Get to Know Me Monday: A is for Activities

I am officially the worst blogger in the world.  I'm pretty sure it's written in a book somewhere and I should be receiving my award in the mail any day now.  I have no idea why it's so difficult for me to sit down and write about my life!

Oh, wait.  It could have a little something to do with chasing a 21 month old around all day and growing a new human at the same time.  

Somehow, other women make it just look plain easy.  To me, it's sometimes like pulling teeth and I don't want it to be like that.  So, I've concocted a new plan.  I want to be intentional about documenting our lives right now, so we can remember all the fun, mundane things we do.  I'm going to attempt 3 blog posts a week (gasp!) but they will be the same posts each week.

Mondays are for getting to know me.  I feel like that might be a good place to start.  I've "started over" twenty-thousand times (I counted.) and think it might be nice to start at the beginning.  So I'm going to run through the alphabet--one letter a week-- so you can, well, get to know me.

So, without further ado, today's blog is brought to you by the letter "A": "A" is for Activities

I don't have much time these days to really delve into the things I like to do, but I do try to get back to them occasionally.

I like to monogram.  Before I even had a girl, I wanted a monogram machine.  I have a Brother PE-770 and I love it!  Hadley has lots of monogrammed clothes that wouldn't really be an option if I didn't have my own machine, because let's face it, I'm not forking out money every time I want her initials on a piece of clothing.





I like to sew. I'm still very new to sewing, but I have my grandmother's old Bernina sewing machine that I love working with.  I made Hadley's baby blanket, a couple of bags, and her christmas stocking.  (which reminds me...I should probably start working on a stocking for Griffin...)  I'd like to try my hand at some outfits soon.



I like to read. Reading has really taken a back seat since Hadley was born.  I love traveling through the pages of a book and can spend hours laying on the couch reading a book from cover to cover.  I'm actually trying to make this more of a priority so that I can instill a love of reading in Hadley, too.  Monkey see, monkey do right?  I can't wait to read "Little House on the Prairie" and "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" with her when she's older!


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I like to take pictures.  I am no photographer by any means, but I do like exploring life through the lens of my camera.  I'd like to take a photography class some day!






I enjoy a lot of activities, these are just a few!  And thankfully, these are things that I can pick up and do whenever I have some down time.  Which isn't often these days!  What are some activities you enjoy?  Anything I should try?

Hadley's Summer Bucket List #1 and #2

I am so excited to be adding another member to our family in October!  I will admit, I was really surprised and it took me a while to realize that Hadley isn't going to be my baby very much longer.  I thought I had more time, haha!  But God had different plans and here we are.  (She will, however, still be my baby girl--so glad I will still be able to say that for now!)

Now, I'm realizing that this is my last summer with just my girl.  I want to spend as much time with her one-on-one as possible before our worlds change, so I sat down the last week of May to create a summer bucket list!



I don't know that we will get to all 50 things on the list, but that's okay--we can roll them over to next year with both babies!

We started checking things off the first week of June!

#1: eat a popsicle
      We blew up a baby pool on our back deck, put a slide on the side, and she went to town!  She had   so much fun playing and "swimming"!  I don't know about you, but swimming always makes me hungry, so we whipped out the popsicles (before dinner, too!) and she ate hers like a champ--in the pool!



#2: rent books from the library
      I love reading.  It's something I got from my mom and my grandmom.  And I want to pass it along to Hadley, too.  There is just something about being transported to and lost in a different world. So one rainy, cool day we headed to the library to get a library card, sign up for the summer reading program, and rent some books!

 

I wonder what we will get into this week?

Isn't It Funny...

Isn't it funny how quickly time slips away?  Life happens and I won't apologize for that!  I have every good intention of continuing to blog, but engaging and enjoying my daughter takes precedence these days!

So the last few months did, in fact, happen for us, and boy have they been action packed!

Let's recap:

1. I started "homeschooling Hadley": that quickly bit the dust when I....

2. Found out I was pregnant!  I was so, so tired I just couldn't continue coming up with lessons.  It took all I had to make it to nap time so I could also crawl into bed. ;)

3. I became an Aunt, David became an Uncle, and Hadley became a cousin!  David's sister had our first niece.  Growing families are so exciting!

4. We found out Hadley is going to have a BROTHER!  I just can't even describe the surprise we felt when we saw it was definitely a boy on the ultrasound.



