Turning Off the TV

I always wanted to be one of those moms that never turned on the TV, but early on I realized I could get shit done with a half hour here or there!  Sometimes we watch a lot, some days we don't even think about turning it on.  Some days we just get lazy and tired and only want to lay on the couch and veg.  Usually I don't pay attention, they all seem to balance out and we never have problems with turning it off and switching to something else.  Once the credits come on, one of the kids pops up and turns off the TV. 

However...this week has been rainy and Otis got hand foot and mouth disease so we were quarantined at our house so we wouldn't infect anyone else.  I have a show coming up July 7 and I've been trying to finish up the last few things I have to get ready.  The house seems like it's constantly sticky and hairy from the humidity and the dog, laundry piles up.  Excuses, I know.  But the TV was on a lot the past few days.  And there was tons of whining and fighting between the kids about who gets to watch what show, and then kicking each other on the couch or stealing pillows.  it was INSANE.  Get off each other and just sit there while I get the bathroom cleaned!  Please!

Two days ago I don't know what started it, but I did not turn on the TV.  Instead we did a puzzle together.  We read library books.  We colored.  We played outside a bit between bouts of rain.  I had the best time!  I was happy, not yelling, the kids were so good together, not whining or fighting.  The day was just so awesome, I finally remembered how great it is to be a stay at home mom.  Some days I forget why the hell I do this, like how great it would be to get a job and let the kids go to school and a babysitters and just be around adults all day.  Go to the bathroom by myself, eat a whole meal, shower DAILY! 

Yesterday we ran errands all morning.  Kids slept in the car a bit so when we got home I was exhausted and wanted to sit.  I put on the TV and immediately (immediately, ugh.) they started fighting over what show to watch.  Ingrid just lost it because I let Otis get his way for once.  Huge tears, stomping feet, kicking things.  It was the shittiest afternoon, I just could not turn it around.

So today I said no more TV in the day!  We've got so many fun things to do around here, let's play!  Ingrid has been working on these little stuffed hearts she's been sewing from my scraps and she wanted to work on those.  We painted.  More puzzles, more time outside before the rain came.  Another wonderful morning!  Just so much fun and everyone was in great moods.  The afternoon was naptime and more playing, this time with neighbors outside when it cleared up.  Everyone was in good moods until bedtime, I mean for real, that never happens! 

I know it just takes more effort on my part, and honestly, I don't get much done during the day.  I did get some things done but not nearly as much as if I'd ignored my children, haha!  I guess that I just have to do what I can, and do the rest after bedtime.  I'd much rather have happy kids than 30 more bibs done, right?  They'll both be in school next fall so I should enjoy this summer as much as I can!

Summer Break!

We've been on break for about a week and a half now and I'm loving it.  We have to leave at 7:30am to get Ingrid to school on time, so it was always rush, rush, rush.  Now we have the best mornings, we have nowhere to go, we get to hang out and be lazy if we so desire.  Otis has been sleeping in until after 7, which is great, except next fall school starts even earlier!  I guess the bell will ring at 7:20 instead of 7:40.  UGH.

We have a summer list full of parks, museums and local activities.  So far we've done the museum, Chill on the Hill, the wading pool, parks, and of course, gardening.  Keeping busy!  One activity a day, even if it's just going to the park. 

 I have also started the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred video.  Whew!  I've gained about 30lbs in the last year for some reason, so I have to kick my ass in gear and get some more exercise.  I am not a video exerciser, normally.  But a few people had mentioned doing it and loving it, and I thought for $8 and some 3lb weights I might as well try it, right?  It's awesome!  The thing I love is that Ingrid loves watching it with me for some reason, so she's my biggest cheerleader!  As soon as I've had a couple cups of coffee she says "Okay, mama, time to shred!"  Honestly, I need that, since I would otherwise get lazy.  I'm also doing some sort of post on Instagram after I do it so I keep a log of it.  Even if no one else is seeing it, I feel like I have to do it to keep myself motivated. 

Otis has been sick and crabby the past couple days though, so I am worn out.  Mentally tired of dealing with his mood swings and crying.  Physically tired from him wanting to be cuddled and carried all the time.  Please, don't let your kids get Hand Foot and Mouth disease!  It sucks.

