Inspiration Lane

One of the things I LOVE to do **WHEN*** I have some free time is to sit and browse through online galleries to see what others are doing. There are some amazingly talented ladies out there, and so many of them inspire me! But sometimes there is just something specific - or maybe something I can't quite quantify - about a layout that really triggers my creativity. Those layouts I like to tuck away for safe keeping, to draw from when I need a creative boost. I thought it would be fun to post a few such layouts from time to time so that I can look back later to see what has inspired me over time. And too, you can get a peek into some of the things I weigh into the whole process of making a layout.


So, here are a few layouts I found tonight that I really really like for one reason or another.

Handle with Care by SeattleSheri:

Holy buckets! This is just beautiful! I am so completely drawn to neutral backgrounds with vivid colors layered on top! This layout is full of stuff I love - gorgeous shadows, lots of brush work, and fantastic color combination!

All I need is Love by prisalles:

I love the way she used the same photo and cropped it 3 different ways. Love the black & white photos with the fun, bright colors. And I love the arrangement within the heart shape.

Sweet Candy Shoppe by JenJ:

I really like the paper & color she chose for the background. I think I am so drawn to it because it is something way outside of my comfort zone. I struggle to put patterns as the base of a layout, but she has done it so seamlessly. And the whole layout just oozes with the feel of her candy shoppe experience. I love that when the whole layout comes together to convey the memory.

First Day of Drama

The first 2 days of school went off without so much as a tiny little hiccup. We were on time. Everyone was happy. Everyone was cooperative. No rushing. No problem!

Today, we had our first morning with any hint of stress. Maybe it was from the entire bowl of cereal & milk that was spilled all over the kitchen floor, requiring 1/2 a roll of paper towels to clean it up. Maybe it was the food squished & smeared all over the lunch box (that had been left in the book bag instead of taken out & put away properly). Or maybe it was something else... like the fact that the kids left the breakfast table at 8:00, with a good 20 minutes left to get dressed & brush teeth, yet when I went up to check on Isaac (who had yet to come back downstairs) at 8:16, I found him in his room with his PJ shirt on and his bare bottom hanging out.... clearly had NOT been getting dressed or brushing teeth for the last 16 minutes.... I suspect a Pokemon Card distraction (which is often the case when the boys get sidetracked)! Since the bus is schedule to pick them up at 8:20, we had 4 minutes to throw his clothes on, scrub his teeth, and rush down to grab shoes and his backpack.

I told him that if it happens again, he is losing his Pokemon cards for 3 days, among other things. If it continues to be an issue, I suppose their bedroom will have to be gutted and left completely void of all toys and books. I don't want to have to do that (mostly because it will cause a serious crowding problem in the basement), but I would rather do that than have to rush to beat the bus in the mornings!

Now, moving on with the day..... here's hoping for a stress-free morning from this point forward!

So How'd It Go?

Isn't that the question of the day on the 1st day of school? Especially being in a new school, with new classmates and teachers that are completely unfamiliar? I know I was eager to find out, as I'm sure you are!

I went to the school to pick the boys up today. We had to be at gymnastics by 4:30, and I just don't trust the busing system to run on-time the first day! Isaac came running out with a great big smile on his face. He told me he has the best room ever in the whole building because it's the newest room (apparently an addition?). He said he doesn't know anyone in his class, and he forgot to eat the snack I sent (so he ate class graham crackers instead), but he had fun. Lunch was good (hot dog). His special was Music. Generally good report.

Sebastian, on the other hand, walked out with a kind of sulky look on his face. He got in the van & didn't say much. When I asked about his day, he answered with a nonchalant "good." Hmmm... Mom's suspicions are up. He really didn't offer up much info, even when I asked specific questions. I did find out that he remembers the name of one classmate he met today; it was kind of weird to have 2 different teachers (they switch teachers mid-day... one teaches a few subjects & the other teaches the rest); the ceilings are lower than they are at his old school (leave that one to Sebastian to observe); and he tried carrots with lunch but didn't really like them (he prefers crunchy, uncooked carrots). That was about it from him.

