So What! Wednesday

I am linking up with Shannon again for my weekly installment of So What! Wednesday. Hump day (giggle) has become a favorite just because I love reading all of these! So, this week I am saying SO WHAT...

• if I am completely addicted to my whole fruit coconut popsicles. If I can't sit around drinking pina coladas all day (I think everyone would frown upon that), then I will eat them instead!
• if I have now become obsessed with Twitter. It's great...why did it take me this long to figure it out?! 
• if I feel like a new person because G has been sleeping in until 6:15ish the past few mornings. Guess I've reached mama/adulthood when this is sleeping in.
• if I really want to go to my favorite Oxford bar this weekend with my best friend and dance to DJ Mario. Who cares if 80% of the crowd is underage? 
• if I have had a bag of random stocking stuffers (thanks, Mom) sitting on the floor of our computer room since Christmas of 2009. You know how everything should have a home? Well I can't find homes for this stuff. Ben just noticed this last night and asked me why we had a bag sitting on the floor. He's pretty observant, obviously.
• if it drives me insane that our neighbor's have about 457 people that live in their house & they park cars in front of our house every day/all day. In the words of Bon Qui Qui, "RUDE."
• if I am following Jamie Lynn Spears on twitter. Stop it. Did I really just admit that? She lives a few miles down the road from me...maybe we will just be real life friends.

getting organized

Yesterday I mentioned that I made a cleaning schedule for myself. Julie at The Smitten Mintons asked me about my little chore schedule so I thought I would do a post about it. Y'all. This schedule has changed my life. Not even kidding! Pre-Grayson, I was never organized & I never had a house that looked presentable at any given time. Post-Grayson, I have become a little bit type A (keywords: little bit). I long for a clean house & organization. But trust me, that doesn't come naturally. 

Enter the schedule. I made this last month and it has been the best thing ever. Instead of spending an entire Saturday cleaning the entire house, I now space everything throughout the week. Here is what my schedule looks like via crappy iPhone pic:

I'll break it down for you...

Sunday: sweep the hardwoods & dust

Monday: sweep the hardwoods & vacuum rest of the house

Tuesday: sweep & clean master bathroom

Wednesday: grocery day, sweep, and vacuum

Thursday: sweep & clean upstairs guest bathroom

Friday: sweep, vacuum, clean downstairs half bathroom

Saturday: sweep and change/wash sheets

I have 3 dogs. 3 dogs who shed like crazy...it's actually a miracle any of them have any hair at all. This is why I sweep every.single.day. and also why I vacuum so often. I despise dog hair & I try to get rid of it the best I can.

I also found a printout from Martha Stewart on Pinterest recently of 6 things to do every day. It is just a simple list of things to do that will make your life easier. The 2 things on this list that helped me the most?

1. Manage clutter. I am a clutter magnet. Ben used to always make a "Laura's Pile of Junk" stack on our bar. A few weekends ago I found a home for all of my random things. I make it a point to clear off our bar area (where our my crap seems to try to live) every night now.

2. Sort through your mail every day. Seems simple, but we didn't always do it. We have a mail basket that got out of control. I sort our mail every day and immediately throw away the stuff we don't need.

Okay...random, I know, but I hoped it helped someone! I wish I had been doing this while I was still working...it really would have made my life easier!

I'm open for more suggestions on keeping your house clean & organized...what do you do??

happenings

I decided this weekend that I wanted to become feel like a big-timer. How does one accomplish this? Well, if you're me, you buy your own domain! Yep, I now own my personal piece of the internet. I just did this yesterday so it will probably take a few days to switch over...and if it doesn't then I will certainly be back here & on twitter asking you people for help! Thank God for blogs & twitter because otherwise I'm not sure if I would ever have any answers to my questions. The new address will be...

www.momentswiththemays.com

Crossing my fingers that everything will stay the same! In other news, I also just ordered  my Erin Condren Life Planner. Apparently I like to hop on the bandwagons these days...I sure hope this pretty planner is worth it. Anything that claims to be able to organize my whole entire life sounds like a winner to me! 

