The Weather Outside is Frightful

But my boy is so delightful.

_______

I'm pretty sure Boise is hitting all kinds of winter records, including a fresh batch of snow yesterday.

I'm glad I get to spend my indoor days with Collin.

I've decided that 3 1/2 years old is a pretty great age.

Last night I was laying with Collin in his bed and he said to me, 

"Mommy, I love you so much. I love cuddling with you."

"I love you too. You know, one day you won't want to cuddle with me anymore."

He started to cry. "No, I will always cuddle with my mommy".

I kissed his little cheek and held him closer.

"Ok sweetheart. I'll hold you to that."

Valentine Mantel (and some of my Minted favs)

Yesterday I put up my Valentines stuff. 

I wanted to leave some yellow and blue up so that it still tied in to my regular decor. 

I've been looking for something yellow and Valentine themed. Not an easy thing to find. 

I found this ADORABLE print "Love is in the Air" from Minted. It's just what I was looking for.

(Thanks for the metal heart Michaela!)

Nothing like a pedestal stand full of buttons to say "my wife decorates. Not me."

Mason jars with confetti in them say pretty much the same thing.

Who says yellow isn't a Valentine color.

Not me. Yellow is good all year long.

Well not for Christmas. I acknowledge that. 

I'm so into my Minted print, I think it's going to find a permanent place in my house. 

I ordered mine already framed and it's gorgeous. 

Some of my other favorites...

Sweet Sophistication Art Print

Paper Hearts Art Print

P.S. Don't tell, but this is the Minted Journal I ordered for Lydia. 

It will be from the Valentine Lady. So actually, I don't know anything about it. 

And here's Collin's classroom Valentine cards. So cute!

These are Lydia's cards. She's sending a coupon for a free Krispy Cream doughnut with them!

Check out some of the awesome Minted Valentine Gifts here. 

I love Valentines Day!

Someone tell Shane I'd love yellow roses if he can find them. 

My Friday night

I'm taking a break from Lydia's tiny birthday slumber party that started about an hour ago. Just one friend. They are giggling up stairs, wearing homemade party hats. I've been working all day to bake a cake, clean the house for Shane (he's been out of town for almost three weeks!), and decorating. If you look from the window, it looks pretty awesome in here. Lots of happy.

Then I looked down at myself.

This is not a joke. 

Right now I am wearing....

A hideously baggy brown sweater, 

black yoga pants,

knock off Uggs

Oh AND.....

a faded pink bathrobe (It's so cold!) 

Let's add....

a large green apron

no make up,

glasses,

unwashed hair in bun.

And one last thing....

In my hair are several of Lydia's hair clips that I found under the couch and haven't put away yet.

I am so totally nasty. 

Welcome home to the dream Shane!

It's such joy to turn into the total incarnation of the woman you swore you would never become. That's okay. The party hats turned out really cute. 

Have a great weekend!

InstaSaturday #25 - Asking lots of advice.

I'm the worst blogger. I started doing InstaFridays so I could link up with other bloggers who do it and get all community like. But I always forget to link up, or I wait until midnight on Friday when all the good little community bloggers have long ago put away their laptops. Oh well. At least I try(ish).

First thing.....

I decided that light brown ombre look from last month was a little too safe. 

So I pulled out all the stops and went SERIOUS brunette. 

Kind of freaking out. Can't decide what I think about it. This is a big change.

Should I keep it? You can see the "blond me" on the right hand side bar for comparison. 

LOVE my stylist! She's awesome and has great prices. She's in Meridian, so if anyone is looking for a new hair gal, its Jenni at Grand Illusion. 

That above photo is pretty much the only time I've had my hair out of a bun since I had it done. It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cold here!!!!! The frigid air is reeking havoc on my new do. It's too staticy to do anything. 

What do you guys use to tame your winter static?

Boise is not supposed to be this cold. But it sure is beautiful.

Shane told the kids all week that he would pull them on the sled when he gets home from work. But he's been working extra late and has been leaving before they are even out of bed. So the other day he called in to work and said he would be a little late, pulled the kids through the neighborhood before the sun was up. What a good daddy.

