Tag: August

Seeing Red (or Not)

I’m usually the last one to get dressed each day. Brandon walks the kids to school, so he hops in the shower and gets ready while I push them along through their morning routine. I see them all off while still in my pajamas, and I get ready once they’ve gone. We’ve adjusted as needed (like when I was teaching my morning class, or when I have early meetings or appointments), but for the most part I get ready last.

I didn’t think much of it until the other day. I was up a little earlier than usual, so I had some time before I had to get the kids moving. I put on jeans and a cute top, my glasses, and a bracelet. I did my hair, and even put on a little lipstick. It wasn’t anything amazing, but August paid me a compliment when he saw me. “You look nice, mom.” My day was made! For like two seconds, and then I realized that I must look so nice because normally I’m a mess each morning. Ha! But still, it was sweet.

We’ve been talking, he and I, about his room. I keep telling him I’ll paint it red for him (his choice), but he has to help clear things out. We’ve been planning this for ages. He’s super excited about it being his favorite color! He is super NOT excited about any work that has to happen before it can magically change! (And by magically change, I mean me spending a solid three days in there working on it. I want to paint the ceiling, trim, windows, shutters, and door while I’m at it.)

If it’s good enough for Jayne Mansfield and Diana Vreeland, well then I suppose it’s good enough for my 6-year-old boy!

If his room was a disaster, I’d push through, clear it out myself, and get it done. But it’s fine. We painted it green after stripping off all of the wallpaper, and the holes from rewiring have all been fixed. It just isn’t his favorite color. And while I don’t want his room to be the ‘me-in-pajamas’ version, I don’t want to push a makeover he doesn’t really care that much about.

I have a whole plan ready to go. I want to get it dressed! Put a little lipstick on it! Get some before-and-after action going! But if it’s not driven by him, his green walls will be staying a bit longer. It’s a fine shade of green.

March 7, 2017
The Bedding for August’s Room

I don’t know if other kids are as into decorating as mine are. (So this is how I’m making them weird! Got it.) They’re always seeing the house get shuffled around, they’ve been to their fair share of home stores and flea markets, and they have definite opinions on furniture, colors, and layouts. Quote of the morning: “Hi, mom. Whatcha doin’? Oh! Making the bed more beautiful!?” Yep. The next generation of decorators, right here in this house.

All of this is to say that August is excited about each little change and new addition to his room. I took his mattress off and removed the slats so I could prime the frame, and while I had it taken apart, I tightened everything up.

I’ve also been pulling together the bedding, and I think we’re at a good place with it now. I like to have multiple options for each bed so we always have a clean set sheets ready. (Even past the kids’ potty training days, we’re always just one stomach bug away from a middle-of-the-night change of bedding.)

The golden mustard stripes in the curtains pick up on the honey tones in the woodwork, and the creamy white brightens things up. I have polka dot sheets in the same colors, but also a set of black and white sheets with teeny tiny plus signs. A black and white duvet cover from IKEA looks good with both sets of sheets, and I picked up a cable knit blanket and matching throw pillow in deeper color than the curtains. The green quilt that was in the room will be a spare, tucked away in the closet.

We’re getting there! I wanted to find a chambray quilt, but that was before I came across the blanket that’s on the bed now. I’m getting ready to finish painting the bed and upholstering the headboard, and now I’m thinking I might go with chambray there instead. A trip to both the fabric store (upholstery weight options) and the military surplus store (wool blanket?) is in order.

September 28, 2015
Push the Little Daisies
I was doing a television appearance once, and there was a stylist on set for wardrobe. She had some great options for everyone, but then she zeroed in on a giant beaded daisy necklace for me. “This looks like you!” she chirped, and I politely declined, all the while thinking of Drew Barrymore in the 90s. I may have tried to emulate her skinny brows at the time, but I’ve never been much for daisies.

I’ve written before about my sentimental jewelry pieces. I always wear my wedding ring, but when I travel, I also wear a little elephant necklace that reminds me of Eleanor, and a heart ring for August. I had been looking for something that would remind me of Calvin too, but nothing I’d come across had been quite right.

I associate him with flowers. I was working on a post about my entryway a few days before my due date, and I’d almost finished my setup. I went out to the florist and came back to arrange everything, but I couldn’t take photos because the sun had set. I joked with Brandon that the baby was going to arrive before I could get my shots in the morning, and sure enough, I went into labor in the middle of the night. I had Calvin, and the first thing I saw when we came back home the next day were those flowers.

