These are my confessions...

Let's skip the small talk and get right to it:

 

• I've become a complete and total Mama Bear lately. One of Clay's classmates shoved him repeatedly the other day and I wanted to drop her. You know, except she's two. In my defense, I have the sneaking suspicion that she's the reason he's started crying and asking to go to grandma's when I drop him off in the morning.
• I have this weird fascination with a certain religion. Not that I would ever want to convert, but more like an "I think the ridiculous of it all is absolutely insane" fascination.
• I had over 8,000 photos on my phone until two days ago when I slowly started moving them to google drive. It's like I have a new phone, guys. It is SO fast now.
• I've gotten into such a bad habit of just handing Clay the ipad when he comes to my bed in the morning and sleeping just a little (like an hour) more.
• I've already started planning Clay's third birthday party (firefighter theme!) and I've had his 4th birthday party themed picked out since I was pregnant (Olympics).
• It is way harder than I thought to keep up with an etsy store and a blog.
• I don't even want to look at my 2014 wishes. In fact, I'm not even going to link back to that post because it's just sad now. Next year, 2015 Jessica, do monthly goals instead.
• When I get asked to help with math homework, I get weirdly excited about it. Math is like a puzzle and this girl likes puzzles.
• I don't like worms, or dirt all that much (unless I'm planting flowers). It's a good thing we have an awesome Aunt Mindy to drag along to fishing tournaments.

 

 

 

Now that I've spilled my guts, it's only fair that you leave a confession for me in the comments!

 

Linking up with Kathy for Humpday Confessions!

 

 

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Advantages to being a boy mom

Back in May, Elizabeth over at Chasin' Mason asked me to share for her Boy Moms series. (Definitely check it out if you're a boy mom!) Anyway, the other day I happened on the post I had shared and realized I had never posted it here! I'll let Jess from 6 months ago take over now...

 

When I found out I was pregnant (you know, after the "oh my gosh I'm pregnant how am I going to tell my family" shock), I just knew that I was having a girl. I had grand visions of big bows and cute dresses and tea parties dancing in my head, you know, two single gals just livin' the life. I went into my ultrasound with a firm boy's name (Clay Lucas) and a girl's name (Piper Ellie). I felt certain that I would walk out of the office shooting off texts saying "it's a girl!"

 

Before the ultrasound tech started, she asked Mike his birth order (second child, older sister) and immediately said, "I bet it's a boy." Nooooooo! I'm not having a boy! I'm having a girl. All the old wives' tales say girl and they are never ever wrong. I've got news for you, those old wives need to lay off the juice because it was (very obviously) a boy.

 

I was sad. I won't lie about that. I had plans to go shopping right after with Amy for the baby's first outfit (and let's be honest, probably the first ten outfits). Guys, I found one outfit I liked. Over the next few days (and weeks), I tried to adjust myself to the fact that I was going to have a boy. A stinky sweaty boy that would no doubt pee on the wall one day and leave the toilet seat up and fart at the table. Ugh. But slowly (with the help of amazing friends), I came to realize that there are so many advantages to being a boy mom and now I can't imagine life any other way!

 

Here are my top 6 advantages to be a boy mom:

 

1. I don't have to teach someone to use a tampon. Wahoooo! Seriously, I understand that we'll still go through puberty but that is all Mike's area right there. I'll pull the "I gave birth to him, it's your turn to suffer" card for sure on that one.
2. I don't have to teach him to squat in the woods/on public toilets. I'm quite sure this is my least favorite part of being a girl. I spent three weeks in Kenya a few years ago. The airport didn't even have a toilet. Just a hole in the ground. I wanted to die. So high five, Clay! You get to pee standing up!
3. It's much cheaper. For sure. While I have found tons of cute boy clothes (thanks Target and Baby Gap), I'm quite certain my wallet would be much lighter if I had a girl. The clothes, bows, shoes, and jewelry. Oh, my. It's all so cute.
4. I'll get to spend a lot of time at ball fields/courts. I love watching sports (I was a sport management major) so the idea of getting to watch my son play is pretty dang exciting!
5. Less drama. Amen.
6. Summers on the farm will be way more fun. My family lives on a farm in Tennessee, and while I'm sure a girl would have loved it, the look on Clay's face when he sees the tractors or slides down a slide with a goat are priceless.

