it's been a while

It's been forever since I posted, but with good reason. My sister's wedding is approaching on Memorial Day weekend. So I have been busy busy busy with her shower, her bachelorette party, and planning the details of her wedding day! I'm so ecstatic that she is getting married, especially on the beach in Corolla, NC. It's been an exhausting few months and I'm hoping all of this planning is well worth the effort! To say we are on a budget, is a bit of an understatement, but I really think it has been fun coming up with all of the DIY projects. I'll reveal more details and the projects after the wedding (hoping it all goes well) but until then, here are some pictures that have inspired us throughout the planning process:

so much to do...so little time

There are so many little things that have been added to my to-do lists. Consolidating my to-do lists should be on my to-do list. The picture shows a few of my lists I have lying around at work. Sometimes I trick myself into thinking I'm actually accomplishing something by making a to-do list. See all of those empty check boxes? I need to check them! Well first, I need to accomplish the task, then check them. Of course that involves having free time...you know like the time it has taken me to write this blog post? I guess what I really need is some MOTIVATION! I need some motivation to complete the little things that have gotten past me. I always wonder where people find the time and motivation to reorganize their closets, create scrapbooks, blog daily, clean, do laundry, go out with friends, and cook. I seriously want to know because I need help! I wish I could say our home is always spotless and dinner is always prepared and my clothes are always hung up, folded, or put in hampers. I feel like my nights are spent cleaning up the mess made in the mornings and my weekends spent cleaning the messes made at night. Did that confuse you? Because I'm confused. Just to give you an idea, my mornings go something like this: Wake up by 7am, shower, find something to wear from the piles of clean and sometimes dirty clothes on the floor, kiss Brian goodbye as he leaves for work, frantically pack Lily's breakfast and lunch, pack my own breakfast (instant oatmeal and a banana) and lunch if I'm lucky to see a Lean Cuisine in the freezer, warm up Lily's bottle, give to Lily as she wakes up and watches cartoons, finish my make-up and hair, make coffee, pour into thermos, pack up my purse and Lily's bag, change her diaper, get her dressed and somehow try to make it out the door by 8:15am. Truthfully, I'm lucky if I make it out that early and if along the way I haven't spilled my coffee all over the place or can actually find something to wear! Then after work and after I pick up Lily, I'm at home around 6 trying to figure out something to cook for dinner. And if it's anything like last night's dinner which took FOREVER...we eat around 8:30pm. Who knew brown rice took about an hour and a half to cook in the rice cooker? So, the last thing I want to do after dinner is anything productive. Unless it's making brownies. Which I did last night...and after I finished my brownie sundae, I found myself going back to the brownie pan with a spoon then to the freezer for a spoonful of ice cream, then back for a spoonful of brownie and so on. Which is not the point of my story at all...I just wanted to highlight how my mind tries to trick me into thinking I'm eating less than I really am.

See what I mean? Even my thoughts are cluttered! So, the point I'm trying to make is that I need to make a change in my life before I go crazy! I need to prioritize and organize my life. I need a schedule. I need, I need, I need...I sound so greedy! 

Maybe, I should just make a new to-do list:

• Prioritize
• Organize 
• Schedulize 

Now I feel better. I have a to-do list. I've accomplished that much at least.

things i'm loving right now...

category: quick toddler food

Normally I like to cook for Lily, but sometimes there's not enough time in the day to do everything. So here are a few things that I rely on for quick meals and on-the-go snacks:

Breakfast:

1) YoBaby Plus Fruit & Cereal Yogurt and YoBaby 3-in-1 meals

 

2) Earth's Best Cereal Bars

 

3) Earth's Best Organic Mini-Waffles

 

Lunch/Dinner:  

1) Coleman Organic® Chicken Breast Nuggets

[so so good...i have to constantly remind myself that I bought them for Lily and not me]

2) Earth's Best Frozen Meals

 [oddly enough, her favorite part of these meals are the veggies!]

3) Frozen veggies

Snacks:

1) Toddler Mum-Mum's

  

2) Garden Cheddar Goldfish

  

[now with veggies added!]

Other things that are quick and easy to prepare: cut up bananas, sliced cantaloupe, & cheese cubes. Hope this gives you some quick ideas for your toddler!

the little gym

Lately I've been thinking of enrolling Lily in The Little Gym that's near us in Ashburn. I think it would be really good for her to interact with other kids her age. While we are so blessed that her grandma watches her during the day while we are at work, she doesn't really get the same interaction with other kids like she would at a daycare. I don't want her to end up being socially awkward and greedy when it comes to her toys. This morning I went to drop her off and her cousin, who's a year older, was also at her grandmas for a bit. Her cousin had a calculator that Lily NEEDED right away, so Lily went up and hit her in the back of the head and started making a mean pouty face. I'm sure that's normal...maybe. Either way, it got me thinking that Lily needs to learn how to share before she assumes she can get whatever she wants.

So, next week we will be trying out a free introductory class. She'll be part of the "Birds" class for infants/toddlers 10-19 months. It's also a parent/child class, which means active participation on our part. Ohhh just one more thing I thought I'd never do as a parent. It's amazing what you'll do for your kid!

 

this picture warms my heart...

life with a one year old...

...is so much different than life with an 11 month old! It's been less than a month since Lily has turned 1 and I've already noticed such a change in her personality. She wants to be held all the time and of course we can't resist her when she puts her arms up and makes the squeezing notion with her hands. She throws her food on the ground. She doesn't sleep in her crib. Even when she's in the deepest sleep, as soon as we put her down in her crib, she senses she's in her room and wakes up immediately. When we try to let her cry it out, she cries so much that she'll throw up. So, it's been a lose lose situation for us and we end up letting her sleep in our bed...which means no sleep for Brian or I! So, needless to say, we need to get her on a tighter schedule and need to start cracking down on her bad habits. Now if only we knew how to do that!