Past, Today and Tomorrow

So tonight I went to a women's event at my church and it was amazing!! I will be completely honest in the fact that I was very much thinking about not going after my best friend told me she was going to a different campus for the event but I made myself go because I am trying to break out of my comfort zone and build new relationships with people and I really wanted to be in a massive worship experience like I knew it was going to be. Those were my favorite events when I was in youth group because it wasn't a normal church service, people aren't there because they feel obligated or they are checking their box for the week they are there because they want to be and they want to worship with every ounce of their soul and I just really wanted to be a part of that because I haven't been for a very long time. And I can say that tonight did not disappoint! I got nervous the moment I saw the number of women standing in the lobby waiting to get to their seats but I found a few familiar faces and I felt better. And the worship was amazing... it brought tears to my eyes... which worship often does. There is something about singing about the wonderful things that God has done for us and about our freedom in the lord that just always seems to bring me to tears. And then Kristine Cain spoke and it was AMAZING! I had never heard her before but now I want to read her book and I want to see her again because she was awesome! She was funny and engaging and real and transparent and just so truthful and passionate and it was just amazing. And of course as it usually goes when you attend a service like this you feel in one way or another that the speaker is speaking directly to you and today was no different. She spoke about how we let our pasts keep us from our tomorrows and gods plan for our lives. Hearing her talk about her story and her past and how much she has been through but still she was able to truly put her past behind her so that she can move on with her tomorrow and God's plan for her life. I have not dealt with half as much stuff as this woman has but I still carrying pieces of my past around with me everyday. I carry guilt and shame of my past sins with me everyday and I let it hold me back from my tomorrow. This all hit home with me from the beginning but when she started talking about if not for ourselves but for our children or future children it really hit me like a ton of bricks! I have a daughter that is going to be looking to me for example on how to get through struggles and sin and If I dont show her how to move on from that knowing and trusting that God has truly forgiven it all then I am hindering her tomorrow and god's plan for her life! Over and Over again in the last couple of weeks I have heard things that have made me pray for God to come and make a big change in my life and tonight was no different. I am on the edge of something amazing and I know that it is all in God's plan but I have to do some work too. And now I know I have to really start working on me and letting Go of my past to move on to my tomorrow.

Parenting is Hard!

Ya know sometimes you just feel like you are failing as a parent... ok well maybe you don't feel that way but sometimes I sure do! Like today for instance when no matter how long and hard I tried I could not get my child to go to sleep for a nap! I dont know what it is but for me she just doesn't like to do it and heaven forbid I just put her in her bed so she can put herself to sleep. And please I really dont want to hear about how they have to learn and you need to let them cry it out or any of that other stuff because trust me I HAVE TRIED!! My child is just that MY child and just like her momma if she doesn't want to do something she's not going to do it! Unforunately my husband doesn't have a stubborn bone in his body so there is really no one else to blame but me and my entire side of the family. So after trying to put to sleep for a good half hour and then letting her cry it out for a good 20 minutes and then trying again to put her to sleep and once again letting her cry I finally gave up and just let her be up until her daddy came home a few minutes later and put her to bed with little to no problem... Do you know how frustrating that is?!?!?! He is the master at putting her to sleep and it makes me feel like a failure because I can try every trick in the book with no success and then he comes home and takes like five minutes and she's out! Lets see its tuesday and this has already happened twice this week... NOT OK!  But on top of her just fighting nap tonight she was not having going to bed. She'd fall asleep until you put her down and then she'd scream. Blaine being the trooper that he is tried and tried but finally asked for back up because we all have a breaking point. So we gave her some medicine thinking her teeth may be bothering her and then she had some mommy cuddle time and then decided she was gonna try to play... HA I dont think so... so daddy went back to putting her to bed and finally after two hours of struggling with this child she is in her bed asleep! I see all these parents that just put their child to bed and VIOLA they go to sleep... and the fact that I can't do it makes me feel like a failure! I've tried, from the get go we tried, she has never been and I'm starting to believe never will be a just lay down and go to sleep child. Maybe when she's 20! LOL!! And this is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the hardships of parenting. I mean it starts before they even born and you have to decide on how to give birth, then you have to decide to breastfeed or not and for how long, then when to start solid food and how to start solid food and what toys to buy, daycare or no daycare, and it goes on and on and on and we haven't even made it to the one year mark yet! I already have days where I feel like a failure because I can't put my child to sleep I dont even wanna know how I'm gonna feel when I make the WRONG decision about something to do with my child! Its nerve wrecking and scary and hard!! But it is all so worth it! Just that one smile and hug makes all of it worth it. The way her eyes light up and she laughs when she sees me for the first time in the morning or when I pick her up from a sitter after being away from her. The way sometimes only I can comfort her because I am mommy! It makes all the worry, stress, failing feeling. It makes it all worth it and so much more!!

Bday prep

I can't believe that my little baby girl is going to be a year old in a little over a month!! This time last year I was finishing up my nanny jobs and prepping for her arrival as patiently as possible and the days and weeks seemed to crawl by! But now the time just flys! The last 11 months have been wonderful and truly blessed but they have flown by so quickly there are so many time where I wish I could find the pause button, then again I think all parents feel that way at one point. However as we all know there is no pause button for our children growing up so we just have to roll with it do the very best we can to teach them and protect them and give them the best possible life that we know how and Pray to God for all the things that we feel like we can't do because he is able to fill in all the gaps for us! Isn't that just a wonderfully comforting feeling! 

So while I am sad that my baby is going to be a year old before I blink my eyes again, I am also very excited to be planning her first birthday party! Now I know that first birthday parties are really for the parents and grandparents and not at all for the baby but that doesn't change the fact that I want her to have the best first birthday party ever!! And I want her to look back on her pictures one day and see all the time and effort and thought and love that went into planning her first birthday party so that even on those crummy days that we all have she knows that from day one she has had all the love in the world that we could give her! Plus I really enjoying being crafty these days and I am excited to plan a cute little party! But I also feel like its our chance to celebrate the year that we survived. I gave birth to a child and we have successfully raised that child for one whole year! And yes I consider it success but she is alive and healthy and happy and really what else can you ask for! So not only does this party celebrate her first year but it will be a way for us to celebrate our first year as parents! 

