Thank you my 3 debacles

Dear my 3 loves,

I love you. There are no better words than that. You are amazing little people and I am so in love with each of you.

You are not perfect. You don't always listen. Bedtimes are a complete debacle. You don't eat all your veggies (or any at all for that matter). Your energy and ability to exhaust me is amazing. You have lots of needs. You are pretty demanding. You whine a lot. You are debacles.

But, you are completely wonderful. You brighten my day everyday. Your hugs and kisses are cures for everything. Your smiles and giggles are contagious. You make life better in every way.

There is no doubt in my mind that I was meant to be your mom. I have been good at a few things in my life, but nothing ever felt so natural and so right as being your mom. I am not a perfect mom and I am sure I am screwing you up some how, but I know that I am doing exactly what I was meant to do by being your mom.

I am truly blessed to be here watching you all grow into pretty amazing little people.

I watch Calan with his tender heart and beam with pride. I watch Maisie be fearless and determined and smile knowing she will always hold her own in the world. I watch Kenley observe us all and can't wait to see who she becomes.

You guys are crazy personalities, but you are mine. You guys are one of a kind. I see your daddy and me in each and everyone of you and truly think you are the best versions of each of us.

We love being a family. Your dad and I have loved each other for years and dreamt of our family and you guys are better than anything we ever dreamed. Our family is crazy, but we love being a family.

The first words I spoke to each of you were "I'm your mommy" because that is who I am. I am proud to be defined as a mother. I know that is who I was meant to be.

You guys light up my world.

This weekend is Mother's Day. I am sure that our day will look pretty much like any other day with 7 a.m. wake-ups and little people demanding breakfast, but I will smile knowing that you guys make this day for me by just being you. I am proud to be your mother.

Heaven blew every trumpet 

And played every horn 

On the wonderful, marvelous 

Night you were born.

Love, 

Mommy

The Kenley Marie Story

My baby is a week old today. Time, to me, is a funny thing. It never changes, but yet never feels constant. A minute is a minute, right? But yet those last weeks of pregnancy take forever to be over, and those first days go by in a blink of an eye.

I am sitting here in a quiet house with my baby sleeping and my children off to the zoo with their dad. It is almost feeling a bit surreal. But what better time to actually sit down and remember Kenley's birthday.

As I alluded to in previous posts, we started to notice some questionable behavior of her heart at my last doctor appointment. Nothing that was exactly wrong, but it wasn't right either. Basically, she would have moments that her heart rate would be high and moments when it would be low, and some how those were the moments that they were checking me, which lead to more testing.

My wonderful husband, wonderful doctor, and wonderful (amazing) nurse.

At my last doctor's appointment on April 19, we heard her heart rate decelerate, so they sent me over to the hospital to be monitored. She was fine, I was fine, so we were sent home to follow up with a non-stress test on Monday.

So Monday, I went to my test and while she was pretty excited and moving around, the nurse felt that I was good to go. However, that evening around 4:30, she called me and said that the fetal monitoring doctor thought I should come in to be monitored again to make sure. I headed back to the hospital around 5 to be monitored again, and again, I was good, baby was good, I was not anymore dilated than I was on Friday. Home I went with my next non-stress test and ultrasound scheduled for Thursday morning.

Life was pretty normal Tuesday and Wednesday. And then with Bob watching the kids, I walked into the hospital Thursday morning feeling like today was not the day and I would be going home after a quick ultrasound and test. I was wrong,

Her lungs definitely were strong. I was so happy once she settled down. 

My bio-physical ultrasound went well. Baby looked good, She measured well and was doing everything she was suppose to be doing. Yeah. Then I headed to my non-stress test to monitor her movements, heart rate, and my contractions. Well, that did not go so well. She was CRAZY active and her heart rate was again all over the place. Again, this was not exactly a bad thing, but it wasn't a good thing either. She just would not settle down enough for them to find a baseline heart rate.

So the doctor came in and said Kenley's eviction was here. It was my due date and this was my third test with issues. It was time. I am pretty sure I looked like a deer in headlights. When he used the word induced, I am pretty sure my skin crawled and my stomach turned. This was the last thing that I wanted.

Phone calls were made, I was checked into labor and delivery, and I was realizing how not ready I was for all of this. Panic was striking.

Luckily, when the resident doctor came in, we were able to talk a little more about the situation and set up a game plan that I was way more comfortable with than just inducing me with drugs.

