Day to Day to Day

So this past week I have been trying really hard to get back into the swing of things around the house.  I have set up a "schedule" of sorts for the morning and evening which helps guide me throughout the day.  I know this isn't super fun or exciting to you reading this but it is nice for me to have some consistency back in my days. 

I set my alarm for the same time every morning, which is usually about an hour before Everett wakes up.  Ideally he would sleep for another two hours but it really just depends on how well he slept throughout the night.  This one to two hour time in the morning is when I get most of my "housework" done- folding laundry, sweeping, etc. I am also trying to incorporate my daily scripture reading into this time slot as well, I need to set a reminder!  

When Everett wakes up we snuggle for a few minutes and then I take him to the potty. After he goes potty and I get a new diaper on him I usually will put him in his highchair and get him some breakfast.  At this point, if my post for the day is ready, I will get on my laptop and publish my daily blog post (sitting right next to E of course, don't want him to choke on his eggs!) After breakfast we usually go about our day playing, running errands, eating lunch and snacks, playing some more, running, chasing, laughing, crying, etc. 

Everett has pretty much narrowed his napping down to once a day which is actually fine with me because he is sleeping really well at night (usually) and sleeps in late in the morning. I usually use his nap time for one of three things: 1.) Nap Time Craft Time, 2.) Any extra housework that needs to get done (to include meal preparation), or 3.) Work.  Yes work!  I work a few hours a week for my dad doing research. 

Tyler is usually home by the time Everett wakes up from his nap so we spend the late afternoons hanging out together and eating dinner as a family. 7:30pm is bath time for the little mister.  I try to let him play and hang out in the tub for as long as he wants (which is only about 15 minutes right now).  After bath time, he is prepped for bed with lotion, a clean diaper, and jammies. I have learned that Everett needs the room to be as dark as possible, he needs to have two pacis (my mother in law actually figured out this one), the sound machine needs to be on, and he likes to hear me sing.  For those of you have heard me sing, I am sorry. Seriously, I am completely tone deaf and have no rhythm.  I can't even clap in church because I am always off.  But I guess E didn't get the memo that Momma's voice could use some help so I sing and I sing and I sing.  He usually nurses for 10 minutes or so and then just lays there for another 10-20 minutes listening to me sing. 

I really need to compile a list of songs because this is the typical line up: 

• The ABC song
• Jesus Loves Me
• Good Night Everett
• Row Row Row Your Boat
• Why Haven't I Heard From You (by Reba)
• The ABC Song 
• Blue Skies and Rainbows
• Mary Had a Little Lamb
• Red Solo Cup (Toby Keith) 
• Jesus Loves Me 
• John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt 
• John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt 
• John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt 
• John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt 
• John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt 
• John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt 
• John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt 

Ya, he loves that last one. So once he falls asleep I walk to the far side of the bed, crawl over our bed and lay him down in his crib (which is side car'd next to our bed with one rail taken off.)  Why do I crawl over the bed when I could simply lay him down in the crib, you ask!?  That would be far to simple. No, the creaking sound that the end of the bed always wakes him up. So instead, I have to use my ninja skills to lay him down and then quietly exit the room. (Chaunie from Tiny Blue Lines wrote a great post about this the other day- check it out!) After 5-10 minutes of him sleeping in the crib, and I know that he is good and asleep I then return to the bedroom to write out the post for the next day. (Hello from yesterday!) 

Sometimes he doesn't always go to bed as easily as others and sometimes he wakes up after he has already been asleep, but in general that's how our mornings and nights go!  For those of you with kids, what does your schedule look like? For those of you without kids, have I scared you enough to make you not want them anymore! :) 

I Wanna Talk About Me

If you haven't heard "I Wanna Talk About Me" by Toby Keith then that title probably didn't come off as funny as I was hoping... 

 

But I am going to talk about me for at least one post, so here's a little about me that you may or may not (want to) know!

