We started off with a Curious George party, then did the Cowboy thing and finally the lego party. I was starting to run out of fun ideas for my boys parties.

One thing Landon loves to do is draw and color, seemed only obvious to throw him an art inspired party.  Now that he and most of his guests are 5 they are able to keep the mess to a minimum so I forged ahead in making this happen.

I bought dollarstore white placemats and cut them into the shape of a painter’s palette.  I then adhered plastic die cut circles to mimic paint which are easily washable.  Yet another trip to our dollarstore yielded plain canvases on which the kids could paint their masterpiece just like the professionals.  I am convinced the one to the far left will be worth money some day.

I knew this cake would be perfect for our art party.  No wimpy food coloring for this one, the real dark vibrant food paste was brought in to pull this off.  Beware!  If you get this on your counter be prepared to love the tie die look because it does not wash off easily.  Better yet pawn the job off on your poor unsuspecting parents.  It’s amazing what you can get away with in the name of grand kids.

For favors I simply picked up some small tubs of Play Doh, a plastic painters palette, some paint brushes and a few tubs of washable paint.  Ironically last minute I forgot to pick up favor bags and tossed the stuff in small green recylcing garbage bags.  I figured everyone at some point can use those and will more than likely come in handy when letting your toddlers paint or use play doh…or as in my case both at once.

With three kids I am sure to be repeating one of these parties, or better yet I may even take them bowling.  Problem solved.

How’s this for chaos? Last May little Mclaren was overdue by 2 weeks, we closed the deal on our home and attempted to move all in the span of 2 weeks For for the record, I did NOT scrapbook this moment.

The painter was here so long the kids started referring to as their uncle, the furnace had to be unexpectedly replaced and through all of this we were dealing with false labor pains. Brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it.

But we survived, a few grays emerged on my head and a few gray hairs left my hubby’s. But the key word is we survived, and I am so glad we did because I love the new house. Our home.

Don’t get me wrong, I was reluctant to leave the farm and the security of my parents. If it was not for the no more children clause they strategically (in minuscule print I might add) placed in our rental agreement, I probably would be still there protesting the eviction. In all seriousness we knew it was time. My parents were in the basement apartment and the overhead noise was only going to get worst with the not so tiny pitter patter of heavy clunky toddler feet. We needed our very own place as they did theirs. So we found this little gem complete with a dozen contrasting floral wallpaper…all of which were not placed over primed walls. Feel my pain? I will never support a wallpaper comeback regardless of who on HGTV says it is the in thing, I cannot stomach the stuff.

Wanna see my once pink kitchen? I didn’t zoom out for a full shot, too much pink, way too much.

I can see all of your curled up noses now.  Believe it or not that is a pink painted brick back splash.  No, that doesn’t sound hideous enough.  Here’s a better description, it’s a painted pink zebrick backsplash.  That is right up there with fuzzy textured snot green wallpaper circa 1970 surprisingly enough I have not unearthed any as of yet.

So here is my new, but not quite complete kitchen

I still have a wood counter top and apron front sink to install, bead board ceiling and outdoor light fixtures to get up. Note how I strategically centered the picture to avoid showing off the hideous ceiling and floors, not to mention the pile of junk that was there a mere 10 seconds before.  I should seriously learn to photoshop to avoid such hassle.

When all the above has been checked off my honey “do” list,  I will zoom out and take the full shot.

The dust is starting to settle so I thought I would begin to dabble in the world of blogging once again. I miss learning new tricks from other frugal moms, venting my frustrations but most of all the friendships that emerged.

Since I last reported, our family went from this

To this

Yes you counted right. We now have three little ones.

As one can well imagine, life is crazy. Heck, why sugar coat it, it’s downright insane! I don’t have the luxury of closing my office door for a much needed break (although the bathroom has proved to be a decent substitute) but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

This past year has had it’s share of challenges, mainly due to my little girls health scare at birth. Life gets put into perspective in the blink of an eye and so did my focus. Now that I have settled into a chaotic routine I hope to share some new and improved ways to save money, time and hopefully your sanity (although I may ask for help on that issue from time to time)

For nearly 12 years my family’s farm has run a disabled horseback riding program.  Throughout the summer we have the privilege of working with and witnessing first hand children with special needs blossom.  For once in their lives they are equal to others and can maneuvre a 1200 lb horse as easily as an able bodied person can.

We never knew how much that program meant to us until it personally affected us.

Our beautiful little girl, Mclaren Faith was born over a week ago.  Unfortunately she suffered asphyxiation and suffered damage to a portion of her brain. Miraculously she survived and after several heart wrenching days watching her cling to life she pulled through… but not without damage.   In what way? only time will tell but in an instant our life as we envisioned it will never be the same.  Needless to say our family is in shock and numb and need to make this little miracle our primary focus.

