missing something

i've been a horrible blogger this summer.

i think about doing it, and then something happens and i forget to come back to it.

over the last few weeks, i've been missing something, and it's blogger. it actually makes me feel better and completes my day when i read the things going on in the lives of others. i also like to have the things in our life documented so i can have it to reference in the future.

give me two weeks and i'll be back with a summer to catch up on and other fun things happening in the lives of 4 micks.

join me, it'll be fun!

big boy!

it's been over a month that this little guy has been potty trained. the first time i attempted, i read the books and i followed what they said. i made sure to do it over the weekend so i had adam to assist in the task. the first morning, we talked it up. undies. potty. snacks and juice. we set the timer. we watched movies. we read books. all little boy wanted was his daddy to take him on the potty. this was not going to work with a mommy who stays home with him 5 days out of the week. the weekend went well, aside from only wanting daddy and a few accidents. monday came and i was frustrated. he didn't want to go potty when the timer went off. he had too many accidents in one day and i was dealing with a sick baby and daycare boy...I GAVE UP!!!!

adam came home that monday night and i think he was disappointed in me. i had to tell him my side and what i wanted to do was the best choice for me and that's all that mattered.

deep down, i was disappointed in myself and i knew that little boy could do it, i just had to have patience. or more than i was showing anyway. the next two weeks he got to decide when he wanted to go on the potty and whether he wore a diaper or undies that day. there was no pushing one way or another by me...it was all his decision. throughout those two weeks, i discovered that when i attempted the first time, i was making him go potty more than he really needed to. it wasn't him deciding, it was me. his body was letting him know how full his bladder could be, before he needed to go. with the discovery, i thought i would go for it again.

one morning when i was getting little boy dressed for the day, i told him that he got to wear undies that day and made it a super, big deal. i reminded him that they needed to stay dry and that he needed to tell me when he had to go potty. i asked him every once in awhile and made him check to see if his undies were still try. about every two hours he would go potty...much longer span than the every 30 minutes the first go-around. after a lot of praise and very few accidents, i claimed little boy potty trained after four days. i still put a pull-up on him at nap and at bedtime, but he was doing super. we even left the house with him in undies. that there says a lot.

at this point, he has very few accidents, and when he does, it's usually because of me (not remembering to send him potty before we leave the house, or him being too busy playing with friends outside). he doesn't wear a pull-up at naptime anymore and he usually wakes up dry in the mornings. he goes on his own now and the only times he lets us know is if we are outside or if he needs help opening a door to get to the bathroom. he never had a problem going poo in the pot, which i'm thankful of. i always hear stories that that is the hardest part of potty training.  he is very helpful and thinks he needs to dump his pot and wipe his bum if i'm not around. i'm glad he's willing to do both of those things, however, the little mess usually becomes a big mess when he wants to be helpful.

i'm way overdue with this update, but i'm super proud of my little man. so glad we have tackled that potty.

a week late

so here is the quick list of resolutions i have for 2012. i would like to stay with them all year, but really, most of us quite at some point. if i make it through the year, following through with one of these, i'll call it a successful year.

*exercise more-this won't be hard since there was pretty much NO exercise in 2011. the only thing is sticking to it.

*make wise(r) choices-mostly regarding food/drink. little-no pop. smaller portions. healthier snacks.

*get organized and stay organized-i can already tell this is going to be a hard one. trying to get organized causes a mess with everything that needs to be organized. i hope i can tackle this organized things my mid-march and stay there. 

*learn to drink wine and like it-i'm a beer girl at heart. i'm loyal, but i'm not against stepping away from my go-to alcoholic drink.

*go on more dates with my husband, kid free-i just need to find a sitter that lives close and that i trust. 

*spend less, donate more-i'm thinking about making all of those homemade cleaners that are floating around pinterest to save money. i want to plant a garden and grow my own produce. spending less time at target would help too, i'm sure.  i have tons of totes in the basement full of clothes that are begging to be donated. i just need to load 'em and get 'em out of here. 

*pray more-i know this is doable, but i also know that there were a lot of prayers said last year for one particular little girl, close to my hear, to be healthy again. my prayers were answered. i have no reason to stop now. i know God follows through!

