December | 2011 | OUR LIFE IN 3D

Archive for the month “December, 2011”

08 Dec 2011

Now its time for some dirt…

First I have to preface this blog. Its kinda dirty! In fact, its not at all professional, like the image I am trying to create here. Its just a warning, proceed with caution.

I think I told you the girls got an exciting package in the mail Monday from some of their special friends. It was filled with all sorts of gifts and Christmas stockings (Dylan calls then ‘socks’) just packed with toys and stickers.

Well one of the toys Dylan got was a super cool toy watch with Tinker Bell on the face. When you open the watch up it becomes a pool of lip gloss for kids. She loved it!

Well yesterday afternoon I came out and our 18mth had the sparkly lavender gloss all over her face! It turns out she liked it too. Literally! She ate what little bit of lip gloss goop she didn’t get all over her face! And she just smiled like nothing was wrong.

And where was I?

I was checking behind Dylan as she had just offered a daddy size dookie in the crapper! It is truly amazing what comes out of this girl sometimes! And I am not talking “DYLANism” here! Its sooo good she is out of diapers!

Sorry…you were warned.

So with dirty messes in mind, I wanted to offer a Daddy Day Dare tip #1 for cleaning up messes. These are my MUST HAVES for taking care of toddlers. Anybody who has had toddlers before knows your house will never be absolutely clean again! But these items can help keep your clean up times to a minimum.

The first MUST HAVE is the Magic Eraser. This thing works just like an eraser in school but it ‘erases’ all sorts of marks, graffiti and damage done to walls, tables and furniture. It removes the pen marks, crayons, dried food stains and most markers cleaners can’t. Truly magic! It has saved these kids several times from being forced to get a job to replace a piece of furniture. I was not a believer at first but now I am. Its cheap and easy and does not require water to clean. Magic!

But I think this blog is long enough today. Check back tomorrow as I clean this mess up with MUST HAVE tips #2 and 3.

And remember, if you like what you heard…spread the word… Our Life In 3D. Thanks!

Posted in Homework

07 Dec 2011

2 Comments

Family Fun Fitness

Yesterday the girls got a x-tra big package in the mail from one of their very special friends and Grandmother. It was such welcome surprise and the girls got to practice opening some Christmas gifts early. They were over joyed! Thanks ladies..we love you!

I wanted to talk about some ideas we have to keep our girls fit and healthy. Both girls have always been very busy and Dylan will probably be a runner when she gets older. One thing I do to encourage her is take her to some fun local 5K races. She actually loves them and asks lots of questions. And wants to race me.

She also loves to ride her bike and is quite good at it. We have taken bike rides to the library, her favorite restaurant, and to get desserts. Since I have been staying at home she rides her bike to the park and I follow with our 18mth in the running stroller. ~she can wear me out! And thanks Danielle for some motivational running ideas from your blog to keep me going. I need them!

Similarly, I joined a local MeetUp group of stay at home moms that meet at various parks in the area. Our favorite is a big park where the girls just run and climb and swing! By the time I get home they are napping! It is a regular weekly activity that they look forward too where they can make new friends and be active the way kids should be.

One final thought I have goes back to yesterday’s TWD post on saving money. I wanted to add I do not throw out the milk in the milk sippies that the girls lay down. If they are recent sippies I just made I just put them back in the frig. The reason is two-fold, it saves money on milk consumption (the refrigerator stops the bacteria process) and I just don’t have to wash so many sippies all the time. Geez! These girls can put away some juice and chocolate (milk)!

Posted in Fun Family Fitness

06 Dec 2011

Tight Wad Tuesday-Stay Off the Juice!

Well this is my first shot at offering some simple financial advise here in DDD. I have thought about offering personal finance tips on everything from investing to clipping coupons. And in today’s economy you really need to do everything imaginable to put some money away.

So first things first. When I realized I was going to be staying at home we took a look at every budget category where our family could reduce. Or, conversely, which areas hurt us the most and so needs to reduce. We thought we would tackle the electric bill first.

I am going to list some of the measures we took. Most of these seem simple or common enough. But when you put all these ideas together they can add up to a big cut in your power bill. The first month I took these steps our utility bill was $106 for a family of 4. Our second bill, covering 4 extended family overnights of Thanksgiving, was only $135. Each of these bills saved us easily $50 or more over the norm last year.

