DIY Sensory Bottle

 

I love Pinterest. I'm a tad obsessed. I open Pinterest before I open Google to look something up. And one of the things that's been on my DIY-to-do-list for forever, is a sensory bottle. Super simple and quick and its new(!!). So, today during nap time I whipped this baby up.

 

You can find how to make them anywhere but here's what I used:
* water bottle
* vegetable oil

* sparkle glue
* beads
* foam stickers
* any character sticks you want to use for outside

* I used packaging tape for the lid, and some decorative tape and twine

It's really super easy and you can replace any of those items for any you want to use. I want to make one for Leah too that she could use for quiet time.

It was a hit for James!

 

365 Photos - week 2

 

 

8. Iris

9. Serenity

10. Daddy hangouts

11. four or five days straight of sunshine in -30 degree weather. Thank you, Lord.

12. Airport waiting for Nana to arrive

13. Crunchy snow walking.

14. All the bath toys (that mommy has to clean up, because "I'm too cold mommy!")

My Top 10 Books of 2014

So, in 2014 I completed 30 books! Whoop whoop. Some were hard to get into and others caused me to ignore my kids and my house a little too often. I'm a little regretful. My poor kids. Their bellies were stuffed with junk food and their brains buzzed on Backyardigans. I'm a terrible mother. Terrible.

Here's my list of favorites, in no particular order. Well, besides the first two. Those top them all. And the last three, so those are my top 5 haha!  

 

 

The Husband's Secret and The Light Between Oceans were my most favorite reads. Probably ever. Both were breathtaking.

 

The last book of Veronica Roth's Divergent series and another of Liane Moriarty's masterpieces!

 

  

The muched talked about, The Fault in Our Stars was definitely well worth all the hype. And the last in the Witches of East End series by Melissa de la Cruz. I really enjoyed this series. A lot of romance and magic and mystery, oh my!

Okay, School Spirits. The first of it's series. I read Rachel Hawkin's Hex Hall series within 3 days. It was amazing. In a teenager, Harry Potter type way. And this one is just as good.

Okay. Go, now and inhale these beauties. Tahereh Mafi is, like, my new writing-role-model. Oh to be in her mind.

 

I don't think 2015 will allow me to read this many books if I accomplish all I plan to this year but we'll see. Maybe I'll find another series I can read in three days. What are you reading right now? Any suggestions?  

365 Day Challenge accepted! And my 7 day Proof.

I've seen about 6 people starting this 365 day photo challenge. I've heard of it before and just looked at that number and my mind headed in the other direction. But why not challenge myself to a photo a day? So what if I don't complete it, at least ill have that commitment to capturing more memories for a while.

 

I see so many people's Instagram feeds and they are just beautifully filled with the simplest and subtle but sweet memories. And all I can think is, they must put an awful lot of planning into these. I'm not so crafty. I'd like to be, because they're beautiful, but I'm not trendy enough.

 

It would be neat to take a photo a day and then lay a months worth out to look at the end result. Do you know of any (free) apps/sites that can do that? It sounds like a big commitment to me.

 

I'll try it because I want to and I love snapping photos. But I'm not going to beat myself up over missing days. We'll see how it goes.

 

Anyways, it turns out, I've taken a photo a day without even realizing it. On my phone! Here's my first 7!

 

 

 

1. New Years Day easy-bake-oven-baking and magic-mixer-mixing!

2. Morning snuggles with my banana monster

3. Baby foot massages. Oh my soul.

4. The sweetest sibling snuggles.

5. Coldest-day-dragon-breathing. 'Sup?

6. A sweet smile from a sweet boy (who was afraid to walk on the snow)

7. Iris's interesting iris.

 

Okay! Stay tuned because the second week of the year is almost complete and so are my next 7 photos! 





One day I'll cherish these crazy moments. But for now? SCHOOL! Hallelujah!

Ah, school is back!

Okay, seriously, raise your hand if you were counting down the hours until school started back up. I love having Leah home and spending time with her and all, but they both just nag and nag and nag. Not just me, each other. One wants this movie on, the other wants that movie on. One is calling out from the bathroom, "MOM! I pooped, come wipe me!", while my husband and I quickly scramble to shout, "NOT IT!" (for the record, he's always most always the first to declare "not It"). The other child is hauling around the family-size box of Fruit Loops barking like a seal (seals bark, right? Whatever, that noise is) and pushing his Thomas the Train cup at me to top 'em up for the 124,999th time that day (I think he needs an intervention).

Well, Hallelujah, thank you Jesus for teachers and all that they do for us parents at home.

There's no more not as much fighting between the kids, Leah is magically happy with whatever is on the t.v. when she comes home, and honestly, she's more willing to help occupy her brother, and he certainly misses her, too.



James still barks like a seal but he also has started this sing-song "ga-ga-ga-GA!", so he's switchin' it up a bit. The box of cereal also still gets carried around but he has started eating 3+ bananas a day as well (which equals 3+ more diaper changes that Dad is not It). Big changes I tell you. Kid is gonna be jacked!

Blogging it means I jinx it. Every time.

I'm not coming out and announcing ANYTHING on here again. I don't even care weather or not many people read my posts but the fact that I open my huge mouth and blab about it before whatever "it" may be actually happens, then it is destined to fail or not happen or something.

So, yeah, whatever. I'm not going to school at the end of January anymore. Things happened. Plans changed. Hopefully, hopefully, I'll maybe start in September. Maybe.
 
And the whole weaning James from tha boob? Yeah. Not happening either. I'm trying. Its just not working. The kid is cranky 85% of the day. And when I say cranky I mean exaggerated-scrunched-up-face-crying, clothes-grasping, limb-tugging, tantrum-throwing, picky, insistent little grumpus. But he cuddles a little so that's nice. But seriously? My 15 month old will throw himself on the flat of his back and WAIL! He's even injured himself a few times in the act. And then, you know, the entire WORLD is his enemy then.

All I can say at this point is that weaning my 15 month old formula-fed Leah from the bottle was way easier than this has been.

Anyways. If anyone has suggestions for me for weaning this child then please don't hesitate to advise. And you know, don't all comment at once! I kid. Well, kind of.

Its a New Year

New year, new goals, yes?

My goals for 2015 include:

* accomplishing something with school

* getting a job

* weaning my 15 month old, AT LEAST from naps (yeah, its not going great)

* drink more homemade coffee

* read more books

* spend more time with God

* have a date night or two with my husband (im talking within the year, not a month. Ain't got time for that, or money ha.)

What are some of your goals??