I'm Feeling Blue. . .

  

Holy Bajeeeebers. . .This post is wuh-ay overdue.  I've been talking about these projects that I've had in the works for what feels like forever.  Oh, you think this is the big bathroom reveal?  No sweetie, that one's not quite done yet.  Just a little while longer. . .please run down to your local big box store and purchase a small amount of patience.  And then throw some my way, cuz I could really use an extra dose of patience after how long that bathroom is taking me to finish.  It is certainly slow in coming along.  No, this post is about the nightstand that I was refinishing for Tyler's bedroom.  That project is the one we're talking about now.  That's what I've finally gotten finished. 

Above, is the sad little nightstand that I picked up from Goodwill several months ago.  I paid a whopping $10 for it and trust me when I tell you this squat little dude is HEAVY!  I think it's technically categorized as "crate style" furniture and it matches the style that the Little Man already has in his bedroom.  It just needed to be refinished to match the color.  So, after sitting in my garage and getting comfy for a few months, I decided to give it the makeover so that it could finally become a part of the family in Ty's room. 

In case there are any other aspiring nightstand re-doers out there, I remembered to take some step by step pictures along the way but not enough to be considered a tutorial by any means.  Therefore, I hope this post will help someone, but if you need more detailed instructions, I would suggest you check out Sherry & John's projects page over on their blog Young House Love (if you don't already read their blog, it is a MUST ADD to your blogroll!) as that's where I got most of the information that I used to finish this project.

First, I started off by removing the drawer hardware, removing the drawer, and giving the entire piece a nice wipe down with a wet rag.  You can even see in the picture above that some dust had moved in.  I had to give that dust and cobwebbies their eviction papers.   Time to move, Fellas. . .I've got some refinishing to do! 

 As you can see, the top of the piece had some dents, dings, and scratches.  So, in order to get a nice smooth surface that was going to take well to painting, I needed to sand down the entire piece focusing special attention on the top to try to level everything out.  Pay no attention to that screwdriver on top.  It had no part in this production and was simply stopping to take a rest on its way to another project.  Not sure how it snuck its way into the picture.  On top of that, I am now realizing that I got no pictures of the piece after I had sanded it all down.  Sorry about that!  Clearly, I was a little too excited to move onto the next step which was. . . .

Breaking out the primer and cute little foam roller.  Once everything was all sanded down and smooth, it was time to prep the surface with a good latex based primer.  The dude at Home Depot recommended this stuff

Glidden GRIPPER in grey (HD guy said that since I was painting the nightstand a dark blue, the primer would do better if tinted so as not to show through the paint as white).  To apply the primer, I picked up this little Touch UP & Trim Kit which I think cost me about $2.00 total.  It came with the roller and a very convenient little tray.  The size of this roller was perfect for the little nooks and crannies in the nighstand.  A little bit small for the larger surfaces (like the top, sides and back) but I made it work just by working in smaller sections on those areas.  Here are some pics of Getting all Gripper with it

Here's one with the whole piece covered in primer.  In total, I put two coats of primer on just to make sure that everything was nice and covered. 

This is where the lack of pictures will probably do the most damage.  Once I actually started painting, I was just on a roll and didn't even come up for air, let alone to take a picture.  Actually, I had to switch the positioning of the piece so many times in order to paint a different side/angle, I didn't have any time to take pictures.  I was too busy moving, painting, moving again, painting again, etc.  It was a painful rinse & repeat process.  Although, the paint that I used was Valspar Ultra Premium semi gloss in Royal Navy.  This is the same paint (as in, same can of paint--it was leftover!) that the rest of Tyler's bedroom furniture is painted in so I knew it was going to be an exact match.  Plus, it meant I didn't have to buy more paint.  Score!  As for a brush, I used one of my Purdy paintbrushes.  These are the only paintbrushes that I use.  They are more expensive than other brushes, but they are high quality and really produce an excellent finish.  I say that like I have a ton of experience in painting but I don't.  I just copy from those that do and Sherry & John over at YHL certainly qualify as professionals (in my book, at least) in the furniture painting department.  They recommended Purdy so that's what I use! 

After the entire piece was painted, the question of what to do about drawer hardware needed to be addressed.  Initially, I was going to replace the drawer pull and put something else on.  But, as I got the piece painted, I actually kind of liked the lines of the handle that came with it.  That, and reusing the original handle was going to save me from filling in the screw holes left behind if I had decided to use a different handle.  However, something definitely needed to be done with the color.  



I decided to go with a rich brown since Tyler's room has some brown sprinkled througout and I figured a brown handle would tie right into his room.  I also just happened to have a can of glossy brown spray paint in my arsenal so it saved me from the cost of buying a new handle and new spray paint.  I'm all about keeping it cheap!  

Sorry about the sideways picture. 

Two quick coats of spray paint on the handle and it we were ready to put everything back together.  Are you ready for the big reveal? 

