Blogging Lull

I am about to do something that I cringe at when other people do it. I'm going to blog about blogging. Ugh. I give you my apologies now. Go ahead...roll your eyes. Feel better? Good. Feel free to turn away if it really appalls you. Or you can stay for the cute pictures too.

Blogging has been part of my life for over 7 years now. I started to write when my oldest son was about 10 months old. I had been following some blogs and reading and commenting. I finally decided it was time to start my own. I found that it was a great way for me to connect to other mothers like me. It is it's own online community.

I have made many great friends through blogging and social media. There are many times that they/you are the ones that I turn to first when a problem or challenge arises. Sometimes I take to Twitter just to let out a little frustration. It does make me happy to know I'm not the only one who does this. I try to repay my gracious online friends by being upbeat and positive when they need a little encouragement too.

My oldest, Zachariah, is now 8 years old. I still have no idea how the years fly by at such an alarming speed once you have children. And we've added our sweet little Jonah to the mix now. He is 13 months old. Life with one child was busy. Life with two can be pure crazy. (I can only imagine that compounded for those of you with more children.)

From having one little baby at home to having a busy toddler at home. It is busy, but it's not too bad. Those were the years I was really into blogging. I had time each day/week to write and share, research and work. It was even easier when my oldest started school and I was still at home. I had time to keep up with everything at home easily. I had time to start going to bible study each week. I had time to volunteer in my son's classroom. I had time to blog and start fun projects. Of course there were busy times with a busy school-aged child, but there was more free time for me to fill.

It threw me through a loop when we found out I was expecting again. This pregnancy was very wearing on me. I had such low energy the whole time. I seriously started to think that I was never going to feel a normal level of energy again. It was a pleasant surprise when I bounced back quickly after birth. I had so much energy, probably more than before I was pregnant. However, it didn't take long to realize that all my time and energy was going to be occupied with a needy newborn.

It was during this time that I really fell off the blogging bandwagon. Sure I've been around here and there. But I really haven't taken the time to write and stick with it. I do better at social media, but without blogging I wasn't keeping up with those things connected to my blog.

Here's the thing. I think about blogging a lot. I still compose posts in my head. I talk to PR reps about reviews. I connect with bloggers and readers on Facebook and Twitter and more. I still need this platform to open up about my life. It's a creative outlet of sorts that I still need. I was thinking for a while that maybe it was time to call it quits and focus on other things. But the truth is that my mind keeps wandering back to this blog.

So here we are. I do have a little more time now that my youngest is gaining more independence as a toddler. My oldest is pretty self-sufficient, but his various activities do keep us busy. Truthfully it's this blogger mindset that has me wanting to recommit to this blog.

I want some place to connect to other mommies online. I want to share the things that I have learned and am still learning. I want to find others with similar interests. I want to document things that are happening in my children's lives. I want to keep reviewing great products and hosting giveaways for my awesome readers.

Thanks for sticking around. (Or coming back. Or just finding me.) I'm definitely still here. And I look forward to being around more often. I hope that you'll stay and share with me. There is more adventure waiting for me.

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Spring

With the winter we've had, I'm happy to know that today is the first day of spring. It doesn't mean winter is completely done, but it's time to think spring. I couldn't do it better than with my little lamb!

And now you can see what happens when Mom takes just one too many pictures. Ha ha!

This cute little lamb hat was made by me. The pattern was free from Repeat Crafter Me. Go check her out. Her things are so cute! I've used several of her patterns and adore them.

What makes you think spring?

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope that your Valentine's Day was as sweet as mine!

I Love Making Crocheted Baby Hats!

I have a new little hobby. 

Making baby hats.

Gotta love the crossed-eyed newborn look!

Before my youngest was born I crocheted a cute little newborn owl hat. It was so much fun. He didn't wear it a lot, but it was cute for some pictures. Of course after he was born I had my hands full, so I didn't make many new hats. But a few months later I started seeing different baby/kid hats online and was inspired.

This pumpkin hat is knitted.

I made more owl hats, a pumpkin hat for Halloween. Then it started. I would make owl hats now and then for friends who just had new babies too. It was a fun little gift I could easily make. Other people started asking about them, so I started making a few for friends and family. Then more people wanted them, so I made more hats.

   

At some point my cousin asked if I could come up with a minion hat. I was able to alter the pattern I have for the owl to create a cute minion hat. These were an even bigger hit. I was busy making them for many family and friends for many Christmas gifts and Halloween costumes.

 

Since the craze slowed a little bit I started doing some new patterns and making some new creations of my own. For Thanksgiving I crocheted Jonah a turkey hat and babylegs to match. For Christmas it was a gingerbread man and Rudolph. So cute!

       

My latest creations are a snowman (with top hat!), polar bear and fox hat. I just can't help myself. They are so cute on my little guy. We get stopped everywhere with compliments about these hats. It's a fun hobby for me. And it inspires me to make more. My little guy has quite the collection!

 

If you are interested in purchasing one, I'd be glad to talk to you. My prices are very reasonable and I can easily customize colors and size. Just comment here, email me, or connect on Facebook or Twitter.

*Quite a few patterns have come from Repeat Crafter Me. The rest are my own creations (some of which I remembered to write down).

Life & Review Blogging

I am getting back into the swing of things. Life has finally settled down again. My newborn baby isn't such a newborn as he is an infant now. It's amazing how quickly they grow and change.

