Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a wonderful, fun, and most importantly safe day with their kiddos!  We are hoping the weather cooperates so we can trick or treat, if it does rain, we will do a few houses and then come home and hand out candy.  This girl still needs to go get candy, I am on a roll lately with not being on top of things.

Yesterday Lilly had her pumpkin party at school.  Preschool parties are always so much fun!  I was enlisted to read stories, and am proud to say I nailed it, haha!  

That would be JD sucking on an orange slice. 

Last week we also had Matthew's school Halloween Party.  

Hopefully I will get a picture of my little cheerleader tonight!

The Perfect Hot Chocolate Recipe

 Just so this isn't misleading, a few things.... this is by no means a healthy recipe, and it is not home made.  I am sprucing up hot chocolate made from a powder.

Ingredients : Hot water, Hot Chocolate Mix (Nestle Rich Hot Cocoa Mix), Hershey's Chocolate syrup, Bailey's French Vanilla Coffee Creamer, Reddi Wip.  

1.  Boil your water.  I just have a tea kettle I use.  Then I add 3 tablespoons of the Hot Chocolate mix (I think the package calls for 2) to my mug.

2.  Pour the water into the mug, only going about 2/3 of the way full.  Then pour in about 1/4 cup of Bailey's French Vanilla Coffee Creamer. 

3.  Stir it up! 

4.  I then stir in a squeeze of Hershey's syrup into the mug.  Lastly, add the Reddi Wip and Syrup on top.

5.  And that's it!  I hate when Hot Chocolate tastes like water, and this definitely does not!

Enjoy!!

Five On Friday!

{One}

My husband and I have this strange, and completely crazy tradition of putting our children inside a pumpkin on their first Halloween.  Matthew and Lilly were much younger, JD is almost 10 months old, and obviously so much bigger, so yea, it was a big fail!

{Two}

Tonight is our first of many Halloween events.  It is the Halloween party at Matthew's school.  Here is a little sneak peak of JD's costume, because I just couldn't not share!

{Three}

I am obsessed with Bath and Body Works candles.  I mean it really is an issue.  While burning all fall scents in the kitchen, dining, and living areas, our room I use completely different scents.  I was burning Lavender Vanilla, but just started a Japanese Cherry Blossom, and O-M-G is is amazing!

{Four}

I really LOVE making videos for my YouTube Channel, and love all the new subscribers and video views I am getting.  I actually feel so guilty that I haven't been filming and posting.  I am REALLY hoping to get back to it.  I am thinking that my free time this weekend needs to be focusing on getting my online life back in order if that makes sense! 

{Five}

If you are a frequent reader, you know my OBSESSION with Erin Condren.  I have been a customer for YEARS, love the life planner, stickers, address labels, cards, iphone cases.  I am SO happy about their new referral program.  So here is the deal, you click THIS LINK, sign up, you get a 10$ off coupon for your first order!  Now just so we are all transparent here, I also receive credit for the referral.  It's a win win!  I just order my iPad case, and will review once I get it.

one last thing, look what's coming up next week, be sure to stop back to check it out!!

 

Hope Everyone has a wonderful weekend!  We have our last tball game of the season, then just relaxing and playing catch up, excited for a fresh start in November!

Carving Pumpkins

Not going to even lie, this year I have not been that into "all things fall".  October has been a blur, the weather has been either complete rain for days on end, or 90 degrees, and with traveling, it has just not been a priority. 

Today that changed.  Although I am not a huge Halloween fan, like at all, I do love sharing traditions with my kids.  We carve pumpkins every year. (2012)   Every year it is always working around my husband's insane fall work schedule, but we fit it in.  

We had such a fun evening, and it is yet another first marked off JD's list.  

Over the next week we have 2 school Halloween parties, Trick or Treating on Halloween, and possibly a story time fit in here and there as well.

Last night is exactly what I needed to get me into the spirit of the changing seasons.

 

10 Things I Learned During My Latest Blog Break

So it's been a few weeks.  Normally when I unintentionally take a blogging break I feel so guilty and beat myself up over it.  This time, it while not intentional, it was needed, and honestly I don't think I could have found the time or energy to write over the past few weeks.

A Lot has been going on.   A Lot isn't a big enough word.  Major life choices, grown up headaches over life.  

Now, things have slowed down, things are back to normal, I am actually closing my eyes and sleeping at night.

For today, the things I have learned in the past few weeks.  Some I already knew, but was reminded.

 

 1.  My in-laws are amazing.  They took on the role of caring for all 3 kids for 4 days.  The kids had a fantastic time. 

 2. Guys, I can't even begin to explain Matthew's obsession with sports.  This is a list of "his" football games for week 7.  Not only does he watch and know who is playing / winning / the final scores of the real games, he also makes up his own and plays them out in the playroom.  It is the cutest thing ever.

 

3.  Nothing beats a Friday Night Jenga game night.

4.  While I still HATE surprises, my husband sure knows the right way to go about it.  Hello beautiful iPad baby.  Now I am just impatiently waiting for it's home, which is an Erin Condren case!

5.  Chuck E Cheese sketch pictures are always a wonderful addition to my refrigerator. 

6.  Wearing real clothes, and going out with adults sans kids, is so fun.  

7.  I met my husband and got to know him as we worked side by side, and man did I miss it.  I wouldn't change anything, and was happy to be home and back to mommy duty, but being behind a switcher, with him directing to my left, was incredible.

8. Fall in Pennsylvania is the most beautiful.  Amazing.  Also my in-laws home is probably on my top 5 list of favorite places.

