Deep red?
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Color update
The orange color is a go....he hates the purple. Now what can I do for an accent color?
Deep red?
Deep red?
Playroom Colors
I started thinking a light blue but I could not talk Greg into it. The problem with it is that whatever we paint the basement we also have to paint the back entrance. And the back entrance butts up to the kitchen. Our kitchen is a bright orange...
Well, the boys and I had a field trip to Menards today to pick out paint chips. Here is what I like...I have no idea if I will be able to talk Greg into these colors or not.
So, the main color will be the light orange (it looks more like the kitchen color above but lighter) The couch is the green and then the purple for accent. I think the paint chips didn't really scan well...the colors look really 'off'
Well, the boys and I had a field trip to Menards today to pick out paint chips. Here is what I like...I have no idea if I will be able to talk Greg into these colors or not.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sleep, elusive, sleep.
Why, is teaching a child how to sleep sooooooo hard?
I have always said that I would never let my children cry it out (cio), that all it teaches them is that you are not there for them when they are having a problem. Well, when we (mostly me since I have the boobs) go to Owen's room every time he cries it can really get out of hand. We have had some nights where he is up every hour, screaming. Well, that really makes for a bad night and a grumpy mommy.
On the other hand, we have tried cio too and Owen always wins. The longest I can stand listening to it is an hour before I go in and give lots of cuddles. The thing that gets me is that he slept through the night for almost all of his first year. I even have it marked on the calender when this crazy sleeping stuff started...Sunday May 2nd. The previous 5 days he had a high fever ranging from 103 to 104.3. We were in constant contact with his doctor but we were never able to find a reason for the fever. Once the fever broke, he stopped sleeping. The only thing the doctor has not done at this point is blood work. Which I may even ask him to do just to find a reason for this.
This post was prompted by my efforts to get Owen to go to sleep last night. Our bedtime routine started at 7:45pm as it always does. Bath with Hugh, pj's and getting his teeth brushed, turning lights out with Daddy, saying good night to Daddy, and finally nursing with me in a big cozy and overstuffed glider in a dark room. I then transfer Owen to his crib while he is warm, full, drowsy, and content. I walk out of the room, close the door, and all seems well for about 30 seconds...
...and then the screaming starts.
If anyone has a magical answer please let me know. I really need my sleep.
I have always said that I would never let my children cry it out (cio), that all it teaches them is that you are not there for them when they are having a problem. Well, when we (mostly me since I have the boobs) go to Owen's room every time he cries it can really get out of hand. We have had some nights where he is up every hour, screaming. Well, that really makes for a bad night and a grumpy mommy.
On the other hand, we have tried cio too and Owen always wins. The longest I can stand listening to it is an hour before I go in and give lots of cuddles. The thing that gets me is that he slept through the night for almost all of his first year. I even have it marked on the calender when this crazy sleeping stuff started...Sunday May 2nd. The previous 5 days he had a high fever ranging from 103 to 104.3. We were in constant contact with his doctor but we were never able to find a reason for the fever. Once the fever broke, he stopped sleeping. The only thing the doctor has not done at this point is blood work. Which I may even ask him to do just to find a reason for this.
This post was prompted by my efforts to get Owen to go to sleep last night. Our bedtime routine started at 7:45pm as it always does. Bath with Hugh, pj's and getting his teeth brushed, turning lights out with Daddy, saying good night to Daddy, and finally nursing with me in a big cozy and overstuffed glider in a dark room. I then transfer Owen to his crib while he is warm, full, drowsy, and content. I walk out of the room, close the door, and all seems well for about 30 seconds...
...and then the screaming starts.
If anyone has a magical answer please let me know. I really need my sleep.
Monday, June 28, 2010
The creation of a playroom
Those of you that know me, know that I love to paint. If it stands still long enough in our house I will paint it...repeatedly. Our living room has been painted twice, Hugh's room is at twice, Owen's room is at three times, and the bathroom is at twice. All the rest of of the rooms have been painted once. I love color and I'm not afraid to use it.
I have a painting bug again...I feel this deep rooted pulling or URGE to paint again. Well, Greg has always told me that if I feel the need to paint again, I need to do the basement/family room. When we moved in it was just the two of us so we used the room as a party room/TV/movie room. It has a bar and everything. To effectively act as a TV/movie room we painted it rather dark to give it a theater quality.
Exhibits
Lives change and with it how we need our house to function for us. We NEED a playroom for the boys, and a sewing area that will stay down there. We are slowly drowning in toys in the rest of our house. It is not really because of the amount of toys (we do a regular rotation and purge) it is more because we are outgrowing our house but are stuck in it (that is an entirely different post).
I would really like to rip out the carpet too and put in a pergo floor but that is a bit out of our budget right now....so, it looks like we will attempt to shampoo the stains out of the carpet...again (can you just sense the sigh).
