School Room Renew

A few years ago when we were house shopping, I really wanted a house big enough that we could have a dedicated school room for the kids.  It was a huge dream, especially because we wanted 4 bedrooms for the rest of us too!  But we were able to find just what we were looking for and it came with a large bedroom upstairs that would work perfect!

I was hopeful at first that it could serve 2 purposes and be the school room and playroom but as the kids are starting in to school I quickly realized that wasn't possible. So after a huge spring cleaning of the house, we decided to cut back on the "stuff" and reduce the amount of toys and focus on making this space perfect for a school room!

My pictures aren't the best, but I hope they kind of give an idea of what we accomplished! 

 Before: The kids sat at a tiny little table and let me just say, 3 preschoolers at a tiny table was not working so well! There was also just a bunch of clutter in the room and I wasn't a huge fan of the color either.

After: We changed the paint color and decluttered the walls.  We also got rid of the toys and organized for school on the shelves.  The shelves still need finishing trim, but that's easy!

Here is the biggest change we made. Before: The main wall was full of toys. It was kind of a difficult space because it is all windows, so I can't use it for hanging stuff, but after some pinterest inspiration we decided it was the perfect space for desks!

We made a trip to Ikea and got each of the kids their own desks (and 1 for LB on the other side of Eli).  Now they have their own spaces for their schoolwork and their supplies!  We still need to buy them all chairs but we are loving this new system! And we've opened up the windows which has brightened up the space and everyone is just so much happier during school time!

And now with the floor space open in the room, little miss LB has room to play during school too!

Sabrina's 3rd Birthday!

Before we could even recover from Malachi's Birthday, we were on to the next party!  Our sweet little Birthday princess got off to a rough start, because she is a tiny bit shy and hates having all the attention. 

She asked for Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls, but then cried from the attention of singing, just like last year.  Silly girl! 

But as soon as we left, she perked up! 

It was so fun, after all of these boy birthday's to get to shop in the girly girl section!  The world of baby dolls and barbies!  Her favorite was of course the Frozen section! 

Then a quick stop for lunch! Her request was some Mac and Cheese! 

Then off to her first movie! Can I just say, taking her to a movie was WAY easier than it was with the boys.  She sat still on my lap the entire time. It was great! 

Since we were pretty much all caked out and the weather was so nice, we decided S'mores would make a better ending to the evening! It was really nice and fun evening with the kids!

Then the next day was party time!  I don't understand why or how Frozen has captured the hearts of all little girls, but our little princess was no exception to this frozen fever and her request was an Elsa party!

It was another great time and we just love our little princess. She has a lot of my personality bundled up in her.  She's pretty shy around new people, sensitive and tender hearted.  She's always a pretty happy child though who usually has a smile on her face. She is a great and kind big sister but can hold her own against those big brothers of hers.  She has a mind of her own and is one stubborn little cookie!  Yep, she is definitely cut from the same mold as her mama!  I know her heart will serve her well!  We love you baby girl!  I think I could have kept you 2 forever, but here we are at 3 so I'm going to embrace it! 

SweetTart Ropes Review

I haven't done a product review on here in quite some time, even though I've been given lots of products to sample and share.  I hope to be able to share my product reviews more often.  SweetTarts and Smiley360 gave me the opportunity to taste for free and review these SweetTart ropes. 

Now, I will openly admit that this isn't a treat I would normally choose right off the shelf.  However, I will say after opening these and giving them a taste, they are definitely a treat that I find enjoyable. I love sour and gummy treats and these have a very tangy filling and a soft gummy rope.  My whole family really enjoyed these and went through them pretty quick.  We've cut way down on the candy purchases in this house (more on our eating plan later) but for a treat now and then I would definitely consider these! 

 If you see these in stores, grab a bag and let me know what you think!  

Malachi turns 5

 It's true. Somehow that sweet and oh so chubby baby boy has turned 5 years old!  I'm not gonna lie. Something about 5 has been REALLY hard for this mama!  I even got a Birthday email on his big day stating that stated "welcome to the "big kid" world!"  Um, say WHAT?!?  He's still my baby boy!

So since I couldn't stop this boy from turning 5, we had to plan the party. And this kid was ready to party!

Birthday Morning!

His request: Waffles!

Our favorite part about birthday's in this house is that Peter takes the day off and we get babysitters for the other kids so we can enjoy the day with just the special birthday child!

He couldn't wait to go pick out some new legos at the store (neither could daddy)!

Then a quick stop for lunch!  If you know Mal, you know he looooves his cheeseburger and fries! 

Then it was off to play some games and run around at a family fun center! Does anyone else think he looks way too old in this picture?!?

He was getting a little anxious after that to get home and open those legos but we were able to convince him to make one more stop for a free ice cream scoop. All of those flavors to choose from and what does he get?  Vanilla!  He's not that into sweets so vanilla does tend to be his favorite!

 

Then it was back home again to enjoy some leftover birthday cake with his siblings and grampa! He said he had a super fun day and we had a super fun day with him too!

Now lets back track just a bit, because before his birthday we had a little birthday party for him. He is REALLY into Star Wars so it was Star Wars party time!

I can't even believe my little man is 5 years old. I am so proud of this kid!  He's a strong leader, who just adores and takes great care of his little siblings.  He is sensitive and kind and gentle. He is super smart.  He is full of energy and a deep joy for life!  I just know this kid is going to do something amazing!  I have felt it since before I even met him and as I watch him and see him grow into his own little person, I see all the gifts and skills he has and know it even more!  And as much as I wish time could just slow down a little, I can't wait to watch him grow! 

A Beautiful Easter

April is always a crazy month around these parts, but even in the busyness we had a wonderful Easter as a family!  This is the first year I felt like the kids might have understood a bit of what Easter is really all about. But they also enjoyed the fun of candy and Easter baskets.

Of course, Easter starts with the coloring of eggs.  

The night before Easter we made Resurrection rolls. The kids were excited to see whether or nor the "tombs" would be empty come morning.  

                                                   Easter baskets were all ready to be hidden!

                                                     And come morning, the rolls were empty!

                                                  Then it was off to find some hidden baskets!

After getting the kids dressed in their Easter best we headed outside where it was a bit cool, but hey it wasn't raining so we were thankful! My little loves looked so adorable!

Then it was time for a massive Easter egg hunt in the yard. Grandpa and Grandma did a good job of hiding eggs ALL OVER the back yard for the kids to find!  

After sorting the loot, and a quick nap for LB, it was time to head over to my grandparents house for Easter dinner and another egg hunt.  It feels a bit surreal to see my kids having egg hunts in MY grandma's backyard because that was such a memorable part of my childhood. Pretty cool really! They had a  blast!

It really was a great day, full of lots of memories. As I look at my little family, sometimes the days are so soooo long and hard, but man have I been blessed with an amazing family!  I am a happy lady!