For when you have those precious moments to get real work done while the littles nap, here are some great time wasters to partake in as you procrastinate on your adult responsibilities.
Enjoy
You got Best in Show for what?!
Friday, May 30, 2014
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Throw Back
Back when this was the only twinkle in Daddy's eye.....
+
+
+
...and then turned into a stye from time to time
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Red Handed
This kid sure seems to know how to find the random markers in this house..... and always when mommy is busy working. I think I'll just leave her like this for the day......
Monday, May 26, 2014
Blue Handed
Caught!
This is how I found Eliza after taking a nap in our bed. She somehow found a blue marker and decided she needed a little more color on her arms and leg.
I can not find said blue marker.
I did however find her pants with poop....
Joy
Friday, May 23, 2014
Party Party
Over one of the weekends, the kids and I attended a birthday party for a little boy turning two. This was the first time any of the kids had gone to one outside of family together and certainly the most involved of entertainment options.
Eliza could have driven this power wheel's all afternoon long. Nolan didn't mind being the passenger and enjoyed himself. We'll see how long that lasts.....
This was as close as Nolan would get to the costumed character. Just like his feelings towards the Easter Bunny. Eliza however, made her feelings very well known about Barney. She held her hands over her ears for most of the performance. Good thing the birthday boy was very smitten with the purple dinosaur. Good choice mom and dad!
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Adult Crafts
I've been busy, tooling away with a hammer, nails, and a mix of purchased/recycled wood. Why all the trouble?
Well, I have a love/hate relationship with my garage. It is our only true place of storage space and after four years of living here and two kids....it's become the catch all of our busy lives. What makes it difficult is the complete lack of shelving for anything.
Shelves cost money....
Money we do not have...
A place we do not own....
Que cheap and free wood!
I've been known to stop from time to time when spotting some particular interesting trash set out on the curb. Where I live, the garbage men will accept particularly large items such as couches, entertainment centers etc... Now now that I thought that they would even touch it, someone had thrown out one of those large wooden swingsets you see outside of Walmart. It had seen some wear, but I saw it as an opportunity to salvage some of the cedar planks.
I am also not limited to scouting out any free wood bins either, or asking for free pallets and those wood pieces found for use in bundling large piles of stacked lumber.
Besides wood, I have also scored some discarded outside toys :)
Using 2 in nails and purchasing a few 8x4's and 8x2's, I've been able to make some easy storage shelves for bulk pantry items and whatever else needs to be off the floor and in it's place. My goal is to have the garage clean and organized by mid summer...as long as the kids can nap long enough ;)
These units measure about 4 ft wide, 2 ft deep and 4ish ft tall.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Snap shots
Oh how I wish my kids could look this nice all the time. Quietly playing by themselves.
Sigh....
This was a short lived moment in our house. Let me count the ways how each child is challenging my patience.
Eliza
We are currently in the stage of asking the same question (das mine/I hungey/You hear dat mommy?) over and over. Some days I want to rip my ears off after I've heard this broken record for the umpteenth time. I have to sometimes catch myself in responding with 'shut up', as I know it could be used against me later on. Snapping back with hush or quiet doesn't have the same gratification.
For maybe over a week, Eliza has chosen to poop in her pants. Doesn't matter if we are in or out of the house. To discourage this lazy potty behavior, we've made her be the one to clean out her underpants. The first couple times she hated it and felt like we got over this hurdle.
Bwhahahah...
Nope....it still continues. So today after another poop in the pants....I took away her My Little Pony underpants. She is currently not happy about this, but I refuse to put a diaper on. She goes pee with no problem. I thought maybe busting out the tattoos for poop in potty would encourage her to end this laziness. Nope....
Nolan
Oh my stubborn little boy.Ye who flails his arms over his tray, spreading dinner on the floor. The one who pushes the limits of CIO. The one who only naps 45 mins tops...
We are in the full throes of hair pulling and biting. Poor Eliza...she has such fine hair and he just yanks out clumps. Besides me just cutting a small section in the back to even it out, she has not had a real full styled hair cut.
