I'm ready to commit...

Okay. On the eve of New Year's Eve I think I'm ready to commit to a few resolutions/goals/dreams for the new year. And by commit I do mean "try my dang hardest." We'll see how it goes.

• Start exercising regularly (and hopefully find something I actually enjoy doing). Okay, so I know this is totally the most cliche new year's resolution out there, but I have to do it. Right now the amount of exercise I get on a daily basis = Nada. Zip. Zilch. Unless you count going up and down the stairs to change diapers, do laundry, etc. Luckily for me, my chunky son has pretty much sucked all of the baby weight off me. BUT, I am still soggy. And there is no muscle tone whatsoever. Yuck. Soooooooooo, I HAVE TO do something about it. If not for my looks, for my head at least. I really think it'll help me feel better mentally. But, how do I fit it into my busy schedule? That is what I still need to figure out. Any suggestions? I'm thinking of getting a double jogging stroller so that I can incorporate the kiddos. Or joining the Y and finally taking some fitness classes. We'll see.

Some inspiration via Pinterest...

• Organize the office and keep it that way. Right now our office is in a state of chaos. If you've been following my blog you know that organizing the office has been on my to do list for quite some time. Well, since the craziness of the holidays, it has gotten even worse (see images below). The lack of sufficient/organized work space has also been what's holding me back from getting started on my jewelry making dreams. Sooooooo, I would really like to get the office pulled together and make it into my own little crafty room. No, I won't be painting the wood paneling or re-doing the floor... but, I may buy a new desk and some shelves and stuff! Again, we'll just have to wait and see on this one.

Told ya it was a nightmare!

• Read the bible - the whole thing! I have only ever read bits and pieces of the bible. I wasn't even a Christian until college. So, I have a lot of catching up to do. I've always felt overwhelmed by the bible... where do I start? Old testament first and then new testament? Jump around? But, I recently downloaded the YouVersion bible app on my iphone and it is amazing! They provide tons of reading plans, including several "Read the Bible in One Year" plans with daily assignments. So, this gives me hope to get through it this time around. And, I think the hubby and I are gonna try to do it together this time which will make it easier. :-)

One of my faves (again, via Pinterest)...

Okay, well those are the three main things I'm choosing to focus the majority of my energy on. But, here are some others that WILL also get done in 2012... complete potty training with Leila (seriously, what a nightmare!!), start making jewelry (and maybe even selling it!), and eat less processed foods (oh boy, this one is tough). 

Are you a believer in New Year's resolutions? Got any good ones? 

Wise Words Wednesday: A New Year

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right." - Oprah Winfrey

With 3.5 days left until the start of the new year I find myself thinking about potential new year's resolutions a lot today. Sure, maybe new year's resolutions hardly ever last past January, but there is just something about the beginning of a new year and the potential for a fresh start to "get it right" that just excites me. Eat healthy. Get in shape. Get rid of junk. Nothing like the clean slate of a brand new year to finally make the life changes you've been wishing for actually happen.

Today I'm not ready to commit to any resolutions just yet. But hey, I still have a few days to figure it out!

We had a holly, jolly Christmas...

The post present opening disaster...


Oh wait, let me start at the beginning. First off, I just downloaded the few pics I ended up taking yesterday and I must say that I am very disappointed. I was so caught up in the moments of Christmas day that I really didn't capture any great pics. Oh well. I have great memories in my mind that I will cherish forever.

It was magical. Having a child who understands what is going on and living vicariously through her excitement is the greatest gift of all! Seeing Leila's face as we came downstairs first thing in the morning and checked out all of the loot that Santa brought was priceless. She loved every second of Christmas day.

Christmas morning - before the destruction began...


My little family...


Soooooooooo happy!


This Christmas was extra special (and a tiny bit bittersweet) because it was my very first Christmas morning EVER away from my parents' house. Every previous year I have awoken early in my hometown and opened presents with my parents, Andy's parents, etc. But this year we chose to do our own Christmas morning at home and then make the drive out to the country for the rest of Christmas day. Words can't explain... it was very special.

The drive to our hometown...


Merry Christmas little dear!


The one and only pic taken of me yesterday (blah!)...


