I am back.

Hola!

I am alive.

I love that when I got home from the Bahamas, I had a inbox full of e-mails from you asking where I was and if everything was ok. Ha! Everything has been perfect.

I still have unpacking to do, clothes to wash, pictures to upload, babies to love.

I promise to post soon... even if it is just pictures.

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.
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I did not over-sleep this morning.

I did not wake up in a crazy mad woman sprint to get Caroline ready for preschool.

We were not 33 minutes late.

She is not having a St. Patrick's Day party today.

She did not wear green.

I did not laugh a little when I told Caroline she had one more chance before going to time out. I did not laugh because she did not tell me that I was the one that needed to sit in time out. "No Mommy. YOU sit in time out."

I am not exhausted.

Caroline has not given up naps.

Caroline still is not up until at least 10:30 every night.

It has not become terrible.

I did not figure out that I am not cooking my collards in enough water.

I do not want sushi for dinner tonight.

I did not fry hotdogs last night. I did not complete the meal with a box of mac and cheese, butter beans, and pickles. It was not a lazy dinner.

I did not want to eat half of a chocolate, pecan, bourbon pie last night.

It has not been difficult at all to let it sit on my counter. It is not one of the best pies that I have ever eaten.

I did not find 6 new recipes to try this week. We do not get tired of eating the same meals over and over and over again.

We do not leave for our cruise in 9 days. We are not excited.

I did not forget that I don't have any great luggage. I did not find some in the Target flyer yesterday. I did not tell my Aunt Lesley. I am not hoping that she gets it for me.

I did not catch Caroline playing in the toilet twice this week.

Em is not doing a great job with her sitting up.

I do not have to go pick Caroline up from school now.

It never fails.

I cook dinner for my family.

I enjoy cooking dinner for my family.

Yes. There are occasions that I enjoy not cooking. However, for the most part I cook.

Cooking begins at or around 5 pm everyday. I throw Em in her sling or Baby Bjorn, pull a chair up to the counter for Caroline and so... our dinner begins.

Dinner is usually done at about 6 or 6:30 and we all gather around our tiny kitchen table to eat.

After fixing Caroline's plate, getting her in her seat and fixing my own plate (all while holding/slinging Em) I can't wait to FINALLY sit down.

As soon as I sit down, this is what I hear...

"Mommy. Me need to teetee."

I have to unsnap Caroline's seat. She climbs down. She tee-tees. I wipe her. We wash our hands. We go back into the kitchen. We eat.

Why is is that every night at dinner, she wants to tee-tee?

It never fails.
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It never fails that when I vacuum, Ryan WILL wear his muddy boots inside.

It never fails.


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Em will ALWAYS spit up on me right before I walk out the door.

It never fails.

Remember these pictures?
Here is a reminder:

Holding the first signs of Spring.

Laugh(s) of the Week

My Dad's aunt called yesterday to see how Caroline and Emma were doing. She sent Emma a little lovie with her name on it that Emma absolutely adores. Anyway, we were talking about the lovie and this is what she said...

Aunt J: "Well, I decided to use that tan/brown to get her name monogrammed on it. Let me tell you though. When I went to get it monogrammed, I walked in the store and said, "I need to get this mammogrammed please."

I was eating lunch at the time of this conversation and began to laugh so hard that I thought I was going to choke. Too funny!
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All of you know that Caroline is a trip. I mean a true pistol.

Last night we had our friends over for pizza. Caroline put her cup on the floor. A few minutes later it was knocked over.

J: "Caroline! Go run get a towel! Run, run, run!

C: "Oh, ship. Oh, ship."

I promise we don't say this word around her. We really don't. I mean we probably did at one time but now we really watch what we say. The randomness of her using this word is too funny. Let's pray this word disappears from her vocabulary very soon.

