The tree was one of those wall cling kits from Target and the frames I ordered from photojojo.com; they are by Butch and Harold. I wish this pic showed how HUGE it is! That large pic is an 8x10.
March 10, 2012
Creativity
Look! I did something creative! (It only took me a year to get it done!)
The tree was one of those wall cling kits from Target and the frames I ordered from photojojo.com; they are by Butch and Harold. I wish this pic showed how HUGE it is! That large pic is an 8x10.
The tree was one of those wall cling kits from Target and the frames I ordered from photojojo.com; they are by Butch and Harold. I wish this pic showed how HUGE it is! That large pic is an 8x10.
February 15, 2012
My Boys
My boys seem so big all of the sudden. Evan is running all around like a maniac. Braden is carrying on conversations that are...well...fun and entertaining! They are playing together more and more and also getting better at entertaining themselves. Makes life good for Mama!
The boys both had the flu last week. It was really mild...maybe because they had been vaccinated. But things were a little off schedule for the week. and now it's conference time and Braden is off school for the week. We've had a lot of time at home! Usually that much time in the house would drive me crazy. But it has been kind of nice!
We've been hanging out in our jammies and playing!
We are taking a family trip to Colorado in July. I'm so excited! My brother, my mom and I are going to have a weight loss competition that ends when we leave. The winner gets to choose their room at our vacation house!
The boys and I are going to head out a few days early to visit the Hedstroms and then the Rogers at their new homes. I can't wait to see my friends and to spend a week with my parents and my brother's family. We always have so much fun. And it's such a special chance to get to spend extended time with my niece and nephew. They are growing up too fast (10 and 8!) and I know the days of them wanting to "play" with Aunt Heather and Uncle Mike are numbered!
And Braden LOVES his cousins! He is so excited. And this will be the first time Evan gets to spend that much time with them. He is going to LOVE it!
The boys both had the flu last week. It was really mild...maybe because they had been vaccinated. But things were a little off schedule for the week. and now it's conference time and Braden is off school for the week. We've had a lot of time at home! Usually that much time in the house would drive me crazy. But it has been kind of nice!
We've been hanging out in our jammies and playing!
We are taking a family trip to Colorado in July. I'm so excited! My brother, my mom and I are going to have a weight loss competition that ends when we leave. The winner gets to choose their room at our vacation house!
The boys and I are going to head out a few days early to visit the Hedstroms and then the Rogers at their new homes. I can't wait to see my friends and to spend a week with my parents and my brother's family. We always have so much fun. And it's such a special chance to get to spend extended time with my niece and nephew. They are growing up too fast (10 and 8!) and I know the days of them wanting to "play" with Aunt Heather and Uncle Mike are numbered!
And Braden LOVES his cousins! He is so excited. And this will be the first time Evan gets to spend that much time with them. He is going to LOVE it!
December 18, 2011
To Evan, on the last day that I will have a baby.
Evan, you turn one tomorrow. You won't be a baby anymore! You will officially be the little toddler that you really have already been for a couple of weeks. You are such a cute little guy. You really really want your "mama" to be around all the time, but do just fine once she's out of sight. You are a much better sleeper than your brother was at this age! You are always asleep by 9 and rarely wake up before 6. You do sleep until 7 sometimes which makes Mommy so happy! You are so cute snuggling your little bear at bed time. You like to read books and then rock for a little bit before bed. I am going to miss snuggling you in your fleece footie PJs!
You can say "ah oh" when you drop something, you call your big brother "buh-boe" and you can say "mama" loud and clear. You can also say "toot" which is kind of embarrassing for Mommy, but I guess we should have expected that one knowing your big brother.
You are walking everywhere now. You get SO mad when Braden gets in your way. You are very tolerant of all of the kisses that your brother gives you every day.
Your favorite thing to do right now is take a bath. We catch you trying to get into water anywhere you can find it! I can't wait to see you at the pool this summer! You started sticking your face in the water as soon as you could sit up on your own in the tub. I have a hunch you are going to be a swimmer!
You were so silly at your birthday party last night. You really really enjoyed the bounce house!
