Trump is the President of the United States.... now what?!

Well folks.... We have a new president. I know some of you are hurt and scared... I know some of you are rejoicing... I know some of you are indifferent... it is what it is. At first I will admit I thought the professors cancelling classes and students not being able to cope and move on were being cry babies... I did... Sore losers if you will. But then I realized these people need some grace. Just like I do... just like we ALL do. Certain people on this earth put their hope in political figures.... and now they are living their life in fear of the unknown. Certain people are also putting their trust into the dark side of the president elect. They are taking the racist, sexist things he has done or said and putting hope into that..... We live in an evil world. It's not all evil of course. God is still here, He is still present! There are wonderful things happening too.

People please don't put your trust in this world. You will be disappointed. You will be hurt. You will be fearful. Sometimes I forget this. I forget that God is in control. No matter what is going on around me, no matter what horrible things I see or hear on the news... There is good news. There is good in this world too... if you put your trust in God.

I pray today that those of you who are hurting and afraid will seek comfort in Him. I pray that those of you who feel like boasting and calling people cry-babies instead turn to God and remember how important it is to have grace. Lean not on your own understanding.... And I pray for this great country I am able to call home. May we learn how to work together as a people... different opinions and all.

Blessed not lucky

So I get to hear A LOT about how "lucky" I am..... I used to just brush it off and be all "yep, I'm lucky". Oh you're so lucky to have JDub... he's such a great husband/father. Oh you're so lucky you get to stay home and "not work". Wow it must be nice to not have a car payment...

side note-- I would just like to state for the record I do have a great husband. JDub is fabulous. But he also likes to sabotage me..... like by leaving water beads unattended in a bowl on the bathroom counter for 3, 6, and 8 year olds to throw all over the place while he is conveniently gone at a meeting and wont be back for several hours..... and also, hey I don't like to toot my own horn but I am pretty fabulous too... JDub's pretty blessed himself!

But I've come to realize it has NOTHING to do with luck... and everything to do with being blessed by God.

I choose to see the blessings too... I mean I have to actively remind myself to look around and see what I am being given. For instance... today I went for a walk and Miss M fell asleep. In a way I thought aww man there goes an afternoon nap... but I had to remind myself it was a blessing! Any nap is a wonderful thing, no matter what time it is. That's why I am able to write this entry... I actually have a few minutes to myself... no kids!!! Now if you choose instead to look around at all the bad in your life and wonder why you aren't blessed... well that's a different story. I mean life on earth was not meant to be all rainbows and unicorns.

I mean your rainbows and unicorns aren't going to be the same as my unicorns and rainbows right?!

There will be difficult times, there will be trials. Persevere people!! Easier said than done I know... I again have been extremely blessed and honestly haven't gone through too many terrible tribulations.

I pray that you will be blessed today... and everyday... remember to count those blessings :) I truly mean that in a sincere way, not a condescending tone!

Parenting fail #773928572462093847023847203874397523

Being an adult is hard. For real. You don't know that when you're young. You just think "I want to grow up and do my own thing!" But what you don't realize is ... it's hard. Cause you have responsibilities! You have a job, you need money to live, etc.

And then you become a parent. And you wish you were just an adult again. Not only are you responsible for your things... you are responsible for all your little people's things too?! You have to potty-train them (and I am failing miserably that that with Miss M so far....) You have to feed them 3 times a day... (only its more like 8 times a day). You have to give them clean clothes.... And when you do try to do laundry at 7:15 am when you haven't had your coffee and you are rushing through the morning routine of getting your school-aged children to school on time you do this.....

You don't really realize what you did until you get the clothes out of the dryer and try to put them away later in the day... Now keep in mind you did your Bible study today!! You did!! For once cause honestly its been a few days, or weeks, or months since you've really sat down and read your Bible, but you did TODAY.

You feel those cards in that pocket and your initial reaction is ($hit). Well MY initial reaction is that... great... Ceej is going to be soooo mad at me when he comes home. Should I tell him on the way home from school or let him see the cards on the counter. Of course this is going to be my fault. I was the one who did the laundry. I should have checked the pockets of every article of clothing. No really its my fault I didn't get him some kind of awesome notebook with pages to slip each card in to keep it in pristine condition.... yep your fault mama! When really it was his fault for not checking his pockets before putting said pants in the laundry basket!

