Things Toddlers Say

My 3 year old has successfully mastered potty training!  There are a couple accidents here and there but nothing that a normal little 3 year old might have.  So many conversations in our home(or car or unfortunately public outings) have centered around potties, or poopoo, or peepee, or farting.  These are just a couple excerpts from conversations lately.

The other day, she exclaimed, “I farted in my panties!”

 

My son told me a joke tonight…

Son :  Knock, knock.
Me:  Who’s there?
Son :  Bannana Peel.

Me:  Bannana Peel who?

Son :  Orange fart a poopoo.  (and then he laughed hysterically so it made me laugh)

Topic - Farting

On the drive back from Old Navy today, the long long drive back.  My son talked about Canyon Farts.  You don’t know either?  Well, he tried to explain these phenomenon’s but between the air conditioning kicking in occasionally and the fact that his seat is at the back of the bus I must have missed some key elements regarding his creative idea of Canyon Farts. 

Then we discussed why we don’t need to speak about farting in public.  Why?  Well, while we were at Old Navy in the dressing room.  He was trying on khaki’s for his new school uniform and keep exclaiming he had to step into his fart and try on a fart.  Then his little brother would try to swing open the wide door while big brother exclaimed something about farting.

 So why we can talk about farting at home but not in public was a confusing topic for my little boy.  “Why?” he asked perplexed several times.  I replied that some people might be offended by the topic.  “But Mommy, you think it’s funny.” 

Ok, I couldn’t deny it, “Yes, I do.”  “Why?” he asked again.  And here is a round about way of how I responded, “Well, it’s just funny that your body can make funny sounds and that it smells.”  Then I discussed why it’s always funnier to be the farter and other people be made to smell it. 

This led me to the discussion of “smelt it, dealt it” and different names and explanations of farts like “silent but deadly” “cut the cheese” “poot”  “make a stinky”.  Well, you smell the picture.  Our conversation wrapped up towards the end of the 20+ minute drive with me explaining that farts can actually be lit they can be lit after my innocent little child asked if farts could burn.  Sigh…  farts and burning something in the same sentence and he’s only 5?  This parenting thing is going to be a fun and wild ride! LOL

The Diet

Ok people I'm into day 8 of the diet...  have completely cut out sodas(except for the secret sips of my husband's coke that I sneak every once and a while...  shhh don't tell!),  carb free at dinner, still need to start up excercising again but all in due time.  I've decided to start writing down my calories for my 3 meals and 2 snacks per day.  It's really made a difference in how much I allow myself to eat.  It has also helped me realize what triggers my emotional eating habits which is mainly when all 3 kids are needing attention at once or when one is crying really bad for whatever reason.

Here's stats for the last several days...  (BR=breakfast, SN=snack, LN=lunch, DN=dinner)

10/19 - 1670cal
BR  240
SN  320
LN  290
SN ? 3 spoon fulls of cookie dough and 3 cookies (probably 600 cal)
DN  220

10/20 - 1240cal
BR  250
SN  110
LN  290
SN  140
DN  320
after exercise protein bar  130

10/21 - 1390cal
BR  140
SN  210
LN  320
cookie  100
SN  210
DN  250
cookie 100
10 grapes - 60 *guessing since 1/2cup has 60cal

10/22 - 1310cal
BR  345
SN  245
LN  290
SN  210
DN  220

10/23 - 1150cal
BR  220
SN  140
LN  300
SN  290
DN  200

Now it's the 24th and so far after lunch I'm up to 820 calories.  This morning when I weighed in I was at 137 (maybe lower but my scales not completely accurate.  So that means I might have lost 2.8 pounds so far.  I'm excited about that but maybe a lot of it is water weight since I'm not consuming so much salt now.  Still I've probably lost a pound at least. My caloric intake has decreased so much and my carbs have also.  Ok...except on cookie making days but this gal has to live a little people!

I'm excited that my belly flap is already deflating even if just a little.  I would like to someday wear jeans again that aren't low low rise just to accommodate that extra belly skin and paunch.  My lofty goals! LOL 

More updates soon.  I'd definitely say that MyFitFoods has been worth it for me just to regain control of my portions and to help me realize how many times a day I was eating etc.  Also keeping a simple food log has helped as well and cutting out carbs after my second snack of the day.  woot woot!  I'm feeling good!

Things Toddlers Say

Tonight at dinner, my  little girl was eating some elbow pasta and said, "Where'd my noodles go?"  I said, "I don't know."  She said, "In my belly having a party!!!"

Been a While...

Can't believe I haven't posted in soooo long!  It's been a busy several weeks around our house and now that things are calming down a bit...  I've started a diet.  Today.  And I'm starving.  Ok, not really starving.  I just am not shoving food every second of the day and am praying for God to help me with self-control every second of the day. 

So I decided to start posting about my weight loss journey.  This morning I weighed 139.8 pounds.  Sometimes I get a little winded walking up stairs but nothing like last year this time when I weighed around 155 pounds.  Slow and steady progress is working.  But now I'm in the home stretch.  I'm wanting to lose between 15 and 20 pounds and be back to my pre-baby factory weight.  My tummy skin and muscles will never be the same (as my ob/gyn remarked after my second baby).  But at least if my belly could not look as preggo as it has since baby #3 I feel a great confidence booster.

