I'm Just A Girl

A Look Back at 2012

2013-01-03T21:36:00.001-06:00

There is so much to be said about the year 2012. I will keep this brief though. I went into 2012 with hopes of it being the best year of my life. I had so many great things planned. Unfortunately, 2012 had other plans. In 2013, I resolve to be happy no matter what the year brings.

In January we made a trip up to Minnesota to visit some good friends. It was a great start to the new year. The boys loved the snow and we had such a great time we decided to make it an annual trip!

In February we said goodbye to Grandpa Taylor, one of the strongest men I know.

In March we made another trip to Texas to see Jeremy's family. During our trip we made another visit to a zoo!

In April we were able to be a part of Mike and Colette's BIG day! Jeremy officiated his first wedding.

In May I started a new job. I'm just getting my foot in the door of the financial industry. We'll see where that takes me! It's not exactly what I expected to be doing but it is working well for the time being.

In June we moved, again! We had been in our last apartment for two years and we needed just a little more space. We found a great duplex to meet our needs at this time. Hopefully our next move will be into a home that we own.

In July we went on our first cruise with Jeremy's family. Trip of a lifetime! I loved every minute of it. As a matter of fact, I can't wait to go on another one and then another one!

In August Noah started preschool. I still can't believe it. He loves school so much and adores his teachers!

In September we had a family photo shoot by my cousin CJ. Best family pictures we've had in a while!

In October my dear brother David passed away. Even though David has always had health issues, it came as a shock. I miss him so much everyday. I created a memorial page for him here.

In November some family members ran/walked a 5k in David's honor. It was the perfect way to honor David. It combined his love for turkeys and the outdoors AND it helped to support the special olympics! On another note, Grandma Probst fell and injured her hip on Thanksgiving day. She is still in the hospital recovering from various health issues.

In December, we tried our best to have a cheerful holiday season. It has been difficult with ups and downs. We really focused on trying to make the holidays special for the boys.

A Penny for Your Thoughts...

2012-08-20T21:04:00.002-05:00

It seems that most of my silly stories are about Noah. Don't be fooled though, Asa has had his fair share of silly moments too! Just the other day I was cleaning with Asa when he found a penny. He began to inspect his new treasure. I watched his face light up as he turned it over. "It's daddy!, it's daddy!" He shouted as he shoved the penny in my face. He was absolutely ecstatic! I couldn't help but laugh at the thought. I even let him carry daddy's picture around in his pocket for the rest of the day.

Toot, toot!!!

2012-08-08T18:08:00.001-05:00

Just the other day I was driving the car with Noah and Asa in the back seat. Noah got really excited and shouted, "I farted!" Realizing that Noah will be starting preschool in just a few short weeks, I took this opportunity to teach my sweet 3 year old some manners. I turned to Noah and said "Can you please say toot next time?"

Even more excited, Noah smiled and shouted, "Toot, toooooot! I farted!" I'm worried he may be the class clown.

America's Next Toddler Model

2012-03-31T12:14:00.000-05:00

We had family pictures taken this past week. We had fantastic photographers that did wonderful with the boys. The boys were soooo smiley that day too! I turns out that Noah is a model in the making. (I cringed as I typed that last sentence.) I don't know if he has watched too much Top Model with his Moppy or what but he was a ham that day. He was striking pose after pose for the camera. See for yourself.

They did take pictures of the rest of us. We weren't quite as enthusiastic as Noah though. And just for the record we will be eliminating America's Next Top Model from his television time.

Toddler Bling

2012-02-29T14:58:00.000-06:00

Noah has discovered what a wonderful place Chuck E. Cheese is for children. Jeremy and I have discovered what a nightmare it is for parents. Even still, we like to treat the boys and take them there on occasion. After a few visits we have accumulated enough tickets for Noah to pick out a prize.

