Super Hero Birthday: Part 1

Little Man's fourth birthday is coming up. Gasp. I am getting old.  To ease my sorrows I have thrown myself into planning what is sure to be the most epic Superhero Birthday party ever.  At least in my mind. :)

First things first: Invitations.  Here are the invites I just sent out. Early at that. Go me.

I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out, but mostly I'm proud of Little Man for the insert I put in them.

Our house is overrun with toys.  I find them in my shoes, in my bed, in the toilet.  And as awesome as it is to get truckloads of toys on your birthday, the thought of bringing more into our house is a cause for anxiety to me.  So I casually brought up the idea that maybe his friends could bring food and toys to donate to the poor, poor kitties and puppies at the animal shelter.  He's seen those depressing SPCA commercials, so it wasn't all that hard to get him on board.  Of course bossy pants had a stipulation; that he still got presents from grandparents and Mom and Dad.  Deal!

I'm sure someone out there thinks we are terrible people to deprive our son of the wonder that is birthday presents.  Don't worry, his grandparents have that covered.  Besides, what a wonderful opportunity to teach him about selflessness and helping others.  It's a fine line we walk as parents between giving them a better childhood than our own and turning them into entitled little brats.

Anyway, off my soapbox.

Next installment: Superhero Costumes!

A Gardening We Go

I'm going to try really, really, really hard not to make this blog entirely about gardening in the following months.  Pinky swear.  Having said that, I'm super excited we got the opportunity to work on our garden this weekend. I feel so accomplished and there's just nothing better than letting the kids get so dirty they turn the bathwater brown. We had several beautiful days and it was fantastic to be outside.The Weather Channel says we're in for snow this week, but hey, that's Kansas for you.

King of the mulch mountain!  

Wowza, this is going to be exciting!  I figure 3 times bigger than last year means 3 times more fun, right?  Thanks, Papa, for all the tubs!  

I've heard a lot of people talk about planting celery from the store and I just can't pass up a free and easy project.  All you do is take the bottom of the celery stalk (the part you usually toss) and plant it in some soil.  We left about half an inch to one inch above the ground.  I read several different variations, but this is what we went with. Then we put it on one of our handy dandy plant shelves and let the plant work its magic. I have no idea when to plant it outside....I guess I should've Googled that, too. :)

Right after planting.

We did three because we're over achievers like that.

A week after planting.  See that cute little celery growing up through the middle?

The kids and I also started our fairy garden. *SQUEAL!* Well, Little Man and I did. Little Miss mostly just tried to eat everything and chase our poor, poor dog.  I was beyond excited to find all the fairy garden AND dollhouse accessories on sale at Hobby Lobby this last week.  I also bought some polymer clay to try my hand at making our own fairy supplies.  I have visions of tiny cups and vegetables dancing in my head. And of course we hit up Dollar Tree for the gems and rocks and Lowe's for some plants (which will probably die). I think total I spent $30, which is pretty good considering all of the ridiculously cute things I've seen online.  I can't wait to post the finished project!

It's all so TINY!!!!!

Detox Bath FTW

It's been kind of a long week.

I woke up the other day with two mini teenagers. Door slamming, back talking, sassy little adolescents have taken over my sweet babies. Seriously, if one more person under the age of four tells me "no" I  might stage a walk out.

And the whining.  Oh, the whining. Nothing more irritating and slightly comical than a little person telling you in the most high pitched, squawky voice that they, "are not whining." Of course not, darling, it's probably just a quick case of nasal congestion.

I've been itching to try this detox bath I saw online.  After the last few days, I can't think of a better time for a test run. And it was fabulous.  I'm not sure if that was the detox part of it or the fact that I haven't had a bath by myself in a year.  It is true that nothing is sacred with children. Hot, hot water +1 cup baking soda + 1 cup epsom salt + two locked doors and a husband standing guard = thirty minutes of bliss. Sweaty bliss, but bliss all the same.

I think I can make it a few more days, now. :)

The Grass is Always Greener

It probably wouldn't surprise anyone to know that teaching third graders was a stressful and challenging job. I loved planning fun and engaging lesson plans, witnessing that moment when something just clicks, being such an important part of my students' life.  I really loved the people I worked with and well, talking to adults.  I didn't even mind all the paperwork and red tape that goes along with the job.  It was frustrating and satisfying at the same time.
But my to-do list was never finished. I always came home tired with barely enough energy to make dinner and play with my son.  There were always full laundry baskets and a toilet in need of a good cleaning.  By four o'clock my patience was worn thin. I felt like I was spending all my time raising other peoples' kids.
So anyone who's never been a stay at home mom would think life would be simpler after I quit. Well, it is....And it isn't.
I love seeing all of my children's milestones and never missing the quirky things they do and say. I love being the center of their little universes. I love sneaking in afternoon naps and cuddling with them when they're sick. I love teaching them and I love the things they teach me.  I know all these things are fleeting.
But my to-do list is never finished. I'm always tired after making home-cooked meals and building forts all day.  There is always laundry to do and toilets that need scrubbed.  Sometimes I miss having adult interaction and taking showers by myself.  By five o'clock, I'm waiting at the front door to pass off a cranky toddler to Daddy. Don't tell anyone, but I wear sweatpants and forget to brush my hair more often than not.
Who knew being a stay at home mom would be just as taxing as teaching a room full of nine year olds? Not me. I may have even uttered the words, "I would be sooooo bored staying at home". HA! But I honestly think it's something you can't understand until you've walked a mile in a SAHM's shoes....or pink, fuzzy socks in my case.
I guess I can just count myself lucky to have had two of the most rewarding jobs in the world.
Now if someone could just please give me one of those yearly evaluations that are so important in the teaching world.  A pat on the back or some constructive criticism wouldn't hurt. I mean, these are MY kids I'm messing up.

