[BOY MOMS] Crystal from Next to Heaven

First of all I want to thank Elizabeth for asking me to be a part of her awesome #BoyMom series. When she asked me to guest post I couldn't say yes quick enough. There is nothing more that I love than being a mom...especially a boy mom.

Hi, I am Crystal and I blog over at Next to Heaven. Nathan and I are high school sweethearts and have been together for almost 18 years. We knew pretty early on that we wanted to get married and have children. All I could picture was us with boys....and lots of them. I wanted six. Six boys, to be exact. Nathan thought I was absolutely insane. And, I probably was. Now that I have one little four year old boy just the mere thought of having 5 more instantly gives me grey hairs!

Boys are challenging! They're curious and mischievous and adventurous. Things that I love and can appreciate...but you also have to live in a preparedness state of mind.

Prepared for what you ask?

Anything and everything. Toots and lots of them...countless conversations about poop...bugs in their pockets...dirt in every crevice of their body after letting a Popsicle melt all over them...they only have one volume and that's eardrum-bustin-loud...super hero obsessions that make them quite courageous...questions about the hardest subjects in the world...keep lots of food in the house because they are always hungry...they never slow down and pretty much replace walking with running every where they go...it's a constant battle with the toilet and they will miss that giant hole more often than not...clothes are pretty much nonexistent in their world, they prefer to be naked...they are notorious for leaving lego pieces on the floor...they put things up their nose...etc.etc.etc.

I mean....as I am sitting here typing this post Mason comes in with a Texas Ranger hat on backwards and an army helmet on top of that & holding a Nerf gun ready to battle. Always.be.ready. 

And then a few days later he runs in my office telling me that 'when I grow up I am going to be a Fireman, a Policeman, a Doctor and an am-blee-ance driver". I tell him those are awesome and that he can be anything he wants to be. He hugs me and starts sobbing. Like full out crying. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "Nevermind, I don't want to grow up. I just want to stay your baby." So then I start bawling too! I told him that even when he is his Daddy's age he will still be my baby. And he says, "And Daddy's son too?" Yes baby! Always. You will always be our baby.
Always.be.ready. 

So yes, boys will definitely keep you on your toes. But really...being a boy mom is so much more than that. So much more. It's an unconditional love. It's being their first love. The one they come to for everything and anything. The only one that can kiss their "owies" away and instantly make them feel better. You're their first choice for a really long time. You're the keeper of their hearts. And at some point they will ask you to marry them. Say yes. Always say yes. Boys love their Mama something fierce and are not afraid to kiss and cuddle. And they will melt your heart every single day, many times a day.

It's a house full of love and laughter. 

Every time I look at Mason I thank the Lord for letting me be his mom. It's the most beautiful blessing in the world. And I also thank him that Mason is a little boy because boys are just awesome. I mean, I get to raise a little gentleman, encourage him, love him and be his biggest supporter. 

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If you would like to share a post about you and your son, email me at chasinmasonblog@gmail.com .

I would love to feature you! You don't have to have a blog to participate!

Dads.

Dad.

For such a small, short word, it sure has a big, important meaning behind it.

With Father's Day only a week away, I thought I would revisit last year's Father's Day (Seth's first!) and talk about some great gift ideas.

Last year I wrote this note to Seth :

Last year (2012) we said it was our first Mother's Day and Father's Day but this little guy right here truly made this year even more special. This little guy is the reason we celebrated you today. You are the most amazing father to our son that I could have ever asked for. Without hesitation, you will do anything at all for Mason. When he is sick, you have no problem staying home with him all day. When he is hurt, you pick him up and dry his tears. You make him laugh. You make him smile. You make him know just how much you love him. You are the best role model I could ask for for our son. You are so caring, loving, and hands on. I don't know how I got so lucky. Happy Father's Day!!! We love you so much!

And this year the same holds true. Everyday with Mason is so special but Father's Day in particular is the most special for a Dad. In fact, it is the whole reason that we are celebrating the day! It's one of my favorite days too (even though I am not the one being celebrated) because I get to dress my boy up just like his daddy! This usually involves some sort of khaki shorts and a plaid button down shirt - Seth's go to holiday outfit. Hey, I can't complain. He looks good in plaid. And my little love? He looks dang cute as well.

Easter 2014

Father's Day 2013

Since we are talking about celebrating Dad, let's talk about spoiling him with some goodies!

