The Ups And Downs Of Mommyhood

Yesterday was an awesome day...

Our typical Thursday goes as follows; wake up, breakfast, get dressed, chiropractor appointment, grocery shopping, story time at the library, back home for lunch, nap time, school/computer time, t-ball, dinner, bed.

Everything that could go right yesterday, did...

The kids slept in, the played nicely while I made breakfast, the got themselves dress (which is a good or bad thing, haha), Buddy Boy cooperated at the chiropractor, they were AWESOME at the grocery store, even though we were late to story time they enjoyed what was left of it, everyone took naps at the same time (including me), school time was smooth, there was no drama or injuries at t-ball and park play, everyone ate their dinner and went to bed on time. 

Today Sucked!

Our plan; wake up, breakfast, get dressed, got to the bounce house place with friends, Target trip, take Daddy lunch, nap time and school/computer time.

Everything that could go wrong, did...

Kids were up at 5:45, arguing started, it was a fight to get them dressed, fight to motivated them to clean up, fight to get them in the car, left the house with the dog outside, got half way to town (about 25min from home), neighbor calls to say they have said dog, drive back home to put dog away, drive back to town to the bounce place where bounce time was now half over, bounce (only good time so far today), melt downs while getting into the car, whining at Target, Buddy Boy breaking a vase, leaving Target with nothing that I needed (oh well, we only live 45min from Target!  So I guess I will just take another trip out there), decide to head straight home, melt downs because we don't get to see Daddy, kids fall asleep 3 mins from home, they don't transfer into their beds, me losing my mind and now blogging!

Why can a mama not get a break!?!  Just when you think that things are getting better and you are at least treading water instead of drowning, you get dunked back in.  Blah!

And the things that go through my mind on these days are about as polar opposite as the days themselves...

I can totally have 7 more kids! vs Why am I having another baby?

I love being a stay at home mom! vs Can I get a real job?

I can homeschool! vs Can I ship these kids off?

and on and on and on the list goes.

I know that everyone has these days and that this too shall pass.  But when you are in the thick of it, good lord it seems like it will never end!

Snow Day

One of the awesome things about living where we live, is not only do we have great weather 95% of the time, but we also only have to drive about an hour to get to the beach or to the mountains. 

We had a big snow storm about a week ago and then a few sunny days, so we thought it would be the perfect time to take the kids up to sled and play!

Everyone excited to be driving in Daddy's truck!

Baby C got all bundled up and put down to walk.

He immediately fell face first into the snow, lip bleeding and everything.

He was NOT happy that we were staying!

Buddy Boy's first time down with Daddy

The boys waiting for their turn.

Baby C's turn!

He was a happy boy after his ride.  The snow wasn't so bad after all!

Bubba Love, doing it "all by myself!"

Yay!  So much fun:)

Buddy Boy trying it alone

By mid trip, the kids started hauling the sleds up themselves and coming down by themselves!

Didn't quite make it

Buddy Boy crashing and then up again

Look familiar?!?

Mommy Talk Tuesday {Mommy Me Time}

Thank you to everyone who has joined us the last couple weeks!

Please remember to grab a button and keep spreading the word:)

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This weeks topic is {Mommy Me Time}

How important is "me" time for you?  What do you usually do for yourself? How often do you get "me" time and do you think it is often enough?  If not, what keeps you sane until you get your time?

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Personally, me time is VERY important to me.  But my me time doesn't have to be anything big.  My favorite me time activity is taking a shower by myself... sounds pathetic, but it doesn't happen very often.  Usually I have at least one kid in the shower with me, so it is truly a luxury when I get to wash my hair without stepping on someone! 

Besides that, most of my me time is spent with Daddy.  When there is something I want to do, I usually want Daddy to go with.  Whether it's going out to dinner, visiting with friends,  seeing a movie, shopping trip to Home Depot, ect.  It is very rare that I leave the house without him:)  We try to go on a "date" at least once a week.  Luckily my mom lives right near us and LOVES her grand babies, so finding a baby sitter is pretty easy.

But there are a few occasions where I do go out completely alone.  And yes, it is awesome!  Just a week ago, I went to dinner with a friend who had just had a baby.  She had her baby boy with the same midwife that I used for Baby C and I will be using again for Baby #4.  So after dinner we went to see our midwife speak about homebirth at a local function.  Exciting, right?  Well it is for me at least!