Anyways enough about the emotions and what have you about planning her first party now to the fun part! All the crafting I've been doing and a few things I still have planned! 

So of course I've been browsing pinterest for ideas and knew months ago that I wanted to go with the a "You are my sunshine" theme using pink yellow and teal for the colors. Now I have had big plans for months including an awesome cake ordered from the lady who made our wedding cake and paintings and lots of crafts and favors and all that good stuff however with furloughs in full swing from until well after her birthday my plans had to be scaled back a bit but its still going to be awesome! I was a little upset for a while and felt like I wasn't going to be able to give her the birthday I wanted to and the one I know she deserves but then I had to remind myself that no matter what I do its going to be great so I got over it and got crafting! 

   

Working on the highchair decorations. I've seen lots of big fluffy highchair tutus but that was just a little too frilly for us so instead I used fabric in our party colors of course!

                                      

And here is the finished product! I was super happy with it!! Its perfect really!! You can't really tell in this picture but I did add a few pieces of tulle that I had left over from her outfit and it added just the right amount of girly fluff and sparkle :)

This is the beginnings of her bday outfit! Now this is officially the first tutu I have ever made and the first one she has ever had but I couldn't not make a tutu for her bday because they are just so cute!! I thought about ordering one but they didn't have the right colors anywhere plus it was sooo much cheaper to just make it myself and so easy! 

                                      

This is the progress! One thing that was just a little annoying was how staticy the tulle was but it wasn't too bad. However static guard might help a little if I make more in the future. 

                                      

And of course here is my little princess modeling her tutu! So cute!! It turned out a bit shorter than I originally wanted (i have a thing about short skirts on babies) but I'll find some bloomers that match and it'll be super cute!

                                      

Now it was on to the onesie to go with the tutu. I originally thought I'd buy one that is embroidered and has her name on it and all that good cute fancy stuff but then I realized people want upwards of 30 bucks for a onesie with all that stuff and I'm sorry I just can't bring myself to pay that kind of money for a ONESIE! So I decided I'd make it myself and thanks to the wonderful invention of Heat-Bond it was quick and easy! So I got online found the number template I liked best and printed it to size and then found a cute sun that I like to match our theme and printed it to size and we were off and running!

                                              

After I made my templates I just traced them on to the fabric, followed the instructions (sort of) on the heat-bond and POOF adorable bday onesie for my little sunshine! Now when I say sort of on following instructions its because I didn't read the instructions before I cut out my fabric pieces and infact your not supposed to cut out the shapes before you do the first step on the heat-bond so it was a little tricky and bit messier than it needed to be but I made it work! 

Now how perfect is that outfit!! It came together so well and I love it!! Now I debated for a while about putting her name on the onesie with puff paint but I'm too afraid to mess it up plus I figure everyone knows her name! LOL! 

                                                

Of course no party is complete without a party hat! But of course people like to charge way to much for those fancy things too so I decided i'd do it myself! I had fabric left over from her onesie and highchair skirt so I printed a template on cardstock, hot glued fabric to it and then add some feathery fluff! I'm still deciding what other decoration I want to add to the hat and I'll be sure to share a picture once I complete it! 

                                                

All together and perfect! So excited to see my little sunshine happy on her big day in this outfit!

Now it was time for more decor so I got to work on the pennant banner for the mantle. This is the first one i've made and I originally would have liked to be able to make the pennants bigger but we have to go with the space we had to hang it but I think its super cute anyway!! 

                                      

All done and ready to go! I love how it turned out! I figured I can use the happy birthday one again and again and I'm thinking i'll find somewhere to hang the one with her name. Maybe on her bedroom door!  

It has been a busy couple of days with all my crafting but it has been fun and I am so excited how everything is coming together! Now I just have to decide wether or not its in the budget for me to make a painting, and I gotta make the tissue paper pom pom and finish up her hat once i decide what to do! Of course there are still invitations, food, the platters for the food and several other little things that I have to decide and figure out but a huge chunk is done and ready and I'm excited!!! Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more Birthday fun and of course the big finale after her party!! 

Mother's Day

This was my first official mothers day. Last year people wished me happy mothers day and such but we didn't really celebrate at all since I was still carrying Peyton at that point. But this year my hubby and little girl made my day so very special! My day started with breakfast in bed (well i guess restarted cause I fed peyton at like 6 and then went back to bed). Love my hubby for bringing me these gorgeous roses and my super sweet card! And I had to laugh at the fact that he had no shame in bringing home donuts instead of making breakfast himself and I can blame him! I have never seen him make breakfast so I dont know how it would have turned out had he tried. And he promptly said "I didn't just bring you donuts in a bag" LOL! Points for that!

Then after breakfast he brought me my present that he and Peyton made for me!! It was sooo sweet and I absolutely love it!! Plus I'm super proud of him for making it completely from scratch! He didn't buy a kit or anything!! He had some struggles getting the prints "perfect" and finally just decided they were good enough and I told him that they were "perfect"! None of us are perfect and I will remember how much trouble Peyton gave him while he was doing this and laugh! 

Then we got ready and went to church and heard an awesome sermon and got to watch several families dedicate themselves to raising their children up with God! It is probably one of my favorite sundays because its like watching the future change right in front of your eyes! The children are our future and without God that future does not look good but to see so many people dedicate their lives to raising children of God so that our future may look bright gives me such a joy! Plus now I think back to just a few months ago when we did they same thing and it just makes me smile!

