A Toy Story: Part 1

This "Toy Story" isn't animated, doesn't star Woody & Buzz, and can't be viewed in a movie theater.

Nope.

This Toy Story is real life, stars my 19 months olds Asher and Eli, and takes place in our living room.

It all started before the boys were born. I decided our house would not be cluttered with toys once we had children. Of course, this was before we had children, so I had no idea what I was talking about, right?

Once they arrived, we realized how much *stuff* kids came with. *X 2* since they were twins. Two cribs, two bouncy chairs, two carseats....even without too much "extra" baby bells and whistles, it's still a ton.

We tried to eliminate what we didn't need. We went without baby swings even though everyone swears they are the best. We try to have just enough clothes for the boys and never an overflowing closet of stuff they wear once (or never). And then there were the toys...

Once the boys became mobile, the toys really started coming into the picture. That was around the same time we moved into our first house, so I had the opportunity to start fresh and decide how the toys would fit into our new living space. Like most parents, I didn't want toys taking over the entirety of the family living space, but I did want their toys to be included, just like everyone else in the family's possessions.

So at the time, the solution was that the bottom two shelves on each side of our entertainment center would be for the babies. That left two open shelves for larger toys, and 4 baskets of loose toys. But in addition to their designated toy area, they also had a basket of books, 2 walkers, 2 large balls, and an activity table in the living room. (And that was after putting half their toys in storage and taking great effort to keep toys minimal! The stuff really does take over before you know it!)

This solution was fine with me for about a year. Yes, during the day the toys were scattered ALL. OVER. the house. But it was really fine with me because the boys are home playing all day, of course toys will be involved and get scattered like everything toddlers touch does. At night, the toys were scooped into baskets and hidden on the shelves, so it was fine.

But yesterday, something happened to interrupt this system that I only thought had been working for us. Earlier in the day, I had taken all the toys out of the tub to make room for the boys to finger paint (didn't go so well but that's another story). Then in the evening when it was bath time, I still hadn't put the toys back.

It was the best bath time ever. The boys splashed together, giggled at each other, babbled to me, and didn't have a rubber ducky to squabble over. I thought wow- a bath without all that clutter is so different, in a nice way. I was always able to close the shower curtain to hide all the toys: that way they were out of sight and I didn't give much thought to them...

Then my mind wandered to the living room. All those toys I was able to scoop in baskets and not think about in the evenings. But during the day they cluttered not only our floors- but maybe even our lives and our minds?

It suddenly occurred to me that it's not how the toys *look* or *fit* or how well they can be stored in the physical space of our living room, but it's about how they actually function as a part of our daily family life.

A lot of our day is just spent with all the toys out, all the time. The boys jump from toy to toy, but rarely sit and explore one for any extended amount of time (normal for a toddler, but that's not my overall point...). But most (frightening) of all, the toys function as the boys' main source of entertainment and activity throughout the day. Things like reading with mommy, exploring the outdoors, or taking part in *real* home life ("helping" me with dishes, watching me fold laundry, etc) are the rare treats.

In an instant, I decided I wanted that pattern to change right then and there. I want time in the kitchen together, sitting and "talking" with each other, and playing/learning *together* (instead of just with toys in the same room) to be the new norm. So out went the toys. After a few hours of purging and storing, this is our new living room toy stash:

(And it's not letting me upload a picture, but imagine two woven baskets, one with about 2 dozen books, and the other with a half dozen small, non-electronic toys).

This Toy Story doesn't have an ending in which I've found the perfect toy solution for our home, but I felt the desire to share the beginning of this story with you (if anyone reads this) as a way to document this change in our lives and to see where it takes us and how this unfolds!

As for all the toys I removed: they are not banned by any means! But they will be taken out purposefully when it is time to play, I will intentionally sit and play and learn alongside them, and those toys will be put away before moving on to something new.

I could go on and on about the deeper meanings of different facets of this toy story and what they mean to me as far as my children's development, our home/family life, possessions, how it relates to the boys' discipline and sense of self, how our time is spent, etc etc etc, but this is just Chapter One and I hope to share more later on as I learn more and see it for myself!

Thanks for reading.

Beth

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
-Proverbs 22:6

MmmMonday: Recent Pinterest Recipes

Lately I've been making it a goal to *actually* make some of the probably hundreds of recipes I've pinned/liked on Pinterest. This week I made about 6 of them? Maybe? I lost count. Just see below!

