I am loving this new job that Ben has. 2 weeks into it and I love having him home every night for dinner. I love being able to plan stuff around or during his work schedule. I love him having Sundays off where we go to church in the morning and have a lazy afternoon at home afterwards.
Pretty soon here he will be quitting his old job and working Saturdays at his new one.
Same pay but he will only be working 2-4 hours. Another thing is that he can go in whenever he wants, morning or afternoon, they really don't care just as long as it gets done.. We love going to the Saturday market and things like it. So we can do that now!
We have been praying for this new job to come to us for a long time and we are so happy with it. God is really doing some awesome things in our lives right now and it's all been amazing!
Next step is to get a chunk of debt paid off so that we can move into something a little larger. I am looking forward to that day. :)
-Jess
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
An Update on my Two Littles
Both have reached amazing milestones! They are growing up so fast and I can't seem to catch up to them. They both seem to learn something new everyday. Josiah learns a new word or Eden learns a new skill. It's all so very exciting and scary at the same time.
Josiah- He turned 2 1/2 this month! We are officially 6 months away from his 3rd birthday. I am already taking notes from Pinterest and parties on what we are going to be doing.
He is daytime potty trained now. He goes by himself to the potty, he still needs a little help pulling down his pants but he is learning. He is slowly starting to have dry nap time diapers and every once in awhile a dry nighttime diaper.
He knows his "Please", "Thank You" and "Your Welcome". We have started learning colors and more animals this month. He loves to say cow and when he sees them he always moooos at them. So cute!
He jibbers a lot. I know what he is saying most of the time. It takes some translating to some people. He talks to fast and it slurrs together quite a bit still.
He is still sleeping in a crib like environment. It's technically a toddler bed, but I turned it around so that the open side is against the wall. About once a week I try to turn it around to see it he'll sleep in it with the open side. When he screams and we turn it back around. I am not too concerned about it so we are taking our time. I fear if I force it on him he won't sleep in his bed at all. He naps sometimes during the day. We give him a couple of books to read even if he does not nap. Its either a nap or 2 hours of quiet time
He is wanting to snuggle more and is definitely a daddy's boy now. If Ben leaves without Josiah during the day little man cries for him. He just misses him is all.
Josiah favorite show is any thing with Thomas the Train Engine.
He is a really great big brother, always wanted to help with his little sister.
Eden- She turned 6 months yesterday! Again, only 6 months away from her 1st birthday. I have decided to do both birthdays together. Until Josiah can say to me that he wants his own birthday, we will keep doing it this way.
She does not sleep through the night yet and the last few nights have been the worst. But that is because shes got 2 teeth coming in at the bottom. Teething has been fun!(NOT!!) It has not been a problem with breastfeeding so that's good. She wants to chew on everything because of her new found nubs.
She is grabbing at everything we put in front of her. She can roll both ways easily. She shimmy's towards toys. Ben thinks that she may crawl before Josiah did, I agree with him. She kinda crawls around in circles to get to her toys. She is starting to sit up, not super well though because she falls head first still. It is improving every day though!
She falls asleep on her own now. Sometimes she cries for about 5 minutes but falls fast asleep if it is time for her to nap.
She laughs, and smiles so much! A very happy baby girl!
We have started her on solids. We only feed her once at night during dinner time. She has had carrots, beets, applesauce and mushed bananas so far. We do give her a mesh feeder for after her food that has watermelon, cantaloupe, frozen grapes or apple slices. Keeps her occupied while I finish my dinner. Her favorite thing to do is to sit up in her Bumbo and watch me cook. She loves to come in the bathroom while I shower and listen to the sound of the water. She loves baths! Never thought a kid of mine would love water so much as she does. She could play in the bathtub forever if I let her.
She pretty much is a easy baby, its only at night when it's hard. I think that once she gets her own room nighttime will be better.
Having 2 kids has been challenging but I would not trade them for the world. If you are worried about having 2 kids 2 and under, don't be! It may be difficult in the beginning but it does get easier. They start to play together more the older your youngest one gets.
