Friday Five: Updates

Time for a few updates on the fam!  There have been lots of new developments going on and I don't think I have documented any of them!

First, one of the greatest things ever in all of time......MOLLY IS POTTY TRAINED.  Of course, now that I put it on the blog I am basically asking for an accident, but oh well.  We have been working for what seems like an eternity with Molly to get her out of diapers.  I hate having two in diapers.  It makes it seem like all I do all day long is change diapers.  So, we have been working overtime with Moll to get her out of the stupid diapers.  We tried candy and sticker charts and new princess undies and peer pressure and nothing was working.  And then we went out of town.  I just knew that throwing a wrench into our schedule and sticking her in the car for hours on end was going to erase any progress we had made, however, it had the opposite effect.  Cuh-razy.  I don't know why or how it happened, but while we were at the lake Molly stopped having accidents and started going in the toilet all. the. time.  And we are still accident free since being home.  We do still have to use diapers at nap and bedtime, but hopefully that will be over with soon also.  I used to hate it when people said their kids were potty trained when they were still in diapers at night, but I get it now.  She is potty trained.  She knows to go in the bathroom when she has to go and that is a MAJOR success.

photo from our recent playdate at chick-fil-a

Second, Lawson has done a few major things lately.  He is sitting up now, though he won't do it unless it's his idea, he is almost crawling (just needs to get one more arm in the mix) and he has been saying dada for like a month.  But the biggest Lawson news of all is his sleeping all the way through the night without waking up at all even for a paci replacement!!!!  Yes, yes, I know.  Kids much younger than Lawson sleep through the night, but well, I just couldn't find it inside myself to sleep train my little guy.  I have been tired, yes, but I have really enjoyed my middle of the night, quiet, nursing time with him.  And once again, by putting it on the blog I am practically ensuring that tonight he will be up a dozen times! 

Lawson being his regular smiley self.

Next up, Isabelle.  That girl is a hoot.  She is getting so big and so smart.  I have learned that for her when she says she wants to do school what she really means is that she wants to color pictures, read books and sing songs.  She does NOT want to practice writing, practice cutting or work on patterns.  Since she is already so far ahead in those areas I am going to give her a rest and try to get a little more creative in my schooling approach. 

Isabelle at CFA.

As for me, things are going well.  I joined a local MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group and l.o.v.e.d. it.  I don't want to sound to nerdy or cheesy or anything, but for a long time I have been trying all kinds of different things to meet people and get connected with other moms and each time have come up short.  While I have gotten something out of everything I have tried I always come away with the feeling that I haven't quite found a place to fit in or to belong. Because of that, I almost didn't go to MOPS.  I was apprehensive to say the least.  I was worried that I would be odd man out or that people wouldn't like me, or that I wouldn't like any of them, and I was worried my kids wouldn't like going.  Thankfully I went ahead and went and it was so great.  Like so great.  The girls had a great time, Lawson did great, I was not odd man out, in fact everyone almost everyone I met was new to the group this year, and they were all so incredibly nice.  Not fake nice, but like actually nice.  In case any of them are reading this I will stop now so I don't seem weird, but just between you and me, it was such an answer to prayer!

Lastly, J man.  Well, I bet you can guess what kind of updates I have on Jason.  He is busy.  Betcha didn't see that one coming!!!  That man stays busy.  I laugh when he says something about how he is "super busy this week" as if he wasn't "super busy" last week.  I am grateful that his company has work and that he is staying busy but there are times when I wish he wasn't so busy all the time. 

So there you go, some updates on our little fam.  I am almost done with all the laundry that we dirtied up while on our lake adventure.  This weekend is a busy one so I need to get it all finished today!  Hooray for laundry!

Friday Five: How three is easier than two...for real

If someone had told me that three kids would be easier than two, I am pretty sure I would have laughed in their face.  After all, it isn't like my two oldest are way older..they were three and almost two when Mr. Man arrived on the scene.  So the thought that it would be easier than the transition from one to two was pretty unbelievable.  But, you know what, it is easier.  Three kids seems to be easier than two and I think I know why.  Or at least have a few ideas.

1.  I am a different parent.  I think this makes the biggest difference.  With Belle I was very structured.  Like very, very, very structured.  And I don't think that was a bad thing.  Being that structured helped me learn.  We never left the house during a set nap time, and believe me there were set nap times.  We didn't go somewhere if it meant not being home by bedtime and you could set your watch to Isabelle's sleep-eat-play schedule.  I was a firm Babywise mom and nothing was going to get in my way.  I read a lot of books and the ones that I agreed with I pretty much did exactly what they said and made no exceptions or adjustments. 

With Molly I was a little more relaxed.  Probably not by choice, but by necessity.  I had a 16 month old to take care of also, so my time was a little more stretched.  Making the transition to two was very tough for me.  I didn't have a clue what to do if they were both crying at the same time, or both hungry, or both anything.  So there were a lot of days where I was stressed and frazzled and downright exhausted.

