tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72502723236598630982024-03-13T12:48:29.181-04:00Corner of JoyAmy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.comBlogger457125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-66417443961794354682020-05-21T16:32:00.000-04:002020-05-21T16:32:46.781-04:00Big moves and UpdatesHello friends! I hope you are all doing well and enjoying this May with your family. Somehow this whole stay-at-home business feels so much easier and better when the weather is good.<br />
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As I sit here with my laptop on the sofa typing right now, my twins, who are both 3.5 years old now, are playing with their twin baby dolls next to me, my dog is squeaking her favorite new toy at my feet, and birds are singing in the trees outside the window behind me.<br />
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So much has happened since I last wrote, to the point where I have sat down several times to write updates, and became overwhelmed with the amount and time it would take!<br />
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Here is a quick update, list-style:<br />
-My husband got a new job! After 10 years at his old job and lots and lots of prayer for direction, he got a new job at the end of April in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. It was hard leaving so quickly and without very proper goodbyes due to the virus, but we truly felt God’s hand in this change, which allowed us to have so much peace.<br />
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-Our old house in Ohio sold in 45 minutes, despite the pandemic, and it could only have been an answer from the Lord.<br />
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-We purchased a new home in Michigan SIGHT UNSEEN (because I am nuts, apparently). I took this photo as we stood outside our new home for the first time just after closing on it. Again, the Lord has been faithful and provided a home that is all I've ever wanted and dreamed of. I cannot wait to make this place "ours", and we hope to stay here for the long haul!<br />
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-Victoria will be 6 next month and has about a month or so left of her Kindergarten curriculum. It took a bit longer than expected because of all the travel we had to do for her airway orthodontics + the move, but overall I am so happy with how our year has gone with the curriculum we chose. Speaking of her airway orthodontics, she is nearly done with her treatment, and I have seen a huge difference in her sleeping, attentiveness, and breathing. The doctor warned me her brain would probably go through a huge growth spurt now that it was getting adequate oxygen, and he was right! She has grown SO much this year!<br />
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-Charlotte and Analisa are 3.5 year old, and just recently I am feeling like I can let my guard down a bit with them. For so long it has been so hard to do much of anything due to our "twinadoes" running in opposite directions, but just recently I am feeling more comfortable and confident with their listening skills. They can often be found playing in "twin land" together, and it is so fun to see the bond they have together and with Victoria. They are also starting to become my little "helpers", and Charlotte in particular is always asking to help me with just about everything.<br />
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-Alexander is 16 months and in what I call the "Sprinkly cheese age". This term came from a friend whose son found a 2 pound bag of shredded cheese at this age, and proceeded to drag it around the house, sprinkling cheese everywhere he went. Alexander is BUSY! He climbs, runs, digs, splashes, throws, etc! I feel like I take him off the kitchen table about 40 times per day (Charlotte used to do the same thing) and say the word "no" quite a bit, but he is also starting to talk, giggles all the time, and is the main focus of his sisters' adoration (they thank the Lord for their "Alexander with the sweet smile" every night).<br />
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I have missed blogging here, and I plan to do more of it! If you haven't already, join me on Instagram @mycornerofjoy! I will be sharing more frequentlyAmy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-49584025973295315652019-07-10T16:37:00.001-04:002019-07-10T16:38:00.765-04:00Our New Homeschool Space My house has been a bit of a puzzle to work out since we moved here. It can be tough moving from one house to another, almost like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Nothing fits together the way it used to. <div><br></div><div>My current home has some things we love about it: huge bedroom closets, tall ceilings, and a large living room.</div><div><br></div><div>But two things have been driving me nuts about it:</div><div>-The lack of closets and storage on the main floor. Sure there are closets galore upstairs, but other than the coat closet, there are no other storage places on the main level. This has made storing things like play-doh, craft supplies, coloring supplies, and homeschool items a bit tough unless I want to be running up and down the stairs all day (which is an option, but certainly not ideal).</div><div><br></div><div>-There is a weird room in the front of the house. As soon as you walk into the house, there is a small room that I believe was intended to be a dining room, but we used as a sort of small sitting area until now.</div><div><br></div><div>This is what that front room looked like when we moved in (even they didn’t know what to do with it):</div><div><img id="id_b47_45a0_4ea8_1242" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/vx77Accr_287gmuHB2sWdX9MI00oQ3lVgMyZjFqv5WVZtPjpLQHm6bjP4w8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>We moved in, repainted it, and used it as a small living room: </div><div><img id="id_17e0_81d2_1c28_b852" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hFcpK4H9PMnfJwpjbM-F-aeIuLal2iX9UU7LnRudKYKqSJ31ysT27THLU94" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 335px; height: auto;"><br><br>I enjoyed it for a morning coffee, but it was mostly ignored. </div><div><br></div><div>As for all the things I was struggling to store, I’d tried so many different ways of organizing, storage pieces, etc., and nothing seemed to work well. I finally sat down and put together a plan. What I needed versus what I had.</div><div><br></div><div>I realized I needed some sort of large storage cabinet to store the items that were floating around my downstairs, and preferably something with drawers so it wasn’t all open storage (I had a cube-style storage shelf I tried that I found hard to keep organized). I found my ideal shelving at IKEA, but decided I didn’t want to spend $1,000. </div><div><img id="id_1db8_e404_ea9e_2f6c" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/OsBgJpUmxlRWM4M9twynt1Q2BsuOsArfbyPiuKDEUKWrSEcijtOirAv_Sxs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>Sooooooo I decided to transform that front room into a craft/homeschool space on the cheap. </div><div><br></div><div>Here are some “before” photos:</div><div><img id="id_d3ee_d02a_2123_c147" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/wtPy5XFzKefMJQTihrOSOh6dmkbF9uvffSsc39Ucyy5mAoh4iNHUOYSHMZE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_708b_af77_1cfd_e215" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/nTT_qdAYCEH6kn1MvxUeI5TgBUIkPK7Dgfzpsr0KNK1OYQqaUbnjU_YrA9o" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_49ed_f9bd_1ad7_31c6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SfHbJ6GXvH8Nj3wZmjWGk0ps6EygTHYlVc9CQNuaV2LTcZ1xBR23Dn2o21c" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>I started looking for a shelving/storage unit that would work for storage in this room. I found this beauty on Facebook for $40</div><div><img id="id_58c4_c1bb_5575_83c6" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/RdS2jR4v_qHxJeiO9fjCvvwIU21yqVUV5S0amsz3y3cfdPfAGud55yIy8oA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>My husband was not thrilled with the purchase. He thought it was not even worth what we paid for it, but I promised him I had plans for it. </div><div><br></div><div>Over the course of several weeks I slowly (slloooooooooowwwwwwwwly) got the unit painted. I used a one-step chalk paint that wouldn’t require me to prime or sand. I did clean it well with a deglosser. In hindsight I wish I had primed it, because it took more paint than I would have preferred to cover up the dark wood.</div><div><img id="id_4bd7_e171_ec00_8af8" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/3nAaw3vsY3oZ5WNYoFL8M5iGMi52c_j7no7DgFKqnLBvfXKKK8T5HdEjM9E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e558_6814_c843_1912" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/xfB490Qe5feRaArUe9aloKadboyvmQT2NGe3RJ2M8QXt1pDfx4pdY_cZop4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>All things considered, the paint worked well, and adhered well without sanding or priming. I put on two layers of polyacrylic to protect it.</div><div><br></div><div>Then I ordered some hardware for $23 total from</div><div>Wayfair. I purchased something that would cover up the holes that were used as drawer pulls before. </div><img id="id_738a_a0cd_ad34_2a4a" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/98C0vknNOGBe7DisPloDhYgGcMxCHXWskkQmWpgwapnbTXv-38IlQzstlgk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><div>And in the end, after a total investment of about $100, this is what I had. </div><img id="id_1c8_927d_802_2a1f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/LWup3ALUp7ypj1_0kj8PGA9q_A_fWBsh2rzUJZR-8xvcL6Nj5TqnxbqfSUE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 370px; height: auto;"><br>It is still not the $1,000 IKEA unit, but I’ve been able to store all of our homeschool stuff, preschool crafts and projects for the twins, educational games, and coloring and craft supplies. I already had that small yellow shelf where I am keeping our printer and some other office/craft items. <div><br></div><div><img id="id_5b3_8dcc_e00d_befa" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/NluZQ4AHFsjNZOxVQxrFOq-pk32jNJSed4BMH0KxhOnwwOYhDDQ64xivYf0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>I purchased some new curtains 2nd hand on Facebook marketplace </div><img id="id_509d_858a_e657_eb13" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/08r_kdhld7PV8DHXkG4hOOOGSC3dW3CBuOE588MGyQOKI9Z968lht4FZaeI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>And notice the light in the middle of the room with no glass shades? If you follow my Instagram (send me a follow request @mycornerofjoy), you may have seen that I purchased that new light fixture at the Habitat for Humanity REstore for $15. It had these shades on it, and I considered replacing them for a bit, but decided to just keep them as-is....<div><img id="id_3c86_db87_c17e_c743" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/sNX1-7WM6KQ2k2N5tWcxUkyJUMA7BZFxoI2m1t5CeC_gaUGEfcdcITV4HKk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>Until my husband accidentally dropped the old light fixture onto this new light fixture and broke all of the glass on both (Ahhh!). </div><div><br></div><div>So my $15 light fixture became a $50 light fixture after I ordered new glass shades for it. I’m happy how it turned out though!</div><div><img id="id_ec8e_6545_42d0_baea" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/xKMDy1Ht_aV9xqNGhjZuBrYhb1i9kYZ7mHTdYAYG1G0yBwewbmtoKZb-t0g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>After going back and forth, we decided to use a table and chairs we already have that was in our basement. It needs to be refinished, which I don’t have much time for right now, but eventually I will get to it. </div><div><img id="id_f160_c96a_a98d_eeaa" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hCyuEtjBCtH4JZQAPjF6SM_PFbXbbNZYmg_v4rGd_BtQTrfIeFiijAyAkvw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>We were close to donating this dining set, but I was having a hard time parting with it because that table has 3 leaves! It will be perfect for our family as it grows. Someday I may purchase some new chairs to go with it, but for now we decided to just go with it how it is in this space. </div><div><br></div><div>So here it is! Our new front room/homeschool space!</div><div><img id="id_3571_9b55_8de2_e87e" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/iUNC9tzoTV668Fq2etrJEfjR1q-hYqkyx2zH18j3zrOJUEo51lu-Ma6TSZc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9a33_183b_b7c6_1b7c" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/2yC7HCKkdAS9PrV0KX4yB6NCj_U3DWnwWS6ElKAmaWnLC_HnVmP3jYgbKLY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b1f3_77c2_7b50_861f" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/xdZTKiY_fFd8ae1PdAQevAOKNGcM9Hpl0eY-aY-_fDIFZ-6KAcsues8eOUk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>This room just goes to show: it doesn’t take much money to make a big difference! I spent only $165 total making this room function and look better, including a new light fixture. Sometimes it just takes figuring out how to make something work that isn’t ideal, or using nooks and crannies of time in your day to transform an ugly shelving unit into what you want.</div><div><br></div><div>I have already seen a reduction in clutter in other areas of the house, and I’m so happy this front room is finally getting regular use. My girls spend most of their day in this room now playing, coloring, and creating. I’m excited to begin teaching kindergarten this fall in such a bright and cheerful space. </div><div><br></div>Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-50591855092498195452019-06-13T10:17:00.001-04:002019-06-13T20:47:52.397-04:00Our $700 bathroom renovationOur current home was built in 2007, so it isn’t old by any means, but builder grade is builder grade, old or new. Most of our home is generic builder grade that just isn’t doing anything to help the value of the house. Since we hope to be able to sell this home for a profit someday, we are slowly updating the areas of the home that show the most builder-grade drab. <div><br></div><div>We have started with our hall bathroom, which is mostly used by our kids and guests. I set a budget of $700, and my husband thought I was a bit nuts to think we could do it for so little. </div><div><br></div><div>But we did!</div><div><br></div><div>I also attempted to do something a little different this time. I’m getting ahead of myself though. </div><div><br></div><div>Here is the before:</div><div><img id="id_3130_474b_cfa5_22f7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2mCYxnHVLrlG5eANFxr0H0iz14vOcRvcVweQdjfdSFx2lx3aKrWmaPzQ7Mg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5a69_2794_30eb_fb63" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/TuGkMWl3BrNs5oIR3w-NtgSDsI_t4UMSR5NuLb5SrtRXAQvUO7AhPUfmDGo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_45a3_1d09_5952_a531" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6L3f3HjsrRwwLG4KksILYd--Pg_G20qWWI41yO_1eH4Api8t_77BKK_jHtc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>We decided to keep the shower as-is, since it is a plain white insert in good condition. Since we were hoping to keep the update less than $700, we needed to keep things simple.</div><div><img id="id_99bc_569f_6361_3a90" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/W2ZR38tmfWYr8DjbJs6KjOCeRwzUsFY_d4-20ZOnStn4IWq8LKC2wYIfpaw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>One simple change you can make to instantly update your shower is replace the shower head! You can get nice new shower heads for as low as $20, and they require no skill to install. I had purchased 2 new shower heads when we moved in, and my husband accidentally installed the wrong one in this bathroom. So my kids ended up with the spa, rain-shower one in this bathroom! </div><div><br></div><div>First came demolition, which always takes longer than you think it will. Luckily our kids’ play area is right outside this bathroom, so they played while I kept them out of the bathroom and helped my husband, who did most of the demolition. </div><div><img id="id_9774_d53e_d833_2184" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xqFEYN8S8V3PDPYjaKLHNkHrLu5FWw54Vqi4kQzIhkQ-zfM1WFRSt2uzD48" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>One thing I do to make sure I can renovate a room on such a tight budget is stockpile months ahead of time. I am always on the lookout for a good deal on something I like for a room, and once I’ve found all the pieces for the right price, that’s when we start the project. </div><div><br></div><div>The only thing I paid full price for in this bathroom was the flooring. In past renovations we have tiled the bathroom floor and we’ve also installed vinyl planks. I liked the vinyl planks SO much more (softer and warmer under foot), and it takes so much less time and labor, so we decided to use it again. </div><div><br></div><div>This time I purchased a vinyl tile from Wayfair in a dark gray. I was surprised that it was much more blue-toned than it showed on the website, and I worried it wouldn’t match the vanity I had purchased. We decided to use it anyway, but I would have preferred it to be the color displayed on the website. </div><img id="id_d3c5_7e5e_9c6b_d5f2" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/atM-weMB0qBtJsVKHGCwB6T3kq3O8r6daUvn8f05rXbGZlfRSxLBepxXZtg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>Turns out I’m not the only one who complained about the color, because most people reviewed the material well and took a star off their review for the color.<div><br></div><div>This flooring went in SO quickly. Literally just a couple hours. </div><div><img id="id_dcfe_8bdf_d_6e95" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/xXvd_joM7sZYMIOoXL0dA9YGxrcUYvgLCin3Xs_e7sSoNh8PC5o2Stf6Dys" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>The next thing to do was repair the drywall and paint. I’ve tried renovating and painting last, but it created so much dust and was hard to get behind all the fixtures.</div><div><br></div><div>Because of the blue tones in the floor and the wood tones in the vanity, I decided to paint this room white. The old yellow paint made this room seem so dark, so I was looking forward to brightening it up. </div><div><br></div><div>We chose Benjamin Moore Simply White. It really is a perfect white, not too stark and not too yellow. </div><div><img id="id_75ec_6ead_ff46_19f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/A0cQQvCX4IVtDNomYlecxLvrly6YHLVX8Wr9KXgvhobklz3wZRmB-a90Cvw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>I also decided to paint the trim, which is a yellow-y white in the whole house. It was a shock to see the difference in the old trim color (the door color in this photo) and the new trim color (Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White). Looks like I have a whole</div><div>house of trim to paint now! I used Benjamin Moore Advanced paint for the trim and really liked using it. I also like the Behr version of this type of paint (urethane alkyd semi gloss enamel).