Because I was so far along and I was having regular braxton hicks contractions, we were going to monitor me and see if I went into labor by myself before my doctor arrived that evening around 7:30 and if I didn't, we would start with just breaking my water and hold off completely on using pitocin till or if it was necessary. That plan was perfect for me. It meant a long boring day at the hospital, but it gave me time to calm down and relax.

She definitely had a grump face right from the beginning.
Now, she seems happier about life. 

Well, I never went into labor by myself, but my contractions did grow a bit stronger and continued to be very regular. At 8:10 p.m., we broke my water. It was game on.

As my husband and doctor sat and watched the NFL Draft (yes, that really happened), I began to go into labor. I quickly got an epidural since I knew once again, this would be a short labor, but a painful one none-the-less. I am no super woman, so I had an epidural with all 3 of my children.

This time the epidural did leave a little pain on my right side, which I actually didn't mind because it let me know that I was still contracting and that she was moving down quickly.

At about 10, for some reason, my monitor was not picking up my contractions, so my doctor thought my labor had stalled. He threw around that Pitocin word again, and again, I looked like a deer in headlights. I knew I was contracting, my nurse knew I was contracting, I was contracting.

Thank heavens for my wonderful, wonderful nurse. I can not tell you how amazingly wonderful she was to me. She listened to everything I said and really helped me have the delivery that I wanted under the circumstances.

We convinced my doctor to check me in 30 minutes if I had not progressed than we would pull out the drugs.

Snug as a bug and ready to head home. 

Well, that 30 minutes never happened. Just after my doctor left the room, the pressure in my right hip increased tenfold. My nurse checked me and I was complete and ready to have a baby.

My doctor came in announcing he was wrong and let's have a baby.

He had me push once and I got a half push in before he yelled for me to stop because she was there and crowning and they were not ready. They scrambled and I struggled to hold in the girl we had been waiting to meet.

Literally, 2 half pushes, not a single full push, later, Miss Kenley Marie was laying on my chest. My tiny little peanut arrived at 10:36 p.m. April 25 just 2.5 hours after they broke my water. No pitocin needed.

She came into this word a bit feisty crying for about the first hour with nothing settling her down. I just kept hearing that "Look Who's Talking" movie line "put me back in, put me back in" as she was telling me she was not ready to be here.

But she was here and we could not have been happier. A bit freaked out by the crying wondering what we got ourselves into, but immensely happy to have completed our family with this tiny nugget.

And she is little. She weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and measured 18 inches long. That is about a pound less and 2 inches shorter than her brother and sister.

She has barely made a peep since her first hour of life. She is eating well and sleeping decently. I am loving every moment of her.

The one thing I have learned is that no delivery is the same, and no delivery is what you have planned. I am just glad I never had a baby on the expressway and my children at home were well taken care of. Despite having quick labors, I was always able to have enough time to figure everything out, which is what my husband always reassured me would happen. (Though it didn't help that my friend had her son 5 days earlier on I-275, thanks Kelli.)

Calan came into the room so excited telling me that Baby Kenley was here and asking did I see her. Maisie, however, is just now warming up to her. She wanted to stay about 5 feet away at all times. 

Our bad attempt at a self picture before we left the hospital Saturday Morning. 

I am a little baby obsessed with how little she is. I never thought I'd have a baby in the 10-25th  percentile since everyone else was 50-75th. She seems so little in everything. 

Already a pretty happy sleeper. Though, she doesn't always settle well at night. 

Anyone in my family will appreciate this picture. She started sucking her two middle fingers the other night. She is definitely my baby. 

A little something for me

This bag will be perfect for me this summer. It is large enough to throw a few things in for the kids, but not too large that I feel like I am carrying another diaper bag. It's going to be great for park play dates. 

Over the last few weeks, I've been following along with Nap Time Crafters Sew-off. I am not competing or anything, but I am sewing along to improve my skills. The competition sets a theme each week and then a panel of judges choose their favorites, voting off a few sewers each week for 4 weeks.

I love how the lining peaks out of the top
of the bag. 

This week's theme was sewing something for you. I figured it was definitely time I sewed something for me. I've sewn for Maisie (a ton), the new baby, and Calan, but I haven't done anything for me yet. It was time.

I figured a summer bag would be perfect for this mom of 3.