Now comes Lawson.  He is an easy baby, yes.  But he also has no choice.  I am not as structured, and don't think I have to be.  I realize flexibility comes in handy.  Sure, I still try to stick to the babywise philosophy of sleep-eat-play, but I don't stress if his nap times aren't at exactly the same time everyday and I am beyond okay with letting the swing get him to sleep.

2.  I am a more confident parent.  I finally feel like I have some idea of what I am doing when it comes to being a mom.  I don't freak out at every cough, or runny nose, or rash, or whatever.  I have seen it before.  I know what to do.  I spend much less time on the phone with the doctor, going to doctor visits and looking on the internet than I did before.  I also know what routine works best for our family.  Our routine has taken some time as well as trial and error to figure out, but now I feel like I know what each kid needs and how best to keep everyone mostly happy.  Along that same line, I don't freak out if they are all crying or all hungry, I just take care of them one at a time.  Learning to be patient and wait happens everyday at this house.

3.  I gave up on the idea of a clean house.  I guess this could fall under #1, but a clean house really has little to do with parenting.  Again, this was a progression with each child I had, but now at number three I am at a point where a little mess isn't the end of the world.  Our house most days isn't necessarily dirty, but almost always is cluttered.  I try to pick up only a few times each day.  At nap time, before Dad gets home, and before bed.  The whole play with one toy then pick it up business didn't work at our house.  There are usually toys of all kinds everywhere and I have learned to be okay with that.

4.  I do a lot of the things I would have NEVER done with Isabelle.  I let Lawson fall asleep in the swing.  I have also been known to nurse him to sleep at night.  I let the girls watch more tv than I should.  My kids sometimes stay in pjs until lunch time (or later).  Sometimes the girls never get dressed and run around with only diaper/underwear on.  I don't keep them to an exact schedule from day to day.  I bribe them with suckers and other sugary treats.  You know, regular mom stuff.  Except that when I was a mom of one, I swore I would never, never, never do most of those things.

5.  I figured out that I can take care of more than one child without having a nervous breakdown.  Seriously.  I remember days that I would call Jason (both when I was a mom of one and when I was a mom of two) and beg and plead and cry for him to, "PLEASE COME HOME NOW."  I am slightly embarrassed to admit it, but I remember feeling like I just could not take it one more minute.  Of course, he couldn't just leave work every time I was having a rough day and after surviving enough of those days I now realize that a bad day isn't the end of the world.  I will survive.  Not only that, but I have figured out how to cope and even how to turn a horrible day or a horrible moment into something better.  Girls having serious meltdowns?  Turn on music and have a dance party.  I don't know why it works, but a dance party cures a lot around here.  Everyone needs their butt wiped at the same time?  Deal with the youngest first, then work my way up.  Isabelle is old enough to wait.  Everyone cranky?  Feed them.  Giving food to my kids almost always cheers them up.   Not having someone to rush to my rescue all the time forced me to figure it out on my own.  It wasn't fun at the time, but I am glad that I now know what to do on the days where I feel like I might explode!

What about you?  Do you feel like things got easier after two?  (E, you don't count...you have twins!!!)  Pretty sure that the fact that it was easier this time around is what is contributing to the strong desire to have one more!  (if you listen closely you can hear my in-laws gasping in horror right now!!!)

Friday Five: School Edition

This past week I decided to start working with Isabelle on what we are calling school.  I hesitate to use that term or the term homeschool because to me it seems like we are just doing things that normal parents do with their kids. 

Here are five of the things we have worked on this week!

1.  Calendar Skills.  You know, things like days of the week, months of the year, what day in the month it is, knowing today, tomorrow and yesterday, those kinds of things.  We sing the days of the week song from Signing Time and then I found a months of the year song on youtube here and since my girls love singing, these songs are perfect for them.  I also printed off some blank calendars from www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com and laminated them so that we can write in the numbers as we go along.

2.  Letter sounds.  This week we learned about the letter a.   We also have a song for that, "The a says ah, the a says ah, every letter makes a sound the a says ah."  (I have a video I tried to post of belle singing it, but it never loaded..ugh!)

3.  Motor skills.  Isabelle has been writing her name, letters and numbers and we have been working to learn to use scissors.  The writing is going great, but scissors are harder than I expected.  That said, after four times of using them she was able to cut along lines that I drew on paper for her very well.  I was impressed!

4.  Bible Verse memorization.  We have a verse that goes with the letter of the week.  This week was Romans 3:23.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory.  A pretty somber verse, but one that starts with A.  And I do think it was nice to talk about that everybody makes mistakes and everyone needs Jesus.

5.  Math.  Okay, math might be stretching it, but we are learning to identify numbers (Molly), work with patterns (Isabelle) and other pre-math type skills.

Next week we will start letter e.  I am planning to introduce all vowels first, then consonants so that we can work on blends with each consonant.  As long as the girls stay interested we will do as much as time allows during the day.  I am sure that they will get bored with school eventually, so I am going to take advantage while I can!