Just Smashing

I pinned this forever ago on Pinterest, but finally got the ambition to try it out. How could we not try something called "Bashing Baked Cotton Balls"? I'm not gonna lie, it was kind of messy entertainment, especially with a toddler and a preschooler. But what's a little clean-up when my lovelies are busy and happy for more than fifteen minutes? Plus all you need for this activity is cotton balls, flour, water, and food coloring. Here is the original blog I borrowed the idea from.


 *Preheat the oven to 300. Line one or two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

 *Mix flour and water in equal parts. I did about 1 cup of each, which was plenty. I am notorious for making way too much of everything.

 

 *Next, I divided the mixture into 3 different bowls. We put red food coloring in one, blue in one, and green in the other.

 * Here's where it gets sloppy. Dip the cotton balls in the bowl of your choice and roll it until it is fully coated. At this point, I was questioning my sanity a tiny bit, but the kids dug it. I highly recommend having a couple damp dish towels on hand to wipe off little fingers between colors.

 * Once you've decontaminated your helpers, stick your cotton balls in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes. We went outside to play in the snow while they baked. :)

Finished product.  

*Now for the fun part. After they cooled off a bit, we broke out our trusty tools (plastic hammer, plastic pliers, and a wooden spoon) and got busy smashing those little babies.

Note: They played with these for a good thirty minutes while I made dinner and still didn't use them all. I put the leftovers in a ziplock bag, but when I took them out a few days later they were already moldy. Maybe kept in a refrigerator this wouldn't have happened?

Of course Little Miss had to give them a taste test.

And weigh them....

Le Sneeze

When I was teaching I was always coming down with some sort of illness; a cold, the flu, a sympathetic itch when a student had poison ivy or head lice. No surprise. I mean, I was being sneezed on, coughed on, and some grubby hand was always wanting to be held. To top that off, Little Man was generously sharing all of his germs from daycare.

At the end of my second pregnancy I finished up the school year and became a stay at home mom. And wouldn't you know, our house instantly became a healthier place to live. I guess I should probably give a shout-out to my prenatal vitamin, too, for its contribution. A whole year with hardly a sniffle. Mommy Heaven.

 Then Little Man started preschool. My handsome guy has been thoughtful enough to bring home an assortment of sickness almost consistently since September. I can only recall a handful of weeks where everyone in the house was feeling up to par. You would think my obsession with Clorox wipes would deter things a bit, but No. Even the mighty sanitizing wipe is no match for the germ factory we call school.

I'm not even sure where I'm going with this. Just tired of being sick. Tired of my babies waking up crying. Tired of wiping snotty noses. Tired of feeling like a zombie. Tired.

On the bright side, we recently got a Sam's card and are fully stocked up on Puffs. I guess I can find comfort in that until Summer Vacation gets here.

Spring Feva'

It was beautiful here in good ol' Kansas today. Which means I'm itching for Spring to get its butt in gear. Like now. Daddy and Papa took Little Man on a hike by the lake this morning. Followed by lunch at the grandparents' and some quality time outside. It's incredible what a little sunshine will do for a girl.

Inspired and feeling kinda rejuvenated by those nice, warm rays we finished a couple projects we've been meaning to get to. The main one being to start seeds for our garden. Last year was our first year trying out our green thumbs and we discovered it was something we really enjoyed. What can I say? We're old at heart. We bought most of our plants last summer, but it got a bit pricey, so this year we decided to start everything from seed. Little problem, though. We have a toddler who demolishes EVERYTHING. We affectionately call her Babyzilla. So where to put all of our plants? The windowsills are right within the reach of tiny, destructive hands and none of our counter space gets enough light. I came up with the idea to build some temporary shelves in our living room windows. Something we could take down when we were ready to transplant outside. Turns out no idea I ever have is original. After a doing a bit of Google research I found I'm not the first to come up with this nifty plan. Ah, well. Here's our version.






   Nothing fancy, just some scrap wood the hubster had. By the way, have a mentioned how cute he looks when he builds things for me? I digress....






After all that planting, we started dinner. On the grill of course in honor of the gorgeous weather. I had to share this recipe I got off Pinterest. We could have easily thrown these on the grill with the chicken, but we got a late start so I used the oven. Super yummy. I can't wait to use our own fresh veggies! 1-2 zucchini 6-8 carrots Olive oil Seasoning (I used Mccormick's Perfect Pinch Vegetable because that stuff is like gold from Heaven) Slice your veggies about 3 inches long and 1/2 an inch thick. Throw them in a bowl or gallon bag and toss with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and your seasoning. You can be pretty generous with the seasoning. Spread out your veggies on a cookie sheet. I lined mine with parchment paper first. Bake at 425 until everything is tender (about 30 minutes). I thought we had way too many for our family of four, but they were so good we ate them all!