New Years Resolutions!

For the past several years, I've made new years resolutions.  I love making new years resolutions and setting goals.

Here are my resolutions for 2014:

1) Read 20 books... last year my goal was 24 books and I only read 18, so I'm bumping it down a little.  If my kids would let me, I would just sit around reading all day everyday.  But they want food and interaction, so here we are.  :)   I'm open to good book recommendations.

2) Lose 10-15 lbs.  My backside is starting to  make Kim Kardashian jealous.  Since we recently got a membership to the YMCA, I plan to attend 2-3 classes per week.  And now that I know that "zumba gold" means "zumba for retirees" I won't be making the mistake of entering the wrong class again.  :)

3)  Read a chapter in The Bible everyday and have a short family-friendly devotional with the kids each night before bed.  

4)  Homeschool preschool with Tynnley.  I'm kind of excited about this one :)

5)  Be more crunchy.  We plan to eat more organically and locally as a family and be intentional about recycling more, not just when it's convenient for us.

6) Plan a fun 4-day get-away for our 10 year wedding anniversary.  We were thinking somewhere fun, inexpensive, and not too far away.  I think we've settled on Put-In-Bay in October.

7) Have monthly calendar and budget meetings with Matt.  We are really good about sitting down and writing the budget every month, but we really have been lacking on the calendar aspect of it.

Here's to a great 2014!!!  What are your resolutions?

Fall, Kids, and Anger.

I'm in love... with fall!  It's my favorite season by far and I love every day of it.  So I'm in my happy place right now.  I love 60 degree weather, cute boots and hoodies; I love not having the heat or air on, I love pumpkins, hay rides, colorful leaves, apple cider...  I could go on and on.

Here's what The Robinson's have been up to this month:

I've been reading a lot lately, which I'm happy to be doing again.  I don't think I read anything my entire pregnancy... what's up with that?  So I'm making up for it now.  Just this month, I've read the Amanda Knox memoir: Waiting To Be Heard, Somewhere Inside by Laura and Lisa Ling, and I am Malala.  All excellent books!  I'm planning to read Elizabeth Smart's book next.  

Sidenote: I know a lot of people are disgruntled with our government right now, and they have the right to be.  But after reading some of these books, I am 100% convinced that I am so blessed to live in the USA.  I have been making a point to thank God every.single.day that I live here.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of crazy politics, entitled people, and the media in general, but we have so much that others around the world are dying for every day.  And I'm vowing not to complain about first world problems anymore.

But I digress...

Here's what we've been doing this fall:

We've been to Spencer's farm to get some pumpkins.  Warrick had just finished preschool for the day and Tynnley needed a nap.  It went a lot differently in my head, but all in all we had a good time.  

A week later, Warrick had a field trip to another pumpkin patch.  This was slightly disastrous as well.  I got super lost so we missed half of the trip, but once we got there it went really well and I'm glad that we made it!  :)  Here we are on the hayride:    

  

Tynnley has been having a hard time letting go of being the youngest child, one day I caught her sucking on a pacifier and chillin in the baby bouncer.  

We've been working on halloween costumes!  Tynnley is going to be minnie mouse, it's her favorite thing right now and the whole thing cost me $5... yay!  

I read that according to the National Retail Federation, the average citizen will spend $80 on costumes, candy, and decorations for halloween this year.  Yikes!  Not me :)  Warrick is going to be spiderman and Paisley is going to be a pea in a pod.  They are going to be really cute.  

We went to Lego League at the library... Warrick loved it.  Once a month, kids meet at the library, bring their legos and build something.  This month it was supposed to be a spooky scene.  Sidenote:  I love the way Warrick writes his name. 

                               

These kids are great, although sometimes most of the time they drive me crazy!!!!  Most days, I have to repeat 1 Cor 13:4 and 5 over and over again.  "Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
And this morning when Tynnley threw a baseball at Paisley's face and made Paisley cry that really hurt cry, Tynnley was in time-out and I had to repeat this verse like 1000 times.  It's hard to not be easily angered.    
I am thankful that I serve a God who is patient, kind, and is not easily angered with me.  I hope to be more like Him every day.  

Thanks for reading :) 

A Day in the Life: Picture Edition

A Day in the Life:  Picture Edition :) 

*breakfast

*packed Warrick's lunch

 *preschool drop-off

*Target... spending some birthday money :)  

(picture #2, feeding Paisley in the fitting room which means Tynnley knows she can 

pretty much get away with anything.  Like, standing up 

in the cart singing to herself in the mirror)

*library... Paisley wasn't a fan

 *picked up Warrick from preschool, Warrick and Tynnley took naps.  Paisley and I read Amanda Knox's memoir, did devotions, and took 

a short nap.   

