March Ramblings

Alright, March ramblings time! Get ready for a whole lot of talking about…my kids. I never really intended for these ramblings to be 90% about my kids, but then again I spend every waking second with them so I shouldn’t be surprised. So for anyone who is interested, here we go….

Elijah turned three this earlier this month. Three! He is hilarious because to him “birthday” is just a fancy word for “cake”. So when someone would tell him “Happy Birthday!” he responses with “I want to eat it!”. Hahaha. Also, according to him, turning three officially makes you “an old guy”.

Elijah turns three small

On his Birthday morning he requested pancakes, so we had a very lazy pancake filled morning.

Pancake breakfast

Then that evening we went to my parents house to roast hot dogs and marshmallows over a fire, which Elijah thought was very manly and cool.

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And how ridiculously cute is Levi warming his hands over the fire with my dad? It’s too bad this picture is at a terrible angle and everything, cause it would be a framer for sure. He’s so stinkin cute, I can’t even handle it.

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Then on Sunday after church Adam’s family and a some friends went out to Chuck E. Cheese for a little more birthday fun. This was Adams idea, I had never before been to Chuck E. Cheese in my life. It. was. insane. It was loud and crazy crowded and I don’t think we will ever go  again. But we survived and learned a valuable lesson…birthday party BBQ’s in wide open spaces are the way to go!

 Since we planned this super last-minute I ordered a cake from the local grocery store instead of making one. (okay, you caught me…I probably would have ordered one anyway). When I called in one of their options was a dinosaur cake. Elijah is currently obsessed with anything dinosaur, so I jumped on it. I went to pick it up and was surprised at what it looked like…IMG_1048W

That is one terrifying cake people. I mean, look at it…it’s brown singed earth that is covered in flames and death. The dinosaurs are skeletons, but not the normal “been dead forever” kind…these are still standing, almost like it got so hot that their flesh melted right off their bodies. So were like “Happy Birthday Elijah… enjoy your horrifying extinction cake!”

It tasted great though, and Elijah didn’t seem to notice that he should have been terrified.

And despite multiple attempts we never did get a good family photo with the cake and birthday boy…

impossible family photos

Adams 29th birthday was about a week later and we went out for a nice kid free dinner. Done and done, no extinction cake needed.

What else? Elijah is still doing really well with potty training. I had originally thought I we would be that “spend an entire weekend in the bathroom” family and just get it done quick, but we have done the opposite and just kind of let it happen. It seems that whenever I push it he stops making progress. Now we’re at the part where we are going out in public in underwear, and he is doing *pretty* well. Here’s the million dollar question…what do you experienced moms do when you are in the car with the kids by yourself and the potty training kids says he has to pee? I tell him to hold it, but he can’t. I would pull over at the nearest toilet, but usually Levi is sleeping and I don’t want to disrupt everyone ans take 30 minutes to let him pee. Do you let them sit on a thick towel and try to hold it? Do you always stop? Keep a travel potty in the car? Seriously, advice welcome.

Elijah said a ton of hilarious stuff this month, but I can’t really share most of them because they need a ton of build up and explanation for someone other than us to think they are funny. I can hear myself when he speaks though and it’s kinda scary…Adam and I need to be so careful about speaking the way, and with the attitude, that we want our children to speak. I realized this the beginning of this month with this simple conversation…

I was caulking along the new baseboards in the boys room (over the new paper bag floor) and was using frog tape to keep my lines straight (like in this post). I was pulling tape off the roll and Elijah says “No no mommy, don’t waste tape…daddy will be mad!” So he DOES hear me when I tell him to stop wadding up all my new tape, even if he ignores me. Hmmm…also, I must stop telling him Adams reaction and start telling him not to do things because it is disobedient, and leave it at that. Then I finished caulking and ripped up the tape, revealing a perfectly straight caulk line. Elijah takes one look at my handiwork and proclaims “Wow mommy, looks good….I’m so proud of you!” Okay, maybe I’m not doing such a bad job. Not only does he appreciate straight caulk lines, he is also a good encourager.

Then later in the month he showed me that I really need to be careful what he watches and listens to, because he DOES understand, and he DOES remember. Example… (those of you that are not familiar with the song “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are not going to get this.

So Elijah is standing around in the living room wearing  just his Thomas the train underwear, and he has his toddler gut hanging out and his hand on his hip. I look at him and say “Nudgie (his nickname), you look incredible” (which is a lyric to thrift shop).  He looks back at me, furrows his little eyebrows and asks “Fifty dollars for a T-shirt?” (another lyric). My first reaction was to laugh myself silly and think how awesome my kid is, then that wore off I realized that he is paying attention. He has heard that song a few times in the car (only the super clean radio version, don’t worry) and not only did I realize that he understood the lyrics, but he recognized when I used one, related it to another part of the song and spit it back out at me. Scary (although still hilarious). We really need to be listening to more productive things in the car.