Speaking of organizing, I have made myself a chore list for the week. It has saved my life. Seriously. Instead of running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to scrub the whole house, I now have a set weekly schedule that keeps the house clean...get this...all the time. For the first time since I've been married I feel like I can say "I've got this." good feeling. 

I joined a mama group a few weeks ago. I am completely new to this SAHM thing, but already I don't realize how some mamas function without a group like this. Grayson and I have already been on a bunch of playdates. I'm really not sure who enjoys them more; the mama or the baby. 

G, Reed, & Riley. I feel like this is a sneak peak into life 15 years from now. Eek.

How cute are these boys?! 

I am officially in 1st birthday party planning mode. G will be 1 in THREE weeks. I can't even discuss that right now. This time last year I was complaining about being miserable with a bowling ball in my belly and now I am thinking about banners & smash cakes.  Crazy!!

a little award

Heather over at Notes from the Nelsens gave me a bloggy award! Heather and I went to high school together & she has a great blog filled with recipes and house renovations! She and her hubby Matt have transformed their new house and it looks AWESOME! Go check her out! 

On to the award...here are the rules for accepting:

The Rules of accepting the Versatile Blogger Award are:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
2. Share 7 things about yourself

3. Pass this award along to up to 15 recently discovered blogs

 

I like sharing random facts about myself...is that bad? Here are my 7 things:

 

1. When I am cooking alone in the kitchen I like to pretend that I am a Food Network star (like Giada) and that I have my own tv show. It's fun to daydream!
2. Speaking of daydreaming...I don't like to live in the past, but I have a problem of thinking too far ahead and not enjoying the moment I am in. I am always thinking about what my life will look like in 5 years, 10 years, next year. 
3. During labor, I pinched a nerve in my right leg. I didn't know it while I was pushing (thank you, epidural), but my leg was being pushed too far back. The day after my c-section when the doctor was trying to get me out of bed I told her I could not move my right leg at all. I left the hospital with a walker and a knee-stabilizer & could not walk at all by myself for 2 weeks. It took 6 weeks to completely heal. I would love to try a VBAC next time but I am terrified that this same thing would happen again.
4. I miss the kids I student taught in Mississippi. I felt like that actually needed me and it was so hard for me to leave them. It still makes me sad 4 years later to think about what their lives are probably like now. 
5. I can't imagine my life without dogs. Mine are still my babies. 
6. I went through a brunette phase when I was 19. I kind of want to do it again. 
7. I love looking at houses online. Ben and I do it all the time even though we aren't moving. I think it would be really fun to be a real estate agent. 

  Here are the people I am giving this award to!

 

I've always loved Jen's blog. She is a Kentucky girl with the cutest little girl who happens to share G's birthday!

 

I just found Melissa's blog this summer. She is a runner with a cute little girl & a great sense of humor!

I started reading Guffey Love when G was a teensy baby. Natalie is a crafty mama & is hilarious!

I just found Mallorie's blog a few weeks ago! She is a newlywed with a baby girl on the way! 

Okay, now it's time for you to check out some new blogs! :)

Pinnable Me Friday - fall

My body is yearning for fall. I am tired of walking outside to get the mail only to have a trail of sweat pour down my back. Welcome to Tennessee I suppose. I love fall. I love when it starts to get cool for the first time and I get to wear jeans. I love pumpkins and cinnamon-y candles. Here are a few of the things I have been pinning that I want/must have for fall..

Source: zappos.com via Laura on Pinterest

Fun fact: I love chuck taylors.  I wore my pink ones for probably 4 years in college until they finally died. Ben was thrilled. Then I bought my carolina blue ones! Ha. They have about had it. I will be purchasing the charcoal ones this year & G will have some red baby chucks!

Source: garnethill.com via Laura on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via Laura on Pinterest

Source: jcrew.com via Laura on Pinterest

I'm a sucker for a good looking jacket. Courtesy of J. Crew. 

Source: blog.amyatlas.com via Laura on Pinterest

I really love the metallic pumpkins. A diva pumpkin?? perfect.