Fabulous Friday Finds

1. The Shower Hug

Oh, how I wish I had known about this while I was preggo and breastfeeding. This is a wrap made of the "softest, most luxurious knit terry velour." To all the mommies out there: Remember getting in the shower to "relax" for 57 seconds and the shower water hitting your so sore boobs? Yep. It will bring a grown woman to her knees. You wrap your ta-tas up in this cool little wrap. Hop in the shower and TA-DA you have a shield. It has SO many uses. It provides support when you are sick of wearing a sexy nursing bra, prevents nighttime leaks, provides hands-free convenience for hot and cold packs when you need them (and you will need them my friend). It helps protect C-section incisions from your shower water too. This cool product has also been used by women who have undergone mastectomy, augmentation, reduction, reconstruction and lifts. I see an augmentation and lift in the future so I still may be investing in one. I'm just saying.
Go check it out. It is soooo worth $27.95.



2. Designer type hospital gowns made by Elena

I first saw these when Elena sent them to MckMama. The black and white with the pink ribbon (pictured below) is my favorite. Grab one or two to take to the hospital with you. If you plan on having more babies... SCORE... you can use them again. Another plus is the fact YOU are the ONLY person to have ever had a baby in YOUR hospital gown. Thinking back... who the heck knows who had worn my hospital gown before me. It's kind of gross when you think about it. That is reason enough for me to buy one if I ever have to go to the hospital again.


3. Diapees and Wipees

This is my "go to" baby shower gift. I LOVE my Diapees and Wipees.


I have the pattern featured above. However, since buying mine 3 years ago SO MANY new patterns have come out. They are all so cute that it is hard to decide on just one. What is this little sack you ask? Let me tell you. Throw 2-4 diapers and your travel case of wipes in this bag. Throw it in your cute pocketbook. TA-DA! For those qiuck trips to the grocery store, post office, Target... there may be no need to carry your Petunia Pickle Bottom. Leave her at home and just bring your Diapees and Wipees. You will get A LOT of compliments. (PS- If you invite me to a baby shower in the future, know that this will be part of your gift. Just a FYI.)

4. Moodeez

Cuteness! I just found these when I recently visited the Diapees and Wipees website. This is for YOU! It is a sack that holds 4-5 tampons and small pads. It organizes and protects your tampons. No more opened/unusable tampons in your purse. I want one. I want one.


5. Trumpette socks
We have the Mary Jane Pastels. I LOVE them. I bought them when Caroline was about 2 months old. She wore them for almost a year. They are sized 0-12 months. Of course I saved them and Emma is now wearing them. They are the cutest. $25 sounds like a lot of socks HOWEVER you get 6 pairs that last you a year. Love them!
PS- They have all kinds of designs for girls AND boys.


6. BabyLegs

I debated. I know that you all know my love for BabyLegs. Then I was like... what about new readers. So here it goes... I LOVE BABYLEGS! They are a lifesaver. Emma lives in them. She wears them with oneies instead of pants. She wears them as tights under dresses. She wears them on her arms. Guess what? Caroline can wear them too! Yep. They fit Caroline too. They make Emma's diaper changes a breeze. They also saved Caroline's little knees when she started crawling. I can't say enough wonderful things about BabyLegs. Invest in a pair. Heck, invest in every pair they have. It is SOOOO worth it. Love them!



7. HotSling

Life saver. I have this one. I wouldn't be able to cook dinner without it. It is very easy to fold and use.


8. Hooter Hider
I never got a nursing cover when I nursed Caroline. A blanket WAS my nursing cover. Most of the time I sat there with just my boob out but other times we had vistors. I don't think they would have appreciated seeing my tit so a blanket was used. Anyway, I was hell bent and determined to have a Hooter Hider with Emma. Of course I go to a local shop to buy one and they are sold out. I asked the owner to call me when they came in. Guess what? They never did. 6 weeks later my milk wasn't coming in either so oh well. Anyway, I love these. The name "Hooter Hider" makes them a conversation piece while you sit and chit-chat with your vistors while you are breastfeeding.


9. Deal on a dress

My Mom is always on the look out for cute dresses. Caroline lives in dresses in the summer. They are just easier to deal with than t-shirts and shorts. They look so cute with her tan too. So when my Mom bought this dress, I was so excited about how cute it was. Which one do you like better?