Nolan is also learning just how much fun Timeouts are. The biting has got to stop and my attempts of curbing it with mouth or ear flicks isn't working. He'll nip at my inner thighs while cooking meals in protest when I don't pick him up or nurse him at a moments notice. The kind of bites that leave bruises. And they are not just directed at me (Nollie bite me) It was around this same time age wise that Eliza also ventured into this phase. Take a toy away from her or vice versa....watch ou...a vampire jaws would reveal herself.
God really does have a sense of humor...
For when you've had a wretched day full of tantrums/bodily fluid spills/no bathroom privacy....you can't help but then miss them late at night and go into watch them sleep so innocently.
The rest of that day didn't seem to matter after they are asleep and safe.
So I guess this is motherhood.....
Friday, May 16, 2014
Splish Splash - Cheap Fun in the Tub
If you are a mother on Pintrest, I am sure you have seen these pins about how to make a fun suction cup pipe maze using items found from the dollar store and Home Depot. When I caught sight of them, I went to see what materials were going to cost and where to find them.
After looking around...I could start to see that this could turn into a $40 bath toy......
For some reason...PVC isn't exactly cheap. Especially when you try and get those seen in the image above. But the biggest lie about this project is where they state where to get the suction cups. No....the dollar store does not stock them, nor Big Lots or any other home improvement store. Some will carry them, but they have a giant plastic hook going through them for bath needs.
After expanding my search, I did find plain suction cups at Michaels. But for three medium sized ones, it was over $3.00 for a pack.
Just.3.cups.
This seemed like a fun project and bath toy, but I couldn't see spending that much money on it.
But low and behold!
What you'll need
X number of suction cups. I used those I found from other discarded items (think Baking Soda disks that you stick up...broken toys that use them etc)
As many as you want plastic bottles from recycle bin. (think kid meal milk bottles and washed peanut butter jars)
What to do
I used my pointed Fiskars scissors to poke holes for the suction cups and for water to enter and exit. Get creative in how you attach the containers and how the water will play through them. If you have a large or strong sc, put it on the bottom so water can travel away from the wall.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
When the Cleaning Get's Tough
This is what it has come to lately in our house. The pots and pans kept piling up and no volunteers came forward to wash them. Since my kitchen has very little counter space...a plastic tote and my bathtub will have to suffice. Not proud that it has come to this, but food isn't going to cook itself!
Do you have a weekly cleaning regime where each day of the week has a specific set of chores? I know I need to get my butt in action on one of those, but with my mother living in the family room...it is as if my organizational side of the brain ceases to function correctly. Instead only sputtering out bits and pieces of focus.
....I guess one of these days.
Monday, May 12, 2014
No Movie for Superwoman
Another Mother's Day has come and gone...
Life continues to resume normal while daddies head off to work and mommies continue to work in and outside of the home. It is Monday.
This year was a different kind of Mother's Day. We spent it down by the city with Matt's parents and brought along my mother. The weekend was busy with celebrating Matt's mom as she walked across the graduation stage and received her Doctorate in Ministry. Sunday was a full day at the seminary that she is the Dean of Education. Church was full of jr. and senior church memberships, baby dedication, and toddler dance performances. Obligatory trinkets were handed out to all mothers present.
This should be a wonderful day for a mother...right?
What is not mentioned is having young children who could care less for most of the excitement going on at church that day and rather scream, kick off, run and otherwise behave in a less than desired way which requires the parents to hold/shush/rock in and out of the back of the chapel. They do not understand yet the importance of this day reserved for mothers. They will not know how sore and tired their mother's arms and back are after the day is over from carrying them and putting them back in time out over and over again.
When life rutts it's ugly head, there is no time or place for a mom to feel and be treated like a queen on her day.
It may be this season of life you're in where finances crush any hopes of special treatment.
Or, you've been robbed of your children who have passed too soon and it is hard to feel like you can genuinely enjoy this day.
If you've noticed the box office over the years, you'll have seen that many of the comic book superheroes have movies about them....even sequels. Yet, we have not seen one movie about Superwoman. And certainly no movies about the daily struggles we as mothers go through.
There are no merit badges for sacrificing a part of yourself to raise and nurture a child.
No excitement or trumpets played for tackling your toddler into their car seat or pulling off a wrestling move in order to get them take their medicine despite it being kid flavored. I am sure there will be Mother's Days that will be remembered, and others that we will want to forget when they fall short of our unrealistic expectations.
