Sabbatical

That's what I'm taking.

I have a lot going on. Two kids, one of which is teething, the other is homeschooled. Church functions. Husband with a demanding job. Creating. Blogging. All that is being a stay at home mom.

And what did all that get me?

A trip to the doctor where he couldn't figure out if my high blood pressure was causing my every day for two weeks headaches or the other way around.

Either way, after a shot in the butt and a prescription for blood pressure meds (which I am entirely too young for) I made the decision to cut something out.

And it's you, poor little blog.

Maybe one day we shall meet again.

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He's Popeye the Sailor Man!

Hudson is so fat that it looks like he has muscles. And his "girlfriend" (my best friend's baby girl) is very dainty. So of course they are going to be Popeye and Olive Oyl for Halloween.

Now, I'm frugal. Ok...cheap. There was no way I was going to pay $30 (plus shipping!) for a cheap polyester costume. And since my mother robbed me of the joy of making my oldest's costume I was amped to be able to use my noggin to come up with this little cutie.

Oh. My. Goodness. I want to eat him.

I made this, start to finish, in less than two hours. The only thing I bought was the onesie and the felt for the hat, so it cost about $5.

My husband sacrificed an old t-shirt for the pants and cuffs. I used a pair of Hudson's pants as a pattern.

The collar and buttons are scrap felt. The belt is leftover bias tape and some old D rings.

The hat was the hardest part, and it was pretty simple. I just made a shortened basic beanie top and then added the wide band to flip up. I could post a tutorial if ya'll want.

Olive Oyl will be coming over to model her costume later this week. Her costume took less than twenty minutes to make. I'll post on that later.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Prettified Pumpkin

Fast and cheap. That's how I like 'em. Projects, that is.

I needed to do something different for my autumn decor. I didn't want to carve a pumpkin or paint polka dots on one or even put any ribbon on one. And I didn't want to spend any money.

I looked at what I had. I had a sad misshapen pumpkin. I had spray paint. I had leaves. Hmmm....

*Lightblub* Reverse stenciling!

So here's a little tute for ya.

You need:

a pumpkin

spray paint (any color, but I used oil rubbed bronze and white)

spray adhesive

leaves (not dry)

Pick some leaves. Just enough to do a random scattering across your pumpkin. Lay them out back side up and spray lightly with the adhesive.

Wash and dry your pumpkin while you let the leaves dry for 3-5 minutes. You just want them tacky or else they won't peel off the pumpkin.

Place your leaves randomly all over the pumpkin. If you're having trouble making them stick, just repeat the spray and set step.

Start painting. I did a really light coat because I like how a little of the orange peeked through. Let dry. Mine only took about 15 minutes out in the sun.

Peel away. This is the rewarding part.

So, now you should have a really schnazzy pumpkin in about 20 minutes without spending a dime, except to buy the pumpkin. Because a serious crafter should have an arsenal of spray paint and adhesive. ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

My Repurposed Life

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What do you do all day?

That's a question a lot of people ask of stay at home moms. My guess is they think we stay at home all day in our pjs and watch daytime tv and eat bon bons. Ha!

While I have utmost respect for mothers who work outside the home, I wonder if anyone really understands the realm of duties that fall to stay at home moms.

After my day yesterday, I thought I would write a post detailing what a stay at home mom does in a typical day.

5:00 am: Alarm goes off. I roll over to find a sick husband. Make sure he calls his supervisor. Fall back asleep.

8:30 am: Alarm goes off again. I call the doctor to make an appointment for Justin. Very quietly get up, get dressed, and brush my hair. Get hit with bathroom door as Maverick comes in to go. I hear Hudson start stirring.

8:35 am: Start fixing Maverick's breakfast and my coffee. I can hear Hudson moving around but he's not crying. Maverick starts eating and I scarf down some yogurt. With two sips left in my coffee cup, Hudson starts screaming.

9:05 am: Bring Huddy down stairs and feed him his baby yogurt. Remind Maverick to clear his plate and hurry him along. We have to leave in 40 minutes to make it to story hour at the library.

9:20 am: Hudson is done eating. Wrestle him out of his pjs and into clothes. Remind Maverick we have 25 minutes to leave and he still has to make his bed, get dressed, and brush his teeth.

9:30 am: Unload and load dishwasher. Start a load of laundry.

9:40: Pack diaper bag, make a bottle, gather library books, load accidental double shipment of diapers into car to be dropped off at UPS store.

9:50 am: Leave for library five minutes late.

10:05-11:30 am: Story hour and library time. I'm wearing my very large baby in a sling, trying to keep Maverick in earshot, and finding books for next week's school. I'm sweating by the time we leave.

11:32 am: Walk to the post office. I have to cross a busy street with no crosswalk. With a baby strapped to my chest. And a four year old hold by the hand, a diaper bag on my back and my purse slung over my arm. Still sweating.

Are you still reading?

11:40 am: Walk back to the library, strap the boys in and go to the bank. Hudson falls asleep.

11:45 am: At the UPS store. I'm attempting to hold a sleeping baby and extract a box of 234 diapers from the car. It's wedged tight. I somehow manage. Thank God there is someone to open the door to the store. Sweating again.

