Autumn at the Cottage

We headed to the cottage this past weekend.  It was gorgeous out and so autumnal!  The kids and I went to the park and played in the leaves.  I got some cute pictures. 

 Everyone is doing fine here.  Otis still loves school, Ingrid is now no longer crying for hours about going to school.  She still has some issues but mostly she's fine.  She has a field trip this week, they're taking the city bus to a farmer's market.  Sounds fun!  She's beyond excited about it. 

And now it's OCTOBER?!  In ten days I get to fly BY MYSELF to Denver to visit a good friend.  I am so excited it's ridiculous.  I'm gonna get trashy magazines and sit by myself on a plane and have a whole weekend of not being a mom.  Awesome!

Serenity NOW.

I keep that as my half-joking mantra these days!  Sometimes it helps, lol.  Things have been going okay here but still kind of crazy.  Ingrid has been a little better about school because we've been drawing smiley faces on our hands and she can look down and see it during the day.  Today we forgot and she kind of lost it at the door of school and cried.  Which is when I scream SERENITY NOW!

Otis is loving school and has no issues with it.  I only have to yell serenity now with him when he is throwing his massive tantrums, which could be about anything.  Seriously, this morning it was about waffles.  First he wanted waffles, but when he got them out of the freezer he freaked out that they had a bite taken out of them.  Um, no they don't.  Cue the screaming.  He was convinced they had a bite taken out of them!  I opened a new box and he was mad I opened them.  I asked him to take out the ones he wanted, he said no.  I went to get them myself and he screamed he wanted to.  I handed him the box and he just threw it on the floor.  SERENITY NOW! 

But life is good.  I have Gallery Night on Friday, we have a sitter, so we'll get to hang out in a bar and I'll sell baby goods while drinking beer.  God bless Milwaukee!!  I'm busy getting ready for the holiday season, I have two shows coming up.  Urban Garage Sale is in November, Hover Craft is in December.  So exciting!

Another Week.

Ingrid made it through Monday.  She asked over and over again "Are you SURE I can make it through today?"  She did, sort of.  Got a call from the teacher that she was throwing up.  Ugh.  Poor kid was completely comatose from about 2pm until yesterday at 4pm.  Just slept, took a sip of water, slept some more.  It is so hard to see your usually jumping around kid just laying there.  It was also pretty easy, which part of me was glad of, isn't that horrible??  I just played with Otis and we took a nap and went about our day like we normally do. 

She's better today so I sent her for a half day.  She was so worried that her teacher wouldn't let her come home!  I wrote a note and said just give it to your teacher, I'm your mom, I can take you whenever I want!  That didn't seem to matter to Ingrid at all, she was still scared her teacher would make her stay the whole day.  Poor kid, that mind of hers just won't stop!

But it's another week going by, and hopefully each day will get easier.  Hopefully.

The End of the Week.

Ingrid made it through the week!  Today she ran into school holding hands with her friend Tessa and she came out of the building with a smile on her face wondering what I'd brought her for a snack.  She didn't cry last night at all, no tears this morning, she just kept asking me "Are you sure I can make it through school today?" Yep, you got this, kid!

I did end up picking her up from school all but one day this week, it seems to have been very helpful.  Which sucks.  I really was looking forward to her taking the bus...I know it sounds selfish but my school runs are insane, and will be until both kids are in full days.  7:30am drop off Ingrid.  8:45am drop off Otis.  11:45am pick up Otis.  2:30pm pick up Ingrid.  Car car car car car car car.  Blah. 

I know, I know, it's better than her crying every day.  But dang, I know this is going to sound like a walking uphill in the snow barefoot both ways story, but I was walking a half mile to my busstop every day when I was her age. And then I had a 20minute ride to get to school.  She has a five second bus ride and gets dropped off three blocks away.  But I will do it.  FOR HER.  Because I'm such a GREAT MOM.  And I will complain the whole year, probably, too, ha!

Now we just have to see how she does Monday morning.  Cross your fingers.