5. We've traveled pretty much every weekend for graduations, wedding showers, and family time.  It's been so fun, but man are we tired!



6. I created a Summer Bucket List for Hadley!  It has 50 things to check off, we may not get to them all this summer, but we sure are going to try!  I want to soak up all the time I can with my only child!

Homeschooling Hadley: Sick Week

Well, this week was supposed to be week 2 of homeschooling Hadley, but Sunday evening she came down with a pretty high fever.  Monday morning she seemed to feel pretty good, so we did lesson one, but it was clear by the afternoon that she was not feeling her best.

Tuesday morning her fever way still up (102.7!!) and she was not her playful self.  I piled her in the car and took her to the doctor--in the middle of a snow storm.  We sat at the doctor for 2 1/2 hours...with all the other sick children in our town!



Her fever was so high I was worried about the flu or a UTI.  The UTI would have been bad news if you remember this post.  I was just praying we weren't going to head down that road again!

The flu test was negative, ears/throat looked great, and her WBC count was normal, so we were pretty sure it was just viral.  If her fever was still high Thursday, I was going to have to bring her back Friday morning to test for UTI.  My grandparents came down Tuesday to see Hadley and they loved it because she was such a cuddle bug.  My grandmother made dinner for us which was such a help--and delicious as always!



Thankfully, her fever broke Wednesday.  She started acting like my sweet, funny girl again and by Thursday she was back to her typical crazy self!



It sure made my momma heart happy to see her smile again!  So, I didn't push any lessons this week and we just cuddled and when she felt better, we made up for all the play time she missed while she was sick.

Homeschooling Hadley: Dogs

Hadley loves dogs.  Like looooovvves them.  So I thought it was fitting that this week, we learned all about dogs!

Monday: Monday was introduction day.  I wrote the word "dog" on Hadley's chalkboard easel and drew a picture of a dog.  (The drawing is terrible, but Hadley walked right up to it and said, "dog!" so it must have been good enough for her to know it was a picture of a dog!)



We went over our bible verse for the week: "Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds." Proverbs 27:23.  I know she won't be able to memorize bible verses at all, but I want to start incorporating them so they will always be a part of her routine.

We also read the book DOG by Matthew Van Fleet.  Hadley loves this book!  There are fuzzy parts for her to touch and some of the dogs have moveable parts!  It's a pretty great book!  We also talked about the sounds that dogs make. We chose to go with "bark, bark" :)

Hadley had fun playing with her toys in between each part of the lesson, so all in all, today took about 20 minutes!  Hadley also enjoyed pointing out other dogs in books we read later during the day.  So much fun!

Tuesday:  Hadley found out the hard way today that if you're home-schooled...there are no snow days!  We are iced in with the rest of the south, but still managed to get our "lesson" in.  Hadley learned about the parts of a dog with this great page from Rocket's Mighty Words.

She also got to point out different body parts on her own dog, Marley--who was less than thrilled to be involved in the lesson.  We read the book "Doggies" by Sandra Boynton and we played by walking (and barking!) on four paws like dogs do!


Wednesday: Wednesday's lesson had to wait until it warmed up a bit outside! (Warmed up to a hot 34 degrees!) Because it was all about how dogs get exercise.  Tuesday we "walked on paws" like dogs do, but we were actually supposed to walk Marley this day...outside...after an ice storm.  *Good planning, Mom.*  We went over our bible verse and read "Spot's First Walk" by Eric Hill.  Hadley loves flap books, so she was pretty entertained.  Both Marley and Hadley enjoyed being outside in the freezing cold, I however, didn't!  It actually started snowing while we were out there.  But we weren't going to let that ruin our lesson!

Thursday:  Hadley has some stuffed animal dogs, so we lined up all our dogs up and talked about how they all have the same parts, but they look different!  Some are big, some are small...some are furry. ;)



We read the book Where's Spot? by Eric Hill--another flap book.  And we colored a picture of a dog!  Hadley loved coloring!  She has fat crayons and we used colored pencils, too.  She spent about 20 minutes coloring!




Friday: We finished week 1 of #homeschoolinghadley !! We read "Go, Dog, Go" by P.D. Eastman.  Even though the words are short, there are lots of pages and Hadley couldn't sit still for the whole thing.  So we went through and picked out different dogs and whatever else she wanted to pick out.  (Like the moon and a boat.)



