Bellies, Babies & Football

Liar Liar Pants on Fire.

2012-02-17T12:28:00.001-06:00

This morning I was so exhausted. I didn't sleep well last night and so by 10am I was done with all the whining and "gimme"s coming from the boys. So I told Matthew to take his brother upstairs and play in the playroom while I cleaned in the living room and kitchen.

An hour later they came down and the first thing my observant son said was "Mom. You didn't clean."

I said "Yes I did..."

Looking around the messy room, he said "No Mom. You didn't. This is NOT clean."

Busted. He was totally right. I never even had any intention of cleaning. I just wanted an hour of peace to sit on the couch and catch up on American Idol. It was a glorious hour so I really don't even feel all that bad about it.

In the future though, I will try not to lie to my kids. Maybe I'll wipe down a counter next time so that TECHNICALLY I did clean. :)

Atti-TUDE....

2012-02-12T17:14:00.001-06:00

Oh my. Oh my my my my....

It has happened. My 3-almost-4-year-old has morphed into a moody, cranky, irritable teenager.

The other day we were leaving school and both boys were in the backseat staring out the windows. So I said "Matthew, I love you!! I missed you today!!". There was a beat of silence and then I hear "Mom. NO.".

And then I swear he rolled his eyes.

He's 3. Not 16. What the heck?! I tried not to take offense to this but I was crying a little inside.

Thankfully, his moodiness ended quickly. I think he could tell he hurt my feelings because he started talking to me about his day. He must have had Spanish that day because he kept saying "Hey Mom. Sabado Domingo.". (Saturday Sunday). They have been learning the days of the week in Spanish.

Later that night, the boys were in the tub together and Matthew started saying "Mason, say como estas. MASE! SAY COMO ESTAS! Como ESTAS!!!!". Hahaha...

Speaking of Mason...have I mentioned what an awesome kid he is?? He is such a sweet boy who loves and adores his big brother and wants to be just like him. He's starting to repeat everything we say and I can tell he's just SMART. I've said it from day 1. I just feel like he's going to be a really smart kid.

For instance...

I took a call the other day and left the room for a minute. Mason was eating Ritz crackers and playing in the living room. Five minutes later I come back in to see this.

HOW did he get that pen thing in the center of that cracker without breaking the cracker into a million pieces?!?! Seriously...think about it.

When I took the cracker off, there was a perfect hole in the center. Weird. What a funny (and messy!) kid.

And here are some random pics from lately.

Weekend trip to Nana and Papa's.

They love the big aquarium in the lobby at school.

Sick sick sick...

2012-01-28T08:26:00.001-06:00

I swear my kids have gotten every single illness that has floated through our school this year. They have both had Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, Roseola, countless colds, and now they both have RSV and double ear infections. And if you are a mother, you know that there is nothing worse than a sick kid.

The coughing in my house this past week has been enough to drive me crazy. Obviously I feel sorry for my little guys but the noise from all the coughing is enough to give me a headache. And now it's starting to feel like fingernails scratching a chalkboard...I'm so over it and I know they are too!! Poor babies.

At night all I hear through both monitors is coughing. So they aren't sleeping well and mommy isn't sleeping well. (Daddy is though because he can sleep through anything.)

Last night Matthew woke up around 10:30 and started sobbing and saying his ear really hurt. I've never seen him in real pain before so this was new to me. I put in some numbing drops and tried to get him to take the ONLY medicine he will even consider putting in his mouth, and even that is hit or miss. (Tylenol Meltaways). Of course last night was a miss so I had to just listen to him cry and roll around in pain. I knew he was hurting when he actually told me to go back downstairs!! He has NEVER wanted me to leave him alone before.

I did end up having to go back up to his room a few more times over the next hour to help calm him down and cuddle him. My heart was just breaking for him. He finally fell back asleep and slept good for the rest of the night. I am so sick of this mess!! :(

(Craig stayed home with the sick boys while I went to work. Thank goodness his job allows him to work from home. He sent me this picture...haha.)

(cuddled up giving kisses to my happier sick kid.)

(Don't let the picture fool you. This mess was a joint effort on both their parts! I knew it was too quiet up there....)

Now if I can just figure out how to get Matthew to take his medicine we'll be set. Can't hide it in juice-he can always taste it. Can't force it in his mouth-he gags and throws up. Can't bribe him-he just doesn't care. Can't reason with him-he's 3...

I'm about to lose my mind trying to get him to take 3/4 of a teaspoon of stuff that looks and smells like strawberry milk once a day for 10 days. Suggestions welcome!!!

Aftershocks.

2012-01-02T15:21:00.001-06:00

If you've ever been pregnant then you are most likely well versed in what is called "Pregnancy Brain." This is a real thing people. I totally saw something on the news (or was it Dr. Oz? Same difference since Dr. Oz is my favorite TV doc...but I digress..). Anyway, there was something on SOMEWHERE that showed scientific proof that preggos' memories really are effected and that it can even effect your memory after that baby is out and old enough to hide your keys in the refrigerator. (effect? affect? I never can get those right...)

I say this because I just had what I call an "aftershock" from my 2 previous pregnancies. Aftershock, meaning you still have major pregnancy brain moments even though you are not pregnant and haven't been for a long time.

See example below.

Around 1pm today, I was rushing around doing the usual lunch time things that come along with having a 3.5 year old who won't eat anything but Cheez Its and Doritos and having a 1.5 year old who will eat anything and everything. So naturally Mason is finished eating before we've even hammered out an agreement on what Matthew will be eating for lunch. Matthew is still whimpering and sobbing for "orange chips and cheese crackers" while I come back with my best offer and compromise of "a few cheese crackers, no chips and only if you eat your baby oranges and strawberries first" which is never just amicably AGREED upon by him. More negotiating always ensues. So while this is happening, Mason is out of his chair, whining and clinging to my legs wanting to be picked up. I cannot pick him up right now because I have things to do. (Seriously, Mase. Don't you see Mama is busy?). But his is just too cute so I pick him up and try to make Matthew's lunch-if you can even call it that-all while Mason is grabbing for anything within reach while straddling my hip. Sheesh. Where is the nanny when you need her? ;)

So it is almost Mason's nap time. I take him upstairs with the full intention of putting him in bed but realize we still have about 15 more minutes til his normal naptime and he seems eager to play so I just put him in the playroom, close the babygates and come back downstairs. (No worries. He can't get into anything he shouldn't and he is well within ear shot.) I finish dealing with Matthew after more tears (on his part) and compromises (on my part..."pick your battles" and all that.). Finally things have calmed down and I am enjoying some peace. I eat lunch myself quickly while Matthew does and as I'm walking to the sink I pass by the baby monitor. I flip it on and adjust the sound but it seems awfully quiet in Mason's room. Normally the tower fan that we turn on when he is sleeping (great white noise!) gives off some whirring sounds but this time I didn't hear it. "I must have forgotten to turn it on." I think. Oh well. I also can't see him which isn't unusual. The way the camera is angled on the shelf in Mason's room only allows me about a 75% view of his crib. When he scoots up to the end of the crib, he is out of sight. (Its a sleigh crib so there are no slats on the ends, just solid pieces).

I stare at the monitor trying to make out a foot or hand to see if he's still moving or has fallen asleep but can't see any part of him. For some reason I start to panic that he's learned to climb out and turned off the fan himself because it just seems too quiet in there. Now I really start to worry and race upstairs and into his room and HE'S NOT IN THERE! After about 10 seconds of pure panic I hear a noise behind me in the playroom and turn around to see Mason, with his head in a box of toys, paying absolutely no attention to his ridiculous mother. I had COMPLETELY forgotten I had put him up in that playroom for "a few minutes"! The whole time I was downstairs I had been thinking-for some unknown reason-that he was upstairs, safely in his crib, asleep! Instead, he had been playing quietly and contently for the past half hour without so much as a peep.

Talk about an Aftershock. This pregnancy brain thing is going to haunt me forever!!

Gettin' My Groove Back.

2012-01-01T23:12:00.002-06:00

Y'all. I cannot even begin to tell you how sad I am that my blogging has fallen to the least important thing on my list of "crap to do today". I really want my boys to have this blog to look back on someday and I have been slacking BIG TIME lately. BUT I AM SO TIRED!! Between hosting Thanksgiving for my extended family, hosting our annual Christmas party, hosting a 31 Gifts party, Christmas, New Years on top of the daily tasks of laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning, refilling juice cups, unwrapping cheese sticks, dust busting goldfish crumbs, changing diapers, singing This Little Light of Mine and The Itsy Bitsy Spider, kissing boo-boos and breaking up fights...wait, where was I going with this? Oh yeah. Between all that (and more, I just didn't want you to click off this blog and move on to a more interesting one just YET...), I have no energy to blog. I can't say I don't have time because I have a whole 2 hours after the kids go to bed before I pass out to where I can do anything I want. But you know what? Those 2 hours are normally spent doing dishes from dinner, picking up a gazillion toys off the floor in the living room, washing my face, brushing my teeth and then crawling into bed to watch mind-numbing chick shows like the Real Housewives, Teen Mom 2, Kourtney and Kim.

My husband is doing a very slow and exaggerated eye roll right now...

Of course, I do watch award worthy television when it actually comes on but we all know that its nothing but straight reruns from Thanksgiving to early January. (Drive me CRAZY why don't ya!)

Bottom line. I want my brain to shut off for the 2 hours before I fall asleep. And blogging takes at least SOME brain power. I know this for a fact because I have been typing this post out for the past hour and this is as much as I've got. I keep typing sentences then read them back and think "I don't even know what that means...". Delete. It doesn't help that Chelsea Lately is on and I have to stop typing and laugh hysterically every 4 seconds.

Right, so....seriously, what was my point? Oh yeah. I have no brain power in the only 2 hours of free time I have each time and I need that to blog which is why this blog is going straight down the pooper.

New Year's Resolution #1. KEEP UP WITH THIS BLOG. Suck it up, woman, and do it for your babies!

Got it. Check.

So to kick it off, I'll post pics from my New Years Eve. We usually have a culdesac party at someone's house and this year was no exception. It was fun. We had a great time but by 12:15am I was exhausted and ready for bed.

My awesome neighbor girls :)

Gang's all here!

So many kids! They were loving the hot tub and heated pool!

Pretty cool shot.

Shareron teaching us to play spoons.

My hunny-bunny and I at 12:01am. :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve! Here's to an amazing 2012! More resolutions to come soon...

31 Gifts Year End BLOWOUT SALE!

2011-12-28T11:06:00.001-06:00

CLICK HERE to start shopping at the 31 Gifts End of Year Blowout Outlet Sale! Find many of your favorite discontinued products and prints at 50% off or more! First come, first serve so get your goodies now!

To view the CURRENT catalog, shop online (click "Place an Order"), or find more information on being a hostess or a consultant, click HERE.

While you are there, check out the awesome new Thermal Lunch Tote Sale!! Get the original Thermal Tote for only $10 (new prints are out!) or choose the NEW Cinch Top Thermal Tote for just $15! On sale now, through Jan. 31!

(since blogger won't let me upload a pdf file which all my 31 pictures tend to be I don't have a picture! But click the link to my website and it will show you!)

Christmas Card.

2011-12-05T14:53:00.000-06:00

Got the Christmas Card done. I hate that we never have cohesive pictures to put on it. The kids grow so fast that I like to use the most recent ones on there. Even still, I went ahead and put one of Mason on his first birthday which was 7 months ago. It was just too cute to pass up though. So here it is...in all its glory. The 2011 Nall Family Christmas Card. :)

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Once I get the real thing in, I will scan it so you can see better. Now I just have to worry about limiting my list to as many cards as I ordered! Oh and of course there's always the awesome task of addressing and mailing them all.... Tis the season!! ;)

31 Gifts Online Party NOW thru Monday!

2011-11-25T23:52:00.000-06:00

Hey ladies! Just wanting to take a few minutes and let everyone know that I'm having a 31 Gifts Party this weekend and you can order through this link now through Monday! I am closing it out Monday at 5pm Central so get your shopping list ready and get to it! Seriously though, 31 Gifts has some really good Christmas gift ideas...especially for the moms in your life! Women of all ages would love anything in the catalog though and thankfully it is all affordable AND useful AND adorable! View the Online Catalog Here, write down what you want and then go HERE to place your order! Everything is guaranteed for Christmas delivery! All embroidery is just $7 extra and the Customer Special for the month is this.

For every $31 you spend, get a ALL IN ONE ORGANIZER, PENCIL CASE, FLAT IRON CASE, SOFT WALLET OR CINCH SAC for just $5!

Don't forget it closes Monday! Email me or leave me a comment if you have questions. Yes, I'm biased because I'm a 31 consultant. But check it out for yourself! I'm only a consultant because everything I saw I loved! How fun would it be to give your kid's teacher an adorable Thermal Tote with her name embroidered on it for a Christmas gift? Or your mom and great tote with "Nana" or "Mimi" on it? Or how about a new purse that lets you change its "skirt" to match your outfit? There are SO many uses for these bags....just ask..I'll gladly tell you. Or go HERE to see how I use one of my favorite bags.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! :)

M.I.A.

2011-11-25T23:10:00.001-06:00

I have been totally M.I.A. for the past month on here. I hate it. I wish I had more time...or maybe a more accurate excuse would be more ENERGY...to put into my blog! For the most part, I use this blog as an online journal that my kids will be able to look at and read through. So its bothering me that I haven't bragged on them in a month. :( So here's a quick look at things 'round here lately.

Mason at a birthday party at Gymboree.

They loved the parachute.

Outside on Veteran's Day.

Is he adorable or what?

(Quick disclaimer: If you are not a mother or a wanna-be future mommy, you will most likely find this topic disgusting and graphic and very unladylike. But if you ARE a mother...especially a mother of a toddler going through potty training, you might just find yourself laughing...)

First and foremost, my precious 3.5 year old Matthew is FINALLY pooping in the potty. All the time. Yes, it finally happened. Potty training him has been a huge roller coaster. Going #1 on the potty was a piece of cake. #2 was a whole different story. But just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, something clicked in that stubborn little head of his and he just decided he wanted to do it. It had gone from him telling me "Mommy, I need a diaper." each time he felt the urge, to just going in his undies, to me physically holding him on the potty while he screamed and cried and thrashed around (not my proudest moment but my frustration level was at an ALL TIME high...). I knew deep down that there was nothing I could do. He knew he was supposed to go in the potty. He just didn't want to. And no amount of bribes (oh girls...I tried it ALL...) would get him to just GO POOP IN THE POTTY!!! It had to be HIS decision. And I knew that. But I still tried to force him. He is such a creature of habit, is so set in his ways (at 3.5...) and is the most stubborn little kid I have ever encountered. So forcing him to do ANYTHING is just a waste of time.

Laying on the driveway looking for airplanes.

So finally, one night as we were getting ready for bed, I got him undressed and told him to go tee-tee in his little potty in his room that was very rarely used but had been in there for a year. We had just had a big fight downstairs about pooping in the potty and he had refused to go so I just gave up and was going to put him to bed. Anyway, after I told him to go tee-tee in his little potty he reminded me I'd forgotten his "ice and water" (no its not ice water for Matthew...its Ice and Water) so I told him I'd be right back and to finish going tee-tee. When I got back up there he was so proud to show me what else he'd put in that potty besides tee-tee. And ladies...I was never happier to see anything in my entire life. I think what made him finally go in a potty was that 1) he really had to go 2) no one was forcing him to do anything so it was his decision and 3) he was alone with no pressure and was able to focus. Oh and 4) I'd been dousing his juice with Miralax all day for the past few days. If yall haven't tried it, do it! (ask your pediatrician first of course) But this was recommended to us by our doc and it helped him not have to push so hard and sometimes he'd sit on the potty and go and not even really mean to. I'll never forget him saying to me "Mommy! I went tee-tee and the poop came out!" hahahaha....

So yes, now we are fully potty training during the day. At night, well, we are working on it. Most nights he soaks a size 6 Overnight diaper. But he wakes up every morning and immediately goes in his little potty and then puts on his underwear afterwards. So that's good. But still...I have no idea how to get him to stop going all over himself at night. And in all honesty, I don't really care right now. I am just thrilled to have gotten over this last hurdle!

Twinkies. :)

So other than Matthew now calling us "Mom" and "Dad" now, instead of Mommy, Mama, Daddy or Dada, that is pretty much the latest on him. Now on to my precious angel baby Mason...

Mason is now 19 months old. He is starting to talk and repeat things. It is adorable. He has such a gentle and sweet little spirit. He cries a lot when Matthew takes his toys but he doesn't retaliate. He likes to snatch his toys away when Matthew isn't looking and take off running across the room before Matthew can get him. He loves to chase Matthew around our kitchen island and shriek with laughter. And he can't get enough of cars, trains and airplanes. He loves to read books curled up in my lap. He gives big, wet, sloppy, open mouthed kisses and loves to blow kisses as well. We've noticed that he really seems to like to figure out how things work. He loves to walk up to his high chair throughout the day to see if he can figure out how to get the seatbelt to buckle. He does the same thing when we sit him in his car seat. The other day I had all my snowglobes out and instead of looking at the globe part, he was more interested in seeing what was underneath it to see how I turned it on. He is fascinated with turning on/off lamps, taking batteries out of things and trying to put them back in etc. Matthew was like that too a little as a baby but Mason is just much more focused on these things.

Since the day he was born, I just had this feeling that he was going to be very smart. And he is. The other day we were playing a game on my phone where you touch the correct shape ("Find the heart." etc) and he got 8 out of 10 right. I seriously thought (and still think) maybe it was just a coincidence? Who knows. All I know is that I love that child so much it hurts. I thank God every day that He didn't listen to me when I begged that baby #2 would be a girl. I can't imagine a more perfect addition to our family that my Mase. This sweet soul was meant for me, Craig and Matthew. He is so ridiculously loved by us all and we are all so incredibly thankful to have him complete our family. Our next hurdle with him is taking away the paci when he sleeps. We don't really let him have it during the day but when its time to sleep we do. And now he is starting to show some strong opposition when he can't find one immediately once he's in his bed so I think we might need to nip this in the bud soon... I hate do it though because that paci lets me see him as a baby still...not a big boy. I am NOT ready for Mason to be a big boy. He is growing up far too quickly and it is NOT COOL.

Halloween 2011. My little "Air Force Pirate" and "Snot Monkey". (According to Matthew...)

Anyway, so that's the latest on the boys. I am really going to start keeping up with this blog better. Seriously. ;)

I LOVE a Good Deal!!

2011-10-26T10:58:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but I am LOVING this new thing these websites have going on where they bring you a few special deals a day at 50% off or more!! I am signed up with almost every one of them I come across because they are just so stinkin' great!!! And all it takes is 5 seconds to type in your email address to sign up to get these deals sent straight to you everyday. I'm beginning to think about Christmas gifts and with 2 kids now Christmas is going to start getting expensive. So I'll definitely be looking on these sites for some deep discounts on some really cool stuff.

I saw on a friend's blog last night a site called Plum District. Do yall know about this one yet? I had never heard of it and now that I have, I want it all!! Starting with this totally adorable personalized Little Heroes Book!! Here is what they say about them.

"Whether you're looking for the perfect Christmas, Hanukkah or birthday gift, or a way to fight a reading slump, a personalized kids' book starring the special child in your life is sure to be a big hit!

Watch their delight as they fight pirates, tame dragons, win the championship, or steal the heart of the handsome prince. Simply select a story, adding characters and places from your child's world — friends, family, teachers, and more. Choose hair, eyes, skin tone, clothes, and even glasses to create custom illustrations that look just like your child. Then write a message with a photo dedication, a finishing touch that further personalizes your gift.

Is it fun or educational? It's both!

LITTLE HEROES

Create a kids' book whose story features your own family and friends, and your child as the Little Hero. Kids get so excited when they see themselves as the star in their own book. With a wide range of stories, from classic fairy tales to inspiring sports and and exciting adventures, Little Heroes personalized children's books grab kids' attention, which helps to establish strong reading habits."

My kids MUST have one!! Each, of course. And I was so pumped to see that just for signing up (for free...just giving them my email address and making a password) I get $5 to spend on my first purchase. SOOO...this little book will cost me just $10! I am so pumped. Craig had a personalized Christmas book when he was a kid that we have no given to Matthew so this will be such a cool Christmas gift for the boys.

Their slogan is "For Moms. By Moms" so if you are a mom, you need to sign up for these deals!! I haven't even looked past the book deal yet to see what else is on there because I was so excited for that one. haha But I've heard great things.

Anyway, just wanted to share! Love blogland where you can get great tips and reviews on stuff like this!

