{31 Days of Blogging} Day 31 - Why do I do what I do?

This was another prompt that I was really looking forward to writing. Warning: This may get to be a long post! :)
Why do I blog? Well, the answer to this question has changed since I began this blog. When I first started blogging, I was entering giveaways galore. So often when entering giveaways, you can get extra entries by writing a blog post. For the giveaways I was entering, I wanted as many extra entries as I could hoping that I could win some cloth diapers for LJ and other nice goodies. So, I started blogging for extra entries. Looking at my first posts, you can see that plain as day.

Free images from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Then I realized that I really liked blogging. I wanted to share my life with others online. I started blogging more about life in our house. This was very therapeutic at times. My love of cloth grew during this time too. I wanted to share cloth with the world. At least the small part of the world that found my blog. I wanted to advocate the products I love. Share my experiences good and bad.
I like love to write. I love the community of people that blogging brings together. I love reading the stories from other moms. I love finding and building relationships with other moms and caregivers out there who have shared in some of the experiences I have had. I love sharing about my life. I have found blogging to be a wonderful outlet for so many different aspects of life. Yes, blogging as made it possible to try out some great products for free, but that is not my main reason for doing so. I am trying to give my family the best life I can. At times, blogging as given me the chance to vent and stay sane, and other times it has offered me other options to problems I face. Blogging has given me a wonderful outlet. I love blogging. I am so glad that I started this and I look forward to keeping at it for some time.

Photo by: planetofsuccess.com

Now, on to closing up this great challenge. I can't believe that it has been a month of blogging ever day. The time did go by quickly. There were days when really, I just wasn't feeling the prompt or did not have the time needed to write the best post possible. There is still one post that I have yet to do even. The Fridge post. Part of me hates the idea of showing off my fridge as it is a disaster. Also, I haven't really had the time to work on the post. It will be up, eventually. Now that I will not be working to keep up with the challenge prompts, I can go back to it and work more on it. Hopefully in a few days you will see it. I hope you have enjoyed the little posts that have come each day. I have enjoyed writing the posts. I do hope to not fall off of the frequent posts quite so much. I know it might not be every day, but I am going to try for posting a few times a week.

Until next time.... Happy Blogging!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 30 - My Makeup Bag

Let me start by saying that since I stopped modeling, I have hardly ever worn make-up. I have a very large bag (think an over night bag) that is filled with all sorts of make-up from my make-up obsessed days. Yes, I know this is all pretty much expired. I hate feeling like I am throwing away money. 

Anyway, I have a pretty small clutch now that has just what I will actually use in it. I have a sponge on concealer/foundation pressed powder. I have a set of eye shadows that has the high lighting shadow, plus the one pink and neutral tones (light and dark) for the smokey eye. I have a lipstick that will last all day in a pink shade. To be honest, I do not even know if I have blush in there or not. I believe I might since that is something I cannot go without if I am truly putting on my face. That has held on since the modeling days. I do have a brown eye pencil in there as well. 

Between modeling and being in guard in school, make-up and playing with it was a big part of my life in junior and senior high. Then I got over it and didn't wear any make-up for years. I wore very little on my wedding day. Now, I put on a little if I want to feel a bit more dressy when going out with Hubby or getting mommy time away from the kids. I am happy that Hubby loves me when I don't wear any make-up. He doesn't care for it. That makes life much easier, I must say!

Until next time... Happy Face Making!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 29 - Oh the Places You'll go.

Now, that we have talked about trips we are planning, let's talk about places I have already traveled to. 

Today we are focusing on places we have been to. I have been a few places. Some have been with school, others with family or friends. Each one fun and memorable in its own way.

I have been to US places like:

• Texas
• Maine
• New Jersey
• New York
• Florida - Yes, this will be my 5th time at Disney

I have also been to more international locals:

• London and Harrogate England
• Scotland
• Nova Scotia and St. Catherines, Canada
• The Carribean - Our cruise took us to four different ports of call.

Travelling can be so much fun. The key is to not let yourself stress about the little things. Enjoy the journey and the destination. Fretting about all the little things on your trip will make it no fun at all. Also, leave time for fun, not just plans. 

Until next time... Happy Travels!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 28 - Great Expectations

Today's post is quite an easy one for me. Truly, I have talked about it a lot lately. When asked what I would be looking forward to, I bet many of you could answer easy.
Q: What AM I looking forward to?






A: Disney!!!!!!
Oh, yes, we are all really looking forward to our Disney World trip this fall. Okay, well, the kids aren't so much but that is because we are not talking about it with them yet. That would be too much for LJ, I think. We still have months to go before the trip and that would be a long time of anticipation for a 4 year old. When I say we are really looking forward, I mean me, Hubby, Mommom and Pop. Okay, I am not even sure how excited Pop is, but he doesn't always show his emotions much.


See, I told you this would be a super easy post for me. I am going to keep it short seeing as I have been talking about it to much. Much of what I would tell you here, I have already written in other posts. I don't want to bore.


Until next time... Happy Trip Planning!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 27 - Food, Glorious Food!

Sorry, again I was compelled to break into song when writing the blog title. I tend to have random one line lyrics running through my head, so they pop up whenever they find their chance.
Anyway, today I want to post one of my all-time favorite recipes. Now, this has changed, been added to in the past, but it is such a comfort food for me and now Hubby. I make this mostly during winter months and also when I can get cabbage on the cheap.

Cabbage and Noodles
1 Sm. head of Cabbage, chopped to desired bite size
    - Mom has used a food processor in the past to quicken the chopping
1 lb box of Noodles - pick your fav. shape
1 lb bacon - chopped to bite size
1 sm to med onion chopped - optional


Prepare noodles to al dente, drain, and set aside. (I tend to be working on the other steps while the water comes to a boil and then noodles cook)
Cook bacon, drain, set aside. You can reserve some of the drippings to add flavor and moisture to next step.
In large pot, cook down the cabbage (and onion) to tender, using drippings or oil to help with sticking. If you are wanting to cut down on some dishes, I use the noodle pot for this, while the bacon and noodles sit together in a bowl. 
Combine all ingredients into the large pot. Mix well. Set the temp on the stove to low. Allow to sit and get all kinds of happy for a few hours, until supper time. Stir every once in a while to make sure nothing is sticking to your pot bottom. 


