Julia's Princess Room

My firstborn baby girl just turned five a couple of weeks ago.  As if that didn't feel bittersweet enough, her request for a new "big girl" room did.

The conversation went a little something like this:
"Mommy, I want a new big girl room for my birthday."

"Oh, you don't like your fun butterflies and dragonflies?  You're room is so pretty now!"

: : blank stare : : "Mom, this room is for babies.  I am not a baby."

{Insert my realization of that fact and subsequent emotional breakdown here.}

She's right.  She's definitely not the baby who wanted bugga buggas to decorate her room three years ago.  Her butterfly bedding was fraying from washing it constantly.  Those pastel curtains were starting to fade.  And five year olds apparently do not need mobiles hanging in the corner.  Silly mommy.

What kind of room does a big girl like Julia need?  A Disney Princess room, it seems.  That's grown-up??  She assured me that all cool kids have Disney Princesses.
Now, I love those princesses as much as the next Disney addict, but plastering Cinderellas as big as my child all over the place is not really my thing.  I discussed this with her and we decided to go a more subtle route, just having touches of princessy things here and there.
By subtle, I mean she chose purple walls and pink bedding.  I have proclaimed since I was I was pregnant with her that I would NOT be a mom who would turn her daughter into a girly-girl, surrounded by girly-girl colors and dressing up in tutus and dresses all the time.  But you know what?  I didn't turn her into this.  She has chosen this.  And I just gave in big time.

We're tight on cash (who isn't?), but I was determined to give her the room of her dreams.  We bought her purple paint for her birthday, and her grandmother bought her pink bedding.  We reused the pink curtains from our upstairs playroom (it will be turned into a room for Sawyer eventually, and I doubt he wants pink curtains...you never know, though...).  I took the castle decal from the upstairs playroom and slapped it on the wall in Julia's room.  For artwork, I turned her existing decorative frames into Princess art using scrapbooking paper and more decals.  It is all very girly, and she loves it.  Here it is, in all its pastel glory:

Pink and purple Princess room (butterflies above bed stayed).  Night when I took this, so sorry it's dark.



Lamp also stayed...she couldn't part with it.  Cinderella's Castle wall decal and toy.




Her armoire.  Disney snow globes.  Stolen towel animal from Pop Century (he's a hitchhiker).




Wall art I crafted out of scrapbook paper, old frames, and wall decals.




Her stuffed animals.  I want to remember this forever.




Another view of the room.  Note the 80s Barbie house, which is AWESOME.  Also, her memories board and messy toy bins.



Princess tin we got at Walt Disney World.  First thing you see upon entering.




Princess throw pillow.  And, yes, she still sleeps on her converted toddler bed.  She refuses to allow us to turn it into a full bed as of now.  She could grow a foot or two and still fit.

 So, all in all, we spent $30 for paint and supplies, and her grandma gifted her sheets and a comforter.  We owned or created all the decorations, and her sentimentality (or mine?) allowed us to keep a couple of things from her old room.

Is it overwhelmingly purple and pink?  You bet.  I totally failed at preventing that.  But even I have to say that it doesn't just SCREAM tacky princess decorations, though it does speak it loudly.  She got enough of the characters to make her happy, but there are few enough of them to keep me sane.

It comes down to this: it's her room, not mine.  While a color like that would lead me into some sleepless nights, she loves it.  She picked the theme, and she owns it.  As if she weren't a princess enough already, now she has a room fit for her royal status.

I've Got uff da! Love

I'm a stay-at-home mom.  My kid list consists of a preschooler, a toddler, and a baby.  That's right, there are three of them.
Needless to say, I don't get out much.  And honestly?  I don't always have the time or energy to fix my hair when I DO get out.
(Shhh...I don't always get to wash it, either.  Stand back at least three feet if you don't want a whiff of spit-up and breast milk on one of those days.)

So imagine my excitement when I won a giveaway over at Last Train to Pooksville in December!!  The lovely @emilybilbrey (follow her on Twitter...you won't regret it) has an amazing blog AND an amazing shop, uff da! designs, and she was giving away a couple of her beautiful, handmade, fashionable headbands.

AND I WON!

I don't have much luck, usually, so I was jumping up and down and probably way more excited than a normal person would be, but look at these!  Wouldn't you be??



hydrangea bloom headband



perfect poppy headband



I got to choose not only which headband design I wanted, but also the color.  That?  Was hard.  I mean, seriously.  Look at how many colors she uses.

I know, the suspense is killing you.
I chose....drum roll, please...a teal hydrangea bloom headband!

