Life. -

Category: Life.

D-BAT Jax (post includes promo code!)

Posted on November 25, 2019November 25, 2019 by Kelley Elmore

Thanks to a partnership with the Navy Ortega Lakeshore Little League, we had the pleasure of checking out D-BAT Jacksonville. It is a huge indoor hitting and training facility with pitching machines that accommodate baseball and softball players of all skill level. The staff members are very helpful and seem to really enjoy what they do. You can tell they all are very passionate about the sport.

*I loved the fact that they had plenty of benches so that you could comfortably sit & cheer on your little slugger.*

The cages are very safe, requiring helmets for everyone who enters. The fences are high and even have double lined nets in front of them. I had Aubrey with us so I found all of it very comforting knowing that she can watch the kids practice without being in danger of getting hit, unlike at the ballpark.

*Aubrey watching her brother behind the safety of the cages.*

There is also a viewing room with large windows so that you can still see them batting. I spoke with Troy, one of the staff members at D-BAT and he explained how it was designed with moms in mind. The way he put it is pretty accurate. He said dads will go anywhere for sports. They don’t blink an eye at a muddy field when their kids want to practice. And of course, moms will do anything for their kids as well. But let’s be honest, especially if smaller siblings are involved, we would love a nice, clean, cool, indoor area where we can go to watch the kids practice but not have to worry about foul balls knocking out the little ones. Aubrey was hit in the shoulder last week at the ball field so it can totally happen!

*You can even bring in outside food to enjoy in the viewing room.*

*One of the staff members even put on cartoons for her. Aubrey was as happy as could be.*

Aiden absolutely loved it and is already begging me to take him back. Besides the batting cages, there is an area for a wiffle ball game, and a whole section of cages to do fielding drills. D-BAT even teaches lessons and has clinics and camps. I’m planning on signing him up for one of their camps over Christmas break. You can even have a birthday party there and we are seriously considering it for next year.

Baseball lessons would make a great Christmas gift, too! From now until Christmas, D-BAT Jax is offering anyone who inquires about them through my blog a gold membership discount on lessons. That’s a 20% discount off a Non-Member price! Just use “promo code 3030”.

So, the next time it is raining outside, or cold, or you don’t feel like chasing the toddler around the ball field, come check out D-Bat. Run through Chick-Fil-A on your way, make yourselves comfy in the viewing room, and watch brother/sister hit so many balls that their arms feel like jello! I promise, you won’t regret it.

*Thank you to D-BAT Jax & the NOL Little League for having us!*

Routine, Oh How I’ve Missed You.

Posted on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 by Kelley Elmore

It is something about the summer that makes me relinquish all control. I slack on the budget, we eat out way too much, a swim in the pool totally counts as a bath, and bed times are non existent. Now that school is back in, I am beyond ready to regain control of the household.

We typically start getting back on track with bedtimes a week before school. That way it’s not such a shock on the first day. I really enjoy reading with Aiden at night so I try to get Aubrey bathed, in pajamas, and cuddling with Brian so that we can have that one on one time. We trade off reading and try to pick out something adventurous that holds his attention.

You would think Aiden would put up a fight with all of this but I think he really thrives with structure. I’ve given him more responsibilities this year and so far he is doing pretty well. Keep in mind that it has only been two weeks, so we’ll see how long it lasts. I’m optimistic, but not delusional.

One of his responsibilities is making his lunch the day before. The first sandwich was a little sad, but he’s progressed.

He’s been doing a pretty good job. He only includes junk of course. Even though he makes it, I try to put a note in his lunchbox every few days. Apparently, it is time for me to go grocery shopping because today’s lunch was pretty lame with bottled water and plain chips. I tucked this little gem in there…

Back to school shopping was super simple this year. The county sent out emails including the lists of items for each grade. Beside the list were logos (Target, Walmart, Amazon, etc) of where you can buy everything. Once you clicked on it, it filled the shopping cart so you could see how each location compared. Target ended up being the cheapest (with free shipping) so I just had everything delivered to the house. He is reusing the lunchbox from last year and I ordered him a backpack (linked below) from Amazon for $8.99. Easy peezy!

We took Aubrey with us to orientation because he wanted her to see “what big school looked like”. That was an awful idea. Before we got out of there, she had scribbled all over the volunteer signup sheets. So embarrassing.

Not pictured: The class pet. A bearded dragon!

I was fortunate enough to be able to take him to school everyday for this first week. On the first day I asked him if he was nervous, to which he replied, “Nope. I’m so excited, nothing can ruin my day! Except maybe farting in class. That might.” I mean, he’s not wrong.

