Currently. {Vol. 4}

Enjoying: Having my husband back home!

He was gone ALL last week... NOT fun. A day or two long business trip, I can handle. All week? Um, no thanks. Please no more of that. For a good long while, ok? Ok.

Happy birthday, Daddy!

Oh, yeah! I am also enjoying asking Jason if he misses his 30s and teasing him about it!! Ha!! It is so much fun!! Of course, it will come back to bite in just a week or so. I'm up next to turn - gasp! - thirrrradjghaljyyyyy. We just won't say it yet. I shall enjoy these last days in my 20s.

Loving: Our friends being out of school for the summer!! We have had so much fun this past week! Splash pad fun, impromptu treat outings, and more!

Planning: LOTS of stuff!! Thanks to Trello, I have picked out Aria's announcement, planned a rough draft idea for the end of August, and taken care of a few other things.

What I didn't plan for is my inevitable mini panic attack while taking care of and rearranging some of these to-dos... HELLO?! I'm 2 days into the 3rd trimester!!! Eek!!

Feeling: A mixture of excitement, stress, and other things. But, that's a 3rd trimester thing, I'm sure... 

All I will say on this matter is PLEASE don't stop praying for our buyers and us. I do hope I can share more information very soon!

Making: Personalized coke cans! One of our zoo days included an stop by the #shareacoke stand where you could personalize a coke can. How awesome! And, of course, since Coca-Cola is one of my top 3 drink choices, why not? Also, anything I have...I end up sharing in some fashion with Aria. So, yes, please!!

Awesome

Listening: Alex had a message from the librarian at one of our libraries last week... He was the winner for week!! He loved hearing this message!!

Scored a book and a bear. He and his favorite librarian named him LiBEARian Bear! Love it!

Reading: It is just not in the cards for me... I have been reading a lot of Magic Tree House with the boys lately. And I did start a few of the books, but eh. My rule is (sad, but true) that if the book hasn't grasped my attention by the 5th chapter, I'm not wasting my time. However, there is one book that I have to read...not because I want to or anything.

source

Yes, we are still reading this series... Why on EARTH is it so long? Jason and I are reading these books together. And, no it hasn't grasped my attention, but he says that they are awesome books and all. I'm really trying to give these books a fair chance. But, OH. MY. GOSH. Can we just get to this damn tower already? It is so drawn out... I had no idea going into this either that there were 7 of these books (or 8?)... We should be reading Harry Potter instead... But, I am saving that for when I can read it to the boys. Anyway, I'm at the part (if you care to know or have read these books) where Blaine the Dumb Train has crashed into oblivion. Uuuuuggggghhhhh.. I swear. I am going to make Jason read all of Jane Austen's books or something when this is all over...

Watching: Farmer Jason, y'all!

This was so much fun! We went to the Summer Reading Kick-Off Concert for our new library near the new house and we had a great time! At first the boys were not at all impressed. But most of the kids acted that way. Once they all warmed up and the songs were going, everyone seemed to be having a blast! Glad we went!! Have you heard about Farmer Jason? He's pretty cool.

Oh!! I did watch (and finish) the first season of The White Queen and LOVED it!! However...I'm back to square 1... When does the 2nd season come out? I need another historical drama to watch... Otherwise, I'll just be re-watching The Tudors... Ideas?

I'm also watching my email and Facebook messages. I'll let you know if I see something worth mentioning!

Have a great week, y'all!!

Exploring New Places

Sometimes we have showings that happen almost back-to-back or have a time slot blocked off. When this happens, we tend to take a longer drive - especially if some small people (and mamas) are a tad cranky. On one of those days, we drove over to explore things very close to the new house. We are so happy we did, too! The library is just minutes from the new place and the staff seems very nice, as well as the children's department (this is VERY important for this mama...see here on how we do the library). We can't wait to go there for story times and such in the very near future.

Behind the library, right outside the children's department floor-to-ceiling windows, is one awesome playground. We, of course, had to check that out! Another score! This place is perfect for all of my guys! It has all kinds of playground equipment that is spread out enough to where they can "run free" but fenced in perfectly for this mama of many! Oh, and the best part...no mulch! Ha! I know... But, it is that recycle tire material. It is awesome. I see many outings here coming up!

Andrew looking back at me from the "Sea Monster" area. Promise to get a better pic of that thing next time!

