Confessions of a Not So Stay at Home Mom

Confession Number 100: Big Changes are Underway

2011-08-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

Wow! Confession Number 100!!! I can't believe it, really. You've been with me through building our home, a complicated pregnancy, the trials of raising a three year old, being snowed in, the sleepless days and nights that come with an infant. You've even stuck with me through the conversations on poop. I guess it is very fitting that on this, my 100th confession, I am able to announce some big changes in our life!

This blog started as an outlet for me to connect with family and friends that we left behind when we moved to Grand Lake, but it was also a creative way for me to use my brain....something I craved once I started staying home full time with, then, our only child. A lot has happened since the first few days of this site. We survived 9 months in an 800 square foot apartment, we added Baby Brother and now there is one more big transition coming for us. I am returning to work!

It is only a part time gig, but it is just about exactly what I dreamed of. Dustin and I have known since those first few months of me being at home that my professional life was something that was important to me and even though I have absolutely loved my time at home with Kennedy and Cole, there was still a hole that could only be filled with working to improve the lives of other children through education. Quite a few months ago I started praying that God would help resolve this tug of war inside me between spending time with my own children and returning to work. With the encouragement of Dustin and some close friends I emailed the Superintendent here in Grove, Mrs. Harper, to volunteer my services in the field of testing analysis and school improvement. I told her I wasn't looking for a job, but that God was laying it heavy on my heart that I was to reach out to our local school system with the talents He had given me.

Within 30 minutes I had a reply. Long story short, in a couple of weeks I will begin working three days a week as the counselor at the Early Childhood Center and as a testing data analyst. Yes, you read correctly, the ECC. I will be working with 4, 5 and 6 year olds. Start praying now! :) This is a huge change from the 17 year olds I'm used to working with, but the way this all fell in place, I just KNOW this is His plan for me, for our family, right now.

So, yeah. There are some big changes for us right now. Getting out the door by 7:30 in the mornings, Cole going to Ms. Terry's a few days a week, Kennedy having longer days at school to accommodate our new schedule. I keep reminding myself that millions of families do this everyday and we used to do it perfectly, too. Finding that balance in life during this transition period I know won't be easy, but by Thanksgiving we'll have it down pat!

I'm so excited about this opportunity professionally. I'm excited to get in there, get my hands dirty and help make Grove Public Schools the best in the state! I know we have the leadership and vision to do it and I'm pumped to be on the inside working hand in hand with our administrators to get us there. I'm even excited to work with the little ones some. Scared, but excited. Who knew the thought of 25 five year olds in one room would send me into cold chills like the thought of going through another 3 hour glucose test?! It is a good scared, though. I know that I'm there to make their lives better and to help those little guys who can't quite help themselves, yet. I've changed a lot staying at home with Kennedy and Cole and that is what gives me the ability to do this job well.

So, pray for me. Pray for our family. Pray for the kids that I will be working with and that I can be an element of change and success that our schools need.

And pray about a new name for the blog. Seriously, this one just doesn't work anymore. :)

Confession Number 99: I Have Goals

2011-08-12T10:19:00.000-05:00

I've always been a goal setter. Since I was a teen I had a clear idea of where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do once I got there. It has always worked for me to have something to work toward, to strive for.

This weekend is really no different. Dustin is headed south for the weekend to spend some time with his folks. He could use a break and I think he and his dad have plans to do all things golf. So, while Daddy is away the kids and I are going to enjoy a great weekend. Here are some of the things I hope to get accomplished the next few days....

1. Make it to the pool. Three days in a row.
2. Eat foods Dustin doesn't like. Meatloaf and Chicken Spaghetti are already on the menu.
3. KJ and I are having a Mommy Date Night. Early bedtime for Cole, Rio via pay per view, and popcorn with M&Ms. Can't think of anything better!
4. Planning the finishing touches for her big upcoming birthday. I see yards of tulle and mermaid skirts in my future.
5. Invest a little in myself by reading my first book on my iPad. I bought "The Help" this morning. Hoping to have it read by Monday evening so I can go see the movie with the girlfriends. We'll see how I like this whole flipping virtual pages thing.

So, this is what I'm up to this weekend. What are your plans?

Confession Number 98: I'm Not Sure What to Do

2011-08-10T12:08:00.000-05:00

Summer vacation has officially come to an end in the Matthews household. Kennedy's first day of Pre K at the Academy is today. She was so stinkin' excited! It was after 11 before she finally gave it up and fell asleep.

We are so excited for her to be able to return for one more year with Ms. Judy and Ms. Cheryl at The Academy. It gives her some consistency, but opens the doors for tons of fun opportunities. She is going four days a week this year while she only went two, then three days a week last year. She will start reading and will have more "homework" which is pretty amazing. It is incredible how much our little girl has grown up in the past year. Here she was on the first day of preschool last August...

And here is how our big girl looked as she took off for her first day today...

What a difference a year makes!

Not only is it a big day for Kennedy, but it is a big day for momma, too. I have found myself fumbling around the house this morning, not quite sure what to do. Oh, I have plenty to do, I just haven't quite gotten it in gear enough to actually do much. I've thrown in a load of laundry here and there, Cole and I have played and read and he enjoyed a bottle and a couple of cat naps, I've even made a to-do list!

I just can't seem to get over the quiet! Right now all I hear is the hum of the computer and the waves crashing sound from Cole's swing. God has even sent us a slow, steady little rain. Ahh. So, for now I'm going to sit back and enjoy the quiet...and the rain. I might get something accomplished today, I might not. 3 o'clock will be here before I know it and I'll be so excited to hear all about her first day of Pre-K!

I'll worry about getting things accomplished tomorrow.

Confession Number 97: I Love Our Small Town

2011-06-20T11:24:00.000-05:00

Over the last two years, I have come to absolutely love our small town life. Summertime is an amazing time to experience Grove and Grand Lake at it's best. There are about a million reasons why I love it here, but here are just a few I've captured in the last week or so.

I have a hair lady who doesn't think I'm crazy when I say I need my three month old's hair cut.

She loves my kids and they pretty much think she rocks! I think you rock, too, Tanya!

There is a lady who delivers farm fresh eggs to the bank each week. They are shades of tan and brown and they are beautiful inside and out! Some are even speckled. I'm in love. With an egg. Kinda sad, huh?

We have this incredible public pool! This picture of Kennedy in her swim class doesn't even do it justice. There are two huge slides and a shallow part with a splash structure for little kids and two incredible diving boards. I hadn't gone until this past weekend and now KJ is taking two weeks of swimming lessons there. I'm totally hooked!

We have some pretty amazing friends. Dustin, KJ and I all have individual friends, then there are family friends. Friends with kids, friends without kids. Friends to play with, friends to talk to. Friends, friends, friends! They are really what makes this town great! This is one of KJ's BFF's, Hannah. They were playing at Rotary Park which is right next to the splash pad. So much fun!

I could go on and on. A brand new state of the art hospital, doctors that rival the care we received in the big city, a library that puts some metro systems to shame, beautiful lake views, a great mix of the young and old. I can't even begin to list all of the great things about Grove here. Seriously? One of the best small towns in the country!

Now if we only had a Chick Fil A......

Confession Number 96: Unintended Intentional Summer

2011-06-17T09:21:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago my friend Megan over at Sorta Crunchy wrote about the challenges and joys of parenting her six year old and shared some insight from Allison at Gentle Christian Mamas. While my girl isn't six, but only three, I saw a LOT of similarities, and as I read this Survival Guide to Six I knew that there were some ideas I could use to turn my summer of Almost Four into a fun one, not a stressful one.

I know that Kennedy loves a schedule. Sort of. Dustin and I are VERY easy going parents. I'll drag my kids just about anywhere. We made a decision while I was pregnant with KJ that our kids were going to fit into our exsisting lives as much as possible, and they have, for the most part. My kids are well practiced at napping on the go, being pushed around town in the stroller and both are really quite flexible. I *know*, however, that KJ really thrives when we have a plan for the day and she knows what is coming next.

I thought more about this when Megan wrote about their summer schedule. While I am not really a schedule person, I knew I had to have some goals for the summer, or we would both be bored and would slowly go crazy over the three month break. So here is how we are spending each day intentionally. Each day with some purpose. I decided we would spend some time each day doing something that fits into these areas:

1. Being Active- Sometimes this is swimming, sometimes it is chasing bubbles, sometimes it is walking around our neighborhood. Whatever strikes us for the day. Kennedy would spend all day, everyday, inside if I would let her. I have to make it a point to have some active, outdoor time each day. Besides, my summer tan is in need of some serious help.

2. Creativity- Kennedy loves being creative! On some days this is sidewalk chalk, on others it is baking. We are currently doing a scrapbook together of her year in preschool and she loves looking at the pictures of her friends! It's nothing crazy good, but it is special to us.

3. Educational- From practicing letters to reading library books, we are "practicing school" a little bit each and every day.

So, maybe this isn't a schedule. It is a plan. Each day at breakfast we talk about what we are going to do that day. I have realized that if that particular day includes a nap, she is much better about doing it if she knows in advance! She knows what is coming next and it is giving her some sort of aspect on time without being tied to a clock. Today is: TV time, getting ready, picking up the house, lunch, swimming at the pool, snack, reading and/or quiet time. Then it is a night with the sitter because Mom and Dad are having a much needed night out!! What? No creative time? Well, maybe she can do some drawing and stickers while I get things together for the sitter. See? We are nothing if we aren't flexible!

So, what are you doing on a daily basis this summer?

Confession Number 95: I'm Going

2011-05-26T10:47:00.000-05:00

This past Tuesday afternoon I got a phone call from Mom and Lynn.

"Charli, there is a large tornado a mile west of Piedmont."

I ran to the computer and found the live stream from an OKC television station. It wasn't "large", it was HUGE and it was baring down on our previous home.
I panicked.
I yelled prayers to God.
I cried.
I called Dustin at work.
I hit refresh on the radar.
I cried some more.
When I thought it was clear I started making calls. No answers.
I panicked again, but I knew communications must be compromised.
Finally I got through and started making the way down my list.
Scott and Shelli? Safe, no damage.
Matt and Nicci? Saw it face to face, but safe with no damage.
Marcie? Safe, no damage.
I also got from those I talked to who else was okay.
The Glasgows? Fine.
Dustin was working his phone, too.
The Samarripases? Fine.
The Wyatts? Fine.
Then finally he got a text from the ones we couldn't get in touch with.
The Caldwells. "We are safe, but lost EVERYTHING."
The Johnsons, same story,
Their homes are completely gone with only a few bags of things that may or may not be salvagable.
I'm headed home to Piedmont this weekend to help. If you are in the Grove area and would like to help fill my truck, here are some things I'm looking to take:

Boys clothes size 3T
Boys shirts size XL
Boys pants size 8 slim
Boys toys for 3 year old and 7 year old
Girls clothes sizes 4 and 8
New towels and washcloths
New kitchen items
Bottled water
Snacks
Work gloves
Trash bags
Ice chest
Gift cards

There has been tragedy all around us this spring. What a great time for us to come together and lift each other.

Confession Number 94: She's Passionate

2011-05-18T12:31:00.000-05:00

To say that Kennedy is a passionate soul may be putting it lightly. She loves what she loves with her whole heart and when she doesn't love something, well, she does that with her whole heart, too. We have really been struggling with keeping our passion in check at our house. I know part of it is the hardship of being almost four, but holy smokes, this child tests our patience sometimes!

We set distinct boundaries. "Kennedy, you can play on the computer for 10 minutes" as I set the timer on my phone. That seems to work a few times then, out of the blue, nuclear meltdown occurs. Screaming, crying, clawing, hitting, it is all fair game when one of these fits begin in Kennedy's mind.

Taking a page from my friend Angie's parenting book, I decided to take pictures of said fit throwing, making it fun and threatening to send to Mimi and Weezie. Well, okay, maybe posting on the world wide web will be enough embarassment.

It didn't work. So, here I am, asking for help once again. How do I help teach my daughter to keep her highly passionate emotions at a reasonable level?

Confession Number 93: He's A Pretty Lucky Fella

2011-05-10T14:39:00.000-05:00

I love Mother's Day. It's just one of those 'warm your heart make you feel good' kinda days. I love snuggling up with my kids and not really doing anything in particular but celebrating our little family. Of course the pampering that comes with the day isn't too bad, either. One of the sweetest gifts this year was when Dustin decided he would get up with Cole during the night. He normally does a good job helping out anyway, but, ahhh, sleep. So good!!

I cherish those little handmade projects from Kennedy, and now that she can write, I love that she can sign her own name (and Cole's) to her card. Dustin is a great gift giver. Always has been. He's passing his skills on to his daughter, and even though I can't wait for the time that she gets to go pick out her own gift for Mommy, I absolutely love seeing what Dustin comes up with next. A new truck, an iPad, diamond earrings, a special KJ and mommy video and gift certificates to my favorite shoe store are all highlights of gifts past. My heart goes out to those of you whose husbands don't possess the same "skillz". The very small materialistic side of me loves this about my husband....along with about a bazillion other things. :-)

This year they really went over the top. I got three cards. The first was from Kennedy. It was a princess card with crown stickers for us both to wear, signed in her perfect little almost four year old handwriting. Tucked inside were two tickets to Game 5, Thunder vs. Grizzlies in OKC for Wednesday night. Eeekkk! Sooo excited! Next was Cole's card, claiming I was an amazing mommy (duh!) and inviting me to dinner at my fav OKC restaurant, Cattleman's. This boy sure knows the way to his mommy's heart! Finally I opened a card from my fellow zoo keeper, Dustin. Out fell a night's stay at the Embassy Suites in Norman after the game.

I was literally ecstatic with my gift! I made the comment that this was the 'best Mother's Day ever'! Later in the day Dustin smiled and said, "What a lucky guy I am to have a wife that thinks NBA playoff tickets make the best Mother's Day ever."
Yep.
Your one lucky fella.
Better not forget it.

Confession Number 92: I Need A New Purse

2011-04-26T17:20:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Dustin and I ventured out on a shopping trip with both kiddos in tow for the first time. Now I've hit Wal-Mart and the grocery store with both Kennedy and Cole in hand, but this wasn't a short trip into town. We packed up Momma's new Kitty Caddy (our recent vehicle purchase was an Escalade) and headed to Tulsa with a 'not as happy a baby as his sister was' one month old and an 'I have found my voice and love to use it loudly' three year old. It took guts, but over two months of being confined to Grove, America had us desperate for things of grander. You know, like clothing stores that don't also sell fishing bait and fancy chain restaurants with drink menus.

The day was going well and we decided to make a stop by Utica Square so I could shop at Gap. On the way there KJ had fallen asleep and Cole was wide awake, so we decided to carry Cole and put Sleeping Kennedy in the stroller so Dustin wasn't confined to the car while I shopped. It was a great idea and I got some great bargains for both KJ and myself. As I bent down to get my purse from the bottom of the stroller I noticed it was wet. My purse was soaked and upon further investigation I found the cargo compartment of the stroller to have tons of water. I figured something in my purse had leaked. I quickly paid for our purchase, found Dustin and we decided to head back to the car to find the culprit.

Hmmm. Interesting. There wasn't a water bottle in my purse. Or anything liquid really. While Dustin was trying to save things from my purse I started putting kids back in their carseats. I lift a very heavy, Sleeping Kennedy to put her in the car, only to find that she is soaked. Evidently the two cups of fruit punch at lunch weren't such a good idea before naptime. That explains the standing liquid in the bottom of the stroller and the absolutely sopping purse. A quick trip back into Gap to purchase my three year old a $14 package of panties, a change into a new outfit and we were good to go. The purse...and most of its contents...found the trashcan. This is why I don't buy Coach.

Confession Number 91: She's Pretty Good

2011-04-14T10:31:00.000-05:00

Dang! I didn't realize how long it had been since I had posted until I logged in today. Hopefully things are getting a little settled around here. While it hasn't been as hard as we thought it might be, getting into the groove of chasing, holding, feeding, bathing two kiddos has taken some time. We are working on getting Cole into a routine this week with his sleeping and eating and working on keeping everything else as normal as possible. While there have been a few challenges and those moments where you question what you are doing and if it is best, the second time around has been a lot easier. There aren't as many moments when we question our decisions or worry about whether or not he eats every 2 hours or 3 hours is going to have lifelong effects on his health. We are more relaxed this go around and that fits our lifestyle so much better!

One thing I have always regretted with Kennedy was that we weren't with it enough in those early days to think about getting some cute newborn pictures done. Later we made up for it by having them done at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, but I always wished we had some cute naked baby pics to complete the package. So, having these cute little reminders of how tiny and cuddly Cole is was a priority of mine.

A lot of you know I'm pretty partial to our picture taking buddy, Shannon Gurney in OKC. Shannon has done our annual family photo session for the past three years and we LOVE HER. She does awesome work and if you are within driving distance of OKC, I highly recommend you check her out. She's actually getting Mom and Lynn in front of her camera in early summer and that is a feat all of it's own! While we worship Shannon, she is um, well, three hours away AND her business has taken off so much she recently quit doing newborn photo sessions (much to the dismay of our OKC friends who also just had babies). I think the sessions gave her too much baby fever because she is now expecting her third. Congrats, friend!!

Since moving to Grove I have come to know my amazing friend, Stacy Clark. Stacy, like a lot of modern day photographers, is self taught and captured my heart when I found out that she loves natural light photography. She started taking photos after becoming a stay at home mom with her first. Since then she has built her business and does a fantastic job! We met at her house, and even with some very finicky sunlight, she got some absolutely beautiful shots of our little man. I'll cherish them forever and I'm thinking we'll keep her pretty busy over the next year or so. I hope she has lots of good ideas!!!!

Isn't she pretty good?? If you are in the Grove area, you will be kicking yourself if you don't get some Stacy Clark Portraiture love for your own family. Check her out here. You'll be happy you did! Or, if you are an OKC reader, you must let Miss Shannon get some amazing shots of your family. See her latest work here.

Confession Number 90: She's My Girl

2011-03-03T08:40:00.000-06:00

KJ got her hair cut yesterday......

It had gotten super long, and while it was beautiful when we really fixed it, it had just gotten to be a hassle. She asked to have it cut and I didn't object. Her hair is like mine and grows pretty quickly, so, without any more cuts, it is likely to be halfway down her back by the end of the summer, anyway. Today she is rockin' her new style at school with a little barrette. We haven't been able to get by with that in ages. Oh! And just what do you think of those pink cowgirl boots? She's the rootinist tootinist girl in all of Grove today! Thanks Papa Lynn!!

