Weekend Recap

Weekend Recap

This weekend was a busy one!

Family came to town...

There was swimming,

Barbecuing,

Socializing,

Soccer tournaments for my daughter,

Loud music,

Yard work,

And tons of playful laughter filling the air!

Only downside is......

I wasn't there to enjoy ANY of it!!

Yeah, that's right... I scheduled myself to work on a holiday weekend, UGH!!

It never fails! I need a phone that yells NO, STOP, YOU WILL REGRET THIS whenever I punch in my availability for my work schedule! 

A new app in the making I'm sure but until then I just keep missing out!

The plus side is...

When I return from my torturous work week it's a holiday in itself!

I am off work Monday and the kids are out of school so... come 7am it will be time to PAAAR-TYY!! (That's when I get off work blah!)

I'm sure the second I walk in the door three little smiling, energized faces will be greeting me, ready to "hang out."

It never fails, everyone wants mommy's attention the second I am home from work and off for a day! I feel like a celebrity every week ha ha. 

Mondays plans include... Barbecuing, swimming, FINISHING our kitchen chairs (fingers crossed), catching up on housework.... And most importantly....

Quality time with the fam! It should be a good day... overwhelming... Potentially stressful but GOOD! 

Now that I think about it... I didn't miss much :-).

Have a GREAT week!

Let Them Be Little

The country song Let Them Be Little by Billy Dean gets me every time.

I find myself asking the question, "Do I let them be little?"

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in LIFE we take for granted the small things.

I have learned to incorporate every day life into making memories the kids will hold in their hearts forever, all while letting them be little.

My kids love crafts, they enjoy just watching me with my crafts and doing their own. We have shared so many bonding moments and memories just sitting around the table making projects. 

Homework turns into an all out family event, especially the art and science projects. Even the hubby is pretty crafty :-)

What do you do to let them be little? 

What memories will they take with them when they grow up and leave home? 

What kind of influence are you making? 

Do you turn up the music and let loose and just dance silly with them?

Do you secretly fill water balloons just because?

Do you put down the paperwork and phone to jump on the trampoline with them and show off your skills?

Are you spontaneous and drop everything to go down the slide into the pool just to hear them giggle and cheer you on?

Do you unleash your best Super Hero moves and fight their imaginary battles?

Do you bust out silly rhymes and dance silly jigs just to see them smile?

Do you use your Internet browsing downtime to find cute hair styles and nail polish designs just for your daughter? And turn it into memories?

Do you wake them up with donuts from the local shop just because?

Do you take crazy pictures and laugh at them later?

Do you bust out the sidewalk chalk for fun? 

Do you show them your best shadow puppet skills?

Do you tuck them in at night?

Do you say I love you every chance you get?

Do you let them "sleep in the middle?"

I do!

And let me tell you the rewards are endless! 

"Let them be little cuz they are only that way for awhile."

 

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Mini Mommy Wednesdays

If you ever need words of wisdom, talk to your children.

The things my kids, especially my daughter, say have made me stop and think on more than one occasion.

They have empowered me to be a better person for myself and them.

Having children young can be a burden for some but for me it was truly a blessing and they show me that daily.

My daughter, Lexi, loves leaving me little notes. So to encourage that communication we sat down and made a journal and called it "Mommy and Me." She leaves little notes, poems and silly messages and I reply.

(This is also one of the sale items I picked up cheap. A notebook ready to decorate)

Making this journal sparked Lexi's interest in writing and expanded her communication skills. 

We then created another fun way for the entire family to get involved. We hung mailboxes and street signs between the kids' rooms.

        (Another inexpensive sale find)

Our two oldest enjoy finding their flag up and checking their mail. We leave cute notes and color fun pictures for them and they do the same. Sometimes when they get in trouble they send "hate" mail about never coming out of their rooms again. It makes me chuckle. Somedays that's fine by me :-)

Today's note came with Lexi's little words of wisdom and purity and as always melted my heart.

Knowing I started a blog, she titled her poem Our Little Life :-)

She wrote about the sad days, the mad days and the happy days. She talked about feeling protected and ended her little poem with her P.S. words of wisdom....

Love is something you should always believe in.

