Being a young mom means we met a little early, but I get to love them longer.


Here are some links to helpful posts I have done in the past :)

Learn about car seat safety HERE!

Need breastfeeding advice? Click HERE for lots of helpful tips!

Lilypie Fourth Birthday tickers

Lilypie Second Birthday tickers

Lilypie Breastfeeding tickers

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Please help me decide which invite!

Grace's party is in just about a month, so it's time to order the invitations! I'm torn between two.



Her party is a CandyLand theme. I can't find one that fits it perfectly, but I thought both of these fit pretty well. The tops one reminds me of the colored spaces on the game board. The bottom one has the dessert table with lots of candies and cakes. The top one is a bit cheaper, but I still can't decide. Which one do you guys like better??

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Halloween Decor!

This is our door :)

And this is our apartment :)

I'm so happy to have a place that we are proud to decorate!!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

I think we'll stick with the LeapPad2.

As of yesterday, Toys R Us is being sued over the Tabeo. The other company is requesting that the Tabeo be pulled from release. I'm not going to chance returning the LeapPad2 for the Tabeo, and then it be pulled from release. I wouldn't have time to order another LeapPad2, and I never see the pink ones in stores. We would be left with nothing for her birthday, so we're just going to stick with the LeapPad2 for this year. Grace is only going to be three after all, so they LeapPad is probably more age appropriate at this point. We might revisit the idea next year if it does end up being released despite the lawsuit. 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

It's fall!

The first day of fall was a few days ago, and I am already loving it. The weather has been GREAT for the last week. Clear skies and temperatures in the 70s. The mornings and nights are a bit cold, dir45gthn\ping into the low 50s. We actually had to turn out heat on this morning! We were all freezing lol.    

We have sort of decorated for fall. We have the leaves and pumpkins we made up in the window, and I put a Happy Halloween sign on our front door. We are going to get pumpkins soon and carve them! Then we'll put those on our little walk way by our door.
We also have the most amazing smelling tarts in our tart warmer. It's simmering apple cider, and I absolutely love it. It makes our whole apartment smell like fall :)

I can't wait until we get to go to the pumpkin patch, the fall festival at DSC, and trunk-or-treating (and possibly trick-or-treating)!

Grace is all set to be a butterfly, and Brentley is set to be a sock monkey :)

I'm also making a list of must see Halloween movies. Number one on my list is Hocus Pocus. This always has and always will be my favorite Halloween movie.
I also love the Halloweentown movies. Yes, I know that these are Disney movies lol. I know there's more, but I can't think of them right now. Anyone else have any family friendly suggestions?

And while we're on the subject, I'm beginning a list of Christmas movies as well...

  • Home Alone (1, 2, and 3. I don't like 4).
  • Santa Clause (1, 2, and 3)
  • Polar Express
  • The Grinch (not the cartoon)
If anyone else has some Christmas movies they love to watch, please let me know! I love Halloween and Christmas movies!

Monday, September 24, 2012

What a day.

What a day. This morning, we had to get up bright and early to take Chris to work, so I called my mom and asked her if she wanted to go to a consignment sale with us. It was the first day of the sale, so I figured since we were already out, we might as well go to it.

I got some cute stuff. I didn't find the great deals that I usually do, but I found things I was looking for. I found a Christmas outfit for Grace and for Brentley. Grace found a butterfly costume. It is super cute. It was $8, but it was Old Navy, it looked brand new, and she was in love with it, so we got it. I'm no longer making her costume lol. I'm kind of glad because I realized I HATE making tutus. That is the most annoying thing I have ever done.

After that, I had to leave the kids with my mom at her house because I had a dentist appointment. I had a cavity that they had to fill. The nurse (or dental assistant or whatever they are) told me it exposed a nerve and that it may give me some back pain. I thought she was crazy. How can my tooth affect my back? Well, yeah, she wasn't. My mouth hasn't bothered me at all, but my back is hurting in one spot lol.
I am also now scheduled to have my wisdom teeth taken out on Nov. 8th. All four of them. Oh joy. Not looking forward to that at all.

Oh, and Brentley did his modeling yesterday. I think he did really well! She also got some of him with his teddy bear, and he was hugging it. So cute! At the very end, Grace got in on a few as well :) She said it may take her up to two weeks to go through and edit them. I get the rights to all of them (editted and original) when she's done! Plus, Brentley is definitely going to be on a website and potentially in a magazine!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Sunday is going to be a fun day!

First, we are going to Sami's party, which Grace is soooo excited about! That is all she has been talking about all week. She has been making Sami pretend cakes, wanting to give Sami her presents, and counting down the days until her party lol. Which, by the way, she can count to five with her fingers now!!

