House of Estrogen

Simple Woman's Daybook, September 27, 2010

 

For Today...

Outside my window... rain... gloomy, but also desperately needed.

I am thinking... about Elise's dentist appointment this morning, wondering if this will be the time they tell us she needs to head to an orthodontist.

I am thankful for... J.C. not being the one who broke his collarbone this weekend at Snowshoe. One of his buddies did... poor guy.

From the kitchen... cinnamon chip bread that Elise won while bobbing for apples this weekend at an apple festival. Her apple had a star on the bottom, so she got to choose a loaf of bread. Yum!

I am creating... still working on Elise's new room... we bought a few odds and ends this weekend.

I am going... to Dallas later this week with Addie and Elise to visit my parents.

I am reading... Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus... not loving this book, but I think I will finish it. I need to pick up my hold at the library before our trip though.

 I am hoping... our travel goes smoothly. Addie is not at a particularly good travel age right now.

I am hearing... the girls eating breakfast.

Around the house... clutter. Always.

One of my favorite things... the song "U Smile" by Justin Bieber. Yes, I see you rolling your eyes... both at the spelling of "U" and at the fact that I have the same taste in music as my Justin Bieber-crazed 7 year old. Have you listened to that one though? He sounds like old school Michael Jackson... like classic Jackson 5 Michael, not the creepy, plastic-surgery-addicted, Peter-Pan-worshipping, nutjob Michael. Seriously... it is a good song!

A few plans for the rest of the week.... a celebration with coworkers, book club, and a 4 a.m. trip to the airport with a 9 year old drama queen who isn't a morning person and a toddler. Yeah... that should be fun.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... the prize winning apple!

 

 
 
   
    To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. 

NASCAR... House of Estrogen Style

Ladies... Start your engines!

And they're off!

 
Laughing...

 
Racing...

 
Including the baby.

 

There's definitely an element of chaos here, but it is also pretty darn cool - creative fun with neighbors on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

 

 

One Last Beach Post

Our beach trip was almost three weeks ago, and I'm finally getting around to my last picture post. Going through these pictures makes me wish we could head back to the beach tomorrow. It was such a great trip, and we couldn't ask for better travel companions than the B family!

When we weren't digging, we were... 

skim boarding,

hanging out in the water,

giving kisses,
 
 

boogie boarding,

 

 

running,

 

posing,

 

pulling friends on the boogie boards,

 

(that's our little friend L who came to play with us one day)

lying in the sand,

 

playing football

 

and simply smiling... with a love for the beach.

   

Simple Woman's Daybook, September 21, 2010

 

For Today...

Outside my window... the grill is clean and shiny, heating up, ready for the fall grilling season!

I am thinking... that my poor mom thought I had fallen off the planet when I didn't post my Monday Daybook post on Monday. Sorry I'm a bit late. Life got the best of me.

I am thankful for... well kids back at school and camp. Elise had a sinus infection the end of last week, and Addie was sick with a cold all weekend through yesterday.

From the kitchen... pork tenderloin on the grill, sweet potato casserole, and something green... maybe a salad.

I am creating... Elise's new room!  J.C. is threatening to cancel all the credit cards since I started on another room before finishing our master, but Elise and I had a great time picking out bedding over the weekend. Our room will just have to wait.

I am going... to watch the season premiere of Glee tonight! Oh how I've missed you, Glee!

I am reading... Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. It has not hooked me yet, and I'm not entirely convinced it will. If it doesn't start to improve, I may return it to the library and start something new. 

 I am hoping... my Dad's vertigo spell doesn't last much longer.

I am hearing... the girls having fun playing Disney Trivial Pursuit on the screened porch. J.C. scrubbed all of our porch furniture over the weekend and steam cleaned the carpet. I'm excited to start using the porch again now that the weather is so nice.

Around the house... art from the girls' art camp this week.

