As random as they come

My brain has seriously been going a mile a minute. No, more like 10 thousand miles a minute. I always have a to-do list in my head. A few days ago, I said that to-do list out loud with the hubs in attendance. His response? "My goodness, that's enough to make any sane person crazy, is that really what goes on in your head?"

My response? All.day.long.

Such is life though, right? I mean, if it's not the laundry, it's the dishes. If it's not the dishes, it's watering the garden {next project, putting in an irrigation system so I can take the watering the garden off my to-do list}. If it's not the garden, it's changing diapers. If it's not changing diapers, it's putting a child in yet another time-out and lovingly explaining to him why he was put there.....for what seems like the 50th time that day.

I think you catch my drift. I've finally got a routine down though and life with a 4 year old, 2 year old and 3 month old is moving along at lightening speed. It's moving way too fast. As much as I can't wait for the 2 year old to be out of diapers, I don't want him to grow up! As much as I want the 4 year old to wipe his own butt after he uses the bathroom {vulgar, I know....I'm not apologizing though!} I don't want him to stop depending on me! It's ridiculous, a total contradiction. My life is a contradiction. But I totally wouldn't change a second of it.

So, here's a few pictures to show you what has been going on in the life of me the last month when I've been ignoring my beloved blog {I really do love my blog. I think about it every day. For realsies}

He turned 2!!! AHHHHHH!!!!

She got blessed at church =)

and learned how to look even more adorable

The hubs GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE!!!!!!!

and He turns 4 next month, AHHHHH!!!!

Well, it's a bunch of randomness, but it is what it is. And another random thought for you: I love instagram.  Alright, the end.

{Thanks for stopping by!! I LOVE your comments {nudge nudge, wink wink} !!!}

 

A WHOLE MONTH!?!?!

Holy Moly Cow.
It's been a whole month since I've posted.
Gosh, time really does fly.

In the past month I've: thought about blogging, thought about putting together Caleb's 1st year scrapbook, thought about getting my hair cut, dreamt about getting a pedicure (I could have sworn "dreamt" was a word, but there's a red squiggly line underneath it suggesting I change it, but guess what, I'm not going to change it! So for all of you English/grammar loving people out there, I apologize if I wrote an incorrect word =) ) I think you get the point. I think about doing a lot of things but all that really gets done is the cooking, the cleaning...who am I kidding.....all that really gets done is keeping the children happy and entertained and clothed and clean (most of the time). Hey, I give my self huge credit for doing that!

So, now you know what I have (or haven't) been doing the last month. In other news, it's FALL!!!!!! MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR!!!!!!!!! Yes, it's going to be 93 degrees today, but tomorrow it's only going to be 85 and it just gets cooler from there, HALLELUJAH!
I LOVE this time of year. I love changing leaves, the smell of the first rain, the football games, the fall decorations, the harvest festivals, pumpkins, the feeling that the holidays are right around the corner, and oh yeah, Halloween! 

Do you love this time of year as much as I do or am I weird? Do you do anything fun that I should know about? Cause I'd love to hear some fun ideas!

So, I'm back for the day, and hopefully I'll be back tomorrow, but you know....I've said that before and it didn't quite happen that way (which was sad, for me at least).

Have a GREAT day!

Here I am, rock me like a hurricane

Yes, I just wrote that title. I know, ridiculous. But when you haven't blogged in 1.5 weeks (but who's counting right?!) it's hard to jump back on the bandwagon. I've missed blogging and I think about it every day.....so here I am. Lots and lots of topics have been running through my mind, and wouldn't you know it, I can't recall a single one. Some of them were so darn good too! I would think "oh man! I need to write about that! that's good stuff!"

And I didn't write it down.

And I'm pregnant.

Which means I have pregnant brain.

Which means I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning (no really, I can't).

So, I'm back. I feel like yuckety yuck yuck most days (ok...I'll be honest, all days) but blogging makes me happy. Which is weird when you really think about it isn't it? Writing down random stuff (which really isn't so random, it's actually rather well thought out now that I think about it) that other people can read and comment on can fulfill some need I didn't know I needed to be filled. It's like having a conversation with yourself (out loud) and other people hear you and chime in and agree and make you feel like you're not crazy for talking to yourself.

Okay, I'm starting to ramble. I will gracefully exit now before I say something else ridiculous. I'll be back tomorrow =)

Check check check, check it out

Instead of doing what I should be doing right now (folding laundry....oh wait! I don't think I've ever folded laundry in my life! Never mind, I guess I should be making dinner then) I'm going to write for a second.

It seems harder for me to write these last few weeks. I use to write every single day, now it's about 3ish times a week. It feels good to write, and I always love reading your comments, so thank you so much for them!

Tomorrow is Elliot's 3rd birthday, I can't believe it's here already! (I know, everyone says that, but they say it because it's true!)

And anyone have any tips on how to deal with a 1 year old who thinks he's already in his terrible two's? Seriously, the fits that come out of that little man surprise me every time.

Ok, I think it's time for me to start cooking, Elliot is walking around the house holding a domino to his ear pretending to talk on it like a phone. Apparently he is having a conversation with the hubs, his sister (who doesn't exist) and auntie Beaner. It's rather cute but I should probably feed him =)

p.s does anyone else love So You Think You Can Dance as much as I do?

