sunshine!

The sunshine is streaming into the kitchen!
It's fabulous.
I am happy dancing.

Watch me ttwwwiiirrrlll!
Uh oh, the sunshine is also highlighting all of the crusty old food splashes on the white cupboards.

Darnit.

I'm thinking this is how "Spring Cleaning" started...

around our house today

Just some randomness...

find the blonde

Little blonde head poking out of his fort.
Pretty sure this is the first fort he's built entirely by himself.

Little boy milestone.

lego maniac

Legos.
Always legos.
Lego birthday party on Fri!
With a pinata, his one and only request.

best little bear ever

When you are the third child mom lets you sleep in your carseat in the laundry room.
No biggie.

i went to sleep with wet bangs

I am sick.
No voice.
Hard to yell at the kids.

I have decided to rip apart my office.
I am a skeered.

Also, it must be reassembled by Thurs night because of the Lego party on Fri.
Yikes.

seven quick takes, #3

1. Once upon a time Hubs brought a nifty handmade mug home for me from a business trip.
I told my mom I loved it and wanted a whole set of mismatched, giant, artsy-fartsy coffee mugs.
She got me a new one for Christmas.
I love that mug.
I need more.

2. Since the New Year I have been awesome at meal planning (it's only been three weeks...)
I think this week I'm going to start meal planning for lunches and breakfasts, too.
And I've been saving the used menus...so in a few weeks I can start replaying some of the meals.
And then the next step is meal planning for the whole month.

It's good to have goals.

3. Child #1 has been coughing for a week.
I kept him home from preschool on Mon, and sent him in on Tues and Wed.
On Wed he came home with a note saying that he coughed non-stop.
So I made a Dr. appt for Thurs.

Naturally, there was no coughing yesterday.
I swear he saved his coughs for after the appointment.

4. I have been hit by the post-baby super-sads.

Can I recommend something to you?
Skip finding a pediatrician, just go with a family practice.
That way, when you feel like you are losing your mind and cannot stop crying, and your 4 year old has a nasty cough at the same time...it's super easy to just sneak an appointment for yourself in at the same time.

Bonus points because your Dr. will see the three ring circus that is your life (and that circus will be putting on an extra good show due to space constraints) and will not hesitate in the least to send you out with a prescription for some mild drugs.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my little circus people.
I'm just having hard time dealing with the circus and the tidal wave of hormones my body is currently producing.
Plus, it's really hard to get outside.
I need the sun.

5. #3 can sleep through anything.

baby loves playmobil

6. The Christmas decorations are almost all put away.
This upsets child #2.
He keeps asking if Christmas is over, and when we tell him it is, he cries big alligator tears.
He's just so sad.

Then he remembers that he really really needs a piece of candy.
Then it's time to beg for candy candy candy candy.

7. I've been thinking more about my living room.
I tried a chair from my office in the room thinking it might work in front of the window.

No dice.
That space for sure needs two chairs, and I'm thinking they need to be relatively modern.
I need to scour Craigslist.
I have zero desire to spend anymore money at Ikea.

What have you been up to this week?

Visit Jen for more Quick Takes.

movie monday, living room tour

Movie Monday is back!
I know you are all couch jumping...it's just so exciting ;)

Anyway, I have decided the first decorating project of the year is....

THE LIVING ROOM!

I know? Super fun, eh?

I picked the living room because...it is clean and after we put away the Christmas decor (cause Christmas is now officially over, y'all) it felt super-duper incredibly empty.
Time to fill it up and make it fun.
Yeah.

One small problem...
My budget is somewhere in the range of $5-$12
Hmmm...this will take some creativity...

Tour time!

Have any ideas for me?

Want to search Craigslist for me?

How about listing some stuff from the basement on Craigslist for me?

I'm also accepting donations ;)

Have an excellent Monday!

seven quick takes #2

Back with 7 Quick Takes...thanks Jen for hosting!

