Reasons that I am getting old.

 ~ I absolutely hate when people do not use real words when texting or typing. Spell out the dang word. Please do not use numbers for words. Drives me crazy.

~ I am contemplating getting a fancy face washing brush and buying eye cream. Not because I should take better care of my skin, because I really, really should. My skin care routine is non-existent. It is because I am turning 30 in October and figure I should...cause I am getting old. This will be a holy-cow-I- am-30 purchase.

~ I have an overwhelming urge to tug on the length of girl's skirts at the mall and talk to them about their self-worth and why they do not need to show it all.

 ~ I move my 2 1/2 year old son away from said girls, as I don't want him seeing that stuff...even though he is only 2.


~ Going to bed at 10pm is the most glorious event that could happen in my whole day. It doesn't happen, but I dream about it happening.

~ Having my college professor turned co-worker find an old hard drive with my college video projects on them.
Reason #1 why I am old - They are almost EIGHT years old. yikes.
Reason #2 why I am old- I thought my folder would be labeled with my married name, not my maiden name...cause now I only think of my self as my married name. Old married people do that.

~ I have a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee for breakfast. Every. Single. Day.

~ I find movies like Shrek highly inappropriate for my 2 year old to watch.

~ I bought a pair of sandals for comfort not for the style. This one pains me the most. I feel the need to buy an amazing but not-so-ideal-for-lugging-carseats-around pair of high heels to compensate. I won't, because that would be wasteful. Hence, another trait of age.

Sigh. 

I am doomed.

;)

credit

Beach Bums

We were able to spend our weekend in a beautiful beach condo with dear friends. This 4 bedroom, 4 bath condo had killer views of the ocean and we got to stay for free!

Our one night stay was extended into a two full days and two nights stay. It was marvelous.

We were able to walk to the water, or just laze about in the condo.

We had amazing breakfasts of crepes and omelets and lots of grilling out on the pavilions. Some of us even ate a bit of sand in the process.

The absolute best part was the company. It was so nice to be able to relax with our friends and just be.

They watched our kids, we watched their kids and everyone got along.

I feel so blessed to have such great friends, who would invite us into their vacation and allow us to enjoy the beach condo.

The hardest part of the whole weekend? Deciding if we should go to the beach or to the pool first.

Many thanks to the Flick's for their generous offer and more importantly, their wonderful friendship!

Awkward and Awesome Thursday: A Compilation

I have not done a Awkward or Awesome post in a while. Life has gotten a bit strange and exciting lately. There have been some high highs and some very low lows. Things that go beyond awkward and awesome. Things that need to be labeled more like Supernatural and Heart-Wrenching... but that is a bit too much to discuss on this blog today. So, instead, I am going to share some awesome and awkward happenings that have taken place in the past few weeks.


~Awkward~

~ Getting my child from nursery and nearing gagging from the STRONG old-lady cheap perfume that was drenching him. I literally coughed while I nursed him. It was horrific. We had to change his clothes and wash his hair to get the smell out. It was like he rolled in cheap, nasty perfume...but he didn't. He was just held.

~ Adolescent Canadian geese. Really. They are so ugly. When they are babies, they are cute and fluffy. When they are adults, they are gorgeous. Teenage Canadian geese? Super ugly and awkward looking. Half feathers, have fluff, grey coloring, huge size. Awkward.

 ( These are more tween. I can't find a true ugly teenage goose)

~ The amount of Canadian Geese and their poop that we have around here. Ridiculous.

~ Answering my husband with a Wonder Pets phrase. And he understands it.

~ Jack opening the bathroom door so that he can laugh when Colin splashes around in the toilet.

~ Rushing into Jack's room at 3am because he his crying and sobbing and standing in the middle of his room. I calm him, carry him to our bed and try to soothe what I think must have been a nightmare. It wasn't. He lost hold of his Wonder Pets in his sleep and could not find them.

 ~ Awesome~

~ Nap time.

~ Going on a super mini beach vacation with friends this weekend. So so Excited.

~ Attempting to make these. This could be either really awesome or really awkward, as I am making them for a group of people...without a trial run first.

