Wah-der

Little man has never been big on milk. Sometimes he drinks juice; we favor the Fruitables boxes because of the veggies mixed in. He prefers water. Or 'wah-der' as he likes to say.

He especially prefers MY water.
 

Must be because of that fancy Steelers cup I use.  Closet fan.



 

OTC Valentine's Display

We don't have a fireplace in our house which means this lover of decorating is mantle-less. So lately I've started improvising by using our favorite buffet piece we bought many years ago at our favorite antique spot.

I started small with the addition of my sweet white cabinet.  It's full of little things that have meaning to our family.

Then I bought this huge glass vase on clearance at HomeGoods during the Christmas season for $7! It has a tiny imperfection near the bottom, but you can't see it. I also got my little apothecary jar at the same time. In January the big vase was still full of ornaments and my jar was full of epsom salt, cranberries and a votive.

At the beginning of this month while enjoying a kid free craft shopping trip with a friend I picked up the heart wreath for $2 and the mini bell jars for $.50 each without a clue of what I would do with them. I got the green branches (also on clearance for $2) on the same trip specifically for my vase. I have pops of green throughout our main floor and it was exactly what I needed in that corner.

It all came together on a trip to Z Gallerie (oh how I love it there) when I found these gorgeous white candlesticks. Except I knew I wasn't going to use them for candles.

 

Their wide tops were the perfect base for my mini bell jars. I filled one with an "XO" I made using scrapbook paper and scrap ribbon from the glitter hearts that are in the other jar. The glitter hearts were actually part of a pick that I dismantled. I just used a little hot glue to stack them and help them stand up on the candlestick.  I filled my bell jar with large conversation hearts.  I let the kids have one or two as a reward during the day for good behavior.



I hung my wreath with a little pink rick rack from my craft supply box.  Using the same red glitter scrapbook paper I used for the "XO" I made a simple bunting.  A friend gave me the stickers from her stash.  I attached the bunting to the wreath with these cute pink clothespins that were on clearance at Michaels for $.80.



So what do you think?  Cheap, easy and festive is my favorite combination.  Do you change up seasonal decor in your home?

All We Need Is Love

Okay and maybe a little Coach iPad cover from my cuties.


But mostly love.
 

Love for our beautiful and sassy 4 year old.
 

And for our little wild man who always says "CHEESE" when he sees my camera.

We love when they love on each other.

Yes, all we need is love.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  We love you!

Solo Tubby Time

Would you believe that this sweet face has taken to doing something unmentionable in the tub that has resulted in his sister refusing to take tubbies anymore?  She now insists on showers...with her googles on.

I think solo tubby time fun might have been his master plan all along.

Dancing In The Moonlight

We've revived our favorite winter evening activity of listening to music choice on demand and this year little man has become old enough to be a worthy dance partner.  After we eat dinner we fire up our favorite jams and we all dance together, we dance solo, and sometimes our two babies dance together.

Except they aren't babies anymore.  They are a prince and princess.
 

Twirling around the living room.


Waltzing the night away.



 

Oh Sugar, Sugar

And flour too!

When we first moved in I had all my baking things stored on the top shelf of our pantry. I knew I wanted to have some canisters on the counter, but after searching online and in the outlet mall I wasn't able to find anything that I liked for a price I was willing to pay.

I started trolling a few secondhand stores hoping to stumble across something that I might be able to use. And wouldn't you know one day I found these two glass canisters with plain wooden lids for the bargain price of $1.50 each.

I saw a few people eyeing me warily as I stood at the checkout with my 1980's looking glass jars, but I knew they could be salvaged.

First, I gave the jars several thorough washings. Then I spray painted the lids apple green and attempted to paint a quatrefoil stencil on top and failed miserably...twice.  I'm like that with my projects.  I'll have this amazing vision and 95% of the time the first few go rounds are complete failures.  Then one day (maybe weeks or months later) I'll figure it out.  This time it took a week of me staring at those lids before the idea came to me.

