My DIY House

There are few things in this world that make me feel as satisfied and accomplished as a good DIY project. When I tackle a craft or a home decor project that adds a personal touch to my home, I feel good, no doubt about it. I love looking around my home and knowing that most of the items on the walls, whether they are pictures I've taken or projects I've completed, are unique and personal. They are items that I will treasure for always, I am sure of it.

I won't go into long tutorials or endless instructions, but I just wanted to compile a picture post of some of my favorite DIY projects that I've done over the past few years. Some of these were gifts and aren't actually in my home now, but they still gave me that sense of satisfaction that a good DIY project always does. I have a few new projects that I've been working on as Christmas gifts, so I can't post them yet, but I can't wait to share them after they've been given! :-)

Whenever I'm feeling down or like my home just needs a little change, a good, thrifty, personal project always seems to lift my spirits. I've got one on the agenda for this week too--I'll be sharing it soon!

Go out and make something, it just might end up being your favorite item in your home.

Stay Small...

My kids are constantly asking things like, "How old do I have to be to ____________?" Mow the lawn, ride in the front seat, drink wine (that was Ava, help us all, lol), use the oven by themselves. The list goes on and on. I completely understand where they are coming from, because for so much of my life I felt like I was sitting on the cusp of something really good. If I could only drive a car, then my life would be perfect. Once I graduated highschool and went to college, that's where the fun would really begin.

Of course now I know that none of that is true. Sure, drinking wine is fun, but hangovers over the age of 30 are pure hell, lol. Mowing the lawn definitely doesn't seem like a privilege. And truth be told, I've always secretly (ok, not so secretly) hated driving. If anyone else offers to drive, I practically throw the keys in their face. Sometimes I'd just rather not have to be the responsible party.

And that's the heart of the matter, isn't it? I was thinking the other day how I hate to separate my life into "before kids" and "after kids" because it seems so one-dimensional. But some days I literally can not, for the life of me, remember what it felt like to wake up in the morning and not immediately have to worry about the well-being of 2 other people. I don't remember what it felt like to wake up on a Sunday morning and lie blissfully in bed, with the most important thing on my to-do list maybe being "organize the pantry." It seems like an entire lifetime ago.

Perhaps that is why, when my littles ask their questions, "When, when, when will I be big enough?" I tend to say things like, "You can drive a car when you're 16, but how about we get through Kindergarten first?" I don't want them to wish it all away, because I just know that it will be here faster than I can blink. I don't want to tell them that being an adult comes with all of these mundane responsibilities, like bills, and taxes, and housework. I just want to let them be kids for as long as they can.

I don't know what made me think of it the other day, maybe just because I've had my brother on my mind lately, but Aiden is now almost the exact same age that my brother was when our dad passed away. I hate thinking about it, how young and naive and innocent my little Aiden seems to me...and that my brother lost his Dad when he was so very small. It was different for me and my sister, we were years older and had more insight into the personal situation going on at home, in many ways even at almost-9-years-old, I could see how losing our father might turn out to be a blessing for us (he was, in short, not a good person, or father). But my brother didn't really know this, couldn't comprehend it. All he knew was that he was 5-years-old, and his father was dead, and never coming back. I think about having to try to explain something like that to my Aiden...it literally brings me to tears. Naturally I hope and pray that this is never something I have to deal with...but still, I've had it on my mind.

Anyway, this post sort of turned out to be a downer! Lol. I apologize. I guess when you are in that state of mind, you can't help but put it somewhere.

In other, unrelated, news. I got a part-time job! I am working at the YMCA in the drop-in childcare for members 3 evenings a week. So far it's been pretty good, I've had some crazy nights, but all in all it is a wonderful experience. It's definitely opened my eyes to how very lucky I am to have healthy, happy children. The kids are taking my job in stride and are very understanding that their Dad has to put them to bed when Mom is at work. So far, it's working out well, so that is great!

Everyone else is doing well. Ava had a little fever this morning and stayed home from school, but she seems fine now. I have Aiden's first parent-teacher conference this evening, hopefully it goes well! He really enjoys school and is doing great, so I am not too worried about it.

Happy Fall to all! I can't believe Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away! It will be Christmas before we know it!

School Daze...

I've been a bad blogger. But, doesn't it just seem like September went by at WARP speed? I can't be the only one who feels that way, lol.

My little Avie-bug started preschool back on Sept. 12th. She has two teachers, Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Knight, and she's attending St. Paul's Lutheran Preschool, the same school that Aiden went to last year. We've been so pleased with this school, the teachers are so wonderful and caring and it is a great little community. I've been really fortunate to have made some amazing friends from the preschool, and it felt so nice to come back this year and not be "new."

Ava is really loving school. Her teachers say she is very disciplined and the best "rule follower" in the class. Mrs. Johnson also told me that Ava is the only kid in her class (of 13) that can write her name (though, to be fair, it IS only 3 letters, lol). At home we are working hard on learning all of our ABC's, she's definitely been slower to catch onto the alphabet than Aiden was, but she's just such a different child. They are both so unique and I wouldn't change them for anything.