She included a necklace that she made for me and says I Love You. She also deemed today "Mini Mommy Wednesday" and plans to pamper me with her little creations every week :-)

My kids make all the life struggles and everyday battles seem meaningless.

The mountains immediately change to mole hills. 

There is nothing in life greater than the love from a child.

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The Time Out Chair

This summer, having all three kids home all the time, has brought on a whole new set of challenges. Dylan, my youngest (2), was MUCH easier to handle while the two oldest were at school (of course, I know!) Now he has started picking up, at a very rapid pace, the characteristics of his siblings. Matthew (5) LOVES super heros and pretending. Alexis (8) enjoys swimming and playing outside. Dylan has not only learned how to play right along with them in these activities but also picked up on their bad habits, their bad attitudes at times and most of all their back talking. He's TWO! Not even close to THREE! He is acting TOO old and this has presented a struggle. Does he know right from wrong? Or is this just monkey see monkey do and will blow over when school starts again?! 

After many discussions with my husband about tightening up the ship, a lightbulb went off. I bet when Alexis and Matthew are sent to their rooms for bad behavior (our current punishment), Dylan doesn't get it. He sees them go upstairs and take their punishment then return to playing with him a few minutes later. He doesn't understand why they went to their rooms or what they were sent up there for. So in an effort to correct this learned behavior, everyone's punishment will be the same (in most scenarios). If you misbehave, you get to sit in the TIME OUT CHAIR. 

Everyone including Dylan. He is not too young for small time outs and he will have a better understanding of his brother and sisters punishment seeing them sit in "time out" also. He may even catch on a little quicker! The only thing that worries me - I only have ONE "time out chair" :-)

Now... On to the "Time Out Chair" project!

I happened to already have a chair on hand. I've had it for years and it really hasn't served much purpose, other than a step stool at times :-)

I cleaned it thoroughly with a towel and water to remove any grim that has collected. I then sanded it down a bit with hubby's sander and fine grit sandpaper to smooth out any rough spots.

Cleaned the surface again with a towel and a little water. Now it's ready to paint!

I enjoy using stuff I already have around the house. It also helps my wallet AND my husbands piece of mind when it comes to my crafting :-)

I searched the house and came up with this black paint (pictured above). PERFECT! I didn't have primer so I just applied two coats of black paint to the entire chair. It's BLACK, it shouldn't need primer ;-)

Now I needed to create the "TIME OUT" design for the seat of the chair....

I LOVE to Modge Podge everything so what I dug up was also perfect! I rummaged thru my scrapbook paper and pulled out an assortment of punch out letters (pictured above). I chose my design and applied the letters using Modge Podge. Note: make sure to press each letter firmly to prevent air bubbles! I applied four THICK coats of Modge Podge over the surface of the seat. I wanted to make sure the letters didn't come off while Dylan's little booty squirmed around on it in "time out" :-)

AND DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....

Ta-Dah! Project complete!! Now, who will be the first to use it?!? This should be interesting.....

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Playroom Canvas Paintings

My daughter told me recently, "Mom, when I grow up, I want to start craft classes and teach people how to make fun things like what you have taught me." That made my heart melt! She enjoys our time together and loves doing projects as much as I do! If she's bored she asks, "Mom are you feeling crafty?" 

Last week, when family was in town, there wasn't much time for being bored! We had so many projects and shared great memories with her, my brothers, my stepmom and my boys! Another playroom project we completed involved all the kiddos. Sonya and I even got our hands dirty and painted as well. 

Materials needed for this project:

7 12x12 blank canvas

Masking tape (1 inch wide)

Assorted acrylic paints (I chose vibrant colors)

Sponge paint brushes (easier for kids)

And the kiddos creativity!

Before painting, prep the canvas with masking tape. There is no right or wrong way to do this. Place masking tape vertically, horizontally, short pieces, long pieces, making triangles or squares! 

Make sure the tape drapes over the edges to continue the effect. Don't allow any air bubbles at the edges of the tape or it will get painted!

Once you prep them its up to the kids to make the art!

Allow to dry, remove the tape and you have beautiful kid inspired artwork for any room!!

We chose to hang this art in the playroom and hang it in a "hopscotch" fashion. We also threw around the idea of adding numbers in the center to complete the hopscotch look but didn't want to take away from the beautiful masterpieces the kids created!

