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Stress Relief Techniques During The Quarantine
Week four of the coronavirus quarantine and its time to find new stress relief techniques in our household. We have been indulging more on our adult beverages and running/biking to relieve stress. While the extra runs are certainly great for the body, the alcohol consumption is definitely not! After many discussions, input from others (thank you friends on social media!) and online research; I complied a list of activities that hopefully will provide joy and stress relief to others during this crazy period. List of Stress Relief Activities: Journalling: If you haven’t tried journalling now is a perfect time to preserve your memories of this crazy time and destress by…
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Becoming a Bargain Shopper: Tips to Getting a Great Deal
Who doesn’t love a good deal?! Finding a great deal isn’t about purchasing things that you don’t need (admittedly, I have purchased many things just because they are a “good deal”), rather its about knowing what you want, knowing the price you feel comfortable spending on the item and then searching and waiting for it to hit that price. This day and age, we have so much information at our fingertips that finding a great deal is so much easier and doable (if you have patience!). The state of our economy, the amount of lay offs and people taking pay cuts to help businesses stay afloat is devastating. My heart…
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Simple and Clean Toddler Indoor Activities
With the coronavirus in full swing and schools being cancelled all around the country (as well as most restaurants and playgrounds), there is more time for creative indoor activities. I love following accounts on Instagram like Busytoddler and DayswithGrey (local mom who presented to MOPS last year) who provide invaluable advice and activities for at home activities. These activities help kids learn, fight boredom and give moms (and dads) a break! With the vast amount of activities to choose from, you can quickly become overwhelmed and honestly, feel a little like a failure of a mother who has not tried many of these activities. Take it from me, I have…
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Reid’s 4th Birthday Party at the Fire Station
I officially give all the props and credit in the world to mothers of Pinterest and event planners who plan elaborate birthday parties. It takes an incredible person to event plan and I personally would love to know how they stay sane and not stressed to the max! HA! While event planning is not in my wheelhouse, all the stress and planning was definitely worth it!! My little boy is obsessed with fire trucks–he will tell you that they are “his favorite” and that his favorite color is “red, like fire trucks.” When I asked what he wanted to do for his birthday he said he wanted to go to…
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Reid’s Third Birthday Party
How is my first baby boy already 3 years old?! Seriously, time flies by and it is hard to imagine that it was 3 years ago that I first held Reid in my arms. He has grown and developed so much in these past years, and I can honestly say that it keeps getting better (in most ways) with age. I debated and debated about what to do for his 3rd birthday. Since he is in school and has little friends now, I thought a fun party with his friends from school would be great! However, after talking to my sister and a few friends I decided to make it…
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Reid’s First Three Weeks at Preschool
Wow, preschool is a doozy. I seriously do not know what I am going to do when it is time to send my boys off to kindergarten let alone college. I am hopeful that I will be more mentally prepared than I was for the preschool emotions. I wrote a blog post, hoping to get out all of my feelings so I wouldn’t be a mess on preschool drop off. Well folks, that failed. Thank goodness, Drew came with me to drop off as he was the one that actually dropped Reid off as I was crying a couple feet behind them. Gosh, the hallway to his classroom felt like…
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Dear My Baby on Your First Day of Preschool
Dear My Sweet Preschool Boy, Wow, sending you off to preschool is a lot harder than I could ever imagine. Yes, it is only for 2 days a week for 3 hours (6 hours a week, 24 hours a month), but it is hard to let go. You have been my side kick and with me everyday since you were born (with the exception of a few babysitters/grandparents watching you). I know everyone you interact with and I know where every bad and good habit you pick up is from. I know who you talk to and who you play with. I am always there if another kid pushes you,…
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Walker’s 4 Month Recap
Walker turned 4 months old this week and while it seems that he has been in our family forever, it is crazy how quickly time passes. Walker changed so much in the past month and his personality is really starting to shine.This month, he rolled from his tummy to back and back to tummy. He is very strong and determined to move if he wants something. He started babbling and loves to smile. Seriously, I cannot get over how genuinely smiley the little guy is! And he loves to put everything in his mouth. At first, I thought he was teething and now I have realized he just loves chewing…
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Life Lately: Living without Air Conditioning
Life is a little crazy over here! Our downstairs AC stopped working on Friday afternoon, meaning that we spent the entire weekend without AC. The past couple days we have been getting quotes for repairs and are eager to get our new unit next week. Seriously, living without AC with 90 degree days and two babies is no joke. Luckily, we have AC upstairs and a leak we discovered is linked to the AC so we are counting our lucky stars and know it could be a lot worse! We also learned how important it is to get numerous quotes, we would have spent a couple thousand more had we…
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Father’s Day Weekend Recap: Visiting Waynesville, North Carolina
We had a great long Father’s Day weekend exploring Waynesville with Drew’s family. We have a tradition of going to the mountains on Father’s Day weekend and again in the fall (usually one trip is tent camping). Since we have a three month old, we stayed in a nice cabin on the top of a mountain that overlooked the valley. It was amazing getting to sit in the hot tub with a glass of wine and enjoy the breathtaking view! On Friday morning, we went on a short 2.5 mile hike with both kids! I wore Walker in the K’tan and Drew had Reid in the Ergo. It was amazing…