I needed a bag that was big enough to hold a few kid things, but that wasn't too large that I felt like I was carrying a suitcase.

This bag will be perfect for me to grab a few things and take the kids to the park for an hour or two. I'll be able to throw some essentials in when I don't need to take a full diaper bag along.

It will also be wonderful for any diaper bag overflow. I'll soon need things for 3 kids. I am sure that having extra space in another bag will be very beneficial to me.

To make this bag, I started out following Make It and Love It's Large Tote tutorial.

To taper off the top of the bag, I sewed the top corners
together. I love the shape of the bag it created.

As I kept sewing, I realized that I wasn't loving how wide the bag was on me, so I decided to sew the top corners together about 2 inches from the outer edge. To my accidental surprise, it created a great triangle shape to the bag. The outer edges fold toward the center now. I love the way it angles and how the inner-lining peeps out of the top of the bag.

I also added a magnetic snap to be able to close the bag, but still be able to reach in if I need to. With the top folding in toward the center, my items stay in the bag without needing a more covered closure.

The magnetic snap helps keep the bag closed, but offers
easy, quick access. 

The ruffle down the front was kind of an after thought, so it isn't sewn into the seams. I top-stitched into place. To make the ruffle, I just sewed together a long casing, turned it right-side out, pressed it, sewed a gathering stitch down the center, gathered till I liked it and it fit top to bottom of the bag, and then just straight stitched the ruffle to the bag. Since it was an after thought, I did not sew the ruffle down were it matched up with the magnetic snap. No need to break a needle. You can't even tell.

And just for fun and to add to the perfect play date look, I made Luvinthemommyhood's Commuter Cowl out of the inner-lining fabric. I bought the pattern a few months ago as part of a huge pattern-bundle sale. The pattern and tutorial were super easy to follow. It took me less than a nap time to complete the cowl from start to finish.

It will look great with a white t-shirt and jean skirt this summer as I tote around my 3 little ones.

With the bag and the cowl, I might actually look like a mom who has it somewhat together with 3 under 3. Looks can be deceiving, of course, but I am excited that I finally made something for myself.

Please excuse the large belly. Maybe one day
this little girl will make an appearance.
I'm 39 weeks pregnant today. 

The Most Random Post Ever

My silence is not because anything bad is happening or that I am feeling bad from this pregnancy. It has just been that - Silence.

I've been spending a lot of my free time sewing, which has left me not in the mood to blog. Sorry. I wish I had a better excuse, but I the fact is when I am not in the mood to blog, I'm just not in the mood.

But I know that many of my friends and family near and far read to know updates on our lives so here is a very random update on our lives:

• Calan is basically potty trained. YEAH. We have issues with the big No. 2, but he is getting there. We have not had him in a diaper since the day we started potty training. We have had good days and bad days, but I am happy to say the bad days do seem to be behind us. He knows when he has to go No.2, but unfortunately won't sit long enough to do his business, so we are back and forth to the potty a ton when he has to go and it literally is a game of rouilette if we make it or not. This morning was a success; 2 days ago, not so much. It is different having only one kid in diapers. I have to make myself do diaper laundry since I have so many diapers to choose from I never run out. 
• I am officially in my third trimester. I will be 29 weeks tomorrow and I am so done being pregnant. I wondered if I would feel done with this third pregnancy and feel like our family was complete. Well, let me tell you, I know that I am done. I am so over being pregnant and so ready for this little girl to get here. The days and weeks are ticking by so slowly. Winter is not helping either. This pregnancy is not any worse than my others, but being pregnant for basically 3 years is enough. I am done. I am ready to move on from this part of our lives. I am ready to just focus on our family and develop our family bond. (Now if something were to happen, we would be happy about it, but there will be no more planned Wilsons.)
• Maisie is talking and learning new words every day. My favorite is the way she says thank you. It comes out "dank ooo." She is really starting to come into her own. She is definitely a little momma's girl. I am sure that when her sister gets here that is going to be a little bit of an issue, but I love all the hugs and kisses I get from her now. She is seriously adorable. (I'm bias, I know). 
• We've been taking the kids to swim lessons on Saturdays at our local high school. We have all really enjoyed it as a family. Maisie is quite the little fish and took to everything really well. Calan takes a little while to open up in the water. Bob and I have both really enjoyed do this as a family. I guess these are the things that will be hard to give up once we are out numbered. I am so glad we did it while we could. 
• We are looking forward to transitioning Calan to a big boy bed. He is ready. His rocking is way better, but he still does it when he wakes up and it is usually accompanied by loud singing as he pounds into the rails of his crib. I am praying that transitioning to a big boy bed resolves the rest of the body rocking issue. We are moving our full-size bed that is currently in our spare bedroom since the spare bedroom will now be the nursery. Once the bed is moved, I'll be able to start setting up the nursery. Yeah. 
• I am so excited about this little one's nursery. I am basically making everything. I have been sewing up a storm and I am loving everything. I can't wait to share it with all of you. Everything that I am making should transition perfectly into a room that the girls will share in about a year or so. 
• Have I mentioned I've been sewing? If you follow me on Instagram, you've been bombarded with my sewing pics. I am completely obsessed. I have sewn bibs, burp cloths, clothes, nursery items, etc. I just can't seem to stop. Tonight I hope to make a pillow for the nursery. I am going to miss my craft space once it becomes the nursery. I am going to have to figure something out. It has been a great stress reliever and creative outlet for me. I don't think I will be able to give it up at this point.