The glass display case was right at eye level for Noah to pick the perfect prize. I cringed when I saw its contents though. The majority of the items were a choking hazard for Asa. What would Noah choose? Heaven forbid he wanted the creepy crawly fake bugs. Yuck. Surely he wouldn't pick the neon whistle, I hoped. I had my sights set on the Chinese finger trap. I was already envisioning Noah with a finger stuck in each end, crying for me to help him. That's when I realized Noah had already picked his prize. As the young lady retrieved it from the case and handed it over to Noah, he let out a squeal.

Much to my surprise Noah had a picked a $ sign ring. I'll never understand why. It absolutely was the highlight of the trip though. I even snapped a couple of pictures so I could tease him about it later.

Ice Cream, I scream!

2012-02-22T11:54:00.000-06:00

Kids are a joy to have, sometimes. Yesterday we had one of those moments that reminded us of the happiness only a child can bring.

Jeremy had just walked out of the kitchen with a bowl. I caught a glimpse of him pulling a spoon out of his mouth and asked, "Are you eating ice cream?" He shook his head replied, "potato salad." At this time Noah realized Jeremy was eating and shouted, "ice cream!" He rushed to Jeremy and said, "I wanna bite. Ice Cream!"

Jeremy shrugged and held a spoonful of the potato salad out for Noah. Without even looking Noah engulfed the spoonful. I wish I had a video of his reaction because words don't do it justice. A look of pure horror came over Noah's face. His jaw dropped open. He was unable to swallow the potato salad. Jeremy and I laughed hysterically at his reaction for a moment. Then Jeremy asked Noah if he wanted some more ice cream. Noah was quick to respond with, "No! Yucky. No more."

I feel bad that we may have ruined ice cream for Noah but it was kind of worth it for that reaction.

Our 2011 in Review

2011-12-31T15:54:00.000-06:00

Here's what happened...

In January, we kicked off the new year in my mom's hospital room. She had her gall bladder removed. We also sold our last house in Moberly, Mo. What a relief!

In Feburary, Jeremy and I went to a youth ministry conference in St. Louis together. It was great to get away from the boys for a weekend and fuel our passion for ministry.

In March, we traveled to Texas for spring break. We had a great time with Jeremy's family and the boys got to go to the Zoo for the first time.

Jerm and Noah at Fortworth Zoo

In April, Jeremy got to preach at our Sunday morning church service. He did great! This helped reaffirm our calling to ministry.

In May, Asa turned one. I now have two ornery toddler boys. I saw my favorite band - Bowling for Soup - in concert for the 4th time! We also went to Texas to celebrate the college graduation of Jeremy's sister, Elaina.

Me and Ash w/ Chris from BFS

Jerm and Asa (1st b-day)

In June, I kicked off my cake pop business. It went well but I soon found out that I want more in life than making cake pops 24/7.

Fishing Bobber Basket

July was a big month. We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. We spent a couple of nights at Chateau Avalon. I seriously can't believe it has been 5 years already! We learned about fireworks safety, courtesy of my brother, Matt. We also celebrated the marriage of my cousin CJ and her new husband Steve.

Chateau Avalon

Matt broke every tip that was highlighted

Mr. and Mrs. Steve Justice

In August, I must have hit my head. I cannot remember anything from this month!

In September, Noah turned three. I was also able to see Blink-182 in concert with my long-time friend Amanda.

Amanda and I at Blink-182

In October, we lost a dear friend of the family. Davie was such a good friend to my brother. He will not be forgotten.

Matt's fishing buddy

In November, we were able to buy a new car. It gets way better gas mileage than that old truck!

In December, my brave grandfather survived his 12th heart attack. Toughest guy I know!

Grandpa and Asa

I'm sure I could have written a post about each of these events but it seems like I never have time to write anymore. I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year!

Santa Claus is coming to town!

2011-12-08T21:04:00.000-06:00

As of right now I don't see Santa as being a part of our family's Christmas. Jeremy and I have many reasons but I won't bore you with those. Don't get me wrong- I'm not hating on Santa. After all, I'll never forget the year he brought me my very own keyboard! I remember how excited I was as I brought it into my parents bedroom to serenade them at 5 a.m. on Christmas day. (I'm sure Mom and Dad won't forget either.)