Been waking up every morning to this little face, instead of the bearded one I'm used to. 

Cannot keep Collin in his bed! I used to keep a babygate across his door, but he'd just call to me 5 times a night telling me he had to go the bathroom. 

What do you do to keep your kids in their beds without locking them in their rooms???

And lastly....

I'VE FOUND JESUS!!!

No really. Baby Jesus had been missing from our nativity set since mid December. 

The Southern part of me thought it deserved a formal proclamation. :)

Ok. That's my thrilling week.

Follow my desperately exciting life on instagram

@natssentiments.

P.S. Did anyone catch that tiny detail on Downton Abbey that might lead to setting Bates free??? 

Priorities?

While watching today's press conference about gun control I was thinking about something interesting that happened yesterday. I was driving to pick Lydia up from the school bus, and I passed a different bus dropping of a large group of elementary kids. Approaching them were two middle school kids. One took a handgun out of his jacket, spun it on this finger, smiled at me creepily and put it back. My first thought was, "what an idiot, trying to look cool with a fake gun", immediately followed by, "crap, that gun might be real, I need a cop NOW." Amazingly, I spotted a police car a block away at a speed trap. I flagged him down and told him what I saw. He looked at me with a bored gaze.

 "Was is a real gun?"

 "I don't know. It might have been."

 "So you said the boy had red hair. What color was his backpack?"

 "What? I don't know, don't you think you should go check on the kids??"

 He shrugged.

 "Ok. I guess I can drive in that direction."

Right then Lydia's bus pulled up and by the time I got back to where I saw the boy with the gun, there was no one in sight. What I just can't believe was how nonchalant that officer was. After what we have just witnessed as a country, shouldn't he have taken off like a light? Or at least asked my name for later questions? He seemed loth to miss an opportunity to give a possible speeder a ticket.

 

See the discussion on this over on my facebook page.

Free Printables - bathroom letters

I made some little printable on picMonkey for the kids bathroom. I just printed them and will frame them whenever I get around to it. Anyway, thought there might be someone out there who would like them too. Just click and copy.

Enjoy!

InstaFriday #24 - the New Year so far

Shane and I actually made it to midnight this New Year Eve! We celebrated with a little Thai takeout and this huge A** fortune cookie. The fortune sucked. 

I was too sick to go, but the kids and Shane sent me pics from their New Years Eve adventure at the Winter Garden A-glow. I spent my evening in a bubble bath. So win-win.

While putting away Christmas, Collin discovered my "sexy mrs. Claus" nighty, tucked in a box. As soon as I saw him wearing it, I knew it was ruined for me forever. :)

Been making stock and soup a ton. 

Thanks Mom for my new fancy pot and to Shane for my new fancy stove. 

After the total excess of Christmas, it feels so good to just go back to uncluttered yellow.

Who says yellow isn't a Winter color?

(Thank you Laura for this amazing handmade pillow!)

Though, as is our tradition, Christmas cards stay up a couple extra weeks. 

Thanks to everyone who sent one!

Lydia and Shane stayed up late preparing her talk for church. It had to be good because it was on 

Collin's first day of Primary!!!

The kids and I enjoyed a bed picnic of herbal tea and cake. All prepared by daddy who then enjoyed some quiet time in the living room.

We had gorgeous snow on Monday, which is as good a reason as any for a hot chocolate date with my favorite little man. He stole both pastries and ate the blueberries out of the muffin and frosting off the scone.

Shane was out of town and I really didn't want to deal with my cabin fever kids at home, so we headed for some glow in the dark miniature golf.  Lydia got a hole-in-one!

Yesterday we had a snow day!!!! I love the snow.

(Thank you Shane for my new Anthropologie mug. I really think it's helpful to him that I have a signature color and store when it comes to his gifting responsibilities. I'm a good wife that way.)

First step for the perfect snow day, run outside in bare feet first thing in the morning, then warm up by the fire. It's tradition. I did it all the time with my brother and sisters.

Second step, bundle up and head outside....

To taste some snow.

