Living Room Updates

It all started with these curtains, I was browsing at World Market and saw them, I thought they were beautiful and vibrant, floral, yet not "dated floral" like my grandmother used to have.

However, I didn't think they were going to work with my living room because I already had so much patterns going on.

I went home but I couldn't get the curtains out of my head. I thought about them for a few days. 

I decided they may work if I changed the rug. I swapped the rug with the family room and went and got the curtains, careful to keep the receipt incase they didn't work.

Well I hung them up and loved them! When hubby got home he said that he loved them too! His exact words were "finally some color in here" LOL, I guess he isn't a big fan of white like me. 

I replaced some of the pillow covers and found a shelf with hooks at Home Goods which I thought would be a great addition to the living room to create an "entry way" since my front door opens directly into the living room (which I really hate by the way). 

I really like how it looks now, but I don't promise I won't change anything again :)

Thanks for visiting, 

6 Month Update

I am a bit late on getting this  6 month update up! We have been so busy and I kept forgetting to snap some pictures of Baby William with his 6 month sticker. But never the less, I finally got around to it. 

Weight/Length:  He is a big boy! At his 6 month check up, he was 22 lb 8oz and 29.33" long, that is still in the 100th percentile. Like I have said before, he is my biggest baby. 

New Milestones: He is now scooting all over the floor on his belly, I am pretty sure we are going to have a crawler soon! He has learned how to walk on his walker really well, which means he started pulling things he can reach. 

Sleep: He still sleeps very well during the night and wakes up anywhere from 6:45-8am. He is usually down again around 10am for his morning nap and then again 2pm and 5pm. He goes to bed any where around 8:45pm-10pm. 

Eating: I am still nursing, however it has come to the point where I am actually thinking of stopping. William gets very distracted when we nurse, I go to a quiet room, yet he still gets distracted if he hears the kids or any noise. Then he stops and won't latch on anymore. It gets so frustrating. When we are out in public, he won't nurse at all! Even somewhere private, he is too busy taking everything in. It has come to the point, where I have to bring my pumping bag and pump a bottle for him just so he can eat. I was at IKEA yesterday and was glad that there family bathroom had a plug outlet, I pumped and fed him, he still gets to look around even while he is eating his bottle. I  

We also have started to introduce solids. Some new things we have tried so far are mashed potatoes (which he loved!) Pureed split pee soup (he wasn't very sure about that) Baby puffs (He loves) pureed peaches (didn't like)

My Pediatrcian said that I can give him cut up soft fruit and veggies like cooked carrots and cut in half grapes, I really think he is too young for that. I have tried giving him a soft carrot but he started chocking on it. She said that he is such a big boy, he should be able to eat that already... I am not too sure. Any thoughts?

Diapers:  I have him on the biggest setting on the bum genius cloth diapers. Size 4 in disposable. I love it that Target is now selling Honest Diapers.

Clothing: He is already wearing 12 months. I had some 18 month carters play clothes sets that were gifted to us, which I washed and they shrunk, so they fit him now, I can't believe they fit him. I mean he is only 6 months old!

Mood: He is usually  a very happy baby especially when you are playing with him or carrying him around. But his top tooth is coming out and he is getting cranky again.

loves:

• Baby toys
• Bathtime- He has discovered how to splash with his hands.
• Outdoor swing.  He loves to watch his sister and brother play and usually takes a nap in the swing. It is a life saver with I am doing yard work outside. His jumper
• He loves to jump in his jumper and his walker.

Doesn’t Love:

• He doesn't like diaper changes or clothing changes. As soon as I get him down on the pad or bed, he tries to get away and starts to cry.

