growing up

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Right now I am listening to my kids play together in the playroom while I cook dinner.

It’s one of, if not the best, sound I have ever heard.

Today was a big day.

I took the little guy to school just like any other Wednesday this year.

I also took baby girl to school.

I left the school after drop off without any kiddos.

It was a bittersweet feeling.

They are growing up.

2-1/2 hours of freedom.

Completely trusting who they are in the hands of.

It was a wonderful feeling.

They are confident, independent, smart, growing children.

And, I have been the #1 influence to help them become that way.

I asked the little guy, by being an example, to show baby girl how to go into her class, get involved with the teachers or other kids, and not cry for mommy.

He reassured her that Mommy would just leave to “go home” and then come back to pick them up together.

He was awesome.

He is such a good big brother.

He did just what I asked him to do (with a little help from his wonderful teacher that he has had the last two years).

Baby girl was a bit hesitant, but once her teacher grabbed her and I went out the door she stopped whining.

They both painted me pictures in class today.

Those are ones that I will save forever.

home is…growing up.

early morning

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I’ve been up for 3 hours with my oldest.

He’s 12.

His name is Ben.

He wasn’t our first baby.

He’s our black lab who has been with us since March 2000…before we were married!

Poor little guy has been in and out of the rain and snow about 20 times in the last 3 hours.

His tummy is bugging him.

Taking care of a sick pet is like taking care of a sick infant…they can’t tell you what hurts.

So, you just keep them comfortable the best that you can.

The first couple of times I got up with him I was frustrated.

He sleeps downstairs, so he walked on the wood floors at the bottom of the stairs and barked…letting me know he needed to go out.

Up and down I went.

By the 3rd time I realized that he really wasn’t feeling well.

I set up shop on the sofa downstairs.

Made some coffee.

Turned on the early news.

I don’t get quiet time in the house very often.

I don’t get time to watch the news in peace very often.

We don’t get snow in Portland very often.

I don’t know how much longer Ben will be around.

I’m enjoying my time with him this morning and hoping he feels better soon.

For now, I’ll just be here for him.

Watching the news.

Watching the snow.

Enjoying my coffee in peace.

home is…taking care of sick babies.

{thrifting} a new adventure

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I’ve done my share of treasure hunting and antiquing, but thrifting is a new adventure.

I went last Saturday with the kids.

{these game pieces remind me of baby girl and the little guy}

And, again, this morning while we waited for it to warm up.

Here is what we found…

Not sure what I will do with these, but I picked them up anyway.

I have no idea who Edward L. Lawson is, but he crossed the Arctic Circle before I was born. I thought this was intriguing.

I have big plans for these embroidery hoops.

These guys are already working.

Storing art supplies for the kids.

These beauties are the MAIN reason that I took my first trip to Goodwill last Saturday. I found the white one today and the others on Saturday.

The little guy found this and I LOVE it! Obviously, handmade.

These games will go to good use, too. We have both of them already, but I love the look of these “vintage” ones.

I love the red and white theme here…great for the backyard movie night I would like to do this summer!

Last June, at the Farm Chicks Show, I contemplated over croquet mallets which were $4 a piece. I didn’t get them, but this made up for it…the whole set for $7.

We even had an amazing day to try out the croquet set in the backyard!

I am addicted, now.

To thrifting, not croquet.

Although, I could become addicted to croquet, too.

home is…a new adventure.

{batman room} always be batman

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Have you seen this adorable photo going around Facebook?

Photobucket

Well, I made one of my own with a photo of the little guy from last Halloween.

