Resolutions

Happy New Year! We're celebrating by ordering a pizza and veggin' out on the couch. Neither of us feels like getting out of the house, so we're just enjoying each and our girlies instead.

I usually make half hearten resolutions or ones that I know I'll never reach. But this year I have three resolutions, none of which are being made half heartily.

Love First
I'm not the most empathic person in the world. I can be a tad critical and cynical. I had a bit of a revelation this afternoon—maybe God has put certain people in my life in order for me to discover how short I fall when it comes to showing others His love.

Do more of what brings me joy and less of what doesn't.
I want to start making the time to do more of my own design work. Seeing and hearing how much my grandparents appreciated what I made them for Christmas, really showed me that it's something I need to do more. 

Find a hobby that Tim and I enjoy doing together.
Especially now that we live in the country, we don't have a whole lot of activities that we both enjoy equally. Tim thinks the answer is camping. I'm hoping to find something else too though, something we can do year round.

Feel free to share your resolutions in the comments or on our Facebook page. We love hearing from you guys!

Christmas Dilemmas

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. The holiday season is one of my favorite. I love deciding on the perfect gift and then going and buying it or having it delivered. 

But when raising a new family or even 5 years into marriage/parenthood, it is still a legit struggle to get everywhere. Family is usually pretty understanding but it sucks to have to be so many places at once. Getting out of the traditions we grew up with has been hard for Jess and I. Not just because our parents don't want to give those up. But we don't either. We would love to keep everything the same but it's not possible. This year for me was the hardest yet. I would've thought we had it figured out by now. But we don't, so it's back to the drawing board next year. I am so greatly for the well spent time with our family. 

In all honesty it doesn't work to have to be two places in one day. Because you always have to leave one place early to get to the next. And I don't ever want to leave either. I didn't have a Christmas this year that I was excited to leave. I guess we just have awesome family!

So anyone who is having some of the same problems. You are not alone....or am I alone!? 

Either way we always have a great time wherever we are. I love seeing all the family. And I love that all my family get to see the kids. It makes me so happy seeing them playing with cousins, uncles, and aunts they don't get to see that often. 

We spent Christmas morning home which was great. (No power other than the generator, thankful for that) The kids did so good and had so much fun opening their gifts and giving too. They each picked out stuff for Jesses stocking. I was laughing so hard at the store when they were picking the stuff out and Jess was smiling when he got it all out. 

Jesses stocking: box of fun dips, pixie stix (big ones of course), bag of ring pops, chocolate Santa, Hershey's kiss and a head massager. Direct quote from Rae, "oh um dad I was meant for them to share with us." (On the ring pops she picked out)

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas!

Here is a little look into our Christmas fun.

Praise The Lord the power is back on now. Still not cable/internet, but I think we will manage;) but sorry if the pictures are small or wording off, I'm on my phone, cut me some slack!

Remaining Thankful

Sunday morning while we were away celebrating Christmas with Tim's family, Alexis called to report that we would be coming home to no power, a power line down in our driveway and a limb through the back windshield of Tim's car. What a way to start Christmas, uh? We resolved not to worry about it until we were home. We ended up having a wonderful time that day. We arrived back home around 9:30pm and were unable to get into our house, so we headed to my parents' to have a sleep over with Alexis and Ruthie. 

6 days later, like thousands of others, we are still don't have power and are down to one car.

I'm a complainer at heart, but doing the 30 days of thankfulness back in November has really helped me to change my mind set. While I've had my moments, overall I've remained thankful for what we do have. Which is a lot more than some.

So, in the spirit of continued thankfulness here are 26 things I'm thankful for as we're nearing the end of December.

1. My women's small group.
2. A happy, healthy and content baby girl.
3. Lemi-Shine (Silly, but true. This stuff works miracles on dishes with hard water stains).
4. Spending a weekend with Tim's family.
5. Having the means to make the two hour drive to visit his family.
6. The birth of Jesus Christ.
7. My parents' generator.
8. Parents who let us stay with them.
9. Landlords who hooked up a small generator to run the furance.
10. We were able to go to our house Christmas morning to open at least open gifts.
11. Visiting and spending time with all of our extended famlies.
12. A husband who provides for our family.
13. Being able to stay home with our girlies.
14. Our girls have gotten to meet 8 of their great grandparents.
15. A dad who still looks out for me.
16. Getting the news I could take the girls home. Even if it's to a house with no working stove or hot water heater - we're home!
17. Generous relatives who spoiled all of us.
18. The power company employees who took time away from their own families and traveled across the country to restore power to others.
19. Tim's Christmas bonus
20. Christmas music
21. We will only have to replace a window and not the car.
22. Our silly jumping bean, Stella.
23. A day of shopping earlier in the month with my mom and sisters.
24. I get to sleep in my own bed tonight.
25. The reminder to not take things for granted
26. Discovering the no 'poo lifestyle

Schrock's Rock

Hello everybody, I am so pumped to be back at it! The Schrock's have been doing fairly well. We have a lot going on that I will post at a later date. Today is for pics and general updates:)

First off we moved out of Clarksville and to Lake Odessa. Long story short put a "For Sale By Owner" sign up and sold it within a month and bought a house within the next month. We love our new house and our yard!

Jo is now in Kindergarten! I still can't handle that she goes to school 5 days a week all day. I miss her. But she is sassier than ever but still makes me laugh. Although this one is going to give me a run for my money. I spanked her the other day and she started laughing. (yes I spank once in awhile, not often) So you can see why she is a tough one. She is taking dance and loves it!

Rae is the funniest little lady. Anyone that is around her totally gets it. She has an attitude that we are working on though. Rae stays home with me everyday and usually goes with the flow. I am pretty sure though she would sit in front of the TV all day if I would let her. Actually, I know she would. I wish I could think of a funny Rae quote but I just can't right now:( Doing "Boogie, Woogie" is her favorite part of dance class.

Gat is now 2 years old and is getting more fun! I love that he is talking more and we get to see his personality. He may be a little spoiled...oops. But he's my baby! Medically speaking he is doing fairly well. More to come on that later. Physically he is walking in a walker more and is actually crawling more than rolling now. He is a miracle baby and I am reminded of that daily. He is involved in 3 therapies a week so he keeps us busy. Favorite thing to say right now, "Oh maaannn".

Jess and I will be married 6 years coming up in January! He is the best and I love him more every day (cliche I know but it's true). He makes me better and keeps me in check. Can't wait for you to get to know each of them better through 20somethinmama!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

"It is well with my soul."

