Cloud + Sheep = Dr. Scholl's® For Her Cozy Cushions

Well, I haven't blogged here in a few months because I have been chasing kids, grading papers, and trying to manage life in general... more on that later.

In the meantime... we pause for a moment from our sponsors:

Dr. Scholl's for Her: Cozy Cushions
(there is a $2 off coupon on the page if you follow the link)

I received this product complementary for testing from www.influenster.com .  It is a great program where you receive great FULL-SIZE products to test and review.

I was excited to see these insoles when I opened the box because they are so soft and fuzzy.  I used to have this pair of slippers that were fleece lined.  I wore them until they literally fell apart at the seams and couldn't be repaired.  These "Cozy Cushions" reminded me of that, so I ripped open the package and then... went and found a pair of scissors to trim them.  They are originally sized for a shoe size 9 or 10, but have nifty little guidelines on the rubber side to trim down to other smaller sizes like my little size 7 foot.

I placed them in my favorite boots and went off to work.  As many of you know, I am a teacher and am on my feet all day.  Earlier in the week, I had worn these same boots and my feet were killing me by the end of the day.  Also, in order to "save money" at my school, the temperature is set rather low.  This winter has been killing me.  I'm freezing all the time.  So... I'm at work.  Honestly, my boots felt a little tight, but my feet were warm and otherwise very cozy.  I think if I was planning on putting a pair of these in my boots, I might buy my boots a half size up than normal.

At the end of the day, my feet didn't hurt... and they weren't cold.  Double win!  I'm very pleased with this product.  Now I'm off to hunt for a new pair of fuzzy slippers... or maybe I'll just by more Cozy Cushions and put them in my not-so-fuzzy slippers I bought to replace them!

Welcome Molly - a little late

This blog is really a record for myself, so I guess it doesn't matter much that this entry is almost three months late.  Our little baby was due on March 15, 2013 (a Friday).  On March 8th (a Friday) I started feeling a little bad with irregular contractions so I told Sam that he needed to pack his hospital bag just in case.  I was going to spend the weekend getting a few extra things ready around the house and getting my sub plans ready for the next week.  I had plans to work right up until the 15th if I could.  Robbie came the day after his due date by induction, so I had no notion that this little one would come early.  There were several "fun" dates ahead that could be great birthdays: 3/9 My friend Brianna's birthday; 3/10 MY birthday; 3/14 Pi day (3.14); 3/15 ides of March; 3/17 St. Patrick's day

On Saturday, March 9th, Sam went to work and Robbie and I enjoyed some time at home.  I kept having intense, but very irregular contractions about every 2 hours or so.  Sam came home, we had dinner, put Robbie to bed, and went to bed ourselves. However, I couldn't sleep.  I started timing contractions and realized they were now coming about every 4 minutes.

I should note here that with Robbie, I was induced.  They gave me pitocin, a little while later I got an epidural, easy-peasy/no pain/no complication delivery with a baby about 10 hours later.  Not bad.  I never had the opportunity to have "active labor" and can I just say "omigoodnesssomebodykillmethishurtssofreakingbad" ?  Can I?  Ok, I will.  Agony.  Ouch.  

I woke Sam up.  We called my wonderful OBGYN Dr. Grondahl who told us to head into the hospital.  At this point I'm pacing around the house, breathing, pausing occasionally to die have a contraction.  Sam called our neighbor and good friend Donna to come sit in the house while Robbie slept and called his mom Gwen to start heading our way from Bloomington.

We got to the hospital about midnight.  I was 4cm dilated (for those who like the gory details) and admitted. It looked like I would be having a baby on my own birthday!  I began begging for requesting an epidural and they got one into me as soon as they could.  At this point I was 6cm dilated.  I had a "hot spot" and requested more pain meds.  Received and I was completely numb. FAB-U-LOUS.  Now for all you natural labor mommas, good for you, but as for me and my house we will accept any and all medical intervention especially those that allow for pain removal.  No judging either way, ok?  I hadn't slept all night or well for days, so I managed to get in a couple of hours of blissful rest.