Confession Number 89: We Didn't Know, Update on Baby Cole

2011-02-28T13:01:00.000-06:00

After a very long last week the Matthews' family was able to settle in for a quiet weekend at home. Friday we returned to our local hospital for some monitoring and to meet with our doctor. Thankfully, Friday was a better day than the last few. While I am still contracting, somewhat regularly, Cole's heart rate is doing well and he is tolerating the contractions much better than he was earlier last week. In fact, my doctor was so pleased with my progress, that we don't have to go back until Tuesday! Praise God!!

I have to say, we did find out that the situation we were facing on Wednesday was a little more serious than Dustin and I originally knew. We knew that Cole wasn't doing well and we knew that they wanted us quickly moved to Tulsa in case an early delivery was necessary, hence the whole helicopter thing. :-) What we didn't know was how close we were to having a baby on Wednesday. Evidently there was some discussion between the doctors to do an emergency c-section in Grove on Wednesday, then transporting Cole to Tulsa once he was stable. Once they decided to transport us it took a couple of hours to get everything in line for us to leave. One of the issues was that the hospital in Tulsa was full and didn't have a room available for us. I am thankful that one became available when it did, because I truly believe had we been waiting much longer we would have a baby right now. Dustin and I never had a clue things were that bad. Thank goodness! I probably would have melted down!

The weekend has been quiet and I'm feeling great, however, I don't think that is an adequate assessment on how things are going, since I never felt really any different through the whole ordeal. I am still having some disturbance and contracting, but I feel like they have lessened since last week. I guess we'll find out tomorrow when we go for our appointment.

I have to say, this whole bed rest thing is eating on me a bit. I know I'm getting grouchy, even though Dustin lets me get up periodically throughout the day. As you learned during the snow storm, I don't do cooped up well, much less when I can't even shower, get dressed, and fix my hair and makeup before being told to lay down and take it easy. I'm trying *really* hard to be a good patient. Sometimes I think being in the hospital would be easier because I wouldn't be tempted to get up and do the load of white laundry that has been staring me in the face all morning. I know deep down it wouldn't, but I'm sure you get my drift.

Dustin and I really want to thank all of you for your thoughts, calls, texts, emails and, especially your prayers. We know without your support and lifting us up that the story would be much different right now. Praying for one more week!

Confession Number 88: God Dishes Out Interruptions

2011-02-24T20:56:00.000-06:00

My mom has been going to a lady's Bible study at her church where they are discussing the little interruptions God sometimes sends to our lives. She and I have talked candidly about her study the last few weeks, but we got a real-life lesson in these interruptions the last few days.

As you all know, I'm very pregnant with our second baby, Baby Brother Cole and the pregnancy has been great. A tad different from the one I experienced with Miss KJ, but it has been relatively easy and I haven't had much to complain about. Minus a scare with gestational diabetes that I wrote about here, there really haven't been any issues. I did, however, start having Braxton Hicks contractions rather early this time around, about 22 weeks. My doctor wasn't overly concerned about them as long as there was no consistency, which there hadn't been until my regular appointment on Tuesday.

I know a lot of you have been keeping up with bits and pieces of our story since then on Facebook, but that is about all I had time to post, bits and pieces. I wanted to make sure you had the whole story, so here it goes.
Wednesday started off very well. I enjoyed a relaxing morning watching Disney Junior with KJ in our bed until I needed to get around to head back to the hospital for a second round of monitoring and the second steroid shot just in case Cole decided he wasn't satisfied with the accommodations of Hotel Mommy. The monitoring went great and the nurse came in to tell us that we were free to go home, she just needed to complete our discharge papers just as I had a contraction. After not returning for about 15 minutes, she called to let us know that during that contraction Cole's heart rate had dropped below their comfort level and that she was waiting for a call back from my Dr., but that they were going to monitor us for awhile longer. About 30 more minutes, another contraction and another heart dip later my Dr. was in my room to let us know that we would be staying for a few days. She hoped it would only last 3 or 4 days, but told us to prepare for a week or so of hospital bed rest. She ordered a whole slew of tests and kept me constantly on the fetal monitor.

3:30 rolled around and she returned. I had had roughly six contractions during this time (not horrible), but in five of them Cole's heart rate had dropped. He obviously wasn't tolerating the contractions well and with no NICU in our rural hospital she suggested we transfer to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, where, if needed, they could handle a preemie born at 33 weeks. Unfortunately, this meant getting me there as quickly as possible, which was by chopper. Dustin, KJ and my mom hopped into their vehicles and got a head start and shortly thereafter I was in the air with EagleMed, on my way. Talk about traveling in style!

Upon our arrival at St. Francis, they reviewed my test results from Grove and ordered more tests. At this point I had been poked and prodded about all I could stand in one day. While my contractions were actually more frequent once we got there, Cole's heart rate had stabilized and he was tolerating them much better. By 11:00 they were pretty pleased with what they were seeing, gave me the most amazing sleeping pill ever, and let us finally rest. By 9am this morning we were dismissed to come back home, where I once again find myself confined to my own, comfy, fluffy bed.

We aren't out of the woods, yet. We still have a long way to go, but the fear of a C-section and having a 33 week old preemie is behind us, we think. Tomorrow I will return to Grove General for another non-stress test and will, hopefully, be able to return to my own comfy bed. Although, I have to say, knowing that Cole's heart rate is stable with each and every contraction by being hooked up to the monitor is somewhat comforting. We are thankful for each day that Cole continues his stay with Hotel Mommy, but we are really hoping to get to 35 weeks, which is 11 more days.

To say that we have been overwhelmed by all of your well wishes and prayers is the understatement of the year. I know, without a doubt, that we are literally being prayed for by hundreds of people and those prayers are what made our little boy make a turn for the better last night. Please, please continue to pray for us and his safe delivery once he is ready. While going through this "interruption" or little trial, has been stressful, we have felt immense blessings. Thank you all so much! We wouldn't have gotten this far without all of you.

Confession Number 87: Considering a Name Change

2011-02-22T13:36:00.000-06:00

Whew! It has been busy around here the last week or so. I know you all might have been feeling a little neglected with it being a week since my last update. We have been busy around here with normal day to day life and trying to get a few things ready for Baby Cole. Life has sure been busy, but you, my loyal readers, shall feel neglected no longer! I have this sneaky feeling that I am going to have plenty of time in the next few weeks to hang out and write for you. It may take you a while to notice it though, since I'm seriously considering a temporary name change for the blog. Let's see what you think of this... from Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom to Chronicles of Bedrest. Or maybe Tales of the Seriously Pregnant. What do you think? Sounds okay right? Oh? What? It has you confused? Well, let me fill you in on what has happened today.

This morning I had an appointment with my wonderful OB, Dr. Dietz, to whom I happily reported that I was feeling great! Which is true! I was feeling pretty awesome and refreshed this morning. I looked cute, as cute as a woman with a watermelon strapped to her belly can look anyway, and felt pretty full of energy. I was happy to get on with my appointment, get my grocery shopping done and get home to get some painting done in Cole's room while KJ was at school. To say that "nesting" had come for a visit in our house would be an understatement. However, after reporting that "he must be pretty low because it feels like he is bouncing up and down on my cervix" and one episode of pretty consistent Braxton Hicks a week ago, Dr. D decided she needed to take a closer look. About two hours after my scheduled appointment we left, having spent an hour in the Women's Center at Grove General hooked up to monitors, we found that I was having quite a few uterine "interruptions" (cramping), a few random contractions, and was dilated to a 1. They started a round of steroids to build up Cole's lungs in case an early delivery took place and sent me home.....to bed. I get to do the whole thing over again tomorrow. Yay!

My spirits are really pretty high. I mean, it isn't like I can do a whole lot more than lay around here at this point, right? I was 33 weeks yesterday, which sounds early, and is, but because I have stood by more than one friend with a preemie, I know that it could be much, much worse. Also, I know that God has a plan, and maybe, just maybe, he knew that this hard headed girl needed some serious intervention before she would sit down and rest. Dear God, It's me, Margaret....um, Charla, and I'm listening now, I promise! I have a wonderful prison guard, I mean husband, who is taking great care of me and my momma is on her way. We aren't sure what the next few days or weeks hold, but hopefully we'll know more tomorrow. Please pray for Cole to get super strong and healthy and pray that he really likes Hotel Mommy. I've tried hard to make it a super nice place for him, and now he (and I) are even getting room service. My current prayer is that if I must stay on bed rest that I'm able to do so at home and not in the hospital, and of course, for Cole's health. If you don't mind, please add us to your prayer lists. We could use all the help we can get!

Stay tuned for more Stories of the Bedridden, I mean Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom.

Confession Number 86: They Are Pretty Good Eggs

2011-02-14T09:16:00.002-06:00

One of the things that has really helped Grove feel like our home has been our recent settling in to a local church. It has been great for all three of us. Not only do we gain spiritual fulfillment, but we also love the fellowship with other young families. Each month we decided to get together with this group for "Supper Club". This month the boys (AKA: husbands) took charge and decided to treat the wives for Valentine's Day. Holy cow! These boys completely outdid themselves. They not only took over the house of my great friend Brenda, but they cleaned, cooked and arranged child care. They literally did it all. Serious brownie points to our little group of overachievers! Don't boys look sexy in the kitchen????

They even plated the food and threw in a decoration or two...

Okay, so I think Brenda helped them out with the decorations, but hey, I'd rather their focus be on the food anyway. Boy, was it delicious! We had shrimp cocktail, salad, steak, salmon, green beans, potato casserole and rolls. Oh, and they didn't forget the drinks (I only gave go to looks to a couple of the girls as they sipped in front of me) and of course, the desserts......

All you other girls out there can go right ahead and get jealous. These were hand dipped along with chocolate dipped blackberries, raspberries and pecans. That's a pregnant girl's Chuck E Cheese right there! It was wonderful!! They didn't leave anything out. They even had roses, complete with little love notes from our Valentine!

I have to say, it was pretty darn sweet! I think all of us left with a renewed sense of romance for our husbands. One thing is for sure, this sure put me over the top of my ongoing change of heart regarding Valentine's Day. We sure are a lucky bunch of ladies! Don't forget to hug and kiss your Valentine a little extra today! Happy Heart Day!!

Confession Number 85: She Surprised Us

2011-02-10T10:57:00.000-06:00

I pride myself on being a mother that is pretty in tuned to my kid. I can usually call what her reaction is going to be to most situations. I know that I will barely get a kiss goodbye when I drop her off with a babysitter. I know that when she meets someone new (especially a man) she is going to velcro herself to the back of my leg before warming up to him 10 seconds later. I know that she says she wants to try things that are new, and slightly scary, but that when the moment comes, she chickens out. I know these things because she operates a LOT like her Momma. So that is why, when she started talking about riding the horses at Weezie and Papa Lynn's house, I never thought it would happen.

I thought we would get as far as to stand next to the horse and she would start climbing up Dustin's side trying to get away. I thought we'd do great to get her to feed them again and that the whole situation would end with her in tears. I was so sure in what would happen I even began bribing her ahead of time.

Me: Hey KJ, Jay is going to go get Bo ready so you can ride him.

KJ: Okay.

Me: Are you really going to ride him?

KJ: Um, yeah. But I need a cowgirl hat. (She is ALL about the accessories)

Me: I bet Papa Lynn has a hat you can borrow.

KJ: But I want a pink one!

(yep, no way this is going to happen. She's more about the hat than the horse.)

Me: I'll tell you what. If you will actually get up in the saddle on Bo with Papa Lynn and ride, then Momma will look for you a pink cowgirl hat. Deal?

KJ: Um, okay.

Knowing she would never ride without someone we waited until Papa Lynn got back from town. Luckily, there was a short nap in there and, luckily, Papa Lynn ran a few errands before he came home. She woke up before Papa Lynn made it back, and to our complete surprise, she jumped right up in the saddle. All. By. Her. Self.

She was such a BIG GIRL. She loved it! It was sure a good thing that Papa Lynn ran those errands before he came home. Look what he found....

KJ: Look Momma! Papa Lynn got me a real cowgirl hat! Just like Jesse!! (Jesse the Cowgirl for those of you aren't up on your Disney Toy Story trivia)

And of course, after that, it was ALL about the accessories. She jumped back up for a ride with Papa Lynn, but she was more concerned with losing something....

I really couldn't believe she actually did it. My little girl is growing up right before my eyes and it is so much fun to watch! A big thanks to Lynn's nephew Jay for hanging around long enough for her to wake up and for leading her around. And a huge hug to Papa Lynn for finding a pink cowgirl hat. Only in Duncan.

For those of you who know the story, does she remind you of another little girl wanting her Meemo's porcelain doll????

Confession Number 84: She Was Wrong

2011-02-09T10:22:00.000-06:00

Kennedy and Dustin finally got out in the snow to play over the weekend. Here they are with their snowman....

This morning Kennedy got up, looked out the window and said, "Oh no! Mommy, my snowman is melting!!!"

Me: "Um, no honey. He's just covered in more snow. "

12+" later it is still snowing.

Poor snowman.

Confession Number 83: There is a Light

2011-02-07T08:15:00.000-06:00

Get. Me. Out. Of. This. House. Those were my instructions to Dustin last Friday. So he did, and KJ and I sat at the bank. Hey, at least it was a different set of walls to see. That was day four of our snow vacation. You all know I don't like to be cooped up in the house. If you missed it, you can catch it here. And here. And a brief change of heart I had here. These snow "storms" were nothing compared to what we are going through now. NOTHING.

Last Tuesday it started coming down and 14" later it finally stopped. We couldn't even dream of getting out since our new 4 wheel drive vehicle is being held hostage at a dealership in warm and balmy Houston, Texas. So, here I sat. All day Tuesday, all day Wednesday, all day Thursday, and half of the day on Friday until Dustin got his orders to break us free from our prison. Of course, as we drove into town the snow started falling again. Luckily, we dodged a bullet on Sunday, but more "accumulating" snow (to the tune of 4-10") is in our forecast in the next couple of days.

Thanks to a little thawing and some great friends, I've broken free the last couple of days, but since the truck is still useless, I'm stuck for, what looks like, the rest of this week.

We aren't made for this! Our Wal-Mart is completely bare of eggs, milk, bread, fruit and meat. I've never been more thankful for my stockpile of groceries and the fact that I have been stashing away freezer meals for the last month. Thanks to Dustin and our neighbor, Bruce, for running to Walgreens to snatch up a new gallon of milk for each family this weekend, it looks like we'll make it without even feeling the pinch on the grocery end of things.

Now, my mental health? That is another subject all together. The good news is that Saturday the high here is in the 50's. Ahhh. A light.

Oh, and I'm not the only one. Check out my friend Megan's take on the storm here.

Confession Number 82: We Were Busting with Pride

2011-01-31T12:35:00.000-06:00

We spent a marvelous weekend at the farm with Weezie and Papa Lynn. Tons of fun! The weather was absolutely beautiful. Perfect for us to get some much needed outdoor playtime, but yesterday reality struck and we realized that the weather isn't always perfect in Oklahoma and that we must return to the hustle and bustle of our regular lives, so we jumped in the truck and started heading back up I-44.

Arriving in Tulsa shortly after lunch time, we decided to stop at one of our favorite little cafes to grab a bite to eat. It was nearly 1:00 and the church crowds were out in full force. We didn't have to wait for a table, but the restaurant was crowded. Luckily, we didn't have to wait long for our food and were chowing down on some yummy home cookin' in no time.

Toward the end of the meal an older couple who had been sitting near us started to leave, but the gentleman decided to stop by our table first. He tapped me on the shoulder....

Him: Excuse me, ma'am?
Me: Yes, sir?
Him: We just wanted to stop and tell you what a well behaved young girl you have. She has been just about perfect since you came in and we wanted you to know that.

Well, you should have seen how big and puffy Dustin's and my chests got with pride.

Me: Why, thank you sir! How nice of you to notice that, well, yes, actually we ARE the world's perfect parents and we have raised, quite possibly, the most perfect child since Jesus himself walked on this earth.

Okay, so maybe that was all in my head. Of course, Dustin and I were very gracious and praised KJ on what a good girl she was and how other people had noticed what a good girl she was. We then quickly finished our meal and headed back out to the truck. Talking about our plans to head to the furniture store to find KJ a brand new big girl bed.

Once in the truck she promptly stuck a pin in the pride balloon Dustin and I were carrying around as she cried and whined and threw a fit because we wouldn't let her play on the ipad. Kids. They sure do keep you honest, don't they?

UPDATE: Confession Number 47: I'm Torn

2011-01-26T07:58:00.001-06:00

Editorial Note: There is still time to enter the giveaway of my super cute Hootiemomma baby and children's gift items over at Nix9to5. While you are at it, just go ahead and visit my Hootiemomma Etsy store! The deadline for entering the drawing is TONIGHT, Jan. 26th at 11:59pm.

Back last summer I wrote to you, begging for parenting advice, concerning our decision to send Kennedy to a private preschool a couple of days a week. A recent post about the same topic (sort of) from my friend Megan over at Sorta Crunchy got me thinking about our decision, the outcome, and what we were going to do this coming fall. I thought an update...and another call for advice....was in order.

Thinking back on our concerns last summer, each of them either hasn't been as issue or has been replaced with something new, which, I think, is story of our lives for the next, oh, forever. Here is a run down of the concerns I had last summer and where we stand with each of them:

Potty Training: This one has taken care of itself. While you all know about the issues we have from time to time at home ( has gotten soooo much better in recent weeks), we have NEVER (knocking on wood) had an issue with this at school. Not once. Whew!

Nap time: This is one we still struggle with. They don't nap at KJ's school, which is totally fine. She doesn't always need one, but, more often that not, she falls asleep for a short cat nap at some point between getting home from school and dinner. Unfortunately, this results in a very cranky girl when she wakes up. We are torn between a very cranky girl waking up and a very cranky girl who is overly tired. We've learned to live with this for two reasons. The first is I'm not super excited about giving up nap time completely before Baby Brother Cole gets here. I think I'll need it for momma's sanity this summer. The second is that when we make the transition to public school, they still nap or have "quiet time" in the afternoons. So I'm not too worried about preparing her for life without quiet time.