We started adding the onion just to add another little bit of flavor to the dish. We like it. Also, have fun with what kind of bacon you use, applewood smoked, thick cut, double smoked, etc. To help us save even more money on this dish, we have found a local butcher who sells bacon scraps (the parts he just can't use on his regular bacon, odds and ends). They are much cheaper than buyer a pound of bacon, so I buy these instead (buying like a pound and a quarter helps if you end up with more fat and meat).

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 26 - The "olden" days

This is just a mean prompt. It forced me to go back to childhood pictures to find one that I would actually allow to be posted on the internet. lol. Then I had a brainstorm. I have family and friends on facebook who have posted older pictures of me. I went looking at them. :) This would make my job a bit easier. I actually found one that was already online and wasn't too terrible. So, here you go...

This was taken at my "Aunt's" house in NY when I was obviously pretty young. I have Aunt in quotes only because she is not by blood, but close enough. My mom and her have been such close friends since before I was born. That is her son and pup in the picture with me and my doll.

Until next time... Happy Reminiscing! 

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 25 - Blogger Love

Today I want to share some blogger love. There a bunch of bloggers out there. While I tend to look at many blogs across the blogosphere, there are a few that I tend to open up every email I get to look at their posts. Here are just some of those great blogs out there...

1. Double Duty Mommy
2. Happily Domestic
3. The Mommy Times
4. Dirty Diaper Laundry
5. RaisingMy5Sons
6. A Year with Mom and Dad
7. Mama Dweeb
8. Mom Spotted
9. Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House
10. A Mom's Balancing Act

These are some great blogs, really. I also follow these wonderful ladies on my facebook. I know that today the prompt was for 5 of my top blogs, but these are my ten. 

Until next time... Happy Blog Reading!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 24 - Kids Books

I was trying to think of what my favorite book was when I was a kid. To be honest, I had a bit of trouble with that at first, I couldn't think of anything that I would read over and over. Then it hit me, that I was being silly about not remembering. 

I was hooked on Dr. Seuss. I love his books! I think maybe the all time favorite might be the Sleep Book. But Green Eggs and Ham is also totally awesome. :)  We had many Seuss books, and we still do. I did have to pack many of them away when moving from my parents' house and yes, many did not get unpacked, but that is okay. My kids have some of the books out and they do like them. It would be awesome for them to grow up loving Seuss as much as their mommy did. 

Until next time... Happy Reading!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 23 - My Dream Job

This is always a fun topic. When I was growing up, my dream jobs were model, nurse, and mother. I wanted to be all three of these things all at one time. I figured I would be a nurse, and that would help me be a better mommy. I would model like on the weekends or something. I had it all figured out, really. Oh, and I think teacher was in there too. 

Then I wanted to be a teacher. First, elementary, then when college came around, I thought about it and realized that Secondary English was a little more my speed (mostly the creative writing aspect). I really enjoyed that, throughout college I kept on my teacher track, though thoughts would creep in that made me question if I would truly love my job. 

Now, I have my true dream job. I would not change it for the world. I am so grateful for my job. What is my job? Mom. Better yet, wife and mother. Two of the best jobs in the world to me. Yes, there are times when my kids can drive me crazy, but these years and tantrums will not last. I am getting to spend each day watching my two beautiful children grow up. I have been here for their firsts. I do not have to dread taking them to a day care and miss them when I am working at a job that I may not like all that much. I cherish these days. This is my dream job!

What is your dream job?

Until next time... Happy Dreaming!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 22 - Best Happenings

After the other day and focusing on things that have happened that have been low points in life, today I am happy to focus on more positive times. It is hard to believe that we are already on day 22 of this challenge. What are some of the best things to happen this year? It is hard to say really. If I just look at the calendar year, one great thing was celebrating BG's first birthday. Then about one month later we celebrated my birthday. Then a little over a month after that, LJ turned 4.
Some of the best things for this year are yet to come. We have really gotten into the thick of planning our Disney trip that will happen this fall. We are working hard to not talk about it too much with LJ around because we do not want him to start getting too excited now, and then when it really comes time to go, he is like "this isn't anything new." We are going to wait until the Monday before we leave to truly get the two little ones really amped up about it. We are going to get our RV on Friday and then leave really early Saturday, that the kids will probably sleep in the camper. :) That should be really fun.

So, we have had some good times so far, and we have even more great times to come, Lord willing. :) What are some of the greatest times you have had so far this year?

Until next time... Happy Living!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 21 - My favorite foods

I love food. :) So, what are my favorite foods? Oooo, this post will make me hungry I am sure!

1. Cabbage and Noodles
2. Tuna Noodle
3. Asparagus
4. Pasta
5. Mashed potatoes
6. Chocolate
7. Reese's cups
8. Bacon
9. Crab legs
10. A really good steak :) 

Of course that took like no time at all to list off some of my fav. foodie things. I could keep going on things I love if I really tried. 

Until next time... Happy eating!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 20 - Bumps in Life

Everyone will face a difficult time in their life. One thing that can help when those times hit, is not keeping it all inside. There have been many times in my life that have been difficult. 

I think I would have to say that the one moment that trumps the others is when my father passed. I was six years old. He had been sick for maybe about a year. Truly, how long, I do not remember, I was six. Time is very scewed at that age. I remember him being in the hospital and us traveling to my grandparents' house on the weekends so that we could go visit him. Pop-pop was a doctor, Nanny, a nurse. Pop-pop worked at Abington hospital so that is where Dad stayed. That meant that we could stay with Nanny and Pop-pop (save on hotel bills) and visit dad. I remember waking one morning while staying at Nanny and Pop-pop's, I saw mom and my sister sitting on the couch already. When I went over, my mom told me that Dad had passed in the night. Days were a blur. My entire first grade class sent me sympathy cards, I read them often. I remember wondering where the casket was during the memorial service. It rained at the cemetery. He was 39 and spent his last birthday in the hospital. I gave him wrist/ankle weights. His one niece was born three days before he passed. The date was 10/14/89. 