I suspect that he is missing his friends, some of whom he had been in class with for 3 straight years. I suspect he is missing the familiar and feeling a bit displaced. Please keep both of the boys in your thoughts & prayers over the next few weeks of adjustment. Things that seem so small and insignificant to us as adults can seem insurmountable as a child. All in all, though, I think they'll do just fine. It will just take some time to settle in.

School Pictures!

We had a great morning! The kids got up bright and early, ready to get back to school! They got themselves dressed before breakfast (although Isaac had to change pants twice, once because he 100% did not match, and once because his 2nd choice didn't even fit him). During breakfast Sebastian lost his front tooth (he lost his other front tooth a few days ago, so now he has a big giant gap in the front of his face!! lol!).

As we were finishing getting ready, Isaac started acting really funny - being very quiet and moody. I talked to him for a minute and realized he was getting nervous. Honestly, I had expected this from him, but I had expected it would have happened much earlier than this. We talked, and he asked me to pray with him, so we prayed. He seemed to settle, and he perked up quite a bit. Then we rushed outdoors to wait.

We did the picture thing, of course! LOL! Have you ever known me to pass up a photo-op?! The bus was actually on time, surprisingly! And I, of course, got choked up as I watched my big boys climb up the steps and onto the bus, on their way to a new year in a new school.

Back

Back to waking up before 7:00.
Back to a morning routine.
Back to back packs and packed lunches.
Back to bus routes.
Back to school.

I'll be back later to post some pictures & details of the morning. We have a busy morning ahead of us still. Have a great day!

Bald Spot

Tonight Lucas gave the boys hair cuts to get ready for their first day of school tomorrow. To keep it clean, they did it out on the back porch. At dinner, Lucas said something about how the birds can use the hair for their nests, or something like that.

Sebastian made a funny face, rubbed his head, and said, "I can't imagine the birds taking all my hair. Then I would have a bald spot."

Isaac laughed.

"Then I would need a wig" Sebastian continued.

Isaac laughed harder.

Then silence.

"What's a wig?" Isaac asked. Apparently after laughing, he realized he didn't know what he was laughing at.

"A wig is fake hair for people who don't have their own,"answers Sebastian-the-know-it-all. "Like Grandpa. He could use a wig."

That was it. Isaac lost it! Clearly, the jokes are funnier when he actually understands what they mean!

C'mon October!!

I am beyond excited!! Last night we officially made plans to do something we've never done before! On October 3, Lucas and I are going with his dad & his grandpa on a fall colors train ride!! It's an all-day event, from 9:00 in the morning until 7:00 at night. I am just SOOO super happy to be able to do this! The only bummer is that his mom has to work, so she won't be able to be with us. But she has made me swear to take lots and lots of pictures and video!! Now we just have to figure out arrangements for someone to watch the kids... not spending $125 per child to have them couped up on a train all day complaining that they're bored! Eeek! I'm sure we'll figure something out!!

Less than a month to go!

...

So I thought that after eating virtually nothing for dinner last night, Meagan would be HUNGRY for breakfast. We had a special McDonald's family breakfast. She ate about 1/2 of her sandwich, gave Isaac the rest of her sausage and threw the remainder away. What are we going to do with that girl?!

You may be excused.

Again tonight Meagan was sent away from the dinner table for complaining and being disrespectful. She didn't like what we were having, and made it known in about ten different ways, from "I hate this" to "this is gross" to "I can't eat this." The list goes on. After a few moments of trying to redirect her and encourage her to try it, I gave her a warning. She continued, so I did what I told her I would do. She was simply excused from the table to go sit on her bed until everyone else was finished. No other food. No desert. No snack. She quickly started in with promises of "I won't complain...I won't whine anymore." But it was too late. So, her collective dinner consisted of about 4 bites of salad, one bite of baked potato, and a bite of garlic bread. She will be hungry for breakfast tomorrow!

From Start to Finish

I woke up today, and before ever getting out of bed, realized that there were about a million things I could possibly do today. I also realized that I had absolutely no plan. I think because I have so many open items on my list of things to do, lately I've been getting to the end of the day feeling as though I've done nothing. I know I've been busy doing something for almost every waking minute, but if I were to try to articulate where my time had gone, my explanation is most unimpressive. And at the end of each day, there is still a list that feels like it's a mile long of things yet to be done.

