Molly Saves! In The Family Room: e-digest review

I've been needing some ideas about our family room, so I was super excited to see this issue come out.

Here are a sampling of my favorite things hidden in this e-digest:
* Links to make your own floor cushions. There is just something about sitting on a comfy floor with my kids or a good book that makes a home feel so welcoming to me.
* Love the "make your own board game" idea. I've been wanting to have my girls make one for a while so that it helps with studying...Since school is back in session, now would be a great time to get on that.
* I absolutely LOVE the redone coffee table. I have the perfect map! Hmmm....I don't think I need more projects on my to-do list, but it is perfect.
* And my absolute favorite are the handmade greeting cards by my amazing college friend, Toni Riggs. She has some great ideas that are really inspirational. And handmade cards mean so much more to family and friends.

If you don't already get the Econobusters digests, check out their site here. You won't be disappointed.

The Entitlement Trap

It's amazing to see the entitlement that has found it's way into our culture today. I am hoping to find ways to keep this quality OUT of my children and I am excitedly waiting the arrival of my pre-ordered book, The Entitlement Trap by Richard and Linda Eyre.

Help us get this book on the Best Seller List and pre-order your copy today!!

The Power of Moms is even hosting a contest and you could win tickets to their September retreat!! That is something you don't want to miss.

http://entitlementtrap.com/giveaway.htm

Own Your Weaknesses

The following is something that I try to live by: 
In order to be happy, you have to own your weaknesses and stop comparing them to strengths of others. 


And when I think of my weaknesses, I also think of my quirks. 


Today I am writing about our Family Camping Binder for two reasons: 1) My OCD with lists of one of my quirks that I "own" wholeheartedly, and 2) when I mentioned I was working on it, I had many requests of what I had in it. So here it is. Hope it helps anyone else who either loves to be organized, or really needs to get organized.  


Family Camping Binder


* A calendar of the summer month with all camping trips noted, reserved campsite information (including driving directions and other pertinent information if needed)
* A "Beginning of the Season" packing list (includes what we keep in the RV all season)
* A checklist of the items to pack for each camping trip
* Separate checklists for the girls (they pack their own stuff and are great at using mom's checklists)
* A menu for the weekend
* Grocery shopping list* A quick "Before we pull away from the house" list (all door and compartments closed, vents closed, etc)
* Activity lists for "On the Road" and "While Camping"
* Journal pages that we fill out on our drive home (who, what, where, when, favorite memories, etc)
* "What did we forget?" pages. Seems like there is always something we'd like to add to the next trip.

And of course, the binder cover and back are decorated with kid drawn pictures of us camping. 


I love it! It helps keep us organized and sane, while still letting us get the best from our family trips.

Wow! That is a lot. No wonder I get picked on so much. :)  Thanks for reading.

Sunshine - We really saw it!

The sun outside was amazing today! I'm so glad it decided to grace us with it's presence, even with the few rounds of sprinkles in between sun breaks. We got so much done inside and OUTSIDE today! Over the last week, we have been working in the carport, so we've thankfully been under cover while tackling some of our Spring projects. But today, it was SO amazingly nice to be able to work in the sun.

Chica took this picture while not actually looking at the sun. She was trying to protect her little eyes that haven't seen the WA sun in oh so many months. (It turned out to be an amazing shot!)

So, what did we work on today? Well, Hubby mowed the lawn, Chica visited a friend, and Monkey and I worked on spray painting a few projects. The main one that we completed today was this: A kids bench for our porch...weathered by the WA, well, NOT sun. We gave it a fresh coat of royal blue paint, then distressed it. Monkey was great help with the sandpaper. Then I added some twine since we have a "beachy" type theme on our porch. (I know we don't live at the beach, but a girl can dream.) Last touch is a cute pillow from Ikea that normally sits on our porch swing. Here are the before and after pictures:

Before: Yes, I know. VERY weathered and horrible before clean up.

Paint, and some distressing

After: Twine, pillow and put in place.

During the sprinkles, we were able to put up this adorable photo gallery kit that my amazing mom gave me as an early birthday gift! We even went through pictures and printed out the ones we wanted to fill the frames. I love it!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday tomorrow...and hoping the WA sun sticks around for just a few more months weeks days.

Birthday Projects

We've been working on a few projects over here for a bunch of family birthdays that are coming up in April. Here are two of my favorites.

This one is for my mom and I saw the idea here. I absolutely LOVED the Seed String Garland and I'm hoping that Mom does as well.

The next is for my adorable little niece and still needs a few finishing touches, but I think she'll like it. Can you guess her name and how old she is turning?  ;)

A few more projects to go and we will be ready for the gaggle of March/April birthdays in our family.

Spring Break Road Trip - Here We Come!

For the last few months, I've been working to plan a family road trip. It has been an interesting process, but we're very excited to take a long drive, explore a few other states, and visit family in Arizona. We leave in 4 weeks and cannot wait. This will be our first long road trip with kids, so we're planning lots of stops and things to see and do. If anyone has tips for traveling with little girls (6 and 9), I'm more than willing to listen :)

I'm hoping to do blog updates while on the trip...or when we get back. I guess we'll have to see how the trip goes.

Thanks!

