Home Improvement Saturday - Refinishing Wood

So, way back when I asked for topic ideas, someone mentioned refinishing cabinets. This is something we haven't done, but we have refinished some other things.

First, it is easier to paint than to stain. Staining is messy and takes lots of prep. It only works well if you can get down to the bare wood (and the wood looks good). On the other hand, painting only takes minimal prep and can be done without removing all the old finish.

So, to paint, you need to first do a light sanding. You want to get the surface matte and clean. Hand sanding works just fine, but if it is a big project, a small random orbital sander speeds everything up (and they aren't that expensive to buy). The one thing you want to avoid is sanding so much that you remove any detail that is in the original item - otherwise you can sand for a while with no issue (i.e. don't sand so much that nothing is left of course).

Once you have it sanded, you need to get it cleaned up. If you got down to old paint or bare wood, you can just wipe or vacuum the dust off. If there is still some finish left, I would recommend TSP to remove any residue that might affect adhesion.

After you have it cleaned, then you need to prime the surface. Some would skip this step, but primer is a lot cheaper than paint! So, take the time and prime. It will make the paint look better in the long run. Between coats, feel the surface. If you are noticing ridges from the brush stokes, you might want to sand a little. This of course is up to you.

Then apply your paint. We normally do two coats of primer and two coats of paint on things, but our coats are fairly thin. I would at least do one of each.

If you wanted to stain, of course you have to get down to the bare wood, which could be a lot more sanding. Then, you have to make sure the wood looks good. Then of course you pre-stain if it is a soft wood like pine, stain, and finish. The number of coats fo stain and finish are dependent on the products you use. We went with gel stain and a poly-crylic for our trim in this course. We ended up with three coats of stain and three coats of finish to get the end product we wanted.

Any questions?

Product Review Friday - Restaurants

On our recent trip to the in-laws, we stopped for fast food on the way. McDonald's does not agree with our stomachs (beyond breakfast sandwiches that is), so we never stop at them. To keep things quick, we try to find gas station/restaurant combos. Along the way, we found Subways, Wendy's, and Arby's this way that we stopped at. The food was always fine. Getting the food was no issue too. With the exception of one small place, the "dining" room was just fine. The problem - the bathrooms! Now, these are gas stations along fairly well traveled roads (some along an interstate even). Most of them had single toilet restrooms. I think only one had a changing station for kids. What are they thinking? I just did a quick search, and I think the MSRP on the Koala changing things are $350. The site I found had them for under $200 for all varieties. I am wondering why places don't have them. It would sure make our lives easier!

As a result, we ended up changing AJU5 in the car most of the time. Luckily, she isn't willing to have a dirty diaper while sitting in her car seat. She saves that until we are done for the day! So, it was just wet diapers we were having to deal with, which are easy to change!

Up Next (or soon at least) - Diapers!

Morning Sickness and Weight Gain

Well, I am over 15 weeks pregnant, and I still get nauseous regularly. With AJU5, I thought it was over by Week 16. But, then there was the kidney infection and nausea until about Week 23. I don't know if all of that was the kidney infection/medicine or not. So, maybe it lasted until Week 23 with AJU5 - I don't know.

My battle right now is determining when to take Zofran. Twice over the last two weeks I have started to feel blah but didn't take it. It was night, I was going to bed soon, and I thought I could survive. I ended up throwing up and feeling horrible the next morning. So, I am now taking it when I start to feel that way. I don't like having to take medicine, but I think it is better than throwing up.

One way I try to deal with the morning sickness BEFORE taking the Zofran is to eat something. The problem - I gained 6 pounds in 5 weeks! I weighed 148 pounds at my first OB appointment and 154 pounds at the second. I know it is because I was eating, but that is still a lot of weight. 2-3 lounds would have been expected, as I weighed about 150 pounds when I got pregnant. So, I am trying to eat better and smarter. I bought apples and bananas at the stores this week. I also bought salad makings so my lunch meals (I normally eat two lunches) are healthier. Hopefully at my next OB appointment I won't weigh more than 155 pounds!

