Saturday Morning Cartoons

What does your Saturday morning look like? Is it similar to your own childhood Saturday mornings? Mine sure isn't. I remember waking up and running downstairs so I could be the first to the television for morning cartoons. Fast forward twenty years and here I am watching my entire family (including myself) plugged into something, barely acknowledging each others existence. When did this happen?!

I could always find my mother at the kitchen table with a fresh cup of coffee and a newspaper in her hand. The television was on in the living room and cereal was abundant. Now here I am blogging away with Starbucks in hand. Logan is playing Xbox, Lukas chose to watch TV on the Wii U, and Matthew is gaming away on the laptop. If I was to repeat my previous sentence to my younger self, I might as well be speaking a foreign language. How times have changed. (This entire post is making me feel ancient)

I'm not saying that I don't enjoy my Saturdays whole-heartedly, because I love them. I just wanted to reflect on how much simpler life use to be. Cell phones we HUGE and a luxury, everyone had one gaming system (Coleco Vision), and what the hell was an IPAD?!

I wonder what Saturday morning will look like for my grandchildren. Scared yet optimistic.

J.K.

DIY Command Centre

When it comes to running a successful household of five people you need to be organized. I've tried to simply "remember" appointments, stick post-it notes all over my house, I even use my eyeliner for morning reminders; That's proved to be costly. Being the compulsive person I am, this idea popped into my head and the supplies have been sitting in a corner for weeks. Finally here it is!

SUPPLIES

 

2 Magnetic Whiteboards (WalMart)

1 Roll of Washi Tape (Staples)

1 package of stickable letters (Michaels)

STEPS TO SUCCESS

 

 

1. Start by cutting strips of wash tape to reach from one side of your whiteboard to the other. You can choose to place the washi tape on your board freehand, or another way is to place "markers" on the board FIRST and then go back to tape.

 

 

...If you're a control freak like myself, this step may take a while.   

 

 

3. Place your sticky letters in their appropriate spaces.

 

 

4. Mount your whiteboard/s in a high traffic area of your home (mine is the kitchen) so you'll never forget a thing!

ENJOY!

 

I absolutely love my calendar. The spaces are big enough to write multiple items/activities for each family member. I also like to use a magnet to mark whose day it is to have a bath!

 

 

J.K.

Bedroom Knowledge

Getting a boy to clean his room is like trying to get a man to hang up his wet towel; doesn't happen. But like the myth of a unicorn, I naïvely hang on to the hopes of my children being tidy. Ha!
My daughter's room on the other hand is spotless. Perhaps it boils down to the fact that she's 2 and her mother is a clean freak, or simply that she's perfect. I'll stick with perfect.

Boys Room:

 

Vs.

 

Madison's Room

 



Do the boys who love living in a mess grow into men who do the same? How can you make sure your son turns into the kind of man who hangs up a wet towel or puts the toilet seat down?

J.K.

Real-life Pictionary

Since Madison's move to her "big girl bed" and getting her own bedroom, my family of five have been crammed for space in our three bedroom townhouse. We decided a trip to IKEA for a few storage items could help with the chaotic room that the boys were now sharing.

When deciding to have two boys share a room, you need to be willing to give up any hope of every having a clean, organized space ever again. I can't give my opinion on girls, but as far as boys are concerned, it's one battle you'll never win.

If you're anything like me the pending trip to IKEA was putting butterflies in your stomach. Oh the possibilities! Soon I'd be touring the showroom (kid free) picturing myself in every bedroom scheme and kitchen layout. All of a sudden it's not a few storage shelves you need, its a home renovation. Well played IKEA, well played.

Thankfully we only ended up leaving with our storage shelves... and maybe a dresser, bunk bed, and frozen yogurt. After everyone was jammed in the van beside some sort of boxed piece of furniture, we head home still naïve and hopeful...WAIT A MINUTE! now we have to put all this crap together... goodbye relaxing Saturday night. IKEA: Real-life Pictionary. "Better stop and get some beer" Matthew says. Took the words right out of my mouth.

J.K.

