What Ana Does

 Since I found a post with Leah's college hunting, I suppose I have to mention Alice's college hunt.  For Spring Break we drove around New England with a list of schools that varied in size, location and style. Starting in UConn, URI, BU and ending in Amherst.  Alice doesn't have a major in mind, but likely something in liberal arts, so we're looking for more of a campus fit than an area of study. Leah was easy, she was looking for film and film only.  It was a really fun road trip. And the tours were interesting, but also extremely freezing cold in Boston.  She really liked URI (YES, where Dave and I met) because it was mid-sized, not in a huge city but a smaller suburb but still close enough to a city. Perfect. And this is exactly what we were hoping to learn.  Success! 

It's not often in Illinois that we get snow in October. Usually Mother Nature has the good grace to wait for the leaves to turn and fall from the trees before dumping the white stuff all over the place. This year, it seems She was too excited to get to snow ... October 31, on Halloween, and we get a few inches! Not that anyone here was complaining.  They couldn't wait to get home from school and play in the snow.  Still all here the next morning! And look at that sky!  I think Bruce loves the snow more than anyone on the house. He spent the day playing and jumping and slipping in the backyard. So, I guess this week, at least, it's winter! Related posts: More Winter posts

Alice's bedroom in our house is a work in progress. Mainly due to her growing up so much in the last eight years of living here. She was a preschooler when we moved in, to now being almost a preteen. And her bedroom has grown up along with her. When we first moved in, I painted Alice's walls yellow and pink. ( 2012 post here .) Two colors she helped me pick out, though it was mostly me. She had two dressers, a play table and there were toys everywhere. We even had bunk beds in here for a while. At 3-years-old through 6, she spent a lot of time in there. She still does. Then, we decided to "grow up" a little and paint her room a lovely lavender. A color she wanted nothing to do with -- but I insisted because the walls looked dirty and needed a more tranquil palette. ( Here's that 2016 post. ) We found her a pretty white daybed on Wayfair ( similar bed ) and I DIY'ed a little canopy to hang above it. Her play table changed into a normal-sized Ikea desk fo...

As is tradition, Bruce comes to the bus stop every morning to drop off the girls. He's still figuring out how to walk on a leash and that it's OK to pee outside. House-training is 100% underway. But it's going to take some time.  Rest assured, he takes a very long nap after we're home.

All Seven Chowing Down "Did I just volunteer to babysit seven puppies?!?!?!" This is what I asked as we got back into our car after visiting puppies. See, we're in the market to adopt. And since I'm home full time for now, we're considering adopting a puppy. We've never had a baby puppy before and I thought it might be an enjoyable life experience to try ... just once. So we got word there was a new litter of small breed puppies and we all jumped in the car to meet them. As we're rolling around playing with these teeny six-week old puppies, the foster mama was saying she's on vacation next week and would be leaving all seven of them with a neighbor who, unfortunately, works full time. So the pups wouldn't be getting a lot of attention until they got back. The Set-Up, In the Family Room Maybe I had a little puppy fever, but I offered our house.  It's Spring Break and we have zero plans -- we just arrived from Paris and we h...

Can you believe I made it more than 14 months without painting a single room?! But the girls wanted to update their room colors and I couldn't help but oblige. I mean, any excuse to paint is a good one. And my constant quest to re-move in is in full swing, so a painting project or two was a quick and easy update. Leah's room color hadn't been changed since we moved in seven years ago, so she was certainly due for an upgrade. (Here's the 2012 post for proof.) My almost-13-year-old picked a very cool blue to go with the "beach theme" in her room. The new color is on the left, and the old color is on the right. Leah At Work! New Color on the Left, Old Color on the Right (Notice the Nasty Baseboard Color) Alice started by looking at mustard yellows and oranges -- and I did my best to steer her toward a more palpable color. She ended up with a spring green called "Green Fees." It's definitely more mature than the little-girl lavender I pain...

