Wanna Laugh? Try Taking Family Photos with 5 Kiddos

Okay...  So yesterday was the highly anticipated family pictures for our annual Christmas cards.  Yeah.  I still haven't recovered.  :P

You know how there's those days when your children just seem to be looking for trouble?  I don't know if they wake up on the wrong side of the bed or what, but from the time their little feet hit floor, they're gunning for it.  Yesterday was one of those days.

It started out with Noah and Ian refusing haircuts.  That much wasn't really a big deal because the hubs had cut their hair like 2 weeks ago, but this is a Marine Corps family and if hair even touches the ears its considered long.  Wanting to not start the day out on the wrong foot, I didn't push the issue with them, but made Greyson go with his dad to go to a professional barber.  Then, I found a zit.  A big one.  On my cheek.  That no amount of concealer was ever going to cover up.  (What is it with mid-life acne??? I have more zits now than I ever had in high school!  I think its payback for those of us blessed with flawless skin during our teenage years.)  Thank God for photoshop!

So then I agonized with how to do my hair...  Up?  Down?  Half-up?  I chose half-up.  Should have gone with down.  :P

However, what I should have really been worried about was the state of mind of my kids.  Noah and the little man in particular were  "just not with it" to put it politely.  Picking on each other, attitude, crying...  Of all days!

Noah didn't want to wear the sweater that two days early he had deemed  "cool", nor the fedora.  The little man didn't want me to fix his hair.  The diva is bouncing around asking every 5 minutes (literally) if it was time to get dressed yet.  And Ian didn't want to do anything with his hair either - this from the boy that spends 20 minutes getting his bangs "just right".  The hubs had tried to squeeze a tree job in after the haircuts and I had no clue where he was.  Greyson was over at the in-law's where the hubs had dropped him and I still had to go get him.  And its 2 hours before the shoot.

I'd like to say things got better, but they didn't.  Five minutes till when I was supposed to be there, Noah was still refusing to wear his sweater.  The little man was trying to hide and get the "sticky stuff" out of his hair.  I think Greyson, Ian, and Eva were reading the signs that Mt. Momma was gonna blow and were doing everything they could to help.  And I was standing there with my hair not done, in underclothes and pantyhose, still not dressed because I'd been chasing everyone around and getting them ready.  And where's the hubs?  No clue.  I hadn't heard from him.  I only knew I was supposed to meet him there and he'd be ready.  Oh my life!

Somehow we make it there at the appointed time.  No hubs.  5 minutes... No hubs.  I call.  No answer.  Get a text.  "I'm leaving J'ville."  WT...  He pulls into the drive 2 seconds later.  The photographer is laughing, but I'm not liking his sense of humor.  At all.  {Insert evil wife glare here.}  Thankfully, he was fresh shaven and his outfit looked fantastic.  Thank you, dear!

The trouble starts with pictures on the railroad tracks.  The little man, after 5 shots is having none of it.  NONE.  We decide to leave him out and do a picture of the three older boys.  Then one of the diva and the hubs.  Then we manage to coax him in again.  Is he smiling?  Not a clue.  ARGH.

We leave there after 20 or so shots and head to a farm for a different background.  We get about 4 pictures off when the boys start goofing off throwing their hats at each other, the diva is twirling around watching the sparkles in her skirt, and the little man is pouting, refusing to do anymore.  Oh.  My.  God.  REALLY?!

The boys start reading the sparks that are shooting out of my eyes at them and get subdued real fast.  I speak to the diva and she starts paying attention (after like the 100th time).  But the little man?  Not having anything to do with it.  Nothing.  He wants to run and play.  He wants to pick berries.  He wants to climb on the roof of a low-lying shed.  He does NOT want to stand in line with the rest of us for the very pose that I wanted in the first place.  He does NOT want to stand next to Noah...  Or Greyson...  Or Ian...  Or ANYONE!  I manage to coax him in front of me from a few shots, but he's pouting.  And then he starts crying.  And we're done.

