Our Week

We had our first solid week of regularly scheduled Fort Worth summer fun over the last week. I try to keep any normal week at home structured the same, so the kids know what days we will grocery shop, what day of the week we'll go somewhere fun for lunch, and what days we play at home. That's the same for summer and school year. Sometimes I spontaneously throw that schedule out the window, but it works well for us as it manages everyone's expectations.

This past week, we adhered to that schedule, with Wednesday being a day that we headed out to the Amon Carter Museum of American Art for their fabulous story time. I talked about it here, but never circled back around to re-visit it. This summer the theme was "Artful Alphabet," and they have worked through books for each letter of the alphabet. Each story time, there are 3-4 spots set up around the museum with a reader who is located by an art piece that goes along with the book they're reading. It's a brilliant way to introduce the children to art.

Each week, they offer the story time, along with a craft and a snack. It's incredibly well done, and the staff and volunteers are wonderful. Highly recommend.

We ran into a fun friend and her grandson and story timed with them, before heading to lunch with another friend from church. It was a great day.

Taken on the front lawn of the Amon Carter, with Will Rogers in the background
Thursday, we were looking at a list of things we'd planned to do throughout the summer that we've called the "summer fun list." We realized that of all things, we'd yet to do the Zoo splash pad. So we jumped up and got dressed for some water fun. It's alway so fun to mark a milestone of the kids' growth, and that day was certainly one of them. Activities that last year seemed to require tons of talks about bravery were easy. Even my stress level was down. Maybe it's because we found a better spot to set up our stuff, but likely it's because my kids are a year older, a year more awesome. We had a blast.

Our weeks of summer are numbered. But for this week, we're still crossing things off our "summer fun list!"

Preschooler No More

Like everyone else on this side of the world, last week was super hectic as we wrapped up school for the year. Who would have thought that preschoolers would have such busy ends of the year? But they do. Especially when you have one graduating pre-K.

Do I really have a child old enough for kindergarten?

Yes, yes I do.

His graduation fell on my husband's birthday, which is part of the reason we celebrated it through the weekend. For us, "graduating" preschool seemed like a bigger milestone than finishing kindergarten will be, but who knows, we may do it all over again next year! I bought a cookie cake with "Kindergarten, Here He Comes!" on it, and we went out for supper at Joe T's with grandparents.

It seems only months since I made the decision to stay home with this guy, and now he's leaving me for big kid school. I'm excited for all of us, but especially for him. We've already seen how it has enlarged our community, and it's not even the first day yet! He is a learner, and he's going to love school.

If you're going to be a new kindergarten mom like me, I ran across this post from Dallas Moms Blog. I love how she mentions making new friends for all. I think school has a way of carving a tight knit community out of a big city.

Kindergarten, here we come!

Why Weekending Is Coming Back to This Space

On Friday night, Mr. G and I were taking a little walk down memory lane and had varying recollections about a now-defunct restaurant in Fort Worth, and it hit me, "Maybe I blogged about that?" I searched the blog right then, and we spent the next 30 minutes laughing about what our life was like as DINKs back in 2007 through 2010 on a trip through this website.

All of that to say, I realized how much I have come to love this space as a diary of what's been going on with us. GROUNDBREAKING, I know.

So here's what I've been up to for the past many months that may or may not have landed here:

Raising two precious preschoolers and all of the fun playing, singing, and boo boo kissing that comes with it.

Serving on a strategic advisory team at my church.

Teaching a lot of Pure Barre, as well as growing my skills through additional training.

Taking a lot of Pure Barre, because I still enjoy it as a primary exercise.

Potty training a child.

Mentoring an awesome young lady at TCU regarding our mutual faith in Christ.

Reflecting on life with a child in kindergarten next year.

Laundering everything we own on Mondays and Fridays.

Leading a Ladies' gathering on Wednesday nights at church.

Writing for Fort Worth Moms Blog.

Currently finalizing the craft list and supplies for VBS 2016.

