Friday fun

It is partly cloudy and super windy today. We got outside before it rains. Bode and Gianna rode their bikes while I strolled Nico.  Then, we filled the bird feeder, made bird food, had some bubble fun, and worked on the soon-to-be garden.  We also went to the grocery store and the pet food store.  It is easy to get a lot done in the morning when your morning starts at 5:33 AM!

Yes, she is wearing this shirt again. Hearts + pink = Gianna fav.

I think Aunt Dawnie and Aunt Melinda both suggested this bird feeder idea this winter. Even though it is now warmer, maybe the birds will still appreciate the effort!  We took a paper towel roll and cut it in half. Then I spread peanut butter all over the two tubes.  Bode and Gianna rolled the peanut butter tubes in bird seed.  I strung the tubes on ribbon and we hung them on branches.  (We originally hung them low, and I went back and hung them on higher branches.)

Don't worry,  we won't be eating peanut butter-bird seed sandwiches. That was the last of that peanut butter!

While I was working on our little garden plot with Bode and Gianna, Nico sat on the rug. I put two pin wheels in front of Nico for entertainment. He scooted close and tried to grab them.  It's so fun and easy to entertain him right now!

Happy weekend.

xo

Sunshine on my shoulders

I hate to be dramatic, but today was probably one of the best days I've had in a long, long time.  The weather was warm and sunny.  The sun helped a lot.  Getting outside with the monkeys helped a ton.  We spent all morning outside, took a midday nap break, and then all afternoon outside.  It was so great. 

I love being outdoors.  We are usually outside in all kinds of weather.  I never want my children to look at rain, snow or other less "ideal" conditions as a reason not to go outside.  I love how the Swedes  (?) believe that there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear.   

Alas, with the new baby, I  stayed indoors a lot this winter - despite having good gear for the babe. I just didn't like that Nico couldn't tell me if it was too cold, if he was too  hot, if his eyes/ears/toes were frozen, etc.  It's so hard to tell with a wee babe what he is experiencing.  So I played it safe. And I probably didn't need to be so cautious. But now my lock-down is over, because it looks like we are finally getting some decent weather!  And Nico is older and can at least "grunt" his displeasure or "coo" his happiness. 

Today, Nico sat out on a rug and had a great time. And I discovered that he is now scooting! I put him on one end of the rug, and he slowly made his way to the other side, completely upright. At first, I was confused...did he move? I was so distracted that I couldn't remember where I had put him. But then, I moved him again, and he moved on his own. So I called him "Scooter" this afternoon. I kind of like the nickname. I'm not sure if it will stick.

At one point, he scooted to the edge of the rug and picked up a leaf.  It was so neat to just sit back and watch him. He looked the leaf over for a long time.  He had a Very Serious Look on his face as he studied it, turning it this way and that.  Then, he grunted and grumbled while he smashed and crumbled the leaf to bits.  I tried talking to him while he was crushing the leaf, and he completely ignored me. He would not be swayed by my hyper narrative as he pulverized the leaf.

Gianna is slowly warming up to Nico.  Today she sat down beside him for a minute and I quickly snapped a pic. She also gave him a hug! I didn't document that one, because I was just so shocked by the gesture I stood there with my jaw on the ground.  It must be so hard to give up your status as "baby."  I always try to tell her, "You'll always be my baby girl." I'm 99% sure that Gianna and Nico are going to have the same coloring.  Nico might even be more blonde than Gianna. 

Bode and Gianna love to bike together these days. It is really cute.  Bode can sometimes get rough, bumping his front tire against Gianna's rear tire.  But they do enjoy spinning around each other and "besting" each other on speed.  Gianna has gotten so good at riding her bike. Something just 'clicked' and now, she spins around as easily and as fast as Bode.  I think Bode is a little bit surprised! (Note: no helmets in these shots - BUT - I usually always make them dismount the bike until they put on their helmets. Really. We weren't on bikes for long as I had something else up my sleeve. See below!)

For as long as I've been an apartment dweller and adult, I guess, I've wanted a garden.  I've always talked to RWF and made Big Plans for a garden. But there's always an excuse.  Last year's excuse was I'm Pregnant and Too Tired.  This year, I really want to put something in the ground.  Sooooo I decided to take the eyesore in our backyard and put some veggies in there.  I worked on it today. There is a lot of work to be done.  And it may not pan out. But at least I started something. Right?

I love the idea of having something fresh from our very own garden. I also love the idea of our children learning about where our food comes from and helping in the garden.   This spot that I chose was probably an old fire pit (?), next to an ancient stack of wood. I hope that I can plant something in there, and make it pretty.  If it doesn't work out, it's far enough away that I can ignore it. And, by using this existing 'structure' there is no harm done to our existing grass. Hopefully it will be the perfect starter spot for me.

Last, Nico would like you to know that he is still enjoying rice cereal.

That is all.

xo

Friday

Confession time!  I am not really feeling "Friday Love" today. I'm not feeling much "love" for anything around here (except my family, of course!).

