25 Secrets of Happy Moms~ Secret # 21:)

I love reading parenting magazines for a lot of reasons. To get new ideas and insight, to find out the latest info, to read about things that relate to my life right now, and to feel connected with other moms like me. When editors ask questions that inspire me, I usually respond. I have been lucky enough to have two responses I’ve written published in American Baby magazine within the last year and a half. I thought that was kinda neat, but I was really suprised when I saw something I’d written in this article by Parents magazine! Check out “secret” #21 at this link written by yours truly;)

25 Secrets of Happy Moms

Hope everyone is enjoying this lovely spring weekend and soaking up lots of family time!:)

Beachy Post:)

I am one lucky girl:) To celebrate Mother’s Day this year we made the short 1 1/2 hour trip to Emerald Isle for the weekend. ( I so appreciate how convenient it is to live so close to the beach!) Our Saturday was spent with our sweet friends the Braxton’s on the beach soaking up the sun. Unfortunately we didn’t get too many pics that day because we were so busy chasing kids:) But my girl’s sure did love their 10 month old Knox and I loved getting to have his momma Jordan to hang out with:)

Day 2 ~ Aka~ Mother’s Day was awesome. We spent it playing with the kids on the beach near fort macon and relaxing just the 5 of us. It truly was a perfect Mother’s Day. Of course Hailey, who has been studying the pirate Blackbeard, was filling us in on all kinds of fun trivia. Like that Blackbeard’s house, the Hammock house, is a few miles away in Beaufort and that his ship is, according to Hailey, underwater 12 miles off the coast at fort macon. I love that she is really into history like her momma:)
We saw lots of fins in the water which were, of course, dolphins. Though you never know on the NC coast!. Tons were out Mother’s day, jumping all around near shore. It was so much fun for the girls to watch! And the subject of fins brings us to our all time favorite week of summer~~~~ SHark week~~~. Yes, we know we have a couple of months to wait, but we are shark fanatics here and we anxiously await it every summer. And we are getting so close to summer! Just a few short weeks of school left for the girls and then off to Myrtle beach for our summer vacation! Can you tell I’m getting just a little bit excited for summer…. until then here are our pics from our beach Mother’s Day!

Happy late Mother’s Day to all of my fellow blogging mommies!! ( Okay, I’m a few days late but, hey, I’m a mother of three and part time worker bee. But I do try:)

~Part II of photo catch up~

Well, It’s midnight and I have just gotten home from a very busy night at work with some very sick people. And it’s a good thing that I am way too wound up to sleep, because I am baking 3 dozen cupcakes for Mary Kathryn to take to school for her birthday tomorrow. And what do I notice on the kitchen counter when I get home?? Krispie kreme donuts, that’s what! How in the world am I supposed to ignore those when the smell of cupcakes is making me want something sweet??!:) I”ll let you guess whether I ate one or not….:)

So before I ramble on anymore in my sleep deprived state, I am going to go on and post the pictures we took Easter Sunday:) Unfortunately, Michael had to work that weekend, but the girls and I went to church and then to my sister and brother-in-law’s house for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. It was a gorgeous day and Crystal and Chris are excellent cooks, so we all had a blast and brought lots of food home for Michael to eat when he got off work.
I could not, for the life of me, get all three girls to look at the camera, but this one is the best of all three that I could get.

The girls and I

So now I am off to bed to get a few hours of sleep before the girls wake up. Luckily no work tomorrow yay!:)

~Part I of photo catch up~

We are having a fantabulous day around here! The girls are at school and Bella and I have cleaned up, done laundry, made a trip to Target and now we are getting some rest time before picking the girls up. These are my kind of days!! And luckily they are more and more common around here:) I am ignoring the fact that I have to work from 7-11 tonite but maybe I can get a little nap in later;).

Now on to a few of the many pictures I have stored on my camera, just waiting to be documented permanently on this blog. I’m seeing a blog book in the future and I want to make sure we are all caught up from the last few months of a crummy work schedule.

