30 Things Loved in June

Kelsey from Words of Williams shares what she is grateful for at the end of every month. I love the idea so here is my debut monthly "loved" post.

1. A chance to take our first vacation as a family of four. We had such a great time!

2. Surprising my husband with a date night to Exhile Brewing and rolling with the punches even though the experience was not quite what we had pictured.

3. Drinking beers with friends in the driveway with the hum of the baby monitor in the background.

4. A family trip to the zoo to celebrate Father's Day.

5. Hearing Drake comfort Charlie when he is upset.

6. A long weekend away with my whole family and the fun we had.

7. Potato packets (potatoes, olive oil, dry ranch dressing mix and a little cheese) on the grill.

8. $4.00 shirts at H&M

9. Thursdays and Fridays filled with adventure and memories.

10. Down alternative pillows.

11. Drake's sweet heart for Jesus and hearing all he took in at Vacation Bible School.

12. An impromptu visit from my sister.

13. Grocery shopping with Charlie while he smiles and waves and flirts with every person he sees.

14 Planning Drake's birthday party.

15. Watching Revenge with Ben on Hulu Plus all curled up in bed late at night.

16. Mini ice cream sandwiches.

17. 6:00 am workouts.

18. Reading a book on the Kindle on the deck while the boys nap.

19. Letting the boys stay up way past their bedtime just so we can play outside.

20. Grandparents who love my kids to pieces (and spoil them too).

21. Sunday afternoon beers with a friend on a patio.

22. Charlie walking around with Hulk Hands on and making superhero sounds.

23. $5.00 retro chair find at the Restore.

24. The amazing kids in our neighborhood that picked up after a big storm went through.

25. Skinner enjoying the kids swimming pool by taking a dip.

26. Watching Drake play outside at 7:00 am in his jammies while I make breakfast.

27.  A lilac bush that bloomed and was so beautiful and fragrant.

28.  Going to garage sales with Drake and watching him search for treasures.

29.  Babies with bright blonde hair and big blue eyes and tanned skin.

30.  A great sermon series at our church.

What did you love in June?

Monday Moments

• It snowed on Thursday and Friday. Not just a little snow but 6.5 inches of the stuff fell. After already experiencing the longest winter ever, this about put me over the edge.


• I have been feeling so overwhelmed by cleaning and laundry lately. I feel like I just can't keep up and that the second my house is clean it is dirty again and that my pile of laundry never gets smaller. I know this is just the season of life I'm in right now, but man it still drives me nuts... And don't even get me started on the never-ending dog hair.


• Charlie is walking 90% of the time now. I'm so in love with his little waddle and can't get enough of how proud he is of himself.


• Charlie has also been talking so much more. The other day I picked him up from his crib and he looked right at me and said "good boy." He also kept telling me "thank you" as I fed him blueberries last night. So sweet.


• Drake has learned how to spell his first and last name and goes around the house saying it over and over again. I can't believe how fast he is growing up.


• Last night at supper (while my parents were over) Drake started to sing "I'm sexy and I know it."  Time to really monitor the music that he listens to.


• Things have been quiet on the blog the last couple of weeks and I kind of like it. I'm really trying to focus on just writing when I have things to say and not forcing myself to write a certain number of times a week, etc.


• I'm still working really hard to lose the rest of this weight. It is slow going, but my clothes are fitting so much differently and I just feel better so that gives me the motivation I need to keep going.


• I will be turning thirty in July and I'm excited about it. I could have never had imagined all the great things that my twenties had in store for me and I'm really excited to see what my thirties hold.

I will leave you with a couple of pictures of my babies. Charlie and his big blue eyes get me every time and that sweet smile just melts my heart to pieces. My big boy, Drake, looks so handsome and I just can't get enough of him in that hat...way too cute.  I just love those boys  to pieces.

Have a great week!

Short on Time, Long on Thoughts

I feel like October passed me by in a whirlwind. Between being busy at work, a newly crawling baby and the excitement and fun over Halloween-this month was over before I felt like it even started!