                                                 

                                                 

                                                

And then the rest of the afternoon was spent out in the yard and in the flowerbed. I took Peyton with me while I served at the 1 oclock service so that blaine could mow the lawn and then he went above and beyond and edged the yard as well! And when I got back me and my mom did some major work in the flower bed! Still has a lot of work left but its looking better and better all the time! And we even managed to get the yard fertilized with the turf builder! Last year we sucked it up at taking care of the yard and garden mainly cause its not blaines favorite thing to do and I was giant pregnant and it was WAY hot out! But this year I am determined to keep things looking nice... or at least as nice as we can once it gets WAY hot out again!!
I just have to say that I had the most amazing Mothers day and I am so very blessed! Not only do I have an amazing Mother that I am so blessed with but I also have an awesome husband and the most beautiful daughter all of which I got to spend my day with! It really couldn't have been any better!!

saying goodbye to childhood

Ok so I fully understand that I am 25 years old and my childhood was gone a long time ago! But there are still little pieces and reminders of it everywhere for me and I like it that way! I grew up in the same house from the age of 3 until I moved out for College. My parents still live in the same house and I like it that way. Once while I was in junior my parents looked at buying another house and moving and I threw a FIT! I didn't want to move... this was my home and I didn't want to live anywhere else. Which is funny considering the other house would have been bigger but it didn't matter to me! Maybe this is why I dont deal well with big life changes (hmmm). Anyways, in the last few years slowly there have been little pieces of my childhood that have vanished one by one and without me even realizing the significance. But yesterday my mother informed me that they shut off their house phone since they hardly ever use it and it cost entirely too much money! Totally understandable and logical but dang it I could help but go WHAT! NO! I have had that same number my entire life! It was the first number I memorized heck its one of only like three numbers I have memorized now (thank you cell phones) and now its gone! In 30 days if I call that phone number I will have reached a completely different house and a different family! With my birthday coming up (which I'm in complete denial and have decided to just skip it and stay 25) I just realized how many little things have changed and happened in the last couple years that are all little memories and pieces of my childhood. Fact of life I guess but doesn't make me life it anymore!!

Where did the time go?

My little bitty baby is 8 months old and I just can't figure out where the time went! It has flown by even faster than I could have ever imagined! I feel like it was just last month that we brought her home from the hospital and now she's crawling and sitting and eating (like her daddy!) and even has her first tooth and can say Mama and Dada! Its crazy!! At least once a day I look at blaine holding her and wanna cry because she is just soo big now! Ok really she's not that big compared to other babies her age but compared to how big she used to be she is huge! I love every minute of it all I just wish it would slow down just a little bit!
I have been asked several times lately if I'm starting to get the baby fever again and I just have to laugh and say NO NO NO!! I never understood this whole concept before I had a baby and now I understand it a little better but nope still not for me! It's like I told my OB when we were talking about it at my last appt after Peyton was born. I know people get to that point cause they want a little baby again but for me I dont want another little baby I want her to be a little baby again! Adding another baby isn't going to fix that LOL!
Things are about to get crazy busy here in the Finley household for the next couple of months but it is all going to be a lot of fun so we're excited! Although I am ready for July to be here so we can have a free lazy weekend! Oh well I guess its something to look forward to!

Day 5 and seeing a difference!

I completed day 5 this morning and it felt great! Could tell that my endurance is gradually growing and just generally felt really good doing the whole workout! And I can already tell a difference in just these short five days. I doubt that anyone else can tell a difference yet but I wore a shirt today that I haven't been comfortable wearing since I've had Peyton and I felt great in it! And that to me is worth the world!! If this is the beginning of what is to come I am ready!!! Stay tuned!

Day 4... Not good

Well I completed day 4 but I do not feel good about it at all. I just felt very off through the whole workout. I had to stop a couple of times... my balance was off, I didn't feel like I was doing any of the moves right and just didn't feel right at all. I have felt fine all morning... pretty tired since I was up once in the middle night with Peyton and then up much earlier than normal with her as well but other than that I've felt ok but during that work out I just felt off. I felt weak and out of energy and just generally not right. I am proud of myself for finishing because there were several times when I was just going to quite and tell myself I'll try again later... knowing good and well I would not try again later! But I finished it... maybe not strong but I finished it. Maybe that day off screwed me up... maybe I haven't had enough water the last couple of days... I just dont know but I dont like it! These are the days that usually would get me down and make me think that I can't do it anymore. Or I would tell myself well I guess I'll take a break and try again some other time and that some other time wouldn't come till MONTHS down the road. But I'm not going to let that happen this time! I'm just having an off day but I'm not going to let it stop from completing this challenge! Tomorrow is a new day and I can do this! I'm going to try to get some rest today, drink lots of water, and eat better than I did over the weekend so I can start with a fresh start tomorrow!
Now I know this is probably strange but I would like to ask you guys if you read my blog, leave a comment. Just a kind word or a story that motivates you. I need all the motivation I can get these days and it would really make my day to know I have people who are in my same shoes or that are rooting for me to succeed in this journey!

Sundays off

Well I didn't work out today but I decided that Sundays are just a super busy day for us and that there is nothing wrong with taking one day off a week. I know the program is supposed to be 30 days straight but hey I am making it work for me and what works for me is one day off a week! I figure at this point I have gone from no workout to 6 days a week working out... this is definitely a big improvement LOL! But I will say that when I got dressed today I felt as if I could already see a bit of a difference. Now this may be my brain playing tricks on me but I just felt more comfortable in my clothes this morning and for me that is HUGE! Every since I had Peyton getting dressed has been a daily struggle... I don't like how anything looks, I try a billion things one before finally deciding on something and 9 times out of 10 it gets covered up with a hoodie anyway cause I'm still not really happy with my appearance. Well I ain't doing it no more folks! It is time that I enjoy getting dressed in the morning, time I look in the mirror and say hey this looks pretty good! And today was a step in the right direction and I like what the road ahead looks like. So I will be back tomorrow with an update on how day 4 goes but I'm pretty sure I'm going to rock it! Oh and the best part... I'm not nearly as sore today... so I guess you can work through it and it does actually get better! Woohoo!

It was actually a little easier!

