Today's mommy find

So today Josiah and I went to the children's museum. We finally got a membership there and today seemed like a good day to do it! He was getting quite antsy being stuck in the house the last couple of days because of the rain. You know how toddlers are. If they don't get there energy out somehow, it can affect the way your house looks and my house needed a break!

We had a blast! I tried the best I could to keep up with the little guy, but boy is he fast!

Some parts of the museum were super nice because I was able to sit my prego butt down and enjoy watching him play. Another great thing about going in the late morning is that there was hardly anyone there! I think that maybe a total of 5 families were there with there younger kiddos. Hardly any of them were older than five years old. I think that they must have been in school.

We pretty much had a lot of the place to ourselves. It was nice and quiet, a few moms talking in the back round. It was a really nice afternoon.

One thing about one of the moms really caught my eye, she was wearing a bag that looked really close to this one.

"I have seen bags like this before," I thought.

Then it hit me. Pinterest!

I had to ask her where she got her bag from. She said that she bought it from the American Eagle store.

Of course my DIY mind went to work and I just knew that I could easily make one!

All those times where I bypassed that pin and never pinned the darn thing because honestly, I thought that the bag really didn't look that good. 

But she made it look good! It looked comfortable, cute, and functional. I just have to try and make one now, what could it hurt?

This momma was really prepared. I saw her pulling snacks, wipes and chapstick out of her bag like a pro. I got super impressed when she pulled out her nursing cover and got to feeding her baby with ease with her other kiddo running around. She was relaxed and looked like a pretty neat mom. :) We did talk for a little while about the normal 3 "Bs"(boobs, birth and babies). She was so down to earth, it was fun getting to pick her brain a little bit.

Getting to work on making myself one, now I just need to find that perfect-run-down t-shirt that I never seem to wear anymore...or maybe dig through hubbys(shh, don't tell him!!) ;)

I'll probably make quite a few more for grocery shopping bags. I guess we will see!

Thanks for reading my silly trip to the museum story!

-Jess

We are ready!

We got the last thing on our list for baby girl!!! We still needed a crib mattress because the one that my son has, he is still using for toddler bed. So because if that we had to find one for her. I really did not want to pay full price for one. Cause really? Those suckers are like $50 or more! Why are these mattresses so much?! Seriously!

Ben had the entire weekend off! So this was a good time to look for one. So yesterday I was looking around on Craigslist and a lot of people were trying to sell these things for $30. Which isn't bad, but getting used I still wanted a better deal. I know, I'm awful for it, but I search and search before I actually settle for something on Craig's. It took me days to find Josiahs toddler bed, and I don't regret it! I love the quality of his bed and it was a super good find.

Surprisingly, I found her crib mattress for only $10! I was skeptical though, cause it was the cheapest one I found.

I sent my DH out to go and look at it. I had a few things that he needed to look for.

1. It needed to be in excellent condition! No rips, stains or major wear.

2. It needed to be firm. This was really important cause my newborn baby was going to be sleeping on it.

3. It needs to be from a clean home. This is the part I am most picky about. If the house is nasty and not taken care of, I don't want the product that comes out if it. Call me harsh and arrogant, but this is what is important to me, especially getting baby products!

So aways he went, I was happy to hear that they were willing to give us their old waterproof pad and some sheets and a blanket. I thought why not? If they are gross I could always throw them out right? I was pleasantly surprised to see that my $10 find was a good one!

The mattress was hardly used, didn't stink and the linens were in great shape too! They smelled like laundry detergent! Clean!

Of course I washed them in my own machine when I got them, and I wiped down the mattress with some disinfectant. I am happy for this find. My husband and I have turned down things many times before and have no problem doing it. This time, it was good. Now, it's time for me to show you a bedroom tour. :) watch the video down below!

We do have her sleeping in our room for awhile. We live in a 2 bedroom home right now and are in the process of moving. For now, this is what will work for us! :) thanks for reading/watching!

-Jess

Pulling on my heart strings

Today is Saturday.

Every other Saturday I assist with watching some kiddos while a women's bible study meeting goes on at a local church. These women are all either very low income or are homeless. We provide them with a lunch meal during the bible study. 

Lately I have been wanting to do something more for the kids that come more regularly. They complain about how boring it is up in the nursery area.

The ages of these older kids range from 7-13. So I have to figure out a lesson or something for them in a separate room while the bible study goes on. I have really been wanting to do this for about a month now. With a baby on the way, it's going to be a little bit harder, hopefully we will have someone to volunteer more regularly it's hard just doing it alone. I usually have a lady who helps me with the littler ones, but she is busy for the next couple of weeks and isn't able to help out for a bit.

Today really hit me how important it is to get a lesson going for them.

I sat down with the 4 older kids and asked them what they like to do and what they want to learn.