TA-DA!!!!  I'll be honest, I'm not toally sold on the brown handle.  I don't think I love it.  It doesn't tie into the lamp and the rest of the room like I thought it would so I'm considering pulling it off and painting it another color.  Maybe red?  Brushed Nickel?  What do you think?  But, I do like the nightstand!  It matches the rest of Tyler's furniture very well and he LOVES having somewhere to put the remote to his TV and his cup of water at night.  Since I have yet to ever highlight Tyler's room, here are a few total package pictures so that you can get a feel for what his room looks like--

Tyler also has a bookshelf on the other side of the room which is the same color as well as a dresser along the wall (you can kind of see the shadow of it in the whole room shot) that is also the same color.  This is probably the one room in my entire house that is as finished as it's going to get with the exception of getting his TV hung on the wall--I can't seem to find the right wall mount for the TV.  Boo! 

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my first little furniture makeover post.  All in all, here's about what I spent to finish the project:

Nighstand: $10 at Goodwill
primer: $11 at Home Depot
foam roller kit for primer: $2

The rest of the items used for the project I already owned so there was no additional expense there.  So, overall, I only spent $23 to get a new piece of funiture in my son's room that totally rounds out the room!

Kid Bathroom Makeover-Part 1

While most normal people were spending their Christmas break visiting friends and family, eating hoards of delicious foods, analyzing their Holiday spending receipts and pondering bankruptcy, or coming up with excuse after excuse to get out of traveling to see those relatives, I was spending quality time with my ipod.  And paintbrush.  And sharing close quarters with a toilet used solely by a six year old boy.  One, which I have recently discovered, possesses the aim of a blind bat.  Fabulous times, let me tell ya!

Since I was off work for almost two weeks (which is unheard of), I'm out of school for a few more weeks (again, almost unheard of), and I (gasp) don't have too many other things on my to-do list other than DIY projects, I figured I'd start to tackle one of the projects which has been on the painfully slow moving to-do list for awhile.  Like, for a year and a half. 

Step into my office. . . .err, my canvas?. . .no, my PROJECT!. . .

This is Tyler's bathroom.  Well, kind of.  I took this picture after I had already started in on some of the makeover.  Oh, not those blue blocks.  Those have been there for a year and a half.  Yeah, I'm a little slow.  I had already started moving in my tool friends and had removed the cabinet doors by time the thought occurred to me to grab my camera and document the process for you blogger friends of mine. 

The next few pictures are courtesy of my over eager six year old.  Ty wanted to help SO bad but there was just no way I could give him a paintbrush during the (much dreaded) cutting in phase.  So, I told him he could be the photographer instead.  I must say that the kid might have some talent.  At least they came out clear.  This pic is of me cutting in around the tub.  Unfortunately, Tyler doesn't know how to zoom in and out on the camera so he didn't capture the interesting way that I had myself positioned with one foot on the edge of the tub and the other braced on the back of the top of the toilet.  This is dangerous work, people! 



Another photo of the cutting in process.  I HATE CUTTING IN!  I don't mind painting. . .well, not a whole lot. . .I don't love it while I'm actually doing it, but I like when it's done.  I'd like painting much better if I could just snap my fingers and have it be done.  Regardless, I HATE cutting in.  It's slow, it's painful (seriously!  My wrists hurt really bad right now.  Typing is killer after painting for several hours!), and it's dreadfully boring.  I'm much happier when the cutting in part is over.  And right now, it's far from over.  So, I'm far from happy. 

I've got to get back to painting.  For now, here's a sneak peek at the progress that I've made so far.  There's some color on the wall.  Be sure to come back soon to catch up on the progress as I go. 

Thrifty Thursday: Fun Christmas Ornament Craft

I love fun, easy, and cheap crafts that I can do with Tyler!  What I love even more, are crafts that we can do together that don't look like they were necessarily done by a six year old and his creativity challenged mother!  Therefore, this craft was P-ER-FECT for us!

Cinnamon Applesauce Christmas Ornaments

Ingredients:

3/4 c. cinnamon (yes, that's alot of cinnamon!)
1/2 c. warmed applesauce (maybe a little more, if needed)

Directions:

Mix cinnamon and applesauce in medium size bowl.  If mixture is too crumbly (i.e. dry), add more applesauce a little bit at a time until mixture forms a nice dough consistency.  Do not add too much applesauce at one time or dough may be too sticky.  Once dough consistency is reached, place dough on large piece of wax paper.  Sprinkle down some cinnamon both on wax paper and on top of dough ball to act as "flour" to keep dough from sticking to wax paper.  Add another sheet of wax paper on top of dough ball and roll to 1/4 inch thickness. 

Sprinkle down more cinnamon as needed to keep dough from sticking.  Once dough is rolled out, use regular cookie cutters to cut out shapes and place on wax paper lined cookie sheet.

Once all shapes have been cut out, use a straw (or similar shaped object) to poke a hole in order to string ribbon through to use as ornament hanger.

Bake in oven on 200 degrees for roughly an hour (maybe more, maybe less) until ornaments feel mostly dry.  Remove from oven and let air dry overnight or until dry and hard.  String ribbon through, hang on tree, and ENJOY!



Things to note, be careful when handling these ornaments once they are done because they are very brittle.  At least, mine are.  We haven't broken one yet but they just seem fairly delicate.  This project was super fun, easy, and cheap (I think I paid like $5 for cinnamon and only used half of it, already had applesauce, and we got about 12 ornaments out of it) and it made the house smell DELICOUS!!!  The ornaments are all sitting in my living room right now waiting to go on the tree and almost a week after making them, I still get a waft of cinnamon scent every time I walk by them.  Now, if you don't like the smell of cinnamon, I wouldn't recommend making these. . .cuz it's gonna smell like a cinnamon factory in your house!  In my case, I don't mind that (trust me, it's better than sweaty six year old boy, wet dog, and old grumpy cat!) so this was great for us! 