1. I am married to my high school sweet heart (and best friend) Tyler. He is pretty cool and quite a catch! I am one lucky girl! 
2. We have a baby (I am sure you knew that) named Everett and he is the single most amazing baby/toddler/kid/person in the whole wide world. 
3. I am short. 4 feet and 10 inches tall and I like it that way.  Sure, any time I take a picture of someone they are always looking downward at me and I can't reach anything past the second shelf on the upper cabinets but there are some perks to being short. I can ride the kid rides and the adult rides at Kings Dominion. I can still play in the play place at Chuck E Cheese (I wouldn't really, do you know how often they clean those things? Ya never.)  I could go on, but I don't want you to get jealous!
4. I have about a million freckles and birth marks including one that looks like the shape of a foot on the back of my calf.
5. I hate feet.
6. I have a wicked sweet tooth. Seriously pass the bowl of ice cream and no one gets hurt!
7. My team is, was, and always will be the Dallas Cowboys! With football season quickly approaching you will probably be seeing some Dallas Cowboys jersey wearing by all members of the Thompson clan. We love them... they are, after all God's team! 
8. I love to organize things. It doesn't even have to be something "cool."  Tyler came home one day to all of his t-shirts refolded and his dresser drawers actually closed! Give me a closet, a garage, or a kids toy room and some baskets, bins, boxes, etc, and it's go-time!
9. I am lazy. There, I said it. I literally have to force myself to not be lazy. I try to have a "Why wait for tomorrow when it can be done today" mantra but sometimes "tomorrow" seems so much better than "today," of course "tomorrow" ends up being three weeks later.  So in general I try to just not be lazy but sometimes I need a little extra encouragement, or a toddler running towards something he's not supposed to be touching! 
10. I was 100% not "crunchy" in high school and the beginning of college. In fact, if you would have told me then, that I would have a baby in cloth diapers, be breastfeeding him at 15 months old, have a clothes line, make my own detergent, go to the farmers market, etc, etc. I would have looked at you like you were from crazy town and you missed the bus back. (I probably would have told you that too.) Somewhere around my sophomore year I started realizing how precious this earth is and how important it is to keep it (her) clean for the generations to come and I started learning more about what goes into our food and the importance of good nutritious food (although I still LOVE ice cream!)

So that's it for now, if I think of more things I may continue to add on to the list! 

Currently: 8/29/12

Loving:  My new hair do! My sister did a great job on it and did exactly what I was wanting! I am super stoked with it and am glad that I can walk around and not look like a doofus! (Not sure what I am talking about? Check out my post from yesterday here!) I even decided to copy my friend Jenn's idea and I had Rebecca throw in a bright purple streak! It's hiding in the picture below but I will try to get a better shot of it!  

The new do!

Reading: I just bought the book What is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert which was highly recommended by my good friend and mentor John Cook. I am excited to start this little book (it's only about 120 pages long) because it seems like it is going to be a good follow up to my Lessons from the Mount series I had going on this past summer. 

Photo found Here

Excited About: Everett getting to try new foods! We have been holding off on some foods because of the potential for him being allergic to them.  Today he got to try peanut butter and honey for the first time! He really (really) (really) loved it!  He is also branching out to fish and other types of nuts soon! He is getting so big! 

Digging:  Naked Berry Blast.  It is 15.2 ounces of pure deliciousness. It is really good and I can not get enough! I am going to attempt to make this at home because they run around $2.50 a pop! It should be fairly easy- they tell you right on the bottle what is in it! There may be a post to come about that! 

Photo found Here

Eating: Chili! I know it is summer and all but chili is a nice and easy thing to make and only gets better every time you eat it. I make it paleo style with out the beans and it is pretty good if I do say so myself! Look out for a post next week with the recipe! 

Getting Back Into: The swing of things around here (home.)  Everett and I have only been home 12 out of the last 28 days and it has really thrown a wrench into our schedule.  (I use the term "schedule" loosely because I try to let E tell/show me when he is tired/hungry/etc. because I have learned it is 190,380,480 times easier to put E to sleep if he is already tired!)  We have been traveling a lot this month going on family trips and vacations which have all been great and fun but it is nice to be home.  I am planning on setting up a routine for E (and Lilly when she is here) so that there is some sort of structure around here. 

Organizing:  This blog! I am going to try to set a routine for the blog here as well. I would like to have certain days that I post certain types of posts on. For example, Daily Happenings on Mondays, recipes on Wednesdays, etc. etc. I would most certainly welcome any suggestions from the 100+ of you who are tuning in to Not So Average Momma! 

Thanks again to Danielle for the original inspiration for these posts!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow?