Despite the fact that Santa won't be bringing my children obnoxious musical instruments, Noah is very aware of who Santa is. Santa is like the coolest cartoon character ever at this time. Noah could spot that red coat a mile away. Just this past week someone asked Noah what Santa was going to bring him. Noah in a very excited but matter-of-fact voice replied, "Uhh...reindeer, reindeer, reindeer and uh... reindeer." Goofy kid. He must have forgotten that animals are on the "Do Not Get List" for Christmas gifts.

Christmas 2010

It's a Guy Thing

2011-11-11T12:00:00.001-06:00

Potty training is way harder than college. Ugh. I mean potty training the boys. However, introducing Asa to the potty has given Noah some extra motivation.

Last week Jeremy and I sat Asa on the potty and he went for the first time! Jeremy and I were so proud of him. We were still celebrating as Noah ran in and jumped on the potty. He stayed there for 15 minutes trying. He probably would have stayed longer but we made him go to bed. I can already see that the boys are going to be very competitive!

Playing Catch Up

2011-11-10T21:33:00.001-06:00

*This post is a an update on our family*

The last couple of months have been crazy busy. We had a great summer and already busy fall. There was really never a dull moment. We even made it to the zoo three times (see pic below!)

Starting the cake pop business has been exhausting. I've finally decided to call it quits. It just took too much time away from more important things. I enjoyed it though and I'm not done with cake pops forever. I'm sure I'll still be bringing them to family dinners and church functions.

The boys are growing so fast. At Noah's 3 year check up the doctor told me that he is the height of a 4 year old and the weight of a 5 year old! And it turns out that Asa eats as much as a teenage boy! (The doctor didn't say that last part but I know what I'm talking about.) They are so ornery. They get into everything! I'm sure I'll be posting more stories about them as I have more time.

I'm looking forward to the holidays. I'm already counting down the days till Thanksgiving. Jeremy won't let me put up Christmas decorations till the day after. I don't see what the big deal is. I mean Wal-Mart had their x-mas decorations out after Labor Day!

Well, that's all I have to say for now. I'm sure I'll be writing again soon.

I'm Just a Girl,
Tracy

Honey, I Shrank the Kids...Shoe

2011-09-06T17:23:00.000-05:00

What a hot summer it's been! I'm so glad it's finally starting to cool down and show signs of fall. I LOVE fall. Maybe it's because my birthday is in the fall or maybe it's because the holidays are just around the corner.

Last week the temperatures still reached into the 100's a couple of different days. On one of those days I was taking the boys out and running some errands. Asa lost a shoe on the way to the car so I picked it up for him and carried it till we got to the car. I ended up throwing it into the back window so I'd see it later and wouldn't forget it. The other shoe eventually went into our diaper bag.

I left the shoe in our window for hours that day while we went about and did our business. At the end of the day I saw the shoe and threw it into the diaper bag and carried it into the house. Yesterday Jeremy asked me if I knew what happened to Asa's shoes.

Apparently the shoe in the window had melted and shrank... a lot. I guess it's a good thing I didn't leave the kids in the car while I ran my errands!

I'm 100% Sane

2011-07-13T12:12:00.000-05:00

I never imagined that two little boys could be so wild together. If you follow my blog regularly, you've probably noticed I haven't posted in quite some time. While I'd like to attribute that to the new cake pop business keeping me so busy that's actually not the case. Yes, the cake pop business is going well, better than I ever expected.

It is the boys however that are keeping me from blogging. Right now, I have managed to keep them occupied by offering them pigs in a blanket but in approximately 3.5 minutes, they will be running wild again (covered in ketchup and mustard.) Last week, Noah smeared a jar of jelly all over the couch and redecorated the bathroom with a bottle of Hershey's syrup. Asa has mastered the art of climbing. He has broken two glasses and one plate in just a matter of days. I go from cleaning up one mess to the next. I'm even beginning to think they are planning this stuff out. One of them creates a diversion to distract me, while the other one carries out a massive act of destruction.

