playing catch-up.

Where in the world has this month gone?! I honestly can't say what has happened this month, outside the normal work and school for us. Is it sad that I have to go back through my phone to see what the heck we've done lately?

Let's see. Chris got a great new leather recliner right after Christmas. Unfortunately, when I bought the sectional in our family room I purposely got the particular size so that we wouldn't need any other furniture. Once we added in Chris's new chair, our family room became a fire hazard ... so we also got a new couch! It wasn't exactly what I set out to buy, but it fits the room and is very comfortable. Some days I like the color and other days I hate it. Here's sort of what our new set-up looks like, complete with a tiny furniture model.

Once the new couch came, I resolved that there would be no more dogs on the couch. This has been a tough one for dogs who are used to having their way all the time. This huge dog bed from Costco helped to soften the blow a bit.

Nathan had a random bug last week where he puked his guts out like that kid in The Exorcist but had absolutely no other symptoms. We spent our fair share of time on the bathroom floor before bed that night before he launched into a four in the morning vomit sneak attack. Let me just say that groping around in vomit for my glasses is much funnier as a memory than in the actual moment.

Over the weekend, we went to a birthday party at one of our favorite local bounce house places. N tried sparring for the first time and did pretty well, despite the fact that the equipment was bigger than him.

Watching him wait in line was a happy moment. The child is learning patience!

N's Montessori program continues to help him learn new things (and quite frankly, learn how to learn). This week, they are having an international night and also going to the Children's Museum tomorrow! I wish parents could go on these trips! :)

lowe's and home depot kids' activities.

There's just something magical about a freebie. Food tastes better when it's free and activities certain have a little more allure (for parents) when they're free. I've blogged before about free kid activities at hardware chains like in this post; they're fun, they're family oriented, and they're free. 

Once I first found out about the activities we went to each,and.every.one. It got a little exhausting and N was probably a little too young to be attentive and really enjoy them, so we took a break. I found one online last night and N seemed interested, so we registered. 

So before a show you today's project, here's some of the differences between the sessions we've been to - all are free! I wish I had found more information on them before we started attending, so I hope this helps another family! Disclaimer that these are based on my own experiences and the sessions offered in your area may be a bit different: 

Lowe's Build & Grow Clinics

• Sessions fill up FAST! I'm really not joking - in my area, the slots are filled within minutes of registration opening (I guess I'm not the only one with a love for freebies!)
• Sessions are usually once a month or every other month on a Saturday morning - one hour
• A printed registration/waiver is required for your child to participate - I bring ours to the clinic
• On your first visit, be sure to ask for your child's free apron and goggles (they are adorable!)
• Be ready to jump in! We've never been offered help with assembly (I am not handy, at all - these clinics are just as much for me as my kiddo, assembly wise. I bring my husband for the 'heavy lifting') 
• All of the session kits involve stickers and, therefore, no mess! 
• Once you're done with your project, your child will receive a certificate and a patch that should be ironed onto their apron (I've yet to do this .... we have a stack of patches somewhere) 

Home Depot Kids Workshops

• Sessions are open so much longer (thus I was able to register for this latest session the night before!) 
• Sessions are once a month or every other month on a Saturday morning - registration says there is a three hour window, but we always go when it begins 
• No printed registration or waiver necessary! Just tell them your child's name.
• On your first visit, be sure to ask for your child's free apron! (Cute but not as good quality as the aprons at Lowe's)
• The employees who run the session generally offer help and are available to jump in if you can't figure out the instructions. LOVE this! 
• Every session that we've been to involves paint. Be prepared to get a little messy. The paint is my kiddo's favorite part. Just be ready to bring a wet project and messy child in your car. Baby wipes are a lifesaver! 
• Once your done with your project, your child will receive a certificate and a pin for their apron 

Today's project was a little sled. So adorable and N was very excited to make it! 

N still isn't very enthusiastic about the assembly process, though he's gotten much better at looking at the pictures in the instructions and problem solving to determine which pieces go where. I think we spent about thirty minutes on today's project! Surprisingly, putting in the nails isn't a big hit (awful pun) with him. The painting, that's another story! On the way to the workshop he told us over and over how he would paint his sleigh red - and he did a great job! What a little cheeseball :) 

He's been so proud of this little sled, which I think is an awesome outcome for these little sessions. N has played with this sled all afternoon.

Hooray for fun (and free) activities for family time! 

happiness jar.

Spontaneity is not my strong suit. I'm not very apt to try new things, so starting new traditions in my house is a thoughtful endeavor. As we counted down to a near year, I thought over all of the experiences that we've had this year - a mix of blessed, happy, challenging, and thought provoking times.

Our New Year's traditions are pretty bare bones. We watch the performances on t.v. leading up to and after the ball dropping ... and that's about it! With the busyness that surrounds our daily ins and outs, I really believe in being purposefully reflective about our lives. I've done thankfulness challenges in the past like this one (I strongly recommend these exercises if you haven't done them before!), but I wanted to have a culminating activity to really think about and appreciate the entire year. Enter a happiness jar.

I'm not sure how they are generally used, but I plan on our family writing down little things (or big things) throughout the year that make them happy or thankful, put them into the jar, and then open them on New Year's Eve.  There are so many options to make, buy, decorate (or not decorate) your happiness jar. This DIY is right up my alley because the aesthetics are the least important thing -  it's what's on the inside that counts.

Here's what I used to make my jar:

• Jar or container of your choice 
• Paper to write down what makes you happy or thankful
• Scissors and/or a paper cutter 
• Decorations for your container (I used little polka dotted rhinestones with adhesive backs and may make a trip to go get some ribbon) 
• Twine 
• Embellishment to label the jar (because everything in my house gets labelled eventually) 
• Pen 
• Chalk to write my label (this didn't work for me - going to find my silver pen here in a bit)

I spent maybe $10 to make this because I had most of the materials on hand. Love that this has so many optional components - really all you need is a container and paper to write on :)

Here's some of the process. So easy! The only thing that I haven't done is figure out how I want to label the jar - a quotation, a simple label, a picture?

I'm not sure if I date cutting a slot in my mason jar lid. For now, I'll just take out the center and leave it open. But ... dust! Going to save the cover just in case.

And to kick this little tradition off, I put in my own little thing that made me happy today. I'm going to try to date all of these and put the name of who it's from (in case I'm putting in for someone else like my kiddo). I'll gently plead to have everyone roll up their happiness notes so that no one peeks.

And voila! An inexpensive happiness jar in a central place in our home that I hope will make us more thoughtful throughout the year, as well as give us a flood of great memories come next New Year's Eve.

EDIT: I went and got my metallic pen for the label. Even though I was excited that the labels are chalkboard (hello, reusable!), my handwriting with chalk is atrocious. Metallic pen it is!