Last year we gave Seth this :

custom 6 pack of beers // new phone case // Starbucks gift card // lotto tickets

I try to make the presents useful and fun. Pretty much every holiday/day of celebration, I get Seth a 6 pack of beers. I like to go to Total Wine and More and pick out 6 beers that I think he will like and make a custom pack. 99% of the time, I don't know what I'm doing. I read the label and guess if I think he will like it. I must be some type of "beer whisperer" or something because he usually likes 5/6 of the beers I choose. So, needless to say, he will probably be getting this for Father's Day this year as well (Seth if you're reading this, skip that last sentence - surprise!). He was also in desperate need of a new phone cover so I got him this Otter Box iPhone case. Lastly I got him a Starbucks card and some lotto tickets as a fun little extra.

This year, I haven't quite figured out what to get him. I should probably get on that since Father's Day is a week away! I do have some ideas though! Here is what I'm thinking :

one // two // three

four // five // six

One. Like I mentioned, Seth loves a good plaid shirt. He could always use a new one! 

Two. Recently, he's also been obsessed with this Firestone DBA beer. Might have to forgo the custom pack this year and go straight for the 6 pack of this! 

Three. Angels tickets are always a good go to gift for him.

Four. Or a custom Angels sign for his (one day) man cave.

Five. The other day I noticed that his BBQ spatula was getting kind of rusty, so I new BBQ tool set would be very useful.

Six. Have you heard of Dollar Shave Club? I hadn't until recently and I think it's a really cool idea and it seems so easy! The man in your life gets to choose one of the razors that they offer, pay one low monthly fee, and have razors delivered to their door step. Sounds pretty easy to me! The razors range from $1, $6, or $9 a month. Then every new member gets a handle that is compatible with the razor of their choice (and if they upgrade or downgrade razors during the month, they will get another free compatible handle!). Best thing yet? If they aren't fully satisfied, they can cancel their subscription anytime. Sounds pretty great to me! If only I were a man and needed this service! (Side note : someone should make this for woman!) If Seth shaved more often and went through razors faster, I would totally gift this to him. I think it's a great service!

Now, off to go shop!

I was not compensated in any way for this post. All opinions are my own.

Summer Bucket List Link Up

The official start of summer is just 15 days away; can you believe it? 

As a family, we plan to make the very most of our summer. It is the time when we spend the most amount of time outside. And I, for one, am very excited about it! As I know Mason is too. He would live outside if we let him lol. With so much fun to be had, we plan to focus on completing our Summer Bucket List. 

Speaking of Summer Bucket Lists, I'm excited to announce that six bloggers, including myself, have teamed up to share some of our favorite summer activities. 

Without further ado, here are the ladies who are going to be linking up every Friday from June 20th to August 1st.

Stephanie at Wife Mommy Me | Desiree with Macke Monologues | Jenny from The Chronicles of We
Becky of bybmg | Courtney from Sweet Turtle Soup | Elizabeth at Chasin' Mason

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Two weeks from today, each of us (along with anyone who wants to join the fun!) will linkup and share one of the nine summer activities listed on our Summer Bucket list.
What's on the list? Check it out!

Each week, we welcome our readers to share their summer memory with us through our weekly linkup. There are nine total tasks but we will only be sharing seven. We will not be posting in any particular order so please feel free to pick whatever topic on whatever Friday to post about. Who knows, we may even give each other some fun ideas of things to do over the summer!

The first link-up will start on Friday, June 20th and the last week to linkup is Friday, August 1st.

When sharing your posts and photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, be sure to use the hashtag #SummerBucketListFun so we can check out what fun you're having this summer!

And don't forget to check out my Facebook and Instagram to see what kind of fun I'm having!

If you would like a copy of our bucket list, you can find it here.

Happy Friday!

[One Year and Beyond] Traveling with a Toddler

Traveling with a toddler...I'm not sure that I can fully provide any advice on this topic, but we have done our share of car trips with Mason from a young age, that I definitely have some tips.

1. Forget all the rules you have at home.

Obviously you wouldn't normally let your kid watch 6 hours straight of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Jake and the Neverland Pirates, but when you're on a 6-7 hour road trip, all the rules go out the window. You probably also wouldn't let them eat goldfish all day. But when you're stuck in a car for 6+ hours, all you want to do is get to your destination with your sanity intact. You will do whatever it takes. During our road trips to Arizona as well as Northern California, we watched more Mickey Mouse Clubhouse than I care to admit. But we all made it, happy and still sane, to our destination!

(extra tip : don't forget your phone/iPad chargers!)