All this about Elijah and nothing about Levi. Lets see… Levi is 17 months now and has started running. He runs everywhere, usually away from me and in the opposite direction of Elijah. He absolutely loves to wrestle and loves to snuggle. He copies Elijah constantly. He has this ridiculously mischievous grin where he lines up both rows of front teeth. It’s really awkward and crazy cute. He loves to eat. No, that doesn’t describe it accurately…more like he is obsessed with food. He eats giant meals and snacks all day…he literally eats more than I do. The good news is that he will eat anything… vegetables, fruit, grains, meat, whatever. If I were to throw a handful of spinach on his tray, he would eat it. Which if funny, because Elijah eats nothing. I have to beg Elijah to eat, he maybe eats one meal a day worth of food and is crazy picky. He is getting better though…this moth he prematurely pulled carrots out of the garden….and ate them. I couldn’t believe it. If Levi had been my first kid I would have thought I was this awesome mom who trained her kid to eat anything and that moms with picky kids who don’t eat kinda suck. Fortunately Elijah was my first kid and I have been humbled. I did the exact same thing with my kids food wise…one eats and one doesn’t. It’s just who they are, I guess.

Our cheap nine year old Hoover upright vacuum finally bit the dust this month and we went online to shop around and replace it. We really don’t have much carpet left in our house and the regular vac was a pain to use, so we decided to change things up and we bought a canister vac from Amazon made for non carpeted floors (this one, the Panasonic MC-CL310). Can I just say that I super love it? It lightweight, has good suction, and was cheap (like $80). Plus its made for hardwoods and actually gets up along the baseboards (where all the dirt hangs out). Anyway, I don’t know if I picked a great one or if I would have loved any vacuum made for this kind of thing, but I’m very happy. Vacuuming has always been my favorite chore. That’s not even sarcastic, I really do love vacuuming.

I’m struggling to think of what else happened this month. It was a pretty good month overall, the weather was nice (though a little wonky), we had a few more family birthdays, taxes, Easter fun, lots of projects. Here is the current progress on the three big ones we are working on –

Adam is building a fort/sandbox out back…

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Were are redoing the vanity area of our master bathroom (and eventually the rest of it). That green dresser I made over last week? Yup, bathroom vanity!

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And of course, the boys room…which we actually haven’t worked on in a couple weeks and looks just like this…

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And that’s about it. I don’t have a video this month again. I though I had my video software program figured out, but every time I try to open my software I get the blue screen of death. I don’t know whats up, computer stuff is not my thing, despite writing a blog.

But please, allow me to photo bomb y’all just a little more…

March 1 W

March 2 W

March 3 W

March 4 W

Here are link to my posts in March, in case you missed anything – Dresser Makeover, Shower Curtain (and 25 tutorials), Shutter Wall, Paper Bag Floors, What Would You Do, Kitchen Edition

Oh, also, I’m in the running for the Circle of Moms top home design mom contest. I would really appreciate if you would pop on over and throw a vote my way!  Just click through the link above, and if you want to be really hardcore you can vote every single day. But just once will make me happy :)

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30 Comments

  1. Can’t wait for the reveals in the boys’ room and the bathroom. Also, love, love, love the rug in the boys’ room! Where did you get it?

  2. Woo Woo for Panasonic vacuums! I have an upright that is over 25 years old and it sucks (good thing). I can even pick up construction mess including nails with it, I highly recommend the brand. Looking forward to the boys’ room and bathroom, I know they’ll be great.

  3. Car potty is the way to go. I had one that was intended for camping and you put one of those small plastic trash can liners in it for easy clean up. Just be sure to pull off in a safe area so you don’t get hit by someone not paying attention. We used our car potty for years, much cleaner than a public restroom

    My youngest is almost 20 and your post brought back some fond and not-so-fond potty training memories!

  4. Great post as always Ashley! Love your little guys! Potty training: bucket with lid kept in the vehicle, cheap and easy and they love it, just ask my 2 1/2 yr. old grandson!
    Voted for you! Good luck!

  5. Hey sweetie,

    I read this post with a few tears because Mom is now in a nursing home (about 2 weeks now) and I know how much she would enjoy seeing the boys! They don’t have wifi there, which pests her because she was always on her. iPad. I will have to fill her in on their latest accomplishments. I love seeing your beautiful family and hearing the love you have for them in your words. I know everyone says this, but treasure these days, they pass so quickly.

    I am off to vote for you, good luck!

    1. I’m so sorry to hear about your mom Maureen. I’m surprised they don’t have wifi, that’s kinda a necessity. Everyone does say that the boys, and I really really try to treasure these crazy days…but I’m really looking forward to when they don’t constantly smash bananas into my carpet and are able to dress themselves. Perhaps when those days come I’ll long for these, but right now…whew. I’m exhausted. They are ridiculously cute though…and they do love to snuggle.