Braggin' On My Beans

Typical Stella face anytime a camera is around

My little Love Bean, Stella, is just over 2. If I had to describe her in three words; smart, soft-spoken, jumper. I could spend this whole post bragging on her, but I'll save you all from that. The girl loves jumping off of just about anything, being tossed into the air, flipped around, and has balance like you wouldn't believe. If I had to guess, I'd say she's either going to be a gymnast, cheerleader or track star. Two things I never want to forget about her at this age—she names everything Yellow and she loves to pretend her bell is a stethoscope and listens to our hearts.

Angry Bean, is the worst possible nickname for Rosalie. But alas, I will still call her that on the blog. I haven't totally forgot how sick she made me in utero. She is the most content and sweetest baby ever. Seriously. She's now 5 1/2 months old. I have no idea how much she weighs, or how long she is. I'll update ya'll with that in January after 6 month well child check-up. Just this last week she started eating rice cereal, and bananas. Avocado is next up on our foods to introduce list. She's always moving, is smiley, ticklish, and rolling over from belly to back. She hasn't quite made it over from back to belly yet, but she's trying. I do wish she had some hair.

As for Tim and I, we celebrated 4 years of marriage in July. It's hard to believe that we've been together for 8 years. So happy that it's with him that I am growing and parenting. Tim is working in Grand Rapids, loves to hunt when he has the time, and is Stella's base when she is practicing being a flier. I've been busy helping with a before and after school program at a local church, leading a women's Bible study, helping with our church's youth group, babysitting, and taking on the occasional freelance design project.

I'm so looking forward to blogging regularly again! Have a Merry Christmas!

What Time Without Bloggin' Tells Ya

So it's been awhile eh? Yes, this is one of those "Sorry we were gone, but now we are back. Better than ever" posts. :) Blunt honesty will tell you that I was just tired of blogging.

BUT you know what time without blogging tells you? . . . How much you LOVE blogging and how much you MISS blogging. For me (well for us) blogging isn't so much about "how many page views, how many comments, and so on. It's about laying it out there. Voicing our thoughts and sharing our lives. I am always up for a good excuse to brag about my awesome life. ;) And if you relate to someone and help them out on the way, that's just the maple syrup on top of the sundae. I don't like cherries.

So I guess it would be the right thing to do to start off with an update otherwise you might be totally lost. My life is just so cool ya know.

I still have my presh of a girl Ruthie of course! :) She is 2 1/2 now and on the verge of 16. Seriously... a door slammed the other day. But looking around the few naughty moments I like to remind myself every kid has, Ruthie is the most sweetest, kind, polite little girl. You know how they say at some point you will start seeing yourself in your kids and not realize you act that way and it will be scary? Yeah....I've learned that I must be a huge suck up. And a terrible dancer. Ruthie is so nice she is dancing the line of that's too nice you're just sucking up. And Matt will most likely be right...a teacher's pet she shall be.

Prime example: The other day I getting ready in the bathroom....
Ruth: "Mom, you look willy pwetty!"
Mamma: "Aww thank you Roo."
Ruth: "you look wike Pwincess Sophia!!!"

I guess I'd rather have that way than any other way. Sure does boost my confidence. She still loves her animals, can't comprehend colors, big fan of Princess Sophia, and has one consistent favorite thing...chicken and rice. Weird. (I can make that joke, she's my daughter)

Here's a pic of my little doll face in case you miss the millions I plaster on Facebook and Instagram. She truly is a beaut.

 I am entering into my third year at Auto Owners Insurance Company. I am blessed to be part of such a great and caring company. Loving what I do and doing what I've gotta do to support who I love. :) Roo and I are in our 7th month of being in our apartment in Lake Odessa. It truly is the perfect fit for us right now and the attached garage might be my favorite.

I don't really say much about this dude on social media, just the occasional photo of the two of us so I can prove to you all he still exists. He truly is the bomb.com and I must say it's quite handy to have a handy man. Big part of Roo and I's life, so of course I have to put him in here. Matt is his name if ya don't know. Three words to describe him: Selfless, Hardworking, Random.

Perhaps a day to day update will come later but this post is getting long enough already. But this was a good start I'd say. Be looking out for J and Mal's updates as well!!

Happy Holidays everyone! Have a Merry Christmas!

xoxo- Alexis

$50 Groceries Is Back

It works best for my schedule to go grocery shopping on Wednesday or Thursday. So a week refers to Wednesday to Wednesday or Thursday to Thursday. Meal ideas use a combo of the week's groceries and ingredients I already have on hand.

If you've been curious, yes, I've stuck to my $50 per week grocery budget. We'll slowly be getting back into regular updates, and this is one series I want to continue. I've been grocery shopping with only $50 long enough that it's almost second nature. But posting here on Twenty Something Mamas, gives me extra motivation to see how well I can do. I haven't strayed from the budget since taking on the challenge. Even when I have to take a dish to pass to a get-together, or the weekend we took a mini vacation up north. I also plan on not exceeding the budget for Love Bean's upcoming 2nd birthday party. I've taken steps to make sure that's doable. I'll share those in an upcoming post. As silly as it sounds, I really like limiting myself this way.

Not pictured: two Chobani Greek Yogurts that I forgot to take out of the fridge, and a Mini-Oreo Go Pack that I ate.

Quick Facts:  

• Total Spent: $48.68 ($1.62 under budget)

• Total savings: $24.95

• Savings break down: $0.60 from mPerks, $23.35 from shopping the sale ad, $1.00 from a coupon

My Must Haves: Tim's dad is having a shooting tournament this weekend and we need to take a dish to pass. Ever since having Sue's Southwest Salad at a church bridal shower, I've wanted to make it again. The last three things are items we need for home.

• Rotisserie Chicken

• 2 Roma Tomatoes

• 1 Romaine Heart

• Cilantro

• 2 Avocados

• Mayo

• Ranch Seasoning

• 1 Lime

• Tortilla Chips

• Body Wash

• Coffee Filters

• Lunch Meat
• Bread

Items for storage: I'm adding this category to note the items that I purchased but don't intend to in the current week

• English Muffins—they're my favorite 10 for 10 item, so I always buy at least one package and throw them in the freezer if I already have a package open

• Cake Mixes—Love Bean picked Funfetti and chocolate for her birthday cake and cupcakes

• Bell Peppers—I'll freeze some of them, if we don't eat them before they start to go bad

• Lunch Meat—one package is going in the fridge for Tim's lunches. The other is going in the freezer. Land O Frost was on sale 2 for $6 and I had a $1 off coupon. A deal I couldn't pass up. 

