Washing Momma’s Car

After getting back from a week of travel, I had a LOT of clothes that needed washing, a house that needed cleaning, and two babies that needed “momma time”.  side note- I have to give MAJOR props to my poor hubby.  He had a week from you know where while I was out of town.  He had help from both grandma’s but he still was stressed out come Friday.  It wasn’t just taking care of the babies without momma here, but he had more to deal with.  For starters my car was in the shop (and had been for going on two weeks) the rental car we had apparently was due back on Monday, however we didn’t know it.  The dealership called me in class on Tuesday looking for the rental and said mine was ready for pick up, I guess we were just supposed to know that!?  So hubby had to rush get the babies then the rental car, beg his mom to take him and the babies to the dealership and get my car.  Then Wednesday, little man was sent home from school sick only an hour after hubby got to work.  Thursday was good, until he got a call from the daycare saying that baby girl’s eye was running.  When he got home he said it looked like someone punched her in her face.  Friday morning he had to take her to the doctor and found out it was pink eye.  Then she began running a temp and he had to send her to my mom’s because I wasn’t expected to get home until close to midnight.  WOW!  What a week for my poor hubby.  I have said it before and I will say it again, I have been blessed with the most amazing man I could ever imagine for my hubby and baby’s daddy!! Thank you baby for holding down the fort while I was gone, you rock my socks and I love you so much!

Ok, back to washing my car.  My car has only been washed…maybe…two times since I have had it.  So it was due!  We started with vacuuming then was to the fun part! 

Make work fun, and they will work for hours!  *tips and tricks of being a mommy, haha*

I think they give Super Suds a run for their money.

Oh wait, we can fit in the buckets!?!? Heck yes!

After a long afternoon of washing the car, they were ready for some popsicle time. 

After we cleaned up we headed inside for some Mickey Mouse time before nap.

I cannot believe how big my babies are.  I swear they grew ten times faster this week that I was gone.  Speaking of, little man has kept us in tears from laughing lately with his comments and carrying conversations with us.  I cannot wait to get a Kids Say post out with some of his latest words!

It was a perfect ending to my incredibly fast weekend! 

 

I’m starting my week with prayers for those already effected by Isaac and praying that his impact at landfall will not be too rough.

Change Up My Wardrobe

Have you seen all those adorable outfits on Pinterest and wish it was an unlimited shopping spree.  I have done that since I signed up with Pinterest.  I always look at others and think they look so put together and cute.

via

Cant find that source.  You can follow my “the look” pinboard here to see all more ideas.

I have NEVER been able to dress “in style”, in my opinion. I started following a couple of fashion blogs, What She Wore 365 and Putting Me Together. I love them both for different reasons. What she wore is awesome and taught me how to put things together that I never would have thought about. While Putting Me Together has shown me that adding an accessory or two can really change an outfit.

I got a bag full of clothes from my SIL and could not be happier about all the “new” things to choose from in my closet. I also hit up our Country Dollar (for those not aware it is an amazing accessory show where everything is a $1). Country Dollar didn’t have too much but I did get a few new items. My main goal in doing this is that I wanted to start looking more put together and more like an adult.

I had training last week and wanted to look like a professional while I was there so I really focused on getting some new ideas for that training.

So, here we go my new “style” (if you will) of dressing…hope you like it!

New shoes!  LOVE them

One of my new Country Dollar purchases.

Had to take a picture of my nervous face.  This was test day!

I have been trying to dress better for two weeks and it really has helped me by looking at Pinterest and the two blogs I shared.

I’m a Runner- Say What?!

I have some “baby weight” left and a new found “figure” after becoming a mommy that I want to take care of.  At the beginning of July I started slowly working on a healthier life style for me and my family.  I started slowly because I did not want it to be a shock and let’s face it I’m a fat kid and we love to eat in this house!  About three weeks ago I started the C25K program, then two weeks ago I got really serious about what I was eating.  The C25k is a great program to help you go from nothing to running a 5k. 

