Kids' Bedrooms

As I organized my kids’ rooms I tried to keep things simple. This way they will be able to easily understand the organizational method and put things away where they belong (I’m not holding my breath on this one, but hey a girl can hope, right?).

In B’s room the biggest challenge is his toy shelf. It’s tall therefore, difficult for him to reach some of the spots. I put games and puzzles on the top self because these are items that are usually played with an adult who is able to reach the shelf. I was also thinking they would be less likely to be knocked over and loosing pieces would be avoided.

I put labels so he would know where items belong. He’s in Kindergarten, he can read them.

The problem with his reading area was that books were all over the place, despite the fact that he had a book shelf. He would take a book out and just shove it anywhere, causing there to be a lot of books on one shelf and a few books on another shelf.

I put all of his holiday books on one shelf. Small books were put on the middle and all other books on the bottom.

Now onto G’s room. Organizing his room was a little more of a challenge because, well, he’s 3 and doesn’t pay attention to detail as well as B does. My point is I had to really pull out my creative thinking for this kid’s room!

Rather than using labels with words in his room I used pictures. He is a very visual kind of kiddo. So far he has really been into the picture labels on his toy boxes. He’s done a great job of putting things where they belong. I love to listen to him cleaning up. He will say “Let’s look at the outside of the box so we know where things go!”

I also used picture labels in his drawers. You’re probably thinking I’m crazy because my kids put their own laundry away, but hey I figure they have to learn sometime, right?

His former reading area was rather spread out. I moved his chair and his book shelf to another area so they would be closer together. G thinks it’s cool behind his door. He calls it his reading hiding spot!

Birthday Traditions

My husband and I have tried to establish special birthday traditions with our family.  We really like to spend our child’s actual day of birth with just ‘our’ family, those whom live in our home.  On this actual day of their birth we began one of my favorite traditions.  We take them to Build-A-Bear Workshop on their first birthdays.  They chose (Well we helped them to choose, let’s face it, is a 1 year old actually able to provide a lot of input on selection?) an animal and clothes for the animal.  Each year we go back to Build-A-Bear on their birthdays to select a new outfit for the animal that was built on their first birthday.  After the building or dressing is completed the birthday child selects where we shall dine for the evening.  The evening is topped off with cake and presents at
home.

Brent, B, and Happie on B's 2nd
birthday.

B with his Bear Happie on
his 1st birthday.

B and Happie, 4 years old.

B and Happie, 5 years old.

B and Happie, 6 years old.

G and his bear, Gator on his 1st birthday.

G and Gator age 2.

G and Gator age 3.

We do also have a birthday party that we invite family and friends to attend.  I have seen Blogs and Websites dedicated to children’s birthday parties.  Many ideas and suggestions are provided on these the sites.  People have displayed BEAUTIFUL parties with wonderful decor, activities, food,

etc. . . .  In all honesty these parties would put my parties to shame.  At times I am embarrassed and almost sad that I am not able to provide my children with such a lavish event.  Then reality sets in, first of all, these parties are not thrown by people like me.  I am a Mommy who lives in the mid-west with 3 children.  It is not financially practical to put on this type of an event!  Um, I think NOT!  I often wonder who those parties really for?  Do the kids actually know the difference between those parties and say a ‘typical’ party?  Most likely they do not. 

I am here to share my ideas.  I am not claiming that they are the best in any way, shape, or form.  My children have enjoyed their parties, this is the purpose.  Our guests have also enjoyed attending the parties, which I appreciate.   I have enjoyed putting forth the effort to create a special celebration for our children and I am proud of my accomplishments.  I would also like to add that as our children have gotten older they have provided more input to their party.  I love having their input.  I feel that this allows them to take ownership of the party and to make it their own.  It also gives my child and I the opportunity to spend some quality time together creating. 

 We begin the party planning process by asking our children to select the theme of their party.  After the theme has been selected I try to step up with my Mommy magic and create invitations along with matching thank you notes to coordinate with the theme.  I also make a coordinating cake and attempt to plan theme oriented activities.  I am sharing ideas (Under the Birthday Party Tab) that I have used for my 6 year old and 3 year old sons’ birthdays.  My daughter was just born in December 2011.  I will add her parties when they occur!

I would love to learn about birthday traditions that you have with your family.  Please share them!

2/28/12

3 Year Old Buzz Lightyear Party

My oldest son loves the Toy Story movies so much that he has had a total of 4 Toy Story themed birthday parties! I tried to make each of his 4 parties special in a new way. He selected a specific focus from the movies for each of his parties. After he chose a focus I created invitations along with matching Thank you notes for the parties. I also made a cake and came up with kid friendly activities to match the theme selection. I must be honest, by the time the 4^th party rolled around I really felt as if my creativity was being pushed to its limits!

