Biddle Boo and Doggy Dog Too!

Sorry I haven't posted anything lately....I feel like I've been so busy and really haven't had anything interesting to post. And now I have something interesting to post, you ask? No, not really. But I feel like I should post SOMETHING to keep the Biddle Brilliance allure going. So I suppose I'll just update all my adoring followers with iddle Biddle antics, oohs-&-ahhs, and funnies.

So my little guy is 27 months now. I know...I hate it when moms say XX months when the kiddos are over 2...but how else do you describe them when they aren't exactly 2 and babbling still. He's older than that and he plays a mean game of 'Pete & Repeat.' You say it. He says it. You say it. He doesn't say it. You think he's ignored you. Then 3 hours later....he says it. It's grand to realize you ARE actually getting through to him!

I had to take Jaxen with me to my Ob/Gyn the other day and I was explaining to him that he came out of mommy's tummy. He didn't seem to listen or even much care. But I tell you...as soon as we walked into the Dr's office he was spouting out 'Jaxen came from Mommy's tummy!' So this really makes you aware of the fact that he is listening to EVERYTHING you say!

We finally got around to taking him to his 2 year check up. Yes, I know....we are 3 months behind. Well I have a good excuse. I forgot his appointment the first time. I called and rescheduled. Then you guessed it, I forgot again. But the third time is the charm. We went to see Dr. West (and Jaxen had been practicing saying 'Dr. West' all morning) so every time someone walked into the examination room he greeted them with 'There's Dr. West!' Haha He's a clever little booger. He did awesome. Sat still and let the doctor look in all the nooks and crannies and he got a clean bill of health. He's in the 75th percentile for height and weight. Yep, he's a big'un.

Around the house Jaxen has been keeping mommy & daddy verrrrry busy cleaning up race cars. His new addiction. Everywhere we go - he takes Lightning McQueen. He takes him to bed too. I have 3-5 race cars in my purse at all times. We bring one home from Nana & Papa's house every time we visit....we probably have 40 race cars. It's especially fun to have that many because yes, they can be spread in EVERY room of the house all at once. No...it doesn't hurt to step on one barefoot. Not at all. But they do work as a good bargaining measure. 'Jaxen....come take a bite or you have to hand me that race car.' To which he immediately responds wimpily (whether or not he's actually holding a race car) 'Uhhh...wace caw....wace caw.' It's hilarious.

In case those of you who are familiar with 'Doggy dog' are curious if he still has to come everywhere we go in addition to the newly beloved Lightning McQueen....the answer is YES! Doggy dog with the gray butt is with us at all times. In the grocery store. At church. Beside the bath tub. When we trick or treat. If we leave the house without him...you guessed it - we turn around and come back to get him. Jaxen is requesting 'Doggy dog!' before we even get off of our street. Poor doggy can't get a break. Both legs and neck have had to be stitched back together. His hiney no longer is white, even after a soak in bleach for 2 hours. And that 6 day old Jaxen's morning breath smell on the tail end of the furry friend...no longer goes away after a bath. He's Jaxen's wooby...and that's all there is to it.

And lastly...Jaxen is so funny lately because he refers to himself in the third person all the time. I find it sooo cute. He'll hand me something and say 'Thank you, Jaxen.' We pull up into the driveway and he says 'There's Jaxen's house wight dere!' When talking about himself sneaking out of his bed and coming to mommy & daddy's bed he says 'Jaxen climb out!' When asking for his vitamin, he says 'Jaxen want bitamin.' I and My don't really exist yet to him. Just 'Jaxen.' Love it!

Well I guess I'll bring this not so interesting post to a close because Jaxen is currently requesting 'Momma hooollldd you.' Translation: Pick me up! Which is all really a ploy to bang uncontrollably on my keyboard. He's a clever little fella....but I'm on to him!

Hope to have something a little more interesting to post around Thanksgiving. I'll tell Jaxen to do something really cute by then :)

Happy Halloween!

I'm telling you...these wreaths just get better and better. Now once again, I can not take full credit. I know, I cheat! I steal other people's ideas and run with them as fast as I can. And I am sooo glad that other people in the world are creative...so I can 'appear' creative to others as well.

So....with no further adieu, here's a Halloween wreath that is sure to spook the neighbors!

You start by getting your retired dad, who seemingly has nothing better to do than to help you once again with your 'new project', to help you gather some sticks from his yard and cut them into small pieces. Our yard might as well be a barren wasteland....no trees of any sort that can produce any useful limbs.

After you've gathered enough sticks, break out that old can of black spray paint you've been trying to figure out what to use on...and get busy. Spray spray spray. Rotate. Spray. Make sure the tips of the sticks are black too. No body is scared of a regular ol' stick...make sure these puppies are black!


