#sprinklesshenanigans Week Two!

9:11 PM

I didn't want to over bombard with every day photos, so I will just post them every week!
Ive already missed taking some pics! 
& week one is on my other computer that i can't get on to! 
Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11



Day 12

Day 13


Christmas Story House Trip

8:53 PM
Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post though my sharing with you is simply unbiased & my love for the film & this trip is all my own.

I am a HUGE  The Christmas Story movie fan. I am unsure why as it isn't the classic christmas movie plot that I am normally into. But I have been drawn to it for years. It plays every christmas allll day long. It is the background music to all of our Christmas activities! The girls equally love it. They love the leg lamp & "you'll shoot your eye out" so much so that Kennedy is asking for a Red Ryder this year for Christmas, & Kensley think she will be big enough next year!

They were thrilled to wake up to the Sprinkles the elf leaving them their dresses & the movie to watch on the way there! Aren't they the cutest? As always by the amazing Very Chic Baby!

So one of my lifetime bucket list checks is to go! Its a little over 3 hours from us. But was sooo worth the drive!

We learned some really really cool fact about the movie, the house & why they choose the house & Cleveland for the movie! I won't give them away incase you want visit but they are really neat.

The whole house is interactive. Meaning you can touch, sit, get in, push ect everything in the house!

First we stopped in the store to get our tickets & shop a bit!




we loved finding ovaltine to buy!
can't forget the soap!



Now for the house!
Our tour was given to us by the owner so we felt pretty special! 








This played "little orphan annie"! so neat!



"daddys going to kill Ralphie"

when you pickup the phone upstair you can hear Schwartz mom yelling! What! What! Whhhhhat!


in the bathroom


Some pictures from the Museum!
I didn't snow that winter in Cleveland so they had to make it! It was made from firefighter foam!






I am the perfect mom.

2:44 PM

"You're the perfect mom."
I've heard this a few times, usually following something fun-holiday-schbang that I put together for the girls.
At first I took it as a compliment..until it stopped being a compliment.

My love for all things crafty/party/cute clothes has ALWAYS been something I have loved doing. Pre children, when I taught pre-k, & bought clothes for my nieces.

It was nothing new that started with some trend, when I had my children.
Which means, brace yourself; I do not do them to make you feel bad.

My love for those things, started to make me feel not happy anymore; when people started judging me for them.

I am so sick of the stupid, yes stupid; posts about how social media is making mom's feel bad about themselves.

It isn't the photos of kids dressed nicely, the clean playrooms, the mom with makeup & adorable outfit on, or elaborate birthday parties that are making you feel bad. It's yourself.

We HAVE to stop.

Have you noticed all these posts are about mothers, that are taking too many photos, have too clean of a house, that are doing a fun craft, having fun with elf on the shelf, made a elaborate snack ect. {i say ect, cause there is seriously HUNDREDS of these posts putting down moms floating on facebook at any given moment}
 We do realize how silly that is to making women feel bad about doing those things, when there is literally children being abused everyday?  Seriously? They are doing something FUN for THEIR child. When children are dying at the hands of their mothers & Buddy the elf fishing goldfish from the bathroom sink made you feel like a bad mom bad enough to put down another cause of it??

Sure it made the mom that isn't crafty, that doesn't have the cleanest house feel better. But what about the mom that does? How is that ending "mommy wars"?? Bring down another to bring up the other?

We can't go on doing this.

I am not perfect. For every holiday diddy I do, there is a time that I lost my patience. Each of us of mommas have our own great qualities. God gave us those qualities before we even had our children, he gave us those qualities because those are what our children needed from us.

Some moms have more patience than I, while I may be able to whip a craft out of a paper plate more easily. Another mom maybe a better housekeeper than I. Another maybe able to not raise her voice in times of stress, when I tend to be a yeller by nature. Another can whip up a well balanced meal every day of the week, when another struggles to get something besides chicken nuggets & fast food on the table before bed on dance nights. {raises hand}

Neither of these qualities make them a better momma than I.
My knack for all things holidays, & anothers clean house at the end of the day doesn't make us "perfect moms" or even a "good mom".

I am so glad that other mommas have the qualities I do not. If it is a quality I want to instill in myself I look to them to do better, yell a little less; be a bit more organized.  & If  it is just something I am not capable of; like looking insanely adorable at preschool pickup line while I look like death; I cheer on that momma. Not snicker behind her back to make myself feel better. 

The fact that we everyday love our children. Do our absolute best that we can everyday for them, & even on days that we didn't; but we sure as hell tried. Is what makes us "good moms."

You are the perfect mom to your child. 
God, chose me to my girls mother; & I am the perfect mom..for them.

Kennedy the "cooker" & her first recipe!

1:04 PM
Kennedy in recent months, has been utterly obsessed with all things baking and cooking. It first started when "Martha Bakes" came on PBS after one their shows. & she was obsessed with Martha Stewart. She would go in between an orca whale "person" & Martha Stewart as who she wanted to be when she grew up!

If she would have it  her way, she would watch the Food Network ALL day long. Which is when  she in love with Ree Drummond, aka the Pioneer Woman. She will sit with one of her cookbooks for hours. Its the sweetest thing!

I always let the girls help in way that they can when I am cooking. But she has been pushing & pushing to do more. To be like Ree.



