Firepit Friday

I'm on a mission with all of these projects now that I'm not pregnant.  Its not easy doing this with 2 babies but we get it done.

I think this is my favorite project so far.  We needed, what my dad calls, a mini vacation place. Where you can get away from the hectic of the day and pretend you are on vacation especially when the littles are in bed.  Introducing our firepit!

We literally did it in a few hours and I promise you, its alot easier than it looks.  We found the bricks at Lowes, determined the size and got to work.

My dad was visiting and he made sure that everything was level and perfect!  Of course the kids watched.

If this is a project you've been wanting to do, I highly recommend doing it.  We did add contractor glue when laying the bricks so that they wouldn't slide when someone put their feet up on the pit as a foot rest.  We absolutely love it.

Mother's Love - Truth Tuesday

I'm getting back into blogging as you can see from an 8 month reprieve.  My husband told me to write an honest post... completely baring my soul honest.  So here it goes. Social media sets us up to think that all of these mother's are perfect with their hair and nails done and their outfits perfect.  I rarely get more than 2 showers a week and have food and spit up on my sweats with my hair in a bun most days.  Attractive?  Absolutely not.  But having a 2 year old and a baby on your hip while being a stay at home mom isn't perfect... in fact its the hardest thing I've ever done.  Often I think about going back to work to get a break besides the 2 hours I get a week to go grocery shopping.  I was happier then honestly.  To get away all day and have your thoughts, to be able to run an errand on your lunch break EVERY DAY.  I think I was a better mom then.  At least mentally I felt better. But is it the best for my kids?  I don't really know.  I know that my daughter went from hardly speaking a year ago to we can't shut her up.  Her vocabulary is incredible using words no 4 year old uses little alone a 2 year old.  And she uses these words in the correct context.  We had a nanny for her when I was working but we found out that nothing compares to having a parent around.  One that teaches you every day about all kinds of things.  I tell myself every day, this is worth it.

The cost... to be honest, its only by the grace of God that our marriage has survived 2 kids in 3 years of marriage.  Its hard. Yes you are normal if you think this is hard. I can become a person that I'm not very proud of at times.  Sleep deprivation is the most awful thing on the planet. Being isolated for months on end is just as bad.  Are you having a tough time?  Its okay... it WILL get better.  You see in reality you don't choose the person to marry that makes your heart swoon and you get butterflies... those feeling WILL pass with time.  Life is full of struggle.  You choose the person you want to be with during the struggle.  THAT is how you make it. Through alot of prayer, I ended up with that miracle.  Is it easy?  Heck no.  Do we sleep in separate rooms at times?  Absolutely.  Do we love each other without fail?  Completely.  He will tell you the same thing.

If you are struggling being a stay at home mom, connect with me.  I'm always around.  You are an incredible person.  You are enough.  We all have bad days, we get frustrated, maybe say the things we shouldn't, maybe not give the attention we should. Some days I hate myself and every night I pray to be a better wife and mother.  But the nice thing about being at home... is you always have tomorrow to start over.  Forgive yourself and constantly try harder.  Nobody is perfect. Behind all those well filtered photos is a mom that has a 3 year old having a tantrum completely naked in front of the UPS man... Trust me, it happens.

They are worth it.

Patio Curtains for Cheap!!

I did this all by myself, you can too. Links to all materials provided below.

I used conduit pipe for a rod since the openings were 20 feet wide. I got the pipe for about $7 at Lowes. The curtains are made out of painters drop cloth that I sewed along the bottom to add pockets for weights so they wouldn't be blowing on the wind. Then just folded over the top and attached with curtain rings. We absolutely LOVE it.

The nice side effect is we can now watch outdoor movies before it gets dark!!

Sources:

Drop Cloth Canvas

Curtain Rings

Rod Brackets

Rope Tie Backs

Movie Screen

First Horse Riding Lesson

We took Jessy for her first lesson riding horses. All we hear about is horses around our place. We have Tanner and Gypsies, our neighborhood adopted pets that we go to love on at least once a week.

Jessy did so well considering she isn't even 3 yet. Honestly the hubs and I were blown away. So proud of her and excited we have another fun activity to bribe her with! How else are you supposed to get through the terrible 3s?

Step Stool

I needed a step stool for Jessy to get up on the potty. Our toilets are so tall she'll probably not reach for many years....  I found this plan using ONE 2x4. How easy is THAT?

I painted the white with Sherwin Williams Dover White and the stain is General Finishes Java Gel.  

So glad my kids like the hardware store as much as I do!

Toddler Games

We've been searching for and playing some new toddler games recently. Man we hit the jackpot. My husband read an article that said stop playing Candyland, etc and play these games instead. So we bought them. Best. Purchase. Ever. It's so fun we would honestly play when the kids went to bed.

There are games we we highly recommend for ages 2.5 on up. We had other games but our toddler would get distracted after awhile. The beauty of these ones are they quick and exciting.... for everyone!

Loopin Louie is our favorite game. Honestly, I kinda want to play this with 4 adults after the kids go to bed.  Just read the reviews. I'll spotlight a new one next week, stay tuned!