Aunt has a nice ring to it

    Did I share with y'all that I am a real Aunt??!! How awesome is that? I'm finally an official real live Aunt. I have a few cousins who their kid's call me Aunt which is awesome but now I'm an official Aunt by blood.

    The kids were ecstatic when we went to their house to visit them - well the kids visited I brought over a crock pot dinner to prep and ended up doing some cleaning around the house - you know the normal like the dishes and putting away Easter decorations in July when he was born the last week of June (my ocd kind of kicked in and luckily my mouth kept it on lock down - lol)

    

    My three kiddos would have eaten his cuteness up if I hadn't taken them home when I did that day. I cant stop hearing how adorable he is - and he is but I'm biased as an Aunt. 

    I can't wait to spoil this little boy! Just love him to pieces!!

Hello Little Man!! Welcome to the world!!

So tiny!!

Lulu and Bear loving their baby cousin

TW - so gentle

So tell me - what would you get a new nephew to spoil him?? 

And I am a Gift Prepper

   Before I knew what it was called, I was doing it. Before I had kids, I was doing it. It started when I moved in with the Hubs during our engagement. For the first time I was shopping for his family along with my family. I was the (silently, never really appointed but assumed the responsibility) gift coordinator. I automatically began being a "Gift Prepper".
    
    It started off small with Birthday gifts but then came my first Christmas of gift giving. We went with a super cute idea - or so I thought. I remember taking a trip to Vermont and stopping by a local shop where everything was made locally. We loaded up on mixes, marinades, syrup (duh!) and candies. I assembled all the goodies in cute baskets and sealed them up. I was so excited thinking they would be well loved. The baskets got "so-so" responses. Meh, poo on them. 

    Even though I had a blast creating the baskets I knew I had to step up my game. We were also in the middle of what I deemed "Birthdayrow" - a six month spread of celebrating Birthdays. I tossed my towel in the air and that was the start of shopping year round - for both sides of the families. 

    When I was pregnant with my first, my gift prepping abilities were growing strong and I managed to be ready for Christmas and Birthdays months in advance. Last year I was done gift shopping in July! Well - I had to finish making a gift - which I put off until November.., meh.., but I still had plenty of time. 

    Yesterday I popped out to Target (mainly to get a much needed Green Tea Frap with Extra, Extra WHIP because I was having one of those days and I was about to embark on a grocery shopping extravaganza) but of course the bulls eye sucked me in and did some casual strolling around the store. I came across a few items marked 70% in the toy department to pick up for the holiday so into the bedroom closet they went. 

    I've learned how to creatively preplan gifts for family and friends. That took a bit of time but I think I can confidently say I've got the hang of it. Although every now and then I have a few stumbles left over in my gift closet. 

    Do you Gift Prep? How far in advance do you prep? 

Things I have learned so far this Summer Vacation

    Sitting here at the dining table while the three kiddos are silently taking a break from activities watching Tinkerbell and Periwinkle I can't help but think of the things that I have learned so far this Summer Vacation - remember this is my first Summer Vacation with all three kids at home. 

   Not only has my patience been tested in ways that I never thought it could have been tested, as well as my ability to balance way more than I can chew but I have gathered a few lessons and interesting finds from my kids. 
   
   First is if given the chance they would "snack" ALL day long. I had to nip that one right at the start. There is designated snack times as well as only one Breakfast and one Lunch. (That rule is mainly for my son who would eat all day if allowed) I never noticed it before but after a day or two of constant refilling snacks I caught on. Well played sir, well played. 

   Second is learning to just go with the flow - literally. I was rocking the potty training scene with Bear before the older two were home. Once they crashed our party she back slid. I have never had to deal with back sliding during potty training and as much of a frustration it is, I have to just take her cue and go with the flow. We have our good days, our awesome days but also have our icky days. All in due time, all in due time. 

   Third is the importance of a schedule. We had a schedule before and that was super easy to follow but now in order to keep the peace and structure our new schedule is more important than ever. I think it's hard for people who never experienced it yet to fully understand and I may seem like a sour face for saying no but I need that schedule to go smooth so our house can run smooth. 

   Fourth is that I'm not as well stocked up on toilet paper as I thought I was - good grief! Haha. 

  That is all for now as I know my time alone is fleeing by the seconds. (For the record as I wrote this the three birdies were munching on their afternoon snack smorgasbord. I found that if you lay out a tray full of different snacks there is less asking and just more munching.) 

   What is something that you've learned from spending Summer Vacation with your kiddos?  

