Best Curling Iron Ever!

For all those ladies out there who are like me, (incompetent with curlers,) here you go!

I've been looking for a foolproof hair curler for a while now. I've tried so many different things, regular curlers, rod curlers, you name it. Finally, I tried this:

Infiniti Pro by CONAIR

Now, I am not kidding. When I say "It's foolproof," what I really mean is, "Oh my goodness! I did it, and nothing got burned!" Yay me!

When you're a mom, the time you have for hygiene and beauty regimen is cut in half. (Maybe less, I don't have to tell YOU right?!)

That's why this curler is so amazing! It took literally 10 minutes to do, and my hair is not thin!

(Please don't judge, it is the first time I have ever successfully curled my hair!)

All you have to do is section your hair, and place the sections in the groove, and close it. A few very annoying beeps later, out comes the perfect curl!

If you're into curling your hair, this product is well worth the price!

I Am Not Super Mom, and That's Ok.

I Am Not Super-Mom

Life is so short. I found this out after I had kids. My baby is going to be two tomorrow! I haven't learned anything though, it seems like I still rush around as much as I ever did! 

I feel all this pressure from the world to be a super mom, and too many times I expect my boys to be super children.

My boys are not super children, and I am not super mom. It's not cool to say, but there are times when I can't do it all, and that's fine. That time was today. I don't feel well, and the boys are feeling jittery because it's been raining ALL DAY. It's supposed to be this way all week.

The thought of that almost makes me sick. So when Bo spilled my chia seeds all over my carpet, I had to take inventory. Here's what I came up with:

I will not freak out.

If my chores don't get done today, who cares!

We are going to play games.

I am going to slow down, because life is too short.

I am going to relax and be the mom I want to be, regardless of the world's expectations.

What do they expect? I'm SO GLAD you asked!

They expect children to sit still for hours; if they don't, they must be put on medication.

They expect children to be dressed to the hilt; if they aren't, shame on you, mom!

They expect mothers to have a Pinterest approved home. Shame on you!

They expect children to always have shoes on, shirts on, never dirty. Never putting rocks or sand in their mouths. "They're neglected." SHAME!

They expect children to be never scolded, or disciplined. "That's abuse!" Shame, shame!

They expect mothers to be so much, and do so much, at the expense of the children. Shamey shame, shame, shame!

So much shaming going on.

 Too many times, those people who are shaming struggling mothers aren't so far removed from us.

Too many times it's those in our own close circles.

Too many times it's me, asking too much of others, asking too much of myself.

Lord help me that I'll slow down and enjoy the little blessings that I've been given.

Help me not to be that person who rushes around but never gets anything done.

Help me to be an understanding friend, and to never shame others.

Help me to stop, and take the time to play in the rain.

I Am The Mother Of Boys

I wrote this about a year ago, when everything was still pretty crazy from two very little boys. I marveled at how much they could destroy in such a short time. I was amazed even more at how little it bothered me. (I've always been more about creativity and less about order.) Having little boys has certainly been a life changing experience for me. I wouldn't trade it for the world!


I Am The Mother Of Boys

 I am the Mother of boys.
Crash, Splash, and "Oh No!" are commonplace, and silence is suspicious.
I no longer bat an eyelash at the thought of one purposely dumping sandy pea-gravel on my freshly vacuumed carpet, nor do I jump when a pail-full of water, now empty, is haphazardly refilled with what was, my sweet tea.
A dirty face in public no longer offends me.
I no longer think of children with dirty fingernails as "Looking like orphans."
I am the Mother of boys.
My days are filled with dump trucks, dirt, water, and more dirt.
Four-wheelers, tractors, and trains are the bomb-diggity and rocks, like balls, no matter how big, are meant to be thrown.
Popsicles are a daily necessity and can also be used as face paint.
Brushing teeth, using the potty, and washing hands are way over-rated. *sigh*
I am the Mother of boys.
Frogs, bugs, and fish are to be caught. Deer and turkeys are to be shot.
Getting dressed means we're going somewhere.
My coffee table is often finger-painted with ketchup, yogurt, and whipped cream.
Doctor visits are scheduled around how many bruises are showing from their latest stunts.
Drinks are only good if followed by an extra loud burp and toots are just being generous.
Outside beats inside, sticks beat toys, water and Daddy beat everything; even me.
I am the Mother of boys.

                            

10 Things Your Motherless friend wants you to know.

These blogs are always fun, and this topic is something that hits very close to home with me, so I thought I'd share. Please understand that I'm not trying to be preachy here, but when talking to my other Motherless friends, we all have the same story. This is 100% truth, and it may hurt a little.

10 Things Your Motherless Friend Wants You To Know:

1. We want you to stop fighting with your Mother.
Stop the drama, or please, at least stop telling us about it. I get it, really. Some of you have terrible Mothers. (#TRUTH) Because I'm trying to be a nice friend I will say, "Oh ________, I'm really, really sorry." That's a really shady statement, because I am only sorry that you are unhappy. The only exception is if you have such a terrible Mom that it makes me glad that at least mine is not yours. (#TRUTH again)


2. When you vent to your Motherless friend about what a hard time you're having with her not being available, It's like a slap in our face.
So your Momma is old, and she can't really babysit as much anymore, or she's sick, or out of town, or across the country, or overseas, or in prison... You're having a hard time with it. I can see that. I guess if I imagined hard enough, I could empathize with you. So I just smile and nod instead. Maybe I can say something generic like, "It's hard not to have your Mother around." What I personally feel like doing is making the barfy face. I can not call my Mother. I can not go to her house. We can't Skype, we can't send letters. I can't visit her in Prison, I don't even have the connection of knowing she's alive in the world, because she's not. Go visit or talk to your Mother while you can, and appreciate what you have.


