Back in May 2021, I carved out a little arts and craft space for my kids in the corner of our kitchen. It was simple but super functional for two small children and served both LJ and Vi well as they developed their loves of creating.
Flash forward almost three years, and they have outgrown the small desk. They are both very creative and love working on various art projects, and despite my best efforts to keep things organized, the space was overflowing with coloring books, bins of paper, markers, crayons, paint supplies, stickers, play doh, stamps and ink pads, and much more. It got to the point where the “art desk” was just a dumping ground for all the supplies, but they actually needed to do the creating somewhere else because there was no space at the desk. (I’m cringing at this photo!!)
The dining room table is where things naturally gravitated. We really only use it for meals if we have company over (and even then, we’re often hosting in our basement) so the kids started using it as a space for their projects. The table had the advantage of space for both of them to work at once, as opposed to the single-person art desk, and before long the room was taken over with supplies and finished projects. I decided to embrace this season of life: we’re not using a dining room right now, so let’s just turn it into an art room for the kids! But if we were going to do this, I did not want to have another disheveled mess in the dining room, which is what was happening. Exhibit A: (cringing again!)
The biggest need was very clear: storage. Things really got out of hand with the art desk and were heading the same direction in the dining room; I wanted to keep better organization in the new space. I needed it to be very kid-friendly and preferably inexpensive, but also nice enough to fit in with the flow of the rest of the house since the dining room is open to the rest of the main floor. I found the perfect solution at Ikea with their Kallax system.
I love that Ikea sells the basic 8-cube shelf and allows you to customize it with extras and inserts. I chose to elevate the shelf on the black iron legs to make it a little easier to access for the kids. I also chose to use 4 drawer inserts, giving us 8 drawers to categorize and store supplies. The drawers seem small but they can hold a lot! I also chose a few divider inserts and used two horizontally to create additional shelves and two vertically to create slots for storing various activity books. It fits everything that was piled on and in the art desk but with a LOT more organization.
I also snagged this desk organizer at Ikea and a few little pencil cups to keep the most commonly used utensils handy on top. The kids can just take the cup they need over to the table to work. It’s been working great so far! I’ve had this cute lamp for several months now – I originally intended for it to be in the living room but I don’t currently have a place for it there out of toddler reach. I had the idea to try it here for now and I actually love it! It creates a nice warm glow when we just need a little light and not the full overhead lighting.
The only other thing I want to do with this room right now is address the large white wall. I want to add a bunch of frames to the wall to display finished artwork, and I am also debating adding a corkboard over the shelf for a place to dry painting projects. It’ll be a pretty simple but impactful transformation and it really makes our house feel more like us as it works to fit the needs of our family in this stage.
We may be a week into January, but this feels like my New Year’s Day. We traveled to visit family over the last week in December, and then had a nasty little sickness work its way through our family last week, so we didn’t exactly have that Fresh New Year Energy going for us. Then last night, I did a huge cleaning of our main floor and got us reset for the week. All my family members are getting back to feeling better, we’re back in school, and it feels like now we are ready for 2024 to begin.
Every year I like to set some goals for our house projects. Today I wanted to recap how I did on my 2023 goals and map out my hopes for this year. I always hold these plans a little loosely, as I know a lot can change over the course of a year. Looking at last year’s list, I completed some goals, partially finished others, and also did a few things I wasn’t planning for at all. I’m excited to see what this year has in store! First, let’s look at how the projects of 2023:
I kicked off the year with free-handing a mountain mural in my kids’ shared bedroom. The other three walls are a white and blue color block, so this was a fun addition and a nice nod to Justin and my shared history of living out East among the mountains. It’s colorful and playful and the kids loved it!
As LJ became more and more interested, I was in desperate need of storage. I couldn’t find a ready-made solution that I liked, so Justin and I decided to DIY a Lego table from scratch. This project was able to be completed in a weekend and I am so glad that we made a nice, solid top for when the table is not in use. It’s perfect for keeping baby hands away from the Lego stash and I love that it doubles as a regular table for kids when we have company over!
Justin and I scored this midcentury dresser off Facebook marketplace approximately 8 years ago (for $30!!) At the time, I hadn’t done much DIY and the dresser was a bit scratched so I thought the easiest thing to do was just paint it. We painted it a soft neutral blue and put it in the nursery for LJ and he’s been using it ever since. Once I painted the mountain mural, the painted dresser placed in front of it just felt like too much . . . paint. I needed more natural tones on the wall! I decided to strip off the paint, sand it down, and re-stain it to its original look. I also used rub n buff to make the legs appear metal to match the drawer pulls, which are original. I LOVE the end result!
My goal this year was to finish the living room phase one, and while I didn’t get totally finished, I did make progress! The living room has been by far the slowest renovation I’ve ever done. It started with painting the walls and the ceiling last year. We also swapped out the old ceiling fan for a large light fixture. Then this year we hired an electrician to add sconces – we went from zero permanent light fixtures in the room to three and it has made such a difference! I also added a large framed print and freshened up the pillows this year. Then just a few weeks ago, we hired painters to paint the foyer and they also painted the windows black. We’re content with this *very* slow and steady approach to the room and are happy with the progress this year.
My goal was to update the patio – we didn’t end up making any changes to the space itself but I did decide to give our furniture set a little glow up. We’ve had our patio set for several years and it was looking pretty rough, so I spent some time this summer refreshing it with teak oil. I’ve never done anything like this before so it took a bit of trial and error to figure out a good process but I’m really happy with how it turned out!
LJ started kindergarten this year and requested a Sonic backpack. I’m all about kids having some autonomy and choosing what they like, but for me a backpack is an investment piece. I do not plan to buy a new one each year and I knew his interest in Sonic would fade. We compromised with an iron-on Sonic patch on his backpack and were both super happy with the result! And whenever he’s done with Sonic, we can just remove the patch and put something else on š Win win!
When we got new carpet in the kids room last year, we had to remove the existing closet shelves because the shelves were installed underneath the carpet. We made things work with a couple rods and shelves and tubs, but it wasn’t an ideal or efficient storage setup. This year we used The Container Store to maximize storage in the space and it has been SO great to have tons of accessible storage again. I decided to paint the walls dark to match the dark colored rods and I love the monochromatic look it created. The closet is also set up in a way that the kids can easily get what they need which has been so helpful.