Wordless Wednesday

Ok so it's been a while but here's a fun one for (not so) Wordless Wednesday. Here is Lulu, in the pink outfit, trying out the hurdles for the first time 

- and she LOVED it!

Like a dyer vent - I need to vent

    After a phone conversation this morning I got the feeling that I am misunderstood. Maybe it's the words that I choose to speak with. Maybe I shouldn't say anything at all. Maybe it's just me. I don't know.

   But what I do know is that I want to raise my three kids to be independent, free thinking and resourceful. I want them to be able to solve things out in a timely manner and know that they can do it. I want them to prioritize and know how to get around an obstacle. 

   Earlier this week I asked Lulu is she wanted to tie-dye and she jumped at the chance to gather up any and all white clothes she could find. I explained to her that it was a process and it couldn't be rushed through. I told her we were going to have to do some research since it had been eons since I last tie-dyed. 

   We sat and watched several how-tos on You Tube to learn layouts and color applications until her questions ran dry and she felt confident. She was determined to pull off some spirals and hearts like a pro.

    So we sat at the table in a sea of white, rubber bands and zip ties with our knowledge and I let her take the lead. She knew how she wanted to set each item up and did it herself - until her hands grew weak from twisting or tying, then I helped out under her lead. 

    Once everything was twisted, banded, folded and zipped we mixed up our colors and proceeded outside to dye up a storm. I was in awe watching her take the lessons she absorbed and apply them to her creations. We only had enough dye for about 3/4s of our white loot so we decided not to mix any more up to see how these ones turned out just in case we wanted to change anything.

    After we let the items sit in separate plastic bags for a day or so we rinsed them out. It was so exciting to watch the designs unfold as they were hung on the laundry line. Lulu was beyond over the moon in excitement as she watched the rainbows get hung out to dry. First was a shirt I did followed by a few of her tanks, her t-shirt, TW's t-shirt and a few baby onesies. Oh and a shirt Lulu did all by herself for the Hubs. Everything turned out super awesome! Now she can't wait to dye the rest of the items.

    I don't think I'm a mean mom. I don't think I'm a pushy mom. I want them to do things on their own. I want them to learn and be confident. I will not do things for them but I will be there to assist them. I want them to take the lead. I want them to know that there are outlets and resources available to learn how to do things for themselves and others. That it's okay to ask for help but to always harvest the drive to earn it for themselves.

    It's hard work - real hard work, especially with three kids - but I am determined and have already seen results of these lessons that make it encouraging to keep at it. And now Lulu can add tie-dying master on her belt next to finger knitting. 

*this is the second edition since my first draft crashed - I'm sure I'll be editing this but the overall message wont change.

Wordless Wednesday

A little summer psa

 - walk - 

don't run, skip, hop, jump, jog, moonwalk, etc in flip flops

Snap, Crackle, Matcha!

    I'm part of a group online that is currently obsessed with CrispyCakes aka souped up rice crispy treats. There have no been spottings out in my neck of the woods and I just can't bring myself to pay for shipping since they already cost a hefty penny. Major bummer.

   The other day I had a hankering for a green tea latte and that's when the light bulb clicked on. What if I made some green tea rice crispy treats? That way I'd fill both of my cravings (and no... not pregnant - lol).

   I gathered up my ingredients and fiddled with some measuring. I also had a kitchen co-pilot with me. Bear was along for the taste testing ride. 

   We used:

   1 package of mini marshmallows (10.5oz)
   3 tbsp butter
   1.5 tbsp matcha powder
   5 cups of rice crispy cereal
   ** opt. 1-2 sample packets of Eat Green tea leaves 
   (I had these sample packets from a sub box and figured I'd toss them in) 

   Stir the marshmallows and butter together over low-medium heat until melted. Helpful hint - spray your spoon so it doesn't stick too much.

    I turned the heat off and then added the matcha powder and tea leaves packets. It took a while to make sure all the powder was mixed pretty well so keeping it on the warm burner helped keep the marshmallow mixture moving.
**I started with one tbsp of matcha powder but found that too weak for me so I added another half tbsp. It's all up to your taste but I suggest starting with at least 1 tbsp.

    Remove from heat and add the rice crispy cereal. 

    Spray pan with nonstick spray and spread the mixture in the pan. 
    *I sprayed my hand to move it around so it didn't stick.

    Cool and enjoy!!

That's the best part!!

And it's Bear approved. 

Now to decide if I should/can share the rest.

What do you add to your crispy treats?

Have you ever had a CrispyCake?