One of my favorite things... the fleeting moments when my girls play nicely together. I typed the "I am hearing" section above about them playing a game together about 10 minutes ago. They were outside happily playing like sisters who actually enjoy each other's company. Then, within seconds, they were screaming at each other. Elise told Nina she hated her. Nina started crying. Elise made fun of her for crying. I started yelling. Now Elise is upstairs screaming, "I HATE LIFE" and Nina is moping around crying, "I want Dadddddyyyyy."  I guess I have to appreciate the short moments of peace while they last. Anybody have great tips for dealing with sibling rivalry?  I'm clearly failing in this department of parenting. Maybe only children shouldn't have more than one child due to lack of experience in sibling rivalry? I know the "I started yelling" part adds into the equation, but seriously... they run me into the ground some days with all their fighting.

A few plans for the rest of the week.... a pretty low-key week.  I need to try to make plans for our anniversary which passed us by a couple days ago. We alternate who plans each year, and this year is my year.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... hot tub for one.

 

 

   
  
    To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. 

My One Potty Training Post

Potty training is definitely one of my least favorite jobs as a parent. I can say with confidence that I will never look back fondly on the potty training days. This blog post is going to be short and sweet because I also know that NOBODY wants to read all about the daily trials and tribulations of potty training except for perhaps J.C.. I did have to share this one potty time conversation though.

Me: "Good job Addie! Now tell your poops bye-bye and flush the potty."

Addie: "Bye-bye poops! I love you!"

Awesome.

Letter to Elise, age 9

Dear Elise,

Today you turned nine. We celebrated tonight with turtle cupcakes. You are a bit of a turtle fanatic. Ever since doing a school report on turtles a year or two ago, you have loved turtles. You claim to be obsessed with them. Imagine my surprise when I made a late-night last-minute trip to the grocery store last night for a birthday dessert and found turtle cupcakes! What were the odds of that? I'm just picturing the baker making cupcakes that day thinking, "OK... I'll make some plain bright colored cupcakes, and some Disney character ones, and some with flowers on top... oh! And turtles! Yes... the ever popular turtle-topped cupcakes!" 

Anyway, to say that you were thrilled with the turtle cupcakes is an understatement. It was like turtle heaven for you.

I think nine is going to be a good year for you. I just have a good feeling about it. You are repeating third grade this year and doing it with more maturity and class than I could have ever imagined.  You know it was the right decision for you, and you stand up to anyone who makes comments about it. You are gaining confidence in yourself, and that is a priceless reward for what was a tough parenting decision.

 

You recently moved out of your shared room with Nina into the guest room. You were in need of a quiet space that was all your own.  Initially, we weren't sure whether the move would be temporary or permanent. It has been such a positive for you though that we are going to convert the room into being yours long-term. The ability to truly get away from the chaos of two little sisters is really important to you. You hide away in your room and read... and read... and read. You have become a voracious reader lately. We can barely keep you stocked in books. You fly through your stash every time we go to the library. You take a book with you everywhere. You have been reading a lot of classics like Black Beauty, Anne of Green Gables, and The Story of Dr. Doolittle. You love them all. I hope this is the beginning of a lifelong love affair with books.

You have decided to take a break from tumbling. I think that is a good decision. You seem to have plateaued in skill level, so it is a good time to try something new. You have talked about piano, but I'm not sure what you'll end up trying next. You are still very active in your Girl Scout troop and are looking forward to a troop camping trip next month.

Overall, I just feel like you're in a good place right now, like your world is coming together. You are past the illnesses of last year. You are doing better in school and feeling more confident as a result. You appreciate the privacy of your own room, but you help out around the house a lot too. I think nine is your year!

I love you.

Love, Mama

No Offense

JC and I were in the midst of a discussion tonight when Nina asked what we were talking about. I said, "Oh, your mama is just getting old." In true Nina form, she responded, "No offense, mama, but yeah, you are. You're getting all wrinkled in the face. No offense."

Uh... none taken?

Simple Woman's Daybook, September 13, 2010

 

For Today...

Outside my window... a nice cool morning. I'm loving the beginning of fall.

I am thinking... that my pants feel tighter than usual this morning. Sigh.

