The Tough Face

I have had a rough week. But fear not, we've got our tough faces on! Tennessee also had their tough faces on last night, too. How bout those Vols!!

Pinned It, Tried It, Liked It!

Pinspiration:

Source: estyleme.net via Mrs. on Pinterest

Mine: 

The small stripe is cute and all, but "Ain't nobody got time for dat." I'm lucky to get to paint my nails with two babes around. J was out of town when I did this, too. I'm just glad they dried. Anyway, I'm a fan of the sparkles with a pop of color. It looks even better in person. Photographer, I am not.

I also tried this:

Source: theyummylife.com via Mrs. on Pinterest

Mine had walnuts instead of candied pecans. It was absolutely delicious. I wish I had some right now!

I also gave this recipe a whirl:

Source: jennasjourneyblog.blogspot.com via Mrs. on Pinterest

I liked it, but wouldn't want to eat a lot of them. Tailgate snack maybe? You can't really go wrong with cream cheese and croissants anyway. I made them so that I could sneak some chicken into my toddler's mouth. Worked like a charm!

Lastly, I did this workout and man, oh man. Good stuff.

Source: dennisselisseth.com via Mrs. on Pinterest

Sorry about the butt in your face. At least it's not mine.

Have you tried out any of your pins lately?

Linking up here-

What To Do With Old Bananas

Quite by accident, I discovered the most awesome thing in the entire world. Perhaps that's a slight exaggeration, but it didn't feel like it when there were no groceries in the house and then I put this yumminess in my mouth. There are so many things you can do with old(ish) bananas, but all the recipes I kept finding required other ingredients. I really didn't have any groceries, y'all...but I did have peanut butter. I always have peanut butter. A life without peanut butter is no life for me.

Anyway, that's all you need-

*bananas

*peanut butter

It tastes like dessert, people. Plus it's healthy(ish). You need this in your life.

Shabby Apple Swimwear

I'm not a photographer, a model, or a fashion blogger so sorry about the following photo:

If you don't care to ignore the baby glider in the background and the fact that this is what social media likes to call a "myspace photo", then I'll provide you with my latest clothing purchase...

the mom friendly bathing suit!

A couple week ago, I was unpacking all my bikinis from the days of Pre-Kids. Feeling decent about myself for a change, I decided I'd try them on. I shouldn't have. I really shouldn't have. My body is not where I want it to be in order for me to go out in public in skin showing swimwear. I don't know if it ever will be again. But gosh, darn it, I'll try to get it there. 

Meanwhile, I wanted something I would feel comfortable in. This is the sunshine state, after all. I'm going to be outside a lot!

I ordered the above swim suit from Shabby Apple. Their button lingers on my blog ads section, but I had only ever admired their clothing from afar. I had never actually purchased anything. Here's my experience with them:

The top is what I bought from them (I already had the bottoms from Old Navy). I was nervous to buy something a little pricey without trying it on- especially a bathing suit, but I just went for it. I was desperate to have other options than tiny bikinis I wore years ago. After filling out what seemed to be five million questions, the email was sent alerting me that a shiny new bathing suit would soon be on its way to me. I was pumped! The day it came in the mail, I opened it immediately and went to my bedroom to try it on. I bypassed Captain J who was on a phone call for work. I put the suit on and was pleasantly surprised. I mean, I don't quite look like this girl-

but she has photo edit, pretty flowers, lipstick, and a hat to help...

so whatever. ;)

Anyway, I love this suit! The only problem I have with it is that it doesn't support the ladies as much as I hoped it would. As a nursing mom, I need something substantial in the chest area. The elastic doesn't even go all the way around on the inside. Perhaps if I had ordered an XS I would be a little more pleased with the result. I got a S and it seems to fit perfectly everywhere else.

I also like the option of making it a little more revealing (ha) because I can pull it up a little to tan my tummy, too. It looks cute both ways (see my photo versus hers).

I was still checking myself out in the mirror when Captain J walked in. I thought he'd probably not like it very much, but he quickly told me otherwise. Also? He said he was glad I bought it. That almost never happens! So, this bathing suit is a score in my book.

(No one paid me to write this although I wish they would.)

Florida Digs- Work in Progress

I hadn't even left Tennessee yet and I was already getting texts, "Send us pictures of your new place!" My blogging community has expressed the same desire so here I am...with anti-climatic photos of our new digs.

It still feels slightly bare because our walls are still waiting to be covered, but already it's home. I like it here.

