Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Last night I made this amazing tilapia for dinner. I was looking through pinterest and thought this looked delicious. It only takes a few ingredients, and literally takes 10 minutes start-to-finish to make this. It was so good, I think I might make it again for dinner tonight!

Ingredients:
4 Tilapia filets
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup of butter
1 1/2 tablespoons of mayo
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of fresh dill
Pepper to taste

Directions:
Turn broiler on high and adjust oven rack to the top.

In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the tilapia. Set aside.

Place tilapia filets on a foil-lined pan.

Broil for 3 minutes.

Remove from oven, flip over, and divide parmesan mixture evenly over uncooked sides Of the tilapia.

Broil for an additional 3-4 minutes, making sure to not over-cook the fish.

Enjoy!

Dirty Windows?!

There are so many things that no one tells you about before you have kids. Sure, we know the obvious: you'll have tons of sleepless nights, change lots of diapers,  have endless laundry to do, have doctor appointments and play dates to chauffeur, and have mess after mess to clean up. But there's more--things people dont tell you about. 

Like your walls. No one ever told me that I would have FILTHY walls because I had kids. It's out of control. What makes it worse is that the previous owners of this house must have had some weird obsession with flat paint; this entire house was painted using flat paint: and we all know you can't scrub flat paint. We've slowly been painting everything using at least an eggshell finish, but this is a big house and it takes time. I never thought that having kids would turn me into Danny Tanner--but it sure as heck has. I didn't even know scrubbing walls was a thing--and I'm not talking about if the kids color on the walls (which my kids have never done.. knock on wood). I'm talking about their dirty, grimy hands getting all over the wall, and just seeing a general discoloration on the wall itself. I hate having to scrub my walls; I feel like a freak when I do it--but it has to be done.

Another thing? Apparently when you have kids, you're never allowed to have clean windows--ever. This rule is not limited to just the house; this goes for your car well. I can't even count how often I clean the windows on my sliding glass door out to my backyard--within 30 minutes, without fail, there are dirty, grimy fingerprints all over my freshly cleaned windows again. This happened in my car too. I bought a brand new car, and the same day I bought it, there were fingerprints all over the perfect brand new windows. 

What gives? At what age do they stop having an obsession with touching windows? I'm getting pretty tired of having to clean them--but it's gotta be done. Does everyone else's kids have obsessions with touching windows?!

Too Close for Comfort

Today I made a quick trip up to Oceanside. Some of my friends are getting married in a month, and since they have full-time jobs, they dont have a ton of time to get everything ready for the wedding. Since I stay home with the kids all day and love doing crafts, I gladly offered to help. Today I was dropping something off and picking new crafts up. Driving there, I was almost in a really bad accident. Like, BAD. 

For those of you that know the Oceanside area, I was making a left hand turn off of the 76 onto Santa Fe. I was about half way through the intersection when a lady (who clearly wasn't paying attention) ran the red light and almost hit me going 70+ miles per hour. Had I been texting or not paying attention, both of the kids and I would be very badly hurt, or worse. This lady was inches away from hitting my car--which would have been the passenger side: the side Maverick sits on. As I was driving through the intersection and saw her last minute, I had to stop so abruptly that it made the kids video games that they were playing fly out of their hands and everything in my front seat fly and hit the dash. I was so shaken up that I just sat there stopped in the middle of the intersection for a minute, looking at the terrified faces of all of the drivers stopped at their red lights around me. The lady clearly saw me; as soon as she blew through the intersection she skidded to a stop, sat there a second, then drove off. I continued driving through the intersection, then pulled over and cried hysterically while having a panic attack. There are so many what-ifs in this scenario, and luckily nothing happened. Thank you Lord for keeping me alert, thank You for my brakes working, thank you for keeping the kids and I safe.

This is not me being dramatic by any means; this was a very close call and I'm still very shaken up by it. After crying the entire drive home, I'm doing much better now. I think it helped that Bath and Body Works was having a sale today so I was able to do a little shopping and get my mind off of it. 