But...
Mothers should be celebrated EVERYDAY because kids do not take a break from their typical behavior on any particular day of the year.
Life continues to resume normal while daddies head off to work and mommies continue to work in and outside of the home. It is Monday.
This year was a different kind of Mother's Day. We spent it down by the city with Matt's parents and brought along my mother. The weekend was busy with celebrating Matt's mom as she walked across the graduation stage and received her Doctorate in Ministry. Sunday was a full day at the seminary that she is the Dean of Education. Church was full of jr. and senior church memberships, baby dedication, and toddler dance performances. Obligatory trinkets were handed out to all mothers present.
This should be a wonderful day for a mother...right?
What is not mentioned is having young children who could care less for most of the excitement going on at church that day and rather scream, kick off, run and otherwise behave in a less than desired way which requires the parents to hold/shush/rock in and out of the back of the chapel. They do not understand yet the importance of this day reserved for mothers. They will not know how sore and tired their mother's arms and back are after the day is over from carrying them and putting them back in time out over and over again.
When life rutts it's ugly head, there is no time or place for a mom to feel and be treated like a queen on her day.
It may be this season of life you're in where finances crush any hopes of special treatment.
Or, you've been robbed of your children who have passed too soon and it is hard to feel like you can genuinely enjoy this day.
If you've noticed the box office over the years, you'll have seen that many of the comic book superheroes have movies about them....even sequels. Yet, we have not seen one movie about Superwoman. And certainly no movies about the daily struggles we as mothers go through.
There are no merit badges for sacrificing a part of yourself to raise and nurture a child.
No excitement or trumpets played for tackling your toddler into their car seat or pulling off a wrestling move in order to get them take their medicine despite it being kid flavored. I am sure there will be Mother's Days that will be remembered, and others that we will want to forget when they fall short of our unrealistic expectations.
But...
Mothers should be celebrated EVERYDAY because kids do not take a break from their typical behavior on any particular day of the year.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Stay tuned!
This week is a bit crazy for our family, but I promise to be back soon with some drama..er fun.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Baby and Momma Needs (IMHO)
I have 4 couples I know who are expecting in the month of August. Some are first timers, while some have been around the block a few times. When you first start off...it can be a bit overwhelming to even think about what you or others will need to purchase. So....
Here is my list of items that we've found to be useful. (all links from Amazon)
Wheels
Chico
We didn't purchase this as our first stroller. Instead, we trusted getting the "travel system" package deal.
Here's the deal....
Unless you do not own a vehicle, you will only use a stroller most of the time at the mall. In addition, you won't use the stroller much until your baby has outgrown the infant seat. Especially if you don't live in warm climates. Wait until after the baby has arrived and then think of what the new reality of your lifestyle is now. Then you can decide if dropping $400 on a sport utility BOB jogger is worth it in the long run
I LOVE this stroller. I've flown across the country with it twice with different kids each time. It gives the luxury of full size features (taller, fully reclines, basket underneath) while also being easy to fold, maneuver, store in car. We purchased this before they brought out a new version that lets you click your infant seat into it and spend 50 or so dollars extra....but we were past the infant seat stage.
Sleep
Fisher Price Rock and Sleep
We had already been given a hand me down pack n play, but I found I kept tossing dirty laundry in it before the baby even got here. Not to mention it wouldn't fit right next to our bed. So with taking some baby shower money, I purchased this before the baby.
Best.money.ever.spent!
This thing lives up to it's promises. I used it right next to my bed until 6 months with Nolan as he was more dependant on mommy being very close. I could easily pick him up to nurse at night and then lay him back down. The wedge shape helped swaddle. The simple and lightweight design made it easy to move it from room to room during the day and pack in the car for overnight trips to the grandparents.
We found this to be on the lower end of high for average use life span. It goes beyond a bassinet by around 3 months more, making it to 6 months give or take. When baby can sit up unassisted and roll back to tummy...it is time to retire this gear.
Car Seats
This one can be the trickiest of all. I think a lot of car seats are sold on the basis of fear.
Here's the deal....