On a daily basis, I try to do things that keep me going.  Drink a cup of coffee before the kids get up, read a book during nap time, catch up on blogging or pinterest.  But really, I need a little more then that... I am usually exhausted by the end of the day and wish I had the energy to enjoy more me time when the kids are asleep.  But I need sleep too!  Does that count as me time?!?

I can't wait to hear what all you lovely ladies do for me time!  Maybe I can get a few ideas:)

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*Don't forget!!  We need suggestions every week for another Mommy Talk Tuesday topic.  So leave a comment about what you want to talk about and we will randomly select a new topic each week*

Mommy Talk Tuesday!: {Potty Training}

Welcome back to Mommy Talk Tuesday!

Make sure you grab the new button and put it in your post and post it on your blog... We are trying to get the word out about this awesome blog hop!

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This week's topic was selected randomly from your topic suggestions...

{Potty Training!} 

As mother's, potty training is something we all have to face! It can really be a tough milestone to achieve! Give us your thoughts on potty training! Have you potty trained your little one? When did you start? How did it go? What was the hardest part of potty training? Also, give any tips you have for those who haven't potty trained yet!

If you haven't potty trained yet,tell us what you questions and concerns you have about future potty training! Those of us who have potty trained might be able to help ease some of those fears and answer some of those questions you have.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So far, I have potty trained two kiddos and it was completely different with each.With Bubba Love, I started potty training her right at her 2nd birthday.  She is a smart little girl and I knew she would catch on, plus I had two kids in cloth diapers and was ready to lighten the dirty diaper laundry load!  So I started out by taking her to the potty and reading to her until she went, and then would ask or bribe.  She wasn't going for it!!  She knew what I expected of her, but she wasn't giving in that easily.  Like I said... she is smart, but she is also strong willed like her mother!  So finally at the end of day one, after a lot of time and patience, Bubba Love went behind a curtain and peed!  So I threw her a towel and told her to clean it up before it was bed time (looking back, I can't believe I told at 24 month old all this)!  But she did, and the next day we didn't have a single accident!  She has been potty trained ever since.  I guess once she knew she was responsible for what came out of her, she thought it would be best not to make a mess of it:)Buddy Boy was a different story.  We started potty training him around 28 months.  Again, I thought he was ready and I had two in cloth diapers.  Things went pretty well at first.  He was excited to be like his big sissy and the m&m's as a reward worked really well!  He was fully potty trained within a week; with lots of encouragement, rewards, consistancy and patience.  Everything was great!  But then he had his first "accident", by pooping in his pants.  He had been outside playing and didn't want to come in.  So he just pooped in his pants.  From then on it was a struggle and fight.  I knew he knew what to do, he just didn't want to stop having fun.  He never peed in his pants, only pooped... wierd!  I tried to make him clean it up, but he didn't care and it only made that much more of a mess for me.  I tried telling him he would have to wear a diaper again.  I tried talking to him and encouraging him.  I tried just about everything, but he was still pooping in his pants for months after he had been potty trained.  So I just said whatever and let it go.  He stayed in his big boy undies and I would just change him without a word if he pooped.  This went on for a while.  But then we started talking about Disneyland and how we wouldn't be able to take him unless he was pooping in the potty.  I also started giving m&m's as rewards again.  Those two things combined seem to be the answer.  He was pooping in the potty again and has been ever since.I really have no advice for other moms!!  I have potty trained two kids and still have no idea what I am doing when it comes to potty training.  It really depends on the kid and I think it is a little bit of trial and error!Best of luck to all of you in your potty training adventures:) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** We would love for you to write a blog post on this topic and link up in the linky below! We just ask that you please suggest a topic for a future Mommy Talk Tuesday at the bottom of your post or in a comment! **

 

Homeschool Happenings ~ Isabelle

We have been trying all sorts of new stuff these last couple weeks.

But what the kids are most excited about right now is Isabelle.

Isabelle (who is now just Bell in our house) is a site words caterpillar.  She randomly grows bigger during the week with a new site word.

She was my mom's when my mom was teaching kindergarten.  I actually made her over 8 years ago when I was helping in her class one summer.  Funny how things come around:)

So Bell goes with a set of books from McGraw-Hill called Pre-Decodables Level A.  Every book has 1-5 new site words, so as we learn them we progress through the books. 

Here is an example from book 2.

Site words:

Reading them:



We just started this today and both the kids can read through the first book. They are SO proud and excited!!

Here is Bubba Love this morning...



Wordless Wednesday ~ A Rare Photo

Mommy Talk Tuesday: Birth Stories! {Was It Everything You Expected?}

It's Here!