Later in the morning, (Sunday, March 10), I was checked again and was completely dilated.  The nurse asked me to do a practice push "just to see" how things were progressing.  My water broke.  They called the doctor in and we did maybe 2 or 3 more pushes and our sweet little girl was born!  No tearing (awesome) or any other complications.  My sweet little birthday present was here.

Molly Brianna Leahy

Born Sunday, March 10, 2013

 at 10:13 AM

6lbs 8oz, 19.5 in long

Molly was named for Sam's grandmother Mary Leahy.  We found in a baby name book that "Molly" is an old traditional nickname for "Mary." We both really like the name and also like the tribute to his grandmother.  Brianna is my best friend from college who has been like a sister to us and is always there when I need someone to vent my frustrations to or need to escape for some girl time.

Gwen brought Robbie over later that day to meet his new little sister.  To say he was excited and in love was an understatement!  He did so well with her! 

Our sweet little family.

I had an incredibly easy recovery.  After the epidural wore off I was up and moving around.  I was taking an occasional naproxin for discomfort.  The hospital staff at IU West was absolutely wonderful.  They took such good care of us and were so kind and patient.  Everything was sunshine and roses and bliss, albeit an exhausted one.

Then Robbie got sick.  On the day we were released to come home, Robbie came down with a high temperature and a bad cough/cold.  A little background, but Robbie gets febrile seizures when his temp hits 102 degrees, so we take fevers very seriously.  We were told that he would eventually "grow out of it" between 4-6 years old.  We also found out that one of his little friends at daycare had tested positive for flu.  We made him wear a mask to hold Miss Molly and we were all hand washing like crazy.

After a few days, he wasn't getting any better.  We took him to the pediatrician who did a chest x-ray (which came back fine) and told us that as long as he had the fever that he and Molly couldn't be in the same room.  It was heartbreaking.  Fortunately, Sam had time off so we switched back and forth taking care of the kids.  I would keep Molly in our bedroom and Sam would keep Robbie in the living room.  Then switch.  It was really hard emotionally and also physically.  We were exhausted to have not just one child who was awake every few hours, but two.  Plus Sam and I both started getting sick too with colds/coughs.  We were really blessed at this time with friends and family who made us meals and brought groceries to our house so we would not have to leave and didn't have to think about cooking.  I don't know how we would have made it through the week without all the help and support.  Robbie was feverish for a full 7 days and puny for several more.  He never had a seizure, though, despite hitting 104 degrees at one point.  We think he has finally grown out of this!  PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Now, almost three months later, we are doing great.  Molly and Robbie are best friends and so sweet to each other.  We are getting the hang of this family of four thing.  There is not a lot of time for "extra" things like showering blogging but we are still enjoying ourselves.  We just got back from a road trip to see my parents. (More on that later... maybe)

We are "done" with babies we think, so I am really savoring this little one and cherishing each little moment.  She is a sweetheart and has us all wrapped around her tiny fingers!

Molly's Dr. Seuss Nursery

My blog is woefully out of date.  Apparently having two children AND a blog is too much for me.

So: super quick summary - we had a baby girl, Molly Brianna on March 10, 2013.  She is perfect.  We love her to pieces.  I went back to work for a couple of weeks and now am on summer vacation.  We just got back from a trip to Florida to visit my parents.  My mom told me that I never posted pictures of how the nursery turned out... so here they are.

First off, this is a really small room. When we went to put the furniture from Robbie's nursery into it, we were shocked at how difficult it was to get everything to fit.  

Above you can see the cool vinyl quote that our friend Dan made for us.  I looked forever at quotes and re-read a lot of the Dr. Seuss books.  I found several that I liked but also discovered that a lot of quotes that are attributed to Seuss on the Internet are either mis-attributed or just plain made up.  I even had my librarian pal Robyn research one to see if it had a real Seuss source, but couldn't find one.  We ended up going with this one from "Oh! The Places You'll Go."  You can also see the artwork and mobile I made.

My mother-in-law Gwen made the valence.  The curtains are light-blocking thermal panels from Target.

Since the room is so small, we decided to take the closet doors off to make everything easier to access. This also allowed us to put the glider in front of the closet. Gwen made another small curtain which we hung with a tension rod in the top of the closet.  This covered up the storage so I could randomly stuff things up there that I don't want to be visible.  