It's not the nicest house we've ever had, but that'll happen when you shop for rentals online. I'm pretty pleased with it, though. It could have been a real dump.

The bathrooms could use some work. The kitchen doesn't have the bells and whistles...

but it does have a pantry, a garbage disposal and a dishwasher so that's more than I could ever ask for, really.

The "random area" listed above? I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be the dining room. But who puts carpet in a dining room? Furthermore, why is it as soon as you walk in the front door? And, oh yeah, it's separated from the kitchen area, too. I don't get it hence the stick-all-the-extra-furniture-there-for-now logic.

My favorite area is our bedroom. It's spacious and has a huge soaking tub in the attached bathroom (i.e. ALL I'VE EVER WANTED).

The rest is kind of a work in progress. Give me a break, people. I just got here ;)

How's that for a tour? Chances are if you're reading this and you care enough to make it this far, I wish I was giving you a tour in person. Just pretend I've just poured you a glass of wine (or a cup of coffee)- name your poison. Can we also pretend you're sitting on my couch now and we're swapping adventure stories? This housewife is officially bored! You know what helps with boredom? YouTube.

Thanks to my friend, Whittney, I just laughed at this so hard I had my toddler pretty worried. Now every time I turn it on, he laughs, too.

Oh my gosh. I'm dying.

The Valentine's Day Miracle

February is nearing its end and I still haven't told you about our Valentine's Day. I'm one of those people who likes to celebrate every holiday- no matter how small or ridiculous- and I just can't let the month slide by without a mere mention. I mean, it had to be better than last year's Valentine's Day, right?

The night before I rummaged through a packed closet, searching for a festive bag to put the completely unromantic gift and nonexistent card into. I finally settled on a blue one with white swirlies that didn't look a thing like snow. Or maybe it did. I wrapped said gift up in a single piece of gift wrapping paper and placed it on the kitchen counter alongside a mess of other papers we've been sorting through since our move.

We woke up, said 'happy valentine's day' and commenced to double diaper changes.

Then, J worked on homework.

A couple hours into the day, we were all- oh yeah, let's exchange gifts.

As we sat down at the table, shushing both children as they let out their mid morning wails, I began second guessing the gift I got him. The man is a beast to buy for. If he wants something, he normally gets it himself. Or he will mention that he wants something and then totally forget that he ever uttered those words, making me look crazy....and then he's stuck with stuff like food dehydrators and zombie books. 

There was nothing to cushion this possibly bad gift with either. Typically, there'd be color coordinated food, actual tangible Valentines, or at least booze to add to it. This year, I had no such thing to offer.

Anyway, he opened the Christmas bag, tore off the paper, and stared a bit too long at the package...

Inside, was a shiny new pair of headphones.

I'm smiling at the thought. How random? How stupid. The insecure woman inside of me was screaming, "You idiot. You've done it again. Why do you even try?" I start my usual explanation of why I wanted to get him that and have a revelation that if I have to explain a gift, it's probably not a good one. Still, I soldier on with "You're going to be traveling a lot on air planes. You're going to be working a lot at home. There's noise cancellation! The boys can scream and you won't hear"...yada yada yada.

I tried. I really did. I thought about this gift for months in advance and guess what? I finally purchased and surprised my husband with a gift that he actually enjoys. It only took four years of being together to do it. It's a Valentine's Day miracle.

Our V-Day wasn't at all like the romantic one we spent in Savannah, GA...

and it didn't have cutesy crafts or festive food...

but at least it wasn't spent miles apart like our first Valentine's Day.

The day went by just like any other. And when J's parents showed up that weekend, we got the best gift ever- the gift of time out together sans children!

No matter I had just left the doctor with a diagnosis of "breast infection".

No matter I had just changed no less than 10 stinky diapers that day.

No matter we barely had a week together before he had to leave again.

We were together this Valentine's Day. 

And I reckon that's all that matters anyway.

That and the date night margaritas.

Can I get an amen?

Back To The Grind

Well, I did it. I registered for classes again. What? You thought I was going to say I finally lost my mind? Well, maybe that's right, too. Anyway, I had to sign up for classes before all my information was discarded and if I ever wanted to go back, I'd have to re-start the application process over. In the words of Sweet Brown, "Ain't nobody got time for dat." So here I am...

trying not to freak out.