Here are a few things that are on my mind right now-

• The blog has been a but heavy on sponsored posts and giveaways the last few months and I am aware that is not something everybody loves. I get that, I really do. With that being said, this blog has provided my family both financial benefits as well as opportunities and experiences we otherwise would not have had. So for the time being there will continue to be sponsored posts and giveaways even if some of the motivation behind it is a bit selfish.

• I just baby-proofed my house big time. Mr. Charlie is crawling and pulling up and exploring like crazy so the time has come to go through all the toys and put stuff up for the time being.

• Speaking if crawling- Drake seems to be enjoying his brother so much more since he has become mobile. They play and giggle and wrestle and just have fun together. It makes my heart so happy!

• I have been on a huge decluttering spree this past year and it has felt so good! I can't even tell you how freeing it is to get rid of things and live a simpler life. In anticipation of Christmas, I have been selling and donating toys to free up space. I will do a future post on how we changed the way we bought Christmas gifts a few years ago and how much we love it.

 Hope you all have a good week!

A Little of This, A Little of That

• My weight loss journey is slowly chugging along. I am down 16 lbs and getting so close to posting my 20 lb lost picture.


• Drake calls Sunday School "Someday School". Might be the cutest thing I've ever heard.


• Speaking of "Someday School", we told Drake that he is not allowed to talk about Superheros there (he is obsessed and is all he wants to talk about, play, etc.). His response? "But Jesus is a Superhero!!" Hard to argue with that...


• Thinking it is time to start trying to get Charlie into a better sleep routine. He has been sleeping from 7:00-11:30 then wanting to eat and then getting up again around 4:30 wanting to eat again or snuggle. I am tired.


• I am loving this fall weather we have been having. Perfect for boots, and leggings, and sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, and chili.


• Ben and I have started having at home date nights about once a week. We wait until the kids go to bed to eat and spend the time chatting and catching up on our favorite fall TV shows.  It is a relaxing and fun  way to spend time together without spending money.


• We have owned our minivan for about 5 months now and I still feel funny driving it. I don't even really know how to explain it, except for the fact that it makes me feel so grown up.  I also love listening to loud rap music when I am all alone and driving home from work and it just feels super awkward to jam out to it in the mini. I guess I had to grow up sometime :)

Have a great week!

P.S.- Enter here to win tickets to see Phineas and Ferb Live

Monday Minute

• I don't think I've ever mentioned it on the blog but we bought a minivan. It is awesome and awful all at the same time. I think I probably need to do a post on it.


• Drake is working on the potty training thing. Doing pretty good. Also a whole post needs to be written on this.


• If I knew every baby that I had would have the personality of Charlie I would have 100. He is that awesome.


• We took Drake on a little weekend getaway this weekend. It was so great. I will have a whole post about this too.


• Anybody seeing a theme? I have lots of posts to catch up on :)


• Ben was off on Thursday. The day was so ordinary but so perfect. I love those days.


• I'm really starting to love Weight Watchers. I've started to see results and I'm fast approaching the 10 lb lost mark.


• I love iced coffee. Especially that we figured out a super easy way to make a big batch.


• I think the Fifty Shades of Grey series are some of the worst written books I have ever read but I'm still reading them.

 

Where to Begin

Hello there blog friends, it has been awhile. Sorry for the lack post lately. I don't even have a good excuse except for the fact that I've been a bit lazy lately.

Anyways, here is a quick rundown of what is going on with us.

• I"m almost 33 weeks. I reached the point last night where all nervousness of having a 2nd baby has been erased because I'm thinking it is going to be so much better to have an outside baby (when the time is right) than suffer anymore of these increasingly annoying, uncomfortable, and down right miserable pregnancy symptoms.  I will update more on the pregnancy in a post this week.


• I joined the world of iPhone users. I'm in love. What are your favorite apps?


• Drake has been coming up with some pretty witty things to say lately. One of my favorites being a conversation we had in the car on the way to Target. It went something like this:

Me-Drake put your hat on.

Drake-No

Me- You have to put your hat on before we get to Target, it is really cold out.

Drake-No, it's my head.

Yes, he truly is my son as this is so something I would say.

• Ben and I have had TWO nights out in the past week.  And both time Drakes stayed overnight with one of the sets of Grandparents. It has been refreshing and much-needed.  Here is a little proof that we actually went out.