Some of my other favorites:

GroopDealz.com (Very cute and unique boutique style jewelry, home decor, kids clothes and accessories, etc. Love this one!!)

Groupon.com (The original one most of us started with! Really great deals on all sorts of services, restaurants, spas, etc in your area!)

SeizeTheDeal.com (Another great one, very much like groupon.)

Joss & Main (Really great deals on some nicer home furnishings...furniture, blankets, dishes, pots and pans, home decor, etc. You have to be invited to join so click the link and it will serve as your invitation. Leave me a comment if you have any problems and I'll email you the invite instead.)

These are a few of my faves off the top of my head. I'm going to really be paying attention to these for awhile so I can score some great Christmas gifts at some fantastic prices! I love gift giving more than gift GETTING so I've got to reign it in as much as possible!

Preschool Crafts.

2011-10-25T21:43:00.000-05:00

Oh preschool. I get asked all the time how I'm liking it as a 2 year old preschool teacher. And my answer? Well, for starters, it usually depends on how that day (or the last day I was there) went. Some days I have answered with a resounding "I don't know what I got myself into and HOW can I get myself out of this!!??!!" and then there are days where I can honestly answer that I love it and am having a great time. MOST days though, I'm somewhere in the middle. The kids are all sweethearts. I love every single one of them. But man...now that we've all gotten to know each other better and everyone is comfortable together, its a lot like having 10 sons and daughters. They disobey, don't listen, do the exact opposite of what you tell them, climb on tables, hit each other, throw toys, write on walls and poop. A LOT.

Yes, I hear what you are saying. They are just 2. Got it. BUT, a 2 year old should be learning how mind, listen and follow very simple rules. For example, "Do not touch that." means "DO NOT TOUCH THAT!". "Walk, don't run." means "WALK, don't RUN!", and oh how they love to test their boundaries during nap time.... Here is a sample of how nap time goes. Imagine 10 2 year olds spread out on their napmats across the room. 6 out of the 10 are sound asleep while the other 4 are doing everything they can to let you know they can NOT be forced to sleep. 2 out of the 4 will stay on their mats. But they will beat their feet into the nearby chair, wall, table, bookcase etc, squirm, sing to themselves, talk to themselves talk to their other nonsleeping friend across the room, cry, etc. And then there a couple who won't stay on their mat at all. They love to get up and wander over to the teachers' table where we are trying so hard to get lesson plans done, write notes to send home, organize folders for the day and so on. It's exhausting trying to keep them from waking everyone else up in the room. Here is a sampling of what you hear out of us teachers' mouths. (In a loud whisper...)

"Stay on your nap mat. Do not get up again. You can lay there quietly. Here is a book. I said do not get up again! Shhh! You need to stop talking and be quiet now. Ok, I've asked you repeatedly to stop banging your foot against the wall. Hey! Get BACK on your mat! Shhhh!!! No talking! Oh no ma'm! We do NOT step on our friends while they are sleeping! GET BACK ON YOUR MAT!!!!!". :) Oh wait, what were we talking about?

I love the days when they all fall asleep. Sigh. :)

These cutie patootie little munchkins love doing crafts though. But it is HARD to get them done. Obviously, getting 10 2 year olds to sit quietly while you give instructions on how to glue on butterfly wings and googly eyes is wishful thinking. So we normally end up calling a couple of them at a time over so we can help them with their craft while the other play. We've done a whole 2 months worth of crafts now and I've just started to realize I should be documenting them all in case I do this again next year! And since I love to scour the internet for cute ideas, I thought I'd post our stuff here every once in awhile in case someone else was out there looking for something cute to do with their preschooler.

So last week we did these cute little butterflies using fake leaves and googly eyes. We just drew the body onto the paper and let the kids color it (and around it...hopefully some of the color will end up ON the butterfly itself...) and then we let them choose 2 leaves out of the pile and helped them glue them and the eyes on. And wa-la! Cute craft. :) If we wanted to make this a bit more complicated we would have cut out the bodies of the butterfly and then glued everything on. And used the stems of the leaves as antennae. BUT, with 10 of them to do in about 30 minutes we just didn't have the time. Here are some of our sweet kiddos finished products.

PUMPKIN PRINTING

Today we did a very cool thing. I cut a mini pumpkin in half and let the kids look inside and feel the gooey middle and seeds. Then I scooped it all out and dipped it in a combination of red, orange, yellow and green paint. We helped the kids stamp their paper with the pumpkin and they LOVED it.

The colors we used along with the used half of the pumpkin on the left and the other half on the right.

I found this cute snowman on Pinterest. (FOLLOW ME HERE!!) We just finished up our lesson plans for December and had plans to do a snowman using cotton balls but this is a little more creative! Marshmallows and pretzel sticks! Cute and yummy! I'm sure we'll have to keep these kids from eating them off the page though!

I love doing crafts with the kids but we have realized that we have to keep it REALLY simple for them and for us. We'd love to get more detailed if we could but its just no possible in the amount of time we have and how many there are. If anyone has any good ideas, bring 'em on!!

FYI-These are delicious...

2011-10-16T13:33:00.001-05:00

Yummmmyyyy....new favorite treat. They kind of taste like Nestle Crunch. And yes, I ate these in bed. While watching the uber-obnoxious Kardashian wedding special. (seriously, who does she think she is??). Don't judge.

That's all. :)

Bubba Love.

2011-10-16T09:09:00.001-05:00

How stinkin' cute are they?!?! They have been on a major love kick with each other lately. Mason will come up to Matthew and wrap his arms around his big brother's waist or lean in for a random (open mouthed...lol) kiss. Mason has just learned how to give kisses so he's still at that big, sloppy, open-mouthed stage where he looks like he's about to bite your face off. But I would let his slime up my cheeks all day everyday!!

Matthew gets all smiley and proud when Mason starts showing him the love. He loves that he is adored and he loves Mason too. They are old enough now to where they really play together and laugh with each other (and fight with each other...).

But seeing them love each other gives me the warm fuzzies and confirms that I know God gave very careful consideration to what 2 little souls would be my children. I was born to be their mother and I can't even begin to express the gratitude I have for being given these 2 particular little souls.

This is them dancing to Rio (which, by the way, is so good and has the best soundtrack!) and then Mason leaning in to kiss (not bite even though it may look like it!) Matthew.

I am so glad I decided to have 2 close together. I pray they are the kind of brothers who always share a special bond, always love one another, always stay best friends and never grow apart. It's a lot to ask for I know but in an ideal scenario that would be my dream for them.

But for now, my heart just melts watching them go from just brothers to actual friends.

YouTube Video

Louis Vuitton "Zippy Wallet" For Sale!

2011-10-09T16:50:00.001-05:00

So I just posted my Louis Vuitton wallet on ebay and thought I'd share the link in case anyone was interested! I rarely do ebay and it always makes me a little anxious!

I bought the "Zippy Wallet" from a Louis Vuitton store in Las Vegas several years ago. Back when I felt like I had to "keep up with the Jones's"...aka, other football wives. :) Now I'm just a preschool teacher and stay-at-home mom with bills to pay and noses to wipe and LV wallets just aren't as necessary anymore. ;)

The wallet is beautiful and in excellent condition. It is currently selling for $745.00 in LV stores and on their website. (click HERE to see it on their site. You will have to click on "view other models" and then scroll across to find the Monogram Canvas one though.) My ebay listing starts at $415.00 with a Buy It Now feature for $600.00. Seriously, the thing looks brand new unless you get 2 inches from the brass zippers and you can see some wear and tiny scratches. It would make a great Christmas gift for you or some special lady in your life! Send your hubbies and email with the link and maybe he'll get the hint. haha (Mine wouldn't.)

Maybe someday I'll be able to afford the luxuries of Louis again but for now, I'd rather use the the money to put towards an anniversary trip in March!! If you know any other LV lovers, please pass on my link!! In case you missed it, here it is.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280751876345#ht_562wt_1396

Daddy's Boys

2011-10-04T19:18:00.001-05:00

My kids are total Daddy's boys lately. I try not to let it hurt my feelings. ;)

This was tonight. Just lounging around watching Nick, Jr., cuddled up with Daddy on the floor (while Mama devotes her attention to her new obsession-Pintrest!).

Mason LOVES to dance to the Fresh Beat Band. He will drop everything he's doing to stop and bust a move if their show or song comes on.

YouTube Video

Hangin' with Dada.

I caught Matthew and Mason playing together and laughing hysterically with each other. It made me smile! Of course I missed most of the good stuff by the time I thought to get them on video...

YouTube Video

Love my 3 boys!

(PS-I thought I should add in that my sweet Matthew keeps running over in the midst of his fun and giving me kisses on my shin, toe, wrist, forearm...whatever is closest. haha He doesn't want Mommy to feel left out!) :)

M.I.A.

2011-09-26T15:52:00.001-05:00

So has anyone missed me? (You can put your hand down now Mom...oh wait, it wasn't up? Ok, then can SOMEONE put their hand up?) I feel like I haven't written anything on here in a looongg time! Apparently its only been a few weeks but still. It feels like forever. Life has gotten busy now that I'm a career woman and all. You know...I teach preschool a whopping TWO times a week now for those of you who haven't heard. ;)

But ladies. Let me tell you. It. is. hard. And its not just the actual teaching 2 year olds from 9-2 twice a week that's hard. Its the fact that I'm still dealing with Mason who isn't loving the idea of being away from home during those two days and has only slept once while he was there. And if you know me, you know I am HUGE on my babies getting their naps.

We are also dealing with the wonderful world of germs that preschool brings. Right now, both my boys are recuperating from Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (sweet) and Craig and I have both battled some sort of stomach bug. This all started last Saturday night/Sunday morning. Mason threw up at 3:15am Sunday morning. Had a fever for 24 hours. Was fussy and cranky and simply pathetic to look at. I just sat with him plopped in my lap for as much of the day Sunday as I could.

Monday he seemed fine. A little cranky but no fever and was playing and eating/drinking normally.

chillin' with mommy

"I don't FEEL GOOD MOMMY!!!"

I was going to keep him home Tuesday with Craig but Craig ended up with a stomach bug starting at 2:30 that morning. He was up all night with it so I chose to take both boys to school with me. By Tuesday night, Craig seemed fine and on the mend.

Wednesday morning Craig took Matthew to school. (Mason and I only go on Tuesdays and Thursdays.) At noon, Matthew's teacher called to tell me he was running a fever but acting fine other than that. I went to get him and yes, he seemed totally fine but I took his temp and it was 100.8. His first fever EVER. Not bad. He went down for a nap and I braced myself for the worst. But got nothing. He woke up with a higher temp of 101.5 and after (violently) refusing all pain relievers offered in liquid form I ran to the store to see what else I could come up with. Enter Tylenol Meltaways. Thank you Lord. I hid the bottle from him when I got home and told him that since he was sick and felt bad I wanted to give him a little treat to make him feel better. He was eating some "orange chips" aka Doritos (please don't judge me...he doesn't get junk food THAT often...) in a bowl so I walked over and told him I'd gotten him some cool candy at the store. I dropped 2 of the cherry Meltaways in his bowl and walked away without making a big deal. He immediately ate them up and said "Oh Mama, thank you thank you for the candy!". I do not know if tricking my son was the best mommy move in the book. Would Supernanny do that? I don't know. But I do know that it worked and his fever was gone by bedtime.

He thought these were pretty cool. They are some kind of cooling patches for kids with a fever (who refuse to take medicine...?)

Thursday Craig stayed home with both boys while I went to school. Let me tell you how nice it was not having to lug in napmats, lunch boxes, backpacks, blankets etc along with all of my stuff that morning. I got to get our room set up easily my children crying or pulling at my leg. I even got to sit in at our prayer meeting before school started with no distractions. Ahhhh. It was heavenly. And then our director made the announcement. Apparently, Hand Foot and Mouth Disease was going around. Especially in the young 1s class. In other words, in Mason's class. There were only 3 babies in the class on Thursday as opposed to 8. I immediately started thinking of that rash around Mason's mouth that I had thought was brought on by his paci... Was it really a symptom of this? (Oh guess what, it was! Shame on me. I've only been a mom for 3.5 years...I'm still new right?) Symptoms include a fever (usually first), flu-like symptoms, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, coughing...basically anything. And then of course the red bumps/blisters that can appear anywhere but most commonly on the bottoms of the feet, palms of the hands and inside and around the mouth. I checked Mason's feet and hands when I got home and found a few red dots on his feet. And then of course the blaringly obvious ones around his mouth. I'm a moron and I'm sorry if my kid infected yours. But then again, someone infected mine to begin with so... I also checked Matthew. Nothing around his mouth, on his feet or on his hands. He's had a nasty cough since this started though. But Friday he started saying his mouth hurt so I made him open up and found 2 pretty big blisters on the back of his tongue. Thankfully, this seems to be the worst of it. He hasn't thrown up, had any stomach issues, no more fever, or even really felt bad from what I can tell.

So I stupidly thought that we'd finally started to heal. And then I got hit. I woke up around 4:45am Saturday morning sick as a dog. I was completely out of commission all day long. Craig had to cancel coaching sessions and miss his pee wee team's game to stay home with the boys. I was miserable. It was not fun. By Sunday night I was still queasy but had managed to eat that morning so I had a little food in me. And now, it's Monday afternoon. I'm better. The boys are better. All 3 of them. Matthew still has a nasty little cough. Do I send him to school tomorrow? I have no idea. Every kid in my class has a cough and/or runny nose. Their parents send them...but then again, maybe that's how this whole mess started. ?

Anyway, I am in the process of disinfecting the house. But I did stop in order to document this crazy week. :) It's been awhile since I've gotten to write and I forgot how much I like to do this. I've got SO much I could write about. The things Matthew says lately are cracking me up. And Mason is growing like a weed and starting to talk. His favorite words are "Ew yuck.". haha (Side note: When Mason threw up in his crib that night, I heard him on the monitor so I knew that's what was up. By the time I got up there and turned on the light he was standing in the corner of his crib, looking at his mess and saying "Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew." over and over again. It was pretty funny.)

So that's my week. In case you were wondering how school was going (other than being hard, like I said earlier) its going great. We have a sweet little class and most of our criers are happy now to come to school. There are still random tears throughout the day but that also means we get to love on those sweet little kiddos a lot too. There are some great cuddlers in there along with some really smart 2 year olds! We have gotten into our groove and are loving it. Matthew is loving his class too and wants to go to school everyday. Thank goodness I don't have to worry about him. Mason is learning to tolerate it. One day at a time. More later!

Love those 2.

Feeling better this morning! Mommy and Mason. Or "Pee-Wee" as his brother calls him.

He picked out his own clothes this morning. Don't ask. My upside down sunglasses combined with a tongue sticking out tops off the look.

My 1st Week as a Preschool Teacher...

2011-09-09T19:59:00.001-05:00

AHHHHHH!!!! So I survived my first week as a preschool teacher. But just barely. As a refresher, I have the "young 2's", meaning they are anywhere from exactly 2 years old to 2 years and 2 months. So just babies really. There are 10 of them and 2 of us teachers. They kids really are just precious. But there were SO many tears. And so much snot. And so much POOP. And it went on all day long on Day 1. Here is a recap.

I would say half of our class cried nonstop for 5 hours straight. Minus lunch and playroom time. And at LEAST half of them pooped at some point. I find this odd since we all know that my son does not poop ANYWHERE but at home so yep, a little weird to me. Diaper changes took an hour. So while one teacher is changing 10 diapers, another one (me) was trying to get our craft done in between all of our classes we had to go to. So we had about an hour in between Chapel and Lunch to do this. While Dani, my coteacher, was in our bathroom changing diapers, I was in charge of the class. We let the kids just play with whatever they wanted while I pulled one kid over at a time to paint their hands with red paint and then press them down on some paper to make their handprints. This was not easy. Imagine this: I've got a 2 year old next to me. We pull on her smock, paint her hands at the little table and then press them down. Now we have a 2 year old with red paint all over her hands just itching to touch something. So we immediately have to climb the step stool behind us to wash it off in the little sink. While I'm helping her do this, I also have to have eyes in the back of my head because the rest of the class is just waiting to touch her paper or the paper plate loaded with red paint that I had to leave on the table because my hands were full of red-handed 2 year old. And no, there was no easier way to do this. You had to be there to understand that.

When we thought up this little craft, we didn't realize one of us would be in the middle of changing 10 diapers and completely out of commission. Live and learn right?

Anyway, we survived. But like I said, just barely. When school was over, I went and got Mason and Matthew from their classes to bring into mine while we cleaned up and got ready to go home. Not sure I've mentioned this but Mason has the WORST separation anxiety EVER. Matthew never seemed to care if we left him with strangers when he was little. He was 2.5 before he ever started to show any kind of separation anxiety. And it wasn't bad. So I am in unfamiliar waters when dealing with this little problem. With Mason, I can't even leave the room for a SECOND to go answer the phone, yell at the dogs, run to the restroom...he WAILS until he's purple. Its heart breaking. So I knew preschool would be a challenge for him. There were the normal screams when I dropped him off in his class. And I worried all day how he was doing. So when I went to get him and his teachers told me he cried pretty much all day and DID NOT nap I wanted to pull him out of school right then and there. It was 3:30 before we all got home from school. For a kid who naps from 10-12 and then again from 3-4:30 everyday, not getting any naps in until 3:45 was pure misery for him. He looked like he wanted to crawl out of his skin. And I wanted to cry. And I totally did. My day had been so stressful. And to know my baby was miserable all day because of a decision I made for him tore me up.

Mason has trouble sleeping anywhere but his nice, quiet, dark room. So I don't blame him for not being able to sleep in a foreign crib with 7 other crying kids in the room. If he can learn to nap at 12 at school then I will be ok. The crying will stop after he gets used to it all. I know this. But if he can't learn to sleep up there then I may end up pulling him out. Or have Craig come get him at 12 everyday. Everyone tells me to just give it a few weeks. But I'm sorry. I can't sit there and watch my child be in physical misery because all he wants is to go to sleep. He's only 16 months old. He's still a baby. To go from 7:30am to 3:30pm without a nap and throw in the excitement of an unfamiliar and stimulating school, he is beyond tired. So that's how that's going. Day 2 was pretty much the same except I made Craig pick him up at noon before he got too tired. 12:30 is about as long as he can take it without his eyes rolling back into his head from sleep deprivation. So we may just keep up the half days for a few months and ease him into it. I don't know. I just know watching him scream because he has a need that is not being met is not cool with me. Separation anxiety...he'll learn to cope. But crying from not getting to sleep when he wants...not cool with me. So we'll see...

So Day 2 for MY class was so much better. SO much better. I am tempted to say it was 100% better but maybe 90% is more accurate. We still had 2 criers who bawled on and off (mostly on) all day long. The snot was still everywhere. We had a cougher too who covered everyone and everything in germs. But we got in a story time. We did some "dot painting" with dot painters that was a hit. We got papers in folders ready to be handed out to parents at the door BEFORE they showed up. And our schedule was a lot better. They actually switched up our Tuesday schedule as well so it should be very similar and keep things a little more consistent for the kids. Day 2 was a giant success and I got to see why I wanted this job to begin with. These kids are precious. Really. It's just going to get better and better and I'm excited to see how these kids grow this year.

I will be sure to update often on our progress! Unfortunately I can't post any pics of my kiddos or classroom for privacy reasons but just know they are ADORABLE. :)

Brotherly Love...

2011-08-27T17:02:00.000-05:00

Oh oh oh how I love my sweet boys. I am not going to sit here and pretend that these two get along 24/7 and there are never any tears. Because God would probably strike me down with a gigantic bolt of lightening if I tried that. There are ALWAYS tears...mostly on Mason's part...and there is almost always a little shoving (Matthew), toy stealing (also Matthew) and therefore a few sessions in time out (guess who??). But then there are times like this (see video below) where all is right in the Nall Brothers' World.

This week I have been CRAZY busy with training and prepping for my first year as a preschool teacher. Tuesday through Friday we were up at the school/church doing everything from enjoying amazing lectures at a Christian Preschool Teachers conference to working on lesson plans to shopping for cute stuff to hang on our walls in our classroom. :) Thankfully, my wonderful in-laws came in to save my poor husband from having to deal with the kids all by himself all week. My kids LOVE both sets of grandparents and they had the BEST time this week with their Mimi and Paw Paw.

This video was taken right after they came in from playing outside. Matthew had been pushing Mason around in the grass before and Mason was just loving it! So we let Matthew push him inside as long as he was "very very VERY careful!". Matthew understood he needed to go slow but still decided to have a little fun...

