Merry Christmas!

 

Wishing you and your family a Happy Holidays!

 

Still need a holiday template like this one to print and hand out at your Christmas celebrations?

Find them here!

Efficiency, Re-Organizing, Prioritizing, and Maybe Burning the House Down

My life.

Sometimes, those Some-E-Cards really sum up your life, don't they?

Last night, with my feet cozy in Pete's lap, I had a mini-meltdown concerning the New Year and all the projects I hope to accomplish in 2013 (eeks, and all the projects I didn't accomplish in 2012). My complaints about the house came out in one large spew of word vomit, nothing directly related to Pete, but my concern was laid out in a very "I'm #$#)@#! serious about getting this house live able" tone.

For starters? Our house is plenty big enough to accommodate two little boys, Mom and Dad. Why do I feel like I am living in a shoe box? We are wasting so much space with furniture and storage items we never use. Goals for solving these issues?

Clean out office/storage/downstairs bedroom which will eventually be the boys' bedroom.
Remove wet bar in downstairs basement which will eventually double our downstairs living area.
Appropriately organize storage in downstairs laundry room.
Deal with the heaps of Top Drawer Vintage. <---More about that soon!
Install more pantry space in dining room.
Remove overhead hanging cabinets.
Sell or donate remaining unused furniture in garage.

Our house was built in 1967. There is so much glorious wood paneling, gold hardware, and outdated, dirty wall paper. Our house needs some major modern updating. I cannot look at it for another month. I might just burn the house down. While I am thankful the downstairs wall paper is white, we have put off removing it because it is not the worst eye sore in the house. However, day time comes and I have the down stairs shades open, I can see every dirty seam. It drives me crazy.

Removing the upstairs wall paper in 2009.

Goals for solving updating issues?

Update all cabinet hardware in kitchen.
Update appliances (this might take a few years budget-wise but at least we know we want change).
Removing wall paper in basement.
Removing most (I do like some of the paneling) wood paneling in basement and downstairs bedroom.
New closet doors.
Update door hardware in house.
Replace carpet in downstairs bedroom.

Wood paneling in downstairs hallway.

If you bought a house in the last 7 years, you are probably in the same boat as us and stuck it in. The value in our home has gone down so severely, even if we were serious about selling, we would never make it financially. Knowing it will be years before we could ever move, I am going to try to find peace this upcoming year by taking care of my home in the best way I can. There are many odds and ends projects that would make me happier about living in my house, like:

Replacing all window treatments.
Making downstairs bedroom a boys room.
Getting a new, larger kitchen table and creating a pleasant dining place.
Replacing love seat and getting a new ottoman in basement.
Getting a new duvet cover for the master bedroom.
Creating a better laundry system.
Updating faucets in bathrooms.

Of course, all of these said projects need to be completed in some sort of said budget. Did you hear my "wah-wah" from where you are reading? Shopping on a budget really is part of the fun for me. You can often find me in the aisles of stores with my coupon book, gift cards, and phone calculator out. I am one on the cheap shopper, let me tell you!

Hopefully, I can link back to this post and start crossing some of my 2013 projects off the list. I should be enjoying the last few days of the year in a non-project bliss. For come January, it is either the house or me. Only one is coming out alive...

Guest Post on Live the Fancy Life: From Braces Face to Mom Jeans

Hey all!

Check out my guest post: From Braces face to Mom Jeans on Live the Fancy Life today! Jessica, the blog writer, and party planner extraordinaire, asked about my experience with braces. We had a great time compiling the post this last week.

Be sure to check out my 8th grade yearbook photo... yikes!

Then and Now: Painting with my Kids

I am a very blessed person to have had an amazing childhood. It was nothing extravagant, as in, we didn't ever go to Disney World and we didn't get happy meals from McDonald's. My siblings and I didn't need much besides each other and our back yard. My mom was a stay-at-home mom. I know the biggest reason I decided to be a stay-at-home mom is because she was such a great one.

 

Painting at the kitchen table as a kid.

 

I want to give my kids the same experience I had. I want them to grow up knowing they will always have each other. Not that kids don't get that without stay-at-home moms, but I only know what I know, and I do things the same way my own mom has. So far, our life is exactly how I hoped it would be.

 

Yes, I wish my husband was home more, but so did my mom. There are hand fulls of things I would change about our life, but overall, we are happy and we are together.