</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_cabb_9a95_6ba0_3ddd" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Hz30GvOzz2QugaGydNeP3sUzWc-5oizzC0sD91oPf3ok3EEefp7GmFhEi7A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>Next my husband installed the new vanity, which I purchased new on Facebook marketplace for $125. It is not the most amazing quality vanity, but it is definitely an improvement over what was there. It is also ever so slightly taller and 3 inches thinner, making the bathroom appear slightly larger due to more floor space. We also reused the toilet, which was in fine condition. </div><div><br></div><div>I am picky about faucets. I’ve learned the hard way that brand matters with faucets, so I only really purchase Kohler or Delta faucets now. I purchased the Delta faucet for this bathroom for $39 new on eBay.</div><div><img id="id_2540_83e4_f5e4_d44c" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/xMVIpIdOxKGZhNj4zXUP7hU8xAC_lPoqZBZ4zuogtQbFElkDWAtMKcIEH5c" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>I also purchase new brushed nickel handles for the vanity (the ones it came with were chrome). To save money we kept the same toilet paper holder and towel bars. It would have been nice to replace them, but they were fine and the metals matched, so we kept them. </div><div><br></div><div>The light fixture was a brand new, in the box purchase from a local online auction for $13. It wasn’t my #1 choice for this room, but it actually turned out great in person, and the price couldn’t be beat.</div><div><br><img id="id_6cd6_27a8_28ec_e3ea" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Tk1uC1Q476ho1BAgKCGloJyQmGDcIpKW2yCJjqg0BJjC1X68NSYrkbVMP-Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>I really wanted a round mirror for this space, but finding one the right size and color for less than several hundred dollars proved to be a challenge. I finally found this one on amazon warehouse deals for $90. It has a small scratch on the frame that is barely noticeable.</div><div><img id="id_9c93_60ac_67f7_459f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/WeCcJyt-iCFJQdMyrQG5dBEa0h-44KbVBCkZXtzJrNSo-biHRnFonifhg6s" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>(And clearly sippie cups are important renovation tools) </div><div><br></div><div>The only other thing we purchased was some artwork from Etsy to add a little color. This is how it turned out in the end:</div><div><img id="id_8a07_1779_9792_732a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/DvhVq3fQaYueUdeye-bXV4PwG89Scy3c3OmRr2gb0otRn7t2MBHZzA9c2s0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>And as a reminder, this was before:</div><div><img id="id_fa4c_178f_2f3_6e38" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/tJChfEc6KUgDDLNomkv3lrDNkBY7YeIqt8xxiICw0I6_2adGlSFuaMWHVZg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_670e_4ec_1051_550a" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/PrPshB95cPSV49XEH-ro8UahaoZVb1BR0Hy-vEm1LrHSLdOaRdQIEoCV69M" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>Before:</div><div><img id="id_893f_f508_ff7e_c206" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vcYW790PG8ohrNBDS2WpNE6R6DKAJzsQgkFTIT6aZEFKSUX-kx123ZwaKQo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><br><img id="id_56e2_6e26_8706_a114" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Xit-tbfbUi8V6Unem0e3XT9jljpd4DzFdqIawgSthYb5jT4G32KwvBwI6I8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f2bb_3d2b_a9a2_c38f" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/z7sCQ8xio-ho7BNwqpiWn4aW-gOZ61jE5B5CvUlQIULbcaY872P1_U2Nm8w" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_eecc_9879_5cc4_79fa" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/6YgKYZQwum0JiUvhFo32qxfQnwEafQH1rl0hgWUBdEjsgCfkIIatC7YaQUI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>You might be wondering where the $700 went. It’s funny how the little things add up. Just the paint cost about $100 total. The vanity was $125, mirror $90, flooring $150, faucet $39. The rest was odds and ends like caulk, sand paper, hardware, lumber to level the floor, etc. </div><div><br></div><div>You may also be wondering how on earth we got all this done with 4 children under 5. It isn’t easy, but I’ve learned to stop waiting for large chunks of time. My husband and I finish projects like these in 15-30 minute spurts. The painting took the longest and I did it at night after the kids went to bed for two nights. I glued on the backsplash and caulked it in 10 minutes while my kids finished lunch one day. My husband came from work and spent 20 minutes hanging the light fixture before jumping in with what we were doing. It took a month total of snippets of time here and there to be 100% complete. </div><div><br></div><div>We are currently in the process of renovating our master bathroom. We are a bit more focused on the style of that room, and the budget is significantly bigger (we are trying for $1500).</div><div><br>More to come!</div>Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-17242568216817834342019-06-04T14:29:00.000-04:002019-06-04T14:29:41.296-04:00Our Pre-K HomeschoolMy oldest daughter's birthday is in June, and she will be 5 this year. Last year I went to my very first homeschool conference looking for direction because my daughter had begun to demand to "do school" every day.<br />
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This might have been every homeschool mom's dream, but for me, with 18-month-old twins and another baby on the way, I was already overwhelmed. I have always ascribed to the idea that children should learn through play as long as possible. I was an exchange student in high school to Finland, and there I saw first-hand how gentle school was in the elementary years, and children are not taught to read until they are about 7 years old. Finnish children also test at the top in the world, so clearly their gentle approach is working. With Victoria's birthday falling in June, I had thought to simply make her "older" in her grade, and start kindergarten with her right after she turns 6. </div>
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Two things changed my mind about that: </div>
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-Victoria loves sitting at a table and doing worksheets and workbooks. She began asking me to teach her how to read, and at 4 years old, I thought she was just too young. Then my husband reminded me that one of the reasons we've wanted to home school is because it allows us to move at our child's individual pace. That means allowing her to go ahead too!</div>
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-The 2nd thing that changed my mind wasn't that big of a deal, honestly, but it did help push the decision. Victoria is very tall for her age, which isn't surprising since I am nearly 5'11" and her dad is 6'3". At 4 years old she wears size 6/7 clothes and is often mistaken for a 6 or 7 year old. Even though we plan to homeschool her, she will still involved in things with other children her age, and she is already much taller than most of them. I thought it would be kinder to move her along into school while she is only a bit taller than everyone, rather than wait for that gap to get bigger. </div>
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The problem was, I went to a homeschool conference and received the same advice from nearly everyone: "Read books to her and play"</div>
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Which is what I was already doing, and she was already wanting more. Many children have to be coaxed into a school routine when they get to Kindergarten age, but Victoria was roaring and ready. No one seemed to have any idea of how I could gently satisfy her desire to "do school" in a way that was structured enough for my tired pregnant brain. </div>
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Then <a href="http://www.artschilipepper.com/">another amazing blogger</a> who has homeschooled her children, told me about the Rod and Staff preschool books. She said her children all enjoyed them, and they looked just simple enough to appeal to me. </div>
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They have two sets of books, <a href="https://www.milestonebooks.com/item/39-60--/?list=Study_Time_Preschool">this set</a> is meant for 3-4 year olds, and all 4 books cost only $10 total</div>
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I purchased this set to see how Victoria would do, and she finished them all in about a month. I would say they are perfect for a younger 3 year old. </div>
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The<a href="https://www.milestonebooks.com/item/1-10020-G/?list=Rod_and_Staff_Preschool"> 2nd book set </a>they have, which we moved on to, is meant for 4-5 year old, and has been expanded to include 12 books, named sequentially with titles that begin with the letters A-L. (the B book is Bible stories and has an accompanying coloring book that you can use while you teach the other books). </div>
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The entire set costs only $45 and is such a wonderful and enjoyable set of books. Victoria has been loving using them, and I love how simple they are, without a lot of busy-ness to the pages. Each book is full of fun learning activities, but also reinforces great new challenges, like learning to write your name, memorizing your phone number, scissor skills, and logic puzzles. </div>
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We just finished the G book, as we took a bit of time off for Alexander's birth, but we plan to finish the rest of the books and begin an actual Kindergarten curriculum this fall. </div>
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We also began using the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2OCPUKZBSKF4S&keywords=teach+your+child+to+read+in+100+lessons&qid=1559670856&s=gateway&sprefix=teach+your+child%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-3" id="id_9ba7_a450_39fd_d98a">Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons</a> book to learn how to read last Fall. </div>
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A few positive notes on this book:</div>
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-It is extremely popular and has been used to teach children to read for decades. </div>
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-It is very easy to teach. You as the teacher just literally read the prompts and your child learns how to read. </div>
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-It is very affordable ($16) </div>
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But, a few not-so-positive words on this book:</div>
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-This book is very dry. VERY DRY. Every lesson is not very long, but I had to cut most of them in half in order to keep it somewhat enjoyable for my daughter, and she is very good at sitting and doing school work usually. As she got better at reading, we were able to do the full lessons most days. </div>
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-It is not a good program for a child with speech issues. I know this because it was given to me by a friend who purchased it and ended up not being able to use it with her children who have speech issues.</div>
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-It works at teaching your child to read, however, it does not teach phonics at all. This bothered me because although my daughter was learning to read, she wasn't learning the why behind anything. </div>
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-It doesn’t teach sight words or blends like you find in most reading curriculum. </div>
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-It is very repetitive, which again, helps them learn to read, but I noticed my daughter was not enjoying her reading lessons at all. </div>
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And ultimately, at this young age, a love of learning is the most important thing to teach, I believe. We made it just past halfway through the book before I abandoned it. We will be starting a phonics book this fall and backtrack a bit to the beginning, reteaching her with an understanding of the "whys" of reading. I was not taught much phonics in school, and it is a lack in my education I hope not to repeat for my children. </div>
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SO what are we using for Kindergarten this fall??? If you are following me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mycornerofjoy/">Instagram</a> (send me a follow request, as I had to make it so I approve followers when I noticed all sorts of shady accounts following me), you may have seen my post from this last weekend, when I attended a homeschool conference and got the chance to purchase our kindergarten program from Masterbooks! I will write about this decision and why I finally settled on Masterbooks in my next post.</div>
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Any other homeschoolers out there? What has worked for you in the early years? Do you have an eager young learner or a reluctant one? I can already tell one of my twins will be eager to get going and the other may need a little longer. </div>
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Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-18718779802597826502019-05-23T15:01:00.001-04:002019-05-23T15:01:18.034-04:00Simple Tips for Looking Put-Together as a Mom
<p class="p1"><span class="s1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My husband is an “all natural” kind of guy. He says he likes me in sweats, messy buns, and no makeup. And let me be honest, he was getting plenty of that out of me with 4 kids under 5. </span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Then a few months ago I had to go somewhere. I fixed my hair, put some makeup on, and put on “real” clothes. His eyes about popped out of his head when he came home from work, and he said “wow! I haven’t seen you in a while!”. He apologized right after he said it, because he realized it wasn’t the nicest, but the point was made. </span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We want our husbands to think we look beautiful when we first meet and first get married. Men are visual, after all. But then somewhere between that first pregnancy test and kid #4, we move into “you shouldn’t care how I look and should just be happy I kept the children alive today” territory. Which just doesn’t make sense given how visual God made men to be. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Since that incident I’ve made a sincere effort to get dressed and ready every day. That doesn’t mean I go all out every day, but I try to look put-together. I’ve realized I feel more energetic, more organized, and am more likely to get out of the house when I take the time in the morning to do this. It can be hard as a mom if young children, when you already feel there are just never enough minutes in the day, to take the time on something like your looks. But I’ve found it to be worthwhile for both me and my husband. </span></p><p class="p1"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">So here are my tips as a mom of 4 children under 5:</span></p><p class="p1"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">1.) <b>Wake up before your children</b>. Like seriously. If your children are the ones waking you up, you will be two steps behind the rest of the day. I saw a quote that said “if you lose an hour in the morning, you will be looking for it the rest of the day”. I am a sleeper, and I am also not a morning person, which makes it even more important for me to get up and get myself together before my kids wake up.</span></p><p class="p1"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">2.) <b>Brush your teeth and get dressed before you do anything else. </b>Even if you are getting dressed into “house clothes”, get dressed, put a bra on, and put clothes on that make you feel good. </span></p><p class="p1"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Which brings me to....</span></p><p class="p1"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">3) <b>Get clothes that make you feel good. </b>Maybe you are still losing baby weight and don’t fit into anything, and also don’t want to spend money on clothes. I get it, because that’s where I am right now. But it is important to have clothes that make you feel good and work with your stage of life. I wear a pair of GAP linen jogger pants I bought at their outlet almost every day, because they are comfortable, look nice, and accommodate my changing body right now. Get a few items of clothing that make you feel nice, and get rid of items that don’t. If you would have been embarrassed to wear that faded shirt with the armpit hole around your fiancé back before you got married, why are you wearing it every day now? </span></p><p class="p1"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">4) <b>Simplify your makeup bag and keep it in a convenient location. </b></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I keep my makeup bag in my downstairs powder room, and usually put a bit of makeup on in the morning while the kids are playing. I also simplified my makeup bag so that I contains only the things I actually use regularly. </span></p><p class="p1"><img id="id_cd40_b259_fc04_cab5" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/wXz1UjagAcbKiovMk-Css-d8HCR9DpmrKurq25twu73vEqN9Ix2F5KY4Sik" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br>I keep it in a small bag that I can easily throw into my diaper bag and go if need be. If I had to run upstairs into my bedroom to do my makeup every morning, it wouldn’t get done. I don’t put full makeup on every day, but I’ve found a little mascara goes a long way. </p><p class="p1">5) <b>Shower at night. </b>Some people would struggle with this, but I’ve found showering at night to be not only relaxing, but much more practical for me. I then either dry my hair before bed, or I braid it and wear it with the braid waves the next day, or I’ll straighten it in the morning. </p><p class="p1"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">6) <b>Earrings or a Bracelet help. </b>They take less than 10 seconds to put on and they make a big difference both in looking and feeling put together as well and providing that little bit of sparkle to your day. </span></p><p class="p1"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">These leather earrings are my current go-to, because they match pretty much everything.