I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Pure Leaf teas. It's H-O-T here in Texas. Our family loves to spend time outdoors, too. Whether we are working in the garden, taking walks, playing in the pool, grilling, or the Captain is learning to ride his bike, we need to stay …
This sound sleep machine post was brought to you by sound + sleep. All opinions are mine. Summer is the time for traveling, vacations, visiting family.....and sleeping in new places with strange noises during the night. Our family has seen it's share of hotel rooms and sleeping quarters, even this summer. We took a family …
This post about wisdom from mothers was brought to you by Nestlé® Pure Life®. All opinions are mine. I have been so blessed with older women in my life to guide me along the way. My mother, two grandmothers, lovely ladies from church, as well as women in my husband's family. I think it's essential …
After having three babies, I was always curious if my different pregnancy cravings meant anything....as in...was it a girl this time? (it never was!) Thinking back to my pregnancy with our first son, I don't remember much except that I loved Whataburger hamburgers (yes, I know, unhealthy!) and stocked up on every kind of beverage …
This hanging baskets post was written by me and brought to you by Avant Garden. All opinions are mine. I have always loved hanging baskets because they add beauty and color where ever you need them, without much work! I have a hard time with watering though...I either water too much or not enough. I …
Daddy, Captain Fussybuckets, D, and I are happy to announce that Baby #3 is due in November! The boys are excited, as are we, to add to our family. Stay tuned for more info on Baby #3! (And if you have any brilliant suggestions as what we should call Baby D now, let me know! …
A friend recently shared a great post from I am totally *that* mom. blog on Facebook. The writer talks to parents who take their young children to church, and tells them (us) how she understands that it's hard, but it's so worth it. That prompted me to come here and write my own feelings on the subject. …
When Spring came and we started working outdoors more, Hubby and I became frustrated with having to crawl over garden boots and rain boots every time we went out the back door. And the boys could never find their boots and then sometimes, they'd find them filled with rain water in the middle of the …
During the hot Summer months, we love to grill outside as much as we can. But, if you're like me, I was having to work equally hard inside to cook the side items for hamburgers, steak, etc. That's when I started getting smart and preparing everything to cook on the grill! And with our garden …
Oh, age four. What a fun age! The Captain is four and a half now and his imagination is running wild every single day. It actually started long before age four, but he is more imaginative now than ever before. Every morning he wakes up and goes directly to his room (because he sleeps on …
Do you ever wish your kids would just stick with what works? It seems like as soon as we find the perfect schedule, get the routine down to a science and everyone is well-rested, they suddenly stop napping or begin catapulting themselves from the crib. What is a tired and bleary-eyed parent to do? Whether this brings to mind …
Baby D is two. He has become very independent in the past few months and while it is a natural, good part of his development, but it sure is tiring on his mommy! I remember when the Captain went through this phase, his favorite phrase was "My do it!" and D is no different. Everything …
This morning I read a post at Tales From The Nursery - Foods Of My Childhood. It's surprising how giddy I became. Maybe that means I enjoy food too much, or that I enjoyed it too much as a child....or possibly both. Either way, it was a nice walk down memory lane thinking about my …
Shopping with kids is always tricky. It is always interesting to me to see other moms (or dads) shopping with their kids. There are those with the "perfect" kids who sit nicely in the cart and are amused just by watching the food items pass by. Then there is the frazzled mom with the child(ren) …
I am participating in a book review campaign with One2One Network. I received this book from Harper Collins for the purposes of reviewing it. I have not received compensation. All opinions stated are my own. As a mother of two, there's something I'm addicted to that I don't get enough.....good sleep. If you've read my …
This isn't your traditional Southern Chicken and Dumplings, but it's yummy and easy, perfect for a cold day. The whole family loves this recipe, which my mother-in-law shared with me! The tortillas make the "dumplings," and you can hardly tell they're tortillas after they cook. I have added carrots and cream of celery soup, but they're …
I began writing this blog two years ago, this Friday. Happy birthday, Life With Captain Fussybuckets! It was a simple blog back then, and it has grown into something a little bit bigger. I want to THANK YOU for reading this and any other post I've written. Readers are really what makes this blog work. So …
There are a LOT of variations of the term "green," I've come to find out. It's popular to be green in today's society, but what's funny to me is that people who all claim to be "green" can think other people going "green" are not "going green" at all! But, there are different variants of …
The Hubby and I have been married almost 8 years, and have known each other for about 12. Looking back, time has just flown. We are definitely two very different people than when we met so long ago, but we have grown together and not only do I love him more, I actually like the …
Sometimes I remember back to what it was like....our life with no kids. We had one computer, one TV, two dogs, and that was pretty much it. What on earth did I do before I had kids? Hubby and I got married 2 weeks after he graduated from college and 6 months after I had, we quickly …