*be patient and breathe-the kids really get me with this one. i've gone so far as to have it permanently placed on my wrist. since having it (late september) it has done its job.

pinterest dids-vol. 2

here are some more of my pinterest finds. i did some more and have been fairly happy with the outcomes of what i've done.


1. we went here. honeymooned here, here and here-i want to go back.
2. made something similar to this for my friend's 30th.
3. made these. we didn't care for them. these and these are next.
4. i've cooked this, this, this, and this. all worthy of being eaten again.
5. i've attempted this. yellow isn't a color to try.
6. hardwood floors requires a little skid proofing.
7. baby girl has a few of these i've made.

i'm still pinning some great ideas and thinking about tackling a few of them at the moment. what have you pinned and did?

pinterest dids-vol. 1

i've attempted to write a few posts about the things i've pinned and did, but it always seems like more work than i want to do at the time. i've started by taking pictures and doing a few step by step posts, but the pictures aren't great. i take pictures of the final product, but then they just sit on my camera forever. by the time i upload them, i have about 5 pinterest posts needing to be done, and then i'm back at 'more work than i want'. so, i'm going to link to the original pin i pinned from. please keep in mind that i am a perfectionist and all of the dids are much better than the pinned picture...okay, maybe not, but anyway, i pinned and i did-so there.

1. my huge zucchini became this. it was good.
2. i made this, minus the water and less cinnamon.
3. i made this for the boy. do you know how hard it is to find plain sponges with out the scrubby thing?!?
4. i've made a few of these. the boys love them. they squish them and throw them. super easy.
5. bought a clearanced pencil bag and made this, cheaper. little boy doesn't 'get it', but my nephew enjoyed it when he was here.
6. i've stenciled a few things.
7. i've done this and plan to do a few more.

i'll leave you with that for now. i have a list of at least 20 more things and by the time i post those, i'm sure i'll have 20 more things to share. what have you pinned and did?

celebrating oktoberfest

it's no secret that adam and i enjoy old chicago...and the beverages they serve. the end of september/early october, they were having the oktoberfest mini tour. we thought we'd try and finish it with the few days that were left when we started. we made a few trips, days apart, to drink the eight beers required to complete it.  

we succeeded! we ate while we were there too. we hit during happy hour so we get cheap drinks and cheap appetizers that we make a meal. little boy is following in his daddy's footsteps. loves his {root}beer and pepperoni rolls.

and marinara sauce...straight up.

i'm pretty sure this little lady will enjoy it just as much as her mommy, daddy and brother. i mean, look at that face, who wouldn't be happy around {root}beer and pizza?!?

one very exciting side note: the same evening i completed the mini tour, was the same day that i drank my 110th beer from old chicago, making me a world beer tour champion. i got my free sweatshirt and i get my name on a plaque on the 'wall of foam'. i'm  pretty excited. now my new goal in life is to complete my second tour in less than two and a half years. i know people...i aim high. 

testing a mother's love

potty training is really where a mother's patience and love is really tested. i love my boy to no end and i'm really excited when he uses the potty. on occasion he tells us he needs to go, so we put him on the froggy potty. he was doing so well, i decided to attempt it, more than just the occasional rush to the bathroom. i wanted to waited until he was able to get his shorts up and down by himself, but once he started that and taking his own diaper off, i figured it was a go. 

we put froggy in the living room and he sat and watched movies. after a few hours and no pee pee in the potty, i went and made supper while he played in the kitchen (wearing undies). i turned around and stepped in a puddle...that's when i realized WE weren't ready for this potty training thing. i did it without reading the 'methods' and preparing for the journey and realize i went about it way wrong. since he isn't using too many words yet, he can't really tell me, but he has ways to communicate 'he has to go', i just have to see him.  we still continue to use froggy, but until he can use his words and let us know, potty training is on hold.

no shave november:out of control

some of you may know that my niece, camryn, has cancer. through her treatment, she lost her hair, like most patients do.

{princess camryn}

at her birthday party, back in november, shortly after being diagnosed, adam and her older sister, ashlyn, were talking about no shave november (not  a reputable source, but it gets the point across.) adam had this wonderful idea of growing his facial hair, until camryn's hair started growing back. 

