She's 2 & I'm Sad About It

If you follow me on Twitter or are friends with me on Facebook, then you are well aware that Autumn turned 2 today.  I'm sorry, but I'm one of those moms who is so in love with my kids that I expect you to be, too.  And you should.  Because they're pretty awesome kids and super cute, too.

Anyway, we celebrated Autumn's birthday the same way we did with Grace when she turned 2 - with a trip to Build-a-Bear and then lunch at Chuck-E-Cheese.  The trip to Build-a-Bear was hysterical - she went crazy and ran from one thing to the next... free from her stroller and with so much stimuli.  It was fun and she now has a bear named Crissy.  We were then off to a heartburn-inducing lunch at Chuck-E-Cheese.  It was fun.  And I'm pretty sure Joel and I had as much fun as Autumn did, because skee ball is awesome.

At the end the day, a dear friend came over and had dinner with us and helped to celebrate Autumn's special day.  While the kids were playing, I confessed to my friend that although we had a lot of fun today, I felt like I was mourning Autumn turning 2.  As a mom, you always want  your kids to grow.  There would be something wrong if  you never wanted your kids to grow in age, knowledge and understanding.  That is your job as a mom - to make sure they get from being a newborn to a thriving adult.

But I'm having a hard time with it.  Something about 2 says that I need to say goodbye to Autumn as a baby.  And I'm not quite ready to do that.  But she is - as evidenced with two new Autumn words today: "mall" and "pizza".  My baby isn't quite a baby anymore.

Happy birthday, my sweet, funny little girl!

Watch Your Own Kids, Pretty Please

Every once in a while, I like to get my soapbox out and stand on it for a bit.  Today is one of those days...

It was a gorgeous day yesterday, so I decided to take the girls to the park after I picked Grace up from school.  We picked up some drinks at Wendy's and were on our way to play until dinnertime.  When I got there, there was only one other child, a 4-year old girl who played while her grandmother sat on a bench with her face buried in a newspaper. 

About 10 minutes after we got there, the grandmother packed up her newspaper, got up from her bench, and walked to her car.  She didn't say ANYTHING to her granddaughter.  She just left.  Her granddaughter ran after her, probably worried that she was going to be left behind.  After a while, the little girl came back to the play area, while her grandmother sat in her car.

Now the parking lot is probably 70-100 yards away from the play area.  Not really all that close.  So for the next 20 minutes, I am left to watch and play with my girls, and now this other kid... It came to a point when I realized that I didn't want to be responsible for someone else's child.  I shouldn't be.  But I was left responsible.  Because obviously a 60+ year old lady can't watch her own granddaughter.

Two things made me upset... 1- I was left to watch a kid who wasn't mine.  Not to mention I didn't know her at all.  2- The grandmother made a choice not to be involved with her granddaugther's play.  Seems awful selfish and unloving to me.

So I left with my girls... with the other little girl trailing behind us to our car.  As I walked by the grandmother, who was now yelling at the little girl to get in the car, I did say something... something to the effect "you can't just leave her like that".  Of course she said she was watching.  Whatever.

We used to go to a park closer to our house.  But I haven't been there in 2 years, because every time I would go, I would end up "watching" every one's children while they sat in a pavilion and hung out with their friends.  Now it's one thing if you have a 8, 9, or 10 year old... but don't leave your toddlers alone.  And don't expect another adult to watch them.

I'm kinda thinking it would be a good, yet passive aggressive idea to get a sweatshirt just for park trips... it could read on the back I'm watching my own kids.  I don't want to watch yours.  Any betther ideas?

Guest Post: Exercise Your Pallet

How “ugly” wood can add beauty to your home...


Stress and depression are common ailments these days. Whether it be you job, money, or even having a loved one in the military, avoiding stress can be a daunting task. Though doctors prescribe pills and therapists prescribe sessions, sometimes those things don’t cut it. Some turn to exercise, vacations, long distance phone calls to family members or their man/woman overseas, but who would have thought DYI projects could help lend a hand?

The truth is, adding a little something of your own to your house, gardening, or writing can help take you mind of things for awhile and reduce stress. The confidence boost that comes of completing a project is what enables this. For this article I have decided to talk about making items out of palette wood. It is something I enjoy and is a free way to make some cool things.

Finding raw materials can often be the most expensive part of a new project. A growing trend among the do-it-yourself crowd has been to salvage and reuse materials that have been discarded after their initial use. One of the most popular items over the last few years has been the wooden shipping pallet.

It is estimated that ¼ of the wood harvested in the United States is used for constructing shipping pallets. Used by companies to package and secure large amounts of items, these wooden pieces are forgotten once the shipments are received and the products stored away. Often they are used only once before being stacked in an ally or shipped off to take up space in a landfill.