</span></p><p class="p1"><img id="id_b555_c7dc_e92d_8f87" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/K0QB6lrSZrTtQ9K63sbsOkZ9OPAsEo4Zb2L7EMPQY4U6X2xKdrrzCPwBlN4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br>It took very little time for me to put on a pretty shirt, braid my hair, put on a headband and do a quick 5 minute makeup routine. </p><p class="p1"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">And that’s it! Those are my tips. What do you do to simplify your own routine? Do you feel investing a little time into your appearance helps you to feel like you’ve got life together a bit more? </span></p> Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-74937885651980939652019-05-16T22:51:00.001-04:002019-05-20T13:45:41.063-04:00My Morning BasketI am a little behind on the whole morning basket craze. Apparently it’s a super popular concept, but I am only just now getting with the program. <div><br></div><div>So for those of you who don’t know, morning baskets are a “thing” in the homeschool world in particular. I went to a homeschool conference in April and sat in on a session by Pam Barnhill about morning baskets. I didn’t adopt everything she talked about, but it got me thinking and prompted me to make my own morning basket. </div><div><br></div><div>One idea she talked about was setting up your morning with something enjoyable right off the bat which will give you incentive to get out of bed. I don’t know a mom alive who doesn’t love those 30 minutes alone before the kiddos get up, but I also don’t know many moms who don’t struggle to drag themselves out of bed early enough to enjoy that alone time, especially with an infant who has kept you up. </div><div><br></div><div>So I put together this morning basket, and it has become something I truly look forward to every morning. In actuality, this “basket” houses both my morning basket and my kids’ (more on that in another post).</div><div><img id="id_adb5_a3e2_74ab_2642" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/XeYkZULkQkpyXIeV77D1zEC0N4zl2n34j_Fol5-KOEfv-dJ8QvKbwlA02A0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>I keep it in our homeschool/craft storage shelf next to a big comfy chair I love to sit in. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_f7f_f89_4057_23ab" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/bBiRavLH_xGInAnVcmyx6kJz0U679ToUe7RMMbHBgwxDgYzlsDn6-VOnRVg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>The kids’ morning basket books are in the back and mine are in the front. </div><div><br></div><div>My morning time always starts with my Bible and Bible journal </div><div><img id="id_4558_732f_66e7_5077" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/JPejfVshydHf6t7A35ue9fCXC7aqiZOGWdB4aqqh0t2WQVj0chUa3SRRlA8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br>I love this bible study journal, because it is very simply laid out and helps me organize my thoughts. I am currently working through 1 Corinthians a chapter at a time. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_4766_a9fb_9242_fd47" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/0WqHqswEo5t5aRVkDVk64AafMSnFdP75Vqc_NnVHaHj0718fCPrAm3T0LLY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 364px; height: auto;"><br>You can purchase this Bible study journal on Amazon. </div><div><br></div><div>I also use Bible highlighters while I read. These are almost like fluorescent, sheer crayons. I am currently using them to highlight favorite verses and references to gratitude. </div><img id="id_caf3_e879_fa7a_c23b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/xegxhsRPflExRGfJWboZfGCNPYxEQWMW4nPl9LewWPlcVr9TbYC068obReI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br>After some Bible and prayer time I move on to my gratitude list. After reading 1,000 Gifts by Ann Viscamp, I am attempting to compile a list of 1,000 items of gratitude. I add a few every morning, and I sometimes pull it out and add items throughout the day. <div><img id="id_e679_83a9_5572_abf5" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Rd284acSa-T3g2QJvI3Wf2r4U8nw23hAPvFK9-iPPEXfNwI1GYyo-hmSUxU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br>Then I attempt to fill in the previous day’s entry in this book </div><div><img id="id_6123_8cee_aaf4_a455" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vcTbzKxoQFk4ex-x19Pt0Rl0kzaolBVRmUxK7gjMNNKJ9cAWBQgpdC-6DQI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>I’ve had this book for a couple years and have been spotty about filling it in, but since incorporating it into my morning time, I’ve been more consistent about it. <img id="id_5354_3cad_2eb5_cd5" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/qQKr1jr4ST0ciBxleUjRUXzOuWTWcwAkq6vk6AaRQeV9vgJYw2UeBQOaRyY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br>Essentially it has 5 years of dates with a small space to write a reflection or a memory or something on that date. I’m already looking back and finding fun memories. My mom often reflects how the early years of motherhood were such a blur, and she has forgotten a lot of the little things. I am hoping by writing down some of these things, I won’t forget them once this stage of life is over. </div><div><br></div><div>The next thing I do is read a bit from a book. I am notorious for buying books and then letting them sit in a stack unread. My resolution for 2019 is to read more, and I’ve been finding pleasure in reading for fun again. </div><div><br></div><div>In my morning basket I have several books that have been sitting for a while unread.</div><div><img id="id_61d0_e20_dc08_3e1e" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/zYnes7zeUKQ4aBo8S02HmDjMU5DckHgrsdmD8-pkJQfLd59umslPZmlHupc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br>I am currently making my way through Don’t Make Me Count to Three!, which has been a nice, short read. I saw the author speak at a homeschool conference last year and was touched by her ideas on giving biblical reproofs to our children and getting to their hearts. It’s been a nice practical read, especially for this stage in parenthood. </div><div><br></div><div>And that’s it! Usually my morning time takes about 15-20 minutes, and most days I only have this sweetie to keep me company.</div><div><img id="id_905e_e7bf_97c8_238d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/e_M_P86sl28eeAFprjQEVf1drPvG8uZbbOIqLU-FcShfN8ux4lqZvKcs9N8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><b>Do any of you have a morning basket? </b>I’ve enjoyed the consistency it gives me in the morning of immediately accomplishing a few things I both enjoy and want to complete. <br><br></div><div><br><br><div><br><br><br><br><br></div></div>Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-73267937301985724332019-05-15T15:07:00.003-04:002019-05-15T15:07:38.542-04:001,000 Gifts and Stressful Moments in MotherhoodI have been finishing up some painting around here lately (more on that later). I almost always paint alone because I am a perfectionist and therefore the designated painter in our marriage. I actually enjoy doing it because I usually get to listen to my audiobooks while I paint, and usually make some good headway in them.<br />
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The last two nights I've been painting and listening to 1,000 Gifts by Ann Voscamp. I have started this book about 5 times and never got very far into it. The beginning is desperately sad, as she describes several seriously difficult and painful situations.<br />
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This book is on my book list, though, and I decided I was going to truck through it.<br />
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I am so glad I did. It has been such a delightful read. The sad beginning set the stage for a life transforming message that has seriously shaken my core a bit. I don't want to go too deep into the book here, because Ann Voscamp is such a poetic writer and I need you to read this book yourself to get the full meaning of it, but as a quick summary, she talks about gratitude, and about truly understanding our salvation through an endless worshiping of God through gratitude.<br />
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The author is the narrator of the book, and she said something that hit me so hard, I stopped painting and wrote it down: <b>Thanks makes now a sanctuary. </b>When you take a moment to stop and acknowledge, you can turn any moment into a sanctuary of worship to the Lord.<br />
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The author is also a mom of 6 children as she writes this, and she knows exactly how hard and draining this motherhood thing is sometimes.<br />
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I truly underestimated parenthood, and how very hard and draining it is. The truth is, some days seem 200 hours long, I lose my temper, I never sit down, and I get overwhelmed. But what I have learned is that God honors my will to keep trying, to keep going, to keep swimming through all the challenges and receive whatever strength and grace He has for me. </div>
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Most days are really great with these little ones. I have figured out schedules and routines that work for us, and I've learned to not put so much pressure on myself to be wonder woman. </div>
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But then there are mornings like this morning. </div>
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I woke up to my baby crying and I rolled over and pulled him in next to me to snuggle and nurse before the day started. He didn't have any interest in nursing though. His little arms were waving around wildly in excitement as he smiled at me. He was ready to get going. </div>
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I was not ready. I knew what awaited me today..... a VERY full day. Chores that had fallen behind while I painted needed to get done today. Laundry needed to be folded and put away. The girls' new bunk bed needed to be put together and set up in their freshly painted room. I needed to meal plan, go grocery shopping, and clean for guests who are coming this weekend. I also needed to do all the regular, every-day things I normally do. </div>
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I got up and started running. And kept running. I kept my cool most of the day, and I smiled and loved on my kiddos most of the morning as I went from thing to thing to thing. I tried to get everyone out of the house, was running late, and I grabbed the baby to put him in his carseat..... and he'd blown out his diaper.<br />
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Of course.<br />
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I took a deep breath, and set about changing him. I felt the anxiety and pressure of the day acutely at that moment, and I remembered that line: <b>Thanks makes now a sanctuary. </b><br />
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I looked down into my baby's face and saw his beautiful eyes looking back at me, his mama. Full of love and sweetness and newness. So lovely. And I closed my eyes and said "Thank you, my God, for this precious gift." Taking that moment of thankfulness completely diffused my anxiety. Remembering that I am so gifted with every breath I take was just the reminder I needed to take the pressure off of my to-do list and remind me to enjoy my little ones, my most precious gifts. It's amazing how such a small change of perspective can change the burdens of motherhood into pleasure.<br />
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Have you read this book by Ann Voscamp? Do you also struggle in the chaos of it all to be thankful?<br />
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Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-14851087855625719822019-05-15T14:05:00.001-04:002019-05-15T14:16:54.124-04:00Find me on InstagramI finally opened an account for this blog on Instagram! I will still post here, but I’m going to do shorter and more frequent posts on Instagram. Would love to connect with you all there! <div><img id="id_864e_96ab_6c67_b005" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/k8T_J4lZKGnx13gc-uONIQoiowxfbMO_PkDh416iD9rNgPh_GWbVRh3VjYo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 392px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div>Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-63270107047368787632019-04-30T09:21:00.001-04:002019-04-30T09:21:39.773-04:00 Tuesday Morning RamblingsGood morning! Just a few random Tuesday morning ramblings: <div><br></div><div>1) I went to a homeschool conference last week in Cincinnati. Were any of you there as well, by any chance? It was such a wonderful and encouraging time. My mom came into town to watch the girls while I went, and I took little man with me. He was the perfect little conference companion</div><div><img id="id_3870_3105_66df_cfe2" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/kkmAcCGzcQqIUYWYSabgnPecGqOkpyTOD-YtQT6h7mGILDRQhMLAQLmBDP4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>None of my girls were ever the type to sleep in public, so this has been a nice perk this time around! Alexander pretty much passes out wherever he happens to be when he is tired. </div><div><br></div><div>The main reason I was excited to go to this particular conference is because it is very large, and all the vendors I was interested in checking out would be there. I had fully expected to purchase our homeschool curriculum for this coming year while I was there. </div><div><br></div><div>Instead, I walked away with my head buzzing like crazy. Ive realized I may need to piece together the right curriculum for us, and that seems a bit daunting in this busy time of life. I’m praying about it and waiting to make the decision until it all becomes a bit clearer </div><div><br></div><div>2) I never drank coffee until I had the twins, and it is amazing how much I have come to enjoy that nice warm drink every morning. I don’t think it’s as much about the caffeine as it is about the warmth and comfort. </div><div><br></div><div>Do you guys have a favorite mug? I purchased this one from target last year and I always reach for it </div><div><img id="id_80d4_2cff_aae5_3ba2" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/7wiAIgMkhe8Qzmm2cMrrJGuPSS-K6lZcr_Ube0HA_u67JHrkSTOrIXXVMXQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>I use a Keurig machine and buy these compostable pods for it from Costco </div><div><img id="id_501e_cc44_a296_aa23" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/mGXyYo3UXgTolWyvq1eboL5UHZDzTVgjKNiF8VBO7Om0YOLBujPs_oWTzEs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>3) We kept this last Christmas quite simple for the kids. They each got one small gift and then one group gift. The group gift was a swing set which I got for a huge discount (seems people aren’t buying swing sets much in December).</div><div><br></div><div>Well we finally managed to get the swing set up this week and my kids are so excited. We’ve been spending quite a bit of time outside with it </div><div><img id="id_60a7_cfb6_c0b_ae1f" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/jQNPBUc59SoF-fr_K3P0EpAK59lgFFDdipdlNwcD2hZOCLEXDwCYskXh3-8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>Now I’m off to start another busy day! Have a blessed one, friends! </div><div><br></div>Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-32471225027877995242019-04-28T10:54:00.003-04:002019-04-28T10:58:53.146-04:00Bathroom Facelift #1We are in the middle of facelifting a bathroom in our new house, but I wanted to talk about the very first one we did in our old house. <div><br></div><div>Our old house was 1980s builder-grade, and the bathrooms showed this more than the other rooms. Our hall bathroom, used mostly by our children and guests looked like this when we started:</div><div><img id="id_75cc_af6b_ee14_e89c" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/M_EaT7GwA703t-bowv7j1nj5wozDki5E6u06VUoLs2ysq1gO3hXpKO0LhQM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b9a7_eb20_f64f_4c8a" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-zKMjZHMV38n4bPNYf6vjrZ9URmXtZCrVNWYJNMiBB2h903qFBxrvcK0PIg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_c8ea_3d65_43f_bc66" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/aMbi33WeZDyW-1UjVPj6TfD9EBmafDQn_Oihz-uG6O4_cBsvJ0AYwg5nPvs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>It hadn’t been touched in 30 years and was definitely a prime place for us to up the house value. </div><div><br></div><div>The thing was, updating bathrooms can be pricey, and we had very little experience. </div><div><br></div><div>We started with the floor, and purchased all the tile we needed in the clearance section of a Rite Rug flooring outlet. We purchase all the tile we needed for $49. My dad came and helped us install it. </div><div><br></div><div>One thing we learned about tile is that it isn’t the tile itself that is necessarily expensive. The cement board, adhesive, grout, and tile saw rental plus new vent covers, transition pieces, etc probably brought the total closer to $350 for the floor. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d75c_13b4_48db_90c7" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dbwWsEK-f7gbtgsRoKAOYWYEWKXLoR1W2nxmYvzb2cZElr4ko96aSyJTVE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7999_70de_6273_f179" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/mucmLMcAvhvkHIs8S4149PPhVmsg-sFYHAtGf_DWn8nyf4fYUm-3OR8U7MQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>I was able to buy a new wood vanity with a marble top for only $450. The vanity was regularly over $1000, but I was able to get this one through a local online auction. The vanity we needed was not a super common size, so it was harder to find a great deal. </div><div><img id="id_272_b38e_cc8e_6550" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/tBuMIDFpQJBByK8qZmBYSN7QJAcGeZyNdPKtSG505oGxVSgS-_D3TNNAXao" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>I loved this vanity though, because it was very good quality and even had soft-close hinges. </div><div><br></div><div>We purchased a new light fixture on Amazon Warehouse deals for $50, a new mirror from HomeGoods for $60, a new faucet for $90, $30 on some new towel bars and hardware, and paint for $40.</div><div><br></div><div>After all was said and done, we invested about $1,100 into the bathroom, and it turned out quite nicely </div><div><br></div><div>Before:</div><div><img id="id_3958_7064_c7d0_732c" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/DJ6mTGxr-4C66i-tTsnbzkaby3XY0-BAqpzthKN2fFVqlVshGqkV6KI4tCw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 369px; height: auto;"><br><br>After</div><img id="id_4ea0_4d6a_49a1_12a2" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Bxm7mbu5XDeak1j8m4_VdKJ2TxzeivuTNvfq87ZeTn25GgDSYaJk8SbiNXo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>Before:<div><img id="id_79e3_8855_f294_95a3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/AAFkkzG-i4nrX2LQbYK0OR2GbrwitAUCN8haAElSl2lTLApWphNTNzhPQVs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br></div><div>After:<br><img id="id_18e4_e5b0_3ec9_baf4" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/zrl9uFylR4TVEtXtr4lVgGKuuaP-XOa0FJ5oaJv58mHLItfBrTBIwGxxbj8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>Before:</div><div><img id="id_159a_aece_89af_f12b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Fx0hWlbZezF_wggf_dPj_MczpzuWXdwu_5Vi5BOhUoSry5KM1f886JxZe8g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br>After:<br><br><img id="id_1471_469e_ef1c_a234" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_aE2p8icHdV9bBJnE-kZZ-al6p0wS-zfK0Gax70GYiWztJjdHgSAltHeCZE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 333px; height: auto;"><br>Eventually I changed out the shower curtain to add a little more color to the room, but this is the only picture I have of it </div><div><img id="id_9d21_ac95_c9af_e109" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/4KRmsgfoz1hYdupObG41Zwm2fvmoSkHoiIP2i4a6v_Hmd2wpf9jgca6BWz8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><div>We learned a lot from this renovation! We had set a budget of $1,000, but we didn’t anticipate how expensive all the little extras would cost. We also were surprised how much of a difference the changes we did make made to the entire room. We didn’t change the shower at all, but the white tile in there matched the new bathroom well and it looked great. The old outdated furnishings in the rest of the bathroom made the shower look worse than it was. </div><div><br></div><div>Most of all, this bathroom project gave us the confidence to move on to facelifting the other bathroom, and made me excited that smaller changes can make such a huge difference. It doesn’t require a ton of money and complete gut job. </div><div><br></div><div>I’ll update again soon with more reno fun!</div><div><br><br><br></div></div>Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-45660582780804645512019-03-25T13:06:00.001-04:002019-03-25T13:20:41.760-04:00Old house, new house, and steps towards mortgage-freeLiving a life without debt has always been such an attractive life to me, and something my husband and I have been committed to achieving since we first got married. Our ideas have changed about it over time, but since getting married we have paid off many tens of thousands of dollars in student loans and paid off two cars. We had genuinely hoped to avoid a mortgage, confidently stating that we would rent as long as we had to.<br />
