Erin, Author at The Sunny Side Up Blog

Q and A

05.29.12

Q & A

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I thought I’d kick the week off with a Q & A post so here we go!

What are your thoughts on babysitting and how do you manage it? (i.e. how often do you use one, where did you find her, how much do they charge, do you have things you check about them first, how do you know the kids are happy with them, do they manage three kids ok, is it better to have someone older or do younger babysitters work ok too, etc.)

Whew! Now THAT was a question! :) A really good question. Babysitters are an absolute necessity in my opinion (unless you are lucky enough to live by grandparents who take over that duty!).
We don’t have a set amount of time that we use babysitters. On average, at least once during the weekend so Kenny and I can go on a date. Date nights are a huge priority for us. Especially since baby #3 came along. It’s the only time we can actually talk without interruptions! Regular evenings after kids are in bed don’t count – we are both plopped in front of the TV with our laptops completely exhausted from the day. Kenny makes sarcastic comments about whatever show we’re watching and I roll my eyes at him and blog the night away. We need our weekend date night to hold hands, focus on each other, and feel like a couple again. Other than that we get a babysitter whenever we need one. Lately because of the new house stuff – a lot! Right now we are averaging 2-3 times a week that we need a sitter. If it’s just for an hour or two after school, I have used girls age 12 and up. For an evening when kids need to be put to bed, I always get a sitter at least 15 years old. I just feel better about someone a little older at night time. I’m lucky because I know so many darling babysitters in my ward (church group). I know their families – I’m friends with most of their moms and know those moms are close by if there is an emergency. I have a list of about eight girls I can call who I know and trust and who my girls LOVE. My girls are at the age where getting a babysitter is like Christmas. Seriously. They get SO excited for a “teenager” to come over and do nothing but play with them. Kole always cries when I leave, but is over it two minutes later (I always ask!). All three of my kids handle sitters well because we use them a lot. Obviously I talk to my girls about their sitters (did you like her? what did you do?) – if there was ever a time they didn’t like someone or I didn’t feel good about someone I wouldn’t call them again, but that hasn’t happened yet. I usually hear – “when can we call HER again!?” As far as what we pay our sitters – we pay a generous hourly rate for two reasons: 1 – we live in an area where everything costs more and 2 – I want my babysitters to know that I value them and I want them to WANT to babysit for me. :) I think it’s best to ask other moms in your area this question because fees vary so much depending on where you live. My Utah friends pay a lot less than I do, but San Diego is an expensive place to live which unfortunately means everything costs more (including babysitting).

I have a question for you – do you keep any of your kids’ clothes? I know you are a master organizer, and through posts, it sounds like you send a lot to your niece, but everything?

“Master organizer” eh? I don’t know about that but I’m certainly not going to stop you from calling me one. ;) Ok – kids clothes. Man! I’ve said this before. Kids’ clothes are the HARDEST thing for me to get rid of! Seriously! I do so well with everything else – including a lot of their school work, but the clothes get me every time! I always think … “oh I have to keep this! It’s the shirt Addison wore for her first day of pre-school, or those were the pajamas El slept in every night at age 3, Kole came home from the hospital in this one. I can’t possibly get rid of it…” I’m a sucker for the memories that come with their little outfits!

So here’s what I’ve been doing with kids’ clothes. Every season I go through my kids’ closets. (I actually have this on my current to-do list right now for the summer.)

Anything I just can’t part with, I don’t. :) I keep the clothes in boxes that are currently in a storage shed we are renting. Once we’re in our new house I’ll find a place for these clothes. I’m sure I’ll go though them a time or two again and get rid of a few more things. This is the box of what I’ve saved so far. Addie’s first boots that she didn’t take off for six months, the cupcake pajamas both girls lived in for years, first ballet shoes, hospital hats, etc. It’s not the cutest outfits I keep – it’s the ones that take me so quickly back to a special time or moment. After I round up some to take to the storage shed box, I take the clothes that are too small for Ellie and put them in Addie’s closet. A lot of clothes that are too small for Addison go to this cutie:

Yes! I still send a lot to my niece (isn’t she a doll). :) She is one year younger than Addison so size wise it works out great. I also have some friends with daughters younger than mine who I give clothes to from time to time. And I take a lot of stuff to Goodwill. I swear I’m there at least once a month! I have to admit though that right now I have three HUGE bags in my garage full of too small kids’ clothes. A lot of them are too small for my niece now because I’ve waited so long to get them to her. I need to figure out what to do with them. Some people have suggested selling them on eBay? The clothes are all nice and in great shape (mostly from Gap and Gymboree) but I don’t know if it’s worth the time to try to sell them? I’d love to hear what some of you do with kids’ clothes!

Erin, what do you do with all of the doll clothes and accessories and shoes??