Last week someone gave Asa a shirt that appropriately said "100% good, 10% of the time." That sounds about right- if you are counting the 10% of the time as the time he sleeps. As for myself, I'm 100% sane but not very often. Well I better go, Asa is eating the dirt from the house plants -again!

Chubby Cheeks

2011-06-09T16:40:00.000-05:00

I never get tired of hearing the silly things little kids say or the flat out embarrassing things other peoples kids say! My cousin's daughter is always saying the funniest things. I was watching her yesterday and no surprise she had me laughing so hard I had to share!

We were sitting down eating and I said, "This is a pretty good lunch, huh?" Unfortunately, Kaylee reminded me that smoke detector had gone off. Trying to be clever, I told her that wasn't the smoke detector, that was the "lunch bell." She didn't buy it. Jeremy said, "Kaylee, you need to tell her that her nose is growing." Kaylee shook her head and said, "Her nose isn't growing. Her cheeks are chubby!" Apparently she didn't get the Pinocchio reference.

Of course I wasn't laughing at first. I was in a little state of shock and confused. She just told me I have chubby cheeks. But she is just so innocent, I couldn't hold it against her. I guess we'll have to watch Pinocchio sometime soon.

Birthday Boy! Bubby is One!

2011-05-27T18:22:00.001-05:00

Last week my little Asa turned one. I know every mom says this but I cannot believe how fast this last year has gone by! We celebrated with a sports theme party. My aunt was gracious enough to let us use her place. They have an amazing back yard with a new playground. We just had lemonade and ice tea, popsicles and cake pops. I made the cake pops into footballs and baseballs to go with the theme.

Asa had a great time. His face just lit up when everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. He even enjoyed opening his presents...at first. He was so happy to see his new toys but so upset when we took them away to give him the next present. Big brother, Noah, had a good time too. He is still walking around the house saying "mine" with all of Asa's new toys. Here's some of the pics. Enjoy!

Birthday Boy

Delicious Cupcake

Cake Pops

Sticky Situation

2011-05-10T21:37:00.000-05:00

For breakfast today Jeremy made us pancakes from scratch. They were pretty good too! We sat down at the table to chow down and Noah was very disappointed to see that his pancake did not come with syrup.

That's right, this mean mom didn't give him any syrup because I hate cleaning up the sticky stuff! So Noah began to pout and marched over to the fridge. I didn't care because I knew that wasn't where the syrup was. Noah dug around for a moment and finally emerged from the fridge. When he returned to the table he was carrying a bottle of mustard!

For heaven's sake child, if you need something on your pancake that bad I will just give you some syrup. When it came down to it, I'd rather clean up the syrup than watch him eat mustard on his pancakes.

How to Drive Your Mommy Crazy

2011-05-06T00:03:00.000-05:00

Here are 10 guaranteed ways to drive your mommy crazy, thought up by my very own toddler, Noah.

1. Dump a 5 gallon bucket of crayons on the floor.

2. When mommy tells you to pick the crayons up, use your toes.

3. Shove as many Cheerios up your nose as possible.

4. Empty a salt shaker on little brothers head.

5. Wipe boogers on the sliding glass door.

6. Lock mommy outside when she gets the mail.

7. Turn the volume on the TV all the way up.

8. Wake little brother up from his nap early.

9. Use your silverware to play the drums on everything you possibly can.

and last but not least...

10. Jump up and down on the couch shouting butt, butt, butt, butt!

Mother's Day Truths for Men

2011-05-03T11:55:00.001-05:00

Here's the 411 on Mother's Day from a REAL mom, not the writer of a Hallmark card. Ladies, now is the time to bookmark this page for your husbands. Better yet, you'd might as well just e-mail it to him or he'll never see it. While you're at it, go ahead and name your subject, "New Flat Screen TV" or "Free Taco Bell For a Year!"