We went over our bible verse and got to watch a youtube video!  I found this 3 minute video on youtube about babies and dogs "talking" to each other.  Hadley loved it because she loves babies and the dogs were making all kinds of sounds.



We finished up by playing with her "dog" Spot, picking out body parts and giving him treats.

Such a fun week!

Stitch Fix

Well, I caved.  I've been hearing a lot about stitch fix all over the place recently and when it popped up on my Facebook ads recently, I reluctantly went to the site to check it out.  Once there, I knew I was going to sign up.  Since I'll no longer be wearing scrubs to work, I'm in need of some new pieces to spice up my wardrobe.  I want good, quality pieces that will last, will mix and match with things I already have, and maybe some statement pieces, too.  I am also terrible at fashion!  I like to call my style the "mom" style.  Jeans, sperrys, cardigans...I'm pretty sure I scream "mom" everywhere I go.  The sad part is, I dressed like this long before I even had kids, haha!  I'm not frumpy or anything like that, but just very "Mom-ish".  So the fact that someone styles things for me?  You had me at hello!  Pair that with the fact that I don't have to actually travel anywhere to shop, but just wait for a package to show up at my door?  Well, alright.  If I must.

I signed up for an every-other-month delivery and may even back it down to every 3 months eventually.  I'd like to get new pieces each season, but don't want to be spending a fortune each month, either.  I got my first box today and here's the breakdown:

**Sorry about the picture quality/shadows!  I took the pictures on my own and clearly didn't get the lighting right.  Although, some of it isn't the lighting, but just me! ;)**

*Not Pictured: Dante Cut Out Metal Oval Layered Necklace
     -It was cute and I wish I could show it to you, but the clasp was broken.  So I couldn't even try it on.  Boo.  Clearly I sent back.

*Lauree V-Neck Drape Dress
     -I was really hoping I would like this dress.  It was so cute in the box and I love the navy color, but when I tried it on, it just didn't flatter me!  The waistline sat a little strange on me and my shoulders look very broad.  I sent back.

*Stellan Draped Cardigan
     -I loved this cardigan!  I loved the feel of it, I loved the neutrals, and I loved it's versatility.  I so wish I could have kept it, but I have so many sweaters and cardigans in my closet right now, I couldn't justify it.  :(  So, I sent back.



*Jimmy Ankle Length Skinny Jean
     -I liked these. (Pictured above..and below!)  They fit great and would be easy to dress up or down.  Except I already have a pair of black skinny jeans.  Again, I sent back.

*Colibri Solid Tab Sleeve Blouse
     -Loved, LOVED this shirt.  Loved it.  Hubby said it "slimmed" me out.  Easy to dress up, easy to dress down.  A color I never would have considered for myself and I love the length.  KEPT!

If StitchFix is something you think you might want to try, and you're so inclined, will you click this link to my referral page on StitchFix?  Thanks!

Homeschooling Hadley

I finished up in the NICU last Wednesday and because my new job requirements are some Saturdays and some evenings, I am going to have a lot of time to devote to my baby girl!  I am so excited about this, as I felt pretty guilty recently for having to nap and being exhausted the days after I worked the previous night.  I know Hadley got far too much time in front of the television, but some days that's all I could do to survive.  But, that's no longer an issue!

Hadley is so smart and is picking new things up everyday.  I love watching the wheels turn in her head!  She's not in preschool and I'm the only form of entertainment she gets right now, so I thought it would be neat to start "homeschooling" her!  I do not plan to homeschool her in the long run, but  I do want her to learn things while she is home with me.  So, each week I am going to cover one topic with her, read some books, do some crafts, etc.  I'm really excited about it!

**Disclaimer: Hadley is 16 months old and the best way she learns right now is through free play.  Because of this, I've limited the "lesson" to be done within an hour each day, usually less.  Each piece of the lesson takes no more than 5 minutes (usually) and if we are doing something she doesn't want to do, we don't do it!  I'm not forcing her to participate in any activities she doesn't want to!  I want to cultivate an appreciation for learning in her and I want her to have fun!

If you want to keep up with our lessons, I'll be posting weekly as well as putting pictures on instagram under the hashtag #homeschoolinghadley

Follow along with us!