We're Moving

I don't want to give too much away so all I'll say is "We're Moving!". Look for more details on Monday, March 2nd.

Have a great weekend!!!

Our Babies

I know it's been a while since I posted any pictures of our babies. There's a reason for that....I have ZERO free time while at home. The second I make my way to the computer, the boys insist on knowing what I'm doing, want to sit on my lap, want to "help" edit the pictures...etc. So instead of pumping right now, I'm editing/posting pictures. The girls may be in some serious pain right now, but at least I finally posted some pictures of Ayden, Jameson and Ava!!

Saving Some Money

We have two wonderful fur babies that we absolutely adore. Bonnie and Clyde are very spoiled with their large fenced in back yard. Both my mom and I use a pet sitter who comes to our home daily to let the poopers out while we're at work. David makes a womping $280 per month ($70/week) just to let our dogs out to pee. It's ridiculous!

Jason and I have tossing the idea of a doggy door for some time now. I didn't like the idea of having a hole in our door or wall though. I was also worried about bugs, rain, losing heat/air conditioning, having animals other than our dogs get into our house and other safety issues. After spending a lot of time researching doggie doors, we think we have found the best there is to offer. This bad boy is meant for the frigid temps of the frozen tundra (aka Wisconsin) and has dual flaps to keep the bugs and bad weather out. The best part?? There is a doggie door that just left La Crosse WI and is headed our way via UPS. Our very own Max Seal Wall Mount Pet Door is scheduled to arrive this Thursday!

As much as I love David, it's going to be nice to save that $70 every week!

Looking For A Change?

Are you disatisfied with the template designs that Blogger provides for you? Then check out this website for some premade designs that totally rock!

I think this one is my favorite so keep your grubby paws off!

Life Is Good

Last night after the boys were both tucked in, I stood at the kitchen sink washing bottles while Jason snuggled with Ava on the couch.

Jason: You know what?

Me: What?

Jason: I'm really happy we had one more.

Me: Good! Because I was seriously starting to consider putting her back where she came from.

In all honesty, Jason's statement that he's "happy" we had one more baby brings me so much joy. This is the man that was absolutely adamant that we not have any more children. The same man that took about 4 months before he could accept the fact that we had managed to get ourselves pregnant again. This is also the same man who almost fell over when I told him we were having a girl. Now he's a man who has fallen madly in love with a baby girl named Ava.

Life Is Good

Career Change????

Sorry for another post today, but look what I just stumbled across! If I didn't have to worry about a stable, well paying job with benefits; I'd go for it!

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/fbh/1036656364.html

Inspiration Wednesday

I just love this painting from Pottery Barn Kids. For some reason it makes me think of the row houses in Chicago. Before moving back to Wisconsin, it was a dream of mine to become a CPA and own a row house in Old Town.

I want this print! It puts a smile on my face every time I read it. Check out Studio Mela's Etsy's Shop here!
Some of my absolute favorite scrapbook supplies come from American Crafts. I just love, love, love everything they come out with. One of the new releases from CHA is their Craft Fair line. Another must have!
I simply adore Elizabeth Kartchner and follow her blog daily. She writes a lovely column for CK Magazine and her scrapping style is perfection. I love this layout she did and will probably lift it some day in the near future.
I love family pictures...especially when displayed in black frames in unique ways. I love the use of shelves, monograms and writing in this display. I may have to do something similar in our hallway.



See you next week for more inspiration!

I'm an overproducer

When I first started to nurse Ayden, I had a problem producing enough milk. After working with two very awesome lactation consultants at Theda Clark, I started to take herbal supplements to increase my supply. Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle are both known to stimulate milk production and they did the trick for me.

Now, 4 1/2 years later, I seem to be having the exact opposite problem. I am making way too much milk. On an average day I pump 72 ounces (18 ounces, 4 times a day) and sweet baby Ava only drinks 24-28 ounces. I'm freezing a lot of breastmilk. Actually, I now have about 600 bags of frozen breastmilk and I'm running out of room. Not only am I having storage issues, but I'm constantly in a state of discomfort. My goal is to pump only 24 ounces per day, but at this point I'm not against quiting altogether. It's not like I don't have a 4 month supply sitting in the freezer!

So after some research and okaying it with the lactation consultants at Piedmont, I'm going to start by drinking 3-6 cups of peppermint tea every day (this shows I'm desperate because I don't like tea). If the tea doesn't do the trick, they've also recommended trying sage capsules and antihistamines (Benadryl). I'll let you know how it goes

Sorry for getting so personal, but it's been something I've needed to get off my chest...ha ha ha. Get it? I crack myself up!

Update: After telling my boss about my game plan, she pulled out an entire box of organic peppermint tea from her drawer! I'm on my first cup of tea and I have to admit that it's not horrible tasting. Hopefully it works...

Cupcakes Galore

I love cupcakes. I love to bake them, decorate them and eat them...even just look at them. I really wanted to bake some cupcakes for Valentine's Day this year, but unfortunately we didn't get around to it. So for this week's Inspiration Wednesday (2 days late but who's counting) it's all about the cupcake!

Check out this book for fabulous recipes and decorating tips for cookies, cakes and cupcakes. You can also cruise their website for an abundance of eye candy:)

Robeez may cost a fortune but aren't they totally adorable???
What little girl's wardrobe is complete without a cupcake dress??? Check out Coco Bonbon's website. They're a tad on the pricey side, but they've got great sales!Do you think people would make fun of me if I were to walk around with this adorable cupcake umbrella? And last but not least, some Valentine's Day love via cupcakes. They look too good to eat!Hopefully this inspires you to dust off your KitchenAid mixer and whip up a yummy batch of cupcakes this weekend!