Watching Alex run all over the place from the Toddler area.

 

Austin loved this dinosaur - he is growling like one here!

Giving the alligator a pet. Gotta make sure he knows you're a good guy.

Hanging out with a hippo

Taking a swing break

This was a very cool place. We stayed for about an hour and didn't even realize it! Gotta love a place where you lose track of time! We can't wait to go back! Hopefully we can move before then!

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House update: Some have asked how it is all going. Well, we are no longer "for sale by owner" after trying that out for 60 +/- days. And, we have been with our realtor for 2 weeks. We  did an open house the Sunday after re-listing. We had 4 showings last week and are up to 2 this week, so far. April is still a weird month with the weather being unpredictable and all. But, we are all thinking next month will be the month. So, keep the prayers a-coming!! Thanks everyone!!

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Bump Update: We are doing well! I'm only really tired in the sense of "tired of waiting for a buyer" - and sometimes if it was a rough day... Luckily, the bigger boys have been pretty awesome since finding out they were getting a sister. They have been super helpful! Speaking of being helpful... Andrew wants y'all to know that I'm 22 weeks now which means the Baby Aria is the size of a grapefruit. He is so cute... He was talking to her earlier about something. It was all whispers, but he said she could hear him just fine. So, so sweet. He has always been a rockstar big brother!

Halloween Recap

Better late than never!

 He's a teeny little super guy! Oh, yeah! (You know you remember where that is from!)

Our annual Bass Pro Shop Halloween picture. Awesome. Austin got his own picture as this was his First Halloween! (click here)

 Headed out to Trick or Treat at the Library

They were so awesome that they made it onto the Homewood Library website. Cool :) 

Homewood Library

Homewood Library

I promised my brothers this photo from Costco. Yes, that is a huge bear! No, we do not want it. I mean, where would you even put that?! It would need it's own room... Why is it SO big?? Oh, wait, that's right. Costco. Everything is big there. Haha! What a crazy bear!

Once we were home, we go the rest of everything done because of friends were coming to town!!My husband's childhood friend, Sean, and his family came up for the weekend. It was SO much fun! Here are some pics before we headed out for the night. (note...clearly I forgot to turn OFF the flash....)

And, oh my.... It was FREEZING cold!! About 40 by the time we got home. It was so cold that this year someone had one of those fancy propane heaters in the driveway! 

We got back and checked all the candies and took out things that were "not good for kids" like Reece's and Snickers. Haha. Joking. Sort of. But, hey, when you have all that candy, what do you need to do??

Hahahaha! Inside joke. Gotta love those!

Anyway, the next days we just hung out and had a great time. The big boys loved that they had a camp out in their room. And, the little boys loved just sitting around and playing. Adorable! 

Just chillin'

Breakfast stop before Mass

Austin sharing the coolest stacker toy known to kids. Seriously. This is our second one. It is awesome.

Austin laughing and Wyatt trying it out as a hat. Love it!

"We just want to chew on things."

It was such a great weekend! We were so glad that y'all came!! 

Come back soon! ;)

How We Do It: The Library {#31days}

I have been taking the boys to the library since Andrew could walk, I think. Maybe a bit earlier than that. Since then, he (and now his little brothers) has grown to love going to the library. But, it didn't start this way in the beginning.

We would attempt the story time with major failure in the beginning. Some libraries are not fans of children, apparently. Others are just fabulous and understand that this is a learning experience. But, to the new mother, it is just a major disaster.

We have visited about 4 different libraries in our town until we found one to call ours. Each library has their own rules, their own children's department, and their own way of shelving the books. And, when you are trying to teach your child how to use a library (which can most certainly be done), you have to find the one that is doing the same for each child that walks through their doors.

TIPS FOR TAKING CHILDREN TO THE LIBRARY:

1. Talk to the librarians! They are there to help you and your children. Get the calendar of events. Ask for a recommended reading list for children (some have this available by age group). Have your kids say hi to the librarian, too. Mine have gotten so used to this, that they run in before me and are already having a conversation with whichever librarian they found. Go to a few story times and events that are offered. We have done some cool things at our library!

2. Inside voices. Even if the library is OK with the louder bunch, still teach them this. It's polite. Especially if the children's department isn't located away from the adult sections.

