A Day in The Life

Life as a mom can sometimes feel like groundhogs day, and other times has you yearning for ground hogs day. We've gotten into a pretty solid routine (for now) so I thought I'd share a little day-in-the-life for us. If this makes you snore, I totally get it. You have my full permission to move right along ;) 

The kids typically wake up between 7 & 7:30. Some mornings, I'll get up at 5:30 and work/get ready before they're up, and other mornings, I rely on them as my alarm clock ;) It just depends on how late we were in bed the night before. Collin is typically out of the house early so we usually don't see him more than one or two mornings a week. The kids play upstairs for a bit and sometimes will watch a cartoon while we all wake up.

Usually by 8:00 we head downstairs and start breakfast. They're pretty opinionated about the breakfast menu, so we range from smoothies to cereal, oatmeal, fruit & pastries, pancakes or french toast and at least once a week, we bail on breakfast at home and do a quick Starbucks run (obv my favorite option). I don't obsess about the breakfast mess, as I will tackle whatever remains while the kids are eating lunch.

Once breakfast is wrapped up, we head upstairs and spend the next 30-40 minutes trying to get ready for the day. This is typically the most frantic part of our day, and I've tried so many ways to avoid the mad rush, but it almost never fails. Baylor has preschool two mornings a week, and on those days, we have to be pulling out of the driveway by 8:40. Otherwise, we're usually out of the house around 9 to run errands, do ballet class, play at the park or meet friends for a play date. 

We do stay home some days and have a jammie day, but I find that the kids and I are all much happier if we just leave the house - even if it's only for 30 minutes. And here's what I've found with kids: it doesn't have to be some big magnificent outing. My kids are entertained with Starbucks & the grocery store. I used to put so much pressure on myself to entertain them, but the reality is, they just want to be together! 

We're usually back home between by 12:00 or 12:15. The kids eat lunch as soon as we get home and I make sure the kitchen is picked up, the dishwasher is unloaded & ready for dinner time dishes, and will try to cram in a quick snack/lunch. Everyone is in their beds for naps by 12:45 - something I'm totally hardcore about. The kids all still nap for the most part - Baylor will have a "rest period" one or two days a week, but otherwise still naps pretty consistently (he'll be 5 in June). He's always been my best sleeper and will usually nap until 3:30 or 4. The girls are up between 3 & 3:30. I almost always throw in a load of laundry before nap time. After that, I'm pedal to the medal: working on orders, projects or emails. I literally don't leave my desk until someone wakes up. 

Once someone is awake (Bellamy is almost always first), I shut down my work for the afternoon and head downstairs to get snacks. The kids watch one show while they eat a snack & wake up and then we turn the tv off & play. I try to pick up the house, get things organized and switch laundry. They'll play outside if it's nice, otherwise, I try to fill this time with an art project, a craft, or playdoh - something that will keep there attention for awhile. They'll usually wander upstairs and play in the playroom for a bit or irritate each other as much as they can until someone snaps :) 

I'm working on getting dinner going at this point and if all goes accordingly, Collin usually walks in the door right at my breaking point. Ha! He travels quite a bit for work so on the nights he's not home, I try to keep dinners quick & simple. If he is home, he'll entertain the kids for 15-20 minutes while I get dinner finished. 

We usually sit down for dinner around 5:30 and eat together as a family. This is something that's really important to us and we do every night. We turn on some music, visit with each other & the kids and make a conscious effort to have uninterrupted family time. Even when Collin's out of town, the kids and I will sit together. Some always spills their water, Winnie is always a disaster by the time dinner's over, but it's always worth the effort. 

After dinner, one of us does dishes/cleans up while the other does bath time with the kids. The kids love to shower so we let them all run wild in our big shower, and if I'm doing baths/shower, I use this time to fold/put away laundry, clean the bathroom or put random toys away that have wandered from their homes :) Once everyone is clean and there's a satisfying amount of water splashed onto the bathroom floor, we do jammies and quiet time. Sometimes, we'll watch a movie, other times the kids will play quietly or read books. Winnie goes down between 7 & 7:30 and the older kids are typically in their beds by 8:15. 