Something you must know about Emily is that not only does she take great care at being a mom, but also puts love into each thing she crafts.  My headband arrived and looked FABULOUS.  Not only that, but she enclosed a handwritten note and a sticker for her store.  That's thoughtfulness for ya, folks. 

Right away, I knew this headband would become part of my go-to hair supplies, right up there with the elastic band I use to put my mane in a knot safely on top of my head and out of reach of Sawyer.  One of his favorite games these days is seeing how loudly he can make me scream when he pulls my hair, so I haven't worn it down in a while.  My style (can it be called that?), though necessary, is kind of boring.

Or it WAS boring.  Until this:

Boring mom style, all dressed up!!  Fancy!

Plus, it's a dual purpose--looks great, and keeps those wispy hairs out of my face.

I am grabbing this cute accessory all the time now, and I adore it.  You will, too.  Promise.

Visit Emily's online store, uff da! designs, where she sells not only these spectacular headbands, but also handmade magic wands, upcycled sweater hats, hair clips and holders, and more.

And to Emily--THANK YOU so much for introducing me to your fabulous creations!

**Fine Print: I am not being paid for endorsing these products.  I get no money and no free products besides what I've won.  I just wanted to write this post because I am in love with my headband in a crazy kind of way.  And you will be  as well, so I suggest you get your booty in gear and beautify your hair with these fantastic designs!  Or you can send me some of them.  That's totally cool, too.**

The Day Our Lives Began

Dear Julia,

Today you turned five years old.  You are so excited to be five, but already you've told us you just want to stay five forever.  Trust me, sweet girl, I wish I could freeze this moment, too.

Five years ago at this time, I was sitting in the hospital room, nursing you constantly, and staring at you for hours on end.  I could not believe that you had just come out of me.  You were so perfect and so beautiful.  I watched your daddy change your first diaper and saw you try to hold your head up right from the start.  You've always been precocious.

I had never known love like I felt the moment I first saw you.  You were a surprise baby, and you were the best surprise your daddy and I have ever had.  The moment we became parents was the moment that we became a family instead of just a couple.  The bond that your birth started has just gotten stronger as we've added more siblings, but you started it all.  Before you were born, life had no real purpose; as soon as we met, I knew my purpose in life was to be the best mommy I could be and give you back all the love you make me feel.

I was so nervous when I was learning to be a mom.  I laugh now thinking about how scared I was to give you a bath, how I anguished over dressing you, and whether you were getting enough food.  Or sleep.  Or tummy time.  I must have done something right, because you are simply wonderful.

I want to remember forever that you were just like this at age five:

As a big five year old, you love to read.  You started reading small books when you were three, and now you're up to chapter books.  The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is what you're reading to us at night right now, and we've decided to throw a Pooh party when you finish it.  I love that you take the time to read to your sister and brother, and books are constantly scattered around our house because you read so many of them a day!

Your favorite movies are any of the Disney Princess movies (sing-a-longs or films), Gumby: The Movie, Muzzy, and all Strawberry Shortcake films.  You watch "Yo Gabba Gabba!" with Brynn and you sing and dance together.  You also enjoy any of the shows on PBS Kids ("Dinosaur Train," "Sid the Science Kid," "Word World").

At night, you listen to The Magic Tree House books on CD, and you have about a million of them!

Playtime for you usually includes Princess figures and your toy Cinderella's Castle.  You come up with elaborate stories for them, and you shout, "Dreams come true!  Dreams come true!," just like you saw them do at Disney World.  One of your scenarios includes every character bringing a gift to the one having a birthday or getting married.  And there are hundreds of them.  You are very dedicated and will not allow us to clean up the mess until you are finished, which sometimes takes days.  Most of my time is spent trying to pick up your figures so I don't step on them.

For Christmas, you got a pink Barbie house, which is another toy getting thrown into the rotation.  You have decided to name your Ken dolls Speeder, John Handsome, and Nickel.  I've only heard one Barbie have a name, and that was Sylvia.

You play Wii games with your dad, and you both yell at the screen, though you have no idea what you're yelling or what it means--you just want to be like him.  Games are some of your favorite things.  We've played Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Pretty Pretty Princess, Tic-Tac-Toe, and more.  However, you're infamous for scattering pieces all over the house, so we rarely have all the parts we need to play!  Recently, you've started playing Scrabble with us in a modified way.  And you win, because you're definitely a better speller than we are.  Or at least better than your dad, for sure.

