I did something Pinterest-worthy!

Usually cutesy crafts and Pinterest things aren't really my forte. However, I think this little project turned out really well!

My entryway closet had been a jumble of shoes, and it was bugging me a LOT. The mess was the main thing bothering me, but it was also annoying to have to hunt for shoes when we needed them. I wanted something in the closet to help organize the shoes, but didn't want to have to look for (or spend the money on) a shoe organizer.

Enter the myriad of diaper boxes we've accumulated over the last two years or so. We've used them in all of our moves, and since we're planning on moving again in the near future (in less than a year, to a house - no solid plans yet), we've saved all of the boxes that are in good condition. They're so ubiquitous that one of my sisters teases me about them on a fairly regular basis.

Anyway, I have a lot of diaper boxes.

Boxes can be used for a lot of things. They're very useful! So far, we've used them for organizing without really trying to make them look nice, but this time I wanted something that would look good in our closet, especially since the front closet is so public.

I decided that some small shelves made out of a couple of the diaper boxes would fill the bill for organizing the closet. Cover those with some tasteful contact paper, and it should look pretty good, right? The next time I went shopping, I purchased some contact paper with a cute pattern, and got to work the next day.

First I found two boxes that were the same size.:

Next, I lined them with contact paper:

Levi actually took this and the next picture. He did a good job!

Voila!

The finished product!

Levi vs. Cecil

From the first moment I got a good look at Levi, I could tell that he looked like his dad. He had the same big eyes, cute face, and double jointed fingers as my husband. There was a gap between his big toe and second toe and little dents behind his ears. Levi was also pretty lean for a baby, and so was Austin. The first post I wrote about Levi was actually about how similar he was to him.

Cecil, on the other hand, looks like me. From the day he was born, his eyes promised to become brown one day. While just as open as Levi's, his eyes are not as round and they crease at the sides like mine do. He has two noticeable dimples. His feet are short and his toes are shaped like mine. He is also chubby just like I was when I was a baby!

Here are some comparison pictures, just for fun! 

Levi - 3 months / Cecil - 1 month

Cecil - 4 weeks

Levi - 1 month

Cecil - 1 month

Levi - 3 months

Cecil - 5 weeks

Levi - 6 months

Cecil - 5 weeks

Levi - 6 months

The Terrible Threes

Austin and I thought we'd been lucky and missed the Terrible Twos, but the Terrible Threes got us instead.

Levi is a really really nice little guy. He's thoughtful and obedient, and if I tell him I'm sad--or even act like I am--he comes over and smothers me with an adorable toddler hug and a kiss. He also loves to be helpful and do the things that I do.

Because of this, it was really hard for me when he started acting out a few weeks ago. I thought that maybe it was because he was thrown off by having a new brother that took up so much of my attention. That didn't make sense, though, because Levi really seems to like Cecil and be concerned for his well-being.

Then I thought maybe it was because of Daylight Savings and a thrown-off sleeping schedule. While this has definitely affected him, Levi's behavior has been worse than it usually is when he's just tired.

I was pretty worried so it came as a relief to realize that it is normal for the terrible two's to wait for a child's third birthday before showing up. I thought maybe something had happened that I could have prevented that had changed Levi into a much harder to deal with kid, so I was relieved to realize it was a normal and typical stage that he is going through.

There's a lot more crying, stomping, hitting (thankfully it's mostly objects), and deliberate disobedience. It's really unfortunate that it had to come at the same time as a decrease in my ability to supervise him (this morning he thought it was a good idea to get the pickles out of the fridge and put pickles and pickle juice in the peanut butter jar. Oh boy). How long is this supposed to last, again? Hopefully not a full year!

How do I help my children feel equally loved?

One thing that I want to do for my children is give them equal attention and love. I know this will be difficult, especially since I want more than two or three! I also know that I will not succeed 100% of the time, but that it's worth the effort.

This desire means several things need to happen.

This means keeping track of the developmental milestones for ALL of my children - at least to the extent that I did for Levi. This includes blog posts, Facebook posts, and especially pictures.

It also means spending individual time with each of them in addition to the time I'll spend with them together.

This also means getting to know each of them individually so that I will know when they are feeling left out or unloved.

This means making sure they will be comfortable telling me their concerns and their desires. How will I give my kids equal attention and love if I don't know their individual wants and needs?


These are just a few of my thoughts. What are some things that you can think of that are important for giving kids equal attention and love?

Middle child in a large family

It's generally understood that middle children get the short end of the stick when it comes to family life. However, I really enjoyed being a middle child in a large family, and I felt like there were a lot of positives that came from being in that position.

Of course, there were the usual cons to being a middle child. Some specific things that come to mind are--

-Very few baby pictures of me

-Not many people remember things I specifically did when I was little/a baby

-More restrictions based on mistakes my older siblings made (I'm not faulting my older siblings here)

The positives outweigh the cons, though.

-Having sibling friends both older and younger than me

-Middle was the spot for the "cool kids"

-Learning from the successes of my older siblings

-Learning from the mistakes of my older siblings

-Learning through having responsibility for my younger siblings

-Being able to boss around my younger siblings

How to help a new mother

One Thanksgiving break about a year before I graduated from college, one of my sisters gave birth to a little boy, and I went to her home to help her with her other kids and anything else she may need during her recovery from the birth. It was my first time doing something like that, and I was excited to help my sister.

While I was there, I helped with laundry, cooking, cleaning, and the older kids, but my sister still looked and acted frazzled. I felt like there was a lot more that I could have done, but I didn't know what.
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Fast forward a few years, and with the birth of my second child, I'm reminded again of the things that I wish I'd known that first time that I tried to help a new mother. Hopefully, the things that I share can help someone preparing to help a new mother. And just to make everything clear--the people who helped me were amazing and so helpful! I wouldn't have been able to recover so quickly without them.

So, what is the best way to help out a new mom? Here are three things that I think are the most helpful to a new mother, in order of importance.

1. Make her SLEEP! Every new mom is sleep-deprived and should be taking naps throughout the day to make up for the time spent awake during nighttime feedings. As her helper, you should remind her to sleep and make sure she knows she has no responsibility to entertain you or visit with you during your stay. It seems like that should go without saying, but you do need to say it.

There are different ways to encourage naps depending on the mom. However, it's pretty obvious that if things need to get done around the house, the mom will get them done instead of sleeping. Therefore, it's great to have help with other kids or the household responsibilities. That leads to the next two points.

2. Help with household chores. I personally love it when people clean up for me, especially in the kitchen. I like to cook, so that's not so much of a big deal as long as I don't have to clean up afterward :). However, I know other women that enjoy cleaning and dislike cooking, so for those women it would be the opposite--help with cooking takes priority over  help with cleaning. Find out which household duties are the least and most enjoyable for the mom and go from there.

Remember the less-thought-of responsibilities of a mother, such as laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, and bathing the older kids. 

3. Help with the kids. Make sure they're fed, diapers are changed if they need it, that they have help going to the bathroom or washing their hands, and that they're well hydrated. Read books to them and/or play with them. Make sure the mom has time to spend with her older kids, too. I guarantee that if she doesn't have time or energy to spend with her older kids, she will miss them. It doesn't matter how difficult they may or may not be.

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That's it, folks! Again, encourage the mom to get extra sleep and not to feel guilty about sleeping all day if she needs to. That's the most important thing.