I am also following all of you out there that are on weight loss plans right now. I am "taking notes" on what works for after this little one comes. My goal weight is about 145, as I haven't weighed less than 140 lbs since 9th grade (and that includes the period of time I was exercises 4-6 hours a day, 5-6 days a week). So, I don't think my body would ever agree to less than 140 (and still be "healthy"). Hopefully y'all will be good inspiration!

Silly LIttle Girl

Here are some of AJU5's recent antics:

This morning I went to change her diaper for the first time (wet and dirty). I got the pajamas off, but then she bolted. As she was running down the hall, her diaper was sagging more and more. It almost wasn't on her booty any more by the time I got to her and forced her to get changed!

AJU5 seems to only be willing to drink out of a sippy cup in her bed these days. Otherwise, she refuses and asks for what we have (even if it is the same beverage). So, she has been getting water in an adult water bottle. But, because she prefers some flavor, she isn't drinking as much. Luckily, the last two days she has "asked" to go to bed and drank one full glass in solitude. As soon as she was done drinking, she asked to get out of bed...

Yesterday I forgot to grab her pacifiers off the floor after the failed nap attempt (see above drinking instead). So, she found them soon after. I told her they needed to go back to bed before we went bye-bye. Before too long, she came back with only two (she started with three). I repeated the rules, and she came back with one. Finally, after repeating the rules, she took me to her room and deposited the last one.

Finally, she is insisting on being carried a lot more than we are willing to do. So, we are training her. Last night, she tried to climb both my husband and I after we had refused to pick her up (and told her we are not carrying her). We were upstairs, so we went downstairs while she threw a tantrum. It last for about 20 minutes! Finally, she came down and had dinner. The rest of the night she didn't ask to be carried around though! This morning I had the battle again, but it hasn't been as bad. She cries when I lay her on the floor, but then she comes and sees me soon after in a good mood.

What silly antics are your kids up to?

Busy Weekend

Okay, so this week I will get back to the Product Review Friday and Home Improvement Saturday. I have topics in my head, but I didn't have time this weekend to write them. Now for why I didn't have time:

Friday's Time Line:
Morning: Breakfast, playing, then nap. During nap time, I shower and get all of my papers ready for work. I also "chat" with a colleague about one of our classes (issue had come up).
After nap - lunch then leave for work.
Spend about an hour at work coping, turning in papers, etc.
Then, head to the zoo with friends. We spent 4 hours there! Needless to say, we were both exhausted when we got home.
After zoo, ran to Papa Murphy's to get dinner
Eat, bed for AJU5, and then movie for husband and I.

Saturday's Time Line:
Pancake Breakfast (charity) at church. We are there from 7:30 until about 9:30.
Quick run to Lowe's for a few items
Nap for AJU5, laundry and organizing for me
Lunch, play time, laundry, and emptying boxes all afternoon
Another movie at night

Sunday's Time Line:
Church in the am
Then catching up on reading for a class (final later on Sunday)
Final around 5:15 (class at church over Bible)
Evening service and ice cream social at church after test
Bed!

So, as you can see, we were busy. I forgot the camera on Friday. I might try to get some pictures from our friends though. Even if I had grabbed the camera, it wouldn't have done any good- the battery was dead (and my husband hadn't told me).

How was your weekend?

Behavior

So, here are some of AJU5's recent behaviors:

1. She will now inform us when she wants to go to bed - at least some times. She will lead us to her bed and will try to climb into the crib. This isn't an every day, every sleeping time behavior, but it has repeated itself enough times to know that it is somehting she is capable of and willing to do.
2. Last night we were back at church after two weeks (since we were gone). AJU5 was not sure of it for a while. She cried and kept wanting us to hold her (something we are trying to limit because she is getting heavier, etc). Eventually, she realized something and went and played with her friends. But, I think it took a good 10-20 minutes! Luckily, I don't expect us to be gone from church that long until at least Christmas time...
3. Today I had an OB appointment. I carried her in and put her down while I checked in. She was NOT sure of where we were. She wasn't asking to be held the whole time, but she just stayed very close. I think part of it was the crowd. The midwives in the practice were running behind (my doctor was actually ahead) - most of those in the waiting room when we got there were still there when we left.
   
