Happy Halloween: Trick-or-Treating Rules

This is a re-post from my family blog, California to Carolina, originally posted in October 2010. - With some {edits}.

Dear Trick-or-Treaters:

It seems that over the past few years, you kids have just gotten more and more spoiled, or just completely rude and inconsiderate when it comes to Halloween and trick-or-treating. Maybe your parents suck at raising kids, or maybe you just don't listen to them, but just so you are aware, I do not HAVE to buy a big bowl of candy and get up and answer the door fifty times in one night. I CHOOSE to because I love kids and I love to celebrate the holiday. But lately, many of you are making me wish I'd just left my porch light off instead.

Here are the rules if you want to trick-or-treat at my house:

1. You MUST be in costume. You are absolutely crazy if you think I'm going to give you candy just for knocking on my door. You have to at least entertain me with the creativity of your costume.

2. Please be under the age of 13. Anyone over that age trick-or-treating is simply pathetic. Go to a party. If you weren't invited to a party, now I know why. You will not get candy, but you will get made fun of.

3. Please say "Trick-or-Treat". It's just something that should go without saying. I hate answering the door to awkward silence. If you're under the age of 5, I'll give you a break.

4. Please say "Thank you". It's just polite. Your parents should be ashamed of themselves if they haven't been instilling these types of manners in you. Again, if you're under age 5, I'll give you a break. {Although my 3-year-old can do it...just sayin'.}

5. I'm a giving person. I will tell you to grab a couple treats or a few rather than just handing you one. Don't then proceed to scoop up a quarter of the candy in my bowl. I hate greediness.

6. I usually have an assortment of candy - if I happen to grab you a couple pieces and there was something else you liked better, just keep it to yourself. You're likely to get that same thing at a different house. Be happy with what you get!

7. If you are on your cell phone, you will not get candy.

8. If you ring my doorbell more than once or bang on my door until I answer it, you will not get candy.

9. When I've shut the porch light off, I've either run out of candy or it's past 9pm. Don't ring my doorbell or knock on my door. You will not get candy.

Thank you!

This was just for laughs {but I'm partially serious} - have a safe and happy Halloween! xoxo

Oh - and don't forget the holiday tomorrow:

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Wednesday Whatever

Can you tell by the post title that I'm reaching for things to write about this week? Gosh, I need to get back into this! It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks, so bear with me.

I'm over on my fitness blog, The Gym Bunny, today after a long hiatus...talking about prenatal fitness and how I'm doing with all of that.

I'm 12 weeks along tomorrow, so I have two weeks left of this lovely 1st trimester {it ends after 13 weeks, but apparently, you have to finish out the 13th week, so you're not technically 2nd trimester until day one of week 14 I guess - if that makes sense}.

I do feel like this one is going a lot slower than the other two...but I suppose that's because I'm in the moment. As bad as it sounds, because please don't mistake me as being ungrateful in any way for how blessed I am to be able to get pregnant without issue and have done so more than once, but I am just not loving being pregnant this time around. I am so eager for it to be done...and just hold this new baby. I want to feel normal again...I want my body back. I think I'm just exhausted...being pregnant with your first is typically a breeze - no one else to take care of - you really get to focus on yourself and your needs. Being pregnant with a third means I'm chasing around and trying to keep in line the two kiddos I've got...get family dinners on the table...clean the constantly messy house...oh, and all while working full-time...the last person I get to think about is me. I just want to not feel pregnant so that I can take on these tasks with a little more ease than I have right now. I've got just under 7 months left to go...and believe me I'm counting.

However, I am aware what a miracle being able to create another life is and I cherish that blessing more than anything in this world.

And in spirit of those two crazy little boys I am blessed to get to keep in line day in and day out:

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Monday/Tuesday Mashup

Well, I intended on getting a Monday Musings post out yesterday, but it just didn't happen...so I'll put that post and today's post all-in-one.

This weekend was one of those weekends where I definitely was moving around getting stuff done, but at the end of it all, I looked at my house and it didn't look like I did shit all weekend. Pretty disappointing. I was working mostly on the back scenes I guess, you know, organizing paperwork that was strewn about my office and kitchen, doing many loads of laundry, tidying the boys' room and cleaning out furniture and other things we plan on selling before the baby comes in order to make room.

