Hairstyle rambles

The sun is shining outside!  Its only 44 degrees but it look beautiful out there!  The brightness always puts me in a better mood.  Jess has been begging me to take her and get her hair cut and I need one too so I think maybe tonight well head out and get it done.  I'm thinking for me I'm gonna try and get a style like the one in the Ke$ha tick tock video.  I know, I know, I'm not a young and crazy pop star,,and look nothing like her, but I think I've got the naturally wavy hair to pull it off.  I need something that's gonna be easy and I will like cause I put my hair in a messy pony tail like every single day!  I dont wanna do that,, this style looks naturally messy so maybe I could pull it off. :)   Now,, maybe I'll go blonde too.  hahaha....  I used to be a blonde,, naturally.  Something happened as I got older and it seems to darken every single day!  I hate it....I guess I should be grateful that at least there isnt any grey yet!   

Tomorrow is weigh in day!  I'm doing fairly well here lately so I think it should be a loss.  I'm so ready for it to get warm so I can get out for walks around the neighborhood.     Well thats it for today.  Tomorrows Friday!  Woo HOO

Sleepy Monday

I am so tired today.  My eyelids are heavy and my body feels like a rock.  We stayed up late Saturday night so I only got about 6 hrs sleep, I was tired yesterday but didn't think I'd still be paying for it today :(   Is that a sign of me getting older?  We sure did have fun Saturday night though,  We've been doing karaoke night every Saturday,, we just chill, sing, dance and have a blast.   The kids love it,,,well its not Gary's favorite thing but he tolerates it. Emma and Jess LOVE it though!

I've got a house full today here. They are loud and full of energy,, ornery too!  I'm really wishing it would warm back up again so we can go outside and run around to play.    My grandma that goes to Florida every winter should be arriving home today!  Were so excited.  I'm a  little bummed cause I probably wont be able to get out to see her until Wednesday night though.  The 3rd shift girl I watch is coming early the next two days so by the time my last kid leaves and we got over to granny's house it would be about time to turn around and come back home :(    That's one of the downsides to practically babysitting around the clock.

So anyways, today I'm trying to catch up on laundry and figure out a menu plan for the week cause I need go go grocery shopping.  Really hoping I get some energy soon!

Weight watchers

I almost didn't post this because I know of at least one reader here who does not like "diets".  But I just thought I'd let you all know once and then I won't be discussing it much anymore.  Last Friday I joined weight watchers online.  I was getting tired of being tired all the time and feeling like a big icky blob.  My body was starting to hurt more often and I just felt like my overall health was off.  I want to be a healthy mom, I want to be around a long time for my kids and have energy to play with them.  I did weight watchers once before before I had Emma and it worked wonders for me.  I lost 118 pounds!  While my number is still no where close to where it was before I was feeling like it was creeping back up.  I bought a scale and was disappointed by the number standing before me,,,, I was right, I had gained some more back, plus I never really lost the weight I had gained 3 years ago when I got preggo with Emma. 

While its not about the number on the scale, I want to feel good about myself again.  I know mentally what to do but obviously just wasn't doing it so my hope is that rejoining the program will give me the motivation that I was lacking.   The program has changed a lot since the last time I did it.  All the points values on foods are higher, but I also get more daily points.  The other thing I want to do different this time is exercise.  I didnt do much of that last time and I know how important exercising and moving is.  I haven't started yet but hopefully within the next couple weeks I'll set up a plan for myself. 

So there you have it, I won't bore you with the info anymore.  If you want to check-in on my progress though you can check the sidebar and every Friday I will update my losses. 

My kitchen in pictures

Well I decided to go ahead and take some pictures of my kitchen while it is fairly clean. lol. I still havent gotten the walls washed. I'm thinking maybe that could be a project I could involve Jess and Gary in. :) 

Here is the view you get while standing in the doorway from the living room.  You can see the sink there to the right  .  Straight ahead on the wall is my wipe off marker board.  I know it doesnt look the best there but it gets so much use,, I would be lost without it.  I do think though that after we paint I might put it right inside the laundry room door instead. 

 Now if I walk straight across the room from there and stand at my bedroom door(which used to be a garage)  this is your view.