      Thanks for voting :)

  6. You had a great month with plenty going on. I think we have something in common, I am very well known for having several projects going at the same time, just like your boys room and the bathroom. Oh and to answer your question of what to do when your little one has to go to the bathroom? I guess this would depend on where you live, but I (not living in a city area) would open the car door and let them pee on the grass. I’ve even done this for my grand daughter. The last time was a few months ago, she had been sleeping, her mom needed to run in Walmart when she woke. I knew I wouldn’t have time to get her inside so I pulled to the side of the parking lot where no one could see, pulled her pants down and held her in a squat position and let her go, some napkins in the glove box were handy for wiping. When nature calls…..

    1. Oh yes, I always have multiple things going on. I get bored with one thing and move on…then I come back…and then I have a new great idea…and so on and so forth. Haha, you get it.

      We live in the country so peeing right out of the door sounds perfect. Then I can have a travel potty for city times. It’s weird to me that when he says he has to pee it is an instant emergency…holding it for three extra minutes is NOT an option. Kids.

      1. I am just like you, I never have a concrete plan when I start something, it always evolves as I work on it or come back to it.

        As for needing to pee that instant, get used to it, that’s the way it goes.

  7. Oh my god, that cake…!! What were they thinking?? I would have busted a gut over a cake like that (horrified laughter, haha). It’s a really good thing Eli didn’t notice!

    The kids are so adorable. Eli suddenly looks just like you – something in the way his face has changed. And that picture of Levi warming his hands is totally sweet. Little arms and stubby fingers, just irresistible! I also love that picture of you and the boys walking into the sun. You could definitely frame that one. Did Adam take that? You’re lucky to have a spouse who takes pictures, especially candids, of you with or without the kids. Mine only snapped the dutiful posed ones, and I wish I had more that captured the everyday moments.

    Lovely post! Thanks for the window into your life at this precious time. :)

    1. So you’re saying that Elijah is getting better looking? Haha.

      Adam did take that sunlight one. He is always willing to take pictures but he very rarely thinks of it himself. Usually I have to ask him to take pictures of me with the kids, and then I just do my thing like I don’t know he’s snapping away. I’m grateful for them though!

      I’m glad you enjoy the ramblings… every time I post them I get a wave of people that unsubscribe. I try not to let it bother me, but, you know… I’m more than just a project machine people!

      1. That’s ridiculous! If you don’t get to be a whole person on your own blog, where can you? I love that you share your human side and your delightful family with all of us. Lots of young mamas can relate, and people like me (I sound ancient, but had my kids really young, haha!) get to remember back to those good old days! Keep it up, I for one will NOT be unsubscribing!

        1. Thanks Jan :) And you don’t sound ancient, you sound wise. I actually have no idea how hold you are, your like an enigma shrouded in a mystery, haha.

  8. Weston thinks birthday = cupcake = party too! He wants to eat a party, or eat a birthday, or eat a cupcake. He’ll take either one, whatever ya got. I didn’t realize our boys were so close in age! I’m doing Weston’s 3-year-old post tomorrow. Or maybe not. Depends how well the night goes. :)

    1. Yeah, I think they are only a few weeks apart? Elijah is March 8th. I bet our boys would have a ball together, they would stay busy pretending to fix things their mamas broke, haha.

  9. Love your blog and all your projects!

    I carried a little potty (just like this one http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/Potty-Chamber-Replacement.html) in the car in a ziploc bag with the following: Wipes, a couple of super-cheap newborn diapers (I’ll explain) and diaper disposal bags. I would line the potty with the disposal bag, let my child sit on the potty and go, toss any used wipes in the bag, and – if there was a lot of liquid – open a diaper and put it in the bag so I wouldn’t have a leaky bag on my hands until I could dispose of it. The whole thing slid under my seat and worked like a charm. The whole “I gotta go NOW!” thing passes pretty quickly, but it’s nice to have an acceptable option at your fingertips!

  10. I voted for you. ;)
    I totally wish I had some awesome potty training advice for you, but it took us 10 months with my older son, and he’s about 92% trained now even though he can’t hardly “hold it” when he has to go. I just have to remember to ask him 10 times before we leave if he has to potty! Other than that, lots and lots of patience. Sometimes I had to stop trying for a few weeks until he seemed interested again. It was a rough process and we’re going to start training our younger son soon and I’m nervous!

  11. Cute pictures! How on earth did that dresser fit so perfectly in your bathroom? It was totally meant to be! Can’t wait to see the bathroom and especially your boys room. I can already tell it’s going to be adorable

  12. ACK! I think you snuck in my house and saw my floors going up on the wall. It’s ok though, since I plan to steal your floors on the sink idea. GMTA! Btw, I’ve listened to 20 different versions of that song and wouldn’t have been as quick on the lyrical rebound as the boy was – better watch out – your words will certainly come back to bite you. It’s cute now but when he’s 14? Notsomuch. :)

    1. Oh I know, he’s quick on his feet..so is his dad. A blessing and a curse! I haven’t seen your wall of flooring…have you blogged about it?

  13. Travel potty in the car, lay a diaper in the bottom of the potty to soak up the urine. No one wants urine sloshing around in the car (been there…). Also – maybe I am a redneck, but I am totally fine with finding a quiet sideroad and letting Jack pee on the side of the road.

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