Charlie: I love pictures!
Robby: What, Charlie?
Charlie: My neck isn't quite strong enough to sit in this for a long time, Mommy!
Charlie: Yay!
Charlie: Oh nothing!
Robby: But I don't want him up here!
Monday, June 4, 2012
I just want to get one good picture
Charlie: I love pictures!
Robby: What, Charlie?
Charlie: My neck isn't quite strong enough to sit in this for a long time, Mommy!
Charlie: Yay!
Charlie: Oh nothing!
Robby: But I don't want him up here!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
On trying to be better
After last week, I realized I needed to make some adjustments. Things around the house get done. We have clean clothes to wear and food to eat. But my day-to-day activities are not a routine. I do things when they are to the point of needing to be done instead of being proactive with everything. I was looking at this website that I pinned a little while back about habits to incorporate for a better run home. I was thankful that I already do almost half of the things, but the ones I don't do are ones that I can definitely see how they would make things easier. First is the getting up early. When I worked outside the home, I got up every morning by 5:30, worked out, showered, got ready and left the house by 7:30. I enjoyed the peacefulness of the morning and how I felt throughout the day knowing I had at least accomplished those things. So, along with waking up early, I'm truly going to start looking at motherhood as my job. I am going to start getting up, having my quiet time, working out and getting ready before the boys wake up for the day. By doing this, I will also be better about making breakfast for Tim again instead of him grabbing a poptart as he scoots out the door at 7:15! I decided to make a checklist of all my daily tasks, that way I can stay on track. Plus, how wonderful does it feel when you get to put a little checkmark in a little box next to a chore?! Here is the list I made:
I'm planning on putting it in a frame with glass so I can use a dry erase marker to check things off each day. There will, of course, be days that I need to dust, deep clean various rooms, or run errands, which is why I left the blanks and can add those in on certain days.
Second is meal planning. This something I would always think about needing to start, I just never did it! Right now, I usually decide what I want to fix for dinner by mid morning or early afternoon. By that time, we're either almost to or right in the middle of nap time and going to the grocery store for missing components isn't really possible. I would like to limit my trips to the grocery store to 1-2 times a week and I know planning better will help aid that. Also, I feel like with better planning we will start eating better, also. So, last night I sat down, perused Pinterest for all those recipes I've pinned and haven't tried yet, and planned out our meals for the next week and a half. I used this printable that I filled out and put on the fridge. (I LOVE this site, by the way! I have all of the monthly calendars printed out and put them on the fridge. I've also used some of the tags and things. She just started a store for printables that aren't free. There is a medication log that I'm planning on getting soon. I think it will be very helpful with keeping up with meds for the boys when they're sick.) So, tomorrow, the boys and I are headed to the grocery store with a definite list in hand and a gameplan for the week's meals! Here are the meals we have planned for the week (all of these are new recipes, so I know Tim will enjoy the variety instead of the same ol' same ol'!) :
Sunday: Ranch Chicken, roasted potatoes, and green beans
Monday: Pizza cupcakes and spinach salad
Tuesday: Penne rosa with shrimp and salad
Wednesday: Black bean enchiladas and cilantro lime rice
Thursday: Parmesan garlic chicken and roasted asparagus
Friday: Mongolian beef and brown rice
Saturday: Lemon shrimp and angel hair pasta
The last thing that I'm going to start implementing, which seemed rather foreign to me, is doing one complete load of laundry a day. I usually do all of the laundry once or twice a week, depending on how much we have used. I start first thing in the morning and get all the loads done and put away by the end of the day. I'm anxious to see how much easier things feel when I'm doing one load every day, as opposed to 5 loads in one day.
So, tomorrow begins my earlier mornings and (hopefully) better run home! I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out!
