Cant Catch a Break

Do you ever have those times where you feel as if you can get up off the ground? That everything is just knocking you down and pushing you further and further back? I truly feel that way. I feel like I cannot catch a break to save my life. I am truly trying to keep my cool and sanity but sometimes it gets really really hard.

I have posted before and complaining about this but now things just keep adding to the chaos. On top of being now almost three months behind now on seventy five percent of our bills, my husband lost his job this weekend. REALLY?!?! You have got to be kidding me. I truly don't know what to do. Luckily my old job is letting me pick up as many shifts as I need, which is a bartender/server at Chili's, but no one is wanting to give anything up this week of course. Lets just keep piling it on please!!! Like I need grocery money. We will be lucky if his final check on Friday is like $60 after taxes and insurance. He had only worked two days. I do not think panic is the right word for how I feel right now. I am literally sick to my stomach and posting everything I can on yard sale sites on facebook to sell what I can.

I know that there is a light at the end of all tunnels but it is very hard to stay positive through all of this. I honestly do not know how. All I want to do is bawl into corner and cry. Please Lord give me strength.

Marlee's first birthday

It has been two weeks since I have last written on here and a lot has happened since! I am going to give a basic run down of everything and of course pictures of my daughters first birthday.

Planning a one year old's birthday should not be so stressful but it is. Trying to get the decorations done, since I made them myself was hard enough. I could not make them too soon because I had no where to store them, and I could not wait until the last minute because I had way too many things to do. I also made her tutu, her headband and her onesie. I was so proud and impressed with myself. I am not a girly person by any means, like polar opposite, so I was completely excited with the end result! The Friday before Marlee's birthday my sister called my at 4 p.m. to see if I could pick my mom up from the airport on Saturday because she had an unexpected funeral to go to in Columbus. So I got to scramble and find a baby sitter because there was no way I was driving with 2 kids, waking them up from nap time, all the way down to Cincinnati and back. Lets just add I also have not seen my mother since July 26 of 2014 for Marlee's baby shower. She lives in St. Pete, Florida. So on top of the scramble Friday, I also got to change my Saturday plans. Grocery shopping with 2 children that both have to be in the cart SUCKS!! And add balloons to the mixture! YAY ME! 

Sunday came and I had a shit ton of cleaning to do, so that was fun. My mom went and picked up Marlee's cake while I did all of this too. The birthday was awesome. My baby girl is loved and spoiled. After all the birthday shenanigans, we played cornhole and had a bonfire. It was a great day. However it irritates the shit out of me that people (adults and kids) CANNOT pick up after themselves. Cups, plates and things every where. How hard is it? I am that guy rinsing off my plate and others at someone else's house and helping them clean because I think it is completely rude. Other than that it was awesome.

My mom was with us until Thursday and then I had to take her back to the airport. Cincinnati at rush hour traffic sucks. I left the house at 3:30 p.m. and I did not get home until 7:25 p.m. I truly don't go to Cincinnati ever. Like that's the first time since last summer when we went to the zoo and before that I could not even tell you. 

Anyway I plan on being back on top of my blogging game. But here are some pictures from Marlee's first birthday!! :-)

Mushy Mom

I keep gushing over how my baby will be turning a year old in a couple of weeks. I can not stop talking about her party, the plans and every detail. I am getting so excited for her first birthday, I think my husband is going to duct tape my mouth shut. Which surprises me because I am the completely opposite of a girly girl. I was always the one playing in mud and my husband says that I am a dude. I did cheer basically my entire life, but that was just to be closer to the crunching of the shoulder pads and to yell at the football players to get their asses in gear! 

With that being said I am also very sad that my baby is turning a year old. I cannot believe that it has been a year already, like I don't get it. The first year of Benson's life went by super fast, but I feel like Marlee's first year went by a warp speed. Both of my children started walking at nine mouths, so they were/ are pretty crazy by a year old. Benson was pushing chairs to get to the counters by a year. Marlee being on the shorter side is trying to climb furniture with little success and I am okay with that.

It is just hard for me to get over it. My husband does not want anymore kids, even though I think I want one more. So realizing that she is my last baby is a hard pill to swallow. I feel that at  27 I am not ready to make the decision that I don't want anymore children. I told him if we didn't have anymore by 30 I would get my tubes tide though, because I DO NOT want anymore after 30.

She is my baby though. My little fuzzy headed girl. Who gives kisses with her tongue out. Who loves to wave, clap and dance. Her screams is so high pitched it could break glass. But I love her. I never thought I could be a "girl" mom, but she is sure making it amazing!

Planning Marlee's Birthday pt 2

I really need help with ideas for food for Marlee's first birthday. My husband said lets just do Little Ceasars pizza and call it a day but I don't want to do that really. With Benson's birthday I did cool things that went with his hot wheels theme. We did concession style foods. What do I do though for twinkle twinkle little star theme? All I have seen is breakfast, but our party is at 3:30 p.m. and that just seems like too much of a hassle. I am on a small budget to feed around 30 people. And I am trying to make this as easy on myself as possible. I saw cutting peanut butter and jelly sandwiches into star shapes, I thought that was cute, but is that enough? Please help with any ideas. I need them because I am drawing a blank and not finding much on pinterest, which is my go too!

