Halloween Yarn Wreath

I've been getting my holiday freak on lately, peeps.  I'm out of control.  The other night at dinner, J said to me, "I just realized it's SEPTEMBER & you have our house decorated for Halloween." And I smiled, beaming & replied, "Yes, I know.  This is me, baby.  You don't have to agree."  To which he smiled & said, "I know."  I think he secretly likes it.

I am a yarn wreath-a-holic.  You can see my previous yarn wreaths here & here.  I've made numerous more for friends & gifts.  I've also had people literally knock on my door to ask where they can buy one.  Rad, right?

I usually make my yarn wreaths on my own.  Collin & the other kids never are involved & I usually want my yarn wreaths perfect looking.  Then I saw these wooden Halloween shapes begging to be hot glued onto my wreath & I decided our Halloween wreath would be kid created.

Supplies: A foam or straw wreath.  You can find these at any craft supply store.  (Veteran tip: buy the straw wreaths.  They are wrapped in plastic anyway & significantly cheaper than the foam ones.  This one cost me $2.00.  The foam one was $8.00.)  A skein of yarn.  I usually get a jumbo one & end up using about 3/4 of it.  A Sharpie.  A hot glue gun.  A wreath hanger or ribbon to hang your wreath with.  And lastly, embellishments.  If I hadn't seen these wooden shapes, I would have purchased these cute little black fabric bats they had.  Possibilities are endless.  You can do anything.  Hot glue is a miracle invention bestowed upon us crafters.  Use it!

I sat down & strung my yarn around my wreath during an episode of Real Housewives.  I'm a pro at this, so it only took me an hour.  If it's your first time, it may take you a few hours.  After I was finished, I set aside the wreath for the next day when we would have all the kids together at Abuelita's house in Oxnard for MJ's birthday.

Then?  Then, we colored.  Got our crafty craft on.  I poured markers on the table & let them have at it.

I used a Sharpie to write each of their names on the shape they colored & then hot glued those bad boys onto the wreath so they could see right away how their wreath would look since they wouldn't be able to see it on the door for another few weeks. 

When J, Collin & I got home, I grabbed some ribbon & hung the wreath on our front door.  I don't care that it's September.  Halloween is being celebrated in this house. 

Madison's Ninth Birthday

J, Collin & I travelled to Oxnard, CA this weekend for MJ's birthday. MJ is J's oldest & she & her sister, Andie live with their Mom there.  It was a small party with just the family & of course crafts because, duh.

A few days before, we had gone to Joann's & all of their Halloween stuff was 50% off, so I picked up a few wooden Halloween masks for the kids to all color.  I also picked up supplies for our Halloween wreath (blog coming soon).  The masks ended up costing us around 0.26 each!!!

The girls love anything crafty & as it turns out, so does J.  Homie was serious about his mask.  Even Abuelo Sosa got in on the mask action.  This is why I love crafts.  Everyone can participate & have fun.

After we finished our masks & yarn wreath contributions, it was cake time.  Collin's & Andie's favorite part.

MJ & Andie have always just welcomed Collin into their lives.  It's so sweet to see them encourage him to participate & even wrestle with him on the floor.  They just love on him & are the best big sisters. 

This was Collin's first time meeting J's Abuelo & Abuelita, too & I was a little nervous.  I wanted them to like Collin & see him as another grandchild.  I totally underestimated my kid's charm.  Abuelo & Abuelita instantly took to Collin.  For serious, it was like he has always been a part of their lives.  He cuddled with Abuelita & even let her rock him.  And he watched the PBR with Abuelo.  It was so magical to me to hear them both exclaiming, "Ooooh!!" at the TV each time a rider was bucked off.  

No posing speech was necessary here.  They literally just hang on each other like this.  I know it won't last forever, but I'm gonna soak it up while I can.

Halloween Spider Handprint Craft

If you know me, you know that I am a holiday freak.  Any holiday.  I'm all about celebration & themes.  Right now, our house is being painted.  Every room is done except for our main living space, naturally. The problem with this is that my holiday freak flag can't fly.  I can't decorate my fireplace mantle yet or string yards of Halloween banners all over each room.  Today though, I could no longer keep my freak flag lowered.  I raised that flag & puked Halloween all over any space I could.  We now have black & white chain link garland hanging & dollar store banners & window clings all over this place.  And my flag is flying proudly as if to say, "BOO YAH!"

