Mother's Day Flower Pot

Can you believe Mother's Day is already upon us?

I know I can't.

My kids are lucky enough to have both of their grandma's living in the same city as our family.  This makes it fun to do little gifts for the grandparents from their grandkids on Mother's Day and Father's Day.  Even if this just means a handmade card by the kids.

We haven't made the craft/gift yet for this year (I know I only have 2 days left!). I have the idea, but my mom reads this blog and I don't want to spoil the surprise (or disappoint if the idea doesn't pan out!)

I thought I would share a gift we made a few years ago from my daughter for each of her grandma's just in case you're looking for a last minute gift idea!

　

Isn't it cute?

This is my mom's, which has the name "Nonna" written on it. That is what she is called by the grandkids. My mother-in-law is "Nana". (Yes, sometimes this can get confusing!)

I don't have any step by step pictures since I made this 2 years ago. However it's pretty easy to explain:

What you'll need:

Colored paper (or you can just color white paper yourself!)

Green pipe cleaners

Pictures

Clay pot

Acrylic Paint

Ribbon

Pinto Beans (or something similar)

Mod Podge/Glue

What to do:

I took some different colored paper and had my daughter do some fabulous drawings on them. Then I cut the paper into tulip shapes (cut 2 shapes for each flower that you want for the end product).

I glued a green pipe cleaner in between 2 tulip shapes. On one of the tulips I glued a picture of my daughter.  I also added the date on the bottom of one of the flowers.  I like to do this to most gifts I make so that in years to come when your memory isn't as sharp, you can remember when the gift was made!

For the flower pot I just used some acrylic paint and painted "Nonna" (or "Nana" for the other one).  There is also a heart drawn on the other side that is not pictured.  I then glued some ribbon around the top edge in a coordinating color :)

I filled the pot with pinto beans for stability and stuck the flowers in the beans.

So simple!

My mom's still sits on her desk at work. And this is such an easy gift to add more "flowers" as the number of grandkids increases :)

　

Happy Mother's Day to my mom and all mom's this weekend!

Beans, beans, beans

Since I've already introduced you to my best friend, I thought I'd share an even easier recipe with you.
Seriously, easiest dinner you'll ever make.

Ready?
It's oh so cleverly called: Sausage and Green Beans.
And it's one of my kids favorite meals.

Ingredients:

Smoked Sausage
Frozen Cut Green Beans
Seasoning of your choice (optional)

I wasn't kidding when I said it was easy.

I usually add 3 bags of frozen green beans to the crockpot and add some water so that they don't stick to the pot.  I add some garlic and dehydrated onion (because I usually don't have fresh onion on hand) and sometimes some black pepper. 

I add the smoked sausage on top but don't cut it.  The reason I don't cut it, is because just like most of my crockpot meals, it probably cooks too long and that helps it from getting too dried out.
I love the green beans to be on the mushy side for this meal, and so do the kids, so actually it works out well that this cooks for about 9 hours because that helps them get nice and cooked!  Make sure to use a slotted spoon to drain out the water when you serve it up!

Sometimes I do add some sort of potato to this to try and round out the meal, or I'll add a side of garlic bread.  Many nights it can be a struggle to get my daughter to eat her veggies.  Not so with this meal.  Maybe it's because it's pretty much the base of the meal, as opposed to a side item.  I'm not sure why, but I just roll with it. 
Most nights, she asks for seconds!

{please excuse his ridiculous, long over due hair cut in this picture!  I promise it has since been cut!}

I'm all about easy meals that everyone in the family loves.  I grew up on this meal, and it's still a winner in my house!

Hippity-Hoppity Easter's On It's Way

Wow, it's been a while since I've blogged. I know you've missed me (all one  of you that is probably reading my random ramblings!)

Anyway, with Easter right around the corner, I thought I would share my Easter basket ideas.  Hopefully this post will be a little bit more timely than the super bowl post.

While I do give the kids candy in their Easter baskets, I really try to limit the amount that they get. The grandparents' also know my thoughts on the excess candy situation, and for the most part they stick to my wishes. (In the interest of full disclosure, grandparents still like to do whatever they want).  