A Lot of Tears

It's been a week of school so far and Ingrid is not liking it.  She started with five half days at 3 years old, which she loved.  She would run right to the door, wave good bye and never ever cried.  Ever.  Same thing last year, she'd find a friend on the playground and run to the door when the bell rang, with barely a glance in my direction.  This year, it's been nothing but tears. 

K5 is all day.  She eats lunch and then they have an afternoon session and are let out at 2:30.  This shouldn't be a big deal, I feel like, because when coming home at lunch time, she always seemed bored in the afternoon.  She doesn't nap, she barely rests, she would always be doing something while I laid down with Otis.  So why not do this at school?  Where you get to have fun and do art and gym?  I don't know, something about it rubs her the wrong way.

So we have tears. 

Ingrid is also riding the bus home most days, as Otis is napping and I don't want to wake him up and drag him to school.  The first day she was SO EXCITED about it.  Then it became a little scary, and now it's full blown anxiety about riding the bus home, wake Otis up, come get me, I'm scared, I don't know anyone on the bus, I'll get lost, it's too hard.  No matter how I tried to spin it, she wasn't having it.  Ugh.

Yesterday from the time she got off the bus to the time she went to bed, she cried.  She worried about school, staying all day, missing me, taking the bus home.  Every time she'd calm down, suddenly she'd think of something else to worry about.  It breaks my heart.  I don't know how to help her!  I feel so helpless, I just tried to tell her she's strong, she can do this, it will get easier.  I tried to have her imagine happy things and focus on the good things about school, like her friends and getting chocolate milk for lunch.  I got another mom to bring her home instead of taking the bus.  Nothing seems to make her feel better.  So then I get sick of hearing the same thing over and over and I lose my patience like a bitchy mom and just say forget about it!  You don't have a choice, you are GOING to school!  And then she cries harder. 

Why on earth is she so upset this year??  When she is home, she's sassy and bored and complaining about everything, so I don't really know why she wants to stay home.  It's not like she's having any fun here...I end up yelling at her all the time.  Blah!  I wish I could say never mind, we'll homeschool, like I did when she was 3, but I don't want to have her home.  She's in a great school that has a huge wait list, we are so lucky to be at this school!  And I don't want to be a teacher.  I don't want to homeschool.  I don't even want to unschool, this summer SUCKED, she was so crazy and I felt like physically and emotionally drained at the end of each day. 

Send us some good vibes that school will cease to be a thing she stresses about!  I'm not sure how much more I can take. 

SCHOOL'S BACK IN!!

Oh my god, it's finally time!  School started today and I could not be happier.  I am so not one of the moms that cries to send their kid off, probably because Ingrid loves school and has never seemed upset by going.  Today we were up bright and early and I remembered two key things about the school year that I'd forgotten over the summer: 1. Ingrid doesn't like to eat right away in the morning which makes breakfast time HELL. and 2. She is crazy about what to wear, even if we pick out clothes the night before she changes her mind and ends up picking something completely different five seconds before we have to leave.  We still managed to be out the door to take pictures before school starts at 7:30.

 Otis had to wear his backpack, too, even though he doesn't start his preschool until tomorrow.  He cried and begged to hold Ingrid's lunch bag but she wouldn't let him.  A couple more years, little guy, you'll have your own.

We had a great day together, Otis and I.  We went and played with friends, I got some bibs cut out, he took a nap.  And then it was time for Ingrid to come home.  She is taking the bus home this year, since Otis doesn't get up from his nap until just after she gets home.  I don't want to have to wake him up, I enjoy nap time way too much for that.  So, she buses it.  I think it scared her today, she said there were too many people on it, and she didn't like it.  But we'll try it this week and see how it goes.  I won't force it, but it sure was nice to just walk to the end of the block to get her instead of getting in the car and finding parking. 

Tomorrow is Otis's first day.  I don't know how that will go honestly.  He is such a mama's boy, I'm not sure how he'll do if I try to leave.  I think he'll be okay, he'll be so excited about new toys, but who knows.  He's been rather clingy lately so we'll see...How was your first day?