While those are drying...grab two of your kitchen bowls and a piece of cardboard (diaper box, wipes box, hmm...just some examples) and trace both bowls onto the cardboard...the smaller one inside the larger one. I used about an 8.5" bowl and 6" bowl. Then cut that sucker out. This sounds easy, but is harder than you think. Cardboard is surprisingly stiff when you want to actually cut a circle out of another circle. Once you've got your 'ring'...you can either spray paint it black or what I did was wrapped it in black tape. I thought this may make my cardboard a little sturdier. It didn't really...but I had ran out of black spray paint...so this worked fine for me. This part is optional: I bought a little wooden 'Happy Halloween' cutout from Michaels for like $3 and a piece of scrapbook paper that I intended to cover it with. So I taped the wooden cut out onto the back of my paper and traced it with pencil. Then I pain stakingly cut out the intricate design. Yes, this took some time. Hind sight, I regretted this decision....but I was too far in to give up now! So I continued on and finished cutting out all the little bats and what not. Then I mod podged the paper on to the front and then put another coat of mod podge on top of the paper. I **thought** about smearing some black paint around the edges to give it a darker look...but decided I was too tired and carried on with the original plan. I know....but I'm tired!!


Then I started to hot glue all the now dry, black sticks (that have been taking up space in my garage for two days now) all around the black cardboard ring. This took a little maneuvering...but I got it done. It was good to have an array of fatter and thinner sticks to fill in spots. Once they were all glued on I had about 5 or 6 sticks left over...so I'd say that was good planning. Goooo me :)

I looped a piece of ribbon around the top of the wreath and went ahead and tied a bow, so that the ribbon would be in place before I attached the wooden Happy Halloween cutout.


Since the stick thicknesses were so different, my original plan of glueing the wooden cutout to the top of them...now didn't seem really feasible. I thought it wouldn't hold as well. So I got out some trusty floral wire that I had and just wrapped it around four spots on the cut out and wrapped it around the cardboard ring and twisted it secure. This seemed to work perfectly - if you don't mind seeing the itsy bitsiest piece of wire. I do mind, but hey, the glue wouldn't have worked...and I wanted this thang to stay together!





I popped that sucker on my front door (after cleaning off all the REAL cobwebs and dead spiders, yuck!) and bam...I once again out do my neighbors' halloween wreaths. Wait, they don't have up halloween wreaths, BUT...if they did...I'm just saying. This one is awesome.

Thanks to this site for the idea! ** Delia Creates **

Our Biddle is Two!

So Jaxen's 2nd birthday came and went this year...it happened so fast! Unfortunately it was overshadowed by the death of our furry son Stinkemus Pete. But we still had a great time celebrating our big boy! And it helped us to take our minds off our sadness too. Luckily I had started weeks prior to that making some special items to help round out the party for our roly poly 2 year old.

1. Matching shirts for the family. So...they weren't 'matchy matchy' but we definitely all matched the theme. OWLS! Not sure I'd want one as a pet, but they sure do make for cute party decorations! Freezer paper, fabric paint & an iron are all you need to make these cute puppies. I also did this for a baby shower, lots of cute onesies were the result. Y-E-S!


















Jaxen's shirt said 'I HOOT, I TOOT & I'M 2.' My shirt said 'I'M ONE HOOOT MOMMA.' And good ol' dad's shirt said 'SMART OWLS SAY 'WHOM'.' Anyone who knows Jeff knows how appropriate that shirt was for him! The graphics are super easy to make and anyone can do it. I totally ripped this idea off and so can you! Here's the tutorial I followed.

2. Owl Cake & Cupcakes. I wanted Jaxen to have his own cake and I wanted cupcakes for the guests. And of course, I wanted them to be owls.

Now...all the moms out there - if you don't already have a subscription to 'Family Fun' magazine...stop what you are doing, run out and get one immediately! Your cute and 'awe'some future birthday cakes depend on it! I got this cake idea from there and adapted it to what I could find in the store. I hate ordering candies/cookies online just to pay more for shipping than for the actual item. Grrrr!!! Ok...back on task. Jaxen had his own owl cake which he was delighted to eat...that day and for the next 3 days. And all the guests loved the cupcakes.

Sidenote: these called for coconut and I've learned that MOST people do not like shredded coconut. Just saying. Here's how you too can be a cupcake rockstar.






3. Owl garland. These were easy to do but rather tedious. I cut out all the working parts from scrapbook paper I had lying around and hot glued all the pieces together. I then hung them with some twine. They turned out cute...but sadly they ultimately found their final resting place in the trash can. But hey, who can put a value on themed decor??




4. Party favors! Of course a party wouldn't be complete without party favors! I made owl wrapped Hershey bars. Now...these did take the longest to make. But totally worth it! How often do you get to send home chocolates with guests that are magically disguised as cute and lovable owls? Again, I just used paper I had around the house...and some googly eyes I happened to have. My hot glue gun is my best friend!! Until it scalds the skin right off of my fingers and then I curse the day it was invented...and then I love it all over again.


Jaxen seemed to really enjoy having all his favorite people gather and sing in his honor. He politely waited, hands in position, until the end of the Happy Birthday serenade and began to clap very excitedly. He still hasn't blown out candle one, but he doesn't have to! When you're that cute, you can just skip right to the gifts!! He loved all his new toys. So much so that every time we come home now...he runs inside and yelps 'New Toys!'

We had a great time celebrating the 2nd anniversary of the most painful thing I've ever went through....errr, the most joyous day of our life. Happy 2nd Birthday Jaxen!

