15 Ways My Life Has Changed

The other day I was thinking about everything that has changed since I had children. Pretty much everything is different, of course, but I decided to come up with a list anyways. Can you believe I've only been a mother for 15 months and yet I have 3 kids? That sounds insane to me. Next month will be our 2 year anniversary, too. These past two years have been pretty crazy as far as changes go, that's for sure!

1. I spend more time picking out clothes for the kids than for myself. It is not unusual for me to forget to get dressed until right before my husband comes home from work in the afternoon!

2. My car goes for weeks on end without being started. (We don't have carseats for both vehicles and mine wouldn't work for all three anyways since one of the back doors is broken and doesn't open...someday soon I will get a new vehicle)

3. I don't mind picking someone else's nose (just my babies, let's not get too crazy here!).

4. I've pretty much forgotten how to interact with real life adults.

5. Three hours of sleep in a row sounds heavenly.

6. I get to be entertained on a daily basis by three cute little goofballs. Life was never this interesting before.

7. I don't really have anything in common with my friends who don't have children anymore.

8. The smallest things make me tear up. Especially anything having to do with children or babies.

9. I identify more with the parents than with the kids on TV shows and movies.

10. If I do actually get to sleep for a few hours in a row, I wake up and worry that something is wrong because I haven't heard anyone crying. 

11. Sometimes I miss my little boy when he goes to bed...that's probably really strange, isn't it?

12. I wonder every day how did I get so lucky.

13. Everything I do is planned around nap times. 

14. I would rather go to bed early and get more sleep than go anywhere on the weekends.

15. I have to wash out my "clean" plastic containers and measuring cups before using them because they are scattered all over the floor.

I'm sure I could go on and on but I think 15 is a good number. What are some things that have changed since you had kids?

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My Favorite Television Shows This Season

It's another hot, humid and cloudy day today. I wish we would get a nice big storm or something! It seems like it's going to but it just never does. We could really use the rain. It rained a tiny bit the other day, but we need a lot more than that. Some areas around us had baseball-sized hail, which we can do without. We just need the thunder, lightning and rain part of it! 

All three babies are sleeping, I probably should be too, but every time I try to take a nap during the day, I get super lazy and sleepy and spend the rest of the day trying to stay awake. It's better that I don't even take one! I will spend the time writing this blog post instead. The poor babies had their two month check up yesterday and of course they got some shots as well. So they've had a fever all night and still don't feel good today. 

Everything is so different with them than it was with my first little guy. He never got a fever or was cranky or anything after his shots. Their skin is much more sensitive than his ever was. In the evenings they tend to get really fussy and sometimes like to scream and cry for no reason and nothing will settle them down. Little man was never like that, I think he might have been the perfect baby. Or maybe I'm forgetting how things really were...that is always possible. 

We have been working with little man to get him to practice walking. He has taken his first few steps already, and he stands on his own just fine, he just seems to be scared to actually walk by himself. He has started walking on his knees lately, it's quite funny. I'm sure he will start walking any day now.

Since my husband works so much and by the time he gets home we have to eat dinner, give baths and get the kids to bed, the only thing we really have time to do in the evening is watch some TV. The great thing is we both like the same shows. How cool is that? Here are the shows that we will be watching this season and some we have been watching this summer. They are listed from my favorite to least favorite.  

1. The Walking Dead: This one I just started watching since the end of the last season and I love it. Never thought I would like it.

2. Sherlock: So excited for this one! If you haven't seen it you have to.

3. New Girl: Hilarious and weird, that's why I like it.

4. Under the Dome: Summer show, not much like the book at all, but still very good

5. Once Upon a Time: I am in love with fairy tales, so this is the perfect show for me

6. Supernatural: I didn't like this show that much at first, but after watching all the seasons on Netflix, I'm kind of hooked

7. Castle: My husband's favorite and it is pretty good.

8. Bones: Getting a little old after being on so long, but I am still a fan

9. Dexter: I've only seen the last couple of seasons, but I want to watch the first ones. I wish it was still on Netflix. This one is also a summer show.

10. The Big Bang Theory: Another of my husband's favorites. I watch it mostly because he does, but it's pretty funny at times.

11. Burn Notice: Another summer show, very far-fetched but awesome at the same time

12. How I Met Your Mother: Loved the first few seasons so much, but it has gotten a little meh lately...

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15 Amazingly Delicious Dessert Bars

As you might remember, I'm doing the 21 Day No Junk Food Challenge, so I can't even eat any of these delicious looking bars right now! So I think you all should make some and eat an extra one for me. Don't they all look so yummy!? I don't even know which one I would make first...