Guest Room Stencil Wall
After years of having the guest room partially stenciled, I finally finished the faux wallpaper stencil this year! It took many hours, and I worked on different walls at different times, but it was such great feeling to finally finish and having a fully “wallpapered” guest room. I haven’t made a post with the finished process yet because I still want to repaint the all the trim, but just having the walls done was such a good step.
Replace the Basement Carpet
This one felt SO good to finally take care of. It took me several weeks and many many carpet samples, but I finally chose a carpet from a local flooring company and they installed it late this summer. It’s soft and cozy and makes the space feel so fresh and nice! In an effort to keep it nice longer, I added a rug under the dining table to catch any food spills.
This project was a spur-of-the-moment, incredibly last minute DIY that I did on the morning of LJ’s 6th birthday party. We didn’t lean strongly into a theme but he wanted a monster truck cake and the night before the party, as I was picking up a few more party supplies, I saw a fun monster truck pinata. I was immediately inspired to make a dupe and LJ was thrilled with it! I definitely think I’ll do this again for future birthdays.
Foyer Painted . . . FINALLY!
After two and a half years of staring at a half-painted foyer, I finally hired painters to come and finish the job! Of course, I was kicking myself for not doing it sooner. The space seems so much brighter and bigger now (unfortunately, the only photo I had was very dim because it was an overcast day, but just trust me, in person, it’s lighter and brighter!) They also painted the upstairs hallway and the trim work and doors upstairs so the space really feels so much more cohesive with the rest of the home now.
Better Garage Storage
Back in May, I talked about plans for updating our garage. I shared some of the progress on Instagram, but this was all happening as I began to taper off sharing on Instagram over the summer. Life got busy – we had trips planned and a lot of other things happening so we never finished the garage and I never even shared what we were able to accomplish. Oops! The storage we did create around the freezer has been so functional for us and I’m so glad we at least finished that part in 2023.
Whew! Looking at that list, I’m proud of all I was able to accomplish this year, even if it wasn’t quite everything I planned to do. Looking ahead at this year, I’m trying to keep things attainable with a mix of bigger and smaller projects. Life isn’t slowing down anytime soon, and I want to enjoy our family life as much as I can, so we’ll see what all I’m able to get to with our house this year. Here’s what I’m hoping for:
2024 Home Project Goals
Window Trim in the Living Room
The painters who did the foyer also painted all the living room windows, so really the big thing left is to replace the trim to match the rest of the windows in the house and I’d like to tackle that this year. Eventually, I also want to get new flooring and possibly add a small fireplace insert. I’m also kicking around the idea of planking the ceiling! And we need to get a drywall company out here to take a look at a few issues with the walls. So suffice to say, the living room won’t be finished this year, but we’ll keep moving the needle a bit š
Create a Workout Room
This is a goal that got bumped from my list last year. We want to convert this little room in between the garage and basement – we call it the utility room but it’s really just storage – into a workout space. Last year we did clear out a significant amount of the stuff stored inside, but we need to keep chipping away at it this year. Once it’s cleared out, I want to paint, swap out the lighting, add some mirrors, and move in our stationary bike, weights, mats, etc so we have a dedicated space to workout.
Finish Garage Storage
While we were able to create some functional storage in our garage last year, this spring my goal is to finish our plans to make it a fully functional space for our family’s needs!
Updates in Entryway + Hall
Now that the foyer and upstairs hallway are painted, I am inspired to make a few other small updates to the space. The chandelier in the foyer is very dated and I’ve never been a fan, so I’m looking forward to swapping it out for something else. I also want to add artwork and family photos to the hallway walls upstairs, and we need to swap out the can lights and fire alarm.
Convert Dining Room to Art Space
My kids love art. They love drawing and painting and play doh and stickers and modeling clay and color by numbers and really anything creative and crafty. Because of this, we have quickly outgrown the small art station in the kitchen and all their projects have spilled over into the dining room. Since we rarely use the dining room and prefer to eat our meals in the kitchen, I’m going to just embrace this stage of life and convert the dining room into their art space, complete with storage and a place to hang all their creations. I already started this just a bit over Christmas but I’m excited to make this space into something they love and use every day!
Leveling Up the Basement
The basement has had so much progress over the years, but there are just a few smaller projects I want to finish this year. Now that the guest room stencil is done, I want to repaint the trim to match and possibly repaint the guest bathroom, depending on how it flows together. I also need to address the painted tile (spoiler alert: it hasn’t held up as well as I had hoped) and create better storage for all our outdoor things in the entryway. I would love to also paint the windows and swap out the baseboards for the chunkier version we’re using throughout the house, but I’m not sure if that will happen this year or not. We’ll see!
As for personal goals this year, I have two. I want to walk “24 in 24” (24 minutes a day, every day) because we have a big trip planned for summer that will involve a lot of walking, and for our family, we are trying the “1000 hours outside” challenge where we, you guessed it, spend 1000 hours outside in one year. Movement and fresh air are the big goals for us this year.
Hello hello and happy 2024! I enjoyed a very fun and full holiday season with my family and definitely enjoyed cozying up with a blanket next to the Christmas tree to read. In December I read seven books of various genres. It was interesting to me that the full-fledged “Christmas” books I read I didn’t love, but a few of the non-Christmasy ones gave me the perfect cozy holiday feels. Others weren’t even remotely cozy or Christmas-y and yet I still enjoyed them sprinkled in among the other books this month. The variety this month was great! But I digress…
A powerful hurricane is headed to Florida, and thanks to the state’s slowly crumbling infrastructure and rapidly deteriorating weather patterns, Hurricane Wanda is going to wreak havoc and usher in a new era for society and survival. For one family in particular, the hurricane brings both devastation and new life, as their baby girl is born right in the middle of the storm. Named after the hurricane itself, curious and unusual Wanda grows up in a society that seems to be unraveling more and more with each passing year.
I read this story for a book club and it was an excellent choice for reading with others, as there was so much to discuss. The story is broken up into four parts: power, water, light, and time. Through alternating perspective chapters, we follow Wanda and her family as they navigate both the unprecedented hurricane and the devastating aftermath. This story was unlike anything I’ve read before! It was essentially the author imagining a potential future for our planet given our current context of climate change, and I found the whole concept to be really thought-provoking. I was captivated by the hurricane saga and intrigued with the imagining of the deteriorating world afterwards. I was able to read it pretty quickly; although there was a section in the middle where things got pretty slow for a while, it thankfully picked up again for me as I read on. There was also one piece of the plot that brought in a bit of fantasy and I wish that hadn’t been included, as it took away from how realistic the rest of the plotline felt. Other than those issues, I enjoyed the storytelling overall and I enjoyed that we saw different character’s perspectives as the world around them drastically changed. Bottom line: I was intrigued and challenged by the ideas in this story and I absolutely know I will be thinking about it for a long time so for those reasons, I do recommend it!