If you can't understand what he's saying, here is a rundown...

"Here comes the truck! Ahhh! Owww look out!"

(Me: "Eh eh!")

"Look out!! (run into corner by oven) "You're going to get in biiiigg trouble! Big trouble! (Matthew has had to sit there for time out before...)

(Me: "Is he in time-out?")

"No, he's a good boy. Awww (snuggle with Mase). Ahhh he tickled me! Ummm...Mase's done."

(Me: "K.")

Mason immediately shakes head no. hahaha

Love these kids.

YouTube Video

When the Kids Are Away...

2011-08-17T15:48:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my wonderful, amazing, and BRAVE parents took my kids and kept them all weekend. I drove 2 hours Thursday afternoon, dropped them off at my mom's work as she was getting off, made the switch, and got back on the road again. Leaving them is always bittersweet for me. I hate it that I know they don't sleep quite as well at Nana's (or any place other than their own beds) and I know that Matthew refuses to poop unless he's at home. He has done this since he was a baby. He has maybe pooped at my parents house twice...and I think I was there with him both times. Without me around, the kid will hold til he gets home. That cannot be good.

But even though I know this, I also know how much fun they will have with Nana and Papa. Specifically Nana, who doesn't stop when she's got the kiddos. They are always outside swimming, going on wagon rides or just playing in the yard and watching the birds. Mom, its ok for them to sit numbly in front of the TV while you go pee, lay down or drink your iced tea. I hope you do that but I'm not sure you ever do...

Mom did mention she lost a few pounds over the weekend because she never had time to eat. I had to laugh and told her if she ever wanted to seriously go on a diet to just let me know and I can send the kids for a whole week! I do know what she means though. By the time you get the kids fed, its time to get Mason ready for bed and then once he's in bed its time to start getting Matthew ready for bed and then by the time HE'S in bed its 9pm and you are too tired to eat.

Anyway, the kids had a GREAT time and wore Nana and Papa out. Craig and I on the other hand, had a wonderfully relaxing weekend!! We slept in Friday morning and then Craig had to leave for a (QB coaching) session at 11:30 about 45 minutes away. So he would be gone for several hours. So what's a girl to do?!?!

Well, I did something I have always wanted to do but have never been brave enough TO do. I went to the movies. Alone. Single. By myself. GASP!!

Ok, you may be thinking "So what? I've done that dozens of times." Well, I haven't, and I always pysched myself out thinking I'd either be one of the only ones in the theater (well, me and a crazy pyscho or something) or it would be all couples and people would give me sad smile and a look that said "Oh bless her heart. She can't get a date and has no friends."

So I went to the noon showing of The Help and didn't feel even the slightest bit of anxiety about it. In fact, I LOVED it. There were lots of older couples in there but also tons of "singles" like me. I fit right in. :)

And if you are wondering what I thought about The Help, here's my review. It was AWFUL. Worst movie ever....

HA! LYING!!!! It was AMAZING!!!!!! I read the book (ok listened to the audiobook) a few weeks ago and just fell in love and the movie does not disappoint. I am now a HUGE Emma Stone fan too. Girl has come a long way since The House Bunny and Easy A...

By the way, I totally cried several times in the movie and I couldn't decide if it was better or worse to cry at a movie by yourself as opposed to with a friend/date. Eitehr way I always feel ridiculous but I know I wasn't the only one so it was ok. Note: bring tissues or have some napkins ready. Stupid me did not have either.

So yes, the movie was wonderful. The message was amazing and it showed such an accurate portrayal of how life was like back then and how absolutely awful people can be to each other just because of the color of someone's skin. Truly disgusted me to watch the way some of the white women in the movie treated their maids. I could feel the anger welling up inside me just watching it. But then seeing how that sweet, slightly crazy, but totally kind-hearted Celia loved on her Minnie... Oh, I just loved it!!! Go see it!!!!

After the movie, I went home and prepped for date night. Craigy-poo and I went to dinner at a new mexican place and then went BACK to the movies to see The Change-Up. This movie was so hilarious and kept me laughing the whole way through. It was crude humor though so if you aren't into that you might wanta just skip it.

Saturday we slept in again and then I had to do something I wasn't looking forward to doing but knew I had to take advantage of my time away from the kids to get it done. I went through all of the boys' old baby clothes and sorted them into a giveaway pile (to a young mom who decided at the last minute she couldn't give her baby up for adoption...so she had nothing prepared for his arrival and needed help) and a consignment store pile. The emotions running through me while I did that were great... On one hand I was praying that giving this stuff away for good wouldn't jinx me and cause a little oopsie if you catch my drift. And if said "oopsie" turned out to be another boy, YES I would be THRILLED...but I would also be severely upset that I had given away a ton of boy stuff that I could have used for free instead of going out and spending hundreds of dollars replacing what I'd given away. So seriously, the only reason I'd want an "oopsie" to be a girl is just so I could tell myself I would have had to buy all new stuff anyway and to not feel bad.

And, yes, we are still even more sure that our family is complete as is. This is a whole other post in itself. But then again, you never know right? ;)

Saturday night, I met up with my awesome friends and their hubbies to celebrate one of their birthdays. We went to Gloria's Restaurant (more mexican food! Can't get enough!!) and had the best time!! We even attempted to hit up Top Golf at 10pm on a Friday and for some reason we were surprised there was a 2 hour wait for a bay. haha Whoops. So we ended up chatting for an hour or so and then finally heading home.

Sunday we slept in one final time. Ahhhh... And when I say slept in I don't mean we slept til noon which I would have loved to do. I mean, we slept til 9:30. Boo! My internal alarm just wouldn't stop ringing. Around noon Craig left to go meet my parents halfway between their city and ours to get the boys and I went to town on the house. I vacuumed like a madwoman..upstairs and downstairs. I busted out the lemon Pledge (love that scent...reminds me of Saturday mornings growing up) and tackled most of the furniture in the house. I scrubbed toilets and cleaned mirrors, did laundry and folded clothes, did the dishes and even cleaned out a junk drawer.

When my babies walked in a few hours later though, I was SO excited to see them! It always hits me how much I really missed them once I see them again after a couple of days. And they always seem to have grown so much! I always feel like they are talking more or better and seem so big.

So that was my weekend. I guess the kids wanted to get right back in the groove too because I changed 8 dirty diapers from the time they got home around 3:30 to when Matthew went to bed around 8:15. Mason had SIX dirty diapers from 3:30 to 7 when he went down. Matthew had two because he had been holding it since Thursday when he got dropped off at Nana's. He does not poop unless he's at home. Lord have mercy....

Love This Bracelet...

2011-08-15T09:48:00.000-05:00

Do yall use GroopDealz.com? If not, you HAVE to check it out!! It works like Groupon and Living Social...it sends you some amazing deals each day to your email (just 1 a day). But these deals are really cute Boutique deals like this cutie pie bracelet they have up today!! I just love the bracelet so I thought I'd share. You can get it for just $13 plus $3 shipping today and its normally $30! There's a pic above. Cute right?! Click HERE (so I get credit!) if you want it too!

How I Get My Kids to SLEEP.

2011-08-09T12:06:00.000-05:00

Lately, we have been dealing with our kiddos waking up early. I am not an early riser. I am not a morning person. I have never been these things and continue to hold firm to the fact that I will never be. So I don't even bother trying. I knew going into this whole kid thing that my sleep would be slashed into tiny pieces and I was prepared for that sacrifice. Obviously, it is totally worth it. Sometimes I want to go crawl into the crib with Mason just to be near him in the middle of the night. He'd probably let me too. Matthew on the other hand screams out "No Mommy! Don't sleep in my bed! This my spot!!" anytime I mention sleeping with him. Stinker.

I feel like I've gotten somewhat lucky when it comes to how well my kids sleep. But I think...no, I KNOW... a lot of it has to do with what I've read and tips I've implemented that have kept them snoozing through the nights and sleeping past dawn. Thank. You. Lord.

When Matthew was a baby...and I was a completely new mom who had not a clue as to what she was doing...he drove us crazy with his night wakings. We thought it was normal that he was still waking every 3-4 hours every night until he was 7 months old. Well, maybe we wouldn't say we thought it was NORMAL but we thought it was just what babies do. We didn't know any different. Most of the time it was miserable. But sometimes those night wakings made for beautiful memories and moments that I'll cherish always. (See HERE for example. :)

Finally, after I really talked to a few moms who said their kids had been sleeping through the night like a normal human being for MONTHS by 7 months of age, I realized I needed to do something. I found several sleep books (BabyWise, The No-Cry Sleep Solution, Happiest Baby on the Block (is that a sleep book?) but I couldn't get through them quick enough and they just weren't feeling right for me and my kiddo. Then I found what I consider the bible of all sleep books...The Sleep Easy Solution.

This book was a quick, easy read and you could go directly to whatever age your baby was or whatever your particular question may be. I just loved it. I'm sure there are tons of other great books but for some reason this one helped me the most. So here is what I did after reading their tips.

blackout shade. A MUST!!!!!!!! Make your baby's room as dark as humanly possible. Like an 8, 9 or 10 on a scale from 1-10. More on darkening your kid's room later.
white noise. Not some quietly whirring fan overhead. That does not count. Get you some white noise through a loud tower fan (that's what we've always used) or a white noise machine. Turn it up so that its loud enough to cover birds chirping, lawn mowers, dogs barking, your other children screaming...or at least do your best. And make sure the white noise is not going to cut off after 45 minutes or something. I learned that the hard way using one of those little lambs that plays the white noise for 45 minutes then cuts off. No wonder Matthew would wake up like clockwork after 45 minutes...
pacis. Mason and Matthew both are/were allowed pacis as babies. I will start weaning Mason off of his around 18 months. They only got them when they were in the crib though or in the car when I needed them to try and sleep. But both boys like to throw their paci out of the crib or it will fall into a corner, get hidden under a blanket etc in the middle of the night. If your baby falls asleep easier with a paci (also shown to reduce the risk of SIDS) make sure you have scattered several around their crib so that there is always one within reach. We usually have at least 3 or 4 and sometimes as many as 8 if we round them all up from behind and under the crib.
Bedtimes/naptimes. In our experience, sleep schedules made ALL the difference. Start paying attention to your baby's signs that they are tired. At the very first sign of being sleepy, jump on it! (Rubbing eyes, yawning, looking spacy, getting fussy...) If you wait too long, you may lose your window. The book mentioned something about cortisol (?) acting as a stimulant and basically being their "second wind". If they catch this second wind, you are going to get a very fussy baby and it will be much harder for him/her to get to sleep. Put baby down while she is just getting sleepy.

The book talks a lot about how to go about setting your baby's naptime based on how old your baby is. As in, 2 hours after baby wakes up in the morning, put him down for his first nap. Then 2 1/2 hours after he wakes from THAT nap, put him down for nap #2. Then bedtime 2 1/2 hours after that, etc. We followed these guidelines immediately because I had NO IDEA how do naptimes. Life saver.
Bedtimes. At 7 months, I was letting Matthew just stay up as late as we were and just letting him pass out if he wanted in his swing or wherever. Then I read about putting them down early to get them to sleep all night. Didn't make much sense to me. I figured, let them stay up late and they'll sleep late, right? Nope!! Make bedtimes early. Look for cues from baby. Matthew's bedtime moved up to 7:30 and he was sleeping through the night until 8 or later every single day after that. I actually just moved Mason's bedtime up to 7 because I noticed he will sleep later in the morning if he goes down by 7 as opposed to 7:30/7:45.

For older kids. When Matthew started being able to turn on his light and open doors we knew we would have a problem keeping him in his room, out of Mason's and running free upstairs during the night. So we put a knob cover on his door (which we later had to duct tape together so he couldn't pull it apart and take it off) so now he can't get out, and we fixed it so you could only turn the light on by pulling the chain on the ceiling fan. He can still turn on his bedside lamp but he only does that in the morning when he wakes up. When he wakes in the morning, he plays or reads his books and just hangs out until 8am when I finally come get him. :) He DOES yell out every once in awhile. Thankfully his room is far enough away from Mason's that Mason does not hear him. What does he yell? Well, he goes and knocks on his own door then yells "COME IN!!! MOMMY COME IN! IT'S ME!! MATTHEW!!!!" hahahaha

These are all just things that worked for us. Please don't think I'm telling you this is the right way and your way is the wrong way. Every kid and family is different and I totally get that. I just know that within a few DAYS 7 month old Matthew went from going to bed at 10pm or later and waking every 3-4 hours all night long to going to bed at 7:30pm (and doing all those other tips) and sleeping 12 hours or more STRAIGHT.

Obviously, with Mason, we had a much better idea of what we were doing. He was sleeping through the night easily by the time he was 2 months old.

Lately though, my boys have been rebelling. Matthew has decided that waking up anywhere between 6 and 7:30am is acceptable. 7:30?? Ok, I can handle that. But 6??? No sir!!! So I read a helpful post from my blogger friend, Raven, over at Momma's Desires and Pacifiers, and she said she TINFOILS her kids windows to keep it pitch black in there. Hmmmm....considering I will do just about anything for a little extra sleep this seemed like something I might be interested in.

Let me just say that Matthew's window currently had a window shade (not a blackout shade though b/c my sweet hubby thought there wasn't a difference even though I told him specifically BLACKOUT shade...), wood blinds, and then a heavy throw blanket draped over the curtain rod and tucked into the sides of the window for added darkness. (It is NOT cute.)

So I thought I'd try to the tinfoil idea. I set about with my roll of foil and masking tape and after 20 minutes I was done. And it was DARK. Gone was the blanket thank the Lord. And after I lowered the shade and then the blinds you couldn't even see the foil. Score. :)

The next morning Matthew woke at 7:08am. Crap. Didn't work I guess. He immediately went and tore off the lower left half of the foil so he could look out his window after he woke up. But you know what. Over the next few mornings I noticed him sleeping later and later. Now I would say his average wake time is around 8am. I also foiled Mason's window and he slept til almost 9 2 days in a row!! (You cannot see the foil on the windows because we have those really dark solar screen things to block it! Yay!)

One thing my kids have NEVER done, not even once, is sleep in our bed. They don't even realize that's an option. I hate it sometimes b/c there are nights when there is nothing more I'd love to do that curl up with my sweet babies in bed. But I am SUCH a light sleeper, I know I'd get no sleep. And then there is also the fact that once they realize this is an option, they are going to want to do it all the time...and my kids throw enough fits. I don't need to add this one!! Not yet anyway.... ;)

So those are my suggestions moms. I don't know if this stuff will work for you. But it couldn't hurt to try right? Good luck and happy sleeping!!

Very First Guest Blogger!

2011-08-03T22:07:00.001-05:00

Today I have a special treat for you! My very first guest blogger! I kinda feel like I've hit the big time! I mean, I DO have almost 80 whole "followers"... ;) (By the way, if anyone would actually like to BE my 80th follower that would totally make my day...)

So let me introduce one of my great girlfriends, Dawn! I'll let her get into detail but I just wanted to give a big thanks to her for taking the time to do this and I know you'll all love what she's got to say! Her blog is awesome and she is always doing something exciting so be sure to follow her HERE! This girl does it ALL and then some...I swear to you I don't know when she sleeps. From being an NFL wife, lawyer, reality TV star, future Mrs. Texas (fingers crossed that this is her year!!) and still being a fantastic mom and raising 2 kiddos-1 with autism...she never stops! And don't even get me started on her charity work...

If I let myself think about it for too long I'd feel like a complete and utter failure compared to her...So I just don't think about it. :) So, without further ado...

Thanks Amanda for giving me the opportunity to be your guest blogger – this is fun!

A little background…

Amanda and I met in Buffalo, New York, where our husbands were Buffalo Bills teammates.

Now, we live about twenty minutes away from each other in Texas. Both of our husbands are now retired from the NFL and we’re easing into life devoid of the triumphs and tribulations of pro-football.

Life has been anything but boring though as we transition into life after football. For me, managing a career, family, a stint on reality television (VH1’s Football Wives) and a plethora of other activities and interests keeps life interesting.

Last March, I sat in a quaint theater in Corsicana, Texas after morning rehearsals for the Mrs. Texas America pageant. I noticed the outgoing Mrs. Texas, Shannon Patterson, setting up a bunch of products. My stomach growling, I (somewhat) silently protested being sales-pitched right before lunch.

As Shannon began her presentation about a company called Rodan + Fields, I perked up! Did she say this is a skincare line designed by the doctors who created ProActiv, the acne skincare system that has sold a gazillion dollars worth of product? CHECK! I used ProActiv for years and it helped clear up my skin.

Did she just say the Rodan + Fields Anti-Age AMP MD system was featured on The Today Show as one of the must-have anti-aging products for 2011? YEP!

Did Shannon say Rodan + Fields has only been in direct marketing for a couple of years, allowing new consultants to get in before the market becomes saturated like other skincare lines! OH YEAH! I realized quickly that this was not your mama’s direct marketing skincare and Shannon had my undivided attention. Shortly after the pageant (I was third runner-up), I joined Shannon’s Rodan + Fields team.

I’ve been approached for years to get into direct sales. Jewelry, handbags, clothing, skincare products, Acai Berry super juice – you name it. At some point, someone has approached me to sell some of everything. But none of the opportunities ever felt right for me. While I’m an outgoing person, I’m not great at making the sales pitch, and direct marketing just didn’t seem like my thing. I’ve found since becoming a Rodan + Fields consultant and using the products, the products sell themselves. People are always commenting on how great my skin looks and I’m happy to tell them what I’m using. In addition to practicing law, I am also a model and actress and my skin always has to look its best. I can’t show up at auditions with dull skin or breakouts. Thanks to Rodan + Fields, keeping my skin healthy and bright is a cinch!

Rodan + Fields features four different skin regimens:

ANTI-AGE for wrinkles, pores and loss of firmness, which features the top-selling AMP MD system (my favorite)!

UNBLEMISH for acne and post-acne marks

REVERSE for brown spots, dullness and sun damage

SOOTHE for sensitive, irritated skin and facial redness.

All products can be sold in the regimen bundle or individually. Rodan + Fields also features ENHANCEMENT and ESSENTIAL products, including the popular Micro-Dermabrasion Paste and Sunless Tanner. There are a host of other products – check out the website for more information.

http://dawnneufeld.myrandf.com/

Also, if you’d like to hear a bit more becoming a part of a fast-growing direct marketing team, check out the business opportunity at http://dawnneufeld.myrandf.biz/

Thanks again to Amanda for allowing me to guest blog about the awesomeness that is Rodan + Fields.

If you want to know a little more about me, check out my blog at http://thegridirongoddess.blogspot.com and my website at http://www.dawnneufeld.com/

Just GO!!!!

2011-08-02T11:13:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm starting to think that I am a potty training FAILURE. I really thought we were doing good too!! But we are in a rut people. We started with the potty training 6 months ago, give or take. He picked up on it so fast. Well, the tee-tee part anyway. We'd put his big boy undies on in the morning and he'd keep them dry (with the exception of a little trickle escaping every once in awhile before he got to the potty). He's only pooped on the potty twice though. He always asks for a diaper when its time for that. And since I didn't want him to hold it until he made himself sick, I'd give in and just figure he'd let me know when he was ready to start going on the potty.

And now, its 6 months later and we are in exactly the same position as we were on Day 1. Not only will he not poop on the potty, but he is also still soaking his diapers during naps and at night. I know I should limit his fluid intake at night but its hard to when he's outside running around in 100 degree heat for an hour before he comes in to go get ready for bed. The only time he gets to play outside is in the evening when it is SOMEWHAT cooler. So when he comes in he is so thirty and I'd obviously rather him pee all over himself than get dehydrated.

This morning after breakfast, Matthew started telling me "the poops comin' out!" and getting all panicky. BUT he did NOT ask for a diaper!! So I took this as a great sign and said "Hurry, lets go to the potty! Hurry!!" and he flung himself back on the couch and closed his eyes and squealed "NO!!". Ok. No problem. That's what this giant package of M&Ms is for. Bribes. ;) I showed him the package and said he could have a whole BOWL of M&Ms if he went and pooped on the potty. I was actually shocked when he still said no. That kid would sell his little brother for just one M&M. So hearing him turn down a whole bowl was a big deal. I knew I was in for a fight.

