I finished these the beginning of last week but am just now getting around to uploading the pictures. The fabric is a green/yellow/white ticking stripe that I found for 50% off bringing my grand total for both beds (wood, batting, and fabric) to $105.86. Not bad, right!
The toddler duvets are from PBK that I got on the clearance rack for $19.99 a piece when the babes were still in utero...I knew I was doing a green and yellow room and would one day have a use for them. I was starting to doubt my buy ahead strategy as they have been stored at a bottom of a drawer for the past two years but alas their crib quilts fit neatly inside and wha-la! new bedding...
The babes LOVE them! They look so grown up in them...they can fall off without getting hurt or scared and are easy to get in and out of. They're perfect for the next few years! If I had a do-over I would have used actual padding (not batting) on the headboard. So it goes. Word to the wise, if you attempt this get a GOOD stapler gun and use 1/4" staples- I cannot begin to tell you how frustrating reupholstery is when your staple gun is perpetually jammed...
I am up extremely late for a woman in my condition. Ten thirty pm and I feel like I'm breaking all the rules. While my house slumbers my mind is irked by the annoying hospital-like bird logo in the upper right hand of my blog. I cannot sleep because of this damn bird.
I searched and searched and searched some more for some fabulous new template, some fabulous new place to host my little blog, some fabulous person out there who wouldn't charge me one million dollars to make what I am seeing in my mind a reality.
My blog has been bugging me lately. There are some things I write (or choose not to) that I know people out there just don't want to (gasp) have to read. How do I separate the Brooke from the babes? My mother's ears just perked up, "you mean I won't have to read your written diarrhea?" (although she most definitely would not approve of the word diarrhea as having been attributed to her). Yes, yes, I agree mother. There needs to be some separation. A new blog if you will. But not separate blogs. No, no. Separate but equal.
When I find this person to make this a reality and when I change hosts to make it so and when I find the perfect domain name I will be sure to let you know. Until then, don't lose sleep over the terrible bird in the corner...kind of gives you the creeps, right?
Like most two year olds, mine are obsessed with all things that go- trains, planes, and trucks being their all time favorites. How could we pass up a tour of our firehouse?!
I read a lot. It is both a strength and often times my demise. The papers I read every morning and the weekly news journals I devour have me no less than freaked out about the new flu.
Freaked. Out.
I have to back track slightly to inform you that I am not even close to a hypochondriac. I avoid the doctor's office at all costs. My children have been to their pediatrician for only TWO unscheduled, non-routine visits. I have never called my OB other than to schedule an appointment. I'm just not the type to make big things out of runny noses or a little puke.
FREAKED. OUT. It could be that my mom is a principle of a high school and she has already had double digit H1N1 confirmations. Or maybe because three people in my mom's group have already been struck by the epidemic. Perhaps it's because 3/4 of my family falls into the 'most at risk' for becoming fatally ill with it- pregnant women and children under 4. Or maybe because our 14 month old cousin fought for his little life for weeks after being life lined to the ICU when he came down with swine flu...
It is real and it is out there and I am scared and so should you be.
Unlike other politically correct mommy bloggers out there who have written on the topic of vaccines lately, I do not respect the decision not to have your children vaccinated. There I said it. Maybe that's just me on a soapbox (what a shock) but I think it is morally wrong and socially irresponsible. My pediatrician won't see any child unless they are up to date on all their shots. I wouldn't take my children to any physician who felt any differently...
To those out there who don't want to vaccinate their children for H1N1 or themselves, why on earth would you do that to yourselves and the people you love? Our family has seen first hand what this virus is capable of and I assure you you don't want to go through it...
Unlike the 'normal' flu the new flu is just a cold (runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache) with a high fever (over 101), making it harder to diagnose and more difficult for people like me who don't normally take these things seriously to go to the doctor/hospital. The longer it is left undiagnosed the more serious it can become for the at risk groups.
The vaccine was approved by the FDA on Tuesday (http://online.wsj.com/
Our family enrolled in one of the thousands of clinical trials going on now and will be getting our vaccines next week. This is not flu phobia. This is not me overreacting. This is serious. Please if you have small children, are pregnant, have asthma, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, OR if you come in regular contact with any of the above GET THIS SHOT!
Boyfriend jeans on 99% of all women? Not so much.Boyfriend jeans on a two year old? Pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen...