Reading a lot!

Taking time off from leading a Sunday school department, we've been part of a young adult Sunday school class since August.

Over the next several weeks, maybe I will find it in myself to break these down into separate blog posts, because a bullet does no credit to the amount of time I've actually dedicated to them. Especially those first and second items. When people ask how I've been, I usually say, "Busy." It feels good to list it out and see that I'm not making that up.

{Because you can't have a blog post without a picture.}

Am I the only one with photos like this on my roll?
I bought this shirt a while back and love it,
but not with a sports bra and tights. Found here.
I had a friend comment to me about how easy it is to be a stay at home mom. Yes, it's very easy to be a stay at home mother if you have no commitments to anything except your kids and the occasional playdate. I find it harder to balance when I'm volunteering at a high capacity with a child on my hip and the other pulling at my leg. I don't have a nanny, and the children always come first. However, it's absolutely my choice to take on those commitments, and my husband and I both find it good stewardship of my time to give back so much to the Lord through service to our church. One of the nice things about staying home is choosing how to spend the available time.

My heart--and my schedule--is full!

Organized Summer Fun

I'm taking the opportunity to catch up some on our summer activities here, mostly for posterity's sake. That's one benefit of blogging about family life--you remember where you were when because it is published on the www for review!

The first couple of weeks this summer were spent in swim lessons. Last summer he took from Fort Worth Family Swim, but this year we chose to use TCU's Swim Camp. Children have to be age 4, I believe, to take part in this one. It's run by the TCU Head Swim Coach, and he uses TCU swimmers, grad assistants, and a few others that have come through his summer camp program to teach the lessons.


Lessons are taught at the TCU Rec Center indoor pool with 4-5 children assigned to an instructor in each lane. While there are quite a few more people in the pool during lesson time, I think that increased Jack's enjoyment of the water. By the end of the two weeks, Coach Sybesma knew which kid matched with what parent, and intermittently spoke with parents about their child's progress and the parent's expectations. I was impressed with the program and highly recommend it.

For the past 7 weeks, our little ladybug has been immersed in all things dance. One of my Pure Barre friends is the preschool coordinator at a local dance studio, and she reminded me that AB was old enough for classes this summer. She has had a blast. From the moment she tried on her tap shoes at the local dance shoppe, she was smitten.


Please pardon the grainy photo. I cropped it close for the privacy of the other girls. Most of what I have taken are really sweet videos of her twirling about the room with ballerina arms. Her excitement once we get to the studio is uncontainable, and she usually sprints to the door when the teacher opens the classroom, then again when she comes out to change from ballet to tap. Parents are allowed to watch from the lobby where there are windows into the classroom. It's one of the most precious things to see!

I'm glad we did swim lessons early in the summer and equally glad we've had something do each week taking AB to dance as the summer has begun to slow down. Who can believe August is almost here again?!

Babies and More Babies

I've launched a new look today, thanks to Anna at Designer Blogs, so if you're reading through Feedly or another RSS reader, I'd love for you to click on through and take a look!

My friend was such a champ earlier this week. After laboring for 30 something hours, she finally was delivered of her sweet little guy. (I'm leaving out a lot of details here--she is wonder mom.) Annabelle and I were able to meet him and fell in love with his precious little self. She loved it for a few minutes, and then she'd had enough of her mom holding another baby and was done with that.


At the hospital, the topic of baby fever and whether I will have more little sweeties came up. (Current answer: no.) While this was a perfectly normal conversation to have in that company, I find it interesting when folks who do not have a close relationship with my family or me ask it. It doesn't bother me, but I do think it's quite a personal thing to ask. I would go so far as to categorize it with asking a childless couple when they are starting a family, which is incredibly annoying. If they are having trouble conceiving, it's not just annoying, it's hurtful.

Do you agree, or am I totally off the mark?