Come Yard Sailing Away

(if you read the title of this post and thought of Styx, you get 10 points)
(since we're keeping track of points......)

So.....I've been to 1 yard sale in my entire life. And I was just tagging along with one of my close friends and her mom while they looked for random furniture to outfit her new apartment. I've never held a yard sale in my life, unless you count the one that my previously mentioned close friend held at her house with some of our stuff which I didn't show up to because I got sick. So, the fact that I'm writing about yard sales today is pretty random.
Just sayin'.

But, there was this AWESOME article in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine last month titled "20 Tips to have your best-ever yard sale" and I can't stop thinking about how I might just want to give it a try. Here are some of the tips that I found super interesting/helpful/useful/etc.:

1. Consider having your sale near a common payday (the 1st or the 15th) and avoid scheduling your sale during holiday weekends or during a widely attended community event.
2. Make sure you put price tags on your items, and if you have a fun fact or interesting idea about how to use an item you're selling, include that information on the price tag.
3. Goodwill.org will help you price your items. Just search for an item you have and it will show you their pricing and you can take it from there.
4. GSALR.com is a site that helps people plan shopping by finding sales on a map, list your sale on there. Craigslist also has a garage sale section and there is also a virtual sale site called tagsellit.com that is worth checking out.
5. Make carryout easy. Have plenty of grocery bags and boxes available for people to fill up.
6. Fill a $1 basket to position near checkout. Shoppers can't resist a final opportunity to dig for a deal!
7. Cover tables with colorful fabric/plastic/etc. This works on the subconscious: shoppers think your items are worth the price you ask (especially if the items are at eye-level. You should avoid putting items on the ground).
8. Put the baby clothes and toys in the back so people have to walk through everything else to get to them. They are the hottest items after all!
9. Last but not least, you can download the Share Our Strength Yard Sale 101 tool kit, price tags and register your sale here. Better Homes and Gardens is encouraging people to sign up for this program and donate what they make at their sale to help end childhood hunger in America.

So, I think I may just try it. I'm always packing up stuff to giveaway, maybe I'll try my hand at selling it in my front yard instead?
Thanks for stopping by! Let me know if you have any other yard sale tips!

My best me promise

The hubs came home from work one day with a bag full of random things that said "My best ME promise." If I remember correctly, ME is supposed to stand for something....I just don't remember what that was.....

Anyway, one of the things in the bag was a magnetic frame, so obviously I stuck it on my fridge and it frames a silly picture that was taken of me and the hubs when I was pregnant with our #2 not-so-little man.

I don't know why, but this morning I was walking around thinking to myself "what is my best me promise?"

I've decided, the best thing I can promise myself is to not put pressure on myself. I am my own worst critic and I pressure myself way to much to do things better/faster/stronger/whatever. While looking through some new blogs this morning, I found this quote:

"A Pint can't hold a quart-if it holds a pint it is doing all that can be expected of it."
--Margaret Deland 

Isn't that a great quote! (Thanks to this blog for the quote!)

My best me promise? Less pressure, more love.

The end.

How about you? 

Don't forget, the My Memories giveaway ends tomorrow! Go comment on the post for a chance to win!

Just stuff

It was definitely a weekend of projects. We cleaned out the garage (we can actually park a car in there now! Hooray!!) and then found out we needed a new water heater.....which caused moments of anxiety but it's finally installed and there is no leaking gas (that's right, it was leaking gas for about 3 days. Don't worry, we figured it out after the first day and turned it off, it just took us 2 more days to figure out how to fix it). The hubs was home for 3 days in a row, which is unheard of, and it didn't feel like we got much relaxing down-time at all. Don't you hate that? When you have a few days off in a row together as a family and you are more tired by the time the days are over then when they started?

Oh! And the webpage for the business we started, DIY DeeJays, is officially up and running! It's not perfect yet, I still have to add some pictures etc, but if you'd like to take a look, please do! Let me know what you think! 

And lastly, I'm gearing up for my very first giveaway! I'm super duper excited about it (you should be too, no really, you should!) and it should all be rolling out by the end of this week, so stay tuned =)

Ok, on to another fun filled day. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you know how much I appreciate you!

A few cool things

I love to read magazines. I haven't been able to read as much lately (there is a stack of magazines sitting on my counter staring at me....it's kind of unnerving, I think I'll move them...)due to the craziness known as the end-of-the-school-year (and my kids aren't even in school yet!!) but there are a few quick little snippets I wanted to share from what I HAVE been able to read (I think that was the longest sentence ever, please excuse).

source

1. Did you know you could lease a dairy cow! Yes! You can!!! For $60 a year, RentMotherNature.Com (in Vermont) will let you pick out a cow (or even a goat!) and they will send you progress reports and get this: deliver cheese TO YOUR DOOR. Wow. How cool is that? Super cool.