So let's see where the MyFitFoods plan gets me.  Lost 3-4 pounds over 2 weeks when I tried out the meal plan this past spring and have kept that off wahooo!  Now I'm going to try for 8-10 weeks and see what happens.  :)

Review: AB Seascape Galveston

The weekend before last, my family met up with my extended family in Galveston for a mini vacation.  It was GREAT!  And we stayed right on the beach at AB Seascape Galveston.  Yep, complete with a pool in the center of the condos and a boardwalk over the sand dune.  PERFECT!  Even better yet it is located next door to the RV campground that my parents were staying at so we could quickly walk next door to get to visit.

Here's the view from our 3rd floor unit...

My sister, brother-in-law, husband, 3 little kids, and I stayed overnight in a one bedroom unit which included a bunk bed built into the hallway and a pull out couch.  The kids were so wound up getting to stay in a bunk bed that they had a blast but a very small amount of sleep! LOL  The condo we were in was decorated nicely and clean except the resort had not done a completely thorough cleaning because my sister found that the bedsheets hadn't been changed(EEEWWW!).  Other than that though, the place seemed clean and well kept and beachy-ish furnishings and décor.  I liked it! :)  Plus, it's hard to beat being about to just walk out to the beach which is hard to find in Galveston.  On the main strip, there's a hike across a busy 4 lane(plus turn lane) highway with people booking it down the road.  No thanks!  I'll go a mile or two down the road and stay ON THE BEACH! :)  I'm hoping next year for us to rent a condo for more nights during the family trip.  It'll be fun!!!

ALDI Score!

I do my major grocery shopping every two weeks.  I have a word file of the items I need to purchase on a regular basis and then add on items for my 2 weeks worth of dinner meal plans.  So this past Thursday I headed to Aldi(my fav) for the big shopping trip and got all this....

And how much did it cost?  $185.  Included a bag of frozen chicken and a bag of family sized frozen tilapia.  And all this stuff...(this is my two week list)

BREAKFAST

(didn't need this time - 2 boxes - Jiffy Mix; 3 boxes of cereal)
2 dozen – Eggs
2 packs – Bacon
3 packs – frozen sausage
2 loaves – bread
24pc – fruit
3 gallons – milk

Lunch
24pc – fruit
Already buying bread
1 pack – fajita wraps
2 packs – lunch meat
5 bags – chips
3 bags – pretzels
1 jar – salsa
1 bag – cheese sticks
2 bag – carrots
1 bag  - celery
1 – cauliflower
1 – broccoli
1 - lettuce
 

SNACKS

3 jars – pickles
1 sm jars – olives
1 can – black olives

1 can – peanuts

1 can – mixed nuts or almonds
3 – packs raisens
8 – yogurts
Cheese(3 blocks of cheese)

(didn't need this time - popcorn)

 

OTHER SUPPLIES

4 packs Papertowels

Napkins
Toilet paper(didn't need to buy this time)
Paper plates (72+ every 2 weeks) this time bought 3 packs
1 box – Ziploc sandwich bags
1 box – Ziploc gallon bags
Garbage bags
(didn't need this time - Clorox wipes, Dishwashing liquid, Cascade, Swiffers, cooking oil)
4 cans premade – Koolaid

Also purchased for dinners etc
box 2 bags chocolate chips, fish, chicken, artichoke salad, bag of potatoes, and more!

So besides going to the store for laundry detergent soon and diapers/milk I think we're set for 2 weeks!  wahooooo!  Feeding 5 for $185 for the basics for 2 weeks.  Not bad. :)

Romanteek

When my husband was courting me many moons ago, he wrote me poetry and sent me roses to the dorm where I was living at least once a week.  I knew I had hit the jackpot.  If I would have been a cartoon, little hearts would have popped out of my eyes and popped making more little hearts to fly up to the heavens.

Around our period of the courtship, I was with my family working on cleaning out cooling towers for the family business.  Everyone had found out about my new man...  my parents, sisters, aunt, uncle, and cousins.  Luckily, the facility we had been working at had showers in the restrooms so after working my mom, my aunt, and I were in the restroom freshening up.  With stars in my eyes, I relayed all the stuff I just typed in the first paragraph - ad nauseam.   They both started to cackle.  Yes, these refined southern women cackled and howled with laughter at me, at my love, at this newly fresh romance in bloom. 

How! Could! They!  Is all that was running through my naïve little mind.

And then they stopped with stifled giggles.  That's when I got some wisdom dropped all over me like the messy cooling tower yuke that I had just washed off.  My aunt as gently as her laughter would let her explained to me that possibly, maybe, my idea of romance might chance as I aged and as my princecharming and my soon-to-be marriage aged.  She even had the indecency to suggest that one day my love would want to get frisky while visiting inlaws AND that I might one day consider it to be over-the-top romantic when he would take out the trash without me even asking.  What planet are these women from?! was my quandary.

And
now
I
know.

Now, the poems and flowers are far and few between.  The longing looks over a cheap cup of coffee have simmered(and now we can afford lattes! lol).  But my aunt was so right...  the other day my man was taking out the trash without asking.  I so appreciate him doing this.  It's those little things that make up the day; that are work; that mean so much to me now.  How he wants to play with the kids after a long day at work.  How he'll give me a big kiss and hug when he gets home.  How he will help me with the dishes after we eat even when he has other house projects he wants to work on.  How last night he even shared the remote while I am so much more stingy with it. 

And what could have been any more romanteek about my sweet husband taking out the trash?...  Oh, yea, if he would have done that shirtless. :)  Now that's romance!