Photo of Dad on a shirt my sister wore during a dance marathon

What made my dad pass so young? Smoking. He started in his mid teens or so. Yes, he did start to cut back in the very later years, but the damage was done. He got lung cancer. It spread throughout his body. In the end, he needed to be tied into bed or he would wake, disoriented and try pulling out IVs and such. I was shielded from much of the bad stuff. 

That was the hardest time in my life. MY biggest bump in life. It may have been 23 or so years ago, but it still hurts. Looking into the eyes of that picture brings tears. One point of solace? My son is the spitting image of my father. My father lives in him. 

Until next time.... reminiscing....

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 19 - My Collections

I have collected many things over the years. At one time I collected stamps, tea cups, cordials, and shot glasses.
Now, many of these collections have been stored or released into others' loving hands. Now it seems that I tend to collect fabric. Now, I do claim some of this for my business reasons, but really, I know I have more than I might really need for Lynifer.

This is how I want to eventually get all of my fabric stash. Right now, most of it does NOT look like this. I am going to give you a peek into what most of it looks like at the moment...

I try to keep it in some form of fold, but really, it isn't uniform and if it isn't a shirt, it is usually folded the way the store folds it. 

That is my current collection of sorts. :) 

What do you collect?

Until next time... Happy Collecting!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 18 - What's in a Name?

Names say so much. But what is really in a name? What is in the name of this blog?
Well, I can at least answer the one about my blog. :) The Primary reason for the name, my business. I originally looked at this blog as a means to not only blog about life, but mostly promote my busniess, talk about what I was working on, and the like.
Now that begs the question, why Lynifer?

When in high school I began what has become my best friendship. We are like sisters. We grew to feel like sisters from very early on in the friendship too. My best friend would always call my Lynifer. When I was coming up with something to call my business, and then my blog, this one always stayed with me. Not only is it what my girl always called me, but it always felt fitting that she called me this because it was also a mash of the name I was born with. I have had many last names (well, three but that is plenty) but I was born an Onifer. I no longer held that as my last name come the fourth grade, but not it is again part of my name. It partly names my business and my blog.
Not only do I think of my best friend every time I see or think of my blog, I think of my father, and my family.

Now I ask.... What is in your name?


Until next time... Happy living!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 17 - My Proudest Moment

Happy and proud are two very different things. In my relatively young life, I haven't had a ton of "proudest" moments. I am going to tell you my happiest and possibly proudest moments in one.

My first happiest moment is my wedding day. I married my best friend. On our wedding day, we had been dating for 6 years. We were engaged for 4 years (so we could both finish college). Much of that day is a blur truly. I remember bits and pieces, but all I know is that it was such a happy day. Hubby and I were completely ready for it. Nerves weren't really a part of it at all.

My second happiest moment: giving birth to my son.
That leads right to my third moment: the birth of my daughter. These two events need no explanation or more words. Every mother knows what I was feeling, I am sure.

BG shortly after birth. 

Now, for proud moments. I guess maybe graduating was a "proud" moment. I only ever walked for my high school graduation. I didn't walk after college because I graduated in summer and didn't want to walk surrounded by strangers. Those I had done most of my schooling with were graduating a different time.
Another moment I may have been proud would be when we signed the papers for our first house.

I want to qualify this post. For me it is very hard to say that I have been proud about many things. I attribute this to my faith. Pride is not something that should be part of a Christian's life. I have trouble distinguishing between being proud, or happy about something that has happened or I have done, and pride. I know that much of this may be in my head, but I don't really have any other head to use for reasoning, now do I? :) I don't know that I have ever really had that moment of truly feeling proud about an accomplishment or anything like that. I am just being as honest as possible.


Until next time... Happy memory making!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 16 - My Bucket List

So, I don't entirely have a bucket list. I just try to enjoy each day that is given to me. There are things I think would be awesome to do some day, but I never really thought of it as a Bucket List. That means that when asked what is on top of my bucket list, I have to pause a moment to think of what I would want to do most before I die. I don't know that I have a top per se. 

So, for this post I am going to list some things I would love to do or see happen before I leave this earthly body. 

• Travel around Europe with the family
• Road trip across the US. 
• Visit Alaska
• See more of Canada
• See my kids get married to their soulmate
• Meet my grand-children
• See my kids growing in the Lord
• See my children be baptized (we do not do infant baptism at our church, but adult baptism)
• Have Lynifer grow large enough and have a storefront

I am sure as this post brews in my mind, I will be able to think of other things I would like to add to it. Of course the family related items top the list when it really comes down to it. 

What tops your bucket list?

until next time... Happy list making and doing!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 15 - My "daily" timeline

Each looks a little different, but I will give you a look into what today looked like for me.

Let me actually start from midnight on.
~1230a or so BG woke for the second time in 2 hours. She nursed and went back to bed.
~530 LJ had a bad dream of some description. He "woke" yelling and screaming, but when asked what happened, I could not understand anything he said due to him not really being awake. This of course woke BG seeing as they share a room. Nursing didn't fully work, so into our bed she comes.
800 LJ woke up for the morning and came into our room for snuggles and some TV. This is also the time we take to have some milk and, today, get ready for school (Tuesdays and Thursdays until the 22nd).
830 - get on shoes and start heading out the door
900 - School starts for LJ. BG and I headed to the store after a brief trip home for mommy to change out of her soaked shoes.
1130 - pick up LJ from school
1200p - Meet Daddy at a nearby chinese place for lunch.
1245ish - head home from lunch and start naptimes.
1300-1500 ish (this is when we work on naptimes or at least a rest period for LJ each day)
1530 - Hubby heads home from work. We chill out as a family. Today that meant watching Pleasantville.
1800 - Dinner time. Tonight was a night to empty the fridge of some left overs, including those from lunch today.
2000 - Bedtime. I get LJ ready for bed and Daddy gets BG ready. For LJ this means, potty time, brush teeth, feed fish, jammies, story, then lights out with scary spray and I turn on his music. Daddy takes BG into our room where she gets a new diaper, jammies, and then he lays with her while she has some of a bottle of milk and falls asleep. He then takes her over to her crib in the kids' room.
I am hoping that she sleeps better tonight and doesn't really wake until it is AM.