Friday Five-Recipes

In response to your burning question....No, I am not going vegan.  At least not yet.  I am however, going to try and eat less meat and dairy.  For a multitude of reasons.  But, you should know that none of the reasons for going vegetarian or vegan include a love of animals.  I firmly believe that God put chickens and cows on the earth for us to eat.  I am just not convinced that it is healthy to consume as much meat and animal products as we do in our culture.  And frankly, I think I have been pretty open about how I feel about conventional vs. organic meat so you can assume I still don't really care for how we treat cattle or chicken on conventional farms or the health consequences of that treatment.

Anyshways,  now that we have that straightened out.  I am trying some new recipes.  I am hopeful they will be delicious.  Once I know, I will let you know!  If you try them first, be sure to leave me a comment telling me what you thought.

1.  Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Marinated Garbanzo Beans, Feta and Herbs.

Looks yummy, doesn't it.  Not vegan obvi, since it has cheese, but vegetarian for sure.

2.  Healthy Mexican Sweet Potato Skins.

Again, yum.  We love pretty much anything that includes black beans and cheese.

3.  Rainbow Stuffed Bell Peppers.

Recipe from a good friend, Susan H.

4 small to medium size bell peppers
 1 color each, red, green, yellow, orange
½ lb. ground turkey
 For vegetarian substitute can of pinto beans
1/3 cup diced red onions
1 (16oz) can refried beans
1 (8 ½ oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
¾ cup chunky salsa
¾ cup cooked rice
1/8 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. cumin
Salt to taste
8 oz. Colby jack cheese, shredded

Cut bell peppers in half from top of stem to bottom; discard seeds and membranes.  In a large pot of boiling water, blanch peppers for 3 minutes; invert to drain.
In medium, skillet brown turkey with onions.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer until mixture is hot and bubbly.  Place peppers in 13x9 pan sprayed with nonstick coating.  Stuff peppers with bean mixture.  Top peppers with cheese.
Bake covered at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

4.  Avacado and Grilled Corn Salad with Cilantro Vinegrette.

This recipe had me at avacado.  I could eat those things by the bucket full.

5.  Spinach Lasagna. 

I have made this before, but I think I added differnt veggies last time.  I am too lazy to type out the recipe, but if you google spinach lasagna you will get a TON of results.  I am going to make it just according to the recipe this time.  Thanks to Elaine for the recipe!

So there you go, some vegetarian, not vegan, recipes.  I can't vouch for any of them yet, but will for sure let you know as I make them.  If you have any delish recipes I should try send them my way.

Friday Five-Adventures in Cooking

Today, for Friday Five, I have five new recipes that I have made recently.  Hope you enjoy!

As a side note, the first recipe I did not make so it doesn't actually count as one of my adventures in cooking, but still, you should know about it because it is seriously yummy!

First, Tequila Lime Chicken.

While I am hesitant to post a recipe that involves alcohol, the fact is, we (and by we, I mean Jason) made this and it was so very delicious.  It is, of course, a Pioneer Woman recipe and as usual she did not disappoint.  We did not marinate for the full time the recipe called for and it still turned out very flavorful.  In addition to the chicken we made black beans and rice and served it all with a tortilla, some avocado slices and a little monterey jack cheese.  Super delicious and great for a night when you want to grill and want mexican!  Can't wait for Jason to make this again! 

Second, Blueberry Gems from Paula Deen. 

I may have mentioned that my bff, Rochelle, sent me two Paula Deen cookbooks for my birthday.  She has a love affair with Paula Deen like I do with Pioneer Woman.  And since I have a ton of blueberries from our recent berry farm outings I decided to find a great Paula Deen recipe to make.  These were so scrumptious.  They were also very easy to make and involved no mixer!  I did not have self rising flour, so I made do with all purpose and added the baking powder and salt.  I think that they would have turned out even better if I had used the correct flour.  The only weird thing about these was that they got a little mushy overnight.  I always put leftover muffins in a ziploc to store them, but these did not do well with that method.  Who knows?  I will be making these again.

Next, Pot Pie Cups.

I actually found these on pinterest and decided to try them.  We had them last night and they were pretty good.  Would have them again if I needed something fast and easy.  I thought for sure the girls would love them given the fact that they made of biscuits...but not so much.  Turns out my kids are kind of picky eaters.  I do think that next time I would change the recipe a bit and not use as much cheese or as much onion powder, but that is just me.  Also, the recipe calls for small biscuits (that come in a pkg of 10), but I only had large ones that came in a package of 8.  They may have been a little big which resulted in me having left over filling.  No biggie since I can just buy another can of biscuits, but next time I will look harder for smaller ones.

Fourth, the Homemade Chicken Nuggets I mentioned.

My girls love getting chicken from Chick-fil-A, so I thought making healthy nuggets would win them over for sure.  Boy was I wrong.  These are tasty and I was glad to be able to try out panko bread crumbs in a recipe, but they do have more of an Italian flare.  The recipe uses oregano, parmesan and basil in addition to bread crumbs.  So while Jason and I thought they tasted good (and also were crunchy, not soggy like some other baked nuggets)  I doubt I make them again.  I have another baked nugget recipe I will try and then if they don't like those I guess I will give up!

