Category Archives: random thoughts

random and staccato (disconnected)

mommyhood, random thoughts

Babysitters: Are You a Micro-Manager From Afar or Do You Enjoy Your Outing?

2 Comments

Because I’m in the hospital with my brand new, sweet, second son (Baby D says, “Hey there!”) here’s one I wrote a little while ago!

I can be one of two things when it comes to leaving my kiddos with someone… I can be a micro-managing crazy person with a list of a hundred guidelines (read: requirements) or I can just be the trusting mom who says, “Have fun!”

My slightly-OCD tendency is to overdo it. I get worked up, setting out pajamas and sippy cups (already put together, because no babysitter ever knows how to figure that mess out) and favorite blankets. I want to write where every single item in the house can be found, a list of healthy, mom-approved foods that I know my kids will eat (and when they’re allowed to eat them), how to work the TV so that they can watch an allotted 22-minute educational show, and a detailed bedtime routine that must be strictly followed. I want to leave numbers for the closest ten people, and I want to check my phone every two minutes while I’m gone.

But let’s be honest: would that be a nice outing for me? Probably not. I’d be miserable, wondering whether or not everyone kept to my schedule, and looking at my phone every two minutes is just rude, whether I’m out with the girls or with Hubby.

The alternative to this, for me, is the opposite end of the spectrum. I just say, “Bye!” and leave it in the probably-capable hands of my babysitter. They’ll call if they need anything, right? It’s just about relinquishing my control into someone else’s hands, and in the case of my children, it’s tough.

I remember that on my 3 year old’s first day of preschool, I was so nervous. She was crying when we left (Doesn’t every kid cry on their first day of leaving Mom and Dad? No? Just tell me they do.) and I was worried all morning that there would be some need that she’d have that they wouldn’t notice, or couldn’t help her with. Not that I had chosen a preschool that I wasn’t comfortable with or anything like that. I just felt like Mama knows best, ya know?

But now that I’m pregnant with my third, I’ve become a little less crazed about it. When I take my daughter to school, I make sure her bags are packed with everything she could possibly need (yeah, I still do it) and I hug her, kiss her, and run out. I’m a little more confident.  I don’t write a big list for a babysitter, either. I offer some tips on getting them to eat dinner (It’s all about options!) or to make bedtime go more smoothly (Don’t try to do it too early!), but then I kiss those tiny angels, apply my lip gloss, and get the hell outta dodge. I mean, Mama needs a night out, right? (Side note: I am guilty of often hiring a  babysitter after my kids bedtime, so that there are no transitional issues. My 1 1:2 year old sometimes tries to squeeze out the door with me, or I can hear him hollering as I get in the car. Breaks a mama’s heart, so I avoid it where I can.)

Letting go is hard, no matter what the situation, how long you might be letting go for, and into whose hands your leaving the precious ones. How do you cope deal prepare to leave your kiddos with someone else?

food, home, mommyhood, pregnancy, random thoughts

Currently

3 Comments

Happy Monday, everyone! I won’t lie… I was hoping to be in the hospital with a baby or something right now, but since I’m not, I’ll tell you what I’m up to instead! I’m linking up as usual with Becky at Choose Happy, and some other wonderful bloggers to bring you this week’s edition of Currently…

Picking || tomatoes and more tomatoes! And also some peppers. And cucumbers and zucchinis. And even a couple of eggplants and one squash (finally). I know I keep talking about it, and I guess I should dedicate a whole post to it, but I LOVE our garden this year. Every year I’ve gotten a little more involved with it, and this year I feel like I’ve been growing those vegetables right alongside growing my baby, and it’s been so fun! It’s therapeutic, it’s a great way to get outside, and it’s fun to teach the kids about it, too. If you’ve thought about doing a garden, but haven’t done it yet, I encourage you to do it! It’s so rewarding!!

  
Finishing || the nursery. I think I might’ve said it was finished before, but I must’ve lied. It’s actually done now. We rearranged furniture, cleaned the rug, hung the drapes with dark backing, put sheets in the crib (ahhh!) and books on the bookshelves. Y’all, we are ready for this baby. 

