LavenderSun Co Review!

When it come to shopping for clothes for my boys, I’m a very practical Momma. I want my sons to look fashionable but let’s be real, I’m not paying a fortune for something they’re going to outgrow within a few months! Even if it can be passed down brother to brother! I’m a Stay-at-home Momma on a budget, every purchase has to be a good one! So a romper that costs $30 won’t be happening I don’t care how cute or original it is, I rarely spend that much on stuff for myself & I wear clothes until they fall apart!

I usually shop in store, just so I can feel the fabric & see the quality. Usually comes out cheaper as well, not having to pay shipping & waiting an eternity for it to arrive. Sometimes  online shopping is definitely more convenient, especially when you have to get a newborn & toddler dressed and ready to go out. Exhausting task that is.

When it comes to lounge or play clothes for the boys I will go to department stores and snag some Garanimals or Carters brands for them to wear. I’m simple. But we have our weekly religious meetings & conventions & for these my boys have GOT to look cute! I have been finding awesome deals in-store at Burlington for little suits. Online I haven’t found much that wasn’t way overpriced for their age group, until I came across LavenderSun's Instagram! The prices are AWESOME! So I had to order a piece to test them out! 

Do you see how stinkin’ cute this suit is?!?! Yes, those are Dinosaurs!! We LOVE suspenders on our boys! The cuteness is too real! And $17.95 for a 2-piece suit is an awesome deal! The fabric is a light, breathable cotton blend & it’s very well made! I can’t wait to see my son wear this at our next Convention in July! I have confidence his little bro will be able to make good use out of it as well in the future!

I'm highly pleased & will be ordering from them quite often, especially for their suits! Their clothing matches my wants & needs! Affordability, Durability & they’re Adorable! The orders can take 12-20 days to ship to the US so keep that in mind while ordering. I don’t mind the wait for a great product! Also the shipping is F-R-E-E worldwide! Love me a good deal!

Of course being a Mom of two young boys who can’t have a say-so on what I dress them in yet... I want them to be adorable as long as possible! Before all they want to wear is sweatpants & sneakers! It is so hard to find cute clothes for boys, especially in stores. The girls sections are even always a lot larger than the boys. Do retailers not think we want our boys to be cute when they’re young too? I do! That was another thing that drew me to Lavendersun, they have some really unique, stylish clothing for boys which was refreshing to see & there’s a lot to choose from! I’m in love with all the Star Wars onesies! Go check them out for your kids! You won't be disappointed!

Monday with my Toddler

I am a creature of habit. Mondays are my Cleaning days. The weekends are hectic, and everyone is home making their own individual messes. So Monday is when I try to conquer the chaos. It'd be easier if cleaning was my only focus, I'd be done within a few hours in the morning then have the rest of the day to binge Netflix & become one with my couch. In reality my cleaning is intertwined with keeping the Munchkin entertained, safe, fed, and happy. 

Here's the breakdown of how my typical stay-at-home Monday's go.

8 a.m. or a little before, Baby boy wakes up. He is always happy to see Mommy first thing in the morning & is usually a very happy guy in the mornings! Which makes life a little easier before Momma's Coffee (if I even get any).

We get his diaper changed, he tells me a story about his dreams, face & hands wiped off (drooler). Then we do our spiritual routine. We watch a few videos that teach young kids good values & morals. They're awesome and he LOVES them! (you can check them out here).  Then we pray together. This is our every morning routine, not just Monday!

8:30 am It's breakfast time! Which has become quite the task lately since someone has started getting super picky! I'm not the type of mom who makes the perfect balanced breakfasts you see online. I go with what's easy & what works. For now that's usually a pancake with peanut butter on it and a glass full of almond milk. While he's eating I start a load of laundry, and get the kitchen tidy. Once he's done eating I clean all the syrup off of him.

9:00-9:15 am After breakfast the first thing he wants to do is run to the TV to watch his PJ Masks. If it were up to him, he would surely be watching it from sun up to sun down!

But Momma can't let that happen! He has to exercise that little brain! Now, our living room is connected to kitchen, so after he's done eating, I let him do his own thing while watching Mickey Mouse Club House (at least they count and do colors) or something while I finish up the kitchen & Grab myself some breakfast. 

9:45ish am Time for some sort of learning activity. 

He loves his books, he'll sit and go through them "reading" and looking at the pictures for quite a while! I'm glad, hope this never changes! When he finds his favorite he'll bring it to you to read to read to him! There of course are TONS of ideas on Pinterest for toddler activites. I've pinned quite a few ideas. So far most he's loved, but he's not into the messy stuff, paint, play-doh etc... 

While he keeps himself busy for a few I sweep the floors, eat breakfast (Finally) and continue with laundry.

11:00 Little man starts whining for a snack. Like clock work!