Jonah is 2 months old. He's the sweetest little guy. He is eating less frequently, sleeping better and more interactive now. He loves to smile and laugh at us and is a joy in our house.

Now that I'm not always tied down with a baby, I will be able to catch up on blogging. I have the itch to get back to it. We were on vacation last week, so now that we're back I'm ready to get going.

Be on the lookout for more blog posts, product reviews, and of course, great giveaways too. I have some planned to post soon, and you won't want to miss it.

My Baby - 2 Weeks

Our sweet little Jonah is 2 weeks old now. He's already start to change a little. I think we're getting used to each other now. I am completely smitten with him. God has surely blessed our family with this baby.

He's Here!

So sorry that I haven't had time to update my blog. I've been a wee bit busy.

Jonah Benjamin was born at 5:26PM on March 26th. He was 7 lbs 3 oz and 20 1/2 inches long.

He is an adorable little baby. We can't get enough of him.

Sorry that I don't have any photos loaded on my computer yet to share. You'll just have to take my word for now that he is beautiful.

We are still in the hospital. He had been really healthy and well, then he developed jaundice. They chose to treat him under the bili lights for a day. We should be able to come home tonight as long as his numbers stay down. So far so good. Just seeing how he's doing out of the lights now. I'm glad he's back in a room with me now. We don't foresee any problems and should leave this afternoon with him.

I had a great delivery and can't wait to share about it. I was in a long labor, but when he decided to come...boy did he! It was a wild and crazy ride...that my OB didn't make it to!

But that's for another time. I'm feeling great and doing well. I haven't had any problems...unless you count my swollen stumps that I used to call feet/legs. Geesh!

That's the update for now. I'm sure I'll have more photos and things to share as we go.

MIA - baby prep

38 weeks

My blog has taken a back seat these past few months. But I'm not officially MIA (missing in action) yet. I'm still around, and for today still pregnant.

I have been feeling pretty well, but these last few months I think I'm in full-out nesting mode. It's been fun getting ready for baby, although my blogging obligations have fallen to the side for now. I am due next week, March 28th. I'm not sure at this point that I'll make it to my due date. A few minor things have happened in the last week that make me think my doctors will suggest induction soon. Only time will tell.

We're very excited and ready for baby's arrival. We just can't wait to meet him and kiss his little cheeks. :)

Thanks for hanging in there with me. I hope to be back to my normal reviews & awesome giveaways very soon! And of course I'll keep you updated and introduce you to our little one when he makes his arrival.

22 Weeks Pregnant

I can't believe that I'm 22 weeks (almost 23 weeks) pregnant! Time is flying. I am enjoying this pregnancy, even though I've had more woes that last time. There is no denying, however, that this baby BOY is growing and growing well.

A Fun Vote...Boy or Girl?

Today is election day. I hope that everyone who can gets out to vote. I was able to vote early, so my vote has been counted. Even if you're canceling out my vote, I would love to see that you voted. GO VOTE!

Now, let's do something more fun. You can vote right here.

I am 19 weeks pregnant!(20 on Thursday) Tomorrow is my big ultrasound. We will be finding out whether we're having another boy or a girl. Most of my family has a strong leaning towards girl, but maybe that's because we already have a boy.


What do I want? I honestly don't care either way. I've had so much fun being the mom to a boy. I was completely unprepared for a boy the first time, but now I wouldn't change it for a thing. (I grew up with two younger sisters & always babysat for girls). So I know what it's like and what to expect with a boy. Plus I still have all his baby clothes...which is a TON. That would help and we wouldn't have to buy much more.

If it's a girl, it will be fun to have one of each. This is especially true, because this might be our last baby. It would be nice to have another female in the house, as I'm outnumbered now. And all the cute girly clothes would be great! (I'm sure I'd spend way too much on clothes!)

So, either way is fine with me...really!

What do I think it is? By now in my last pregnancy I knew that I was having a boy. I'd had a dream a few weeks before our ultrasound that we had a boy. I couldn't get over the idea, and I just knew it was. I was right.

This time I don't have that strong of a feeling. My guess is girl. That is mostly based on how this pregnancy has been pretty different from the last. I was very sick and for longer than last time. Only in the last few weeks have I stopped taking my anti-nausea medication. It was a rough start. So, no big reason to thing it is a girl, but that's my official guess.

What do you think? This vote is way more fun than the political ones. What is your guess for me? Boy or girl?

If you want to ask questions to help you decide, you may do so in the comments. I'll answer them there for you. Then when we know what we're having, I'll be sure to announce it here for you all to share in our happy surprise. :D

Wordless Wednesday: Surprise News!

We had some exciting news in the last few weeks….



Yes, indeed! I am pregnant!



And Zachariah’s going to be a BIG BROTHER!

We are all very excited. For those of you who have followed along for a long time, you know we’ve wanted another baby for years (almost 4). We were getting to the point in our lives when we’re about to call it quits. Then surprise! It happens naturally out of the blue. We couldn’t be more excited to be blessed with another baby.

It will be fun to share my adventure here with you. And I’m hoping to pitch for tons of baby products, because we’ve sold or given away most of our baby items at this point.

So, I am 7 (almost 8) weeks pregnant. My due date is March 28th. Thanks for following us in this journey and the rest to come!