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Homemade Chore Chart

I am always trying to find fun ways to get the kids to learn more responsibility around the house and one of the best ways was making a chore chart. Yes, a chore chart. We have a 2 year old and a 7 year old here and both of them love it. It's an easy way for the 7 year old to know what her responsibilities are for the day and my 2 year old son loves feeling like he is helping out and he actually is. I don't have to constantly ask if the 7 year old has done her chores or remind her to do them. She knows to just go look at the chart and take care of it.

Materials:

Foam core board
Pack of foam in assorted colors
Large buttons
Stickers (just big enough to go on the buttons)
Velcro
Ruler
Sharpie
Label paper

I used blue and pink to represent each child.

I got some free chore clipart images online and then I also had to create some of my own to represent each of the chores. Then I printed them out onto label paper and then attached them to some of the foam pieces and cut to size.

I printed out the days of the week and attached them to foam also.

Then you do the math and divide up the board based on how many chores you want listed. Then attach a piece of velcro to each square. Attach a piece of velcro to the backs of the chores also. I made extra so I can change them from day to do. Attach velcro to the back of the buttons and attach the stickers to the front. Then assemble the entire thing.

And there you have it!

Custom Candles

My brother in law got married recently and I wanted to make them a unity candle for their ceremony and after making it I loved it so much I made another for my husband and I and one for my mother and father in law. They can be either scented (as long as the candle is white or ivory) or unscented. But you can't burn them, only for looks (you can burn them for a short time during the ceremony, but no longer than that).

Custom Wall Letters

I have three very special little kids in my life right now and I very much enjoyed making these wall letters for each of them. If you are interested in having some made feel free to message me on here or on FB. I made these from just plain wood letters and they turned out awesome!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

For the past few months I have been using homemade laundry soap. And let me tell you! It's a lifesaver. I thought it was going to be hard to do, but it's actually very easy. It costs less to buy all of the ingredients than if you just buy a brand name detergent. Plus you only use a little bit of each for each batch. So, not only do you spend less on the ingredients, but they also make gallons upon gallons of detergent! I found this recipe online and they didn't have photos to go with the tutorial so I made my own. Next time I make some I am going to add a scent to it and see how it goes. I will post those results in a few months since I won't need to make any for a while. 

Fresh Start

Well, it has been forever since I have used this blog for actually blogging. So, I've decided to dedicate it to something very important to me. The stuff that fills my day. Crafts and diy projects! I love finding new ways to decorate things and finding new ways to save money. So, that is what this board will be about from now on. I am so excited to share all of this stuff.

The Norm...

Since when did the normal life become centered around drugs? Since when did the norm become having at least one, if not more, people in your life addicted? Since when did it become the norm for a mother to choose drugs over their own child? Since when did the norm become watching the sweet child that you raised  turn into someone you don't recognize? I become more and more afraid of the world that my son is going to grow up in with each passing breath. I can't imagine a day where he wouldn't be the most important thing in my life, or the day that he would turn his back on me. Why do people choose to have their lives dictated by something that harms so many? Drugs not only affect you, they affect everyone in your life. It's selfish and weak. Why do so many people help out the people who do this stuff? Don't you see that you are just as bad as they are for enabling them to be like this? Don't you see that you are part of the problem? I am so fed up with having drugs invade my life. I am not the one doing them, I did not choose to have this drama and I certainly did not want to have my life tainted by this. I have a wonderful life. I can't imagine how life could get any better than being perfectly content with sitting on the couch with my family listening to my son read Cat in the Hat or watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. If that seems like a boring life to some then so be it, but my actions and my life aren't ruining the lives of everyone around me. I don't want to sit up at night and wonder if my loved ones are okay. Or wonder if they are finally getting caught. I don't want to have to see people I love go through hell. I don't want to look at them and see the shell of who they used to be. And I am so tired of feeling like a horrible person because I don't put up with the drama that comes with this. But that doesn't mean that I don't love them, it doesn't mean that I don't care about them, it just means that I'm not going to take part in being another person in their lives who pretends that they are okay. If that makes them think that I don't care then that says more about them than me I think. If that makes me seem like an unfeeling bitch then they don't know me at all. I would do anything for the people I love, but the one thing I will not do is enable them. But what bothers me the most is watching the people in my life be hurt by this. They didn't choose to have this invade their lives. I hate that there is nothing I can do to help them deal with this. If they think that love means being ignorant to what is right happening right in front of them then that is on them, not me. But I can tell you one thing, I am going to do everything I can to shield my son from this life. I don't care what it costs me. I can't picture him becoming another faceless drug addict. I can't picture me burying him one day because he got in over his head. I can't picture me having to visit him through bars. I never quite understood what women say when they say that there is no love as amazing as the love you have for your child, until I had little Bruce. I just pray that there comes a day when the town of Rogersville isn't known for the drugs and the drug addicts that reside there. It's not the world I want my son to grow up in. I hate reading the paper and being able to say that I know at least 2-3 of the people in the ARRESTED/WANTED section.