I try to rest for a few while he snacks, I'm 7 months pregnant and need a break. Plus this is my coffee/tea time! 

12:00 I usually give in to the PJ Mask at this time, because I need to finish folding laundry, and mop the floors. If that's done by now, then it's time for me to try to do some sort of workout. So I let him have his alone time in his room with his 6yr old Crime Fighters. If I'm working out I have to put him in his playpen for him to watch so I can get 30 mins. of uninterrupted time to workout, or else he's whining on me while I try to workout, or running around me dropping death trap trails of toys around. He is usually still snacking at this time, so we do a late lunch.

1:00 NAP TIME! *does Momma dance* Such an awesome time I think! Him, not so much! For Momma a 10-2o min. nap fighting session usually happens. Like today, he was surely tired... It was about 1:18 today when I got him and sat down with him to get him into nap mode. Which consist of me holding him and begging him to chill. 

He whined for a bit. I changed him, let him have a fruit pouch, then took him to his crib. Whining continued, but for about 3 mins. until he passed out. Which is a record! Now, this he only does to me, because if Daddy lays him down, he just goes to sleep, no fight! It's crazy, he does me so wrong! When he's napping I rest & finish laundry (yes, laundry is an all day task, washing, drying, crying cause it never ends, folding, & putting it all away).

2:30-3 Lunch! Nothing fancy, usually some sort of chicken, if he'll eat it today... & a  pouch so I can get some veggies into his little body. Today lunch was a disaster. When he woke up from his nap he was a Grouch. His nap lasted from 1:25-3. He was crying real tears for some reason... My guess, he's still sleepy, do you think he'd go back to sleep? Of course not! Soe he cuddled on me for a while, didn't want his nuggets, didn't want his juice. Crying continued. Finally he ate his nuggets, while sitting on my lap. Some days, you got to go with what works. My cleaning is usually done by now, except the folded laundry staring at me waiting to be put up. So after his lunch that happens (I eat lunch while he naps). 

3-6 He does his own thing, making a mess playing with blocks, or some toy in his room. Or in the living room attacking his basket of toys. I try to get off my feet again. Not always easy, soon as Momma actually gets to sit down on the couch, he's usually crawling all over me like I'm a jungle gym. Not very comfortable these days with the 7 month old in my womb. So after about 30 mins of that and me getting annoyed with it, I go prep dinner. I also got the bills & budget for the pay period set up today. Daddy comes home around 5 (YAY! now I get a REAL break! because by now I am in true MOMBIE mode, looking like an exhausted bum. SO sexy for hubby!)

I forgot to mention cleaning up his messes throughout the day. This is the 2nd time today he's pulled all his clothes out the dresser. Happens a few times a week. I'm about to duct tape it shut!

6 pm is Dinner time for Toddler. We eat with him usually, sometimes later. After dinner he plays more with Daddy. Because I'm escaping to the shower! 

8 pm is BED TIME!!! He sleeps through the whole night thankfully! Me, not so much these days baby boy is growing so much making me more uncomfortable, plus fighting leg cramps or indigestion. But thankfully we both get what we need to face the next day!

The rest of the week keeping him entertained, safe, fed, and happy is top priority. But we get out of the house, to the park, library, to the grandparents, or whatever else we can find to do with ourselves! It is a lot and some days can be overwhelming. Especially if He's not in a good mood. Or I'm not feeling good from pregnancy. But we get it done, every single day! This all may sound very easy to some, or exhausting to others. For me now, it's normal & easy. When the new baby is here. I'm sure it'll be total chaos for a while until we all get on a united routine. So I'll enjoy this little bit of calm, if you can call it that, for now!

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Anatomy Scan & Gender Reveal!

Yesterday we went to the doctor to do my anatomy ultrasound. We had been looking forward to this appointment for weeks! Mainly because you finally get to find out the sex of the baby, IF the baby cooperates for the Ultrasound Tech.

But more importantly, you get to see all the little parts of your growing baby & see if they're all working properly. This makes me a nervous wreck! Moms minds always think the worst. At least mine does! 

For a more in depth idea of what little parts I was referring too this list I found at Baby Med gives a perfect breakdown:

The following fetal parts are checked during the anatomy ultrasound:

• Face
• Brain (ventricles, choroid plexus, mid-brain, posterior fossa, cerebellum, cisterna magna, measurements of anterior and posterior horns of lateral ventricles)
• Skull (shape, integrity, BPD and HC measurements)
• Neck (nuchal fold thickness)
• Spine
• Heart (rate, rhythm, 4-chamber views, outflow tract)
• Thorax (shape, lungs, diaphragm)
• Abdomen (stomach, kidneys, liver, bladder, wall, umbilicus, cord, abdominal circumference AC)
• Limbs (femur, tibia, fibula, humerus, radius, ulna, hands, feet femur length FL)
• Genitals (gender, abnormality)
• Cervix (length and opening)

Our ultrasound tech was very nice & thorough. She described it as visually slicing through the baby, as if it were cake, to see all the different parts. It is so awesome you get to see the lobes of the brain, the chambers of the hearts, the lungs, diaphragm & everything listed above. It is so amazing to see on the screen. It's even more amazing & enjoyable when you have a tech that is nice & explains to you everything you're seeing. I was definitely moved to tears!

