Rain Day

Here's to prove that too many rain days in a row can drive a woman to do almost anything to keep from going insane. I did this with the help of Singlestonestudios.blogspot.com

Here is the "Before":




Taping it off, like a good girl...I have been known not to use tape and let's just say, the results ain't pretty.


The color:


My high paid helper:



She is VERY careful - see, it comes in handy to pass down my OCD genes!




The finished product:




This is where Single Stone Studio came into play. I ordered this great vinyl sign from their Etsy shop. It was easy to put up and even came personalized all for around $30.00. I have bumpy walls too (I would have used a more sophisticated word instead of bumpy, but I am still missing one letter on my keyboard) anyway - it still looks great - even with the bumps!

Safety First, Children

Ok- so this is our fireplace. Please note all the wonderfully sharp edges and corners - just perfect for causing stitches in young children. Really, the fireplace has not been an issue for us. We moved into this house when Sarah was old enough to know better then to play near the fireplace. Ok - let's face it, Sarah has always been old enough to know better then to play near something so obviously dangerous...We have never had a problem with her laughing at us when we tell her no, or trying to sneak over to something that she knows is off limits. Aiden on the other hand, he has a danger magnet embedded somewhere in his body, and when I find it - we are having that puppy removed!!
This is how life was - put Aiden on the ground - he crawls to horribly sharp and pointy edges of fireplace and tries to pull up on very unsteady and wobbly legs. Pick Aiden up and move him to a new location - Aiden crawls to fireplace again. Pick Aiden up and move him to a new location - Aiden crawls to fireplace again. Pick Aiden up and move him to a new location - Aiden crawls to fireplace again. Ok - you get the picture. This went on, and on - for weeks. So we began looking for a hearth guard. Something that would cover all the potentially deadly parts of this obtrusive structure in the living room. We looked all over and finally found a "Baby Safety Foam", so we ordered. Measurements were taken, photos were emailed, and about a week later the product arrived.
To say the least, I was a little disappointed by the contents that came in a 2ft by 4 ft box delivered to our door. Inside were several items that could be picked up at any local Walmart and for what we paid for this thing (around $200) - I expected something more. However, we assembled the hearth guard anyway, under the premise that is could still be returned if we were not happy with it. Now mind you, it looks like we are about to mail off our fireplace. The baby safety foam looks more like a package ready for UPS pickup then a fabulous addition to our interior decorating, but - it works, and that is all that concerns me. Oh yea, and now, Aiden wants nothing to do with the fireplace.

Shots!

Here I thought I was being quite efficient taking both children in for their Doctors appointments at the same time yesterday. Sarah needed a back to school physical and Aiden was due for his two month check up. Both visits required shots.
Sarah was very excited. You see, she wants (for the time being) to be a "baby doctor" and this would give her the prime opportunity to get an up close and personal view of the doctor in action with her baby brother.
She did VERY well with her exam. She sat still for the nurse to check her heart rate and blood pressure and was even friendly to Dr. Deumler as he checked her over. But the real test of true bravery for her were the shots! She needed two this time and received them both in her legs. She was outstanding - not even flinching or looking away. I, on the other hand, was about on the floor! No tears were shed and no complaining heard. Unbelievable.
Next was Aiden, who also did well at his exam, but the shots were heartbreaking. This is where Matthew comes in. I made him come with to hold Aiden down - I do not have it in me. Big sister, Sarah, who did not cry for her own shots, was in tears for her baby brother who received three agonizing shots in his legs.
All-in-all, we made it through the appointment unscathed. It was at home that it all turned into another story... Aiden slept soundly for the first two hours we were home. I thought we had clear sailing to head off to the pool with a sleeping baby and a bouncing four-year-old. I got Sarah and I into swim suits, towels gathered and pool bag packed. And then it hit.
Aiden woke with a startled shriek, which quickly turned into violent screams of pain. His little leg had swollen and become a lovely shade of crimson. Every time he moved it sent a jolt of pain through his small body. It was terrible. For two and a half hours he screamed uncontrollably, no matter what I did to try to console him. We tryed ice, warm baths, Tylenol - nothing worked. About 4:30 he finally slipped into an exhausted sleep. I could breathe.
In the meantime, Sarah, who was now sadly disappointed that we were not going to the pool, also began to feel sore in her injection sites. She began limping around the house and whimpering. I would pick her up when I could, but with Aiden screaming at the same time, it was hard to give her her due sympathy as well.
By 5:00 the Tylenol had kicked in for both children - just in time for Matthew to come home from work. I have to wonder if he thinks I make these things up. He came home to a perfectly happy daughter and a sleeping son. (Oh yea, and an exhausted wife.) He and Sarah headed out to the barn and Aiden and I took a bath.