Choose The Kids... Always

While thumbing through Pinterest... I came across this quote.

I have struggled this past year with finding balance... and not balance between work and home.... but balance for me... feeling guilty with leaving for work and missing out on all those little moments during the day. It breaks my heart knowing what I am missing.

For us, I need to work.

If I didn't have to.

I wouldn't.

That simple.

Don't get me wrong.

I love my job.

Love it.

I work with amazing people.

I enjoy what I do.

It's just.

I love being a mom...

More.

So even though. Monday thru Friday... leaving for work sometimes for me it feels like I am choosing work.

To provide a good life for Maddux. I have to work.

But I promise.

To be a mom, who spends all weekend making up for our loss time.

To be a mom, who leaves work at work... and concentrates solely on being home

To be a mom, that realizes just being together as a family .. makes the best memories.

To be a mom, who obsessively kisses my lil man to the point of embarrassment.

To be a mom, who documents your childhood with an unnecessary amount of photos.

To be a mom, who sings songs in the car... always

To be a mom, who understands dessert is required... not optional.

To be a mom, who is never too busy to color.

To be a mom, who never tires of chasing you around the yard.

To be a mom, who always reads you bedtime stories.

To be a mom, who loves you unconditionally.... always.

178. Maddy singing wheels on the bus.

179. Him running to you... lifting your shirt... beaming with pride as he finds your belly button!

180. Family walks after we get home from work.

181. Building Sandcastles

182. Summer fruit salads!

Play Kitchen Progress

So I have been working on this for entirely too long... just like every project I do. But I only have 30-45 minutes here and there... so really Its hard to complete a project on that schedule sometimes.


So here are the fridge and stove I built for Maddy to play with.

I thought about buying him one of those plastic kitchens.... but saw the plans on Ana white ... and I LOVE wooden kitchen sets.

So I read the plans for a few weeks and decided this was something I could probably do... bought the supplies and 2.5 weeks later here we are.

Maddux's play room is Teal and Orange, so I wanted this to stand out a little bit. So we painted it green.
This project has definitely taught me a lot. This was the first project that I cut my own wood on and eventually... learning to use a jig saw. So it was a big deal for me.

Maddy loves to cook us food... and have us eat it. He loves to play with this kitchen. he puts stuff in the fridge... closes it... talks to himself... opens it... closes it... repeat the fun for about 15 minutes... move on to dong the exact same thing with the oven. Hilarious.

If you have not checked out Ana White. I am telling you, you are missing out. She is amazing. And if you actually know what you are doing (unlike me) all of this stuff will be a lot easier than it is for me... and as you can see... I just keep going. I hit a few rough spots here and there.... but overall. nothing to difficult. And I know this kitchen will last with Maddux... and he loves it.


So its not completely finished...

I still have/want to -

• put a back on the fridge (ran out of paint... hoping to pick up some this weekend)
• Put a toe kick on the bottom of the fridge and stove... again ran out of paint
• wanting to get an old window frame from Habitat Store.
• paint old shutters and make some toy story curtains for the window... maybe add an outdoor scene in the window
• add a chalkboard menu board on the side of the fridge.
• maybe some red rings on the burners???

Enough talking... here's the progress on Maddux's play kitchen.
I will post updated pictures once I have it finished :)

Well any thoughts on what I can add??? I would really appreciate it!

173. 50 cent ice cream cones
174. Maddux loving the home made kitchen
175. Sleeping with the windows open
176. Tim Mcraw. yes. Tim Mcgraw
177. Maddux learning new words almost daily :)

Laundry Basket Dresser

You know my love of Ana White... well I have now passed that along to my Mom and Rod.
So they made me the awesome laundry basket hamper!!!

I am embarrassed to say that usually we took our basket of laundry... and sometimes it neatly stayed down in the basket and by sometimes i mean... maybe .2% of the time. most of the time. the basket was on the floor it would get kicked over... knocked over... well point being clothes all over the floor. gross.

sooo now I have this adorable hamper in the laundry room so once our basket is full upstairs... we can bring them down throw them in this basket dresser.... wash it... fold it... put it back and bring it up and put it away.

And isn't it adorable?

I L-O-V-E it :)

Currently these photos are taken in the garage.... Right now making room for it in the laundry room... Can't wait!!!!!

 

168. Homemade Gifts (especially ones that help me organize!!!)

169. Electricity (after going 24 hours without it.... my goodness I am ever so thankful)

170. Family walks after work

171. Running outside on cool days

172. the color turquoise.... l.o.v.e.