Day 3 complete! Hubby even did it with me which was fun! It wAs nice to see that he even struggled with it and he's in the gym five days a week! And I like that he can tell me if my form is correct so I know I'm doing it right!
This morning when I woke up I was tired after a night of not great sleep and being up several times and my muscles were more sore than they have ever been in my entire life and I was not wanting to be friends with Jillian today! But Blaine said you can't have your reward if you don't finish the 30 days and I knew if I stopped I'd never finish! Now your probably wondering what reward... Well I don't know yet but I decided I needed to come up with something that I can look forward to that will help push me through these thirty days! When I decide what this thing will be I will let you know but for now the thought of anything was good enough!
So we put Peyton Down for a nap and it was workout time! To my surprise once I got going the soreness faded away and I was able to a little more and push a little harder than the previous two days! I was amazed that I could actually feel a difference! So today I am excited about what's to come and proud of what I've done this far!

Dear Jillian!

Dear Jillian you are the devil! Your so perky and cheery as you only actually do half the work out that you are coaching us through! As you talk about fighting through it and feeling the burn I kind of just wish that you were actually feeling the same burn because then maybe you wouldn't be so dang chipper about it! I may have had a few words for you today during my workout but I hung in there and I felt that burn (unlike you)!
Sincerely,
Shred victim!

Day 2 of 30 day shred is complete and as you may have guessed it was tough! But I finished! Paused a few less times than yesterday and still used modified moves but I like to think of the banner I found on Pinterest last night... Success is progress not perfection! That shall be the phrase that keeps me going! One step closer to a healthier me and some new clothes! Woot woot!

I am going to succeed!

I use that title mainly because I need to say it as many times as possible so that I can always remember it and make it come true! Today I decided to give Jillian Micheals 30 day shred a shot. I watched the level 1 work out just to get a feel for it and decide if its was something that I felt like I could do without being discouraged. And I decided while I knew it was going to be challenging I felt like it was at least simple enough that I could do the work out without being discouraged by not picking up the moves quickly enough. So I went out and got me a set of hand weights and when Peyton went down for her last nap Blaine and I gave it go. I had Blaine do it with me so he could see what I will be doing so when I complain of being sore and tired he knows exactly why! Plus I wanted him to tell me if I was doing the moves properly! I am so proud of myself because I finished the whole thing! I did pause a couple times for a few seconds and I used the modified moves but gosh darnit I did it! I'm exhausted and I already know that I'm going to be feeling it in the morning but I DID IT!!! Let me give you a little back ground on my work out history... there isn't much but when I have tried videos and such I usually don't make it through the entire thing and then I'm discouraged that I don't try again! Once or twice I've tried for a couple days in a row but after a couple days and I still couldn't really finish it I just gave up. So the fact that I did the entire work out start to finish I am so so proud and it gives me the motivation I need to get up tomorrow and get to the work out! I'm going to do it! 30 days! I have decided to set a very small goal for this 30 days. I simply just want to fit into my prepregnancy jeans by the end of it!  I bought one size bigger jeans so that I could actually have some but refuse to buy anymore! And now the size bigger is a little too big but the smaller size is still just not comfy (or very pretty) so if by the end of this 30 days I can proudly and comfortably fit into my prepregnancy jeans I will be SOOO HAPPY!! So follow along as I can tell you just how much I despise ms Jillian through this journey it is sure to be pretty entertaining! And please give me some support I can use all of it that I can get!!

Changes and some Adorable photos

 I know its been a little while since I'm posted and yes I realize my 20 day challenge that I was so excited about completely went to pot but thats life with a little one at home. Somedays she lets mommy be productive and somedays she doesn't but I wouldn't have it any other way. She turned 6 months old last week and I can't believe! It doesn't seem remotely possible that this precious little child has been in our lives for an entire 6 months but as the same time it doesn't seem possible that we've ever been without her. She is truly the light of our life! She is getting so active and fun these days and just constantly changing. She rolls all over the place and is so close to sitting up on her own its unreal! She has even began to make motions like she wants to crawl but just hasn't figured that out quiet yet! But man oh man does she have a little personality! Even the doctor noticed when we went this last week how active she was and how much personality she has! Peyton was all over the place trying to play with all the doctors instruments which then of course prompted the remark "well no wonder she's so tiny she never stops moving"! Finally the doctor is comfortable with her weight and has decided that she is just making her own curve! We decided that someone has to be the bottom number right? So our little princess is a perfect 12 lbs 4 oz and a lovely 25.75 in long! Long and Lean is this one! But she is growing steadily now! She of course had to have shots this time around but I can say that this was not nearly as traumatic as it has been in the past. She is a tough little girl! However the night after the shots and the following day were ROUGH in our house! It was a very long night snuggling with a tired and cranky child who only wanted to sleep while being held! The following day was pretty much the same until evening time rolled around and she finally started feeling better! Boy am I glad this is not a regular occurrence!
Now to the adorable photos! We took her six month photos this morning with a good friend of ours in Downtown OKC. I could not be happier with the way these pictures turned out and I can't wait to get the rest of them to show everybody! They are absolutely precious and I know I will cherish them forever! A big shout out to Nick Rutledge at NicRutphotography for taking these awesome picture for us! You should check him out on his facebook or at NicRutphotography.com!

Look at that little sassy face! Yes she gets it from me... I can't deny it!

And those big blue eyes are straight from her daddy!!