• I threw a surprise 30th Birthday Party for Ben 2 weeks ago. It was awesome, he was surprised, and I forgot to take pictures :(


• Be looking out for pictures of Drake with a new haircut. I finally bit the bullet and took my shaggy little guy for a cut (his sideburns were starting to curl up) he hated it, but looks so much better! He also looks like he is four now!

So those are the highlights of the past couple of weeks. I will be back later this week with a pregnancy update, pictures of Drake and maybe even a heartfelt blog post.

 

 

So You Want to Know What is on My Mind?

I'm linking up with Blair over at Heir to Blair today for a little Friday Brain Dumping!

• I finally joined the craze and I'm reading the Hunger Games. I'm done with the first book and making good progress in the second book.  I need to finish this series ASAP so I can start paying attention to Drake again!


• 10 weeks left of this pregnancy. For some reason this pregnancy has been much more difficult than with Drake.  I remember when I hit the 30 week mark with Drake I had a serious freak-out about how close it was getting, this time I practically jumped around knowing this would all be over soon and I can meet my sweet new boy.


• I cleaned out my closet yesterday, like really cleaned it out. It felt great and also got me all excited to wear my non-maternity outfits again. I'm planning on starting Weight Watchers as soon as the little guy is born. Can't wait!


• Whenever Kelly Clarkson's Mr. Know It All comes on Drake wants to dance with me. He calls it "Mommy and Drakie's song" and will dance with his head on my shoulder. I pretty much drop anything (even reading the Hunger Games) for a moment like that.


• I organized and redecorated my laundry room last weekend. I'm in love. Pictures to come soon, but think yellow walls with touches of aqua accent pieces and lots of cool subway art on the walls.


• I went to couponing class last night with my neighbor. It was interesting and I learned a lot, but also think it could become a HUGE time suck. I think I will take bits and pieces of what I learned and apply to our life. I DO know that I will be getting lots of use out of this Totally Target Blog.

 

I Think My Kid is Cool (And Other Things)

 And here is the picture to prove it. I'm in love with the cuteness.

Seriously in love.

I'm also in love with my new phone app Vignette (think Instagram for an Android). I used it to take this picture and love how it can make a boring camera photo so interesting.

I'm also in love with Pinterest. Any of you on it? Add me my username is sssmomma. If anybody is not on it and  and wants an invite let me know and I will send you one.

I've had the most productive morning. I worked out, played outside with Drake, cleaned my whole house, baked a cake, did 5 loads of laundry, ate lunch, and played outside again. I'm trying to keep busy today so the day goes fast because I'm SO excited for tonight.  I'm going to see Bon Jovi tonight with my mom and sisters and  I CAN'T WAIT!!! Not to mention the fact that before the show we are trying out a new restaurant that serves crab rangoon pizza. I know, right!?!? YUMMY!

I'm off to go sit outside in the sun while Drake naps. This skin needs a little golden kiss!

What's on My Mind

 At this exact second I'm thinking:

• I'm in love with the paint color and decorating changes in my kitchen and front room. IN.LOVE. Pictures coming soon.
• A nice cup of warm coffee is a great way to start out the morning.
• Someway, somehow Drake has managed to drop all 5 pacis out of his crib and has woke up crying for them at 1:00 am on Monday night and 5:30 am last night. Operation Time to Get Rid of Pacis is approaching fast.
• After watching home videos of Drake last night I've come to a few conclusions: 1. My voice sounds weird on video. 2. I feel like I might get motion sickness when I watch the ones I video tape. 3. My singing voice leaves a lot to be desired. 4. I used to be obsessed with the song I've Got a Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas because it is playing in the background of numerous videos.5. I forgot how small Drake used to be. It ALMOST makes me want another baby. Almost.
• As soon as Drake outgrows his current pair of shoes he is getting these. Cutest shoes ever, no?

• My sister gave me a pair of Cookie Johnson jeans for Christmas and I'm smitten with them. They fit great (even better now that I'm finally starting to loose the last of the baby weight) looks stylish and are super flattering. My favorite part? The silk lined waist band.

What's on your mind right now?