Meal Ideas for This Week:

• Salads with shredded chicken

• Beef enchiladas

• Mongolian beef over rice

• Stuffed peppers

Naming Angry Bean (Part 2)

You can read part 1 here.

It's a girl! Funny thing is we had 100% agreed on a boy's name the night before Rosalie was born. If she had been a boy, we would have brought home, Waylon Timothy Allen.

For as "angry" as she was in the womb, she is the sweetest, most content baby. I feel bad for nicknaming her Angry Bean. This is the birth announcement we sent to some our close family and friends. Thanks to Jody Strang Photography for capturing Miss Rosie for us :)

We had picked out the name Rosalie long before we were pregnant again. Our sweet Rosie is named after Tim's Great Grandma Pruce, whose middle name was Rosalie. Her middle name, Florence, is a family name too. It was my Great Grandma Brodbeck's first name. I love the idea of all of our children's names honoring a relative.

I also think it's pretty neat that the meanings of her first and middle name compliment one another. Rosalie means rose, and Florence mean prosperous or flowering. We didn't even plan that! Her middle name was going to be Joy, until she arrived, and Tim wanted to go with Florence.

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We know things have been quiet around here and it probably will be for the rest of the summer. We've been soaking up lot's of outdoor time with our kiddies.

One Thing You'll Never Have

 Google Image Search

Ever since my first Chicago Auto Show, I've wanted a Mini Cooper. But, it's nearly impossible to fit one child in the back of one, let alone two. I've accepted that I'll probably never own one. Or at least not until we have an empty nest.

Is there anything you dream of having, but know that because you have kids, you'll never have it?

June Disaster Masters

2 toddlers + 1 distracted mom/babysitter = disaster

Annoying Sometimes

I annoy myself sometimes. . .so I am going to share what annoys me about myself. I think we can call them my "bad habits".

1. I don't take care of my trash. I will unwrap something and will then throw my trash away later. Why wouldn't I just do it then? When I came home today I went through and picked up at least 5 things I didn't throw away when I opened it.  
2. I chew my ice, well rather crunch/chomp/demolish it. It does not bother me at all, more so those around me. Actually, it does bug me a little when I am so obsessive about it I won't get out of the car until my ice is gone. Or I drink my water really fast so I can get to the ice faster. Sometimes I even take to big of drinks just trying to get that ice cube and I choke, or it all doesn't fit and it dribbles down onto my shirt. Let's not forget when it is really annoying. . . when you can't get that last ice cube. You know what I mean, you have the cup upside down and it just WON'T get in your mouth. I guess you get a glimpse into my obsession with ice because I feel like I could go on and on. Best ice those is after you drink your pop and the half melted ice is left. For real though. . . I am done now.
3. I stay up really late at night. Like I haven't fell asleep before 11:30 in awhile. I just want to fall asleep early. It might be that I want some peace and quiet or that I just get easily drawn into blogs and TV.

Anyone have any annoying things about themselves!? If we talk about it maybe we can fix it!? Well...unless it is as bad as my ice crunching.

Preschool Thoughts

Alright, so we chose not to put Jo in preschool. After figuring out what they did in Preschool I figured being that I stay home with Jo, I could teach her those things.

• If we sent her to the preschool in our school district she would ride the bus for most likely a hour there and a hour back. That was out right away.
• If we sent her to the other preschool we would have to pay $85 a month plus driving her there multiple times a week.
• That is one more schedule to work around. Can't we just keep it simple a little bit longer!!
• For some reason getting 3 kids out of the house in the morning to drive 20 minutes to drop her off and then 20 min drive home. We would be home for a hour and turn around and go get her again. (Now it would be 4 kids, with the kiddo I watch daily)
• We were planning on sending her when she was 3 to the local preschool. Then my water broke and I was on bed rest. I couldn't ask anyone to do that running for me.

On that note I am not entirely sure how I feel about Rae. She is a tough cookie and that might be the kind of structure she needs. We haven't even talk about that yet!!

This is how I am supplementing for Preschool. We have been doing "Letter of the Day" with both Jo and Rae. I usually figure out some sort of Letter Craft, a book with that letter sound in it a lot and then some sort of activity.

We have done A, B, C and D.

Jo has kindergarten round up soon and that makes me nervous!

B: Colored the letter B, read Brown Bear, Brown Bear and went and seen the Butterflies

C: Colored the letter C, Jo got to trace and cut her own. We read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and then baked Chocolate Chip Cookies.

NICU Tips Part Two

Round 2 of tips from a mama of a NICU Grad:)

• If you are buying clothes for a NICU baby stay away zippers. Snaps are the best way to go. With snaps all the leads/tubes can be easily threaded through. We even started to work around the tubes and put onsies and cute outfits on him too! Socks and hats are a fun way to add a family touch to him when you are not there

• A blanket makes the baby feel at home. Gat was not able to spend the first 6 months of his life at home. So I was worried he would not know what home felt like. To help him we would make sure he always had a blanket washed from home. To this day he sleeps best with those blankets we rotated through. We had 4 blankets we rotated through. 2 of those were ones that covered his isolate when he couldn't use blankets. It is nice to always have one there while you wash the others. Plus we had a lot of receiving blankets we rotated through too. The heavier blankets were always under him and the receiving blankets on him.

May Love List

Things Mal loved this past month

1. Being outside has been great, this day the girls were playing hockey. They had to wear their bike helmets because I wouldn't let them wear Jesse's.
2. We have been visiting Boulder Ridge Animal Park weekly and we finally took Jess with us. He loved the birds, you can see by his face. I made fun a little bit and told him I would take him there if he was ever feeling down. Seriously though, he was smiling and laughing the whole time. No this does not make me want a bird.
3. Jo has been playing t-ball. She was excited about playing. . . now she wants to be done. I just told her that the game that was cancelled got rescheduled, she replied with "WHHHYYYY???!". I told her she had to finish this season but she doesn't have to play next year. She told me she just wants to play softball.
4. We went and watched the airplanes one day and Poppy Ladean (FIL) came bearing snacks on his lunch break.
5. We got a new bunny! His name is Meiko and is the perfect little bunny.
6. Last but not least, RAE TURNED THREE! I can hardly believe it has been three years. 

What Jamie loved about the month of May

1. Dressing Stella and Ellie up in the little Amish dresses that Ellie's Grandma bought them
2. Visiting Boulder Ridge Animal Park with the Schrocks
3. My new sandels
4. Lunch and Gatsby with the hubs, our first date since January!
5. Spending the day at the pond with the whole family
6. Spending the day at Hooterville with Tim's family

A Day in the Life of Jamie

I wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy...just kidding I feel nothing like him.

