Soapbox: Gay Marriage

Just a quick thought. All of these lawmakers who are so gung ho about gay marriage being legal, why aren't any of them legislating against divorce? Why aren't they trying to make it more difficult or impossible to get a divorce? Or better yet, let's make cheating illegal. Wouldn't that uphold the sanctity of marriage more? 

Archer's 4th Birthday Plans

I've had a few people ask, so I'm making a list of things Archer might enjoy for his birthday. 

Fall/Winter clothes (size 5 pants, slim if possible; 4T shirts)

New superhero or any boy dress up stuff

Coloring and preschool activity books

Crayons/markers/supplies

Art pads

Play-doh

Paper Jamz guitar

Big dinosaur figurines 

A boy "La La Loopsie" doll

Age appropriate Wii games

Fisher-Price Imaginext Batman action figures

Fisher-Price Imaginext Eagle Talon Castle action figures

Books (Mercer Mayer "Little Critter," Berenstain Bears)

Board games (Hi ho Cherrio, Chutes and Ladders, Jenga, Trouble etc; We have candyland already)

His room is decorated with sports stuff. He isn't really a fan of toys with lots of pieces or parts and I would prefer not to have toys with super small parts just in case baby brother finds them. He enjoys legos some but gets frustrated with them easily if he can't build with them. 

House Project: Faux Barn Doors

To make room for baby we are remodeling our old garage/storage space into our bedroom. Baby will move into our current room and we'll be moving across the house into the garage. 

Of all the rooms in our house, this one has been the most work, and I'm sad we don't have before pictures because you just wouldn't believe me if I told you. It started out with no walls, just the exterior siding and backing showing through. The floor was dirt and the entire room was piled full of junk. I'm sure when it was first stored there, it wasn't junk, but 40 years later, it was. 

Since we moved in, Chance has built the floor level with the house, added walls and insulation and we turned part of it into the laundry room. It's a little disjointed because we planned to use the space as laundry, pantry, storage; but we need a bedroom so now you go through the laundry to get to the bedroom. It works. 

When we decided to put a wall up in the space, Chance put a cased opening (I have no idea what that means, he just tells me) that was really wide and had a bit of an arch to it. As a result, a typical door wouldn't work. While browsing on pinterest I found this pin for sliding barn doors and it's exactly what I wanted. We tossed the idea around, but when it came time to actually get it done...well, we had an issue. Lowe's didn't carry the hardware for the track. They thought there was a place in town that did, but they didn't know the name. A quick online search showed prices of $300+. Neither of us was paying that much for a door. 

Instead, Chance decided he could use a typical closet sliding door kit, but build it so that it would hang on the inside of the room. I was unsure of what it would it look like, but said it would be good enough because what else could we do? 

He installed them today and I'm so impressed. I love they way they turned out, especially since it was improvised and guesswork and most definitely cheaper than buying the kit. It doesn't work quite the same way, we can only do one door at a time, but I still love the look. 

Looking into the bedroom from the laundry. 

I wanted them painted white to match the trim, but I actually love the natural wood look so we're leaving them. I am so impressed with how they turned out. My husband did good. 

Linked at: 

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Mom on Timeout

Creative Princess

Classy Clutter

Funky Junk Interiors

I Heart Nap Time

Snips and Spice

Just Us Four

Pregnancy Update: Week 33

With Archer I wrote a ton of blog posts about my pregnancy, how I felt what was happening, etc. I feel a little guilty that I haven't done that this time, but I guess it's different since it all seems normal? 

Today I am 33 weeks. Baby is around 5lbs. I've gained around 18 lbs, it fluctuates a little so around. 

He moves constantly. One part of my tummy or another frequently has something poking out or rippling. Very active. I don't really remember big brother being this forceful with his kicks, but I'm sure he probably was. 

Overall, I'm just ready for September and ready for him to get here! 

Weekend done!

This weekend was a whirlwind of activities. Friday Chance took my car and traded it it for a shiny new truck. My car had lots of issues and was edging closer to 150,000 miles every day (a 100 mile round trip daily commute was a killer). I miss being a car person already. I could speed through curves and park anywhere, but I will definitely enjoy the safety and security of something new (if not the payment).

