New Year, New Mom! - Staying Organized Among The Chaos

Hey Guys!

So I wanted to start this year off with a post about what I am going to be doing to help keep me organized. Being a mom in general is tough, but when you add a full time job to that, things can get a little chaotic.

I am one of those people that needs organization and structure in order to remain at peace. So needless to say, the last year has been a disaster for me. I started out 2015 as a new mom, and just finding the time to take care of myself was hard, let alone take care of my house!

I'm not going to lie to all of you, there have been days when I would look at my messy house, or we would be eating fast food for the 3rd time in a week, and I wanted to cry. I felt like I was failing as a mom, wife, and as me...organized, clean ME!

I kept making excuses, and I would tell myself that next week I would get things back in order. Which of course turned into next month etc... Finally back in August I had had enough. I had dishes piled in the sink and clutter at every corner and I wanted to change that!

I remembered my weekly planner dry erase board that someone had given to me as a wedding gift. It is a GREAT resource for organization so I decided to pull it out of the closet and fill it out. I bought some bright fun dry erase markers that would be sure to grab my attention, and off I went!

At first it started out AWESOME! I was using it every week and following it to a T. It helped Chris too. He would see what was planned for dinner, and if he got home before me, he would get started cooking. Again... AWESOME!

Then a few weeks passed and suddenly I wasn't feeling the "chore portion" of the planner. So Once again I was back to having to clean the whole house on the weekend. I don't know about y'all, but I don't want to spend my weekend cleaning up my house!

Finally, I just kind of stopped putting in the effort to even fill it out every week. So there it hung, outdated, mocking me every time I passed by!

I finally decided that since it is a new year I am GOING to stick with it. Not only that, but I figured that maybe if I make a post about it here, that will be enough to keep me motivated and to keep using it.

Now that my sob story is over, I'm going to not only show you my planner, I am also going to break it down for you guys.

I created 4 columns: dinner, chores, Alden and other.

Dinner: I plan my meals around what groceries I buy. So I sit down and write out what meal we eat on which day. We allow ourselves two free nights a week. Our free nights mean we can get fast food, order Chinese or pizza or go eat somewhere.If we happen to have leftovers from a previous night, that will replace a free night, thus saving us time and money! This week we are going to Texas Road House on Saturday because we have a gift card to use! So not only is it a free from cooking night, its is also a free dinner night! win win!

Chores: One of my biggest problems now that Alden is needing constant entertainment / walking all over the place is getting the house work done. Chris helps me out when he can, but somethings I just prefer to do myself. I was feeling overwhelmed on the weekends because I had to do EVERYTHING in two days, on top of wanting to find some time to relax. I thought that perhaps if I could break it down throughout the 7 days then I'd have plenty of time for myself on the weekend. I'm thinking about maybe rotating the chores each month too, just to change it up.
Note: On Saturdays it says "all chores". This just means I do a quick run through and if something needs to be done again, then I do it. I have lots of tile in my house, and I also have a big giant lady face of a dog who likes to track dirt all over the place, so cleaning the floors is needed multiple times a week!

Alden: This column just lists out which days are bath days, If he has a doctors appointment, and if I run out of time to wash his clothes on laundry day, then I'll pick a day to do that and write it down.

Other: This column is just there to remind me to pay the bills, show me who gets paid on what days,and to remind of any other random info that doesn't fit into the other categories.

I hope you guys enjoy this post. I am counting on you guys to be my accountability buddies! I may do a follow up post in a few months, just to let everyone know how it is going. Maybe this will be a good inspiration for you. If you have any organization tips or tricks let me know! I might end up using them!

Thank you guys for reading!

Alden Turns ONE!

 Well, My baby boy is ONE! He is officially a toddler now and I cannot believe how fast it flew by.

This post is going to be a recap of his birthday party, which was on December 12, before his actual birthday. It will also be sort of a recap of his birthday.

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY:
OK y'all, I'm going to be really honest here and admit that I was in WAY over my head. I had said from the get go that the first birthday party wasn't going to be this gigantic celebration because although it's great for photo ops and memories for the parents, almost every 1st birthday party I have attended, big or small, has resulted in a total melt down of the child, which I just did not want to put Alden through.

Then of course I started putting together my guest list and before I knew it, there were SO many people to invite. We had always planned on having the party at our house, which isn't the biggest place, but also not the smallest. I kept telling myself that I was going to buy stuff little by little months in advance so that come party time, there were only things like food and last minute stuff that needed to be purchased. But life happened, and money was tight and there I sat a week before the party with nothing but ideas.

