No Toddler TV Challenge

This happened as a sort of accident. My 17 month old son really likes TV. Who doesn't? We love media over here...probably too much. Being pregnant, and exceptionally ill and fatigued this pregnancy, we have had many a day where we cuddled watching something, or I relied on the energy of cartoon characters to counteract my lack thereof. But, I decided that we needed a change. Just as much as I didn't want him to be a little TV zombie, I also didn't want to be the momma who parents via TV. Let's be clear here, I am being overly dramatic -- obviously, I don't really parent via TV -- but, I wanted to challenge myself to be better...to do better. And, I wanted him to have better :)

So, today, we hit day 2 of no TV for the toddler (My Love and I have been sneaking TV in after toddler bedtime, haha). Yesterday was rough. Little Man was cranky, listless, and not really sure what to do with himself. That broke my heart, and made me even more resolute to continue the no TV strike. We made it through yesterday, and had some really great moments despite the awkward transition. Today was great! We watched a friend's little girl this morning, so we had a sort of built-in-play-date. They played with cars, and blocks...we listened to instrumental music on my Pandora station (comprised of Vince Guaraldi, Holst, and John Williams). They took a nice, long nap, and then Little Man and I went to go meet another friend for another play date! He had a blast, and wore himself out playing in the sand, dirt, and grass. He had so much fun! We have had so much fun together! I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds! We're planning on going to a story time in the morning -- I really hope it goes well, and that Little Man has a good time!

While not watching TV during the day, I have been scouring Pinterest for ideas of things to do to keep Little Man occupied. Finding activities he can do on his own (but within my eyesight), is going to be probably the most challenging thing. I still want to be able to get some things done around the house.

Since it's only day two, I haven't tried as many independent activities. I think, after this post, I'm going to do a weekly "Toddler Tuesday" post, where I talk about the different things we've tried, how they've gone, and maybe share some pictures! Would y'all be interested in that? Let me know in the comments -- if it's not a hit, I'll just post them every now and then :)

1. Mess-free Painting
For this, you get freezer bags, and then put paint in them. Close the bags, then put them over a white piece of paper on a table or floor, then tape the bag down all around the edges. I couldn't find the images on Pinterest...or the actual link...that inspired that idea. Unfortunately, it played out way better in my head than it did in reality. I was so excited. But, I got the wrong bags...they were too small...they were tinted blue...they had a line on them so you can write what the contents are. The paint I used probably needed to be a little more fluid, so it could be spread around more easily. Then, I couldn't get the tape to hold the bag down. Little Man easily pulled up the bag, and was more interested in prying it away from the tape than he was in squishing the paint around.

2. Pom Pom Fun
This one was tricky, because most of the ones that came in the bag were too small for him to safely play with. He doesn't sort colors just yet, so he really just piled them all into a cup, then moved them from the cup to a pan, then to another pan, then back to the cup, usually followed by unceremoniously dumping them everywhere. It wasn't very systematic, but he seemed to enjoy it just fine.

I think tomorrow, after our story time and nap, we'll be trying to make and use sidewalk paint, as seen here.

I also intend to use some of these lady's ideas -- she is brilliant!

Halloween Firetruck Vision

I mentioned in this post that we had been fortunate enough to come across a Step 2 Push Around Buggy at a garage sale. Little Man loves it already, but I'm planning on transforming it into a firetruck for part of his Halloween costume. He is going to be a dalmatian, and I thought it would be awesome to have a firetruck for him to ride around in. Not to mention, it'll be his first time around the neighborhood for Halloween (we probably will just walk around, as he doesn't really eat candy), and it'll be nice to have him with his own mode of transportation.

I perused Pinterest for ideas, and found a couple of really cute ones. I think the trickiest part is going to be finding a box that is the right size...though, now that I think about it, I might have one from his highchair that will work. Hmm...

Anyway, here are the pictures I think I'll use for inspiration:

The main difference between these and the one I'm imagining is that the firetruck I want to make will go over his little buggy, instead of being strapped to his shoulders.

I'm hoping that I can convince My Love to go as a firefighter (ooh la la), but I'm stumped as to how I could join in the fun. I'll be six-ish months pregnant by Halloween. I've thought of some sort of civilian who was rescued (you know, with hair curlers, a bath robe...that sort of thing), but it's not nearly as cohesive as I'd like. I suppose that I could be a firefighter too? Do y'all have any suggestions?

Project: Step 2 Push Around Buggy

Have you ever seen one of these?