When you have little girls this kind of stuff can take over your house! I used to have one drawer that held doll clothes, shoes, and accessories —

but with new dolls came new stuff the girls had to keep so this drawer is now for doll clothes only. And it doesn’t look nearly this neat. All the doll clothes get taken out and stuffed back in on a daily basis as dolls attend a variety of social events and functions. :) As long as the clothes end up in the drawer at the end of the day, I’m ok with the messy drawer. As far as doll shoes and accessories go…

Remember when I re-did Ellie’s closet? All of that little girl stuff that is so small and gets all over the place was driving me crazy! So I bought some clear plastic bins, organized all of their small toys, slapped some labels on them, and called it done!

One shelf holds small dolls, doll shoes, doll accessories (all of that random – what in the world do I do with all of this?), and one bin just for polly pockets and their clothes. This system has worked beautifully! We all know where to put things away and where to find things. And since I’m feeling a bit witty tonight I’ll add that I no longer “sweat the small stuff.” :) (Yeah… probably more tired than witty after all…)

What do you do with all of your kids’ little creations and notes and such? I have boxes and boxes of it all, and more keeps adding to the collection. Do you take photos of some and then toss them out?

Ok. The short answer is this: some stuff I save for my kids’ albums, some stuff I save to display, some stuff I save for me. If you want a more detailed answer, I’m going to direct you to three posts that will show you exactly what I do with everything. :)

Project Life Organization Update
What I do with kids’ school work
Hutch Organization (where I keep my keepsakes)

If one of your children makes you a really special mother’s day card or something, do you include that in their album or do you keep that in a keepsake box for yourself?

Similar question to the one above. If it is something that my kids have made for me, I keep it in my “Erin’s Keepsakes from the kids” box. Kenny and I each have our own. (See my hutch organization post I mentioned above).

If it is something that I want to keep for me AND I want my girls to have it in their albums, I usually take a picture of it for their books, and I keep the original. Here’s an example:

This note Ellie wrote me on the left (which is an all time favorite that I blogged about here) I actually took out of her album and put into my keepsake box. If you look at the bottom right of her book, I took a picture of it for her to keep. I wanted this story in her book, but had to keep the original for myself. :)

If one of your children has a special event like a birthday party, a baptism, etc. do you put a few photos of that event in all of the siblings albums too, to show the different things that happened that year? Or do you stick strictly to that child’s own events in their album?

Another great album question! Let’s say I’m developing Ellie’s 6th birthday photos. I develop a bunch for Ellie (usually a two page layout in her book with my favorite pics from the event – hoping from now on to limit this to a one side layout). Addison will get one maybe two pics from the party. Probably one of her and Ellie on El’s b-day and then a general pic of all the party guests or something. For Kole’s book I would include one picture – maybe Ellie blowing out candles or something and write in his album “Ellie turns 6!” So yes – I do try to document important sibling events in each album but the child experiencing the event gets several pictures while the other children get one maybe two. This is one of the many reasons I like to do separate albums for each child (even though it is a major time commitment!). I like the focus of their albums to be about their childhood, but this of course also includes what is happening with siblings.

I have been following your blog for several months and love it! My question is what is your workout and diet plan? — I agree with the last person, a workout post would be great. How do you stay in such good shape? — An idea for your new Q & A section, could you share your workout routine with us??!

So many questions about exercise this time around! (And thanks for the sweet comments that went with them!) My exercise routine changes with the wind. Seriously! I have to constantly adapt to the current schedule/situation with my kids. Only one thing remains certain: I always exercise! It’s great to look good, but it’s even better to feel good. I feel so much better when I exercise and I’m a big believer that something is better than nothing. When I started therapy with Kole in our mornings it ended my walks/runs with friends. So this is what I currently do: I pack lunches and lay out clothes the night before, kids are up at 6:30 and I get them all dressed and fed and me in my workout clothes. Around 7:40 Kenny heads out to take the girls to school and Kole and I head out on our walk/run. Therapy starts at 9:00 (they come to my house) and I need a little time to pick up the house and wipe the sweat off of my face before the therapists come so I have 45 min – 1 hour to exercise. (This only works if I have everything ready the night before so we are ready to walk out the door with the girls.) I put Kole in the jogger and we’re off! I walk the first half of our route (usually mentioning and pointing to everything along the way “see the dog Kole! woof woof! say dog!) and then the second half I jog. I say to Kole “ready, set, and he says GO!” His first word he learned in therapy. :) So workout routine isn’t anything too special. Just a walk/run with my boy in the jogging stroller. Here is my diet plan (if you can really call it that): I maintain my weight by eating a lot of the same things. Usually Bran Chex for breakfast (because it’s fast and easy and I like them), and my turkey sandwich, baked lays and strawberries for lunch…

I don’t eat all of the strawberries at once. :) Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good turkey sandwich! Sometimes I mix it up and eat my salad in a tortilla for lunch:

Dinner is always different – usually a Lean Cuisine because of convenience, working late husband, and hatred of cooking, but if I do cook something else I just control my portions. Always popcorn for a snack. Of course I snack during the day. Sometimes healthy, sometimes not so healthy. I just always exercise and I always pay attention to what I’m eating. If I’ve had a cookie earlier in the day, that was my treat and I try to eat better the rest of the day. Exercise is key because I always eat better if I’ve exercised.

