Two and a Half Years!

Archer and Lyla are two and a half years old!  Two and a half!!  You hear about the "terrible twos," but honestly, this is such a fun age.  They are settling into their own personalities and can communicate with me.  Yet my kisses still fix their boo boos and they still need me to snuggle with them throughout the day.

They are certainly little sponges and soak up every little bit of information that's thrown their way.  If I was ever curious about what things I repeatedly say, Lyla and Archer have definitely enlightened me.  They've started asking more questions and I can just see their brains constantly turning.

Perhaps the thing I enjoy most at this point in their development is watching them interact with each other.  Sure they have their differences, but they truly love to spend time with each other.  I adore the way they grin at each other when they first see each other in the morning.  They love to pretend to put each other to bed in Archer's toddler bed.  They'll repeat the same phrases Adam and I tell them, give each other a hug and kiss, and then close the door.  They'll take turns doing this for a good half hour before they move onto their next adventure.  They got scooters for Christmas and I let them ride around the house on them.  They pretend they are their cars and will announce they are going to Aldi or "TG Max" (TJ Maxx) and then ride around.  It's pretty adorable. 

They both love going to stores even though I never buy them anything.  Any time we get back in the car after leaving a store, they'll say they want to go to another store.  They enjoy going grocery shopping at HyVee because they get a cookie at the bakery.  We are regulars at the many pet stores around town, too.  It's pretty nice that I don't have to come up with much to entertain them. 

Going to storytime is still a favorite activity.  They enjoy selecting their own books to check out and returning them to the book drop slot.  Both Lyla and Archer adore looking at books on their own and reading them with Adam and I.  Just the other night I was reading a favorite book of Archer's (How to Babysit a Grandpa), and he started reciting the words on the pages to me word for word.  He read the whole book to me!  I realize he's just reciting the words from memory, but that's one of the first steps of reading on his own.  I might have had a few tears in my eyes while he did this. 

Archer has a newfound love of jumping.  He jumps from the couch and fireplace to the floor.  He jumps from the two little steps in our hallway.  He jumps off the coffee table in the family room.  You get the point.  He's got quite the arm on him and can throw very well.  He's just starting to get the hang of catching, but still has a ways to go before he masters that skill.  Archer loves trains.  He likes to put his wooden track together and pull his train along it.  He recently got a Thomas train engine that moves on its own and you can usually find that in his hand.  When he is upset he'll get his "night nights" (the blankets he sleeps with) and come up to me and holler at me, "SNUGGLE ME!!!"  It's equal parts sweet and hysterical and Adam and I have to try not to laugh sometimes. 

Lyla has turned into a little momma.  She continues to be very fond of her baby dolls and likes to feed them their bottles and wrap them up in blankets.  I love when I catch her offering up a bite of her snack or a sip of her water to them.  I tell her all the time how she's a good mommy and she loves to repeat this fact.  Lyla wants to do everything herself these days.  She asks to wash her hands and brush her teeth all.day.long.  I try to give her every opportunity to do things independently.  She enjoys putting her plate by the sink and putting her dirty clothes in the hamper.  Lyla also has a bit of a temper and will get very upset if I do something instead of allowing her to do it on her own.  She knows how to be very dramatic.  Again, Adam and I have to try not to laugh in these moments of her despair.   

They both have been giving Jazzy more attention lately.  They like to fight over who gets to put a scoop of dog food in her bowl.  They also like to give her treats throughout the day.  I tell them to give her only one, but when I follow up they're usually feeding her a handful.  Jazzy can be a bit grouchy with them if they get too wild around her.  But they seem to all have an understanding with each other.  The kids know to nicely pet her and Jazzy knows to allow it since they give her so many treats. 

Archer and Lyla love to be outside more than anything!  This winter has been rough.  Though many times we have just bundled up and played outside even though it's cold.  They are definitely happier on the days we get to go outside. 