I have the name of the recipe, a picture of how mine turned out  (all from iPhone, didn't make it fancy, sorry ;), and the link where I got the recipe from Pinterest. Also maybe a few notes about if I changed the recipe at all and how I liked it.

Penne Rosa

http://pinterest.com/pin/236157574180935160/

 

This turned out very well! I think the Southerner in me likes more spice to my pasta sauces, so next time I make it I might experiment with more spices.

 

 Saucy Vegetarian Succotash

with Pesto and Mozzarella Grilled Cheese

 

http://pinterest.com/pin/243616661063632094/

and

http://pinterest.com/pin/230598443390240003/

 

The succotash recipe is meant for crock pot, but I don't have one (yet) so I just heated the ingredients on the stove. Turned out great! I knew it would because my cousin Jaret recently made it for us before I attempted to make it myself. As for the grilled cheese, I didn't follow the link I gave above; just put sliced mozzarella and a spoonful of pesto on bread and made it like regular grilled cheese. Too easy, very tasty.

 

Greek Salad Sandwich

http://pinterest.com/pin/175358979210907706/

 

This one was a little more complicated than I like sandwich making to be, but it turned out very nice! I think I'll make this one for dinner in the future because I don't like lunches to be this complicated, with a food processor and all, especially with two toddlers at my feet. Also I didn't have "rustic bread" so I put the ingredients in a pita pocket. I think I like it better that way!

 

Fall Snack Mix

http://pinterest.com/pin/41447259040167934/

 

I love an easy festive recipe, and this one really screams fall! You can add and leave out ingredients easily. I left out chocolate puff cereal and honey nut cheerios, and next time I might add raisins! Also wanted to add that I don't like chocolate all that much and it seems like trail mix type snacks are always half M&M's or chocolate chips, so this was perfect for non-chocolate lovers! Great fall snack treat, especially for a crowd. Don't worry, you can add chocolate if that's your thing.

 

Mediterranean Dip (for pita bread)

and Baked Tomatoes with Feta

http://pinterest.com/pin/165999936234605610/

 

The sundried tomato, feta, and artichoke dip was definitely a win- great combination of flavors. The baked tomatoes were more of an experiment because I had planned to do baked eggplant but it went bad :( So I put tomatoes on a baking sheet with olive oil, basil, lemon juice, and feta and baked it. Turned out nice! Dan really liked it, and he doesn't even like tomatoes!

 

 For more foodie posts, check out the creator of MmmMondays: Emily at Joyful Abode Blog !



New Pajamas

Last night my sister, Mary, and I decided to make a Wal-Mart run for a crock pot, because somehow I've made it 24 years of life without one (and her 22 years). I have a feeling once I figure out how easy it is to cook using one, I'm going to be quite upset I didn't have one the first year of the twins' lives, when cooking was sooo hard. It's still hard at 16 months old, so maybe we'll get take out a little less now that we're proud new crock pot owners.

But of course you can never just run into Wal-Mart and leave with only what you went in for. So I left with a few new pairs of PJ's for the babies. They were very needed though: it's been months since the babies had true pajamas that fit them! Oops!

So I tried the PJ's on them this morning, and of course they looked SO big in their new big boy PJ's that I had to snap a few pics right away before they grew up any more right before my eyes!

I know, I know: they need a haircut. Maybe soon I'll trim their bangs a tad.

 



Tired Asher man

Are they getting too big to take pics of their baby feet?

A boy and his cat

Eli making his "woof woof" give Asher a kiss! Hehe!

Must escape from mom's camera

TOO big, right?!

-beth

Pumpkin Patch 2012

The Hembree twins had their first visit to a pumpkin patch yesterday! It was a far drive to Hammond, La to Miss Heather's Pumpkin Patch by myself, but I got some priceless photos that made the trip well worth it. Even the double poop diaper changes in a Wal-Mart 1.5 hours away from my house. But I digress.

I just wanted to share some of my fave photos from yesterday in my corner of blog land! I'm extremely new to using a DSLR, but I'm proud that I was brave and took ALL of these in manual mode! Practice makes perfect right?

If you're my Facebook friend I have about 40 more photos from yesterday's trip posted there.