Single mom Clare has just moved with her young son Owen to a cute little small town called Knights Bridge where she now works as a librarian. It’s there that she meets Logan, a busy ER doctor who lives in the city but has come back to Knights Bridge to help his grandmother Daisy as she transitions to assisted living. Daisy has moved out of her beloved Victorian house in town and makes a request to Logan: could he please decorate it for Christmas one last time? Unsure of how to do the grand old home justice, Logan turns to Clare for help and offers a chance to look through Daisy’s book collection for donations to the library in return. As the house comes to life under their hard work decorating, they discover an unexpected and growing attraction…but will they be brave enough to allow themselves to fall in love this Christmas?
I wanted a cute, easy, festive, Hallmark-y read and thought this would fit the bill. When I’m searching for a book using that criteria, I know there will likely be predictability and not a whole lot of deep character development, but this one felt a bit too easy for me. The characters had too little depth and the storyline was too repetitive and predictable. I wasn’t ultimately very invested or interested and I ended up mostly just skimming along.āThere were a few storylines I expected the author to dig deeper into and was disappointed that they just kind of got glossed over. All that being said, it’s still a pleasant, fairly clean read (a few swear words but no steamy scenes) and has a LOT of festive elements like Christmas decorations and ice skating and hot cocoa. It was also evident that this author has a series set in this town, as there were a lot of references to other couples that I’m sure are the main characters in other books, so if you’re a fan of this author and series, you’ll likely enjoy this book! It just didn’t quite hit for me and my Christmas-y mood.
This book gives some Jane Austen-meets-Bridgerton vibes and was about what I expected. Hugh and Minerva are pretty likeable, and the overall storyline is predictably cute (leaning heavily into the fake dating and miscommunication troupes), but it also got pretty repetitive. Hugh is highly motivated by this one specific character quality he believes he inherited, and that gets old in the storyline and ultimately feels silly in the end. The setting is fun, some of the banter is enjoyable, the side characters bring a playful and interesting dynamic, and it feels slightly Christmas-y because it is set around Christmas time. I believe it is part of a series with each book centered around another sister’s romance but I don’t anticipate that I’ll read the rest of the series. There is one steamy scene, but it’s very easy to see coming and skip over if you prefer not to read those. Overall, this book was fine, a middle-of-the-road level read for me.
Liz, Maggie, Helena, and Joni have been friends for years. Though life has taken them all in very different directions, they still reunite for getaways together when they can. This year, it was Liz’s turn to pick a destination; since she’s currently stressed out by life and the state of her crumbling marriage, she suggests something different than their typical beach holiday: hiking in the remote mountains of Norway. Despite their hesitations, the others agree to come along and the group sets off for camping and hiking in the wilderness. What they don’t know is that there are secrets lurking everywhere along their journey and if they’re not careful, they may not make it out of the wilderness alive.
This book is a destination thriller that leans survivalist at times and I loved that it was such an escapist read. I felt like I had been transported to Norway and it made me want to travel and experience this gorgeous country for myself. I binged the entire thing in less than 24 hours – I couldn’t put it down! It’s not a twisty and jumpy thriller, but it is a compulsive, must-find-out-what-is-going-on page-turner. The characters all felt authentic and layered, each with likeable and dislikable qualities; I love that we see their own thoughts and feelings alongside their actions and can compare those to how they each perceive one another. The premise is interesting, the plot moves along at a good pace without feeling rushed, and it is satisfyingly dramatic without being scary. I didn’t quite love how everything wrapped up at the end, but I’m willing to overlook that because of how much I enjoyed the suspenseful ride throughout. Overall, it’s a solid thriller that I do recommend!
“On a snowy evening in March, thirty-something Noelle Butterby is on her way back from an event at her old college when disaster strikes. With a blizzard closing off roads, she finds herself stranded, alone in her car, without food, drink, or a working charger for her phone. All seems lost until Sam Attwood, a handsome American stranger also trapped in a nearby car, knocks on her window and offers assistance. What follows is eight perfect hours together, until morning arrives and the roads finally clear. The two strangers part, positive theyāll never see each other again but fate, it seems, has a different plan. As the two keep serendipitously bumping into one another, they begin to realize that perhaps there truly is no such thing as coincidence.”
This isn’t a Christmas read at all, but since it initially started in a blizzard it felt wintery and perfect for my cozy reading mood this month. It’s a sweet rom com with a bit of a Hallmark-y feel but I didn’t find it to be cheesy or cringey; I thought it was a fun read! I loved the premise and enjoyed Sam and Noelle’s characters and was absolutely rooting for them to get together. There are just enough side plots layered in to keep things interesting without distracting from the main storyline, and it does pull in some weightier topics like death, loss, and life’s challenges. I will say I had to give some leeway in the fate/realism department – there are a lot of coincidences with Sam and Noelle continuing to run into one another in some fairly far-fetched circumstances, but if you can accommodate that, it’s an enjoyable, feel-good read! I found it to be delightfully heartwarming and exactly what I was in the mood for snuggled up by the Christmas tree. It’s also pretty wholesome – it does have a bit of language but no steamy scenes. I definitely recommend if you want a lighthearted read with a bit of depth to it!
Olivia’s passion is running her nonprofit, Christmas From the Heart, and she relies heavily on the generosity of donors to be able to provide relief and comfort to struggling families in her area. When she learns her charity lost a large and long-standing donor, she is furious. Guy Hightower feels he did what needed to be done; his company may be large, but prior mismanagement has meant that they need to try to cut what they can and save the company from crumbling. He never expects to meet the woman who sent him all the angry emails after he cut off her funding, but when his car breaks down as he passes by her small town, the beautiful Good Samaritan who rescues him from the side of the road is none other than Olivia. He quickly gives himself a fake identity, and as he’s stuck in town for a few days, Guy gets a first hand look at Livi’s life and charitable work, and Livi gets to know “Joe”, a good-hearted, thoughtful stranger who she finds herself falling for. But when the truth about him is revealed, will they be able to continue their growing feelings for one another?