Planning Marlee's First Birthday

Marlee's first birthday is coming up soon, September 21st my baby will be a year old. It is really sad to me that it has come this quickly. I don't feel like I have enough time to plan her birthday! 
I went on pinterest to get her birthday theme. I did not want to do another ordinary theme. So I went with "twinkle twinkle little start." The colors are different shades of pink and gold.  I did the same thing with Benson's second birthday which was hot wheels theme and had so much fun. It is fun to get creative. Like I used doughnuts and put "spare tires" and pretzel rods dipped in chocolate as "dip sticks." But I haven't found a lot of stuff like that to do for hers. The decorations will be pretty easy but I am having trouble of thinking of other things to do. I am going to make star cookie wands. But other than that, I have got nothing! Help me!! 
Below are the pictures from the ideas of got. 

Eating after 8

 I know they say you aren't supposed to eat after 8 p.m. if you want to help yourself lose weight.... well that is sooo hard! I don't eat that much through the day, I am just too busy. I eat every meal though don't get me wrong, just not a lot at each meal. But after 9 ish both kids are asleep, so I can actually sit down and eat something, completely and without two kids climbing on me. So when this happens I snack a lot more than I should. I know breastfeeding had a lot to do with my snacking too but we are pretty much done with that.

How do you keep yourself from snacking through the night? Or snacking after 8 p.m.?

Awesome Mom Moments

Oh goodness did we have one of "those days" yesterday. Here is how my day went...

Started out as usual, coffee, cartoons, and cereal. Remember we just potty trained about a month ago and still have accidents every once in a while. Benson didn't poop on the potty for the first two weeks, but we haven't had a poop accident in about 3 weeks. Anyway, I asked him around his usual time if he had to fart in the potty ( he thinks it is funny to fart in the potty so we say that instead of poop), and he said no. The next thing I know my husband is hollering Benson pooped. I went back to his room and it was all over the floor, I look up to Marlee on the bed and it is all over her and the bed. I mean IT IS EVERY WHERE!!! OMG I am going to throw up!!! My husband hates poop and I think after 2 kids in 3 years he has maybe changed 75 poop diapers total and that is me giving him the benefit of the doubt. Not to mention this was also right before nap time, so both kids were getting cranky and whiny. So I put both in the tub and basically hosed them off and washed them. Then as he was putting Marlee's diaper on, I put the gate up to keep them in the living room with daddy while I cleaned up the mess! It was disgusting. Had to take everything off the bed and scrub everything down. My dog helped and ate up the poop clumps while we were washing the kids. YUCK!!  I scrubbed the floor and scrubbed and there are still stains. I am a clean freak and this is freaking me out!! 

Later that day I was cooking dinner and trying to finish the laundry that ol' poop monster made for me. I also started my period for the first time since January 2014, so I felt like I was dying. Anyway the kids were playing in their rooms, going back and forth. I went down the hall to go to put some laundry away and low and behold, he shit again all over the hallway! This time my husband was at work because he was on 3 to 11. So it was just me, more poop, two babies and dinner going. F**K Me!!I seriously wanted to cry. So again I wiped him off and washed him and then started scrubbing the floor. I had to hurry though because I didn't want to leave them gated in the living room that long alone. Luckily she didn't get into this time and it wasn't all over other things. 

I seriously did not know what to do.  Kids smell like roses they said!! Oh mom moments!! Being a mom is definitely a wild and unpredictable ride!!

Purging my house

I am going to have a yard sale this weekend before it starts to get cool. I have already have had two yard sales this summer and managed to get rid of a lot of stuff. I hate having yard sales, especially with two little ones by myself but I am also tired of looking at all the shit in my garage and house. This time though I am going to go through each room this week and get rid of everything, We are in desperate need of money to pay bills and we have a lot of stuff we haven't used. I am pretty good about getting rid of stuff if we haven't used it in a couple of years, I don't like holding onto stuff and am always cleaning out the closets etc. I am a very organized person and like things easy to get. Anyway getting off topic I am really going to go through everything, not just the usual clothes. I am going through the kitchen and everything. 
My other problem is I have a ton of baby clothes, nice, name brand baby clothes, that I am not going to sell for just a cheap price either. I use the mom sites on facebook to sell a lot of my baby items. 
Ugh I don't look forward to going through everything, but I look forward to my "pre-fall," cleaning and making money!!

Happy Anniversary

Today my husband and I have been married 3 years. We started dating exactly 5 years ago today. Our story starts like this....

We met in kindergarten. Ben is second row, the very last picture and I am the first picture in the third row. I chased him all over the play ground. He was my first little boyfriend. After Kindergarten I went to a different school. And in 17 years we only saw each other once. 
July 4th, 2010 we were amongest mutual friends at a fourth of July concert in Blu Ash, Ohio. Peter Frampton was playing. We did not even recognized each other and he was there with his girlfriend at the time. A few days later he messaged me on facebook and we started talking as friends. Him and his girlfriend broke up a week later because she had been cheating on him (lucky for me). We started hanging out almost every single day until he finally asked me to be his girlfriend on August 11, 2010.

Fast forward 2 years later to the day we got married. We had already went through 2 miscarriages, one at 11 weeks with twins and the other at 6 weeks and on our wedding day we were 17 weeks pregnant with our baby boy. The wedding was perfect. We are both people who like simple things, nothing fancy and just wanted everyone to have fun. We loved it and everyone enjoyed themselves so much. 

