christmas pinspiration

Howdy y'all!

I am sitting here going on day 5 of being at home with sicklies. And the only thing that has kept me sane is Pinterest. So today I thought I would post some of my favorite Christmas pins to start getting in the holiday mood. 

happy turkey day

From our family to yours...

surviving the holidays with sick kids

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and sadly both of my boys are down with the flu. I am sad that we will not be spending this Thanksgiving with family, but I am happy that we can spend time together as a family while everyone recovers. I am praying that Mike and I don't get it, well at least me so I can stay well enough to take care of my boys.  

I thought I would share my top 3 tips on surviving the holidays with sick kiddos.

1. Make sure that you have a couple cans of soup, some crackers and gatorade on hand. 

It's almost guaranteed that if you cook your sick child will not want to eat whatever it is. I always try to have chicken & stars or chicken noodle on hand so they can opt for that. Crackers come in handy for upset tummies or to eat before they take medicines that require food before taking. The gatorade I think is really important. My kids HATE drinking water when they are sick. I try to keep some gatorade around because high fevers will dehydrate kids really fast. Plus, when you have more than one sick kid you can give them each a different color so they don't get drinks mixed up and pass even more germs around.

2. Have the essential medicines on hand and updated.

Tylenol, Advil, Benadryl, Delsym (or some other cough medicine approved by your pediatrician), Vitamin C (for the parents) and Saline Swabs for little noses. And you can't forget the measuring cups and syringes! These are the most common medications used when you have a sick little one. I try go through my medicine basket every couple of months and replace anything that has expired. There is nothing worse than having a child with a 104* fever at 2 am and expired Tylenol. (Another thing I try to keep on hand is Nature's Way Sambucus Black Elderberry Syrup. It is a great natural immune boosting, virus fighting berry syrup that is safe for kids over 2 and adults.)

3. Let your TV babysit.

I will be the first person to tell you that I do not like my kids to lay round all day watching TV. But in some cases it is ok. When you have two sick kids, who's bodies hurt the last thing I need to do is make them play just because I don't want them watching cartoons. To be honest, it makes my life a little easier. They are not as whiney as long as something good is on and it is a lot easier for me to get stuff done around the house (or rest if I am feeling sickly).

4. A MUST: Clorox Wipes, Lysol Spray and Hand Sanitizer.
These are a must for any household with sick people. Normally I go the natural cleaner route, but when someone gets sick I crack out the tuff stuff. I try to spray all the rooms with Lysol at least a few times a day. Especially where the kids have been laying around and coughing all day. I always spray the door knobs, remotes, chairs, etc. And I have strategically placed bottles of hand sanitizer all around the house. I may seem like overkill, but you will be thankful for it later :)

Also...  if you don't already have these, I highly recommend them:

Braun ThermoScan Ear Thermometer 

I have used every kind of thermometer on the market and I absolutely love this one! It is super easy to use, it is ready as soon as you turn it on and it only takes seconds to give you accurate results. Plus, I can even take their temp while they are sleeping without waking them.

Netflix or a Couple of DVD's

I know that not everybody has Netflix on demand, and that is okay. Dvd's work wonderfully too! The kids love watching movies when they are sick. They have a bunch of great kids holiday movies out this year!

Simply Saline Nasal Swabs

I found these the other day at the store. My oldest was having problems with his nose going between runny and super dry. When it would get super dry he would have these horrible nose bleeds. These have worked wonders! For little ones, I think they work better than the spray. 

halloween 2012

Here are pictures from this last weeks Halloween festivities.

Hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween!

baptism day

Dear Jacob, 

Today you got baptized. I want to start by telling you how proud I am of you for the decision you have made. You now have Jesus in your heart and nothing you ever do will make him leave you. You looked so grown up today up there in the baptism tub. It took everything I had not to cry on camera in front of all those people. I can't wait to see what the Lord has planned for your life. You are going to do great and wonderful things. I hope you know how special you are to me and that I am ever so thankful that God chose me to be your mommy. I could not ask for a better son. 

I love you with all my heart, 

Mama

ready for that getaway!

If you read my post last week about wanting to go on a mini vacation then you would know that I stalk the webcams in and around Jackson Hole, Wyoming. There is just something about the place that makes me want to throw on some Uggs and curl up with a big ol' fluffy blanket and a good book. 

I would move there tomorrow if my husband would let me!

I am a fan of the warm weather and all, but it has to be in the right setting. You know, like a beach vacation or something. 

Just looking at these pictures makes me feel all chilly and in the mood for Fall. 