Last for today Foil Pack Taco Chicken.

I wanted to love this, I really did.  I am constantly looking for good baked chicken recipes because 1.)  I hate cooking chicken on the stove and 2.) I don't know how to grill.  So when I saw this I thought it was perfect.  WRONG.  I am not going to waste anymore time on this recipe except to say that while the chicken was bland and not flavorful at all, the potatoes were delish.  In fact, I may try cooking more veggies the same way.  Will not be making again.


Every time I post a new Adventures in Cooking I am reminded how different life used to be before I would cook.  Jason and I ate out a lot before we had kids and didn't always eat very healthy.  Now, I am not saying that all of the things we make are healthy, but I believe that when you cook at home it has got to be better than going out to eat.  I am also reminded that I used to be a terrible cook.  Sure, I could make some things like tacos or spaghetti, but that was about it.  I am glad that I have overcome that and actually have some confidence in the kitchen.  Not only that, but doing this series has forced me to continue to try new recipes and find new things for my family to eat.  That has been so great since now we have more variety in our weekly meal plans! 

What are you eating?  What are your favorites?  I would love to find some more delicious dinners!

Friday Five: This week

Summer seems to be a tough time to get blogs written and posted.  Last summer it was because I was busy throwing up, but that is not the case right now.  Instead we have been staying busy and having fun.  Here's what we have been up to this past week, Friday Five style.

1.  Playing with my new IPhone 4s. 

Okay, so really it is just me that has been playing with my new phone.  There is so much that this thing can do, and as a person who has never owned a smart phone (shocking, I know) I have a lot to catch up on.  Icloud. Imessage. Ilove.

2.  Playing in the sprinkler. 

You had to know that if I made a checklist, I was going to have to start checking things off, right?  That is just how I roll.  So, we drug out the sprinkler and the girls went crazy for all of ten seconds.  Then they were done.  Until I started watering the flowers and then they were all about getting wet.  For some weird reason they don't like the sprinkler, but love when I spray them with the hose.  Who knows.



3.  Picking berries (again).

The first time we went with Jason's mom and I took zero pictures.  This time I had my new phone and so taking pics was a little easier!  It was very windy and I am pretty sure Molly ate just as many berries as we brought home.  We did have enough to make some yummy muffins for breakfast this morning though. 



4.  Getting ready for vacation.

these pics were taken at two different times.  no matter what, this place always seems to look the same.

We will be staying at my mom's lake house (which sounds weird since I used to call it my grandparent's lake house) at the Lake of the Ozarks.  We decided that three nights would be more than enough for our first trip away as a family of five.  The drive is currently our biggest fear (it will probably take us five hours) followed by not having enough to do.  Jas and I would be content to do nothing, but turns out kids don't really go for that plan.


5.  Trying to decide whether or not to do a series on budgeting. 
Really, does anyone care about my budgeting skills?  Especially since the vast majority of my readers are my family?  But then I see yet another blog on doing a budget and saving money and it drives me crazy because they aren't doing it right.  I saw a budget post today (one that was supposed to be advising others) and her income minus expenses did not equal zero.  That my friends is NOT a budget.  I am not sure that anyone cares about my mad money skills and I am less convinced that people want my opinion on what to do with their money so I am still on the fence.

That was our week.  Semi-eventful.  Mostly just hanging on until today when we will start a very nice long stretch of having Jason home and hanging out with us!  What are your plans for Memorial Day?

Friday Five

In case you have missed it, I have less than a week before baby Lawson arrives.  Assuming his name stays Lawson.  Which I am 99% sure that it will, but we have been known to change our mind on the whole name our baby thing.  So if you have any negative comments about the name Lawson, keep them to yourself.  It is a family name and we like it. 

Anyway.....in a week my life will be totally changing and things will be a little crazy and to say I am nervous is an understatement.  I know how I am after having a baby and it isn't pretty.  For about two weeks I am the most emotional, most crying lady on the planet.  Okay, maybe more like three weeks.  Throw in some sleep deprivation and things get ugly quickly.  So, fair warning, after this baby is here this blog may have a slightly different feel for a few weeks.  Feel free to comment and tell me it is all my hormones.  Or not.  I may start crying.

Back to Friday.  Today I thought it would be good to stick to what I know.  Just a regular Friday post.  With some totally random tidbits of information.  Hope I haven't already shared these random things....if I have, well, read them again.

1.  Isabelle has been referring to the baby as baby Jack for quite some time.  We initially thought that would be our name.  Then it showed up as the 13th most popular name and I changed my mind.   Both of my girls got super common names and I didn't want to make the mistake again.  Now that we say baby Lawson, she gets quite a kick out of arguing with me.  She knows it is Lawson, but thinks it is hysterical to call him Jack.   However, Molly has been on my side.  Until this morning when out of nowhere she called the baby Jack and when I corrected her she started cracking up and said, "No. Baby Jack."  Hopefully this kid doesn't get too confused by his sisters calling him Jack. 