This is another one I thought would be perfect for curling up by the tree and getting in the Christmas spirit. The potential with the storyline was there! But the execution was off for me. Unfortunately I did not connect with the characters or their romance. I think the biggest problem was I didn’t find the main character to be likeable. Livi was meant to come across as a kind, generous do-gooder but in actuality I thought she came across as entitled, gold-digging, and even rude at times. I could not fit her behavior after being turned down by one donor with how someone who actually runs a charitable nonprofit would act. Plus the lie with Guy’s true identity went a little too long, and the subsequent chapters after that revelation felt really disjointed. Despite all the lies and personality shortcomings, I was being told how the romance was unfolding and the characters were falling for one another, but as the reader I wasn’t actually feeling it at all. I wanted to like this one, but it just fell flat for me and I skimmed just to finish. Bummer!
Ever since she was a young girl, Cassie has been given a special Christmas gift from her older brother Tom: a scavenger hunt created just for her. This year, he has promised her it will be the best one yet, but then he tragically dies right before Christmas. Lost for months in her deep grief, Cassie struggles to just make it through her days until one day, she is given an envelope with Tom’s handwriting on it. She knows it is the start to the scavenger hunt and her last communication from her beloved brother. In order to complete the hunt, she will need to rely on her closest friends, and that includes Tom’s best friend Sam. Though Sam is hardly recognizable from the younger version of himself she once loved, he is the only other person who feels Tom’s loss like she does. As Cassie works her way through Tom’s last scavenger hunt, she also begins to work up the courage needed to accept the final gift he has left for her.
Oooph, this book got me good! It’s hard to describe because it deals with such a heavy plotline but somehow isn’t a distressing read. Granted, I have not lost a close family member like Cassie has, so perhaps those who have would find it harder to read, but I thought the author did a great job navigating loss and giving space for the heartbreak while balancing other aspects of life. Obviously, grief is a huge part of the book, but I think it’s done in a way that manages to not be completely heart wrenching and sad. You feel the sorrow, you empathize with the characters, but you also feel joy and hope with them. I loved seeing Cassie’s confidence grow throughout and I was always rooting for Sam to get his act together. I will say, it’s partially a (closed door) romance but not a banter-y, laugh out loud rom com. Instead it’s a touching story of growth, friendship, support, love, and showing up for one another through all of life’s challenges. It is centered around the scavenger hunt, which is a Christmas gift, but the rest of the book is not Christmas-y at all. Even so, it was a perfect choice as a deeper holiday read. It tugs on your heart, it makes you smile, it just brings out emotions and ultimately is uplifting. I loved it!
Whew! That’s it for last month, now bring on all the 2024 reads! As always, if you have any great recommendations, send them my way!
Happy December 1! It is officially my favorite time of year!
Last month, I expected to finish more books but ended up with only one read. The reason for that: it’s been a while since it took me this long to finish a book! Today I’m going to chat a bit about both the book and whether or not the slow build was worth it.
“Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to a coastal island in Maine when their neighbor Morgan Baines is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie. But itās not just Morganās death that has Sadie on edge. And as the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of what really happened that dark and deadly night. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs. Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light.” (Synopsis taken from Amazon)
I saw this book recommended on another account from someone who historically has similar reading preferences to me. I’ll be honest, for the first third of the book, I kept thinking “why on earth did she hype this up so much?” I just could not get into it – the characters were all unlikeable and the plot felt extremely slow and veered into some territory I wasn’t excited about. It also might have just been the wrong choice for me right now, since I was getting into the light, happy, festive mood and a murder thriller didn’t quite fit that. So all that being said, it took me many days to even make it 1/3 of the way through, just chipping away a short chapter at a time. I wanted to quit or at least jump to another book and (maybe) come back to this one later. I stuck with it though and around the 1/3 mark I had a revelation: I believed I had figured out the twist. Suddenly my motivation exploded – I had to know if I was correct and the more I read, the more convinced I became. I doubt it was the author’s intention for the reader to do this, but in this instance knowing actually helped the story seem so much more compelling. By the time I got to the last third, I could not put this book down!
Now in terms of recommending, I don’t know! After like 9 days of slowly reading a bit at a time, I compulsively read the last 2/3 of this book in like 24 hours and loved it. There were still things I DID NOT see coming at all and I had a major jaw drop towards the end. But that being said, if I hadn’t guessed that one particular aspect of the plot at the time I did, I would’ve struggled to keep reading. For me, the book was 1/3 slow, 1/3 compulsive reading to prove my theory, 1/3 shocking twists and reveals in the end. It could have been 2/3 slow build and 1/3 twists and reveals and I just don’t think I would recommend that, you know? So if this long-winded review has you curious or you think you could also figure it out early, I say go for it! But if you don’t typically guess things in advance, you may find this a little too much of a slow build. For me, things picked up early enough that I still loved the book overall.
Do you keep reading books you’re not into? Or do you have a threshold where you’ll quit? My threshold is really high but I have quit books before – this one I’m glad I stuck with!
Last night, we celebrated LJ’s sixth birthday! This was the first year we did a big party with friends and he invited six buddies to come celebrate with him. There were many fun parts of the evening, but one of the highlights was this last-minute pinata!
I don’t typically lean hard into a themed birthday party and prefer to get decorations and supplies I can reuse over and over again in future years, but I do usually have a themed dessert based on the child’s interests. This year, LJ surprised my by requesting a monster truck ice cream cake. Even he admitted he’s not typically interested in monster trucks, but that’s what he wanted on his cake so we rolled with it. Then the night before the party, I was picking up a few last minute supplies and I stumbled across this.
I immediately thought how fun a pinata would be at the party, and that it’d be fun to surprise LJ with a monster truck one. I did not love the $20 price tag of this one though, so I got a burst of inspiration to try making my own DIY version of a pinata. It turned out great so I thought I’d share the tutorial today – I had most of the supplies on hand so it ended up costing me just over $5 and took about an hour of active work time.
Supplies
-thick cardboard (I used a diaper box)
-thin cardboard (I used a cereal box)
-painter’s tape (masking tape would work too)
-tissue paper
-scissors
-pen
-glue stick
-candy to fill it!
I decided to keep the shape simple so I used a round fruit bowl to trace two circles onto the diaper box cardboard. The edges weren’t perfectly smooth after cutting but I knew tape would be going over top so I didn’t worry about it.
I cut the two narrow sides off the Cheerios box, and when I realized that wouldn’t quite be enough to go all around the large circles I used one as a template to cut one more strip off the box.