The biggest challenge is going shopping by myself. I have done this a few times, but only if I needed to get a few things. Get a carrier that is comfortable for you to carry your baby so that you can take care of your toddler with free hands. Once you get a routine down its smooth sailing. Get your oldest involved with helping you out. Make sure to give your oldest some one-on-one time either with you or their dad. Josiah loves feeling like the only child again and once he is back with his sister he seems refreshed and in a better mood. Instead of doing housework take a little time out of your day to play with your oldest while the youngest is napping. These are the things that have made a difference throughout my days. On hard days when non of them are cooperating I have Ben watch the kids for an hour so that I can go for a short drive. That helps me a lot on difficult days. Keeps me sane. :) Do you guys have any tips or tricks?
-Jess
Josiah- He turned 2 1/2 this month! We are officially 6 months away from his 3rd birthday. I am already taking notes from Pinterest and parties on what we are going to be doing.
He is daytime potty trained now. He goes by himself to the potty, he still needs a little help pulling down his pants but he is learning. He is slowly starting to have dry nap time diapers and every once in awhile a dry nighttime diaper.
He knows his "Please", "Thank You" and "Your Welcome". We have started learning colors and more animals this month. He loves to say cow and when he sees them he always moooos at them. So cute!
He jibbers a lot. I know what he is saying most of the time. It takes some translating to some people. He talks to fast and it slurrs together quite a bit still.
He is still sleeping in a crib like environment. It's technically a toddler bed, but I turned it around so that the open side is against the wall. About once a week I try to turn it around to see it he'll sleep in it with the open side. When he screams and we turn it back around. I am not too concerned about it so we are taking our time. I fear if I force it on him he won't sleep in his bed at all. He naps sometimes during the day. We give him a couple of books to read even if he does not nap. Its either a nap or 2 hours of quiet time
He is wanting to snuggle more and is definitely a daddy's boy now. If Ben leaves without Josiah during the day little man cries for him. He just misses him is all.
Josiah favorite show is any thing with Thomas the Train Engine.
He is a really great big brother, always wanted to help with his little sister.
Eden- She turned 6 months yesterday! Again, only 6 months away from her 1st birthday. I have decided to do both birthdays together. Until Josiah can say to me that he wants his own birthday, we will keep doing it this way.
She does not sleep through the night yet and the last few nights have been the worst. But that is because shes got 2 teeth coming in at the bottom. Teething has been fun!(NOT!!) It has not been a problem with breastfeeding so that's good. She wants to chew on everything because of her new found nubs.
She is grabbing at everything we put in front of her. She can roll both ways easily. She shimmy's towards toys. Ben thinks that she may crawl before Josiah did, I agree with him. She kinda crawls around in circles to get to her toys. She is starting to sit up, not super well though because she falls head first still. It is improving every day though!
She falls asleep on her own now. Sometimes she cries for about 5 minutes but falls fast asleep if it is time for her to nap.
She laughs, and smiles so much! A very happy baby girl!
We have started her on solids. We only feed her once at night during dinner time. She has had carrots, beets, applesauce and mushed bananas so far. We do give her a mesh feeder for after her food that has watermelon, cantaloupe, frozen grapes or apple slices. Keeps her occupied while I finish my dinner. Her favorite thing to do is to sit up in her Bumbo and watch me cook. She loves to come in the bathroom while I shower and listen to the sound of the water. She loves baths! Never thought a kid of mine would love water so much as she does. She could play in the bathtub forever if I let her.
She pretty much is a easy baby, its only at night when it's hard. I think that once she gets her own room nighttime will be better.
Having 2 kids has been challenging but I would not trade them for the world. If you are worried about having 2 kids 2 and under, don't be! It may be difficult in the beginning but it does get easier. They start to play together more the older your youngest one gets.