Oh crap... there it is. I know why my children are constantly trying to blame someone else for the problems... b/c they get it from ME!! ugh. I hate being responsible for everything.... if I was a good example for my children then they would be perfect right? Only I can't be perfect, NO ONE CAN. No one earth anyway.

So there is my parenting fail for today... I'm sure I will have more today... and I know I'll have more the next day and the next... Thankfully there's this thing called GRACE. I'm really going to try to have more of it with my children. They need it. I need it. I'm really hoping my little guy will throw some my way when he finds out what happened to his Pokemon cards......

God thank you for your grace each and every day.

******UPDATE REQUEST.

In this instance I am happy to announce that Grace won! My little Ceej was very sweet. I do however think it helped with how I softened the blow. See you can really help yourself by using your words wisely. I could have gone into this in a few different scenarios....

1. If you would not have left your cards in your pocket this (insert ruined cards) would have NEVER happened.

2. Look Ceej! Mommy bought you new Pokemon cards...... those other ones are lost.....

3. Ceej, I have something to tell you. I was doing laundry today, and I forgot to check your pockets and this is what happened (insert ruined cards). I'm really sorry buddy. It was an accident.

Well I played out scenario #3.... and he was super sweet. He said "It's ok Mommy, I forgot to check my pockets too."

Find the comfort in the discomfort

 You know I've really been trying hard this year to step out of my comfort zone.  While I think I've definitely had some success in the field; I still need work.  Why is it so hard to do the right thing?  Sometimes I end up talking myself out of it.  Why is it so hard to do the right thing when it is so uncomfortable?  I'm working on finding the comfort in the discomfort.

 My beautiful neighbor lost her battle with cancer this year.  I know I did not know her as long as some of her other friends and family but she made quite an impact on me. I don't like being in awkward situations. I suppose no one really likes being in an awkward situation...  But being a stay-at-home mom and being at my house while she was right next door battling her cancer it made it hard to avoid certain situations.

 In the last year she was in so much pain and frustrated by her ailments.  Honestly I just wanted to keep everything on the surface not let my guard down.  When I would see her and listen to her I would think to myself I'm going to pray for her later....  But then there was a stirring in my heart and I prayed with her on the spot.  It was awkward, I stumbled, I mumbled... I don't even really remember what I said.  It was definitely out of my comfort zone.  When I heard her crying out in her house and I was just outside in my driveway I wanted to ignore it.  I mean what business is it of mine?  But that stirring in my heart came again...

 When there's a stirring in your heart or a thought pops into your head that's uncomfortable, that you know is going to be awkward, that you might think someone else can deal with that ...  I encourage you not to ignore it; you are in that situation for a reason. Own it.

Instead of saying I'll pray for you.... pray for them on the spot right then and there. It's kind of life-changing and awesome.  If you see someone left their lights on.  Knock on the door and tell them; they'll appreciate it.  If your husband leaves his socks on the floor for the 10 millionth time... be grateful you have a husband... and pick up the socks and put them in the hamper!

Naps

Sometimes you have those AMAZING naps.... the kind that don't last very long, you almost are unaware you've even slept... you wake up feeling refreshed and bursting with new energy... Your mood is suddenly lightened and you can take on any task!

And then sometimes you have those necessary, but hard naps. The kind that lasts too long. Your body feels as if it has been hit by a truck. Your muscles ache and cramp. Your head is in a bit of a fog. You can't recall the CRAZY dreams you just had... but you know you were weirded out by them when you first came too. You think what day is it?! Where am I?

Yea... I just had one of the latter variety.... Yikes... its been a while.

exhausted

I drove to the wrong field for t-ball and didn't have enough time to make it across town to the right field. Ceej was wearing flip-flops anyway so it was pointless to go.

Let's go camping! Of course Mommy's in charge of packing all the kids bags and their belongings, and getting all the groceries and planning every meal we'll need on the camping trip. Don't forget cash and firewood. If you don't place the bags by the door on the way out, Miss M's bag won't make it to the campsite!

Bubba's bday is coming up. Make sure you call and reserve the pavilion. Get the paperwork in and check on time. Don't forget the invites and planning what we'll eat and who to invite and the party favors and present!

Where's my phone... what did I do with it? The last I remember was Bubba HAVING to show the neighbors a pic on my phone and then putting it on the back of my car.... CRAP.