2. Make sure you know how to access the videos before you leave home.

This is a follow up to #1. I thought I had fully prepared for our trip to Northern California for Thanksgiving last year by downloading like 15 episodes of Mickey and a couple episodes of Jake and a couple episodes of Doc McStuffins (hey, the parents have to have variety or they will go crazy) until... I tried to play one for Mason. Mommy fail. I thought I needed to access them through the app store but really I just needed to click on the videos app. So I started freaking out when it said I needed to have wifi to access the videos. I was so desperate (Mason was having a meltdown) that I made Seth call Verizon and turn his phone into a hot spot so I could use the wifi. Then about an hour later, I realized I just needed to click the video app. 

Do your homework before you leave home.

3. Bring comforts from home.

(this picture has nothing to do with the topic, but I just love it so I included it. it's from our vacation to New Mexico when Mason was 8 months old. although, we did bring his beanie from home.)

Of course this would depend on the situation, but since we travelled by car, we were able to do this. We brought our stroller, our pack n play, toys, etc. I think it definitely made it easier for Mason to be out of his normal environment that he had some of the comforts of home (things he was familiar with) with him.

4. Forget about your normal routine.

When we went on our road trips, we always thought it would be good to leave early. Like 5am early. It's still dark outside so we figured if we woke Mason up last minute, changed his diaper, and plopped him in the car, he would fall back asleep. WRONG. Thankfully he was good and happy, but he was definitely not sleeping. Don't count on your child falling asleep in the car. This is where the snacks and the iPad come in handy. We were lucky enough that Mason was content just hanging out for the first hour-ish, but we wanted to be prepared for all possible outcomes.

Also, while on your trip, you will want to do as many activities you can. This doesn't always allow you to be back home (or to the hotel, etc) during nap time. Just go with the flow. You're on vacation! Have fun! Kids will nap when they're tired.

5. Bring lots of snacks.

Snacks are key. While Seth and I can get cranky when we're hungry, we understand that when we are in the middle of nowhere, there's nothing we can do to get food. We just have to wait until the next rest stop. But babies/toddlers don't understand that. It's nice to be able to have something for them to munch on until you get to the next rest stop.

Oh and on the same topic, when you're on a trip, it's kind of survival mode. I've found that healthy eating goes out the window and ease comes more in to play. Would it be healthier to get a Subway sandwich? Sure. But is it easier to just drive through McDonald's and get some chicken nuggets or drive through Del Taco and get a quesadilla? Yes. 

6. Plan your route ahead of time.

Know your route. Seriously, SO important. Plan out where you will stop for gas. When you have a toddler, the last thing you want to do is run out of gas. This will either a) require you to push your car to a gas station or b) require you to wait a ridiculously long amount of time for a tow truck to bring more gas. Just don't do it. Seth has always been SO good about planning our road trips and where we will stop for gas. There was only the one time (that he will hate me for talking about) that he got gas the day before our trip, drove somewhere, and didn't account for it in his calculation and I crossed my fingers, toes, eyes, and anything else I could think of that we wouldn't run out of gas (we were literally in the middle of NOWHERE in Arizona). I must have done something right because we made it to the gas station (THANK GOD) just in time. And filling up the tank? We filled up more gas in the tank than he thought the tank would hold. That's how low on gas we were.

(and don't forget to take family selfies to remember your vacation by!)

7. Don't have any expectations. 

Expect to have fun, but nothing beyond that. There are so many variables with a toddler. Just go with the flow. Who knew my Starbucks cup would provide so much entertainment for Mason? I sure didn't!

And there you have it! We have gone on a couple of long car trips with Mason since he's been born. While I feel like I would be at a total loss for packing for an airplane travel trip, I feel like I am pretty set on knowing what to pack for a car trip. Hopefully some of my advice can help when you plan your next car trip.

I look forward to reading the other moms advice on air travel with a toddler! I'm terrified!

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Linking up with Sara from Running from the Law, Ashley from Words About Waverly, Courtney from From Here to Eternity and the other lovely co-hostesses of the One Year and Beyond series.

[It's the Little Things] Mama's Weekend Getaway

This past weekend, I had a girls weekend in San Diego.

And... I'll admit it... it was AMAZING.

Good friends. Good food. Good times.

My kind of weekend!

I will admit, I kinda wasn't feeling it before we left. I hadn't prepped like normal and life was just so busy that I felt so overwhelmed even trying to get my stuff together. But after we got in the car, I forgot all about work and the busy-ness of life and just had a good time. Sometimes a little getaway to hang out with the girls and recharge is just what a mama needs. (Though, I will admit, after a couple hours of being away, I did miss my boys a lot.) 

