Lessons you MIGHT learn when on a road trip with a 3 year old by yourself

You might learn that you actually can change out a Tinkerbell DVD for the Cinderella one and then hand it back to your 3 year old in the back seat. While going 80-ish mph.

You might learn that when your 3 year old tells you she's gotta go poop... and you know you're miles and miles away from anywhere you'd dare stop... that you'll look down to see you're going 90mph. Or faster. Even though she's been potty trained for over a year!

You might learn that you can dispense stickers, coloring books, snacks, drinks, and napkins from the front seat. While driving.

You might learn that, although the first 1-2 hours was really rough and you even debated letting her get out and walk the rest of the way... that the next 2-3 hours went surprisingly well. And that you got to chat one-on-one, which doesn't happen all that often. That you got to giggle. And dance.

You might learn that an old Wiggles cd that she hasn't listened to in years is what helps turn the frustrating times into good times. That and Starbucks for mommy.

You might learn that, although sometimes you've begged and bribed her to stop talking, for just ONE minute... that when you get home without her, your life seems strangely quiet in a really sad way.

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You might re-learn what it was like with only one kiddo at home.... seems so easy now! (Even though the one still here is the one who is totally mobile, can't fully be held to following directions, must be fed/clothed/diapered, and isn't interested in something for more than 1 minute!) I think G-man misses Big Sis, too. Especially during times when she would usually entertain him for us!

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Big Sister is officially at Magaw Camp 2009! (These pictures are from Thurs at 6am as we were heading out!) I met my mom-in-law later than morning in OK on my way to spend a few days taking care of my sister, her newborn and her 22 month old. Big Sis is having the time of her life - on Friday she got to go see the Yellow Brick Road and eat at the "Wizard of Oz ice cream store!" Her world is complete now, I'm sure that just made her week!

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She's heading to spend time with my parents tomorrow and then she's back home on Friday.... and until then, we're just going to bug our parents by calling her every.single.day. :)

Semi-Homemade Teacher Gifts

School is out - woo hoo! Okay, so when you have a preschooler and a baby, summer isn't quite the fun it is when you get older! But... to set the record straight, the ice cream truck did come to school on Monday to signal the beginning of the summer session. Fun is here and learning is on hold - even for 3 year olds!

Got a special teacher and you want to let her (or him!) know how truly appreciated they were?
This idea is sooo easy, so semi-homemade, so cheap and SO CUTE! I just know you'll be ready to do it yourself! It's a S'Mores Teacher Appreciation gift!

As with anything, I picked the color scheme first. I was thinking coral & turqoise, but settled for red and turq, since I was doing this on the cheap and couldn't be picky!


The easy supplies & their costs (this made 6 gifts):
Bowls $1.50 -- the plastic ones at Walmart that come in packs of 4s
Hershey bars $6 (but I got them at CVS and got $5 back!)
Marshmallows - 2 bags $2.80
Graham crackers - 2 boxes $5
Tulle & cellophane = freebies! They are staples at my house... I could go on and on about my love of tulle....
Total cost: $15.30 or $2.55/gift
-- but even cheaper if you take into account my$5 ECB! ($1.72/ea)

Okay, for the quick how-to. And when I say quick... I even had G-man playing in the dining room with me while I threw them together - in under 30 min!

First, fill a baggie with marshmallows. I like the ones you have to use a twisty with - not the ziploc - because they're cuter. Tie it shut with tulle. Duh. ;)



Then put the sleeve of graham crackers in the back of the bowl as your anchor... toss in a couple Hershey bars (I won't tell if you have to sample them to make sure they're 'okay' - just buy extras like I did!) Put your marshmallows in the front.

I did an assembly line and got all 6 done. Then just wrap in cellophane. You cut it like wrapping paper... gather the ends, making sure the excess goes in the back so it's not bunching up in the front and blocking the view... then tie with MORE tulle!

YUMMY!!! (Ignore the bad lighting on the finished product! Trust me when I say they turned out CUTE!)

But the cutest part - that really personalizes these -is the tag! This idea is from no fuss fabulous and it's just so darling (the funny thing is that the color scheme even matched what I'd picked for my gifts!) I threw it into photoshop and added Big Sis and G-man's names to the tags and tied on to the packages with tulle. Aren't these the cutest?