Things Toddlers Say

This morning on the way to school, we passed a couple construction sites.  A couple of townhomes are being built in one area and we talked about the walls being put up.  Then there was an excavator digging a giant hole at another site and mounding up the dirt and sand beside it. 

I asked, "Wow!  What do you think they are doing there?"

My three year old exclaimed, "Building a sandcastle!!!"

Things Toddlers Say

Last week was my oldest's first week of Kindergarten.  It was a little hard on this momma but I got most of my boohoo'ing out the week before.  So when I picked him up after the second day of school, I was so glad to see him and had been missing him during the day.  I exclaimed, "Hi, Baby!!!  I'm so glad to see you!!!" 

My little boy replied, "Mommmmmeeeeee.  Don't call me Baby!  I'm grown up!!!"

(Later, I relayed this story to my husband and he dryly responded, "Second day of Kindergarten?  Oh, it really does go fast!")

Room Makeover!

This week I got a wild hair and decided to work on the "lounge" just outside of the TV room.  It was a bit junky and had lots of odds and ends...

 

 The other side of the room I had emptied out before I took a picture.  It had the crib and a folded chair and a bunch of other stuff.

So I had thought we would put our chess table in this space.  And thought I would use the two extra dining room chairs on either side of it.  This thought came to mind when I was window shopping through World Market this past weekend and saw dining chair slip covers on sale for $15 each (usually $40) and knew there was no way I'd want to or could make them at that price. 

Unfortunately, when I went on Monday, none of the slip covers would match the dragon painting that my husband's Grandma bought for him when he was around 10 years old from the gift shop at the Little Rock Arts Museum.  And this painting matches the orange side table that I already had in the room.  So while I was at World Market and discovered the slip covers weren't going to match we cruised through the rest of the store.  And to my delight, I found a chair with dragons as part of the fabric design. 

What luck!  But no price tag was on it.  A salesman was nearby and I asked him about it.  He went to find someone to ask about it and came back with a price of $139 since it was the last chair of this kind with this fabric(the other chairs like this were priced at $179).  Oh, still more than I was wanting to spend.  Then the salesguy figured out I wasn't paying that and mentioned on the back base of the chair there was a crack that had been repaired and said he would take $79.  I asked, "Can I still use my 10% off coupon?"  And he gave me a little frown and said, "Yes, I just want to get rid of it!" 
Wahoo!  Score! 

Then yesterday the kids and I went to Goodwill to find a frame for the dragon painting.  And I got a great deal on a giant frame (a little over 24" and 30") for only $8 and to go with those, got a bunch of bamboo tall sticks. 

Here's the before of the frame...

We got this home and while my littlest took a nap, my daughter and I took apart the frame(she even helped take a bunch of the staples out with some needle nose pliers).  Then we spread out the tarp and spray painted it black.  Perfect!

Also because I'm trying to be thrifty, I shopped around my house for knickknacks.  I found a red tapered candle and gold candle holder, a wine crate to use for movie snacks and some popcorn bowls to put in it for the TV room, some little dragonfly paintings I had done years ago, and some chopsticks that my husband had picked up when he was in Korea for the Marine Reserves.  How to use the chopsticks?  I had an old frame with a black background and taped these on the board and put it back in the frame.  Here's what I started with for this project...

Lastly, I emptied out the room, sorted what could go into the attic, and had help putting things into the attic space. :) 

I think it turned out great if I do say so myself!  It was a fun project and hard to beat a room makeover for only $95. :)

 

Things Toddlers Say

Last night, our family went out to eat.  My oldest said, "I want to go home this place looks too restauranty." 

My Little Guy's New Room Reveal!

Oh, I'm sooo excited!  I never got to put together a nursery just for my youngest since he lived in the bassinet for the first several months of his life and then slept between the crib and the playpen in our apartment from when he was a year old until we moved into the house last fall.  Soooo I've been dreaming of what to do for his room for a long time.  Last fall, I found a print from Peony and Thistle on etsy.com and had to have it. 

Here's some of the specs... 

Vintage item from the 1960s

Materials: vintage bookplate, vintage book plate, hot air balloon drawings

And here's a photo of it...

I KNOW   - COOL RIGHT?!  So this is where the theme came from; or maybe I had considered a hot air balloon theme and then found this and so the theme was set in stone. 

First, I started on his room by finding a $10 giant 20" x 30" frame at Goodwill and promptly disposing of the worn print and matboard.  Then I ordered a matboard with the help of a professional framer at Hobby Lobby who helped me find a color and finish that complemented the orange balloon(I just like the orange for a boy's room). 

Ok, also a month or more ago, the crib came down in my baby's room and he started sleeping on the crib mattress on the floor to prepare him for the big boy bed.  I did this at the advice of a friend of mine.  It proved effective in training them to stay on the mattress because while they are learning they are going to roll off generally.  It's not as far to fall which makes mommy feel better about the training time.  

So here's what his room started off looking like...

Not much going on there!  The rug was also sold on craigslist and everything was removed from the room before starting the painting.  Oh, and painting.  I forgot how much time it can take to paint a room even just a solid color!  The original paint was flat so of course it soaked up the semi gloss I had picked out so that made it take a little longer; still it was worth it!  I used a sky blue color to go with the balloons and air-y theme.