And you have some amazing cake eating skills!
We love you so much little man. Evan, you are such a joy to all of us.
You can say "ah oh" when you drop something, you call your big brother "buh-boe" and you can say "mama" loud and clear. You can also say "toot" which is kind of embarrassing for Mommy, but I guess we should have expected that one knowing your big brother.
You are walking everywhere now. You get SO mad when Braden gets in your way. You are very tolerant of all of the kisses that your brother gives you every day.
Your favorite thing to do right now is take a bath. We catch you trying to get into water anywhere you can find it! I can't wait to see you at the pool this summer! You started sticking your face in the water as soon as you could sit up on your own in the tub. I have a hunch you are going to be a swimmer!
You were so silly at your birthday party last night. You really really enjoyed the bounce house!
And you have some amazing cake eating skills!
We love you so much little man. Evan, you are such a joy to all of us.
November 7, 2011
These boys are getting SO BIG!!
Braden had soccer yesterday for the first time. MAN is he excited about it! And yes, he got a goal!
And Evan can ride on the neighbors' ride on toy! (Something Braden didn't seem to figure out until recently! Tee hee!)
It's so excited that these guys are getting so big and so capable!
And Evan can ride on the neighbors' ride on toy! (Something Braden didn't seem to figure out until recently! Tee hee!)
It's so excited that these guys are getting so big and so capable!
October 29, 2011
More Tips on Being Cheap!
Ok, the all-purpose cleaner is the easiest, so let's start there. Mix one part regular old white vinegar with one part water and put it in a squirt bottle. Done! My only advice is to use a funnel and get a good squirt bottle. The kind from the travel sized toiletries area at Target will rust or break pretty quickly. I suggest the good $2 kind from Home Depot, or at least the kind from the mops/brooms area at Target!
This stuff is REALLY CHEAP! WAHOO! (And yes it works, I used it in my lab.) And the best part is you don't have to worry about it being where your kids are. They can lick a floor cleaned with this stuff! Heck, they could drink of this stuff!
(ETA: No, this is not going to get a red food coloring stain off of your kitchen counter. I have a bottle of cleaner with bleach that I use every once in a while for things like that. I'll have that bottle for YEARS though!)
Next, glass/mirror cleaner.
Get another good squirt bottle and put a cup of rubbing alcohol (I use the 91% isopropyl...it's in the pharmacy area by the bandages), a cup of water and a tablespoon of your vinegar. DONE. Works like a charm. Also, I use this instead of the all-purpose cleaner if I've got some raw meat drippings on the counter or something. You just can't get it on painted surfaces, including your fingernails!
And then there's the fruit and veggie wash. This is the most complicated!
This is the only one I mix in a separate bowl. You know the foaming that goes on when vinegar and baking soda mix...it'll cover your kitchen if you do it in a little squirt bottle! Anyway, mix 1 cup vinegar with 1 cup water, add a tablespoon of baking soda (bubbles!) and then a teaspoon of lemon juice. Make sure your bowl is pretty big if you are going to double the recipe...don't want bubbling over! Use that funnel to get it in your quality squirt bottle.
SAVING MONEY and not eating dirt!
When I get home from the store I spray all of the produce thoroughly and let it sit while I put the rest of the groceries away. Then I rinse them right under tap water and put them away. I give things like apples and cucumbers a good rub to get all the waxy residue off. Easy!
This stuff is REALLY CHEAP! WAHOO! (And yes it works, I used it in my lab.) And the best part is you don't have to worry about it being where your kids are. They can lick a floor cleaned with this stuff! Heck, they could drink of this stuff!
(ETA: No, this is not going to get a red food coloring stain off of your kitchen counter. I have a bottle of cleaner with bleach that I use every once in a while for things like that. I'll have that bottle for YEARS though!)
Next, glass/mirror cleaner.
And then there's the fruit and veggie wash. This is the most complicated!
SAVING MONEY and not eating dirt!
When I get home from the store I spray all of the produce thoroughly and let it sit while I put the rest of the groceries away. Then I rinse them right under tap water and put them away. I give things like apples and cucumbers a good rub to get all the waxy residue off. Easy!