I first talked about the getaways that I went on a couple months ago. (I just re-read part of my post from last time and saw that I said I was way too busy talking, eating, and scrapping to take pictures and well...that happened again. Blogger fail. Next time?!) For those of you who might not have read about it, my friends Michele and Erin host a scrapbook getaway weekend at a huge house in San Diego. I go scrapbooking for the weekend. My co-workers all know by now what I'm doing (and have stopped making fun of me), but I neglected to tell them for a while because...well...most of them are guys and TOTALLY do not understand, nor do they care to. So now I just say I'm going to San Diego and they go "oh for that...stuff you do". Yep. Exactly.

The first day was spent catching up with friends, shopping, eating, and a little bit of scrapping. And then, right before dinner, something really fun happened.

Selfies.

I am normally HORRIBLE at selfies, but I'm actually pretty impressed with these! They are obviously more fun than serious, but I love how they turned out. Especially the bottom left.

My friend Christine had brought these fun glasses and we just went to town. We were like kids in a candy store. I've never seen grown adults have so much fun with something so silly.

I'd almost have to say that the silly glasses selfies might have been my favorite part of the weekend. Seriously, I was dying laughing for like a half hour. SO. MUCH. FUN.

Day 2 went by all too fast and was spent the same way as day 1 : eating, talking, scrapping, eating, talking, scrapping, eating, dessert, scrapping, talking. 

Oh and getting a picture of my little love so happy after swimming.

Day 3 came before I knew it and I was so sad to have to leave.

Besides my pages and my selfies, I did manage to take one picture of my table on day 3. The picture doesn't do the mess justice. It almost looks clean in this picture.

This girls weekend was just what I needed. A couple weeks ago I shared about mommy guilt. And to be honest, I didn't feel any this weekend. I can't explain it. I don't know if it was because it was planned ahead of time and I knew I was going for a couple months, but I just had a plain good time and didn't feel guilty. I don't know if that sounds bad or if that's good. All I know is that I had the best time away with the girls. It gave me the recharge that I needed and I am ready to spend every minute with my boys again.

Sometimes a mom just needs a little getaway.

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Linking up with Jess from Sadie Sky Boutique and Ashley from Words About Waverly

Meeting the Mister.

I've seen a couple people do this Q&A recently and thought it would be fun to join in and for you to get to know my hubby a little bit. Here goes...

Me: What is the name of my blog?
Seth: Chasin' Mason


Me: What do I typically write about?
Seth : Five on Fridays, Little Things Thursdays, you have people guest post on Mondays, and you tell people about all the recipes you like to cook even though it's me cooking. And I won't claim responsibility for the DIY project yet because I haven't started yet.

{I laugh. Seth says at least I found that funny. Hey, he is right. I just think it's funny he said it}

{And he's close... The Little Things Link Ups are on Wednesdays}


Me: What’s a popular fashion item for women right now?
Seth: Scarves


Me: What's the best place to shop for women?
Seth: Online. No wait hold on. Shop for women? Or shop for women? You need to punctuate that.

Me : What? Ohhh. Seth!

Seth : Ok. Ok. Nordstrom.

Me: What do you know about Pinterest?
Seth: A place for crafting and holiday ideas.


Me: What’s a Hunter wellie?
Seth: A what?

Me : A Hunter wellie.

Seth : A what?!?!

Me : It's a rain boot.

Seth : No it's not.

Me : Yes it is.

Seth : Is it a green rain boot?

Me : They come in different colors.

Seth : Yeah, no...

Me: What does OOTD stand for?
Seth: No bleepin' clue.

{I told him "outfit of the day" and he just stared at me like I was crazy}

Me: What is our favorite thing to do together?
Seth: Any quality family time - the three of us - me, you, and Mason. And the occasional date night.

Me: Am I good about staying on budget?
Seth: NO.


Me: What’s the Pantone color of the year for 2014?
Seth: The what?

Me : The Pantone color of the year.

Seth : The what?


Me: What do women keep in their purse?
Seth: Everything under the sun. Diapers, snacks, chocolate, Advil.... I can keep going. Chap stick, lip gloss, makeup.

Me : No wallet? No cell phone?

Seth : Oh yeah. Those too. Etc, etc, etc. There's so much more. Bandaids...tampons...


Me: What do I do when I’m home alone?
Seth: Blog. Shop.


Me: And what do you do when you’re home alone?
Seth: Watch TV.


Me: What’s my favorite accessory?
Seth: Scarves!


Me: What’s an acceptable amount to spend on a makeup item?
Seth : Zero point five zero.

Me : 50 cents?!?!

Me: What jewelry do I wear every day?
Seth: Your ring.


Me: What is your favorite trait about me (not physical)?
Seth: The way you are with Mason. The fact that you can get Mason to calm down when he's upset. The way you can get Mason to fall asleep in your arms...

