Boys and Bears and a Bird
26 Jan 2012I’ve been crocheting some cute little hats for our bundle of joy who will make his appearance in about a month, but the hats are getting some use now thanks to these boys, some bears, and an Angry Bird…
They make pretty good models, right?! I’m excited for baby boy to join his brothers and wear these hats for himself!
By the way, have you taken our little baby poll yet? It’s not too late and it’s just for fun!
What I Wore {35 Weeks}
24 Jan 2012There are some advantages to being pregnant in the winter, including cooler temps and being able to layer clothing! Having Little J at the end of June, neither of these were true, so I’m taking advantage of them this time around.
And one of my favorite, favorite clothing finds for this pregnancy and beyond is this…
Source: oldnavy.gap.com via Erin on Pinterest
Old Navy’s jersey-stretch tanks have been the PERFECT, wardrobe-saving piece for me throughout this pregnancy and I’m officially addicted to them.
{No, Old Navy did not compensate me in any way for raving about these. They don’t even know I exist.}
They are NOT maternity tanks, but a medium was long enough and stretchy enough to get me ALL the way through this pregnancy.
For modesty reasons, I like my tank tops long in general, so you can bet these will continue to be worn post-baby. Some colors I didn’t own yet were on clearance this weekend, so I bought two in size small for layering purposes!
The best part?
They are very, very soft and comfy. I wear a different one almost every single day.
{Please don’t ask how many I own. But I’m not ashamed to say that, should they go on sale again, I would probably buy more.}
Anyway…here I am this week, at 35 weeks, wearing one of these tanks in white, with a new eggplant-colored cardigan I bought on clearance at Target…
The pants, out of necessity, are maternity pants.
I have decided these tanks need to be in my wardrobe for the rest of my life.
What wardrobe staple could you not live without?
*****
I’m linking up with What I Wore Wednesday AND Works For Me Wednesday today!
We Love Having Daddy Home! {Top Ten Tuesday}
24 Jan 2012
November was an intense month for the hubby, working a rigorous sub-internship and interviewing for various residency programs, but we knew there was a light at the end of that tunnel of a month. That “light” was TEN WEEKS of break for him – and ten weeks of him being home with us!
This week ends that ten week break {insert sad looks from all of us here}, but let me tell you just why having him home for ten weeks has ROCKED for the boys and I!
Top Ten Reasons We Have Loved Having Daddy Home!
10. GAMES! Oh my, we have played LOTS of games during this break – the game in the picture above is Star Wars Trouble, a new favorite!
9. Daddy dates. Out to lunch, fun at the children’s museum, even running errands with Daddy – the boys enjoyed lots of one-on-one time with him during this break! I love how he made special time with them a priority all throughout these ten weeks!
8. Finishing the entire West Wing series on DVD. We LOVE this show. And we may have watched two or more episodes a night until we finished it all. Please tell me other couples love watching TV together at the end of the day?
7. Enjoying the snow…
6. And the nice weather together! We’ve actually had much more of the latter, so there has been bike riding, scooters, walks, and more time outside without coats than any winter I can remember…so far!
5. Story time. The hubby makes up the BEST bedtime stories and several new ones were concocted while he was home. Sometimes I secretly listen in from outside the room because they are just too good to miss 
4. Family road trips. We went with him to a some interviews, we traveled together for the holidays, we were able to pick up and go when my sister had her baby – it was a lot of driving, but I LOVE taking road trips with the hubby because we actually get to talk! We make lists, talk about the future, discuss things that don’t usually come up in normal conversation, and so on. And road tripping all together makes it even better!
3. Time for him to do a few things for him. He may not have had much time alone with all of us around here, but he did join a gym {and workout every single day since then}, have lunch with friends, go golfing once, and get to “sleep in” most days. I know how demanding med school is, so it made my heart happy for him to have this respite before our lives change with baby, moving, graduation, etc.
2. His help around the house. I almost put this as #1 because of just how much it meant to me. You have no idea. He has folded laundry, done weekly cleaning, put up with me as we have cleaned out and reorganized most of the house…my love language is not normally acts of service, but WOW – feeling VERY loved by all of this, especially at this stage of the pregnancy!
1. Seeing this handsome face all the time! Can’t beat that
Oh honey, how we have LOVED having you home with us for this long! We will miss you during the day as you head back to school, but are SO grateful for the wonderful family time we had while you were on break!
Thank you for being the most amazing husband and father ever!
Milk and the Moon
In: homeschool|science
23 Jan 2012What do milk and the moon have to do with each other?
Oreos, of course!
Confused?
