Three Is...

When I was the proud owner of a two year-old, there was much talk about the dreaded "terrible twos".  

As a toddler, when Max acted up in public or in front of family, the excuse was often made, "oh, it's just the terrible twos", as if it were some sort of plague that effected all kids of that age, throughout the history of time.  I never really considered it to be all that terrible though, to be honest.  There were good days and there were bad, but the entire second year, couldn't be written off as terrible.

When Max's third birthday was upon us, I began to hear, much more often than I preferred, "if you thought two was bad, three is worse".  "Threenager" was term that was thrown around often, but since I really didn't think that two was more than I could handle (for the most part), I wasn't quite sure what to expect during the impending third year.

I've read countless Facebook posts written by friends, articles, and blog posts about the behavior of three year-olds, particularly this one, that I came across recently, which had me laughing out loud, and inspired me to reflect a bit on what this age has been like for us, now that I have a few months of experience parenting a three year-old under my belt.

Here's a little list of what three is like in my opinion.

Three is...

Three is a kid who prefers a diet made up wholly of fruit snacks, pirates booty, and waffles.  A kid who refuses to sit down and eat a meal, no matter how much you beg and plead, and who feels as though he has rightfully earned a dessert after eating only a half a dinner roll with butter for dinner.

Three is a kid who tells you he doesn't need to go potty, even after you ask him no less then 5 times before leaving the house, and then religiously needs to go as soon as you get to the end of your road.

Three is a kid who rips toys right out of his younger sister's hands, and shows no shame as she cries hysterically and throws herself on the floor.

Three is a kid that makes a game out of getting dressed every. single. day.  It doesn't matter if you are getting ready to go somewhere fun, or somewhere he wants to go.  Getting him dressed will no doubt turn into a WWE wrestling match.

Three is a kid, who "isn't tired", and who refuses a nap, only to fall asleep within 5 minutes of being left alone in his quiet room.

Three is a kid who throws a tantrum loud enough for everyone to hear, when you refuse to buy him a $30 Lego set at Target for no reason.

Three is a kid who tells you you're "being rude", or a "bad mommy or daddy", when you don't let him do whatever he wants.

But Three is also....

Three is a kid who announces loud enough for anyone within earshot in Target to hear, that you are "the best mommy in the whole wide world"

Three is a kid who gives his sister a hug every single morning when he wakes up and exclaims, "good morning Ella, I missed you".

Three is a kid who tells you countless times a day that you are his best buddy.

Three is a kid that gives the greatest hugs and is the best snuggler around.

Three is a kid that tells you and your husband, countless times each night before bed, that he loves you "berry much"

Three is a kid who walks out of his preschool classroom at pick up time and gives his sister a huge hug, making all of the waiting parent's hearts melt.

Three is a kid that replies "You're berry, berry welcome mama" whenever you thank him for doing something"

Three is a kid who calls out to random strangers across a store, "Hiiii, how are you today?.

The bottom line...

Three is just one year, in a very short sequence of years.  You only get to experience each year one time, and that's it.  

Sure three is tough, sure there are days that I want to rip my hair out, sure there are days where the term "threenager" couldn't ring more true, but there are also good days, and even better moments.

When we're having a tough day, I have to remind myself, that Max is only three.  He's little, and he's only going to be for a short time.  Someday I will miss this age (I'm sure particularly upon entering the teenage years), and I'll probably look back and think that three really wasn't all that bad.  Just like two wasn't.

So even if your three year-old is acting up, and making you crazy, try to remind yourself, as someone who's been there always does, that the days are long, but the years are short.  This too shall pass, so live in the present and savor the moment... even when it isn't so easy to do so.

Just some sentimental thoughts... now I'm off to break up a full-out brawl over a Buzz Lightyear doll!

Playroom Inspiration

pom pom pillow | striped pillow | table | chairs

felt ball garland | pouf | paint color (North Star)

storage baskets | shelving unit

One of the main things that attracted me to our new house when I first stumbled across the listing, was the fact that it had a huge finished basement/rec room.  I instantly envisioned our family spending countless hours in this space, and had big plans to use it as both a family room and playroom.

The fact that I could potentially hide the disaster that results when M&E run wild in their play area, in the basement, rather than where everyone could see it, was a HUGE win in my opinion.

I had dreams of an immaculate, well decorated, main floor that featured a couch where you could no longer find puffs between the cushions, baskets full of beautiful pillows and throws vs. junk, and mess that was out of sight, out of mind.

But... as we all know... plans change.

I quickly realized that spending so much time in the basement wasn't really convenient for our family, particularly me, being home with 2 (3 come April) kids all day.  The main floor of our house is where stuff gets done.  It's where our laundry room is, where I do my cooking, wash the dishes, pay the bills, and sit down to write these blog posts... So the wheels began to turn.

Many of my friends have opted to turn their formal dining rooms into playrooms.  They felt that the space could be better utilized that way, and would be a great room for their little ones to play in, while they could tend to the long list of chores around the house and still keep a close eye on them.