Ode to a Stinkem Pete

I usually like to put upbeat, funny or handy posts on here...but this one will have to be in remembrance of our wonderful Stinky Pete. His given name was Spartacus but over the years he became Sparky, Stinky Pete, Stinkems, Tink tink, and so on. He loved his people so much and his people loved him. He did everything with us. And now that he's gone, it's just so very hard to put into words how very much we miss him and wish he were with us still.

He was the best dog one could have. He was our best friend and he knew us better than anyone. He kept all of our secrets safe and still loved us despite of all of our flaws. It's so hard to lose a pet, especially when you don't even think of them as a pet. We loved him as if he were Jaxen's brother. We often told Jaxen that Stinky was his older brother...a much furrier brother. I won't drag this on too long because frankly, it's too hard and tears are welling up as I type.

We just hope that Stinky knew how much he was loved and how dearly he will be missed. There is a hole in our hearts and despite today being our less furry son's 2nd birthday, we are a little gloomy. A lot gloomy.


And in honor of Stink, I'd like to share some very special things that we used to do together that will be oh so hard to do now without him.


1. Eat breakfast or any other meal.
He used to finish my milk for me and it became kind of a ritual. He'd eat Jaxen's left overs and devour any crumbs in Jaxen's high chair. He was our furry vacuum cleaner.

2. Go to bed or wake up.
He would fall asleep in his tiny little bed right next to ours every night. But some time in the middle of the night...he'd bounce up on to our bed (unbeknownst to us) and make his way under the covers. He'd curl up right in the crook of my knee and growl if Jeff tried to move him. And in the mornings, as I sat on the side of the bed or at breakfast...he'd come and push on my feet for his morning back rub.

3. Watch TV.
No Pete didn't watch, but he kept us company and curled up as tight as tight could be in my lap and stay with us until the end.

4. Bike rides with Jaxen.
Jaxen would carry Stink's ball and Stinky would run with us for 5 miles or more. He loved bike rides because he could run as fast as he could and take periodic dips in the ponds around the neighborhood.

5. Play ball or tug.
This dog was crazy about balls. If you even said the word ball...he was on 'go.' He loved to play and never got tired. He kept us in shape! And Jaxen loved playing with him too. It kept Jaxen busy!

6. Coming home.
Stinkems would always very excitedly greet us at the door and jump, jump, jump. He loved greeting his daddy at the car door and playing in the yard before dinner. He'd give us kisses all night and hugs galore. He loved us so much and we loved him just as much.

Stinky Pete...we love you. We hope you are somewhere that makes you happy and you have lots of balls and lots of open space to run until you need a cool dip. We love you. We miss you. We will always miss you.

It's Decorate Your Door Time!

Yeah so I promised this post before 4th of July...but hey, things happen! Better late than never. I made this wreath to serve as my 'spring' wreath. I couldn't make it too springy or Jeff would be embarrassed to come home. So I chose a nice blue and cream color scheme.


Here's what you need:
14" Plastifoam Wreath
2 yds Felt (one color)
1 yd Felt (another color)
Ink Pad
Jar Lid (for stamping)
Straight pins
Ribbon

Here's what you do:

Get you a large amount of felt that you will spend hours cutting circles out of. Just kidding! Ok..I'm not kidding. I think I bought about 2 yards of blue and 1 yard of cream felt. I didn't end up using it all, but I wanted to be sure to have enough. I took a lid from my salsa jar to use as my guide. I happened to have this blue ink pad already so it kind of just worked out! I took the lid and stamped blue circles as close together as possible all across the blue felt. I recommend an ink color close to the color of your felt so you don't see the ink on the edges if you don't cut exactly right. Then I started to cut the circles out. I cut and cut and cut and cut. I think I cut around 300 - 350 circles out of the blue felt.

I didn't have a guide for the cream felt, but I just folded it in half and cut out some circles a little larger than the blue circles. This did take me a couple of hours all together...but it isn't as bad as it seams. Just cut on a movie (one you've already seen is probably recommended so you don't miss anything!) and just start cutting. I don't recommend having snacks all around you either. You'll find that you've eaten the whole jar of M&M's by the time you get done cutting if you aren't careful. I'm not saying that's what I did....I'm just sayin'. So I cut out my hundreds of blue felt circles and my handful of cream felt circles a little larger than the blue. I thought I'd make a section that sticks out a little further than the blue and popped, hence the cream!

Once you've got a substantial amount of felt circles cut out...start pinning them onto the wreath! I got a 14" plastifoam wreath from Michael's. They are usually about $5.99...but I always use a 40% off coupon. So now what you do is take the felt circle and fold it in half...and then in half again. Stick a straight pin through the folded corner and pop that bad boy right into the wreath. I pinned them all pretty close together to make sure it looked full. I didn't want to see any of the green wreath between my ruffles. And repeat this until you run out of felt circles or until your wreath is full, which ever happens first. If you run out of circles before your wreath is full...you guessed it, you must cut out more circles! I recommend pinning your larger circles of a different color on first so then you can fill in the rest all around it and complete the rest of your wreath.

After I pinned them all in and ruffled it up a bit, it was a masterpiece! I decided it needed a little something extra so I decided to add a bow beneath my cream circle and I used that same ribbon to hang the wreath. I folded the end of the ribbon and pinned it onto the back of the wreath.

