Adventures in Crafts with Toddlers

I thought I would be a good mommy and do a craft with the kids this morning. With a 1 and 2 year old, you're somewhat limited to what you can do to keep their attention, but I found a recipe for paint somewhere on the web and decided to give it a try. I followed the directions, with Summer's help, and stirred the mixture together on the stove. It resembled biscuits and gravy at that point. I added some water and got it to a consistency that was at least thinner, and poured it into little containers and added the food coloring.I rolled paper out over the table, got the girls in their seats, and put the paint on the table.

Camryn was really hesitant at first, but then after realizing she could eat it, sat there licking it off of her fingers. Summer was a bit more adventurous and painted a "peacock", a "baby", and a "frog".



They sat there for about 30 minutes, creating masterpieces. The "paint" was kind of gross and clumpy, but they enjoyed it. When they were done, I threw them in the tub for a quick bath and they are now eating lunch quietly.

**Please excuse my bizarrely yellow tinted pictures. I have yet to figure out how to set my camera to take good ones.**

Here's a video of them in the tub a little while ago. I probably won't leave it up since I don't want weirdos seeing my kids in the bathtub, but I thought it was cute, especially Camryn blowing a kiss at the end.


((Video Removed))

A Few New Friends

Earlier this morning, I changed Summer's diaper and as I pulled her pants on over her legs, she said, "Bye-bye bug bites, see ya later!" I looked down and saw two mosquito bites around her knee. Apparently she and the bites had formed some kind of friendship.

It is COLD outside. Luckily the weather guy said it will warm up to 65 or so for Halloween. We have long sleeved shirts and tights for the girls' to wear under their costumes but that wouldn't do too much for them if it was as cold then as it is today. We went trick-or-treating at the zoo a couple weeks ago but of course we forgot the camera. I'll just tell you, they were definitely the cutest kids there :) Summer's pirate costume was absolutely the best one. I think her black boots that I found at Target totally make the outfit. I think this year hopefully everyone knows what she is. Last year she was a kangaroo and a couple people asked us if she was a Chihuahua. We still laugh about that, seeing as Chihuahua's don't have pouches with babies in them on their stomachs.




I'd better go. Summer is insisting that she needs a spoon to eat cheerios out of a sandwich bag and Camryn is crying for a Ra-Ra (pacifier). Have a great Tuesday!



p.s. Thanks for the potty-training advice. We're going to take a break for a couple days and then try again, and I'll definitely try your all's tips!

Puppies and Potties

Summer peed in her potty last night, but has pretty much refused to sit on it today. Not even for a marshmallow. I think I might need to upgrade the treat. I want to make a potty chart for her, maybe that will work. We switched her over completely from Pampers to Pull-Ups during the day. I don't see much difference in them with exception to the little purple flowers that tell me that I suck at getting her to her potty in time.

(Summer trying on my shoe)

(Camryn with her Blankie)

We are having an issue with Harley. First, she started jumping up on our 5ft tall flower box (somehow... it's so tall.. we think she may have some type of superhero jumping ability) on the side of the house and jumping down into the front yard. She would then chase squirrels down the street and have to be grabbed by a neighbor who happened to be outside. That happened 3 times and then we solved that problem by putting flower pots along the edge of the flower box. That lasted a few days, but then she found a hole in the fence and has a new escape route. Until we patch it up, we're having to take her outside on her leash to use the bathroom, and we can't let her run around the backyard because she heads straight for the hole. It's very frustrating. She's lucky that in every other aspect she's still a great dog.

(biting her tail)

Headline News -- Girl, 2, Fecalated into her potty.

Yes, fecalated is a word. But, in other words, Summer pooped in her potty this morning! Those of you who have kids know how big of a deal this is. I got extremely excited and gave her a marshmallow as a prize. Let's hope this wasn't a one time thing. I am SICK and TIRED and soooo over changing 10 diapers a day.

Scientists found a drug that can reverse the affects of MS! I saw this posted on perezhilton.com this morning and had to share. It's pretty exciting to me, because my mom's cousin died this past year of MS. If they can come up with this, who knows what else they will be able to find a medication for. With a grandmother suffering in the deep stages of Alzheimer Disease, this certainly gives me hope that someday a cure can be found.

So, I just now got up to check on the kids, and found this:

Yep, that's toilet paper all over the floor, and the potty seat on Camryn's arm. Gotta love em.

We are passing a cold around the house this week. Summer got sick yesterday, I'm sick today, and I have a feeling Camryn will be sick tomorrow. Tis the season for colds, I suppose. I kind of expect it, when I see my kids lean over and lick the grocery cart handle.

I need to go make us some lunch and figure out what kind of quiet activity I can attempt to do with the girls today. Wish me luck!

Beans, beans, they're good for your heart...

The more you eat them, the less meat you have to buy and the more money you save! I figured that one out a couple weeks ago. We had lentil and leek soup one night, lentil chili another night, and leftover lentil chili over rice the next night. After that, Joe begged me not to include lentils in any dinners for awhile.

We've been trying to save money wherever we can, just like everyone else is right now. Changing the way I grocery shop and cook has certainly helped with our bills. It's amazing how much a few coupons and a little planning can save you. Joe is going hunting for deer next month, so we're also hoping that he gets one that can supply us with meat for awhile.

Joe was working for a small plumbing company, with too few employees for his boss to offer health insurance. We were paying out around $215/month for both of us to have insurance (the kids are on a separate plan). We got a letter saying our premium was going up by about $50 the following month. I got online, looked around, and found an insurance plan that will not only be health insurance but dental as well, and it is going to save us around $100/month.

