Jumpin' Jane's

Toddler moms you know this is gospel.

Toddler's Creed

If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it is food, it must not be tasted.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
If it is a carseat, it must be protested with an arched back. 

If it is Mommy (or Daddy), it must be hugged...

I am toddler! 

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Clyde took the kids and a neighbor friend to Jumpin' Jane's on Saturday.  Phone pictures, so sorry for the blur.

Roywn scales the rock wall.

Riley and Rachel queens of the castle, way up high.

Rowyn and Camdyn monkeying around.

 Rowyn about to be run over by big kids.

They had a great time, everyone was worn out...and at bedtime, Camdyn told me she has the best Daddy ever!

Brownie covered what?

Yesterday, I made brownie covered cookies.  I used the recipe found here.  I used vanilla sandwich cookies instead of Oreos.  Some little people here don't like Oreos.  Crazy, I know.

The kids approved.  They were delicious.  So much so, that they're gone already.  I ate the last one for breakfast.  Why?  Because I have zero willpower.

Cooper's turn for dishwasher.
The chalkboard chore chart is working.  Best.thing.ever.

Our own awkward family photo.
That's my sister Meghan on the left and Caitlin on the right.  
Meghan never fails at making us laugh.  I love her for that.


My dad with his own sense of humor, sent her this email today:

saw a picture of you and your sisters on facebook.  

outstanding pictures of cait and erin. 

don't do that again.

Haha!  We put the fun in dysfunctional, what can I say. 

Have a great weekend!

Cartoons and Crap

Camdyn did some drawings for me yesterday.  She gave them to me this morning.  They make me feel a little less guilty about letting them watch cartoons.  See, they're actually educational...they inspire kids to be creative.

Whatever, everything in moderation, right?  I watched cartoons growing up and I think I'm halfway normal.  Some may disagree. ;)

Wow, Wow, Wubbzy.  
The kids like it. I think it's weird.  It's full of geometric shapes. I don't think that will help with geometry, but let's pretend it will.

Dora Rapunzel, let down your hair.  


Remember the loft area I mentioned yesterday?

The loft/play area/mess...at a standstill.  It's supposed to have a faux castle look.  That's my job.  How am I doing?

Disregard the pile of clothes, that's the tip of the iceberg of garage sale crap that my husband plans on having.   

The ladder up.  The door is supposed to keep little people from scaling the ladder, but it took about thirty seconds for her to figure out how to get in.  Fail.

The top of the loft.  Carpet in limbo.

 

Looks like someone already started decorating.


Dear Genevieve, please come to my house.  If you're not available, I'd gladly take Ty Pennington.  In his birthday suit.  Now that would be a home makeout makeover show, huh?

Still

 We're still trying to find what works for Lumpy.  It's still a struggle most days.  There are still meltdowns like when your little sister isn't cooperating or when your headband won't stay in right.  There are good days though...and I love those days.  The stars are aligned and things just go your way.  Don't get me wrong, I love her either way.  But sometimes parenting isn't easy.

I'm still buying from Goodwill.  My milk glass, ironstone, and white dish collection is still growing.  My husband would tell you it's out of control, but what does he know?

I'm still waiting for my husband to build these for the basement toy area...and I still have to paint the loft area.

I have plenty of things to do, yet here I sit on the computer.  Clearly, I'm still good at procrastinating.  :)

Olivia

Yesterday, Camdyn brought an Olivia book home from the library.  So after reading it, Camdyn and I did some painting.  Olivia was our inspiration.

Kids love it when you're involved and really I was looking for any excuse not to fold the laundry. So, we drew and painted and had fun mixing colors.

I've wanted to make some of these pom poms for the girls room, so I finally finished one last week.  I used Martha's tutorial. The other one was on clearance at hob lob's.

Is it too early for shamrocks?  Maybe, but I've started making them anyway.  I googled felt shamrocks and these were too cute not to make.  The blanket stitch is not my friend.  Really, it hates me...it's true.

Another one home with a fever, getting sissy kisses to feel better.  I'd like to think that's how she got sick in the first place, you know sweet kisses from her sister.  But let's keep it real.


Do you golf or have a golfer in your life?  If so, you might need these...and they're even on sale!

Schwetty balls from Urban Outfitters..."Quite a set of Schwetty balls."

Have a great weekend!

To the doctor we go

It's amazing how resilient kids are.  Even though Rowyn clearly felt miserable, she still played most of the afternoon.  She even mustered up enough energy to hijack Lumpy's boots.

By evening, she'd had it.  Fever spiked.  Voice gone.  Eyes watering.  Nose running.

While waiting for the results of her Influenza test, she climbed off daddy's lap and onto a chair...where she fell asleep.

She's got strep throat and an ear infection. :(

Sick

Poor sick Rowyn.  

She has a fever, a runny nose, and now she's got a miserable cough that kept her and Mommy and Daddy up most of the night.  Now she's watching Little Bear and sipping tea (honey and warm water) trying to get better.  Really, I think she likes to drink it, because she gets to use a coffee mug and that makes her a big girl. :)  I hope she starts feeling better soon, I hate it when they're sick.

Since we've just been hanging out at home and I've cleaned about everything I can clean, I've decided to do some sewing.

I like the fabric checkbook covers like this one on Etsy, so yesterday I attempted one.  I like the raw edge, but now I'm thinking after awhile the threads will drive me crazy.  Whatever, at least I like the colors. And yes, that raggedy looking thing took me the better part of the afternoon.  Erin = novice sewer.

I wish I could do this, I adore this blanket by Littlebitfunky. In fact, I love most of her shop. All the colors make me happy.

Check out this eco friendly, reuseable sandwich bag by Dilly Baby. How cute is that fabric?!  It looks like the seller is out of Iowa, wonder if she has a brick and mortar shop.  Either way, her stuff is really cute.  I have a crayon wallet...so handy for the doctors office or restaurant.

Goodies from Grammy

Grammy brought goodies for Valentine's Day...chocolate shakes, chocolate, and her homemade cards for everyone.

Camdyn very proud of the card she made for us.

Thank you for the beautiful cards, Mom.  The treats were perfect, in fact, Rowyn had the rest of hers for breakfast this morning.

Heart Day

We made valentines this weekend for Camdyn and Riley.  
Cooper opted for store bought SpongeBob. 

I found the idea for Camdyn's here.

The inspiration for Riley's I found here.

Yesterday, Clyde made Valentine's Day cupcakes for us, while Riley, Cooper, and I played The Spiderwick Chronicles on the xbox.  We beat it last night if that's any indication how long we played. 

Camdyn spent the day virtual shoe shopping and every other minute she'd find a pair and want to know if they came in her size.

Rowyn's had a fever for a few days, so she napped and was pretty mellow for most of the day.

We had a pretty lazy Sunday...but that's okay, you need those days sometimes. 


♥ Happy Valentine's Day! ♥  

With You

Rowyn as Chris Brown.

I need you boo.
The only line she knows.
 

She injects her own choreography.

Attitude much?

The television was our Christmas present from my awesome parents.  We had this old dresser in the basement, so it's turned into our new media stand.  I'll paint it as soon as it warms up outside.