The Boys Room Makeover

It was about time for Nick to get a real bed, so we started shopping for beds.  If you're going to ask for a new bed for one boy, chances are you'll ask for a new bed for both boys.  If you're getting new beds, you'll need some new sheets.  And if you're getting new sheets, you'll need a blanket to go with them.... Well, you know how that story goes...

So, here's the surprise room redo.  We managed to buy all the stuff for this, and have it hidden around the house (or in plain sight) this week, without the boys catching on.  They "tent camped" in their room after we took out the old beds on Monday to clean the carpets and paint the baseboards.  Today, they were gone at Nana's, and we surprised them tonight when they got home with the fully made over room.

Daddy must love us an awful lot to do all this work for us!

But he's not crazy about the picture part...

Starting to take shape.

One down, one more to go...

Time to make the beds...

Tent canopy up, and bed made.

Mama must really love us too...she even ironed the curtains!

New beds, new curtains...

Ethan's bed is ready now too...

Ta...DA!!!!!

There's a tv watching area...

There's a reading area....

There's even an 'overflow' stuffed animal bin...

And here's the "Big Reveal"...
oops...couldn't get that video clip to work. 
I'll try to figure it out and add it later.  They were soooo surprised!

I love this book!

Checkin' out the tv area...

His comment? "It looks like where worms live!"  Unique as ever.

Time to check out the sleeping area.

I love it!

Have to get everything 'just so'.

Ahhh...perfect!

Bedtime Stories

It's Friday.  I think I'll wear my pajamas to work.  Seriously.  Today is National Wear Your PJs to Work Day!  How cool is that?  Now, I kind of feel like I'm cheating, since I work at home, but I'm still going to wear my Pjs all day!  Why should my kids get to be the only ones to wear their pjs to school once a year?

Okay, in all seriousness, I'm wearing my PJs today, not just because I want to, but for a really good cause.  The Pajama Program donates pjs and books to children in need who might never get tucked in with a bedtime story.  Never know the security of having their own pjs and mom or dad to read a story to them every night before bed.  Bedtime/storytime is one of my favorite parts of my day.  No matter how much my boys are making me crazy, or how bad I feel, I always love snuggling with them and reading a story together.  It breaks my heart that some children never know that gift.


So, while my introverted self cringes, I'm going to go  Starbucks for coffee, and when they say "How are you?" I'm going to say, "I'm great!  It's national wear your pjs to work day, and I'm supporting the Pajama Program!"   I have little slips with the Pajama Program logo and website on them to hand out. I'm taking my son to school (the one where you have to go in with him...) in my Pjs.  I'm going to yoga...in my pjs.   Maybe I'll be really brave and go inside the bank to make a deposit! Why does that seem worse than going to starbucks? Oh, and my boys and I are donating the money we made at the jbf sale to buy pjs for this great cause.  We were able to order 14 sets of Pjs for Pajama Program boys and girls.  Now that's a sweet dream!

Would you like to donate?  

Go HERE for ways to help Pajama Program directly 

(including online donations) 
PajamaProgram.Org

How To Make Sweet Tea

After two days of boys driving me crazy, the end of last night was just an amazing, fun reward for me.  Ethan had already fallen asleep on the couch, and Nick and I were in the boys room fraddling and being silly while we started to settle down for the night.  Never heard of fraddling? It's the latest hip, innovative word for showing love and spreading joy.  Check it out  here.

So, we're laying in bed, being silly, watching a Food Network show about how they make sweet tea.  I told him how they use the tea bags to make sweet tea.  And, of course, Nick says, "Those are not tea bags, those are tea BOXES!"  Well, they were... boxes of tea bags, but that led into Nick telling me how to make sweet tea.

Nick:

I know how to make sweet tea mommy. You use choco-wit milk to make sweet tea!  

     You get ext-wa water and ext-wa wheels 

            and we take our heads off....

                    take our bodies off....

At this point I was practically rolling on the floor having fun with his little recipe.  Hold on!  I've got to write this down.  So I grabbed my phone and started texting it into my note app.  And what did Nick do?  He stopped, and went back the beginning.  Then he repeated, word-for-word, IN THE SAME ORDER, the same crazy recipe!

You use choco-wit milk to make sweet tea!  

You get ext-wa water and ext-wa wheels and we take our heads off....take our bodies off.  AND we take the wegs off and toes off, and den we are     go-wing to be all gone. You make sweet tea in the arms.  So you can make sweet tea . That's what you can do it. And then you're done.  You're done.  You're done, mommy!  You're just done!!!   (Evidently I type too slowly via text!)

Anyone want some sweet tea?