A Day In The Life...part 2...with two!!

What is it that I do all day? I was thinking about my last post and was feeling like I do nothing, and yet I do everything! [Hope that makes sense!] So this morning I decided to write down our Monday and see what it is that we do! Here goes! 

3am - Woke up to Penny (2 years and 1.5 months old) screaming. Zach went in and calmed her.

Lilly (7.5 months) woke up and was soothed with just the pacifier! Small victory for this tired momma!

4am - Lilly woke, soothed with pacifier.

5am - Lilly woke, breastfed back to sleep.

6:45am - Penny woke up, Zach got up with her. 

Lilly woke up, breastfed back to sleep.

7:30am - Zach left for work.

I made a french press of strong coffee, and peanut butter toast for P and myself.

While Penny watched some Netflix (typically Curious George! Today was Veggie Tale's..) I checked social media. Then I worked on the week's menu plan & grocery list. 

8:40am - poured my second and last cup of coffee. [Still so tired!]

9am - L woke up. Changed her diaper.

Did dishes (from the morning and then usually there's a few from late night snacks - i.e. popcorn!). 

Put some sweet potatoes in the oven, and steamed some carrots -- baby food!

Organized some kitchen cupboards.

Girls had dance party / played with toys in living room!

9:45pm - made carrot, pear, dash of lemon juice food and fed L. Of course P wanted a few bites too, then she asked for trail mix. [The girl and her snacks!]

Started first load of laundry.

10:15am - four wipes and a new diaper later, Penny's poop is in the trash! 

Clipped all three of our nails.

Penny wanted her hair up - she never asks!!

Put new sheets on the bed - Lilly cried the entire time!

10:35 - got both girls dressed. 

Tried to get a picture of them both sitting and at least looking at me with somewhat happy faces - unsuccessful.

Sweet potatoes finally finished. 

Started 2nd load of laundry.

10:45am - Breastfed L while P played.

Cut sweet potatoes up.

Played with the girls.

11:40am -

Put Penny down for a nap because she was throwing a fit, showered (I even shaved!), got ready (including brushing teeth, blow-drying hair, make up, & dressed)! All that in 30 minutes people - I don't mess around! 

12:10pm - put Lilly down for a nap. Meaning she ate on one side - really half a side, then I held her until she was in a deep sleep and laid her in her bed.

12:35pm - the house is finally quiet (minus background music), and I don't know what to do with myself! Do I try and nap? Read a book? Check social media again? Just sit and do nothing? 

I decided on grabbing a handful of wheat thins and reading a book.

12:56pm Lilly woke up.

I continued reading while holding her/sitting next to her. I can't stop midway through a chapter.

1:30pm - Penny woke up.

Threw 2nd load of laundry in dryer.
Quick lunch for P & me.

Grabbed a snack for Penny. (I'm telling you - this girl and her snacks!)

Girls in car seats, loaded up car. 

Off to Kalispell (30 minute drive).

Post office to mail bills.

Gas.

Grocery shop.

3:45pm - unload groceries and put away the fridge & frozen items.

Loaded up trash and did a dump run. 

When we got home I put the rest of the groceries away.

Unloaded dryer and dumped it all on my bed.

Breastfed L. 

Played ball with the girls.

5pm - folded and put away laundry.

5:10pm - started dinner [taco rice]. 

Put away all of the dishes from the day.

5:20pm - Zach got home! [So incredibly thankful I don't have to do this [whole raising kids thing] alone!!]

Ate dinner.

Fed Lilly more carrot concoction. 

6:10pm - Lilly started losing it, and I realized she had only napped 20 minutes today. So pajamas & a goodnight breast feeding. 

Praying she sleeps through the night -- or at least until 5am!! 

6:35pm - Lilly woke up.

Family played toys in Penny's room.

Zach and I decided to get Penny in her pj's and give her milk and then do yoga. 

*We started a 30-day challenge yesterday.*

Interrupted by Penny screaming for no apparent reason. 

