Tonight The Twins Got Their Own Glass of Water

I want to share something with you...I don't know if you will appreciate its magnitude as much as Michael and I did but I still wanted to share...
When you have a baby (or in my case babies) you don't really realize how hard life can become. Don't get me wrong, I love my life and I love my children more than myself...but day to day tasks become difficult. It is always the little things, like putting your shoes on ...with children, that task takes minutes as opposed to seconds.
When it was just me at home with the twins it would take me exactly 45 minutes to leave the house for the park. We lived in city and every morning after morning nap I would pack us up and walk to the park. Packing, dressing, changing diapers, wiping noses, preparing zippy cups, changing shirts (for the second time), packing snacks, taking one last look at myself before entering the outside world, and putting our shoes on took 45 minutes.

Those routines take a toll. They exhaust you. At the time I never realized it was making me a stronger better parent. I never saw the fact that all of those little things were like building an endurance. I was building the endurance for the future planning, packing,  living I would do, with not only those two boys, but the other little boy I would have.
Michael would come home and he always asks, "How was your day?"
Some of those days I would cry. It wasn't my majority emotion but it certainly happened. When I look back I realize it was because my endurance was low.

(*most likely sleep deprived)

In time my endurance was better- stronger-  I was able to handle all the silly monotinous tasks. I shaved our leaving the house time to 20 minutes. When Michael and I would sit on the couch at night we would talk about the events in our day...what we read, what we saw, what the boys did (or didn't do)...one night we read an article (and for the life of me I can not place it!) The main point of the article was that "someday they [children] will be able to get their own glass of water."
BOOM! That one little line hit me. I finally got it. I finally understand all these things weren't supposed to be dreaded; they were supposed to be cherished.
From the time we read that article, Michael and I have really tried to appreciate everything. Some days we certainly DO NOT. Some days we are tired and hungry and exhausted and the fact that we have been "getting ready to leave" lasts an hour frustrates us but we always seem to remember "someday they will get their own glass of water."

Tonight Michael and I were sitting on the sofa watching a show- the boys were all playing with their toys- Doc walked in the kitchen- he grabbed his cup from dinner- walked over to the water jug- and he pured his own glass of water.
The sound of the water hitting the glass struck me.
When the noise stopped I took a deep hesitant breath, "Hey, Doc, did you just get your own glass of water?"
He replied, "Yeah Mom I did and I showed Buddy how to do it too."
I looked at Mike and grabbed his hand. Tears filled my eyes so fast...that's it, my heart fluttered... my twin babies grew up.

My tear-filled emotional moment only lasted so long though because Jack-Jack demanded "more milk" sooner than I could blink.

And so life continues... I am still going to keep cherishing... I am sure that the "mommy endurance" I have established will be ever so grandly used towards more things like raising young boys rather than baby boys...time will tell and I will continue to appreciate everything.

Save The Date! August 1st 2015: 7th Annual 5K Run/Walk

Morning! I hope you all are having a wonderful week and you are looking forward to the weekend! The twins have their last summer T-ball game tonight so we are "grand-slam" ready!
This morning I want to get the word out about a fantastic local 5K run/walk, "On Your Marc."

This is a wonderful cause and all the proceeds benefit a wonderful non-profit:

Small Steps In Speech: "Small Steps in Speech is a non-profit foundation created in memory and in honor of Staff Sgt Marc J. Small who was killed in action in February of 2009 while serving his country in Afghanistan." -source small steps in speech website

Super Cute Simple Craft to Do with Kids!

How are you all doing? How is summer treating you?  To be honest I am having such a wonderful summer with the boys. It took me a little bit to get my swing swinging but I did it and now I feel the breeze in my face! As I type this post I am making sticky buns for Michael's grandmother and I have to tell you the SMELL is so intoxicating. I just cut some lilies from our garden so every other whiff is  either perfumed lilies or buttered cinnamonie deliciousness...(deep inhale...can you smell them?)

Anyway back to the crafts- 

Last summer Michael and I had our downstairs bathroom remodeled. We have a brilliant contractor who has completed all the work on our house to date (with more to come this September). The space above our potty has been bare for almost one year...as I am sure you realized I have a lot of trouble committing to decor. I have to LOVE every single thing we hang on the walls...I fall into the trap of purchasing prints from Etsy or while walking through flea markets and then by the time I get it home I just kind of feel "meh" about them. For the bathroom I knew I wanted something rustic and something unique... every time I found a cute bathroom sign at HomeGoods or on Etsy I would see it in someone's house..."meh." Then on Friday I had a light bulb... I had an extra shelf from a media console we bought when we moved in...the shelf was just sitting the garage, so why not use it? I sanded it (I mean of course I sanded it! Anyone reading this knows I just bought one of the best tools ever! Of course this craft involves sanding!) 

