Big Kid Room Makeover

The kids' room was in a sad state of affairs. Frankie had outgrown her toddler bed (which was really just her crib with one side taken off), and was in a mattress on the floor. The dog had gotten sick on the rug while we were out of town. There was no saving it, so the floor was bare. One curtain had been ripped down by the barbarians who habitate there. Sprinkle a generous helping of toys, old craft projects and half-done puzzles and you get the idea.

I finally had enough. As incentive for keeping his diaper dry at night (which he has successfully been doing! Go Dex!) we promised Dex he too could move to a big boy bed. We went to Ikea on tax free weekend (I know, it was insane, we barely made it out alive) and bought their Kura bed frame. We decided to pass on their $150 mattress for the top bunk and ordered this mattress from Walmart.com. At $75, it was well worth the extra $12 for shipping.

I love this bed from Ikea, because I feel like our guys are still a little too little for real bunk beds. This gives them all the fun of bunk beds without the 5 foot drop. The best part of bunk beds in my opinion, is the secret space, feeling like you're in your own little tent. So I set out to make that space really special.



We bought Dex the Ikea tent that attaches to the top of this bed. I took Frankie to the fabric story and she helped me pick out some fun girl-riding-an-elephant fabric. I made curtains and slid the top through a tension rod I picked up at Target. I used 3 yards of 44" wide fabric for that project.



The bed comes with a blue paneling that did not seem girly enough for Frankie, so she helped me pick out the coordinating purple unicorn fabric and I stapled it to the frame making a more girly headboard for her. I put step by step instructions at the bottom if you're interested in this project - it was really easy and only requires a staple gun. I used 1 yard of 44" fabric to do this part.



Frankie loves having her own little space!


Dex does too!


I reattached the curtain, and hung some new pictures that my sister Sarah did for the kids:





I also took the time to move a few things around in the office/craft room. We found the doors that separate the office from the playroom and I painted them and we put them up. After 3 years of living here, this space also finally feels "finished"!









It feels so good to have it "finished". For now, anyway. Until the little Barbarians who habitate this room come home from their morning out with Daddy and sprinkle it with toys again.

Here's how to make the headboard:

Materials needed:
1 yard 44" fabric
1 yard of batting (I used some leftover quilt batting)
Staple gun

Cut out the fabric and batting to fit the space, with about 1/2 inch on either side. You want the batting and the fabric to be the same size. Line them up, and iron them a little so they stick together nicely



Here's my empty bed frame:



Start at the bottom, and use the staple gun to affix the fabric and batting to the back. Start on the bottom inside. Also best to start in the middle and work out.





After you get the bottom staple on, fold the edge under on on the top, again starting in the middle and staple on the outside as close to the edge as you can





And voila! Purple unicorns to the max.



This project really only took about 30 minutes once I had everything cut out. You can do it too!

Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene hit Boston today with a "tropical storm" rating. This was my first tropical storm experience, and it was interesting! It wasn't too bad; some good rain, and heavier than usual winds. We did take a few precautions such as taking the plants inside and the porch chairs off the deck.



We have some yard clean up to do, but nothing significant







I was mostly worried that this walnut tree was going to fall:

It had a bad branch we had to remove after we moved in, and it's definitely not in great shape. I think what saved it (besides lots of prayers, thank you for those of you who prayed specifically that this tree would not fall on us!) was the fact that it doesn't have many branches or leaves. It did a lot of wild waving, but did not fall. We did see a tree ripped from its roots one block over covering the street. Looked like a 150 year old Oak.



In the end we did not even lose power (or internet, hurray!) We are so thankful, thank you for all your prayers.

I would chalk it up as an incident free day, except for the car accident the kids, Noah and I were in this morning. Ironcially, totally unrelated to the storm, we got t-boned by a guy who ran a red light in Roxbury on our way to church. We've learned by now that Rick never cancels church, and in the midst of this storm, the place I wanted to be most was worshiping with my fellow believers. We've battled many a blizzard in much worse conditions to get to church and have never regretted it. Chris is out of town, and I figured it would be better than spending the day cooped up inside.

Anyway, back to the t-boning. I had never been in an accident before. It was true what they say about how everything moves in slow motion. I remember thinking "Why is that car not stopping?" He hit us squarely in the passenger doors while going about 20 mph; we were going about 25. We did a 270 degree turn before finally stopping. The kids were silent through the affair (while Noah and I screamed all kinds of expletives). After we stopped, Noah and I check to make sure each other was okay, and then we turned back to the kids to see if they were okay. They paused for a minute, looked at each other, and then burst into loud panicked crying, which honestly was really funny. They are totally fine, I am totally fine, and Noah just has some minor scrapes and bumps.

