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Teaching Patience (to the wee lil one…and me)

March 23, 2015 By Erica Deuel 2 Comments

Disclaimer: The wall decal I received for free. Thank you RoomMates for so generously gifting it to my girl. All opinions are very much my own.

teaching_patienceGetting out the door can be one hard task as a mom.

This winter I learned there was an extra step to it when you have to account for a winter coat, gloves, and a hat.

Does everyone have what they need? or could possibly need? Has everyone done what they are supposed to so they are ready to go? These are just some of the questions that run through my mind as we are loading up to go somewhere.

I don’t know about you, but when I have that list running through my head of: Reagan needs to go potty, everyone needs to fill their water bottles, does J have on two shoes…that match, do I have my post office packages, where is that receipt? and on and on. It’s a lot to process.

My mind has a jumble of different things that it’s trying to remember and process all at the same time.

If one sweet, sweet voice asks me something in that brain filing, it’s hard. If three little voices all speak on top of each other, at the same time during that filing…I’m one comment away from mental overload and can lose my cool.

I hate it. Can you relate? It’s like all those good things you work so so hard the rest of the day instilling feels like in one trial to get out the door…they can be lost. I find myself more and more getting in the car, pulling away from the house, and having to apologize to my kids. I want them to learn patience, yet I don’t always show it. So what if I pause to answer a question and forget something. This town is not that big. We can come back home. Nothing is worth more than my kids heart, even that forgotten return item on the counter.

I say all this to say, there are moments where we feel like our kids aren’t learning or how can they learn from my behavior….but they are. My sweet Reagan Noel has been waiting so patiently for her room to get painted. Her room was the first room we painted at our last house, so I thought it was the boys turn this time. In this house setting up process, I realized both my craft studio and our foster care room needed shelves put up. Well, I might as well paint the walls before the shelves go up right? So, her room just kept getting pushed further and further back on my to do list.

No joke, she has carried her Rainbow Dash Wall Decal box around for weeks and weeks asking to place it on her wall. Each time I had to explain, we couldn’t yet, I would paint her room soon, and then we could. She would place that box down and go on her merry little way. I have found that decal all over the house for when she would carry it and place it down in some new place. She has been waiting and so very excited. The day I told her we were doing her room the next day, I might as well have told her we were going to Disney World. She was that excited.

doing_a_wall_decal

sticker_puzzle

fun_wall_decalI painted her room (more on that soon). She participated with her own paint project so we were working together. The paint set for 3 days. Three long days to this new four-year old, and then we got to hang her beloved Rainbow Dash up. She called it her sticker puzzle. She wanted to do it herself, and did a pretty good job. There were a couple of areas I smoothed out behind her back, but she did most of it. She is so proud. If you come to our house, one of the first things Reagan will say to you is “come see my room!”

wall_decals

proud_girlAs I sat watching her decorate her dresser with all her extra fun decals, my heart just swelled with pride. She was so patient. She loved me so well as she waited for her turn.

We try to practice love is patient, love is kind….but often my kids re-teach me this lesson. We have been in this house for over three months and she has waited and waited.

There are those moments where we are impatient getting out the door and wish our kids didn’t get distracted or moved faster. There are those moments where your child is impatient waiting for a snack, or for shoes to get tied, or for that beloved blanket to come out of the dryer. But then there are the big moments where you see they are grasping concepts you are desperately trying to instill. By seeing them grasp it, you are encouraged, re taught the lesson, and maybe do a little better in the not so big moments..like getting out the door in time for church.

My kids are molding me, just as much as I am molding them. I often say I want to be like them when I grow up. They laugh and tell me I am already grown up. I say “no way, I’m learning right with you.” Humility is such a big tool in parenting.

rainbow_dash_wall_decal

fly_rainbow_dashSo, as my little girl, flies off her bed as “Rainbow Dash” ready to take on Ponyville or at least conquering my world….I am so thankful for the gift she is. It was just a wall decal, but I will always smile at it and remember the process and lessons we went through to get it on that light pink wall.

I hope you have a great week and get to imagine the possibilities and maybe get to create a little. Even if the only creating you do, is a moment with your child. That might be the best craft there is.

**Note: if you want to see the wall decals we did in our boys room, you can see them here. If you are in love with the idea of wall decals, please check out Roommates. They are awesome. You can follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to be in the know as well.**

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When it comes to decorating, go with your gut

February 14, 2015 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: The wall decals I received for free. Thank you RoomMates for so generously gifting those to my boys. All opinions are very much my own.

One of the great joys of being a mom for me is creating special places for my kids. I literally dream about it. Taking their interests and joys to heart and using them to inspire a place that they love is so fun. This is my fourth boy bedroom to start and I have learned a few tricks that I want to share with you.

DIY_boys_bedroomIf you have been following along, you know we just moved from Georgia to Indiana at the end of last year. We have been busily making our new house…home.

The boys’ bedroom has been one of my first rooms to tackle. My inspiration board for this room is truly helping to guide this process. To give you an idea of what I started with, here is a picture of the boys’ bedroom from the first week we were in our house. Also, you can see the test paint colors on the wall in the following picture.

before_boys_bedroombefore_boy_bedroomWe have completed a chalkboard wall and a stencil accent wall. I will tell you more about that next week.