Cold Days in North Texas

We've been a little stir-crazy with the up and down weather we're having here in North Texas lately. Last week it iced at the beginning of the week, thawed out, then snowed on Friday. By Saturday, that was ice too. We took advantage of the beautiful powder snow to get out and play a little after Friday naps.


It was so cold!

We have a great hill in our neighborhood, and people come out in droves during weather like this for sledding. So, we thought we'd join the fun. The kids were terrified when I tried to send them down the hill to where their dad was waiting to catch them. I mean, serious #momfail on that one. They cried, begging me to carry them (physically, in my arms) all the way home. Nevermind that I was pulling them in our red wagon. We were quite a sight. Next time we'll make sure they understand a little better before we start pushing them down a hill on a box lid.

Since we only see this kind of weather a few times a year, I don't really have the best clothes/equipment for them to be out in the weather. I've not been able to find good gloves for their tiny hands, and I think that would've made all the difference for them to enjoy playing in it. Or maybe they are just summer kids, like me.

Shopping for Slip-On Sneakers

I briefly glossed over yesterday that we did a little shopping last weekend with the whole fam. I finally had a blow out in the toe of my favorite burlap "Thomases" (what my little guy calls Toms shoes). Besides that, I spend more time than I probably should in leggings since they are the most comfortable for playing with my kids. I keep dressing them down with tennis shoes, but it's easy to create a pulled together look too, with just the right shoe.

Lately there are slip-ons everywhere. From Target, to Gap, to high-end brands. For example, the image below of leggings with slip-ons. Oh that I had looked so effortless, whilst schlepping my toddler through the rain to vote yesterday.

Clockwise from top:
Black Quilted || Grey Snake || Leopard || Maroon Sateen || Black Perforated

Vans Metallic Slip-Ons
I ended up with the metallic Vans above. Up until a month ago, if you had told me I would own a pair of Vans ever in my life, I probably would've laughed. Mr. G asked if he could call me Avril.

While I was trying on shoes, one of the kids tripped with a styrofoam cup which fell to the ground and sprung a leak. In a ridiculous turn of events, my first instinct was to kick off the shoes so as not to be confused with a shoplifter and sprint from the store with the leaking cup to the nearest trashcan, minimizing the mess.

Added to my list of humbling motherhood moments is running through the mall in my socks with a leaking Sprite while I blamed myself for being distracted by shiny things. I don't let them walk around with drinks. They have to be kept in the stroller. For this reason!

I apologized profusely and offered to mop the store floor. Then I bought the shoes and left in a hurry.

Shopping with preschoolers is never boring!

Motivated Monday

Last night I went to bed with the house a mess. That's a rarity, as we usually do some picking up family-style on Sunday evening, but last night, I was all, "meh, I'll do it tomorrow."

On the weekends I'm usually a little more lax in my tidying up, simply because I spend the entire week doing exactly that. It seems a little fruitless, but since my job is "homemaker" I feel like I'm taking a hit on my (self-scored) performance appraisal if the order of the house is less than what I want it to be. And I'd prefer the house to be within 15 minutes of company-ready, if at all possible. (Not always possible. You know, real life happens.)

When I was working, the house stayed a lot cleaner since we weren't here most of the day. Now, even if we have plans to be out and about in the mornings, we're still home at naps and usually through the rest of the evening, which leaves plenty of time to distribute every single toy we own in a location other than its home.

One of these days I will miss that, right?

Anyway, I spent most of the morning moving laundry, picking up around the small folk, and running errands. Supper's in the crockpot, and my car is even washed. It's nap time now, and I've settled down on the couch to the whoosh of the laundry room and a bag of brownie brittle. I'm a little late to the party on this, but it's amazing and only 120 cals per serving. It reminds me of the crispy edges of the brownie, if that's your bag. I'm trying to decide if I've only had one serving or if I've crossed the line into 2 (most likely). I found it on the cookie/snack aisle.


Here's to Monday's to-do's becoming done's.

Should 3 Year Olds Play Sports?