I guess that is about all I needed to say. I haven't blogged since July, but this is the only way for me to express what is on my mind to night. Prayer is a powerful thing and I just wanted to ask if you could please keep me and anyone else involved in a situation like this in your prayers. It's sad to say that I am pretty sure that the majority of people who read this will be able to relate. And if you are one of those people who relate to this then I am so sorry and you will be in my prayers.

BB & HP

What an incredible few days. First of all, I now have a new child to take care of during the day. His name is Charlie and he just turned one. I'm so happy that little man will have another boy to play with here at the house. He is being overrun by girls! He came out of Cassidy's room one day with blush and a necklace on. Yeah, we REALLY need more boys around this house. But I am so grateful for the children that have come into my life, both old and new. They all fit here so well and I can't imagine life without them.

On a more sad note, Bruce got laid off at Old Dominion. We knew this was a possibility when he got the job since the trucking industry is so fickle and he has never worked on fork lifts, but having that job the past few months was such a blessing and now we are moving onto something else. He already has 3 interviews! I am so proud of him. But obviously God has other plans for our family and we are excited to see where he is leading us.

On a bittersweet note, LITTLE BRUCE IS TURNING TWO! AHH!! I can't believe that this is happening. It seems like he was just born yesterday. I feel like time is flying by and I can't do anything to slow it down so I can enjoy this age just a little bit longer. He is the sweetest little boy. I couldn't ask for a better son. I am so happy that we are going to be able to celebrate his birthday with all of our family here in Tennessee. Last year was so hard because all of our family was back in Tennessee, with the exception of Lisa, Mark and Ricky.

But I do have a prayer request. Ricky's girlfriend, Brittny, lost her grandfather yesterday (Tuesday). She was very close with him and her family is going through a very rough time. Please just keep them in your prayers.

Now onto the entertainment portion of my blog:

IT'S BIG BROTHER TIME!!! To most people summer means the beach, cookouts and etc...But to me and my mom, it's means Big Brother on CBS. They announced a few weeks ago that 6 old houseguests would be returning and we were praying that one of them would be Evel Dick. And then premiere night came and our wish came true. He walked through those doors and we lost it. We even posted a video on Facebook! He is our all time favorite houseguest. But then we found out that within a week of the game starting he had to leave. From what I have read he had a friend who needed him. I'm assuming he was hurt or sick, but whatever the case may be I just hope that everything turned out for the best. I will for sure miss him this season, but I hope that he will be back on another season.

The final Harry Potter is coming out Friday. I can't even explain how that makes me feel. I have been reading these book since middle school! And on Friday it's over, done, finished, no more! It's been such an incredible ride though.

Outnumbered...

I can't believe that I haven't posted in almost a month. Actually, it will be one month as of tomorrow. I have been so busy. Between being a mommy, watching Ally and having Cassidy get out of school I feel like I am constantly out numbered by little people. But I do enjoy it.

