Letting In The Light

This little project started a few months ago when either Archer or Lyla (I'm still not sure who did it, but my money's on Archer) decided to yank on the curtains in the living room.  Their tugs caused the flimsy brackets to bend and the curtain rod to hang at a lovely angle.  I tried to just bend the brackets back into place and that did work a couple times.  But eventually the bracket had had enough bending and just broke.  So it was time to replace the curtain rods.  

The curtain rods that were hanging were just inexpensive ones I got when we first moved in.  They were cheap and the oil-rubbed bronze finish blended in with the chocolate brown walls.  So I decided to go bold and make a statement with new rods.  I ended up getting these from Lowe's.  I looked all over the place before I decided on these.  I wanted them to be super sturdy with substantial brackets that could withstand a little tugging here and there.  These fit the bill.  

I decided to go with the brass finish so they would stand out from the wall and add a bit of drama.  The modern style of the rod made the brass look fresh instead of dated.  We've also got a few brass decor items which helped tie the new rods into the rest of the space.  

Hanging them up proved to be a bit tricky.  There's really only one height they can be hung from since there's so little space between the top of the window frame and the crown molding.  But I did want to extend the rod our further from the sides of the window.  Hanging the curtains so they just barely cover the sides of the window frame helped make the windows look bigger and allow maximum light into the space.  I ran into some sort of metal plate right in the spot I wanted to hang my bracket.  I don't even want to admit how many holes I drilled in the wall trying to find a place I could put my drywall anchors!  But eventually I found a spot that would work.  Just don't measure the distance from the brackets to the window frame on each side of the window.  They definitely won't be even!  But you can't tell with the naked eye.    

I really didn't think this change would make that much of a difference, so I didn't think to take pictures along the way.  But it totally transforms the space now!  To make an even bigger difference, we decided to take down the blinds.  This was actually my mother-in-law's idea (Thanks, Janet!) and it was an excellent one!  When she stayed with the kids overnight, she just closed the curtains over the blinds instead of lowering them and pulling them shut.  It definitely saved a bunch of time!  Each morning I would raise the blinds and stick the cords up and out of Lyla and Archer's way.  Then I'd have to lower them at night.  It was a big pain in the butt!  So when Janet suggested just closing the curtains each night, it was as if a giant light bulb went off in my head.  Why did we even need the blinds if we were going to just close the curtains each night?  The curtains are heavy duty and have a lining, so they offer up plenty of privacy in the evening.  

So Adam and I took the blinds down one evening after the kids went to bed.  The sunshine filled up the living room the next morning and made me so very happy!  Plus, I didn't have to mess with raising and lowering the blinds each day.  For some reason, I had it in my head that windows have to have blinds, even if there were curtains.  But I'm happy to break that "rule" now!  

We did have to fill the holes and touch up the paint where the blind brackets were.  But luckily we had leftover paint so it wasn't a big deal.  I love our living room even more now!  Who knew removing something from a space could make it that much better?  Jazzy and the kids love the blind-free windows too!  They all appreciate the unobstructed view of the neighborhood and I find all three gazing out the windows, especially when a trash truck comes rumbling down our street. 

I dug up some older before photos to help illustrate what a difference hanging the curtains wider and the new curtain rods make.  Here's a view from before: 

 

And here's the view now.  Such a brighter, cleaner view! 

My dining room blinds better watch out!  I'm coming for them next! 

DIY Reusable Grocery Bags

I've been using reusable bags for our groceries for years now.  When I remember to get them out of the trunk, that is.  I've been wanting to get some bags that could be washed (hello, leaking chicken!) and would last a long, long time. 

So I hunted down some canvas bags on Amazon.  I picked some that had a bottom gusset, which means they expand a bit on the bottom and were machine washable.  The main reason I wanted to get new bags was so I wouldn't be putting produce in the same bag I used for chicken last time.  I also wanted to get some that were heavy duty and just the right size.  I was previously using some that were huge, but I would overload them and the heavy load caused the straps to start to rip.  Luckily, those old bags were 100% recyclable, so I chucked them in my recycle bin as soon as the new ones arrived. 

I didn't want to have to wash my bags every time I used them.  I just wanted the option in case one got dirty.  So that meant I needed to figure out a way to identify which type of groceries to put in each bag.  Enter, the trusty paint pen.  I had this paint pen leftover from a previous project.  You can find paint pens at craft stores or Amazon.  Just make sure you look for one that says "permanent" if you plan to wash them.   

I ended up getting four bags, so I thought about the four categories most of my groceries could fit in.  Produce, Dry Goods, Meat, and Dairy ended up being my categories.  While these don't cover everything, it definitely covers most of my groceries.  I also bring along this freezer bag for frozen groceries.  (I should also mention I shop at Aldi, which means I bag my own groceries.  I wouldn't expect a bagger at another grocery store to adhere to my bag labels.)

Once I had my categories nailed down, I just neatly wrote the categories down on each bag.  I thought about doing some sort of fancy cursive, but decided to stick with a simple font that can be easily read.  Usually I have Archer and Lyla with me, so I need to hustle when it comes time to bag since the snacks are running low by this point in the shopping trip.      