I quickly began to realize this was also true for us.

As much as I love a formal dining room, the reality is, we wouldn't use one very often.  We have an eat-in kitchen, and don't currently live near many of our friends and family, so using the room in this way just makes more sense for us.

Last week, we began the painting portion of this "makeover", and over time I have been making some small purchases in terms of decor.  I'm planning on sharing the "after" photos with you all sometime in the next week or so, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share a little mood board with you all.

The vision for this room includes neutral walls (North Star), black and white, pops of color, and using the kid's own artwork as decor.  A very small section of the room will hold my desk, so I can work on things for my Etsy shop and the blog, while the kids play beside me, and my hope is that in the future I will be able to tend to the new baby while Max and Ella enjoy their toys nearby.

I can't wait to show you the end result, but for now it's bye bye burgundy walls, and hello operation modern playroom.  Stay Tuned.

Swoon Worthy

Cheers to the weekend my friends... after what seemed like the longest week ever, I couldn't be more thrilled that Saturday is upon us.

I'm hoping to use the next few days to get our home decorated for Halloween. I'm always big on decorating for fall, like as soon as September hits, but I generally lose some steam when it comes to Halloween decor.  Now that M&E are getting a little older, they're pretty fascinated by all of the fun spider webs, bats, and jack-o-lanterns that they see every time we walk through Target, so I picked up a few fun festive items, and hope to get down to it sometime over the next couple of days.

As always... In the meantime, here's what I'm swooning over this week!

1.  Iced or hot... every since my pregnancy induced coffee aversion began, I can't get enough of this stuff in its place.

2.  I love a good, festive, holiday garland.

3.  I'm only a little bit sorry (not sorry) for linking yet another pumpkin related recipe.

4.  I still swear up and down that these are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned... This black pair is next on my my-have list.

5.  This article sums up so many of the feelings that I have about parenting.

6.  A little throw back to last year around this time, because I think it's time to make this snack mix again.

7.  I stumbled upon this sweater this past week, bought it, and see it getting A LOT of wear over the next few months.

8.  How adorable are these happy little pumpkins?!?

9.  I really need to find out whether baby #3 is a boy or a girl... but in the meantime, I'll take one of these in every color please!

10.  Officially addicted to this stuff.

Have a great weekend!

Pumpkin Dip

Several years ago, back when I was still a working woman, someone in my office brought in the most amazing pumpkin dip for a fall party that we were having.

Naturally, being the pumpkin advocate that I am, I was all about this dip... I kept going back for more (and more).

Because I was feeling the need to replicate the dish at home, of course I asked my co-worker for the recipe.  She listed off the ingredients, which in that moment, I logged in my memory like any good pumpkin lover would.

Over the years, the precise recipe has sort of slipped  from my mind, yet every fall I still manage to whip it up at least a few times, sort of just been winging it when it comes to measurements/exact ingredients. Never the less, it is still always delicious and highly addicting... so last fall, I made it a point to write down exactly what I did, my own sort of rendition of the original recipe, if you will.

This dip requires only a handful of ingredients, most of which you likely already have on hand, and it whips up in moments.  It's great to take to a party... or for hoarding all for yourself... not that I'm encouraging that or anything.

Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package of softened cream cheese

1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin puree

1.5 cups confectioners sugar

1 Tbs ground cinnamon

1/2 Tbs pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp orange juice

To Prepare

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer (I use my Kitchenaid for this), cream together the cream cheese and confectioners sugar using a hand mixer (if you do not have a stand mixer).  Add in pumpkin puree and continue to blend. Lastly add the spices and orange juice, until all ingredients are well blended.

Chill until ready to serve.

Serve with Nilla Wafers (my personal favorite), ginger snaps, graham crackers, or whatever you prefer. Enjoy!

Non-Truths I Tell Myself and My Children

... Because I can't call them Lies!

1.  "The baby deserves a treat" while stuffing something in my mouth that clearly offers zero health benefits to my child in utero... Case in point the hot chocolate, pictured above, with all the fixin's.

2.  "That is mommy's medicine", when Max finds my secret candy stash in the pantry and asks what something is.

3.  That the fruit snacks that my three year old is addicted to, are both fruit and a snack... so therefor they're healthy.

4.  That it is completely acceptable to wear my maternity leggings, even when I am not pregnant, because they are comfortable and no one can tell the difference (this is much easier to admit now that I actually am pregnant!).

5.  "It's raining outside", when M&E want to go outside for the third time in one day to play, and I'm just too tired to humor them.  The sad part is, Max now knows when it's raining and when it's not.

6.  And last... but most definitely not least, that I don't miss wine right now... because I do, I do so much!

Weekend Recap aka The Big Purge

Normally on Mondays (or sometimes Tuesdays, depending on how our week kicks off), I like to do a little recap, here on the blog, of our weekend.  It's usually mostly photos, you know, for memories sake.  This past weekend however, nothing photo-worthy occurred.  There were no trips to the pumpkin patch, there was no apple picking taking place... this past weekend, the only thing that happened around here was a little thing I like to call "The Big Purge".