Social Interaction: This has been as great as I expected it to be, but comes with it's own set of issues. She is a very social girl and we have had discussions about when to talk and when to be quiet more than a handful of times. You can tell that she is a young three in her class with this issue. Her maturity to be quiet when the teacher is talking just isn't there, yet. I recently taught her how to pinch her lips shut with her fingers when she is told to be quiet and the report from school yesterday was that she sat there looking like a duck for much of the day. On the flip side, I'd rather have this problem than an extremely shy child. Of course, if you know Dustin and I....we are going to have a little social butterfly. Our kids are just going to be wired that way genetically.

Mommy Guilt: Yep. This went out the window within a few minutes of seeing her interaction with her teachers and the kids at school. She loves it! I would feel guilty if I weren't sending her. As for me, the time apart has made me a better mom on the days we are together. I rarely have to take Kennedy to Wal-Mart with me (which we both despise) and we can spend time playing and having fun the three days of the week she is home.

So, now Dustin and I start asking ourselves the next question: What to do next fall? She will be old enough to go to the full day, public prek program, but I think we both agree that none of the three of us are ready for that. So, the question is, what are we ready for? How many days a week is going to fit her perfectly in her current school and what is going to adequately prepare her for full time, public schooling the following year? As my friend Nicci posted last time, I understand that her educational future probably isn't solely balancing on the question of how many days of preschool she attends at the age of 4, but I do think it sets the "mood" for her future learning. So, I'm throwing it back out there to all of you. What is your best advice in regards to schooling?

Confession Number 81: I'm A Giveaway!!!

2011-01-25T11:39:00.000-06:00

You've read about my friend Nicci over at Nix9to5 before. We taught together for a few years, then were neighbors for a few years after that. During the whole process we became great friends and moms. This week she is celebrating hitting a blogging milestone with tons of great giveaways. She has already thrown out a children's cookbook, a Scentsy gift set and some lovies for your little love and she has lots more.

Well, today she has a very special giveaway. ME! Okay, before I scare all of you off she isn't actually giving away me the person, but she is showcasing Hootiemomma, my baby and children's gift line and Etsy shop. Since I know you are all dying to get your hands on some Charla Matthews originals, get your bootie over to Nix9to5 and enter the giveaway right now! Also, there is a little special something, something in it for EVERYONE that visits Nicci's blog. So, what are you waiting for?!?! Get over there right now and get ya a little piece of heaven.....ME!

Confession Number 80: A Change of Heart

2011-01-24T08:43:00.000-06:00

I'm not your typical girl. I'm not your typical romantic. It made more sense to me after I did a brief study on Gary Chapman's 5 Love Languages. While a lot of my friends found that their love language is Receiving Gifts or Quality Time, mine is Acts of Service. I show my love to Dustin, and others, by doing for them. I love cooking for my family and friends. I love helping out a friend in need. I also feel the most love when others are doing acts of service for me. My friends laugh when I say that one of the sexiest things Dustin can do is to empty the dishwasher or give KJ a bath. That boy puts away the laundry and katy bar the door!! I don't relish in receiving flowers, although they are great on occasion. We don't lavish each other with gifts, although I don't hide the fact that pregnancy, labor and delivery come with a price best paid in jewelry.

Dustin thought he had totally hit the jackpot when, during our first Valentine's Day together, he found out that I really despised the holiday. If my memory serves me correctly we didn't buy each other anything for that first Day of Love and that tradition continued until only a few years ago after Kennedy was born. Still, after 8+ years of marriage and another year of dating, we have never gone out to dinner on V Day. I have never wanted to fight the crowds, fall into the commercial trap of one day with my dear husband being more meaningful or important just because of the date on the calendar. I guess you could say I was an Anti Valentine's Day. (Who knew that was turning into a money maker, also?)

Over the last couple of years, though, my heart has started to change toward the holiday. On KJ's first special Valentine's Day we bought each other very small gifts, and as she has gotten older we have fallen into the trap of everything "cute" about the holiday. Who wouldn't fall in 'love' with this set up from Pottery Barn kids?

What momma of a little girl can resist all of that pink and red as soon as you walk in the door of Hobby Lobby? Who can turn their nose up at doing a cute craft with hearts and doilies with the special little someone in your life? And who in their right mind (besides Nicci @ Nix9to5) doesn't like the chocolate that comes with the day?

So, yes, I've had a little change of heart. Dustin and I even have special dinner reservations that night. Maybe I'm a bit of a romantic after all.

Confession Number 79: We Are Having Fun

2011-01-21T08:33:00.000-06:00

The little snow storm that came through yesterday morning covered us with a nice thick blanket of the white stuff and as much as it prevents us from getting around and doing everyday activities, it helps us to slow down a little bit and enjoy some nice family time. With not many people getting out and about to stop by the bank yesterday, Dustin came home early to take Kennedy out to play in the snow. We started in our own front yard, sledding down the small slope....

She was having so much fun! Of course she quickly realized going back up the hill wasn't nearly as much fun as coming down...

Our friends, soon to be new neighbors, The Morrows came down and got us to go sledding behind the golf cart up at their grandma's house. I have to say, I've sled behind a four wheeler. I've sled behind a farm truck. A golf cart? That was a new one for me, but it worked great! I guess it is sledding, Grand Lake style. Kennedy took it slow....

Hannah and Jackson were a little more daring....

We had lots of fun spending time with each other and with some great friends. Miss Megan even shared her delicious chocolate chip cookies with us. So worth getting out in the cold!
With area schools out again today, I sense a lot more fun in the snow in our future. I guess all this white stuff does have a silver lining.

Confession Number 78: Here We Go Again!

2011-01-20T08:22:00.000-06:00

Editor's Retraction: Dustin came home for lunch yesterday and said, "you make me sound like a slave driver!" in response to a comment I made in yesterday's post on how the house wasn't going to be spotless when he got home. In his defense, I would like to clear the air. He, in no way, shape, or form requires a spotless house. Actually, our house is never spotless, even if I did spend the day cleaning. Oh, and that load of towels I said needed to be done? They are still sitting in the hamper in the bathroom. Yay for productivity!! Ha!

January has hit again, and as I speak, fine little icy snow flakes are falling outside. Dustin has already measured 3" of the white stuff in our front yard this morning. I have to say, if I'm going to be stuck inside because of the weather, this is what I want. It truly looks like a winter wonderland out my back windows. It is simply beautiful, although I feel terrible for the little squirrel running around from tree to tree. I sure hope he has a stash of nuts somewhere! Maybe I should throw him a pecan. Or an almond. You think squirrels eat almonds?

I haven't moved too fast this morning, sitting here in my big fluffy robe with the fire going, half caff coffee in hand. It is just kind of a slow day, although I do have high hopes for at least getting that pesky load of towels washed. I'm nothing if I'm not ambitious. I am planning a little Toy Story, Wii playing and, of course, snow playing. But then what? Chances are we'll be stuck inside tomorrow, too. So, what to do then? Here is my plea to all of you parents out there...What are your favorite snow day activities? Once you can't watch another movie and you have exhausted all of the video game playing there is, then what? I'm sure DHS would frown on me locking KJ outside. I promise I would throw her a nut. Of course, she might have to fight the squirrel.

Confession Number 77: I'm Being a Stay at Home Mom Today

2011-01-19T09:40:00.000-06:00

I took a shower this morning and slid into some super comfy black lounge maternity pants and a grey t-shirt. My feet went back into the new grey slippers I bought myself for Christmas. My hair is still a mess and my make up has remained in it's bag. At least I took the time to brush my teeth before kissing Dustin off to work. You see, KJ and I are staying home.

Since moving into our new home my stay at home mom routine has changed drastically. There are chores to be done, errands to be ran and appointments to go to. It seems like I'm always too busy doing everything else to do what I quit my "job" to stay home and do, which is to spend time with Kennedy. To love on her and play with her and watch her grow and learn. Our new routine works for us on most days, but there are times when we just need to slow down and have a play day.

That is exactly what we are doing today. We've shared a yummy breakfast and danced to the Mickey Mouse theme song. Later, we are going to do Valentine crafts and puzzles and this afternoon we'll decorate some cupcakes I had thrown in the freezer. At some point we'll get her letter sack done for school tomorrow and we might even get dinner fixed for tonight. So, honey, I'm sorry, but the house won't be spotless when you get home and the laundry probably isn't going to get done today (except for maybe the towels we NEED washed desperately), but I'm spending the day doing exactly what we wanted me to do almost two years ago when we made this decision: Being Mom to our daughter.

Confession Number 76: We Finally Did It

2011-01-18T08:24:00.000-06:00

First of all, I want to thank everyone for your prayers and kind words last week while we were awaiting my testing for gestational diabetes. After being poked like a pin cushion, we finally got the results from my doctor that my blood sugar levels were perfectly normal during my three hour glucose test. Yay! They were actually very, very good. I was so excited when we found out I celebrated with a glass of peach tea and some chocolate! I'm not sure why I was so out of whack during the first test, but it really doesn't matter now. We are so very thankful for a faithful God who continues to bless and provide for us and for great friends who support us no matter what we are going through.

We do have a little announcement today! After much discussion and deliberation Dustin and I have finally agreed on a name for Baby Brother. I'm so excited for him to have a name. It just makes the entire pregnancy feel more real and makes us feel like he is already a part of our family. Without any further delay....Baby Brother's name will be......

Colton Dean Matthews

We will call him Cole, but we liked the way Colton sounded with the middle name we had choosen for him, Dean. Dean is Dustin's dad's middle name and we love the old flair and coolness that it adds. Cole Matthews. Doesn't that just sound like a football name? I think so. I think it is absolutely perfect and I can't wait to hold sweet baby Cole in my arms!

Confession Number 75: I've Turned It Over

2011-01-13T07:54:00.001-06:00

I'm sitting here this morning in the waiting area at Integris Grove Hospital. Thankfully, it is a beautiful, new hospital facility with a great waiting room. Unfortunately, I'm here to be stuck, stuck, and stuck again. You may have read on my Facebook that I was here on Tuesday for my routine glucose tolerance test. I got the call late Tuesday afternoon that my blood sugar levels were are little high, so I needed to take another, three hour test. So, here I am this morning, having fasted and enjoying the quiet time as I wait for my next blood draw.

I took the news that my blood sugar was out of whack much harder than I ever thought I would. The thought of having gestational diabetes, the thought of not having the perfect pregnancy, hit me hard. I was scared...for Baby Brother and for myself. I was scared that 50% of women with gestational diabetes develops Type II later in life. I was scared to learn that babies of moms who have gestational diabetes are at higher risk of being overweight, both at birth and as they grow. I am mad at my body for, in my crazy mind, turning on me and not doing what it is supposed to do. I'm worried about Baby Brother's sugar levels being stable after birth. I'm mad because I don't have one, not ONE, risk factor for gestational diabetes. I'm scared of getting sick during the test. I'm aggrevated of having to have blood drawn four seperate times in three hours.

Then I have to remind myself, this isn't a diagnosis. I'm just having further testing done. And no matter what the outcome, God is in control. He is in control of this test, He is in control of the outcome and the health of both Baby Brother and myself. Sometime yesterday I came to a great peace with this little bump in the road. I completely and totally turned it over to God. What else is there to do? Me worrying about it and stressing over it isn't going to make it any better or make it go away. It isn't going to change the outcome, but me turning it over to God is going to make me healthier, is actually me being able to DO something about it. And for this control crazy woman, that is saying something.

Confession Number 74: I'm Speed Cleaning

2011-01-12T10:00:00.000-06:00

We got a call from a great friend of Dustin's family last night saying that he was in the area and wanted to come up and see us. We love Mike dearly and miss seeing him even more since he and his wife Janie made like geese and migrated toward the warmer weather, and their kids, in south Texas. Dustin told him to get his butt up here and Mike said, "Great! I'll be there around 11 tomorrow".

Thankfully the house wasn't horrible. Not great, but not horrible. So, I'm in speed cleaning mode this morning because the problem with having a brand new house is that everyone wants the grand tour. It is amazing what making the beds and sweeping the floors can do for a house. I can't spend much more time here this morning, because I still need to get my Cinderella on, but I'm dying to know, what is your "clean house in a hurry" trick? I think I'll need to resort to them more and more once Baby Brother comes and deep cleaning gets pushed to the back burner.

Who am I kidding? Deep cleaning is ALWAYS pushed to my back burner!

Confession Number 73: I'm Getting Ready

2011-01-11T08:06:00.000-06:00

This week marks the last week of my second trimester of this pregnancy. In some ways the time has flown by and in other ways it has seemed to crawl.

Now I find myself faced with the long list of "must get dones" before Baby Brother makes his appearance. To me, this is the fun part. The part where we begin decorating the nursery, hanging the baby clothes in the closet and getting everything else done around the house. I've been lost in baby mode for the last few days: checking out swatches of fabric online, thinking about buying KJ new furniture, and going through a tub of hand me downs from a friend.

We, somewhat easily, agreed on a nursery theme. We are doing vintage sports with the whole room being built around a jersey of Dustin's and a jersey of Papa Jerry's from long ago. Each will be framed and hung on the wall. Papa Lynn already gave Baby Brother his "first baseball" for display and I'm sure we won't have a hard time finding some old footballs and basketballs to put here and there.

I'm loving shopping on Etsy this time around, which is where I found the main fabric for his room....

Hopefully I can talk Mimi into making his crib skirt. There are also coordinating fabrics we can use for his curtains, blankets, etc. And I'm infatuated with this custom made crib mobile on Etsy...

Which she will make in any fabric to match his bedding.

There are so many things I want to get accomplished around the house before he gets here. Finish the guest room, trying to make it as nice and comfy as possible for, what I'm sure will be, Weezie's extended stay. Finish (or at least start) decorating our bathroom. Reorganize and repurpose the upstairs playroom for two kids and to sleep an extra guest or two. Find Dustin a desk for his office and, most importantly, get Baby Brother's room all ready for his big arrival. That is a lot to get done! I'm sure it won't all happen, but everything will be perfect, just because he will be here!

Confession Number 72: January Isn't My Favorite

2011-01-10T08:18:00.000-06:00

Brrrr. It's cold here in our neck of the woods this morning and it looks like it is only going to get worse. I've never been a big fan of winter. I was an educator for Pete's sake. What teacher says, "oh, I just LOVE January!"? None. Not one. We LOVE June and July and some of us even like August. But January? Ummm. Not so much.

Our first true taste of cold winter weather is moving in this week, complete with a dusting of snow, and I have to say, I'm not too excited about it. I have things to do, people to see and a kid to take to preschool. I'd really rather not do it with morning lows hovering around 9 degrees!!

In the spirit of not being totally pessimistic on this Monday morning, I will admit that, yes, there is something magical about getting in some snuggle time with your significant other or little one in front of the fire, watching a movie, drinking something warm and frothy as the first snowflakes cover the ground. I do love watching Kennedy's face as we play in the fluffy white stuff. And it is pretty as it is falling on the trees and covering the grass. I guess it isn't so bad, after all.

Confesion Number 71: A Deja Vu Kind of Morning

2011-01-07T10:03:00.001-06:00

A few months ago Dustin and I decided to buy up some of the lots surrounding our house. They were a great investment for Dustin and for me they were insurance that we were going to have some physical space around our home.

Fast forward a month or so later and some good friends of ours approached us about wanting to build a house in the neighborhood. As soon as Dustin mentioned it to me, the first words out of my mouth were, "I want them to buy the lot next door!". Dustin agreed and after a night of visiting the decision was made. It was official. They were joining, what I lovingly refer to as, "the curve".

You see, we live along the back street of our neighborhood, smack dab in the middle of a big U in the street. All but two houses that surround us have small kids. Maybe I should rephrase that. All but two houses that surround us have small GIRLS. Ten girls in five houses. LOTS of young estrogen on our street. To say that our street is girly is an understatement. This past summer the girls across the street were having, what I thought was a lemonade stand over the 4th of July. Um, no. It was a makeover stand. See what I mean???

We've become more and more excited about the neighbors moving in and building because of many reasons, but one is that they are adding three kids to the mix, two of which are boys. While I feel somewhat sad that Jackson (the 5 yr old) is destined to a life of princess dresses and makeover stands, I'm super excited for Sam (the 5 month old) and Baby Brother to have each other to help fight off all of the girlyness around here. I can't wait for the path to form between our back doors and for the joint parties I'm sure that will be taking place.

Here was the scene outside our upstairs window this morning....

It brought back tons of memories of our own building experience. We are on almost exactly the same timeline as them (you can read about our own building experience here, then follow the "I'm Getting Excited" series). We know their anticipation, frustration and excitement. Hopefully we can be a good source for them to vent it all! Happy Building Morrow Family! And welcome to the neighborhood!

Confession Number 70: Sometimes 'Crummy' Won't Cut It

2011-01-06T09:56:00.000-06:00

I'm not a potty mouth. I'm really not. Excessive cussing really drives me up the wall. However, I do strongly believe that sometimes "shoot", "fiddle", "dang", or in the words of my mother, "fooey dooey" just won't cut it.

Sometimes you need to drop a word for effect. I *might* have whispered in a few teenage ears, "if you don't stop acting like an a*s I'm going to make your life miserable". Normally that got a chuckle and their behavior turned on a dime. Yes, I have great classroom management skills. I might just write a book on it someday. And I might have just ruined my chances of ever getting a job in education again. Another of a million reasons why I like big kids, not little ones.

Sometimes a certain word makes physical pain a little easier to bear. Wanna know the first time I EVER dropped the f-bomb? I ran, shin first, into the point on a marble top coffee table in my parents house at night. Unfortunately, I was a teenager and mom and dad were in the room. I think they laughed. I have a permanent dent in my shin bone from that damn coffee table.

Sometimes you just can't do justice in explaining your day to people without using a specific word. For instance, Mom called the other day. It was a little after noon and I was trying to get the house ready for company and a New Year's Eve gathering. The conversation went something like this....

Mom: So, what are you up to?
Me: Oh, just trying to get things done around here. It's kind of been a sh*tty day.
Mom: (Giggles) Well, okay.
Me: Literally. A sh*tty, sh*tty day.

Let me explain. We've had issues with KJ and her, um, bowl movements (not sure why I'm being so politically correct all of a sudden) for a while. You may have read about some of our issues here, here or here. I guess I really like to write about poop. Anyway, I knew she needed to go, so I sat her on the potty. And left her there. For like 20+ minutes. Before you go calling DHS on me, I didn't LEAVE, but I knew she wouldn't go with me sitting there, staring at her, getting us both more frustrated by the minute. So, I went in the baby's room, which connects to the bathroom and would check on her every couple of minutes.
Well, I guess she had gone a little bit, but not enough for it to fall into the potty and when she squirmed around her seat it got all over her and the toilet. Great. Clean up job number one. Yes, I said number one. I clean her enough to get her into the tub, then proceed to clean her bathroom from top to bottom. While I'm at it I might as well, right?
After I was finished she still wanted to play a bit, so I told her I was going to go move the laundry over and I'd be back and we would get out. Fast forward all of about 2 minutes. I turn to corner into the living room and meet her, soaking wet, with brown hands.

