Blogger Business

Does anyone know how to make a picture "clickable"? I read blogs where you can click on a picture to make it bigger, but I can't figure out how to do it on mine. Anyone?? I'd love to know how!

***Update on us: We arrived in Utah today for spring break. We will be here until a week from Monday. I can't believe how much snow they have here and there is more due by Sunday. Who knew it could be better weather in Chicago than here? I suppose spring has come early to Chicago. Well, I feel like we deserve it though, after the awful December, January, and February we had!

Addison

Our little Addison friend was a long awaited blessing. After more miscarriages than I care to remember, we finally decided that her pregnancy would be our last. If it ended in carrying a baby full term, we would be thrilled. If it ended in a miscarriage, it would be my last. Jeff and I always felt strongly about having 3 children, but the road to parenthood had not been easy for us. And, of course, we all know how the story ended...our little Addison joined our family on June 17th, 2008.

And, boy has she made her presence known in our home! She has been a grumpy little friend from day 1. We have tried soy formulas, milk-based formulas, lactose-free formulas, gas drops, gripe water, antacids, infant massage, Motrin, cereal bottles, Tylenol, chiropractors, humidifiers, Oragel...the list seems to go on and on. We try all we can do to make her happy, but it's often to no avail. It seems like she's in pain, but often times, it almost seems like she is bored or frustrated. Perhaps she's frustrated with this big spirit in a little body. Whatever the reason, we still have yet to figure our little girl out.

Often times I joke with her that she is the exclamation point at the end of our babymaking story. We knew she would be the last, we knew our story would end with her, but she has added the exclamation point for us!

And then there's an issue with her head size. Her head is off the charts (well, as of a week ago she is back on, at the 97th percentile). Her pediatrician has been nervous about it and has pushed for an MRI. I feel strongly that such an invasive procedure shouldn't be done unless it's absolutely necessary. Delaney had a big head (upper 90's%) and her cousins have big heads (Hi Lincoln and Q!) so I feel like it's familial. So, her ped. instead obsesses over milestones as a way of making sure there's nothing unusual going on in that noggin of hers.

I've hated worrying every step of the way if she's accomplishing everything according to how someone else wants her to. But it's helped me avoid the MRI, so worry I do. My days seem to be filled with worry over whether she's pointing with her index finger, playing patty-cake, babbling in multiple syllables, etc. Sometimes I feel like my already high maintenance child is even higher maintenance because she keeps me guessing until the last second. She barely squeaks by with a passing grade at her monthly appointments. So, last week, for her 9 month appointment, I was dreading telling the Dr. that she was not yet crawling. Lucky for us, we were informed that crawling is not considered a milestone because often times kiddos just skip it. So, at least it wasn't a missed milestone, but I have still been dying for her to crawl.

It just seems that Addison has a world that she's ready to conquer, and this body that she doesn't have control over has been holding her back. I sit her on the ground and she cries and cries, seeming like she's wanted to get up and go! So, though most people say I should enjoy her being immobile, I've been anxious to have her start crawling. I've been convinced that once she can start exploring, she'll be happier.

Well, tonight she finally figured it out! Watch out, World, here she comes! Will it make her happier? Who knows. I've thought many things over the past 9 months would make her happy, only to watch her continued frustration. But here's to hoping it will. Stay tuned...

Keepin' It Real

If you were to come to my home, announced or unannounced, this is what you would see. The piano room in to the left.

This is straight down my front hallway, looking into the kitchen.
This is the den on your right. Aren't I such a good housekeeper?? Isn't my home so tidy and clutter free?? See, I've learned a few tricks though the years about appearances. I've found that most unannounced visitors just ring the doorbell to ask a quick question, drop off/pick up a playdate, etc. 99% of the time, we stay in the foyer. So, I always make sure that those three areas, visible to any visitor, stay neat and tidy. Of course my intent is that most visitors leave my home thinking, "She is such a great housekeeper. I never see any clutter when I am there."

But alas, this is not true, and I have to admit that for me, it is all about appearances. The house just has to appear tidy to the occasional visitor, it's never actually that tidy. Try as I might, I just cannot keep my house clutter free all day long. Well, if that's what I did all day long, then I would have success, but to be honest, I loathe following my kids around all day, monitoring kid clutter. I wish I was someone who found complete fulfillment in how tidy my house is. But let's be real...that is simply a wish. And my heart is just not into my home being show room perfect all day, every day. So, for now I allow the three most visible rooms in my house give the illusion that the rest of my house must be in tip-top order too.