I don't know that we got a single good shot.  I will be thrilled if there is one.  Ahhhh...  The 3's.  If you haven't had children yet or you have infants, I am telling you that the 3's are by far worse than the 2's.  Hands-down.

The photographer assures me that with photoshop we can work wonders, but I'm not convinced.  We've done some cutting and pasting before and you can tell when you look close enough.

I know there will be one day when I will look back and laugh.  Today though, I'm still not happy.  Not as upset as I was yesterday, but disappointed.  I think the older ones knew that I was highly irate by the time we got back in the car.  When I'm extremely mad, I get quiet.  Really, really quiet.  And the little man?  Well, he was asleep before we were a quarter of the way home.  Aaaahhhh...  So that explains a lot.  He's still at the age where he can take or leave a nap.  Sometimes he needs one.  Sometimes he doesn't.  I guess he needed one yesterday.  Of all days.

I cannot wait until the day my children are old enough to have children of their own and they call me and complain about their son or their daughter has acted terribly in public and embarrassed them.  And then I can just laugh and tell them all about yesterday.  I have heard some stories about me from my mother, so I guess its all in a day's work of being a parent.  Or the ultimate payback.  :P

The only good thing to come out of getting our pictures done was that I got one of those wooden chairs painted that I picked up from our local thrift a couple of years  weeks ago.  That was my idea for our prop.  I left the pressboard seat with the huge nails in to keep it "funky" and just painted over it.  Because I was short on time, I used a dry brush technique and I chose "Peacock Blue" from BH&G.  That was our "pop" color yesterday or I probably never would have picked it.  And you know what?  I love it!  I'm going to do the other chair in the same color.  And hopefully, if we get one single picture out of the whole deal, they'll be put with a small table beneath where I hang it.

{Stay tuned tomorrow for pics of the chair.}

I've got to wait a week to see the proofs, so we'll see.  I'm not going to think about it. Or worry about it.  It's done now.  And the margarita (beeline for the bar, peeps) and steaks the hubs took me out for afterward, did a lot to soothe me.  As did when he leaned in to whisper in my ear on our way out of the restaurant, "Did I tell you that you looked really good tonight?"  And that makes it all worth it.  ;)

Your children got the "Gimmes?" I've Got Your Back.

Yesterday, I shared with you a little problem we've been having with our children having a sense of entitlement.  Scratched that... Make that a HUGE, GINORMOUS, MONSTROUS, OUT-OF-CONTROL sense of entitlement.

At the risk of offending some, I am a very big social and fiscal conservative.  And that's as political as I'll ever get on my blog.  Every one is entitled to their own opinion, that's what's so great about living in America.  We are so blessed to be able to have our own opinions and voice them.  Unfortunately, my children are of the generation that thinks that everything is owed to them and they've begun to exhibit symptoms of the same.  They definitely did not learn this from their parents  and its not gonna happen on my watch.

We, like any parents, go out of our way to give our children everything they need and try to give them pretty much what they want, and even stuff they didn't even ask for...  46" flat screen for their room (that was totally the hubs, not me), XBox with Kinnect, Nintendo DSi's, name brand clothing and shoes, etc.  Granted we do not buy all throughout the year - Christmas, birthdays, and back to school shopping is pretty much the only time when they are bought things, unless they need something for sports.  But when we do buy, we buy BIG.  They have more than some and less than others.  We have often done without things we want or things we need to do at the expense of giving our children the world - and created some little monsters in the process.

Well, when I saw an awesome chore board through Pinterest from Today's Fabulous Finds, I knew I had to make one.  What a fantastic idea!

I, like most parents, have tried chore charts, spreadsheets, bulletin boards, sticker charts, etc., but I don't ever stick with it.  I get busy, forget...  Yeah, you know that big word?  Consistency?  I lack it.  And it has done my children no favors.