Okay, first step is picking a color that I love and that I can talk Greg into. He always ends up loving whatever I pick out (once it is on the wall), but it is hard to get him to agree to it. I have a friend that did a great light blue in her basement and it looks great, so that is an option. The couch (that has to stay down there) is an olive/army green so I have to figure that in as well.
I think I also want to get chalk board paint and have an area where they can draw on the wall. Oooo, I would love to get a train table too! So much to plan for..so many choices! I can't wait.
I have a painting bug again...I feel this deep rooted pulling or URGE to paint again. Well, Greg has always told me that if I feel the need to paint again, I need to do the basement/family room. When we moved in it was just the two of us so we used the room as a party room/TV/movie room. It has a bar and everything. To effectively act as a TV/movie room we painted it rather dark to give it a theater quality.
Exhibits
Lives change and with it how we need our house to function for us. We NEED a playroom for the boys, and a sewing area that will stay down there. We are slowly drowning in toys in the rest of our house. It is not really because of the amount of toys (we do a regular rotation and purge) it is more because we are outgrowing our house but are stuck in it (that is an entirely different post).
I would really like to rip out the carpet too and put in a pergo floor but that is a bit out of our budget right now....so, it looks like we will attempt to shampoo the stains out of the carpet...again (can you just sense the sigh).
Okay, first step is picking a color that I love and that I can talk Greg into. He always ends up loving whatever I pick out (once it is on the wall), but it is hard to get him to agree to it. I have a friend that did a great light blue in her basement and it looks great, so that is an option. The couch (that has to stay down there) is an olive/army green so I have to figure that in as well.
I think I also want to get chalk board paint and have an area where they can draw on the wall. Oooo, I would love to get a train table too! So much to plan for..so many choices! I can't wait.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Days Gone By...
I have not written a blog in years! I would every so often log in and look at it and think about writing but then life would get in the way. So, no excuses...I'm starting up again.
Since I was last here I have had two boys. Hugh was born 5/22/07 and Owen came along two years and two weeks later on 6/9/09. We just had birthday parties for both boys...robot and frog theme respectively. I outdid myself on their cakes, but I have done that every year so far.
Greg got a government job as a criminal investigator and after 2.5 years he is finally making enough money so that we are not in the red every month. We decided while I was pregnant with Hugh that I was going to stay home with our children even if it was hard on us financially. Boy oh boy has it been hard. There have been days when we wanted to either cry or strangle each other (or both). It is looking up enough that we are looking into private preschool for Hugh a few mornings a week (Montessori for inquiring parties)....well, I think I make it sound too good by saying that. In reality our car will be paid off next month and we are using that car payment as tuition each month.
In current events both boys have the chicken pox. I did get Hugh round one of the chicken pox vaccine when he turned a year old, then I researched it a lot and decided not to get it at all for Owen. Well, my friend's little boy came down with the chicken pox so we had a "pox party"...I took my boys over and they shared suckers with the pox infected little dude. The whole party thing was intended for Owen but Hugh ended up getting them too. So much for that vaccine working. After this they will both be immune for the rest of their lives.
The past year has not been a great one for me health wise. About 2 days after I had Owen (c-section) my butt and leg started to hurt. It hurt enough my doc had me come in for an ultra sound of the leg to make sure I didn't have a blood clot from surgery. All clear on that front. It came and went for about 4 weeks then I felt sort of okay. At my 8 week check up with my OB I got the all clear to start working out. I went that day and signed up for Curves. I worked out 3 days a week for 1 month. About 3 weeks in my butt and leg start hurting again. Hurting enough that I could not sit or walk or sleep. Standing was about the only thing that was painless. Talk about making breastfeeding hard! Once it got so bad that I was not sleeping anymore (I had to just stand next to the bed to not hurt) I made an appointment with the doctor.
My New Year's resolution was to fix all that ailed me.
I saw my regular doctor and he put me in physical therapy. I attempted that for about 2 months before I moved onto a chiropractor. Neither one helped me at all so I broke down and went to an orthopedic surgeon. Had an MRI...turns out I have two herniated disks in my lower spine. I then went on to have 2 epidural steroid injections (oral drugs could not be taken because I refused to stop breastfeeding). After the second one I had enough relief that I could function....the pain and other issues were by no means gone.
At this point I made an appointment to see my doctor about this funny bulge in my tummy. Turns out they think it is a hernia...surgery required. I planned surgery for about a month away so I could pump enough milk to get Owen through. I had surgery on March 9th (OMG, can you believe all this has happened and it is only March) and it was so painful that they ended up admitting me to the hospital overnight so I could stay hooked up to the morphine drip. Also, when they got in there they found quite a bit more than they expected. They did not find just one hernia...they found so many hernias that the surgeon stopped counting. In his words..."your muscles looked like swiss cheese". They lined my muscles with a mesh to put everything back where it belongs and to keep it there. I know have mesh from my rib cage down to my groin.
