Write that down.

Turning 30 scared me, but life went on.
We found a great home and made a great big move.
my teaching assignment changed and I was faced with the challenge of teaching an advanced placement course.
Time to write wasn't being found, but now things have settled down.
I was thinking that I should start a blog to write about life and then I remembered I had this one right here.

Fab Five Friday Round 2!

Here we go again. I was worn out last weekend trying to meet the demanding requirements for that dang Leibster Award. This past week I have been busy with work and domestic duties, so now the chance to unclutter my mind with the fab five. Remember, I totally swiped the idea for this post from upward not inward, but I had to because I just love it. I think their five question questionnaire is an excellent exercise in self reflection. You can do it too!

1. This week I am grateful for-  My Mom's talents on the organic farm she operates with  my Stepdad. They sent us a big box full of awesome goodies and our bellies couldn't be happier. We are talking about homemade pickles, jelly, bread, and honey from their own bee hives. They sent us loads of fresh veggies and inspired me to cook from scratch one night.
2. This week I enjoyed- My children. Just hugging those tiny people somehow has the magical power to make any day fantastic. I might be a little weird, but I love the way my tiny tots smell. Not to mention the way they crack me up when they play together.
3. This week I learned- That my strengths are Creativity and Caregiver. You can find your strengths by taking the online quiz at http://stronglifetest.com/  Just scroll down until you see the pink box. I am reading the book right now. I was skeptical at first, but now I am totally into it and a believer.
4. This week I accomplished- Creating a new dinner from scratch! I was inspired by the fresh veggies my Mom sent (see question 1) and the picture on the box of linguine. We had warm pasta with fresh chopped tomato, fresh basil, a dash of garlic salt, italian dressing and olive oil. We also had garlic bread that I made with slices of the homemade stuff my Mom sent. It was a party in my tummy and I think everyone else enjoyed it too. 
5. I am looking forward to - My son's soccer practice tonight. He is just so cute in his jersey. It is adorable watching three year olds trying to stop a goal. So Proud :)

You can check out how the ladies at upward not inward answered their questionnaire by going to their site here. What is going on in your world this week? You can share your own reflections there or in the comments here. I hope everyone has a blessed weekend.

Take care,

Mrs.PJ

Please, pretty please, click, clickety, click. Thanks so much!

Awwwwww, how sweet is that?

Another Mommy blogger, Angela at Time With A&N, nominated me for a Liebster Award! That is so nice of her to do. I have to admit that I am thrilled anytime someone comments on my posts, so to be nominated for an award for new bloggers is extra exciting. To accept this nomination I have to perform the following six tasks.

• Link back to the blog that nominated you.

Time with A&M, where Angela, a fellow teacher shares the woes of balancing motherhood and life. 

• Nominate 5-11 new blogs with fewer than 200 followers.

I nominate The Truth About Mommy, for her brutal honesty.

I nominate Raising the Light, and the awesome ladies who post there about faith and family.

I nominate Super Punk Rock Mommy, for the fun of it.

I nominate Working On / Working Mom, for the tremendous effort she has put into her most recent food challenge.

I wanted to nominate The Deliberate Mom, because she is just one of those cool Moms that everyone should know, but I just checked and she officially has 202 followers. I'm nominating her anyway! (Check her out anyway.)

• Answer the questions posted for you by your nominator.