   
We also did some finishing up in our closet/office. One of the upstairs bedrooms in our house is dedicated to the rest of our clothes (the master closet is dreadfully small) and a desk to work at (you know, if I ever want to blog from NOT the couch). It only needs curtains, and it’ll be all ready to use. Right now it’s the cleanest it’s ever been, but being on the west side of the house, the afternoons are awfully hot in there, so we don’t spend any time in there yet. Curtains and then finished! 

 Cooking || a big pot of spaghetti sauce! We had so many tomatoes that needed to be eaten, and I had gotten a text from a friend who said she was using the tomatoes we’d given her to make a pot of sauce… so I decided to do the same! We used about ten tomatoes (all different varieties and sizes) to start a huge pot of sauce. We aren’t actually eating any of it tonight (we’re also making French onion soup right now – Hubby’s craving!) but I’m going to freeze it to have it ready to go when I need a quick meal that will make my whole family happy.

Enjoying || time with my babes. I’m trying to have time with them together and one-on-one so that I can truly savor them before the baby gets here. I don’t want them to feel they’ve been neglected or abandoned (I know, worst case scenario, probably, but still) when I am gone for two whole days, and come back with a new baby! I want them to have their love tank all filled so they know how much they are treasured and loved. It’ll be a transition for everyone, and I want to start it off on the right foot if I possibly can.

Well, there’s what’s happening with me currently! Don’t worry – I’ll keep you posted when the big day arrives!

food, home, mommyhood, pregnancy, random thoughts, siblings

Currently 

4 Comments

Happy Monday! I hope y’all had a wonderful weekend! I’m joining Becky at Choose Happy again this week for her currently link up. Lots of pictures in store for you today – I hope you enjoy it! Leave a comment or join the link up and let me know what’s going on with you!

Loving || Our finished shower! We chose a dark grout (it matches the wall color we chose almost perfectly!) to offset the white subway tile, and I really like the effect. We don’t have a door quite yet, because our old one is now too big, so we aren’t able to use it till we get one. Otherwise, I’m really happy with it! We need a little paint touching up in a few places, but it looks awesome.

Still undecided on the mirrors… there are two of those and they’ll be almost touching. What do you think?



Eating || at the Honey Pot! It’s a local restaurant here, and the chef is actually a friend of Hubby’s from high school. It is AMAZING. The food is fresh, mostly local, and really creative. Most of all, it’s plated beautifully and it’s outstandingly delicious! (If you’re local, check out their website here.) I wish I had taken a picture of every dish, but it was too good to not just eat it immediately. However, this dessert – a Georgia peach tart, with basil crema, accented with tiger lilies (who knew you could eat them?!) – was so beautiful I had to take a picture. And folks, it was as good as it looks. Really.

Growing || tomatoes and peppers! I mean, we are growing other stuff too, but those are our most fruitful plants at the moment. We’ve had one eggplant and some cucumbers and an ENORMOUS zucchini (I talked about that here) as well. Here are a few pictures I snapped last night as I was harvesting…



  


 

Planning || A baby shower! My sweet friend from college Melissa is expecting her first baby (a little girl!) in a couple of months, and my friend Lauren and I are throwing her a shower. We had a planning session this afternoon, and I can’t wait to post with a bunch of pictures after we shower her with love on Saturday!

Enjoying || this little series of photos. The first picture is the night before I had J… EK sprawled across my belly, the tiny little thing that she was, in her mismatched Christmas jammies. I’ve always loved that photo, and so now while I’m not so far away from having baby D, I thought it would be fun to try to recreate the moment with my two older sweeties sitting on top of their little brother!


 

Well, that’s about it in my world. Just waiting on baby D to get here! I have a post coming soon about how I packed my hospital bag – look for it this week!

What’s going on in your life currently?

