Life Hacks Of A Working Mom

This probably applies to moms in general but since I am a "working mom" this is my life story...

• "Turn down for what" only means one thing...coffee!
• "Me time" only happens when both my husband and my child are napping...this is a rare commodity
• I know it's time to shave my legs when I see black strands of hair protruding from my legs
• I drive down the road singing Bubble Guppies...and I'm all alone
• I make a wonderful gourmet  Italian soup called...Progresso 
• A day off from work can only mean one thing, time to finally clean my house
• Finding one last pair of clean socks means I can put off laundry for at least one more day...maybe two
• If my child pukes on me before I get to work, no need to fear Tide-to-Go is here! 
• A $5 pizza is easier than making Mac & Cheese
• All of my daily errands have to be condensed into a 30 minute slot called a lunch break
• Movie date night with the hubby means the new LMN movie & take out
• Who needs diaper bags when you have disposable Walmart bags
• Coffee in the morning, coffee in the afternoon and coffee to help me do all the chores at night
• I rejoice when my child comes home from the baby sitters ready to take a nap because it means I get to nap to! :D 
• If the decision is between sleeping an extra 15 min. in the morning or wearing makeup to work...that's a no brainer 
• I use dry shampoo...a lot
• And most important of all...being a mom is the biggest blessing a woman could have and I would do it all over again tomorrow! :) 

Being a mom is the hardest, most challenging, best thing that has ever happened to me! Sometimes I think I just want to sit down and cry, that's when I look up and my daughter looks at me and says "I love you mommy" and I realize all is well with my little crazy world! I am blessed! 

Idea of Minimalism

I recently saw an instagram post of this chicks blog Caroline Joy Rector. She is a minimalist fashion blogger who builds her whole wardrobe with just 37 items of clothing, including shoes & purses! When I first came across her system I thought to myself...HOLY MOLY only 37 pieces!? I knew I had probably more than 37 pairs of shoes! I was astonished that any female could only own 37 pieces of clothing but yet still be fashionable. So, me being the researcher and "nosey rosey" that I am, I had to find out more about this minimalist lifestyle.



My research led me to countless blogs, YouTube videos, and articles. The more I read about it the more I realized that it is totally AWESOME! The idea of minimalism is basically simplicity, and who doesn't need more of that?!


I started just researching minimalist wardrobe's but it actually stems a lot farther than just wardrobes. Minimalism is more of a lifestyle, not just something you apply to your clothes. The whole idea of living within your means, living simple and clutter free so that you can focus your energy and attention on what matters most in life; is something I have been searching for, for a while now!


The whole concept really puts my mind at ease. So as I start along this journey of purging, cleaning, de-cluttering, and simplifying I will start posting more about the steps I am taking to live a more simple life in the midst of a chaotic world. Now, will I sell everything I own and live in an RV for the rest of my days...um I think not! But I am excited to see where this journey takes me. I just wanna be a Duggar. Nuff said!


Check out this girls YouTube page! She is a minimalist who centers her decision to live simple around Jesus Christ! Woot woot! Praise! Carrie Peterson

Potty Training: 101

It's hard for me to believe that it's time for my child to start potty training! It just seems like yesterday I was changing her mustard yellow, scentless newborn diaper and now she WANTS to use the "big girl potty". She will be two in November and my goal is for her to be completely potty trained by her birthday. Note: I have not pushed her to potty train, she has given plenty of signs, including literally telling me she needs/wants to use the potty. I have done extensive research on the best way to potty train and have gotten a few good tips that I have used but I have also learned to make it your own.

I have never been a "by the book" type of woman or mom. I like to take tips from other moms, blogs, magazines, ect and put my own twist on them! Making it my own has helped me to figure out what works best for Emery's likes and dislikes. So don't be afraid to step outside the box on your potty training ideas!

These are some tips/tricks that have helped Emery (so far) in her potty training journey. Like I said, these are things that are currently helping HER, so don't freak out if these don't work for your little one.

1. Potty seat NOT chair!

I was so excited to show Emery her new Dora the Explorer potty chair but soon found out that it was not floating her boat at all! She was much more amazed with the "big potty". So I purchased a potty seat, and it has worked like a charm. For some reason my tiny tot is fascinated by using the "big potty" which is a plus for mommy as well because she can't climb off the "big potty" like she could the potty chair (hehe)!

2. Time to Potty App

I'm not one of those people who use an app for everything in their lives but I will have to say that the Time to Potty App by Pull Ups has helped me a lot! The app allows you to customize to your child's age, gender, and what time they get up and go to bed. Then it recommends you to start the child out potting every 45 minutes, which I have found to be true, then when it's time to potty a fun alarm will go off on your phone. You can then document if your child pottied and if his/her pull-up was wet. So far this app has worked like a charm and has really helped me to keep up with Emery's potty times!