Next week is another week of whatever, and then we have a fun filled weekend for the Fourth of July and cousins and the cottage and I have another craft show!  The Maker Market is July 7th, I'm getting ready for it and looking forward to hopefully not a really hot day!  Last year I did an outdoor show in July and it was like a hundred degrees.  Ugh.  I'm happy it's in the parking lot of a coffee shop, I foresee a LOT of iced coffee in my future.

What are you up to this summer???

Lazy Blogging

Sorry, people, just not feeling up to blogging lately.  We haven't been doing much of anything, just trying to get outside every day, dreaming of what we'll do when it's summer.  I have big ideas of raised garden beds, a patio with a fire pit, and a bright red door!  We'll see how much of that actually happens though, I guess!

 We had Easter at Brendan's parent's house.  The kids were excited to find the Easter eggs I hid.  Ingrid asked all excitedly "I wonder what's in them?!" even though she helped me fill them (jelly beans and pennies!)

 Brendan's aunt and uncle were in town, we haven't seen them since our wedding seven years ago!  Which means they'd never met the kids.  They brought them presents, it was so sweet of them!  Otis took to the blue doll and has been toting it around with him everywhere, along with the little bottle.  It was pretty adorable, as he was falling asleep he'd hold his baby, and every once in awhile he'd hold the bottle up and say "eat, baby, shhh."  Be still my heart!

Other than that, not much going on.  Just living life, enjoying April!

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...

Falls Past

Ingrid as a baby. Awww.

Ingrid as a toddler.  Sweet.

Me with Otis in my belly.  (Hard to imagine he was born a few short weeks after this!)

Otis a smiley little redhead.

My kids.

Fall is my favorite!

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!

It's Still Summer!

I always hated the first part of September, where you had school and you wanted to wear your back to school clothes but it was still in the 80s and you had to make do with your old summer shorts.  It's still like that here, it was super hot and humid yesterday.  So after school we got out the pool and the kids had fun jumping and splashing.  It's still kind of summer, and that's okay.  We'll have plenty of extremely cold, wintery days ahead of us, I will enjoy this while it's here.

Rainbows, Bruises, and Siblings

We had a gorgeous double rainbow the other day.  You can't see the other one that was above this, but it was amazing.  It happened right after I put Ingrid to bed, I got her up from bed and she was all confused.  "Why did you wake me up to look at this?"  I thought she'd love it, I was wrong I guess...

Otis and I were playing ball the other day and somehow he face planted on the sidewalk.  Again.  I honestly do not know how it happened, one minute he was laughing and dancing, the next he was splat on the concrete.  His nose got a bit beat up...again.

Yesterday we did some painting early in the morn.  Otis is entranced by the finger paints, but he doesn't quite get that it goes on paper.  He also got one of the dot paints (like a big Bingo marker) and had a big smear of purple all over his cheek for the morning.  Apparently they don't wash off.

After painting we went outside to get some air before it rained.  We found all sorts of ways to get dirty before 9am!

 



Our Weekend

It was a birthday party filled weekend here.  Brendan's birthday was yesterday, so we had cake for him.  Then our friend Junie turned two and we went to her party.  And then Brendan's parents came over to celebrate his birthday with another cake.  Sheesh, a little birthday overload!

Fun pictures from this weekend--spaghetti night messy faces:

 Ingrid's amazing vintage dress we got awhile ago.  She is too funny--when I told her she was going to wear a party dress to the birthday bash today, she cried and cried and cried, swearing up and down the dress was too tight and she hated that dress and she wasn't going to wear it.  Then she went up to her room, grabbed the dress I wanted her to wear and said "Please, Mama, can't I wear this one?"  I do not know what goes on in her head but she can be so dramatic sometimes!

After his nap, Otis was also quite dramatic.  I was napping and woke up to hear Otis screaming like crazy.  It was his frustrated-nothing-is-going-right-for-me scream, and it was all because his pasta wouldn't get on his fork right or something like that.  It's tough to be a kid.

And lastly, I caught the kids jumping from coffee table to couch this afternoon, giggling like crazy so I couldn't really be mad.  As soon as I saw it probably wouldn't cause a trip to the ER, I let them at it while I took pictures.  So cute to see them getting along after a day of them being pissy with each other!

 And now it's FINALLY bed time and I can relax and get some more bibs done and watch Downton Abbey on Hulu.  Yay.