These pictures were from a really warm day we were having and I was chasing Bella around the yard snapping away. The girls were at school but I have plenty of them coming up on a later post.

I think Bella was completely over our impromtu photo shoot by the time we took this last picture.

I would think she would be used to it by now:)

My husband is…..

I’ve been wanting to do this post for a while now. I get so busy posting about those sweet little girls who fill my every waking hour, that my intentions get pushed to the side for another time. But, I think it is well past time that I took a few moments to devote to the person that was my everything before my everythings were born. You know, the reason why those precious little ones are here in the first place;)

So let me just lay it all out there…

My husband is

Hilarious.

Yes, I mean laugh out loud

Funny,

without even trying,

and that in itself is why he can just crack me up.

Most people,

think he’s reserved.

They have no idea.

Those of us that are lucky enough,

to really know him,

get treated to his sense of humor a lot:)

My husband is

super sweet.

Like almost too good to be true, sweet.

Like coffee when I wake up, sweet.

Foot rubs every night he’s not working, sweet.

Brings my favorite candy bar home, sweet.

Stays up after working night shift to watch the girls,

so that I can sleep in, sweet.

First one to tease me out of an argument,

and make me laugh when I’m trying to be angry, sweet:)

My husband is

an awesome father.

I can see so much love in his eyes,

when he looks at our girls,

that it’s unbelievable.

You can just see it in his eyes.

He spends time with them.

Doing things they like to do.

Girly things, like dolls, and making beaded necklaces.

Watching Angelina Ballerina and Shake it up.

When he has so little time to do things he likes to do.

And they love him to pieces,

because they can feel how much he loves them.

My husband is my best friend.

The Best.

Really.

We put up with each other,

and think things are cute,

that I’m sure others would find annoying:)

Like how I always forget the words to well known sayings,

and then say them anyway. The wrong way:)

Like how he will absolutely not ask for directions.

To anywhere.

I don’t care how lost we get.

Or how he always rents action movies (uhg!),

and then trys to convince me that its probably got some romance in it too.

And of course it doesn’t.

Or how I fall asleep before the ending

of every. single. movie. we rent.

even if I picked it out.

Always.

But best of all,

I can always count on him.

To save the day.

To say or do whatever it takes.

To make everything alright.

Do I think the stars lined up just right so that we ended up together?

Absolutely not.

I think God chose him for me and me for him.

Because He knew that even though we are not perfect.

We would be perfect for each other.

20×20 canvas for $31.00 plus FREE SHIPPING!

I just couldn’t go without sharing this awesome offer from plum district! Perfect for Mother’s Day. I am thinking that this will make a perfect gift and at $31 how can I resist:) The offer is for a 20×20 canvas for $39 and with the added $5 discount for first time customers and the 10% off code (visa10), the cost comes out to $31 with free shipping. If you order by April 29th it is guaranteed for delivery by Mother’s Day. Sweet!! Happy Shopping!!:)

Good Morning!!

This morning I feel so lucky to be at home with Bella instead of working! I am so loving my new schedule and really should have updated this blog before now. My only excuse is that I have been so busy catching up on all of the things that have gone undone the past 6 months while I was working all week, that I am just now getting to it. I really need to get more organized and do regular posts.  I found this blog organizer on pinterest and I’m hoping that if I use the organizer and add a dose of motivation that it will help:).

I have a ton of pictures to edit and update but in the meantime here are a couple that offer a little glimpse into what we have been doing lately.

Bella in cowgirl boots and diaper. A new fav in her wardrobe:)

Hailey has been working hard on her cheer needle and she is so close to having it:)

This sweet girl turns 7 next week. Where in the world does the time go???

Also, I am really excited about this Erin Condren planner I ordered. They are currently 40% off! I can’t wait to get it!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Happy Friday!!:)

Wordless Wednesday…..Myrtle Beach

Last cheerleading competition of the season in Myrtle Beach, SC …..