Do you have any fun Christmas crafts that you've done lately?  Share them with us!

How I Talk to My Son About Money -- Part 2

Welcome back to my series on how I'm teaching my son about money.  If you haven't read Part 1, you should hop on over and do it here.

4. I set up a savings mechanism for him -- Yes, he has his own savings account but that's not what I'm talking about.  I wanted something that would be visual for him.  So, I set up a jar system that is similar to this:

image courtesy of Target.com

except that our jars are square.  And there are only three of them.  The tallest jar, is his "Savings" jar.  50% of all money that he receives through birthdays, Christmas, or any random little "jobs" he does, goes into this jar.  The next largest jar is is "Share" jar.  25% of everything that he gets goes in this jar.  The money from this jar can be used in any way that Tyler sees fit with only one rule: it has to help someone and that "help" cannot benefit Tyler in any way except for a "feel good" way.  For example, he cannot decide that he wants to use the money from his "Share" jar to buy two identical toys, give one to a disadvantaged kid and then keep one for himself.  The purpose of this jar is to teach Tyler that no matter what we may "want", we should always have the capacity to give to someone else.  So far, he has always decided to use the money toward the Angel that we adopt every year from the Angel Tree at Christmas.  We take the money and go shopping together.  We count it out and I help him determine how much he has and what we can buy for the Angel for that amount of money.  The last jar that he has is the smallest jar, it's his "Spend" jar.  The remaining 25% of all money that he gets goes in this jar.  This is the pool of money that he has to spend on whatever things he wants.  Mostly we use this money at yard sales (which, by the way, are an EXCELLENT way to teach kids about money and bargaining!) but occasionally, Ty will ask to get his "Spend" jar down and count how much is in there if he's got his eye on a particular purchase.  Aside from Birthdays and Christmas, I really don't buy him toys throughout the year.  If he wants something, he's got to earn the money for it.  For the most part, anytime that he gets any money, I make him stick to this particular breakdown.  However, if there's something that he really wants and he's been working really hard toward, it I will sometimes allow him to do some chores (yes, they are six year old appropriate chores. . .I don't have my kid out power washing the house or anything!) to earn some extra money and have 75% go into his spend jar (25% always goes into the share jar--nothing we "want" is ever more important than giving to those less fortunate than us.) so that he can get his money saved up a little faster.  Most of the time, though, he doesn't even complain about money going into his "Save" jar.  He's asked on a couple of occasions what that money is for and I've told him that's the money that we put into his savings account.  Whenever the jar gets full or it's been a year or so, we just dump all the money out and take it into his bank and deposit it.  He doesn't totally understand the concept of banks yet so he still gets a little confused by the fact that we give the teller all his money and he leaves with nothing to show for it.  I'm a little worried that I might be unintentionally creating an irrational fear of banks for the poor kid!  But, I've told him that when he's older, he'll be very very happy that we saved that money for him throughout his life.  Who knows how much it will be, but at least it will be a little something to get him started off in life! 

5. I have him help me clip coupons--I don't force him to do it, but I do incentivize him to help me clip out my Sunday coupons.  I'm trying to teach him about frugality and how to get the best deals on things.  So, I sat him down one Sunday and explained to him what coupons were.  He thought it was pretty interesting that I could, in a sense, use the little slips of paper to pay for part of our groceries.  I wanted to get him involved so I told him that for every coupon that he clips out that I end up using, I'll put a quarter in his "Save" jar.  So, he clips out his little stack of coupons, I go through and put a red mark on every coupon that he clips out and when I end up using it, I tally it up on a slip of paper in my purse.  Once a month, I figure out how much I "owe" him and I put it into his "Save" jar.  It gets him involved and he can see how much work it is to try to save money.  I've been clipping coupons since he was born so he's totally used to seeing Mommy sitting on the floor in the Living Room surrounded by a mess of papers but this way, he can get an idea of how it all works.  Who  knows?  Maybe one day my little baby will be handing the cashier his own stack of coupons to use on his own groceries!

6. I ask his opinion on purchases -- whether it's a pack of cookies at the grocery store, a dress at the mall, or a TV at the electronics store, I ask his input.  Not on all purchases, of course (that would drag out every.single.shopping trip!) but on some discretionary purchases, I'll ask him what he thinks.  It depends on how appealing the item is to him on whether or not he thinks it's worth the X dollars or not.  Seems we buy quite a lot of cookies but not many dresses!  However, the kid is actually pretty good at this already. . .he's told me before to "wait until it goes on sale" or asked me "do we have a coupon for it"!!  I feel like I've made some progress in instilling these lessons in him when I know that he'd love to have that box of cake mix but his first question is whether or not we have a coupon or if it's on sale.  On larger purchases (like a TV), we'll go and look at the TV's, write down the prices of different TV's, and then go home and talk about it.  He's helped me before look up reviews online and we've eliminated items based on what we've found.  Sometimes he'll tell me that he doesn't want me to buy something because it's too much money.  Since I don't ever tell him "we can't afford" something, I know he's doing this because he's making a choice that the particular item is more than he chooses to spend on something. 