I sanded the lids a bit and resprayed them pink. Then I traced them on some of the scrap fabric from my DIY roman shade and used spray adhesive to cover the tops. (Remember to let the spray adhesive air dry for a moment or two after you initially spray for optimal tackiness).

I added these cute chalkboard stickers from GroopDealz to label them and voila!  Cutie pop canisters on my counter.  Speaking of GroopDealz if you've never heard of it you need to check it out.  It's like a groupon and etsy mashup with daily deals on darling handmade and crafty items.   I've ordered several cute things through their site and have loved them all!  

The edges of the fabric are starting to fray just a bit, but I kind of like the look.  Also I can change up the fabric easily if it rips or gets stained.


I had everything I needed for this project on hand except for my $3.00 canister purchase and the measuring cup set I picked up at the dollar store to use as scoops.


 

You Get What You Get

And try not to throw a fit that you might not even get one snow day this year.

I felt like a southerner bundling my kids up to go out and play in the measly snow we got this afternoon. But I didn't want them to miss out on what might be their only chance for snow play this year.

 Plus to them, any snow is magical.
 

Especially if your awesome Daddy will scrape up just enough snow to make snowballs for you to smash and throw.
 

And the snow is just wet enough that the snowballs will hold up even if you try juggling them back and forth between your sweet mitten covered hands.

Our Weekend

We had a rough weekend.

The week of work is killing me dead and by Friday I'm barely alive. I really need three day weekends because in order for me to recover I need to sleep for almost an entire day. Thanks to my very loving husband I slept from 9 pm Friday (passed right out in the middle of our redbox date night) until 9:30 am on Saturday, then took a three hour nap with the kids, and was back in bed by 10:30. By Sunday armed with the "secret Starbucks list" from Pinterest, I was raring to go, but that leaves only one day to be productive and tackle my ever growing list of to dos.

Speaking of Sunday, TG is a big Patriots fan, born and raised. We thought for sure this time they would beat the Giants. TG was very nervous, couldn't even eat his dinner, but was still certain they could win. We were wrong. To say that hubs was upset would be an understatement. I just sat quietly on the couch working on our taxes and tried not to make eye contact.

The kids didn't have a clue about football. TG tried to convince Riley to wear some Patriots gear, but she couldn't be swayed. Even after he told her that they weren't even playing in the Superbowl she said, "No matter Dad. I'm a Steelers girl!" You're damn right you are and with the help of some thoughtful friends your Mama turned you out.  She knew it too because when I asked her to smile for me she hit this pose and said "I've been prack-a-cin my cute posies."

 

Cam was reppin' the Patriots, but he barely speaks English so you can be sure he had no idea what a big day it was for them. I can hardly wait for what it will be like when he's old enough to get amped for game day. We are a football loving household and we're inching ever so much closer to the day where we'll be able to watch the games as a family of four.

 

No, the kids weren't upset at all over the football. Just a bit annoyed that for the third week - going on fourth week in a row the three of us are sick. Riley said on Friday night, "Mom, when will I feel better again?" That killed me.  Somehow TG has managed to avoid the absolutely ridiculous cough that myself and the kids have. Every night and day for THREE WEEKS has been a management of symptoms with vaporub, saline, motrin, cough drops, and humidifiers. Sassy's cough tapered down for one day after some neb treatments and zithromax, but picked right back up where she left off the next day and is worse now than it was before.

TG and I got creative with ways to keep them entertained mostly indoors this weekend. We all played indoor hoops with little man's Christmas present. Riley played dolls. We fired up Elmo in Grouchland on VOD. Cam crashed matchbox cars around the house. And finally, on Sunday night, in an effort to make it the last little stretch before bedtime both of our kiddos painted.

 



One of them didn't get the memo about paint only on the paper.  We'll cut him some slack though because his face is pretty stinkin' cute.

Here's to a new week, hopefully germ free.

 

Seen and Heard

SEEN:

Camden making himself comfortable on top of the ottoman on top of the couch while TG vacuumed.

4 adorable "Twinkle Toes".   I got to fulfill my dream of matching "sister" outfits.


