Getting all "Pinterest" up in here!

 

My fave hobby of the year has been the discovery of Pinterest.com and working on my online bulletin board "collages".  It definitely has lit the DIY spark in me for everything from holiday decor to trying new recipes to sewing Halloween costumes and planning parties for the kiddies.

Special shout out to the Martha Stewart collection at JoAnn fabric for helping me achieve the DIY-look I was craving, haha! *cheater* So I'll also share where I found my finds, like a good little blogger.

Mantle decor

Fall berry garland: Paul Michaels in Canton, Texas, $10ish last year

Wire pumpkin candle holder: Gift, Kohl's

Quatrefoil candle holder with mango candle: Bath and body works

Toile planter and faux flowers: Michaels, last year

Fleur-de-lis knick knack, part of a set gifted to us, Kirklands

Hurricane: Hobby Lobby, filled with decorative balls from Pier One, and Candy Corn

Mini pumpkins: $3 each, Target
Mickey Jackolantern: gift from Lolli, Walgreens
Green glitter skull: $1, Target Dollar Spot

Scarecrow crunch: Quaker Oats cereal, mini pretzels, raisins, candy corn, Reese's pieces, and orange flavored popcorn (from Pop It!)

Fruit kabobs: strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, grapes
Cheese & Ritz kabobs: pre-cut mini cheese "sandwiching" a Ritz
Skeleton & Pumpkin picks: Martha Stewart collection, JoAnn Fabric (super sale with coupon)

Pin the nose on the witch was a HUGE hit. Note to self -- next party, make 30 noses instead of 8. The kids had a total blast spinning in a circle three times then pinning the nose on the witch. Each kid's pin got major giggles. (Speaking of pins, I suggest you "pin" these fun ideas to your Pinterest boards! hehe)

 Green and black posterboard, Dollar Tree ($0.50 each)

Black & red marker: in my craft closet

Crayola mini's glitter : in my craft closet

Noses: Fun foam, Dollar Tree, $1 for a pack of 12 sheets

Masking Tape: in my junk drawer

Pumpkins at the Arboretum

Today was another perfect Mommy day. With less than a week left of maternity leave, today Cade turned 2 1/2 (Happy half birthday little man!), and Devyn is 2 1/2 months, I've been emotional.  The perfect fix? A trip to the Dallas Arboretum.  Every year we have taken Cade, and this year was Devyn's pumpkin debut!  She rocked it, no?

Conductor overalls?? Yummy! 

This year there was a storybook theme. Here we are in Cinderella's carriage.

Um, we are DEF 2 1/2 months today. Had Grammie been counting on us to go, we would have stayed home with the tearful morning SOMEONE had.  This pic is his mood entirely. Sad, yet intrigued. Pouty, yet precious.

My God. That lip. That sunflower. That mini pumpkin. It's too much. He is absolutely too much.  My love for this pouty little prince knows no bounds.  You want to simultaneously spank him and give him the world. I've never known feelings like this could exist before my love affair with my son.

Grand Aunt Shanon, Grammie and Devyn strolling through Crepe Myrtle Alley. This place is absolutely stunning, if you are in a rotten mood in Crepe Myrtle Alley you have issues.  So, literally five minutes later this was said Poutster.

Sheer joy and elation! Oh to feel that happy because you have a stick and a hill to run down. (Yes, my child runs with sticks.... I dare you to try to stop him. You start with "Honey, don't run with the stick, that's dangerous!" and then you go to "Cade, put down that stick please" then you say "Cade, no stick. Put down!" (I don't know why, but I find myself trying Caveman Talk when he's not listening) finally you shrug and say "Um, be safe when you run with the stick!" and decide to devote your time to saying Hail Marys.

Cade found love by the old oak tree.

Use her and lose her, man.  Typical male.

Pumpkin love.

His fave gourd o' the day!  He even kissed it :)

Mommy's new haircut. Oh, and Mommy's presh children.

Grammie's little girl.  Sweetest pic o' the day!

Swim Swim Summer!

As evidenced by the pic above, we had a swim swim summer with Captain Cade the Fearless. We took him to the Plano public pools, which he adored.  Shout out Tom Muehlenbeck!!! You are the best public pool I've ever seen. I don't have many pics from the public pools, but we did get some fun shots from Lolli & Papa's pool.  Cade can swim for nearly two hours, jumping off the side, swimming to you and turning around and swimming back to the ladder. Fish man.
I'm so glad I have kids that love to swim (I'm guessing Devyn does because I totally swam with her while I was super pregnant -- even the day before I was induced... Insane I know, but that's how much I love to swim. I was totally coming up with the courage to tell the lifeguard "Clear the pool, my water just broke in it", which was a horrifying thought but would have made for a badass birth story.) I digress...