Weekend Update

Well my challenge got postponed a couple days since little miss had a little cold and needed some extra cuddles thursday and friday but I am proud of myself because while I didn't get the tasks done for those two days I still kept with all the new habits I started in the previous days and I still kept up with all my laundry for those days! This in its self is an accomplishment for me! So Monday I'll continue on with day 4 and just go from there so it'll be more like a 22 day challenge than a 20 day challenge but oh well as long as I get it done thats all I car about!
This weekend has been wonderful so far! Little Miss is feeling much better and we enjoyed a great day yesterday with family and friends! We started out the day having a good friend over for breakfast before we went out in search of a few photo props for Peyton's 6 month pictures. I made monkey bread for breakfast and it was delicious! I hadn't made it in such a long time I forgot how good it was! I also forgot how long it takes to roll all those little balls but it was totally worth it. It was fun for me to think about how in a couple of years Peyton will be sitting up on the counter helping me roll all the little balls! I just know we are going to have so may special memories in the kitchen together! After Breakfast we headed out to some thrift stores and some antique stores in search of an old wooden crate/basket or an old vintage suitcase! We only had to go to two stores before BINGO old vintage suitcase for only 10 bucks! It has a broken latch but since were only using it as a prop for pictures we didn't need it really to be fully functioning! Then later in the evening I checked out a basket my mom has and it will be perfect for a photo prop as well so winner! All props are taken care of and we just have to pick a date with good weather to get this pictures taken! So excited!
After we returned from our shopping trip my wonderful and amazing friend came and stole me away and took me to get manicures and pedicures and it was just what this momma needed!! This is def. something that is just not in our budget these days but it def something that I wish was in the budget! Maybe one day! So for my friend to come steal me and way and treat me to a little pampering I am forever grateful! Being a stay at home mom and a mother who is still nursing there is very little time away from my little one and I think we can all agree that sometimes you just need a little you time! So after the pampering I came home and then it was off to my little cousins third bday party where we spent time with family and watch the kids be kids and just had a good time together! Then a visit a the Jones' to wrap up the evening before heading home! It was an awesome awesome saturday! Some saturdays I enjoy being lazy around the house... but there are days where I just want to get out and do things and see people and this was def. one of them so it was the perfect saturday!
In store for today is grocery shopping, church, and dinner out with our life group! Sounds like a great Sunday hope everyone enjoys theres as much as I know I will!

Day 4 - postponed

So this morning started out great and very productive. Little Miss woke up at 6:00 nursed and went back to bed so I was able to enjoy a cup of coffee, start my daily load of laundry, eat breakfast, run the dishwasher and just relax all before waking her up! That is a great start to a day! Well then it all went down here when I woke little Miss up and she had dried snot all over her face! NO GOOD! Little Miss has her first cold complete with congestion, a slight cough, and a fever! Along with all these things came a little baby who wanted to do nothing but cuddle and not nap! The only nap she took (before the nap master of a husband came home) was about 30 minutes and in her bouncy seat! While I could totally complete the days task now since hubby is home I have lost all motivation! I'm tired and just generally done with today so my tasks will just have to be postponed until tomorrow!

Day 3 - Laundry

I once again didn't take any pictures before and after. Lets be honest the before was a hot mess and well the baby was not a happy camper as I was finishing up so it was on to other things before there was a chance for photos. However today's tasks were accomplished quickly and efficiently! Today was all about the laundry. Now my laundry room  is pretty small so there really isn't a lot to clean which made things easier but I gave everything a good wipe down and dusting and got the floor all swept and mopped and moved a few things that were just taking up space. The decluttering task was to declutter the laundry pile... Well that's still in progress! Laundry has always been a bit of battle for me so one day isn't going to fix it, however I have a game plan now. I plan to get a laundry sorter so that the dirty clothes are more organized which will make the task of laundry much easier not to mention on the day we tackle the closet i will have a heap of things for the goodwill. The organizing task was to create a laundry schedule that works for your family... Now I'm sure I may end up rearranging this schedule after I try it for a while but for now the schedule I came up with is as follows.

Monday - kitchen linens
Tuesday - bed sheets
Wednesday - whites
Thursday - jeans
Friday - colors
Saturday - towels and couch cover

Now I didn't schedule when to wash Peyton's clothes because it really varies each week depending on what we have going on and how messy she is how often I need to do a load so just when I notice her basket full I throw them in. Also in my house since I use cloth diapers I have a load of diapers to wash each day.
The five minute task today was to dust or polish two pieces of furniture. I don't really have two extra pieces that won't be covered in another rooms cleaning task and since I had a pretty fussy baby on my hands today I decided that I could just skip it!
So there is my day three , it was a pretty easy day which worked out great considering my baby's mood lol but this is the day that i think and hope will help the most in my house cause laundry is always the thing I never catch up on but hopefully I can get my sorter soon and follow this schedule and actually be able to keep up! Happy cleaning!

My baby food making adventure!

When I got pregnant there were a few things that I knew I wanted to do once the baby arrived. I knew I would be using cloth diapers (I'll try and write a post about that adventure one of these days) and I knew I wanted to make my own baby food. I have friends who have played around with making their own baby food and I nannied for a family who made all their own baby food and I just knew it was something that I wanted to do. Now some people do it so that their child can eat all organic and while maybe I'll get to that point right now that is not why I do it nor do I buy all organic. I'm still researching on the things that should be bought organic versus those things that don't really matter either way but I am just not on the organic train yet, maybe one day. But instead I wanted to do it because a) I wanted to know exactly what my child was eating and b) it save a TON of money! This goes for the cloth diapering and breast feeding as well! And if you know me at all you know that I am all about saving money! Blaine and I knew when we decided to have a baby that there were a few sacrifices and concessions we would have to make in order to afford to keep the same lifestyle that we had before and I can gladly say that all of these things have been super easy and really are better for all of us anyway!
So thats just a little about why I decided to make my own baby food now I'll share with you my method! Now I know that for alot of families especially those who both parents work outside the home it seems entirely to daunting and time consumng to make your own baby food but honestly its not difficult at all! It does require some time but if you could set aside one afternoon a month then you have all the time you need!

Here is my stash of produce for this month! I make baby food once a month and store it in the freezer. It stays fresh and is easy and quick to defrost and serve. I like doing it once a month because that way I can make a variety of fruits and vegetables and the thought of having to make stuff once a week or so is too daunting for me... once a month totally doable! This month I made Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, peas, apples, pears, and peaches. Peyton also eat bananas and avocado but those I mash up fresh since there is no need to cook them. I buy baby carrots because they are easy to just put in the steamer and walk away to let them cook. No need to peel and chop! Whatever makes things a little easier and saves some time I'm all about. Peas I use frozen and this is because there is just no way I'm going to cook and shuck a bunch of fresh peas. You shouldn't used can peas for this but frozen vegetables are frozen at peak freshness and they are just as fresh when you thaw them so essentially I'm getting the same quality with half the work! I used frozen peaches this time around for the same reason and also because peaches aren't really in season yet so the price for fresh peaches isn't very nice! this summer when peaches are in season and are on sale I will happily make them from fresh until then frozen is quick easy and just as good!