5:45 AM: I wake up to Tim's alarm going off. Neither of us gets out of bed.
6:00 AM: Tim's second alarm goes off and he gets up.
6:30 AM: Tim comes back up stairs to get dressed and to wake me up
6:40 AM: We're both downstairs, I pack his lunch and we chat a little bit while he finishes getting ready
6:50 AM: He's out the door and headed into work. I pour myself a cup of coffee and if I'm lucky I have about a half hour to an hour to myself. I enjoy the silence, read my Bible and spend some time in prayer
7:30 AM: Stella is usually awake by now. She's an early riser, but likes to just chill in the morning. I usually put in a movie or turn on cartoons. She's content watching TV and check Facebook, Twitter, and my email
8:00 AM: Ellie arrives. Her and Stella both head straight for the table to eat breakfast. I empty the dishwasher while they eat
8:30 AM: Breakfast is over and the girls race off to the living room to play while I clean up.
9:00 AM: If it's warm and sunny, we sometimes get around and go to the park to play all morning. Otherwise we read lots of books, they play or watch Mickey Mouse
10:00 AM: It's time for their morning snack, just something small, otherwise neither of them will eat a very good lunch. And then lots more playing, reading and making messes. Thankfully they play well together, so while they play I usually do some laundry, and catch up on blogging and freelance stuff.
11:30 AM: I start preparing lunch. When it's ready I call them to the table, and I clean up while they eat
12:00 PM: Lunch is usually done and cleaned up. We all three clean up the morning toy mess. And then it's nap time for the girls.
12:15 PM – 2:15 PM: While they nap I typically shower and get dressed (yes I have been in my PJ's up to this point), eat my lunch, watch the latest episodes of my favorite TV shows, work on blog and freelance stuff, or I nap too
2:15 PM: Ellie wakes up from her nap, and she chills on the couch content watching cartoons or playing by herself until Stella gets up. I keep working on the computer, unless she wants to read.
3:15 PM: Stella is usually up by now. I bring her downstairs, Ellie is always super excited that's Stella is finally up. It's afternoon snack time, so the girls climb up to the table while I get their snacks ready.
3:30 PM – 5:15 PM: Snack time is over. If it's nice we usually get head outside to play. Once in awhile we'll sit and color or paint, but most of the time they just play on their own or we read books....we read a lot of books. I usually give them another snack in this time frame too. Otherwise it's way too long before they eat dinner
5:15 PM: The three of us clean up the mess from the afternoon
6:00 PM: Ellie leaves for the day and I start dinner. Sometimes I'll start it before she leaves if it's something that will take awhile, or if I'm really hungry and don't want to wait for Tim to get home
7:00 PM: Tim gets home from work and we eat dinner. After dinner Tim and Stella play while I clean up and load the dishwasher and start it.
8:00 PM: We're all on the couch watching TV, Tim plays games on his phone
8:30 PM: One of us takes Stella up to bed, usually Tim.
10:00 PM: If we haven't already fallen asleep on the couch, Tim and I head up to bed

This is my usual Monday/Tuesday/Friday, because I babysit those days. As you can tell, my day is a lot less hectic and not as entertaining as Mallorie's. I like to stick to a routine on the days I'm home. I get more accomplished and I find my house stays cleaner, which I like.

A Day in the Life of Mallorie

It's Wednesday and Mallorie wakes up to the alarm going off around 6:30am. She looks at it, then the clock and calculates the latest possible time she can get out of bed. No later than 7:15. Resets her alarm and she falls right back to sleep no problems at all with that. She wakes up to the "Ukulele"  ringtone she has set for Jesse. Because she has to play a mind game with herself to get out of bed and make herself think Jesse is actually calling her. It takes all the energy she has to get out and into the shower.

In the shower she thinks about what her day will be like. Where she has to be and when she has to be there. While conditioning her hair she hears a sweet, "Good morning mama". Mallorie thinks, aww good she is in a good mood and replies, "Good morning Rae.". But, Mal also knows that the morning is starting and it is about to get crazy for a bit. Who is she kidding their life is always pretty crazy, sometimes a little self induced.

She hurries and gets herself around. Scrambles to get Rae dressed and wake Jo up. For once she was prepared and had outfits picked out ready for their early morning. She gets the diaper bag around for feeding therapy and they have 10 minutes now to get out of the house. Bottle, formula, bib, diapers, and wipes are all put in the bag. Jo and Rae are begging for breakfast but, Mallorie tells them get your shoes on and we will get donuts on the way, as she is running up the stair to get Gatlyn. Going through the routine of getting him out of bed and dressed she yells at the girls to get ready. She rushes downstairs and is still yelling at the girls to put their shoes on as she runs to put Gat in the car. The girls make their way out and they get buckled in. Of course she forgot the pump upstairs and has to run back upstairs and grab all of that supplies and everything else she forgot. Finally she is in the car and they are 2 blocks away from the house when she realizes she forgot something. So of course she goes back and get it. Mallorie gets back in the car and looks at the clock, wow she is actually on time. But shoot, she forgot makeup, "oh well not the first or last time that will happen" she thinks.

Next stop Heidi's Farmstand to get some donuts. Then they are on their way to Grand Rapids for feeding therapy. Everyone was great during therapy and now they have their next appointment in a hour. So they kill sometime in the food court at Starbucks and the girls play in the windows saying hi to people. Mallorie takes a call from her big sister where they talk and laugh for a little bit, until Mal decides she should finish that cheesecake brownie. They wait until somewhere opens Mal can get a pop and then head to the Helmet appointment. They make there way up to the office and have perfect timing with barely a wait. She loves when she times things that well. The appointment takes some time and the girls are getting a little restless so they play I spy and read books to kill time. After finding out Gat's head once again has no change they head out.

Off to home they go :) The rest of the afternoon consist of naps for Gat and trying to catch up on everything around the house. The girls spend the day watching movies because the weather is just yucky! Mallorie starts dinner for everyone and Jess gets home. They eat randomly because Jo is supposed to have a tball game. Although she is not really looking forward to sitting in the rain, she is secretly hoping it's cancelled. A few minutes later game is cancelled, she then makes the appropriate texts to tell everyone who was coming.