Checking out baby sister girl in her "lounger".

First Family Portraits

A few weeks after Devyn was born, we dressed up the fam and went to Studio One to get our first family portraits made!  (And hopefully score some presh pics worthy of birth announcements...more to come on that in a later post!)

I decided that we needed to wear the colors we look best in, blues, and let Devyn rock it out in pink! So after a full day's shopping at Northpark I was able to use outfits Cade & Devyn already had (plaid shorts and navy polo for him, a white and pink ballerina-esque ruffled onesie for her) and buy new shirts for Nick and I. Usually I'd shy away from mixing patterns but the colors were all so perfect together, and my Pinterest studies of photography boards and blogs gave some courage to try it, and I must say--- family fashion success!!

Standing in this pose felt super awkward but turned out to be my fave pic once I saw it!!
FYI: Holding a nine day old for pics and trying to get her face and a toddler smile was incredibly difficult. She slept through the whole ordeal!!

Sweet baby girl

The Cadester

Things I liked about Studio One:  The photographer was quick, got lots of cute pics to choose from, she totally knew how to work with Cade --- who happened to be so excited to explore the studio and run all over the photo area. Thank God for their ladder and her feather duster which he loved!  She formed a bond with him and made him comfortable, which I really liked.

Things I didn't like:  They had a time schedule and what they promised on the phone for the family shoot was not what they delivered. I expected an hour, we got thirty minutes. I expected to get the shots I wanted, the photographer had a set list of poses that the Studio is known for and hit every one of them... my suggestions threw her off.  I got all the shots I wanted minus one. We didn't get a brother/sister shoot because the manager came over and hovered then tapped her watch then told us we needed to be done.  I was pushy momma and insisted I get my solo shots of my newborn!!! I'm grateful I did, the whole mission o' the day was to get a family shot and newborn pics for the announcement.  I did want a bro-sis pic for the announcement, but I had a sweet shot from home that worked just as well.

MAJOR thing I didn't like: I  had no idea how much it was going to cost me.  The Living Social deal was for one shot only, so we used those prints for our family pics (24 prints of 1 pose for $29). But ordering any other poses was going to cost us. The original package they put together? $896!!! Um, NO. I don't want my  husband to divorce me when I come home with that "deal of the century", or whatever the psycho photog called it.

 So I asked if I could just buy the digital images on CD..... Take a guess at how much. Did you guess $455?!  I shit you not. I asked her what the "a la cart" prices were (my devious brain already forming a plan involving a stupid kid at the CVS photo counter).  She pulled the numbers from her damn head. There was no list of prices. Shady, shady, shady. But here she was....sitting in front of me with a slideshow of my babies scrolling across the screen and sappy sweet music playing softly in the background. She had me  by the balls. If I wanted to leave with the pics I'd have to cough up some cash.  Hardball momma came out, I ordered the pics I  needed and all is well. 

Help Mommy!!!....aka "chores"

Cade loves to help me. Like loooooooves to help me. And for the most part, like 99% of the time, I'm all about it. (the other 1% being when we are running late and trying to get in the car).

I found a cool link on Pinterest about chores toddlers can do from 18 months plus. I'm uber proud to admit he's been doing most of these for quite awhile, and he even does some other things not listed. I hate calling them chores, because to my boy, these are super special helper jobs. Special activities he gets to do "just like mommy". In fact, he even asks, INSISTS even, to help Mommy.

Mommy helper jobs Cade does:
1. Dusting tables and chairs with rag

2. Matching socks — also a good skill for teaching concepts of "same" and "different"

3. Handing Mommy safe unbreakable items from dishwasher

4. Bringing safe, unbreakable dishes in from table, clearing table

5. Putting safe, unbreakable items on table (napkins, cups)

6. Picking up toys

7. Putting trash in wastebasket

10. Putting clothes in hamper

11. Handing adult an item from grocery bag

12. Wiping windows with cloth and spray bottle filled with water

13. Setting the table

14. Clearing table

15. Putting dishes in sink or dishwasher

16. Drying dishes

17. Bringing newspaper in from outside

18. Wiping spots on kitchen floor with wet rag

19. Putting books on bookshelf correctly

20. Helping water garden

21. Assisting adult in the kitchen with measuring, pouring dry ingredients, stirring and mixing

22. Carrying small bags of groceries



Mommy helper jobs we will now try:

1. Wiping baseboards with duster or dry rag

2. Taking laundry to appropriate room — tell them where the items go and see whether or not they remember after the first few times you do this chore with them.