I hope you liked these super cute (and cheap!) semi-homemade teacher gifts! Okay just thought of this! To make it even EASIER... just throw the 3 ingredients in a cute solid colored gift bag (you know, the cheapies!), attach the tag to the front of the bag, and done! (I'd add a tulle bow to the handles. I'm just saying..)

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Tomorrow I'm going to OK to help my sis with her new baby (be watching for pics, as I help her decorate Carter's Semi-Homemade Nursery!) My mom-in-law will be picking up Big Sister for the beginning of Magaw Camp 2009 (that's Big Sis's version of Granny Camp). I won't see her from tomorrow to the next Friday and I'm kinda freaking out! That's a LONG time when you're 3. Or when you're the mom of the 3 year old! I'll keep you posted....

How smart is....

Smartfood popcorn if you eat the whole bag? Damn stressful job...

I'm hoping to finish enough work to get home and tuck the kids in... before I work from home. This job. is. killing me. Or maybe that's just all the calories from this yummy white cheddar popcorn! (Seriously, have you tried this? YUMMY! But I have to fight Big Sister for it.... hence, the reason I brought it to work where it's safe! LOL!)

Okay, my reports are done printing! How fast can I get outta here?!

Quick giveaway!

In my life there are lists. Tons of them. I'm known for my lists. (And for the record, yes, I know that there's no earthly way I'll get everything on my list done. I know...)

At my home computer, I have a calendar like the one above (but not half as cute!) that has EVERYTHING on it! The Semi-Homemades rarely go a weekend without being scheduled to the minute, so it's a must have. But my current calendar is by school year, so it ends at July!

So... if you must.... visit Whitney Caroline Designs and try to steal this calendar right from under me. Just know how much I need it.... ;)

Okay, back to work - I have 80 hrs of work to do between today and tomorrow. But be watching later this week for my Semi-Homemade End of the School Year Teacher Gifts! (Say that 3 times fast!)

Where You Live Friday: Office Edition

Time again for my version of Where You Live Friday. Which you'll have noticed by now, is never actually ON Friday. Oh, well....

The entrance to the office - it's just as you walk in our front door. And to the right is our dining room (take that tour here!)

Big Sister is taking computers in school and now I have to fight her for computer time, LOL!

Seems like the office is full of our favorite things... A couple old pics of Big Sis on the file cabinet.

This bookshelf is FULL of memories and collectibles!

This shelf is our 'ode to Oklahoma State,' LOL. We love Pistol Pete, Eddie, Barry, Thurman... and the pic on the left is me with my 3 siblings - all OSU grads!

Two of my fav pics... one from our wedding day in 2002 and one of Big Sister and Mr. Fix-It on his first father's day in 2006.

And it wouldn't be our house without fleur de lis. Several of them. And those old books behind the candles were my grandfather's... I love those...

And it wouldn't be Mr. Fix-It's office without these. Rolls and rolls of house plans. Hmmmm, time to start looking through those for the next house!

I've had this map for ages but it wasn't big enough for the big wall in the office (I love how the golds and greens go perfectly with the green - 'rattan palm' - walls!). I found these metal wall hangings at my fav place (HL, duh!), and now it's done!

Upstairs is the kids' study. Not that they're studying yet. But put a computer up there, and Big Sis would be all over it, I guess....

I took all those blk & wht pics, hanging above the desk. They're all places on the campus of OSU - the library, Boone Pickens Stadium, Theta Pond, etc. The lower middle picture is a caricature of Mr. Fix-It and I that we had done in Miami, Spring Break 2000!

The desk and matching armoire used to be an antique white.... They were exactly what I wanted, just in the wrong color, so Mr. Fix-It made it happen and now they are black!

Thanks for looking! If you missed G-man's Pirate Nursery or Big Sister's Preppy Big Girl Room, be sure to check them out - they're my favorite part of our house! :)

My view all weekend...

Poor G-man.... we're not sure exactly what was wrong with him this weekend, but he sure wasn't his usual self. Which was exactly the news his school gave me when they called me Fri afternoon around 4... He had a low grade fever and was acting fussy, and I figured he was teething.

