Making A House a Home...

Every so often I get bitten by the #DECLUTTERALLTHETHINGS bug and I'll get on a roll making my house not only livable but pleasing to the eye.  It usually dies off pretty quickly, but I am left feeling somewhat accomplished.  Until it all builds up again.  Endless cycle of getting rid of stuff, bringing in stuff, moving stuff around, etc.

The other day I was lamenting how our tiny bread box was just silly at this point, because it couldn't hold the amount of bread items we regularly have, and it spilled over looking cluttery.  A friend of mine posted a cute wire basket she had just purchased to use for her bread and I was like DANGIT, I want something like that.  I hit up Pinterest for ideas, searched some shopping sites, but just didn't really see what I was looking for.  In the midst of all that, I decided I needed a shelving system to use as a pantry in my kitchen, too.  My cabinets have built in shelves that are incredibly short, so things like cereal boxes, syrup, tall bottles only fit in the ONE cabinet that IS tall enough... over the stove.  This leads to my kids climbing up on the cabinet and over the stove to get their cereal.  Not cool.  Also, the other day I may have expressed envy of my friend's pantry and my husband decided he would "get me a pantry!" Whatever that means.  So, I measured and researched and figured out that for $15 I could get the perfect sized shelf system for our little nook behind the backdoor.  Off to IKEA!

We got our shelves and a plain wooden crate to serve as a bread box, plus had dinner and coffee, too.  I love my new-to-me kitchen and am working to declutter it to have some actual counter space. I also plan to paint the ceiling and walls in the very near future.  Cannot wait to have that project over with!  All this time with the yellow, we are overdue a change!

Anyway, I ended up decluttering the hall cabinet that houses things like medicines, extra towels and random stuff of all kinds, too.  Now I feel the closet in the Littles' room calling me.  Oh, dear.  That's a big job that I've undertaken many times and it finds it's way into a mess so very quickly!  Michael also got inspired to work a little more organization into his tool closet.  So, we'll see where that goes.

We have lived in this house for 4.5 years, and sometimes I wonder why we haven't done certain things sooner.  Time, effort, money, or simply just not even thinking of it!

Too Much Excitement in my Neighborhood...

A few weeks ago, Michael was working on the light switches near the front door and I was in the kitchen working on dinner with the back door slightly open... at the just the moment I noticed, he asked, "Do you smell smoke?"  We stepped out on the front porch and couldn't see anything but thick, dark smoke.  Something was definitely on fire.  Because of the wind and the amount of smoke, it was really difficult to tell which direction it was even coming from!  Michael didn't have his shoes on, so I stepped out towards the road and then just kept going when I finally realized where it was coming from.  Turns out a garage (separate from the house) was on fire just one block over.  I had met a woman who lived at this house a week or two before at the park, and recognized her teenage son coming out of the door of the house next to the garage.  Another couple had been driving by and saw the flames and called 911 already, and was trying to see if there was anyone in the house.  The firemen arrived just a minute or two later and got to work.  It took a long time and a lot of work to finally get it under control and put it out.  The family has spent the past few weeks trying to tear down the wreckage and haul it away because all of it was basically burnt down.  It was pretty crazy to see a fire like that so close.

A day or two later there was some sort of domestic disturbance (I assume) and there was a shooting just a few blocks over the other direction.  The boys and I weren't home at the time, but Daniel (who is living with us now, by the way) said he heard the Care Flight landing near the Fire Station to transport the victim to the hospital.