If we don't have school we tend to just chill around the house and play and what not. I will try to catch up on emails when I can (naptimes are perfect for this) and work around the house as much as possible, which isn't always the much.
We always love when Hubby gets to come home. Some nights we stay in and other we go out to window shop or out to dinner.
That is my day. What does yours look like?


Until next time... Happy Living!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 13 - My Earliest Memory

I am trying to think of what some of my earliest memories are and how old I may have been when they happened. At this point I can just go by where I was living when I have these memories. There are a few that stick out in my mind from our first house. We moved from my first house to our second house when I was 5 years (and 1 month). So, I am going to recall a few of my earliest memories, and they are all from our first house and when my dad was still alive.
I can remember one time I started walking down the stairs into our basement and sat on a step when I heard my sister and my dad in the basement. All I remember then is my dad gave my sister a big hug and she picked him up off the floor. Now what you have to remember is that my sister is only 4 years older than I am and I moved from that house when I was 5. My dad was 5'5" and about 110 lbs, in his 30s. I love the relationship my dad had with my sister. He really did love her like his own. This little moment always stuck with me, and I am glad it did. I don't know why it stuck in my mind as much as it has, but I love it.
My second memory is that of the very large evergreen tree in the front of our house catching fire. My sister and I were sitting having mac n cheese for dinner. My dad was cleaning up and my mom was out at a dinner for her work. I believe our neighbor called or came over and told us that there was a fire out front (we didn't really have a view of the front from our kitchen). My dad and our neighbor's one son began filling large pots and whatever they could with water and taking them out front to the fire while they waited for the fire department. My dad wanted us to finish up our dinner and then go out the back door to our neighbor's house (the other side of the twin we lived in). In the almost panic of the situation, my sister almost forgot herself and began to head for the front door when leaving after putting her dish in the sink. She was quickly reminded to go out the back. :) The fire department never did figure out how the fire started. We are so happy that the house was not affected. Limbs of that tree were literally inches from our porch roof, but nothing even singed any part of our house.
Now for my final memory for today. We lived in one half of a twin. The front and back porches were split by half walls. We were very close to our neighbor who was a the best older Italian woman ever. We all loved her. Routinely we would cross over the half wall in order to go visit. One day when I was heading over the wall of our back porch, I fell backwards. Please note that the walls and porches were made from cement. Cement porches and 4 year old (or whatever age I was) heads do not mix very well. My head hit the porch, and I believe it may have even bounced. My dad was holding me as we drove to the hospital. On the way I began to doze and my dad was doing everything to keep me awake. As part of that memory I remember laying in a dimly lit room with Disney pictures on the wall. I was there for quite some time and it was to the point I swore the animals and people in the pictures were moving and even talking to me.

Those are three of my earliest memories. I don't know which one happened first or last. Knowing that we were in our old house is all I can base the timing on.

Until next time... Happy Memories!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 14- If I won the Lottery

I really like daydreaming. We do it often about improvements we would like to make to our house. My parents have it all planned on what they would do if they won the lottery, that is also because they actually play the lottery sometimes. We do not, though I have been very tempted at times when it gets really big.
Okay, so what would I do if I won? The first thing we would do is pay off our house and Hubby's parents who helped us with the house. Then we would be making some of those improvements we dream about to make this house more of our home. It would also be more energy efficient too (think new windows).
I also want to help out family with their mortgages and such. We would see where they could really use the money and help them out. Our church would also get a good donation. We would also put some of that money into the kids' bank accounts. We already having accounts for each child, and then they would just be healthier. :)
Of course all of our daydreaming remains just that as we don't play the lottery. If we ever did and won, how much we could do would then depend on the size of the winnings.
That is what I would do if I won the lottery.

What would you do if you won? Tell us all in the comments.


Until next time... Happy Daydreaming!

Oh the things I learned Thursday night!

Thursday night was an interesting one. LJ decided as we were pulling into the shopping center where we were going for dinner that he wanted Friendly's instead of our usual Chinese buffet. All of the adults were not opposed to the idea, so we went there instead. As we were leaving dinner, BG decided that waiting in line with Pop, she wanted to sit down on the floor. Still holding onto Pop's hand and trying to sit, is not a good idea. Really.
Once back on her feet, she began crying and would not stop. And it wasn't her "you didn't let me do what I wanted" cry either. It seemed like something was wrong. After a minute or two went by, I realized she wasn't using her arm and she was still crying. Pop took her to the car to get her strapped into her seat and we were close behind, having paid the bill. Once in her seat, she still wouldn't use the arm, and cried if it did move. All this crying that is not usual for my BG made my Mother-in-law decide we needed to have her checked out. Not knowing if the local urgent care could handle little ones or have the equipment needed, Pop headed to the local ER.
We had to wait a while before getting into triage which was fun with a child who screamed any time her arm moved, but still wanted to walk around and carry things with her other hand. We were sent to a special part of the waiting area from triage because all the rooms were full but they wanted to take x-rays, not knowing if it was a dislocated shoulder or what. The triage nurse did mention that one thing it could be is something with her elbow. I didn't think was it because BG would move her elbow a little but not her shoulder. It seemed that she cried when the shoulder moved but not always the elbow. We were taken back into the ER rooms and then shortly someone came to take us to x-ray, but on our way the doc showed up and said she wanted to check out BG before x-ray. She might not need them.
After examining BG for mere moments, my baby was fixed. As it turned out, it was her elbow. What exactly was it? Nursemaids elbow. Lamens terms: a partial dislocation of the elbow joint.
Apparently this can be fairly common in young children. Their bones are still forming and ligaments are loose. A tug or pull of the arm can cause the radius to slip from its position and become jammed in the ligament that surrounds it and holds it to the ulna.
Nursemaids elbow is easily fixed, but needs to be done by a medical professional. The doctor in the ER was able to quickly put things back into place and knew it was better when she felt the elbow pop into place. The pain that BG had and lack of movement were resolved within minutes of the doctor popping the bones back into place.
This can happen in children from 1-4 years of age. This means there are a few things you don't want to do with young kids as it could cause the elbow to dislocate.

• Swinging children by the arms, like while at play.
• Pulling a child up by the arms. Lift from under the armpits instead.
• Jerking a child's arm. 
• A child breaking their fall with their arm could cause dislocation as well as
• Awkwardly rolling over (usually just in infants and very young children).

I hope you have found this post a little helpful. Do not be affraid to tell the medical staff how the injury really happened. They see this injury often, and the doc in the ER said many times parents will actually lie thinking they will get in trouble with abuse and such. This happens. Accident happen. If you tell the truth of the injury, you could save yourself medical costs, like x-rays and such.

* Much of the information I learned of this topic came from the print outs we received from the hospital and from Wikipedia and KidsHealth.org.

Until next time... Happy Living it up with Kiddos!

Happy Mother's Day!

I want to wish all of my readers and their mothers a very Happy Mother's Day. We are either one or we have one. Some day you may become one. In one way or another we are all affected by Mother's Day. Whether your mom is with you or you wish she still were, take this day to think back on all of the good times you spent with your mother. All of the good times you have been a mother or like a mother to someone.

Source: andreasteed.com via Emily on Pinterest

Thank you to my mom for being such a great mom. To my mother-in-law for being such an awesome mother-in-law and not the cliche stereotype. To my sister, you are such an awesome mom and I know your boys love you for it.

Happy Mother's Day!

Challenge Posts postponed

The next one or two Challenge prompted posts may not be posted the days they are to be. Many things have been going on in our house including Hubby being away, and I need to focus on other things than the blog for the time being. I will be back as soon as I can be. The posts will eventually be posted, I have them started, but they will not be finished for their designated days.

Until then....Enjoy time with your family!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 11 - My Favorite Things

I will try to keep this from sounding like the song from "The Sound of Music," though it was/is running through my head when I think of the prompt for this post....

Just like 20 facts about myself, 15 of my favorite things... I just don't know where to go with this. So, that is your warning that I might be a little all over with it. In no particular order...

1. The way my children smile when they see their Daddy when he comes home from work.
2. The way my son says "I love you" any time he wants to say it to me or Hubby. 
3. Getting cozy in front of a fire on a cold winter's day/night. 
4. Tea Cooler (Lemonade and Iced Tea together) [told you it would be all over]
5. Coke
6. Sleeping in
7. Mornings when we can spend as much time as we want as a family in "Mommy and Daddy's bed."
8. Having some great conversation with other moms 
9. Taking pictures of my family and friends
10. Watching my children grow and learn and become their own being
11. Making and eating some of our family's favorite comfort foods
12. Spending time with my family (immediate, extended, and in-law sides)
13. Finding new things to try (recipes, games, electronics, foods, etc.)
14. Writing
15. Blogging :)

"When the dog bites,

When the bee stings,

When I'm feeling sad;

I simply remember my favorite things,

And then I don't feel so bad." ~Maria, The Sound of Music

I had to put that in. :) Those are my favorite things, as I could think of them when I was working on this post.  I hope you enjoyed today's rendition of the 31 Day Blogging Challenge going on with Boy Oh Boy.

What are your favorite things?

Until next time... Go and enjoy Your favorite things!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 10 - Let's Get Physical!

Yes, when thinking of the title for this post, I started singing a little bit in my mind. I don't know that I have really ever heard the entire song, Physical by Olivia Newton-John,  but this one line sticks in my head every time. But this is completely off topic.
Today Boy Oh Boy has given the challenge of posting about our best physical feature. Before I have told you that I can be overly critical of myself. Judging pysical features is the worst for me as I don't think I have really any great features. Hello very bad body image. We meet again.
If I had to pick my best feature, I would go with my eyes. I think the eyes say so much about a person. They are also one feature that stays the same for the longest on a person. You might not see a person for years, and much of their looks could change, but looking at their eyes can give them away.

I get many comments that I look exactly like my grandmother on my father's side. I think one thing that has me getting these comments are my eyes. To me, that makes me smile and happy. Her eyes were always smiling. She told many stories with her eyes. Even with all that she went through in life, her eyes smiled.

What do you think is Your best feature?


Until next time.... Happy Living!

Mother's Day Printables - Review and Discount

Mother's Day is just around the corner. I still can't believe we are in May already. I enjoy finding cute ways to celebrate the smaller "holidays." This year I have found some really great printables for mother's day. The great people over at Python Printable Games have come up with some great Mother's Day party games.
The packet of printables comes with 20 files. 20! You download the files right when you buy them, there is no shipping, no waiting (except for your internet connection). I loved all of the different games and trivia that came in the packet. The Mother's Day printables have a little something for everyone in the family too. There are scavenger hunts (one family oriented and the other just for mom and dad), crazy cookie recipes, coupons for mom and dad to use, trivia games galore and a lot more.
I think some of my favorite printables from this packet are the romantic coupons, the tidy up scavenger hunt, and the Mother May I? game. Really, each game in this party packet is great and will make for an awesome mother's day.
One thing I like about this packet of printables is that many of them are good for Mother's Day and beyond. You could use many of the games at almost any gathering. You don't have to limit yourself to just using these on Mother's Day.

You can follow Python Printable Games on Facebook and on Twitter.

Buy It: You can purchase the set of Mother's Day Party Games for $19.95. If you sign up for their newsletter, you will also get a 30 page game pack for FREE!

Use the code LYNIFER25 between now and the end of May and receive 25% OFF your order!

Until next time.... Happy Mother's Day!

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 9 - What are my worst habits?

Oh my, what some of these prompts don't make me divulge! A side challenge of mine, during this larger challenge, is to be totally honest with you, as I try to be always. I am not going to hide anything. So, this kind of post can be interesting. This is going to be a worst habits/biggest flaws post. Fun, fun.

• The first flaw is one that Hubby told our pastor when we first started our marriage counseling. His words were, "She is too nice. Almost to a fault." It is true. I have heard it many times. 
• I can also spend too much time on the computer. I love my computer time. Between emails, facebook (personal and blog), blogging, twitter (which I really don't use much), and now pinterest, I could spend almost all day on the computer if allowed. 
• Bad Habit 3: not spending enough time cleaning. I just don't really enjoy doing it and find ways to avoid it when I can. I do make sure my house will not make anyone sick, but I do not have a show house by any means. I like to have maybe close to a week to really do a big clean before I have guests over. Otherwise they get to see more of my mess. 
• Bad Habit 4: Not exercising. Again, I don't enjoy it. I try not to be a total couch potato, but going to a gym, or exercise videos at home just are not going to happen. I try to be active with my kids as much as I can. I don't think it helps though that I have so many physical barriers to exercising. 

That is about what I can come up with for now. I tried sticking to more habits than flaws. If I did flaws, I would probably come up with so many more as I can be very self critical. I guess you could say that is another bad habit, if you call it a habit.

Until next time.... Happy Living!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 8 - What is in my Purse?

My purse tends to be my diaper bag at the same time. That is because I am not about carry around a diaper bag for the two kids plus my purse. So, what exactly do I tend to put in there? How about everything? Okay, yes, I will be more specific. 

There are obviously diapers and wipes. some days these are cloth and others they are disposable. I do like to use cloth, but there are many times that I find disposable diapers and wipes just are a little easier when out of the house. 

I also carry around my wallet. Some days this also includes my check book.

Seeing as BG is 15 months, sometimes there can still be those oh so not nice diapers and other messes requiring a change of clothes, so I try to keep a set in the bag. Sometimes, a change of underpants for big brother is also in the mix. He doesn't like if he sweats and his underpants feel damp. 

I tend to have a various conglomeration of snacks or treats for the kids. We are still trying to get LJ to fatten up any way we can, so I try to keep something he might like to munch on in the bag so if he says he is hungry, I can offer something. This will also include a cup for each kid so they can have a drink when they are thirsty. 

I keep a small container with some of LJ's medicine in our bag in case we are out of the house when it is time for him to take it. I want to make sure he takes it the same time each day (within ten minutes) so we keep it on schedule. 

Everything else is a random mishmash of things we collect throughout our day and travels. There might be napkins, little toys, extra dips, etc.

*I was planning on having a picture of my diaper bag/purse with this post, but that just is not happening by the end of this day. Words will have to suffice.

Until next time... Happy Living!

Disney Fever

Well, I cannot contain my enthusiasm much more. Mommom and Pop couldn't devote their time to planning our Disney World trip until they got back from taking a big trip with mommom's mom and sisters.
Guess what... that trip is over! They got back very very early Sunday morning (think 1am). This means we are going to start planning our big trip that is going to take place this fall.
I am so excited. I wish it would be here sooner! We are beginning to plan what Hubby and I will do to get the kids ramped up for the trip. I am thinking "the 60 days of Disney" personally. We would start 60 days before we leave and start by watching Disney movies like Snow White, Cinderella, etc. Then as we get closer, adding more to what we are doing to get ready for the trip. We aren't sure exactly what it will all look like but we are all just so excited we can't help but try to get the kids just as excited.
I just couldn't contain my excitement any longer.

Do you have big trips planned for summer or otherwise?

Until next time... Happy trip planning!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 7 - Pet Peeves

We all have them. Those little things that people do that just drive us crazy. Today's Blogging Challenge prompt is Pet Peeves, or as Boy Oh Boy says it, Pet hates. I have my fair share. You want to know the funny thing though, I know I have them, but when asked what they are, my mind tends to draw a blank. Luckily this time around, I have time to think about them. 

If you are following these posts, you may remember I went to school for Secondary English Education. Can you guess where I may be going with this? 

Source: Uploaded by user via Lynanne on Pinterest

Pet Peeve Number One: Those who ignore Simple Language Rules! Some examples would be.... "they're" "their" "there"..."it's" "its"... using the letters "ne" for "any"... and the like. I would sometimes say, run-on sentences and no capital letters, but I can be just as guilty as others for those offences.

Number Two: People who write on the computer in ALL CAPS. In computer/internet language, this is YELLING. I would much rather see no capital letters than all capital letters; to be quite honest.

Number Three: Fake people. Also, mean people. I usually just choose not to be around people that are going to be negative or do everything they can to just put on a facade and not show the real person inside. 

I am sure there are more than just those three, but for now, I am going to leave you with that.

Until next time... Happy Spelling!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 6 - My Senses

Today's prompt is an interesting one. What are my five senses right now?

See: I am seeing the mess of my bedroom. Today is a late post, so I am already up in my bedroom and posting from bed. Gotta love laptops! 

Hear: I am hearing the commercials on the channel that is showing one of my fav shows; Law & Order: SVU.

Feel: I am feeling my comfy cozy sheets and oh so comfortable bed. I love my bed. Of course, I would love it more if Hubby was next to me.

Smell: Not smelling very much right now. Happy to not be smelling diapers or that nonsense. I hate when the trash starts to smell. 

Taste: I am tasting the Rolo minis and Reeses' minis that I have been munching on. They are so tasty and very addicting!

Seeing as it is almost ten at night and BG was up before 6 this morning, I am going to make this post a short one. Night all!

Until next time... Happy Sensing!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 5 - Songs

I love music. I really do. I love singing on my church's worship team. But when it comes to my 10 favorite songs, I come up with a big blank face. I am wracking my brain to think of what I might call favorite songs at the moment.
I will say that my favorite radio station is 93.3 WMMR (out of Philadelphia, PA). It is classic rock. Their motto is "Everything that rocks." They do not stick to new, old, popular, etc. It is everything. If they think it rocks, or their listeners think it rocks, they play it.
Now, for songs, I am going to tend towards more religious mostly because that is what I can think of most when it comes to actual songs, but not all are Christian.
My list:

1. Angel - Aerosmith (Hubby would play this for me, as his song for me)
2. Revelation Song - Phillips, Craig and Dean
3. Who am I? - Casting Crowns
4. Be Merciful to Me - Caedmon's Call
5. Let Me Be
6. Mighty to Save - Laura Story
7. Everlasting God - Lincoln Brewster
8. Everything - Lifehouse
9. Why - Nicole Nordeman
10. Mighty to Save
11. I can Only Imagine
12. I'm Forgiven - Chris Tomlin
13. Lead me to the Cross - Hillsongs
14. Hallelujah Chorus - Handel
15. Hear the Call of the Kingdom
16. Thank you for Loving Me - Bon Jovi

Okay, yes, I know that I am listing more than 10. But once I get going into some of my favorite songs, I end up finding more that I really like too. I will admit that in order to make this list, I spent a bit of time on youtube to find titles and such. :)

Until next time... Happy listening!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 4 - Fears

Fears. Now that is one prompt that can really hit home with many people. Putting something like this into written word for the world to see can be intimidating. You are opening yourself up. Of course there are those that might choose not to do the prompt for today, or they may stay superficial in order to not become vulnerable. I am not sure how I want to approach it.

 Of course there is the obvious fears:

Image: Elwood W. McKay III / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

That is even the kind of spider that we have surrounding our house. We have large fields around our house and you can find Wolf Spiders everywhere. I really hate when they end up finding their way into our basement or porch.
Oh, and let me just say, looking through the photos to find a good spider picture for this post was really ick inducing.
But then I have more fears that really most people do not know about. There are even some that I don't think Hubby knows about. 
For one, I have always been afraid of the house I am sleeping in burning down. I would have nightmares growing up of waking to my room being engulfed in flames. If I wake in the night and smell anything out of the ordinary, I will have a lot of trouble going back to sleep for fear that whatever I am smelling will turn out being something to start a fire and I will wake to flames. 
So that leads to worries of what would I do, if that happened. I formulate escape plans and all that fun stuff. I think of how I would get to the kids the fastest and get them out the safest. 
I have some other fears too, and of course these fears lead to worries and anxieties. I have gotten better over the years, giving more of my worries and fears over to God. That is one place I am still trying to grow in my faith. 
Well, There you have it, my fears. That ends it for this day of my blogging challenge. 

What are some of your fears? Feel free to share them with us in the comments. 

Until next time... Happy Living!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 3 - Fav Quotes

Today is day 3. Can you guess the prompt based on the title of this post? :) I don't know that I really have a favorite quote. That made me think... what would I put in this post? 

So, Some of my favorite quotes would be:

You are loved more than you will ever know by someone who died to know you. - Romans 5:8 

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K. - Ted "Theodore" Logan

Yes, I know that last one is completely different from the first two. That is how I roll, I guess. If you want to see more of the sayings that I like and feel fit my life and where I stand, you can always check out my Pinterest Board of Sayings. If I find something I like that is a saying in picture form, it goes there, unless of course it is totally hilarious, then it goes on my funny board.
A little more background on the third quote...
First, the movie is very funny filled with great quotes. Second, there was a Circle K station within a quarter mile of our church. When we got married, my new brother-in-law decorated Hubby's car with shaving cream. He paints cars for a living, so he did a really nice job, but still... SHAVING CREAM! I think we scraped off some at the church or something, but then when we had to drive to Philadelphia that night we (Hubby, me, Maid of honor, and Best Man) stopped at the Circle K and worked to wash off the windows using the squeegees at the pumps. We all laughed tremendously as we did though and repeated this quote many times. Those working inside found it funny too and were also just wanting to congratulate us on our new marriage.
So, there you have it, some of my favorite quotes. I hope you enjoyed my rambles of the day.

What are some of your favorite quotes?

Until next time... Happy Quoting! 

Ah the Nights of Mommy

This post has been written in two parts. The first, very early in the morning, middle of the night to many. The second, mid day, while my little ones nap. 

I am typing this post at 1am. Yes, I am up at 1am. Do I want to be? NO. It has seemed that good, solid, restful sleep is alluding BG these past two nights. She has not wanted to fall asleep using the usual bedtime routine and once we do put her up in her crib, she is waking rather often.
I am thinking that although she just cut two teeth last week, she may be cutting more. It is either that, or she is having a growth spurt that is causing her pain. Either way, the Tylenol I gave her before bed, does not seem to be helping her sleep through this night. She woke up probably about midnight, and we have ended up downstairs with her in the swing. I am hoping to move her shortly, but we shall see.

Ah, what a night! I did try moving her shortly after I stopped writing this post. It did not work. She was awake within steps from the swing. I did lay with her on the couch for a while and she fell back to sleep. Again I did try moving her and she woke once again. All told, I believe we were in this cycle of sleeping and moving and waking until 2 something. Then she was up around 4? and then 6 or 7 something. The last time she woke after Hubby had gone to work, I brought her into bed with me where she promptly feel back to sleep and we both snoozed until brother came in and woke up after 8. Really, I lost all track of times and the number of wakings. With all the wakings and crying in her sleep, I was dreaming of her sleeping as soundly as she was in the picture above.
With two fairly sleepless nights in a row, mommy is getting decently worn out. I do hope that whatever is causing this sleeplessness resolves quickly. Who knows, it may even be something that is brought up at her well check tomorrow afternoon. Maybe we will see new teeth in that mouth of hers. Time will tell. For now, thank you for listening to the ramblings of this tired mommy.

Until next time... Happy Sleeping!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 2 - 20 Facts

Today is day two of the Blogging Challenge that I am joining. Today's prompt? 20 Facts about yours truly. I will admit that when things like this are asked, I really don't know where to go with the facts. So, with that in mind, let's see where this post takes us....

1. I am currently 29 years old. 
2. I have been with my husband for 12 1/2 years. 
3. We have two children 4 years and 15 months.
4. Unknowingly Hubby and I moved into our family homes within a month of each other. 
5. I spent all of my schooling years in the same school district. 
6. Growing up I wanted to be a mommy, teacher, and nurse, all at the same time. 
7. I later decided nursing was out when I found I really don't like blood all that much and HATE needles.
8. I went to college for Secondary English Education (was originally thinking elem. ed. but changed that too)
9. My first job I started when I was 14 and held for over ten years.
10. My first teaching job was an ESL aide that lasted less than a year when my students both moved.
11. I lost my dad when I was 6 years old, he died of lung cancer.
12. My son knows three great grandmothers and three great grandfathers. 
13. I love sewing almost anything I can think of or find an idea for. 
14. I am really running out of facts to put down already.
15. I credit Hubby with saving me as God put him in my life when I needed it most. If we hadn't met when we did, I am not sure I would be here today.
16. I have suffered from depression and anxiety. While one has gone, I struggle with the other a few times each year. 
17. We are not sure if we are done having children or not. Some days, I say more, and others I say, NO MORE!
18. I love blogging, and wish I made more time for it.
19. I have big dreams for my business, Lynifer. (yes I know that was a shameless plug)
20. I really hope I can keep up with this Challenge, and for me it will be a challenge.

I hope you enjoyed those 20 facts about me. Like I said, I really never quite know where to go when asked for facts about me. I usually like more direction or I tend to ramble. :) 

Until next time... Happy Living!

{31 Days of Blogging} Day 1 - Intro

Hi all! Today is May first and that means day 1 of the 31 Days of Blogging Challenge with Boy oh Boy. Today's prompt is "Introduction and Recent Photo." The intro is easy, the photo, well, that is another story. :)
My name is Lyn. I am a stay at home mom/ work at home mom. I married my high school sweetheart on our 6th dating anniversary. We were engaged for 4 years while I went to college, getting married the November after graduation. We will be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary this year.
We have two wonderful children, a boy, LJ, and a little girl, BG. I have heard people call it a rich man's family, but adding a girl, in my book, makes it a poor man's family, seeing as boy can having a little girl get expensive. :::tee, hee::: We don't know if we are done having children yet. Some days, I think at least one more might be in the cards, and then other days, my angels become monsters, and I say I am done having kids. I know all families have those moments though. I do think that my kids are actually pretty darn well behaved over all.
I started my own little business of sorts when my first child was in his first year of life. If you can imagine it, I will try to sew it. My business is called Lynifer, which is the nickname my best friend used to call me in high school. She is like a sister to me, and was my maid of honor, so it seemed fitting to use that nickname.

I guess now it is time to move from the intro to the "recent photo." I am usually the one behind the camera. There is a reason for that and that reason is that I tend to really hate photos of me. This photo is from our most recent trip to Sear's photo studio for some Christmas pictures. I have had some people say that this was a pretty good picture of me, so I guess I will use it. :)

Fighting Mommy Burnout

This year is flying right on by. We have been so busy, I don't know where the time is going. The end of April and now the beginning of May is meaning Hubby is out of town more than either of us would like. After being so busy and not really having time to unwind or be a couple, now he is gone for work.

(pardon the blur, but fussy kids rarely stop for clear pictures to be taken)

Being a stay at home mom is a job I love and would not change for the world. One of the biggest things with it though is mommy burnout. Now, I am not saying that working moms do not get mommy burnout, or dads (working or stay at home), but I cannot speak from those angles. I can only speak from the SAHM angle, because, well, that is what I am. I think every parent can attest to needing breaks every now and then. No matter how much you love your children, sometimes you just need time away from them to feel human again and like an adult.
Hubby was gone for work for a week, is gone again (this time only a day or two) and then he will be out of town again for who knows how long by the second week of May. This does not give much time for mommy to be anyone but mommy. I am very thankful that both sets of parents live very close to us (within ten minutes each), but even with "reinforcements", I still have to be mommy and deal with all the mommy issues. When Daddy is home, he can fill in and give mommy even a few minutes of time to not be mommy. Even if it is just time to take a shower without feeling rushed, or do anything in the bathroom with the door closed and locked. I think so many of us can understand where I am coming from.
When Hubby is home, he is very tired from work and not sleeping well when out of town, that I tend not to get those breaks that often for a few days after he returns. With him going out of town so frequently, with little time between, it means those times are all but non-existent. I would also be lying if I did not admit that Hubby going to see a midnight showing of the Avengers movie the night it opens does not make me a little jealous that I am not going with him. I will be staying home with the sleeping kids. The next day will be making sure they let Hubby sleep a bit and relax since he will not sleep the night before.
All of this and more adds up to mommy burnout. I wish I had more ideas on how to fight the burnout, but I don't. I know Hubby wants to take me out for a dinner without the kids, but he said he wanted to do that before his last week long trip out of town, but it just could not happen. Busy lives do not always work out for nights out without kids. (wow, the word "out" was in that sentence alot). A dinner out is nice, but then I begin to feel bad to be asking our parents to watch the kids so often, even if it is only once a week. I hate to admit but there have even been times that I have thought even a sip of an adult beverage might be nice. Of course, I am quick to dismiss seeing as BG still nurses at night.

How do you cope with mommy burnout? What advice can you offer me and other moms out there who could use the help?