             Here you see the oven and fridge and a few cabnits.  I've got my toaster sitting there between the two and my binder that has some favorite recipies in it,, as well as a candle warmer. 

 

This is the view from the windows,, you saw most of this in the first pic.  From the left to right,...there is a little basket there hoding my dishrags and towels then the coffee maker, sink, rooster cutting board and the fruit basket.   The white door there you see on the left is the laundry room.

This is the cabnit above the coffee maker.  The bottom shelf is all coffee supplies so its nice and handy there.  The second shelf is some plastic storage containers(which by the way I'm trying to slowly vear away from those.  At least ones that will be reheated in the microwave.  Im trying to slowly switch to glass, which is what you see on the top shelf.

This is the cabinit above my sink.  It houses all my baking stuff.  Your probaly thinking it would be smarter to have that above the oven but there isnt really enough counter space over there to do the mixing and stuff so I normally do that  on the side by the sink.

Here is the cupboard to right of the sink.  Its got glasses and plates and bowels.  That cardboard box has some lids and straws for kids cups(its a shoe box).lol  And on the top left there is some tea and juice mixes along with some pudding mixes.  That basket on the top right is for my husbands clutter that he brings home every day.  Things like his wallet and saftey glasses, keys and some other little things.  He always throws them on the counter which I dont like so I put this basket up there for him.... He still likes to throw them on the counter, but I take them and put it in the basket. :-)

This is the cabinit above my stove.  Its got cereal and other breakfast items along with crackers, peanut butter and snack type stuff.

And this is my canned goods and the spices are up top in the storage box.  Its easy to just grab and bring down when I need a spice.  I went through it today and had to throw out a bunch of spices due to them being expired...whoops.

And here is my pots and pans beside my oven.  Above that is a drawer where my kitchen spoons and stuff like that are. 

And here is my newest addition to the kitchen,, this rustic looking wire basket where the new napkins I made sit.  I need to make more, there is more in the laundry but even with the eleven I made we run out fast with all the dirty mouths being wiped around here.  We are saving a lot of paper towels though, 

There was a few cabnits I didnt take pictures of......under the sink which is pretty boring and the silverware drawer(which looks very nice now that I rearanged and organized it).  Then there is one more drawer beside that one..the junk drawer(gasp!).  I need to go through that.  Since I only have 3 drawers in the kitchen you would think I wouldn't have a junk drawer,,,, but there is some things I just dont know what to do with.    Oh, and I forgot to take a pic of the cabnit beside the under the sink one,, that one holds some mixing bowels and a few kitchen gadgets, along with water bottles.     Thats pretty much it.  Hope you enjoyed getting a peak into where I spend a big chunk of my day. 

Rainy Tuesday

Today its dark and dreary outside.  Really makes me wanna climb back into my bed and sleep the day away.  HA,, ,yeah right.  Maybe I can do that when I'm 60, have no kids at home and don't babysit anymore. :)   I have a lot on my todo list today so I cant be lazy.  Last week I told you I was working in my kitchen,, decluttering and reorganizing.  I got a good start but didnt finish,  I needed more shelf liner to finish the cupboards.  I got that last night so I will try to finish the cupboards today and then I need to wash the walls to finish up the spring cleaning in that room.  I will attempt to post some pics as requested, but let me warn you, My kitchen is nothing special! Rather boring if you ask me.  I am promising myself that we will get it repainted before the summer is over,,, I'd like to do it before May actually so when Ben's mom comes out it will be completed.  I'm so excited to do it, I've had the color I want in my head forever!

Also today I am plugging away on laundry, somehow I've fallen behind a little.  I want to get all the bed sheets changed and remade too.  That can become a big job with 5 beds to do.  I wish it was sunny so I could hang them outside to dry but its supposed to be rainy for the rest of the week and I dont wanna wait that long. 