Our babes just turned two. They share a room. It is not a particularly small room (at 15x14 it's actually on the larger side), however, it does not pretend to be a cavernous ballroom capable of holding multiple adult size beds and dressers either.
We have gone back and forth (and back and forth) over whether to buy toddler beds (and thus use the crib mattresses and bedding we already have) or to make the plunge and buy two twin beds (and new mattresses and all new bedding). There are pros and cons to both. On the one hand it would be much cheaper to buy the toddler beds- we already have all the accessories. But toddler beds aren't cheap. The ones I like are about $200 a piece. Spending $400 for something they will be out of in 2-3 years kind of hurts my belly a little. But they would fit in their bedroom much better than twin beds would. On the other hand we could buy twin beds that will last a lot longer but would then have to buy all the things that go along with new beds, making the price tag around 4 times that of the toddler beds. On top of that whose room would they ultimately find themselves in? We're moving (98% sure about this) in three years. In our next house Parker and Finley will each have their own room- do we buy girl like beds or boy like beds. Then we would have to buy all new bedding again? Ugh. See our dilemma?
A very wise person once told me that 'people cannot say no to what isn't asked'. Alternative syntax would make that sentence read 'you never get what you don't ask for.'
The majority of Harry's room is coming from PBK...a slight obsession for me when it comes to all things kids. Due to my obsessive compulsive nature when a new bedding set came out this summer I ordered it immediately. What if it sold out? What if, what if, what if....Well a few weeks ago I was adding some things to my registry (Sidenote. I HIGHLY encourage all pregnant women to register for everything and at every store. I don't anticipate- nor desire- a single 'gift' being purchased, however, I get 10% off everything I register for when I complete my registry. Sooo, diapers, baby wash, bedding, accessories, etc. can all be had for a discount. Get it?) and I noticed that my brand new, just out, internet only bedding was on sale for $40 off what I paid for it. So annoying I thought to myself.
Then over the weekend I was in the store to order the rug for Harry's room when I realized that on my registry printout I had obtained from the very nice saleslady one of my items was listed as being $40 less than what it was online. Unfortunately the store didn't carry the item so I would have to call and order directly.
This morning I called and guess what? Not only did they honor the $79 price over the $119- even though they had no proof I was telling the truth about the printout BUT they also gave me a $60 credit for my bedding even though I had ordered it before the 30 day price adjustment period.
Just. because. I. asked.
Another reason to be obsessed with all things Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma- great customer service. Now what can I buy with the 100 bucks I just saved?!
Story about really really bad customer service? Look no further than the AT&T bill I just received yesterday. For some reason the really nice people over there decided I should be upgraded for and additional $69 a month to a plan that included 1500 text messages a month because, you know, my track record of 27 per month really indicates I might need such a thing. I called. I used my most unhappy customer voice and not only was I credited back $69 but an additional credit of $25 will appear on my bill next month. Lesson? CHECK YOUR BILLS PEOPLE. Thoroughly. And ask for credits and adjustments when a company decides to screw you over. I can't tell you about how many gift cards (like the one Saks sent me for $100 because I wrote a letter about a very very not so nice salesperson) and credits I receive just because I call companies out on mis-billings and incorrect chargings (and otherwise very bad behavior)...they can't say no if you never ask!
I'm a planner. An organizer. A checker-offer. Someone who goes to sleep thinking about the things that need to be done the next day.
Baby Harry (as he's known around these parts) will be making an appearance in approximately three and a half months. Plenty of time, right? Wrong. Totally. Wrong. Having a shell of a room and not one package of diapers stresses me out. Like, really stresses me out.
Brian thinks (what else?) that I'm totally nuts for this. But there's something soo peaceful about a baby's nursery. About sitting in the quiet space rocking back and forth just dreaming about the little one that is soon to fill your heart and home. I've never been more at peace in all my life (my. whole. life) than sitting in my unborn twins' nursery. I would sit for hours, just rocking in our new glider, dreaming of what my children would be like. Just because we have yet to take a belly pic to fill my pregnancy journal (which, yes, you poor third child I am keeping one) doesn't mean your room should not be ready for you SOON. Soon. Soon. Soon.
The walls have been painted and striped. The rug is ordered. The dresser has been painted. Things are finally starting to come together. We're a long ways away from sitting peacefully in it's finished fabulousness, but we're getting closer.
