January 28, 2014

Date Night



Last weekend we had a date night Saturday night! Stayed at a hotel and went to a Steakhouse! It was so fun and it just reminded us how much fun we have together!




So I tried making juice in the Ninja earlier last Saturday with carrots and tomato's and wheat grass.

Lets just say it was EARTHY tasting and from now on I will follow a recipe!





Some of you may have seen the FB page 'reasons my son is crying' and this was one of those moments for us. We have them all the time but this one made me laugh. She is CRYING slash throwing a huge fit because I asked her if she wanted me to bring her leftovers home from a restaurant for her to snack on later and she said NO! In the car he asked about them and I reminded her she told me she didn't want them anymore and the fit started...

It made me laugh mostly because of that FB page but how goofy kids can be.






Channing LOVES the 'what does the fox say' music video... I think it is a little creepy but whatev!






This smile is my FAVE!






The hotel we stayed at had GOLD hardware in the bathroom and I told Chandler
'This hotel was made for ME'


















Happy Tuesday!
XO





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January 15, 2014

NINJA



Ninja Blender $99
Say hello to our newest family member!
NINJA

We have wanted one for a while and finally bought one yesterday! We have several friends with the NINJA and they all seem to love it so we decided that's what we would get. I bought it at Best Buy and started using it this morning. The smoothie recipe I used I got off of Pinterest of course.

Smoothie Connoisseur - C.R.A.F.T.

I REALLY enjoyed the flavor of this one but today I didn't add the Greek Yogurt and added a little more spinach and flaxseed.

I cannot wait to try more recipes! I actually just found one on Pinterest that says you can make your own peanut or sunflower butter in the Ninja! What?! I will definitely be trying that one!

QUESTION?

Where is te best place to buy frozen fruit? It can be expensive so I am wondering if Costco or Sams Club would be the best place to get our frozen fruit!

Let me know!



January 13, 2014

Ive Got My Eye On You!




Today is the day! Finally it is here!
Channing's eye appointment at Childrens. I feel like we have waited so long for this appointment. Thankfully she is 'excited' because Peppa Pig also went to the eye doctor and it was fun. Hope she keeps the enthusiasm up!

I will post an update after we know something.






Just a few catch up pictures from my phone... haven't done well with taking the real camera yet. Baby steps baby steps!

Channing helped Grammie make pizza last Thursday and it was delish!



You can't really see them but I got these cute sweats from the Target clearance with hot pink zippers at the ankles. I was trying to take a good picture but failed... anyhow just trust me they are cute and comfy and cost $9 really can't beat that!






A little Friday treat I picked up for the hubby...

Saturday night we met some friends for dinner at Tillman's in Bishop Arts. The food was amaze but I felt like it was a little overpriced but the company was perfect and that popcorn.... THAT.POPCORN!!!







Me and my girl yesterday morning playing 'betend' I was the baby and she was the mommy... sweetest girl I know!!

Some friend's texted and asked if we wanted to meet at Chicken scratch yesterday afternoon and we gladly accepted! The kids played for a while and we sat and relaxed and enjoyed the weather with a few drinks. PERFECT day for it!

Starting to run again this afternoon after a week of crappy weather!!


Happy Monday!



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January 10, 2014

Resolutions!




Every year I make little goals in my head to try and reach throughout the year. But this year I have decided to write them down here so I can look back on them and see where I am. In no particular order.
  • Take the REAL camera with us instead of just our phones
  • Print more of said REAL pictures
  • Stick to a cleaning schedule
  • Use coupons again
  • Continue running
  • Excel at my job
  • Be on time more often... a lot more often
  • Choose joy in all things
  • Play with Channing... REALLY play
  • Organize my life
  • Dates with Chandler
  • Making our church more of a home for us
  • Write more often in the journal I have for Channing
  • Read more
  • Work on getting to know more people in our 'new' community
  • Become more involved

In an effort to meet more people and get more involved I am hosting a Blues Jean Bar party!

If you are in the Dallas area and you would like to come and get $35 off a pair of jeans come on!

Make sure to let me know you are coming so I can plan accordingly!


Like them on Facebook because they are always posting sales you would otherwise not know about!!
Tell them I sent you!




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January 9, 2014

Cleaning Schedule






I thought I would share the cleaning schedule I have JUST started following this week! I am a full time working momma and we just recently let our house keeper go. She actually was great but I think I am too OCD. I was always finding things I wanted done more often or differently and was still cleaning behind her. Our house always seemed very clean after she was there but I digress...

SO I found several 'schedules' on Pinterest and I just started kind of following this one Monday. I have pretty much stuck to it except making beds part. I have been too rushed (my own fault) this week so far to make the beds. But, I do LOVE when they are made when I get home.

Cleaning Schedule

Doing SOME laundry every day has been awesome. They are small loads and although I MAY be using more water and electricity but stress of having a HUGE amount of laundry to get done on a busy Saturday or Sunday is GONE.

There are tons of these schedules all over Pinterest but this just happened to be the one I printed off. The picture is linked so just click away if you are interested. Whether you are a working momma or a SAHM I think some sort of cleaning schedule would be helpful!


