Pinspired Framed Letter Project

There are two things I've been itching to do lately: save money and do something creative. The two don't always go hand in hand. For instance, we don't have very many personalized touches around our house (other than the crazy mess of toddler toys) because we just don't have a lot of money to spend on decor. Well, this afternoon, after an awesome grocery trip at Wal-Mart (hello, price matching and coupons!), I set to work on a project inspired by some findings on Pinterest. I picked up the necessary pieces at Michael's yesterday, and spent less than $11 for everything! You can't beat that, people! So, here's what I used:

Shadow box style picture frame

Wooden wall letter

Piece of scrapbook paper

Paint of your choice

Paintbrush

Packing tape

Glue stick

I debated which color to paint the letter, and finally decided on the same grey-blue we used for Colin's bedroom. We had some leftover paint just sitting in the garage, so I gave it a good stir and painted the "V." I set it out to dry; it only took a couple hours, as I used a pretty thin layer of paint.

Next, I cut the scrapbook paper to fit the frame and used a glue stick to attach it, pattern facing out, to the cardboard piece that came inside the frame. I chose a burlap pattern for the background.

Finally, when the "V" was dry, I used pieces of packing tape to attach it to the patterned side of the scrapbook paper. Then, all that was left to do was to stick it inside the frame, and voila! My brand new framed wall letter with a burlap background.

I'm so thrilled at how it looks, and even more thrilled that I was able to do it on the cheap! I wonder what other pinspired things I'll get into next? :)

A few of our favorite things: Toddler edition

It's been a little while since I've done a "favorite things" post, so I thought I'd fill you in on some of the things we use daily with a 15-month old little dude. If you blog about your favorite things, let me know! I love to see what other toddler moms are up to.

 Cheerios

What is it about toddlers and Cheerios? Colin loves them with a meal or as a snack. We take a snack container full of them in the diaper bag when we're out and about, and always have a stock of them at home. It doesn't hurt that they're fortified and low in sugar.

Special agent Oso!

Colin gets so excited when he hears Paw Pilot call out, "Special alert! Special alert!," and he runs from wherever he is (yes, he can run now!) to get to the TV. Judge us if you wish, but the kid loves some Oso. He'll watch some other Disney Jr. shows, too, but Oso seems to be his favorite.

Mam Air pacifiers

Yes, Colin is still on the paci. We're not sure when exactly we'll try to wean him from them, but I'm afraid of the thought of teething without a paci (he still just has his 4 incisors; no molars yet). He only has them at night & naptime now, and sometimes when he's especially fussy. Most mornings when I go in to get him, his paci is outside the crib and he doesn't seem to notice. I have a feeling we'll be done with it soon, but I can't say that with confidence just yet.

Nuby sippy cups

Colin didn't take to sippy cups right away, but when he finally gave in and ditched the bottle, Nuby cups quickly became his favorite. They're easy to grip and have a soft silicone spout. I have found them at both Target and Wal-Mart for great prices. Despite the fact that they don't have lots of little parts, they don't leak easily, and they wash well without getting grimy-looking. I wash them in the dishwasher and they've held up great.

Store-brand baby products

  

In an effort to save some money, I've been trying to do use coupons and make more frugal choices. One way I've been doing this is by trying store brand products instead of name brands. And you know what? A lot of the stuff is great! I actually prefer Target brand wipes to the thicker Huggies or Pampers ones, and I have found that their diapers are great, too... and so affordable! The Great Value brand stuff from Wal-Mart is another favorite. I exclusively buy Great Value dishwasher detergent now, because I actually prefer it.

Homedics SoundSpa white noise machine

I've mentioned the SoundSpa before, and I'm bringing it up again because it's just that awesome. We still use it on the "waterfall" setting every night and for naps, and it helps Colin make the connection that it's time to sleep. It really seems to soothe him.