{Seriously, this guy knows how to melt my heart!}


Me: What’s my favorite TV show?
Seth : Grey's Anatomy.


Me: What are my hobbies?
Seth : Blogging. Scrapbooking. DIY-ing. Shopping. Reading other people's blogs.

Me: How excited were you when you found out we were having a boy when I was pregnant with Mason?
Seth : Beyond.


Me: What is your favorite thing about being a dad?
Seth: Watching my little boy grow and seeing him smile.


Me: How many more kids would you like to have?
Seth : One.


Me: Anything else you'd like to share?
Seth : Did any of my answers surprise you?

Me : No.

Seth : Am I in trouble for any of my answers?

Me : {lol} No.

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I want to thank my husband for answering these questions for me and for answering them honestly. I think he thought it was silly since after almost every question, he gave me a funny look like "really lady?" but he did it anyways because I asked.

Thank you Seth! I love you!

xoxo

[BOY MOMS] Chelsea from East Willow Grove

Hey there! My name is Chelsea and I blog over at East Willow Grove. I started blogging a month into my maternity leave from having my second son Skylor. I needed a creative outlet as I was surrounded by all these boys in my house! To save time and space, you can read Tracen's birth story & Skylor's birth story there.

I found this series as I was reading Katie's post on Easter. You know, so stuffed from eating I'm laying on the couch not talking to anyone and reading blogs, being real sociable! I emailed Elizabeth and asked where to sign up!

So here I am, explaining to you, why it's fabulous to be a boy mom!

{First a little back story}

When I found out I was pregnant with Tracen, I knew it was a boy from the beginning. I can't explain why but I just knew going into our 20 week ultrasound that he was. Most women always want their first to be a girl but I didn't. I wanted a mini Jer; a little blonde hair, blue eyed little man that looks into my eyes the way his daddy looks at me! I also enjoy always being right so when they said it was a boy I was so excited to tell people, see I knew I was right! I'm so mature.

When we were then pregnant with Skylor I had the complete opposite pregnancy so all signs pointed to being a girl, or so they say. We had decided that we were going to do a gender reveal party on Jereks birthday/Easter as it was only 10 days after our ultrasound. I was going to have cupcakes made and everyone, including us, find out together. It was few weeks before our 20 week appointment and I told Jerek 'I know everything is different this time around but I know it's a boy, just in case you're wondering!"  Majority of both of our families said girl though so that's what everyone was waiting for. When we went to the ultrasound the tech asked if we were finding out the gender and before Jerek had the chance to say 'please write it  down and stick in an envelope' I yelled "YEP, WE'RE FINDING OUT TODAY!" Jerek looked at me like I was a nut {which I am...} and said "whatever you want to do weirdo..." She was looking around for a while and I was trying to see if I could tell and I said it's a boy isn't it! I was then 2 for 2. Basically I'm a mindreader in case you're wondering.

Since these babies were going to be 2.5 years apart I wanted them to be both boys. I wanted to reuse clothes I never got a chance for Tracen to wear. I wanted little brothers that were close, hopefully best friends. I wanted to be the queen of the house! Guys if you don't know, being the only girl in the house {even the dog has a schlong!} has SO many benefits!

I figured I would combine my two loves {list making & pictures} and explain to you why being a boy mom is one of my favorite titles I could have been given!

1. When their father is a babe, they usually are too.

2. You get to spend twice as long trying to potty train them and fail miserably because all they want to do is play! {I'd pay someone to potty train Tracen at this point!!!}

3. When you buy a house and it has a spare bedroom you can make it into a walk in closet. FACT: I just did it a month ago!

4. People usually comment "Aww they're are so cute, they must get their looks from you!" This is an instant confidence booster!

5. Dressing them up is just as fun as dressing girls, promise!

6. I've been told boys depend on their mothers longer than girls do {Score!}

7. You don't have to teach a boy to "float" over the seat in public bathrooms. GAG.

8. They tell you things like "you are de most beautiful mommy I ever have!"...even though they usually want something when this happens.

9. When you explain to people at work why you're so tired and you say "I had so many boys in my bed last night",  you won't be judged!

10. You melt at every word they utter, every smile the make and every kiss they give because it reminds you of the man you fell in love with.

These boys are my world and although some days I'm sick of wiping little butts, being kicked out of my bed or no one understanding that it takes me longer than 2 minutes to get ready, I wouldn't change a thing!

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If you would like to share a post about you and your son, email me at chasinmasonblog@gmail.com .

I would love to feature you! You don't have to have a blog to participate!