G's Sense of Style

If there is one thing I have learned about mothering a toddler, it is that not every battle is worth it.  The battle in which I give up on 6 days a week (Sundays don't count) is the crazy outfit Grayson chooses to wear outside the house.  Toddlers have a crazy fashion sense. Well, at least mine does. 

On any given day you can find Grayson wearing snowboots, a men's Steelers hat (no, we aren't Steelers fans), and a truck tshirt. This is his signature look. Okay, fine, sometimes he just prefers a diaper. He will usually be carrying around his weed eater or perhaps even be using a broom as his "blower."

Most recently he has fallen in love with a pair of Crocs that are a size too big. G tells me they are his yard work shoes. Crocs are bad enough, but Grayson makes them even more fashionable by wearing them with socks. It. Is. Awesome. 

I'll be honest, this new found opinion on his wardrobe annoyed me at first. He hates his nice church clothes & I mourned the loss of my big boy wearing jon jons regularly.

Then I realized how ridiculous I was acting. Grayson is 2 1/2 and definitely has an opinion. He's getting more independent by the day & part of that means picking out his clothes. It makes me laugh every day to see what clothes we picks out to play in the yard. The best part is that he wears his snow boots, basketball shorts, "ment mixer" shirt, baseball hat, & sunglasses with such pride.

I hope his personality is always this big & I hope he keeps this confidence forever!

So What! Wednesday

This week I am saying SO WHAT if...

• I seem to cheat on this healthy eating thing every night?
• I attempted to hang curtains this week, spent an hour drilling holes & zero curtains were hung?
• I've already been to the grocery store 3 times this week? Oy. Mama brain at its finest.
• I am counting down the weeks until we are BOTTLE FREE?! I hate that chore so much. It's 11, by the way. 11 weeks until my baby is one. 
• a pile of folded, clean towels has been sitting on our couch for over a week?
• I haven't had my hair done since October? Yikes. 
• I'm 27 and STILL bite my nails?
• I forget I'm still 27 & typically think I'm 28? I age myself. Who does that?
• I bought myself flowers for Mother's Day? Haha. Granted, they were only from Publix....but still. I needed some fresh flowers in my life.
• G's boost seat got cleaned for the first time in about a year this week? Do you know how nasty a toddler booster seat can get? EW.

Menu Monday

I made this week's menu in about 5 minutes so there is nothing new that we're trying. It is all pretty basic! 

Monday: Marlboro Man Sandwiches -- these are Ben's absolute favorite! You can't go wrong with anything made by the Pioneer Woman!

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Tuesday: Chicken and veggie quesadillas

Wednesday: Sweet and Sour Chicken (using this batter) with fried rice (from Whole Foods)

Thursday: Grilled Chicken, roasted broccoli, & mashed potatoes

Friday: Cajun Chicken Tortellini Bake (this got two thumbs up from my husband who HATES pasta. I know. WHAT?!)

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Saturday: We have a birthday party so we will probably go out somewhere afterwards!

Sunday: Cheeseburger for the boys & Turkey Zucchini burger for me!

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Five on Friday

1. Last weekend we promised Grayson we would go bowling. He was so excited and talked about it all morning. Well, when we got to the bowling alley there was an hour long wait. SO, we headed to Chuck E Cheese. It was also slammed. We felt bad so we took him to Toys R Us & let him pick a fun prize. This is what he picked out:

This child is truly obsessed with yard work & it cracks me up. Grayson has played with this wheelbarrow & shovel ALL WEEK. He's our future landscape architect!  

2.  We had Griffin's 9 month pictures taken yesterday & I can't wait to see them. He wore my favorite bubble & it was ridiculously cute. 

It just doesn't get much cuter than a baby boy in a bubble!

3. I've recently rediscovered our neighborhood's gym. They updated the equipment about a year ago & it's really nice! I've been taking advantage of it--might as well since we are indeed paying for it! It's nice to get out of the house for a work out...I need to switch it up sometimes!

4.  I made the Pepperoncini Beef sandwiches last night for the first time & loved them. Ben approved, too! 

The recipe is linked on Monday's post. Go make these!

5. I am loving the Old Navy knock off Native shoes for G! Stride Rite quit selling our favorite waterproof rubber sandals this year but these are working just fine!

They were $14 & are great for playing outside because I can just hose them off when they get all muddy! I think I'll be going back to get one more pair!

Georgia Trip

A week and a half ago I took the boys on our first solo road trip to Georgia to spend time with my family. I was a little nervous considering that Griffin is not a fan of the car.  The ride down went just as I suspected: horribly. It rained for a lot of the drive AND Griffin screamed for about 75% of the trip. My ears were bleeding by the time we got to Atlanta!

 

 Griffin was excited to be out of the car by the time we got there! 

The first night I was in town I was so excited because I got to meet up with some Twitter/blog girls! I love my friends who live in my computer:) 

Amy, yours truly, Hether, Amy T, & Stephanie

We met at Chuy's and I loved getting to actually talk to these girls! It was so fun & much needed after a stressful day of driving. Aren't they all so cute?!