Well Happy 3 year Anniversary to my love! We have had some ups and downs but I cannot wait to see what the years will bring us! It already brought us two gorgeous babies!!

Coupon Using Mom

I LOVE COUPONS!! I am only okay at it though. I am not the greatest, though I really want to be. I watch the sales, I get the Sunday papers and I print coupons online. I need to find more ways to get coupons though. I have thought about going to our recycling bin here at our local church and "dumpster dive." I usually save around 40% to 60% on groceries but I want to do better.

Things I am good at:

• I usually get around 4 of each coupon inserts or coupon themselves. My stepmom gives me her coupon books and my neighbor sometimes gets them from the ladies at church. I can print up to 2 of the coupons I need online. I also use Kroger Digital Coupons if theirs is better or if that is the only coupon available for the item I need.
• I try to stockpile as best as I can. I get as many as I have coupons for. 
• I am a good teacher. I can teach people how to do it as best as I can.
• I am pretty good at waiting and matching up coupons with the lowest prices the item will be.

Things I am NOT good at:

• I am not good on saving money on food. Most of them are household or personal items (which is okay because those are normally expensive).
• I NEVER save money on meat.
• I am not good at saving more than 60% which drives me crazy!
• I am not good at getting many coupons that match up with a sale that end up being money makers. Example item is on sale for $1.50 and you have a $2 off coupon, you just made .50 cents off that item.

Things I want to be better at:

• Start keeping a journal to track the sales. So I know when to stock up on items and when they will be on sale again.
• I want to start tracking meat prices and start buying it by the pound when it is at its lowest.
• I want to save money like the people on extreme couponing. I really need to cut our grocery budget in half.

I already meal plan, grant you we don't always eat what I plan for dinner, things change. I truly need help saving more money with coupons. Any other moms out there coupon with any tips of their own? I am all ears. I love learning more ways to save money.

My birthday!

So yesterday was the big day... yesterday was my birthday! 27 years ago I came into this world. Holy Shit where did the time go? I don't feel like it has been that long since I graduated high school. I feel like that Kenny Chesney song "Dont blink." Seriously?!?! Where did it go? 

Can I go back? Can I go back to being a kid with the only worry about cartoons. Sometimes I really would like to go back. Wouldn't it be nice to go back to no worries, no bills, no nothing. Sleeping whenever you want, getting up whenever you want. Honestly I would like to go back to 18. To a freshman in college. That was the funnest year of my life. I laughed so hard and had so much fun, some that I can't remember. Life was easy and I was just along for the ride. Going to the beach on weekends (I went to college in North Carolina). 

Don't get me wrong I love my life and my children. But sometimes I just dream about being young again. 

Over-whelming Day

I have just had an over- whelming day, well a bad week really. Marlee is cutting four teeth, so she is not sleeping hardly. Benson is potty training and all though we are doing awesome, it is still very exhausting. Who knew kids would be so much work!! :-)

I just feel like I am doing so much stuff from sun up to sun down and nothing is getting done. I had plans this summer to do fun things and take the kids out but we have not done a lot. Long story short we had almost $8,000 ( our entire tax return) taken from our account and after 3 months and detectives later, we ARE NOT getting it back. So we are way behind on bills. This summer has sucked really. I was looking forward to it so much too. 

No to mention tomorrow is my 27 birthday. Yep one more year closer to 30. I always get shafted on my birthday. I have not had a birthday present in 3 years. Our wedding anniversary is next Tuesday, the 11th and I have not had any anniversary gift. My husbands birthday is March 3rd, so he always gets something because we have our tax return. By the time my birthday gets here we are always broke. Not that presents are necessary but I feel like I deserve something because I work hard every day (I also get nothing for mothers day). I just feel like I should get something every once in a while. I dedicate my entire life to taking care of my husband, two children and home. I  DO EVERYTHING!!! Literally! I don't know. I just need to pout and piss and moan today!

When I Grow Up

Everyone always ask little kids what they want to be when they grow up. Most popular, a fireman! But what did you want to do when you grew up? Are you doing that now? 

I always wanted to be a lawyer, a prosecutor. My mothers divorce attorney told me women did not make good lawyers when I was 12, which made me want to prove him wrong. As I got older my mind changed and I wanted to be a Forensic Pathologist. That is basically a medical examiner but more schooling and a bigger salary since there ( in 2006) where only 400 forensic pathologists in the United States. The average salary then when I was doing my research was $401,000 a year. WOW!! So I went to college and majored in Criminal Justice & criminology and minored in psychology. I changed my mind about the forensic pathology because I knew I would never have the grades to get into medical school.

Now 5 years after graduating college, my degree is still collecting dust. I owe now ( after interest keeps tacking on over the years) around $41,000 in student loans. I can not afford to pay them back. After I graduated I was super excited about finding a job, but of course this was when everything crashed and society sucked. I was either over-qualified with a degree or under qualified with no experience. One job was a year long process of tests and polygraphs, just to be told I was over-qualified! WTF! 

