Paint a pot

As we approached the week of spring break I became a little trepidatious about what on earth we would do to fill 5 totally open unstructured days (3 of them with daddy gone on top of it). So, we ended up getting creative and doing some things we had never done together. We went to the library for kindermusic and to get books (yep, bad mom...never took them to the library. After a couple bad Barnes N Noble adventures I was a little phobic of two kids in a huge building with stacks of books all put in a particular place), we had a picnic in the cold with friends (see the Busscher Blog for pics!) and we went to paint a pot.

Paint a Pot was a little bit of a gamble as I wasn't sure how long it would capture their attention and how crazy messy they would get so Nana came along for assistance and the girls had a blast! They started off with a little color here, a sunshine there, but by the end there were 40+ layers of paint in every shade known to man! They painted for at least an hour and still weren't ready to pack up. At the end, I traced their hands on the plates by scraping paint off with the back of a paintbrush.

As you can see they were both very proud of their work! I'll post the final product once we pick them up :)

I also took them with me to my 16wk checkup for the baby where they got to hear the heartbeat with me. It was fun to see their reactions and how excited they were! :) For those who like to guess based on heartbeat, it was 150bpm.

Turning 30

Yep, its finally here, the day I enter my 30's :) Truly, not one that has bothered me really. I know its considered a "Big One" but as I'm nearly the youngest in my groups of friends, it never really had the impact on me that I think it would have if I'd have been the first to hit that milestone. The only weird thing for me is that I have very vivid memories of my mom's 30th birthday party, so remembering this and realizing that now I'M the one whose 30 is a little trippy.

That being said, it really was one of the best birthdays yet...I celebrated with my girls and hubby on Thursday night. Brad had taken the girls to get all the party supplies and he did an awesome job of letting them choose, even though what they chose may not have been what he would have. We had princess plates picked by Anabelle and Dora napkins picked by Sabrina. We made belgian waffles (after a couple false starts) and had a cake and ice cream. The girls painted pictures for me and had bought me cards that they picked put on their own and decorated. They were so beautiful because they fit them perfectly :) Brad surprised me with new camera flash and the news that we'd be spending the night in GR at the JW Marriott the next night and having dinner at Louis Benton's. I spent my Birthday Day shopping with my mom and having lunch with she and Kate. It was a relaxing day without kiddos thanks to Brads Parents! Our mini trip to GR was Fantastic and I could not have wished for a better way to spend my day. Sunday was another party with my family and delicious home cooked meal from my mommy. Nothing better!




I feel so blessed to be thirty and have the friends and family around me that I do. I'm so thankful for my sweet girls and the newest little one on the way. Each of them is such a gift. I'm so lucky to be able to say that at 30, I have been with my Hubby for half of my life now and could not imagine a day without him. He is more than I could have dreamed and the perfect calm to my crazy :) Heres to another 30 to come!

Ft. Meyers and Port Charlotte

Last week we headed out on our first big family adventure to Florida. Most days I am a natural procrastinator, but seeing as traveling with two small kids was novel to us, I actually tried to get my act together ahead of time and pack over a period of days. I got some great advice from friends and family and when the big day came, we left with one big case and two carryon bags for the four of us and two backpacks with "plane entertainment". Amazingly we had everything we needed and nothing more! :) The girls talked for weeks in advance about going on a plane and were super excited. They did great both ways! Sabrina even cried when we landed because she was sad to "get back to the Earth".

The girls and I on the plane enjoying modern technology :)

When we got to the Pink Shell, it was late (10PM!) but the girls were so excited we took a quick tour of the pool and the hotel and then to our room There were two kissing swans in the master bedroom and the girls got quite a kick of this and they inspired lots of canoodling and giggling.

Each morning we would head down for the breakfast buffet. Great food and lots to choose from.

Our days then were filled with lathering up with sunscreen and heading down to the pools or beach. They had so much fun in the water and meeting other kids. Sabrina even perfected her "cannonball!"

The old folks looking on :)

A couple of family shots...


After pur time at the Pink Shell, we headed to Port Charlotte where Brads Grandma lives. We spent the night there and the girls had so much fun with Grandma Gert feeding turtles in the canal, playing with her beanie babies, reading books and playing Uncle Wiggly. Such special time getting to know Grandma better!

The last day we came back to Ft. Meyers to catch or plane but had a couple hours to spare and ended up at My Aunt Jans condo with My Aunt Lisa, Cousin Corrin and her friend Erika. The girls got to spend some time in the pool one last time and got tons of fun play time :) Perfect way to get some energy out before the long ride back home!


The weather the whole time was perfection and it was great to have some time away from "real life". It was so "easy" with kids 4 and 2 1/2. It was a good reminder to soak up all the fun this summer with them as things will become more complicated in September with a new little one to integrate into the family schedule :) Don't get me wrong, we are so excited for this little addition, but we do rememer what having a newborn is like...and being outnumbered will be a new adventure. :)

Our 2011 Valentine

Green cleaning

I dont claim to be one who has been super into the "green" revolution. I know it may not be cool to say that, but if I'm truthful, it seems like alot of extra work for a mom of two busy little ones (YEP...i'm full of excuses here). But, recently, I have been thinking more about the health of my kids. Not just the day to day health (colds and flu, etc.), but their long term health (the big stuff).
You see, cancer is all over my family tree and My Bro in law is currently putting up a fight against the awful C-word. (Please pray for him this week as it is surgery week!...for more see Durham Diary on the right)
I also have family who battle multiple chemical sensitivity (in a nutshell, the body has been overdosed with toxins and "reacts" to even minimal exposure to everyday chemicals).
Both of these things combined have gotten me to think about what I'm exposing my girls, myself, and Brad to on a day to day basis. Have you ever sprayed cleaner in your shower and then gone to scrub and practically choked on the mist? It just cannot be a good thing to be sucking that down, right?
So, after a little research I have decided to begin to clean green. Not just buying "green" stuff from the store that still has chemicals in it...but really cleaning with things I have around the house or with concoction I make on my own. I know this will be a process of trial and error, but I feel like its worth it. I'm planning to keep anyone who is interested updated on my findings on here!

Week 1: So my first step was to get organized. I found an app for my phone called green shine that breaks down every room/surface in your house and give suggestions for what to use! Also i went and bought some empty spray bottles to put my mixtures in. I made sure to find ones with spaces to label them with what its for and what it contains for easy refilling.

My first two surfaces to try were mirrors and tile floors.

For mirrors: create a solution of 50/50 water and white distilled vineger. spray on mirrors and wipe off. It also suggests to use newspaper instead of papertowel as it lets off no "fuzz". I didnt have any lying around that day so i used paper towel this time but will try newspaper next time and let you know how it goes!

Review: Very effective! Got the mirrors super clean, no more scrubbing than usual. The vinegar smell is definately there, but not unbearable!

For Tile floors: fill bucket with warm water, a couple drops of dish soap, and 3oz of vinegar. Wipe and dry floor!

Review: it worked fine, no strong smell. On one tile it left a little residue, but the other three...no issue whatsoever. I'll keep tweaking this one!

more to come!

Let me know if you have any green techniques to share or if you try these out!

Christmas Card 2010

Great Wolf Lodge

A couple weeks ago, there was some time off of school so Brad and I took the girls to Great Wolf Lodge. Truthfully, its always been fun, this time was the most fun we've had there yet! The girls were able to do all the slides and were excited to do so! We got to do more as a family and didnt just stay in the kiddie areas! They also had trick or treating and a costume contest for the kiddos which we took full advantage of!