Hang that puppy up and BAM! You are the envy of all your neighbors! Sidenote: After removing my spring wreath after hanging outside for several months...I noticed that it was a hotbed for tiny little pests. Mainly spiders. Yuck! Most of them were dead no doubt from the horrible Florida heat...but still. I don't even want to touch dead spiders. I didn't want to store the wreath with dead bugs on it though. So I took my handy vacuum cleaner and sucked all the yuck off of my beautimus wreath and voila! Brand new again. Just be careful to not suck up one of your felt circles in the vacuum cleaner. I mean, they are only pinned on...not cemented!















I decided to do this same 'motif' for my 4th of July wreath but with regular fabric and squares this time. So I hopped over to Joann's and bought 1/2 yard of red, white & blue fabric (each)....1.5 yards total. I cut 3" squares out of all the colors and did the same routine as above....pinned on fabric in random order until I was tired of pinning. And poof! You have a firework of beautiful patriotic colors bursting from your front door!

Time is of the Essence!

Anyone who has a toddler knows how easy it is for them to make things exponentially harder for you. Little tasks, easy things, chores that used to take minutes.....now take all day. Why? Let's take a glimpse into the few things I accomplish in a day:

1. Loading/Unloading the Dishwasher: First of all, no one LIKES to do this. I personally loathe it. But...someone's gotta do it! Well, that is, if you want a dish to eat out of. Before Jaxen came along I could do this with great skill and make good time. It's an easy thing to do, right? Well...now that Jaxen is quicker than lightning and more curious than any cat known to man...it makes for an interesting chore. As I'm loading, he's unloading. As I'm unloading, he's loading....with toys. Who knew that a pot lid was sooooo interesting? Or a fork? Or a huge knife?? Jaxen thinks anything and everything in the dishwasher is his new favorite toy and he must have them. If you tell him 'NO!' as he goes to grab that breakable coffee mug...it does not hinder him. Rather, it's like the yellow light that we all try to speed through. He just goes for it even faster! So, now this chore that previously took 5-10 minutes can take up to 30 minutes.

2. Makeup/Hair: Ok, I just recently got to where I could do this in less than 10 minutes because you have a limited amount of time to spend on yourself when a toddler is running a muck. But now, he likes to spend this time in the bathroom with me. Good thing, right? Hmm....let me explain. While I'm trying to keep from getting mascara on my cheeks he's turning the bath water on and off, full blast, and placing his hands under the glorious flow of water and spritzing the floor. He's opening all the drawers and cabinets and taking out the rubbing alcohol, mouthwash, and dog shampoo and immediately putting them in his mouth. He's turning on and off the light since he can now reach the switches. He's looking curiously at the toilet...keep a close eye!! Oh and taking your make up from the counter top and wielding it at the glass shower door. Oh...how privacy IS such a luxury!! So...in short, this now takes close to an hour. And everyone who knows me, knows the end result is still always a ponytail.

3. Folding Laundry: Another one of our beloved household conquests. Jaxen loves to throw clothes in the washer. He LOVES to help start the washer and dryer by pushing the buttons. He loves to dip his fingers in the dog's water bowl housed in the laundry room....oh wait. Amidst guarding the mini vacuum, the steamer and the dog bowls....I somehow manage to throw the dry clothes in a hamper. Drag it into the living room and proceed to fold. Well Jaxen likes to 'help.' I fold and fold and stack and stack...and Jaxen comes and ransacks. That rhymed, just saying. He'll grab a pile of the newly folded clothes and run as fast as he can and drop them piece by piece on the floor....where all the dog hair resides. Yay, clean clothes!

4. Doing ANYthing on the Computer: Checking a quick email, putting in that highest bid on eBay, making sure nothing exciting has happened on Facebook without your knowledge...all things that take mere moments, right? Wrong!!! Dare I touch my computer in Jaxen's presence. One of a few things could happen immediately after my palm rests on the mouse:

A. He screams uncontrollably as he is no longer the complete and utter center of my attention.
B. He runs as fast as he can to his room to retrieve as many books as he can carry so that he can throw them at you while you type. Ouch!
C. He screams 'Mickey, Mickey, Mickey!' until you give in and go to DisneyJunior.com to play online episodes for him. My how young they learn!!
D. He grabs the newly installed window blinds and shakes them uncontrollably until you are forced to get up to raise them. He now uses this quick second to run back to your seat and climb up to bang on your keyboard. How he gets YouTube pulled up so quickly is a mystery!
E. He disappears and you hear nothing for an extended amount of time...and then it dawns on you that he is probably now sabotaging something sacred and valuable.

Moral of the story here: save your computer time for when he is contained in his crib and snoring, preferably.

5. Grocery Shopping: Ahh....the dreaded trip to the grocery store. My most hated past time. And that was before I took Jaxen with me. Now I have to come armed with treats, water cup, dog (his woobie, if you will), toy cars, and anything else that may suppress embarrassing screams that are loud enough to make the hair stand up on your neck...three aisles over! Heaven forbid that we get to the store and the 'race car' grocery cart is already taken...this is a tragedy, things of horror films I tell you! You will learn to list your needed grocery items according to how the aisles are arranged in the store to save time. You will practically run down the aisles and grab what you can as you fly by and NEVER, no matter what you do...go down the toddler snack aisle! The rest of your trip will be haunted by loud 'SNACK!!!!' chants as you go down the remainder of the aisles. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE having Jaxen with me all day. He's my traveling companion and pretty much my bestie. He loves me when I have no makeup on, when my crazy hair is down, when the dishes are dirty and piled in the sink, when we share books while I'm on the computer, when he shows me how to really fold laundry and especially when I buy him snacks from the store. You know how I know? He says 'I love you!' And that makes the long day of chores totally worth it!

