Friday, May 7, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Gone for Good!
So we're embarking on a 16-Week Purge & Clean mission! I came up with this because I was feeling like our house was out of control. We just have way too much stuff and nowhere to put it all. It's ridiculous. And it makes me feel like I'm living in constant chaos. It makes me not even want to bother doing the routine cleaning. Mike & I both have pack-rat tendencies... so we have so much junk we never use and it really needs to go. But always being frustrated that the entire house is a mess is overwhelming, so I decided we needed to break it down into something manageable. So we're taking one room or closet a week, and cleaning it from top to bottom.... and most importantly, GETTING RID OF STUFF!!!
Some weeks will be more time-consuming than others, but that's okay. We did our bedroom on Saturday and it feels soooo good to have it so clean. We started with stuffed drawers that would hardly close, tangled jewelry, dust and a bunch of random stuff... and by the time we were done, now have 3 empty drawers, organized jewelry, and everything is super clean! Then on Sunday, we cheated... and went ahead and did the laundry room (because we had to fix something with our dryer anyway), and I must say, it is so clean I {almost} enjoyed doing laundry today! Maybe I should do before and after pictures from now on!
Some weeks will be more time-consuming than others, but that's okay. We did our bedroom on Saturday and it feels soooo good to have it so clean. We started with stuffed drawers that would hardly close, tangled jewelry, dust and a bunch of random stuff... and by the time we were done, now have 3 empty drawers, organized jewelry, and everything is super clean! Then on Sunday, we cheated... and went ahead and did the laundry room (because we had to fix something with our dryer anyway), and I must say, it is so clean I {almost} enjoyed doing laundry today! Maybe I should do before and after pictures from now on!
- Master Bedroom
- Laundry Room
- Screened Porch
- Kitchen
- Master Closet
- Master Bathroom
- Living Room
- Foyer
- Coat Closet
- Storage Shed
- Stairway/Landing
- Nursery
- Nursery Closet
- Downstairs Bathroom
- Guest Room Closet
- Guest Room (the Grand Finale)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
A BIG Two Weeks!
Josiah has been doing new stuff like crazy over the last two weeks! I just can't believe how much he's learning so fast! What's next?? Besides the new teeth, crawling & pulling up... he's now:
- SPEED crawling!
- Not just pulling up on furniture, but he can scale a wall or door and stand up against it!
- Drinking from a straw (as of last night with Aunt Stiney).
- Climbing up stairs (as of tonight at care group...crazy!)
- My Favorite: Bringing me books to read to him... how cute is that?! Today he pulled one of his favorite books out of the toy box, and then crawled & pushed it across the floor to where I was sitting and sat next to me while I read it to him!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sharp-dressed (little) Man
I was surprised a few weeks ago to read on one of my favorite blogs how strongly opinionated many people are about baby boy clothes. This particular young mom basically snubbed even the thought of putting denim on your baby, and suggested that dressing him in anything less than designer old-fashioned sissy-boy clothes was in her opinion, unacceptable. She even said she doesn't think little boys should look like little mini-versions of their dads, they should look like babies.
Anyway, it got me to thinking... and while everyone is entitled to their opinions, I have to say, I completely DISAGREE! First of all, I cringe when I see toddler boys walking around in little prissy outfits. I can appreciate the sweetness of an all-white Feldman Brothers romper on a newborn, or for a Baby Dedication/Christening, or even Easter or portraits.... but not on a two-year-old! And certainly not for everyday outings!
For several reasons:
1. Boys ARE little men. They are meant to play rough and get dirty and be wild and even at a young age, their masculinity should be celebrated, not squashed. From the time he was about 4 months old, Josiah just looked too "boy-ish" to put him in any fancy baby clothes. If I think he would be embarrased as a teenager to know what I dressed him in as a baby, then no thanks!
2. It's simply not practical! Babies are messy when they eat, they drool, they spit up, they fall down and get dirty, and if his little outfit is dry-clean only, or cost $40, then I think it's crazy to put him in it! I have NEVER spent more than $10 for an outfit for Josiah. In fact, other than gifts, his wardrobe is probably 50% hand-me-downs (from his super-cute dressed cousin John), 25% consigment shop/thrift store finds, 20% clearance rack (under $5) finds, and maybe 5% brand new, but still on sale basics like white onesies, socks, pants.