~ Husband making coffee in the mornings, so when I roll out of bed with the babes, I have a fresh pot ready to go.

~ Jack telling me that he loved me.  All on his own, out of the blue.

~ Having a loving Husband, who follows the Lord's leading and turns my life into an adventure.

 I like him.

Have you had any awesome of awkward moments? Do share.


As always, brought to you by The Daybook. She is expecting her first little one! Yay!

The Horizon

 

For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:8

The Hunt

 image

I love a good deal. I love the hunt that goes into getting that good deal. It makes the victory just that much sweeter.

I rarely buy items full priced. Rarely.  Normally, it is on sale. Hopefully, it's a super sale. That's my favorite.

I tend to stalk items that really want. You win some and you lose some this way. But most of the time, it is a win.

Before I had babies, I did practically all my shopping in store.  After babies, I do a lot of it online now.

I am in NO WAY an expert. I am not crazy and hoard coupons. I just like a good deal.

So, here are a few tips and sites that have helped me a ton! And helped me save a ton, as well.

~In-Store Shopping~

~Always work your way from the back to the front. Most sale items are in the back racks. Browse those babies and grab those deals.

~ Buy your trends at cheapy stores like Forever21. Buy your classic that will last you years at higher retailers and they will last.

~ Hit the outlets, but don't lose your head. I am lucky to live 45 minutes from a killer outlet mall, and when we go, I have gotten outstanding deals. I buy 80% of my boys their clothes from the outlets of Hanna Andersson, Gymboree, Carter's, Children Place, Osh Kosh, babyGap and so forth. I have gotten clothes for less than a dollar brand new. BUT, just because it is an outlet doesn't mean it is a great deal. The last time I went I passed on 40% off t-shirts at Carter's, even though I was looking for shirts for Jack. $6 is an o.k deal, but not great. I ended up getting some cute ones for $1.97 from the J.Crew outlet.  I find that I can get much better brands that last better for my boys at cheaper prices when I hit the outlets.

~ Don't forget Target's sale section. I am no Peggy at Target sales, but I have gotten some super sales for the whole family in the clearance rack. Ryan loves his $3 t-shirts that he nabbed.

~ Take the time to scour T.J Maxx, Marshall's and Ross. Lots of little treasures there.




~For Online Shopping~

~ ALWAYS search for a coupon code. Do it. Always. I like retailmenot.com. There is usually some sort of discount somewhere. I have found multiple discounts doing this.

~ ALWAYS use ebate.com. Ebates is a search engine that pays you when you go through them. It is super simple. You have your account. You search for a store, say Target. You click their link, it takes you to Target.com. You buy $50 worth of items, than ebates pays you back 6% of your purchase. You get paid to shop. I have been doing this only a short while and I have made over $25. I have gotten one check in the mail already. I love getting paid to shop!

Use this link and get some great incentives for starting up!

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=fq4Z7Ao5Ooqg03YwlNUSPg%3D%3D

~ Have a favorite store? Chances are there are blogs around that will clue you in to special sales, tricks and tips and exclusive access to sale item. Obviously I am a big Anthropologie fan. Their stuff is amazing and way out of my price range. But I get stuff all the time for 75% off.  A $218 shower curtain for $30. A $158 pair of cords for $20. I found this stuff through knowledge I gleaned on anthro inspired blogs.

So, those are a few simple tips for hunting down deals. What are some of your favorite shopping tips? Do you love the thrill of the hunt for good deals? Any great website I should know about?

Dedication Day...also known as Mother's Day

This Sunday we dedicated Colin to the Lord. It was a special time where we, as parents, publicly vowed to raise Colin to love the Lord. In return, the church also promised to help us. It was a beautiful little ceremony.

At New Life, our church, they introduce the baby and than have the father say a prayer of blessing over the baby. After that, we the parents are charged. Our promise, " Parents, before the Lord and these witnesses, do you commit to today to raise your child in the Christian father? Do you promise to pray for your children, provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and raise them in the dear and admonition of the Lord.

After we say that we do, the Pastor charges the congregation.