Long story short, we went back and forth on the "Mommy, the poop's comin' out!!" and "HurryToTheBathroomI'llGiveYouM&MsANDAPopsicleANDWeCanGoPlayOutside!!" all morning. Like every 5-10 minutes. When I put Mason down for his nap around 10, Matthew was still complaining about the poop. By the time I got downstairs, I had had enough and picked him up, kicking and screaming, yanked down his underwear and sat him on the potty. Tears were streaming down his little red face, his nose was running and he was clinging to me for dear life. He was acting like this was the most terrifying thing in the world. I sat down on a stool in front of him while he was on the potty and let him hug my neck while we waited. And waited. And waited. But he wouldn't let it happen. So after about 10 minutes I let him get up and wash his hands and said we'd try again soon.

Now he is laying right here next to me and every once in awhile I see him grimace and I know he's holding it. But he's still refusing to go to the potty. The only good thing that shows progress is that he has still not asked for a diaper. I really am at my wit's end. I have no idea what I'm doing or how to go about weaning him off nap/bedtime diapers much less making him poo on the potty. Sometimes I feel like he'll be wearing diapers to bed for the next 10 years... Lord help me.

And for those of you wondering, he is 3 years and 2 months old.

Is anyone else having issues with this or DID you have issues with it and have tips on how to fix this little problem?? I'm open to advice! And bribes are NOT working!! Ughh!!

Moments From Today.

2011-07-29T21:17:00.003-05:00

There are hysterical moments every other minute in our house these days. Matthew leads the way with this now that he's a fully functioning kid as opposed to a toddler still trying to get a handle on the English language.

So these are just a few of the funny and/or cute things my kids did today.

Earlier this evening, Matthew and I were outside playing in the backyard. Well, he was playing and I was reclined back with a book on the chaise lounge by the pool. He walked up to me with a sweet little grin on his face, took my face in his hands and looked right into my eyes. And then he said, "Mommy, you so handsome." hahaha...I love him.

A few minutes later, after he'd wandered away to look for dog poo (his favorite back yard activity people. Seriously. He will search the backyard for it and whenever he sees some he'll stop and yell "Mama! Its poo poo!" He loves to help his daddy pooper scoop the backyard.)... Anyway, after a few minutes looking for the poo he came over to me with his hand out and said "Mommy, I need to wash my hand. Smell it!!" Boys....

I've posted before about Matthew's love for dinosaur books and my love/hate relationship with them. He's got a new one he's been into lately and I find myself tripping over the names "Parasaurolophus" and "Archeaoteryx" (don't trust my spellings on that) every single night. But the one dino that's in the book that has a fairly simple name is the Camptosaurus. Easy enough. But for some completely unknown reason, every time we get to that page Matthew "corrects" me and tells me, "No, trackosaurus." I have no idea what a trackosaurus is or if its even a real thing. And then I'll say "Ok you win. Its a trackousaurus." and he'll immediately say "No, snatchosaurus!". I am always tempted to skip that controversial page but he has caught on to that little game. Boo.

Its way easier if you just let him call them whatever he wants so Camptosaurus/Trackosaurus/Snatchosaurus...sorry for all the confusion. No hard feelings?

And not to be outdone, Mason can definitely have some cutie pie moments of his own. For one, the kid has been walking for 6 months now but still has the hardest time staying on his feet. He is constantly falling over...God forbid the air conditioner comes on because it will almost surely knock him straight on his butt. So just watching him stumble around is pretty funny on its own. He fell down outside a while back and got a pretty serious knee scrape. Blood dripping down his leg and everything. It took forever to heal because he was constantly falling over and over again and busting it back open or ripping off the scab. (Ick, I hate that word.) And no, its not easy keeping a bandaid on a 1 year old...

But lately he has been doing the cutest thing to show us he's ready to be put to bed.

We usually wander on up to the playroom 30 minutes or so before nap or bedtime. It is in the loft area that is located right between the boys rooms so its a great way to get them that much closer to being IN the bed. Lately, Mason has started wandering into his room and grabbing both the blankets he sleeps with, his paci and his little blue stuffed elephant and then he'll mosey on out with both those blankets trailing behind him, the elephant clutched in one hand and sucking on that pacifier like Maggie from The Simpsons. I think its his way of telling me he is ready to go to bed please.

The funniest part about it is that he doesn't come up to me and show off his sleeping goodies. He will just wander around the playroom, into Matthew's room, back through the playroom, into his room, back out to the playroom...just making a continuous loop...until I finally grab him and put him to bed. Its maybe a little passive aggressive. haha. I don't know WHERE he gets that from...

Another highlight from my day? Pushing Matthew on the swing and him turning around to try and look at me and saying "Mommy this is so fun!". Love that kid.

These kids are so stinkin' cute and precious and just the light of my life. No doubt they wear me down but I wouldn't have it any other way. My friend Raven, over at A Momma's Desires and Pacifiers, put it best the other day when she did a guest post for another blog... Here is what she said when answering the question "Are you a SAHM or do you work?"

Being a stay at home mom IS work, haha! But really, staying at home with my two kids is exhausting! It is draining, depleting, wears me down and most days, I really think my kids are trying to send me to an early grave. However, and this is a BIG however, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I love being there every waking second for my kids. But naptime and bedtime are still my favorite time of day. ;)

Love the honesty in this! Raven and I both have 2 little boys that are the same ages so we have a lot in common! By 9pm each night I am worn the heck OUT. But then I sit back and think about some of the cute and sweet little moments that happened throughout the day and know without a doubt that I wouldn't trade being a SAHM for anything right now. Of course there are days when I would do ANYTHING to have a "real job" and get to put on real clothes and spend my days in the company of adults. But then I realize I'd miss out on getting to watch the Ant Bully 1,200 times a day and more importantly, I'd miss out on seeing the sweetest little faces as they wake up from their naps each day. I really think one of my favorite parts of each day are when I go in Mason's room to pick him up out of his crib after a nap. He is always so happy to see me and just wants be held and nuzzled and he's always so warm and sleepy...heaven. :)

Love my kids. Love love love 'em.

Guest Blogger Coming Soon!

2011-07-26T22:23:00.000-05:00

So the other day, my friend Dawn and I decided to do a little guest post on each other's blogs to promote our respective businesses. Dawn is a football wife as well and her husband played with mine in Buffalo. She is also a reality TV football wife...she starred on the VH1 Series "Football Wives" that aired last year.

Those of you who came here from my post as a guest blogger on Dawn's site, have no fear...her guest post will appear on my site soon! So keep checking back!

And for those of you who'd like to read my guest post and check out Dawn's Blog-The Gridiron Goddess, go HERE!

More Good News!

2011-07-22T15:54:00.000-05:00

My friend, Dani, will be my co-teacher!!! She got it!! We are both so thrilled at this little turn of events. She didn't even really think of applying to be a teacher at the school until just very recently and now we ended up being co-teachers!

I love that I am beginning to step outside my comfort zone. I've actually always been fairly shy and introverted unless I'm around people I'm very comfortable with. Then all bets are off! ;) And there have people I've met throughout my life who I immediately feel I can be myself around and sweet Dani was one of those, thank the Lord! Her daughter, Sydnee, was in Matthew's class last year which is how Dani and I met (for those of you who haven't kept up with the past few posts). She even has a little boy also who is a few months older than Mason. So we have a lot in common!

I also love that we won't have to go through that whole awkward, getting to know you phase when training starts at the end of August. We can just jump right in and get to work!! I know we'll have big ideas and be super ambitious and want to have the best class in the whole school! :) We are both eager to get started!

And finally, I love that working as a preschool teacher at this school could lead to so many possibilities. It's a job that can definitely grow with me and my kids. In a couple of years when Mason is old enough to start going to 3 days a week then I can transition to 3 days a week as well. (Right now I will be teaching Tues/Thurs.) Then when they are both in elementary school I can move on up to the 4 day a week classes and from then maybe even pursue a job as an assistant director and maybe someday even THE director! :) Big goals and big dreams...

So if yall are curious as to if I'll be having another baby any time soon (since I was ALLLLLL ABOUT having baby #3 and going for the girl!) then the answer is a definite NO... We are 99% sure there will be no more Nall babies. We are going to leave that 1% open though...just in case. ;)

But for now, I am excited to focus on being more than just a full time mommy. I know some of you are probably thinking "Good grief. It's a twice a week job teaching 2 year olds. Calm down woman." And I get that. But I'm ready to learn, I'm ready to use my brain again and be creative. I'm just ready to add a new layer and new dimension to myself. For the past 3 years my life has completely revolved around my children and my husband. And the 3 years before that completely revolved around my husband and his career. So it is time for me to branch out and see what else I am capable of doing besides just caring for my family. My family will always always always be my absolute number 1 priority. But let's see what else I can do and who else I can be besides someone's wife and mother...

Can I get an amen??? ;)

The Verdict Is In...

2011-07-20T12:49:00.003-05:00

I got it!!!!!! AND in even more "God is so stinkin' awesome" news, my friend is applying to be my co-teacher!! She is one of my preschool mommy friends and her daughter is one of Matthew's best buddies. We have playdates with 4 of M's buddies from his class and all us moms have bonded big time. So I definitely threw in a good word (or 50!) for her when my interviewer started talking about how important it is for co-teachers to have a great dynamic. Just call us the dynamic duo! We would be AWESOME together!

The interviewer also said she visited my blog and I had to laugh and apologize that the first post she saw was my Britney post. LOL. Maybe not the GREATEST first impression? But she laughed so I guess it's ok. Joanne-if you reading this-click on "Little Moments" in the right hand column under the list of my Favorite Posts. Or just click HERE. Maybe I can redeem myself. ;)

Anyway, big thanks for the sweet comments! I rarely get comments but it makes my whole week when I do! So thank you for the kind words!

Still waiting to hear about Craig's interview. It got rescheduled for 3 today. Will keep you posted! :)

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work We Go...

2011-07-19T22:14:00.001-05:00

....well hopefully anyway! :)

Most of you probably know that Craig was in the NFL for 7 years. He retired a couple of years ago and since then has just been biding his time about deciding what to do with the rest of his life. He got his real estate license last year. But never used it. He's been running a pretty successful 1-on-1 personal Quarterback coaching business (www.QB1Sports.com) since he left the league and has also started up a company called Your Football Network (www.youfootballnetwork.com) that runs camps for kids of all ages and are coached by all former and sometimes current NFL players.

BUT, its high time to start settling down into a regular routine around here. And Craig agrees. Sooooo we've been praying and praying and hoping that some doors would open for Craig to start getting into high school coaching. And they have! (Did you ever doubt!?!) Right now, Craig is deciding between 2 private schools in our area. The positions are stipend only...no "real" salary but the greatest thing is that he would get some much needed high school coaching experience on his resume while he chips away at getting his teacher's certification. And it would be SO fun!!!

We are excited about the opportunities and I can't wait for him to decide which school would be the best fit. Today, he even got a call about a possible opportunity at a college around here... I won't get into that since we aren't sure exactly how legit it is since we are relying solely on a "connection" but still. Its getting Craig really pumped up about the idea and that's what I've been wanting to see.

Craig is a great coach. I know he is. I've heard the feedback from parents and kids he's coached in his 1 one 1 stuff and at camps. He's always been so super smart about all things football as well. And he truly wants to help these kids get better. He's not a big yeller. He won't make kids feel bad about themselves. He wants to bring them up not down. He's going to be an amazing coach, I just know it.

So right now we are waiting. Waiting on each opportunity to fully present itself to us so that we can figure out which door to walk through. Its exciting to see how God has answered prayers and been working for us.

And yes, you did read that correctly in the title of this post...I said WE!! So towards the end of the school year I started getting the idea that I might want to pursue becoming a preschool teacher at Matthew's school. I thought, "How perfect would that be? Since both boys will go next year anyway and I'd just be home with 5 (glorious) hours to myself twice a week, why not get a job?" But what job could I find that would be those 2 days a week for those 5 hours. Yeah right! When I found out I could apply as a teacher, I was hooked. I knew this would be a perfect way for me to work part time, help earn some money, get one of the boys in for FREE (so worth it just for that) and get some teaching experience on my resume in case I ever decide to pursue my accreditation and teach elementary school like I've always wanted...all while not having to sacrifice my stay-at-home mom job! Could it get any better?!

They told me that there weren't any openings at the time but that I could sub this year and I was happy enough with that. But I kept praying for something to open up and wouldn't ya know...I got a call last week from the director letting me know that there is an opening in the 2 year old class and was I still interested? Yes please!!! And 2 year olds?! I do have a LITTLE experience with 2 year olds! :) Plus I got to see everything Matthew did in his 2 year old class last year!

So tomorrow is my interview. I'm nervous and scared and very very hopeful. I thought about not posting this until AFTER we found out if we got these jobs or not. But I truly feel God lined this up for us. God knows the desires of our hearts (Psalms 20:4-one of my favorite verses!).

If you could squeeze in a prayer for us both tonight or whenever you read this, we'd really appreciate it. The power of prayer is such an amazing thing!!! I will post more once we know something...here's hoping I am not going to embarrass myself over this if I don't get it!!! ;)

The Femme Fatale...IMO.

2011-07-13T20:50:00.000-05:00

Last night, I saw Britney Spears in concert. I will be honest. I've seen her 4 times now. I'm not exactly proud of it but I won't deny I'm a fan. I even saw her twice on her last tour. IT was AMAZING. This tour....notsomuch. Wanta know my thoughts on the show??? If you don't, you might want to stop reading now... ;)

I'll start by saying I got tickets off through her boyfriend/ex-manager guy's website. I don't even remember what the site was called. I just saw it on twitter one day that if you went through his site you could get tickets for 50% off. So I bought 3. The other 2 were for my Buffalo Wives buddies, Blake and Dawn. (Our husbands all played for Buffalo which is how we met and we all ended up in the same area here in TX. Sweet!) Dawn was the one I blogged about last year who was on the VH1 show Football Wives. Someone even stopped her at the restaurant we went to before the concert and asked to get a picture with her. haha Cool!

Anyway, Blake, Dawn and I went to see Brit Brit together during her last tour. Lemme tell ya...her Circus tour was A.MAZ.ING. For real. No one could deny it. They went all out. It was like a Vegas show/Cirque de Solei/Broadway/Concert all wrapped up in one. Nonstop action, drama, dancing...the works. I loved it so much that when another group of friends wanted to go the second time she came through Dallas I had to go to that one as well.

So this show, in a nutshell, was underwhelming. Best word I can use to describe it but only because I am comparing it to the last tour. It was still a great show but there were no memorable moments...I didn't leave going "That was an AWESOME show!!!". I thought "That was good. She looked cute. Maybe retire the bra tops though?" I know she's had two kids. I don't fault her for not being as toned and tight as she used to be. Lord knows I'm in the same boat. But that's why you don't catch me in belly shirts anymore.

Don't get me wrong here people. I am a Britney fan through and through. It comes from the fact that we are the same age, watching her on the Mickey Mouse Club back in the day and praying every night that I could be on the MMC too. Then going to school in Louisiana where she was born and raised and having sorority sisters who used to take gymnastics with her back in the day. So I am ALWAYS pulling for her.

I just feel like this show was kind of thrown together last minute. She relied on her dancers a lot. She doesn't ever dance full out anymore. It always looks like she's doing a quick walk through instead of really going after it like she used to. Its obvious she's lost the confidence she had in her prime. I know she's had knee surgeries and they say that's why she won't dance full out now but I wish she'd release a statement saying so or something because it would take some of the pressure off and stop some of the criticism.

She did sing a lot this time which was a first...but all us girls were talking about how we'd wish she'd stick to lip syncing and focus on the dancing! We don't love Britney because she can sing...we love her because she's a PERFORMER!! We don't care that you lip sync honey! We just came to watch you put on a great show and dance like you used to! Or at least give a good effort.

Anyway, she sang some old songs that I really loved though. (I'm a Slave For You, Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know, Baby One More Time.) Those were fun to hear. And she got the crowd ROARING when she did Dance Until The World Ends. The arena was shaking. Very cool.

So, in conclusion, it was a good show. I'm definitely glad I went. We had a great time people watching. Good Lord people. Britney cannot see you in the audience. And even if she could, she would not approve of you butt cheeks hanging out of your see through swimsuit cover up and 6 inch stilettos. Or your black pleather leggings with a tight, short shirt that does NOT look even begin to cover up the hiney. Seriously, we saw more super duper short shorts last night than I've ever seen in one place. Not to mention all the girls dressed up like they were about to hit the town in Vegas. It was weird. But then again, maybe they did it as an ode to Britney. Cuz we all know she's made some hideous fashion choices in her day. hahahaha ;)

You're beautiful Britney! I love you and will be a loyal fan forever. BUT, if you could work on your costume choices and/or lay off the junk food, step it up with the dancing (or acknowledge why you can't), and maybe switch to a different hairstylist that knows how to actually blend those extensions a little I'd love you even more. If that's even possible.

In My Opinion, of course. ;)

That is all.

Hmmm...It's Awfully Quiet in There...

2011-07-09T12:48:00.002-05:00

If you are a mom, you know that silence is not always a good thing. Especially if your children are awake and playing.

In my house, there is rarely silence from 7:30am to 9pm. Except for those glorious 2 hours in the afternoons when both boys are napping. (***Haaaallleelluuujjjaahhh!!!***)

So whenever I hear...well, NOTHING...it is always cause for alarm. Silence when there were just lots of shrieks, squeals, giggling and banging makes a mom stop, raise her head, perk up her ears and hightail it to whatever room the potential troublemakers were just in.

In my 3 years as a mother this has happened several times.

Once I caught Matthew drawing on our walls in the playroom with crayons.

Once I walked in on him spraying hairspray all over my bathroom, including walls, the shower door, cabinets and of course, himself.

I've even caught him with his pants down...and diaper off...because he wanted to examine the contents of his dirty diaper.

Awesome.

With Mason, I always know to check here first if he's gone missing. He adores this drawer in our kitchen. It holds tons of fun goodies like our Ziplocs, foil, plastic wrap, etc. It used to be babyproofed but the little latch snapped and broke.

So this is how I always find him. He will sit and pull out as many Ziplocs as he can before he gets caught. He almost emptied a brand new box of 70 bags the other day. Not a lot of fun picking those up...

He prefers the snack size baggies but he's not too picky when it comes to making messes. He also loves the cabinet next door that holds all the kids bowls and small Tupperware.

I pick my battles though. If it's keeping them quiet (and not causing permanent damage to them or my house), I usually just let them keep doing what they're doing. But cleaning up after the kids are in bed can turn into quite a chore!

And I mean, look at those sweet faces and big blue eyes... Its so hard to be mad at that! ;)

These boys are so sweet. I'm so blessed to have them!!!!

Mason's Favorite New Game...

2011-06-29T22:46:00.001-05:00

Oh my silly boys. I just love them SOOOO much!!! You have to watch this 6 second video of Mason playing his favorite game. He found this snack cup under the couch and immediately put it in his mouth (covering his whole face) and started walking around smacking into walls, the high chair, his brother...and laughing hysterically the whole time. I finally got smart enough to pull out my phone and catch this little stinker in the act.

I don't know if its just me or what but I bust out laughing every time I watch this. I think it is hysterical!!!! Probably because I know what happened before and after this video! I turned it off really quick when I saw him hit that chair thinking he was hurt...but nope! He laughed and laughed and kept on truckin'. That's my boy!

31 Gifts June Special Ending Soon!

2011-06-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to do a quick re-post about the 31 Gifts June Special that will end Thursday! I've had tons of orders this month because it is such a great deal on one of the most versatile and well used bags 31 has!

June Specials are here! And this one is all about my most used bag of all so I'm really excited for my customers!!

Click picture to enlarge.

For every $31 you spend in June, you can get this $30 LARGE UTILITY TOTE for only $9!!! That's 70% off! And don't forget that its for EVERY $31 you spend, you can get one for $9. So spend $62 and you can get 2 for $9 each and so on.

I will tell you that I use this bag more than any others. It is so incredibly versatile. I actually have 3 of these right now and am always finding places I could use another!

Need ideas on how you could use it? Check this out:

GROCERIES. My favorite way to use it is to keep it in the trunk of my car. This way, when I unload groceries into my trunk I can squeeze a ton of bags into this one big bag and make far fewer trips into the house once I get home. Its also great to put in stuff like laundry detergent, milk, orange juice, toilet paper, etc...So stuff that doesn't always get bagged and you would have to carry in one or two at a time, you can now just make 1 trip! Really great for people living in second story apartments, dorms (great graduation gift!) etc.

JUNK IN MY TRUNK. No not that kind! Sillies... But I also use it to hold all that random junk that clutters up the trunk of my car when its not being used to haul in groceries. So now, all the random diapers, toys, magazines, blankets, shoes, purses, etc that migrate towards the back of my car are at least confined to the tote instead of flopping all over my trunk when I turn the corner.

