Shopping on a dime...

Who doesn't love a great bargain!? I know I do! I am so cheap that it almost physically pains me to spend over $10 on any type of clothing. I've been an avid Goodwill and clearance shopper for almost 5 years now and we got blessed because about a year ago they put in a Goodwill just 15 miles way from my home! I have been to many thrift stores over the last few years and the best one is still the one in Winfield.

Now summertime is tricky. I don't have all that great of luck finding summer tops but I have found quite a few cute dresses for the hot weather. 

Not only is buying clothes for dirt cheap a huge thrill in my book but showing them off is just as fun!

So here we go!

This first dress has been one of my ultimate favorite finds...the brand is Vanity and only cost $5 at Goodwill. I just love the beautiful colors and the perfect fit!

This dress's tag was ripped out but I do know the price I paid for it...$5!

Obviously this isn't a dress but the brand is Maurices and I paid $4 at the Goodwill. This shirt is so cute with skinny jeans but what I love the most about it is the lacy detail in the back!

 Went a little crazy with the saturation, sorry about that!

 

This dress is Mossimo from Target and I got it for $5 thanks to Goodwill. It's so comfy and I can let my gut hang out because it has an empire waist.

I even wore it while I was pregnant!

I paid $4 for this little grey number and I've made about 20 different outfits with it. It's so versatile and casual. 

I also found these Maurice's flats at Goodwill for $5

This dress was only $3 at Goodwill. You can't beat that. Plus you can dress it up with up with any scarf you want...bam!

 

This is also one of my favorites. The brand is Mossimo from Target and once again, only $5 at Goodwill! 

I'll admit I've never worn this dress anywhere but it was $3 at Goodwill. To update it for Fall weather all I would have to do is add a cardigan and tights. Pretty sweet!

 

Get ready for my new favorite dress...only $1.50 at Goodwill!!! It was half price but completely sheer. It obviously had a solid dress underneath but I just wore my grey dress and put the blue one over it. So cute right???

Got these cuties for $5. Thanks Goodwill!

Well that's all for the summer folks! Keep it classy ;) 

A Princess Prance, a sock, and a tennis ball post.

Well it's time to start running again. I took myself a nice little running vacation after my last race in June. The Princess Prance was one of my more entertaining races for sure. I saw an ad for this race months ago and it was an 8k which was a bit more of a challenge from my usual 5k's so I signed up with my bestie running partner/neighbor Darcie. Some how I was under the impression that because it was called a "PRINCESS PRANCE", that the runners were supposed to dress up as their favorite Disney Princess. Ariel is the bomb so I picked her and made up my costume. I took one look in the mirror and cracked up at how ridiculous I looked but I didn't care because other runners would be dressed up just as ridiculous! Race day comes, Darcie and I come strutting up to the race dressed as Disney princesses Ariel and Belle, I take one look around and completely died inside. Oh no. We were the ONLY ONES dressed up besides a very select few who kind of threw something together at the last second. You should have seen the looks that the other runners were giving us.

All Darci had to say was "I don't care, we look good!" and went along her way with her big ole yellow tutu. Geez I love that girl and her positivity.

You know with each race that I do, I learn what not to wear. Just a word of advice to all you tutu wearing runners. Make sure your tutu is either short or long otherwise when you run your skirt starts creeping. I personally don't like pulling out chunks of tulle between my legs while I'm running. So I eventually had to hike that puppy up so high that it was practically part of my shirt. Oh well.

But I really did need a break. It was exhausting trying to squeeze in a run while watching kiddos 24/7 and because running isn't exactly my favorite form of exercise, I got burnt out.  Plus I reached my post pregnancy weight loss goal and then some so I deserved it.

My latest issue though has been that even though a woman can do everything in her power to naturally change her appearance, sometimes you just can't have it all. Yes I reached my weight loss goal but in doing that, I lost a lot of my womanly curves. Ugh! You see what I mean? You can't have it all. Through all of this, I talked with one of my good friends a while ago and she mentioned taking a vitamin supplement called Maca. Have you heard of it?

