Monday's Obsessions, on a Tuesday

Shoo! I haven't done a Monday's Obsessions in about a month, and yes, today is Tuesday but yesterday was a holiday so it's totally justifiable to do it today. Right? Yeah...I'm already rambling. While I've been taking a break from my usual postings, I have been enjoying the nicer weather with the munchkins and I have been SO BUSY prepping for Ava's party. I'm amazed that it's going to be this Saturday! It's funny how last month I felt silly for buying/making stuff since it was so early but now I still have a lot to do.

I have been obsessed with painting my nails lately. I think I went almost a year without painting them, believe it or not, and now I'm making it a point to have them painted. Essie has been my favorite brand for awhile now because it's actually durable and lasts longer than a couple of days. I have also been on a selfie kick, and I almost want to make fun of myself for it haha. To be honest, I have kind of put myself aside for awhile now and I'm trying to make it a point to have a little me time here and there. Even if it's painting my nails or taking a little extra time to put some make up on, it's making me feel like my old self again and it's nice to not just feel like mom. I have even been enjoying peace and quiet. If you know me, you know that I have always felt weird when things are too quiet. Like the tv needs to be on for background noise, something. Well that hasn't been the case for me lately and I have found myself truly relaxing in the quiet when I have the luxury of both munchkins napping at the same time.

Braxton and I love listening to Paramore while we're driving. 

I want to start a collection of Mooshka dolls for Ava. 

Okay, I can't help myself...I'm loving these pictures of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, but mostly Kim. Maybe it'll last this time...

Brian surprised me with an iPhone 5s the other day, and it's gold, so I need a new case. 

30 braids to try this summer.

A little snippet of life of a stay at home mom that I loved. 

Pretty flowers from Lauren Conrad. 

The other night I made slow cooker pulled jerk pork sandwiches and they were amazing. I used the same recipe for Braxton's first birthday party and made 4 batches of it! 

I'm really drooling over the Sakura Bloom simple linen sling in Orchid. 

16 Previously Unwritten Rules of Mom Code - This one is my favorite of all. All of us mamas should read this and keep the "rules" in mind. 

Here's to a good week xx

DIY'ing with Glitter

 Ava's first birthday party is a week from today and I have been in full on party planning mode for quite awhile now. I have been painting, and gluing, and glittering so much stuff. If you saw me lately I probably have had some pink paint or gold glitter all over me. This is the first time that I can say that I have done everything all by myself, and I'm so proud! Usually when it comes to painting (which involves sanding first) I have Brian do it all but this time I decided to get over the whole "I don't think I can" and just do it. I can't wait to share all of my DIY's but for now I'll show some glittery stuff.

Mod Podge and glitter is a favorite of mine, even though it's the messiest. I have done so many different things with them, and it's always so easy. You can glitter just about anything, and I'm pretty sure anyone can do it. Mod Podge can be made or you can buy it at a craft store. I bought mine ages ago with a 50% off coupon so it was cheaper to buy rather than make. Glitter can also be expensive but I'm a big bargain hunter and only buy when I can find a good deal. Martha Stewart is like the best of the best when it comes to crafts and usually the 24 pack of glitter runs about $29.99 or more, depending on where you go. I really like how fine the glitter is, but you don't get a bunch so that price tag is a little much for me. Luckily, at my local AC Moore, they had it on sale for $14.99 and I had an additional 20% off coupon. How am I supposed to pass that up?

For Ava's smash cake, I wanted a glittery candle, and for some reason I thought at first about buying one from Etsy until I was like "wait, I can make one, what am I thinking?" The nice thing about Martha Stewart glitter is that it's non toxic so I just decided to use that for the candle. 

All you need is Mod Podge, glitter in the color of your choice, a paint brush, and a candle. You want to paint the Mod Podge on just enough so there's a base of glue for the glitter to stick to, and then you just shake the glitter on. I always do this over newspaper to catch the excess, but still end up with it everywhere somehow haha Set the candle aside and let it dry. I only did the front of the "1" because I liked the pink showing. If it would have been a white candle I probably would have covered all of it, but that's me. 

Florentine gold is the perfect gold color.

I have been set on DIY'ing a cake stand for Ava's smash cake but haven't found a plate that I thought was perfect for it. I bought the sweetest little, vintage china set from Salvation Army yesterday for $8 (seriously, it's a huge box of all matching china...I was amazed.) and I decided to just glitter the whole plate. I spray painted the thrifted candle stick a few weeks ago so I thought a glitter plate would look amazing with it. The plate that I decided to use had lots of crazing and there were a few chips in it so I didn't feel so bad covering it in glitter. I plan on using the rest of the china at the party for everyone to eat off of. I mean for $8, why not?

