MPM: The Paintfoot Tribe

I have no idea what compelled me to want to do this, but it sure was fun! The Paintfoot Tribe must be crazy, huh?

My little paintfoot in action

Of course mama had to get her feet wet, too!

Ian cleans off between colors

This little paintfoot was a bit disgruntled

Our finished painted pathways

So, basically I laid out the plastic and rolled out the paper (intended for our art easel which we rarely use). The bath was on standby, water bins and towels were strategically placed, paint was squirted on plastic lids, and off we went! The fact that Ian has asked me EVERY DAY if/when we can do this again should attest that it was a hit! Well, a hit for Ian and me, that is.

Seth's reaction really surprised me. I thought he'd jump right in with both feet! But instead, he fussed and threw himself down. It would seem the paintfoots are just as temperamental as their close relatives, the blackfoots.

I have videos of the whole shenanigan, so I'll edit those and post them soon! I have also added a link for Mod Podge Mondays in the sidebar. Thanks for checking in!

He was just 17, you know what I mean...

Can you name that song/group?

Yesterday Mr. Seth Evan hit the 17-month mark. Monumental? Well, no. Marked with milestones? Well, some. He's pretty much a walking, talking busy-body these days. A friend of mine used the phrase "mobility without morality" for this stage. So. very. true.

The tantrums are here in full force. Little man throws himself on the ground, and his fits last longer than Ian's did at this age. Of course, he's my passionate child, so I shouldn't be surprised by this. I am just ignoring them. Seth does understand and usually responds to the word, "no." He also knows how to say it.

Thankfully we are moving past the stage where he puts everything in his mouth. He will still sample some things like playdough and paint (probably because they resemble food and well, they're not really age-appropriate). He still loves to eat, occasionally throws his food, and knows either words/signs to say "hungry," "more," and "all done." He also knows words for his routine... diaper, shoes, snack, pjs, and teeth.

He's adding lots of new words to his little vocabulary, and we're starting that fun parrot stage, too. Some of his favorite words (and things) are "bah" for ball and "dah" for dog. He calls his pacifier "that" because I think I say, "Oh, you want that?" when he points to it. He says "yay!" when he's happy and "ohhh" when he's concerned. Like I said, my passionate child.

Perhaps Seth should've been born walking because he seems to be a happier kid now that he can get around. He LOVES going outside and exploring. He walked around the neighborhood (about 3 blocks) with Ian and me the other night... just blowing and going! And because he's so active when he's up and around, he also crashes pretty hard. He usually naps for 2-3 hours in the afternoon and sleeps about 12-13 hours straight at night.

He's recently added the desire/need to be rocked a little at bedtime. I think he needs this to wind down since he IS so busy during the day and RIGHT up until bedtime (usually because Ian is still up and doing stuff). I don't mind this one bit... I don't rock him to sleep, just enough to sing his little song (You Are My Sunshine) for a few rounds, stroke his hair, and watch him smile at me from behind that darn pacifier. The other night he said "wuv oo" for "love you" when I laid him down! So sweet!

Seth loves chasing his big brother, jumping on the bed, and playing peek-a-boo with him. He's starting to fuss and fight back a bit, too, so the brother relationship continues to develop. Seth is also still a hard core mama's boy... he'll be visiting his Grandma and Grandpa for several days in October, so I really hope that goes well.

Seth has a mouth full of teeth (we're done until 2-yr-molars) and a head full of hair (no haircut, yet). He's doing really well at "school," and I adore his teacher. She always says he is "so easy going." Um, are you talking about my passionate child? Well, he does rarely fuss at drop-off (like the other kids do), and he takes good naps there (like the other kids don't) so that's good news.

I will leave you with some cute pictures of my silly boy. Oh... and stay tuned for the exciting conclusion to our recent Mod Podge madness!

MPM: Preparation

True, this particular session of Mod Podge Mondays actually occurred over the weekend. I have been thinking about this one for a while, but figured I may just need to have John around to call upon in an emergency a pinch. So, I'll post about this one in stages and let you decide whether or not I'm just plain crazy!

Bins of water... for intermittent cleanup!

Remember this stuff? Yeah, an absolute necessity.

Barricades... to keep that crazy lil' brother contained

A bath ready to go in a time of need...

Oh yes, you had to know paint was involved!

Our Monday plans involve a playdate at the park and a possible trip to the pediatrician. However, I'll be sure to keep you updated on what happened next... unless you want to take a guess!