1. What's your dream career?  Winning the Lotto.
2. If money wasn't an issue how many kids would you have? Shouldn't this question be "If your  husband wasn't an issue...?" I kid, I adore the two I have, periodically think about throwing in a few more when these are potty trained, but I don't think we should worry about new babies for a few years and then see how we feel about it then.
3. What's your favorite vacation? The ones that haven't happened yet, when we get to take the kiddos all over the place. With that one rainy camping trip to Enchanted Rock being a close second place. Actually when I was in college I went on a really cool two week trip where we learned Geography by doing Geography. Once when we were dating, Mr.PJ took me to Pensacola Beach, it was kinda romantic. I like getting away and this is not an easy question.
4. If you could go visit anywhere where would you go? Everywhere. Seriously, as a Geography nerd I get excited about a lot of places. Except the really violent and sandy ones. 
5. Where did you meet your significant other? I met Mr. PJ the old fashioned way, in a bar. Some of my friends were playing in a band there. Mr. PJ was there. We met, talked and the rest is history. Actually the rest is a story for another post one day.
6. How long did you date before you were married? We dated six months, he was on deployment for the six months after that, he came back and we moved in together, we got engaged and then married a year after that. I was 22 when we got married and I'm still kinda crazy about him, even though he can drive me crazy sometimes.
7. How long have you known your longest friend? My sister, her whole life, 25 years in July. My longest not related by blood friend, Estelle, has it really been 12 years?
8. When was your last date night with your husband? Some may not count this, but we just got done with a season of co-ed softball. We are on a team for my campus and every Wednesday night for the past several weeks has been a game night. Thank you to my awesome Mother in law for babysitting. Thank you to Mr.PJ for that epic grand slam in the last game of the playoffs. It was very romantic. Go Treefish!
9. Where do you live? In a cute little two bedroom, one bath, fixer upper that we are quickly outgrowing. It breaks my heart that the home we started our family in needs more TLC than we can give it. I know we are going to have to make a decision soon about what we want to do, but it is just hard for me because I have been in this home longer than any other single place in my life. 
10. If you could only eat three things what would they be?  Well, being vegetarian, my diet is already kind of restricted. I'm going to go with.......dang this is a hard question. I say carbs, dairy and home cooking. I'm sorry, I really love food and I can't pick just three favorites. 
11. How long have you been blogging? Since January, so six months. I'm really enjoying it. 

• Share 11 random facts about yourself.

1. I gained close to fifty pounds with both of my pregnancies. I lost it by nursing and running around like a chicken with its head cut off while attempting to take care of all of those tasks that we call life. 
2. I am a Hurricane Katrina victim. At the time we were living in my home state of Mississippi and  most of the Mississippi Gulf Coast was wiped clean. We were lucky our home was still there, but with five feet of floodwaters nearly everything inside was ruined. I can honestly say that we have been nothing but blessed since moving to our current home. It did take me a long time to get over the shock of being forced to move because of the storm.  I still want to cry anytime an area hit by a  natural disaster is on the news.
3. My son and I were laying on the couch snuggling the other night. My husband walked in and told him it was time for him to get a shower. He responded, "Um, I'm not done with Mommy yet." I hope he never finished snuggling with me.
4. My daughter took her first steps earlier tonight! We were at the little dude's soccer practice and she took a step towards her Daddy.  How cool is that? Fact number four- I was nervous about having a daughter, but I could not be more delighted. 
5. I cloth diaper and nurse my babies. I know that there are people out there that think I am crazy because being a working mom takes up a lot of time and so does pumping and washing diapers. I feel like in a way, that is time I'm giving back to my kids. I know it is not for every family, but it works for us. 
6. I pretty  much neglect every other aspect of homemaking duties all week long. My most hated chore is washing dishes. When we do move, I hope we can get a place with a dishwasher. My home is usually embarrassingly filthy.
7. I was an adult before I got serious about my faith and religion. I think that that is one of those topics that will be a longer post for another day. I do have to say I enjoy reading other blogs that post inspirational stuff. It helps keep me on track.
8. My Godson has downs syndrome. His Momma is one of my closest friends. We have known each other since before we started having kids and we met at church. His downs was a surprise, but he couldn't have a better family and he is a great little kid. I hope our kiddos are always as close as they are now. 
9. Sometimes I have a hard time relating to other adults, especially if I let myself be judgmental, which I hate doing. I mean, it is easy to make a quick assumption about someone, but then I always feel guilty later on. When I see someone doing something that I think is dumb, I just want to write them off, even though I know that is not the right thing to do. I have been working really hard on having more patience and being intentionally nice to people even when I don't want to. 
10. When I was a freshmen in college I saw a girl get killed in a drinking and driving accident. A drunk driver hit her car and fled the scene. They caught him later, but I watched the girl die in the arms of her friend. 
11. My husband and I are kind of opposites. I'm vegetarian, he is not. He will have a beer with dinner, I don't drink. I went to college, he went to the military and then trade school. He smokes I don't. We both love each other madly, tolerate each others craziness, keep each other sane and I hope that he knows how much I love and respect him. I hate it when I realize I'm nagging him about stuff.