Source: poppiesandsunshine.blogspot.com via Laura on Pinterest

I really might do this since G can't really help out with pumpkin carving this year. All you do is drill holes into the pumpkins to create a really neat look once they are lit. So easy!!

What are you loving for the fall?? Go link up with Stefanie!

So What! Wednesday

I'm linking up with Shannon for a little So What! Wednesday fun. This week I am saying SO WHAT if...

• I get just as excited about my bloggy friends having babies as I do my real life friends. It's not creepy is it? Shout out to Melissa on the birth of baby Blaire Harper!
• I have about 10 to-do lists going for G's first birthday party. However, nothing has been completed except for the invitations. It's much more fun to make lists with pretty sharpie pens than actually be productive. 
• I notice if I lose a blog follower. It confuses me. Have you ever tried to unfollow someone?? It takes a lot of effort. Sorry #81 that I suddenly seem uninteresting..
• I spent about 75% of my free time yesterday figuring out how in the world to use twitter. I also discovered that I could follow the whole entire cast of Teen Mom. and Food Network Stars. and Brad Paisley...
• College football is approaching and is making me feel nostalgic about my 5 fun years in Oxford. Can I get a college re-do?
• I have a list of baby girl names sitting right next to me as I type. 
• Lots of those baby girl names have been on my list since high school so I'm not sure why I still write them down as if I am deciding whether or not I like them. 
• I have a list of baby girl names sitting right next to me and I'm not pregnant. pinky swear.

• I literally laughed out loud when I read this headline on the Nashville news yesterday: Canisters of bull semen force closure of ramp to I-65S.  

 What are you saying SO WHAT to this week?? Go link up with Shannon!  

Consider the bandwagon hopped.

I have a confession.

I joined the world of twitter in 2009. Want to know why I never really tweeted? Because I didn't understand what in the world I was doing.

Well, 2 years later, I am feeling rather out of the loop. I'm back on the bandwagon and literally the last blogger to be "tweeting." I still don't really understand what I'm doing....makes me feel really old since I can't figure out a social networking site that everyone & their mom are already on! Anywho, my name is Lauramay. Original, right?

Just what I needed....another timesuck!!

11 months

 Grayson is 11 months old today! He is only one month away from his 1st birthday. How can that even be possible??

 The stats:

Weight: roughly 19.5lbs

Height: I have no idea! We will find out next month!

Clothes: all 12 month clothes

Diaper: size 3

Shoe: size 3

 Grayson has been a BUSY boy this month! We can officially say that we have a walking child! He started walking about 2 weeks ago but was still pretty wobbly. This week he has pretty much mastered it! All that the little man wants to do is walk in a big circle around our downstairs...all day. He is having so much fun discovering the world from a whole new angle & we are having so much fun watching him. I like this whole walking thing....brings on a lot of independence! ...and he looks REALLY cute in his new sandals!

 Some other fun things G has been up to:

• He can say "da da," "ba ba" (bye), and the newest as of yesterday, "mama!" melt. my. heart.
• Loves to throw balls. He has been watching us throw the tennis ball to Jack and will now get the ball & throw it so Jack can get it. Pretty funny! 
• G went to the beach for the first time...and hated it!
• He got his first stomach virus that lasted 8 days. It was miserable!
• Grayson isn't very interested in tv. However, he is obsessed with Baby Beethoven. He watches it in the car all the time. I'm pretty sure Ben & I have it memorized!
• He makes a funny "woof" noise when you ask him what a doggie says. 
• Grayson can now wave to people and says "ba" while waving goodbye.

 Grayson has decided this month that he is the pickiest eater in the world. He has gotten really bad about not even trying things if he's not used to them...therefore, we are really struggling to get him to try new foods. Frustrating. For breakfast he eats a piece of raisin bread or a waffle & some fruit/yogurt. For lunch he has chicken nuggets, veggie sticks (does that count as a veggie?? ha!), and some fruit. For dinner I give him what we are eating in hopes that he will try it...usually that doesn't happen. I keep trying! His favorite snack foods are: goldfish, graham crackers, mum mums, grapes, strawberries, yogurt covered raisins, & fig newton fruit thins.