The paint pen claimed to be permanent, so I wanted to wash them once to test the claim.  The bags came out great and are currently stashed in my trunk!  I tried them out the other day and they worked out beautifully!  

There's nothing like making grocery shopping just a little easier and more exciting!  

Flying With Twin Toddlers

Let me begin by saying I share these tips with the full knowledge that they won't work for everyone.  Having two kids at once is perfect proof that no two kids are the same and what works one day will likely not work the next day.  However, I'm sharing these tips because you never know what might work.  Hopefully these tips will work for some poor parents who get the privilege of flying with a squirming toddler on their lap.

The idea of getting to share new experiences with Archer and Lyla is just plain exciting to me.  I absolutely love getting to go on new adventures with my kids and see those adventures through their eyes.  But getting to the location of those adventures is a whole other story!

Adam and I decided to travel to Chicago with Archer and Lyla a couple weeks ago.  We landed on Chicago because it was a short flight (only about an hour) and had tons of fun things to do as a family.  When we booked the flight months ago, we told ourselves the kids would be older and better equipped to handle a flight.  Fast forward a few months and I was in a blind panic thinking about how in the world our energetic, willful children could possibly sit in our laps for a flight.

So I set out to prepare as much as I could.  I told myself tons of people fly with toddlers all the time.  We could do this!  Here are a few tips that ended up helping us out:

Consider the Logistics

The first thing we had to think about were the logistics of handling the kids and luggage.  We planned to get around via public transportation once we made it to Chicago.  Adam felt pretty confident navigating the trains and buses.  Plus, we wouldn't have to deal with parking in a busy city or bringing car seats.  So that meant we would have both kids and luggage to contend with once we arrived in Chicago.  Most people would just bring a stroller along, since you can gate check it at the airport.  But Archer and Lyla don't like to be confined to the stroller for very long.  The last thing I wanted to deal with was a bunch of luggage and two screaming toddlers in a stroller.  Or having to push an empty stroller while we run after our children.  Plus, I wasn't sure how getting a stroller on the train from the airport would work.  After carefully considering our options and our children's temperaments, we opted not to bring a stroller to the airport.  Luckily for us, the place we stayed at in Chicago had a double stroller available for us to use once we arrived at the condo.

It turned out to be the right option for us.  Now, if I was traveling alone, I would definitely need the stroller to keep my kids from running away.  But since both Adam and I were there, we felt comfortable with one person managing the luggage, while the other handled the kids.

Pack as Lightly as Possible

Kids definitely require a lot of stuff.  But it was still my goal to pack as lightly as possible.  We ended up packing two suitcases (which we checked) and two backpacks.  I was pretty proud of myself for not going overboard with a bunch of stuff.  I tried to stick with the stuff I knew we would definitely need (diapers, sound machines, snacks) and not get caught up trying to plan for every possible unexpected event.

I did the math to calculate approximately how many diapers we would use and only packed one extra outfit for each of us.  The condo we stayed in had a washer and dryer, so I knew I could always throw in a load of laundry if necessary.

I also didn't pack a ton of toys for the kids to play with while we were in the condo.  I only brought along two small cars, a pack of flashcards, two bedtime books they are familiar with and love, and balloons.  The balloons are nice because they don't take up any room at all!  And Archer and Lyla were perfectly content the whole time!

Another thing that helped with packing was to create little rolls to keep each kids' outfits together.  I stacked shorts/skirt on top of the shirt and rolled it up with a pair of socks.  That definitely saved space in the suitcase and also made it easy to get the kids ready each morning.  

 

Run While You Can! 

Allowing the kids to do a lot of walking and running prior to getting on the airplane helped them burn off some energy.  The Kansas City airport wasn't very busy, so they had more room to run around without getting in other people's way.  We found some stairs and let them climb them a few times.  They found a little ledge that was a step off the ground and let them walk back and forth across it for awhile.  We just kinda let them take the lead and move while they could.

Our flight back from Chicago was a little bit trickier.  We flew out of Midway and it was definitely a lot busier and crowded than the Kansas City airport.  We had to do a bit more monitoring to make sure they weren't getting in other people's way.  They loved the moving walkways!  Archer particularly enjoyed running full speed across them, so I'm sure I gave a few people a good show running after him before he got to the end.

Letting them move around before each flight definitely helped!

Snacks, Snacks, and More Snacks

Lyla and Archer are highly motivated by food and need to eat at least every three hours or else they get HANGRY.  I made sure to pack a ton of snacks.  I would wager to say 25 percent of our luggage was made up of snacks.  I did not want to run out!

I also got some "new to Archer and Lyla" snacks.  I picked up some snacks they hadn't ever had before in hopes that they would elicit some excitement.  I also brought a few tried and true ones.  It was a good thing too!  I brought some of those little bread sticks you dip in cheese.  While Lyla absolutely loved it, Archer was not at all interested.  So I would recommend bringing a mix of both. 