Here is another vinyl graphic from our friend Dan.  This shelf and one on the other side of the room were made by my grandfather Gene Strunk.  He did a lot of woodworking and I received these shelves when he passed away.  I love that we were able to hang them in Molly's room.

On the shelf we have the Truffula Trees that I made, a cute Dr. Seuss Tonner doll from my mom Shirley, and a sweet little stuffed Horton from Kohls.

So that is it.  It's pretty cute, I think and not too overwhelming.  Thank you everyone for your help putting this all together... especially Sam for doing all the installation and heavy lifting... and for putting up with my crazy.  Also thanks to my mom who gave me lots of good ideas and let me talk her ear off.  Thanks to M.I.L. Gwen for sewing the valences, the bedskirt, and two adorable little baby quilts.  Thank to Dan for doing such great vinyl graphics and even coming over to install them when I was 9 months pregnant and miserable.

Think left and think right and think low and think high. 

Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!

Dr. Seuss Nursery - Part 3 - Mobile

Robbie's nursery had a cute little Indianapolis Colts Football Mobile that hung above his crib, but that didn't quite work with our new theme.  I looked online and again found that the items available seemed really expensive for the quality and not really what I wanted. So, I decided to make my own.

I looked on Amazon and found this cool "Make Your Own Mobile" Kit.  Basically, it is a simple wire frame with 10 little clips on the bottom for attaching the items of your choice.

I had some adorable Dr. Seuss themed material samples I ordered from Cotton Blossom Farm (a great online fabric store).  One had little characters on it and the other was a cool rainbow stripe.  I made little pillows from the fabric.  On the top of the mobile, I used a teeny-tiny iconic red & white hat that I purchased at our local Party City store.  Dr. Seuss' birthday is coming up and they have lots of decorations available.  So cute!

 

I think this turned out pretty cute.  I love how colorful it is.  Also, when little one grows out of Dr. Seuss, I think we can make a new decoration with it by adding something different to the clips.

Dr. Seuss Nursery - Part 2 - Favorite Story Tribute

For our little one's Dr. Seuss nursery, I wanted some prints to hang on the wall.  After a few internet searches, I discovered a couple of things.

1.  Art, if it is well done, is expensive.

2.  There are a ton of "Dr. Seuss" art prints with quotes that are NOT ACTUAL QUOTES.  They are either attributed to him mistakenly (someone else said them) or they are just plain made up.  This type of thing drives me crazy.

So, I decided to make my own.  My mom and I started searching Goodwill and used book stores for cheap Dr. Seuss books.  At Goodwill you can get a hardback book for a buck and the condition was not a concern, since I was planning on cutting them up anyway.  

Step 1:  Materials

11 x 14 art canvas (available at most craft stores)

Mod Podge (I like the matte, but it is also available in glossy)

Sponge Brushes

Pages from your favorite books

Black Paint

Step 2:  Prep Canvas

I painted the edges of my canvases black so they would look more "finished" when hanging on the wall.

Step 3:  Create Collage
Cut out images from your favorite books and lay them out and move them around until you like them.  Apply a thin layer of mod podge to the back of a piece and smooth out onto the canvas.  Repeat, layering gradually, allowing time to dry as needed.  There are a lot of great videos on you tube about the proper way to decoupage if you search for them.  When you are done, spread a thin layer all over top surface to seal it in and allow to dry.

Here are my results.  Some turned out better than others.  We may not hang them all, but they were fun to do anyway!

Dr. Seuss Nursery - Part 1 - Truffula Trees

So, I haven't blogged in months and months... I have a lot of catching up to do.

But in the meantime:  Here's a quick catch up on our big news - we are expecting a baby girl in March!

We've decided to decorate Baby Girl's nursery in a Dr. Seuss theme.  So first off, I decided to "grow some truffula trees."  If you don't know what truffula trees are, stop reading this blog, go pick up a copy of the Lorax, read it, and then come back.  You'll thank me for it later.