Also I've been collecting things since last summer for his room.  I've picked up paper lanterns on clearance to use as balloons and napkin holders to use as little baskets.  Also I got a hot air balloon mobile from amazon to hang from the ceiling, wooden prepainted white letters to use as a art feature with his name, and a bulletine board.  Oh, the bulletine board was painted with the oil rubbed bronze spray paint which was also used on his dresser and on his bookshelf and the iron bed I picked up from... can you guess?  Craigslist!  :)  I'll be posting later about the redo for that.

So where'd all this other furniture come from?  The bookshelf was left in the house in Louisville we bought 12-13 years ago and it has been used in my other two kids rooms at one time or another.  The dresser was bought just after we bought the house in Louisville at an auction for $5.  It was just wood finished and had a hole in the top.  My husband used bondo and fixed the top and then we painted it white.  And now for my little guy's new room, it's bronze. :)

Now all the furniture is matchy matchy and that makes me happy.  Aunt CB gave me an idea of how to hang the "hot air balloon's" with the big one over his bed and the other three at an angle over the dresser.(thanks!  it looks great!)  The mobile is hanging in the corner near the closet and a return air vent.  So each time the air kicks on they start moving around which is so neat!  Let's see I also got his name board designed and painted and I think it looks fun and mimics the orange in the mat board for the print and the little "baskets" for the hot air balloons.  I'm hoping to eventually find an orange round rug to go in the room.(I've been searching online for a while so if you see anything I'd really appreciate if you'd put something in the comment line below.)  I also have a old school prop engine type airplane décor item for on top of his dresser. 

My little guy seems to like all the decorations and it's been fun watching how much fun he has been playing in his room lately.  Tonight for bedtime, he was laying on his pillow looking up watching the big balloon floating around.  So fun!

Ok, so without further adieu...  Here's the big reveal!  [PS My little girl helped with the photography. :)]

 

Things Toddlers Say

This morning while eating grapes for breakfast, my three year old started filling up her cheeks and giggling.  They were just about packed full when she said, "This is how chipmunks eat!"  LOL

Winner Winner!

Do you remember me blogging about our study and how I've been working on organizing and rearranging it?  Welllll, a month or so ago I won a new corner bed by Standard Furniture from completing a survey from MomCentral!  wahoooo!!!!!!!!!  The corner bed can be found under the youth line of furniture but I think it works perfect in a "grown up" space as well. 

I've secretly been wanting to use the study as an art studio and this was my chance to create more space but still have room for guests(by bringing down a twin mattress when more than one person visits)!  We had a giant king size bed in the room for guests but considering we might have 4-6 visits a year total and the couples probably won't mind getting their own twin sized beds...  I decided New Art studio!  woot woot! 

Here's a before picture... 

It looks like a bunch of space but really that floor space was just about all there was plus a walking path on the other side of the bed to get in on the other side.  Not really enough to spread out a bunch of paintings that I like to do when painting series.

So after I got the bookshelves setup and traded my son's dresser for an antique dresser we were using in the entry, I won the corner twin bed!  How convenient! 

It arrived in two large packages that the delivery guy was sooo nice to put in the entry for me(next to the study.  That night I listed the king sized mattress on craigslist for free and in all over 30minutes people started calling for it and by 9pm or so it was gone!  I heart Craigslist. :) 

The next night after the kids were in bed I started on the assembly.  This was super easy.  I did have some help when I attached the rails with the headboard/footboard but other than that I put it together on my own. 

Also the directions were easy to follow and it was packaged very well.  One of the corners of the boxes was squished pretty good and there was a spot that part of the cardboard was pulled back so I thought it surely had to be damaged somehow.  Fortunately the packaging was so good that nothing was damaged or missing!

Here's some pictures of how the corner bed came shipped and all the different parts that came with it...

Wahooo!  My prize arrived!

 Here's all the fasteners and the tool that came with it...

 The feet were SO easy to put on...

 These gaskets went on the ends of the slats that hold up the mattress...

 Easy install of slats to the rails...

 Another shot...  I liked that these fit into holes so the slats stay in one place and not scoot around...

So super easy to put together!

Another thing I did for the study was create a "coffee table" so that the corner bed feels more like a couch.  I used the ottoman that used to go with the upholstered chair that I used to rock my babies in.  We had moved the set to our bedroom but the ottoman just didn't fit properly.  Sooo...  with a new slip cover created from the old King dust ruffle and pillow shame...  tah dah!  New slipcovered coffee table/ottoman!

It feels sooo much larger in this room now(only lacking hanging the curtains soon)...

 Looks cool huh?!  I could make this look even more "couchy" with pillows, a traditional coffee table, and a different comforter but this one was free since I already had it!

 View from my relaxing reading spot; slashy my bed to sneak off to and sleep in when our two youngest climb in our bed in the middle of the night and treat me like a giant pillow. haha

 

I love love love all the extra space in this room!  We can move around easily.  Soon I'll have my sewing machine setup again(sold my free sewing machine table and am going to set up my granny's old table again soon).  After I got this all setup my husband realized I had made a "woman zone" in what was suppose to be his manly man room; but hey, he said he wasn't going to work on it for another year so I thought...  Ohhh I have my own room for a full year!  Yipppeeee!!! 

What do you think about the new space?! 

SCORE!!!!!!!!

If your family is like ours, a box of cereal and gallon of milk can disappear in..one...day.  whew!  My kids drink either milk or Koolaid and hardly anything else; especially water because (I quote my 3 year old) "it makes me puke."  LOL  So when I read yesterday on mylitter.com about the Kroger sale event that ended last night I was stoked!  There was a coupon for $6 off 4 General Mills cereals on the online coupon upload thingy at Kroger.com and could be used up to 5 times in one transaction - FIVE PEOPLE!  Plus, with the Kroger sales event $5 was taken off per 5 boxes of cereal.  You know what me and a bunch of other crazy stockpile couponers did?  Oh, yes.  We stocked up! 