Bedtime varies between total chaos and absolute peace - some nights are much easier than others :)

Once the kids are down, Collin and I will sit down together and catch up for at least 15 minutes. Then we'll turn on a show, work, or just go to bed (because...exhaustion). If Collin's out of town, I usually work for an hour, sometimes I'll take a nice hot shower without interruption and other times, I'll park myself on the sofa with a pint of ice cream and bury myself in the Real Housewives. 

I will say this: the days feel long & sometimes I want to hide in the closet, but the little moments in between the chaos are worth it all. Being a mom has always been my passion and I really feel blessed. 

Life Lately

It's MONDAY and it's Spring Break, which means we are doing absolutely nothing. I wish I was jumping on a plane with the family for a tropical vacation, but instead, I'm sitting here in my pajamas, I've eaten approximately 3 donuts this morning alone, and my house looks like we got ransacked. The kids are also still in their pajamas, 2 out of 3 are napping and I'm wrestling with the idea of working or napping. Virtually the same as vacation, right? #onemaitaiplease

We have been very busy lately getting bedrooms moved, working on a few house projects, doing some spring cleaning and perfecting life with three, just before #4 comes along and throws us for a loop :)

We took a break over the weekend and headed to the mountains for a birthday celebration with family. The kids played with cousins, we (as in the kids, collin, and my calfs) hot-tubbed in the snow, and we even snuck in a nap & a movie! 

Winnie has really become a little person in the past few weeks and we all love to watch her personality develop. She's quite sassy and her opinion is strong. She's not going to be limited by her size or her age and she is NOT going to be taken advantage of by the older kids. This means no cheap toy trades, no stealing her snacks and absolutely nobody will be allowed to keep her from participating in big-kid activities. FOMO at it's finest. 

I'm bound & determined to find something exciting to do this week, in honor of spring break, so if you have any ideas, send them my way. So far, all I have in mind is ice cream ...  #pregnant

It Takes a Village

It's really easy as a mom to get into a rut of feeling under-appreciated ... even when you know you are. "He has no idea how much I really do" or "they'll never understand what my life really looks like" are thoughts we all likely have, regardless of how many kids you have, whether you work at home, stay at home or work outside the house (or a combination of it all!).

I think we as moms can encourage each other, fill each other's buckets (if you don't have this book for your kids, it's a MUST) and love on each other most effectively, as we an relate to each other's wins & losses, and fill in for each other where others might not know to. Hint: It doesn't take much! It's sort of like Christmas shopping .... whenever I'm out picking out gifts, I always think about all the amazing gifts I could give to someone like myself, HA! But I'm the only person I don't buy for. #irony

via

 

Here's a few ideas how we, as moms, can lift each other up... cause we know BEST what us mamas need!

1. Send your mama friends a bouquet of flowers on their baby's first birthday ... this little gesture goes a long way and just gives mamas a little encouragament ... a "you did it!". (Flowers are also appreciated on the most normal of days!) Farm Girl Flowers are our favorites!!

2. Deliver coffee to a mama stuck at home. We've all had those moments where we're trapped in the house, whether it's nap time, a brand new baby, sick babes or just can't gather the circus. If you find yourself near a coffee shop, help a sista out and bring her some coffee (bonus for Donuts!!)

3. Make double if you're doing a crock pot dinner or something similar that's easy to duplicate. Pack it up Pioneer Woman style and drop that baby off at someones front door. I promise you, it won't get wasted.

4. Invite, Invite, Invite! I'm always trying to find something to do with the kids (especially when the weather is gross) and we're almost always open to invitations to doing things! We love to invite friends over, meet at parks or coffee shops or even adventure together to museums or new places. Going somewhere is easier with a group, feels less intimidating sometimes, and let's face it ... 4 year olds can only be so interesting. A mama needs to vent sometimes!

5. An encouraging word goes a really long way. A simple text to let someone know they're an amazing mom, their kids are so sweet or that they're doing a great job balancing it all really goes a long way. It doesn't cost a dime to be nice to someone, and I've never met someone who doesn't love an encouraging compliment. Win-win, my friends.

It's often said that it's "take a village" to raise kids, but let's be honest, it also takes a village to keep us moms afloat. I'd be nothing if not for my friends & family, who love me, regardless of how my kids act, regardless of what I'm wearing (or not wearing) and ultimately, regardless of how much I can suck as a friend sometimes. Be encouraged, we all drop the ball, we all have hard days and our kids all act like lunatics. If you're at a place where you can pass along a little joy & encourage a mama, DO IT. Not only will you brighten her day, you'll brighten your own! 