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Those plans changed for us when Victoria was a baby. The city we live in is really booming, and rental and real estate prices have been going up and up. While we could rent a small apartment for $700 when we first got married, by the time we had Victoria, our not-so-great 2 bedroom apartment cost about $1300 per month and was going up in rent significantly every year. </div>
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I wrote about this a while back, but essentially we ended up coming to the conclusion that buying a home with a mortgage and a solid down payment was going to be our best move (and actually cost us less than our rental). We chose a house that was well below the top end of what our bank said we could get, and began looking at is as an investment to get mortgage free. </div>
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Since doing this we have taken Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University at our church. It has lit a fire under us and given us a practical and solid path to being fully debt free (mortgage and all). It also has given us a plan for setting up our children for a future without debt. </div>
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We decided that our first home, which was in a prime location, but was definitely the scruffy house on the block due to having been a rental home for several years, was going to be an investment home. We had the twins and knew it was a little too small bedroom-wise for what we needed in the long run. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="our first home when we bought it, faded shutters and all" height="480" id="id_2a3f_606c_8cb2_cc3d" src="https://alexdenk.eu/blogtouch?id=1-9MbAE3RpwUabs8NgkdJSS9XKuNqQBeA" style="height: auto; margin: 4px auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first home when we bought it. The shutters were so<br />
faded! They were originally dark blue like around the front door</td></tr>
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I spent hours pouring over articles about what changes to a home bring the biggest bang for their buck, tracking real estate listings for similar homes and looking at what other people did with them, and making plans for our home. </div>
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We put a plan together and budgeted $15,000 to put into the home and made a list of the projects we would do. </div>
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By the time we had lived there for 2.5 years, it was ready to go on the market and we began looking for another house. We chose to move a little further out, closer to where my husband works. Houses are cheaper there and taxes are much lower. We found this home our first week of looking and knew it was just right for us. It was just a few hundred square feet bigger, but it had the “guts” (read: closet space) I was looking for, and my husband’s commute went from 40minutes to 12minutes. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="our new home" height="300" id="id_6645_77cb_c446_cc59" src="https://alexdenk.eu/blogtouch?id=17Pjaxu4ZpScz0-ibsD1IdBfI7fzZO7Zg" style="margin: 4px auto;" title="" tooltip="" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new home, which we have now lived in for almost a year, is in a quieter neighborhood. Although it isn't much bigger, the layout is a bit more little-kid friendly, and we (I) enjoy the large closets!</td></tr>
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Not only that, our new home was going to cost less than our old home was (hopefully) going to sell for, bringing our mortgage down significantly. All part of the plan of getting mortgage free! </div>
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So our old home went on the market at a price I couldn’t believe we were asking, and it sold 7 hours later with 2 offers. It was such an amazing moment when we saw all of our hard work come to fruition! We were able to walk away from that home with a large profit and put that down on the next home, and all it took was a little elbow grease </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="the elbow grease included new shutters!" height="266" id="id_2566_53d6_b0bd_50c0" src="https://alexdenk.eu/blogtouch?id=17GTiPKZVXUgxvsKT6wVZa4a0y6FC3bDS" style="height: auto; margin: 4px auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our old home got a facelift before we sold it, including new shutters</td></tr>
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I’ll be sharing in coming posts what we did to make such a difference in this home with little (or no) skill or experience on our parts. Yes, we made some mistakes, and yes, we had several “lessons learned” moments, but in the end we walked out of that home reluctantly (because it was finally so much more beautiful!) but also excitedly and feeling accomplished as we took that chunk of money and put it into the next house. </div>
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Have any of you done work on a home? Or if you haven’t, have you ever wanted to?</div>
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More details to come! </div>
Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-32539395252767161652019-03-21T06:00:00.000-04:002019-03-21T06:00:11.490-04:00Goodbye Gluten and Infertility <div style="text-align: center;">
As I mentioned in my last post, I gave birth to a baby boy in January. Some of you who have followed me for a while know that there was a time when I was unable to get pregnant, and, when I did finally get pregnant, I experienced two miscarriages. For several years I wondered if I would ever be able to have children. I tried to be content with having no children, but my mom mentioned I should at least get some bloodwork to make sure that I am healthy and my infertility wasn’t a sign of a health issue. </div>
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I’m so glad she told me to do that because I found out I had low progesterone levels. This made it so that it was almost impossible for me to get pregnant, and when I did, I almost immediately lost the baby because my progesterone levels were too low to keep my period from coming and terminating the pregnancy. </div>
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As soon as I corrected my hormone imbalance, I became pregnant with Victoria. We had hoped that pregnancy would regulate everything and allow my hormone levels to balance. However, soon after I stopped nursing, I noticed some of the trademark signs of low progesterone (for me the most noticeable is a lower normal body temperature which make me constantly feel cold). And again, as soon as I corrected the hormone imbalance via supplements, everything regulated and I became pregnant with my twins. </div>
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While nursing the twins I decided that as soon as I finished nursing I would look into both the cause of the imbalance and a more natural solution. Infertility aside, it is not healthy to live with a hormonal imbalance. </div>
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So then a few things happened:</div>
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1) I researched the type of hormone imbalance I had and found that gluten was a common culprit. </div>
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2) a friend was having a really hard time controlling her thyroid. After a year of different medications and dosages, someone mentioned to her that gluten is a common aggrivator of your thyroid. She cut gluten and immediately stopped having issues.</div>
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3) Another friend suffered from infertility for 5 years, and even underwent failed rounds of IVF. She decided she wasn’t going to be able to have children and stopped all the treatment and immediately became pregnant. She gave birth prematurely and had a rocky pregnancy, but her daughter was her miracle baby. When her daughter was 3 they found out she had celiacs disease, and all gluten had to be removed from their home. My friend immediately became pregnant again and had a great pregnancy, which she attributes to cutting gluten from her diet.</div>
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So I decided to give it a try and cut gluten from my diet. My twins were 16 months old and recently weaned, and I remember standing in my kitchen trying to figure out what in the world I COULD eat, because gluten seemed to be in everything! </div>
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It took a few days to learn the ropes but after a week or so it became quite easy to eat gluten free. I also noticed I was eating a lot of fruits and vegetables simply because they were easy gluten-free options. </div>
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Well, about a month later, I got this feeling. I just knew deep down that I was pregnant. Pregnancy tests have always been scary for me. I can’t tell you how many I’ve taken that were negative, and the losses of my first two pregnancies are always fresh in my mind. I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. </div>
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To me this did two things: </div>
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-affirmed that gluten was indeed causing a hormone imbalance in my body. </div>
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-caused immediate dread. I just knew I would lose this baby. I’d never kept a baby I hadn’t been on progesterone supplements for. I just couldnt imagine that I’d actually be able to carry this baby. </div>
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So I prayed. I thanked God for this baby, admitted I was afraid, and asked for his guidance. </div>
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Over the next few weeks I asked the other leaders from my MOPS group to please pray for me and my baby, that God’s will be done and that I be free of the worry and fear. </div>
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And then before I knew it, I’d made it to my due date (Dec 31st)</div>
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And baby was thriving and I realized that my body had actually done this baby thing! </div>
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I have come to believe that while I serve a God who can give and take life, I also live in a body that has been tainted by sickness and sin. Something as simple as gluten was causing a sort of sickness in my body that wasn’t allowing it to function properly. I couldn’t believe the answer was so simple. </div>
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Now since giving birth to my son, I have tried to eat a little gluten here and there and I noticed almost an immediate change in my body temperature (FREEEEZING!!!) and a change in my milk supply. There is definitely a connection between my hormones and that silly protein that finds its way into sooooo many foods. </div>
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I am sharing this because I wish more women knew about this. I’m not saying gluten is evil or will cause sickness and imbalance in all people, but I am saying that it definitely caused those things in me and in others I know.</div>
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Are any of you gluten free? What are some of the health benefits you’ve experienced? </div>
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Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-80794788970735809342019-03-19T15:09:00.001-04:002019-03-19T15:09:31.052-04:00Oh, hi thereOh, hi there. <div><br></div><div>Remember me? </div><div><br></div><div>It has been over a year and a half since I posted here, and honestly, it seems a little weird to jump back in where I left off. </div><div><br></div><div>First, let me explain my absence a bit. I found several posts on the internet detailing things about my children I was uncomfortable with. I should have known better than look around at what other sites were saying about mine, but I did, and I worried if I was oversharing about my children. </div><div><br></div><div>On top of that, life had become so busy that I felt I needed to take a step away from things that were unnecessary. I’m glad I did, because this blog was the first of several things I had to let go in order to get a handle on this motherhood thing. </div><div><br></div><div>Not that I’ve got it all figured out now, but I think I’ve gotten to a place where I am comfortable stepping forward again. </div><div><br></div><div>I have always found it hard when I form a sort of attachment to someone and their family via their blog, and then they disappear. And that’s exactly what I have done! </div><div><br></div><div>I am going to clean things up here and slowly start posting again, but let me give a quick update.</div><div><br></div><div>First of all, we are not in Japan. The Lord intervened in that and swung us in a different direction, and thank goodness he did because shortly after we found out there had been a change in plans, we found out that this little man would be joining our family. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_8c8a_8c6d_8714_203a" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1ARfzx3HV-TaayamKU6Eq0nmDe9DdmXbr" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>Meet Alexander. He was born in January and is just about the sweetest little boy you ever did see. After years of hormone imbalance and infertility, I was blessed with an “unplanned” baby! More on that later, but let’s just say, I’m highly attached to him. </div><div><br></div><div>As for my girls, they are energetic, sweet, fun, a little crazy, and own an impressive dress-up stash (mostly gifted from doting aunts) </div><div><img id="id_af52_aede_d61d_a1d1" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=17dfKulIsdyBpqyjj3Pl5Wbg1nQN5rmmJ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8c7d_9f09_300c_a973" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=123tFlLopHjsXJB-sc3aTGpEApaPBd7Fv" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_828c_3a2a_3bf7_33e0" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=104OSyd662QdRwkNg1XkPY0T4tbyg4jq_" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"><br><br>I am looking forward to writing more and slowly getting this space updated into what I’ve been envisioning for a while. I had considered starting a new blog altogether, but honestly I feel a bit nostalgic about this space. I’ve been blogging here since I was a 24 year old newlywed. Now I am a 32 year old mother of 4. My views on many things have changed, as have my priorities and the minutia of my daily life, but that is the way things go. I’m a work in progress and God has moved in me and is preparing me for where I am and where I am going. </div><div><img id="id_3e4d_4e52_d84_54df" src="https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1bdc7hE4_XNdtlA9oqPvaS6yjnrXiJ438" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 359px; height: auto;"><br><br>So anyway, hello again! </div>Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-6246689369666844552017-08-22T08:21:00.001-04:002017-08-22T08:21:03.725-04:00Minimalism and Toys + a possible BIG moveI'm sure you have been hearing about it everywhere: minimalism. It is the newest fashion, it seems, to live with less. Where before the American life was all about bigger and more, now life is about having less.<br />
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I am not a naturally tidy person. I genuinely wish I was, as my life as a homemaker would be about 500x easier, but I have to struggle every day against my tendency to ignore clutter. I have become quite good at getting rid of things that are no longer needed or loved, and the idea of minimalism intrigues me.<br />
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I have even adopted some minimalist tendencies, purging excess everywhere I can. I spent an hour the other day (a very precious hour, as all 3 children were sleeping) going through my clothes and purged a good number of items that either don't fit or don't get worn.<br />
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But I find that some people take minimalism to an extreme that I just am not ever going to go to. You see, I enjoy a beautiful home. I enjoy decoration, paintings on the wall, decorations on the shelves, etc. I feel like those things are what make a house feel homey. Some people, including several people I know, prefer to take minimalism to the point of bare walls, little to no decor, etc. To each his own in that, but it is just not my thing.<br />
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Another area of minimalism that intrigues me, but which some people take to an extreme is when it comes to toys for children. Don't get me wrong, children don't NEED toys. And I think the grand majority of children have way too many toys, to the point that it surrounds them with chaos.<br />
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But I feel there is a good compromise to be had. I recently read a blog about keeping house and the woman said that her children only own 1 toy: some blocks. That's it. I was a little blown away by that, but I quickly understood how she was able to own a blog about keeping a house tidy, as my house would be SO much easier to keep clean without toys in it! I couldn't help but admire her ability to keep the kid clutter to a (serious) minimum, but at the same time I wondered if my children would end up with backlash hoarding tendencies when they grew up if I followed her example.<br />