I love them. They're so cute, and fun, and such a cool way to get around with your little one! I've wanted one for FOREVER. Especially since Little Man started showing interest in cars. The kid flipping loves cars. His first major meltdown was because I made him come inside the house from playing in the front seat of my car...in the summer...in a Texas summer...which means extreme heat...crazy kid. He cried for almost 20 minutes solid; threw himself at the door and everything. It was ridiculous (and sort of funny).

Anyway, I've been looking for one of these, or a Cozy Coupe, for what feels like forever. Garage sales, consignment shops, craigslist, etc. I've found a few viable options, but nothing ever panned out. FINALLY, by complete freak chance, I ended up driving around our neighborhood, and coming upon a garage sale. There was one of these in the driveway, for sale! It was slightly sun-faded, but looked to be in good shape. I had a nice conversation with the lady, and ended up getting this and a small play kitchen...wait for it...for $10!!!! Yes, I got a Step 2 Push Around Buggy, a play kitchen, AND all the foods that her son had used with the kitchen -- for $10!!!! I was ecstatic!

Once I got the car home, we realized that one of the wheels was split. Not too big of a deal, I figured. I did some research, and discovered that the model buggy we had was pretty old, and had a recall out on part of the hardware. Easy-peasy, I ordered a repair kit to remedy the recall issue, and I also ordered four replacement tires. Thank you very much, Step 2!

In the meantime, My Love discovered my garage-sale-find, and was too excited to show our son to wait for everything to arrive in the mail. It was love at first sight. Little Man clambered right up into the seat, and was ready to go. The split wheel made a loud, obnoxious, popping sound, but functioned besides that. We've taken it on several walks, and Little Man loves it!

Tonight, I wanted to take him on another walk before bed -- and decided I'd replace the wheel really quickly before we went out. Note to self: If you ever have the thought, "I'll just do [such and such] really quickly..." you should know better. It's almost as if the phrase is taboo, and you're inviting failure and trials to join you in your venture, whatever it may be. Needless to say, getting the wheel off was WAY harder than I anticipated. Both My Love and I put our respective elbow grease into it, and I finally gave up for the night. But, My Love, my hero, came through! He got the wheel off! Not in time for a walk this evening, but now the buggy is all repaired and ready to drive less noisily around on our adventures.

However, as I am insane, and can't leave well enough alone, I have a vision for this buggy. Have you seen the Cozy Coupe redos? This one is one of my favorites, though there are tons of other great ideas out there.

Aside from being up to my eyeballs in projects I need to complete, as well as just trying to get generically organized, this project will have to wait a bit longer (depending on how this year goes, I might have to wait until spring, as spray painting in cold weather just doesn't work well). However, I'm leaning toward an even more ambitious project to do with it first -- Little Man is going to be a dalmatian for Halloween (we found the cutest costume at consignment for $5!). I'm thinking, if I can get the pieces to fall together right, I'd love to slip a cardboard box overtop of the buggy, and turn it into a firetruck for him to ride in! How adorable would that be?!?!? Of course, if I get it done in time, and I like it, I'll post pictures...and, whenever I get around to repainting it, I'll post pictures of that too.

Too much fun!!!

Halloween Upcycle Project: Modern Parents Messy Kids

I just wanted to share this project, because it was too cool not to, AND because I'm so far behind on posting my own stuff, I'm afraid my blog is going to grow cobwebs! Not quite the season yet!

However, as that season IS fast approaching, I give you -- The Upcycled Halloween Door Mat.
Modern Parents Messy Kids used an old, icky doormat, some colored duct tape, a cutting mat, and scissors to make this:

Isn't it incredible!?!? Like I need another project, but...if I can find the time -- I would love to do this! To see detailed instructions on how they worked their magic, follow this link to the post!

10 Goals for the Week: Week 3 MAJOR Setback

Despite my optimism, I did not accomplish all of my goals for last week. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I'm not even certain what this week is going to look like -- which makes it difficult to determine what sorts of goals to set for myself. I think I'll keep them smaller-ish, to attempt to allow myself a chance to complete them.

As for last week's goals, here's where I am at:

Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1. Write out a schedule for Little Man
2. Assemble playscape in backyard

Personal Goals
3. Wake up early enough to get a quality quiet time in before the insanity of the day begins
4. Go on a daily walk (with Little Man, if possible)
5. Make a list of "nesting" projects, and put them in priority order

Homemaking Goals
6. Compile a list of meals I cook, and make a meal plan for the month.
7. Do at least one load of laundry a day, and PUT IT AWAY.
8. Clean out car

Business Goals
9. Implement/follow September Budget
10. Take pictures of and post furniture/items to get rid of on craigslist/online to sell.


