MMG: Another Weekend of Unrest 6.23.14

Hello!

On Friday, I got to attend the summer birthday celebration for Little J's class. He was a bit confused, "It's not my birthday, is it?" But it was nice to be able to see him enjoying his classmates, and the beautiful southern California weather. Even Mayhem got to participate, which was really nice for him! 

Since our downstairs is still under construction, we've ALL been spending way too much time in the master bedroom. Some of us are enjoying the 'special privilege'... Below are some shots of Ms. Kallie enjoying her time in bed with Mayhem and Momma. Crazy dog...

Then there is this bed hog, Ms. Mollie. Unfortunately, we discovered another large lump on her this weekend. She'll be going in to get it removed tomorrow morning. :( Poor thing. 

Sunday was the US vs. Portugal World Cup game, which was a great game! I have to admit I fell asleep during some parts, I am very pregnant! And while I was cheering for the US (of course), I was enjoying watching this man! 

Cristiano Ronaldo in US vs. Portugal World Cup Game 6.22.14
Image Source: http://www.justjared.com/tags/2014-world-cup/

Thanks to Leeann and Kimberlee for featuring me this week!

How was your weekend, did you watch the World Cup? 

Heroes of the City: Baby App Ages 0-2

In March, I reviewed a Heroes of the City app, which contained 9 different games for kids ages 3-6 years old. Heroes of the City recently released a new Baby app for children 0-2+ years. Their goal was to create a great app for small children that is entertaining, educational and inspires children to be creative. The app is totally free, without advertising and has no in-app purchase. Everything in this app is especially designed for the youngest children. 

In order to property review this app, I downloaded it on my iPhone and had Mayhem test it out. He loved it! His motor skills are still developing, so he gets easily frustrated with some of the 'big kid' games and apps that his older brother plays with. This app is tailor-made for the younger crowd. The Baby App has a game where you simply tap on balloons to pop them- which sounds simple, but that's the point! Mayhem enjoyed playing that, because (I think) he could do it all by himself. 

Another item that he enjoyed was the painting (bottom left icon), because you can color in the Heroes of the City characters. It kept Mayhem busy while his brother was in swim class, which was great! I actually got to watch Little J swim! The center bottom icon was a shape matching game, which I saw him playing for a short time also. 

I would recommend this app to anyone looking for a 'first app', to see how your toddler can handle the touch screen. It is great for the younger crowd, especially if they like the Heroes of the City books and DVDs! 

Links for the app are below, for iTunes or Google Play:

App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/heroes-of-the-city-baby-app/id860084935?mt=8

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rutaett.HeroesBaby&hl=en

MMG: More Remodel Progress! 6.9.14

Photos of our remodel in progress: Left- new kitchen window and new cabinets being built,
Top Right- lower cabinets being built, and Bottom Right- freshly painted laundry room! 

Happy Monday! I can't believe another week has flown by. This weekend, I missed a family gathering (it was across the country, and I'm not able to fly) for my Grandmother's 90th Birthday!! I wish I could have been there to celebrate with her, and the family- since this was a major milestone! Happy Birthday, Grandma! 

Instead, I spent the weekend selecting a granite slab, tile, tile pattern, laminate flooring, and appliances. I know that sounds like fun to some people, but when it isn't something you had planned on doing... it's not very glamorous. On Saturday, my husband worked until noon- so we rushed over to a location about an hour away from home, with two tired boys. Luckily, they were very well behaved and we were able to get a great deal on the granite for our kitchen! We're seeing some real progress in the kitchen with new windows and cabinets going in! See the photos above. 

Quick Baby Update: I'm now 32 weeks pregnant, so this remodel needs to get wrapped up soon- so I can start nesting! Looking at my June calendar, this month is going to FLY. It's packed full of birthdays, BBQs, our wedding anniversary, a visit from Mom and Dad, J's last day of school, etc.! 

How was your weekend?!

MMG: Progress to Report! 6.2.14

Happy Monday! This weekend went WAY too fast! But first, an update on our 'flood status' from last week. We moved back home last Wednesday, because it was just too difficult to deal with the two dogs in a hotel- and also, because everyone was stir crazy. In other words, we moved home so we could use our backyard and sleep in our own beds. The entire first floor of our home is still wiped out- although, we do have a refrigerator? And, several of you have asked what exactly happened- and it was the dishwasher supply line. It burst, and flooded the entire first floor while we were sleeping. It wasn't actually a slab leak.  

We are working on getting quotes from contractors to repair all the damage, and once we settle the amount with the insurance company- we can get started on fixing everything. We have 9 weeks to get it all back together, because that is when Baby Boy is due! I'll wait until you stop laughing... are you done? OK. So, here's how our weekend went! 

Friday, I worked from home- while two contractors measured every square inch of my downstairs... and a handy man fixed our (unrelated) leaky toilet upstairs. And, of course, Mayhem was not feeling well- this is the only picture I have from the entire weekend. It just about sums up my Friday. Luckily, he bounced back quickly and was able to keep up with us this weekend.

Saturday morning, we had swim class and then headed straight to the tile store to look at new granite counter tops and tile floors for the impromptu kitchen remodel. That basically took all afternoon, but we agreed on a floor style, cabinet style/color, and a granite color. So we made progress! Now we need to get the insulation replaced and drywall repaired, so we can paint the entire first floor and then replace the flooring! Baby steps. 

Sunday we went to Laguna Beach for the morning, and had brunch with friends and walked around. It was so nice to get out of the house, and be in the gorgeous California weather for a while. I really needed that! How was your weekend?

  

Where Have I Been? The Residence Inn...

