1 Thing to Make Life Easier After Baby; Preparing for Baby {HomeLife}

Something about the impending arrival of a brand new baby can send the minds of adults into a tizzy. And, rightly so. Babies require so much work to take care of and often the regular needs of a house can get set aside. At least, they do in my home. There is nothing like having your 8-year old coming up to you all stressed out, while you are nursing a baby because he has no clean pants. Or combating ants in the kitchen because you have not had the energy to stand and sweep or do the dishes after every meal. I mean, taking care of a baby is extremely exhausting, not to mention time-consuming. Who wants to do dishes and laundry?!

There has to be a few things that can be done to make it easier, right?

At least a few things?

Maybe?

I have no idea with laundry and sweeping. I am not going to wear baby just so I can sweep the floor (a suggestion amongst several bloggers). It's hard enough holding him, throwing in sweeping the floor and my back is sore afterward. I'll fit it in when I can. When I don't have to hold the baby.

I am going to give myself some grace when it comes to the floors. And the ants? They were looking for water so were over the sink instead of the floor. They've since left, thankfully. Hopefully, they don't start coming to the floor. I'll just continue asking for help until I can actually sweep again. Since no one else sweeps, it'll remain a mess.

My main concern for after the baby came was food. Goodness knows I was not going to want to cook dinner. The MOPS group is amazing with setting up a meal train every other day for a week, and I'm blessed with some amazing friends bringing meals too. And when Brandon went back to work, that was a definite lifesaver. But for the other nights, I needed to have something.

The one thing I would suggest to do to prepare for a baby? Get some frozen dinners ready to go.

Seriously. Frozen home prepped food is going to save your sanity.

At least what little sanity you will have left after lack of sleep and feeding a newborn will take from you.

What did I use for our frozen dinner recipes?

I shared with you 5dinners1hour.com (not an affiliate! I don't get anything if you sign up!) when I talked about meal planning back in June (you can read that here). And it has still been an incredible element to our dinner planning. I saved favorites and went back to see which ones could be frozen. I prepped several of those for our freezer and for my mom to have when she took the kids the nights we were in the hospital.

Here was just a few: (chicken for tacos and burritos (feeds for 2 nights), meat mixture for tater tot casserole, 2 bags of spaghetti sauce (that feeds us two nights in a row, so 4 nights)

I also had 2 enchilada dishes and 2 lasagnas(my own recipe).

Actually, I still have 1 meal in the freezer still (1 lasagna)!

With having food ready to go, it helped free up so much time for other things (like sweeping that darn floor, or the laundry)!

We started prepping meals again about a week ago. Little man has been here almost 2 months and we are now starting to get back into routine having eaten almost all the meals. Between friends and freezer meals, the 2 months have been incredible. You don't realize how much time a day you spend on prepping and cooking food until you really don't have time and can't.

I have to say I am so thankful for 5dinners1hour.com. It makes the week go so much smoother (especially with the new baby). I originally signed up for meals to use and stash in the freezer when the baby came, and I am planning on sticking to it because it makes life THAT much easier.

Sure, now it takes an entire day to prep 5-7 meals. I gotta stop to feed my constantly hungry baby. But it makes the rest of the week run smoothly. I can focus on homework and reading with the older kiddos.

So? Expecting a baby? Prep some freezer meals. You won't regret having that little bit of free time to sit as you recuperate.

Already had a baby? What have you done to make life easier after a baby arrived?

Making an Announcement {Motherhood}

This post contains affiliate links. I receive a small commission only if you were to make a purchase at no extra cost to you. All views expressed are my own.

I have managed to keep this secret (kind of) from the social media world. Mostly my general facebook account and other media outlets. Yes, it has come out in some of the groups! It is so hard keeping something like this a secret! Especially when it feels so exciting! How long have you kept something a secret?

It was the beginning of December when I first suspected. It was way to soon to really tell, but I had a feeling. My husband just laughed at me when I told him, but I could see the wheels in his head turning.

We told the kids New Year's Eve. We weren't just celebrating the coming of a new year, but also celebrating...

the coming of a new...  Baby!

We are beyond excited!

We found out the gender a little over a month ago, and we couldn't be happier the baby looks healthy. The most important thing is a healthy baby.

I know Nikolai is beyond words excited he is getting a little brother!

2 of each.

Our little guy is due to arrive on or around August 24th.

I figured I should probably say something if I wanted to share some new items I am working on for a mini capsule (and the need for it since I got rid of most of my maternity clothes!) Oops!

Yes, I made the kids shirts! How could I not?! Especially after how much I loved these!

Nikolai's

GYCT Primary Tee. size: 6 in width and 8 in length. It is perfect.