I am a little bit sad today because we didn't take one family photo together. And the above pic is the only one that I'm even in! Oh well. Life goes on. And I wouldn't change a thing about my first special Christmas with my family of four.

How was your day? Did ya get any good gifts? ;-)

Merry Christmas!

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ~ Luke 2:10-12

Wishing you and your loved ones a most fantabulous day! God bless!

2 Months

I can't believe that it's already been 2 months since I pushed this chunker out of me...

I seriously want to eat him up, like all the time!


So, what's up with my little Lando-pie now that he's 2 months old?

• Went to the doc yesterday and he weighed in at a whopping 14 lbs 6 oz (like 98th percentile) - seriously, how many babies practically double their weight in 2 months? Doc says I'm producing "whole" milk, that's for sure!
• He is obviously smiling consistently now. But, he's still a very calm, serious little man.
• He has slept through the night a couple of times now, but it isn't consistent. His most consistent schedule right now is a 8p feeding, 2a feeding, & 6a feeding with solid sleep in between. Pretty dang good to me!
• Landon is such a good, "go with the flow" kinda baby. He seriously hardly ever cries. Such a lover, too.
• He's wearing 3-6 or 6 month clothes now. BIG boy.
• He has the most beautiful blue eyes right now. I hope they don't change! Andy & I both have brown eyes & so does big sis, so it would be really cool if he ended up with blue. 
• Had his first set of shots today and took it like a "man!"
• Landon makes the cutest cooing sounds. We call him The Crow because they are these high pitched little squeals.

I just love my little chunky monkey so much! My heart aches thinking about leaving him in the care of others in less than 4 weeks. I have thoroughly enjoyed spending every second of the day with him thus far. We are so blessed!

Wise Words Wednesday: Christmas State of Mind

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." - Charles Dickens, Ebeneezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol"

"Christmas gift suggestions: to your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." - Oren Arnold

Had a little fun with the camera last night...












What do I love about Christmas? Sure, the lights and the gift-giving are great, but my favorite thing is the feeling. There's just something about Christmas that puts everyone (well, mostly) in a good mood. People want give more, smile more, and just plain be jolly. Why can't we feel like this more often? Why can't we carry the Christmas cheer with us throughout the year? Who really knows. I guess there's just something about the season.

As for me, right now I'm living in a Christmas state of mind where nothing bad can happen. :-) Now I am off to sip peppermint hot chocolate, wrap gifts, and snuggle an adorable little man who just turned 2 months old today (more on that tomorrow).

Happy Christmasing you all!

Craft Time! Baby Footprint Ornament

Looky what I made!



The other week I saw a similar craft floating around Pinterest. Soooooooooo, I decided to try to make something like it! First I hit up a local craft store for some polymer clay. When I was little my BFF & I used to make stuff with this clay with her momma (remember Jess?!), so I was mildly familiar with it. Here's what I used...



I bought 2 different kinds of polymer clay: Premo & Sculpey (not really knowing what the difference was... I just chose based on color - Leila really wanted that HOT pink for hers). This clay comes in EVERY color you could ever want! After working with both kinds, I would highly recommend using the Sculpey because I found it to be a little bit softer and much easier to work with for this project. Each kind was on sale for $.99/brick. I used 2 full bricks for Leila's foot and about 1.5 for Landon's.

Here's what ya do:

1. Work the clay for a while in your hands to soften it up (it is hard as a rock at first).
2. Shape it into a flat oval (see below - I just rolled it in a ball and smashed it on our counter top).
3. Push it up against baby's foot (or have your toddler step on it).
4. Punch a hole in the top with a straw (to make an ornament) & use a toothpick if ya want to inscribe a name or date or anything onto it (I chose to just use a metallic sharpie to write on the back after it was cooled).
5. Bake it in a glass baking dish according to the directions on the clay package.
6. Tie a pretty ribbon through the hole & hang your ornament!
7. OPTIONAL: paint the footprint with Mod Podge (my favorite thing ever!) after it is cool to give it some shine and make it stand out more.

Leila's foot is too big, so we opted to not make an ornament out of it. But it is still a cool memento to look back on!

