Cleaning Spree

Hello all!!  I have been working my tooshie off spring cleaning my house.  I have literally scrubbed it from top to bottom.  I have managed to get all of our closets cleaned and organized, put away all of mine and Carter's winter clothes in space bags and put into our storage building, dust every piece of furniture that we own, scrubbed our wooden cabinets in the kitchen that was really filthy, and I even managed to clean some baseboards.  I used to be one of those that didn't really think that needed to be done, but considering how much dust I got off of them, I will now clean them at least once every two months or so.  Gross.  I also zapped the bathrooms pretty clean and I don't have even one piece of clothing that needs to be washed and they are all put away, except for the HUGE basket of socks that needs to be matched.  Ugh.  I am just tempted to throw them away and get us all new socks.  I literally hate matching socks with a passion.  Don't know why.  Anyways, to avoid having to work days on end after work to get my house back into order, I am going to attempt this little list.  I like it and it seems very reasonable.  I assume it's easier to clean for about 20 minutes a day than for days at a time.

WHO'S WITH ME????

 

Since I am on the whole "clean living" kick, I am also a fitness junkie at the moment.  I have done really good at eating better and exercising.  I have more energy and I have lost a few inches just in a few short weeks.  As of right now I am into smoothies in the morning and they actually hold me over until lunch when I get my salad.  Dinner time I chow down on whatever, but I at least make two of my meals good for me.  I do snack lightly some during the day and drink lots of water. 

 

Here is one of my smoothies that I drink in the mornings

 

Now, before you get all dramatic on me and start gagging and what not, it's really good!!  It's one apple, banana, 1/2 an orange, 1 cup of yogurt, 5 strawberries, a handful of blueberries, and two handful of baby spinach leaves.  Blend it all up and enjoy!  You can't even taste spinach--only fruit!  So before you judge, you should try it!

 

Also, I found these on Pinterest and I love them!

Salad in a jar!!

 

They're amazing.  I mean, it don't make salads taste better or anything, but for me, one that's usually on the go, it's just convenient to have these already made in the fridge and just grab them and go.  The key is to not let the lettuce and spinach part touch the dressing at the bottom or it will get soggy.  But they stay good for up to a week.  When you are ready for it, you just pour it in a plate and it's ready to enjoy!

 

 

We attended Ava's 2nd birthday a week ago and it was such a cute party!!  Callie and her mom really did an awesome job! 

 

 Obviously, Carter don't care what color toys are as long as they have wheels!  He threw out Barbie every time Ava put her in the little car, so Nick would be proud.

 

 

 

Speaking of 2nd birthdays, I am having to plan Carter's and I'm having a blast.  It's gonna be cute!

 

Carter is still a big ol' pig.  He is finally liking stuff that has the potential of getting messy.  He loves spaghetti, but oddly does pretty good about keeping the mess to a minimum.

 

The little stinker will NOT eat anything out of a can.  So when I have my lazy days that I don't feel like cooking...too bad, because it's either me make a homemade meal for him or he don't eat.  He just knows.  I can set down a bowl of carrots from a can in front of him and he will push it away.  Then I can turn right around and set some down that I had to steam fresh and he he will chow down.  Fruit from a can...you can forget it.  Has to be fresh and peeled.  He also won't eat hot dogs or Vienna sausage..not that I would want him to much anyways..but he hates them.  Gags actually.  And he still will not eat anything sweet unless it's angel food cake and sometimes blueberry muffins.  I don't know if I have brainwashed him or what!!

 

My smart boy knows just about every letter in the alphabet.  He gets "G" and "Q" mixed up sometimes but he is doing really good with them and loves them!!  We will be moving on to numbers and colors next.

 

Alright, that's it.  I won't keep rambling anymore.  I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

 



 

  







Outside

First, I want to apologize.  I know all of you are probably thinking that I am way too obsessed with my son and that I post way too many pictures of him and write every time he blinks.  So...sorry, but that's all I got.  I know you don't want to hear about all my work problems/solutions from day to day so, Carter's what you get.