Big Kid

I took these pictures with my Canon the other day and as I was looking at them I realized how much of a little boy Otis is now.  No more baby or even toddler, he is all boy!  He is getting so big, putting on his own shoes, taking care of his dishes after dinner, getting into bed by himself.  No more babies.  He starts preschool in the fall, and when we drive by the church it's in, he says "There's my school!"  His school.  He's big.

My Valentines.

This year was a fun Valentine's Day because Ingrid was in school, which meant making cards.  Luckily her teacher sent us an email asking parents not to go overboard, no candy or toys, just simple cards the kids made themselves.  I am totally fine with that!  We cut some printer paper in half, folded them into cards, and Ingrid sat and drew with markers and put heart stickers on them.  It took a few days of her doing this little by little, and in the end we had a nice stack for the class. 

 I also helped out at her school the other day.  We made these heart guy bags for them to put their cards in.  It was so funny to help out a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds!  And they all think you're a teacher because you happen to be an adult, so kids came up to me asking me permission to do things.

Of course some parents went crazy anyway and made some Pinterest inspired cards that obviously were not made by the kids themselves.  I do like the paint chip bookmarks, but I was not about to sit and make 32 of them for my kid.  I love that she wanted to sit and draw and create her own cards! 

 

We got her glasses a couple days ago, so now she is wearing them full time.  She is adorable, there is just no getting around it.  And she looks about ten years older when she wears them...

 If you've noticed my square pictures, you can see I have finally joined the Instagram party.  I'm not so much into the sharing part, but oh my god, I love the square pictures!  I love the borders and filters!  Even pictures that aren't completely in focus look better because they look like they were taken with some 70s camera and developed at one of those Fox places, right??

And now it's the weekend and we are going to shop for a stove and a refrigerator.  Possibly paint Ingrid's dresser.  Definitely bathe the dirty children.  And maybe go buy a cake for my birthday tomorrow?  I love cake.  It's a fun filled weekend, woohoo!

Days Off

Ingrid has had some days off lately, mostly because I'm lazy, ha!  Last Friday she wanted to play with the babysitter, whom she hadn't seen in a month or so, so I let her stay home.  She had Monday off for MLK day, then Tuesday we had a HELLISHLY cold day, I can't believe we even had school!  It was -5.  Wind chill of -22.  For you Celsius peeps, that's -20 and -30!  Super freakin' cold, it was not fun.  I did not feel like bundling up two kids, driving and doing drop off, then getting Otis home, debundling him only to rebundle him a couple hours later.  So...we stayed in.

We did puzzles, we made a tent and the kids pretended to go camping in the living room.  We colored, we played with stuffed animals, we napped.  We watched Yo Gabba Gabba, which has seen a rise in popularity in our house over the past week.  

 Luckily the cold only lasted a bit, the next day we were back to normal frigid weather, which is about 7 degrees (-14C)  

Today I took Otis to the thrift store while Ingrid was in school, and on the way home we passed the Krispy Kreme.  Oh god, I used to love those things!  I haven't been there in years, so I had to stop.  Of course, right?  I can't fit in any of my pants and am constantly saying I need to get a gym membership again, but let's go eat 1000calories worth of donuts.  Jeez.  They were good.  Otis promptly fell asleep on the way home, leaving a drooly sticky mess all over himself.

 Oh, I forgot!  Yesterday we got the loveliest little care package from my friend Brooke in Ireland.  It even came in a cute box!  It had some little thrifted things for the kids, their favorite being a baby book in German about a bear that goes traveling in different things.  You can stick the bear in each mode of transportation.  They thought it was the coolest!  Thanks, Brooke and Pearl!

 Tomorrow is another day off, which means another day of...what?  I don't know how much more coloring and Gabba I can do, to be honest...

Quick and Easy Breakfast

Now that Ingrid is in school and we have to be out the door at 7:30am, breakfast has become something of a hassle.  I want to feed Ingrid a healthy breakfast, but it has to be quick, as she isn't ready to eat until about fifteen minutes before we leave.  Try as I might, she just isn't interested in food until 7am, no matter what time she gets up.  So, off to pinterest I went, looking for breakfast ideas.  I found some good ones, and this weekend I made a couple.