I'm not sure if this is still a popular site or not for new and expecting moms, but I get weekly e-mail updates on the development of my kids through Babycenter. And I usually delete it when I'm cleaning up my inbox en masse each week because I don't take the time to read them. However, last week a headline on the supposed development of my oldest caught my attention. It said something to the affect of "Should Your 3 Year Old Play Team Sports"?


Image courtesy of hin255/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I clicked on it because we're lately interested and crazy excited about signing up our little guy for soccer. The idea of him in his soccer uniform makes me a little giddy, to be honest. The article surprised me. I was expecting it to say how great it was to start them early with exercise, learning to identify with a team, etc. This quote basically summarizes the article: "Most 3-year-olds aren't up for the complexities of team sports or classes just yet." And the tone discourages signing them up.

I understand what they're trying to say. If we are talking about technical ability, then yes, my 3 year old is probably not ready to focus solely on the game through 4 quarters, stay in his position, and the like. However, I think the article would have been better if it focused more on how parents should manage their expectations of 3 year olds when they inevitably sign them up for the game. It should be a fun, learning experience. When it's not, evaluate why and take corrective action, right?

Without a doubt, all children are different in a situation like this. How old were you when you started team sports? What do you think is a good age?

Bunny Banner: An Easy Easter Craft

It's been quite a few weeks since I posted anything, and I've been missing my blog! That's weird to say. Almost as weird as that time my husband told someone that blogging is one of my hobbies. I guess it is, and I guess that's not too much worse than shopping being a hobby (which it is). Anyway, hi and happy spring!

Last week I was fluffing my house for the season and realized I didn't have much in the way of Easter decor. We need some chicks and bunnies up in this place. Preferably not the chocolate ones because I will just eat them. And preferably not live ones either, family!


I whipped up this easy little bunny banner. It's sweet and precious and easy. All supplies (except for the bunny stencil) were bought at my Super Walmart, which carries fabric again. What were they thinking ever taking out the craft section in Walmart? Glad they fixed it.



I cut my own pennant banner pattern out of poster board a few years ago and have used it several times. It was a very technical process (except it wasn't) that yielded a big triangle. I used my Silhouette to cut the bunny out of card stock, but you could google "bunny silhouette," print your favorite result on thick paper, and cut it out.

My pennants are burlap which makes a big ol' dusty mess when cut, but I love the look of it, so what do you do? And the quilt binding is found near the thread. This was a 7/8" width which was 3 yards long (and obviously I used light pink instead of red shown here for example). I used the entire length for my mantle and have a little over a foot hanging on each end.

After painting the bunnies, I tucked the pennants into the binding and sewed the whole thing, but you could easily hot glue. Then I just hot glued the cotton tails on. Definitely my favorite part!


We're excited about Easter! Every day, the kids pull the baskets down off of the hearth, throw the eggs around the living room and then...I make them pick them up. It's great practice for the church egg hunt!

Mama Monday: Review of the BOB Revolution Duallie

Last week I sold my practically brand-spanking-new BOB Revolution Duallie. The reason? I straight up was not using it.

I bought it back in April, about a month before Pure Barre opened here in Fort Worth. With Pure Barre, I've found a workout I love, and all that running I envisioned to chase away the baby weight went by the wayside.

Here was my experience with it while I had it:

Pros: It is a fabulous, smooth ride. Great suspension and lots of mesh pockets to store stuff: toys, sippys, etc. It folds up easily, and unfolds fairly easily as well. It's incredibly sturdy and well made--like the Hummer of strollers. You could run over anyone on the trail in this thing. You can purchase a baby carrier adapter, separately, and still have a preschooler in the second seat.

Cons: It's heavy, weighing in at 34 lbs before you add two children to it. (Of course, if you're getting in shape after baby, this might be a pro for you!) By the time I got the kids ready and loaded into the car, plus the stroller loaded into the back of my SUV, I had already gotten a workout and was worn OUT. This really discouraged me from hitting the trail to run on a whim. Also, being a side-by-side double stroller, it's incredibly wide. I would like to take this opportunity to educate the mommies of America that this is not a stroller to take to the mall. Stores in the mall are not set up for side-by-side double strollers. Please and thank you!