Samara's

GYCT Tinley Tee. size: 4. I made it with the flutter sleeves and without the waist binding.

Kiera's

GYCT Tinley Tee size: 2 taken in a little in the width. Also with flutter sleeves and plain hemming.

Baby Boy

PAB Rompalls. size: newborn. Pants length. It seems so tiny and yet so big for a newborn!

I used a freezer paper stencil to make the design on the shirts (though I am wishing I had a machine that worked to cut some htv!).

I love these so much! I'm hoping we might be able to use the baby boy's as a going home outfit or something. Either way, I'm excited!

Bonus! GYCT is having a summer sale until the 20th! Perfect time to pick up the tinley and primary tee!

Where Does the Time Go? {Welcome Back}

You know how time flies and all of a sudden a huge surge of time has passed and you don't even know what happened? These last 6 months have been super crazy! Like, seriously. I have no idea where the time went or what we honestly spent all our time doing! I mean, yeah. The oldest is in school (1st grade) and I got my middle into speech services at the preschool. Good gracious that girl needed some help. And she starts kindergarten in the fall, or rather in the summer in our case!

How has this much time passed that I have not sat down and shared anything with you? Ok. Not quite 6 months. More like 5 months. I know I did not share much with you wonderful readers in the last year though. I am hoping planning to share more with you all.  Although did you see the new Boys Can Wear Pink post? He Loves his shirt! The girls got some new dresses in the Super Heroes and Princesses GYCT Spring Dress Tour which they wear all. the. time.

But, wait? What do I have to share with you now? I know my last year was not much in the sewing and crafting world and more of the mommy stuff and then this month I have shared 2 sewing posts.  What's up with the jumping around? 

Well, I'm not entirely sure what is up with the jumping around. It's just the way my life goes, especially with kids. So much jumping around. So much growth. So much change. Life is change. Life is growth. And man has so much happened in the last 5-6 months! Yet it almost feels like nothing much has. Isn't it kind of funny how it feels that way? It's like I can't keep up with how fast time is passing us by. I have not taken much time to sew. I have not taken much time to craft. I miss it. Motherhood has me by the horns for sure. I am jumping with the throws motherhood sends my way. 

I originally started this blog for the purpose of keeping up with family. I added in sewing and craft stuff after a couple years and then the shift occurred to where it was pretty much just sewing and craft stuff.  I plan to work on integrating it all together. There will be some motherhood stuff, some self-care, sewing for the kids, taking care of the family, some general trying to figure-things-out kind of posts, and quite possibly a little bit of God thrown in. But I will tell you now, it's not going to be perfect. I am not perfect. None of us are, really. I am still trying to figure out how to jump through some of life's hoops (and how to avoid some entirely). 

Welcome {back} to the journey of our lives. 

My Motherhood is {not} Defined by a Pair of Toddler Jeggings

My life seems to revolve around the kids' clothes. I buy their clothes as they grow bigger. I make their clothes for special events. I wash, dry, fold and put away their clothes as they get dirty. Doesn't it seem like a never ending flow of laundry?! It only gets bigger and bigger and bigger by the day, no matter how many loads are done. Oh yeah, right... I keep buying more... And. cannot forget those outfits and clothes I favor! You know. The ones I feel I need want to take a picture of every. single. time they wear it? Yeah. those ones. They are so gosh darn cute! They should wear it Every Day!! (too much? yeah, too much..) But they are so cute! 

I think it's even harder when those favorite outfits, those favorite pairs of clothes, are hand-me-downs from older siblings. It's as much a favorite then as it is now! And you get to experience all the glorious cuteness again! Like a pair of girl's toddler jeggings. The kind that actually looks like jeans, but isn't. It even had pockets, real pockets, on the back with the word "love" embroidered on them. I swear, it was my go to pair of pants for my middle when she wore that size and by golly, it's my go to pair now for my munchkin too. But gee whiz if I never got a picture of those darn cute pants with 'love' on their little bottoms! Gah, I love them even now!

What happened to those favorite pair of pants? Gone. Vanished! Off the face of the earth! (ok, maybe not off the face of the earth, but it sure felt like it!) I was in a state, looking everywhere. Literally turned the diaper bag inside out, looking for those pants. Could. Not. Find. Them. I was devastated. Seriously, ugly cried about a silly pair of toddler jeggings with the word 'love' embroidered on the back pockets. I try to justify my feelings by saying they are one of the few pairs we have which actually fit. They are one of the few pairs she can wear with everything. But, all that does is make it worse. I become more of a basket case.

