What's in my purse?

Lauren had the cute idea to link up & do a post on what's in my purse?  Lets face it, us girls would be lost without our purses!  I used to carry a suitcase sized purse when Cam was out of diapers but as soon as Reese came along & we bounced back to a diaper bag, I went back to a smaller purse.  When she was really little & we traveled with everything but the kitchen sink, I threw a wristlet into the diaper bag since I couldn't face the idea of dealing with another bag to haul on top of the breast pump & cooler bag.

One: My mother-in-law got me this colorful Coach purse for Christmas this year & it's the perfect size for me.  Two:  It also has a lot of handy compartments that help me stay organized which I love.  Three: I never leave home without my wallet or my cute envelopes that keep me on Dave Ramsey's cash system that I blogged about in this post.  Four:  When you live in the Sunshine State, you cannot go outside without sporting some dark shades!

 

Five: I've had so many visits to the dentist after work recently & apparently I've forgotten to take my toothbrush & toothpaste out.  Six: Hand cream.  When I was a teenager, I read that your hands age the fastest, so on top of wearing sunscreen, I always make sure to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!  Seven: Lip balm/color/gloss.  I always feel like the fastest way to look more polished is by swiping some color on your lips.  Eight:  Sadly, I am an ibuprofen junkie so I have three spots for my pills!  Yikes... call the rehab center & have me committed!  My back is constantly sore & I have sinus issues so I never leave home without it.  Lauren bought me the cute pill box pictured in the bottom right for my birthday!

Nine:  If I don't clock in, I don't get paid!  And no, I don't really have sunglasses & a mustache on in my picture!  Ten:  Fresh breath is an absolute must for me!  Eleven:  My skin is super oily so I'm always armed with both my oil absorbing sheets (which are quite possibly up there in the top ten best things invented) & my pressed powder.  Twelve:  And finally, who could survive without a cell phone these days?  I use the htc Sensation..  It seems I'm one of the few who doesn't have an iPhone since Mike is not at all a fan of Apple products.  He's the techie in our family & frankly, as long as it works, it's user friendly & fast, I'm fine with whatever.  So, there's a peek into my purse & all the must-haves I use on a daily basis.  Thanks for stopping by!!

Summer swimming

Unlike most parts of the country, living in Florida has caused me to absolutely dread summer!  Who needs a meteorologist when every single day is 93 degrees with a 30% chance of rain with humidity through the roof?!  This year I seem to finally be embracing it, looking forward to all the swimming, grilling & summer get-togethers with friends.  We kicked off Memorial Day weekend with a whole lotta water & fun!

Someday we would LOVE to have a pool, but in the meantime, we're making the most of our backyard with a sprinkler & baby pool & the kids are loving it!

My sweet little swimmer loves to point to my eyes and when I say point to them, I mean, jab her fingers inside my eyeballs.  Ouch!

Since Reese doesn't like the rough Florida grass in her bare feet, she was rocking these very fashionable shoes/socks or whatever the heck they are.

And only at this age are these chunker thighs so adorable!!!

Not only did Cam have a ball in the sprinkler all evening Sunday, but Monday he was a little fish & swam at Matt & Kelly's for at least four hours.  By Monday night, both of my kiddos were out cold in seconds.  Nothing like sun & water to poop you out!

My sister came up to watch the kids on Friday night so we could go out for our anniversary/my birthday & I'm so glad the kids had one-on-one time with her.  If we're around, Reese only wants us, so the only time my family can truly bond with her is when we're out of sight.

I had an awesome birthday!  The Ethiopian restaurant was interesting.. we had a great time, but since we don't get out often, we probably won't go back for a long time.

Saturday morning my parents came up to take Cam to his soccer game & watch him so we could go boating with Lauren.  We headed to an amazingly beautiful island & just relaxed all day long.  It was heavenly.

Who couldn't be relaxed in this environment?!

After boating we hit the marina bar for some gorgeous views, cold beer & live music.