I Am

I am:
• a 31-year-old mom to two girls, ages 9 and 6
• madly in love with my husband
• nowhere near perfect
• a planner and chronic list maker
• a full-time working professional
• an avid reader (especially of self-help books)
• constantly working to learn and grow
• a freelance editor
• trying to be a good role model for my girls
• working toward simplified balance
• PTA and school volunteer
• an Excel nerd
• a quote junkie
• addicted to rearranging the furniture in my house
• learning to meditate
• a horrible singer
• the family photographer
• the family accountant
• not the family cook
• not a beer drinker
• told that I am overly optimistic & perky
• a camper
• too often impatient
• a control freak
• completely OCD about some things and totally laid back about others
• frugal
• addicted to Greys Anatomy and Jen Lancaster books
• accepting that I am no longer 20-10 years old
• unable to completely relax
• still a princess, according to my dad.

~Borrowing format from another blogger on Real World Venus vs. Mars.~

Date Night Dilemma

Currently, date nights don’t happen as often as we’d like. To get some one-on-one children free time together sounds great and we always talk about how much we need some time together, yet we don’t schedule it enough. However, on those rare occasions that we actually trick – I mean “ask” – a family member into keep our children over night, we still have a hard time deciding what to do.

What is it that tends to distract my husband and I from being able to remember what we used to do on date nights B.K. (Before Kids)? I know there are many things we used to do – I mean, we dated for 5 years before getting married and were married for 2 years before daughter #1 arrived – so we must have done SOMETHING on those dates.

As high school sweethearts, our dates consisted of going to the one pool hall that didn’t serve alcohol since we weren’t old enough to drink…or dinner and a movie….sometimes movie marathon days.

As newlyweds, he worked nights and I was in college during the day, so dates consisted of grocery shopping in the middle of the night and 2:00 am “breakfast” at Denny’s…or hubby picking me up after my bartending shift at the local bar. Romantic, I know.

Now, married 11 years, we try to think of something else to do on date nights. We have a pool table that we never get to play because it tends to be the “clean laundry” pile. Going to a movie pretty much defeats the purpose of going out since we can’t really talk and catch-up, which is the point of taking some “us” time. Dinner works, but I have a hard time spending $50 on something that is eaten in 30 minutes and all I have to show for it is a wider waist.

How about some new ideas?:
Me: Pottery painting?
Him: No. Fishing?
Me: No. Walk in the park?
Him: No. Target shooting?
Me: No. Picnic and watch the sunset?
Him: No. Hmmmm….

This leads us to what our last date night ended up consisting of: Drop kids off at Aunt’s house. Shop for soon to be 6-year old daughter’s birthday presents and party décor. Rent movies so that we can pause them for snack and bathroom breaks.

I know - you are all jealous of our glamorous date night. However, this works well for us. At least, until next time.

Any ideas of inexpensive yet fun date nights?

Go Figure

As a first time mom, I had all the same worries that any other first time mom has. Will I be able to tell what my child needs and when? Will my child be healthy? Will I be comfortable nursing in public? Will I ever be able to get back to that pre-mom shape??? My head flooded with questions that multiplied by the hour. After two and a half years, I feel confident in my ability to know what my child needs and when she needs it. We survived nursing and it was almost a breeze. No, my child is not completely healthy with the multiple bouts of ear infections she has had to deal with. But, as these issues arise, my husband and I are able to conquer each task and are proudly raising a very happy, outgoing and smart little girl. It is the last question of getting back my figure that seems to have gone unanswered.

As I think back to what my figure was in high school, when my (high-school sweetheart) now husband and I first met, I wonder why I hadn’t relished in the days of jumping, flexibility and eating anything without gaining an ounce. With the new metabolism that graciously protrudes itself around my mid-section; I can’t help but feel that those skinny days were just a dream. Of course, I have the pictures on my fridge and my husbands’ memory of cheerleader skirts and skinny legs to remind me that, no, in fact, I have gained quite a bit of weight. And while I have tried many diets, I quit drinking soda pop, and I exercise during my only hour to myself most days, the weight seems to cling to me as much as my daughter does when she has a high fever and an ear infection.

Why can’t I lose this? I have no idea. So, this is what I propose…A new way of looking at what I have “gained”.

~ I have gained a wonderful daughter who looks more and more like me everyday and who, for the moment, loves her mom terribly and wants to do everything she does. I know I’ll miss these days when they go.
~ I have gained the admiration of my husband who does remember to tell me what a great mom I am when I tuck in our little girl in the middle of the night and read “Good Night Moon” for about the millionth time.
~ I have also gained admiration for my husband who, before our daughter was born, would not dance in front of anyone without a nice amount of alcohol in his system. Now they constantly entertain me with their many new dance styles. Let’s hope these days last as long as possible.
~ I have gained a sense of pride at how happy out little family is and I wonder in amazement what Samantha will say and do next.
~ I have gained patience that I never knew was possible. Food dumped on the carpet…no problem…just get the vacuum. Crayon pictures on the wall…well, I guess we did need a little redecorating.
~ I have gained a new kind of love that every new mother gains. It’s not the kind of love you have for your husband, your parents or your siblings. It’s a protective kind of love where you would do anything to keep this little person happy, safe and healthy. This came only with a new addition to our family.

So, while I may have gained a little around the middle, I have also gained many wonderful emotions and memories that take my mind away from the fact that my stomach is now and forever lined with shiny stretch marks. To that, I say…”Go Figure?!”