1. First of all, next Sunday is Mother's Day. That is May 8, 2011. Don't forget. :) Mom's won't forget if you do.

2. You need to get a gift (at the very least a card) for your mom and the mother of your child. It doesn't matter if she is not your mother. She carried around your child and gave birth to your child. I could go into detail but I won't. Get her a gift!

3. Remember, Mother's Day is before Father's Day. We will remember how special our day was when we are thinking of yours.

4. Handmade cards are completely acceptable from children (and very much cherished.)

5. Breakfast in bed is also super sweet. Personally I would like to sleep in. Breakfast after 10 a.m. is fine. Check first.

6. Cereal is not acceptable as breakfast in bed, nor is a pop tart. Here are some never-fail suggestions: Pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, toast or biscuits and gravy.

7. Most importantly make sure that all the mom's in your life know how much they are loved and appreciated. After all being a mom is the hardest (and best) job in the world but unfortunatley the least appreciated at times.

Taco Cups

2011-04-29T14:27:00.001-05:00

At least once a week our family has tacos. We love them! It's kind of a pain though with Noah. It would be too messy to give him his own taco (not that he isn't messy with every food he eats!) So we usually just give him a few chips, some slices of cheese and a little ground beef on his plate. A while back I stumbled across "Taco Cups" on the internet and knew we had to give them a try!

So today Jeremy and I fixed tacos for lunch and gave Noah his own Taco Cups to try out. They were a hit! You just use Tostitos Scoops for the "cup" (which were on sale for $1.88 last week.) You could put whatever you want inside. We just put a piece of lettuce, seasoned beef, sour cream, cheese and taco sauce. Noah was able to pick them up without spilling them. He even ate 7 of them!

More Play-Doh Fun

2011-04-26T21:54:00.001-05:00

We pulled out our basket of play-doh again today despite our previous blunders. Everything seemed to be going well. I showed Noah my impressive sculpting skills. First I taught him how to roll the dough out into a snake. He loved it. Thinking hard, I also decided to show him how to make a worm. Maybe next time I can show him how to make a rope out of play-doh. I don't know why I didn't think of that earlier.

At least five minutes had gone by, I had run out of sculpting ideas and Noah's attention span had expired. It was time to pack up the play-doh. I must have been too caught up in rolling snakes to realize that half of Noah's red play-doh was no where to be found. I searched high and low for it. I have some suspicions as to where it may have gone though. Not so innocent Asa had been scouring the kitchen floor the entire time and Noah has been guilty of eating the molding compound before. Just wait, tomorrow I will let you know who the culprit was. At least it's non-toxic.

Good Friday to Bad Monday

2011-04-25T20:31:00.001-05:00

Let me start by saying that I am completely exhausted from our busy Easter weekend. As usual it was a wonderful weekend but it went by way too fast. Finally the boys are down for their naps and I have a brief moment to myself- BRIEF.

Friday evening we attended our church's Good Friday service. We snuck into the back row about five minutes late. Because it was a special service, there was no nursery and Jeremy and I did the best we could to keep the boys "under control." In an attempt to keep Asa quiet, I gave him a bottle during the service. Just moments after he finished it, he sat up and let out the manliest burp ever. As if that wasn't embarrassing enough, when a few heads turned to glance back at us, Jeremy pointed his finger at me! Thanks honey.

Yesterday we had a family dinner and an Easter egg hunt. Noah is starting to get that hang of this whole egg hunt thing. Almost. He did a great job of finding the eggs. Instead of putting the eggs in the basket however, he opened them immediately to see what he had found. The eggs contained money and candy! Each time he found candy he said "Mmmmmm," and popped a jelly bean into his mouth. But when he found money he said, "Oh no!" and dropped it to move on to the next egg.

Fast forward a little and here we are, Monday. The kids all have sugar highs and I am wore out from the events of the weekend. Pictures to come soon. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and were able to spend time reflecting on the true meaning behind the holiday. Jesus suffered and died on the cross for everyone's sins so that we can spend forever with Him. He rose again on the third day and is alive. AMEN!