For his 3^rd birthday he chose to focus on a Buzz Lightyear theme. At the time of his party Toy Story had not been re-released so I had a difficult time finding Toy Story items to use for his party.

Invitation

I used lime green and purple card stock to create his invitation. I also used a rocket ship stamp that I was able to find. I used for it the outside of the invitation along with some silver and black striped scrapbook paper.

Thank You Notes

I used the same paper from the invitations to create the Thank You Notes. I always like to include a picture of the birthday boy at his party on the Thank You Notes. I have wallet size pictures made at Sam’s Club and they are inexpensive.

Email me at uniquelyerinnicole@gmail.comif you are interested in purchasing invitations.

Cake

For his cake I made a rocket ship. To create the rocket ship I used the Pampered Chef Classic Batter Bowl to bake the cake in.

A clear punch cup, Buzz Lightyear action figure, and 4 sugar cones were used to decorate the outside of the cake.

Activities

I mentioned previously that this was my son’s 3^rd birthday party. Due to his age he only had 1 friend at his party so we didn’t have multiple theme related activities to coordinate with the party that year. The kids used English Muffins to make ‘moon pizzas’. We used the English Muffins because they have holes in them that look like the craters on the moon and because my son liked to make his own meals.

What you will need:

English Muffins

Pizza Sauce

Cheese

Pepperoni (any other toppings that you like on pizza)

Putting it together:

Spread pizza sauce on top of English Muffin. Sprinkle cheese over the pizza sauce. Finish with toppings such as pepperoni. These steps are easy enough for a 3 year old to complete with little to no adult assistance. Finally bake the pizzas in the oven for 15-20 minutes on 350 or until cheese is melted. I like to turn the oven to broil and let them cook 2 minutes longer so that the cheese is golden brown and slightly crunchy. You have to be careful when doing this because they can quickly burn under the broiler.

Public Displays of . . . The Ugly Side

On Saturday we surprised our kiddos with a trip to The Children’s Museum.  We haven’t been there in a while.  We have a yearly pass and we like to make sure we get our money’s worth out of it.  Having the pass allows us to visit for an hour or two and come back another day.  We don’t feel as if we need to see every aspect of the museum because we can just come back another day.  The museum is a great child friendly place to visit.  They offer activities, with both gross and fine motor skills, for kids of all ages along with a variety of interests.

 Our typical plan of attack is to allow B to choose one area that he would like to visit and G is allowed to select an area as well.  Depending upon the amount of time we want to spend we may even find one area for them to come to a consensus on and visit that area as well.  We end most visits with a ride on the Merry –Go-Round.  One of the perks of being a member is getting free Merry-Go-Round rides.

B and G digging for fossils!

 Over all we had a super visit, this time that is.  Everyone was happy with where we visited and the amount of time spent in each area.  Before heading to the Merry-Go-Round we explained that this would be the last hurrah for the day (we find that our kids tend to handle changes better when they are given a sequence of events in advance).  As we departed the museum for the day we encountered a family whose leaving luck was not going as well as ours.

 My heart went out to this poor mother as we headed to our car.  Let’s face it, we have all been there!  It is one of the most horrific feelings . . . here you are out in public and your wonderful child thinks this is the perfect time to show his/her ugly side!  It is one of the truest tests of a parent’s patience.  She was handling the situation like a pro; she maintained her cool, and a calm but firm voice she simply explained to her child that the crying needed to stop and that it was time to go.  My blood began to bubble when Looky-Lous (not a real word, so I’m not positive on the ‘correct’ spelling) groups passed her and gave her the ‘How could you allow your child to behave this way in public?!’ look.  I really wanted to approach the lookers and say:

 “Come on, like you’ve never been there?  It’s not like she said to her child ‘can you please scream at the top of your lungs and draw massive attention to us?’.  Would you like someone looking at you and criticizing with their eyes?  Also, she’s not screaming, beating, and berating her child (like I have seen some parents do).  Oh and by the way since you’re parent of the year how about you step in and show us all a thing or two?!”

                          

By no means do I claim to be a pro when it comes to this parenting thing, but Brent and I have found a few tricks that proven to be successful with our kids.  I would also like to add that despite the fact that both B and G came from the same parents they both have VERY different personalities and what works with one doesn’t always work with the other (imagine that).