I'm gonna go light some candles and enjoy this weird overcast weather that we seem to keep getting. Happy Thursday everyone, its almost the weekend!

Cherish your Family

Today I'm heading up to Orange County to go see my grandpa. My sister Brianna and I are going to spend some time with him then go hit up Ikea. I am SO excited to see him; we haven't seen him since Christmas--and that's way too long. My cousin owns an autobody shop up there and my ac in my old car had been broken for years, so I just kept saying that I'd go see my grandpa once I brought my car up to get fixed. Weeks passed, then months passed, and now it's been 8 months since I've seen my grandpa--and that really makes me sad. 

My grandma passed away last September, so my grandpa has been on his own for almost a year now. When I called him the other day to tell him that we were all coming, I could literally hear the excitement in his voice over the phone. I can tell that he is so excited to see us--specifically Maverick and Madison. Before we got off the phone, he made sure to specifically ask if I was bringing the kids, and I said of course. My grandpa's health isn't the greatest; he has a defibrillator and a pace maker placed on his heart and he has congenital heart failure. Because of all of this, he no longer has his drivers license--so my sister, the kids and I are going to take him out to lunch today.

I can't explain how excited I am to see my grandpa today. He is the only grandpa I've ever known; my mom's parents died when I was a baby. I've felt like I sort of abandoned him once my grandma died; we knew that it was going to happen soon, so we made sure to go up there often to get as much time with her as we could. Now that I have my new car that runs perfectly, I plan on seeing my grandpa a lot.. especially because I know how much he loves seeing my kids.

This is the stuff that matters. All that other stuff I write about is nothing compared to this. Family is EVERYTHING. Spend whatever time you can with the ones you love; you're never guaranteed tomorrow!

Autumn Decorations Have Arrived!

Yesterday I pulled out all of my Fall decorations and decorated my house. I had planned on pulling them out on September 1st, but yesterday was an overcast, rainy day and I just couldn't pass that opportunity up--that's the perfect "holiday decorating" weather, afterall! Maverick and Madison were both SO excited that I was decorating; I finally just gave them their trick-or-treat buckets so that they would leave me be! I was a little leery that Joe might think I was a crazy person for putting my fall decorations up, but I was pleasantly surprised when he said he loved them and that it made him excited for the holidays. I loved that I was able to share my excitement with him!

I didn't put any holiday-specific decorations out yet; those will come at their appropriate times. I was so excited waking up this morning and seeing all of my decorations up! Its really starting to feel like Fall--until you step outside into the 90°+ weather. That's fine though; I'll stay in my air-conditioned house and pretend its cold outside ;)

I have to say that I'm most excited about the decorations outside my front door. I always feel like my porch looks plain and boring, but definitely not this year! The best part about it is that the decorations were CHEAP! I bought 4 bales of hay from hobby lobby for $12 total, stacked them up, put a few of the fake pumpkins I've accrued over the years on there, hung my Autumn wreath on my front door, and viola! A not-boring entry way! After I had already taken the picture I added a cute lantern next to the pumpkin on the right. Once the pumpkin patch opens (in 29 days!!) I'll be adding a bunch of pumpkins around the house and all over the bales of hay.

Looks like its (almost) time to start baking some Fall treats! I'm so excited!

Once the pumpkin patch opens, I'll have "fairytale" pumpkins sitting on the left and right sides of the fireplace, and mini pumpkins lining the mantle.

Of course we have to be displaying Joe's Fantasy Football trophy right when you walk in the front door. 

See, doesn't this look adorable?! I love the look with the hay. It'll look even cuter with more pumpkins! 

Fall is a comin'!