The first were these amazing Blueberry Coconut Pecan Breakfast Cookies. 

I did have to go to the store to get a couple ingredients, but I will for sure make these again, so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience.  Most of the stuff I had on hand. 

1.5 c oats
1 c coconut flakes
1 Tbs flaxmeal
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c chopped pecans
1/2 c dried blueberries (we used blueberry craisins)
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 c warmed coconut oil
1 Tbs agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla



All that mixed up together made a mushy batter that I patted into heart shaped cookie cutters, placed on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 25min. and you get a whole lot of healthy cookies that are perfect for a quick breakfast!  Ingrid is unsure how she feels about them.  She loved the idea of having a cookie for breakfast but then didn't really eat too much of it.  I, however, crammed about five in my mouth!  I love these!

The other recipe I tried was Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars.  These are super easy and have ingredients I pretty much always have on hand. 

1.5 c oats
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

Mix dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients.  Mush banana and pb go in at the end.  Spread in a greased 8x8 pan and cook at 350 for 20 minutes.  We just made these today and they are so good!  Just a hint of banana and peanut butter, neither one really jumps out as too strong, which can sometimes be the case.  They are a bit mushy, we couldn't really eat these as bars we could hold, we had to use forks, perhaps I didn't bake them long enough?  But they tasted really good and were a hit with both kids!

There are a couple more I want to try, but for now these two are good to have on hand!  They definitely make me feel better giving this to Ingrid before school rather than a frozen waffle, which is what she usually asks for.  Do you have any favorite breakfast ideas that are quick and kid friendly?

Crisp

Yesterday was so crisp and fallish!  After picking up Ingrid from school, we made lunch and had a picnic in the front yard.  Which, of course, turned into the kids picking leaves from the tree and running along the sidewalk to play restaurant.  Because, naturally, playing restaurant involves leaves and sitting in front of the neighbor's house on the sidewalk, right?

 Oh my god, Otis needed a hair cut so bad.  He hated it, but after taking these pictures I sat him down on the sidewalk and butchered his sides.  I couldn't take it anymore!

 So the cutest thing happening around here right now is picking up Ingrid from school.  The teacher brings the class down to the playground and they have to wait in line until she shakes their hand and dismisses them.  One by one.  It takes awhile, and Otis is sooooo excited to pick up sister ("di-dur, peek up!" he says!) Eventually he can't take it anymore and he runs pell mell across the playground and gives her a huge hug.  She loves it, but yesterday the teacher actually put him aside and gave me a dirty look as if I should be corralling my children better.  Look, lady, I enjoy seeing my kids get along, so no, I probably won't be trying to stop him from hugging his sister...They love each other, that's for sure!

 

And one last picture of Ingrid being silly.  She is so damn expressive!  Always entertaining.

Girl's Weekend

 Last weekend Ingrid and I had girl's weekend.  Brendan left on Friday morning to take Otis camping up north, so it was just us gals until Sunday afternoon!  I picked her up from school and we went to McDonalds and got a happy meal.  We did puzzles and played games without a little brother stealing pieces and putting them in his mouth.  We went to dinner Saturday night and got frozen yogurt.  Just the two of us, out on the town.

 

In all reality is was not as fun as I thought it would be.  I never realized how much Ingrid and Otis play together.  I focus so much on the bickering and hair pulling (Otis has a death grip!) that I don't realize how much they actually keep each other entertained.  Ingrid would get bored really easily, she wanted me to play non-stop, where usually she can find something to do no problem.  We had a good time, but we definitely missed the dudes.

 

The reason we didn't go with them was because Ingrid's school picnic was that Saturday.  She really wanted to go, and since she just started there, I thought it would be fun to meet other kids and let her run around.  It was pretty fun, they had a few bounce houses, a little station to make bracelets, a hair spray station where they sprayed you with colored hair spray, which made me sick just being a little down wind from it.  There was food and popcorn and sno-cones. 

 

She loved the race bounce house!  It was a little obstacle course, going through a tunnel, over a little wall, up a ladder thing, and down the big slide.  She would've stayed on that thing all afternoon but it was so fun there was a huge line all day.