3. Rewards

Because who wants to pee in the potty without getting a special treat for it! We have a couple of different rewards for potting. The first is a sticker chart! We have a sticker chart hanging in the bathroom and every time Emery potties she gets to stick a sticker on her sticker chart! Some sticker charts are fancy and have the days all mapped out....not us...she just wants to stick it to the paper. Ba-da-bing ba-da-boom. I know stickers may sound a little lame, but to a almost 2 year old it's like a hundred bucks!

The second reward is a treat jar! Take a jelly jar, decorate it with fun stickers or even your child's name, fill it with M&M's and WA-LA! So every time Emery potties she get's one M&M! :)

4. Real panties

Some blogs encourage this and some discourage it. I have tried it and just the fact of introducing Emery to real panties has helped her. Yesterday, Emery wore her first pair of real panties (just around the house of course). She thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread! She loved them! Then...she had an accident. Immediately she recognized that her panties were wet and there was an unusual wet substance running down her leg that she did NOT like! She came running to me saying "Mommy I pee, mommy I pee" which was music to my ears because I wanted her to know that she had peed on herself. I then sat her on the potty and she finished her business. She is not wearing real panties all the time yet but by me introducing them to her she will grow accustom to them!

5. Privacy

This may sound like a weird tip but it has worked for me! The first few days of potty training I would stand in the bathroom with her and nothing would happen! I would tell her "pee pee in the potty emery" and she wouldn't do anything! So then I thought that she may be getting distracted with me in there with her, so I stepped out of the bathroom but stayed right by the door. As soon as I did I started hearing little trickles of pee hitting the water! She needed some privacy!! Which makes a lot of sense when you think about it. I mean can you pee when someone is standing there watching you?! No! Or at least I can't HA! So giving her a little privacy helped her to relax so that she could use the potty! Now every time I sit her on the potty I step out so she can privately do the deed.



I'm sure I will have more stories, tips, and tricks as our potty training journey progresses but for now...that's all I got! So to leave you with a sweet image...here is Emery's first time on her Potty (which we do not use anymore lol). My baby is growing up!

Long Time No See!

Greetings blog world, long time no see..or should I say read! ha! Due to my crazy life/schedule and my procrastination I have not blogged in months! I have definitely missed it. My husband misses it to because I haven't been trying new recipe's on him for awhile.


Life has been CRAZY busy this summer! From switching jobs, then switching back to my old job (long story) to singing a lot with my husband and I's ministry. Oh did I mention the fact that I've had weddings, wedding showers, baby showers, and every other kind of shower there is out there. So needless to say I am a walking zombie who's best friend is a white chocolate mocha Starbucks!


As summer is starting to wind down and I can already start to smell the aroma of hazelnut and roasted pecans, fall is almost here (YAY). But before the cooler weather fully sets in, I have a few nifty projects up my sleeve! Some include new home décor, chalk painting, and wardrobe purging! So guess what blog world....I'M BACK!!


Stay tuned!! :)

Q-Tip of the Day!

First of all....

Dear Lord, you are wonderful and thank you so much that it is finally FRIDAY!!! Amen.

Ok now that that's been taken care of...the topic for today is stinky trashcans. No one likes them but everyone has them! I love walking into a magnificent home that is well maintained and beautifully decorate and then I realize...oh yea...they have garbage too and it stinks (sick&twisted pleasure, I know hehe). So today we shall tackle the stinky trashcan with a quick tip to mask the odor. This process is so hard and complex I hope you can retain it all...(eye roll).

Oh hello magical smell good product! This is carpet powder, that I really wouldn't recommend for carpets because it can clog your vacuum, learned that the hard way.

After I take out my trash, I sprinkle just a little of this clean linen carpet powder in the bottom of my trashcan before I put the new bag in. I also use the scented bags which also help mask the smell.

I always dump the powder out when I take out the trash, so I won't end up with a trashcan full of powder ha!

I have a thing for smells, if I believed in past lives (which I don't) I'm pretty sure I would have been a blood hound because I can sniff out every foul smell that brushes across my nose! No joke.

So this is just one way I keep my house smelling "so fresh & so clean, clean" (insert early 2000's tribute to Outkast)

Happy Weekend!! :)

Leah

Confessions of Two Mommas and All Their Drama.

Okay. This is real life...not our perfect Pinterest lives.
...And here are our momma confessions...