 

 

books, food, home, mommyhood, pregnancy, random thoughts

Currently

3 Comments

I’m linking up this week with Becky at Choose Happy for her Currently link-up! If you’ve never joined us, you should! I love reading what everyone is currently up to. What’s going on with you?

currently button

Reading || I actually finished The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton! I’ve been working on it for an embarrassingly long time… but I’m done! I loved it, I just didn’t have much time to be reading. Anyway, I’ve just started the first book in the Maze Runner series. So far, it seems like the Hunger Games or the Divergent series in that it’s a dystopian society and there are a lot of weird things going on. It was on my “recommended books” list from Amazon based on what I’d read, and was rated pretty well. I’ll let you know how it is!

age of innocence

maze_runner

Watching || The Harry Potter movies! We finally got them out of storage and are watching them! We’ve watched the first two, and my withdrawal is finally satiated. Hopefully we’ll get through the eight movies before the baby gets here, but who knows!

ravenclaw

Loving || the new tile in our bathroom! Everything is supposed to be finished and put back together by the end of the week, so naturally I’m really excited to use my own bathroom again. It’s been interesting either going to the hallway bathroom or all the way downstairs (to the newer, nicer one of course!) to do everything, and I’ll be glad to be back in my regular routine… upstairs.


Preparing || our freezer and our nursery! I’ve got everything to make two recipes worth of muffins, and enough frozen fruit to feed 1000 people breakfast smoothies! I wanted to at least have some breakfasts taken care of so that the morning routine with the kids wouldn’t go awry if I could help it. Having a healthy breakfast is a priority for me, and starting the day smoothly helps the rest of the day stay along the same lines. When my kids are throwing their breakfasts in the floor or refusing to eat them (because that obviously happens sometimes – FOR NO REASON AT ALL) it can throw my mood off. I planned for smoothies they love and muffins they devour that are also healthy! I’m excited about it. The nursery is now clear of bathroom stuff (even if our closet isn’t) and has been rearranged. The floor is super clean, the drawers are full of clean clothes, and I even have some diapers! I call that progress! Now if I could pack a hospital bag, I’d really be in business.

I mean, it’s coming along, right?
Messy but it’s happening!

Coveting || this Lily-Jade diaper bag. I saw it on Instagram a while back, and have been looking at it again and again ever since. It’s beautiful, flexible, and well-made, but totally out of my price range. The SALE PRICE is $295 and I just can’t justify it. But it sure is one beautiful bag!

ELZ1-BRANDY_GLD-2T

Celebrating || the Fourth of July! We had a day of eating red, white and blue donuts, and spending time with friends! Not many photos, but it was a good day! We even let the kids stay up for the local fireworks, watched from the elementary school in our neighborhood- the perfect spot!  IMG_1716

This girl loves donuts!
This is J’s only patriotic swag. (Sorry Hubby, for posting this photo bomb, but I was only trying to get the photo of J!)
If you’ve got a couple of toddlers, you know how tough it is to get a family photo!
The only photo from the fireworks… J sleepily snuggling my friend Lauren and loving his glow sticks! They are a must for fireworks, am I right?

Well, we’ve had a busy week, and things just keep getting busier as we prepare for our little guy! What has been going on with you? What are you preparing for? Link up and join us!

food, food, home, mommyhood, random thoughts

Why We HAVE to Buy a New Espresso Machine

3 Comments

Naturally, as a parent, I need some caffeine. Hubby and I are constantly feeding our addictions. We wouldn’t survive a moment without it. So we have a percolator, a Keurig, a French press, and an espresso machine. And a grinder, of course. Between these things, we usually manage to survive on our coffee intake without having to go out and get it from somewhere (although we have a few choice places around here we like to go if, you know, we’re already out).

But recently, our beloved espresso machine is doing this thing… It’s like it wants to explode a little. We aren’t overfilling it, or letting it run out of water or letting it run too long. Truly, I think the machine is just old. It’s about 20 years old and we are the third owners (all in our family – it’s not from Craig’s List or anything). But anyway, it’s put a serious kink in our routine. 

 We like to have a cup of coffee, or even two, in the morning, and then about lunchtime we like another little punch. This is usually in the form of a beverage from the espresso machine. Hubby typically likes a straight up shot (or four). He likes to do the least amount of sipping with the most amount of power. I go back and forth… I like regular espresso, but I also like to make fancy drinks or iced lattes when it’s hot. This blast to push us through the afternoon is crucial. If we don’t get it, we don’t get anything done during naptime (like gardening, bill paying or house cleaning) and we are in terrible moods the rest of the evening. If Hubby has to go into work late, it takes another round of caffeine shots. It’s like a vaccination against tiredness. 

