Five on Friday - House Landscaping, Grady Update and Reward Chart

ONE:
All of our dead landscaping finally got replaced this week.  They didn't want to do it until the weather started getting a little cooler.  I hope it lives.  I'm so over our 9 month punchlist that's still ongoing.  They have to redo some grading in our backyard so I'm sure our grass back there will look real good, blahhh.  

They also finally installed some brackets/corbels on the far right where the little jet-out is.  They're on the bottom of that and hard to see but don't ask me why those took 9 months to put there.  They are only for decoration and definitely make it look better.

The masons are coming early next week to work on our front stairs.  They're too white compared to the rest of the house and they're going to smear mortar on the tread of the stairs in addition to the risers which they've already done.  

Don't build a house.

Moving on.

TWO:
My niece's 11th birthday is next week and I asked her for a list of what she wanted!  She sent us a fabulous list that included a hamster, cat, fake nails, makeup and lots of other funny things.  She also wanted stationary, pens and a LOL doll.  I had fun finding all of this fun stuff at Target!  Things Aunt's can buy their nieces - makeup and fake nails mmmmkay!  Yall remember that 6' tall flamingo they sent Molly Anne for her birthday this year?  Payback!  :)  I love being an Aunt!


THREE:
Sweet children of mine.  One may be a little sweeter these days but I love her anyway!


FOUR:
I scored this Little English onesie off a local Mom's site for $10 because it had a stain on the arm 
(they're $36 new!).  I already got the stain out and it's as good as new!  Whoop whoop!



FIVE:
This boy has been working hard on his beach bod at Physical Therapy (aka Amy is helping him with his torticollis).  We have been going every week since the end of July and now we will start going every other week.  

We've had a little setback with the band.  Always listen to your gut because Mama always knows.  He got the band last Thursday.  He was so uncomfortable and I knew this wasn't right because Molly Anne did not care one bit about hers.  This killlled me that he wasn't happy and I was literally about to give up right then and there.  I took him back uptown on Friday, they adjusted it after I told them what was going on.  I have been so hurt up over making Grady go through with this band when his head isn't THAT bad.  But I know he has moderate plagiocephaly and I know over time it's possible I would look back and wish we had done this for him.  There's no going back - it's either do it now or live with it.  ANYWAY.  

All weekend I knew it still wasn't right because he was up in the middle of the night and just not himself.  Monday morning I took the below picture and sent it to them.  Sure enough, it's not supposed to do this.  I took him uptown Tuesday and they had to take new images and they're making him another band.  I won't bore you all with the details but it's not been a fun couple of weeks. 

Next Tuesday, the new band comes in.  My friend had a good perspective on it to just try it and see how he does and I don't have to be married to him wearing it 24/7 if I feel like he's miserable.  This helped me see the light for sure.   Okay, sob story over. 

SIX:
This one has been needing a little more of something to work towards for a variety of reasons so Ms. Becky suggested a reward chart.  No, I didn't buy a cute one online.  I drew 11 circles on a piece of paper and numbered them with #11 being a star and done.  We are on reward chart #2 now and I had her draw the circles for this one and she chose 11 circles again.  First reward chart she chose to get a pony named Sweetie Drops which was $2 on Ebay.  This reward chart she has chosen to go get ice cream with me.  

Ms. Becky told me to make sure the rewards are more experiences and less material things and I think this is amazing advice so that's what we will do.  She was just highly obsessed with sweetie drops so we let that one slide!  I have never seen her so proud and so excited as I did when we gave her sweetie drops.  

Reasons she gets stickers - using her manners (yes ma'am, no sir is expected in our house so she only gets a sticker for this random times to enforce the good manners), going into her classroom at school without crying, taking a nap, going on the potty (sometimes I'll surprise her with a sticker for this but this is expected too), being nice to her friends etc. etc.  Actually all of these things are expected but a little reward here and there really helps make this stuff happen more consistently.  

The other day she hadn't taken a nap and yall when she doesn't take a nap - Molly Anne is no bueno.  She "tapped" my face in a not nice way when I was putting her in the car so we had a nice long talk about that and I made her take a sticker off her reward chart when we got home.  She knew exactly why she had to and that was good.  

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!  

Recipe: Two Low Carb Easy Dinners

Wow, I'm on a recipe kick.  But honestly I just want to share easy stuff for us because I love when others do the same! 