While we were in Milan last weekend, strolling around Sforza Castle, I remembered so well the last time I was walking around this ancient castle. Flashbacks! Nine years ago, when Alice was just 2-years-old and Leah was 4 we visited this castle and I was enthralled by the history, but Alice wasn't impressed and she ran around like a nut -- or a toddler. Whatever. I talked her in to standing still for just a few minutes so I could take a picture. So, last weekend, I asked Alice to take the same picture on the same spot (ok, one bench away) in the courtyard and it came out pretty cute.  Alice: Oct. 2010 --- VS --- March 2019 Here are the two original pictures: Alice, Being 2, and Just the Top of Leah's Head Alice at 10!  This is just another perk about traveling Europe with little kids; these are such special memories that I'll have forever. And even get to revisit them. Related posts: Traveling with kids

Halloween in Paris has been quite an experience. This is my favorite holiday to decorate for but there's not a cobweb or over-sized spider in my entire apartment.  In fact, I thought the entire holiday would pass us by, but the girls are always discussing Halloween costumes, starting in November for the following year, and they'd find some reason to wear them. Which they did.  The American Library in Paris hosted a halloween party on Saturday evening, with some "cool" teen events. They even got a few local businesses involved so the kids could "trick or treat." So, we found a local fabric store and crafted-up some costumes. Leah was Ms. Marvel using an old dress and some cool, shiny fabric. Alice was a woodland elf with fake ears I found on Amazon. It took a bit of time, but you know I love making costumes.  They turned out cute! And they were able to wear them to school on Friday and show them off to their friends.  An Elf and a Super ...

Alice loves looking through Instagram pictures from AllThatIsShe , an artist from northern England who creates these wonderful images of herself and with her two girls. Check them out . So one weekend, Alice got the idea to try to create some images of her own. And, fortunately, we have a blue bed sheet that can look like water and the sky. These are a few favorites that I posted on Instagram. The tricks we found were to stand as far over the subject as you can without falling off the chair (this can be dicey), create some good lighting (we were near a window), and edit/crop the pictures well to remove any sign of the floor. A good filter is useful, too!  There are a few other artists and novices creating these kinds of images with sleeping babies, which we also love. Check out this one . And a bunch of them on Pinterest .  Related posts: See other fun things I dig

In Paris, Alice got the smallest room. But it has the best view ... of the park and the Eiffel Tower (until Spring comes and trees obstruct her view). She also got a closet and an *on-suite shower/sink room.  It's a pretty sweet room! When we moved in, she took hours to set everything up perfectly. She had to arrange her photos, clothes and stuffed animals. And she badgered us until we hung up her dry-erase board and curtains. I recently "helped her" clean it, and took a picture to document the adorableness of this space. Alice's Bedroom in Pars * This apartment has two on-suite shower/sink rooms. What is that even called in real estate terms? Anyone know? 

Leah's First Day (She Was Embarrassed)  "How are the girls doing?" We're constantly being asked from family and friends at home. The answer ... They. Are. Great. First, they both LOVE school. They got buddies their first day to show them around and they quickly made them best friends. Their teachers have been supportive and, with the exception of French which they find very difficult, they've been getting very involved in their classes. Alice's school is within two blocks, and she loves to scooter there. Leah is further away, and she's looking forward to commuting with friends -- we're working up to it. Both are such suburban kids; they have no idea how to safely cross a street. Yet. We're learning. Other than school, the girls finally got the cell phones we promised them and they're freaking out over being able to call and text. While at the mall Sunday, I got a call from Alice from the other side of the store. They jumped to set u...

Handrail Bracket We have a ballerina who lives in our house. So we thought it would be fun to install a simple ballet barre in her bedroom. This may have been the easiest DIY project ever. And not expensive at all. Here's the breakdown: $5 for each handrail bracket, I got two in white $5 for the 4' pine closet rod, which I cut to size $10 for the mirror  $0 for the purple spray paint I had leftover from another project The first step was the toughest ... and that was clear a space in the kid's bedroom. I won't lie, her room usually looks like a toy hurricane just blew in, so I took this opportunity to sort and trash about 45% off what you see here. And I relocated her desk to the other side of the room.  BEFORE: The Mess! Brief sidenote: We discussed installing the bar in the basement but "there are too many spiders" down there. Arghh! Next, we painted the pine rod a dark purple, which looks nice with her lavender walls. Once dried, I in...