7:21pm - Currently sitting on couch, each one of us holding a child, not doing anything! 

So much for a peaceful yoga experience tonight.

7:55pm - Barely got through the end of yoga. Zach put P to bed. 

Watched The Office - we started re-watching from the beginning, we're on the last season.

8:45pm - Tried a final feeding and Lilly is out! 

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I wanted to post this to hopefully give hope to any stay-at-home parent out there who feels like you live a mundane life, like you're not doing anything but the day-to-day tasks..I am here to say, you matter!! 

[I might just be giving myself a pep talk here!]

Seriously though, you matter! 

Your role in your home is so dang important! Cherish it, enjoy it, excel at it! 

Be the best you can be! 

Me Again...

Oh hey there,

I've been terrible about blogging.

I have notes jotted down for about 20 different posts, but none have come to fruition. 

Today I want to share what's been going on in my mind this morning.

I am nothing special. I have no special talents, no hobbies, no extraordinary gifts.
I like photography, but who isn't a self-proclaimed photographer these days with all these awesome cameras attached to phones.
I like art, but maybe I haven't found my medium or haven't had the time to really explore it enough to know if I really enjoy it or am good at it.
I like hosting & cooking & throwing a good themed party, but : time + money.
I like clothing & fashion, but definitely don't have the money to purchase new *hip* clothes to photograph and blog about. I buy from the thrift store when that item is "so last season/year."
I like editing/correcting spelling mistakes, but I don't think anyone will hire me to tell them they used the wrong "too" in their sentence on their Facebook post. :)
I love to travel, but reality strikes! Money.

I guess what I'm getting at is this, I feel like a totally ordinary person just living life day-to-day. Raising my girls, doing household chores, taking pictures (with my awesome phone camera), writing, reading, going for drives, thrifting, trying my hardest to not get sucked-in to Target's clearance sections!
I feel like anything I pursue or dream about or venture into is blasé. It's been done before. Or I don't have the time and/or money to really pursue it. I've prayed about this for many, many years. I've straight up asked God to throw a passion at me and make it very clear so that I can fully pursue it with my whole heart, all for His Glory. I have yet to have that "lightbulb moment."

Maybe all you're reading are excuses. Maybe all I'm writing are excuses.

Here's the deal : I think a LOT of people feel exactly the same way as me!
And please don't get me wrong; I absolutely love my life!
I think it's just easy for me to look at friends, acquaintances, even complete strangers and see how wonderful their life seems and get jealous.

I know success doesn't typically happen overnight. Most people work every day to achieve their greatness. Maybe I'm lacking the drive & ambition side. Maybe it's because I'm a mom, or because I've always had a hard time spending money on something only I benefit from. **Somehow I think if I spend money on any one of my aforementioned things I like then I'm being selfish.** So maybe I need to just buck up and full on pursue something. Maybe I need to be a little selfish. Maybe I need to ignore all the fears and the doubts, or pray more and seek God's direction. Maybe I need to try out all of the above and find my passion that way. Or maybe I just need to come to terms with the fact that my life is already wonderful and I don't need any talent, hobby, or passion. Maybe my purpose is to "just" be a stay-at-home mom and focus on teaching my girls valuable life lessons that they otherwise wouldn't receive.

I don't have the answers. I may have confused myself even more with writing this all out.

I suppose I'll take it one day at a time and focus on being the best me I can be.

*********************

This isn't a pity party, or a poor me. This isn't a self-bashing post. This was just me writing out what's been on my heart and mind this morning (but really for years). My hope is that writing it out will bring clarity to my feelings and possibly when I read this after it's posted I can find some answers to my own questions. And maybe, just maybe someone out there feels the same way and if nothing else this just helps you (them) know you're (they're) not alone!

A nursing mother's wardrobe.

Boring. Horrible. NOT fashionable.
Those are things that come to mind when I think of my wardrobe while I'm nursing.
I'm going to be real honest here; I lose the "baby weight" really quick and am back in my jeans within two months (it was a week with Penny). I do have a tiny pooch that hangs over my pants while I'm sitting, but that went away around 3 months with Penny. Even though its not huge it still bugs me so I wear shirts and dresses that hide it.