Then, at 6, we are supposed to meet a local photographer downtown because Brentley is going to be modeling for her! In exchange for him doing the modeling, I get all the pictures on a disk for free! And the pictures are definitely going to be used online to advertise what he will be modeling, and they will potentially be put in a magazine. I think that is so neat! I can't wait for that :)

And, I discovered today that Business of Being Born put out four new episodes on Netflix. This has nothing to do with Sunday. I'm just really excited about that! So, if you liked the Business of Being Born movie... there is now a little mini series on there as well. I've only watched one episode so far, and I have already learned more! Like the fact that the maternal death rate has DOUBLED since the 80's. Crazy stuff.

Anyway, that is all for now. 

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Possible change of plans...

So, we ordered Grace that LeapPad2 and it is sitting in the closet waiting for her birthday.

Well, a fellow blogger, Jessika, posted about the Tabeo that is made by Toys R Us, so I started looking into it. It's $50 more, but it has wifi capabilities and it seems as if the apps are free.

The apps/games for the LeapPad are crazy expensive. Seriously, just buying two games would be $50.

Ohh and the Tabeo is already rechargable, whereas, with the LeapPad, you have to either use batteries or buy a charging kit (which is about $50).

So, we are seriously considering returning the LeapPad2 and getting her a Tabeo.
I think she would use it longer considering it's wifi capable. Also, it doesn't really look like a toy, whereas the LeapPad2 does.

The Tabeo itself is white, but the cover it comes with is green. I'm not thrilled with that, but I can live with it.
Another issue is that it isn't out until the end of Oct. It says that the Est. ship date is Oct. 21st. Well, that's less than two weeks from her party, so I'm nervous that it wouldn't make it in time.

And then, with it being new, what if it doesn't live up to the hype? I mean, the LeapPad was the number one toy of last year, so what if we trade in and it ends up the LeapPad2 was the better choice??

Jessika, did you ever decide if you were going to get it?
What does everyone else think??



Monday, September 17, 2012

Things are going well...

at school! I've been waiting until I got my grade back from my first biology test to post this post because I wanted to be sure.

With my math class, I made a 90 on my first homework and a 100 on the other! We are going to have 12 homeworks all together, the lowest two will be dropped, and the average of our homework grades will replace our lowest test grade. Right now, that is looking good! Plus, I made a 91 on the first test!

In my biology class, I made a 110 on our first lab quiz, a 90 on the second, and a 95 on the third! And I made a 100 on the lecture quiz! Now, all of that is great, but my professor's nickname is "Dr. Death." I had heard his tests were really hard, so I was nervous about the test. My lab partner was telling me that his sister took the class and made a D, then a girl in my lab group was telling us that she had already taken the same class and made a D. D is considered a failing grade at DSC, so I have to make at least a C in order to not have to take the class again. Then, "Dr. Death" was telling us that Biol 1107 has a steady D/F grade rate... meaning the majority of people fail :(
We took our first test Thurday, and the grade came in today... I made an 84!!! Hey, it's a B, but I'll take it! And the good grades on my quizzes will hopefully pull my grade up even more.

It was such a relief when I pulled that grade up today, and I had passed!


Am I wrong to be offended?

I have seen this image swirling around Facebook and Pinterest. It seems like every time I log on, some other page has posted it.


If you are on my Facebook friend's list, then you may have seen that I kindly reply to each one of these that is posted explaining my issue with the picture. I have yet to get a reply from the posters, and it continues to spread like wildfire.

Let me start by saying, I understand what this is saying. It is intending to take a stab at MTV's 16 and Pregnant because these girls are making money simply because they got pregnant as teenagers. I know there are mix feelings about the show. I personally like 16 and Pregnant because I feel that it shows the truth. They don't get paid until after, so I believe their struggles are real... Teen Mom is a different story. 

Regardless, this image offends me. It is very obvious that this picture was made by someone who has never been in a teen mother's shoes. The way that this is worded insinuates that someone who was 16 and pregnant cannot be in the same category as someone who was 18 and graduated, or someone who is 22 and successful. That is what offends me. The person who made this has no idea how hard someone who was a teen mom has to work to beat the statistics. I was a pregnant teen. I worked my butt off. I woke up every two hours to a screaming baby who would only go back to sleep after an hour of pacing the bedroom. I went to the school to complete projects while I was supposed to be homebound. Every time I pumped, I also did school work (that is NOT easy). I lost almost all of my friends. I gave up my social life. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Now, did I bring all of that on myself when I got pregnant? Yes, I certainly did. However, when facing these things, it is very easy for someone to give up. I refused to. I became someone who was a pregnant teen AND graduated at 18. 
And then, even knowing that college was going to be much more difficult than high school, I continued on. I may not be exactly 22 and successful, but I am hoping to be successful by the time I am 24, if not 23. 
Again, I have worked my butt off to remain in school, even adding another baby to the mix, I still have not given up. 

I have worked harder than anyone not in my shoes could ever imagine so that I could not only be a pregnant teen, but a graduated teen, and a successful adult as well. For this image to insinuate that this is not possible is like a stab in the chest.