There's no sense in worrying, but I can't help but wonder how in the world I'm going to go to school with two babies. I've heard people say that this school is "easy"- it's all online after all- but nothing could be further from the truth. It's time consuming- very much so and when you have a family to take care of, there's nothing easy about that. I haven't taken graduate classes in over a year. I'm out of practice. I was comfortable not having any goals other than "make it through the day" or even "make it until nap time." Now, the reality is back in my face. This isn't over yet. It has just begun and I still have a lot of work ahead of me.

I want so desperately to keep my 4.0 average. That's my goal right now.

Wish me luck (and send up some prayers if you would!) in my studies. I hope I'm not in over my head. I feel like I am.

Not to mention our bank account just took a pretty significant nose dive. 

Let's talk about that, shall we? 

Oh, I bet it's divine. You should try it. Just sayin'.

(Thanks for all the facebook encouragement. Y'all are the best!)

Thank Heaven For Little Boys

How lucky am I? I look at this photo and that's all I can think about. I'm incredibly blessed and I don't know why I have been. There are so many times throughout the day that I think, "I'm so bored with this." Raising babies, rarely leaving the house. But then I look around and see all these cheeks around to kiss, these perfectly round little heads to pat, and these tiny souls to shower all my love on and my thinking changes to, "This is living!" This is what my life is about now and I don't want it any other way. I want to cherish every moment I have with these boys. As I tell them so often throughout the day, they are my world.

I love the sweet way Baby A smiles up at his toys even when no one is around to prompt him.

I love that K will play peek a boo for an hour straight, laughing louder and louder each time he reveals himself.

I adore A's baby smell and the soft kisses I steal from his head, neck, and hands. I can't get enough.

I adore the way K wants "up" in my arms and gently lays his head down on my shoulder when he's sleepy.

I hope to always remember Baby A's first smiles because his whole face lights up.

I hope to cling to the adorable way K toddles around our house laughing, playing, and exploring every inch.

Most of all, I hope my children can look back and see me trying. I pray they see a woman who loves them fiercely and I hope they look kindly upon me. They deserve nothing but the best. I want to give that to them.

Thank Heaven for little boys.

Sharing at: 

Wednesday Walkabout

Random Wednesday

Read This/Not That

Both of these books were written by the popular Harvey Karp, M.D. I read them pretty close together as I happen to have a baby and a toddler under my care right now :) The Happiest Baby on the Block came to me highly recommended by many people. I actually purchased the book when Cray K was about 7 months old, but I never read all of it because most of the material wasn't really applicable anymore. I picked it up again when I had Baby A and made it a point to read it. If you follow my blog at all, you know that Baby A has been "easy" thus far. Still, the suggestions written in this book are invaluable. The notion of the "missing fourth trimester" makes a lot of sense to me even if I don't agree with every aspect of it. If only I had read this when Cray K was a tiny babe. I think it would have helped tremendously. It addresses colic a lot, too. If you want to find out how your small baby operates, check out this book!

After breezing through the first book and finding it very helpful, I decided I really should check out how my toddler operates, too. I downloaded the ebook, The Happiest Toddler on the Block, and was pretty quickly disappointed. I felt like Karp was grasping at straws trying to write another successful book. He describes our little toddlers as mini cavemen and while perhaps that's accurate, it's also not very helpful in learning how to deal with them. I was unimpressed with his suggestions in parenting this age group. Karp said to mirror toddlers' feelings to some degree and all I could picture was me rolling around on the floor of a bookstore screaming at the top of my lungs, throwing a fit. It gave me a giggle. I just found the majority of this book pretty useless.

There you have it. My goal of reading 35 books this year is slowly becoming impossible. Here's #1 and #2, though. Happy Reading!

Linking Up Here:

No Paci For Cray K

My sweet little Cray K turned 18 months recently. I can't believe how fast it has all flown. One day he was screaming his precious little head off with colic, the next he was screaming his precious little head off in a toddler tantrum. He isn't all cray cray, though. He's unbelievably sweet as well. He loves his big brother role and rushes to his side anytime Baby A starts to cry. My heart melts at the sweet way he tries to give his brother his paci. He ends up stuffing it in A's eye, nose, and cheeks but it's the thought that counts.

Speaking of pacis...

We took Cray K to the doctor the other day and she casually asked if we still gave him a paci. She was slightly appalled when we answered in the affirmative and she said in her cute Indian accent (my fav!), "You should get rid of that immediately!" I said, "Cold turkey?" She replied, "Absolutely." Then I started going into convulsions just thinking about a trip to the grocery store without one.