And just a few days ago, I heard a loud BOOM around 9am in the morning.  I looked out the window and saw the construction guys were still working across the street (laying new water lines or something).  So, I assumed it was them making the noise and went back to lay in the bed with Callen.  A few minutes later I heard a lot of sirens (which is pretty common, since we're so close to the station), but they got closer and closer and stopped.  I jumped up and opened the front door to see the construction guys standing near their site with their phones all up, pointing at something on the side of our house and the firetrucks were pulling up along the side street, too.  I quickly ran down the hall to the boys' side window and looked out.  There was the house across the street - ON FIRE!  WHAT?!  It was a crazy sight because the side of the house, part of the roof, the carport and the yard was fully aflame.  If the fire truck hadn't just pulled up where it did, I would have seen that their van was completely on fire, too!  I watched the action for a long time, and they got it under control.  But my gosh, that was so close!  Way too close! I am not sure what the cause of the fire was, or how much damage there was to their house yet.  It's a brick home and it seems like the majority of the fire was the van and the carport, but I'm not sure.  I don't know if the BOOM had anything to do with it, or was a coincidence, either.  If I had gotten up and out of bed just a little bit earlier, I would have had a perfect view of what happened right out my kitchen window.

Here I thought living out here in the "country" would mean there would be way less drama - boy, was I wrong!

Off Track... But I'm Gonna Survive...

Normally, we would be starting school today.  But, I've vowed NOT to start school till we are settled in our new house, which WILL include some sort of homeschool area.  Or else.  And so, here we are... school-starting-time, and... nothing.  I'm trying, TRYING, y'all.  Lol.  One of the most beautiful things about homeschooling is the way you can be flexible and go with the flow.  Oh, if only I was good with going with the flow.  But yes, I'm trying.  We are doing Pinterest Projects, and Preston is working through the Rod & Staff Proper Manners and Health Habits, so it's not a complete loss.  

It just feels weird.  And off track.  But... I know that this house will sell, and we will find ourselves in the perfect new house for us, and when we DO start school there... it will be completely right. 

In Limbo...

Our house has been on the market for nearly three weeks.  We've had about 25 showings or so.  Most feedback has to do with it being "too small."  Not much we can do about that.  Just need to find the right young couple or empty nesters, I guess.  It is an interesting experiment in keeping this place tidy.  Getting out the door with two kids is hard enough, but now I have to do a full sweep of the house anytime we wanna go out to make sure it's pristine.  This evening I was in the middle of cooking dinner, and got a call for a showing for 6-7pm.  Problem was, it was already 6:05 and dinner was only half cooked!  We had them give us till 6:45, wolfed down our food, tidied like fools and got out.  Lol.  Such an adventure!

We've looked online at a list of houses for sale that our realtor gave us.  Narrowed down a list of about 125 to about 35.  There's not a lot of use going to look at these places until our house has some interest.  So, feeling a bit in limbo.  Waiting for something to happen.  The homeschool mom in me wants to start planning out school... normally, we'd be starting back up in a few weeks.  But, that stuff is in a tub under everything that's been piled and stashed in the closet. So, trying to let that go and not worry.

Preston has been doing Cub Scout Day Camp this week, and has been LOVING it.  I was freaking out on Sunday night.  This was our "kindergarten moment."  The first time I really took him somewhere, dropped him off with people who weren't family or super close friends, for SEVEN HOURS.  But he did great, I didn't cry, and all was well.  He has really had a great time out there, despite the 95-degree temps.  He's gone swimming, done archery and shot BB guns, and all kinds of fun things.  He's in heaven!  I'm really glad that he's doing well and enjoying this experience.  It's probably going to be one of the last scout activities he'll get to do.  The recent decision regarding openly homosexual scouts is just a bit too much.  I understand that at this age it's not an issue, however if that's the case, why did it have to be an ISSUE?!  I can only see it going further, and don't really want to have my child in the mix.  I love people of all sorts, but I do not agree with their lifestyle if they choose to live like that.  And I do not appreciate it being forced into places it doesn't even belong.  No, it shouldn't be an issue... but it is now, isn't it?  I'm very sad about it all.  Michael was an Eagle Scout.  My dad was an Eagle Scout.  And all Preston got was Tiger and Wolf?  It's been a hard decision, he doesn't even know yet - and I am not looking forward that conversation.  Mergh, it's just all so sad, really.  "Duty to God" is the scout motto... sigh.