3. I do want my son to be like his daddy. And in the same way that it's adorable when he makes a face that looks just like his dad, or I see some personality traits coming out that remind me of him, if I put him in a cute little polo shirt and khakis and he looks just like Mike... how is that possibly a bad thing?
So anyway... this isn't meant to insult anyone who prefers to dress their children in a different way than I choose, but I just got to thinking about the fact that I am intentionally practical and thrifty and I think my baby boy is simply adorable, hand-me-downs and all! But then again, you'll never catch me flaunting a Coach purse or designer shoes.
Anyway, it got me to thinking... and while everyone is entitled to their opinions, I have to say, I completely DISAGREE! First of all, I cringe when I see toddler boys walking around in little prissy outfits. I can appreciate the sweetness of an all-white Feldman Brothers romper on a newborn, or for a Baby Dedication/Christening, or even Easter or portraits.... but not on a two-year-old! And certainly not for everyday outings!
For several reasons:
1. Boys ARE little men. They are meant to play rough and get dirty and be wild and even at a young age, their masculinity should be celebrated, not squashed. From the time he was about 4 months old, Josiah just looked too "boy-ish" to put him in any fancy baby clothes. If I think he would be embarrased as a teenager to know what I dressed him in as a baby, then no thanks!
2. It's simply not practical! Babies are messy when they eat, they drool, they spit up, they fall down and get dirty, and if his little outfit is dry-clean only, or cost $40, then I think it's crazy to put him in it! I have NEVER spent more than $10 for an outfit for Josiah. In fact, other than gifts, his wardrobe is probably 50% hand-me-downs (from his super-cute dressed cousin John), 25% consigment shop/thrift store finds, 20% clearance rack (under $5) finds, and maybe 5% brand new, but still on sale basics like white onesies, socks, pants.
3. I do want my son to be like his daddy. And in the same way that it's adorable when he makes a face that looks just like his dad, or I see some personality traits coming out that remind me of him, if I put him in a cute little polo shirt and khakis and he looks just like Mike... how is that possibly a bad thing?
So anyway... this isn't meant to insult anyone who prefers to dress their children in a different way than I choose, but I just got to thinking about the fact that I am intentionally practical and thrifty and I think my baby boy is simply adorable, hand-me-downs and all! But then again, you'll never catch me flaunting a Coach purse or designer shoes.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Life changes so fast!
We went on vacation for the week, and came back with an almost 9 month old who has 4 new top teeth, loves to eat peas, green beans & lima beans, can pull himself up to standing on almost anything, and who can now crawl wherever he wants to go! It was a big week! Now that we're home, we've realized just how NOT baby-proofed our house is... so we spent most of the weekend rearranging the den, installing baby gates, cleaning and we've still got lots to do! I think this is going to be a very fun, but very busy new stage! As much as it means I've got my hands full now, I am so glad that Josiah can FINALLY get around on his own... he's wanted to do that for what seems like his whole life! :)
Here are a few pictures from our week. You can see the rest at: Picasa Web Album We started with a visit to see Suzanne, Aaron & Lily since they so generously invited Mike to go to the Masters on Saturday. We also got to see our friends Elizabeth, Luke & Audrey while we were in Raleigh. Then we headed down to Duck, NC where we spent the week with my family. Other than the brief stomach bug that hit Mike & I (and we unfortunately left it with Lily & Suzanne), it was a GREAT week!
Here are a few pictures from our week. You can see the rest at: Picasa Web Album We started with a visit to see Suzanne, Aaron & Lily since they so generously invited Mike to go to the Masters on Saturday. We also got to see our friends Elizabeth, Luke & Audrey while we were in Raleigh. Then we headed down to Duck, NC where we spent the week with my family. Other than the brief stomach bug that hit Mike & I (and we unfortunately left it with Lily & Suzanne), it was a GREAT week!
Friday, April 2, 2010
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