We knew my mom was going to make the cupcakes and we knew my in-laws were going to make a giant delicious pot of beans which is PERFECT for a cold day (even though it ended up being in the 70's). I knew my theme, I knew the menu but how do you go about purchasing all sorts of decorations when you don't have the extra money to spare? That's when my BFF stepped up the plate. Her and her fiance offered to help us in anyway we needed, weather it be financially or physically and that meant SO much. I am forever grateful that they were there and helped us give Alden the best party we could. Jackie and I were able to go out and by more than enough stuff to decorate with and use.

The plan was for my mom to make Alden a cute little smash cake, but the day before the party my father-in-law said he wanted to help us pay for the cake. So I went out on a mission to find Alden a super cute smash cake. Trying to find a cake that matched what you have come up with in your mind with only 1 day notice is super hard by the way. I do NOT recommend it.I looked at 1 place the night before and 2 places the day of. I ended up having to settle on a cake that I was not happy with at all. I was honestly embarrassed but I had to move on to other things.

I tried really hard all morning to get Alden to take a nap and he would not! There was too much going on and he wanted to be a part of it. What ended up happening is that in the middle of the party he decided he was done and so while everyone else was sitting around, he was in his room sleeping. We made the horrible mistake of waking him up after about 45 minutes to do cake and gifts and he had a complete meltdown. I'm talking screaming bloody murder melt down.

Thankfully everyone started clearing out shortly after the meltdown, which seemed to help him feel a little less overwhelmed. I decided to bring his cake back out and see how he did with less people around. The second go around was much better! He dove into his cake and smushed it and got icing all over the place. it was FANTASTIC! I know a lot of kids want nothing to do with the cake unless it is fed to them and so I was pleased with his reaction.

Overall, I'd say it turned out great. Although it was a bit of a mad house with so many people, we somehow managed to have enough food and drinks for everyone. The weather was actually decent so the kids were able to run around and burn off their energy outside. I will say this, never again will I host a party of that size in my house, and never again will I wait until the end to get everything purchased and ready.

Now, Before I move on to Alden's birthday recap... Let me share some party photos.

 Mickey Mouse Cupcakes

 Mickey Mouse Custom Labels

 My makeshift gift table

 Posing with aunt Rexie in front of the Mickey wall.

Alden going to town on his cake.

ALDEN'S BIRTHDAY:

I decided to take the day off so I could spend it with my booger man. We did have to go to his one year check-up which he was not happy about, but it was OK because after we went to target and shopped for birthday toys.

After that we came home and hung out and played with his toys and ate snacks and watched cartoons. He took his afternoon nap and then aunt Rexie came over with a cupcake. He showed off his new found walking skills and had us laughing the whole time.

After Chris got home, we headed out to get some Mexican food. Alden had his fill of beans, rice and barbacoa! After that we headed home and snuggled and played until bed time.

It was a pretty low-key day, but I am so glad I was able to spend it with him. :)

I am looking forward to many more birthdays to come. This past year has been the toughest, most stressful, yet amazing and best of my life! I wouldn't give up Alden for anything in this world and he is the BEST son a mama could ever ask for! :) 

To end this post, I'm going to add all of his month by month pictures. 

  Thank you guys so much for sticking with me from the beginning when this was just a place for me to vent about my pregnancy woes. I am not totally sure how often I will be blogging in 2016, but I am looking into vlogging, so that may be the next step. Either way I am grateful for those who come back each month and laugh along with me and I hope that you guys continue on with me and my little family in the new year!

Month 11

Hey Everyone!

My Big boy just celebrated his FIRST BIRTHDAY! I'll be posting month 11 recap as well as birthday party/birthday recap this week!

This month we got to celebrate our first Thanksgiving as a family of 3 (really we are a family of 6 now). Alden got his fill of turkey, ham, mashed tators, pumpkin pie and everything in between! It was overall a GREAT day. Alden got lots of love from his cousins, but that's no surprise considering how adorable he is!

We did a little bit of black Friday shopping and were able to take care of birthday and Christmas gifts for Alden, but we didn't really do anything other than that since it was such a rainy and gloomy Thanksgiving weekend.

Alden has been super high energy lately so it seems like he is constantly on the go from sun up to sun down. He's so much fun though. As exhausting as he is, it's OK because he is cute and fun.