Anyway, we finished up AWANA at church.  There is a new program going on starting next week called Art & Soul and I think the boys will enjoy that.  And, of course, we'll have VBS in July.  Hoping to do some more fun things while we're having our break.  And, Lord willing, we'll MOVE before the summer is up.  Lol.  My UBAM convention is next week.  CAN'T WAIT!!!

Our Little House in the Prairie...

So, our house was officially listed last Friday.  The photographer did a fantastic job of capturing our "model home."  The staging is nice, and even though keeping it "nice" is difficult with two little hurricanes living here... it's worth it.  Check out some of the pix:

Curb Appeal

Entryway and kitchen view from living room.

Living area

Kitchen and breakfast nook.

Master bedroom.

Backyard with swing set and deck.

We've had about 10 showings so far, and the feedback we've received from just a few of the potential buyers that bother to leave feedback... is that it's too small.  Yep, it's a perfect little house for a couple just starting out or empty nesters.  We are moving because we need a bigger space if we plan to have another child... which we do.  But, this house has served us well with our two current children and has been our home for over 10 years now.

Michael and I are enjoying looking through listings for what we want in a new house.  Actually, Michael has already found us the perfect house... at least on paper.  I keep thinking there must be something horribly wrong with it if it's still on the market, but who knows.  We'll probably start going to actually look at places next week.  Don't want to get too excited about a place and then have to lose it because ours hasn't sold yet.  BUT if ours happens to sell quickly, we'll need a place to live, right?

We are in the throes of this next step in our life, and believe it or not, I am still super calm and excited about it.  For me, that's huge.  I do not deal well with change, and this type of change (MOVING!!!) is major.  So, I guess that's a pretty good sign that this is the right time and God's got it under control.  

P.S. The thing I struggle most with right now in keeping the house tidy for spur-of-the-moment showings... making my bed.  Ugh, I HATE making my bed.  Always have.  I am blessed with a husband who feels the same way, so we've just never done it.  Plus, the kids are always tromping on it and throwing the blankets off anyway, what's the point?!  So yeah, lol, if that's any indication of how NOT STRESSED I am about this whole experience... the fact that the most trouble is making my bed.  RIGHT?!

Spring Turns into Summer...

Well, we're on break from school.  You'd think I'd have more time to blog... but not really.  I still need to upload the pix from my real camera of our camping trip several weeks ago.  Oops.  And lots of other this and that's on my to-do list as well.

We are busy getting ready for a garage sale this weekend.  Trying to de-clutter the house.  Why?  Well, I'm sick of the clutter and everything collecting dust.  No more "maybe I'll need this someday..."  Ugh, no, get rid of it!  But, also because we are planning to put our house on the market and move.  Like soon.  CRAZY.  We've been here over 10 years.  And it's just time to get out from under it... find a bigger place in a different area and start over a bit.  Obviously, we don't want to go too far.  We are very connected to our church near here, our friends and my parents... obviously, can't wander off to far from them.   So, we're in full-swing to make this happen this time.  Talking and meeting with realtors, seeing what our options are, having a foundation company come out and fix what they can.  It's overwhelming, and honestly... terrifying.  But exciting as well.  Just praying that we are truly guided by God in all of our decisions with this.  Both of us really feel it's time to move, so... we're doing what we can to get that ball rolling.


