Valentine's Day Snack Mix


Just a quick post as we get ready for a Valentine's-themed playdate tomorrow morning.  I wandered the aisles of Target yesterday (it's a hard job, but somebody's got to do it) looking for things to combine into a Valentine's Day snack mix as our contribution to the festivities. I thought it would be an easy thing to throw together if anyone is looking for a way to add more Valentine's fun to their weekend!


Kashi Heart to Heart cereal (because: hearts, duh), chocolate covered pretzels, Craisins, strawberry-flavored wafer cookies (only used about half the package, chopped each wafer into four pieces), Valentine's Day M&Ms, and mini marshmallows, which I found in the cabinet after I took the above photo.



It's a bit more sugary than our normal snacks around here (replace "a bit" with "a LOT"), but I don't mind making exceptions for holidays.  Gotta love a snack mix: open packages, dump in a bowl, and mix!  (Especially great if, say, you happen to be almost 38-weeks pregnant and don't have the energy for baking or anything much more elaborate.  Just a hypothetical situation there.)  Super simple, a bit festive, and I think a bunch of toddlers (and their mamas!) are going to enjoy it tomorrow morning!  



Caden and Brooklyn's Farm Birthday Party


I love a good theme party.  My mind was churning many months ago about Caden and Brooklyn's second birthday.  Since they like animals, (one of their first "words" was "moo"), and we're (hopefully) several years away from buying into whatever Disney/TV show/video game/movie is currently most popular, I went with a farm theme.  Fun and gender-neutral...especially important when you have boy/girl twins!

Cups: Bandana Print Cups
Straws: Cow Print Paper Straws


Caden and Brooklyn's birthday is actually a couple of weeks away, on February 20th, but I knew that I wanted to give myself some time to recuperate before baby arrives on the 22nd. Throwing a party before having a baby a day or two later doesn't exactly sound like my idea of a good time.  Since I'm still suffering from some post-party exhaustion, this was a smart move.  And I think it might take me the next couple of weeks to sort through and organize all of their loot!

 

Hay Bales: Mini Straw Bale
Table Runner: Bandana Table Runner


Napkins: Red Gingham Luncheon Napkins
Chalkboard Stickers: Chalkboard Fancy Frame Labels


Caden, my routine and rule-follower, strongly disliked that I dared to decorate his high chair.  He refused to sit in it for the entire party, and didn't use it again until the next day after the banner was taken down. #reallifewithtoddlers




I had several other ideas for decorations and whatnot that I wanted to get done, but time constraints and pure late-pregnancy exhaustion dictated what I was actually able to finish. Most of the decor was made by me using a combination of burlap, kraft paper, red and white gingham scrapbooking paper, and an assortment of twine/ribbon/string that I already had.  Keeping the list of materials to a minimum helps keep things simple and coordinated without much effort...or money!

 


Tablecloth: Red Gingham Table Cover
Cow Plates (abovoe, between flowers): Cow Print Dessert Plates



I wish I could take credit for the cow cake, but I have to give hats off to a local bakery.  I gave them a picture of what I was looking for, and it turned out PERFECT!  In case the obvious lack of professionalism didn't tip you off, I did make the chick cupcakes.  With Caden and Brooklyn's "help", I made about two dozen chocolate and two dozen blueberry cupcakes, iced with cream cheese frosting, and added mini chocolate chips for eyes and mini orange Starbursts for the beaks.

 

Lanterns: Bandana Western Paper Lanterns



Try as I might, I failed at getting any decent photos of the fireplace banner (thanks, late winter sunlight...or lack thereof!), but it reads "Oink  Baa  Cluck  Moo   We Are Two!"  It's too bad, because in my (not-so-humble) opinion it turned out adorable!


While not a "kids" party there were still some kids around, so I wanted to have an activity for them.  The top of Caden and Brooklyn's train table flips over to reveal plain boards, making it perfect for art projects!  I printed out some farm-themed coloring pages, added a couple boxes of crayons, and let them go at it.  I think some of the adults may have gotten in on the action, too...  (Who, me?)

