Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Play Room Mural ... Hooray !!

There is still a lot of work to do on our mural but so far so good :) We have spent $15 total in paint samples and paint brushes. More than anything you need time and commitment. There is still a giraffe, monkey, elephant, fox and birds to add. My husband has done an awesome job. I wish I could help but the paint smell still makes me sick. So hopefully in the next couple of weeks we can mark this project complete. 

Our next home project will be the garage, heaven help us, its chaos in there !

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Wide Bottom Bag - Sewing Tutorial

I was inspired to try and make a bag to  store my sewing machine foot and cord. This is my first time using this method of bag making so it took me a while to sew together. I quickly learned if you stitch too close to the zipper; it will get caught with the lining. I made a Video Tutorial so my next bag will be easier and quicker to make :)

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Summer Toddler Activity - Water Balloons & Hula Hoop

Toddler activity- 20 months

I never thought of this but at a company picnic my son discovered water balloons. 
They put a bucket of water balloons and he loved it ! Ended up soaking wet but on a hot summer day like today; it was the best entertainment. So, I'm on my way to the dollar store to buy a bag of water balloons.
One thing, balloons are a choking hazard!  Alhought I wasn't able to throw the torn balloons away here, when I do this activity I'm going to make sure I have a trash bag ready to pick up the pieces. 
Also, hula hoops, who knew ? He loved pushing it through the grass.

Painting a wall mural (update)


My husband has been able to make some progress on the mural today. The details that need to be added take time, since the chalk outline is only an simple aid.Its easy in a way, kind of like a coloring book just in a larger scale.




Saturday, July 27, 2013

Organizing my life...one project at a time.

So, this past week I started working on a shutterfly book I started a year ago. Its the first month of life book for my son. I have to admit, I still have months 5-24 to finish. Its hard work to put it all together.  It is possible, but it takes commitment. I decided, everyday for the past week I would take 30 minutes to work on my book. I did 15 minutes in the morning before my son woke up and 15 minutes during nap time. By Friday I was so tiered of working on that book, I wanted to scream. Its done now, ready to order and all of the memories preserved in print. Although I still need to work on more books, I decided to take a break because to be honest its hard work! I need break. So, to make my life easier this week I will take the challenge of organizing my photos on my laptop. I know! its years of photos all clustered but I know if I can finish one shutterfly book, I can organize all of my photos. So, in a week I will let you know if 30 minutes a day for one week is enough to organize thousands of photos. Hopefully, this way making a shutterfly book for the missing months will be easy:)

Sopa de Fideo ( Fiedo Soup ) Recipe


I was inspired to make this delicious Fideo Soup after a package appeared on my counter (Thanks mom). I haven't made this soup in a really long time. So, I watched this Sopa de Fideo video on youtube. The recipe seemed easy enough, so this is my translated version in english (Youtube Video).

Sopa de Fideo ( Fiedo Soup) Recipe

Also, I decided a couple of months ago I really wanted to start a family recipe book for my children. I think growing up I still have recollection of my mom's delicious flan. Its a recipe I don't want to loose, so, I decided better than a cookbook or printed recipe. I want a shutterfly book filled with pictures of my son helping me cook.


Recipe:
1- 200g of  Fideo no.0
5- Roman tomatoes
1-Garlic Clove
1/4-of an Onion
1/4 cup- of cilantro leaves
salt
olive oil
4 cups- of water

Optional: Chicken broth cube - I didn't use any because I was out. It was still delicious !



Friday, July 26, 2013

Water and Witch Hazel to Clean floors ?


 

This morning, I decided to review a post I had seen on Pinterest about The Many Uses of Witch Hazel. One of the recipes was about how it's used to clean floors. So, I decided to test it out since my  Home Made Floor Cleaner recipe was not as successful as I had hoped. You can see the before and after pictures that I've posted. The floors are not as streaky as with the other homemade floor cleaner and they aren't shiny, but they look clean. 

I used a diluted solution;  4 cups of water to 2 tablespoons of witch hazel. I wrapped a piece of towel around my swiffer and learned to not soak the floor but the piece of towel with my solution. I'm slowly learning how to clean floors daily. I think my main improvement in cutting time and work is using a thick towel and soaking it. I actually watched How to Clean Floors video on youtube yesterday for some help. What I like most is that there are no chemicals or strong odors like the vinegar left. I think if I needed a quick floor cleaning I will use this recipe but I still plan on testing more. I really want to get shinier floors.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Its a boy ?

