Nursery Rhymes

The cluster of hanging lanterns that doubles as a mobile pays homage to our new town; they remind me of the Balloon Stampede's Night Glow.

When we started thinking about adding another cherub to our brood, one of the things that made me the most excited, shallow as it may be, was the idea of having an actual nursery for the first time. A room that was designated solely for the care and keeping of a babe. No computer, no toddler sharing their space, just a cozy space to nurse, change diapers and simply be for the first year or so of their life. 

Pinterest has been an awesome source of inspiration, and I've managed to pull from several different sources (see source list at the end), did a ton of fun DIY projects, and have created what I think is a really fun but simple room for not a ton of money. 

Here's a little tour, and I hope you like it!

The lanterns are secured with fishing line to medium sized cup hooks, which are installed with drywall anchors.

When we first moved here, a friend was getting rid of her PB Lullaby Rocker FOR FREE. I felt bad taking it for nothing, so I offered a small amount of money, and walked away one happy mama with the chair and ottoman. That chair has had a home in our bedroom, the boys' bedroom and now, the nursery. Since the chair is no longer sold by Pottery Barn, the slipcovers can be tricky to come by. After waiting on ebay for over a year for a white twill one to come up for grabs, I decided to just have one made. It's taken longer than expected, so I'll just reshoot that corner when it comes.

This dresser was given to me for free, so I added two coats of the yellow paint that I had left from my nightstands, and some satin poly. Then I sprayed the drawers out with a bleach/water solution to get rid of the slight mustiness and painted a coat of killz primer on the inner bottoms of the drawers. I then spray-painted the hardware with some white paint I had. I love it when projects are truly free! The changing pad a custom item from etsy.

This shelf has served us well, starting out in our home over H's changing table. A coat (or twenty) of aqua spray paint, and it's good as new.

Among the treasures in the boxes of crap from my youth that my mom made me clear out of her garage, I found this milk carton plaster 'sculpture' I made in Junior High. 

Gallery Wall, finally making use of the photos from the shoot we took as a family last Fall!

I debated whether or not to put this in the baby's room, because it feels very feminine to me. Sweet H to the rescue; 'It's not too girly mom! I'm a boy and my favorite color was pink until last year.'

These are the same curtains that have been in the room all along, but I added a cute bunting to make it look fresh.

I love the fact that this lamp is operated by a foot pedal. 

Remember how you felt in your twenties when you opened the drawer at Victoria's Secret to find a plethora of color for the bra style you wanted? That's how I feel about this:

My cloth diaper stash is being rounded out today with my last (ha! Does it ever really end?!) order of BumGenius arriving today. I will be using a mix of BumGenius 4.0, BumGenius FreeTime and I also ordered a few of the GroVia newborn diapers in case the bG are a little too large at first.

Source List: (more links to be added)

1. Paint: Wheat Bread by Behr, which I had color-matched to their premium plus-it even covered the bright orange stripes I had from the robot days with the boys. Greys have been very tricky and in my house, the 'greige' family is what ends up looking the most 'grey'. I suggest testing several colors before committing to a gallon.
2. 16 inch 'J': Wood4Decor on Etsy
3. Teal Frames: 4-pack of Ombre frames from Target
4. Teal Clock: Target
5. Hand 'Family Tree': Handmade
6. Embroidered ABC Sampler: Handmade
7. Hanging Paper Lanterns: Cost Plus/World Market Battery Operated Lanterns (a 4-pack each of the blue and yellow and a 3-pack of the multi-shaped white)
8. Crib: Gulliver from IKEA (please note, it's a SHORT crib, which I ended up really liking)
9. Crib Bedding: Not a Peep from Land of Nod (sheet and reversible bumper only)
10. Stuffed Knit Bear: Handmade
11. Aqua rug: Do Your Room by Wal-Mart
12. Paper Floor Lamp: Cost Plus/World Market
13. Rocker: PB Lullaby Rocker with Denim Slipcover (discontinued)
14. Accent Pillow on chair: Target
15. Linen swaddler: Aden + Anais
16. Folding Metal Table: Cost Plus (outdoor table)
17. Nursing Stool: Kidkraft purchased on amazon
18. Basket on changing table shelf: Target
19. Changing Pad Cover: Little Owl's Nest on etsy
20. White/Grey/Yellow bunting over curtains: Land of Nod
21. Origami Crane in window: Target (it's actually a plastic napkin holder :))

A Month of Sundays

Four long months since I've posted anything, and it feels like walking into a hoarder's house; you just don't know where to start.

To make it seem more manageable, I did what I do best and made a list of post inspirations and I'm gonna be checkin' it twice until I get them written and post-dated.