KJ: Mommy, mommy, I went poo poo in the potty!
Me: Greeeeaaaattttt.

I guess what she meant to say was that she went poop, but didn't quite make it to the potty, so she picked it up and put it in the potty, but it was on her hands, so she proceeded to try to get it off of her hands by wiping them all over the potty, then tried to clean herself up by crawling back in the bathtub. So, I cleaned her bathroom from top to bottom for the second time and moved her to my bathtub where I bathed her for the second time in like, 10 minutes.

Crummy, poopy, messy. Nope. None of them cut it. It was just a sh*tty day.

Picture of the Week

2011-01-05T13:07:00.000-06:00

I've decided to share a special picture with you each week. It might be a new one, it might be from the "archives", but needless, it will be one that is special to my heart. Without delay the very first Picture of the Week.....

Ahhh. My heart is happy.

Confession Number 69: The Tale of Two Christmases

2011-01-04T10:25:00.000-06:00

Christmas, for us, is a whirlwind time with family that we don't get to see often enough. Some years we have spent more time on the road than we do actually relaxing around the Christmas tree, but we love every minute of it. The last few years we have settled into a Christmas routine that, for right now, is working for everyone involved. We leave on the 23rd to travel to see my sisters in Enid. My mom comes up on the 24th. After opening presents on Christmas morning we drive to Texas to see Dustin's folks and spend Christmas evening, again, opening presents. The drive is a bit long, but as long as there isn't a snow and ice storm that gets in our way, it is a welcome break between the sessions of tearing open gifts and allows KJ (and whoever is the privileged passenger) to take a much needed nap.

The two experiences couldn't be further apart from each other in how they are handled and it is really quite nice that they each have their traditions and nuances. On my side, Kennedy is the 8th of 9 grandchildren for my mom. We don't see all of them each year, and their ages range from 17 to 3, but anytime you get a group of kids together you are going to have a bit of chaos.....

Kennedy is the only grandchild on Dustin's side (for a few more months) so, there, things are a tad calmer....

Because of it being Christmas morning and the arrival of Santa, things are off to an early start in Enid....

I have to say, this year wasn't so bad. It was a little after 7:30 when everyone woke up for good. Notice our nephew, Justus, sleeping in the chair in the background. I think he moved in to check his loot around 2 am. In years past the kids (our nieces and nephews) would wake us up in the 6ish range. I have a feeling those years are in our near future with Miss Kennedy.

The Matthews celebration happens much later in the evening, after a yummy Mexican dinner. Usually with the sights and sounds of a football game in the background...

With so many kids, once we start opening presents, the wrapping paper starts flying and parents are doing well to know what their kids received until they start yelling that something isn't being packed up for the trip home. Thank yous are yelled out across the room and one present might not have all the tape ripped off before they start digging in to the next one. Again, this has gotten much better in recent years, as the other kids have gotten older. Finally, once clean up begins, Kennedy gets to play with a present or two before they are packed up and sent to the car....

Later that night is much more calm and organized. Aunt Mallory, as Santa's helper, makes each person a stack and we take turns opening gifts and offering proper gratitude....

Needless to say, each experience is totally it's own. And it is perfect. Kennedy spends the first couple of days of our vacation playing hard and going fast. She has so much to do and so many people to command around it isn't even funny. Then the last couple of days she gets to rest, have some KJ time (which she needs) and gets the undivided attention of her Texas family. The first is hectic and a ton of fun, the second is relaxing and restfull. It is the perfect combination and I wouldn't change it for the world!

Confession Number 68: I'm All About the Traditions

2011-01-03T09:27:00.000-06:00

I feel like I can finally take a deep breath (figuratively, not literally, I am 6+ months pregnant. I gave up breathing deeply weeks ago) after our usual Christmas travels. Each year this time gets so busy and hurried and I realized this morning after looking over my little piece of real estate on the World Wide Web, that I haven't shared one single Christmas picture with you. So, if you tune in to stay in touch with our little family, you'll love the next few days. I'm preparing a montage of Matthews Christmas Traditions, starting with our trip to the Christmas Train. I hope you enjoy.

I love creating new traditions with our family and holding on to older ones. The Holidays are the perfect time of year to practice family traditions. Not to mention we make memories that Kennedy and, soon, Baby Brother (he still needs a name, poor guy) will cherish for a lifetime. One of the traditions we started last year was to travel to Dry Gulch to ride the Christmas Train and see Santa. This year Weezie and Papa Lynn were able to join us for our outing. I knew Mom would love it! Aren't they the cutest thing?

I love going. Dry Gulch is an area created by Church on the Move in Tulsa that leaves you feeling like you spent an evening back around the turn of the century. The 20th century, not the 21st, although those weren't such bad times, either. The old time, steam engine train takes it's passengers on a ride through the creation, birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The live scenes are awesome and it is the perfect conversation starter with young children. Kennedy was able to absorb much more this year and I'll surely be praying for a bit more guidance on how to answer her questions next year.

It wasn't nearly as cold as it was last year, which was quite nice. We also changed our plans and went on a Thursday evening. HIGHLY recommended! The crowd was less than half with a super short wait for the main attraction. Here are the girls showing off their boarding passes for the train....

Like I said earlier, next year I'll try to be more mentally prepared for Kennedy's questions. During the crucifixion scene the narrator said, "Jesus cried out, Father, Father!" and in her three-year-old very worried voice she asked, "Mommy, why is Jesus crying?"

One thing I love about the Christmas Train is that they do a wonderful job in combining the Christmas Story with the story of Santa. I use Santa as a teaching tool with Kennedy on the importance of giving to others, especially those who are less fortunate than us. KJ has always been super with the Big Guy and crawls right up on his lap. This year, she even got to chat with Mrs. Clause...

With the crowd being so much smaller this year, I felt like we could actually relax and enjoy the entire Dry Gulch experience. We wondered through the shops and, of course, shared some cinnamon roll and hot chocolate goodness at Barnett Bakery. KJ and Daddy even took a spin on the carousel...

It was a great night and these are memories I'll cherish forever. We'll see how it goes next year with a 9 month old, but this night is truly one of my favorites of the entire season!

Confession Number 67: Oh, I Love A Rainy Night!

2010-12-31T08:06:00.000-06:00

It has been forever since we have had any measurable form of precipitation in our neck of the woods. The earth was parched and the lake was low. A cold front is heading our way, destined to ruin the humid, balmy December temperatures we have had the last few days. It was a combo perfect for a good, old fashioned, spring like rainstorm.
It started moving through sometime early this morning. I woke up, heard the pounding on my windows, smiled to myself and cuddled a little deeper into the covers. I love, love, love sleeping in the rain. The storm would come and go, and it started up again a little before 6:30. For the first time ever we hear the pitter patter of little feet coming across the living room whispering, "Mommy! Mommy! I'm scared. Can I get in bed with you?" Dustin gets out of bed to pick her up and lift her under the covers where she immediately snuggles up with both of us for the next 30 minutes. The best morning EVER. I'm loving this rainy night....or morning.

Confession Number 66: It is Pouring

2010-12-09T09:57:00.000-06:00

I need this. I need to sit down and pound this out on my keyboard, because if I didn't have you all to whine to I might just go lay in bed in the fetal position crying, and Lord knows I don't have the time for a pity party. So, I need you to listen to me vent for a minute, okay? I need to sit down here, taking out all of my frustrations on these keys and sip on some coffee. Momma really needs a glass of wine (yes, at 9:30 in the morning), but my half caff coffee is going to have to be good enough for now. For some reason, I'm thinking that really isn't a fair trade.

You know the old adage "When it rains, it pours". Well, it is pouring at our house. Pouring broken things. Now, I'm going to start this off by saying it really has gotten to the point that it is funny. It is such a blessing that we have the capabilities to handle all of these broken things. I know that God is up there planning some big lesson for Dustin and I. You think he'd listen if I told him I was ready to learn? That he had my attention? I know that all of these things are so little, and for that, I am truly, truly grateful. That is what is making it humorous at this point.

This story begins the week before Thanksgiving. On my way to a MOPS night meeting I realized that my heater wasn't working in the truck. Great, I thought. That will be a nice, expensive fix on a vehicle we really aren't planning on having much longer. A few days later it overheated in the middle of town. We knew I had a slow leak of "something", but wasn't sure what it was. Well, it was coolant and I was just about dry, hence why the heater wasn't working. A refill on coolant and the truck was working great again until two days ago, when I started overheating after taking KJ to school. So, we put the truck on ice for a couple of days and we have been living with one car. Actually, not that bad of a deal, but, still, needs to be fixed.

The day after Thanksgiving I walked into the laundry room to notice water all over the floor. After a little investigation, I open the deep freeze to find a cool, not freezing cold, interior. Luckily, the food was all still fine. It could all fit into our fridge freezers. A call to a local appliance repair place found that it was leaking Freon. A $200 fix on a $400 freezer. Dustin and I agreed it wasn't worth it.

Tuesday we got a call from a friend at the City of Grove. "Um, Dustin, this is Stephanie. I think you have a problem. Your meter reads that you have used 35,000 gallons of water this month." Really?!?! What is up with all the leaking around here?!?! God Bless Steph and the very nice meter reader, who didn't have to bring it to our attention. We could have just gotten the water bill in the mail. Then we would be dealing with a cardiologist bill on top of everything else. This is why I am loving being back in a small town!!

This morning Dustin took my truck to work, not wanting to put his daughter and pregnant wife in a car that might break down on the side of the road. I get KJ all ready for school and off we go out to the car, which won't start. I just sat in the driver's seat and laughed.

Thankfully most of these issues have a glimmer of a silver lining. We have been pre-approved for a loan to buy me a new car. Yes, it is a couple of months before we wanted, but we can afford it, so not a HUGE deal. My mom has a freezer she isn't using, so they are bringing it up to us next week. At the very least we will be able to borrow it until we find a few extra hundred dollars to buy a new one. The ginormous water leak is in our new irrigation system. Yes, my nice, new, pretty yard will need to be torn back up, but since it is their fault, it should be good as new once they are finished. I'm pretty sure the issue with Dustin's car is that the electric battery needs to be charged. Easy fix, but, of course, we can't find the charger.

During this time of year we all get busy with this and that, and trust me, all of these "issues" are not helping that, but God has given me a peace that these are just "things". Everyone is healthy, we are happy and have an abundance of blessings to be thankful for. I need to be reminded of that every once in a while, and Lord, I promise, I have been. So, until God is convinced that I have learned me lesson, could someone please hand me an umbrella? I'm soaked over here.

Confession Number 65: It Is Funny What You Remember

2010-12-08T08:43:00.000-06:00

Memories are a funny thing, don't you think? They make you laugh, make you smile and they have a way of sneaking up on you and biting you on the butt when you least expect it. Memories are God's little gift from the past.

I remember seeing my husband for the first time across a crowded resturant in LA.
I remember my parents taking us to "see the lights" in OKC when my brother came home for the first time in years.
I remember the fear of going to a new school.
I remember the overwhelming joy when Dustin handed our daughter to me for the first time.
I remember getting balloons at school from Daddy on Valentine's Day.
I remember watching Pee Wee Herman on Saturday mornings.
I remember the tears streaming down my face as I sat in an empty house in Piedmont the day we left.
I remember the rush of my first kiss.
I remember the peace of knowing I found the man to spend the rest of my life with.
I remember the family of little girls we helped get clean and dressed for the Christmas Program when I was a freshman in HS.

It is truly funny what you remember. You never know what moment in your life, or what action you do to impact someone else's life is going to make a difference. Some of these memories are simply that, memories. Others altered the way I live my life.

Today I enjoy remembering Daddy. His life, the gifts he shared with countless others, the impact he made as a father to four kids. It is also amazing what you DON'T remember. Thankfully I don't remember every little detail about his illness. I remember bits and pieces. Some of them are even funny. On this, his 10th Angel Wing Day, I'm not going to think about the sad times, but the happy memories that God has blessed me with.

Confession Number 64: It Was Worth Every Penny

2010-11-22T09:00:00.001-06:00

So, we have been in the house for about six months now. We have slowly, but surely, made it our home, adding touches here and there. One of the things that has absolutely driven me crazy is that we had never gotten around to doing the yard. We lived in a great big pile of dirt and rocks all summer. I wish I would have taken pictures of it to remind me of what it was like. To remind me how far we have come and to remind me how much I hated those rocks when I'm complaining about mowing all this grass!

Our neighbors have been great through our "moving in" process. Sure, I had a lady stop about a month ago as I was checking the mail and ask if we had already changed our address. I mumbled back, "um, we moved in 5 months ago" and sheepishly walked up the driveway. I heard, "Oh. Well, welcome to the neighborhood" as I slithered away. Yes, I had a smarty pants neighbor text me, "Why don't you mow your rocks, they are getting unruly." He was just excited someone else's yard was worse than his. Tee heee heee. On a whole, though, they stuck with us through a long, hot, dry summer and lovingly endured our rock yard.

A few weeks ago Dustin and I broke down and hired someone to bring in good dirt, install the sprinkler system and lay new, pretty, lush sod. Yes, it was expensive, and yes, it was worth the wait. One cool, fall day our yard was transformed into a grassy haven, one six foot length of sod at a time...

My back still hurts for those guys. 17,000 sq. ft of sod later we had a beautiful, beautiful yard. It was finished last Friday. We spent Sunday doing this....

and this....

and this...

Try doing that in a rock garden.

Confession Number 63: My Most Expensive Trip

2010-11-19T15:04:00.000-06:00

Maybe it is because it is the Holiday season. Maybe it is because the heater in my truck is blowing cool air and I'm thinking it may be an expensive fix. Maybe it is because it was the topic of our guest speaker last night at MOPS. I'm not sure of the reason, but I've felt the urge, the need, to save money lately. I was excited to see some great deals at Homeland this week since I was needing to stock the cupboards for our Thanksgiving festivities next week. I wasn't sure how the trip would turn out, but I think I fared pretty well.....

Here is what is hidden in this stash and how it broke down:

Country Crock Mac and Cheese $1.29

Best Choice Sugar $1.49

Cook's Ham (6+ lbs.) $9.54

Best Choice Flour (2 bags at .99 each) $1.98

Stove Top Stuffing (6 boxes at ZILCH) FREE!

Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup (2 cans at .19 each) .38

Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup (2 cans at .19 each) .38

Sister Schubert's Rolls (2 pkgs at $1.25 each) $2.50

Cool Whip (2 containers at .79 each) $1.58

Pillsbury Pie Crusts (2 pkg. at $1.50 each) $3.00

Rhoades Sticky Buns .49

Kayro Syrup $1.20

Green Giant Corn FREE

Green Giant Peas FREE

Nestle Chocolate Chips (2pkgs. at .66 each) $1.33

I also had a $5 off my total order of $30 or more coupon, so my total, with tax, came to $22.84!

Some of you are saying, "Charla makes pancakes from scratch, like she is going to use 6 boxes of Stovetop Stuffing!" Well, you are right. Honestly, I've never even tasted the stuff, but if I can get it for free, there are families out there who could really use it. I'll donate it to a local food bank to help out a family who is hurting this Holiday season.

One of my favorite things about couponing is that I can try new products for a lower price. Some of you are screaming, "You are falling into the coupon trap!" Well, possibly, but take this for example: I have always wanted to try the Country Crock sides. They look totally yummy, not to mention easy, but the price has always been a little high for me. Today, I could try a new product, for a fraction of the cost. It made a super simple and yummy lunch for KJ and I. Will I buy it again? If I find a good deal on it, probably, yes. I matched it with carrots and apples and we both went back for seconds.

Wanting to get in on your own Homeland deals? Look up your local Homeland ad at http://www.homelandstores.com/, then also check out the match ups at http://www.simplesavingsavvy.net/. Click on "Homeland" on the right side of the screen for the latest coupon/sale matchups. While this was my largest Homeland trip to date, I still think it turned out pretty well. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Confession Number 59: Favorites, Money Saving Sites

2010-11-10T08:32:00.000-06:00

I've been promising you this post for a long time, and with Christmas knocking on the door, I decided it was time to get you all saving some money! These are my favorite online ways to shave some money off of your budget. I've used them all and they are legit. I love a good deal!

*Groupon- This is probably the site I've been using the longest. They are a daily deal site for a specific area. For example, if you are in the NE Oklahoma area, like me, you would want to sign up for the Tulsa Groupon. They would send you a new deal each day, usually for a local business. Sometimes they offer a deal on a website, so anyone can purchase, no matter where you are, and occasionally they will offer a national deal for a big chain. The deals are normally at least 50% off the regular purchase price. The one today for Tulsa is 73% off game tokens at a game/arcade place in Jenks. If you are into that sort of thing, it is a great deal! I have purchased Groupons for Gap, Shutterfly, Shiloh's (a Tulsa restaurant), a plant nursery in Pryor, and I even purchased one from Long Island for a stamped jewelry website. They have all been used for things I was going to buy anyway, something special for our family, or as gifts. I've also heard of people checking out Groupon for a city they were visiting on vacation. What a great way to shave money off of your entertainment and gift budget! Signing up for Groupon is FREE and you can visit them here.

*Living Social- Living Social is another daily deal site, like Groupon. I've been getting their email updates for Tulsa for quite awhile, but today was actually my first time to purchase a deal from them. They were offering 50% off that awesome "home cooking" restaurant Shiloh's I mentioned above with Groupon. You will see a lot of businesses using both Groupon and Living Social at different times, so double the savings for you! Again, an easy way to save money doing things you would do anyway. Today's OKC deal is for a 4 pack of tickets to the Science Museum Oklahoma. A great family outing if you have school aged kiddos. Seems like a no brainer to me! Sign up for Living Social updates here.

*Ebates- This site is the easiest way to save money for those of us who shop online. Sign up for Ebates and get money back on most of your online purchases. Once your Ebates account reaches a certain amount, you'll get money from Ebates...either via check or Paypal. It is that easy! Most stores offer an extra 2-5% off, which doesn't seem like much, but adds up, especially this time of year when my online shopping increases ten fold. Wanna know something great? Go to your Ebates account first, then search "Groupon" and get an extra 3% off of your Groupon purchase! How cool is that? Right now, Ebates is offering even higher cash back options for certain stores to encourage your online shopping for Christmas. I sense a big Ebates deposit coming my way! Sign up for Ebates here and get a gift card to one of your favorite stores....just for signing up!