Second is meal planning. This something I would always think about needing to start, I just never did it! Right now, I usually decide what I want to fix for dinner by mid morning or early afternoon. By that time, we're either almost to or right in the middle of nap time and going to the grocery store for missing components isn't really possible. I would like to limit my trips to the grocery store to 1-2 times a week and I know planning better will help aid that. Also, I feel like with better planning we will start eating better, also. So, last night I sat down, perused Pinterest for all those recipes I've pinned and haven't tried yet, and planned out our meals for the next week and a half. I used this printable that I filled out and put on the fridge. (I LOVE this site, by the way! I have all of the monthly calendars printed out and put them on the fridge. I've also used some of the tags and things. She just started a store for printables that aren't free. There is a medication log that I'm planning on getting soon. I think it will be very helpful with keeping up with meds for the boys when they're sick.) So, tomorrow, the boys and I are headed to the grocery store with a definite list in hand and a gameplan for the week's meals! Here are the meals we have planned for the week (all of these are new recipes, so I know Tim will enjoy the variety instead of the same ol' same ol'!) :
Sunday: Ranch Chicken, roasted potatoes, and green beans
Monday: Pizza cupcakes and spinach salad
Tuesday: Penne rosa with shrimp and salad
Wednesday: Black bean enchiladas and cilantro lime rice
Thursday: Parmesan garlic chicken and roasted asparagus
Friday: Mongolian beef and brown rice
Saturday: Lemon shrimp and angel hair pasta
The last thing that I'm going to start implementing, which seemed rather foreign to me, is doing one complete load of laundry a day. I usually do all of the laundry once or twice a week, depending on how much we have used. I start first thing in the morning and get all the loads done and put away by the end of the day. I'm anxious to see how much easier things feel when I'm doing one load every day, as opposed to 5 loads in one day.
So, tomorrow begins my earlier mornings and (hopefully) better run home! I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out!
Maybe this isn't for me...
My entire life if anyone asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, my response was to be a wife and a mother. I couldn't wait to get to that point in my life and was ecstatic when the time came for me to be a stay-at-home mom. In case anyone out there is wondering, it's not a glamorous job. But I've always known this was my calling. Until this week...
This week was rough. Like the kind of rough where I was wiping kitchen counters or changing diapers or cutting chicken nuggets or feeding a bottle and just crying uncontrollably. Robby would just walk around the house whining. Nothing was wrong with him, he just whined to hear himself whine. Talk about grating on your nerves! Then Charlie decided that if he wasn't being held upright, being fed, or asleep he was just going to scream. The boys napped, but never at the same time and not for very long. So, I couldn't get anything done and thought I was going to lose my mind. It was so bad, Tim had to come home Friday for a little bit to help me because I truly did not think I was going to make it through the day. As I was holding a screaming baby and trying to keep a toddler from throwing all his food on the floor to the dog, I actually asked God why He had chosen me to be a mom. Maybe I'm not cut out for this "job". Maybe He made a mistake giving me two boys, especially this close in age. Maybe I wasn't really called to do this. Tim got home every evening to a frazzled wife who was begging for help with the boys and no clue what to put on the table for dinner! I hate feeling out of control, and this week I was, both emotionally and physically.
I dreaded this weekend because Tim was going to be gone. I didn't know how I would survive not having any help or relief at the end of the day with them acting like this. He left yesterday morning and from the time he left, things have gone well. Robby has played happily with all of his toys. He is using more and more words so it's easier to understand what he's wanting, which leads to less and less whining! Charlie took a 2.5 hour nap yesterday morning in his crib, then Robby took a 3.5 hour nap yesterday afternoon! Their naps didn't overlap, which is usually a saving grace for me during the day, but yesterday it was actually a blessing. Robby and I played with his puzzles and animals while Charlie napped in the morning. That was the first lengthy bit of time I've had just one on one with him since before Charlie was born. In the afternoon, I was able to just hold and love on Charlie. It brought back those sweet memories when Robby was a baby and nothing else was taking my attention from him. Charlie was content, full of smiles and coos for me. For dinner, Robby and I split Chick-fil-a and not a single bit of it ended up on the floor! :-) Bath time and bedtime happened and when I sat down on the couch, it clicked with me what this weekend was: confirmation. Confirmation that I AM cut out for this. Confirmation that He didn't make a mistake with His plan. Confirmation that I AM called to do this.