How do I know I wasn't the only gal doing this?  Because I had to go to two different stores to find any of the qualifying cereals and at the second store it was almost sold out at 9pm the last day of this deal.  Another crazy lady like me with a cart full of cereal said that she had been to several stores and this was the only one with anything left.  My, my, my I'm feeling silly about this but, really, WHO CARES!  I got all of this...

all of that... for only $15.17!!!!  I'm soooo thankful for such a great deal!!!  And a bonus was I needed to pick up milk and there were three gallons marked down to $1.79 each.  So the 20 boxes of cereal were actually only $9.80 total or $0.49 each.(PS these are the big sizes...  see the "Family Size" in the picture.  woot woot!)

For more couponing expertise, check out mylitter.com  I'm sending some link love because of my savings of $88.54(that's what my receipt says)!  THANK YOUUUUU!!!

Stain Solutions

This will be a weekly post to make stinky stains go away(or at least make them a little less noticable). Check back each week for more helpful tips or add one in the comments below.

 

THE STAIN:
Liquor

ON COTTON,LINEN,POLYESTER,ACRYLIC,etc:

Sponge stain with cool water.  Soak in solution of cool water and dishwashing liquid:  30 minutes for light stain, overnight for heavy.  Rinse; launder.

WOOL,SILK,ACETATE,SUEDE,LEATHER,FIBERGLASS,RAYON:

Wipe, then flush with cool water.  Use dry-cleaning solvent, then dry-clean.

WOOD FURNITURE,FURNITURE FABRICS,FLOORS,WALLPAPER,CARPET:

Wood floor, furniture:  Wipe, then rub with water and some ammonia on cloth.  Apply boiled linseed oil.  Polish.  Furniture fabric:  Apply commercial spot remover.

*The above tips are from Family Circus magazine printed 5/12/1998 page 12. TheSmellyArmpit's tip is to BE CAREFUL!

 

Things Toddlers Say

Yesterday, my 5 year old looked at me very thoughtfully at the lunch table and asked, "Mommy, do elephant trunks have boogers?" 

Things Toddlers Say

The other day we were riding in the car listening to CCR "Rollin' Down the River"  and my 5 year old starting singing with what he thought were the lyrics, "Bowlin' down the river, do do doooo do..."

Satellite Dad

That's right, I'm going all Shakespere and coining my own phrase/word.  You've hear of the term helicopter mom right?  You know the mom like me that hovers over her child(ren) at the playground making sure they don't chip a nail or nothing in the world "wrong" happens to them.  Well, I think sometimes we could call dad's (and mom's) Satellite Dads.

Yep.  Just came up with the idea today.  Forgive me if you or someone you know has already made up this word grouping - Satellite Dad, but today after getting back from having a girls' day with my daughter it came to mind.  Why?  Well, the boys were left at the house with Daddy.  He's a great daddy.  I couldn't ask for a better man to be the Daddy of our babies.  Let's face it, he's amazing!  But I have to say his parenting style is different than mine in some ways.

For example, we came back to a home with everyone being quiet.  Daddy was outside working on the aquarium.  Wyatt was up in his room playing.  And Waylon was napping.  Then I saw it.  The toilet scrubber on my way to my room.  Then in the back hall almost to my bedroom, I nearly tripped over the plunger.  And finally in the bathroom, the new flooring was laid - toilet paper.

Was anyone hurt?  No.  Was the house peaceful when we walked in?  Yes.  So no complaining here.  But leaning more towards being a helicopter mom, I thought well, Dad's are generally more like a satellite versus a hovering helicopter.  Satellites can see everything going on below; nothing to worry about unless an explosion happens!  Yep, my sweet Satellite Dad!

Photo Board Project... Complete!

Well, after a couple months, I am finished (ok, well, except for touch up paint) with the photo board project.  Remember the Picture Project post a couple days ago about the FREE banged up cabinet I got and had an idea for?  Well, here's the inspiration for the paint used...  This is a picture of some cool mirrors that used to be in a Disney resort.  I got these from a hotel décor salvage warehouse (http://swsurplus.com/) here in Houston.  I painted the mirrors and then had the extra paint leftover and 6 months later used that paint on the photo boards.  (free!  Plus continues my color scheme.)

 

Since the photo boards are at the top of the stairs and a wall of the balcony on the way to the playroom, I wanted the color to flow and connect the spaces...  And...  Here's how the project turned out!

 

 

Tah dah!  Now my kids will be passing by photos of relatives that we don't get to see often and I'll have photos of their baby pictures up all the time.  But if in a couple years I want to rearrange and change some things then no big deal on nail holes being in the wall.  I'll just touch up paint my boards and keep on decorating!  FUN!!!

 

What's some of your favorite ways to display pictures?

Stain Solutions

This will be a weekly post to make stinky stains go away(or at least make them a little less noticable). Check back each week for more helpful tips or add one in the comments below.

 

THE STAIN:

Ink

ON COTTON,LINEN,POLYESTER,ACRYLIC,etc:

Loosen stain with hair spray.  Moisten with 1 tsp dishwashing liquid, 1 qt warm water, 1 Tbs white vinegar (don’t use vinegar on cotton/linen).  Blot.  Repeat.  Let sit 35 minutes.  Rinse; launder. 

