Andddd We’re Going to the Playoffs!

Took the kids to a Braves game last night [I will admit that I don’t follow baseball that closely nor do I know all the do’s and don’ts] I just love the atmosphere of the game…plus daddy enjoys watching them play! 

Mas had a great time, we took him up to the very top of the stadium where they have a kid’s area set up and he can run the bases which he enjoyed absolutely loved! 

Nash was just the cutest thing, I had him locked and loaded in his sling on my chest so he was just in “awe” of all the sights and sounds going on around him. 

Best part of the game is of course that we WON! Looks like the Braves are heading to the playoffs. We got tickets for Friday night as well plus the boys will get to see the fireworks Friday, it will be Nash’s first experience with fireworks…this should be interesting...

Nash’s First Pro Soccer Game!

We had so much fun last night at the Silverbacks game in Atlanta! It was Nash’s first pro soccer game and Mason’s second one! It was super cute to see Mas cheering along with the “extreme” fans and Nash’s was trying his best to “coo” as loud as he could! Tickets were $12 each but that got us front row, parking was easy and accessible and they even had some really good looking/smelling food! We will definitely be going back for another game when their season starts again…best part about the night, we won!

It was great for Mas to watch, now that he is in soccer he was really getting into the game and understood for the most part what the players were doing out on the field. He would even yell out sometimes if a player “squished the bug” as they call it at soccer practice. We were trying to explain to him that it is okay to steal the ball from the other team, that is how you play…I think sometimes we have almost done TOO GOOD of a job in his sharing skills because during his soccer game he just gives the ball away to any kid that runs up to it! We’re working on his competitive spirit!

Oh yea…and it also gave Nash the excuse to rock out his Mohawk! 

ABC's & 123's

Our son Mason just turned 4 in August and like most 4 year olds he is feeling like a big shot now, he has been asking us when he will be starting school and if he will be able to ride the school bus. My husband and I decided that we would like to home school him for the first couple of years and then re-evaluate to make sure that he is not falling behind in any areas. Needless to say Mas was a little disappointed that he will not be riding the bus anytime soon but we think this is the best thing for him at this point in time. I have been doing some research on different home school programs including the Abeka program which is supposedly the best. That will most likely be the one we go with but it does not have a Pre-K course program so I thought I would shared another online program I found for 2 to 5 year olds whether you are planning home schooling or public school it provides a great foundation of basics for any toddler!  It is not a Christian base course like Abeka but it really is a great tool that you should check out if you have any toddlers in your household.

It’s called ABCmouse.com and Mas really enjoys it! He sometimes will ask to do lessons multiple times throughout the day! It is a fun and interactive online learning program covering the basics from shapes, letters and numbers to the more comprehensive studies like reading and grammar. It also has a reward system for him so he has prizes to work towards. The online program is set up like a classroom with different levels which contain different lessons for him to go over, the lessons are set up as games so he is completely entertained and learning at the same time! Best part is that he is also learning computer skills [which we all know nowadays is a MUST] he has no problem opening up the laptop, getting to the site and logging into his classroom.

Another great feature on the site is the parent center which monitors his progress in detail, it list out in percentages his strengths and areas that he may need to work on. It also allows you to see if he has skipped any lessons or if he left any incomplete. It will also provide you with suggestions on areas to focus on with him and tip/tricks for offline activities you can do to help him better understand a certain lesson. It will also give you a recommendation on the level he is at and where he should be performing at as well. It is definitely a great program to check out for toddlers, it really kind of bridges the gap between just being at home playing all day to now setting aside time to sit and learn!

Brushin' Up on my Skills!

Okay…in all seriousness I know that I am not the best cook, mainly because I never try. It was just something that never interested me, but since having my son I just feel a little guilty now not knowing how to cook. I mean he isn’t even eating real meals yet and I already feel like I should be able to cook him a hearty homemade dinner! So I decided to start practicing now [which I know my husband is grateful for] and I have been busy pinning different recipes to my Pinterest to try. Here is how my first real attempt at this went….