School year kicked off on the same day as the eclipse. Coincidence? I've now got a third grader and a sixth grader. And since I'm still doing the freelance-from-home thing, I get to see them off and welcome them home every day. Lucky me! Related Posts: All "Back to School" posts

For months, and maybe even since Christmas, the girls have been sleeping in the same room. They are going through that stage where they are afraid of just about everything. And I mean, everything that could possible go wrong in the world. (Eg. Leah watched a fire safety video at school and she's now convinced of a fire in our house.) And sleeping together makes them feel safer. When we had the bunk beds, this was convenient. But since we got the daybed, Leah's been sleeping on a mattress on the floor... Not awesome. So, this weekend it was time to make this sleeping arrangement permanent. It wasn't easy, because that bed was pretty tough to move, but after a day's work, Leah has a real bed. Hooray! And after a sleepover the night before, she was more than ready to use it. The Beds All Lined Up! It's too bad this room isn't a little larger -- when my sister I shared a room we had enough space to run the dressers down the middle. But, I guess at that...

Monday was the first day of school and it was a DOOZIE! Leah, my newly-minted 5th grader!, was excited to go ... but her bus was 30 minutes late! Luckily, the sun was shining and a light breeze was blowing. A lovely morning to wait around for the school bus. Waiting and Waiting At the Bus Stop!  The Bus Finally Arrived!  Then, Alice's bus was on time but she wasn't. Long story short: She ran back into the house to get a book and couldn't find it. I was left to hold the bus while she ran sobbing up the street and into the bus. SOBBING.  Crying In Every Picture ...  Crying in Every Single Picture Reminder to myself: For Alice's graduation party, find these pictures and blow them up into poster size. This falls under the "it will be funny someday" parenting category.  Update: She reportedly calmed down on the bus and had a rockstar first day of 2nd grade!  Alice Was All Smiles After School

What do 5th graders wear, is the question I got from Leah as we embarked on our back-to-school shopping ritual this year. I winced, as 1) I honestly have no idea. And 2) I envision the worst case scenario: Short shorts, half-shirts and cheap sandals? My worst nightmare. At this point, I initiated a short conversation about personal style. In a nutshell: Who the hell cares what other 5th graders are wearing, what clothes fit your own personal style? Of course, I'm going to GUIDE her decisions on clothes, 1) because I purchase and care for them, so I feel some ownership. And 2) a girl needs some guidance, right?! I made plenty of fashion faux pas. Let's start with Boden , because I LOVE this shop and given an infinite budget, I'd dress my kids in only Boden. Here are four favorites for the Fall. Fun Leggings - Boden Butterfly Logo Jersey Dress - Boden Super Soft Stripped Shirt - Boden Bunny Meadow Raincoat - Boden Then there's the indestru...

Calling this the 1.0 version of the canopy in Alice's room. It needs a few more layers. And I think to be lowered a bit. The Canopy I didn't follow a set of instructions -- because others were much smarter than I and used two window curtains. In hindsight, that is GENIUS. I bought yards of purple tulle from Jo-Ann's and a hula-hoop for the hoop at the top. It didn't take long to sew all the layers together and hang it from the hook. The other thing is you really need to imagine the daybed below to complete the look. More updates to follow ... 

Two more updates to Alice's bedroom to discuss. The first is her new bed. Let's skip over the part about her current bed being MY childhood bed and all the history there ... and just say we would like her to have a new bed. Of course this was met with opposition, as Alice doesn't like change. But once we started showing her the options, she quickly got on board. Here are the top two choices: Jenny Lind Day Bed From Land of Nod . The Pricey Option The Dorel Living Vivienne Bed From Wayfair.com . The Risky Yet Inexpensive Option Given the large price difference, I think the choice is very clear. And the Wayfair bed is more along the lines of the style I was looking for. And it will transition to being a teenager's bed much better than the Jenny Lind bed, which looks tad juvenile. Because I can't see it and don't know the brand like I do Land of Nod, the Wayfair bed is also a bit of a risk. It's listed as "made of wood" but what if it...