Hello lovelies! I wanted to share some fall scented products that I love! First of all, I LOVE fall! I love the smells, the weather, the fact that you can start to wear cute fall clothes like boots, scarves, and sweaters. I love Halloween and Thanksgiving, and I love fall decor! As far as fall scents, my favorites are sweeter scents, but I think my all-time favorite has to be apple! I love pumpkin as well, but this year I've become obsessed with everything apple.  It seems that most stores are open now, with limited capacities, but online has eben ooming for a lot of businesses! So if you still don't feel comfortable going out to buy things, I will have links to all the products I'm recommending. Since COVID-19 hit, all stores have been completely out of a lot of cleaning products. I used to clean with Clorox or Lysol wipes, but haven't even seen any since March! I've been hearing a lot about natural cleaning products that are safer for families and pets and use ess...

Hello beautiful people! I hope you are all doing well despite the craziness that is 2020.  I wanted to pass a little motivation, fun, and structure to your homeschool preschool routine if you have decided to homeschool your children!  I know there are many preschools closed at the moment which is frustrating, especially when you’re working from home and you just want a little peace and quiet while you work. Unfortunately, this post isn’t going to make working easier... but it will help your children feel like they are doing something fun, and you will get the satisfaction of knowing they are still learning, not just sitting in front of the TV! Background   Rafael is 3, and while the 2-year-old and Pre-K classes were my favorites when I taught, I also had the most experience in them. So it has been a bit of a learning curve for me to figure out how to teach the transitional class—the 3-year-olds.  Rafael is very smart; he knows the letters, letter sounds, numbers, and...

As most of you know, COVID has been hard on all parents, especially trying to work and try to supervise your children while they’re in school. Some families are choosing virtual or online learning, some are choosing to homeschool.  Since Rafael is 3, he doesn’t technically need schooling. But as a former preschool teacher I love to have some hands on activities, learning time, circle time, and just some fun things to do while we’re all stuck at home.  This particular day, a Wednesday, I decide to give Rafael some letter stamps. We have the stamps and the ink pad that comes with it. Kiara is a little too young to play with it so I put Rafael on the kitchen table so she won’t get into it.  Rafael’s having a great time, Kiara’s playing in the living room with her toys and having a great time.  Of course, in perfect timing, and just like my life is, I need to use the restroom. And not the fast type of restroom visit.  So I leave the door open as most parents do when...

I’m putting away the dishes and see Kiara in the corner of my eye trying to climb into the dishwasher.  “Kiara!” I grab her and put her into the playpen. She begins to cry, of course. I turn around and Rafael is opening the markers and about to color on the wall. “No, Rafael! Only on paper!” I grab them in the nick of time. He runs into the living room to find something else to get into. It’s times like these when I close my eyes, and try to stay calm. I hear Kiara crying and Rafael making some banging noise in the living room. It’s like, for some reason, I can’t handle it. Those two extremely small things make me go crazy on the inside. But it’s because it’s not just those two things. It’s that on top of my to-do list for the day, work thoughts, problems in my personal life, and I feel drained. I feel like I have no one to help me, and no one to talk to. Any other moms feel like this?  I finish what I’m doing and decide to just take the time to play with the kids. I take...

I am somewhat of a Type A person. I like routines, schedules, and everything planned. At the same time I also hate being so rigid about things because I just want to live my life! But I've realized as being a wife, a mom, working, and trying to keep up with the house and meals that there is a need for schedules and such.  I believe in flexibility and room to breathe. Trust me. There are days when I do not follow my carefully planned out schedule. Those days are needed, as chaotic as they are.  Well, I am going to share with you how I am able to keep myself sane throughout all the craziness that goes on in life, as I'm sure you are all aware of. These things help me feel better about my family, myself, my mental health, and just actually makes me all around happier. Schedules This is my command center! My calendar, and my to-do lists-- daily and monthly. I have schedules for the kids, meal plan, and shopping list.  I edit this daily, change out the...

I woke up to my 10-month-old, Kiara, crying to nurse. I sleepily whip my boob out and I feel that the bed shifts. It's my 2-and-a-half-year-old, Rafael moving. We all co-sleep in a Queen-size bed, which, needless to say, is not so comfortable. After I finish feeding Kiara, Rafael gets out of bed and stands by my side of the bed. All the sudden, I hear water pouring. At first I thought it was his water cup, which he tends to like to pour out on the floor. But no, oh Lord, no. It was pee. He had somehow, after waking up, pulled his penis out of his diaper, and decided to just let loose. I start screaming and go to get a towel. He had peed all over the floor, his diaper, and his pajamas. So, naturally, I start to take everything off of him. I dry up the floor pee and go run into the kids' room to get a new diaper. "Audri, he's peeing again!" my husband, Josh, calls from our room. I race over and see that he did indeed pee on our carpet, but just a little b...