Well, no more.  When I found that more often than not, my requests for them to do things around the house were being ignored and the bulk of the work was falling to me, I knew something had to give.  I've also noticed really foul dispositions when I have the audacity to tell them no.  And even more hurtful, a disdain from my oldest son for how my husband makes his living (we own a tree service that's seasonal work makes it a little tight around here in the winter) and comments that if his dad had a different job we could have more.  You know, his father that busts his tail 14 hours a day to put a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, clothes on our backs...  And then he asked why couldn't I get a job.  WHAT?  REALLY?  Who ARE you?  Did I really carry you for 9 months in my womb?  It was those little comments from the son that plays two different sports, lost a $60 basketball I bought him last year, wears $125 court shoes, and who we have spent nearly $1,000 in 2 years having him be part of an elite basketball traveling team where it cost $225 just to join!  Not to mention road trips, gas, concession stand costs, gear, and admission fees.  HELLO?!  This momma was FINISHED.  Especially since the others take their cue from him and I was hearing some grumbling from those spoiled little rugrats too.  Do they even comprehend how much further we'd be along on refinishing this house if we weren't spending every extra dime we have on SPORTS?!  GRRRRRRR!!!!
 

Okay, done ranting now.  But really, the AUDACITY! 

So, I took Janet's idea and expanded on it a little.  My board is a little more shabby and chippy as is my taste, and I added some rules and a point/reward system to go along with it.

Maybe, if you're as frustrated with your children's lack of motivation at home or have noticed a nasty case of the "Gimmes" rearing their ugly head as I have, this could be a help to you.

This...

is our chore wall.

It is located in the living room (until the mudroom is completed), on an out of the way wall, but not anywhere where it can be ignored.  The board is placed on the wall at a lower level, where even my 3 year old can reach it.  Each child has a hook below and above their name.  The top hook holds laminated cards printed with their chores to be done for the day.  The bottom hook is where they hang the chore cards that they've completed.  Since my 3 year old can't read (and this was an ingenious idea by Janet), he gets pictures of the chores he can do, such as making his bed, picking up his toys, feeding the cats, brushing his teeth, etc.  Its amazing how he knew exactly what each one meant when I sat down to go over it with him!  Such a smart cookie.  He must take after his mother.  ;)

Posted above the board, in the vintage frames I found last week, are the rules and the point tracker.  Each chore is worth a certain number of points.  Daily chores that they should complete anyway are only worth .5 points (putting their book bags/shoes in their locker, doing homework, putting their dirty clothes in the hamper, putting their folded clothes away, etc.).  Chores that gross them out are worth more, such as cleaning the toilet and changing the cat litter.  Everything in between is worth anywhere between 1-2 points according to ease.   A pencil hung on a hemp string hangs from the point chart, so points can be easily totaled and notated.  I taped the point chart directly to the wall, and hung the frame sans glass.  You could use a dry erase marker if your frame has glass.  Since these are vintage frames, they are oddly shaped.  Too small for 8x10 glass and too little for 11x13.  And being I don't care, I wasn't going to have special glass made for them for this purpose.  Both are always visible so that they can always see how close they are to reaching which ever reward goal they have chosen.

I'm sure you noticed that the points needed for the rewards are high.  Yes.  Yes, they are.  It requires hard work to earn things in life.  Nothing comes easy, so neither should this.  Technically, they can earn 36 points per week by just doing their daily chores.  They can really rack up a lot of points if they do all their special chores or ask for extra credit chores.  Noah, in one day, has amassed 22 points.  But then again, he's my go-getter and worker.  Much more like his Daddy than me.  :)

The younger two's point values per chore are higher so they can get points quicker by doing less due to their ages.  And you probably gasped that the first few rewards are ice cream, candy, gum, and donuts.  Well, that's their snack of choice when I'm running everyone to and from practice and it can get pretty pricey doing it every few days.  Yes, I do make them choose an apple or orange to go with their snack, I'm not that bad of a parent!  LOL!  I probably need to add stickers too, for the little one.  Just thought of that!  ;)

When they complete their chores for the day, they see this:

For a few of the chores, such as straightening up the living room and the dining room, I have paired children together - an older child with a younger child.  One of the rules I added later is if your partner does the work without you, then not only do they get your points for the chore, your points for not doing the job will be deducted from your total.  They really didn't like that too much at all.