Step 1: Materials

Styrofoam balls - I bought two different sizes

Sewing Pins

Floral stems - I found a paper-wrapped wire decorative stem in the Easter Clearance.  The top was covered in sequins and beads.  My husband took his wire cutters and trimmed off all the frufru stuff at the top.  I think you could also use anything from the floral section and just paint it yellow.

White Fur Trim - My mom had a bunch of this in her sewing supplies and mailed it to me.  It is a lot like this fur trim.

Sharpies - to "paint" your trees

Bag of White Rice

Jar of ModPodge

Green Food Coloring

Rub-on Letters

Small Clay Pot

Step 2:  Put a small piece of something into the hole at the bottom of the ball.  If you don't do this, you will never be able to find the hole later and you will have to rip it out completely.  I learned that the hard way.

Step 3:  Start wrapping the trim around the ball, sticking in pins to attach it to the styrofoam.  As you do this, you will need to kind of "fold and tuck" in places to make it lay right.  Continue until you have completely covered the ball.  Trim off the end and add pins to any places needed to make it look right.

Step 4:  Take your sharpie in the color of your choice and start to color the fur.  This will take a while, so pop in your favorite movie and start coloring.  As you move the fur around, you'll find more white spots and will need to keep coloring.  Eventually, you'll be happy with the look.  Take a break to get some fresh air from the sharpie fumes.

Step 5:  Insert your floral stem into the bottom of the ball to for a trunk.  I took a black marker to add some stripes to the trunk.  Bend the trunk to make it whimsical.

 Step 6:  Planting
Ok, so this took a little trial and error and I don't have good pictures.
Here goes:  Take a few of the leftover styrofoam balls and cut into halves.  Stick trunks into the styrofoam and stuff into the pot. Shove some extra pieces in there too.  Dump a little rice in the pot.  Pour in a little mod  podge.  Dump in a little more rice.  Pour in a little more mod podge.  Keep repeating in small layers.  This will eventually dry and create a really nice solid base.  Next take a bowl of dry rice and add 5 or 6 drops of green food coloring and stir around to stain the rice.  Add this to the top of the pot for "grass."  Finally, use the rub on letters to remind yourself that "Unless".

Aren't my little potted truffula trees adorable!?!

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better.  It's not.

Play time!

Too tired to type up a real post....

How about some adorable pics of my husband and son playing Army Men vs. Aliens?

... and of course an epic battle to defeat Syndrome and the Kronos robots... you may notice that Syndrome is fighting against himself as well....

Playtime is special!

"The Many Uses of Ivory"

In my Influenster Mom VoxBox, I received a complimentary bar of Ivory soap to test and review.  I received this item for free from Influenster and Ivory, but the opinions are my own.  At first I thought, "OK. Soap. I guess we will wash with it!"  I opened the package and though the scent was light and fresh, I didn't care for it as a body soap.  I am very sensitive to scents of any kind.  Shortly after, I got online and searched for "Uses of Ivory Soap."  

What I used it for:
The first thing my son and I did was take a sliver of soap and put it in the microwave.  About a minute and a half later, the soap puffed up and made what looked like snow.  There is a lot of science going on here.  If you'd like to read about the physics involved, go here.  We used it as actual snow and played with the lego snowboarder even though it was over 100 degrees outside.

We also used the soap to wash hands.  It felt really clean and I noticed that my ring looked more sparkly afterwards.

I also contacted several friends who make their own laundry detergent like I do.  Remember this post?    I decided to try to make some dry soap instead of liquid soap.  Since I only had about half a bar, I used this recipe:
1/2 c. borax + 1/2 c. super washing soda + 1/4 c. oxyclean + 1/2 bar finely grated soap.  Use 1 to 2 TBSP of mix per load.

What I like about Ivory and Results I saw from the Product
I absolutely love that Ivory has so many uses.  The fact that it is JUST PLAIN SOAP... 99.44% pure makes me very happy as I know I am not using a product with a bunch of fillers I can't even pronounce.  Ivory worked great as soap, as laundry detergent, and as a craft.  It performed as well as other products we've used in its place.  Did I mention how shiny my ring was?!?