Why We Participate in the Angel Tree Program

The Angel Tree Program is something that is very near and dear to my heart.  This is a program that I have participated in at Christmastime every year since I was in college.  Actually, it kind of started before then. . .

 I remember when I was a kid, my mom "adopted" an entire family one year at Christmas.  By "adopting" this family, that meant that my family went out and bought Christmas gifts for the family so that they would have something to open on Christmas Day.  I can't remember how old I was or even how many kids there were in the family, but if my memory serves me correctly, it was a single mom with at least two kids.  I remember that we bought the mom a watch.  Again, I can't remember exactly how old I was, but I'm pretty sure I was younger than 12.  Despite the minor details of the event, this action had a huge impact on me.  My mom was a single mom and to see her doing something so selfless for another mother who wasn't able to do for her own children what my mother was so blessed to be able to do for us was very powerful for me.  Despite growing up in a household where my mom was a single mom with three kids, I had a great childhood.  I didn't live a luxurious life by any means, but my mother provided for us and did it well.  We didn't always get everything we wanted but I don't know that I can ever recall a time where we didn't have what we needed or when my mom was struggling to a point where we had to put off getting things that we needed.  I recognized somewhere in my older elementary school years that not every single parent household was like this.  I didn't fully understand why some of my friends who only had one parent didn't live the same lifestyle I did.  I mean, we had a nice home, a nice car, we had nice clothes, food in the kitchen, nice stuff in our house, bikes to ride, we participated in activities, took vacations, etc.  Not all of my friends had those same blessings.  Once I recognized, through the actions of my mother adopting this family, that some families don't even get to have a Christmas, I vowed to try to make a difference in the life of at least one child every year. 

So, in college, my roomates and I adopted a child each year that we provided Christmas gifts for.  As an adult, I have adopted an Angel each year and provided at least something for that child each year at Christmastime.  It felt good knowing that I was giving back and making a difference in at least one child's life.  However, it wasn't until I had Tyler that I recognized that my regular participation in this program could make a huge difference in his life.  Every year, Tyler and I adopt an Angel off of the Angel Tree at Christmas.  Not just any Angel though, we try to adopt an Angel like him.  A child who is the same age as Tyler and we try to get an Angel who is an only child.  There are two reasons for this: 1. if the child is an only child, I think Tyler feels that the kid is more like him (because he's an only child) and 2. I fully believe in this program, but I hate the thought of multiple children in one household not all being adopted at Christmas or being adopted by different individuals and then there is a huge discrepency in the return of the gifts that have been donated for one of the children.  To better explain that statement, I'll give you a little personal insight.  I have a friend (who, of course, will remain nameless to protect her identity) who is just one of the best people I've ever met.  She is geniunely a beautiful person with an amazing heart and soul.  But, the financial gods haven't always been so kind to her.  She had to turn to Angel Tree (or a similar program) one year to provide holiday gifts to her children.  She has two.  A boy and a girl who are a couple of years apart in age.  The kids were both "adopted" that year but by what we think were different individuals.  My friend's son got almost every toy that was on his wish list and a few other things that the "adopter" had selected for him.  Her daughter got a handmade crochet blanket.  Now, don't get me wrong, a blanket is a wonderful gift.  Especially if it's handmade.  But, this child was too young to understand the situation.  She was too young to understand why her brother got all these toys and she got. . .a blanket.  My friend was thankful that there were people in our community who are willing and able to help those, like her, who need help to provide a great holiday to their kids, but she was left in a tough position to make sure that her daughter woke up on Christmas morning and had something to unwrap that was going to make her as excited as her brother was going to be about his new toys.  To make a long story short, that's pretty much why I try to ensure that we select an Angel who is an only child.  The older Ty gets, though, the harder it's getting to find an Angel who is an only child, though! 

Anyways, each year, Ty and I go together to search the tree trying to find the right Angel.  I let him choose each year whether he wants it to be a girl or a boy his age.  Three years ago, he chose a girl (why?  I don't know.) but the past two years, he's chosen boys.  We then go and pick out an outfit and a few toys for the Angel.  Every year, it gets better and better because Ty understands more about what it is that we're actually doing and he's starting to understand how much of an impact that we are having on someone else.  I think her really likes the fact that he can pick out the toys that we give to the Angel and he knows how excited he would get about the stuff that he's picking out so he thinks they'll be excited too.  The way I explained it to him is that we are very very blessed to have everything that we have.  Not everyone is as blessed.  Some kids' parents can't afford to get them any presents to put under the tree so we do what we can to help those families have something for their kids.  He gets that.  I have hit a rough patch the last two years though.  Tyler insists that Santa will still visit those kids and bring them presents.  What am I supposed to say to that?  Umm. . .Santa only visits families whose parents can afford to buy presents?  Nope, probably not going to cut the mustard on this one.  So, I just explain to him that Santa brings unwrapped presents (because in our house, Santa doesn't wrap anything) and we have SO much fun unwrapping all of the presents from Mom & Dad, right?  Well, don't those kids deserve the fun of unwrapping some presents too?  So far, that's worked.  Maybe once he finds out the truth behind Santa, he'll realize even more what an impact we're making?  I hope so. 