Today we are on flash flood watch. Anyone who doesnt live in Southern California might take that warning seriously, but we all know that 'flash flood warning' here means slight chance of rain and possible lightning. We rarely have storms--and while some may say "that sounds amazing," I beg to differ. I wish we got just a little bit more rain each year. There's something just so comforting about being home on a rainy day, curled up in a blanket, watching (Christmas) movies. However, today we are on this flash flood warning. Even though I know we wont get much rain, I'm still excited--and I love it that Maverick is just like me and gets excited too. Knowing that "today is a rainy day," he came into my room clothed in jeans and a jacket this morning--even though its still supposed to be 90° out today. 

It started raining around 6:30 this morning, so the kids and I went out in the backyard and ran around in it. They had a BLAST. They just ran circles in the grass, excited to feel the rain gently dropping on their heads. This was the first time we've done this; I don't know why I get uptight about certain things, but I'm working on it. This morning was so much fun. When the rain stopped and we went inside, I knew today was a special day.. and special days call for special breakfasts: mickey mouse pancakes! They were so excited to eat pancakes! It had been a while since I made them :)

I'm going back and fourth in my head on whether or not I should pull out my fall decorations today. I planned on decorating September 1st.. but I mean, thats only 6 days away. One of my close friends texted me yesterday saying she was decorating her house, so at least I outlasted her? Haha. I say that I'm debating decorating today, but I think my mind is already set that I'm gonna do it. Okay, yeah.. I'm going to. Like, now. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.. I'm actually pretty excited about those bales of hay I bought last week :)

Hoarders

You know what a huge pet peeve of mine is? The phrase "Don't mind my messy house--I put my kids first." Seriously? Does that mean that I don't put my kids first because I have a clean house? No--it just means that I'm a clean person. Where do you draw the line? Why stop there?! "Don't mind my unwashed hair and my ragged clothes--I put my kids first." "Don't mind my un-fed pets and the mountain of dishes taking over my kitchen--I put my kids first." I honestly think that "I put my kids first" is an excuse for laziness. I'm not saying that you shouldn't put your kids first--because you absolutely should.. but it doesnt mean that you can just slack in all other categories of your life just because you have kids. If Joe came home from work to a kitchen full of dirty dishes, mountains of laundry, and a tornado of mess throughout the house--and I said "sorry, I put the kids first" --he would probably be pretty upset with me.

Its all about finding a balance. Just because you have kids doesnt mean that that's the ONLY thing you can focus on. I'm not saying its not okay to have a messy house sometimes--it happens. But if someone comes over and your house is a disaster and you feel the need to justify it by saying that you "put your kids first," then you should probably take a step back and reevaluate how you prioritize your time. 

Lets quit justifying everything by using our kids as an excuse. Everyone has something going on--and we all make-do with what we've got.

These people must REALLY put their kids first!

Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil English Muffins

Last night Joe and I couldn't figure out what to eat for dinner. After skiming through Pinterest and finding a few different ideas, we decided to create our own recipe. This turned out SO good--I would totally eat this every night if I could! It was almost like little mini pizzas.. just not.

Ingredients:
English muffins
Tomatoes
Mozzarella
Basil

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°

Toast your English muffins and set aside. 

Slice up your tomatoes and place on English muffins.

Place sliced mozzarella on top of tomatoes,  then sprinkle with basil.

Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and gooey. 

Enjoy!

A Special Shopping Trip

As you may have seen yesterday, I went through the kids' clothes and gathered up what didn't fit anymore so that I could donate it to charity and make room for winter clothes. I didn't know that I would be getting rid of half of their closet! I feel like every year we kinda slack on buying winter clothes; we wait till its cold out and the kids only have shorts, THEN we head to the store. Well, not this year! We took the kids shopping last night and got (most of) their winter clothes. They got jackets, jeans, long-sleeved shirts, and shoes (in summer we only wear sandals. Although we live in southern California and I wear sandals year-round, the kids' little piggies cant handle it).