• What I Want to Remember:

• How excited he gets when he sees us.
• How he opens his little mouth when I kiss his face.
• How happy he is when he wakes up in the morning, and how he "talks" in the morning.
• His tiny two little teeth
• His cute little smile

Mama Update:

• I believe I can say that I am all back to normal now. 
• I still have not gotten my period yet (still breast feeding)
• My hair stopped falling out by the handful, I fact I now see a lot of baby hairs growing.
• I am 6 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. I fit in almost all of my pre pregnancy clothes, but I still  have to get my tummy toned. I just wish there was more hours in a day. Which is 3 pounds lighter since last month. So even though the weight loss is slow, It is getting there. 

Thanks for visiting.

Rita

Weekend Getaway to Seaside OR

We went to Seaside! 

My little brother is in town (whom I haven't seen in 2 years!) We thought we should show him a good time and since he has never seen the ocean before (gosh, I know right!!) we decided another trip was in order. 

The kids were so ecstatic and I was pretty excited myself. Even though Oregon beaches are not hot with palm trees swaying (wish they were), they are still beautiful and we always have a lot of fun. 

We stayed in the World Mark Hotel as usual, and were not disappointed. 

We had a 2 bedroom condo. I loved being steps away from the beach. So when Baby got cranky, I was able to go back and put him down for a nap. 

I also love that we had a full kitchen, so all our meals were cooked right there and we didn't need to get any takeout. I prepped a lot of stuff on Thursday so it was really easy to prepare meals. 

And now for picture over load. 

Sonlight Curriculum (1st Grade)

We got our curriculum (sonlight 1st grade) and I am so excited! 

I took everything out and I am amazed at the amount of books! 

We have already sat down and looked through most of the text books, a lot of them are so interesting! My first grader said "OK, now I really want to start school, this is going to be so much fun!" I can't help but agree with her, it looks like it is going to be a fun school year. 

We also got our microscope which I ordered on Amazon and some prepared slides.

We have already spent hours looking at the slides and other things we found around the house. 

Have you ever tried looking at a fingernail under a microscope? Ewww... The kids were in awe at how dirty they look. 

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Now I need to organize everything and hopefully start school in a few weeks.

Thanks for visiting,

Dreaming of the Simple Life

We had amazing neighbors who moved away last fall. They built their dream home on 5 acres. 

When ever we visit them (which happens to be only like a 5 minute drive from out house) I never want to leave. It is so peaceful in the country. I love taking in the views and fresh air. 

It got me and my hubby talking about how we would love to live in the country too. 

I never thought that I would love to have chickens and cows, but I actually do.

I want the simple life. 

I know there is nothing simple about it, in fact it is a lot of work, but it is very rewarding work.

We have started to look for a property- perhaps not 5 acres, but a bit smaller. One day suburbs mama is going to move to the country :)

As long as Amazon delivers me my online orders I am fine, lol :)

Thanks for visiting,

Brother and Sister

"Being a Sister and a Brother, 

Means being there for each other. "

One minute they can be fighting, the next minute they are having a tea party. 

Never the less, they love and care for each other deeply. If I am out shopping with Em, she will ask if she can buy her brother a lollipop because he probably misses us, or when we are all out, Nico will say "ladies first" and lets his sister go first. It is the cutest thing and makes my heart sing with joy. I thank the Lord for such wonderful gifts and pray he blesses them.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.
— Numbers 6:24-26

Is It Time For School Yet?

I love summer! Spending hot days outside, swimming, sunbathing, my small vegetable garden growing, my flowers blooming, playing outside all day long, cooking and eating outside almost everyday....  It is something I dream about on those cold rainy water days. However, I am feeling a fall itch coming on, I am looking forward to the more quiet and relaxed days of the school year, the morning routine of breakfast and schoolwork.  *** Oh, did I tell you that we decided to continue on homeschooling? I went through a bit of rough patch when baby  Will was a newborn, I felt that I just couldn't get "it" all done. But I also didn't feel at peace with sending my kids to public school.

 I have come to realize with God all things are possible and "everything" is never going to get done, that is just the way life is. I have to accept that I have 3 kids and my house will not be spotless for more then 3 minutes, dinner will not always be done in time... and I have to learn that is OK. 