BUT.... Sat passed and I did nothing but hold him (that's my attempt to show you what I've been looking at all weekend!) And I don't mean that I just held him... he INSISTED that he be held where his face was snuggled into my body and my arms were wrapped around him... he was totally cocooned. When I was pregnant with G and we were told he was a boy, all my mommy friends with sons warned me that I knew nothing about a boy's love for his momma. And they were right. Add to it that this boy is also a complete momma's boy.... something Mr. Fix-It has been insistent upon but I've been reserving judgement on. Until now. Okay, okay, Mr. Fix-It.... you're right!

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He seems to be on the mend today.... it definitely wasn't teething - throughout the weekend, he readily allowed us to stick our fingers in his mouth on a regular basis and check out his chompers. Maybe just a quick bug...

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On the bright side, I had forgotten how much I can get done with only 1 kiddo! It's 11am... I have called to resolve a medical bill claim, scheduled my upcoming mammogram, picked up the house, played with G-man (I told ya he was feeling better!), JOGGED 3 MILES!, uploaded pics... plus all the usual breakfast, getting ready stuff! Ahhhh, feels good! If G is up to it when he gets up, we're heading out for a couple errands! (Nothing makes a working mommy happier than getting to run errands DURING THE WEEK!)

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I might just get the chance to finish these awesome Semi-Homemade End-of-School gifts for the kids' teachers - be watching for them!!

Peek-a-boo!

Big Sis and I couldn't believe our eyes tonight, when G-man started playing peek-a-boo with us... and HE was the one in control! He started by hiding behind his pirate book....

A little closer....

Then he pulled the book away and peeked around it and giggled hysterically!

So cute! Love the moments like this....

Semi-Homemade Pirate Nursery - Where You Live Friday

Some of y'all have seen G-man's pirate nursery, so I'm adding a few extra pics! It's time for Nurseries on Kelly's Korner, so welcome to those of you haven't seen it. And either way, I hope you like it! My hubby Mr. Fix-It is a home builder and homes are our hobby. G-man's pirate nursery was soooo fun to do!

For G's room, we wanted big drama on a reduced budget (this damn recession!) . After spending too much on Big Sister's crib set, I picked a bumper from PBK and just bought solid sheets/crib skirt to go with it - done. From that, we decided to go nautical.... but with a PIRATE feel!

My favorite part of the room is the gigantic pirate ship over his crib (do you see a tiny g-man in the crib?!) It's a 5 feet long white vinyl decal and I worked with Camary at Hums and Tiddely Poms on Etsy to get it just how I envisioned. The Everythings came over last summer to help put it up. Vinyl decals are super easy to put up and super cheap. This one took up a huge wall and cost $50. And it's removable, which is important because we move alot, and the next people might not be into pirates. ;) You can get a vinyl decal to go with anything! Just go to etsy.com and search for: vinyl decal owls, sports, ladybugs, whatever!!
I have to give Mr. Fix-It alot of credit.... it was his idea to put up the beadboard (it's great because, as a builder, he sees alot of cool things and brings the ideas home!) I wanted to paint the walls navy blue and the beadboard white - lots of contrast!

Here is a 2wk old baby g on the changing table. I worked with Shelley at SingleStoneStudios on this Pirate's Life decal. Visit her here at her shop and tell her Elaine sent you!

This captain's wheel and oar are totally semi-homemade (just ignore the humidifier on the dresser!). I just bought them unfinished (for cheap!) at Michael's, took them out to the garage, and spray painted them with white glossy paint. Done! Speaking of spray paint... that dresser was Mr. Fix-It's as a kiddo! It was oak (we hate oak, sorry!) with awful hardware... he spray painted it black when Big Sister was on the way, we bought nickel knobs, and done! Totally new look!

And a few of the special pics in his room..... A belly shot of me with Big Sister:

And another shot from my maternity pics. I'm telling you... if you're in the Dallas area and looking for a photographer, Kristie took super NON-photogenic me and took THE best pics I've had in my life. And I was abou 9 months pg. She rocks! (Oh, and tell her I sent you - often she's running a referral program that would benefit us both!

