Zoo and candles

    I know they smell fear.., I know it.., but I decided to conquer a fear today. I took the kids (yes - all three of them) to the zoo for a morning adventure. (*Side note - just in case you wanted to know as I got six words into this posting my daughter showed me she smeared her nail polish we had just applied.., so I went to get the remover and came back to my son opening the pink polish and dripping in on his tan shorts.., awesome.., just awesome!)
    The zoo wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I was waiting for a near nap melt down but never got one., although I did have some "Hey"s yelled at me when I said it was time to go and started heading towards the car. The only true freak out came while we were inside the car ready to go and my dear loving son did not want me to buckle him in.., that was not cool.

The Polar Bear checking us out

    But we made it home and in one piece. Not too bad, not too bad. I think I deserve a badge for this! Instead, Liv and I decided to cash in on a voucher for Diamond Candles. Have you seen this super fun product?! I think I'm in love.

   
    It sells soy candles with delish scents and the hook is that there is a ring inside it that values any where from $10 to $5000. How exciting! So I let her choose a scent.., can you guess which scent a 4 year old who wanted to name her baby sister Princess Bubblegum Rainbow picked out?

Carnival Candy which is Cotton Candy Scented was the choice

I think I would have gone with a different scent like Lavender Lemon or Orchid Meadow but I told her she could choose and that's what she did. (I kind of had an idea of what she would pick out but sometimes with her you never know.)
    So have you heard about Diamond Candles? Give them a try like me..,  use this link to save $5 - which will cover the shipping cost. Let me know which scent you pick and I will keep you posted on the scent, quality, delivery and the ring we end up with.

Thankful Thursday

    So today's post is later than normal posting so I will make it a short one. Needless to say I am thankful for new beginnings. Our new beginning as a complete family of 5. My new beginning going back to work in a week after the holiday. My daughter's new beginning at gymnastics (signed up her after dinner today)
    And here is to many more new beginnings.., hopefully the beginning of construction on our house soon.., but that might be for wishful thinking first.., haha.
    What new beginning are you thankful for?

Ice- ccrreeaamm!

    Yesterday the Hubs took Liv to a baseball game, which left T, Bear and I at home. T is at the age  (2.5yo) where is he the wild card, means be could either be really good or a terror so that is why he stayed home. It was a bit hard for him to fully understand that he wasn't going to go which broke my heart.
    So to make it up to him we went out for ice cream after we made dinner. We popped over to the playground to burn off some of that sugar induced energy and then headed on home. Gave T and Bear both a bath and got them ready for bed. I wanted to see just how long he would last if I let him stay up past his normal bedtime of 7:50pm.., he made it surprisingly to 9:52pm. Passed out cold on the floor of the living room near Bear's swing.
    I had a nice time with him, even though he did spark some devil inside during ice cream but at least I remembered to go to an ice cream stand this time that has a bathroom. Potty training is oh so fun.

    So - this morning I'm going to brave an outing and take the three kids to a toy test for Bear. Hopefully I make it alive, I think they feed off of fear. If all goes well, I can successfully cross a three kid outing with lunch off my list.

Fingers crossed!!

Speaking of going back...

    So teachers and kids are getting ready to go back to school and I too am getting ready to go back. Well, back to work from being out on maternity leave. I still cannot believe how short of a leave they expect us moms to have.., 6 weeks?! Are you kidding me? That is just way too short. Thankfully, I am "protected" by the Family and Medical Leave Act for 12 weeks. (Even though disability ends at 6 weeks - I know it is short term but dang thats short!)
    This is going to be a massive ball of early morning chaos, I can already tell. I almost want to start doing trial takes of how the mornings are going to be.., yinno.., wake up, shower, get ready and then leave all on time. I wish the hubs lots of luck trying to get out of the door with three kids and going to daycare (aka school).
    I start to get nervous and anxious about going back. I'm hoping I can keep all these balls up in the air.., "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this." I'm going to have to channel my inner Little Engine that Could! I will keep you posted on how my big day goes.

Here's to my working mums out there!

Ps. Did you like how I avoided the dreaded United States vs the World on Maternity leaves?

Back to School Outfits

    I love looking at the advertisments at the new trends for the school season. I can't wait until Liv goes to school next year and I get hunt for the perfect first day outfit! In the mean time though, I will just practice., haha.

    Check out my Fabulous Findings tab here for an adorable new site I found with an awesome deal!

Pancakes

    What is for lunch today? Pancakes! And for some reason my kiddos LOVE them! I was feeling the Jack Johnson-ness of the pancake making and tapped into the Banana Pancake theme for lunch today.., so in honor of the current ear worm I have.., enjoy this little diddy!

Makes me want to learn to surf.., right after we move by the coast!

Do you smell that?