(If you're looking for a great mall stroller, catch my review of the UppaBaby Vista here!)

Retailing around $500, it was too expensive of a stroller to continue to let lay in my garage, dejected and unused as I stepped over it on my way to Pure Barre. Thankfully, it resells quite nicely.

I love doing reviews of products because usually I take to the Internet to read everything about something before I purchase. I hope you find my personal experience helpful!

Mama Monday: Organizing in the New Year

The one thing I haven't been able to shake since I became a stay at home mother is the feeling of disorganization. In the past, I would consider myself a Type A minus person. Organized, but flexible. I know what I plan to wear tomorrow, but I probably won't iron it tonight. You know what I mean?

But since May, I haven't been able to keep up with dates. For example, I know we have something going on this or that Saturday, but for the life of me I can't remember what it is. And of course my planner is blank on that day. Or I might go to the grocery store but forget the one main ingredient that is on my grocery list for tonight's dinner, thus creating a need for a subsequent trip.

For a while I blamed it on mom brain. But it doesn't appear that my mom brain is going away any time soon, so I've decided to compensate for it in other ways. Prevention, if you will. Since I no longer have time each day to sit down at a desk and review the needs of the day/week/month as I did when I worked, I need to find a way to compensate.

Here are some of the small habits I'm changing for myself for the good of my household this year.

• Buy a 2014 planner. I invested in a planner that does more for me than some of the popular ones. I'm using the customizable Russell+Hazel mini smartdate system with weekly planner and monthly tabs. What I love about it is the ability to keep my long and verbose to-do list on the left, with the daily dates to remember on the right. I can keep my meal plan (oh yes, two weeks going strong) there together. I got the gold binder. It's pretty and clean looking.
• Then actually use it. A planner is only good if write in it religiously and then keep it on me at all times. When I hear a new date, I write it down immediately. If we're home, my planner is open on the counter top.
• Review the list. To remember my groceries, I'm pausing before the check out line to review my list. This may seem like common sense to most people, but I grocery shop on Monday morning with two children under 3. Usually by the end of our trip, it's time for lunch or otherwise a change of scenery. As my Grannie would say, "they've used up all their good," if you know what I mean. I need to take a deep breath, dig deep for more Cheerios in my bag, and review to make sure I've gotten everything. (I haven't been able to bring myself to be that mom who opens up the box of cookies before paying for it. I'm sure my day will come.)
• Cut the clutter. I'm committed to ridding my house of the little piles that manage to make themselves at home. Some of that requires finding a new space for it. For example, I need a place for the non-junk mail to reside before it's dealt with. It's been banished from my kitchen counters. All of our bags need a home, and it's not the kitchen floor.
• Create a master plan. Maybe it's just my background, but even as a housewife, I know I'll benefit from a project plan. I can barely pack a bag for a weekend away without a checklist. Why would I expect cleaning my house to be any different? This month I'm doing a deep cleaning of our major spaces and organizing clutter zones. My craft closet is an absolute disaster. It'll probably be the one I tackle last.

All of these things are obviously practical, common-sensical actions for me. I'm a practical, common-sensical kind of girl (with a few notable exceptions, such as handbags, pink, glitter, and baby girl clothes), and I'm committed to finding my organizational groove in 2014. As we know from all the New Year's motivational words floating around, small changes equal big results. I'm convinced these actions will help me continue to cultivate a wonderful sanctuary in our home--a haven from the busy-ness of the outside world.

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
1 Corinthians 14:33

Christmas Finale 2013

One more post and I'll be done with Christmas 2013. Maybe!

The morning of Christmas Eve, we made cookies for Santa. We did this growing up on Christmas Eve each year, and it's a tradition that I'm loving to keep with my own family. I know many of you probably do the same.


