Nursery Sneak Peek

Well it was a busy weekend around here guys.  We started setting up the nursery!  Here's a little sneak peek for you.  I decided to set a bed up in there so I could have a place to rest in the middle of the night and if my comes to stay and help at all.  Remember our original plan for nursery?  Well I ended up ditching that color scheme and going for an all white theme with pops of bright, neon like colors and touches of beige linen.  So far I love it, what's set of it so far anyhow.  And because of my snoring escapades, Art was able to take advantage of the set up bed last night, so it's already getting some good use!

I've still been keeping up with the big belly project, so if you're on Instagram, follow along @fourflights!  Saturday night big belly was brewing beer, totally appropriate right?  We celebrated a friend's 40th birthday and had a great time at a local brew house, making pretzels and drinking small batch brew (small brew soda for me, the root beer was fantastic!).  

Friday night big belly took it easy though and hung out at our local concert in the park.  I just chilled while the men chased the kids around.  Perfection.  I'm going to miss being able to use the pregnancy card in situations like these ;)

In other areas on the web, I'm baring my soul, or my cover up anyhow, and showing off big belly in a bikini!  Say what?!?  Yes, I was shy at first, but there's really no reason pregnant gals can't rock the bikini too.  After all, when else are you not going to worry about whether your abs are rock hard or not?  It's liberating I tell ya.  

 I got a little crafty this past week too, and shared this DIY for a no sew leather pouch. 

And I also shared the most exciting news I've heard since, since, I don't know when...it's that exciting though!  Neiman Marcus and Target holiday gift collaboration yo!  Read more about here.

And I'm doing lots of baby and pregnancy journaling over on Disney Baby.  Last week I shared how we managed to gobble down dinner with a newborn during the dreaded "witching hour".

I'm splurging a bit on the non-essentials this time around.  Read here to see what those splurges are.

The best thing I ever did as a new mom was join a mom's group.  Read why here.

And lastly, the top 10 things I look forward to after pregnancy.  Number 7?  Walking like a lady instead of a duck again.

I don't want to say much about the last 2 days of school after I wrote this post, because I don't want to jinx anything, but I promise to share later in the week how things are going and our progress.  Thank you so, so much for all your kind and encouraging words.  They meant so much to me, especially hearing about all the sensitive boys!

An Emotional Start To Kinder

I know it's been a bit quiet around her.  The kids started school on Wednesday and I tried to stay offline as much as possible.  And you'd think since starting school things would have calmed down a bit, but it's been a bit of a roller coaster ride of emotions the past couple of days.   

The night before the big day, we went bowling together as a family treat, then followed up with dinner at the kid's favorite restaurant, CPK.  Things were going smoothly and everyone was up to their usual antics. 

Taylor learned to bowl sans ramp.  The good old between the leg toss got her a decent score. 

Syd, determined to win, stuck with the ramp and aimed most of his shots perfectly.

Art worked on perfecting his launch, in dramatic fashion.  He took 3 years of bowling in college.  He takes his bowling very seriously.

And I, well I just sat there most of the time, but I did at one point go head to head with a bowling ball.  The belly won without a fight.

The next morning came, and although Syd said he was a bit nervous, he trudged on and we trekked across the street to class. 

Luckily he was assigned Taylor's old kinder teacher Miss Peel, so we thought we had a slam dunk on our hands.  His big sister was at the same school, familiar playground, familiar teacher.  He had it made right?

He continued to be all smiles until it came time to leave.  And then the waterworks ensued.  Big ol' crocodile tears that break a momma's heart.

He had a super short day that first day and when I picked him up he seemed fine.  But when we got home he said he just stood there at recess because he didn't know what to do.  Within an hour he was telling me he didn't want to go back.  He continued moping around and whimpering all day.  Even Jules' boys, who were visiting so that we could get a little Craft Cabinet planning done, couldn't break him out of his funk.  By the late afternoon, he was complaining of an upset stomach.

By that night, whimpers had turned into sobs and he was distraught beyond comfort, saying over and over again that he didn't want to go back and begging me, yes begging, to be home schooled.  He was scared to eat lunch by himself, scared he'd have to play by himself at recess. 

The next morning he woke up at 6:30 (early for him) and crawled into my bed.  I could tell he had been crying, and he started again begging me not to send him to school.  He sobbed the entire morning as we got ready for school, and sobbed loud pathetic sobs at drop off.  Outside of the classroom I almost punched another mom in the face when she looked at me, not realizing Syd was my boy, and said "There's always a crier."

The thing is I know he will end up being okay.  Taylor cried for 6 whole weeks at kinder drop off and one day she just stopped and now she genuinely loves school.  Syd's teacher told me at pick up yesterday that he cried for all of 1 minute and then was fine the rest of the day.  Today's drop off was a little whimpery, but no real tears or sobbing fits, so there's improvement already. 