    As you can find out on my referrals page, I am a BzzAgent. I get to try products out with samples and coupons. Then I share my honest opinions with others to generate a bzzzzz.
    I was just accepted into the Glade Expressions Collection Campaign. How exciting! Has anyone used anything from this collection yet?
    I like to make sure my house doesnt smell yucky and stale, which is hard to do with a dog and three kids.
    Im super excited to see how well the Glade Expressions Collection performs.
Can't wait to get my bzzkit to share all the interesting facts and finds with you all! Stay tuned!!

Glade Expressions Collection Campaign

Thankful Thursday

    Well.., my balloon was popped. (I could have gone more dramatic and say that whole world was blown to pieces but we'll settle on the balloon popping)

I have a bachelors degree in a related field.., but apparently I don't have the one they prefer. sigh

    So today's post is a little sour but keeping with the theme of Thankful Thursdays, I will declare that I am thankful for my family. Without the support and energy from my husband I would have never pushed myself so hard to get my resume in fast. And now I know that if I want to pursue a job there, I will have to go back to school to get the degree they want to see on that paper. It's not that I don't like what I am doing at my current job bc thankfully it's what I went to college for, it's just becoming an environment that I'm not quiet comfortable with - and I will leave that vagueness at that.

    I am going to hug my kiddos extra long tonight when I lay them down for bed and give them extra kisses! I know they will make me feel better. 
 

And BREATH!

    During dinner I just happened to mention to the hubs about an open position at the place that I would LOVE to work at. (Yeah, after I posted this morning about it I went onto their website to see the current job openings and nearly passed out when I saw an opening for me!) I think he was more energized than I was! We talked about it and both got excited. I suggested he take the two older kids to go get milk and some icecream for dessert which would allow me to work on updating my resume.
    With that being said, I did it! I submitted my resume online and received confirmation it successfully went through. And then the heart started racing and my breath left my lungs.., I heard nothing but my heart pounding in my chest! My first thought was "Ok, cool" which was immediately followed by "What did I just do?!" (Then I totally figured out something that I forgot but luckily it's only one aspect of my current position that would relate which fortunately is not a major role in what I am apply for - boo)
    Positive thinking! Positive thinking! Fingers and toes are crossed that they review my resume and give me a call. The first step is done. I took the leap and I'm holding breath with wishful thinking swirling in my mind!

Need all the symbols I can find!

That wasn't on my list

    So I woke up today with a list in my mind of things I wanted to get done while the two older kids are at school and wouldn't you know it, I have only crossed of two things. Bummer. Then again who am I fooling? My list is never ending! (Screams into pillow!!)
    Maybe I'm just freaking out because I will be going back to work in a few weeks. I know that this time will fly by uber fast! Truth is, I do want to go back to work because I like what I do but wish it didn't have to be at a full-time status. Unfortunately that is not a choice, as my boss so duly pointed out to me two years ago right before our company bought a competing company. I often think about where I would really like to be, I'm not going to say here, but it would be pretty darn sweet to work there! That's for sure. I think I'm scared to take that leap, although I know that if I don't try I'll never know. Maybe it is time to take a leap and stick my neck out there. Aside from my confidence being crushed to pieces, what can it hurt?
    Then again who would want to rush back to work when these little fingers are holding onto me so tightly?!?

Bear grip!

Where did my weekend go?

    No seriously.., where did my weekend go? Saturday was my husband's co-worker's wedding but before that I had go out to my parent's house with the kids and rest of the baptism party stuff AND our wedding clothes and baptism clothes all in tow.., oh and the dog too.
   So.... I tried to get as much as I could done on Saturday before getting ready for the wedding. It was a beautiful wedding. I have to tell you I love weddings! It is such a wonderful celebration of a couple who want to show their commitment to each other. Had a great time and then went back to parent's house to sleep over night since we had to go there the next day anyway and the wedding was right around the corner from their house.
   Got up the next morning and it was work time! Did as much as we could do with the two kids running around before church. Had the ceremony and then celebrated ....until everyone left and it was time to clean up to go home.
    I have to admit I thought today was going to be worse with all three kids home and me still trying to clean up here but it has been pretty good. I can't complain too much. It's not hot and sticky, it's not unbearably messy and they are mild mannered for the moment. I still wish I could drink regular coffee though, that extra kick would have been awesome this morning. (Baby Bear is sensitive to it in her milk..., so its a no-go for me.., only 10 more months though., ha ha then I'm going to go to Starbucks and get a Double.., NO.., a Triple Shot Carmel Macchiato! Or maybe I will just jump the counter and start chewing the beans!)