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I guess I'm just not an extremist in most things. I try very hard to eat healthily and organic, but I am actually drinking a Mcdonald's milkshake as I type this (hangs head in shame). I am all about a tidy home, but not to the point of allowing it to take up all of my time with my family. I love the idea of minimalism, but not to the point of it become an idol in my life.<br />
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So yeah, I am paring down my belongings, because I really don't want to be surrounded by excess things I don't need or enjoy. Not to mention that having less means it takes less time to clean. I want to have less toys in our home, but ones which my children love and encourage them to learn and thrive. But I'm not going to be extreme in those things.<br />
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Last week we had an incident with Victoria where she refused to clean up her toys. She is required to clean up her toy area, which is our dining room off the kitchen, before bed every night. But she decided that day that she was going to refuse to clean up. After addressing her disobedience, I made it clear that her refusal to clean up her toys meant she would lose them.<br />
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So, my husband and I took 20 minutes and emptied her toy room. We moved all the toys into our basement, and honestly, Victoria didn't seem to care all that much. I figured she would care a whole lot more in the morning when she realized all of her toys were gone.<br />
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But the next morning, she still didn't seem to care all that much. She told me matter-of-factly at breakfast that she lost all of her toys because she didn't clean up.<br />
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I decided that she would get her toys back one by one as she asked for them, and her keeping them was under the condition she clean them up after using them. So here we are 8 days later, and this is what our toy room looks like:<br />
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A play house and the furniture for it (in one of the bins), a doctor set, blocks, dress-up trunk, and a cupcake game. She seems perfectly happy with these few toys right now. I think I have decided to keep the number of toys in the room at this amount, and I will rotate it every 2 weeks. So next week I will put all of these toys away and bring out the same number of other toys. Then I will probably get rid of everything else.<br />
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The major issue we deal with when it comes to toys is that our large extended family is always showering our kids with them! They receive toys for birthdays, Christmas, and pretty much every other opportunity they see our children (all of our family lives out of state). It is very sweet, because I know they are trying to show love to our kids since they don't get to see them very often, but how many toys does a kid need?!<br />
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So I've just told them that I am working on paring down our toys, and even told them about taking the toys away and slowly reintroducing. This will hopefully lead to less excess. I've also started asking people for non-toy items for the kids when they want to buy a gift: a pretty new hooded towel and bubble bath, a pair of shoes, a pass to our local kid's center, or any other fun experience. These are all things I've been mentioning as options other than toys.<br />
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But again, I am not going to be extreme about it. If my daughter gets a new toy, I am happy to let her play with it, but the condition is that she clean up after herself. I've noticed that she is much better at cleaning up after herself now that she has fewer toys. It's almost like having more toys was overwhelming to her.<br />
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This whole topic has gone to a new level recently. (Prepare for massive topic shift)<br />
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My husband came home from work a few weeks ago and asked me how I would feel about a big move. He was asked by his boss if he would be open to doing a 3 year stint in Japan. My husband said he is interested, and now we are awaiting the official word about whether we will be going or not.<br />
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This would be a pretty extreme move, obviously. It would entail selling our home, our cars, and a lot of our stuff, as well as storing everything we'd want to keep. It will be a big move, but it would be an awesome opportunity, both professionally and personally.<br />
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I have lived abroad before, for a year each in Finland and Brazil, and for 2 years in Turkey, so I am familiar with the difficulties in adjusting to a new culture and learning a new language. This would definitely have some more challenges as we will be going as a family, but I actually think that will make some things easier. Children are great catalysts for meeting people and getting involved in a community. But there would be some challenges as I would be alone all day with 3 small children in a foreign country while my husband is at work all day.<br />
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We will know for sure probably within the next month or so, but we do know that as of right now my husband is the only one in the running for the position. So right now we are just praying for God's will in this.<br />
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In the meantime, I am in this weird limbo place where I am almost afraid to buy anything, as we could be doing some extreme purging and downsizing quite soon. So I am using the possibility of Japan as an excuse to reevaluate our belongings. If I don't love or use something enough to either store it for 3 years or take it with me to Japan, then I don't really think I should keep it. So I've been keeping boxes in nearly every room to put items in that we won't be keeping. It has been a great exercise in minimalism for sure!<br />
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<b>What are your thoughts on the whole minimalism topic? Do you tend to be more of a minimalist or a collector, or do you fall somewhere in the middle like me? </b><br />
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<b>Do any of you have experience living in or visiting Japan?</b>Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-29708968351747639322017-08-18T05:00:00.000-04:002017-08-18T05:00:15.157-04:00A Few Favorites Right NowLife really does seem to pass on hyperspeed. I was talking with my 13 year old nephew the other day about this exact thing. I said when I was 13, I felt like life went by so slowly. It always felt like FOREVER until my birthday! But I told him that it is so true what they say, life just starts going by so quickly and before you know it, years are flying by.<br />
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With that in mind, I am aware now of enjoying little things. Of taking 10 minutes out of my cleaning frenzy to sit down and play pretend with Victoria. Of trying not to do anything until I finish my warm cup of coffee (I learned this one the hard way after drinking one too many cold cups of coffee at 11am). Or of taking a few moments to savor the sweet unique laughs of my babies. Sometimes it is just stopping to acknowledge the convenience of something that is making life with kids more enjoyable, or that has made mom-life a little bit easier. </div>
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In no particular order, here are a few things I am really loving right now:</div>
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<b>How Victoria always loves to dress like this. </b></div>
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I know this stage is fleeting, especially for a serious child like Victoria. But it was such a funny moment for me when I asked her to get ready to go to the store and found her dressed up in her dress, crown, and necklace, and putting on her gym shoes (sans socks apparently). </div>
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<b>My Lenny Lamb Ring sling,</b></div>
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which my very active baby, Charlotte, who literally jumps and bounces with energy all day, absolutely loves to be carried in. She will rest against me in this for as long as I am content to carry her. </div>
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<b>My Birkenstock Mayari sandals</b></div>
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This is my second pair of these sandals, and this time I got them in patent white. My first pair was black and lasted me 3 years before breaking a few weeks ago. I wore them almost daily as weather permitted, and absolutely loved them. I bought them originally because someone recommended Birkenstocks for their arch support. They can be a little pricey, so I bought mine from oversees (usually German) vendors on eBay. But the arch support is unparalleled (I routinely walk miles around the zoo in these) and they last a long time, so I think the price is worth it for the quality. </div>
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<b>My hydrangea bushes</b></div>
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This year we have completed so many house projects, and one of them was a complete landscaping of our yard. One of the things we planted were some hydrangea bushes, and I have been diligent about watering them. The fruit of my labors have been gorgeous blooms like these, which I have so many of that I always have some in a jar on my kitchen table to enjoy. </div>
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Mind you, I was not super excited about it when I found it. In fact, I called Victoria over and showed it to her and asked her if she did this. She responded with a sweet smile and shining blue eyes and said "yes, I drew special circles for you, mama." <i>MELT</i>. I did explain that she isn't to draw in mama's Bible, but what started out as an annoyance has since turned into something I quite treasure. I imagine I will look back on that page in 2 Corinthians many times throughout my life and think about the special gift that is my Victoria. </div>
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<b>Double shopping carts</b></div>
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Only a handful of stores carry shopping carts that fit two children in the basket like this. I am of the opinion that every store needs them! Grocery shopping with two babies that can't walk and a toddler is SO. TOUGH. Most of the time I don't even attempt it with the kids because logistically it wouldn't work. I'd have to push two carts around the entire store by myself: one full of kids, one full of food. But these carts! They are amazing!</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.radioflyer.com/triple-play-wagon-deluxe.html#product_tabs_custom">Our Triple Wagon</a></b></div>
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A grandparent bought us this wagon as a combined Christmas gift for the kids, and it has been such a blessing. It has three seats (The back is slightly wider than the front) to accommodate all of our kids, but also has seat belts to keep the twins in check and a removable canopy to block the sun. We have just started using it regularly, as the twins are finally old enough, and I've been enjoying taking them on almost daily cruises around the neighborhood. Victoria cheers in excitement every time we go. </div>
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Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-87643253506550909022017-08-17T05:00:00.000-04:002017-08-18T13:48:16.728-04:00Twins and SanctificationI was never the woman who wanted twins. I have told people that before and they have looked at me like I said something I shouldn't have.<br />
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But here's the thing. I am child #4 to a woman who really didn't think she could handle 4 children. She told me that the entire time she was pregnant with me, she cried, wondering if she could handle it. She felt stretched to her limit and battled post-partum depression with each of her pregnancies, so she just didn't see how baby #4 was going to work. </div>
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I never took offense to that story, because I knew how it ended. My mom didn't think she couldn't handle having a 4th child, yet her and I have ended up being so incredibly close. She not only survived baby #4, she rocked it! She was (and still is) the most wonderfully attentive, kind, selfless mom I have ever witnessed. And what a blessing that I got to be hers! I thank God, truly, all the time for it. After my husband, she is my best friend.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my mom, who turned 28 the day after I was born</td></tr>
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I know how my mom felt about the idea of a hypothetical fourth child, but I also know that she feels very differently about me now that I am here. </div>
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The same goes for my twins. I am just so thankful that I have them now, and I cannot imagine life with just a Charlotte or just an Analisa. I never wanted twins, and often said flippant comments like "I'm open to having a big family, just as long as they come one at a time". I see now that was probably not an edifying thing to say....but I said it and felt it before I had my twins. </div>
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However, the experience of having twins has been one of the most sanctifying experiences of my life. So much so that I feel like almost daily I am being brought to my knees.</div>
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I have always wanted to me a mom, but there was a time before I had children when I wondered if I would be a good mother. I was selfish, especially with sleep. I have always been a "sleeper". My mom says I used to beg her to take naps. I used to get physically ill if I didn't get a decent amount of sleep. I wondered if I was up to the selflessness required in those first few months when babies require regular nightly feedings.</div>
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I am happy to report that I have survived that part of motherhood, and while I still love my naps, I also feel like waking up with my babies has been much easier than expected. My body has even gotten used to it. </div>
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Having twins has pushed the selflessness of motherhood into hyperspeed for me. Having one child is difficult, because, for most of us, we are being pushed to a level of selflessness we have ever experienced before. And with the addition of a second child, that gets pushed even further, as we try to juggle the needs of children at multiple ages. But the progression gets to happen gradually with the addition of each child, as we slowly change and lose our selfish tendencies in the face of our children's needs. </div>
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With twins, I feel like this whole gradual progression when into hyperspeed. I've been running and running and running. I used to scoff at moms who would claim they had no time to shower or put makeup on. I mean seriously, it only takes a couple minutes (I think I even have a blog post about that on here somewhere), but then I had my twins, and I discovered I not only didn't have time to shower or put makeup on, I was having trouble simply finding the time to eat properly. It was crazy, especially in the first few months when my husband was also working 7 days per week, to find myself going days on compete auto-pilot, floating from one day to the next. I had friends come over and ask me if I ever sit down, to which I usually replied "not that I can remember". </div>
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Things have settled a bit. I am finding more time to put makeup on and get into things like this blog (hello everyone!). My children's schedule now allows me a few moments each day to sit down. </div>
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The thing is, though, that I would never have been able to handle the demands of toddler+twins three years ago, when I was preparing for my first child to be born. I was so selfish and I didn't even realize it. And honestly, a bit of selfishness, when it leads to a shower, isn't always a bad thing! But I don't think I could have handled the sheer exhaustion, chaos, unending grind that my life has been the last 9ish months. </div>
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But you know, I would not describe these last 9 months as bad at all. Hard, yes. Exhausting, an underestimate. But they have been some of the most wonderful months of my life as well. My heart and my life feel SO full, and God is somehow lending me His strength to get through this. I am finding a humble confidence (if there is such a thing) in seeing that I CAN do this with God's help. His strength is shining through ME, the woman who never wanted twins! And look! I'm doing it! He's doing it through me! It's a wonder and a miracle and one of the most humbling experiences. </div>
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I have realized that I can't do this on my own. I often wonder how women without faith can function as mothers. Because honestly, if I didn't know Him and feel His strength bracing me as I take on this whole motherhood thing, I would never be able to make it. I'm sure I'd have had a complete break-down by now. But no! He is making this happen through me, and it is wonderful and humbling. </div>
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So while I never thought I wanted twins, I really needed them. I had some major idols in my life I needed to overcome (a full night of sleep and vanity to name a few), and God has used these two little beings to make me into a woman who lives to serve. This is the season of life I am in right now, one where my babies require all of me. There will be a time in the future for complete order, full nights of uninterrupted sleep, long showers and relaxation, but right now I have these little humans to care for, and doing that has pushed me to a level of spiritual maturity and dependency on the Lord that I have never previously experienced. </div>
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So someday I will tell Charlotte and Analisa about how I never wanted twins. And I will tell them how God, in His mercy and all-knowing grace, gave me twins and used them to sanctify me, making me more like His Son. I am so infinitely grateful that He knew better than I did, and gave me these two little girls. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlotte left, Analisa right</td></tr>
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Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-5312104087984597072017-05-31T15:44:00.000-04:002017-05-31T15:44:28.117-04:00Everything in its SeasonHello friends. I am so sorry I have taken this long absence. I didn't intend to take such a long time away initially, but the Lord has been pressing on my heart that I need to reprioritize. Sadly, that has meant that I am putting some things on the backburner, and this blog falls into that category.<br />