This was our first time legit shopping with the kids: buying their clothes somewhere other than Target--which means theres an array of brands with sizes that fit differently. That's right: we had to use the fitting rooms. Some might think that clothes shopping with kids and having them try things on is a nightmare, but it was the exact opposite. We actually had a really fun time! Both of the kids were so excited to buy new clothes; a little backstory: earlier yesterday, while I was going through the kids' old clothes, I had them try on anything that I was going to get rid of--just to make sure it didnt fit. Maverick didn't know that getting rid of old clothes meant getting new clothes, so he put a pair of jeans on (that went ABOVE his ankles) and said "they fit!" I told him that we were going to give them away so that another little boy who didnt have clothes could wear them--and at first he was hesitant (I think he thought that I was going to get rid of all of his clothes and just leave him naked!), but he quickly caught on and was very easy to get him to let go of his clothes.

Both of the kids were so excited to actually try the clothes on in the store. Joe shopped for Maverick and I shopped for Madison, obviously. Every time I would put a new outfit on Madison in the fitting room, she would run over to the mirror, look at herself and say "oh I look cute!" Haha!! I made sure to ask her "do you like it? Is it cozy?" Of course the answers were always 'yes.'

Last night may have been 'just a shopping trip' to someone else, but to me it was really special.  It was a sign that the kids are starting to grow up; we actually had to try the clothes on them before buying them?! We had never done that before. It also solidified, once again, that we dont need anymore kids. We've got a good thing going with one boy and one girl--last night was just so much fun.

So now we are just patiently waiting for some cold weather--and I know it'll be here before we know it. I've had the kids' christmas jammies since last Christmas (clearance! Just buy a size up!) and I cant wait to give them to Maverick and Madison--theyll be so excited!

Android vs. iPhone

A little over a week ago, Joe and I made the jump from iPhones to Androids. We'd had iPhones for about 4 years, and honestly we were tired of them. They were great when they were the only phone like this out on the market.. but now every brand and every carrier has some sort of iPhone-type phone. They're all touch screen, they all do basically the same stuff, and they're basically the same phones: just different makers. 

I was told that I would miss having my iPhone.. and although I'm only a little over a week into having this Android, I can honestly say that there isn't one thing I miss about the iPhone. Joe and I both got LG Optimus G Pro phones--which is basically a thinner, lighter version of the Samsung Galaxy Note. The screen on this new phone is bigger than the entire iPhone itself--and I love that. This screen is 5.5"--which is kinda funny considering we just bought a 7" tablet. The phone itself seems to be in HD--all of the pictures and videos have a crisp, clear picture. The camera on this phone takes 14.2 megapixel pictures, whereas the iPhone 4 that I had didn't even use megapixels: they used an outdated product called VGA. Apparently the iPhone 5 takes 8 megapixel pictures--but 1) it still isn't as many as my android, and 2) it took them until the iPhone 5 to start using megapixels? That's kinda weird.

One thing that I hated about the iPhone was that your brand new phone would only run great for a few months--until Apple started coming out with update after update. Pretty soon, your 100% perfect phone was running SO slow because all of the updates weren't supported by your (now) outdated device. Unless you bought every new iPhone that came out, you know exactly what I'm talking about. 

A couple features I love about this Android phone: there's an option in the settings called "quiet time." When we had our iPhones, every night before bed I'd have to turn our phones on silent so that we wouldn't be woken up in the middle of the night. It wasn't a big deal, but on our new phones I just have "quiet time" turned on. I set it up to my preferences (I think I set quiet time to 9:00pm to 7:00am every day), and it automatically turns my phone on silent for me during the times I set. Pretty cool :)

Another cool feature? I can draw on whatever page I'm on. Necessary? No. Fun? Absolutely. Overall I think androids are better products than iPhones. There, I said it: sue me. Androids do EVERYTHING that iPhones do, but they have extra features that iPhones lack. Step outside the Apple comfort zone--I think you'd be surprised what's out there ;)