Let me explain…
We’ve been studying astronomy for science this year, and when I found this great idea for learning the phases of the moon through Pinterest earlier in the year, I knew it would be a must when our unit on the moon came around! We made this activity part of our 100th day of school fun!
Big J told me all of the phases and I labeled a notecard for each one…
We then used a dull knife to scrape off the middle of the Oreo to match the phases. {I did the scraping, but Big J gave me instructions!}
We lined them up in order to better understand the progression of the phases…
Very simple, but fun and memorable! This guy loved it…
Or maybe he’s just grinning because he knows he is about to EAT some of these Oreos!
All this studying of the moon has the boys constantly looking for it in the sky and asking which phase it is in – love their curiosity!
So do you know the phase of the moon for tonight?!
A Little Baby Poll!
In: baby
20 Jan 2012As I mentioned the other day, we’re six weeks away from our due date for baby boy #3!
We thought it would be fun to have a little poll with you lovely people about your thoughts on this baby’s arrival and details, so answer as many of these as you would like in the comments!
A few notes to help you…
*I’m “officially” due February 28th.
*Our first two boys were born on their due dates. No joke.
Big J on his way home from the hospital – 2006
*The boys weighed 6 lb 11 oz and 6 lb 13 oz, respectively.
Little J on his way home from the hospital – 2008
*This one is a boy as well. Did I mention that already?
*****
Here’s the poll – leave your answers in the comments!
1. What will baby’s name be? {first and middle, if you wish}
2. What date will he be born?
3. How much will he weigh?
Can’t wait to read your answers! Have fun!
Jump, Jump!
19 Jan 2012You had the privilege {or something like that} of seeing a very pregnant ME jump in yesterday’s post, but there is no one in this family that likes to jump more than this guy…
Look at that height! Not bad for a five-year-old!
By the way, a mini-trampoline is one of the very best things to have in your house in the middle of winter with two young, energetic boys
What I Wore {34 Weeks}
In: fashion|what i wore
18 Jan 2012Did I just write 34 weeks in the title of this post?!
Wow.
Six weeks and counting until the newest little man joins our family! We are all anxious to meet him, but also enjoying our last weeks as a family of four!
In related news, I woke up this morning {after a rough night with reflux and sleeplessness} feeling like maybe, just maybe, baby boy is starting to drop a little! Should be good news for my reflux and heartburn, but my bladder is not too fond of this new development! And my jeans just weren’t behaving like they should – as in actually staying up – so out came the bella band again!
What I wore at 34 weeks…
No maternity clothes in this outfit at all!
Old Navy dress from this summer, thrifted GAP jean jacket, black leggings from Target, Eddie Bauer black flats
It was another super gorgeous day, especially for January in Nebraska!
How in the world did the hubby convince me to jump for a picture again? And at this far along in the pregnancy?! I think I’m still paying for that jump!
And for the next pregnancy side effect…
The hands are swelling a little at night, so the rings finally had to come off. My hand feels naked.
I couldn’t just NOT wear them, so I put them on the chain with my favorite necklace from The Rusted Chain. The rings fit perfectly with our last initial and the year of our marriage that are hand-stamped on the charms – I actually love the way it looks!
{The boys do keep asking when I can put the rings back on my finger – I guess it weirds them out a little! }
Have a wonderful Wednesday, friends!
Exploring New Territory
16 Jan 2012Just over a week ago, Big J and I ventured to a new children’s museum in the area with good friends!
The museum had a special dinosaur exhibit that we spent the morning checking out, but the rest of the museum was fabulous as well! I love watching the boys discover new things as they play!
We have a wonderful children’s museum where we live, but it is always fun to explore new territory…
Have you explored any new “territory” with your kiddos lately?
100th Day of School!
In: homeschool|kiddos
13 Jan 2012Can it be that we’ve already made it through 100 days of homeschool?!
That is definitely worth celebrating, starting with Big J’s breakfast request, chocolate chip scones! This is my favorite recipe because I almost always have the ingredients on hand and they don’t take too long to whip up in the morning!
As for the rest of the day, it just so happened we were finishing up a lesson in math about counting to 100…
We spent the morning on our “regular” school work, did a fun science lesson after lunch {more on that soon!}, and then we had some 100th day fun!
Party hats were a must…
I found this idea for a 100 Days Crown on Pinterest – cut ten strips, punch a hole at the top of each, fill each strip with ten of something – stickers, shapes, letters, numbers, etc. – attach them to the band, and fasten all together at the top with a brass fastener! I think they turned out super cute…
Little J did his daily job of filling in the number of days of school…
And Big J wrote it all out for us…
They were definitely in a goofy mood by this time!