1.
2.
My favorite is number one! That is the one my Mom bought. My reasoning behind making you guess...

Number one was $6.00. SIX! When I saw it I immediately thought of dress number two that I had seen online.

Number two? $29.50

Number one has brighter colors. I love it.

10. Pump Ease

Krystyn was talking about this in a post at the beginning of the week. How cool is this? You can now pump HANDS-FREE! HANDS-FREE! Remember the post I wrote about now being able to hold Em and feed her, tee-tee AND brush Caroline's teeth all at the same time? I am all about doing something hands-free. This soooo would have helped me with pumping. Get one. Krystyn loves hers. I would have too if I had known that such a wonderful thing existed.

This is what happens...

...when I leave my husband in charge of our camera. His task? To take pictures of Caroline during Preschool Sunday. This was her first "program" she was in with her preschool class. They sang two songs. He had ample opportunity to take many pictures. This is all that I got.


Great picture, huh? Yep. This is the only one. Just ONE picture.


If you or your husband need photography lessons... Ryan is taking applications. I know that you are all jealous of his mad skills.

Late Wordless Wednesday

*Note: The only editing done was to keep the eye its color and make everything around it sepia. This really is the color for Caroline and Em's eyes.

Caroline

Em

Coupon freak.

Here is another coupon.

Try the new Arby's Road Burger FREE with a soft drink purchase.

Print your coupon HERE before March 14th.

You're welcome.

Happy Birthday to ME!

***Edited to add: My birthday is the 26th of this month. Thanks for all of the early birthday wishes though.



1. Old Navy Shorts
Last year I bought a similar pair of shorts from Old Navy. I loved them. This year I want black, yellow, and green.


2. Skinny Jeans
The best part about these jeans... I found them at Forever 21 for $14.50. Can you say WOW?

3. Smocked Jersey Maxi Dress
When I first saw this dress, I knew I had to have it. It is going to look great on the cruise AND it looks very comfy.

4. Drape Dress
Again, I saw this and fell in love. Where am I going to wear it? Who knows? It is also $14.50. Forever 21 has loads of GREAT deals.

5. Ruche dress
Love this dress. I want to wear it to our formal night on the cruise. I think it would look great.

6. I skipped six. I just realized it. I am too lazy to go back and fix it so just put these AND these in there for six. No biggie. ONLY KIDDING!



7. Feather dress

8. Ruffle Pleated top
I thought this was a cute shirt that would look good with the Old Navy shorts I want. For $10, it was a steal. I can wear it with just about anything.

9. Ruffle Pebble Dot Top
I love shirts that fit around the neck like this one. They also have a red dot shirt however they don't have my size. I will settle for the navy.

10. Ribbed Tank
I am NOT a pink person. At.All. However, I like this shirt and pink was the best color of the three to choose from. I also think that it will look very "Hamptons" with the green and yellow Old Navy shorts.


1. Green Sandals
Can you tell that this color green is going to be my summer color? I LOVE these shoes. Love them!

2. Gladiator sandals
I wanted a pair of these last summer. I couldn't find a pair under $100. Hello! I found these at Forever 21 for a simple $15.80. You can't beat that. I just hate to spend a lot of money on these shoes because I will be over them in about a year.

3. Silver Strappy sandal
Old Navy makes the best sandals. I love these. I can wear them with everything this summer.

4. Tory Burch Reva Patent Ballet Flats
This is my one "splurge" item on my list(s). I just love the green and I want a pair of Tory Burch ballet flats. Maybe I should get a color that is going to stay in style though?! I'll think about it.

5. Big brown sunglasses
I have these Costa Del Mar sunglasses. However, I need a pair of big sunglasses like these. I broke mine a while back and I have been wanting some more ever since.