Frenemies

Raising siblings is HARD. I definitely did not know what I was signing up for when I had two kids! Of course I wouldn't change anything for the world.. but now, while I'm in the moment, its EXHAUSTING. Joe and I were talking about it the other day and we agreed that when the kids are separated they are angels; but when they're together they are MONSTERS. Screaming, crying, fighting--its non-stop. I know that it isn't just my kids;  I was at AT&T yesterday and I was talking to the manager, and she said her kids were exactly the same (hers are 5 and 3--the ages Maverick and Madison will be at the beginning of next year. Ipso facto: theres no light the end of the tunnel--at least not yet). 

The best way to describe Maverick and Madison's relationship is "frenemies." That's EXACTLY what they are. Joe and I have noticed that if we are busy and aren't paying attention to the kids, they play nicely and quietly together. The second Joe or myself tries to join in and play with them, the screaming and fighting starts. What do we do?! Never play with them, and live in peace? Not gonna happen. I know that this is a phase, but it is very frustrating.

Its funny though; the second they are excited about something, they completely forget about their fight and are best friends again. Its actually really funny to watch. They are currently teamed up being mad at me right now--because they made a HUGE mess and I'm making them clean it up. I'm such a mean mom, right? I know.

Its hard to "enjoy the age they are" when the age they are at brings attitudes like this. Everyone always says "treasure them while they're young; before you know it, they'll be in high school and want nothing to do with you." Honestly, that doesn't sound half-bad. Okay, I'm kidding.. but really. They aren't always fighting; there's definitely cute times in between all of the screaming. I just need to figure out how to keep their fighting to a minimum. I guess that's part of the whole 'sibling experience.' 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The pumpkin patch opens in 37 days!! Fall is so close I can almost taste it! I'm SO ready for the leaves to turn red, orange and yellow.. to wear my skinny jeans with a cozy sweater and my new scarves I bought at the Del Mar Fair. I'm excited for the seasonal drinks to come out at Starbucks, to not need my AC on (even though this summer wasn't nearly as hot as last), and to kick my crafting into full-gear! Last night, Joe, the kids and I watched Christmas with the Kranks (thank god I have a husband who appeases my holiday obsessions!). I can't wait to start Christmas shopping in a few weeks. Anyone who complains about the holiday season is clearly a scrooge--because the holiday season is obviously "the most wonderful time of the year!" 

Know what else I'm excited for? Black Friday shopping. Call me crazy, but its actually SO much fun. My sister and I did it for the first time last year and we had a blast--it's such a rush! I think one of my favorite things about fall and winter is the "coziness" of it; something about my kids just being bundled up in their jeans, sweaters and socks.. napping while the heater is on--I can't really explain it, but it just makes my life feel complete and like I'm doing an okay job at this whole 'mom thing.'

I can't believe its almost Halloween time; there's a Halloween Superstore down the street from my house that I THINK is open (although I'm not positive). This year I'm determined to get in there early and get the cute costumes (I swear, every year we wait till last minute when its slim-pickins). I love being that house that gives out the full-sized candy bars on Halloween.. its always so much fun seeing the kid's (and parent's) excitement over getting a full-sized candy bar. The funny thing is that I don't think it even costs that much more to give them out--go figure. 

Have I sold you on the idea that Fall is the best season EVER yet?! Haha.. its the middle of August and my house already smells like Christmas. What does Christmas smell like, you ask?! Cranberries and cinnamon. Yum! (Don't worry--neither the Christmas or Fall decorations are out yet--although I'm putting my Fall decorations up in 2 weeks!!)