I spent this past week working on Cassidy's room and I am happy to say that it is finally done. She has the cutest girly room! I love it!  The picture doesn't include all of the stuff. I added a few things since I took that picture. There is now a tree above the desk, mirrored butterflies around her name and there are framed Barbie pictures on the wall next to the bed (not pictured). It really does my heart good to do this stuff for her. I love her more than I could have ever imagined.

Little Bruce is repeating everything we say. He is making sentences and everything. I can't believe how much he has changed this past month. Heck, he's changed a great deal this past week! His newest thing is saying "Ready, set, go" and then taking off running. It's adorable! His birthday is next month! Yikes! His party is going to be so awesome this year because we will have family there. I feel so blessed to be able to have them all there for him. Mark has been redoing the back porch and he has been a huge help to him. It's so adorable! He is such a cute little boy and so smart.

Couponing has been awesome this past month. We have such an awesome little stockpile going and it's been such an awesome hobby. The only sucky part is actually cutting the coupons. UGH! I could do without that.

I have really got to make more of an effort to hang out with people that I am not related to and that are my age. I feel like I don't get out and do things with friends much anymore. In San Diego that was all I ever did, but now that I am home I find myself very isolated from other people as far as friends go. Another thing is that I have got to get little Bruce away from all these girls he hangs out with and around some boys. He is around dolls and stuff to much. He took a fairy wand into Wal-Mart and I said that that was just weird and Cassidy proceeded to tell me that he was a "man fairy". Oh my gosh! HELP! But he also a very manly guy when it comes to most stuff. Always copying his Daddy and Papaws.

Well that is about it for me tonight. I am going to go hit the sheets and get some rest. I'm so exhausted from the past week. But I am so looking forward to next week, Ally comes back and I have no big "jobs" to do. It's back to normal for me!

A wine kind of night...

So, my binder has arrived. It took me almost 5 hour to get all of my stuff in it and organized. But I have to admit, I really enjoyed it. I was amazed at how many coupons that I had at that point. Now I've more than doubled my amount. My Dad gave me all of his extras, Lisa's coworkers gave her theirs and we have another set to go through. Then it all starts over again next week. It's a ridiculous cycle!

Life has been rough the past week. I feel like I can't get ahead or do anything right. I can't really explain it, but I just feel worn out. I hope it's all over soon, I am tired of feeling like crap all of the time. I need to figure out what to do to fix this or hopefully it fixes itself.

This is a short blog, I just needed to get that off my chest.

Easter, Couponing and Royalty!

Whew...both Bruce and I have had major changes to our work schedules. He now works night shifts and I now have a different schedule with Ally which isn't a bad thing. We are pretty much set into our new schedules and it's been working out pretty good.

Easter was amazing! We had such a good morning at church and little man looked so cute all dressed up in his suit. After church it was time for him to nap and it was time for me to get to work on dinner. I made a honey glazed ham, baked mac and cheese, deviled eggs and rolls. Lisa made veggies and potatoes.

Little man did so awesome when it was time to hunt for eggs. He wanted to carry his basket all over and put them in there himself. He found 29 eggs! We were so proud of him.

He is so talkative now. Well, he's always been talkative. But now he is saying EVERYTHING! It has been so amazing to watch him grow up so much these past few weeks so much. He changes on a day to day basis. I feel like time is moving by so quickly and I wish I could just pause it so I can enjoy this time more.

Anyways, I've been couponing! I am on my way to becoming a crazy coupon lady! So far I've racked up a good amount of loot. I've gotten over $80 in free body wash, $10 in deodorant, $8 in floss and $12 in personal stuff.

I have ordered a binder to get it all organized and it should be here tomorrow and I'm so excited to get all of my coupons in order and grow my collection so I can really start racking up the savings. I don't make a ton of money babysitting, but with what I am saving in groceries and personal items it is helping to even out the amount that both Bruce and I contribute to our family.