I keep thinking that you're growing out of the dress-up phase, but then you see Brynn dressing up and your interest is high again.  The two of you play together and fight together.  I enjoy watching you girls play your made-up games (like "Gifts" and "Princess Party") that have rules only the two of you understand.  And you love your baby brother so much, too.  You're constantly telling him, "I'm right here, buddy.  It's okay, I'm right here."  He calms down when you talk to him or rub his head.  Since he was born, you've spent hours reading him books and giving him toys.  You're such a big help to me.

When you grow up, you say you want to be a chef, a nature photographer, a veterinarian, a doctor, a teacher, a scientist, and a dancer.  You spend lots of time cooking, taking pictures, exploring, experimenting, and dancing, so I have no doubt that you could do all of those things.

You're in a phase of making up jokes, too...except that the punchline is almost always, "Because he was eating beans!!!"  And then, there's your famous one of, "Why did the flower die in the spring?  Because he wasn't a flower at all; he was candy!" 

Uhm...you might might want to work on those.  Not sure you're quite getting the concept of a joke.  And you're funny enough without trying.

You give us so much joy and make us laugh all the time. 

"Reach for the stars, but watch your head!"

"God said, 'Wake up and eat marshmallows.' And we woke up and ate them.  And it was good."

"Oh, really?  I just moved here  from Botswana!"

Pineapple pizza, celery, carrots, apples, peanut butter sandwiches, and chicken nuggets are foods I can always get you to eat. I still water down your juice, but you remind me that you don't want to drink much of it because it has sugar...though you don't seem to mind sugar in the form of candy or cake.

You're a wonderful artist, and your various drawings (especially of rainbows) cover our fridge, art display board, and walls.

I want to remember you as you are at this moment, but I am also excited to watch you grow and accomplish all the things I know you will.  You are kind, funny, thoughtful, compassionate, creative, and determined.  You are the most precious five year old I know.

When all this ice and snow melts, we'll have a Strawberry Shortcake birthday party for you on Sunday, and everyone there will love you and tell you that these five years with us has been the best five years of their lives, just like they have been for your daddy and me.  May you have many, many more years of living life to the fullest.  I am proud to have given birth to you, and I will spend my life in awe of all that you are.

I love you more than you'll ever know.

Love,

Mom

I'm Hurt--and Not Just My Ego

One week into this, and already I'm afraid I may have a big problem. 
It's not the diet.  Mostly because that hasn't yet started. Tomorrow, I promise...or soon, at least...
It's not that I don't like to exercise.  I really do!  I've actually had fun running on the treadmill in the garage and have made it through week one of Couch to 5k.  I feel great when I'm done with a session.
Well.
Most of me feels great.
And then there's my knees.

Why, oh, why did you runner-type people not warn me that my knees could easily go from perfectly normal, if a little knobbly, to extremely painful in just seven days!?!  I'm talking can't-make-it-up-the-stairs painful after tonight's run.  Not good.
I thought I was doing everything right.  I stretch before and after exercise.  I do a warm up and a cool down.  I alternate jogging and walking, just like C25K yells for me to do into the earbuds of my iPod.
Do I need new shoes?  Did I overextend my knees?  Are they inflamed?  Is this my fibromyalgia?  Am I just getting trail-worn?  Does the universe just want me to stay unhealthy?!?

Already I can see my dreams of running at Disney World going down the drain with my sweaty bathwater, and I am getting really discouraged with each aching moment.  That was my carrot, people.  I was inspired.  And because of one silly race, I was more determined than ever to build endurance and muscle and lose flab and self-doubt.  Now that might not be feasible.

If you have any clue about why my knees are hot and painful, more so with each run, please let me know.  And if you have any ideas about how to make it better, please let me know that, too.  All my frozen veggies are thawing from icing my knees, and they'd be much better in my belly than as a first aid device.

I guess I also need to start considering the fact that my knees might not allow me to run (please, NO), and I also need ideas for other types of low-impact exercise that can still help me achieve my other goal--beach body by May.  So, help. 
And also tell me that things will get better or some other lie along those lines. 

In more McFatty news, my weight is at 138.2 lbs (down 1.8 lbs), but I look absolutely the same.  In fact, the weight loss is probably due to the fact that I didn't get enough groceries before this snowstorm thing hit the south.  Or it might be because I shaved my legs.  I fully expect the weight to return by next week when our cabinets are stocked, though by then they'll be only stocked with healthy items.  And next week my husband will be on board and I'll have extra encouragement, which, let's face it, I need right now.