The night before Alden's big party, we took him to get his hair cut! It was actually a great experience. Alden's aunt Rexie tagged along and she was able to take pictures which allowed Chris and myself to be in the moment, viewing it in real time, not through a phone. He was a little confused at first and slightly fussy, but once daddy put Mickey Mouse on for him, it was pretty much smooth sailing. He looks SO cute with his shorter hair, and a little older too. Not to mention there is no more rats nests on the back of his head!

That's really about it for this month's recap which means is picture time now!

 Alden is ready for the game.

 Our first Thanksgiving with Alden!

 Santa and his rein..dog.

 And I thought it would be easy to wrap gifts with a baby in the house.

 Baby bath model.

He was a little fussy and confused about what was happening.

 

After the haircut! What a handsome little gentleman.

 

Well that's it!

As always... Thank you for reading!

 

Month 10

Hey Everyone!

Month 10 has come and gone! This boy will be turning 1 NEXT MONTH! I cannot believe it! I've been slowly gathering birthday party ideas for months now and telling myself I would slowly purchase things here and there as I found stuff. Well.. now its 1 month out and guess what.. We have nothing other than plans and invites!

Ya'll this kid fits into 12-18 month clothes now! I had to go through his clothes a few weeks ago and pull all the stuff that fits now and put away all the stuff that is now too small. Luckily for us we have quite a bit of clothes from 12 months and up and a lot of that includes pants so we are mostly set for winter. He needs some more shirts and jammies but I'm sure he will be getting clothes for his birthday NEXT MONTH!

The most exciting thing about month 10 was that Alden got to celebrate Halloween for the very first time! He dressed up as Raphael from Ninja Turtles. I honestly wanted him to be Mickey Mouse since he is so obsessed with him, but all the costumes were thick and fuzzy and that just wouldn't work for my heater of a child. Of course he looked ADORABLE!

Obviously Alden had no idea as to what we were doing the whole time. At first he seemed a little reserved which probably had something to do with being surrounded by his cousins who didn't look anything like his cousins because they were in costumes.

We went to one house where the guy was giving out these light up necklaces that were big enough to where Alden would be able to play with it as a toy. The guy didn't want to give one to Alden though so daddy stepped in and saved the day. By saved the day, I mean he literally stood there blocking the line until the guy gave him one.

After that Alden was SO happy! He didn't give a crap about the candy but that necklace left him totally satisfied. We have been letting Alden taste the suckers and have bites of the chocolate, but lets be honest.. taking him trick or treating was just an easy way for mommy and daddy to get a bunch of FREE CANDY!

Alden now pumps his arm and says "YES!" when he gets super excited. He also loves dancing to Hotline Bling (Drake), Drag Me Down(One Direction), One In A Million (Joshua David Evans AKA JoshuaDTV), and The Hot Dog Song (Mickey and Friends). If any one of those songs comes on at any time, he stops everything and starts busting a move.

He is getting really good a balancing now so he doesnt really need a ledge to help him up. He can get up just placing his hands on the wall. He also like to walk along the edge of the bed, which lets me know any day now he is just going to start roaming about with no support! I will be needing prayers at that point because this boy is wild and mischievous on all fours, I can't even imagine how much wilder he will become when he is on 2 feet!

Hanging out on meemaw's driveway.

My peaceful little angel.

TURTLE POWER!

Celebrating our first Halloween as a family of 3.

Alden and his cousins.

Grandpa giving Alden a ride! 

That's all for this month guys! 

Thank you for reading!

Month 9

Hey Everyone!

Welcome back to another month! It feels like time is moving faster than I can keep up! I've been in such chaos mode at work that I have had NO time to make Alden's 9 month update and he is 2 weeks shy of being 11 MONTHS! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! This kid is growing way too fast! I mean really.. its almost his 1st birthday, and then it will be Christmas, and THEN IT WILL BE 2016!

Alden is starting to get in that phase where although he isn't saying words yet, he can mimic the sounds you make. So I hear what sounds like "Saydee" and "teta" a lot. He loves to dance to music and he LOVES to squeal! Sometimes so loud that it makes you think your ears might be bleeding!

He is constantly getting into EVERYTHING now. Oh and lets not forget that his way is the only way, and if you do not accept his way he throws a fit. I mean he is a baby right? Did I miss something? Did he magically swap brains with a 2 year old or something? Maybe this means when he is 2 he will be a precious little angel. That, or he will be WAY worse!

At his 9 month appointment he was 29 inches long and just shy of 20 pounds. I cannot believe how long of a baby he is!

We had a good 9th month of life. We celebrated daddy's birthday, went to his cousin's birthday party, looked absolutely adorable and bonded a little bit with the grumpiest dog on the planet.

