Posts Tagged ‘Hannah Michelle’
Flexing My Crafty Skills
Posted on: August 11, 2011
- In: Life
- 11 Comments
Since making my braided headband, I’ve been trying to really flex my crafty muscles. Be it in the kitchen or something for the house, I am keeping an eye out for what will be a fun little project or adventure.
Recently on Pinterest, I came across this cute idea of turning an unused picture frame into a dry erase board.
The original idea for the board is to be used as a to-do list or menu. I already have a menu/to-do list board, but still really love this idea. I thought it would be really cute as a message board for the girls in their room.
Being the non-scrapbooker, I had no cute paper on hand {which is what the site suggests using}, but I did/do have cute fabric. And I scored double that the fabric goes with the girls’ color scheme.
We always ask the girls “How much do we love you?” and it is met with the reply “too, too much.” I thought it only appropriate to have that as our first message on the board. The fun part is, as the girls get older and start writing, we can turn it into a real “message board” and write notes to each other.
It was super easy to make and allowed me to try something new with low risk {helping me build those crafty muscles!}.
What crafty things have you done lately?
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures.
Visit Jill at Diaper Diaries for more Things I Love Thursday.
A Top Ten To-Do List
Posted on: August 2, 2011
- In: Life
- 11 Comments
{Be sure to enter my giveaway for a copy of The Help}
I’m a planner. If I thought that it was at all reasonable, I’d have the next 5 years of my life planned out. I’ve tried that before. Trust me, it doesn’t work. But, I can plan out certain projects that I want to get done before the end of summer.
1. Paint Baby Boy’s Changing Table – We have the same changing table we used with the girls. It’s a little brown, three tier table. It’s nice, but because of Baby Boy’s new-to-us white crib, the table doesn’t match his room. So I’m setting out to paint the table white. Maybe, just maybe, I might add some blues and greens to it. Maybe.
2. Get a Purse Hook – My purse ends up either on the floor or kitchen counter. Neither place is very good, because it’s either in danger of little hands or taking up space. I’d love to find one like this at a repurpose store ::
3. Add Art/Color to the House – Thanks to pinterest, I’ve got a lot of wonderful ideas. However, I don’t have tons of time or money to see them all through. But, this is one idea that I really love
4. Finish Julia’s Dress – I’m in the process of making a dress for Julia {as part of my 30 before 30}. I’ve stepped away from it for the last several weeks, but I think it’s time to come back to it.
5. Paint Baby Boy’s Room – Currently, one of the walls in Baby Boy’s room is hunter green. And the window valence is a green/red/khaki combo. Not my favorite, as it looks super office-y. We are planning to tone down the green and get new curtains.
6. Plan Julia’s 4th Birthday Party – In my I’m-a-planner nature, I realize that I’m most likely not going to be up for planning Julia’s 4th birthday weeks after Baby Boy makes his arrival. Slowly I’ve been setting aside ideas for her party {going with a princess and knight theme}, so that when the time comes everything is ready to go.
7. Take a mini-vacation – Our family is in need of a little vacation. Nothing major, just a few days away. We are currently looking at visit South Padre at the end of August. Fingers crossed all goes well and we can enjoy beach time together.
8. Plan Julia and Hannah’s Spring School Schedule – We started preschool yesterday. Nothing major, just learning numbers, basic math, ABC’s and introduction to writing/reading. {I do need to brag for a second. Julia totally wrote her own name yesterday!} We started school so early, because I plan to take off November and December. But, before Baby Boy arrives, I want to have the spring planned out, as to not have any excuses for not finishing the school year off strong.
9. Start Christmas/St. Nick Shopping – After last year, we decided to go forward with not exchanging gifts on Christmas. We are celebrating St. Nicholas Day and using that as our gift giving holiday. I am planning to make gifts for our neighbors and have some pretty great ideas going. This one I thought was really cute ::
10. Read More – That seems a bit vague, but I’m really wanting to read a few more good books as the summer ends and fall begins. I’ve gone through two in the last month, so I’m hoping to going through two or three more. Just a little mama time when the girls sleep.