Life is just moving along. We are all doing really well. I am counting down the days till winter is over with. Bring on the sunshine and warmth.

Calan got this helmet at the grocery store and kept calling it
his "football hat." Can you tell we are Spartan fans? Go Green. 

We took the kids down to the park one snowy day. They had fun, we froze.
I can't wait for spring. 

Here's Maisie just talking on the phone. She jabbers away. (P.S. I made
the shirt she is wearing and made a matching dress for her sister.)

Here's Calan waiting patiently to go golfing. It was a random 60 degree day
in January, so we had to take him to the range to test out his Christmas
present. He loved it. He kept cheering for himself, Bob, and everyone
around us. He doesn't quite understand that golf is a quiet sport.

Here's a sneak peek at one of my nursery projects. These will be fabric
bins that will hang above her changing area and hold things like wipes
and creams.

The Nesting is Strong with this One

Oh my goodness, am I nesting or what?!!??

I can't think about anything else other than getting ready for our little one. I am cleaning, sorting, making lists, sewing, organizing, planning. My head is constantly spinning.

Source: etsy.com via Jodie on Pinterest

I can guarantee that 90% of my day I am thinking about getting ready for this baby. I have a mental list going on in my head at all times. I have so much I want to get done, yet I have very little that I actually need to get done.

Let's be honest. With your first, you get so much ready for his or her arrival; with your second, you realize that you didn't need or use half the stuff you had ready; with your third, well .... let's just say poor third child.

But even though there is very little that I need for our newest addition, there is so much I want to do. This third baby is the game changer. I don't need any necessity things, so I get to SPLURGE. I get to do all the extras. Which for me means that I get to create, craft, and sew.

I am so excited to get so many things done for our little one. I have so many plans in my head it is a bit ridiculous. I want to make so many things for her nursery. I want to make a cute, crafty nursery that will easily be made into the girls' room once they are ready to share.

I think I have decided on a purple color scheme. I think that it works perfectly with what I want to do. I have a vision in my head that I can't wait to make happen. Have I mentioned I am nesting?

We had talked about not setting up a nursery till after our little one got here, but I think things have changed. I can't seem to quench my nesting urges with just thoughts. I need to start piecing everything together. It is going to be a slow process, since I want to make so much of it myself.

I really hope my nesting instinct stays up so that I actually get all the things I want done, DONE.

The nesting is strong with this one; oh yes, it is definitely strong.

Project #2: Quilted Bibs

My second sewing project for our new little girl - quilted bibs. I think you can say I might be nesting. 

These two are my favorite. I can't wait to see our little one
wearing them. 

My husband thinks I am a bit obsessed. I think I am just excited. Either way, I am having a ton of fun learning to sew and I am loving these quilted bibs I made this weekend.

I wanted to figure out how to do buttonholes. I had never done one before and figured that bibs would be a great practical way to practice.

For the bibs, I followed an easy tutorial over at Sew She Sews that includes a free pattern printable. The tutorial is super beginner friendly. I had no issues getting the bibs sewn and ready for my buttons.

I am  not sure why, but sewing buttonholes has always intimated me. I just figured it would be this complex process. IT'S NOT.

The two important steps that I kept forgetting or screwing
up while practicing my buttonholes were to either pushing
the buttonhole lever back or I would forget to hold my
needle thread in the beginning. 