Today, I had another doctor's appointment. Although no ultrasound was done, I was concerned about the range in heart rate from my past appointments.  That was when the doctor said 'based on heart rate it does indicate a boy'. At the moment I was shocked, then I was offered an ultrasound to check the gender. I could know, right there and then. Unfortunately, at that moment my son decided to have a meltdown and I had to leave. By the time I arrived home, I called my husband to relay what the doctor had said. I burst into tears saying 'what am I going to do with two boys?'. My husband still holds the hope its a girl and says we should wait until the 20 week ultrasound to verify.
As the day continued I was sulky, but then I was mad at myself. Just today I read a story of someone having a third miscarriage and becoming high risk. I'm ashamed at myself for being so selfish. I am so lucky to be pregnant. I still hold hope its a girl but I need to be emotionally prepared for a boy. So, to cheer me up I decided to look for some bunk beds for my son's room. If its another boy, they are going to be roommates :) 
Two boys, omg, I'm definitely going to need a lot of patience. My son is wild with enthusiasm and energy. Now I really wish I had started having babies at a younger age! 
As I write this, my son has joined me on the couch with our chihuahua and has given her a kiss on the head.  Then he tried to bear hug her but she growled and left the couch. Now he's trying to start a pillow fight with the chihuahua.  Heaven help me, two wild boys to keep me busy !
By the way, I took the Chinese gender predictor test . It says i'm having a boy :)

UPDATE: 8.29.13
The 20 week ultrasound finally verified it. It's a girl!!! Hooray, I have already gone out and purchased a pink tutu. We were so shocked when the tech said it was a girl, we couldn't believe it. I had already purchased a 'little bro' t-shirt. While we have announced its a girl, we are still holding on to all those boy items. My husband was suppose to be a girl and of coarse when he was born he proved them wrong. So, while we are saying its a girl, we have decided to keep all the receipts and not start any decorating until after the baby is born. I know it sounds nuts, but we prefer to play safe. Just in case :)

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Home Made Floor Cleaning Recipe

Today, I tried the floor cleaning recipe: equal parts water, vinegar and alcohol. 
While my floors are not as shiny as I wish they would be and they look streaky, they look better than before. I think the main issue I have more than a cleaning solution is finding the right mop or floor rag to clean the floors with. I feel the cloth I used today cleaned some areas better than others. Back to trying to find what will make my floors squeaky clean. One thing, the smell of vinegar is overpowering, especially if you're pregnant. I definitely recommend a well ventilated room!
 Tomorrow, I will try the same recipe but with a few drops of dish soap. I hope it works better and I will definitely try a different mop.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Step2 Push Around Buggy - Best toy purchase !

Today, I thought I would share one of the best toys we have purchased for our son. 
This is is the Step 2 Push Around Buggy which I purchased for $20 on craigslist. At first, it was just a toy I could use (other than my stroller) to take my son to the park. Shortly after purchasing it though, it quickly replaced my bob stroller and took its place in the trunk of my car. Now, we take my son everywhere in this, to the mall, the grocery store, Target, duck pond, park etc. I can't say how much we love it and my son loves it too. I can run errands and never deal with him trying to get out, like he use to do with the stroller. It has been a life saver and I can't imagine life without it. 
To be honest, buying everything second hand sometime makes me a little sad inside. In this case though, I was fortunate to purchase the older version. I quickly found out that the older version of this buggy has a removable handle vs. the newer version which is screwed in and not removable. So, when I need to make more room in my car, I can remove the handle. 
This has been one of the best toy purchased we have ever made! life without it is un-imaginable. Not only that, I get so many 'oohs' and 'awwww so cute' when he's in it.
The only downfall is that it doesn't have a cup holder. I did manage to make a cup holder for him, so it's perfect now :)


Monday, July 22, 2013

My son's nursery, can you see what I'm hiding in there?