Brace yourself for a slew of baking and craft blog posts; because once Fall hits: its on. <3

Peppermint Crunch Truffles

'Tis ALMOST the season for peppermint! I made these truffles last year for a Christmas party that I threw (I think the Christmas party was a hit! It was a 'desserts and wine' party--I made TONS of desserts, we drank tons of wine, and everyone had a great time. I'm planning on making it an annual thing). I found this recipe while skimming through Pinterest and I was instantly intrigued. Who doesn't like chocolate truffles rolled in peppermint?! These little truffles make the perfect gift for coworkers or neighbors; just toss them in some foil liners, place them in a box, tie it up with a ribbon and viola! A deliciously thoughtful gift. These are not hard to make (they're actually pretty easy, just time consuming and messy rolling the truffle balls).

Peppermint Crunch Truffles

Ingredients:

11 oz dark chocolate (65% cacao)

8 Tbsp heavy cream

1 1/2 cups of crushed Peppermint Andes Mints**

Instructions:

1. Place chocolate and heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl over (not directly on) simmering water. Let chocolate and cream heat up for 3 minutes untouched. After 3 minutes, whisk mixture until fully incorporated. Remove bowl from heat and let cool for 20-30 minutes. Pour finished mixture into a flat casserole pan. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.

2. Remove chilled truffle mixture. Using a melon-baller, scoop out chocolate rounds. Finish forming truffles by hand and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll truffles in crushed Peppermint Andes. Give covered truffles one last roll between the palms of your hands to gently press the crushed Peppermint Andes into the truffle.

3. Try not to eat them all! Enjoy!

**Peppermint Andes can be purchased at Target or online at Amazon.com. Its sold as little squares or crushed and ready to go for baking.

I suggest doubling or even tripling this recipe, as they wont last long. These are very rich, decadent truffles--just what I love.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!  

Anniversary Trip, Night 2

Yesteday we wrapped up day two of our anniversary trip.. we spent the day laying out by the pool and hanging out with a couple that was around our age, relaxing, and having an amazing time. We went to our room around 6 and got ready for dinner--we were still full from our late lunch, so we ended up going out for drinks and appetizers.

We went to a gorgeous bar called Kaiser first where we split a margherita pizza and had a few drinks. There were some REALLY annoying girls sitting at the bar next to us, flirting with the clearly gay bartender, so we didnt stay there long. From there we went to the bar we were at last night (called LuLu) and got some dessert and drinks. I ordered a bowl of fruit because I wasn't very hungry--and holy crap that thing was delicious. 

Overall, this was such an amazingly fun and relaxing trip and I cant wait to come back! Lucky for me, I'll be back out here in a few weeks for my friend's bachelorette party. I'm so excited to head home and pick the kids up--Joe took tomorrow off so we get an extra day with him--SCORE!! 

Cheers to 5 of the most amazing years of my life--I loved getting this quality time in on our anniversary! 

Amazing Anniversary Trip

This has been such an amazing anniversary trip so far! We started oir trip off with some pool time, of course. The hotel we're staying at has complimentary cocktail and appetizer hour every day, so of course we participated (and will do so today too!). After spending a few hours out by the pool, we went to our room and got ready for our anniversary dinner.

We ended up going to this delicious Mexican food restaurant--had a yummy dinner and a few Dos Equis Ambers to boot--and then we did some shopping! I got a new pair of shorts, a shirt, a dress, and 3 new sweaters. SCORE! After we finished shopping, we found this packed bar that ended up being a blast! The bar itself was gorgeous, and the food was delicious too. We had worked up a little appetite from shopping, so we got some fried calamari then finished the night off with a shared tiramisu and some mojitos. Walking back to the car, I just had to snap a picture of the gigantic Marilyn Monroe statue.

Overall we are having a BLAST here on our first trip to Palm Springs. I slept in nice and late this morning and am getting ready to go enjoy my complimentary breakfast out by the pool! I hope you all have a terrific Saturday! (It's Saturday today, right?!)

