DIY Photo Frames

One of my first thoughts this morning was how badly we needed picture frames,  So I decided that we would make our own, and not use popsicle sticks! ...Who needs to run to the store when you have a lot of random supplies sitting around?
So here are our three frames, just in case you are on a frame shortage or creative kick. Or if you are like me and want to show off family pictures, with a little extra umph!


1. Book Frame
Old Book, Paint, Glue, Glue Dot/ Tape

The boys painted an old book.  And when it dried, I glued the pages ends together.  Then I put the glue dot on the back of a picture and put it on the book.

It's a cool frame for a shelf or table.

2. Gift Box Frame
Gift Box Top, String/Rope/PipeCleaners, Glue Dot/Tape

The boys had nothing to do with this one. I put two holes in the boxes top (using a pen) threaded the pipe cleaner through, and that's it. Then I put the glue dot on the back of the photo, and put it in the the frame.

This one is going to look pretty cool hanging or leaning, and I can turn it around in the winter to show the snow scene on the othe side. 

I am pretty impressed with myself.

3. Construction Paper Frame

Construction Paper, Back Piece of Spiral Notebook/ Cardboard, Blocks, Crazy Glue, Glue, Glue Dots/Tape
I cut out a 2 inch border on a sheet of computer paper, and let the boys glue torn up construction paper on it.  After the rectangle border dried,  I glued the sides to the cardboard piece of an old spiral notebook, I then took two blocks, super glued them together, then super glued them to the back of the frame. I took the glue dots, and put two photos inside It stands on its own!


I may change the photos I used.  But don't the frames looks so neat?! And there's no glass, so I don't have to worry about any huge incidents if I decide to sit the photos somewhat within reach! 

Happy (Late) Birthday, Skyland!

I left the blog hanging on Wednesday.  

You know how it is when the to-do list gets a little too long? Wednesday meshed with Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

And was my oldest's birthday was last week as well! 

My little angel is 4 now! We celebrated with dinner and a mini-vacation.  And we surprised him with a kiddie microscope ... that apparently is more interesting in photos than in real life. (He still appreciates though, just in very short spans.)

Naturally, he's also going to get a (late) Happy Birthday, Skyland! on my blog today...& I'm going to briefly stroll down memory lane. Who knows? Maybe he'll read this one day.  

It's still hitting me that my baby boy is growing so fast, and he's turned into a nerve-wrecking, crazy, sweetheart.  I am in love with my dramatic mini-me.  And even though sometimes he is the very reason I need some HaWine Punch, I am VERY proud to be his mommy!  

I'm going to share a few photos of my boy from bug-eyed baby to a silly preschooler.  Just look at my beautiful little angel that keeps me grounded! (Ya'll he was the cutest little bug-eyed alien baby this planet has ever seen, and he's grown to be so darn handsome!)  

Dinner (& Wine Mixer): Grilled Pineaches (& Chardonnay)

I have done it! Not only do I have a recipe that works with dinner, but I have a recipe that makes a great wine mixer, too. (Wine is amazing, but Wine Mixers are just so fun to create!)

I call this grilled pineaches [pine-E-chez], because I had a bag of peaches and a bag of pineapples. . (And because I still take pleasure in combining two words to make one rediculous word.) 

Disclaimer: I call anything I put in a skillet, grilled. No grill was used. 

Directions: 

I let my frozen fruit thaw at room temperature for two hours.  

By dinner time, they were pretty soft.  I threw them in a skillet with a 1/4 cup of juice ( I used Passion Fruit Lemonade, because that's what we had on-hand), 2 tablespoons of  brown sugar,  3 tablespoons of  ground cinnamon, and 2 pinches of ground ginger,

I cooked them on medium for 30-45 minutes, stirring regularly.  And sprinkled nutmeg on top when they were done. That's it. An easy, quick side,

These sweet and savory grilled fruits added some balance to our somewhat spicy fried chicken and potato wedges.  And they weren't too sweet or too bitter, so the husband didn't mind eating them with dinner, and the boys ate them without question or complaint.  

After dinner, the grilled pineaches were absolutely perfect when I added 1/2 cup of them into 1 cup of Chardonnay, and blended it.  It helped cut the bitter after-taste of the Chardonnay.

And although I did not try it, I think these would be wonderful with vanilla ice cream. I will buy some ice-cream tomorrow, and top it with the leftovers and let ya'll know! 

Because of their flexibility and catchy name, Grilled Pineaches just may be my new favorite recipe. 