1.  Stuffed Rotel Dip Peppers - I got this recipe from my friend Rachel but you all know that dip you have for football games - a can of rotel, block of cream cheese and a pound of cooked sausage?  Make that and stuff peppers with it!  I cleaned out the inside of the peppers and boiled them for 15 minutes or so, then stuffed them and baked for 15 minutes at 350.   Also, I made these ahead of time then popped them into the oven right when we all got home. 

2.  Mix and Match Chicken Fajita Soup and a southwestern chopped salad kit.  Easy.  I used a rotisserie chicken.  No, Kevin wouldn't eat it but Molly Anne and I did.  In fact, she helped me make the soup which was fun to do together!

Recipe: Best Margaritas

Anyone have a recipe from an ex-boyfriend that you still love despite the relationship ending over 10 years ago?!  This one is from his step mom and it's a good one!

I think there are two keys to a good margarita - Cointreau and a honey rim!  Recipe is below.    

Annie's Margaritas (makes a pitcher)
12 ounces tequila
6 ounces Cointreau
48 ounces margarita mix

Mix the above.  Rim glass with honey, dip in salt.  Squeeze in lime slice and pour yourself a margarita!

I used a low calorie margarita mix (see above) and it was just as delicious.  I also like using stemless wine glasses instead of a margarita glass.  And I usually half the above recipe.  Cheers!

Molly Anne - isms

It's been awhile since I've done a Molly Anne -isms post and I love remembering funny things she says or does!

1.  The other day I was getting ready for work and she comes in my getting ready area and says, "oh mama you look SO cute!"

2.  She likes to dance in her car seat to certain songs.  My car has a little screen that has the album cover of the artist that is playing and she loves to know who is who on "da picture!"  She has most of them memorized.  Oh dat's Jason Al-dean.  Oh dat's Kenny Ches-ney.  That's how she pronounces things.

3.  We recently got a roundabout nearby and she kept calling it a merry-go-bout until I finally told her it's a roundabout.  So now she says when we go around it - "Mama, it's not a merry-go-bout, it's a roundabout!"

4.  She is a child that is set in her little ways so if we do something out of the ordinary, then we have to talk all about it.  And then repeat the fact that we are stopping by the grocery store on the way to get Grady.  "And den we are goin' home."

5.  We used to count to 60 each night because there are 60 seconds in oooooone minute as she says but now she wants to count to 100 every time!  The other night she finally figured out how to say THIR-ty instead of FOUR-ty.  We've worked on that tongue placement for a long time haha but now she gets it!

6.  She knows where all kinds of places are around town.  She'll point out her doctor's office, her school, she knows when we're on the way to Ms. Becky's.  She likes to point out all of the construction sites around town.  She likes to spot Daddy's car in his office parking lot.  She's an observant young lady!

7.  She's never met a stranger.  Ever.  And she'll remember your name weeks or months later.  Wild.  

8.  She is big into our fam-i-ly and that's how she says it!  When we are all walking down the stairs together, she says, "Mama, Daddy - look!  It's our fam-i-ly!"  She always wants to draw our family in chalk or with crayons!  All about our family!

9.  She loves to put make up on every morning.  And sometimes she raids my drawer instead of using her pretend stuff.  On Monday morning I let her put eye shadow on me and she said, "oh mama you look beautiful" after she put it on.  

10.  Favorite color - pink.  Favorite number - 8.  Favorite food - chicken nuggets.  Favorite outfit - a dress.  Favorite dress up - her ballerina leotard.  Favorite thing to do - play outside or color.  Favorite toy - all of her My Little Pony's.  Favorite drink - milk or juice.  Favorite craft - making necklaces.  Favorite activity - pool.  

She is so fun!  Not that I'm biased or anything!

Emme's Party and Out

Friday night we got into pajamas early and ate leftovers for dinner!  We never are so boring on a Friday but it was necessary!  How cute are these new Lila and Hayes pajamas I got for Molly Anne at Fancy Pants?  They are soooo soft and sweet!

We had a big day on Saturday.  First up, soccer!

Then Molly Anne and I went to get her hair done because we had family pictures later that day!  She loves getting it blown dry there and they can do it so much better than me!  

This boy didn't get to do much on Saturday because it was too hot for him to be outside in his band so Daddy stayed with him most of the day in the air conditioning!