I am now a stay at home mom, which never in a million years think I would be doing this and love it. I always thought that I would be the career woman wearing cute clothes ( even though I am SUCCHHHHH a tomboy!). But I think I want to change my career course because when they go to school and I start work, I would be starting at the bottom with my degree. I think I want to be... A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER! I love love love organizing, I love labels and I love making my life easier. So why not help other make their lives easier too! I have done research and you have to have so many ours doing this before you can get certified. I really think I am going to give it a whirl but I have to get people willing to let me organize their houses, pay me and pay for the supplies that they need. hmmmm.. Something I will have to think about!

Potty Training

Oh the joys of potty training. No one ever told me how much fun this was going to be...NOT!! This sucks something awful, I am not even going to sugar coat it. Benson does great peeing in the potty. In a week we were completely diaper free and not wetting himself at nap or bedtime. He wakes up in the morning and goes to the potty and pees. It is awesome. Pooping however is a completely different story! For the love of God I cannot get him to poop in the potty. I take that lie back, he has twice but those were by accident. I have put him on the potty and kept him there as long as I could, nope he will walk away and poop 10 minutes later. I have tried poop prizes, no diaper or underwear, and nothing. He will poop outside no problem. But I will literally take him around the time he usually poops, he will sit there 10 minutes and not poop, then go into the other room and poop. I am so frustrated I can't even see straight! HELP ME!!!! Some one come get my child to poop in the potty please! I'll feed you a lovely meal or two! :-)

Questions on blogging to make income

I want to make blogging my "JOB." I am a stay at home mom, and the hardships we are having I need to bring in some income. We unfortunately don't have any baby sitters or I would pick up shifts at my old job. Working from home is really my only option. 
I have read so many different things about how to make money blogging and I think I am more confused now then before I started reading anything. I understand needing to get ads on your site and then when people click on those ads you make something from them, but I can't buy those ads. Like I am BROKE.. FLAT BROKE. I have zero money to be able to put into buying ads to put on my site.
I need help because I am so lost. Really. I feel like my head is spinning. I need to start contributing some type of income to our family before we get so far behind we are just screwed. 
Please help! Anything would be appreciated! 

Sleep Deprivation

Oh the joys of motherhood, sleep deprivation being one of those. Everyone warns you about how tired you will be once a new baby comes and even when baby number two comes. But you never really grasp how exhausted you will be until you are actually living it.
All things happen for a baby to not want to sleep through the night, regressions, growth spurts, teething etc. Benson did not sleep through the night until he was 13 months old. Marlee will be 10 months on Wednesday and she still wakes up 3 to 5 times a night. I did have them napping at the same time but the past week that has not been happening and for some reason Benson has been getting up at 7 a.m. every morning. His usually wake up time is between 8 and 9. Needless to say I am exhausted. I have this going on plus the normal daily chores and now my garden has taken off.
New mothers or any mothers need support. They need someone to help them when they need it, when their eyes can barely stay open any longer. We need to support each other or even take turns with another close friend watching the kids and resting. When I first had Benson, getting used to the lack of sleep made me crazy. When he was cutting teeth we were only sleeping 2 hours a night for 3 weeks. I remember crying and crying because I was so exhausted and I had little help. I love my husband but he did not help much with letting me sleep and being with Benson. 
Some words of wisdom though that I am sure everyone has heard but are definitely true,
   - Sleep when they are sleeping!
 ALWAYS SLEEP WHEN THEY ARE OR YOU WONT GET ANY!! 
But now it is finally time for me to close my eyes and go to bed! I am exhausted!

Putting off dieting

So I think I am going to give up on losing weight and dieting right now. Well I am giving up on being such a freak about it and getting upset about not losing weight. I really really really am not lucky enough to lose weight while breastfeeding. It doesn't matter what I do either! I can work out, I can walk, and I can eat healthier and even cut out pop and nothing. So I am not going to stress about it anymore. Im getting tired of doing all of this stuff for a long period of time and still see nothing on the scale. I only plan on breastfeeding one more month, I can make it one more month and then I can get back too it. Yes I am extremely frustrated and let down. I feel like as hard as I have been working I should be seeing some results. However I am not and I am just tired of it. I still plan on eating better for myself and staying on the right path but I am not going to worry about it as much. Once I am done breastfeeding though, GAME ON!! I am tired of being squishy and tired of my thighs rubbing together. I know I shouldn't really complain, I am only a size 4, but this is the biggest I have ever been in my entire life and I do not like it. I don't like being squishy, yes from pregnancy but still. I don't like having to keep buying bigger and bigger clothes. I am just done with all of it. I really feel defeated!! :-(

When the Babies are Quiet

So this is what happens when my kids are quiet and playing back in Benson's bedroom while I am cleaning up the kitchen from dinner.

What had happened was.....
    I was cleaning the kitchen up from dinner and they were back in his bedroom playing. Well I knew they were up to something when I didn't hear anything, but I was almost done cleaning and only needed a few more minutes. So as I walked down the hallway here comes Benson and he had baby powder on his legs, no big deal, he was played with baby powder before (making a huge mess). Well then here comes Marlee, this is what she looked like. She was laughing and smiling, so I ran and got my phone to take a picture. I couldn't even be mad. It wasn't like it was something that could of hurt either one of them, yes he dumped baby powder all over her head, but she loved it. So here we were in the hallway all of us cracking up, but then I put them straight in the tub. 