The kids are going through their phases.  Callen is still in his "terrible two" mode despite having turned three in March.  He is challenging, and it's just a real good thing he's so darn cute.  Sheesh.  Preston pesters him like crazy and often completely lacks common sense, so he has his share of trouble.  I'm doing my best, but I often feel like such a huge parental failure with them so far.  Preston cries about everything.  Callen destroys everything.  I'm sure that most kids their age are like this, and I'm expecting too much on them and myself.  It's just hard sometimes to see the same mistakes day after day, and no real sense of them "learning" the right way to act/react.  I keep looking at myself and realizing that I'm the same exact way, though.  God must face-palm Himself a lot regarding my actions, too.  Lol. On a positive note, the boys and I have met a new family in our area that we have just fallen in love with.  They travel a lot so we have to take advantage of them when they're around, but The Stauffers have been a great addition to our friend circle in the short time we've known them.  April and I get along really well, as do Preston and her son, who is 8.  They have two girls, too... and Callen enjoys all of them! Another random, but positive, note is that the boys and I have enjoyed having smoothies lately.  Getting in our veggies where we can.  The boys have loved them all, so it's really easy to make us a quick drinkable lunch packed with fruits and veggies (spinach!).  I am loving having that option instead of always trying to come up with a lunch that they'll actually eat.  Whew!

Michael finished up his teaching semester yesterday and won't be taking on a Summer class since they wouldn't fit his regular full-time job schedule.  Hopefully he'll get to return in the Fall.  His full-time job seems to be going along just fine, no real news to report there apparently.  Other side things are going ok, and he only does pizza every once in a while when they need an extra hand and he's able.  His earache, migraine, hip/leg pains are all still present and bothersome.  As are the many medical bills arriving constantly for the things we've tried to do for those particular ailments.  I just want him to feel good again.  Is that too much to ask?  He works so hard to provide for his family, it just isn't fair that he always has to be so miserable.  The boys have enjoyed utilizing Netflix with him and they watch episode after episode of superhero cartoons.  I'm glad that Michael is good at deciding which ones are appropriate for their ages, 'cuz I have no idea.  But they're quickly becoming experts on all things superhero and comic books, haha.

I was able to accomplish this year's Connect4Challenge with my Usborne Books & More business.  I am going to convention in June for FREE!  That'll be such a blessing.  A chance to get away, learn more about making my business successful, meeting a bunch of people I only know via Facebook.  I'm really looking forward to it!  After the last four months of steady action, taking a bit of a break in May and then I have a bunch of events lined up for June to hopefully get right back into the swing of things.  Getting the commission checks for those months was definitely a nice thing, plus... now I don't have to spend out-of-pocket money and feel guilty about going to convention!  Woo hoo!

That's about all I can muster at the moment, as far as an update goes.  I do have several things on my to-do list that need to get knocked out over the next few months, so... prayers that those get taken care of easily.  And prayers that this moving business is a smooth transition for all of us.  I'm a natural worrier and get extremely stressed out with big change like this.  I'm TRYING to take it easy and go with the flow, but that is just not how I'm wired.  

Christmas 2012 Recap...

My goodness, here it is already January 8th, 2013... oops!  Being off of school for two weeks certainly didn't help me have extra time for anything... weird, huh?  I just realized I haven't blogged our Christmas, shared photos, etc.  Bad me!  I'll try to remember, though a lot of it is a daze because... honestly, we've been sick for the past 3-4 weeks.  Ugh, it's been awful for all four of us in the house.  But, we have had some good times in there, too!

Leading up to Christmas Eve, Preston and I attend some practices with the Children's ministry at GFC.  Preston was part of the production, and it went SO WELL!  The kids all did great, performing to Fred Hammond's "His Name is Jesus." Preston got to run around the whole sanctuary with a huge "Jesus" banner, and it was awesome!

His name is Jesus!  Jesus!

With all the Christmas Eve gifts!

After the Christmas Eve service, we went back to our house with my mom, dad and brother-in-law.  We had delicious food (including my mom's famous tuna sandwiches, lol) and we opened presents.

The boys received some wonderful gifts from Grandpa David and Grandma Darlene that they were very excited about, like Dreamlites!  Preston got the puppy to go with his puppy Pillow Pet and Callen got the giraffe he wanted.  They still go to sleep every night with those things on, they LOVE them... so funny.  Michael and I got coffee mugs and jeans, which were definitely needed!

