Sunday, September 30, 2012

Spiders, Rats, Bats and Coupons Oh My

The girls convinced my mom that they needed rats, spiders and bats yesterday when we were out shopping. They just couldn't resist all of the Halloween decorations. We decided to make a quick trip to the dollar tree to see if we could find the odd request at a reasonable price. What did I see glimmering in the window? A giant sign that says "we now accept manufacturer coupons". You would have thought I just witnessed a miracle. I was so excited. I quickly browsed the aisles for name brand products. I can't wait to use some coupons and see what I can get for free.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

A Rainy Day With Grandma

It is actually raining in west Texas!!The husband is at work today. Mom bought the girls bikes last night so we decided to pick them up from Walmart today. I'm pretty sure mom is exhausted from playing hide and seek last night. It takes 30 minutes to convince Sofia to put on the matching pants to her blouse and another 30 minutes to convince Abby to go to the bathroom before we leave. Mom has to go out and move her car because she parked it behind the van. The baby is screaming because he doesn't want to be in his car seat. I just look at the kiddos and shake my head.

My mom lets the girls in the van first so they start screaming that Anthony is going to smash their fingers when I pass his car seat to the back. I explain to mom that she has messed up the routine. Anthony is seated first than Sofi, than Abby. She is hot, sweaty and out of breath. "This is a lot of work" is all she can manage to get out.

It's funny, how people don't realize how tough it is to be a stay at home mom. My mom stayed home with my brother and me but she came from a different generation. She focused on cleaning the house and cooking dinner. She did not have a computer,didn't clip coupons and definitely did not play with us kids. We were not given choices. My mom was the dictator no questions asked. I look at my children who want the baggies of snacks I've packed and the stuffed animals that always tag along and can't help but wonder how they would act if I was more like my mother. Would life be easier? Would they be better behaved? Would we be at Walmart alread? 

Friday, September 28, 2012

The Sacrafices of A Stay at Home Mom

I have been a stay at home mom now for just over a year. It is one of the best decisions I ever made. Do we have to make sacrifices? Yes absolutely We were finally able to buy the kids Halloween costumes today. I know Halloween is still weeks away but the girls have been asking for a Hercules and Witch costume for weeks now but we couldn't afford them.

It hasn't been hard to give up my gym membership, the Chrysler 300 and days at the spa but when I can't give the kids something they want it does stress me out a little. I know they have everything they need and I am sure in the long run we are teaching them valuable lessons but it is still hard.

Today's focus is on clipping and organizing my coupons. They have saved my family a lot of money and I have really been slacking in this area. I need to focus on stretching and saving the money we have instead of getting so obsessed with making more money.

Oh and grandma is here!!! I might actually get some housework done this weekend.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

I Need More Sleep

One of the first things I need to do to start getting my house in order is to reestablish a bed time for the girls. I have a seven month old but he isn't the one giving me trouble. He goes to bed at 8:30 and sleeps nearly five hours before he gets up to eat. The girls are a different story. Abby figured out how to open the doors about a month ago. We have been struggling to get them to bed ever since. We will follow our nightly routine than wait for them to pop their little heads out 50 times before they finally settle down. Our new goal is to go to bed at 10:00. Hopefully they will go to sleep since the house is dark and quiet.

I am sure we will miss our movie and cuddle time alone on the couch but it will be worth it in the end. I am exhausted. They have been staying up until 11:30 than sneaking down and crawling into our bed at 2:00 in the morning.

So how was our first night of Mission Get Some Sleep...... Exhausting.We cleaned up, got ready for bed and said our good nights. The girls snuck down stairs 4 times!! Oh well walking up the stairs counts as my exercise for the day right?

 
Yes This is the before picture
 
I am approaching my goals one small task at a time. Today we organized the girl's bookshelf and took all the big girls toys out of the toy box downstairs.


I took out all of the magazines and left 10 books for the girls to read. The plan is to change out the books every month. 




Oh yes and we went to the costume store and looked at Halloween stuff!!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

30 Days To a More Efficient Household

I making the commitment today to make my home a more efficient household in the next thirty days. I have been feeling a little overwhelmed and tired. I find myself scrambling to fix dinner, putting the kids to bed without reading them a bedtime story and over all neglecting the important things.

It all started a few months ago. I started creating websites online in hopes of making a few extra dollars. I have to admit I'm addicted to Squidoo but it went from being my creative outlet to my escape from reality.

My husband and I had been planning a vacation for the girls' third birthday for nearly a year. It wasn't a big vacation but money has been tight so we were pinching our pennies and making plans. I'm sad to say that our vacation was a flop! What does this have to do with our household. Well. I couldn't help but feel defeated. I started dedicating more and more time to the computer.

I got this crazy idea that if I made a little extra money making websites that life would be easier to manage.

My mother said something to me that made a lot of sense. She said " If you can't be happy with what you have than you won't be happy with more". Wow!! what an eye opener.

My goals for the next thirty days:

1. Spend more quality time with my children and less time on the computer
2. Get more fresh air and exercise
3. Organize and baby proof the house before the holidays..... the baby is crawling it needs to be done.

Today is day 1 of a healthier, happier home.
 
The baby sat up today for the first time!
I took the time to make cookies with the girls.
 
 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Focusing On Home

People often ask me how I manage to get things done with three year old twins and a seven month old son. The honest answer..... I have no idea. Most days I walk around in a daze and go to bed wondering where the day has gone. I am a schedule, menu and planning kind of gal. I've been in a rut lately when it comes to house cleaning, coupon clipping and freezer cooking. I am working really hard to make a little extra money writing online. I pray that the wheels are in motion and I will start to see the fruits of my labor around the holidays. I have invested so much in my stay at home work. I really need to prioritize and get back on track here at home.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

NICU PTST

I finally managed to write an article about my daughter Sofia. She was in the hospital for over two months when she was born. The entire experience was heartbreaking. I know most parents of premature babies suffer some sort of PTSD. I just didn't expect to be one of them. I have three healthy, happy children and so much to be thankful for. I'm not sure why it is so painful to think about the girls in the NICU. I think in some ways I feel cheated. I waited so long to have children. I didn't get the excitement of taking a pregnancy test in the privacy of my own bathroom. Instead, I was in a cold, sterile room in a clinic with a doctor holding my husband's sperm in a tiny container. IVF was such a huge blessing and the end of a bleak time in my life. It was a new beginning. It is terrible how sometimes we can forget how badly we wanted something. The journey of having children was so difficult for us that I almost forgot to catch my breath when I finally found out I was pregnant. I went through a terrible phase of "why me" when the girls were born early. I can look back now and see how far we have come. Sofia's Story of Survival