And just because I can't keep a secret for the life of me...here's a small taste of our washed out greys and blues and creams, and ivory and white ceramic elephant and giraffe nursery. The soon to be Baby Harry's room.
Parker is a boy.
A really rough and tough, wild little boy.
From 12 months to about 18 months he was perpetually covered in black and blue bruises, bumps, scrapes, and all other signs of I'm-either-really-really-wild-or-my-parents-beat-me markings. He has always taken falls and bumps in stride...rarely does he cry. I think in part this is because we take a no sympathy attitude towards it all- I mean if you want to jump off the couch and onto the hardwood floors be our guest but don't expect much sympathy when your plan goes astray. Unless there's blood we generally say "shake it off, shake, shake, shake it off." He now does an entire 'shake' dance when a funny bone gets smashed or an ankle gets tweaked.
Lately Parker has become anti-shoe. Shoes are ripped off the second we get into the car and fits are had when they are replaced. After one of my mom's club meetings this morning I had given up. I allowed him to walk out of the church barefoot. We hit the parking lot and of course he starts running with the other boys that are running (with their shoes on). He wipes out and gets a bloody toe. A really gross bloody toe. Think skin flap hanging off here.
No problem. We downplay the situation. A little spray of Neosporin and a Band-Aid. There were no tears until the Band-Aid. When the Band-Aid came out it was as if he had lost his entire foot in an altercation and was now writhing around in a pain he nor I had never before experienced.
What is a mom to do? Get blood all over the leather interior of her new car or Band-Aid the boo boo? Shallow me, I opt for the latter. This seemed like a brilliant idea except that after arriving home providing milk, blankie, a binkie, and Diego Parker was STILL screaming his head off in a way I have never before experienced. After holding him down to apply pressure for a few minutes to ensure the bleeding had stopped (I know, I know, the cruelty. It was that or spend an hour cleaning blood off white upholstery, carpets, and floors.) we removed the Band-Aid. Angels began singing in our family room and wha-la we were cured. Who knew a Dora Band-Aid could inflict such pain...the kid can break a foot without crying but heaven forbid a Band-Aid should be applied...
Although the weather was TERRIBLE (chilly with lots of rain) we had one of the best weekends EVER! I spent my summers growing up at our house in northern Michigan and there's something about a cabin in the woods on a lake that just fills my soul right up...no television, no computers, no internet, no phones. Just family...
...and throwing rocks into the lake...
...and eating s'mores toddler style with lots of sticky chocolate and carmel coated 'marshys' dipped in sprinkles and Oreos and graham crackers and Butterfinger...
...and outdoor (err...indoor because of the rain) jazz concerts...
...and dance parties. Lots and lots of dance parties...
It is not possible for my life to get much better than this...
We have a very very very busy September. There is something on our calendar every single day except for the 21st- playdate anyone?! These are pictures from Grant's Farm last Friday...
I wouldn't let the babes go into the actual goat pen (something about livestock and pregnancy just doesn't mesh well with me) so we fed them through the fence. Lame I know.
Pictures and video from the lake this past weekend coming soon...I just have to figure out how to get them from Brian's iPhone into this blog...
I love those back pages in all the parenting magazines that give funny's about little ones. I've kinda been awaiting the day for our own bloopers. The day has arrived. Two days in a row to be exact:
Yesterday morning we went to our library to check out books and attend story time. The librarian was in the middle of a book when a woman and her son came in and sat down next to us. The woman had a very strong odor about her- I'm being nice here- and out of nowhere Parker squishes up his face, waves his hand in front of his nose, and yells "P ewwww, stinky" (keep in mind the room is silent except for the storyteller). Oh geez...I didn't want to apologize in case she didn't make the connection that my two year old was trying to tell her to shower more regularly so I tried to laugh it off...I'm not sure she was laughing.
Then today we had a playdate at Grant's Farm (kind of a mini-zoo run by the Busch family) and we saw boy girl twins in a stroller. I always point out twins to my own twins to help them understand their unique brother-sisternesss. As I was talking to the mother of the twins Finley discovered that the little girl had a huge birthmark/mole/wart looking thing on the side of her face and was trying to pick it off the whole while repeating "Eww, gross. Eww, gross." Both the mother and I realized at the same time (unfortunately) what was occurring and I quickly grabbed Fin's hand and instructed them to say 'bye bye' as we made our exit towards the train. As we were walking away Fin was saying "Mole, gross." Nice Fin...real nice.
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