3. Putting stuffed animals on bed in the morning

4. Pushing laundry basket to appropriate room

5. Sweeping small messes with hand broom

6. Put away laundry in correct places — teach him how to carry folded items so they won't come unfolded

7. Sort laundry by family member


I can't say that Cade does each of those above things every day, but they are just things we do together. If I didn't involve him in household tasks (ugh, okay okay, "chores"), then I'd be losing quality time with him. When we do this stuff together it's more fun for me, he feels like a big boy, and I get to do my favorite thing, teach him new stuff. We love doing stuff together. Sometimes I make the chores a game, but he's so used to it and so curious, he seeks out doing this stuff. I love (and hate at times) when he says "help you, Mommy!" and scoots his little hair next to me in the kitchen. He loves to use measuring cups, mix things together, and make salads. I feel bad when dinner is me reheating leftovers and he's got his chair ready to help and there is nothing for him to do. He gets sad when he can't help. Obviously a trait he got from me..... I don't see Nick getting off the couch and crying because he wants to help me. Ha!

I want my son to be a guy who just does these things without thinking about them. A guy who picks up after himself and lends a helping hand without being asked or complaining. In other words, I'm grooming him to be a perfect husband. As soon as he's old enough to drive, I'll teach him the value of bringing home flowers for mommy "just because".

What chores did you do as a kid?

You know you're a mommy when...

You know you're a mommy when you wake up at 6:15 and you realize usually your newborn wakes between 5:00-5:30 for a morning feeding. At first you fist pump in bed, nearly clocking your peacefully slumbering spouse, thing maybe today is the day we get back on track towards STTN*. Then you panic, a knot the size of a golf ball forms in your throat and you choke back tears..... What if she's not breathing? SIDS and cancer, my two biggest mortal enemies in this world. When this panic sets in I have one of two reactions: leap from bed, knocking the dog on the floor and Jackie Joyner Kersee my way to the crib OR lay paralyzed, terrified to go check and place my hand on her chest to see if she's breathing. I wanted to make the hubs go check for me, that's how scared I was...but he doesn't need to depths of my crazy.

Thankfully I started to hear sweet coos coming through the baby monitor so I brushed my teeth (infants don't deserve to face the morning dragon, their little bodies can't handle that) and pulled my hair into a knot and went to get my princess. My. God. You should have seen the sweet smile and silent little laugh she does where she pushes her chin down and you see like 3 more little baby chins below that gummy smile. On anyone else that smile would be gross, but on her it's my heaven.

Cadester was already up and graced us with a twenty minute morning cuddle before he declared "sunny day OUT side!", which is our cue to turn on Mickey Mouse and brew the coffee. So when hubs had to leave for at the same time Devyn and Cade needed to be fed, I knew I'd be in for morning suckage. (which, for those of you who don't know, is defined as two children needing different things from one parent at once). I wasn't sure what would happen, but I decided to nurse Devyn first. I was peacefully settled in the rocker with her on my Boppy pillow, we had just gotten comfy when Cade comes in and stands in the corner of her room. And stares. At us. Now I'm a gambler, I've decided he will not have memories of Mommy Milk time when he's grown, but for one hot minute I thought he was on to me. Then he grabbed a handful of diaper and said "poo poo pants, Mommy". I didn't smell anything, so I said "do you need to go potty?" He got so excited and said "yes, Mommy! Potty, Mommy!". So he runs to the bathroom, I look at Devyn and we take our show on the road. We perch on the side of the tub while Cade tries the potty. After 3 seconds of trying he declares, "No like this." and pops his naked bottom off... Um, okay.so Devyn and I not so gracefully follow him.

I not so brilliantly ask him if he wants to wear his monster truck big brother underpants. I figured it would be easier to continue to nurse Devyn and help Cade into underpants than a diaper. Let's just say that was a disaster. Cade tried so hard but laid flat naked on the floor with the underpants around his ankles and he refused to try to use his hands to pull them up. I was cheering him on, he was saying "Too hard.". Uggggggh... Then I say "you can do it. Use your hands and pull." (still nursing the baby this whole time). He kicks off the underpants and starts to cry.