If you know me, you also know that I am a craft queen.  I have an endless supply of construction paper,  craft paint, stickers, glue, Mod Podge, crayons & any other supply you can name.  I promise you I have it.  Now that I have kids, my crafting has taken on a whole new meaning.  I love coming up with things for Collin to create & display for the holidays.  It also gives him a sense of pride when he sees his creations hanging on our walls or the fridge.  I'm a sucker for handprint art because it's also a fun keepsake.  Collin will have so many of these when he is an adult.  Oy!

Anyway, thought I'd share with you how I did our craft with TWO two year olds & almost NO mess.  Holler at yo' craft Mama!!!

You'll need black & white craft paint or acrylic paint. I happen to have acrylic paint on hand.  Perfectly safe & non-toxic, so don't worry.  Two paint brushes, one big enough to paint the kids' hands & the other small enough to paint in the eyes on the spider.  (I only had three googly eyes, so we painted our eyes in.)  Baby wipes to clean their hands off right away.  Construction paper to put the handprints on.  Lastly, a Sharpie so you can write the names, ages, year, etc for the kids.  Also? Halloween candy. Necessary in this house.

Since I was solo, I coudln't snap any, "during," photos, but I just painted the boys' hand (excluding the thumb so I could get four, "legs") & then helped them place it on the paper.  I painted the same hand again & helped them place it again to form the spider shape.  Then I immediately wiped their hands clean with a baby wipe.  There was no residue or anything from the paint.  It wipes completely clean, I promise. 

Dude, it's hard to get these two year old to hold still.  Hard.  But you can still see how proud they are of their spiders.  Plus, they were allowed to get dirty without complaints from Mama, so it was win-win for them.

While their spiders were drying, I whipped out some crayons & coloring books to keep them entertained.  Collin didn't really care & kept asking for more, "chwoc-it."  Oops.

After the spiders were dry, I pulled some Halloween stickers from my stash & let them embellish their art.  Then I painted in the eyes & smiles since it was a little too hard for them .

Lastly, you display the crap out of the adorable little spider crafts!!!  Collin has noticed them up there at least three times today & says to me, "Hey! Dat's my 'pider! And dat's Ay-eens 'pider!!!"  And then I die.

Step-Brothers, Man

You guys, being a step-parent is hard. Hard stuff. I was never in some fairy tale world where I thought it was going to be easy; I knew what I was getting into & I would not change a moment of my life. Still, it's hard. I didn't carry Aiden in my belly & ease into having two children. Instead, I was given two boys who are only six months apart in age & instantly had to find my bearings. Collin & Aiden are six months apart in age & have been mostly going through the same milestones (potty training) at the same time. Potty training? Is hard. Potty training two? Super hard. Temper tantrums are hard. Temper tantrums times two? Shoot me. ENDOFTHEUNIVERSEHETOOKMYTOY fights? Blow.

But then? Then, there are moments like this where everything is magical & nothing can go wrong in their world. Collin has a best friend & Aiden has a best friend. Squeals & giggles galore. Splashes & face plants that don't hurt because too much fun is being had. This makes every poop filled underwear change, every, "HE TOOK MY BALL!!!" worth it.  

Step-parenting is hard, but so is parenting. I don't think my struggles as a step-mother are that much different than they were as a regular mother. I know for sure the rewards are the same. Love. 

Picnic at the Park

Collin & Aiden get seriously stir crazy on some days. We are lucky to have a park within a five minute driving distance, so I've started taking them there on crazy toddler days. We packed a picnic lunch, lots of water & a couple of shovels & let them have at the park. They really like it. So much so that it's always a giant fight when it's time to go home. The little dudes will be drenched in sweat & clearly ready to go home, but they just wanna stay & play. It is frustrating, but they always end up asleep before I even pull into the driveway at home. 

