Monday, March 25, 2013

My homework is coming to an end...

As I sit here with my laptop, I am doing homework, my boys are watching Spongebob, boxing each other (boxing gloves and all), giving wedgies and spilling apple juice and pretzels all over my floor (thank God it's laminate!!!), I want to escape off to Pinterest land where there is nothing but pretty and fun things that I love!  We are starting the moving process and all I can do is pin endless amounts of awesome things to do when we get into our new home which I will then feel complete and ready to really make it our home.  For some reason I just can't get into personalizing this house like I know I will when we are out of here.  Maybe it's because others have lived here before or because it only has 2 rooms or because in the back of my head I know we're not staying here?  I think it's a combination of all 3 but either way it is all I can think about, especially when I think of how I just might get my own little space where I can go where little boys won't be strewn across the floor with their never ending supply of Bakugan, Gogo crazy bones, Hot Wheels, Legos, Power Rangers, Marvel characters, Yo Gabba Gabba, Team Umizoomi, Sesame Street, Nerf & last but not least wrestling gear!!!  I fantasize about storage space!  I can't be creative here, I can't be a girl and do girly things like be crafty and make things because this house was not cut out for all of us.  It has definitely served us well, but we all need our own space.  The teenager desperately wants a mini fridge in his own room and tried to talk me into a microwave as well so he "never has to come out" (nice try pal).  I want a big backyard where I can make a clubhouse that looks like the Bilbo Baggins' house for my 6-year-old & most importantly I need the 2-year-old to have his own room so mom & dad can spend quality time without fear that if my blanket so much as makes a rustling sound, he will wake up!  I swear this kid wakes up if you breathe wrong, I cannot count on both hands and feet how many times we have played freeze tag because he just moved from us adjusting our blankets or pillows: this is a luxury in my house. 

This brings me back to my original point: I will be finished with school in 11 more weeks and therefore; homework will be coming to an end.

trapped in mans land

P.S.
I suppose then I may have to get a job but that's another discussion

Monday, March 11, 2013

Terrible 2's

As a first time mother, I didn't believe in the terrible two's because when my baby turned 2 he wasn't terrible at all!  He was quite the opposite: sweet, happy, easy-going, loveable & well-behaved.  I thought this to be true until I met my 2nd little boy!  He just turned 2 years old approximately 1 month ago and I have to honestly say that I now believe in the TERRIBLE TWO'S!!!

Some perfect examples of the terrible two's:

  • This morning my 2 year old had a meltdown because I wouldn't keep re-applying his toothbrush with toothpaste!!
  • Every day that I wash the dishes he stands in front of my legs while I'm at the sink and pushes my legs as hard as he can to get me away from the sink.
  • He makes his whole body straight as a board when it's time to sit in his chair and eat.
  • Refuses to eat any of the dinners that I make (when he used to devour every meal no problem).
  • He refuses to potty train.
  • Threw a fit during the entire shopping experience at Walmart so bad yesterday that I was convinced as soon as I got home I was making myself a stiff drink (at 2:00 in the afternoon-I figured it was 5 o'clock somewhere).
  • He throws a crying fit if he spills his little snack bowls of food on the floor.
  • He does the gator roll most of his diaper changes these days.
I am just wondering does anyone else go through this???  If so I would LOVE to hear your stories so that I know that I am not alone!!!

Every time he pulls any of the above or any other instances that I have forgot to list, I wonder: Why couldn't I get the kid with the terrible two's first so that the second one would make me feel spoiled?  Instead I was so spoiled from the first one that I was absolutely shell shocked by the next!!!

Don't get me wrong, I am crazy about my little guy, he is so sweet and smart, he's just so high-maintenance sometimes, it makes me crazy!