*Warrick and Tynnley woke up from naps and we read library books

 *Matt came home from work and hung out with the kids while I made dinner     

 *I gave Warrick and Tynnley a bath while Matt cleaned up from dinner
then Matt put them to bed.  

*And we were pretty tired after all of that....

Life with 3 kids

Dare I say... life (so far) has been a pretty easy transition with 3 kids.  Well, easier than the first or second.

Warrick:

Warrick has been such a huge help!  He dresses himself on most days... he usually doesn't match, and once he had socks on with sandals, but I don't care.  Warrick has also taken a bath on his own a few times, which has also made my life 10xs easier.   

A while ago, I made a snack box for Warrick and put it in the pantry on a low shelf so he could reach it.  So on the days where I haven't gotten much sleep and Warrick wants a snack, I can say "You can pick something out of your snack box."  And he loves it... it has cheese crackers, granola bars, raisins, whatever I can find at the store to load it up with.  :)  

Tynnley:

Tynnley has been a big help as well.  She loves throwing diapers away... I know, it sounds weird, but this actually is a big help.  :)  

Tynnley naps every day at 1pm.  During Tynnley's nap time, Warrick has quiet time.  This let's me nap if I need to and/or start dinner prep.  

Paisley:

Paisley sleeps most of the day when she's not eating, so right now it's still pretty doable.  I'm sure it will be different when she's awake more.  She's still not on any type of a schedule and I'm feeding on demand, so we just go with the flow most of the time.  She is doing pretty well at night, and has recently been doing better sleeping in her bassinet.  She likes being swaddled at night, so as long as she doesn't break out of the swaddle, she sleeps well.  

Matt:

Matt has been a superstar as well.  There have been so many nights where he will take Paisley from 2am-5am for me even though he has to be at work all day.  I know he's probably so exhausted and I really appreciate all that he has done.  He's an awesome dad and husband.  Matt has Monday's off most weeks, and so recently on Monday's, we all drop Warrick off at preschool, go get groceries, and then Matt will pick Warrick up and have "dude's day" as they call it.  They go get ice cream, or see a movie, go to the park, etc.  Warrick loves these times!!!     

Things I've learned:

Preschool and church mornings can be stressful if I don't plan.  

So it's important for me to pick out clothes for everyone and pack a bag the night before.  This makes all the difference.

My house can't stay clean.  And I have to be ok with that... for now.  I know it will get better :)  

I call my kids the wrong names... sorry to my parents for all the times I was angry to them for all the times I was called the wrong name.  

It's important to get out of the house.  

On Wednesdays, I go to bunnyhop storytime at the library.  It's awesome because it's geared for Tynnley's age and she really enjoys it.  Warrick is in school on Wednesdays, so it's a special time just for her.  The first time I took her, I was a little bummed because I had to sit in the back and nurse Paisley.  But the next time, Paisley slept the whole time and I was able to have Tynnley sit on my lap and sing songs and do the motions together.  

This morning, I took the kids to the Noblesville fairgrounds because Minnie and Mickey were there and Tynnley loves Minnie Mouse.  So I got everyone ready and out the door by 10am (this is pretty impressive for me!) and we get there and Tynnley was scared to death and wouldn't get near them.  Oh well, we tried :)  And even though it's tough to get out and about with a baby who wants to eat ALL.THE.TIME, I know that each time I take all 3 of them out, it will be easier and easier.   

It's worth it... even though we're all sleep deprived and our house looks like it was recently ransacked, we feel very blessed and thank God daily
:)  Thanks for all the prayers and encouragement.

The first day of preschool... a fun lunch idea!

Warrick started 3-day-a-week preschool today!

He's so stinking cute!!

I had a blast packing his lunch.  Last year, he was in preschool 2 days a week and towards the end of the year I found myself packing a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  After much pinteresting, I found so many healthy real food school lunches.  So I'm going to be much more creative this year.

Here is Warrick's first day of preschool lunch!  Colorful lunches are more appealing to kids... so I broke out as many colors as I could find.  :)  

Included is a slice of nana's zucchini bread, annie's organic crackers and pretzels, apple slices, green pepper and rainbow carrot slices, hummus, and a juice box.

For more information on getting your kids to eat healthy, check out Easy Eater 2 on facebook.  I have found some great ways to get my kids to eat better there.  

What did you pack today?  

Funny Friday post (AKA: pinterest fail)

A friend came over today to take some newborn pictures of Paisley.  She told me that days 6-10 are the best time to take newborn pictures because they sleep constantly, which allows you to put them into some crazy positions.  Before she came over, I fed Paisley to ensure that she would be sleeping during the photo shoot.  But instead, she was awake the whole entire time!  

