Night Time Routine

You know how you wish you had a laundry fairy, cleaning fairy, or a cooking fairy? Well I want those too, but I also want a night time fairy.  Let me explain what that is.....one that tells my kids it is shower/bath time, to brush their hair, put laundry in basket,  brush their teeth, pick out clothes. Then when all that is done, I'll will tuck them in. 

I think they hit a reset button in the mornings and they forget what our routine is.  Guess what kids? We take a shower every single night and have since you were born! I didn't just make it up tonight. 

Don't even get me started on brush your teeth routine!  I have a 2 year old son, that would brush his 10 times a day!  You know what...kids lie, yes, it true!  They will lie that they did even when their brush is bone dry! Out of bed you go to brush your teeth for real child!

Laundry is a night time routine for us.  I usually fold it all on my bed and each person puts their own away.  When I say "put your laundry away," Kaydee suddenly becomes so exhausted she can't even walk. So to avoid a meltdown, because that is what will happen, I put her laundry away. Then I tuck her in......you guessed it, she isn't tired and can't go to sleep.  Ugh! 

I know many of you can relate. I know many of you will tell me I'll miss this. Time flies,  I know it. But for goodness sakes, I dislike night time routine.  

Political Post...Read It or Don't Read It

I have started this blog so many times.  Posting about politics is not always a good idea.  However, we live in America where we have Freedom of Speech.  So everyone is entitled to say what they want, vote how they want and feel how they want.  I also feel that if you make a political post, you need to be able to handle any negative comments that come your way.  Whether you engage or reply to those negative comments is up to you.  You control YOUR actions and words.  You can't control someone else's.  With that being said.....

I am a Trump supporter. (I am even a college-educated woman, and I still voted for him!)   I am not scared of him being the President.  Does he have the experience he needs, no.  Does he say the correct things, no.  Does he have the best past, no.  Has he done things that are inappropriate, yes.  I voted for him because looking at the bigger picture I agreed with more of his views that I did Hillary's.  I did more research and reading on this years candidates that I ever have.  I will tell you, I probably would not of voted for Hillary regardless of who she was up against.  It has nothing to do with her being a woman.  It had to do with her opinions and her plans.

I am upset that people question me as a parent allowing my child to support Trump.  First off, my child does not have to like who I like.  (Great thing about America, you get your own opinion)  I didn't vote Trump because my parents like him.  I formed my own opinion before I even knew who my parents liked.  Secondly, being a parent is a tough job, you always question yourself, so I don't need someone else to question me, I am already doing that!  The comments I keep seeing is "I can't believe any parent would let their child support or like someone who is a racist, sexiest, rude jerk!"  I even like this comment "How can we raise our children in a World that the President says rude, racist, sexiest comments, and he isn't even kind, that is not a good role model!"  I am raising my kids to be kind, nice, respectful people.  Just because Donald Trump said something does not mean my children will say that.  It does not mean that my child will grow up to be those same things because he is the President.  My children know to treat all people with respect.  They know to not make fun of someone, they know we all are equal.  Trump being President does not throw those things out the window that I have spent years teaching them.  Does your child like Kanye West?  Does your child like Miley Cyrus?  Just because someone likes them doesn't mean they are going to run on stage and disrespect someone who was awarded something or hang from a wrecking ball half naked.  If you teach your child right from wrong, then what those people do should not change how your child behaves.  (Kayne and Miley were the ones that came to mind first for my examples, there are plenty more that I could of used.)

I don't feel that people need to be burning the flag and protesting.  What good does that do anyone?  I will never be able to wrap my mind around how someone can be so mad they turn to burning the flag.  The students walking out of school to protest....left me speechless.  Colleges and Universities closing down so students can cope?  Seriously?!  

Is Canada a better country to live in than the US?  Is any other country better than the US?  I am only asking because I am proud to live in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and would not dream of raising my family anywhere else just because of who the President is, so why do you all feel the need to leave?  I was completely against Obama but not once did I say I was leaving the country.  I managed to live just fine raising my family under Obama....for 8 long years.  (that was a funny, you are suppose to laugh)

So far I am impressed with Trump.  His acceptance speech was very sincere and from the heart.  (Yet the media still finds way to knock by commenting how he didn't Thank Pence and how his son couldn't stay awake....do you realize what time it was??)  Let's focus on his actions so far after being elected.  I pray that he does turn America around.  I hope we get the chance to say "he made America great again!"

Mommy Weekend!

This past weekend I went on a girls trip!  We went to the Mall of America.

I started to think Friday night, "was this the first time I have done something like this?"  I could not for the life of me remember if I have ever left my kids home with Nic overnight and went to do something fun and for myself. 