WOOL,SILK,ACETATE,SUEDE,LEATHER,FIBERGLASS,RAYON:

Sponge stain with cool water.  Apply hair spray.  Tough stain; Use rubbing alcohol; launder.

WOOD FURNITURE,FURNITURE FABRICS,FLOORS,WALLPAPER,CARPET:

Wallpaper:  Remove with gum eraser.  Tough stain:  Wash with solution of ½ water and ½ rubbing alcohol; blot.

*The above tips are from Family Circus magazine printed 5/12/1998 page 12. TheSmellyArmpit's tip is to BE CAREFUL!

Sewing Machine Table Project

A couple weeks ago I got two car loads of junk for free off craigslist.  Wahooo!  I'm borderline hoarder so this was like striking gold for me. LOL  But in the piles of pure poo where two cool items, a sewing machine table and a coffee table(which I already repainted and sold - yahoo).  Anyway, I like this little table and it's being used(turned around backwards) in my foyer right now.  here's the before being sanded and painted pictures and after being painted... 

Still needs the top drawers(that's why I've got it turned around backwards LOL).  But pretty cute for something temporary in our entrance until the aquarium is ready to go in.

Things Toddlers Say

The  other day we were all playing in the driveway after dinner.  One of our neighbors was out and my 1.5 year old ran up to him.  Oh, I forgot to mention our littlest was only in his diapers.  Living in 100+ heat I just don't see a point in putting him in clothes all the time.  I'll probably look back on this in 30 years and not be surprised if he is living in a nudest community.  Haha(oh, I hope HaHa!). 

Anyway, my neighbor laughed and said, "How did your belly get so big!  Did you have a good dinner?"  And my 1.5 year old just giggled along with him and had a good time soaking up the attention.  Then my 5 year old rode his bike up to us and came to my defense because he thought our neighbor was telling me that my belly was big and he exclaimed, "Mommy has a big belly because we used to live there!  That's why her belly is so big."  haha

Hmmm.  Awkward!  I just laughed so our neighbor laughed and we said see you later.  Um, bye bye!

Dinner Conversation

The other night at dinner my 5 year old asked, "Mommy, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

Me:  "And artist.  What do you want to be?"

5 year old:  "A fish aquariumer"

Me:   "Cool!  3 year old what do you want to be when you grow up?"

3 year old:  "A flower!  And you'll be a flower too!!!"

Me:  "Daddy, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

Daddy:  "I don't know."

3 year old:  "A flower!!!"

Then later I asked what color and she said, "Pink!"

Wordless Wednesdays

(why not to leave fish food can where a 3 year old can reach it...)

Stain Solutions

This will be a weekly post to make stinky stains go away(or at least make them a little less noticable). Check back each week for more helpful tips or add one in the comments below.


THE STAIN:
Ketchup

ON COTTON,LINEN,POLYESTER,ACRYLIC,etc:
Scrape excess.  Use commercial spot remover.  Rinse; launder.  Tough stain:  Presoak with a paste of water and enzyme laundry detergent; rinse; dry, then launder.

WOOL,SILK,ACETATE,SUEDE,LEATHER,FIBERGLASS,RAYON:
Scrape excess.  Use dry-cleaning solvent.

WOOD FURNITURE,FURNITURE FABRICS,FLOORS,WALLPAPER,CARPET:
Wallpaper, painted surfaces:  Wipe excess, then dab with cloth.  Blot with paper towel.

*The above tips are from Family Circus magazine printed 5/12/1998 page 12. TheSmellyArmpit's tip is to BE CAREFUL!

Things Toddlers Say

The other day we were all outside playing in the driveway.  My oldest stopped his bike and looked up in a sparsely cloudy sky.  He was pointed at one of the smallest wispy clouds with lots of blue sky around it. and asked, "Mommy, is that heaven?"

Picture Project!

Ok, I really enjoy getting good deals especially FREE.  That’s right folks!  A couple weeks back, I was cruising Craigslist and found a metal cabinet that was being given away.  So when I went to pick it up, I decided it wasn’t the right size for what the area that it would have been placed, but the lady had a computer printer cabinet she was wanting to get rid of.  I took it off her hands not knowing for sure what to do with it.  Then after busting it into parts thinking that I would just have to put it in the trash, I realized the boards were big enough to use for my picture frame project I had wanted to try.

What’s the picture frame project?  Well, after being married over 15 years, lots and lots of different photos have been accumulated.  I want to display all these different family photos from multiple generations where my kids can see them and be able to recognize family that we don’t see often.  The problem?  I don’t want a million holes in my walls for when I change out photos or rearrange.

That’s where the idea of having a painted board to mount the photos on came from.  I’ve see it done before and wanted to try my hand at this decorating plan.  After pulling out any nails or other stuff, I painted each of the boards with paint I already had from painting accent pieces in the kids playroom – score!  Now I wanted to photo frames to be at least somewhat uniform and changed out about 10 different frames with some inexpensive black ones from a dollar store.  I'm still working on this so I don't have pictures of the completed project but check back soon!

Here’s some before and after photos…

(I had a helper when I took the cabinet apart.)

(Hmmm what is in there?)

 

One board off and a couple more to go!





Here's paint that I used for accent pieces in the playroom where the photo boards will be near.  Score - free paint!

 

 

After taking the cabinet apart and my husband cutting off the edges of one or two and then using wood filler to fill in screw holes, here's the painted boards!