Marina 


Saturday, March 9, 2013

Painting

Does anyone else love to paint?  I have never really tried painting on a canvas so I guess the interior walls of my house are my canvas!  I love to play around with colors and think I get better and better at as the years go by.  I get an idea of what is too crazy, what I can pull off & what is crazy but can be pulled off with the right accents. Lowe's is great to get test paint because they sell sample jars for around $3 a jar and this is GREAT if you are doing multiple colors in your kids rooms because you don't have to buy gallons of paint if you only need a little.  You never realize how cheap and easy it can be to transform a room until you have lived in a fixer-upper!  I met my husband 5 1/2 years ago and a year after we were dating my 2 year old and I moved in to his house and I am NOT kidding, every piece of furniture, painting, candle, etc. looked (and I am willing to bet was a hand-me-down!!!)  The house looked like he went to every garage sale at closing time and took the stuff people couldn't sell and put by their curbs for free!  Needless to say, over the past few years I have been slowly taking his "crap" out and putting mine in.

I will post some pictures of what we started out with and how far the rooms have come since then (thank God my husband is a crazy awesome Mr. fix it!).  He has saved us so much money in repairs along, he actually took out the old boiler head, installed a complete heating & cooling system by himself including installing the ductwork, etc.  He changed out our hot water heater, tore out pieces the floors & walls down to the studs and put new flooring and drywall up to update damage from an old water leak.  He took out the old 1960's white countertop (complete with it's little gray starburst print & fancy trimwork) and updated it with one that looks like stone from Menards.  Let me be clear by saying that all of these projects that have been done were done by us, I lifted, painted, hammered, measured, tore apart, loaded/unloaded, etc. right along with him.  I'm his repair buddy and I honestly believe that even though it is silly, hanging around and helping my husband when he's working actually has built a stronger bond between us.  He actually prefers my help rather than a friend or even by himself, we talk, joke, paint on each other (I even have an old t-shirt I wore while painting when I was pregnant that he painted a smiley face across my stomach on), I'll have that memory forever.

I love a good challenge and I have to say I think my kitchen is to date the most rewarding accomplishment since it's where we spend a good deal of time (it was hideous).  We're now working on our living room which is coming along great, will work our way to two little hallways, a bathroom that is covered from wall to ceiling in robin's egg blue and white tiles (from the 60's as well), a white countertop with color coordinating robins' egg blue starbursts, yellow peel-and-stick tiles with faded pink flowers.  After the last of the inter is finished being updated we're going to put a new roof on and this baby is going up for sale!!!  Then (hopefully) it's off to a nice piece of land with privacy and no neighbors nearby.

 House/property hunting is exhausting and stressful because you really have to do your research to make sure you are purchasing/building exactly what you want!  Websites such as: www.pinterest.com, www.houzz.com & www.bhg.com have all been great places to start in getting ideas!  My husband was reading a book that suggested when planning on building a home you should get a shoebox and anytime you drive by a house you like take a picture & print, if you read a magazine and see a room that you like the layout cut it out, if you see furniture ideas cut them out and put them all in the box.  If I am on websites that have photos I email them to myself so I can print the ones I would really consider adding into my building plans and put them in the box!  There are so many great ideas once you get started!  I would love to hear (read) ideas/suggestions from others so please feel free to share any tips or advice you may have and take any that I may post.  If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Marina 
Saturday, March 9th, 2013

I have never written a blog before, have no idea what I am doing so this is my test blog I suppose.

I need a new way to express myself and I hear this is the way to do it!  I am not currently working because I am finishing up my degree online while taking care of my 3 boys.  They are 13, 6 & 2 (his + mine + ours).  It gets so hard at times because having 3 boys means there is nobody to be girly with!  It is hard to get myself into fun girl things because you can't really get too crazy with the girl stuff around the house.  I usually end up wearing no makeup, sweats and a hunting t-shirt!  

I LOVE creating things whether it is a pinata, birthday cake, decorating idea, taking pictures and interior painting & updating the rooms in my house.  I feel like painting is therapeutic and helps me clear my head.  I am always looking for new ideas as well as giving others ideas.  You would be amazed at how many people out there that can be creative but just didn't know it!  

Maybe I will gain some friends of this and maybe not one person will participate in my blog but my main goal is to try and organize my past accomplishments, share my favorite recipes and ideas that I have done and worked out great.  Gain new ideas and get inspired to do things that I have not yet accomplished.

Marina