G (my 3 year old) is much more, how would you say well . . . high maintenance than B.   He is not affected by other around him.  He says what he thinks no matter where he is, at home or in public.  When his ugliness comes out (Brent and I fondly refer to him as Grouchy G at that point, aren’t we nice?) he is LOUD and there is absolutely no calming him down until he is ready to calm himself down.  A trick we have found to be helpful with him is to simply say “Do we need to go wait outside?” as he is beginning to become agitated.  9 times out of 10 this is all that needs to be said for him to regain his composure.  Now on the off chance that he is feeling extra grouchy and the unwanted behavior continues, well either Brent or I will remove him from the area.  When outside with him I make sure he is safe (not running around a parking lot) and let him get the fit out of his system.  I do tell him that we will not go back in until he calms down.  When he does eventually calm down (sometimes it feels as if this process takes HOURS) we talk about why he was upset.  I try to find the appropriate words to help him express his frustration in a calm fashion rather than erupting like a volcano.   He then apologizes and states what he did that was not appropriate and finally, we return to the prior activity.

 As for Mr. B (my 6 year old), he tends to be more laid back than G.  For the most part he is very go with the flow and is a big Mommy pleaser!  Most of the time the Mommy look is enough to snap him into shape!  Last year at preschool his teachers told me that when he got out of hand (apparently this didn’t happen very often, so I’m glad to know that) they would simply say, “You need to stop or we’re going to have to call Mommy."  When he gets out of hand it’s typically because he’s bored.  Redirecting his attention and occupying his mind and energy help to down play his misbehavior.  For example if he begins picking on G when we are the store I encourage him to look for as many triangles as he can find and count them.  I have also gone down book isle and allowed him to select a book to read (if by chance we didn’t bring something from home).

I’m sure as Baby M grows up she will bring yet another diverse personality into our mix and we will be searching for tricks that work with her. 

What strategies do you use to help your children behave appropriately in public?

Sunday = Nail Painting Day

             I’m really not sure when I began the routine (most likely when I began teaching), but for one reason or another I have always put new nail polish on my nails on Sunday night.  I do my nails as I work on my lesson plans for the week after the upcoming week.  I cannot stand to just sit around doing nothing and waiting for my nails to dry (some days I think I may most likely have ADHD, I just can’t sit still).  Doing my lesson plans in between polish coats allows me to kill two birds with one stone.

           

                This week I included Baby M in on the routine.  Although, I worked on my Blog rather than lesson plans this week because I am not back to work yet.  I just love being able to share and do girly things with her.  After having 2 little boys (who are ABSOLUTELY the light of my life) it seems so surreal to have someone to share the pleasures of being a girl with.   Please don’t get me wrong I enjoy spending time with my boys and we do many fun activities together.  It’s just nice to have someone on my team J

Today we used Ruby Sequin

                Today is not the first time Baby M has had her nails painted.  I first painted her nails when she was just 2 days old.  My husband found it absolutely hilarious that I did this! 

Just 2 days old having her nails painted for the first time!

                She also just had to have festive Christmas nails around the holidays!  Painting nails is just one of the many fun activities I will share with my daughter as she grows.  I’m looking forward to the day when she is able to select her own colors!

Christmas nails . . . doesn't this just put you in the holiday spirit?

                What activities do you enjoy doing with your children?

Jewelery Organizing

Jewelry Organizing

I used to keep my jewelry in this pretty little thing. It sat on top of my vanity, where I sit to get ready in the morning.

I was having 2 problems with it.

1) I couldn't easily find my jewelry (Let's face it, I don't have time for that in the morning!)

2) It was one more thing to dust (Again, something I don't have time for!)

I found this at Meijer in the scrapbooking section.

There are small compartments to fit different pairs of earrings in. I am able to quickly and easily locate just want I am looking for. On the front there are 2 sliding locks so that the lid doesn't just flip open. My jewelery is safe in side!

I have a total of 4 boxes. They fit in a drawer in my vanity.Now my dusting has been simplified! What more could I ask for?I’m a happy girl J

"Fix it Mommy!"

                 Earlier this week I picked my 3 and 6 year old sons up from preschool and Kindergarten (they are in the same building).  When we got home from school my 3 year old, G said “Mommy, my ears aren’t hearing very well because they are all cloudy.”  Over the weekend he had been a little sniffly.  I thought that maybe his ears were plugged due to this. 

                After about a half an hour I noticed that his ear lobes were bright red.  They also felt warm to the touch.  Neither of my kids have ever had this occur before.  I thought it was time to call the doctor.  I am not one who usually jumps at calling the doctor for every abnormal symptom my children have.  For some reason this time it just seemed necessary.  I think partially because in the back of my mind I was thinking that he may have an ear infection.  I had a terrible ear infection in college.  I went through 3 rounds on antibiotics along with ear drops.  It was one of the most painful experiences I have ever had.  If this was what was going on with him I just wanted to get it taken care of as soon as possible and get him feeling better.