How to Wash Cloth Diapers

2011-04-22T14:57:00.001-05:00

Perhaps the biggest reason I did not use cloth diapers sooner is because you have to wash them. Duh. Anyways, it's really not as bad as it sounds. Pretty much the worst part is actually changing the diaper and you kinda have to do that whether you use cloth diapers or disposable diapers.

Just to make it simple I thought I'd share the process with those of you that are interested. just for the record, it's best to follow your manufacturers directions.

Dirty Diaper Storage

Step 1: Store diaper till washing day. (If it is poopy, you will need to shake the poop into the toilet. Breastfed baby poop will wash out easily and doesn't need to be removed.)

Step 2: Empty diapers into washer. If you have a diaper pail liner you can wash it with the diapers.

Step 3: Cold rinse to remove residues.

Step 4: Hot wash and add detergent. No fabric softeners (they will leave a build up that affects absorbancy.)

Step 5: Second risnse (if necessary)

Step 6: Dry- Line dry or place in dryer.

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Tips
~Keep diapers in a sealed container till wash day
~Dry pail, less smell
~Many manufacturers recommend placing covers in the dryer every now and then to "seal" any small holes in the waterproofing layers.
~Sunlight is a great, natural whitener
~Vinegar in the rinse cycle will remove soap residues, neutralize urine odors and remove stains. Only use 2 Tb spoons though!

Related Posts
The Cloth Diaper Experiment
Cloth Diaper Update

Laundry Mishap

2011-04-22T13:44:00.002-05:00

A little over a month ago, Noah- being typical made a mess. He got into my laundry detergent and dumped it all over my carpet in the hall way! I spent hours trying to clean up that mess. I ran our carpet cleaner over and over the puddle. It just got bubblier and bubblier. I was finally left with a faded blue stain. Luckily my laundry detergent wasn't full. It was actually less than half way full.

The next day I went to the store and bought a new jug of detergent. I came home and placed it on the dryer. Sure enough later that week, Noah dumped the full, brand new detergent on my carpet again! What a waste. Laundry detergent isn't cheap either. I was out another $8+ and I spent another two hours trying to clean the carpet.

I kept hearing about people making there own "homemade laundry detergent." I had no idea you could do that. I had my doubts about it too. Does it work? Is it worth the effort? Where do you get the ingredients- Amish country? In the end, is it actually cost effective? Well, I found out for myself.

First, here's the recipe I used.

Hot water
1/2 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
1/3 bar Soap (grated)

In a large pot, heat 3 pints of water. Add the grated bar soap and stir until melted. Then add the washing soda and borax. Stir until powder is dissolved, then remove from heat.
In a 2 gallon clean pail, pour 1 quart of hot water and add the heated soap mixture. Top pail with cold water and stir well.
Use 1/2 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (will gel).

I've been using this for just over a month now and it is FABULOUS. First of all it was cheap to make. The total cost of all the ingredients was cheaper than the $8 bottle of detergent I was previously using. Plus, I still have enough ingredients to last a year!

It was so easy to make. It only took like 10 minutes to throw it together. The first batch that I made lasted about 5 weeks. I can live with 10 minutes every five weeks. Also, I noticed my laundry was much brighter after the first load. It makes sense though. I mean look at what my old detergent did to my carpet!

By the way, you can find the ingredients at your local grocery store too! I had to go to a second store to find the Washing Soda though. They don't carry that at Walmart. Check Ace Hardware if you have one nearby.

Anyways, If you're interested in savings some $$$ or you have a two year old that enjoys pouring out laundry detergent give this a try.

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Tips
~The detergent won't be bubbly so don't worry when it isn't!
~You can add a scent if you want.
~I recommend using Fels Naptha or Ivory for the soap.
~For inexpensive fabric softener add two table spoons of white vinegar to the rinse cycle.
~1pint = 2 cups

Confessions of a Mom

2011-04-21T13:27:00.000-05:00

Some of yesterdays events inspired me to write about some of my "Confessions" as a Mom. I guess there are a few things I just need to get off of my chest.

