Motherhood Monday: Parenting Self Audits

Good morning and happy Monday! I hope you had an amazing weekend – we definitely did as our weather was an absolute dream! We still have some nice weather on tap for us this week and we are definitely making the most of it.

I’m not going to lie, the past week has been rough. I’ve found myself angry, I’ve found myself consumed by everything that is going on in our country and also slightly terrified. I stepped away from watching ALL the news/media, which is sad this is what it comes to. I’m often left feeling upset that we are being controlled little by little and we will never know the total TRUTHS in anything going on. Journalist integrity is DEAD and that alone has put me in a dark place.

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Weekend Rewind: 11/2/20

Hello November and hello Monday! A little late to the game here today, but that’s okay – I’m sure I’m not the only one having a manic Monday! We had a really nice Halloween (one of the first in recent years without rain or gloom!) and we also stayed nice and cozy as we saw some of the first snowflakes fly of the season!

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Tip Jar Tuesday: Winterizing Home Checklist

Good morning and Happy Tuesday! My husband and I are starting to feel better which is good, the kids don’t QUIT – so that has been hard trying to juggle resting and playtime particularly when we’re trapped inside because the weather hasn’t been the greatest.

We did have a chance to get outside last week/weekend during some of the nicer days and finalize some of our home winterizing tasks. As I was working through my list, I thought, am I the only one with a winterizing checklist for the house? Are there things you button up every year and if so, how do you not forget about doing them? I would love to hear how you plan for the cold weather days ahead!

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Thrifty Thursday – A Car Seat That Saved Us Thousands

It’s Thrifty Thursday!! Yes, this title might sound a little EXTREME, but I’m telling you – IT IS NOT!

Last year we welcomed our youngest child, T, and right before his arrival my husband and I sat down to talk over our budget and adjust it accordingly with new baby expenses (i.e. diapers, wipes, formula, etc.) It is so great being able to pull out all the baby stuff we’ve accumulated since having Audrey and JP and I remember pulling one of the things from storage – the infant car seat – and having a moment. How on earth are we going to transport these kiddos, our family of five from place to place?!

My husband drives a sedan and I drive a mid-size SUV – a Ford Edge. These cars obviously aren’t the biggest for transporting a family of five and the back seat did not fit our car seats. That’s when we started our search for a new car. We bickered about the need for 2 SUV’s, argued about getting a minivan (I’m team SUV) or whether we should buy or lease and ultimately could not believe how expensive this investment would be!

I am proud of our financial decisions we’ve made thus far. Budgeting and planning has allowed us to clear away nearly all our debts. We aren’t ones who need the latest and greatest – my car is a 2008, I still have an iPhone 5 – really if it still works, all is good with us! The thought of tacking on more debt was slightly overwhelming – especially when there are no major issues with my car.

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Weekend Rewind: 10/20/20

This post was supposed to come at you yesterday, but after a weekend of celebrating JP’s 3rd Birthday THEN feeling fatigued and weak Sunday, which carried over into yesterday – it didn’t happen. Needless to say we have some sort of bug over here, but hoping all will be okay this week and our families too.

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Friday Favorites – 10.16.20

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A happy Friday to you my friends! We are celebrating a 3rd Birthday over here today and as I’m always saying – where has the time GONE?! JP is our fun-loving, energetic, kind and at times wild little boy and we hope to make his day so so special!

We plan to take him out to lunch after we pick up sissy from her half day at Pre-K, have him open some gifts and then head to a local trunk-or-treat event to score some candy! We have some things to finalize for his party tomorrow which will definitely make for a crazy day, but totally worth it in the end! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR SWEET SWEET BOY!!

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Thursday Thoughts: The Social Dilemma

My husband and I just watched The Social Dilemma documentary on Netflix and WOW, was that eye-opening! If you’ve been reading along for awhile, one thing I do not update on a regular basis like my blog here is my social media account. I will explain in more detail shortly, but I’m not a heavy user and honestly like it that way and will continue that way. Yes, social media is AWESOME for staying connected, finding information, learning new things, sharing deals, tips, tricks, etc., but it is also a very dark place at the core.

I don’t want to sit hear and sound like I don’t use Instagram at all – I most definitely use it, but one thing I’ve been conscience about since I started my blog over a year ago was how much do I plan to use it and for what purposes. Today’s Thursday Thoughts, I’m sharing what I got out of this documentary and I HIGHLY encourage you to give it a watch yourself. ESPECIALLY if you have young people!

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World Sight Day 2020: Hope In Sight

Each year, World Sight Day is recognized on the second Thursday of October and the purpose is to raise awareness about blindness, vision impairments and a reminder of the importance of eye exams and screenings.

Today, I see it necessary to spread this awareness and encourage you to take eye health very seriously – in particular being that advocate for our children. This is something they need us for! As a parent, it is our obligation to make sure we are aware of the vision developmental milestones and are actively listening and advocating for our kids.

If you’ve been following along, our daughter was diagnosed with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia – along with esotropia, hyperopia (farsightedness) and strabismus – at the age of 5 months. She is now 5 years old and has had 2 eye alignment surgeries. I shared our diagnosis story last year and since publishing, have heard from many people sharing similar stories.

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