I am a stay at home mom with four wonderful kids. I have been married for over 10 years to my best friend. I am head over heels in love with him. He always supports my crazy "thrifty adventures". We have a lot of fun together. I was raised on a small dairy farm. Where I learned very young, the value of hard work and how to be thrifty in all areas of life. Growing up our meals were made from scratch. Only on special occasion would we get name brand cereal, chips, or any other fancy treats. Now that I am a Mom with my own budget, the basic foods always comes first. I too make most of our meals from scratch and take pride in feeding my family a well balanced healthy diet. I enjoy seeing how far I can make our budget stretch, and when I take the time to match sales with coupons I am able to get all those "fun & fancy" items that would other wise be out of my budget. Being thrifty has always been a way of life for me, but it has also become a real joy. 
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My Sister passed this along to me and it totally made me laugh, and brought a smile to my face. So I wanted to share it with you. I love the minivan shot at the end! Hope you enjoy this cute remix of the Taylor Swift song. Anita Renfroe sings : A More Real Love Story
What is a Mommy Moment, click here
This week our little Maleyaa turned three years old. It made me reflect on how fast the last 3 years have gone. She has been a feisty little gal since day one. She decided to flip right after my water broke, so she came via an emergency C-section. She came out screaming and really has never stopped. It took her 18 months to finally sleep thru the night and I was a very tired Mommy! But when she was born something magical happened, the second I saw her I felt this automatic connection. I do not know how to explain it, I just knew I was her Mommy and loved her more than she could ever know. She was such a pretty little thing, and oh so sweet and snugly (when she was not screaming..lol). Being that she was my 3rd baby I was all too aware of how fast they grow, so I wanted to enjoy every second of her being little. She has brought so much joy, love and laughter to our home. She is still our tiny little girl, she reminds me of a little fairy pixie. She keeps us on our toes, and brightens everyday! We love you little Maleeya!
On her Birthday we let her stay up late and watch a movie, snack on some popcorn and spend some one on one time with Mom and Dad.
Being part of a big family is really fun, but it is always important to give them their one on one time as well. She was loving every minute of it, I can’t believe she stayed up till midnight (chatting the whole time). Happy Birthday little one!
What is a Mommy Moment, click here
Most days I feel like I am a pretty good Mom. I am able to keep things in perspective, keep my cool and remember that good or bad most things only last a moment. I have been asked many times why or how I always take photos of my kids (even when they do naughty things) I almost ALWAYS have my camera in my pocket, I take photos daily and try to capture the joy they bring to me within a photo. It also helps me keep my cool, (some people count to 10 so they don’t blow up…I take a photo) I helps me take a minute to think about things so I do not blow up, and over react.
Like last Sunday, when Matthew decided to hose us all down in our church clothes. I was so mad I was ready to “pop”, he was having a blast, laughing and did not even seem to notice that I was screaming turn the water off at the top of my lungs, while in high heels, a dress and holding the baby. While his little sisters darted around the yard to try and hide from their crazy older brother splashing mud and water.
Oh I was so mad…. what on earth was he thinking? Once I got the water turned off, got him in the house, all three kids out of their wet clothes. He sat in time out ( which he had a melt down over) Once he was calm enough to talk, and I sat down with him and asked him WHY on earth he did that? I could tell me was truly sorry and with a twinkle in his eye said ” Mommy I love the water, it is so much fun” This was a moment where I have to remind myself ….. He is just a little boy. He does not thinks about the fact that we are in church clothes, or that we may not want to get wet. He just thinks it would be fun to play in the sprinkler because he is hot, and he wants to have fun.
( plus I learned I can run sprints in my front yard in high heels, with a baby on one hip, and church bag in hand , take photos, scream loud enough to wake all the neighbors… get the key in the door before my son soaked me with water)
What is a Mommy Moment, click here
Both my girls love playing make up with Mommy. I enjoy it as well, gives me one on one time with them and they are alway so proud of making Mommy pretty (we will let you be the judge, lol)
Maleeya is very serious as she picked out her colors
She normally starts out on my eyes…but then gets a little off track. But always says, “Mommy you so pretty!”
I have to admit I have answered the door looking just like this before….
