happy birthday america!! <3

fourth of july is just around the corner and i am super excited! o has a cute oneise that i picked up at walmart that says "i love chicks with sparklers" && k has a american themed hello kitty sleeveless dress that i got at walmart too! i am super excited! i splurged on the kids easter outfits so i held back on the fourth of july attire! but my aunt bought them super cute matching outfits!! love them!

i am super excited because at work we have wacky wednesday. each wednesday comes with a new fun theme! july 2nd is red white & blue day! and i saw this awesome onesie that i am going to transform into a mommy shirt so that i can wear it to work! 

                                                                                             you can find the onesie tutorial here! 

http://dreambookdesign.com/2013/07/diy-4th-of-july-flag-shirt/

i found these awesome amazing flag glasses on ebay for $5.99! i loved them & just  had to order them! i think they will totally make the outfit!

so getting to the fun stuff! making my shirt!

first - (obviously!) buy a shirt! 

second - get ready! i cover the table in plastic garbage bags to save the table! i elected to keep o out of this fun because he still in the stage where it is hard to pry them open! but I did do his feet on the front trying to make a heart. my placement didn't turn out perfect but at least he was still involved!

& another tip::: keep a brush for each color instead of trying to tell k how to wash and dry after each color! saves a little bit of a headache!

third- figure out your placement - either try it on and make a mark to remind you were you want the handprint to go and where you want your stripes to end!  or you can eyeball it! your choice!

fourth - paint a hand and stick it down! and PRESS!! 

fifth - i let the hand dry before i started the stripes. i was worried i was going to drag my hand through it and mess it all up! then i started on the red stripes! 

i love how it turned out and got to wear it today! it was amazing! and i am one of the few who actually has kids at work so i got to show off a little! :))

it's a great start to an awesome AMERICAN holiday!! 

((especially since we are headed to see my grandmother in tennessee!!))

going to work...

the past three weeks have been a whirlwind that i am sure many of you can relate to... i have finally gone to work full time after having my precious babies... i substituted while k was a baby and did a stint of 3 monthes as a long term sub but this is the first time that i have actually had a job since o was born....

the first two weeks was crazy... i had to leave the house at 8 am and didnt get back until 7:30! it made for a great pay check but it was hard to be away for that LONG!!! there are a couple of things that saved me while i was working and i figured i would share....

                       

the first thing was knowing that my babies were in GREAT hands!! k goes to a great daycare (we call it "school")  she started going right before o was born so i could have a little break a couple of days a week. she started going everyday - j would take her in the mornings on his way to work and my dad would pick her up at 11:30. they take a nap from 11:30 - 2:30 and my parents wanted some time with her! so he picked her up and brought her to o and my mom at our house... so i KNEW my kids were in great hands and i never had to worry about that!

the second helpful thing i found was to have dinners ready for when i got home. i have a great husband who is awesome with the babies but hasn't had all that much time with the two of them on his lonesome - plus fixing dinner and plus working 10 hours in a metal building doing manual labor! so i cut him a break and had crockpot dinners or super easy dinners already planned and prepped or cooked! which was great to come home to!

 

here is a list of most of what we had and where i found the great idea from!

-meatball subs! which was awesome! and super super easy!

-slow cooker baked potatoes - so good and so easy! 

awesome instructions here - 

-crockpot tacos - great flavor - a little liquidy but totally managable and good!

yummy recipe here - 

-chicken fajitas- yummy to me! my hubby is not a fan of chicken so not one of his fav's but my mom and aunt loved the left overs

go here for an awesome recipe - 

-salsibury steak- one of our favorites and go to's!

our fav follow the link for it to become one of yours - 

-corn on the cobb in the oven - so easy and so good! we quit cooking corn any other way! and we eat a lot of corn! its k's fav! 

simple instructions to follow - 

the third thing i found that helped me threw this change was that i love what i am doing. i am teaching kids who have a learning disability or just need some extra help and tips to do their very best in school and in life. some kids have a severe disability and some just need a little push but i know that by doing what i am doing is going to help them get just that much farther in life and that makes me happy and makes the time away from my children worth it!

i also think that planning ahead and willing to get up early or stay up a little late to get everything set for the next day is a great use of time. k and j had to get up at 6:30 to get ready for school and work so i would get up at 6 and prep for dinner or get my lunch made or take my shower. or loading the dishwasher or throwing a load in the wash was a great help! its the little things that help!

i know not everyone will be able to use these couple of tips but if they help a little or if you find another great recipe from thse great sites then awesome! 

i am in the third week of my job and it has calmed down some since i am out of the training phase! 

i hope everyone has an awesome time back to work! 

 :)