My sewing machine basically does it all by itself. There is no measuring or major adjustments to figure out. I just attach my button to the back of my buttonhole foot and my machine knows how large to make the buttonhole.

It did take me a few tries to figure out how to do it though. I think I was trying to make it more complicated than it was. I am still getting use to the dials on my machine, so I use my manual often to make sure that everything is set to what it should be.

This was the last hole that I did and I barely needed to
check my manual to know how to do it. 

I found this old post by Puking Pastilles that gave a buttonhole step-by-step tutorial on a Brother sewing machine. Her tutorial had great photos for each step that helped me to visualize what my manual was trying to tell me.

I can't believe that I was able to make 5 bibs so easily. The first one took me about 2 hours because of the buttonhole, but the rest took me about 45 minutes each. Each one got easier and easier to do. Sewing really is all about practice and repetition.

Each bib has flaws, but each one looks fabulous. They are not perfect, but I love them and can't wait for our daughter to wear them. She is going to look adorable.

Final Cost

Fabric Square Novelty Bundle (front of bib) = $10

1/2 yard of fabric (back of bib) = $2

Quilt Batting (34 X 45) = $5

Buttons = $3.50

Total = $20.50

Next project: Crib Railing Cover

Project #1: Frayed Flannel Burp Cloths

These were a great first project. Very forgiving when it comes to stitching
and super easy to get comfortable with my new machine. 

My mother gave me this Brother
LX2600 sewing machine for
Christmas. I couldn't wait to
get started.

My first sewing project was a complete success. I completed 4 frayed flannel burp cloths in about 3 hours. Yes, a more experienced seamstress would have had them done in an hour, but I was happy getting them done all in one evening.

I chose this project to start with because I knew that I would be able to do it and it would get me familiar with my new sewing machine. I am happy to say that I was able to set it up with out a single issue. My machine is very beginner friendly, so it was a cinch to figure out.

I just ripped out the seam to

where I got off track and then

started from there. Easy Fix.

I chose 2 coordinating flannel fabrics (Little Cuddles Green and Love Floral) from Jo-Ann, one for the front and one for the back; and bought quilting batting for the inside.

I followed an easy tutorial with printable pattern from Homemade by Jill.

The burp cloths were very simple, but a little tedious. I cut out everything for all 4 burp cloths and and then sewed. It was a lot of pinning, cutting, unpinning, and pinning again. Like most craft projects, it's the prep work that takes the longest time. The actual sewing took me only about 30 minutes.

Trimming away the quilt batting

and fraying the edges was easy,

but very tedious. My neck

was aching by the end.

I only had to use my seam ripper once, and oddly enough it was on my last one. I got a little over zealous and went too quickly. My seam allowance got too thick and I just needed to stop, rip, and start over.

After getting the seams sewn, I switched out my top thread to white to sew a stitch across the center of my burp cloth to keep the batting in place. I didn't want a bright teal line on the light floral print. I kept the bobbin as the teal so that the bottom stitch still matched the teal fabric. It worked out great.

You can still see a bit of the teal

thread along the center, but it is not
as noticeable as it would have been

 if I had kept the top thread teal. 

Final Cost

Flannel Fabric (1 yd) = $7

Quilt Batting (34 X 45) = $6 (used 40% coupon and have leftovers for at least 4 more)

Teal Thread = $1.50

Total = $14.50

My one goal for 2013

I only have one goal for 2013. I want to be comfortable with a sewing machine.

I know the basics of sewing. I have made a few things and taken a beginners class, but I have never felt comfortable at a sewing machine.

I want to learn how to really sew.

My one goal for 2013 is to be comfortable enough to sew that I am able to make our children matching pajamas and family stockings by next Christmas. This one easy goal gives me plenty of time and leeway to work at my own pace and juggle 3 children in the process.

I am not sure where I will be setting up my new sewing machine. We really don't have space, but it is going to happen. I am going to figure it out. I know that I can do it.

Here are some easy projects that I found on Pinterest that I hope to make before our baby girl gets here:

Source: justanotherhangup.blogspot.com via Jodie on Pinterest

Source: homemadebyjill.blogspot.com via Jodie on Pinterest

Source: ashleyannphotography.com via Jodie on Pinterest

Source: prudentbaby.com via Jodie on Pinterest

I know that these projects are not going to be too difficult (or at least I hope), I just want to feel comfortable when I sit down at my sewing machine and I don't want to feel like I have to call my mother every 5 minutes to figure something out.