You know you're a mommy when you are nursing your infant and your crying naked toddler climbs on your lap for a hug. You feel like a failure because you wanted to nurse and potty train at the same time....idiot!! I felt like shit, he brought me a diaper but I wasn't going to make Devyn stop and start nursing AGAIN, so I told him I'd help him after mommy milk time. I told him he could go back to bed and check to see if Pirates were on tv. The rest of my nursing time (which was supposed to be peaceful) was me praying that the naked bottom boy didn't pee in my bed.

Thankfully Devyn was fed with no spitting up and Cade forgave me and kept my bed dry.



(sleeping thru the night).

1 Month

One month lambie rug pic.  I love the froggy legs that newborns have. Devyn actually stretches quite a bit, and has since we brought her home from the hospital.  I just love this face and little body.

Mommy remembered to accessorize!! I love the star onesie adn the big huge bow. I can't resist it. I tried so hard to capture her smile, but this was as close I could get to the fleeting one month old's gummy smile.  Here she was amazed at my face peeking around the camera.  We had guys in the next room laying tile, I'm sure they were wondering WTH this crazy white lady was doing in the next room. 

The mini cake was made from my friend Jessica's mom, Sally. She made the most adorable diaper cake in the history of the world, I hate to use it, so I left this top layer as a monthly sign of her age.  I hope she likes it and doesn't tear it up the way Cade did his paper monthly signs. He ate it, he tore it, he threw it. I'm hoping the "cake" idea has enough novelty to last us quite a bit as she grows this year.  Gosh, those sweet lips!! Don't you just want to kiss them?!

2 a.m.

My favorite time of the day is now smack in the middle of the night. We have SORT OF gotten a "sleep schedule" so now I can SORT OF predict the favorite time.

Side note: notice how it only took EIGHT DAMN WEEKS to establish something resembling a normal life? Notice how reluctant I was back there in the intro paragraph to use absolutes lest I jinx my "sort of schedule". You see, infants love you to fly by the seat of your pants. Hand over the keys, Momma, Baby is driving! Cross your fingers and hold your breath... I want this to stick. Um, okay, unless said infant decides to STTN, then that can stick. (what the F is "STTN", you ask? It's the holy grail, motha! Sleep Through The Night. Defined as 6-7 consecutive hours of sleepage for the Momma. Holy grail, lovers!)

Back to the topic at hand....2 a.m. is my fave time. I've just gotten five hours of consecutive sleep and so when Devyn cries, my aching chest longing to be relieved I am more than happy to cuddle her and nurse her in the most fab rocker glider of all time. A. It's pink B. It reclines. Your rocker can go suck it. So I nurse her, check Pinterest, play Words with Friends...it's bliss. I dream of her future and I get so excited for all the little things. Her first dance class. Putting her hair into pigtails the first time.

Seeing her sweet sleepy face all milk drunk I get super high on love. It's unreal. Her face is just so precious and it takes me back to my time when Cade was an infant and I'm in heaven. I gently kiss her head, say another prayer for her, and lay her back down in her bed. then I tiptoe into Cade's Room and see him sleeping soundly, occasionally talking or whimpering in his sleep. My God, how can I possibly love these two so much? I whisper affirmations in his ear, smell his hair (I'm creepy like that), and kiss his forehead. I go back into Devyn's room, kiss her again, and then tiptoe back down the hall. Praying to any God that will listen that they sleep 3 more hours. As I crawl in bed I lean over and kiss Nick and tell him I love him. Hell, I even grab the dog and cuddle her tight to my chest and tell her I love her too. Everyone in the house is perfect at 2 a.m. I always hope Nick will wake up so we can talk about all the ways I love the kids (never gets old, I adore being able to say "the kids"). He never wakes up enough. He mutters something that sounds close enough to "love you" that I curl up in the duvet and fall asleep.

I don't know what I did to deserve this life, but I'm loving it. Absolutely nothing goes unappreciated these days. Living full of gratitude is the light.

Park Playdate!

Cade with his fun friend, Liam.  I love that these two are old enough to play together-ish (lots of the typical two year old side by side play) so I can get in some good mommy chat time. And bonus- the boys love cranberry slushies from Sonic!