HEARD:

Riley getting into her jammies.
Me:  Hey Roo, you've got your pj pants on backwards.
Riley:  I do?  Oh gosh.  I so embarrass me.

Me:  Night night Cam.  I love you.
Cam:  Nigh nigh.
Me:  I love you.
Cam:  Um you Ma.

Riley:  Mom!  We did that.  Last night!
Me:  What's that?
Riley:  We went in that boat in A-why-wee.
Me:  Yes we did, but not last night.
Riley:  Yes it was!  It was last night!
(Everything that happened in the past is last night to Riley)

On my phone.
Cam:  Hell-whoa.
Cam:  Wah-der. (water)
Cam:  Das a wah-der. (that's a water)
Cam:  Bye.

Standing up.
Cam:  UP!
Bending down.
Cam:  Dowwwwwwn.

Every morning when I go to get him.
Cam:  Dada?
Me:  He's not here.
Cam:  Dada at werrrrk.
Me:  That's right.
Cam:  Eber-buddy? (everybody)

Shirt up, grabbing his tummy.
Cam:  BELL-DEEEEE!!!

 

A Beary Fun Party

Oh yes, I did just type that cheesy title. If you want to stop reading right now I won't blame you.

This year Riley had a Build a Bear Party for her birthday.

Is it just me or does the idea of our children at B.A.B make anyone else feel really old all of a sudden?

Wasn't it just yesterday Tata and I were in there running the fluffer and kissing our fabric hearts? 

Anyway, we considered a slew of shindig options this year. At one point we were trying to choose between a party at our home (nixed because I don't need the extra cleaning in my life), a mani/pedi outing (ousted because 3 of the guests were boys), and an American Girl tea party (see reason #2).

So, how did we choose Build a Bear?

We were at the end of a shopping trip in December. It had been successful (in parenting terms) but, little man was dangerously close to epic meltdown level. We were barreling towards the exit, yards from the turn that would lead to the parking garage when Riley skidded to a halt by my side. As my eyes focused in on what had caught her attention I inwardly groaned. She wanted to go in "jus to see", but our Cam-bomb was ticking. So I did what any desperate mother would do as the gears in my mind frantically clicked into place.  I steered her toward the exit and said, "Not today honey...but how about we have your birthday party there?"

The rest is party history. Riley made the guest list and we made the decision to make it a drop off party. (I for one am looking forward to the years of drop off parties and the sooner the better.)  Drop off style was a first for us, but no big deal for someone who currently watches toddler hordes 5 days a week.

With the help of the Build a Bear staff TG and I led the cutest crew of 2 and 3 year olds you've ever seen through the steps of making their own stuffed friends.

Our first stop was the choosing wall.  The Year of the Dragon friend was the most popular choice.  It is so amusing to see what young kids pick given the choice.


Armed with empty shells we moved on to the fluffer machine.  Highly technical term I know.  All the kids waited so patiently for their turn.
 

Before we could choose outfits they all carefully "washed" their newly stuffed friends.


After the air bath it was dress up time.  Riley chose a satin cocktail dress for her bear, Barbie.


This was the best shot we could get of the party crew and their finished products.  Just looking at all their choices makes me giggle.  B.A.B was probably glad we helped reduce their inventory of Wizards uniforms.  My guess is they can barely give them away.  I'm just saying.


After a special parting song and dance for the birthday girl we lined them all up and marched to the food court for chicken nuggets, hamburgers and cupcakes.   We were quite the sight leading 7 adorable children and stuffed animals through the crowds.  

All of them were so very well behaved and TG provided the entertainment while they ate.  He was a big hit and cost way less than a clown.

 It was the perfect 4th birthday party and the princess couldn't have been happier.


 

If you build it

They will spend precious minutes happily giggling.

Maybe they will crawl through the tunnels.


They'll probably pretend to be an explorer.

They might hunker down for a rest with their monk monk.

But, they'll definitely give you a megawatt smile to let you know how much fun they are having in the blanket tent you built for them.