I Finally Understand

I never understood why my Grandmother always hung her clothes outside. She just would tell me it's my way to release from stress. So growing up I did not get it. Fast forward to now at age 27 with 3 kids of my own. I love hanging my clothes first thing in the morning after I wash them. I totally understand why my grandmother loved it too. I find it so peaceful to hang the clothes while the gentle morning breeze blows around me. I am not looking forward to winter time and having to dry them inside. This is the most relaxing part of my day. What is your release from stress and to relax?

First Day of Summer!

Today was the first day of summer and so hot and humid. Let the kids go swimming and have fun with water activities. With as hot as it has been makes me wonder what is in store for us the rest of the summer. Last year was wow in the heat department and this year is already getting there. So it got me thinking, how do I get the kids to still have fun but still stay cool. I am going to be brainstorming over the weekend to come up with fun things to do and if you have any ideas please feel free to comment and let me know. Time to relax and read a book. See everyone in the morning.

Ticks Are Out of Control

So this year I have noticed (since we live out in the country) that the ticks are out of control this year. Even if we just go out in the yard to play we end up with at least 3 between the kids and I. Plus there is this really tiny one this year that I have not seen before. Little bugger is sneaky I tell ya. This has put me on high alert when the kids are outside because the last thing anyone needs is someone with lime disease. Also the mosquito's come out before it is even dark out this year. Hopefully next summer it is not as bad but we just have to make it through this summer.

Summer is here!!!

So excited to finally have our pool up. The last two days with humidity we have been in high 90's or in the 100's. The kids love the pool and I am working on a great tan. I know by the end of summer though I will be wanting the heat gone. What fun things do you do with your kids in the summer?

A New School Year

The time came to buy school supplies, new clothes, and a new book bag. Then we had back to school night on August 16th and our first day of school was August 20th. I still can't believe summer went by so fast. But so far this first week things are going really well for my 3rd grade daughter. The only thing we are working on is our before and after school routines. Once we get those going well everything should run smoothly. How is back to school going for your family?

Beat The Heat

I remember when it was winter and all I wanted was for summer to get here. I think it is like that with every season when the weather gets to be to much. Right now we are in the middle of summer and I truly want it to be over. Getting up into the triple digits is no fun. Some way to beat the heat are to go in a pool, go to the lake, run through the sprinkler, or the easiest way stay inside in the AC. Hopefully the weather breaks soon and we can do more activities outside without feeling like we can't breath from the humidity. 

City VS Country Living

I can now say that I have lived in both a city and a country setting. At the current moment I am living in the country. I really thought I would miss the city so much if we moved to the middle of nowhere. The odd thing is yes I do have little things I miss but 95% of the time I love it in the country. With such a big yard for my kids to run and play in I did not know how awesome that would be. Yes the upkeep is a lot but well worth it. The part I miss about the city though is being able to run to the store whenever I need to. I actually have to plan my trips to town now. I do miss having all the activities inside the city though and the parks right there. But having our own yard is like having our own park. Plus if my kids start to have melt downs from cabin fever I can just let them outside to play and they can yell and scream and run around crazy till their heart is content and they are not bothering anyone since we don't have neighbors. Which do you like better, living in the city or the country?

Mondays Are a Drag!

The one day of the week that I hate the most are Mondays. It just seems like there is so much to do around the house after every weekend. Plus to me it feels like the longest day of the week with getting the kids back on our week schedule. Weekends we are more relaxed with our routine then we are on week days. So with all that said time to get many things done at the house and get it back in order. HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE!!!

Stores So Far Away

This is the first time I have lived not in walking distance of stores. It is still taking some getting used to. I never realized how much I just ran to the store to get odds and ends throughout the week till we moved. Now I plan an errand day to save on gas. It has taught me a lot about planning for a whole week. Fridays are the day that I go to town and get everything done. The only down fall is that on this day I am in town for a good 2 to 3 hours getting everything done from our shopping to paying bills for the week. Do you think you could handle going to town only once a week? Honestly I am really starting to like it because I feel like I am not always on the go and can enjoy my family.

A Recipe My Family Loves

There are many nights that I need a quick meal because we are on the go. I have found that cooking at home saves us lots of money. So 7 days a week I cook at home or we have left overs. So here is one that my family loves to have. We call it On The Go Stew.

You will need:
1 pound lean ground beef
2 cans stewed tomatoes (I used the Italian flavor ones)
1 can whole corn drained
1 can green beans drained
1 can beef broth
garlic powder (to your taste)
onion powder (to your taste)

You will brown your ground beef and then drain it. Next you will add everything into the skillet and make sure to mix it really good. Then heat on high and stir often until you get it to boil. Then you just lower the heat and let it simmer for 20 to 25 minutes and just stir it often. This will serve 4-6.