I used painter’s tape to attach the Cheerios strip to one large round circle, then the other. I left one little flap un-taped so there would be a slot to add candy.
Once the structure was finished, it was time for the tissue paper. I stacked a few sheets of tissue paper and cut them into roughly two inch strips.
I stacked the strips and then cut the fringe about halfway into the strip. I didn’t worry about perfection – the strips and fringe were all a little different!
I swiped a glue stick in a line across the bottom and stuck the first piece of tissue paper on. Right above the top of the tissue paper, I swiped another line of glue and stuck another piece on. I repeated this process from the bottom to the top and then cut the excess tissue paper around the edge of the pinata.
I flipped the pinata over and repeated the process on the other large round side, then did the same thing on the narrow side. There was a little adjusting here and there as I glued the edges and trimmed off excess. I did put tissue paper over the candy flap, but did not close it yet.
Just one quick note: The fringe was irregular, but since the tissue paper was all one color it didn’t matter to me. If I was doing a multicolored pinata I would probably have wanted to keep things a little more consistent so the stripes would look more cohesive.
For hanging the pinata, I took a piece of black pipe cleaner and poked two small holes in the top. It was too hard to document this, but I stuck my hand through the candy slot to twist the ends together inside, then I used painter’s tape to stick the twisted ends to the top of the pinata. This felt sturdy enough to withstand a beating from six year old boys!
Lastly, I filled it with candy, and carefully stuck painter’s tape inside the candy slot, adhesive side sticking to the sides and covering the hole as best I could, so that I could press down the flap onto the tape. (In hindsight, I should have taped the flap from the outside and then covered it up again with fringe to give better durability).
I bought a monster truck digital download on Etsy and had it printed at my local FedEx on cardstock. I cut a circle around the truck, glued it to the front, and voila! A monster truck pinata for a total of $5.18.
We used rope to hang it from a broomstick, which Justin held. It was a hit with the boys and lasted about 12 solid hits before bursting open, which was good enough for me (but it burst from the candy flap side and I think if I had taped that closed just a little bit better it would’ve lasted a little longer). LJ loved it and told me I was “the best maker birthday mom ever” which I will take! š
This fall has been a big time of transition for my family. LJ started kindergarten and now my days include balancing drop-offs and pick-up for both kindergarten and preschool. Add in a toddler’s (can’t believe it’s not “baby’s” anymore!) nap schedule and a few extracurriculars to the mix, plus just daily life things like meals and laundry and cleaning, and you can probably see why I chose to pare back on other things while I got my bearings in this new stage. I’ve also been prioritizing rest (my goal for November!) and it’s been a refreshing change of pace. Home projects and this blog are creative outlets for me, but it was a good decision to hold them loosely over the past few months so I could actually enjoy this stage of transition for my family. It feels like we’re in a good groove now and I’m ready to be more consistent here again – and what better way than to jump back in than to catch up on my book reviews?
I haven’t had the brain space for too many books these past few months but I did read three books over the course of September and October. Let’s discuss!
In college, it was the six of them: inseparable best friends. Then tragedy struck. Now it’s the five of them and while they don’t see each other as often, they know they can always count on one another to show up when life gets hard. And when life gets super hard, they show up and throw a funeral. This funeral is for the living friend, giving tribute to them and reminding them that they are loved and supported and celebrated. These funerals have happened over the course of decades, and in an intricately-told story weaving past and present together we see both how the past funerals unfolded and how the characters are preparing for and processing the next one, which may be the hardest living funeral yet.
This was a new author to me and I was so impressed with his storytelling. I devoured this book in 24 hours. I simply could not put it down! It was an incredibly intimate portrait of a decades-long friendship that has gone through varying stages of closeness. Poignant, thought-provoking, deep. I loved how the present day struggles of two of the characters were woven in with the history of the past funerals for the others. I highlighted two passages that really struck me: “We weren’t meant to see everything, we weren’t built to do everything, we aren’t capable of knowing everything. At a certain point, peace has to be found with the choices we’ve made.” ” Not everything had to be Paris to be a life experience. It was just that some things needed to be new, and carry with them the air of excitement that comes with the uncharted.” I love when a book causes me to pause and reflect on my own life, and those moments, as well as others throughout, did just that. Ultimately, I thought it was a meaningful look at what it looks like to show up for one another in life’s toughest moments and what it means to live a life well lived. I absolutely loved it and will be thinking about it for quite a while.
“Turn your home into a Montessori home–and become a more mindful, attentive, and easygoing parent. It’s time to change the way we see toddlers. Using the principles developed by the educator Dr. Maria Montessori, Simone Davies shows how to turn life with a “terrible two” into a mutually rich and rewarding time of curiosity, learning, respect, and discovery.”
I happened to see this book on the shelf at my local library and decided to check it out. I was vaguely familiar with some of the principles of Montessori and was curious about ways I could implement some of it into our home and daily practices. This book is FULL of practical ideas ranging from how to set up your home to lists of activities for your toddler at different stages of development to advice on cultivating routines for everything from getting dressed to brushing teeth to cleaning up spills and helping in the kitchen. It’s not a book I devoured, but I did enjoy picking it up here and there and reading a bit at a time, writing down little bits of wisdom and advice along the way. It’s definitely aspirational and I’m far from fully implementing this lifestyle for my family, but I am on board with many of the Montessori ideals and found this book to be really helpful. I was inspired to make tweaks to our routines with all my kids, even the ones outside of toddlerhood, and I have appreciated those changes in our life! It was inspiring for me and if you’re interested in Montessori at all, I think it’s worth checking out, even if you just want to browse through for some ideas.
April Clarke-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford. Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit and they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends during their first term. By the end of the year, April was dead. Now, a decade later, the man convicted of killing April, whom Hannah testified against, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannahās world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of Aprilās death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hideā¦including a murder. (summary adapted from Amazon)
The cover gives very psychological thriller vibes, and it does eventually have a few heart-pumping scenes, but this book felt more like a mystery and less like a thriller to me. I will say, I kept having a deja vu sense – it was my first time reading it but it felt like a book I’ve read before. Even though it’s not psychological, it reminded me of Girl on a Train or The Woman in the Window – Hannah isn’t necessarily an unreliable narrator, but there are elements of questioning her memories that makes it feel similar to other books I’ve read. I liked the dual timelines and enjoyed picturing the Oxford setting (in my mind, it looked kind of like Harry Potter ha!) but the characters were all a bit unlikeable for various reasons so it was hard to know who to root for and who to suspect. The mystery was intriguing and I was invested in figuring out what exactly happened to April, so it held my interest even when it got a little slow at times. It kept me guessing for a long time, and while I did suspect some aspects of the twisty reveals, there were also parts that I was completely surprised by. Overall, it doesn’t land as a top recommendation for me but it was a solid mystery and if you’re in the mood for a suspenseful read without gore or jumpiness, this would be a good choice.