                I explained my son’s symptoms to the receptionist.  She told me to keep an eye on him, but there was nothing that could be done at this point.  I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the tone of her voice.  She wasn’t blatantly rude, but she wasn’t friendly either.  It was almost as if she were calling me an idiot for being concerned over warm, discolored ear lobes.  In all fairness I’m sure she gets several silly phone calls on a daily basis.  Needless to say, I was slightly annoyed when I hung the phone up.

                By the time my husband, Brent, got home from work G was beginning to decline in spirits.  I explained G’s symptoms and told him that I had phoned the doctor.  After I finished the explanation Baby M needed to be fed.  I took her up stairs to feed her.  Meanwhile, my hubby was preparing dinner and entertaining both B and G.  In hopes of helping to make G feel better Brent was making the dinner G selected, pizza.  I had no sooner finished feeding Baby M when I could hear quite a bit of commotion coming from downstairs.  Brent entered our bedroom and informed me that G’s was pretty much in a downward spiral at this point and that he was crying uncontrollably about his ears hurting.  Brent was immediately followed by G, who was absolutely pitiful!

                Of course as luck would have it, it was 6:45.  The doctor’s office was closed.  Brent and I discussed what to do to help the obvious pain G was in.  We concluded that going to The Minute Clinic at CVS may be faster than going to the ER.  I looked at the CVS web page to see if they were able to do anything for an earache.  Upon looking at the page I saw that the clinic closed at 7:00.  I also noticed that there was not a Minute Clinic located in the CVS that is literally 5 minutes from our house, so I would need to take him to one that is further away.  Brent and I quickly got G ready and in the car and I drove, well flew actually, us to CVS. 

                G and I hurried into CVS (I’m sure we were quite the sight to look at) and to the clinic, which is at the back of the store (of course).  We were informed that the clinic was closed.  Feeling like a total failure I carried G back out to the car and decided to take him to immediate care.  As I was pulling out of the parking lot I noticed the Walgreens across the street.  Outside of the building it advertised at Take Care clinic.  I drove us to Walgreens and rushed inside, once again. 

                This time we were greeted by someone who appeared to be a medical technician (I’m not positive about this, but I’ll refer to her as Tech Lady).  I explained that I had not been to the clinic before and needed help with the process.  I also explained what G’s symptoms were.  Tech Lady (who was very nice and I’m sure just doing her job) says “Well I’m not sure if they are taking anyone else, did you make an appointment?”

                                ~Did I make an appointment?!  Lady I just told you I have not been here

                              before and I don’t know what to do, NO I DID NOT MAKE AN APPOINTMENT!~

Tech Lady explained that in the future I could make an appointment on line (Thank you for the information Lady, but please just help my son).  She went to find out if someone was able to see G.  She returned and told me that they would see him and helped me with the sign in process. Tech Lady also asked for my insurance card (which I expected) and took G to get his vitals while I continued filling out information.  Another person came out (this was the person who would later actually ‘diagnose’ G, she will be referred to as Nurse) and informed me that they did not accept our insurance because it was based out of Massachusetts (I have never come across this problem before).  Nurse proceeded to ask me if I still wanted to have G seen. 

                          
                           ~Again, I'm fully aware that she was just doing her job, but
                             SERIOUSLY!?  My son is standing her CRYING because his
                             ears hurt so badly and you'reasking me if I still want him to be
                             seen?  YES, YES, I do!  Please help him to feel better.~

                               

After I finished jumping through all of the paper work hoops they took us into a room to take a look at G.  Nurse took his temperature, it’s 99.8.  She went to her computer as if she’s going to enter some information and then said, “I’ll look in his ears first before I do this.  That way if he doesn’t really have an ear infection I don’t have to charge you so much” (I really appreciated her doing this).  Nurse took a look in G’s ears and commented that they were very red.  She then looked down his throat and mentioned that it was red as well, but she doesn’t want to put him through a Strep test because the same antibiotic is used to treat ear infections and Strep. 