Additional posts I’ve written about exercise and healthy eating:

My #1 priority
Healthy Eating
Kicking it in gear
Workout music

I hope those answers helped some of you! I didn’t have time for all of your questions, so I’ll do another Q & A post soon. If you have any of your own answers to these questions that might be helpful to others or a question for me please feel free to comment!

Have a great week! Love that it’s a short one. :)

xoxo, Erin

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home decor 2

05.25.12

It all started with a shelf (home decor re-cap)

About a year ago I made an executive decision. I decided I didn’t like my house as much as I once did. (That’s about as executive as things get with me.) Styles had changed and I was itching for a change myself, but we were house hunting at the time and I didn’t know how much longer we would live in this house. I kept putting off changing my decor thinking that I would just wait, but my home wasn’t making me as happy as it once was. And being a stay at home mom = being home a lot. I quickly learned not to underestimate how important it is to love your home. Your home should make you happier than anywhere else. Not because it’s the fanciest, most expensive place around, but because it’s a reflection of you and the people you love. It’s an escape from the rest of the world. The one place you should feel the most “you.” So I decided I didn’t care if we were in this house two more years or two more days. I wanted to love my home again.

It all started with a shelf.

One weekend I took the first step by re-painting a wall and my shelf.

I can’t even tell you how invigorating that felt!

It was a fun project and I was so in love with my new wall!

Even though it looked completely out of place and didn’t match anything else in my house.

There was a chance that any day we would be putting our house up for sale.

Kenny thought I was crazy. My realtor thought I was crazy. I knew I was crazy.

I just didn’t care. :)

Slowly I started making small changes to coordinate with my new wall.

Not wanting to spend a fortune, I just updated things with small purchases.

A dish towel here…a new vase there.

I also used my leftover wall paint to paint other things in kitchen that were previously red.

Magnet board in October.

Anthro apron was a fun addition. Even though I never use it, it sure looks cute. :)

And my magnet board today. Aren’t the typewriter magnets fun!? I picked those up at the last Queen Bee Market. And I love that picture of my girls on the beach in Maui. Summer time. :)

The next big change I made was re-decorating my hutch.
I took everything off of it and sat with it completely empty for months.
It felt good to have a clean slate.

It’s simple because simple is appealing to me at the moment.

I have loved switching it up with the seasons.

Our birthday spotlight was a fun addition. No cost since I just painted an old frame and used mini clothespins I already had on hand. (Clearly I got my money’s worth out of that can of aqua paint!)

Swapping out a few dishes in my clear shelves helped pull together all of the colors in my kitchen.

And the mantel has gone from red and black…

to the blue/yellow/white combo as well.

It was fun to add some happy decor to my kitchen table once Kole completed his “I have to be climbing on top of the kitchen table every 10 minutes” phase.

It was also fun to switch out ribbon and paint my black frames yellow taking them from drab…

to fab. (Or at least from dark to light.) :)

Summer decor isn’t complete without lemons.

So I added lots of them. :)

Kenny made me a happy wife when he bought me this Pottery Barn lamp after I had been eyeing it for months. I also added some fun summer lanterns from Z Gallerie. Eventually I want to move the lanterns to the kitchen and replace the clock. One thing at a time…

And my latest update: adding the magazine organizer from Ballards.

Something that looks as beautiful as it functions. My favorite kind of decor!

My last decorating project that I am currently working on:

Above my kitchen cupboards. This space is SO hard for me to decorate. It’s a tall space so I have to have big, tall decor. Plus I have a hard time keeping it from looking too clutter-y. I hate too clutter-y. In my next kitchen that we are currently designing there will NOT be a big open space like this above the cupboards.

So far all I have are these plates I bought at Z Gallerie.

They look a bit small for the space. I need to bring in other colors and figure out what I’m doing here. I’ll probably get it figured out and looking exactly how I want it just in time to move into our next house. :)

When I look back at all of these pictures I’m pretty happy about the transformation of my house over the past year. I have loved experimenting with different looks and have fun plans for the decor in my next house. (Like not going quite as overboard with aqua!)

Slowly, by completing one project at a time, my current home has become a place that makes me smile again.

And lucky for me, the rest of my family feels the same. HOORAY!

p.s. Since this is a wrap up of all things home decor, below are some links of past decor-related posts. Aside from the space I’m working on in the kitchen, I’m not changing anything else. Saving all of my decorating ideas and efforts for the new house! I love that I took pictures of each room so that after we move we will always remember our time here. I brought all three of my babies home to this house and it will always hold such a special place in my heart.

