I took (most of) the kids' toys away...

During Madelyn's first year of life, I remember feeling guilty because the girl had hardly any toys to play with. I was always afraid she was bored or not stimulated enough due to a lack of "things" to play with, yet she was a very happy, healthy baby and turned out absolutely amazing. Ever since Madelyn's first birthday back in 2011 though, we have been inundated with toys. With the birth of her little brother came more toys and so on. Since we have a two-story home, the toys have stayed upstairs majority of the time but scattered throughout.  At one point we turned our dining room into a play room, and it looked amazing for the first five minutes, until they filtered through the rest of the house. I even found random toys in my closet! I can't tell you how many times I moved the toys around the house and reorganized them. So back up the stairs the toys went.  For a short while, I allowed one basket for a few toys to be kept downstairs so that the kids could have some stuff to play with if company came over.  During the week the toys were, once again, all over the place, so they joined the rest in the toy graveyard upstairs. 

Now let me say this....we hardly ever go upstairs. The only time we go up there is at bedtime, for baths and for the kids to sleep.  We are downstairs or in the backyard all the time. The kids play hide and seek, they chase each other in an attempt to play Tag, they pretend to take food orders from us, they color, they help me in the kitchen if it's meal time or if we're making a sweet treat, and the list goes on.  They delight in each other's company and in others' company as well - I much prefer that!!  Not only are they bonding with other people but they are being creative, learning, and JUST PLAIN BEING KIDS!

They don't even miss any of the toys upstairs.  They don't ask for them, they don't look for them, nothing. When we do rarely make a trek upstairs, the kids are SO overwhelmed by all the toys, they don't know what to do first or what to play with. When we are upstairs, they still continue to make up their own activities and find various uses for a few of their favorite toys - imaginative play at its finest!

I finally had it with all the toys, so one evening I purged...

Ryan's room - like a breath of fresh air!

Madelyn's room - no more tripping on plastic food & pony brushes!

Game room - COMPLETE TOY CHAOS!

So after getting all of their toys in one room, I went through each item and made a decision to toss it, give it away/sell it, or keep it (and put it away.)  Don't get me wrong...I didn't rid them of ALL of their toys! They are kids and kids like to play with toys...but I do believe there can be an overabundance of them. I kept the puzzles, books, play-doh, and the like. I also kept toys that will inspire the use of their creativity like their tents, kitchen, and dollhouse. Their favorites like dress up, ponies, cars, etc are put up out of sight, and I let them bring out a toy at a time. Surprisingly it has really worked out, and when they do go upstairs, they are learning to play with things and to put them away after they are done. 

Game room (after) - We have actually managed to keep this up!!

I really feel like this is a great step in the right direction for all of us.  Not only will the kids be able to continue growing in their relationships with people, but they will appreciate the toys that they love even more! Michael and I have more control of the toy situation, and we won't be overwhelmed by the mess it has left us in the past!

Madelyn: Age 3, Second Haircut

Madelyn got her first haircut a couple of months after her first birthday.  Today she got her hair washed, cut, and styled - she LOVES it!  I don't know why we didn't cut her again after that first time. It was just so pretty and the longer it grew, the more I didn't want scissors coming near it. 

Unfortunately, my daughter took after me and is extremely tender headed. She dreaded getting her hair brushed or "styled." When I told her that we were getting her hair cut, she cried.  I asked her why she was crying and why she didn't want to get her hair cut and she told me, "I won't be pretty." It broke my heart, and the guilt set in. She had only seen her daddy and her brother get hair cuts so my guess is that she thought she was going to get a boy cut. I explained to her that it wasn't going to look like the boys and that we needed to cut it because it hurt her a lot when we brushed it. She seemed to relax some. This morning the girl had a completely different attitude...she was so excited to go the the hair salon and get her hair cut! When we got there, we checked in and waited just a couple of minutes until "Wizzy" (as Madelyn calls her...her name is Lizzy lol) came and got her to go back.  

She did SO good while getting her hair washed and while Lizzy cut her hair. I didn't know what Madelyn was saying, but I could hear her chatting away as Lizzy snipped.  I later learned that Madelyn was chit-chatting about the movie Frozen, Valentine's Day, and Halloween. 

 

For the majority of the time, I stayed on the sofa with Ryan. We watched Monsters, Inc. for a bit and then read a book! He was a trooper.

Last but not least.....my punkin's new do! I was super nervous at first but am super pleased with her new style!

I am so proud of Madelyn.  My baby girl is growing up and I absolutely love it.  Yes it's kind of sad that she's not a "baby" anymore, but I can't enjoy what's in front of me now if I'm stuck in the past. I cherish every moment I have had and continue to have with this little beauty. Mommy & Daddy love you to the moon and back!