I wouldn't have thought much about it but she mentioned that besides a whole list of benefits, it can add some junk in the truck without having to eat piles of comfort food (though that sounds pretty good too).

 I ordered a bottle online and been taking 2 pills a day for 3 weeks and guess what? I actually see results! I am thrilled and let me tell you why. Actually for modesty sake I'll just show you what happens to some of us mama's who stop nursing...

Alright, I couldn't find a picture where the tennis ball was actually in the sock but you get the picture! Not cute right? Within 2 weeks of taking Maca, I noticed that I was filling out more in the right places. It gave me a big ole boost of self esteem and what woman doesn't want that? Awkward to share but I just want to help other mama's out...

Now remember when I said you just can't have it all? The downside to the pills is that it did give me a little bit of belly fat and pancake arms but I'll take it!


I love crafting but ever since I had kids, there is almost no time and no energy left in the day to do anything. But I saw a really easy sewing project where you take a hula hoop, two twin sheets, and some ribbon to make a super cute tent! So I busted out the ole sewing machine after the boys went down for the night and made them a little hideout in about 45 minutes. The whole project costs $3 for the hula hoop (Dollar General) and $3 for the two sheets (Goodwill). I am super proud of it!

The boys had a great time!

But what in the world was I thinking? I have two very rough and destructive boys. The tent busted in one day so Josh wrapped a chain around the top because the string broke, the hula hoop busted, and the boys were uninterested in the next day. Now it's just a sad reminder of why I don't craft anymore.

Well I'm hitting the pavement again and gearing up for Fall 5k's so bring it on! Just no more boas and tutu's for a while =)

Making it through the summer with a toddler on my hands...

School has been out approximately one week and I'm already exhausted trying to entertain the toddler in our house. May I introduce Hezekiah Isaac...my strong-willed, high spirited, goofy first born who, by the way, cannot play by himself at home. Ever. He has always been like this.

Yes he's sucking on his toe while watching tv. He's special.

When I catch him playing at someone else's house, different story. So over a year or so I've explored Pinterest to find new ideas to keep him occupied so he isn't constantly yanking on my arm to come watch him build blocks. Unfortunately none of the ideas have worked so far and I've tried quite a few! Examples below...

Sidewalk chalk: An inexpensive fun outdoor activity that will entertain your kids for hours!

Problem: The kid walks around the side of the house where you imagine he is coloring up a storm only to find him eating the chalk like candy.

Bubbles: Another inexpensive yet fun activity for little ones!

Problem: Yeah it would be great fun if the kid could get the dang bubbles to work! He blows his heart out with no luck in getting any bubbles to come out and screams in frustration.

Washable paint: Get some sheets of paper and colorful paints so you little artist can have a blast making his mommy beautiful pictures!

Problem: The kid would rather squeeze out all the paint on the ground and once he's satisfied with that, walk away without looking back.

Water balloon fun: Fill up a bunch of water balloons and have a water balloon fight that will leave both of you laughing!

Problem: Immediately throws them on the ground to watch them break which is irritating because it took you 30 minutes to fill 10 of those stupid things up. Now your left with a mess of broken water balloons in your yard to pick up.

You gotta love the sensory pins where a mom suggests "put marbles in a bowl and they'll have hours of fun!" or "have them string a noodle on a piece of yarn!". Really? That's what you came up with? I know you said your a mom but do you really have toddlers or do I need to smack you upside the head?


Tomorrow will be a week of potty training! I hung in there despite a rough day 1 with lots of screaming, tantrums and with me stuffing my face full of his Rolos potty candy. Day 2 went much more smoothly and I just let him do everything like putting the toilet cover on, pulling down his underwear. flushing and all that jazz. His favorite part is mostly definitely his mom making a big production about it like clapping, jumping up and down, and cheering. The candy is just a bonus. But I don't mind looking like an idiot if it means I don't have to change his diapers anymore! There has been lots of incidents though like when I sat on a puddle of pee on the couch, getting my leg peed on while he's on the toilet (the kid's got talent), finding a lake of pee by the washer and dryer (apparently his new favorite place to pee instead of the potty), and many more to come! I do put him in a diaper during naptime, bedtime, and when we go out but I'm pretty proud of him so far. Still more to come!

