31/365

Snow Charlotte

Well, tomorrow is the BIG day! Dan and I leave on a plane at 7:00 am to the Dominican Republic. We've had snow here in NC for the past few days and it is going to be major weather shock arriving in the Caribbean. I've been worried about this trip for the past few weeks, but just yesterday I started to feel excited. My mother arrived today after getting stuck in Atlanta and having to fly into Charlotte. My in-laws picked her up, stowed her for the night and then drove her here this afternoon. (Thank you, thank you Nathan and Cheri!) My girls had a great day lovin' on their grandma and I don't feel as worried about leaving them. For the next 12 days we will have no phone, (except to call the house and check on things) no internet and no cable. (although we don't have cable now anyway) I'm a wee bit nervous about not being able to stay connected to the world wide web, but I will have plenty to keep me occupied. Lovely company, unlimited food and alcohol, white sand beaches, crystal clear water and a good book. It should be an excellent trip! Tune in on February 13th for my 365 "make up" pictures from the DR. If you happen to think of us while we are gone, send a little prayer out that our flights are safe, that we don't get sick or hurt while away, and that my girls adjust well to us being gone for so long. My mother told me today that in the scheme of life, 12 days is nothing......the girls will survive, we will survive and once we get home life will return to normal. Till then, buenas noches!

30/365

Front steps + snow = SLIDE!!

Snow day

It has been snowing and snowing!! I think that it might have finally stopped, but we already have a good 8-10 inches! Maddie woke me up this morning at 6:45 telling me that there was snow outside and that she wanted to go play in it. I told her that she was going to have to wait at least until I had consumed a couple cups of coffee. :o) We did end up going out around 10:00 when the temp warmed up to the mid 20's. I feel so bad for my kids because I was totally unprepared for this snow storm! We didn't have snow suits that fit and Maddie didn't have any boots....but I stuffed Charlotte into an 18 month suit and put rain boots on her, really stuffed Maddie into a 2T suit with double socks and her sneakers. Maddie's snow suit was about 5 inches too short, but she didn't seem to mind! We ended up playing for about 40 minutes and then our fun dissolved into freezing tears so we headed inside to snuggle in blankets and drink hot cocoa. Both girls had a lot of fun although this was Charlotte's first real experience with snow (last year she was only 8 mo. old) and she didn't really know what to make of it! She kept telling me, "I like snow Mama," but she also wanted to be held a lot.....maybe it was because she couldn't move in her snow suit!?! Henry and Tyson also got to play in the snow and it always amazes me how much they love it! They seriously act like they are puppies again, running around and wrestling in the snow. I don't think we'll be going back outside today because it's actually getting colder instead of warmer....22 degrees right now, but we'll have more snow fun tomorrow. And maybe I'll find a winning combination of clothing to keep both kids warm and dry! I think the winter landscape is so much more beautiful with snow covering everything!

29/365

Budding Artist

The girls helped me decorate and make a paper chain today! I'm hoping that they will use it while we are gone to count down the days until we return. I've been talking extensively with the girls....mostly Maddie, about our trip. They know that grandma is coming tomorrow and that Dan and I are going to the "morockian lepulic" and that we will be gone 12 days. We've counted to 12 forwards and backwards and I've reminded them that Mama and Daddy love them and that anytime we go away we will ALWAYS come back. It's so hard for me to feel excited about this trip because I don't want to leave my girls. I feel like I miss them already! Not gonna think about it! Anyway.....gonna try and get some packing done tonight. (I haven't even started) Keep a look out tomorrow for a fun snow blog. It's snowing right now and it's supposed to snow all day tomorrow! Yippee!!

deep, deep discounts

I've had a few people ask me about my consignment sale loot from last week! When was I going to post pictures? Well, I actually hadn't really planned on posting pictures because I mostly bought clothes, and who really wants to look at a bunch of pictures of clothes? But, I try and keep my loyal readers happy, so here's a quick glimpse of what we got!

Lot's of spring and summer clothes.
Size 3T for Charlotte and 6x for Maddie!
Yes, my children are huge!