It has been interesting to see how the children with their different personalities have responded to actually having to do chores.    With the exception of Ian, its been a great success, but we're only on Day 1.  I'll have to let you know how it turns out.

If you'd like to see Janet's awesome tutorial on her Job Board With Stenciled Quote, you can go HERE.  I'm so glad I found it!

Its best that children learn that in life, nothing is given to you and that you must work to have things you want or to get where you want to be.  And its better that you start early, rather than later...  Trust me.

Kids, Blogging, And Keeping It Real: In the Land of "Mom"

Well, y'all...  I focused just a little too much of my energy on that buffet, so I have spent the last two days playing catch up doing absolutely nothing.  I have vegetated.  And I'm sure you know what has happened...  You know how it goes, don't you moms?  You take a couple of days to catch your breath after an exhausting project and then WHAM!  Its like a miniature wrecking crew hits your house. Actually, it did - and usually you call the members by their full name when they're being naughty.

I kind of regretted not really doing much but laundry (because it was either that or the older boys were going to mutiny) and certainly nothing in the crafty department, but I figured I would get back on track today.

And then, I woke up to this...

It was if the Lord was laughing at me saying:

"No sanding for you!"

"No painting for you!"

"Only CLEANING for you!"

"BAH HA HA HA HA HA"

Nah...  I don't really think the Lord thinks that way, but I do think He knows that I really, really, REALLY needed a day to focus only on getting the house back up to snuff without feeling like I had to be doing something creative.  I have to admit that sometimes I do feel pressured to blog about better and better things each day - especially since I have watched the numbers of visitors to my page grow the last week or so.  They might not be commenting, but they are looking.  (YAY!)  Do any of y'all veteran bloggers feel that way?

Anyway.

I decided when I started this blog that it wasn't going to be the usual blog showcasing how perfect I am, but rather how imperfect I am.  The Lord knows I put enough pressure on myself in real life (what mother doesn't?), without doing to the same in the blogosphere.  There was only one perfect person that has walked this earth and He certainly isn't sitting behind a computer blogging.  ;)

  

Sometimes as I'm looking through all the blogs out there, I wonder how these women can have it all together.  Their homes are immaculate (How do they have so much WHITE with KIDS???), their crafts are fantastic, and everything seems perfectly put together.  Where is the wreck and chaos that comes from a home with children???  Well...  That isn't me.  Its never been me.  And it probably never will be me.

When I'm working on a project, I find it nearly impossible to do it all.  Either the house is clean or I have a fantastic craft to share.  Obviously, I cannot multi-task to the degree that others can.  So, please know that if I've posted a project, my house is a disaster area. Its a full-time job keeping on top of 5 kids worth of messes in and of itself!  And I'll never pretend otherwise.  ;)

So, I've used this rainy day to clean this destroyed house.  Fun, fun.  Not.  In fact, its so not fun that I'm now taking a mini-break to blog while I bake some Oatmeal and Raisin, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, and Chocolate Chip cookies.  No, not from scratch, unless you call taking it from the refrigerator, scoring the lines on the block, and popping it in the oven "from scratch".  That's about as Better Crocker as I get.  LOL!

I recently read about a new cleaning product that I wanted to try over at the Susie Harris Blog.  She was asking for opinions from her readers and overwhelmingly everyone loved the product. 

Has anyone else ever used Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day cleaning products?

When I saw that Walmart carries them, I looked for some the next time I had to venture into one.  Being we live in Iowa, we're always a little behind the times, so I was holding my breath that they even carried it.  Fortunately, I was able to find the All Purpose Cleaner and the Countertop Spray.  Unfortunately, the only scent available was Lavender.  I was really looking forward to trying their Geranium, Basil, or Honeysuckle scents.  I am so jealous of y'all that live in metropolitan areas!

Well, my opinion of the product is that it is AWESOME!  I'm not really big into the whole "green" movement, but as far as a cleaner goes, its phenomenal.  And the scent?  WOW!  It smells so good that you actually want to keep cleaning.  Coming from me, that says a lot, as I hate cleaning.  And not only does it smell good, it works!  Has anyone else tried these?  What is your favorite scent?