The weather here in the High Desert is starting to get less hot & a little more bearable, so I'm hoping to be able to take the boys a lot before winter gets here & it's too cold. Andplusalso? Park days make for great nap days. Just sayin'.

Big Bear Day Trip

My sister, whom I lovingly refer to as Seester, & I have both had some major changes going on in our lives the past few months. She had a baby boy; MY FIRST EVER NEPHEW!!! She quit her job as a police officer shortly after because her husband is a US Marine & was stationed in Twentynine Palms, CA. She moved to the Two-Nine about a week before I moved here to Lucerne Valley. The great part about this? SHE LIVES ONLY AN HOUR AWAY! Holler at yo' sis.

She & her husband have been taking time to get to know California with day trips to fun places like Los Angeles to see the Chinese Theater & Roosevelt Hotel...& they came to Big Bear, which is just a ten to fifteen minute drive from where I now live. Naturally, I wanted to show her around Big Bear, so we made a day trip of it.

Guys? I have a serious love affair with Big Bear. If I could live anywhere in the world & Oscoda wasn't an option...because DUH, Oscoda is the best place ever in the world....my second choice would for sure be Big Bear.

It's a small town without being too small. You still get a lot of the amenities of a city, but not overdone. You get the mountains, the glorious lake, tree covered hills & a spunky little, "downtown," with fun shops that welcome pets & you get the best of all four seasons.

Seester & Keith fell in love with Big Bear, too. Keith & J checked out pricing to rent a fishing boat. We may even rent a cabin up there for Christmas!!!

Collin likes Big Bear, too. He can just run free & be a kid. Whenever we go, we usually let him pick any one item he wants from the chocolate shop or candy store. This day, he got super lucky because we hit up both stores & he got to pick something from each. A toy race car filled with little candy race cars from the candy shop & a piece of white chocolate M&M bark from the chocolate shop. Dude was in Heaven.

If you've never been to Big Bear, I definitely recommend going.

Picky Eaters, I Have One

Collin is seriously the pickiest eater on the planet. What's super off-putting about that is that I always cook wholesome, nutritious meals for him & always have. I don't know if it's Mother Nature's payback for me being so picky with my Mom or if it's just that he has had one too many happy meals in his lifetime, but can a Mama catch a break?!?!

Little homie will declare, "Dat's YUCKY!!" at every dinner. And then I have to practically force feed him a taste. Sometimes he will *GASP* enjoy the food I put on his plate & then promptly scarf it down & ask for more. Other times he won't like it & I'll explain, "You don't have to eat it all, but just a little bit. This is all Mama is making tonight & I don't want you to be hungries later." 

I don't want to bargain with him all the time, "One more bite & you can go play." And I don't want him thinking he can just say he doesn't like something so he can get down & go play. But I also don't want to FORCE feed him food if he genuinely hates it. And I also don't want to just make turkey meatloaf or pork chops or, "trees," (broccoli) every single night because I know he will eat them.

We have tried a few different approaches. The other night, we decided to let Collin help make dinner & add the seasonings to our chicken & help put the potatoes in the pan, etc. I thought that maybe if he helped, he would want to eat his creation. But no such luck. We have tried the Small Potatoes song when he has potatoes. Dude don't even care. 

What have you Mama's done? Can anyone offer up some advice on how I can get Collin to eat & try food before immediately declaring it yucky? Does it get better? Am I doomed to turkey meatloaf (recipe coming to the blog soon) & pork chop dinners for the rest of my life? Hold me.

It's a.... (GENDER REVEAL)

I know I've been pretty absent on my ol' blog as of late, but that's just because in amidst of moving & unpacking, we have had the girls here visiting & our lives & house has just been chaos. The girls went back to their Mommy's for school today, so now I feel like we can finally start settling in, creating a routine & I CAN HAZ BLOGGING AGAIN!!! In the meantime, I update frequently on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter.

Unfortunately, Aiden was with his Mama when we did this little shoot, so he didn't get to be a part of it, but he was in our hearts & minds as we got silly with the camera. Also, excuse miss MJ's chonie peepage. Homegirl was too excited for her own good.