Some of the best advice that several of my "been there, done that" mom friends told me when I first had Robby and that I try to tell new moms as well is that everything is a phase. The crying newborn? A phase. The sleeping problems? A phase. The teething? A phase. The not obeying? A phase. The constant whining? A phase. It helps to be able to get through weeks like last week when I remember that. But you know what else is a phase?
The sleeping cuddles
The gummy smiles
The post-bath snuggles
The times when the world stops and nothing else matters
All of it. As a mom, I have to remember that I have to take the good with the bad and remember that it all comes together to make up each of my boys' childhoods. The phases turn into a lifetime.
This week was rough. Like the kind of rough where I was wiping kitchen counters or changing diapers or cutting chicken nuggets or feeding a bottle and just crying uncontrollably. Robby would just walk around the house whining. Nothing was wrong with him, he just whined to hear himself whine. Talk about grating on your nerves! Then Charlie decided that if he wasn't being held upright, being fed, or asleep he was just going to scream. The boys napped, but never at the same time and not for very long. So, I couldn't get anything done and thought I was going to lose my mind. It was so bad, Tim had to come home Friday for a little bit to help me because I truly did not think I was going to make it through the day. As I was holding a screaming baby and trying to keep a toddler from throwing all his food on the floor to the dog, I actually asked God why He had chosen me to be a mom. Maybe I'm not cut out for this "job". Maybe He made a mistake giving me two boys, especially this close in age. Maybe I wasn't really called to do this. Tim got home every evening to a frazzled wife who was begging for help with the boys and no clue what to put on the table for dinner! I hate feeling out of control, and this week I was, both emotionally and physically.
I dreaded this weekend because Tim was going to be gone. I didn't know how I would survive not having any help or relief at the end of the day with them acting like this. He left yesterday morning and from the time he left, things have gone well. Robby has played happily with all of his toys. He is using more and more words so it's easier to understand what he's wanting, which leads to less and less whining! Charlie took a 2.5 hour nap yesterday morning in his crib, then Robby took a 3.5 hour nap yesterday afternoon! Their naps didn't overlap, which is usually a saving grace for me during the day, but yesterday it was actually a blessing. Robby and I played with his puzzles and animals while Charlie napped in the morning. That was the first lengthy bit of time I've had just one on one with him since before Charlie was born. In the afternoon, I was able to just hold and love on Charlie. It brought back those sweet memories when Robby was a baby and nothing else was taking my attention from him. Charlie was content, full of smiles and coos for me. For dinner, Robby and I split Chick-fil-a and not a single bit of it ended up on the floor! :-) Bath time and bedtime happened and when I sat down on the couch, it clicked with me what this weekend was: confirmation. Confirmation that I AM cut out for this. Confirmation that He didn't make a mistake with His plan. Confirmation that I AM called to do this.
Some of the best advice that several of my "been there, done that" mom friends told me when I first had Robby and that I try to tell new moms as well is that everything is a phase. The crying newborn? A phase. The sleeping problems? A phase. The teething? A phase. The not obeying? A phase. The constant whining? A phase. It helps to be able to get through weeks like last week when I remember that. But you know what else is a phase?
The sleeping cuddles
The gummy smiles
The post-bath snuggles
All of it. As a mom, I have to remember that I have to take the good with the bad and remember that it all comes together to make up each of my boys' childhoods. The phases turn into a lifetime.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Fun with friends
Today, I went over to my friend Cynthia's house to watch her two boys while she went to her daughter's preschool promotion ceremony. Robby enjoyed the change of scenery and toys! I captured some cute pictures of the boys. I never could get all four of them in the same picture, there was always a stray boy somewhere else! :-) Jonathan, Cynthia's husband, is currently deployed and will be back next month. They are very ready for their daddy to be back!