After lunch, then naps, we headed on over to our church's candlelight service. There is no nursery--the children attend as well. They did great, and I love that we all were in worship together to celebrate.


We went home and had supper before opening our gifts from one another. Woody from Toy Story was a gift from Annabelle. This was my very first stealth Christmas purchase. I grabbed it the week before school let out for the holidays at the Disney Store while the kids and I were out shopping without Jack noticing, with the help of a great salesgirl. I felt like a super parent that day. That's also Annabelle's first baby doll, from Mom and Dad.



And now someone is ready for some spring golf!

After laying out cookies and Dr. Pepper for Santa, we tucked the under 3 crowd into bed and got busy. (At the time this pic was taken, Annabelle had already gone to sleep on me!)


The next morning, we were up before the children which never happens on a non-work day. I think it confused Jack, but as soon as he saw his "four-wheeler like Granddaddy's," he got over it! Santa even brought him an Aggie winter hat to keep his ears warm while he rode it.

Little Sister got a Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair, a Fisher-Price stroller/walker for her new baby, and that fabulous vanity I posted about earlier. She is so sweet!


It was a wonderful Christmas for all!

Celebrating 2013

As much as last night was a celebration of ringing in the New Year, I can't help but look back with nothing but gratitude for so much in 2013. Let's take a walk down memory lane.

In February, just two days after Jack turned two, we met baby sister.


And then, I quit my job of over a decade to stay home with my babies.

We spent some days at home in our pajamas while I adjusted to life with two children.


And then I got it together and we made many trips to the Fort Worth Zoo, the Science Museum, and the parks around Cowtown. And sometimes just to Chick-fil-a or HEB just to give us something to do.



We took our first vacation as a family of four.


Over the summer, I fell in love with Pure Barre. And thanks to it, better eating, and the safe delivery of an 8 lb 3 oz sweet baby girl, I'm starting the year a pound under my pre-baby weight (which was last seen in 2010.)

It's been a great year, focusing on serving the Lord, serving my family, and taking in this beautiful life. I'm in hopeful anticipation for more of the same in 2014. Happy New Year!

What's in my bag?

I don't think I've ever done one of these posts before, so let's dive right in!


Here's my bag. It's a mom bag. I'm good with that, although I swap out with my non-mom bags when I'm running kid-free errands. Don't let her white stripes fool you. She's a work horse.

(I really thought I had lost my mind when I bought an everyday bag with white stripes. It's okay if you do too.)


The usual suspects: indestructible mom sunglasses, a good neutral lipstick (MAC Modesty), face powder, Tylenol, my wallet. Diapers, wipes, and food.

Also, you're looking at 4 different kinds of wipes: Shout wipes, regular wipes, Kleenexes, and anti-bacterial wipes. No shortage of paper goods in this bag. There are also 2 sizes of diapers, which work to absorb many different kinds of liquids if you're ever in a jam.


Tiny shoes that a tiny girl kicked off at lunch yesterday. (Robeez Gracie.)
HEB Buddy points and a ticket from riding the train at the Zoo.
Two tubes of Desitin, two tubes of sunscreen. This might seem like overkill to some, but I can't say enough about applying diaper cream and sunscreen.

My favorite burpy bib along with a grab and go snack for the baby. I bag the spoon up with the baby food (I don't make my own) to keep it all together, plus it gives me a little throw away baggie if I need one while we're out. Puffs and the formula dispenser are back there too.

I carry enough food to feed both an infant and a preschooler at any given time. Not pictured are the Teddy Grahams and fruit snacks that I forgot to pull out of their hidey pocket.

There are so many pockets in the bag that all of this is actually quite organized, and I know where to grab any of it at any given moment. Except for the HEB Buddy points and train ticket--those were actually a surprise.