Saturday was baby shower day. We had a great shower with family and close friends, getting lots of necessities and diapers. My sister cooked out and we made the guys come. It was a nice outdoor evening.

Today was a friend's daughter's birthday so we went to her bowling alley party. It was definitely fun and Archer enjoyed it until he was too exhausted to, causing us to go home early.

I got to spend some time with my best friend, which is also great. It was a wonderful weekend.

However, I imagine I'll be parked on the couch recovering tomorrow. I will feel a little guilty that while Chance is working away on our bedroom remodel I'll be lounging, but only a little. Growing a baby is hard work. :)

Three weeks

No, not until baby comes, but until I send my other baby to school. Can you believe it? I can't.

I am so unprepared for this. Yes, we have mountains of school clothes, new shoes, and even a jump start on school supplies. I just am not prepared to send my little guy to school just yet.

Don't get me wrong, we drive each other crazy. I'm ready for some quiet time to get the house cleaned and prepare for baby #2. He's ready for social interaction and he is so ready to learn anything and everything. But school? Six hours away everyday? I'm freaked out.

Yes, he was in daycare while I worked full time but this is different. There will be no snuggling on the couch like st daycare. The hours aren't as flexible, I can't just pop in at noon and pick him up if I'm free. And it's permanent.

Maybe that's the issue? It's so permanent. This is the beginning of 12 maybe 13 more years of this. And then college. Oh, let's not even go there just yet.

I'll tell you why this is such a shock. Last year there was mention that the law had changed in Oklahoma requiring students entering pre-k to be four by June 1st. It was attached to a law about reading standards. The law about reading standards passed so I assumed the other part had too. Another teacher friend also believed this. I thought I had another year. Then in May I found out it had been removed from the reading law and my boy was going to school in August. Oh my.

I'll get over it. This will pass. But I'm still a little shocked that nearly 4 years have passed and my sweet boy is in school. If you've done this before, you know what I mean. If you haven't, you will someday. It's no fun.

It's Summer!

Hmm, it's been a while. :) Life is hectic and crazy here. In May I finished my last day at my job and have been staying home with my little critter every day. It's exhausting and glorious and fun. I know some day I will look back on these days and be so glad I got to spend extra time with him, although sometimes I think we both get a little tired of each other.

Some days it is TOO hot outside for us to spend more than a few minutes at a time during the day, but we definitely try. A few weeks ago (July 4th actually) I caught this moment on camera and I was really pleased with it. I just wanted a candid smiling shot and the wind blew just right for the flag to show up behind him. 

I wanted to enter it in Shutterfly's giveaway for Americana, but I missed the deadline! Oh well. That just means I'll have to snap a few more since it's a month long contest. This weeks entry needs to be about "The Great Outdoors." You can enter your own photo here. 

For this week, I'm entering this photo taken at my uncle's cabin. Back in May we had a small family get together, well small in some ways. There were several family members there, but small in comparison to those who couldn't make it. My uncle has a cabin in the Wichita Mountains (Southern Oklahoma) and this is literally the view from his front door. It's so beautiful there. 

I did enter my photo into Shutterfly's Long Live Summer sweepstakes and I received 100 free 4x6 prints for doing so. As always, love shutterfly and their great promotions. 

Hopefully this post will boost my posting. I forget and get sidetracked, but this is my vow to start posting here more. :) Until next time. 

The Hunger Games and Hope

I read a comment on a blog today about The Hunger Games series that really made me think. Again, I realize that other people have their own opinions, but here's my reaction to one.

The comment basically was that the series was pretty hopeless, in that, there was a lack of hope-for the characters, for the nation, for their lives. She didn't go into this detail, I'm elaborating. But you get the idea. 

This struck me as so odd. I've read all the books, and the first isn't the bleakest if you haven't. It's going to get grittier and worse before it gets even a modicum of better. Know that, and if you can't handle it, that's ok. 

But no hope? Really? I felt like hope was a thematic element throughout the books. Here are a few examples:

1. Katniss was able to survive the actual death of her father in a mining accident and the emotional death of her mother as a result. She was a child and yet she was still able to stand tall, provide for her family, and be a support system for her sister when her mother was unavailable. This girl has little in the way of proper adult role models and has been betrayed by so many adults in her life-her government, her father (not intentionally, but still), her mother. And the rest of the people in the Seam can only do so much when they are all struggling just to survive. I think that she was able to keep going proves that she had hope. Her mother didn't have hope, she lost her will to live. There is a difference to me there.