Do you have an end of summer to do list? If so, what’s on it?
Visit Amanda at Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
- In: Life
- 11 Comments
Our living room is set up in such a way that there is a great little space between our long sofa and love seat. Many a day, the girls have played back there. Jack, on occasion, has even taken to hiding from the girls resting there. But in the last couple of weeks, it’s seen little use. Which I find a little sad, because if I could comfortable fit, I’d be in that little nook all day.
This weekend I came across a cute {and easy} idea from Pinterest ::
On Monday, with the girls help, we created our own little reading nook ::
And least you think that the girls are quiet, non-messy readers, this was how their nook looked within the first 2 minutes ::
Have you ever made a reading nook? Or do you/your kids have a reading nook?
Visit Kristen at We Are THAT Family for more Works for Me Wednesday.
- In: Life
- 16 Comments
I’ve joked that if given the chance, the girls would permanently attach themselves to me. From the moment they wake up, to the moment they go to bed, they are constantly touching me. A pat on my arm to get my attention. A sweet hug to show their love. Or my personal favorite, sticking their hands up my shorts/skirt while I’m cooking. Actually, that last one drives me a little batty.
While I’ve always said touch is one of my love languages, I think 3.5 years into motherhood might be proving that wrong. {My love language now is extra sleep.} Now before you think I don’t like loving on my girls, please know that I do. Very, very much. I could hug, snuggle, kiss on them all day and be perfectly happy. But {and that’s a very big but}, there are different touches that can make me start to unravel, in a mama’s-losing-it sorta way.
Like clinging to my feet while I’m trying to clean {Hannah literally clings to my feet, forcing me to drag her around with me}.
Or, patting my arm while repeatedly saying “mama, mama, mama, mama, mama”.
Or, in a moment of sibling rivalry, deciding who can sit the closest to me while we’re reading {normally resulting in jumping on me}.
There are several more, but frankly, they are a bit TMI {if you’re a mom, or married, use your imagination… yeah}.
So, from 6 am to 8 pm, there is a whole lotta touching going on. And really, after the fourteenth time of having a little hand go up my shorts, I have to draw a boundary. Rather than waiting till I’ve hit my touch limit for the day, I schedule out personal “no talk, no touch” times throughout the day. One normally after we’ve had breakfast and sent Jonathan off for the day. Then one during Hannah’s nap and Julia’s quiet time. And then a final one in the late afternoon or early evening. It might sound harsh to some of you, but I need my “no talk, no touch” time.
I set the timer for 10-20 minutes {it’s usually longest in the morning so I can have my quiet time} and the girls know that they can’t talk or touch me until the timer goes off. Once the timer rings, we are all back in the game, with little hands everywhere. And by then, I’ve had enough “no touching” to be ready for the next round. There are times when the touching starts to drive me crazy between the “no talk, no touch” times. But rather than flat out telling them to stop touching me, I ask them nicely to only do it once. Or in the case of who-can-sit-closest-to-mama, I tell them I can read two stories – one story with my arm around one girl, and another story with my arm around the other girl.
Do you have touchy children? How do you handle too much touchiness?
Finding Joy in Everything
Posted on: July 8, 2011
- In: Life
- 4 Comments
This week has been crazy. Tuesday was spent recovering from traveling to DFW and getting the girls back on a real schedule, cause the one they wanted was not working.
Then I had the chance to show a lot of grace to Hannah has she started having more and more potty accidents.
But, even in the challenging parts, Julia started swimming on her own – which was completely awesome.
And I realized, joy doesn’t mean life will be easy, or flawless, or even fun. Joy simply means that there will be a deep love of life that can’t be fully explained or defined. It will be there when your child pees on the living room floor. It will be there when you are battling bad attitudes at 6 am. It will be there when your child swims to you for the very first time. Joy is life. Joy is allowing struggles to mingle with triumph. Joy is knowing that at the end of the day, love is what matters. Not clean floors. Not perfect children. Just love.