From that list there should be new content up until about the time Cherub #3 enters the stage...which could be as early as three weeks. Three Weeks?! Yes, three weeks. This pregnancy has gone so fast, consumed with a blur of completed home projects, compulsively checking pinterest for nursery inspiration and a month of solo parenting thrown in during our first T-Ball season for good measure.

I did a lot of things that I've been talking a big game about for a long time; raised beds in and planted, living room color lovingly applied to the walls, wild boys in consecutive swimming lesson sessions so as to decrease the risk of drowning, knitting up a storm for my etsy shop, running in my third trimester and awkward bootcamp sessions, T-Ball for H and the list goes on. Don't worry, you'll get to read all about those projects and more over the next three weeks. And, maybe by then, I'll be so inspired by your voracious readership that I'll just keep on a'posting.

Who am I kidding? People stopped checking for new posts after about a month of absence from the blogosphere, so if you're still here, thank you-I'll try and make it worth your while!

Voluntary Commitment

It seems that life has a way of rushing in and swooping me along the swift path of productivity, and I often don't notice it until I find a little lull and have a minute to appreciate just how busy I've been. At the beginning of this school year, because it was such a rough school year last year, I tried to keep our after-school commitments to an absolute minimum.

This Spring, seeking some additional physical outlets for him, I decided it was high time we tried swimming lessons again. Our prior sessions resulted in H acting like a little spinner dolphin on the side of the pool while he was supposed to be sitting patiently awaiting his turn, or listening raptly to the instructor. Needless to say, it was counter-productive. This time, I asked that he not be given flotation devices and wouldn't you know, the realization that you may drown if you don't do as instructed has had the desired effect. Swimming, to me, is one of those life-skills that are not an 'extra'. Our trip to Aruba in December confirmed that my kiddos need to be confident and competent swimmers before our next water trip, because it will just be more enjoyable for everyone.

This session went really well, so I signed him up for the next as well. At the same time, I signed Charlie up for his very same lesson and was shocked when the child who had clung to me like a frightened spider monkey anytime we approached any form of water aside from the bath-tub, leapt into the arms of his teacher without hesitation on the very first try. Go figure.

Lessons proceeding swimmingly (aren't I so witty?!), I read an article in the Union-Bulletin about an imagination yoga class offered through parks and rec. Designed to help kids aged 4-12 control their bodies, quiet their minds and gain greater attention spans, I did not hesitate to sign up both of my bouncing baby boys for the April session.

Oh, and did I tell you that I had also promised H he could sign up for T-Ball? Right...when I started entering the games and practices into my calendar, I realized that there will be several nights when we go from swim to T-Ball, or Swim to Yoga, and I started to panic. Wouldn't you know, H had one of his best weeks ever in school when we were committed to the gills? Not that I'm advocating over-committing your kids, or that it will work for us each time, but with a little overlap of activities, I'm glad I didn't sacrifice one for the other. Also, while my calendar looks really full, the actual time commitment is not huge. A half-hour lesson twice weekly for swim, 45 minutes once a week for yoga and T-Ball practice three times  a week (one of those days being Saturday morning or early afternoon) for about an hour; taken piecemeal, it's not so overwhelming.

I've tried to do this with any other requests that come in for my time; can it be done in the evening after my kids are in bed? Is it something I can do on my own, without having to coordinate schedules with someone else? If I stay on task, how much time will it really take? If I think about it that way, and I feel like it's something I can truly manage, I'll take it on. If it interferes with the sanity-saving time I've laid aside for my own needs (read: time that Charlie is in pre-school), I say no. I felt a crushing wave of guilt when I declined coaching H's team for T-ball, but the realities are these: I would be a really shitty coach, since I don't know very much about baseball. I really want to be H's cheerleader, not his instructor, because it's just a better combination. Finally, I have darling Charlie to drag along with me as it is and he's, how do you say, attention-starved since the revelation of baby #3 on board.

After the initial guilt passed, I'm so happy with my decision. With Junior Club (my town's version of Junior League), exercise and other 'self-care', the activities that the kids are in, a burgeoning belly and an already full schedule, I feel like I have a full plate. But, it's delightfully balanced with leafy greens, carbs, protein and a little bit of dessert at the end.

How have you managed to stay balanced with a busy life?

Sole Sisters

Today, I posted here. Read all about my newest running 'challenge'.

Gimme A Giveaway

I was so excited when my friend posted to my facebook account this morning that she'd seen a post about me on Our Humble A{Bowe}d. If you've been eyeing my newsboy caps, head on over to see how you can win a custom cashmere cap of your very own! There will be two winners, so don't miss out!