I'm sure the pictures will turn out great, but I was so bummed that Paisley wasn't sleeping... she constantly sleeps.  So it was hard to position her and she kept moving and trying to escape the cute positions we put her in. 

Anyways, after all the pictures were taken, Paisley decided to take a nap (of course!)  So, I turned to pinterest and found some cute newborn picture positions and got my camera ready.  I mean, how hard could it be, right?  ha!  This was no easy task... as you will soon see.  

I had 3 inspiration pictures that I wanted to mimic.  Here they are:  

Pinterest inspiration:

My picture:

Pinterest inspiration:

My picture:

Pinterest inspiration:

My picture:

Oh... and just in case you ever wandered, If you feed your baby and then lay her on Psalms 139, 

they will spit up in the crease of your Bible :(  

This was my best pinterest effort... do you have any funny pinterest fails?

A Summer of Amazing Food!

This summer our family has taken taken advantage of some great fresh food!  My family has fun going to the local farmer's market on Saturday mornings, we have a box of fresh, organic fruits and veggies delivered to our house weekly, and have had a friend share her crop-share with us.

We have eaten so many foods this summer that I have never eaten or heard of before.  And I've had a blast sharing my "firsts" foods with my kids.  Recently, a friend gave us some swiss chard and beets.  I have never eaten either and didn't know where to start.  But we had a great time learning new recipes and how to incorporate these new foods into our diet.  

Here's what I've learned this summer about eating habits:

If my kids are involved in picking out the food and preparing it, they are much more apt to try it.  

If I act excited to try something new, they are too.    

It's true what they say... it takes about 10-15 times for a child to try a food before they like it.  So, don't get frustrated, just try again and again.

Have you heard of Easy Eater 2?  If not, like them on facebook!  They have some great resources to help your kids build healthier eating habits and I love that they have a passion for fighting against childhood obesity.

I will leave you with some pictures   :)

picking strawberries... and eating a lot off the vine!

Eating a dapple fire pluot

Made this for dinner recently... roasted chicken legs with carrots, potatoes, and brussels sprouts drizzled with olive oil, sea salt, and Italian seasoning.  Initially, I wasn't going to add the brussels sprouts, but my son requested them!!! 

What are the new foods you've tried this summer?

Frugal Friday!

This week's frugal accomplishments:

1) I cut Warrick's hair... Aldi's had clippers on sale for cheap and so I'm planning on saving LOTS of money on hair cuts over the years :)

2) This week, Warrick had his first ever dental visit (I know... he should've gone long ago)  Since we don't have dental insurance, it was expensive.  But the receptionist said if I paid in cash, rather than with a debit card, I would get a 5% discount.  I know it's not much, but I'll take what I can get :)  Both kids are going back in Feb and so I made her give me a very detailed price so I could start budgeting for it now.  I'm sure she thought I was silly, but I don't want to be surprised!

3) My friend got me a GALLON of coconut oil in Amish country for $10!  Here's a link for 101 uses of coconut oil if you are curious.

4) My friend sold me her food processor for $5!

5) I received some similac formula in the mail, along with $20 worth of similac coupons.  I traded them on an online maternity site for 3 packs of wipes, some size 1 diapers, and a cute newborn sleeper.
 
6) I sold a pair of Warrick's shoes online that didn't fit anymore.

7)  I registered for Indy Kids Consignment sale to sell Warrick's old clothes.

8) The weather has been fall-like around here, so we've had a lot of days with doors and windows open!

9) My friend is going out of town this weekend and said that I could have her crop-share!!!!  :)

10) Matt and I took the kids to $2 Tuesday at the state fair... admission, rides, and food were $2.  And there was a lot of great company as well :)

   The girls :)    

 

Tynnley was tuckered out!

 

eating a fried oreo on dad's shoulders :)

11) I received a text from Redbox for a free 1 night rental, so Matt and I had an at-home movie night after the kids went to bed.

12) On Saturday, I went to the farmer's market with my sister-in-law and I got 2 huge yellow squash for 50 cents a piece and 2 free apples.  And she brought me a free frappuccino from Starbucks!  

13) Tonight we are going to have "family pizza movie night"  We have papa murphy's coupons and we will either borrow a movie from the library or rent one from Redbox.  I saw on facebook earlier that there are only 940 weekends between your child's birth and them leaving for college.  We want to be a family that is intentional about making the most of those weekends, especially when our kids actually want to hang out with us.  I've heard a rumor that when they are teens, they don't wanna do family movie night with mom and dad anymore :)  

Hope your week was great!!!  What did you save money on this week?  I would love to hear!  

Frugal Friday!

Happy Frugal Friday!  

August is just around the corner!  

Before Matt and I do our August budget, I wanted to take inventory of all the fall/winter clothes I had bought for Warrick this summer at garage sales so that we could budget for clothes if needed before preschool starts.  