This morning, I decided to try something. I thought, If I am going to get to the end of my day and wonder if I've even done anything, I should at least be able to give myself an answer. So, I grabbed a fresh, never-been-used spiral notebook and a pen, and began. I jotted down everything I did today, just to see what my day actually entails. I realized a few things very quickly... 1) I get interrupted a lot, which pulls me off task, or gets me distracted... this is part of being a mom I think, but it's also a weakness of mine; 2) I do a lot of things automatically without even giving them a second thought. In the end, this was a fun, eye-opening exercise. I think what I liked the most about it, though, was that it shifted my perspective to what I WAS doing rather than what was still left to be done. That little shift can make all the difference in a day!

So, if you're interested, here are the results:

• I woke up, started my day off with a good-morning prayer, which quickly got interrupted by Isaac & Meagan, who were fighting about who-knows-what. I helped them regain peace & composure, then got out of bed.
• Headed downstairs, quickly checked emails & CT forums. I did a quick post on Facebook, then, determined NOT to waste my day on the computer, I moved on.
• Next was breakfast. The kids and I talked about the day while I made a general to-do list & picked a few things to try to focus on. After breakfast I took a few minutes to flip through a new magazine.
• On to bath time. Ran bath water for Meg & plopped her in for a good long soak. While she was decontaminating, I sorted kids' clothes and started the 1st load of laundry for the day. At one point during laundry, I had to stop and smile, as Meagan was humming Zippity doo dah. Love that. After getting laundry rolling, I scrubbed Meg, got her out of the tub & dried off. Added some fresh water to the tub for Isaac's turn. Then, another switch, as Isaac got out & Sebastian got in (since I don't have to do much for them during bath time anymore, I took that time to comb & dry Meagan's hair...always an experience).
• On to the kids' rooms. I sorted through Meagan's mess, putting it into piles for her to clean up. Then did the same for the boys.
• Next, helped Meg vacuum her bedroom.
• Switch laundry, start a new load (stopping mid-stream to get Sebastian a band-aid to cover a puncture wound on his palm from one of his toys).
• After giving the boys some encouragement on finishing their room, I started my own shower water. While I waited for the water to get hot, I straightened up the bathroom. Hurried through the shower, and short-cut the hair & make-up... it was time for lunch by then.
• Lucas was already home from work for lunch, so I threw some shoes on, loaded Meg in the van, and we headed to Taco Bell to get lunch. Lunch with the family - lots of laughing... our kids are funny stuff!
• Quick clean-up of sorts in the kitchen...left most of the mess for later, whenever that might be. Quick check of email and a quick blog post, then off to switch laundry & start the last load of kids' clothes....note by now my pile of things to fold is growing!
• Throw some socks & shoes on & head outside to start planting some mums we got the other day. First, transplant a few existing plants to make room. Pull weeds. Plant mums (Meagan helped for a while, but lost interest when I wouldn't let her dig wherever she wanted with the big shovel). Brief pause to answer the phone & get a drink, then back to planting (it's 2:00 by this time... and I had made the choice to ignore the laundry for the time being... it could wait, right?)
• After the mums were in the ground, into the kitchen to do a better job of clean-up - wipe down the table & chairs, sweep, load the dishwasher, clear off recycling. By now, it was snack time - hate to mess up the kitchen I just cleaned, but this is life w/ 3 kids at home I guess.
• Quick straightening of the downstairs bathroom. Then the living room - more piles of toys in the middle of the floor for the kids to put away.
• Decided I better run errands before it was too late - back into the van. Then to the bank. Then to Wal-Mart for a few groceries for dinner.
• Unloaded the groceries while the kids cleaned their things out of the van -- oops, got sidetracked by email & Facebook again (lost about 20 minutes there)
• Back to unloading groceries, and getting a start on dinner - made homemade pizzas & fresh fruit & veggies.
• Cleared off recycling (again)
• Loaded dishwasher (again)
• Changed laundry to dryer (again)
• Made our bed while I was up there
• Waiting for Lucas to get home from work, I took a minute to download some new scrapping supplies to be put to use this evening.
• Dinner - more funny stuff from the kids.
• Then clean up (again)

It was then 6:45. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel! Almost done with my stuff for the day. Just another quick shower (to wash off the dirt & grass from planting). Then we got to chill with the kids for a few before getting them ready for bed. They laid down to watch a movie around 8:00, and I officially went off-duty. Plopped my butt in the recliner with my laptop and played.