3. Be Thankful for what you learned!
We carry a heavy load by ourselves. I'm especially speaking for my girls here. I was in my Twenties when I finally figured out how to fold a fitted sheet. I cried. If you were fortunate enough to have your Mother with you through the crazy teenager stage, Get down on your knees and Thank God for it. Everything I've learned to do, and be, has been from hard work and investigation on my part. Older ladies, if I ask you about the change, now you know why! Is that funny? Not really. Do you have the opportunity to ask your Mother about anything? Be thankful for that! I know a few people who would do ANYTHING for ONE VALID MEMORY OF THEIR MOTHER. Quit whining and be glad.


4. Please Don't Judge.
If your Momma is around, you have help. You might not ever need her, but she's there. I don't have that, so if I'm worn down and frazzled, messy house, messy kids, Don't judge. I'm doing the best I can with what I have!


5. Our Big Days Hurt.
Graduations, Birthdays, Christmas, Weddings, all these things are laced with grief.


6.  People.
This is kind of a funny one to me, a standing joke so to speak. We always have those almost strangers who feel like they need to tell us how close they were with our Mothers. She comes up so often when people don't know what to say. Don't be that crazy person. However, funny stories or fond memories are always nice.


7. "Your Mom" Jokes.
Ouch. Not cool.


8. We Need To Talk About It.
There are times that we need to talk about it. Sometimes this conversation will make you extremely uncomfortable, and you try to change the subject. Please don't change the subject.


9. We Will Never Be "Normal."
We can't change everything back to the way it was before she passed, please don't expect us to be the same.


10. What to do if we cry:
Give a hug. Say, "I'm sorry." Try to stay away from the cliché's about how it will get better and God had a plan. We know God had a plan. Somehow, hearing it from you only makes it worse.

That's all I have! I would love to hear your comments about this.
Thank You to my Motherless friends for their input.

Nutella Cookies

 

 

Pre-heat oven to 375*

1 Cup Butter (not margarine)
1 Cup Nutella
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
2&1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

Spoon on to baking stone. Bake at 375* for 14 Minutes.

Makes 3+ dozen

These Cookies are delish! I realized one day that I could just substitute Nutella for Peanut Butter on my Peanut Butter Cookie recipe. They turned out great! I've been making them since. The boys love them! I like to put white chocolate chips in them, it makes them extra yummy!

DIY: "White Washed" Storage Cup

I like DIYs...and I like to come up with my own from time to time. Here's one I did this evening for my beach-themed bathroom.

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I used mine to store cotton balls, but you could use this for candles, toothbrushes, whatever you want really.

What You'll Need:

• A pack of regular sized popsicle sticks. ( I got mine from Hobby Lobby)
• Hot glue gun & hot glue sticks
•  Paint ( or stain, depending on what color you want it to be)
• An old tin can, (mine was from green beans) opened, washed and dried
• Twine
• Embellishments

What to do:

• Run 2 strips of glue about an inch long, one about a 1/2 inch from the top, and one about a 1/2 inch from the bottom.
• Place sticks side by side, as close as you can get them.
• Do this all around the can until you are done.

At this point you either paint or stain your sticks, depending on what you want it to look like. ( I did one VERY THIN coat of white paint to make it look white-washed.)

• Let it dry, then tie your twine around it and hot glue any embellishments you may want.

Happy Crafting!

Tips & Tricks for Toddlers with Colds

I hate when my boys are sick. They tend to uproot the whole house in a single weekend! We are dealing with the Snot Wars now. While it's fresh on my mind, Here are a few tips for the next time your little one starts sniffling.

1. Invest in an Otoscope. It's a scope Doctors use to look in ears. With a little practice, you can become seasoned at looking for ear infections. I found ours at Walmart for $15.00!

 

 

 

2. Invest in a little nose suctioning device we like to call, "The Snogger." It's actually called The Nose Frida, and believe me, It works!

 Basically, it's a snot sucker with a filter, and then a tube attatched. These are NOT for the faint of heart, because the other end of the tube has a mouthpiece. (You know where this is going.) To put it bluntly, you manually suck out the boogies. BEFORE YOU GO VOMIT, only know YOU WILL NOT GET ANYTHING IN YOUR MOUTH! It actually won't even come close to your mouth...because of the filter and the tube.

 It DOES however, make a rather nasty slurping sound. As if you were drinking the last of a smoothie. (Hee hee! No more Smoothies for you!) I don't know what I'd do without mine. If you can clear the nasal passages, ear infections are lowered and they recover faster.

The cool thing about this is, that it's so FAT that you can't jam it up into their nose.

 

3. Vick's VapoRub. Awesome stuff!

 

4. Saline Spray. It helps to dry up the snot. They actually have a grape flavored kind with a button sprayer.

 

5. Humidifier. We actually don't use one here, because the humidity in South Louisiana is high, but in a dry climate, you might need one.

 

5. Thermometer. I use a regular digital thermometer.

 

I usually suction the nose, then use saline spray, and at night Vick's VapoRub.

 

If you find that you need something to ease a cough, Hylands makes a COUGH & COLD syrup. They also have COUGH & COLD Nighttime