The rest of the night is spent doing laundry and laying around. Bedtime starts around 7:30 and tonight Mal is ready for it! The girls are getting more wild than usual. Nights like these the silence after they are finally in bed is heavenly. Gat is in bed by 8 and the house is silent. Ahhh, Jess and Mal can sit and relax. One on the iPad the other on the computer though. She listens to Jess talk about his day and what went on at work. But mostly they are quiet, the quiet is what each of them crave by the end of the night.

All in all it was a great day for the Schrock's. Mallorie is a little more tired this particular night because of the running around. Getting 3 kids in and out of the car is pretty tiring in itself. At the end of the day though she knows she is so lucky to have great kids. And tonight she feels confident her and Jess are doing something right.

Around 9:30 they head up to bed and it might just be early enough to. . . well you can make up the ending from there;)

34 Weeks and Counting

May 21st marked 34 weeks. Less than 6 to go!

Another bathroom selfie for ya :)

I'm starting to feel really pregnant. Which is weird for me, because with Stella I never really felt that big or was ever uncomfortable. (I know you can all hate me for saying that). But this time around, I'm always being kicked in the ribs, and I feel like this baby is going to punch it's way out me.

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned I was having second ultrasound. I had to have it because my placenta was lying too close to my cervix. Thankfully, my placenta has moved up, although not as far up as my doctor had hoped it would. However, she feels totally comfortable letting me go into labor. If it hadn't moved up enough I would have to have a planned c-section. A c-section is something I really, really, don't want to have. I know they're super routine now days, but they make me nervous, and from what I hear the recovery sucks. There is still a chance that I may end up having one if I start bleeding while in labor, which would be scary, but my doctor doesn't think that will happen. I have yet another ultrasound scheduled at 36 weeks, so that they can keep on eye on things.

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A short Love Bean update for ya...she had a well child check up today. At 20 months she weighs 22.6 lbs, and is 32 1/2 inches long. She's a petite little thing. She loves to read, climb and to jump off of things. I'm actually impressed with her landings most of the time, she lands with both feet planted and bends her knees. She's quite the dare-devil. Maybe we really do have a future gymnast on our hands?

Kids Talk...Sometimes too much

Setup: I surprised the girls and got them breadsticks while we were having a girls night.

Jo: "Everytime you buy breadsticks I get full but I can't stop eating them. Next time you guys can buy your box and then just order me a little package of breadsticks. I like them a lot but my belly hurts."

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We were playing Monopoly (Disney addition because for some reason it was that or Electronic-and i hate the electronic) with Jamie, Tim, baby bro, Jess. Jesse was Peter Pan. Owen accidentally moved Jesse's piece (Peter). Jess found it necessary to say, "Keep your hands off my Peter."

I look at Jess with "the eyes" and say, "Jesse Dean that was inappropriate."

A week later the girls and I were watching Return to the Neverland (2nd Peter Pan movie) and Jo comes up to me. She said, "Mom, um you told my dad it was inappropriate to say Peter."

I responded with, "Umm, yah. Let's watch the movie." Then proceeded to call Jamie in the kitchen. . . it was so funny!

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Back story: Jesse's parents maintain their church's cemetery.

The kids were playing house while I was doing dishes. I heard Jo on the "phone" saying, "Hi Dad, yah, ok, I will meet you at the cemetery in  a little bit."

Normal? Probably not, but, that is exactly why I love her. You never know what she is going to say. Love It!

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Me, "Raelin Deann take care of your plate right now. This the last time I'm telling you."
Rae, "I'm the witch call me witch."
Me, "Ok witch take care of your plate."
Rae, "okay"

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Andi, "Haha, you're funny."
Me, "You are funny."
Andi, "Uh, no I'm not. . . well. . .maybe just a little bit."

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Rae, "UGGHH, Shtelly whipped my boot."
Me, "Stella ripped your boot?"
Rae, "Yah. When she waz at my housse in my woom she whipped my boot. I yelled at her and said, 'Go in timeout Shtelly.'"
Me, "Rae you can't yell at other kids and put them in time out. You're not their mom honey."
Rae, " Yes I am the mom."
Me, "No you're not Rae. Auntie J is her mom."
Rae, "Ok. You be the mom and I be the mom. How do you like that good idea?!"
Me, "Uhh, probably not."

Would You (or Do You) Spy on Your Kids?

Growing up we had a lot of freedom as kids and teens. Our parents were pretty laid back and we didn't have a ton of rules. Thinking about it, I can only recall two. No talking on the phone after 9pm, and we had curfews. Actually, I had an early curfew (my parents weren't the biggest fan on my boyfriend), Mal had a later curfew than me, Alexis had a later curfew than her, and well Owen didn't have one.

However, we didn't have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and cell phones. We had email and MSN and AOL chat. Our mom knew our password, but didn't use them and never demanded to see what were up to.

I used to think that I would check my kids' Facebook and keep close tabs on their online lives. I thought by cyber stalking my own kids, I would somehow be able to make sure they aren't sexting, getting cyber-bullied, or accessing websites that they shouldn't. But, I already find my views on this evolving and Love Bean is far from the age where this even becomes a reality for us. What made me change my opinion? Here a few things, in no particular order.

1. I realized it's kind of naive: Kids often know the technology better than their parents. It's so easy for kids to create fake accounts, change usernames and passwords, or hide things from their parents online. 
2. The relationship I want to have with my kids: My parents and I had would have a completely different relationship had they demanded to read my chats, emails and listen in on my phone calls. There would have been no trust, and I would have held a lot of resentment towards them. I appreciated the trust, openess and the willingness to let me make my own mistakes too much to not give my kids the same.
3. I read this article: It underscored just how creepy and over protective all that snooping is. 
4. Disappointment is worse than punishment: At least for me, the idea of disappointing my parents was far worse than any punishment they could have given me if I had been caught doing something bad online. That was enough to keep me from doing it. Crossing my fingers my kids have the same respect for me :)

Part of growing up and learning how to be a successful adult is making mistakes when you're a kid. Yeah, it's super stressful for parents, but isn't there a lot about being a parent that's stressful? I'm not saying that if one of the Beans abused the trust and respect we give them, that they wouldn't be disciplined, because they would be. I'm just saying, they'll get the chance to mess up before they're put on virtual lockdown.

We'd love to hear what your approach is...

$50 Groceries

It works best for my schedule to go grocery shopping on Wednesday or Thursday. So a week refers to Wednesday to Wednesday or Thursday to Thursday. Meal ideas use a combo of the week's groceries and ingredients I already have on hand.