 Grayson is still sleeping great at night. I say that to remind myself to count my lucky stars...but, he has been starting the whole "I like to wake up at the crack of dawn" thing again. This mama is tired. On a typical morning, G will start talking to himself and his lovies at 5am. I usually don't go in there to get him until 6:00 in hopes that he will fall back asleep. I'm convinced that he needs to live on a farm so that he can get up with the roosters and milk cows. G is still taking 2 naps a day. His morning nap only lasts about an hour now and his afternoon nap is about an hour and a half. He is too busy to sleep much during the day!

 Some of G's favorite things right now are:

• his sippy cups
• the dog bowls
• my fake pears sitting on a shelf:) He walks to them ALL day long and then throws them all over the floor. 
• my iPad charger
• His firetruck push toy
• the car shopping cart at Publix 
• opening and closing cabinets and drawers
• the park..especially the mulch and the swing!

I feel like Grayson is so grown up all of a sudden. His hair is getting so long and makes him look like such a little boy! I love this stage because he is more independent but also still needs his mama.  He is so good at playing by himself & can keep himself entertained in his playroom all day! G is a little chatterbox and I can't wait to be able to understand him. I love his sweet little voice! I love this boy more than anything and can't believe that he's been here for 11 whole months!

Happy 11 months, little G!

confessions.

• In order to get my child to eat his meals, sometime I must cover his plate in ketchup. I mean truly cover it. Chicken, peas, carrots, grapes....you name it, and he has probably eaten it with ketchup on it.  {gag}

• I don't follow the rules of parenting books. They annoy me and they all say different things. I guess I fly by the seat of my pants.
  

• I'm back to being a diet coke-head. That drug is hard to kick.
  

• My car is always a disaster. Seriously. Old diet coke cans, old mail, baby gear out the wazoo..

• I may or may not think I am a pop star when my husband isn't home, the baby is napping, and I am in the shower.
  

• I hate emptying the diaper pail. I will squish those diapers down until they literally can not be squished any further. ew.

• Please don't inspect my baseboards. There will always be dog hair down there. 

• I daydream of baby names all. the. time. and I write them down...on paper. and the glass shower door. 

• I forgot my sweet baby Jack's birthday! He turned SEVEN on August 2nd.  Horrible fur mama of the year award goes to me.  

• I based roughly 80% of where I went to college on football. I'm not kidding. I had to stay in the SEC and The Grove had a-mazing tailgating. done & done! 

• If you are wearing Ed Hardy or an Affliction tee, I will judge you. I'm sorry...I don't mean to. Gary from Teen Mom gives both those brands a really bad rep!

• ....don't get me started on the Ed Hardy baby clothes. 

• I don't know how to relax. It's a terrible quality to have. I literally can't rest until every thing looks nice & neat and is put in it's place...and guess what? That rarely happens. 

• I am not attached to my house--at all.  I am, however, attached to Grayson's nursery and will cry when we move someday because I will want to take it with me.

end of summer fun

 This is a random picture post...I haven't posted any of my G-man in a little while! We've been busy little bees around here; especially now that I am chasing a walker! We've been going to the park almost every day. Grayson is having so much fun now that he can move around! He loves watching the big kids & trying to chase after them.  We've had a few fun playdates recently, too. I actually just joined a mom group -- that makes me really feel old & momish -- and I'm loving getting to know other moms from the area and letting G play with lots of kids! Here are some pictures of what we've been up to...

Hutson (my friend Alex's 5 month old) and Grayson playing at our indoor church playground. These 2 will be troublemakers before we know it!

G skinny dipping after dinner. It's the easiest way to clean him off-ha!

1st taste of lemon..he actually loved it and wanted another piece! Weirdo!

always on the go! He looks so tiny to be walking!