{taken in february}

as he grew it out, it kind of got nasty. i didn't really like kissing that face. fletcher would pull away when adam would rub his face on fletcher's. once brynlee was born, her head was covered by his beard because it was so full. and when adam would eat, he would frequently get facial hair in his food...G.R.O.S.S! and he said it was starting to get itchy. 

at fletcher's birthday party, back in april, he decided that he was going shave it off. after all, camryn was doing so well with her treatment and it wouldn't be too long before her hair would be growing back. we were all psyched for this occasion because my sister had been prepping camryn for this and adam really wanted her to take the first snip...when it came time, she wanted nothing to do with it. 

 instead, my mom was very happy to take the first snip, and second and third.

 i was also very excited to be able to get a snip of that beard i had dealt with for six months.

 after everyone had a turn, adam went over to the trash can and shaved the remainder of hair off his face, with a little helper.

 {almost back to normal}

he's back. so this is what my husband looks like? i missed that face while the hair invaded it...but, all for a good reason.

i'm so happy to report that the princess is still doing well and her hair is coming in dark. she joked the other day that she had more hair than brynlee.

motivation, where have you gone?

so, i haven't blogged for what seems to be forrrreevvvver...i've been lacking something and i'm blaming it on motivation. although, lack of sleep, growing a baby, chasing a toddler, getting back into a routine could be it, but i think about it and i've even tried a few times, but i just stop...i find something else to do and "forget" there is a blog that few people follow and perhaps look forward to (mainly family i'm sure). i'm hoping that i've found the motivation and can get back on track with this blog thing. there have been a few things happen since the last time i REALLY blogged...wordless wednesday does not count as really blogging to me...so, with this first attempt at getting back, i'm here to say that starting tomorrow, i WILL post everyday for a week straight. its a challenge i'm setting for myself and i think i can do it...fingers crossed. in case some of you have forgotten what my we look like around here, i'll leave you with a few pictures.

                            {little boy "helping" make christmas treats}

 {sporting the pregnancy back-fat, holding one of yo's first christmas gifts}

{daddy helping little boy open gifts}

challenge completion

i did it! i completed the challenge. i didn't do it in 30 straight days, but i got it accomplished in 31 or 32 days. i had to take a break due to some stress in my life. a few of the days threw me for a loop, but i managed to come up with something to write about. i wouldn't be opposed to do something like this again, but it will be a while before i decide to conquer another one. so, with the challenge done, i guess i'll start blogging about the current things in my life...but that will have to wait for tomorrow.

challenge-day 30

a dream for the future

i'm changing this to a hope for the future...i hope that all my family and friends can stay healthy in every aspect of the word. my family has been hit with something hard the last couple weeks and health is probably top on everyone's priority list at this point.

this is the sweet little girl that we are all hoping for a healthy recovery back to herself. she starts her chemo treatment tomorrow and has a long road ahead...but with all the love and prayers she is getting, i have no doubt she won't be running around with her brother and sister and cousins this time next year. 

challenge-day 29

hopes,dreams and plans for the next 365 days


where do i begin? i'm pretty sure i can come up with tons if i actually sat and thought about it for a few days, but this is what i can come up with for now...

• i hope for a mild winter
• i hope the upcoming holidays are enjoyable and worry-free
• i hope i have a rather calm and comfortable 18weeks left of this pregnancy
• i hope for an easy delivery
• i hope yo baby is a good baby
• i hope my family continues to stay healthy 
• i hope my niece does well with her cancer treatments that are starting monday
• i hope to get more organized with my housely duties
• i hope to gain a few more daycare kids 
• i hope fletcher finds his words soon
• i hope to get time to start scrapping again
• i dream that i will win the lottery
• i dream of future travels 
• i dream of having more time
• i dream of happily ever after
• i plan on getting rooms switched and organized before christmas
• i plan on finishing the kitchen paint job
• i plan on helping adam get the basement organized 
• i plan on visiting family and making memories
• i plan on enjoying my new bundle and having a family of four
• i plan on hanging out with friends and having fun

challenge-day 28

what's in my purse

good thing i cleaned it out on sunday or there would be a HUGE list of random things. as of today i have:
 my wallet with various receipts,coupons, credit cards and very little cash
 tons of loose change
 checkbook
 pen
 diaper
 wipes
 chapstick
 hand sanitizer
 tampons (because every girl should carry a few)
 hair ties in various colors
 nail clippers

challenge-day27

 worst habit

PROCRASTINATING!!! but i'm good at it, so i'm sure i'll do it for a very long time.