3. Books "live" on a certain place. This is the part that was big for me. The library that you choose should be organized. There is one that we will no longer visit because you can't find anything - even if the catalog says it is there. So, when the boys find a book and pull it out, I get them to put it back when they are done. Andrew knows all about that little white label on the spine. And he is now showing Alex what it is for, too. Please, teach your children this. 

4. Get them a library card of their own! One day, Andrew saw the Arthur episode about D.W. getting her Library Card and he thought that was so cool. So, the next time we went to the library, he asked the librarian (on his own - because of #1) how to get one. As long as he could write his name, he could have one. So, he has his own card! (Alex can write his name, too...but we are waiting a bit.)

5. How many books can we check out? I can't remember where I saw this tip, but they are allowed to check out the same number of books as their age. Andrew is 5, so he gets 5. Alex gets 3. Not only do they know how many they can get this visit, but I know how many to keep track of at home. Also, it really doesn't matter what the check out at this point. They are learning and what's better than that!?

6. Use the HOLD system/option. If there are certain books that I know they want to read or I need for school, I just place them on hold through their website. When they are ready to be picked up, we have a library day. Now, I have quality books that are waiting for us and I don't have to bother with searching.

7. Teach them to use the catalog. Andrew is at the early reader stage and can spell/read a few things. So, we run with that and learn about the card catalog. He wanted to find some new train books. We went to the computer and I let him type in "trains." Once we found a few that were on the shelf, we wrote down the numbers/letters and went book hunting. And, since this library actually uses the Dewey Decimal System...we were able to find the books. I show Andrew how to find a few and now he can do this mostly on his own.

8. Stay a while! Explore your children's department. Our has creatures, tables for the little ones to sit at and play with the puzzles, sofas for the mamas to check their email/nurse a baby/read to their kids. Enjoy your library. Don't just run in and run out (unless you have to...we had to one and the boys were kind of mad at me about that...)

9. Let them check out their own books, if possible. Our library has a computer system at their level complete with a step stool. They both know how to scan their cards and place the books on the sensor. Once they are done, they bit the button and grab their ticket. They think it is awesome!

10. Enjoy them but, don't forget to return those books! The boys love return their books just as much as they love checking them out. They have learned where the return slots are, and where the books go versus the DVDs.

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There you have it! That is how we enjoy our library. We have finally built up to the point where if I need to grab a book for me, the boys understand to still use their inside voices in the "grownup section" and go right back to the kids books. One day I found out that the library had a coffee bar... Oh, yes. Another reason that this library is our FAVORITE library.

Do you take your tots to the library? If not, visit a few until you find the perfect one. And, get reading!

7 Quick Takes: When July Came to an End...

1. New Routines

As the decision had been made to end attending a preschool and homeschool until we move, we began getting a routine in place for our new journey.

Morning routine: includes morning jobs (make beds, get dressed, a few chores, etc), Bible books/prayers/verses we are currently working on memorizing, and morning pages while I finish cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast and get a load of laundry started.

I had to include this (maybe I already shared it?):

Fun, right? Darn Target though...I searched all over for the store to find this world map and it was like a version of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie..."

If you send a mom into Target to find a world map, she may need a bulletin board so she doesn't mess up the walls.
When she find the bulletin board, she will see that the largest size is not that "decorative" and so she will go to the home decor section.
When she finally gets to the home decor section after looking at all the pretty curtains, she will realize that a chalk board might be nice to have, too.
So she will go back to the office supply section.
When she finds the chalkboard, she sees why she really needed that wall art with the great quote.
When she finds everything she needs, she will head to the register to make her purchases.
As she gets into the line, she will see the lip balm and thinks about if she really needs it or not.
When she smacks her lips and ponders on that, she mentally smacks herself in the head...
SHE FORGOT THE MAP.
When she finds the map, she realizes it is not a perfect fit and stands there for about 5 minutes to decide...
Once she decides that it is time to go...because the store is telling her she has 20 minutes to check out...she makes her purchases and heads home.

That story could go on. I'm sure everyone has their own version of that story. Darn Target...and all of your amazing items!

2. A horse, of course!

What else would you expect to find behind the "old country store" anyway?

3.  Changing Days

With each new school year, things change. So we made a few changes to when we do things outside the house. And, we are still tweaking it as the schools are back in session (the second week of August - insanely early...). Hopefully, the Zoo will not be a madhouse this year. I swear, last year could have be called "The Attack of the Field Trips" as there were many days that traffic was a nightmare and BOOKED field trips were turned away. Unbelievable.