Aren't they cute? Seriously, I am not a crafty person, but these were super easy to make and took hardly any time. You could even do a handprint instead. Try it!

UPDATE: I have received quite a few emails asking for tips on softening up the clay. First of all, I would highly recommend purchasing the "Sculpey" brand clay as it is a little bit softer and easier to work with. Otherwise, you just really have to work the clay for a while - sit on it, warm it up in your hands and maybe use a rolling pin to really get into it. When it comes to making the actual print, you have to push baby's hand/foot into the clay pretty dang firmly and kind of mold the clay around the little hand/foot. Afterwards, you can carefully reshape things and cut around the print if you choose. Also, after you bake it, if you paint on some glossy mod podge it'll accent the print even more. Here's a link to some other tips to soften this type of clay http://www.spazzticcrafts.com/how-to-soften-sculpey.php. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Chunky Monkey

An absolute crazy, chaotic day yesterday and the fact that I'm pretty much at a loss for words right now (literally, I have such a bad cold I can hardly talk and what I do squeeze out makes me sound like a pubescent male) has deterred me from my cute Christmas craft I was going to try out and blog about. Soooooooooooooooo, instead you just get some recent pics of the little chunk in my life. Those cheeks? Yep, I eat them up on a daily basis.

Wise Words Wednesday: Playtime

"A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

This morning we headed out for some serious playtime at our local children's museum. Watching my daughter run and laugh and climb and jump and slide and play brought me right back to my childhood and gave me yet another glimpse at what life is all about. Simple joy and simple happiness. Playtime.

Sleep deprivation, a nasty cold, and too much time stuck at home has gotten the best of me lately. So, it felt really good to get out with the fam and refocus on what really matters. It's easy to take the little things in life for granted.

Santa Pic 2011

Sorry for the crappy quality of this pic, but you get the idea. Landon is adorable, Leila was once again less than excited to be so close to the big man. That's why we opted to have a family photo taken. However, as soon as we left Santa, Leila was obsessed and kept saying that she wanted to go back and visit him. Maybe next year we'll actually get her to sit on his lap and smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On a completely different note... we have been working HARD on potty training. Leila only wears undies when she is home. Pooping has been a tough one for her to get. For instance, I just smelled poo and went to check if she pooped her pants. Yep. BUT, the girl found an old swim diaper somewhere and had the decency to put that on BEFORE she pooed. Oh man. Where do I go from here?

Shout out to all you SAHMs out there!

To all you stay-at-home mommas I say, "YOU GO GIRL!" You by far have the toughest job of them all and don't usually get the credit you deserve. I wish I could give all of you a big fatty Christmas bonus this year!

This past week has really tested my SAH momma capabilities. For the past 2 years I've lived life as a working momma. And I thought that was tough. And it is tough! But it is tough in a completely different way than staying at home all day with your kiddos.

Andy took on some extra hours at work this week. He already works 10 hour days, so those days that I'm home with both Leila and Landon all day are not easy. I do breakfast, lunch, nap time, dinner, baths, and sometimes even bedtime all by myself. And them I'm up throughout the night feeding little Lando. Add in nasty winter colds on top of it all and you get one seriously tired and sometimes cranky momma.

I knew staying at home would never be easy and I never thought that SAHMs had it easy. But actually experiencing it first hand with 2 little ones has made my appreciation for all the SAHMs out there grow ten fold. It has also made me question what I want. The thought of working full time and being away from both of my children for more hours than I get with them makes me sick to my stomach. But, working makes me a better mom. This past week I have lost my patience with Leila a couple of times and turned into the monster mom I never wanted to be. And it makes me feel guilty. But so does working. Tough situation.

In the end it is all about what is best for them. And that's what I need to figure out...

Fun in the kitchen?

In our house the kitchen is my hubby's domain. Kitchen & I aren't too close. I don't really care much for her and I don't think she cares much for me. However, since starting this blog I have been "trying" to cook more. And the other day my hubby went ahead and purchased this beauty (and I think he may even love her more than me):



Lovely isn't she? Well, she's been eyeing me the last few days, so I finally decided to give her a try. So while Andy was at work and I was home alone with the kiddos, I decided to bust out a batch of Christmas sugar cookies (geez, I make it sound like it was easy - ha!). Needless to say, Kitchen Aid did make the job much easier (and kinda fun) but our kitchen ended up a disaster and the process took FOREVER with the kiddos distracting me.

