Day in the Life

Hey, Hey Friends!

I took pictures all day long yesterday so I could share what a Monday looks like around here.  Hope you enjoy!

I was up at 4:50 a.m. to have some quiet time while sipping my coffee.

Then I got some work done before I got the crazies up for school.

The ONLY reason I'm not eating something fabulous you suggested for breakfast is because I had a grocery pick-up scheduled later in the day.  I hadn't been to the store since before that post.  

I got everyone up and this is what it typically looks like.  A few minutes of cartoons before eating breakfast and then they get ready for school.

Out the door and ready to take on Monday!

I told you the Trolls soundtrack is on REPEAT in our car.

Bowen and I dropped the big kids off at school.  I should add there was a car letting lots of kids out, so the carpool line was stopped and waiting.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have snapped a picture.

Then this cutie and I were off to the gym.

Bowen went to the childcare to play while I hit up my Monday workout class.  

A funny story while we were waiting for class to start- Shay grabbed her phone and asked if we (Narci and I) could take a picture for her "day in the life" post.  I cracked up and told them I was documenting my day too.  So, be looking for her post tomorrow of what her Monday looked like. Even crazier part is Narci said she'd thought about doing one this week as well.  Great minds, right?!  ha!

After class I got showered, dressed, and snagged Bowen from childcare.

Bowen and I ran a couple errands...one was the dry cleaner to drop off and pick up.

Then we met my women's group at church at Petra (a taco place in McKinney).  We had a great time getting caught up, sharing a bit of our hearts, and enjoying the queso.  :)

These two ladies are so sweet.  The women's ministry at our church had a sign up over the summer and in the fall we were matched with one or two women for the year.  Our church is pretty big and it can be easy to only get to know people your age...our Sunday School class is all one age group.  This ministry is awesome because it connects different ages and we get to spend a year together learning from each other.  My group has been consistently meeting about every 4-6 weeks.

Usually, I work on blog stuff or travel agency stuff from 1:00-3:00 everyday while Bowen is chilling, playing, or napping.  Since I had a longer lunch and a few things to do afterwards, I knew I wouldn't have time yesterday.  I made sure to work some on Saturday and Sunday to make up for it.

My favorite way to grocery shop.  hahaha!

When I called the number they told me it would be a few minutes.  Bowen had fallen asleep, I was drinking some tea, and was all too happy to wait a few minutes.  #takeyourtimewalmart

We got home and had about thirty minutes before we needed to pick up the big kids.  I unloaded groceries, changed the laundry, and made myself a cup of coffee.

This guy was READY to grab the big kids!  

The weather was GORGEOUS here yesterday.  We had to skip out on playing at the park because Bowen had a quick appointment right after school.

These two got their homework finished while they waited *patiently*.  Check out Nixon's face...patience is shining right off him.  Right?  ha!

We got home in plenty of time to enjoy the weather.  These two made some sort of bug community with leaves.

 While I was making this Mexican Meatloaf for dinner...

This was my view outside.  :)

Tab got home, but never made it in a picture.  We had dinner-it turned out yummy!  And then this happened...

A clean kitchen

I know I've mentioned before I have crazy big renovation plans for our kitchen.  I've hit that mark where I don't even want to spend money on light bulbs in the current kitchen.  You know what I'm talking about?  We need a new kitchen table and I'm waiting on that as well. New light fixtures, new counter tops, new backsplash, and the list goes on.  Anyway, just yesterday I noticed a big crack in our counter top. I'm hoping that means we're one day closer to the new kitchen!  #itllstillbeawhile

Tab had a work phone call, so I took over bath duty...which at this age for our kids simply means making sure they use soap.  haha!  Then we watched a couple YouTube videos of Dude Perfect.

Have you guys heard of Dude Perfect?  It's a group of five best friends who met in college and they do all kinds of silly, crazy sports tricks.  All three of my kids love watching.  These guys are Christian guys so they're super safe to watch.  They also have guest stars helping every once in a while.  If you have kiddos ages five-ten, I'm sure they'd love it!

While we watched a couple episodes, I uploaded pictures from my day to get this post written.

We put the kiddos to bed and I watched a little Gossip Girl before drifting to sleep.  :)

Hope you enjoyed our Monday!  XOXO

How Erika Does Cleaning

Happy Monday, Girls!

Just what we all want to start our week off with....talking about cleaning!  

{Can you hear my sarcasm?}

I know this is gonna sound unbelievable, but I get asked a lot about cleaning.  

*When do I clean?

*How often do I clean?

*What are my favorite products?

*Do I have a housekeeper?

*Do I enjoy cleaning?

I started thinking about it and sharing a bit about how we tackle this at our house is a little like a "day in the life" post.  Right?  We get to see a behind the scenes look.  And those happen to be our favorites!