But to be honest, we were already limiting his paci usage. He no longer got it while we were at home except for sleepy times. The car, the crib, and out in town? We were all- "Plug the hole!" So the task of getting rid of his paci seemed very daunting.

That night, we couldn't find the paci for bedtime so we just didn't give it to him and he slept all night! 

My friends, we are working on Day Five of No Paci For Cray K and I'm happy to report it has been all business as usual here. I'm so pleased! Not a lot with my eldest boy has been easy and I'm shocked that this seems to be thus far. There's no going back now. My boy isn't a baby anymore.

He has started to talk a little and sign more often. That is such a relief. I see other blogs and facebook posts about how their child is saying this (and this and this!) and it really bothered me for awhile. Now, I'm aware just how different each child can be. Sometimes it just takes time. There's no use in worrying, anyway.

K has added "up" to his repertoire. I love the sweet way he says it. He sounds like Scooby Doo. Other words include: yes, hi guys, mama, dada, uh-oh, and more. He signs milk, all done, more, and no very well. I started to type out an "attempted words" list, but I just don't want to be that blogger today. You're welcome.

The bottom line is, I love this little one more and more every day. Waking up to his happy chatter in the morning makes me realize just how blessed I am. God has given me the world when he brought K and A into mine.

Happy 18 Months to the boy who made me a mother!

Weigh In

Hi, y'all. How goes it? I've gotta say, I'm glad you got to know me a little more with my last post. I love that a large portion of you all think I named my son Kilimanjaro. I'm totally going to start calling him that. Anyway...

it has been a while since I weighed in. Physically, it has been a rough couple of weeks. I haven't been able to exercise as much as I wish I had. Moving, unpacking, and settling into a new city has challenged me in my routine and sadly, I have failed. I'm back, though. I'm back.

Weight: 129 *yay! loss of 5 pounds since I last weighed in (I'm 2 months postpartum with baby #2).

I had a nice run today with my love. When a 6'3 former Army Officer tells you he is out of shape, do not DO NOT believe him. I woke up feeling like a run was in my near future. Casually, I mentioned to Captain J that I was going for a run and might'n he like to join me? I'm glad I did. He totally pushed me.

We ran around the neighborhood because his parents were in town and could watch the babes. Our new place is located in a neighborhood that has several cul-de-sacs. We jogged, sprinted, and at each roads end, we did burpees. We finished up with a series of ab exercises by the water at our house. It was nice to be with my husband. I've always envisioned exercising as family and I look forward to having the boys join us in our runs one day, too.

So there. I'm back.

And just so you know, I'm aware my hair is a hot mess. Bobby pins required- lesson learned.

XOXO,

Ask Mrs. K

Every once in a blue moon, I ask my readers if they have any questions for me. Always wondered something about me? Ask and I might just tell you. You can leave the questions in the comment section and I'll get to them soon or you can email me your questions at mrskandcaptainj(at)hotmail(dot)com. These questions, however, came from the fabulous April at Hearts on Guard. She awarded me the Liebster Award and asked the following:

1. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
 A lot. I didn't realize this until our latest move just weeks ago. Goodness, at the shoes! I probably haven't worn half of them since 2008. I have so many dainty, sexy, caa-ute heels but I lived in Alaska for about two years then I was pregnant for about two years and now, well, I'm stayin' home with the babes so I never get to wear my cute shoes.
2. Are you a city person or do you prefer the country?
I'm very much a country mouse. I feel uncomfortable in the city. It's a nice place to visit, but I do not enjoy navigating, driving, walking, or staying in big cities for long periods of time. In my humble opinion, life is better when you can't throw a rock at your neighbor's house and hit it. We'll see, though. I'm enjoying this big city very much thus far. Starbucks on every corner? Hallelujah.
3. Alcoholic beverage of choice?
Well, I'm having wine now and it's pretty tasty so I'm going to stick with that. Any kind is fine ;)
4. What is your worst bad habit?
I just asked Captain J and he said, "You don't say what's on your mind, you make me guess...and I ain't no good at that crap." That's a direct quote.
5. What T.V. show do you wish was real so you could hang out with the characters?
First of all, great question! I wish I watched more t.v. so I had a great answer. Most of the shows I watch are reality t.v. shows. I suppose I'd go with True Blood....as long as I didn't end up dead. I think it would be fun to chill with Lafayette.
6. What is your most epic fail in the kitchen?
I once used the wrong type of flour for cobbler and ended up with fruit floating in butter. A close second would be the cardboard tasting cookies I made one Christmas.
7. What colors did you have at your wedding?
Well, I didn't really have a wedding ceremony. I wore a beautiful, simple dress with feisty red heels and God painted the skies white. It was perfect.