Anyway.

Since you know as well as I do, its been beautiful outside.  So, that's where we have been the majority of our free time.  Carter is in his idea of Heaven and when we have to come inside it's such a dramatic scene for a good 15 minutes.  Mickey Mouse can't even fix that problem.  We are literally outside until the sun don't shine.

So this blog is going to be mostly pictures of what we do with our days after I am off work.  The biggest "wow" is that Carter is out of the phase where he hates getting dirty.  That's growth people!  He still don't get too dirty but he does not mind it if he does (like he used to).  It's fun being Carter's mom!!

 

 

 

 

He LOVES my mom's convertible.  He can see everything.  But, it's not easy explaining to a one year old why the top to my tahoe won't go back.  My sunroof is all of a sudden boring to him.  Now, we can't pass by a stop sign without staying each letter then yelling GO!!  We also can't pass by an American Flag without saluting it.  Mia taught them that!

 



Boring

It's been several days since I have posted and I really don't have a lot that's been going on.  Just been working, working out, and playing with the coolest 1 year old on the planet.  I have signed up for a relay and my leg is 5.5 miles long.  That may not sound very hard to some of you but, for me, that's a big deal.  I am having to really train hard in a short time because the race is next month.  But, together, AD and I will be ready for it!  AD and I were up to running about 6 miles a while back, then after we ran our 5K race, we decided to take a week off to rest.  Which, of course, turned into a month long rest.  I hate us so hard for doing that!!  All that hard work and now we are having to start all over again.  We won't make that mistake again.

How's Carter been?  He been very good, but he is nothing shy of a mess!  And here is the evidence.

 

Here he is in our bed.  He is a terrible bed partner.  "Don't put him in your bed, then,"  you say?  Well, COME ON!  After the 5th time in one night that he comes in our room after taking him back to his bed every time before, then that's when we give up.  Sleep is very precious in our house and when we are sleep deprived, then the battle is lost.

 

And that's exactly how he sleeps all night.....on Nick.  His face literally has to be touching Nick's head or he is not happy.  Poor Nick.

 

Then here he is in the floor at a store because I didn't let him pull shirts off the hangers.  How dare I???

 

But then there are times like these where he is the sweetest little soul on the Earth.....that needs a haircut.

 

He is still a fan of the outdoors.  So when it's nice, we walk about 2 miles with him while he pushes his wagon.  If he's not a track star when he gets older, then I will be shocked.  He sure does have stamina.

 

But more than anything right now (even trucks) he is really loving letters and numbers.  Everywhere we go he points out letters and numbers on signs, in books, on menus, ect.  He knows about 5 or 6 letters by heart. 

 

 

He is still not talking much.  But every now and then he will pull out words that I had no idea that he knew and say them like he talks all the time.  The other day we were playing with Carter and my Papa said "Where's Carter???"  And Carter ran in the room he was in and said "I'm here!"  Plain as day.  He sure has gotten into a good habit of pointing and grunting for what he wants.  So I am just going to have to be patient.....which is not my strongest attribute.

 

 

 

 



The Room

Conway was a blast and Nolan's birthday was a huge success!  Carter pushed everything that had wheels and he wore his little self out!!  Everyone had a great time.  It was good to see a couple of friends as well and let them see my family that I am so proud of. 

So, the room.

Carter is so in love.  Every time he walks in his room he lights up and gets very very hyper!  He actually spends the majority of his time in there when we are home.  He really does have a facination with big trucks and wheels.  So glad that I did this for him.

Carter HAS to get every book down and flip through them all before bed.

He loves his steering wheel!

 

Wood burning done by my cousin Mark Jones Jr.  He is so talented!

 

So, that's it.

I'm glad he loves it so much because that's what it will be for a very long time.