Mommy Talk Tuesday has officially started!

This weeks topic is:

Birth Stories {Was It Everything You Expected?}

So link up your birth stories, tell us a little about what you had expected before giving birth and if everything went as planned or as you had hoped.  Also, if you could do it all over again (some of you probably will) what would you change the next time around.

First time mama's... tell us what you are hoping, dreaming and expecting from your upcoming birth.

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For me, I have had three very different births that were also very similar. 

Going into my first birth, I really had no clue what to expect... I just knew I wanted to have an unmedicated birth.  It was hard, but not nearly as hard as people made me think it would be.  It was a very fast and uncomplicated birth.

Seventeen months later, when I gave birth the second time (still need to write that story!), it wasn't at all what I expected.  I expected it to got fast like the first.  I expected it to be painful, but in a gradual and manageable way.  I expected to give birth in the water.  Well.  It did go fast, but ALOT faster then I thought... 1hr 26min fast.  It was painful, but not gradual... my labor went from zero pain to OMG pain in minutes, giving me no time to manage the contractions.  And lastly, I didn't give birth in the water because I hated the water and my midwife thought I was having a 10lb+ baby... thankfully he was only 8 1/2lbs.

My most recent birth was the one that I was probably most prepared for and had a pretty good idea of what to expect.  I had done this twice already and felt pretty confident that it would go similar to the other two.  And it did.

My last birth went pretty much perfect in my mind.  So there are very few things I want to change this time around.  But one thing is, I am not even going to attempt to give birth in the water.  The first time it didn't work, the second time it didn't help... so no more trying, this baby will be born on the earth!  And this time, into Daddy's hands!  The other thing I want to *attempt*, but doubt it will happen, is to accept more help during labor.  I don't like being touch, talked to, coached, looked at, ect.  I would love to accept a massage or counter pressure or even just a kiss from the hubs.  It may be wishful thinking though!

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Link it up!

At the end of your post, give us another suggestion for a Mommy Talk Tuesday topic.  We will be randomly picking one each week!
Also, if you haven't already, make sure to follow me and Mommy Ferg.

Bubba Love Is 5!!

Bubba Love turned 5 on Saturday!  I can't believe how big she is getting.  To me, 5 is a big birthday... it is the start of a new chapter in life!  So we started it off with a bang:)

Saturday was her actual birthday.  After waking up to her favorite blueberry pancakes and watching her new movie Tangled, her friends started arriving to celebrate her special day.

It was a Fancy Nancy Party for my fancy little girl!

Buddy Boy joined in on the fanciness too.

Silly girl, she is always giving us weird smiles when the camera comes out!

Pinata Time

 Decorating cupcakes

The whole group.

I officially got the world's worst mom award at this point.  I realized that I didn't have ANY candles!  I had bought a lighter... but no candles!

So we sang to her and she pretended to blow them out.

She also told me that it was ok, because she was so happy about everything else... what a sweet girl!

Lastly, present time

Sunday night, we had a family pizza party for all the adults in her life. 

This girl is so loved!  Two parties where she was completely spoiled!

So here comes worst mom award again!  This time we had candles, but no lighter!

No one at the pizza place had one either.

So she sat with her cupcake waiting while people went searching and for a quick trip to the dollar store next door.

Still waiting!

She was so patient.

Did you notice her tutu?  One of her Aunties made it for her as a birthday gift and she wouldn't take it off once she got it.

Finally!

She was being shy while everyone sang to her

Happy Birthday Baby!



Mommy Talk Tuesday ~ Launching Next Week!

Hey everyone!  I have teamed up with another awesome mama, Mommy Ferg (aka Michelle) over at The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a Second Time Mom to start Mommy Talk Tuesday.

Mommy Talk Tuesday is going to be your chance to link up some great blog discussions, questions or topics that are mom related with other moms. 

We are looking for topic suggestions and plan to launch next Tuesday.  We will (hopefully) have a button and we are planning to have a linky for you to link up your Mommy Talk Tuesday blog posts:)

If you have an idea or are just interested in participating, please leave me a comment!

Another ER Visit

Buddy Boy Split his lip running to bed last night...

We spent 6 hours in the ER and he had to get 4 stitches.

He screamed and I cried.

It was horrible!

So after 3 hours of sleep, we had to get up for my midwife appointment, can you tell he wasn't to happy to be awake?

I am really hoping we have seen enough doctors and ERs for the next few years!