4. She is talking a lot more. There are definitely more words these days. She even is trying to say grandma! One problem: shoe, juice, and cheese are almost indistinguishable. Add to this that juice can refer to food or drink, and it can become a guessing game really easily! Luckily, she has put more and juice together if she wants more of what she just had. At least then I know what she wants!

Well, time to go play. I need to stop gaining weight I think (I gained 6 pounds in 5 weeks...). Now, some of the weight I gained was making up for what I lost early on throwing up and not eating much, but hopefully I won't have any more big weight gains. I did have one with AJU5, so I am not too worried (it was later though because I had issues throwing up until 20 weeks).

Wordless Wednesday - Trip Pictures

Home Again

So, I was out of town for a little over a week. That is why I didn't blog, comment, etc. We went to the in-laws where there is "high-speed" internet, but it was very slow! Also, for safety issues, I didn't want the world to know we were gone (and end up with our house broken into or something).

The trip went fine. We drove this time, and it took two days each way. On the way there, we met friends that live two miles away from us for dinner (and stayed at the same hotel). We can't seem to get together in town, so we had to arrange to meet over 600 miles away. But, it did add some fun to that leg of the journey with the periodic checks to see where each other was.

AJU5 did fairly well. There were crying fits, but normally they coincided with a need for a nap. So, we just let her cry it out until she crashed most of the time. If I didn't think she was sleepy and I had tried all of the snacks and toys we had, I sang to her. Luckily, there were few of these.

The in-laws was okay. They live in the middle of no where, so it was kind of boring. It takes about 30 minutes to get to a grocery store or any real store, so we spent most of our time just hanging out at the house. AJU5 had fun with their cat - she even would go and touch her by the end. She also loved to go out and see the dogs. She actually like their huge dog (st. bernard size, but I am not sure of the breed) better than their beagle. She did pet the big dog a few times, but she normally just liked to be close to him with us there. There was also daily walks around the yard.

The best part of the trip was the four nights we didn't have anything to do with AJU5 from when we put her to bed until we got up. All but one of those nights she didn't need tending too, and the other time she went back to sleep quickly with a little rocking. I loved being able to sleep in though! The last three nights weren't as great though. The first one she refused to go back down so we were summoned to deal with her (she ended up in bed with us). The next night we just had her in the morning because she had moved rooms and was closer to us. The final night she woke up once and required snuggling. And again I had morning detail (AJU1 slept in because we were leaving and he needed rest since he does all the driving).

Pictures will come once they are off the camera. We haven't even been home 24 hours, and it has been busy around here! First was lunch. Next there was catching up on my work (Mondays are grading days). Then there was a trip to Costco for groceries. While AJU5 and I were at the store, AJU1 started the yard work. Not too long after that was AJU5's bed time and a movie for us (now that we have a TV downstairs). I ended up sleeping with AJU5 from 11pm on, and have been trying to do work and take care of her needs all morning. Hopefully by tomorrow life will be "normal" again!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that while we were at the in-laws, AJU5 had a runny nose and was very cranky. I think it was just allergies and teeth (she is filling in between her front teeth and molars), but AJU1 also got sick. So, there was also a lot of Gilligan's Island watching during the day!

All Is Well

I know - I haven't blogged in a while. I actually haven't even commented on many blogs lately. But all is well. I am just taking a little break (expect me back next week). Things are going well, but I have just been busy. I guess life can be like that sometimes!