I know that this will not be the last time something like this happens. I am sure there will be many times they get into something and make a huge mess! With my two I can only imagine what those things will be and as crazy as it sounds, I am actually kind of excited about that. I am excited for them to make those wild and crazy memories to have with each other. 

Toddler life

Benson is the most independent, funny and loving little man I know. He is too smart for his own good. Whether it be figuring stuff out or just counting. But we seem to be going through the terrible 2 stage.
Lately he has been acting out. Nothing gets him to stop either. I could say it nicely, I can use the mom voice, time outs, lose of privilege or spanking his butt and nothing works. He will be right back doing it 10 seconds later. It is literally driving me nuts. Mostly it is doing things to marlee. He will take her toy our of her hand, roll on her, hold onto her, pull her down or throw things at her. Im literally at my witts end with him. I know its a phase but it needs to end quick.
What are some things you guys do to get over this? Sorry I'm not one of those moms who think rationalizing with a 2 year old works. They are 2, sitting down and talking to them like they are grown doesn't work. Im very old fashioned and laid back when it comes to parenting. But I'm getting tired of yelling or asking nicely for him to stop. I really don't know what else to do besides hog tie him.... Hahaha im so just kidding!

DIY will drive me nuts!

In a good way DIY will drive me nuts. 

If you have read in another post, we got my grandma's house after she died in 2012. I started cleaning it in April of 2013 and we moved in in August 2013. Anyway my grandma's house was very nice and clean. She was a believer in all white walls,except the kitchen and no animals in the house, which we have done both. Besides some TLC updates, the house didn't need much.

Slowly but surely we have been updating. The bathrooms are no longer sea foam green and robins egg blue tiles, the kitchen no longer has carpet, wood paneling or wallpaper ( which took me 7 weeks to scrape it off). The walls, except the living room, have all been painted. There are now just decor issues we have to do. 

I have been on a DIY channel and HGTV channel kick lately. It has been extremely insane, that it is all I have been watching. But it makes me want to tear my house apart, no joke! It makes me want to start busting down walls. Making the house an open concept instead of all closed off.  

The only problem though is I don't know if I want to stay in this house or not. We currently have a .75 acre lot, the house is 3 bedrooms and a bath and a half. I think its approximately 1200 square feet. Its just an old house built in 1961. I want more space and more land, but having a house completely paid off by 33 years old seems pretty awesome. So if that's the case, then I have already drawn up plans on how to make a master bedroom with a master bath and to knock out walls in the kitchen to make it more of an open floor plan. 

My wheels just can't stop spinning. I wish I had a ton of money to do so many things! I want to so many things. I want to go to Lowes, Menards, Ikea, Target and so many others!! I feel like HGTV is like a drug for me!

Trying to eat better!

I am 9 months postpartum and desperately trying to lose baby weight. I am not one of those lucky women who lose weight while breastfeeding though. I did not lose anything with Benson and so far the same with Marlee.
My husband also gained baby weight with me both pregnancies and never lost any of it. His doctor actually told him he HAS to lose weight. 
So here we are. I have been doing more besides exercising because that wasn't doing anything for me. I have been taking fish oil every morning, the gallon of water every day (some days I don't drink it all. OOPS!), and I have been trying to eat healthier. I have also went from 3 to 4 poops a day to only 1 or 2. My husband doesn't want to do anything. He won't walk with me or workout with me, even though we have a weight machine.  I have decided to make weight watchers meals so I can get him to eat better and he cant say anything about it. I have found many recipes on pinterest and have adjusted them some because we are picky eaters. But OMG they are awesome and you must try them. My favorite so far is the baked ziti! Yum!  What are some of your favorite weight watchers recipes for picky eaters?
100 Weight watchers recipes!!!

Hand made quilts

I have an obsession that may seem weird to those now. I love to sew quilts. But I hand sew them. I have no idea how to use a sewing machine and have only tried once.The only down fall about not using a sewing machine is it takes about two to three months to make one quilt. I usually make them full size and have only made one queen. 
My mamaw taught me how and I made my first quilt for her at 12. I have made a quilt for my dad, my other grandma, my x's mom and a few others. I have made one very special one for my husband as well. His dad died this past August at the age of 54 from kidney cancer. So I made a quilt for him for Christmas with pictures of him and his dad. The first one I had ever done like that. But I love making quilts. It is so relaxing and stress relieving. I enjoy finding new patterns and new fabrics. It is also a dying craft because not a lot of people now do it all by hand. 
I have been wanting to start sewing them and selling them but have no idea how to go about it. When I looked up pricing a quilt the size I make them go from $400 to $550 each. Everything I have read is that people break it up by materials and by the hours it takes to make them and basically getting paid by the hour. HOLY SHIT! I want to do it to make extra money for my family while being a stay at home mom and it will give me something to do for me. 
So below are some that I have done. They just need the backing which takes about a week! But pass it along if you know anyone interested in hand made quilts. Or if you have any advice about selling them for the price deserved let me know!

This one is Ohio Stars ^^

This one is Flower Gardens ^^
    These are the ones that I am going to try to sell. 

This one I made for my husband with pictures of him and his dad. I chose the colors because their favorite team is Notre Dame. 