I hope you enjoy! We all did! It even allowed family that isn't in town often to leave a piece of their art work behind, not to mention great memories shared! 

Any questions don't hesitate to ask!

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Fun DIY Playroom Decor

One of my most fond memories growing up was crafting with my family. I say family because I didn't get my "craftiness" from a single person. Every one contributed, my mom, my grandparents and even my dad.. Just to name a few! 

Growing up my parents owned a small Christian gifts and books store where they also sold their own handmade items. My dad made our furniture around the house and my mom would add her personal touches. I remember being my daughters age (8) and staying over at my great grandmothers house to stay up late making different projects and holiday decorations. Everyone around me was creative so it's no surprise I love to craft! 

Now that I have my own family, I love coming up with new projects around the house and involving my little ones in turning this house into OUR home. 

The area of focus last week while my step mom, Sonya, was in town was decorating our playroom, hence the title :-) 

This project was my favorite so far: Turning kids games, that the kids have lost pieces to over the years into art!

Materials needed:

Game boards

Game pieces (what's left anyways!)

Hot glue gun and hot glue

1"x2" scrap wood for mounting ( I used scrap pieces from previous projects, they won't be seen anyways.)

Wood screws

Small finishing nails 

The rest is really up to you! 

I positioned the game pieces with hot glue to give a 3D appearance when hung on the wall. 

Playing cards and Monopoly money are glued together in a stack to also appear 3D

Once the game board was complete, I mounted the scrap wood to the wall with wood screws. Since they are scraps I chose each piece based on the size of the board, no specifications really just small enough to not be seen and long enough to support the fold in the game board.

I then placed the game board to the scrap wood mounted on the wall with tiny finishing nails.

I completed the project with painted 1"x6" wooden signs with fun sayings (also scraps)

The kids LOVE the new decorations and this project added so much fun and color to the room! 

If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!

I hope you enjoy this project as much as we did!

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The Reason and The Purpose

My name is Ashley, I am a mother of 3 beautiful children (but who isn't partial to their own!). My beautiful daughter, Alexis, 8; handsome son, Matthew Jr., 5; and little cutie baby Dylan who is already 2. 

I was a strong-willed, outspoken, wild and crazy teen that learned quickly it was time to grow up when I became pregnant with my daughter. My life became our life and it was changed forever. 

I did things a little backwards according to "normal" standards but I believe it molded me into a better person and continues to do so daily. 

I became a mom first and a wife second. I just recently married my wonderful husband in March of this year, 2013, and my life changed again. This time it was completed and became "our little life" as I call it. 

I discovered I have referred to Matt (my husband), myself and our three children as "our little life" for years... In Facebook photo albums, Facebook status', picture captions, scrapbook pages I've created.... the list goes on. Finally it occurred to me how much I valued that title when we took family pictures last month and I handmade the props we used in our pictures. I bet you can't guess what they said?!?

I wanted the most perfect caption painted on wood to describe our family. I thought about it for weeks! "Our Happily Ever After" NO! "Our Fairy Tale" NO! "Our Lovely Life" NO! "Our Story" No, No, NO! They all sounded so cheesy, so make believe, definitely didn't describe us, and were no where near the perfect caption!

I remember sitting by the pool, thinking about my husband, the kids and how happy I was. I was reminiscing the events of the last week which flowed into the last month then into the last few months and trickled down to the last year! I was smiling just thinking about it all and it occurred to me that my thoughts revolved around one thing...."Our Little Life!" 

Lightbulb!!! That would be my caption for our family pictures!! I loved it! It fit perfectly and summed up all of my thoughts, my memories, the crazy ups and downs, the laughing, the tears... Everything! 

Looking at those pictures, with my well put together caption, has made me realize how much I value "our little life" and how eager I am to share it with others. The great and sometimes even the not so great trials and tribulations of raising a family and being a wife! That is the essence of my blog! I want to inspire, give advice, teach others new things and offer learning experiences for families and fellow moms. Maybe my thoughts will be helpful, maybe they won't! But I will sure enjoy telling about the one thing I value most! You guessed it..... "Our Little Life!"

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Photo by: Jenny Rollins Blink of an Eye Photography,  Tulsa Ok