Bear's cake



Rainy Day

    Today feels like a perfect fall weather day here in WNY. The windows are wide open and the house is breathing in fresh air. Makes me anxious for fall. I'm talking about apple picking, pumpkin carving, soft fuzzy sweaters, white hot chocolate, leaves changing colors and so much more.
    Fall is totally the official season for start up the crockpots for stews, soups and hearty meals. It also makes me want to sit down with some yarn and start working on some winter hats for my Etsy shop (too bad I have so much more other stuff to do before I can do that not to forget that the two older ones like to run amok.) 
    I do hope to announce soon enough though that I will have some hats posted for sale along with a few personalized family art pieces I am working on to add to the portfolio. Here is a link to my shop on Etsy, Dulcet Bloom. My goal before winter is to focus as much as I can to get this shop in motion. Fingers crossed!!

Bear modeling one of the hats

Thankful Thursday

    I am thankful that at least one of the lessons I am teaching my children have stuck. Liv, Trey and I just went for a "surprise ice cream treat" in town and they both used their manners without me having to ask. (I DID NOT even have to remind them)
    Trey was even waving and greeting people as they came to the ice cream stand; or he was just trying to pick up the high school girls. I think he could have totally scored one of their phone numbers...., too bad he doesn't have a cell yet. He had ice cream down the front of this shirt and all over his chin with the biggest smile - who wouldn't think that's adorable?!

    PS. Another thing I am thankful for today are my aden + anais organic muslin swaddling blankets..., Bear would be flaying (and still awake) if it wasn't for them. My two favorite designs are the "Sky Blue" and the "Bloom"

                      

Tis the Season

    Jingle Bells Jingle Bells Jingle ALL the way! I am proud to say that I am done with the majority of my Christmas gifts and it is only August.  Even though I had started doing this "pre-buy" last year - it wasn't on full scale as it was this year. It was sparked by a code to try a new product at a discount. LIGHTBULB! I started to think, I'm going to have 2 toddlers and an infant to tote around or try to shop around our schedule without them so why not start now?! And there you have it.
    I put a lot of thought and emotion into most of the gifts we give. I have thought a lot of what to get our family and friends. There is nothing more I enjoy than seeing the surprise and excitement in someone's face when they open a gift that they love.
    I was going through my list this morning to see where I stand and there are a few things that can't be ready until December but other than that.., I am confidently ahead of the game!
    Word on the street is that Santa also got a head start on his shopping too this year.
    PS. One of my favorite sites that have an easy design template, great quality products, prices and shipping rates is Ink Garden. Check them out and get a jump on your Holiday gifts.  Click here to design an 11oz mug for just $1 plus shipping. You can design with your own pictures or use their clip art collection. One of my favorite fun designs is the Bubble Vine and it comes in a few different colors.

Bubble Vine Design

A Beautiful Chaos

    It is a lot of hard work and when I say a lot I really mean a s#$t load of work with three kids and keeping a cleanish house with healthy meals to eat, etc etc, etc. I have yet to add my full time job into the equation. Sometimes I wonder, mainly when crap is hitting the fan from all directions, what was I thinking? I'm surprised the house hasn't crumbled down and the kids run away to join a circus yet and the hubs comes home every night.
    My four year old NEVER stops talking and dancing around, my two year old is learning how to use his words but has the occasional default back to yelling and hitting something and my newborn, who has been a pretty content baby, does get her agitation level up when the humidity is high and there is nothing you can do unless you swaddler her and set her in the rocker near the a/c.
    But when the dust settles and everything is calm again, I am left with an amazing sensation that feels whole. I have three amazing kids, a wonderful husband, a cleanish house and it all adds up to a beautiful chaos.
    A fresh breath in the most stressful situation can bring that thought back to me. It's all just part of the beautiful chaos that's my family.
    Anyone else have this feeling of a wonderful chaotic, crazy feeling about their family?

Anything cuter than three little pairs of feet?!?

Here we go!

    Hello! Glad you are here. Let me introduce myself to the World Wide Web. I am a wife and a mom of three sweet birds; Liv - a 4 year old dancer and singer, Trey - a 2 year old 'need for speed' dirt devil and Bear - a 2 month old cuddling boo. (And in case you were wondering that's where my inspiration for the blog name came from and my first born's love for Marley's Three Little Birds.) Currently I am out on maternity leave but I  will be returning to my full time Marketing Coordinator position for a safety company soon.
     My hobbies are photography, crafting, sewing, cooking, dreaming, family adventures, walking and many more. I enjoy to read books and magazines. Family means the world to me. We have dinner at the dining table every night and talk about things from the day we just had and discuss things we'd like to achieve for the next day. I like to find the extraordinary things in every day events.
     I strive on finding the best products out there for my family - which requires a ton of research before purchasing. Yes, I have made some poor investments in products but I chalk those up to lessons learned. I also try to score the best deals out there, much like many.
    What do I plan to accomplish with this blog? My goal is simple - share from my experiences and lessons and hope that they help someone out  there and perhaps learn some new things along the way. So let's get started! Who is with me?