challenge-day 26

your week, in great detail

i'm not really going to get into 'great detail' because my week...my life...is pretty boring. every week i pretty much do the same thing when i have daycare baby. if i don't have him, fletcher and i run errands, go to des moines or find something to do just to get out of the house. the weekends is where we get into different routines/schedules. often times, we head to des moines or albia or get things done around the house. if we are home, lately we have been working in the yard to get all the leaves raked and burned, i've been whipping up some apple creations and making freezer meals and there has also been a lot of downtime/relaxing going on.

challenge-day 25

your day in great detail

7:25 wake up, get ready for the day
7:45 meet trevor and his dad for drop-off
8:00 feed easton, cartoons for the boys, i check email/blog
8:30 breakfast for the 3 of us
9:15 bottle for trevor then down for morning nap
10:30 fletcher usually falls asleep for morning nap
12:30-1:00 lunch time for the 3 of us, depending how long naps go
2:00 cartoons and play-time for the boys, i clean up from lunch
3:30-4:30 trevor's pick-up time, fletcher and i run errands if we need to
5:30 start making dinner
6:30 eat, clean up
7:00 fletcher gets a bath, ready for bed. adam and i begin watching our evening shows
8:00 bedtime for little boy, put away toys, time to relax
9:30-10:00 shower, bed to watch the news
10:30 lights out, tv off...goodnight.

*when nothing is noted, we are usually watching cartoons and playing.
*i attempt to do laundry and other misc. tasks whenever i can get away from a needy/crying boy.
*this is my monday through friday when i have daycare kids. weekends run on NO schedule.
*there are usually 5-8 diaper changes in my day and a few rounds of wiping noses and cleaning up spills.

challenge-day 23 and day 24...a bit late

day 23-a youtube video

the only thing that i search for on youtube these days are curious george videos for fletcher to watch. nothing exciting...just a little george so i can get some things done.

day 24-where i live

this isn't the city i would typically choose, but its where i landed. after 3 years, i have finally started liking this 

small town. everything i need is here. i had to get used to no grocery store on sundays and my fast food 

selection is subway or mcdonalds...which means i cook more often. it's a nice little town where most people 

are friendly and you see familiar faces often, even if you don't know them. when i need the hometown feeling,

i just drive 12 miles to ames and i can go to target or wal-mart, run into starbucks or get some wendy's. i'm sure this place will be home for a few more years. 

 

{welcome sign entering town on linconl way}

 

{main street which is actually 6th street}

 

{city hall}

challenge-day 22

a website

one website that i like is http://www.picnik.com if you haven't heard of it, or experienced it before, you can upload pictures and then edit it however you'd like.. you can add text and graphics, make collages and get a not so good photo to look great. after you play around, you get then hang of it and know exactly what you want to do with certain pictures. it's rather addicting.

challenge-day 21

a recipe

homemade applesauce

ingredients:  apples
                   cinnamon
                   sugar

1. peel, cut and core the apples. (i use a potato peeler and the apple corer from pampered chef...works great)

2. cut each slice in half or thirds...it depends on the size

3. place apples in crock pot. sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar to taste

4. cover and turn on. temperature setting depends how quickly you want it done.
low=6-8hours         high=4-6hours   again, the time also depends on the amount of apples.

5. when finished, place in container of choice. freeze, can or place in refrigerator.

*i stirred mine while waiting. since it was the first few times attempting this, i couldn't not see how well it was coming along. as you stir, the chunks break down...you can also wait til the end and mash it before storing. as you can see from the above jars, the color is different because of the amount of cinnamon used. it really depends on taste, but the lightest jar has NO cinnamon or sugar and tastes great...it's all personal preference. best thing about this recipe...YOUR HOUSE WILL SMELL AMAZING!!!

challenge-day 20

a hobby

a few of my hobbies are scrapbooking, taking pictures, trying to craft up something cute i've seen somewhere and trying new recipes. i've also attempted gardening but have come to the conclusion that i'm not very good at it so it's been scratched from the list. although scrapping and trying to craft has been moved to the back burner, i still think of the things i can do with it and have hopes that some day my cute visions will turn out. in the meantime, i whip up new recipes for the husband to try...the latest not being very successful. and with a kid, and another on the way, the picture taking never stops.