LAUNDRY. I have one of these bags in my laundry room (I need at least 2 more!!), but it is designated for the kids clothes. Both my boys' rooms are upstairs and lugging a big plastic laundry basket filled with clothes up the stairs and through the baby gate at the top of the staircase is awkward and a little dangerous! So now I just stuff all their clothes into this one tote, sling it over my shoulder and make my way up the stairs easily. I can even carry a baby on my hip and while I do it and STILL have a free hand to hold on to the rail!

TOYS TOYS TOYS. Our third Large Utility Tote is designated for toys. We have it downstairs in the living room holding toys that we brought down from the playroom. Every night (ok ok...almost every night...) I go through the living room/kitchen area and pick up their toys and put them in the tote all nice and neat.

GAME NIGHT. I originally had our toy box tote assigned to all of our board games, card games etc. But at the moment, we need it a lot more for toys than board games. In a few years, it will probably be converted.

BEACH/LAKE BAG. I had someone looking for a good lake bag a couple of months ago and she ordered this bag. Great idea! Our "Tote-Ally Awesome Beach Tote" obviously makes a great beach bag as well but if you are looking for something a little cheaper this is a fantastic option! This bag could no doubt hold 3 or 4 beach towels, your sunscreens, water bottles, diapers/wipes, food, etc...whatever you needed it for!

PICNICS/BBQs/PARTIES. Load it up with everything you need to take to your neighborhood block party or BBQ! We have culdesac parties a lot and this was packed with my casserole, my husband's grilling stuff, a Zipper Pouch full of wipes, goldfish, cups, bottles, sunscreen, insect repellent for the kids, my big camera, my phone, my About Town Blanket...it was packed! It would also be great for picnics!

SPORTS GEAR. What a great bag for a sports mom on the go!! Do I really need to say more? Helmets, gloves, ball, cleats, sports drinks, towels, sunscreen, changes of clothes... Get it embroidered with something cute! How about "Sports Mom", "Baseball Mom", "Football Mom", "Matthew's Mom" etc... Guarantee you'll be getting compliments on it all day!

GIFT IT! Like I mentioned earlier, this would be a great gift for a graduate. Get it embroidered with their name or monogram and make it extra special for just $6 more! As a college student, this sure would have helped me! I would have used it for hauling laundry to and from my apartment complex laundromat and it would have come in so handy for bringing groceries up the 2 flights of stairs to get to my apartment!

These are only a few of the things I've thought to use this bag for! I'm sure there are many many more! Do you have a good idea on how you'd use it? I'd love to hear it!! I love comments too! :)

Also, please visit my 31 Blog at www.amandas31.blogspot.com and don't forget to hit "follow"! If I get enough followers I will start doing giveaways!

TO ORDER ONLINE:

Go to www.mythirtyone.com/amandanall and click on Place an Order. Its that simple! To get this Customer Special, just add the required $31 worth of adorable products to your cart ($6 embroidery costs are counted towards your total!) and then add the Large Utility Tote (#3121) in whatever print you choose for just $9!

As always, I am here to answer any question you have! amandanall31(at)gmail(dot)com.

"Ummm...Mommy? I need a diaper..."

2011-06-26T20:07:00.001-05:00

I hear this at least once a day. Well maybe every couple of days depending on Matthew's digestive system. And WHY am I hearing this since Matthew has been out of diapers for the most part for going on 6 months...???? Because he will. NOT. poop. in. the. potty. Ever.

Yes he's done it before. I think I may have even made the mistake of bragging about it on here. My bad. When we first started potty training and he'd been holding for a long time, it just kind of happened before he even realized I'd perched him on the potty. He was so proud at that moment and I thought "Man, this potty training stuff is a piece of cake!" Wrong wrong wrong and wrong. He's done it maybe one or two other times since then, but now he absolutely refuses. And I'm not so sure forcing him to go on the potty and/or not giving him a diaper when he wants one is best because I don't want him to hold it which he WILL do. I can't do that to my baby.

Here is our routine when he says "Mommy I need a diaper."

"Ooohhh hurry! Let's run to the potty! Hurry!!" And I'll be all excited and act like its awesome and fun and he just needs to hurry in order to get in on all the action.

He usually crumples to the floor and says "No Mommy! Diaper!!!".

That's when my incentives start. M&Ms. Popsicles. Stickers. M&Ms, popsicles AND stickers. I tell him how proud we'd be of him if he went on the potty. Nothing works. And this kid will do just about ANYTHING to get any one of those little treats normally.

So seriously, does anyone have suggestions? I've googled this and apparently its not an uncommon problem for a 3 year old. But I just want to move on and get over this little speed bump. So that we can start focusing on how to get the kid to not soak his diapers during naps and overnight.... I have a feeling that will be awhile.

Mr. Master Manipulator.

2011-06-22T18:38:00.000-05:00

I've always known Matthew was smart. Of course, every good mama thinks her kid is smarter and cuter than everyone else's though right? I know I am somewhat blinded of his faults when he stares up at me with those gorgeous blue eyes and long, dark eyelashes with that single tear spilling down his cheek...let me tell you something-this kid knows how to work it! And it was none to apparent yesterday as I was desperately trying to get him to eat something...ANYTHING...other than "big goldfish". (aka, the cheddar flavored goldfish that come in the big carton.)

If you are what you eat, my son is be a "Big Goldfish". Or a "basketball"...his term for the pizza flavored goldfish that come in the green bag and for awhile there featured basketball players on the front of the bag as well as basketball shaped crackers on the inside. So we constantly hear, "Mama, I want some Big Goldfish and Basketballs."

He has never been a good eater. As I've talked about before, he had issues with gagging once he hit 8 months or so and continued with it until he was about 1. As a first time mom, I was overly cautious about everything he was given to eat and when I'd find something he'd be able to eat without gagging (and subsequently puking in the allotted "puke bowl" as it was affectionately called) then I'd give it to him for every meal. I was just SO happy to see him able to eat something like a normal kid. And don't forget how scary it is for any mom to sit and watch their child gag and puke multiple times a day for months on end as they try and keep their kid healthy and chubby! Thankfully, there were no physical side effects from this little phase but what did happen is that we didn't get to feed him a really diverse diet starting out. When he was a little over 1 is when he started being able to handle finger foods. And by that time, he had learned he could be picky. And he took full advantage. He gravitated towards the same foods but ate a lot of them. So in our minds we were just thankful he was filling his belly with real food! We didn't care that it was practically the same food at each meal and neither did he. He survived on Tyson chicken nuggets (the ones with very few ingredients and no preservatives. Made me feel a little better!), cheese cubes, strawberries, watermelon and every once in awhile he'd eat some green beans.

Everything else we attempted to give him was met with a serious stink eye.

So here we are 2 years later and his list of things he'll eat has only slightly increased by maybe 10 items. Or less. Certainly not more. So let's just say that I struggle every day with giving into his desires to eat "big goldfish and basketballs" for every meal, or saying no and letting him go to bed hungry. Because he is STUBBORN with a capital S.

If he doesn't want to eat something then he won't. Period.

So last night around dinner, he was asking over and over for his goldfish. I told him no, that he had to eat something else for dinner or he'd turn into a goldfish. He said "Mommy, I not a fish." haha Cute cute boy working the charm... I explained to him as best I could that we can't eat goldfish for every meal because its not healthy and that we need to eat chicken and vegetables and fruit so we can grow big and strong.

I might as well have been talking to my shoe.

Crying and big alligator tears ensued. It got loud. It got stressful. And being the mom I told myself I would not be, I caved. (WRONG WRONG WRONG...I know. Don't judge.)

Which brings me to my little manipulator.

After I gave him just a few goldfish in a bowl, he said "I want a bunch of them!" I told him no, and that he'd have to eat the nuggets I had made for him (that were now sitting at the kitchen table collecting dust) if he wanted more goldfish. Shockingly, he went and sat at the table and stuck a piece of a nugget in his mouth, looked up at me and grinned while he chewed. He said "Mmmmm that's good nugget! NowICanHaveSomeBigGoldfishAndBasketballs!?!" He said it so quick I knew he was working me. This was a new game, but you know what? I was down. So I gave him 1 goldfish and he inhaled it. Then he popped another piece of nugget into his mouth chewed and held out his hands like he was waiting on a communion and said "Goldfish!". I gave him another one, he chewed and swallowed, grabbed another nugget and that was it...the game was on! We actually went on like that until his entire plate was (almost) empty.

The kid totally manipulated me (and its not the first time nor do I imagine it will be the last) but the bottom line is that he ate his dinner. Or at least the main part of it. He got some protein folks and that's all I was concerned with. So I consider it a succes!!!

As I'm typing this he just came in my room and said "Hey Mommy, you know what? Today...we going to get a haircut...and then...ummmm....GetANewPopsicle!" I love how he says the thing he really wants soooo fast like he may slide it by me or something. hahaha (And the "new popsicle" are these little Mighty Mini popsicles I got the other day. So perfect for toddlers!

Yummm....

So yes, I imagine that after we go get his haircut today, he just might get a New Popsicle...after he eats all of his lunch of course. ;)

Dinosaurs Make Me Feel Stupid...

2011-06-17T09:32:00.001-05:00

A few days ago, our super sweet neighbor and friend, Kelley, dropped off a large tuperware bin filled with kids books. She's got 3 of her own but they are getting older and have outgrown a lot of their books. Lucky us!!!

My boys LOVE books (they get that from me, no doubt) and even though we've easily got 50 or so, Matthew has his favorites that we read every night and day.

There are only so many times I can read "Mater's Tall Tales" before I want to scratch my eyes out.

Lately, one of his favorites is this one.

Dinosaurs Love Underpants. Or "Underwears" as Matthew says.

Cute book but I stumble over the names of some of those dinos often...

Now we have this one thanks to Kelley. Very cool book but trying to read it, well....makes me feel stupid.

I don't usually come across many words that I can't pronounce or words I stumble over and have to sound out like a child just learning to read.

Enter pachycephalsaurus.

And archaeopteryx.

I was reading this to Matthew for the first time this morning and I stumbled pretty hard over that last one. So much so, that I had to pause, sound it out as best I could under my breath, attempt it once or twice and finally just moved on. I read the rest of the sentence and thought I'd done pretty good at hiding my stupidity when Matthew gently put his hand on the page, looked up at me curiously and said..."What??".

He totally called me out on my inability to master the English language.

Fortunately, as we got to the end of the book I saw this...

That sure would have been useful BEFORE I reached the end.

Random.

2011-06-07T18:06:00.001-05:00

Ok. You'll have to excuse the randomness of this post. I apologize in advance.
So, Random Musing #1. Have yall seen the commercials for this stuff? We saw it the other day and Craig wanted me to get him some next time I was out. They had several different flavors...strawberry watermelon, berry pomegranate etc. I'm not big on sweet berry flavored drinks but I love some good ole sweet tea!! I am from TEXAS after all! :)

I chose the sweet tea flavor. And it is YUMMY. It tastes just like real sweet tea! You just squirt a few streams of the liquid into your water...more for a stronger flavor and vice versa...stir (or shake if its in your water bottle) and drink up! The best part is that you get sweet tea with no calories and no aspartame!
Side Note: I am not a fan of aspartame. So bad for you ladies! For real. I went on a Diet Coke kick when we were living in Green Bay several years ago for a few months and during that time I started having serious anxiety/panic attacks which was so strange, scary and new to me. I did a little research online about what might be causing these little attacks and found that aspartame could be a contributing factor. So I stopped all my Diet drinks and haven't had another panic attack since. I'm not saying I never drink Diet Coke. I have maybe 1 a month. But I try my hardest to avoid artificial sweeteners at all costs. They just scare me.
So let me also include this in here just so I feel like I'm spreading the word and maybe helping someone who may be receptive to this. It took FOREVER to get aspartame passed by the FDA. It sounds like they just kind of wore the FDA down. But you can go HERE to read about the studies they did on aspartame and the timeline on "How Aspartame Became Legal" Very interesting....it was causing brain tumors, grand mal seizures, and death in monkeys and rats. And here is one bit that really stood out to me...
"July 1, 1983-- The National Soft Drink Association (NSDA) urges the FDA to delay approval of aspartame for carbonated beverages pending further testing because aspartame is very unstable in liquid form. When liquid aspartame is stored in temperatures above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, it breaks down into DKP and formaldehyde, both of which are known toxins." Yikes.
Ok, so back to this stuff. I am saying its good but I'm sure there are some not so great for me ingredients in it too. I just don't know what the bad ones are that are listed. So for now, I'm just going to say that I really like this stuff. :) Oh and I found it it at Walmart in the juice aisle next to the Crystal Light powder packets.

Random Musing #2. Are any of you Bethenny Frankel fans? I am! I love her! And I love that her last name is Frankel because "frank" is one adjective that fits her to a T! She is blunt and hilarious and sweet and a little crazy...but she seems to have a great heart and loves her little daughter and husband so much. And she's got a rockin' bod so when she came out with an exercise DVD I thought it might be fun to work out with her...at the very least I might get to laugh a little while I'm struggling to breathe.

So this DVD includes a 40 minute yoga session, 10 minutes of light weight exercises and about 5 minutes of some booty exercises. I am not a big yoga girl although I'd love to be so this was really only about the 5th time in my life I have attempted it. But I did 90% of it with no major problems but it was still hard enough to feel the burn!! I even did my first backbend in probably 10 years...or more! (Thank GOD Craig did not walk in on that...it was not pretty! I remember when a backbend was "like totally so easy" and I could do them in my sleep. I did the optional weight and butt exercises too and after all this my arms were literally shaking. This is one DVD that I might actually do for longer than a week! Highly recommend.

More randomness. #3 if you are keeping count. Me and Matthew out in the driveway and playing with his favorite toys...cars. (What else!) In this pic he was showing off his mouthful of cookie which he totally manipulated me into giving him at 9:30 in the morning because he tee-tee'd in the potty without me having to ask him first.

He carries his favorite little cars, trucks and even an airplane around in this pail that at one point held about 10 dinosaur cookie cutters. Where these cookie cutters are now is anyone's guess.

What a cute kid right? :)

Random Musing #4. So to finish off my random post, here is Mason's new trick. He has learned how to climb. Ughhh! I hate this little phase where they are big enough to climb up onto things, but not quite big enough to know how to safely get down. And not quite experienced enough to realize that the edge is not something you want to sit on backwards and then lean back....

So now, just leaving the room for a minute to run to the bathroom is not possible. I've got to take the little stinker with me!

Oops. I do have one more I just remembered and wanted to include. Last Random Musing I swear. Last night (this morning really) Matthew woke up at 5:07am and jumped out of bed, turned on his light and started playing like it was 8am. Ummm no. I had to haul it upstairs to set him straight. He was in a great mood. He even took it pretty well that it was still "the middle of the night" and that he needed to go back to sleep. I had to re-tuck him in and read him a book and when I went back to bed and watched him on the monitor, he talked to himself for a little bit but fell back to sleep. Of course it took me an hour to get back to sleep and I finally drifted off as the sun was coming up. I will sleep good tonight!!!

So those are my random musings for this week. Or at least for today. I can't promise there won't be more to come. :)

Adventures of a 3 Year Old...

2011-06-04T16:22:00.000-05:00

Oh the adventures that come with having a 3 year old boy.

Here is one of Matthew's latest little mishaps.

I'll start the story by saying lately, Matthew has been jumping out of his bed during naptime and turning on the lamp next to his bed or turning on the overhead light. I have caught him on the video monitor doing this several times and I always have to go back upstairs and tell him he is not allowed to turn the lights on during naptime but that he can play quietly in his bed with the lights out if he wants. He has always been a really great napper and usually stays in his bed and sleeps soundly for 2 or 3 hours.

Every time I would get on to him about the overhead light I would always say "You have to stay in your bed Matthew." Being the little smart guy that he is, he realized he didn't even need to leave his bed to turn on the lamp. Technically not breaking the "do not get out of bed" rule, right?

So the other day, after I caught him for the 3rd day in a row turning on his lamp at naptime, I went upstairs and turned out his lamp, told him to go to sleep and unscrewed the lightbulb and took it with me. Problem solved! He went to sleep and I gave myself a pat on the back for being such a smart mommy. So for the next couple of days I would take his lightbulb with me when I left him to nap and then screw it in again when he woke up. He never messes with anything at night when it is time to go to sleep and we need the light at night so I had to bring it back in.

After a few days of this, I finally thought he'd learned his lesson and left the lightbulb in place in his bedside lamp. I put him down for his nap as usual and went down to vacuum while both boys were sleeping. After about 15 minutes, I checked the monitor to make sure all was good. Mason was sound asleep, but I caught Matthew just turning out the lamp. He looked like he was about to get back under the covers too so I went back to cleaning.

Another 15 minutes goes by and I decide to check again. This time when I look at the screen I see that his overhead light is on and he is doing somersaults across his bedroom floor... Lord help me. I go upstairs and open the door, fully prepared to put on my Serious Mommy face and have a few words with my darling 3 year old. He is sitting on his bed and holding up his hand. He says "Look Mommy! Paint! I got paint!" Ummm...where the heck did you get paint?! And red paint at that... I walk over to look at his hand and realize that it is not red paint at all...its blood! The poor kid is bleeding from 2 different cuts on his hand. One on his pointer finger and one on the backside of his thumb. It looks like a really bad paper cut at first so I am looking around to see how he managed to do that. He keeps saying something about paint too so I have to break it to him that its not paint, its blood.

Then I see what looks like large white flakes on his pillow. With all the paint talk, I thought for a second that maybe he had been peeling paint off the walls so I looked around and didn't see anything. This was all happening pretty quickly so before I'd even managed to look closely at the white flakes it hit me. I glanced up and saw that yes...his lamp was missing a major component. The lightbulb. His pillow was covered in shards and chunks of his lightbulb (!!!!) and I immediately picked him up out of his bed to set him aside and realized he was sitting on another little pile of them! I took him to the bathroom and we rinsed his cuts and thankfully they stopped bleeding pretty quickly. So now I had to figure out what the heck happened and clean up the mess. And let me tell you...cleaning up shards of a broken lightbulb in and around a 3 year olds bed is not fun. I had to change all the sheets and blankets b/c I didn't know where a piece may be lurking and dared to run my hands and feet all over his carpet by his bed to make sure there was nothing on the floor. Amazingly, it had all ended up on the bed but I gave it a quick vacuum with the dust buster anyway.

The lightbulb that broke was one of those spiraly eco friendly bulbs and the top had just broken right off. I found it on Matthew's floor. From what I can gather, I think he may have turned in his lamp on and then tried to unscrew it. When he was doing that I think it must have gotten too hot to handle and he dropped it when it started to burn him. I checked the pads of his fingers and they looked a bit red and felt warm. And yes, the lighbulb was screwed in all the way to begin with. And I had no idea he was even paying attention to me when I was unscrewing it to take with me those few times b/c they light was off when I'd do it and it was pretty dark. However he managed to figure it out, I am pretty sure he won't be doing it again. I have given him several little talks about not touching the lamp b/c "its dangerous" (he likes to repeat that back to me) and ever since then he's been sleeping like a rock at naptime. No more jumping out of bed to turn on lights. Yay for small victories!

Anyway, so here is the lamp after I brought it downstairs to show Craig later on that night.

Want to hear one more truly hilarious thing my little guy said last night? Matthew was standing on his step stool in front of the sink brushing his teeth when he noticed me take my hair down out of its daily ponytail. He has a thing with me and my hair and started saying "No Mommy! Put it back up!" So I did and he said "Oh Mommy, you look soooo pweeettyyy...." haha He says this a lot because he knows I like it and always give him hugs and kisses for it. So maybe the hair thing triggered something in him because all of a sudden he started pulling on his head. Like, one hand under his chin and one on the back of his head. He started tugging like he was trying to get his head to come off! And then he said the funniest thing I've ever heard him say.

"No Mommy!! I don't want this head! Take it off!" (more tugging and pulling...) "It's stuck!!!!"

Just imagine that in your mind. A 3 year old boy. Standing on his stool in front of the mirror, looking at himself and trying to pull his head off with all seriousness and all his might. And saying "I don't want this head!!! Its stuck!!!"

I almost lost it. He was so determined to just pull his head off so he could put on another one I guess. haha And to answer your questions, no, he doesn't watch ANYTHING that would give him this idea. LOL. I got that on FB when I posted this as my status. Which is what makes it so much more funny. Its all him. After I stopped laughing, I told him that his head was so cute and that its a good thing it was stuck! He got over it pretty quickly and started hamming it up b/c he knew he had done something that I thought was pretty funny.

I love that kid.

