I haven't blogged in quite some time! Luckily, my amazing sister has provided updates and magnificent blog posts in my absence. As you know, I got married in June, it was a beautiful day! Fast forward to now - I am taking four classes while maintaining my household and staying home with my two year old. My daughter attends a dual language pre-k.  She is making leaps and bounds in her knowledge. My stepdaughter is in second grade this year and my stepson is in sixth grade. Things around our house are always hectic!

I am still working on potty training my son. He is making advances but we still have not passed the milestone of poop in the potty. My daughter is having trouble sleeping at night lately. She is four going on twelve. Her mind doesn't slow  when it is time to go to sleep. I have tried many things but so far nothing seems to be working. 

I am still on my path of trying to reduce the amount of harmful chemicals we ingest and use on our skin daily. I finally made some homemade sunblock and I have to say I am thrilled with it! I have been juicing as much as possible as well. I also have been taking a yoga class once a week.

The hour of time where I can focus solely on myself has been amazing! I was starting to feel overwhelmed and I found myself just wishing that I could have just a tiny bit of time where no one was asking me for anything, where I wasn't breaking up a fight, or making what felt like the tenth meal of the day. I felt guilty for wanting to be away from my family. After taking this time I realize that it is beneficial for my family, if I have some time away to refresh. I have found that I am now a more patient mama. 

In addition to the yoga class, I have a statistics class twice a week; which has also given me a bit more time outside of the house. Interacting with other adults and being out of the house is such a new thing for me! Sometimes I feel like I fumble my words a little bit. I think being home all day with a toddler can do that to anyone. So far this semester I have three A's and a C. I'm hoping to pull off all A's and B's. I have nine more classes ahead of me before I graduate with my bachelor's. I couldn't more excited!

Now that I'm not planning a wedding and my life has settled down (as much as it ever could with four kids and a husband) expect to see more blogs from me! We would love to hear from you also!

What do you do to wind down and relax? How is the school year going for your kids so far? 

My husband and I are working on a several home renovation projects. Unlike, my favorite show, Renovation Realities, we are taking on small projects that require simple changes. I started with changing the paint in two rooms. As mentioned in my Conversion: Crib to Toddler Bed post, we chose a neutral khaki for my daughter’s room. Since then, we have completed the painting for the office and home gym.

Our current space functions as both a workout area and office. Luckily, we are now able to designate two separate rooms. I chose an electric blue, black and silver theme for the gym. We are using 2x2 floor tiles, Acrylic mirrors and a black cube organizer. We found the tiles and mirrors at Home Depot and are re-purposing a cube organizer to hold towels, water, and other gym essentials. The office will house two workstations. I am in search of a color scheme to motivate and inspire. Of course, I went to Pinterest to gather my thoughts and vision.

This week, I am focusing on the Family room. We applied a new coat of paint. Next, I’m going to DIY the curtains – since I cannot locate anything 74x26 that fits my color scheme. I have not decided whether we are going to do valances or curtains over the existing blinds. Ugh.

So, in the coming week, I plan to finalize my daughter’s room décor. Which includes transporting the existing the decals into a different location, painting a small dresser and converting it to a book case, selecting fabric for the reading nook. I will also pick a stain for the office and bedroom hardwood floors; in addition to, considering swapping kitchen appliances, cabinet restoration and media center re-purposing. Keep up with Mama on Pinterest - I can't wait to post the final transformation.

Today's theme: “Don’t touch, say sorry, no biting!”
It has a nice rhythm to it-once repeated fifty times in short period.

I am thirty minutes past sending my nephew home and boy, did we have a full day. Here’s a little background. Our little ones, which made two in March & April,  have been annoying one another since birth. They must touch, harass, poke and push one another just to make sure we are paying attention. Or at least, that’s all I can determine.

My day started at 5:30am. I planned to start my day an hour prior to his arrival but couldn’t muster the energy to do so. I did the bare minimum – folded a load of laundry. He arrived at 7 with a loud cry. Poor little man, he loves his Aunt but doesn’t want to be left anywhere without Mom and Dad.

And so it began – a snuggle campaign to get him to calm down. I rocked and patted him like he was fresh out of the womb. Then, I realized I could use a Buzz Lightyear video to soothe his soul. And it worked!

The next 1.5 hours included video games, puzzles, flash cards and books. His attention span is shorter than my daughter so I had to keep moving to ensure I didn’t lose him.

My daughter wakes and immediately asked if her cousin arrived. We dress, do hair, have breakfast and make it to the park in record time. The rush? We live in Las Vegas and must beat the heat. Our preparation includes packing water, sun hats – putting on sunscreen and wearing sunglasses. Poor me, I had to push the 60+ pounds of double stroller with a b ackpack (travel potty, diapers, pull ups etc). I’m sure you get the point. So we swing, slide and pose for pictures –and start the journey home.

I had an AHA moment while pushing them up a rather steep hill. Why not re-create a water table? It worked – each child had one large tub, a medium bin and two small bowls to transfer water. They were thoroughly entertained. This led us to lunchtime and a three hour nap. My plan to tire them worked tremendously!

The pain in my back didn’t set in until they were both sleeping. It started in my ankle and made its way to my neck. So, when someone says, “Aren’t you ready for #2?” I will remember this day, this pain and reply, “Don’t touch, say sorry, no biting!” It will be confusing to most but amusing to the ones that have uttered the words for years.

How did you plan for child #2?