Image Credit 1

Image Credit 2

Things on My Mind

Blog
State Fair
WordPress
Small Towns
Time Management
Fall
Football
AMAZING giveaway
Drake Gives Back


Much more on these to come soon!

Thankful

I usually reserve my thankful posts until the Thanksgiving season, but I've decided that today, a Friday in the middle of August, need a thankful post because I'm feeling just that- thankful!

On August 13, 2010 I'm feeling thankful for:

•  The fact that even though it really sucks that our air conditioner went out, I needed a new tire and our garbage disposal broke all in a 3 day time span I'm so thankful that is the worst of our problems. Those are just things and things can be fixed.
• Knowing we pretty much can rest assured that if our basement has not flooded by now with the inches and inches (10 inches in 3 days with more on the way) of rain that  fell this week we should never have water in our basement. Peace of mind is worth everything.
• Taking chances and not being afraid of failure. I have learned over the years that fear of failure only holds you back and does not allow you to succeed.
• Little footprints that paint our driveway after an evening of playing with the hose.

• Watching Drake pretend his hand is a phone as he holds it up to his ear and says "ello" over and over again.
• The anticipation of going to the State Fair next week because  "Our State Fair is the Best State Fair. Don't Miss it Don't Even Be Late" Extra points to the person who can name what musical that song is from!
• Lazy weekends with nothing planned but spending time with my 2 boys and flying by the seat of our pants.

I really have so much to be thankful for and for that I'm really thankful!
What are you thankful for today?

A Cluttered Mess

That is what my brain is right now...a cluttered mess. These last few days have turned out to be super busy leaving me with no time to write my blog or read other blogs. I'm seriously going through withdrawal!!

Since I have so much stuff running through my mind I'm just going to spill all sorts of random stuff to you. Aren't you lucky?!? So here goes nothing...

• I made the big mistake by taking Drake with me to renew my license today. I don't know about where you live, but in Iowa there is only one place in each county to do this. So you can imagine how packed the place is!  We waited in line for a half hour to even get into the building and then at least another another half hour for our turn. Drake was bored and all he wanted to do was get down and run around. Being the super mean Momma that I am I would not let him (this place is just gross). This resulted in him screaming. Loud. I mean make your ears ring loud.  People staring loud. Just plain loud! Next time Drake will not be coming. 
• Also related to the new drivers license. You can no longer smile when you have your picture taken for your licence. I will never ever share this picture with you or anybody else. Think of what my mug shot would look like and you've now got a pretty good idea of the little picture treasure my wallet will now protect.
• I've recently discovered the awesomeness that is consignment shops. About time huh? I bought Drake some clothes for fall at one. All the clothes either looked brand new or were brand new with the tags still on it. AWESOME!
• My house is a mess. Not really dirty, but cluttered. I still need to find a place for all of Drake's new toys and I have totes of clothes he has outgrown to sort through. How much of your baby's clothes did you keep? Do you keep it all for you next baby, keep some, or get rid of it all?
• Here is my big secret. I used to design wedding invitations for people. OK. so this is obviously not a huge juicy secret, but nevertheless something you probably did not know about me. Anyways, I really want to get back into designing them again and maybe even expand to birthday invitations, announcements and stationary. I need a new printer and a name for the business before I can start. Any good ideas?

Hopefully next week is just a little bit more organized! Have a great weekend!

Confessions

I have some things to get off my chest, so I thought it was time for a confession post!

1. I'm REALLY bad about reposting blog awards that I receive. I'm not really sure what my problem is, but I always seem to forget that somebody gave them to me. So I'm sorry if you've ever given me one and I've not posted it, really I am!

2. A few years ago I hit Ben's car as I was backing out of the garage with my car. My car hit his side mirror just right so that it busted through his drivers side window. His car actually had to be towed away because there was too much glass to drive it. To make matters worse my neighbor saw the whole thing take place.

3. I was secretly happy  it was raining on the 4th of July so we had an excuse to stay home and just relax. It had been such a busy weekend  and we just wanted to eat pizza and drink a beer and we got to!