Radio Flyer Ultimate Family Wagon

My in-laws bought this for our niece, Emily, when she was about Colin's age (she's 4 now) and recently they let us have it. This thing is awesome! You can seat-belt your child into either side, or you can seat two kiddos in it. There are multiple seat configurations, most of which leave space for a diaper bag, blanket, toys.. whatever! We're planning a zoo trip in May, and we'll probably take the wagon instead of the stroller so Colin can see all the way around. So far, we've just used it to walk around the neighborhood, which he absolutely loves!

Mommy's iPhone

Last but not least.. our kids all have some unconventional favorite things, right? Well, Colin loves to grab my phone and use his thumbs to pretend like he's playing a game on it. LOL! There are a few toddler-oriented apps he likes on it, but none of them hold his attention for very long. If we're at a restaurant or the doctor's office and he starts getting antsy, we pull up a Youtube video of Oso or Mickey and he is good to go! Let's face it: I love this thing, too. It's glued to me pretty much 24/7. But, I digress.

What are some of your favorite things?

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Reflection

I was doing a little bit of reflecting this morning. Sometimes I like to flip back through old blog posts and read thoughts from another chapter in my life. I notice a common thread through a lot of them. For a long time, I ached to move forward in my life. It's like I was always waiting for something to happen. I wrote this post in April of 2008, and this one in 2009. For a long time, I felt stagnant. I was waiting to find a house and move out of our apartment, waiting to finish my degree, waiting to have a full time job with benefits so we could start trying for a baby. One after another, we watched those things happen and checked some pretty major items off of our "to do" list.

Closing on our first home, May 2009

Accepting my Bachelor's degree, August 2009

Our first look at our baby and first time hearing his heartbeat, July 2010

Eagerly awaiting Colin's arrival! (With my brother and sister, Christmas 2011)

Meeting my son for the first time, January 2011

Our little family playing in the backyard, just last weekend

Because we know we want more children, I don't yet feel "complete." However, I do feel more complete than I did when I wrote those daydreamy posts so long ago. It's so funny to look back at the times I longed for more, for a different life. I do sometimes wish I had savored the moments when things were different, but at the same time, I always wanted this and I'm so glad I have it now. I'm so blessed by my boys, and despite the fact that we have to work hard for what we have, it has all been worth it. And you know what? I don't really miss what I had before we had all this. Yes, I am thankful for the journey, but I think the time and hard work has only made our lives sweeter. All the experiences we've shared together as a family have only strengthened us. And I can't wait to see what else the future holds. Thank you for sharing in my journey.
 

{Co-hosting!} Toddle Along Tuesday: A Day in the Life

TGIT! Okay, that was a little overzealous. I normally couldn't give two poops about a Tuesday, but today is extra special because I have the honor of co-hosting the Toddle Along Tuesday blog hop over at Growing Up Geeky! If you're here because of TAT, welcome to my blog sweet blog! I'm Katie. It's nice to meet you. :)



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This week's Toddle Along Tuesday topic is A Day in the Life. Share what a typical day is like for you in prose, pictures, videos, whatever you like! There are no rules, except that you link up a relevant post (old or new) rather than your whole blog.

A day in my life begins at 6 am during the workweek. My husband's cell phone alarm goes off, I take my temp and plug it into my Fertility Friend chart. {We use natural family planning as a birth control method, and I "temp" to keep track of where I am in my cycle.} I hear soft white noise coming from the baby monitor and note that Colin has slept through the night again. Yes! It's been about a week since he had any night wakings, and I feel like I'm getting spoiled by sleeping so well. Thank you, sweet boy!

Hubby and I both stretch and roll ourselves out of bed. We don't talk much in the mornings, usually. Our bathroom routine {with one sink to share} is like clockwork. We take turns going to the bathroom, weighing ourselves like we do every Monday {I've lost a pound this week for a grand total of 15.5 pounds lost so far. Hooray for Weight Watchers!!}, brushing our teeth. Justin rinses his hair in the sink and styles it. I run the flat iron through my hair and put on minimal makeup.

At 6:30, I wake Colin up. He isn't too thrilled about this.

We head to the living room where he gets a diaper change and a clean outfit.