What brought you joy this week?
Dollar Movie Days with the Kids
Posted on: June 30, 2011
- In: Life
- 12 Comments
Tuesday I took the girls to a dollar showing of Charlotte’s Web, along with three other mamas and their kiddos. We knew the place would be a mad house, so we arrived early to get seats and the kids settled.
The girls had a blast. Between being in a theatre, being in a theatre with their friends, their way awesome mama {go me!} got them popcorn and a Sprite. Though, let me just say, I need to figure out a better way to bring in popcorn to the theatre cause that stuff is expensive!
Sadly, I’m not so awesome that I can take two kids {one who is potty training} and remember to bring my camera {or even take pictures for that matter}. So this is our only shot of our movie date:
Aside from needing to bring in my own popcorn, I did learn a very valuable lesson about taking both girls to the theatre – sit on the end, not the middle. Because, some little one {who shall remain nameless} will ask to “go potty” at least six times during the movie.
Thankfully, the other mamas didn’t mind keeping an eye on Julia, and let’s face it, a theatre full of kids isn’t exactly going to be quiet and uninterrupted. Even with the multiple potty breaks {the girl stayed dry the whole time!}, it was so much fun treating Julia and Hannah to a mama date. I’m hoping to take them back again in August when they show The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything. This time with my own popcorn.
Have you taken your kids to the movies? If so, what did they think? If not, I highly recommend doing a dollar show just to try it out!
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
Visit Jill at Diaper Diaries for more Things I Love Thursday.
Top Ten Steps to Potty Training
Posted on: June 28, 2011
- In: Life
- 21 Comments
We are “officially” potty training Hannah. I’m hesitant to even write about it, mostly because I feel like when you announce that you’re potty training, a certain expectation is set on you and your child. And for me, I am all about fun training and don’t want it to be pressure based. Now that I’m two kids in, I’ve learned a few things {though am far from an expert}. But here ya go:
1. Train Early – This isn’t for everyone, but I am all about starting potty training before 1 year. Nothing major, just sit the babe on the potty and let them get use to it. I even go so far as to not provide any kiddie potty seat – as I want the babe to be okay with a real toilet. That might go a step too far for you, so do what you like {little potty, potty seat, etc}. But I’ve found with the girls, they catch on to the potty super well since we started so young {even if real training doesn’t start till 2}.
2. Sing Praises – Because of personal family convictions, we don’t use food as a form of praise/reward. Instead, I sing my little heart out. And both girls have gotten a kick out of it.
3. Show Grace – Kids aren’t going to get their training the first time. Or even the fifth time. You’ll have accidents. Some days a lot. Show them grace. Show yourself grace.
4. Show Even More Grace – Have a kid who’s been potty trained for a year and now starts having accidents? Show even more grace. Trust me on this.
5. Be Prepared for the Worst – If you’re potty training, please, please, please don’t leave the house without a spare set of clothes for your kiddo. Even if you think you’re in the clear, always prepare for the worst. {And show grace when it happens, cause it will.}
6. Put on a Show – In addition to my awesome song, lots of dancing, fun shouting and rowdy play takes place while I’m training. Especially in the beginning. I remember with Julia, once running through the house shouting “she did it, she did it!” after she had a successful potty trip. Man, that girl was on cloud nice for the rest of the day. And so was I. 😉
7. Set the Bar Low – With both girls, my first goal was to have them learn to poop in the potty. Then pee. Not both at once. I set the bar low and then s-l-o-w-l-y up it as I see them progress.
8. One Step at a Time – For whatever reason, nighttime/naptime training takes a while for my girls. And that’s okay. I don’t mind doling out the money for nighttime pull-ups. It’s part of life and I am so okay with it {especially since we don’t need them during the day}. I say, day train and then night train. One step at a time.