I also tried boiled peanuts for the first time!  The texture took some getting used to, but they were  pretty good.  We did plenty of grilling, relaxing, family & friend time this weekend & having Monday off was spectacular.  I was NOT at all ready to head back to work yesterday morning, but I'm very thankful that I'm off today!  Only two more days & it's time for the weekend again!!

While we were boating Saturday, my little baby boy was playing his heart out on the soccer field!

So much so that he earned the medal for the week!  My sister text me a picture while I laid on the beach & I couldn't help but cry; I'm so proud of my guy!

Click over to Cam & Reese's blog to see more pictures.

Last moments of 33

As I sit in the dim of my kitchen, laptop happily glowing in front of me, I find myself pondering the fact that I'm in my last hours of being a thirty-three year old.

Hmm, I wonder if I'll look older tomorrow?  Maybe I should pick up some eye cream to slow the ever growing crows feet...

Shhh, it's just another day, take a sip of wine, everything will be okay.

Ahh, that's better.  Everything is going to be alright.  

Each birthday, I'm struck with the fact that the numbers keep growing, but I don't feel any different.  Sure, a lot has changed over the years.. I now have two kids, a house, a career, an achier back, need more sleep, can't stay out with friends drinking due to said kids as well as a much worse hangover..  you get the point.  But, in my heart & mind, I really don't feel any different than when I was seventeen.  Age is just a number!  Sure, the mirror tells me otherwise, but I'm thankful for each day & year that passes!  As I celebrate my day of birth tomorrow, I also celebrate my 11th wedding anniversary!!  Waa-hooo!  I took the day off work for an extra long Memorial Day weekend & the kids are getting shipped to school so I can hit the gym, take my time, lunch with my bestie & finally have a hot dinner date at an Ethiopian restaurant in Tampa.  I know, who eats Ethiopian food?  Apparently we do!!  It'll be a first for us!  Thankfully my sister is coming up to watch the kiddos so we can speak for more than five seconds without getting interrupted during dinner.  It'll be a great day & I'm really looking forward to it.  Happy Birthday to me & Happy Anniversary to us!

Cleaning naturally

As much as we don't feel like doing it, we all have to clean our houses... every day, every week we're wiping, scrubbing & shining to keep things fresh & clean.  About a year ago, my friend Lesli introduced me to natural cleaning products & I've never looked back.  Not only are they Earth & child friendly, but they're also budget friendly.  No more trips to the store to replace toxic cleaning products.

These few, typical household items are all you need to make 5 essential cleaning products.  If they're safe to eat, they're safe to clean with!  It's nice to let Cam or even Reese help me wipe down the tables without worrying about them spraying it in their mouths.  I buy my essential oils online & the rest of the items are generic brand from my local grocery store.  The spray bottles are either leftover from other cleaning products or bought at any store such as Target.  If I run out of a cleaner, I grab a few things from the cupboard, do a bit of measuring & mixing & I'm good to go!

So, here are the five items I've made in order of frequency of use...

This is my hands down favorite item... I use it many times throughout the day to wipe up after the sticky fingers that roam around my house!  It smells absolutely delish & disinfects from the natural powers of essential oils.  To make, simply grab a glass measuring cup with 2 cups of water, add 1/2 teaspoon of each peppermint & lavender essential oil & pour into spray bottle.

Now that Cam is using fluoridated toothpaste & swishing & spitting after brushing his teeth, there are plenty of splatters to wipe off the bathroom mirrors!  Since most people, myself included, don't particularly enjoy the smell of vinegar, you can always add many drops of essential oil of your choice to cut the smell.  Or you can just make scented vinegar by adding a ton of essential oil to the big jug of vinegar & use that as your mix ins.  Although, once vinegar dries, the smell completely dissipates.  To make, mix 1 1/2 cups of water with 1/2 cup of plain or scented vinegar.

Since the kids are constantly snacking at our family room table, I'm often wiping it down with my homemade wood cleaner.  Not to mention, with four animals under our roof, the house needs dusting constantly.  To make, mix 2 teaspoons of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of lemon essential oil (I used lemongrass since it's what I had from the mix pack I bought online), 1/4 cup white vinegar & 1 3/4 cups water.  Mix into spray bottle in order of ingredients listed & shake before using.  This also shines our stainless steel appliances.