*Shop At Home- This site is like Ebates. It isn't as easy to maneuver their site, but lately, they have been having higher cash back rates, so I've actually been using them more than Ebates. They also work with different stores, so if one store you are wanting to shop from isn't on Ebates, they might be on Shop At Home or vice versa. You DON'T have to download anything to use the online shopping feature of Shop At Home and once your account reaches $20, they will send you your money. Again, a great way to get a better deal on stuff you are already buying. I check both Ebates and Shop At Home before I purchase anything online. Sign up for Shop At Home here.

*Swag Bucks- This is probably the easiest to use site I'm listing here today and it is way different from the others. This is a search engine where you earn points, or Swag Bucks, just for searching the web. You then can spend your points on all sorts of prizes. I recently bought three $5 Amazon gift cards with the points I've earned since mid-September. Not too shabby. I highly recommend downloading the Swagbucks Toolbar, which will appear at the top of your screen, similar to a Google or Yahoo searching toolbar. You randomly are awarded Swagbucks based on what you search and how often you search. Consistency is the key to earning Swagbucks, so I use my toolbar instead of just typing in the web address. Instead of typing in http://www.charlasconfessions.com/, I simply type "charlas confessions" into the Swagbucks toolbar, then click on the link. That gives me a higher chance of earning Swagbucks in a given day. I've already won 10 this morning! I'm hoping this will become an easy way to reduce our gift budget. Sign up for Swagbucks here.

I'm sure there are other sites that I use to save money, but these are the ones I love and that I use most often. If you have a site, I'd love to hear about it! Share it with us in the comments section. I hope these help you keep a little more green in your pocket as you start, or for you over achievers, finish your Christmas shopping.

Confession Number 62: I am a Chi Omega

2010-11-05T08:15:00.000-05:00

Maybe the true confession here is that I was a sorority girl in college. Yes, I was that girl, although hardly any of us met the stereotype given to this group. I put in my four years, then, I'm somewhat ashamed to admit, I kind of went about my life. I got married, I started my career, I got my Master's degree, I had kids. It wasn't until I became a stay at home mom that I realized that a lot of who I was today was because of my days as a collegiate Chi Omega.
My days as Community Service Chair taught me the importance of giving back to others in need, something that is a large aspect of our family today. Time spent as Sisterhood Chair helped me understand that women need other women to sharpen them and be the best they can be. The best mom, wife, worker, friend. My year spent as Personnel officer? That taught me that sometimes rigidity isn't as important as flexibility. An important aspect as an educator and a parent.
I've reconnected with a lot of my Chi O sisters, mostly through email and Facebook, and others, sadly, I've totally lost contact with over the years.

Chi Omega was founded at the University of Arkansas, and as a girl who grew up in southwest Oklahoma, I always felt like Fayetteville was a lifetime away. Low and behold a move to northeast Oklahoma a little over a year ago brought us only about an hour away from Fayetteville and U of A. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, we took a day trip over to see what all Fayetteville had to offer. I had one goal: I wanted to see the Chi Omega Greek Theater on the U of A campus. After a little research and some careful negotiating of narrow campus streets, Dustin and Lynn found it for me.

I felt like a 30 year old giddy college girl as we looked for it, then I realized this was smack dab in the middle of campus and it was obviously time in between classes and there were a LOT of college kids around. It didn't stop me from jumping out and walking around. Some kids even stopped so Mom could grab this quick picture of me. It was neat, and got me thinking about my time in college with the girls. I love you all and thank you for helping me become the woman I am today!

Confession Number 61: I Love My TV

2010-10-12T10:35:00.000-05:00

As a lot of American families, our TV is a central part of our home. We even made a special place for it when we built our house, specficially made to hold the biggest TV possible.

You would think there would be a discussion between Dustin and I about our television taking such a prominent place in our home, but there wasn't. I agreed to it. Completely! We love watching TV. In the summer our TV watching time goes down dramatically, but you give us football (lots of football, any football) mixed with the new season of shows and in the fall our DVR fills up quickly. I mean, there is way to much Grey's and Private Practice.....The Good Wife and Big Bang Theory......Two and a Half Men (that's Dustin's guilty pleasure) and 19 Kids and Counting (that is mine) to not have something to watch each night.

Now, we aren't in front of the TV all stinking day. We especially try to limit the amount it is on during the day. Mostly because this is Kennedy when it is on....

She loves her some Playhouse Disney, and I have to admit Dustin and I like our fair share of shows on there. I still sing the dang Chuggington song on a daily basis! During the week, KJ's TV time is really limited to about 30 minutes or so a day, but on the weekends, it is a different story. If there is nowhere for us to be up and off to on a Saturday morning, Dustin or I may lay on the couch, cuddled up with our little girl, for a couple of hours.

After an hour or so of said snuggling this past weekend, I came to the conclusion that right now, we are loving our TV. And I'm not ashamed to admit it. There will be a day, probably much sooner than we realize, where she won't want to lay down and cuddle with mom or dad while watching Saturday morning cartoons anymore. When we won't even see her on a Saturday morning because she will be sleeping until noon. So, for right now, I'm loving my TV and all the cuddles and special times that come with it.

Confession Number 59: Favorites, Fun Blogs

2010-10-07T11:44:00.000-05:00

So, it is been awhile, but I promise, I'm here! In the past ten days I've finally gotten over the I'm so exhausted I can't think straight phase of pregnancy (I hope), survived a surge of HootieMomma orders, went on a mini-vaca, and I'm finally back to semi-normal living for awhile. My house is a disaster, the blog has been lonely, and I'm yearning to plant mums in my pots on the front porch.

For now, as I wait for the dryer to buzz at me, I'm taking some time to pound out the next installment of "I Play Favorites". I wrote about my favorite money saving blogs here, so this time around I wanted to introduce you to a couple of my "friends" (yes, they really are true friends, not just internet friends) that I visit on the blogosphere when I need some laughs or mommy insight or just for fun.

First is my good friend Shannon over at Shannon Gurney Photography. Shannon has been taking our family pictures for the last three years and we LOVE her. There is no other way to put it. I love checking out her blog on a regular basis, even looking at her shots of people I don't know. I'm not some crazy stalker person, I just love her work. She makes the sessions fun and easy, her work is stinkin' amazing, and she is affordable. I love the fact that Shannon sells you a CD of your photos, along with a copyright release so you can order your pictures from wherever you want, whenever you want. Sometimes I've gone back a year later and had more pics printed for one reason or another.
I've been a little obsessed with Shannon and her blog here recently. A couple of weeks ago she took my nephew Joe's senior pictures (could someone please help me with the sudden chest pains I get when I realize that my oldest nephew is a SENIOR?!?!), then a few days after that she had a session with the Wyatt Family. They are great friends of ours that we left behind in OKC when we moved. Our girls are only 3 days apart and we are both expecting baby number two and they should only be a month or so apart. Then, at the beginning of this week, we had our yearly family session with her. I can not send Shannon enough love. She is spectacular and is becoming spectacularly busy with her business. If you are within driving distance of OKC, I highly recommend you get a few clicks of the camera in with Shannon and check out her blog a couple of times a week. You won't regret it!

Next is a long time friend of mine, Megan, from SortaCrunchy fame. I've known Megan since college. She was a Chi Omega advisor of mine, my dorm director and my long time college roommate's big sister. To say she played an important role in how my college years played out is an understatement. I always have viewed Megan as a classy, intelligent woman. Those thoughts continue to be spot-on as you read her blog, SortaCrunchy. Megan writes about a whole host of things including natural living, parenting practices, and religious views. She never fails to entertain and educate, no matter what her topic. She has opened my eyes to new things such as washing my face with oil (verdict still out) and a greener way of life. Her articles on religious views challenge me to seek God in a new way and I love her call to advocacy. Agree with her, don't agree with her, as long as you are respectful, she loves to hear your comments. Megan helps me to strive to be a better mother, a better child of God, and a better member of this big 'ol community we call Earth.

Since I don't have enough to do, I want to know, what blogs do you think I should add to my reading list?

Confession Number 60: It's Been A Good Day

2010-09-23T13:42:00.000-05:00

This morning Dustin mentioned that it had been awhile since I had been bargin shopping at Homeland. Yes. It has. Mostly because they have only had one or two deals I needed each week and I didn't think it was worth my time to drive 15 minutes to Homeland one way. I've been using coupons here and there at Wal-Mart, but Homeland is my stocking up store, so our pantry shelves were getting a little bare.

After surfing my blogs a bit this morning, I realized that there were some pretty good deals this week, so I worked on my list, printed off my coupons and headed to Jay. Here was what I brought back...

Here is what I bought and the price after coupons:

Tidy Cats kitty litter.....49 cents

Friskies kitty treats.....FREE!

Tony's Crispy Crust Pizzas (2 of them)...FREE!

Armour Lunchmakers (2 of them) ...$1 each....no coupon

Oreos.....89 cents

Starkist Tuna....39 cents

Rhoads Warm and Serve Sticky Buns...69 cents

Carnation Evaporated Milk....79 cents each

85/15 Ground Beef....$2.81

1 lb. Baby Carrots....$1...no coupon

Butterflied Pork Chops...$2.03

This came to $11.88 plus tax. Not too shabby!

Some of you might be saying, "Charla, why are you buying kitty stuff? You don't have a cat." Well, actually we do. We have two of them and they have been adopted by Dustin's parents since we left Piedmont. We have felt a little guilty about their rent free living, so I've had my eye out for good cat deals lately to help out.

I want to send a BIG shout out to Amanda at Simply Saving Savvy. She compliles the Homeland deals in OKC, and while my store runs off of a different sales circular, many of the OKC deals are "unadvertised" at my store, so I can double dip. I wrote about why I love SSS here.

By the way, the majority of my coupons were printables, so if you are interested in your own Homeland trip, visit SSS for all of the coupon links.

Happy Saving!

Confession Number 59: Favorites, Money Savings Blogs

2010-09-19T20:17:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I became intrigued by the amount of money my friend Nicci over at Nix9to5 was saving by couponing. I used to clip coupons and use them when I could, but I often found that the store brand was still cheaper than the name brand with the coupon.

I figured out that the secret to couponing was to match your coupons with the store sales and to stock up when things were at a good price. With the help of some useful blogs I find sale/coupon match ups at stores like CVS, Walgreens and Homeland. These blogs also have pointed me to other money saving sites that I'll share with you on another day. I try to visit them at least once a day, usually during Kennedy's nap or while she is busy with something else.

Yes, this takes up a bit of time, and I'm not sure how into it I would be if I were still counseling, but for now, with me staying at home, it works for me and is saving us some money in the process. I am not wild and crazy into it, but I am saving us some money, especially with personal care and toiletry items. I have seen a decrease in the amount of my weekly Wal-Mart trip, and I think most of that is because I rarely buy a non food item there any more. Most of my savings is due to the ladies who write these blogs because they do all the searching and match ups for me. I just have to read, find or print my coupons, make my list and go to the store. There is no telling how much money these women have saved families across the country with all of their hard work.

Simple Saving Savvy- Amanda is the brain behind SSS and it is her goal to save money so her family can give more to others. Sounds good to me! She is located in Oklahoma City and many of her match ups are for stores in the metro area. SSS was the first saving blog I started reading, thanks to Nix9to5. I love her match ups for Walgreens, CVS and Homeland. I have to be careful on the Homeland match ups because my store doesn't always run the same ads as the stores in OKC. She also posts other deals as they come up. Her site is easy to read and follow and is great for beginners. I also won a contest on her site a couple months back, so she is a favorite in my book!

Passion for Savings- I found Passion for Savings by searching for blogs that did match ups for Harps, a local grocery store in our area. Heather writes Passion for Savings and I absolutely love her site! She does tons of match ups for the NW Arkansas area including Harps, Wal-Mart and the drug stores. Unfortunately, her Wal-Mart sales are rarely the same as my Wal-Mart, only an hour away. She loves to save where she can so she can spend where she wants to (for Heather, it is often her designer jeans!). This is the old tell your money where you want it to go philosophy. She also has great links to printable coupons and other saving strategies and sites. I love her links for Swagbucks, Groupons available nationwide and tons of shopping sites! I'll talk all about those another day.

Wild for Wags- I love Christie! She is absolutely the craziest Walgreens shopper I have ever seen! Her entire site is devoted to finding great deals at Walgreens, which, let's face it, is normally sky high. Since there is a Walgreens less than 5 minutes from my house, I love the match ups and scenarios she offers each week. For example, today, I got PAID 11 cents for taking a bottle of dish soap out of the store. Crazy! Want to know how I did it? Check out Wild for Wags and start saving! She also throws in other money saving tips as she runs across them.

I know there are about a bazillion other money saving blogs out there, but these are the three that help me out the most. I hope they can help you too! I've almost found this couponing thing to be a game. How many things can I bring home for the least amount of money? It's fun! I'd love to hear if you have some favorite sites to visit to save you money.

Confession Number 59: I Play Favorites, Intro

2010-09-17T08:35:00.000-05:00

Since staying at home with Kennedy, my eyes have been opened to a whole new world I never really knew existed. There was this whole part of the internet I had never paid attention to before. I wasn't an internet novice. I probably spent 80% of my work day on the computer, but it was the blogosphere and the wide range of topics on the blogosphere that was so shocking.

Over the months I have found many sites that I visit every single day. Some of them are blogs, some are just sites in general. Most of them a friend has suggested to me. A few I found by doing some searching. I have had so many friends ask for my fav sites, especially on the subjects of couponing and saving, that I decided to do a series on my favorite spots to spend time on the web.

Here is the thing, when I do a "series" here on Confessions, I have a hard time keeping up with it. So, you all out there are my accountability partners. You have to stay on top of me to keep this going. You are free to email me, send me a facebook, hollar at me in public, send me harassing text messages, just about anything short of public tar and feathering to remind me to keep posting these awesome sites. Check back often (as in later today) to see the latest in the "I Play Favorites" series.

Oh, and happy Friday!!

Confession Number 58: Kennedy's Confession

2010-09-09T13:09:00.000-05:00

Kennedy has a confession for today. She's been holding in a secret for a few weeks and she just can't keep it to herself any longer....

Confession Number 57: I'm the Mother of a Three Year Old

2010-09-08T09:13:00.000-05:00

Well. It is offical. My baby isn't much of a baby anymore. She is a full blown, independent, demanding, bossy, incredibly cute preschooler. She talks in paragraphs. She learns new things every day. She dances and twirls like no one is watching. She lives for the glass slipper to fit. Okay, yes, yes, she IS my daughter. She was bound to like the whole Cinderella story, right? The shoe fettish is genetic, so maybe I should take the credit for that. She is unbearably cute and loveable one minute and makes us want to pull our hair out the next. All in the day of a three year old.

I've never been one that gets overly emotional on her birthdays. I cried on her first birthday, but it was more because I had to work and couldn't spend the day with her than it was that she was getting older. It has always been my philosophy that if we are doing the job God intended for us, as parents, then our children should grow up, they should get older and become more independent. We'll see if I feel the same way when she turns 16.

This year Kennedy was old enough to pick her own birthday theme and in true fashion she choose princess. We had a little gathering of friends and family to celebrate her big day. Let's just say, she was in heaven!

My very talented friend at Tasty Creations by Julie made her princess birthday cake to match her party invitations...

So, is a crooked crown kind of like a crooked halo? I think so.

Her cake was adorable and sooo yummy! I bought some special sparkler candles for her cake...

Little did I know when I bought them that they were also trick candles. They kept relighting and KJ had a hard time getting them out for good. I received many boos from the crowd that night. I didn't know, I swear!

Like most three year olds, her favorite part was opening presents. There were so many!

We are truly blessed with amazing friends and family, but it really got me thinking about a more simplistic plan for next year. I hate that in her mind a party means presents. Maybe a book exchange or something fun for all of the kids next year.

Three is a lot of fun, but very challenging. Dustin is learning what it is like to be in a house with two females. One minute she is happy, the next she is falling on the floor crying because she didn't want you to get her a new cup. Then you hand it to her and she's completely fine again. And that is just me! Kidding! The emotions run high around here, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

Confession Number 56: I Am One of Them

2010-09-02T12:05:00.000-05:00

Last year a new friend drug me to my first MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) meeting. I have to say, I wasn't overly excited. I was new to this whole Stay At Home Mom thing and sure didn't want to fit into any SAHM stereotype. I wasn't into playing with play doh all day, creating exciting crafts for my daughter on a daily basis, or talking about nothing but kids with a bunch of other women. I was different. I was a professional who was "trying out" this whole full time mommy thing. I wasn't like them.

Boy, was I wrong. I was like them. All of us with little ones at home are like them. "Them" are now some of my closest friends. Most of us don't hang out at the park on a daily basis. Most of us don't relish in a spic and span house. Most of us are doing good to get dinner on the table at night...a special feat for those in the group who don't cook! We don't sit around talking about when baby eats or how many diapers they go through in the day. Actually, when we are together, we rarely talk about our kids in detail at all. We talk about girl things, what to wear, how our husbands don't empty the dishwasher enough, the current issues. We laugh together, we cry together, we pray together.

Don't get me wrong. This is a great group of women who are wonderful to bounce parenting tips off of, but when we are together most of our time is spent in investing in ourselves as women. That, in turn, makes us better mothers, better wives, better friends.

We come away refreshed. Ready to tackle the world for another day. Because, at the very least we got to eat a bite without sharing it with our three-year-old and we were able to sit and chat without kids running around our feet. That is the joy of being in MOPS.

Confession Number 55: I Didn't Cry

2010-09-01T16:42:00.000-05:00

I've been promising a post on Kennedy's first day of school for awhile. I thought I would have all of this free time on my hands once she was at school two days a week. Are you kidding me? What was I thinking? Yesterday was the first time I wasn't booked solid on a school day.

School has been great for all of us. It helps me to better appreciate the time I have with her when we are home and she loves the interaction and learning. Now, if I could only remember to put a show and tell item in her backpack, we'd be all set. Yesterday, she showed her lunchbox. How sad is that?!?

She was so excited on her first day. We got all dressed up and she got her backpack and lunchbox....

She could barely get it off the hook. Since then, she has mastered getting it down...and putting it on, "all by herself".

Then we took the traditional First Day of School picture....