 

There are plenty of days when I know I could be doing more, doing better as a mom. We have so much time together, I should be utilizing as much as I can of it for learning. Some days, I just get lazy. It is easier to do what we always do. Sometimes I think, is more work to be creative.

 

Well, it really isn't more work to be creative.

In my case, it just meant grabbing paints instead of our usual color crayon box yesterday. This 45 minute, washable craft, left me in pure bliss. I just sat with my coffee, watching David paint and discover all the new sensations and creativity that comes with it. James is still too little for paints, but he still participated with crayons!

Afterwards, the kids took baths and we had lunch together. Then it was nap time. It was a fun, easily transitioned morning and I need to remember how easy it is to do something different for a change. While it was just paints, the small adjustment  made our ordinary day, extrordinary. Think of all the possibilities out there to help our kids learn by tweaking ordinary crafts here and there! There are so many things to do and so little time to do them.

 

Did you do something fun with your kids yesterday?

What's in my Google Reader Tonight?

I have been on Blogger for at least an hour tonight. I was planning on just checking my e-mail, but I got sucked into my Google reader. There are some great reads in there tonight, and I thought I could share some of them with you.

Meghan, at High Plains Thrifter, shares some of her weekly finds in her Clickin' Around volumes. I love getting her post updates in my inbox. I think of this post as an homage to a fellow blogger who likes to link with some seriously good taste.

So , what's in my Googler reader tonight that is so interesting?

Joanna, at A Cup of Jo, asked her readers if they were for or against children sharing a bedroom. It seems like such a simple question, but it is a very important one (proof is in the 195 comments!). We knew immediately David would be sharing a room with James when he was born. It has been the most amazing experience to watch them grow into a relationship with each other. Sharing a bedroom has only heightened that experience for them. I wouldn't have their situation any other way.


Photo Credit //  Meghan McEwan

Emery Jo, at Moms are for Everyone, hosted Thanksgiving in her barn last week. The barn was set up rustic and so delicately chic. I have had a few garage parties over the years for the boys, which one party was in the middle of Winter and one of the middle of the Summer, neither turning out well. It is a dream to have a little rustic outdoor like this one, someday.

Photo Credit // Moms are for Everyone

Songstress, Chantilly, releases herself from unnecessary sources of guilt (like feeling not inspired enough or not being creative enough) because sometimes when you are in a rut you haven't lost anything. She reminds us "it's part of the process, sometimes."

Photo Credit // Chantilly Songs

I have been obsessed with The Pineneedle Collective's kitschy DIY projects lately. Here is another one from Annika where she made her own sweater collar clips. Sigh. I wish I were craftier!

Photo Credit // The Pineneedle Collective

I am a sucker for a huge, fluffy, bursting hydrangea. I would love to cover my entire yard with them but Pete just can't love them as much as me. We had hydrangeas as out primary wedding flower. My Mom even left me a hydrangea plant on our doorstep for our first wedding anniversary. Helena, at A Diary of Lovely, links to drying hydrangeas for months of visual (if not sentimental) enjoyment.

Photo Credit // A Diary of Lovely

Lastly, I seriously wish I were as cool as Sandra from 5 Inch and Up. There must be three people on the planet who can pull off the H & M Trend pants, in leather look, as well as her. Sometimes, I just want to transport my being and be someone else for a few minutes. Well, I guess I am in a leather pants-park stroll-London kind of mood tonight. Oh yeah, and I would be an awesome blond, too.

Photo Credit // 5 Inch and Up

Two hours later, and I better give it a rest. This week proves to be one of the busiest weeks of my life. Between: acting coaching for this years Madrigal Dinner, birthday parties, Christmas festivities with the kids, and Matron of Honor duties, this week is going to be a crazy.

Any good reads keeping you up tonight?

Black Friday - What I Bought

I love shopping. I really do.

I don't like Black Friday. I don't love shopping enough to be one of the crazies: dragging my kids though the mall, or waiting in line at Target at 11:59 pm on Thanksgiving night. I reserve the right to change my mind at any point in my life.

I do, however, love me some Black Friday sales. Here are few examples of what was shop worthy to me today. I did my shopping from the comfort of my own chair while the boys napped. Ah, bliss.

I couldn't buy anything for myself. It seemed so pointless. There are a lot of things I wanted (here, here, and here), which I placed into my online shopping cart and then clicked the browser closed. My Mom has been asking for a Christmas list and it seemed silly to buy something for myself when someone in my family could so easily get it for me as a present.