Yep, 2nd grade has gotten off to a pretty good start. I just finished my Chemistry class and am not taking any classes in the fall. I was having to take Aubrey to school on my weekly day off so I could get homework done. Now, I’m looking forward to keeping her home with me. We plan on spending a lot of one on one time together and meeting Aiden at school for lunch often!

I have high hopes for this year. Not just for school but for our debt pay offs too. We have not been paying on debt much lately because we’ve been doing a lot of projects around the house that we’ve been putting off, but that’s about to change. There are only four months until Christmas! We need to get our budget under control so that we can ease into holiday shopping sooner rather than putting everything on credit cards last minute! You know what they say: Failing to plan is planning to fail!

Nobility Leadership Guest Post

Posted on July 20, 2019July 20, 2019 by Kelley Elmore

I had the pleasure of writing a guest post for the Nobility Leadership blog. Nobility Leadership is a company that helps people and organizations reach their full potential by teaching leadership skills. They offer online coaching, one-on-one training, and leadership workshops. Check out the full post below…

https://www.nobilityleadership.com/blog/2019/kelleyelmore

Parents Escape to the Mountains

Posted on February 9, 2019February 9, 2019 by Kelley Elmore

The last time Brian and I went out of town, just the two of us was our honeymoon in 2010. To say that we were over due for a parents-only getaway was a huge understatement! So, we dropped the kids off at school Friday morning and drove six and a half hours up to Chimney Rock, North Carolina.

They look mad in this picture but I think it’s because they just woke up. They were actually very excited to be staying with my mom. Aiden talked about it for weeks.

Aubrey was trying to sneak away with us.

I packed the essentials. Just in case the SHTF while we were gone. My close friends know I was a serious prepper in a past life.

There’s nothing quite like finally seeing the mountains in the distance.

We stayed at The Esmeralda Inn and it was perfect. It was built in 1892 as a stage coach stop. I like it because it had all of the luxuries of a hotel but still felt very rustic and cabin-like. I just wish it was a little warmer so we could of enjoyed a drink in the rocking chairs on the porch.

Fun fact: The Esmeralda Inn burned in a fire and was rebuilt in 1997. A lot of the building material was donated by the local residents, including the lobby floors which were the same floors that Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey danced on in Dirty Dancing (which was filmed just down the street in Lake Lure, North Carolina). I tried to get Brian to reenact the famous jump scene but he wasn’t going for it so I went and put myself in the corner. He just shook his head. I can’t be the first person to do that!

Our room was perfect with the most gorgeous view of the mountain. And the bed was the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on. I haven’t slept that good in a long, long time!

The view from the window of our hotel room.

It was dark when we were there so this picture is from their website . http://www.hickorynutbrewery.com/

After getting settled in our room, we ventured out to explore. Our first stop was the Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery. It was a small place full of locals who could tell the moment we walked in that we were far from home. But everyone was very nice and it didn’t take them long to warm up to us.

After we had one too many locally brewed beers on empty stomachs, we headed back to the hotel for dinner. The food was amazing! I had the shrimp and grits and Brian ordered the filet.

My favorite part about dinner was that delicious lemon drop martini. It was infused with lavender and was by far the best drink I’ve ever had. Ever.

The filet with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

After dinner, we stayed at the bar in the hotel for a few more drinks and hung out with some of the other guests.

This coffee station was conveniently located right outside of our room and they bring coffee every morning at 7:30am.

You can tell the kids weren’t around. My coffee was actually still hot when I drank it.

They serve breakfast every morning and it is included with your stay.

Yogurt parfait, bacon, and egg, broccoli, and cheese casserole.

After breakfast we ventured to the game room to work on homework. We both had assignments due over the weekend and figured we would let it warm up outside before braving the mountain. Plus, it’s amazing how quickly you can get homework done without the distractions of home!

After homework we put on twelve layers of clothing and went to Chimney Rock where we hiked to the top.

They told us when we bought our passes that some of the trails were “closed due to ice”. We Floridians figured the trails were closed because you could slip on ice and fall. We had no idea that sheets of ice were falling from the top of the mountain. The funny thing is that the only place we saw ice fall was on the open trails. In fact, we watched a girl almost get smacked in the head twice by falling ice.

Notice the husband in the above picture? Apparently we had hike much too far to go back because the trail was closed. This was the first place that Brian fell. He was stepping from one rock to the other when the other was covered with ice. He slipped and fell right on his side on the rock.

This platform was completely covered with ice and was very difficult to walk on.