1. A direct quote from #1: "Larry King...had a beautiful neck."
Obviously we have been watching too much Gravity Falls lately.
#2 keeps requesting it - "I need Gravity Falls Wax!"

sick day from school

2. Wed. was sunny and warm (40 is warm for Jan.)!
I let #2 skip his nap and the boys played in their new snow shoes.
Thanks Grammy and Papa, for such a fun present!
(Thanks Mom and Dad, the snowshoes slowed my boys down just enough that #2 only ended up in the street once!)

the carrot nose was a non-negotiable

3. Hot cocoa, our favorite after playing in the snow.

so yummy!

4. SMILES!!!!!

ready for bed...too happy to sleep

5.Too big for the Bumbo.

take my picture!

6. Nearly 7 weeks old.
Size 6 month outfit.
The outfit did run small - good choice Auntie Rachel!

please don't grow up

Also...notice the blur above Bebe?
That's #2.
This sweet baby is pretty great about sleeping through the chaos (for now).

7. Good bye old, hole-y Spiderman slippers.
Hello new Spideys!

spidey sense x4

And #2 has a pair as well :)

seven quick takes #1

I've been pretty silent on the blog for a few months...of course life is going on, I just haven't felt like sharing.
The problem is that when I'm not sharing I also feel like I am not remembering.
And I need to remember.
These little people are too important to forget.
Currently, my brain only remembers things if they have been written down.
So...

I'm thinking if I link up to 7 Quick Takes over at Jen's blog I might just be able to remember, oh I don't know, maybe seven more things each week ;) Hey, this week Hallie is hosting because Jen is hospitalized with pulmonary emboli - please pray for her and her growing baby boy.

1. I bought a gingerbread cookie kit before Christmas...so naturally on Jan 2 Child #1 and I decorated a few cookies for dessert.

It worked out the best that way, he had a little special time with me on his first day back at school, and he was inspired to create his own "Capt. Cookie" from his new favorite book The Gingerbread Pirates.

note the toothpick peg leg (it was very important)

2. I *bought* a gingerbread kit instead of making cut out cookies because I had to back off from many of the Christmas activities I usually enjoy (like baking) - having a baby between Thanksgiving and Christmas forces you to cut back, or have a metal breakdown.
I chose to cut back.
It was pretty great.

Anyway, this was the extent of my holiday baking:

cookies for santa

Haystacks
Nutter Butters dressed up as Baby Jesus (my brothers thought this was hilarious) - a great idea from Catholic Icing

Ritz Crackers dipped in melted Andes Mints and "dusted" with fancy sugar by #1

3. Child #2 loves stickers.
Well, honestly, he loves anything sticky.
Very hesitant to let me wipe his hands after a meal.
Loves how sticky his fingers are after eating a candy cane (another favorite).
Must have a sticker for naptime/bedtime.
Often gives me a sticker and tells me "For your sticky finger!" But the word finger comes out "pinger" and is just all kinds of adorable.

sticky googlie eyes, what could be better!

4. I hate cleaning the bathrooms.

5.

6 weeks old.
Outgrowing his clothes at an alarming rate!

6. I am packing away my maternity clothes, but I only have one pair of comfortable jeans.
Well, they might not be comfortable, but I can button them and they look decent.
The treadmill is calling my name...

7. The Christmas decorations are all still up...I don't want to take them down!
Some years I am eager to clean up Christmas, but this year I just keep picturing how empty the house will feel once everything is stored.

I need a decorating project to motivate me.
What room should I tackle next - dining room, living room, family room, kitchen?

he is here!

I'm shaking the dust out of the old blog to introduce this little guy:

two days old, so little!

He arrived the Sat after Thanksgiving (Nov. 24), and I can't imagine life without him.
He fits so well into our family, we are blissfully happy.
Even when life with three little boys is stressful, it's this weird happy-stress.
I love it.
I love him.
I love our family!

five weeks old, with his biggest brother, who felt it was very important for him to hold a star wars angry bird

Have an excellent day my friends!

food for thought

If you have the things of this world, 

but can do without the things of this world, 

then your heart will have the detachment that is necessary to make prudent and wise decisions.
-Mustard Seeds

Just a little food for thought as I continue to purge the closets/storage spaces :)

Hubs has been out of town and comes home tonight!