The answers were all simple ones, until one that really struck my heart. I don't know how old children are suppose to be to do certain things yet, but I'm pretty sure that they are much younger when they know how to write out and know their ABCs.

The little 7(almost 8)year old girl asked me if she can be taught how to read. :'(

Being the pregnant emotional self that I was, I had a hard time holding back tears. 

But I did! You should be proud of me!

I try not to compare kids, but I thought that learning to read was something you did when you are 5 or 6 or in kindergarten? The reading part isn't really what got to me though. It was the fact that she was asking how to write a letter. A simple letter like the letter "A" she was unsure on how to write. I wrote down the ABCs on a piece of paper for her with upper case and lower case letters explaining how to use them.

She looked at me like I was a crazy. She really had a hard time understanding what I was trying to tell her.

It's sad that something simple like flash cards from dollar tree could help her tremendously, but yet I overheard the little girl talk about how her mom just got a $200 tattoo. 

The judgement side really kicked in me, I was struggling hard to not be mad at this mom who was more interested in impressing her abusive boyfriend(again I was eaves dropping) rather than help her daughter with schooling or getting her a tutor or something! It really angered me. Is this really what our world has come too? This little 7 year old girl really craved my attention, she talked to me a lot! She asked questions about Jesus and why he died for us. I am tearing up a little bit writing this, but I must ask you moms. What would you do? I'm not going to confront the mom or anything, I am tempted to buy some flash cards for this little girl, but will it really help?

I think that starting up these new lessons will really help. Not just with reading part, but I hope that it helps with their inner selves. Let them know that God is there for them no matter what and that they can ALWAYS turn to Him.

One thing that made me happy and not think that I wasn't doing anything to help them was what the little girl said to me before I left today.

"Jessica, you are very pretty, I want to be as pretty as you someday" (tear)

"Thank you Krystal, but you can be! Just love Jesus like he loves us and you will always be beautiful."

The biggest smile in the world was on her face when I told her that.

It is true, Jesus is what makes me happy and he makes me beautiful inside.

Thank you all for reading!

-Jess

A little taste of 2 kids.

Tonight we are babysitting our little cousin.

She is so sweet and cute, and her cry is so quiet. I seriously can used to that! Compared to my son's cries, hers are nothing! lol 

I think that she is just over a year and is technically Josiah's 3rd cousin.

So it's Ben's cousins daughter. It can get confusing I know, but we are all family. :)

While watching her, it really hit Ben and I how much work having a second little one will be.

This little girl is super challenging.

She is a VERY picky eater.

She has only been watched by her mother, grandmother and grandfather. So separation anxiety really kicked in when she got tired. She cried on and off for a long time. I understand cause she misses her family, I guess that I should have expected it.

When it was time to put her down for bed, she was fine for about 5 minutes in the play pen in our room. But then we heard crying and we went to go and get her.

Sadly, the reason why she was crying was because the poor little one vomited. :( I felt so bad. 

Clearly it wasn't anyone's fault. She just threw up. 

So we got her some of Josiah's old pajamas, and wiped her down with a warm washcloth and had her come upstairs with us. Within a matter of minutes she was passed out in my arms.

Even though this little one smelled like vomit, and even though she isn't even a blood relative of mine, I still saw her so sweet and easy to love. How easy it is to fall in love with an innocent child.

We tried to put her back in the play pen to sleep, thinking that she was in a deep enough slumber. But apparently that wasn't working for her.

Ben and I traded off and now he has his turn with her sleeping on the couch.

I really needed to get off that couch anyway because this big prego belly is getting the way. :)

I was getting really uncomfortable and achy, you pregos know how it goes.

This post is kinda random, but I like to make note of things time and time again. It's nice to look back on these and see what I have done in my life.

I know that it'll be different with a newborn and Josiah. At least that way he can ease into having a sibling. 

So now I know what it may be like with 2 kids.

With the exception of age of course. ;)

-Jess

birthday.baby.job.move.life

There is so much going on right now.

Some changes are going to be happening here soon and it's not just with the baby coming. Although that is probably the biggest change. Being a family of 4 is going to be interesting. :)

All before summer(or so my husband and I hope) these are the things that are quite possibly going to happen.

February 17th- I am right in the middle of planning my son's 2nd birthday party! 

February 20th- Baby's girls DD! I am really hoping that she is satisfied with staying in there for awhile. This time around I kinda want her to be born a week late. Hopefully she won't be born ON her brothers birthday.(fingers crossed)

However, God has a sense of humor. ;)

Those are the only SET dates that we have. After the baby is born, my husband will most likely be getting a different job if not before she is born. Something that pays more and has a set schedule of hours. His hours are usually all over the place.

Ex: One day he could be working 6-3, next day 11-8, next day 4pm-12am. Then he would work at his other job some hours in between to help pay for the rest of bills.