So I went through all the clothes I had bought for him this summer.  And it turns out, that he has a lot more than I thought!  I bought him 10 shirts, 1 pair of khakis, and 6 pairs of jeans.  And many of his clothes still fit from last year.  

I got all of these clothes pictured below for $11 total!  And most of them are Gap or Children's Place.  I love garage saling :)  So all I will need to budget for is new shoes and school supplies!!! :)    

  Warrick modeling a cute outfit for me :)  

How do you save on Back-To-School?

Happy Frugal Friday!  :)  

Frugal Friday!

I can't believe it's friday already... these weeks are going so fast.  Which means Paisley will be here before we know it!!!  6 more weeks unless she comes early, which I'm hoping and praying for :)  

Here are my frugal accomplishments for the week:

1)  Got this watermelon at Meijer for $0.09!!!

2) Got a bunch of celery and 7 bananas for $0.60 at target (via mobile coupon)

3) Today is Cow Appreciation Day at Chic-Fil-A, which means if you dress as a cow, you get a free meal.  Of course, this is one of my favorite days of the year :)

4)  We were paying $25 a month for AT&T internet for the past year.  The promotional 12 month offer is now over and our bill was raised to $47.  I wasn't happy about it, but I knew that we couldn't get internet cheaper than $47... I checked around.  (If you know of something cheaper, let me know!)  So I called to see if they could offer me anything that would be less than $47 a month.  They said they could lessen it by $5 a month making it $42 for the next 12 months.  I know that's not a big difference, but because of a 7 minute phone call, we saved $60 this year :)

5)  I joined a few groups on facebook where you can buy and sell kids clothes and have made $13 this week selling some of Warrick's baby clothes... and I'm making more per item than I did at the garage sale.

What are your frugal accomplishments for the week?  I would LOVE to hear them!!!!

Meal Planning Monday :)

I went to the grocery store today and this is what I got for around $80... I went over a little.  

Along with this, GreenBEAN delivery comes tomorrow and in it will be:

3	Apples, Pink Lady
28 oz.	Local Potatoes, Red
1 Pound	Grapes, Red Flame
1 8 oz.	Greens, Salad Mix
1	Peppers, Green-
1	Onion, Sweet Yellow
32 oz.	Local Squash, Green Zucchini
4	Peaches, Yellow -
1	Local Cucumber
1	Avocados
1 Bunch	Local Greens, Kale
3 pcs.	Bananas-

Here is what we will be eating for the next 2 weeks:

Breakfasts:  cereal, eggs, toast, fruit

Lunches: pb&j sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, veggies, and fruit

Dinners:
Whole chicken in the crockpot... this will be 2 meals:  Chicken with veggies and then chicken salad
chicken thighs with penne
quiche
Chicken fajitas friday for Matt's birthday... they are his favorite.  And I'm making this dessert in lieu of a cake, going to attempt to "clean" it up a bit :)
zucchini pizza
2 meals at church
steak on the grill with broccoli, salad, and watermelon
3 meals with just the kids and I... something simple and meatless I'm sure :)
chicken drumsticks with veggies
something with ground beef... any suggestions?  We have 32 lbs of ground beef in the freezer and we're not huge fans of spaghetti or meatloaf.


A few of these were on the menu for the last two weeks, but I didn't make them since Matt was gone in the evening and didn't eat with us.  I usually do something super easy when it's just me and the kids.

What are you having this week?

Frugal Friday!

Here are my frugal accomplishments for the week:

1) $1 flip flops at Old Navy!  I got there hours after they opened, but was still able to get a pair for Matt and a pair for me.

2) $1 off fresh fruit and $1 off fresh veggies at Target (via mobile coupon).  I got a bag of carrots a large cantaloupe for $1.08.

3) Saturday afternoon I went to a half-off garage sale.  I got 8 clothing items for the kids for $2!

4) While looking through tubs of baby clothes, I came across some plain white onesies.  Since I had a 40% off coupon for Hobby Lobby, I got this cute iron-on applique for cheap and made this:

5) Since it didn't rain on Wednesday, I was able to sun-dry Tynnley's cloth diapers instead of using the dryer

6) We played at home a lot this week as to not waste a lot of gas and when we did go out, we made sure to combine errands we needed to run.

7) When we were at PBS kids at the park, I signed up to receive info regarding energy efficiency.  This week, I received a complimentary box of CFL bulbs in the mail!  

8) Matt was gone 2 nights this week for dinner, so the kids and I ate on the cheap.  One night we had spaghetti without meat and another night we had corn, potatoes, and strawberries.  I know it's not the healthiest, but don't worry... he had other green veggies earlier in the day.  :)  

What were your frugal accomplishments this week?