Since this is our first year just the two of us, things have been REALLY financially tight.  I considered not adopting an Angel this year because I was concerned about overstretching myself financially.  But, after careful consideration, I decided that I still needed to do this.  If anything, I needed to do it more this year than in years past.  My mom made such a huge impact on me by her actions as a single mom, I want Tyler to see that even when things are tough, we can always find a way to give back to someone else.  Always.  So, I rearranged some things in the budget and was able to re-allocate $50 to put toward providing something for the Angel.  Plus, I found a toy that I had bought on clearance a while back that I had intended to give to Tyler for Christmas but once I pulled it out, I realized that Ty's dad had given him the exact same toy this year for his birthday.  Score!  Easy Angel Tree gift!  So, aside from the toy, we also got the Angel an outfit, an MP3 player, some earbuds to with it, and some books.  Admittedly, not much but at least Tyler knows that this kid has something that he will be opening on Christmas morning.  As a mom, I feel great knowing that I've been able to do something to help another parent provide something for their child and I feel great knowing that I'm teaching my son lessons on charity, compassion, and thinking about others.

Thrifty Thursday: Frugal Advent Calendar

For this Thrifty Thursday, I have a project that I found to be VERY exciting.  Probably because I thought it up all by my lonesome (thanks to being bored at work!) and also because it's for my little baby bear and I think he's really going to like it!  I have always admired advent calendars but I've never found one that was really just it for me.  I also wanted something that was going to allow me to include activities each day that Ty and I could do together.  So, I made one myself.  And I'm so excited how great it turned out.  I hope you think so too! 


Here's what it took and how much it set me back:

• 24 clothespins--FREE (just stole them from my laundry room) for me but you could probably get a whole big pack at the dollar store for only. . .well, one dolla!
• 3 cans of spray paint (white, red & green)--$3.40 for all three cans @ Wal-Mart
• Sisal rope (need a higher weight rope to hold up all those clothespins)--$6.48 from Lowes but I have a TON leftover so I'll probably finish that rope jar project that I never got around to making for my mom's beach house (Sorry, Mom!)
• 24 mini cards and envelopes--$2.00 from Micheals

You could number the envelopes any way you wanted but I found a super cute set of tiny letter stamps at Wal-Mart for only $.97 plus some small Christmas themed stamps (3 to a package!) for .97 so I splurged on those and an extra ink pad for $.97 also. 

Grand total spent: $14.79--not too shabby when you consider that I now have enough sisal rope to either complete another project or hog tie a herd of wild elephants.  Cuz I sometimes find those walking around in my neighborhood.  Just sayin'.


And here's how I made it happen:

Step 1: I laid out all 24 clothespins on some old newspaper in the garage and seperated them into three groups of 8.  One group was spray painted white, one group red, and one group green.

I put two good coats of the red and green on each side but the white took three coats.

Step 2: I took my mini stamps and spelled out the different numbers from One to Twenty Four on the mini envelopes.  I then took my little Christmas stamps and decorated the envelopes.  This step is totally optional.  You could number the envelopes any way you wanted or decorate them any way you wanted. 

Step 3: I took the Sisal rope and strung it between the two light fixtures that Tyler has hanging in his bedroom.  You'll want somewhere fairly sturdy (tied to a banister going up a stairwell, hung from a mantel, etc) because once all of the clothespins and envelopes are on there, it's fairly heavy. 

Step 4:  Once I had everything else done, dried and tied to the wall, I wrote an activity inside of each of the little cards.  Since I wanted activities that were going to allow Ty and I to spend some extra time together, I included things like:

• Extra snuggles before bed
• Pick out a movie to watch together
• Go on a nature walk
• Breakfast at IHOP
• Paint a picture together
• Do something nice for someone else
• Put together a puzzle together

And other activities that I thought would really help us bond during this crazy stressful time otherwise known was the Holiday season as well as some things that would give Ty an opportunity to learn about the giving that is associated with the Holiday season as opposed to only receiving.

Step 5: After all of the cards were filled and put into their envelopes, I used alternating colors of clothespins to hang the cards on the line.  I started with number Twenty Four and went all the way down to One since the idea is to have a countdown till Xmas.  I'm hoping that by spelling out the numbers, versus just printing the numbers on the envelopes, it will help Tyler with his sight reading skills of numbers.  Always gotta think about the educational spin! 

And there you have it.  An advent calendar that I'm totally in love with!  I put it together last week while Ty was at his dad's house as a suprise for him when he came home to me on Thursday.  He LOVED it!!!  He's gotten so excited about seeing what is inside of each envelope each day.  I've tried to schedule around the fact that he's with his dad 50% of the time so I've included activities on those days that he's with his dad that I thought would be relatively easy for his dad to complete with him.  

What do you think?  Do you have an avent calendar project that you love?  If so, please share!!