I tell you, I'm eager to find out whether this little babe is a he or a she because right now the nursery is just sitting there waiting to be dealt with. I need to paint it (it's blue, but just needs an allover repainting regardless). I have decided for now to also keep the queen bed set in there because I'm pretty sure I'll spend the last few months of pregnancy sleeping in there (I just cannot get comfortable sharing a bed at that stage) and also stay in there with the baby for the first few weeks so Hubby can still get rest each night since he still has to go to work. That's what we did last time and it worked out great. Plus, we'll still have a guest bed when needed. The dresser will serve as a changing table - I'll just get a pad for the top and we'll put a crib in there and be good to go. This is the crib I'm looking at - nothing fancy or really expensive, but I wanted it the same color as the bed set in the room:

{via}

 I'd like you all to say 'hello' to my little friend...because baby decided to really pop out this past weekend:

Dress: Target / Boots: Forever 21

I am 11 weeks and 5 days here. I am so thankful for being able to dress in fall and winter styles with this bump...much more comfortable and less "chubby" showing than summer.

Anyway, that's pretty much it for the weekend updates. We laid pretty low...Nana & Papa took the boys to a pumpkin patch on Sunday, so the break was nice for me.

Oh, we did get around to carving our pumpkins on Sunday night:

And I found a trick-or-treating costume for Sugar:

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Lately

Wow...it's been over a week since I last posted here...sheesh!

Well, some of you may know this already, but the reason for my absence is that I was laid off unexpectedly from my job last Wednesday. It was a shock...and definitely a big stressor...but ultimately, I wasn't that upset about it. I really had begun to hate that job and was only seeing it through to the end of my pregnancy anyway. That being said, I had still planned on working throughout pregnancy as we definitely needed the income. So I was off applying to a hundred jobs. I got very lucky though...I got a job interview the very next day, and then on Friday was offered the job and I started this Monday. So I really didn't skip a beat in my paychecks, which is nice. The new job is laid back, and perfect to finish out pregnancy. I believe everything happens for a reason...and I'm just so thankful to God that even though I got knocked off my feet briefly, I was able to get right back up.

So nonetheless, I've been training this week and really haven't had the time to even think about posting on my blog...my apologies for that.

BUT ANYWAY...Here are some other updates:

I'm 11 weeks pregnant tomorrow...I've been good...breaking out like a teenager, but other than that, the nausea has been fairly mild. I'm to the point where I can only still button a few of my skinny jeans and that's only because they are a tad stretchy...but I normally choose to do the hairband trick anyway, for the sake of comfort. I'm in that sucky phase of not having enough tops to wear because I look too fat in some of my regular ones and the maternity ones are still a bit large. As soon as I'm pretty well "bumped-out", I'll start posting some of my maternity style pics on here.

Speaking of maternity, I just ordered a couple pairs of maternity skinny jeans from ASOS and they just now announce a 10% off sitewide sale! Grrrrr...hate when I miss it by a couple of days! But you can get the discount on their site by using the promo code: 10XTRA. I think I'll have to find some more things to order now...

The boys are now a week into their new shared room situation and it's working out pretty great. There's a little bickering here and there, but that was the case even when they had separate rooms, so oh well. I plan on posting pics of the room next week.

Have a great rest of the week!

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Project: Shared Boys' Room is Underway

So over the weekend, or I should really say, packed into a couple hours on Sunday evening on a whim, I started making some headway on preparing the boys' shared room. We are going to be using Breckin's room {both of their rooms are the exact same layout, just opposite each other} because I am sticking with the orange and navy theme and since his is just that, it made for moving less decor and things off the walls, etc. Plus, the advantage of not immediately having to move Tanner's queen bed and dresser set to storage or sell it was a nice perk. We won't be doing anything to the nursery until we find out what we are having, sometime in December.

We ordered the bunk beds and I imagine they'll arrive sometime this week, which was the reasoning for getting the room started. We ordered this one from Walmart for a few reasons...the wooden ones were all very expensive, and then reading the reviews on how despite the pricing many of them were cheap particle board material and not super-sturdy...I just didn't want to waste our time or money on something that my literally be a piece of crap. So we went with the black metal because all the reviews were so great and it's on sale right now for $179.00 - a really good deal for a twin-over-full bunk bed.

{via}

Obviously making a once single person space into a shared space for two is going to pose it's storage challenges. We'll be combining a lot of their toys, as well as sharing dresser and closet space for clothing. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve and plan on sharing a lot of those here with you as I tackle this big project. I can't wait to show you the big reveal very soon!

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Monday Musings

A few things this lovely Monday...