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When I started Corner of Joy, I was a newly married woman with no children. And while my posts became a little more sporadic once I had my first child, having the twins has made just keeping up with daily tasks a huge undertaking. Yes, I know there are these amazing mamas out there with 10+ children who somehow are able to find a few minutes to blog, but it seems I am not one of them. </div>
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My husband just went through a season of working 7 days of week for almost 7 months. Until recently, he only had 3 total days not working this year so far. It has been crazy, and I'd like to say I walked through that season with no complaining, but I didn't. I was more exhausted and stressed than I have ever been in my entire life, and I knew that I needed to simplify life as much as possible just to keep some sort of sanity and joy in my home. </div>
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I watched a video recently that talked about creating a priorities list in your life, and learning to say no to things based on those priorities. It doesn't necessarily mean I am saying no to things because they are bad, it simply means that there are some things that do not fit into this stage of my life. I am saying "not right now".</div>
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Based on the priorities I've outlined for myself, I've had to say "not right now" to quite a few things: pretty much all hobbies like sewing, playing music, recreational reading, and blogging. I now have the freedom to say yes to things like Bible time, beginning homeschooling my daughter, keeping my home clean and organized, finishing house projects, and becoming a leader in my MOPs group. The only real hobby I have been able to hang on to is exercise, and I'm clinging to that one tightly with both hands!</div>
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That said, I am missing blogging quite a bit, and have been brainstorming on some changes that will allow blogging to fit into my new life with 3 little ones. I am not gone forever from this platform, but I am having to say "not right now" for a bit longer. </div>
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I am always sad when bloggers fall off the map, as I grow to know and love them and their families. So with that in mind, let me share a little update about us. </div>
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My twins are 7 months old already (!!!)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlotte and Analisa</td></tr>
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Charlotte is two pounds lighter than her younger twin, but she is very spunky and full of energy! She is trying so hard to move (I am actually watching her try to crawl as I write this). Analisa is so smiley and sweet, and doesn't care as much about moving around as she does interacting with people. Both babies are so mild-mannered, and I feel so blessed to have settled into a new normal where I am not always running around like a chicken with my head cut off with these two. </div>
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Victoria will be 3 in just a few weeks. </div>
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We have entered a more challenging stage of parenthood, as she is beginning to challenge established norms and rules. I am learning to pick my battles (how many times she changes her clothes every day=less important, how quickly and thoroughly she obeys=more important). She is into everything princess right now, and more often than not she is dressed up in a play dress and fake crown of some sort</div>
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She is the best big sister and oldest child that I could ask for. She is so helpful and loves making her sisters laugh. I worried when I was pregnant that she would not get enough attention with twins around, but she has never shown any jealously towards her sisters. </div>
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I am settling back into a normal routine after the craziness of my husband's work schedule. It was awful, guys. I was a stressball and constantly felt like a impatient bear. I had so many moments when I thought "THIS is what those wild-eyed, messy-haired, yoga-pant-wearing moms must feel like!". </div>
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But, as I said, things are settling down and I have my husband home more. We have also hired a girl from my church to help me with the kids Monday mornings so I can accomplish herculean tasks like putting away laundry (it is now normal to have anywhere from 3-5 baskets of clean laundry hanging around my house waiting to be put away). These things and the babies getting older and a bit more predictable have helped me get my head on straight, </div>
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Some days I feel like I am just trying to keep us all alive, and I am sometimes shocked to have accomplished it!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No makeup, messy hair, but we are surviving</td></tr>
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So I promise, I will be back here. But for right now I am doing what I need to be doing here: wife-ing and mom-ing. I love you all and am continuing to pray for you. </div>
Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-32199397264741709402017-01-30T06:00:00.000-05:002017-01-30T08:43:45.666-05:0010 Ways to Bless a Pregnant or New MomThe late pregnancy and postpartum stages are very tough times for many woman, especially if they have other children to take care of. Support in the postpartum period is so vital, as women who don't receive much help are linked to higher postpartum depression rates.<br />
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That said, many people don't really know what to do to help a pregnant woman or a new mom. We assume they are fine because they don't ask for help (us pregnant women and mamas don't want to be a burden to anyone. We are "just" growing or raising a baby (or two) after all), but don't underestimate how a little help can go a long long way toward helping one of these women. Something that might not seem like a big deal to you, may seem like a HUGE deal to them. </div>
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So here are 10 ways to bless a pregnant or new mom:</div>
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<b>#1: Take her other child(ren) to do something fun</b></div>
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During and after my twin pregnancy I have been so blessed with friends coming to take Victoria now and again to go have fun. Whether they take her to storytime at the library, or just to spend the day playing at their house, I feel IMMENSE relief knowing she is safe, happy, and having a blast while I get the chance to nap, clean, or simply sit down and cuddle my new babies. My neighbor will come and grab Victoria to help her do something outside once a week or so for 20 minutes. Those 20 minutes are pure heaven for me as I get to lie down, close my eyes, or enjoy the twins without feeling an ounce of mommy guilt, because I know Victoria is enjoying herself a ton as well. </div>
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<b>#2: Bring her a meal</b></div>
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People do this all the time for new moms, and it is such a blessing. But bringing a meal to a pregnant woman, especially in those early days of intense nausea or in the late days of exhaustion, is just as helpful. I have a neighbor who often text me while I was pregnant saying "I made extra food tonight, can I bring you some?". And before I knew it, I had a dinner all prepared for my family that I didn't have to worry about. It was SUCH a blessing.<br />
My MOPS group also arranged a meal train for me (and every other new mom) on <a href="http://www.takethemameal.com/">TakeThemAMeal</a>, which I highly recommend for anyone. It was so convenient for people to sign up for meals and give me an idea of what they would be bringing. Be sure to ask new moms if they have a meal train set up and if they would allow you to set one up for them. Having this burden taken off their shoulders is a huge blessing. </div>
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<b>#3: Vacuum or floor cleaning</b></div>
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Vacuuming is exhausting, and you are never more aware of this than when you are huge pregnant and there are miles of flooring in front of you that needs to be cleaned. I had a neighbor call me while I was pregnant with the twins and say "Hey, I was just thinking, vacuuming is exhausting. Can I come vacuum your house tonight?". And being the gracious receiver I try to be (it's not only important to be a gracious giver), I said yes. It was glorious. She vacuumed my entire house and I was SO thankful. </div>
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<b>#4: Clean</b></div>
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On the same thread as above, going to a new mom's or expectant mom's house with a bucket of cleaning supplies is a huge help. Tell her you are coming over, show up with your supplies, and just start cleaning where you can. Bathrooms are a great place to start, as are cleaning the floors, cleaning out the refrigerator, or doing the dishes. It takes a lot of humility to watch someone else clean your bathrooms! But it is such a blessing. </div>
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<b>#5: Send her for a nap or shower</b></div>
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Whether she is pregnant or a new mom, she is probably exhausted. Send her to bed (with her new baby if she desires) while you watch her older children and keep them occupied with quiet activities. Or simply offer to care for her new baby while she takes a long, relaxing shower and fixes herself up a bit. I had a friend come over a few days ago and she sent me upstairs and said "don't come down for at least 45 minutes". I went upstairs and took a long, leisurely shower and actually blow-dried my hair (!!!). By the time I came down I felt like a new woman and was ready to conquer the rest of the day.<br />
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<b>#6: Take her shopping list or pick up her groceries</b></div>
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I have recently discovered the joy of curbside shopping. I always thought it would be expensive or I would hate it, but it is awesome and not expensive at all at my grocery store. For less than $5 I can order all of my groceries online, leaving instructions for each item (such as "2 large flatter shapped onions" or "substitute for green grapes if red is not available"), and pick them up the next day without leaving my car. It's a new mom/pregnant woman's dream. My neighbor has offered more than once to pick up items for me from the store or to pick up my groceries after I ordered them. It's such a help when leaving the house is tough.</div>
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<b>#7: Give her a gift for herself</b><br />
Whether it is a subscription to audible.com so she can listen to books while she does her chores, a massage or facial from Groupon, a mani-pedi gift certificate and an offer to babysit, or some pampering items like bubble bath and luxurious hand or foot cream, these kinds of gifts are such a blessing to new moms! We are giving so much of ourselves to these little people, being able to take something for ourselves can be such a blessing.<br />
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<b>#8: Provide some "date" time</b><br />
New parents often have a tough time finding time to connect. Sometimes even after the baby is asleep it can be tough as you are both listening for cries. An offer to provide a little "date" time can provide some much-needed connection time. Whether you offer to watch the children for an hour or two while they go out to eat, or you simply give them a half hour to go for a walk around the neighborhood, you are providing a huge gift.<br />
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<b>#9: Find out what she still needs for the baby</b><br />
If she has a baby registry, it can be easy to see what she still needs for her baby. But even if she has older children already or no registry, a new baby still requires things like diapers and wipes, not to mention things like double strollers, play yards, and baby carriers that make life easier with more than one child. Whether you are able to purchase an item for her, go in on larger item with someone else, can give a gift certificate to go towards items she may still need, or have a 2nd hand item you can pass along, these are all great ways to help put a mom at ease as she prepares for her baby.<br />
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<b>#10: Pray for her</b><br />
Because we all need prayer, especially when we are going through such large changes in our lives. Pray for her body, her strength, her faith, her family, and her children. Pray that the Lord would provide her with what she needs to get through this time joyfully, and ask that He show you how you can best be a blessing to her.<br />
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Another quick note: new moms and pregnant woman often feel like we need to be superwomen and do it all ourselves. When people ask how they can help but don't genuinely seem to want to, it is easy to turn them down and continue pretending like we don't need anything. So in offering help, be genuinely eager, and instead of saying "Can I come vacuum your house sometime?", say something like "I want to help you with something practical. Please let me come vacuum your home! Can I come Wednesday?"<br />
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<b>Do you have anything to add this list? I'd love to hear your own stories of how someone was a blessing to you!</b></div>
Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-10015461797574405062017-01-09T14:40:00.000-05:002017-01-09T22:03:59.886-05:00Life Around HereIf you'd like to know what life is like in my home right now with a two-year-old and two two-month-olds, this picture pretty much says it all.<br />
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Victoria wearing a princess dress, Charlotte being chill and munching on a fist, and Analisa angry because Victoria decided to put her doll next to her. </div>
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Back in the day, taking monthly photos of Victoria was a breeze. But taking photos of the twins with so many variables is just nutty!</div>
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So here is a quick little update on my twins and who they are now that they are 2 months old.</div>
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Charlotte is Baby A, the older of the two twins. She is also the smaller of the two, and weighs more than a pound less than her sister. She is tall and thin, and we can already tell her eyes will be blue (shocking because Andy and I don't have blue eyes, and neither do any of our parents. We thought it was a complete fluke that Victoria ended up with blue eyes). </div>
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At two months old she is 23.5" long and 11lbs.8oz., which means she is in the 95th and 68th percentiles respectively. Which is quite hilarious because we often refer to her as our "little one". She is wearing 6 month clothes.<br />
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She is a very pleasant baby, always with a sweet, faint little smile on her face. She likes to look around and observe, but she is a monster on her play mat. She loves to move every limb as she lies down on it and tries to grab at the toys.<br />
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She is a very noisy little baby, and loves to coo/squeal at things while she looks around. She also is embarrassingly loud while she nurses, an issue we hoped would be resolved when she revised her tongue and lip ties a month ago, but it didn't.<br />
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Speaking of tongue and lip ties, we had both babies' ties revised by a specialist dentist a month ago. Victoria also had a tongue tie, but it wasn't severe so I didn't get it revised. I wish in hind sight that I had, because she always had a bad latch that caused lots of clogged ducts and mastitis on my part. This time around, I decided to get all of them revised to make sure nursing and speech issues were not an issue (Charlotte, in particular, was already showing some air intake issues from her ties). It was a surprisingly quick and simple procedure, and the dentist made it as comfortable as possible for the babies, even providing a little swaddle and light-dimming glasses to keep them calm.<br />
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Analisa is the larger of the twins, even though she is our Baby B, the younger twin.<br />
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At 2 months she is 12lbs 14oz (98th percentile) and 24inches long (95th percentile). She is a big baby! She also wears 6 month clothing, but she will outgrow them before her twin, I think.<br />
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We affectionately refer to Analisa as our "bald baby". Poor thing, her lack of hair is usually the easiest way for people to tell the twins apart. I do see a full head of hair coming in, though, so soon she will no longer be our little baldie.<br />
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Both babies are great sleepers, something I worried about when I found out we were having twins. Analisa, however, is even better at it than her sister, as she had always been able to put herself to sleep easily from day one. There have been moments I laid her down on the floor and POOF, she falls asleep right there.<br />
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She is also an extremely strong baby, similar to how Victoria was. She holds herself stiff as a board and was trying to hold her head up in her post-birth exam the day she was born. Now she has perfect head control (Charlotte is pretty good too).<br />
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She also LOVES to smile and engage with people, and is never happier than when she is being held and has your attention.<br />
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I will say, having twins has been rough. I know from talking to other moms that going from 1 to 2 kids is a big adjustment anyway. But throwing another newborn in there has made this transition very tough for me. I have had to give myself a lot of grace for not being able to be the perfect mom I want to be. I've had to allow a lot more crying than I want to, had to allow Victoria to play by herself a lot more than I want (although I am all about some independent play), and I've had to allow my home to become a lot messier than I want it.<br />