 

Any big advantages I forgot, boy moms?

 

 

 

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Picture Practice: Fall

Here's the deal, I have a "real" camera, but do I cart it around everywhere with me? Umm, no. Lately I've been trying to work on my phone photography skills (angles, lighting, different camera apps). Since I finally got the dining room table cleaned off and decorated for September, I thought it would be the perfect thing to practice my phone camera skills on!

 

My first attempt:

 

 

Ehh...not super in love with this one. The colors feel off and the straight-on view looks too stark with that white wall (that isn't even white in the picture).

 

My second attempt:

 

 

I took this one with the VSCO cam app. I'm still learning how to use this app. Right now I'm excelling at slapping a filter on it. I do like the angle more on this one though.

 

Clearly I have a lot of work to do- so this is the part where I ask for help! Give me your best phone photography tips, please!

 

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Potty training: chapter two

I've been meaning to write about our second attempt on potty training for a couple of weeks (you can read about the beginning of the journey here) and I'm finally getting around to it.

 

 

After attempting casual potty training on Saturday and Sunday of that week, I decided to try again on Wednesday since we would be home all day. I was all set and ready to go. We woke up and I put on big boy underwear on Clay and set the alarm for every ten minutes. Our first visit in, we sat there and sat there and sat there... Twenty minutes later I get him off the potty and decide to try again in ten minutes. TWO minutes later Clay pees in his bedroom floor. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

 

The plan just wasn't working. Plus, we were low on carpet cleaner (I know, bad planning). Then, I had the most genius of genius ideas. I would put Clay in the kitchen to play with his dollhouse turned car garage and Curious George on the ipad! Perfect! I could cook lunch and Clay could play in an area that was easily cleaned in between his potty visits.

 

 

WRONG. So, so, so wrong, Jess. See that arrow? It's pointing to my ipad. Soon after I took this picture, Clay moved over to the side of the house to play and peed. Lots of pee. The ipad case WAS made out of this weird rubber/cloth material. It was gone. No amount of cleaning would help.

 

After that incident we had lunch and put a diaper on and headed for naptime. For both of us. Because I earned it after that.

 

 

After lunch I decided to let Clay watch Planes on the couch on a waterproof pad and continue to try the potty every ten minutes. I even put the little potty in the living room. Well, folks, we ran out of pads. No more sitting on the couch. Then we ran out of carpet cleaner. I gave up. I just couldn't do it anymore.

 

Then life got crazy with all of the birthday shenanigans. We continued to talk about the potty. A lot. Clay even started talking about the potty a lot. But if you asked him if he needed to go? "No." If you put him on the potty. Nada. He was ready though, so ready. By that I mean he woke me up one night with a diaper in his hand asking to be changed. Ready.

And a random funny story: when Clay had gas he used to tell us he pooped. Now? He goes, "no poop, just gas." Every.single.time.

Okay, back to where we are: Clay is having more dry diapers, he's peed in the potty exactly one time (after he held it on a four hour roadtrip, still haven't figured that one out), and I still haven't bought more carpet cleaner. Oh, and Clay likes to mess with his diaper. So twice last week he peed in my bed while I was showering. Once on my birthday. On my birthday. Also, we're kinda hanging back until Clay transitions to the next class at daycare next week. They will start potty training when he moves up so I'm really hoping it will help to be training at home and at daycare.

 

Feel free to send cases of wine, chocolate, and coffee.

 

 

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The Sky

Earlier today I was halfway through writing a lovely post about potty training but then I remembered Kelli's Picture Practice was returning tomorrow! That's great, Jess, we didn't want to spend our Monday morning reading about you cleaning pee off your mattress anyway! Never fear, potty training post coming Tuesday, you lucky ducks!

