30 years

Can it be? Am I 30 already? My parents would have to say that these 30 years have flown by. Now being a mom, I know exactly what they are talking about.

My day started off with the kids and Brad serving me breakfast in bed. Not for the first time this weekend. They did it on Valentines Day as well. How blessed am I? Although we had to spend the day at our last basketball game for the season, we had a wonderful day spending it as a family.

All of my sweet babies and my wonderful husband made me this cake for my 30th birthday. I loved it and it tasted yummy!

How could I ask for anything more?

Brad gave me this funny card...You know you're turning 30 if.....

.....you ever had a mullet, "tail," or side ponytail.

.....you have used a Commodore 64.

.....you owned a trapper keeper.

....you can name all the members of New Kids on the Block.

....you remember when fast food burgers came in styrofoam containers.

...you had a crush on Zack Morris or Kelly Kapowski from Saved by the Bell.

Hope that gives you a good laugh!

Carsyn's big day

We got Carsyn's first hair cut today. She got about 2 1/2 inches cut off. Bye bye sweet baby curls and hello big girl. It almost made Daddy cry! Although she doesn't look happy in most the pictures, she did not move the whole time while sitting in the chair.

Valentines Weekend

This is what we (or the weather) have been up to the last week.....

Yes, we live in the south and no these are not repeat pictures from January. It really did snow again on Friday. My parents and my brother we able to make it in later in the evening for a combo Valentine/birthday celebration weekend.

We did a little bit of this....
And a whole lot of this......

We even went to Dave and Busters for some yummy dinner and games.

Hope your weekend was full of snowy fun!

Encouragment

Our family (particularly on Brad's side) are going through some tough times in the last couple weeks and it will continue to be a struggle over the next year. Some of you may know what is going on. Please pray for Brad and me and our guidance in how we can help the situation. We know that God is telling us to be the light in the situation, we just don't know how to go about it. I can't give out details now, but I will keep you all updated. As for now, please read these lyrics to this song and watch the video. I hope it brings you encouragement like it brings Brad and I.
Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Love is not a fight by Warren Barfield (you may recognize it from the Fireproof movie)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsnIHUQTp5U&feature=related
Love is not a place
To come and go as we please
It's a house we enter in
Then commit to never leave
So lock the door behind you
Throw away the key
We'll work it out together
Let it bring us to our knees

Chorus:Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

To some, love is a word
That they can fall into
But when they're falling out
Keeping that word is hard to do

Chorus:Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

Love will come to save us
If we'll only call
He will ask nothing from us
But demand we give our all

Chorus:Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

I will fight for you
Would you fight for me?
It's worth fighting for

10 Tips

I have been asked many times as to how I stay so organized and "sane" while taking care of 3 children, while supporting my husband as a teacher, drivers ed instructor, basketball and cross country coach. Sometimes I don't know, but I do know I pray A LOT! Here are some tips straight from the Kudlas house. No, I am not a professional, I am just a mom who trys really hard at being the best wife and mom I can possibly be. My life can be a bit chaotic and crazy at times. Patience is not one of my fortes, but these tips help us get by. I hope they help you as well!

1. Meal plan! The last few days of the month, I plan for the next month. This not only saves you time, but money at the grocery store.
2. Pick out childrens outfits for the whole week. I have little cubbies that hang in their closets and Sunday afternoon I get everything out including pants, shirts, underwear, socks, hair bows, etc. That way in the morning all they have to do is grab it and get dressed which leads me into the third tip...
3. Give your children responsibilities. Trust me, they are old enough! Carsyn is almost 22 months and is learning to get herself dressed among other things. Of course the other two have it down. Don't under estimate how smart they are and how helpless they will act when faced with a challenge. Lots of encouragement and a sticker chart might help. My babies have daily chores they do including making their beds, brushing teeth, emptying the dishwasher and garbage cans. Carsyn is learning most of these as well. This only teaches them the importance of responsibility and being part of a household as well as making your life a bit easier.
4. Limit your laundry. I do laundry ONLY ONE TIME A WEEK. I have a day that I spend the majority at home (which is not much) and we get all the laundry done in that day. The kids have learned to sort laundry with Brad the night before laundry day so that when I wake up it is ready to start. I usually have 2 loads of darks, 2 loads of lights, 2 loads of whites, towels and sheets. This saves LOTS of energy and time in the long run! We have 5 people in our family. You can do it too!
5. Have containers become your friend. I have them everywhere to keep stuff organize. See previous post. This includes my car!
6. Keep toys out of main living area. If you don't have an extra room to put toys, get a container. There are lots of cool ones out there. ;)
7. I have a giant wipe off board calender in our kitchen as we are walking out the back door with everyones monthly schedule on it. I thought life was busy when our children were babies, but it only gets busier. Everyone has their own color and it takes me about 10 minutes to put up at the end of each month. I keep a copy of this in my purse as well. On it we have practices, bible studies, doctors appts., etc.
8. KISS-Keep it simple silly. My life may seem "busy" to other people and don't get me wrong it is "busy" having both parents coach sports, but it works for us and our life for the most part runs smoothly.
9. Don't be afraid to ask for help. This has taken me a while to learn. I have some wonderful babysitters and fantastic parents specifically at the basketball games that love our children and help out anytime.
10. Last but not least...........Like I said before, I pray...A LOT!

I would love to hear any tips you have that makes your life go a bit smoother! Have a wonderful week!

Some well needed change

You all know I love this kind of stuff. All the stuff that I get to ORGANIZE! If I could do it for a living, I would! I know some of you think I am crazy for loving to organize, but to me it keeps my life running smoothly! These are just some of the projects I have worked on the last few weeks.

The first one was that we finally got the girls "big girl" room put together with the highly anticipated bunk bed. Carsyn and Brenna are loving their new beds. I am a firm believer in if you think your kids are ready for something, don't hold them back! I was getting more nervous about her falling as she climbed out of her crib nearly every morning. (And for all you sceptics...yes, I did have it on the lowest crib setting.) Carsyn has definitely been ready for a few months. We bought it and Brad had to put it together and paint it. It gives them so much more room to move and play. We love how it all turned out.

The other large project we completed was finishing the play room/guest room/craft room. I wanted to make it comfortable for guests, but also a usable, practical space for the kids to play in (with organization) and a place to hold all my stuff. We still have some art work of the kids and some art work I have of Brad's as a child to get frames and put up. I also have the whole top shelf of the kids play area to work with. WE LOVE this space now! My hubby did a great job building all this stuff!

Another huge project was more of a gift to my brother from my mom and I. He lives in Augusta where he works as a Golf Professional and doesn't have much time to decorate his house. Mom and I headed over for a 4 day weekend and painted his WHOLE house. Lets just say I am done with painting for a while! Not only paint, but put up curtains, organize all his cupboards, laundry room, bathrooms, etc. My dad was crazy enough to say he would watch the girls for the weekend. Brad and Aidan stayed home and hid. The girls had a great time with their Papa! Here are some before and after shots...
Kitchen before-

Kitchen after-Drew's bedroom before-

Drew's bedroom after-

Guest bath before-
Guest bath after-
His finished bath-

Family and dining before-

Family room after-

I am off to take a nap. I am exhausted!

SNOW DAY!

We have had a fun weekend at home due to the snow and ice everything has been canceled. School was let out early on Thursday and Friday school was closed. The kids spent much of the morning and afternoon freezing...I mean sledding in the freezing cold. We are talking around 15-20 degrees. Afterwards, they would all run in for hot chocolate and a snack and then run back outside.

Have a great week! Stay warm!