Chips and Chocolate

Some people are just blessed with good genes while others have to work at it. I know a few ladies who were able to easily lose all their pregnancy weight, with all of their pregnancies, in less than a month after giving birth. Am I jealous? Yes! I'm one of those people who has to work at, except I lack motivation. In fact, I broke down and am writing this blog entry because I just ate nearly half a bag of Lay's Kettle Cooked chips - seriously! Ugh!  

Usually people are either salty or sweet snackers. Can you be both because chips and chocolate are my vices! I may or may not have bought 4 bags of chocolate at 70% off while shopping at Target yesterday!

A few months ago I began logging my food and exercise habits on My Fitness Pal. It's incredibly easy to use so there should not be any excuses...well you would think. I was do amazing for several weeks and actually lost weight without really exercising. I had not really realized how much mindless eating I was doing prior to using My Fitness Pal! Somewhere down the road, I lost my motivation and haven't been logging in. It is time to change that, starting tomorrow (ha).

If you're part of My Fitness Pal, add me - melissanlsn. I need accountability to lose these last 9 lbs!

The Four Gift Rule

Christmas has become virtually synonymous with materialism. The average American adult plans on spending $781 on Christmas gifts this year! To be honest, we haven't budgeted well in the past and this figure probably is more realistic to our past spending than I believe it to be.

My husband and I decided that we want to instill in our children the concept of a simple Christmas. One that consists less of the "I want" attitude. Honestly, we all have those tendencies, don't we?

Our oldest daughter just turned four this past week; I think it is important emphasizing this at an early age. I can imagine it would be very difficult to try and switch from the "I want" mindset after they're accustomed to a giant free for all Christmas.

We are striving to focus on the simple things: faith, family and memories. We want there to be less of a focus on gifts and Christmas lists. Christmas is much deeper than those reasons and we want our celebration to reflect this choice.

I recently found this idea online and we are going to try it this year on our girls, The Four Gift Rule.

Letter to my daughter - Happy 4th Birthday!

My Dearest Madison,

Today you turned four years old. For months you have been talking about your birthday. You've been telling every person everywhere we go that you'll be four soon; at the grocery store, at church, at school and even at the hospital. You'll show three fingers and say, I'm this many but I'll be this many (showing four fingers).

You've done a lot of growing up this year. You began preschool this fall and are learning so fast. You are starting to recognize your letters and are a whiz at shape recognition (what 3 year old knows what a hexagon is - my girl). You'll point to a letter on a billboard or store signage and say, "Mom, that letter is in Paige's name." 

You are leaving your toddler years behind and headed straight into kid territory. It is terrifying yet exciting at the same time. At four years old, you are going to start remembering things - you will be able to recall details, like what you were wearing when when you rode your bike without training wheels for the first time and if I responded in a way that made you feel loved.

Sweet girl, I hope that I have been a good steward of your heart. I pray that God gives me strength and wisdom to raise you right. It's my prayer. I breathe it out with a sigh every time I see you sleeping soundly in your bed. The remnants of the tiny Gerber baby I held in my arms for the first time after I gave gave birth to you. That baby is still there in my arms. I see her in the dimple below your eye, the tips of your fingers, in the way your arms fold under your body when you sleep.

At four years old, you're in the cradle of childhood, I hope you enjoy it all. I hope I can help you gather up each carefree lesson of the day and that you'll enjoy the innocent happiness of your youth. I hope I will help fill your years with insightful and beautiful memories.

I pray I am a good steward of your love, of your childhood, of your innocence. I pray this for you, I pray this for myself, on your fourth birthday, Madison Paige.

With all the love a heart can hold,

Momma

Celebrating 7 Years

It has been 7 years since I said "I do" to the love of my life.

During those years we...

honeymooned in Hawaii | became homeowners | started a new career | purchased a truck | started a new job | became pregnant | welcomed our first child into the world | transferred jobs within the company | became pregnant again | vacationed in Hawaii | welcomed baby # 2 into the world | received a very deserving promotion | left job to become SAHM | celebrated birthdays 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32

I want to end this by saying thank you, Adam. Thank you for always strengthening my faith and reminding me to stay humble. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I'm so blessed that we get to spend the rest of our lives together. Happy Anniversary, Dear.

[Giveaway] Citrus Lane Gift Box Subscription

New Trend in Saving Money

Those who know me well, know that I'm pretty frugal. I like saving money! My husband jokes that I have buyers remorse on any purchase over $20. While this may not be entirely true, I do have buyers remorse a lot. :)  I like to think my father instilled this into me.

Now that I'm a Stay-At-Home Mom and bring in zero, zilch, nada, money into our family, I have to look at ways to trim our spending. One of those ways is through couponing. I am not one of those extreme coupon crazies. Who needs 36 bottles of mustard? Seriously I think those people have an addiction. Ok, I'm off my soapbox now. I like to have a nice little stockpile but nothing extravagant, just enough that I know my family will use them before they expire. For instance I have 6 bottles of body wash, 5 tubes of toothpaste and 6 bottles of laundry detergent - nothing over-the-top.