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There was a moment a few weeks ago when I was sitting on the couch with two babies screaming their brains off while I frantically tried to calm them (Hello, <a href="https://www.thewonderweeks.com/">Wonder Weeks</a> Leap 2!). I was so frazzled and trying to keep calm, and at that moment Victoria ran into the room yelling "Oh no! I pooped my pants!", and then ran out of the room again. All I could think was "Where is that poop going to end up?!". (She hadn't pooped her pants, she either wanted attention, or thought she had pooped.)<br />
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Those kind of moments are slowly becoming fewer and fewer as I start to get into our new normal. My kitchen is a lot cleaner, and I am slowly getting a handle on our home again. The twins are settling into a schedule, and Victoria is, thankfully, ALL about her baby sisters.<br />
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I just love this (blurry) snapshot of her holding their hands while they were on their playmat.<br />
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She is constantly asking to hold them, and if one of them cries, she is the first one to come running with calls of "I'm coming, sister!", usually with a pacifier in-hand. Her tender heart really is such a humbling gift to our family.<br />
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I am slowly getting a hang on myself too. I am in a January "change" competition, in which we all strive for personal fitness goals. I am working out again, which has been much easier since I was already in decent shape before and during most of my pregnancy. I utilize <a href="https://www.lesmillsondemand.com/en_us/?c">Les Mills On Demand</a> to do Body Pump and Body Combat classes in my basement after I put everyone to sleep in the evening. I am feeling so good and am looking forward to getting rid of the rest of this baby weight and packing away my maternity clothes for a while.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready for my first basement workout</td></tr>
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But for the most part, I spend my days like this: babywearing to keep at least one arm free<br />
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This is how I do most of my cleaning in the afternoon/evening when babies are fussy.</div>
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But as I said, we are settling in. We have managed some semi-normal outings thanks to our triple stroller. We took it to the zoo to check out the Christmas lights there a few weeks back.<br />
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I am so thankful that the Lord has been so gracious to us during this time. I have never been the woman who hoped for multiples, but I know children are a blessing from the Lord, and he is graciously sanctifying me in amazing ways through these three little girls. Yes, some days I feel overwhelmed. Yes, some days I feel like my entire goal is to get all three children sleeping at the same time so I can get 20 glorious minutes to myself. Yes, some days I don't get that shower, or I am wearing pjs a lot later than I want to be, or my home doesn't get as clean as I'd like, but we are getting better.<br />
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God has provided in so many ways through this. He has brought so much help my way, with people constantly asking if they can bring us a meal, clean our bathrooms, or come hold a baby. My MOPS group provided us with dinners 3 times per week for two months after the babies were born, which was unbelievably helpful.<br />
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So through this busy, crazy, wonderful, overwhelming time, God has been so gracious and faithful. </div>
Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-59601480956639279442016-12-14T08:16:00.000-05:002016-12-14T09:24:48.468-05:00Charlotte and Analisa's Twin Birth Story<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, it certainly has been a little busy around here (which may be the understatement of the year). But I am slowly getting back into the groove here, and managed to write this post as well as one on my favorite Christian Christmas gifts <a href="http://cornerofjoy.blogspot.com/2016/12/11-of-my-favorite-christian-christmas.html">HERE</a>.<br />
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I am so sorry to take so long to finally post about the twins' birth. I know there are two camps of people: those who LOVE to read birth stories and those who could care less. So please, if you are in the second camp, feel free to pass on this post! But for those of you who, like me, love all the details, here you go!<br />
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I started having prodromal labor with my twins around
36.5 weeks. This is commonly referred to as false labor, but it is real labor in that all contractions are real and very much the same as labor contractions, but prodromal labor tapers off without progressing into a birth. I'd have episodes of 6-8 hours of regular, long labor contractions, only to have it stop and leave me totally frustrated and feeling stupid (I mean, I've had a baby before! Shouldn't I be able to tell "this is it"?).<br />
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All of this prodromal labor made me hopeful they would come early, even though I had
mentally prepared myself to go to my due date because my singleton had cooked
until 41weeks 5days. I was waking every night for a few hours of contractions that went
nowhere, and I had two bouts of pretty serious labor at 38 weeks and 39 weeks, but
still no babies.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">39.5 weeks</td></tr>
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Then my due date came and went, and still no babies. </div>
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To say I
was antsy was an understatement. I just wanted them out! But I don't
believe in induction without a medical indication for it, and babies and I were all looking great.<o:p></o:p><br />
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So time went on. I felt like I was on the edge of labor for
the last week, feeling very crampy and having intense contractions here and
there. My midwives almost never do membrane sweeps, but at 40+4 they agreed to
do one on me because I was so miserable. This was about as much of an induction as I was willing to do. When they did it they reported I was
dilated to a 3, baby A was "right there", and I would probably go
into labor right away. I ended up having lots of contractions, lost my mucus
plug and had bloody show the next day, but still no babies.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Finally, at 41 weeks on October 29, I started having steady
contractions around 6pm. It felt the same as my prodromal labors, but the
contractions were staying steady at 5 mins apart. I went to bed hopeful I'd
wake up in full blown labor (but let’s be honest, I was pretty sure I’d be
pregnant FOREVER at that point). I was still having contractions but they
definitely weren't the super strong ones I remembered from my first baby. I
woke up at 3am to contractions that were slightly painful and very
steady. I got up and started moving around, and the contractions stayed 4ish
minutes apart. I decided to call the midwives and tell them to come over. They
arrived and checked me and found I was dilated to a 7. Woohoo! <o:p></o:p><br />
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I labored and labored but never felt like it was getting
super intense. I was still able to talk and joke between contractions, I was
eating.... everything stayed about the same for hours. At 8am I decided to go
lie down because I was feeling tired and hoped the relaxing would help move
things along.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I napped for 2 hours and woke up to the same contractions
plugging away. The nap seriously helped my energy levels, and I was ready to
get these babies out (as if I hadn't been ready for weeks!). I walked up and
down the stairs hoping to rev up the contractions. But time passed and my
contractions didn't really seem to be getting to that next place. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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I talked with my midwives and we all decided to break my
water to hopefully get my labor to the next stage. The only reason I decided on
this was because my mom had told me that with every one of her 4 pregnancies
her labor stalled for hours at 7cm until they finally broke her water. My
midwife broke my water and we discovered I was dilated to an 8 when she did
that. I got into the tub after they broke my water and within a few minutes I
was experiencing the tougher transition contractions that brought tears to my
eyes and had me praying it would be over soon. And while those contractions
truly stink, they did make me excited that it would all be over soon. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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After only a few of those contractions I felt the pressure
change that signaled baby A had moved down, and I felt the urge to push. I was
already positioned facing the side of the tub with my arms propped onto the
side and my husband holding my hands. I started pushing and baby A was out
within a few minutes at 12:27pm. I labored with my first pregnancy in the tub
but didn't give birth there. This time baby A was born into the water and I
pulled her up onto my chest. I immediately noticed that Charlotte Sophia was smaller than Victoria had been, but she was still big and strong for a twin at 7lbs 6oz.<o:p></o:p><br />
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I had a few minutes to cuddle her, during which my midwives
had me sit on a birthing stool in the tub to help baby B descend (and we hoped
to prevent her from flipping out of her head-down position). It wasn't long before
contractions started again, and my midwives urged me to push a bit to help baby
B descend. We soon realized the birthing stool just wasn't working for me. My
husband took Charlotte from me for some skin to skin time and I moved back into
the position leaning on the side of the tub that I had used before.<o:p></o:p><br />
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I remember thinking "I am going to get this baby out in
as few pushes as possible so this can be OVER!". So I bore down as hard as
I could during my next contraction and felt the baby move down. She was still
in her sac when I got her head out, but it broke as I birthed the rest of her.
I got her out in just a few big pushes and was so relieved that labor was over
and I could just snuggle my babies! Analisa Iris was bigger, at 8lbs even! That means 15lbs 6oz total of just baby! <o:p></o:p><br />
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I came away from this labor in embarrassingly good condition. I felt 100% back to normal within a few weeks, and I've been able to get back to my Body Combat work outs by 6 weeks. I actually felt better after this birth than I did after Victoria's birth. I am so grateful for this, since this pregnancy was tough on me.<br />
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I attribute the super fast recovery and lack of "damage" to:<br />
-Having a water birth<br />
-Waiting for the babies to come when my body was ready<br />
-Being in much better shape during and before this pregnancy<br />
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More photos and updates on what has been happening here to come (and soon, I promise haha).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8eJz7ZgKkNI/WFBO7WBWRXI/AAAAAAAALGo/THrjeWL-7Fk2v3aNRGXjdgvxdi6XPNV7ACLcB/s1600/14962339_10157755403840436_1803149253_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8eJz7ZgKkNI/WFBO7WBWRXI/AAAAAAAALGo/THrjeWL-7Fk2v3aNRGXjdgvxdi6XPNV7ACLcB/s640/14962339_10157755403840436_1803149253_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlotte (left) and Analisa (right)<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">More photos and updates on what has been happening here to come (and soon, I promise haha).</span></div>
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Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-75076559928038315362016-12-13T09:18:00.001-05:002016-12-14T08:17:54.103-05:0011 of My Favorite Christian Christmas GiftsI love giving gifts. It is one of the ways in which I show love to those around me. And receiving gifts is also special to me as well. Not because I get stuff, but because I enjoy physical tokens of someone's affection. I enjoy thinking about the time and effort someone put into picking out something they knew I would love and enjoy.<br />
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I do try to give sentimental gifts as well as fun/helpful gifts. So I've attempted to compile a list of my favorite Christian-esque Christmas gifts. These are all things I (or someone I know) have either received or given, and I am sharing them because perhaps you have someone in your life (or yourself!) who would benefit from them this Christmas :)<br />
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Just an FYI, there are NO affiliate links on this post, so I don't make any referral money from suggesting this items to you. I am simply sharing ideas of things and where to find them.<br />
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1) <a href="https://www.amazon.com/7-Experimental-Mutiny-Against-Excess/dp/1433672960/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479265051&sr=8-1&keywords=seven+jen+hatmaker">7: An experimental mutiny against excess by Jen Hatmaker</a><br />
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This is one of my all-time favorite books. Jen Hatmaker is a very engaging writer. And even though I did have to power through the first 20 pages or so while she introduced everyone, I found this book to be not only personally and spiritually challenging, but a very enjoyable and funny read. I have gifted it to almost all my relatives and close friends.<br />
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2) <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Storybook-Bible-Every-Whispers/dp/0310708257/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479265146&sr=8-1&keywords=jesus+storybook+bible">The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name by Sally Lloyd-Jones</a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xu7Fvu8Snnk/WCvL7syrh9I/AAAAAAAAKwo/8VyI9BRfIMgUvsfSsOT3e25t5YIDrdI3ACLcB/s1600/61U4WWGzkcL._SX428_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xu7Fvu8Snnk/WCvL7syrh9I/AAAAAAAAKwo/8VyI9BRfIMgUvsfSsOT3e25t5YIDrdI3ACLcB/s320/61U4WWGzkcL._SX428_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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This was recommended several years ago by another blogger, and I looked into it then. Since then it has been gifted to Victoria twice, referenced by several Christian bloggers I enjoy, and it has even been referenced by my pastor in a Sunday sermon! It is an easy to understand Bible storybook that references all of the stories to Jesus. So it isn't just that Noah was good an obedient, but the story is tied to Jesus to show the need for a savior in the world. It is SUCH a great book and shares the gospel in a way that anyone can understand.<br />
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3) <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dave-Ramseys-Complete-Guide-Money/dp/1937077209/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1479265282&sr=8-6&keywords=dave+ramsey+total+money+makeover">Dave Ramsey's Complete Guide to Money By Dave Ramsey</a></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FBNmlQLlnCM/WCvMQTEZCgI/AAAAAAAAKws/CrF0QQqsbPordxmOIRrg1_mIwZhZDXVjgCLcB/s1600/516%252BkHe2NqL._SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FBNmlQLlnCM/WCvMQTEZCgI/AAAAAAAAKws/CrF0QQqsbPordxmOIRrg1_mIwZhZDXVjgCLcB/s320/516%252BkHe2NqL._SX331_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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There are a lot of great Dave Ramsey books, but this one is essentially a mirror of his Financial Peace University. It is very engaging and easy to understand and follow. My husband and I really enjoyed it.<br />
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4) T<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Toddler-Bible-Songs-Cedarmont-Kids/dp/B000251YV2/ref=sr_1_1_twi_aud_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1479265531&sr=8-1&keywords=cedarmont+kids+toddler+bible+songs">oddler Bible Songs by Cedarmont Kids</a></div>
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When a friend gave us this CD for Victoria's 1st birthday, she said "this is one of the few kids cds where the kids can actually sing". You will appreciate this when you child asks you to turn it on for the 100th time! I love this CD and so does Victoria. I hear her singing the songs from it constantly (and there is nothing cuter than hearing a 2 year old singing out the gospel as we cruise through the grocery store). There are several different CDs, and they are all less than $5. Victoria will be getting the Hymns cd in her Christmas stocking.<br />
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5) <a href="https://www.amazon.com/English-Standard-Version-Journaling-Chestnut/dp/1433544407/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479265649&sr=8-1&keywords=esv+journaling+bible">ESV Journaling Bible</a></div>
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I asked my mom for a new Bible for Christmas last year, and this is the one I got. I absolutely love it. It is written in paragraph format, which I love because it reads more like a book or letter rather than verse by verse. The pages are also a bit thicker, so it is easier to write in. The ONLY minus is that the text is a little small, but it really doesn't bother me at all.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Little-People-Christmas-Story/dp/B000067R86/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479265786&sr=8-1&keywords=little+people+nativity">6) Fisher Price Little People A Christmas Story</a></div>
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What a great way to introduce the story of Jesus' birth to your children. I love that the kids then get their own little nativity scene (And don't touch my more breakable one!) and can play with it and absorb the story and characters.<br />
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7)<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Gatehouse-Julie-Klassen/dp/0764207083"> The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen</a></div>
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I enjoy reading novels, and I find it hard to find ones that are clean and have a good message. I actually got this book in audio format from my library, and it was only after I got halfway through it, and heard the gospel message woven throughout, that I realized it was a Christian book! It is a beautiful love story, but more about finding forgiveness and grace than anything else.<br />