I have left my kids for many overnight stays while either celebrating our Anniversary or attending a Hawkeye game or just a date night.  So while I have left them to do fun things with my husband, leaving them for a girls weekend, felt a little different.  Not sure why.

I'll give you a short description of my weekend....no kid screaming "MOM!", nobody asking me for food or a drink, no butt wiping, no giving anyone a bath, no doing laundry for an entire 48 hours, nobody asking me to do anything, peeing in peace with the door shut, getting to eat my food while it was still hot and when a baby or kid cried, it wasn't mine! 

Do I feel guilty about enjoying that time? NOPE!  As a mother we devote our lives to our families and work.  We hardly ever get to enjoy just being a woman with friends.  So while I missed my kids like crazy, I so enjoyed my weekend.  I even took a nap!  Yeah, it might of been on a bus, but it was awesome! 

By 6:00 Sunday night I was really missing my family!  I felt as if the bus would never make it to Seymour! The ride home did go quickly, thank goodness after a close call and 1st tank ran out of gas. LOL 

I was greeted with my husband and kiddos hiding behind our kitchen bar and jumping out screaming "SURPRISE!"  It was an amazing welcome home moment!  The girls made a sign and had it hanging up.  That moment meant more to me than they will ever know.  The girls ran to me hugging me like I had been gone for weeks.  Little man just wasn't quite sure what to think but I finally stole a hug and a kiss. 

The weekend away was good for my soul, heart and mind.  Just as a warning to my husband.....I plan to do this more often. 

Made it to the Mall of America!  I was a first-timer!

My amazing Hurricane Drink! 

Waiting for the Fly Over America.  This was an ordeal!  I hate Halloween! I hate being scared so the waiting for the ride was not cool! 

On the ride for Fly Over America!  One amazing ride!  I highly recommend this!

All of us girls in front of the Hard Rock Café!

We survived the ride.  (we didn't have any doubt)

My note the girls made!  Love it with all my heart!!

Bedtime post again...

I have been trying to figure out what has happened with Kanon's bedtime routine and I have no freaking idea!  We had things going great! Girls went to bed at 8:30 and Kanon would have his bedtime bottle and be out and go right to his bed.
Did the planets shift, did the signs change....what happened?!  I can't even remember how long his routine has been all messed up.  One night he's asleep and in bed by 9 and the next he isn't asleep until 11.  He use to sleep in his bed all night long...not now....he maybe sleeps in his bed 1 or 2 nights a week. No joke!
We changed his daily routine to only allow an hour nap. It seemed to help for awhile but not now.
You might wonder why it is such a big deal he go to bed by 9.  Well for starters he is only 1. He needs his sleep.  I am concerned of him getting run down.  My next reason is from 9 till I go to bed I need ME TIME! No, I don't feel guilty saying that.  I work full time, sell real estate and make-up on the side, take care of a household, and my most important role take care of our 3 kids.  My husband works extremely hard and several evenings so I do many nights all by myself.  So I do not feel guilty about taking an hour to watch my TV show, read a book (which I bought a series 2 weeks ago and I'm still on Chapter 3), or take a relaxing bath.
Tonight I fed him his bottle at 9:45, his eyes were closed, I rocked him a bit and put him in his bed for good....so I thought. He instantly stood up and cried.  So I rocked him his room and he again fell asleep.  Lay him down again....bam right back up standing crying.  This time I left him crying.  This is hard for me.  After about 10 mins of crying (not hard crying, just light crying) he laid down and went to sleep.  By 9 pm!!!  I knew he was tired because he fell asleep in his high chair at supper time.  I did wake him up because that is far to late of a nap for him.
I just wish I knew what has happened or what to do to get his routine back.  As far as him sleeping in his bed all night...that is on us parents. Nobody to blame but us.  What is scary...some nights I don't even remember going in and get him.  I just know I'm exhausted and want to sleep.  However with him in our bed...nobody sleeps. He tosses and turns, he kicks me and head butts his dad.  I wake up feeling like I rode a roller coaster.   The poor boy also head butts our headboard.
I know what I have to do to fix that.  Just takes determination and strength.  Something I have a hard time finding at 1 am.

Bedtime post again...