I am having my hair done tomorrow and the great hair debate continues.  Do I cut it or do I grow it?  Highlights?  Natural color? My mom started out "frosting" our hair (my sister and I) in middle school and since then I have always had something different going on with my hair! My hair has been almost every color from platinum blonde to black and it seems that I as soon as I get used to one style or color I am ready for the next.  Does anyone have this problem too?

My friend Deidre and I
Dark brown and "long" hair
November 2005

Me and some ridiculously cute dog
Blonde and "long" hair
October 2007

My best friend Jess and I
"Long" blonde hair- good example of my "swaves"
October 2008

I am trying to decide (again) if I should continue to grow out my hair or if I should go ahead and chop it back off and keep it short.  I like long hair and would LOVE for it to be long and beautiful like all of the celebrities but I have been informed by my stylist (my sister) that although my hair may eventually (a long time from now) grow out to be the length I desire, it will never be anywhere near the thickness that is required to pull off the long hair look.  After she told me that, it was kind of freeing in a way.  I was able to let go of this vision that I have always had for my hair and embrace the short style.  I actually think that the short bob type style fits my personality better.  Spunky.

Tyler and I on our honeymoon
Short blonde bob
June 2008

My friend Shelley and I
Short brown bob with bangs
November 2008

Medium length blonde hair
March 2009

So in deciding what I want to do with my hair this time I am keeping in mind that shorter is easier to maintain as well as the fact that the time I am now able to spend on my hair has been cut short. Seriously short. Everett doesn't really see the need for me to blow dry and straighten my hair every day or even every other day.  So this hairstyle has to be a "wash and go" style that will look good right out of the shower every day.  This proves to be frustrating because I have "swavy" hair- it's not straight but it's not wavy. Grrr! So this hairstyle needs to accentuate my natural "swaves" so that I don't look like a hot mess every day.

Jess and I
Shaggy brown hair
April 2009

February 2010
"Long" blonde hair 

My sister and I
Brown hair in a longer bob style
March 2012

So I am thinking that since fall is coming (it's not here yet but it will be soon) I will probably go with a darker color and probably a shorter more "shaggy" type style.  Here are a few photos of the style that I think I am going to go for. But who really knows... I might change my mind five times before tomorrow!

Photo found here

Photo found Here

Two Cutie Patooties

Everett and Riley took a trip back in time and took some pictures while they were there! They turned out super cute and I think they had fun taking them! 

Pictures from the Beach

Check out some of the pictures Teresa (Tyler's mom) took while we were at the beach!

 

Rainy Day at the Beach

This quote is pretty accurate...

“One thing a mother must always save for a rainy day is patience."

A Thrifting We Will Go

Hi my name is Laura and I LOVE to thrift.  Seriously, ever since I realized what gems can be found at thrift stores I have been hooked.  With a little love and elbow grease you can turn something from drab to fab.  (Cliche I know, but true!) 

Tyler, Everett, and I headed out this morning to check out a few of the outlets here in Rehoboth Beach (we're still at Grandma's house) and to grab some lunch.  While we were at lunch, I noticed a thrift store across the parking lot! Jack pot! We didn't do so well at the outlets today so I hoped that a good thrifting trip might liven up the day! 

As soon as we walked in, I knew it was going to be a great trip! There was a huge selection of large and small items of all shapes and sorts.  Furniture galore! 

In need of a piano? You could pick up this beauty for $100! It did have a note that said it needed to be tuned and you of course would probably want to refinish it but what a great deal!

Tyler and I both LOVED this trunk but wished it was a different color. This little guy was $45 and in great shape. It would have been worth it to buy it and spray paint it but we weren't really sure where we would want to put it. I would love to have made this out of it though!

Fixing up your house? Check out this almost brand new light fixture for $50! You could easily recreate this Pottery Barn chandelier for a thrift store price! The key to thrifting is to see what these items can be! 

Tyler wanted to buy this putting green (for $8) for his office! Can you see the thrill in his eyes! 

These 45's were just sitting in a box in the corner.. I bet there were at least a few good ones in there! 

This cute little hutch ($125) could be left as is or could be easily updated and used in almost any room in the house. This would be great in a kitchen for extra storage or to display china or vases. 

When I saw this umbrella holder ($15) it was love at first sight! Imagine how stinking cute this would be right inside the front door or in the mud room.  I did pick this little baby up.  I have some plans that may or may not include some brightly colored spray paint! 