31 Gifts June Specials.

2011-06-03T13:29:00.000-05:00

June Specials are here! And this one is all about my most used bag of all so I'm really excited for my customers!!

Click picture to enlarge.

For every $31 you spend in June, you can get this $30 LARGE UTILITY TOTE for only $9!!! That's 70% off! I will tell you that I use this bag more than any others. It is so incredibly versatile. I actually have 3 of these right now and am always finding places I could use another!

Need ideas on how you could use it? Check this out:

GROCERIES. My favorite way to use it is to keep it in the trunk of my car. This way, when I unload groceries into my trunk I can squeeze a ton of bags into this one big bag and make far fewer trips into the house once I get home. Its also great to put in stuff like laundry detergent, milk, orange juice, toilet paper, etc...So stuff that doesn't always get bagged and you would have to carry in one or two at a time, you can now just make 1 trip! Really great for people living in second story apartments, dorms (great graduation gift!) etc.
JUNK IN MY TRUNK. No not that kind! Sillies... But I also use it to hold all that random junk that clutters up the trunk of my car when its not being used to haul in groceries. So now, all the random diapers, toys, magazines, blankets, shoes, purses, etc that migrate towards the back of my car are at least confined to the tote instead of flopping all over my trunk when I turn the corner.
LAUNDRY. I have one of these bags in my laundry room (I need at least 2 more!!), but it is designated for the kids clothes. Both my boys' rooms are upstairs and lugging a big plastic laundry basket filled with clothes up the stairs and through the baby gate at the top of the staircase is awkward and a little dangerous! So now I just stuff all their clothes into this one tote, sling it over my shoulder and make my way up the stairs easily. I can even carry a baby on my hip and while I do it and STILL have a free hand to hold on to the rail!
TOYS TOYS TOYS. Our third Large Utility Tote is designated for toys. We have it downstairs in the living room holding toys that we brought down from the playroom. Every night (ok ok...almost every night...) I go through the living room/kitchen area and pick up their toys and put them in the tote all nice and neat.
GAME NIGHT. I originally had our toy box tote assigned to all of our board games, card games etc. But at the moment, we need it a lot more for toys than board games. In a few years, it will probably be converted.
BEACH/LAKE BAG. I had someone looking for a good lake bag a couple of months ago and she ordered this bag. Great idea! Our "Tote-Ally Awesome Beach Tote" obviously makes a great beach bag as well but if you are looking for something a little cheaper this is a fantastic option! This bag could no doubt hold 3 or 4 beach towels, your sunscreens, water bottles, diapers/wipes, food, etc...whatever you needed it for!
PICNICS/BBQs/PARTIES. Load it up with everything you need to take to your neighborhood block party or BBQ! We have culdesac parties a lot and this was packed with my casserole, my husband's grilling stuff, a Zipper Pouch full of wipes, goldfish, cups, bottles, sunscreen, insect repellent for the kids, my big camera, my phone, my About Town Blanket...it was packed! It would also be great for picnics!
SPORTS GEAR. What a great bag for a sports mom on the go!! Do I really need to say more? Helmets, gloves, ball, cleats, sports drinks, towels, sunscreen, changes of clothes... Get it embroidered with something cute! How about "Sports Mom", "Baseball Mom", "Football Mom", "Matthew's Mom" etc... Guarantee you'll be getting compliments on it all day!
GIFT IT! Like I mentioned earlier, this would be a great gift for a graduate. Get it embroidered with their name or monogram and make it extra special for just $6 more! As a college student, this sure would have helped me! I would have used it for hauling laundry to and from my apartment complex laundromat and it would have come in so handy for bringing groceries up the 2 flights of stairs to get to my apartment!

These are only a few of the things I've thought to use this bag for! I'm sure there are many many more! Do you have a good idea on how you'd use it? I'd love to hear it!! I love comments too! :)

Also, please visit my 31 Blog at www.amandas31.blogspot.com and don't forget to hit "follow"! If I get enough followers I will start doing giveaways!

TO ORDER ONLINE:

Go to www.mythirtyone.com/amandanall and click on Place an Order. Its that simple! To get this Customer Special, just add the required $31 worth of adorable products to your cart (embroidery costs are counted towards your total!) and then add the Large Utility Tote (#3121) in whatever print you choose for just $9!

Wait! Let's not forget the awesome June Hostess Special!!

Host a $450 Home OR Catalog Party and get this $71 Travel Kit for only $10! (By the way, the Cosmetic Bag is probably one of my top 3 favorite products!) Parties are SO simple!! And you get stuff for FREE, HALF PRICE, and a discount so why wouldn't you go for it!?! Your friends will love this stuff just as much as you!

As always, I am here to answer any question you have! amandanall31(at)gmail(dot)com.

The Boots.

2011-05-27T11:36:00.001-05:00

I made a really great purchase for Matthew a few months ago. Buzz Lightyear Rainboots. They might have cost me $10. Best money I ever spent. He LOVES them. He likes to wear them everywhere. Preferably with undies and a T-shirt only.

This morning he decided the yard needed some attention...

So after taking what seemed like the millionth picture of him in his boots, I had to go back through my phone pics and see exactly how many I had of him in his boots. I had a ton...more than I could post here, but here are a few...

Kisses for Odie...

Playing in Mason's room...

About to go play with the culdesac kids...

After church... (sorry buddy...the boots can't come to church.)

Watching TV...

Just hanging out around the house...

When the day comes that he outgrows these, tears will be shed and toys will fly...I have no doubt.

Your Kid on the Field @ Texas Stadium?!

2011-05-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

As you guys probably know, Craig's new business is still in its beginning stages but getting some AMAZING feedback from parents and their kids. Right now, its just about spreading the word. The "product" is great....we just need more people to know about it! And what's better than free advertising on the wife's blog right?!

Craig and his partners at Your Football Network have been invited to help with the annual Guns and Hoses 7 on 7 event that will take place on the field at Texas Stadium July 16. The Guns and Hoses Charity helps to financially support the families of fallen Firefighters and Police in North Texas and has this annual 7 on 7 football game every year called the Pigskin Classic. This year, Craig and Your Football Network (consisting of all former NFL players) will be coaching these players for the 3 weeks leading up to the big game. They will also be holding a Youth Football Clinic before the game for all kids grades K-8. The kids will be coached by Your Football Network...so they will be getting coached by recently retired NFL veterans ON THE FIELD at the new Texas Stadium!!! How cool is that!?!

For more information on getting your kiddo signed up to be part of this amazing experience, check out YourFootballNetwork.com. Don't wait! They may end up having to cap the amount of kids since there are only so many coaches!

Also, while I'm on it, Craig's 1-on-1 Quarterback coaching is back in full swing. So if your son or anyone you know might be interested in getting some private or group QB coaching sessions by Craig (7 year NFL vet), here is his website. QB1Sports.com He is based out of the Dallas area. He does private sessions with 7th graders on up and group sessions only for kids younger than that. Check the website for contact info, prices and a complete list of services. Texas football is HIGHLY competitive and parents are doing everything they can to get their kids an extra advantage. He has worked with kids as young as elementary school. Never too early! :)

"Judgement Day"...

2011-05-20T21:24:00.001-05:00

Have yall been following the insanity about tomorrow (May 21) being "Judgement Day"? This man, Harold Camping, thinks that around 6pm tomorrow somewhere around Fiji will start having awful earthquakes and these earthquakes will follow along all around the world while we wait in horror for our turn. He also believes the rapture is tomorrow too. But I digress....

First of all, let me make it clear that I am a 100% full on Christian gal, brought up in a good ole small town Baptist church (and proud of it!), who loves my Lord and Savior like nothing else and who believes what is in the Bible. And in the Bible it says:

Mark 13:32 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Acts 1:7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

I"m pretty sure there are even more verses that are along these same lines but I'm too lazy to go hunt them down right now. But seriously...

I mean, hello!? Does it not spell it out CLEARLY in these scriptures!? What I can't seem to understand is that this 89 year old man who started all this, Harold Camping, (google him) is a pretty hardcore Christian in every other way. Did he just accidentally MISS these verses in all of his analyzing of the Bible? I think this guy means well. I do. I think he may just be a little bit ca-razy! Why on earth would God allow this random man to figure something like this out when He specifically says "NO ONE will know the day (May 21?) or hour (6pm? Really?)..." And i won't even get started on the fact that the Bible clearly states that the Rapture will take place before "Judgement Day." But anyway...here is the blog post about this craziness from my pastor at my church. I love what he has to say and it will fill you in on more of the back story of where this all came about...

BUT, if tomorrow is our last day on earth I'm not worried. I'm going to Heaven people. :) Are you???

READ THIS.

Happy Birthday to My Big 3 Year Old!

2011-05-19T16:51:00.001-05:00

Today is Matthew's official birthday. He's 3....going on 13. I haven't finished his birthday post yet but hope to get it up by the end of the week.

After school today, we made a trip to see Daddy at the office. Craig has a late coaching session tonight and wanted to make sure he saw his boy on his special day. More later on my sweet, kind, loving, lively, beautiful, independent and funny little boy.

My Boys. Love. :)

Walking around downtown.

Candy Shop!!

So many choices!

"Uhhh...maybe a candy store wasn't the best idea..."

Great day. Happy birthday sweetheart. I love you more than you could ever begin to imagine. You and Mason (and Daddy!) are my heart and soul.

Special Deals & Product Bundles TONIGHT ONLY!!

2011-05-18T11:59:00.001-05:00

Tonight only, 31 Gifts is doing an Online Fashion Party. Starting at 6pm Central you can tune in to www.mythirtyone.com/amandanall, click on "My Events" (under my picture) and then click on "Amanda's Online Fashion Party Event". From there you will be able to shop from the comfort of your own home and get some very special deals that will only be offered for a few hours! I haven't even seen the deals yet but I have heard there will be special bundle packages as well! There will be a video playing as well showing off some of the products and how they can be used for summer!

Summer is almost here so if you are needing a new Beach Bag, cooler to take to the water park, ball games, picnics, or car trips, beach towels, zipper pouches to hold your sunscreens, diapers and wipes etc... How about a new fun purse? Or a new gym bag? The possibilities are endless for these totally cute bags! Get yourself and your family a little more organized!

Square Utility Tote, 31 Umbrella, "Tote-Ally Awesome Beach Tote" in Chains Ahoy Print, all sitting on the Around Town Blanket.

Pop Cross-Body purse, Cindy Tote and Coin Purse Wallet

Zipper Pouch-$12

Add caption

I know there are lots of new graduates who could use some cool gifts as well! I love my new laundry basket that is lightweight, holds a lot and is easy to carry. Or the Large Utility Tote that is great for everything! I use one to hold toys, one to hold random things on the floor of my pantry, and one I keep in my trunk. I use that one SO MUCH. Especially when I need to carry in groceries. I pile in as many sacks as I can or I put in all the milk, orange juice, TP, paper towels etc that I would normally have to carry in one at a time. It cuts down on my back and forth time so much. This helps a lot when the hubs isn't home to help me unload! This would make a great gift for anyone living in a second floor or higher apartment or dorm. How nice would it be to only have to make one trip instead of going up and down those stairs several times to unload your car?

From left to right: Picnic Thermal Tote, Large Utility Tote, All-in-One Organizer. Products sitting on the 31 Beach Towel.

XXL Everyday Tote

Tall brown bin in the middle is the Laundry Basket we use. It is so great!

Don't forget any baby showers or birthdays coming up as well! Seriously, TAKE ADVANTAGE of these savings tonight from 6-11pm central. Again, go here and click "My Events" then click next to my Online Fashion Party to get started! Be sure and check out the video that should be playing on the home page as well to see the products "in person". ;) Email me with questions!

amandanall31(at)gmail(dot)com

Set your reminder alarms so you don't miss it! 6pm-11pm Central. Thanks!

The party will close out at 11pm Central so get your orders in before then! If you've had your eye on a few things THIS is the night to order! Be sure and check it out!

Don't Forget Lucy.

2011-05-17T22:52:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to type out a quick post about little Lucy. She is a little girl who is fighting for her life right now after being diagnosed with cancer a few months ago. Her button is to the right. Click on it to visit her mom's blog and follow her story. Heaven is being pounded with prayers for this child and her family and I know they would love for you to send up a few as well. Don't forget Lucy. Never stop praying...the Lord has already shown his mercy in a few situations they've been involved in and its exciting to see how He is working during this awful time.

The Little Things..

2011-05-16T18:52:00.001-05:00

I love my husband. Not exactly sure where he got the roses...I didn't see any cellophane wrapping in the trash and that is our vase so it's quite possible he cut these from somewhere...with permission I hope. ;)

But it was just a sweet gesture for no particular reason. Just because. :). Love him!!

New Friends.

2011-05-16T11:12:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make.

When I enrolled Matthew in preschool this year, I did it partly for selfish reasons. Yes, I wanted my baby boy to start making some real friends his own age and become a little more social. And the fact that his preschool is at a Baptist church where their curriculum involves teaching my child about the Bible and Jesus is a major plus. Not to mention they also teach them Spanish. Awesome.

But I did have ulterior motives. I wanted some friends. And everyone I talked to mentioned that I'd be able to make friends with the other moms in the class. I wasn't so sure. I wanted to, don't get me wrong. But I wasn't exactly sure how we'd go about doing it. I mean, we only saw each other in passing as we were dropping off our 2 year olds and maneuvering through a sea of strollers, runaway children and rolling backpacks. But at the baby shower we held for one of Matthew's teachers a few months ago, we all finally started to talk a little. And that weekend I was having a 31 Gifts Party at my house so invited them all. Two of them were able to come and a few more emailed me letting me know they were really bummed they couldn't make it because they'd be out of town or had other plans that night but to definitely let them know when I was having another one. I got the feeling that they were just as eager to make friends with fellow moms from class as I was!

At the 31 party that weekend I got to know Pam (Mallorie or "Mowie" as Matthew calls her. I just call her his future bride. haha.) and Dani (Sydnee's mom...absolutely precious, spunky little girl who Matthew also adores!). I am so so so glad Dani and Pam got to come to my party that night b/c it totally opened up doors for us all. It was just what we needed to get the wheels turning and get us on the...dare I say this cheesy line???....Road to Friendship (insert big, dreamy sigh here...). There I said it. Sorry. It sounds incredibly cheesy but its what naturally came to me when I was typing out that sentence and hopefully you will appreciate my cheese instead of judging me for it. ;)

After the party we did the normal things you do after meet someone you like. You hunt them down on Facebook. Duh. Which is what I did. After finding Pam and Dani, I searched out the other moms who hadn't been able to come to the party but had expressed their appreciation for the invite and/or sounded really sorry they couldn't make it. It didn't take long before we were commenting on pictures, emailing each other, texting and sharing funny stories about what everyone's kids said about everyone elses. We organized playdates, went to each other's kiddo's birthday parties and we now have a running dialog in our FB inboxes.

We seemed to have formed a little clique (a nice clique!) and it is fun being part of a little group of friends that all have stuff in common. Don't get me wrong here. I have friends. Its not that. Its that I have several different groups of friends....like my high school friends who live in the DFW area but are still an hour away from me, former NFL teammates friends who live in the area, single friends, married without children friends, and neighbor mom friends. My neighbor friends are probably who I'm closest too since we see each other everyday, are all married and all have kids. But a lot of their kids are a little older. Although 2 of them have babies Mason's age so that is so neat. I can't wait to watch them go off to kindergarten together... Ok, actually I CAN wait but you know what I mean.

It's just really really nice to have friends who have kids Matthew's age exactly. And its really really fun that all of our kids are friends and are in the same class. We love telling funny stories like "Matthew wanted to make sure and tell Jesus about Sydnee falling down on the playground today when we were saying our prayers tonight." haha Stuff like that. Its really bonded us and now we have this whole new group of friends. And we feel like we've known each other forever. And our kids love each other so its even better! I think best of all, its nice having a group of young mom friends who also share one faith and have the same beliefs.

Its exactly what we all needed probably (I know I did) and I am loving every minute of it. I think they will all be in the same class again next year as well. The kids will start going 3 days a week next year too which is awesome. And Mason will start going 2! Whoo hoo! I am applying to be a substitute teacher there too and would love to be a full time teacher but I'm not sure there are any openings.

Anyway, Friday night we all went out to dinner together and then on to a ONE Event done through Walking in Grace Ministries. The event was a night of praise and worship and a fundraiser for the kids' sweet sweet teacher Ms. Tami and her family. I'm not sure if you remember her story and her tragedy but you can read about it here. An overview... Tami and her husband Jeremy were married for almost 15 years I think. They had 5 kids with another one on the way. In January, Jeremy suddenly passed away from complications from stroke at the age of 37. Tami had baby Chloe on Easter Sunday this year. So now its just her and 6 kids. The pictures I've seen of them are just awesome. They are one of those couples who you could tell were truly in love and that they absolutely adored one another. If you read post about her that I did when this happened, I have updated it to include the latest developments. (again, click HERE for that post)

The night was so much fun and we were so happy to get together as a group and show our support for Ms. Tami and her family. Pam's husband had surprised her with a hotel room at a cool hotel for the night...just her...no kids, no husbands...as a little getaway for the night. So of course, all us girls invaded and laughed until our cheeks couldn't stand it anymore. We left her around midnight and were all so stinkin tired. We are getting old that's for sure! But it was a great night with great new friends and I am so very thankful to have them.

Birthday Party Weekend.

2011-05-11T16:18:00.000-05:00

Oh man. What a weekend. Since Mason turned 1 on April 21 and Matthew will turn 3 on May 19 we decided we'd go the joint birthday party route this year...and probably for many years to come. Its Wednesday and I'm still feeling the effects. I'm forcing myself to even write up this post. Mason is napping and Matthew is watching The Lion King so I could easily crawl into bed and take a little nap myself. BUT, I need to do the party post (for my own records since I use this as a journal....not because I know yall are all just DYING to read about it...haha). So here I go.

It started Thursday night. We got the boys one of those big wooden playsets for the backyard. Of course, they come in 2 huge boxes filled with hundreds of pieces of wood, screws, bolts, and washers, NOT all put together and ready to go like they should. Wouldn't that be nice!?!

I have to admit I was a little relieved knowing this was one job that I would NOT be responsible for. This was the hubby's job and I was more than willing to hand over the reigns...something I am normally not so good at parting with. So he got to work sorting pieces and screws etc out on our back patio Thursday night around 8 or 9. I got in bed to watch some TV and fell asleep. I woke up at 1am and he was still not in bed. So I crawled out of my cozy bed to go investigate. And I should have known. He was STILL outside and had started building the frame. I told him to come to bed. He said he was about to but I knew better. His parents were coming the next morning and his dad was going to help him work on it but sometimes he just gets in a zone and nothing can stop him. I went back to bed. I have no idea what time he finally came in.

So the next morning Mimi and Paw Paw arrived and Craig and his dad worked from morning til dark on that thing. And it still wasn't done. Saturday was the day of the party so the woke up and got to work finishing it. I think it was done around 1. It looked great and I know they were relieved to be done with that project. Matthew was in heaven! He zoomed down the slide about 100 times, mastered the climbing wall, fell out of a swing (whoops) and stood watch over the whole backyard high on his perch for a very long time. :)

Meanwhile, I started baking my ice cream cone cupcakes (more on how I did those in another post) and after a few icing issues, I have to say that I was quite pleased with how they turned out. :)

The party started at 3:30 and Matthew was so excited to his little friends!! He has really enjoyed his first year of preschool and just LOVES his new friends in his class! His besties are Sydnee, Mallorie (Mowie), Stevie and Luke (Wuke). I just love their mamas too and we have all gotten to be good friends as well. It is so nice to have other moms who know exactly what I am going through and who are going through it at the same time.

We sang to Matthew and Mason and let Matthew blow out the candles on the cake I got from Albertson's just in case the cupcakes didn't turn out. Mason dove in to his "smash cake" and loved it. Poor kid was EXHAUSTED though since he'd missed his afternoon nap so after a few minutes with the cake we wiped him down and put him to bed. I am a stickler for naps and bedtimes and now I remember why! Seeing my sweet baby cry and look so miserable because all he wanted was to go to sleep was heart breaking. And it is so much harder for him to fall asleep when he is overtired. He went to bed around 6 and didn't wake up til 7:30 the next morning. And then took 2 good naps the next day.

Here are a few out of order pictures from our weekend.

Cute brothers having a talk. :)

Albertsons cake I bought as a backup...just in case. :)

Party time!

He dipped his cone in his M&Ms.

Ice cream sundae bar! Yumm!!

He actually gave little Sydnee a kiss right before this was taken but I missed it!!