That's a full body shot, all curled up 😍

So once everything is done & the Tech had all the info she needed, she obliged (because they don't have to... they're there to find what's in that list above, not obligated to figure out the sex) to try to get a shot of the genitals for us. With Jacen he was so stubborn, he wouldn't spread 'em at all for the first ultrasound, so we had to go back again to see. With this baby it had it's little legs curled up too, but the Tech played around with my belly some and had me lay on my side, and we got to see just what we needed...

There's no denying what that is!!! I am officially a Boy Mom x2! Hubby just knew that this was a little girl since my pregnancy has been so different. Last pregnancy I knew without a doubt I was having a boy, this time I was clueless. We were hoping for a little princess, especially daddy, and big sis, she actually cried, poor thing is outnumbered. But we got us another Prince! At he end of the day we're just so thankful he's healthy and growing right the way he's supposed to! Couldn't be anymore thankful!

Now... to figure out what to name the Lil' Peanut!

One thing about having another baby of the same gender so close together is we won't need much for this baby, just essentials. Big Bro has plenty to share! They're bond is gonna be unbreakable growing up together! At first I was so nervous! "How am I gonna do this, two kids this close in age?!?!"... "Jacen is gonna be so jealous! He's too young to understand!"... But now I'm excited and ready for the challenge (remind me I said that when I'm ready to pull my hair our from exhaustion). I cannot wait to meet this little guy & see him and his brother playing & exploring together. They're gonna be amazing together! My Boys!

  

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Kiss your Mom

Aug 4, 2015 was the absolute worst day of my life. A call was made to me early that Tuesday morning that at my mom's home the ambulance and police were there, and that I need to come ASAP because something is going on. My mom suffered from Epilepsy & heart issues. This wasn't the first time I got a call like this. But I felt something was different. My husband rushed to my job to get me, and we flew down the highway towards My mother's house, which was 1 1/2 hours away. The calls kept coming, worried family members, neighbors. I couldn't get a hold of my father. I knew something was horribly wrong this time.

When I finally got my Dad on the phone, he said two words that crushed my entire existence. "She's gone."

I will never forget the tone of his voice. How the earth went quiet in that moment. My reaction. My husband's reaction. Time literally stood still. My mother, my best friend, gone? My heart was and still is, and always will be crushed until I kiss her cheek again.

I can replay every single second of that day, and the days that followed as if they just happened 5 minutes ago. Sounds, sights, how my body felt like it was going to split in two. The faces and emotions of my loved ones. Everything happening so fast, and so surreal.

We were not meant to handle death.

Now here I am, a mother myself, to a 9 month old boy. Everyday I am amazed by him and the things he does. Motherhood is a journey, an amazing one full of ups & downs, & I'm just getting started. Oh how I never in a million years thought I'd experience this without my mother's help, or advice. It makes me miss her a billion times more. Also knowing she won't get to see his beautiful face for quite some time, it's depressing, no other way to describe it. Just purely depressing.  But I do know the day she finally does meet him, she will instantly be in love.

Everything he does makes me wonder if I did that as a baby with my mom, and how she handled it. Mom rocked back and forth all the time. I catch myself doing it to rock my son to sleep, is that why Mom did, and it became a habit she couldn't break? Every time I catch myself rocking I can't help but to smile & wonder, and fight the tears. Did I wear her out the way he wears me out? Did I cling to her & look for her in a crowd the way he does me? Did I cry every time she walked away? Did I fight naps like he does? I have a million questions, I yearn so badly to call or text her to hear her answers.

Motherhood is hard, not having your mother's support that only she can give you, makes it a lot harder. I have family that loves me & my son, & they have helped me & will continue to do so. But there will always be a void no one can fill but her.

Being a mom now has made me love & appreciate her even more. She was a wonderful mother. I hope to be like her.

Never take your mothers for granted. Thank them for their hard work. Kiss them. Hug them. Love them endlessly. Because they did all that and a ton more for you. As soon as I see my mom in the resurrection, after hugging her so hard, I will be letting her know just how thankful I am for the hard work she put into making me the woman I am today. Until then I'll lean on & absorb the strength God & my family gives me.

For information about the Resurrection hope I so strongly believe in please visit: JW.org