I don't know how someone could let grandma's crocheted blanket ($5) go to the thrift store! If it matched our decor I would have totally picked it up!  

This large chest was a whopping $300! That's a bit pricey for a thrift store find but it was solid wood and pretty big. It would be great to store things in as well as to use as a coffee table. 

Check out this glass lamp I picked up for $5!  As soon as I saw this I knew what I was going to do with it.. check out this lamp that I saw at the Sea Shell Shop for $169!  I am going to be able to duplicate this almost EXACTLY for a $5 thrift store lamp, a lamp shade that I will pick up from Target (my favorite place), and sea shells from Grandma's house (for free!)  This is what I am talking about! I will do a Nap Time Craft Time post on this soon! 

Another cute set I saw were these Norman Rockwell plates.  They looked like they might be worth something- not really sure.  They were priced at $3 each and were pretty cute.  They would be nice as a set to display- maybe in that hutch up above?

Needless to say I was very happy from our thrift shop experience and have two new projects that I will be working on in the upcoming weeks.  The photo below shows what we brought home with us from the thrift shop. Tyler found a book by William Gibson called Count Zero which is the second book in the Sprawl Trilogy.  He was excited to find this book since he read the first book in the series last year.  He took a "Cyber Punk" class in college which is spurred his interest in this genre. 

The umbrella holder ($15), glass lamp base ($5), mini lamp shade ($0.25), Count Zero book ($0.25).  Our total came to $20.50 (no sales tax in Delaware!)  

I hope that this thrift store preview has inspired you to check out your local thrift shops and see what you can find! Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty and make some magic!  Check out one of Tyler and I's FAVORITE blogs, Young House Love and all their thrifty posts here!

Letters to Everett: 8/22/12

Dear Everett,

Yesterday you turned 15 months old! You are growing up too fast- I know I say that every time but it is true!  You are not only walking now, but running EVERYWHERE!  You like to be Mr. Independent and do not want to hold our hands when you are walking! You do like to hold our hands when we are at the table though! It is so cute, we say a prayer every night at the dinner table.

You have four teeth on the top and four teeth on the bottom and you love to eat everything. It seems that you will pretty much eat anything that we put in front of you. This is good for us because I don't really need to make lots of things for you to eat since you eat whatever we are eating! 

Here's what you have been up to this past month:

07/29/12: Plane ride to Nebraska for a family trip/daddy's work trip

08/01/12: We went to the Children's museum in Lincoln, Nebraska
08/11/12: Said "bye bye" and "Paw paw"

08/11/12: Said "Mowg" (Mowgli)

8/16/12: Your feet finally touch the step on the highchair

8/18/12: You signed "fan" by yourself

Words you Say: 

• Daa-eee (Daddy)
• Daaag (Dog)
• Mommmma
• Bec (Becca)
• Tyler
• Rara (Laura)
• Hi
• This
• Yay
• Go
• Mine
• No
• Pa pa (Pig Paw and Paw Paw)
• Dumb
• Got it
• Did it
• Mowg (Mowgli)

Signs you Sign: 

• All done
• Arms up
• Dog
• Fan
• More
• Please
• Thank you

Momma and Daddy love you to the moon and all the way back! 

xoxo,

Momma

Face Time

For the past few months I have been thinking about switching my make up out for a more organic and/or natural type of make up. I finally have found a good mix of brands that I like and that fit my "categories." The only thing that I need to find a replacement for is my moisturizer.  If anyone has any suggestions, I would GREATLY appreciate it!

Here's my new make up!

Here's the line up: 

• Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Tinted Moisturizer
• Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow and Liner, Bronze Collection
• Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Talc-Free Mineral Blush
• Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara
• Bare Minerals Matte SPF 15 Foundation
• Bare Minerals Warmth All Over Face Color
• Bare Minerals SPF 25 Mineral Veil
• up & up Sensitive Skin Lotion

Putt Putt Goes the Family

We made it out to the Sea Shell Shop last night to play our annual game of putt putt and it was a blast as usual.  Tony and Tyler came in first and second followed closely by Jordan, and Riley and I came in at the end of the pack! 

Just hanging out with Ga Ga!

The great volcano thingy!  

Miss Riley up to putt.

Sibling love.

Paw Paw, Ga Ga, and Everett

Another view of the waterfall volcano!

Action shot!

Everett and Daddy playing with the wind chime.

Everett found his favorite spot!