I cherish all of those whom I met through blogging, many of you have become a great source of support.  No doubt I will continue reading some of my favourites, continuing to be inspired by all of the great mom’s that are out there.  Please take care, all of you.

God Bless

Niki

I am still alive…barely.  It has been a crazy month with no end in sight.  I am sorry for not updating this blog, I have no creative excuses.  Truth be told I am too darn tired to come up with any at the moment.

We did survive the big move and are anxiously awaiting the baby, which is now 10 days overdue.  Typical for a little lady to be fashionably late.  I would love to post pictures but for the life of me I cannot find our battery charger which reminds me should be located before the little one makes her appearance.

I promise I will have some pictures of the new arrival as well as her newly decorated nursery.  After two boys I am lovin’ pink…and lots of it.

This is the end result of the first night putting the boys in the same room.  Two hours were spent listening to Dane scream.  Landon, bless his heart, tried his best to console him.  I overheard him telling his little brother “It’s alright Dane, there is nothing to be scared of, I am here to protect you”.  Evidently that was not enough and Landon finally climbed in to be closer to him.  Guess that worked because this is the scene we found when we checked on them before hitting the hay ourselves.

For more wordless Wednesday’s visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

So much for spring.  Several days ago I spent the afternoon perusing the aisles of Home Depot admiring all the patio furniture (nicer than my living room set I might add) and now I cannot find the deck if I tried.  We got a whopping 20+ cm of snow.  Instead of being depressed I decided to make a day of it and jack the kids full of sugar.  Nothing like being cooped up in the house with a tummy full of Rice Krispie treats to drive a momma crazy.  The nice part about this snow is it’s light and fluffy, so when the kids start climbing the sides of the TV armoire they dressed in their one piece snowsuits and booted outside to burn off some energy.  I got a chance to sit by by the patio window sipping my three times reheated coffee picking paint chips for the new house.  Ahhhh! a snow day at its finest.

I have to tell you about our weird ritual when making Rice Krispie squares.  Most people cook them up and ever so neatly place them in a buttered pan, wait until they cool before cutting them into neat little squares.  Hence the name.  As you probably guessed by now, we do nothing normal.

Growing up Rice Krispie treats became an event.  Normally this was made on a storm day or late at night while watching a movie.  My Dad, who exclusively made these treats, would whip up a large batch with added peanut butter and pile it on a buttered plate complete with 4 spoons stuck in the middle.   We would each take a utensil and ferociously dig out a portion and pick it off with our fingers and gobble it up still warm and gooey.  If there happened to be some left it would be stashed away in the cupboard for the following morning’s breakfast.  I have yet to see this happen since the arrival of our little porker Dane. 

With the horrible weather conditions outside, I knew this would be a perfect day to break out the clearance box of Holiday Rice Krispie and whip up a large plate of ooey gooey goodness complete with tall glasses of milk.  I hope my children will remember these moments as much as my brother and I did growing up. A  single bite of this treat brings back so many wonderful childhood memories and how we spent it as a family.  Amazing how a simple dessert prepared in an unusual way can bring you back to a simpler and safer time.

Funny thing is I don’t remember the belly ache that accompanied this.

Here is Dad hard at work babysitting Dane while he was sleeping.  Guess he won the right to keep the teddy for his nap.

For more Wordless Wednesday’s visit 5 minutes for mom

Well we went ahead and bought a house.

Technically we weren’t actively looking but came across this house and immediately knew it was home.

We started thinking about getting a place of our own when Dane arrived but now that he is a toddler it’s becoming more of an issue.  The big problem is the noise and I doubt they are going to get quieter as the years go by.  My poor parents are woken up either in the middle of the night by a 4 year old crawling in bed with them or to the stomping of footsteps beating the drum of Bo on the go at 6:30 in the morning.  Now that they are retired they would like nothing more to be able to sleep in to at least 8:00, is that too much to ask?  evidently it is if you ask the boys.

We are also craving a finished basement.  They are now at the age where I could leave them downstairs to play with their toys and watch cartoons.  What it would be like to not have to trip over spilt Lincoln logs or darn near break my neck from forgotten Mr. Potato heads left on the stairs.  They could have a spot all of their own and leave my living quarters tidy and clutter free….oh I get goose bumps just writing that..  The other perk is a fenced in backyard with access from the garage.  Not that 50 acres is not ideal on the farm, it is, but at times they wander what seems like 49 acres away and it’s getting hard to keep a constant eye on them.

Although I am going to miss my my parents, their endless support and life on the farm 24/7, we knew it was time.  The good news is I am only a 5 minute drive away….Mom and Dad, you don’t get rid of us that easy.