I'm really not a prude and refuse to give my kids candy or sweets or anything like that (trust me, they get more than their fair share). But let's be real here; no 3 year old and 1 year old need THAT MUCH candy. Plus, mommy is much more likely to eat it if it's around, so it's best for all parties involved if we limit the intake. (Luckily, I'm only on bag THREE of the jellybeans so far).

Both of my kids birthdays are in the fall, so I kind of use Easter as an excuse to give "gifts" that I would probably be buying anyway since there is no birthday or Christmas in the coming months.

So, what are my kids getting this year?!

I'm glad you're so curious!

For my three year old daughter:

*Nail Polish (this has yet to be purchased, it will most likely be purple since that is her favorite color!)

*Sidewalk Chalk

*A new spring outfit (picture the dress with cute white legging capris....that I'm sure won't stay white for very long!)



{source: Carters.com}



*2 new books, with two of her favorite current obsessions (Curious George and Super Why!)

{source: Amazon.com}

{source: Amazon.com}

　

　

For my 18 month old son:

*New spring PJ's (have you caught on to the subtle baseball theme?!)



{source: Kohls.com}

*Rain Coat


{source: Kohls.com}


*Of course, a book.  This is one of my favorites from when I was a kid, but I bought the board book version for smaller hands:

{source: Amazon.com}

*Bubbles, bubble, and more bubbles.  This isn't the exact same bubble set that we purchased, but it's most similar. Basically, it's a tumbler and it's awesome because IT DOESN'T SPILL.  Amazing.  We already had two of them, but we've lost the wand on one and the kids fight over them all.the.time.  So, more bubbles it is!

{source: Amazon.com}

*I will also probably add a ball or something else to play with outside



Other popular items that may or may not make it into the baskets this year (I haven't actually put together the baskets, so we'll see how everything fits):

-Crayons
-Coloring book
-Stamps
-Stickers



In addition to this fun stuff, they will of course get candy.  I like to fill plastic eggs with jellybeans.  Not only does this limit the amount of jellybeans they get, they think it's fun to open the eggs and have surprises inside! 
I'm sure there will also be some peanut butter eggs because they are my favorite my daughter's favorite.  I'll throw in one box of peeps for good measure because what is Easter without peeps!?!

I will also be attempting to be cute and crafty by making a "carrot" out of cheddar crackers.  I bought the Target brand because they are little chicks instead of fish which is clearly more Eastery (is that even a word?!).  I'll post pictures after I actually make them!


If you have any suggestions for items you like to fill your Easter baskets with, share them in the comments!  I would love to hear them!

Be Careful What You Wish For

Wow, it feels like it's been a while since I've posted.  Probably because I've been so tired!  Which is fitting for today's Thoughtful Thursday post!

Have you heard the saying: "Be careful what you wish for"?

I feel pretty safe in saying almost everyone has had these little words of wisdom whispered to them at some point in their life.

I couldn't help but think of this saying, as I have been wishing, pretty much daily, for the past few months, for my sweet little boy to JUST SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT!

To be honest, the sleepless nights don't really get to me when my babies are babies. I guess I just kind of chalk it up to a requirement of motherhood. Neither of my babies slept through the night for the entire first year of their life. Ok, sorry, if we're being completely honest, my daughter DID sleep through the night for about 1 month from about just before she turned 3 months old until right before she turned 4 months old; then not again until she was about 15ish months old. I think it was her dirty little trick to make me think going back to work wouldn't be so bad. I told everyone I worked with it wasn't so hard to go back to work full-time because I had a baby that slept. Life was great! Then she said "HaHa mommy, jokes on you!" and stopped that nice little sleeping through the night bit.

My son has decided to follow in his big sister's footsteps. Only, he's now almost 17 months old and still waking at least  once per night, many nights twice. " Why is he waking?" you might ask. I. HAVE. NO. IDEA!

He wakes up screaming and refuses to go back to sleep unless being held. He will be out cold in your arms and the minute you even stand from the chair, he's squirming and fussing and carrying on.

***Oh, unless he's staying at either grandparents' house. Then he sleeps through the night like a perfect angel and my parents and in-laws think I'm lying to their face for sympathy points or something crazy like that because their precious grandson sleeps from 7:30pm to 7:30am with no problems.***

I've read many books and articles about a consistant bed time routine. The problem is not the going to sleep the first time. He goes to bed just fine. The problem is once he wakes after a few hours. Then all bets are off. I've tried using cue words, music, no music, white noise, night light, no night light, etc, etc, etc. I feel like I've tried it all. This boy just loves his cuddles.