Weekend Warrior

What?!?! It's Christmas already?? I don't friggin' think so. I'm not ready yet. Not even close. 

This past weekend my family stepped into "The Labrynth" of Chinook mall and barely escaped with our lives; I mean money. Crowds like I've never seen. Temperatures above 25C. I felt like I was under David Bowie's "Magic Spell". Trapped forever. Too dramatic? Only a little.

Being that I just tore the only pair of jeans I own, I was forced to go shopping. I'm not one who enjoys lining up to try clothes on. I usually just grab a size and go; but with the crowds of Christmas I didn't want to risk a return trip. 

Have you ever shared a change room with three children? Its a blast! One has the cellphone in hand, the other is whining because he doesn't, and my youngest is trying to open the door while my pants are half-on. I bet I dropped 5 pounds in the change room that day; pure stress. Kids are great for weight loss!

Maybe I should start shopping online.

J.K.

DIY Lego Table

With Christmas just around the corner and my children getting older, I really wanted to give them each something really special. My youngest son Logan absolutely loves Lego. It's just about the only thing that keeps his little overactive body still. I decided to search the web for Lego gift ideas and stumbled over a lot of DIY Lego tables; so I decided to build my own version.



Materials

Glue (something that will bond plastic to glue)

4 blue Lego base plates (size 620)

6 BYGEL containers IKEA

2 BYGEL rails IKEA

8 screws sized accordingly

1 LACK side table IKEA

*A drink. I chose beer. Yummy.

Instructions
Step One: Build the LACK table as instructed.
You could also choose to put the legs on last;

whichever makes it easier.

Two: Hold one of the BYGEL rails up

to the outer edge of the table and mark

your drilling holes. (I would normally

recommend using a level but the rail fits

perfectly in line with the table. Go me!

Three: Drill baby, drill!

Four: Measure out where each of the four base plates will be glued on tabletop.

Make sure to attach the Lego base plates in the centre with

Lego pieces. This will ensure full functionality of the table.

Five: Spread glue onto bottom of each base plate.

Caution, if you use too much glue and end up filling

the tiny holes as well, it will leak out the edge of mats

once flipped onto table.

Six: Start placing you base plates onto tabletop.

Once they are all placed right side up,

once again, attach mats in the centre with Lego pieces

Seven: Once glue has dried

(preferably overnight)attach your BYGEL container,

fill with Lego, and let the fun begin!!

 *sit back, relax, drink, and revel in all your DIY glory*

J.K.

Big Girl Bed

Last night was one of my many spur of the moment, "brilliant" ideas; perhaps brought on by lack of sleep.

Madison had decided she no longer liked her crib, but would prefer her brother's bed instead. In case you're unsure... when a baby wants something....SHE WANTS IT NOW!

"Just change her crib to a day bed" I said to myself.
I'd been trying to ignore the crying for "Mommy" for about 20 minutes now. Sadly my glass of wine was empty, and as it did not seem Madison was any closer to falling asleep, I caved. Ignoring the fact that it was 830pm and everyone was brushed, washed, and tucked in bed...I got to work; flipping the crib (sans baby), unscrewing screws, and removing one of the sides. Before I could finish, my fiancé (Matthew) came home and caught me in the act. When he left only 45 minutes earlier, Lukas and Logan were in bed ready to fall asleep; now all three kids were running around upstairs . (uh oh) Matthew, both knowing and accepting my tendency to be impulsive, jumped in to help. We had Madi back into her big girl bed in no time!

About an hour after everyone was asleep I could hear Logan calling my name.
"Mommy, come here"
"Mommy, quick"
Matthew takes the lead this time and goes to investigate. Two minutes later he returns with Madison in hand. The closer she comes, the wider my eyes open.
"Guess what?" Matthew chimes "Somebody was being bad"

 

 ....OMG!!!!!

To my amazement her entire face was covered with Vaseline. Huge chunks of it hanging from her cheeks and nose. Her hair was a complete disaster!! The condition of her bed...OH BOY!! But with a giant smile on her face, she reached for a hug and happily agreed to a late night bath. (I guess she wins this round)

J.K.