Midweek Confessions

Ok, I have to admit that I have been a complete slacker on the blog lately and there are many reasons.

1. Mainly, things have just been pretty ordinary (and we have ALL had the stomach flu.) I hate to say that things haven't been "blog-worthy" because even the most ordinary days are always fun to look back on. I can't find the charger cord for my camera, therefore I haven't really taken any pictures.

2. I've also taken the bull by the horns this week with Miss Hollin.

I've talked so much about her fussiness and lack of schedule. I've decided once and for all that I am going to implement a strict schedule with her, even if it means confining myself to my house for days and weeks on end. It has got to be done. Hopefully, once she has adjusted, we can veer a little bit.

3. So, with that, I am going on a bit of a blogging break. I don't mean weeks on end, just a little breather to focus on my little family and get inspired again. Maybe a few days or so.

Be back soon with fun stuff!

Midweek Confessions

Some how or another, I goofed and really messed up my blog. See how all of my side bar is now underneath my posts? Thankfully, I have someone who thinks they can fix it for me. I'm also considering a new heading with pictures. It needs a bit of updating with our family of four :)

Harper came home with his first official school photos and I cried. The teacher told me that he was so good-looking and photogenic and that I would die when I saw the photos. I thought she was just being nice. The pictures make my heart soar. I tried scanning and uploading them, but I'm having problems.

He received a painting kit for his 3rd birthday and I confess that I always cringe over these presents.

I love for him to have a good time, but the mess. Oh, the mess.


I confess that I am about this close to giving up on Photobucket and going with another hosting site. They changed everything about the same time that Blogger changed everything. Too much!!

I am considering trying to get up before Harper in the mornings. With Jimmy's new schedule going from 9am-9pm, I spend my time cooking dinner for us at night instead of just warming up soup and blogging while he (was) at work. The blog has suffered and I don't like that. I have been missing it!

I meant to mention this last week, but my heart nearly stopped when Guiliana and Bill FINALLY announced that they are having a baby!!!!!! I'm so happy for them.


Oh and yes, Jessica Simpson finally had her baby too. I think I just physically feel relieved for that girl. Yay for Maxwell Drew!


The little family and I are heading to the Asheboro Zoo this weekend and I wonder sometimes if I am the only person in the world that has to plan things the way I do. Here is my thought process:

"We have to go this weekend. Jimmy is only off every other weekend. If we don't go now, it'll be too hot by the end of May. If we wait until it's cooler, it'll be around October, but October is busy. Our 5 year anniversary, my birthday, Hollin's 1st birthday. Maybe we can wait until November. But that's only two weekends that he can go and we have to consider Thanksgiving. December is too cold. Should we just wait until next Spring?"

I hope everyone is having a great week! I'm off to research new photo-hosting sites.

Midweek Confessions

Linking up again this week!

1. Poor Jessica Simpson. Is she still pregnant?

I'm pretty sure she announced her pregnancy on Hollin's Halloween birthday. It just seems like she has been pregnant forever. I keep waiting to read that she has finally had that baby.

2. I saw on People.com today that Taylor Hanson and his wife are expecting their 5th child. Phew!

I confess that it's all I can do to handle the two that I have. I can't imagine 5!

3. I confess that today has just been one of those really hard days.

Hollin has not stopped fussing. I just had to let her cry and whine today to be able to get some things done. Harper got into a fight with another little boy at preschool and the teacher actually waved my car out of the regular line-up today so she could talk to me. The director called me last week for the same thing. He FLIPS out when they try to put him in time out. He does it at home too. He kicks, screams and hits the teachers. It's so embarassing and honestly, Jimmy and I don't know what to do. I am seriously considering joining Moms on Call. Advice anyone?

4. On a different note, I bought a really bright color by sinful colors the other day.

(not my nails :)
If there is a color name on it, I didn't see it. I describe it as highlighter pink. I got it at Target for $1.99. Love!

5. I am about 3/4 the way through the Hunger Games and I love it. Now I must go see the movie.

6. Speaking of movies, guess what hubby will begrudgingly take me to see on Friday?

The Lucky One!

