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....

A Star Wars Halloween

Well I didn't think I would be able to top last years' Halloween.....

But I sure had to try! Little Miss M was really making it hard though... She refused to put on the costume! You'd think I was trying to put her in a straight jacket. She finally pulled through (or JDub did anyway!) and she wore it on Halloween :)

Star Wars is kind of a big deal around our household... here's a small glimpse of the random toys I could find around the house... there are tons more..

Thankfully I found Ceej's costume on sale last year after Halloween. And most of Bubba's Darth Vader I already had from Star Wars day at the library a while back...  JDub played along with a $2 vest my mom found at a consignment shop. I found most of mine at consignment as well. I did buy the white leggings from JCPenney b/c well they're cute and I'll wear them!

 

I'd say the most tricky part was trying to figure out how I was going to get the Princess Leia buns... I did just donate 10 inches of my hair so I opted for some yarn buns. I used the only yarn I had... a light brown and a few strands of orange. I wish I would have used a darker brown... but it was the only yarn I had at the time. I used my sock buns and they worked like a charm. Thank goodness for bobby pins and hair spray. All in all it was great Halloween. Oh and I did make Ceej's jet pack too! Out of Coke bottles, some foam and spray paint! Oh and don't forget the duct tape too.

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!?

Poke a pumpkin game

So I'm pretty proud of how my poke a pumpkin game turned out!!

I found the idea on Pinterest! I found orange paper cups from Target and glued them to the black foam board with my hot glue gun. The original pin used plastic cups and she mentioned you might have some melting going on... so I opted for the paper cups instead. Then I found some orange tissue paper and cut it up into little squares. I made sure they were a little larger than the cup opening and just put them over the prizes inside with rubber bands. then I had some extra brown fabric and glued it to the board for the stem! I had some cute Halloween stickers to jazz it up a bit. I found a free chalkboard font website to find the lettering as well. I printed the lettering out on regular paper and used a pencil to write over the letters and kind of indent the board,  I used a white crayon (cause those rarely get used anyway right?!) to trace over the indentations.

This is for Ceej's preschool Halloween party coming up in a couple weeks. He already busted through one.... that kid has no patience! But it was an easy fix. I hope the kiddos like it!

On another note... I found this cute sweater dress at Goodwill over the weekend... of course JDub has no appreciation for my sense of style... but I thought it was cute!

Preparations for Halloween are coming along! I still have a bit of work to do... and if I can come across some white boots that aren't $50 that would save me some time... but oh well. I can make do with what I have. I just love dressing up! May the force be with you!

FYI I have red hair

So my mom and I were discussing the other day how there are so many stupid people out there?! Ha I know... not exactly a revelation... but still... Almost every outing I take with my children in tow, almost daily; I get asked one little question. A question that makes me cringe. A question that makes me want to punch random strangers in the face.....

And that one question is....... "Where does all that red hair come from?!"

Well guess what folks... I HAVE RED HAIR!! Yes I do! You can try to look at me strangely.... you can try to squint and say "no?!" But here's the deal folks. My hair is red. My children get their red hair FROM ME!! So please stop being idiots and asking where it comes from. You might just catch me in a bad mood and I might spout off. If you're lucky I'll be nice and smile and laugh (instead of rolling my eyes and giving you the evil eye).

I'll admit my hair is not fire-engine red. It was more red when I was younger. And when I am standing next to my children it looks less red. But it is still freaking red OK?! Strawberry-blonde if you will. But us red-heads stand together ok?! We embrace all the shades of "red" that are out there. And we don't hate. You non-red heads need to get it together.

My mother, who is from the south, gets asked (almost daily) "Where are you from?!" She has a southern accent, because well... she was born and raised in the south! She's lived in Iowa for over 20 years... and yet still gets asked that. Again stop being stupid. Maybe you should say "I just love your southern accent" and leave it at that.

So I'm just curious for all you readers out there... what's the number one stupid question that people just can't seem to stop asking you?!

ok... rant over... its been a while :)

30... so that happened?!