Every once and while, I start to feel a little overwhelmed with all of the "stuff" that is accumulating around the house.  My OCD starts to kick in, and I begin to feel a little claustrophobic, like the walls are closing in on me.

I'm sure you know what I mean... Mail starts piling up because you haven't taken the time to sort it, toys are strewn about, and when it comes time to do the seasonal closet swap out, you realize just how long it's been since you've worn that shirt that's in there just taking up space.  Case in point, the size 2 flare jeans from American Eagle that, let's be honest, I won't be wearing anytime soon.

Between the 2 kids, and the exhaustion the one on the way has been causing, things have gotten away from me just a bit... but this weekend, I was motivated in every way to take charge, and regain command of our surroundings, which is where "The Big Purge" came in.

If you haven't already heard of "The-Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up", the book that is being posted all over social media, and has made it's way to the top of the NY Times Best Seller list, consider yourself enlightened.  I was intrigued after stumbling across the title several times, so I downloaded it to my kindle this weekend, and dove in head first.

This book gets rave reviews, and people swear by the author's method for tidying up, and keeping it that way.  So far, being the sucker that I am, she has me sold.  Shortly after I began reading, I was really motivated to start simplifying... to start surrounding myself with more quality, and less quantity.

Now like I said, I just started reading, so I can't confidently provide my own reviews on Kondo's method just yet, but she certainly has the wheels in my head turning.

We spent the entire weekend pitching (donating) all of the clothes, shoes, and accessories that we just aren't wearing, and the resulting pile of stuff was honestly embarrassing.  I feel like I have a tendency to hold on to items based on a "what if" mind set.  What if I lose a ton of weight after I have the baby?  What if someday I want to wear that dress again?  What if those pants come back in style?  Yet the truth of the matter is, it's all just taking up space, and crowding the view of the stuff I really want to see when I look in my closet.

Downloading this book, and getting rid of so much unnecessary stuff has led me to also become curious about this whole "capsule wardrobe" concept.  If you haven't heard of this trend, it basically operates on the idea that for each season a person should only own a certain number of essential items.  These items are things that you will love to wear again and again, they are comfortable, and they are versatile... and most importantly, they can be mixed and matched to achieve several different looks.

Naturally I turned to Pinterest for some inspiration, and given the circumstances was mostly drawn to "Maternity Capsule Wardrobe" pins, but I wanted to share a few here, so you get the idea.

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All of this has inspired me to come up with my own capsule wardrobe inspiration board, while I think about whether or not the fashion lover in me can really pair down my closet this much, but it's certainly something worth considering

Have any of you tried this method?  I'd love to hear about it if you have.  I'll definitely share the details here if I decide to take the plunge... I just can't decide if I'm brave enough to do it or not, but I have to say that purging so much this past weekend felt really good, and it's kind of addicting!

Swoon Worthy

 

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October is officially here, and I don't know how the weather is where you all are, but the temperatures here in New York have dropped quite a bit this past week.  It doesn't seem that we're going to be climbing out of the low to mid 50's this weekend, which means it really and truly feels like fall now (yipee!)

This time of year, through the holidays, is my favorite time to put together these Swoon Worthy lists. There is just so much fun and festive stuff out there to share.  Plus, if you add to that, that my pregnancy is now "out there" to all of you, I can be even more shameless about adding recipe links, based on what I am craving at any given moment... These lists could get really interesting over the next few months.

So, grab your PSL, hot tea, whatever you're drink of choice is, and let's jump right into this week's list!

1.  I just love it when two of my favorite companies come together in a collaboration that produces such an awesome line for babes.

2.  If you've been following along for even a short time, you know all about my love for one-pot pasta dishes.  This one sounds just perfect for fall!

3.  Every year, I like to add a few more books to our Halloween collection.  This book is one of our favorites this year.

4.  If you guys remember, when we were moving from Pittsburgh to NY, I was obsessed with the "Love grows best in little houses like this" quote... well, I still am, and I just discovered that an artist whom I adore, makes this amazing throw pillow.

5.  Pumpkin oatmeal cream pies.  Be still my pumpkin loving heart.

6.  I'm so in love with the ankle boot trend again this fall.  This pair is a great find for the price.

7.  If those of you with little ones aren't already following this lady, you must.  She blogs about the greatest deals and trendiest items, I can't tell you how many times her site has hooked me up with a great deal on something I wanted for M&E.

8.  Yup, you guessed it, another pumpkin recipe... these baked pumpkin donut holes are on my to-do list this weekend!

9.  Itty bitty ponchos get me every time!

10.  Looking for some creative decor, food, and costume ideas for Halloween?  These guys have you covered.

I hope, as always, that you all have an amazing weekend!