First, I'd like to send a HUGE shout out to our cleaning lady, Mrs. Norma.  She is FABULOUS!  And I couldn't do it without her.  This past year is the first year I've had someone come in weekly to really scrub the house.  Before that we had someone every other week or just on random occasions, but after a year of working with Shay at Mix and Match Travel, Tab and I both agreed there wasn't enough time in the day for me to do the hardcore cleaning.  Keep in mind, I'm still daily cleaning the kitchen after meals, doing dishes, flushing toilets-because kids (anyone else-hahaha!), and doing laundry.  

Before Mrs. Norma arrived on the scene, I tried to set aside a morning or an afternoon to clean the entire house.  I tried several of those cleaning schedules you see on Pinterest, but it always bothered me the house was never all clean at one time.  It worked better for me to just plan it into my week.

Nowadays, I feel like I'm picking things up ALL THE TIME!  We all pick up every night before going to bed.  And then throughout the day, I'm picking random things up or making piles for the kids to take up to their rooms.  I'd like to say I'm always whistling show tunes while I'm doing all this, but that isn't the case.  ha!  

Now, if we have people coming over or something happening at our house I'm not frantically running around like a crazy woman trying to get the house clean.  I used to morph into a MAD WOMAN!

Deep down in my heart-I don't love to clean.  I wish God had given me that gift. 

These are my favorite cleaning products.

Every time I even see a can of Pledge I think back to my childhood.  On Saturday mornings we usually cleaned the house.  My brother and I were responsible for cleaning our own rooms-picking up, dusting, and vacuuming.  Then we'd help with other things once we were finished.  I remember one Saturday my brother was done with his entire room in like two minutes.  I remember going in his room and the smell of Pledge was so strong it could knock you over.  My nine-year-old self just KNEW he didn't really dust-he just sprayed the Pledge so Mom would THINK he dusted.  He denied it then and he still denies it to this day.  But I'm not buying it.  ;)

In our house, we're working on our kids transitioning to doing more chores around the house, but at this point-I feel like I'm the one reminding them ALL THE TIME.  Are you guys constantly having to remind them at your houses too?  Or is it just me?  Do you guys have any helpful hints about this? I usually ask a different kid every night to help me with dinner dishes.  That works out great!  I get one on one time.  They are being responsible and at this age-they love it!

At this point, it's hard to even imagine me being able to count on them to scrub the toilet without me watching when they have the hardest time simply FLUSHING IT!  hahaha!  We'll get there.  One day.

I'm sorry I had nothing earth shattering to share about cleaning the house.  But...it's always fun to see what others are doing.  What about YOU?  How do you keep your house clean?

Thanks for stopping by today!  XO

Friday Favorites

Whew!  I've been riding solo this week while Tab's been out of town so I'm stoked to see Friday.  I'm joining Narci and Andrea to share our Friday Favorites.  Hope you join us!

In true Friday fashion, I'm sharing a HOT RANDOM MESS of favorites...

I shared how cute these three were in the talent show last week.  I helped out backstage and snuck a picture during rehearsals.  They were so precious!  Watching them perform was a FAVORITE!

On Monday, Kristin OWNED it and shared her crazy with us.  Reading some of her crazy was my FAVORITE!  And by that-I mean nodding my head in agreement-helped me realize I'm not the only crazy one.  ;)

On Monday evening our local Kendra Scott held an event for one of my FAVORITE nonprofit organizations, Mission Reagan.  Shopping for a great cause is always a FAVORITE!  And seeing all these friends on a random Monday night was an added bonus!

These cute earrings came home with me.  They are a really pretty color.  They'd make a great gift for Valentine's Day!  I've already worn them once...would have been twice but Wednesday and Thursday I was in workout clothes all day.  They just didn't "go" with the outfit.

Ebby Lee's room is getting a face lift!  When we moved in to this house about a year and a half ago, we did nothing to the kids' rooms.  Now is the time!  This is the theme for Ebby Lee's new room.  We're still in search of a few things to complete the room and then I'll be ready to share.  Seeing the end result will be a FAVORITE!

Thank YOU for all your comments yesterday.  For the next two months I am set with new EASY recipes for breakfast.  If you haven't had a chance to read through the comments, go check it out.  Everyone shared their FAVORITE go-to breakfast foods and they did not disappoint!

A sweet reader recommended this Cuisinart Egg Cooker....it hard boils and poaches ten eggs at one time.  I was told it's super easy, not a lot of mess.  I ordered it yesterday.  Thanks for the recommendation!  And I'll keep you posted.  As much as I love giving you guys ideas, I think I love it just as much with you share goodies with me.  Seriously, thank you all!

I had a lot of questions about this dress.  I ordered the my true size in parenthesis, so 6 US (fits like a 2-4) and it was perfect.  It isn't lined, but there are two fabrics so kind of?  The outer layer is the sheer polka dot and then there's another solid black layer underneath.  Hope this helps!

Coming soon I have a " Q and A" post scheduled.  Please comment or e-mail me with ANY questions you'd like for me to answer.  {alittlebitofeverything83@yahoo.com}

Hope you have a FABULOUS FRIDAY!

XO

An InLinkz Link-up

What's Your Favorite...

Ladies...I've gotta be honest.  I could REALLY use your help.  