That's right, a girl. Collin & Aiden are gonna be in for a rude awakening with all the pink & ruffles & glitter that are about to make an appearance in this house. This place is gonna scream, "Hey, we're having a girl & we're gonna vomit pink all over this house in celebration!!!"

Collin Has an Announcement

I am sure you all have questions. I know I did. This baby was a completely unexpected surprise. It has been a crazy & rough month since finding out. Emotionally & mentally, I have been so drained & worried about everything. My family, what it means for J & I, what it means for Collin, my health. Pregnancy, for me, is not as simple as carrying a baby for nine months. No, for me it means a cerclage, numerous ultrasounds & perinatologist visits, daily Lovenox (blood thinner) injections & weekly progesterone injections. All to keep baby safe & sound inside my belly until it's time to come out. For those who are concerned or curious as to why my pregnancy requires so much intervention, you can read my son Liam's story here.

My pregnancy with Collin was difficult physically & hard on me emotionally. I knew once I saw the, "pregnant," sign flash in my face that this pregnancy would be the same. And this time I was in a completely different place in my personal life. J & I are not married, we live in different states & we both have children from previous relationships. But once I got over the shock & the disappointment in myself & J, I realized how much more love is in my life this time. Collin has been the sweetest big brother already. Clutching his, "baybee pitcher," all the time & taking it everywhere (ultrasounds photo). Exclaiming, "Oh! Baby sewwwww choot!!" whenever anyone will listen. J has been my rock & completely unwavering & supportive. Driving from California to Nevada for every appointment & kissing my tummy reassuringly when we are together. The girls are thrilled & Aiden, well, Aiden is too young to get it yet. There is so much love & support that I can't help but feel like everything will be okay.

J & I have decided to take this on together & move our families in together to create one big, crazy, blended family in J's house in Lucerne Valley, California. We are scared, yes, but happy. I knew shortly after I met J that I would be with him for the rest of my life & I knew I would want children in the future with him. It's happened sooner than I originally planned, but I firmly believe that we are given what God thinks we can handle. I trust Him & His plan for us & I know He has a plan for this child & our family. We both know things are going to be hard. So hard, but we also believe we can conquer whatever is thrown our way.

Collin's Dad & I have been communicating & problem solving through all of this amazingly well. He wasn't excited about the move, of course, but he was wonderful about us working together to create a new schedule for us that would benefit Collin & ensure he got time with his Daddy & Mama & new sibling. I am thankful that Greg & I have maintained a relationship where we can communicate & work together keeping Collin's best interests at heart. It's the hardest thing in the world separating from someone who you created a life with & even harder when that other person is combative or volatile (much like what J & I are struggling with on his end of things), so I am grateful that Greg & I never lose sight of what's important. Collin. And that we have come to an agreement on everything concerning Collin outside of a court room. Because really? No one loves or cares for Collin as much as we do; most certainly not a judge or lawyer whom has never soothed Collin during a long night with a fever,  held him while he blew out his birthday candles or kissed an owie. This is why we have always made sure our efforts stay between us. Even when we disagree, we are committed to finding a solution together. I have much love for the father of my baby boy.

As you have probably gathered, this has been the cause for my Internetland absence as of late. This baby? Is kicking my rear end. Hard. Name the pregnancy symptom, I have it. Severe nausea & dry heaves, fatigue, sore boobs, food aversions, smell aversions, dry skin, acne like whoa, mood swings, nails that grow like they're on steroids, leg hair that rivals a Yeti & emotional outbursts. Oh & PS, my brother in law will be so thrilled that my chin hair has made a reappearance & the encore is no joke.  But, I'm cool. Totally cool. In an OMGISTHATABEARDIMGROWING sort of way.

I am nearing the end of my first trimester & praying to the pregnancy Gods that all of this sickness will disappear with those first weeks. Because sister ain't doing nine months of hairy legged dry heaves.

Of course J & I will be creating some type of pregnancy series, so check back for updates & all the lovely details of my high risk pregnancy. Mmmmm, belly bruises from Lovenox. I bet you can't wait.

For now, we are taking things one day at a time...& today? Today calls for animal fries from In N Out.

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Sweet