I still can't get over how lucky I am to be their Mommy (or Mom as Archer has started calling me.)  I love watching them acquire new skills and seeing experiences through their eyes.  They are my beautiful, crazy, rambunctious, adorably sweet babies!  (I mean toddlers.)

Making Small Changes

Having Archer and Lyla has continued to change me in ways I never dreamed possible.  They constantly make me consider every move I make.  After finding out TIME Magazine named 16-year-old Greta Thunberg as their person of the year, I realized I could be doing more to help combat climate change and reduce my carbon footprint.  Even though climate change is a global issue and it seems like I have little control over it, there are some small changes I can make that will ultimately impact Archer and Lyla's future.

I wanted to share some of these small changes I've been making to help inspire others and to also hopefully get some new ideas on other ways I can help.  Please give me new ideas!!  I am far from perfect, but change doesn't always have to be something monumental.  It can start small.   

Here are a few of my small changes:

I use a reusable water bottle.  I ditched using plastic water bottles long ago and have used some form of a reusable water bottle for years.  My current favorite is stainless steel and the perfect size.  I bring it everywhere and love that the lid stays on tight even when my kids chuck it across the room.  I have to have ice water and this keeps my water cold all day long!

I use reusable bags when shopping.  I always bring reusable bags when I go grocery shopping.  Recently, I even invested in some heavy-duty canvas ones that I hope to have for years to come.  I've also tried to make sure I bring along reusable bags when I go to other stores.  If I do forget to bring them in (does anyone have any ideas for remembering to bring bags inside the store??), I tell the cashier I don't need a bag and just carry the items to my car or stick them back in my cart.

I say "no, thank you" to plastic straws and lids.  Whenever I go out to eat, I decline a plastic straw.  If servers put one on the table for me, I always hand it back to them and say that I don't need it (as politely as possible).  I should probably take it a step further and mention I don't need the straw when I order my drink since some restaurants automatically stick a straw in the drink.  I did get some reusable silicone straws and keep them with me in the diaper bag.  Archer and Lyla aren't quite skilled enough yet to drink from a cup without a lid without the entire drink ending up in their laps, so these straws come in handy.  I actually like that they are softer than plastic and I don't have to worry about them accidentally poking a straw down their throat or in their eye.  (One of the reusable silicone straws is featured in the photo below.)

I bring my own cup to coffee shops. I don't actually drink coffee, but I sure do enjoy hot chocolate.  One of my guilty pleasures is going through the drive-thru of Caribou Coffee (which is a coffee shop attached to the HyVee gas station, classy right?) and getting a hot chocolate when I go out and about with Lyla and Archer.  Recently, I started bringing my own ceramic mug with me.  When I give my order, I just mention that I brought my own cup.  Then when I pull up to the window, I hand it over and they fill it up with delicious hot chocolate.  I even get a discount for bringing my own cup!  (The one I have is ceramic and has a silicone lid.  It was a gift, but I'm sure you can find one similar on Amazon.)

I stopped buying individually packaged food items.  Oh man, this was a hard one to give up.  Those little pouches of applesauce and yogurt were so convenient and mess-free for Archer and Lyla!  But I felt a horrible sense of guilt every time I threw one in the trash.  I also bought tons of pre-packaged snacks for Archer and Lyla.  Since then, I've purchased some reusable snack pouches and just keep those filled with snacks in the diaper bag. They actually seem to keep the snacks from getting as smushed so I don't have to hand over a package of Cheez-It dust to the kids when they want a snack.  I've tried these (which you can put in the dishwasher) and these (which you can put in the washing machine) and like them both.  I think it's nice to have a variety of different materials and sizes. 

