Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Butterflies

You know that feeling ... that butterfly feeling... that feeling that we get when we are excited about something... or someone. I've got that feeling...

"Is the house clean enough for his return?"

"Did I organize/purge enough to make it look okay?"

"Is the truck clean enough... or do I need to vacuum out all the Kale Puffs one more time?"

"Do I get my haircut and hair dyed so I don't look so run down?"

"Ugh, I'm going to have to start showering most days again... how do I train myself to do that?"

"Time to start shaving the legs again... "

"He only sees me in pajamas on skype... clearly, I need to step up my game and find something that fits for his homecoming."

"Will he still think I've got it going on after being apart for almost 5 months?"

I'm pretty certain that all of these thoughts have been flooding my mind the last few days... why do I let them? Silly insecurities... and so I try and turn everything around...

"I'm sure the house will be cleaner than it did the day that he left."

"The house is just as unorganized as it was the day he left, and once he's home, I should have time to get to that pile... or that pile... or that pile..."

"Leave the Kale Puffs scattered in the truck... they make for excellent quick snacks, when you forgot to pack something else for the kids."

"It's time for a haircut, whether he was home coming home or not..."

"With the warmer weather approaching, you'll have to shower more frequently anyways... and shave your legs."

"It's time I treated myself to some article of clothing, just to celebrate that some of that post partum weight is coming off."

"He'll be proud that I kept the kids alive for this long... who cares if you've got it going on or not!"


















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Monday, March 16, 2015

19 weeks down.

Since you've been gone...

Charlotte: Our little girl was a bundle of energy (I guess, when is she not a bundle of energy?) this week. The weather has been so beautiful... and I'm pretty certain she's starting to feel "summer" on her fingertips... because doing schoolwork is not on her mind whatsoever. I always tell her to get it done in the morning, so she can play for the rest of the day... but she fights me. It's getting done... but man, even I can feel "summer" already. I need a break from schooling her. A bit of a recharge. She helped me plant this week, and she's in charge of those little container gardens. It's so sweet watching her go outside and see if they need water. She's a lot more interested in it, then the gardens in the backyard. She is trying out all new flips on the trampoline, and is nailing each and every one of them. She's even starting to attempt to try and flip on the ground... it's entertaining to watch. I'd give her another year, and she just might have it. She's SO excited to see you... when I tell her the end is near (I'm keeping dates secret with even her)... she tries to hide her smile... but she ends up letting out a huge one.

Marley: Our littlest girl was also a bundle of energy this week... but even more so, a talking firecracker. Somehow, it feels like a switch just turned on, and she's becoming way easier to understand. She's hilarious... I love listening to her. I can hear her chatting to her dolls, arguing and tattling on Charlotte, and trying to reason almost at times. She seems SO much older because of it. She started to get into coloring this week. I purchased a $1.00 coloring book at Target, and when I gifted it to her, it was like I handed her gold... she smiled from ear to ear. She understands that she can only use her crayons in it, and not anywhere else... her and Charlotte color together, and "talk" about the pictures... it's precious to watch.

Finn: This little guy had a bunch of energy this week too... he jumped A LOT in his jumper... and when he wasn't jumping, he was kicking and rolling around like crazy. This boy, is starting to really cry, when I step away... full on meltdown. I have to be in his line of sight, in order to accomplish things. Even when I have to go potty, he has to come with me. He's ridiculous. I SO remember this phase with Marley, and it wasn't a really fun phase AT ALL. He started eating yogurt this week, and it's a breakfast game changer... avocado and bananas moved over to lunch... yogurt took over for breakfast. I'm transitioning him into his crib, so when you come back, you have a spot in the bed... so far, it's not the greatest... but we're going to make it happen.

Me: Me... I didn't have a bundle of energy like the kids did... in fact, I feel like they stole all my energy. This week, I had SO much to get done, but just sat on a lot of it... I did get some done, but not as much as I had hoped. The end is so near, I can smell it. It makes these last few weeks, soooo tough. I'm thankful that I've pretty much booked myself full of things to do each day, to make the time go by quickly. I had projects I wanted to get done before your return, and I've decided to toss a majority of them out the window. The main thing is that I don't stress out... I'm already beyond exhausted.

Story of the Week: We made "welcome home" banners for you... and Charlotte was so proud of the one she created for you. She put a lot of effort into it. On it, is a picture of you, and I asked her where your mustache is (seriously, it's the creepiest deployed stache that I have EVER seen)... and she said, "NO, we have to leave that off, he's MUCH more handsome without it."... and there you have it, another reason to shave that thing before you head home...








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Sunday, March 15, 2015

Reverse Psychology

Finn is one of those babies, that when I say he hasn't done something, he does it. It's like he has to prove me wrong. I think reverse psychology is going to work well on this kid when he gets older. I share with my friends that "this kid never rolls" and boom, he starts rolling.. or "this kid doesn't like tummy time" and boom, he falls over from his sitting position just to go into tummy time trying to get a toy... seriously, when I say he won't do it, he does it.





