We always miss him when he travels, and are always so happy when he comes home!

I *try* to clean the house a little extra before he comes home, so no major purging today.

I think I can take care of the tupperware cupboard and the top of the fridge.

See you tomorrow! 

Closets, now with more breathing room!

So...I haven't fallen off of the 31 day series yet ;)

Last night I tackled my closet; just spent about 20 min, my goal is not to burn out, but to finish this project.

After 20 minutes I had two piles , one for the trash and one for a future garage sale*.

garage sale items to the left, trash to the right...clutter be gone!

As I am currently 8 months pregnant, I'm not wearing a good portion of my wardrobe.
Totally made getting rid of stuff that much easier.
Too small pre-pregnancy? Out.
Ripped, stained, needs mending? Out.
Shoes too tight/worn? Out.
That pair of boots I've been meaning to have repaired for 3 years? Out.

the random paint stick is in the trash pile! and yep, i buy all of my shoes at tj maxx ;)

I don't fix clothes, maybe I will in the future, but for now I don't.
I'm choosing to live in the now.

So I have more room for my stuff, and more free hangers.
I was totally going to buy more hangers...now I don't need to.
Awesome.

I also found a stack of books under my hanging shirts...that explains why all of my shirts have strange creases and they don't move along the closet rod very well.
Half the books are going. Yes!
The rest are finding a new home.

And tonight?
Tonight I vacuum the closet. Yes!

Hope you are having a great Tuesday!

Anyone else recently purge their closets?

*Garage sale...it's like a dirty word around here. I think I might have my post topic for tomorrow...

31 Days to Cleaner Closets

Welcome to my clean closet mission!

Bebe #3 is on the way, and I need to get my house in order...otherwise I'm afraid I just might lose a child in the clutter.
Watch me organize my closets and storage spaces.

I guess this is the space I'm using to organize all of the posts (imagine that, a post to organize posts about organizing...hmmm...)


Day 1 - Movie Monday - Welcome to my Master Bedroom Closet
Day 2 - One day in, and stuff is already leaving the house :)
Day 3 - Food for Thought
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19
Day 20
Day 21
Day 22
Day 23
Day 24
Day 25
Day 26
Day 27
Day 28
Day 29
Day 30
Day 31

Movei Monday, 31 Days to Cleaner Closets!

Here's the deal: 3 out of 4 people in my home are currently on antibiotics.
Fun! All hail the amazing Z-Pack!

Keep that in mind while you watch today's movie...it will explain everything ;)

For the past few years The Nester has done a 31 days series in October and everyone loves it, and all of the bloggers that participate seem to have so much fun.
Last year my friend Rebecca did a 31 Days to Wrap your Crap series, and it was pretty fab. This year she just did one follow-up post...perhaps I should take that as a cue to not do a 31 day series?
Nope. Still all kinds of crazy and totally up for 31 days of posting.

 

So basically, Bebe #3 will be here in roughly 8 weeks; my closets and storage spaces are very very bad.
I fear that if I don't do something now, I just might lose a child in my home.
So I've got 31 Days to Cleaner Closets.
I'm linking up, and everyday for the month of October you will get an exciting post about my closets, probably some randomness as well, and with any luck a few hints for tackling your own clutter magnets.

Happy Monday!!!

Are you joining the 31 Days series? 

Share your URL in the comments, I'd love to follow your journey!

movie monday: current house projects!

Warning!
My hair is weird today, also, zero makeup.
Possibly some crazy eyes.
I don't do second takes, folks ;)

Anyway, I thought I'd just skim over some of the projects going on at the house right now.
Of course there are always projects going on...totally normal, right?

Enjoy!



A few posts about the entryway...video post, painting and updating the light fixture.

Any projects going on at your house?

some recent milestones

We rode the Lake Express from Milwaukee to Muskegon to visit family.

a random stranger asked if he could take a pic of us, that never happens! thank you kind sir!

It was fun! #2 slept during both trips, #1 slept on the return trip (the water was really choppy) - I thought for sure he was going to get sea sick; I'm so glad he took a nap instead.

First day of K4!

my backpack is still way too big!

