My deep {or not so deep} thoughts

I have a few confessions tonight.

1.  I have a love/hate relationship with blogging.  I love keeping up with friends and their families by looking at pictures of their children and laughing at funny stories.  I also love finding great deals and easy recipes. I've even found myself looking back at my own blog to see how dilated I was at 38 weeks or how long Trent was at six months.  All of these "pros" inspire me to keep blogging and continue reading.

But, then there's the other side of blogging- the part that reminds me that I am selfish and sinful.  When I read about a two-year-old singing the whole ABC song or counting to 20 in Spanish, I start to doubt my parenting skills and Trent's development.  When I see elaborate meals, spotless houses and amazing birthday parties, I feel inadequate and overwhelmed.  I know it's ridiculous, and I can even laugh about the fact that it's almost always strangers' blogs that intimidate me.  Their lives look perfect... because I don't know them at all.  So, if you happen to be a stranger reading my blog, I want to confess that I have 1000 flaws.  Mike will send you a detailed list upon request- just kidding.

2.  This is the first season I've watched American Idol since Carrie Underwood won it.  They are all crazy talented!  I'm completely sucked in, but I seem to disagree with all of my Facebook friends' favorites.  I would not have saved Casey.  I'm pulling for James and Lauren.  I understand the Alabama loyalty to Paul and think he's awesome, but the skinny jeans distract me. 

3.  I love Apple products.  I'm addicted to our Mac computer and my iPhone.  Unfortunately, I was a little clumsy and dropped my phone.  The screen shattered.  I did what I should have done the day I bought my phone- ordered an Otterbox.  It was usable for a while, but the shattered glass got a little out of control, and I had to pay $150 for a new screen.  My phone was $200 brand new, but now they are $400.  Moral of the story:  If you have an iPhone and think there's any chance you might ever drop it, buy an Otterbox.  Amazon has them for $25.

4.  Trent is addicted to Super Why, and I justify the addiction because it's educational.  However, I am a little upset with Elmo.  I figured out {actually my friend Mindy caught it} that he is to blame for Trent's switch from "yes ham/ma'am" to "yeah."  I wish Elmo would love some manners in addition to his crayons and goldfish. 

5.  Lately it's become even more obvious that Mike is cool, calm, and collected, while I need to "take a chill pill." {And probably would some days if I had them, ha!}  I think the singing Grey's Anatomy episode bothered him more than anything else this week!  He posted this video on his Facebook page today {which he checks once a month.}  He implied that he's the one tapping in the video by writing "my legs are better."  While his legs are continuing to improve, he could not do these moves if his legs were 100%.  Thankfully, his legs don't prevent him from doing his signature dance- the robot.

Evidence of confession #5


A mixture of calm daddy and crazy mama.

Feeding fish and making outfits

Isn't it neat how simple things, like feeding fish, can make a child squeal with excitement?
He watched in awe as the food left our hands.


When it hit the water, he squealed with laughter.  {I need to make a mental note of this face, so I can think about it when he's throwing fits. ha!}


This little guy liked it too.


I'm pretty sure this face was the result of a pause in throwing food.


Daddy G thought the boys needed cowboy hats, and Trent insisted on getting the red ones. I preferred black, but I guess the red has more personality.


While the boys had all kinds of fun outside, I spent a lot of time inside.  Thanks to Mike, Uncle T, Mama D, and Daddy G for entertaining Trent and Trevor, so Tracy and I could get some work done.

Here are the shirts from this weekend:


I had a lot of motivation, because my fabulous sewer friend had already finished making shorts to match the not-yet-made shirts.  {Yes, I have a sewing machine, but I can't sew very well.  Andi does a MUCH better job!}


Here's some of Trent's homemade spring-summer outfits. I'm trying to have fun and save a little money before he insists on only wearing polos and khaki shorts:)

Fun times

We visited the zoo for the first {but definitely not the last} time this year.  The animals were a little tired, since it was the end of the day; but Daddy G and Trent had plenty of energy!






Mimi and Papa came to visit, and Papa taught Trent how to fly down the driveway on his car!  Trent loved every second of it, but two of our neighbors came outside to make sure I hadn't lost my mind. Thankfully Papa caught him every single time, and Trent has given up trying to play this game with me.  Mimi and Papa raised three great guys, so they know all about the "boy stuff."  I am slowly learning:)





We took a rare family photo before Mike and I went on a low-key, but super fun, date night.



We went to see Paw Paw at the lake.  He was so sweet to let the boys play with his antique toys.  We hope to go back to the lake very soon!









While I'm not sure it belongs under the "fun" title, as of today, our house is on the market!  John and Cindy {aka Papa and Mimi} were so nice to come and get Bailey yesterday.  She is going to stay with them for a little while.  We miss her, but I don't miss her hair everywhere.  Trent makes sure I have plenty to clean up:)

Funny Boys

Sunday afternoon Mike informed me that he did not like the outfit Trent wore to church {pictured above.}  I knew it wasn't extremely masculine, but I defended it by pointing out that it was blue and had balls on it.
Mike said, "He looked flabby in it.  He didn't look athletic."  He then tried to take back the flabby comment and blamed the outfit for not fitting right.
I reminded him that Trent is two, and most two-year-olds don't look athletic yet.  Then I told him the outfit was free passed down to us.