I have been trying to figure out what has happened with Kanon's bedtime routine and I have no freaking idea!  We had things going great! Girls went to bed at 8:30 and Kanon would have his bedtime bottle and be out and go right to his bed.
Did the planets shift, did the signs change....what happened?!  I can't even remember how long his routine has been all messed up.  One night he's asleep and in bed by 9 and the next he isn't asleep until 11.  He use to sleep in his bed all night long...not now....he maybe sleeps in his bed 1 or 2 nights a week. No joke!
We changed his daily routine to only allow an hour nap. It seemed to help for awhile but not now.
You might wonder why it is such a big deal he go to bed by 9.  Well for starters he is only 1. He needs his sleep.  I am concerned of him getting run down.  My next reason is from 9 till I go to bed I need ME TIME! No, I don't feel guilty saying that.  I work full time, sell real estate and make-up on the side, take care of a household, and my most important role take care of our 3 kids.  My husband works extremely hard and several evenings so I do many nights all by myself.  So I do not feel guilty about taking an hour to watch my TV show, read a book (which I bought a series 2 weeks ago and I'm still on Chapter 3), or take a relaxing bath.
Tonight I fed him his bottle at 9:45, his eyes were closed, I rocked him a bit and put him in his bed for good....so I thought. He instantly stood up and cried.  So I rocked him his room and he again fell asleep.  Lay him down again....bam right back up standing crying.  This time I left him crying.  This is hard for me.  After about 10 mins of crying (not hard crying, just light crying) he laid down and went to sleep.  By 9 pm!!!  I knew he was tired because he fell asleep in his high chair at supper time.  I did wake him up because that is far to late of a nap for him.
I just wish I knew what has happened or what to do to get his routine back.  As far as him sleeping in his bed all night...that is on us parents. Nobody to blame but us.  What is scary...some nights I don't even remember going in and get him.  I just know I'm exhausted and want to sleep.  However with him in our bed...nobody sleeps. He tosses and turns, he kicks me and head butts his dad.  I wake up feeling like I rode a roller coaster.   The poor boy also head butts our headboard.
I know what I have to do to fix that.  Just takes determination and strength.  Something I have a hard time finding at 1 am.

Date Night....

I just realized last week that Nic and I haven't had a Date Night since Feburary 29th.  Say what?!?!  Yeah it has been that long.  We have just been living life as busy working parents.  We forget we need to sometimes make it about us.  I am sure many of you can relate.

I can still remember our last date like it was yesterday.  We went to Des Moines to do some Birthday shopping for Miss Kaydee Mae.  I let him pick the restaurant as it was a treat for his Birthday.  He picked Joe's Crab Shack.  Yeah....not the ideal place for this picky eater.  I kept my mouth shut (you learn to pick your battles, not only for your kids but for your spouse too!)  I was sure that I wouldn't like anything from there...so I thought.  I ended up getting a hamburger and fries and the most amazing drink ever!  A Pina Colada in an actual pineapple!  Don't even ask the price..YIKES!  The fries were amazing!  The hamburger was too thick for me.  I like mine thin and basically burnt.  I like my cow to be dead and not bleeding on my plate.  I have even offered to go there again.  Shocker, I know!!  Sorry, got off of topic a little.  I tend to do that when it is about food.

Back on subject....

Date Night!  This Saturday night Nic and I get to have a DATE NIGHT!!  I am so excited!  We are headed to one of our favorite places...Kinnick Stadium.  It isn't for a Hawkeye game, it is for a concert!  We get to see Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Big & Rich!!!  We haven't been to a concert since before Kenly was born.  Yes....its been over 10 years!!!

I kind of feel like a kid on Christmas Eve!  I am counting down the days till I get my husband all to myself!!  I even bought a new outfit just for this! Love GYPSY Quarter! The girls hooked me up!

I will be back to blog about our date night and let you all know how the concert was!

 The most amazing drink EVER!!  Yes, I took a picture of it!

My bearded man!

Mom Post

Okay there is a new post Facebook post going viral.  It is from Meghan Maza Oeser.  Her letter to her husband before leaving for a girls weekend trip....it is the funniest, most truthful and real life letter I have read.  If you get offended by bad words, the letter is not for you.  The letter made me think about being a mom....

Mom's rock!  Plain and simple.  If your a mom, give yourself a pat on the back, raise your glass, give yourself a high five.  I always like the question in an interview, "can you multi-task?"  If you are a mom, you are an award-winning multi-tasking person.  We are the kiss your owie, make you supper, get you drinks and snacks, help with homework, laundry fairy, housekeeper/maid, pack your lunch, get you to this practice and that practice, give you a bath, tuck you in to bed, referee,  bake your treats for school, make sure you are clothed, super human being.  This list can go on, but you get the point.