Zac Efron just kind of... grew up, didn't he? *Cough*

7. I wore SPF 100 to the beach a few days ago and I still got red. How is that possible?


I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!

Midweek Confessions

Thank goodness for these confessions, because I am seriously lacking with the blog material lately!

I am exhausted. I always get up when Harper wakes up and that can be anywhere between 5:30-7:30am. I go hard all day and start to feel really sleepy at lunchtime when he goes down for his nap. I cannot get these kids to sleep at the same time so I can sneak in a power nap! Even still, I'm usually up until midnight. Sometimes 1am. I know :( I just can't go to bed any earlier, I've tried.

Harper is still being really good, for the most part. I just can't believe that life is just a teeny bit easier now. I never thought we'd get here! He was definitely a booger this morning when trying to get him dressed for Preschool, but that is usually every time he has to go.

It kills me when I see kids at his Preschool wearing longalls and smocked dresses.


I know they are cute and all, but there is no way I will let Harper wear his best clothes to Preschool. I will for special occasions (or those few times when those are the only clean clothes he has.) *Guilty*

Speaking of the longalls, I will admit that Harper only had one pair and whenever he wore them (maybe twice), my family members would say that he looked "different." He has never been the longall type. It just isn't him.

I saved the last two size 4 diapers that Harper had left in his drawer yesterday. (Yep, size 4 and almost 3 years old. He is skinny!) With him being potty trained, he was just wearing them during naps and nighttime. We got him some Pull-Ups to replace the diapers. As much as I love the fact that he is potty trained, it was sad to put them in the keepsake drawer.

I confess that I don't think the new Bachelor is cute, whatsoever. You would not see me standing in line, vying for a date with this guy. Blech.

Speaking of finding others unattractive, my husband SWEARS to me that he doesn't think Kim Kardashian is pretty at all. He says that mom Kris and Kourtney are way prettier.


Happy Wednesday!

Midweek Confessions (early)

I plan to do Hollin's monthly update tomorrow, so I wanted to do this tonight.

I haven't done a confession in a few weeks, so it's time!

1. Harper seems to have turned a corner (dare I say) with is behavior and tantrums over the last few days. I'm jinxing myself, I know. He has just been so much better lately and I'm so proud of him.

2. At the same time, he is still obsessed with doing things the same way, every time. I know that children thrive on a schedule, but some of his lashing out is ridiculous. For instance, today when I pushed one of the two buttons he normally pushes to turn on the dryer. His world FELL APART when he couldn't push both. I confess that this worries me. Is this normal?

3. I confess that at the end of the day, I spend a lot of time browsing the internet, looking for deals on clothes for the babies and other things. I facebook, I blog (I don't twitter. So glad I haven't fallen into that trap.) I should be cleaning, but I am so exhausted and in need of "me" time, that I usually don't :(

4. Jimmy and I are sure that another rat has died. My house smells lovely. Wanna come over?

5. My days go so much better when I actually get dressed, put on makeup and do something with my hair. Why is that?

6. I am so ready for Harper's hair to grow back out. I miss it.


7. I confess that I can't find a cute, young-looking ONE piece bathingsuit for less than $150. I need to go to TJ Maxx or maybe Marshall's and look around. I'm in love with this one that I found on Pinterest, but I have no idea where it's from.


8. I confess that someone recently said that Hollin is the "cutest baby they've ever seen in their life" and I positively gushed. Can't help it. I agree!


Happy Tuesday!

Fighting Bears

If you are like me, then you love Erin's Blue Eyed Bride blog. She posted a few months ago about fighting bears and I tucked that saying away in the back of my mind because it is such a simple concept.

Right now I am in a stage of life where I am fighting bears. I think most of us are probably fighting a few bears at once at any given time.

Life has been fun lately with our moving into a new house and the excitement of making it our own. On the flip side of that however, life has also been very stressful.

I have come to the realization that my sweet little girl most likely has colic. For the past several weeks, I have not been able to put her down for more than 10 minutes at the most without a subsequent baby meltdown. If she is napping, then I get a little bit more of a break, but it doesn't feel like long enough to get my nerves back to where they should be. She is my fussy bear.