Then, on Christmas morning, the boys woke up to their Santa gifts...

Santa brought Preston a Lego DS game, some funky notepads that change color when your write on them, cups, ear buds and some other stuff. Callen got a "Mario game" like he wanted (it was Yahtzee, not sure that's REALLY what he wanted, but he was happy with it, lol), and all kinds of little things too. We had breakfast and second breakfast (Michael made corn fritters!). Then Uncle Daniel came over and we opened presents, then went out to play in the snow. So incredible that we actually had a white Christmas... one that was white enough to really throw snowballs and SLED in. Preston was an expert sledder by the end of the day! So much fun!

Even though we were all sick off and on, we did some fun things like visit Mema, walk around the Galleria and see their giant Christmas tree.  We finished up our Advent/Christmas countdown with books.  Not sure I'll attempt that again, the boys fought over who got to unwrap the book every time, not exactly good for family bonding time.  Ha!  On New Year's Eve, we hung out with church friends, playing games and just having fun.  The rest of the time we rested, watched movies/tv, played games and enjoyed each others' company. 

Our Christmas book countdown!

 All in all, it was a great holiday vacation.  Hopefully we can finally get over our many illnesses and get back in the groove!  Happy New Year!

Crock-Pot® Seasoning Mixes Review

I received some samples of Crock-Pot® Seasoning Mixes from Smiley 360.  Always eager to try new things in my slow cooker, I was pretty pumped to give these mixes a go.  The first one I used was BBQ Pulled Pork.  Now, I make pulled pork quite a bit in my slow cooker, and while I like it, honestly, my husband isn't a fan of the way I make it.  But, I'm happy to say that he, the kids and my brother-in-law (who is a picky eater!) all really liked it this time around.  Yay!  It was simple to make following the recipe on the back, and yeah... came out delicious!!!

Over the course of the next few weeks, I also made the Savory Pot Roast and the Hearty Beef Stew, and they were both wonderful.  I've always had a hard time making Beef Stew come out just right, but I nailed it with the help of this seasoning mix and the recipe on the back.  Woo hoo!  I felt like such an awesome wife/mom/cook on the nights I made these, because they were so good (and EASY!).  I will certainly be picking these up again in the future!!!

[I was sent samples of the above mentioned product from Smile360 in exchange for my opinion via facebook, twitter, blog and/or word-of-mouth.  I was not further compensated for my opinion and the text written above is in my own words.]

BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers Review

We received a package of BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers from Smiley360 along with a fun pumpkin decorating kit.  And, well, you know how I feel about pumpkins!  The kids and I had a blast coloring and glittering the little pumpkins, making them all kinds of lovely and fun!

 

 

We used the BIC Mark-It™ Permanent Markers, and they were a huge hit at my house.  These markers come in so many different colors, you can't really go wrong!  And they write on nearly any surface you can think of... which certainly can't be said for a lot of other so-called permanent markers.  Besides the pumpkin decorating, I have used these markers to decorate cards, make notes, color in fun little school activities and more!  Definitely diggin' them.  These are perfect for any artist in your family, or simply to have on hand for anytime you need a permanent marker in a color other than black!

[I was sent samples of the above mentioned product from Smile360 in exchange for my opinion via facebook, twitter, blog and/or word-of-mouth.  I was not further compensated for my opinion and the text written above is in my own words.]

Fisher-Price House Party!

I love being part of House Party, y'all, and this morning I hosted the best House Party yet!  I was excited to be accepted for the Fisher-Price new toys campaign, but I had no idea what I would be receiving until a 57-pound box landed on my door step a few weeks ago!  

Can we open it? Now? Can we? Huh? Please?

FIFTY-SEVEN POUNDS of toys, and actually... more than that, because a second box followed a few days later with even more things for the goody bags!  Crazy!

A few days after that giant box arrived, we couldn't take it anymore and just had to open it and at least peek at what was inside!