Now some things I boil, some things I steam, and some I bake. It all just depends on the veggie or fruit. For the most part though I steam all the fruits since they tend to get real soft I don't want then to break up in the water and then I would loose half my fruit. Steaming them gets them good and soft while still staying in tact. Carrots I also steam. I don't really have a particular reason for this except that its just easy! Carrots tend to take about 20 mins to steam nice and soft while most of the fruits only take about 10 to 15 minutes.

The squash I bake. 400 degree Oven for about an hour. I always start my squash first thing because I knew it takes the longest and I can just put it in and forget about it while I get other things going.

The sweet potatoes and the peas I boil. Some people will say to steam it all because it allows the veggies to retain more of the nutrients but I use some of the cooking water when I puree it so I figure I keep as much nutrients as possible. Plus I don't cook them to death so I they maintain plenty of nutrients!

Because I don't have a ton of big pots and only one steamer pot I have to do things in batches. Plus I only have so many ice cube trays so I have to freeze things in batches as well. Today I start the sweet potatoes, squash, and carrots all at once. While they were going I put Peyton for nap and began cleaning. When the carrots and potatoes were cooked through I turned them off and let the sit to cool down a bit before moving on to the next step. The squash stayed in the oven until I was done with my cleaning and ready to start pureeing things then it was done too and I was good to go! 

So before now I was using this little itty bitty mini food processor to make her food which took me forever but I did it and I made it work. But now thanks to my wonder Mother in law I have a full size food processor to use which made things soooo much easier! I just load up one veggie or fruit at a time add a little of the cooking water and puree it up. Veggies seem to need a bit more water than the fruit. the fruits are just naturally juicy so they take much less water so keep that in mind otherwise your fruit with be super thin. I usually mix all the baby food with cereal when I'm getting ready to serve it so if it ends up a little thin I dont mind. I'm still learning as I go at this point. 

Once I got it all puree and have made sure its all smooth I spoon it out into ice cube trays. Since my little one is just starting to eat food I still make it all completely smooth. But the great thing about making your own baby food is as your baby grows you can play with the texture of things and make it more or less chunky depending on how they like it! 

Once the ice cube tray is all loaded I tap it gently on the counter to get all the air out and just to even it all out and place it in the freezer. I only have 7 ice cube trays so I have to make things in batches which works out cause I usually only get a few things done before little miss wakes up and wants to nurse or needs a diaper or just doesn't want to be playing alone anymore so I just let what I have finished get good in frozen while I tend to her and then come back to it.

Once the ice cube trays are completely frozen I transfer them into labeled freezer bags for storage! And there you have it! This pictures is missing apples and pears because they were still freezing when I took this picture but this is enough to last my little one an entire month! She eats two cube twice a day mixed with a little formula and cereal. Each cube is about an ounce of food! So far she has like all the food I've made for her! The peaches and peas are new this month so we shall see what she thinks of them when its time to try them out! 

I hope some of you find this informative and perhaps even inspirational. I tend to lay everything out on the counter and just get to work. Between each fruit or veggie I rinse everything real good and then get it ready for the next round at the end I give it all a good wash or run it through the dishwasher and poof I'm done! I love only doing one set of dishes! It takes some time and a little prep work but the peace of mind the money you save is so worth it!! This month I spent approx. 15 dollars on the stuff to make her food for this month. Gerber step 1 costs approx 1.25 for two containers which is about 2.5 ounces so my child would eat two of those a day. Which would add up to over 30 dollars a month! That is a 50% savings!! Now I realize that some stores may have a special on the gerber or what have you but really it would have be a really good sale to make it not be a savings! And if you buy organic those jars run like 99 cents a piece! But not only am I saving money but I am also able to give her a variety of food and I know exactly what I am giving her and that makes it worth that extra bit of time it takes!!

Day 2

Another successful day on my journey through the 20 day challenge to a clean and organized home! Todays task was to clean the master bedroom. This room we tend to keep picked up and I had just cleared off my dresser this weekend so I already had a head start! But I got busy dusting, cleaning windows, washing bedding, and vacuuming. Since we don't keep a whole lot of knick nacks and things in this room either decluttering was an easy task as well today! (I guess my lack of decor is coming in handy) And the organizing task today was to organize the top drawers of the night stand. Well my night stand doesn't have a drawer so I organized blaine's which mostly just had old reciepts and things that needed thrown away so in no time I was all done! Then for the quick five minute task I gave our dining room chairs a good wipe down with some clorox wipes and I was good to go! I was able to complete everything plus make about half of my baby food batch (more on that in the next post) all while little Miss took her first nap of the day!
I am feeling so accomplished and productive through this challenge and can't wait to get all the way through so each room in the house can be nice and organized! I have always been terrible about organizing and when I finally do it it never lasts long. And then I never want to do it again because the task is so overwhelming to me but this challenge breaks it down and makes it so easy and totally doable in the time that I have during the day. I'm so glad I found it! Tomorrow the Journey takes us to the Laundry room! Stay tuned!! I'll try and take pictures each day but today I forgot!

20 day Challenge : Day 1

Well I have completed day 1 of my 20 day challenge to a clean and organized home and I am so excited about it. Blaine stayed home today in fear of getting stuck at work with the snow (that never really came) so he was able to help me out and it made it go by so quickly and we were really able to get it done well and even a little above and beyond what was on the list! So here the break down of what we did today along with a few after photos just to keep things a little more interesting. Today was the kitchen but it wasn't about going through all the cabinets or anything like that it was just a basic cleaning. Since we did our dishes last night I didn't have to worry about that so I started with wiping down all the cabinet doors while blaine cleaned the vents and the light fixtures. We wiped down all the walls, washed the windows, cleared off all the counters and wiped them down real good, gave the sink a good clean which it defintely needed, cleaned the microwave and dusted the inside and outside of the china cabinet. It sounds like a lot but with both of us on a mission to get it done while Peyton napped it only took about an hour and half!