6. Shield Sunglasses
These are like the Costa's that I want. These are a little bit cheaper though. I LOVE them!

7. Gold Henna Studded Cuff
Love it!

8. Vintage Floral Metal Bangle
Love it!

As I was making my list, I would check sizees and everything to see if what I wanted for backordered. Nothing make me more mad than to want something, get my hopes up and then when I order it... it is backordered. Anyway, I check on my bathing suit that I wanted to show my stretch marks off in. Guess what? Backordered until May 20th. I said at least 3 ugly words.
Anyway, I began the search for a new bathing suit to take on the cruise. Let me just tell you... I almost lost it when I found out that Ashley Paige was designing bikinis for Target. ASHLEY FREAKIN' PAIGE. How did I NOT get that memo?? So... guess what I want?



Of course, they are not my first choice. However, because they are Ashley Paige makes all right in Hailey's world.

I can't decide which on I like better. The top one was the one I liked at first. However, the one below it looks a lot like her "Knit Kini" which makes me like it a little more. What do you think?
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So, I think that covers what I want for my birthday. There you have it Mom. Surprise me! I can't wait!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.
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I did not wait until this afternoon to begin my Not Me's.

I am not having writers block.

I am not having trouble remembering the many things that did not happen this week.

I am not making a birthday list out for my Mom.

That has not taken top priority right now.

I do not plan on posting it on my blog for the world to see.

Do not plan on looking for it later tonight or early tomorrow morning.

Fabulous Friday Finds

This is going to be my new Friday activity. (Today I am posting on Saturday but that is beside the point) I am always finding cool new stuff that I wish I could have or just want to share with other moms. I don't have very many "mommy" friends so most of the time I have no one to share fabulous finds with.

From baby and toddlers to stuff for me. Get ready. This is what I am going to call "Fabulous Friday Finds". If you find something fabulous throughout the week, e-mail me and I just might add it to my list of fabulous things.

This weeks finds:

1. The Tripp Trapp highchair by Stokke
WOW! This highchair is amazing. It is so stinkin' cute. It can be an infant highchair and then transform into a seat for an adult. Cool, huh? If I had a million dollars to spend on a highchair... THIS would be the one.

The green is my favorite with this super cute stripe cushion.



2. The Juicy Maclaren
I first saw this a few weeks ago. My two favorite things... Juicy Couture and Maclaren. I was in Heaven. The only thing is... you better hope you have all girls if you buy it. Otherwise, your little boy will be riding around in a stroller that says "Juicy Princess".


3. Pipsqueaks
These have got to the be best invention EVER. They are called Pipsqueaks. They were given to me as a gift when Caroline was born. They are walking shoes that squeak when your baby walks. They are adorable! The best part... they don't break your bank. I can't wait to get Emma in them. Caroline absolutely adored these shoes.


4. Mama Mio
I wish I had known about these products sooner. (MOM IF YOU ARE READING THIS... MY BIRTHDAY IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER... THIS STUFF WOULD MAKE A FABULOUS GIFT FOR YOUR FABULOUS DAUGHTER... JUST A FYI)
The product line is called Mama Mio. It is a skincare company started by three moms... Sian, Kathy and Tanya. These products have only been on the market for three short years and the company has done GREAT. Celebs like Stella McCartney, Victoria Beckham, Christy Turlington and even Kirsten Dunst use Mama Mio products.

The two products I would love to try? The Boob Tube and Goodbye Stretch Marks.



5. Isabella Oliver 365
I kept seeing ads for Isabella Oliver maternity. So boy was I surprised and excited when I clicked on the ad and also found out they had Isabella Oliver 365. I fell in love with the dresses. This red one is my favorite.


6. Isabella Oliver Maternity
This is for all of you who are preggers. Check out the Maternity Outlet sale. 60-70% off. HELLO!! What a deal!
Now, if you know me in real life... you will know that I got through two pregnancies with only buying 6 maternity items. If you know me, you know that I REFUSED to buy/wear anything that looked maternity. With that said, for me to tell you about this site... it's big! There is one dress that I lovelovelove. (Haley, Jamie, Emily, and Dana... buy this dress girls! It will be so pretty on all of you!