Just a peek, boys.

Um, ok, maybe more than a peek!

Wowzers.  We didn't take anything out of it's packaging, but boy did we drool over these fun toys!  

And finally, last night, we pulled the box out again and started unloading the stuff.  The first thing we put together was the Fisher-Price Little People Disney Princess Songs Palace.  Wow, say that three times fast, eh?  Let me tell you something, it's cute, but my gosh, it was a booger to put together!  We tried about seven different screw drivers to find one that was thin enough to get down these little tubes yet big enough to catch the cross of the screws.  I finally got everything put together only to discover that it required 3 AAA batteries, and all we were sent was AA.  So, my sweet husband had to run to the store for us so we'd be ready for our morning party!  Thank you, husband!  Anyway, the castle came with Cinderella and Snow White Little People, but we also received two 2-packs: Cinderella (in a wedding dress) with Prince Charming and Ariel with Aurora.  I didn't figure my boys would care much for this one, but Callen proved me wrong.  He enjoyed playing with the princesses... he liked shoving them out of the castle windows.  Not even kidding.  He's 2, he knows how to play with girl stuff.  Ha!

My husband then stepped in and put together the Fisher-Price Wheelies Loops 'n' Swoops Amusement Park.  He did it super fast, super easy.  Figures.

Next I put together all of the Fisher-Price Servin' Surprises sets... the Barbeque Set, the Birthday Set, the Tea Party set, the Highchair set, the Ice Cream Party set, and then finally the entire Kitchen & Table, which went together quite easily with the two of us working together. 

When the boys woke up the next morning and came into the living room, it looked like Christmas morning had come early.  Nope, sorry kiddos, it's just the first day of Fall!

Santa came early! 

Finally, guests began to arrive and the party could start.  The kids dove right in... slightly unsure of what to play with first! Parents stood around amazed at all the fun stuff I got sent... FOR FREE!  Lol.  Yep, House Party is awesome!!!

The girls especially enjoyed the Palace.

Feeding the baby... monkey.  I have boys, we don't have dolls.

Servin' up pizza and birthday cake!

The older boys playing with the roller coaster!

Who wants ice cream?!

Having fun!!

Chaos, kids and toys everywhere!

Everything is just so much fun!

Even the littlest one is enjoying himself.

The Loops 'n' Swoops was a hit!

The Kitchen & Table was a hit too!

Of course, it wasn't long till sheer chaos ensued, but the kids had an absolute blast. It was really difficult to tell which toy was the winner out of the bunch, because they honestly ALL played with it ALL.  Thankfully there was very little issues with sharing, and they all got to play with everything in turn or together, and they just all seemed to love each thing.  The kids ranged from one-year to 6-years-old.  And, yes, even the 5 and 6-year-olds had fun with this stuff, of course!  I enjoyed showing my friends how the Servin' Surprise Kitchen & Table switched from, well, kitchen to table and back, and also how all the other Servin' Surprise accessories worked separately or with the table.  Many of the parents were VERY interested in these toys for their kids, so I'd say they were a big hit with EVERYONE!  In addition to the play time, each guests left with a great goody bag filled with a Fisher-Price Little People coloring book, CD, DVD, coupons, playing tip cards, a Wheelies Car and more!

Yay, fun stuff to take home!

Thank you, Fisher-Price and House Party, for this great time had by all!!!

For the record, my favorite items were the Ice Cream Party set and the Loops 'n' Swoops Amusement Park.  But, seriously, it was all a lot of fun to play with!

[I was not compensated by Fisher-Price or House Party to give a review of these items. I  was provided with the toys listed above in exchange for hosting a party to show them off, nothing more.  The opinions expressed in this blog are my own.  This post does contain Amazon affiliate links.  By clicking these links and purchasing an item, I would receive a small compensation.]

Pumpkin Comfort Food...