What day is it? Seriously? Cause every day is the same... at least when its summer time it feels that way.

Have I brushed my teeth today? I think I did... I know the kids did... did I even put on deodorant?

Oh thank goodness Miss M is taking a nap... do I do my workout now... or just browse Facebook a minute.... Or do I just take a nap too....

Can I have candy? Can you make Kool-aid? Can I have fruit snacks? I'm too tired to pick up. My foot hurts I need a band-aid. The neighbors went to Adventureland I want to!! You NEVER let us do anything fun.

Mom where are my glasses? Mom, what's for dinner? Mom I want to wear my new clothes why haven't you washed these yet? Mom, you really need to clean the floor.

YAY!!! Daddy's home!!! Daddy Daddy Daddy!!!

Living the good life

So I have a funny story... I'm sure most of you moms out there will appreciate it. We have recently gotten some new neighbors across the street. Very nice people who happen to have twins (a boy and girl) Ceej's age. Ceej I'm pretty sure is over the moon about this. Miss M is still wondering who they are and Bubba is coming right along playing with them as well. But Ceej, he is my social butterfly who will say hello to just about anyone that will give him the time of day! He wants to go over there to play or invite them over here to play all the time!

Well a couple of weekends ago JDub decided to borrow my dad's Jeep for the weekend. He and my dad have tricked it out and it looks pretty sharp. Well the wife was out of town for the weekend and came home late Sunday night. Her kids came running out to "greet" her and while the mom was hoping for a "Hi Mom we missed you!" scenario... instead she was greeted with a "the neighbors got a JEEP!!!" LOL. Too funny.

My devotional had a few bible verses for me and this one seems to stick with me today...

Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. -Philippians 2:15 MSG

Ah "the good life". I'm glad the Message version said glimpse here. It makes me feel a little better about myself. And it seems a little more achievable as well. There are plenty of glimpses of the good life and happy times in my day. There are of course chances of seeing me becoming unglued and yelling at my children and not have enough patience as well. But thank you God for your grace and understanding. You know that we can't be perfect people and that we constantly need to lean into You.

Here's to a glimpse of good living. I pray you'll see some in my life and in yours as well.

Crocodile party

When I asked Ceej what he wanted for his birthday cake this year he said "A CROCODILE!!" I was like really? Are you sure?! He stuck to his guns and was very adamant... so I went searching on Pinterest to see what I could find... I initially found some but ended up making it up as I went along. See I don't have a huge freezer... and I made all this from 1 9x13 cake pan.

It was just a regular cake mix... and I used store bought frosting to "dirty ice" the cake. Then I made my own buttercream/marshmallow creme frosting at the end. I saved some white but used green dye on the rest. Then I used m&m's for his toenails and scales along his back (and his eyes too).

Crickey!!! It's a croc cake!

I decided to go with simplified goodie bags... The croc just couldn't keep away!

I wanted to come up with something to put in the goodie bags and I saw so many things about slime... so I tried out the whole borax and glitter glue... my first batch was better than the 2nd one... but the kids had fun with it either way. I really wanted to try one that wasn't so toxic... but I already had Borax on hand...

When I was looking for supplies at Michael's I came across that cool Kinetic sand! The kids were loving it so I bought some along with some mini crocs and alligators to play in it for the party.

Ceej was able to bring a homemade snack for his birthday (an unusual occurrence now-a-days with allergies and what-not...) So I made these cute croc nutter butters. I found them from pinterest! I didn't have the white heart sprinkles the original post called for... so I just dipped their mouths in some sprinkles I had on hand.

We had his party out at a campsite! I really wanted to do some kind of obstacle course... but I was/am exhausted from all the birthday craziness... so we just had fun with the sand and slime and the rocks at the campsite too :)

My Little Pony Birthday Party

Oh my goodness I have been meaning to post this for a while... but yea April is CRAZY people.... at least in my life. 3 birthdays in 3 weeks is just too much...

In my last post you saw how to make your own pony shirts.... DIY pony shirts

Well I went ahead and made a few more for family attending the party :)

fluttershy. this was the last one i made.
 i think i progressively got better the more i did!

twilight sparkle

apple jack 

We also had some fun activities for the party!