Fourth of July

So we have a photographer that has done all of our pictures since my husband and I got together. He has done our engagement, wedding, Benson's birth, Benson's first birth and numerous family pictures. Anyways he did a fourth of July mini session and they turned out so cute! I am going to share my babies pictures.

Benson being Mr. Independent did not really take many good pictures. He did not want to listen and wanted to do his own thing. Marlee, my screamer, did much better than I thought. But she also had taken ibuprofen about thirty minutes before we left because she is cutting three teeth (nightmare)! 

So here they are! I hope everyone has a happy and save fourth of July!

The Public Breastfeeding Debate

There is  huge debate, mostly among women, about the whole topic of breastfeeding in public. Even those women how have never had a child judge other women for feeding in public. But before I get into my opinion I am going to give you some background about me.

I have breastfed and am currently breastfeeding both of my children. Benson I choose to stop around 8 months because I wanted my body back. He was only waking up once a night by this point and I was just exhausted and wanted to sleep too. Plus I was getting 10 oz every 5 hours and I was done feeling like a diary cow. Marlee is 9 months and we are still breastfeeding. We are still going because formula is too expensive and we just can't afford it right now and she still gets up 3 to 5 times a night so this is how I get her to pass back out. I am definitely one of those people who think everyone should try but I would never push that upon anyone. Instead if someone says they are going to breastfeed then I offer them as much help, support and guidance as I can. If someone says they are going to formula feed then I tell them about the programs that similac or enfamil has were you can sign up and get free samples and coupons off of formula. I do not judge because breastfeeding isn't for everyone, so I try to help with any advice I can about both ways of feeding and being knowledgeable.Women are the ones that judge each other and look down on others. If we supported every women's decision about what is best for them and their family then there wouldn't be such thing as the "mommy wars."

Breastfeeding in public, I used to be the person that said " OMG I don't want to see that. Why can't she just cover up!" Well that all changed once I had my own children. Though I have never really breastfed in public I do not judge anymore. I always usually pack a boob milk bottle or we really just don't get out much. Anyway, my son did not mind being covered up but Marlee how every will rip it off as soon as I put it on her! She absolutely hates it! My personal opinion about the topic is I understand if you cant cover up. If you can awesome, if you can't awesome! There is no reason to say " she should go to the restroom and feed her baby!" Umm... hello that is gross! Would you want to eat in a nasty public bathroom.. NO!! The way I see it is, if you are offended by it then don't look! But it is no reason to get upset or mad or judge someone else. If their baby is hungry then they have to feed them, it is that simple. All I ask people is don't judge because it isn't your place. We all should educate and support each other, instead of bashing one another. If it is about "I don't want my children to see that." Then you simply tell your children, "That mommy is feeding her baby, so let her eat in peace without you looking please!" There you go! A nice way of educating your children and teaching them to have manners. 

I just think there is already enough hate and ugliness in this world without judging a woman on how she feeds her baby. Again no matter if it is breastfeeding or formula feeding no way is wrong or better! They are both right because they are right for that family! 

Toddler Arts and crafts

So I am in desperate need of some suggestions of arts and crafts projects others may do with their children. I am trying to find things that a 2 year old and 9 month old can both do. I have looked at pinterest and have made play dough and edible finger paint. I just don't do the finger paint that often because well I have been too lazy to make it, I won't lie. I have also not done too ,many projects because I have been to lazy lately to want to clean up after they are done. The past month here we have probably had 5 sunny days and while I need those projects to keep them entertained, it also makes it hard to find motivation to do those things! :-) The struggle is real! 

What are some other crafts that you do with your kids? Any this with like popsicle sticks or pipe cleaners, or paper plates ( I used to love coloring paper plates as a kid). I am also looking for things that wont be a headache for me. My son is Mr. Independent, so something that will cause less fighting because he is making a giant mess would also be awesome. I just don't know of many things that I could do with the both of them. Any suggestions would be great! Thank you!

Never enough time!

Right now I am so behind with my "want to do," list. Trying to keep up with two kids, a man child, a dog and pick up some shifts at work when I can, I am just exhausted! Cleaning house is impossible and pointless! You moms or women with man children know this! And sometimes the men are worse than the kids! Drives me CRAZY!!! But just the normal daily things that need done are keeping me from my goals and DIY projects to get this house the way I want.

We moved into my grandma's house after she passed away. We were lucky in a way, not that my grandma passed, though she was 93, but we got an awesome house with an acre lot for $50,000. Only problem with this house is that my grandma did not update since the house was built in 1961. She did little things like new carpets etc but the bathrooms were still the original sea foam green and robins egg blue tiles. Slowly but surely we have been updating. The kitchen and bathrooms were carpet, that was the first fix and painting the walls etc. But now we need to really start getting it together. My husband rather have things than a pretty house, while I am the opposite in a way. I want things but I want a nice house first that doesn't look like a college apartment (our house doesn't but you get what I am saying). So that is something I have been trying to do, pinterest and cute DIY projects!

I want to go through every room and pull everything out and clean it! I try and do this twice a year. I will go through every nook and cranny and re-organize but there is only so much you can do. I love cleaning and I love things looking neat and pretty so I add more work than necessary to myself. ``

There are still things in my yard that need done. My husband is good for leaving things where ever he uses it instead of putting it away or throwing it away. So I need to go behind him and pick stuff up, especially in the garage and by the shed! 