I just got back from Salt Lake City because I was there to speak at Alt Summit again. I’m lucky to have so many opportunities to travel because of the blog, but it’s the times when I’m away from my family that I love having those sentimental pieces with me the most. I’m not a superstitious person, so it’s not about them being my ‘good luck charms’ or anything of that sort, but I have for years worn my wedding ring, my elephant necklace, and my heart ring when I fly. I like the tangible reminders of home.

I don’t like to wear too many types of jewelry at once. My wedding ring, a necklace, another ring, and something else is a lot, so I’d been looking for another gold ring that I could stack. I wanted something delicate with flowers or leaves for Calvin because of the association and I’d come across a few nice ones (along with plenty of not so nice ones), but I would know it when I found it, and I finally found it.

I wasn’t familiar with Alex Monroe before, but his floral designs are exactly what I’d been looking for: delicate, modern, and pretty, and not giving me flashbacks to nineties Drew. Some of my favorites are below and his other designs are fantastic too (mouse and tea cup ring, anyone?), but I chose that second ring. So glad I finally found my little Calvin reminder.
June 11, 2015
The Future of the Monthly/Yearly Photo Project

If you’ve been reading for a while, you’re probably familiar with my monthly photo project. I started when Eleanor was a baby. I bought the same pink bodysuit in different sizes, made a felt pin with a number in the center that could be switched out, and photographed her in the same chair and in the same setting each month to document her first year. As those first twelve months came to a close, I decided to continue taking the monthly photos until she turned two, and then yearly after that. I did the same thing for her little brother, August, and I’m doing it now for Calvin.

I love having the photos to look back on. It’s fun to see how each child has grown, and also to look at their photos side-by-side from the same ages. And I love that it has inspired so many others to take on the project, too!

Babies are sort of universal. Assuming normal development, they grow at roughly the same rate, reach the same milestones, sit up, learn to talk, learn to walk, and so on. Of course they have different temperaments and each baby is unique, but documenting their growth through a series of photos isn’t violating any burgeoning personhood. They’re babies. They grow quickly, and it’s fun to see that in pictures.

As the kids grow older though, I hesitate to share as much. Their experiences are less universal and more specific to them as individuals. As they begin to choose their haircuts, their clothes, and the way that they want to present themselves, they should be able to explore their identities without strangers watching or commenting.

Eleanor will turn six next month. I’m planning to continue taking her yearly photo, but I won’t be publishing it. Five years old feels like a good place to end the series publicly, and I’ll do the same for August and Calvin. This isn’t to say that you will never see my kids’ photos as they get older (though I have dialed that back). There is a difference though between a picture that happens to have them in it, and a series specifically shot to show how they have physically changed as they’ve aged.

May my children never choose something as awful as the perm I got when I was ten (a body wave — so sophisticated!), but if they do, they can do it in relative anonymity, away from their mom’s blog.

March 19, 2015
Four Years Old (August’s Yearly Photo)

August turned four last month! I love that kid like crazy.

I took monthly photos of Eleanor until she turned two, and then switched to yearly pictures. Now I’m doing the same for August, and I’ll do it for Calvin as he grows, too.

I’ve been thinking a lot about these monthly/yearly photos. Expect a separate post on that later this week, because I think it’s a conversation that should happen, but not attached to my guy’s pictures. :)

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March 16, 2015
Cowabunga

This post is sponsored by Target. More Turtles, More Bold and Daring Fun: Blur the lines of fantasy and reality with your favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Target.

My mom’s best friend had a son, Bobby, who was a year younger than me. We played together all the time, and my favorite of his toys was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles play set. It was sort of like a dollhouse, but instead of being pink and girly it was set in a sewer — and it was awesome. I loved the Turtles! I remember standing in a line that stretched a block away from the theater to see the movie when it came out, and I still know all the words to T.U.R.T.L.E. Power. I had the soundtrack. I had the video game. I even got my parents to take me to a live-action TMNT performance.

When August started expressing an interest in the heroes in a half-shell, I was maybe a wee bit into it.

Eleanor started kindergarten on Monday, and August doesn’t start nursery school for another week. E absolutely loves school, but the transition for August has been rough so far with him missing his sister. To give them both something fun to look forward to this weekend, Brandon and I decided to throw a little back-to-school party. It will be low-key with just a few kids, but we still want to make it special for them and we’re going to decorate with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme. Eleanor likes that they’re ninjas, like she is, and August just thinks they’re awesome. Plus we get to order pizza! After all, “these ninjas are into pepperoni and cheese.”

The kids have been having fun with their Ninja Turtles toys and those will make an appearance at the party this weekend, but I also have some decorations and activities in the works. I’ll share the details next week!

p.s. Have you seen this DIY TMNT Assault Van video? That thing is amazing!

August 28, 2014