The little ladies seemed to like his outfit.



And I love these chunkers!
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This morning, when I walked in the den, I smelled a super stinky diaper.

Me:  "Trent, did you poo poo in your diaper?"
Trent:  "Uh-uh"  {He says "es am"- yes ma'am- but does not say the word "no" at 25 months old!}
Me:  "Well, if you didn't poo poo in your diaper, who poo poo'd in your diaper?"
Trent: "Mama D"
Me:  "Mama D poo poo'd in your diaper?"
Trent:  "Uh-uh.  Da Jee."
Me:  "Daddy G poo poo'd in your diaper?"
Trent: "Es am"

I made a mental note to name drop Mama D and Daddy G during potty training:)
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On a totally different note, I love sidewalk chalk.  Maybe it takes me back to my sign-painting days in high school... or maybe I'm just a dork.  But it makes me happy, and I'm convinced it's educational.  Our neighbors were probably thankful for the heavy rain on our driveway yesterday.

DEALS

Happy Monday!  I can't believe I'm posting two days in a row.  I wanted to pass along a couple of great deals.  First, if you shop at The Limited, you ought to shop before midnight tonight.  Everything is 40% off-- everything!  You can also use the promotional code 241 and save an additional $15 off for every $45 spent.  My $400+ order only cost $183 today!

Next, take an extra two minutes and sign up for Ebates.  If you go to The Limited through Ebates, you can get back 2.5% of your total order at The Limited.  You can also get money back from TONS of your internet orders at places like Ann Taylor Loft, Dillards, Nordstrom, Zulily, Diapers.com and so many more!  I signed up years ago and forgot all about it.  My mom reminded me about it just after I placed my Limited order today.

I'll be back later with more pictures from today, but this was one of my favorites.

Warm days, accessorizing, and mad face

Now I remember why late afternoons used to be more pleasant around our house. We spent them outside. Needless to say, we have enjoyed these warm days!

Do your children love being outside too? I think Trent would live out there if we'd let him. And I'm often tempted to do so, since he cries every single time we come inside.

He also loves belts and hats these days. I think loves might be an understatement. He is obsessed. He wants to wear them all of the time- with any outfit- even pajamas.







I promise he owns pants, but I'm not sure where they were in the pictures above.

I can't say much, because my mom sent me the following pictures to remind me that he gets the accessorizing gene honestly.



The sad part is that I'm not much better today, so I try and keep my accessories simple:)

If you ask Trent to take off the belt, you're likely to get the mad face. The mad face cracks me up! I much prefer it to the whine and fake cry that we hear all too often.

That's all for now! We're off to Mama D and Daddy G's house. Mike and I might go see a movie tonight. We usually average one per year, and I'm pretty sure it's been well over a year. I'm glad we have free babysitting, because I want popcorn and twizzlers:)

Consignment 101

I remember telling a friend years ago that I could never go to a consignment sale. It wasn't because I have a problem with previously owned clothing; I just didn't like the idea of hundreds of women crammed in a building searching frantically for good deals. Now that I have my 4th consignment sale under my belt, I guess I can add that statement to the list of things that I misspoke about before I actually had a child. Never say never, friends:)

My favorite finds from a consignment sale a couple of weeks ago cost $12.

I had to pick out another child's initials, but for $6 each, these outfits were well worth a little seam ripping.

My grand total was $107. Please excuse the phone pictures.



Trent LOVED his $15 riding dump truck, and I was excited when I saw it's $45 on Amazon.com.

I went to another sale last week. I was excited to find some good Crocs. Trent lived in Crocs last summer!

My mom asked me to look for an inexpensive riding toy to keep at my parents house, so I picked up this tricycle for $5.

I didn't make it to the clothing section until after the rush, but I found a few things. My total was $82, which is less than I would have paid for the shoes if I bought them retail.

Since I don't coupon very well, and I am one of the least creative people you will ever meet, I am glad that I can shop consignment sales. ha! While I'm FAR from an expert, I will offer a little novice advice regarding these sales.

If you are intimidated by consignment sales, you are not alone. Here are a few things to consider before you boycott them. First, strongly consider consigning. I don't consign to make a lot of money. I consign so that I can shop early. Most sales only have a 15 item minimum. {This includes clothing, shoes, baby equipment, toys, etc.} You have to price and tag the items, which takes a little time. I recommend pricing items relatively low and considering what you would pay for them. You receive 60-70% of the profit for the items that sell. You can either pick up or donate the items that do not sell.

When you drop off your items, you are usually required to put them up yourself. At first this annoyed me a bit, but I quickly learned to use this time to scan for items I might want to buy on consignor's night. During drop off, you also receive a pass to shop one day before the sale opens to the public. Most sales also give you a consignor's guest pass, which allows a friend to shop a few hours after you and the other consignors. So, if a sale has 300 consignors, {which I think is a reasonable estimate} 600 people are allowed to shop before the sale even opens to the public. That's why you might not find the best things, even if you go the first day it opens to the public... and why you need to consign:)

I consigned in two sales this year, and I made $196 at the first one {the one above, where I spent $107.} I consigned about 50 items, which is more than I usually consign. I haven't gotten an update from the second one yet, but I only consigned 15 items.

I guess that's enough consignment peer-pressure:) If you need more or have any questions, just comment or send me an email. Good luck!!