G and his cute friend, Ruby. They had music class together earlier in the summer and he always wanted to be near Ruby. (and steal her headband)

G, Ruby, and Molly Cate. We played at church together and I learned that it is REALLY hard to take a picture of 3 babies.

Daddy will always be more fun than mama. End of story.

see?

3 words: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I love how he has my iPhone and 2 remotes close by. Such a man.

Banging on the window and talking to Hudson....his new favorite activity. Too bad it only lasts 43 seconds since the dogs can't stand the heat!

Big boy drinks his morning bottle all by himself now. So grown up!

pinterest pretties - organization.

Source: abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com via Laura on Pinterest

I am always trying to keep my bathroom cabinets organized. I have a ton of stuff in one small space. I use baskets like these, but never thought of stacking them on a shoe rack! Great way to use all of your space.

Source: bing.com via Laura on Pinterest

I love this! Instead of pictures I would put cute labels on the front of those small drawers.  I want to add a craft nook for myself in our computer room.  This would be great for all my small craft supplies and ribbon that I never know how to store! 

Source: magzmagz.com via Laura on Pinterest

The computer room is still a major work in progress at our house. I really want this room to be the area where I keep our calendar weekly menu, and important things that end up on our bulletin board. I love how this office has storage, whiteboards, and cork boards all in one spot. 

Source: None via Laura on Pinterest

See a trend here? My brain is telling me that I need an area like this to be my Mother Ship of all information.  Again, I like everything about this...except for the chalk boards. {random tidbit about yours truly: I despise chalk. I have a chalk phobia. One of the first things I always told my first graders was this weird hatred of chalk I had...that way I never had to touch the sidewalk chalk! Gives me heebie jeebies just thinking about it.} I have been looking for those little wall mounted mail organizers at TJ Maxx, Home Goods, and Tuesday Morning. No success...yet. I am pretty persistent when I am on the hunt for something!

How do you organize your home office? I would love to know some tips/tricks! Organization is definitely not my strength!

Caden's Heart

 

The Stanley Clan was one of the first blogs I started reading a few years ago and was actually one of the reasons I started my own blog. Becca and her husband went to my high school and graduated the year before me. I knew Becca from organizations like FCA and SonRise & she was always so nice to me. Her family works in an urban ministry in downtown Atlanta & they recently moved to the area where they minister.  They work with kids who have had really tough lives, live in poverty, and been through things that most adults haven't even experienced. Not only do they work with these kids, but they love these kids. When you think of faithful servants, you think of this sweet family.

Last week Becca gave birth to her second child, a boy named Caden.  Caden was born with some pretty severe heart defects, none of which they knew about while she was pregnant. Little Caden had open heart surgery on Monday morning and is still in critical condition. This story just tugs on my heart so much, especially since I am now a mom. I just can't imagine what this family is going through. It breaks my heart.  

I wanted to share this story with you so that you can also pray for Becca, Adam, Jayci, and Caden.  I believe in the power of prayer and I believe that we serve a faithful God. One thing I love about the blogging world is how it feels like a community.  I have seen so many other bloggers posting on Becca's blog about how they are lifting up prayers for Caden even though they've never met...I love that.  You can also find the facebook group, "Candles for Caden," and keep up with his progress.  Please pray for this family!

So What! Wednesday and our menu

This week I am saying SO WHAT if..

• My child only wants to eat chicken nuggets, goldfish, strawberries, and raisin bread. He'll branch out eventually, right?!
• I am super excited about coloring my friend Mary's "All About Me" poster for school. I will certainly miss the coloring I did while teaching 1st grade!
• I am having a hard time finding cute sandals for Grayson now that he is walking. Apparently I am a baby shoe snob.
• I feel like I have formed a relationship with the blue bird family (Sir Birds-a-lot and Mama Bird) that always lay eggs in our nest during the spring and summer. 3 years is definitely long enough to form a legit human/bird relationship, right?
• I am having a hard time picking which pair of chuck taylors I need for the fall. So many colors...it is hard for me to choose!
• I still suck at couponing. Over. It.

