I need more play dates

Its rare that I get together with other families with kids, and I've been thinking that I need to make more time for that! On nights that my husband works late (like tonight), I feel myself needing adult company. I love being a stay at home mom, its the greatest; but I do need interaction with others above the age of 4. I know its a great benefit for my kids too because they can be around other children their age and play with kids that aren't their siblings.

However, I'd be lying if I said that play dates are only for the kids. Its nice to sit and chat with other moms about being a mommy. I feel I never make enough time for things like that and I'm going to start making a point to. Its summertime and so pretty out most days, I think inviting another mommy and her children over to play in the pool for a while and then enjoy a nice lunch outside seems like a great idea!

I'm also going to make more weekend plans as a family for doing things outdoors. We visited the beach last weekend and I really enjoyed all the us time! I mean, we have us time everyday, but rarely like it was last weekend. I've realized now that we need time for just us; off doing fun things together! I'm hoping to visit the Atlanta Aquarium again soon, I think thats the next stop on our list of family fun!!

Great tips on keeping up with the house!

So usually I get behind on my cleaning. Hey! I'm a mom of 3, so it happens. :) So recently I've been following the Just Mommies Home Organization Plan!! Now let me tell you, this is the easiest thing to follow, and I don't have to wear high heels to do it!

It breaks down daily tasks that you get yourself in the habit of doing. I was never much of a bed maker, but it only takes 2 minutes out of my morning and I make sure I do it before my 2 year old drags me by my hair out of my room screaming for breakfast. Each month also has a decluttering list that doesn't take a lot of time out of your day. Its helps to keep your house clean and organized at the same time!!

During the day I also make sure I go behind the kids and pick up as they destroy. Seems like "shoveling while it's still snowing", huh? It really is, however, if you shovel as it snows, there is less snow to shovel when it stops. Now my night time cleaning is cut in half and I have more time to spend with my husband. I also vacuum more than the JM organization plan specifies, but I also have an 8 month old who likes to pretend he's a human vacuum cleaner.

This plan has really helped my life become easier, and now cleaning doesn't control me, I control it. With the easy printable calendar, I see my tasks each day and make sure I set aside time to do those, usually at nap time. I also like being reminded to take something out for dinner, I'm very forgetful. So for someone like me, who has to have a list to be organized and in control, this plan is the perfect way to get your house clean. Its also pretty cool that now when people show up unexpectedly, I'm not mortified when I hear that dreaded "knock, knock, knock".

Why Must They Grow?

So Logan is 8 months old, and of course it has me wondering why the time has to fly so fast. I think this is a topic I've brought up before and its most likely one I'll bring up again. My babies are growing so fast that its hard to remember their smaller days. Now that I've decided that I won't be having any more babies, it makes it a little sadder for me. I know 3 is a good number and I'm lucky to have each one of my little blessings, I just know that one day they won't be as dependent on me. I'm sure I'll miss the little things, even changing diapers and waking in the middle of the night.

Speaking of diapers, I'm pretty sure I'm close to having only one in them. Gavin told me yesterday, all on his own, that he had to potty, and he did! It was so awesome!! With Rileigh I asked and coaxed her on the potty, to get her use to sitting on it a lot. Gavin seems a little different, and I just decided to hold off until he was ready, which he's shown signs of it; but hasn't seemed very interested in it at all. So I jumped up and down and squealed with him and he was just as delighted as I was. Its such a big step and was honestly, the best Mother's Day present I got yesterday.

Rileigh is the most difficult child I have. She's mouthy and bossy and sassy, and everything most little girls are. She loves make-up and perfume and, even though she knows not to get into it, she does it anyways. She throws tantrums (Gavin is two and he doesn't), and she refuses to clean her room. I was always told that little girls were easier to handle than little boys, and now that I have one little girl and two little boys, everyone is now saying girls are harder. I think a lot of her problems stem from the fact that shes home all day. She starts school soon, but I'm thinking of signing her up for Cheerleading so she can get out of the house and around other little girls. I think her attitude would change a lot if she were able to be the social butterfly we all know she it.

So, I just wanted to update a little on my loves until I could come up with a worthy topic of interest. Thanks for reading!!

The 411 on Cloth Diapering

I found Justmommies.com a while back when I was in the early stages of my pregnancy with Logan, and I really wish I would have found it sooner! Its not only taught me a lot of things I would have otherwise had no clue about, mainly products like the Moby Wrap and Sophie the Giraffe (two things I adore), but its also given me lots of advice. So when I first heard about people cloth diapering, I don't recall even opening the thread. I looked at my husband one day, shortly after Logan's birth, and said "Cloth diapering??" and he had the same gross expression on his face as me. It was definitely out for us.

Well later on I started actually opening those threads, and doing research of my own. I came to find out, that you don't even need pins these days!! If you really want the ease of a disposable diaper, they have some that velcro! So that fact definitely peaked my interest, and I ended up ordering a beginner stash. My husband was on the fence about it, I stayed home all day so he didn't really care either way, little things like that are usually my decision. So we started our journey to the cloth diapering world, and have never looked back.