                After the diagnosis was confirmed we waited to have the prescription filled.  While we were waiting G complained that he felt as if he were going to throw up.  There he was doubled over holding his stomach at Walgreens.  I asked the pharmacist if there were a bathroom I could take him to.  The pharmacist handed me a small trash can.  I placed the trash can in front of G, who hung his head over it and removed his glasses (for the record he never did get sick).  At this point I am feeling helpless.  All I want to do is fix this situation for my baby.  After all that’s what I am supposed to do as his Mommy, right?  The help I am able to get for my son is completely at the mercy of these people at Walgreens and they seem to be more wrapped up in making sure the paper work has been completed accurately than tending to the needs of G.  By no means do I expect anyone to hand anything to me or to do things for me, but let’s be realistic here.  I am upset because it seems as if society has become so wrapped up in ‘completing the form’ and ‘getting paid’ that it appears as if we have over looked basic human needs.  For goodness sakes people, we are talking about a 3 YEAR OLD who is in need!

                We got his medicine and were on our way home.  When I got home and explained the insurance debacle to Brent and he was . . . well let’s just say extremely upset, about the situation.  The next morning Brent called the insurance company and explained the previous night’s events.  The insurance company informed him that there is a phone number on the back of the card.  The people at Walgreens just needed to call the number to find out about coverage.  Brent was told to send the receipt in to have the claim adjusted.  How completely frustrating!  The bottom line here is that G finally got what he needed and is doing well.  I am disheartened with the process in which we were required to take in order to have his needs met.

Couponing Adventures Week #6

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

The Adventure this week started out kind of stinky! I sat down on Sunday to go through the coupons and ads from the paper and sadly learned that my coupons were missing! What’s up with that?! I only purchase the darn paper to get coupons and they were not included this week? Needless to say, I was super BUMMED! Despite the fact that a small hitch was thrown into my routine, I still managed to pick myself up and carry on with business as usual.

I have established the following Couponing ‘Pattern’ for myself. On Sunday, I clip the coupons that come with the Sunday paper. I add them to my computer data base and file them in envelopes by expiration date. Next, I look through the new ads that come out on Sunday (These usually consist of Target, Walgreens, and CVS). I look at the ads near my computer (When I come across items my family uses I am able to quickly check my coupon data base for a coupon that matches with the item). If I find a matching coupon I circle the item in the ad (I circle the items so I am able to quickly locate it should I need to while shopping) and get the coupon out of its envelope.

I also create a written list of items to purchase from each store (This helps to keep me on track and remember exactly what I am purchasing from each place). On my list I write the store name, the item to be purchased, the sale price, the coupon value, and the item price after applying the coupon. At the bottom I figure an estimated total of what I will spend at the store.

After going through an ad I put my list along with the coupons to be used in my small coupon file.

I keep individual store cards (Like CVS and Marsh) in this file as well (This way everything is together).

The Meijer ad is usually emailed to me on Wednesday. While browsing the ad on line I am able to create a shopping list by clicking on the item (I like to do this because I am able to simply print the list out after creating it and add my coupons to it rather than writing everything!) I add the list and coupons to my small coupon file behind the Meijer tab.

Marsh updates their ads on Thursday (along with Meijer and Kroger). They come in the mail. I scope out the Marsh deals, match my coupons, and create my list on Thursday. Thursday is also my shopping day. It seems to be less busy so I am able to get in and out of the stores more quickly and the selection isn’t depleted. Also, I have eliminated a ‘chore’ from my weekend list of things to do. I have to add the disclaimer here that I have been able to do all of this couponing stuff (searching for coupons, creating lists, and shopping) while home on maternity leave. I fully intend on maintaining this routine once I return to work, but I am also keeping in mind that the schedule may have to be altered (I really hope it doesn’t , but I’m also trying to be realistic).

CVS Savings: $20.44

Marsh Savings: $13.56

Meijer Savings: $26.29

Target Savings: $19.54

Total Saving (all 4 stores): $79.83 Total Spent (all 4 stores): $153.64

What I learned:

1. Coupons are not always included in the Sunday paper

2. If you bring your own bags to CVS you can purchase a Green Bag Tag for $1.00. You earn .25 each time you use the bag. So the tag pays for its self in 4 trips. You earn money after that!

Master Bedroom Organizing

2/22/12

Master Bedroom

In preparation for our new addition we needed to make our guest bedroom a nursery. This meant we needed to combine our guest bedroom with the playroom. The room was big enough, we just needed to rearrange things, get rid of items that the kids didn’t play with or out grew, and organize.

Part of this ‘clean up’ included moving a few items to new spots. Between my husband and I, we had accumulated quite the collection of VHS movies. We didn’t want to get rid of them despite the fact that we only own 1 VCR that works accurately. The working VCR is housed in our bedroom.

We thought it made the most sense to move the VHS movies from the play room to our room. We purchased bins that matched our room from Meijer to store them in on a shelf that was already in the room.

I really liked the way the binslooked on the bottom shelf so I purchased 2 more bins to put books and CDs in.