First of all - I've officially applied to college! {I know I'm quick, huh? I think I just mentioned the idea in Friday's post?} I've applied to Trident Technical College here in Charleston because I've heard their Dental Hygienist program is pretty stellar. The only issue is that they are full until Spring 2016 at the moment, BUT depending on my 10-years-old art college transcripts {I currently hold an Associates of Science in Graphic Design}, I may or may not have to get some prerequisites out of the way anyway, so I am going to start there for now. I have to wait to talk to the admissions counselor about all of that. I'm excited though...if I have to take some of the pre-reqs, I can start them online as soon as January hopefully, so possibly starting earlier than I had thought! And I can still consider other Dental Hygienist programs later if they can get me in earlier, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Second...I don't know if you heard the sad news, but hottie Charlie Hunnam has dropped out of the role to play Christian Grey in 50 Shades. I'm sad because he's super hot, but truth be told, I still had a hard time picturing him as that character, so maybe it's for the best.

Third, not a lot went on this weekend. I had one of those just get things done weekends. I had to return library books, plan a menu for the next two weeks until I get paid again, go grocery shopping, clean house and do laundry...you know the "mom" stuff. And of course being pregnant...it's like, what's the point of going out anymore when I can't even enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail?

I am looking forward to trying out some new recipes I found...one for breakfast is this Acai bowl that Andee Layne at The Honeybee makes {and if you look at her, you KNOW why I would follow her diet!}

 

1 packet frozen Acai

1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries

1/2 cup frozen organic strawberries

1/2 cup organic apple juice (or whatever juice you have on hand)

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

topped with 1/4 cup granola

It actually is pretty similar to the protein smoothies I make {sans the whey protein}, but served in a bowl with a little crunch on top. I bought some Chia seeds at Trader Joes to throw into the mix as well.

To be completely honest {and accountable}, this last week or two, my diet has not been wonderful...as easy as it is to say you're going to have a fit pregnancy, it is sooooo hard when you are feeling nauseous and nothing but carbs makes you feel better. But, I've started to come out of that little nauseous phase in my pregnancy, and hopefully I can stick to my healthy menu from now on. I've still been at the gym and all...but you can't do much good when your diet is all amiss.

Here's a little snapshot of some of the meals I've got planned over the next couple of weeks:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Have a great week! xoxo

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Five on Friday

{one}
Probably the biggest and best thing about this week was getting our first ultrasound on Tuesday. He or She has a healthy heartbeat and all looks well thus far:

I was actually 8w5d on this day per my LMP, but baby measured 8w3d. Maybe got preggers later in my cycle? Anyway, I'm 9w1d today {they are still going to go by my LMP date for the due date}. May 15th can't come fast enough!

Oh, and as for that Ramzi method...my hunch is that it's a girl, but this pic is hard to tell. If placenta is on right, it's a boy, if it's on left, it's a girl {97.5% chance}. So looking at this, my placenta is actually at the top {of course}, but if I'm looking at where baby's stomach would be and where the cord would link to the placenta, I'm thinking it's upper left {so a girl}? What do you think? Guess I'll truly have to wait until our 20 week ultrasound in December.


{two}
We made it to the pumpkin patch on Sunday! Read the post here.

{three}
The weather was bit cooler and more "fall" this week. I got my cardigan in the mail that I ordered last week and I am excited to get into fall wear because I'm already showing a little {thanks to 3rd baby}, but I'm in that "is it a beer belly or a pregnant belly" phase and I really hate it. I just look fat to those who don't know! It will be nice to cover up more with scarves and sweaters. Give me another 4-5 weeks and I'll be 13-14 weeks but look more like 25 weeks. Trust me, that's how this uterus rolls. As long as I can lose it at the end, it's all good.

{four}
Thanks to the lovely Caycee, I ordered this sweater/dress. I think it will be great for bump and beyond though...love the colors!

{five}
Started getting some crazy ideas for what I'm going to do with myself once this baby comes. So far, Hubby and I have come to the realization that at my current pay, I'll have to leave my job because it makes absolutely no sense to pay daycare as it would pretty much eat up what I make a week with 2.5 kids' worth of daycare costs. I'm excited to stay home, though it may be a bit hard on us financially for a little while...but my thoughts this week have really leaned toward using some of that time to go back to school. I have an Associate's in Graphic Design, but I'd really love to get something more career-oriented. I've been thinking about Dental Hygiene, or maybe even just Business Administration. I really want to be able to get a better job when I re-enter the working world in a few years, so I think school is the way to go. I am also planning on using the time to FINALLY get my personal training certificate. I could possibly do some of that on the side while going to school and balancing motherhood! Anyway...these are just thoughts, but I'm excited for the opportunities this hiatus from work will allow and I plan on using the time to DO SOMETHING.