1. All car seats have to meet federal safety standards
2. Not all seats are the same shape/size. Think of your car make/model first and if you or your spouse have long legs. Your baby will be rear facing until the minimum of 1 year, although most recommended rear facing for much longer. Back seating seems to shrink as soon as you are installing a rear facing car seat and will no longer be able to slide the front seats back or recline for a very long time.
3. Infant carriers will only fit your kid until around 6 months. Most kids outgrow them in length first before hitting the weight limits.
Most do by the infant carrier, but if you want a better bang for your buck and lifespan of use, get a convertible car seat. They stay in the car and have a bigger weight limit. You'll also be able to use it for forward facing when the time comes. After 3 months, your little bundle of joy will not be so little, but heavy! Lugging that carrier around will become a pain and you might opt to just leave the carrier in the car and buckle/unbuckle them in outside of the house.
For more compact cars or crossovers...we have found Evenflo & Baby Trend to be kind on the wallet and back seat. A popular mid line convertible car seat by Graco is the My Ride 65. It is a nice seat, but....it is quite big. so keep that in mind. A lot will depend on how important brand name (cough...Britax) and status are to you and how lazy one wants to be when rethreading shoulder straps or installing. They are not that hard to install and most fire departments/police stations will do a free check to insure it is done right.
Cling-on
Low end
Middle
High end
Here's the deal...
1. Not all babies like baby wearing.
2. All carriers are not created equal for every body type.
3. Is Daddy comfortable wearing it? (large men and a Moby wrap look a little silly)
We started off with the Moby wrap. It took some time to feel confident in how to tie it and only was it useful for the first few months. The above carriers will work for the long haul. I found that the Infantino carrier was a little more accommodating to larger sized folks or women with large breasts than compared to the Ergo. But hands down, the price of the Infantino is 1/4th the cost of the Ergo. Just depends on how important brand status is to you. Borrow a friends to see what fits your needs and wallet the best before committing.
Grub
This is another item where it can be tricky to know which one is best baby and the house.
Infant
Toddler
Here's the deal...
1.Think of design/function over looks. That wooden Stokke or Keekaroo might look nice, but may not be the best in true function. Both of their trays are not big enough to fit many baby and toddler plates.
2. Kids are hard and messy when eating. How easy is it to quickly clean after each meal time?
3. Safety. How great and accommodating are the safety straps? They are not all created equal and kids are little Houdini's when they do not want to be sitting.
4. Wait until you reach the solid foods stage to purchase one.
We had originally purchased the toddler chair for Eliza and used the baby tray and straps that came with it. those proved to be pretty pathetic once she started to stand on her own. We couldn't leave her alone in the chair for fear of standing up and falling backwards. But once she was walking and climbing, our wooden high chair was great for a toddler seeking independence.
The infant high chair has been the best for Nolan. We love it for its large feeding tray and safety straps. I will say however, if you have lighter weight table chairs, keep this in mind when they become stronger and can push/pull themselves away from the table while still strapped in. Nolan has pulled himself over while sitting in this thing. So now we have strapped the Space Saver chair in the toddler chair until he can be trusted to climb in and out of the toddler chair without assistance.
Misc but Good Haves
Munchkin Spoons
Swaddling
Sippy Cups
Bouncer (If you have an older child running around) Otherwise see Rock n Sleep
Borrow
Sometimes the best way to do it is to beg, borrow or steal. (j/k on stealing) Baby stuff takes up a lot of space and then space in the basement or garage. Especially when you find baby HATES to be in the swing or baby wore.
Battery/Plug in Swing
Exersaucer/jumper
Activity Mat
Walker
Baby Wearing
What was your lifesaver for baby?
Here is my list of items that we've found to be useful. (all links from Amazon)
Wheels
Chico
We didn't purchase this as our first stroller. Instead, we trusted getting the "travel system" package deal.
Here's the deal....
Unless you do not own a vehicle, you will only use a stroller most of the time at the mall. In addition, you won't use the stroller much until your baby has outgrown the infant seat. Especially if you don't live in warm climates. Wait until after the baby has arrived and then think of what the new reality of your lifestyle is now. Then you can decide if dropping $400 on a sport utility BOB jogger is worth it in the long run
I LOVE this stroller. I've flown across the country with it twice with different kids each time. It gives the luxury of full size features (taller, fully reclines, basket underneath) while also being easy to fold, maneuver, store in car. We purchased this before they brought out a new version that lets you click your infant seat into it and spend 50 or so dollars extra....but we were past the infant seat stage.