• Create 11 questions for your nominees.  

1. What is your favorite family tradition?
2. What quality about yourself do you want to improve on?
3. What prayer do you say the most often? 
4. Who inspires you?
5. Who is your favorite author and what was the last book that you read?
6. Which radio station do you listen to / what is your favorite music genre?
7. What are you sick of making for dinner / what is your most hated chore?
8. Which blog do you read the most and why?
9. What are your hopes for your kids when they grow up?
10. Have you ever paid to see a movie in the theater more than once or what is your favorite film? 
11. Where do you see yourself in ten years?

• Contact your nominees and let them know you nominated them.

Done! Whew, that was a beast of a post. It took me two days to do. Nominees, I wish you good luck.

If you made it through this extra long post, go the extra mile and click below to vote for me. Thanks!

Fab Five Friday

I totally swiped the idea for todays post form upward not inward, but I had to because I just love it. I think their five question questionnaire is an excellent exercise in self reflection. You can do it too!

1. This week I am grateful for- My awesome hardworking husband and my sweet kiddos. The love I get at home helps me survive the roughest days at work.
2. This week I enjoyed- Getting to see the Seniors get ready to leave for the graduation duty. I didn't have to actually go to graduation this year (alright, I'm grateful for that too), but getting to help them get ready and seeing them all dolled up was exciting. 
3. This week I learned- I am done with speculating. Life is interesting enough without playing the "what if ..?" game. I need to trust in God more and work with the challenges I already have before me. 
4. This week I accomplished - Getting my classroom packed up and my sign off sheet done early! It only took five years for me to figure out how to get on top of that.
5. I am looking forward to - AP Human Geography. I will be teaching it next year for one class period and I am thrilled. It is a great opportunity to work with student who are eager to learn and for me to approach the material in a new way. I normally teach regular World Geography which is different.

You can check out How the ladies at upward not inward answered their questionnaire by going to their site here. What is going on in your world this week? You can share your own reflections there or in the comments here. I hope everyone has a blessed weekend.

Take care,

Mrs.PJ

Please, pretty please, click, clickety, click. Thanks so much!

Guest Post: Five Top Tips for Family Vacations

Hello Dear Readers,   
Today's post is written by travel expert and mother of three Kendra Thornton. You can read about here on the Guest Contributers Page. My family still has several weeks before we travel anywhere for Summer, but I know many people will be traveling soon. Anyone who has ever traveled with kids in tow knows there can be many challenges, so Kendra's post comes at the perfect time. Enjoy and feel free to share your own travel ideas/tips/stories in the comments section.


It’s summertime and we all know what that means: time for a family vacation. Trips with the kids can be the perfect time to bond and enjoy one another. As a travel advocate and enthusiast, I have been fortunate enough to continue traveling with my family. The best times we’ve had have been those I’ve taken the time beforehand to plan for success.

Tip 1: Find a truly family-friendly hotel

When looking for a family-friendly hotel, don’t just take the hotel’s word for it. Be sure the accommodations have amenities your family needs in order to enjoy their stay. Look for a hotel that provides in-room refrigerators to store leftovers and kid-friendly snacks. This is essential for small ones who require bottles. See if you can find a hotel that has a playground or other play area for young children to enjoy. Also, take a look at customer reviews to learn if the hotel’s claims are true. My family found a great family friendly resort in Oahu by reading through other families reviews of the top hotels in Honolulu.

Tip 2: Preparing for Fourth-of-July celebrations

Many families choose to go on vacation over Independence Day. If you are planning such a trip, consider fireworks displays when you book your hotel room. Watching local displays from a hotel balcony provides a safer, more kid-friendly option than celebrating amid the crowds and close to the hot embers. When booking your hotel, check to see if you can get a room with a good view of the fireworks display. In addition to safe viewing, you will be able to balance different interests and bedtimes seamlessly.