The accident happened right in front of a fire station and within 10 seconds the fire fighters were out, making sure we were okay. Within 30 more seconds the ambulance showed up, and about 60 seconds later a cop showed up. I had dialed 911 anyway because I knew that's what I should do, but by the time I got an operator I had to say "Oh never mind, they're all here".

The firefighters entertained the kids in the fire station by letting them climb up into the trucks and slide down the pole while I got the paperwork I needed. The officer did cite the other driver with running the red light, so hopefully insurance will cover the damages.

I am so thankful (again today!) for God's provision for our family. I am thankful that we all walked away whole. I am thankful for Noah being with me, I am thankful that the firefighters were so nice to my family, I am thankful that because we were bringing the kid's old cribs to church to donate them to another family I had moved Dexter's car seat to the middle to make space for the cribs. He would have been on the impact side if I had not. I am thankful that the impact only affected the doors, so we were able to drive away. I am thankful for the car seat engineers who designed the seats that kept my kids safe. I am thankful to the Acura engineers who made my car a tank.

The guy who hit us was okay, but they had to tow his car away. I'm guessing his will be considered totaled. The firefighters couldn't believe how little damage there was to my car.

Here's the damage, for those who are interested:




Tomorrow we'll begin piles of insurance paperwork, but for today, I'm just thankful for my safe, dry house and that we are all inside it.

This is mine Arwah and mine Mrs. Cynthia's Doggie

Dex wanted me to take his picture this morning with two of his favorite stuffed animals: His Arwah (Tiger from Mimi) and his Mrs. Cynthia's Doggie. The dog is the stuffed animal he used to take to Mrs. Cynthia's for nap time, hence the name. I wanted to remember this sweet boy and his animals, and let you all see his new haircut! He got his first "big boy" haircut at the barber shop next to the Field in Central Square.

 
 
 
 

Mission Accomplished: House Painted

Remember when the house looked like this?



And then like this?



Now it looks like this!



I know you all probably can't tell from my lame photography, but we got the house painted! Before we started this project (also probably not things you could tell so well from the pictures), the house was 3 shades of green and blue, not including the dark green porch floor. The top and bottom were purposely painted 2 different shades of green (this is something people do with Victorian homes), but the blue on the bottom layer was just people the last time it got painted the lazy contractors never bothered to paint the porch sides behind the giant rhododendron bush we pulled out. The garage was also 2 (entirely different) shades of green - notice in the picture below someone started to repaint the garage and then just stopped 5 feet up. That's 5 shades of green and blue, none of which quite matched the red trim.


Paint job shame

The existing paint was peeling, and it had been 8 years since it's last coat, which is about the life of an exterior paint job in New England. So we hired Richard Allen painting, and were very pleased with their work. And holy cow, is it a lot of work. It took them almost a month, and there was usually more than one guy working on the house at a time. We're talking 12 hour days, 6 days a week too. We got lucky and had a seamless stretch of clear days.

We weren't quite prepared for the scaffolding they attached to the side of our house, but it makes sense considering it's a 3-story house with at least a half story foundation.







So now we have a nice green house, with a matching green garage. Black porch floor, red accent and a more subdued cream trim. AND matching red doors. Wow.





They stained the deck too, and fixed all kinds of little things they came across while doing the work, without charging us extra.

And I realize, anyone who is still bothering to read this blog, that I am terribly behind. We've just been having too much fun to stop and blog about it. I have managed to take some pictures though, so hopefully I'll be able to get some of them up before the summer ends.

Dexter is 3!

Happy Birthday, Dex!  Dexter turned 3 yesterday, on June 9th.  We've taken every opportunity we've had this week to tell him how special he is to us, how glad we are that he's in our family, and how much we love him.  Thanks to all the friends and family that have taken the time to do the same!

Dexter finally got what his birthday was all about this year, and it's been so much fun.  He's been looking forward to it for weeks.  We had our community group over on Wednesday night for our regularly scheduled meeting and I served cupcakes after the meal, and we all sang to Dex.  He then announced that "That was the best Birthday I ever had".  Easy to please, but we were just getting started!



Yesterday morning Dex found one present on the table waiting for him.


He cheerfully let Frankie help him open it


Horses!


A whole family of horses! Dex has recently been asking the question: "Where's her whole family? Where's that doggy's whole family?" when he sees someone walking down the street on their own or "incomplete" in his mind. "Where is that little boy's sister?"


These horses are all accounted for: Daddy, Momma, Sister and Brother.

He had his school party yesterday at Mrs. Cynthia's. I made cupcakes for the group, and Frankie and I were able to join them for the celebration since it was at the end of the day. We got to sing to Dex again and eat cupcakes with his friends and teachers from school.