Sleep
Fisher Price Rock and Sleep
We had already been given a hand me down pack n play, but I found I kept tossing dirty laundry in it before the baby even got here. Not to mention it wouldn't fit right next to our bed. So with taking some baby shower money, I purchased this before the baby.
Best.money.ever.spent!
This thing lives up to it's promises. I used it right next to my bed until 6 months with Nolan as he was more dependant on mommy being very close. I could easily pick him up to nurse at night and then lay him back down. The wedge shape helped swaddle. The simple and lightweight design made it easy to move it from room to room during the day and pack in the car for overnight trips to the grandparents.
We found this to be on the lower end of high for average use life span. It goes beyond a bassinet by around 3 months more, making it to 6 months give or take. When baby can sit up unassisted and roll back to tummy...it is time to retire this gear.
Car Seats
This one can be the trickiest of all. I think a lot of car seats are sold on the basis of fear.
Here's the deal....
1. All car seats have to meet federal safety standards
2. Not all seats are the same shape/size. Think of your car make/model first and if you or your spouse have long legs. Your baby will be rear facing until the minimum of 1 year, although most recommended rear facing for much longer. Back seating seems to shrink as soon as you are installing a rear facing car seat and will no longer be able to slide the front seats back or recline for a very long time.
3. Infant carriers will only fit your kid until around 6 months. Most kids outgrow them in length first before hitting the weight limits.
Most do by the infant carrier, but if you want a better bang for your buck and lifespan of use, get a convertible car seat. They stay in the car and have a bigger weight limit. You'll also be able to use it for forward facing when the time comes. After 3 months, your little bundle of joy will not be so little, but heavy! Lugging that carrier around will become a pain and you might opt to just leave the carrier in the car and buckle/unbuckle them in outside of the house.
For more compact cars or crossovers...we have found Evenflo & Baby Trend to be kind on the wallet and back seat. A popular mid line convertible car seat by Graco is the My Ride 65. It is a nice seat, but....it is quite big. so keep that in mind. A lot will depend on how important brand name (cough...Britax) and status are to you and how lazy one wants to be when rethreading shoulder straps or installing. They are not that hard to install and most fire departments/police stations will do a free check to insure it is done right.
Cling-on
Low end
Middle
High end
Here's the deal...
1. Not all babies like baby wearing.
2. All carriers are not created equal for every body type.
3. Is Daddy comfortable wearing it? (large men and a Moby wrap look a little silly)
We started off with the Moby wrap. It took some time to feel confident in how to tie it and only was it useful for the first few months. The above carriers will work for the long haul. I found that the Infantino carrier was a little more accommodating to larger sized folks or women with large breasts than compared to the Ergo. But hands down, the price of the Infantino is 1/4th the cost of the Ergo. Just depends on how important brand status is to you. Borrow a friends to see what fits your needs and wallet the best before committing.
Grub
This is another item where it can be tricky to know which one is best baby and the house.
Infant
Toddler
Here's the deal...
1.Think of design/function over looks. That wooden Stokke or Keekaroo might look nice, but may not be the best in true function. Both of their trays are not big enough to fit many baby and toddler plates.
2. Kids are hard and messy when eating. How easy is it to quickly clean after each meal time?
3. Safety. How great and accommodating are the safety straps? They are not all created equal and kids are little Houdini's when they do not want to be sitting.
4. Wait until you reach the solid foods stage to purchase one.
We had originally purchased the toddler chair for Eliza and used the baby tray and straps that came with it. those proved to be pretty pathetic once she started to stand on her own. We couldn't leave her alone in the chair for fear of standing up and falling backwards. But once she was walking and climbing, our wooden high chair was great for a toddler seeking independence.
The infant high chair has been the best for Nolan. We love it for its large feeding tray and safety straps. I will say however, if you have lighter weight table chairs, keep this in mind when they become stronger and can push/pull themselves away from the table while still strapped in. Nolan has pulled himself over while sitting in this thing. So now we have strapped the Space Saver chair in the toddler chair until he can be trusted to climb in and out of the toddler chair without assistance.