We’re approaching my favorite time of year to read – cozied up with a blanket by a twinkling Christmas tree! – and I’m excited to dive into the huge stack of books I just checked out from the library. If you have any must-read recommendations to add, send them my way!
It’s hard to believe that just two weeks ago, the closet looked like this:
In my previous closet post I shared that we went to The Container Store and purchased a custom-designed Elfa system perfectly catered to our needs. I’m happy to report that while you can spend a little more to have it professionally installed, it was incredibly easy to install ourselves!
But I’m getting a little ahead of myself – let’s back up and quickly talk through the prep I did for the space. First off, I had to obviously take everything out of the closet. I took down the rods and shelf and patched all the holes and dings in the walls.
I knew a fresh coat of paint would make a big impact but I didn’t want to spend any additional money. After raiding my paint stash, I discovered I had quite a bit of Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze leftover from painting the living room ceiling. I don’t normally paint walls in a flat sheen but since it’s just a closet, I figured it wasn’t a big deal. We ordered the Elfa system in Graphite, a nice dark bronze metal color, and I thought the monochromatic look would look really cool so I went for it. I’ll admit, I had a moment of doubt when the walls were painted (it’s just so dark!) but once we started putting up the closet system, those doubts vanished. I love the tone-on-tone look!
Once the walls cured, it was time to install. The most important step of installing an Elfa system is getting the top tracks at the right height and perfectly level. We measured up from the floor according to the instructions, used a level to ensure the track was, well, level, and marked each hole. We drilled pilot holes, installed the anchors and screws, and attached the tracks in place. The system comes with everything you need except for the actual tools used to install.
Installing the tracks was the only time a tool was needed, as the rest of the system pieces all just interlock with one another. I hung the vertical tracks off the top track and then locked the shelves, drawers, and rods in place according to the instructions. It was like a big, satisfying puzzle! I won’t re-invent the wheel and repeat all the directions here, but suffice to say the instructions are clear, helpful, and easy to follow. The only snag we ran into was with the drawers – the drawer slides keep falling out after we thought we locked them in place. Turns out, they need to be pushed in very hard to fully lock in place and once we pushed the back rod harder than we thought we needed to, we heard the click that locked them in completely. Other than that, the whole install was quick and smooth sailing!
We did run into a small snag where they accidentally sent me one drawer the wrong size (we had made edits to the original design and for some reason this change didn’t catch in the system). The Container Store was quick to apologize and send me the correct item free of charge. I kept the mistaken drawer and use it as bonus storage on the shelf! I’m very pleased with not only the system but their customer service. Feels like the right time to mention again that this project is in no way sponsored by The Container Store – we paid for it all ourselves and this was just my experience!
Once the system was installed, it was time to bring the clothes back in. Most of their current size + current season clothing is actually stored in the dresser in their room but they each have some hanging clothing too. They like to get their clothes themselves so their current size/season hanging clothes are together on the bottom rod and the current size + off season clothes are hanging on the top rod. I purchased these kid-size hangers – I like that they’re thin, sturdy, made from recycled plastic, and come in cute colors! They are larger than the little baby hangers we had before and will last well into the teen years if not beyond. I got the ocean blues set for LJ and the sunset pinks set for Vi.
Previously, the dresser in their room was stuffed with clothing because I had to store both winter and summer clothing there. I was able to move all their winter clothes into the new drawers in the closet to free up space for their summer stuff to fit comfortably in the dresser and it functions so much better! I’ll swap the two once we get into fall (despite Starbucks bringing back pumpkin spice it is nowhere near fall clothing yet for us haha).
We receive a lot of handmedown clothing from friends and I love it, but I previously had to just store it in giant tubs on the floor. I used the remaining drawers to store Vi’s future 5T clothing, but I needed more storage for other sizes so I purchased these baskets for the shelves and hung little tags off each one to label the contents. I struggled to find baskets the right size, but these fit the shelves perfectly and bonus, are ethically and sustainably made!
I had so much extra shelf space that I could bring in all their extra sheets and blankets, which had the ripple effect of freeing up space in my tiny hallway linen closet. I also keep a little suitcase in here for easy access when we pack for trips and despite storing all that, I still have empty space on the shelves!
It’s nice to know that we have a lot of room to grow and I’m imagining in future years we’ll be storing things like sports uniforms or band equipment or whatever else our kids need in here.
This closet was an investment but I know it will serve us very well for many years to come!
Between three major milestones and jumping back into projects with the kids’ closet update, August has been a busy month! I did manage to get three books read and I’m excited to discuss them today so without further ado, let’s get to it!
“In the windswept British seaside town of Ridinghouse Bay, single mom Alice Lake finds a man sitting on a beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, and no idea how he got there. Against her better judgment, she invites him inside. Meanwhile, in a suburb of London, newlywed Lily Monrose grows anxious when her husband fails to return home from work one night. Soon, she receives even worse news: according to the police, the man she married never even existed. Twenty-three years earlier, Gray and Kirsty Ross are teenagers on a summer holiday with their parents. The annual trip to Ridinghouse Bay is uneventful, until an enigmatic young man starts paying extra attention to Kirsty. Something about him makes Gray uncomfortableāand itās not just because heās a protective older brother. Who is the man on the beach? Where is Lilyās missing husband? And what ever happened to the man who made such a lasting and disturbing impression on Gray?” (review taken from Amazon)
I feel a little conflicted writing this review, because I liked it, but didn’t love it. On the plus side, I thought it was a compelling read with the three different storylines that slowly start to overlap and connect. It’s a character-driven plot and fairly slow for a thriller but still was one I read quickly and enjoyed figuring out. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why this book didn’t totally work for me and then I realized: I had to suspend too much reality regarding reasonable decisions parents would make. Every single adult in this book made terrible decisions regarding children and it just did not seem plausible to me that these things would happen. With Alice in particular, I believe her character was supposed to come across as a bit of a normal/endearing/relatable mess but her choices just made her seem very reckless. It’s also a fairly light thriller until one chapter in particular where it takes a sharp turn into a very dark and disturbing scene that felt pretty jarring in the context of the whole book. Overall, I would say I enjoyed it as an average thriller but would give preference to Watching You.