9. Set the Right Expectations – Of course I’d love to have a bootcamp weekend where Hannah is full potty trained in two days, but that ain’t gonna happen. For one, I’m not that patient. And for two, that’s not how our family rolls. Instead, I’m setting the expectation that Hannah be day trained before Baby Boy arrives.
10. Have Fun – Having fun and potty training don’t always go hand-in-hand. But they can. Realize that kids like to please you and really like to feel like big kids. So, with a little grace {if you haven’t caught on by now, potty training is all about the grace}, some crazy mama dancing and lots of praise, potty training can be a really rewarding experience. For you and your kid.
Have you ever potty trained a child? If so, what are some tips you’d add?
Visit Amanda at Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
Decorating With Letters
Posted on: June 23, 2011
- In: Life
- 19 Comments
Before Julia was born, I found these adorable white wooden ABC letters at Hobby Lobby. Since we had decided on her name, I went ahead a bought the letters to hang in her room. Once Hannah was born, I got the letters for her name too. Since moving {not only from house to house in Iowa, but across the country} the letters have been tucked away in our closet for “later”.
“Later” finally came last week. Inspired by a sign hanging in the girls’ room, we choose the colors.
Jonathan, being the genius that he is, came up with a whole scheme for which letters should be which color:
So I got to work. I laid out all the letters that coordinated with a certain color:
Then I started painting, or spraying, however you want to look at it:
After working most of the morning, this is my end result:
What fun projects have you done lately?
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
Visit Jill at Diaper Diaries for Things I Love Thursday.
Hannah’s Monkey Party
Posted on: June 21, 2011
- In: Life
- 8 Comments
When hosting a monkey party, you have to take into consideration the decorations:
Don’t forget goodie bags for all the kids:
Then do a little happy dance when Hannah gets two more monkey shirts {bringing us to a grand total of four!}:
{each of these elicited shouts of “my monkey, my monkey!”}
And even if you forget to take pictures of the huge spread of food served {um, not that I would ever forget}, make sure to take pictures of the cupcakes:
I should mention, these are special cupcakes. Aside from being homemade banana chocolate cupcakes, they actually contain frosting on the inside. And not just any frosting. When our party guests bit into the cupcakes, the frosting inside indicated Baby Three’s gender:
The party was a blast. Unfortunately, we had a few last-minute cancelations. But, that has left us with lots of yummy foods to snack on for the week {and I can’t complain about that ;)}.
Hannah had a really great time. Though I am certain between not napping, spending the afternoon at the pool and then having all-she-could-eat-sweets might have done her in. Poor girl was in shell shock as everyone arrived and especially so when she was given presents. But in the end, she perked up and thoroughly enjoyed herself {and getting more monkey shirts certainly brought her enthusiasm to a whole new level}.
Have you ever hosted a themed party? What did you do?
Happy Birthday, Hannah Michelle!
Posted on: June 15, 2011
- In: Life
- 8 Comments
My sweet little baby turns 2 today. It’s hard for me to believe that two years have gone by. That Hannah Bear has gone from this:
to this:
I don’t even know how that happened! For whatever reason, with both girls, turning 2 has been much harder on me than turning 1. Two is such a big kid and shows me how fleeting are the moments I have with these precious little girls. *tear*
Hannah Michelle,
My sweet cuddly mama’s girl, you are such a wonder to me. God has blessed us greatly by adding you to our family. Your appetite for life {and food} are such testimonies to your little personality. How you willingly take on something scary, like jumping into the pool, as though it’s the easiest thing you’ve ever done. I love that about you. Your strength to pave your way in a family full of strong personalities, just shows how perfectly you fit in with us. I love that you delight in your sister and think the world of her. She is your best friend and it’s my prayer that she will always be that way. I also pray that in the next year, your understanding of God would grow, that your little heart would already be on the path to serving Him for your life. Know that you are loved, by God and your family, more than you will ever fully realize. My only advice to you is, try not to eat Molly’s face so much. She’s such a cute little bear and I’d hate for her to not have a nose. I love you my dear, Mama.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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