The solution to the problem is simple and easy. Recycle the wood from the pallets for projects around the house! The Internet is filled with blueprints and instructions on crafting anything from a birdhouse to a bed platform using the wood from recycled pallets. There are endless examples of end tables, swinging outdoor chairs, coffee tables and computer desks that are easy to make and require nothing but the pallets, some screws or nails and a little bit of paint.

Enterprising green thumbs have found plenty of uses for pallets in their backyards. From using them to build compost bins or hanging gardens, the pallets provide an inexpensive way to build an environmentally-friendly garden. Some ambitious builders have even gone so far as to build cabins and storage sheds using nothing but recycled shipping pallets!

Reusing wooden shipping pallets is a fun, inexpensive way to help the environment and create one-of-a-kind projects that can be used for years to come.

About My Guest Blogger:
My name is Allison and I am a fun-loving, adventurous being. When my job doesn’t have me traveling I normally guest blog, ride my horse, or hang out with friends. I normally write about natural health and healing, but I Love writing about projects and eco friendly DYI projects.

Allison can be reached through her blog, Musings of a Curious Mind

10 Things to Smile About: March

March is by-far, one of my favorite months.  Not only is my birthday in March (*cough*) but March always means spring and spring just makes me happy.

So, here are 10 things that made me smile this month...

1.  Shamrock shakes... those things are a both lethal and delicious.  It's probably a good thing that McDonald's doesn't sell them year-round!

2.  Grace turned 6!

3.  Road trips!

4.  God's continued leading in our lives... this time He has lead us to help with a church plant.  We are so ready for this challenge!

5.  Warmer weather means the grill has returned to it's home outside... many hot dogs have been consumed in March.

6.  I turned one year older, too... but I'll still be 29 forever.

7.  Spring means spring/summer clothes shopping... which I've done within budget, mind you.  I can't wait to wear some new dresses soon.

8.  Tulips.  Oh my gosh, I adore tulips.

9.  Hunger Games.  Yes, I'm one of those people.  I'm on the 3rd book right now... and Joel treated me to a 9:45 am showing on Sunday.  9:45 am is a weird time to watch a movie with the smell of popcorn all around - & it brings out the weirdest people.

10.  Sunny, warm weather. 

Anything make you smile this month?

Proud Mommy Moments: She Flashes Because it's Funny

When I usually link up with Emmy Mom for Proud Mommy Moments - my posts are those warm-fuzzy, I'm a proud momma, type of posts.  This one is a oh-my-gosh-are-you-really-doing-that kinda post.

I went to the Y on Monday, and after my workout, I swing by the daycare on the way out to pick-up Autumn.  As I walk into the doorway, I get a glimpse of the daycare worker with the biggest grin on her face and then I glance at my daughter.  My sweet, funny, curly-haired, crazy Autumn.

Autumn is at the furthest end of the room with little boy in front of her, pulling her dress so high up that it's nearly going over her head.  To make myself feel better, I giggle and say something like "Oh, Autumn... let's not do that..."  That's when the daycare worker starts laughing and tells me that little Miss Autumn has been doing that to everyone who has walked in since I dropped her off - 1 1/2 hours ago.

Apparently, Little Miss Autumn has been greeting all the "new" kids and their parents with a bit of a peep show.  And because she's 1 1/2, she understands that if she lifts up her dress for all to see, they think it's funny.

So, now Autumn has a new trick. 

My Baby is 6!

Grace turned 6 this week.  Six.  I can't wrap my mind around it.  I just cannot believe she's six... in six years she'll be 12, and that's just unthinkable.

But my Gracie has grown up so much this year... she loves to read, pretend to write cursive, walk around the house like a dog/horse... Grace loves on her little sister so much, which makes me proud.  Most importantly, Grace loves Jesus - and that means more to me than anything else.

She's my tough girl... my girl who's survived with me during Joel's last 3 deployments.  She's grown up too much from that, so I'm trying my hardest to keep her 6 for as long as I can. 

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Proud Mommy Moments: The Alarm

I wasn't planning on doing a Proud Mommy Moment post this week.  But the post kinda wrote itself...

Joel left this morning for training.  Since his report time was so early today, I asked if he wanted to sleep on my side - the side closest to the alarm.  See, I have a horrible problem with either hitting snooze a million times or just turning off the alarm while I'm still asleep.  But Joel decided he trusted me and that it would be fine.

Fast-forward to 1 1/2 hours after the alarm went off...  Grace is at my side of the bed crying, asking to sleep with us.  I look at the alarm, look at Joel and have a total freak-out.  I thought I told him to get up 1 1/2 hours ago.  But apparently not or not well enough.  I turned the alarm off.

So, in the next ten minutes, Joel races around grabbing stuff, getting dressed, saying he's not mad - and he's out the door.  I go upstairs to tuck Grace back into bed.  And then I realize if it wasn't for our little Grace asking to sleep with us, Joel could have gotten into a lot of trouble.  And most likely, it would have been my fault.

Even though it's annoying most nights, I'm glad Grace tried to sneak in our room last night!