Not too long ago, I think couponing had a bad social stigma surrounding it. It seems though things have changed within recent years. Although this article is a few years old, it is quite interesting to learn that most couponers are affluent and have an average household income of $75,000.

Besides newspaper coupon inserts and online coupons from sites such as www.coupons.com and www.redplum.com, there is a new crop of savings entering the marketplace, mobile rebate submission apps. Are you familiar with these?  They are growing in popularity and couldn't be easier to use. They are free mobile apps you download from your smartphone or tablet through the App Store or Google Play. You search for rebate items, buy those items and redeem the rebates by uploading your store receipt.

I have been using the Ibotta App for maybe 4 months and I've already earned $34. Another similar savings app that I use a lot is Cartwheel. It's Target store specific so if you do a lot of shopping at Target, I highly recommend it. I have saved nearly $76 so far.

There is a new rebate app that just launched today, Snap by Groupon. The offers look pretty amazing so far, $1 off a gallon of milk, $3 off a package of Huggies diapers, $2 off a package of Huggies wipes. These are everyday items my family uses so it's a it's a win for us. I'm excited to see what other offers they'll be providing in the future.

Okay, I could go on forever about couponing and rebate apps but I won't.  Below is a list of rebate apps that I am aware of. I encourage you to download one and see see how easy it is to save.

Ibotta App
Snap by Groupon
Checkout 51
SavingsStar
Shopmium: If you enter my referral code, KEKFHCGV, I'll get $2 after you submit your first rebate and you'll receive an offer for a FREE Lindt chocolate bar.

Dulce de Leche

I saw a pin on Pinterest the other day for caramel, one ingredient caramel. The only ingredient is a can on sweetened condensed milk, seriously. Okay, technically this isn't caramel.  It's dulce de leche. Caramel and dulce de leche are similar and delicious but not the same.

All you need is a mason jar, seal, rim, Crock-Pot and a can of sweetened condensed milk. That's it!

Ingredients

• One can sweetened condensed milk

Directions

1. Pour sweetened condensed milk into mason jar
2. Seal jar and place in the bottom of Crock-Pot
3. Fill Crock-Pot with water covering the mason jar 
4. Cook on low for eight hours
5. Remove carefully
6. Cool on counter for at least an hour
7. Enjoy on ice cream, apples, straight out of the jar - and more

I was only able to enjoy one tiny lick. Blasted calorie counting! My family on the other hand enjoyed it over their ice cream. By the way, if you haven't tried Blue Bell ice cream you are missing out on the absolute best tasting ice cream E.V.E.R.

Farewell Summer

Fall is upon us and I'm ecstatic! Every season has its upside; however, fall has a particular beauty to it. From warm apple cider to bonfires, there are so many reasons to enjoy fall. 

My fall happiness = apple orchards, pumpkin patches, hoodies, fleeced lined leggings, over-sized sweaters, boots, scarves, fireplaces, fall decorations, Halloween, casseroles, slow cooker meals, apple pie, pecan pie, Thanksgiving, fresh-baked cookies, fall festivals, farmer markets, football, foliage, pumpkin spiced lattes and the end of Daylight Savings Time (extra hour of sleep!).

Although summer may not have been filled with eventful memory-making trips, it was our summer and we made the best of it. 

Went to World's of Fun | Daddy built a new deck | played in the sprinklers (a lot) | picked blackberries | took a little trip to Omaha | Mommy said sayonara to the corporate world (and it felt fabulous) | played outside (a lot) | took trips to the library | Mommy chopped off her hair | first day of preschool | roasted s'mores | ate outside on the new deck (a bunch) | went to the apple orchard | shared ice cream

To you summer, I bid thee farewell.  And fall, I open my arms in an embrace!

Career Change

Being a stay-at-home mom is the last thing I ever thought I'd be doing. I am, at least I think I am, too career driven. I guess God sees me differently than I see my own self. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and for the longest time I sought some sort of alternative to help balance work and family. 

I was burnt out with my job; I was ready for change. Every opportunity I tried to pursue, the door shut in my face. Without going into too many details, I didn't understand all that was going on but now that I look at it, God was creating a path for me to follow. Five days after I celebrated my 5th year anniversary with Garmin, I decided it was time to resign. Trust me, I didn't want to go down His path; I tried creating my own paths but they all ended with doors being shut in my face.

Resigning from a decent paying job to a job that doesn't pay anything is frankly, D.U.M.B. Going from two incomes to one is a complete lifestyle change and frightening. Did I mention, frightening? Yes, I can learn to become thrifty but thrifty doesn't pay the bills. I am stepping out in faith but I struggle with this daily; I'm human.

I've made it through my first week on the new job. I think I've managed to do fairly well. I am bombarded with random hugs, get told, "I love you," and get to style real-life dolls everyday. Now tell me, who wouldn't want that?!? I am no longer away from my family for 11 hours out of the day, I no longer miss the two hour commute and I am no longer made to feel inadequate at a job that was sucking the life out of me.

