Oct 29, 2013

Grandparents and the Sugar Challenge

I love my parents!  They just came out to visit us/HELP me out for 2 WEEKS!  It was such a nice break for me.  My mom and dad played with the kids from sun up to sun down every.single.day.
The kids were in heaven.  They also were so wore out from all the playing....both my kids and my parents! haha!  I don't know how my parents did it....you know....expend that much energy day in and day out.  But they did.  I feel so blessed to have had them stay.  I can never have that much energy nowadays.  I'm so wore out.  In fact, I kept telling my parents that I felt so tired.  Never in my life have I felt THIS tired.  I guess 3 kids will do that to you...especially if 2 of them were keeping you up every 2 hours for months on end. 
These pictures were taken while they were here visiting.  We all had so much fun!
 











Thank you Mom and Dad!!!  I seriously feel rejuvenated.  You were such a HUGE help to me, and the kids loved every single second of it.  We miss you so much already.

On a side note, I know in the past I was posting about weight loss.  I haven't given up....although I fell off the wagon there for a good solid 6 weeks....YIKES!  Gained 7 whopping pounds.  I ate horribly, and only worked out twice a week.  Well, I'm on a new kick!  Get used to it.  I do stuff like this all the time.  Ups and downs....but never give up!  Anyways, here's what I'm up to! 
NO SUGAR until Thanksgiving.  I know, I know....Halloween is right around the corner!  I'm doing it with a couple of friends.  My friends and I have decided to allow some sugar...such as flavored greek yogurt, honey, and even hot chocolate and apple cider.  I like allowing some sugar in the beginning to help curb my CRAZY cravings.  I love sugar soooo much.  My kids call me the sugar monster.  The plan is that once Thanksgiving hits, I will step it up a notch and take out the above mentioned sugars until Christmas.  I'm also counting calories.  No more than 1700 cals/day.  My other goals include doing cardio 5 times/wk (30 to 45 mins), and lifting 3-4 times/wk.  I do crossfit twice a week with some girlfriends, so I will include that as cardio, instead of lifting.  I always struggle with working crossfit into my workout plan.  I never know if I should include it as weights or cardio.  A lot of time, I am so tired and my muscles feel like jelly afterwards, that I couldn't possibly think of lifting a weight.  But I have been feeling stronger in the crossfit department.  So I am going to push myself beyond what I think I'm capable of.  Hopefully the results will show it.

Feel free to join me on the NO Sugar challenge.  This is the perfect time of year to start....you know...right before the holidays!!  I would love to hear from you in the comments, and we can talk about our progress together for motivation throughout the challenge.  Have a great day!

XO,
Amber

Oct 23, 2013

OOTD

I love fall weather!  It means I can drink hot apple cider every night!  Last year I was on a hot chocolate kick, but this year it's spiced apple cider.  Also, with the crisp cold mornings, come the big, cozy sweaters that I LOVE so much.  I got this one for $20.  Can you believe it?!  Ooooh, I LOVE a good deal!
 






XO,
Amber

Oct 17, 2013

The Wicked Witch of the West

Do you ever have those days, where your patience dwindles, and you feel like you are losing control of yourself?  Well I do.  I've been on a 3 day bender!  I feel like the Wicked Witch of the West!  My poor kids.  On days like these, I recognize that it is usually because I am sleep deprived.  No matter how hard I try to find my patience...I just can't get it!  I know when I feel this way, I just need to take a deep breath and appreciate what I have.  Instead of being agitated that my son won't stop whining and screaming, I should treasure his angelic little voice...because I know it will change one day waaaaaaay too soon.  Instead of feeling frustrated when my daughter is having a dramatic melt down (that I can't even comprehend), I should be grateful that she comes to me to cry about it....because one day, she may decide to go to someone else.  And instead of feeling annoyed when my sweet little baby won't stop crying the SECOND I put him down, I should cherish this time that I get to hold and cuddle him, because one day he will outgrow me and won't need my snuggles as much.
When I put things into perspective, it softens my heart.  I realize that these moments are so precious.  I don't want to waste a minute of my time with my children being angry or frustrated.  I want to cherish every. single. minute. 
Of course, I know this is impossible.  I am human.  I will get frustrated from time to time.  But when I feel like I am losing control....I like to use this perspective to bring me back down to reality.  The time we have with our children really is so short in the grand scheme of things.  I can't even tell you how many times I have heard older Mothers talk about how precious and short the moments were with their young children.
Even on my hardest day (I've had a few!), I wouldn't change it for the world.  I wanted to be a wife and mother from the time that I was a little girl.  That's all I wanted out of this life.  And I got it.  My dream came true. 



