Wednesday, February 3, 2016

The days are so so so long


This is my dining room chair. I'm using it to barricade my precious children into the boys' room in hopes of confining them to one area. So far, it has been 10 minutes and only one has escaped. 

Why not use a baby gate? Because it got broken. Imagine that! A houseful of toddlers is only a recipe for disaster, and usually only the important stuff gets ruined. Like a baby gate. I could always go out, pick another up, and use it. But let's be real. The only reason any of us leave the house is for doctor appointments, church, and grocery shopping. Any other reason is just silly in this season of my life. 


Today has been a tough one. No particular rhyme or reason why, it's just been one of those days where everyone cries, nobody is happy, and the kitchen is a continual mess.


Some days just feel as if I can't keep up with the mom-ing, the wife-ing, and the responsible adult things everyone is expected to do. 

But you know, the great thing about it all, is i know that tomorrow is a brand new day. I rest in the fact that today will eventually be over, and I can wake up refreshed (kinda) and with a different outlook on the day. For that, I'm thankful to the One who created "new days." 

So here's a little encouragement for the momma wondering if every single day will be like today....
It won't. Most days, probably yes. Especially in the toddler years. But not everyday. I'm still in the "new season" of life, "child-bearing" years, or sometimes referred to as "yoga pants" stage. I'm actually wearing yoga pants right now as I write this. But I know that one day, I will miss these tough days and I will want them back, even if my house looks like an abandoned shack and I look like a bum off the street. My babies wont be babies forever. And hopefully they wont remember the fact that my hair hasn't seen a hairdresser in almost 6 months. 


So, I'm sharing this great tip of how to "survive" these oh so long, but ever so short years. CANNED CINNAMON ROLLS. You're thinking, "Seriously? Everybody knows that." But wait. If you grab the can from the fridge without anyone seeing, you can definitely pull these babies off as homemade. It's not lying, it's just leaving out details. Be sure to put them in a baking dish, preferably a pretty one from the back of your dish-ware cabinet, because it's all about presentation. Throw them in the oven, and when they are done, warm the icing up in the microwave for a few seconds, and drizzle it on top of the rolls. In 10 minutes, your kitchen will smell like heaven, your husband will think you're amazing, and your children will be singing your praises and begging for more. 


See? She's just dying to take a bite of her "Momma's Cinnamon Rolls." 

It's a win-win solution for everyone involved!





Friday, January 29, 2016

Guess who's back




(Cue Adele's "Hello")

"Hello, it's me. I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet to go over everything.."

I guess you could say that I took a little sabbatical from my "blogging" to focus on my "mom-ing." Good news is that I have a lot to update, because around here, it's never quiet or calm. 


We celebrated Thanksgiving in style. We started our morning with Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade and ended it at a dining room table full of family and food. We had a lot to be thankful for this year. Especially since it was my tiniest nugget's first Thanksgiving. 


...And then of course, left overs the next day is always the best part of every holiday.


We had the best Christmas we've ever had as a family. I don't know if it's because the babies are getting older and are now aware of who Santa Claus really is, or because there was an extra person to wake up Christmas morning. But whatever it was, it was heavenly. The only downside of it all was the fact that the husband had to work. 

But can all the mommas out there give me an amen when I say "Christmas was exhasuting!" It was a blast, the smiles were well worth it, but I'm so glad it's over. 

However, I wouldn't mind leaving my tree up. Thats my favorite part. 


We also received news from The Genetic Testing Center. Remember when I requested prayer for my babies? If not, you can find the link in the archives. The results were NEGATIVE for the Long QT gene.  Hallelujah and amen. That alone made my Christmas a very special one. A medical mystery to most, but for me, it was a miracle performed by the very One who created my tiny humans. I kind of chuckle whenever I think about how much I "worried." Why would I ever have any doubt? God is always so faithful. 


Aside from Christmas being Jesus' birthday, we also are teaching our children about a man in a bright red suit named Santa Claus. No matter how much I talk about how wonderful he is, he is automatically the scariest man on the planet. This was the best picture we could get this year. My oldest was shy, my middle was infatuated with him, and my tiniest thought he was the ax murderer. Maybe next year will be better?



Their favorite part of the holiday season is all the cooking that goes on in my kitchen. They aren't the best helpers, but they sure make it fun. And I sure do love the smell of a ham roasting, apple cider on the stove, and sugary treats in the cookie jar. 

It really is the most wonderful time of the year. 



I made a New Year's Resolution of, don't laugh, starting over on Weight Watchers. It was going great the first two weeks. I lost three whole pounds. Then I got cookie-happy and lost my mojo. I'm planning on starting over in February, but I'm not making any promises. 




January is also the BEST month for diaper deals. Or at least at my good and trusty grocery store, Kroger. This picture above was my recent "diaper" run. The deal has since retired, but I will give details of how I got my price at an all time low. 

I made three transactions in two different days. On this particular week I went, Kroger was having a "catalina" on Huggies diapers. If you spent $30 or more on any Huggies item, you receive $10 off of your next purchase. But the deal gets sweeter. They were running another catalina at the same time in the "Baby Aisle." If you spent $40 or more on any item in the baby aisle, you recieve $10 off of your purchase. HELLO!! That's $20 of free cash just for spending $40 on diapers.

My first transaction went as followed: 
2 box of Huggies - $17.99 each
1 large wipes refill - $5.99
Total: $41.97

I used my $10 of of $40 coupon (I received from a mailer from Kroger)
$2 off of huggies diapers
$2 off of Huggies diapers
$1 off of Huggies wipes
Making my grand total: $26.97
But here's where it gets good.....I got TWO $10 off coupons for my next visit!

So the second transaction I bought the exact same thing as the first, used the same exact coupons, but I added the $20, which made my total $6.97 
But wait! I got ANOTHER two $10 off coupons for my next visit. 
WHAT!?!?!

The third transaction:

1 box Kroger brand diaper (my favorite) - $13.99
1 package Kroger brand diapers - $5.99
Total: 19.98

I used a digital coupon of $2 off for Kroger brand diapers
$20 off coupon
Making my grand total $-2.02
Because the store wont give you cash back, I bought a thing of trash bags for $1 and Herbal essence Shampoo for $1. It balanced out my balance.

So for a total of $33.97 I got 4 boxes of Huggies diapers, 1 box Kroger brand diapers, 1 package kroger brand diapers, 2 large wipe refills, 2 Herbal Essence shampoo, and a box of trash bags. I don't know about you, but that makes me want to do cartwheels across the room.

Like I said, this particular deal is expired now, but i just wanted to show you what I do so you'll be prepared for the next diaper catalina at Kroger!

Shew, now I'm all caught up on my "blogging." Tune in for the next one!



The End.