9. Life can be so unpredictable, confusing, tiring, unbelievable, and absolutely amazing all at the same time.  Sometimes you don't realize it in the moment.  It just takes a bit to understand it all.

10. I LOVE television.  I watch a lot of tv in the evenings when the kids are in bed.  WE never have it on during the day (except during nap) but once they go to bed, it is on until we go to sleep.  I have learned, I don't miss most of it when I go a few weeks without watching it.  I ended up going through my DVR and just deleting a lot that was on there, which in turn somehow de-stressed me. 

As far as where I have been/ what's been going on..... it really isn't important.  I will say it wasn't any of the gossipy juicy stuff like relationship, pregnancy, fighting.  

**Just so y'all know, this post does include a referral link!

JD - 9 Months Old

SOOO much has changed since the 8 month update.  JD started crawling shortly after 8 months, and about a week later started pulling up to everything.  So to say this month has been busy, is such an understatement.  Luckily, so far he hasn't shown too much interest in the stairs, so that is good.  

Eating is still going really well.  He is down to three bottles a day, and then 3 meals and 1 snack.  I am noticing he is showing much less interest in his bottles, so I am starting to lessen the amount.  Sleep is AMAZING.  He naps every morning from about 9:30 to 11 (which happens to be the perfect timing while his big sis is at preschool) and then again from 1-3 (which is when big sis naps also).  He goes down at 8 pm, the same time as Matthew and Lillian, and sleeps all night.  He does wake up around 7, during the week it is when we need to get moving anyway, but on weekends it isn't too fun.

Another HUGE milestone this month was having a babysitter!  We left the kids with a sitter for the first time ever and it couldn't have gone better.  He played, ate well, took his bottle, and went down right at 8pm.  I was amazed and am excited to be able to have date nights every so often!

31 Days 2013 : Day 6

Although I have been keeping up with the 31 day challenge, I am finding it kind of, um, boring.  I love ready others posts, but I think I just threw a topic together, and it is really not fun.  So I am back to my regular posting topics and schedule tomorrow.  I thought about sticking it out for the remainder of the month, but that is not what my blog is about, I don't want to just get through the month.  I wan to write because it is time I look forward to each day.

So tomorrow, JD's NINE month update!  How this child is already 9 months is beyond me.

Also, the next few weeks may be a bit sporadic.   There is just a lot going on, and we are getting ready to travel, I am getting ready to spend a few days working (yep, me...) and yea, October is just a bit all over the place.

31 Days 2013 - Day 5

Being sick is no fun for anyone, but as a mom it is the worst.  The past few days have been terrible.  I finally took some Children's Benedryl (crazy me, I know) made some tea, and went to bed at 8pm on Thursday night.  I woke up yesterday feeling much better. 

 

Now we are onto what hopefully is a nice, relaxing weekend.  We have our towns Fall Festival this morning, then a playdate later in the day (hubs works all weekend).  

Sunday is church, laundry, football, laundry, naps and.... you guessed it, more laundry.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

31 Days 2013 - Day 4

Yesterday, well every Thursday we go to the library.  We have done this for 5 years.  I started taking Matthew to story time when he was 1 and we have gone ever since.  We play, pick out books to take home, and go to story time.  The kids love it, Matthew misses it now that he is in school.  We LOVE the library.  I am so happy that it is something I get to do with the kids each week.  If you haven't check out your local libraries kid programs, it is a great way to get out and about, especially during the colder months.  The kids get to learn and interact with other kids, and it is also a great place to meet and chat with other SAHMamas! 

{This pic was from yesterday, I will say that having a crawler makes the library a bit challanging, you gotta be on their heels every second, or an entire shelf may (or may not, because my child would never) end up cleared of the books!}

31 Days 2013: Day 3

{Day 3}

Let's talk carpool.  Today I am happy and thankful that both my kid's schools have the "kiss and ride" option.  Yes, it makes life much easier not have to get in and out of the car while dropping off and picking up kids, but also it gives me a few minutes.  Time every day where I can't be 800 places at once.  I am strapped into my car, just sitting, waiting.  I love this time.  Today I sat and started reading a book, yes a real book.  Something I haven't done in so long.  And it was wonderful!

31 Days 2013 : Day 2

{Day 2}

To me, being a stay at home mom really doesn't describe my role.  Yes, I stay home, taking care of our children, but it is so much more than that.  One of my main purposes for staying home is creating a loving, caring, relaxing environment within the walls of our house.  On a good week, my goal is to have all the housework complete, billing done, meals prepared.  That way weekends and even evenings can be spent as a family.... playing, relaxing, resting, watching football, going on adventures.  

I also try to complete most errands while my husband is at work/kids at school.  Even Lilly's gymnastics class is a morning during the week.  Now as the kids get bigger, that will change, we will have sports/activities evenings and weekends (that is inevitable and already starting), but doing what I can to make the time we are together less stressful with the chaos of maintaining a home, well then, I have done my job. 

This obviously is not the case all the time, but every Monday morning as I plan out my week, that is the goal.

31 Days 2013 - Day 1

{Day One}

Today I find it very fitting to first write about how thankful I am to be a Stay at Home Mom.  As I sit and read/listen to the potential Government shutdown, being in NoVA where there are so many friends, neighbors, and community members that would be affected by this, I feel so blessed.  

 

Thankfully, my husband will not be directly affected.  He will continue to go to work each day.  In fact for the past 7 years that we have been together on our own, he has provided.  I have stayed home since day one, and this is a gift that I will never be able to put into words how much it means.  

 

My happiness today, is simple.  I am happy and so blessed for my husband.  I would never be able to stay home without his support and constant encouragement.

So, Thanks Hun! I Love you!