I took these two girlies to Emme's 3rd birthday party!  

Of course Margot went above and beyond and had the cutest Mermaids and Unicorns party ever!  Molly Anne loved making a treasure chest! 

Adorable right?!

All of the children!

Birthday girl on the right...with Nora Beth and Molly Anne!

After the party we had family pictures taken by Lindsay Hart.  I can't wait to get them and I will definitely share.  How adorable is sweet Grady in his outfit?!!

The boys!

We got a babysitter last minute and headed to our club for a late dinner and some drinks.  We ended up making friends with people in the bar and had too much fun.  Then we hopped over to a nearby bar and hung there for a beverage before we ubered home!  

I wore my favorite dress - such a classic.

Sunday was a low key day for everyone including Millsy!  Molly Anne was pretty spent after such a big day on Saturday so we just played around the house!

Mills wouldn't even move so I could feed Grady where I usually do every day!  Poor Grady had to lay on his tail!  

Monday morning and Molly Anne picked out our outfits for work!  Purple day evidently haha!  She even took our picture!

She had Fun and Fitness at school today so she had to wear her "Soccer shoes" as she calls them!  

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!  I'm looking forward to the week and playing catch up on sleep!  Grady has had a time with his helmet.  We were there on Friday and have to go again tomorrow which is unusual but we are trying to get it right on his head!  

Chat soon!

Five on Friday - Notepads, PJs, Tank, Pics and Apps

ONE:
How adorable are these notepads for Molly Anne's teachers and Ms. Becky?  I had her teachers fill out a favorite things list at the beginning of the school year and used those to get these made.  Olive Juice and Dandelions is the name of the shop and she couldn't have been sweeter sending me proofs of these and I just think they're perfect!

TWO:
Cutest pajamas ever - rainbows and unicorns - every little girl's favorite!  I got these for Molly Anne this week for the winter!  Instagram account - @smockingbird_clothing

THREE:
I recently got this Corinna Tank and yall.  It is good.  I wish they had it in every color.  Easily my favorite workout and hang around tank.  It's thin and cool for running but cute for being out and about.  I'll likely get this one too because if this is how their athletic line is, I need more.  

FOUR:
We have a busy weekend with soccer, a birthday party and pictures that we're having done by Lindsay Hart.  I'm really looking forward to having family pictures taken and I am going to post them ALL over our house and on here.  Get ready.  Now I need to lose 10 pounds between now and tomorrow!  

FIVE:
I made this Baked Brie Bites appetizer and Christina's Pumpkin Dip for the mom's night out I hosted last night.  Both are always a hit!

Happy Friday!

Fall is in the Air

Two things I LOVE about Fall - this candle and this soap!  

In case you're living under a rock haha, the Nest candles are simply amazing and this Fall one is definitely the best Fall candle to smell.  It is a little pricey but lasts a long time and your whole house will smell delightful!  I pulled mine out the other day and found I still had half left woohoo!  It'll be burning every day!

I do believe Williams Sonoma hand soaps are the best - they get grease and gook off your hands without having to pour Dawn all over yourself.  We keep one bottle at our kitchen sink and one bottle in our powder room.  We have the Pumpkin Spice and Spiced Chestnut and I love them equally!  They both smell so good and leave your hands smelling like Fall!

Random Wednesday

1.  I still am not getting emails when you all comment on a blog post so I'm incredibly sorry I can't reply to you!  I hope Blogger fixes this soon.  Thank you for all of your sweet comments!

2.  I got some of our Fall decorations out and put them around the house. I honestly don’t have much Fall decor but maybe I’ll find some cute things on sale at the end of the season for next year.  I’m not a huge fan of Fall (I know, I know) so I’ve never rushed out to buy all the things!

3.  I reallllllly need to start for real exercising. I’ve been taking Mills a few times a week to run/walk but that isn’t going to cut it.   

4.  I can’t believe October is in two weeks. How did that happen?  

5.  Tomorrow all of our landscaping that didn’t make it (since being planted in 10 degree weather) will be replaced. We’ve been waiting for the weather to start turning from 1,000 degree days to a bit cooler.   Anyway, I’m so excited about this.  It’s going to make our yard look so much better.  And our grass will be overseeded in a couple of weeks.  

6.  We got all of our furniture put back on our porch but before we did this, Kevin scrubbed the slate down. It feels so much cleaner out there even though it’s open to the elements! 