2.  The sleeping in the same room thing is not going as great as I hoped it would.  Molly does NOT like to sleep in a room with other people.  So every nap time and every bedtime we have to put Molly to sleep first, and then after she is asleep, put Isabelle down.  That works for now, but eventually we will need to have them just go to sleep.  When we try to put them down at the same time we are up for hours trying to get them to sleep until we give up and put Belle in our bed until Molly falls asleep.  Mornings aren't any better.  If one wakes up, the other one gets woken up.  Today someone woke up at 4:30 am, so both girls were in our room at 4:30 am.  OUCH.  Luckily, J got Molly back to sleep and Belle stayed in bed with us and went back to sleep.

3.  Tonight is date night with the hubs.  I am pretty excited.  Even if we are just going to dinner.  J wants to do something else like a movie or something, but the thought of sitting in a movie theater for two hours is not currently my idea of fun.  Maybe we will rent a movie.  Seen anything good?  Oh and in case you are wondering, we are going to my fav restaurant, Red Rock Canyon Grill.  I might eat everything on the menu.  (another clue as to why I am so HUGE this pregnancy)

4.  I have been like a crazy lady these past few weeks preparing for having a newborn in the house.  For some reason I feel like I won't go into labor until I have everything ready.  (btw, I was hoping to go into labor early, but doesn't look like it will happen)  Then I realized the car seat is still in the attic.  So I have been begging Jason to get it down and put it in the van...so that I can just have this baby already.  Jason has not done it.  He is so busy at work (and at home, really) that he is actually praying against my wishes to have this kid early.  NOT NICE.  And yes, I do realize that my thinking is not rational.....but nonetheless, I thought it was worth a try.

5.  Monday is Isabelle appt with an ENT to check out her adenoids.  Her pediatrician thinks she may have enlarged adenoids.  If so, surgery is a possibility to remove them.  Most of me prays and hopes that after we go they say that she is fine and doesn't need surgery (because that FREAKS me out).  However, a small, very small part of me hopes that they find something that can explain all the symptoms she has.  Coming home with them saying she is fine means that they don't know why she snores louder than any human on the face of the planet and never breathes through her nose and has lips so cracked they bleed, and doesn't eat even when she is fixed her favorite dinner....and on and on.  I guess what I am saying is, I hope they find the cause, and that the solution IS NOT surgery.  I'll keep you posted. 

Hope you have a great weekend.  For those of you that pray, say a little prayer for me.  You know, that maybe I can go into labor today, that this time around the birth will be drama free, all that good stuff! 

Friday Five...totally random

Today is Friday....but you already knew that didn't you?  There has been a lot taking place around our household.  Some great, some not so great.  So in honor of the Friday Five...I thought I would document five totally random things.

1.  Isabelle and Molly have started playing a very funny made up game.  In this game, Belle takes Molly to class.  By class, I mean that Belle walks with Molly into the kitchen, or in front of the front door, or in front of the garage door, or in a bedroom and drops her off at class.  Isabelle then walks off and Molly starts fake crying.  At this point, Isabelle comes back in and tells Molly that everything will be okay and that she will be right back and that Molly needs to stay and, "learn Jesus."  It is pretty adorable and the game can last quite awhile.  Molly's fake crying is pretty funny and the "learn Jesus" cracks me up.

2.  I got my first flat tire EVER yesterday.  I was on the highway and talking on the phone and next thing you know, flat tire.  Luckily, Jason came and was able to change the tire and take me to the tire store to get a new one.  There was no replacing the tire with the GIANT metal chunk in it.  Speaking of the chunk...my mom says I should have been paying more attention to the road and then I would have been able to avoid a chunk of metal....I say that no one would have seen it or been able to avoid it. What is your opinion?  And don't let the fact that I was on the phone influence your decision, please.  I am a great multi-tasker.

3.  I am making something from pinterest this weekend.  Wanna see?  I thought so.

I linked to the website it came from in case you want to make one also.  It is made of felt and that way your kids can "decorate" the tree as many times as they want...you know, because felt sticks to felt.  My mom was kind enough to go get me all the supplies today, so now I just have to get busy making the ornaments and presents.  Oh, and I am totally addicted to pinterest these days.  At first, I thought people were crazy to spend so much time on such a ridiculous website...but then I downloaded the app, and now I find myself wasting an absurd amount of time pinning.  Good news is I am actually using it for some good...like making a fun craft.

4.  My husband has a girlfriend.  Her name is Siri.  In addition to that, I am now officially the least cool person in my entire family.  Everyone has an iphone but me.  Not everyone has the brand spankin' new one like J, but everyone has one.  Except me.  Sad thing is, I am not eligible for an upgrade until May.  So I have like six more months of being super uncool.

5.  Tomorrow begins our season of Christmas celebrations.  We are headed to visit J's mom to celebrate Christmas with her.  Every year it gets a little harder to plan all the different get-togethers and every year we start earlier and end later in the month.  Most years we also celebrate once in January.  Crazy. 

Hope you all have had a wonderful week.  Hope your weekend is fabulous!  

Friday.....