I hope you and your family enjoy!

Back to School Things!

I remember when I went to school and got a list of things that I would need for that coming year. They would ask for things that I would need. Well now my daughter is going into 3rd grade and I feel like I am buying for the whole class. I understand that yes as a student she is going to need things but seriously some of the things are crazy. Half of the things are not even for her and are for the teacher. I guess my question would be do you feel the school should supply the teacher with the materials they need to teach or should us as parents be the ones to buy the extras?

Wishing For Rain!

This summer has had crazy temperatures here in Arkansas. With heat index we are hitting way over 100 each day. So this morning while getting my coffee and checking to see what the weather will be like, I notice this afternoon we have a 60% chance of rain. I am hoping so bad that we do get it so maybe for a few days things can just cool off. Most of the time I don't look forward to thunderstorms because I 100% hate them but right now I would love a good rain storm to help relieve some of this heat. So that's my thoughts for this morning. Hope everyone is having a great Sunday morning.

Save On Your Food Shopping!

For the longest time I hated to go food shopping because it always would cost me an arm and a leg. Until I found an awesome meal planning group. Now that I write out my meals and do inventory on what I have at home I have cut down my food bill. I truly thought this was not going to work at all. But once I wrote out my list and told myself I only buy what is on the list and if it is not on there it does not get bought I found that I was saving so much more. I went from spending $200 a week on food to about $120 for a family of 4. That includes my husbands work drinks and lunch foods. There is also coupons that I don't do at the moment but if you are not into that try planning your shopping trip with a list and sticking to it. You will be amazed at what you can save if you plan out meals around what you already have.

Bedtime Routine

For both of my kids we have a bedtime routine, but for some odd reason it doesn't make it less hectic. If feels like that last little bit drains the remainder of my energy away. I think it's time for me to rethink the routine and come up with a better one. Good night all.

Like a sponge

It's amazing how such a young child can learn so fast. It feels like just the other day that J could not talk at all and now everyday we are adding new words. Most days I am so excited that he can tell me what is wrong or what he needs. Then there are the days when mommy has a killer headache and misses the days with no talking. Just today we learned to say done, book, and truck. It will be know time now till he is holding a full on conversation with me. It is a wonderful feeling to watch him learn.

Where to even start, been gone for about 5 months now. Really wish I did not have to stop blogging but life happens. Just to recap in the last 5 months we have moved, got a puppy, and I was able to go home and visit family in my home state of New Jersey. With the new house things are still taking time to get unpacked. I feel like we have more things then what we actually packed. First goal is to get rid of anything we don't need or use anymore. So tired of finding a spot for something we don't use anymore. My 8 yr old daughter T is on summer break until Aug. 20th. I can't believe school starts back up so soon. My 1 yr old son J is hitting his terrible twos already. Some days I think he knows just what buttons to push for my head to start spinning. Other then that we are just enjoying each other through the summer break. But I am sure there is more to come. Oh yeah here is the new addition to our house Angel.

 

Teething Wish I Could Take The Pain Away 2/21/2012

Well Joey is getting 3 molars in and he is not happy about (not that I blame him). Today has been a rough day because he does not understand how to express that it hurts other then screaming. On top of him teething I think he is getting a cold. It is really like a never ending cycle today. Other then that life as usually with house work and working from home.

The Job Is Never Done!

When you think your day is coming to an end and you can sit down and have dinner with your family, things can just change oh so fast. Dinner in the crock pot is ready to serve but the phone just rang and M has to work late. Same thing as last night. (did not get home till 8:20pm) Don't get me wrong I am so thankful for him to have a job and make good money. But it's nice to have him home at night. Even though I would love to sit down and relax before our bedtime routine that is not the going to be the outcome. I am on call 24/7 and so now it's dinner time for me and the kids, then baths, then story time, then putting them to bed. After everything is said and done with the kids for the night I still have 4 loads of laundry to fold and put away and then work some more today from home. Even though days can be long and stressful I would not trade being a stay at home mom and watching my kids grow up for anything. Even if it means less sleep and rest for this momma! That's all for now.

2/8/2012 Already A Long Morning

Morning time started today at 3:30am due to my 1 year old thinking it was time to get up and play. If only he knew that the sun was not even up yet. After playing for a little bit and getting some of the energy out of his system he went back to bed. Not me though! Next I got my husband off to work and then worked some myself since I work from home part time. After working it was time to wake my 8 year old for school and make sure we made it to the bus stop on time. Then my 1 year old got up again and is up for the day. Breakfast was fun because he is teething and his gums are sore. Now it is time for more coffee and working on getting this house back in order from yesterday. I am sure there is going to be more to come today since the day is still young. :)