7.  I’m hosting a mom’s night out for the other moms in Molly Anne’s class at school. It will be nice to meet them!

8.  We’ve been playing ‘clean out the freezer’ since last week and it’s been good to get rid of some of that stuff.  Plus I haven’t really had to cook and since I’ve been back to work, this has been so nice!  

Yep, that’s some random for y’all!  

C Section versus Regular Delivery

I've been meaning to write this post for ummm about 4 months!  I know some of you were interested in hearing my thoughts on a regular delivery versus a c-section since I've had one of each.  Here it goes:

Regular Delivery

Pros -
1.  You really feel what it feels like to have a baby, even if you have an epidural.
2.  You get to labor and experience all of the parts of having a baby somewhat naturally.  
3.  The surprise of getting to tell your family and friends that your baby is here is so fun!

Cons -
1.  You don't know how you'll feel afterwards 'down there' and may have to take lots of sitz baths among other things.  You don't know how long it'll take to feel better.  
2.  You may never sneeze or jump on a trampoline again without a little dribble ha. 
3.  You don't know when you're going into labor so keep your bag packed!


C-Section

Pros -
1.  You get to plan exactly when it is going to happen, assuming you have to have one for medical reasons.  If you have other children, you can make sure you have them covered for when you'll be at the hospital. 
2.  You won't know exactly what to expect for recovery but the two weeks estimate to be back to normal is pretty accurate (it was for me at least).  At least you know it's 'only' two weeks.  

Cons -
1.  It's surgery and you might not know how your body reacts to that.  You cannot use those ab muscles very well afterwards.  Getting up from sitting is hard work.  
2.  You still have some of same after-effects like if you had a regular delivery.  Blah.  


-------

In general, I would say the first two weeks of a c-section recovery are harder than the first two weeks of a regular delivery recovery.  But that totally depends on how your regular delivery goes!  This was just my experience.  I also had an almost 3 year old that I was chasing around and couldn't lounge around all day like I did when Molly Anne was born!

I think however your baby comes out, it will be amazing and likely the best moment of your life.  The one thing that drove me crazy when I was pregnant was not knowing when and how my child was going to decide to come.  Well, it always works out so try not to stress something you can't change!  Easier said than done, I know!

So if I had to do it again, what would I prefer?  Probably a c-section but that's because of three big things - 1.  I have other children and I'd love to be able to plan childcare and 2. because I've gotten to experience a regular delivery and 3. because I already (sorta) forgot how awful I felt in the OR and recovery rooms!  

Hurricane Florence

What a weekend.  Hurricane Florence came our way but didn't do nearly the amount of damage that happened at the coast of North Carolina.  I'm just so sorry for those folks and hope the rebuilding process can start soon.  

We took most of the furniture off our porch on Friday afternoon after we got home from work.  

And put it inside.  We had run out of room in our garages so we just stuck it in the breakfast area.  

Molly Anne is way into forts these days.  Kevin started building them with her a few weeks ago and she's been obsessed.  This may be her most creative one to date haha!

We never mind a weekend at home because we aren't home during the week.  Molly Anne loves playing with all of her toys and doing random activities at home.  I used the @busytoddler instagram account to come up with two activities that she loved!  

First, use these stickers and draw a few apples and have her outline it in stickers.  

The other one is write her name in big letters then I did five post-its with each letter on it and hid them all over the first floor of our house.  She had to find the letters and put them on the letter on the banner.  Molly Anne already knows all of her letters but this was still a fun activity for her!

This boy was precious to be with!

Saturday night we went next door for dinner and to hang out.  

I went home and put them to bed and this was us leaving haha! 

We played cards against humanity and had way too much fun.  Oh and I beat Drew in ping pong so there's that. 

Sunday morning Molly Anne and I checked on the drainage system we had installed under the house on Friday.  It was dry under there so that meant it was working.  We have been having issues with groundwater and needed to get it drained to one location and pumped out so that's what we had done just in time before the storm.  

We also cleared the catch basins in front of our house so the rainwater could flow faster and easier.  

And we did a lot of this.  It was a really nice weekend together!

My brain really isn't thinking straight this morning.  Molly Anne's school is closed again today so she is at Becky's with Grady.  Becky is amazinggggg.  She kept her for me on Friday too so I could work.  Chat soon friends.