Last step to a perfect snow day, something baked and yummy to go with hot chocolate.

Egg Nog Bread! SOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!!

Recipe here. 

It's been a pretty good year so far.

Thank you for your comments and emails about my last post. 

And going along with that post, I thought I'd share my facebook update:

Collin was so crazy hyper at bedtime, I could not get him dressed/brush teeth/pee, all that good stuff. So while he was kicking and laughing hysterically at my attempts to put on his pjs, I said "remember that movie we saw a little while ago, Fox and the Hound?" (Still hysterically laughing and ignoring me.) "Remember how Tod's mommy drove him out into the forest and left him there alone? That was sad huh?" That did the trick. He was calm and sad and a little teary instantly. Cuddled him back to happy and he's asleep. Sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do.

(Terrible! I know. But look how sweetly he's sleeping!)

Hope you all are having a great New Year so far!

Follow me on instagram @natssentiments

Loving them when they are a bit unlovable

I need to start by saying my son Collin is usually the sweetest little thing in the world. He bring so my joy and light to my life.

But sometimes, on his rare off days, he is about as sweet as a rabid dog.

The other day was one of those days. 

The night before he had not slept well and he was a total grump the entire day. He just cried and yelled and didn't want to eat anything that wasn't candy and wouldn't go pee on the potty just out of spite and held it forever until I knew he was going to have an accident and I just stuck him on the pot and he freaked out and tried to get off and peed all over me and him and them freaked out when I tried to put him in a bath and cried and cried like the water was acid and got me all wet and I pretty much wanted to call Shane and say "come take care of your son while I go get a massage", but I remembered Shane was in Arizona for a couple days, eating Kobe steak on the company dime, while I tried to get his son to eat chicken noodle soup while he screamed he wanted cake. Then he scratched Lydia and dinner was spent listening to him go ballistic in the time out corner.

That was how that day went.

That night I finally got him down and treated myself to a couple Portlandia episodes before I hit the hay.

At 10:30PM I went up to check on the kids only to find Collin's light on and every book from his bookcase laying opened on his bed. I found him walking around in the dark in Lydia's room.

"What are you doing Collin?"

"Looking for books."

I picked him up, took him back to his room and cleared off his bed. 

"Collin, I'm going to have to take your lamp away if you keep getting up to read at night. You can just have your night light."

It was as if I said I was going to burn down his room and all candy stores everywhere. He went crazy.

I had reached my limit. I had been dealing with this alone all day and I was done. My first reaction as my pulse start to race was to say "too bad" and let him cry himself to sleep. That's probably what I would have done with Lydia at this age. (Who had about 74 times more "off days" as Collin.)

But instead I started to brush Collin tear stained cheeks and amidst his yelling I started to sing. I stared into his eyes and sang his favorite lullaby. His face made that frown that said he was a little heart broken and didn't know why and I smiled at him and kept singing. When I finished he said, "sing more Mommy", and I sang about Pretty Little Ponies and he looked into my eyes and cried softly. 

He searched my eyes again, and I knew just what he was looking for since I had seen Lydia do it so many times. He wanted to make sure he was safe and loved, even while feeling all of these scary emotions he was too young to really understand or control.

"I love you Collin. I always love you."

He took a bit breath, turned his head and fell asleep.

I thought so much about that night the last few days. These days that Collin has been back to his normal happy self. I know I have unconditional love for my children. But sometimes the challenge is showing them I do when they are just a bit unlovable. But, at least with my children, that's when they need to know it the most. 

Happy New Year! And a reader request.

I've been under the weather since Christmas, but I wanted to say, Happy New Year! I'm pretty stoked about this year. I think it's going to be a good one.

So I have a request. I want to start my google reader a-new. Get some new "Blog Blood". I'd love to read yours! Leave a comment below with your blog link and I'll add it to my reader. I've decided my favorite blogs are ones like mine. Just cool chicks talking about whatever. 

(Yes. I think I'm a cool chick.)

No blog? Just say hello anyway!

My New Years "Blogging" Resolution is to....

COMMENT MORE! 

Can't wait to get to know you in 2013!

Card design by Minted.