Potty Humor

It's been another whirlwind of a week so far for the kiddos and I.  It seems like once summer hits, we just go and go and go till the sun goes down (LITERALLY)...every single day.  Not complaining...not complaining at all!  But it does have a way of making the days just FLY by and leave me wondering, where did all the time go??

Reese is really starting to get into the groove with potty training now.  So much that whenever she sees anyone going to use the restroom, she has to go too.  She really gets a kick out of going in the little potty and then emptying the bowl into the big toilet and flushing it.  (A little scary)  And she always wants a "special treat" when she's done.  We still have Easter candy left in the pantry so that is the treat of choice right now.  Don't know what we'll do when that runs out.  Reese has some other interesting potty training tricks.  For a while, she wanted to be completely undressed whenever she sat on the potty...I'm talking buck naked.  Not sure what gave her that idea.  Now, once she finishes, she wants to run around without a diaper and make me chase her down to get it back on.  That's a real blast too...

Reese has skipped her nap three days in a row now...hence my lack of time to write on my blog or do anything productive for that matter.  Carter stopped napping right after 2...I think she is trying to break his record or something.  I think I might just go and cry now...

And to finish off this totally nonsensical post of random bits of information...I will share my amazing thrift store finds from yesterday.  I was looking for a life jacket for Reese because she's graduating from the baby tube I have (plus it has a hole in it!).  Target had them but they were all like $30 bucks!  So I went to the thrift store in search of one yesterday...I found a life vest for $4, knee pads for Carter for $3 for when he's biking, summer sandals for Reese for $2, two pairs of shorts for me for $10, and a huge bag of superhero action figures for Carter for $3.  He's been begging me for new superheros ever since we found this Batman book at the library last week...so I figure I get some amazing points for scoring all those bargains for less then I would have spent on one new life jacket.

Early Easter pix

 I know Easter isn't till next weekend but since it did finally stop raining today, I thought I'd take advantage of the kids already being dressed up for church and take a quick photo shoot.  They somewhat cooperated...these are the only ones that were semi-good out of about 100 pictures I took.  I got both of their outfits entirely at consignment sales and from thrift stores, even the shoes...not to shabby, eh?

What you can't tell from these pictures is that it was about a 40 mph wind while I was shooting...it's cold out there today.  Hope it's warmer for Easter and all our egg hunts this week.  We've already had 2 or 3 practice egg hunts in the backyard.  I put a couple pieces of candy in one or two eggs out of the 50 or so we chucked out in the yard.  Both kids went around shaking the eggs and throwing them back down on the ground if there was nothing inside...clever little kiddos, they are.

Easter project

I began months ago to plan some homemade Easter goodies for the kids Easter baskets this year.  In an attempt to keep it low budget and make it a little more personal, I decided to make them some carrots and Easter bunnies from fabric I already had in my scrap basket.  The carrots were very easy, fast and turned out great.  The bunnies were alright...I definitely am not as talented as the woman who made them on this blog.  But regardless, I think they will enjoy them.

 
Don't use fabric that frays easily (like I did) or you will want to poke your eye out after about 5 minutes.

P.S. Yes, I am aware that my carrots are dis-proportionally large for these bunnies.  Use your imagination once in a while, ok???

Infuse some color

These days and months of gray gray gray have me craving a bit of COLOR.  Without spending much (or any) money, I've been scouring my magazines and the web, trying to find ideas for new projects to do with or for the kids.  There are countless ideas out there, if you have the time...but here are a few favs that I hope to get on my to-do list soon!


1. I saw the adorable stuffed owls in the PBKids Catalog a number of times and wondered, is there a pattern out there to make them.  Yup!  This is fairly involved but totally doable...


2.  Felt Food...oh there are so many possibilities.  My kids have plenty of the cheap, plastic variety, but there is just something about a plate of fuzzy rainbow-hued food that makes me feel all warm and happy inside.  I totally think I can pull off these doughnuts  and these carrots are adorable to make ahead for Easter.


3.  I am loving this colorful pennant banner...maybe in a boy color for Carter's room or maybe I'll really work ahead and do a birthday one for both kids.


4.  You can't get any more colorful than these Fruity Pebbles Treats.  


Please share your ideas with me too...I could always use some extra inspiration!

Desperate times call for desperate measures

 Another "fun" DIY adventure in the Berad household is the monthly or bi-monthly (when we're slacking) haircut night.  As soon as the word haircut exits my mouth, the hyperventilating, shaking, whining and screaming commences.  (No not from Derrick, it's all Carter)  This is soon accompanied by thrashing, head jerking, and arm flailing as we attempt to get him to sit still.  I try not to dread it, but I do.  I try to stay calm myself, but it is such an ordeal it's nearly impossible.