7. I Love Gorgeous
I debated. Should I share this site? Should I keep it all to myself? That is how much I LOVE these dresses. If only the prices shown at I Love Gorgeous were the actual US dollar prices... it would be GREAT! Once you make the conversion from pounds to dollars you add about 20-30 bucks. You can find conversion charts online. Anyway... these dresses are GORGEOUS! Here is my favorite.


Here is my other favorite.


If you decide to buy one... we should work out some sort of deal. Since I told you about the site... you can buy Caroline a dress too. Deal? Yep! I thought so! :-) You're welcome.
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Until next week...

XOXO,

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!



Don't you LOVE this skirt?? Isn't it the cutest thing you have every seen?

Well, here is your chance to win a pink one. Go HERE and create your own link.

Good luck! Wish me luck too! Caroline and Emma would be adorable in it!!

Frugal Friday

We LOVE Dr. Pepper at this house. Love it! The best part about Dr. Pepper? The diet taste so much like regular Dr. Pepper that you don't mind drinking diet.

The point of this post?

Go HERE. Look at the bottom left corner. Click on Free Diet Dr. Pepper. Fill out the info and they will send you a coupon for a free Dr. Pepper. Word on the street is... you can use it for Diet OR regular.

Rants.

Dear Taco Bell,

You are my favorite fast food. Oh, how I love your fountain Mt. Dew. There is nothing like it. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Caroline insists on eating your food at least once a week. This is where my problem with you is. Here in my town, your drive-thru ALWAYS has a long line. ALWAYS. The past two times that I have been to you, I have waited for at least 15 minutes to order and get my food. This can't happen when you have two screaming children in the back. One is screaming, "GO MOMMMY! GO! GET MY FOOD!! GET MY FOOD!!!" The other is a screaming infant that is ready to eat but can't because her mama is sitting in a drive-thru. So, my dear Taco Bell, could you speed it up a little? If you can't, could you at least make a way to GET OUT of the line. Here in town, once your in the Taco Bell drive-thru line... there's no way out. It is kind of scary when you think about it. That is all for now.

Sincerely,
Your biggest Mt. Dew fan, Hailey



Dear lady in front of me in the Taco Bell drive-thru,

WHAT are you doing? Please explain to me why, after waiting for 16 minutes, you INSIST on sipping each drink you ordered to see if it is right? Why must you give two drinks back? Is it THAT serious of a situation? You haven't even gotten your food yet lady! That's when it happened. Your food came. I sat and watched you go through your two bags of food. Just a FYI, if you are going to order THAT much food and you are going to be THAT picky... don't go through the drive-thru OR don't eat fast food at all. They screw it up EVERY time. You just learn to deal. You see, I know that you know what it is like to go through a drive-thru with children because I see your stick people stickers on the back of your Kia indicating that you, yourself, have two children. So then why, I ask, did you EVEN go through the drive-thru being alone today? Why didn't you get out and go inside? If I didn't have to lug 2 children in, I would have. It is by far to quickest way to obtain your food at a place such as Taco Bell. What I'm trying to say in a semi-nice way is... GO INSIDE NEXT TIME. If you don't, I might seriously put my two screaming children along with myself (who, by the way, WILL be screaming too) in the backseat of your car. So, choose wisely. Just a FYI. K?

Sincerely,
The concerned driver behind your slow ass butt with two screaming children that MAY or MAY NOT be secretly flipping you the DOUBLE bird



Dear Taco Bell drive-thru window lady,

I'm sorry that I do not know your title. Therefore, I will just call you the "Taco Bell drive-thru window lady". You told me the amount I owed. During the 17 minutes I sat waiting... I counted out the correct change. I handed you the correct 56 cents. You dropped my quarter. I didn't mean to say shit. It slipped. It really did. You know, I was a little baffled and when you are baffled... words slip. I just needed my kid's food. You laughed and asked how much you dropped. I told you that you dropped a quarter. You stared and waited. What did you want me to do? You still stared and waited. Finally, I decided you wanted the quarter. So, I find my change bag and give you the 25 cents that YOU dropped. After I did, you said, "I could have gone out there later and gotten your quarter for you." So Taco Bell drive-thru window lady, why did you sit and stare at me as if you wanted the 25 cents? There is NO way in the world that I could have even OPEN my door to GET the quarter I dropped in your death-trap of a drive-thru. Anyway, I guess I'm writing to say don't drop my money again. Oh... and don't stare at me... weirdo.