Cheese dip aside, I tried to pick snacks that weren't super messy.  I also brought along their snack cups to help minimize dropping an entire package of teddy grahams on the floor of the airplane.

I also brought along their sippy cups.  We made sure to empty them out before we went through security and fill them up with water before we got on the plane.  These sippy cups worked out great because you have to suck a bit to get anything out, which helped their ears acclimate to the pressure changes.  And I love them because they don't leak, even if someone happens to chuck it across the room.

Flight-Friendly Activities 

I wanted to pack flight-friendly activities that wouldn't take up a lot of space or be too messy.  I didn't want things with lots of little pieces that could be dropped and I didn't want anything too bulky.  I also didn't want to spend a fortune buying a bunch of new things.  So I settled on a good collection of things that miraculously kept Archer and Lyla entertained.

I divided up the activities and put one set in each backpack.  So Adam had a set with his backpack, while I had a set in the diaper bag backpack.  We switched sets on the flight home and it was like brand new activities for each kid!

• Highlights Magazines- We already get a subscription to Highlights magazine (the Hello version meant for ages 0-2), so I kept the latest edition as a surprise for the flight.  They always enjoy looking through the new pages.  (By the way, if you enter your email address, you can get $5 off if you are interested in purchasing a subscription.)  Plus, it's very thin and doesn't take up lots of space.
• Indestructibles Books- Lyla and Archer got a couple of these books when they were babies (Thanks, Sherry!).  They can't be ripped or torn and it doesn't matter if they get wet.  I like them because they are thin and can't get damaged.  I checked out a bunch at my local library (for free!) and kept them a surprise for the trip.  A lot of them don't have any words, but we had fun finding different objects and pointing out colors.  
• Water Wow!- These were the two things I did purchase for the trip.  These little books can be "painted" on with water and a picture shows up as you "paint."  You just fill up the included paintbrush with a little water and you are good to go.  And the when the water dries, you can re-paint the pages.  Archer and Lyla did enjoy these.  And the amount of water used is minimal, so it doesn't make a big mess.  At one point, Lyla was just sucking water out of the paintbrush.  But she was quiet and sitting still, so I just let her do it.  
• Kids' Meal Toys- The little cardboard things at the top right of the photo are actually toys that came with a kids' meal at Wendy's.  It was just a picture with flaps you can lift up.  Lyla and Archer are really into lifting and turning things, so I thought this would be high quality entertainment and it was!  I've since started saving the toys from kids' meals for future trips.  They don't understand a toy comes with the meal yet, so I'm just stashing them away.  
• Candy & A Pill Case- I brought along this activity as a last-resort sort of activity.  A friend of mine (Thanks, Lindsey!) recommended this activity.  They could use their problem-solving skills to get to the candy.  I had an old pill case lying around, so I just washed it and brought it along.  And the Smarties were leftover Easter candy...it's probably still good right?  So it didn't cost a thing.  Luckily, we didn't have to pull it out on the flight.  But I did have to pull out some of that candy at the zoo when they were both having meltdowns.  They rarely get any candy, so it's enough to pull them out of whatever craziness they are experiencing.  

These activities were more than enough entertainment for the hour flight.  And they didn't take up a lot of precious space or cost a fortune.  Adam and I planned to use our phones, if necessary.  They are big fans of looking at pictures and videos of themselves.  But they did just fine with the other activities.  

Hide Their Favorite Toy

My friend Kelsey (Thanks!!) gave me this tip and it was a good one!  She told me to hide Lyla and Archer's favorite toy a week before the flight.  I picked a stuffed Elmo for Archer and one of Lyla's baby dolls.  Then, when they got a bit restless, Adam and I pulled out their toys and you should have seen the joy on their faces!  They definitely spent some time just looking at and snuggling their toys. 

It Doesn't Hurt to Ask

We had the biggest stroke of luck on our flight to Chicago.  As we were boarding, the attendant told us there were supposed to be a few empty seats on our flight.  So that meant Archer and Lyla could have a seat to themselves!  We didn't even think to ask this question and were so thankful this kind lady told us.  So it definitely doesn't hurt to ask if there are empty seats if you happen to have a child who's going to sit on your lap.  We weren't as lucky on the return flight, so they had to sit in our laps.  There was still lots of wiggling, but we managed.  

I should also mention that we couldn't sit in the same row.  There are only 4 oxygen masks per row (3 seats, at least on Southwest flights), so Lyla and I sat in front of Adam and Archer.  I think this was actually a really good thing.  They tend to feed off of each other, so I think they would have been more rambunctious if they had been able to see each other.  I think it also worked out to sit next to the window.  They could look out the window obviously, but it also trapped them in a bit.  I don't think they realized people were walking in the aisle, so they didn't think to try to get up.  It also helped to have strangers sitting next to us.  They don't mind smiling and waving at strangers, but they didn't want to climb across their laps.  

All in all, the plane rides turned out far better than I imagined!  Adam and I tried to control what we could, but then just went with the flow for the rest of it.  More trips are definitely in our future!  Though, maybe not anytime too soon.