Dealing with the Dirt...

As many of you know...we were recently tasked with the huge project of getting our front yard ready for new sod. Those of you who have done this before, realize it's a daunting task. I now realize why people pay others to do this for them! It was absolutely brutal! And to top it off...we had to do it with a toddler on the prowl. This is our hideous yard from before:

He wants to be in the thick of things, you know. If you are raking, he thinks 'I want to rake.' If you are bagging dead grass, he thinks 'I want to bag dead grass.' If you are covered in dirt, he thinks ' I want to be covered in dirt.' Oh wait...he already is!

The bad thing about tilling up your front yard is...you and everything you own is now covered in dirt. Dirty dirt. The kind that you have to shower to get off. And even then....it is embedded in your nails and you still look dirty! It sticks to you like it's part of your skin! Well Jaxen didn't seem to mind this at all. Here's our dirt galaxy...after bagging over 20 bags of crud and leveling it out a million times:

Jaxen LOVES...L.O.V.E.S....double heart...thump thump thump...being outside. So if you are outside working in the yard...Jaxen is in heaven! Especially since you are trying to get something done and can't chase after his every move. Well when you have to work in the front yard...it's a harder task since the street and passing cars are now a factor. Jaxen thinks its real fun to run fast as he can toward the street as you barrel toward him yelling his name. This is a treat!

He also loves to frolic through the huge piles of dirt and grass you have gathered in multiple spots. Let's see how much we can cram in our mouth before mommy or daddy get wind of it!

Jaxen likes to stand right in front of or hand on top of the sprinkler head while it sprays away. Giggles in delight even.

He likes to pick up the newly laid lava rocks and throw them into the dirt abyss as he yells 'ROCK!' Trying to explain the difference of lava rocks from ordinary rocks is not as easy as it sounds when the person on the receiving end doesn't yet understand what 'those cost money' means yet.

Enclosed in a play pin on the driveway, with no dirt nearby and clean toys to play with.....even then, Jaxen can manage to get filthy. And wet??

Long story short...yes, we got the yard done. We see all of our neighbors with out kids get theirs done in a week or so...but yes, ours took a month or so. But in toddler time, that's a week. Now our yard is a work of art. Beautiful!

So....now the task at hand is trying to explain to your almost two year old why he can't run on this new grass yet! Good luck to all the parents who have yard work to do. I feel...err...felt your pain! Glad it's over!

Potty Training 101

Since I'm home all day and am still changing 3+ diapers a day...I thought I'd look into potty training a bit. I remember before I had a kid I used to tell myself "When my kid turns 1, he's getting on the pot, and that's it." Well apparently it's not that easy!

So I decided to look up 'How to know when your kid is ready to potty train.' And my favorite site babycenter.com gave me some handy dandy tips on how to know when this marvelous way of life would be upon us. Well as it turns out....Jaxen is not ready. So sayeth the babycenter potty training checklist.

What's on this 'how you know' checklist, you ask? Well here we go:

PHYSICAL SIGNS
1. Is coordinated enough to walk, and even run, steadily. Yes, yes and yes. Jaxen sprints most everywhere in the 'you can't catch me' fashion, but it's not real coordinated.

2. Urinates a fair amount at one time. I'm sure he does. However I've never made him pee in a cup and measured it. How would one know the real answer to this???

3. Has regular, well-formed bowel movements at relatively predictable times.
Hmm...I would say a big fat NO to this one. Constipation has plagued Jaxen since day one. Laxatives, prune juice, suppositories...nothing supersedes this kids bowels. The poo does NOT know the password to get out. So when it does manage to 'break free' it's not regular, it's not well-formed and it's never predictable...unless you call a blowout of epic proportions at 6 am every 3-4 months predictable.

4. Has "dry" periods of at least three or four hours, which shows that his bladder muscles are developed enough to hold urine. If I wait 4 hours to change this kids diaper...he'll give new definition of the 'soggy bottom boys' we all loved from O Brother, Where Art Thou?

BEHAVIORAL SIGNS
1. Can sit down quietly in one position for two to five minutes. Hahahahhahahah. Is this a joke???

2. Can pull his pants up and down. Well after I read this...I decided I'd see if Jaxen was able to do this. The short answer is no. The long answer is....after pulling my pants up and down 15 times to demonstrate to Jaxen how it's done...no. He does know how to give himself a wedgie though. Does that count?

3. Dislikes the feeling of wearing a wet or dirty diaper. He dislikes getting his diaper changed...so I'd say he quite enjoys wearing a wet or dirty diaper.

4. Shows interest in others' bathroom habits (wants to watch you go to the bathroom or wear underwear). When he first paid attention to us doing this...he was interested. Now it's old hat and 'nothing to see here.' I think he thinks of it as a mini-moment of freedom. We can't get up to catch him!