So that's it, my one goal. I'll be posting my progress through out the year. Wish me luck. 

Mommy Milestone #347

Yesterday I did something that I use to tease family members for. Yesterday I did something that I never thought I would do. Yesterday I did something and I loved it!

I went to the movies by MYSELF.

Now this is not a ground breaking idea or a crazy I can't believe I did it type of thing. This was just something that I am so happy I did.

Would I have liked to go to the movies with my husband? Sure, but he wouldn't have wanted to see this movie. Would I have liked to go with friends? Sure, but sometimes you have to take the time you get and it doesn't always work for others.

Going to the movies by myself was actually quite wonderful. I loved the peace and quiet. I loved the in-and-out no fuss of it all.

I went, I sat, and I enjoyed.

I am sure some of you are thinking "What's so crazy about that?" It actually is not crazy at all. It is just A) Something I never thought I would want to do, and B) Something that I never thought I would enjoy doing.

It is not always easy to find time to just sit and be by yourself when you are a mom of young children. It is even harder to find the time to do things for ourselves.

BUT doing those things are so important for our sanity.

I took off during naptime and was home before the kids even woke up. I felt refreshed and excited for the rest of the evening.

It is really true that we are better mothers when we take care of ourselves first. It is not always easy, but sometimes it is just needs to be a spontaneous decision that just includes jumping in the car and going.

What is the last thing you did for yourself that was not an errand?

(And for those wondering, I went and saw "Breaking Dawn Part 2. It was great for anyone who is a Twilight fan, which my husband is not."

My meal go-tos

I am by no means a great cook. I am by no means a chef. I am by no means original when it comes to meal planning, but there a few staples in my kitchen that make any dinner easy and ready to go.

I have gotten a lot better over the last year about planning ahead of time of what we are going to have for dinner, but there are just some days where either 1) I don't feel like cooking or 2) There weren't as many leftovers as I thought there would be.

So, I have learned to have a few things always on hand to make life just easier on myself.

Here are my easy go-tos that can make any meal easy:

1. Bell Peppers: I always make sure that I have peppers on hand. They are to me one of the easiest foods to make into a meal. They add an extra touch to any spaghetti sauce, or they easily make an easy stir fry in a pinch. Plus, it is one of the few vegetables that I don't have to argue with Calan to eat. 
2. Lemon Pepper & Rosemary: I swear any chicken or fish seasoned with a little lemon pepper and rosemary tastes amazing. I love throwing a whole chicken into our Crock-pot for 3 hours on low seasoned with lemon pepper and rosemary with a cup of chicken broth. Then put it in the oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to crisp-up the skin for the perfect tasting chicken. We eat it for dinner and then it makes great sandwiches for the week. 
3. Italian Sausage: I always try to keep bulk Italian sausage in my freezer to be used in spaghetti sauce. Adding browned Italian sausage instead of ground beef makes the spaghetti 100% better. I can not tell you how often I get asked for my spaghetti sauce and all I do is by whatever sauce is on sale and add Italian sausage to it. If I have them on hand, I also will throw in drained canned diced tomatoes to it as well. Instant amazing spaghetti sauce. 

4. 

   Homemade pizza has become an easy family favorite. 

   Yeast packets: Ever since learning how to make my own pizza dough, it has become a regular meal in our house. Calan loves helping me make the pizza from the dough to the toppings. I always make enough for 2 pizzas, so that we can cook one that night and freeze the extra dough for the next time I need a meal in a pinch. 
5. Tacos: I swear tacos is the meal that keeps giving. One night it could be tacos for dinner, then taco salad for lunch, and then maybe quesadillas another day that week. When I know that we are going to have a busy week, I include tacos so that I have an easy go-to leftover meal if I did not have time to make a new meal. 

So those are just a few things that I keep on hand that definitely help making meals for my family 100% easier. Having two toddlers running around does not give me a lot of time to prepare meals, so having some easy tricks makes dinner possible on a daily basis. 

What are your tricks?

Feeling a bit sentimental these days

I am in full-on birthday-party mode. Calan will be 2 on Sunday. I will be the mother of a 2-year-old. OH MY GOSH. Where did the time go?

I will no longer have 2-under-2. I will have a 1- and 2-year-old. When did that happen?