 So, in light of our addiction, our broken espresso machine, and our upcoming addition to the family, we pretty much know that we’re going to need a hasty replacement or else we are IN FOR IT when Baby D gets here and is waking us up at all hours of the night. I know we’d survive, but I don’t think I’d remember anything. I use caffeine as a motivator, an encourager, a Rememberall (a little HP reference for those of you fellow nerds), a communicator (often I let it speak for me), and a peacekeeper. I’m less annoyed, more able to function and generally happier if I’ve got a little caffeine flowing through my veins. Okay, fine. It does sound like I have a problem.

mommyhood, pregnancy, random thoughts, siblings

Currently: One Month Left!

9 Comments

Happy Monday, y’all! As usual, I’m linking up with Becky at Choose Happy for another Currently! We love to know what’s going on with you, so link up and join us!

currently button

The biggest thing going on in my life right now is obviously the preparation for baby D. As of today, I’m one month out from my due date! My abs are sore just from living, my feet are swelling a bit, and I’m less and less able to breathe normally. I’m praying for him to drop soon so that he’s off my lungs a bit! Anyway, here’s a regular old Currently for you!

Feeling || Excited, nervous, huge and uncomfortable. It’s a lot of feelings. I’m also feeling a little sentimental for my big babes… I know that as soon as Baby D gets here, they’re going to seem HUGE to me, and so grown up! I’m treasuring the time with them as much as I can.

Eating || Mexican food and ice cream! Last night, we had family night at our favorite Mexican restaurant, and then we went out for ice cream! The kids had a fun time eating outside and enjoying their ice cream. My kiddos love some sweets!

I’m so glad we got that silly hat from Tweetsie. He loves it.
This gal’s chocolate ice cream face is unstoppable.

A cute little story: at the ice cream shop, the cashier asked if the kids were twins. We don’t get that too often, but that wasn’t the first time. They’re just close enough in size now that I guess people see them and think they might be. Their hair is the same color, their features definitely favor, but EK is taller and lankier, and J still hangs on to most of his baby fat. They just look so different to me, and obviously I know how much farther along developmentally EK is. It’s hard for me to think they’d be twins, but hey, I just know them too well!

Going ||  to the movies! This morning, we went with some friends to see Inside Out. It was the kids’ first movie in the theatre, and EK passed the test with flying colors. J ate some popcorn, ran around a bit, and Hubby took him to Home Depot for the last hour. Soooo the movies will be a special treat for just EK for a while longer. But the movie was awesome! I definitely recommend seeing it!inside out

 

Shopping || for a new (to us) car! This sounds fun and exciting, but really, the pressure is on. We’ve been researching to find a non-minivan place for three car seats (aka a third row), preferably some captain’s seats, not terrible gas mileage, and no prior problems. Sounds pretty much impossible, right? It kind of is. It feels like it’s consuming me right now and honestly I’ll just be glad when we’ve found something and bought it. Sheesh! If you’re driving something you love that fits the bill, feel free to tell me about it!

Well, that’s what’s going on in my life! A little glimpse into the summertime, pre-third-baby rush! What’s going on with you?

mommyhood, pregnancy, random thoughts

Summer Goals: Tired Kids

7 Comments

This week’s mission: wear out the kids. 

 EK has been attending camp at our church every day from 9:30-12:30, and it’s like they put her in a hamster wheel and make her run for three hours. She comes home so excited but so exhausted that she can barely make it to 1:30 before she’s begging for a nap.

While EK is at camp, I’ve taken two days to take J to the pool with some friends of ours, and let him swim for two hours in between drop off and pick up. He’s so worn out that he almost falls asleep in the car on the way home. But it’s a great way to get a nice, long, early nap out of them, and still have plenty of playing and hanging time at the end of the day.

We’ve been so busy with something every day for a while now that I am excited this is a week with routine. Yes, it’s still busy, but it’s a similar thing every day. I crave routine, and I think the kids do, too. EK needed a week of socialization. J needed a week of less sibling time. This mama needed a week of having only one kid for half the day before I added a third one into the mix. It’s been SO FUN to have uninterrupted time with J where he isn’t vying for my attention. I often get to do things with EK because she’s easier to take around with me and easier to entertain in most situations. We get a little more girl time in one-on-one.