I just recently stopped wearing maternity pants....

I wipe my child's snot on the bottom of the car seat.

Applying baby lotion to give the child a scent of a fresh bath...perfectly acceptable.

We resent all of the perfect moms.

We resent you even more if you have your body back.

My child pooped on the bathroom floor, stepped in it, then took a bath. I forget if I cleaned in between the toes.

Any event/function in the summer is pure evil. It's like chasing a prairie dog around while your dress flies up and your upper lip sweats.

Morning snuggles remind us why we love being mommies.

A cheese stick and teddy grahams pass as dinner.

My husband would crumble in fear if he had a solid 48 hours alone with our angel.

I let laundry sit for weeks. I then have to pull out clothes that smell like moth balls.

I have hair balls floating around like tumbleweeds in my house.

I am trying to teach my child to take a 'selfie'.

I forget the last time I didn't share my dinner.

I feel like I lose my patience way too much.

I haven't scheduled family pictures because I don't like the way I look.

My stainless steel looks like someone rubbed butter all over it.

I wish I was a better housekeeper.

I sometimes spray perfume on my child...Just in case.

I rip diaper wipes in two. Save that paper. (as in money. forget the trees)

We should buy organic. I'm just lucky to make it to the grocery.

I watch my sweet babe sleep.

The toilet is where my child prefers his hands.

My sweet pride and joy likes to eat our newspaper. Who needs a dog?

I post my FB status and tweets from the bathroom. It's the only place to think.

If you buy Toms and other boho items for your child you are wasting your money. Go to walmart to buy shoes because their feet are comparable to Jack and the Beanstalk...

I feel like a bad mom because I work outside the home.

My husband is hotter than I am. Thankfully he hasn't realized it yet.

Woman swoon over my husband and his parenting skills. I see you ladies and you can step off. Me and my hormones are ready for ya.

I pick my child's earwax.

I hide in my bedroom to watch Real Housewives so my husband doesnt think I am trashy.

I'm terrified I am not being the mom I am called to be.

I am overwhelmed.

When my baby wakes up from a nap I avoid eye contact in hopes that he'll go back to sleep.

...................................................................................................

Is This Appropriate?

As wives and mothers there are times when you must ask yourself, "is this appropriate?". This happens to us all the time, whether it be what we're wearing, saying, or watching....

Let us begin. 

Now that I am a reflection of my husband and child I find myself questioning my wardrobe choices. I have never been one to be inappropriate with clothing...maybe a little outdated butttttt 'everybody has those days'. Are shorts okay to wear as a mom? Do they have to be Bermuda/capris? Can they have a pattern? Will people think I am trying to get attention? Do I have any cellulite cream? Did I even shave my thighs? I know I missed my knee caps. Can you wear heels with shorts? I am so trashy. Insert trusty mom jeans here. 

Shoes. I am short, and by short I mean 5 feet tall. I make my husband look like he is a strapping, ruggedly handsome giant. That's why we're a match. :) Soooo I have heels that would make strippers nervous to walk (get jiggy wit it) in. Since becoming a mom I have stored away my leopard print shoes, as well as my bright red, calf accentuating, wedges. I am sure I am allowed to wear them but for some reason I just don't feel right. Now, I don't believe in running out to buy mass quantities of clogs and crocs but I do believe there is a happy medium with shoes. 

Vocabulary. We graduated high school in 2008, which makes us 6 years older than the kids who just graduated. It doesn't seem like we're 6 years older than these students until they open their mouths and start speaking this 'cray cray' gibberish. We're just going to say this, IF TEENAGERS are saying the word or phrase in question... DON'T say it. I repeat, DO NOT. Nothing is more attractive than you saying 'LOL' and 'totes mcgotes' to your in-laws during dinner. We grew up in the 90s and reading rainbow taught us better. What a disservice. 

Music. Am I allowed to blast "Party in the USA" with the windows down in the middle of summer with my child in the back seat? I get really conflicted when I want to rock out to "Toxic" while cruising with my 1 year old. Honestly, I always turn the song or station to Hillsong, Jesus Culture or Dolly Parton. I know that the music should always be on those stations but the 'young' person in me wants to pretend it's the summer of 2008. 

Swimwear. Shewwwwww, bless all the moms and the bathing suit struggle. That is all. 

Shows. I can't watch MTV anymore because usually "16 and Pregnant" is on and all I end up doing is crying on behalf of those sweet babies. Yes, I am an adult and I am not afraid of my mother coming in to tell me to turn the channel, but there are certain shows that ALL PEOPLE shouldn't be allowed to watch. 

These are our daily conflicts in a nutshell. :)