 Try to imagine screams so loud you feel like your eardrums might explode.  Basic Parenting 101 tells me I should "keep my cool,"  "don't react to their tantrums," "don't raise my voice,"  "stay patient and try to calm him down."  Yea right...I would rather scream back, "Shut up!!!"  My true reaction is somewhere in the middle of the model parent and just shouting what first comes to mind.

Derrick had read Carter the story of Samson the night before his hair cut.  Apparently Carter tried to use this to weasel his way out of the haircut, telling Derrick he would lose all his strength if he had a haircut.  Nice try, smarty pants!



Kids do know how to test you.  They know exactly what buttons to push to bring you to your knees.  Being stuck inside so much, Carter knows I will be at his beck and call all day just to keep him busy and happy.  Today he had me dragging out new toys about every 5 to 10 minutes.  We started the morning with Carter drawing out "plans" on his magnadoodle for an elaborate tent he wanted me to construct out of two blankets, a chair and a trampoline.  You can see my attempt in the photos and him busily creating another tent blueprint right away.

 As the energy level and misbehaving spiked, I was force to get drastic...and bring in the outdoor slide from the deck.  And amazingly, it worked!  After some initial pushing, shoving and pouting, we enjoyed 30 minutes of slipping and sliding.  Sigh of relief and exhaustion...

 I can't afford a single thing in it, but I was longingly flipping through the latest Pottery Barn Catalog as I tried to eat my lunch today and saw this description for a chair they sell.  "This chair is all about happily doing exactly what you want, and making time to rest, read and relax every single day."  I almost laughed out loud.  A chair that can do all that?!?!...holy cow, sign me up!  Hahaha

DIY Living

 In the age of "Made in China", it can get a little frustrating sometimes, (at least for me), trying to find something that is made locally and is good quality.  I think my quest to live more healthy has made me more conscious of everything I buy, not just food.  I've started taking on the mindset of, "Let me see if I can make that myself."  And often times, I surprise myself...it's not that hard to MYO and it's rewarding and fun.  From homemade bread to Halloween costumes...here are a few of my DIYs that have turned out alright.

 I already posted about my pillow covers but I love them and they were sooo easy to do.  I'm sure I saved a bundle making them myself and in a fabric that can be washed (2 kids!!!).  I can make new ones to cover the same pillows at a later time if I get tired of these.  I made a set for our bedroom also and they look great.  Covered over some other pillows I wasn't using any more and....voila!

Thanks to friend Mama K I tried out the homemade Christmas ornaments this year and they were so much fun.  Carter loved helping me cut them out and the cinnamon/apple smells amazing on the tree.

We made two sets of this beanbag game (corn hole) this summer, one for us and one as a gift.  They were rather involved...Derrick had to build the platform (he found all the specs for it online) and I helped paint it and made all the corn-filled bean bags.  These retail for $100 in the store, or more...we figured the homemade version cost $25 total.

I saw the cute name letters in various catalogs when I was searching for ideas to decorate my kids' rooms.  So I went to Joann and bought the unfinished letters and decorated them myself.  Probably about $5-10 per kid...whereas they cost $10 per letter at Pottery Barn Kids.  It's an easy way to customize/decorate the kids' bedrooms.  I'm trying to use it to teach Carter how to spell his name now too...letcha know how that goes.  :)

The Pottery Barn Kids version

 I have had to buy maybe two loaves of bread since summer started.  Our bread machine has been a great investment and I love the home made bread.  We don't have to worry about all the additives, preservatives and high fructose corn syrup.  It is healthy, full of whole wheat and fiber...what more could you ask for.  We also save our chicken carcasses after roasting a chicken and make our own chicken broth, and of course we canned a TON of tomato sauce, salsa and soup this summer too.

And vinegar...I can't leave that off the list.  Vinegar can be used for a plethora of things...it is such a versatile substance.  I dilute it in this spray bottle I got for a few bucks at Target and use to to clean all my floors, counter tops, windows and mirrors.  It's much safer for the kids and pets to be walking on than some harsh chemicals.  I use it to clean the bathrooms, it can be used as a fabric softener, and can even be used as a hair rinse.  You save money on chemicals and it's more eco-friendly...how can you lose???

 The final DIY I used for Christmas gifts this year was an organza flower brooch.  I had seen them for sale in White House Black Market for $24 in the fall.  I looked around online and figured out how to make them.  These were fairly time intensive but it was a fun project.  If you haven't yet received one, be forewarned...I made a lot!  :)