January 8, 2014

Detox Review



Dr. Oz Three-Day Detox | Rays of Funshine
I will be completely honest here... I thought this would be easy. Usually I have MAJOR self control and when I set my mind to something I totally go for it. This on the other hand did not go so well for me. I thought I was totally on board. I mean, I spent a long time Sunday prepping everything and putting all the smoothies cut up into bags in the freezer for easy prep in the mornings. But by Monday morning after the breakfast smoothie, which tastes just fine (We will actually keep doing these) I was super hungry WAY before the lunch hour and started to get a headache, which is probably normal. The lunch smoothie is VERY thick and tastes very apple-ish BUT the aftertaste killed me. I didn't make it to the snack one... just gave in and drank some coffee and kept drinking water. We ended up scrapping the dinner smoothie and making healthy dinners instead because I was beyond hungry for FOOD.

All in all I did feel great but I usually eat well anyway and I almost always have a smoothie similar to this for breakfast. I take lots of vitamins on a daily basis so I feel like we are pretty good. It was a nice jump start though. With all the running we do and a pretty healthy lifestyle I think we can keep up the good work.
Things I would recommend:
  • Prep everything in bags before the three days you decide to do it. HELPS a lot
  • Set out the bag for 20 mins or so before putting into the blender otherwise it can take forever
  • Prepare your mind that you will not have any food to chew for three days
  • OR COFFEE or COKE if you drink them
  • Do it when you know that you will have a supportive environment...
  • If you don't take vitamins on a daily basis this is a good way to start... YOU SHOULD BE (I think)
There you have it. I think next time I might try the Advocare 10 day cleanse.... much more doable for me I think!


January 7, 2014

On Potty Training!





Around 16- 18 months old Channing started really showing interest in going to the potty. I am no expert on potty training but a friend asked yesterday what some of us did to potty train. Her daughter is showing major interest and is around the same age when Channing started so I thought I would share how the whole thing went for us.

  • Bought a potty and just sat it out for her to see (she would go every once in a while on it)
  • I started putting her on the potty every night before bath because she always went in the bath so it was a good time for her to get used to going
  • NEVER stressed or pushed her in a negative tone
  • Didn't stress ourselves out with any timeline... IE: potty training in three days etc.
  • Encouraged her as much as we could





That started in a December and on July 4th ( mommy brains remember milestones like this) she just decided that was it. She told us every time she needed to go potty. We even went to the lake and she would ask to get out of the water to go to the potty. From that moment on it was all panties all the time.

That was that. I did read books to her about going to the potty and we watched the Elmo potty training DVD no less than one bazillion times but we never worried about it. I was just convinced that before too long she wouldn't want to sit in a wet or dirty diaper.

Now, this is only what worked for us and I am a big advocate on doing what is best for YOUR family and YOUR kiddo and really YOUR time and sanity.



I just know that every time I have stressed about something like switching to Cow's milk or taking away the bottle or pacifier it ended up not being THAT big of a deal to her.

I am not bragging by any means. Some other things have been really tough for us. She is VERY strong willed and has a big personality (do NOT know where she gets it) but I have noticed if I just roll with the punches (easier said than done and don't stress myself out) it usually works out ok.

NOW... I do NEED some advice. She is still wearing a pull-up at night. I haven't been too stressed about it but I do feel it is time to give up the drink of milk right before bed to try and start getting completely dry pullups on a consistent basis then finally switching to NO MORE pullups!

Last night I started what is my initial step. She is allowed to have a cup of milk right after dinner either before bath or while in the bath but NO MORE after that until the morning. Bed time went ok but in the middle of the night she wanted in bed with us and of course a drink of Milk. We said no and she finally agreed BUT still laid in bed with us the rest of the night... that is a separate 'seeking advice' post.

So hopefully by not totally stressing out over it and starting slowly the transition will be easy.

Here is to hoping!!

Happy Tuesday!



January 6, 2014

Catch Up


This is my final catch up post from the holidays.
 
Just little snapshots of what we have been up to!
 
Enjoy!
 
This year every Monday I will catch you up on life in our household and the other days will be for other posts!
 
 
Get ready... This blog will be better this year!
 













































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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas a day late to ALL!
 
I always have and I always will love Christmas. It is extra special to me because it is the time when my Savior was born to this world.
 
On Christmas Eve I remembered the feeling I used to get as a child. So excited beyond words for what was to come the next morning. I don't know if it was odd for a kid, but I not only loved the surprise of Santa and gifts but I also adored having family around. I never wanted it to end. Something about having everybody I loved in one place just seemed right.
 
With Channing Christmas has even more excitement! It is so fun to watch her grow and with each year get more and more excited about the holidays! This was the first year she REALLY knew and was excited about what was going on! I had more fun shopping for her this year because I knew how excited she would be. She did not disappoint.
 
(the following are just pictures from the last few weeks... I am catching up and one of my goals for next year is to make this blog bigger and better! Watch out!!)
 













(just a random shot but I NEED this sweatshirt!)

 
FIRST RECITAL!!!







































































Maybe this should be a separate post but it is on my mind so I thought I would just let it out there.
 
This next year I am going to try and re-focus. In general.
 
Re-focus on my faith and my trust in the Lord. Make more time for reflection and quiet time with my God.  
Re-focus on my family. Doing my best and what is best for us and a unit and re-acting in love (or trying to) in every situation. Going to try not to compare myself to the other 'super moms' out there and just being the best mom I can be to my sweet girl. I fear that I have become too caught up in what other moms may or may not be doing and worrying and putting too much thought into that. I will do my best to be confident in my mothering and rest easier knowing that I can be the best mom for Channing without being exactly like someone else who may have a totally different situation than I am and focusing in finding joy and happiness in my job as a mom!  Re-focus on my sweet girl and my husband.

SO Merry Christmas (LATE) and Happy New Year!
 
 
 
 

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