Part of me says enjoy the cuddles. There will be a day when he doesn't want them. Then the other part of me (the working mom who needs to function during the day) says I need my sleep too!! It's been 17 MONTHS of no sleep and times up buddy! Once you turn one, mommy's patience is done.  You're past your grace period!

Anyway...back to the "Be careful what you wish for" phase.

I really cannot think of why I would need to be careful about my wishful thinking of a full night's sleep. What harm can really come of everyone in the family sleeping through the night?!

The Silver Lining

I'm sure you've heard the phrase: "Every cloud has a silver lining". Maybe you haven't heard the phrase worded exactly that way, but something along those lines.

I have heard this phrase many times. I know I've used it myself a few times.

And I couldn't help but think of this phrase after a night we had earlier this week.

Do your kids have a "witching hour"?  Mine do.

And for my son (15 months old), that time usually spans from when we get home from work/babysitter until after dinner. Sometimes it even stretches until I can get him in bed for the night!

Anyway, a few nights ago my son was especially cranky/frustrating and I was trying to quickly clean him up from dinner and just get him in bed. All of a sudden I hear my husband yell...my daughter had thrown up. I came downstairs to see a little bit of food thrown up on the kitchen table and floor. Fun. My first thought was that my daughter gagged on some food and spit it up. As my husband and I are debating this thought, my daughter let us know this was NOT the case and proceeded to release I think just about everything she had eaten all day. In her hair, on her clothes, all of the floor, and the dog. Yes, even the dog was spared no expense in this one. I'm just glad I was standing a few feet away from her at the time!

So, with a screaming son who was already over-tired and needed to go to bed, I helped strip down my daughter to get her in the shower. My son was confined to his crib (and he let me know he was not happy about it) while my husband worked to clean up the war zone in the kitchen.

Once I got my daughter showered and and in pj's, I stuck her in front of a Curious George episode and proceeded to get my son ready for bed. My husband worked to mop the floor then give the dog a bath.

Luckily, my daughter didn't get sick again, but I couldn't help but think of the phrase "Every cloud has a silver lining".

What,  you might ask, would be the silver lining in this situation?

Well, the kitchen floor got mopped and the dog got a bath...both of which hadn't happened in an embarrassingly long time.

So see, every cloud really just might have a silver lining!

　

Thoughtful Thursday:

I'm thinking of trying out a new weekly installment on the blog:


Thoughtful Thursday


Do you ever hear a statement that is truly thought provoking?
Or read a quote that is just  perfect for you or your life at the moment?

That's what these Thoughtful Thursday quotes will be about.

This week's quote is one that quite honestly, I don't remember where I saw it.  But I did, and I love it.
I even wrote it down and have kept it on a little scrap of paper in my purse.  It's one that I want to somehow incorporate into my home, either with vinyl letters on the wall, or on a plaque, or in a picture frame or something.  I'm not quite sure where, but I know I want it somewhere easily visual to remind me every day:

Please excuse the mess...

we are busy making memories.

If we had a dedicated playroom, I know it would be perfect in there!  Since we don't have a dedicated playroom in our small house (our entire house is our playroom!), I have to think of anothe place.  So, whenever I find time (or energy) to complete my dream of showcasing it somewhere in my home, I'll be sure and share it with you!

Grandparent Appreciation Dinner

My husband and I are very blessed to live in the same town as both of our parents.
After we graduated from college and were making plans for our future, we always dreamed of moving to a "big" city and getting away from our hometown (even though my husband and I didn't meet until our junior year of college, we actually only grew up minutes from each other!)

Now that we have kids, I recognize what a blessing it is to have each of our parents close by.  What a different life we'd be living if our family wasn't in the same city!  Some may take this for granted, and sometimes I do too.  I grew up with my maternal grandparents living 12 hours away.  We usually only got together once or twice a year, for a week or two at a time.  My kids have such a different experience having each set of grandparents only living about a 20 minute drive away!  It's also quite convenient (and wonderful, at the same time) to be able to call either of the grandparents to hang out with their grandkids when we make some last minute plans (and by last minute, this still means a few days in advance, but you catch my drift!)