I feel a little like a wussy even talking about this.  For one, lots of women have lots of children and none of them seem to be going crazy.  Second, I have a dear friend who in May will have three babies all under the age of two at her house.....SO, it seems a little silly for me to say anything about my worries about having three children ages three and under.  But, I am going to do it anyway.

My Friday Five:

Fears of having three children.

1.  Meal times.  How in the world can I feed Molly, over-see Isabelle and feed an infant?  The only solution I can think of is to spread them out, but I fear that then the only thing I will be doing all day is preparing food and feeding children. (oh and then cleaning up)

2.  Nap times.  Is there ANY way to get them to all sleep at the same time?  Belle and Molly are good about taking naps at the same time, so hopefully I can get jr. on the same schedule.

3.  Babysitters.  Will I be able to find anyone to watch all three kiddos for longer than a couple of hours?  What if J and I want to go on a long weekend?  Is there anyone who will volunteer for that job?

4.  Alone time.  Will I ever have any?  This is coming from someone who used to loathe alone time.  Now I dream of it.

5.  What about my house?  Will it ever be clean again?  Will the laundry ever be done?  Currently I have trouble keeping up.  I can't see how this improves with another person to take care of.

So that's it, five of my concerns about a new baby.  I would love to hear from moms of big families where kids are close in age saying how easy it is and how going from two to three is super awesome.  Seriously, find those women and have them email me!

Friday Five-Garage Sale

We are having a garage sale this weekend.  So far we have done pretty well.  I know a lot of people who would say donate it all and write it off on taxes, but I like cold, hard cash myself.  We have made about $500 and will be open again tomorrow morning!!!  While hosting a garage sale you see a lot of interesting people and interesting things in general.  Here are the top five most common people/things we saw this morning at our garage sale.

1.  Minivans.  Apparently a must have for people who like to shop garage sales.

2.  Fanny packs.  What else could you possibly carry your money in right?

3.  OU shirts, hats, shorts, etc.  My guess (if I was guessing) is that like the MAJORITY of OU fans, they did not actually attend OU, but picked up some pretty sweet gear at other garage sales.

4.  Tattoos.  I would guess that 99.9% of our shoppers were tatted up.  Now, I can't really say anything negative about people with tattoos, since I am one of those types of people.  Just an interesting factoid.

5.  People in pj pants.  Even I got dressed this morning.  And the sale was at my house.  And I was up at 5am.  I still had time to put on regular clothes.  I find people who wear actual pj pants in public a little odd.  Guess I should just be thankful they had on pants at all! 

Friday Five-Fall

Fall is my favorite time of the year.  I love when the tree in my front yard looks like this:

I love when it gets too cold in my house from leaving the windows open.  I love fall.

Here are my top five fav things about fall.

(in no particular order)

1.  Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  I haven't had one yet this year.  Haven't found a reason to justify the extra caffeine while pregnant, but make no mistake, I will have one.  Soon.

2.  Cloudy, cool, rainy weather.  I love weather that makes you want to curl up under a blanket with a good book.  Of course that is harder to do now that I have children, but I still love it.

3.  Hoodies, sweaters, boots, turtlenecks.....all fall clothing.  Shorts and tank tops are not for me.  I love the fact that it is cool enough to layer up!

4.  Leaves changing color.  Maybe, just maybe this year I will make it to the Talimena Drive.  Supposed to be great fall color there.  I am a little concerned about fall color this year due to the drought.

5.  Fall food.  Soups, stews, chili, bread, all warm foods.  Tonight I am making chicken and dressing.  I am so excited.  There is something so nice about being able to turn on my oven without my house getting insanely hot. 

So there it is, five of the millions of reasons why I love this time of year.  My least favorite time of year....in case you didn't know...SUMMER.  So glad it is over.  Happy Fall.

Friday Five-Baby Boy

No, this is not about names, though I still haven't thought of one.  We do have new ones on our list and have banished others we were previously considering (thanks, Danny).  Today is all about my apprehensiveness about having a boy.

Five Fears of Having a Boy....

1.  Getting peed on.  I have seen it happen on movies and people have told me horror stories.  I don't mind changing diapers, heck I am even okay with cloth, but pee on me?  No thanks, it totally grosses me out.  It isn't even so much as having pee on me...like my hands, but being peed on...like on my face/neck area.  I am terrified I tell you.

2.  Boy Parts.  How do you clean them, what do you do with them, do they play with them...pretty much any question about boys' nether regions freaks me out.

3.  Energy.  Will this little bundle of joy have more energy than Belle?  Is it even possible?  How will I make it through the day if he does?

4.  Raising a momma's boy.  Don't get me wrong, I want my baby boy to think the world of me, but I also want him to be independent at some point.  How do you balance sensitivity and toughness?  In fact, if I were to really address the concerns here...I am not sure I know how to raise a boy to be a boy.  Glad I have such an amazing husband or I might be totally losing my cool right now.

5.  Choosing a name...okay, so I am still on this topic.  Sue me.  I want a name that is manly, not girly.  Trendy but not overused.  Classic, but not boring.  Something you don't hear very often but when you do you love it and for sure know it is a dude and a manly dude at that.  AND, if it could be biblical or a family name that would be a plus.  Sounds easy enough, right?