I let her cut up the summer sausage the other day...with a ...sharp knife. I was pretty nervous, &
she, of course, was over the moon. Its so funny to watch her because she will drag what she cut to the other side of the board like she has seen on shows.


Next, is she really wanted to do something with the stove. Let not forget she is only 4 years old. I really was dragging my feet. But she kept pressing the issue, & really seems to have intrested cooking. So after sitting her down & showing her the stove is NOT to play with & can really hurt her & how to be safe. I had her stand right next to me, & helped a few times and then finally I let her try herself!


Her dish of choice was biscuits & gravy! She brown the sausage & made the gravy 100% by herself, adding in the flour & milk! Sissy did the biscuits!



Kennedy Buscuits & Gravy

Ingredients:
1 lb sausage
pepper
flour
milk
tube of refrigerated biscuits

Instructions:
brown sausage til done, we leave the grease in the pan but that is optional.
Add equal parts, flour & milk, stir constantly til a good thick {but not too thick}. Add pepper to taste.
Make biscuits as directed on package. Serve gravy on top of biscuits & enjoy!!

It was so yummy! She did such a great job!



Things no one tells you about not being able to have more children.

12:14 AM

Not being able to have more children, after already having children puts us in such a weird club.

You already have children, & can't have more; & for  a lot of people that hard to understand. & the yearning to have more, doesn't make sense; I mean we already have a child{ren} right?
No one told me how hard it is to explain.

When you have a dream of your family & how many children you want; & have that decision of how choose to expand it taken away for you. It pretty devastating.

I often hear, at least you have your girls, & believe or not been told that my life is already crazy enough with two what would I do with three. Yeah, someone actually said that. Just because someone might already have children & maybe a hot mess with those children, does not make that longing for another child less hard. YES, I know I am so blessed to have them. But that does not take away my yearning for a bigger family go away. It insulting to our feelings when we are told that.

When that decision was taken from me, We lost what our family would looked like. I lost filling my dining room table every night for dinner, our view on Christmas morning changed, dreams that my husband and I had our lives were taken away.

Somehow being sad, in other people's eyes makes them think you are ungrateful for the children that you already have. & that just simply is not the case.

It seems so simple. "Just adopt".."Just be grateful".."God has reason for only giving you two"

We still get sad with pregnancy announcements, baby showers & isles. We are thrilled for our friends & families, but there will always be jealousy. It has NOTHING whatsoever to do with that person & has everything to do our own hurt. When you have children, going through that hurt you see in your children as well. They don't understand why they can't have another sibling. They don't understand that their friends mommies have babies & their bellies & their mommy can not.

 A good friend recently pointed out to me, that one of the biggest struggles I have is that I get more sad, for feeling sad. That in my mind, I am not aloud to feel that way. How could I? I have two children, when some can not have any at all. & yes that IS just the way it is. There IS nothing I can  do about it. But we ALLOWED to be sad & jealous. 

We realize people have it worst. But that is just not what you say to people going thru a tough time. It isn't like we, me more so, like being sad. I can't just stop wanting, when its all I've ever dreamed of. 
Regardless if you've ever had a child, when you're told you can't do something as natural as carrying a baby, it hits your most basic level. & no one should ever feel ashamed or apologize for that.

The whole point of this post, is have compassion. If you have a loved one struggling with not being able to expand their family, for any reason, there are so many; be kind. Love them. Make them feel validated in their feelings. Make them feel loved. Don't try to find a way to fix it. We aren't sad ALL the time. We don't focus our every moment on the things we can't have, but sometimes; the sadness creeps in. When you don't know what to say, hug them. Tell them how unfair it is, & how much it does suck. There are so many of us hurting afraid of what people will say about our feelings, fearing we may somehow hurt others with our own hurt or sound ungrateful, and could use your compassion when so many are making them feel lousy.

If you are going through this, I promise you It's okay to be sad. It's okay to be angry. It's okay to be jealous.
 I pray God covers with peace when understanding seems so cruel sometimes to understand. 

Caramel Marshmallow Popcorn

10:13 PM
My good friend Christy got me hooked on this treat!
It is the perfect fall night, sweet caramely goodness to sit by the fire & watch Hocus Pocus, snack.

You HAVE to give it a try. Here's how to make this amazing-ness:

1. Pop popcorn, just your normal store bought bag!

2. Melt Butter in a pot on the stove. Add brown sugar & corn syrup until its all mixed in & blended! Next add the secret to this goodness, marshmallows!! Stir continuously til its all melted!



3. Pour mixture over popcorn. Drrrrooollll...




4. You can either spread it on parchment paper & cut into squares or at my house, we can't wait that long & eat it right out of the bowl while its still gooey & warm.

Enjoy!
Let me know if you tried it & what you thought!!

Caramel Marshmallow Popcorn
Ingredients
  • 1 bag popped popcorn ( any flavor works )
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 TB light corn syrup
  • 20 Large Marshmallows

Recipe adapted from: Little Luna

my little pumpkin

12:26 AM
While Kennedy is in school, Kensley & I sometimes do fun things..like go take some fun pumpkin photos!
She was absolute doll for these. Which is a far cry from what she normally is for photos. She doesn't always like it, mostly because she is on hip or some body part while i'm the one taking them :P But when she does want her photos taken she is such a ham! As you can see!

Dress: Giggle Moon Harvest Heart Bow: {as always} Julias Bowtique 










IG @MRSMUMAW