You know you’re a parent when you see this and start singing songs from Frozen. No, not me. It was the other parent.

Aiden is a huge rock collector so I brought him a stone rock and an ice rock from the mountain. One of them didn’t make it.

Chimney Rock Village is their town square, full of restaurants and gift shops.

We had a great lunch at Nachito’s Restaurant and walked around the gift shops for a while before driving all through the mountains and exploring the area for a few hours. When we got back to the hotel, there were fresh baked cookies in the lobby which they do every afternoon. We had a few and took a nap in that amazing bed. We woke up in time for dinner which we had downstairs in the hotel.

Crab cake and shrimp and grits spring rolls.

We got up the next morning and had breakfast with my uncle and his family who live about thirty minutes from Chimney Rock. I completely forgot to ask the waitress to take a picture of us and I’m still mad about it. We plan on coming back when it is warmer and bringing the kids. We had such a great time and it was a perfect little couples getaway. I’d like to start a tradition of traveling every few months and alternating on who plans the trip. Tag, babe. It’s your turn!

If you are thinking of taking a trip up to North Carolina, you should definitely visit Chimney Rock. And as a little incentive, the Esmeralda Inn is offering a 10% discount on a two night stay. Details below.

Coupon Code: Esmeralda10
*Stay for two nights February 1st – April 1st and receive 10% off your stay!
*Excludes holidays
*valid only for new reservations.

That was a close one!

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Kelley Elmore

Brian calls it the “Elmore curse”. I just call it “life”. If something is going to happen, it’s going to happen to us and at the worst possible time. Since Brian changed jobs and he carried our health insurance, we are not exactly covered right now.

So, of course, this is the perfect time for someone to get injured. Cue the phone call from Aiden’s teacher on Monday. Aiden fell at school and hurt his arm. She didn’t think it was broken but it was definitely sore. I went and picked him up early and realized he wasn’t using that arm at all. It was already swollen, and to me was most certainly broken. Do we have our emergency fund complete? Of course not. We have filled it and depleted it multiple times now. If we had $1000 in there like we are suppose to, this probably wouldn’t of happened (Remember, Elmore curse?).

I called the urgent care office to confirm that they had x-ray capabilities and to also get an estimate as to how much it might cost. The lady on the phone informed me that it would be $125 when we arrive and will go up from there, depending on what he needs. The most it could be is $319. Well, we were in luck because we did still have our Health Saving Account card from when we were insured and it still had an available balance of $349. Finally, a break (no pun intended).

So, once Brian got home to stay with the baby, Aiden and I went to urgent care. The doctor examined his arm and was pretty confident that it was broken. She stated that they would have to refer us to an orthopedic specialist.

The doctor was very surprised to see that the x-ray showed his arm was not broken! It was just badly sprained. They put him in a sling that he’d have to wear for the week and that’s it. They charged us an additional $63 for the x-ray and sling so we ended up paying a total of $188 for the whole visit. I paid it with the HSA card and was actually left with an available balance of $161, just in case.

Moral of the story: We dodged a financial bullet! Can you imagine the bill we would have received if we had to go to an orthopedic specialist without insurance?! Yet another reason we need that $1000 emergency fund. Not to mention, health insurance.

I am trying to decide the best way to go about that. Brian has to wait 90 days to be eligible for benefits and my company would be over $1000 per month for coverage. I guess we’ll just have to bite the bullet and sign up through my employer. I definitely do not like this game of Russian roulette we are playing!

Yard Sales Suck

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Kelley Elmore

So, I decided to have my first yard sale last year. I was ready to sell everything; furniture, clothes, toys, kitchenware, decor, even things we were still using. I was ready to get started on this debt free journey and we needed money fast. I planned for a week making really funny signs to attract customers. And the best part? I planned it for the weekend of the Air Show and we live directly across the street from the base. Talk about strategy. Or so I thought.

Check out the signs…

That last one is my favorite!

On the morning of the sale I drove around our neighborhood hanging signs. Next, while the husband was watching the baby, my son and I brought everything outside and placed it all where it could be easily seen from the road. Then I made a cup of coffee and waited. And waited. And waited. We might of had ten people stop by and six of them were because they wanted to see who the yard sale signs belonged to. I literally made $10.

Finally, after being outside for eight hours my husband snaps a few pictures of the furniture, puts them on Facebook and they were all sold in twenty minutes. Really? You couldn’t of done that at 8am?!