Next up, Little J and I sorted out ten groups of ten beads…
Big J put those beads on a pipe cleaner…
And made a 100th day “centipede!”
And to finish out the day, Big J’s assignment was to build something using exactly 100…
LEGOS!
He thought this was so fun and came up with his very own “100th Day Fort and Tower!”
After school was over for the day, it was movie & popcorn & snuggles time {and mommy may have dozed off for a bit, too!} – great way to end our celebration!
100 days! We did it and we’re still going strong!
Have your kids {public, private, homeschool} had their 100th day yet? Any fun activities they and/or you have done to celebrate?
Every woman should be able to choose an outfit in much less than ten minutes regardless of her plans for the day, the state of the weather…or her laundry. Meaning, when your feet hit the floor in the morning–you should be thinking more about the delicious cup of coffee that awaits than whether you will look cute in your clothes.
Did that get your attention?!
It got my attention and I think it would be hard to find a woman who WASN’T intrigued by that intro!
I first read wardrobe advice from The Tiny Twig {a.k.a. Hayley} during her “31 Days to a No Brainer Wardrobe” series. To be perfectly honest, it was the only 31 days series I read every single day of because it was so fun and insightful!
Well, Hayley took that series, added on, spruced it up, and turned it into a fabulous new ebook – The No Brainer Wardrobe!
Reading this ebook is like chatting with a wise and honest girlfriend about fashion for women with REAL lives. Hayley walks you through the “whys” behind developing a no brainer wardrobe, and then follows it up with the “how” – action steps that will guide you through the whole process.
Looking at my closet often stresses me out. I want to pare it down, but I like having variety. I have trouble getting rid of things I don’t wear. I used to be really bad about buying clothing just because it was a “really good deal.”
The No Brainer Wardrobe ebook has been like a friend holding my hand and telling me over and over again, “You can do this!”
My two favorite things about this book?
#1 – The pictures. Whether you have a similar style to Hayley’s or not, the photos she uses to lay out pieces you need and outfit ideas are so helpful. You can read all the wardrobe advice you want, but pictures are the only way to SEE what you should be looking for! Hayley makes it very clear that you are NOT to go out and buy the exact pieces from her photos – take the ideas and make it your own!
#2 – The action steps. Reading a chapter on purging your closet is all fine and good, but if you don’t do anything about it, your closet will stay exactly the way it is! This ebook has actions to take for every step along the way. They are well-defined, fairly simple, and essential to getting to your no brainer wardrobe!
I would be jumping into every one of the action steps laid out by Hayley right this very minute but…
I’m about seven weeks away from having a baby! Kind of hard to purge the closet of clothes that don’t fit when nothing fits right now, but it might in a few months!
The important thing is, because of this ebook, I WANT to get rid of clothes and work on a WARDROBE that works for me, not just random, inexpensive clothing here and there!
I really hope every woman gets a chance to read this ebook because it is so much more than I could describe here! It is not about spending a lot of money on clothes or about how you HAVE to look cute every day. Hayley’s goal with The No Brainer Wardrobe is to help you feel good about how you look AND cut down on the time it takes you to put together an outfit each day. AMEN to that!
Here is some fun news for you…
The first TEN readers to buy The No Brainer Wardrobe and use the code BOYS at checkout will get the ebook, regularly priced at $7.99, for HALF PRICE!
AND…
Hayley is giving away two copies of The No Brainer Wardrobe right here, right now!
Just leave a comment sharing your biggest obstacle to achieving a no brainer wardrobe! Do you have too many clothes? Not enough? Not sure of your style? Tell me and be entered to win!
Two random readers who comment before MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT {Wednesday, January 11} will win!
Can’t wait to read your comments! Good luck!
And THANK YOU to Hayley for writing this fantastic ebook and sharing it with all of us!
*****
*Disclosure: I received a review copy of this ebook. I was not compensated in any way for this post and all opinions are 100% my own!
**If you need inspiration in finding your style, check out “What I Wore Wednesday” every week at The Pleated Poppy!
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- Kim: I'm going to go with Baby J Born Feb. 23rd weighing in at 7 lbs. I have 4 boys now and am [...]
- Kate: Super cute! [...]
- Ashley Pichea: I lived in those tank tops from Old Navy with both pregnancies {and between and after}. They are WON [...]
- Rhen @Yes, they are all mine: Those hats are so stinking adorable!! Your models are some cute patooties as well. :) [...]
- Janelle: Jensen Aaron - (Aaron for Erin) February 27th 6lb 9oz. [...]