How I Talk to and Teach My Son About Money--Part 1

As a mom to a young boy who long ago reached that age where he would ask for every.little.thing that he saw in a store, book, commercial, or on a billboard that he wanted, I rank the importance of teaching my son about money pretty high up there on the totem pole.  Not only do I want Ty to understand how the world works when it comes to money (i.e. stop asking Mommy to buy you every little darn thing because I'm not made of money!), I want him to be prepared to make smart financial decisions when it comes time for him to make those kinds of decisions that matter.  I don't mean to sound like some old foggey here but it seems that kids these days are so entitled.  I mean, they literally have the world at their fingertips.  It just seems like nowadays (I really gotta stop with the old foggey language, don't I?) kids want and kids get.  Don't get me wrong, I induldge my son.  Probably more than I should.  He has a GIGANTIC (bigger than my Master Bedroom!) playroom to prove it.  But, his father is partially to blame for that.  Yep, I blame his dad because he's still a kid himself.  Anyways, I want my son to understand the true meaning of work and making money and the kind of forethought that should go into spending money.  While I am in NO WAY a financial pro (my monthly budget updates will quickly set that perception straight!) nor am I licensed to give out financial advice, I will share with you the tips that I have implemented in my household to help my son learn about money. 

This post is a two-parter so be sure to visit again for Part 2!

1. I never, EVER, tell my son "We can't afford it"-- Instead, I tell Ty that "I don't choose to spend our money on that (particular item) right now."  I honestly can't remember where I picked this up, but I read somewhere a long time ago that the difference between telling a child "I can't afford it" and "I am making a choice not to buy that right now" is more powerful than we adults realize.  To us, telling our kids "No, we can't buy that because we can't afford it" is sometimes an easy way to get our kids to stop asking for something.  In my son's little mind, I don't ever want him to feel like there is ANYTHING in this world that I can't afford.  I mean, who sets those boundaries on what is affordable and what's not?  My opinion of what I can afford might differ greatly from the person sitting next to me.  After all, I know people who make half the salary I do and they drive cars nicer than mine, live in houses nicer than mine, go out to eat at nicer restaurants, wear nicer clothes, etc.  On the flip side, I know people who make a much larger salary than I do and they live very very frugally.  Again, I ask, who defines what we can and can't afford?  I think it's personal preference.  Therefore, just because I don't feel that something falls within my affordability matrix doesn't give me the right to pass that same judgement call along to my son.  That's part of it.  The main reason that I don't ever tell my son that I can't afford something is because I'm his mother.  He looks to me to be the strongest rock in his little life.  Kids don't fully understand yet how the world works.  I don't want to take the chance that he mistakes the fact that I say that we can't "afford" to swing by McDonalds for dinner tonight and takes it to possibly mean that Mommy can't afford food to put into his little belly.  By telling him that I "choose" not to spend "our" (because despite the fact that I'm the Mom and he's the kid and there's a bit of a power differential there, we're a team!) money on something, it implies that we have a choice.  But we are making the choice not to spend our money on that particular thing.  Now, Tyler will sometimes ask "Why?" when I tell him that we're choosing not to spend our money on something. I typically explain to him that there are alot of things that we have to spend our money on just to keep our house going.  I tell him that I choose to really be picky about what I spend our leftover money on and today, I'm being picky about not wanting to spend our leftover money on a toy, a candy, a trip, etc. 

2. I explain how much "dollars" it takes for almost everything-- I started this about a year ago with Tyler.  At first, he didn't fully understand because he couldn't even fully grasp numbers that large sometimes.  But, we started small.  When he wanted a piece of candy, I would say something like "Well, that piece of candy is almost one whole dollar.  Do you think it's wise to spend that much money on one piece of candy?"  We'll talk about it.  I'll ask him what his opinion is and sometimes he will ask me what mine is.  I tell him honestly.  If he asks how much "dollars" (because that's how he asks how much everything is!) our house is (my mortgage payment), I tell him.  I still don't think he can grasp how many dollars that is yet but he knows it's alot.  The only question that I haven't answered honestly yet is how much I make at my job.  To that question, I simply respond "Enough to pay for the things that we need to pay with just the teeniest bit of extra fun thrown in every now and again".  He seems happy with that answer, so I'll stick with it a bit longer.  The last thing I need is him deciding he wants to share my salary while we're out in the grocery store or something.  I've also explained to him that asking someone how much money they make at their jobs is like asking a woman (that's not Mommy) how old she is: you just don't do it!  But in alot of things that we do, we'll talk about money. 

3. I let him pay--no, my son does not pay our bills.  He's six.  Do they even have good paying jobs for six year olds?  If so, I might be interested.  Anyways, another way that I teach him about money is to let him pay.  If we're out somewhere and I have to pay cash for something, I'll give it to him and tell him ahead of time how much I think it will be.  That way, it gives him time to try to count out the money and have it ready.  I also sometimes slip Ty a couple of dollars and tell him that it's for a treat while we're out.  Whatever he has left over, he gets to keep.  I explained to him a little while ago that spending money is like a game.  You have to try to keep as much of your money as possible while still getting what you want.  So, when I give him a couple of dollars to spend, he now tries to find a treat that will make him happy while still having some money left over to save for his money jars (keep reading, I'll explain those later).  If he finds something that he wants, we talk about how much it is.  I'll help him figure out how much money (if any) would be left over if he bought it.  I let him make the decision on his own.  If he asks for my opinion, I'll give it but I usually let him decide.  After all, spending your own money comes down to being able to live with the decisions that you make. 