I'd still like to edit my "nesting" list, but it's really not a priority goal.
This is what I'm going to attempt to do this week:

Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1. Assemble playscape in backyard
2. Play outdoors together as a family

Personal/Homemaking Goals
3. Post about laundry room
4. Begin sorting through items in art room
5. Organize guest room
6. Clean out car
7. Put away items in hallway where they belong
8. Declutter master bedroom

Business Goals
9. Take pictures of at least three items to get rid of on craigslist/online to sell
10. Finish three paintings

Dream Bedroom

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I have a tendency to overdo the "to do" list. Not only that, but I'm a project fiend. Project visionary, project starter, but not your best project finisher. This is why this post is a dream...a sort of collection of ideas for what I want our bedroom to become, once I actually have the time, ability, and resources to dedicate to such a project.

When we were first married, I found this beautiful bedding set that I absolutely fell in love with. I can't remember its name at the moment, and I've had absolutely no luck finding it on the internet. Here is a picture of it in our old bedroom:

Goodness, I can't remember our room ever being that clean. Granted, the house was on the market at the time, but :whistle: I'd take that over our current disaster area, to be sure!

We still have the same furniture, and the same general color scheme. Life with three dogs, as we had at the time, was not friendly to our comforter, however. Sadly, it was taken off our bed, and retired to the closet...eventually retired for good </3

Our bedroom, at present, is a nightmare. It's a mess. There is a wide assortment of wires, cables, and electronics that belong to My Love sort of haphazardly piled near his side of the bed. I have bags and stacks of random papers, all waiting to either be sorted...to be put into a place of belonging yet to be determined...to be shredded...or, honestly, just taking up space.

My Love really really really likes darkness. Our home is very dark in general, as we don't have many windows. I love our home, but that's definitely something I'll consider more should we move in the future -- I love windows. Anyway, I didn't take into account my husband's love of darkness when we chose the paint color for our room, which is quite a bit darker than that in the picture above, and lends itself to make the whole room feel darker. It's a beautiful color, don't get me wrong -- I picked it for a reason -- but, after two years, I've decided that I'd like to change it to something lighter.

So, if I had unlimited time, resources, and energy (which, I suppose, is a resource, but you know what I mean), here's what I'd do to the room (which is not pictured):

- I would beg my friend's dad to help me refinish our furniture. My Love, while he is a wonderful man, has a problem with using coasters. This problem is that he forgets to use them. So, our nightstands are water damaged, and need to be lightly sanded and probably refinished/resealed. The bed, which I love, was a craigslist find. It matches our furniture perfectly, but was slightly damaged when we purchased it -- really, just minimal scratches in the wood from a dog, presumably. If we're going to refinish the nightstands, we might as well refinish the head and foot boards, right? My grandpa already did some impressive magic on the headboard in particular, as I was a COMPLETE fool right after we purchased the thing, and stubbornly insisted on trying to assemble the thing myself. Stupid girl. I lost control of it, and it fell, landing on part of the sideboard, and split. He patched it together beautifully, and you can't even tell where I damaged it.

- I would repaint the room. I have a little leftover color from our formal dining room at our old house. It's a bright, but somehow subtle, or almost neutral, green. I want to paint a swath of the wall to see if I like it before we move forward, but I'd imagine it'd be just about perfect. It isn't exact, but I think it's similar to Valspar's Crocodile Smile:

I'm thinking possibly something even a little lighter but, like I said, I'll have to see what it looks like on the wall. I don't know for sure how My Love feels about a green bedroom. Should he object, for any reason, I'd choose a neutral color -- something soft and light, though I'm not entirely sure what.

- I would get a new bedding set. I found this absolutely delicious bedding online, and cannot wait until My Love and I have our emergency fund properly built up (yep, we're working on our Dave Ramsey), so that I can start saving for it (bet you can guess what my Christmas and birthday money are going toward)! I'm posting the link for the actual comforter set but, based on the customer reviews (specifically regarding issues washing it), I think I'd actually want the duvet cover set. But, isn't it absolutely divine?!?!?

I love the splash of color, the beautiful pattern, and how it's pretty without being super feminine. I also love how it  has a similar blue to what we previously had, which means that the previously color coordinated items we already have will bring in pops of color, to the new decor. I do think, however, that I would get white sheets. I really love this set from Target, because it's lacy :)

- I would keep our current window curtains. They're a simple, beautiful, rumpled type of fabric, in a similar color (if the pictures can be trusted) blue as the bedding.