Our Adventure Book

I'm a Wish fanatic.  (Wish is shopping app for those who don't know.) Everything is so cheap, if you're willing to wait a month or two for it to ship from China. I'll admit the clothes are not always as pictured, but they aren't too bad. And everything else I've received was pretty good quality, especially for the small prices I paid. Recently, I bought this charming brown notebook! I call it our "Adventure Book".

The notebook is a small leather book that you close with a faux leather cord and it has the cutest brown pages inside. One of my favorite things about it is that it works like a binder.  I can rearrange the pages if I mess up the order of things; I am mistake-prone so the rings are going to be my saving grace on more than one occasion.  

For sentimental reasons, I keep ticket stubs, small tokens, stickers, business cards, room keys, pictures, etc. of the places we've been and the places we've taken the kids. I like to keep little memorabilia.  I spent the afternoon arranging, glueing/taping, and captioning all our little adventures. And it looks so neat in one little book! (It would look better if my handwriting was better and my pens didn't suck, but oh, well.)   As the book fills up, it will just look more impressive. 

My family thought the book looked so neat and fun; they found it "interesting".  The boys proved how sharp their memories were, and joined me on a quick stroll down memory lane.  I didn't do this project as a kid craft/activity, but it was still one the kids and I ended up enjoying together. If it really matters, you can always hand the children a glue stick and let them help...But, if you are like me and enjoy creative outlets, it's definitely worth doing alone!

All About Centers

I have brought back centers! 

For those who don't know what centers are, it's basically small areas with an activity or similar toys.  A lot of daycares and elementary schools have them; kids are usually exposed to them at one point in time or another.  

Since mine are no longer in daycare, they haven't been in centers in a year.  Well, all that has changed this week, because they have made it into our home.  And they are here to stay! 

I have a love/hate relationship with centers.

I love them because:

1. The boys clean them up quicker
2. Toys aren't everywhere and in everything.  So they are way less messy. I'm not tripping as much; I am still tripping though, there's nothing I can do about that.
3. It makes it easier to seperate the boys when they don't get along.
4. It makes it easier to discipline the boys.  (An example, the alphabet/number magnets on the fridge are a center.  Azariah decided to take the magnets off and try to throw them behind the fridge.  He wasn't allowed in that center for two days.  He hasn't done it since.)
5.Problem solving, in general, is easy! (If they both want to play with blocks, but don't want to play together.  I can divide the blocks up and separate them, or put a timer on the center.)  They seem to argue less, and I can appreciate that.
6. They are super easy to make.  The ones we have are: coloring, reading, hard toys, stuffed toys, blocks, puzzles, books, chalkboard, dry erase boards, desk center (I'm still working on opening it), magnets, and "mommy's helper".
7. They feel like they have options.
8. They help me keep a (loose) schedule.  I don't time the centers, but the boys haven't stayed in one center longer than an hour.  So time doesn't get away from me as much.  Lunch is always between 1 and 2,  and nap time is always between 2 and 3.

I hate them because:
1. They are a pain to monitor.  I have to constantly remind them not to pull something out, or to clean up before they move on. And sometimes it turns into a thing.
2. It kind of takes away their freedom of imagination. That's why I didn't divide the dinosaurs from the guns, and the cars from the music toys. Because what if the dinosaur needs to play the drum to scare the bad cars off? You know?   I did all their regular toys all together, and then they have stuffed toys, and blocks.  They can't build a building for the dinosaurs to hide behind, but there are still other ways for them to get creative.  I just hate feeling like I am putting a limit on it
3. That freedom of choice goes straight to their heads, somedays.  They'll be convinced that they're about to pick dinner and bed time, too.  I hate busting that bubble.
4. It makes me less likely to play with them.  If they decide to draw or read, I am there.  But they are bossy when it comes to blocks and toys, so I stay away.  Depending on what they choose, I may not play directly with them. But I did create "Mommy's Helper" which is a nice way of saying "Chores with Mommy", today.  They'll be required to spend at least 30 minutes helping me each day.  It's not playing, but it's still quality time.

At the end of each day, before bedtime, they are rewarded with their tablets if they played in centers well, behaved, and at least tried all their food.  So far, we're a bit less crazy with centers.

Rant! (I Just HAD to get it Off My Chest)

I feel like ranting today, so rant I shall. On Tuesday mornings we usually go out, but I did not feeling like dealing with the crowd. Crowds give me anxiety, but "groups of mom" crowds completely overwhelm me. It,s a problem I willingly deal with most Tuesdays, because the boys get to leave the house and play with kids around their age. They need and love the socialization. But this week, I decided to skip it. A friend of mine and her son ended up popping by, so they didn't miss it too much. 