There is currently ice on our patio deck. It has been raining for the past 3 days. I love the rain. But it has also been cold.  Yesterday afternoon, we had a bit of sleet.  Today's high is 36. So this hasn't been a Spring rain. It has felt more like Winter.  Does that explain everything?

I got my hair done this past week.  And then I had it done again, on an emergency "re-do" basis, two days later.  And it is still not to my liking. And I hate to say that my hair is going to affect how I feel about myself.  But I am going to say it.  I feel unhappy because of the state of my hair.  I either cringe and look away from the mirror, or get thisclose and study every strand of hair on my head for longer than I have time for.  Every time I go out, I think that people are looking at my hair, and thinking, "Whoah, is that a box job?"   It is seriously sad to admit that my hair is going to affect my outlook.  And I do think about other people with real hair issues, and other real issues...and feel juvenile and silly for my imagined first world problem. It is a minor, cosmetic thing that has had an impact on me. And I do not consider myself material or vain. But there it is, for your consideration (or not).

I am also bummed because I can't find my camera's battery charger. It is just another reminder of how disorganized I am these days. My camera has no battery so I can't take any photos.  And don't even get me started on my iPhone! That is another mess I have to clean up. These type of things don't make me feel good about myself.

But the one thing that has got me in a funk and consuming my thoughts is that there is trouble at Bode's school. There's a boy (a kindergartner) that is giving Bode trouble.  I found out a few days ago that he called my boy a name.  My precious boy.  This big kindergartner called Bode "idiot."   And the reason I know this is because this boy labeled my son "idiot" while Bode's father was a few inches away.  RWF was the one that reported the name calling to me. When I heard this, I had a physical reaction.  There was a heat that rose up inside of me, and I felt such anger.  And thank God that I was not there when this boy uttered this word to my Bode, because I would be in a lot of hot water if I had taken matters into my own hands at that moment. After I found out,  I talked to Bode's teacher at school, and she is going to work on this issue (apparently, she is already aware that something is going on during recess).  I knew that there was trouble at school because Bode has been talking about "the bad boys" on the playground. It has obviously been on his mind, and I feel bad that I didn't give it more attention. I didn't know that there was name calling involved.  Unacceptable.

It just breaks my heart that my sweet boy has been bothered like this, by silly boys. It makes my stomach hurt to think that he has experienced anxiety over these silly boys at school, where I can not guard him from this cruelty. I want school to be a safe haven, a positive place for Bode to learn and have fun.

And I know, I know, I KNOW that this is going to happen. This is going to happen at school because kids are just cruel sometimes.  But my boy is 4.  And I don't want him to be called names by another boy who is 5. A boy who really shouldn't know to call names, or even know the word, "idiot." And to be fair, maybe he doesn't know. Sadly, maybe he has been called this name himself, by a "friend," or worse, a parent or a sibling.  But I'm doing my part to stop it.  I want this boy to be educated on why name calling is not smart.

So, that is why I'm in a funk. And why I'm just going to concentrate on this photo and be happy about all the blessings in my life.

((((LOVE))))

And maybe this photo, too:

(MAH BABY....SWOOOOON)

A big THANK YOU to Aunt Dawnie, who sent me a slew of pics of baby Nico.  This made me feel so much better. I think I have more photos on my old laptop.  I just have to crank the ol' computer up and see if they are still there.

I hope that this Friday finds you happy and ready for the weekend!  I'll be back, if I can get some Friday Love inspiration.
Happy Friday, everyone.
xo

Sunny weekend

We had such an incredible weekend. It was incredible simply because the sun was out!  I absolutely loved it.  I think my mood improved by 1000%.  I smiled. I was happy.  I felt relaxed. I played outside with all of my babies. It was so much fun for all of us.

Saturday morning, RWF brought up the Exersaucer from the basement. I washed it and stuck it outside to dry. Nico thinks he's "sooooo big!"

Bode Wm. is "soooo big" as well. I can not get over how big he is getting, and turning into such a "boy."

A picture of me, smiling about being outside in the glorious sunshine. I have no jacket on as it was so warm. I still bundled Nico up in his down suit though.   That proved to be a mistake as he got too hot.  Luckily we have plenty of outdoor gear to wear.

 RWF and Bode negotiating on what scooter to ride.  Bode won and got the big one.  They raced around. I am so surprised how good Bode is on the scooter.  He took a hiatus over the winter and just hopped on and rode it like nobody's biz.

This child of mine.  She splashed in all the puddles and then took her pants off because they were "aw wet."  We let her run around bare legged. She loved it.

I hope that you got some sun this weekend. It made a world of difference in our little corner.

Today, it has rained all day. Really.  Non-stop rain. I actually love the rain, so it hasn't bothered me.  After we picked up Bode from school, we got donuts. I declared an impromptu donut party.  Bode and Gianna thought it was a great idea.  I asked what all we needed for a donut party (even though I 'called' it) and Bode said, "Balloons!" So I blew up two red balloons. I also put two birthday candles and stuck them in each donut. A bright spot to our day. Party complete. Babies happy.