I thought I would start off with a crock pot meal [how much easier could you get, right?] very little room for error. I found this great recipe online for Southwestern Two Bean Chicken. Now, my husband LOVES everything to be as spicy as possible [I hate spicy food with a passion] and then of course we need to keep my 4 year old in mind because he can be a picky eater. Needless to say I had to “tweak” the recipe a bit, here’s what I ended up using to make a happy medium with all the different taste pallets of my family.

4 Raw, Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 8 oz. each)

1 Can of Pinto Beans (rinsed and drained)

1 Can of Black Beans (rinsed and drained)

1 Can of Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies (just adds a little bit of spice)

1lb Frozen Corn

1 (12 oz) Jar of Salsa (I used the Wal-Mart brand Lime & Garlic) 

I placed the chicken breasts on the bottom of my crock pot then poured the tomatoes and salsa on top. Next I added the beans and corn. I cooked this on high for about 6 hours, the chicken literally shreds itself and as an added bonus the house smelled delicious!

I cooked up some brown rice to serve it over and it was so yummy [and easy]! My 4 year old ate the entire bowl I gave him and I got the thumbs up from my husband to make it again [although as always he added that it could have been even more spicy]! Yea…maybe next time keep dreamin’! Thinking about trying this great chicken pot pie recipe next and kinda excited about it! Will let you know how it turns out!

Weekends on a Budget!

Family time is so important to both my husband and I, that was one of the things that attracted me to him. But I know that nowadays things are so expensive even just going out to dinner as a family can end up costing an arm and a leg! We are a Dave Ramsey family, we follow and believe in his financial advice, budget forms and have now created a solid foundation for our family when it comes to our finances. So, we strive to find family friendly activities that won't break the bank! Most people for good reason don't believe that can be done! But just to prove you can have some great family time on a minimum budget I wanted to share with you how we shared our weekend together!   

Don't forget about the Drive-In! It is a great American pass time for a good reason, it's fun! Our 4 year loves to grab a pizza and camp out at the Drive-In for a movie. Our routine for our movie nights is to stop by Little Caesar Pizza [$5 bucks for a pizza and no wait]! If you don't have a Little Caesar's near you then check for carry out specials, I know Domino's has a $5.99 carry out special. Then we swing by the gas station to pick up a beverage for each of us and then it's onto the Drive-In! 

Also, don't forget to ask for a discount! Especially if you or your husband serves the community in some way. Since my husband is a fire fighter, we only pay $1 per person in the vehicle instead of the regular price of $7 per person. So, make sure you ask because you never know what they may offer! Most places offer some sort of discount for veterans, public service or hospital employees. Mason of course wanted to see ParaNorman so with our pizza and chairs we set up "camp" for the movie! Best part about the Drive-In is that it can also double as a date night for my husband and I! The kids movies are usually shown first so by the time their movie is over they are ready for bed. Once both kids are passed out we get comfy and get to spend some time together watching a nice non cartoon movie! By the end of the night we had spent a total of $16.00 which included pizzas, drinks and two new release movies! That was our Friday night, not bad for a family of four!

Saturday was a bright new day! Slightly tired from the late night at the Drive-In but feeling pretty good overall! It was all about the park, the weather was perfect! There were a few things we needed to pick up for the week [baby food, diapers etc] we like to pick up those sort of things along with toilette's from our local flea market. The products are just as good as the store brands and we save a good amount of money on the day to day stuff! Just always make sure to check the expiration dates and that all items are properly sealed. Anyhow onto the park, we spent a nice afternoon at the local park which has a nice bike path surrounding it for Mason to ride his bike on! 

Best part about playing at the park, riding bikes and enjoying the great weather...it's free! Needless to say once we got home both kids passed out! We had a great weekend and we don't feel guilty about over spending on anything! 

Nash's Harbor!

Obviously since Nash is six months old his nursery has been done for a while now [I was actually so excited I finished the nursery before I even knew if he was a boy or not] but I have a lot of friends who are pregnant or are trying so I just figured I would just post some pictures for ideas!

Love my accent wall!

I knew from the moment I found out that I was pregnant that I wanted to do a nautical theme nursery. I grew up on the beach and it just seems so calming to me, perfect for a baby! I had seen some different accent walls with this technique and I knew that I wanted to try it! I wish I would have taken some before photos but this was the end product and I am in love with it!