This week we checked off one more of the items on our inspiration board. We hung our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle RoomMates wall decals. They are amazing. The boys did them pretty much by themselves. So you know that meant re-peeling and adjusting till we got them perfect. These things are easily moveable, which is amazing.

turtle_decal

placing_wall_decalAs soon as they were hung, the boys wanted to pose with their heroes, Raphael and Donatello. They were so proud.

DIY_boy_bedroomraphael_decaldonetello_turtle_decalAs I sat watching their joy, I thought about how we are creating this space together. They are loving it as much as me. Although I wouldn’t choose it all (like the loathed posters), I am happy that they are happy with it.

Here are a few tips I have learned from creating spaces for my kids.

1. Have an inspiration board or at least a picture in your head. All too often I have bought little things here or there-thinking that I could “maybe use this somewhere/sometime”. Those little things add up and are often the first things we get rid of when we do a big sweep purge. An inspiration board helps keep you on track.

2. Collect items and don’t be afraid of it taking time to get the space right. My J spent a big portion of last summer collecting bugs, so when these little dragon-fly lights went on clearance at the end of the season, I snatched up two sets. I have been waiting months to break them open. It’s much better to buy something you LOVE than to find things you might use.

sitting_bedroom_area

3. Homemade items help turn a beautiful space into a special space. I’d much rather err on creating a special place that can be used and honors my child than a picture perfect, magazine worthy room. Embrace that feather collection, sew a handmade pillow cover, adore the handmade gift that they receive, and hang up pictures and their art. The gifts that take time show heart. A lot of these ideas are inexpensive or free too!

DIY_pillow_cover

boy_bedroom_ideas4. Go with your gut. There are times I have questioned myself. I have thought that it might seem weird or that’s not how its done in magazines, if I go with my first instinct. That moment that I hesitate is usually the point I regret. I wanted two accents walls in this room (the chalkboard wall and a stencil patterned wall), and I went for it this time. It might be unusual, but it’s so fun and we all adore it! Mix those patterns, colors, and textures to create something you love. It’s for you or your family, so if you like it…that’s all that matters.

chalkboard_wall5. One more thing that I always keep in mind when creating a space, is that paint is cheap. Don’t beat yourself up over it. In the scheme of room design elements, paint is one of the cheapest to buy. I do paint samples most of the time, so I can see what the color looks like dried and in different lighting throughout the day. When it comes down to it though, I just start getting color on those walls. I can always change it, but the hardest part is just getting started.

roommate_TNMT_decalI still want to hang some of their art and a few signs I made them, but I am holding off until we get the bunk bed built. That’s the last big thing for this room. I can’t wait to get their mattresses off the floor, but they don’t seem to mind. They will miss these moments once their beds are lofted in the air.

boys_bedroom

What are your go-to tips when decorating? I still have a few more rooms to go in this house. I’d love to hear your input on how to create a space you love for less!

My hope in sharing the process of my boy’s room, you see that in creating a special space-you don’t have to spend a lot of money or have the best things. Adding a little color, imagination, time, and heart can create a place you and your kids love.

Create something this next week, it just might do your soul good.

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New RoomMates for my Boys

May 20, 2013 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received these products for free to review. All opinions are my own. When I say I love RoomMates, I really mean it!

My boys’ room is a disaster. There are clothes, toys, and furniture haphazardly placed all around it. It’s only been three weeks since we moved, so I am determined to not let it get to me. One day their room will be cute and finished. It’s just not today. Can you relate!?

One part of this messy bedroom is the boys don’t have beds yet. We decided in the move that they would get a bunk bed, once we were at our new house. Unfortunately, BOTH boys currently want to be up on the “top.” We are working through this issue, and in the mean time their room is the least set up, as their mattresses are just on the floor.

In-spite of all this, it is the kids’ favorite room to play (since it holds so many of the toys), so this weekend we decided to do one thing to help the boys’ room feel better and be more fun. We gave them some new RoomMates. 🙂

transformer wall decals

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are two of my boys’ favorite Transformers. You know they love Transformers, and we have had a Transformer birthday party and created a Transformer school desk as a result. Now, they are thrilled to have Transformer RoomMates!

roommates wall decals

RoomMates is an online store that sells wall decals, murals, decor, and even wall paper. They were so generous to mail me their Optimus Prime and Bumblebee wall decals to review, and I could not be more pleased! They have been so wonderful to work with and these products are amazing! The decals have so much detail and the color is amazing. As we were hanging them up, I kept asking the boys if I could have them for my room.:)

easy apply room mates decalAs you can imagine two enthusiastic boys would be about putting Transformers in their bedroom, they wanted to help hang the decals. So, we let them. By letting them help, we had some slanted legs at different points and had to remove parts of the decal and re-apply it. They came up so easily and went right back down perfectly! I was very impressed with the durability of the decals, yet they did not damage our new walls.

Once the decals were up on the boys’ walls, they started setting up all their Transformers and decorating their dresser. They were so excited.

transformer battle

This room went from blah to feeling fun just by adding these decals. RoomMates are a quick and easy cure for blank, boring walls for sure!

before room mates decal

kids love transformers

I now feel excited and encouraged to finish this room and create a place that is not just a pile of toys and stinky (yet cute) boys. Thank you RoomMates for the decals as our room’s inspiration! I will keep you posted on the progress of this room and how the bunk bed debate gets sorted out.

For now, be sure to go check out RoomMates. They have some gorgeous damask wall paper that I would love for my bedroom and a huge world map decal that would look incredible in any room! To learn more about this awesome company and their products check them out on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or visit the RoomMates blog for decorating ideas, tips, and inspiration.

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