March Came In Like a Lion and Ended Like a More Ferocious Lion

You know that saying, "March Comes In Like a Lion and Goes Out Like a Lamb?" It wasn't quite accurate here. March was a whirlwind, and on the last day of the month, we were in the emergency room with Lily and her broken arm. To top it off, the month ended with the coldest night we have had in weeks, complete with freezing temps and sleet. Yeah...I'm not falling for that saying!

I have so many posts to publish...SO MANY...but I'll just start with the most recent news. Lily fell victim to the dangers of jumping on a trampoline, and ended up with a fractured elbow. Needless to say, my husband is ready to burn that trampoline! My thought? Kids will be kids and stuff happens!

It definitely wasn't the best way to kick off Spring Break, but thanks to our l o n g night at the hospital, all of our kids started their Spring Break one day early. We didn't get home until early morning, and none of the kids slept long enough.  So here we are, shivering from the sudden return of Winter, physically and mentally exhausted, and REALLY hoping that April is going to be kind! Here's the scoop on the second broken bone in our crew...

Making Life Easier One Shoe at a Time with Xpand

*We received the following product free in exchange of our honest review.

When you have a big family, there is a LOT to juggle! There is no extra time, so any second saved is precious. I'm always looking for ways to save time (and energy), so I was thrilled to discover a time-saving product - Xpand!  

With Xpand, you never have to tie your shoes again! I love the concept behind this product, especially for Liam. We love them so much that we're replacing ALL of our laces with Xpand laces!

Putting on shoes is so much easier these days. It truly does save me time, and is much less stressful! And if you have little kids or a child who has extra needs, Xpand is a must have!

Happy 14th Birthday, Alexandria Elizabeth!

On February 22nd, our sweet Lexie celebrated her 14th Birthday! I can't believe how fast she is growing up. (All of our kids are growing up too fast!) We shut down just a few weeks after her 13th birthday, and never got to have a party, and she had another pandemic birthday this year. We tried to make her day as "normal" and as fun as possible!

Her day was filled with our usual birthday traditions, a trip to Starbucks, lots of presents, dinner at a restaurant, and a mini party with my parents. She also got to skip school, too, which is a favorite tradition! It *almost* felt like an ordinary birthday!

We try to make birthdays extra special for our kids. Social distancing definitely got in the way of some of our traditions, but we made the most of it. Lexie was smiling all day, and said she had a great birthday! Here's how we celebrated her special day...

March 2021 Goals

Happy March! I can't believe we're already into the third month of 2021. The year is going smoothly so far, and I'm trying to live in the moment, and focus on my word of the year - Togetherness!

February was a really good month. We got a puppy, we celebrated Valentine's Day, and we celebrated Lexie's 14th Birthday. The month started off cold and snowy, then we eventually got a taste of Spring. I actually enjoyed Winter this year, but I'm officially ready for the longer days and warmer weather! 

Although I'm not obsessing over them, I am still going strong with my goals for the year. I set goals to find small ways to improve my life. Sometimes I realize my goals work, and sometimes changes need to be made. Overall,  I have learned to give myself grace when I inevitably fail at one of those goals, and just try again! Baby steps, my friends! 

Our Family Grew By Four Feet

Spoiler Alert: This is not a pregnancy announcement, because four more human feet would just be a LOT! Two weeks ago, however, we did welcome a new baby into the family. It just so happens to be a 2.5 pound Shorkie puppy named Beyonce Moira Rose Bader Ginsburg!

Up until recently, we didn't intend on getting another puppy. We already had 5 kids, an English Mastiff, a cat, an indoor rabbit, 2 hermit crabs, and 2 snails. I always had 2 dogs until my chihuahua passed away almost a decade ago, and I was starting to think about getting a second dog. 

A few months ago, my sister thought her English Mastiff was pregnant, so I began suggesting we get one of the puppies so that Ella, our English Mastiff, would have a companion. We love giant breeds, but Grant wasn't too thrilled about the idea of another giant dog in our already crowded house. It turned out my sister's dog had a pseudo-pregnancy, and I was bummed, but a new opportunity was quickly handed to us!

An Easy-To-Make Valentine's Day Snack Board Everyone will LOVE

I received Love Corn for free from Moms Meet to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.