I am trying to get the kids doing more this summer. We go on walks at the park, the library for story hour and the pool that we are members too. Partially it is for them to socialize and partially for me to get out of the house!! 

One day I will get there. Like today would be perfect to clean since it is raining! But since Marlee got up super early... we will see!!

Mom belly! :-(

I am 9 months postpartum and I still haven't lost more than the initial baby weight. I am not one of those lucky women who lose weight while breastfeeding. I still have the jelly belly, even though under it is hard still. But I am not tightening that skin back up for some reason and it is driving me nuts!

After Marlee came I was really good using my fitness pal, doing Zumba and exercising. I slacked off after 6 weeks because I was seeing now results. So then I did not do much for a while but I have really gotten back into it. I have been taking fish oil every morning, and doing daily work outs. I have been going with a friend walking at least twice a week and I have been drinking a gallon of water a day for three weeks. I've also been making more healthy meals! I was just really hoping to have lost more weight then I have, but I haven't. It is so disappointing.

When I got pregnant with Benson I weighed 106 pounds. After losing 15 from morning sickness, I topped out at 148 pounds. Marlee I start out at 128 pounds, lost 9 and topped out at 152. I currently am at 140 lbs and a size 4. I really want to lose at least 20 pounds. I want to be around 115 to 120. But it seems I will NEVER reach my goal, or at least not until I am done breastfeeding.

What are some things that you have done to lose weight while breastfeeding? How did you get your belly skin tightened back up? Apologizing first, but all those people who fit right back into their pre-pregnancy clothes like right after birth make me sick! lol! Lets share our tips and secrets!

Cartoons!

The e card that I see all the time "health class should be a baby crying non-stop for 5 hours with the same cartoon on repeat!" LOVE IT!! How true is that moms? Even having just one this is so true but adding another baby, when one cries they both cry. Benson will cry when Marlee does. Why? I have no idea and neither does he, he just knows the baby is crying and getting attention so why not him!

Right now before bed time I let him watch a movie in his bed to unwind and get sleepy. Well I introduce him to new movies every so often but of course he watches the same one for like 3 weeks straight. All I hear about all day too is whatever movie he is watching/ obsessed with and how he wants to watch it right now! Right now it is shrek, or as he calls it "yoger." Cracks me up! 

Cartoons in our house are played in the morning as back ground noise really as we play and eat! We were a Disney channel family but I got soo tired of seeing the same episode twice a day and what felt like 200 times a week. So we switched to Nickelodeon. Then once the same thing happened with that we mix it up daily. 

Our top cartoons:

1. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
2. Jake and the Never Land Pirates
3. Bubble Guppies
4. Paw Patrol
5. Peppa Pig

What cartoons or movies play in your house again and again and again and again.. 

Being a Kid!

I think that being able to be a kid again is the best part about having kids of your own! You get to PLAY!! I love to play! The best part I think its watching your kids laugh, learn and be full of excitement. It is especially fun the first time you do something when you get to watch them figure it out and the looks that come across their little faces! I love those looks! I think my favorite is when my daughter holds up something new and squints at it while she is trying to figure out what it is all about!

Yesterday we played in the rain! Something I loved doing as a kid. We have been outside when it has started to rain but we have never actually played in it! Man was it fun! We got soaked but my son loved it! We had puddles in our yard and if you moms watch Peppa Pig then you know what puddles are all about! Benson was jumping in them saying he was George and I was Peppa! Though the puddles weren't really muddy, he kept calling them muddy puddles! 

These are the moments I will treasure forever. I know one day he won't want me around as much! So I better enjoy every kiss, hug and thing he wants to do with mommy now!

Toddler Tantrums

Oh the awesome toddler tantrums. We deal with them often. I know at 2 he does not understand his emotions and is just trying to express himself but we also teach that it is not okay. However with that being said, some of the things that he throws tantrums over seriously makes me laugh. They are so outrageous and just over the silliest things.

• We are potty training so he was naked, except his camo cowboy boots, he peed on them. Then got so mad that I had to take them off.
• He will ask for something, such as a banana or yogurt, when I give it to him he freaks and doesn't want it. 
• I was cleaning and wouldn't let him play with the windex. 

There are many more but those are just a few that happen often or recently. Also right now I haven't had my coffee so my thinker isn't working all the way! These seem to happen to closer to nap time obviously.That is when I know he is tired when he gets crazy for no reason.What are some of your stories?

Dinner time!

Dinner time can sometimes be a struggle in my house.There are several problems. My husband works swing shift so we never know when he will be home. My 2 year old is going through the picky stage and only eats the same 3 things. My daughter knows it is dinner time and as soon as I sit down to eat starts screaming. Luckily she is loving this eating with her hands and trying the things that we eat, so that keeps her entertained long enough so I can finish eating. Then I get to feed her her baby food to make sure she is getting all her veggies! (I make my own baby food, so much fun!).

Since my husband was working 3 to 11 we had spaghetti. He doesn't like spaghetti, weird I know, so we eat it when he is on this shift. Both my kids love spaghetti so it is a win win for me. My daughter also at some sweet potatoes and pears. Over all she was completely covered in the food she ate. She is without a doubt more of a messy eater than my son was at this age! But what fun would it be to be able to have fun with your food like this and not have to worry! I am sure I am not the only one who's kid looks like this by the end of dinner!