Children's Place
I love when my boys wear matching our coordinating outfits (don't ever tell their father I put them in "outfits")! It just makes me happy inside. Both boys are due for new fleeces now that the temps are dropping below 30 degrees around here.

Matching (but not matching) Fleeces: Reg. $12.95, Sale $7, Code 30% off and Free Shipping BF2012HP = $4.80 ea.

Land's End
I am always putting long sleeves under David's tees and sweaters in the winter. I thought a mock neck would be good for when he is playing outside, too.

Long Sleeve Solid Performance Mock Turtleneck: Reg. $16.50, Sale $4.97, Code 30% off and Free Shipping: HOLIDAY 2126 = $3.48 ea.

Cotton Babies
After trying many, many brands of cloth diapers, Flip covers with prefolds are my favorite combination of diapering. No leaks, ever.

Flip One-Size Diaper Cover: Reg. $13.95, Sale B1G1, Free Shipping = $6.95 ea. (seriously, after typing that I am considering buying more right now...)

 Tell me about your Black Friday shopping experience!

Meal Ideas for Your Two-Year Old or Toddler

For a few weeks when David was 2 years old, I tracked everything he ate. Now that James is 1, and starting to eat almost all finger foods, I revisited David's food diary for new ideas for what to feed James.



I kept the document on Google docs, so I could remember to update it throughout the day when I was checking my e-mails and such. I thought I would share with you some of the common meals my 2-year old ate for breakfast, lunch, after nap snacks, and dinner!

I hope some of these meals give you some new ideas for your little ones, too.

Breakfast - All of our breakfasts were accompanied by a fresh, canned or frozen fruit and 4oz whole milk.
Waffle with butter and syrup.
Pancakes with whipped cream.
Sausage patty or links. (I buy frozen)
Hash brown patties. (I put in the toaster)
Cereal.
Cereal bars.
Scrambled eggs with cheese.
Peanut butter, cream cheese or jelly on toast.
French toast sticks.
Pop tart or toaster strudels.
Yogurt.
Cottage cheese.

Morning snack - Usually, snacks were given with water.
Baby carrots with dip.
Clementine orange.
Goldfish crackers.
Yogurt covered raisins.


Lunch - All of our lunches were accompanied by 2 tablespoons fresh or frozen vegetables, carrot sticks or alternating fruit and 4 oz whole milk. Often, David and I ate leftovers from the previous nights dinner.
Grilled cheese.
Chicken strips. (I buy frozen)
Mac n' cheese.
French fries or tator tots.
Pasta salad.
Pizza.
Tacos.
Eggs.
Hamburger.
Spaghetti O's.
Grilled tortilla with cheese.
Chicken salad sandwich.

After-nap snack- Served with a juice box, V8 splash, chocolate milk or some other non-whole milk beverage, but never pop.
Gerber crunchies.
Pretzels and dip.
Cereal bar or granola bar.
Peanut butter on club crackers.
Cheese and tortilla roll up.
Graham crackers and yogurt.
Cookie.

Dinner - All of our dinners were served with 4 oz whole milk and fruit. We often had a dessert after dinner like ice cream sandwich, Popsicles or a sweet baked item.
Tacos.
Cheeseburger.
Spaghetti.
Pork chops with rice.
Ham and cheese panini.
Steak. (David's favorite!)
Chicken Strips.
Garlic Bread.
Beef brisket.
Pizza.
Fried chicken.
Chili.
Swiss steak with potatoes.
Grilled chicken.
Cheese burger pie.
Kabobs.
Fried rice.
Pan fried potatoes.

Common Fruits
Apple
Banana
Clementine orange
Fruit cocktail
Canned pears
Blueberries
Strawberries
Raspberries


Overall, it helps David is a very good eater and likes almost everything. He is not a big fan of over "slimy" foods or red meats that aren't steak. He is not a huge fan of bananas. Sometimes, David puts up a fight to eat supper but ate great breakfast and lunch. Other days, he might have tummy trouble and not want to eat as much.

In addition to what we eat for meals, Pete and I have always stressed rules for eating "like a nice boy" to keep meal time pleasant. I love sitting at the table with my kids to eat. We talk, share things about our day, and laugh a lot. Meal time is a great time to learn! Some of our rules for the table are: pray, sit at the table and eat, eat with a fork or spoon (when he learned, of course), ask to be excused, drink all your milk, "just try one bite", and always asking what he did that day.

I would love any additional ideas for meal planning for your little ones, toddler or pre-schooler!