I have noticed that even though the days are "shorter" in the winter, I have more time. I guess I have more free time since we are not outside as often, not working in our yard/garden, not trying to vacuum/wash the sand of the floor for the 100th time that week, not washing the kids 2 times a day because they are so sticky... Plus Baby Will is getting older and likes to play in his stations more, so I am praying that with God's help we will manage. 

  I am really looking forward to new books and new curriculum. I am looking forward to teaching my kids and quite frankly learning alongside with them, because I certainly do not remember everything I learned in school. I was trying to learn a whole new language in elementary school, I couldn't even understand what my teacher was saying in 1st grade having just moved to the US.

I saw all the school supplies out at Target and got very excited. I have always loved to buy new supplies- I remember taking my school supplies out of my backpack a couple times a day leading up to the new school year. Something about crisp folders, clean binders and the smell of new crayons :)

I have finally decided on a curriculum. It took a while but I feel like I made the right choice. 

We are going with Sonlight Complete 1st Grade curriculum. (I just placed my order and can not wait to get it!!) I feel like this curriculum has everything I would need. In other words, it "may" just be complete and I "may" not have to add much to it. I found that with Heart of Dakota with Kindergarten I had to add spelling, geography, additional math, nutrition/health, additional writing, art... But this curriculum seems to have it all. Offcourse I will review it all once I get to use it. 

It is spendy, but my husband said that we should go for it. He said that it costs about $11,000 of our tax dollars to school a child in public school  per year. $893, is just a small percentage of it. Plus I am planning on using this curriculum for the rest of my kids once they reach 1st grade :) 

Speaking of the hubby, he saw me looking at a microscope online, Which I really couldn't justify buying, since my 1st grader probably doesn't "need" one yet. But I kinda wanted one for our family :), in public school, we didn't really get to use a microscope very much, maybe 2-3 times during the year?? I never really got to use it for just exploring and learning what ever I wanted, and creating my own slides. So anyways, Hubby saw that I was looking at one (reading reviews) and he asks me if I am buying it, and I saw "Nah, its to expensive, I am just looking" and he says "You should get it anyways" and "go ahead, buy it" I was so shocked and excited! It doesn't take new shoes or anything fancy to get me happy :) School supplies do the trick. :)

via amazon

I also ordered some specimen slides:

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I can not wait to get everything in the mail. It is going to be an amazing school year!

We are planning on starting school in mid august, that way we should be finished in May and still take a few breaks in between. But for now, we will go and enjoy the rest of our summer. 

Thanks for visiting,

Play Date Lunch

My sister moved back to town recently and we are thrilled! I finally have some family near me. 

That means we can have all those play dates we have always wanted to have. I love that we have kids who are very close in age, my kids love their cousins.

I decided to throw a little play date for my sister and a dear friend, It was my first time cooking and serving a "meal" on my own with a new baby. Usually hubby is here to help with the baby while I cook and prep for company. This time I was on my own and somehow managed :) 

Take a peek into our day....

The kids had a blast, even though it is a lot of work we can't wait to do this again soon. 

Baked Chicken Parmesan

This is one of those classic and delicious recipes which is super easy to make. I like to prep it in the morning/noon and just stick it in the oven before dinner. Everyone in the family loves it.... the sauce, the melted cheese..... Oh its all so good. 

Ingredients

• 6 thin chicken cutlets (1 pounds total)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 24-ounce jar marinara sauce (my favorite is Trader Joe's 3 Cheese)
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced

Directions

Heat oven to 400º F. 

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Place the flour and eggs in separate shallow bowls; in a third shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Coat the chicken with the flour, then dip in the eggs (letting any excess drip off), then coat with the bread crumb mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in batches until golden brown.

Pour the marinara sauce into a large, shallow baking dish. Top with the chicken and mozzarella.

Bake until bubbling and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cook some spaghetti and serve right away.

Enjoy!



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Thanks for visiting,