I used the same gold as I did with the candle, and also pulled out some of my stash of cheaper glitter since the plate needs a lot more coverage. I poured the Mod Podge into the lid of a leftover Chinese food container (it's recycling, ya'll) so I could dip my paint brush in that easier compared to the huge bottle. Doing the plate is the same idea as the candle, just paint the glue on and sprinkle the glitter. 

Once you're done with the top, you can either choose to be done, or you can let it dry and then cover the bottom with glitter as well which I decided to do since the candle stick is so high. 

You use A LOT more glitter that way, obviously, which is why I used my cheaper stuff as well. I didn't worry about full coverage with the glitter, there are a few spots that aren't completely covered, but you won't be able to tell when the cake stand is put together.

To hold together the plate and the candle stick I picked up Goop from Home Depot. I didn't quite love it but it did the job. 

The only "tricky" part is making sure the plate and candlestick are even before you bond them together. I think I did decently well but I kept second guessing myself haha 

Ta da! 

I'm pretty pleased with the outcome and I can't wait to see the gorgeous cake that will be on it. My talented friend Maria, whom I have featured here before, will be making Ava's smash cake. I'm getting so excited to see all my work come together next weekend!

SwimZip / Review Part 2 + Giveaway

*Thank you to everyone who entered! The giveaway is now over*

First off, I have to say how incredibly hard it is to take a good picture of Braxton and Ava together nowadays. She's mobile and he's a typical 3 year old so I had my work cut out for me when I tried taking some pictures of them in their SwimZip suits. While the pictures may not be perfect, I have to say that they're pretty funny to look at. Ava had her white hat on for a few, and then Braxton decided he wanted it, so I didn't stop him. You get what you get basically haha 

We still don't have the warmest weather for swimming yet but at least we can play outside in them.

Alright so today I'm going to be talking about the fit on the suits I was sent for Braxton and Ava. (If you missed it, here's part one of my review) I have to say, I'm really pleased with the sizes we got. For Ava, I decided on the 6-12 months because I read that they run a little long/big for girls and it fits her great. She still has a little room to grow but I think it should last her the entire summer coming up. When it came to deciding on a size for Braxton, I was having a hard time because he really is tiny, especially compared to other 3 year olds. Right now he is in between a 2T, and most 3T things are massive on him. With swim shorts however, he can still sometimes fit into 18-24 months so I had no idea what to pick! I ended up saying screw it, sorry, and getting him 2T and they're perfect! The thing that I love the most is the fact that Swim Zip shorts CAN ACTUALLY TIE! All of his previous swim shorts have had the look of ties but they were only cosmetic, which resulted in the shorts always falling off of him. I'm sure other moms of boys know exactly what I'm talking about....

I'm seriously loving the Sassy Surfer on Ava, it's perfect. The material is soft and light, but has amazing sun protection. This will be her first Summer really out in the sun so I want to keep her protected as much as possible. 

Braxton got the Stud Muffin suit, and I think he looks great in it. If only he allowed better pictures...I love the fact that it's not a hassle to get his suit on him. The zipper makes it the easiest thing in the world, and he thinks it's pretty cool. 

I kind of had to bribe Braxton with chocolate for some pictures...don't judge me haha 

One more, because they really do love each other. The colors on these suits are great, and you can tell that they will hold up well with washings when needed. I would genuinely recommend SwimZip to anyone with children, especially because they're so affordable. Most suits are $29.99 which is perfect for something that will give this much protection and they're made to last! 

*Both of the suits are courtesy of SwimZip, however all opinions are my own*

SwimZip has so many cute swimsuits for children sizes 0-3 months up to size 6! They all have UPF 50+ sun protection. The fabric on these suits blocks 99% the sun's UVA and UVB rays which means it's great at preventing sunburns and it helps dramatically decrease your child's risk of skin cancer later in life. 

Enter below to win a SwimZip suit of your choice!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

An update on Braxton's speech delay

Birthday party fun yesterday for his cousin.

I have had quite a few people ask me how Braxton has been doing after his tube surgery, regarding his speech, and I'm so excited to say that he's doing so much BETTER! He's responding to us in a way he has never done, he's now trying to make new sounds, and he even has new words. He's asking for more things specifically, which is really helpful in avoiding some frustration based meltdowns. I really can't even begin to explain how happy each new thing makes me. His words aren't perfect and you definitely have to really listen to him but it's a huge change for us.

We had Braxton's IEP meeting last week for the end of the school year, and I was sort of nervous for it. If you don't know what an IEP is, it stands for Individualized Education Program, and we started one when Braxton turned 3. At our last meeting, which was in December, I was a little thrown off because I didn't truly realize how much his speech delay was interfering with his school life. I mean he's only in nursery school two days a week with other 2 and 3 year olds, I didn't think it would be a big deal. They read reports that said he wouldn't sit for more than a few minutes for story time, he would hit and bite (ugh) his classmates to get their attention, and other "disruptive behaviors." No parent wants to hear that their child is acting out and not participating the right way.