Waiting for dinner to cook (Dex's favorites, chicken nuggets - the adults had chicken sandwiches - watermelon, and carrot sticks with BOTH white sauce and ketchup!) he got to open the rest of his presents.




Some "new" Thomas books. "New" because I found them used on Amazon.




The haul. That giant ball is one you put a sprinkler in and kick around the yard - pretty sweet, thanks Rebecca!

After dinner we had (you guessed it) more cupcakes and sang again.



He's blowing out the large number 3 candle he helped me pick out at the grocery store on Monday. He carried it around like a treasure and told anyone who would listen that he was turning 3, that it was his birthday.

We haven't even had his party yet! The party will be on Saturday with a few friends from church and the neighborhood.

Thanks again to everyone who helped celebrate the little boy!

SUV Strollers

I went to the JP Licks in Harvard Square today with my two preschoolers for ice cream.  I have a Mountain Buggy Urban double stroller, which at 29 inches wide, is only 2.5 inches wider than a standard wheelchair base (http://www.thewheelcha...).  I fit through the door, but went to get in line around the posts they have affixed to the floor and couldn't get through.  By about 5 inches.  I politely mentioned to the man who works there that if I had that much trouble getting through, a wheelchair probably wouldn't fit either.  He laughed at me and told me I was MUCH wider than a wheelchair.  I then proceeded to get harassed by another patron who told me that I drove an SUV stroller and that I should be ashamed of myself, because those strollers are really only meant to run with and that this is the same problem we're having with the buses around here.  And that she thought I was MUCH MUCH wider than a wheelchair.  And she raised children without such a fancy stroller.  After trying to politely reason with them, I told them that it was clear we weren't welcome there and left to get ice cream at another location.

So goes my 1 star Yelp review of the JP Licks in Harvard Square.  This is the first public lashing I've gotten for my stroller.  I've gotten annoyed looks or people who say, surprised: "Wow!  That's a really big stroller!" These things I let go.  Even I get annoyed at how big my stroller is.  I hate having to take elevators everywhere, particularly on the MBTA which seem like it's their mission to make sure you have to spend an extra 20 minutes getting above ground to punish you.  It's really heavy, and I get tired pushing it around.  My kids tends to bicker more in the stroller than they do in the car.

But the reality is that I have a 4 and (almost) 3 year old.  And we only have one car, and Dad often takes it to work, so if we want to get around, we have to take a stroller and the train or bus.  The woman at the shop today actually had the nerve to tell me I should just make my children walk.  One time this winter, it took me 45 minutes to walk .2 miles.  Because anyone who has tried to get a 2-year-old walking anywhere quickly realizes it's like herding cats.  Not to mention it's really stressful because said 2-year-old doesn't always listen when I say things like "Don't run into the street!".  Also not to mention that I'm usually carrying about 50 pounds worth of library books, lunches, waters, and other items that are essential when you're out and about with a 3 and 4 year old.

Walking is not really an option.  If we're out for a stroll, fine, but when we actually have to be somewhere that's a mile away, we have to take the stroller.  The other argument the woman fired at me today is that it's an SUV stroller because it's way bigger than I need (and causing her problems, I'm not sure how, but whatever...).  I would have loved to have bought at smaller, cheaper stroller.  But I can't because I rely on my stroller to get the kids to school and other places we have to go in the winter in Boston.  Boston is pretty good about plowing their streets, but not so good about enforcing that residents or businesses clear their sidewalks.  So on my way to school, about 90% of the sidewalk is cleared.  Which is pretty good, but makes the other 10% impassable for most strollers (and certainly wheelchairs).  So I have my bigger-than-I-need stroller to 4-wheel over the giant piles of snow residents leave on the sidewalks.

I also do actually run with my stroller.  And I found it wasteful to buy two strollers when one could do the job.

I did not buy my stroller to be any kind of status symbol.  We bought it because it really does make my job of pushing 2 kids around the city easier, and prevents me from begging Chris for a second car.

This is a hot issue in Boston right now because a few weeks ago, the MBTA was rumored to be considering banning strollers from buses and trains, or at least making parents fold them up to get on.  The outrage from parents was swift and complete, and the MBTA is no longer considering such an initiative (and are claiming they never considered it in the first place).  So I know this is where this woman is coming from - she's on the other side of the argument, annoyed that parents and their SUV strollers are taking up too much valuable space and getting in her way.

I'd like to say (for the record) that I think parenting children in this city is a really hard job.  One that's made harder by long winters with lots of snow, really high cost of living, and struggling (failing?  depends on who you ask) public schools.  We need to work a little harder to make sure parents and their children feel welcome here, that they feel supported.  Families are an important element of society, and the city desperately needs them to stay.  Can we be gracious to parents and just move over a little when they get on the train?