And tomorrow is going to be so amazing! Tomorrow is the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton! I am so excited! It's just so awesome that I get to see such an amazing event happen. I wasn't alive when Charles and Diana got married, but I am so excited to be able to watch their son wed. It's the stuff of fairy tales and I know that a lot of people don't see the reason behind all of the excitement. But I do, it's just so amazing to know that there are still kings, queens, princes and princesses. And to know that a regular girl can grow up and become a real life princess and eventually queen. It's what every little girl dreams of growing up. So, tomorrow is the big day and I am going to be here watch every minute of it with my little prince. And I know that there are all sort of matters that are more important than a wedding, but for those of us who still believe in fairy tales this is an amazing event.

Anyways, I'm going to wrap this up so I can watch the Lifetime movie William and Kate and then go to bed.

Work, work, work...

It feels like it has been forever since I have blogged. But here I am. That past two weeks have been very busy. Bruce is now working at Old Dominion and is loving his new job. I started watching a little girl named Ally. She is 3 and I couldn't ask for a better little girl to take care of. Little Bruce is saying everything now. And when I say everything, I mean everything. If you can say it, so can he. But he is still as stubborn as ever. He is the perfect mesh of the two of us. He has our stubbornness, my pickyness, my cleanliness, Bruce's ability to play for hours and hours without stop. He is just the best little boy.

We are just trying to get adjusted to being here and our new life. But sometime next year we will be moving closer to Bruce's work in White Pine, TN. But until then, this is our home.

I've been coming to terms that San Diego isn't home anymore. I won't ever see those places again and I won't be living that life anymore. It sucks, but at the same time I know that this is where we are meant to be.

I had the pleasure of working at the Clothing Carousel yesterday and I have to say that it was awesome. Since I volunteered to work I got to go to the preview party and we got such awesome stuff for little man. And working the sale on Saturday was fun. I love feeling like I accomplish something every day. Whether it is doing laundry, cleaning, working, etc... I just sleep better and feel good when I know that I did something productive at the end of the day.

I also have special request, if everyone who reads this could please say a prayer for the Arrechaga family. They lost their solider in Afghanistan this past week. He was a husband, a father, a son and a brother. So, if you could just pray for God to give them peace during this horrible time.

Like father, like son? Like mother, like son?

This week has been so amazing! Bruce has a job interview on Tuesday and we are so excited! He has been going crazy just being here at the house and not working. But we all really needed this time together. We have missed being a family so much. It's still super weird that we are living in Rogersville. Bruce said that he is used to it already, but for some reason I'm not. I still feel like this isn't my home yet. And I'm not talking about the house I live in, I'm talking about the town. But hopefully it will fade soon. But I am really missing the isolation that we had in San Diego. We didn't have to worry about anyone but ourselves. I know that sounds selfish, but that is how we have lived for the past 3 years. The job that Bruce is interviewing for is about 40 minutes away so once we get settled as far as him working and things like that we would be moving to Morristown probably. And that is a good thing because I still get to be around family and stuff, but I won't be in the same town so I will have a little bit of space.

Anyways, little Bruce has been doing so much more stuff. He says all kinds of new words and it's so cute! He is just the funniest little guy. He is trying to be just like his Daddy. He copies everything that he does! It's adorable! But I am happy to say that he is just like me in a lot of ways. He is very particular. He doesn't like it when you do things for him if he knows that he can do it. He won't eat something if you rip it, you have to cut it. He likes to pick up his messes and put away his toys. He likes his stuff put a certain way when you put it up also. He likes to sweep, wipe tables, vacuum, etc... So in all of those ways he is just like his Mommy.

Today has been relaxing. It's my last Sunday of staying home while everyone is at church. I will start going with Bruce and little Bruce next Sunday. We will be going to a different church than our families do. We are going to Hope. It's the church we went to before we left Rogersville and it's more like our church out in San Diego which we miss a lot. I'm excited to start going back though. I've really enjoyed my alone time on Sundays, but I need to be back in church.

Anyways, that is about it for now. I'm going to relax for another minute or two until everyone gets home.