How in the world did I end up in such a state over a pair of pants? It's not just the pants! It was a blanket, a pair of shoes, a stuffed animal, a toy car. Something. Something hard to replace. I felt like such a bad mom because there I was yelling, crying, so distraught over a pair of pants. I asked myself how, how could I keep my kids safe and healthy and happy if I cannot even keep track of a simple pair of pants?!?

As I sat on the floor, the contents of the diaper bag surrounding me in the entryway, I realized the absurdity of the statement. My motherhood is not defined by whether or not I've kept track of a pair of pants! How many other items have I lost my cool trying to find? How many other items have I let get to me so much to the point where I feel like a failure because I cannot find them in a moments notice? Why am I letting objects dictate my worth as a parent?

I looked up from my weeping mess on the floor (the Kleenex' adding to the pile surrounding me) and look at my kids. Do they care the pants are gone? no, they care about their mommy weeping on the ground. The baby would rather go naked than wear clothes anyway! They smile at me and ask if I am ok. I'm alright because they are safe and healthy and happy. After all, it was just a pair of pants, right!?!

My house is a mess. Chock full of stuff that doesn't matter, stuff we really don't need. The laundry, be it dirty or clean, scatters it's way across the floor from bedroom to laundry room. I might loose a pair of socks here or there, accidentally leave a spare pair of underwear in the bathroom at the grocery store. Have a shirt fall out of the diaper as I search for my wallet at the gas station. But I can always replace those things. Even if I never got them in a cute dressed up picture I still have the precious moments and memories. I cannot replace my kids. Their smiles are what define my worth as a mom.  They are happy and healthy and safe and they have stayed that way because I focus on them and not the contents of the diaper bag .(hence those lost items!)

You know what happened with the pair of jeggings? I kid you not, it showed up 2 days later. In my son's room. It disappeared long enough for me to have a revelation. I was so upset; I'm surrounded by junk and can't even hold on to a special pair of pants. I needed those special pair of pants to disappear for me to realize where the imposed importance came from.

The pants aren't what was special. My kids made those pants special. 

There will be more things made special because they will make it so. Their smiles, their laughter, their beaming little faces is what will add sentiment to whatever comes next. And, regardless of the endless flow of laundry, I will do my best to remember...

My life is not defined by a pair of toddler pants!

The Kids Behind The Blog {TKBTB V4}

Happy Mother's day! This is the second time mother's day and my birthday have fallen on the same day since becoming a mother! Hope y'all had a wonderful mother's day, celebrating you and/or your moms!

Hosts │ Our Pretty Little Girls │ The Adventure Starts Here │ Secrets of A SAHM │ Wife Mommy Me │Hall Around Texas

1. What is something I always say to you?
Nikolai - Be quiet
Samara - 

2. What makes Mommy happy?
Nikolai - hugs
Samara - 

3. How do I make you laugh?
Nikolai - tickling
Samara -

4. What do you enjoy doing with me?
Nikolai - telling you how I like my stuff sewed (I imagine this means planning costumes and clothes!), eating with you, trying new things with you and doing your mom things with you.
Samara - (brings me a book, and snuggle cuddles into my lap) this

5. What is my favorite thing to do?

Nikolai - give hugs and sew costumes. and I like wearing costumes.

Samara -

I love my little guys responses. it was super cute. He got me with the liking of the sewing, and costumes are stressful but probably my favorite!

I tried a couple times to get Samara responses. The only thing I got a response from was asking what she enjoys doing with me. She is very much my "I don't know" little one but the reading response and snuggling into my lap sure made me feel special!

Until Next Time,

The Kids Behind the Blog {TKBTB V3}

Hosts │ Our Pretty Little Girls │ The Adventure Starts Here │ Secrets of A SAHM │ Wife Mommy Me │Hall Around Texas

Nikolai - 5 yrs 4 months

1. What is your favorite thing to do with your friends? Play Batman and Spiderman at the park, and my legos

2. Who is your favorite person? My friend Gorden

3. When playing outside, what do your ideal sunny day plans look like? I like to play superheroes

4. What do you like to do when it's raining? (Since April showers bring May Flowers) Stay out of the puddles and play in the rain

5. If you could plant a garden of anything, what would you plant? cactus

Samara - 2 years 9 months

1. What is your favorite thing to do with your friends? eat cookies

2. Who is your favorite person? Aurora (Nikolai started shouting names, and this was the last one he said)

3. When playing outside, what do your ideal sunny day plans look like? Swinging

4. What do you like to do when it's raining? I don't know

5. If you could plant a garden of anything, what would you plant? A tiny one so it can grow into a big one.

Kiera - 2 months 2 weeks
is working on rolling over! She's got tummy to back mostly mastered, now she just wants back to tummy!

