Home

with my little loves...

and my man...

on the couch...

eating some ice cream :).

It's wonderful.

It was such a fun 3 days away...

with so many amazing women...

and possibly the funniest roommates in Nashville.

We had a Girls Night In pj party...

talked the night away at the (in)courage "beach house"...

and laughed till we cried.

It was so great.

But the smile on the girls faces when I walked through the door today just melted me. I think coming home to those sweet smiles was the best part about getting away in the first place!

It's always good to get away...

but there is nothing like coming home :).

Hope you all are having a great weekend!

I Have A Boba Carrier For You! (Giveaway!)

Giveaway is now closed! I will announce the winner asap!

The winner is #22, Katy! Please contact me at savvylittlewomen@gmail.com!! Congrats!

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I got a much needed nap in, and then 7 straight hours of sleep last night, mama feels SO much better :).

Remember when I told you how much I love my  Boba Baby Carrier? It seriously is the best!

I got mine this past summer and used it all the time...

Do you see the curls on that child!? I just love 'em :).

Kinley and Raya loved being carried in this carrier, they would actually bring it to me if they found it laying around the house. It is so comfy to wear, and can carry a child that weighs 15-45 pounds...

(it must have been hippie day at our house that afternoon because my hair just looks...well, hippie-ish, and really, really long.)

Anyway.

The Boba Carrier can also be used to carry your kiddos on your back, which is very dad friendly, and very easy on your back. I even carried the girls until I reached my 2nd trimester with this pregnancy.

So today Boba is going to give you one of their amazing carriers! Wonderful, huh?

To Enter: You can enter 2 separate times if you'd like by leaving 2 separate comments. Please hop over to the Boba Carrier site and check out all their amazing carriers. Contest will end this time next week and I will choose a winner through random.org. The winner will receive a new Boba Carrier!

Good Luck!

More Sleep Needed

Well, the babe and I are in Nashville, we got in really late last night...and I didn't sleep at all. So this morning I'm in my-eyes-are-burning and I-really-really-miss-my-kids mode.

Remember how I cry when I'm tired? Well I've done that already, when I talked to the girls this morning.

And again when I talked to my mom.

And then again when I found out they were serving strawberry cream cheese coffee cake for breakfast. You understand.

I think I have some pregnancy induced anxiety going on here. I'm a tad more on edge than I am when I'm not growing a baby boy in my belly.

That anxiety made leaving the girls for a few days a little hard. One minute I'm planning meals for Eric for the next 3 days, and the next thing I know I've got my panties in a bunch over the fact that it could snow this Thursday.

You know, I worry about things I can control, like the weather. Sheesh.

(and for the record I hate the word panties, it just seemed to fit.)

Anxiety. It's no good.

It's comforting to know that God is very clear about not being anxious - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Isn't that so reassuring?

So this recent onset of anxiety must be from the pregnancy, at least that's what I'm going to blame it on. This little man is really turning my hormones upside down! He's obviously very busy in there, I can feel his little feet under my ribs right now.

I have over a million kisses reserved for those toes :).

Monday Checklist

1. Finish all the laundry and put it away. Or maybe just at least get it all washed. Yea, that sounds better.

2. Get a million snuggles in with my loves before I head to Nashville tomorrow evening.

3. Repeat number 2.

4. Go to Target.

5.Tell you before I forget (some of you asked), that the name we were thinking about using for Ella was Kalin...or Kalen...or Kaylen...or something like that. See? I don't even know how we were going to spell it, that's how not definite is was.  :).

6. Clean the house. Do you feel like you have to give your place a really good cleaning when other people are coming over to help out with the kiddos for a few days? I do.

7. Get the girls hair cut.

8. Go to Target again to pick up the stuff I forgot when I was there the 1st time...probably because I was busy doing other stuff besides shopping, like picking popcorn up off the floor or something of the sort.

9. Try to figure out how I'm going to sleep without my body pillow while at the hotel. That thing is a pregnant lady's best friend. Well that and a large red Icee. Maybe that's just me though.

10. Relax just a tad.

I might not get around to #10 :).

Not sure I will be back online till we get to Nashville tomorrow night. I have learned that if I sit down at my laptop, things tend to not get done - it's a mystery. Does that only happen around here?