The biggest challenge is going shopping by myself. I have done this a few times, but only if I needed to get a few things. Get a carrier that is comfortable for you to carry your baby so that you can take care of your toddler with free hands. Once you get a routine down its smooth sailing. Get your oldest involved with helping you out. Make sure to give your oldest some one-on-one time either with you or their dad. Josiah loves feeling like the only child again and once he is back with his sister he seems refreshed and in a better mood. Instead of doing housework take a little time out of your day to play with your oldest while the youngest is napping. These are the things that have made a difference throughout my days. On hard days when non of them are cooperating I have Ben watch the kids for an hour so that I can go for a short drive. That helps me a lot on difficult days. Keeps me sane. :) Do you guys have any tips or tricks?
-Jess
Thursday, August 15, 2013
I Love Consignment Sales!
I have been a consignor before.
Let me tell you, there is a lot that goes on in being a cosigner.
I did fairly well my first time making nearly almost $100! I ended up using almost all of it to pay for my kids summer clothes this year. It was a great feeling to sell and not have to really spend anything for summer clothes.
Sadly I could not be involved this time for the fall. I had too much going on with my husbands new job and Eden is now almost 6 months. She is learning so many new things. Josiahs potty training is going at great success, but we still have some mess ups. Things that are/were more important keep coming up. With all the weddings, baby showers, bridal showers...I am beat this summer!
I still remember being a consignor back in spring and it was a lot of work. I just had Eden and she was so newborn that she slept all the time still. I really wanted to make some extra cash and help out by purchasing clothes for the kids. We have parents that help us out all the time and they would probably buy an entire wardrobe if I let them. But I like to be thrifty. Its my small way to be a little more earth friendly.
Anyway, when you are a consignor you have to go through all the steps.
Checking all your clothes for rips and stains(they will not accept it otherwise)
Washing all the clothes especially if they have been in storage for awhile.
Pressing a few collars and wrinkles. You want everything to look nice. I know that if I look at an article of clothing I am looking to see how nice it looks. Seeing a wrinkly stale toddler shirt is not eye appealing.
Then you have to go through the process of checking all of your items into the computer system. You price all of your items yourself. That's the part I hate the most.
After that tag all of your things. In my case I had to use safety pins to attach my bar-codes because I have not yet bought a tag gun. Also, you need to have enough hangers to hang all of your clothes. Even the cute little newborn onesies have to be on hangers.
Right before dropping off your things its a good idea to sort them at home. Boy from girl. Sized.
When you get to the place that your items are going to be sold, you have to put all of your things into bins and your clothes sorted out on the clothing racks. After doing all of that work, you sign up for a pick up time. (if you want your items back that is) They go to charity if you don't. If you don't want your check mailed then this is also a good time to pick up your earnings.
Its a lot of work. I can't tell you if its worth it or not. You put hours of work into making sure everything is right for selling and if your things don't sell, then it seems pointless.
But if you have a lot of items that are of great quality and are gently used then this might be for you.
Its a really great system. Working outside my home is something I would rather not do. So this is really great for moms that want to make a few bucks.
On the other side of that, I love to shop consignment! Think of it this way. Moms have babys that grow out of things. Moms want to sell their babys clothes that which they only wore probably a totally of 5xs. So they sometimes sell for really cheap! I have found some really, I mean really great stuff!
It gets harder to find nice things for boys when they are Josiahs age I have found out.
Boys seem to be so rough on their clothes. I have a tough time finding something tasteful in consignments for him. They don't just sell clothes though! Toys are really great to buy because honestly, moms are always wanting to get rid of toys so those are super cheap.
Little hats and bows for girls are fun. I have even found a pair of baby legs for $2.
Every once in awhile I would find a good pair of shoes. Name brand shoes like Robeez(sp?) are great finds and if in good condition I take those up fast.Even if my kids don't quite fit in them yet I see if its worth the buy to save on the side until they are old enough to fit into them.
That's what's so great about kids. They grow so fast!
Consignments take time to go through the articles of clothing, the bins of random and the piling heaps of toys on the tables. But just think of the small favor that you are doing another mom. Besides, you might find something really awesome!
Here is a consignment going on in my area this weekend!
Another one to come up soon after that and I would be more than happy to post that one as well for you! :)
-Jess
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Bento Lunches
Now that my husband has a new job, I get to pack some yummy healthy lunches for him!