Thank you to Lizzy and Gloss Hair Studio :)

My Funny Valentine(s)

Let me start off by saying that yesterday was the best Valentine's Day I have ever had!  Every year it gets better and better.  Madelyn and I were up when daddy was leaving to work, and we started working on her little Valentine's Day cards she wanted to give out.  Right now her life is all about the Disney Princesses! We worked on those until we heard little brother stirring around upstairs. I got to thinking...since Madelyn was born, I had only been out to eat with her by ourselves just once.  We went to a local Italian restaurant for lunch one day. I was pretty pregnant with Ryan at the time, so technically he went along as well. So I decided we were going out for breakfast, us three.  We hopped that morning. I admit I was a tad nervous because it was pretty darn busy there at Ihop, and I was outnumbered by two kids that were 3 and under.  I survived. 

I underestimate them so. They're amazing kids - and they're all mine!

We went shopping afterward and then suffered meltdowns.  We made it through though, and much to our surprise, daddy got off early from work and was home when we got back! Daddy helped Ryan do his Monsters Inc. cards, Nana and PawPaw came over and gave the kids some treats, and we prepped for game night with our L.I.F.E. group.

So now for my uber love, Michael!  He's been working like a dog trying to finish all the wood work upstairs that I'm super excited about and can't wait to share pics of! He works so hard, and we are lucky to have him! I kept it simple this year. He got a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates (yum!) and this little message...

...in a place I knew he would find it.

Valentine Bonus!

I like to think I'm a fairly spontaneous person.  I like to try to plan things out at times, but I'm definitely a spur-of-the-moment kinda girl. So last Saturday, my bro-in-law spent the day with us. After a day of defensive driving for me, Chuck E. Cheese for daddy with the kids, and a trip to the mall, we headed home.  That Saturday night was AWESOME! When we got home, we were joined by cousins Moni & Juan, and then my in-laws came over with my sis-in-law Jas. They came to just pick up Matthew, buuuuuuut that SO didn't happen! We stayed up, chatted, crafted, had a few drinks, and some even danced in the middle of the kitchen! It was super fun!! I missed out on the monthly Women of Heart gathering that morning due to having my defensive driving class, so my mother-in-law shared with me the craft that they did! Now that Valentine's Day is over, I think I'm going to hang these in Madelyn's room!

Aren't they the cutest?!

I hope everyone had a great week! Much love to you all and God Bless!

Keeping Up With The Monreals

I actually created this blog when I was pregnant with Madelyn back in 2010.  That's all I did was literally just create it, and from there I drew a big, fat blank!  I was uninspired.  I was basking in my pre-motherly glow and all, but what was I supposed to really write about - stretch marks? This was before Pinterest came along, before Facebook was AS involved, and at a time where Michael and I were adjusting to our life together.  Yes, even 2+ years after we got married, we were STILL adjusting.  In retrospect, that adjustment would've been a darn good topic probably - the ups AND the downs. Ok, so why the blog? Oh yes.......the 'a' word - accountability.  I'm human, this is a busy world, I have a life to live, and I have things to accomplish! I so struggle with that because I procrastinate feel like there aren't enough hours in the day sometimes! The earth could slow a tad and give me just one more hour a day, right? No? Ok.  I always felt like time was against me, when in reality, I was against me. I waste time and there is so much more I can do.  I always have a lot on my plate, especially with 2 growing children to tend to, and I need to get my bottom in gear and get on the ball!  I'm not on top of things.  I scramble to find the 2nd shoe while my son is crying at the door because he's ready to go out and play. I have several large loads of laundry waiting for me as we speak.  I think this blog can actually help give me some direction and be a family journal of sorts.  I need to hold myself accountable to get things done that I want to do! Maybe by actually writing it and seeing it here in all of this black and white goodness, it'll make some sort of a difference.  Maybe this will give me double inspiration because what I accomplish or what we do will inspire me to post on here, and being able to post on here will, in turn, inspire me to do more!  Maybe this is the push I have needed. Maybe I'll even inspire someone else. What should you expect? I'm totally not going to say I'll blog every day.  I'll shoot for once a week minimum.  I haven't designated a "blog day."  I might share a Pinterest project I/we tackle, a week in pictures, something fun we do with the kids... the possibilities are completely endless. But my goal is I.will.shoot.for.once.a.week. I'm definitely aiming for some task-oriented progress posts, especially because Michael and I like to get down and dirty with home improvement projects. Maybe I'll eventually do a house tour like other blogs if I can ever have the entire house clean at one time.  Maybe this will be a cool way to keep in touch with family that I don't get to see or talk to as often as I'd like.  Technology has come way too far not to do so.   So here I am. On a blog. Things to do. A family to take care of.  A life to live.