11:55 am: Strap the boys back into the car. Drive to Walgreens to get toilet paper that my husband forgot to buy last night. I have a sleeping baby in one arm and I have Maverick with my other hand. Bless you, automatic door. And Walgreens for having the tp right by the door. Maverick is a good helper and carries the toilet paper to the car. Strap them both back in. Head home.

12:05 pm: Get in the house and immediately give Hudson his bottle. Warm Maverick up some chicken nuggets. Say hello to Justin who is eating a chili dog. On the couch. *Sigh* Start to fix myself a chili dog. Realize Justin used all the cheese. I get mad. I eat the dang thing anyway because I'm about to pass out.

12:30 pm: Switch laundry. Clean up lunch dishes. Start school with Maverick.

12:35 pm: Calmly try to explain to Justin why the TV can't be on while Maverick and I are doing school.

12:36 pm: Resume schooling. I start making some butter. Shake, shake shake...

1:00 pm: Butter is finished. Now we can start the cookies! Chocolate chip to be exact.

1:30 pm: First batch of cookies is out of the oven. Put second batch in. I'm also steaming veggies for baby food.

1:50 pm: Almost burn cookies AND veggies.

2:00 pm: Puree veggies and put them in ice cube trays. Load dishwasher and run it.

2:15 pm: Help Maverick finish his school. Cue meltdown.

2:45 pm: Maverick is done with school and happily eating a cookie. I start my chores.

3:00 pm: I finish wiping down and swiffering the bathrooms. I start on the doors and mirrors.

3:20 pm: Finished with the Windex. Check the mail. Check my email.

3:40 pm: Wake Justin up. He has a doctor's appointment at 4:15. Hudson is screaming because of his teeth and hasn't had a good nap all day.

4:00 pm: Justin leaves. I finally get Hudson asleep. Walk in Maverick's room to find he has emptied his toy box.

4:15 pm: I go outside to do a little spray painting for a craft I'm working on.

4:20 pm: Thaw fish for supper. I sit for a few minutes on Pinterest and Facebook. Second coat of spray paint. Chop potatoes for supper and get them in the oven. Change into gym clothes. I have to leave for Zumba as soon as I get done eating. Start cooking fish, check potatoes, pop peas into microwave. Listen to Maverick say "I'm hungry" about 50 times. Justin gets home and we sit down to eat.

5:40 pm: Get done eating, brush my teeth, pull my hair up and load Maverick into the car.

5:55 pm: Drop Maverick off at Y nursery.

6:00 pm: ZUMBA!

7:00 pm: Head home.

7:05 pm: Get home and immediately get back in the car to run our rent to the landlord.

Still reading?

7:25 pm: Get back home. Start folding laundry. Play with the boys for a bit.

8:15 pm: My parents come to pick up Maverick.

9:00 pm: Maverick is gone. I feed Hudson. Bathe him. Put him to bed. Put away laundry.

9:45 pm: I finally get a shower.

10:10 pm: Sit down to watch Glee and prepare for tomorrow's school.

11:00 pm: Hit the sack. Finally.

There ya go. That's what I do. Some variation of it. Every day, without pay.

No bon bons for me. But I did eat a Snickers. ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

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Homeschooling Newbie-Our Version of Workboxes

Me and God have this thing. I like to make plans and He likes to wreck said plans. For example, when we bought our last house I said I wasn't moving again for a LONG time. Seven months later, there I am again shoving everything I own into black trashbags and freaking out because it's still so jarring to see just how dirty it is underneath my couch. Here's another perfect example. I had resigned myself to the fact that Maverick was to be an only child. I was ready to plan accordingly. And then, BAM! Two pink lines and nine months later...

I had always, always said that I would never homeschool. Not in a million years. I don't have the patience. I'm not a teacher. And my goodness...How could I teach a kid who is basically a smaller, male version of myself? That's just asking for a meltdown.

And then I heard God chuckle.

Now here I am, staying up all night making lesson plans and searching the internet because I am now obsessed with this homeschooling business.

Look at that hair...

Ok, enough backstory.

I've been searching for a better way to organize my homeschool day and I kept coming across workboxes on blogs. I loved the idea, but there is now way that I have the space for a cart and twelve boxes. I have a school corner, not a school room. But the more I searched the more I came across moms taking Sue Patrick's idea and tweaking it to fit their space and needs.

Like this.

Source: mama-jenn.blogspot.com via Carolyn on Pinterest

And this.

Source: herwitsend.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

And here's my version.

I found this locker crate at Wal-Mart for $2.50. I also got the hanging files there.

I hot glued velcro to the plastic tabs, cards, and "Done!" chart.

I used these workbox activity cards from Homeschool Creations.

Anything too big or bulky (playdough, Bible) goes in the drawer underneath the crate.

I really like it. It's compact, cheap, and there's no more "Mama, what now?"

Thanks for stopping by!

Update:

The velcro sucks. It does not stick with hot glue to the laminated sheets. It pulls off every time a card is removed. I didn't want to go to Wal Mart so I dug around in my craft drawer and found some adhesive backed magnet strips. We'll see how those do.

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