If you're like me and have a DSLR but have only used Auto Mode because you have no idea how to really use your camera, and are in the Baton Rouge area, I highly recommend Tara Marie Photography's Beginner's Workshop! I took it back in July and I'm already looking forward to sitting in on her next one this coming February. I have a ton more to learn, but I can't imagine starting anywhere but that workshop, it was perfect for true beginners! Read more here:

http://taramariephoto.blogspot.com/2012/05/beginners-photography-workshop-july-22.html

Thanks for stopping by!
-Beth

P.S. I want a new lens for Christmas, wink wink ;)

Spice Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream Recipe

It's fall, y'all! And living in Louisiana with my thermometer reading 91 degrees as I type this, it doesn't exactly feel like fall to me. So as I made my usual Monday grocery trip, I decided I'd get the ingredients for a new fall treat. My husband's favorite cake flavor is "spice" (what even is that? I guess it means like a pumpkin spice flavor?), but it is actually a really nice fall flavor, so I decided to make that. I've also been spying several salted caramel buttercream recipes on Pinterest, but they all have like 10 ingredients and involve making your own caramel, which I've never tried to make myself before and was scared to burn it. So I made a little cheat recipe, and combined with spice cupcakes, it is SO delicious and tastes like fall in a cupcake! And super easy, too!!

Spice Cupcakes:
1 box of Duncan Hines spice cake mix
1 1/3 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs

-Mix and bake like you would normal box mix cupcakes. 15 mins at 350 degrees.

Salted Caramel Buttercream
2 sticks salted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup caramel topping (I used Hershey's, I found it by the chocolate syrup)

-Beat the sticks of softened butter on medium, turn mixer to low and slowly add in the sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix on medium until combined. Stir in the caramel topping and beat for 2 mins until fluffy.

ENJOY!

Go check out Joyful Abode's MmmMonday link up for more great recipes!

-Beth

20 Chore Tuesday!

(picture by Emily at Joyful Abode blog)

For almost a year now, I've been using my Instagram account to post pictures of my cleaning progress around my then apartment, and now house. I'd do like side by side before and after pictures when I tidied up, or post a picture of my to-do list for the day and whatnot. As I got into a better routine of cleaning up with 2 babies in the house, I realized I really prefered using one day a week to knock out a bunch of chores! It feels so good to have that huge cleaning day, and I wasn't getting that by doing just a handful of chores everyday. I started using the hashtag #20choreTuesday, almost as a joke at first, but it has REALLY taken off! It has more than 300 photos, and many of the people posting their own 20 chore Tuesday progress I don't even follow; so that shows that it's grown beyond just my humble IG page.

(example of some IG before and after photos of mine)

("#20choretuesday" hashtag!)

One of my favorite IG-ers, Emily at Joyful Abode , has been one of the more faithful 20 chore Tues participants, and asked if she could bring it over to blog world. Of course I said yes, because her blog is awesome and I knew she'd do a great job keeping up with it. Well now she hosts 20 chore Tues on her blog every week! And you can go "link up" your blog/list to it, even though I don't really know what that means yet. Sounds awesome!

Here's my list for today:

Get Cleaning!! ;)

-beth



Recipe!

This is hands down my family's favorite dinner! I got the idea when I saw a recipe for a taco casserole. Being a pescetarian (vegetarian who eats seafood), I needed to take out the beef. I added chili beans and moved around the other ingredients until I got it just right! It is seriosuly SO yum and the easiest ever. Even if you're not vegetarian, you'll love it!

1. Here's what you'll need: taco shells (I used 10 "super stuffer" kind), 8oz salsa, a few stalks of green onion, 2 cans of chili beans (I used Bush's medium), 8 oz sour cream, 1/2 packet taco seasoning, and 1-2 cups of shredded cheese. You're thinking "I have most of these ingredients in my fridge right now!" right?!

2. First, heat both cans of beans and the salsa on the stove til it boils. Pour into a glass casserole dish.

3. Top with a handful or two of chopped green onions, and the shredded cheese on top of that. Just eye ball these two things, adding more or less to your preference. I like a lot of both! Pop in the over at 350.

 4. In the meantime, mix your 8oz sour cream with 1/2 packet taco seasoning.

5. After about 20 mins in the oven, your casserole will come out like this! When the cheese is bubbly, it's ready.

 6. Serve in taco shells (I usually heat those in the oven alongside the casserole dish when there's 5-6 mins left). Top with the sour cream mixture. ENJOY!

 Dada came home as I was making this dish; the boys were so excited!!

 They sure do love Dada :)

Make this for  dinner TONIGHT! I know I am!

-Beth