It's getting old. I hate having him work super long hours. :( 

Either way, we will probably be moving out of our little town home. It could be across the state to Eastern Oregon. It could be moving back in with the in-laws. It also could be a larger place around where I live now. We just don't know yet. It all depends on whether a job is given to him here or not. 

So I am doing my part. Nesting is definitely kicking in a lot which really helps with the organizing and selling of some items that we don't use or need anymore. I am trying to clean up and organize the house a little each day so that when we do move, it will be an easy one. I already plan on not doing very much at all when she is here. Dear husband understands and he is willing to do most of all the work. But for now, I am doing what I can. :)

We are probably crazy for doing this all at once, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

Sometimes to get things done and taken care of, you gotta step it up when it's already crazy and just do it! 

In the end, all I really want is to have my little family beside me. I want our kiddos to be able to play in a fenced yard. I want to be able to spend more time with my husband. Ben probably wants to have a job with steady hours and better pay so that we can actually do fun things as a family.

Here we go life!

-Jess

Newborn Cloth Diaper Stash

Why do I have a newborn cloth diaper stash?

Because one-size diapers don't truly fit a newborn. A lot of the time they are too large for the newborn to wear and so it results in a lot of leaking. If you have an average size newborn, its a good idea to have a smaller stash for those first few weeks.

I have different kinds so that it will be easier to Ben and I to change our little girl while we are tired and "zombied out". :)

I have included a video down below for you guys but I also included more details with the brand of diapers that I have.

4 lil joeys AIO diapers- 2 brown, 2 light blue. These have the umbilical cord snap down option. I paid $50 for all 4. Normally would be $60 if I didn't have coupon code. These newborn diapers get really good reviews for being a good fit for a newborn.

3 light pink Grovia AIO- These get OK reviews, but because of how they are made, some people complain about these diapers wicking urine onto the clothing. I can see why, the fringes face out rather than inwards like most diapers. I got these used. 3 for $15 off of ebay.

2 Happy Heiny's mini pocket diaper- 1 lavendar, 1 dark purple. I got these for $5 a piece, they did not come with inserts, but I managed with ones that I already had. These have mixed reviews.

2 xsmall fuzibunz pocket diaper- 1 cotton candy. 1 crushed berry. I got these for about $10 a piece. They get great reviews on the fit. I love the sized fuzibunz on my son, and so I can't wait to try these out on my daughter.

1 kissaluvs fitted diaper- its a fitted, so it need a water proof cover. These are recommended for night time use because they have so much absorbency. Used for $7.

1 wahm fitted diaper- I love buying from other moms! The quality is always great! Who other to make your diapers than a mom who has experienced it all. I included her store below for you.

http://hyenacart.com/stores/mandismenagerie/

2 xsmall thirsties covers- 1 aqua, 1 blue. These are going to be great for when I need to use my prefolds. They get great reviews on newborns. I got one for free with a purchase and the other at a local baby boutique used for $3.

12 newborn prefolds- I embellished these to give them a girly side. :) I had a lot of fun doing it!

Prefolds are what your grandmothers used as diapers. Nothing special about them. I got a dozen for $10. They are the most economical and a huge money saver if you want to cloth diaper! I haven't heard a bad thing about them yet. 

Then of course I have my homemade baby wipes which I make out of scraps of fabric and old flannel receiving blankets. I love them for my son and will love them for baby girl!  I like my homemade ones so much better than the ones that I bought awhile back when I first started cloth diapering.

I have a few odd and end things, but this is about it for all the cloth diapers that we will use for our newborn! I can't wait to try all these on her. I will give an update on how they fit her and which ones I like and dislike.

We have some diapers for when she grows out of these, but that is still in the process of getting stocked up. The majority of those are medium size gDiapers which my good friend Britney sold to me. :) I can't wait for all the girly colors!

Thanks for stopping by! 

-Jess

Crockpot Whole Chicken

This recipe is so easy!

I usually just throw all of the ingredients together, but just for you guys I stole a recipe from Pinterest that is nearly identical to mine. It has all the exact measurements for all the spices that I use. I know, I'm lazy and I probably should have done it myself all the measuring and stuff, but if its already out there, why not give someone some credit? ;) Here is her link

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

1 medium onion

2 tsp salt

2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp thyme

1 1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

Grease crockpot, set your crockpot on high.

Put your diced onion on the bottom of the pot

Put all spices together in a bowl and mix.

Put all the spices onto your chicken, it's like a dry rub.

Throw your chicken into the crockpot!

Takes about 4-5 hours to cook, so I would start cooking at about noon.

Use a meat thermometer to check temperature of chicken. Cook longer if needed. :)

Optional:

If I have it on hand, I put a few stalks of celery and/or whole garlic cloves inside the chicken. SOOO good!

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

NOTICE:
When I mean that I had the chicken setting out all night, I actually had it sitting in the FRIDGE defrosting.
Don't have it sitting in room temperature all night! You could get food poisoning!