Thoughts on Ivory's Value
Ivory is CHEAP!  At less than $0.50 per bar if you pay full retail (or less with a coupon), you can afford it.  For example, the laundry soap mentioned above cost me about $2.00 total to make and will wash over 30 loads.  You can't beat that price.

Recommended Uses for this Product
Are you ready?  As you remember, I started this project looking for "Uses for Ivory Soap."  What I came across was a really cool document from the Procter and Gamble company.  They had a contest on Unusual Uses for Ivory Soap and picked their favorites.  They claim that "Ivory Soap and water will not injure anything that water, alone, will not harm."  You can read the whole document online here.

I read the whole pamphlet and cut and paste my favorites... I hope you enjoy.  I can't wait to try some of these out soon - especially the dust cloths. Those Swiffer brand ones are expensive!  I also thought the "keep your fingernails clean" idea was brilliant.  I also love the quote at the beginning of the book from the Procter and Gamble Company:  "If, at any time, you have a cleaning problem no covered by printed instructions, all that is necessary is to use Ivory Soap and common sense."

imPress Press On Manicure - Influenster Review

Recently I joined a group called Influenster.  If you like to blog, use social networking, and like free stuff, you  should join this group.  In my "Mom VoxBox," I was excited to see this imPRESS Press on Manicure kit from Broadway Nails.  You can learn more about this product from their website:  www.impressmanicure.com and can download a coupon for $1.00 off your purchase (Look on the bottom right corner of the screen).  These nails retail for $5.99-$7.99 and can be found at your local drugstores/beauty stores like Walgreens and Walmart.

Now I know you're thinking, "Press on nails? Seriously? What are you, eight?"  But you have to understand, although I love the look of a manicure, I can't stand long nails for day to day life.  My job as a teacher means that I wash my hands A LOT.  My job as a mom means I do a lot of baths and dishes.  Water is hard on polish. My pastimes of piano playing and wasting time on the computer critical blogging don't like long nails due to the clicky-clack of nails on keys that DRIVE ME CRAZY.  But I digress...  To keep it short... (ba-dump-ching!), I love the look of long nails for special occasions but find that short natural nails work best for me for the most part.

So the directions look pretty simple.  You peel the sticker.  You press it on.   I thought, "I can do this..." 

 I took a before shot here.  I tried to get that Pinterest "holding a bottle" look... ha!

I went through the bottle of 24 nails and picked out the ten that best fit my nails.  I have pretty small nails, so I used the eight smallest nails and then one of the more medium ones for my thumb.  I feel like if you have medium-to-large nails, you would have had enough for your nails too.  There was quite a variety of sizes in the bottle.  I swabbed my nails with the "prepping" cloth...  very refreshing.  I peeled the stickers and stuck them on!  This whole process took me about 10 minutes from start to finish.

And done! You can still see my nail bed on my thumb... should have used the next size up for this particular thumb... the other looked great.

Now, like I said, I'm pretty plain jane when it comes to nails, so here is my impression of these products.  First off, let me remind you that I received this product FOR FREE from influenster for testing and review.  The product was complimentary, but the opinions are my own.

1.  This was fast and looked pretty darn good.  I felt pretty special and pretty when my husband and I went on an afternoon date.  I see myself buying these again and putting them in the drawer for special occasions... a nice dinner, a wedding, or just a night out with the girls... a quick way to make yourself feel special.

2.  The price is pretty good.  This is not a salon manicure, but it faked my sister out who was shocked to find out they were press-on.  For about $6.00 I got a very manicured look without spending all that cash at the nail salon.

3.  I would not have chosen this color (Stilletto) because it is pretty dark and it is summer time.  However, there are several bright colors and fun prints available to try out.  I checked my local Walmart and they carried these in about 4 colors but the website claims to have 36 different styles.

4.  These are long lasting.  I lost one nail while I was doing the dishes about 5 days after I applied.  I had to really work to get the others off.  I think if I'd had some nail glue, I could have popped the rogue nail back on and the manicure could have lasted for quite some time.  The package claims "up to a week" of survival.

In conclusion, I would definitely buy these again and encourage you to try them out -- especially if you are like me and can't maintain or afford a professional manicure.  Try them! 

