New year, big changes

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!



I'm back! thought about it and decided new year, big plans and changes and it wouldn't hurt to write them all down. The goal for this year is to be a less and more year....

Worry LESS ~ PRAY MORE
eat LESS ~ move MORE
drive LESS ~ walk MORE
talk LESS ~ listen MORE
cry LESS ~ laugh MORE
spend LESS ~ save MORE
sit LESS ~ play MORE
watch LESS ~ read MORE

Less and More.... So where do you start? I was listening to Home and Family this morning while I made the bed and the expert had something very interesting to say. She said if you make your resolutions to broad then you will fail. Instead of saying "lose weight" make your goal "fit into my jeans" seems like a more attainable goal and you are less likely to quit. Instead of saying "no more sugar" quit drinking soda or cut that 2 scoops to 1. baby steps.

Speaking of baby steps We are starting the Dave Ramsey plan. The goal is to be able to live well within our means and buy a home of our own. It is always so frustrating to me that my husband works so hard and makes good money but we scrape by. Starting off with paying down debt, making what Dave calls the debt snowball. Gathering information and credit reports makes me want to close my eyes, stick my fingers in my ears and sing the theme to the Flintstones. But it is all about baby steps.

So big changes coming. Changing our eating habits, our spending habits.

I hope those of you who read this blog will continue to check in to see how we are doing. I hope to have some interesting things to say, things that will make you laugh, make you think, make you want to keep reading.

So HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! Lets make 2013 AMAZING!

Teacher Appreciation Week

Bella has had 4 TOP RATE teachers this year. Mrs Scott, Ms McDonald, Mrs Abel and Mrs Williams. I have enjoyed finding and making some little treats for them as a very SMALL thank you to everything these 4 amazing women have done for my daughter.

I still have 2 more to make and I will add them when I get them done! I think they turned out cute and I hope the teachers know how much we love them.

Craft time~!

I do love a good craft. What do I love more than that? A good Pinterest Craft. and even more than that? when I click on my Pinterest craft pin and it links me to etsy instead of directions and I see the price and know that I paid FAR less for the supplies for 3 of them than people are paying for 1!

Today's TAKE THAT ETSY SELLER Pinterest craft is the Terrycloth Toothbrush and Paste Travel Pouch... that sells on ETSY for 9.00! this is what we made...

So we started with a set of 2 wash clothes from Dollar tree, my sewing machine and some ribbon from our craft bin.

Step1... open 1 washcloth with "wrong" side facing up. I just used the side with the tag as the wrong size.

Step 2... fold the washcloth from the bottom up about 2/3's of the way forming a pocket.

Step 3. pin sides together just 1 pin will do just making it stay folded

Step 4... Measure 3 inch spaces to form 4 pockets on a standard 12 inch wide washcloth

Step 5...cut a piece of ribbon 30 inches then cut that piece in half so you have 2 15 inch pieces.

Step 6... place the ribbon on top of each other then insert the 2 pieces into one end of the washcloth between the 2 layers about 1/2 an inch and pin that side closed over the ribbon.

Step 7... starting at the end without the ribbon sew up the side to the top of the fold.

you will sew up from the bottom to the top of the fold at each 3 inch mark to form your pockets.

Step 8... sew the final side shut with the ribbon in there, sewing over the ribbon to lock it in.

thats it. Put your toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush or comb whatever you need to take with you, roll up and tie shut.

Now what the $9 etsy one doesn't have is a matching washcloth to wash your face with! SUPER simple... take the same ribbon, pick a spot on the washcloth(the 2nd one from your $1.00 set of 2) and sew up one end, across the top and down the other side leaving the bottom unsewn to make it "ruffle".

Done. For $1 worth of wash clothes and whatever ribbon you have in your craft box.

Springtime??? Yes please

Normally February is a very cold, gray, dark, icey, snowy time here in the bluegrass. Not this year. This year we are teased weekly of spring. Wake up one morning and its sunny and 65*. We run and play outside, bask in the sun feeling happy and knowing that spring will soon be here. The next morning wake up with snow flurries and 29* outside. BOO HISS. I for one can deal with winter. I like cold and snow for a little while. What I cannot deal with is warm/cold/warm/cold. It makes me crazy. However we do take great advantage of this warm breaks we are getting.

And the award for Mother of the Year goes to........

ME!!!!!!!

When you have preemies, every now and then the doctor wants to check their weight to make sure they are growing the way they should be. So that's how Shayne and I spent a good chunk of our Valentines Day, hanging out at the doctors with 2 wild toddlers. So after checking their weight and ears and lungs and all was great Dr says do you have any other questions.... Why yes yes I do.

Why do the backs of my kids ears look like the skin of an alligator?

I have been so worried it was something like eczema caused by a food allergy and that my poor babies would have to go through testing and elimination diets etc....

So Dr Hawse looks and both of them and giggles. Yep you read that right.... GIGGLES.

"that's eczema alright. caused by dried shampoo."

See's it all the time apparently. So I guess the moral of this story that your mom was being serious all those times she said to wash behind your ears... or in our case RINSE.

Happy Valentines Day!

February 14th is a day of love and hearts and flowers and chocolate and in our case RAIN. I know for a lot of people its a day of pressure. Pressure to plan the right date out, buy the right gift, buy the right card, buy the right flowers, buy the right candy, have the right date. Pressure on boyfriends and husbands to create this romantic atmosphere for their girlfriends or wives. To live up to this notion that a lot of women have made up in their heads(or that they think the women have made up). But I saw this one day and it rang so true in my heart.

Now I ask you... which would YOU rather have this Valentines Day? Flowers that will wilt and die, chocolate that will be eaten and disappear, dinner at an overpriced restaurant, jewelry that will tarnish OR the love of a Father that will thrive forever, will never vanish, is FREE to you because of a price paid long ago and will shine brighter than the most precious jewels on earth?

Think about it.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Lets NOT rock this look.

I know you think.. " man I am cool."

I ROCKED slouch socks in every color

I pegged my jeans....

My hair was the highest....

I was the COOLEST!

So now what? Now we are moms. We are still trying to be cool. We wear the latest fashions(or try to at least) the hair is smaller, so are the socks and the jeans don't risk causing such a loss of blood supply that we can no longer feel our feet. But when in our years of striving to be cool and be the one people wanted to look like did we find this......

acceptable? Grown ups, in cutesy colorful pj pants IN PUBLIC? I will admit I rocked my Old Navy (not plus size) pj pants to the Mum's pajama day meeting... Then I drove straight home and GOT DRESSED. What does wearing your pj pants in public tell people about you???? "Why yes I have given up" That's what it says. In a world of super cute stylish and more practical casual wear PUT THE PJ'S IN THE DRAWER after DAWN and leave them there until after you are in for the night... if comfort is what you seek for a quick run to the store for that gallon of milk you forgot there are these great things called pants. Throw on some yoga pants and a shirt. At least then when people see you they will no longer think "that poor woman." they will think" man I wish I had time to workout, she is so lucky"

So to recap..... say it with me fellow mommas (and apparently some dads, which I have to admit is even sadder than the mom's) ....

PJ pants GOOD INSIDE.....

PJ pants BAD OUTSIDE.....

the one and ONLY exception is when you 15 year old daughter has smart mouthed you for the last time. Then you throw on the pj pants and pick her up at school, standing BESIDE your van and waving like a lunatic and screaming "HERE I AM HONEY!!!!!!!! MOMMAS HERE TO PICK YOU UP.... I LOVE YOU SO MUCH"  and feel free to follow that with "oh he IS CUTE!" and point to some boy.