Toy Story Party Progress

So I have a thousand ++++ things I am working on (like usual) But instead of finishing anything off of my to do list... instead I decided to work on Toy Story Party randomness.

I started thinking today that in less than 2 weeks my son will be 18 months old... and that alone freaked me out. Then I got started thinking about how much last year I had done for his party by this time... and Eeeek. This time... I have 1/3rd of that done.

So tonight I took a few hours after he went to bed... and created a few favors... and got some stand ups that I plan on using as decoration somewhere.....
I also finished up the centerpieces but don't have any photos of those to share.
But point being I feel better. and back on top of my party planning game... so I can take a few weeks off... just to freak out all over again. Luckily since I did so much for the first one... I have a better understanding of how much time I need for what this go around.... so I am slightly less crazy... not by much. But a tad.

Well here they are....

I made some favor boxes... and filled them with army men. (Found the army men in the dollar bins at Target... Awesome!)

Bought a few favors at party city while there....

We found a book at the store the other day that had these cardboard punch outs... which will work somewhere... so exciting. especially since this book was marked down to under 5 bucks clearance :)
And this book still has stickers... room back grounds... Andy's door signs... so many things we can use.

So I made a little bit of progress tonight... His birthday falls in the middle of all the holiday chaos... which is stressful enough on its own. So I like to have this all done and finalized by the week of Halloween.... that's always the goal.

Embrace The Camera

This week I decided to share this photo from this past week... that my husband took the other night after I got home from work.
As soon as I get in the door the past few weeks Maddux has to be held for the first 30 minutes or so... and it is one of my favorite things... Its so nice to know he has missed me as much as I have missed him.
So I have learned how to cook with a baby on my hip...

Not the best quality of photo - Jer tries though : )

But he did capture a moment... that I will want to cherish forever.

 

163. Finding a workout routine that fits into my lifestyle...

164. Getting to spend time with my mom every morning (workouts together before work)

165. Coming home to my lil man... and him showing me he missed me

166. Days without runny noses (with this weather someone in this house has a runny nose constantly!)

167. My dad always willing to help me when I need it... no matter the inconvenience. (Thank goodness for amazing dads)

Gallery Wall Finally Completed!

So after completely thinking out this wall... Then having my son knock down every frame in reach.... deciding to apply Velcro... and so far that's lasting... here we are.

I was inspired by Young House Love to create this.
I am obsessed with their blog... you should honestly run over there and check it out.
When we do purchase a home... my husband may want to block their website from our computer.

So here it is... after working on this for entirely too long!

Maddux's first artwork he brought home :)

For whatever reason this is insanely blurry and grainy but its the only full wall shot I had on my camera.

Our wedding lyrics ...

The city we met in.... The city we were engaged in... The city we were married in :)

A bird because I liked it

and one of our favorite places to spend our summers...Go Cubs!

Our Nala Wall Art.... I love this!

This is a photo of Jers parents that I have always LOVED. That's his mom in the middle his dad on the drums.

Recent Spring pictures... maddy, us with maddy, and our Christmas card with that adorable looking kid on it :)

A vintage map of Ohio.... our first family vacation

This fortune... because it makes me laugh. Still

Our engagement photo... and a cute print we picked up on Etsy

Then of course... we have the Maddux Silhouette... his 6 month close up... the butterfly art I made under the fortune cookie... and i think that sums it up

I want to add a few more touches like the bird... but that will be added as we come across it. So that might take some time... for now its complete... and I really love how it turned out. This wall makes me happy...


I linked up at TaterTots and Jellos Weekend Wrap Up

158. Finishing a project that has taken weeks too long

159. Root beer floats

160. Birthday Parties

161. Blueberries

162. Beauty and the Beast - still one of my favorites :) 

Embrace The Camera

Any other Midwest gals linking in on Embrace The Camera this week... Because it has been H-O-T.
I am just never pleased I guess... annoyed with the cold wishing for warmth... now its in the high 80s, low 90s.... and I am complaining its too hot... :)

A few weeks ago we had Maddux's Easter photos taken by a friend of ours. Melody Ann Photography
They turned out Adorable! She took a few photos of us walking with Maddux (neither of us were planning on being in the photos) But she took this one... and its my favorite picture... I love it.
Now you might look at it and think... well they look off... Hes in a hoodie and gym pants... and She is all dressed up. Which is exactly why I love this photo so much.
I work in an corporate office all day in my business attire... while the hubs is a PE/Health Teacher and Volleyball coach.
So while I live in dresses and heels... he lives in Gym pants and Hoodies....
My outfits are cute... but lets be honest... I would much rather sit at my desk in a hoodie and sweatpants...

