Busy Busy!

Man, this month was a ride. We started off camping with my parents, then spent a week at a cabin on a lake with Chuck’s parents. On top of all that Chuck was stuck working overtime for weeks, and Monster picked up a stomach bug. We had so much going on I’m still trying to catch up with myself.

Side note: Vacations with small children are NOT like vacations used to be. They are a lot of fun, but the whole relaxation part didn’t quite happens. It’s cool I love seeing my little guy so happy, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

The Babies:

As I mentioned above, Monster got sick toward the end of the month and he’s getting a million teeth all at once, which didn’t help things. He’s a trooper though and we are feeding him some things on the mushier side (read mashed potatoes & purees) until he’s feeling better.

Baby No. 2 is cooking away! He’s growing a lot every day and tiring me right out. This whole thing is really starting to get real, that we will have 2 under 2! It’s going to be wild and messy, but I’m sure so worth it. I can’t wait to hold this sweet little boy.

House & Garden Projects:

Monster has moved into his new room, and his old room has become storage central. So far, he seems to really like it, spending a lot more time than he used to play in his very own room. We are adding a toy storage piece, and a small table and chairs for him soon and then his room will be complete.

It’s dawned on me recently that we are going to have to change a lot of the way that we do things to make it easier for having 2 littles. I recently spent way too much money on baskets and buckets for organizing, and am planning a baby free day in the next couple weeks to get it all done.

We’ve also recently purchased some new furniture, including a larger guest bed, an end table, and a new entry table. Chuck’s $50 yard sale console table from his bachelor-hood is not making the grade anymore. I wanted something Monster wouldn’t be able to reach up onto quite yet, as the keys, mail, wifi, and phone are all kept there, its just too much fun stuff for him.

This is kind of a big deal because we do not buy furniture typically, everything we have is a hand-me-down or yard sale find. Could I have waited to find the right pieces from a yard sale? Yes, but my patience right now, I also didn’t see anything on craigslist or facebook that met my needs and was of similar cost. I mean Wayfair has had some amazing sale recently, and the free delivery is just the icing on the cake. We also got Monster’s play rug in his room there.

The Chickens:

Yep, still bare skinned. Every time I think they are getting better, they start again. I’m wondering if there is just a habit that we now have to break? I just don’t know anymore.

The Podcast:

This month we chatted with Sean Hand of Awkward Networker,  about not only networking at work function but ways to deal with awkward situations at everything from dinner parties to big weddings. If you’re like me and need a few tips to get through that one event your not looking forward to then this one is for you! Check it out now on iTunes, or on gatheringspodcast.com.

Looking Forward:

As most of you know I’m embarking on the #localthirty challenge with Andrew Beamis of Dishing up the Dirt. I’m really excited about the challenge, but interested to see how it works out with our already packed month. I think it’s going to take a lot more planning on my part so I guess we will see.

Stats:

Spent on Groceries in November:

$464.59– A little better than last month, but again, we had a lot of events/trips to buy food for, so I’m pretty happy with my sale shopping skills this month. 

The cost of Garden Supplies 2017:

$162 – This includes all of 2018. Nothing new this month, but we are eating all the tomatoes, cucumbers and some beans from the garden. We finished up the lettuce at the beginning of the month, and pulled the onions.