I've shared my anti-bacterial, sunscreen, and diaper ointment applying tendencies along with my need for a wipe for all occasions. Tell me, what's the strangest thing you're carrying around "in case of emergency?"

Too Easy To Mess Up Banana Bread

My favorite tea room in Fort Worth is the Rose Garden, located in the Fort Worth Mercantile tucked into the traffic circle over on the west side. It's twinkly, sparkly atmosphere, and I love to lady lunch there with friends. Or I lunch with my littles and just me. My usual order is a combination of everything delicious about tea rooms in general: a small bit of chicken salad, a cup of the soup du jour, a sliver of quiche, fruit, and they throw in two little delicious tea sandwiches that are basically pumpkin bread with cream cheese in the middle.

I used to be able to feed the little guy right off of my plate--we'd just split each thing because it's more than enough food. And then, he discovered the little pumpkin bread sandwiches. He would eat every single last bite and beg for mine! Now he gets his own order of sandwiches.

While I do like pumpkin bread on occasion, I don't like pumpkin flavored stuff in general, and cooking with pumpkin puree kind of grosses me out. (I know, I know--throw me out of the lovers of fall club and all that.)

I do, however, love banana bread (without pecans--I don't like those either. I know, I know.) Jack loves bananas too, and inevitably we have extras going a little past their prime probably once a month. And thus, I came up with another little treat to pack in the little guy's preschool lunch. Tiny banana bread sandwiches, similar to our tea room faves.


I've been using this easy recipe, which is simple enough that I can whip up a fresh loaf of bread in the morning before we leave for school. I use the lesser amount of sugar and 3 bananas. One slice of banana bread, cut in half, spread with a thin layer of cream cheese on one side, then smash the second side on it makes a great little half banana bread sandwich. He loves it, and I feel like it helps fill his belly, better than something like crackers or goldfish.

I make a second one for myself while I'm at it!

Dr. Smith's Diaper Ointment at the Ritz

I'm late reporting back on this one, but two weekends ago, I headed over to the Ritz-Carlton Dallas for a national launch party of Dr. Smith's diaper ointment.

Now if there is anything I can step on my bully pulpit about, it's sunscreen and diaper ointment. I re-apply diaper cream at every diaper change. You know what they say, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Was Ben Franklin specifically talking about baby rears with that one?

Anywho, the nice folks at at Mission Pharmacal who make Dr. Smith's were kind enough to invite me to their truly lovely launch party at Fearing's. I learned so much about Dr. Smith's that morning, and the food was delicious! Mission is a generational family-owned company, based in San Antonio. They bought the Dr. Smith's brand several years ago, and until recently, their product was only available locally in the south Texas area. (Those South Texans--holding out on us. My friend Deanna who lives not far from San Antonio was all, "Oh yeah, we've been using that for years.")

With their national launch, you can now find the product everywhere. Just this week I spotted it next to the other big brand diaper creams at HEB and Wal-mart.


As part of the celebration, they had the beautiful Ali Landry in to host the event. She has a 10 week old baby herself and was so kind and friendly. Just another mom--a gorgeous one, at that!


With Ali and my friend, Becky

Pic courtesy of Dr. Smith's Facebook page.
I asked my doctor a few months ago what diaper cream she recommended, and all she said was "something with zinc." Well, this product fits the bill. We've been using what Dr. Smith's gave us, and I'm sold. I love supporting families, the Texas economy (I know, lots of Texas pride here), and just good people. I can't tell you how moving it was to hear the Leadership of Mission talk about how excited and yet humbled they felt to take their product to the next level. Those folks appeared to be the salt of the earth-type of people that you'd love to do business with.

Disclosure: I must tell you that I was by no means obligated to post this on my blog. I had such a fun morning and was inspired by their commitment to helping moms. I received a tube of the product for free, but I wouldn't have posted on the subject if we hadn't had a good experience with it.

Super Easy Gnome Halloween Costume

It's October! Time to ready the costumes and try not to eat all the candy on the seasonal aisle. For some reason, Reese's peanut butter pumpkins are so much more enticing than Reese's any other time of the year for me.