Home Decor (before I started changing things) post 1

Home Decor (before I started changing things) post 2

“Pinspiration” (fun shelf decor)

Sister’s House

Mom’s House (exterior)

Mom’s Kitchen

Guest Rooms at Mom’s House

Mom’s Spring Decor

And speaking of my sweet little ones, I will be back to blogging after Memorial Day. Looking forward to a fun holiday weekend with my family.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend with the ones you love as well!

xoxo, Erin

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Uncategorized

05.24.12

Dear Phillip

You rock!! You were my pick from day one and I am so happy you didn’t make me look like an idiot in front of all of my blog friends. When you won I cried. Not because you didn’t make me look like an idiot in front of my blog friends (although that was a bonus). I cried because I am SO happy for you. Love your voice. Love your style. Love the way you pull that cat like face and move your feet around when you sing. Love the way you headed to your sweet family so soon after you won. Love that I am validated. Patiently waiting for your first CD.

xoxo,

a fan.

p.s. Did I mention that you rock!?

p.p.s. Back to regular posting soon. :)

xoxo, Erin

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Ellie and Addison

05.23.12

Makes me happy

My girls have been busy. Busy drawing, writing, and creating.

All of their creations make me so happy.

Ellie has been losing teeth right and left. She is getting to where as soon as a tooth gets loose she just yanks it out. Cracks me up! She wants the tooth fairy to visit so badly. Not for the money. Mostly just because she loves the tooth fairy so much. Ellie draws her perfectly. I envision the tooth fairy looking just like Ellie’s drawings with long hair and beautiful wings. Did you know that the tooth fairy’s name is Liliana? Ours is anyway. :) Such a fairy-like name, don’t you think? Her handwriting isn’t very consistent. And it’s kind of similar to mine, in a non-consistent sort of way. Wonder if she knows that. I’ll have to point it out to her sometime.

“Dear Tooth Fairy, I knocked my tooth out myself. Love, Ellie.”

My favorite. :)

Of course if Ellie is leaving notes for the “toofere” so is Addison. She is counting the days until she loses her first tooth. I hope it’s a ways away. I love her baby teeth smile so much.

Last weekend Ellie sat down at the table, pulled out the crayons and in half an hour presented us with this book all about butterflies…

I think I need a close up of those bedazzled eggs.

Simply stunning.

That is one looooonng tongue on that butterfly on the right.

And my favorite page: “Hawks are enemies. They eat butterflies and think they are a tasty snack.”

“Yikes” is right. Check out the hawk’s angry eyebrows. He means business.

Kenny, Addison and I were all fighting over who gets to keep the butterfly book so Ellie has promised us more coming soon. Next up – “All About Puppies.” Can’t wait for that one.

Wonder if I can snag an autographed copy?

Addison made this page on a school computer today. It made me smile when I took it out of her backpack. Yes. Those are definitely the many feelings and faces of my Addie. She especially nailed the “angry” face. That one was a regular pretty early on…

(December 2008 – age 21/2)

There once was a girl

who had a little curl

right in the middle of her forehead…

(December 2010 – age 4)

You better not cry, you better not pout…

Clearly we were still working on the not pouting part.
Although I still give my Addison props for knowing how to look fancy while pouting.

Nothing better to me than a house full of my girls’ creations.

They crack me up and make me smile every. single. day.

xoxo, Erin

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Gift Ideas

05.21.12

Teacher Gift Ideas

It’s teacher appreciation week at the girls’ school this week! Lots of fun stuff going on to thank the teachers. As a former teacher I know firsthand how much teachers do. I want to always make sure the special people teaching my little ones know how much I appreciate them. All of us moms have gone in on Nordstrom gift cards for a group gift, but I wanted to find a little something extra for my girls to give their teachers to say thanks. Naturally, I turned to the blogosphere for help! So much creativeness out there! Sometimes when I’m skipping from blog to blog for ideas it gives me a cute-craft headache. ;) I found several fun ideas to choose from so I thought I’d share them with you. First, here is a look at what we did for Addison’s pre-school teachers last year…

I made the card in photoshop. Just collaged three photos of her in my shoes, added some text, and developed it as a 4×6.

Then we tied the photo card onto cute plates from Target filled with oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

It was a personal, easy solution for the many teachers we wanted to thank!

Of course, Addison’s cards were what really stole the show. :)

**I still have cards some of my students made for me years ago. So many students I taught touched my heart and I will never forget them! I think personal cards are the best gift you can give – whether it’s from the student or the parent. That or a Nordstrom gift card. Either would do. ;)

Here are some fun ideas from various blogs. They’re all so darling – the hard part will be choosing which one to use! Click on each link to get all of the crafty details and free printables!