Join in with next month's questions on May 11th!

What is something I always say to you?
What makes Mommy happy?
How do I make you laugh?
What do you enjoy doing with me?

What is my favorite thing to do?

Until Next time!

The Kids Behind the Blog {TKBTB V2}

I have come across a few blogs linking up with a few ladies who are hosting a series The Kids Behind the Blog. Getting to know those little ones who made us mamas. Their quirky personalities shine through in their answers, and it's so fun! Since they are the reason for me starting the blog, I decided to join in! 

Once a month.. ask the kids 5 questions.. and see what they say!

Hosts │ Our Pretty Little Girls │ The Adventure Starts Here │ Secrets of A SAHM │ Wife Mommy Me │Hall Around Texas

I asked Samara these questions and her response to all of them were "pants!" much to the amusement of her brother! Bless his little heart, he tried to get her to answer them besides pants but to no avail!

#littlelady All set in a dress and a cape! #lovethiskid

A photo posted by JessiBerry (@jessiberry09) on Jan 12, 2016 at 7:22am PST

Here are Nikolai's answers!
1.) What do you enjoy doing with Mommy and Daddy?
playing with Legos with Daddy, look at cactus and spiders, watching movies and TV. Mommy, you should get some legos too!

2.) What is one thing you're really good at?
building legos! I am! I am really good at building legos! 

3.) What is something Mommy and Daddy tell you all the time?
clean my room!

4.) What do you want to be when you grow up?
a paleontologist!

5.) What do you think Mommy and Daddy do when you go to bed at night?
go to sleep, but you (mommy) falls asleep without glasses

I love their responses, they are just so ... them!

Want to join in? Here are the questions for April 13th!

1. What is your favorite thing to do with your friends?
2. Who is your favorite person?
3. When playing outside, what do your ideal sunny day plans look like?
4. What do you like to do when it's raining? (Since April showers bring May Flowers)
5. If you could plant a garden of anything, what would you plant?

So fun!
Until next time

The Arrival of Baby 3: A Birth Story

I need to get the story of lil' munchkin's birth down before I forget. Sure... It's been only about 15 days later, just 2 weeks since we were released! I'm sure some of my memory has gone.

I love birth stories.

Just like her brother and sister, our lil' munchkin was evicted... Induced... At 41 weeks we decided to get her out. We could have left her in longer, she probably would have benefited from staying in longer. But, that would have meant Non Stress Tests and those are expensive. Having a baby is costly enough. I don't like saying this because it's like we had no place to be bringing another child into the world, but we really couldn't afford to have NSTs every other day. We couldn't really afford to have one. So we decided to induce at the last day.

As seems to be the way with scheduled inductions, it is super early in the morning. Our appointment was at 5:30am. You arrive, get the paper work in and then sit around and wait for an hour.

I was feeling sick to my stomach with nerves. Why?!? I had done this, not just once, but twice before! But still. The night before I had difficulty eating dinner, that morning for breakfast I had nothing. I couldn't stomach the food. I had food poisoning or something a few weeks before and had difficulty eating since. I even lost several pounds from that to delivery.

We hoped that breaking the water would start labor. At 7:45am they broke it (I was 5 cm, 90% effaced and she was at a -1 station). Contractions were there, just not consistent or with enough intensity. They decided to give about 2 hours and then we would start pitocin. 

Around 9:25am we started the pitocin. It seemed like it took a while for anything to start happening. I love how time gets sucked after this! It's like being in a time vortex once things started moving along. At one point they checked and I was about 7cm but no change in anything else.

Then, contractions started kicking in. We had been back and forth with my Mom-In-Law, giving updates about how things were going and give a heads up on when to bring the kids to see their baby sister. I had been standing and rocking, but it was like I couldn't get comfortable. I remember telling Husband to send his mom a message to let her know that they were getting more intense and she should probably head over. Of course, he responded with "are you sure?"... Which irritated me a bit. I didn't know for sure. Now when I look back on it, I feel a little silly. I settled on a yes. Sure, why not? I couldn't keep my eyes open during the contractions. My hips were starting to feel cramped. She was coming and was going to come fast...

It seemed like no time at all and the incredible urge to push came. I remember telling Husband that, but it felt too soon! Ha! I should know better! He ran and got the nurse. She did a quick check and sure enough, it was time! 

The resident doctor and my doctor came in, set up. Husband at one leg, the nurse on the other. The urge to push came and goodness me I gave it what I could! The nurse told me I could stop, I'm sure someone else repeated it. But there was no stopping. Lil' munchkin was there in one push at 11:57am. A whirlwind of a labor, Done and over before we knew it! Mom-in-law arrived shortly after little girl did. My mom got off work and was there too, but I honestly couldn't tell you when she got there!