4. I feel like I need to take a leap of faith in some areas of my life. I hope I can find the courage to do so.

5. Nothing makes me happier than coming home to  find that my husband  unloaded the dishwasher, put clothes away or started supper on his lunch break. Love you Honey!

6. I'm renaming P90X. It will now be called P365X for me because I think that is how long it is going to take me to complete the program. Let's just say I've developed my own schedule!

7. I have a whole folder of draft blog posts I've yet to get finished. It is looking like I won't get around to it until after vacation. At least I have ideas right?

8. I have started sneaking into Drake's room every so often when he is asleep and picking him up and snuggling him. It is too hard to get a snuggle during the day from my wild boy!

9. I say pop instead of soda and warsh (Seriously, I know this is annoying. I can't help it though) instead of wash. What do you say?

OK, so now that I've confessed. It's your turn...spill the beans!

Another Round of What Would You Do

Last week I was out shopping with Drake when I noticed Baby Gap was having an amazing sale- 40% off all sale items!!! Loving Baby Gap the way I do, I just had to stop in and check out the deals.
I was browsing in the little boys section for some fall clothes for Drake. (Side note: Drake is a giant and will be wearing 2T pants this fall. I love the person who came up with adjustable waist pants, otherwise my skinny, tall boy would have to be wearing capris all winter) All of the sudden I see the sales associate approach Drake with a concerned look on her face. She crouches down and grabs a jacket Drake must have snatched off the rack and was about ready to put in his mouth and says "Oh no!! We do not put jackets into our mouth!! Somebody is going to want to buy this!" in a tone of disgust and marches off. I of course couldn't think of anything to say in response and stood there like a mute just staring at her.
Just to clarify, I don't go into stores and let me son chew on clothing. I was looking at the clothes and did not realize what he was doing. My issue is this lady was scolding my son, who by the way, has no idea what you are saying, when the comment was obviously directed at me. I'm pretty sure she was annoyed that he kept touching and pulling clothes off the rack (that I of course picked up and put back.)
Have you been to Baby Gap lately? At least at my store, there is not a single place to put a stroller that your baby would not be able to touch some sort of clothing since the aisles are so narrow.

So I want to know your honest opinion.
What should I have done?
OR
Was I in the wrong for letting him touch the clothes in the first place

Random Thursday Thoughs

• I fed Drake a Pop Tart for lunch. Do you think there is any nutrition of any kind in those things? It's probably just like feeding you kid pure sugar. At least he enjoyed it and it gave me time to put the groceries away. :)
• I just bought my last container of formula for Drake. I'm thinking what used to be formula money should now be clothes money for Momma...good idea, huh?
• We are thinking about getting rid of cable. We don't watch much TV in the summer and it seems like you can watch pretty much any TV show online now. Problem will come in the fall when our beloved Hawkeyes play on The Big Ten Network and we need cable to watch them pay. Maybe we will just cut back on or package and get rid of the DVR.
• I grew up in a super small town.  There were about 1,200 people and not a single stoplight. I'm thinking I should write a post about small town living. Any of you grow up in a small town?
• I really want to take a photography class. I am in LOVE with my new camera and would like to be able to use all the settings on it. I'm thinking this would be good project for the fall.
• I'm super excited about some pretty amazing things that are coming up for this blog. I've had the opportunity to work on some great projects that I can't wait to share with you all soon.
• Speaking of this blog, I'm going on vacation in a couple of weeks and have some of my blog friends running the blog for me with their guests post while I'm away. I think you will love what they have in store for you!!

What Would You Do?

Pretend that you are checking out at the local grocery store with your 10 month old baby in your arms. The cashier at this particular lane has been talking to your baby the whole time, and your baby being the social butterfly that he is has been playing along nicely "talking" and smiling back. During one of those smiles, the cashier gets a glimpse of what appears to be teeth trying to push through the baby's bottom gums. She decides to take a closer look and says "Are those teeth I see in there" as she takes her finger and pulls down on the baby's lip to get a better look.

Would you:
A) Politely tell her to get her hand that has been touching money, shopping carts, and who know what else out of your baby's mouth
B) Walk away as fast as you could
C) Ask her what in the hell she doing
D) Just stand there pretending it did not happen and therefore giving her enough time to kiss the baby's feet

If you answered A, B, or C those are probably the right answers.