Can you tell she liked it??

 

We had fun, but we sure did jump on the guys when they came home and gave them both big hugs and smooches.  I kinda like my family!

First Day of School K4

Today was Ingrid's first day of K4.  She bounded out of bed at 6am asking if it was time to go yet!  I know it will get old, and she won't be so helpful, but I have never ever had her so willing to get dressed and eat breakfast in the morning!  Usually she wants to do things her way, she balks whenever I ask her to do anything, but this morning it was "Okay, mommy!"  Let's see how long this lasts, right?

I cannot even tell you how much better I like this school she is now at.  Last year I walked into a cafeteria of crying and screaming kids, this year it's a playground full of parents I know, happy kids running around.  I did see a few criers, but not as many as last year.  Plus the drive to school is about ten seconds on streets where people actually follow the rules of the road, unlike last year where I was in the hood and I'd be surprised if half the drivers actually had their licenses.  No kidding.

So this year starts off well.  I am so happy to see Ingrid so happy!  She's a little nerd, just like I was!

doesn't she look so tiny by her huge school??

Growing up: Crawling and School Pictures

Yep, Otis is crawling now.  Like full on, hands and knees, makes it across the room in 0.3 seconds crawling!  It's so strange to think that he was so tiny and I worried so much about him and now he's just like any other little nine month old, crawling and teething and drooling and being cute.

Today Ingrid has her school pictures so she didn't have to wear her uniform.  I, of course, had to use this opportunity to bust out her new vintage dress we just got from Fuzzymama Vintage.  When I saw this dress on her facebook page, I had to snatch it up pronto.  So glad I did!!  It is adorable and fits her like a glove.  When I went to take pictures of Ingrid, she couldn't just smile normally, could she?  Oh no, she had to jump and give me coy little looks and dramatic faces...

Busy Week, No Pictures.

I realize if I don't have pictures I tend not to post.  We have been doing lots this week!  Ingrid loves her school still, although I am a little tired of having to do the drive every day.  Just one year, then we can go to the neighborhood school and walk every day.  I cannot wait!

Otis is teething.  Again?  Still?  He has two bottom teeth and it looks like he's getting two more bottom teeth.  And the snot.  Oh my god, the snot.  Will it ever end, or is it just going to hang on all fall and winter?  Good thing we use cloth wipes as tissues, otherwise we'd probably be going through a forest worth of trees for kleenex.

I participated in a blog hop baby shower for Lishyloo this week!  Today was actually my day, over on my Applesauce Crafts blog.  It was great to contribute to such a fun thing with such talented women.  I felt a little out of my league, their blogs are so fancy, mine are just basic!  Check out day one here, and you'll find the schedule for the week with links to the other blogs.  Cute stuff!!

I have been trying to get tons of work done for Art Vs. Craft.  I just have no idea how much stock to bring to a craft show, how big it really is, and I feel like it's better to just way overshoot and then sell whatever's left over in the etsy shop.  But between the school run, nap schedules, crabby babies, and I don't know, sleep--it's hard to get anything done.  I got four blankets done yesterday and today, which is awesome.  I just wish I could get a babysitter one or two days to just get shit done. 

Brendan and I are leaving next week for DC!!  I am so excited to fly again, it's been like two years.  And I am way excited to be without kids for a few days.  And nights.  To be with my husband, no football on tv, no computer games being played, no distractions from actually spending time together.  Bliss. 

We went to the zoo today and I got some really cute pictures on my phone.  I can't figure out how to get them anywhere but my phone, so once I figure that out...what is the point of having a camera on your phone if you can't do anything with the pictures??  Sheesh!

First Day of K3!

Ingrid got into a local Montessori school and she started today.  She was pretty excited to go, although I'm not sure she understood that it wasn't the same place she went to this summer.  She has to wear a uniform, red top/dark pants, and she has this huge backpack that is bigger than she is.  I feel pretty torn if I'm excited for her or wondering how she got so big? 