Yesterday was Easter. We don't do the Easter Bunny at our house although I see nothing wrong with him. I just was a bit obsessed with Santa and the Easter Bunny as a child and would rather my kids not be greedy little boogers like I was. I have two older brothers that were not …
We have been so blessed to be able to take our kids to various shows like The Wiggles, Yo Gabba Gabba, and The Fresh Beat Band. The boys love dancing and singing and we have a lot of fun, too! When I first attended a kids' show, I think it was Yo Gabba Gabba in …
I know, I'm being obnoxious writing this post, but I need to get something out and provide a Public Service Announcement because all kinds of professionals using Facebook are making silly errors this morning. The store is called "Walmart," not "Walmarts." Nor is it called "Walmart's" because well, it's just not. There are some stores …
We really enjoy trying new recipes on a regular basis. Some are "okay", enjoyed for the evening but not tried again. Others get added to the "second try with edits" pile, where we think about what tweaks would make it even better. There have even been a couple of attempts where we looked at each …
It is easy to keep your toddlers and younger kids involved on Easter with all those interesting activities and fun filled games. But, what about the older children? How do you keep them involved in the spirit of Easter and spend some quality time together? You will likely need to put in more efforts …
I have always loved having a garden, but we have not always had much space or time to get a bigger garden accomplished. We have had success with a few small flowerbed veggie gardens, where we have grown carrots, okra, onions, snow peas, radishes, squash, and zucchini. This year, with the boys being a little …
Captain Fussybuckets is four and Baby D is two, so they are both right at the prime ages for loving "Yo Gabba Gabba." They were beyond thrilled when they found out that we were going to see them LIVE! We saw a different Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! show in 2011, so we KNEW it was …
I think it is fair to say that most kids enjoy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I know my kids sure do. Our family goes through a jar of jelly in a short time because we like it with toast, biscuits, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, too, of course. Our preference has always been …
The Captain and Baby D's current favorite book is "Corduroy" by Don Freeman. I loved this book as a child, so it makes it even more special that the boys love it so much! My mother, the boys' Grammy, was the one who introduced Corduroy to the boys, by reading them books when we have …
The Captain is just now able (and willing) to sit still for a book and he LOVES being read to. His current favorite books are "Corduroy," "Why Do Feet Smell," "Jack and the Beanstalk," and the stories from his children's Bible. He's also very excited because he is learning to read on his own. We are excited, …
Captain Fussybuckets takes after his mommy and has a big sweet tooth. Luckily, he LOVES fruit and most of the time his sweet tooth can be satisfied with a bowl of strawberries or grapes. Sometimes, however, it is nice to be able to let him enjoy something sweet and special. It's even better when he …
Is America headed towards healthy with a nationwide soft drink ban ? I'd say not in a million years, but things are definitely changing. Yahoo! News reports "with tax proposals, looming bans, DIY soda machines, and consumers' increasingly health consciousness on the rise, soda companies could be entering a dry spell." The article goes on …
I scoured the internet and some books for the perfect St. Patrick's Day craft to make with the Captain the other day and I just couldn't find any that were easy and engaging enough for him to do by himself. And let me tell you, this kid and his brother LOVE to do things by themselves and …
We love our house, but with any place of residence, there are areas that we would like to change. We are so lucky to have lots of windows in our home, but there are a few areas that light just won't reach. We decided to attempt two easy DIY home lighting makeovers with the help of …
Hey Readers! First off, I want to thank you for reading my blog. It's almost been two years since I started this little ol' blog and it has made a bunch of changes on the way. What started as a simple blog to share stories and pictures of my kids and share a few coupons, …
Since becoming a parent, I've become amazed at all the candy and gifts we parents give our kids at every possible opportunity. We like to celebrate Valentine's Day, Easter, birthday, Christmas, Halloween, and more, all with candy and stuff our kids don't really need. Here are some of my suggestions for the best eco-friendly Easter …
The other day I was really hungry and grabbed something I had never tried before. As I was scarfing down this food in my hungry state, I turned the package over to read the ingredients. It appeared okay...no high fructose corn syrup, whole grains, but....what about "hydrogenated oil." Hmmm....I hadn't seen that on a food …
If you have read Life With Captain Fussybuckets AT all....you know that Captain Fussybuckets himself is a sleep challenge. He was a sleep challenged infant, baby, toddler, and is currently a sleep challenged preschooler. So, I've finally realized that this is who he is and it really is okay! Here are some random tips that I've …
Captain Fussybuckets' birthday is in November. Here in Texas, you have to be 5 on September 1st to start to kindergarten. So, while one of his cousins and most of his preschool buddies will be starting kindergarten in the Fall, he will not. He has been in the 4's and 5's class at a two …
I love to cook new recipes from scratch. I have many recipes pinned and saved to try on a rainy day. However, I always have the problem of justifying buying the ingredients for a dinner project. For instance, if my recipe calls for a tablespoon of fresh chopped cilantro, I then have to find other …