Last Wednesday morning, around 5 am, the hubs and I heard a loud POP! When hubs when downstairs to check it out, he yelled, "KERI! Get down here NOW!" So I scrambled out of bed, not knowing what to expect...and at the bottom of the stairs, I stepped into ankle-deep water. "Oh my god?! Oh my god?!" I just kept saying it. "What happened?!" Where were the dogs? On the couch, looking at me like I was crazy. Why didn't they alert us to what was going on? I guess they just decided to stay out of the water, on the couch, until we came down to rescue them. 

5 a.m.: We walked around the entire downstairs (living room, dining room, kitchen, family room, laundry room, bathroom and garage), and there was water everywhere. Hubs shut off the water, and we wandered around- wondering what to start with. Being 7 months pregnant, I couldn't lift furniture to get it out of the house- so I started moving light things (mainly toys), and trying to wrap my head around what had happened. How could this be?! Whatever it was, it needed to be fixed... like NOW! So I went upstairs to find our home warranty paperwork. And our insurance. 

5:30 a.m.: My mother-in-law and her boyfriend are moving my furniture onto my patio and my front lawn. I'm moving toys onto the back patio, and the dogs to the backyard. Nothing is dry. Nothing. I still can't believe what's going on.

6 a.m.: I realize that I am not going to make it to work today. I also realize that I have no internet. HOW CAN I LIVE LIKE THIS?! Get it together, Keri... The boys wake up. J's reaction: "Ohh. Well, I guess we have to move again." Mayhem just shrugs and says, "Guess we have to live outside now. I'm hungry." 

6:30 a.m.: Feeding the boys breakfast out on the patio, explaining that it's no big deal. We can fix it, as long as we're together- we'll be OK. Trying to believe what I'm saying...

On the left in the photo above, our family room. Soaking wet laminate flooring. You can't tell in the photo, but all the water has soaked into the floor and the rugs. When the restoration people arrived, they removed all our furniture and ripped the flooring out. Then, they cut off the lower part of the drywall, removed the insulation and put fans EVERYWHERE...

By now, we have been told that the house will be 'inhospitable' for the next several days. This is a few days before Memorial Day weekend, and now we're trying to find a hotel to take us and the dogs for the weekend. 

Wherever we were going, these girls wanted to come with us. The boys found this whole process exciting. The packed literally everything- piggy banks, pictures from their rooms, books, toys... I had to unpack their suitcases several times. "Guys, we need CLOTHES and toothbrushes! OK, not so many Legos and stuffed animals..." By Wednesday night, we all (kids AND dogs!) had checked into a Residence Inn about 30 minutes from home- the best we could do on such short notice. More on our experience coming soon!!  

MMG: Nursery Makeover 5.19.14

We are expecting a new member of the family in 11 weeks! When we moved into our 'new' home last August, we decided to split our bedroom into a Master and a 4th bedroom. The photo below shows the nursery as part of the Master bedroom- and how we split it. When our home was built, it was available in a 4-bedroom model. The nursery is where the 4th bedroom would have been, so it was a natural fit. I'm so glad that we didn't decide to 'wait' to do this, because less than a year later- we would be dealing with construction and a newborn!

I decided to paint the nursery a very light grey, and we're reusing the same crib and changing table that we've used with our first two boys. The closet is the Allen and Roth closet organizer from Lowe's. I don't want to show pictures of that until I've removed my maternity clothes, and put baby clothes in. It will be much cuter!

Allen and Roth closet organizer

His bedding is Land of Nod, Make a Splash. I really like how the navy and grey look together. We decided to take the carpet out, and had laminate installed. I love how it turned out! We had a ceiling fan installed, and the finishing touches will be the baseboards and the curtains. It's not quite done, but seeing the room NOW makes me feel a little more ready for his arrival... How was your weekend?

MMG: Mother's Day Weekend 5.11.14

This weekend seemed extremely busy! Thursday, I was at an affordable housing conference for work and then I went for my 28 week glucose test. If you have experienced this before, you know that it's one of the least enjoyable doctor's visits. It involved drinking an 'orange flavored beverage', waiting an hour- and then having your blood drawn. I got so nauseous and light-headed at the one hour mark, that they were unable to draw my blood- and I had to return to try again on Friday morning. 

Friday morning, I dashed off to the doctor's appointment. I was there until 9:30, and Little J's kindergarten "Spring Performance" was at 10. I was, of course, a few minutes late. And, of course, he noticed. Afterwards, I told him how great it was and his response was, "You missed the first three songs, but it's ok, Mommy." I did my best! The kids gave their moms tiles that they had made. 

Little J's tile depicted me (the yellow chicken?), and a variety of animals. I thought his animal choices were interesting, because we actually have two dogs. But instead, he chose to portray a turtle (green), a cat (red), and a mouse (black). I love it, and it's now hanging proudly in our kitchen. I don't have much of his artwork, since he's not very interested in drawing. He'd rather build Legos. 

Little J's "About Mom" poster was pretty funny to me. He is so straightforward. He also drew me with creepy yellow eyes, and apologized that he didn't know what color my eyes are. He's so serious! His "About Mom" info is below:

Mom loves me most when: I do my chores

Mom looks prettiest when: She goes to work.

Mom is good at: typing

Mom is special because: She is pregnant.

Saturday, we had swim class, ran some errands, and my husband worked on the baby's room closet organizer. That took a lot of time. The nursery is almost done! And then Sunday was Mother's Day!

Sunday we went to Disneyland bright and early, to beat the crowds. We were there from about 8:30 to 12:30, which was perfect. It was great to see Disneyland through the eyes of a 3 year old. We've taken him before, but only when he was too young to remember. Everything was so new and special for him. On the way out, we got to ride in the front of the monorail with the driver- which both boys thought was great! 

How was your Mother's Day?!