Fluttershy's egg hunt

I took some yarn and wrapped a piece of scotch tape around the end (to make it easier to get in the froot loop) and the kids had a blast. They were eating along the way too :)

I found these pop out/stand up ponies at JoAnn Fabrics. Each came with their own markers to color.

No pony party is complete without cupcakes! They are Pinkie Pie's favorite!

  

we set out an old school MLP blanket and had some story time while the eggs were being hidden.

Of course I didn't take near enough pictures... I had ponies all over the place... but forgot to take snapshots of them! if you look closely you can see some of the little cupcakes Bubba and I decorated and put up as well...

I'd say everyone had a fabulous day... here's a small recap...

1. pinkie pie's make your own froot loop necklaces

2. rarity's coloring station

3. twilight sparkle and spike's reading nook

4. fluttershy's egg hunt

5. apple jack's snacks 

I had an optional rainbow dash's egg race... but for a 2 year old that was a bit much. Maybe if you were going to have a MLP party for an older girl. I tell you what I had so much fun planning it!!! I'll be a little sad when she doesn't like the ponies anymore :(

Gearing up for a My Little Pony party!

I don't know who likes My Little Pony's more... me... or the kids?! It's just such a cute show. I even took the "which my little pony are you" quiz and turns out I'm Pinkie Pie! (which happens to be Miss M's favorite!)

My Little Pony Quiz

After some thought I decided to go with a My Little Pony party for Miss M. I'm still figuring out a few things... but here are some cute shirts the boys and I made!

put a little paint on a toothbrush and flick it!

Of course Bubba is "too cool" to wear his shirt... he's going to save it for her birthday party.... But oh well. He did have fun painting. Ceej on the other hand could care less what people think of him (which is kind of awesome) and he wore it to school already! Oh the days of innocence are already dwindling...... It makes me a little sad. Bubba said "I don't want anyone to make fun of me because it's a pony shirt..."

I'm thinking of just doing cupcakes b/c well Pinkie Pie just loves cupcakes... and since her bday is on Easter this year we are doing an Easter egg hunt. The girl is only 2... not gonna go too crazy.

Houston, we have a problem....

So I know the first step in having a problem... is to admit it... so here it is... I have a clothes problem... almost an "I feel like I'm watching an episode of Hoarders" clothes problem....

There is a vanity under here somewhere....

these drawers are deeeep

I have over half of the closet and that's still not enough...

This is my "linen closet" (only one shelf has sheets)

So I admit it!? But now what? I do get rid of clothes.... I do... not all the time, but I literally threw out underwear and socks that were falling apart.... I did give some clothes to goodwill too... and I just gave all of my maternity clothes away! (even gave Miss M's clothes away too!) My drawers and closets are still overflowing...

Here comes the but.......

I live in Iowa....... Right now IT IS FREEZING. I mean it said 0 degrees on my dash this morning taking the boys to school. This means I need cuddle duds... Don't know what cuddle duds are?! Then you must live somewhere warm... how nice for you! And with cuddle duds I need a variety of pants to wear.... I have 3 pairs of jeans that fit me... that's NOT alot... I feel like I almost need one more pair.

I live in Iowa.... it also gets really freaking hot here too!? When you stay home with kids you want to be outside with them... so you need lots of shorts and tank tops... 

I work out... 7 days a week pretty much... and while I do laundry all the time, my laundry is usually the last to get done. I sweat like a beast too... I know its gross (and THANKS A LOT DAD... its totally your fault that I sweat so much) but its true. There is no re-wearing workout clothes... they are done after a workout from me! Sometimes its cold when I work out... so I wear pants... or capris and then sometimes its hot so I need shorts... and sports bras... and athletic socks... etc.

I am a stay-at-home-mom. So sometimes I wear my pajamas ALL DAY. Yea I said it... sometimes I don't "get dressed". I literally take my kids to school (and pick them up) in comfy pants... (I totally thought I would NEVER be that mom... haha... Never say NEVER!!). Being at home all day can make for an expensive electric bill! We keep the thermostat at 68 degrees... That's not very warm. I wear a lot of layers and hooded sweatshirts... (I'm pretty sure I have about 9 sweatshirts.... that's probably a bit too much...)

I like to dress up........ I do on occasion get dressed up. I usually dress up for church. When I have my MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schooler's) meetings I will dress up for them as well. I have several leggings and cute dresses... And I like to wear them even in winter which means I might need some leg warmers and sweaters to go with them!? I like to accessorize with scarves too.