Here Is What We Made:

 After sanding the shelf, me and the boys stained it

We let it dry overnight

The next morning, I took a paint brush and painted their tiny little palms and they pressed them onto the board...Jack's is the last one...(heart melting)

Then I took a paint pen and wrote "Wash Your Hands" on the other half of the board

After the paint was dry, I brushed on a clear coat of polyurethane to protect the wood.

When Michael was free on Saturday I had him cut the shelf in half so it would fit the space better

Using two short wood screws- I screwed each one in on either side about three quarters of the way and then I used some wire to run between them...both pieces hung up beautifully!

I am so happy we ended up making something rather than buying something for the space...I love their hand prints (not really on my glass slider) but I just love their little gentle hands... 

Then...

Monday the boys woke up and told me, "Mom we are done doing crafess because we don't want to clean up." 

Me: "Okay well what do you want to do today?"

Twins: "We want to wear our fancy clothes!"

Me: "Great" (secretly annoyed because their suits were pressed and clean-neatly hung in the closet)

So we had an impromptu photo shoot... I mean these boys... I can't get enough of them...boys will be boys.

Trash To Treasure: Children's Table Rehab

The other night Michael and I were driving home and we zipped past this little table and chair set. There was a piece of paper taped to it reading "Free." I smiled immediately. Then I held my breath for a few seconds and I waited to see what Mike would say...I think it has to be difficult being married to a D.I.Y.er. He is constantly stepping over stain cans, looking the other way when paint splashes on the driveway, biting his tongue when his tools are not put back in the correct spot... But I think he realizes I need an outlet... if he could choose I bet he'd prefer I was addicted to baking or making money but that just isn't the way my cookie crumbles (ba da ching!) I just need to craft...so weird, I know...Is there a support group for people like me? If so I hope they meet at Home Depot... now that they have a designated D.I.Y. aisle! 

I digress, so we are driving by this free gem and I am holding my breath and Michael says, "should we pick it up?" 

Me: "Yes!"

The original table was stained in a light brown and the owners had painted little baseball, soccer, tennis, and footballs on the corners of the table and chair backs. I found it charming but it just didn't match what I have going on in the house soooooo I treated myself to a gift...a gift I have wanted for about six months now... A POWER SANDER! This is one of the best things I have ever bought! Side note: I need to just take a second and tell you all my top tools for a do it yourselfer: 

power sander

drill

miter box (my next purchase)

foam brushes in assorted sizes

gorilla glue

hot glue gun

staple gun

SO after I sanded the table and chairs I brushed them off and began painting. I chose Sherwin Williams Lakeshore and I added Sherwin Williams Lime Granita on the lower quarter of the legs. 

 Lastly, I flipped the table over and began to paint the top. As I was painting I realized I hadn't sanded it enough so after the paint was dry I plugged in my new favorite toy and sanded %75 of it off...
then I had one of those moments when you step back and look at your work and think, "wait should I stop? Has this piece just hit full potential by accident?"
So I took it to the insta-webs and I put it to a vote. Hands down 'sanded' won and I have to tell you I am super excited.
 I love the way the top looks! The best part is when you look closely you can still see the outline of the baseball and tennis ball the previous owner had painted...charm...sweet charm.
I put the table in Jack's bedroom and now he has his own little reading space!

Fun Summer Activity For Boys

Selling  ice cream cones on a hot summer day is one of the best things the boys and I have done! This was a week long project for us to do together and it not only gave us something exciting to look forward too at the end of the week but it also left us with many memories!

 On Monday we built our stand. On Tuesday we painted the top. Wednesday was all about making posters with glitter pens and markers. Thursday was a well needed day off! 

(Drum Roll Please.....) Friday! Yay Friday! Friday was ice cream cone sale day! On Friday we woke up and as per my usual- I started rushing around the house...I ran to Wegmans and picked up two large tubs: 1 rainbow sherbet and 1 Neapolitan. I decided to buy whichever brand was in a plastic tub, figuring the wax coated cardboard tubs might become "yucky." I grabbed a few bags of ice and as I was walking to the check out, I saw the balloon stand. 

 Me: "When in Rome..." 

So I had six red, white, and blue balloons blow up and headed home!

As I drove home I stapled the signs wherever I found a sturdy post. 

We filled a cooler with ice and put the ice cream inside. 