The next day we got to visit with lots of family. My cousin Blakely has three little boys ages 4 and under. We don't get to see them nearly enough & I knew I wanted to get all of our boys together! 

 This is what taking a picture of FIVE little boys looks like--ha! It's like herding cats!

Ashton (4), Collin (2 1/2), G (2 1/2), Griffin (9 months), & Embry (14 months)

This was the best group shot I got that day...these boys were busy! I love that we both have boys. I just wish we lived closer so we could play more often!

We also went to see my Papa and Carol. My boys are so lucky to have 2 sets of great grandparents that they will get to know. Again, it makes it so hard to live far away...I wish my boys could see their extended family more often.

Is this not the sweetest picture? Papa loved seeing his great-grandboys! 

We also got to go back to Zoo Atlanta while we were there. Along with every single school in metro Atlanta. Grayson loves the zoo & was SO excited to go. He loved the rhino because he saw him pooping...typical boy. Ha! 

I had to make the boys take a picture with Willie B. I love the way Griffin is looking at the gorilla! 

Grayson had such a great time & loved seeing all the different animals!

We spent the next day at my Grandmother and Granddaddy's house. Blakely & the boys came up too and it was a fun visit. Granddaddy has a great driveway for riding the plasma car & that is what the big boys did all morning! I can't believe how fast G can go on that thing! 

I absolutely love this picture. I seriously can't believe we have 5 boys between the two of us! They are all so sweet. Grayson has been talking about the boys since we got back & keeps telling me that "I like my cousins. They're nice." We'll have to visit again soon!

I'm so glad we got to go for a few days & spend time with everyone. I don't see my grandparents and cousins nearly enough!

So What! Wednesday

This week I am saying SO WHAT if...

• I can't get into planning Griffin's 1st birthday party? Maybe it's because he is still so "baby" to me...I can't believe in 3 months he'll be 1!
• I let my toddler "mow" in the rain yesterday while I watched from inside? 
• I still search eBay for smocked clothes for Griffin when he clearly needs none?
• I have Dr. Phil on my DVR?
• I wear my yoga pants so much that the seam completely ripped this week? 
• I vacuumed the house this week just because people from CRAIGSLIST were coming to look at our couch? I'm nuts. I know. 
• my toddler now requests to listen to "1994" and "Wagon Wheel" on a regular basis? Good ol' Tennessee boy..
• my laundry sits folded in a basket for a few days after it's clean? I loathe putting clothes away. LOATHE.
• I tore the house up on Saturday night looking for Griffin's knee sock for church? A knee sock. Of course I found it last night. 
• we try to bribe G every single day to use the potty? 
• I had to re-publish this because I forgot to schedule it & posted it on Tuesday night? Whoops. So What! Tuesday. Whatever. 

Operation Skinny Mama: Setting Goals

One thing that bothers me about myself is that I can get off track SO EASILY. I am probably the most unmotivated person you will ever meet that wants to lose weight & get in shape. I'm being serious. You won't ever see me out running unless an armed gunman is chasing me...and even that is iffy. ha! Just being honest!

One thing I have learned about myself is that I have to set goals. I'm not talking about huge goals, just simple goals that are attainable. I fell off the wagon when I went to Georgia and it has taken me a week to get back in the groove. BUT, Bob Harper kicked me in the rear this morning & I'm ready to get back it. After all, pool season begins in about 3 weeks (!!!!!) and I can assure you that Grayson will be first in line at our neighborhood pool.

Here are my newest goals:

• stop obsessing over the scale. In the famous words of Shakira, my hips don't lie. But that stupid scale just might. I can see a difference in my body & the way my clothes fit but whenever I get on that little square I get so mad at the number. SO MAD. It's silly, really. Maybe I just throw it out...or have Ben hide it. 
• Drink 100 ounces of water daily. I was so good at this while I was nursing because it helped keep my supply up.  I have been feeling yucky lately and I can assure you that it's because I'm drinking too much Diet Coke & not enough water. My Tervis needs to be attacked to my hip!
• Do some sort of work out at least 5 days a week. I am not the type of person who can do the same exact work out routine every day. I get bored easily. My plan is to switch it up between Total Body Transformation, the elliptical at my neighborhood gym, & power walking with that beast of a double stroller. Pushing 45lbs of kids PLUS a gigantic stroller is no joke, y'all.  
• Start doing the P90X Ab Ripper workout a few times a week. We have it somewhere, so I'll start with simply finding the DVD. These abs need some serious help after having 2 c-sections less than 2 years apart. I say the word "abs" pretty loosely considering there is seriously no muscle on my stomach anymore. 
• Eat clean. This is something I have felt kind of convicted about lately. I put a whole lot of junk in my body. Not only into my body, but into my family's as well. I love cooking for all my boys & I feel like it's my job to provide them with good food. Food that tastes good & food that is good for them. I've been doing research about clean eating & going organic--there is a lot to learn!

Let's see if I can stay on track!