So, I've cleaned the day away and finished up the laundry.  There are just not enough hours in the day, I tell ya!  I'm always really good about getting the laundry washed and folded.  Putting it away is another story.  The hubs made me laugh last night when he told me if they ever made an Olympic sport out of clothes stacking, I'd win the gold medal.  What ever made him say that I wonder...

I mean, just because they're over head high and you have to scale the sides to find what you're looking for...  LOL!

I mean, I have to deal with stuff like this...

Ever tried to get grass and dirt stains out of white football pants?  And then have to insert and rethread the pads?  Yeah.  Who has time for actually getting the laundry put away?  Don't I get points if I just get them cleaned????  These are now sparkly white, thank you very much.  My victories, no matter how small, must be bragged about.  ;)

And just because my crafting table looks like this sometimes...

Doesn't mean I'm completely disorganized.  Does it?

Well now, it looks like this...

Maybe not Pinterest organized, but my kind of organized.

Because to be perfectly honest, there's only so many waking hours in the day.  There's all kinds of things to do and then there's the important stuff...  Like spending time with the hubs and my kids.  So I get done what I can, when I can and then the rest of my time is theirs.

Because it was only yesterday that my boys looked like this:

And now they look like this:

And the others are growing up just as fast.

So, I have to make sure that I don't lose track of what's really important while I'm so focused on turning this old house into a home.  If there are some days I don't get the things done that I think need to be done (like laundry or painting or redoing furniture or windows or dusting - the list could go on and on), I hope that what's important does get done- like loving and enjoying my husband and kids.

Hmmm...  I wonder how I got off on that subject?  Must be the guilt of focusing so much on that buffet last week.  LOL!  Oh well...  Now its time to go enjoy some yummy cookies and milk, since the crew just tumbled in off the bus.  And that's as real as it gets.  ;)

Until tomorrow y'all...

3 Little Pumpkins & A Tale of Two Costumes

I know I said I don't always decorate for the seasons because its a budget-buster for the things we want to get done around here, but when I had this little brainstorm yesterday, I just couldn't seem to hold onto my will power.  Strength of will isn't one of my finer points, if you know what I mean.

So, I kind of got into the spirit of the season when I took the Diva and the little man with me to get a few groceries from that bastion of hell super center of all things cheap.  I definitely have a love/hate relationship with walworld.  Its the closest store around (20 minutes) and I always get sucked into buying things I don't need, want, or have to have.  Somehow they just magically appear in my cart despite my fervent promise to myself I will only get FOOD.

The diva decided she wanted to be a cow girl this year.  I think, "Yay!  Super cute and super cheap.  A dollar black cowboy hat, plaid shirt, and jeans.  Braid her hair...  Give her some freckles...  Done!"  The diva - and this is EXACTLY why I call her the diva - had other plans.  The hat had to be pink.  As she very calmly and reasonably pointed out,  black and red are for BOYS.  (God forbid we have THAT.)  She wanted a skirt, not jeans.  CowBOYS wear jeans.  CowGIRLS wear skirts.  "Not when they're riding horses they don't."  I told her.  Yeah.  Didn't fly.  "I'm not going to be riding a horse.  I'm going to be trick or treating." she says.  Great.  I had no comeback for that one.

Luckily, the abyss of "low" prices and shoddy workmanship had just the thing...  With an iridescent pink cowgirl hat, no less. For $20.  Really?  Twenty bucks for a costume she's going to wear ONCE and probably won't even make it through two hours of candy hoarding?  Well, being the diva is the ONLY girl here at home, I pretty much always give in.  Besides, she's going to look so cute!  

Diva 1 - Mom 0

Of course, when we got home and she showed her Daddy, she then brought up boots.  Pink cowboy boots.  I'll give her this.  She sure knows who to ask what.  After batting her pretty little eyelashes a few times, it looks like the diva will not be sporting a pair of Nikes with her cowgirl outfit.