Sweet Dreams, Little Man

Godspeed, Little Man.

one month old

I sing this song to Robbie nearly every night I put him to bed and have done so since the day we brought him home from the hospital.  

You Tube Version of this Song  The Dixie Chicks perform it.

Dragon tales and the Water is Wide;Pirates sail and lost boys fly;Fish bite moonbeams every night;And I love you;Godspeed little man Sweet Dreams little man;All my love will fly to you each night on angels wings;Godspeed sweet dreams

The rocket racer's all tuckered out;Superman's in pajamas on the couch;Goodnight moon we'll find the mouse;And I love you;Godspeed little man Sweet Dreams little man;My love will fly to you each night on angels wings;Godspeed Sweet Dreams

God bless mommy and matchbox cars;God bless Dad and thanks for the stars;God hears "amen" wherever we are;And I love you;Godspeed little man Sweet Dreams little man;My love will fly to you each night on angels's wings;
Godspeed, Godspeed, Godspeed Sweet Dreams 

A few months ago, he stopped me at the last verse and said, "Mommy, why can't God bless Robbie too?"  So we replaced the words with "God bless mommy and God bless Robbie, God bless daddy and thanks..." He is my little "Prayer of Jabez" boy! 


Tonight, he asked me if it would be OK if he sang his lullabies with me instead of just listening.  I said, "OK, which one are we going to sing?"  He said, "Rockin' Tales" (which is what he calls this song).... and then we sang... the whole song... he knows every word even the ones I sing wrong (fish bite moonbeams every night/fish those moonbeams out of the sky).  It was so precious.  My heart was so full and once again overwhelmed by how much love I have for this tiny precious man God gave me to raise and love.  I kept thinking, I HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS MOMENT.  I have to remember this feeling.  This is one of those "little moments" that are really the "big moments," you know? 


And as I sit here and reflect I can't help but think... he knows every word of this song? Why? Because I sing them every night.  What other things do I say to him every day? He probably knows those words by heart too.  I pray that God will guard my tongue and give me words of wisdom and love to say to him every day.  I need to say things to him every day so he will know them.  I love you.  Daddy loves you. God loves you.  You can do great things.  You are important.  I will always love you, no matter what you do, what you say, or how you choose to live your life.  


Here is a great article by Victoria Osteen: Bless Your Children.  and another one by Pam Leo: Teaching Children Respect that are good, quick reads if you have a moment and you are a parent.

And in the meantime, I'm off to bed with a precious memory of my beautiful three-year-old singing lullabies with me on a hot summer evening.  Godspeed sweet dreams.

Disney World - Day 5 - LAST DAY!

We've had several really fun days at Disney, but today is the day we have to go home.  Today was extra magic hours at the MK so we packed up the car and got on the boat.  We rode the Space Ranger Spin again (twice), Peter Pan, Small World, and then waited in line to see Tinker Bell.  Robbie loves Tinker Bell almost as much as Mickey.  We waited for FORTY FIVE minutes in line for Pixie Hollow.  As soon as we were next, Robbie says, "I think I changed my mind.  Let's go."

OH, NO, my son.  We waited. We're next. We are seeing Tinker Bell and you are going to enjoy it.  Of course as soon as we turned the corner, he turned in to shy boy and wouldn't detach from me.  Oh well.

Tinker Bell's friend Rosetta

Robbie said he afterward he expected Tinker Bell to be smaller.

Crystal Palace is always a fun place to have lunch with Winnie the Pooh and friends.  Robbie was in a pretty good mood and it was adorable watching him get excited to see Tigger, who he claimed was going to really be fun.

Crystal Palace

Robbie was too tired to do anything else, so we left.  Robbie really wanted to ride Dumbo again and made me promise that the next time we come to Disney World it would be the very first thing we did.  I promised, but I don't think he understands that the next time we come back he probably won't want me to keep my promise because he will be older.

Best ride of the vacation? Maybe the one home?

My collection of pins for this trip.  My goal was to collect as many "Vinylmation" Mickeys I could find.

Next Disney Trip?  Well so far, we've gone about every five years.  We'll see how long we can wait to go back.  Robbie is already talking about all the things he's going to do next time... including playing in the pool...