- I think I would keep our current lamps. I really love them - they're a sort of sturdy metal, and I spray painted them silver. I usually use the swirls on the base to hang my jewelry on -- quite handy to have on the nightstand. I am only slightly tempted to get the lamps that are mounted on the wall, similar to those you typically see in hotels. It'd be nice to have the additional space on the nightstand. But, as I said, I really like our lamps, so I'll probably keep them. Plus, not getting new ones will save money, hooray!

- I'd at least like to get our ceiling fan "fixed." I suppose it's not really broken, but it's slightly unbalanced. I bought those little weights that adhere to the fan blades and are supposed to help -- hopefully they will.

- As nice as all of these decorative aspects are, the most important thing I want to change about our room is organization! I want to sift through all of our clothes, and condense my wardrobe to a select few (probably new-to-me) mix-and-match items. Some of this will have to wait until post-baby, and (ideally) post-baby body! But, I want to get all of our winter clothes back into the under the bed storage bags I procured for them - that will open up a lot of closet space.

Ultimately, I want our room to be a safe haven. Someplace relaxing, and inviting. Ein gedi, if you will -- I heard that term used once to describe what your room should be like -- an oasis from the world. I've always loved that imagery.

Here's hoping I can get my act together soon, get our room/house organized, and get to the fun decorating part!!!

Au Jus?

At some point in our relationship, My Love and I started going to Subway. When we went, he would order the roast beef sandwich with au jus. I am not super carnivorous. I love bacon, I love roast the way my mom makes it, I enjoyed brisket that our pastor's wife made, I eat chicken, and I really like turkey. I eat other "types" of meat, and that's not to say I hate all other forms of it (so, if I've eaten with you, and haven't named off your meal, please don't be offended -- thinking through all meals I've eaten in a lifetime is just more time than I want to dedicate to this post -- I'm sure you understand). However, I was completely unfamiliar with this "au jus" that accompanied the Subway roast beef sandwich. I, therefore, took My Love's information as fact. He told me it was called "ahh huice." I spent an unknown quantity of time calling it that. Mercifully, I don't believe that I was ever around anyone else when I did so.
Years later, we were out somewhere, and someone mentioned au jus, only they said, "ō-ˈzhü(s)." I distinctly remember my jaw dropping, my eyes widening, and myself swiveling to gape at my husband, who had not yet realized the enormity of what had just occurred.
"Au jus?!?!?!" I said (pronounced the correct way). "Au jus?!?!? As in, 'ahh huice?!?!?'"
BUSTED!!!

I tell you this story because I was given an excellent recipe for roast beef au jus from an online acquaintance and, every time I even think "au jus," I "pronounce" it the same way My Love initially taught me. I've only made it once, but am making it again now -- and my husband is quite excited. Should he ever doubt my love for him, he only need remember that I've handled raw meat on numerous occasions to make his meals -- I hate touching raw meat (Phil Robertson would undoubtedly refer to me as a "yuppie")! Now that I've revealed more of my bizarre quirks than you were ever looking to know, I thought I'd share the recipe, in case any of you were interested! I am far from a gifted chef...I'm afraid culinary skills must skip generations, or something, as it is definitely not my strong suit. This recipe, however, is made in a crock pot, which means that I can do it, and so can you!!!

Crock Pot Roast Beef Sandwiches

3lb chuck roast
3 cups water
1 packet au jus gravy mix (or 3 beef bouillon cubes)
1 tsp garlic powder
1-2 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, halved
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 bay leaf (optional)
salt & pepper

Heat oil in black skillet over medium-high heat.
Wash roast and season generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Place roast into oiled skillet, lightly brown on all sides.
While browning roast, add halved onion, garlic cloves, water, and bouillon/mix to crock pot.
Transfer roast to crock pot, and toss in bay leaf.
Add salt and pepper.
Cover and cook for 8-10 hours.
Cook until roast falls apart.
Remove onions, garlic, and bay leaf.
Pull roast into strips.
Serve hot with French hamburger buns and sharp cheddar cheese.

Just as an aside, I use the au jus gravy mix, do not include the bay leaf, and am completely not bound by such trivial things as measurements when it comes to garlic powder, salt, or pepper -- I kind of just add them until I think it looks right, haha!

Well, I put this in the crock pot tonight, so My Love should have some delicious food ready for him come lunch time tomorrow! Let me know if you make it, and how you liked it!