Breastfeeding was challenging but I still managed to keep going strong. I found a position where I would lie on my back and Owen would sit up next to me and lean over. I also could not lift either of the boys for two weeks so I had to have a schedule of friends and family that would be here to help out for while Greg was at work.
It took me a good three months to not feel any pain from the surgery. But on the positive side of things....now that I am able to strengthen my core muscles; my back is improving. I really only feel it if I sit in a chair that is too soft or when I lie down.
July is almost upon us and for me that means beginning my training for the c25k. I'm waiting until then because Nana (my mom) will not be working as of July 1st and she will come over in the mornings to watch the boys while I go out on my run.
Well, for now that is a general catch up. I'm sure I will think of more as time goes on.
Since I was last here I have had two boys. Hugh was born 5/22/07 and Owen came along two years and two weeks later on 6/9/09. We just had birthday parties for both boys...robot and frog theme respectively. I outdid myself on their cakes, but I have done that every year so far.
Greg got a government job as a criminal investigator and after 2.5 years he is finally making enough money so that we are not in the red every month. We decided while I was pregnant with Hugh that I was going to stay home with our children even if it was hard on us financially. Boy oh boy has it been hard. There have been days when we wanted to either cry or strangle each other (or both). It is looking up enough that we are looking into private preschool for Hugh a few mornings a week (Montessori for inquiring parties)....well, I think I make it sound too good by saying that. In reality our car will be paid off next month and we are using that car payment as tuition each month.
In current events both boys have the chicken pox. I did get Hugh round one of the chicken pox vaccine when he turned a year old, then I researched it a lot and decided not to get it at all for Owen. Well, my friend's little boy came down with the chicken pox so we had a "pox party"...I took my boys over and they shared suckers with the pox infected little dude. The whole party thing was intended for Owen but Hugh ended up getting them too. So much for that vaccine working. After this they will both be immune for the rest of their lives.
The past year has not been a great one for me health wise. About 2 days after I had Owen (c-section) my butt and leg started to hurt. It hurt enough my doc had me come in for an ultra sound of the leg to make sure I didn't have a blood clot from surgery. All clear on that front. It came and went for about 4 weeks then I felt sort of okay. At my 8 week check up with my OB I got the all clear to start working out. I went that day and signed up for Curves. I worked out 3 days a week for 1 month. About 3 weeks in my butt and leg start hurting again. Hurting enough that I could not sit or walk or sleep. Standing was about the only thing that was painless. Talk about making breastfeeding hard! Once it got so bad that I was not sleeping anymore (I had to just stand next to the bed to not hurt) I made an appointment with the doctor.
My New Year's resolution was to fix all that ailed me.
- My butt and leg
- My teeth
- A funny bulge in my tummy
- My weight
- Done by Feb.! I have made 3 baby hats and a pair of gloves. Once it gets cool out again I will attempt a sweater.
- Waiting until July to start a couch 2 5k (c25k) training program...then run a 5k in the fall.
I saw my regular doctor and he put me in physical therapy. I attempted that for about 2 months before I moved onto a chiropractor. Neither one helped me at all so I broke down and went to an orthopedic surgeon. Had an MRI...turns out I have two herniated disks in my lower spine. I then went on to have 2 epidural steroid injections (oral drugs could not be taken because I refused to stop breastfeeding). After the second one I had enough relief that I could function....the pain and other issues were by no means gone.
At this point I made an appointment to see my doctor about this funny bulge in my tummy. Turns out they think it is a hernia...surgery required. I planned surgery for about a month away so I could pump enough milk to get Owen through. I had surgery on March 9th (OMG, can you believe all this has happened and it is only March) and it was so painful that they ended up admitting me to the hospital overnight so I could stay hooked up to the morphine drip. Also, when they got in there they found quite a bit more than they expected. They did not find just one hernia...they found so many hernias that the surgeon stopped counting. In his words..."your muscles looked like swiss cheese". They lined my muscles with a mesh to put everything back where it belongs and to keep it there. I know have mesh from my rib cage down to my groin.
It took me a good three months to not feel any pain from the surgery. But on the positive side of things....now that I am able to strengthen my core muscles; my back is improving. I really only feel it if I sit in a chair that is too soft or when I lie down.
July is almost upon us and for me that means beginning my training for the c25k. I'm waiting until then because Nana (my mom) will not be working as of July 1st and she will come over in the mornings to watch the boys while I go out on my run.
Well, for now that is a general catch up. I'm sure I will think of more as time goes on.
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