The Blackfoot Tribe

Members of the Blackfoot Tribe have recently been spotted around here. The hot summer months had forced them into hibernation, but the first signs of fall have brought them back out into the open.

You can also tell a Blackfoot native by his pink cheeks, sweaty hair, and outdoorsy smell. Blackfoots spend a lot of time outside, so they often need adequate rehydration and ritualistic bathing.

The Blackfoots are wild at heart, can be temperamental at times, but will generally respond to love and affection... and the offering of food. When you spot one, you may be able to make eye contact for a brief moment before he is off running in the opposite direction.

You Know You Live With Boys When...

Dinosaurs greet you at the door

Random car parts live in your closet

Original song lyrics make reference to dragons

The couch becomes a trampoline

 

Spiderman often makes an appearance...

...and superheroes come in all sizes

Bus wrecks occur in the bathtub...

...or on the bed

Cartoons require a fresh perspective

The crib doubles as a jungle gym

Bed jumping sessions are a daily occurrence

Night time usually means game time

An entire toy bin is devoted to balls

The "man cave" provides a second home

ANYTHING can be refashioned into a gun

Those random car parts ultimately find their rightful place

Pillows and blankets come in shades of blue

All of the above can happen in just a day's time

OWT Disorder

OWT stands for "Obsessed With Themes," and if there were such a thing, I would most certainly be diagnosed with it. At this time, there is no known cure.

Symptom: The rooms of one's dwelling place typically have a theme.
Case Study: Let's see... my living room is done in maps/travel, the boys' rooms are transportation, their bathroom is animals, and my room has pictures/paintings of doors.

Symptom: A person with OWT enjoys throwing parties simply because themes can be easily applied.
Case Study: Not only did I go all out for the kids' birthdays this year (and my own), I already have themes, activities, and decor in mind for next year.

Symptom: If there is no reason to have a themed party, the OWT patient creates a reason and then plans accordingly.
Case Study: I host monthly brunch playdates that always have a theme... Donuts-n-Dinosaurs, Muffins-n-Monsters, etc. which involve food around the theme, of course, along with decorations, crafts, and take-home goodies.

Symptom: A person with OWT loves holidays which typically carry their own theme. However, since big ones like Christmas and Halloween can be so broad, the OWT will likely narrow down the theme in order to promote simplicity and cohesiveness.
Case Study: My Halloween party theme will be spiders. My Christmas decor is all gold. Yes, colors can constitute a theme.

Symptom: The OWT also attaches readily to very random holidays since a theme can be easily incorporated. This also helps close the gap in between the bigger holidays, which feeds the OWT's need for themes.
Case Study: See previous post about Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Symptom: The OWT only shops with ease at stores that are clearly laid out by theme. Thankfully, grocery shopping rarely poses a problem, but any kind of resale shopping or bargain hunting can cause anxiety for the OWT.
Case Study: I cannot do Marshalls, Ross, or TJ Maxx unless the need is absolutely dire. Also, consignment stores (which are generally pretty organized, actually) and garage sales do not appeal to me.

Symptom: The OWT is not a reckless spender, however, one usually needs a benefactor to fund the affinity to throw parties and only shop at specialized retailers.
Case Study: Thanks, John. I love you!

Arrrh, thar be no craft today!

Ahoy me hearties... thar be no craftin' 'round these parts today. Me mini-mateys and me be jumpin' ship this morn' to visit a wee lass and her beaut of a mother. Yo-ho-ho, me scallywags had a grand ole time, aye... 'twas a long day at sea, and thar be no time fer ruckas, lest they walk th' plank fer their scurvy deeds!

Did ye be knowin' 'tis Talk Like a Pirate Day?

Shiver me timbers, that's a hard gig to keep up. I even enlisted the help of an online "pirate translator" along with a pirate vocabulary list. The fact that such things exist online makes you wonder what on EARTH did we do before we had internet? If ye be needin' these tools yerself, then jus' "google it," ye landlubbers! You can also google the origin of TLAP Day since I am too lazy to post the links here.

So, in case you didn't quite catch the gist of what I was saying in pirate speak, we didn't do our Mod Podge Monday craft today... although if we HAD, I could almost guarantee it would've been pirate-themed. Since we had such a busy day, though, I didn't even think about this random "holiday" until I sat down to settle in for the evening, otherwise I'm sure Ian and I could've had some fun with it.

