home tour

So one of my favorite blogs always showcases a home tour each friday. I'm almost not embarrassed to admit that I look forward to her new post at the end of each week, because I get to ooh and ahh over each Friday's beautiful and inspiration-worthy home. And yes, I secretly wish that on Fridays, my house looked just as shiny and clean.

Well, I'm here to showcase my home tour, which shall be titled, "Nope, we didn't have guests over this week, so yep, we better make plans soon." (See bottom of post in case you haven't had the pleasure of seeing one of my favorite e-cards). Welcome to our world, the world of diapers, and dirt, and stray socks, and broken crayons, and leftovers that didn't make it to the fridge, and unmade beds, and all sorts of other perfectly imperfect disarray.

First, the foyer. (And please, make sure to pronounce it foy-ay).

Just beyond this grand entrance is the children's wing.

As you wind your way through our grand hallway, you'll be greeted by the nursery.

If you're lucky, you may find this little lady excitedly awaiting your arrival.

If you're not so lucky and find yourself lost in the master bath, be careful to avoid the laundry hamper, which if you're not careful might tip over and bury you alive.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed le tour. If you are a busy mom and are looking around at a mess that seems hopelessly never-ending, be encouraged that you aren't the only one! Be thankful that you have enough STUFF to even make a mess, and don't forget the old saying...

Good moms have 

sticky floors

messy ovens

and happy kids

A month in pictures

This last month...

 We got dressed up (anything other than sweats and messy ponytail=dressed up)! Oh, and I chopped off 9 inches of that hair. Loved the hairdresser, miss the hair. :(

I made THE most delicious dessert ever. Almond Joy cupcakes. A better name would be chocolate-dipped coconut cream cheese buttercream chocolate pudding candy bar cupcakes. Yup, pretty much sums it up. Here's the recipe!

Hallie had a pre-Christmas Christmas morning. Two packages in one day! New highchair- check. New walker- check. Now she can eat in comfort and get her groove on!

Asher played for hours outside with a neighbor friend. Oh the joys of sand! And little plumber butts. :)

Asher mastered the art of the potty. He's da man! Pretty much trained himself. I couldn't help but snap this shot when I peeked in on him. I can't count the amount of times he just cracks me up during the day. That kid truly lives out the meaning of his name-happy and blessed! Love him.

We added some new artwork to the living room. Painting courtesy of Asher van Layton.

Hallie is no longer on a breast-milk only diet. Although she says it's done wonders for her thighs, we thought it best to introduce her to the wonderful world of rice cereal. 6 months already...how time flies!

I was gone for ONE evening, left the boys alone to fend for themselves, and my creative hubby decided to make bacon hotdog mac and cheese. He was quick to reassure me that he added in spinach and peas, though!

If that doesn't inspire gourmet food cravings, I don't know what will.

Can't wait to see what this next month has in store!

Happy Monday!

a day off of work=a whole new kind of work

I took the day off today to help my parents when they get home from my dad's surgery. They won't need me till later.

I had grand plans for my "morning off" of work. Finish a canvas "Family Rules" painting that's been sitting unfinished in my living room for 2 months. Fold that LAST bit of laundry that I trip over ever morning trying to get to the bathroom. And run to the antique store to find something fun to plant my new succulents in. Don't you just love the word succulents?! I was inspired by some pinterest pics I came across and got a little too excited when I saw some adorable succulents at Lowe's. Ok I'll stop saying that word. Aren't those little guys so cute? Right now mine are gathering dirt and bugs as they sit outside on our doorstep. Hang tight guys...

Someday my guys might look this cute

What's that you ask? Nope.... none of the above happened. This is what really took place:

6:45- Asher wakes up crying for mama

7:00 Put Asher back to bed with a cup of milk

7:30 Asher charges through the gate in his doorway and bursts into my room declaring he went pee pee

7:45 Pee Pee is all cleaned up, Asher's strapped in high chair with banana in hand and Blue's Clues on

8:00 Potty trip. Interesting poop experience. Give in to bath

8:20 Asher's clean, realize he's too sick to go to the sitter so decide to keep him home, Hallie is crying

8:25 Asher's on couch finishing up Blue's Clues, gather up toys strewn around house, change and nurse Hallie

8:45 2nd poop of the day. Stick Hallie in bouncer while I deal with #2 booty, suction Asher's snotty nose

9:00 Hallie's crying to be held, Asher's still hungry

9:15 Both kids are fed, suction Asher's nose again, brew some coffee

(What time is it now? 10:57. Just finished cup of coffee)

9:30 Bounce Hallie on my knee and send some last minute work emails I can't stop thinking about before I officially turn off computer for the day.