Animals

AJU5 has a love/hate relationship with animals. She loves to look at them. She hates to be close to them. And the definition of close varies based on the animal and parental closeness. She will say "kitty" and "Puppy" these days when she sees or hears them (in the case of the dogs). But, if they come close, she runs away. Earlier this week, we went for a walk and saw a very nice older cat whom we have pet before. We got him to come over, but he walked to close to AJU5 and they both got scared! So, we followed him across the street and sat down. He then was willing to come over to me so I could pet him. But AJU5 still wasn't sure. At one point he rubbed up against her and she did not like it. Luckily, this time he wasn't phased by her reaction.

Yesterday we went to the zoo for the first time. She seemed to like it. Some of the animals I don't think she saw because they were "hiding," but others she loved to watch. The ones that were most entertaining for us were the polar bears, cougar/mountain lion, small birds, and koala bears. We also spent a good amount of time at the seals and sea lions and ape exhibits, but I don't know how much she actually saw of the animals. The plan is to go back every few weeks. Hopefully by the end of the summer she will know at least the "fun" animals!

Pregnant with a Toddler

Bessie Viola asked what it is like to be pregnant with a toddler. They currently have a 15 month (plus or minus a few weeks) old daughter and are considering when to expand their family again.

First, let me say that many of the readers of this blog have already gone before me! Hopefully you ladies will correct me if I am wrong :)

Now, the worst thing so far is dealing with AJU5 when I feel terrible. Being a WAHM makes this worse because I have to juggle her and work already. When I was throwing up multiple times a day, I could tell she didn't have a good day either. Luckily, AJU1 would play with her outside when he got home so she could burn off her energy and cheer up. In Bessie Viola's case, this won't be as bad. She is a working mom, so her daughter Madeline won't notice the difference when she is at day care.

Another thing to deal with is moodiness. I find myself getting to my breaking point a lot faster these days. As a result, AJU5 has ended up crying it out in bed a few times (note: I resort to this only near nap time). I have also left her to cry in a room where she could access me when she was done with her fit.

The third "big" hurdle to overcome is fatigue. AJU5 likes to be carried these days - inside that is. Outside she prefers to walk until she is exhausted :) It is hard to explain to her that Mommy can't carry her around the house meeting her every whim when she is already tired. This is the main reason for many of the fits mentioned above... Hopefully the second trimester will give me a little more energy!

I guess that is it so far. Again, you moms to more than one, feel free to share your experience! I am talking to you Becca, Sarah, Coach Mom, NoWheyMom, and any others that haven't commented in the last month or so!

Sleep...

I wonder if AJU5 has hit the 18 month sleep regression? She is 17 months old today, and getting her to bed at night has become a huge chore. We put her down at her normal time (and she is tired), but all she does is scream. She has everything she needs - pacifiers, water cup, blankets, etc - but she cries and then screams for over 30 minutes. Then, we give in and let her out. Around 9pm she is finally ready to give up. Now, 9pm is also our bed time. so she has NO CHOICE. Once she is down, she normally doesn't have many issues that require us. Lately, the only times I have had to go in are for pacifiers (I had only given her one one night on accident, and she lost it) and wind issues (open wind + high wind = scared little girl). She does go back to sleep fairly quickly after these with a little snuggling. But this bedtime thing - not fun. At first I thought it was because some days she takes two naps. But yesterday she only had one nap. And she got a good amount of exercise. So, I don't know what the issues really are. Hopefully she will grow out of this soon!

In other news - I have yet to take a Zofran today. It is amazing to not feel pukey! Hopefully the days to come will be like this.

Fun Trip to Target - NOT!