Today I met a friend and her daughter halfway between our city and theirs (which meant a 1.5 hour drive for both of us). It was great to see Lindsey and catch up on life since we saw each other last while expressing the joys and trials of motherhood. If you don't already follow her blog, you should, even if you don't know her. She is an incredibly gifted writer... she really could be one of those famous blogs in the way that she writes with such authenticity, wit, and eloquence.

So we met at a park, watched the kids play, took a train ride, ate lunch at a local hot spot, and topped off the outing with yummy frozen yogurt. As expected, the boys slept in the car on the way home and were somewhat difficult to manage as they got increasingly tired this evening (hence the "scurvy deeds" comment above). THIS tired mama was about to walk the plank herself, not to mention that a lovely migraine had set in on the drive home. So, obviously there is no craft to post about today, but perhaps when the boys are older, we can celebrate TLAP Day by making our own pirate maps!

I be signin' off now, me buckos!

The Neverending Laundry Saga

My sis-in-law posted something on Facebook the other day that made me laugh. "Dusted and vacuumed today! And I don't even have company coming!" While Lydia and I keep house a little differently, I can totally relate to this statement. But for me, it's with laundry. When company is coming, I have to tackle this chore, otherwise there would be no towels in the guest bathroom. I feel like the neverending, mountainous piles of laundry are everywhere!

Do you ever eat a huge meal and are so full that you think you might never be hungry again? But we always have to eat again. Such is the case with laundry... clothes and linens always get dirty, and we always need them again. Although sometimes I am tempted to just go buy new ones instead of washing the dirty ones... ha!

I'm actually pretty good at keeping things straight around my house. I do dishes regularly and don't let them pile up in the sink too often. I wipe down surfaces and vacuum as needed. We have a nightly ritual of cleaning up toys, and you can usually find me trailing the boys after playtime during the day trying to straighten things up here and there. (I suppose I should interject that I am spoiled, er, I mean, blessed by a cleaning service to take care of the nitty gritty. Yes, I know, why am I even complaining?)

Regardless, I totally lose my composure with laundry. I just can't get a good system going. I know people have different methods... wash a little here and there, wash certain clothes on certain days, etc. For me, it's always a MARATHON. Do about 10 loads in one day... and then let them sit somewhere for a few more days. My favorite place to store clean laundry is in the dryer. The last load of the day usually stays in there until it's time to wash again OR I've actually used everything that was in there! I can't even tell you how many times I run the dryer on "refresh" mode with full intentions of taking the clothes out only to FORGET them again.

I'm not sure why laundry gets the better of me... I guess because I try so hard to keep everything else in its place, that something has to give? Perhaps it's because laundry baskets are placed strategically throughout my house, so not only are there plenty of places to store dirty clothes out-of-sight, out-of-mind, but I also can't gauge how much is really there until I get it all going... and then I just feel overwhelmed by the task. And since the laundry room is closed off, YOU don't see my secret stashes. I think the bottom line is: I don't like folding and putting away. (I actually do OK with the gathering and washing part.)

So that's it... my confession. I have no solution. I'm not looking to change. I'm certainly capable of managing laundry, but simply choose not to. When the need is dire, it gets done. My guests WILL have clean towels, and my kids won't have to go commando. But I might be pulling Ian's underwear out of the dryer on our way out the door!

MPM: Alphabet Automobile

OK, my confession is that we didn't actually do this craft today. I was out of town for most of the day on business. Doesn't that sound professional of me? On business.

My initial plan was just to skip this week, but over the weekend I found myself floundering a bit with what to do with the kids, so crafting was a good low-key activity. (I was feeling a little under the weather, and John was busy working on his car. And if you don't think this counts as "low key," just wait until you see what I have planned for next week.)

We did this craft in stages... the first was cutting letters out of magazines.

Why stages? Well, someone was teething...

Or shall I say was, is, and forever teething. No, actually, this is his last one-year molar, so we should be good for a while. Big ole nasty teeth!

Next we put glue on a little wooden car that I found for $1.50 on clearance at Hobby Lobby. Score!

Later we mod podged over the letters, but I didn't get any photos of that part. This guy's pretty cute, huh? We'll have to find a place to hang this in Ian's room.

9-10-11

Kind of a cool date, huh? I know someone who got married today, taking advantage of having a notable anniversary date. Man, that would be a good birthdate, too... I'd love to be able to just rattle that one off at the pediatrician's office when they ask me the kid's birthdate, and I try to decipher with my dilapidated mom-brain which kid they're actually talking about while trying to keep one kid from jumping off the chairs while hushing the fussy one and keeping an eye out for the coughing kid in the corner, hoping she doesn't interact with mine, and oh, they've finally called our name, but now my kid says he has to go potty, and come to think of it, I'm glad nobody was born on 9-10-11 because that would mean I'd have a NEWBORN to add to this craziness and well... I digress.