2. Katniss volunteers herself in place of her sister and allows herself hope that she will win and come back to her. 

3. Katniss not only plays the game to win, but she shows signs of political rebellion that she's not even aware of. She doesn't really see what's driving her to make the decisions she makes, but I think it's hope. Hope for a better life, a better future. That doesn't seem so endlessly bleak to me.

4. Katniss continues to fight. There are plenty of obstacles planted in her way, but she doesn't back down and give up. She presses on and fights for something. Why would you fight if it's hopeless?

5. The ending. I won't tell you what it is but I will give you a few details. It's not happy. It doesn't end with sunshine and roses and whole people. Many people in this series live terrible lives, have terrible things happen to them and they just can't be whole. However, I don't think it ends leaving you with a feeling of hopelessness. It ends leaving you with a feeling of closure and hope for what's to come. Or at least, that's how I felt and how I thought Collins wanted me to feel.

The blog the comment came from was a really refreshing point of view, but I didn't agree with that one piece and wanted to put my opinion into words. 

I also wanted to cover a few other thoughts I had about the story after talking to people who watched the movie but hadn't read the book. I heard a few comments that it wouldn't really happen, it could but most likely wouldn't. I don't' agree with that at all. It could, very easily happen. It has happened. And, in all truthfulness, it's happening right now. There are governments around the world who are putting their people through so much more than we can ever imagine-maybe not reapings and arena games to punish them for rebelling, but other just as terrible things. And the rebels fighting to save these people, a lot of times they aren't doing anything better. They are still hurting those they are trying to help in an effort to make a difference. And that's still not ok. The basis of this story is fictional of course, but it's not out of the question just because it isn't happening here, it's happening in other places and has been for centuries.

I came across this quote today, and I'm so jealous I didn't word my sentiments so well. This blogger stated my exact feelings, and her thoughts were stirred after her son's comment at the dinner table.

"I've heard the Hunger Game haters say these books are vile and send a horrible message to young people.  They are uncomfortable with the society Collins depicts.  'It won't be long and this world could be as evil and inhumane as the world in the Hunger Games,' they argue.  To this I say, as long as innocent children are kidnapped and enslaved to make our chocolate and eight year olds are killing other eight year olds so that we can wear shiny rocks on our fingers, we are already living in the world of the Hunger Games.  Welcome to Panem."

We will all have our own interpretation on the books and ideals within of course, but felt that hope was a main character and that these books could be non-fiction. Not in the future, but now. 

If you haven't read them, read them and form your own opinion! 

The Hunger Games: A film review

It's 2:30 in the morning, and I'm blogging. Why you ask? Shouldn't a pregnant mother of a vivacious toddler be asleep by this ungodly hour? Yeah, I should. But, if you know me, you can imagine what I might have been doing that would keep me up this late. If you guessed The Hunger Games midnight show, you are correct. If you're my mother, who went with me, your guess doesn't count. :)

Now, on to my thoughts before I lose all coherent ability to think.

The movie was excellent. The story was on track with the books, the dialog was similar, and the things that were left out were done so appropriately. The things that were changed were done well and I didn't leave thinking, "I read that book?" (ahem, Twilight and Percy Jackson)

There's just something really good about watching a favorite story come to life on screen-well, not just done, but done well.

What did I love? I loved Woody Harrelson, much to my own surprise. I didn't think he fit, but he managed to fit the part of Haymitch and be a good actor while doing it. I loved Josh Hutcherson, he is a great Peeta and I believed him. Jennifer Lawrence was great, as expected. The gore was toned down, which I'm fine with. The capitol is spot on, costumes, make-up, garishness-all true to text. 