We also are switching around our library days to make the most of our errand running during the week. It's only be cut down to a day or two (depending on what's going on).

For a moment, I couldn't find them... Then our favorite librarian told me where to look. SO CUTE.

4. Master Builder

5. Bluum Box

I have been a big fan of the Bluum box since joining last summer. I got all kinds of great goodies that were building up to me having another baby. July's Bluum Box was a big hit for Baby Austin this time!
 
He got a nifty "iPhone" teether and this super cute handmade "Daddy Doll" - so cute!! He LOVES this little "Daddy" almost as much as his Baby Fox.

6. Sweet Brothers

During one of mornings while I was finishing up in the kitchen, I heard the sweetest things. Alex was "reading" to Austin one of the Bible books. Adorable. I think is one of the board books for everyday thanks.

7. Dusty Crophopper and Martin Kratt

Austin is becoming more and more independent these days...

 But, back to Dusty... Hmm, and that probably has two meanings now that I'm looking at this picture!

Those two made this huge sand mountain. They came running to me asking to take a picture of their "Mount Him-Lays" and I said, "Whhhaaaa???"

The Himalayas?? Very cool! Where did they hear about that?? We haven't started school or anything formal just yet... So I asked.

Alex said, "Dusty! Dusty told us!"
And Andrew added, "Yeah, Dusty Crophopper, mama. Remember he had to fly over the biggest and tallest ever in the world Mount Him-Lays. Himalayas. It's the biggest mountain, you know. But, he went through the train tunnel. That was so cool."

Awesome. Score one for Dusty. Time for Mama to make a few points. So, we kept the conversation going and they learned that Mount Everest is the highest point and that the Himalayas are a bunch of mountains. So, they went on to make a few mini mountains afterwards. Go them! And, Mama scored two points. Ha!

 
 But while they were finishing up their mountain range, they got a visit by a blue dragonfly. And the dragonfly was not just a dragonfly... Oh, no. It was Martin Kratt, of course. And he was CLEARLY using his Dragonfly Power. Love their imaginations! And, we love that show!

 

Weekly Goals & Menu Plan {Back to School - Week 1}

Hello! Welcome to the Back-to-School, Part 1 Week! :) Andrew starts school this week!! But before we get on that topic, let's take a look back at what happened last week, shall we?

{MONDAY}

It was a sad morning... Sure, I woke up bright and early, but there was NO coffee creamer in the house ANYWHERE. Oh, it was so sad... 

 

But, I did plan out the boys' lunches/snacks for the first full week of school. So that is something. 

  We did head out and got some coffee creamer (and by some I mean 3 huge things so we wouldn't have THAT again...) after breakfast - thank goodness! We also ran to the library for some book hunting. 

{TUESDAY}

YUM. 5:30 AM Coffee :) 

Tuesday was "Meet the Teacher Day" for Andrew! YAY!! He is so excited about his new classroom! 

After lunch, we headed home to get out some back-to-school books and get a few to-do's done. 

I love these little books! 

Eddie Gets Ready for School

If You Take a Mouse to School

Sea Monster's First Day

The Mine-O-Saur

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

The Night Before Preschool

Mama's jobs for the day:

Clean up that stinkin' hall closet that is filled to the top with puzzles and games! 

 MUCH better! Now to just add a few labels...

 And, of course, under they boys' bathroom sink. You would be amazed at what I found under there... 

{WEDNESDAY}

Project day :) Fun! 

 What do you think? They boys are still so excited that I made them a railroad crossing sign for their room! Just a few more small things to add and their room will be 100% DONE! 

 We did this project while Alex was napping, so when Andrew and I got to the drying stages we ran out to grab the mail. Look what came for Austin! Awesome. Gotta love fun things from Zulily!

{THURSDAY}

Working hard on his school work. He had to count how many of each shape he would find, then write the numbers. He did a great job!

{SATURDAY}

 

 Guess what we FINALLY did...?!

HELLO! We FINALLY painted Austin's room! YAY!! The color is called "Mineral Deposit" from Sherwin-Williams. I love it! Now, I can really finish up this room. YAY!