Busy Little Bee

It's been busy, busy, busy lately! Between doctor appointments, behavioral therapy, Valentine's Day parties, birthday parties and work there hasn't been a lot of down time. I haven't downloaded pictures since....okay, so I can't remember the last time I had time to download/edit pictures.

So this post is to say sorry to my blog readers (all 2 of you). I hope to find some time tomorrow for a proper post.

XOXO

Lots of good things to look forward to

1. Warm weather! It's supposed to be in the upper 60's all weekend so we'll finally be able to get outside and do some yard work. I desperately need to go through the outside toys and get rid of a bunch of stuff.

2. Double header birthday parties. Tomorrow is Caitlin's party at one those inflatable jumpy places. They didn't have quite the response they'd been hoping for so Jameson is being allowed to tag along. Sunday is Maddie's indoor pool party at the Peachtree Dive Center. This is where Ayden takes his swim lessons so he should be more than comfortable in the water.

3. Ayden starts Level 1 swim lessons in March. He did fabulous in PreLevel 2 when daddy took him in December. I love watching his progress!

4. Soccer, soccer and more soccer. The instructor for Soccer Shots (program offered at RL) told me after the spring session that Ayden shows true talent. She advised that we get him involved the Tyrone Rec Dept's soccer league so Ayden is now registered for the Smart Soccer (designed for 3-4 year olds) program that begins 4/18. He'll have practice/games ever Tuesday and Saturday for 5 weeks. I'm not sure who's more excited...Ayden, me or Mimi! If he does well, he can join the 5 year old league in the fall.

5. The first annual Diva's Scrap Retreat. Two full days (5/2-5/3) of scrapping, eating, drinking and laughing with 4 of my favorite women is definitely something to get excited about. Each one of us will be teaching a class and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

6. As usual, I always look forward to my children's birthdays. Jameson will be 3 in May, Ayden will be 5 in August and sweet baby Ava turns 1 in November.

6. It's a long ways away, but I'm seriously looking forward to Christmas this year for 2 main reasons. It will be Ava's first Christmas (I don't count last year since she was only a month old) and we'll be celebrating in Orlando. Yes, we're making another family trip to Disney with Mimi and Bumpa. It sort of breaks my rule about being away from home for Christmas, but I think we can make an exception for Mickey Mouse!

Do you have anything that you're looking forward to in 2009?

Inspiration Wednesday...a day late

I had so much fun last week cruising around checking out some of the fabulous eye candy out there! Besides, roaming from site to site is about all I can actually do while spending 30 minutes (twice a day) pumping in my office. So here's what I've found today....

I simply love these prints. Yes, I can buy them for $25, but I'd much rather make them myself. I'll include the link though because I'll probably end up not making anything due to lack of free time and I want to remember where the heck I saw them.

How flippin awesome is this? Anything that has to do with preserving my children's lives just gives me tingles. I still remember how excited I would be every time I lost another tooth!

I don't understand my fascination with mobiles lately, but this one is also calling out my name. You can buy it here from Pottery Barn Kids (it's even on sale!), but I'd love to find a way to make it on my own.

I'm thinking about participating in this in April.

My mom and Chere made these two projects while attending the Ultimate Scrapbook Cruise in January. Karen Russel is selling them on her blog...I may have to whip out the credit card for this one.

I absolutely love this phrase....can't remember where I read it though. "Champagne and orange juice go together like a lens cap and camera". It must of been on some photographer's website. Thinking about taking pictures while sipping mimosas make me happy.

Thinking about "going green" but dislike the reusable bags for sale at Publix and Target? Take a look at these cuties! At $29.95 (for a set of 3), they're pretty reasonable! Okay, that's probably enough for one day. Well, I'm sorta done pumping too. More eye candy will be available next Wednesday.

Keepin' It Real

12:30am - Pump
3:30am - Ava wakes up for a bottle
4:30am - After more snuggle time than normally necessary, Ava goes back to bed and I pump
5:00am - Hop in shower. Okay, so I didn't exactly hop...it was more of a crawl
6:00am - Pack up bottles, wipes and change of clothes for Ava, breast pump for me and backpacks for the boys
6:30am - Wake up boys with a sippy of juice and Flinstone gummy vitamin. With minimal amount of screaming from Jameson, both boys get dressed and brush their teeth
7:00am - Get the boys shoes and coats on (it was only 16 degrees out this morning!) and shove them out the door to get in the truck
7:10am - Ava is up, diaper changed, dressed and in her carseat
7:30am - All kids are dropped off at Royal Learners and I'm on my way to work
8:00am - Pull into parking lot and make my way across the park
8:30am - Pump
12:00pm - Freeze my ass off while walking across the street to work out
1:00pm - Freeze my ass off while walking back across the street
1:15pm - Pump (note to self - pump before working out)
3:00pm - Realize I'm totally exhausted and decide to take a break to blog

What's in store for the evening?

Pick up kids, go home to pump and make dinner, give all 3 kids a bath, practice alphabet flashcards with Ayden, get boys in bed by 7:30, clean up the kitchen, do a few loads of laundry, awe heck...let's pump again, give Ava a bottle and snuggle, wash bottles and finally pour myself into bed.

Just keepin' it real