 Gooey Lemon Cake Bars @ Shugury Sweets

 Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Brownie @ A Taste of Madness

 Snickerdoodle Bars @ She Turned Her Dreams Into Plans

Blueberry Pie Bars @ Life's Simple Measures

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars @ The Girl Who Ate Everything

 Twix Cheesecake Bars @ Annie's Noms

 Delicious M&M Cookie Bars @ She Turned Her Dreams Into Plans

 Dulce de Leche Cookie Bars @ Pizzazzerie

 Smores Bars @ Sugar Cooking

 Triple Chocolate M&M Brownies @ Cozy Country Living

 Mint Chocolate Freezer Brownies @ Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies @ Just a Taste

Reese's Butterfinger Cheesecake Bars @ Tastes of Lizzy T

 No Bake Reese's Fudge Bars @ Six Sister's Stuff

White Chocolate Blueberry Bars @ This Gal Cooks

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5 Favorite Children's Books

When I was younger I absolutely loved to read. My favorite place to go was to the public library. Good thing we lived only a couple of blocks away from it! Now I still love reading and sometimes can read an entire book in one day, but I don't have the time I had when I was little. I'm sure you all know how that goes!

Now that I have kids of my own, my mom gave us the children's books from long ago. They are all great books for kids to read, but here are five of my favorites that I loved when I was little.

1. The Sugar Mouse Cake

This is an awesome book! I loved the story and illustrations. It's about a cook's assistant who gets help from a little white mouse to bake the best cake in the kingdom so then he becomes the King's Chief Pastry Cook. Unfortunately this book is no longer available, so if you find a copy somewhere, make sure you pick it up! 

2. The Bashful Bear

We have a very old copy of this book it looks like. I also loved this story about a little bear who is embarrassed that he is so small. He is chased by a coyote and after that he feels big!

3. Harry the Dirty Dog

This is a classic, I'm sure almost everyone has read this one when they were younger. Harry doesn't like to take baths so he runs away and hides the scrub brush. When he returns home he is dirty and nobody recognizes him. He fixes this by bringing back the scrub brush so they can give him a bath.

4. Come and Have Fun

This is an easy reader for children just starting to read. It is a cute little story about a cat chasing a mouse and his little mouse house.

5. The Story of Ferdinand

Another classic children's story. I love the illustrations in this book! It is the story of a bull who would rather smell flowers than fight in bullfights.

Reading with your child is very important, even when they are brand new babies they can benefit from it! Some of my best memories from childhood are based on reading and being read to. I hope my children love to read as much as I do and hopefully reading to them every day from a young age will help them learn to love it. 

What are some of your favorite books from when you were young?

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Old School Blogging - Five Things

These old school blogging posts are a great way to get to know your blogger friends! I was tagged by Kera @ Nugget On A Budget this time, you can check out her post here.  If you like to make lists, this old school post is perfect for you! Here are my answers.

Five Things I Have a Passion For:

1. My family - I can't even imagine life without them

2. Art/Design/Drawing - I need more time in the day...

3. Blogging - I haven't been doing this too long, this is my third month, but I already love it!

4. Books - I have way too many of them but I am always looking for new ones

5. Food - Cooking it or eating it, either way I love food

Five Things I Would Like to Do Before I Die:

1. Run a marathon

2. Visit every state in the US

3. Visit the places I have listed below

4. Read every book I own

5. Watch my boys grow up

Five Things I Say a Lot:

1. Jaden

2. Leave the baby alone

3. Be nice/gentle

4. You're such a cutie - can you tell I mostly just talk to my little boy all day? 

5. I love you

Five Books or Magazines I Have Read Lately:

1. Sunshine by Robin McKinley - My favorite author ever

2. The Host by Stephenie Meyer

3. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

4. Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies? by Jena Pincott

5. Twin Sense by Dagmara Scalise

Five Favorite Movies:

1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy

2. The Count of Monte Cristo

3. The Shawshank Redemption

4. The Princess Bride

5.  The Hunger Games

Five Places I Want to Travel:

1. New Zealand - Yes it's mostly because of Lord of the Rings. I'm a huge LOTR geek!

2. Australia - Might as well stop by on my trip to New Zealand

3. Italy - Would be awesome to see, I love art history

4. Ireland - I wish I was Irish...

5. Seattle - I've been to all the other areas of the US except the West Coast.

 
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What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag for a C-Section

 

When I went to the hospital to have my first little guy, I wasn't expecting to have a c-section. I also didn't expect to stay for nine days. Since we live very close to the hospital it's not a very big deal if I forget to bring something because my husband can always bring it to me from home. I would like to be better prepared this time, however. So here are my thoughts on what to pack in your hospital bag for a c-section. Let me know if I am missing something important!

Packing for a c-section really isn't that much different than for a vaginal birth, the main difference is you will be staying a little longer. Instead of the 24-48 hours you can expect to stay 2-4 days. I'm hoping for the minimum because I absolutely hate staying in the hospital, especially this time when I have to be away from little man. I've had my bag packed for a few weeks now and this is what I have in it:

(Electronics) Can you tell what must be most important to me since its the first item on the list! I don't know about you, but I would be lost if I didn't have my cell phone at least. I also need to have my camera with me, after all that's one of the reasons we bought it. I'm bringing my iPad as well because I'm sure there will be down time. Don't forget to bring chargers for everything, you wouldn't want the camera to die on you! I tried to bring a book last time, but there's no way I can concentrate that much on reading.