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Boho Chic

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6/ 7

In other news, I have my first ultrasound today...hoping to see a healthy heartbeat!

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Monday Musings: Pumpkin Patch Fun

Happy Monday!

We made it to the Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch this weekend...it was a bit hot, I even got a little sunburn on my shoulders! But we had a good time...and even made it through this maze the entire way this time!

The boys had fun playing...

I was so mad at Hubby for not telling me to sit up straighter in this last pic because it makes me look all slouchy and fat! Ugh, not the memories I like! Oh well...next time.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

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Five on Friday

Hey-O! It's Friday!

{one}
Since this baby is heck-bent on showing earlier than my last, I decided it'd be a good idea to go through my maternity clothing stash and hang up the things I'd actually let myself wear again {however, I plan to just mix these in and layer with non-maternity stuff if I can}. I didn't want to mess with putting them in my closet, so these two clothing racks I use for garage sales work perfectly. I have a nice little "maternity corner", if you will. Some glamorous shit, right? Ha!

{two}
I had planned to go to the Boone Hall pumpkin patch with the boys next weekend, but I'm so gosh-d'rn eager to go that I think we'll go this weekend. I'm absolutely positive we'll go more than once this month...maybe 3 or 4 times. For a little throwback fun, here's some pics of the boys and I there in 2010 when Breckin was just two months old {forgive my fat post-prego face, and well, post-prego everything}.

I can't believe how young Tanner looks...it didn't seem it back then.

Here's us in 2011:

And in 2012 on the hayride:

It's just one of my all-time fave holiday activities to do with the kids.


{three}
This pregnancy is somewhat different from my other two so far, which should have me thinking it's a girl...however, I'd assumed I'd be really sick with a girl. I'm 8 weeks along and really hardly sick at all...very light nausea if any. My nausea wasn't bad with the boys, but definitely had some...which eating would take care of for the most part. I am breaking out like a teenager though - something I don't remember with my boys at all {I heard girls steal their momma's beauty...so maybe?} And I did the wedding ring test and it definitely swung in a circle! Tried a few times to be sure and truly didn't will it to do a circle, I was very still! I only hope it's right!

From Web MD website:

Dangling a ring -- usually her wedding ring -- on a string over the pregnant woman's belly. If it swings back and forth, it's a boy. If it moves in a circle, it's a girl. "The ring over the belly is a biggie," says Tara Voto, RN, BSN, a labor and delivery nurse at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, N.J. "I probably hear that one more than any other."

{four}
If you caught my post yesterday, you saw I gave up on the blonde idea and went back to dark brown. I don't have the patience right now to get the blonde I want...next time I get the hankering for it, it will be when I can afford some salon treatments! Here's what I look like now...I do think brunette is more my color...what do you think?

{five}

I want to dress up this Halloween, but now that I'll be a little on the chunky side, but not big enough to do the pumpkin belly bit...I'm at a loss for ideas. At first I was going to do Rainbow Brite...but prego does not equal sexy in this outfit:

Maybe I could pull off a less "leggy" version? I don't know. What do you think?

Have a fabulous weekend, loves!

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Gone Back To The Dark Side

Well, I went blonde a couple of weeks ago...sort of. It definitely wasn't the blonde I wanted.

Not terrible, but it was a heck of a time even getting to that, if you remember. What a nightmare. I haven't loved the way it turned out and knew I eventually wanted to try to gradually lighten it more, but was giving it a little break of course.

Over the last two weeks, I don't know if it's pregnancy, but I just have not liked the way I look. I felt I looked "blah". The color did not go with my skin tone really at all, so that didn't help. As I said before doing it, I didn't want to be a yellow blonde, I had to be more ashy/light. Well, I had yellow.

So now at two weeks and being fed up, I knew it was time to either try to attempt more of the blonde I wanted, or just give up and go back to dark brown. Well, the dark brown won. I didn't even want to mess with the blonde anymore - such a bad experience. I suppose if I ever do it again, it will be when I can afford to have it done right at a salon. Since I can't do that right now, brown it is...and you know what, it suits me a lot better I think. My eyes are blue - everyone loves blue eyes with dark hair, right? {Hello, Megan Fox!}

Plus, I think it's the best color for fall and winter anyhow.

So here I am, again with dark brown hair. It is REALLY dark right now, but will lighten with a few weeks of washes. I always have to use two boxes, so that makes it really intense. But I don't mind.

What's your honest opinion? The blonde or the brunette?

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