The decluttering task for today was to declutter the countertops but my counter tops weren't cluttered. I keep a few things that I use regularly on my counters and a few pretties and thats it so there was no need for me to declutter! WIN!
The organizing task for today was to organize underneath the kitchen sink... I have organized this several times before and it always ends up being a mess again and there are always things under there that don't really need to be there so it was about time to do this anyway and since I knew I was going to be starting this challenge I stocked up on a few little basket things at the dollar tree the other day so I was prepared!! So now its nice and organized and clean!!

And the final task for the day was the five minute task which was supposed to be tidying up a bookshelf. well lets just say that our office could be a 20 day challenge all on its own so since i didn't have a bookshelf put together for me to tidy Blaine and I took that time (and then some) to rearrange and clean up and attempt to hang a shelf (need some anchors) and put together our bookshelf instead. We got a good dent done so now I won't be so overwhelmed when the office comes around in my 20 day challenge!
And on top of all those things I made dinner, vacuumed, did laundry, washed dishes, took car of peyton, and even got some relaxing time in front of the tv!! It was a very very productive day!! I am so excited to see how the rest of challenge goes and to see how much easier and simpler things are going to be to find and keep organized once its all said and done!! Hopefully my little adventure will give you some motivation to do a little spring cleaning yourselfs or just get your to do list done cause if your like me you have a to do list a mile long thats been building for months but the motivation just never found me but now it has and I am so excited!

A time for change

Well as you could probably guess since  I haven't been blogging much lately after my 2013 goals post that my goals have for lack of a better word... FAILED! I have every intention of picking them all back up and trying again though don't you worry! If I'm being completely honest I have been in a bit of a funk as of late and it has definitely affected my motivation to do much of anything other than those things are absolutely necessary. Maybe its the winter time and lack of sunshine, maybe its the whole not having a car for the past three months and counting, or maybe its just something that happens sometimes but no matter what is causing it I've had enough! I kept telling myself oh well when it gets nicer outside it'll be better or when I have a car again it'll be better, but enough is enough! No more excuses! Today is a new day and I fully intend to get out of this funk starting NOW! With that being said stay tuned for updates on the restart of my goals coming soon!
In the process of coming out of this funk I've decided that I need to get better at this whole housekeeping thing! I have no excuses anymore about not having the time I mean lets get real yes I have a small child at home with me but she's pretty easy and sleep at least 3 hours out of the day so at the very least I could get 3 hours of housework done! Well as most of us our I'm a bit addicted to pinterest and as I was enjoying some quiet time with my coffee before Little Miss woke up this morning I came across a pin about a 20 day challenge to a clean and organized home... BINGO! This things is awesome and I'm so excited about it! Its a lady for australia who does this whole blog about organization and housekeeping and she has some awesome ideas! For me the daily tasks like laundry and dishes and vacuuming (yes with my dog it is DAILY) are not a problem yeah the laundry gets away from me now and again but who doesn't it! But its the organization and all the other that I just can't ever seem to really get a handle on so I think this challenge will be perfect to get me going, get some organization in the areas that we desperately need it and hopefully kick start me to continuing these tasks in order to stay that organized! Plus this lady is genius on how she breaks it all up and she does no major cleaning on weekends! Hello break and family time! Now that is my kind of woman! So this weekend I'm doing a few prep things and come Monday I am starting this challenge! And hopefully by the end of the 20 days (4 weeks since she doesn't do weekends) by home with be cleaning, more organized, and just generally better! So wish me luck and if any of you want to join in on the fun here is a link to the start of the challenge!!

http://theorganisedhousewife.com.au/organising/20-days-to-organise-and-clean-your-home-challenge-pre-challenge-task-1/

2013 Goals

I know I'm a little behind but its been a little busy around here so I haven't had time to sit down and write this post out but its been in my head for like a week! So I don't do the new years resolutions and for the past several years I haven't done anything, just lived life the same as I had the year before but this year I decided that I needed to set some goals for myself in the new year. Now that I stay at home with Peyton I feel like in order for me to feel accomplished I need to have some goals for myself. They are all small things that have very deep seeded meanings behind them not just your run of the mill I want to lose weight this year! I wanted my goals to truly have purpose and meaning for me so that they will be that much easier to accomplish and I can say very proudly that so far I have kept each one of the my goals! But I thought it would be nice to write my goals on here and every so often I'll give an update of how those goals are going for me that way I have a few extra people holding me accountable! So here goes!
1) Read my Bible daily - this is something that I have always struggled with but it has always been something that I know I should be doing so this year because I not only want to do it for myself but I want to be able to set the example for my children in the future I'm determined to make this habit stick and so far it has been amazing! God has opened up that bible exactly where I needed it to be everyday!
2)Tithe the way god wants us to - this has been on my heart for months and every week at church I feel like the pastor is talking straight to me because this is something I've struggled with forever but I decided to pray about it the entire month of December so that I would have peace about it when we started doing it in the new year and so far so good!
3) Run 1 full mile without having to walk - I am NOT a runner and never have been but I'm determined that I'm going to start a little at a time!
4) Exercise at least twice a week - I want to lose weight as much as the next woman but for me its so much more than that I want to be healthy for myself and for my children and that is really what its all about. So far this has been a lot of fun I've found some kickboxing videos I really enjoy and a few fun do with your baby exercises that have been really good! And made me very sore!
5) Be more adventurous - I am a worrier and I am a play it safe kind of person but my husband is not and I know there are things he would love for us to do together if I would just be a little more adventurous so this year it is my goal to let go of some of the fears and be more adventurous. Plus I dont want to teach my children to fear everything so this is my goal.
6) Send more birthday cards - not just birthday cards but just cards in general. I am always thinking of my friends and family especially on their special days but I've never been good at remembering that little card that I know personally can make all the difference and brighten someones day so I want to start that habit.
7) Read 5 new books- lets be honest we watched entirely too much tv in my house so I hope by setting a goal to read more the tv will turn off a little more plus I want to expand my horizons on the types of books I read! Gotta keep the brain working!
8) Read with Peyton each day - I want her to have the love of reading and learning and I know that it can start now so we start everyday by reading a story from her bible stories for kids book and she loves looking at the pictures and listening to mommy read! Not only will this teach her a love for reading but it is also starting the habit of starting the day with god and that is what I want for her more than anything!
9) Pray Daily - I've always been a prayer randomly when something happens but I want to pray continuously and with purpose. i want to have a relationship with god that i can pray with him for anything and everything and nothing at all so I've added a prayer to the end of my bible reading everyday!
10) Be a better wife - this is just a goal to better myself and my marriage. i think we all have things to work on but you have to admit before you get change it so this is my way of starting the change!!