While, the paint was drying, I was able to get a few things from the attic that I knew I had saved...like my baby bjorn and the pack-n-play (that has the bassinet/changing table parts). But, guess what my husband found!

HAHA!! Apparently, I only saved the essentials in case of a new baby! Too funny! Yep. All Packers things ranging from 3 months to 18 months. That. Is. Hilarious. 

{SUNDAY}

 Birthday Party Time! We headed over to Gerald's house to celebrate his 3rd birthday. The boys loved that pinata! Check out that face Andrew is making. He CLEARLY needs to be on a t-ball team! Maybe next year... 

My hot Sunday night date...with my planner, massive lists, and a fun drink sans the much-needed/wanted rum LOL It's orange juice, sprite zero, and pink lemonade. Jason had some then said, "We need some brandy." Haha! It was pretty good, even if it wasn't  a "real" fun drink.

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So, you can see that some of those things I wanted to take care of actually happened. Let's see how the rest turned out:

Family Goals:

1. Work on schoolwork on off-days after breakfast Done!

2. Family walk after dinner Yeah....so didn't happen. Apparently Baby Austin doesn't want to do that...

3. Work on learning the "Glory Be" before bedtime (they almost have this one down!) We have all the words down except for the "world without end" part. So, it is a work in progress. But, isn't that how it should be with your faith? ;)

Personal Goals:

4. Wake up at 530 am...fun! (Though, it really isn't all that bad. This will be the 3rd week in a row now) Happy to report that I am now waking up BEFORE the alarm clock! Ha!

5. Read Catholic Mom's Cafe, A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy, and Glorious Grace (part of the Hello Mornings Challenge) in the morning  It is so wonderful to have the mornings start like this.

6. Begin gathering items for hospital bag with the thing that are ACTUALLY needed/used (some of these lists are ridiculous, people... Who puts these things together? Not REAL moms that's for sure). This is only partly done. I did get most of the things set aside, but not all.

Home Goals:

7. Crafting: Football scarf from old Packers shirts of mine (similar to this) / Make train Crossing sign for boys' room The Packers scarf is just hanging out for the moment. I have the materials and such set aside. Maybe this week. But, I did finish the train crossing sign!!

8. Do: Paint Austin's room...for cryin' out loud! It's is supposed to be the perfect weekend for this - keep your fingers crossed! OH. HAPPY. DAY!! The room is FINALLY painted!!!!

9. Organize: Hall closet and under boys' bathroom sink / Go through scrap fabric stash for smaller projects for Austin Done, done, done! Now to decide on those smaller projects. I have a list. Just not sure what all I want to make.

Bonus Goal:

10. Andrew's Birthday Party To Do's: Order invites / Decide on menu / Chose 1 or 2 activities (all with Andrew's help - he cracks me up!) I love having my helper boy Andrew :) We got all of these things done for this part of the planning. Yay! This is going to be a super fun party! :)

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This Week's Goals:

Family Goals:
1. School starts this week for Andrew! Re-read our back-to-school books this week. Bed by 7:30pm / Up at 6:30am
2. Family game night - Yay!
3. Continue working on the "Glory Be" with the boys before bed

Personal Goals:
4. Rise and shine! Waking up at 5:15 now due to school this week.
5. Keep reading through Catholic Mom's Cafe, A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy, and Glorious Grace in the morning.
6. Finish up getting hospital bag together.

Home Goals:
7. Crafting: Start working on football scarf / If fabric comes in this week for Austin's quilt, then I hope to start on that, too.
8. Organize: Laundry room / under our bathroom sinks

Bonus Goals:
9. Austin's room to-do list/timeline
10. Freezer cooking to-do list/time line

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Looks like a much easier week than last now that Austin's room is painted, huh? Our menu is pretty easy, too. Thanks to a few requests from preschooler #1 aka Andrew :)

Monday: Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken, Rice, Broccoli

Tuesday: Spaghetti / Dessert: ABC Treat Bars

Wednesday: Bean & Cheese Burritos, Chips/Salsa

Thursday: Pizza / Dessert: M&M Cookie Bars

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Grilled Chicken, Salad, and Fruit

Sunday: Ham & Cheese Sliders, Chips

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Did I wear anyone out with all of this yet? Well, it's not going to slow down anytime soon, that's for sure! Andrew starts school in the morning, so be on the lookout for a fun post about him tomorrow!

Have a great week!