It was a good day. And even though my to-do list is still a mile long, I have come to the end of this day knowing that I used my time well. It was a good balance of working, playing & talking with the kids, and taking a few breaks here & there. Plus, now I have one very-specifically documented day that I can look back on years from now. It may seem very trivial today, but in 10 years, I know I will cherish being able to peek into this day, near the end of summer break, when my kids were 8, 6, and 4, and see what I did from start to finish.

Experiment

Doing an experiment today. Will share later. Maybe I'm the only one who will have gained anything from it, but I guess at least that is something. I'll check back later.

more and more

More and more I am noticing a fork in the direction of Meagan and the boys. More and more they are playing together and leaving her out. More and more they are unwilling to play girly games, and require her to play their "boy" games if she wants to play with them. More and more she is feeling the effects of being the only girl, and she is desperately wanting someone to play with her. Until this time, the boys have been very patient, very willing play mates. She has had very little trouble finding someone to play with her. Lately though, she has come to me to be her playmate. The only thing is, she keeps coming to me right at the time that I'm getting ready to do something or I am right in the middle of something. Sometimes it is something I can't put on hold. Other times, I have been able to make the choice to stop what I am doing and give her my time and attention. I feel bad, though, because I can only give her bits and pieces, or nothing would ever get done around here. What she really wants is for me to play at her side from sun up 'til sun down. What she really wants is a sister. Poor girl. She just needs to find a friend who can come over and play... a lot. (Just a note, I notice that her behavior gets most difficult to deal with when she is feeling the most frustrated about having to play alone. Interesting the way we have such a need for relationship and companionship even at such a young age, and how, even at four, that has such an impact on her mood and attitude. Amazing what can be learned about human nature by being a mommy.)

Bonus Food

Just a fun little thing. Yesterday for lunch, I ran through Arby's and got a bunch of sandwiches for us. When I got home and started unpacking the bags, I realized that they had given us 5 extra roast beef sandwiches and an extra box of fries. For a second, I thought of taking it back, but then realized they would just throw it out anyway. So we stuck it in the fridge and had them for dinner! Love a free meal every now & then!

Hey Gus, Just because we love you....

Happy Birthday old man (as old as the dinosaurs!! LOL) We had a great weekend with you two! Thanks for coming up!

Surprise!

How could I forget to tell you about my surprise!!! Yesterday I came home from gymnastics to find my husband in the driveway assembling a 2-person tree stand! I know, this is really mostly for him, but I'm so excited about maybe getting to go out and sit with him! I've been wanting to do that for a year now, but couldn't because there was no room for me! Now all I need are some camo's.... and a babysitter! LOL!

Playing Catch-up

I've gotten a few layouts done over the past few days that I haven't had a chance to post yet...

The first one I did using Krystal Hartley's kit, Study Hall. These pictures are from this past winter session of story hour at the library. It was mid-February, and they were making a penguine craft. Very cute! The only bad thing was that they used goldfish crackers, and she kept wanting to eat them off of her picture! LOL!

The second is another layout of Meagan - these pictures are from her tea party with Julia this past February. As you can clearly see, it was a PRINCESS party. They were definitely happy to play the part! Girls can be so girly!

Last one for tonight... this one is from our trip to Gun Lake a few weekends ago. I had a bunch of pics of Isaac, and a great photo collage by Pink Ellie. I figured they would go well together! Worked out pretty good I think. Anyway, I'm just so taken by these pictures of him. It's so hard to believe he's getting so big! He looks so grown up in some of these! I think because he is the same size as Sebastian, sometimes I forget he is only six. He's still my little boy, though! Such a sweetheart!

Random bits & pieces

Hard to believe our week is already coming to a close. Feels like this week has flown by! Tuesday and Wednesday were my last 2 days of watching my friend's little boy... he hung out with us for a few days a week throughout August. The kids have loved having him around, and Meagan says he is 'just the cutest thing ever!' I think she is really going to miss him!

