Little Okie Homestead

So we have been living in limbo for the past couple months. We weren't sure where the hubby was going to be working or what state we were going to be living in and I was hating the feeling of uncertainty. Finally I had enough and we made the tough decision that we have been putting off for close to 5 years now. We will be moving...out of Colorado...probably forever :( It's a sad feeling mixed with some excitement. We've put this move off for years because I didn't want to move our boys away from my parents. I loved having a very close relationship with my grandparents and I want the same for my boys however God just seems to have other plans for us. So it's time to move from the city to the country! I think the most exciting aspect of this move is that our boys will go from living in an apartment in the city to having 2 acres to play on! What boy wouldn't love that? Not to mention that these 2 acres will be shared with their cousins who also happen to be bo...

I have been suffering with seasonal threats lately with spring here and the warmer weather and I have been miserable. I'm not sleeping because I'm so stuffed up and blowing my nose all night. Then during the day I'm sneezing like crazy and I have a hard time getting through the day doing anything productive. Yesterday during Easter I finally had enough! I don't take medication for these spring times because I try to use only natural remedies so I was just suffering through it. I decided I had enough so I thought it was time to figure out a natural way to help. So this is what I found that works the best and the an added benefit is that you can buy the  Introductory Kit with CD   or  Beginner's Trio from   doTerra with these three oils. (You have to scroll down the page to find them on the kit page). Here's how I use it. I put one drop lemon, one drop lavender, and one drop peppermint on the palm of my hand. Then I rub my hands together and cup it over ...

We've gone through different times where Monkey helps me more around the house than other times. It normally depends on the season of life we are in. Being pregnant and exhausted all the time with Goose made my rely on Monkey to do more himself even though he was young. Well now he's 5 years old and I think it's time that he has his everyday responsibilities to help out around the house. We had a good system a few months back with a morning, lunch and evening routine but it fizzled out because our routine changed and I never got the booklets updated. I headed over to pinterest to look up some ideas and as always there were plenty to chose from. Of course some won't work because of age and reading level. Others won't work because I'm not going to put that much effort into making something for chores, at least not until I know it works for our family. First some of the contenders if I ever feel like I want to be an overachiever. I love this char...

I have many things that I would like to accomplish this summer so I thought it would be a good idea to create a summer bucket list for myself! This way my goals are right there for me to see and to check off as I complete them. PERSONAL SUMMER BUCKET LIST Y Walk everyday Y Teach   Y Play with the Kids Y VOLUNTEER Y EAT HEALTHY MEALS Y have fun    Y Complete my first 5K Y Plan Family Activities Y weekly library trips   Y Read 5 Books Y Move Y BBQ    Y GO TO A BASEBALL GAME   Y Reach half way to weight loss goal Y Date Night with Hubby Y FAMILY GAME NIGHT  Y be in the WORD daily Do you have any personal goals that you are setting for yourself over the summer? I love to hear about them or post your link and I will stop by and read your bucket list!

As I lay here on the floor watching my almost six month wiggle and babble as he reaches for his toys and is starting to do the beginning movements to start crawling I'm reminded of how fast time flies by! I feel like it wasn't that long ago when I was nine months pregnant and feeling tired and ready to meet our new little addition to our family. Now that sweet little baby boy that joined us in July is wanting to crawl, eat and developing quite a different personality than his brother! It reminds me of the advice I received so many times when I was expecting our first baby... "Enjoy every moment! It will go by so fast!" They all were right! That first baby of ours is now almost four years old and I have no idea where the time went. Today and everyday enjoy special time with each baby of yours!

With the new year here I can't help but think about the things that I so desperately need to change in my daily life. Things that I just can't put off any longer and just need to do. No "New Years Resolutions" here because who ever sticks to those anyway. What I'm talking about is honest life changing behavior that I need to do for myself and for my family! Here's my list that I plan to incorporate throughout the next few weeks and months! A daily schedule for myself (including weekends!)  Getting up at 5 am (or whenever Pilot wakes up to nurse close to that time) Work out Scripture Reading Making sure Hubby gets breakfast in the morning and has a lunch to take to work with him Start more structured/planned learning for Monkey I can't put this off any longer. Before I know it we will have to start kindergarten, 1st grade...and right now I'm so not prepared for any of it. No motivation to plan activities or to them carry them out. I'm s...