It's Valentine's Day Weekend, and we are here for it! Just like every pandemic holiday over the past year, we don't have big plans, but we do everything we can to make the holiday special at home. Tonight, we're having a Valentine's Day themed dinner with our very small quarantine crew, and this AMAZING Valentine's Day Snack Board will be making an appearance!

I have been a fan of charcuterie boards for a while, and I finally upgraded our tiny board to a large tray. It holds so much more, which is essential for a big family, and it doesn't spill when I'm carrying it to the table. Heart-shaped pizza and heart-shaped pasta is on the menu this weekend, but who doesn't love a snack board full of sweets?!? I did throw a few good-for-you snacks into the mix, because balance is everything! 

This is my first attempt at a snack board full of sweets, and I think everyone is going to love it. Typically I fill the snack board full of healthy foods and snacks, but special occasions call for special treats. Too much sweetness isn't always a good thing, so I had to add in some delicious salty snacks for variety. I can't wait to dig in, and I know my kids are going to flip over it, so I think it's going to be a huge hit!

Aldi Aisle of Shame Finds of the Week

Once upon a time, I was afraid of Aldi. People would tell me how good it was, but change scared me, and it just didn't appear to be worth it. A best friend finally dragged me in one day, and I was hooked!

At first, I just stopped in to buy gluten-free food for Liam, but soon I was purchasing snacks. I realized I was saving SO MUCH MONEY, so I tried buying all of my groceries at Aldi one day, and we discovered that we loved everything. Once I grew comfortable with shopping at Aldi, I discovered the Aldi Aisle of Shame!

The Aldi Aisle of Shame is so popular that there are Facebook groups devoted to it. If you don't know what I mean, just venture into an Aldi one day, and look for their Special Buys section. They go so quickly, so act fast if you see something you like! I shop at Aldi every week, and most weeks, I just leave with 1 or 2 items from the Aldi AOS, but this week, I brought home an Aldi Haul!

The January Wrap Up

January was filled with worry and waiting, so I'm glad it's behind us! There were good moments, but life last month was very overwhelming. Thankfully, it ended well, which is the only thing that matters!

I headed into 2021, hoping to recap each week on the blog, like I used to do before life became too busy. I started the year strong, but a a week later, I gave up! So here I am, wrapping up 3 weeks in one post. Maybe I'll get back on track one day...

So here's to January. Lots of worry, lots of waiting, a surgery, a recovery, weekday runs, cold days, cute puppies, back to school, and a whole bunch of snow! It really does help to look back on the month, and see all the good that could be found in each day!

SWOOC Games - Supporting Small Shops

*I received product in exchange for my honest opinion.

Welcome to my new Supporting Small Shops blog series! I love supporting small shops and companies, and it's more important now than ever before. I already have a few great shops lined up for the series, as well as some fun upcoming giveaways, so stay tuned!

This idea has been going through my mind for a few years, but I just haven't taken the time to implement it until now. Most of the products I review never make it to the blog. I only share things I genuinely love and would recommend here, but most of the time they get added to a roundup post. I'm so excited to share more of the small shops I love!

Today, I'm kicking off the series with SWOOC games. I worked with SWOOC Games years ago, and I was so impressed by the quality of their product. We had so much fun playing Yardzee over the years, so I was excited when they reached out to me to ask if we wanted to review another game. Of course, I immediately said yes, because it is a company I proudly stand behind and recommend to others!

Our New Favorite Birthday Tradition

Last year, Lexie and Coen's birthdays fell days before the pandemic made our world shut down. We were able to celebrate their birthdays, but had to put their birthday parties on hold. Lily had been hoping for a big birthday party with her friends, because she had never had a party with classmates due to having a Summer birthday, but as August 3rd approached, we knew it wasn't going to happen. She was so diappointed, so we decided to come up with a fun alternative!

On Lily's 9th birthday, our new favorite family birthday tradition began! We tackled our usual birthday traditions, then after Grant finished work for the day, we loaded into the car, dropped off our dog at my parent's house, and took the party to a hotel with a swimming pool. Thanks to lack of travel during the pandemic, we had the entire hotel to ourselves!

We had such a great time that we decided that it needs to be a permanent tradition! Once a year around Dylan's birthday, once between Lexie and Coen's birthdays (14 days apart), and once between Lily and Liam's birthdays (15 days apart). I thought it would be fitting to share our new favorite tradition on Lily's half birthday!