Aiden is loving Kindergarten. I am really impressed with his teacher and the amount of learning that is involved in a meager 2 hours and 45 minutes of Kindergarten a day. That's not a lot of time! I supplement that at home with a lot of reading, sight words, writing exercises, etc, but he's just been a little sponge this month, soaking it all in. He's reading beginner reader books with minimal help and he's starting to get less frustrated with unknown words and learning to take his time to sound out the letters and build the word.

I'm a proud mama--they are both doing great and (knock on wood) I have absolutely nothing to complain about!

Here are some pics from Ava's first day of school. Enjoy!

Take a Back Road

I was driving in the car with the kids today and I had one of those precious moments that I wish I could wrap in pretty paper and keep in my pocket...forever. Not the "big" moments, not like starting pre-school or Kindergarten or birthdays or Christmas morning, just a special moment that felt perfect, and I wanted to keep it. There we were, cruising down 20 with the windows all open and the breezy fall air flowing through the car. Our hair was blowing and my kids were singing all the words to Rodney Atkins "Take a Back Road," because they are forced to inherit my love of country music so they know all the words to all of the great new songs:) They were waving their hands in the air and had red apple cheeks and bright, shiny eyes and I felt it. I felt that tightness in my chest, like an iron vice gripping my heart and suddenly my eyes were threatening to spill over. Because it was perfect. Just a moment, just a silly little grain of sand in this giant hourglass of my life, and I wanted to reach out and drench it in bronze...freeze it forever, because it was happiness and sunshine and light and laughter and love. In just one single moment.

That's my favorite part about being a mom. Most days have bad parts, most days I kick myself for something that didn't go right. But there is almost always that one perfect moment where I can feel the love flowing between us, fluid like hot liquid lava, a thread that was never severed when they left my womb. I feel anchored and whole and like I'm the most important person in the whole wide world. Because of them.

I just had to write it down. I know I haven't blogged much lately...summer was busy and I got lazy. But I tend to forget that I started this blog for me, as a record of my time home with my babies, as a log for my journey into motherhood. I don't always need to be profound, or have something meaningful to say, I just need to write it down. Because those moments like the one today, they happen a lot, but then I forget them. And I don't want to forget. I love that I'm keeping this record, so that some day I can read it back to my babies, right from the very beginning, and they will know that even though sometimes I might not show it in the right ways, my love for them is powerful and my words are my proof.

Kindergarten!

Yes, it's true. My sweet, amazing 5-year-old boy is officially a Kindergartener. I can hardly believe it. He's so big now!

On Thursday morning of last week we had Kindergarten orientation in the morning. We got to meet his teacher, Mrs. Juchnowski, and the parents listened to some important school information while the kids did a bus safety program (even the children who won't ride the bus, just to get used to the rules for future field trips). Aiden is attending Hale Rd. Elementary school in the Riverside (Painesville Township) school district. There are 6 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school in the district. His high school class is going to be BIG--there are 65 kids in Kindergarten at Hale Rd. elementary and I am told that the other elementaries are equally as big. His teacher, who goes by Mrs. J, teaches morning Kindergarten at another school in the district, and then comes to teach one of the two afternoon Kindergarten classes at Hale Rd. I was very impressed by the school's principal, Mr. Miley, who is kind and caring but also strict with his kids and with the parents as well--I can tell he is the driving force behind the school's excellent rating!

Since we live so close to the school, Aiden (and eventually Ava) won't ride the bus, he needs to be dropped off and picked up, which is fine by me:) I know he is a little disappointed about missing out on the exciting bus ride, but selfishly I am happy to take him myself! On Friday afternoon we sat outside the school until the buses pulled up and Mrs. J came out to get the students. The principal shook all of the kids hands and welcomed them to Kindergarten and in Aiden went, with not even a look back to his Mommy. I was wearing sunglasses and hopefully hid my tears from the other 10 or so parents who were also dropping off, lol. When I picked Aiden up he had a huge smile on his face, said he loved Kindergarten and had a great day. A big success!

I can't believe he's actually in real school now. At first I was a bit disappointed that he got put in PM Kindergarten (12:30pm-3:15pm) since Ava will be going to preschool M-W-F mornings, but I can already see the benefits of having some one-on-one time with each child. They rarely get me to themselves and it will be so nice to be able to tailor our crafts and projects to each of their individual needs and interests. I am really looking forward to everything about this year! I also signed them up to both take Gym 'n Swim 'n Splash at the Y every Tuesday morning. It's 30 minutes of games and sports in the gym, a 30 minute swim lesson and then 30 minutes of free swim. I know they will both love it and it will give me a nice little break too:-)

Here are the pictures of Aiden on his first day. He's so excited about school and I am excited for him! Ava doesn't start pre-school until Sept. 12th, so you'll have to wait a few more weeks for her "first day" pics, but she is pretty excited too!