The hardest part has been eating and cooking.  I love grapes and oranges, but other than that I’m not a fruit eater.  I don’t really eat a lot of veggies.  But I am finding new and healthier snacks for us. 

Some of these pictures may be duplicates, they are all from my phone so are not the best quality

First thing I tried was switching oil in baking with apple sauce.  This sounds absolutely disgusting to me, but it really was not that bad.  Instead of using oil when I baked our chocolate muffins I used the same amount of apple sauce.  I’m not sure how much, if any, calories this saved me but they muffins were really good and moist.  I could not tell that they were “different”.  I probably would have been healthier by not eating them at all, however that is exactly why I do not diet.  If I want something I’m gonna eat it.  Calorie counting works so much better for me.  If I go over on my calories then I just walk an extra 15 minutes.

To add to my healthy-not-so-healthy eating, I spent  the Sunday before last prepping my healthy for the week foods.  One of those being my breakfast so I baked bacon for each day of the week.  Why I chose to bake instead of fry?  I read at one point that baking bacon on a cooling rack with a cookie sheet underneath would help the bacon drain the grease.  It was DISGUSTING to see all the fat dripping off the bacon as it cooked.  To help get some of the fat off it I flipped the bacon every 10 minutes and patted it with a paper towel.  Then I put two pieces in a snack bag and put them in the fridge for the week.  They were so nice and easy to just open the fridge and go.

I did the same thing for my snacks for the week.  Measured each portion out and put it in the little bag.  To make my calorie counting easier I wrote on the outside of the bag how many calories were in each bag. 

To start my C25k program I got some new kicks.  My old shoes were killing my feet, they were only six years old so I guess it was about time to get some new ones.

I also got new under armor shorts…they are my new found LOVE!  You have GOT to get you a pair of these if you are into running/walking.  They are tight and light, they don’t move when you run.  I know I am not the only lady out there that has to adjust her shorts during her jogging sessions, is that not the most annoying thing during your run!?

Because you can’t just do cardio!  I got me a medicine ball…that eight pound baby will give you a workout!  Typically I walk three days a week and do some strength training, either medicine ball or with hubby and the weights.  Then I do another three days of just running.  I alternate the cardio and strength training and have one day off a week.  It’s tough but it’s fun, and what has made it much more fun is hubby is doing it with me! 

We enjoy weight training together.  It’s good to have a partner keeping you in check.

I even started using my break times at work to walk.  I have fifteen minutes in the morning and fifteen in the afternoon.  The only problem is it looks as though my shoes at work are worn out!  I may need to invest in new tennies for the office!

Part of our biggest problem was grocery shopping.  It is so hard to go to the store and not get potato chips, cookies, etc.  But look at this buggy from our last trip!!! I’m SOOOO proud of us. 

DUDE, we spent $30 on VEGGIES!!!!

I have made green beans like this in the house, but I wanted to give them a shot on the grill…they were not too bad!  I prefer them on the stove top.  (psstttt:  see I told you we aint giving up everything, those ribs were AMAZING…BUT we only ate two!)

*FIRSTS FOR ME*

1.  I never thought I would say it but I did say it this week, I LOVE to run!!  How weird am I?  I find it relaxing and a huge stress relief for me.  I am excited to see how long I keep it up and how I will grow as a runner.  I have a goal to run by Christmas (and have lost a significant more weight).

2.  I never thought I would plan my lunch when we are going out around how many calories are in the meal.  It’s a lifestyle change and I am slowly but surely learning how to live that lifestyle.

3. Tonight was the first night I have gotten a cramp.  I have never gotten a cramp from running but I did tonight and it was NOT fun.  But I didn’t stop (ps I ran 3minutes straight tonight, woo hoo).