There's no time to dawdle on a Monday morning. I sit Colin down in his high chair and feed him some yogurt. He isn't too interested, and prefers to munch on some cheddar "crunchies" this morning. Usually he loves yogurt, but you know how toddlers can be!

At 6:55 we're getting into the car and heading out. I worry that we're running a little behind schedule today, but we make it to daycare right on time. Colin gets settled in with Ms. Cindy and his {stinking adorable} little buddies, and I'm out the door.

I drive to work, which is usually about a 45 minute commute, and I listen to Catching Fire on my Audible.com app while I drive. I'm working my way through the Hunger Games books at the moment, and I'm hooked. I get to work right on time - 8 am. I get settled in and eat my breakfast - pineapple Chobani Greek yogurt, my favorite! Instead of brewing coffee today, I try a Starbucks Via packet someone gave me. It's not bad, but I still prefer a good hot cup of coffee, I think.

From 8 to 12, it's all work, work, work. I won't bore you with the details of my busy morning. Fast forward to noon. I brought my lunch today - a Lunchable with turkey, cheese, crackers, Mandarin oranges, and a teeny rice krispy treat - so instead of driving somewhere, I walk across the parking lot from my office building to a picnic table overlooking the street. It's designed to be a smoking area, but no one is ever there when I I watch people walk by, eat my lunch and listen to a couple more chapters Catching Fire until my hour is up.

From 1-4:30, it's more work, work, work. Nothing too exciting. I'd rather be kissing my baby's chubby cheeks or listening to my audio book, but you gotta pay the bills. So I stay confined to my desk all afternoon which, by the way, has no windows. I feel a bit like a caged bird on this beautiful, sunny day and 4:30 can't come fast enough. Finally, it does come, and I'm off like a rocket, headed out to my little black Ford Fusion and then driving to daycare and, of course, listening to my audio book. I collect my adorable son and we're on our way home.

We get home, and Daddy is waiting to greet us. Daddy and Colin walk around and admire random things in the garage.

And now that we're home, it's the daily dilemma: what's for dinner? Colin, of course, is starving and must. eat. right. now. so I give him some strawberries and turkey sticks, and I make myself a peanut butter and banana sandwich on toasted bread with fresh strawberries on the side. Not fancy, but delicious!

  
After dinner, the three of us went on a family walk. Colin hung out in his wagon and enjoyed the beautiful evening as much as we did.

When we got home, he wasn't done playing outside yet, so we went to the backyard and played some more. Now, I'm spending a few minutes on the computer while the guys talk (my brother is staying with us until August) and Colin plays with his birthday cake toy that his great grandma got for him in January. As soon as I hit "publish" on this post, Colin is getting a bath, and then he'll get his teeth brushed and get tucked in for the night. Then, like most evenings, the hubs and I will take showers, tidy up the kitchen, and prepare ourselves for another work day.


Whew! Now that I have it all in writing, I see why I'm so exhausted at the end of every day! Thanks for hanging around long enough to read all this. I hope you've enjoyed it. I can't wait to read all of your posts and see what your day is like. Have a great week! ♥

Guess what?

I'm going to be co-hosting the Toddle Along Tuesday blog hop over at Growing Up Geeky this coming Tuesday. The theme will be "A Day in the Life." If you've already done a "day in the life" post, you can come link it up. If not, get your cameras ready and get to blogging! I plan to document the details of our Monday to give you an idea of what an ordinary day is like for us. And I use the word "ordinary" loosely, because there is never a dull moment in the life of a working momma. See you Tuesday!


Oh, and just for fun, here is Colin eating a popsicle. :)

Toddle Along Tuesday: Bloopers

The theme today for Toddle Along Tuesday is "photo bloopers." Here's one from Colin's 1st birthday party back in January. He, um, wasn't a big fan of the smash cake that his mother so lovingly prepared for him. Haha.

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!"

The good news is that he eventually came to his senses and discovered that cake is, in fact, a very good thing. That's my boy.