10:00 Decide Asher needs a nap. Heave a big sigh when I realize plans for going out are nixed. He cries and refuses to lay down. I set up a pallet for him in the living room. He won't lay down and wants to go fishing. Really?

10:10 Finally get Asher down in his own bed, Hallie is hungry. 

10:30 Hallie's full, put her down for a nap, read the still-crying Asher a book

10:40 Realize I'm still in pajamas and have toothpaste on my pimples. No wonder Asher kept pointing to my face and laughing. 

10:45 Hallie wakes up crying, give up on prospect of shower, sit down on couch to nurse and flip open macbook. Decide I need to blog so I don't cry thinking about all the things I wanted to do that will no longer happen.

11:00 Coffee is down, eat half a bowl of oatmeal and decide to forgo the rest as I look down at my protruding baby belly that is serving as a shelf for the laptop. Ugh.

11:08 Asher cries that he hurt his head. Time to end blog. 

Have a lovely Tuesday! xoxo

happy half birthday hallie girl!

My baby girl is growing up. It happened so fast. Seems like just yesterday that I was feeling hopeless and never thought I'd get a good night's sleep again. Now she sleeps all night and sometimes I have to wake her up! Seems like just yesterday that nursing was tortuous and I wanted it to be over. Now, I can't imagine the day she won't want to nurse again. Seems like just yesterday I felt like I was going to break her, she was so tiny. Now, our favorite game is toss the baby! Seems like yesterday that all her headbands were too small. Now, she won't keep them on. Seems like just yesterday that she looked like a grain of sand on the beach in her crib. Now she stretches the length of the crib and sometimes a leg or arm gets stuck. Seems like just yesterday I was meeting my girl for the first time, tears welling up as I saw this sweet face that only a few seconds before was hangin' out in my tummy. Today, I'm blinking through tears as I hold my baby girl, thinking about how those once-in-a-lifetime baby moments are so fleeting, and how I want to treasure each.one.all.day.long. Love you Hallie girl!

let's eat in tonight!

These are the plans for my "dining room" breakfast nook. We don't have a formal dining room (seems our kids decided it would make a better play room), so I've got a plan to jazz up the room right off the kitchen and create a lovely little dining area. My wonderfully talented husband is almost finished with last year's anniversary present. :) Yes....I was supposed to get a new dining table for our 3 year anniversary. It's looking like I may get it in time for our 5th! I told him that I was going to go ahead and buy dining chairs in hopes that would motivate him to get it done. It's a gorgeous round pedestal table with a leaf so it can fit the whole fam during holidays. I seriously can't wait for it to move in the house! And my car can't wait for it to move OUT of its space in the garage.

These chairs from World Market are a great lower-priced option with a high-end feel. They're on sale for a just a few more days!

The yellow and teal fabric is what I used for the roman shade in the breakfast nook. I plan on reupholstering the chair seats with the yellow and white fabric.

Before and after pictures soon to come!

Happy Thursday

xoxo

weekend in pictures

Someone helped with the laundry. (Pictured: 1/20th of the disaster) Is it just me, or does anyone else get completely and utterly overwhelmed with massive amounts of laundry, thus letting it pile up even more until it literally takes an entire weekend to get all 100 lbs of it folded and put away?

We went to Forney's little slice of heaven- the snow cone trailer next door to Jack in the Box. Asher had lime, I had blue hawaiian, Chris had something that didn't even show in our picture. Party pooper.

Hallie learned how to sit up. Watch out world!

Inconsolable baby? Forgot your nursing cover? Sitting next to a giant group of Baptist Bible-study-ers? Have no fear, just rip off a few paper towels and you've got yourself "covered." And yes, that is a giant empty plate of diet hot fudge caramel brownie sundae.

~Happy Monday~

There's an avocado in my cookie!

Like cookies? Don't like the stick of butter you know will go straight to your hips (or post baby belly in my case)? 

Well fret no more, my cookie-loving friends! 

Grab an avocado, and slice, scoop, and mix into your cookie dough instead of butter. 

Your end result may look a little green, but if you didn't know what was in them, you'd never guess they were special cookies. I tested them out on my family, and amazingly enough, they passed! We brought home an empty plate. :)

gooey green goodness

Yes I used oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in a bag-don't judge!

bad picture- I promise they weren't glowing green!

Happy "healthy" eating!

shop my closet

Loft/medium/pale coral/$8 

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Bobi gypsy wagon (boutique) dress/large/olive green/$15

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