Here's a part from the movie that I loved, that I apparently didn't consider while reading. District 11 (Rue and Thrush's district) was primarily African American, which makes sense considering it cuts a large swath through states that currently have a higher African American population. Suzanne Collins stated when the characters for Rue and Thresh were chosen that she described them as African American, and apparently I missed that description. There was lots of diversity in other characters as well, but District 11 is highlighted, and the citizens of the district are shown as African American and I thought that was a really important aspect of the film. It's not often that I enjoy something from the film more than the book, but this pleasantly surprised me.

There were a few things I didn't love. I have to agree with a few early reviews that stated they played up the love triangle. There were a few shots of Gale looking a little disturbed at the closeness between Katniss and Peeta. While I'm sure he did feel that way, we didn't know that in book 1. I also went with two people who hadn't read the book (shame on them, right?) and they were a bit lost. They weren't sure if it was current/past/present time. They didn't understand why some districts had more than others, and why District 12 had electricity sometimes, but not always. I don't really think this was obvious without knowing the back story. It gave a quick run down at the beginning, but it was quick. My mom's bff went with us and she didn't realize it was telling a story, and by the time she did we'd already missed 2 screens of text. I explained to her as best I could, but I thought that was a missed opportunity. I also thought that we didn't really get enough of life in District 12. We see that it's dark and dingy, that life generally sucks; but we didn't see any story that really developed the characters enough. I know they crammed as much in as they could, it was a long movie (which I love anyway) but I just wanted, for the sake of non-readers, the chance to know what's happening without guessing all through the movie and then asking later. 

I also didn't like that the movie didn't quite include enough of the negative feedback or social ramifications of what the Capitol was doing. It didn't make you feel guilty for watching, in fact, it almost made me want to see what it was like from a district viewer-which makes me want to throw up. I want to feel sick and guilty because people in real life want to see other people hurting, because humans enjoying watching blood sports (we have for over a thousand years and counting) but they just didn't convey how wrong it was. Or, not enough for me anyway. 

Then, there was one thing I hated. Hated. Loathed. Many of the action scenes were filled with this jerky, nearly home camera style filming that was next to impossible to follow, and made me want to close my eyes to avoid being sick. It moved to quickly, panned to fast, bobbed all over, and didn't give you clear image of what was happening. It gave you a clear image of panic and hurry, which I understand the need for; but it was just too much for me. 

Overall, I was impressed. It was true to the original story in the most important ways. It improved on a few ways that I felt the book didn't really just come out and say (and lets face it, I'm pretty concrete; I need things spelled out sometimes), and it didn't really disappoint in any major ways. I paid $11 total (to get in and snacks) and I will most likely go again before the run is over. 

So, my recommendation is for you to go watch it. Enjoy. 

And may the odds be ever in your favor. :)

Book list review and thoughts

I came across this blog today (on this dark, rainy day) and I enjoyed reading the list of books. I love books, and always request them for my son's birthday. I would much rather him have an exploding bookshelf than an exploding toy box. 

The list from this blog includes 75 character building stories. There are a few I've read (Giraffes Can't Dance, Where the Wild Things Are, Alexander And The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day) and many I hope to research and add to our collection. 

The very first thing I notice is a complete lack of Dr. Seuss from this list. I get that it's author's preference, but wow. The Sneetches, The Lorax? Nope. The Sneetches seems to be a lesser known book, one that I hadn't read until I had a child of my own. It comes (I think) only in a collection with other stories (What Was I Scared of, The Zax, et al); but I still think it's one of the most important Dr. Seuss books available. 

I perused the comment section of the blog, seeing that other commenters noted the same absence as myself, but was a little disappointed to see a few say "It teachers that physical appearance shouldn't matter." or something to that affect, because really, it teaches so much more. The first time I read it, I was a little blown away by the fact that Dr. Seuss wrote The Sneetches in the middle of the civil rights crisis in the US. It's about so much more than physical appearance. It's about prejudice, tolerance, and treating people equally. Or, treating Sneetches equally. :) Dr. Seuss snuck this gem of a story-a huge character builder if you ask me, into our children during a time when it was needed most. I read it often to my son, and I impress upon him the importance of being nice to everyone, no matter how they look or how others treat them; he is to treat everyone the way he wants to be treated.