I would love for you guys to pray for safe travels for us, and that this mama would stop worrying so much about leaving her little ladies and start enjoying the fact that she'll get a little break with the boy :). I would so appreciate it!

Hope you all had a great weekend! Happy Monday!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! And A Recipe...

 Whoa, I can't thank you enough for all the C name suggestions you gave us - you all are the best!! I'm not sure I'm even going to do a poll because I'm almost certain we have decided on a name, and it does start with a C! (although if you have more suggestions, please do tell!!)

I will share it soon when Eric gives me the go ahead - we don't need another name misunderstanding like the "you changed the name when I left the hospital to go home and take a shower" one. Mercy. :)

We're off for another snow day. I'm contemplating heading to the grocery with my 5 lovelies, but we have a wind chill of 17 below, so I'm going to think real hard about it before we pack up! Instead we might just do some baking, and I'm hoping to get some meals in the freezer for next week when I'm out of town. I'm still in anxiety mode over leaving my tribe for those 3 days...deep breath in, long exhale out :).

So I thought I'd pop this recipe up today because we are baking it here, it's been way to long since I've made a batch.

This Homemade Poptart Recipe is from the Once A Month Mom website. It does not disappoint.

You will need:
-1 box of refrigerated (or homemade) Pie Crust.
-Your favorite jelly
-Powdered sugar & milk for icing. (optional)

I rolled a premade pie crust out, and cut it in to 4 squares/rectangles. Save the ends for another couple squares. Then I put a spoonful of Strawberry Jelly on each.

I used an Organic Reduced Sugar Jelly from Trader Joe's. I prefer my girls not be completely addicted to High Fructose Corn Syrup if at all possible, so I try to cut it out when I can. But any jelly will do, I've used regular as well.

I folded the squares over, and sealed the edges with a fork.

Baked them at 450 degrees for 10-12min, and let them cool. The recipe gives an option for icing, which you can find here. I made a few with the icing and the rest without it. The girls loved them plain, so I figured why put it on? Here they are both ways...

 

I let them cool, and then popped them in large Ziploc bags to go in the fridge or freezer.

Believe me, they are worth the time, and they're a tad bit addicting. Let me know if you decide to make them, I know you'll just love 'em!

Happy Friday!

In Which I Prove That I've Lost My Mind

I never cease to amaze myself.

So I accidentally posted a name poll yesterday morning that I had been playing around with. That's right, accidentally. Yep, I'm now posting things to my blog and not even realizing it.

It's a new gift I posses. Try not to be jealous.

We have zoned in on 2 names that we do really like. But I deleted the poll (well I thought I did) to save it till we were sure those were the 2 names we loved the most - and because Eric says I tend to change my mind after fully committing to a name. The man sort of has a point.

Have I ever told about the name debate of 2004?? Eric thinks that I waited till he left the hospital to name Ella. He says we had a different name in mind, in which he thought we were definitely going to use, but then he says I put "Ella" on the birth certificate instead when he went home to take a shower.

Not true, friends. Not. True.

He does still hold me to that, and he is still wrong. Ahem. We had come to a conclusion to name her Ella, he just forgot that at some point during my 24 hours of labor. That's my side of the story people, but like Dr. Phil always says, "there are 2 sides to every pancake."

I'm rambling? I apologize. Bear with me.

So in my crazy pregnant mind, I have realized that we have a pattern in all of our names:

Eric, Ella - Kate, Kinley, - Reese, Raya - and then Charlotte...we NEED another C name, right??

We don't? It's really not a big deal? I am crazy??

Awesome.

SO, let's just entertain the C name thing for a bit and see what we can come up with. THEN, I will do a poll :)

Can you help us out? What are your favorite C boy names???

I'm Running Behind...

6:34am - I hear Kinley and Raya talking in their room, and possibly even throwing the monitor over the gate in front of their door.

6:36am I turn our monitor off, and pray that they remember that I asked them to sleep till 7am this morning.

6:37am - they don't remember that conversation. I still make them stay in their room for 15 more minutes, they empty the wipes case to punish my punishment.

6:55am-7:25 - I get everyone up and dressed. Ella goes to school.