But in the mean time, there's a part of me that can't help but wonder what I'm doing wrong here.  Why are my kids so afraid of change, and so stuck with the idea of being at home?  I wonder if I've done something to make them feel insecure, or haven't given them enough confidence.  I know it's probably unrealistic for me to think that way, but as a mother sometimes you can't help but feel your child's behaviors are always a reflection of how you're raising them.

Art reminded me that I was the exact same way, from the stories I told him, when I was a kid.  After all, I called my mom to pick me up from Junior High camp because I was so terribly homesick.  I always assumed it was because of my chaotic and dysfunctional upbringing, that I wasn't secure enough to feel safe to leave home.  But maybe it is just inbred in me, and now inbred in my kids?  Homebodies that feel most comforted at home and resist change at all costs, but will adapt if completely necessary?

Either way I've been doing a lot of praying that he makes this adjustment a bit easier than Taylor did, for his sake and ours.  At this age, I think all any of us want for our kids is for them to just be happy.  And it breaks my heart to see his personality and moods affected this way.

If any of you have similar sob stories, especially as it relates to boys, I'd love to hear them.  I had breakfast with Sarah yesterday and she told me her son's teacher said that a boy cries the most in Kinder and 1st grade than in any other time in their life.  I sadly want that to be true so that I know his emotional tug of war is somewhat in the realm of "normal".  As a woman, I can understand more of where my girl is coming from when she cries, but I honestly feel so helpless when I see my son cry over sadness like this.   

Thanks so much for listening guys.  And again, any feedback, advice or commiseration that you'd like to share, I'm all ears :)

Learning To Love the iPad

I'm going to be honest with you, I'm not a big fan of using the phone and iPad to entertain the kids.  I'm not being judgmental or negative, it's just that to be honest, I haven't really spent a lot of time to find games and apps that I feel good about the kids using.  We're still fairly new to the world of the iPad and so far we've only managed to download lots of mindless games for the kids when we search "free games", and truth be told it can drive me a bit bonkers seeing them move a guy through a pipe till he comes out the other end.  I have a hard time seeing any real educational value in that. 

That's why I was happy and encouraged to hear that Disney had just created 2 new apps that are not only free, but perfectly age appropriate for both of the kids, 5 and 7, and are engaging and educational, especially for Syd as he just entered Kindergarten today in fact!

The first app we downloaded was the Jake's Neverland Pirate School, which they were both excited about because they love the show.  They both loved that they got to customize their games by adding their own photo and really found each level interesting.  

You can download the free app here, which is available for iPad, iPhone & iPod Touch:

http://www.itunes.com/app/jakesneverlandpirateschool

The second app we downloaded for free was The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally is for iPads only and can be downloaded here:

 http://www.itunes.com/app/mickeymouseclubhouseroadrallyappisode

I thought Taylor might think it was a little too young for her, but she loved it and had fun going through an entire episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and I loved that it was interactive and voice activated so it got the kids to actually answer the questions out loud.  Love that they're engaged instead of just sitting there.

As a mom that's still navigating her way through the world of the iPad, I feel good about these apps and feel good about telling you guys to go download them!  :) 

If you download the apps and are a Disney fan, join Disney on August 8th at 9 PM EST for a Disney Junior Twitter party! You could win an iPad. RSVP at http://bit.ly/QsXDE2 and use the hashtags #spon and #mackidtips. Who couldn't use an iPad, or an extra one? 


And I just discovered that Disney Junior Watch makes full length episodes of its most popular shows available online, for free, at www.watchdisneyjunior.com and via the Disney Junior WATCH app on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.  

A big thanks to Disney Junior for sponsoring this campaign. Click here to see more of the discussion.

Our Last Day

This was my fortune the other day.  How spot on is this?  There's so much to share and talk about with you all.  Gosh so much is happening and I have a B3 update to write and big belly project pictures to share.  But today is the last day of summer for us, and I'm going to focus on spending the day with the kids. 

Tomorrow I'll have a kindergartener and a 2nd grader, and my heart will break a little that another school year has passed and I'm afraid I don't know where it went.  I'm not quite as weepy as the first time I put a child in Kinder, but I'm still nervous and anxious now for the day to just come and go. 

I'll be back to posting tomorrow so until then, have a wonderfully hot and relaxing summer day. 

P.S. don't forget to enter the Scout by Bungalow giveaway!

Scout by Bungalow Giveaway

A few weeks ago the nice people at Scout by Bungalow contacted me to ask if I'd like to host a giveaway on this here blog. Truth be told, I hadn't heard about Scout until that nice lady reached out to me, but once I looked them up and viewed their site, I was instantly smitten. Functional and cute design rolled into one? Yes, please!