On Thursday, going into the meeting, I prepared myself to hear the same things but I was pleasantly surprised at some changes he has made. The reports were written before his tubes were put in, which was good in one way but I also wish we had reports of how he's doing after them as well. He is no longer biting anyone, which is huge, but he does occasionally hit them which we can work on. He's doing pretend play more, participating in activities, and he's completely self sufficient with going potty. They said that he still wasn't sitting during circle time, and other activities like that BUT after everything was read I spoke up and asked "What if he isn't sitting during circle time because he just can't hear the story? I don't think any 3 year old will really sit still for something that they can't hear." Everyone agreed with that and we all agreed that these tubes are going to make such a difference for him. Even the directors there said that they noticed a difference with him just sitting there for the meeting. Last time he was ALL OVER THE PLACE, wasn't listening, and was only making some sounds. This time he was less over the place (haha), listened very well, was being polite and asking "please" for things...he was just being an all around good 3 year old boy.

At that meeting we set up a plan for his next year at preschool and I'm pretty confident with it. He will still have one on one support in the classroom to help with speech and other things and we are still going to have speech therapy at home. It's a little annoying that speech therapy stops once the school year ends this year but it just means that Brian and I will have to work even more with Braxton ourselves, and that's totally okay. A couple days ago we saw his IEP director at AC Moore, she recognized us instantly, and she came up to us and just said how excited she is to see his progress coming up and that she thinks the tubes are going to be the best thing we could have done. A little while later we saw her as we were leaving and she said "He has turned such a corner! You can already see it." Hearing that made me so happy inside. I have needed to hear that, and to hear it come from someone in her field truly meant something.

 I posted this on Facebook already but I have to share here..."I just showed Braxton a video of kittens that our local SPCA posted and I go 'Braxton, what do the kitty cats say?' And he goes 'meow-mew' in the sweetest little voice. This is big for him, and it's not the only gain he's had since the tubes. I'm feeling hopeful (and currently wanting a baby kitten even though I'm not a cat person)" that was on May 15th. I posted this today..."Braxton can now tell me what a cat, dog, frog, sheep, and cow say!! I just started with the last 4 last night, this is big!" I'm so proud that he's even trying, and it's so so so cute to hear his little voice emerge. It's the sweetest. I can't wait to keep posting what else he's getting into coming up! Thank you so much to everyone who has asked about him, it means a lot to me.

Sticking his fingers in the cake...before it's even cut. Of course haha

SwimZip / Review Part 1

Yesterday we got mail from SwimZip and I was so excited to see these suits for Braxton and Ava! A few months back I watched Betsy, the founder of the company, on ABC's Shark Tank and I loved her story. At 26, she was diagnosed with skin cancer and after the initial shock and hurdles she decided to  start the company now known as SwimZip so children, and adults, can have easy swimwear that is also SPF protective. Betsy designs all the suits, and there are so many cute options for every age. I jumped at the opportunity to work with her when she asked, and I'm so excited to share their brand with everyone! I ended up choosing the "Sassy Surfer" for Ava ("Ruffle Me Pretty" is also adorable though) and I picked "Stud Muffin" for Braxton. I feel like it's very fitting for the both of them. 

It's beginning to feel a lot like summer thanks to SwimZip!

One thing I love about these suits is how easy they are to put on and take off. I'm sure so many parents can agree with me when I say that taking bathing suits off of babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and even older kids can be a PAIN! Rash guards are usually tight, and they have to go over their heads which no kids are fans of. With SwimZip, all you have to do is zip...literally. It's so easy even my 3 year old can do it. The materials are light, which is great, and they feel so soft. The most important part of SwimZip is that their suits are SPF 50+ Both my munchkins are light skinned and I definitely noticed when we were down in Florida a few months ago that Braxton got more sun that I expected through his other rash guard/swim shorts.

It's been a little chilly today, and it looks as if the whole weekend will be, but keep an eye out this week for the second part of my review (which will obviously include Braxton and Ava spam) and a GIVEAWAY for a chance to win a SwimZip suit of your choice! 

A quick little thank you...

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who kept Braxton in your thoughts...his surgery went great! We were up at 5:45 am Wednesday morning and made our way to the hospital by 7. Poor Braxton couldn't eat or drink anything, so we didn't either, just to be fair. He was a little moody, which I don't blame him, but he was such a big boy! When he woke up he acted like nothing had happened, and he was so calm. They said that they drained A LOT of fluid, so here's to hoping we see a difference. I know that his speech isn't going to get better overnight, and we'll have to work with him quite a bit still but I'm really crossing my fingers for some big leaps coming up!