This week I had a quiet a few "must have" items, and I didn't really take the time to plan what else I was going to pick up. On top of that Stella had her first major public temper tantrum. I think if you compare the picture below to past weeks, you'll notice a big difference. I mean 5 different snacky items and no fresh fruit? That's not like me. I do have a pint of strawberries, a half of a watermelon left from last week. That makes up for it a little bit, right?

Quick Facts:  

• Total Spent: $48.62 ($1.38 under budget)
• Total Savings: $13.44
• Savings Break Down:  $4.00 from Mperks, $9.44 from shopping the sale ad

My Must Haves: 

• Toilet Paper
• Frosted Mini Wheats (a special request from Tim)
• Vegetable Oil 
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Popcorn Oil (another request from Tim)
• Napkins

Meal Ideas for This Week:

• This sausage combo on English Muffins
• These Spinach Ricotta Calzones
• Grilled BBQ chicken breast with potatoes 
• Sloppy joes with homemade fries

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In the comments of my last This Week for $50 post, someone asked about what Tim takes in his lunch, and what Stella and I eat for breakfast and lunch. I tried (as best as I could) to keep track of our meals that week. But it's not the best example because we had a lot of extra stuff going on that week. I went grocery shopping that week on Thursday. I tracked out meals Friday–Tuesday.

Friday

• Breakfast: Tim just drinks coffee, Stella had yogurt and toast, I ate an English Muffin with butter
• Lunch: Tim took leftover pizza from our dinner out the night before, Stella ate a PB&J, half of a pear, and we split a small bag of Doritos, I ate the Doritos, and salad with leftover steak cut up on it
• Dinner: Stella and I went to a Premier Jewelry Party so we ate there, Tim made mac and cheese for himself and ate some chips

Saturday

• Breakfast: We all had pancakes made from scratch
• Lunch: We attended the March For Babies walk in Caledonia and they provided lunch
• Dinner: We all ate homemade burgers and fries

Sunday

• Breakfast: Tim and I had English Muffins, and Stella had leftover pancakes
• Lunch: Stella and I had mac and cheese and some fruit, Tim just ate popcorn
• Dinner: We had pizza with my family to celebrate Alexis' graduation

Monday

• Breakfast: Tim drank his coffee, I had a banana, Stella ate pancakes
• Lunch: We all ate leftover pizza that my mom had sent home with us
• Dinner: Beef enchiladas and pineapple for all of us

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Tim drank his coffee, Stella and I had ham and cheese omelets
• Lunch: Tim took the leftover enchiladas, Stella are some pineapple, pear and smoked sausage, I ate a ham sandwich with chips and pickles
• Dinner: Roasted chicken thighs with garlic parmesan pasta

G-Baby

G baby is getting so big. He amazes me everyday. Every time I get frustrated or feel like he is at a plateau, he does something new.

We are currently working on Gat to pivot around on his tummy without rolling over. Along with that we are have started to work on standing more. For standing and sitting on his own he has to wear his new ankle supports (sorry for no picture but they are so cute!). He most will not crawl for awhile so instead of holding him back we are going to start working on standing and walking more (we being his therapist and Jess and myself). His physical therapist is bringing a walker for him to try out at home. Obviously he won't be walking right away.

The pictures are of him in his stander. It has wheels on it and he really enjoyed being wheeled around on the sidewalk the other day. It takes a lot of work for him to stand up in it and every minute he is in there, it makes me so proud:) His legs/hips are just not strong enough or flexible enough to do it on his own.

He is starting to say a lot of different things and trying to imitate what we are saying more. His favorite is UH OH. It is so cute and he knows that people smile/laugh when he says, he eats that right up. Just in the last couple days he has been "spitting" with his tongue. He thinks that is great. Jess and I took Gat with us tonight and he was trying to bob his head like me and was smiling away. It was so cute and first like that make me smile the most. I love seeing him interact with us more. It is like, WHEW he does know what is going on.

On the medical side of things Gat is doing fairly well. He is not gaining much weight and we have increased his calorie intake by 15%. Still haven't see major weight gains, but at least it is not a loss! In February and March he had lost 2 pounds. Weight loss is no good folks! But, he is getting way taller, which is exciting. I am pretty sure the only thing not growing is his head and feet.

The last helmet check up we went to his head had not grown at all. Which is kind of annoying because we are putting this helmet on him to shape new growth. With no growth equals no change in shape. Oh well, he is still cuter than cute. Wait until you see pics of the hair underneath it all;)

His feet are still a size 2/3, they have not grown at all since his birthday.

I hope you are all doing well and if you are curious about anything feel free to ask!

One Thing

Before we had kids there were things we said we would never do or say once we were moms. But of course, we were naive. Please tell us we're not alone here?!

Jamie: The one thing I never thought I would do as a mom, but do ALL OF THE TIME, is let Love Bean run around with a dirty face. I would see kids with food, or dried snot on their noses and think. "really, how hard is it to just quickly wipe that up?" But, you know what, sometimes food on the face is the least of your worries. Especially when your kid is as messy of an eater as Love Bean. By the time I'm done cleaning up the mess on the table and floor, she's long gone, playing with her babies. Fortunately, for the most part, I manage to keep it clean while we're in public. But if you showed up at my house unannounced at 3pm, chances are her lunch is still all over her face.

Mallorie: I always said I would never say, "Because I am the MOM!". But folks, I do it. Almost daily. Sometimes the questions get a little daunting during the day. Plus I do not like when my five year old says why can you do that but I can't. Well, simple answer I am the mom and when you are older you can do that. Sometimes I dumb it down even more and just say "Because!". I know I cannot be alone in this!

It's not that I don't like you....

Okay don't be mad its not that I don't like you or think none of you are highly creative but..... I didn't listen to any of ya"ll. I did the opposite of why all of you suggested for the frame and chose the Instagram collage. Il let you all off the hook for not suggesting it due to the crappy picture I provided... Because I'd have to say it turned out so good!!! I chose this for a number of logical reasons

1. It was the cheapest of the 4
2. I had the pictures I was doing nothing with
3. I thought it would highlight the frame more.

I am so happy with how it turned out! Ill admit though a combo of my being lazy and being horrible at math, I just took the frame up to heirlooms gallery in Lake O and had them do it for a small fee of 25 dollars :) let me know what ya think!

May's Trendy Tots

Thoughts About Pregnancy #2

It's been a few weeks since my last Angry Bean update. I have a lot of random thoughts to share, please forgive the lack of flow this post is going to have. I haven't gotten any better at selfies, this one I took with my laptop, so it's a little better. I guess I could have Tim take the pics, but I just don't really like taking belly pics. It's awkward.