 

This week's theme is "The Sky." I knew right away that I had a few pictures that I had taken lately that I wanted to share, I just had to narrow them down! These are the ones I chose:

 

 

This one was taken on Father's Day at Douglas Dam in Tennessee. Every year my dad's family has a family reunion there and you know how the relatives get if you don't bring those babies... Anyway, I was snapping pictures of Clay and decided to try my hand at pictures of the scenery. This picture makes me miss the mountains so bad! I can't wait to drive through the Smoky Mountains on our way to Tennessee in October!

 

 

Blue skies, happy boy, and planes (and the Charlotte skyline but Clay's big ole head is blocking that). This picture was from a pretty perfect day. I took Clay out to the airport overlook park at the Charlotte airport one Saturday afternoon and we had a blast watching the planes land and take off. Of course Clay's favorite was when they took off. "Bye-bye, pane! Bye-bye!" I really need to make it out there with him again soon!

 

I can't wait to see all the other pictures! And don't forget to come back tomorrow (or stay away) for potty training: chapter two!

 

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Potty training: the beginning...

We've been going back and forth about starting up potty training since Clay was about 18 months old. I put out the potty to get him "interested" when he started telling us he had pooped, like we didn't know what he was doing squatting in the corner... Then he started taking off his diaper (only lee diapers, praise The Lord)! But it's been mostly me wanting to jump into it and everybody else saying he's too young.

 

We've talked about the potty, he goes with us when we go, he says, "go potty," but when you put him on the potty? Tears. Floods of tears. So we tried a potty seat on the regular toilet. Same thing. Those tears. Big crocodile tears.

 

Finally I decided, around the time he turns two, we'll start getting serious. That's when he moves up to the 2's class at daycare and they start potty training then so it will be perfect timing. The plan was to do the three day boot camp where you do nothing but clean up pee and count down the hours til you get wine. There were a few problems with that plan:

• We're never home for three days in a row and would be really hard to plan that.
• We have all carpet except kitchen, entry, and bathrooms. Vomit.
• It would basically be me doing this all day for three days and I would just hate for Mike to miss out (right...).

 

Then this weekend I realized we were low on diapers. I.hate.buying.diapers. So when Clay got up from his nap on Saturday, I said, "hey, Clay, do you want to wear your Elmo undies?" I'm 99% sure my child doesn't know what undies are but he certainly knew who Elmo was. On they went.

 

We played in the kitchen with his cars, we played with playdoh while he sat on an easily cleanable chair, he stood at his kitchen awhile. He pooped once but it was a solid one so I took it as a learning experience and we went to the potty and dumped it in and wiped and flushed and washed out hands. I thought for sure the pee was coming. Nope, not once until he went in his diaper before bed did he pee. I offered the potty. Tears. That little booger held his pee.

 

 

On Sunday we had an hour or so before we had to leave so I propped him up with water, fresh undies, and a waterproof pad to watch Planes. An hour later, dry underwear. Tears on the toilet. Then the whole day went south when Clay fought a nap for three hours. So obviously trying undies again was not on the agenda for Sunday.

 

So that's where we are.

 

My thoughts/questions: it's good that he can hold it and knows not to pee in his undies, but is that healthy? Should I load him up with juice and water next time so he has to go? How do we get over the crying on the potty?? HELP!

 

 

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Five.

Yes, contrary to the way it seems on this blog, we are alive. This summer has just been crazy. Crazy busy, crazy fun, crazy stressed. Anyway, now that life is taking a turn towards the slow times of fall, you'll be seeing us more! Sidetrack: am I the only person who thinks of fall as the "slow" season? You know, like just taking your time walking along, enjoying the sights and smells because you know winter is just around the corner. No? Just me? Okay then. On to today's post.

 

I usually like to keep these Friday posts as a kinda recap of the week, but instead we're going to talk about five things I've been doing instead of blogging:

• Working. Working. Working. This doesn't really need much of an explanation. The kids are on summer break so while I've worked a lot, I've also spent my fair share of time at the pool so I'm not hating it too much.

 

• Resting and reading. After a health scare (I really freaked out more than I should have) back in March, I was ordered to get more sleep/rest and eat healthy. Well, even after I was declared all better, I decided that maybe that's what this summer would be about and while it has had it's moments, I've definitely made it a point to have "me" time (you know, when a toddler isn't sneaking out of bed to interrupt my bubble bath :/).