XO

Pregnancy UPDATE!

It's hard to believe I'm over halfway done with this pregnancy. I genuinely felt like I counted every week with my other pregnancies and really couldn't have had them pass quickly enough. This one is just so different - it's been the easiest pregnancy ever, I sometimes even forget I'm pregnant?! The first 20 weeks have absolutely dashed by and I have had little to no side effects. I consider myself incredibly lucky for this, considering it's my 4th and a laid-up, sick, pregnant mama is really just not an option at the juncture. We're very excited for another baby, but are in no hurry, whatsoever. We're enjoying everyone's ages, spending this time building up some exciting plans and hoping that things will slow down just a little bit before #4.

I'd do the traditional "bump-date" but my answers would be so lame - I have no idea how much weight I've gained, I have zero cravings and everything else is operating at a strangely normal pace. They say there's always a calm before the storm, so I'm not counting myself out, but so far, I'm feeling pretty grateful for smooth sailing! 

We're not finding out gender this time (we've only found out for Winnie) and are super excited about it, albeit my impatience at times. The convenience of knowing is really wonderful, but the surprise and the excitement of not knowing is too much to pass up. It's definitely not for everyone and we are, by nature, not "planners".  Knowing the gender with Winnie was almost a stressor for me, as I felt I had no excuse not to be 100% prepared. This time around, I'll pack a coming home outfit for each gender and the rest will be figured out as soon as the baby arrives! We're still working on a boy name, but are pretty certain about our girl name. The kids have their guesses, I have mine, Collin is our resident "non-guesser" and we're all just super excited for another addition to the family. Bellamy has prepared seventeen beds for the "second baby" and Baylor is obsessed with my belly. As for Winnie, she's just concerned that she's not going to miss out on a meal, baby or no baby. 

Things are moving quickly and we just can't wait to see that sweet baby face! There will be no shortage of kisses and snuggles, and everyone is pretty pumped for that!

What's for Lunch?

Food is hit or miss over here. Some days & weeks, I'm excited to feed my family, ready to take on new recipes and motivated to feed everyone as if they're Tom & Gisele. Never fails though, the following week is a chick-fil-a, chipotle, pizza marathon. Dinner is hard, as Collin travels or has evening commitments frequently and the thought of preparing a well balanced meal for 3 toddlers who could care less is just not incredibly motivating. They'd be thrilled with annie's mac & cheese and a side of apple slices (and so would I). SO, lunch is where I tend to get most creative, it's where the kids eat the most and it's my personal favorite meal of the day!

Here's what's been on our plates lately: 

Avocado with Sea Salt . Raspberries . Penne with TJ's 4 Cheese Pomodoro Sauce

Edamame with Sea Salt . Blue Berries . Organic Chicken & Veggie Potstickers with a teriyaki dip

Spinach, Artichoke & Parmesan Dip . Raspberries . Organic Honey Roasted Turkey . Wheat Crackers

As far as snacks go, the kids eat a lot of grapes, yogurt, granola bars, fresh berries when they're in season, clementine oranges, apple slices dipped in virtually anything (nutella, peanut butter) and crackers or pretzels with hummus or a spinach dip. We also make a fair amount of smoothies.

And of course, I can't fail to mention our very favorite dishes from RePlay Recycled. I just ordered an entire set of cups & bowls and plan on getting rid of almost everything else. These hold up so much better than anything we've used, they stack together perfectly, and the colors are everything you could ever hope for. A total win in the ol' mom-book. ;)

Tutu Round-Up

Tutus are a way of life at our house and Bellamy considers it an absolute tragedy when I don't let her wear a tutu for the day. How dare I? ;) SO... I'm always on the hunt for new tutus, so my eyes don't bleed when we walk out the door. I should specify - I could care less what she wears when we're home, but I do have a preference what she wears out the door and costume-like tutus don't leave the house. Because listen, we don't need to be walking around Target like a princess... she already thinks we ought to bow down at her feet. 

I've found a few small shops lately that I really love for tutu's, and of course, the regulars always have some good & inexpensive options.
 