I use waxed fabric instead of Saran wrap.  This was an easy swap to make because I hate using Saran wrap.  It just sticks to itself and makes me angry.  So when Adam brought home some waxed fabric from Trader Joe's, I was excited to give it a try.  Now when I have to cover a bowl of pizza dough so it can rise or cover up some leftovers, I use some waxed fabric.  I will say it's hard to get a completely air-tight seal, so if that's what I need, I just store it in a glass container with a lid.  I think there is thinner waxed fabric out there that can give you a completely air-tight seal, so I'll have to look into finding some different options.  (You can see the waxed fabric in the bottom left corner of the above photo.)    

I use a menstrual cup.  This might fall under the TMI category, but I'll share about it just in case anyone out there is interested.  A menstrual cup is a small, flexible cup that is worn inside your vagina (like a tampon) to collect your monthly flow.  It's pretty amazing because you can't feel it once it's in place and you can wear it for up to 12 hours at a time.  I will say there was a bit of a learning curve for me and it took awhile before I got the hang of it.  But I've been using it for a couple years now and haven't bought any pads or tampons!  So I'm saving money and preventing waste from going in the landfill.  The Put A Cup In It website is an excellent resource if you want more information or feel free to ask me any questions.

I recycle everything that can possibly be recycled.  Sometimes this makes me seem like a weirdo when I put "trash" in the diaper bag to take home to recycle or gather all the wrapping paper at Adam's family Christmas get-together to take home to recycle.  But it makes me feel better knowing I am keeping excess stuff out of landfills. 

I hit up thrift stores when possible.  Lately I've been looking at thrift stores before I buy something elsewhere.  For example, Lyla needed a few long-sleeve shirts and I decided to go to a secondhand children's clothing store.  I found just what I needed, spent less than I would at other stores, and gave old items a second life.  I also needed another pie dish this Thanksgiving.  So instead of getting a new one from Amazon like I was going to, I stopped by one of our local thrift stores and got one for a couple bucks! 

I use reusable cleaning cloths.  I used to use a ridiculous amount of paper towels and wipes when I cleaned my house.  I realized how wasteful this was, so I picked these reusable cloths at Target about a year ago.  I've used them ever since and have been very happy!  The green cloths are great for cleaning glass, and don't leave lint behind like paper towels did.  I dampen the blue ones to dust with and use the gray ones to scrub the counters.  I also cut up one of Adam's old white undershirts that got a hole in it and use the little squares to clean things like the toilets.  I also found some super soft cloths that I use to wipe the kids' faces with after they finish eating their meals. 

I use wool dryer balls instead of fabric softener.  I ran out of fabric softener a few years ago and did a few loads of laundry before I had a chance to make it to the store.  I realized I couldn't tell a difference, so I just never bought any more.  A few months back, I got some wool dryer balls with the promise of cutting down drying time.  And I definitely agree that I don't have to dry our clothes as long if I have the balls in the dryer.  I just found some random ones at TJ Maxx, but I see them everywhere now. 

I've stopped buying stuff just to be buying stuff.  In addition to trying to make changes to better our planet, I've also been on a bit of a minimalism kick.  While I'm a long ways away from considering myself a minimalist, I have adopted some minimalist qualities that have made my life simpler.  I've donated tons of random housewares and clothes and just stuff that wasn't serving me a purpose other than taking up space.  Since getting rid of so much stuff, I've also been more conscious of the things that I do buy and bring into my home.  I used to be a sucker for a good bargain, so now I have to ask myself if I truly need and want each item or if I'm just getting it because it's a good deal.  And I've done a much better job of saying "no" lately.  By not buying as much, (in my tiny way) I'm creating less of a demand for products to be manufactured.   

I am far from perfect and nowhere near living a zero-waste lifestyle.  But I am trying to do what I can and am looking for ways to improve.  My next goals are to shop thrift stores for my own clothes, look into using more eco-friendly personal care items (think wooden toothbrushes, plastic-free beauty products) and look for ways to reduce food packaging waste.  So give me all your ideas!!  And hopefully my small changes gave you a few ideas too. 