Source: tatertotsandjello.com via Erin @ Sunny Side Up on Pinterest

Source: landeeseelandeedo.com via Erin @ Sunny Side Up on Pinterest

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Erin @ Sunny Side Up on Pinterest

Source: letscountblessings.blogspot.com via Erin @ Sunny Side Up on Pinterest

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Erin @ Sunny Side Up on Pinterest

Source: skiptomylou.org via Erin @ Sunny Side Up on Pinterest

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Erin @ Sunny Side Up on Pinterest

I love this last idea for the girls’ dance teachers.

Happy Monday everyone! Hope your week is off to a great start!

xoxo, Erin

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Ellie

05.18.12

Fashion Friday (for the kiddos)

Each season I get a little bummed when my girls put on their summer clothes from the year before and they are too small. That pair of capris that were SO big on Addie when I bought them are now too tight and too short. Just like everything else I bought the girls last summer. It bums me out because I want them to stay little forever. It also bums me out because dang! Those were cute clothes! That they hardly wore! It’s nice that I can pass El’s stuff on to Add, but still, the life of their wardrobe is pretty short lived. So lately I’ve been buying a few things here and there so they have something to wear this summer. Mostly stuff on sale! Since each season I’m repeating the process.

Shopping for El is tricky because of the comfort factor. I bought her the green dress at Gymboree and the grey skirt at Gap. Both passed the test and aren’t “itchy.” The blue tank is also from Gap but that’s for my 5 year old who will sacrifice all comfort for the love of fashion. Or for a pretty butterfly. El would go crazy with those gathers at the top. I know my children well. And if you read this blog often, so do you. :)

Matching days are getting few and far between, but I’m desperately trying to keep them alive! I’m also trying to keep my girls little as long as possible which is evident with the popsicle “sweet” outfits I scored at Gymboree. They might be wearing matching popsicle tanks in high school if I have anything to do with it. Which I won’t. Which is why I’m not all that excited about high school.

And aren’t these simple grey ruffle dresses cute!? Target baby! So cheap and they fit darling! I love them on my girls. They come in other colors and when my mom came to babysit the kids while we were in Virginia she brought them the yellow ones. We laughed. We do that all the time because we have such similar tastes. These dresses are fun because you can add leggings, tights, a belt, headband, any accessory in a fun bright color looks so great with the grey stripes. Makes me want to find a grey striped dress or top for me!

Isn’t the dress cute with this pink shrug I bought Addie!? Also at Target! Looks so cute over the grey. I picked up these colorful socks for the girls too. They have to wear good running shoes to school which means we always need ankle socks and I was going crazy with all of the white socks in the laundry! I could never tell the difference between my socks and Ellie’s socks and Addie’s socks. They were all identical other than a slight size difference. I’m loving these new colorful socks! So easy to match and the girls just share them all. I don’t know why in the world I didn’t think of colorful socks sooner.

Since I’m on a stripe kick, here are a couple of other dresses I picked up at Children’s Place last week… 10 bucks each baby! Love that.

And another summer dress from Children’s Place that was also on sale. Nice and comfortable which is why you see a smile on this girl’s face.

My little man has been involved in some fashion pampering of his own. A couple of weeks ago he got his first hair cut. :)

We went on a Saturday and Kenny came. I knew I’d need back-up support. He held Kole on his lap and then turned on Tangled on the ipad. The ONLY way we got this boy to hold still for the whole four minute ordeal.

He is one stylish little dude. :)

Some pics I took today while we were on one of our outings…

Here’s my boyfriend modeling his new Target shirt from grandma.

What a pro. I mean he’s only been in the modeling biz for a year now, but just look at that pose.

Just before nap time. This model needs his beauty sleep.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

xoxo, Erin

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home decor 2

05.17.12

Spring/Summer Mantel

Finally! I’m sharing my Spring mantel. But now Spring is almost over. So let’s call it a Spring/Summer mantel, shall we? Yes. We shall.

Here is a look at last year’s Spring mantel…

Notice the eggs in apothecary jars. I wanted to use my eggs in apothecary jars again this year. But eggs in apothecary jars in May? Not so much. So I’ll shoot for getting my Spring mantel done a little earlier next year. Eggs in apothecary jars will be my incentive. I like them. :)

But instead of eggs in apothecary jars, this year I went with pitchers on candle sticks. This mantel should actually be titled the “thrown together in 20 minutes and still kinda bugging me mantel.” I don’t love it. I like it. But it’s missing something. Some yellow on the left? Another color brought in? Something hanging in the middle of the mirror? I had this mantel put together so quickly back in March, but it just didn’t look right so I waited and waited and waited to take pics of it. I tried random things at random times, but it just kept looking so… random.