 

Uplifting Song...

I can't remember the name of this song(maybe "How Great is Our God") but have sang along with the worship service of many churches...

"The splendor of the King clothed in majesty, let all the earth rejoice, let all the earth rejoice.

He clothes Himself in light and darkness tries to hide, and trembles at His site, trembles at His site.

How great is our God, sing with me, how great is our God.  Let all the earth rejoice, let all the earth rejoice."

Things Toddlers Say

We recently were watching a Curious George video where a caterpillar was in a cocoon, my little daughter stated, “Oh, ‘ook.  A caterpillar goes into a sleep blanket then becomes a butterfly.”

Study work in Progress

Lately, I’ve been having fun working on furniture and arrangements of our study/hobby room/guest room/art studio/you get the picture.  First, I sold two short glass front bookcases for $100 on craigslist.com.  Oh, how I heart that website. 

Then I found two ridiculously tall bookcases (7 foot) for $40 for the pair – again on craigslist.  SCORE!  And luckily these matched the dresser that was in my oldest’s room that I switched out for an antique that had been his great-great-grandma’s.  So I put my son's dresser between the bookcases along the longest wall and it fit just right with about an extra 3 inches or so.  Woot woot!  Next I took the oak veneer type cheapo bookcase I got on craigslist for about $20 or less and the outside of it and the fronts of the shelves got a quick spray paint of bright red.  I put that in the corner where the dress had been and it is a nice pop of color there.  I also spray painted the wicker bookcase the same way but it’s rounded shape and only available location for it didn’t would out so good.  So I sold this on craigslist too (+$10).

It is so much fun working on this room and coming out ahead about $70 minus the two cans of spray paint.  So I’m thinking of selling the red painted bookcases and getting two matching ones I like that I found on Wally World’s website(you know, the giant retailer’s site).  I like things to balance in rooms like this since this is such a multipurpose room.  Actually, I like things to balance in general.  It may be from all the years of loving to watch Monk. LOL

Things Toddlers Say

After asking my little daughter if she would prefer water or milk in her sippy cup, she replied, “Eew!  Not water.  Water makes me puke.”

Stain Solutions

This will be a weekly post to make stinky stains go away(or at least make them a little less noticable). Check back each week for more helpful tips or add one in the comments below.
THE STAIN:

Grease/Oil/Butter

ON COTTON,LINEN,POLYESTER,ACRYLIC,etc:

Blot, then work petroleum jelly into stain.  Remove jelly.  Place stain between paper towels and press with warm iron.  Flush with dry-cleaning solvent.  Launder

WOOL,SILK,ACETATE,SUEDE,LEATHER,FIBERGLASS,RAYON:
Same
 WOOD FURNITURE,FURNITURE FABRICS,FLOORS,WALLPAPER,CARPET:

Leather, suede, carpet:  Work cornmeal into stain; let sit overnight.  Vacuum.  Furniture:  use shaving cream.  Wipe; dry immediately.  Polish. *The above tips are from Family Circus magazine printed 5/12/1998 page 12. TheSmellyArmpit's tip is to BE CAREFUL!

2 Weeks?!

I know!  Have you missed me???  Oh, don't make me blush, I know ya did. LOL  We've been celebrating birthdays!  Lots of birthdays and one that even involved driving 13 hours to get there.  WHEW!  It was worth it though. 

I'll be posting again soon with Stain Solutions and Things Toddlers Say and all sorts of fun stuff.  Stay tuned!

Things Toddlers Say

The other day I gave my little girl a strawberry without yet taking off the little leaves. She asked, "Mommy, can you take off the lettuce?" LOL

Stain Solutions

This will be a weekly post to make stinky stains go away(or at least make them a little less noticable). Check back each week for more helpful tips or add one in the comments below.

THE STAIN:

Ketchup

ON COTTON,LINEN,POLYESTER,ACRYLIC,etc:

Scrape excess.  Use commercial spot remove.  Rinse; launder.  Tough stain:  Presoak with a paste of water and enzyme laundry detergent; rinse; dry, the launder.


WOOL,SILK,ACETATE,SUEDE,LEATHER,FIBERGLASS,RAYON:

Scrape excess.  Use dry-cleaning solvent.

WOOD FURNITURE,FURNITURE FABRICS,FLOORS,WALLPAPER,CARPET:

Wallpaper, painted surfaces:  Wipe excess, then dab with cloth.  Blot with paper towel.


*The above tips are from Family Circus magazine printed 5/12/1998 page 12. TheSmellyArmpit's tip is to BE CAREFUL!

It's Bedtime!

In our home, our littlest baby has been moving from a crib to a big boy bed these past few weeks.  First, the crib was disassembled and his tiny mattress was put on the floor.  The initiation week we didn't force the issue of staying in his bed and not getting up to wander around. 

Then this past week, I started being the strong arm of our outfit.  The first night, I put him back in his 'bed' 28 times.  Yes, people, TWENTY EIGHT TIMES.  Most of that was him giggling and his sister and brother laughing hysterically as he escaped his room.  This made the whole training experience a little tougher especially because he could tell that I wanted to giggle too.  The second night, it took 14 24 times.  I thought at number 14, we were through for the night and mistakenly went to our room to sleep.  NOPE.  Another 10 more times of putting him back in bed and viola!  Sleeping baby.  Last night...  only SIX times!  wahoo!  And even better, tonight, he was worn out enough that Daddy put him in bed and he didn't try to get up at all. :) 

After a couple weeks we will be getting him an official big boy mattress set and put together his twin bed.  I just like waiting until he's used to not rolling off the mattress on the floor.  Then I put pillows on the outside edge of the bed which is what we are still doing for our almost 3 year old.  She is definitely a rollypoley!  My almost 5 year old every once in a while will have legs precariously dangling off his bed but for the most part stays on his mattress.