We had my sister and aunt in town last week. We had fun playing with cousins, eating out, crafting, shopping, and visiting. The visit went by far too fast. And now, here I am a full 6 days later, and the laundry is still not done from their visit. What is my problem? I tell myself that I've been too busy getting things ready for our spring break trip this weekend. Or catching up on life after playing the days away last week. But really, I don't have much of an excuse. Every morning I tell myself I am going to do laundry, and every evening I realize that I just simply walked over every pile. I am having a hard time calling on my inner Merry Maid.

So, what happened today? Why this post? Delaney has a little friend over to play. Her name is Alison and she lives in a house where there is no clutter. Not only is the foyer of her home always immaculate, but I've been upstairs, and it looks just as perfect there. Yes, one of those perfect homes I long to emulate.

Well, I was in the laundry room, doing laundry (see, I did get some done today!) and Alison comes in.

"Kelli, are you getting ready for a yard sale?" asks Alison

"Um, no...what made you ask that?" Although, I think I know what the answer is going to be.

"Your house is all messy and everything is out so I just thought you were getting ready for a yard sale."

How embarrassing is that? A five year old is, in all innocence, asking me if the reason for the piles of clutter everywhere is because of a business venture. It would never occur to her that I've been too lazy/distracted/disinterested to actually get it done.

In the vein of keepin' it real, I have proof. Here is what Alison was talking about. Here is our upstairs hallway, still loaded with the sheets from our visitors who left 6 days ago.

Here is the bathroom, still with the towels from said visitors. Here is the pile of laundry in Delaney's room. Of course, I've told myself I was holding off on doing laundry until closer to our trip. But now, surely, it will take 10 loads to wash all of it. And the most shameful thing of all, my bedroom is a wreck as well. Two days ago I decided to get out the bins of too-small summer clothes from Delaney. Addison is starting to outgrow her winter clothes, so I was hoping I'd saved something from Delaney that would fit. So, I now have piles of clothes from the bins scattered across my room, plus random toys, misfit socks, etc. I'm thinking this room really drove home the "yard sale" idea to Alison.
I see so many blogs with such perfect homes and I love to look at them - getting ideas on decorating, organizing, decluttering, etc. All these perfect homes with perfectly placed furniture, pictures, curtains, etc. And, then, if I've browsed for too long on the computer, I start to get depressed. Not just because I can't possibly afford to have my home look like the beautiful ones I see online, but also because my home never looks perfect - never perfectly decorated, never perfectly decluttered, never perfectly organized. But it's funny (or is it ironic?) how hard I try to give the appearance that it's perfect. I want any visitor to assume that beyond those tidy 3 front spaces, there are more tidy rooms to explore. But, most of the time they're not, and so for today, I'm keepin' it real.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

...and Happy 9 month Birthday to Addison.

We're off to the zoo today with cousins Marc, Abby, and Alli. Aunties Tessie and Carolyn are in town as well. We are expecting record high temps in Chicago today - hoping to reach 75*.

All the small things

I have the handiest hubby I know. Seriously, there is almost nothing that guy can't do around the house. Almost every wish of mine is his command. Seriously. No idea is too big...except for the little ideas.

Now, it isn't necessarily all his fault, as the little things are usually easy enough for me to do too. Somehow it's always been hard for us to finish the little details of a big project.

Jeff finished our basement himself. He did the plumbing, electrical, hung the dry wall, carpentry, painted, you name it. The only things we hired out were the taping/mudding/sanding and the carpet installation. He got it done in what seemed like record time (5 months - mostly weekends) and we spend tons of time down there. The kids toys are down there, my craft room, the guest room, the excercise equipment, the kids DVDs, etc. However, two years later, there is one little project not completed. The staircase.

Parts of the staircase had been primed, parts painted, parts left bare, and even parts left unfinished. This was just one of those bitty details in comparison to the huge scope of the basement project. And, who wants to sit and paint a staircase for hours on end? So, for two years it sat undone. We had guests come and go, but still our shabby looking, unfinished staircase remained.

What did we do this week? We finished it! And I love it! Who knew a staircase could make me feel so whole...my life feel so complete. Somehow I rest my head a little easier at night, knowing that two flights down, I have a completely finished staircase (well...*slight* exaggeration). And here I present, the finished staircase.