Even though that day was a total bust, I saw a different, entrepreneurial side of my five year old. I told him that if he made $20 from selling whatever toys he wanted, I would take him to Target and let him pick out one new toy. He took a pretty large box and filled it with toys. As anyone walked up he would show them his toys and offer them for a ridiculously high price. I’m talking a Hot Wheels car for $10. Then he would offer less and less until finally they would give in. When I decided I had had enough and started packing up, he had made $13, more than me, but he wasn’t done. He went and got his wagon, loaded up the toys he didn’t sell, and starting walking down the road. I didn’t stop him or ask where he was going. I simply followed behind him and watched.

Every time he found someone outside, he would say hi and then ask if they’d like to buy a toy. He would explain why he was selling them and what he was hoping to buy. To my surprise, almost everyone he spoke to gave him some kind of money either change from their pockets or dollar bills from the house. Some took toys but some did not. When they didn’t, he’d leave one in their front yard and move on to the next person he could find. That boy made $47 that day. I couldn’t believe it.

The takeaway from this story is 1. My child is smarter than me. 2. Do not have a yard sale during the Air Show because people are so tired and hot from being outside for hours that getting out of traffic to drive through a neighborhood to look at other people’s junk is the last thing anyone wants to do. 3. I need to try a different tactic when selling used goods. Cue the internet!

I downloaded the LetGo app. It’s free and pretty easy to use so I decided to give it a try. In fact, it is so easy that I just walked around the house listing things that I didn’t really want to sell for astronomical prices, just in case. But let’s be honest, if someone wants to buy my son’s boat shaped bed frame for $1,000 I will gladly sell it, put a mattress on the floor for him, and find the cheapest bunk bed possible because that is what he truly wants anyway and hey $1,000! It was given to us for free so that’s a pretty good return on investment. No, I don’t have my MBA. But I have been listening to podcasts lately. *Wink*

Minimalism? I’m not, not interested.

Posted on August 7, 2018July 3, 2019 by Kelley Elmore

I have read a lot about minimalism lately. Everyone has their own interpretation of the word and every blog explains it differently. To me, it means to simply live without a whole bunch of extra crap. I find myself searching the word for house decorating inspirations. I would love for my home to look like a staged house everyday but with two kids (three if you include the husband) that’s not possible. My son is six so he will clean up after himself after some protesting and begging for help. And my daughter is one so she is no help at all. As a matter of fact, I typically wait until she’s asleep to clean up the toys. She thinks its a game to follow behind me and take everything back out as I put it away. Kids. Am I right?

So, looking at “Minimalism” on Pinterest has gotten me motivated to throw everything away. Like everything. The thought of having less toys to pick up is amazing. Less laundry to put away? Yes , please. I think I can get on board with this movement. According to all of those blogs I’ve read, there’s suppose to be a lot of other benefits as well. The thought is, if the kids have a lot of toys in their playroom they will walk in, dump a few buckets of toys out, get totally overwhelmed and then come to mom saying that they are bored. And then mom says, “How is that possible? You have a playroom full of toys!” I must admit, Aiden and I have this same conversation probably four to five times a week. It is believed that the kids will be forced to use their imagination and will even play with each other more. I want to try minimalism for selfish reasons (Hey, less cleaning!) but if I get imaginative, creative kids that enjoy playing together, I’ll take that too!

My plan is to go through everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, in the house. Anything that hasn’t been touched, worn, or dusted in six months is out. I would like to sell a lot of the baby stuff if possible. I tried my hand at a yard sale last year and it was a colossal waste of time. I think I made ten bucks. I might try Facebook Marketplace. Other than that, everything will be donated or thrown out. Then reorganized. I’ve started already. I went through my dresser and got rid of most of my clothes. Literally, probably 3/4 of them. I was holding onto things that I thought I might fit into after three kids. Ain’t gonna happen. I wear scrubs to work so it’s not like I need much variety anyway. There is a lot more to do but it’s a start.

Breastfeeding… it almost worked.

Posted on July 11, 2017July 11, 2017 by Kelley Elmore

With Aiden, breastfeeding did not come easy. As a matter of fact, it lasted three solid weeks. He wouldn’t latch, pumping didn’t produce enough, and we were both miserable. I remember the night that Brian finally put his foot down about nursing. I was in the nursery with the door shut trying to nurse him. Aiden was screaming. I was sobbing. He came in, sat on the stool in front of me, put both hands on my knees and said, “You will not be any less of a mom if we give him formula. I’ll be able to help you.” I went to Target that night and cried while looking at all of the formula options. I came home, immediately mixed the formula, and proceeded to feed Aiden (all while still crying). He sucked that bottle down like he hadn’t been fed in a week! Brian did the next feeding and I napped. It was glorious… for a few hours. The formula made him very colicky. He was miserable, screaming in pain from his stomach. It took us three more types of formula before we finally realized he couldn’t process the lactose. Once we tried the lactose-free, soy formula it was smooth sailing. The funny thing is he can drink milk like crazy now. I guess it was just a newborn phase.