Well folks... its official... I'm in my 30's... YIKES! Birthdays just usually come around and I'm like "yea its no dig deal!" But this year was different. I feel really old. There have been more times that I didn't get ID'd this year than in the past. Some days I feel like my body is falling apart! I know I need to work out... but I've been really lazy about it since Miss M was born. I mean carrying around a sack of potatoes all day (aka Miss M) is kind of like a work out right? I'm really starting to question my wardrobe too... Am I too old to be wearing leggings all time?! I think I still look 20ish... so I can pull it off right?

Well my 30th birthday was pretty awesome. I'm not gonna lie... it started out a little rocky; what with Ceej waking up at midnight needing his water. Then again at 12:30 saying the "dust mites" were getting him. Then again at 1:00 with the same thing?! We went out to lunch at my FAVORITE pizza place in town... Zoey's! Which I would usually never do on a Friday (when JDub is working) but hey, I have some great friends that love Zoey's too so we all met there. Honestly, the lawn needed to be mowed to bad; but I refused?! I mean it was my bday after all.

(I actually  made the card on the left for my aunt... but its cute right?!)

 JDub did a FABULOUS job of picking out my new bag and wallet. Super cute right?! I may have sent him a link with the exact purse I wanted... but hey he got it. And I have to give him props for the wallet.. he picked that one out all on his own?! AND I LOVE IT!! If you are looking for a cute new bag you should hit up PurseNality of Marion. You can even shop online if you can't make it into the store! A good friend of mine owns the place and its fabulous!!

Ice cream cake..... its what's for dinner!

The boys had been going to a great VBS all week from 5:45-8:00 so while they were at that... JDub and I got a yummy ice cream cake from Coldstone (yikes that thing was $30?! but delicious) and that was my dinner! I couldn't even finish the whole thing... We stopped at a Redbox and grabbed a couple movies and that was it! A pretty great day if I do say so myself.

You know you're getting old when you ask for a new mop for your birthday.... It's not just any mop.. but a Norwex mop. So far its pretty awesome too. The dry mop is alot like a Swiffer; but you don't have to throw away all the "pads" you just brush it off and wash it and re-use it!? You don't even have to wash it after ever use! With my wood floors I think its going to be great.

I feel pretty good about accomplishing my goal of being 30 and no more babies! (Unless God had some other plans.... I'm just saying my planning for that is all done!) At 30 I am perfectly content staying at home, watching Netflix at night, and having playdates for the kiddos! Most would probably think I'm lame; but I'm okay with that.

Thanks for all the bday wishes! I am blessed!

Another Dinosaur Birthday Party!

Ceej is four?! Here are a few pics from his recent Dinosaur party....

Dino Pinata... full of lego sets!!

Lawn Twister... all though it was a large scale for the kiddos...

Dino excavating... of course one dino did lose a limb..... 

The birthday boy "whacking the pinata" as he called it.

My 3-D dino cake!

Poor thing didn't make it all day... the weather was so beautiful it melted his head right off!

"Dino" egg hunt (it was Easter afterall)

We could not have asked for more beautiful weather!! While the adults were hiding the eggs I made sure to go through my resurrection eggs and focus on Jesus for a bit. I mean it was Easter... Ceej didn't need the whole spotlight. 

We did lots of fun things... like Dino excavating. I bought some cheap, small dinos and froze them in little cups. Then I let the kids hack away at them with some little wooden axes. Ceej is big on destroying things! I knew he'd love that... Then I made the giant pinata! I filled it with a few Lego sets and kept them in the bags thinking that would help us not lose any pieces... but we did anyway... oh well! the adults had to finally step in b/c that thing was indestructible! I had the dino cut out of cardboard from making the pinata and thought it would be cute to do lawn twister... but with dino shapes! Well the idea was good... but the scale was way to large for the kiddos to participate.... now I know! And we had a "dino" egg hunt as well. All in all I think all the kiddos had a good time. I was sad my dino cake lost his head about halfway through the party... but eh... he tasted good!

Happy 4th birthday Ceej.... you sure are one of a kind!