This week was also the last week of the summer gymnastics session. Next week Meagan will be moving up to a more advanced level, which will definitely be good. For the past month at least, she's been literally bouncing off the walls! Flying through the obstacle courses and stations that are set up... she's even started making up her own things to do, which sometimes gets her in a bit of trouble! LOL! On the other hand, Isaac has decided not to rejoin his class for the fall session. He would rather just sit & watch, and save his energy for something else...I think he has his sites set on flag football. Sebastian is continuing on with boys' pre-team. He seems to be a little torn with what he wants to do. I think he wants to do gymnastics AND football. I would like to be able to let him do that... he's just so young to be ruling out everything else besides gymnastics. I don't know...it will really depend on the schedule. I already feel a bit like a taxi service!

Tomorrow we are going to hang out at home. I HAVE to clean a few things and get some laundry done before the weekend. We also are preparing for guests!! Yea!! Luc's parents are coming to visit for the weekend. We're all really looking forward to it!

Early to bed....

Early to bed, early to.... well, nope.... just early to bed. That was the theme of Meagan's night tonight. Poor girl just can't seem to figure out that when I say no backtalk, I mean it. To spare you the painful details of trying to get her to cooperate during clean-up time, we'll skip to the part where I warned her that if she talked back to me again she would go to bed for the rest of the night... and then she talked back again.... and then I sent her to bed. It was 7:00, so, by all means, it was definitely close enough to bedtime that this was not cruel and unusual punishment. She was tired. She was not listening. She had been warned. She got exactly what I warned her she would get.

It was a long night of putting her back in bed and listening to her cry, scream, yell, and even beg. She tried everything... she even tried to "I'm sooorrrryyy" her way out of it. I simply told her, "Thank you for saying sorry. I accept your apology. Now go back to bed." Not the result she was hoping for, I'm pretty sure.

At last, by about 9:00, she finally gave in & stayed in bed, and she is now sound asleep. I wonder if she will believe me the next time I tell her she will have a consequence for her sassy behavior. If not, I guess she'll be going to bed early a few more times until the lesson sets in.

Weekend

This past weekend we made a last-minute trip to Grandma & Grandpa B.'s house. Earlier this summer, they had made plans to take the kids for a few days of vacation at Cedar Point, but plans were undone due to back injury issues. Well, this past weekend was fair weekend at their place, and the kids have loved the fair the past few times we've gone. So we headed down for bracelet day on Saturday. They each got a ride bracelet, which meant five hours of running like maniacs from one ride to the next... or running in loops on the same ride over and over and over again! Whatever the case, they had a great time!

Saturday evening, Mom & Mike took the kids to Chucky's for dinner, and Lucas and I got some just-the-two-of-us time! That doesn't happen very often, so it was a really nice getaway! We went out for way too much Mexican food! Then we went to the movies (we saw District 9, which was altogether odd, but interesting, and relatively entertaining for the non-sci-fi girl that I am). Love date nights every now and then!

Sunday, we got up, got packed and ready early, and then headed to the dollar movies before heading home. We went to see the 3rd Ice Age. Rather cute movie. Meagan loved the baby dinosaurs! All in all, it was a great weekend! We had lots of fun visiting, and playing and hanging out! Now, all we have to do is get through the week, and it will be time to visit with Grandma & Grandpa H. The kids are in grandparent heaven! And we are loving the chance to get to see everyone again before school and schedules kick in again!

The Chase....

Well, all I can say is that Meagan has been quite a piece of work lately. Her attitude has become super-sized, and she is testing the waters with just how bold / defiant she can be. Wednesday night, she found the limit.

It was almost bedtime, and I had asked the kids to go upstairs, get pj's, brush teeth... that sort of thing. The boys went right away. Meagan stalled on the couch and chose to totally and completely ignored me. I asked her again, and was met with sass.

After a whole day of backtalk from her, followed by and correction from me, I just really wanted her to listen...just once. She, however, had very different ideas. And she stood her ground, and busted out another dose of sass.

I looked at her and said firmly, "Meagan, I'm tired of your backtalk. I want you to go upstairs now and get ready for bed."

She squared off at me, and screamed back, "WELL, I'M TIRED OF HEARING YOUR VOICE!!" After a momentary pause, during which time I processed what she had actually just said to me, she took off running, at her top speed, up the stairs.