skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Slowly but surely our house is turning into a cozy home. Of course, by that I mean we are putting our creative touches on it. I hope to show you all the rooms, soon! You caught a little glimpse of Sierra's big girl room the other day. Today I'll share our kids bathroom...
I love the double sinks and long counter space! We also have lots of drawers, which Sierra LOVES to destroy, (as evidenced above!)
I went for a bold turquoise for fun, and once again gave them hooks in hopes that towels actually end up off the floor. (It's still a battle to get them to hang their towels, but at least they can -- I'm not a fan of towel bars!)
In addition to hooks for their towels, they each have an additional hook for their swimsuits.
My favorite part was the addition of the girls' artwork. They are so proud, and it adds such a personal touch! Of course, I can't say for sure we are finished... I need to add Yehbie's initial. We do indeed have a name picked out, which is such a relief! Other than that, it is probably our "most finished" room.
I always hesitate a little to brag on my husband for a couple reasons.
- I don't want to embarrass him.
- I am not trying to make it seem like we have the perfect life/ marriage. We don't. Nobody does.
But, I am often amazed at what a wonderful father/ husband he really is, and I do want to honor him for that. So, honey, forgive me if this embarrasses you...
We recently discovered these "Build and Grow" days at Lowe's. They are awesome! The first one Daniel took the girls to, they built a toy firetruck that had a working siren and all. The second one, they built a "monster truck" in honor of Halloween, and it had a working green light. This past weekend, despite feeling sick, Daniel took all 3 girls once again to Lowe's... this time to build a science test-tube kit. And, he didn't stop there...
Once they got home, he made them lunch, put Sierra down, and then did several of the experiments with the big girls. Then they played a game! Ok, I'm done boasting... but isn't that awesome? This is all while I spent the morning at a women's gathering at church, then came home to a nap. The best part is, he took pictures of the experimenting for me to share! Here you go:
You can see the wood test-tube holder they built. It also came with 2 test tubes, a plastic dish with a spout, (sorry, I don't know the scientific names), and several experiment cards for the kids to try.
In addition, each project from the firetruck to this one comes with a patch for the kids. Once I get to making the girls' vests for "Keepers of the Home," I have 3 additional patches to add to them!
Well, it looks like they had a lot of fun! Tomorrow we will school early, and then I will be off to get my hair cut and then to the doctor to see how my little guy is cooking. Something tells me the girls may be doing a little extra science tomorrow!
... Not so much! Unfortunately, our attempt at transferring Sierra to her big girl bed was a giant failure. At first, she was super excited. She crawled in herself and wouldn't get out! So, we brought her favorite blankie and animals up, tucked her in, and turned out the lights.
I wanted to lay down with her to make her feel comfortable, but that made her think it was a game. She kept sitting-up, laughing, and poking me. Then she kept getting out. Hmmm...
I decided I just had to pray with her and kiss her goodnight. I prayed. I kissed her. I said good night. I left.
Hysterical. She went bollistic. She banged on the door as if her life were in danger. I walked back in and told her it was ok, and I would lay with her a while. That's when she threw-up... and so I gave-up. We washed her up, and brought her back to her crib. That was 3 nights ago. She has happily gone to bed AND for naps in her crib with no protest since. (She has always been a protester!)
So, for now she stays. In the meantime, I have lots of other projects I am working on trying to accomplish these next 2 weeks. I can't believe I only have 2 weeks left! Perhaps you will be seeing a lot more posts on the things I am accomplishing around the house during this nesting phase!
Just for fun... we bought a "stalk" of brussel sprouts from Trader Joe's. This is why I thought it was great:
- The girls had fun breaking them all off.
- They seemed much fresher.
- The price was a lot cheaper; one stalk was about 3 times more brussel sprouts and the same price we normally pay.
- We love brussel sprouts. See HERE.
I'm really not sure what happened inside of Sierra when she turned two, but she is seriously "Miss Manners" these days! It has actually been great for all of us because I've noticed how lacking my older two have become in their manners, and it is encouraging them to say please, thank you, and sorry a lot more. I think Sierra is quite aware that she melts my heart every time she says any one of these three phrases, and she actually looks for opportunities to do so. And, she is right... I am smitten!
I am once again on a quest for age-appropriate activities for Sierra; (mostly to keep her busy while we homeschool.) I came across a website on pinterest that suggested letting 2-year-olds stick toothpicks into a salt shaker. Being that I don't have an empty salt shaker, nor one the appropriate size, we decided to improvise.
The big girls and I finished off the chai tea, (using our special "Alice in Wonderland" tea set), and then created our container.
Sierra loved it, and kept asking to play with the "pokey thing." The big girls surprisingly had fun as well, and begged to decorate the can once Sierra went for her nap.
It was Allison's idea to glue beads around the holes, and I thought it was brilliant...
... Unfortunately, Sierra thought it was fun to pull the beads off, throw them on the floor, and then play with it again. **sigh** Well, it was almost perfect!
Another activity that has recently intrigued Sierra has been "drawing," so I taped a long piece of paper to the ground, (like I used to do for Allison and Natalie), and had them draw things they're thankful for.
And, play dough can last anywhere from 2 minutes to 20 minutes depending on whether I will play along with Sierra!
Not pictured, but another thing Sierra loves doing is stacking and unstacking our bathroom little Dixie cups.
And, last but not least... the girls have really gotten into playing the Cranium game, "Hullabaloo."
They can play it over, and over, and over, and...
Well, with 3 days of rain coming this weekend, I hope some of these ideas are helpful for you and your 2-year-old! I was quite excited to find them successful; at least for us!
I made it! Today I am 37 weeks pregnant; technically "full term." It is always such a relief to hit this point. The other night I was laying in bed, wide awake at 4:00am, and feeling my little guy win his boxing/ kicking match. I wanted to be asleep, but I couldn't help but smile. This last time of being pregnant, I want to cherish every moment!