On a totally different note,  last night I was in town with my oldest doing some grocery shopping and she told me about this pair of shoes she REALLY  wants.  She had a sales flier in the car with her and showed them to me,,,, One Hundred Dollars!!!!!!!!!!!   I laughed and said yeah right,, you know I will not pay that much for a pair of shoes.. Then she informed me how EVERYONE in her school has them(sure).  And how totally amazing they are.  Thats when I started feeling bad,,,then she said,,, " yeah, you'll probably get them for me when they are marked down to clearance for 20 dollars like 2 years from now and they arn't cool anymore".  :(  That made me feel really bad.  I think life would be so much easier if I homeschooled and the kids didnt watch t.v., then they wouldnt even know about these types of fad things.    I would love to be able to just go out and buy everything my kids wanted but what would that teach them?    

The other thing is, we are doing ok with money right now, so its not like I don't have the money for them.  I just can not bring myself to buy a pair of shoes for that amount of money,, especially for a kid that will probably grow out of them in a years time.  I told her she could buy them herself with her own money.  She will be getting some soon from her report card.   I just have this guilt inside me.  Am I a bad mom for not getting them for her when I have the funds to do so?   Ugh.....   

Do you guys spend that kind of money on things like that for your kids?

Sunshine!!

Its beautiful outside!  We were able to get out and play yesterday and today!  The kids are just thrilled to get to run around outside after being couped up all winter.  And the outside toys seem like new to them after not playing with them all season.  I love being able to get outside but there is also something about the first days of being able to open up the windows and let fresh air in that makes me want to clean and organize.  This morning I've been going through some kitchen cupboards and trying to reorganize a few things.  There is not a whole lot of cabinets and storage space in my kitchen,, and defiantly not much counter top room.  After 7 years now of living here though I've come to accept it and make due.  Sometimes things just need a little creativity to make them work for you.   Now I actually need to get back in the kitchen and finish what I started while the kiddos are napping. 



Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Disney Princesses on Ice

We went to Disney Princesses on Ice Saturday!  It was amazing and magical.  Emma dressed up as Snow white. Here is some of our favorite moments from the show. 

It was so fun watching the girls faces throughout the show.  I thought it was amazing so I can only imagine what was going through their heads.  If anyone ever gets the chance to go I definatly recomend it,, well worth the cost.   During the second half of the show Emma was leaning against me and said, "Mommy I really like this".  Just the way she said it was so sweet.  Jess went to and she enjoyed it just as much.  Fun for the young ones and the older ones too! 

Just being me...

I've had a realization over the last few weeks.  I think I've spent my entire life trying to imitate others lives.  This has happened especially since I've discovered the blogging community.  I read other blogs and try to be like them.  I ask questions when a lot of the time I already know the answer, but I think they must have a better way and if their way is different and I try to do it that way and it doesnt work I feel like I've failed.    I love reading blogs and will probably never stop but I need ot read them for ideas.  Then take those ideas and make them work for me and my family/situation.  No two families are exactly alike,, we all have different amount of kids, ages of kids, different seasons of life, different budgets.  What works for one might not work for the other,, but I also think its great to explore different ways of doing things and turn that into what works best for me.  I have learned so much over the Internet.  There is such a wealth of knowledge out there!  I didnt even know that homemade laundry detergent existed before, plus I've learned so many ways to cut back and be frugal, make new things in the kitchen and out. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is read, learn and explore, and then take the ideas and make them work for you.  Don't ever feel bad for not being able to do things exactly like someone else.  Enjoy  YOUR life, and YOUR  family and do whats best for YOUR situation.     Love and hugs to all you mamas out there, remember all over this world there are people like us struggling with a lot of the same things that you are going through. 

A fun post with your help

Good morning All!  I thought I'd do a fun little post this morning.  I'm gonna tell you my most and least favorite household chore and just cause I'm nosey, I would love it if EVERYONE who reads this leave a comment and tell us you most and least favorites too.  It will make it more fun :) 

I would say my most favorite chore is doing laundry.  Mainly cause I LOVE the smell of laundry and it gives me joy pulling warm clean fresh clothes out of the dryer, or even hanging them up to dry.  Whenever I get clothes out of the washer/dryer my family always looks at me in some weird sorta way cause I just can't do it without breathing in the smell of them(well, everyone except for Emma cause she has the same habit of smelling everything).  LOL

My least favorite chore is cleaning the bathroom.  Yucky smells, sticky toothpaste on the sink, a shower that never looks clean no matter how hard I scrub.  I still do this chore, but I do not enjoy it. 