I look back to Calan's first birthday and can't believe that he was so little when I thought he was so big and can't believe I was so big, when I thought I was so little. I was 9 months pregnant with Maisie and my big little guy wasn't even walking yet.

I am feeling a little sentimental for my newborn babies, my non-moving, sleep-on-you babies. My wiggly, can't sit still babies are all over the place now. Their getting into all kinds of mischief.

I just want to hold on to those little babies for a little longer. Calan now tells me to "Let Go" when I have hugged him too long. I just want to hold him all the time.

I had to buy Maisie some 18 month summer clothes because she is already busting out of her 12 month clothes. She is so tall her shorts barely go over her fluffy butt and her Buddha belly is hanging out of her shirts.

I am now cooking for a family of 4. Maisie is eating basically everything that we are eating during meals. Unless I am being lazy, she rarely has pureed baby food anymore.


Everything feels like it is happening too quickly for me. I want to savor this year for a little longer. I want my babies to be just like they are for just a little longer.


I want Calan to sing at the top of his lungs "Farmer and the Dell" all the time. I want him to count "2, 3, 6, 1, 2, 3, 5" again and again. I want him to mumble prayers and say "Amen" when I am taking too long to say them so he can start eating. I want him to say "Dank you" when I hand him what he wants and "sure" when I finally repeat what he was trying to ask correctly forever.


I want Maisie to smile with her 4-tooth grin all day long. I want her to try and escape out of our family room and smile back at me to only turn and move faster wiggling her little butt. I want her to raise her hands above her head when I enter a room every time because she is so happy to see me. I want her to bee-line to any shoe left in her reachable space forever.


I want to remember it all. I am not ready for this season to be over. I thought I would be, but I am not. I love having 2 babies. I love watching them grow, but growing means one day they won't be babies anymore.

I know that they will always be my babies. I am just feeling a bit sentimental right now. I just want to hold on for a little bit longer. This momma isn't ready to let go.

Love that this little guy made me a mom. 

The picture I used to announce I was pregnant on Facebook.

Calan's first trip to the zoo. 

First birthday

My two babies. 

Wordless Wednesday: Girls' Weekend

Getting hooked up to ride the Zip Line. We dropped off our luggage on Friday and headed straight to the Zip Line. What a great way to kick off the weekend!

About to hit the trails on horses. I swear at one point my horse looked back and me and said, "Lady, I do this all the time." I had literally just finished a Zumba class before going horse back riding. I was pretty much a hot mess, but it was a lot fun. 

My sister-in-law and I at the 80's Dance Party. You should have seen all the women. Hundreds dressed to  the nines in 80's style. Of course, that night's lecture was on accepting yourself and what better way to get over insecurities than dressing in 80's gear. It was hilarious!

Problem: Grocery shopping with 2 babies

Solution: One baby secured in front; one resting in her carrier;
one happy mom with groceries to feed her family. 

To be honest, I did not think of this myself and I am not sure how long it would have taken me to figure it out. Thankfully, one afternoon, I was headed to the grocery store with my little ones in tow. I had Calan up in front and Maisie resting in the cart. It worked, but it left little to no space for groceries. That was until I saw another mother with 2 little ones one day and she had it all figured out. Don't rest the baby in the cart, but on the cart. 

I understand that I will probably get comments about how unsafe this is and how I should just go by myself after my husband gets home. But here is why this works for me:

1. I am exhausted by the time my husband gets home from work and the kids are in bed. The last thing that I want to do is head out to the grocery store. I want to do the dinner dishes and then relax. 
2. Weekends are meant for family time. I don't want to spend some of that precious time grocery shopping, which I hate doing by the way. 
3. I am not pushing the cart 90 mph down a dirt road. Everything is a smooth surface.

I am sure mothers of multiples and other babies close in age have found different answers to this problem, but this is the one that works for us now. There will be a time when Maisie is too large for her carrier and this solution will become null and void, but for now it works.

Gathering winter ideas

I am on the hunt for some free or inexpensive indoor activities for the winter. I think any stay-at-home mom who wants to keep her sanity needs to get out of the house. As the warm Fall days are becoming fewer and fewer, my family room seems to be getting smaller and smaller.

Getting out in the winter seems to be tricky because everyone wants to get out, but no one wants to have a sick kid. I have been pretty lucky in the 16 months that I have been a mother neither kid has been sick. We have had a runny nose from teething, but nothing that has stopped my kid. I am sure with my want and Calan's need to get out of the house, I am sure we will not be as lucky.