One week has gone by...

Bruce has officially been home for a week now and life couldn't be any better. We are loving this little mini vacation we are having and loving that we don't have to follow any Navy rules anymore. So, Bruce is growing facial hair for the first time. I'm not entirely sure if I am going to like it, but I do like what it looks like now. It's just rough.

Little Bruce is such a cute little mini Bruce. He does everything that his daddy does. It's adorable. He still doesn't like to have him out of his sight.

Our furniture got here on Friday and we spent the entire weekend going through our stuff trying to get what we need to have with us. I think that we are both still wiped from it. But I am happy to say that we are done with moving stuff and have our two little rooms all ready and it feels a little more like home now.

We went on a double date for the first time in what seems like a lifetime. It was with Ricky and Brittny. We went to Ruby Tuesdays and to see the movie "Just Go With It". It was so nice to just go out and relax. I always hated leaving little Bruce with babysitters, but leaving him with family feels different. I don't feel so guilty about it.

Next week Bruce is starting his job hunt and once he gets that all worked out I will start babysitting kids here at the house. And I know most people hate working, but I am super excited to be contributing to our house income again. I love being a stay at home mom and at this point I don't think that I could go to work a regular job and leave him. I have been with him almost every second of his life.

Anyways, I'm going to relax while Bruce is at the gym!

Bruce is home!

Bruce is home! Finally! I still don't feel like it is real. I am so happy to have my little family back together. He left San Diego on Saturday morning and got here a little after 5 on Monday afternoon. We had the house all ready for him and we were all on pin and needles waiting for him to get here. I got so impatient and I snuck into our new bedroom and sat in front of the window so I could see him as soon as he drove down the street. As soon as I seen our little green booger I screamed and took off running to the living room. He came into the room and little man just stood there. He didn't know what to do. He finally said Daddy and Bruce went to him. Little man wouldn't take his eyes off of him for the longest time. He was so happy to be with his Daddy again. Next it was my turn, I was just so happy to have him home and with little Bruce and I. Once I let go and he put little man down Cassidy jumped at him and started to bawl. She loves her cousin Bruce so much. She missed him like crazy! She hadn't seen him since last April. It's been almost a year. Lisa was finally able to hug him after that.

Little Bruce took Bruce into his room to show it off and then they went to Cassidy's room. We just spend the evening having dinner and playing. Bruce needed some jammies so we all loaded up and headed to Wal-Mart. After that it was time to put the kiddos to bed and for us to relax for a little while.

I am just so incredibly happy to have my family all together again.

Busy, busy, busy...

Wow! It seems like it's been forever since I posted my last blog. But anyways, onto the important stuff...

Bruce is officially no longer a sailor in the United States Navy. We are so happy that he will be home next weekend. I can't believe it. We won't ever have to be apart as a family again. The movers are coming to pack up  our stuff on the 25th and Bruce is hitting the road on the 26th. Yay!

Today was Mark's 51st birthday and it was such a busy day. It started off with me making cupcakes for his party tonight. I made golf themed ones. It was so much fun. Then once they were home from church and the kids were down for their naps, Lisa and I got started on sanding down the joints in her bedroom in preparation for painting. We were covered in dust! Ugh! A shower was a must at this point. I showered and got ready for the party and it was so much fun. All the boys were here, minus Bruce.

After the party ended it was time to give the kids a bath and put them to bed. Lisa and I got started on cleaning up the sanding dust and then we got the primer on the wall. We are freaking exhausted. Tomorrow we are painting and then we will be done with her room. Next is the master bathroom and then we are going to do the guest bathroom and then finally the kitchen and finishing the hallway.

Now it's off to dreamland for me...

Progress...

Oh my gosh! I am exhausted. After a 3 day marathon of redoing little man's room we are finally done. I am exhausted. I am so excited. But he was NOT happy about not being allowed in his room for two days.While I was carrying out his toys the other day he was excited at first about having those toys in the living room, but after realizing that they were ALL out there he sat in the floor in front of his door saying "No, no, no..." and he was crying the whole time. It was pitiful. Needless to say he has been depressed all day. It has been so sad. But when he gets home tomorrow he gets to go into his new room! I can't wait to see his face!