Well, it's been a long time!
Tim informed me that he got frustrated every time he checked the blog and it was still the picture of the pickles! So, I guess I should update! Things have been so very busy (as you can imagine) and I haven't been able to keep up with updating the blog or even reading my favorite blogs. I've missed it but there just isn't enough time in the day, it seems! I will definitely try to be better. It's just unacceptable to have a picture of a jar of pickles for almost 2 months!
Robby is 16 months old. He is talking up a storm. Our favorite is when he says "Thank you". It comes out "tan to". Oh, it just melts our hearts! And he is quite the ham. He will do anything for a laugh and cuts his eyes over when he does things to make sure you're watching and laughing! His love for his little brother is precious beyond words. He is always aware of where Charlie is and loves to share his blocks and give him kisses.
Charlie will be 3 months old on the 1st. How that is possible, I have no idea! He's growing like crazy and is smiling all the time! He is an incredible sleeper, usually going to bed by 6-7 and waking up around 6-7. He no longer wakes up to eat in the middle of the night (of course, now that I've typed that, he will wake up five times tonight because he's hungry!). Charlie is shaping up to be just as happy of a baby as Robby was, and I love it!
I'm doing ok, just trying to keep my head above water most of the time! Speaking of head, I've had extremely bad headaches daily since we got home with Charlie. I have suffered from headaches in the past but never daily for this long. I'm hoping to get in to see my doctor this week sometime in order to get some answers. As you can imagine, it gets overwhelming being in pain every day but I'm hopeful we can figure out what's going on and get it fixed!
Tim is great, still enjoying his job. The past three weeks he's been at an orientation for biomedical officers. It's been a nice change of pace for him. He's really jumped into being a homeowner and the yard is his pet project!
Well, now that I've given you a brief update on what's going on, I can get back to doing the daily (or semi-daily) posts of what's going on with us! Let me leave you with some pictures of the boys!
Robby is 16 months old. He is talking up a storm. Our favorite is when he says "Thank you". It comes out "tan to". Oh, it just melts our hearts! And he is quite the ham. He will do anything for a laugh and cuts his eyes over when he does things to make sure you're watching and laughing! His love for his little brother is precious beyond words. He is always aware of where Charlie is and loves to share his blocks and give him kisses.
Charlie will be 3 months old on the 1st. How that is possible, I have no idea! He's growing like crazy and is smiling all the time! He is an incredible sleeper, usually going to bed by 6-7 and waking up around 6-7. He no longer wakes up to eat in the middle of the night (of course, now that I've typed that, he will wake up five times tonight because he's hungry!). Charlie is shaping up to be just as happy of a baby as Robby was, and I love it!
I'm doing ok, just trying to keep my head above water most of the time! Speaking of head, I've had extremely bad headaches daily since we got home with Charlie. I have suffered from headaches in the past but never daily for this long. I'm hoping to get in to see my doctor this week sometime in order to get some answers. As you can imagine, it gets overwhelming being in pain every day but I'm hopeful we can figure out what's going on and get it fixed!
Tim is great, still enjoying his job. The past three weeks he's been at an orientation for biomedical officers. It's been a nice change of pace for him. He's really jumped into being a homeowner and the yard is his pet project!
Well, now that I've given you a brief update on what's going on, I can get back to doing the daily (or semi-daily) posts of what's going on with us! Let me leave you with some pictures of the boys!
Charlie's first time in the bumbo seat. Robby sure was loving it!
Sweet sleep!
Baby Caps!
A boy and one of his many monkeys!
Sweet brother kisses!
At the doctor for 15 month and 2 month check ups!
It's so very true!
Just chillin'!
Someone might have gotten his mother's need for things to be just right (note his chicken nuggets he lined up next to his plate)
Happy times with daddy!
Precious!
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