We all have our secrets but homemakers, housewives, whatever you want to call us are sometimes in a league of our own! We have the perception that we sit around and eat bonbons all day, (man I wish that was true)  but we are normally very busy raising our little ones and sometimes secrets just come with that terriorty. But today on  Growing Up Geeky 's Toddle Along Tuesday we are sharing some of those secrets with you. Come along and share with us what you keep from everyone about your daily life ;) Showers have become a luxury and not a routine of everyday! The times that I get to shower when Hubby is home I take loooong showers whether I hear the baby crying or not. I think I deserve it after a long day and I think he deserves to care for a crying baby once in a while. I love that my boys are on the same schedule for nap time! Why is that a confession? Because I don't mind staying up until 11 or 12 with him until he goes to bed at night. I don't ...

Now that Goose is 4 months old I've been thinking about all the things that I was able to do with Monkey that just hasn't happened with Goose. Having two kids takes up a bunch of time! I'm sure that you know that if you are a parent to more than one child. I never really have a down moment because someone always wants my attention but there are also so many things that I want to do with both of them. There just isn't enough time in the day. So here are some things that Goose is missing out on and goals that I hope will help prevent it from continuing. Things Goose is missing out on: Reading stories Having a schedule Sleeping in his own bed One on one time with Mama Goals to help prevent this from happening: Get Goose on a schedule that works for the whole family Set up a bedtime routine Get him use to sleeping in his own bed Read more stories with and without Monkey Create one on one time with both boys weekly How have you figured out sharing time ...

Monkey is really into bug and everything that has to do with nature. We spend days at the Butterfly Pavilion learning about new bugs and creatures. He also loves spending time outside looking at bugs and watching the bees. He can't get enough. Step Gently Out by Helen Frost and Rick Lieder is great in supporting this passion. They have taken great photos that are close up of the different bugs and turned them into a nice calm story about nature.  This was one of my favorite books to read to Monkey before bedtime because it set a very peaceful tone which is always helpful when you have a rambunctious 3 year old on your hands.  I would recommend this book to anyone that has children but especially the ones that have children that love bugs. I plan to add this to our permanent collection in the near future. 

This is our family bassinet that turns 70 years old this year! Crazy to think that it has been around this long! My Grandma's uncle made it when she was pregnant with my uncle. So far there have been many family members that have spent there first months of life sleeping in here. I'm love having something like this for my boys to sleep in! FAVORITE PICTURES OF MONKEY IN OUR BASSINET Monkey didn't get to sleep in it much because he was on the blue lights for so long but we have a few pictures FAVORITE PICTURES OF GOOSE IN OUR BASSINET 

Now that we have settled in and had a month to adjust and bond to having Pilot here I'm ready to get all the pictures we have taken over the last month up to share with you all. So where else to start but the first bath! He loved it! He just laid there and hung out!  (Really he's not crying. He's yawning in this picture.) He loved this part too! He might just be a water bug like Rex is! "Just chillin' out getting my hair done" Tough day at the spa ;)

Goose met a lot of people within the first 2 days of life. So many people couldn't wait for him to come out so they could hold and cuddle him. Grandma (my mom) was there through the whole thing. She was the one taking pictures during birth. After things settled down a bit we called my dad and asked him to get Monkey up and bring him down so he could meet his brother. He was so excited to get to the hospital to see him. We were excited to see that he was smiling and wanted to see him and touch him.  Hubby helped Monkey up on the bed and we unwrapped Goose so Monkey could understand that he was a baby and not just a head. He looked him over and then asked about his belly button. We just said that it was just a little blood and it was getting better. Popa (my dad) was very excited to hold him. He is a great popa and enjoys having his grandkids around. Just a cute picture I had to throw in the mix. He's just adorable and looks like h...