5. Gives a physical or verbal sign when he's having a bowel movement such as grunting, squatting, or telling you. How about shaping his body in such a way that only a contortionist could and turning red to only produce a poo-poo pellet as I like to call it?

6. Demonstrates a desire for independence. Only when in public. When we're home he's more like a leach, who has attached himself to my leg for the duration.

7. Takes pride in his accomplishments. Look what I can do Mommy! I can eat the dog food!

8. Isn't resistant to learning to use the toilet. Well if you let him hold a ball while he sits on it, he's good. But what happens when he's 16? Will he still have to hold a ball?

9. Is in a generally cooperative stage, not a negative or contrary one. I don't know ANY 'cooperative' toddlers. I do, however, know some contrary ones!

COGNITIVE SIGNS
1. Can follow simple instructions, such as "go get the toy." He understands them....but does he follow them? Sometimes. And when he gets tired of doing that...he just picks 'the toy' up and wields it at the fireplace. Ahh....love him!

2. Understands the value of putting things where they belong. Value? No. Things 'belong' somewhere?

3. Has words for urine and stool. He doesn't flinch when he pees. Not even when you've just taken off his diaper and are about to put him in the tub...and then he wizzes all along the side of the tub. None the wiser, I tell you. But when he poops...and you're changing him, he usually yells 'Yuck' or 'Fpoo, Fpoo.' So that's progress, right?

4. Understands the physical signals that mean he has to go and can tell you before it happens or even hold it until he has time to get to the potty. Jaxen can't even tell me where he hid my keys...doubt he'll share the deep dark secret of when the poo is coming.

So all in all, I've decided we'll have to wait. But the thought of changing a 3 year old's dirty diaper frightens the heck out of me. This is how life will pay me back for all my 'dirty deeds.' Oh...the irony!!!

It's Make Your Own Art Time!

Sorry for the looonnggg delay between posts. Who knew being at home all day means you will be busier than ever?? Yes, so as many of you know...we are still trying to decorate our house. Well with one less income...it makes this a hard task. Art costs so much money! So...do like I do. Steal ideas and replicate!

We had this ghastly blank wall (hallway) that needed SOMETHING. I mean, it practically mocked me. Here I am supposed to be a creative person...and my walls are bare, naked, so alone! Something had to be done. So...I found this lovely idea online and decided to give it a whirl. So, here's my take:





1. Start by getting your fantastic father to cut up some of his free wood that is taking up space in his garage. He will say yes because he loves you! I got my dad to cut me 12" x 12" boards. And some 8" x 8" ones also (for another project which I finish up with here).




2. Take said wood and sand the edges so that your Palmolive hands won't get any splinters. Yes, those are gardening gloves. Don't hate! Be sure to clean off any sawdusty stuff left on the boards from sanding.






3. Paint the edges of all the boards black (or whatever color you choose). I let this paint dry until the next day's nap time. Besides, I spend time with the hubby at night. And what's the rush? The wall has been bare for this long!

4. I chose some neutralish scrapbook papers that were 12 x 12 to use on some of my boards as well as got some photos printed to 12 x 12. I was only able to get those printed at a scrapbook store. Go figure!


5. Take those lovely papers and photos you've chosen to grace the walls of your home and Mod Podge those puppies. If you are like me when I first starting ripping off ideas...err....finding inspiration from other crafty folks' blogs, you're probably wondering what the heck Mod Podge is! Well, it's a glue and a sealer. All wrapped into one lovely package. You can buy a big jug of it from Michael's for about $8. If you have their trusty 40% off coupon...then you are doing even better! I applied a generous coat of Mod Podge to the board and to the back of my paper using some foam brushes. Then I pressed it down onto the board and positioned it as square as possible...and smoothed it out. No bubbles. Voila!



6. No, you're not done yet. Day 3 naptime: I applied a coat of Mod Podge to the top of the papers to seal them. Once that was dry....(day 4 naptime) I applied another coat of the Mod Podge. Trust me. Wait. Don't glob it all on at once. Do nice even coats.

7. Once that is done and completely dry...you enlist the help of your handy hubby. Have him hang them on the wall since this is not your strong point. LOL And then you get something that looks like this!

Now...back to that little mention I made earlier about the 8" x 8" boards that my father also cut for me. I decided to do something similar for our master bedroom. So you have your 8" x 8" boards...and you have lots of scrapbook papers that coordinate well together, right? Well, what do you do next?

Follow steps 1 - 6 above, but obviously you'll have to cut your 12 x 12 papers down to 8 x 8 using an Xacto Knife and ruler.


7. Now that all of your 8 x 8 boards are Mod Podged, sealed and dry...we are going to take the advice of our 'lovely idea' blog from above and grunge them up. I used some brown acrylic paint...raw umber I think it was. Took an old rag and dabbed some of that brown paint on the corner of it and then rubbed it around on the edges of all the boards. I just kept rubbing it around and taking some off until it looked like something I could live with. Towards the last board or two...I could live with a lot less perfection than when I started. Hah

8. Once that dried...we decided to group all these boards together as one piece but was afraid that it'd be too flat. So we glued on some small cuts of wood (also compliments of dad) to the back of random pieces that had varying thicknesses.