Alden waiting on Grandpa to come pick him up!

Our little family.

It doesn't get any cuter than this!

Sunny accepts him as long as he isn't moving.

Well guys, that's it for this update. I think I may go ahead and do the 10 month update because we have Halloween to talk about! 

Thanks so much for reading!

Two For One: Months Seven & Eight

 

Hey Everyone!

Sorry its been FOREVER since I made a post. I've been super busy so not much time left for blogging. I thought I would go ahead and knock out 2 months in one.

Alden LOVES eating. Ever since we started him on solid foods he has turned into a beggar just like his furry siblings. In fact, if I am in the kitchen he is usually right there in his walker with all 3 of the dogs surrounding him. We pretty much offer him anything we are eating at this point, unless it is too spicy or crunchy. He hasn't shown any signs of pickiness at this point which is great because that makes feeding him easy.

He love his walker too, although the more experienced he gets, the more curious and brave he becomes.

I started having "play time" in his room everyday as well. We get all his toys out and he gets to do whatever with them. It keeps him entertained and lets me have some time to sit and relax for a minute A.K.A. look at my phone without Alden's little hands trying to steal it from me.

For the longest time Alden was just army crawling around or wining because he wanted to get somewhere and wasn't quite strong enough to get there without some help. Although he was just an army crawler, he would get where he needed to be and if it happened to be something he could pull himself up on, you better believe he would!

He still loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but now he also loves Bubble Guppies. I mean he LOVEEESSSSS Bubble Guppies!

He's been fighting his sleep more and more, however generally during the day he just kind of drops his toys lays down and crashes out.

Alden can now wave and clap too!

He also got to watch his first official Cowboys game! He slept thought most of it, but when he was awake he would clap when everyone else would clap and it was SO funny!

That's about it for these 2 months. My 9 month update will be much more interesting.

Now onto the pictures...

7 months:

8 months:

Thanks guys for reading! :) I'm going to try and stay on top of things going forward. I may even start doing Vlogs instead which I think would be more interesting because you guys would be able to SEE him growing and learning new things rather than just visualizing it through my words.

Month Six...

Hey Guys!

Yet another month has passed so here we are again.
Alden is at that age where he is starting to become extra curious. Not only is he extra curious, but if he wants something he will figure out how to get to it, even if that means scooting like a caterpillar. It is mostly adorable, but sometimes it can be annoying.

He has become VERY vocal. He has been making the typical baby sounds for a while now. He started making ba sounds and so of course Chris and I were in a competition to see if he would say ma ma or da da first. I WON! :) I had a little chat with him about how since he looks nothing like me, he should at least give me this one thing. He didn't let me down either. I was so happy and excited.

Alden has recently started throwing temper tantrum like scenes when he wants to be held. I sometimes look around to see where the two year old is who is exercising their right to the terrible twos phase. He is happy and chill most of the time, but if he isn't oh you better believe he will let you know.

Alden got to celebrate his first 4th of July this year, however he slept through the fireworks. I was really excited to see how he would react, but he conked out on us. My husband's family actually pop their own fireworks every year since they live in the country. Its always a fun time since they always buy sparklers and roman candles for the kids. I was ready to see if Alden would be scared or excited. Oh well, there is always next year!

At Alden's 6 month check-up he was 16.15 pounds and 28 inches long! What a big boy he is becoming.

You know I never thought that I could love him more than the day he was born, but I feel like each month that passes I love him just a little more. Every time he reaches for me to pick him up, gives me a kiss without me asking for one, says mama, laughs, smiles at me when I pick him up after work, my hearts fills up a little bit more. At this rate my heart is going to explode before he is even a year old.

OK.. now is the time where I go on a rant. Now that Alden's hair is growing out and the bald patches are growing in, It seems more and more people call him girl! I do not freaking get it! Just yesterday at the store TWO people called him a girl. He was wearing black basketball shorts, a shirt that said "mommy's little ninja" blue and green tennis shoes and blue sunglasses. It baffles me that people confuse him with a girl. I get it that he has a lot of hair, but he is not the first boy baby in history with long hair. SO ANNOYING! Do any other mommy's of boys get annoyed when this happens to them or is it just me?

On that note...IT'S PICTURE TIME!

 Oh hey sweet man!

 

 Waiting to see the Dr.

 

 First 4th Of July for Alden and for us as a family of 3.

 

 My little baby model.

 Alden's BEST FRIEND!

Thank you guys for reading this month! I think I may upload a bonus blog post this week or next week. We'll see what time permits. :)