I bought these 5 dresses for $10.50.... but do I have room for them in my closet... not so much.

I have several clothes I NEVER wear. Okay... so here's my predicament. I have so many clothes I don't ever actually wear, but they fit me just fine. When I worked.... it was in an office setting, which required a business casual attire. Several slacks, suits, button-up shirts... that sort of thing. When I "dress up" right now, I tend to wear dresses.... NOT suits... but they still fit?! There will probably be a time down the road when I won't have any children home with me... and I'll have to get a job (ugh I don't even want to think about that!!). I don't really know what kind of job it will be, and I might need all of those clothes?! Why get rid of clothes that fit me fine?

Should I get those vacuum seal bags and just bag them up and put them in storage?! That way they aren't taking up space in my closet... but they will still be there? I also don't really put my clothes away when the seasons change... Do people do that? My sweaters and sweatshirts are usually in that linen closet year-round. Would it make more sense to put them away? But I still need sweatshirts in summer when it gets cool at night. Not to mention again I live in Iowa. One year it snowed on St. Patrick's Day... the year before it was 70 degrees out?! It's hard to know when you put your clothes away when the temperature can change so much from week to week!?

So I really think I should just have JDub find us a new huge house that has enough room for several dressers and nightstands and a ginormous walk-in closet. I mean we have 1 dresser (that we share)... and that vanity and closet. That's all the storage I get?!

Blogilates on YouTube is kicking my booty!

Well folks... I have started working out again!! Whoo hooo!!! I came across this workout video on Pinterest and thought okay, Laura, you REALLY need to start working out again... let's try this video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q7L673i8OY

The gal's name is Cassey Ho and she's super cute. After doing this one video I started looking up other POP Pilates workouts and noticed she had a blog... www.blogilates.com. It is pretty awesome! She has a workout calendar for every day of the month!

This is something I need. I have issues figuring out what videos I'm going to do and when. I never know which videos to do together and how many.... So this is just fabulous for me. Another awesome thing is I have a Blu-Ray player that has its own YouTube channel! And I have an iPhone too! So here's what I do every day....

1. Turn on TV and Blu-Ray player
2. Get the YouTube channel up and running
3. Open the YouTube app on my iPhone and connect to YouTube TV
4. I pull up my handy workout calender in my email (or you can print it off which is easier)
5. I search for the videos on my iPhone and add them to my TV Queue
6. Once I have the videos added I hit play from my phone and it automatically starts on my TV!

1-2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

there will be ads in between the videos... my children have memorized the abreva one :)

One thing I have noticed... If I try to pause or fast forward from my Blu-Ray remote it can cause my Blu-Ray player to "freeze" and not work so well... BUT if I choose to pause or forward on my iPhone it works just fine!

**Also if you do not have a smart phone, but do have a Blu-Ray with YouTube channel... you can search through your Blu-Ray player to do each video... it is ALOT more time consuming though... trying to "type" things in with a remote is soo annoying?! It is much easier to type on my phone.

I am a visual person so these videos work great for me. I'm not a big fan of just looking at the moves on a piece of paper with picture layouts. I like having the actual video in front of me to see how she moves. Cassey also has great tips when doing the moves like keeping your core tight and your shoulders down away from your ears... keeping your back pushed down to the floor etc... I tend to forget these things when I am working out "on my own" and I can really strain my neck if I'm not careful. She knows when to remind you to breathe and relax.

I started working out with the blogilates calendar before Halloween and have managed to work out at least 5 if not 7 days out of the week. Not too shabby right?! Cassey is a very positive gal. She has some funny videos and you can see how she's come a long way from just being a pilates instructor to having her own blog and style and quite cute workout videos. The hilarious thing is Ceej is always like "Let's go downstairs and do your workout, Mommy!" I think he might have a crush on Cassey :). It's either that or he just likes hearing her say "Butt" whenever I'm working on my butt! I can tell its doing something because I am sore ALOT. I can't tell necessarily if I look that much better... but I know I feel better! She also has "clean" eating habits and recipes... but eh I like to eat sugar and what not so I'm just doing the workouts. My genes are doing just fine for me right now keeping "thin" so I'll worry about eating clean when I get old right?! I like my coffee and wine and bacon....