 

I will be getting it printed to put in his Batman room.

home is…being yourself (unless you can be Batman).

normal tuesday

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woke up this morning.

made pancakes.

puttered around while drinking my coffee (thanks, Ryan, for making it).

thought about working out…i really need to get on a schedule.

decided it was a good day to vacuum under the sofa.

scary.

i do it every couple of months, but should probably do it more frequently.

how often do you move furniture to vacuum under it?!

then, i moved on to washing windows.

it’s been 4 years.

after that, i finally moved the puffs from the christmas tree up to baby girls roomThey were stored in bags in her closet, then re puffed and stored on the wine bar in the “dining room”)…re-use.

photos to come…

then, i got a kick to finish hanging up the art in her room since we moved her to a big girl bed.

it’s coming along.

photos to come…

i also hung up a new chalkboard.

old, but new to us last summer…just figured out that i could take the chalk tray off and hang it vertically.

so happy.

photos to come…

what were the kids doing?!

playing on the iPad, watching shows, playing with toys, sleeping.

how was your tuesday?!

home is…normal tuesday around here.

photos from m{i} phone

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These photos are a little late…

We had a great time at our Friday playgroup last Friday and I didn’t make the time to get the photos posted.

Then we had an fantastic weekend here in the Pacific Northwest, so we played outside as much as we could.

And, after the kids went to bed I was exhausted.

Exhausted.

That’s the norm, though.

And, if I don’t take the time to rest, or if I stay up too late, I get sick.

It’s a bummer, but it’s how I am.

So, today, we are just hanging out.

Resting.

So, we can play later this week when it is supposed to be in the 60’s!

*all photos taken with the Instagram app on my iPhone 4s

home is…exhausting fun.

{batman room} piecing the puzzle together

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The little guy loves Batman.

Last year he received a huge plastic tub of matchbox cars from our next door neighbors. In it there were two Batmobiles, which quickly became his favorites. He took them everywhere…even slept with them at night.

I told him about Batman and soon his love for anything Batman grew.

He declared his 4th birthday a Batman birthday, has said he wants to be a Batmobile driver when he grows up, and wants to wear a Batman shirt or Batman colors (blue, grey, black and yellow) everyday!

So, I decided to grow his room up a bit from the “Go, dog. Go!” theme to a Batman theme.

I’ve collected Batman decor since last summer and slowly but surely have gotten some of it done.

It is still a work in progress, but close to being finished.

When it is done I will do a full room tour, but for now I wanted to show you the main piece of artwork and how it came to be.

I have loved all the Batman themed items that Pottery Barn has carried for the last year, but didn’t want to just put together a Pottery Barn Batman room.

About a month ago I took a quick trip to the mall by myself and found this at Pottery Barn Kids…

Source: potterybarnkids.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

I had an large empty frame from IKEA and some Mod Podge at home, and immediately knew what I was going to do.

{I apologize for the not so great quality of the photos..taken with my iPhone, at night, indoors}

I opened up the frame, took out the mat, and started piecing the puzzle together on the floor.

Once I was done piecing it together, I slipped the back of the frame under the mat and started painting on the Mod Podge with a foam brush.

I carried it to the dining room table to let it dry over night.

The next morning I did another coat of Mod Podge and let it dry.

Once it was completely dry I placed it in the frame.

It took the little guy some getting used to, so it did not immediately go up on his wall.

It is hanging up there now and I love how it looks.

The puzzle is 24″ x 36″, with about and 1-1/2″ of mat underneath and the black frame. It definitely makes a statement.

I will have a full room reveal soon.

Stay tuned…same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!

home is…not just a Pottery Barn Batman room.

*linking up with…

Today's Creative Blog

happy leaping hump day!

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Or, is it happy humping leap day?!

I have to admit, I borrowed that from my longtime friend, Manny. I thought it was great when he posted it on his Facebook page.

So, what are you doing with your extra 24 hours?!

Same old, same old?

Me too.

Anyway, wanted to share a few random things that made me smile today…

Source: designsponge.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

Aren’t those flowers fabulous?! I mean, go big, or go home, right?! Thinking of what I could do with a couple of those…

Source: ideashomedesign.net via stephany @ on Pinterest

That slide…AWESOME! I would love to put a slide on the little guys bunk! I’ll have to think about that one a bit…

Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

Isn’t that house pillow adorable?! One of these days, when I have some mornings with no kids at home, I will sew more. Until then, I will collect ideas. This is one of them.

Source: houseandhome.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

This adult version of a reading nook. I LOVE it! Now, that’s how we could get some use out of our wall tent that has been folded up in the garage for 6 years!

Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

Meg’s non-dining room is so inspirational. Look at all those sewing machines set up for Craft Weekend! I would love to do this with our dining room…especially with the globe lights!

Source: flickr.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

I’ve been a bit obsessed with globes and maps lately. You’ll find out why in a future post. For now, you can see some of my inspiration on my maps & globes Pinterest board.

Source: etsy.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

And remember in when I was feeling like this? Well, now I am beginning to feel good about getting stuff done. Yay!

Well, that’s about it for now.

Go do something memorable during your extra 24 hours today! Even if it is just taking an extra 20 minutes for yourself.

home is…being thankful for more time.

“i really want that monkey!”

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Source: thinknice.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

This morning baby girl and I took a trip to Trader Joes’ to stock up on food for the week. Usually trips to Trader Joe’s are an adventure for baby girl as she gets to push her own little cart and fill it with her favorite items…bananas, oatmeal, hummus, cheese crunches, and “baby” ice cream cones!

It was going fine until she spotted the gorilla. For those of you who don’t know, a gorilla is hidden somewhere in the store (usually involved in some type of display) and if your kids spot him they can pick a treasure from the treasure chest. It gives the kids something to look for while you shop which, along with filling their own shopping cart, can keep your kids occupied while you get your shopping done.

We’ve never really played the “look for the gorilla” game as the carts keep the kids plenty busy on our shopping trips.

Today, baby girl spotted the gorilla on her own. And, she wanted it.

I told her that she could get a treat for finding it, but that wasn’t good enough.

She wanted the “monkey”.

She wouldn’t push her cart, but she didn’t want me to put her stuff in my cart.

She wouldn’t ride in my cart.

She was crying.

Wailing.

And, for those of you who know baby girl, you know she can be loud.

This morning was no exception.

I grabbed my last item and tried to work my way from the back of the store (where the gorilla happened to be) to the front…all while pushing my cart, carrying baby girl, and pulling her baby cart.

I got a lot of stares.

No one offered to help.

NO. ONE.

I finally made it to the front and the lines were 3 people deep.

I consoled baby girl, showed her the treasure box, and waited.

A woman next to me finally offered for me to go ahead of her.

Right as we were moving, a TJ’s employee grabbed my cart and said, “I’ll take care of you over here.”

“Thank you, ” I replied.

Baby girl kept crying, “I want that monkey!”

The nice man who came to our rescue gave her stickers.

She kept crying.

We went to get a treat from the treasure chest…a pink ball.

She kept crying, “I want that monkey!”

Another nice TJ’s employee (also a man) came to ask me if she was OK.

I replied, “Yes, thanks for asking. She just wants the monkey.”

We all tried to explain that the monkey lived in the store for all the kids to see.

I am sure she couldn’t hear us through all of her wailing.

Another helpful TJ’s employee came to help bag our goods and take us out to the car.

This was the first time in over 4-1/2 years of going to the grocery store with kids that I have actually taken them up on their offer to help me out to the car.

Baby girl was inconsolable.

I am pretty sure that most of it is because she is not feeling well as she and I have been fighting a head cold since last week.

There were times last week while I was sick and taking care of the kids for 4 days on my own while Ryan was out of town when I just felt like crying. And, at bedtime on Wednesday night I did cry, “I really want you to go to sleep!”

I totally understand her frustration.

But, she got over it, just like I did.

We move on.

We get stronger.

We find the good in every day.

Which, for her (and me) was eating half a bag of TJ’s Baked Cheese Crunches when we got home!

home is…a good cry.

photos from m{i} phone

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The last 4 Fridays I have downloaded photos from my iPhone and posted them here on my blog. All the photos that I post can also be seen on my Instagram feed…I am @homeisablog. (find out more about Instagram here)

I like the idea of having the week captured in glimpses through my iPhone. I use it for most of my snapshot taking during the day…it is almost always in my pocket.

I am also participating in a photo a day challenge on Instagram, so some of the photos you see may be kind of random. You can read more about the challenge here. If you’re in Instagram, join in! If you’re not on Instagram, get on Instagram, and join in!

I hope you are enjoying the photos.

Here are some from the last week…