An extra perk to mom and the kids being out of the house in the mornings: Hubby’s getting a LOT done. Between deep cleaning and painting our bathroom, he’s been a rockstar on the home front while I’ve been keeping the kids out of the way. We knew we were up to our eyeballs in home projects (but really, though) so having time that the kids aren’t “trying to help” is crucial.

 Hubby took the kids after camp today to lunch and to the local produce store. They had a great time, and were ready to go straight to sleep when they got home. These early naps have been lovely. 

Now the question remains: How do I, as an exhausted mama, keep up the routine of a busy morning with them both, while it’s super hot outside, without boring myself? I can’t do the children’s museum every day. The park is so hot the kids won’t get on the slides. They love the grocery store, but how many times this week can I actually justify going there? Give me all your ideas!

faith, mommyhood, random thoughts, women

I Sweat the Small Stuff.

2 Comments

I think I’ve written about this before. In any case, this (insert the title here) has always been true for me. Detail-oriented, follow-through-with-everything Whitney has stressed over little things her entire life. I know some of you others feel that way, too. Which is why this particular situation and my resulting feelings might be for you, too.

Sometimes, I think the Lord speaks to you through the most random people.

Like the other day, someone commented on my post about our “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad evening“. She basically said this: we can handle big things like we’re ninjas (I loved that!), but when it comes to a pile up of small things, we may just go insane.

Too right she is.

When something big happens, something really important or truly difficult, I ninja up, call upon my people to help or pray, roll up my sleeves and get through it. But if a hundred little tiny things go wrong during a regular old day, when I can’t pinpoint the problem or put my finger on the exact thing that’s frustrating me, I start to go bonkers. I mean it. Bonkers. I want to fly off the handle. Sometimes I do. But who does that benefit? No one. Not me, certainly. Not my kids, who didn’t really do anything besides act their ages. Not Hubby, who is as patient with and kind to me as any human alive could be.

When I read her comment, it was like I got a tap on the shoulder: Hey, she’s talking about YOU. I’ve typically been cool under pressure, and able to handle a lot of stress when it’s put on my shoulders. But BOY do I ever sweat the small stuff. And as a mom, that’s the biggest recurring piece of advice I hear… Don’t sweat the small stuff. Enjoy the little moments. You’ll miss this. Don’t worry about the accidents and messes. Well, that’s all well and fine to say, and for me to nod and smile about. But when he spills the third meal on the floor I just cleaned, add some pee-pee in her panties, hear from the babysitter who’s cancelling and ruining my date night, and then I can’t even give my kids a bath without the entire bathroom (and myself) being soaked? I’m done. I AM DONE.

Any one of those things is a little thing. It falls into the category of “small stuff”. I’m sure I’d think several of those things are funny in a few days when they haven’t happened in a while. But altogether, piled on in the same day, it overwhelms me in a way I can’t accurately describe. I’m immediately ready to throw in the urine-covered towel, and tell Hubby I’m going on date night alone. I’d like to say that my first response is to call for help, to lean on the One who is always ready to hear my cry and give me exactly what I need. But how often is He my last resort? I call on Him for big things, for important things, for scary things. But for the little stuff? Nah – I think I can handle it myself.

Well, I can’t. I need peace. I need rest. I need help. I need love to flow out of me. I can only find those things in one place: the arms of Jesus. And there’s good news! He’s ready and waiting to accept me with open arms, and give me what I need.

mommyhood, random thoughts, travel

Currently 

3 Comments

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I’m linking up (belatedly) today with Becky at Choose Happy for another week of the Currently series! I love linking up and reading what everyone is up to, so join us or comment and tell us about what’s happening in your life!

currently button

Traveling || to Blowing Rock! We took a last minute trip up to Tweetsie and stayed at the Green Park Inn! That’s why my Currently post is just getting up on Tuesday. Here are a few pictures:

Family selfies are hard to capture…
The kids loved the rocking chairs on the Inn’s front porch.