Tip 3: Help everyone enjoy themselves more by sticking to a routine

Both adults and children find comfort in routine. For young children who are used to regular meal and snack times as well as naps, a break in routine can be extremely stressful. While on vacation, don’t neglect regular naptimes and meals. It may take a little extra planning, but your kids will be much less fussy when these needs are addressed in a timely fashion.

Tip 4: Carry a backpack

You’ll find hundreds of trendy travel bags that you can purchase for your trip. I have found, however, that a backpack meets my needs best. A good, ergonomic bag will allow you to carry more without being encumbered by the weight. Also, most backpacks offer plenty of carry space as well as multiple pockets for organizing everything you need. Plus your hands will be free! Everlane offers some trendy ones or try your local sporting goods store for a variety of shapes, sizes and prices.

Tip 5: Remember to bring a few plastic bags

You probably won’t forget the big things you need to pack. You’ll bring clean outfits and underwear. You’ll remember everyone’s toothbrush. But don’t forget to stash a few extra plastic bags in your luggage. These come in handy when someone has an accident, the kids can’t resist a last-minute dip in the pool before leave or you just need to keep clean and dirty clothes separate.

Vacation is a time for fun and relaxation. Use these tips for the most success possible.


Thanks for the tips Kendra! I think my favorite is the plastic bag tip. We go through a lot of the sandwich and gallon slide top bags in our household. The small ones make the perfect holder for baby wipes, so everyone can carry their own in their bag. Also the backpack tip works for little ones as well. As soon as our son was big enough to walk we got him a backpack so he could carry his own diapering supplies. He loves it. What makes traveling with little ones easier for you? 

Happy Travels,
Mrs.PJ

Thanks for reading! Click below to vote, reviewing R&R on the directories and share.

Would you look at that?

Rendered & Renewed is in the top 200! Keep clicking!

Thanks so much,
Mrs.PJ

Our Puppy Dog

me: Hey, you wanna come help me get dinner ready in the kitchen?

son: Um........no.

me: Why not? You love helping in the kitchen.

son: Um...I'm getting comfy with my puppy. 

me: You know she is not a pillow pet.

son: Yes, she is my comfy pillow. She is my puppy.

Big dogs are comfy!

She is not really a puppy anymore. Our sweet little puppy is eight or nine years old, which is way older than our three year old. She has loved him since the day he was born though. 

On guard the first day.

She was our practice baby before we had our real babies. When she was a puppy Mr. PJ would carry her around in his arms all day. She has adapted without hesitation to new homes and both of our babies.   Most importantly both of our babies adore her. 

"She is my Clifford!"

We have taught him how to be gentle with her. He doesn't try to ride her like a horse anymore. His only chores are to feed her and let her outside to go potty. He takes this responsibility very seriously and loves out puppy dearly. Really she is already an old girl and I worry about what will happen when she is gone. She is smart and sweet and for now I will tolerate the white fur on everything because we love her.

Boo!

This past Sunday the baby was sleeping between Mr.PJ and myself. She is nine months and trying to talk a little, not doing more than "mamamama" and "dadadada".  Anyway, I was watching her wake up and she smiled with recognition when she saw me and her daddy. Then she sat up and saw the dog at the foot of the bed. She let out a gasp and said, "A puppy!" It was too darn cute.

Pretending to be a jackrabbit.

On a completely different note, you might want to know that I have added a new Frequently Asked Questions page to the Sharing is Caring section on the left over there. Hopefully that will clear up a few questions people have asked. I don't get tons of free time to work on the old blog since I am a working momma, so I do appreciate your feedback and support. How can you support this blog? Super easy, just share links with your friends by e-mail or on your facebook page. If you have two seconds to click on the squares below it would be much appreciated.

Take care,

Mrs.PJ

Show and Tell

How to change a wriggly toddler:
1. Lay toddler on floor and sit at a 90 degree angle facing him or her.
2. Use your leg to pin toddlers upper body and arms. There has to be some kind of wrestling term for this maneuver, I just don't know what it is. If you don't want to pin their arms you can hand them a toy or a book and hope they don't throw it back at you. Then pin their body.
3. Fold your other leg under you, sing a song to distract them and quickly change the offending diaper.
4. Release your toddler.

Don't let that tiny baby head confuse you, the toddler is behind the Dr. Suess book.