Then, here are a few more details.... 3buttonsn2bows worked with me on the pirate night light, pirate trashcan, and the drawer pulls for the changing table (pirate ships, compass, parrot, treasure chest!). She caters to alot of the typical nursery themes.

Um, ignore that the trashcan is FULL! ;)

One of the drawer pulls - a pirate ship!

This rocking chair was Mr. Fix-It's dad's rocking chair. Maybe even his dad's dad's.... it's awesome that it's been given to use and we cherish it!

And finally - play time!!

How perfect is this cute toy? My aunt and uncle gave it to us when I was pg with G-man.... a little cement truck! I love it! (And there are 4 more construction vehicles - we'll have to collect 'em!)

Now to finish.... I'm on the hunt for some pirate fabric. I'm going to stretch it over a canvas, possibly have Mrs. Everything do some embroidery on it (G-man's Treasure Map or something!), and hang it over the rocker.Thanks for looking at baby G-man's room! I'd love to see pics of your kids' rooms (we move every 2 years, so I'm always looking for the next thing!) Email them to me at oursemihomemadelife at yahoo dot com!

Also, if you liked G-man's nursery, check out his Big Sister's Preppy Big Girl Room! More Semi-Homemade decorating.

For more of my Where You Live Friday tour, check out my:

Dining Room
Guest Room Suite

Kitchen

Living Room

ETA:
Part of Tip Junkie's Talk to me Tuesday! :)

Debut of Big Sister's Preppy Bedroom - Where You Live Friday

I'm finally ready to debut my Semi-Homemade Big Girl Room! It's Big Sister's Preppy Bedroom and it's all hot pink & lime green, all girly, and all fun! And how perfect that it coincided with the Where You Live Friday: Kids' Rooms & Nurseries on Kelly's Korner. (Be sure to check out G-man's Pirate Nursery, too!)



Big Sis and I literally just finished putting up the last of the birds this morning at 7:30. After putting up her monogram, we'd decided we needed more. (A note about the monogram.... this is obviously not it. It IS the same colors and scripts as the real thing, and I think it gives you a good idea.... her first and middle name are longer than 'Big Sister,' so I think it looks a little better, but...)

This is a little closer up, so you can see the birdies! Those of you who know me or read regularly know that my love of vinyl decals is bordering on the need for an intervention. I got this adorable monogram and the birdies from Marilyn at Decal Monograms on Etsy. Go visit her and tell her I sent ya!




A close up on that little cross to the side of her bed.... so sweet and the colors match perfectly!



I loved her black nursery furniture sooo much, that I searched the world over (okay, not the world, but definitely all of north TX) until I found the perfect Big Girl furniture. Love it!

I just love black furniture.... and the lines on these pieces are so clean....




And all the preppiness of the pink & green wouldn't be complete without all the birds - they're everywhere!


A black iron wall hanging by the door:



A couple birdies walking on top of her closet:


Some of the other special touches were moved in from her nursery. Here are some pics I took of her as a baby - her foot, cute face, and tiny hand.

My sister's best friend (who is like another sister to me!) painted these for Big Sister's nursery - they matched her Dance, Laugh, Sing bedding.... I switched the ribbons out to this hot pink (you can have your staple gun back, Mrs. Everything!) and voila! The birdie ties it back in to the theme in her big girl room!

This hung on her nursery door, too, and I still love it...

Just wanted to show off the paint job (you know by now that Mr. Fix-It is a GENIUS when it comes to paint color and different ideas. He came up with the pink & white stripes below the chair rail and it's so cute!

A few of Big Sister's friends sit at the ready for a tea

And Pete (the FAO Schwartz bear) has been her best friend since birth.

Before bed everynight, Big Sister likes to name off every kiddo in her class, using their class picture. (She later thanks God for them and her teachers in her nightly prayer - it's cute!)

If you liked Big Sister's preppy bedroom, you haven't seen nothin' yet! Check out her baby brother G-man's Pirate Nursery - arggggh! ;)

Also, the links weren't working by the time I got the pics posted for my Dining Room last week, so check it out, too!