Happy Tuesday.

xo

Thursday

This morning we made oatmeal cookies. We ate some of the cookies (at 10 AM). Once the sugar kicked in, we ran around the house until we collapsed, and then read books.  

Staying inside and trying desperately to act like the weather does not suck.

Happy Thursday to you.

xo

Promises, promises

Today is a snow day.  Bode's school is closed. So Bode got to do what Bode loves most:  hang out in his Lightening McQueen pajamas all morning doing whatever strikes his fancy (cars, cars, and more cars).

I actually took charge of the morning and suggested a few activities. The first thing we did (by unanimous agreement) was to bake banana bread. We found a great new recipe last week, and I've been dreaming about it ever since. Today was the perfect day to whip up a loaf. After Bode, Gianna and I had mixed up the ingredients and put the loaf in the oven, it was only 9:39 AM.  "Oh, boy," I thought. "What now?"

We have used up all of our plain art paper. But I had set aside some packing material used in one of our recent shipments.  So I pulled it out, taped it to the floor, and then pulled out some of our art supplies.  The children had a blast painting and coloring for over an hour. By then, our banana bread was ready to be eaten.  We enjoyed a small snack of banana bread and milk. The banana bread was delicious.  We toasted our success.  Bode suggested that we shout "Teamwork!" together. So we did that a few times. 

Then we read a few books. After that, I put both Nico and Gianna down for a nap.  Bode is currently coloring in the playroom.  I love listening to his little narrative while he plays. He has dialogue between cars, dialogue between himself and his little body, or he will just sing a happy little tune.

After naps, we are making chocolate chip cookies.  I promised. Hopefully that will eat up most of the afternoon.  I have a goal not to turn on the television today. Lately, I have overheard Bode saying "PBS dot ORG" just like on TV. Ooops. How embarrassing. It would feel nice to not resort to a cartoon educational program to entertain the children. But I am making no promises!

Don't forget to leave a comment here for the giveaway! There's some fun little stuff in the mix to brighten your day, I promise!

Happy Wednesday.

xo

It's Friday, I'm in love

It has been a crazy week (again).  Bode was on Winter Break from school.  It is called a "Winter Break," but it is not a break from the winter weather. We had planned to visit Nana this week. But the weather prevented us from hitting the road.  Hopefully we will be able to visit soon.

This week, we were very low key.  

We made banana bread. We are enjoying it.  But more than that, I love baking with my babies.  The babies got pizza from Mama Mia's twice this week.  We ate cookies in bed while reading stories. It was definitely a week where I relaxed food rules, and it was fun. I loved not stressing about what to make for dinner, or how many fruits/veggies Bode and Gianna have eaten (or not eaten).

We also watched TV.  Aunt Dawnie sent us the classic "Cinderella."  Gianna was very scared by the cat.  She came running to me and refused to leave my side.  So I sat with her for a bit and talked about how it is "just" a cartoon. But then, I forget that her little brain doesn't work like mine does. TV is 'real' in her world. She loved watching Cinderella turn into a princess.  I love how the mice say, "Cinderelly." 

We went for haircuts this week, too, since Bode's hair was in his eyes.  I asked him how he wanted his hair done and he said, "Very short."  So that's what we told the hair stylist. The hair stylist complied, with clippers.  

I really prefer his hair on the longer side. I'm not a fan of the "boy cut." But I think Bode should choose how his hair is done. I always love seeing his smile.

It's been over three weeks, and I love seeing this baby's skin clear up.  He looks so much better. I miss drinking my Starbuck's mocha, and miss eating all things cheese, but I can live without.  I love seeing this little guy's head free of rash and scratches.

On Sunday, it is my blog anniversary, or "blogoversary." I missed last year! So this year, I'm celebrating twice, so to speak. I have some fun things planned. Stay tuned!

Happy Friday!

xo

Nemo

The storm ("Nemo") wasn't so bad.  We lost power around 2 A.M. Saturday morning. Bode woke us up with a blood curdling scream.  It made for a long, interesting morning.  I sat with him in his dark room, talking about the snow storm and why we lost power. While we were talking,  a snow plow came into our driveway. We stood at his window and watched the snow plow push the snow out of our drive.  I think we both found watching the warm headlights of the truck moving around our snowy property very soothing. 

"Nemo" was kind to us. We got about six inches of snow.  And other than the interesting power outage, which lasted only a few hours (thank God!), nothing significant happened.

We were so happy because RWF came home on Friday night, after a very "Planes, Trains, and Cars" travel day.  He also had to drive through stormy Nemo to get home.  I am so thankful that he arrived home safely.

We did spend Saturday in bed (practically).  RWF and I were feeling very tired. He was jet-lagged and tired. I was tired from solo parenting and the early morning wake-up. And the monkeys, who were not tired at all (of course!), were more than happy to jump around us, laughing it up in our cozy bedroom. 

We hope that you had a happy weekend, safe and warm.
xo