Do you have boys?  Have you been peed on?  Reassure me here people!

Friday Five....Baby Edition

We found out the sex of the baby today.  I know you are dying with anticipation.  So Friday five today will be five names we are considering for the new baby.

1.  William.  That's right...it's a BOY.  (insert whoo hoo's and yahoo's here)  Jason likes the name William.  I think of a horse named Will that lived behind my grandparents house that died when it got struck by lightning.

2.  Lincoln.  We have considered this name for awhile now.  I don't like it either.  I am not a fan of the initials L.D.  I think of dyslexia when I hear LD.

3.  Maddox.  Think I like this one.  Can't really decide.  Jason does NOT like it.

4.  Jason.   A name we can both agree on.  Obviously we would call him J.J.

5.  Micah.  A good biblical name.  Concerned it has been used more as a girl's name lately.  J and I have liked this name for awhile.  Not sure if he still likes it or not?? 

So.....I need suggestions.   I am clueless on names for this little baby.  Boy's names are so hard for me.  HELP!  What are your favorite boy's names?

Friday Five-Pioneer Woman Edition

The Pioneer Woman has a new show starting this Saturday on Food Network.  I will not be watching it because I don't have cable.  I have not been sad about not having cable until now.  I think I might cry.  In honor of PW's new show, I thought I would do five of my fav PW recipes that you must try.  Like tonight.  Seriously, they are awesome. 

In no particular order.

1.  Blackberry Ice Cream.  This ice cream is worth the work.  It is delicious.  I have only made it a couple of times, but I like it more with each bite. 

2. Thanksgiving Stuffing.  Okay, so maybe you can wait to make this one.  But truly, I love this stuffing.  I have always been a stove top kind of girl.  (I realize many of you are cringing right now)  Jason has always been a more fancy kind of stuffing eater.  This is perfect for both of us.  We even make this when it isn't Thanksgiving and add in a rotisserie chicken and have a delicious meal.  LOVE IT.

3.  Cinnamon Rolls.  Simply the best you have ever eaten.  They are more wonderful than words can describe.  Just writing about them is making me want to make a batch.  Melt in your mouth, wonderful, gooey, cinnamon-y goodness.  Make them now.  And since I know this recipe makes a LOT of rolls, you can bring a pan by to my house.

4.  Chicken Fried Steak.  I actually think this is what she is making on her first show.  Jason made us her chicken fried steak last year for Christmas Dinner.  I think that is what I will request this year also.  We are obviously Okies.

5.  Comfort Meatballs.  I love these.  They are like mini meatloaves and I have posted about them before.  If you need a dinner idea that everyone will love, make these.  Yummy.

6.  Blackberry Cobbler.  Okay, okay, I realize this is six, not five.  I could not bear to see this left off the list.  If you are a person who doesn't like pie crust (like me) this is perfect for you.  All the goodness of a fruit cobbler, without the nastiness that is pie crust.  Add some vanilla ice cream and you are in heaven.

There you go.  Start cooking.  And if you are lucky enough to have cable, be sure to watch PW tomorrow on the Food Network. 

Friday Five-Being Nice

No one has ever described me as nice.  Not that I am mean, but nice just isn't usually the first word that pops up when someone describes me.  Maybe outspoken, or opinionated, or blunt.  Perhaps honest, or organized, or clean freak, but generally not nice.  Not kind or compassionate or tender.  I don't even describe myself that way.  I am more realistic, more to the point.  Think Dr. Phil.  I call it like I see it.  I am not one to sugar coat things.  Are you getting the picture?  So while I am not a mean person, I am not really an overly nice one either.  And that has started to bug me.  I think nice thoughts.  I feel kindness towards people, but I don't really say it that often.  Take for example my best friend, Rochelle.  I think she is pretty amazing.   She is a wonderful friend, a great mother to her son, and a pretty rockin' wife to her husband.  I have thought that for a long time, but it wasn't until today that it occurred to me to tell her.  (which obviously led me to writing this post)  Why have I never mentioned that to her?  Probably because being nice isn't a priority in my life.  Sad, isn't it.

So my Friday five today is a list of things I am going to do to try and be more "on purpose" about being nice.  And here's the thing...I am generally very nice to strangers, just not to people I know.....so all of these are for my immediate friends and family!

1.  Make a better effort to communicate with family members.  Picking up the phone to say hello and I love you is probably better than sending a text or email, so I will start with that.  If you are related to me and haven't gotten a call lately...watch out.

2.  Remember to send birthday cards.  I used to be such a pro at this.  I was never late, always remembered and even got cards out to Jason's side of the family.  With children and a digital calendar, I have fallen off the wagon.  I don't think I have sent a birthday card this entire year.  Pathetic.

3.  Be more intentional to tell my girlfriends how wonderful they are.  I don't have a lot of girlfriends, so letting the ones I do have know how blessed I am to have them in my life should probably be more of a priority.