Look who else our little Makeup artist got while we were not watching. At least he is happy about it!
What is a Mommy Moment, click here
If you have been reading my blog for awhile you know that we moved to an older home last September. Since then, we have been spending every spare minute on a HUGE remodel. We are doing almost all the work ourselves which is saving us lots of money. But it is SO MUCH work, and to be honest some days I am just down right grumpy about having my house be a construction zone. But I can also see the end picture, and am excited to turn this house into our dream home. And every exhausting day makes it that much more special to us.
Matts Dad has been gracious enough to come down for days at a time, and work side by side Matt and little Matthew. They are quite the team.
Yesterday as I watched them work I could not help but smile as I watched all three generations working, teaching and building memory’s as they build our home.
Our little Matthew spend the first 3 years of his life in and out of hospitals rebuilding his heart. Because of this he is a bit delayed. He is 8 years old but functions at about a 4 year old level. It breaks my heart to see him struggle in school, and not able to be as active as other kids his age. As his Mommy I want him to feel successful and find something he can excel at. Working with his Dad gives him just that… something he is good at and LOVES. He has his own little tape measure, hammer and tool belt. He pounded all the nails by himself for our subfloor. Took down the Kitchen walls (with his little hammer) and LOVES helping Papa and Daddy work.
What is a Mommy Moment, click here
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My perfect little fairy tail dream was shattered, it left me shaking my head wondering how or why this happened to my family. Life over the next three years was constantly in and out of hospitals all over the west. Fourteen heart surgery’s, and months in the hospital trying to get my sweet baby well. As other moms were dressing their baby’s up to go to the store, I was trying to keep our home “germ free” and away from the outside world. As other children drink a bottle, I was placing NG tubes down my sons nose so he could eat because he was too weak to eat. As other children laughed my son gasped for air, do to the strain on his tiny heart. I watched so many other family’s in the hospital loose their children, at times I wonder if I could really make it through on more day…but I learned to take it one moment at a time. Yet in my heartache I found joy. I cherished every day with my son, realizing that life is a gift. I loved him more than I had ever loved anything. His smiles melted my heart, the twinkle in his eye gave me the energy to face the next challenge. I celebrated each achievement no matter how small, I learned what is really important to me, and that was my family. Good or bad, I was willing to take it just as long as it allowed me another day with him. Every night as I put my tiny son to bed I would plead with the Lord for one more day, kiss him then kiss him again just in case that was my last chance I had. Matthew is doing well now, but it is ALWAYS in the back of my mind that each day is a gift, and my prayers are still offered each night asking for anther day. I am far from perfect and having a child with special needs is a bit overwhelming at times, sometimes I forget or loose track of what is really important, But it has given me a whole new way to look at life. I have learned that life if full of moments good or bad, happy and sad…I call these My Mommy Moments. The first time your baby laughs, or smiles it only lasts a moment, so cherish it. When your kids want to have snuggle time and read a book, do it because it will only last a moment. Just spend time with them, love them and treat each moment like it may be your last. It also gives me the strength to get through the not so happy moments, like when you wake up to a screaming baby and you are beyond exhausted, or when all 4 kids are sick, crying and you still have dinner to cook, bills to pay, a house to clean. Or when they pour a whole gallon of milk on the sofa (yes that really happened to me) …..it is ok because I try to remind myself that is will only last a moment and I can make it! I am going to make this a weekly feature on my blog, and I hope you take this chance to join in and share your own Mommy Moments. So I invite you so share your Mommy Moments each week, good, bad, silly, sad, uplifting, hilarious….what ever they may be. Write them down, take photos and try to remember each moment is a gift! Click here to add our Mommy Moments button to your blog or site |
   
  
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7 days ago these photos were not taken with a smile on my face….. I was one upset Mommy. But after a good talk, time to cool down I am glad I have them.
We spent the 4th of July with family, had a yummy BBQ and snuggled up in blankets under the night sky to watch one of the Nations largest FireWork show in Idaho Falls (yes little IF puts on a huge show). I have to admit the first few minutes I do not even watch the fireworks, instead I love to watch my little ones faces, their eyes open wide with excitement as they watch the colors explode in the darkness.