After this trip I am SO ready for summer!!:)

A seriously happy moment:)

A month or two ago I posted here about a change in my work status to prn. Well, I agreed to continue on 4 days a week at the clinic I was working at to fill in for an employee on maternity leave. I am excited to report she returns March 23rd and I am completely free to make my own schedule from then on! So, I sat down Wednesday and signed up for my work days through May. I am trained in most departments of the hospital as well as their satellite clinics so I was able to choose where I wanted to work, how often, and when. Ahh, the taste of freedom is SO nice! I chose not more than two 8 hour shifts a week and even decided not to sign up for anything on one week. I was able to sign up around my husband’s schedule, the girls extracurricular activities, trips, doctor’s/dental appointments, ect. It is so nice to know I will be at home so much and will not be missing any important events in our schedule. I signed up for most of my time in the emergency department, a place where I love and feel I am called to be. But I still picked up time in other areas as well to mix it up a bit. I am extremely thankful to be able to work this way and continue to make sure my family is top priority while fulfilling my calling to be a nurse. How can I possibly thank God enough for giving me the opportunity to do this??

In what ways do you feel God has given you the chance to be the Mom you need to be while still fulfilling your need in a different area? I would love to here your answers!!

Easy bow tutorial…. A MUST for Mommy’s of little girls!

I have been meaning to share this easy little secret for a while now but, quite frankly, I have had little to no time for bowmaking lately. My little girls are known for their big hairbows and I am always getting questions on where I get them from. A few of them I buy in stores or online, but a majority of them I make myself. First of all, most of the hairbows I find in children’s clothing stores are really pricey ( online shops are much more reasonable) and secondly, I just like being able to make my own to match whatever outfits I want without having to search everywhere for “just the right one”. Hairbows at stores usually run between 8-15 dollars depending on how elaborate they are. It costs me about 1-4 dollars to make one myself. The tutorial I am doing today is a simple, single layer hairbow, but I make double layer and “boutique” style bows as well (tutorials on these coming soon!). I am starting with this easy bow which can be whipped up in literally 5 minutes.  

For starters you need a few materials which can be purchased at Walmart, Michael’s, or any craft store. The ribbon I am using today came from Michael’s craft store and cost me about 3 dollars for the 4 yard roll. Several single layer bows can be made off of this one roll. You will also need clear hair bands which can be bought at any drugstore or Sally’s hair supplies for a couple of dollars. Sally’s is also where I purchased the silver alligator hair clips. You can get a big box of these for about 4 dollars. Then you will need a glue gun and glue sticks and you will be ready to start!

Supplies you will need

Your first step is to lay your ribbon out. You simply form the bow by using the crisscross method below. This is when you will determine the size of your hairbow. The one pictured is a medium sized bow which my 6 and 10 year olds where regulary. But, I LOVE big hairbows and have been known to put this size in the baby’s hair as well. I have included a picture of the finished bow at the bottom of this post worn by both the 6 year old and the 18 month old. This should give you an idea of what size you would like to make.

Easy crisscross method

The second step is to use a clear hair band to wrap around the center junction of the crisscrossed ribbon. I usually wrap the band about three times to secure it in place. It should look like the below picture when you complete this step.

Next, cut a small piece of ribbon which will be used to cover the center of the bow.

Fold the small cut of ribbon in half the long ways and then in half again to form the below piece.

Trim the ends shorter and then use the glue gun to glue one end to the back of the bow and then wrap the other end around the bow and glue it down. Make sure the glue is not too hot because it will melt the hair band causing it to come apart. At this point I usually smooth a little extra glue over the back middle of the bow to make sure it holds together and to smooth down any frayed ends. Below is a picture of the back of the bow where the ends have been wrapped around and glued down.

Next, leaving the back of the bow facing up, squeeze the silver hairclip to open and slide the flat end under the ribbon that is wrapped around the center, back of the bow (you can also use the snap clips but you will need to glue the bottom side of the clip before wrapping the middle ribbon around the bow). It will look like the below picture after the completion of this step.

And here is the finished product.

Isn’t it too cute in the baby’s hair?

Bella in her new hairbow

And perfect in Mary Kathryn’s hair:)

Mary Kathryn in her new hairbow.