Finally I pulled the butterfly plate out of my kitchen cupboard, stuck it up, and called it DONE. And there is something so nice about DONE. Even if it’s not done to my satisfaction. (Done = Satisfaction these days!)

I love these candle sticks so much that I’ve had them up all year. Fun to display decor other than candles on them like I did in the Fall.

I bought these glass jars at Pottery Barn several months ago. LOVE them. While I was at it I also bought some sea glass to give the mantel a “summery” feel.

Aren’t the colors beautiful!? I think I’m dangerously close to having too much aqua in my house at the moment. But I don’t care. And I know it’s so trendy. And I don’t care about that either. It makes me happy. When I walk in my house and see all the aqua I smile. That’s what I care about.

I’m loving clear glass jars/bottles right now so I tossed one of those on the mantel too.

The mantel ties in well with my table decor (same flowers). :)

And that’s a wrap on my “Spring/Summer – not in love with it but glad it’s done mantel!”
Ever had one of those? :)

p.s. I think all three final contestants are amazing singers, but I have had a crush on this guy from day one. (Kenny’s ok with it. He has a crush on him too.) Love his voice. Love his personality. Fingers are crossed Philip!! (I just caught up on American Idol while I finished this post and felt that needed to be said.)

And now I’m DONE.

p.s. You can see the rest of my recent home decor here.

**Linking up at Home Stories A to Z
and The Lettered Cottage

xoxo, Erin

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organization2

05.15.12

Ready for Summer

So who else is ready for summer!? I think I am more excited this year than I have ever been for school to get out. I usually love my schedule, but not this year! Addison gets of Kindergarten at 12:40 three days a week, 1:40 another day and 12:30 on early out day. Ellie is out at 2:30 every day except for early out day. NOT an easy schedule to remember. NOT an easy pickup schedule when you have a napping baby. The carpool schedule I worked out with neighbors at the beginning of the year is so complicated with which kids are coming and going (and which mom is doing what pick-up) we needed a spreadsheet to map it all out. Throw in a wild toddler, homework, a few after school activities, therapy for that wild toddler (four days a week), and oh yeah… I’m building a house! All that has equaled one burned out mom. I completely realize that there are moms everywhere with more than three kids who have even more on their plate. Everyone is different and I think as a mom you know when you’ve hit your personal limit. I’ve hit my limit. Hit my limit hard and am maybe hanging a bit on the other side by a very thin thread. :) My kindergartner has had a wonderful year and I have loved our extra time together, but I desperately need my two girls on the same schedule. So for that reason alone I am counting down the days until summer and next Fall! I know things will still be busy, but just having my girls’ schedule in sync will make a world of difference for me (and for my napping boy!).

To get the girls as excited as I am for the upcoming season, I pulled out last year’s “Summer To-Do list” and we started brainstorming ideas for this summer.

We completed almost everything on our list last summer. Aside from a few minor activities like Ellie’s addition to the list…

“get a puppy.” I’m positive that will make it on this year’s list as well. I’m even more positive that it won’t be checked off at the end of the summer.

I’m also thinking it would be fun to make a list of books for the girls to read and maybe some fun movies I’d love to show them this summer.

Another list that will be taped to our back door soon is my annual summer “get out the door list.”

A must have for summer activities if you have little ones. It has been especially helpful to me when I’ve had a baby – they require so much STUFF.

Yes… we are counting down around here.

Seeing the mermaids and princesses floating in the pool will be a welcome sight this year!

BRING IT ON!! :)

xoxo, Erin

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Mom Adventures

05.14.12

My Mothers Day

I hope all of you mothers had a great weekend! I think Mothers Day is my favorite holiday. Well. Christmas can’t be beat, but Mothers Day is becoming a very close second for me. My girls were so sweet and Kenny was a real trooper this weekend. They did their best to make sure I felt special. (Kole was up to his usual tricks, but he is saying “ma ma” and a few other words now and that is gift enough where he is concerned!) Kenny woke up with the kids at 6:30 Saturday morning so I could sleep in. Kole was screaming around 7:00 and woke me up, but that extra half hour was still a bonus. (You take what you can get when you’re the mom, right?). I was then greeted by these lovely signs going down my stairs:

When I followed the signs and went “this way down the stairs” (instead of the other way down the stairs?) I found my cute family with breakfast made and a few more pictures hanging on the wall…

This was a favorite. Apparently the girls were trying to spell out “Happy Mothers Day” in yarn but it was taking too long. So they just did the initials H M d and added some periods (that look like o’s) in the middle instead. Kenny and I had a good laugh coming up with a variety of things this could stand for. :)

I also received some beautiful cards along with hand made gifts.

My girls’ handwriting and pictures are always a favorite.

(So glad you love my “hairdue” Ellie.)

(And Addison, I love you so much too and I “em gad dat” you are my daughter.)