 

Birthday Weekend

Well, it was rainy yesterday and pretty slow at the hotel.  So I was just sitting at home, on the couch, yesterday morning and found myself walking to the front door, getting in my car, and driving to the Home Improvement store.  (I had no prior plans of doing this).  I picked out colors for Carter's room, on a whim, and bought all painting material that I needed.  The colors that I picked out for two walls are navy blue and the other two walls are gray.  It looks really good together.  It didn't take as long as I thought to paint since Nick decided he wanted to help some.  Anyways, with my mom's help this morning I finally managed to get Carter's whole room done.  Thank God!!  So glad it's done with and over.  We moved Carter's mattress into our room and that's where he slept last night and he's going to be there again tonight.  I only took one picture so here is a sneak peek.  I'll post the rest of the room later.  But I gotta say...his room is pretty cool.  I can't wait to see the look on his face.

 

And there is a whole lot more awesomeness on the other walls.  That's a pretty big honkin truck, right??!!  There are a couple things, such as a wood burning of a monster truck, and letters of his name that I am painting for the walls, but that's easy stuff.  It also seems that Carter will be getting a new dresser and night stand to go in his room, thanks to my mom.  The dresser that I have in his room now is from when I was little.  The drawers are not even on their tracks anymore.  Yikes.  My parents got their money out of it, that's for sure!

 

 

We are going to spend the weekend in Conway and see several friends tomorrow.  It's always weird for me to go to Conway, since that was my home for 2 years.  Man, that place is growing!  Don't get me wrong, I don't miss it ONE BIT, but it's always nice going for a visit.  Small towns are definitely my speed.

 

My Nephew, Nolan, is going to be 2 Sunday.  Where the HECK has the time gone?? It all happens way too fast and I'm not liking it one bit.  Nolan is such a sweet and outgoing little boy.  He is so precious and so special.  I sure do wish that he and Carter could be around each other more and, just maybe, his outgoing-ness would rub off on my little monster.  He has the best arm that I have ever seen on a 1 year old so when he makes it to the Major Leagues, he better remember me!!  I love that boy!  Can't wait to party like a rockstar Sunday!

 

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend!! 

 Happy Friday!



Valentine's Celebration

So, last blog I mentioned that all I wanted for Valentine's Day was for Nick to take me to my most favorite restaurant in the world....Little Italy.  I love the one in Glenwood.  If you have not tried it, you should.  We finally found time that we could both go yesterday afternoon.  There were tornado warnings and it was raining pretty hard, but that was not going to stop me.  I WAS going to have my Little Italy fix.  My heart and soul was set on having the heavenly bread and their marinara sauce and then on top of that, for an appetizer, I was going to get cheese sticks.  For my main meal I was going to get some garlic and oil noodles splashed with lemon juice....omg.  I even skipped lunch so I would be super hungry and eat all that I could fit in my stomach.  The closer we got to Glenwood, the more my mouth watered and the more excited I got.  It's honestly pathetic how much I was looking forward to it.  I round the curve, turn into the parking lot........CLOSED!!!!!  What the @#$$^&^%^????  I was beyond livid.  The Fish Nest there was packed so we settled on the Mexican restaurant.  We drove 30 miles to eat at a place that we literally have 4 of within a 10 mile radius of us.  Little Italy-1 Catherine and Nick-0.  A trip back to Glenwood will be penciled in soon.

 

Bought Carter this little chair last week at Walmart.  He loves it and uses it a lot while he watches tv, reads his books, or eats a snack.  I decided he needed something when he tried to sit on a ball several times to do those things.

 

 

I also ordered this little jewel for Carter (Yes, he is way too spoiled), but I got it for a very good price!  He loves to climb and he loves to slide on things, so I thought this would be perfect for him.

 

Is it just me or does the thing in the picture not look that big?  I asked Nick to blow it up for Carter while I went and worked out and when I walked in the living room I about fainted.  It literally takes up half of our living room.  It's huge.  I have no clue where we are going to put it for now.  So, it's just chillin in our living room like we don't have any sense.  When it gets warm enough...it's going outside!  It's pretty much da bomb diggity, though.