Is it just me or does anyone else have a hard time dealing with mom-crowds?  You'd think we'd have so much in common, and it would be so easy to get along. But instead it's similar to being under a microscope.  If your kid acts out, gets hurt, or draws attention to himself in any way all eyes are on you. And the looks: they range from judgment to sympathy. It's awful; I could do without either. I'm also 100% certain that they think I have a glandular problem, it will be 27F and I'll be sweating profusely the minute I step in the door. It's so much pressure, for no valid reason.   

Worse than the looks, is the conversation. It is SO painful. I can deal with small talk, I like small talk. I can ask about your top or compliment your child's cuteness, we can complain about the weather. I can't stand the mom conversations; you know, the ones with cute suggestions and snide remarks about parenting decisions? And they aren't like helpful, possible life saving tips like telling me they aren't buckled in properly or advising me not to feed a 2 month old a chicken finger. They aren't fun tips to help stop runny noses or to get them to keep socks on their feet. No, its completely useless, unnecessary judgment...

"People won't mistake him for a girl if you cut his hair.  I have a hair dresser I use for little Liam, and she works wonders. You won't even recognize your little guy!" Like why wouldn't I want to recognize my son? Also, people don't mistake him for a girl after I tell them he's a boy.  I can just correct them and move on.

"If you suggest something else for the little guy to do, instead of telling him to stop, he'll be more likely to behave. It's called redirection." I know what it's called. But saying "No, son! Stop! We dont hit!" works fine, too.
"I wish I were a mom like you. You just wear anything." Why, yes. Yes, I do. I have lost 3 mascaras, 2 eyeliners, and a foundation.  And I hold on to my one dark purple eyeliner for special occasions.  Full face is not even an option, at this point.  Not to mention, stretchy pants are life.
"Do you run a baby sitting service?" No, these are my kids. "But you're too young. You're far too young to have kids, let alone so many. Is the father around; do they even have the same father? You poor thing." How rude, judgemental, straight-forward, and nasty can you be in one statement?
"You know, if you pierce her ears, no one will mistake her for a boy." Because the big flamboyant headbands aren't a sure sign.
"There's no such thing as a baby that's just fussy. That's just an excuse." You're right, she probably yelling, because she wants you to get away from us. I think she senses your negative energy.

These are paraphrased quotes, from (obviously) better moms than me.  And I just did not feel like having clever(ish) rebuttals and escape routes prepared. Instead, we played with stickers, puzzles, and our friends today. We all remained in a good mood, and I don't think the boys missed our outting. 

Why can't moms just bond over dinner recipes, gently used clothing, and a hate for Caillou, like they do on television? 

Kitchen Creations: Sweet Potato Mash

I've taken on a lot of new projects this new year! Trying to get the boys in social settings more often, starting school, and I'm helping with a few things within the community.  Since I've got a lot more on my plate, I will only be blogging regularly Monday through Wednesday.  I'll probably still blog some on Thursday, Friday, and even some Saturday's; but I won't be blogging regularly on those days.

...

Since this year has begun, I have either been sick or on-the-go.  Some days I feel like I have to squeeze time in to make dinner! But luckily, I have quick(ish) and easy go-to recipes. Like last week, I made my sweet potato mash. We are the southern family that eats applesauce with our pork chops, but sometimes I want something more "dinner-y" than applesauce, so I make my sweet potato mash.
This recipe feeds 3-5, depending on how big of servings you eat.

Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes
3 cups of applesauce (sweetened or unsweetened)
Cinnamon to taste

Like 3 Pinches of Ginger
2 Crushed Peppermints (*optional)
Brown sugar to taste (*optional)

Instructions:
1. Clean & shank/stab the sweet potatoes 10 or 45 times. I really dont think it matters how many times you do it, just make sure it's a good bit.

I was lazy the other day, and microwaved my sweet potatoes for about 24 minutes (at 7-8 minute intervals). But I usually bake them about an hour at 400. You can also boil them.  Just cook the sweet potatoes, it doesn't matter how.

2. Peel the skin off. It is always easier for me to skin the potatoes when they are still warm, and have been cooked. But you can do this first, if you prefer.

3. Mash the sweet potatoes.

4. Add apple sauce, cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar*, and peppermint*. Mix together.

5. Serve warm!

Makes a sweet, easy side with all the health benefits of the sweet potato.