So, this past weekend, we had a "Grandparent Appreciation Dinner"!
It was nothing fancy and planned less than a week in advance, but a great time was had by all. 
We had a pasta bar, with multiple types of pasta, various sauces, breadsticks and salad.  Of course there was plenty of beer and wine too (and milk for the kiddos!)

We know our parents love to spend time with their grandkids every chance they get.  But we still just wanted to take some extra time to say "THANK YOU" for everything they do. 
We love you!!

Church Festival Weekend!

Wow. What a busy weekend we had. I think I'm still recovering.  And Yes, I realize it is already Thurday and the next weekend is getting ready to start.

But I still wanted to share our past weekend with you all!

My in-laws run the Hamburger/Sausage/Chicken booth at their church festival every year. That in turn means they need workers, and lots of them.

And THAT  means they start by recruiting family.

We have worked the church festival weekend, I think ever since I met my husband 8 years ago. I've skipped out on my duties the past 2 years since I had kiddos to watch (I even worked while I was 8+ months preggo with my daughter, but had frequent sitting breaks!)   But this year, I was back in the game. My husband and I worked Friday night while my parents watched the kids. Don't get me wrong, working the food booth is actually somewhat fun, as we get free beer and get to work it with friends!

Church festivals also mean festival rides.

Having an almost 3 year old means she wants to ride LOTS of rides. She doesn't quite get that they are expensive!

So she rode 2 rides on Friday night and promised her we'd come back. Which of course we did.

Sunday offerred an 4 hour, unlimited ride pass at a discounted rate. I thought she might ride just enough times to get our money's worth (she would have needed to ride at least 7 times)...boy did she ever!

I think the giant slide alone she rode 12 times!

　

　

　She also rode the "cars"  quite a few times:

And the other cars, where she got to "drive the wheel"

And don't forget the TeaCups!

Her little brother isn't quite big enough for any rides...so he just had to watch big sister have all of the fun:

The unlimited ride pass was definitely money well spent!

Church festival weekend is always a busy weekend spent with friends and family.  We all had a great time and can't wait for next year when we  can do it all again!

They Say It's Your Birthday.....

Today is a special day.... it's my husband's 30th birthday!

I wanted to take a picture of the kids together so I could make a birthday card for my hubby.  In my mind I had this ideal image of my kids sitting calmly (but of course super cutely) next to each other while each holding one end of a sign that read "Happy Birthday Daddy!"

A girl can dream, right?


A sampling of our mini photo shoot:





I promise she's not choking him

Really?

aww, look at those cute little baby feet!

Notice that I didn't even attempt the cute little sign idea.  I couldn't even get them to sit still long enough to take a halfway decent picture.
What you can't see is that everytime I sat them next to each other, they would both start laughing instantly.  It's like they were plotting against me!



Finally, after what I think was picture 536472 of the photo shoot, I got this:


Happy Birthday Daddy!

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my husband, my best friend, and the most amazing father to our kids.
I couldn't even dream of walking this journey without you.  YOU keep me balanced in this crazy, wonderful life...even on the days I might suggest otherwise ;)

Here's hoping the next year brings you even more joy than the 30 before it.



Where did the last 10 months go?

I can't believe it.

My baby boy is 10 months old today. 

10 months in the blink of an eye.

At 10 months old, my sweet boy:

• has his 2 bottom teeth, and is working hard on a top one (I'm sure it will be weeks before we see it pop through!)
• Climbs the stairs
• (almost) ALWAYS has a smile on his face
• Cruises around ALL of the furniture
• Will walk by pushing anything that will move with him (but is not walking on his own...and I'm not pushing it!)
• Love to get into anything mama says he shouldn't (you know: trash cans, dog food, electrical cords)
• Doesn't sleep more than a few hours at a time (including both naps AND the middle of the night!)
• LOVES his big sister
• Brings so, so, much joy to our family

These past 10 months have certainly been a whirlwind.  Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the mundane daily "stuff" and forget to take time to appreciate what's really important.

As the saying goes:

"The days are long but the years are short".

And some days certainly feel very, very long....

But, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.  Anything.