9-10-11 is a Saturday... and ours was pretty uneventful. I mean, Seth was fussy, I'm feeling sick, John worked on his car, and Ian pestered his brother for most of the day. (Clearly mom-brain has got me again... I can't even use consistent verb tenses in the same sentence. I guess I'll blame that one on the sinus-headache, medicine-induced fog I'm in right now.) OK, so we did have a couple pleasant moments of the day, and I actually took videos of them. Total screen time is 132 seconds, and I think that about sums up the total time of brotherhood nicety that occurred today. (Phew, at least I can still do simple math.)

In this first video, I would like to point out that when I took a kiddie pool video at the beginning of the summer, Seth was barely able to stand. Now look at him!

The Neverending Sleep Saga

When we were in college, we would have the occasional need or even desire to stay up all night long. However, there was usually the hope of coming home after class (after handing in the paper or taking the test that had kept us up the night before) and crashing. Even if the day's schedule didn't allow for that, we could probably count on the opportunity to sleep in until noon the following Saturday.

It might be safe to say that I have not had a full night's sleep on any consistent basis for the past four years (since my pregnancy with Ian). I sometimes wonder why I could manage those sleepless nights while in college, but can't seem to tolerate them well now. Am I getting old? Well, I suppose that's part of it, but I think lack of sleep can have a cumulative effect. (There is such a thing as sleep torture, you know.)

In all honesty, we are at a better stage now than we have been in a long time. Seth sleeps through the night on most nights... he may wake up once in the night once during the week, and that's usually related to illness or teething. Ian is actually on a good streak, too. He'll occasionally get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and for some reason, he insists on having help with this process. (He's been potty trained for a year now, and can definitely handle things on his own... but apparently only in the daytime.)

Even though we are all sleeping better these days, I still feel tired all the time. Perhaps it's because these restless sleepers in my house also have relentless energy when they're not sleeping. Perhaps since I haven't had decent sleep in four years, I need four years worth of sleep to make up for it. Or perhaps it's just parenting... the part that people never warn you about or even if they tell you what to expect, there's nothing quite like feeling it for yourself. Sweet sleep, I will never take you for granted again.

Yawn. I think I'll go to bed now.

MPM: Taking Labor Day Off

We didn't do a craft today because we rolled into town around 3 p.m. from our weekend travels visiting family. Shortly thereafter, Ian went to his first gymnastics class at the new gym, and now we're settling in for the evening and gearing up for a busy week ahead. BUT, I do have MPM updates for you... I can now post our projects from the past two weeks that I wanted to keep secret until we gave them away as gifts!

Two weeks ago, we made t-shirts for our cousins.

This kid really loves to paint.

Ian's shirt for Caleb

Seth's shirt for James

One thing I've learned is that when the paint comes out, our crafts usually evolve as we are doing them. In other words, what else can we cover with paint besides ourselves? In this case, I had put the paint on paper plates, and there was no sense wasting what was left. I instructed Ian to paint the entirety of the plate, and then we stuck some fun fuzzy craft balls on there.

So then the next week, we busted out the paint yet again. This time we were making picture frames out of popsicle sticks.

First we painted the popsicle sticks.

This is practice for gluing. Hmm...

More supervised gluing gave us these.

Add magnets to the back and voila!

We made several of these to give to Ian's gymnastics teacher and some family members (with a picture of the brothers in it). And since the paint was already out, we had a grand time with it. Thankfully this time it was washable finger paint and not fabric paint, so cleanup was easy. Seth enjoyed it, too!

Two Year's Time

Just about two years ago...

We took a fun family vacation to the beach. In this picture, Ian is a little older than Seth is now. And my nephew Caleb is about 8 months old in this picture, and now he is talking in full sentences... scratch that, full paragraphs!

Shortly after the beach trip, we moved to a different city when John took a new job. Shortly after this shot was snapped, I announced to John the results of a certain test I had taken that morning. Nine months later we would welcome Seth into our family.

So, two years later we now have these little monkeys added to the bunch... Seth Evan and James Elliot.

I'm excited about getting the crew back together again for this guy's first birthday. It may not be a beach vacation, but maybe we'll see something in small-town Arkansas this weekend. Happy Labor Day, y'all!