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8) <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Good-Enough-6-Pack-Easter/dp/1601422504/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479266163&sr=8-1&keywords=how+good+is+good+enough">How Good Is Good Enough? by Andy Stanley</a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J0h86JJQUgM/WCvPnJl0gfI/AAAAAAAAKxU/uOX1pXUqkocbr9OglorEx7ODUev3gQmpwCLcB/s1600/51NlUH0CZ4L._SX351_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J0h86JJQUgM/WCvPnJl0gfI/AAAAAAAAKxU/uOX1pXUqkocbr9OglorEx7ODUev3gQmpwCLcB/s320/51NlUH0CZ4L._SX351_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
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This book really made the gospel click for my husband. He surrendered his life to the Lord after reading this tiny book. It is small, and an very quick read (you can read it in less than 2 hours). I have several copies on-hand at all times and give them to people a lot, as it really explains the gospel and salvation in a way that is logical and easy to grasp.<br />
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9) <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061992887/ref=pd_sbs_14_img_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=WT335A69B6NH2YT2ZT3D">Chronicles of Narnia box set By C.S. Lewis</a></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mNdwJVY4yGY/WCvQAA9Y_zI/AAAAAAAAKxY/YHjo8qJbEVIXcyR0xd39Yi_Ur1ZkFczhACLcB/s1600/51telt3xSoL._SX397_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mNdwJVY4yGY/WCvQAA9Y_zI/AAAAAAAAKxY/YHjo8qJbEVIXcyR0xd39Yi_Ur1ZkFczhACLcB/s320/51telt3xSoL._SX397_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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Because I truly believe every adult or child needs to read them!<br />
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10) <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Joy-Erin-Bates/dp/B017GDALR0/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1479266443&sr=1-1&keywords=erin+bates">Comfort and Joy by Erin Bates</a></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_DkYuMq8SLM/WCvQ0ErNhSI/AAAAAAAAKxc/4OputlKPcqYi5vPXA-qQ7GDNVVkh3m2CwCLcB/s1600/61YRt2i1xaL._SX425_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_DkYuMq8SLM/WCvQ0ErNhSI/AAAAAAAAKxc/4OputlKPcqYi5vPXA-qQ7GDNVVkh3m2CwCLcB/s320/61YRt2i1xaL._SX425_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've been enjoying this CD very much this year. Every song is a beautiful duet between piano and violin.<br />
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11) <a href="https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-my-bible-stories">My First Bible Stories from QED 12 book set</a><br />
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I'm going to drive you all crazy by having an odd number of items on this list! This book set was recommended by a friend, and I purchased it when I saw it on Groupon for such an amazing price (link in the title is to groupon). I received them and really love them! They are very engaging and beautifully illustrated and written, 6 of the books are old testament stories, and the rest are about the life and ministry of Jesus. Victoria will be getting most of these for Christmas, but I have been reading the Birth of Jesus one to her already.<br />
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So there it is! Please leave any of your favorite recommendations in the comments!</div>
Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-3734873222269802522016-11-05T20:15:00.000-04:002016-11-05T20:15:21.497-04:00The Twins are Here!My twins finally decided to make their grand entrance at 41weeks and 1 day on October 30th! <div>
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Meet Charlotte Sophia, born at 12:27pm and weighing 7lbs 6oz</div>
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And Analisa Iris, born at 12:52pm and weighing 8lbs even</div>
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We had a natural home birth that was short and the recovery has been easier than anticipated. I will share the birth story soon, but for now there is a whole lot of this going on</div>
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Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-80449527414379722112016-10-25T13:05:00.002-04:002016-10-25T13:28:20.737-04:00Victoria's New RoomA couple months ago I posted the first photos of our <a href="http://cornerofjoy.blogspot.com/2016/08/nesting-and-prepping-for-twins.html">twins' nursery</a>. Some of you noticed that the decorations where the same as <a href="http://cornerofjoy.blogspot.com/2014/05/operation-nesting-nursery-reveal.html">Victoria's nursery</a>. This is one of the reasons I went with more of a gender neutral palette to begin with: it can be reused with all of my children.<br />
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(More on the twins' room in another post to come)</div>
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When we moved all of the decorations and furniture out of Victoria's room and into the twins' room, I wanted to make Victoria's room something fun just for her. Because we went more gender neutral with her nursery, I wanted to make her room a little more feminine, while still making it restful. I also wanted to spend very little money on the room makeover. </div>
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So with a budget of $100, I set to work deciding on a theme. What I decided to go with was Victoria's Aden Anais Dream Blanket:</div>
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This was Victoria's 1st birthday gift from us, and she sleeps with it every night. It is a perfect toddler-sized blanket in super soft, quilted muslin. We spend lots of time cuddling with it. I just loved the colors and whimsical design of it (the pattern is called "Once Upon A Time"), so I thought it would make a perfect palette for Victoria's big girl room. </div>
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Picking paint colors is not my forte, so I actually use Pinterest a lot to help me choose. I pick out a few colors and I look them up on Pinterest, where I can see photos of rooms painted those colors. In the end I decided on Sherwin Williams Vaguely Mauve for Victoria's room, as I didn't want anything TOO pink or lavender.</div>
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My parents came in June and helped my husband paint the room</div>
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Here is what her room looks like now:</div>
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We love that great space-saving bookshelf in the corner, I purchased it a while back from Joss & Main because I needed something with a small profile for Victoria's small room. It holds a ton without taking up much floor space.<br />
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I spray painted these butterflies with fun, purple, sparkly spray paint from Rust-Oleum.<br />
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I finally finished putting together her First Year frame, which sits on her dresser. I am quite sentimental about photos and baby books and such: I am the 4th kid and my parents took very few photos of me. I am not sad or bitter about that, of course, but I am determined to be better about documenting each of my children individually. I set alarms in my phone to remind me to take photos and fill in the baby book!<br />
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On the other side of her dress is a lamp we already had plus a crown bank Victoria received for Christmas last year from family.<br />
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We also just purchased that <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Marpac-Dohm-DS-All-Natural-White-Machine/dp/B00HD0ELFK/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1477414881&sr=8-1&keywords=dohm%2Bsound%2Bmachine&th=1">sound machine from Amazon </a>recently when they were on sale. I never had a sound machine or anything when Victoria was little and followed the advice of everyone to just make noise and she would get used to it...... NOPE. After months and months of boycotted naps and grumpiness, I have accepted the fact that my child is as light of a sleeper as I am. I decided to save my sanity and get a noise machine for when the twins arrive. I now have one in Victoria's room and will have one in the twins room so all the children aren't waking each other up. It's been wonderful so far and I wish I'd had one sooner.<br />
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This shelf and everything on it is something we already had, so no money spent there!<br />
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I made this wall hanging after a few months of staring at the blank space above Victoria's bed. It need a little "something". So I went to the craft store and purchased a large sheet of burlap paper, some pretty floral craft paper, and ribbon. 20 minutes later with the help of scissors and a little glue, I had this cute simple wall hanging for above her bed.<br />
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We purchased this bed on Craigslist for a great deal. Since we moved Victoria's crib to the twins' room because it matched the other furniture, we purchased this 2nd crib with the intention of using it as a toddler bed for a while, then as the 2nd crib for the twins' room. I also purchased the matching sheet to Victoria's Dream Blanket for her bed. And yes, she insists on sleeping with all of those stuffed animals every night! :) We will upgrade her to a regular bed next year sometime.<br />
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The glider was going to go into the twins' room as well, but my mom came to visit in June and saw how much Victoria loves to sit in this glider and read her books. My mom actually surprised us by purchasing another glider for the twins' room so Victoria could keep this one. It was a very sweet gesture, and I am happy we still get to snuggle in it together every night before bed (although I am not fitting as well in there as I used to with this big belly + Victoria!).<br />
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The curtains were a simple purchase from Walmart, and I've been very happy with the quality for the cheap price (we paid $20 total for the rod plus curtains).<br />
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Because Victoria's old dresser had the changing table topper on it, it was moved into the Twins' room, and we gave her my old childhood dresser. It was very chipped and yellowed with age, so we gave it a fresh new coat of paint (Sherwin Williams Snowbound), and I spray painted the hardware gold so it looked new again.<br />
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So that is it! I ended up spending just over $100 total on her room, not counting the purchase of the crib. In the end, though, we love the room and how sweet and feminine it is. </div>
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Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-79323352380374151142016-10-23T20:39:00.000-04:002016-10-23T20:39:55.656-04:00Twin Pregnancy Update: 40 weeks and counting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well here we are! In all of our 40 week, due date, sleepy faced, no makeup, grainy cell phone photo glory! Are you as surprised as I am that I have made it this far?</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How far along? </b>40 weeks 1 day</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Baby Size:</b> Probably somewhere around 7.5-8 pounds each</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Total weight gain:</b> Around 55ish pounds. I honestly haven't been checking, since my swelling causes so much variation at this point. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Maternity clothes? </b><span style="line-height: 18px;">I barely fit into any of my clothes, even maternity. Notice that maternity shirt in the photo barely covering my belly? </span><span style="line-height: 18px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Stretch Marks? </b>Yes. I got barely anything with Victoria, but this time around is quite different. I am currently measuring 48 weeks pregnant, so stretch marks are just inevitable. I am so grateful for all my body has done growing these babies, but my vanity is struggling with this new change.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Sleep: </b>Not too bad, except for those nearly hourly bathroom trips.<span style="line-height: 18px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Best moment this week: </b><span style="line-height: 18px;">Passing a non-stress test (our first ever) with flying colors. I do not believe in induction without a medical indication for it, and babies and I are all doing great. </span><span style="line-height: 18px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Miss Anything?</b><span style="line-height: 18px;"> I miss a lot of things but right now I just want to be able to move and care for my family again like normal.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Movement: </b><span style="line-height: 18px;">Babies are both head down and spooning each other. They are quite squished in there, so movements are quite subtle at this point.</span></span></div>
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I have finally hit a wall in the last week or two, in which I am barely able to walk around my house, much less do anything else. The aches and pains, plus the pressure on my hips from 15+lbs of baby has become very tough to work around. My husband has pretty much taken over the care of our home and toddler at this point.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Food cravings: </b><span style="line-height: 18px;">Sugar. The bad kind ;)</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"></span><span style="line-height: 18px;"></span></span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18px;">Gender Prediction: </b>We found out at 20 weeks that we are having 2 girls</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Symptoms: </b><span style="line-height: 18px;">Swelling all over, but mostly my feet and legs. Achy back, lower belly, and hips. Vericose veins and stretch marks. Heart burn. Lots of contractions. All the good stuff :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Labor Signs: </b>I have had 2 serious false labor episodes in the last 2 weeks, both which lasted 8-10 hours and had full-on labor contractions every 4-5 minutes. It was very frustrating when these episodes ended with no babies in my arms. I've been having a lot of contractions and been feeling like they will come "any day now" for several weeks. It feels like running a marathon and not knowing where the finish line is. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Mood: </b>Antsy. Tired. Exhausted. Ready to meet these babies!</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Looking forward to: </b><span style="line-height: 18px;">Meeting the babies! Let's do this!</span></span></div>
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Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250272323659863098.post-60766990164120278582016-10-06T20:04:00.002-04:002016-10-06T20:05:41.678-04:00Twin Pregnancy Update: 37-38 weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, you officially know it is a 2nd pregnancy when the photos are selfies from a cell phone and the updates come somewhere in the middle of the week! But I have a feeling I might have these girls soon, so I wanted to get this update in the books. This photo was taken at 37 weeks</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How far along? </b>37 weeks and 5 Days</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Baby Size:</b> Probably somewhere around 7 pounds each</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Total weight gain:</b> Around 55 pounds</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Maternity clothes? </b><span style="line-height: 18px;">I've actually been struggling to fit into my larger maternity shirts. They barely cover my belly at this point. But we are in the home stretch!</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Stretch Marks? </b>Yes :( and it's been a little tough for this former vanity queen. I only got a few very light ones with Victoria. This time I knew I'd probably get them much worse, but it has still been hard. Yes, I know my body is doing amazing things. Yes, I am so grateful for these two precious girls. BUT, I do struggle with giving over all of myself to my children, including scarring my body for life. I'm working through it though</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Sleep: </b>Not too bad, actually. Better than with Victoria<span style="line-height: 18px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Best moment this week: </b><span style="line-height: 18px;">Blowing up the birthing tub and getting things ready for them to come. Everything is becoming very real!</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Miss Anything?</b><span style="line-height: 18px;"> Honestly, I've just reached the point where I'm ready to have my body back to myself. I want to be able to bend over, maneuver, and walk around again without so much effort.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Movement: </b><span style="line-height: 18px;">Babies are both head down and spooning each other. They move around and wiggle a lot, but they don't have a whole lot of room to do too much. Nothing like having 4 little feet poking you in the ribs. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">My movement is different every day, but mostly I've been told by my midwives to lie down and do nothing....which I'm not very good at obeying. But I am definitely taking it easy a lot more </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Food cravings: </b><span style="line-height: 18px;">Sugar. The bad kind ;)</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"></span><span style="line-height: 18px;"></span></span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gender Prediction: </span></b>We found out at 20 weeks that we have 2 girls on the way!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Symptoms: </b><span style="line-height: 18px;">Swelling all over, but mostly my feet and legs (I miss my ankle bones!). Achy back, lower belly, and hips. Vericose veins and stretch marks. Heart burn. All the good stuff :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Labor Signs: </b>I started having prodromal labor a week ago every morning around 3-4am. This is real labor and mild, painful labor contractions that taper off after a couple hours. I had this for 2 weeks before I had Victoria, and I'm having it again this time. It is a bit frustrating wondering every morning if this could be it! But it is reassuring to know that I am probably very close to having these babies!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Mood: </b>Antsy. Ready to meet these babies!</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="line-height: 18px;">Looking forward to: </b><span style="line-height: 18px;">Meeting the babies! Not really looking forward to the whole labor/painful part, but I am definitely feeling ready :) </span></span></div>
Amy Joyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00968156329100712501noreply@blogger.com4