I think this will also be a great room for him to grow into, the mixture of light/dark blue makes it not feel overly "babyish" which is what we we're going for. Both my husband and I are not a fan of over the top cuteness that some nurseries can give off. I like a very clean mature look. 

My husband did an amazing job of finding tons of nautical themed decor mainly off Craigslist and yard sales! The dresser and side table with storage are both from Ikea. The tall white chest is a piece I have had for years that I found at a small consignment furniture shop. I still have a million ideas of things I want to add to this space and eventually one day I will but with a teething six month old plus a full time job it definitely won't be happening anytime soon! For now Nash really does seem to enjoy the space so if he's not in a rush to make changes then I guess I'm not either!

Mas is 4 Years Old!

Our sweet Mas turned the BIG 4 [per Mas this is the age that now makes him a kid and not a baby anymore] on August 28th! His "girl" friend Ashlyn also celebrates her birthday in August, they were born just two days apart at the same hospital. So, we decided it would be fun to do a joint birthday party to celebrate! Thank god for Georgia summers! We were able to rent a bounce house/water slide combo from this great local company Wow Inflatables which we set up right in our front yard. 

We were kinda being a little cheap this year as far as the "fixin's" go...is it just me or is there nothing more frustrating then planning a party, inviting guest, accepting their RSVP's and then only HALF the people show up! Meanwhile, you are left with all this food and I don't know about you but I'm not the biggest fan of leftovers and could really do without them! So, we decided that we were only going to do cupcakes, one big cookie cake, some drinks and chips to snack on. I found this wonderful recipe on Pinterest [yes. I may be slightly addicted to it] for Orange Crush Soda cupcakes and they were aMazing! 

Ashlyn's mom and good friend to our family Rachel also made strawberry shortcake cupcakes which were also a diet killer if I ever tasted one! We also rushed over to Wal-Mart just before the party started and grabbed a small cookie cake just in case we ran out of cupcakes.

We pretty much just let the kids go wild on the inflatable and with the beautiful weather we had all day and no injuries to report it was really the best party we could have hoped for! A few folded tables set up under our big tree for shade, large white blanket spread out in the yard for gifts and a slight breeze in the air kinda gave the whole party a picnic kind of feel!

What a great celebration we had! Thank you to Rachel & Robert Hallman [Ashlyn's mommy and daddy] for letting us combine the birthday parties! I know Mas and Ashlyn has such a good time together. Can't wait to see what next year will bring! I am sure the older he gets the more expensive it will become especially as his interests change. I can still remember the Thomas the Train party we had for him last year, he doesn't even mention Thomas anymore! It is amazing how quickly they move on to the next thing, but I guess that's also what makes it so interesting as well! 

The Harris Family!

With all the new changes in mine and my family's life either occurring now or on the horizon I figured what better way to chronicle all of our adventures then to try out this whole "blogging" thing! I think this will be a great platform to share stories, milestones, interests, decor designs, tip/tricks and all kind of other fun things that help me day to day! So, let's give this a try and see where it goes!

To start let me introduce you to my wonderful family! My amazing husband Vince, he is my rock. We married on January 1st 2011 [beside the birth of my son, best day of my life]. He works as a fire fighter/EMT for our county and is also home schooling Mason [my 4 year old step son].

I am also a proud step-mom to Vincent Mason Harris [we call him Mas] he is the best thing to ever happen to me! I was not a big fan of other people's children before I met him and even more not a fan of the idea that I would one day have children. But he just stole my heart from the start! He just turned 4 years old and he is the sweetest kid you will ever meet! He is so smart, caring and kind not a mean bone in his body! It's funny because I always tell my husband that I fell in love with Mas before I fell in love with him!

Next came Nash [Vincent Nash Harris] born February 29th 2012, the absolute light of my life! My little snuggle bug was the missing piece that has now completed our little family [for now anyways]! He is just so smart and funny, growing and learning new things everyday! I cannot imagine my life without him in it, this coming from the gal who vowed to never have children! Oh what I would have missed out on if I had stuck to that plan!

In a nutshell that is my family, I am so blessed to have them with me everyday! I count my lucky stars that I have the opportunity to grow and learn with them and I can't wait to see what amazing things our futures hold together!