Stop calling my name, Reese's pumpkins! I have baby weight to lose!

Last year at this time, I was working on a big project, commuting, mothering a 20-month-old, and 5 months pregnant. To say I was tired was a total understatement. Then I came down with shingles. It was a really nutso time in my life.

I really wanted to phone it in and buy a pre-made costume, but I couldn't find anything that I liked. And yeah, there is a fairly cute, pre-made gnome costume floating around the internet, but I wanted something more akin to David the Gnome (please tell me you watched that on Nickelodeon also) rather than the garden gnome variety.

So, naturally, I decided to make my own! You can too, with some strategic purchases that you'll re-wear for the rest of the year, along with some super easy cutting and stitching. You might even have these items in your little guy's wardrobe already.


I can't believe he was so small last year. It goes too fast, too fast.
I started with a pair of GAP cords that, after the fact, he wore to church all winter long. I then added a blue sweater that came from GAP, however I couldn't find one for you from there this year, so below there's a link to one from Zara, and it has elbow patches. So cute. I've had a Zara sweater for him before, and it's good quality. A blue sweater is totally re-wearable without looking like a gnome.

Those boots? $15 at Wal-mart and in all sizes. They're called "chore boots." Re-wearable!

As a matter of fact, I plan on buying the pants and boots all over again for Jack's fall wardrobe simply because they are closet staples, and he outgrew last year's.

(Links to these items are all below the collage.)

The hat is where you have to make any effort, as you can't just click "Add to shopping cart," followed by "Check out." A quick trip to Hobby Lobby yielded a yard of the stiffest red felt I could find, some fusible interfacing (don't be scared if you're not a seamstress!) to make it stiffer, and elastic. Mr. G stopped by our local costume warehouse and grabbed a white beard.

I followed this tutorial for the pattern of the hat. It tells you how to measure the head and all that technical stuff. After I cut out the felt, I ironed on the fusible interfacing (see, that's not scary), and hand stitched the hat together. The internet is so magical that I even found you a handstitching tutorial here. I then hand stitched the elastic on (it will look like a giant party hat) before tacking on the beard (more hand stitching.)

I had to trim the beard down a bit, but it was much easier than buying some fake fur or what not from Hobby Lobby. (Believe me, I tried. Don't be tempted. It was a mess.) I also cut the mustache off. We were dealing with a toddler, you understand.

I made the hat about 2 hours before we went to our church's fall festival. It took maybe 20 minutes. (Cleaning up the failed fake white fur mess took a bit longer.)

See? Super easy.

I hope this helps another crazy busy mama who's looking for a cute and unique costume!

Grace for the Meal Plan

Immediately following Monday's meal planning, I had a child projectile vomit on me (and I do mean on me) at a playdate, just prior to us leaving for the grocery store. So you can imagine how that went.

The sickness was an isolated incident, thankfully. Sensitive gag reflex is my current possible suspect.


So we had pizza on Monday, and last night we hit up Chick-fil-a since Mr. G was working late. We needed something to break up our evening. Our dining experience led me to send the above tweet. With Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary close by, we live in the absolute buckle of the Bible belt. And, being Cowtown, we even have the cowboy boots and hats to go with it! It's a huge blessing and encouragement to be surrounded by so many devoting their lives to studying God's Word and taking it to the ends of the earth. I love it and love the ways we get to be part of it because we live here.


Today we hit up the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. Due to a mild summer and the baby elephant boom, we've spent most of our spare mornings at the Zoo since we're in love with trains right now. But now we're in those super hot, dog days of summer, then it will turn straight to cold, so it's time to fall in love with the museum.

I'm trying to do better at taking more pics with my DSLR, but I didn't think to pull it out until lunchtime. There is beauty in the mundane though. I will look back and love these days. I want pictures to accompany the everyday memories.

These are sweet times at our house.