Home Improvements: Magnetic Chalkboard Wall

Remember how I said in my kitchen blog post that there wasn't anything that I would change in my kitchen now?  Well, I was wrong.

This wall, to the side of the fridge.  It bugged me.  It was big and plain.

And it had this water damage on the bottom ( don't know what from).  It just always looked dirty.  Yuck.

Soooo...I turned it into this!:

(Yes, that is my husband scrubbing the dishes in the background.  Yes, I hit the jackpot.)

I first painted it with magnetic paint.  The directions on the can say it needs three coats, but I literally put on about 10.  It was a huge pain in the rear and I was afraid that it would be my first official DIY disaster.  But!  It turned out great.  It doesn't hold all magnets, but it holds lightweight ones with a strong pull.  After the many coats of magnetic paint were dry, I put on two light coats of chalkboard paint.

And now the entrance to the kitchen is much more welcoming!  We use it for keeping shopping lists, hanging the boys' artwork, working on ABCs and fine motor skills, and allowing creative expression!  I'm excited to use it to display Christmas cards this winter.

If you've got a spot in your house that's begging for a little bit of creativity, magnetic and chalkboard paint is a great way to go!  Just search "magnetic chalkboard DIY" on pinterest.  So many cute ideas!

Best Buds

They don't always act like it, but Caleb and Russell really are best friends.  I love moments like this.



<3 p="">

Pumpkin Patch Pics

We had to continue our pumpkin patch tradition for the fourth consecutive year.  This year we had five adorable little boys in the pumpkin patch together.  It was great!

Aren't they so handsome?

Halloween 2013

When Caleb saw that I had picked out an elephant costume for Russell, he insisted on wearing the exact same costume.

They were pretty darn cute elephants, if I may say so.

Gluten-Free

It's finally time for Russ to go gluten-free.  I've been putting it off for so long, hoping that it wouldn't come to this, but it's clear that it's in his best interest, so here we go!

Why is it in his best interest?

Russ has had two scopes, and both showed that his villi in his duodenum have mild damage.  It's not enough to automatically diagnose him with Celiac Disease (CD), especially since his blood test for CD was negative (false negatives are common), but combined with a family history of Celiac plus Russell's other symptoms, it's always been a distinct possibility lingering in the back of my mind.

His other symptoms of Celiac Disease are:

• anemia
• poor weight gain and weight loss, even when he eats well
• blood in his stool
• mucous in his stool
• extreme bloating
• abdominal pain

This is skinny little Russell in the morning, after a bowel movement and before eating much:

This is bloated little Russell at the end of the day:

The big factor making us decide to go gluten-free for Russ is that he has been putting words to his pain.  In the evenings, he will often say "owie" in the saddest little voice.  When we ask where his owie is, he says either bum or belly.  And it's no wonder, being as bloated as he is.  I've always thought I could ignore symptoms as long as it doesn't affect Russell's quality of life, but now it's clear that he's in pain and I can't ignore that!

Russell's weight gain (or loss, I should say) has been concerning.  In the last two months he has gone from 20lbs 3oz to 21lbs 3oz and back down to 20lbs 6oz.

This is what I have recorded for his weight over the past three months:

• 7/26: 20lbs 0oz
• 8/5: 20lbs 1oz
• 8/8: 20lbs 3oz
• 8/13: 20lbs 7oz
• 8/16: 20lbs 3oz
• 8/21: 19lbs 11oz
• 8/27: 20lbs 1oz
• 9/2: 20lbs 7oz
• 9/8: 20lbs 8oz
• 9/13: 20lbs 7oz
• 9/23: 20lbs 13oz
• 10/8: 21lbs 3oz
• 10/22: 20lbs 13oz
• 10/28: 20lbs 6oz

As you can see, he's not doing well with his weight gain at all.  When Caleb was 21 months adjusted, he weighed more than Russell does at 22 months.  And at birth, Russ weighed more than 3x what Caleb did!  It's just not right.

I've come to terms with the fact that I can have healthy kids who aren't on the charts (you don't need to be 50th percentile to be healthy), but when he's eating a good variety and volume of foods and drinking plenty of rice milk and he's still not growing, it's just not ok with me.

So, the next most obvious step would be to remove gluten (found in wheat, barley, and rye and their derivatives) for a time and watch for improvements.

It's going to be weird that Caleb can have things that Russ can't (Caleb can't have wheat, but he can have barley and rye).  I'm not concerned about my ability to give Russell good food that is gluten-free, but I'm worried that Russell won't be happy about not having his favorite breads and crackers.  I suppose he'll just have to get used to the substitutes.

So, wish us luck in this next big step!  It's disappointing, and life-changing, but still so minor compared to what we've been through with Caleb.  But still, I wish my little guy didn't have to go through this.  It baffles me to think that there are kids out there who eat and drink and grow without problems.  That's crazy talk!

Here's to better health for my little Russ!

Changes...Diapers, that is....

This week, Caleb wins the prize for the best big brother and the best son.  My almost-4-year-old changed my almost-2-year-old's diaper with very minimal help.  It. Was. Awesome.

If he makes this a habit, I'd be much more tempted to have a third child.  I could get used to this!

Also, Russ was a great sport.  He just laid there the whole time.

My kids are awesome.

Home Improvements: The Bookshelf/Hutch

Our area has the most awesome online classifieds.  It has a whole free section, and when I'm feeling like doing a project, I keep an almost constant eye on it for a few days and snatch up some free furniture when I find something I like that's close by.

This little hutch (or is it a bookshelf?) was only a few miles away, and I could easily see its potential!

I love how some nice crown molding can so quickly dress a piece up, so I picked some up, cut it to fit, and attached it with liquid nails.

Then, like all of my painting projects start, I sanded it down just enough to scratch up the surface, sprayed it with Kilz spray primer (only one can--about $8), and painted it.  I used pure white paint, and it took two full sample cans ($6).  Then I taped the inside back and painted yellow stripes.  The color of the stripes is Warm Muffin, by Behr.  I think it's perfect.  :)  I also used my trusty Rustoleum Decorative Glaze to give it an antique feel.  I was worried about the glaze making it look like a dirty white, especially being placed against a white wall, so I used baby wipes to wipe it off instead of just a rag.  And then, of course, I finished it off with a good coat of wipe on poly in clear satin.  I must say, I'm pretty pleased with the results.  And for less than $30, I couldn't be more happy!

We plan on hiding a few kitchen appliances in the bottom cupboard, since it's being used in the dining room.  The top is also working great to display my pretty clear vases, which frees up some cupboard space in the kitchen.  It also gives me a place to feature that awesome antique fan from the '40s or '50s that I spotted in my dad's garage.  It immediately caught my eye, and he told me to take it!  Yay!

I love that I have the confidence and opportunities now to use different techniques.  I'm so glad that I put on some nice crown molding!  I think it completely transforms it.  I'm also pretty excited about the stripes.  This piece has some character and it fits perfectly on that big, empty wall in my dining room.

:D