5 Years Already?!

5 years ago today, Joe and I were in Vegas saying "I do!" It's crazy how fast time flies... 5 years, 2 kids, 2 apartments, 1 condo, 1 house, 7 cars, and 1 cat later--and here we are! These past 5 years have honestly been the best years of my life; I have loved every second of being married to you and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us. Here's to 5 years and counting--cheers to us! I love you Joe--now lets get on the road to Palm Springs! <3

November 2010--7 month pregnant with Madison

6 years ago--before we were married!

Last year, summer 2012--family vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Triple Chip Cookies

Remember those triple-chip cookies I told you yesterday that I was going to bake? The ones with the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips in them? Well they turned out amazing. AMAZING. They are SO good--and they're absolutely my new favorite go-to recipe. Enough with the intro--I'm going to jump right into the recipe:

Ingredients: 

2 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 cup of butter

3/4 cup of sugar

1 cup of brown sugar

2 tsp. Vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups of white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups of butterscotch chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt with a wire whisk and set aside.

Using a mixer, mix butter and both sugars for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.

Mix chips together in large bowl and stir into the cookie batter.

Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop cookies out onto baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes and cool on wire rack. Makes 5 dozen cookies. Enjoy!

How freakin cute is my new cookie jar?! Thanks Julie!

Bring on the Christmas Shopping!

I can't believe that its already halfway through August... next month I start Christmas shopping! I know you're probably thinking that I'm a crazy person--but I wasn't the one running around like a chicken with it's head cut off last December. Starting your Christmas shopping early is a great thing for two reasons: 1). You aren't stressed out shopping with the crowds and standing in crazy long lines on Christmas eve, and 2). You aren't strapped for cash at the end of the year. A lot of people take time off at the end of the year--so that they can sit around at home and do nothing because they're broke? Heck no! If you start shopping in September-ish, you can buy a couple presents with every paycheck.  You're never broke, you're never stressed, and if you're like me, you can be excited to have a ton of presents under your tree by the time you put it up.

This year, Joe and I decided that we are going to buy the kids each one big present and one present from Santa; between my parents, my sisters, my mother-in-law, my brother-in-law, and my sister-in-law, these kids get a TON of presents. The last thing they need is 30 different new toys that won't get played with. We decided that we are going to buy both of the kids their own tablet. I know what you're probably thinking: a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old with their own tablets?! I get it. BUT we've done our research. Apparently there are tablets out there that have some pretty cool features; you can set a time limit for games. Say I set it at 30 minutes for the day. Once they use those 30 minutes up, it won't let them play anymore. I won't have to be the bad guy at all! However, they can read on the tablet all day long if they'd like;  once their game limit runs out, they'll still want to play with their tablets, so they'll read! I plan on loading up their tablets with tons of fun books before Christmas morning so that when they open it up, they'll be able to just start using it right away. 

I can't wait for the next couple of months; I'll be kicking my baking into full-swing (I actually feel like baking today so I'm going to whip up some triple chocolate chip cookies that I'm pretty excited about--they call for chocolate chips, white chocolate chips,  and butterscotch chips--YUM!) ...if they turn out as delicious as I'm hoping they will, I'll post the recioe on here tomorrow :).

I'm off to go get ready so that I can run to the store to pick up the ingredients. Happy Wednesday everyone!

Sleep Training?!

Back when we lived in apartments (and even in our tiny condo), I would put the kids down for naps or bedtime with their bedroom door shut and a lullabye cd playing softly on repeat. Living in apartments, your space is limited; and with limited space, noise travels fast. I started the "closed door" rule for obvious reasons--so that it would block out whatever noise we were making. I noticed that that wasn't 100% working, so I started playing the lullabye cd on repeat so that there was some sort of constant noise in their room--so that if we laughed at a tv show or talked to eachother, it wouldn't startle the kids. 

Little did I know that having that music playing everytime they went to sleep would serve as the mother of all cues that it was time to go to sleep. Once they got used to it, as soon as I would turn that music on, they would fall right asleep. This turned into the most effective way to 1). get the kids to go to sleep, and 2). get them to stay asleep. I never had to try a "cry it out" method because this solved it for me.