Sunday was Mother's Day of course and since both sets of grandparents were still in town, we all hit the nearby On the Border for some delicious Tex-Mex. After that the boys went down for naps while I did a little shopping all by myself. Ahhh... Unfortunately, shopping isn't as much fun as it used to be when I was a size or 2 smaller and 10 (ok...15) pounds lighter. Talk about depressing. I can deal with getting older and even with the wrinkles but watching how my body has changed after these kids just really knocks me down a peg or 2...or 200.

Anyway, that was our weekend. Thanking God for small blessings...like having both kids born within 3 weeks of each other so I can do joint birthday parties! Not sure I could do this twice a year!

Happy Birthday Sweet Nall Brothers! I LOOOVVVEEE YOOOUUU!!!!

Mother's Day Montage.

2011-05-09T12:06:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I wish my husband would think to do stuff like this for me. But I know he's not wired that way and its not really his fault. He's a guy after all. So the other day I saw that on Kodak's website you could create a video montage and set it to music. Thought I'd give it a try in honor of Mother's Day for not just myself, but our boys' grandmothers and great grandmothers. I thought it turned out cute. Click the link below and (hopefully) it will pop up. Don't forget to turn up your volume so you can hear the sweet little song! :)

Happy Mother's Day

Cute Giveaway.

2011-05-09T11:49:00.000-05:00

Not my giveaway though. Raven over at A Momma's Desires and Pacifiers is having a very random but totally fun giveaway. And because I just blogged about it, I get an extra entry. Whooo hoo! Hmmmm....although.....as I type this I realize that I'm lowering my chances of winning because more of you will now go enter as well which will completely knock out my 1 extra entry. ;) Oh well. She is so funny and has 2 boys...3 years and 1 year, just like ME! Very cool. So go run and check it out!

Click HERE.

Sippy Cup Aggravation.

2011-05-05T12:30:00.001-05:00

**UPDATE: Thank you all for the suggestions! I haven't actually shopped for sippy cups since Matthew was a baby so apparently I've missed a few new designs that have come out! I'm loving these Tommee Tippee cups and think I'll go get some of those this weekend! And I can't remember who it was who mentioned the Take n Toss cups like we have but with the straws...but yes, we've got some of those somewhere but Matthew used to pull the straw out immediately and then either couldn't get it back in to drink from it or he'd turn it upside down and pour everything out. haha Stinker!**

Mason is 1 now. So we have been doing a few things that "big boys" do once they turn 1. Like transitioning from formula to milk. Easy. Done.
Now we need to lose the bottles.
I have mixed feelings about this. For one, bottles are one of the very last symbols that my baby is still a baby. And I am just not ready to call him a toddler yet although he is I guess. In my eyes he will always be "Baby Mason".
But the big reason why I have mixed feelings on switching from bottles to sippy cups is this.
Milk all over my floors. All over the couches. All over the highchair tray. All over the front of Mason's shirt. I find a milk trail in every room of the house. I might as well just stick a dishcloth in my waistband and carry it around with me all day long. It is everywhere. Does this happen to you?
The problem is that I can't find a sippy cup that works for me. Or for Mason. Whatever. I'm pretty sure he could care less what he's drinking from....He doesn't mind the mess. Actually, I think he prefers it. His only concern is that something is coming out. Which is another part of my problem.
Half of these sippy cups I have tried require a Hoover vacuum to get any liquid out. And Mason just doesn't have that kind of power or patience. Craig and I have even tested a few of them out ourselves to see how easily the drink comes out of the spout and some of them are just impossible.
The ones that come with those little rubber stoppers inside the lid were like that until we took out the stoppers. Then we come upon our main problem. They leak and drip everywhere.
So here is our little collection of sippy cups. Here is what I'm working with. I chose one of each type we own to show in the picture but believe me our cabinets are filled with several of each of these types.
So far our best options are the cups on each end. On the left is the one Mason prefers I think. But it still drips milk everywhere if he walks around holding it upside down or if it falls down on its side. And it is expensive. They are sold in singles or doubles and my kids go through a LOT of cups a day (losing them throughout the day which I find weeks later in random places, caked with sour, curdled milk and mold) so I need a LOT of spares! So paying $3 or $4 a cup is not cool with me.

On the far right is the kind we use the heck out of. They are those "Take and Toss" BPA free cups you can get anywhere they sell baby stuff practically and are about $2.50 for 5 of them. Matthew LOVES these and its all he has used since he turned 2. Maybe earlier...I can't remember when I first got these. Mason loves these too and if there is a semi-empty one laying around and he finds it, he has no problems draining the last of whatever was in there. But if I give him a half a cup of milk in one of these then it will be absolutely everywhere.
Here is a closer look at these cups...

Mason's favorite. The handles are great and make it easy to hold. And the spout is not completely open but still allows him to drink easily from it. It closes back up when its not being chewed/sucked on. But it still drips. And they are expensive when you need to buy 10 or so...

There are 2 little slits in the rubber spout.

I like these. They don't hold a ton of liquid but a perfect amount for a small toddler. Matthew likes to use these sometimes. I like these because there is no stopper, just 2 holes in the top. But then again, since its just these 2 holes they do leak. So Mason doesn't really use these unless I am willing to clean up a mess afterwards.

Random cup we got at a shower I think. Leaks a lot where you twist on the top.

These cups I thought would be a sure fire fix. But Matthew cannot get anything out of them. They have this tiny slit in the rubber where the liquid comes out. We had to go in and use a knife to try and make the opening a little bigger b/c he would get frustrated. Mason isn't great at holding on to these cups just yet. But they don't leak!

These come with the stopper thing under the lid. When that's on, they don't leak. But my boys have a hard time getting anything to come out as well. Matthew is obviously a little old for these cups but still. When I take out the stopper, they leak like the rest.

The top of Matthew's favorite Take n Toss cups. If only Mason could carry this thing around upside down (his preferred method) and not have the leak milk everywhere... Sigh.

I know I'm probably just going to have to deal with spilled milk. All over my hardwoods, couches, bed etc. But I just thought maybe there was something I was missing so I thought I'd put it out and there and see what you mommies think. What is your (and your kid's) favorite cup?

Curls in the '90's...Remember These?

2011-05-01T11:01:00.001-05:00

Well a quick trip to search for treasures at my local Goodwill produced not only 2 great finds but also a sweet trip down Memory Lane. :)

Does anyone else remember these? I can't remember exactly when I had these but it was definitely some time between 1987 and 1997. I had the Lock n Rolls and they made some awesome tight little ringlets that I would immediately brush out into a big frizzy poof ball and then spray within an inch of its life (and mine).

And just seeing the name "Caruso" takes me way back.

Thank the Lord that look is over. Although I have to admit I WAS tempted to buy these and see what I could manage now. haha If they weren't $10 (at Goodwill?! Really!?!) and were more like $3 which is what they should have been marked at in my opinion, I totally would have done it. I am ALLLL about nostalgia. :)

First Haircut Trauma...

2011-04-22T11:26:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Mason's 1st birthday. (You can read his birthday post here.)

He was past due for a haircut. His sweet little blonde hair was turning into what can only be considered an honest to goodness mullet. Craig thought it was funny and wanted it to stay. Sorry bud...this is one fight you aren't going to win. (But really, do you ever get to win now that you are married to me? hehe)

So we took both little monkeys for a much needed haircut. Mason's very first. I remember taking Matthew for his very first haircut. We went to a cute little kids place to get his haircut for like $20. New parents. We thought our 14 month old needed a $20 haircut plus tip I guess. Not this time. haha Sorry Mase!

We hopped right on over to Sports Clips where Matthew has been getting his haircut ever since and ended up having to wait 30 minutes. Not so easy to do with a 1 year old who is all over the place. Both boys did fine while waiting. They kept each other entertained.

The real drama started when it was time for Mason to sit in the chair. The woman cutting it said it would be easier if he sat by himself as opposed to sitting in my lap. I didn't agree but she was the professional so okkk.....

Mason was not having any of it. He immediately began crying and squirming and he hated the little cape thing he had to wear. I have no idea how that woman managed to get his haircut. I actually started regretting that we didn't go to the kid friendly place. At least there they get to sit in cool car chairs and watch cartoons to keep them distracted. Plus they see really young kids on a more regular basis and know how to deal with a wiggle worm. Anyway, here are a few pictures of our little adventure...

Waiting for his name to be called. (Yes I know he should have had shoes on but I ordered him some and they STILL haven't come in yet! Bad mommy I know..)

Its all fun and games til somebody whips out the scissors...

Aren't they just the cutest!!

Only picture I got of them both looking at the camera at the same time.

Ever present goldfish.

Let me down Dada!!

So sad...

His face was so red it made his hair look even blonder!

Are yall done yet!!??!! No...

Help me Daddy!

And then it was my big boy Matthew's turn. Matthew has never uttered a peep while getting his haircut. Even during his very first haircut at 14 months old. Let's compare shall we...

Matthew at 14 months during his first haircut.

And here he is a few weeks before his 3rd birthday. Getting a very cool big boy haircut. That he LOVED. I didn't get any pictures of his smile when he saw the finished product but it was precious! He sat stone-faced through the entire thing and then when he saw what it looked like at the end he broke out into this little grin that he looked like he was trying to contain. He couldn't hold back his smile when he saw himself but then got a handle on it and went back to no expression. haha He was too cool to smile about a really cool haircut.

Much happier watching from the sidelines...

Right after he started grinning and then stopped himself. I couldn't whip out my camera fast enough to catch it but he thought he looked awesome, you could tell. LOL.

Watch out Ladies!! ;)

One.

2011-04-21T08:55:00.002-05:00

NOTE: To those of you about to read this, I apologize for it being so long. There was so much I wanted to include in this post and didn't want to leave anything out. My memories are already starting to fade from when my boys were tiny little babies and I need this to use as my journal. I hope you make it to the end. :) (PS-click HERE for Mason's birth story.)

Dear Mason,

One. O-N-E. Today you are one. And I. Am. SAD.

Mason Presley Nall, precious little angel, darling child, beautiful little boy...

You are pure joy to have in our home. You have been such a blessed addition to our little family and have made us feel complete. When I see your sweet, round face with your shining, blue eyes, toothy grin and precious little dimple in that one cheek my heart just sighs with contentment. You are my precious baby boy and the love I have for you is unconditional and overwhelming and consumes my every thought.

This past year has really turned me into a much stronger woman and better mother than I ever imagined I could be. We've had an eventful and at times, trying, year. With your daddy's new business starting up these past 6 months and him being gone so much more than he ever was before, even during his playing days, I have been thrown into the role of a "real", full-time, stay-at-home mom to you and your amazing big brother, Matthew. When Matthew was a baby, he was afforded the luxury of 2 stay-at-home parents for the most part, with Daddy being gone a few weeks here and there when he was playing for different teams. Life was so easy then. Just one kiddo and 2 full time parents at his beck and call.

Unfortunately, the real world was calling and we had to charge forward. So Daddy went to work full-time (and then some) trying to get this company off the ground...(and let's all pray that it does so all these hours away weren't for nothing!) and I began my little side business as a 31 Gifts Consultant. There are days when I feel so guilty that during Matthew's first 2 years he had both of us and our undivided attention. When people say money can't buy happiness, I know they are right. But it sure does make things easier. It allowed us that totally undeserved luxury of spending the first years of being parents doing just that...being parents. And that's it. And I'm sad for you that we both can't give you as much of ourselves as we did in the beginning. I know Daddy misses you while he's at work but he's doing this so that he can provide for our family (fingers crossed anyway!). But you know what you have that Matthew never did? You were born with a best friend waiting for you. A built-in best friend. Matthew was so excited to know that he was going to be a big brother....well he was once he got old enough to realize a bit of what the heck was going on with mommy's tummy and what was happening. He has loved you like crazy from Day 1 and I know without a shadow of a doubt that he will love you like crazy your entire life. And it is beyond obvious that you totally and completely adore your big brother. The way your face lights up when you see him or hear his voice can only be described as pure joy. Of course, its not always hearts and rainbows with you two. At least once every half hour there are tears. From you. Matthew tends to get a little...rambunctious...and forgets you are not a baby sumo wrestler nor are you his very own punching bag. So yes, there are times when I'm sure you don't necessarily LIKE your brother but most of the time, I think he just gets a little carried away. Which leads to tears. And for that I will apologize on behalf of that hyper little (almost) 3 year old.

Matthew and Mason at 8 months. How cute are they!?!

But you love him. And he loves you. You two are best friends and I pray with all my heart that your relationship with each other continues to grow stronger and stronger with each passing day. I pray that you cling to each other in trying and uncertain times and lean on each for support whenever its needed. I pray that you become each other's accountability partners as you grow as Christian men. I pray that you both love, respect and admire each other and hold tight to the bond you have as brothers.

You are so so loved sweet baby Mason. It is so cliche to say "I can't believe you are already one!" but really...I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE ALREADY ONE!! It is so very bittersweet to watch you grow into this little boy. At times I just long for you to be this tiny little helpless being that didn't do anything but coo and babble and even occasionally cry. Very occasionally. (Thanks for that by the way. Such a sweet, considerate newborn. :) I miss holding your little 8lb body on my chest and listening to your soft breathing as you lay there sound asleep. You would do your cute little "pooch face" even then and it is so funny to see that the pooch has stuck around all year. I wonder if you will keep it as a signature look in the years to come...

Baby boy you have wowed us from the very beginning. Starting with our Down Syndrome scare we had at just 13 weeks pregnant which terrified me to my very core but also made me realize what a strong woman I was and I knew that regardless, you would be a precious precious treasure for our family. I bonded with you over that scare and felt connected to you right from the start. Then, as another sign that you were going to be such a considerate little boy, you decided to make your grand entrance into this world a week a and half early...and arrived on your daddy's 31st birthday. At 8lbs 8oz almost 2 weeks before my due date, I was very thankful that you decided to come when you did!

Matthew giving you kisses a couple of days before you arrived!

"Best birthday present ever!" Daddy said.

Me and you, kid. True love right from the start.

You rolled over, crawled, stood, cruised and then walked all much earlier than your big brother. I think you were in a hurry to catch up with him so yall could really start to have some fun! When you took those first 2 steps in our living room right before you turned 10 months I felt like the proudest mom in the whole world. Especially b/c Matthew was still army crawling at that point! And he didn't take his first steps until he was 13.5 months old. I thought you were just my little go-getter and I was just so proud of you! Now, at 12 months old, you are practically running. There is no stopping you. You love to follow around your brother everywhere. You can't stop crawling up onto or into things, you love to hide in little corners and under tables and you make me a nervous wreck at times but I know you are having a blast. You also love to pull everything out of the drawers in the kitchen that aren't baby-proofed. We even had to move the ziploc/foil/plastic wrap drawer farther up and switch it with a pot holder drawer b/c you were ALWAYS in there. Apparently we didn't move it far enough up because you still somehow manage to get all the snack size baggies out of there and I constantly find you sitting below the open drawer surrounded in Ziploc's.

Thank the Lord you appear to be a good eater. So far. Let's see if we can't keep that up! You eat almost anything I put in front of you and already eat a much larger variety of food than your brother has ever even tasted! I had no idea how much easier it was having a child who actually eats. Thanks. :)

You have been the best sleeper since...gosh I can't even remember the last time we had to worry about you waking up in the middle of the night. You've been sleeping like a rock since you were 3 months or so. You go down for naps (1 nap around 10 and another around 2) and bedtime (7:30-7:30) so easily..we literally go in your room, turn your fan on and lay you in that crib and you are good to go. I try reading books to you in the glider but you squirm out of my lap and grab for any little thing you can possibly reach. I've had to use some pretty quick maneuvers to keep you from flinging yourself off the side of the chair on several occasions. We are going to start doing more books at bedtime now though whether you like it or not! (You'll learn to love it! haha) But I do thank you for being such an easy and low maintenance kiddo. We are a very low maintenance family!

You aren't much of a talker just yet. You make PLENTY of noise and sounds though. You can say Mama (occasionally!) and Dada and Bubba but I'm not quite sure you are meaning to. You like to try and yell over the dust buster or garbage disposal which I think is pretty funny and you squeal and scream and shriek in delight a lot. Nana says you have said "truck" before but I think it may have been a fluke because I certainly have not heard it.

I love your version of a kiss. When I say "Mason, give Mama a kiss!" you giggle and dip your head down and nuzzle it into my face. I have to put my cheek up to your mouth to actually get a kiss but I love your version. And so do you!

One thing I wish I could turn you into was a cuddler. But you can't seem to stop long enough to get in good cuddle time. You are always looking for the next thing to stick in your mouth or you simply MUST go get in to whatever your brother is doing at the time. So cuddle time is not high on your priority list at the moment. But maybe someday. You are starting to take to books a little more. Now instead of it taking you 0.2 seconds to grab it and put it in your mouth I just might actually be able to read an entire page or 2 before that happens. :) And I am oh so good at making sure you stay on your sleep schedule that I never get to see you simply pass out while you are playing. I've learned that if you are kept up past your nap/bedtime it is really hard for you to go to sleep. You cry and scream until you've worn yourself out and then you pass out. But if I put you down on time, right when you are starting to get a little sleepy but before you are exhausted, then you go down easily and usually fall asleep right away. And even though I'd love for you to pass out from exhaustion in my arms, I'd much rather you fall asleep peacefully and unfortunately that means at naptime/bedtime and in your own bed.

You do like to sit in my lap and watch TV for a few minutes at a time though so I'll give ya that one. :)

You have already fallen in your brother's footsteps with your love of cars and trucks. You actually "play" with them too as opposed to just chewing (although you do a lot of that too). But you will get on your hands and knees and take a car and zoom it all over the floor. I love watching you play. Besides being totally cute, I can just see your imagination starting to develop. And its fun to see how you and Matthew differ. Matthew never really liked to actually play with his cars until recently. He liked to carry them around and line them up.

Mason, when I found out I was pregnant with you I started to worry that I wouldn't be able to love you like I loved Matthew. I worried that there was no way I could ever love another human being the way I love your brother. But you know what? There was absolutely no need to worry. It was SO EASY! My love for you is just as all encompassing as it is for Matthew. You are so very special to me. (Can you tell!?!)

I will also admit this to you. When I found out you were a boy I was so excited for Matthew to have a little brother and playmate. But I immediately thought "Well I guess I'll be having a third baby! I HAVE TO HAVE A GIRL!!" I loved that you were a boy though. It was part of The Plan I'd had set in place since I was a kid. I always said I wanted 2 boys and then a girl. And the entire time I was pregnant and into your first few months I was still desperate for a girl. I dreamed about dance classes and Barbies and frilly dresses and lots of bows! I couldn't imagine not getting to go prom and wedding dress shopping (hopefully not at the same time of course!) and watching my daughter with her big ole pregnant belly getting ready to give birth to my grandchild.

But.

Now I don't feel that way.

I really don't. Yes, I would love to have a little girl someday but if I don't?? I will not be devastated. I will not feel incomplete. And I can't believe I can honestly say that because those feelings were SO STRONG. But YOU have changed all that for me. You have made me feel complete. You have made our family feel complete. I love you so much that I kind of hope that if there is a baby #3 someday, (light years from now...), I'd kind of like it to be another boy! (Gasp!) If I could have another little Mason and Matthew mini-me I would be over joyed!!! I love seeing you boys run around together and I imagine the baseball/football/soccer/basketball games and cannot wait! And I realize that I may be much better suited to be a "Boy Mom". I've embraced it and love it and know that God totally knew what he was doing when he gave me you boys. So if I never have another child I will be ok with that. And if I DO get pregnant again I can say with 100% certainty that I would have a tough time answering the question "Are you hoping for another little boy or a girl?" I would not care. The generic phrase "As long as its healthy" that everyone uses for that would definitely be said with conviction this time.

Right now, you 2 boys are all we can handle. I am ready to sit back and relax and enjoy these next few years watching you both grow. I pray with all my heart that your dad and I make the right parenting decisions and I pray that you both stay on the straight and narrow AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! I pray that God gives you both a strong conscience, high moral character, loads of empathy and compassion, a ton of common sense and the ability to see "the big picture" when it comes to making decisions.

I love you Mase, Mase-Face, Masey Cakes, May May...Mason. We all do. Words cannot explain. (But I sure did try!)

Happy 1st Birthday sweet boy.

All my love,

Mama

Finally Some Progress on the Master Bedroom Makeover.

2011-04-20T15:21:00.001-05:00

Although it is not all that MUCH progress, it is still progress.

Today I won this gorgeous duvet cover off of eBay. It was $120 with free shipping compared to the $184.03 I would have payed going through the Pottery Barn website. SCORE!

