Sunday, December 28, 2014

ELF ANONYMOUS

Dear Olive,

Every night before we went to bed over the holiday, my husband repositioned the elf into an inappropriate activity.  I had to be sure to double-check to make changes before the minors viewed it.

He was a binge drinker...

 A gambler
And a coke fiend. 

Now that's quality parenting. 

Saturday, December 27, 2014

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS

Dear Olive,

I can't wait to see you tomorrow!  Did you have a magical Christmas?  Santa propaganda was in full swing at our house this year.


Ella even sat for the story when we went to see him.



 Can't wait to hear all about your festivities!

Sunday, December 14, 2014

DANCING FEET

Dear Olive,

In my head, I dance like this.  Bystanders tell me that I really dance like this.


Thursday, December 11, 2014

THE MAKING OF A BETTER MOTHER

Dear Olive,

This article really resonated with me.  "The perfectionist in me wants to slow down this parenting thing and get it exactly right."  Perhaps she's on to something about keeping it simple and focusing on curated engagement with kids.





DOGS IN THE KITCHEN

Dear Olive,

What is your most proud house hack so far?  Is it the bathroom sink made of the old Victrola player?  That was pretty keen.  I think ours might be the dog kennel fashioned out of that awkward kitchen cabinet.  I am grateful everyday to not have to look at that plastic pet cage instead.


The handyman thought I was crazy when I asked him to cut a hole in the back of our L-shaped cabinet.  But it was such an awkward space, I rarely used it for anything, and most of the stuff just got stuck in the back anyway.  That old heater grate we used for the kennel door took me forever to find, but it was worth it in the end.


Here's how we did it:
Step 1: Buy an old heating grate and 3 years of thick clear plastic (available in rolls at the fabric store).

Step 2: Cut a square in the backside of your kitchen cabinet (the same size as the interior of the grate, leaving about a 1" lip overage).  Staple gun the clear plastic inside the cabinet for extra wood protection.  

Step 3: Paint the edges of the hole black, hinge on the grate, and add a piece of wood to the opening to lock and unlock the kennel door.



Now, sometimes when the kids are crawling in and out of it while I'm cooking... yes, we knew that was inevitable; they sometimes sing, "dogs in the kitchen."  Such as this:




Sunday, December 7, 2014

CHRISTMAS PARCEL POST

Dear Olive,

I have proudly hacked a high end Christmas card into our very own.  I made this in Photoshop.  Here is the file in case you wish to someday steal it.  Being a dataphile, this correspondence fits me to a T.  Yours will arrive next week along with your Christmas gifties.


Saturday, December 6, 2014

I'M GONNA POP SOME TAGS

Dear Olive,

Scored some amazing thrift store finds today for the superhero lair I am making in Gabriel's closet as a Christmas surprise.

Completely sang this song in the aisle (warning: explicit, but sometimes you're so excited that the swears are necessary).


You're welcome.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

WATCHING TED TALKS... ON PURPOSE

Dear Olive,

I've been watching these TED talks like crazy.  They just might hold the secrets of life.


Monday, December 1, 2014

SUGAR AND SPICE

Dear Olive,

Last week, my mom brought home these old fashioned jam jars.


I thought and thought about what to do with them and finally decided to make a new spice rack.  


I just used my clear label-maker to label each jar, stacked some cake-stands and: spice spice, baby.