Diva 2 - Parents 0

The little man was a lot easier to please.  Once he started screeching, "PUPPY! PUPPY!  PUPPY!"  It was pretty much a done deal.  Have you seen these yet, in your local blackhole of "savings"?  

They're little cap and tail costumes.  Too cute!  Pair them with a sweatpants outfit and you're good to go.  They had a monkey, a pig, a dinosaur...  The little man wanted to be a puppy, so a puppy it was.  I found the sweatpants in the Girls' Department.  Do you think he'll care?  LOL!  Too bad I couldn't find a matching sweatshirt that didn't have hearts or flowers on it.  Hopefully I can find one somewhere and the plan is to hot glue (this girl don't sew) felt polk-a-dots on them.  For $3.00 each for the cap and tail, I can get excited!

Winning!

Noah on the other hand at the ripe old age of 9 has declared that costumes are for dorks.  This saddens me.  When I told him that he wouldn't be able to go trick-or-treating without a costume, he informed me that he would be going as a "person" and a "person" is a costume.  Hmmmmm...  Not quite so sure about his reasoning on that, but I've got almost a full month to work on him.

So, I got all caught up in the Halloween spirit and bought myself some goodies too.  Three pumpkins, some spray primer, white spray paint, ribbon, and a few buttons.  I decided I would "do" Fall on my own terms and with my own style...  Autumn colors just aren't my thing. So, a little sum-sum to dress up the office.  (I know, I know - am I ever going to get started on the west wall.  Soon!  Promise!)

And this is my non-traditional take on Fall:

And I think I've got the perfect spot for them...

Happy Fall everyone!

Oh, what a beautiful morning...

Oh, what a beautiful day!

What an absolutely gorgeous day we had here today in Iowa.   Highs in the low 70s, sunny blue skies with a light northeast wind.

Today didn't go exactly as planned, but when does that ever happen?

The hubs and I got started on the ditch mid-morning, shortly after I posted what we were going to get up to today.

What a huge undertaking!

We were about half-way through...

When I noticed this:

How's that old saying go?  Leaves of three, leave them be?

Well, yep.  I let them be.  I can't say that the hubs was too happy about that, but there was no way in the world I was going to work in a poison ivy/poison oak infested ditch.  And he of all people, who is extremely allergic, kept working.  I, on the other hand, gave him moral support and encouragement via picture taking...

While the children rode the four wheeler:

And just had fun being kids...

The hubs did awesome and cleared out the entire ditch by the end of the day, except for a few piles that have to be burned:

I enjoyed being outside and just absorbed the beautiful fall day...

That wasn't the ONLY thing I did today, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what I finished!  Yes!  I finally finished one of my projects!  Until tomorrow... 

Back to School & Back To Real Progress

Yippee!  School is in!!!!

I ushered off my little brood onto that merry, bright-colored yellow transporter of freedom this morning.  After a hearty pancake breakfast, their rosy little cheeks were washed, their pearly little teeth were brushed, and their golden hair was combed.  They set about putting on their fabulous first day fashions and at last I waved them happily on their way.  With a big grin on my face, I called out to them to have a great day and I watched the bus roll down the road until it was out of sight...  You know, just to make sure it wasn't coming back... Until 3:45.

YAY!  A quiet house reigns once more!!!

Now it's just me and little man in this big old house all by ourselves.  Daddy is at work and the little man is a super kiddo!  He's just about 4, so he colors and he plays and he watches a little TV and he likes to just sit and watch what I'm doing.  I finally got him potty-trained this summer by putting my foot down and banning diapers from the house, so its smooth sailing from here, folks!  I am absolutely giddy at the thought of all I will be able to get done!  Can't you tell?!

Now, don't get me wrong.  I love each and every one of my little urchins sweethearts, but with a gaggle of 5 at home its nearly impossible to get anything accomplished during the day.  My house has now been cleaned and has stayed clean for 8 hours!  Its a miracle! Laundry has been done, dinner is in the crockpot, dishes are washed...  I tell ya, I feel downright DOMESTIC!  I get sooooooo much accomplished when they're at school!


