Monthly Archives: July 2011

143 Acts Part 2

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I began my 143 Random Acts of Kindness this week and feel quite satisfied with my progress.  I have found out that when you begin the day thinking, “How can I help someone?” you automatically set yourself up for a more positive day. It has helped remind me how incredibly blessed I am… My pantry is full, I have people willing to fight for my freedom, and I am healthy.

#1 – Gave food to food bank

#2 – Sent 2 packages to soldiers through Operation Shoebox (the boys chose all of the contents to include from a supply list)

#3 – Held door open for man with many packages

#4 – Gave diapers to repairman

#5 – Donated blood

#6 – Gave loose change to girl raising money for track meet

#7 – Gave the janitor at rec pool a large box of books we no longer needed

Photo by Heath Brandon

 

 

 

 

Lego Minifigure Wall Storage

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I am sure those of you with girls are saying “Yeah, another Lego post!”

But even if you don’t share that same enthusiasm, this project may still be useful to you.

Instead of Lego mini figures insert – barbie accessories, strawberry shortcake paraphernalia, or porcelain figures

Just trust me and keep reading

Started off with wooden boxes which previously held a stamp set and a puzzle

Painted them white – two or three coats

Anchored them into the wall

Placed a small collection of Lego mini figures into the boxes

The boxes were placed next to the red display boxes we made a few months ago.

We added shelves I bought almost two years ago when a Container Store was going out of business (75% off baby!)

I need to add something above the boxes to finish out the space but for now it’s done.

The desk has papers covering it, the floor is covered in paper, and there are Mardi Gras beads in the shot. Just keeping it real. Many bloggers would have cleaned up their space before taking the pictures.

I did not….. Why?……. #1. I hate cleaning #2. It’s their room #3. I wanted the boys in bed so I could run downstairs and enjoy a bowl full of ice cream and magic shell.

Worked on any house projects lately?

Tuesday To Do Party Weekend Bloggy Reading

What Are They Really Like?

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At the very minimum, I have read at least one piece of children’s literature everyday for the last nine years.

Through those daily readings I have become quite familiar with some characters. I have visited museums with them, gone camping with them, and even rescued a baby whale.

But I want to go deeper. What are their lives really like?

Let’s examine a few angles the authors might take next time.

I’m sure these could be best sellers.

 

Does the man with the yellow hat realize the reason he is still single is due to the fact that he wears the same bizarre outfit everyday and lives with a monkey?  And what makes him think George will stay beside him this time? It’s time to invest in a leash and match.com my friend.

 

 

Do Emily Elizabeth’s parents pay more for lawn service than their neighbors? Due to the enormous dung piles in their yard I would guess they must pay at least double. Of course, they probably make a hefty profit on the colossal produce they are able to sell at the local farmer’s market.

 

 

Does Mama Bear ever regret marrying Papa Bear? He is apparently a huge dolt who must have the highest health insurance premiums in Bear Country. Although on the flip side Mama must be a drinker since she still lets Papa Bear take the cubs on adventures knowing full well what the outcome will be. Maybe social services should look in on Brother and Sister Bear.

 

Pondering anything about your favorite characters?

Dress Like a Cow = Free Meal

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Friday (tomorrow!) July 8th is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A

If you and your loved ones dress like a cow your meals are FREE!

(Chick-fil A has a downloadable cow costume on their website.)

Partial costume = free entree          Full costume = free meal

Two years ago we dressed up in a Star Wars theme and ate for free. You do not need to have a theme to your costumes  but it added an element of fun. Here are our construction paper and reversed t-shirt ensembles from two years ago:Fortunately I translate baby faces and can tell you what she was thinking

Dammit lady – I don’t even eat solid foods yet and you have dressed me like this. Why must you do this? I will be beyond embarrassed. What if my friends see me? This family is a mess. I cannot wait till I go to college.

Hurry! Get a costume and have an “udderly” good time!

Pitching a Tent

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Our house is where bed linens go to die.

It is beyond ridiculous. Enter my closet and you will find an abundance of old comforters, worn sheets, mismatched pillowcases, and scratchy throws. We could probably open a homeless shelter in our backyard if we so desired. We don’t.

Actually we have more sheets than all the other linens combined. We have inherited sheets from our parents, been given sheets as a gift, and received my sisters’ old college sheets.

I choose to ignore any subtle hint they are sending about the state of the bedding in my house.

The sheets leave our house at a very slow rate. If they ever escape it was via the Goodwill box so we have a large stack of sheets in my closet. Stack might be a nice term to describe the linen mess. It is actually a huge pile of sheets thrown every which way. I believe being able to see your closet floor is highly over rated. Technically, I think the experts call it protecting your carpet. After all, I do have children pooping in my closet.

After reading about Fort Fridays on All About Boys I was inspired to make good use of the old sheets and create a massive tent for the kids. The size of the previous tents constructed have been restricted to the size of the sheet, often leading to yelling and complaining, “He pulled the tent down!”  Factor in space taken up for chairs to hold the tent up and the actual sitting space is quite limited.

So….I started with 1 king top sheet, 1 queen top sheet, and 3 pillow cases.

I sewed them together on my machine in a haphazard fashion refusing to pin anything. It took, ten minutes at the most.

The result was a massive section of material roughly 10 feet x 25 feet. I could be exaggerrating here. I am just taking a guess. Put a queen sheet and a king sheet together and you will have the exact measurements.

The pillow cases spaced out created nice entry points into the tent.

When I peeked into the tent I saw this – Alex reading to Caroline while she sat quietly and listened. I am now putting him in charge of nap time.

The boys have requested I add another sheet onto the tent. I will certainly comply if it means more time pretending and less time asking to play the computer.

Any tents in your house this summer?

Photobucket Weekend Bloggy Reading

143 Acts

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I am closing in on what was my due date.

This pregnancy started with surprise, which led to excitement, which led to fear, which ended in grief. So now only sad memories are associated with this pregnancy and I would like to change that. Even though I cannot change the ending I can twist the ending into one associated with positive memories.

According to my doctor I was 20 weeks 3 days pregnant when I had my miscarriage. This equals 143 days.

I have decided I would like to complete 143 random acts of kindness which will correlate with the number of days I was pregnant.

I am calling it 143 Acts.

143 Acts

Some of what I have struggled with is – That’s it. He’s gone. The end. No one will remember him. Why did this happen? What did I do wrong? What’s the reason our family went through all of this?

Everyday, heartbreaking events “just happen.” There is no rhyme or reason, they just happen. They are not punishments, they are not tests, they just happen.

I may never know why we went through this but I know I can change my thoughts about it. Hopefully, each of his 143 days will mean something by 143 people getting a smile or a good feeling in their heart.

I will be keeping a list of the 143 acts. If you decide to carry out a random act of kindness, let me know and I will include you on the list. Periodically I will give you updates on my progress.

I have written up some ideas for random acts of kindness.

Hopefully this will help bring me some closure to the past 9 months while at the same time bringing a smile to others.