The Good Life

When Matt and I started discussing the idea of having a baby, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to be a "stay at home Mom". Matt wasn't on board with me staying at home until Colton actually arrived. It wasn't that he didn't want me to be at home with our son, he just didn't think we would be able to afford it. During my entire pregnancy, we were on the fence about the subject. Am I going to be able to stay home? Are we going to be able to afford it? Should I go back to work for the health benefits? What are we going to do? How are we going to manage? What daycare? Could Mom watch him part time? The list went on and on and on. Once we got home with Colton, we were both 100% sure that me staying home with our little guy was going to be the best situation for our family. We were determined to make it work! There are so many pros and cons to being a stay at home Mom. The Moms who work a job outside the home say "I would sure love to be at home with m...

I was driving down a road in town the other day and I'm 99.9% sure that I witnessed "bullying". I saw three teenage (I'm guessing) boys on one side of the road throwing "things" at a younger (maybe 11/12?) boy on the other side of the road. As I got closer to the situation, I realized that the single boy had his shirt off, was sweating and appeared to be/have been crying. He was walking almost in my lane. I slowed down (almost stopped) and looked over at the other boys and it looked as if they had small rocks in their hands. I looked over at the "bullied" boy and my heart felt for him. He looked at me and I looked at him and it was like time just stopped for a second. I kept driving. As I got just out of site, I wanted to turn around. Why didn't I help him? What could I do? I had Colton with me, so I wasn't going to risk putting him in danger - maybe that was the reason I kept driving. Or maybe those boys were all friends and I totally misr...

My crazy, sweet, handsome, expressive, loving, wild child turned 29 weeks old today! I love witnessing the daily growth. He is learning so much every day and I can see the curiosity in his little eyes. It's really so amazing. We started "potty training" last Monday. I didn't expect him to do as well as he has.I really just wanted to get him used to sitting on the potty so that it doesn't freak him out later. This morning was our 3rd morning in a row of pooping in the potty (again, TMI). Maybe we're finally getting a schedule? Maybe it's just luck? Either way, (even though it's totally disgusting) I'm so proud! Colton is definitely on the move now. He's not in a full crawl, but it doesn't matter. He rolls, pushes himself backwards, scoots and wiggles himself all around the room. We now have to close doors and keep stuff off the floor. I have a feeling that once he hits full crawl mode, I'm going to be one very busy Mommy because he i...

Today I had a good excuse to try a couple of new recipes I found via  Pinterest . For Matt's birthday (yep, my hubby turned 31 years young today), I made Reese's No Bake Fudge Bars and Crunchy Peanut Butter Mix ! I must say that both recipes were extremely easy to make but I can't vouch for the taste because though my husband is a big fan of the chocolate/peanut butter combo, I am NOT. The Reese's No Bake Fudge Bars had just 3 ingredients and according to my husband, were very tasty! Ingredients 22 REESE'S   Peanut Butter Cups (regular size) 3 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels 1 Can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk Directions Line a 9x9 pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray Place an even layer of unwrapped Reese's on the aluminum foil (16) Crumble the remaining Reese's in a separate bowl Mix Chocolate Morsels and Condensed Milk in a saucepan over low heat until well mixed Pour Chocolate/Milk mixture over the layer of Rees...

This time last year, I was approximately 16 weeks pregnant. When I think back, I remember all the overwhelming feelings of uncertainty, joy, anxiety, fear and worry. I remember how many questions I had and I was so curious about the entire journey. What's it going to be like when I'm 5 months along? What's it going to be like when I'm 8 months along? What's childbirth going to be like? How am I going to know what to do? How is Colton going to interact with family? Now that Colton is 6 months (going on 7 months) old...I still have a lot of questions but I'm actually starting to feel like a real Mom. :-)  Yesterday, we spent the day on Shelton Laurel (where I grew up). Even though he is still too young to really understand where he is, I love taking Colton over there. Just driving up the (what used to be dirt) road to our old house spot brings back so many memories. One of the - many - questions I have is, "I wonder if Colton will get t...

Today was Colton's first taste of spinach. As he scarfed down the last few bites at lunch, I was thinking "are picky eaters born or made?". It's interesting to me how some babies, kids and even adults will eat anything and others won't. What makes a picky eater? Is it someone who simply doesn't like certain foods or is it somebody who genuinely can't eat certain foods? According to a study reported in The New York Times , there are "picky eaters" who are people with many food dislikes but the people who genuinely can't eat certain foods are classified under Selective Eating Disorder (SED). After reading numerous stories and articles on "picky eaters", I have learned that there are many different approaches and opinions on the topic. Some sources say not to force foods on children, just let them eat as they want to. Other sources say that it's important to keep presenting the "disliked" item to the child because it t...

Back in October of 2008, Scout (our German Shepherd  ) became a part of our lives! We got her when she was just 6 weeks old and she has been a member of the family ever since. Scout was born here in Tennessee but she made the move with me to Indiana and back. She has been by my side through all the ups and downs over the past 5 years. Yes, she is just a dog...but I can't imagine life without her. For those of you who are dog lovers/owners, then you understand what I mean when I say that my dog understands my moods and can sense my feelings. I'm amazed at how Scout handles different situations. Whether I'm stressed, happy, sad, whatever...she gets it! Once we moved back to Tennessee, we moved into the basement apartment of my parent's house. Scout went from being a mostly indoor dog to a mostly outdoor dog (only coming in to sleep). During the latter part of my pregnancy, I started spending less time with Scout because I knew that once Colton arrived, I wasn't go...