So, AJU5 is/was in need of ride on toys. So, we went to Target today to see what they had. After scanning the clothing areas (nothing at a good price...), we headed to toys. We first stopped at the more "indoor" ride on toys. First I had her try the Little People Fire Truck, which she liked. Then we saw the Leap Frog version. At our store, the Leap Frog one was only $19.99 (Little People was $24.99). so we put that int he cart and headed to the "outdoor" ride on toy area. There were a few cries along the way, but once she saw an outdoor ride on (note: the one in the store was pink), she climbed on and was happy. But, I didn't see a price. So, I had to get her off, carry it to the scanner, and scan it (not easy to do). It was $59.99 - more than I wanted to spend, especially for something pink! So, I had to put it back with her screaming the whole way. Now we headed to the card area so I could buy a graduation card for my BIL. She was NOT a happy camper. She walked some, but would take off down aisles as we walked by. With a mixture of carrying and coaxing, we made it to the cards. But, she was not happy. She kept pointing to her toy. So, I got it out and let her sit on it while I picked out a card. Once I was done, she wasn't ready to get off. So, I also picked out Father's Day cards. Then, I had to deal with a screaming kid again while I put the toy back in the cart and headed to the check-out. We did make it through, but it wasn't fun.

Now that we are home, we have only had one scream fit. She wanted to get the pop-ups open, but she refused to push the buttons. She was trying to pull them open. Luckily, she has figured it out now and is happy. I might regret this purchase though. The sounds are quite loud. But, I guess I could take the batteries out (and it might have a volume control - we will look for that tonight once she is asleep)!

What is your worst shopping experience?

Words

Here are the words AJU5 currently uses:
Dada (Daddy)
Bye (Leaving the Building)
Juice (Wants a drink or food)
Choe (Shoe)
Done (Done Eating - doesn't always sound like done, but the d is there - include bye hand movement)
MaMa (Mommy - sometimes with a b sound)
Ball (I don't know if the l sound is always there though)
**Mo (More - as in More Food Please)

Here are the words we think she might have:
Ba (Bath - includes splashing hand movement)
Blankie (Blanket)
Thank You
Friend's Name
Uh (Up - working on the u sound/p added)

When she went for her 15 month check up back in March, I said she had 4-5 words. Looking at the top list, she might have had all but ball down by then actually. But, if you don't write them down, it can be hard to count!

She is a big talker though. She has lots of conversations with herself and us. It just isn't in English! She definitely can make lots of sounds, so I am not too worried there. She does refuse to talk on the phone if someone is on the other end though! She will play talk all day long, but as soon as someone is other the other end, she is as quiet as a mouse...

How many words does you child have? Are they big talkers or the quiet type?

Pregnancy So Far

So, I had a feeling that I might be pregnant very early on. But, I waited until my period was actually late to test (and of course, it was positive). The morning sickness slowly started from there. In the beginning, I was just a little blah every now and then. By mid-April, I was miserable. I was throwing up 4+ times a day, not keeping much if anything down, etc. So, I called my doctor's office and asked for something. Unfortunately, Phenergan did not work! I was still throwing up multiple times a day. I gave it 4 days and then called the doctor again. Now I am on Zofran. It helps at least. I still have to watch what I eat and when, but at least I am not throwing up on a regular basis (once a week or less). Nights are the worst. On top of that being the "normal" bad time of day, the medicine runs out and the effects of the prenatal vitamins kick in. Luckily, I can either veg in front of the "TV" or go to bed (depending on how tired I am).

I had my first OB appointment on April 30. Everything looked good then, but my doctor "requested" an ultrasound for peace of mind, etc. Unfortunately, the sonographer was off that week, so I had to wait until last Wednesday. Luckily, Junior #3 is healthy and growing well! My next appointment isn't until June 4 because my doctor is on vacation the week of Memorial Day. Hopefully by then the morning sickness will be gone. With AJU5, it was Week 16 when I felt like eating, although I started to feel better around Week 10.

Oh, and AJU5 is already cute about this pregnancy! Now, I don't think she really has a clue what is going on, but she is already pulling up my shirt and pointing to my belly! I have already started to remind her to be gentle with Mommy's belly. But, she is still beating up on her baby brother or sister ocassionally! She didn't come with me to the OB appointment or ultrasound, but I plan on bringing her to the "short" OB appointments in the future. Hopefully by November she won't be too shocked when the little one arrives!