A few assorted fitted diapers

Some random extra inserts for pocket diapers

7 Mother-Ease fitted terry diapers
These diapers are $12 each new
I paid $10 for 15 and they are BRAND NEW!

Okay, so I told you that wouldn't be very exciting! I had already washed, folded and put up all of the clothes that I got for my girls and had NO desire to unfold them so that I could photograph them for my blog......so you got the cliffs notes version!

What I have decided to share with you is the stuff that I picked up for my sister in law Angela. While shopping at the consignment sale I was on the look out for a few things for my nieces! I think I found some good deals for them! I frequently talk about buying used, especially for kids and how much money you can save. This is a great example of exactly how much you can save when you take the time to search out used goods! I'm just lucky that all of these used bargains are under one roof twice a year! Here's some food for thought.....what could you buy for your children for $130? Well, here's what I got........

10 dresses

Oshkosh

Mossimo
(this dress is adorable and my fav!)

Lands End
(the sun makes some of the pics kinda wonky)

J.Khaki kids
(this dress was $1)

Old Navy

Cherokee

Christie Brooks

J.Khaki kids

Oshkosh

Mothercare
(this dress is so simple & sweet)

Ralph Lauren snow suit

Sprout Pouch baby sling

Stride Rite

11 pairs of tights

8 Mother-Ease cloth diapers

These Swaddlebees diapers I just threw in because they didn't work for us....not part of the $130

A big thank you to Dan and his arm for lovingly holding up the clothing so that I could photograph them! Without your arm my dear, none of this could have been possible! :o)

28/365

Diapering Daddy

After spending some time chatting in cloth diaper forums (yes, they do exist, & yes, I do frequent them!) I've come to realize how blessed I am to have a husband that fully supports using cloth! From the very beginning Dan has jumped in with both feet and not only supported my desire to cloth diaper, but he became proficient himself! He's actually better at putting prefold diapers on than I am. He recognizes the benefits of using cloth instead of disposables but for some families that knowledge does not equal active participation in the process.....with Dan, it does! Dan does just as many diaper changes as I do, he sprays poop off diapers, he has mastered using a Snappi and he hangs wool up to air dry after use! I don't think that I would have been able to make the switch without his support and willingness to help. So, this is a shout out to my amazing husband who is indeed a rock star!! :o)

27/365

Sometimes bath time is VERY necessary!

What was I thinking?!?

Dan and I leave for the Dominican Republic in 5 days!! When I booked the trip this fall I was really excited and ready for a vacation......not so much right now! I am so not ready for this trip. I haven't even begun to think about packing, I'm worried about leaving my kids for so long, both in the sense that I will miss them terribly and I don't want them to feel like we just left and aren't coming back! I know that my mother will do just fine with them, but I worry about how everyone will cope. I know that once I get to the island and sink my toes in the warm sand and clear water I'll be fine, but right now I'm kind of freaking out. I feel like I have too much to do in too little time and that we're going to be running to the airport to make our flight and our life (that we're leaving for my mother) will be a big mess. My house is a mess, I'm behind on laundry and I want to do a few things with the girls before we leave. 5 days. Need to make a priority list, and need to make a packing list.....I have no idea what I should pack! I know that things will turn out just fine, so for now I'm going to try to keep my freaking out to a minimum and think happy thoughts!

26/365

Winter popsicle

25/365

Dandelion girl

The rain finally stopped today and we were able to get outside and enjoy some fresh air! And it was just in the nick of time too.....after my lovely children emptied an ENTIRE jar of Vicks Vaporub onto my carpet I was pretty sure that the circus was going to have two new pint sized clowns, but the sunshine saved their hides! We jumped in mud puddles, rode bikes, ate popsicles and collected rocks. We ended up staying outside a little later than I had intended and it was a little colder than I normally let them run around without jackets in, but it was so nice to have temps in the 60s we soaked up as much as we could! By the time we came inside, both girls were covered in mud and had to be stripped down, but it was a good time, and every once in a while mud puddle jumping is necessary! Pants, socks & shoes are being laundered as we speak! :o)