4.  Watch what I say.  This might be the hardest.  As I mentioned I tend to call it like I see it.  Not always a plus.  So I am and have been, working to keep my mouth shut a little more!

5.  Be more thoughtful and helpful.  Having a baby, lose a family member, kids driving you crazy?  I might just bring you dinner, or babysit your kids, or send you a present.  My good friend Stephanie is the queen of thoughtfulness.  This year alone she has sent me three magazine subscriptions at random all on things I am really interested in.  Why?  Because Stephanie is nice and thoughtful.  She thinks of others, and she is helpful.  As you can probably guess, Stephanie has about a bazillion friends.

So while my gift-ed-ness may be more in the area of administration/organization, I am aiming to be more nice.  I'll let you know how it goes!

What area do you excel in?  What area do you wish you were better in?  I would love to know I am not alone!!!

Friday Five-On a Saturday

I really meant to post this yesterday.  But I didn't, so here it is today!

Friday Five-Books Edition

I have been reading more this year than I have in probably the last three years combined.  It is pretty awesome, being able to read more.  Turns out once you drop cable tv you have much more time on your hands!!!  So here are the last five-ish books I have read!

1.  The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay:  Yes, I realize the first is actually three books, not one.  If you haven't heard of this series, it is probably because it is more young adult than adult reading.  I first heard of these books from my step-mom who is a fifth grade teacher.  I really don't know if I should recommend these books or not.  While they kept me reading (I finished each in less than a day), and I was pleased with the ending, you should know that you are reading books that are centered around kids killing kids.  Seems a little crazy to tell someone to read a book about that.  So I won't tell you to read them, I will tell you that if you are looking for a series of books to keep you engaged, these three will do the job.  And, in case you were wondering, Hunger Games is being made into a movie that will be released March of 2012.  I haven't decided if I will see it or not.

2.  Bringing Up Girls.  This is a James Dobson book, a follow up if you will to his book, Bringing Up Boys.  I was very excited to read this considering I am currently raising two daughters.  This was a very informative book, and mostly confirmed what I already knew to be true about raising girls.  A must read for fathers who are raising daughters.  Turns out that in parenting, dads play a pretty major role.  I knew that already, but this book put things into perspective. 

3.  Same Kind of Different As Me.  Great. Book.  This is a true story about two people who become friends despite their overwhelming differences and backgrounds.  I couldn't put this one down either.  After reading this book I had a new perspective on homelessness and how God calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

4. Her Mother's Hope and Her Daughter's Dream by Francine Rivers.   I have been on a Francine Rivers kick this year.  I think I have read all but two of her books.  This was not my favorite series of hers, but it was good.  If you are looking for good, Christian, fiction, look no farther than Francine Rivers.  Don't be intimidated by the size of these books, they are pretty quick reads as well. 

5.  Power Thoughts.  This is a Joyce Meyer book and a feel a little like I am cheating by putting it on the list.  I haven't actually finished this book, but am about half-way through.  It is an outstanding book and even though I am not done, I would recommend it.  If you are looking for a book that will help you align your thoughts with what the Bible says about you and your life,  this is the book for you.  You really can't go wrong with Joyce Meyer can you?

So there they are, the last five-ish books that I have read or mostly read.  What are you reading?  I need a new book, any suggestions?

Friday.....

I can't seem to get my thoughts together today.  Okay, really it is everyday that I am having this problem.  I think I have about a dozen blog ideas in my head, but nothing really is coming to me other than the idea to write about said topics.  So here is my Friday Five.  Five things I wish I had the time....and energy.....and motivation to write about.

1.  Friendships.  Specifically how hard it is to make and maintain good girl friendships.  I have been pretty terrible at being a friend in the past.  There are lots of people that would back me up on that, but as an adult, I feel I have improved.  It has taken a dedicated effort on my part and I wish I could write about all of my feelings on friendships.  I also would want to include losing a friend (not that they died).  I had a "bestie" once and we had a pretty major falling out.  It has impacted my "friendship life" pretty profoundly and I would want to include all of that as well.  As a side note, I do have good friends now!!!!

2.  My brother's wedding.  Things are so weird when your youngest brother gets married.  I want to blog about the weirdness, but there are several things holding me back.  Not the least of which is the fact that he reads my blog.

3.  Affairs.  More specifically how one would go about "affair-proofing" their marriage.  Several people I know or know of have recently discovered their husband was having an affair.  I want to know how to make sure it never happens to me. 

4.  Updates on my kiddos.  I would love to tell and show you all of the cute things they have been doing lately, but I have no pictures, and well, have no motivation to take pictures.

5.   Lastly, I have been tossing around another Money Saving Post.  The problem there is that it is getting harder and harder to save money.  I am not going to start making my own laundry detergent or eating only foods I have coupons for, and I have already cut cable, so finding extra ways to save money is getting harder.  If I find some, I will be sure to let you know. 

That's it!  What's on your mind these days?  What would you like to write about, but just can't seem to get your thoughts organized enough to say?  Oh, and have you entered my giveaway?  Have a great weekend.