DIY Friday

I think on Friday's I would like to do a DIY segment. It can be any thing, crafts, something you built or even something you cooked. I think it would be a fun way to see how us mom get a little me time and able to do something we went. This is my me time, even though I'm usually doing it around my children anyway but it gives me a minute to not think. I am a pinterest junkie, seriously addicted. I am always trying to make something or try a new recipe or getting room ideas about my dream home one day. I just need to win the lottery. Ha! 

This is one of my favorite projects I've done lately. My neighbors cut down their tree and I found this idea on pinterest of course. So I sent it to my neighbor and she did it in her front flower bed. Well I loved it and was jealous, so I needed to have one. It was a hollowed out log with flowers planted in it. SOOOOO Cute! She used three logs but I only used one!

I try to do one DIY project a week. Something that is either free or dirt cheap to make! Money is tight but I still need pretty things to do for my sanity. 
What are some DIY projects you have done?

Summer Time Fun

So far this summer we haven't done much, but that is about to change. We are getting organized and into a summer routine, well some what of a routine. I am not huge on setting a routine for every day but there are some things I would like to do once a week. Here is what we are going to do this summer.

Once a week we will be going to the library. They have a day for toddlers where they read a couple stories, sing a couple songs, play games and make a craft. It only lasts thirty minutes but that is perfect with a 2 year old and 8 month old. Also once a week in the evening they do a feature for that week. Last week they had a magician and this week they are having "critters" from the zoo. I'm really excited.

I am also trying to lose baby weight, so a friend of mine are walking at the park while our children play. The path is right around the play ground so we can constantly watch them which is nice.

Home made items so far have been play dough and finger paint, which Benson hates, haha he wont touch the finger paint but loves the play dough. These are both edible and off of pinterest. 

What are some of your activities this summer, rather it be some where else or in your back yard? I'd like to share ideas of things to do outside the house, inside the house and out back. I do draw brain blocks and cant think of anything fun. Hopefully this will get us all to share ideas and not do the same boring stuff all the time!

Never Thought It Would Happen

I always heard horror stories of the "poop" moments. When the child pooped in their crib or some how got it every where but I never in my life imagined it would be me. I would always laugh at my friends when they would tell me what had happened to them and think it was funny but I finally got to eat my own words. So here is my story.

Benson is potty training and part of the reason is because he now likes to be naked and takes off his own diaper. So peeing in the potty hasn't been difficult. We do have accidents but he is just getting the hang of it. Pooping however he has no idea how to use the potty. One evening at dinner he decided to take his diaper off and I thought nothing of it. He was playing with the baby in the hallway while I was cleaning up from dinner. The next thing I noticed was him sitting in the floor with something brown under his butt. When I got a closer look I could tell it was poop and a turd was next to him, mind you our carpet is white! yay! I then noticed that my daughter had crawled down the hallway to the other end but when she had did that she had crawled through the poop and left knee prints where ever she had went. So I was in panic mode and about to be sick. Poop doesn't bother me but OMG what do I do. First they both went into the tub and then I had to start scrubbing right away. It was the most disgusting thing I have so far encountered as a mom. 

So what is your horror story? What is the worst or most disgusting thing that has happened to you?

Wonderful Weekend

What a wonderful weekend we had. My husband works at a local steel mill so he only gets one weekend off a month. He works swing shift. Every week he starts a new shift for 7 days and only one day off in between. After all 3 shifts, he gets a "long weekend." So we took advantage of it this time.

Thursday we went to a local carnival after a long day of yard work and playing outside. My son, Benson, did not want to get off any ride. He loved them so much! Which is good for me because I love rides and my husband does not. I could ride rides all day. I'm just glad that he wasn't scared. Though it wasn't fun to battle a 2 year old, who had not napped, to get off rides.

Friday was full of more playing outside and unfinished yard work. It has just been so nice, we have to be outside. But Friday was also our date night. I found an idea on pinterest to put date ideas on Popsicle sticks and put them in a jar. You then draw a stick out and that is your date. We picked out mini golf and few weeks ago, so planned baby sitting accordingly. Well it was my first time playing mini golf since I was little, I am not a fan and my husband golfs very often. I only ended up losing by 6 points. I was really impressed with myself. The kicker was at hole 10 it started to down pour, I was wearing white shorts and a light mint green tank.. awesome! We thought it would stop soon... Nope! So we had to hurry and finish playing the last 8 holes and got soaked. We sat in the car to plan where we were going to eat which took about 15 minutes and of course the rain stopped as we were pulling out. Either way it was a fun night because it was our first date since April. We don't get many date nights because sitters are scarce. 

Saturday we had a family and friend cook out. What an awesome time, grilling, cornhole, music and beer. The kids played all evening and then we had a bonfire to top off the night. Cornhole is like a religion here in Ohio, we love it like a real sport. My son sat in the swing for 5 hours straight because everyone kept pushing him, he's not dumb lol! It was so nice to have adult time and laugh with other people and of course have some good food too!

                                     (My niece, my sister and me)       
  

How was everyone else's weekend? Any big date nights?