Bruce is on his way back to the states right now! I am so excited! I hate that I won't know anything about where he is until he gets to Atlanta. I do know that he is flying through Rome though! Can we say jealous wife?! But I am so happy that he gets to at least go through Rome. That is amazing!

I have cancelled all of our services out there in San Diego (Directv, AT&T, etc...). I changed our insurance information and it lowered it $30 a month. Whoo hoo! I have put together a list of everything that Bruce has to do in order to get the move done quickly and get out of there without any issues. I am just hoping that the Navy gets their butts in gear and gets this move set up quickly. I want him home and so does Bruce Jr. I can't even imagine how little Bruce is going to react when he sees his Daddy show up here! I don't know how I am going to keep myself composed when he gets here. I am crying now just thinking about him coming home and the two of them being together again.

Well, I am off to relax and get some sleep. I am so tired!

Deployment is over!

Well, I woke up to an email on my phone from Bruce saying that he doesn't have to finish out his deployment since he is getting out. They are sending him home along with 2 or 3 other sailors that are going on home emergency leave. I am still in shock a little bit but we are so excited. He will be home in San Diego next week and from there he will have to take a class about living in the "civilian world" and then we are hoping that he can get the move set up quickly and once our house is all taken care of and his keys turned in then he will be driving to Tennessee.

Sadly I will NOT be returning to San Diego. It is killing me that I will not be able to say goodbye to my friends. I can't believe that I won't see them anymore. But it is what is best for our family. But there is an upside, Alicia, Rob and Chase are moving to Norfolk this year so we will be able to see them.

I am still in shock over all of this. I can't wrap my head around the fact that I won't be back in San Diego. I won't ever be in that house again. I won't go to the Mission Valley mall again, Chevy's, etc...

I am just so glad that this is going to be over soon. We will be together in Tennessee and we won't ever have to be apart again. I couldn't be more excited about that.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles...

I am so exhausted! I've had a cold for a few days and my cold symptoms aren't that bad, but the cold itself has been sucking up all of my energy. I just can't get up energy to do anything.

Anyways, I got little man his big boy bedding. It has trains, cars, planes and boats on it. It's adorable! I got it for a little over $40 at a consignment store. I went home and looked up the bedding and oh my gosh! I got an incredible deal. If I were to buy that bedding at full price it would all cost over $400! I can't believe this! It came with the bumper, comforter, mobile, valance, light switch cover, socket covers, lamp shade and a bed skirt. When we put him in his toddler bed we are going to sell the bumper and mobile. He loves the stuff! When he seen it he just kept saying "Wow! Wow!" It was adorable! When I go to get him up from his nap and in the morning he doesn't want to leave his crib. That just makes me so happy that I found that stuff!

Seeing how Thanksgiving and Christmas completely destroyed my diet and exercise routine I am going to start the Special K diet tomorrow. I am so freaking excited!

Returning to Tennessee!

So much has been going on since my last post!

First of all, Bruce is getting out of the Navy. We just decided that it was best to not reenlist. We will be home sometime this summer and we couldn't be happier. Yes, it will be harder to live here on our own, but it will be better for us. Little man will grow up around his family and I couldn't be happier about that. My Dad and I are still going to San Diego and get our affairs in order and once Bruce gets home from deployment we will set up the move and head to Rogersville!

But on the other hand, I can't believe we are leaving our life in San Diego. I am going to miss our friends so much. Alicia Holmes, Andrea Gritzinger, Taylor Montoya and Shaela Kilgore. And we have already lost so many friends due to them being transferred. It's just so hard. But it's nice to know that I will be able to have my friends here and know that I will have them the rest of my life and we won't have to say goodbye.

Ugh! When I think about all of the stuff that we are going to have to do over the next few months it kind of makes my head spin a little.