 

 

The following is what happens when you tell a slightly distraught (almost) two-year old that yes, he can have another piece of cheese, if he just stands by his sister and says, "cheese". 



Sometimes (erm...most of the time), that's the best you can get.  #reallifewithtoddlers #again


After everyone sang and we blew out the candles, Brooklyn looked around with a big grin and said, "Mo...peese!"  ("More, please!")  Of course we couldn't resist, and while we didn't make everyone sing again, they did get to go through the fun of lighting and blowing out the candles one more time.  I suppose that's only fair since there are two of them and all.









Not sure what the face is for, since he ate up the cake like a champ.  And by cake, I mean frosting.  Using the end of a candle.  Because Papa showed him how to lick the frosting off the end of the candles after we took them out of the cake, so forks were now clearly out of the question.  Obvi.


Besides the farm, two was certainly our theme for the weekend, with two almost two-year olds on our hands...and just two more weeks before we welcome Baby!


When Daddy Works From Home

We've completely done a 180 around here.  From Tyson working a few states away all last fall, to working from just a few rooms away.  While I abso-freaking-lutely prefer the latter over the former, having daddy - aka my husband - who works from home definitely has its pros and cons.  Just over a month into our new normal around here (well, before baby arrives in less than another month to screw THAT all up), and this is what I've found.


THE GOOD
  • No commute.  Tyson is able to spend more time with the kids and me simply because he doesn't have to spend time driving anywhere.  He is happy to get up with the kids most mornings, which means I usually get a chance to shower.  If I'm downstairs by 8, he's working by 8:30.  When I need to start making dinner at 5, he leaves his office...and walks right downstairs to entertain two little distractions that would otherwise be underfoot.  Extra bonus that winter weather like we've had the past couple of days doesn't affect his working hours - he still "leaves" and gets "home" at just the same time.
  • He can take breaks to help.  This was much more crucial in the early months with twins, but if I need him to step in for five minutes, he usually can.  Just last week I dumped a screaming-tantrum-y-you've-been-doing-this-for-10-minutes-and-I-don't-know-what-else-to-do-with-you Brooklyn on him for the five minutes it took for me to finish unloading groceries and get lunch on the table.  While it's rare for me to take advantage of his time this way these days, it IS nice to have the option.  
  • He can work anywhere.  Tyson already works remotely.  If we're visiting his family in Sioux City, he works from there.  When the car needed new tires, he scheduled an appointment, brought his laptop along, and worked from the auto body shop.  His vacation time gets saved up for when we actually need and want him to take time off...huge blessing!
THE BAD
  • He's always around.  Now while we really don't hear or see much from him during the day, he does have a knack of coming downstairs for lunch JUST as I've put the kids down for their nap and am ready for some peace and quiet of my own - no kids, no husband, no touching, no talking, just QUIET.  And while he's always happy to see me, well, sorrynotsorry honey, but I don't always have quite the same enthusiasm to see him.
  • But when he's gone, he's GONE.  Obviously this past fall was an exception, but there will still be times when it will be necessary for him to travel to be at the main office or one of their client's offices.  While a week of him gone cannot possibly compare to 3 1/2 months of being away, a week of no daddy/husband around is still nothing to look forward to.
  • Interruptions.  Kids are kids, and I'm sure that Tyson hears more of them during the day than he might like.  Sometimes I might be the problem, as I was last week when hanging some things in the nursery...pounding nails right into the shared wall between the nursery and his office.  While it's pretty crucial for myself and the kids to get out each day anyway, I do make getting (almost) every morning a priority, so he gets the absolute assurance of peace and quiet.
TIPS
  • Guard their space.  While his office is FAR from "finished" (it kind of became my dumping ground for things last fall post-move...and by "kind of" I mean "for the love of God please don't open the closet door"), he's completely set up with his desk, computer, etc.  In particular, Caden and Brooklyn do NOT get to go in the office.  They literally didn't even know which room Tyson worked in until a week or two ago.  The door always stays shut, and we're going to keep it that way.
  • Keep a schedule.  While there are times that he needs to work ahead or get hours put in before holidays and whatnot, the average day sees him working from roughly 8:30 am - 5 pm.  This is a FAR cry from grad school when his hours were basically: all the time.  Always.  Is he working right now?  Yes.  It is sooooo wonderful to have him around in the evenings and on the weekends.  It's important to us as a family that we have these boundaries set up, so that family time actually is our time, instead of just feeling like time we've borrowed.
  • Communicate.  This is something we could do better on, but Tyson needs to let me know if he will be in a meeting - especially with a client - and absolutely cannot be interrupted (thankfully he was NOT the day I decided to pound a bunch of nails into the wall).  Same goes for him, when he agrees to come downstairs at 5 so I can make dinner...and then is delayed for 10-15 minutes by a meeting, which unfortunately seems to happen more often than not.  Just a quick text will do.
We're only about 5 weeks into this, so we're still figuring this all out, but so far so good. We'll continue to change and adapt to the needs of both Tyson's job and our little (but growing!) family.  