To be continued. . . . . . Be sure to come back again next week for Part 2!!

Thankful Thursday: From A Six Year Old Perspective

Thrifty Thursday will be back in a couple of weeks.  For this week and next week, I wanted to take a slightly different approach.  So, you're getting Thankful Thursday instead.

On alot of the blogs that I follow, as well as on many of my friends' posts on Facebook, I see people who are calling out one item, place, thing, or concept that they are Thankful for each day.  I've been having a great time reading them all and many of them have touched my heart.  In a random occurance last night, Tyler started naming off this list of things that he was thankful for.  That's where my idea for this post came from.  I literally stopped the car (we were driving home), pulled over and took out a notepad and asked him to start all over again.  Following, is a list of what my sweet and adorable little baby bear said he was thankful for (keep in mind, I'm reiiterating it exactly as he did.  Therefore, grammar may not be 100% correct--that just adds to the cuteness of it all!).

I'm Thankful:

• That I got a home
• For my parents
• That I get to eat lots of food
• That I got shelter
• That I got places to go
• That I got clothes
• For the shoes I put on my feet
• That you have a job
• For my toys
• For my warm cozy bed
• For our TVs
• For Mommy's car 'cuz it takes me places and takes me to school in the rain
• That I have a dog-but I just wish he would listen better
• That you (me, his Mommy) are pretty (really?  Awesome!)
• For Nana, Papa Mark, Nana Dot, Oma & Opa, Grandma & Grandpa, GNana, my Aunts & Uncles, my cousins, my Papa Bear in Heaven,  GPapa in Heaven, even though I never knew him, Gma Toots in Heaven, and all my other family
• That God made medicine to make me feel better when I'm sick
• That God keeps me safe
• That Daddy has a gun to keep me safe (seriously. . .that's what he said.  Be warned, I guess?)
• For the Christmas that I get to have (I think that was a plug for more toys)
• For the trips that we get to go on
• That Santa brings me presents (again, with the plug)
• That my hair doesn't stick up (huh?  Clearly this child doesn't use mirrors!)
• For my teacher who is nice
• For all my friends

At that point, he started going off into the trees and the birds and the grass. . .and I realized that he was just reciting anything he saw out of his window.  I stopped writing at that point.  Plus, my hand hurt like crazy from all of that writing!

Next week, on Thursday (Turkey Day!!), I will post my own Thankful Thursday list. 

What about you. . .what are you thankful for? 

My Little Baby Bear is SIX!

Last Friday, my little baby bear turned six.  SIX!  I can't believe it.  Six years ago, he was just a little 6lb 2oz string bean that resembled ET.  So much so, that I begged his dad to let me name him Ethan Tyler just so that his initials would be E.T.!  Yes, I am a genius. . .I know it.  ;-) 

On Saturday, we had Ty's birthday party.  One of my FAVORITE places (as well as his, naturally) is the Chesterfield Berry Farm which is about 45 minutes away from where we live.  I LOVE it out there!!  Basically, it's a huge family owned farm that has been turned into not only a fabulous farm where you can "pick-your-own" whatever is in season, it's also got a tremendous amount of activities for the kids to partake in!  When trying to decide on what to do for Tyler's party, I wanted something that embodied the great time of year when his birthday falls and this place totally fit the bill.  Here are some pictures from the party.

The food table

I LOVE the Pumpkin Patch!

The very sweet Birthday Boy with a very rare Mt. Dew treat

The big strong boy!

Ty and two of his buddies from football--three very good looking boys!

Overall, a great party.  Although, Mommy's heart is still a little broken that my little baby bear keeps growing up.  He's going to be all growed up before I know it! :-(

Thrifty Thursday--Kid Birthday Parties on the Cheap

Faithful Readers (reader?. . .I'm not convinced that I've advanced in ranks just yet to have plural readers. . .nevertheless), this post is going to be either a quick hit or a multi-parter.   Since I don't really do the best job planning out my posts before I start writing, I don't know yet which it will end up.  I just write people, I don't plan.  I write what's in my heart.  For you.  Anways, this is due to the fact that I'm knee deep in my own child's birthday party right now.  My little baby bear turns 6 (OH MY GAWD. . he's SIX already!) tomorrow and his party is on Saturday.  This means that Mommy is eyeballs (and knees!) deep in frenzied madness to try to get every last detail to come together at the last minute. 

Let's get on with this, shall we?  When planning Tyler's birthday parties, there are a few key areas that I've focused on in the very beginning of of the planning stages to try to both keep myself sane (I heard that snicker, Mom!) and to keep the budget in check.  I say the word budget very loosely.  I have a budget of $200 for his party this year but that's also only my half since his Dad and I are splitting the party 50/50.  So, here are my tips on how to throw a great party for your wee one and keep your budget (however big or small. . .but I like to keep the $$ amount small!) in check.

There are two things that you have to do FIRST: set a budget (even if it's a bit squishy, set a target.  It can always move a little up or down later) that is realistic.  This is important because I could set a $500 budget but if I can't realistically afford to put out $500, why would I set that as my budget?  The other thing is to decide what BASIC kind of party you want.  By this I mean, do you want indoor or outdoor?  At a food establishment (like Chuck-E-Cheese) or at a recreational facility (like Romp-N-Roll or Little Gym) or at a private residence (like your house).  Once you have these two items even remotely figured out, you've already got a great start to your plan.