 


So, here's to perspective, and realizing what true joy is (even in the midst of chaos....ex. screaming, crying and fighting)!  I know being a Mother is one of the hardest things I have done, and will EVER do in my life, but it is oh so worth it.  I recognize that I am a better person because of it.  God knew I needed to be a mother so that I could become a better person.  I love Him for giving me the chance to change and grow.  And I LOVE being a mother, even if that means enduring the hard times.  Please remind me of this on my next bad day...okay?! :)

XO,
Amber

Oct 14, 2013

A boy and his bat

Lincoln at the breakfast table: "mom, I spy with my eye something purple!".  This is Lincoln's favorite new game and he tries to play it a bijillion times a day!
I adore this little man!  He is so full of life and laughter, and he has a pretty good swing!






Do you see little Jax crawling in the rocks???  I've come a long way.  My first child never even touched the ground (outside) until after a year old.  I was so paranoid that she would eat something gross, get bitten by some bug, or get dirt on her outfit or skin.  But now with my third.....oh geez!  I've relaxed a lot.  I figure a little dirt can't hurt too much right?!

XO,
Amber

Oct 11, 2013

Dollar Store

Hi!  Just thought I'd share a few things that I found at the Dollar Tree!  I love that place.  Seriously.  Back in September, I found these birds and skeletons:



I love it....and a big part of the reason for that is because it's a dollar!  I often find myself dragging my feet over home décor, or even holiday décor because I want to find the perfect pieces....because I HATE spending gobs of money on it, only later to find out that I hate it.  I'm really indecisive like that. 
Yesterday I hit up the dollar tree again and spent $25!  I got that little glitter pumpkin, and obviously, a ton of other things.
I've realized that I also struggle in the organization department.  I hate to spend money on something and then find out later that it wasn't functional, or the BEST option out there.  Dollar Tree to the rescue again.  I snagged a bunch of cute little baskets (all plastic), and am finding all sorts of things that I can organize and make more space for myself.  Here is a picture of 3 of those cute blue baskets:



 
Keep in mind that this is my master bathroom, and not one that guests will use often, so my big basket of tampons, although an eye sore, is functional for me.  Also, as I've mentioned before, I live in a rental, so I got the CHEAPEST metal shelf that I could find to create extra storage. This does not necessarily reflect my personal style....but what can you do!  I needed something fast and this is what I got!
I spend time thinking of my dream home.....often.  I can't even wait.  I'm too cheap to spend money on this rental.  I have pink, blue, white, and black blinds throughout the house (that were here before us), ugly kitchen cupboards, hideous kitchen counters, oh, and I could go on and on about all the things I want to change.  But I won't spend our hard earned money on it, even if it's a cheap things like blinds (or not so cheap depending on what you would replace it with).  I can't stand to spend money on something that isn't mine.  I'd rather save all my money, and use it for my DREAM home! :)
 
What about you?  What do you think about spending a LITTLE money to make things aesthetically pleasing...even if it's not yours???  And....what do you guys do for tampons???  I'm sure you hide them under the counter like any normal person should! haha!  But I can't help it.  I love when I find ideas to make it more functional.  Maybe I'll put them up in that large pink box up high on the shelf, and put something else in the blue basket....that way nobody can see them! :)
 
XO,
Amber

Oct 3, 2013

Table Revival!

 
 
This has been a long time coming!!!  I bought this table at a yard sale for $40.  It was a steal. 
 



 
 


 
Of course I wasn't a fan of the color, but when I bought it, I knew just what I wanted to do with it!  After researching, I started my project.   I bought an electric sander and sanded everything.  Next I primed it with an oil based primer (one coat).
 

Then I painted the chairs with a brush, with 3 coats of Behr high gloss latex paint.  Half way through painting the chairs, I tried painting with a roller.  I realized I liked the smooth look of the roller, more than with a brush.  So I used a roller for the rest of the project, including the table.  I did 4 coats of paint on the table top.  I learned a WHOLE lot during this project.  On one of the chairs I tried using poly minwax, from a spray can!  DON'T do it!  It was horrible, and the minwax splattered out leaving drops in some areas.  The finish felt rough.  And it sucks to clean.  I now have the poly minwax in a can where you can brush or roller it on.  I have not used it yet, but plan to only use it on the table top to toughen it up, and prevent it from getting damaged as fast.  Here is the finished product:



 
It was very time consuming and a lot of hard work, but I'm so glad I did it!  I also found out recently that to get crayon off the paint, all you have to do is use a pencil eraser.  Works like a charm! 
I've had a few friends call me "crazy" because I painted it white.....and I have 3 little kids.  I've lived with the white chairs for over a month now, and it is WORK.  To keep them clean, I pretty much have to wipe them down after every meal.  But I don't mind it so much.  I actually feel satisfaction in knowing they are clean.  I can only imagine how dirty the table was before I painted it, because I sure as heck didn't clean it 3 times a day! hahaha!
So what do you think?  Do any of you have a white table?  Do you like it, or do you think it is too much work?  Maybe I'll change my mind after I've had it a couple of years! hahaha.
 
XO,
Amber