#1 now goes to school (1/2 day) 5 days a week.
He is loving it and so excited to tell me about everything they do (today he was very impressed with a Clifford the Big Red Dog art project). I admit we miss him while he is at school, but I have gotten so much done around the house, and #2 has no problems getting into trouble without his big brother ;)
PS - the school crest includes an image of Mary, and my sweet boy loves to point her out "This is Mary, see Mama?"
Melts my heart.

This guy moved into his big boy bedroom!

sleeping peacefully with bunny

So for now the nursery is empty...which means I can start sifting through the baby stuff and taking inventory of the few things we need/would like for #3...but first I think we will be refreshing #1's bedroom.
I see Star Wars art in my future :)

And today is our 9th Anniversary!
And I would totally scan a pic for you...if I could just get my hands on them ;)
Instead, enjoy this pic of Hubs eating a warhead..

happy anniversary honey!

Happy Thursday, friends!

FB friday - my favorite statuses from August

Welp, it's been a month since I have posted.
August flew by, folks, just flew right by.

This little space here is where I keep track of all of the stuff we do...except lately I haven't been very good about adding little bits of cuteness from the boys, projects in the house, travel stories (oh my, there has been many), etc. I have been keeping a pretty good running list of stuff on facebook...but after a few days everything fades away, and then it feels like the memories are lost forever.

So I was thinking.
Every Fri (or you know, as often as I remember) I could list all of the FB statuses (of importance) as a way to catalog stuff. I like it.
If you want to join in too please add a link in the comments :)

August 1
#1 is headed to the Brewers game with Daddy :)
#2 will nap soon :)
I will eat a cookie, without sharing!

August 2
Target sells porn in the checkout lane.
I am nursing this baby where ever the heck I need. No more hiding in a bathroom stall or dashing out to the car.

August 9
The only solution to getting rid of these ants seems to involve also getting rid of the 2 and 4 year old.

August 11
Minivan parked in the driveway, baby #3 on the way...I believe the transformation from sorority girl to soccer mom is complete.

August 23
According to #2, we are eating Mac-n-Jesus for lunch.

August 27
First day of school! #2 and I already miss #1 :(

August 28
Harold and his purple crayon have nothing on #2 and his green jumbo crayon. Oy...I need more magic erasers.

August 30
#2 wants sprinkles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

movie monday, blast from the past!

I wanted to post a movie, but I have zero motivation to talk to the camera (also my children are loud today).

This commercial has been running through my head lately:



As a young child I was absolutely convinced that a bus full of the happy Sweet Pickles characters would show up at my door. I made it my mission to pester my mother until she caved and ordered me Sweet Pickles.
She refused.
Again.
And again.
And again.

Good job Mom!
I think of this every time we are at Target and my children demand in demon voices ask nicely for a new toy, or whenever we drive past McDonald's and I hear a chorus of "Happy meals! Cheeseburgers!!"

I know that I drove my mom nuts, she is mostly alright today ;)...my sweet boys will not break me with requests!
I learned to read without the Sweet Pickles flashcards, my kids won't starve if I don't hit the drive thru everyday (even if they are suddenly STARVING).

I am turning into my mother.
It is wonderful! (for real, my mom is awesome)

Anyone else channeling mom lately?

"Sweet Pickles is great!"

i made you some jam

If you watched me ramble on Monday, then you know, that over the weekend, I went to the farmer's market with my parents.

I did.
And we found a new cafe.
And I had lemonade while my dad had a bloody Mary.
He's mean like that ;)

I came home with my usual, large haul of loveliness...and a nice container of wild raspberries.
They reminded me of the berries we'd pick at Camp Narrin growing up (tear).
Imagine my surprise when they were not as sweet as the berries of my youth.
Adding sugar seems to fix everything, so I decided a small batch of jam was in order.

Using the power of the google, I found this recipe.

So easy. So delicious. Nom nom nom.