Leila "helped" me...




The buttery goodness baking away...


The finished product!


Okay, maybe they aren't the most beautiful cookies ever made, but you try frosting and decorating cookies while entertaining a 2 year old and holding an infant in one arm! They are DELICIOUS, though! I found the recipe via my newest BFF, Pinterest, of course! And I highly recommend it... you can find the recipe I followed HERE.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In other news... my little ole blog was selected as a winner of eCollegeFinder's Top 115 Parenting Blogs Award! You can check out the list of winners HERE. I'm pretty excited about it. :-)

Wise Words Wednesday: Find the Good

via Pinterest

I am just loving the inspiration I've been finding through Pinterest lately! My "Words to Live By" board is quickly becoming my fave. And the above saying is not only pretty to look at - it's a great daily reminder! Even on the worst of days it is not impossible to find something good in your life. I say focus on that good and turn your frown upside down!

Suck it up!

Last night was rough. It was one of those nights that every parent has to deal with now and then. When your kiddo is sick. Leila woke up around midnight and got in bed with us like she usually does. But, she was so congested that she just kept whining and tossing and turning and couldn't fall asleep. When we would finally get her to fall back to sleep she'd wake up maybe a half an hour later crying. Poor thing was just miserable. And amidst dealing with her, I also had to deal with Landon. So, I was nursing him at 3am while Leila was clinging to my side whining, "Mommy, Mommy, lay down Mommy." I ended up with just a few hours of light sleep. It was a rough one.

So, I woke up this morning grouchy to say the least. Negativity was getting the best of me. I was thinking, "today is going to suck." Hubby had to work and it was just gonna be me against the two beasts. At one point this morning, tears started welling up in my eyes when both kids were crying and I felt like I wasn't going to make it. But then I said to myself...

SUCK IT UP ARIEL!

I stopped, took a deep breath, and went into action mode. I plopped Leila in front of the TV while I got Landon to calm down and go to sleep. Then I decided to shower so that I would feel better. But, how do people shower with a toddler and baby in the house alone? Since Landon was sleeping I just had Leila take a shower with me... and she thought it was the greatest thing! Since that shower my day has done a 180. Landon slept for 2 hours while Leila played doctor and watched Toy Story. Meanwhile I got our crock pot dinner going and played doctor myself to Leila's beloved bear blankie, sewing her arm back on and fixing her seams.

Bear Blankie has been through a lot in her short 2 years of life...


My poor little sicko and her BFF...


Anyhow, now both kiddos are sleeping and I am getting a few minutes of relaxation in. It isn't easy being a parent. And there are many moments like early this morning when I almost reach my breaking point. BUT, somehow I manage to suck it up and plow through.

Christmas is here!

Well, I'm 28 now. And my b-day weekend has been simple, but fabulous. And I'm happy to say that Christmas has officially arrived in our household and I am full of the Christmas spirit! Here's a little recap in photos of my weekend...

On Saturday (my birthday!), my hubby surprised me with a most extraordinary breakfast and bouquet of flowers...



That afternoon, my momma and I took Leila Jade to Toy Story 3 on ice and she loved every minute of it...



Leaving the ice show with big ole smiles on our faces...


For my b-day dinner, the hubby once again worked his butt off in the kitchen cooking up my requested shrimp pasta dish and we ate till we almost hurled (and Landon slept).



That night, Landon gave me a great gift. He slept for 7 hours straight. And I think he would have slept longer, but I HAD TO wake him up because my boob was about to explode. We'll see if it was a fluke tonight.

As for today, today has been a day of Christmas fun!

Out to breakfast (and taking some photos for our Xmas card)...


Decorating our tree...






We hung the stockings "by the chimney with care" (but not enough care if ya notice the spacing)...


And Lando-pie just chilled...


And tonight? Tonight we have chowed down homemade beef soup (the hubby rocks!) and kicked back to take in the Christmas cheer.





Bring it on Santa! Our home is ready for ya!