That being said, I really am wondering how I will function when I'm already so tired and the baby isn't even here, yet! I remember before Sierra came thinking that things were starting to get "easy..." and then it all changed! Lately things have started to feel "easy," again. And, I am so thankful! Turning two seemed to be like magic for Sierra, and suddenly our communication has improved a ton!
The best part is watching my 3 girls play together. It is just too sweet for words for me as their mom. I have lots of pictures... and I plan to work my hardest to get them up on the blog; not for you, (though I love and appreciate you!), but for this:
Even Sierra now requests to "See blog." They love it. It is their scrapbook. And, hopefully one day, it will inspire them with recipes and games and activities to do with their kids!
I haven't blogged about it since our first meeting, but the girls and I are LOVING being a part of Keepers of the Home. This past week at our meeting, we made "pie in a jar." I'm telling you, we have the most creative, organized, wonderful leader! (I'm not sure how she does it all being a homeschooling mom of 3 girls and a little boy, but I will soon find out what that's like!)
Each girl was given a jar and a pie crust that was to fill the entire bottom and sides of the jar. Next, the girls went in the kitchen and took turns peeling/ cutting their own apples using the Pampered Chef apple corer/peeler/slicer. They came back and mixed their apples with a cinnamon sugar mix, and a threw-in a cube of butter, then stuffed it all in their jar. Lastly, they cut a shape out of their leftover crust to put on top. They were each given a label and lid to screw on top, and they were all set!
Here is what they jars loked like all finished. What a perfect project for these girls... they were able to pretty much do it all by themselves!
Fast forward to today... it was cold, rainy, and Daniel had to work. We did a lot of crafts, (surprise, surprise), since we didn't have school to do, but we also decided it would be the perfect late-morning snack to start our day!
You simply take off the lids and bake them at 350 for about 45 minutes. We added some whip cream, as well. Natalie's shrunk down a lot, but Allison's spilled over it was so full. Anyway, they turned out perfect... SO yummy, and the house smelled wonderful. I cannot wait to do these again!
I was lucky to get in a bite; both girls scraped their jars clean! :)
Many days, just walking around the house I find things that make me laugh.
EXHIBIT A:
EXHIBIT B:
Of course, I wish there were only "pleasant" or "funny" surprises around the house. Every mom knows that a house with little ones means a house with messes! (Especially a homeschooling house with a 2-year-old... ehem, Sierra!)
But, when I went in the bathroom the other day and found the bear on the little potty, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. I realized, as I laughed a deep, fun laugh, that I don't do that enough. Sometimes I get into "Mommy mode," and simply block out the funny to show that I'm serious. Or, I offer a little giggle. Not this time!! My girls heard me laughing, and joined right-in. We had a great laugh together!
It was a little lesson for me. I realized that I really don't let go often enough. And, I decided I am going to make a conscious effort to laugh more, and harder, and deeper with my girls. I am going to try to look for the funny, rather than jump into "Mommy mode." My Grandma is like this. She is 96 years old, and on her last leg. But, she still laughs... and is remembered for her laugh! I want to be like her. I want my girls to remember the joy in me -- not the one who wants the house to be clean above all else. It's good to laugh!
It's only 3 days past Halloween, yet it feels like forever ago, already! As always, we celebrated with some fun new foods and activities, as well as old traditions. This year I couldn't pass-up the box of "Count Chocula" at Target; (mostly because I always wanted to try it when I was a kid, and never did!)
We did a Halloween version of school, including a devotion on Isaiah 46:10 reassuring the girls to "Fear not, For I am with you..." It was a good reminder during some of the spookier houses we came across that night!
We also had fall sudoku, and a new game: "m&m math." It was suppose to be a candy corn game, but Natalie doesn't like candy corn.
I found the game on Pinterest. Basically, it is a very simple game. You roll 2 dice, add up the numbers, and eat the corresponding m&m. I added an extra step of making the girls write-out their problem on a white board.
One activity that I was really looking forward to was the pumpkin flip book; also an activity I found on Pinterest. My girls' reaction?? "This is ok... not so fun." Huh? Funny how these things work out sometimes!
For lunch, I made goofy pumpkin faces. Deviled egg eyes, ham and cheese crescent roll noses, and apple, peanut butter, marshmallow mouths. We also made some guacamole for our orange and black chips. I'm happy to report lunch was a hit!
Dinner was our traditional sloppy joes before hitting the neighborhood. (The girls informed me that they no longer like orange jello, so if anyone wants I have a whole thing in my fridge!) We got kind of a late start, but were still some of the first to hit our block!
Here are our dressed-up girls:
Of course, Sierra makes the perfect lion with her natural mane. Natalie was a beautiful butterfly! And, I was SO proud of Allison for making-up her own costume. I didn't help her one bit. She was an "old-fashioned girl," and very proud of her original self!
Sierra loved going to the doors, and often stood there for a while. She was so funny! I think this will be a favorite time of year for her.
Lots of walking. Lots of fun treats. Way too many fun treats, really. Until next year, Halloween!
I love the double sinks and long counter space! We also have lots of drawers, which Sierra LOVES to destroy, (as evidenced above!)
I went for a bold turquoise for fun, and once again gave them hooks in hopes that towels actually end up off the floor. (It's still a battle to get them to hang their towels, but at least they can -- I'm not a fan of towel bars!)
In addition to hooks for their towels, they each have an additional hook for their swimsuits. 
My favorite part was the addition of the girls' artwork. They are so proud, and it adds such a personal touch! Of course, I can't say for sure we are finished... I need to add Yehbie's initial. We do indeed have a name picked out, which is such a relief! Other than that, it is probably our "most finished" room. 