Tonight before bed, I looked at him sweetly, and said, "Finn, you can't sleep completely through the night in your crib... can you?" 
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Saturday, March 14, 2015

Container Gardens

I decided this year to start a few container gardens on my front porch, on top of having my garden in the backyard. The idea is to do all my cold weather crops on my front porch, so that once they're done in the early summer, I can plant some flowers in them. I created simple multi-purpose pots, by purchasing plastic terra cotta ones (different sizes) and spray painted them with a yellow to match my front bench (they'll be on the other side of the porch... to balance out that bright color) and well, because it's my favorite color of course. Charlotte helped me plant, and she'll be in charge of the plants, especially the watering... HOPING this will get her excited about the garden in the back for this summer. It'll be her project, that'll help kick start her nature watercolor journal... at the very least.

Now, how to keep Marley from digging up all of my seeds...












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Friday, March 13, 2015

What We Read...

Books are EVERYWHERE in our house... in fact, I don't think there's a room in this house, where there isn't a book. Are we book lovers? ... I'd say yes... But even more so, we love the presence of books. You know the idea that they're RIGHT there, can be easily picked up, and entertain us for a few minutes a day... or hours sometimes. We have shelves full of them, piles on tables of them, baskets filled to the brim with them. They're sort of decorations, but useful ones at that... ones that don't gather dust. 






I thought it would be fun if today, I shared some of our favorites with you... and by favorites, I mean books that entertain ALL of my kids at the same time, not just one of them. If you give Finn any board book, he'll munch on it, and especially likes the ones that have texture elements. If you give Marley any book with pictures of animals inside, she's entertained for a few minutes at least... give her the book, "Ten Tiny Toes" and you have a best friend for an hour if you can handle reading it over and over and over again. If you give Charlotte a medical book, she can totally be entertained for the whole day. She LOVES all things related to the human body... it's fascinating. Don't get me wrong, she loves any book she can read.. especially books she can read to her siblings.

The books I'm going to share with you, are books I can read to ALL of my kids at once... and they all love them. I've picked most of them up from bookstores, or online (through an Usborne book party). 
















Something fun that we do as a family, is pick up a book on our travels. If we're in a new city, we like to find something from a "local" shop... It helps our kids remember our time in a specific location/spot. For example, while we were in Seattle on vacation a few years back, we found this gem:

















Although the content on some of them might be "over" the babies heads... a lot of them have vibrant photos that draw in their eyes, or you can purchase a little stuffed animal to go along with them, so there's a visual attached to the book. Usually the babes will hold onto the stuffed animal, and play with it (or chew it, in Finn's case) while I read the story (or even Charlotte sometimes). 

















Here are our current favorites:

Secrets of the Seashore, by Carron Brown.  I purchased this book through an online Usborne party... but you can't get it on their website anymore... so there's a link to same one, sold on Amazon. This book (there are others by the same author that do the same thing) is our current absolute FAVORITE. You read it in the dark, with a flashlight... it's a "shine a light" through the pages kind of book. It's AWESOME! It's filled with tons of facts, and the kids are always excited to read it when the lights are turned off.

The Mischievians, by William Joyce. This book is an investigative look into all of "life's mysteries"... it's super humorous... and parents don't get bored of this book.

The Princess and the Happiness, by Ulf Stark and Silke Leffler. This book I picked up on a whim at Ikea. I wasn't sure how it was going to read, but for the price, and the beautiful illustrations, I was drawn in. It's such a fun book... again, you can get a little stuffed princess doll to go along with it. There are a lot of other books in the "series".

The Pout Pout Fish, by Deborah Diesen. These books are SO fun... there's a stuffed animal that you can purchase to go along with them. They are life lesson books, but at a super easy level for kids to understand.

Wheedle on the Needle, by Stephen Cosgrove. This book is a LONG one, especially for night time... but it's a sweet story. Charlotte loves remembering that we picked the book up on our adventures out in the pacific northwest.

A Day at the Market, by Sara Anderson. This board book, is our FAVORITE board book. We picked it up while we were in Seattle... it's about the Pike's Place Market... which was our favorite experience while we were there visiting. The language of the book is amazing, filled with rhyme. The pictures are so bright and eclectic. I love how durable this book is... it's a keeper.