Here are a few things we are planning on doing to try and keep my sanity and ward off Calan's boredom:

• Story Time: Good ole reliable libraries. They offer tons of things to do from reading (obviously) to puppets to legos, as well as weekly story times. Royal Oak has a pretty good program that is usually pretty packed with kids and parents. We went often before Calan was moving and before he was only taking 2 naps that didn't work with the time. So, we hadn't been in awhile, but we went today and Calan did pretty good staying on the rug. I sat with him for a little while to keep him in place, but overall it was a pretty good experience. He sat and listened really well as the librarian read the story. I was proud.
• Playaway: I just discovered this last night. It is a mom-and-me type of program held 2 blocks south of my house. I was pretty excited. I signed us up for a 6-week class that starts on Thursday. Plus, and the best part, it offers a free class every last Friday of the month. So, if you are in the Royal Oak area and want an absolutely free thing to do with your children, this is a great option. 
• Mall play area: This will probably be a last resort due to the amount of germs (and I'm not a germaphobe). A mall by us (Oakland Mall) has a toddler play area that has stationary objects and tunnels that the kids can run and crawl over. I have already taken Calan a few times this month and he loves it and it is pretty close to our house. 
• Eating out: Because my husband works most of the time our kids are awake, we try to meet for lunch once every other week or so. For me, it is nice to get out of the house. For Bob, it is nice for him to see the kids. For Calan, it gives him plenty of times to learn manners while we are out at a restaurant. And for Maisie, well, she is still just sleeping through it all. 

OK, Moms, do you have more suggestions? Share, please. I need as many as I can get. This is my first winter with a mobile child. Please share your motherly knowledge with me. What do you do in the winter to keep your sanity?

Duh, Jodie. You have to plan your meals

Our dinner tonight. I cooked the bacon this weekend
and the chicken yesterday with our taco chili.
I chopped veggies and cooked the eggs today during
nap time. So, all I had to do was cook the corn
before dinner. It was delicious and stress free thanks
to planning ahead. 

I remember when Bob and I were going through our pre-marriage counseling and we were discussing how hopefully one day I would be able to stay at home with our children. Part of that discussion was about expectations if I was a stay-at-home mom. I remember telling Bob not to be surprised if there were days that I would call him and ask him to grab a pizza on his way home because my day was crazy. While Bob did not care about this, he just was a little surprised because he kind of expected that dinner would be made because that is what his mom did (thanks mother-in-law). However, I am proud to say even with all the craziness, dinner has been made more times than not. 

I am sure other mothers know and have already figured out that planning meals is a lifesaver, but somehow, it took me having a second child to figure this one out. Now that my time is limited and grocery shopping has to be an in-and-out kind of experience, I have really had an AHA moment that making a weekly meal plan is the only way to get good meals on the table. 

I don't even have to think about what to have for breakfast, lunch, or dinner because I already know what we have and what is planned. It makes getting everything together 100% easier. The meal planning isn't anything grand. I just use the iPhone notes app to just make quick notes of what we should be eating each day that week. I don't spend too much time on details of the meals. I just jot down the basics. It takes me about 10 to 20 minutes to set up our meals and grocery lists, but that 10 to 20 minutes saves me at least an hour of standing in my kitchen debating what to have at each meal or having frozen meat or missing ingredients or any other obstacle that stops dinner from getting to the table. I already know what we are having days before we have it. Like I said, I know that others have already figured this out, but for some reason, I was a little slow. 

Dinner is my craziest time of day. By planning ahead, I can also do things through out my day instead of trying to do everything at dinner time. I can chop veggies early, marinate meat, or cook what I can during their naps instead of doing it while they are up and needing my attention. 

I organize my grocery list by the aisles
of grocery store. It saves me tons of time.

Two iPhone apps have really helped me. I use Cozi family calendar to set up my grocery list. It is completely flexible and can be customized for your needs. I have it organized based on my grocery store aisles, so I can just go through the store once and not need to back track. The next app is the one for the website All Recipes. I combine some new meals with family favorites to get a great variety. On my phone, I have the Cozi calendar right next to my All Recipe app, so it is so easy to flip back and forth when I am setting up my grocery lists. 

So, I am sharing a mother secret. Go forth and enjoy dinner time again.