My son is fearless. A fun trait when you're two and quite agile. A terrifying trait when you're sixteen and have a car. Any tips on how to give your kid a healthy dose of fear?  I'd like him to fear the wrath of Mom & Dad, getting in trouble with the law, failing a class, the pervy man by the playground, not keeping his room clean, jumping off tall buildings, drugs, and hooking up with girls. These are things I'd like him to fear. A lot.

Climbing a playground, meeting new friends, asking a cute girl to prom, trying new foods, putting yourself out there, doing what you love, taking a risk on a good (and safe) idea, saying no to your friends' dumb ideas. These are things I don't want him to fear.

The balance of fear and joy. How do you keep them innocent and playful and not afraid to strip down and run through the water splash pad?  Adults don't do that. Kids have no reservations about running full speed, spinning, drinking the water, screaming and squealing with the delight.  If I did that I'd get stopped by the cops and tested for public intoxication.  If I did that my  mommy wouldn't be there with a towel and a cool car so I could nap it off on the way home.

I wish we could all live like toddlers. If people don't get the words that are coming out of your mouth, they just smile and agree with you.  If you burst into song for no reason or quote your favorite movie or suddenly decide to pretend to activate your Buzz Lightyear jetpacks and fly, people will go along with it and play with you.  Life with a toddler is so damn fun if you go along with it.

Wouldn't you love just an ounce of this joy?  I wish with all of my heart that he has memories of how happy his childhood is, and that I can give him many more days and years of happiness.

Hanna Barberra got it right

Today we have discovered the Boomerang channel by Cartoon Network. Boomerang plays old school cartoons. I feour pure joy at seeing a cartoon start with the roaring lion and the brag line " in technicolor"!!! You know that equals some greatness. Aside from nostalgia, there is another reason to appreciate these cartoons. The creators of these had parents in mind. Characters don't even talk in these shows! The soundtrack is instrumental, classical music. Kids learn the difference between staccato and legato. Kids learn to read facial expressions and body language if the characters to derive meanings and emotional context of situations. No Baby Einstein needed.

My favorite perk of the old school cartoon.....the creators had the foresight to know that naming a show "yo Gabba Gabba" and having characters with ob-nox-ious voices and lame catch phrases. Ever see Wonder Pets? The damn show has a duckling with a lisp. And it comes on as I'm cooking dinner. Highly dangerous considering I'm weilding knives and hot pans when I hear those voices. Oh, and the lack of character voices and theme songs means I don't run the risk of having said theme song stuck in my head at 2:00am. This happens every time we watch Caillou, which is banned from my house. "I'm just a by that's four, each day I learn some more.". Shut the F up, Caillou! Why are you still bald, you little punk?

I'm convinced that the evil geniuses who create today's cartoons are a modern mix of advertisers (who know how to brand the shit out of something so you can't go to any store without seeing a tempting $15 Mickey Mouse tampon your toddler HAS to have) and druggies who know that Backyardigans are f'ing sweet to trip out with. That does me no good either.

I have major beef with those who try to "bring back" my favorites but end up totally bastardizing them. My Little Anime Pony? 3D Care Bears that don't ride in cloud cars and do the "Care Bear Stare"? Where the hell is Inspector Gadget when I need him? Bring him back!!

Another unexpected perk of old school cartoons? The moral lessons. These Puritan creators scare little minds into doing good in life, lest they end up in hell. Check out Bugs Bunny. Ever notice how Yosemite Sam is always going to hell? And it's hilarious to see who they run into down in hell. I just saw an episode that was mafia themed. Bugs has to outsmart Babyface and gang. It's violent as, well, as hell so I don't know how it ended, but it was totally going to be good times for parents. I guess it was old school Southpark.

One benefit of today's cartoons is the emphasis on education and making sure our kids don't turn into fatties. Thanks to Dora Cade can speak Espanol, Mickey taught Cade to count, and Special Agent Oso has taught Cade how to blow his nose, brush his teeth, make salad, and buckle up. (Oso is our family favorite!).

Just like all things in life, we need a balance. I just hope Disney and Boomerang brings back some more old school favorites. Original Mickey Mouse Club, Care Bears, and even some Maya the Bee would be nice. Until then, we will be a loyal Disney channel family. With occasional trips to Sprout for Sesame Street who keeps it real AND keeps up with the times. (Bert and Ernie do CSI skits! Hilarious!!)

What are your favorite old school and new school cartoons? Any beef you have with modern cartoons? Leave me a comment and let me know.