Now, I wish I could say that as soon as I waved them all goodbye, that I immediately began working on the furniture that is now crowding the diva's room.  Here's a pic of my pretty girl, by the way (just so you know she really does exist)...

But alas, I did not.  While I love that my boys are in sports, the practices are a headache.  The football player had practice last night and we didn't get home until 9:00.  Dinner had to be made and eaten, clothes laid out, baths taken, and then trying to corral 5 and get them to bed is like herding cats.  The hubs has been in Minnesota for the last 4 days doing a job for a local client's vacation home (what a life, huh?), so I was on my own.  I think I finally got them all settled by 10:30, which in and of itself is a minor miracle considering I accomplished all of the above in an hour and a half.  In the midst of all of that, the football player informs me that the shirt he wants to wear for the first day is dirty (Lord forbid he wear a new shirt) and he would like me to wash it.  So I started a load at 10:30, then while waiting for it to dry got my 2nd wind for the day and started 2 more loads, did dishes, folded clothes, and did a general pick-up.  Don't you hate it when that happens?!  Plus, I was excited for their first day of school and I couldn't turn my mind off.  The hubs was on his way back from Minnesota and I was worried about him driving late, so that didn't help.  I think I finally closed my eyes around 2 am, only to check the clock at 3:30 to realize the hubs wasn't home yet, but he would be shortly.   Then I woke up at 4:30 when he crawled into bed.  Then we had a doozy of a thunderstorm that woke the entire house up at a little after 5.  By the time I got them all settled again, it was 5:30 and I snatched another half hour of half-sleep until the alarm went off at 6.  Grrrrrrr!  Can we say sleep deprived?!


So while I had the best intentions of getting my sawdust on this morning and keeping at it for the rest of the day until my little darlings walked back in the door, it didn't happen.  I waited for another wicked storm to blow through:

Auntie Em!  Auntie Em!  I can't find Toto!

After it had done its worst, which really wasn't that bad considering how bad it looked, I finally crawled into bed with the hubs and thanked the good Lord that little man was actually sleeping in.  By the time I got up again and re-woke back up (It literally takes me an hour to become even a remotely functional human being - Morning person, I ain't.), it was noon.  Yes, I just admitted on blogland that I slept until 11 am.  Slacker and proud of it, after that night!

After doing a few chores, which did not include making any beds or cleaning the bathrooms like I had planned, I did manage to sand the remaining varnish off the two end tables of my Dad's that I stripped late last week.  But that was as far as I got, before I decided to have even more slacker time by visiting with y'all before my little honeys come home.  Tomorrow I plan on priming and painting the 1st coat.  I still haven't decided if I'm going to go distressed white or black yet.  Hopefully, I'll have that figured out by tomorrow.  I'll have to ask the hubs for advice, unless anyone wants to chime in (if there's anyone even reading my boring posts because I never seem to accomplish anything lately).

Room Scheme:  School colors/University of Iowa colors which are the same.  Black, Gold, and White

Wall color:  Top half Hawkeye Gold; Bottom half Black

Furniture:  So far, all black (2 chest of drawers and 1 dresser)

Possibilities:  Old barn wood headboards for the twin beds that are white and distressed. Nightstands and one table they use for their XBOX and cable box stand possibly in distressed white to match the headboards.  

OR

Should I just paint the whole kit and caboodle black???  Headboards, table, and nightstands???

I just can't see it in my head.  I'm afraid it will be too much black in the room, if I go with all black.  But, I'm afraid if I go white then it won't look right with all the dressers and chest of drawers black.  Also, they've got dark wood trim which totally clashes with the black and gold that I'm probably going to end up painting white.  Decisions, decisions!  

Any and all ideas 

would be greatly appreciated!

Well, its almost time for the little buggers to get home and that's when the whirl-wind starts.  I'm sure they'll have all types of exciting news to tell me about their first day and I can't wait to hear their stories.  Dinner will be served and then its off to football practices again. Four nights this week (UGH!), before they switch to three nights.  Then tomorrow we get to do it all again!

Life is good.