They let me choose an item to try out and I chose the Original Deano because of it's robust size, knowing that it could hold just about anything I could throw its way.  Added bonus was that it's made of a water resistant polywoven fabric that I just rinse out when I get home from the beach.  We had a salsa mishap in it the other day and a quick hose down and my Deano was as good as new.  In its short time in my possession, my Deano has already seen a couple of trips to the beach, park and a bonfire.  It gets around ;)

And the good news is that the generous folks at Scoout are letting you choose your own Deano too!  Just pick a color/design and you'll be on your way to carrying your goods in casual, functional style.  Entering is easy, just see below and click on the little buttons to getcha started.  I just started using Rafflecopter and it seems a wee bit intimidating at first, but it is super easy!  Way better than leaving 5 comments for each back flip you do :)  Open to US residents only please.  Good luck!    

a Rafflecopter giveaway

3 Science Experiments We're Trying Today

We've been going nonstop for the past few weeks, partly because I want to spend as much "fun time" with the kids as possible before the baby comes, but also because our summer break is so short we need to pack it all in a condensed time frame.  But today I'm exhausted and we're going to a bonfire tonight where we'll be out late, so I thought today we would stay home and relax a bit.  But to keep them somewhat occupied we're going to do a couple of science experiments; these 3 in fact. 

First up, a Sparkly Explosion found here

Then, we'll make some Elephant Toothpaste, found here

And then lastly, we'll finish the day off with some Slippery Slime, found here.

I'll let you know how it comes out tomorrow.  Wish me luck!  And if you'd like to see all the other science and craft experiments I pin on a weekly basis, follow me on Pinterest!

June Lake

We took our last little family vacation before baby comes last week.  As I mentioned before, we traveled about 6 hours by car up to June Lake, a little mountain town located in the Sierra Mountains off HWY 395.  At 35 weeks pregnant, it wasn't the most physically relaxing of trips we could have taken, but if I were to choose between being at a beautiful hotel and trying to keep two high energy kids occupied, or staying in a cabin and letting the kids run around outside, well you obviously know which one I chose.  Plus we got to teach the kids how to fish!  I betcha you didn't take me as a fisherman?

I've lived in California my whole life and after a while you know which places tend to get the most road trip action by your fellow friends and family.  Mammoth, Arrowhead, Tahoe, Bass Lake are the usual retreats when people want to go to the mountains.  But I'm telling you June Lake is where it's at.

It's mountain surroundings more resemble Yosemite, making it more beautiful than it's neighboring Mammoth, in my humble opinion.  There are several lakes in the June Lake Loop to choose from, so you have your choice between small and little lakes, forested or desert surroundings, peaceful and tranquil or fun and frequented.  Although the real reason I started going to June Lake when I was a kid is because my parents are cheap.  And June Lake has lots of options for el cheapos!

Being 35 weeks pregnant I did want to have some comforts and told my parents we weren't staying in the $90/night 300 foot cabin we used to stay in when I was a kid.  We hardly ever vacation so when we do I want to feel comfortable.  Not spoiled, just comfortable.  So we splurged a bit and stayed at the Double Eagle Resort, because it's 1 of 2 places in all of June Lake that has a pool and because the cabins were in good shape and clean.  There was also a restaurant on site that we could eat at if I didn't feel like cooking, although we never ended up eating at it.  

The grounds of the resort (and we use the term resort loosely here), had beautiful hiking trails right outside our door, and a little stream the kids could play at while we were preparing meals.  I love sending kids outside to play and them having enough to interest them and keep them happy that they don't complain.  Isn't that the best?

There was also a small little pond on site, and an amazing indoor pool and spa with huge windows to enjoy the scenery. We swam almost every day for a brief bit of time.

This was our cabin.  Isn't it cute?  There was a nice patio set and BBQ right outside.  It slept all 6 of us comfortably with 2 bedrooms and a bath.

Every lake in the loop allows fishing, and most also allow boats.  We always hit up June Lake, Grant Lake and we found Lundy Lake for the first time.  We've tried Silver Lake in the past but usually have had the best luck at Grant Lake (pictured above and below).  The scenery isn't the prettiest, more resembling desert than forest, but it's a huge lake and we usually do well there.  

Another guest at the resort recommended Lundy Lake (pictured below) this time though so we tried it out for the first time and we actually were pleasantly surprised.  It's a beautiful little lake nestled in a canyon about 15 minutes away from the June Lake Loop, and both kids caught their fish here. 

We didn't fish on June Lake this time, but we did go swimming there on our last day.  It's the most gorgeous of all the lakes in the loop and has the perfect little beach on the South side that is really easy to access.  Taylor jumped off this rock in the middle of the lake. 

 Syd was not into the cold water so played on the sand instead.

Truth be told, I think all the hiking around last week took a toll on my that I still feel like I haven't recovered from.  I've been tired ever since, but it was worth it.  I think the kids will really remember this trip and their first catch.  

Let me know if you have any questions about our trip and the area surrounding June Lake.  It's a big circle and it's all pretty self explanatory while you're there, but if you need any suggestions on accommodations I can help!  As far as things to do, it's a fishing town, but there's still plenty to do if you don't fish.  Hiking, mountain biking, visiting Mono Lake and nearby ghost towns, Devils' Postpile in Mammoth (it's only 20 minutes away), and just relaxing too.