9. After those dried...we glued all the boards to one thin piece of MDF, essentially connecting them all together! Note: We were a little afraid of 8 x 8 wood panels falling on our heads as we blissfully sleep...so we decided to use an air staple gun adhering the boards to the MDF as well. Added security, you know.

10. Again...have the hubbs hang it up and you got a beaut!

A Real Man

I know from personal experience that it's rather hard to come by a 'real man.' We all had to kiss a few frogs before we found our own prince...and not the high-heel wearing, purple loving kind of prince. Now, I know that 'real man' means alot of different things for different people...but still they are usually few and far between. Sometimes a few of us lucky ladies are able to snag one and permanently take him off the market so no other heffer can steal him away. That in itself is a great feat! Especially if you're eying a one Jeff Brewer. It took me over 15 years to get him down the aisle. Not that I was trying for all 15 years, but toward the end...I was pushing the 'I do' discussion pretty heavily. Besides, I'd liked him since 7th grade...and that kind of commitment deserves a reward. Haha!

But even then, I didn't really know how much of a 'real man' he was. I knew he was a great guy, sure...that was easy to see. How was it so easy to see, you ask? Well, he was responsible to a fault, handsome, funny (yay!), honest, smart (also to a fault), loyal, and he had great taste...after all, he was with me! I knew someday he would make a great father and role model for another 'real man' in the making.

I certainly hope that Jaxen does take on some of his father's traits. Of course, I hope he inherits my dazzling personality, wit and charm. But he hopefully will get Jeff's ankles (dern cankle curse must end here), knack for responsibility, smarts, geography know how...err where, and most importantly - how to treat his wife.

Don't get me wrong...Jeff and I have our moments where we think 'you better not go to sleep tonight...'. But for the most part, he's wonderful. And I know...I need to get on with my point...I tend to ramble. Right....Real man.

I feel like Jeff has become a 'real man' more so lately than ever before. Since I've started staying home....I've realized how fortunate I am. Fortunate to have a husband who loves his family so much that he's willing to handle all things bill & household so that his wife can care for his child all day. He works long hours...comes home tired...and still takes time to play with Jaxen, feed him his dinner (even though Jaxen is kicking and screaming the whole time), give him a bath, read him a book and say his night time prayers with him. Does he complain about it? No.

Real men take care of their family and love doing it. Jeff is taking care of me and Jaxen more than ever. We appreciate him being a 'real man' and I hope Jaxen is taking notes!

So...with alot more time together and alot less money - we'll eat in a little more, won't have as many date nights, spend all our little bit of extra money on grass, paint, and other boring stuff....and is it worth it?? YES! Besides, it ain't so bad when you have a handsome hubby sittin' by your side and a snoring Biddle. Life is grand!

Roses are Red....

So today I decided to post on a project I completed just a few minutes ago! I've had the supplies taking up space in our unofficial guest bedroom for months....and finally had the time to do it! This did take me several nap times to complete, blah! But I think it came out beautifully!

I currently have a tall vase with fake roses on my dining room table and wanted to do something a little more fun....pretty, but fun! So I found this idea online and decided to give it a whirl. Note: I really wanted to put an exclamation mark after that last sentence but decided to restrain myself since there is one at the end of all the other sentences.

For details on how to make these roses, visit the original blog that I stole my idea from.

I found two little glass jar/vases at Michael's a while back but didn't want to leave them clear...since you'd see the wizard behind the curtain that way. So I painted the inside of the jars with gold acrylic paint. Then I hot glued in random spots some twine around the outside of the jars. And then the hard part began...cutting felt.

I originally bought 80 sheets of 8.5 x 11 felt. I cut out 40 8" circles and 40 6" circles. Then I cut a spiral from the outer edge of the circle to the center. This is rather tedious and felt is not the easiest fabric to work with. But it's thick...and it does its job. Then I rolled those puppies up from the outside in and hot glued randomly along the way. And bam....a felt rose.


I glued the roses on the foam ball that sat right on top of the jar opening and I quickly realized I didn't make enough roses for both of my vases. So I only completed one. Guess that's a project for next week. I only had 8 felt roses left out of 80. So I used most of them filling in the first one fully.

To make sure my roses didn't fall off by some freak accident or by a toddler grabbing at them, I secured a straight pin in the center of each rose adhering it to the foam ball, even though it's hot glued...I wanted some extra attaching!

Once that was done, I dabbed a bit of hot glue on a pearl (found in the beading section of Michael's) and popped that bad boy right in the middle. Voila! B-E-A-U-tiful roses.

Hope you like!!

Things I've Noticed...

Ok....Here are some things I've noticed since I've started this staying at home adventure:

1. You'd be amazed how easy it is to 'overlook' the importance of dental hygiene. You wake up and it's go go go. Before you know it, it's 2pm and you realize...'I haven't brushed my teeth!' Yes, I know...this is quite disturbing. But when you have no place to be it's easy to forget. Then 4pm rolls around and you realize...you still haven't brushed them.

2. Remember when going to the potty was an oh so secretive thing? Well then you get married and ultimately become brave enough to leave the door cracked while tinkling...maybe even so bold as to carry on a conversation with hubby. Well, when you have a kid....kiss privacy goodbye! Days of shutting the door and a shout of 'I'm in the loo..' are over. You have an audience...every time you go. And they will be very curious as to what you are doing.