Now whats your favorites? 

Productive weekend

Happy Monday all!  We had a busy weekend, but a great one.  First Friday night I went to the Pierceton re-sale  contributor's sale.  I got a few cute things and didnt spend much!  Saturday the kids had a dentist appt., so we went to that.  It was Emmas first time at the dentist and she did wonderful!  I was so proud of her,, and no cavities for anyone!  I took a pic on my phone,, sorry bout the thumb i) the picture, LOL.  Then we met my mom and step dad for lunch and then went to the Home and Garden show, Hobby Lobby(so the kids could buy supplies for the dream catcher my step dad has been wanting to make with them, I also bought some cute material to make cloth napkins with).  After that we went to Sam's Club and got some: sweet pickles, 10lb. hamburger, poptarts, sourcream, nectarines, dish soap, frozen strawberries, fresh organic strawberries, angel food cake,eggs, bagel thins, and english muffins,, and a soft fuzzy blanket!   We were all pretty tired by the time we got home,, it was quiet a long day.

Then on Sunday we went over to my moms so the kids could make their dream catchers and I could have them help remind me how to set up my sewing machine thats been sitting in the closetcollecting dust for 10 years.  We got to work and cut the material,, pinned the sides for the seams, and sewed away!  I did all the sewing by myself and you will never believe who helped withthe pinning and pressing of the seams.....Bennie!  My sweet amazing husband!  He had been hanging out on the couch and decided to mozy over and see how we were doing,, mom showed him what to do and he got to work and helped until the job was done!  I did all the sewing, all by myself.   I am so proud of myself!  Now I'm thinking of what else I could do,, I would love to try and sew some aprons for myself and the girls.   The napkins are so cute sitting in the middle of my table in this old looking wire basket I got!  I will take some pictures soon and show ya'll.   I decided to do that napkins in hopes of going through less paper towels,, for frugal and enviormental reasons :)  
In between the sewing I had to take a break and go pick up my money for the items I sold at the kids sale.  I ended up making $75.50!  I was very happy with that!  I had a few things left over that I will put in the Kids Market sale this weekend and try to sell. 

Next weekend will be a busy one too,, kids market volunteering on Thursday evening,, the sale on Friday evening, Saturday us girls are going to Disney Princess' on Ice at the Colosseum, and then probably going to my dad's house Sunday sometime cause we havent been over there in a long time.   All those things will be fun though so I'm excited!    How did everyone else's weekends go?   I've noticed a few new followers to the blog,,please feel free to comment anytime and introduce yourself.  I love hearing from people!

Day 3, no binky

My house is quiet right now.  Should be peaceful right?  But I can feel my heart beating fast and feel all nearvous and shakey.  As nap time was aproaching today I started feel that way.  The reason is naptime the last 2 days has been a extreme struggle with Emma.  I know its cause she doesnt have her binky.  She has been doing wonderful at night, I'm so proud of her, but naptime seens to be the hardest.  Yesterday she just cried and cried, I felt so bad and it breaks my heart. I cant imagine how hard it is for her.  Wait.......I think I just heard her.  I told her today before I layed her down that she did not have to go to sleep but she needs to stay in her bed and be quiet,, no sceaming and crying.  I put on a lullaby c.d and told her when the music was over if she was awake she could get up.  If it was just her I would probaly just let her stay up and lay on the couch but with the childcare kids here,,, they all take naps and it needs to be quiet in here,, shes not very good at being quiet when she is up.  Plus she has been horribly grumpy in the evenings when she doesnt take a nap.   I just feel so bad. :(     She is so sweet and when she starts getting tired she looks at me with a sad face and says so sweetly "Mommy,, I dont have any more binkys, right?",, and I just tell her no, we gave them to the binky fairy and then I tell her how proud  I am of her.        (Deep breath sigh),,,, I just keep telling myself that this will pass and it should get easier for her.   

Well,, I had a whole diffrent post in my head but Im to distacted with this to type it out now.   Seriously, why do I feel so bad?  You would think it was me that had my favorite thing taken away...... When my kids hurt or feel bad it always makes me feel so terrible. :(