It's often the small things that make the biggest difference.

Pinewood Derby!

How have I not posted this yet?

Jackson started scouts last year when he turned 8. This is an area of which I know NOTHING about, and I hate to admit it...but I don't really care to know anything about it either. So, I've made it clear that it's Jeff's deal. Jeff has to work helping him get things passed off, making sure he gets badges so he doesn't look like a loser at pack meeting, etc. So, the last Thursday of January, we attended our first pack meeting. The church gym was buzzing with excitement. Now, not having been to a pack meeting before this, I assumed this was no different than any other. 20 boys all running around like lunatics, plus 2-4 siblings per boy scout in attendance = total chaos. But no, it wasn't the boys buzzing with excitement, it was the dads. The pinewood derby kits had been distributed.

It was my sense immediately that this becomes the dad's project and the kids do nothing other than set it on the ramp on race day. Over the course of the past month, other dads have called Jeff to give him pointers, some dads bought special weights off the Internet, and you know everyone was googling how to best get that 5 oz. car down the track as fast as possible. Now, I'm all for not letting my kid look like a loser (see above), but I felt pretty adamantly that Jeff not do all the work. So, Jackson was able to design the shape of the car, and painted it. From there, I'm not sure how the responsibilities were split between the two of them. All I know is Jeff was sure to mention to me that he would have designed the shape of it differently, but because it's Jackson's car, he conceded on the design. (you know, so that I am aware that Jackson is the true mastermind behind the whole operation) Then there was the whole business of googling, weights and axles that I don't understand, but finally, on race day, our rastafarian car was ready to hit the ramp.

Prior to the race

During the title race (Jackson's car is the one on the left). This picture cracks me up because Jackson is the completely blurry figure on the right. He was evidently very excited to be winning. That's right...he's winning!

Here's the look of shock once he realized he'd won the whole thing. Apparently (I wasn't there) Jeff's face was equally matched in total surprise. Who knew? Beginners Luck?
And, here we have it, folks. First place. But no trophy to take home - just bragging rights. I'm wondering if there's a trophy I can buy from the BSA website. Question is...who gets it? Jeff or Jackson?

Caught Red Handed

Look who got caught with her hand in the cookie jar!

Cheap and Easy Curtain Rods

Wow, I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've been on here. I had two "Mommy vacations", back to back, so I think I've been in catch-up mode lately. This post is for my sister-in-law Rachael. She'd asked for some details on Jackson's curtain rods. My camera takes such ginormous pictures, it's a pain to email them, so I figured I'd put them on the blog. Plus, I've had several people ask about them in the past, so for anyone who's interested, here you go.

Cheap and Easy Curtain Rods:

We have three bay windows in our house, and getting the rods for them don't come easy (or cheap). Here's the alternative, and though I don't remember at all how much they were, I know they weren't as expensive as what you get at JC Penny or BB&B. The entire thing is made out of 1" galvanized piping from Home Depot (yes, I already know I've spent way too much of my life there).

I don't know the technical name for any of these pieces. We measured the windows and they cut, and threaded the pipes for us at HD (the guy thought I was truly crazy - I didn't think it was such a hair-brained idea). For the end of the windows, we just used these 90* bent pipes. The "plate" with the four screws is one piece, then that little one inch section is another piece, the bend is another...all screwed together. But, they don't have to be tightened all the way because no water is going through it (as is originally intended).
Here are the "inside" bends in the bay window. Jeff thinks they're 130* or 125* angle bent pipes. He's not 100% sure. I'm sure you'll figure it out once you're there, looking at the million little pipe pieces.

To support the weight in the middle, this piece is smack dab in the middle of the window. It looks like a "T" (and I actually love this detail - "makes" the look, if you know what I mean).

We finished it off with large grommet drapes I found at IKEA. They're a heavy duck cloth that block out a lot of light (if only it actually helped him sleep in any longer - he's always been such an early riser and is lucky to sleep past 6 :30).
So, that's it. Cheap, easy, and quick. The pipes are pretty heavy, so you need to screw at least two screws (per plate) into studs. That's why we kept them close to the fame of the window where there's lots of wood under the drywall. I think they're very "boy" and they make it very easy for him to open and close on his own. Good luck, Rach!