3. When you are teaching your kids what things are....they start to notice those things every where and recognize them proudly by pointing them out. Well when your kid loves 'balls' then all things round are now balls. Pointing and saying 'ball' is very common around this house. And when your kid points to your boob and calls it a 'ball'...just go with it.

4. Pets. You wonder what they do all day while you are at work. Well, wonder no more. I am here to tell you they do nothing. Unless you consider constant nagging to throw the toy as something...then they do nothing.

5. Cleaning the house never ends. It never ends. It never ends. You'd think now that you are home you could get away with wearing the same outfit multiple days and you'd have much less laundry to wash. How is this not true????

6. When naptime comes and you finally have a few minutes to watch TV. Nothing is on. Trust me...nothing. Unless of course you like the 'I didn't know I was pregnant' shows. At least this confirms that you are smarter than some other people, because YOU knew!

7. Lastly, you realize that you have become one of those people who always talk about their kids. Case in point....Biddle Brilliance.

Yuck!

Well, it's nap time and Friday...so I figured it's now or never. My first post on Biddle Brilliance!

Five days into Mission: Stay-at-home-Mom and we've survived so far. Jaxen is keeping me busier than I would've imagined. I've come up with a schedule for us to begin sticking to, try to stick to, well...we'll see.

Here's our daily routine (and remember, I'm new at this!):
8am - Wake up/Diaper Change & Milk Cup; When you enter Jaxen's room in the morning he likes to point things out to you and call them all 'awahhhh.' So cute!
8:30am - Make breakfast & hope and pray that Jaxen eats said breakfast.
9am - Clean kitchen and do chores. Jaxen likes to help by 'pushing the buttons' or in adult lingo...turning on the washer and dryer.
9:30 thru 11:30am - Play time! Now, this includes a plethora of things. I've discovered that he likes Hide and Seek (basically I run and say 'you can't find me' and when he does find me, I yell 'Boo!' and he cracks up)...so that goes on for a while. We play with toys, read books and steal Stinky Pete's toys and run a muck around the house....
11:30am - Diaper Change / Lunch time! I prepare lunch while Jaxen squeals in his high chair. This is super fun. But not as fun as actually trying to get him to eat the food. M.O.S.T. D.R.E.A.D.E.D. part of the day! He must have nightmares about lunch and then takes it out on the person presenting lunch to him. Or...he just doesn't like veggies. Either way, not fun!
12 - 1pm - Outdoor time if it's nice enough. He likes to run around the yard chasing a dirty old ball, pulling his wagon, being pulled in his wagon, sliding on his 1.5' slide, and generally playing keep away from mommy.
1pm - Ahhhhhhh.....Naptime!!! This can last anywhere from 1.5 hrs to 3.5 hrs. Of course I prefer a longer nap, you know, for his health. But there are only a few golden days that super long ones happen.
3:30pm - Diaper Change / Snack time! This is a good part of the day, since Jaxen LOVES double heart ***batting eyes*** SNACKS. You say the word 'snack' and he barrels past you toward his high chair.
4 - 5pm - Playtime with Mommy. We went on a bike ride yesterday, and every time a cool breeze would run through us...Jaxen would squeal. Usually he loves bike rides. I figure on not so warm days...play doh or finger paints would make a good mess and be lots of fun!
5pm - Prepare dinner/Independent playtime. What's this 'independent playtime' you ask? Well if you ask me it means Jaxen plays on his own. If you ask Jaxen, it means attach yourself to mommy's leg and cry until she stops what she is doing to play with toys. Good times.
6pm - Dinner time (Basically a repeat of lunch...Jaxen throws the food on the floor repeatedly. Stinky Pete loves dinner time!)
6:30 to 7:30pm - Family time. Jeff is home and he loves to play with Jaxen...which is a much needed break for me!!
7:30 - Bath time. Jaxen USUALLY likes his bath. It's been more enjoyable as of late with the new bath toy he got for Christmas. It's a whale that sprays water out the top and lights up. Jack pot!
8pm - 'Hallelujah!' Bed time. 11 hours of silent bliss ahead.

Well, like I said, it's a work in progress. Jaxen is still adjusting and so am I. But so far so good.

Figured I'd title this post YUCK so I'd be sure to mention the highlight of the week. Jaxen has started to notice and find amusing, hmm....how do I say this nicely...bodily functions. Namely the ones involving gas. If Jeff lets one go...(he'll kill me for this)...or if he burps or anything of that nature, Jaxen has started to yell 'Yuck!' right after. Except, it sounds more like 'Nnnnuck!' Well, Jaxen and I were knee deep in a toy that sings, lights up and tells you the numbers and such when he farted. Just let one go. Almost one to be proud of. Then he turned and looked at me immediately and yelled 'Nnnuck!' Hilarious!

Well...as I type...I hear Jaxen stirring so that means nap time is over. We got 3 hours today. Yay! He'll be pretty pleasant this afternoon. Atleast I think so! Wish me luck.

I'll update this when I can and add fun projects that we do (or that I do during nap time!). Over and out.