Misc but Good Haves
Munchkin Spoons
Swaddling
Sippy Cups
Bouncer (If you have an older child running around) Otherwise see Rock n Sleep
Borrow
Sometimes the best way to do it is to beg, borrow or steal. (j/k on stealing) Baby stuff takes up a lot of space and then space in the basement or garage. Especially when you find baby HATES to be in the swing or baby wore.
Battery/Plug in Swing
Exersaucer/jumper
Activity Mat
Walker
Baby Wearing
What was your lifesaver for baby?
Friday, May 2, 2014
Blog Gems
Here are a few blog gems that I've found to strike a real corde as a mother. The kinds that make you say 'whoa' and instil a new spark about how to be a better parent or person.
I have found myself uttering or thinking these things, since before I was a full time SAHM. Those sayings really do take away from the indescribable highs we are paid in as mothers.
Find it here.
I love to sew, and I love to sew projects that come from FREE printable patterns. Because, who has the money to spend on patterns, let alone having the time to spend sewing. Nap time can only last so long ;) Here is a great easy bib pattern that uses an unknown to most laminated fabric with a link to a nice Etsy shop who sells some cut fabrics, all laminated with the ability to buy fat quarters of it.
Take a look over at Peek-a-Boo Pattern shop
On a personal note...
I will leave this entry with something I experienced recently as a mother that was a first for me. It brought my attention at the wonderful and perfect design that God gave us as women. I was at a playdate recently of a good friend. The kids were all over the place and struggling to find something entertaining to sustain them. In my presence, was a baby who had their time with mommy interrupted, due to being the 4th in line. Holding him was only going so far for contentment.
Then, after asking and being granted permission by his mother, I nursed him.
He ate and ate and slipped into a milk coma as I watched the eyes flutter and finally close. Then I lifted him on to my chest to nap, drinking the sweet baby scent.
I had the ability to feed this child without a bottle or solid food. A child that was not of my own blood or adopted in...my milk was enough to satisfy his thirst.
It had been a long time since Nolan would simply nurse and fall asleep at the breast. (Not to mention, forgetting what it feels like to nurse a baby without teeth!) Being that this is the longest I've ever breast fed one of my children, it was a nice experience to help out not just the baby, but the mother who could attend to her other children's needs in the most simple of ways.
I know this act is nothing new in history, as slaves were sometimes used as wet nurses for their masters children. Some may be grossed out by this act, but all I could see was something beautifully crafted and designed by God.
I have found myself uttering or thinking these things, since before I was a full time SAHM. Those sayings really do take away from the indescribable highs we are paid in as mothers.
Find it here.
I love to sew, and I love to sew projects that come from FREE printable patterns. Because, who has the money to spend on patterns, let alone having the time to spend sewing. Nap time can only last so long ;) Here is a great easy bib pattern that uses an unknown to most laminated fabric with a link to a nice Etsy shop who sells some cut fabrics, all laminated with the ability to buy fat quarters of it.
Take a look over at Peek-a-Boo Pattern shop
On a personal note...
I will leave this entry with something I experienced recently as a mother that was a first for me. It brought my attention at the wonderful and perfect design that God gave us as women. I was at a playdate recently of a good friend. The kids were all over the place and struggling to find something entertaining to sustain them. In my presence, was a baby who had their time with mommy interrupted, due to being the 4th in line. Holding him was only going so far for contentment.
Then, after asking and being granted permission by his mother, I nursed him.
He ate and ate and slipped into a milk coma as I watched the eyes flutter and finally close. Then I lifted him on to my chest to nap, drinking the sweet baby scent.
I had the ability to feed this child without a bottle or solid food. A child that was not of my own blood or adopted in...my milk was enough to satisfy his thirst.
It had been a long time since Nolan would simply nurse and fall asleep at the breast. (Not to mention, forgetting what it feels like to nurse a baby without teeth!) Being that this is the longest I've ever breast fed one of my children, it was a nice experience to help out not just the baby, but the mother who could attend to her other children's needs in the most simple of ways.
I know this act is nothing new in history, as slaves were sometimes used as wet nurses for their masters children. Some may be grossed out by this act, but all I could see was something beautifully crafted and designed by God.
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