Back on point.
So this picture for me... kind of showcases our lifestyle at this moment... and Maddux... depending on who dresses him... is anything and everything between our two styles....

This week we have had some big moments in our house.
1. Maddux now jumps... well he crouches down and stands up as fast as he can ... and thinks he is jumping. its adorable but of course he stops as soon as I get the flip out.
2. We had our first fat lip experience... he was running from me with something he shouldnt have... tripped and wacked his mouth into the corner of the bed. I was freaking out... he was crying... luckily a popsicle and bubbles healed his wounds.
3. He now understand what I mean when I ask for a hug..... :)

Here are a few of his Easter/Spring photos....

Come  link up at Emilys Place ...

153. Opening the windows for the first time in months

154. Cool breeze coming thru on HOT nights

155. Creamy cole slaw and Fried Chicken

157. Finding something you have been looking for ... for MONTHS on Craigslist :)

Happy Mothers Day! Mom Tribute...

I am still new to being mom.... Its all new to me. And I know that none of us have the answers... and its pretty much just going with your gut and praying/crossing your fingers/wishing on stars that you are doing the right things... teaching the right things... saying the right things.
When really in this business there is no "right" way. And I know that... but still you second guess yourself... every step of the way... and I am only a little over a year into this... and I can see these internal struggles just getting harder and harder.

And as a mom... it makes you really start thinking about your parents...
Isn't that funny... now that I am a mom. I understand some of the things my mom use to say...
It all just ... makes more sense.
And if you dont have kids... you dont completely get it.
But once you become a parent... its clear. Its crystal clear from day one.
This person becomes the most important person in your world... more important than yourself.
This child becomes your reason for... breathing.

Today I wanted to take a moment and share my favorite things about my mom.

She puts everyones feelings before hers.
She is the person I turn to for advice... or someone to cheer me up after a bad day
She knows how to make each grandchild feel like they are the favorite (while they are all in the same room) thats pure magic :)
She has taught me strength... I have seen her world fall apart and watched her pick up the pieces and make life better. That is true strength.
She has taught me to not judge a book by the cover...  you might miss out on some pretty amazing relationships.
She has taught me that I am never too old to play. There is no age limit on Hide N Seek.
She is brave. And has never shown me an "I can't" attitude
She has taught me... you never say no to chocolate. Its rude. :)
She has taught me slow down... and to enjoy the little moments. Some of the best memories come from the days where you are doing nothing.
She always has been... and always will be the most beautiful woman I know.

Thank you mom for everything you do for me.
You are everything I want to be when I grow up.
You are my mentor, my inspiration, my support system... my best friend.
The best compliment I can ever recieve is

"You remind me of your mother"

So today mom... I just want to say thanks... thanks for all that you do for our family.
Love you!!!



148. A mothers love
149. Understanding that love once you have your own child.
150. Old photographs
151. Thinking as a little girl that your mother was the prettiest girl in the world
152 ... and still thinking that as an adult.

Mothers Day Gift

My Mom and Rod (my step dad) LOVE working in their yard. They will spend all spring getting it ready... and really the work never ends... They are constantly planting flowers.... buying new patio furniture..... building bigger decks... really its always something.

They love spending time outside.... so I decided I would try to make something to play into that.

So I got all of their grandchildren together and came up with Yard Stones they can put in their flower garden... or wherever they want to put them. I had each set of grand kids from all of us kids get together... and it worked out Perfectly "We" "Love" "You"

If you are curious...
I went to Home Depot picked up some 12 x 12 stepping stones
Modge podged some scrapbook paper onto it.
Took a 10x10 photo modge podged that on.
Then once dried. I added a coat of outdoor modgepodge.
Repeated for about 3-4 layers to make sure it was completely covered.

(I gave these to my mom today - since she will not be here on Mother's Day... so me posting this doesn't ruin the suprise!! )

Thanks for taking the time to stop by!

Linked up at Tatertots & Jello Weekend Wrap Up :)

143. Outdoor Modge Podge

144. Coming up with a gift that makes them happy

145. Getting all the kids together for photos

146. home made macoroni and cheese

147. my sons imagination growing leaps and bounds every single day :)