We sold "mini" cones that are no bigger than 3 inches so I was able to use my cookie scoop as the ice cream scooper. We opened for business around 11:00 am.  We charged $1 per cone with all proceeds going to our township fire company. I text blasted everyone I knew and hoped for a decent turn out....well let me tell you, the boys rocked it! 

Whenever a car drove by they screamed their hearts out: "Stop for Ice Cream! Eat More Ice Cream!"

My little future business men. As the sales continued I called the fire company to let them know what we were doing...hoping a truck 'might' swing by...Unfortunately they had a lot of calls that day for emergencies but Fortunately for us the Fire Chief drove over later that evening and gave the boys three  fire company t-shirts. 

This brings me to Monday. Today we picked up a large tomato pie and brought our profits over to the station. The Firemen were so happy to see the boys they let them climb in the trucks, they turned the lights on, and took their pictures with them!!!! 

The boys loved climbing in all the different trucks! Especially the one Santa rides!

These are the shirts the Fire Chief gave the boys...They have worn them everyday! Are any of you moms thinking about me? Well don't worry, I made it through just fine... I set up the boys pool on Saturday and I put my old school lounger right in it! I closed my eyes and "had a day" if you will! 

New Twist on My Classic Recipe: Lemon and Blueberry Mini Pies!

Tonight my amazingly sweet sister- in- law is having a few friends and family over to catch up and see her new house. Constantly craving citrus this summer, I decided to bring a dessert. I couldn't choose between lemon or lime so I am bringing both! I whipped up a mini batch of my "lime pie" and then I had an idea...what if I replaced lemon zest and lemon juice for the lime zest and lime juice? So I did it! Following my original recipe I made little lemon pies with the beautiful addition of blueberries! I have to say they look and smell delicious!

Easiest D.I.Y. Stand

Friday the boys and I will be selling "Mini Ice Cream Cones." We are selling the cones for $1 per cone with all proceeds going to the Radnor Fire Company. Today we decided to make the stand! This is how I did it...but first I just want to explain how simple this stand was to make! I had done some online research and used this wonderful template for a crate lemonade stand.  Here is how mine came out:

First I went over to Home Depot and bought these crates. The D.I.Y. tutorial I was using, Vanessa only used two crates but having three boys I know all three would want to have a place to stand. So I went ahead a picked up three. Next I picked up two pieces of Poplar Boards. I was able to find the perfect size piece of trim in the discard bin and away I went to find nails and stain. I picked up a can of stain, some wood screws, two caster wheels and headed home. 

Next we stained the bins. 

I decided to use stain rather than paint because I am hoping the boys really like playing "market" and we can bring the stand inside as the weather gets cooler. This color brown matches the wood in our den so I went with it! To stain I find that using a paper towel works best. I scrunch up the towel and dip it in the stain. I rub on the stain. Less is more when it comes to staining...so keep that in mind. 

After about an hour we began attaching the crates together. I used a short wood screw to connect the crates. 

I attached the tall Poplar boards using a linger wood screw. I actually had a scrap piece of white particle board in my garage so I decided to use that as a "counter top." 

From the top of the posts I hung one of our American Bunting Flags. By Friday I am hoping to attach another board across the posts and I will paint it using chalk board paint. I really hope Michael can help me attach the caster wheels. 

Yesterday we finished our signs and we emailed the local fire company...fingers crossed we actually make some money to donate....

**** Update! Today the boys and I added a stripe on the "counter" and we painted the trim of the ledge in navy blue! I love the way it mimics the flag! Thank goodness for 3M Scotch Blue Tape!

Favorite Pintrest Ideas For the Fourth!

It's almost the Fourth! I absolutely love this holiday! I have so many sacred memories from the Jersey shore to backyard BBQ's, the fourth of July always brings out the best! I think it is because everyone is tan...have you ever noticed how New Years Eve is 9 out of 10 times such a bust? My theory - when you are pale there is nothing to do but hype holidays...however when you are tan, you actually throw hype out the window and actually start partying! Last summer my amazing cousin Carley and her girlfriend helped paint this American flag on a pallet. I can not recommend this craft enough! Our pallet is the cornerstone for decoration in the back yard. 

This forth I am all about making something for the front of the house. I recently stumbled upon these fence posts painted in Red, White, Blue...how great are these? 

Pintrest Link

I also am in LOVE with the shutter idea! Stay tuned for the final project tomorrow! 

Side note- I also think the fence posts would make adorable snowmen in the winter! 

Pintrest Link!

Look at these! I think Michael would loose his sh#* if I actually sprayed the lawn but I think this would be perfect in the fall right before all the leaves come down...I am defiantly marking this for Jack's 2nd birthday party!