This is what town square looked like when I logged on to take a glimpse...

Beautiful! Doesn't this just make you happy to see that someone out there is getting this lovely weather.

So jealous! I would love to be outside with the boys building a snowman or making snow angels. 

I can keep dreaming. If this winter is anything like it was last year, and I pray it is, then we will have plenty of chances to make snowmen and snow angels!

day date

The past few weeks my hubby and I have not got to spend a whole lot of time together with work and kids and all so he took the day off to spend with me since both the boys were at school. 

It was wonderful! 

You know, we didn't do anything super special or spend any money, but the day was everything a girl could hope for. The most exciting thing we did the whole day was vote! 

Yes, on our date day we went and early voted :)

And I got my shirt in from Victoria's Secret that I ordered for the wedding that I am shooting next weekend. I don't look as sexy as one of those models in this outfit, but I think I'm rockin' it pretty well! 

(If you have never tried Dr. Scholls Fast Flats, I highly recommend them! So comfortable!)

new mama-mobile

Back in August I was starting to get new car fever. Bad.

I was really wanting to downsize a little, but not too much. My Suburban was amazing and had lots of room, but it was way too big most of the time with just two kiddos. Plus, I have always wanted a Tahoe.

So while we were in Dallas for a Rangers game we went to a few car lots to look and see if we found anything that we just fell in love with. After 4 different car dealerships and lots of talking and praying we found the perfect one. We worked everything out and it took about a week to get all the paperwork complete and my new car delivered to me. I have never had a brand new car before so I still get pretty excited when I get in and smell that new leather smell.

This was Betty. She was a good car that was with us through a lot. 

This is my new mama mobile and I have named her Ethel. Yes, I realize she looks very similar to Betty, but what can I say, I have a thing for white cars :)

The captain chairs make it so much easier to get people in and out of the 3rd row!

I love it that when we are parked I can watch movies with the kids :) And I never get lost anymore!

pumpkiny fun

On Saturday since Mike was bow hunting I decided I would take the boys to the local pumpkin patch and farm. The last time I went was last year when Jake was in kindergarten, so I thought that it would be fun for the boys to run and play till they could't run and play anymore. 

And it was GREAT! 

Except for the fact that it was 90* outside! 

Maybe I'm just being difficult, but when I go to the pumpkin patch I want it to be cold. And if not cold at least a little chilly. Don't get me wrong it's nice to be outside and not freeze to death, but it would be nice to pick out pumpkins and not be dripping with sweat. 

No matter what the weather the boys had a blast and at the end of the day that is all that really matters!

Here are a few pictures from our day :)

testing... 1, 2... testing

Testing out a post from my new MacBook :)

I have been using Windows Live Writer, but now I am not sure what to use. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them!

i need of a decorator

The holidays are fast approaching and we will be staying home this year. in light of that, I want to have my family over for Christmas Eve and not have my house looking like a hott mess. The only problem is I need to get it in gear! I am such a procrastinator it’s not even funny.

The first thing people see if they walk in through the front door is the entryway. My teeny tiny entryway.

I painted my door a while back and recently bought a new entry table that I got at Hobby Lobby for $30!

 

My idea is to remove the picture frames from the wall and hang a mirror above the table to make the whole space appear bigger. Here are a few of my favorite ideas...

  

The next area people see is the living room.

I have rearranged my living room a million times over the past couple of years and the best arrangement for its odd shape is the picture below to the left. It feels a lot more open that way. The bottom right picture shows you the huge wall across the back that I need to find something to do with.

  

I really need to get that horrible paneling off my walls! Then I am going to paint them the same color as my kitchen :) Bar Harbor Beige. But maybe cut by 50% or so just to make it a little brighter.

 

I really want to replace my cowhide rug with a cute zebra rug :)
I found a couple that are actually pretty affordable.

Other than that I don’t have a clue what I want to do with my living room :(

Why does decorating have to be so hard???

*sigh*

bad choice

Not too long ago I ordered this duvet cover from Macy’s after weeks of searching and thought it was perfect for my room.

Boy was I wrong!

Who is the genius that thought black bedding in a house with a white dog was a good idea? Oh ya... ME!

Let me tell you that it is not! If you have a throw blanket, the little fuzzies get all over it. If your kid gets toothpaste on it, there is no getting it out and if your dog jumps on your bed who just so happens to have white fur, just give up and walk away.

I am again looking for a new duvet for my bed.

The hunt begins for new bedding.... again! *sigh*