Fast forward to Sawyer. After he was delivered, I tried with everything in my power to prevent my milk supply from coming in. I wrapped my breasts until it felt like they were going to push into my spine. I tried ice packs and Luke warm showers but it didn’t matter. It came in… a lot of it. I leaked for weeks. It was a constant reminder of the baby I didn’t have. It was awful. I decided then that if we had another baby in the future, I wouldn’t let that liquid gold go to waste like I did with Aiden.

Then little miss Aubrey came into the picture. My breasts started leaking by thirty five weeks. My milk supply had completely come in before I even left the hospital. I had a phenomenal lactation consultant that helped me every time I tried to nurse her. This time, I felt like it was going to work. And then they told me she had to stay in the nursery. I was able to nurse her every few hours but they had to supplement her with extra breast milk, and at times formula, in order to expel the extra bilirubin in her system. I think she was spoiled by how fast the milk flowed out of the bottle because her excellent latch didn’t last. She got to where she would only latch on for a few seconds and then scream for the bottle. For the first two weeks of her life, we had to continue the supplemental breastmilk/ formula. So, it tuned into me trying to nurse until she became hysterical, then giving her either pumped breast milk or formula. I was engorged, had a clogged duct, and my supply started to dwindle. I got to where I was only producing 1.5 to 2oz and the supplemental amount we were suppose to be giving her was 2oz. I finally decided to stop breastfeeding all together. This was a hard decision for me. I had a mental image of being one of those women in public with the cute nursing cover and the little baby just nursing away while she holds on a conversation. Honestly, I am sure there are things I could of done to become that woman. I could have made lactation cookies, drank even more water, pumped in cycles (whatever that means), but instead I gave up. Besides my momma guilt that I felt, do you know what happened when I did? Feedings became a lot more pleasant. Everyone could feed her, even Aiden (who still feeds her every morning before going to school). She was happy and we could enjoy that time. Everyone talks about the “bond” you have while nursing. Well, Brian put it perfectly when he explained that you could hold the bottle right at breast level and she would not know the difference. The bond is still there. Now, neither one of us is frustrated and we are enjoying each others company. Yes, there are women out there who can breast feed their child well into toddlerhood, but I’ve accepted the fact that I am not that mom. And that’s okay. I tried.

I would also like to add that Aubrey was 7lb 13oz when she was born. She was 7lb 3oz when we left the hospital. She was 8lbs 8oz at her two week check up and the pediatrician said she couldn’t be healthier. He also said, “Whatever you’re doing momma, it’s working. Keep it up!”. So if anyone knows someone that could use a really cute nursing cover, let me know.

VPK Graduation… cue the waterworks!

Posted on June 12, 2017June 12, 2017 by Kelley Elmore

Be still my heart! My baby graduated from VPK!
Aiden won the “Curious George Award” for always asking good questions (some needed to be Googled according to his teacher) and the “Daredevil Award” for always trying to do parkour on the playground. She said she overheard him asking his friend “Do you wanna do hard core parkour?!” That’s our boy! We let him choose where we were going to have dinner. No surprise, he chose Tijuana Flats…again.

First Stitches?

Posted on November 11, 2016November 11, 2016 by Kelley Elmore

So, I’m at work the other day and the director of Aiden’s daycare calls me. She says Aiden was going up the wrong way on a metal slide on the playground, fell, and busted his chin open. She thought he may need stitches so I left work to take him. I was not looking forward to it. It was his first stitches and I was nervous.

By the time I got there it had stopped bleeding. He seemed calm about it, until I told him he might have to have a shot to numb it so they could stitch it. He asked, so I answered. Maybe I shouldn’t of been so honest but typically if he knows what’s going to happen, he handles it better. This time, not so much.

I called the urgent care office and asked if they would be able to stitch a four year old’s chin. The lady on the phone said as long as they can hold him down long enough, it should be fine. Hold him down?! Time for plan B. I had some surgical glue from work in my first aid kit at home. Although he probably should of gotten stitches, he held perfectly still and I glued it shut. When I told Aiden I was done and he wouldn’t need stitches after all, he said, “See, mommy? That’s why I love you”. Fast forward a few weeks later and the scar is barely noticeable, if I do say so myself.

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