I am thankful for... another single-mom weekend survived. J.C. was biking at Snowshoe again all weekend. He came home safe and sound last night, and it is great to have him back.

From the kitchen... chocolate chip and butterscotch chip pancakes.

I am creating... two blog posts - Elise's birthday letter, and the last beach picture post.

I am going... to the Girl Scout shop this afternoon. The girls each earned 17 patches (yes, that's 34 total!) at daycamp this summer, and there is no way I'm going to sew all those. I need to buy some of the magic patch-attach stuff that glues them on in the dryer.

I am reading... not much... just catching up on my celebrity gossip in People.

 I am hoping... that my cousin's second round with radiation has knocked out her tongue cancer. I'm thinking about you, Lisa!

I am hearing... the dishwasher running. JC got up this morning, made pancakes for breakfast, cleaned up all the mess, and started the dishwasher!

Around the house... mail that I need to go through. I really despise snail mail. I enjoy cards, letters, and packages, but the catalogs, coupon packets, junk mail, advertisements, and bills just weigh me down.  If I were ever to hire an assistant, his first two jobs would be dealing with laundry and mail!

One of my favorite things... the blog Mila's Daydreams. I truly love it. Her creativity amazes me, and her pictures always make me smile. Between juggling my kids schedules, my work commitments, and hearing news of a whacked out minister wanting to burn the Quran and the continuing recession, stepping into Mila's Daydreams is like a brief escape from the stress and heaviness of life.

A few plans for the rest of the week.... this week is a doozy... an eye exam for me, jump rope for Nina, tumbling for Elise, helping out at a Girl Scout meeting, a bunch of meetings at work, a ladies' night out, a dinner fundraiser for the girls' school. Whew... good thing the girls are tracked out and just in camp all week, so we don't have to throw homework into the mix!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... this picture was taken of me on the morning of September 11.  I was probably thinking about whether or not I had everything packed for the hospital, whether we would be welcoming a boy or a girl, or perhaps how tired I was of being pregnant. I never could have imagined how much the world would change that day... and how scary it would suddenly feel to bring a new child into that world.

 
  
    To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. 

Sunset Beach Faces

Just sharing a few faces from our beach trip with the B family!

Happy Faces...

Mad Faces...

Laughing Faces...

Tongue Hanging Out Faces...

Silly Faces...

Loving, Smiling Faces...

And Sweet Sleeping Faces.

 

  

"This My Big Girl Room!"

The transformation from nursery to big girl room is complete. While my heart aches that we'll never have another little one in a crib, sanity takes over to remind me that we are COMPLETELY MAXED OUT - in energy, money, patience, and time. When I think about it that way, I'm thrilled to say BUH-BYE to all the baby gear. It is all going to a good home... to my housekeeper's son and his girlfriend and their due-to-arrive-this-fall baby girl.

This wouldn't be a true HGTV-style reveal without before pictures, so here is the room in its nursery incarnation.

 

And just for fun... a picture of sweet baby Addison in her nursery. <sniff, sniff!>

And now for the big reveal...

TA DA - the big girl room!

Notice how if you play your cards right with a stripe, you only have to repaint the stripe and not the entire room! Ahhh... the beauty of one big horizontal stripe!

The bed was my childhood bed. We had to get a custom-made mattress for it. It is wider than a twin and longer than a full, but not a standard size. I love this bed! It reminds me of my room when I was growing up.  The chest of drawers is from my grandmother's house.

Most of the artwork was found at Etsy. The Oceanic Alphabet Poster came from Etsy seller LyndsayJohnson. With "M for Mermaid", how could I resist? I love it! She has a darling Forest Friends Alphabet Poster in her shop as well!

 

The whimsical Mermaid Collection of Prints came from Etsy seller leahmcr8. Her work is so fun!

The Vinyl Monogram was made by ahintofchicboutique. I waffled back and forth over whether to put up just the 'A' with the scalloped edge or to add Addison's name too. I finally concluded that I liked both together. I love the way it personalizes the room in such a lovely way!

 

It took a while to pull it all together, but I'm really happy with the end result...

...and Addie is too!