Today seemed to be a turning point with the colic. She was a happy girl and Jimmy and I actually went out for a breakfast date while Harper was in Preschool. When we went to pick him up, the teacher informed us that he'd had a bad day. We were told that he was very aggressive and then when he was put in time out, he kicked the teacher. On top of that, he dropped his pants and peed on the playground. While I get that the latter of the two is funny (I guess), I'm obviously frustrated and just flat out embarrassed by Harper's behavior lately. I know that he's two (three in April) and that this is just a difficult age, but he doesn't respond to time-out, spankings, you name it, we've tried it. NOTHING snaps him out of it. He is a stubborn, STUBBORN little bear and Hollin's inconsolable crying started again not long after Jimmy left for work this evening.

Jimmy has been as much of a help as he can be, but Hollin wants no one but mommy right now. When he is here, he has a honey-do list a mile long to help get our house put together. By the time we are both done at the end of the day, we barely have the energy to speak to one another. When he is not here working, he's out on the streets, working 12 hour nights in the freezing cold on about 5 hours of sleep. I don't know how he does it. He is my busy bear.


Then there's me. I am tired and frazzled on a daily basis. My hair stays in a greasy ponytail unless I can find the energy to shower and dry my hair at night after the babies go to sleep. My clothes don't fit like they used to. I want to lose about 10 pounds. I want to eat better and exercise, but I find myself stuffing my face with M&Ms for comfort after a long day and Lord knows I can't get away for a 30 minute workout. I could wake up 30 minutes early, but Harper is the lightest sleeper in the world. Any slight noise coming from the elliptical in the garage or slipping out the front door for a run would wake him. A gym membership is not in the budget. I want a few minutes to put makeup on at the start of the day. I want to feel "pretty" and put-together again.

The mom guilt is in full force nowadays. I am so busy trying to keep Hollin happy, that I feel like Harper is left spending a little too much time playing on the ipad. On the rare occasion that I do get a few minutes to myself, I am ridden with guilt if I don't spend them with my kids. All I can hear are the sweet old ladies telling me to "Enjoy every minute because they go so fast."

I am living the life that I wanted as a stay-at-home mom, but there are times when I just want to feel like Ashlynn again. I sometimes miss getting dressed in matching and well-fitted clothes with hair and makeup done on MY time. I feel like I've turned into that mom that I said I'd never be. The one with the greasy ponytail and spit-up stained clothes.

I am a tired bear.

I know there is light at the end of the tunnel. It took a year for me to feel "thinnish" again after Harper was born. I know that Hollin's colic will eventually go away. I know that Jimmy will (PLEASE Lord) be switched to day shift sometime in February and I won't have to fight my two bears alone at night anymore.

Life is great, but tough right now. And "You can fight a bear for a little while."

Midweek Cofessions

Hi everyone!



I never thought my hubby and I would become the kind of couple that would eat the same meal once a week.. but we have. We have recently implemented "Taco Night." This is his baby, because he does all the prep work and cooking. We get all giddy about it. We are officially old.

I can't believe my sweet girl is 8 weeks old. I don't like saying "two months." :) If I remember correctly, I stopped with the weekly-age-thing when Harper turned 13 weeks.

I got lowlights yesterday but I'm too lazy to take a picture. I really like them though. I'm glad hubby likes them even though he likes my hair to be nearly Playboy bunny blonde. I'll go back to that for the Spring and Summer :)


My little man started Preschool again today after a 2 week Christmas break. I think we were all happy to get back into that routine again.

This isn't a confession, just something really sweet that happened last night. As I was tucking Harper in, I asked him to repeat what I was saying...

Me: "Goodnight mommy"
Harper: "Goodnight mommy"
Me: "Goodnight daddy"
Harper: "Goodnight daddy"
Me: "Goodnight sissy"
Harper: "Goodnight sissy"
Me: "Goodnight Jesus"
Harper: "Goodnight Jee-bus."

He is so precious.


Happy Wednesday!