Sincerely,
Lady with screaming children that accidentally said shit



Dear teenage girl that is probably skipping school to eat at Taco Bell,

Don't hop out of your convertible and run up to the Taco Bell door like you are 5. You see, I would have never even noticed this going on but then I saw it. YOU made your poor little boyfriend walk into Taco Bell with YOUR Vera Bradley pocketbook. Seriously?! I wanted to hit you in the face. Why would you do that to your poor boyfriend? Idiot.

PS- What is the deal with the three pairs of flip flop stickers you have in your back window? I don't get them. The crazy drive-thru Kia lady had two flip flop stickers too. Weird.

PPS- Thank you for at least going inside to get your food. This helps the other parents in the drive-thru that don't have the option of going inside.

Sincerely,
Crazy lady in the parking lot fixing tacos for her screaming two year old in the back seat while blasting the Drip Drop song just to have something to listen to other than screaming children

Wordless Wednesday- Colors after a lazy Sunday storm

All things S.

Emily played this game. I begged asked her for a letter of my own. She gave me the letter S.

I have to list all things that I love that begin with S.

Let's begin, shall we?

1. Starbucks- The salted caramel hot chocolate is a little piece of Heaven on Earth.

2. Shrimp and grits- Hello yumminess.

3. Shoes

4. Sister- My sister, Anna, is my best friend so of course she is on my list.

5. Smooches- Caroline and Emma kisses are best.

6. Summer- Oh, summertime. No shoes, salty skin, beautiful hair. The beautiful hair part is totally a joke. I love letting my hair air dry after being on the beach all day just to see how big it can get. One word for you, humidity. One more word for you, frizz.

7. Swimsuits- Bikini swimsuits not one pieces.

8. Soda aka soft drinks aka southerns just call it the name... example Pepsi, Mt. Dew.

Which brings me to my next "S"

9. Growing up in the South- We have manners. We eat great food. A southern woman knows how to do just about anything.

10. Surprises- Who doesn't love surprises?

Ok. I am done. That was difficult. "S" is a hard letter.

Not Me! Monday.

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.



I have not been missing since Tuesday from the bloggy world.

I have not just been too lazy to write posts.

It has not been almost a week since I picked up a camera.

We have not had a terrible cold.

All of us have not been in bed by 9pm almost every night.

My DVR is not exploding.

My Google Reader is not exploding either.

I am not promising to catch up this week. Promise.

I did not wake up to Emma saying dadadadadadadadadadada over and over again this morning.

Ryan was not proud at all when I told him.

I did not have to add, "She doesn't know what she is saying."

We did not eat sandwiches for dinner. Seriously, in three years of marriage we have never just had sandwiches for dinner. It was not weird at all.

I am not preparing blog posts for the rest of the week. There will not be at least one post a day. They are not scheduled for early morning so that you wake up bright and early to a post from Be Serious.

I do not hate cold weather.

I have not told Caroline at least once a day for the past week to "crawl back up in me." She was not clingy at all.

I did not almost get carried away over a discussion yesterday about vaccinating your children. I am not very set in my ways. I do not put this debate right up there with debates on politics and religion. I do not believe that sometimes it is just better to keep your opinions to yourself.

I did not ask Ryan how a cruise ship can float. I mean really. Think about ALL that stuff on that boat. How much do you think that thing weighs? I did not almost have a panic attack thinking about how the boat actually stays afloat. Ryan did not just roll his eyes and move on with what he was doing.

I am not done with Not Me! Monday. I am not going to clean up before I have to go get Caroline. Beds do not need to be made. Clothes do not need to be washed. Floors do not need to be mopped.