Here's to a new journey! I'm not sure how long it will last but I'll relish the moment. The moments of my daughter kissing me on the side of my head as we snuggle and watch a movie in bed. The moments of holding a wee little hand as she zooms down the slide. The moments of watching my children grow before my eyes.

 Who wouldn't want to spend all day with these two loveys?!?

Entry #3: Mid-life Career Crisis

Oh my, it's been a few months since I last posted an entry.  My goal was to post one entry a week or the very least, one every two weeks.  I guess life just got away from me.

Anyway, back to the topic - Mid-life Career Crisis.  Yes, I feel like I'm right smack dab in the middle of one.  Has anyone else experienced this?  If so, did you actually do anything about it?  I suppose I'm just in a rut but maybe it's time for a change.

I read an article online that mentioned the 31-35 age group is the most unhappy at work.  There was a research study done and over half of them felt undervalued, almost half were unfulfilled and around 40% were de-motivated.  <<< This statement = how I feel!

I'm seriously contemplating on going back to school and doing something in healthcare.  After high school I thought about doing something in radiology but got sucked up in the glitz and glam of advertising and marketing.  Ehh, it's not all it's cracked up to be.

Oh the possibilities...  I'm kinda excited to start exploring!  

   

Entry #2: Confessional Sunday

Somewhere between turning 31 and having baby #2, I have lost energy.  I can barely stay awake past 8 o'clock in the evening.

Confession: I have fallen asleep without brushing my teeth, clothes and makeup still intact more in the last year than than I did all 4 years of college combined.  What is wrong with me?  This is something that should be happening to a menopausal women, not one who just recently entered her thirties - right?  I'm pretty sure my husband thinks I have become a lazy bum after baby #2 came along!

Confession: I LOATHE exercising.  For those who enjoy it, I envy you - I really do!  I'm a full-time working Mom with two tots under the age of 4 (one who cried nonstop for the first 8 months of her life). How do I find time when I am exhausted?  I wake up at 5:45 AM, drive nearly an hour to work, get home at 5:30 in the afternoon, cook dinner, cleanup, give the kids a bath, battle an hour getting them to fall asleep and then it's time to get myself ready for bed (which a lot of the time I am not even successful at that).

Confession: I'm a breastfeeding champ!  I told myself that I wanted to exclusively breastfeed Holland for a year.  I only last 7 moths with Madison but that was because I wasn't as educated as I am about it now.  I thought she wasn't getting enough so I had to begin supplementing with formula.  If you are wondering how much expressed milk your baby needs, I highly recommend you check out this article from KellyMom: HERE.  Holland turned a year old over two weeks ago and I'm still going strong but am I ever ready to be done!

I think a lot of my exhaustion issues are hormonal-based because of breastfeeding AND the lack of undisturbed sleep. My one year old still wakes up 3 to 4 times a night, which quite frankly is getting OLD.

How do you mommies do it?  How do you make time for yourself when you're plum exhausted?    

Entry #1: Happy 1st Birthday, Holland!

You and me?  We're a lot alike.  Just like me, your happy temper can go from 0 to 60 in about a millisecond.  I don't blame you - we just know what we like, right Peanut?

Despite your persistence, you have blossomed into such a cutie and are quick to smile and laugh. My heart swells each evening when I get home from work - you are always smiley and happy to see me.  You love waving your chubby baby hand whenever we say, "bye-bye," dancing to music, racing with your sister around the coffee table and bouncing on Lucy (our dog).  You know three words, "dada," "uh-oh," and "hello." I am patiently waiting for the day you say, "momma."

Your appetite is surprising amazing!  You were quick to reject baby food, and I love how open you already are about trying new foods.  I hope that continues because Momma would love a partner to experience all types of global cuisine.

You can play independently pretty well but prefer being in the same room as your big sis.  She makes you smile the most, we get such joy watching you two play together.  I hope your sisterly bond will continue into adulthood.  When you're not admiring your sis, you are trying to climb up my leg.  You are absolutely a momma's girl.  Don't tell anyone, but I secretly love it since your sister is such a daddy's girl.

Here we are, at one year old and only two teeth.  You are crawling and attempting to take steps. This isn't my first rodeo as a parent...so I'm not pushing you to do anything.  I know you will achieve it all in your own time.

Because Momma works, evenings are something I will always hold close to my heart.  You peacefully nurse, looking up at me with your amazing big blue eyes and will pull away ever so often just to give me a big grin or squeeze my index finger with your fingers.  It makes me melt every  night and I cannot imagine life without you in our family. You have filled my heart in a spot I didn't even know existed until you came along.

Baby girl, I love you.  I tell you that about 50 times a day when I cover you with kisses and I have no intentions of ever stopping.  You're our Peanut, our Holly Bawl-y and Maddi's Sissy.  You make us all smile. Thank you for bringing our family such immense joy.

Cheers to your first year, little lady.  I hope the year ahead fills you with courage, curiosity and plenty of moments that make you giggle.