"New Life Providence Church, do you as a church family, support these parents in the dedication of their children to God, and do you commit to help them as needed."

We were not able to have our families with us, but we were blessed to have friends and our life group there to support us. It went well and none of the babies cried. More impressive is that the fact that all of the 3-5 year old siblings were calm...relatively.

Here is the prayer that Ryan prayed over our Colin.

"Father, Thank you for Colin Edward. We recognize him as your gift and we are honored to raise him to know you and to love you. We proclaim that his life is precious, it's valuable, and it's full of purpose. We speak blessing and favor over him. We pray that you would use him mightily for your kingdom. We pray that you would give him great strength in his mind, body and spirit. We ask that you would speak to him and guide him at even a young age. Would you keep his heart soft and his spirit sensitive to you. Lord, may his faith be unshakable and his love for you unquenchable. We commit to love him and to point him towards you all of his days. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen"
 

This Sunday was also Mother's day and I got to go shopping all by myself for a bit. It was nice to browse and not push a stroller. We ordered Thai food to-go and Ryan did the dishes. Overall, it was a great day. Dedicating Colin could not have been a better gift to me.

How to capture a 9 month old.

When trying to capture a 9 month old, you need to be ready.

And not have your flash reflecting on your now apparent dirty glass fireplace doors.

The culprit of the dirty fireplace glass.

Be ready for movement.

Be ready for random yelling. No reason. Just to yell. Loudly.



Be ready for some banging on the floor.



Be ready to move your camera cap and lenses.

Quickly.



Be really happy when you a get a smile.



Be prepared to pull the Beaver away from the kitchen stools before he naws the wood off.



Be ready to capture the new cute little face this 9 month old likes to make.

Be ready to give him lots and lots of kisses.

Colin is active and cruising these days. He loves to eat bananas from the peel like a little monkey. He likes to laugh at everything his brother does. He loves his bath. He screams and fights every.single.diaper change. He likes his momma and will cry till I hold him. Once I pick him up, big naughty smiles. He likes to open all my cupboards.  He is very opinionated. He is super cute.

He weighs in at 17lbs, 10 oz and is 28 3/4 inches long. He is in the 50th percentile for height and in the 9th percentile for his weight. My little baby with his sweet chubby legs may be little on the chart, but he is obviously nice and healthy.

I can't believe that 9 months have passed already. It has flown by. I am excited to see how you grow and change, though you can always slow down a bit and just be my baby for a little bit longer.

Happy 9 months, Mr. Colin!

Silence

In a world full of vocal opinions, sometimes is it best to be silent and let someone much wiser than you speak.

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that..."
 

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

 

The Wedding

Apparently there was a big wedding that happened this week.

Did anyone hear about it? :)

 photo:cbs

While I did not get up to watch the wedding, I did turn it on in time to see the "Royal Kiss" and of course, I saw all the highlights.  Honestly, I really just turned it on to see the dress.

While I get the appeal of the whole thing,the pomp and circumstance, the modern day fairytale, the mystery of royalty and that that jazz, my life is quite wrapped up in two other little people. So, I chased babies out of bathrooms instead of googling Kate Middleton.

I did have a few random thoughts about the whole thing.

1. I bet Kate will not have to scrub her dinner pans now that she is a princess. (I confess that these thoughts took place while I scrubbed my own pans...begrudgingly)

2. Her dress was lovely. I do not know what I was expecting, but that was not it. The more I see it, the more I like it. It is a dress that will hold the test of time. Queen Elizabeth's dress?  Perfection. Diana's dress? Horrific. Kate did good.

photo:usatoday

3. I kinda want to go to an event where I can wear a magnificent hat. Just once.

4. When did Harry get to be so dashing and good looking? William was quite the catch when I was in high school. I always felt sorry for poor, red-haired Harry. Now? Harry is the hot one.

 photo:usa today

5. Apparently Diana's father had a recessive hairline.

6. David Beckham cleaned up nicely.

7. Those Middleton girls have killer figures. Pippa? Stunning.

6. Even though I am happily married with kids...it was still nice to watch and dream about being a princess.

...and now back to those dishes...