2017 {the resolution train wreck}

I have a thing with resolutions. Namely, I don't remember them. Most years I'll think of a few vague goals I want to accomplish... and then promptly forget about them... until the next new year's eve rolls around. And I'm suddenly like "OH NO WAIT. I think I was supposed to do something this year. Oops." And I don't even know what the thing was that I was supposed to do. Which makes this year's main resolution even more fitting. Because this is it, guys. This is the year I get my life together.

LOL because I probably made this same resolution every January 1st for the past five years.

But here we are, and forward we go.

Now I'm hoping to tack down just a couple solid mini-goals to help keep myself in check (if I remember long enough to make it to a check point. Obvs.). So here you have it. The 2017 "mama's gotta get it together" game plan:

• Meal Plan. At least the dinners for the whole week. And have like a shopping day to get all the things to make all those meals.  I hear it's a thing people do.
• Cleaning Schedule. Fact: I printed out a daily and monthly cleaning schedule a friend showed me a few weeks ago. I even laminated it and hung it on the fridge. I haven't followed that list one single day. 
• Write in our Funny Boy Journals. I keep them on my nightstand, and I'm going to start writing in them at least a couple times a week. Ideally every night. This is priority uno because these little books are some of my most prized possessions and there is a gold mine of funny in this house.

That's it. And I'm pretty sure it will change my life if I let it. Maybe. Unless I'm one of those people whole thrives on chaos and disorder and no structure. Either way, this is the year to find out.

But jk that's not totally it because I like to bite off more than I can chew/remember so I also made another short list of unrelated goals. As follows:

• Spend at least 1 hour outside every day. Unless it's way bitter cold. Or we're sick. Or I have another really good reason. (I like a healthy amount of loophole in my resolutions)
• Read more. 
• Look at my phone less.
• Watch these boys play more. And remember they're only little a little while and make the most of it. How's that for a vague, guilt-ridden goal? It's like the perfect storm of resolution-making.
• Oh, and buy a cheap/crappy camper, fix it up, blog about the whole thing, and go camping on the weekends. Husband will be glad we did this and have lots of fun. 

The end.

But, seriously, whatever we do this year, I'm just glad these are the guys I get to do it with.

What do you want to do with your 2017?

Merry Christmas 2016

We are so grateful to you all for hanging with us for another year. And from the bottoms of our hearts, we wish you all the peace, joy, and hope your hearts can hold this holiday season and all throughout the year. Merry Christmas, peeps!

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

and wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

Till ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Christmas Eve Box 2016

I'm just about to wrap up another Christmas Eve Box. We're getting a little crazy this year and I'm so. stinkin'. excited.

Every year since becoming parents we've had a box to open Christmas Eve after we finish off our Advent calendar. It's filled with new jammies to wear that night, a movie, hot cocoa, popcorn, and homemade marshmallows (read all about it here). Our snacks will be the same as last year, but this year's pajamas are a bear set by Carters! We don't do matching sets every year, but these were so cute I thought all the boys would like them. Turns out it's a little tricky to find them in all three sizes (especially since I just wanted to order from one store) and it took a little hunting. But I'd already made up my mind and I can be stubborn like that. My hunt turned to random google searching until somehow, at last, I found them all in stock at Macy's. Whew. And my bonus prize was that it was actually the lowest price I had seen for them - $12 for two pairs!

Our movie this year is Finding Dory. Being the big Finding Nemo fans that we are, this was a pretty easy choice. I might have watched it already. Shhh.

That's the stuff we've done every year. But this year we're making it a little more fun... because it starts with a treasure hunt! We'll open a box with the movie, snacks, and baby's pajamas, but the big boys will each have a clue instead! I'm planning to have them follow a series of three or four clues and maps around the house to find a package with their jammies... and a mini lego set for them to do during the movie. Because we're all about those bricks, 'bout those bricks (and those riddles).

Do you do a Christmas Eve box? What do you put in it?

I'll be honest, I'm a little worried about putting a toy in this box - like it will somehow ruin our kids or something - but Husband would probably say I'm over thinking it. And I know he'd be right. But I am what I am. :)
^ I end every text I sent with a  happy face. It's spilling over into blogging. I can't stop won't stop.
It's not even that late but I think this is a ramble. Merry Christmas and peace out, peeps.

Custom Book Ornament DIY

We love coming up with fun Christmas traditions for our little family, and one of my favorites has been making an ornament for our kids each year to commemorate some of their favorite things. Our biggest boy is only five, but we already love pulling his ornaments out every year and remembering some of the funny little phases he's gone through.

It started when he was a baby and he loved - LOVED - a little green block. So for his first Christmas we found a duplicate block, made an ornament, and named it his Christmas Pickle. It was super easy (you can see how we made it here) and we decided it needed to be a yearly tradition! Since then we've added things like wooden train tracks and a stuffed monkey. Last Christmas he was really into Magic Treehouse books and we were reading through them as fast as we could get our hands on them, so a book ornament seemed like the perfect thing!

I added the first Growly book in 2018. We loved this series!