A side quirk I noted from this blog that I just wanted to discuss was a mother who commented that she did not like the book Pinkalicious, and didn’t think it earned a spot on the list of character building books. She said that the first time they read it, she didn’t like that the main character (and forgive me, because I’ve never read it) talked to her mother, stating that her daughter was very impressionable and she didn’t think it was appropriate for her to see someone else doing it and try to mimic the behavior.

That is all fine and dandy to me, it really is. There are books I don’t like, and books I don’t care to read to my children. However, I will choose not to read them and leave it at that. The commenter I’m speaking of specifically chose to glue the pages that she didn’t like together and continue to read the rest of the book.

Hmm. I’m all for personal choice, it’s your kids, your life, your books. But why not just put it away until your daughter can better understand that the little girl is acting badly and know better than to act that way? That just seemed a little odd to me. For one, that’s nearly sacrilegious to a book lover like me to damage a book permanently by gluing the pages together. And another, that’s just an odd form of censorship to me. I had a few friends in elementary school whose parents recorded over scary parts, sad parts, or swearing in children’s movies. It would just switch to a blank screen while that particular moment passed. Again, I’m all for ensuring what your children see isn’t harmful to them, but I can’t help but wonder why you wouldn’t just skip it or just not show it?

No judgment, I just really thought that was interesting. 

Just a few bits for thought today. As I said, it's rainy, and cold. And spring break, so I'm sitting in a quite house all alone while the boy is with his grandma.   

Nursery ideas

Because my male husband doesn't care about room decorations, crib styles, paint colors, etc etc I need a place to talk about it. 

For a girl nursery, I am loving the vintage feel. I want a light aqua paint color with pink and red accents. I'm debating between the first option and this one. The last time I chose a richer paint color I ended up with dark turquoise walls so I'm thinking maybe paler would be better. 

I found this bedding set. But I'm considering not ordering the bumper and just ordering it by piece. It will be a little cheaper, and apparently bumpers aren't safe anymore? 

I found and pinned this nursery months ago, before even thinking about having more kids. I just love this classic photo wall. I love including old family photos. I also found this banner on etsy. I'm really hoping to buy as much stuff from etsy as possible. I like the idea of using hand made items.

For a boy room, I am thinking nature or something similar. Archer's room was rustic. He had the bears, moose, cabin-y stuff. Of course, since we re-did his room for his birthday, I gave all of that stuff away. 

This time I'm leaning more toward foxes and bears, maybe a few other forest creatures. 

I love these prints, they are the inspiration for my idea. I don't like the owl, just because it's so over-hyped, but I do love the other two. I like the other options here too as well as the wall color. 

Week 12 and some extra

I posted recently that my little boy is going to be a big brother this year. Since I didn't do a post explaining the announcement (what explanation is needed? lol) I thought I would combine my initial pregnancy story and my twelve week update in the same post. 

On Saturday January 7th, I decided to take a pregnancy test. My period is always irregular and after a few late days I take a test just to ease my mind. (I bought some really cheap on amazon and they are actually accurate.) Let's just say I was a little more than shocked when that second line popped up. 

Even though we had a big surprise, we're still happy and excited. I make this statement because I get asked this question all the time. I'm not really sure what people expect me to say when they ask if we're excited, I've actually considered telling the next person that I'm terrified and we're considering adoption. Because really, find a better question (lol). 

I wasn't really having any symptoms before taking the test, but as soon as I did a lot of symptoms were explained. For example, I took the test my first week back to school after Christmas break. I was exhausted, but I was just thinking that was because I had been so lazy over break. I also realized my boobs were sore, but I had been attributing that my upcoming period. It also explained my overly emotional state. 

So, that's the beginning of my pregnancy. 

As for an update until week 12, I've been tired, nauseous, and full of acid. I haven't thrown up yet. I'm sure there will be lots of hate mail over that last statement, but that doesn't mean I haven't been miserable. I spent every day from the second week of January to now getting heartburn from everything I ate, including plain toast. I had to sleep upright because the acid was giving me a sore throat by the time I woke up. I know lots of people who have it worse every day, and I know just how lucky I am. 

This pregnancy has been similar (that I can remember) to my previous pregnancy with the exception of the heartburn. I don't remember it being so bad so early. 

My newest problem is dizziness. I am dizzy just about every day. It's usually worse in the evenings, but there have been a few days that I felt like I couldn't even lift my head up. 