Elise Hannaway is a theoretical physicist and has been struggling to survive on her adjunct professor salary. She moonlights for a fake-dating service to make ends meet but all that may be coming to an end because she’s finally up for a faculty position at MIT. There’s just one little problem: when her interview process begins, she realizes the faculty member in charge is Jack Smith, the older brother of the guy she has been fake-dating and even worse, the experimental physicist who ruined the career of Elsie’s mentor and called into question the validity of theoretical physics. Elsie doesn’t want to play nice with Jack, but it seems like she has to, especially because he sees right through all her people-pleasing personality shifts and notices who she really, truly is.
This is now the third book I’ve read by this author (also read The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain). They are all about women in STEM (which I love!) and science is a strong part of the plot (like, I will skip an entire paragraph here and there because it’s science-y and way above my head). The downfall to this is books do end up feelingĀ veryĀ similar in plot, characters, conflicts, etc. so it can kind of feel a bit like you’re reading the same kind of thing over and over. That being said, I liked Elsie and Jack most of all the characters and think this book would rank as my favorite of the three. Their banter is witty and enjoyable and their conflict and storyline felt the most believable of all the books. I loved the side characters, especially Jack’s grandma who makes some very memorable appearances. It was also fun to see that Hazelwood has created this little world of science where we had little cameos from the characters in the other books. I would give this one a rated-R ranking for language and steam just like the first two (although I would say this one is the steamiest), and I would say if you enjoyed either of the first two, you would also enjoy this one.
Emma Brady agreed to go on Dating Mr. Darcy, a reality TV dating show inspired by Pride and Prejudice, for one reason and one reason only: to promote her struggling activewear apparel line. She’s not looking to fall in love and certainly not with the show’s lead: Sebastian Huntington-Ross. He’s arrogant and rude and okay, yes, attractive, but Emma can totally ignore that thanks to his other undesirable qualities. That is, until she actually gets to know him. Because once she starts to discover what he’s really and truly like, she finds it harder and harder to convince herself she can’t find love on a TV show.
I saw this book on the shelf and decided to grab it on a whim. My expectations were that it would be a light, easy, cute, and predictable read and that more or less was the case. It didn’t feel particularly original since it’s essentially just combining two well-known scenarios (The Bachelor reality TV show Pride and Prejudice), but I wasn’t really expecting or needing it to be groundbreaking. It was . . . fine. The premise seemed entertaining and I wanted to enjoy it, but it fell flat for me for a couple reasons. For one, I couldn’t quite get into Emma and Sebastian as a couple. Their misunderstandings were a little too silly and Emma’s assumptions too immature – it felt like we were trying too hard to create conflict out of pretty minor things. I would have liked to see this as a dual-perspective book to get more invested in Sebastian and the relationship in general. I also thought there was way too much time given to the tension and cattiness with the other contestants and, without spoiling anything, I’ll just say I was personally unsatisfied with how everything resolved in the end. It’s the first of three (looks like book 2 is about their wedding and book 3 is about their trying for a baby) but I am not interested enough in these characters or their storyline to pursue any future books. I will say, this is a clean book (no language, no intimacy beyond kissing) which can be hard to find these days so if that’s a priority for you, this one might be worth it.
I’m gearing up for my next home project and it might not be the most glamorous space, but I’m very excited for adding storage in the kids’ closet!
The previous owners had created their own system with a DIY shelving unit and a couple hanging rods. The setup was okay and hopefully worked well for their needs, but wasn’t a very efficient system for our needs. It felt like there was a lot of underutilized space and with two kids using this room, we need to maximize every inch.
When we replaced the carpet last June, we discovered the shelving unit was actually bolted to the floor underneath the carpet. They had cut a notch in the old carpet to accommodate it and we didn’t want to do that with our new carpet, so we decided to dismantle the whole thing. We’ve been living without the shelves ever since, and while I wasn’t sad to see the old system go, I have definitely felt the loss of storage. Right now all the kids’ clothes are either hanging or stuffed into their dresser and I have bins with hand-me-down clothes in future sizes underneath the hanging storage (and a garbage bag full of clothes a friend passed along that I haven’t had a chance to sort through yet). It’s been working okay, but I’m ready for more efficiency!
One of the challenges in thinking about a new closet design was having to think about what we need now, when we have a five-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl sharing a room, and what we’ll need in the future, when we have two teenaged boys sharing this room (eventually, Ollie and Vi will switch places). There’s also a small door to an attic space that we need to keep accessible, and the longest side wall isn’t deep enough to accommodate hangars.
All those challenges had me feeling a little out of my depth. We debated coming up with our own solution using Ikea storage and some DIY hacks, but it was going to require a lot of finagling with the attic access to maximize like we wanted to. My friend recommended The Container Store and their free closet planning service so we decided to check them out before jumping into an Ikea project.
We were totally blown away by the options at The Container Store and the fact that their planning service is totally free. (I want to emphasize that this is in no way sponsored by them, we paid for everything and this was just our honest experience!) We didn’t need to make an appointment and were just able to talk with a consultant about our needs. He took all the dimensions we brought and in just a couple hours was able to create a plan using their Elfa system that perfectly fit our space and our needs. Their rendering even included a 3D view which was so helpful to visualize what it will look like!
It was the simplest planning we’ve ever done and he ordered all the necessary pieces for us – bonus for us that they were having a 25% off sale! It ended up costing a little less than double what our makeshift Ikea hack was going to cost, but with a lot less work and a LOT more storage and function so it felt worth it to us. The system arrives this week so I need to prep the closet for install now.
Before the system arrives, I need to:
– remove all the remaining shelves and hanging rods
– patch and paint all the walls
– re-install baseboards (these got ripped out when we updated the carpet and were never added back in)
I would also really like to replace the light fixture and possibly add a small mirror. I know that’s not the biggest deal in the closet, but I think it would be fun to add some of those touches.
If you want to see updates in real time, be sure to follow along this week on Instagram!
Last week was an emotional roller coaster of a week, as each of my kids hit a pretty big milestone. Truly, any of these events could make for their own full blog post, but I’m going to try to keep my reflections somewhat brief and condense them into one post here.