With a little boy in the house who has TERRIBLE aim in the bathroom, I'm often wiping up nasty spills around the toilet.  This is an all-purpose surface cleaning for toilets, counters/sinks as well as showers.  This is just straight scented vinegar.  If you need extra scouring power, sprinkle baking soda, spray cleaner on a damp sponge & scrub away.  For toilet bowls, I add straight vinegar with baking soda, let it bubble & work & scrub with a toilet brush.

I'm not at all into the overuse of antibacterial products since I feel they do more harm than good in the long run, but if there's a bug going around the house, I use this to kill germs.  I'll also spray this in my garbage can as I'm changing bags since it freshens up the can.  To make, mix 2 cups water with 25 drops of each tea tree & lavender essential oils.  Spray onto surfaces & allow to dry without wiping.

I haven't made any changes in my dishwasher or laundry detergents since I'm so partial to their nice scents, but I'm glad I don't have to worry about Reese getting into my main cleaning items.

My sickling

We were all doing well as the week progressed until Reese came home from daycare yesterday, seeming a bit off.  As she ate a banana in her highchair & I finished up dinner in the kitchen as well as the sentence, "I really think she's getting sick.." she ralphed ALL OVER.  Lets just say both dogs even got bathed after that episode!  After we mopped, comforted & disinfected, Reese was pale but perky.  She slept through the night with no issues but woke up with a 101 fever so Mike took the day off to nurse her back to health & I'll be with her tomorrow.  No more pukes since dinner yesterday, thank goodness for that!

Mike was great about texting me pictures of my little sickie during the day as I worked.  I had a laugh at the pitiful look on her face as I headed up to ICU rounds today.  Poor gal did not appreciate being dragged out of the house to drop Cam at school or to have her picture taken.

But after a nice long nap, she perked up & showed Mike her "stinkies."  Love to see my happy girl!  I put her to bed last night with her little Minnie doll & when I was getting into bed & noticed her still clutching it, tears sprang to my eyes.  Like any mom, it breaks my heart when my kids are sick.  They're so helpless & sad.

Before yesterday, we've had a great week with lots of fun playing & goofing around before bedtime.  Yes, there are PLENTY of nights where the fussing & crying have me counting down the minutes till bedtime, but there are many more nights that I just want to keep them up because they're being so darn cute & we're having so much fun.

I managed to slip away Tuesday evening for my weekly girls night in of having snacks, wine & just lounging on Lauren's couch watching mindless reality TV with her & Cheryl.  Perfect way to de-stress & break up the week!

And the past few nights we've enjoyed the eggplant Parmesan I whipped up for dinner.  This is a warm, comfort meal, but with "summer" coming, we'll be doing more grilling & lighter meals which I love.  Nothing like Mike working on the grill as I man the side dishes!  

As I worked on dinner, Cam worked on his masterpiece & finally painted the car he got for Christmas.  Since his attention span can be short for crafts, I was super impressed by his diligence!

I'm hoping that after two days home with Mommy & Daddy, Reese will be as good as new in time for the weekend!

Mother's Day 2013

We headed to Sarasota Saturday morning to spend Mother's Day with my family.   It's so much fun to go, but boy is it an ordeal to pack 2 adults, 2 dogs & 2 kids!

It's especially an ordeal when I have this little girl hanging on my ankles, screaming to be picked up! Yes, this sweet, adorable little bundle has been a lot to handle recently.  She wants to be held most of her waking hours, especially by me & she wants me to be standing as I hold her.  God forbid I sit down, she throws the mother of all fits.  Lets just say that my lower back has been screaming in pain lately!