So picture this...Nic is working, I am home alone with all 3 kids.  I am in the kitchen cooking supper, Kanon is bawling at my feet and pulling my shirt to the point I swear he is ripping it, Kenly is teasing Kaydee by taking her volleyball away from her, so they are both screaming and now Kaydee is bawling and coming to me to take care of it.  So what do I do?  I can tell you what I wanted to do.  I wanted to scream and run off to my room....but I can't do that because I am the adult and I have to handle this situation.  I pick up Kanon and calm him and then give him a container of snacks because the child wants to eat 24/7 to the point you would think he is starving.  I then go in and take the volleyball away and turn on a TV show they both can agree on.  Problem solved!   I go back to fixing supper.  This situation is a nightly routine in my house.  I am sure most parents can relate.  When school starts the situation will be: me fixing supper, Kanon crying at my feet, Kaydee crying because she doesn't understand her homework and needs help, Kenly yelling because she can't focus on homework because her sister and brother won't stop crying.  I will survive...I always do. 

How many of you want to pull your hair out when trying to leave to go somewhere?!?!  After spending most the time telling your kids to get dress, brush your hair, brush your teeth you are already exhausted before you even leave.  Once you finally get everyone standing in front of the door you do a quick check off list in your mind only to realize you forgot 2 or 3 things.  You finally get out the door open to only have the fighting start about which girl gets to sit in the middle (which ends of being drama because Kanon will eventually poke their eye or pull their hair).  After finally getting everyone in you  realize you forgot a few more things and have to run back inside.  Once you finally get to pull out the driveway you could use a nap!  I know most of you are shaking your head agreeing.

Regarding her mealtime conversation....I really laughed at that.  I dislike mealtime out of all the nightly to do items. This kid wants tacos while this one wants hamburger helper (and the kinds do matter, they have to be the certain kind of noodles.)  One night Kaydee loves Cottage Cheese the next night she is so grossed out by it.  That happens with tons of food, it's like overnight they suddenly decide they hate Mac & Cheese.  Most nights the girls think they need a snack before supper.  I always say no but somehow they accomplish getting something out of the kitchen and eating it.  Then we sit down to eat and they are no longer hungry.  Demanding them to eat....that does not work.  You can guarantee 10 minutes after supper mess is cleaned up they are starved to death.  Yes...you all are agreeing with this, aren't you?   Oh and don't forget that the plate used MATTERS!  Who knew that a plate could cause so much drama.  Both girls are at the age they want to fix their own plates, awesome they want that independence but I also want to eat at some point.  Also don't forget every time you sit down to eat, someone has to pee.  It is just a given.  You can even ask right before supper is ready and nope, nobody has to go.  The minute that plate is fixed and on the table its like an alarm goes off.  Ding Ding Ding...I have to pee!  The girls wonder why the evenings go by so fast, maybe because we spend 45 minutes at the dinner table. 

Bedtime...This part of her letter made me really laugh out loud.  Our bedtime really isn't so bad anymore.  For awhile the worst was Kanon took an early evening nap and then he would want to stay up till 11.  Now we have him going to bed between 8:30-9.  The girls go to bed at 8:30.  If they don't fall asleep until 9 that is fine. They do make several trips downstairs to tell me something that amounts to nothing or to ask me to get them a drink (in which they have a glass by their bed and are perfectly capable of obtaining their own water.)  Maybe I am selfish but I like to have an hour to myself before I go to bed.  I haven't been able to sit down and just relax for I don't even know how long so I want that back!  Nic and I are still 7 episodes behind on Grey's Anatomy from this spring!  The new season will be starting and I would really like to be caught up before it starts!  That is my goal! 

With all that being said I love my kids more than anything.  I can't imagine a day without them.  They are the reason I get up everyday.  Kenly is really helpful, yes sometimes she can help to much but it comes from the best place and she loves being the motherly sister.  She is the best big sister!  She is a people pleaser and she is really hard on herself and pushing herself to always do her best, which makes me proud  She is growing up to be a beautiful young lady that will accomplish great things in her life.  Kaydee...this one I don't even know where to start....she makes us laugh.  I mean the full belly laugh, tears running down your face kind of laugh.  She has so much life and energy...to much energy most the time.  She does cry...a lot, but she is an emotional one.  She has the personality that never meets a stranger and always makes friends.   Kanon...this boy will be the one that causes my grey hair...oh wait...he already has.  He has a smile that can melt your heart and make a room shine.  He is goofy, ornery, funny and is always on the go and kind of a bulldozer.   He is such a cuddle bug that loves to hug and give kisses.  I can't wait to see his personality grow. 

I am one blessed momma, living a crazy life with 3 kids.  It definitely is not always perfect, sometimes really chaotic, sometimes I don't know what way I am going, I don't always know where all my kids are (just kidding I do, except for that one time they rode the scooter down Main Street to their cousins house...don't judge.)  I know that someday I will blink and they will be going off to college, getting married and I will wonder where the time went.  So I will enjoy this life I am living!