1. I didn't want kids. I'm happy that God blessed me with children but until a couple of years ago they were never in my plans.

2. I look forward to going to the grocery store. I stay home with the boys for at least 50 hours a week. I really look forward to getting away no matter what the reason.

3. I HATE Barney and Friends.

4. Losing pregnancy weight is much harder than I ever imagined. I had never had a problem losing weight before in my life. It's as if my metabolism suddenly realized I am not a teenager anymore and came to a sudden halt.

5. I hated breastfeeding. I felt like a fat dairy cow. I was exhausted and it wasn't fair that I had to take care of every feeding!

6. I felt like I had to breastfeed both my boys or I would be a horrible mother. After all, "breast milk is best for your baby." I know breast milk is the healthiest choice but it doesn't always work out and I felt super guilty when it didn't work for us.

7. For Mother's Day, what I really what is a day away from my kids. A "me" day.

8. I didn't enjoy every minute of pregnancy. Especially not the morning sickness, nausea, stretch marks, Braxton Hicks contractions, back aches, pinched sciatic nerve, insomnia and weight gain. However I loved feeling baby kicks and hearing the heat beat over the monitor. That was absolutely amazing every time.

9. I don't appreciate unsolicited advice. For example, if you happen to notice my stretch marks (not easy to miss) please keep your remarks to yourself. If you say, "You should have put some cocoa butter on those," I might not say anything to you but I'm probably ready to bite your head off or snap back at you. And just for the record, I did use cocoa butter everyday and still got stretch marks.

10. Even though car seats save lives, they are a huge pain in the rear end.

11. I don't like changing diapers. I don't mind changing diapers but I certainly don't enjoy it. I've been in situations where a child needs a diaper changed (ie, nursery) and when it comes to decide who will change the diaper, it's always a mom. "oh she's a mom, she likes changing diapers." Really?! No way!

12. Baby carriers never get any easier to carry.

13. The last book I read was by Dr. Suess.

14. I always carry around baby wipes.

15. I have a song from Seasame Street stuck in my head right now.

16. The last movie I saw was by Disney.

17. Being a mom is the hardest thing I've ever had to do!

What's your mom confession? I know you have some.

Lots of Love

2011-04-20T17:07:00.000-05:00

I am so blessed to have such loving and supporting family! I wouldn't trade my family for anything. They are always they for you.

Sometime last year one of our cousins had lost a loved one. They had updated their facebook status to request prayers. My sweet grandmother commented on their status saying, "I'm sorry for your loss lol."

I couldn't believe my eyes! "I'm sorry for your loss lol." Grandma! Seriously!?! It turns out that she though lol meant "lots of love". Now every time someone writes lol I smile a little.

Lots of Love,
Tracy

Chores List

2011-04-18T16:17:00.001-05:00

I wanted share my chore "to do" list with everyone. Having three boys in the home plus two extra boys that I've been babysitting lately, this place can get messy fast! The previous paper pad I had on my fridge was no longer getting the job done. Chores began to feel overwhelming and no matter how much work I had done in a day, I never felt a sense of accomplishment.

My first step was to organize my chores into daily, weekly and monthly lists. Of course the never ending chores, dishes and laundry made it onto my daily list. I also added no brainers like make lunch and boys naps. I don't know about you but when I cross something off my to do list, it makes me feel pretty good.

I was reading another blog that recommended laminating your to do list and using a dry erase marker on it. What a great idea! No need to use a different piece of paper everyday. I actually don't have the supplies to laminate my list though so I put it in a picture frame. The dry erase marker works great on the glass.

I was almost done but to be honest, I wasn't thrilled about framing and hanging a piece of black and white paper on the wall so I got a little creative. I pulled out my scrapbooking stash and did what I could to make it a little more presentable.

There ya go. That's my to do list. Notice I haven't crossed anything off today! Now if someone has some ideas for actually getting these chores done, please share lol.