A few years ago, I blogged about the firsts and the lasts in my motherhood journey and those words from years ago still resonate deeply with me today. Last week was full of both firsts and lasts and it was a lot to process as it was happening – writing this blog post was very therapeutic for me and it finally allowed me to feel all the feelings (I didn’t cry during these milestones, but I sure cried writing this post!) Before I jump in, I do want to share what you’ll probably notice – after careful thought, Justin and I have decided we are no longer going to be sharing our older children’s full faces on my blog or Instagram. Ollie is still a baby and will continue to change looks in the future, so we’re okay sharing his face for just a bit longer, but for Vi and LJ, we have decided to keep their face private going forward. I will still be sharing our life and family here, particularly as it relates to my home projects and how we live in our home, just with a little more privacy for my kids.
And with that, let’s take a look at last week’s events:
Vi’s (unexpected)First Haircut
On Monday, Vi got ahold of scissors and chopped off a significant amount of her hair. I discovered a huge clump of sweet little blond ringlets on our stairs and was distraught – she’s never had a haircut! Her hair is fine and very slow-growing and it felt shocking that what took four years to grow out was suddenly gone. No more cute ponytails and braids, at least for quite a while, and I had to grieve the unexpected loss.
Tuesday we got her in for a real haircut to fix the damage and I decided to make it a special occasion. I hired a babysitter for the boys, and Vi and I got dressed up in dresses and headed to the salon. She absolutely glowed in the chair – she was so happy and excited for the experience!
Now she has a sweet little bob; it’s actually very cute and we were both happy with the outcome. Afterwards we got some ice cream and I was thankful to have turned the situation into a special memory with my girl.
LJ Started Kindergarten
The day after Vi’s first haircut, LJ had his first day of kindergarten.
To be honest, this was the milestone we prepared the most for. We have been talking about it for months. LJ is very interested in time and calendars and knowing what to expect; he is constantly asking how many days until x or how many minutes until y or what to expect at event z. Suffice to say there has been a lot of counting down to kindergarten and talking about when it will start, how long are the days, will there still be time to play, etc.
As the day approached, I really enjoyed going through the preparations with him. We had fun shopping for school supplies together (except for backpacks, but that story has a good ending!) and going to registration. It was an exciting day when we got the introduction letter from his teacher. Justin and I hired a babysitter to watch Vi and Ollie so we could both go with LJ to Meet the Teacher night and give him our complete focus and attention. All these little experiences helped us prepare our hearts and minds for this big transition.
A few days before the first day, I asked him if there was anything he was still nervous about and after thinking a bit, he said recess. He remembered that when we came for registration, the playground was full of kids and he was used to just his one small class being outside at preschool. I had to drop off a couple things at the school so we asked in the office how many classes go at once and if we could play a bit on the playground right then. LJ and Vi spent ten minutes running around and checking out all the equipment. That little experience helped clear the rest of his nerves – he felt he knew pretty much what to expect and was totally ready to go!
Justin was off work on the first day so we all got to spend the morning together and then take LJ to school. He was so excited and that helped us also be hyped up and excited with him. I expected to cry but didn’t – I felt a few bittersweet twinges but overall the whole experience felt joyful. I think we were all really well prepared for this transition so it just truly felt positive and exciting. The day did feel a little long for me and I was itching to go pick him up, but we were glad to find out he had a great first day and was excited to go back again!
Ollie’s First Birthday
The day after LJ started kindergarten, Ollie turned one.
Oh boy. I don’t even know how to start this one.
Ollie is my last baby. Every milestone with him is exciting, but a little extra bittersweet because his firsts are also my finals. His was the final time I heard a first word or saw a first tooth poking through or cheered for a first crawl. He isn’t walking yet, but I know soon I will be reaching my hands out to catch the toddling fall after the first few steps. There will soon be a final bottle. Someday there will be a final diaper and a final stroller ride and a final night in a crib (if you’re wondering if I’m crying now writing these words, the answer is YES!) I will celebrate each milestone wholeheartedly, even as that heart breaks a tiny bit at saying goodbye to the previous stage.
So all that to say, his first birthday was celebratory but also very bittersweet. The night before, I held him a little longer before putting him to bed, knowing that it was my last night of my last baby year. And then in the morning, I had my final one year old! We kept the celebration pretty simple with a family dinner and a cake that Vi and I made earlier that day, and will have a joint party for both Vi and Ollie in a couple weeks.
Ollie is the sweetest, most easygoing baby. When I drop him off in the nursery at church I often get asked “is he always like this!?” because he’s just content the entire time. He’s happy, he plays, he observes, he snuggles, he interacts – he is just along for the ride and unless he is hungry, tired, or sick, he generally isn’t fussy. For basically his whole life, he’s been carted around to one activity or another and he adjusted to sleeping in the car and having a somewhat flexible schedule. He thankfully doesn’t mind the car seat and travels well!
He is very curious and enjoys getting into things. He just started crawling on both hands and knees within the past month. Before that, he kind of did an army crawl where he drug his right hand along and just used his left hand to pull himself around. His little teeth crack me up – his canines were actually the first teeth to come in so he looked like a little vampire at first!
He loves clapping and doing “pat a cake” and “so big” with people. He also really loves music and will bop along to just about any beat, although I discovered he jams the hardest to Blink 182’s “All the Small Things” haha! He is by far our best sleeper and has been sleeping consistently 7 pm – 8 am for most of this year (I know, I know. I have no idea how we did this but it was amazing!) He still loves his bottle but he also loves food and will eat anything we put in front of him. He does great staying overnight with my parents (took a little while to warm up to my dad for some reason but they’re besties now!) and that has really allowed us to have a bit of freedom back this past year.
He didn’t initially like baths but now he really loves them, although we just tried a bath with all three kids and I think that was a bit overwhelming for him. The older two absolutely adore him. He is smothered with hugs, kisses, and affection all day long and mostly takes even the more aggressive sibling love in stride. He loves daddy and he loves mama and we enjoy seeing his toothy smile light up whenever we come into the room.
He surprised us on his birthday with a new trick and started crawling up the stairs. We started following behind him and realized he could go the entire way up by himself! So that’s another first/last…and now we have to figure out a gate situation one final time.
My sweet little Ollie, I am so so thankful you are in our family. We love you so much and are so grateful for this year of your life!
Whew! Now I’m ready to transition back into project mode . . . and no one is allowed to have any more milestones for at least a month so my mama heart can recover. š
simplify the chaos 