2. An extremely awesome idea: Wrap any visible electric cords, cables etc. with a ribbon. Not only will you be organizing an ugly mess but you'll also be adding a little flair to the area. (If you have a flat screen TV mounted on your wall but haven't hidden the cords in the wall or some other place like that, this is a perfect idea!)

source

3. The perfect solution for all the random pot/pan lids that fly at you when you open your pots & pans cupboard (I hope that's not just me...): Attach a towel rack to the inside of your cupboard door and slide the lids in. They will sit there all calm and collected until you're ready for 'em.

They're random bits of information, I know.
But I thought they were pretty useful and fun
and worth sharing =)

Have a great day!!
Thanks so much for reading!

Happiness...a choice

It's been a long week. With unexpected car break downs, overbearing mothers of piano students, pottie training, dried snot on all of my clothes (from my boys...........not me.......ok, maybe some of it is from me) I'm kind of pooped (sorry, pooped is all I can come up with, we're pottie training here people).

Today while talking to Elliot (my almost 3 year old) for the millioneth time about how it is not nice to hit/kick/pull brother I asked him if we could all just be happy and he said "No Mommy, I don't WANT to be happy." And I had this realization.....

It's a choice.
We have a choice.
A very very very important choice.
Do we choose to be happy? Or do we choose to be unhappy?

In this instance, Elliot chose to be unhappy. Unhappy that he was getting talked to for the millioneth time about doing something that he wasn't supposed to be doing. But alas, he cheered up a mere 2 minutes later and proceeded to run laps around the house with the dog and his little brother happily following along.

So, with all of the drama and stress and sickness etc etc etc that has been running through my life this past week I have a choice as well. I don't think I've been choosing wisely though, I think it took my little sweet man Elliot to point out to me that I have a choice.

I'm gonna choose differently. Starting now =)   (See, a smiley face, that's happy!)

Thanks for reading, sorry I've been MIA a lot this week.........tomorrow is Silly Saturday though, that's always something to smile about!

Sick Day

Today is a rough day.
The boys started getting sick on Sunday. Before that, it was the hubs. Today, it's me.
I'm the sick one.
And while the boys are still all stuffy and sound like someone is pinching their noses as they talk, they are pretty much back to full energy.......and then there's me.....runny nose, stuffy head, tired, achy.......ugh. This is definitely one of those days when I wished I had a wife to do the dishes, vacuum the floors, do the laundry, feed the kids and animals (yes, those are two separate groups), teach piano lessons, write up lesson plans for my drama class.....I think you get the point.
I guess my head is so full of snot I don't have much to say, I just wanted to say something. So, I guess that qualifies as something.

Oh! Anyone have any ideas on current songs that deal with contemporary issues? (Think "Imagine" by John Lennon but newer) I have to teach one random class on this at school next week and I'm looking for input.

I hope you all are having a great day and staying healthy =)
Thanks for stopping by!

Spring randomness

I wasn't sure if Spring was going to show up here in Central California this year. There's been a lot of rainy, cold, overcast days (which I love) but I think we may get a few weeks of Spring before the Summer weather sets in. I love Spring....not as much as I love Fall.....but way more than I like Summer. The number 1 reason I love Spring? The flowers in my backyard.

I love love love flowers. Someday I'm going to have a huge garden of flowers. But right now, I'm busy growing my garden of boys =)

Another reason I love Spring: the weather is kind of nice enough to roll down the windows in the car and enjoy the outside air. Along with this comes listening to good music, you can't roll down the windows in the car without listening to good music. Good music and rolling down windows go together like a-ramma-lamma-lamma-ka-dinkidy-dinka-donk ("Grease" reference, in cause I lost ya).

Now, I drive a super smokin' awesome minivan. And sometimes when I drive around and listen to my kind of good music (which would include: The Rolling Stones, Cake, Franz Ferdinand etc) I feel a little weird. I mean, I'm driving a mininvan for crying out loud and listening to music that I used to listen to while cruising around in my super smokin' awesome VW GTI turbo (it was red.....and so fast.....). It just feels weird, like I SHOULD be listening to kidbop or Barney songs or Raffi...but I'm not, I'm rockin' the good stuff.

Anyways, enough about me and my weird ideas about the types of music you should listen to while driving a minivan. What kind of music do YOU listen to? Any good suggestions? I love suggestions! =)

Too much going on in one day!

It's been a super busy day, which is why I have had nothing to say....until now *duhn duhn DUHN!*  (I'm not sure how you actually spell duhn duhn duhn, but I think you get the point...at least I hope you do!)

I actually still really have nothing to say, so I'll show you this:

YES! I have the beginnings of marigolds! Who'd have thought when I planted them in their small egg carton that 1 week later there would be signs of LIFE! YES YES YES!!! (Notice the small egg carton has been a bit demolished since you last saw it. That would be Caleb, the adventurer.)

and this:

This is what the fabulous hubs did after finishing the last screw on the bench yesterday. He rested. And Caleb (the adventurer) was there to witness it. It really wasn't as hard as he is making it look, really.......

Alright, it's totally bedtime for a couple of cute little boys around here, which means
TTFN 
(I used to sign all my journals that way in elementary school! I learned it from watching Winnie the Pooh....in case you were wondering it stands for "Ta ta for now!")
Have a great evening!!!
Oh, and thanks a billion for stopping by!!