  ONE // TWO // THREE // FOUR // FIVE // SIX // SEVEN // EIGHT 

Happy twirling!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Today I'm sharing my personal version of kids say (& do) the darnedest things... because sometimes I wonder if this is really my life... 

// Baylor's been skipping his nap more recently, which is fine, as long as he has a "rest period" in his room. Yesterday, after he was quietly in his room for just over an hour, I went to check on him. As I opened the door, I noticed his pants, laying tangled on the floor, and him, naked from waste down, playing with his trucks. Me: "Baylor, what happened to your pants?" Him: "I had to pee!" Instantly assuming worst case, I asked him where he might of had an accident on the floor (which never happens, but kids, they always get you where you least expect it). He ever-so-nonchalantly handed me a ziploc bag FULL of pee. OMG. Me: "WHAT?! Where did you get this? Did you spill?!" Him: "No mom, I just dumped out some of my trucks ... you let me pee in a cup in the van at Chick-fil-a, what's the difference?" touche, buddy. 

 // While driving to pick up Baylor from preschool, I noticed Winnie's face covered in a white "substance" (in retrospect, I guess I should be thankful it wasn't brown) ... I immediately knew to ask the culprit what Winnie was eating to which she replied "wipstick". Winnie had eaten half of an EOS lip balm and proceeded to start gagging in the backseat and scratching her tongue. She survived, however the chap stick wasn't as fortunate.

// I told Baylor he needs to lay down in his bed for a nap, and he stood next to the bed, crossed his arms, and with a very disgruntled look, said "SO, how is this going to work? You have a tv, a bath tub and a sink in your room and I got nuffing. What am I supposed to do in here?" Poor guy hasn't quite figured out the pecking order around here ;) 

// Bellamy told Baylor this morning that she is "THE QUEEN" and that he must blow bubbles in her face when she walks by ... he looked at her like she was drunk and then smacked her on the ass when she walked by in her plastic heels and gaudy tutu. Again, pecking order.

Things we've shoved in our nose this month: gum, a LEGO guy's arm (this one took a bit of a surgeon's hand to remove) and peas. WHY with the peas?

It's a wonderful life :)

Powder Room Reveal

We recently (i.e. months & months of procrastination) finished our powder room downstairs and I wanted to share with you guys! When we moved into this house, the walls in this room were painted metallic gold and had a pretty ugly tile situation on the walls. We hired a painter to fix it, which also went awry, so I knew I had to come up with a solution that would cover up the hot mess that existed. This bathroom is downstairs, off the main living space, so it's where all of our guests would use the restroom. It gets lots of traffic - the kids are using it to wash hands before dinner, go potty when we're downstairs and I use it as a sanity closet when I'm desperate, only because the coat closet isn't equipped with a lock. ;) I wanted it to pack a punch, but also fit in with the rest of our space. My other focus was that it was bright - it's placed at the end of a hall and it's dark. There's almost no natural light (which made taking photos super fun). 

SO, we settled with this amazing peel & stick wallpaper from Walls Need Love - which was actually super easy to apply. I started the project by obsessively matching the lines and then by the end of it, I decided the buildings not lining up would be just fine for the 3 minutes you're in there doing your business (or 28798 if you're a man). I started each piece at the top of the wall, and smoothed it until it hit the chair railing. We had to cut at that point and then repeat below the railing. The hardest parts were around the toilet and the sink, but it's pretty flexible and I ended up peeling, cutting, re-peeling, ect. until it fit well enough to pass the test. It's not perfect, but who has time for perfection, yes? 

 Let me say though - this wall paper is so durable. It's gotten wet, the kids have colored on it, and it has really stood it's ground. It's a really beautiful texture and has not disappointed in the slightest. 

 

 We switched out the mirror for something a bit more unconventional and it really added a fun flair to the space. The lights were just a basic pick from Home Depot, but fit great for what we need.

WALLPAPER (C/O) // MIRROR (Home Goods - similar here) // LIGHTS // MONKEY PRINT // WHITE & TASSEL BANNER // BLACK & WHITE TOWEL // GOLD HOOK (sold out - similar)

 

I'm super happy with how the space turned out and enjoy peeing so much more now ;) 

Hope you love it, too!