• Spending more time with Clay. We've went on some adventures, colored, talked, and watched Planes (the movie) 50 times and real planes once.

 

• Planning Clay's birthday. After Clay's party last year, I decided I didn't want to do a big party this year, just our closest friends. Ha, whatever, Jess, you're funny. I listed all of our close friends. The invite list was identical to last year!

 

• Opening an Etsy shoppe with Amy. Hopefully I'll have a full post about this up next week (with a giveaway!), but for now you can go here to visit the shoppe (we're still getting items listed!) and you should definitely click HERE and enter our Instagram giveaway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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TGIF.

Speaking of TGIF, I really miss sitting on the floor on Friday nights eating popcorn and drinking Koolaid while watching Boy Meets World. Can that happen tonight instead of the laundry folding I have to do. Please?

 

Sigh, anyway, on to the five things that are making my heart happy right now:

 

 

1. Party planning for my little farmer. Doesn't he looked pumped about getting to sit on the tractor? You know, the tractor he doesn't stop talking about all.day.long. Luckily we finally got a couple of good ones I can use at his party. I'll be posting next week about what I've got planned but you can also keep up with the party planning over on my Instagram.

 

 

2. Amy and I finally picked a grand opening date for out etsy shoppe, Two Girls Craft Shoppe- next Monday! Until then you can check out our daily deals on our Instagram! And as a special deal for my blog readers, I'm extending the happy birthday banner special until next Monday! $10 shipped for your choice of colors (although I'm absolutely loving the blue, green, silver combo)!

 

3. Clay had an allergy/asthma checkup on Wednesday and he's down to one medicine daily and the other two are as needed. Wooooohoooo. Do you have any idea how hard it is to give a toddler a breathing treatment?

 

4. The weather here today hasn't gotten above 70 degrees. That's virtually unheard of for North Carolina in July/August and it makes me possibly the happiest person ever. Sweating so much it looks like I took a shower just from walking from the car to the store is not my idea of a fun time.

 

5. Umm, it's Friday! That's a good enough reason for me! Plus, I only have 2% left on my battery so I needed the shortest #5 ever!

 

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I Googled What??

If you've ever been around me for more than 2.5 seconds, you know that I'm slightly obsessed with Googling. Proof:

 

Yes, there are days when I do 21+ searches a day. In my defense sometimes when I start typing in a website the google search suggestion pops up so I just go that route. Still, it's a lot of Googling. Here are some searches I've done:

 

Yellow sponge growing in Redheaded cactus plant. Guys, it's mold. Why did I have to Google that?

 

What aisle are chia seeds found on? This was really hard to find the answer for, so with the vitamins and supplements. You're welcome. *I mean, would it have been so hard to just ask an actual person?*

 

Lady Gaga's boyfriend. Because he's hot and I never remember his name. Go ahead, Google him. I'll wait here. See, I told you. H.O.T.

 

How to find your Google search history. Google.com/history

 

Why does my body itch when I run? TMI, I know.

 

Roy G. Biv I legitimately had no clue what this was. Or what SMH meant. Sigh.

 

(Insert name of movie/tv show) I have to know the ending and what's going to happen next.

 

History of zip codes. I'm a freak and when I get something stuck in my head, I must research it. I spent a whole afternoon at work (oops) learning everything you ever wanted to know about zip codes.

 

Countless searches about poop, spit up, rashes. I'll spare you the details. Google is a mom's best and worst friend.

 

What do Canadians call Canadian bacon? Peameal bacon. And they call bacon "bacon." What??

 

Chemistry cross stitch patterns. I'm a grandma.

 

How to rescue an earring from the drain. So. Easy. I should do a tutorial that isn't written in man speak.

 

Mailing a Bessie. Okay, I have no clue why I searched for this. I just found it on my search history. Thoughts?

 

 

What are some weird things you've Googled? Any obsessive Googlers put there? Don't forget to linkup below!

 

 

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Currently

 

 

...thinking if this picture is cool enough for Kelli's picture practice "cold" linkup.