How did we do it? Lets get started…

1.   Unplug Everything – I unplugged all the phone chargers and drill chargers outside to clocks in rooms we were not using.
2.   Manage the Thermostat – Naturally the goal here is to not have the A/C or heater run at all. Now I like a comfortable sleep. Lord knows the girls sleep better if they are not sweating. So I leave the thermostat set in range of a comfortable setting over night. But when I get up and the sun is up I turn the thing off. Let the sun heat or open some windows. Be sure your screens are up or down depending on the climate. But try not to let that A/C unit run!
3.   I am always turning off the lights. The girls leave them on and I cut them off. The lights outside I do not turn on until I go to bed; not at dark time.
4.   Be sure to do all the loads of wash on the same day so you don’t waste energy heating the water so often. Your water heater is actually the second highest user of electricity next to your heater. …excuse me…        …….I had to turn off another light that was burning.
5.   Be sure all the TV’s and computers, DVD players and VCRs are turned off before you go to bed. Unplug them if it is convenient. Especially the ones up or downstairs.

Simple enough, right? You just have to do these things, manage them, and stay with it and you can have some extra money for going out yourself. Pat yourself on the back! Great job!

On a separate note I wanted to take a moment and thank Lyell at Cabana9 for all his help and advice on getting this blog up and running. Now I didn’t know Lyell. He is a self-described Nerd so I felt comfortable asking him some questions since I married one and have become a bit of a nerd myself. So Thanks Lyell! Check him out at: http://cabana9nerd.com/ if you want to see what a real (good) blog should look like.

Thanks for tuning in. I’ll be back with a bit more fun, zany and ‘cleverable’ insights tomorrow. Feel free to leave me your energy tips too!

Posted in Tight-Wad Tuesdays | Leave a comment

06 Dec 2011

1 Comment

“Very Cleverable….”

Well my 3 year old has a new word, “Cleverable”. It’s actually a very good word as she uses it for ‘smart’, as in “Daddy, making us take a bath after playing outside today was very cleverable.” Good word lil girl.

I was asking family and friends for some feedback on this initial blog and my favorite sister-in-law had a good idea!

I am a big fitness buff. I run and go to the gym when I can. I think it is important to health and one’s outlook. Likewise I think its important for our kids (all kids) to be active and fit too.

For instance, my 3 year old likes to run (who’s doesn’t?). So I took mine to one of my favorite 5K runs a few weeks ago to show her other runners having fun running. I let her ride her bike to the park while I jog with our 18 month in the jogging stroller. I have wrestled with them while mommy makes dinner to keep them out of the kitchen. AND, I am sad to say, my 3 year old has a pretty vicious body slam now! Especially coming off the footstool and I am lying on the floor. OMG! I have to protect myself!

So I am going to start another “Category” for a place to Archive our Fitness Tips to keep these girls fit and active. But I need some help. What should I call it? Help me out Runner Girl? WDYT? Fit To Be Tied? Man In Motion? Movers and Shakers? Running For My Life?

Whaddya think? Could you do me a favor and leave me a note below and tell me which one you like? Or, if you are feeling “cleverable”, let me know your best idea. Thanks from the Fit Crew!

Posted in DYLANism's and tagged fitness buff, fitness tips, jogging stroller

03 Dec 2011

No Dylan, Santa Clause did not leave you anything last night

This is the weekend we Deck the Halls for the Holidays. Where the heck did we get all this stuff? Every year we seem to depreciate the house and the decoration inventory just a little bit more with all the unpacking and packing. Every year we some how seem to get more decorations too. So get ready!

Now, the big question is…how do we keep a very curious and energetic 20 month old from ‘climbing up’ on the Christmas tree platform and racing the antique train or tramping on the villagers below? Dylan did surprise us the same year she was 20 months old. Cross your fingers! If anyone has any ideas here PLEASE comment.

Sadly, we do not have to worry about the enthusiasm of our wonderful greyhound’s tail sweeping the Christmas tree and reducing the ornament collection this year. With all the excitement of the Holidays Dylan mentions how she misses ol’ Cloudy almost every day lately.

But this year it is all about the kids, as it will be for years to come. Seeing the beaming smiles on these girls faces is worth all the depreciation and the time decking and undecking. Dylan made sure Santa knew what she wanted this year…she took the Target magazine with her as she sat on Santa’s lap. And then asks why Santa did not leave the toy for her in the living room every morning when we get up. ..Hold on Dylan, hold on!

I hafta go now…I need to find those replacement lights……..

Posted in Archives and tagged christmas tree, deck the halls, ornament collection | Leave a comment