36 weeks and 2 days.
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Happiness is: lemon butter cuticle creme
4 hours ago
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Monday, September 19, 2011
How to Get a 4 Year Old to Really Smile for a Photograph
Yep, Linus is happy about having a baby sister, but that's not why he's smiling in those gender reveal photos.
Nope.
He's smiling because we did the one thing we knew for sure would coax a real smile out of him.
No, not the smile he gives when you tell him to "Smile!"
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| The "smile." Terrible, isn't it? |
Did we feed him? Doughnuts are always good. Bribe him? Monster trucks, Matchbox cars, oh my?
Nope. It was easier than that. We just ask him to say "Stinky cat bottom," and the smiles and giggles began to flow.
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| Sharing the joke with little sis. "Hey baby, stinky cat bottoms! Ha ha ha! That's funny!" |
Ah, four year olds -- where anything referencing poop or behinds is sure to get a laugh.
(*Please note that we reserve this tactic for only the most extreme situations. Generally we discourage most potty humor as it can get really, really annoying really, really quickly.)
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Were you right?
Do you have a guess?
La
la
la
la
la
la
la
la
la
Do you think you're right?
La
la
la
la
la
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la
la
la
Are you ready?
La
la
la
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la
la
la
la
la
Are you sure you're ready?
La
la
la
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la
la
la
Linus could not be more excited. It's exactly what he wanted. We'll see what he thinks in about 10 years.
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Bye, Bye Training Wheels, Here Comes Linus
When you've been riding bikes since before you could walk, and have been leaving your parents in the dust on your Strider since you were two, then it would be expected that you'd be able to zip around on a regular, albeit tiny, Trek bicycle.
Pretty sure our next stop will be to see how the pedal bike performs out at the Solite Pump Park.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Valentines for a Car Lover
I saw this really fantastic idea for vehicle valentines over at Family Fun. Knowing that I have a car fanatic, I decided they were perfect.
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| A vehicle valentine for Linus's classmate. |
Here's how I set everything up during the now-sporadic nap time.
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| The crafting set-up. |
I drew a "Go" line and a "Stop" line. I figured that a few traffic signals would help slow down the cars and keep them from racing their paint covered wheels right onto my dining room table. Of course, I still took precautionary measures and covered a large area with butcher paper.
For the cards, I used oversized index cards that I already had and folded them in half. For the paint, I again went with what I had and grabbed a bottle of dark brown acrylic crafting paint.
When Linus awoke, he was ready to dive (or should I say drive) right in.
Once they dried (about one Bob the Builder episode later), I grabbed a red marker and added the text.
Some of the phrases we used:
- You're a "wheely" good friend.
- I "wheely" love you.
- You're a "wheely" great teacher.
- "Wheel" you be my Valentine?
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| He signed his own name. |
The chocolate cars are attached with some double-sided, foam tape tabs. I did that step on my own, although it was simple enough Linus could have helped (if it hadn't been past bedtime.)
I gotta say, I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. They clearly represent Linus's interests, have zero commercialization, and definitely required his participation. Plus, making our own saved having to drag Linus into Target risking the possible temper fit as we hurried past the toy section.
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| The completed vehicle valentines. |
How about you? Did you make your own Valentines or did you opt for the less messy, store-bought route? Do you like to get your craft on for Valentines Day?
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Living Room Redecorating: A S-L-O-W Process
(Sorry for the delay. Two no-nap days in a row kind of halts the blogging.)
Now that you've seen the living room's new gray paint color, I thought it would be fun to look back at how the room has evolved.
My friend Jennifer was asking me on Facebook how I decorate so I can change paint colors without having to change everything, so let's take a look.
Stage 1 - New homeowners make do.
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| The beginnings of a living room. (Circa 2003) |
This photo was just over a year after we moved in. We'd saved some money and purchased a few pieces of furniture. Of course, if you know anything about Ikea furniture, you'll know that these are the cheapest piece you can still call a couch.(The blue chair was the actual color I chose. The other slipcover must have been in the wash.)
The matchstick blinds and wedding decor pedestals complete the "new home owner" look.
Stage 2 - More Saving, More Additions
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| The living room for at least 5 years. (Circa 2004-2009) |
This is what the living room was settled on for quite a few years. You'll note the addition of 4 flexible coffee tables (constructed by my hubby), sequined sheers from West Elm, additional A's, new chair slipcovers (thank goodness), and a stylish hand-me-down lamp. From about 2004 until 2009, the room generally looked like this. I liked it. It was a very Zen room and aside from new furniture arrangements, I left it be.
It's not like we weren't busy. During those 5 years, we painted every other room, remodeled our bathroom, bought a new car, had a baby, installed new siding, landscaped the yard...
We were busy and the living room was good -- until those delicate white curtains begin to look a bit beige with a few cat claw tears here and there.
Stage 3 - New Curtains, Same Old Furniture
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| Living room with new curtains. (Circa 2009) |
As a stay-at-home mom, I found myself often "playing" in the living room (go ahead click the link, and see Linus circa 2008). When I wasn't staring at my handsome son, I was staring at those now dingy white curtains. They had to be replaced.
I found these on major sale at PBTeen and was hyped. I was so excited, I quickly clicked buy before even thinking about length. Yep, the major sale was for the 54" curtains.
I hung them, not wanting to admit to my husband that the length was anything but intentional. They looked alright -- sort of retro, or at least that's what I told myself. And at least the cats couldn't play in them anymore.
They stuck around for quite a while thanks to top-notch quality, and I had to patiently await the perfect excuse to say bye-bye to those curtains. Enter red furniture -- the perfect excuse.
Stay tuned for the continuing saga of "A living room grows up."
In the meantime, I want to know what your BIGGEST style mistake has been? Fuchsia prom dress? Pink tiled bathroom? Too-short curtains? Let's hear it.
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