A Mint and Orange Nursery


As soon as we found out that we were expecting again, my mind began churning with ideas for the nursery (#interiordesigner4life).  (Regardless of the fact that baby #3 basically changed all of our plans for the year, so I didn't even have an actual room to base my ideas around for the first few months...)  My mind got stuck on the color mint green, with orange accents.  I originally wanted to do a lot of gray in the nursery as well (walls, crib, etc.), but since the walls in this room were already tan I stuck with them - less work since only an accent wall needed to be painted.  Also a lot of these things may look familiar from Caden and Brooklyn's nursery in Madison, and they coordinated much better by leaving the room mostly as it was. Re-using things was not only practical but also fun to envision and set up in a new space.

I have to say, even if we knew that we were having a boy or a girl, there's something refreshing about a gender-neutral nursery.  It feels so fresh and clean, and there will be plenty of pink or blue in the months and years to come!




Felt banner: Orange Circle Garland.  Would be super easy to DIY - I was planning to before I saw this one and snagged a super good deal around the holidays.
White frames: Target
Prints: DreamBigPrintables



Dresser: Oppland 3-drawer Chest with Door

 



(Eeensy-weensy-teeny-tiny newborn diapers all set to go...squee!)


Of course, the nursery isn't truly done yet.  I plan to add photos or maybe a large canvas above the glider after baby is born and we have newborn/family photos taken.  Pro tip: always leave room for more pictures!

Glider (old): Babyletto Madison Swivel Glider
Pouf (old): Moroccan Embroidered Pouf
Pillow: Target Threshold 18x18 Pillow with Tassels


Diamond wall art: DIY - made by covering foam core with fabric (fabric all from Jo-Ann Fabrics)



Changing pad cover: Circo Plush Popcorn Changing Pad Cover-Multi
Lamp and shade: Target, old
Turtle shell box: gift (I think from Target), old
Elephant toy: made by friend, old





Crib: Dream on Me Synergy 5-in-1 Convertible Crib, Natural.  Also I just want to point out that I got this crib for $104...maybe $125 with shipping.  I have no idea why the price is way more than double that now...
Crib sheets: Target Orange Tile Crib Sheets
Swaddling blankets (in basket): Oh Joy! 3-pack Muslin Swaddling Blankets-Dots
Prints: DreamBigPrintables
Silver frames: Target, old






Just like Caden and Brooklyn's nursery before, this has easily become my favorite room in the house.  I think a big part of that is because it's the first room in the house that is truly "done" just the way I want since we moved in.  There's also something calming and relaxing about a nursery, and this one has so much beautiful natural light that it's easy to feel content and soothed...hopefully baby thinks so, too!

Caden and Brooklyn also love this room.  We usually leave the door closed or they would ransack it at every chance.  They love to go inside, crying "Baby!  Baby!  Baby!" as they point to everything.  They love to sit in the glider and rock (which was actually in their room until just a few short weeks ago) and have us lay them down in the crib so they can pretend to be babies.  Even though their "toddler beds" are really just their cribs still, they look HUGE in the new crib with the mattress set at the top level.  We should probably get this out of their system now so they don't invade this space too much once baby is born!