I can't help but wonder how long I'll get to do this before the eye rolling and refusal kicks in. I'm thinking, um, 1st grade? Her Weezie says she looks too little to go to school. I think she looks like such a big girl.

An exciting car ride, in which she wouldn't stop talking, later and we were finally there. There she goes...

She absolutely loves it! It totally and completely wears her out. She is crashed by 8:00 on nights after she has been at school. She's learned lots of new songs, how to speak in front of others, and apparently how to hold hands with Dakota. More to come on that story, later.

As for right now, Dustin and I can proudly say, we made the right decision. She is loving it and two days a week is perfect for her. Whew! Another parenting obstacle overcome....and I didn't even shed a tear!

Confession Number 54: I've Been in a Rut

2010-08-30T10:22:00.000-05:00

Maybe it has been getting used to our new schedule, maybe it is the time of year (I miss August in a high school) or maybe it is one of the other billion things going on in my life, but lately, I've been in a rut. I haven't been blogging, I have been couponing regularly, I really just haven't been doing much of anything that is normal for me lately.

Today is the change of that, though. Life is great! Nothing to be in a rut about! This weeks marks the start of football season, the start of our MOPS year and the start of me being rutless. I'm hoping to get posts up about big things going on in our lives this week. KJ's birthday and first day of school, plus who knows what else. Stick with me, I'm back, I promise!

In the meantime, I think I got kicked out of my couponing rut this weekend. Dustin, KJ and I ran to Tulsa for a little bargin shopping. One of the stops on our list was to CVS. I only recently started shopping at CVS, once I realized their Extra Care Bucks were good for a whole month. Surely long enough for me to go to a larger city that has a CVS to spend them. I had saved up $18 in Extra Care Bucks and they were about to expire. There weren't a ton of things I needed that CVS had on sale, but I was pretty pleased with my haul.

This trip included:

2 cans of Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner

2 pkgs. of Arm and Hammer Moist Dryer Sheets (not sure how I'll like these, but they are worth a try)

1 bottle Crest Complete Mouthwash

1 tube Crest Pro Health Toothpaste

2 tubs CVS Wet Wipes

1 bottle Fantastik

1 bottle Windex Multisurface

1 Green Bag Tag (not pictured)

I got all of that for $3.29, plus tax. I had coupons for everything except the Green Bag Tag. It will pay me a quarter in ECB everytime I bring in a reusable shopping bag. It was $1, so it will pay for itself in four trips. I also earned $10 in ECB off my next purchase.

Hopefully my rut will stay far, far away. I'm too busy to spend time in a rut.

Confession Number 53: She Cried

2010-08-18T16:39:00.000-05:00

This week is a pretty big week in our house. Full of lots of fun activities and big milestones. Not only does Miss Kennedy turn 3 years old Friday, but this week also marks her first day of preschool. It is crazy that she is getting ready to start her lifetime of formal education tomorrow.

The decision to send our 3 year old to preschool two days a week wasn't one that Dustin and I came to easily. You may remember reading about my big inner struggle with this decision here. It was one of the most commented on postings I've done on this silly little blog of mine. You all offered some great advice, and when all was said and done I knew I wouldn't make the wrong decision, either way. A great friend pointed out that Kennedy's intellectual future probably wouldn't be solely determined on whether or not she went to preschool 2 days a week when she was three. After lots of prayer and thought, and a little encouragement from Ms. Cheryl, her soon to be teacher, we decided to give it a try. If she hates it, we don't have to go back and if she loves it, we are set. We aren't locked into any contracts and don't feel pressured at all from the school.

Monday was Open House at The Academy, Kennedy's new school. It is a small, private school at the Presbyterian Church here in our hometown. The school director is Ms. Judy, who, many moons ago, kept watch over Dustin, his sister Mallory, and a whole host of Dustin's lifelong friends. KJ will be a 2nd generation student of Ms. Judy's. We really can't go wrong. We had been building it up all day that we were going to go meet her new teacher, and she was full of excitement. We walked up the stairs and Dustin and Ms. Judy hugged (they hadn't seen each other in years). Kennedy shook hands with Ms. Cheryl, then walked over by Judy and stood really close. Finally Ms. Judy asked if she wanted a hug and KJ nodded. I guess if Ms. Judy was good enough for Daddy she was good enough for Kennedy! We were then lead to Kennedy's new classroom, where she immediately began playing with some toys in the floor. We were told of the daily routine and the "homework" we could expect, then went to fill out some paperwork. KJ drew on some scratch paper while Dustin and Ms. Judy caught up and when we were ready to go, she said, "OK, bye Mom". I had to explain that she actually wouldn't be staying to go to school for a few days and that next time she came she would be able to stay and play all day. Then they started. The tears started flowing and we even had a collapse to the floor. Ms. Judy commented how Kennedy may be a perfect candidate for the drama program the school offers. You think?!? We bribed her with some ice cream and made it out the door without too much more of a scene. Dustin commented, "Why did we even question this?" My thoughts exactly. We'll see how well Momma holds it together tomorrow morning. Stay tuned! I'm sure there will be a good story!

Confession Number 52: I Kinda Like 30

2010-08-12T09:36:00.001-05:00

I'm a few weeks into this new decade in my life, and I have to say, it isn't too bad. I mean, it's not like something earth shattering happens in that minute that you officially become older. It's not like I instantly saw more wrinkles or felt like I was getting around slower. It just was. Literally, one minute I was 29 and the next, I was 30. For the first time (that I remember) I was up at that minute. I was born at 2:07 and Kennedy woke up that night at 2:06. You can't tell me God didn't have something to do with that. I mean, come on. Chance? I think not.

The day I had been dreading for weeks was actually really great. I spent the morning with Mom and Lynn, who headed back home after lunch at our favorite Mexican joint. Then Dustin surprised me with a hot stone massage in the afternoon. To ease my old and aching muscles. It. was. goooood. I didn't drool this time, though. I promise!

He then surprised me with a little gathering of our closest friends here in Grove. We had such a good time. Here are a few of the highlights...

Hiding my eyes while they brought in my birthday cake. Thankfully, it had no candles!

Showing off my amazing cake my way talented friend Julie made (check her out here) and the incredible new ipad from Dustin. I have such a great hubby! Back off girls, I know you are jealous, but he is all mine!

With all the girls! I am truly blessed to have an amazing group of women in my life. Thanks, girls!

As the night wore on comments started being made about me being a cougar. I don't think 30 quite qualifies you for cougar status, but since Dustin is a couple of years younger than I am, the group was letting them fly. Here are a few fun shots of the cougar in action...

At least you are never too old to have a little fun!

Confession Number 51: I'm Back

2010-08-11T11:05:00.000-05:00

After taking a few weeks off and surviving a minor computer crisis (thank you, Dustin), I'm back in the blogging mood. Here is what you can look forward to this month on Charla's Confessions:

30 Isn't So Bad
Why I Love Wipees
My Online Obsessions
The Final JWL Recipe Review (finally)

and a few stories (I'm sure) on surviving Kennedy's 3rd birthday and her first day of preschool. Trust me, it is bound to be a fun few weeks around here. You'll want to stay tuned!

Confession Number 50: Lessons Learned at Sea World

2010-07-24T11:51:00.001-05:00

We jumped in the truck last Monday afternoon and headed south for a little family vacation. After an overnight stop to pick up Dustin's parents and sister, we finally made it to San Antonio and Sea World Tuesday afternoon. KJ has had a total blast, even if she has been utterly exhausted since before our trip south. After spending the better part of two days at the best marine wildlife park, I have learned a few lessons along the way. Some are sassy, some are serious. All are making for a great (and much needed) vacation. Here are the Lessons of Sea World....

1. Parenting at Sea World, or any other outdoor venue in the heat of the summer, is NOT for the faint of heart. We actually got pretty lucky weather wise, but the heat brings out the worst in all of us, almost 3 year olds, too. I was talking to KJ at one particularly hot and sticky moment and I told her, "sometimes we just have to put on our big girl panties and deal with it". Great parenting quote of the year, I know. Her reply? "I don't want to wear big girl panties, I want to wear a pull up!" I know how you feel honey, sometimes I do too. I SWEAR this is a true story!

2. Seeing something new through the eyes of a child is priceless. Happiness. Fear. Joy. Awe. Whatever the emotion, children wear their feelings on their face. And sometimes on Daddy's face, too....

You can immediately tell what they are thinking. The world is so simple through the eyes of a child.

3. No matter how bad I think I look, I will still rank in the top 20% on a given day at Sea World. Don't get me wrong, I am nothing special to look at, I'm a mom for heaven's sake. I'm doing good not to walk out the door with a random bow in my hair and snot on my dress, but one afternoon in the Lost Lagoon and your self esteem will start inching upwards. I'm just saying. I thought to myself, "she left the house thinking she looked good this morning", more than once.

4. Watching your hubby being a good daddy is one of the sexiest things he can do (next to unloading the dishwasher). Dustin is so good with Kennedy. She completely and totally latched on to him this week. She's with mom all the time, mom's boring. Dad is fun and exciting! I love watching the two of them together. He's the best dad a little girl could want!

5. Last, and by all means, not least...Our God is an amazing God! What creativity! What insight! He not only created us, but he created thousands of creatures, each with their own purpose on this planet. They are beautiful!

So, there you go, a little insight into my mind on vacation. We have about 24 hours left. I think I'm going to go enjoy them!

Confession Number 49: I Need to Buy More Beads

2010-07-16T08:38:00.000-05:00

A little over a year ago I bought a big Easter basket on ebay filled with goodies. I bought it more for the basket than the goodies, but the goodies were a good bonus. One said goody was a small wooden box full of wooden beads and string. I tucked it back in a drawer thinking it would be a fun activity for KJ once she got older. Fast foward 16 months and two moves later. Yesterday I found the box of beads in some of my craft supplies. I thought it might be a little hard for KJ to handle, but it was worth a try, so after naptime we ventured to the craft room and I showed her the big surprise I had been promising.

After about 10 minutes of instruction and help she was off! She loved these things and spent over and hour working on them. She worked....

Choosing each bead carefully....

She got almost all of the beads on there...

I was pretty proud of her for working that hard. Beading isn't easy when you have teeny tiny fingers. What great fine motor skills...

Note to self: Beading equals happy and quiet preschooler for an extended period of time. I need to buy more beads.

Confession Number 48: It's Too Good for Recipes

2010-07-14T17:19:00.000-05:00

Dustin and I were discussing a piece of carrot cake we had purchased at a local restaurant and brought home. D: This is good.
Me: Yeah. It is a tad on the dry side.
A few minutes later.
D: Really, this is good carrot cake.
Me: It's not as good as mine. Said very matter of factly.
D: Laughs. Well, it never has been a confidence issue with you, has it?

Umm? Well....no. I rarely run low on the confidence meter. It is a good and bad trait to have, but it is part of who I am, and, well, deal with it.

In the kitchen I know when something is good. I mean, when it is really, really good. I just know, and yes, my confidence gets a boost every time friends are family brag on my yummy food. Now, I'm also my toughest critic. There have been plenty of meals that I refuse to eat and Dustin just goes ahead saying that it isn't bad. He's sweet like that. Or he just fears starvation, I'm not sure.

This recipe is good. I mean GOOD, really good. I made it the first time a few weeks ago and tried it again last night. Wooo doggies! This is a new favorite! I knew I was going to share it with you all, but I decided it was just too good to get lost under the recipes section of Confessions, so it is here, for all the world to see. Introducing my Parmesan Chicken Sandwich.....

I saw a recipe for a Chicken Parm burger somewhere and thought it looked good, but knew I wouldn't be able to talk Dustin into eating ground chicken in a gazillion years, so it was born and let me tell you, go make them for everyone tonight because they are yummy. Now, I'm not real great at precise measuring, so I'm trying my hardest, but here is the recipe, anyway. This recipe makes 2 sandwiches, enough for the 3 of us.

2 chicken breasts

3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. fresh, chopped basil, divided

2 cloves chopped garlic, divided

6 oz. tomato sauce (do yourself a favor and buy salt free, please. your cardiologist will thank me!)

2-3 Tbsp. diced onion

1tsp. Italian Seasoning

2 Ciabatta rolls

2-3 Tbsp. mayo

Parmesan cheese and baby spinach to top

salt and pepper to taste

Chop your onion. Dump into a small sauce pan with a small amount of olive oil over medium heat until tender. Chop and divide your garlic into 2 batches. Throw half in with your onions, put the other half in a small bowl. Reduce heat to low under garlic and onions. DO NOT BURN! Slice up your basil. Add half in with your garlic, chop the other half very fine and put into another small bowl (this is for your basil mayo). Add the parmesan cheese to your basil and garlic mixture. Add a little salt and pepper and toss. Dump tomato sauce into your onions and garlic, add Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and whatever other seasonings God may lead you to add. This sandwich really is divine. Take your chicken breast and with a sharp knife cut a pocket into the side of the chicken. You don't want to cut all the way through, but you don't want to butterfly it out flat, either. Stuff the pocket with the garlic, basil and cheese mix and secure shut with toothpicks. Brush chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill on medium high for a few minutes on each side or until the juices run clear. Meanwhile, mix mayo into your reserved basil and set aside. Warm your buns on the grill. When all is finished, assemble your sandwich. I do basil mayo on both sides of the bun, chicken, marinara sauce, parm cheese and broil untl the cheese is bubbly goodness. Top with baby spinach, the other bun and enjoy. I served these with Italian style french fries.

Sit back and take in your accolades. You deserve them. And you can think me later. Chocolate is always appreciated.

Confession Number 47: I'm Torn

2010-07-09T09:52:00.000-05:00

In about 6 weeks my little "big girl" will turn 3. 3! When did this happen? How has she gone from infancy to Miss. Independence in what feels like a blink of an eye? I love her birthday. I love planning her party and finding the perfect gift for her. She's old enough to pick her own theme for her birthday party now, and in true Kennedy fashion she has chosen to have a princess party. Is anyone surprised?

With this birthday comes some big parenting decisions, though. She has the chance to go to preschool a couple of days a week this fall. At first, I'm all for it. Saying to myself, "She'll love it! She will get to do crafts and play with other kids. It is perfect!" Then the doubt creeps into my mommy mind. "Is she ready? Is this me pushing her too fast?" I think if her birthday were in June and not August this decision would be easier for me. I ran across this article on Baby Center the other day and forwarded it on to Dustin. It got us thinking, is she ready or are we ready?

At almost three KJ is 97% potty trained. She's even starting to get the hang of holding it through the night. In the last week we have had more dry nights than wet, but in the last week we have also pooped our pants twice. So, does that mean she shouldn't go? What if she has an accident at school? I'm sure it will probably happen at some point, right?  Is that okay or should I keep her at home for another 5 months and send her after the first of the year until we are sure she won't have an accident? Would being around the older kids help with this?

Another issue is naptime. Our preschool doesn't nap and school is from 9-3. KJ regularly misses a nap a week, and this week she hasn't gone to sleep during naptime twice.   Maybe she is telling me she is ready? There are other days that she still naps for almost or over 2 hours.

We would love for her to have the social interaction. Remember, KJ hasn't been with a SAHM forever. She spent the first two years of her life with Saint Marcie while I was crazy, workaholic mom. She loved playing with the other kids at Ms. Marcie's and I'm sure she would love it all the same with Ms. Judy at The Academy.

Then there comes the Mommy Guilt. I hate that guilt meter we all seem to have implanted in our heads.   If KJ heads off to preschool I will have 2 whole days at home by myself. All alone. That sounds wondrous and lonely all at the same time. Am I pushing her into preschool so I can have time to myself or am I holding her back so I can have her all to myself? So many questions. Okay, all you moms out there, I'm needing some advice, so throw it at me! Please! Help!

Confession Number 46: She's Dramatic and I Don't Know Where She Gets It

2010-07-07T09:15:00.001-05:00

Kennedy is a little addicted....

I really don't make her "wash the dishes, clean the floors"....

But last night that is what she was doing. Singing, "Cinderelly, Cinderelly, night and day it's Cinderelly"....

It's one thing to dress up like Cinderella Princess, but Cinderella the servant? At least she is getting into the full character...

Confession Number 45: I Love Paying My Bill With Change

2010-07-01T07:57:00.000-05:00

Many of you know that I have converted to semi-crazy coupon lady living after my friend Nicci, over at Nix9to5, started saving so much money. I've only been doing it for a couple of weeks, and I still have a ton to learn, but here were my best shopping trips this week:

These groceries cost me $7.52. There is steak in there!! Here is how it all broke down:

Tony's Pizza (regular price $1.59 ea)= 2 for FREE!

Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls (regular price $1.89)= 2 for .66

Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (regular price $1.69)= .33

Hunt's Ketchup (regular price $1.79)= .60

C&H Cane Sugar (regular price $3.39)=$1.89

Red River Ranch Petite Sirloin Steak (regular price $5.11)=$3.11

I think I ended up with about a pound and three quarters of steak. Because of that great deal, our weekly menu was changed. Who cares about pork chops when you can have steak?!? Dustin's comment: You are making income by couponing. Exactly right. Nicci once stated on her blog that is wasn't the money she was making that was allowing her to work from home, it was the money she was saving. I also made a trip to Walgreens, where I literally paid my bill in change. I bought:

Reach Toothbrush: FREE

Colgate Toothpaste: .75

Cottenelle Fresh Wipes: $1.99

After all of my coupons, my total was $1.11!! I actually had to buy the fresh wipes as a filler. Yes, it is taking time, but right now, with me staying at home, I am enjoying it. Maybe I can save enough to pay for sod.........

Confession Number 44: She's All About the Dress Up

2010-06-28T14:23:00.000-05:00

This morning as KJ and I were eating breakfast I pulled calendar of activities for the Summer Reading Program at our local library. I noticed they were giving hula dancing lessons today. I immediately thought she would love it, but noticed we only had 30 minutes to get around and get there. In 25ish minutes I fixed KJ's hair, brushed her teeth and got her dressed complete with shoes and a bow. Sat her in front of Imagination Movers while I showered, put on makeup, "fixed" my hair and dressed. Luckily, I had already brushed my teeth, for all of you out there who were wondering where that fit into the schedule. We ran out the door and made it to the library only a few minutes late.