Less Is More When It Comes To Our Front Porch

If this post doesn't epitomize the whole "less is more" idea, I don't know what does!  Adam and I decided to make over our front porch with this idea in mind.  When we were looking for the house that would become our home, one of the things I really wanted was a welcoming front porch.  I envisioned sitting on the porch while watching my future children play and enjoying summer evenings on the porch with Adam.  So it's no surprise that our house has a lovely front porch. 

Over the last few years, the porch posts and railings started to show their age.  We're not sure if they were original to the house, but they very well could have been.  Ants and chipmunks (we think) started to eat away at parts of the posts.  And some of the railings were suffering from water damage.   It was definitely time to address the issues and bring our front porch back to life. 

When Adam and I first started talking about fixing our front porch, we knew we wanted to remove the woodwork at the top of the porch near the ceiling.  It gave off more of a country cottage vibe and made the porch look and feel more closed in.  So we knew that definitely needed to go.  We also wanted to replace the posts with something less ornate.  Adam wanted to go with meaty 8x8 cedar posts.  Initially, I was worried the posts would look too big for the size of the porch and end up making it look more squat.  But after Adam created some drawings on the computer, I was sold with the look.  

The next thing to decide was what to do with the railings.  We threw around the idea of replacing them with wrought iron or even creating a different design using wood.  But then I got the idea of removing them all together.  When you sit on the porch, you definitely see the railings front and center.  Being rather short, the top railing was right in my sight line, which kinda ruined the view.  When I suggested just removing the railings and not putting anything in their place, Adam wasn't sold.  He worried it would look unfinished.  

So as a compromise, I suggested we build some lower plant boxes that would mimic the idea of a railing, but would open up the view a bit.  So Adam added some plant boxes to his computer drawings to give us a visual.  We came up with something we liked, but then got busy with other projects.  So when this summer rolled around, we got back to work on the porch.  We looked back at what we had come up with and I wasn't sure I still liked what we came up with.  I felt like our whole goal with redoing the porch was to open things up.  Adding plant boxes would still make things feel pretty closed up.  Besides, our porch is on the narrow side and I wanted to make sure we would still have a decent walkway.  

I managed to convince Adam to start the project by taking down all the railings and replacing just the posts.  Once we got to that point, we could reevaluate whether or not we needed to add back railings.  

So late in the summer, Adam took down all the railings and woodwork up top in a matter of an hour.  As soon as they came down, we both realized there was no way we were putting railings back!  It opened everything up and looked like it was meant to be that way.   

 

I should mention our porch is about a foot from the ground and well within our city codes for not needing safety railings.  So we weren't worried about a steep drop-off or anyone falling.  

Once the railings were down, the next step was to replace the existing posts with new 8x8 cedar posts.  Adam's mom kept an eye on the kids one weekend while Adam and I got the posts put in place.  Adam also added a faux beam at the top, right below the ceiling.  This helped finish off the space and make the posts-only look intentional.    

Over the next several weekends and during some late evenings, Adam added trim to help dress up the posts and the overhead beam.  I must admit, I wasn't sure all this additional trim work was really necessary, but seeing the finished product has made me a believer!  

Adam does such beautiful woodworking and it truly makes the front porch shine.  The trim around the columns make them look more stately.  The dentil molding detail on the beam ties in nicely with the other dentil molding on the right side of the house above the garage.    

Allow me to show you a before and after to fully appreciate the new front porch.  

We had planned to have some painters paint the new posts, beam, and ceiling white to match our other trim work on the house.  But due to tons of rainy days, they weren't able to fit us in this season.  So our new plan is to wait until the spring.  We are even throwing around the idea of painting the whole house!  

But in the mean time, we can still enjoy our new porch in all it's open glory.  I can sit on the front porch and watch Archer and Lyla play in our front yard.  They like to jump off the porch and can manage it just fine.  My view is no longer obstructed by busy railings.  Our front porch looks and feels like the welcoming front porch I always imagined our home would have.