October 28, 2011
Make it Yourself
Ok, here's how I do this.
We'll start with the laundry soap. I use equal parts soap, washing soda and borax.
The recipes I looked at used Ivory, Fels Naptha or Zote soap. The 2 latter, as well as the borax and washing soda, can be found in the laundry isle at Wal-Mart or a grocery store. I just shred the soap with a fine cheese grater (this takes a while, but it's a good excuse to watch something on TV!). I use 4-5 bars for each batch.
Then I pour in the box of washing soda (don't use regular baking soda...that's different stuff!). Then I pour in as much of the borax as will fit in the container. (I use the leftover borax to clean the tub and shower!) You'll want to use an airtight container because the borax will harden. Plus, it makes it a whole lot easier to shake up! Then I just use a heaping tablespoon in each wash. Easy peasy! And it lasts for a really long time. How cheap is that?!?!?!?!
Ok, I'm out of time now...but glass cleaner, fruit/veggie wash and all-purpose cleanser are coming soon!
We'll start with the laundry soap. I use equal parts soap, washing soda and borax.
The recipes I looked at used Ivory, Fels Naptha or Zote soap. The 2 latter, as well as the borax and washing soda, can be found in the laundry isle at Wal-Mart or a grocery store. I just shred the soap with a fine cheese grater (this takes a while, but it's a good excuse to watch something on TV!). I use 4-5 bars for each batch.
Ok, I'm out of time now...but glass cleaner, fruit/veggie wash and all-purpose cleanser are coming soon!
October 20, 2011
I'm doing it wrong!
My standards are very low these days. At 10 p.m. if the kids are in bed and I can find all of the baby bottles then I consider that day a success! Some days I look around at our messy, messy house and think, "What am I doing wrong?" I ask other moms "How do you do it?" I wonder, " Why can't I do it?"
Most of the time I feel like I just need to work harder. I feel embarrassed that our house is so messy.
But sometimes I really think hard about what I've done that day. Today I held Evan for hours, which is really irritating, but it won't be long until he too is a 4 year-old that won't let me hold him. So, time well spent. Today I took a quick nap with Braden when Evan was napping because I didn't get much sleep last night. Time well spent because it gave me the energy to deal with them until Mike got home. Today I picked up my parents from the airport and hung out with them because I haven't seen them in almost 3 weeks. Obviously time well spent. Today I took the boys to our playgroup Halloween party where they had fun and learned about loving our friends. ALWAYS time well spent. Today we ran around outside and played zombies with the neighbor kids. I watched the kids crunch leaves and feel the cold breeze and laugh and scream like crazy monkeys and I thought TIME WELL SPENT!
So tonight I'm going to bed at 11 hoping to get some sleep and hoping to have another great day tomorrow and hoping I can remember to be patient with my messy house. Because I didn't do anything wrong today.
I have a really messy house, but for me, my family and where we are right now...I'm doing it right!
Most of the time I feel like I just need to work harder. I feel embarrassed that our house is so messy.
But sometimes I really think hard about what I've done that day. Today I held Evan for hours, which is really irritating, but it won't be long until he too is a 4 year-old that won't let me hold him. So, time well spent. Today I took a quick nap with Braden when Evan was napping because I didn't get much sleep last night. Time well spent because it gave me the energy to deal with them until Mike got home. Today I picked up my parents from the airport and hung out with them because I haven't seen them in almost 3 weeks. Obviously time well spent. Today I took the boys to our playgroup Halloween party where they had fun and learned about loving our friends. ALWAYS time well spent. Today we ran around outside and played zombies with the neighbor kids. I watched the kids crunch leaves and feel the cold breeze and laugh and scream like crazy monkeys and I thought TIME WELL SPENT!
So tonight I'm going to bed at 11 hoping to get some sleep and hoping to have another great day tomorrow and hoping I can remember to be patient with my messy house. Because I didn't do anything wrong today.
I have a really messy house, but for me, my family and where we are right now...I'm doing it right!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)