PLEASE tell me...

I know I've mentioned before how much I despise cooking breakfast.  It's all about my clean kitchen.  Why would I want to mess that up all before 7:00 a.m.?  I wouldn't!  #soidont

What happens is I eat my go-to breakfast everyday, which used to be this...

A thinkThin Creamy Peanut Butter Protein Bar

I ate this same thing for years.  I'm not even exaggerating.  Until Kristin (you guys met her on Monday) shared how much she loves these protein bars...

I stepped out of my breakfast comfort zone and now eat a Salted Caramel Power Crunch Protein Bar every morning.

Listen, they're tasty and easy so I'm a big fan.  But I'd love to change it up a bit and keep breakfast easy.  And, I'm starving by 10:15 a.m.  I usually eat lunch at 10:30 and a hefty snack at 2:00.  

Apparently, a breakfast rut is something that happens to me.  In college, this was my breakfast for an entire year...

I wish I was kidding.  No joking here.

Today, I'm asking...

*What do you guys eat for breakfast?

*Do you know any super easy, yummy breakfast ideas?

*Bonus points if your food tastes like a bacon, egg, and cheese burrito.  #totallykidding

Seriously, would LOVE to hear any and all ideas!  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you for sharing!

What's Up Wednesday-January

 I'm joining Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up!

What we're eating this week:

Monday:  White Chicken Chili-this was SO good!  

Tuesday:  I had some things to do at the mall, so the kiddos and I had a mall dinner date courtesy of the food court.  Everyone got what they wanted.  Everyone was happy.  ;)

Wednesday:  Mexican Calzones (out of the Eats Cookbook)

Thursday:  Brisket Sliders (also out of the Eats Cookbook)

Friday:  Fridays are for eating out.  haha!  Really, it's more like Fridays are for a clean kitchen.

What I'm Reminiscing About:

We just signed Bowen up for beginner tee-ball.  Let me tell you...who knew that would get me all kinds of sentimental?  Look at Nixon at his first tee-ball practice.  This year that cutie with the paci will get a turn.

What I'm Loving:

These girlfriends of mine.  ;)  I don't take these friendships for granted for a second.  I'm so thankful for this group of girls (and not all are pictured)!

What We've Been Up To:

 We've been showing off our hula hooping skills at the elementary talent show.  Well, Ebby Lee has been doing that.  The rest of us enjoyed watching.

These three friends did so great and had the crowd clapping to the music during their performance.

What I'm Dreading:

I can't think of anything off the top of my head.

What I'm Working On:

We're still in the process of room switch 2016-turned 2017 upstairs.  Bunk beds have arrived, closets have been switched around.  We still have a few finishing touches before it's complete.

What I'm Excited About:

*2017*

The new year...I'm not sure about your family but the start of the year has us talking about all the things we want to do in 2017.  Apparently, we're not the only ones.  Shay and I have been BUSY, BUSY with Disney World vacations, Disney Cruises, and more.  If you're planning an upcoming vacation and would love some help, please send us an e-mail to mixandmatchtravelagency@yahoo.com.

What I'm watching/reading:

Gossip Girl...I just can't stop!!

I'm also watching the Bachelor, because I just can't quit it.  This past week I found myself wanting MORE drama.  I'm just so used to ALL THE BACHELOR drama I needed more.  Make sure you're checking out Sheaffer's recaps each week.  They're the BEST!

I'm currently reading, Move On: When Mercy Meets Your Mess, by Vicki Courtney.

What I'm Listening To:

The Trolls soundtrack is on repeat.  We just can't get enough!

What I'm Wearing:

Don't mind my missing head.  Ebby Lee took this picture of us and happened to catch me in that weird mid-blink-half-dazed look so I cropped my head right off.  For church this past week, I was sporting this dress with some fringe heels.  Mine are sold out, but these are similar.  I'm pretty sure this dress can span the seasons...with a jacket and tights in the winter, booties in fall, like I'm wearing it for spring, or with wedges in the summer.

What I'm Doing This Weekend:

We're having family night on Friday and headed out on Saturday.  I'm hoping Sunday brings all kinds of rest.

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month:

Celebrating Valentine's Day with this crew!

My Favorite Bachelor:

This picture is crazy blurry, so sorry about that.  Hands-down my favorite bachelor has to be SEAN!  It was so fun to watch with girlfriends every week!  And it was even more fun when Sean showed up to join the party.  Definitely my favorite season!

A few of my other favorite seasons...

Aaron Buerge's season was my first to watch and I was HOOKED!  Do you guys remember him?

I had a SUPER FAN GIRL moment at the airport traveling back from Park City when we spotted Andrew Firestone.  HAHA!  I couldn't contain myself.  I should have just said something, but I was that creepy girl that just kept staring with a big smile on my face.  Tab even told me that I was being weird and needed to stop looking.  I was a big Andrew Firestone fan as well.

And Jesse Palmer is also in the running.  I was really into his season too!

Hope you ladies have a great Wednesday!  XOXO