So, if you come across this image, and you think about reposting it, please remember that it has more meaning than just what it says on the surface. And, if you have thought about making an image like this, try to put yourself in the shoes of the person you are taking a stab at. Becoming pregnant as a teen is certainly not the most responsible thing to do, but when that pregnant teen steps up and takes responsibility for her actions, works hard, and puts her child first, she deserves to be commended, not condemned.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Another reason I love fall! (Plus some random pictures).

Consignment sales! I hit the half off day at one today, and I got a ton of stuff for $30!

4 shirts for Brentley.

3 more shirts, some socks, and a pair of pants for Brentley.

2 shirts for Grace.

2 dresses for Grace.

An alphabet game for the kids, a Peter Pan pop-up book for my brother for Christmas, and some Children's Place gloves for Grace. I also got a Big Bird sippy cup for Brentley, but he used it already, so it's not in the pictures.

I started making Grace's tutu today, and that is probably the most time consuming craft I have ever done! 
It's a little over 1/4 of the way done at this point. The picture doesn't show the colors very well, but they are light pink, dark pink, and gold. I chose those to matches these wings that I got today...

We also got Brentley's costume today...
Sock Monkey!!

And here are some random pics...
This is the cake I made for my sister's birthday party. I forgot to post it here after her party last week. Her party was rainbow themed.

Probably the prettiest sunrise I have ever seen. I took this at a red light on my way to school on morning. 


Weight loss update... according to the scale, I still haven't lost anymore, but I am at the point now where I am much more confident with my body, and that is a huge step for me!
(Yes, I always take my pics in our bathroom mirror, lol.)





Friday, September 14, 2012

Meet the sicklings...

First, Grace had a runny nose and a fever. She got over it quickly, but not before Brentley caught it. He's got it bad. Runny nose, sneezing, fussy, swollen lymphs, and a major cough. It's so bad he can barely sleep. I was terrified that he had whooping cough (Yes, he has been vaccinated, but you can still get it even if you have. It's just less likely.). It has been spreading through our area, so I took him to the doctor today just to be sure. She said he just has a cold, but it seems to be a pretty bad one.

So, later I had to go to work. About an hour into work (with about 4 hours left), it felt like I was being held under water. My ears are clogged, my head is pounding, I'm achy all over, if I stand up too fast, I get dizzy. Nothing like mommy getting sick to show me what my baby is going through. I feel so bad for him! I haven't started coughing yet, but I can feel that tickle in my throat. I NEVER get sick when they do. This is a first for me. Heck, I rarely get sick at all.

I usually get up and hang out with Chris or clean after they've gone to sleep, but not tonight! I am staying in bed. Ohh, and I am FREEZING! I have been since I started feeling sick. I'm wrapped up in a comforter now, but it's not helping :/

Anyway... I think I may make Grace's Halloween costume. I can't find any that I really like, so I think I'm going to make a tutu, buy her some wings, and have her were her pink leotard and some tights.

I'm thinking something like this one... what do you all think?



Wednesday, September 12, 2012

A great day!

My mom and I took the kids downtown. We took them to ride the carousel first, then they played in the fountain. Grace actually played this time! I was so proud of her. We've taken her twice before, and she wouldn't play in the water. 
Then we drove across the river and got some lunch. After that, we let the kids play in the water at the Aquarium. They had so much fun!

It amazed me that Brentley is my reserved child as well as my hydrophobic child, yet he jumped right in and started playing. Grace wouldn't go near it at his age! Crazy the differences between them.










Enjoy the picture that my pocket took of the random man :p



Brentley was trying to do flips with the girls :p


He was giving her kisses :)

Then they got their dry clothes wet :p


He wanted the rocks to come out lol.


Footprints :)




Riding the carousel :)


Brentley didn't like it :(




Sorry the pics are out of order. That's the way they uploaded.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

I have officially started Christmas shopping!

Yep. I caved and bought a few things online today. So now, in addition to the books, play food, guitar, and bubble machine; I have bought the play kitchen, the ice cream playset, and a DVD for my brother.
I bought it all because it's stuff I can't get in the store, so I figured I'd just go ahead and get it, so I'd have it, and not have to worry about it when I'm doing my actual in store shopping.

I also bought some Scooby Doo wash cloths today for Christmas for my sister because I got a good deal on them.

I'm one of those people who buys things when I can find a good deal, so that way I don't end up spending a million dollars at Christmas.

I'm so excited for the holidays! I also bought some big glows sticks today... one is a green sword glow stick and the other is a pink butterfly glow stick. I'm going to let the kids use them on Halloween. I have been checking Wal-Mart every chance I get for their Halloween stuff. I can't wait to get the kids' costumes! I still can't decide what I want Brentley to be, but Grace is dead seat on a butterfly. She still talks about how she is going to be a butterfly on Halloween, and she tells everyone every chance she gets lol.

Anyway, here's the stuff I got.


(My brother loves Peter Pan. He's had every Peter Pan movie/book there ever was in existence, so I knew this was what I wanted to get him for Christmas the second I saw it.)