Can you tell what's being hidden in my son's nursery?
Stuffed animals, they are in the teepee; you can't see them. He has so many he can't go into the teepee any more because of the over population. So, I've had to come to the hard decision of letting go of some and keeping others.
What should I keep? I honestly  think 60% of the stuffed animals are mine, from when I was a child. Each holding a special memory; making it impossible for me to discard. So, those stuffed animals are staying.
What's left? Those stuffed animals that people have given my son. This is the hard part, there are some toys I like and others I don't. Since some were gifted from relatives I feel compelled to keep them. What should I do? is a question I keep on asking myself. Should I have an 'accident' happen to them that will allow me to remove the toy without guilt? Do I give the toy to another child to lessen the guilt? ugh! I need to come up with a plan because those toys make up 40% of the stuffed animal population.
What about future toys? To be honest I feel like sending a text over the holidays stating that stuffed animals will no longer be accepted as gifts. Even though I want too, I feel that would open up a HUGE can of worms.
How can I discourage those gifts? I feel if I don't put a stop to it I will end up with a zoo of toys I don't want. And I will have to get rid of them in a sneaky way which will taint my clean conscious.
I do have a plan to hide some of the toys and make room in the teepee. Although i'm still in the planning stages I hope I will be able to do it.
What will I end up doing with the unwanted stuffed animals? I will go through all of them and pile them into three piles: keep, maybe, gone. Those in the gone pile will be placed in 30-gallon bags and stored into the garage until I can figure out what to do with them next. It's my consciousness that keeps me from just getting rid of them.
I did think of taking a picture of my son with the unwanted stuffed animals as a memory of the toy. Though, doing that I feel would be a constant reminder and what if that picture is seen and questions start about the location of the toy? Part of it is that my husband refuses to get rid of them, since most were gifted from his side of the family. He's not the one who has to maintain order in that nursery and doesn't understand how much valuable space they take up. I don't want to start a fight with him either over stuffed animals. See my dilemma !

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Painting a wall mural (update)

My husband has been working all weekend adding foliage to the mural. It has taken a while since each leave takes time to draw and of coarse trying to get those crisps lines is harder than it looks.
This is what it looks like so far. Really glad I started this project, it adds a lot to the playroom.





Friday, July 19, 2013

Painting a mural for the playroom

Back in December, I had posted how much I wanted the Wondrous Woodland tree wall decal from easy.com. Well, I still can't afford to buy it. So, I started the mural. Yes, finally I started and hopefully my husband will finish it :)

I'm currently pregnant and although I asked Lowe's and searched the web to make sure it would be okay to paint. By day 3 I was nauseously sick because of the paint. So, I had to stop and I asked my husband to finish the project. 

Cost so far $3.00
The brown and beige paint we had in the garage and all I've purchased is a set of 3 angled brushes at Michaels with a 40% coupon. 

So, this is as far as I was able to get. My husband hates the tree on the right so he is going to try and make it prettier. We need to purchase white paint, orange,blue, gray and green paint. Hopefully we can find a good bargain at Lowe's.

WeeRide, Kangaroo Ltd Special Edition, Center-Mounted Bicycle Child Carrier




I am ordering this tomorrow. We had previously ordered the generic model without the seat cover for $59 and we fear the plastic might get too hot. So, we've decided its best to upgrade and get the seat and handle cover. As for how it works? It looks huge in the picture but in real life its small and compact and perfect for any bike ride. I have to admit, from the second my husband took my son for a ride, you could see the smile on both was ear to ear. My husband's main concern was getting use to the riding position. Hopefully, this weekend we will try a longer bike ride.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Photograph to canvas using modpodge



This has to be my favorite wall in the entire house. I want to add more pictures but I just haven't had the time (yes, its on my mile long to-do list). I actually made a video on the whole process : Photograph to canvas using modpodge . It was an easy project and the photos are all from my cell phone (I have an iPhone 4S). The quality is actually great and not grainy. These pictures measure 8x8 and I find that this is the perfect size. If you make them larger and print the photographs as glossy; you get a reflection from the light. So, if you have the time I really recommend this project to cheer up any wall!

Re-decorating my son's playroom :)

This is a picture of my son's playroom. I have to admit, its one of the rooms that keeps on changing the most. As he has grown, the quantity of toys have increased and of coarse the space seems to have decreased. I actually can't stand the room since I can't seem to figure out how to get it to look like those cute playrooms I keep on seeing on pinterest. It's hard because I feel decreasing the number of toys would decrease the fun of the room. And awkward shaped toys make any standard bookshelves impossible to use. Ugh! The rooms has to change and that is exactly what I plan to do over the next couple of months. No more ugly play room!