32 weeks - only 8 weeks to go!

I've heard a common fear when you have your second child is—you won't love them as much as you love your first—I'm not worried about that. I have no doubt that I will love Angry Bean, as much as I love Love Bean. Even if their nicknames make the opposite sound true ;)

My biggest fear, is that I won't be able to give them both enough attention. Especially since I'm planning on breast feeding again, and would like to do so for at least 6 months. Nursing Love Bean seemed to take up so much of my day, and you can't really do anything else while nursing, so it makes me a little nervous. Tips please?!

I think my body is already preparing me for sleep deprived nights. I've been waking up a lot of nights around 2:30am and am wide awake. Love Bean was such a good sleeper. I'm crossing my fingers that Angry Bean will be too, but I won't be let down if (s)he isn't, because I know that's not typical. Did you know that 70% of babies don't sleep through the night (6 to 8 hours) until 9 months?

I'm not nearly as worried about having things ready as I was with Love Bean. My mindset lately has been—Eh...I have my boobs, that's all the baby will really need for the first few months. I should probably wash some receiving blankets and onesies though.

I can feel Angry Bean move way more than I ever felt Love Bean. My doctor said this could be for one or two reasons. 1.) I know what it feels like, so I started to notice it sooner. 2.) This time my placenta is at the back of my uterus, which typically makes movement more noticeable. It could have been in the front last time around, adding a little extra padding, and making movements less noticeable.

We have pretty much settled on either Hank or Edison for a boy. Tim is still leaning towards Hank, but I think he's coming around to Edison. And Rosalie is set in stone for a girl. If you ask Stella, she wants a baby Eddie.

The infant carseat we have is mostly black, but it does have dark purple piping, and some tan butterflies on it. Is it bad that I plan on using it even if we have a boy? Maybe I'll try dying it all black or buy a cover for it.

The other day, my sisters forced me to list things I needed to get before Angry Bean's arrival. It was more than I thought, maybe I should get on it.

I feel like I'm the same size as I was the day I delivered Love Bean, so I'm a little nervous to see how much I balloon over the next 8 weeks.

When Love Bean was born, I designed birth announcements but I never sent them out. This time around I want to actually get some in the mail.

I have a second ultrasound tomorrow. My first one showed I had low lying placenta, which I guess is pretty common in early pregnancy. This ultrasound is just to make sure that's it moved up to where it's suppose to be. If it hasn't, you'll surely hear more about it because it will change my entire birth plan. My current birth plan? Not having a plan...

I've started getting heart burn when I lay down at night. I had the same thing while pregnant with Love Bean. And just like they say, she was born with lots of hair, so maybe Angry Bean will be too.

Love Bean is a spitting image of her daddy. It'll be fun to see if Angry Bean has the same features, or if (s)he will look more like me.

Restaurants and Kids

Jess and I want our kids to behave in public. I want them to sit in a restaurant and have it not be stressful at all (well as much as that can happen with 3 kids). Not too much to ask am I right?

Here is what I am doing to make that happen. For the most part it works but I have for sure had sometimes where I was like, BAD IDEA.

I take our kids out to eat at quick restaurants. Not fancy places at all just casual dining type places. Sometimes it is just to McDonalds (which i dislike more than you know) and other weeks it is to our favorite, Noodles & Company.

I am careful about what time of the day we go and also am very cautious of nap schedules too. I do not like to go at "rush hour" and sit down and eat. I take them by myself because I am a little more laid back when it comes to being in public with the kids. It is probably because I do it way more. I haul them wherever unless it is going to be a complete drag for them or not let me be successful with what I need to do. (some doctor appointments are better without extras). So when it comes to sitting down at Noodles & Co I can generally keep my temper and show patience, I mean I want to eat too!

Bathroom before you even sit down. On average we get up and go the bathroom about 2 times when we go. And sometimes it is because Rae sees someone she just keeps wanting to walk by and stare at. (yes it was 2 teenage boys she was crushin' on) So, drop your coats and go the bathroom before you order. I make all kids go and try, I usually change Gat too. It's happened a couple times where I didn't make Jo go and 5 minutes after we get our food she has gotta go. Or I didn't change Gat and he starts fussing mid meal.

Somedays are kids are GREAT and others it is more trying. Right now our biggest struggle is Gat. He HATES sitting in those high chairs, he is so uncomfortable. Once I went out to lunch with a couple of friends and one of them, Lindz, brought her bumbo for her little girl. I am thinking maybe that would help if I did that for Gat. Although, places that don't have booths that would be trickier. (I probably would get a lot looks if I just plopped him in the bumbo on a chair.

What do you do to make an outing successful? Any tips for me!?

Do You Fight in Front of Your Kids?

Jess and I don't have a lot of screaming matches. But we definitely bicker a lot. We tend to do it in front of the kids. I don't let things go without talking them out, for the most part. I remember my parents fights, which consisted of mom ignoring dad. I want to show the kids how to work through things or out problems instead of ignoring the problem all together. (I am not sure how it was behind the scenes or anything but that is how I remember it.) But, we never saw how they resolved the problem. I want to show the kids that you can argue with someone and work through it then be cordial and the whole house does not have to be on edge for rest of the day.

I think if it is an issue of parenting then we tend to keep it away from the kids. I will bite my tongue until we are in a different room from them. I believe in keeping a united front for the kids. A lot of these  are more conversations than fighting. If Jess and I fight it is more me just upset about something little, that I have pushed aside. Which I personally have been trying to be better about. Honestly though, a lot of the bigger arguments aren't even about him. It is a lot about things happening around us.

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Like Mal and Jesse, Tim and I and don't really get into a lot of screaming matches. Generally, we are the same page about important life changing decisions. That's not saying there haven't ever been any in the 8 years we've been together. I remember getting into one of those fights when Stella was a newborn. We didn't let her being there hold us back, after all she was a baby she wouldn't remember it anyway. But it did effect her that night. She got really upset, even after I had stopped crying, I had trouble getting her to calm down and go to sleep. Since then, if we need to hash something out that has the potential to get heated, we do it after she's gone to bed.

However we do bicker/get into little arguments quite a bit. I have no concerns about our kids seeing us bicker or argue. I think it's good for them to see that mom and dad don't always agree on things, but they still love each other. I also feel like Tim and I have a pretty healthy way of arguing. We don't be little each other, we listen to what each other has to say, and we generally verbally state our agreement/or agreement to disagree at the end of the conversation. I think these are all things that are important for our kids to see, so that they will learn there are respectful ways for people to argue.