(Comfy Clothing) Last time I just wore the hospital gown the entire time, but I want to wear normal clothes as soon as possible this time! So I'm bringing 3-4 yoga/comfy pants, 3-4 nursing tank tops, a robe, nursing bras and sandals. I'm bringing my own underwear as well but I'm not sure if I will use it or not. I'll probably just wear the hospital gowns for pajamas but you could bring those too. They will have socks there for you to use and probably a robe as well if you don't want to bring your own.

(Toiletries) Shampoo/Toothbrush/Toothpaste/Hairbrush/Makeup/Deodorant/Perfume/Face Wash/Razor/Chapstick/Hair Ties...oh and lotion, last time those compression boots they make you wear made my legs really itchy. I'm bringing my own towel this time too. You don't have to because they have towels there, but they are really small. Make sure you have shower shoes to wear. 

(Stuff For the Babies) I am bringing an outfit for them to wear home. I think I packed two for each since I couldn't make up my mind. Some hats I bought so they didn't have to wear the same ones and we can tell them apart easier. A couple receiving blankets to put over them in the car seats. Of course you will need to bring the car seats as well, you won't need them until the babies are going home. Bring some socks for them to wear home or something to cover their feet.

(Other Random Stuff You Might Want) Your own pillow with a case that isn't white on it so it doesn't get mixed up with theirs. I'm not bringing this though, I thought the hospital ones were fine. Nursing pillow. This one I am bringing with me. Last time I didn't have it and it probably would have helped, using regular pillows doesn't work that great. So I have a giant twin nursing pillow to use, I hope it works. Abdominal binder unless your hospital will be providing you with one. It will help with the pain and with holding everything together. An extra bag to bring stuff home in because you will probably go home with more things than you came with. The nurses gave us all the extra diapers and things like that because you are already paying for them once they are opened anyways.

So that's everything I'm bringing with me this time. I hope I remembered everything important. It's strange but I'm bringing more this second time than I did the first. Usually its the other way around. I have this thing where I hate over packing and try to bring the minimum amount of stuff when I go somewhere, which usually means I forget something important and run out of clothes. I'm getting better about that though! 

If you missed my post on what I wish I knew before my c-section, you should check it out here. Also keep an eye out this week for little man's birth story. He will be turning one on Monday and I have yet to actually type it out. My c-section is only 10 days away, can't wait to meet my little boys!

 

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Favorite Nursery Rhymes for Babies

Nursery rhymes are fun for children and babies and can help them learn important skills such as vocabulary, early counting and music. Research has shown that early exposure to music is important and can help with developing brain connections, boost IQ and even improve your child's overall health! Your baby loves to listen to you sing and nursery rhymes are a fun way to interact with them. It can calm your baby down if they are upset and can also be a good way to distract them.

Little man loves nursery rhymes and these are some of our favorites. He especially loves the bouncing horsey ones. I can remember my parents playing most of these with my brothers and me when we were little and we loved it. I guess we heard them so many times they are now engraved forever in my memory. The nursery rhymes you sing with your baby now are probably the same ones they will sing with their children later. What a fun little tradition to pass on for your family!

I'm sure you are familiar with a lot of these and the actions that go with them. In case you are not, I will try to explain what we do for each one. 

1. This Little Piggy (Touch baby's big toe and each toe after that as you go until you get to the end where you tickle baby all over! They will probably love that part of it.)

2. Pat-A-Cake (This is kind of a clapping game with baby. We usually make the rolling and patting motions and point to "baby and me" at the end.)

3. Jack in the Box (Cover your eyes at the beginning and then throw your hands in the air at the end.)

4. This is the Way the Ladies Ride (This is the first bouncing horsey ride one, it's best for older babies who have strong neck muscles because of all the bouncing. Same with the one after this. Have your child sit on your lap facing you and bounce along with the rhyme. The ladies ride with gentle bouncing, the gentlemen with a little stronger bouncing and the farmers use rather wild bouncing. This is usually the favorite part.)

5. Giddy Up Horsey (Pretty simple, bounce baby until the last line when you tip baby to the side, or upside down like we do. Every baby I've ever done this one with absolutely loves the upside down part!)

6. Ring-a-Round the Rosie (This one is obviously for babies and toddlers that can walk. We used to all hold hands in a circle and go around until the end when we "all fall down." I remember playing this game quite often when we were little, so it must have been fun.)

Nursery rhymes are such a fun and easy way to play with your babies and they love it! What are your favorite nursery rhymes to sing with your children?

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