Due Date: November 28, 2009!

Happy Mother's Day from AJU5!

Pre-Lunch, Very Hungry Little Girl

Later in the Day - Happier but Sleepy!

Food...

So, it has been a while since I have talked much about AJU5's eating skills. So, here you go!

She has mastered the fork - well, unless the food is being difficult. She can stab anything that isn't too hard or slippery. This includes things you may not consider stabbing - fruit snacks, veggie fries, etc. She is good at getting the food in her mouth unless the piece is too big (and doesn't fit). Very little ends up in her lap this way.

Now, the spoon is another issue. We don't let her feed herself yogurt, so the only thing she practices with is cereal. As you can imagine, eating cereal with a spoon is quite tricky. So, normally she ends up holding the spoon and using her fingers (other hand) to actually eat with. We know she has the idea, but she isn't there with the coordination.

She is great with a straw - unless it is a straw cup that is. If it is a "fast food" cup or one of our Tupperware cups with the lid for a straw, there is absolutely no issue. Well, except for when she wants to play with the straw, but that is a play issue. Now, she isn't as good with the straw sports cups though. She tries to tip those and doesn't suck hard enough half of the time. So, we don't use them often.

She can also drink out of a normal cup (no lid) IF we keep the contents limited. She normally gets the last bits of our drinks as a result. We have given her larger amounts of fluid, but it normally ends up down her front - soaking her! But, at least she has the idea!. Now she just needs to learn about angles and when to put the cup down.

As for what she eats, it depends on the day. There isn't anything she has refused completely, but she gets tired of things. She ate waffles (Eggo) for a week and then refused them. So, now we are on cereal until she stops eating that. Lunch and dinner are what ever I am having OR chicken and cheese and veggie.

As for drinks, she took a liking to juice lately. She was refusing her milk even because she wanted the juice. But, the last few days she has been drinking at least two small cups of milk. So, I think it is like the waffles - she was just tired of milk! I guess she just likes to keep me on my toes!

What is your little one eating the most of these days?

There Is Hope!

For my husband. That the house may be clean eventually. That the clothes may someday be folded and put away.

Why does he have such hope?

AJU5 has some cleanliness genes in her! She has mastered the art of throwing away garbage (and I have only found one non-garbage item in the garbage so far). She has also acquired a love for wiping things with rags - in a dusting/cleaning sort of way. We are still working on her laundry skills, but I don't expect a 16.5 month old to fold clothes JUST yet. She does like to take them out of the basket and play with them though...

So, I guess I get to do the laundry for now. I have folded three baskets so far this afternoon. I have about 3-4 left to do. The guest bed was COVERED in clothes! But, now that the closet has storage (more on that in the days to come), my husband is pushing me to put the clothes away. And, I guess it is about time...

Product Review Friday - One Day Late

Okay, I need YOUR help this time. AJU5 is in desperate need for an outside, ride-on toy (bike/trike, etc). We have lots of concrete in our backyard for her to "ride" on, but we have nothing for her to ride yet!

Also, if you have another favorite outdoor toy, let me know! Our backyard is still in the remodeling stage, but there is still lots of concrete for her to play on. Maybe in a month or so there will also be some grass to play on as well. Next summer we plan on building a play-set in the upper portion, but that area needs even more attention!
Big dirt area is where grass seed has been planted. Concrete area is about as large!

Home Improvement Saturday - Ideas

I don't know what to cover next! So, I need you input. Tell me what you want to know more about. Below you will find a list of some of the things we have done (and I haven't covered yet). But, if there is something not on the list, don't be afraid to mention it. There is a good chance we have done it :)

• Staining
• Interior and Exterior Doors
• Window Replacement
• Closet Stuff
• Drywall
• Bathroom Fixutres