Precious baby munchkin was 6lbs 11oz, 19 inches (though she might have been longer at the doctor 4 days later she was 19.75 inches). Her APGAR was 8/9. When it was time to go, her bilirubin level was 0.0!

And I can't get over her dark hair. So much hair!

And, I did it all with no epidural or pain meds! Third one with no epidural or pain meds!
This was labor 3 without an epidural or pain meds! I was mostly blown away/impressed/kind of confused, that our hospital no longer takes the baby to the nursery for 2 hours after birth. I guess the change happened not that long ago, and I kind of wish it were that way with the other two. It was so nice! Baby's first bath wasn't until after 12 hours. The food delivery was much more than it was before! Though the night nurse was still a stickler about nursing every 2/3 hours (all we wanted to do was sleep! all of us) and the day nurse was super awesome! They even put a tracker/alarm thing on her ankle!

I am feeling so proud of this little one already! I know Husband is too, and the kids are infatuated with her.

It's been a fun 2 weeks since coming home.

Oh, We got a little crocheted beanie too! for Heart Disease Awareness! #littlehatsbighearts

I'm so in love with this little one too... It's amazing how much love a heart can hold. It's endless!

Until next time,

Improv-Pieced Baby Quilt

I had a massive case of nesting the other day and accomplished a ton! Cleaning, sewing, organizing... All some much needed things to get done. Out of the sewing I had accomplished a baby quilt for the baby due any day now. Sad because Little Lady does not have one that I have made for her yet. But she does have some handmade quilts of her own from others. It lets me off the hook right? The quilt... I'm just calling it improv piecing at this point...

I had picked up this fabric about the time that Little Lady S was born with the intention of making her a quilt. But that never happened. It was actually a cheap kit from Walmart and just wasn't in love with it as much as I had thought when I first bought it. But for baby girl K, it's perfect!

We are using owls for her theme... well, any raptor/bird of prey really. Owls just happens to be popular. And I prefer pinks and teal and a neutral... But this works.

I just started cutting the pieces and sewing as I went. Towards the end I was second guessing my cutting choices because things started not fitting together very well... I suggest to cut all in increments and ratios of each other instead of whatever number pops into your head like I did...

The binding is the backing wrapped around to the front, a piece of flannel that came with the kit. And I did not use any batting.

Looking at the tiny image on the screen, I feel kind of happy how it turned out! It's just different, for me. I haven't done anything like this before. I really suggest you try it! I might want to again, but with more meaning to the size of the strips I cut from the fabric...

for fun... Baby girl due in few days! (40 weeks on the 28th!). Don't mind my wet hair. ;)

And, the quilt with her very own Lambie (each kid has their own lambie)

I'm excited that I had energy to do a ton of stuff! This quilt I managed to finish in two days! Yay for nesting! But now, I need to sleep for a day! LOL!

Happy Sewing!

Someone's Coming in January: The Kids Have New Shirts {Gender Reveal}

*This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission only if you make a purchase at no extra cost to you. All view expressed and given are my own.*

I cannot believe that I haven't shared with everyone yet! We have an announcement to make! And I made the kids new shirts to celebrate!

Coming in January 2016 (give or take) the kids will be getting another sister! (you know...90% sure...)

We are super excited! I loved the shirt I made Little man when we announced the impending arrival of the little lady, I just had to make some for the kids this time around too (it just took me forever to finish!)

BIG SISTER * IN TRAINING 

BIG BROTHER * TRAINER

I used the Rival Raglan by GYCT Designs (affiliate links). I made both long sleeves for little man and 3/4 for little lady so the kids can wear them throughout the winter. Since it's not too cold most of the time. What was I thinking today though? Poor kids' noses were turning red!

The back has the year for her arrival. (which I thought I took a picture of, but apparently not) Since both these guys were nearly 2 weeks late, I figure January wasn't a safe bet since the anticipated date is within the last few days...

I know for sure little man is super excited, but little girl? I am not fully sure she understands. :) But I know we are excited! More and more as the days go on I think she is starting to get it. It helps that she is around babies often enough though too...

But what can I say, she is following suit with her brother...

I have been utterly exhausted. The Halloween costume sewing drove me nuts and since Monday I have had this awful cold. I'm just relieved that I finally have this done! Granted standing outside for the 10 minutes to take pictured in the odd, but nice, cold we had today probably wasn't the best idea...

And I had to have little man take a couple with the 28 week bump...

Not bad for a 4 year old...

Except maybe, being mid-sentence... Oh well!

Until next time,