Joe started a new job yesterday, at a different plumbing company. He had to switch to somewhere he felt he could stay until he retired. This place offers benefits including 401K, retirement, etc. He had a great first day, so hopefully today goes just as well. We'll be able to drop our new insurance in January and get on the company's plan, hopefully it's even cheaper.

We've been pretty strict about our energy usage. I get cold really easily, but I'm trying my hardest not to turn the heat on. We have energy saving bulbs in almost all of our lights. They last forever!

It's my dream to have a huge garden someday where I can grow tons of vegetables and have enough to use all year-round. I'm not sure how well that will work out, because I've already gotten sick of watering my flowers from this spring/summer. Maybe if the flowers were edible, I would still be motivated to take care of them.

I'd love to hear some other money saving tips/frugal recipes. Please leave a comment and share any that you may have. I need to go separate Harley and Jack, they're terrorizing each other in the kitchen.

Our Anniversary

That was Joe and I's wedding song exactly one year and one day ago. (Don't bother doing the math, I'll break it down for ya -- We had Summer, then Camryn, then got married :-) )

We had a lovely anniversary yesterday. We ate right when Joe got home from work, and then my parents came over and watched the girls while we went and saw a movie. We saw a nice romantic movie - "W." Haha... It was good though, it did make fun of our lovely Mr. President a bit, but it also made you think and almost feel sorry for him. I'm sure everyone will take away something different from it.

I can't believe it's been a year since our wedding. It was the only beautiful weekend in October. The temperature was perfect and there was not a cloud in the sky. We had the wedding at the church I had grown up going to, it is where my parents got married as well.




My brother Wes was Joe's best man, my friend Nicole was my maid of honor. It was a classic, basic wedding ceremony. We had about 40 guests, who were all of our close family and friends.








We had a reception in the church's basement afterward, with a first dance between my dad and I, and then Joe and I. We cut the cake, my brother gave a nice toast, and we did the garter and bouquet tosses.






Our flowers were gorgeous. I had personally picked each and every type of flower out. My main flower was a Bird of Paradise. It was my uncle Bobby's favorite flower. He passed away from AIDS when I was 9, and I felt that it was a way to honor him.


After two children and one year of marriage, Joe and I are stronger than ever. I am still deeply in love with him and so grateful that at my young age I have this wonderful foundation for happiness. We share the same hopes and dreams, and I look forward every day to achieving them with him.

Meet Harley

This is Harley. (sleeping in the cats' bed!) We got her a little over a week ago, from a girl who posted an ad on Craigslist. I was actually on there looking for Boston Terriers, and came across her. Her description sounded perfect and there was something about her picture that gave me a feeling that she was meant to be our dog. I e-mailed the owner, and here she is! She was originally dropped off as a little puppy on a farm in TN. The people kept her, but had to keep her outside because they had several small dogs in the house. Their daughter eventually took her up here to Louisville because she had a lot of land, but got a divorce soon after and had to move into a 1 bedroom apt.

Our original plan was to get a Boston Terrier now, from a BT rescue, and then in a few years when the kids are older, get a bigger dog from the Humane Society. I guess we're doing things a little backwards, but Harley is a great dog, so it was fate. She's around 9 months old we are told, is already spayed, up-to-date on her shots, on heart-worm and flea control, and HOUSEBROKEN. I'm so happy that I don't have to housebreak a puppy. I imagine that potty-training a 2-year old and a puppy at the same time do not go together well.



She's well-behaved, and only torments the cats a little. She's great with the kids too, which is very important. We're not sure what she's mixed with, but we think that because of her markings and coat, she may be a Lab/AmStaff mix.

She loves to be around us, and follows us around the house. If we leave, she tries to run out the door to go with us, and when we get home, it's amazing how excited she is! She loves to sleep in our bed, too. Last night, I tossed and turned because Harley was laying in between Joe and I in our queen sized bed all night, with her head on my pillow.

We are so excited about this addition to our family, so I had to share her with you all. I'll be back soon with Halloween pictures of our pirate and sugar plum fairy!

All good things...

I am so sad to learn that AOL is getting rid of their journals. J-Land is a home to many and I never saw this coming. However, all good things must come to an end. I may not journal over there any more but I shared many a memory in that journal and I am sad to see it go. I am however excited that so many people will be joining me now on Blogger. I'm looking forward to meeting and connecting with new people and gaining new readers.

I'm really loving this fall weather we're having here. We built our first fire in the fireplace a couple nights ago, and another one last night while we watched the VP debate. It was so cozy and nice, I can't wait to have a lot more nights like that.

Our day has gotten off to a slow start. The kids are in their pajamas still, I'm in mine, there are books and toys all over the place, I haven't showered in days, and every time I walk into the kitchen I hear the crunch of Cheerios under my feet. That is all about to change however, because Summer and Camryn are "napping", and as soon as I'm done here I'm off to clean the house and myself.

I am so glad today is Friday. Joe has been on-call for awhile now but he won't be this weekend. We finally can get out and enjoy ourselves without the fear of him getting a call and having to abruptly stop and him rush off. Last Saturday, we had the kids all dressed and ready to go, and as we were walking out the door to go to the park, he got a call. That's usually the way it goes :) Later on today I think we'll probably go Halloween costume shopping, and tomorrow we're heading to the St. James Art Fair. I don't think we'll be able to pull off using our semi-truck-like double-stroller in the huge crowd, so we'll have to sacrifice storage and take the umbrella strollers. It will be fun though, it's something people in our area look forward to every year.

I'd better take advantage of the girls being content in their room and take a shower. More later!