8. What is your favorite smell?
Brownies baking or cookies or Blueberry Cheesecake.
9. Dream location for a wedding?
I never thought about my hypothetical wedding much. I don't enjoy being the center of attention; it makes me uncomfortable. I never really wanted a big to do. When I did think about it though, it was always some place outside.
10. What would you name your son or daughter?
Well, I wouldn't change their names. I like them. But I'd rather not say their names...Just know that Cray K and Baby A have names that most of my family didn't particularly like. One is named after a mountain. The other is a biblical name.
11. What is the first thing you think of when I say....FREE?
'Merica.

2 Months

My Dear, Sweet Baby A,

Happy Two Months to you. I love you so much. Here's why...

You've got the most precious little ears. You have a lovely set of blue eyes. And gosh darn it, if your smile isn't the brightest I've seen. You're a happy one, you are. I often think about the day you came kicking into this world and the nurses laid you on my tummy. The love I felt for you was instant. We have this special connection and I'm confident in mothering you. I needed that. I used to worry about my ability to provide for you, but I no longer do. You make everything easy. You're easy to love, my dear.

You started smiling this month. It's absolutely precious.
You also started screaming in the car this month. I'm not sure what's up with that, but I've got to tell ya- I think you should stop.
Over the past few days, I've begun to notice how much more awake you are throughout the day. You're content to lay on a quilt next to your brother and stare up at the lights and fan for hours on end. When you are done kicking and looking at your sibling, you'll drift off to sleep before your flailing arms startle you awake again.
In the short two months you've been around, you've lived three different places- Louisiana, Tennessee, and now Florida! What a little traveler you are. You just go with the flow in most situations and I've been so blessed to have you by my side these past two months. You are such a joy, little buddy.

I LOVE YOU!

-Mama

Fun For Toddlers

When the movers leave tons and tons of extra paper....

and Daddy has been gone for 20 days...

and you just need something to do to entertain your toddler...

do this:

Have Fun!

Pinspiration here:

Source: supermommoments.com via Mrs. on Pinterest

Linking up here:

If You Could Step Into My Head...

There's an old song that says, "If you could step into my head, tell me would you still know me?" I wondered that today. This blog allows me to put up a certain front if I want to. So many people read it and feel like they know me, like we talk every day, and we're friends. I know because they've told me. I really love that about this space here. But sometimes I wonder what they'd really think if they knew what went through my head half the time. Would they still like me?

I wasn't the mother I want to be today. I haven't been in weeks. I yell. I get frustrated. I react badly. I can't tell you how many times recently I have thought to myself, "WHY is he so bad?" Typing that out just now breaks my heart because there's nothing bad about my child. He is so sweet. His behavior sometimes is what could use some work and that's a reflection on ME. As soon as the thought crosses my brain, I quickly pray it away. This child is good and I'm the one failing him. It scares me so much.

If you really know me, you know that when my best friend called me two days ago she couldn't understand a word I was saying because I was crying so hard. Both babies had been screaming and a host of other things had occurred and I was completely spent. That's what this transition has been like for me.

I am not supermom. Half the time, I don't even feel worthy of being their mom.

Fridays are Fabulous!

I'm linking up with one of my favorite bloggers today for a little Fab Friday! Here are the fabulous things going on in my world today:

* My husband is coming home tomorrow! I haven't seen him in forever (or so it seems) and I can't wait for him to join our family again.

*Both kids are asleep as I type this and I'm about to watch a movie by myself and paint my nails and OH! IS IT GOING TO BE FUN!

*I have a winner for the Starbucks giveaway! Drumroll, please...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*The movers are supposed to come back today and take away all of the 191 boxes they left here. Every other military move we've done, we had to find a way to dispose of them ourselves. I'm so so grateful that they're dealing with it this time.

*Once the boxes are gone, my new house will be a home. I'm sure of it.

*My youngest finally smiled for the camera yesterday. Mama was proud.

*Scentsy has a whole bunch of their Fall/Winter products on sale for 10% off!

*Did I mention my husband is coming home? Can't wait to give him a big hug, hand the kids over, and run out the door!

Love,