7:30am- breakfast for the younger girls. Kinley chews up her cereal and spits it back onto the table, then she leans on her bowl and tips it so the milk spills and runs off the table and onto the floor...and then down the floor vent.

7:45am - I open my computer for the 1st time in what feels like decades. I need to catch up on everything, even if it's 2 minutes at a time!!

7:47am - Kinley and Raya are already standing next time me saying, "mama...mom...mama...mommy...mama..."

Sigh...

I have all these great intentions of getting on my computer at night and catching up on things, but I end up sitting there staring at an old episode of Golden Girls with a blank look on my face - it's like I zone out completely when I finally get to sit down, and the house is finally quiet. Hubby always makes fun of me because my laptop will be open, but I am asleep!

Anyone else not function well after 8pm, or is it just me :)??

(MAJOR mistake on the name poll that was posted here this morning, my friends. Oh mercy, I'll be back to explain, excuse me while I go try to find my brain...)

Pregnancy Induced Hibernation

I think it should be in the medical books.

My once self proclaimed "fly by the seat of my pants, run errands after bedtime, stay up past midnight" self has taken a hiatus.

I'd rather be home, where it's warm, in my comfy clothes, with my people :).

No need to run lots of errands after the kiddos get to bed, we can do without a loaf of bread for another day - I prefer to stay in my cave, I mean, home.

I've been seen turning down opportunities to walk around Target by myself, go return that Christmas gift that I got double of, or even go pick up my favorite salad from Chipotle.

Even one of the Target cashiers said, "where have you been, we haven't seen you in a while!"

I know, clearly my ways have changed. (don't fear, they will return!)

My almost 3rd trimester belly and I would rather stay home, and maybe eat some of those Valentines Day hearts that I shamelessly picked up at the store...

You either love them or you hate them, folks. I adore them.

Eric on the other hand thinks they taste like chalk. I'm just curious how he knows what chalk tastes like.

Annnyway.

Pregnancy Induced Hibernation.

It's what I've been up to :).

I'm not the only one who hibernates am I??

Baby Boy Belly Bump

Almost 26 weeks...

That's all (almost) 2 pounds of him...

and all 15 more pounds of me :).

I usually start to swell around this time, but I'm hoping that it holds off a little longer - I think the cold weather is my anti-swelling friend right now. Like I've mentioned before, the twin pregnancies gave me some serious swelling...like the my-socks-are-to-tight kind of swelling. So worth it though :).

I can't believe we're almost in our 3rd trimester!!

Hope you all have a great Friday!

For Now, It's Just The 2 Of Us

It's quiet, the girls are downstairs playing, and I'm enjoying the fact that we have a snow day.

Baby boy is moving, I can feel him doing little somersaults, and in this moment...

Nothing else matters.

Not the housework, not the stress of everyday life, not even the medical bills that are literally piling up.

All that matters right now is that God is showing me what it truly means to be blessed, and that every season comes and goes for a reason. His plans are always on purpose, for His purpose.

I popped my old beat up jeans on this morning, strapped my belly band on with my new little maternity shirt, and smiled at this baby bump that God is growing.

I feel like I'm carrying around His grace in my belly.

I don't deserve it, yet He still gives in abundance, He still provides everything we NEED, not everything we WANT. I'm starting to think that is one of our greatest blessings.

With every movement I'm overwhelmed by the gift of this little boy, our only son, our last biological child. He rests with me, he cooks with me, he plays with the girls with me, he eats poptarts with me, and he sits with me if I need to cry after a draining day.

Draining in a good way :)...

It's just me and him for this short time before I have to share him with everyone. I'm the only one he knows, the only one he counts on, and the only one who can provide for him. To know that God has chosen me to do that, well, it overwhelms me.

Just like I am always with him, God is always with us - and just like I provide for him, God provides for us. I'm so thankful to be reminded of that - and I'm almost embarrassed that I needed to be reminded of that.

Even in the stressful midst of this semi-controlled chaos, God reminds me that we are still on plan A, there is no plan B. Just one perfect plan - one perfect agenda for our family.

This sweet little guy is already a blessing in so many ways, he is already teaching me.

And all this time I thought God was going to use me to teach them. :)

Today, We Cook.