Ingredients:
equal parts raspberries and sugar (I used 2 cups of berries and 2 cups of sugar)
squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional, but I highly suggest this)

What you do:
1. Place freshly washed berries in a sauce pot. (as the jam cooks it will double in size, so plan accordingly)
2. Mash the berries while you bring them to a rolling boil over med-highish heat.
3. Boil for 2 min.
4. Add sugar and lemon juice and stir well.
5. While stirring constantly, bring to a rolling boil.
6. Boil for 2 min.
7. DONE! Place in sterilized jam jars and seal (I just stuck mine in the fridge, we'll go through this jam super fast)

jamminess...noms

Joining the fun at Ashley's Ta-Da Tuesday Party!

movie monday: Darius Rucker, deodorant and my awesome mom

Happy Monday!

I turned on the webcam and started talking...and then the kids decided to go bonkers.
So this video feels more outtake-y than usual.




Now excuse me while I pump up my old Hootie and the Blowfish CD's.

movie monday - yep, i can ramble on thursdays too!

Watch me ramble for 3 min about coffee, routines, kids and well...not much else.

All the cool kids are doing it!



And I am cleaning the basement.

Have a lovely Thursday!

routine-ing

I like routines.
Back in the good old days (2003ish) of newlyweddedness (why is this not a word?) I found the Flylady and I loosely used her system to set up cleaning routines, etc for each of our houses.
It was great, our house was generally presentable, bathrooms were company ready, and I had time to care for my family and do some fun things. The biggest bonus was that listing each of those houses wasn't as big a deal as it could have been.

But when we moved last year, I never set up routines for myself.
As we tell the 4 year old - that was a poor choice. I added two bathrooms and about 1000 sq. feet to my cleaning tasks. Let me rephrase, I didn't add them - I only clean the basement bath before over-night guests arrive (our guest room is in the basement), the rest of the household chores are completed randomly when I decide that the cobwebs are too numerous to ignore or I can't remember the last time I vacuumed the stairs.

Combine that cleaning methodology with a pretty awful bout of morning sickness (did you miss my announcement yesterday?), two little boys, and a husband who was traveling for most of my first trimester.

The house felt like some sort of experiment.
Or one of those terrible air freshener commercials.

(this also explains the blogging hiatus)

And now I feel like I am digging my house out of the mess. It's no fun. I need routines.

Here's what I have been doing the last few weeks, and there's a noticeable difference around here (yay!).

Mon.
*change bed sheets
*clean bathrooms (haven't ventured into the basement yet)
*chuck old fridge items
*laundry - sheets, one load of clothes

Tues.
*errands
*dust (in theory - hasn't happened yet)
*vacuum 2nd floor
*laundry - towels, one load of clothes

Wed.
*clean some widows or mop kitchen floor
*vacuum 1st floor
*laundry - delicates

I didn't list all of the normal stuff - making beds, cleaning the kitchen, etc - and there is a bunch of things I'd like to add to my routine - baking day, closet organizing time. This is good for now, I have a cleaner home and doing super fun stuff with the kids is not guilt-inducing.

we like to do fun stuff! and summer buzz cuts - hello cuteness!

Yay routines!!

Do you have a household routine? 

Ever heard of the Flylady?

sometimes...

Sometimes, when the kids are being really quiet, I think "They're being so good, quietly reading and playing so I can enjoy my coffee and catch up with the internets." And then you snap back to reality and realize...they are being quiet because naughtiness is happening.

And you walk into a living that looks like this:

monkeys, blonde monkeys

Hmm...yell? throw your hands up? one more lecture on not destroying the nice furniture?

Nope, I decided it was a nudge from above to vacuum the furniture.

So now it is clean and put back together...

And of course I couldn't stop with just the vacuuming, the train table (which we hauled up from the basement playroom in Jan.) is heading back downstairs, everything's dusted (finally!), mantle is freshly made up and I have grand plans of picking up some summer throw pillows.

My living room is going to feel so fresh!

Sometimes...all you really need is a little bit of happy chaos to add to life's wonderfulness.

And that's just what is happening around here...baby #3 is due the end of Nov!!

We are thrilled, I know three kids (and let's face it, we all know this will probably be another boy :D ) will create even more chaos, but along with the chaos is so much love. I can't wait :)

Anything exciting happening in your world?