Soon after breakfast Kenny took all three kids to the park for the morning. I enjoyed some nice alone time that included a bubble bath. It has been YEARS since I’ve had a bubble bath in my tub (pre-Kole era). It was so nice. Amazingly nice. The house was so still and quiet. I dimmed the lights and lit my candle and then took my time getting ready after. BEST mother’s day gift ever (aside from my treasured cards). Then later that day Kenny and I went on a date to look at wood floors! K maybe that was the best mother’s day gift ever! You know when you get so giddy/excited about something that you have a hard time talking without your voice coming up in your throat and squeaking? That was me for two hours in the flooring store. No joke. I had the best time! I knew exactly what I was looking for and found two options for our wood floors that I am so excited about! We also looked at a few options for carpet and bathroom tile. Kenny was great in the store. Just stepped back and let me take over. Now that the floor plan and landscape design are for the most part behind us he could care less what I put in this house (as long as I’m staying on budget of course). I have a feeling we are getting to a place where he will stop joining me on these trips. His voice doesn’t squeak when we walk in a store full of flooring material.

After doing our “house homework” we went to dinner. I decided on Outback. Kind of obsessed with their sauteed mushrooms lately. Then today was another great day of being pampered and showered with cards and hugs from my sweet kids.

Addie’s teacher in church helped her with this pretty card. What can I say – I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich. But if you’ve read my blog profile you already knew that. :)

And one more treasured letter from my Ellie…

Loved the front…

Especially loved the back.

People tell the two of us how much we look alike all the time and we love it.

I guess we are freckle girl twins. :)

Lucky me.

I can’t think of anything better than being mom to these three.

Lucky me indeed.

xoxo, Erin

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fashion2

05.11.12

Fashion Friday

Weekend is here! We have had beautiful weather this week. Summer is in the air! I know this because I spent over three hours at the park today. Yes. Despite the fact that I had a million things I needed to get done at home, we somehow ended up at the park. Twice. Once in the morning with my boy and once in the afternoon with my boy and my girls. Seems the three of them have a plan to sabotage me and my to-do list. Not the first time, certainly won’t be the last. It’s ok. This weekend should be fun. Date with Kenny is on the agenda. We’re getting dinner and checking out options for wood floors. All of our dates now include shopping for house stuff or meeting with our builder or architect. On our last date after we’d spent three hours looking at appliances I said to Kenny, “I’m having so much fun! Isn’t this the best date!?” The look on his face said no. He is a good man. Who keeps reminding me of what a good man he is to let me build when he could have been lounging in his hot tub by now in a number of homes we looked at and I said “thanks but no thanks” to. I guess I’ll keep him around. :)

Anyway! On to the fashion! Sharing a few new things I’ve bought for Spring/Summer…

New flip flops from Banana Republic Outlet.

This black striped top and yellow belt are also from Banana Republic (main store). I was so excited about this yellow belt! Skinny belts and bright colors are so in right now. I love this belt with this top, but it also goes with so many other things. And you know how I feel about yellow… and belts. A great staple to add to my wardrobe!

The belt also looks great with my yellow sandals. And you know how I feel about my yellow sandals.

Let’s face it. You all know how I feel about everything by now. :)

I’ve worn white shorts and skirts every summer for years, but I’ve never bought white capris or pants.

Until now! I found these white capris also at the Banana Republic Outlet (on sale by the way!). I’m usually a little scared of white for the same reason most moms are – how long are they going to stay looking this white? White is also not the most flattering for pants/capris. Unless you find a pair that is a really good fit. Which these are. They also pass my capri test – longer length, almost to my ankle, and a thick cuff at the bottom. Wear them with a heel or wedge and you will look thinner. I was out picking lemons in these capris thinking “this is why I shouldn’t buy white capris. I have a two year old little boy and I when he’s down for a nap I scrub my floors and climb the hill in my back yard to pick lemons.” But oh well! Everything has washed out fine so far. And you only live once, right?

Which is why I bought white pants too. :) I fell in love with these white linen pants (also at BP). I’ll wear these on a date or night out (dress them up a bit) and wear the capris for every day stuff. I still need to have these hemmed – I have them rolled up once in this picture.

The yellow sweater is also new this Spring. Bought it at The Limited.

I’ve worn this sweater so many times – so many different ways. Buttoned up with a fun necklace,

or open with a shirt and belt underneath.

When I wear the striped top and yellow belt/sweater combo above I wear my black flats instead of my yellow sandals. Because like I just mentioned in yesterday’s post – too much of a good thing is never a good thing.

I’ve also worn it a few times with the belt on the outside of the sweater. Because why not? I think this yellow belt would look great with SO many colors of tops/sweaters. It has inspired me to do some more shopping. Doesn’t take much. I’ll let you know how that goes! :)

One last picture of my yellow sweater with a white tank and my beloved Anthro belt. Only because this favorite belt of mine was starting to feel a bit left out. :) I was on my way to dinner with friends when Kenny took this. It has been one birthday after another lately (our favorite excuse to eat out!).