Only cool people pee their pants!

Alright summer vacation, I got through week 1, bring on week 2!!!

Catching up with cake and color...

Now that winter is finally over, things are starting to pick up a bit!

Well my littlest Asher turned one on April 12th. Tears! Time sure speeds up with your chasing after two little boys. I went with a dinosaur theme for his first birthday which turned out really cute and I was super impressed with my cake decorating skills! The ombre effect on the cake was a happy accident but it looks pretty sweet huh? It was a great party and now I'm left the reality that Asher's time as a baby is ending (cries a little inside). Time to go through the baby clothes, bottles, and toys and pack it all away in storage. It really has been a great year though. I think when I had Hezekiah, there was so many "firsts" and all the stress that comes with being a first time parent, that I don't remember much. After we had Asher I got the chance to really savor each moment and enjoy having a little baby again.

I can look back on the year and laugh a little at how crazy life turned after baby #2. If you think life after your first kid changes, just wait til you have ANOTHER kiddo to look after! I remember one distinct time when Asher was 2 months old and Hez was a year and a half. Asher was still waking up every hour and a half at night and Josh was working kids camp all summer. I was exhausted, overwhelmed and lunch was long overdue. I sat down to eat and pump at the same time, Asher was crying for the millionth time and Hez was pulling on my pants and had been fussing for the past 2 months. My patience was long gone and my brain felt like mush from sleep deprivation. I stood up and screamed "SHUT UP!!!!". I put my head in my hands and shut myself in our bedroom for a few minutes. Not my finest moment. But lets be honest moms, we've all had them...

 I really am so blessed so have two beautiful boys with such special qualities. I can't wait to see what incredible men of God they'll grow up to be.

I'm so happy it's racing season again! It was a loooong cold winter and I was dying to get outside to run. I put on a few pounds and I wasn't feeling good about having to rubber band my jeans. It's a trick commonly used for pregnant woman who don't want to switch to maternity jeans quite yet. In my case, it's because I ate too many pizzas and brownies over the holidays.

Now I don't necessarily enjoy running but I do love food. It's kind of a curse actually.  But our family is doing better about being health conscience such as cutting out artificial sweeteners (bye bye diet Coke *sniff*) and preservatives. It mostly started because I started getting headaches, dry mouth, random moments of vertigo, and heart palpitations. I cut out the diet pop and within days, all of the symptoms stopped. I really do think there is something to Americans eating ourselves sick with all of the "food products" we eat. It's not actually food our bodies can digest properly because it's not real food. I'm not a health nut by any means but if I can cut out aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, and other unnatural ingredients than I'm one step closer. Plus these pesky few pounds that stayed on for months disappeared within a week of just eating healthy (without counting calories yay!)

I had 2 races this Spring and the first one was the Diva Dash 5k in April. I looooove races. The excitement and energy from the other runners and the feeling of accomplishment after crossing the finish line is so worth all the hard work of training. The Diva Dash was so much fun to get dressed up for. Darci and I went with a tutu and boa ensemble. I kept asking her why nobody else was wearing boas as we were walking to the starting line. I'll tell you why! Because when you run, feathers get in your mouth and it makes your neck sweat and itch like crazy. Lesson Learned.

This morning was the Run or Dye 5k I did with a bunch of my buddies and it was so fun! I did have to laugh at the place they chose to have it at. It was at the Kansas Coliseum which is basically abandoned surrounded by buildings that are falling apart and if that scenery wasn't lovely enough, half of the race was through the parking lot and the other half was through the pothole infested lawn. That's um...different. I was really excited to include my Smasher in this race and he was a pretty good sport about it. Onward to the next race...The Princess Prance 8k next month! I will be kickin it Little Mermaid style complete with seashell bra woo!