 

...drinking that coffee up there. Made fresh this morning in my French press, shaken with creamer and ice, chilled in the fridge until I needed it for an afternoon pick me up. Guys. I might be in love.

 

...wondering why I couldn't fall asleep and only slept 4 hours last night.

 

...planning a certain cutie pie's birthday party. Tractors and farm animals anyone?

 

...eating nothing because I'm trying not to snack all day, every day like I normally do.

 

...excited that I finally started running again!

 

...wearing running clothes. Because if I can, why not? Real clothes are uncomfortable and life's too short for that.

 

...reading the latest James Patterson book.

 

...watching Chuck. I finished Scandal so I had to find a new series to binge on. I'm pretty happy with this decision so far.

 

...stressing about the busy July/August we have coming up. Housesitting, two trips to Tennessee, two Clay baby birthday parties, a trip to the zoo, a baptism, a big announcement, two checkups for Clay (and hoping everything got put on the calendar).

 

...hating that Clay is teething. It's the worst.

 

...crafting a cross stitch periodic table for my cousin. At this rate it will be a nice Christmas present.

 

...hoping you'll linkup with us tomorrow for I Googled What and share the ridiculous things you've googled!

 

<center><a href="http://www.gingermommyhood.blogspot.com"/><img src="http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/kelgal77/Igoogledwhat.png~original"></a></center>

 

 

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I confess...

...that I finally deleted a bunch of blogs that I followed on Bloglovin (that I never read) and it feels so freeing to not have 600 unread posts if I skip a few days of reading.

...that I haven't ran since February (maybe?). My schedule changed in January and my "running time" went out the window. Once it cools off maybe I'll start running with Clay a couple days a week.

...that almost everyday after work, I open Scout (my gps app), and search for the quickest way home. I loathe traffic.

...that Amy and I are working on a top-secret (not-so-secret) project and I can't wait to share! Look for that announcement in a couple of weeks.

...that the number of servings on my creamer says 32 and I get maybe 16 servings out of the bottle.

...that I'm almost done watching all three seasons of Scandal for the third (maybe fourth?) time. Whatever. I'm addicted and Friends isn't on Netflix or I would binge on it.

...that this isn't the first time I've done confessions on Wednesdays but it is the first time that I've remembered to link up with Kathy.

...that I use Google way too much. Watching a movie? Google the ending. Suddenly become curious about the history of zip codes? Google it. How long to cook bacon in the oven? Google.

...that in the spirit of that last confession, I have an announcement to make: Jessica, Kelli, and myself will be hosting a linkup next Tuesday (July 15th) where you get to share with us all the crazy stuff you've googled! Grab the button below and get ready to share!

<center><a href="http://www.gingermommyhood.blogspot.com"/><img src="http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/kelgal77/Igoogledwhat.png~original"></a></center>

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A July 4th Story

*please don't die of shock that I'm recapping our July 4th before Halloween :)

 

Our long holiday started on Thursday at 4 when I grabbed Clay from grandma's and we booked it out to the Whitewater Center. I was expecting a ton of traffic but we managed to get there right before the slew of people! And we were lucky enough to get a spot right by the hardest turn in the water! The rest of Thursday was spent there, with friends and food and people/storm watching. Then, right before the fireworks were supposed to start, the rain came. We hightailed it out of there only to have it stop as we reached the parking lot so we just watched the fireworks from there. My new favorite memory is watching Clay experience fireworks for the first time. He was so excited! (There's a video on my Instagram.)

 

 

Then we drove 40 minutes home and guess who was still wide awake? Not this girl for sure. Needless to say, Clay didn't go to bed til midnight.

 

 

Our July 4th went like this: sleep in, pool, nap, hotdogs, pool, movie, hotdogs. So you know, basically the best 4th of July ever! I somehow managed to get Clay in bed by 11 then passed out myself shortly after.

 

The next thing I know it's 11:30 on Saturday morning and Clay is still asleep. What?? Did he turn into a teenager already? Saturday and Sunday we stayed at home all day both days and did a whole lot of nothing. And it was glorious!

 

 

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