My criteria for nursing friendly clothing :
1. Can easily be pulled down. The other option is to pull your shirt/dress up, but that can expose your stomach (even though I always wear an under-tank), lay on your babe's face, etc. I just prefer to pull my shirt/dress down, it's easier and feels more natural for me.
2. Loose-fitting, but not outrageously baggy to where I look super frumpy.
3. Nothing that I'll be super bummed about if it gets ruined. Your baby will most likely spit-up on you. Both my girls have spit-up, puked, pooped, and peed on me.
4. Layers! One second I'm stripped down to my tank top, the next I need a parka. For whatever reason nursing gives me hot flashes.


The past few weeks I've been seriously depressed about my clothing options.
I spent all my Christmas and birthday money on new clothes that I knew I wouldn't feel good about wearing until I was done nursing, but that's no fun! I want to look somewhat cute instead of looking like a haggard mom with no sense of style whatsoever.

So here you have a couple of my most recent outfits.

Shirt : Ross, maternity
Cardigan : Forever21
Jeans : American Eagle straight leg

Tank top : Ross
Cardigan : Forever21
Jeans : American Rag
My favorite pair of jeans, purchased off a Facebook site.
I could never afford them new. :)

Had to take a picture of this fringe. I felt trendy!  ;)

 This last outfit I'm not too sure about. Maybe it's the jeans. Maybe it's too "frumpy." I couldn't decide tucked or un-tucked.

Dress : thrift store, Old Navy
Sheer cardigan : new with tags at thrift store, H&M
Jeans : American Eagle
They're a strange straight leg because they have a slight flare at the very bottom

Good 'ol "mom hair"
Translation : I don't have time to shower every day.

What are your favorite nursing-friendly outfits?
Any advice for this momma?

Poop Explosions!

Oh my gosh you guys! I WISH someone would have shown me this trick earlier!!!!
So Penelope had three poop explosions that I can remember. When I say poop explosion I mean up the back, down the legs, up the front..you get it. With all three of those I seriously struggled to not get poop all over (even more so than it already was). I would pull her onesie off and as it was going up over her head it definitely smeared in her hair, once on her face, just EVERYWHERE!
So now with Lillian, I'm like, "hey..pro here." NOPE! And let me tell you, I don't know if we've made it three days without an explosion from this little one. It's not the diaper size (I've tried switching). So with all these explosions I was losing my mind! We're talking bath after bath, up to five in one day. So one night I'm scrolling through Pinterest and there it is : my godsend! Thank you Jesus for the person who figured this out! May this help you, whoever you are changing newborn poop explosions!

They created onesies with that fold-over flap so you can pull it DOWN over their arms, and down their body so NO MORE POOP IN THEIR HAIR (or on their face)!!! I just can't tell you how much I appreciated seeing this and now a poop explosion ain't no thang!

I hope that this helps at least one person as much as it has helped me!

mommy to two

WOW!
I'm a mother to TWO beautiful girls!

Lillian August joined our family on February 8th, 2015! At just 18 months old, Penelope has proved herself to be a wonderful, sweet big sister!

The transition to two under two hasn't been without trials, but for the most part we've found a pretty good groove.

I will say a few things have amazed me. When I say amaze, I mean this in a -- I can't get over it, it shouldn't shock me but it does, sort of way.
These things are as follows :
1. Poopy diapers.
How do two little humans create so much waste!? It is beyond me! I honestly feel like every time I turn around I'm changing another dirty diaper.
2. Spit up.
Lilly will have burped wonderfully making me think we're in the clear and then SURPRISE -- projectile spit up all over herself and me!
Penny has developed a new trait of spitting out half chewed food that she used to love but all of a sudden decides she doesn't like any more.
Between the three of us I'd say we go through at least six outfits a day..which equals LAUNDRY!
3. SO MUCH LAUNDRY!!
4. Crying.
Myself included here.
Girls are emotional creatures. Sometimes the meltdowns are easily "fixed." Other times I feel like it's endless tears until dadda comes home. We have yet to all three cry at the same time, but I'm sure that day is coming.