And that brings us to now. Maverick is 4 1/2 years old and still naps and goes to bed with his music on. We are now in a big house so noise traveling doesn't seem to be an issue; he now sleeps with his door cracked instead of fully closed. He wants to sleep with it fully opened, but I don't know if I'm ready to do that yet. Madison still sleeps with her door closed because she would guaranteed leave her room if that door was open. Maverick, however, knows that bedtime is bedtime--and he won't leave his room. 

How do your kids sleep? Door opened? Cracked? Closed? I understand that this is totally not a big deal--I'm just curious to see how your guys' kids sleep. What methods, other than 'cry it out,' did you have success with? I have so many friends and family that are delivering their babies now and over the next couple of months--I'm sure this info could help them out! :)

Bad Mom?!

I am SO excited for my upcoming trip to Palm Springs this weekend with Joe. I can't believe that we have already been married for 5 years... I guess what they say is right: time flies when you're having fun! We're going to spend 3 days, just the two of us, relaxing by the pool and just enjoying each other's company.

But that brings me to a dilemma: I want to get a poll started. How many of you would say that I'm a bad mom because I go on vacations without my kids? I know there are some of you that may think that way--and I'm really curious as to why. I obviously know my reasons for vacationing without them: 

1. I'm with them 24/7--3 days away from them will not do ANY harm
2. Joe and I need "our" time to keep our relationship strong. We have a very strong marriage and I believe its because we haven't centered our relationship around the kids. 
3. It isn't that we don't like vacationing with them; we had an amazing time in Myrtle Beach last year with the kids--we're actually planning another vacation for sometime this year WITH the kids. Its that not everything is kid-friendly and they don't need to come on every single trip.

I know that as a parent, you may think that my life revolves around my kids--but it doesn't. I may be a mom--but I'm still a human being: I have hobbies that I like to do, movies that I want to see, and trips that I like to take. In a sense, my life revolves around the kids on a day-by-day basis.. that's my job. It doesn't mean that I have to do EVERY SINGLE THING with them for the next 18 years. My parents used to go on vacations without my sisters and I--and guess what? As a kid, I never felt left out or like they were bad parents. They will be celebrating their 29th wedding anniversary this coming October--so they must have done something right.

This blog isn't pointed at one specific person: I just know for a fact that there are people out there that feel differently than me. I really don't see their side of the fight, and I'm really curious as to what it is. All I know is that I can't wait for this weekend alone with Joe--and the kids are so excited to spend some time with grandma and grandpa. Without these trips, I would probably lose my mind. These trips keep me sane--and that's a good thing for all of us. So really--if you think I'm a bad mom because of this, comment here, send me an email, shoot me a text: I'd LOVE to hear your point of view on this :)

Best Birthday Ever!

The other night I had my 25th birthday, and to celebrate, we threw a big party! So many of my friends showed up and I had so much fun. I never drink, of course I ended up drinking way too much: and I definitely paid for it yesterday morning! Although I was out of commission for the day, I wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the night--some are a little blurry--but you understand why, I'm sure ;)

I crack up every time I look at this picture--hahaha

Joe was like "holy crap, you guys look like sisters!" ...I told him we've gotten that our whole lives :)

Lmao--I love this face Kailey

I'm diggin the tan, Tim ;)

Haha, photo bomb :)

cuuuuute <3

hahaha

Yesterday morning when Joe and I were looking through the pictures, he was like "I was wondering why the bike was out!" haha

I LOVE this picture. Hahaha

Chubby bunnyyyyyy

Thanks for helping me blow out all of the candles in my house before I passed out :)

The aftermath: took a few hours to clean up, but I didn't mind one bit :)

haha, thanks for trying to clean up my kitchen before leaving, Kailey

...best birthday ever. Thanks to everyone who came out--we'll have to do this again!!