 

Carter is putting on weight so well right now.  He is eating like a pig and really starting to fill out, especially in the chest area.  He does not seem to be getting any taller, though.  With a short daddy and a short momma....he is destined to be short.  I just believe that with his next check up his weight percentile will spike and his length will go down significantly unless he just shoots up the next couple months.  But to me, he is perfect no matter what!  Short people are pretty awesome with their big personalities! ;)

 

Carter has become quite the little chatterbox.  Not with actual words....it's mostly nonsense...but man he is making some noise!  He is coming out of his little shell and giving out hugs left and right to people and it just warms my heart.  He is changing in a lot of ways for the better.

 

When it comes to that little boy, love is seriously not a strong enough word.

 

 

 

 



Valentine's Day

Last night I got to keep Carter's best friend for a little while.  I got to give two bubble baths at the same time and make sure two little hoodlums ate good at the same time.  The bath was....interesting.  I had one wanting all the toys that the other had in his hand and the other was dumping water out of the bath tub with a full cup.  At the end of the bath I was soaked and so was the entire bathroom.  BUT IT WAS A BLAST!  It definitely sealed the deal that I for sure want another child one day and it also confirmed my want for another boy.  I can't wait for sleepovers!!

The domestic side of me is still on full throttle for some odd reason, because I would be the last person to say that I am in any way domestic by nature.  In honor of Mardi Gras I made some jambalaya in the crock pot.  It was so good!  Nick had seconds and the kids ate it up like no one's business.  It was really easy.  I was even a big girl and put in several spices such as bay leaves, oregano, parsley, and several others.  They make a difference and made my house smell amazing.  We also had mustard potato salad and roll to go along with it (bought from brookshires).

 

Then after Carter's best friend left I made me and him some breakfast that is quick and easy for mornings.  I usually like for him to eat oatmeal for breakfast on the weekends, and he eats it really well, most of the time.  But most weekends I try to have something planned for us to do instead of being cooped up in the house and it's just easier to have breakfast pre-made.  So I made these beauties.  Plus, it mixes it up a bit for him.  He usually eats yogurt with every breakfast as well.

Oatmeal muffins.

 

They are made with whole grain rolled oats, whole milk, homemade (no sugar added) applesauce, bananas, Cinnamon, vanilla, and dried raisins.  I froze them and then when we need them, I'll just pop them in the microwave and BOOM....breakfast is done!

 

My boy loves yogurt raisins from the store.  He eats them like crazy when they are offered to him.  I read the ingredients list on the back and I have just decided that they are not good for him at all.  Way too much sugar and artificial stuff.  And the "yogurt" is not real yogurt.  It's dried icing.  SO bad for his teeth.  So I got some low fat vanilla Greek yogurt and dipped raisins and blueberries in the yogurt and I froze them for a snack for Mr. Carter.  Cheaper and better for him.

 

I have also learned how to make fruit roll ups.  Just blend up whatever fruit you want, pour it out onto a cookie sheet lined with nonstick paper, and put in oven on lowest temperature until they are dried.  Cut them into little squares and roll them up.  So simple!  And again, no artificial anything or added sugar.

 

 

Those type of things just give me a better feeling as a mother, obviously.  If you want any of the recipes feel free to message me.

 

Carter gave us a 4 night streak of sleeping all night in his bed.  We really appreciated it.  But low and behold, this morning at 4 A.M. he came in our room, with one truck in each hand from his room, and wanted in our bed with us.  After attempting to play trucks for a while, he finally fell asleep at 5:30 with trucks clutched.  He is one silly kid.

 

Well, it's Valentine's Day and I am stuck at work.  All I asked from Nick is that he take me out to eat at Little Italy.  Since I am working tonight and we both got plans over the weekend, it will probably have to wait until Sunday or Monday evening.

 

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!

 

Tell all the special people in your life that you love them today!