It's hard to imagine that anyone this ridiculously cute could be such a STINKER, but it's true!  I'm starting to put her down & just let her cry it out since I know she's fine & I cannot handle holding her as much as she likes.  Not only can my back not stand it, but I also need to be able to do small things like use the restroom or get myself dressed!  It's frustrating too because on days that Mike gets up with her in the morning, I hear her happily playing & the moment she lays eyes on me, she runs over crying with her arms stretched out to me wanting up.  I give Reese plenty of undivided attention, sitting with her on the floor, playing with toys or just cuddling, so it's not like she's neglected.  Our weekends have been rather stressful & hectic especially now that Cam is playing soccer on Saturday mornings.  It's funny how babies are always going through different phases that you just have to learn from and adapt to accordingly.  I'm trying to learn better patience & handle stressful situations more calmly, but easier said than done, right?

Other than the large amount of crying going on, there was plenty of swimming!

This boy was a fish this weekend & swam with his cousin Mikayla non-stop.  By Sunday evening as we drove home, he was out cold within minutes.  Even his sister's jabbering, singing & shouting didn't wake him. You can head over to the kiddo's blog to see a few more pictures from the weekend.

I think Mike was pooped too after swimming right along with the kids!

Other than being married to my best friend, motherhood is the greatest blessing God has given me!  It's surely not always easy, but I wouldn't change if for anything in the world! 

On a side note, today is my mom's birthday!  Happy Birthday, Mom, I love you LOTS!

Recent happenings

May is a VERY busy month around our house!  We have many celebrations going on in addition to Mother's Day.  Yesterday was my niece & God daughter's 10th birthday!

Maddy is such a sweet little girl who marches to the beat of her own drummer which I love her for!  We'll be celebrating Maddy this weekend as we head to Sarasota for Mother's Day.  It's also my mom's birthday & anniversary the next few days after & then it's my birthday & anniversary & finally my in-law's anniversary.  Told you it was busy!

Last week I mentioned that I was tied to the house waiting on a freezer repair man who was scheduled between 9am-noon.  I joked that he'd show at 11:59am but I was wrong!  He just never showed at all!!  Apparently the joker went to our old house & didn't even bother to call & wonder why we weren't there.  Gotta love the excellent service!  So, he's apparently coming today between noon and three.... we'll see.  Since I'm home today, I'll be making yummy Almost Famous Broccoli Cheddar Soup for dinner & getting lots ticked off my to-do list.  Since Wednesday is my only day home during the week, I find myself running like a frantic chicken with it's head cut off.  I have to tell myself to calm down & just focus on finishing one thing at a time since I'll often try to multitask which just ends up slowing me down.  My head is not a pretty place most times!  I just love getting as much done as possible so our weekends can be relaxing & enjoyable with the kids.  I typically send Reese to daycare on Wednesdays since it's really hard to get things done while she's here & we pay for the week anyway.  I do feel guilty about it a lot though.

Last week her teacher called as I was coming into the house with arm fulls of groceries with a lot left to do in the few hours before Mike came home with Reese.  She said that Reese kept tugging at the front of her diaper & crying.  There were no signs of rash & she was totally fine when she left me in the morning, but  I called the pediatrician since I was worried she had a UTI or something.  As I got to daycare I expected Reese to be distressed & crying from pain, but she was happy as could be!!

I completely believe that she was acting off during the day since I do trust her teacher, but she had done a 180 by the time I got her.  We headed across the way to the pediatrician, waited over an hour, got seen for a few minutes & it turns out she may have just scratched her nether regions.  It also turns out that a UTI is not just a quick antibiotic prescription, but requires a definite diagnosis by either taping a bag around the girly parts to catch urine or by catheterizing the bladder.  No thanks!!  A trip to Target in the POURING rain for basic A&D ointment & we were on our way home!! I was thankful Reese was feeling so much better & it was nothing serious!

And lastly, I finally, finally got my hair cut & colored!  My hair has gotten really, really dark recently thanks to my attempts at doing box kits at home.  Since it's been colored in the past, it pulls colors differently & the bottom has been nearly black.  With summer coming, I wanted to add some blond streaks so I was so happy my co-worker was able to do it!  She's in cosmetology school so not only did she come to my house to do it, but her prices were really great too!