The demonstration photo above looks a little confusing, but this technique really works, trust me.  I witnessed a good friend of mine changing her little man this way and asked if I could share it with you.   Our tot is in undies most of the time now, but I will definitely be using this when little miss PJ gets big enough to fight back. 

How to break in a new glove:

1. Buy your new softball or baseball glove and make sure the person using it can fit their hand into it before you bring it home. 

2. Slather that crisp glove with vitamin E oil. Yes, the same vitamin E oil you used on your post pregnancy stretch marks. 

3. Now coat that thing with lanolin, rubbing it into every crook, seam and cranny. Yes, the same lanolin you use on breast feeding nipples. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. This stuff is good for your glove. 

4. Put the ball you will be using in the pocket of the glove and wrap that thing like a christmas present. Wrap a hand towel or handkerchief around the ball and glove, tie with twine, and then toss the whole ensemble into a pillow case and tie that off. 

5. Throw that thing into the dryer with a load of wet laundry. The heat will work the oil and lanolin into the leather, the tumbling action will beat the stiffness out, and the humidity from the laundry will prevent your glove from getting to dry. The pillow case and towel layers around the glove protect your glove. You will see a noticeable difference in the play of your glove, but you can repeat steps 2-5 as needed.

How to wear your baby:

I wish I could carry her to work like this.

1. Find a baby wearing support group like Bay Area Baby Wearers.

2. Check out the great guides at Becoming Mommas or Sleeping Baby Productions.

3. Enjoy snuggling with your baby and having your hands free!

Remember I share because I care. Nobody is paying me to, FYI. 

Take care,

Mrs. PJ

Money is dirty

Seriously people, money is filthy. I don't mean in a hippie dippie socialist let's go back to bartering way. I mean money carries a lot of germs. Why is that you might ask? Basically because toddlers and other gross people handle it. Let me explain. Our house should be under quarantine right now because the little dude and I have a bad stomach virus. Apparently it is very contagious because lots of people we know have had it. How bad could it be you ask? Every time the poor little dude passed gas yesterday we had to change his underwear. So he was wearing just his underwear and a t-shirt for most of the day. At one point he walks through the room and quarters start falling out of his undies. They were coming out of the leg hole every time he took a step. It was like we won the jackpot at a toddler casino. He had been going through his easter basket and found the quarters in some of the plastic eggs. He explained that he put them in his "pocket"(the flap on the front of his undies). So these quarters were jingling around in what is probably the most germ contaminated spot in our house. Where are those quarters now? Who knows. They are probably in a piggy bank, waiting to release their evil stomach bug germs on the next unsuspecting victim. It reminds me of when I used to work in retail and people would use the waistband of their spandex bike shorts or their bra as a wallet. It is pretty gross being handed cash soaking wet with sweat. Remember when you were a child and your classmates carried their lunch money in their shoes? Bottom line, money is dirty, so wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after you handle cash. Don't try to blame it on my toddler either.

 Don't forget to wash those hands,
Mrs.PJ

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to comment, subscribe, like us,  and click on the links to vote.

 

Put a little hop into your Spring Break step!

  

           Spring Break is in full swing which means time for family fun!  My little ones are really little, so I like to encourage inquiry based play, which basically looks like me asking them a lot of questions. I like to think that being a teacher makes me kind of good at that. Do you want to play with the sidewalk chalk? Do you want to help me make a hopscotch? Then, because squares are a little, well square..... What shape should we make our hopscotch out of? How many numbers should we put in our hopscotch? Can we count them together? What can we make this into? Our circles turned into a caterpillar, but you could use rectangles to make a skyscraper or flowers to make a garden. Should we hop on one foot or two? which number should we hop over? Can you hop backwards? Go outside, play and have fun.

          One more thing, you might have noticed that I added something new to the left hand column of my blog. It is a link to one of my favorite web directories, Top Mommy Blogs . If you like what you read here, then I suggest you check them out too. They have some awesome mommas chronicling the highlights and challenges of motherhood. I spend way too much time randomly reading blogs over there, so I thought I would share that you can enjoy them too. 

Take care,

Mrs. PJ