So what are your methods for moving your kiddo out of the crib and into the big kid bed?

Wordless Wednesday

Summertime = Fishing!

Stain Solutions

This will be a weekly post to make stinky stains go away(or at least make them a little less noticable). Check back each week for more helpful tips or add one in the comments below.

THE STAIN:

Crayon

ON COTTON,LINEN,POLYESTER,ACRYLIC,etc:
ween paper towels, press with warm iron.  Repeat with new paper towels.  Clean with dry-cleaning solvent.

WOOL,SILK,ACETATE,SUEDE,LEATHER,FIBERGLASS,RAYON:

Same.

WOOD FURNITURE,FURNITURE FABRICS,FLOORS,WALLPAPER,CARPET:

Wallpaper:  Use commercial spot remover.  Let dry; brush.  Furniture:  Use shaving cream; wipe with paper towel.


*The above tips are from Family Circus magazine printed 5/12/1998 page 12. TheSmellyArmpit's tip is to BE CAREFUL!

Mommy Tips Monday

Thank you so much to TheSmellyArmpit guest contributor today - the author Cherie Bright from Another Day, Another Story. Would you like to submit a Mommy Tips Monday post and highlight your site here? Please email me at MageeMommy at gmail dot com. Here's more information about Cherie:

Cherie Bright is a stay-at-home mom, who refers to career as a holly homemaker/ mommy extraordinaire. She is the author of the blog and the book titled “Another Day, Another Story.” She is a graduate from the University of Arkansas with a degree in Computer Science and Communications, both of which she uses daily trying to outwit her children. Bright moved to The Woodlands, Texas in 2004 from El Dorado, Arkansas. She is the mother of two children and wife to one understanding husband. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering, camping, and sitting around the campfire exchanging stories. “Another Day, Another Story,” is available at bookstores nationwide or by visiting barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com. A download version is available direct from the publisher at lulu.com.

Kids Movies!

Do you know about these cheap movies at the movie theater for the kids? They always are packed out with preschool/daycare camps. But, they are cheap. They are in the cool. It's like 2 hours out of the house, but just sitting. It doesn't matter if your kid is bad, because there is always a kid that is worse there. And it's fun and an outing. Check your local theater for movies near you.

Here's some in the North Houston area...

DATE NIGHT: Schillecis

Friday night, MageeDaddy and I got to go on a date!  By ourselves.  No kids.  No one asking for demanding sippy cups and ridiculous amounts of candy.  We got to listen to the radio without complaints.  We didn't get interrupted in our conversations.  Ok, ok, you get the picture!  I heart date nights! 

So we went to a New Orleans styled resturant with delicious Canjun and Creole fare - that's Schillecis.  And YUM that's delicious!  MageeDaddy had the Blackened Tilapia and I had the roast duck which was served with jumbalaya which was on the specials menu.  Did I mention how DELICIOUS the food is?  And really, we could have shared a dish there was so much food on the platters! 

I liked the atmosphere of the place.  The decor reminded me of the French Quarters especially with the option of outdoor dining.  The waitstaff wore the traditional New Orleans waiter uniforms - crisp white shirts, black pants, and long black aprons.  Our waiter Spencer was GREAT!  He knew the menu and details about each item available.  He was also great about being attentive but not at all annoying.  The owners of the resturant were actually the first to greet us as we walked in the door and seemed to greet and know alot of the patrons. 

Ok, now on to the main attraction...  THE FOOD!  It was delicious!  The portions for us were big.  The table next to us had po-boys and one person had a 1/2 and 1/2 plate where you can choose two entrees.  Both the po-boys and her platter(and I mean platter not plate) were huge!  The po-boy could have been halved to make it the size of the sandwiches I make at home.  They've got the whole New Orleans menu down...  po-boys, seafood, Cajun, Creole, and even hush puppies!  By the end of our meal we were so full that we couldn't order dessert without hurting ourselves, but there was a waiter taking a plate filled with Beignets to the outdoor dining area - mmmmm.  Prices are very reasonable at the resturant with Dinner Menu prices starting at $8 for appetizers, gumbo or soups for cup$8 or bowl$11, burgers$13 or even elk burgers for $15, the seafood and fish starting at $16, and entrees between $14 for Red Beans and Rice to $32 for the Broiled Gulf Coast Sampler.

With all this said, there's two ways the cost of the meal can go...  safe or we only live once!  Well, since we are averaging one (maybe two) date nights a month, we lived la vida loca.  Or should I say "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!” :)  And it was worth every penny!!!

Schillecis is located  in Market Street, The Woodlands, Texas between Charming Charlie and the Stadia Sports Grill. 

HOURS ARE: 
Sunday 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Monday to Thursday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Friday and Saturday 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

SUNDAY BRUNCH!
Special Menu 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

LIVE MUSIC WEDNESDAYS
Dixieland Band
From 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

WINE LOVER THURSDAYS
$10 off any bottle of wine
From 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

http://www.schillecis.com/
Facebook
Pintrest
FourSquare
Twitter
UrbanSpoon
OpenTable