 I really appreciate your encouragement to get away for a few days - I know it will be a nice break before the new little man arrives! Don't you wish we had a name picked out that we could call him?? Hopefully we will decide on that soon :).

We're going to do some cooking today. I need to get some stuff in the freezer, especially for lunches - it's just become to easy to fix something fast, and less than nutritional for them. So today we're whipping up some homemade hot pockets, I posted this a year or so ago but I thought it was worth posting again.

Hot Pockets are a great concept. However, the ingredients...questionable. So here is a great alternative that I have found.

1. First, I rolled out some pizza dough, and cut it into rectangles. I bought mine at Trader Joe's, but you can buy dough at most grocery stores if you just ask the deli. I bought both white and wheat dough. The wheat was really easy to work with, just FYI.

2. I put shredded cheese (any kind works), and some Ham (whatever deli meat you like) on half the dough.

 

3. Then I folded the dough over, and sealed the edges. Placed them on the (greased) baking sheet and cooked them at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

4. And here we are. I let them cool, put a batch in the fridge, and bagged 2 batches for the freezer.

The girls love them! We also make them with pizza ingredients inside, which is also a huge hit around this place.

So I'm off to start our afternoon. I've also got a new crockpot recipe that I'm trying out, so I'm anxious to see how that goes :).

Hope you have a great day!!

Should The Boy And I Take A Little Trip??

It would be fun...

if I can bring myself to leave my little ladies for a few days...

because I do not like to be away from them.

Have I ever mentioned that?? I have? 1000's of times? Sorry.

I've decided to go to Blissdom (blog/writing conference) this year again, its in a few weeks. I've saved some money, and I have great roomies. It was so fun last year, and I met so many wonderful women - I can't wait to catch up and see everyone.

But most of all, I could just use a break, a deep breath, a chance to actually eat a meal without cutting up the food of the person next to me :).

I have let myself get so stressed out lately with the kids, Eric working late, money, friends, you name it, I've stressed about it. My Dr thinks that all the "stress" could be causing some early contractions - everything is fine, just some stronger-than-we'd-like braxton hicks.

BUT.

Even though I could use a little breather, I hate being away from my savvy little women. It is so hard for me to pack my bags and leave. I tell you friends, I'm a mother obsessed with her kids. You know what else I struggle with SO bad??

Mommy guilt.

Goodness, I make myself feel so bad about going away for 3 full days, even though it would probably be good for everyone :). The girls will get some spoiling time in with the grandparents, and dad will get some extra time to spend with his little girls.

So tell me, do you ever take a break? A weekend away? Some time to yourself?

The little man and I should take a trip, shouldn't we??

Friday Ramblings

Well it's Friday. I love the weekend.

We had a busy day of running errands and playing.

I took the kiddos to Sam's for some groceries.

One of them knocked over the Michelin Man Tire display...just the michelin man himself, not any tires.

It happens.

It's funny how that should be embarrassing, but it's just not anymore - I can't help but laugh at their little innocence and curiosity. The Sam's worker however was a little less entertained than I was.

Oh well, he'll get over it. :)

I also decided to not get rid of my holiday straw from my reusable Starbucks cup...

You can make me take down the tree (which I haven't yet), and you can make me put away my twinkle lights (which are still twinkling), but I'm keeping my festive straw!

I'm wearing my "track pants" as I type this, and I still love them!

Baby boy is moving.

The girls are "cleaning" up their toys downstairs - however their definition of cleaning up is often different from mine.

Hubby is working late.

I'm getting ready to do 5 baths and 5 bedtimes.

I love the way they smell after a bath.

And then I think I'm going to rent a movie and relax :).

Hope you have a great weekend!!

I Don't Have A Job...

 We stayed around here today, which is always nice cause I can try to get some stuff done. The girls played hide and seek, and rearranged the furniture in their 2 doll houses time after time after time.

This picture makes my heart smile...

I think they peeked through that little door at Raya till her belly hurt from laughing.

I was in major productive mode, especially with the laundry, I kinda have a new system that seems to be working pretty well. But the door bell rang and there stood the neighbors - which is fine, it just brought my streak to some what of a stop.