This evening it was under 70 degrees. Mid-September in Texas, that isn't always the case. It may not last, but I'm taking advantage of it. I whipped up a batch of Pumpkin Dump Cake and some Pumpkin Mocha Latte. I'm in heaven (ok, I'd be further into heaven it was 60degrees, lol)!

This + 70degrees, windows open = LOVE!

Pumpkin Dump Cake
- 1 15oz can Pumpkin Purée
- 1 10oz can Evaporated Milk
- 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 3 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 Cup Coarsely Crushed Graham Crackers
- 1/2 Cup Butterscotch Chips
- 1 Box White or Yello Cake Mix
- 1 Cup Melted Butter

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Prepare 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together: pumpkin, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs and spice.
Pour into pan. Pour cake mix on top, then graham cracker crumbles and butterscotch chips.
Evenly pour melted butter on top of everything. Bake for 50 minutes.
Center will be set and edges browned. Can easily burn on top, so be aware.

Pumpkin Mocha Latte
- 1 package of Starbucks VIA Pumpkin Spice mix
- 1 Tbsp Cocoa Mix
- 8oz warm milk

Happy soon-to-be Fall, y'all!

Our 2012-2013 School Room

Our "school room" is in our kitchen.  Our house is just too small to have our stuff anywhere else, and it works well for us.  Yes, I drool over other people's rooms dedicated solely to "school" (or at least store and organizer their stuff!) but I TRY not to covet too much.  God has blessed me with the opportunity to be doing this, and we can learn ANYWHERE!

We do the majority of our work at the kitchen table, followed by the desk in the bedroom where the computer is, and, of course, the couch and living room floor.  And sometimes the van.  But, yes, the kitchen table is our main focus point.  My husband is awesome (he was completely homeschooled, so he understands) and has allowed me to "decorate" the walls of our kitchen with school stuff.  We have our workboxes, posters, timeline, art showcase and supplies all over the place in there, and it's a cluttered mess... but it works.  We have books and supplies also stored in my closet and in Preston's closet!

Some pictures of our "school room":

At the table.

Our workboxes and wall stuffs, to the right of table.

Larger view, including supply area, both cabinets are full!

Morning Board, posters and timeline, to the left of table.

Artwork display area above door & on pantry door.

Computer time in our bedroom.

In the living room floor.

Where do you school?

Playing Musical Beds...

So, for the past few months, Callen has been on the verge of discovering he could climb out (or FALL out!) of his crib.  Thankfully, he never did... but we initiated Project Find-Preston-A-Bed-So-We-Can-Move-Callen-Into-The-Toddler-Bed. Wow, that's a long name.  Anyway, after asking around, my mom and mother-in-law came to the rescue!  My mom's friend had an extra guest bed that they were looking to get rid of.  And the best part is, it's part of a bunk bed!  Yay!  So when we're ready for Baby #3 to inhabit the "nursery," we will have a bunk bed for the boys!  Love that!  And since my in-laws are moving, they said we could have the twin mattress off of their guest bed.  So, Preston is now officially in a twin bed.  Man, that thing looks gigantic in his room!  We just got it today, so he hasn't slept on it yet... but he's enjoying it so far.

Reading in his new bed!

Pretending to sleep in his new bed!