The lady had finished her introduction and was just getting the girls up to dance. Perfect timing, really. No blah, blah, Hula, blah, blah, Hawaii, just dancing fun. Kennedy was by far the youngest, so I got up to help her and after awhile she announced very loudly that she wanted "to do it by myself!". Well, okay. Really, who cares if she just stands there and waves her arms? And sometimes acts like she is flying. And runs around the other "dancers" singing. She was having a good time. Then the lady took a little break and handed out leis in preparation for the big dancing finale. The oldest girl in the group had brought her grass skirt and the lady had 2 others, so she put them on the two next oldest girls. Now, there were only 5 girls in the group, so that left KJ and a girl maybe 4 or so the odd men out. I'm thinking,
"Uh oh. Has this lady never worked with kids before? Okay, maybe I can turn this into a great learning opportunity and she will surprise me with her understanding."

Um. Think again. She didn't throw a fit. She didn't even cry. A little whining from both girls, then the 4 year old was fine. My daughter? She sat on a chair and refused to dance until she had a grass skirt. Loudly saying, "I want to dance with a skirt".........over and over and over again. I quietly whisper to her that it isn't her turn for a skirt and she had a pretty flower necklace. Whoops. "I don't want a flower necklace! I want to dance with a skirt!" So I said, if you don't get up and dance, we'll have to leave. Her response? "Okay! I wanna go home!" She's all about the dress up.

Confession Number 43: I'm Retaculous

2010-06-24T09:55:00.001-05:00

The last few days have been a little crazy around here. I'm not quite sure why, except for the fact that KJ and I have been pretty much entertained with this, that or the other since we moved into the house, but the last couple of days we have returned to somewhat of normalcy. Normal has been anything but. I've forgotten how we were used to spending our days and I think both of us have had a hard time adjusting and our attitudes have shown it.

A few days ago I told Kennedy to do something and she looked at me, hands on her hips, and exclaimed, "That is retaculous!" I asked her to repeat what she said, and at the wise old age of almost three, she has learned that she might not want to say it again with the fear of getting in trouble, so she simply states, "I don't 'member, momma". Hmm.

The next day it happened again. "This is retaculous!" This time it was directed toward a toy that she couldn't get to do what she wanted. Retaculous. Oh! I get it! Ridiculous. I couldn't help but giggle. It has happened a couple of times each day this week and while I know I "should" probably get on to her, I just can't quite get over the smile that comes across my face each time.

This morning........

Me: Ken, come sit in your chair for breakfast.
K: Ahhhh, I wanna watch Imagination Movers!
Me: I'll pause it so you can watch it after you eat.
K: (Huffing and puffing to the table) You are retaculous!
Me: (Sly smile, even though she just back talked me....how dare she) Really?
K: Yes!
Me: Okay, Daddy, did you just hear what Kennedy told me?

It took Dustin a minute, then he laughed, then proceeded to get on to her for talking to Mommy that way. At least one of us is with it enough to discipline. THAT is what is retaculous.

Confession Number 42: Momma is Possessive

2010-06-21T08:31:00.000-05:00

Shortly after we woke up this morning:

Dustin: Do we have muffin mix?
Me: I'm not making muffins this morning.
Dustin: Well, aren't you happy?
Me: I'm just saying I'm not fixing muffins this morning. I'm going upstairs.

Since moving into our new house, I have started a morning routine of getting up about the same time Dustin does for work (sometimes earlier, sometimes later) and going upstairs for "Momma Time". I do some situps, read my devotional and have my prayer time, then kill time checking email, updating the blog, etc until Kennedy wakes up. It's my time. My quiet time. My chance to rev myself up for the day. To wake up a little bit and take some time doing things for myself. As you other mommas out there know, you don't get much of that in a given day.

I guess I've become kind of possessive of Momma Time. At least that is probably what my hubby thought this morning. Sorry, hun. Next time I'll say it a bit nicer. I didn't have eggs, anyway.

Confession Number 41: I Love Father's Day

2010-06-20T11:36:00.000-05:00

I've spent years dreading Father's Day. 2001 was the worst. The first Father's Day without your own Daddy has a special sting to it. I wasn't quite sure what to do. I didn't have a phone call to make or anyone to visit. I didn't have someone to buy presents for or to hug and kiss on the cheek. It just kinda sucked. 2002 was better. Dustin and I were engaged, busy planning our wedding that would happen in September, and I remember thinking that I now had a father-in-law to honor on that special day in June. That was okay. A good consolation prize, I guess.

Then came Father's Day 2007. My belly was big and my heart was full. I was especially sad that we couldn't share the joy that was about to happen in our lives with Daddy, but I had a new emotion on this special day. The thought that I now had a reason to celebrate, truly celebrate, Father's Day again, this time with my husband.

The last few years in June have been wonderful. I have watched the love of my life grow to be an amazing, loving, caring father. He sits down and drinks imaginary tea, plays Barbies and Candyland, and is an expert in helping our little girl step into her princess gown and high heel shoes. A week or so ago, he even (after almost 3 years of practice) dressed her in an outfit that matched, including shoes and hair bow. That bow got him mega points with his friend Micah, who is only days away from entering Baby Girl Daddyhood himself. Dustin has given a new life to my Father's Day. Thank you for being the best Daddy to our little girl and for being a wonderful leader of our family. . . And thanks for giving me Father's Day back. I love you!

Confession Number 40: What I've Been Doing

2010-06-19T20:07:00.000-05:00

So, I've been up to a lot lately that isn't related to finishing up the new house. Here are some of the highlights of my last week or so...

1. Spending quality time with the sisters, their girls and Mom. Unfortunately, it wasn't as originally intended, but it was still lots of fun.

2. Listening to KJ say, "Look Momma, here is your Bible, it tells you about Jesus" (totally heart warming)

3. Spending time at the pool and on the lake with great friends. We live a rough life on Grand Lake. Might as well give in to that jealousy you are feeling and move on up here.

4. Winning a drawing on Simple Saving Savvy for FREE Febreze products. I'm so pumped and excited to really start using coupons to save some more dough.

5. Getting a few cool things together for HootieMomma. I'm hoping to have some time to create new products in the next few days.

I can't wait to get back to somewhat of a normal schedule around here. I'm off to do one of about a bazillion things that needs to be done.

Confession Number 39: I Needed This

2010-06-17T15:05:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been away for awhile. With the whimsical schedule of summer, I've found it hard to sit down and blog on a regular basis. I promise, I'll be back, though, with better than ever posts. There is still so much to tell you about the move (including Dustin owning AT&T), the joys we had forgotten about home ownership, and some funny Kennedy stories.

I came down to the farm to spend a couple of days with my Momma. I thought I was coming down here so she could see us, but, I really think it was so we could see her. Isn't is amazing how good just seeing your Mom makes you feel sometimes?

Confession Number 38: I Stayed Warm

2010-06-11T16:25:00.000-05:00

A few years back some friends of ours introduced us to the White Buffalo Resort in Mountain Home, Arkansas. I used to think that resort was defined by beautiful, tall buildings on white sandy beaches complete with everything you might ever need in life and a cabana boy. I learned the true meaning of resort on one of my first trips to Grove (now our home) years ago. Anyone coming into town from Sailboat Bridge will pass by Bear's Den Resort. I think this particular place is really stretching the term "resort" since they are a really, really nice RV park with a few cabins thrown in for good measure. Well, White Buffalo is really quite the same. If it weren't for the beautiful scenery there wouldn't be much resorting going on there. It really is very nice, and quite possibly the closest thing to camping my friend Jessica and I are ever going to get. We rent these great log cabins that are nestled on a hill up the bank from the very swift and cold river.

I think the initial draw here was the trout fishing, but I'm not quite sure who made up the lie that there were fish in that river, because this was our second time to go and I haven't seen one, yet. We have a great time, though. Floating and chatting and running around acting like big kids. We cookout (never eating fish), toast marshmallows and stay up way too late. Here was our group of fisher people...

Miss Sammie put all of those boys to shame. She actually CAUGHT a fish, although it wasn't a trout, but a small mouth bass and it wasn't as much of a fish as it was a minnow. The first night we were there we headed down to the river so the boys could try their luck. While we were there the most majestic, and slightly creepy, fog rolled in....

We have such a good time with our friends. It reminds us that we need to do it more, then once we get back to the daily grind, we forget all over again. I'm so lucky to have a wonderful group of women in my life...

On fishing day we headed up the river where they dumped us into canoes and wished us luck. I guess we had more luck than the group who sank theirs, then had to pay $1000 for it. Unfortunately, our luck ended there. No fish. Again. BUT, no tipping over in the FRIGID water and losing all of our belongings down stream either, so I guess it was a good day. I'm talking FRIGID, cold, thought I saw ice cubes floating beside us, freezing water. Everyone else was a bit more brave than I. I guess love makes you do silly things. Check out these newlyweds...

And Jess trying to convince Jordan to jump in....

I'm not sure how happy he was about that...

I was the ONLY smart one in the group. Crazy. Just crazy. At least I stayed warm.

Confession Number 37: I'm Pretty Stinkin' Proud

2010-06-03T14:42:00.000-05:00

My friend Nicci over at Nix9to5 has been working hard to cut money from her budget this year. Kuddos to Nicci because today her hard work is paying off! It is her last day as a work OUT of the home mom and tomorrow is her first day as a working AT home mom. She will get to spend tons of time with her Bear all while still contributing to the family income.

One of the ways Nicci has been saving money is with coupons. Now, I'm saying this with all of the love in my heart, but she has turned into one of those crazy coupon ladies. I don't really blame her. Head on over to her site and see what all she got for FREE on her last shopping trip. Free! Zilch, notta, nuttin, zero pennies, FREE!

I have to admit, I've become a wee bit jealous, so I decided I wouldn't go as crazy as Nicci, but I would do a little work and use coupons here and there, whenever convenient. Dustin and I are pretty brand specific, which isn't always working in your favor when couponing. My shopping trip today started out pretty normal. A whole basket full of groceries and one $1 off coupon for Dawn dish soap. Not so bad. Made the Dawn (which I never buy) like $1.33 because it was already on sale at Wally World.

Second stop, Braum's. The mail fairy brought me some coupons for $$ off marketplace purchases at Braum's, which is great because I regulary (religiously) buy milk, ice cream and OJ there. Today I had to shop for our upcoming mini vaca so I was able to save $6 on my purchase! Total for the day= $7. Not too shabby.

Then I went to Walgreens. Now any couponing crazies will tell you that Walgreens and CVS are some of the best places to get good deals. This is where I earned my gold star. I got all of these products...

for $11.93! My loot included 4 cans of Nivea Men's Shave Gel, 2 bottles of Nivea Body Wash and 1 bottle of Coppertone sunscreen. My total price was less than the regular price of the 2 bottle of body wash. Crazy. Here is how I did it...

Nivea Men's Shave Gel was BOGO, so, I bought 2 at $3.49 each and got 2 FREE!= $6.98

Nivea Body Wash was also BOGO, plus, I had a buy 2 take $4 off coupon= $1.99

Coppertone Sunscreen (SPF 50) was on SALE for $6.59, with a $4 Walgreens coupon AND a $1 manufacture's coupon= $1.59

With tax it came up to $11.93, a savings of $25.87!!!!!

Now, I know I probably missed some incredible deal either with what I purchased, or on something else. I did notice while I was there that the razors Dustin uses were on sale, plus I have a $1 off coupon, so I'll have to go back tomorrow. I may not be getting truckloads of things for free, but today, I'm pretty stinkin' proud of my $32 in savings.

Confession Number 36: I Finally Took Pictures

2010-06-02T22:55:00.001-05:00

For all of you out there who have been waiting to see pictures of the house post move in (especially the crazy striped wall in KJ's room) you may now put your voices to rest. I have heard your cries again and again and finally took the camera out tonight. Now, the house is by no means "finished". Meaning we are not finished unpacking, and we've still had sub contractors in and out to fix or finish this or that. These pictures will give you a great idea, of how we have decorated the house.....so far.

The kitchen featuring my obsession with Fiesta pottery and the most extravagant purchase in the whole house, the chalkboard pantry door on the far left.

The living room wall that mirrors the above kitchen wall, complete with Dustin's pride and joy (although not such a joy to hang), the 58" flat screen TV. We aren't finished working on the shelves, just yet. I think we are going to move them around a bit and make more taller than others.

Quite possibly our favorite room in the house, the upstairs bonus room. There isn't much furniture, but holy smokes, there are a ton of toys. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE not having to pick up toys every night.

I'm even going to show the not so pretty. This is our front bedroom. Possibly for another little Matthews one day, however, now it is being used for garage sale storage.

The guest bedroom and bath. It still needs lots of work. We haven't hung a thing on the walls and we need some sort of console table. This is a brand new bed, mattress and bedding, though. I can only do so much in a week and a half.

KJ's bath. This picture really doesn't do it justice. It is very, very cute...and bright. I love all of the colors! This bath is a Jack and Jill style with the vanity separated from the shower.

Now, the room a lot of you have been asking about for weeks. Miss Kennedy's room.

Three of the walls are solid light green and the largest wall is striped with three shades of pink, two greens and white. I did it all by hand and let me tell you, it was a killer. Just ask my chiropractor!

So, that is it. Well, the high parts, anyway. Of course, it is still a work in progress, but hopefully we will have it all finished soon. Thanks for following me through this process. The apartment was rough at times, but it was all worth it. We are loving our new home!

Confession Number 35: I'm So Happy!

2010-06-01T19:20:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy that .........

1. I'm in my new house (pics to come soon, I promise)
2. I'm almost unpacked
3. I get to go on a mini vaca with great friends this weekend
4. My internet is FINALLY working
5. Dustin didn't kill anyone while trying to accomplish number 4
6. They fixed my dishwasher today
7. I didn't kill anyone waiting on number 6
8. The rocks are all covered back up in our yard
9. Tomorrow is my Momma's birthday
10. I had a great time getting sunburned at the pool on a KJ playdate

Hope you have had a great day, too!!

Confession Number 34: I've Had It

2010-05-14T23:13:00.001-05:00

Why do children sense the stress of their parents and choose to add to it? I'm not overly stressed, I've just got a lot to do. I have to pack, find mirrors for the bathrooms, get the sticky stuff off of the oven, paint the stripes on Kennedy's wall (never.again.), find a microwave, etc. etc. etc.
However, Kennedy has choosen this week to completely and totally forget how to pee in the potty!! Sunday, one accident,
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, one accident each day.
That's lots of laundry just trying to keep the girl in dry panties!
Thursday? One accident AND a poop in the bathtub! AFTER three failed attempts to get her to go on the potty. Why oh why?!?
Friday? THREE accidents AND she hit another little girl at mom's day out AND she threw an incredible Academy Award winning fit. At least the fit was at home. She's worn me out. I've had it and I've had my wine. I'm going to bed. Nighty night.

Confession Number 33: I Can't Believe It

2010-05-13T08:25:00.000-05:00

I've often thought of what my emotions would be during this time. How I would be feeling? What would I be doing? Well, now I'm here and I'm trying not to act any differently than I did a few weeks ago. I'm not packing, but I'm frantically trying to paint Miss. Kennedy's room before the carpet is installed. We are 9 days away from moving into our new home. 9 DAYS!!

The interior is really, really close to being complete. The plumbers need to install my tub (I'll sure need a soak next weekend) and the dishwasher (that is a must, as well) and the flooring needs to go in, but other than that it is touch up stuff and little details.

The outside is a different story. We are really needing the weather to cooperate with us in order to get the stone finished. Yesterday was beautiful, today, ummmm, not so much. Rain, rain GO AWAY!! Here are a few pictures to get you through your day!

Confession Number 32: He Got One..or Two...or Three

2010-05-11T08:56:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhh. That is the feeling Dustin and I get after spending a weekend on the farm. It is relaxing for us. We don't have the normal stresses of everyday life there and we get to do things we normally can't, or don't take the time to do when we are home. Spring and summer are, by far, the most fun times on the farm. There are so many things to do outside. Kennedy loves seeing the baby cows....

She informed me last night that "Mommy cows say MOOOOO, and baby cows say moo". So cute. She loves feeding the horses...

Dustin loves going fishing. Unfortunately, he and Papa Lynn don't have the best track record while fishing together. One night last summer they went fishing for supper. We eventually had enough fish for dinner, but I think they cleaned about 30 fish in order to get enough filets. This weekend, the boys hit the lake once again, with a little different result...

He actually did very well. Papa Lynn said it was because of his guide.

He even caught one Kennedy's size...

Because I refused to have a fish mount in the new house, we were on the catch and release program...

Big momma will be there for them to catch next time.

Confession Number 31: I Honor Her

2010-05-06T08:36:00.000-05:00

This past week our sermon was on honor. How we, as an American society, fail to show honor to our fellow human beings, and often, we even fail to show honor to our Savior. A very thought provoking message. I started thinking about how Dustin and I are teaching Kennedy to honor those who we are Bibically called to hold in the highest regard. We teach her "yes, ma'mm" and "no, sir", but do we do a good enough job of modelling honor? I started thinking of people in my life who I owe honor and who have earned the highest respect from me. Since we will be celebrating Mother's Day this weekend I think my mind naturally went to my momma. I came up with a list of things that I love about my mom, and in a way to honor her in the highest way, I want to share that list with you.

1. She's faithful.
2. She's a great cook!
3. She lets me ramble.
4. She never told me I couldn't accomplish anything.
5. She taught us independence.
6. She ruined 4 batches of toffee with me and laughed. And maybe cussed. Just once.
7. She taught us love.
8. She works cattle.
9. She prays for us.
10. She passed on her love for pottery.
11. She is always there when I need her.
12. She knows when something is wrong.
13. She passed on her love for shoes.
14. She taught me how to stand my ground.
15. She tiles her own floors.
16. She loves unconditionally.
17. She taught me how to be a professional.
18. She has the highest pain tollerance of anyone I know.
19. She taught me to be strong, but that it is sometimes okay to show your emotions.
20. She gives me peace.
21. She knows when to comfort, and when to give us our space.
22. She has distinct relationships with each of her kids.
23. She encourages us to stay close with each other.
24. She is my sounding board.
25. She reads my blog. And laughs. And cries.

I love her. So much. I could type on this list all day. I'm so happy she is happy and I'm so proud to call her "Mom". Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

I'm A Tease, Update 1

2010-05-02T20:44:00.000-05:00

I promised there had been a lot of activity at the house since my last update. I don't let down on a promise. Since the last house post we have finished all of the brick work, inside and out, got a mailbox, had cabinetry installed, stained the wood work, got a shower floor in the master bath and the whole house was painted from top to bottom. This coming week is full of activity, as we are entering the last couple of weeks of construction. Now I'm going to hush up and let the pictures speak for themselves...