As weird as I am, I love to pack yummy little things here and there for my family. I love to pack for picnics or road trips. Its a small way to bring out my foody, weird creative side. I'm sure that when my kids start going to school I feel like I may be the weird mom who packs food like this, or the cool mom who puts something other than a sandwich and chips in a lunch bag.
Bento Box: Technically from Japan, a Bento lunch(box) is colorful, nutritious and compact to take anywhere.
^^^Here is an awesome example of a yummy hubby lunch^^^
So I discovered Bento lunches.
I knew about these types of lunches before, but after a fun trip to Tillamook with my mommy friends I was inspired even more. We had lunch at one of my friends, moms house and she provided us lunch which was pretty close to what a Bento lunch might be. Lot of little yummy healthy things to snack on, it was all so wonderful! I observed and I kept mindful notes to myself thinking how I can't wait to this for my own family at home. Josiah and I do mini Bento snacks at home and I would love to start doing them for lunches for all of us. Its a great way to get all the nutrients you need and I love the variety of foods that you get for healthier meal. You should try some of these Bento lunches/snacks with me! They are great and I promise you won't starve with the smaller portions. :)
I knew about these types of lunches before, but after a fun trip to Tillamook with my mommy friends I was inspired even more. We had lunch at one of my friends, moms house and she provided us lunch which was pretty close to what a Bento lunch might be. Lot of little yummy healthy things to snack on, it was all so wonderful! I observed and I kept mindful notes to myself thinking how I can't wait to this for my own family at home. Josiah and I do mini Bento snacks at home and I would love to start doing them for lunches for all of us. Its a great way to get all the nutrients you need and I love the variety of foods that you get for healthier meal. You should try some of these Bento lunches/snacks with me! They are great and I promise you won't starve with the smaller portions. :)
Pinterest is probably THE BEST way to get awesome ideas for these. I have been pinteresting them up so that someday I would use them and I will soon enough!
You can literally fill these boxes with anything! You can do leftovers, vegetarian, Mexican, Thai, Teriyaki...oh the endless possibilities! You can do fun shapes so that it's even more fun for the kids.
So what do you think about these Bento lunch boxes? Time to put aside that lame ole sandwich and chips for our family lunches and lets be creative!
Want to know more about Bento lunches? click here
Here is a great board to follow for ideas. click here
Browse through this little Etsy shop to get started on Bento! click here
Now obviously the hearts and the Hello Kitty is a little girly for the hubs, but all the same you get the idea right? I can't wait to let you know about my Bento adventure! I am looking forward to it!
-Jess
Friday, August 9, 2013
A New Job: A Better Outlook on Life
My husband has a new job!!! I am so incredibly proud of him and we are so excited to start this new journey. He has been searching and applying and doing interviews for months and finally God has placed a perfect job in his life for us.
Many awesome changes are going to be happening. We have never had a set work schedule for him. This made it nearly impossible to plan things and if we did need to plan a birthday or date night he had to ask weeks in advance for it off. Or we always had to plan around events which was just stressful.
He will be working Monday thru Friday from 7 till whenever he is done. This new job is salary, so basically he decides whether he wants to be done early or not.
So now we gets weekends off! However, he will still be working Saturdays at his old job, this is to pay for the little things. But for sure we will always get Sundays off! No more boring Sundays for us! We actually get to plan lunch with friends and relax with our families.
Pay is a lot better. He will be making as much as him working his two old jobs combined. He will be working less and getting paid the same or more.
No more greasy uniforms for me to wash(except for once a week)
Now that he has this new job we actually have a better look on things. We now know that we can move in the right direction more quickly, pay off a few things and possibly move out of our town home into something a little bigger. Pay off a few more things and then start saving to buy a house!
The thing that we all look forward the most too is the time together. He will be home every night for dinner I can actually start meal planning which was what I have been wanting to do for a long time now. Meal planning for us saves so much I am excited to pack some healthy lunches for my husband, and he is too. Its the little things it seems. :)
He starts his new job on Wednesday!
Hurrah!
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