Seems Mallorie and I handle fighting in front of our kids in much the same way. What are your thoughts on the subject?

April Love List

Here's a few things we loved about April.

Alexis:Potty training success for Roo, purchase and redo to come of that rad chair (grad gift!), nice weather to play outside, graduation of course!

Jamie: Love Bean's new floppy hat, the wedding of one of my oldest friends, family fun day at Tangle Town and the March for Babies walk

Mallorie: The girls got to wear their new Easter outfits, nice long walks outside, date night was a wedding, and the March for Babies walk:)

May Printable

CLICK HERE to download this month's free printable.

Our other printables:
April

Pinterest Paints

Back in January, I started babysitting my cousin's daughter a few days a week. Her and Love Bean play really well together, and I don't really have to facilitate their play all that much. Mostly, I just continually clean up after them, feed them, read Pout Pout Fish, 8 Silly Monkeys and Hop on Pop at least 10 times a day, and get after them when they try to put in a DVD by themselves.

However, in an effort to be more like the mom I imagine myself being, I do try to do some planned activities with them. A few things we've done are story time at the local library, went to the local bakery for donuts, baked cookies and we've painted. I found recipes for homemade finger paint and puff paint on Pinterest. Both girls had a lot fun with it.

Here's where I got the finger paint recipe. It was really gooey, I think if I make it again I'd try to thin it out by adding more water. But I'll probably end up buying finger paints. I think store bought paints will be easier for the girls to smear around on paper, and they will store longer.

I didn't really think the puff paint would work, but it did! I cut out the girls' first initials, gave them paint brushes and one color at a time, and they went at it. I got the recipe for that here, but I didn't have self rising flour, so I used this recipe as a substitute. It made a whole lot more than we needed that day, so I put the left over flour mixture in an air tight container with directions on how to mix up a single batch of paint. We've used it a couple of times since then, I've found a nice pastey texture puffs up the best.

This week for $50

It works best for my schedule to go grocery shopping on Wednesday or Thursday. So a week refers to Wednesday to Wednesday or Thursday to Thursday. Meal ideas use a combo of the week's groceries and ingredients I already have on hand.

Sharing my grocery trips with you has really made me think about my family's diet. For the most part, I'm happy with the kinds of food we eat. I think we manage a pretty good balance of healthy meals and not depriving ourselves of the foods we really enjoy, even if they aren't good for us. Maybe I'm crazy, but I think that philosophy will help our kids have healthy relationships with food. 

This is an example of a week that I didn't stick to my list very well. I picked up my must haves and then ignored half of what was left on my list and picked up a few other things. Like 10lbs of potatoes for only $2.99 (.29 cents/pound), a variety bag of onions (I only had 2 onions left at home), a head of lettuce, an extra dozen eggs (since they were on sale), and yogurt for Love Bean (she has been on such a yogurt kick lately).

Quick Facts:  

• Total Spent: $46.36 ($3.64 under budget)
• Total savings: $11.59
• Savings break down: $0.30 from mPerks, $11.29 from shopping the sale ad

My Must Haves: 

• milk
• eggs
• deodorant for Tim
• shaving cream for Tim
• peanut butter

Meal Ideas for This Week:

• enchiladas
• baked potatoes and salad
• homemade pizza or mini garlic bread pizzas
• ham and cheese omelets  

April's Trendy Tots

Roo is wearing a white T from Old Navy (I love ON's T's for little girls btw, dress up or down they are perfect). Over it she has a cardigan from Kohls and then of course she's wearing her jeggings because we all know jeggings go with everything. Her headband is actually a belt to one of my sundresses, it also makes a pretty cute scarf for a mini person too. She is also wearing a big fat lip from thinking its cool to jump on the bed.

Jo is wearing a tank top from the Disney collection at target. The cardi is also from Target. The jeggings are from Old Navy. Flats from Target. Those socks were a necessity for the days activities.

Help a Frame Out?

Probably three months ago I was given this wonderful semi-sad gold frame. I am always up for something free and its a bonus I am more of a gold gal then silver, so obviously we were meant to be. A combo of me not knowing what I wanted to put in it and not having the time to complete it, the frame still sits lonely and empty on the wall in my bedroom.

So help a lonely depressed frame and a torn frame owner out. I have narrowed it down to 4 possibly 5 things I want to put it in it.

1. The Great Outdoors : I want to have art on my walls eventually in the make believe house in my head. I really like this piece at Mammoth & Company, along with a number of other prints there. But this one the most.

2. Dream Catcher Watchya macallit: I came across this on Pinterest one day. I used to draw a lot in high school and a year or two after. So my thoughts are to maybe start back up again and take a portion of this dream catcher (which totally reminds me of my indian sister Jamie...there is a story there...) and redraw it.

3. Instagram Framed Art: Instagram is obviously one of my favorite apps. And we all know I get a little crazy taking and posting pics, so I have plenty to frame. Personally I think life would be a little prettier and more enjoyable if we all just wore "Walden" contact lenses (which filter do you prefer?) I also recently found an app "Printicular" which allows you to send Instagram photos to Walgreens to get them printed. If your like me, my iphone has somehow stolen my ability to use a regular camera so most of Ruthie's life is on my phone. It's like .39 a photo, but I don't scrap book or anything like that so in my book its justified.

4. A Simple Pic:  I have thought about just putting a large blown up photo of Roo or Ruthie & I to put in it.

So it's a free of charge poll, you are welcome. Which should I put in my big lovely lonely gold frame?? #1-#4????

You Should Name Your Child Lucifer.....

This was the first maple syrup season in 3 years that the entire family could spend lots of time together in the sugar house! So of course we did it as much as possible. We all want our kids to be close like we were with our cousins when we were growing up. Plus, I think it means a lot to dad that we go out there and spend time. The girls LOVE it! Nothing better then getting dirty and not getting in trouble, well maybe for the occasional dirt angel. All in all it is a ton of fun.

Things acceptable at the sugar house:

• Eating pretty much all the time
• Drinking syrup from a cup (Jo asks for this daily)
• Requesting Ranger rides as often as possible
• Drinking the occasional Dew
• Riding bikes/scooters inside
• Dirty hands and feet, because you have to take your boots off once in awhile
• ONLY play clothes allowed ;)

Now onto the title of this post. I, Mallorie, may or may not have suggested that Jamie and Tim should name their child Lucifer. I was thinking of the cat from Cinderella, not that that is a good justification. Either way I silenced the room and got the harshest looks, so I guess that means I won't get a nephew Lucifer. (I am convinced it's a boy)