Well there you have it my goals and their purpose for 2013! Wish me luck!!

Our New Years eve Adventure

Ok so I mentioned in my previous post that we had a bit of an adventure on new years eve while were trying to drive home from Nebraska. The trip started out nice a sunny and calm and no worries in the world. Peyton was behaving Blaine was driving and I was reading in the backseat... all was right in this little road trip world of ours. We made a stop in York to eat lunch, and feed Peyton and then it was back on the road. Well once we get back on the road it seems the further south we go the darker the sky gets until eventually we hit snow. Ok not so bad until we continue going and the snow just gets heavier and heavier to the point that visibility is not super great at this point and the road are starting to get covered. So by the time we make it to Concordia Kansas which is about 50 miles north of Salina my nerves are completely shot and I tell Blaine I don't think its safe to go any farther. He tries to argue at first but after seeing how upset I was about it says ok we'll stop. So I see a sign that there is a holiday inn express just a mile into the town and we say great we'll stop there and get a room. At this point I've called people to check the radar for me and by the looks of the radar we were going to getting out of the storm anytime soon and it was supposed to continue on into the evening and night (it was about 3 in the afternoon at this point). So we go up the road to the Holiday Inn.... and of course this hotel sits on probably the biggest hill in this entire town and we can't get up the drive to the parking lot. Blaine tries both entrances and somehow doesn't get us stuck (I was terrified) so by this point I'm in the back seat in tears because I'm so upset and scared and I just want me and my little baby off of the roads and out of the cold. We had seen a super 8 motel just a few blocks back so Blaine says we'll just go there and thats what we did. They had a room, gave us a discount cause Blaine works for the federal government and so we bundle up and get out of the car and into the hotel. Blaine brings in the few things that we need for the night without unpacking the entire car in the snow and we just get comfy. Peyton naps a bit we watch some tv and play some angry birds just trying to make the best out of a not so great situation. Blaine treks next door in the snow to Mcdonalds later in the evening to get us some dinner (love my hubby) and we watch tv till we can't keep our eyes open anymore and call it a night. It def wasn't a super great New Years eve in fact I'm pretty sure we were asleep by 10 but around like 1230 Peyton made a few little noises that made us both stir a bit look at the clock realize it was after midnight we both said "happy new year" in our most unenthuased sleepy voice and went right back to sleep LOL! Aren't we so much fun!! Then in the morning we got up, had some breakfast, loaded the car back up and hit the road. The roads were still pretty gross when we first got started but by the time we made it to Salina they cleared up pretty well and we managed to make it home without anymore incidents! It was not the road trip home that we had planned by any means but thankfully I have been blessed with a wonderful husband who keeps calm in bad situations and we were able to make the best of it. All that matter to me was that we were together and that we were safe but man I can tell you the words "Home Sweet Home" never rang so trip after that trip!!!

Nebraska Christmas

We are home from our vacation and after two days of travel I have never been happier to be home. But thats a story all its own so I'll save that for my new years blog post! Anyways, we really enjoyed our time in Nebraska this christmas and we were all very blessed as usual! We drove up the day after christmas and as we drove we watched the temperature drop and the snow started getting deeper and deeper! LOL! But it was a beautiful sight and the roads were good so I didn't mind too much... although it was def. COLD! We spent a lot of time just relaxing and hanging out with family which lets be honest is my ideal vacation! We were able to celebrate our nieces birthday on Thursday along with Blaine's dad's and then we just enjoyed a lazy relaxing day Friday and did a little shopping as well. It was relaxed unplanned and wonderful! Then saturday was family day. We started the day by taking family pictures and let me tell you that was quite a task LOL! Considering our family pictures included 14 people and 6 of those people are 4 and under! So we planned it all out so that the children were napped and fed and happy. Well that would have been wonderful if the portrait studio hadn't been AN HOUR BEHIND! So needless to say our plan was out the window and the kids were OVER it by the time it was our turn to take pictures! But we did end up with a decent picture of the whole family and a pretty cute one of just the 6 kids... I dont really know how we managed it but we did LOL! After the lovely experience we all went back the Blaine's parents and enjoyed a day playing and laughing and eating... the way the holidays should be. We had a wonderful lunch of all the typical holiday food and then we opened all our gifts and we were so very blessed and Peyton is such a lucky little girl!! It was so fun and such a wonderful time! Then we just spent the evening enjoying eachothers company! Sunday we just had another lazy relaxing day and enjoyed every moment of it! Then we drove home... which is a story all its own! For now I'll leave with you some pictures from our trip!

There was lots of snow when we got there and it snowed a bit while we were there as well.

Peyton just hanging at having some tummy time!

Blaine and I having fun at Tempey's Bday party

Another snowy picture

Blaine was super excited LOL!

My sweet baby girl ready for a day of shopping!

Cousin Love!

Riding in the shopping cart for the first time!

Aly and I ready for family pictures and christmas!

Papa playing with his boys!

Peyton and Me hanging out! Enjoying our vacation!