Mostly, I'm just ready to feel normal again and looking forward to the more fun parts of being pregnant. I'm ready to feel the baby, get to see it on ultrasound, and pick out fun stuff for baby. :) 

Stay tuned for the Week 16 update.

Going Well

In case you're wondering, the giving up facebook for Lent thing is going fairly well. I do miss adult interaction, which I don't get a whole lot of after work most days. That results in me having all these conversation topics and no one to talk to. But, because pregnancy has rendered my brain nearly useless, I forget most of them anyway.

Archer seems to be enjoying his less-distracted-Mom. Yesterday morning I told him that when we got home we would play outside, play an ABC game on the computer, and watch a movie together. (I planned to watch Mary Poppins because we read the book the other night, AND I know we own it, but I can't for the life of me find it.) When I picked him up at daycare he said, "Mom, I know what we're doing today. We're playing outside, and playing ABCs." He added a few extra things that weren't on the list, but I got out of them (jumping rope and running in circles around the yard, I just don't have the energy for those activities.) I ended up having to take some stuff back to the store last night before the return period ended, so we changed our plans and ended up having dinner and ice cream together before returning home to work on some letters and watch Coraline.

I'm obviously a little partial, but he seems to understand his ABCs and the sounds they make pretty well. Even though he doesn't always know the letter, he almost always knows what sound it makes-example, the monster asks for "e, e says ee" and he knew the answer was zebra without being able to pick the letter e out of the line up. The most impressive were the ones that had the clue in multiple words, the monster asked for /l/ and he chose a word with /l/ in the middle when they were actually wanting "leaf." Another example was /z/ and they were looking for "zebra" but another choice was "nose" which also has the /z/ sound. I thought it was stupid because it was sounds in words, not sounds at the beginnings of words (that's a seperate game) so really he was right.

Anyway, the point of this rambling post is, I'm alive and well. I'm enjoying my break, but missing being in the loop with everyone. I'm glad to have no choice (or distractions) in spending time with my little boy while I can.





Big News!

Oh by the way, I forgot to tell you my big news!! :) 

Archer is going to be a big brother. Baby #2 coming September 2012.

What I'm giving up for Lent.

I'm putting a little blurb here, just in case.

Have I ever told you all just how much I love Facebook? I think it's an amazing place to keep up with friends and family you don't get to see often (or if you'll remember my post from around Christmas, you'll also know that I have a few dozen friends that I love that I've never even met in real life). Facebook seems to be the only way to keep up with those people.

But here's the thing about Facebook. It's just so tempting to never leave. You can pop in whenever, on your phone or computer. When you know there is an incredibly interesting/funny/dramatic conversation, it can even draw all of your attention without you even realizing it.

Last year, I gave up Chick Fil A for Lent. No I'm not Catholic, Methodist or any other branch of Christianity that observes the Lent, but after reading more about it, I decided that it wouldn't hurt me to sacrifice something. It would teach me self discipline. It would allow me to demonstrate my willingness to give up something in order to make myself a better person. It's both a spiritual thing and a personal thing. Except, last year, when I stopped eating at CFA, I started eating at other fast food places; so that obviously didn't work right.

This year,  I am (if you haven't guessed) giving up Facebook. However, I'm not limiting to Facebook. I am giving up the use of social media as a distraction to life. Instead of coming home from work, sitting down with my computer and checking Facebook, I'm going to spend more time playing with Archer, hanging out with Chance, cleaning my house, etc.

Because there are people that I will truly miss (because I never see them in my daily life) I feel a little guilty about this. But after a prayer, after some inner soul searching, the feeling in the pit of my stomach when I pondered what I thought God wanted me to do, I knew. I knew I needed to devote as much time as I could to my family, and Lent gave me a great tool in which to test myself.

So, I probably won't be blogging much (if any, no surprise there) and I definitely won't be on Facebook. I deactivated this evening, and have spent my non-facebook time playing educational games, reading, and watching movies with Archer.

If you're one of my Facebook friends and feeling left out, please feel free to email me, call me, text me. And please understand that this is just something I need to do for myself and my family. Know that I'm probably missing you and wishing I could be chatting with you. But, Easter isn't too far away!