One tip regarding the budget:

Once you have a total dollar amount that you want to target as the "it" amount, start to break down that total amount into smaller target amounts.  A few categories that you might want to consider are venue, food, cake/cupcakes, goody bags, decorations, and entertainment costs.  Sometimes just breaking the budget down into smaller amounts will help you to realize that your total budget needs to be reviewed.  I mean, it's great to budget $100 for your child's party but if you plan to serve a full meal to 35 guests, give out jam-packed goody bags to 20 kids, and hire Jacky the JackAs err. . .Donkey as the entertainment, you might have a budget that's set a little unrealistically. 

Venue

* Plan Ahead -- I know you've heard this before but I can't say it enough.  Yes, we're busy. . .I sure as heck am, but I start planning Tyler's birthday party anywhere from 4-6 months prior to his actual party.  I select the date that I want to throw his party and I start planning things according to that date.  Trust me, getting the venue that you want when you're calling 6 months in advance is SO much easier than waiting until the party date is looming and you're frantically calling around looking for somewhere. . .ANYWHERE. . .that has an open party room.  That's when things start to get expensive.  And we get desperate.  Because, somewhere along the line, some ridiculously incorrect book led us to believe that disappointing our children on any level, at any time, was only what BAD parents do.  Yeah. 

* Call around--once you get an idea of what type of venue you (or your kids) are looking for, make a list and start calling around and getting information.  Ask them things like "How much is the party package?", "How long do I have use of the room?", "What is included in the price?".  What you're looking for is to see if the venue is going to cover things like food, decorations, invitations, goody bags, activities, etc.  There's a huge difference in paying $400 for a venue that includes most everything and $75 for a venue that includes almost nothing.  The $75 price tag looks appealing but you may soon find out just how quickly the other items can add up to more than $400 once it's all said and done.  That's why you make lists!  See, there's a meaning behind my list madness! 

* Check into places that might not immediately jump into your mind.  Parks, gyms, restaurants, rec centers. . .even our local animal shelter offers birthday party space!  Check into local museums and historical monuments.  If your kid loves trains, and you have a Train Museum in your area it could very well end up being a win/win situation.  This is where having plenty of time to observe and call around to get quotes and information will really help you in finding the right place for your budget.  

This, my friends, has most definitely turned into a multi-post event.  I don't like to write novels that take you all hours to read, nor do I have that much longer left in the day before I have to scuttle off to pick up my little man from school.  So, I will delve deeper into this topic in another Thrifty Thursday post next week.  Until then, be thinking about how you've thrown your own thrifty parties in the past.  What tips do you have to share with all of us?   

My Little Baby's First Day of Kindergarten

I swore this day would never come.  I prayed it would never come.  I tried as hard as I could to make sure it didn't come too fast.  Sure enough, it did.  It came WAY too fast. :(  My little baby started school at the beginning of the month and I've been in a weird funk ever since.  Those of you who have walked this path before me probably know what I'm talking about.  Or, maybe I'm just crazy.  It's possible.  There are these milestones that our kids hit that just remind us so very forceably that they are growing up.  Too fast.  Their first birthday, first steps, first words, first haircut, first day of school. . .it goes on. 


Earlier in September, my baby started Kindergarten.  Being the incredibly overbearing Mommy that I am, I documented (almost) most every movement that we made that morning.  That is, until we got the front door to leave.  It was at that point that I broke down in tears and could no longer see through the lens of my camera to take anymore pictures.

Here's what I was able to capture:

This is what the little man looks like when he wakes up.  He's grumpy.  Very grumpy.  Must get it from his Dad.  I'm sweet as a Georgia Peach when I wake up.  Hmm. . .



I guess he didn't have too much patience for me and the camera that morning.  Okay, I'll go find something else to do, then. 

Like start my coffee.  I have to start my morning off with coffee.  Otherwise, I act like a rotten Georgia Peach.  It can get very ugly.

And I started making my baby breakfast.  Poor baby needs to start his day off with a nice hot breakfast.  Every good mom does this, right? 

Still making that nice hot breakfast for my baby. . .



Almost ready!

That's right!  Getting my sweet pea's morning started off right.  I guess now is the time that I let you in on a little secret.  Ty started school almost a month ago.  I think that's the last time he got a hot, homemade breakfast.  Unless you count a toasted Pop Tart.  In that case, he gets a hot breakfast every morning!

Nevertheless, my little school boy loved it!  As you can tell from the picture, he's in a much better mood now!

OMG. . .he makes my heart hurt!  I swear it just explodes with lovey goodness when I see him. 

And. . .at this point, the pipes behind my eyes broke and I couldn't stop the water from overflowing out around my eyeballs.  Horrible flooding.  Lasted forever a while.  I've filed an insurance claim for the damages.  It was massive. 

Overall, the little dude likes school and feels so grown up now that he goes to "big boy" school.  He keeps asking me when he's going to high school.  I tell him that if I have my way, he'll never go to high school. Still working on that formula to keep him little forever!

How about your little ones?  Anyone else have a little guy or gal who started their first day of Kindergarten recently?  Share your (sob) story with us!