But if you are me you pick D and then spend the rest of the afternoon trying to figure out why they don't make the equivalent of hand sanitizer for your mouth.

This & That

I started P90X yesterday.  Have any of you been crazy brave enough to try it? What did you think? Did you see results? I actually thought the hour went super fast, but I felt like a huge loser because I could not do a pull-up to save my life so I did the modified moves with a resistance band. I'm also TERRIBLE at push-ups, I'm actually embarrassed at how awful I am!! Anyways, hopefully 90 days from now I will be seeing some great results!

I'm thinking of doing some sort of recipe exchange on my blog. I'm still trying to figure out all the details, but think it would a fun way to get some new recipes. We seem to be in a bit of food rut at our house and need some inspiration. What do you think? Is this something you would be interested in doing?

Remember how I told you Drake was getting his first 2 teeth in? They are cutting through right as we speak. He has been attached to his paci and just seems uncomfortable. We give him numbing gel and Tylenol or Motrin if he seems really uncomfortable, but he is not big into teethers so I'm at a lost for other ideas. So for all you moms who have been through teething, what are your tips to ease the discomfort a bit?

You all are the best! Thanks for your help with my million questions!!

Be Right Back

I'm taking a little time off from the blog these next couple of days. I have super busy weekend that consists of being a bridesmaid in a good friends wedding,  a BBQ with my family, a trip to the zoo and lunch with great friends.  I can't wait!! Hope everybody has a great weekend and I will see you Monday night or Tuesday morning!

I just LOVE this picture!! Ben was being creative with the camera and I think it turned out awesome!

                        
P.S.-What do you think of the watermark on my photo? I am pretty happy with how it looks and don't think it takes away too much from the photo. Hate that this is what has come to, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to protect and "claim" my photos.

Some Random Thoughts

I have lots of  little thoughts running through my head, so you know what that means....random thought post!

• If you have a blog please leave a link in the comments section of this post. I really want to try and do a better job of visiting people who visit me. I have found some of my favorite blogs this way in the past and I can't wait to see what else is out there!
• I'm in love with the create your own Fraps at Starbucks and even more in love with the half price happy hour they are running this week from 3-5!!
• I have a lot of giveaways lined up so for the foreseeable future Wednesday will be giveaway day. I know there are split feeling on giveaways, you either love or hate them. Either way, please know that  do not agree to do reviews or giveaways of everything that come my way. I only do it if I truly believe it is a product that my family would use and you my readers would love.
• Drake's new favorite place to hide is in  Ben's clothes in the closet. Bet you are SUPER jealous of my husband's Hawaiian shirt, aren't you?!?

• I hate mayonnaise, like really hate it. I hate it so much that I don't even like touching the jar. What food do you hate?
• I've been working on a few blog updates and was successful at making some stand alone pages, but can't for the life of me figure out how to "pretty" them up, so it looks like a call to my blog designer is in order! The end result should be a cleaner looking blog that is easier to navigate.

I think I succeeded on making a total random post!

A Quick Update and Some Questions

We received Drake's biopsy results and everything came back fine! No allergic esophagus and no signs of damage from the reflux. So we basically found out what we knew all along...he has bad reflux when he eats. It is a good sign the biopsy came back clear because that means the reflux is not causing inflammation of the esophagus or other tissues at this point. I'm so glad that we went ahead with the procedure because now we know we are treating the right problem.

Drake is now on 30 mg of Prevacid a day. This kid is maxed out on the highest dosage of Prevacid he can take and guess what?!? IT IS WORKING!!!!!!! He no longer screams at night when he takes his bottle and I no longer feel like my chest is going to explode with anxiety when bedtime comes. I also finally know what it is like to feed a baby that does not scream when he eats a bottle and it is a pretty amazing experience!

Now to the questions...I need some more ideas for finger foods/solids to feed Drake (remember he started solids early because of his reflux, so he is eating closer to what a 1 year old would eat instead of a 9 month old). What are some good standbys? Also how do you get your baby to eat veggies?!? He likes the green bean stage 3 baby food and some canned carrots but that is about all I can get him to eat. Give me your best tips!