This is from the living room into the kitchen.

Looking from the kitchen/dining room into the living area. The mantel will be stacked stone. That big box is my whirlpool tub. Jealous much?

Tray ceiling in the living room.

Bricked wall in the kitchen. Imagine beautiful double ovens in that cabinet on the right and a fun chalk board door on the pantry.

Wall of built ins in Dustin's office. This color scared me, but it turned out really, really well. For orange, anyway.

This is the dining room. Turned out a little brighter than I expected, but I think it will be okay. If we get in and I decide I don't like it, I can always paint over it. It's growing on me, though. What do you think?

I promise, we are getting really close to you all not having to read these house updates anymore. Maybe just a couple more. This week we are finishing up the stone work, inside and out, getting granite, plumbing and electrical. Oh, and maybe tile work in the master bath. Stay tuned!

Confession Number 30: I'm A Tease

2010-04-29T07:49:00.000-05:00

Looking back through the blog this morning, I noticed that A LOT has happened at the house since my last update. Unfortunately, the house isn't in the greatest condition for a close up, so here is a little tease on what is to come....

Hopefully it will be all beautiful by the weekend. Stay tuned!!

Oh! We make our LAST rental payment on the apartment Friday. I'm so excited I can't even put it into words. Now I'm taking applications for friendly movers the weekend of Memorial Day!

Confession Number 29: I Don't Like Him

2010-04-26T10:31:00.000-05:00

We were working at the house yesterday triming trees and picking up trash. Dustin would cut off a limb and I would haul it over to the burn pile. Then, it happened. I ran face to face into a snake.
I yelped (not quite a scream, more like a verbal shutter).
He slithered.
I did the hibbidy jibbidy dance.
He wiggled.
I ran.
He did, too.
I turned pale white.
He was black.
I don't like him. My yard isn't big enough for the both of us. He needs to go away.

The End.

Confession Number 28: We Got Down and Dirty!

2010-04-23T09:55:00.000-05:00

The weather is warm, the trees are green and I've been going crazy wanting to plant something. We aren't quite ready for me to build a new flowerbed at the house, so I'm left with a few pots outside our apartment door. I figure they will be easy to move to the house and will quickly add a splash of life when we finally move in. With yesterday being Earth Day and all I thought we wouldn't have a better day to add a little color to our lives. What a great way to teach Kennedy about the earth! How very SAHM of me, huh?

A quick trip to Lowe's and we were set. Well, first I had to pull all of the dead flowers from the fall out of the pots. Okay, maybe this should be the real confession: I've had three pots of dead mums and pansies outside the aparment door for months. They lost a battle with a freeze and the first snowfall back before Christmas, but I've still left them there. Too lazy to dump them out. Too sad to admit that I should have taken care of it long ago. Well, yesterday, they were replaced with LIVE beautiful fresh flowers. Kennedy loved digging in the dirt...

Notice the dead plants in the trash bag in the right of the picture. See? I wasn't fibbin'. I'm nothing if I'm not brutally honest with ya'll. She actually loved moving dirt from one pot to the other...

After we dug around a little and finally got the flowers in the pots, I let Kennedy water them. She was in heaven!

Isn't that watering can about the most adorable thing you have ever seen? A big shout out to my friend Shelli who got that for us last year. The only bad thing is that I have to fill it up 6 or 7 times to water these few pots. Kennedy loves it, though!

She was so proud of our hard work. "I can't wait to show Daddy. I love Bearth Day, Momma!" Ahh. Hmmm, I hope she isn't expecting a cake and candles.

Confession Number 27: I Felt At Home

2010-04-22T08:32:00.000-05:00

I dedicated a good portion of my life to serving an organization called FCCLA. Those of you my age and older may remember it as FHA. In high school, I served as a state and national officer and as an adult, I choose being an FCCLA teacher and adviser as my career. That is even where I met Dustin. He was also a big dog back in the day. Here we were when I was National VP of Finance and he was State President....

This was in 1998. Keep in mind we were not a thing back then. It wasn't until this same conference in 2001 that he trapped me in his wild web. I don't think I gave him the time of day the night this picture was taken. Oh, and leave me alone about that hair. It was 1998 and it was the one time I had a bad hair cut that I can't totally blame it on Mom. Maybe he didn't give me the time of day that night. I'm not sure who would have.

All of this being said, four years ago I made a move away from my Family and Consumer Science friends and FCCLA and became a counselor. I still am very happy I made the move. I didn't know how to do the FCCLA thing without working 60+ hours a week and I wouldn't want to do that with Kennedy. A few months back I was asked to return to FCCLA state convention and present a workshop to students and advisers on running for office. I was excited, flattered and nervous. I hadn't done anything like this in years! Would I be able to knock off all of the rust?

Well, convention was last week, and I have to say, I had an absolute blast. I saw so many people who have known me since I was a freshmen in high school. So many people who have seen my good, bad and ugly. So many people who helped shape me into who I am personally and professionally. Of course, the state officers put on a great show! These few high school leaders have always amazed me with their poise and professionalism. There are 100's of adults who wouldn't get in front of 8,000 of their peers to speak and these kids do it like it is nothin'. I have to say this is one trait I still carry with me. Speaking in front of a group comes so naturally. I actually used to make money as a motivational speaker and training facilitator in college. Maybe that can be a new venture for me....

Many of my good friends were recognized for their gifts of time and support to FCCLA. Ms. Carolyn, who is so near and dear to my heart....

I'm so glad we got out at the same time. What would I have done without you?

And our good friend, Ralph, who has been with Dustin and I through quite a bit. He was on one of the first state officer teams I worked with.

Then, it was time for the much anticipated workshop. They gave me this beautiful young district officer, Cheyenne, to work with. I planned on getting a pic with her, but it got a little hectic and she got away without getting one. She did help by taking some pics during the workshop, though.

I have to admit, it wasn't my best show, but it wasn't my worst, either. Our time was cut pretty short, so I only spoke once instead of twice, which was quite alright. I got lots of positive feedback from the students and have a few new Facebook friends to show for it. I am going to love helping them reach their goals of serving FCCLA as district and state officers!

After being away from everyone for a few years, it was great to see them and get caught up. A few times my heart was sad and I missed it. I missed the sisterhood among the teachers. I missed the special relationship I had with my students while I was in the classroom. I missed the pride I felt when my students amazed me with their projects, speaking and leadership. Then I spoke to some friends who were having to raise money to send 8 or 10 or 12 students to National Conference and I didn't miss it so much anymore! ha! I think I'm going to love my role as a sideline supporter just as much!!!

Confession Number 26: We Had An OU Day

2010-04-14T17:21:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to write this post for a couple of weeks, but my writer's block kicks in, then something else comes up that is a bit more time sensitive. So, I'm finally in a writing mood and I'm determined to get this done because this post is important to me. It shows my other side. My pretty, happy, loving side. My Sooner side. My crimson side of my Bedlam Bipolar Disorder.

I wrote about an OSU day here, but FINALLY, not too long ago, we had an OU Day. OU Days, I should say. Weezie was all excited to go watch the OU women in the regional basketball tourney in Kansas City, but Papa Lynn already had a fishing tournament planned for that weekend. Oh, darn. That meant that Weezie needed some one to accompany her to Kansas City and since Grove is on the way to Kansas City, KJ and I were the perfect candidates. We had a blast! Here is KJ with her Weezie at the Notre Dame game...

She was so good! I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that she had a....um, I mean, two "slooshies"...

We decided Kennedy must be a great good luck charm. Every OU game she has been to has been a big win! We had an extra couple of days to visit Kansas City after the win, so we spent one, very windy morning at the KC Zoo. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a huge success! A very nice zoo with very eager sheep....

After the zoo and a nap it was back to the arena for another big Sooner win. This time, KJ had to be bribed with a new Belle Barbie doll. It didn't slow her down from cheering on the Sooners, though. Look what we taught her....

OOOOOOOOOOOOO...........

U!!!!

Sorry Dustin, it just couldn't be helped. You knew this day would come.

I'm Getting Excited, Part 4

2010-04-11T21:06:00.000-05:00

So, Dustin and I haven't done any yard work since we sold the house in Piedmont last July. I have to say, that is a bonus of apartment living. Yesterday, however, we broke out a few tools and headed out to the construction site. We only worked a couple of hours the last few days, but you can notice a big difference. Mainly the big pile of branches in the front waiting to be burned....

There is a lot more that needs to be added to that pile, not to mention we have one started in the back, too. Dustin spent most of our time trimming branches off of the trees in the front and I picked up trash (dang construction workers) and limbs. Kennedy had plenty of sand to keep her occupied while we worked, but then she found a few new friends that live across the street. I'm not sure, but I think she liked them okay. :-) She had met the girls once before, but this was literally 10 seconds after she met their mom, Carrie...

Having a hard time telling those two blondies on her hip apart? They are both blonde, wearing green shirts, and, oh, I forgot, they were only born 4 weeks apart. Ummm, I'm thinking we might be on to something here....

Did I mention that there are 10 little girls on our block? I'm so excited for Miss Kennedy and her new friends! I can't wait to get into the house just for that reason. These relationships for Kennedy are something that are so special to me.

Speaking of the house, here is a little update. Our trim carpenter totally rocks my world! He and the brick layers have been working so hard! This is our shoe and coat tree they built from scratch...

Isn't that great?! Our beautiful tray ceiling in the living room....

Some great French pocket doors into Dustin's office...

and the tile work around Kennedy's shower is complete...

The house gets a big transformation this week with cabinetry, paint, and a brick wall in the kitchen. Can't wait! We are getting so close to being able to move in. Stay tuned for more updates!

Confession Number 25: He Gave Her A Cup

2010-04-07T08:07:00.000-05:00

Dustin and Kennedy regularly eat Oreos sometime between dinner and bedtime. He gives her a sippy cup of milk and a couple of cookies. Sometimes he even dunks one for her in his cup. Well, last night, he got the wild and crazy idea to give her a small glass of milk all her own. She got the whole hand dunk down....

And got a cookie or two in her mouth....

Are there any more in there?

Yep!

Look at those hands.....

Who can resist this face?

Oreos before bed and Cocoa Krispies for breakfast. Yep, we are doing our dentist proud. Just turn your head, Audrey, you never saw a thing.

Confession Number 24: Change in Plans

2010-04-05T15:50:00.001-05:00

Due to the OU Women making it to the Final Four (post to come), our Easter plans had a sudden change about mid-week. We were planning on spending a relaxing weekend visiting Weezie and PaPa Lynn on Harmeyer Farm, but after a lot of deliberation, they packed up and headed to San Antonio (too bad their trip wasn't much fun) so we headed a little further south than originally planned to see Mimi and PaPa Jerry and the rest of the Texas clan. We hadn't been down there since Christmas and saw no way of getting down there in the foreseeable future, so it all actually worked out rather well.

The weekend was busy, but fun. We had a great Mexican Fiesta once we got there Friday night. I was so full I couldn't even find my tummy compartment for dessert. How does that happen??? Dustin's parents really do know how to cook a great meal, and of course, KJ loves her steak, so she was happy!

Saturday morning KJ got to dye Easter eggs with Aunt Mallory....

And we only heard, "No! I do it allll by self" a couple hundred times...

She only had a few splatters of blue on her legs. Not too bad! Sunday morning she had a basket full of goodies from Mom and Dad....

Don't you just LOVE her hair?!?! Then we got all dressed up for church to celebrate Resurrection Sunday!!

After a yummy Easter lunch celebration, it was time to hunt Easter eggs. Aunt Mallory did a great job hiding them. Sometimes she had to stretch....

And sometimes she needed help....

But, finally.....SUCCESS!!

And we had a successful Easter weekend! Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice!!

Confession Number 23: She Was Too Cute!

2010-03-31T16:14:00.002-05:00

I had mixed feelings in my stomach last Saturday as we drove to Tulsa. We were on a "Kennedy Day". We have these from time to time where everything, or at least most, of what we do is something especially for the rugrat. This last Kennedy Day we were off to Sesame Street Live and I was excited and dreading it all at the same time. Would our seats be good enough for her to see? Would she be excited to see her friends in real life, or scared to death because Big Bird was 10 ft. tall? Would she throw a fit wanting everything Elmo and Abby related they were selling? Would her lack of a nap equal a meltdown of cosmic proportion? Would I rather poke my eyes out with a hot needle than have to sit in a convention center with 500 other toddlers and Sesame Street songs for an hour and a half?

We started talking about it a week or so before....

Me: You want to watch Elmo and Abby?
Kennedy: No. Dora.
Me: How about Elmo and Abby? We are going to go see them in a few days. They are going to sing and dance for you.
Kennedy: I want Dora! I want Mickey Mouse! (Pretty much anything but Elmo and Abby)
Me: Well, tough cookies kiddo, we are watching Elmo.

Okay, so I didn't say it like that, but we had this arguement a time or two in the days leading up to the show. I wanted her to get excited about them again, and it worked. Here she is, all ready for the big day...

It was a long day. We ran to a couple of places in Tulsa. We looked for her some new spring shoes. When we asked her what she wanted to eat her reply was "steak"....one of her all time favs. We took the liberty of deciding what kind of steak and settled on Pei Wei steak. Well, okay, Mongolian Beef, but she thought it was yummy. Then, finally we headed to the BOKCenter with our own Elmo and Abby in tow. She thought it was great because we let her snack on some Dots before the show...

And she got to spend some quality time with Mom....

and Dad....

But when the show started, I knew I had made the right decision. She watched....

and she watched....

and she danced....

and she watched some more....

She loved seeing Elmo and Abby and all of her other friends...

And she didn't even ASK for a $10 Elmo balloon...

Yep. I'm not joking. $10 a pop. Count with me...10, 20, 30, 40, 50....you don't even want to know how much money we saw float to the top of the BOKCenter. Absolutely crazy! Kennedy had a complete blast and so did Dustin and I. It was fun, but we had a very tired girl on our hands when it was all over...

PS: Yes, I know those big blue bows on her head are totally out of control. Have you ever had a bow/ribbon fight with a 2 and a half year old "princess"? Okay, then.

I'm Getting Excited, Part 3

2010-03-27T08:25:00.000-05:00

So, the house is moving VERY quickly right now. I know it is going to slow down again, but I'm loving every minute of this pace. This week we have picked out wall texture, pantry and garage interior doors, granite countertops, carpet, hard wood, tile and finalized cabinetry. Whew! What started out as a relaxed week on Sunday turned into craziness by the end of the week. As for actual progress on the house, the whole house was dry walled and taped and bedded this week. We may get texture on the walls as early as today, but no later than Monday. The chimney and dormers were also completed. Oh! And brick was ordered. I'm getting all pumped up just talking about it!

It is amazing the transformation from a bunch of sticks to a real house with dry wall. You can actually see rooms and I can visualize our life inside. Here are a few highlights from this week's progress....

Looking into the kitchen from the living room. That wooden structure will be a huge island and that wall will have my nice, pretty six burner gas cooktop and be full of cabinets.

Kennedy is showing off "KJ's new room". The lighting wasn't working with me here. The door on the left goes into a Jack and Jill bath.

Dining room and back patio door.

Upstairs family room. Dustin has grand plans for that back wall and media. We'll see.

Another one of Dustin's favorite spots. This is the fireplace in the living room. It mirrors the wall in the above shot of the kitchen. What? Oh. Yes, there is a big hole there. That is for Dustin's flat screen TV. I get 6 burners of gas madness and he gets a flat screen above the fireplace. I think we are equally excited. There will be built in cabinets on both sides and the fireplace is going to be stacked stone. Don't worry. There is a mantel with ample room so my Christmas stocking holders don't block the TV. Yes. I'm Clark Griswald. We made lots of decisions based on my Christmas decorations. I even have outlets in the soffets of the roof so I don't have to run extension cords. Thanks to my builder's son, I even have them in each dormer so those can be lit, too. Jay The Builder, Jared, his son, and Dustin made that decision all by themselves. Aren't I working with a good bunch of boys?

So, there she is. Dustin just said my "confession" was turning into an "obsession". He's way too proud of himself for that one. Next decisions involve plumbing and lighting fixtures and paint colors. That last one has me a little bumfuzzled. Advice anyone??

Confession Number 22: It's Not Easy Being Green

2010-03-23T22:28:00.000-05:00

I've written about going green before. No new news on this front, except that I've been feeling a little helpless and underwhelmed in the area lately. We are still doing the normal things that are easy for our family. I still by organic when I can find it and it won't cost me my right arm. We still drive our may run away speeding down the highway with no way to stop it except for slamming into a barrier in a big fiery ball hybrid Prius. I still use my reusable bags at Wal-Mart. However, we are facing a few challenges, too.

Our town lost it's recycling services when the company decided they weren't making enough money to drive an hour once a week to empty our bins. It almost breaks my heart every time I have to throw a milk jug or a cardboard box into the dumpster. It almost makes me want to turn to hoarding all of my recyclables until our city leaders can figure out a new plan. Almost. Okay, not really, but you understand my point. I'm getting discouraged in all of this doing good for the environment business. I'm just about to throw the towel into the dumpster with all of my trash.

Then, a few days ago, my friend Megan, over at SortaCrunchy wrote about her goals for Project Spring Green. Maybe because Megan is one of those people that could say, "Charla jump off this bridge head first" and I would say, "sure thing". Maybe it is because deep down inside I'm still a college freshmen scared to death of my sorority alum dorm director. Maybe it is because it is spring and things are blooming and there are little baby chicks at the farm store and I feel like life has new purpose, but Megan's post inspired me. She challenged all of her readers to set one green goal for spring. Just one. It could be as little as vowing to not use paper plates or it could be as bold as declaring your family toilet paper free. (Yes, there are really people out there who do this, it is called "family cloth" and if you dare to learn more about it, my dear Megan explains it here. Warning: It terrified me. You may have nightmares.) After reading Megan's post, and the comments that followed, I thought, "I can do this. Okay, I can't do family cloth, but I can do something." So, I set two goals for myself:

1- Not accepting any plastic shopping bags anywhere. I'm really good at taking my reusable bags to Wal-Mart, and even Braum's, but to the mall? Never. Not once.

2- Try to buy locally grown produce. Megan's challenge is to carry out your goal through the month of April, thinking by that time the goal will be a habit. I'm not sure I'll be able to do this in April because I'm not sure when our local farmer's market will be up and running, but this is my goal for the summer. I may have to cheat here and there, but the majority of produce should NOT come from Wal-Mart.

So, Kennedy wants to know, what is your Project Spring Green goal?