First a place to sit, see that ikea chair on the left had side of the picture. I actually love that chair, unfortunately so does our black cat. So, every time I go sit in that chair I cringe at all the black fur left after his afternoon nap. Also, de-furring the chair every day, not so much fun ether !
A couch is my solution, somewhere to sit and easily covered by a blanket which can be washed regularly ! Also, having a place to sit and read while my son plays would be awesome!!

I have been looking for couches but have not had any luck. I'm thinking a futon might work. Yay! a reason to go to HOME GOODS :)

Second, adding gates to keep dogs out of the room. The entrance opening of the room is 6 feet wide, making it impossible to find the perfect gate. Especially since we have crown molding which we refuse to drill. So, I found this project on pinterest: Pet Barrier. I'm planning a special trip to the swap meet to purchase fabrics this weekend. And I looked on lowes.com and it seems they have tension rods long enough for the entrance.

Third, I need to have the carpets cleaned. We have actually had them cleaned twice this year but sneaky  chihuahuas (yes, you Peanut & Chiquita!!) have decide to make this their 'potty room'. Ugh!! it makes me so mad but I love those dogs. So, getting the carpets cleaned again before the new baby arrives.

Fourth, a carpet to cover the entire room. I'm just in the research process of this. The room measures 10x13 ft and standard rugs tend to come in 8x10 ft. So, I wanted to find a carpet remnant place that will sell me a rug the size of my room and have them add the edging to match. This is extremely important since baby #2 is on their way and if I remember correctly playing on the floor is their favorite activity.

Fifth, finish painting the room! See the wall on the right, the blue-ish one? I painted that :) But I never finished the edging. Also, I have this dream of painting a mural. I am in LOVE with this Wonderland Tree Wall Decal I found on easy.com. I love, love, love,love it!! Unfortunately, I can't afford it :( If I plan on getting a couch, carpets washed, new carpet and baby gates. Funding for the decals isn't realistic. So, I am going to pain a version of it using my Artograph tracer projector. I have actually started this project but although I ventilated the room and had fans going, I felt extremely nauseous. So, my husband will hopefully finish painting it for me this weekend :) I can't wait to share this mural project when its done :)


Monday, July 15, 2013

Activity bag - coloring book and crayon bag

For a girls birthday gift, I decided to make this activity bag I had seen on pinterest. I have to admit, now that I look at it months later, I really wish I would have used white thread when sewing the velcro! It was my first time doing this project and it took me 2 day to complete. I actually filmed the whole process and posted it on you tube, if anyone is interested or curious of how I made it. 


I also made the crayons shaped like animals out of chocolate molds. I have to admit, that project was not as successful ( I should have used a thicker mold). The chocolate molds created really thin crayons which cracked. Ugh! I was so excited about this gift. I just wish I would have had more time to work on the details.

Overall, I did it and of coarse I will probably be modifying this project so instead of carrying crayons and coloring books. Its going to be carrying emergency diapers, wipes and extra baby outfits. 




Sunday, July 14, 2013

HOMEMADE PAINTS USING CORNSTARCH.....TODDLER ACTIVITY

I find that my toddler loves to get into mischief whenever possible. To avoid major chaos in the house, I decided to make homemade paints. I recently found this website, which had several different recipes to try.

http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/finger-paint-recipes.html#paintrecipe

Making homemade paints was easier that I thought. Although they don't have the paint quality of store bought paints. When the paints touch the paper it looked like a water mess with tint rather than real paint. My son loved it, he loved sitting on the giant piece of paper and pouring paint everywhere! 
It was messy but an activity he enjoyed and I loved how easy it was to clean up. I just rinsed him off with the hose and put the paper in the recycle bin. One thing that did occur is that my son decided to taste the paint. After one taste he decided it wasn't that yummy and I was glad all the ingredients came from my kitchen.

This is the recipe I tried from the website, you should allow almost half and hour too cool completely.

Finger Paint Recipes

Basic Finger Paint 
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 Cup cornstarch
2 Cup water (cold)
Food coloring
Dish detergent (aids in clean up)
Mix sugar and cornstarch together in a saucepan. Add cold water and stir completely. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly about 5 minutes. Cool, then divide into 4 cups or bowls. Add food coloring and a drop of detergent to each bowl.

Read more: http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/finger-paint-recipes.html#ixzz2Z5nc87Mb