Yesterday we spent the beautiful day running a few errands and playing outside. We went to BJ's to return some recyclables, and I got sucked into an "all natural, green cleaning product" It basically cleaned like a miracle during the demo, so of course I had to buy it for the "LOW price of only $39.99!" Now I want to clean anything and everything with it. Oh, and because we sat through the demo of it, we got a $25 gift card to restaurant.com 

I made Ava a little big flower crown the other day with some of the silk flowers I'll be using for her birthday party coming up. It's pretty much my favorite thing to put on her now when I take pictures haha, especially with her sweet little Freshly Picked Frosted Rose moccs. The crown was oh so easy to make, and I want to make a hundred more in all sorts of colors now. While I took pictures of Ava, Braxton was playing with his dad in the yard. I am so thankful for the nice weather, and when Brian is off on those days! Things are slowly starting to settle down, and I'm starting to feel more like myself again...finally!

Asking for some positive thoughts

First thing tomorrow morning Braxton is having surgery to get tubes in his ears. The date kind of snuck up on me, even though I've known about it for two months now. It's surreal to think that tomorrow is finally the day. I'm anxious for the surgery in more ways than one. I'm a little scared because he'll be under anesthesia for the first time. I know that this is a routine, quick surgery but still. 

I'm tired of the obstacles that this speech delay has caused him. I am so hopeful that these tubes will make a difference with his hearing and speech. All I can think about is being able to have conversations with him after this surgery. I don't want to set myself up for disappointment, just in case it doesn't work, but I can't help it. This is what we've been waiting on for so long. I want this to be the answer that we haven't been able to come up with. I don't want to see him frustrated anymore. I don't want to feel bad when people ask how old he is, and when I reply and say "he's 3" they tell me that they thought he was much younger because he wasn't talking...(Who does that?!) I want him to have friends he can play with, that understand him. I can't tell you how many times I have seen him shut down because he can't talk to them the way he wants to.

When you're 3 years old, you have so much life in you, and I want Braxton to express that life in more ways than one. I want to see his imagination run wild, with stories and play. I want him to tell me about his day at nursery school, how he had fun finger painting, and the cool things he learned. I don't mean to make this about me, but I just want things a little easier. This speech delay has kicked my ass as a mom. There are the "bad" days where I just emotionally shut down because I don't know what else I can do for him. I have to remind myself that he can't help it, but I can help him.

I have everything riding on this surgery tomorrow and if it doesn't help, honestly I think I'll be so crushed. All I want is to have a 3 year old that can tell me he loves me. If you can, please keep Braxton in your thoughts tomorrow morning...it would mean the world to me. 

Hello my ELEVEN month old

 

Little miss Ava Madison is eleven months old today! In the past month so much has changed, she's gotten so big, and she has mastered so much. She now chases after Braxton wherever he goes and they play so sweetly together, even with reminders to share toys. Watching them brings me so much happiness, and excitement for the years to come. We're loving every minute now with her too. 

I have to say, the past month has been a little testy. Ava has always been the most easy going baby ever but now I have noticed even more of a personality in her...and it's feisty. She's a yeller, and it's just for attention...and it definitely gets my attention. She is very attached to mom and while I love it, I also have another munchkin who loves mom snuggles as well. It's a balance that I'm still working on but I think it's going alright. I'm lucky that Braxton hasn't shown any sort of jealousy towards her because I'm sure that would make things difficult. She adores him and I love that she has a big brother...I always wanted a big brother. 

This time last year I was in the home stretch of a very difficult pregnancy, and I don't think I'll ever forget it. Now that she's here, and she's almost one, I'm just so thankful that everything turned out right and we're both healthy. Lately I have seen some posts about miscarriage, babies/moms with health issues, and more and it just breaks my heart. I am so fortunate to have my health, as well as my children's health, and I could never be more grateful for that. I love being a mom and my heart goes out to anyone who can't feel that way. 

Since the moment Ava was born, I have told her every day just how beautiful she is. Sometimes, in the back of my head, I wonder if that's wrong to say? Like am I putting pressure on her to think she has to be pretty? That's never my intention. All I know is that she is the most perfect little girl to me and everything about her, minus her awful dirty diapers (haha), will always be beautiful to me. Growing up I had people in my life that made me feel like I wasn't good enough or pretty enough, and I still feel that way sometimes, and that's what I want to avoid with her. I don't want her to feel the insecurities that I have felt/still feel from time to time. I want her to be strong, and confident, in everything she is. 

Headband from Mina Loves Bows

While it may be bittersweet that my baby is almost a toddler, I'm going to embrace it. Her first birthday party is coming up at the end of this month and I'm so excited, and I can't wait to share it on here! 

Ugh, pre-dog kisses....