Mommy Musings

Since Emmy started preschool, mornings around here are much busier.   We all have to be up, dressed appropriately, fed, and out the door by 7:40.   During that whole time my main focus is the girls  and so my needs, especially my breakfast intake, fall sadly by the wayside.  There is always coffee  of course, but my food intake in the morning is usually comprised of shoving in whatever scraps the girls have left behind.   Classy I know. So when the folks over at Tastykake offered me a breakfast make-over, I jumped  at the chance.  I anxiously waited for their package to arrive. I was not prepared for what I received though. I really was blown away by what I was sent.  I'm a sucker  for tiny little details, and Tastykake did not disappoint. The care they took in adding both a ribbon and  a personalized note really made me feel like more than just a customer.   Here are the items I received {in a durable, reusable mesh basket ...

Something about the impending spring {hopefully, yes, spring really is coming?} makes me itch to do some work around the house.  So the past few days have been filled with trips to Lowes and TJ Maxx, and dozens of things being changed around here.  Every time Skip gets home from work something is different. But one of the favorite projects so far has been replacing my curtains in the bedroom.  We've had these red, plain, boring, really too small for these windows curtains since we first got married.  They worked great at the condo, but just weren't cutting it here.  And after years of just putting up with them, I was finally ready to do something about them. But something you must know about me first, is that I'm one of the cheapest most frugal people you'll meet.  I rarely buy anything at retail value, and am always trying to find a way to do something for less .  But after some marathon shopping and a lot of price comparison, I finally fou...

  I love a good mani/pedi...I mean what girl doesn't?  When your fingers and toes are all dressed up, it doesn't matter what you're wearing or how your hair looks.  Okay, maybe that's not entirely true, but I do always feel a little fancier.  My one really big problem with manicures?  They honestly never last more than a day, maybe two for me.  I can't get more than a two days with a salon manicure without it chipping either.  Drives me bananas.  And I have tried all different brands and top coats, from the super cheap to the super expensive.  Nothing works . Before we had kids and a much tighter budget, I would go to my local nail salon every two weeks for pink and white gels over acrylics, swoon .  But once I stopped bringing in the extra income, my pretty nails had to pay the price.  I have used the glue on ones from CVS for special events {and seriously get so many compliments over those} but I like a good color on my nail...

When you have daughters, you always wonder what kind of little girls will they grow up to be.   Will they be musically inclined or work better with a paint brush. Will they want to sit and read for hours or constantly be on the go with no rest in sight? Will they sit and play tea party or will have to keep the calgary locksmith number on hand because they've locked you out of the house with one of their adventures.   See with a little girl you can either get a typical " girlie girl " or one who is a little more tomboyish . I feel very lucky, because my sweet Emmy?  Is a wonderful combination of both.  She wants to run and play in the dirt and mud one minute, and have a princess tea party with her dad the next.  I love getting to see both very distinct side of her. But this past week?  It was girl central  around here.  I swear she was walking around in a cloud of pink sparkles for days on end.   There was nail polishing... Obviously with...

I fear this winter is never going to end.  Every day we inch closer to March, the weather still remains the same.  Cold .  Really really cold.  There's possible snow forcasted for later in the week.  I'm over it. And I don't know about you, but I have no desire to dress up or look cute when it's this cold.  I just want to stay in my womens pajamas curled up in bed, hibernating till spring.  Lucky Skip .  But even though I'm freezing all the time, I really don't want to become that wife .  The one who constantly looks frumpy and disheveled.  Let's be seriously, giant Marine Corps sweatshirts paired with stretched out grey sweatpants is just not attractive .  And I don't even have a newborn to blame it on though my kids are sleeping like newborns recently but that's a post for another day. So the other day, Skip and I took the girls to the mall to get a birthday present for one of Emmy's school friends.  When we got...

As much as I don't like to admit it, my baby girl, Charlie, is definitely growing up.  In fact I just realized that she will be two in a little less than four months....crazy! With this new growth, comes a lot of exciting milestones.  Charlie can now safely have a pillow and blanket in her crib.  One night I just grabbed an extra pillow and princess case out of Emmy's room and threw that in the crib.  Charlie was in love.  But I wanted to take my time and find the perfect  blanket for her. As a second child, poor Charlie often has to deal with hand-me-downs.  But I wanted a blanket that was special just for her .  I also didn't want it to be a baby blanket.  I wanted her to have something super soft, and large enough for her to cuddle and cover her while she's sleeping. Thankfully I found all of this in the Nuby Fleece Baby Blanket. While it is called the Baby Blanket, this super soft blanket can definitely carry your little one from baby-ho...

I am so very excited to be featured as Jenn's Blog of the Week over at Munchkin Land Design!!! Jenn obviously designed my blog for me, and even months later I am still so in love with it.  With just a few questions, Jenn figured out who I really am, and gave me a design that showcases that.  She is super professional and easy to work with!   Even more generous?  Jenn is offering my readers a 5% discount for the next week!!!  Just enter the code BOTWMommyMusings on your order form ! Thanks again Jennn!

Emmy is on winter break from school all week, and girlfriend is devastated .  She does not  understand why she can't still be with her teacher and friends all week. It's been tough for me  as well because although I love  having her all to myself all day, she needs more  than just hanging at home with Mommy all day.  And with the weather being downright frigid  we can't exactly get out of the house much. So I've been really stretching myself to try and come up with some super fun things for her to do.  We're planning a trip to the library, hopefully a school sponsored outing to a gymnastics center, and maybe a birthday party this weekend.  But she's most upset about missing the "classes" she has every day at school. Since Mondays she has art class, we decided to re-create it as much as possible.  Skip made her a special smock out of one of his old shirts, and we set her up at the table with some water colors and horse pictures, obviousl...

In her four years, Emmy never really had a traditional "lovie".  She gravitated way more towards tiny little plastic toys.  You would be amazed at the millions of little horses we have around the house, that she insists on bringing everywhere.  Stuffed animals sat unloved for months.  But then came my little Charlie Bear.  And she just loves all things soft and squishy.  She will play with the plastic-y toys for a bit, but stuffed toys are her true love.  She has had a few favorites over the months, dragging them behind her by their ears and tails.  Her current favorite, and has been so since Christmas, is a giants stuffed monkey my Grandma gave her.  Charlie sleeps with it, takes it in the car, and snuggles with it every chance she can get.  We do nothing  and go no where without Mr. Monkey in tow!