I took down the crib last nite (:::sob, sob:::) and put the toddler bed into Callen's room.  I was so nervous about how to get him to sleep in his bed.  I honestly don't remember much about this stage with Preston, though Preston was 20 months when we moved him to a toddler bed, and Callen is about to be 22 months.  I think Preston just slept in bed with me most of the time anyway 'cause Michael was working overnites.  Anyway, I didn't know what to expect with Callen last nite.  He seemed pretty excited, got all settled in, did his usual routine (he has a pretty funny bedtime routine, which consists of putting the book we read under his bed, along with his "Bob" (veggie tales) book and any other book he decides needs to go under there - sometimes a dinosaur book, sometimes Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - but always "Bob" and if "Bob" is missing, look out!  Anyway, then he usually wants a ball in his hand, and he has to be covered up along with his Stitch stuffed guy.  He pats Stitch night-night, and I have to too.  It's ridiculously adorable).  So anyway, he did alllll that and settled down, then the minute I turned the light off and started to walk away, he freaked out.  Screaming!  I soothed him, read him "Bob" again, did the whole routine over... nope, he wasn't having it.  So, I had to put the gate up in his door and walk away.  He screamed and cried for a while, and while I was getting Preston settled into bed it suddenly got quiet.  I figured he must have fallen asleep there at the gate, but when I checked on him, he was in his bed all covered up.  He must have given up and gotten into bed and went sleep.  Whew!  I heard him at the gate around 2am, but after just a few minutes, he went back to bed.  And then when Michael got up at 6am, he came to the gate and wanted out, but Michael told him to go back to sleep... I guess that worked, 'cause he didn't get back up till 8am!  

Nap time today was much the same.  He refused to stay in the bed after we did the routine, but I put up the gate and left him alone... he played for a few minutes with some toys, then it got quiet... when I checked on him, he was in bed all covered up, conked out.  So, I guess we're on the right track.  My goodness, they're growing up so fast!

Great eBooks to Check Out!

I ran across Sarah Mae's 31 Days to Clean earlier this year, and it got me moving! I went through the 31 days and really cleaned my house. There were things in this book that motivated me and kept me going, and :::gasp::: had me LOOKING FORWARD to cleaning each day. Weird, huh? It's a wonderful book with scripture and Biblical references to meditate on... giving you a little bit of Mary and a little bit of Martha each day. I love how simple it is, but profound. And hey, it really did help me clean my home! See my blog post from back then: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5.

31 Days To Clean can be purchased for $4.99 here.  It is available as a PDF, or can be downloaded specifically for your Kindle or Nook.

Sarah Mae has also recently written an eBook on ... how to sell an eBook.  You know, someone had to!  So, if you've been considering writing a book but have been nervous about how to get it out there and wonder how to make it a successful endeavor, this might be the eBook for you!  

How to Market and Sell Your eBook can be purchased for $4.99 here. It is available as a PDF, or can be downloaded specifically for your Kindle or Nook.

[The links above are my own affiliate links, and I do receive compensation for any products purchased through them.]

Labor Day Clean Out!

Yesterday I made myself a list of things I would really like to get done before we start school on Thursday.  Unfortunately, Callen ended up with a fever last nite and was awake at 4am, and then at 645am.  But hey, we got to go outside on the back deck and enjoy the 60-degree weather really early this morning!  Oh, it was delicious out there!  Anyway, he was a bit clingy, but not really showing any other symptoms besides the fever and most of the time he was playing and getting into trouble just like normal.  I took advantage of him being occupied with Preston or watching a cartoon and I jumped right into my list.  The two most important things were to clean out both of the boys' rooms.  Everything was everywhere... and their toys were spread between both rooms, the living room and the kitchen.  My main goal was to make it tidy, get rid of some stuff and to find the parts that go together for all the various sets of toys.

Happy to say I did it.  Cleaned out both rooms in one day!  I have a big bag of trash, a bag of donate and a bag of attic stuff for the next little Clark to come along (whenever that might be, certainly not any time too soon).  Giving myself a pat on the back for getting these two major things crossed off my list!

Walking into Preston's room

Most of Preston's room

The other wall.

Walking into Callen's room.

Most of Callen's room

The other corner of Callen's room is still a mess, I will admit.  His room is small so the changing table, diaper pail, clothes hamper, glider chair and all kinds of other boxes and things get stashed in that corner.  And there isn't really much I can do about it, so... whatever.

I also knocked out final prep for school... printing a couple of things, doing some laminating (oh yes, more laminating!).  I keep looking at those empty work boxes and getting giddy at the thought of filling them up on Wednesday nite and getting started on them Thursday morning!