 

Today I found some new iPhone apps that I am testing out to see how I like them.  I will have to post about them once I have decided if I like them and give anyone who is interested a run down!  I am really proud of my small, yet large, accomplishments.  I hope to continue in my running and healthy eating journey.  I hope that it will pay off come Christmas and I weigh in at my goal weight!  But for now I need it to relieve stress and I’m really having a blast running.

 

Oh and by the way, I have always heard that it some times takes a while before you see results…I guess I’m just one of those lucky ones with “good genes”!

har har a little bad joke to end a Monday night post!  Night yall!!

Sensory Bin #1: Pasta

A friend of mine introduced me to sensory bins/activities for toddlers back at the beginning of July.  I only attempted one that she suggested and I liked it and the babies LOVED it.  After that I “got busy” with everyday life and didn’t think about them again until another blog I follow posted her sensory bin and how much her daughter really enjoyed it.  I have noticed in the past few weeks that my babies seem bored with their toys.  Hubby and I threw around some ideas but we just don’t have the money to fork over to ditch their old toys and buy new ones.  After reading again about the sensory bin this week, it was like a light blub moment *my babies need sensory bins*.  I started searching around the internet and came up with so many ideas.  I planned out the remainder of the year full of sensory projects.  I’m hoping to accomplish two a month and I’m trying to keep them themed for the month.  I’m really super excited about them and cannot wait to play with the babies and their new adventures.

 

Our first bin is a dry pasta bin.  But before I get to explaining my bin I want to share what I found to be the most helpful site incase you are looking for sensory ideas.  I googled many different blogs and articles and came up with my “game plan” from collaborating all the ideas together and decided on what I thought was best for our family.  But my favorite site of them all was Play Create Explore she has so many great ideas if you have youngins in your house.  I loved her stuff so much, she has officially been added to my reader!

 

So, what did we do with our pasta bin?  We ate it!  I’m not kidding that was babygirl’s thought…I mean it IS pasta mom!

At first little man was the only one interested, but then I got down and showed them what I hoped they would do with the bowls, cups, and spoons. 

They acted like they thought it was Christmas.  I put two boxes with dividers in the bin and told little man to separate the pasta by shape find ones that look alike.  I showed baby girl how to take the wooden spoons and stir the pasta.

Then I showed them how to use the cups and move the pasta from the bin to their very own bowl.

They were really enjoying themselves.  I know I could have dyed the pasta, and honestly that is my intent down the road.  But I thought lets start basic and I will work my way up as they get used to this idea. 

Little man even tried balancing the pasta on the spoon.  It is amazing to me how having children can make things simple again.  I sit at work all day stressing over things that seem so important and so big, then I get home with my babies and hubby and things seems so simple.  Pasta, dry pasta and a few bowls, and they are amazed.  All it took was pasta!?  How much money do we spend on fancy toys and the latest and best, and all they needed was pasta!? 

I put one of their toy spatulas in there and showed little man how to use it to move the pasta from one dish to another.  They really enjoyed it and I love the idea of introducing them a new bin every two weeks.  I look forward to the different activities I have planned with them and watching them grow and learn along the way.  Have you thought about a sensory bin with your little one?  I highly recommend them if you haven’t, and a BIG thank you to my friends for sharing this great idea with me!

 

P.S.

I do not recommend introducing a pasta filled activity 30 minutes after dinner was supposed to be done, and you are just starting to cook.  I do not recommend a pasta filled activity when you are thirty minutes later than normal getting home and your babies are EXHAUSTED.  These two situations can lead to a MESS, and by a mess I mean the pasta all over the floor, the babies fighting over a spoon (even though I specifically put TWO in the bin) and momma pulling her hair out trying to break up fights, keep the pork chops from burning, and clean up pasta without stepping on anymore pasta!  I will bring the bin out next time in a “happier” time   Just my opinion and suggestion, you will find what works best for you and your family.  I do have to say they were sheer joy for 30 minutes then they realized the pasta was raw, and dinner wasn’t done…it’s mommy’s fault I knew better! 

Much happier babies after they eat!