Now I know what you're thinking, because I thought the very same things! It just seems so nasty and like a lot of hard work! Well, honestly, its pretty awesome and not near as bad as I imagined. With the ease of washing a regular load; I throw in the diapers, use a special detergent, and run them through twice. I use one cold cycle and then one hot cycle, throw them in the dryer, and use them all over again. Its honestly the easiest load of laundry I've ever done; it washes fast, dries fast, and requires no folding. I use the diapers that require inserting the absorbent pad, but they dry so much fast than the all in one I bought. I never knew it could be so easy and so rewarding!

Cloth diapering can definitely be expensive, but my starting cost was about $60 dollars for a great brand I found on ebay.com. I got 12 diapers and we go through 6 a day, so I wash diapers every other day. We started when Logan was 2 months old and haven't had to buy another pack of disposable diapers. I paid $20 a box on average of every other week, so thats $40 dollars a month; my cloth diapers paid for themselves in less than 2 months.

Now, the point of this article is to give mommies, the ones walking along the fence of deciding, a little challenge. Find a cloth diaper that you've heard great things about and buy it, just one! Once it comes and you put it on your little one and see how absolutely adorable it is, as well as convenient and easy; I'm pretty sure that you'll want to order more!! Sometimes in motherhood, there are things you think you'd never do, but once you try it you can't imagine why you never did it before. From my experience, cloth diapering is definitely one of those things!!! Plus, I never get tired of the shocked expressions of all the people when they see Logan in cloth, its always a great topic starter!!

Tubes it is

So Logan is definitely getting tubes. His appointment with the ENT was originaly scheduled for the end of April but I begged to get him in sooner because they just won't go away. So they called me back today and he's in for next Tuesday. They will check to make sure he has no hearing loss like his brother did and then they'll schedule his surgery. He's so little so of course I'm really nervous... Gavin was a year and a half old when he had his. So, wish us luck, I'll update as we go!

Oh yea, for those following my weight loss, I totally forgot to update anything about that, but I've lost 3 lbs. I'd much rather it be 13, but all I can do is work harder! Thank all of you for the support!!!

To Be or Not to Be Done

I sit back and watch all of these BFP's pop up around me and I can't help but feel that motherly urge to have another!! I'm in such a hard place right now b/c 3 is plenty, but I don't feel done yet. I've always heard if you're unsure, don't do it (vasectomy and/or tubal). Logan is only 6 months old so I really don't understand why I have this urge. I've been having endometriosis symptoms since after Gavin, but I didn't know what they were. I just dealt with the pain and when I got pregnant with Logan they suddenly went away. I also read that that does happen to a lot of women. So when I got my first period after having Logan, the pain was back. :( I'm not talking about normal period pain either, I lay on the couch in a ball and try not to breath.. its bad.

After some research, I've found that the only thing that explains my symptoms is endo, which runs in my family. So if it is in fact endo, I won't be fertile much longer, b/c it will spread. I'm going to my DR to get a proper diagnosis and hey, maybe I don't have it!! But if he tells me I do, I know exactly what I'm gonna feel... the urge to have another baby before I can't anymore. I talked to DH about this, who is VERY done, but he's being really sympathetic. I think he understands how I feel, or is at least trying to. So instead of the quick and definite, "NO!" answer when I mention another baby, he's asking questions and not really fighting me on it. I'm hoping by the time Logan is 3, our house will be finished in the renovations department and we'll have a 4 bedroom, completed house. I'm hoping by that time I can talk DH into TTC.

I'm still unsure though.. I'm so young so I know I have a long time to decide.. but what if I don't? What if I go to the DR and my window of time is slowly running out on me. I think as a woman, I'll always have the urge to have another baby. I just need to decide if I want 3 or 4. This is NOT an easy thing to decide. :(

Off to school she'll go

So I called the elementary school where Rileigh will be attending Pre-K, figuring registration would be in a few months. Nope. Its the 25th of THIS MONTH. I know that she doesn't actually start until August, but this is the first step! My sweet, first born will be going off to school. I don't know how to handle it. I'm definitely excited for this next milestone, but its so bittersweet. I've been a stay at home mom with her for almost four years, and now its time to send her off to someone else all day. I know she needs the interaction and if I kept her from going to Pre-K (elective), I feel she'd be behind for Kindergarten (mandatory).

I know I'll probably get more peace and quiet during the day, and the boys nap well so I could nap with them. I don't really care about all that. I feel like all I'm gonna do is worry about her, even though she'll only be half a mile down the road. I'm working on signing her up for dance or in one of the local cheer gyms, just so she can get use to interaction with other kids in a structured environment. I know I should have done this a while back, but day care wasn't an option for my husband and myself. Now I feel like I'm giving her a poor start. :(

I know everything will work out, even if I do bawl my eyes out her first day. My mom never had a chance to go to all the school functions with me, but you can bet I will! I'll volunteer for every field trip and attend every mommy and kid lunch day. I know how it feels to see all the other mommies and daddies there and not mine. As much as I'm excited for this next step, I'm also terrified and sad. My little baby girl is growing up... :tear: