Bye Bye "Bobbies"

I'm about to share a secret that happens every night in our home. With the exception of a few people, nobody knows about this secret, but I feel like the only way we can fix this is if we talk about it. You can't fix what  you don't acknowledge (said in my best Dr. Phil voice) right?

Brock is a pacifier man.

There. I said it. My 3 year old son still uses a pacifier every night.

I know. I know. This is bad. We need to stop him. We need to break this habit. He CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS. We tried doing it slowly. For about a year he has only used his "bobby" (as he calls it) at night. We kept saying "One of these days we'll get rid of it. One of these days, we'll just 'lose' it". But sadly, we continue to enable him. And in the last few weeks its gotten worse. Now he asks for it in the morning. He asks for it when he gets home from daycare. He has actually stacked chairs on top of toys on top of pillows to climb and get it off of his dresser while playing in his room. He is out. of. control.

This morning I told him that "bobby" was going to have to go bye-bye. He asked me in his cute little 3 year old boice (that would be a 'boy voice'...it started as a typo, but I kind of like it) "but wwwwwwhyyyyyy mommy". I thought quick "because the baby bunnies out back need them". He very quickly and clearly told me that they did NOT need HIS bobby..."they...can get...their own"!!!! Apparently we also need to work on sharing.

Since Maycen is a thumb-sucker I don't know how to do this. Obviously I can't cut her thumb off (right? right.) so we are just constantly trying to remind her, but I don't think that is going to work with Brock. Is it best to go cold turkey? Do we have a intervention bye-bye bobby party?  Cut them down until there is nothing left? I need help people!!!!

Meal Planning Monday!

Happy Monday everyone!

I had a big long "Weekend Wrap-Up & Meal Planning Monday" blog written...then my computer went nutso! So, here is the short version of the weekend wrap-up:

We love love LOVE this cooler weather. The kids ate doughnuts. Iowa State won! Maycen thinks because mom & maid both start with an 'M' they are interchangable. And....yesterday I let Brock eat nearly an entire box of Lucky Charms so that I could clean the laundry room, pantry, junk drawer and cupboards. Whew...

Meal Planning Monday:

Monday: Left-over lasagna! Its better the second day, right?

Tuesday: Grilled steaks & asparagus, pasta salad.

Wednesday: Paul will be home! I'm thinking the Chicken, ranch & rice soup I've been trying to make for 2 weeks now!

Thursday: Paul's birthday so his choice!

Friday: Tacos

Saturday: I'll be at the ISU vs. Texas Tech football game, so daddy is on his own again will call Grandma Sally and she'll fix something!

Sunday: Homemade Chicken & Noodles

I am SO excited! We are getting family pictures taken tonight. I found Allison through my friend Missy and I am beyond thrilled to have her take some pictures of us tonight! That reminds me...I need to stop by the store for bribes treats for the kids!

I Want My EEEEESSSSSSSPPPPPPPPNNNNNNN

Before you read any further, please re-read the title...but this time, read it to the tune of the 80's song "I want my Mtv". Did you do it? I'll wait! There. Now you may proceed!

Paul and I have debt. We have more debt than we'd like. We haven't significantly added to it in a few years, which I'm proud of. While I'd like to whine about how everything is so expensive (nearly $1,000/month on daycare...yeesh!) really the bottom line is that for a long time we wanted stuff. Admittedly I am the main offender in the house. I promise you that I could find a way to justify buying a 3rd car, boat, condo, pet tiger (seriously, doesn't every little boy want a pet tiger?), backyard cage for the pet tiger...you get the idea.

A few years ago I stumbled across this man and his Total Money Makeover. I was inspired and got very gung-ho about getting rid of our debt. For about a week. Actually, it was longer than that...but like anything else, if you only do it halfway, eventually you are going to NOT be doing it halfway. Off and on over the last 2-3 years I get very strict with our spending, then get lapse, then get strict again...which brings me to the point of this post. I know, its about time, right?!

On Monday of this week Paul and I made one of the best decisions we have ever made for our financial health. I won't get into what it was, lets just say it was a very adult (gasp!) thing to do! That lit the fire. I've jumped back into the Total Money Makeover pool, and I am swimming for dear life! I've spent a lot of time this week figuring out what bills we can trim down ($165 cell phone bill for 2 people? Ridic!) and where we can squeeze extra pennies to put toward paying off our debt! Paul is very supportive in a "you just tell me if I need to do something" sort of way. After analyzing our bills, the first one that I must get rid of is our $200 cable/inet/phone bundle. That is just crazy...we don't watch THAT much TV! I had, what I thought, was a stroke of genius. This stroke of genius prompted several calls to my dear husband yesterday, they went a little something like this:

S: "Honey, I called Qwest. We can get phone/inet/DirectTV for $130 for first 6 months."
P: "Hmmm, what is their internet speed?"
S: "I don't know, does it matter?"
P: "Yeah, I need the higher speed for 'gaming'."
S: "I am NOT going to pay $70 more per month just so you can have a better experience playing your video games."
P: "But...."
S: "Can you still play if the internet is a little slower?"
P: "Yes, but...."
S: "That's all that matters. We'll talk about it more tonight. Goodbye."

That went pretty well, might as well push my luck!
(later in the afternoon)

S: "So, honey, I have an idea that will allow us to save even more on our cable bill."
P: "What's that?"
S: "Lets completely get rid of cable and sign up for Netflix. Its only $8.99/month."
P: "Huh?"
S: "Seriously. We'll still get 5, 8, 11, 13, Fox. We can watch our "shows" on the computer and stream our HBO shows through Netflix after they come out on DVD."
P: "Huh?"
S: "We'd still have a home phone and internet."
P: "Are you serious?"
S: "Very."
P: "But...what about ESPN?"

That's when it hit me how completely absurd I was being. Its a good thing for Paul that his wife loves football as much as he does!

Happy 7th Birthday Maycen Ann!

Seven years ago today, at 2:43am, God blessed us with the most beautifully spirited little girl in the world.


Happy Birthday Baby!

Meal Planning Monday...with bonus coverage!

What a great weekend! After everything settled down from this little incident, the rest of the weekend went off beautifully!

Saturday morning while daddy worked, the kids and I went to Wells Fargo to open savings accounts for each of them. I couldn't remember if I told Kyle that we would be there at 9 or 10:00...so at a little after 9 we showed up. He wasn't expecting us until 10! We waited. At first, all was calm. Then Brock became a little more comfortable with his surroundings. He became a little more brave. He became a little more loud. He is now terrified of the monster in the vault who takes little kids that are being too loud in the bank. Don't judge me! The rest of the time we were there he sat like an angel. Almost.

We hit the store quick after that and spent the rest of the afternoon watching football and  hanging out at home. It was a fantastically chilly day so I had the windows open and the fireplace on. Yes, that makes perfect sense! I watched the Cyclones lose to K-State at Arrowhead. Again. Then I worked on this:


Fall Wreath

 

Fall wreath up close

I had seen a few fall wreaths that I really liked, but they ranged anywhere from $50 - $80. The old me would have taken that, divided it over the years of enjoyment, somehow made the wreath really only cost $1.29, snatched it up and moved on. BUT, the new, thriftier me, could NOT justify spending that much on a wreath. So, with some inspiration from Thrifty Decor Chick, and a little help at Michaels from Mikki, I decided to make my own.

Foam circle (yes, that is the technical name): $5.99
Packages of leaves: 5 @ $.99 each
Package of hot glue sticks: $2.99 (that package will last me months, if not years and I've already used it to fix a broken picture frame!)
Total cost = $13.93

For my first time I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Someday I might be brave enough to make a bigger one! But for now, this cute little guy fits his home in our living room just perfectly!

Sunday was a big day! Maycen's 7th birthday party with the family was to start at 3:00. Before that we just had to:
Bake a cake
Clean the house
Eat Breakfast
Eat lunch
Go to the store
Find Brock shoes (he wears an 8 1/2...I'm convinced the entire state of Iowa is out of that size. We are no longer looking for cute shoes...any will do!)
Oh, and Maycen had dance from 11:30 - 12:30....

...and Paul had to work until 2:00!

No problem! We got everything done (thanks Grandma for picking up some shoes) and I was braiding my still wet hair when our first guests arrived! Of course Maycen was excited and Brock was bouncing off the walls! She opened gifts and got everything she wanted and more including: a new bike, the new FurReal pet dog (she wants a real one, daddy says NO!), Zhu Zhu Pets DS game, clothes and more. She is a very lucky little girl! Then we had cake and ice cream:



My beautiful "baby" girl

The last guests left just before 6. After a quick supper and baths both kiddos collapsed into bed around 7:30 and Paul and I spent the rest of the night relaxing on the couch. With the windows open and the fireplace on (because it makes perfect sense)!

Now for "Meal Planning Monday":

Monday: Turkey sloppy joes (that we didn't have Friday night) and pasta salad

Tuesday: Birthday girl's choice! Right now she is leaning toward Chicken Parmesan. I keep hoping she'll change her mind and want to order out!

Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner! Pancakes & eggs!

Thursday: Hamburgers on the grill

Friday: Homemade pizza

Saturday: I'll be at the ISU/UNI game so daddy is on his own!

Sunday: Lasagna

This weather makes meal planning tough. I'm craving some "cold weather foods" that I just can't get myself to make when it is hot (88 degrees today????). I'm ready for fall to be here and stay!

What cold weather foods are you anxious to make?

No more monkeys jumping on the bed!

Maycen is dramatic. Maycen is overly dramatic. Maycen is a drama queen of the highest order.

Its one of the things I adore about her, but have absolutely no idea how to deal with. At her age I was outside playing "kill the pill" with the boys, not princesses and dress-up. Every time I hear one of those commercials about talent scouts from (fill in the blank) modeling and talent agency being at Valley West Mall, I consider, for a millisecond, taking her. But, I digress.

Due to her ummmmmm, expressive nature, when something happens that she doesn't like or she gets hurt, or a list of the million other things that make little girls upset, she doesn't so much cry as squeal. And I mean SQUEAL. Loudly. Some days I ignore it. Some days I tell her she needs to get control over her emotions. Some days it makes me crazy!

Yesterday morning as I was downstairs enjoying coffee and the morning news, the kids were upstairs playing. Now, all moms know how this goes. It was quiet at first and I was patting myself on the back for how well my kids were playing together. Every few minutes I would mute the TV just to enjoy listening to them playing so nicely. A little louder. Oh, they'll settle down. A little louder. Hmmmm, sounds like they might be jumping on our bed. "KIDS, don't jump on the bed"....they aren't fighting, they are still playing nicely. They'll settle down. Holy Cow! Did they just drop a bomb up there?

And....cue the squealing.

I go racing upstairs and into the bedroom to find all of the pillows (there are 9 total, I like pillows) on the floor laid out a little like a mattress. I see Maycen laying in the middle of them in the fetal position, and Brock, up on the bed ready to spring. Again.

As soon as she saw me the squealing multiplied by a bazillion (yes, its a real number) and she started rattling off "I WAS JUST LAYING HERE WATCHING TV AND BROCKY JUMPED OFF THE BED AND LANDED RIGHT ON MY STOMACH AND I THINK HE BROOOOOOOOKE IIIIIIIITTTTTTTTT" You think he broke what? "MY STOOOOOOMMMMMMAAAAAAAACCCCHHHHHHHH".

You know that mothers instinct that lets us know when our children are really hurt, it wasn't kicking in. I could clearly see that she was okay, which made this scene all the funnier when it played out in my head. It went a little something like this.

Maycen jumping off the bed, diving board style, landing on the pillows. TV catches her attention for a millisecond and she forgets to get back in line to take her next turn. In the meantime, Brock is coiled and ready to spring. He probably isn't as graceful as Maycen. I'm thinking a little more like a WWE wrestler launching himself off the top ropes. Maycen is in the exact wrong spot and a collision happens.

She looked at me, waiting, hoping, knowing that Brock was in SO. MUCH. TROUBLE.

Imagine her surprise when I looked at both of them and said "no jumping on the bed" and walked out.

Sometimes I just need my cup of coffee!

Sticks & Stones

Remember that saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me". Who the heck came up with that and what were they thinking?

As a mother, I try very hard not to shield my kids, especially Maycen (being older, and a girl) from everything. When someone is mean to her at school, or her BFF doesn't want to play with her, I try to use it as on opportunity to teach her that things don't always go as we want, not everyone will be nice all of the time and the only thing we can control is our actions and reactions. That's why I'm a bit surprised with my fierce reaction to something that recently happened with Maycen. I can't stop thinking about it...so maybe writing it down typing it out, will help.

Last Friday was picture day at school. As we straightened Maycen's hair (she has her mama's waves...and they aren't the pretty flowing kind!) she practiced her "picture smile" in the mirror. I was telling her how beautiful I thought she was to which she quickly responded, "No I'm not". Of course this caught me off guard and I said again how pretty she is and asked her why she would ever think she anything different. Her response FLOORED me. She said
"because I have this" pointing to a mole, or really more of a large freckle, that is just above her top lip and making 'this' sound like I dirty word. You can see it in this picture from the ketchup fight.

At first I kind of giggled and said "Oh honey, that's a beauty mark...it just makes you more beautiful," but she wasn't having it. She asked me if she could have hers removed like I did with mine. After I finished explaining to her that the moles I've had removed were because they might have made me sick, I asked her again why she doesn't like it. She broke down in tears and told me that {girl who shall remain nameless} told her that it was ugly and made her ugly. BLOOD. INSTANTLY. BOILING!

After I finally calmed myself down enough to respond I told her to tell {girl who shall remain nameless} to stick it up her had a long talk with Maycen about how it is part of her, and it makes her who she is. I also told her that there are women who have been considered some of the most beautiful in the world who have had "beauty marks" in the exact same spot. That seemed to satisfy her and she wiped the tears, practiced her picture smile a few more times, and off she went! I smiled, quite proud of myself for handling our first real "mean girls" moment with poise and grace, when what I really wanted to do was call up {girl who shall remain nameless}'s mom, and tell her to have a talk with her daughter!

Ahhhh...see...I do feel better having journaled blogged about it! Have a fantastic Tuesday. I'm off to print pictures of Cindy Crawford and Marilyn Monroe...just in case!

Stephanie

My VERY FIRST Meal Planning Monday!

As you all know, I'm new to this whole blogging thing. However, I have read several blogs for quite some time, and there are a few ideas that I really like. One of them is posting a "Meal Planning Monday" blog. I like this when other people do it because I have seen some yummy recipes and get ideas. I like the idea of doing it for myself because I've said for years (notice how often I say "I've said for years"...apparently I've procrastinated A LOT!) how much easier my life would be if I planned out meals every week...and I'm hoping this will help me finally do just that! So, here we go:

Monday: I teach KB at 5:30 tonight so convenience food it is. Stouffer's Rigatoni w/ Chicken is a family favorite and not the worst frozen dinner out there.

Tuesday: Campbell's Beef & Pasta only probably made with turkey instead of beef.

Wednesday: Wednesdays are usually a bit of a free for all since Paul is working and its just the kids and I. Probably leftovers from Tuesday!

Thursday: I've been anxious to try the Chicken, Ranch & Rice soup that I saw on here a few weeks ago. With a high of only 66 degrees being forecast, I think this will be a good day for it!

Friday: Turkey Sloppy Joes. These are DELISH and a family favorite!

1lb ground turkey
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 red onion, chopped
8 oz tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup bbq sauce
1 tsp chili powder

Brown turkey with pepper & onion (I often skip the onion b/c the kiddos don't like it). Add tomato sauce, ketchup, bbq sauce & chili powder. Simmer for about 10 minutes over low heat or until thickened. Serve on a bun w/ homemade fries. YUMMO!

Saturday: Homemade Cheeseburger Calzones

Sunday: Spaghetti w/ turkey meatballs.

Can you tell by this menu that I'm a little tired of the grill! I'm certain in 4 months I'll be sending Paul out in the sub-zero temps for grilled chicken!

Of course, I can't forget to mention the big game from the weekend. Unfortunately the game itself was a total letdown (or maybe that was just for me?), but Paul and I had a great time tailgating with friends & family. It was my first trip to Kinnick in 14 years and overall it was a great experience!

{House Divided}

The "Un"official End of Summer

What a weekend! Can you believe Labor Day has already come and gone? Unbelievable!

We had a special treat this holiday weekend. Typically Paul has to work on holidays, unless of course the store is closed. Every so often we'll be lucky to get him for a full day on Memorial Day or the 4th of July, but usually he has to work the day before or the day after, so our plans are limited. This year my extended family had loosely planned a camping trip for this weekend. As soon as I knew this was a possibility, I made sure that Paul requested these 3 days off so that he could go with us. Unfortunately the camping trip fell through (my aunt said it just didn't work...I'm convinced its because they all went to the Iowa game!) but...fortunately this meant that both Paul and I had three full days off with absolutely NOTHING to do! And I mean nothing, zilch, ZERO! No wedding, no football game, no family reunion! I can't remember the last time that happened.

So, Thursday night Paul indulged me and tagged along for the Iowa State/Northern Illinois game (Go STATE!) and Friday we both headed to work with an excitement I recall as being vaguley reminscent of the last few days before summer break! Finally 5:00 on Friday came and we were FREE! Okay...I know I'm being a little dramatic, but this really doesn't happen often!

Saturday morning I was able to get up and go work out without getting a babysitter! We spent the afternoon lounging around, watching football and doing a little cleaning. We ended the day with brats on the grill, and made the mistake of leaving the kids alone in the kitchen for a few minutes. You know that panicked feeling  you get when you realize your kids are being too quiet...yeah, we had that right before we found this:

KETCHUP FIGHT!!!! I bet you can't tell who won! I was actually quite proud of Paul and I. We just laughed with them and took some pictures and video. We are both trying very hard not to worry so much about the mess, noise, injuries, or clean-up that these little events cause. Everything can be cleaned up and if it makes us laugh, its probably not that serious!

Sunday morning was Paul's turn to head to the gym. I'm guessing looking back he is a little regretful that he left me home alone, with my Pottery Barn catalog, knowing he still had 2 days off! By the time he got home I had so many ideas I could hardly stand it!

First on the list, paint the bathroom. I loved the color of our bathroom. It was called Mustang and was a beautiful dark raisin color. Paul thought it was too dark, so I finally gave in and changed the color. It is now a beautiful green called Artichoke. I figured since I went through the work of picking out the color and going to the store, it was only fair to let Paul do the painting...I would hate for him to feel left out!

Doesn't he look happy about it!

The second item on the list of my brilliant ideas was a little bit more time consuming and labor intensive. Shortly after Paul and I got married my father gave us a beautiful oak table with matching chairs and bartsools. I have loved this set but over the years my taste/style has changed. I have kicked around the idea of selling the set and buying new, but just couldn't quite get myself to 1. get rid of such a fantastically made table and 2. sell something that was given to me by my father. So, I have been trying to figure out the best way to refinish our table so that it better suites our taste. That's when I saw this post on my friend Missy's blog. [Side note: it was Missy's blog that inspired me to start one of my own!] That was it! I would have my super handy brother whip up a new top for the table, paint it and voila! The only problem is I have no patience and didn't want to wait for my brother to build one my brother is a newlywed and I would hate to ask him to take time away from his family to work on this for me. So, I decided to go ahead and do the painting and can add the new top down the road. 

So, I spent all day Sunday and Monday sanding, painting, painting, painting and polyeurathaning my "new" table and chairs. The barstools aren't quite done, but so far I couldn't be happier with how they have turned out. They need a little more drying time before I can decorate them and make them pretty we can use them, but I promise to post pics as soon as I can!

We ended this great weekend with a barbeque at Paul's parents house. Everyone was there! Matt & Mikki with Kaleigh, Cameron & Kalista and Travis & Lisa with Justin & Emily. The kids had a great time playing outside while us girls sat around the table and talked. Its fun to watch Emily and Kaleigh as they navigate their way through the beginning of the teen years. They are both so much more level-headed than I was at that age! Of course, this is a realization that I didn't have until I was in my very late 20's and the mother of two!

I hope you all enjoyed your Labor Day weekend as much as we did!

Stephanie

Reality blog!

I am always saying that if cameras were to come into our home, we would have a bigger hit than Jon & Kate Plus 8! As in most homes with children, there is never a dull moment. At the very least, I figure someday I'll write a hilariously engaging book that everyone in the world my kids will read!


So, with my future best seller in mind, I thought it was time to start really documenting some of the crazy antics that go on in the Johnson household. And - what better way to do that than a blog, where I can simultaneously share these funny stories with all of you! Before we get started I'll update you on our family.


Off we go...


Paul is the Store Manager at the Dahls Foods store in Ankeny. He loves being at this store because it gives him the chance to connect to the community he lives in is a five minute drive from our house! I tease! He really does enjoy working in Ankeny and seeing familiar faces in his store on a regular basis. It is our hope that he will stay there for a long time to come! He is a great dad and is always very busy chasing the kiddos around.


I (Stephanie) am the Director of Marketing for NationJob.com in downtown Des Moines. It is a small company and I've worked here since my early teens. I get to work with my mom, which has it challenges, but I can't imagine not seeing her every day!


Maycen is almost 7 and just started 1st grade. She loves school! She is very excited for dance to start in a couple of weeks. This will be her fifth year in dance and her fourth year on the competition team. After 2 years of begging (her, not me!), she will be doing a solo this year. I'm scared to death a little nervous that my baby girl will be on stage all by herself, but I know she will do great! She is a lovely young lady with the softest heart!


Brock. Brock, Brock, Brock. What can we say about him? From the moment he wakes up in the morning, to the moment he lays down at night, he is moving! He is so busy that most nights after we give kisses, "I loves you's" and shut his bedroom door, Paul and I just look at each other and sigh! He is very stubborn and definitely has a temper that he gets from his mom learned from the kids at daycare! He is so funny and has a laugh that is completely contagious!


Every year at this time I say the same thing, "I can't believe is already September"! It seems like with every season we look forward to the next one when things will slow down, yet the next season comes and goes and we are busier than ever! Realizing this, I feel its more important than ever to cherish every minute of every day, because life really is too short! Hopefully, through this blog, we will be able to connect a little more to our loved ones and keep you all more up to date on the happenings of our life.


At least until we sign the contract...then you can just watch us on TV!