**********************************************************************

I'm excited to share about the cookbook I have been testing out! So far, all the recipes are a hit! For now, here is our menu this week:

Wednesday: Poppyseed chicken

Thursday: out to dinner with my cousin!

Friday: Mustard Roasted Chicken with potatoes and carrots

Saturday: Pretzel chicken and macaroni & cheese

Monday: Ground beef quesadillas

Tuesday: Taco braid 

Baby Products I Heart: almost ONE edition.

Now that Grayson is almost 1 {that's plain crazy, btw.}I thought I would make another list of all the baby products we have been loving recently. I have done this twice before...when he was a newborn and when he was 6 months old. Go check them out if you are a newbie! 

The Sassy Dippin' Dinner plate set. I love these. I bought them in this 4 pack at Publix for $6ish and they come with 2 Lids. They have rubber on the bottom so it is harder for Grayson to slide it off his high chair. It also has the little dipping section for those kids (cough *GRAYSON* cough) who are obsessed with condiments. They have a variety of colors...you know how I love  my color!

Weet Woo! This is a really cool app for iPads and iPhones. It is basically a YouTube just for little kids.  Those are the categories they have (listed above) for all sorts of kid-friendly videos. We mostly use it for kid shows and music. Just to name a few of what they have: The Wiggles, Fraggle Rock (hello, 80s!),  Raffi, Caillou, Charlie and Lola, Clifford, Yo Gabba Gabba, Thomas the Train, etc. It is a life saver when we are waiting on the doctor!

Baby Gap 2 piece long sleeve/pants pajamas. This is now what Grayson sleeps in at night. They are soft, true to size, don't have annoying tags, and come in REALLY cute patterns. You can get them at the Gap Outlet for $10 and save a few bucks!

The 7 inch Sony portable DVD player. Grayson is not a fan of long car rides. Before we went to Oxford in July, we stopped by Target and bought this for the car. It's  my new best friend. It kept the little man entertained the whole way!

This goes with the portable DVD player. It is a portable DVD player case made by Case Logic also found at Target.  This little guy straps on the head rest in your car, secures the DVD player with a velcro strap, & let's you watch movies! It took us almost 8 hours to get home from Destin & Grayson didn't cry once. He was too busy watching Baby Beethoven in the back!

The Fisher Price Ride-On fire truck. Grayson got this from my parents last month and he uses it ALL the time. He pushes it around & loves lifting the seat up and putting small toys in the hidden compartment. He also loves to be pushed around! Pretty soon he will be tall enough to scoot around on it by himself. It plays music and makes lots of different sounds. It comes with a fire hat too:)

Disposable placements by Table Toppers. These are awesome. Now that Grayson is only eating regular table food, he eats with us at restaurants. However, I don't trust plates that he can break. I bought these at Publix for $6.  They stick on all four sides on the table so that little hands can't rip them off.  The thought of Grayson eating food straight off of a restaurant table makes me want to gag...these solve the problem! 

The Pocket Bibsters by Pampers. I love taking these when we go out to eat so I don't have to worry about a dirty bib going back in my back. These are inexpensive, velcro together, have a big pocket to catch food, and they easily fit in my diaper bag when we head out the door.

Are there any products that you think I am missing out on?

on the move

 

I hope this video works:) I'm a YouTube newbie! 

edit: I have switched it off of private...hopefully NOW it works!

pinnable me Friday - DIY

First of all, big news in our house...G is now walking! Holy cow. I was just rocking his little newborn to sleep--ahh! He is still wobbly & may resemble a drunk man from behind, but who cares. He is WALKING. 

Anywho, I am linking up with Paw Prints & Pastry Bags today for Pinnable Me. I know, I know...2 Pinterest posts in one week?! Yep. I'm obsessed. This week I am showing you some projects we I have going on right now:

Source: burlapandblue.com via Laura on Pinterest

Source: ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com via Laura on Pinterest

Source: chickabug.com via Laura on Pinterest

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Laura on Pinterest

Source: traditionallymoderndesigns.blogspot.com via Laura on Pinterest