We had a great time riding the “choo-choo train”, rocking on the front porch, enjoying the perfect weather, and strolling around downtown BR.

Eating || peaches! I got a dozen peaches at Costco a few days ago, and we’ve been plowing straight through them! The kids and I just eat them as I cut pieces off; they don’t even make it to the plate! I’ve considered making something with them, but every time I pick one up, I just eat it instead. (Prego problem?)

Missing || the fact that I haven’t binged on Harry Potter in months! (Major nerd alert.) When we packed up the basement, we packed all our books and DVDs, so I haven’t see either set since January at least! That’s the problem with unpacking slowly, haha. But I can’t wait to find them all and binge it up! I think I’m going to read the books again, too, if I can mold them into a category for my reading challenge.

http://www.spuce.com

Well, since I’ve been out of town and I’m already late on this, I guess I’ll wrap it up! Hope y’all have had a great Tuesday! Let me know what’s going on with you!

random thoughts

5 Reasons How I Met Your Mother Is Your New Netflix Go-To

Leave a comment

Well folks, television has wrapped up for the summer, and Hubby and I have gone into mourning. We’re always looking for new-to-us shows to watch over the summer, when the binging is prime. Especially this summer when we’ll likely be home a little more than usual, and awake at stranger hours. Plus, the best thing about watching a show that every episode is available is the fact you’re not necessarily committing to a certain amount of time. After my kids are in bed and I want to veg in front of the TV, I’m not going to start Braveheart and get tired 30 minutes in, but I have more than just one new Modern Family episode and then nothing else to see.

That being said, if you’re looking for a new-to-you Netflix binge, and haven’t tried How I Met Your Mother, you should try it next. I first started watching HIMYM in the 8th season or so. I knew I was way behind, but Hubby and I spent a few weeks crushing the first 7 1/2 seasons to catch up, and then watched the last season and a half as they came out. I’m not gonna lie, at first I thought Ted was annoying but grew to love him, just like everyone else in the show. And the only highlight I needed to commit me to the show forever was Neil Patrick Harris. He’s pretty much awesome.

himym

Here are a few reasons I think you’ll agree that HIMYM is a great binge-watching experience:

1. It’s a great mix of funny and heart-warming. I think there’s a balance in each episode (and the overall show) of something hilarious and something with the “awww” factor. I’m usually laughing at something Barney says, or something ridiculous Marshall does. But I also just really want Ted to end up with a good girl.

2. It’s easy to watch. I feel like I can pop in on pretty much any episode and enjoy it. I’ve only watched the seasons in order all the way through once, and it was fairly quickly, so I feel like I’ve forgotten a fair number of details. But that doesn’t make me enjoy the HIMYM experience any less. I’m not totally lost as to what’s happening, or missing out on a thousand inside jokes; the few that there are often show up with a flashback of how they started.

3. Relationships. There are so many relationship dynamics that you get to experience when watching through the entire show, romantic and otherwise. It’s like some other shows (I’m looking at you, Friends.) in that by the end, it feels like everyone has slept with everyone else, and there’s nothing left sacred. But Lily and Marshall are untouched, and the ridiculous rivalry between Marshall and Barney over which of them is Ted’s best friend (spoiler: it’s clearly Marshall) never fails to add a little hilarity to an episode.

4. Surprises! Everyone likes a good surprise on a TV show, whether it’s a crazy new storyline introduced in a season finale, or a disappointing lack of culmination of something you thought was being built up (be honest: even the disappointing surprises pull you in deeper). HIMYM is full of surprises… mostly relationship surprises… but a few other good ones as well! I like how unpredictable it is at times.

5. Great supporting characters. Even the side characters on this show are well thought out and add a lot to an episode. Whether it’s bartender Carl, Robin’s womanizing boss Sandy, or Ted’s aptly-named high school friend Punchy, the characters who are woven throughout our favorite five’s lives add some depth and even more humor to the show. We get to love them almost as much as we love the fab five!

So there are your reasons to watch it if you haven’t. Or even if you have! I’ve heard some criticism from sometimes-viewers that Ted is annoying, or that the show moves slowly, but I think if you watch it start to finish, you’ll love it!