This week I tried Thai Food for the first time! My friends are desperately trying to get me out of my turkey sandwich rut. I liked it! Almost as much as my turkey sandwich. ;)

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo, Erin

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organization2

05.10.12

Project Life Organization/Update

Last year around this time I came up with a system to organize my girls’ school work because I needed a place to keep things I would eventually place in their Project Life albums.

I gave Ellie and Addison each a section in this crate and labeled each of their folders by the season/year (that makes the most sense for the way I scrapbook). The last section held extra school work.

Well. Life is a bit busy right now and I have had zero time to scrapbook. The kids’ school stuff/memorabilia has been piling up. So a couple of weeks ago I dumped everything I’d been stashing in the middle of the living room floor. And then I organized it.

This is the new and improved folder system! Which totally looks just like my last folder system! But I tweaked it a bit. I made some new folders for the girls for all of their 2012 stuff and then I changed the last section (which used to hold school stuff) into a section for Kole. Now Addison is blue, Ellie is yellow, and my little dude is red. It’s SO hard for me to look at this and see how behind I’m getting on their albums, but at least everything is organized so that when (if!) I find some time to scrapbook it will be a cinch to catch up.

I’ve been asked many times how I decide what I should save and what to trash. Kids come home with SO much stuff. Initially I save anything that speaks to me and makes me smile. Stuff that shows their personality and is my favorite. I also save things like report cards, awards/certificates, etc.

Addison’s Spring 2012 folder – a Kindergarten homework packet, what she is grateful for, running club certificate, various handwriting and artwork that show her growth in Kindergarten.

Seasonal artwork, handprint, a note from her teacher.

Ellie’s Winter 2012 folder – PE certificate, baptism program, birthday party invitation, a princess she drew one afternoon at home, note from mom that was in her lunch box on Valentines Day, note from Addison that says “From Addison. love you Ellie.” I found that one on Ellie’s bed one afternoon and may have teared up just a bit before filing it away.

I said these are the things I “initially” save because less than half of this stuff will actually make it into their albums. This is the first cut. Then when I’m actually putting together their albums I just pick a few things I think they will cherish most to save. Usually the certificates get tossed and the special notes and artwork find a way into their books.

I was surprised when I started sorting through my stash that there was so much for Kole! I have done NOTHING for his scrapbook. Wait. That’s not true. I’ve done these layouts:

“look at you” (4 months old)

I adore this photo. And I miss this stage!

“your room”

and mommy’s too.

“first summer”

That’s it! Three little layouts. That’s all I’ve done for my boy. I haven’t even put together his hospital pictures. I covered his birth in the girls’ albums but not his. So I have some catching up to do!

His first folder holds hospital stuff – ultra sounds, blessing certificate…little items like our hospital bracelets I keep in a small pocket holder that came in a baby kit I ordered from Becky Higgins years ago.

I even saved the page in my planner for delivery day. I was induced and knew the date I would give birth with all three of my kids. Not a bad set up for someone who loves to plan. :) The rest of Kole’s folders are organized by year and are full of things like birthday cards and doctor visit info.

So even though this doesn’t look much different, it feels A LOT different to me because I’m caught up! Caught up on filing things I may keep for their albums.

Now to answer this question:

“Hi Erin. I have a question for a future Q & A… what did you decide to do with your kids photos? Are you still doing a Project Life album for each of your children or did you decide to do photobooks in the end? I keep alternating between the two and am so indecisive!”

I’ve decided to stick to what I’ve been doing – individual Project Life albums for each of my three kids. I really debated just going to one family album – it would be SO much easier to stay on top of! But at the end of the day, I just really want each of my kids to have their own special albums that document a bit of their childhood. Created with love from their mom. It’s my gift to them. And I just can’t switch to digital photo books because I love including their school work/memorabilia. BUT. Since it is getting harder and harder to find time to scrapbook, my plan is also to SIMPLIFY in a big way. I’m really going to cut back on how many photos I put in each album and my goal is to fit at least two years in each binder. This will be tricky for the picture taking maniac that I am. :) But I don’t want them taking 20 albums away with them when they move out. Too much of a good thing is never a good thing.

Aside from organizing their school work, I’ve also been attempting to organize my photos and select which ones will make it into their albums. That’s the most time consuming part for me! I keep thinking I’ll have time to develop them and get to work scrapbooking, but honestly, every time I find a spare minute during my day I am on the phone dealing with house stuff. Once this house is built and I have an actual scrapbook room I will be a scrapbooking machine! I won’t come up for air! I’ll scrap all day and all night!

Or I won’t.

But it’s a nice thought, isn’t it?

For now, at least things are organized. That’s a nice thought too.

xoxo, Erin