I am really into paisley prints right now as I've mentioned before. I want my new bedroom to be light, crisp, and cozy with lots of natural accents, glass, etc. Kind of a shabby chic look.

I wasn't totally sold on this bedding at first. In fact, it didn't even register on my radar the first few times I looked on the PB site. Weird. I knew I wanted something with a golden/beige color in it to go with my rug. I also wanted a little green or blue mixed in so I could bring out some lighter colors when I accessorize. I am so OVER deep reds in my room right now. Actually I'm over them throughout my house but I can't afford to totally change styles from traditional to shabby chic right now. But I can in the bedroom so we'll start here. But when I saw this bedding on ebay yesterday I knew it was exactly what I'd been looking for. I have a gorgeous painting of a couple of magnolias that I got from Ballard Designs a few years ago and I think it will look perfect above the bed.

I'm still deciding what the heck to do about those darn shutters. Do I take them down or leave them? What would be a good, inexpensive solution to those windows? I REALLY want some bamboo shades and/or light, airy curtains. And I have GOT to find a good paint color! Now that I've got new bedding I think I will be able to start tackling the rest.

To see pics of my room as it is now, you can go HERE and check out my original post about this makeover project that I have been making very little progress on so far. I swear the rest of my house is not as hideous as my bedroom...

Please feel free to leave comments and helpful hints or ideas!

"Dirty Chee".

2011-04-19T22:44:00.001-05:00

For the past couple of days Matthew has been on a roll with the funny stuff. Today for instance, he told me "Mommy, I go play golf after work with my bat." He actually told me that quite a few times throughout the afternoon. Definitely made me laugh. He was determined to go play golf after he got off work I guess.

His sweet teacher Ms. Karen told me today that while they were in the hall working on an art project, a couple of teachers walked by and Matthew looked up and said "HEY KIDS!!" to them. haha He will say hi to anyone and everyone he sees. Mailmen, people in the halls at church, the old couple on a walk a half mile down the road... I joke that he will grow up to be a Walmart Greeter. LOL.

Which brings me to "dirty chee".

Yesterday, when he was eating dinner, he dropped a cheese cube on the ground. He was sitting on a bar stool and couldn't go grab it so he started whining "My chee Mommy! My chee!" So I went and picked it up and told him it was dirty now so I needed to throw it away. I thought it was a little strange he called his cheese his "chee" but he's a quirky kid sometimes so I didn't think much of it.

Well tonight at dinner, he dropped another cheese cube and again started in with "My chee!" So I picked it up again and, imploring the 5 second rule, blew on it and went to return it to his plate. But he said "No Mommy! Dirty chee!" So I went ahead and threw it away.

Then I started thinking about how he is calling his cheese "chee" now. What is that all about? And I've come to this conclusion.

He thinks "cheese" is the plural form of "chee". As in a single pea is just "pea" and many peas are "peas". So obviously a single piece of cheese must be a "chee" and many "chee's" are "cheese". Right? I guess he gets this logic from me. I have asked Craig on several occasions why it is that there is a goose and geese but not moose and meese? He thinks I am ridiculous for asking but really...think about it? Why is it that more than one goose are called geese but more than one moose are called mooses. Not meese? One of life's unanswerable questions I guess...

Anyway, when I reached this conclusion about why Matthew has started calling his cheese "chee" I think I giggled nonstop for a good 5 minutes. Matthew laughed right along with me using mostly his fake laugh because he had no idea what was so funny.

I think this means he is smart. :)

Outside.

2011-04-15T12:25:00.000-05:00

My kids LOVE to be outside. Matthew would sleep outside if I'd let him. Seriously.

Now that the weather is warming up we are outside every afternoon from the minute he wakes up from his nap or gets home from school (depending on what day is) until the minute I have to drag his little body in the house, kicking and screaming, to go eat dinner and get a bath and go to bed. This time change is not helping.

Matthew used to be in bed by 8 every night during the winter. Oh it was glorious. Since it was dark, he didn't question it. But that darn sun is making it a lot harder to get him to bed on time.

So on the days that he has school, we get home around 2:45 and Mason goes down for his nap by 3. Then me and Matthew go play outside. He loves to just sit in the driveway with his chalk and cars and play but he also loves to pull every single toy/wagon/power wheels/scooter etc that we have out as well. And then the "kids" (our neighbors) come over and things get really fun! Our culdesac is filled with kids almost every afternoon with us moms sitting in my driveway supervising and playing with the babies or watching monitors. I am so so thankful to live in our culdesac. Our neighbors are just awesome. All us women are friends and all of our kids are friends and they all love each other like brothers and sisters.

When we moved here we were having a to decide between 2 houses that we'd narrowed it down to. One was about 400 sq ft bigger, a little more "my style" and had a spa connected to the pool. And it was cheaper. This house was a little smaller and I didn't LOVE it (not because its not a great house, just because it wasn't as much my style as others) and there was no spa attached to the pool and it was more expensive. BUT the backyard was twice as big AND we were at the very end of a culdesac.

If I hadn't been pregnant with Matthew at the time I probably would have chosen the other house. But I was thinking of my future children and we decided that the culdesac would provide a little more safety while playing outdoors and would hopefully be a great way to build some true friendships with our neighbors. And it has been. But this post isn't about our culdesac. I've talked about how much I love living here before so I don't want to ramble on and on about it. We just feel truly blessed to have found this house and know that God definitely had a hand in it.

SO. Everyday Matthew wants to go see "the kids" outside. So that's what we do. Every day. Until I have to break it to him that its time to come inside. And then...all hell breaks loose. Talk about tantrums...wow... If anyone thinks my little Matthew is always an angel just watch me tell him its time to come inside. It is the worst part of my day. I hate to tell him the fun has to stop but, hello, we can't stay out there all night! He doesn't seem to realize that. At all.

Swimming in the freezing water...

But anyway, here are a few pictures of our days outside. I am usually snapping away with my phone and am loving the Instagram app that lets me make them all cool and vintage. I wish there was a quick and easy way to upload my videos from my phone straight on to here. Does anyone know how to do that? I know I can put them on the computer and then upload them on to here but who has time for that!?! I certainly don't. I (stupidly) only upload my pics and videos to the computer once every couple of months and I know one of these days I'm going to regret it when my phone crashes and I lose all my newest pictures.

Conversations with a 3 year old.

2011-04-12T21:53:00.002-05:00

I have been so busy lately with these 2 kiddos that I haven't had much time to write. But I am working HARD on Mason's 1 year birthday post. And I am absolutely drained emotionally after working on it which leaves me with absolutely nothing left to write about that would interest anyone. Except this. Now who doesn't love to see a sleeping child!?!

This was taken today when I went to get Matthew from school. His sweet teacher let me borrow her camera and snap a couple of pictures because I always forget to bring my phone and/or camera in with me. And I've seen him like this 100 times. So happy I finally got a picture of my Matthew and all his pure innocence.

This kid LOVES school and it wears him OUT! I hear over and over from his teachers that he is such a happy kid and is the greeter in the classroom apparently. He is always ready with a "Hi Kids!!" shout to anyone under 4 feet tall. And he never misses an opportunity to show off whatever "cool shirt" he's wearing that day. Usually Cars, Toy Story, dinosaurs or Nemo. So meeting Matthew kind of goes like this.

Matthew: Hi!!

You: Hey Matthew! How are you?

Matthew: Umm...played with Sydnee and Mowie (Mallorie) and Stevie and Luke and Christian, watch Cars and Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story, and Mason's sleeping, dad's at work and Nana and Papa and Mimi and PawPaw and LOOK AT MY SHIRT! (signal him pulling down the bottom of his shirt and poking his stomach out to you)

You: Wow I like your shirt! Who's on it?

Matthew: Ummm....its Buzz Lightyear/McQueen/Nemo/dinosaurs.

You: Well its pretty cool. Is McQueen your favorite?

Matthew: Yeah Buzz Lightyear, McQueen, Woody, Toy Story and played with kids and dad's at work and watch Cars....

Yep. That's how a conversation goes with my son. I kid you not. He is the very definition of random and he spits out anything and everything that is on his mind. Everyday I ask him how was school and what he did and everyday I get the same answer. "Played with friends, Sydnee, Mowie, Luke and Christian..." And that's it. I ask him what he did and sometimes I can weasel out of him a "I paint!" or "I colored!" but usually only after I prompt him with it after reading that day's little note that gets sent home. He is so funny.

And he is so sweet. Look at that face. Oh my gosh...I could just eat him up.

Follow-up to Teen Mom Vent.

2011-04-04T19:25:00.000-05:00

When I posted that last post, I did it from my phone so I couldn't write as much as I wanted but yes, I totally agree with all of your comments about the other idiots on that show! Jenelle's mom...Lord Have Mercy. She needs to tell her daughter she loves her, like NOW. And mean it. As my husband loves to say Jenelle "may be dumb but she ain't stupid." She can see right through her mother and knows her mother despises her. Definitely doesn't help that Jenelle can't seem stay out of trouble of course and makes THE worst decisions ever. She is definitely a selfish and immature little girl. I know her mom is just at her wits end with her (and her older siblings from what I've read) but still...take a minute and hug your daughter. Tell her you love her and that you are only hard on her because you know the potential she has inside. I think if Jenelle felt like her mother really loved her, she'd...well....give a crap. To put it bluntly. She'd try harder to make her mom proud of her. That's my opinion anyway.

But Jenelle...get it together girl. You seem like you have a good enough heart underneath all your issues. You just need to GROW UP...

And don't even get me started on Adam (Chelsea's ex). Why in the world someone would ever date anyone like that is beyond me. I just don't understand how you can just walk away from your son or daughter. I think selfish people may be one of my biggest pet peeves. People who think only of themselves and do what makes THEM happy, not caring about anyone else unless its convenient for them. I mean how could he come over to the house where his daughter is sleeping on her FIRST BIRTHDAY and not even see her much less ask about her!?! Who DOES that!?! Ohhhh it made me sooo mad. And dude, you had your car parked in the driveway of your ex-girlfriend house for 3 weeks after you admitted you had cheated on her "at least 5 times"! And then her dad even gave you the courtesy of texting you the day before he was going to have it towed letting you know you should come get it. And you STILL get that mad!?! What a moron. He makes my blood boil and my skin crawl and I feel a terrible sorrow for that sweet little girl to have to grow up knowing her dad is that awful. At least Joe seems to truly love and care for his son even though he is a gigantic butthead (keeping it PG on here...haha).

Ok I guess I've gotten out my full say now. Although I know I really could go and on about how much I despise some of these people's actions. Breaks my heart for these sweet, innocent babies....

Teen Mom Vent.

2011-04-04T15:16:00.001-05:00

Does anyone else want to punch Joe (Kailyn's ex) in the throat?!? I mean..."AHHHHHHH!!!!!". I. can. not. STAND. him. What an awful, ugly human being.

The way he talks to her...in front of their child...makes me so angry. SO angry. I can't figure out what his deal is but whenever I see his face my adrenaline starts pumping and I want to scream really bad words at him.

Ok. I feel better. If you aren't a Teen Mom watcher (I'm not going to call myself a "fan"...) then ignore this post or maybe check it out on MTV.

Vent over.

Today in Pictures.

2011-04-01T23:06:00.002-05:00

Perfect day for a picnic!

He wanted an omelet for his picnic lunch...

A neighbor gave this shopping cart to Matthew...he loves it! haha

Had an absolutely wonderful day with my little men! I can't believe how fast they are growing up. Breaks my heart a little.... :(

"I have no greater joy..."

2011-03-31T16:17:00.000-05:00

"I have no greater joy, than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

3 John 1:4

I love this verse. Somehow I have never heard this verse before. Or at least I don't remember hearing it. Maybe I did, but at the time it just didn't mean as much to me as it does now that I have kids. But now that I have stumbled upon it, I am on the hunt for a plaque or some kind of home decor that proudly displays this verse. Maybe I will make it myself. (But if you happen to know where I could find something like this, let me know!) Wish I could write more, but Mason just woke up. Mommy duty calls!

11 months.

2011-03-30T22:02:00.000-05:00

This sweet boy is 11 months old. He will turn 1 next month. April 21st. Craig will turn 32 that same day. Yep, my husband and my baby Mason share a birthday. How cool is that?! And it was totally unplanned...I wasn't induced or anything like that. My water broke on on its own at 38 weeks around 9pm the night before Craig's birthday. And Mason was born at 4:41am. I always say "What are the odds!?!" But I guess the odds are 1:365 right? haha

Anyway, I'll save the mushy gushy post for his one year. Right now I'll just give the basics of my little man.

At 11 months Mason is walking everywhere. He doesn't crawl much at all anymore. He has 4 top teeth and 3 bottom teeth. Still. I think he's in a holding pattern. He loves to mimick sounds. He squeals when Matthew squeals. He shrieks when Matthew shrieks. He yells when the dust buster is on. Or the blender. Its weird. He is sleeping from 7/7:30-7:30/8ish. He naps around 10 and then again around 2. He is so smiley. So happy. So absolutely wonderful. Except for the poop. He poops around the clock. He is so regular I think it will be pretty easy to potty train him! haha

The most exciting of his accomplishments though is his eating. For one, he actually eats. That is a big deal when it comes to my kids! If you have been following my blog for awhile you'll know that Matthew (almost 3) is not a good eater. He is so picky and doesn't try any new foods. Well, hardly ever. Every once in awhile he'll surprise us. :) But Mason...wow. The kid is a garbage disposal. I've been piling new foods on his plate for a couple of weeks now and I am in awe of how easy it is. I keep thinking "So THIS is what its like to have a good eater!". He loves lunchmeat, cheese, chicken nuggets, peaches, Ranch Style beans (so messy!), and of course, Baby Goldfish. I actually credit Matthew with getting me over my fear of finger foods with Mason though.

One day all 4 of us were sitting in the living room playing and Matthew picked up one of his goldfish and stuck it in Mason's mouth. They were both just a foot away and my first instinct was to jump up and scoop it out of Mason's mouth. But I stopped myself and waited to see what Mason would do. It took him a good five minutes to get it all chewed up and swallowed but he loved it. And with that simple act, I decided to just go with it and not worry so much. Yes, Mason has gagged a couple of times on his food and even thrown up a couple of times too. But I guess that just kind of goes hand in hand with learning how to eat. I have promised myself I will give Mason as big a variety of food as I possibly can so that MAYBE I can have at least one great eater! So far so good!

So here are a few pics of my kiddo at 11 months and a couple more of the boys together. I just ADORE being their mommy!! Yes, its hard and frustrating at times but I would not trade my boys for anything!!!! They bring me so much joy and absolute pure happiness. We have been discussing whether or not to have anymore of these precious kids but I'll save that conversation for another post. ;)

Anniversary Trip. T Minus 50 Weeks and Counting...

2011-03-28T12:09:00.001-05:00

On the card Craig gave me for our anniversary a week ago he said that next year we would be celebrating on vacation. Like we used to do every year before our kids took over. :) Is it ridiculous that I'm already counting down the days? Oh and researching places to go? And trying to figure out if I'll ever lose the last 10 pounds of marriage/baby weight?

Can you tell I need a vacation!?!

Our last real vacation was to the Bahamas for our 4th anniversary when Matthew was 10 months old. We left Matthew with my parents for a week and I almost lost it that first night I talked to my mom on the phone and got to hear Matthew babbling away in the background. But I got over it and knew he was fine and that we needed to have some fun while we could! We knew a second baby was probably right around the corner (got pregnant 3 months later!) so we knew it may be our last good vacation for awhile. And we were right. (Here is my original post about our trip.) We went to the Sandals Royal Bahamian and we looovveeed it. We are big fans of all-inclusive resorts and have been to several and loved them all.

Our honeymoon was at the Sandals Grande Riviera in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I posted a little about it here. I kind of want to go back there again but I'd hate for it not to be as awesome as last time and be disappointed. So I'm already researching.

On our 1st anniversary we went to the Dreams Resort in Cancun. We had a really great time there. I think my favorite night was when we went to Coco Bongo. It was a huge nightclub with some really cool live entertainment. I remember getting our picture taken with a pretty good Beetlejuice impersonator. They had lots of impersonators (Britney Spears, Madonna, Beyonce...) doing some awesome numbers complete with acrobats and cirque de sole stuff over the crowd. So cool. If you are ever in Cancun, you have to check it out!

For our 2nd anniversary, we went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with our friends Blake and Brad. Brad played with Craig in Buffalo and Brad and Craig were like 2 peas in a pod and me and Blake got along great too! (more about it here)

We stayed in a condo a few blocks down from a resort that we spent most of our time at. I can't remember the name though. It was not my FAVORITE vacation. Brad and Craig spent more time with each other than they did with us! (golfing takes up a LOT of the day boys!!) But it was fun. The weather wasn't the greatest and the beaches and water were kind of ugly. And I missed not staying in an all-inclusive. It felt more like we were on Spring Break than on an adult anniversary trip. So I will not be making the trek back to Puerto Vallarta. I'll pass.

Me and Blake. :)

That short dress was not the best idea to wear in windy Mexico!!

Our third anniversary was spent preparing for the arrival of Matthew Jay! Our 4th anniversary was the one in the Bahamas (I should have put these in order). Our 5th anniversary we were a month away from meeting Mr. Mason and this year...well...there just wasn't time. Plus, now there are 2 kids. And its a lot harder to say "Hey Mom. Can you use one of your few vacation weeks to babysit my almost 3 and 1 year old while we go on tropical vacation?" Its a little different than when it was just 1, non-walking 10 month old! So honestly, I worry that we may never get a real vacation like that again. Which makes me sad b/c it was our time to really enjoy each other's company and live carefree with no responsibilities and just focus on each other and spend time together. Spending time together is a rare occurrence these days with this new business. Craig is working 60/70 hours a week, 7 days a week trying to get this new business off the ground. They are doing so great but it just takes awhile before a new company really starts to profit (or so I've been told...). So our only time spent together is a couple of minutes in the morning and an hour or so at night before we pass out. New businesses suck. :(

Anyway, so for our 7th anniversary we are going back on vacation. No kids. Just us. Anyone been anywhere good? Leave me a comment! Just leave me the name and I'll google it! :) (I am a Google Queen.)

Promotion! :)

2011-03-25T23:00:00.001-05:00

I got promoted! Yay!! Most of yall know I'm a consultant for 31 Gifts. They have absolutely awesome bags, purses, and personalized gifts that moms and women like me LOVE. I am truly addicted so thank goodness I get a 25% discount! Whoo hoo! haha

Anyway, I started my little business last August and have been doing what I can during my free time with it. It has been so much fun and so easy. Seriously. I'm so not joking. Thirty-One parties are like my Christmas. I get that pumped. It is so much fun going to my friends' houses (old and NEW friends!) and meeting people I would never have met before, laughing, chatting, eating, drinking and shopping! I just put my own (enormous) collection of 31 bags on display, pass out catalogs, go over the specials for the month and let the girls shop! I mean, really! For $99 you can become a consultant. And they give you over $300 worth of bags and products to use for your display (or however you want to use them b/c you WILL use them!). Win? Win. Win-win. :) Show the catalogs you'll get with your enrollment kit to your friends and family and I guarantee you will get that $99 back quick! And then some! You get a 25% commission on everything you sell as well as other other opportunities to move up in the company and earn even more.

Which leads me to my promotion. :)

I am now a Senior Consultant for Thirty-One Gifts.

Fist pump.

Yeah, I know you are thinking "Okkk....good for you." But I'm a stay-at-home mom, where my only rewards for all my hard work are gap-toothed smiles, big hugs and sloppy kisses from my boys (the best rewards though, don't get me wrong!). But sometimes it's just nice to know you are doing pretty good at something else besides just being a mom. Because sometimes I forget that I'm not just a mom. Before I was a mom I was actually a really smart girl. Not that I'm not smart now. I guess I am. But my brain is constantly being watered down by Curious George and Buzz Lightyear. Without 31, that would be as deep as my brain would go these days. Or would need to go anyway.

So being recognized officially for doing well at something and succeeding is a big deal to me. Not to mention that I get a small pay raise as well. I don't see a whole lot of raises or promotions in my future as a SAHM. ;) I may not be climbing the corporate ladder exactly but I'm climbing my own little ladder in a company that I really enjoy working for while being able to stay home with my kiddos for a little bit longer...

So please visit my 31 blog if you get the chance! I love seeing new "followers" on BOTH my blogs so don't forget to hit that "follow" button on the right! I like to look through all of your blogs as well and I won't know where to look unless you follow this blog.

If you'd like any more information about 31 or would like a catalog, contact me!