I'd much rather have all them here though - I'm not huge on the girls going else where - I'm real over-protective that way.

You could also call it controlling.

Ahem.

I want the neighbors to feel welcome here anyway, the more the merrier I guess :).

The little girl is in Ella's class at school, and she is a hoot. She always comes into the kitchen if I'm cooking or cleaning and talks like she really knows me, she usually makes me laugh with her unfiltered chatter. Today she said...

"We can come here anytime and play because you're always home...since you don't have a job!"

Haha, oh child, you're right - I don't have a job, I have almost 6 jobs.

They're all full time, with no vacation or paid time off - heck in this office, you can't even pee by yourself!

But the benefits of this "job", are amazing. :)

I Went In For Jeans...

because like I mentioned in my last post, I need new jeans to fit my ever growing baby bump.

I've decided to stick to regular jeans and use the belly band, it seems like the best option seeing as the only maternity jeans I've tried on have looked like capri's...and it's 20 degrees, so that ain't gonna work out :).

So I went in with high hopes and a light heart. To be honest, I was just excited to be in a fitting room by myself - I didn't even know what to do in there without 5 other people...or a double stroller...or pretzel goldfish flying through the air.

I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed the tiny little blonde who was patrolling outside my fitting room door while I tried to get my normal size pants past my thighs - I'm just being honest people. I'm always shocked at how much your whole body changes even though there hasn't been a ton of weight gain. It's always a real nice surprise.

(he's worth every pound, and every pair of ill fitting pants, btw.) :)

And in case you need a good laugh, why don't you try to explain to said tiny blonde college student that you are pregnant and looking for a comfy pair of jeans that you can leave unbuttoned, but will be held together by a big belly band since your belly will grow to unknown measurements throughout the next 3 months.

There was a fear in her eyes as I stood there and explained her potential future.

I'm pretty sure I scarred her for life. I didn't mean to.

So I tried on lots of pants - bootcut, flare, straight leg, and even the trendy "worn in" look.

You know what I bought?

Sweatpants. And then an Icee.

Well actually, sales girl said they are "track pants".

Track pants, yoga pants, lounge pants - call them whatever you want.

They're still sweatpants.

But you know what, I really do love them. And I will find some new jeans at some point...maybe after I get my fill of these "track pants". After all, I have a pair of jeans that do fit, they're just a little on the worn out side.

And when I say worn out, I mean broken in - and when I say broken in I mean wonderful.

So I'm going to count this shopping experience as a victory - as I should, right?? :)

Sleeping Pills Needed

Please.

I am for some reason back to the "no sleeping" stage of the pregnancy.

I'm always, no matter how early I cut my water off, up around 3:30ish...and then I'm wide eyed with nothing to do!

Well, I could do the laundry...but laundry isn't fun during normal business hours, so I only assume it's even less fun at 3am.

And have I ever told you what I do the next day when I'm really tired? I cry. By 10am I could be in the drive thru at Chickfila crying into the speaker as they tell me they are done serving breakfast for the day. I'll let you know if that happens. :)

I will lay there, and lay there, thinking about everything...from problems I can't fix, to decisions I've already made and regret, and then on to whether or not I should cut my hair again - or if I should give up on finding a pair of maternity pants that don't make me feel like screaming.

(It's a length issue with the maternity jeans, I'm tall, and apparently the fashion industry doesn't think tall people get pregnant. Boy, could they be more wrong!?)

Anyway...

That's all the rambling I have for now :). I'm off to start our school week again! The break has been great!

Back later!

Merry Go Round

We kicked off the New Year by taking the girls to the local Chuckie Cheese with some friends to play some games and burn off a little energy.

Why do they love that place SO much, and I love it...not so much?? I'm even a little overwhelmed by the lights, and buzzers...and that gigantic mouse. I think I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of people dressed in giant animal costumes - gives me the creepies.

Anyway...

They love it and that's all that matters :).

It was all worth it though because Kinley got to ride the Merry-Go-Round for the first time...

She kept looking in the mirror as she went around and around. I get the feeling she's knows how cute she is :).

Sigh, she is such a sweetie. Well I'm off, we have a busy day of cleaning around here tomorrow...it has to be done!

Hope you're having a great weekend!