The Paperbag Princess, by Robert Munsch. I was introduced to this book when I was a little girl... it holds a VERY special place in my heart. The story is precious... and this is a "must have" for your collection.
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Thursday, March 12, 2015

The Little Spoons

When I come across a shop, that I absolutely adore, you know I have to share it with you! I'm proud to announce that I'm a brand rep for The Little Spoons, and it's Spring/Summer 2015 line. Just a few days ago, a bundle of goodies arrived in the mail, and Marley announced, "oh wow!" whenever I'd show her a new piece to try on. She had SO much fun... and adores all the beautiful creations Hilary makes. If you haven't already heard of this wonderful shop... go check her out. Her Spring/Summer line launches TODAY! Every piece has the most amazing quality that I have come across for handmade children's clothing. It's super durable, soft, and absolutely adorable. I wish at times that the pieces came in my size, especially the drawstring sweat pants. I couldn't be more excited to share with you a few images that I snapped from the new line.













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Tuesday, March 10, 2015

18 weeks down.

Since you've been gone...

Charlotte: This week, I felt like with the beginning of the week being cold and snowy, and then rainy... we started to have some serious cabin fever... but it ended with the weather becoming beautiful. Staying inside is rough on our little ones... they are definitely adventure seekers, especially our little Charlotte. She was a mess this week, without being able to get her energy out. Gymnastics was cancelled (because of impending weather... it didn't even get bad on the roads until late afternoon... but oh well!) and that just put her in a funk in the middle of the week... but, overall, although her attitude at times was rough, her behavior and heart were in the right place most of the week. Continually wants to be my little helper, without me even asking for help. School was a bit rough to get through with her... it just felt like she had ants in her pants most of the time, and couldn't concentrate. We pressed, and she's doing awesome... but she definitely rushes these days to get it done, so she can play again.

Marley: Cabin fever struck Marley as well this week... she brought me her shoes on more than one occasion, and said, "go outtide"... anytime I went out to take out the garbage, she'd want to follow me... and then would say, "brrrrr co outtide." She's talking up a storm, and I definitely am starting to pick up on tons of words. It exploded all of a sudden... she gets so excited, that she talks REALLY fast, and most of the time I have to listen really carefully, otherwise I miss out on what she's trying to tell me. It's precious... absolutely precious. She's still climbing up on things. She finally figured out where my chocolate stash is... she's figured out where I hide the raisin boxes (the girl could eat them all day everyday, if I let her)... it's time to find new hiding places for those things. This was the week, where she started crossing her arms, and pouting and walking away when I said the word, "no." to her.... hmm, pretty sure she learned that one from Charlotte. When she does it, she looks SO much older than she is... it actually makes me laugh... and if I laugh, it upsets her even more.

Finn: This little boy who likes to drive in the truck, didn't get out nearly as much as we usually do this week... so he was definitely a little out of his element. BUT, he did start to get back into a napping routine, and sleeping most of the night through again... so I can't complain about that. The only tough thing about this week, is that his, "don't walk away from me" behavior, where he blacks out crying if I do so... is still sticking around. We're going strong... on nearly week 3 of this behavior. He needs me near him at all times. If I'm cooking dinner, he has to be sitting on the bumbo seat right next to me on the counter where I'm prepping the food... if I have to go to the bathroom, he has to come along. If I am putting Marley to sleep, I'm holding Finn with one arm as well (it's kind of an amazing arm workout... but it's rough). If he's not sleeping, he needs me near... I still remember when Marley went through this stage... I think it turned into her crawling, because then she'd come to find me. I guess we'll see what he does.

Me: This week, was a pretty rough week... it was a BUSY week. The weather kept me from being productive... but I tried to make the most of it. I learned how to crochet... which was awesome (another craft to take up my time)....and I took pictures for an engaged couple... which was a lot of fun.... being able to snap away at something other than my kids... awesome. It gets me really excited to have you home, so that I can hopefully have a little more "me" time. The kids were super clingy... which made it rough at times (especially when I wanted to be productive). You're coming home so soon, and I have all these projects that I want to get done. I keep telling myself that it's okay if they don't get done... after all, I've managed to keep us all alive this far.

Story of the Week: So, Marley isn't really potty training... but there are times where she pats her diaper, and says, "poo poo" or what not... and so we usually go to the froggy potty in the living room, and I help her get her diaper off, and she tries to go potty. She has not once made anything in the potty... but she thinks it's fun to try. Well, this week, she was complaining to me... came right up to me, and continually said, "poo poo" and patted herself over and over and began whining. I was in the middle of schooling Charlotte, and I didn't want to take her to the froggy potty and help her, only to have to put her diaper and what not on all over again, for nothing. Well she kept on whining and complaining. So I took her to the froggy potty, undid her diaper, and she sat down, and sure enough, out came a poop. I got SO excited... that I let out a big "HOORAH" and Charlotte came rushing over screaming out of excitement for her. "YOU MADE A POO POO MARLEY", said Charlotte... "Can I see it?" says Charlotte... "uhhhh (like she was thinking really hard)..... no... go away Char Char!" says Marley... she said it so clearly and so perfectly... and so sternly... apparently, her business, is her business.








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