We went and signed papers and there were three other girls her age in the office.  She immediately jumped in their pictures their gramma was taking (lol, photo bomb!) and started chatting away with them like she'd known them all her life.  I love how gregarious she is!  After signing papers, we headed into the maze of halls and corridors to find her room.  I don't know what it is about these big city schools, but they intimidate me like nothing else!  Everything looks the same, lockers on the wall, doors here and there.  My elementary school was small and had three grades in it, and seriously had one hallway.  No upstairs or downstairs, just a hallway with rooms, a gym, an office, and a library. 

We found the room, and all the kids were already seated in a circle around the teacher.  Ingrid just sat herself right down and said hi, I'm Ingrid!  She didn't even look back to see me leaving.  And when I picked her up she was bouncing around talking about how fun it had been.  I think she likes school.

I'm so amazed at my fearless little girl.  She just takes an unknown situation and puts herself right in the middle of it with complete confidence and a cheerful smile.  Day one down, let's see what the rest of the week brings us!

Our Days

New things in our lives:

Exersaucer.  These things are monstrous pieces of ugly plastic and I hate them.  But kids love them and they give me time to take a shower, so I'm not complaining.  Too much.  My friend gave us hers to use for Otis so we didn't have to spend any money on one. 

Drawing.  Not really new but Ingrid is definitely getting better at it.  She draws these little guys all over the place.  She said this picture was a family and they were dancing.

Wading Pool.  Our local park, which we go to at least three times a week, has a wading pool.  It's not chlorinated, they refill it every day, so it's easy on the skin and nose.  It's free, and it's open 10-2, which is great.  I hate pools that don't open until noon.  That's naptime, dummies!  Yesterday after we picked up Ingrid from school we went over there.  She loved it!  So today we packed a picnic and a blanket and spent the morning there.  This little squirrel kept sneaking up on us, causing Ingrid to shriek in half delight, half terror. 

Both kids fell asleep on the way home.  I felt like a freakin' pack mule--I had Ingrid in the stroller along with towels, a bucket, our lunch, the diaper bag and a bag of misc. pool stuff.  Then I had Otis on me in the Moby.  It is time for a double stroller, my friends.  I cannot take lugging around an extra 15 lbs. this summer.  It was fun while he was a baby, but he's getting to big and squirmy for it to be his only form of transportation.  I swore I would never get a double stroller but that's why you never say never.  I'm hoping to find one that isn't too unbearable. 

And now we're off for a three day weekend, hooray!  Cookouts and family and Summerfest and fireworks and sun!  Happy 4th everyone!

First Week of School

Ingrid has now had two days at her Montessori.  She has loved both days and I'm sure will enjoy the rest of the summer.  Yesterday was her second day and she was so excited to bring her ladybug lunch bag and go see Miss Carrie and Miss Jamie.  When we got there, she ran up the stairs, ready to show me where she washed her apples and carrots!  I just love seeing her so excited and having so much fun while learning things.  And I'm really enjoying what little I know of Montessori, it seems like such a good match for Ingrid.

Yesterday she wore two of my favorite things together, a vintage Mexican top and a pair of green polyester slacks.  Seriously, they are slacks.  Crease down the middle of the legs, a little bell to them, they are soooo cute!

Once again I got so much done while she was gone.  I love having five hours with just Otis!  He has taken long naps while she's gone (imagine being able to sleep better without a screaming three year old in the house.  Strange.) and I get to get things done without hearing "will you color with me?  Oops, I spilled.  I have to go to the bathroom.  Play with me, Mama."  I got the whole house cleaned, four loads of laundry done, and I sewed the top of a baby quilt. 

Otis is growing like a weed, seriously.  He started eating cereal and fruit and veg and will down the whole bowl in about five minutes.  He's off his nursing strike mostly, so we don't have to feed him that many bottles anymore, hooray!  I had to go through his box of clothes and find more that would fit, since he was busting out of his 3-6 mo. tshirts.  I found this one at the thrift store awhile ago and couldn't wait to put it on him.

But his favorite is still to just be naked. Whenever he's upset, we strip off his clothes and lay him on the bed.  He immediately calms down, grabs his feet and starts talking.