Guest Post: Kate from Daffodil's

Happy Friday everyone! I have another awesome Momma guest posting today about her life with her ridiculously cute family of four- soon to be five! I was particularly interested in Kate posting since she is a Momma to boys, and they always, always seem to have the most fun. I was so refreshed after reading this post after a long day. Yes, there are long days with a newborn even though they are the cutest things in the entire world :) Kate blogs at Daffodils and you must stop by and tell her and that sweet family of hers hello!

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Hi Everyone! My name is Kate and you can find me blogging over at Daffodil's about life with my handsome husband and two and a half sons (#3 is coming in August!).

I am so happy to be here because it means that Katie is home relaxing and soaking up every precious new moment with sweet Baby Weeks.
 Congrats Katie and Steven!

When Katie and I emailed about doing a guest post, she threw out the topics of exercise, date nights and life with boys for me to write about, and I am happy to say that I am an expert on 2/3. I wish I could give you some good advice on exercise but mainly it goes like this: play with baby, eat whatever people bring you, drink wine after baby goes to bed. And I don't think that is entirely helpful (although way more fun than the gym), so I will move on to what I know.

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How to Keep Up Date Nights

Admittedly, things get different with baby around, especially if family isn't close. After the birth of our first son, Cullen, Kev and I tried to go out to dinner once every few months, using a high school aged sitter who came over after C was in bed, so she really didn't do anything. We also took advantage of my mom being 5 hours away and went out on our own anytime she came down to visit. 

We moved to California after our second son, Bennett, was born, and date night became a little more complicated. We didn't know anyone or have connections to a trusty sitter, and the rate for watching two kids was often more than dinner cost, so it really didn't seem worth it. But we also didn't want to be caught in a rut where it was all work and kids and no time for us as a couple, so we started Friday night indoor dates. After we put the boys to bed, we have a no-tv, no-phones, no-computer rule and we sit in our living room, put on some music, make appetizers and cocktails and sit and talk for a few hours. Especially in the beginning of our move, we both found this time to be refreshing and re-energizing for our relationship.

Another big tip: don't be afraid to spend the night away. Whenever we do travel home (to DC), we always leave the boys with my mom for a night, even to go to dinner and stay at a hotel down the street.
Totally worth it. 

Remember that your children learn how to love from their parents, so having a healthy and strong relationship  is vital!

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Life with Boys

Boys are crazy, and wild, and rough, and o-so-sweet.

My boys jump off furniture, play in the mud and crash their cars on purpose. I'll never forget saying as a new parent that my boys 'will never....' but it turns out 'my boys definitely...' and that is okay.

Embrace the crazy: let him make mud puddles (or water their his brother),

don't make him wear shirts (or pants) all the time, make sure he makes a landing pad before he starts launching themselves into the air.

But 'boy' is not an excuse for bad behavior. Teach him to sit at a restaurant, go to church, hang out at a winery without breaking things (yes, we take our boys all the time) and set the table. Bake with him, color, do puzzles, play house with stuffed animals.

Shower him with love and affection. 

Boys love their Mommas. Cullen tells me all the time that I am the prettiest lady he knows. Bennett climbs on my lap and holds my hand for no reason. They are both nurturing and concerned about the baby in my belly.

Life with boys is an adventure and I love every second of it. 

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Congrats again to Katie on Weeks- we can't wait to watch him grow!

Thanks so much for having me and be sure to pop over to Daffodils and say hello.

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Thank you so much again Kate! Make sure to show her some love and have a fabulous weekend!
xoxo.