Those four things pretty much sum up my days.

People aren't joking when they say being a mom is a full-time (24/7) job!
Some days I applaud myself for accomplishing vacuuming. Because honestly, vacuuming has become a struggle.
I constantly find myself thinking : "How am I ever going to find the time to...?"
But you know what, my girls are happy & healthy. My husband and I are happy & healthy. God is good! Life is good!
So who cares that the mail hasn't been checked for a week, or the bathrooms haven't been deep cleaned in who knows how long because I read my girls 26 books today and did all the characters voices and facial expressions to go along with them. I changed 12 diapers. I kissed 3 "boo-boo's."
I have more important things to do now that I have TWO girls to raise, right?!
Alright, maybe I'm just talking myself out of vacuuming again. ;)

Momma Patti

I wanted to write a post in honor of Momma Patti as she was a huge encouragement to me to continue blogging:

When my friend Kimberly text me this past summer that her mom was diagnosed with cancer my heart sank. Momma Patti passed away on November 20th, 2014.

When I think of who I want to be as a mother, Patti is a major inspiration.
She is a woman I have always respected.
Growing up she was what I would call a "strict mom."
But her love for her children never wavered.
And her deep love for Christ always shone through any discipline.
She definitely loved as Christ calls us to love.

She taught me Spanish. Her love for the language was addicting.
Anytime we left her house we would call out, "abrazos y besos" (hugs and kisses), and she would respond, "Vaya con Dios" (Go with God).
She always called me Nicole Gah-nam. My maiden name is Gnam, the "G" is silent. Even after I got married, I was Nicole Gah-nam to her.
Kim and I typically stayed the night at her dad's house, but the few sleepovers we had at her mom's are still some of my most favorite memories.

"I pray you practice contentment, as Paul calls us to do, and value and love the life you have been called to, Nicole :) being a remarkable fantastic mother changes peoples lives and to this you are called. Love Patti" Patricia Faustini

I love you Momma Patti! Abrazos y besos!

Catching Up

People ask, "how have you been?"
My response, "busy!"

LAME!
Such a lame response! Haha!

So what have I/we (we as in Penelope and myself) been up to?

Really just living the typical stay-at-home mom/wife life.
Cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, playing, grocery shopping, church (which the current series ARROWS has been unreal and life changing and I wish you would all watch it!!), budgeting, meal planning, laundry, bedtime.
I've been apart of a Facebook group, that's sort of set up like an online garage sale, for over a year now and have sold SO MUCH STUFF! So some of our days are spent meeting with people. Other times we get stood up while I suffer through a migraine, super fun stuff!
I think I did a whole post on how I can't stand clutter?! Well this site allows me to sell anything and everything that I feel we don't use or have a need for anymore, all while bringing in a measly income.
Zach says I'm addicted. Yeah, I am. I am addicted to selling stuff!
Years ago I pinned an "arm knit infinity scarf tutorial" to a secret "gift ideas" board I have on Pinterest. This fall I finally decided to make one. Again, addicted. I have made over 60 arm knit scarves in the past couple months (mostly adult, but some child sizes as well)! I have sold a ton of those on that same Facebook site and have given some away as gifts. They are something I really enjoy making, and don't require a ton of time. One of the gals that has purchased a few asked if I would come to her work (an assisted living place) and do a tutorial for some of the residents! I am beyond excited to go in a couple of weeks and teach some sweet older folks how to arm knit!

Here are some pictures of some of the scarves I've made!

Zach's been busy too; working, playing drums for church, and planning his yearly hunting trip.
So this past weekend we decided to meet up with our friend Beau and take a much needed drive to Glacier National Park.

I wanted to share pictures!!

Well, now that you're all caught up on the happenings in this Dowler household I suppose this post can come to an end!
Until next time dear friends, until next time!