Category: Taking A Break From Thinking – My Outlets

I remember throughout our doctor appointments being asked, “How are you handling things?” and “Are you taking breaks”? I remember one doctor saying, “You seem to be handling things well but when it gets to a point where you need help in how to handle Andrew’s behavior there are people that can help you better deal.” I remember these clear as day and I remember thinking. “There will be time for me.. Right now it’s about them.” “I was always just fine. Let’s worry about them.” I coped in other ways. While I tried to cope in other ways I will be the first to admit there were times I broke.. Because I am human. I prayed often and tried to channel my energy into other things. When I didn’t want to break and when I needed a break from my own head I would start a project. I would refurbish something or fix something around the house. My late step-dad taught me how to use a power drill and anything I could fix myself, I did. I learned to fix our garage through utube videos. I think there was a sense of empowerment I felt I gained from this. Fixing and bringing new life to things around me gave me some control in a world I felt I had none. When I was able to learn something new or fix something that I didn’t think could be saved it reminded me I had to press on. It was a reminder to not give up and that I could bring new life to our household as I brought new life to things in it.   I couldn’t cure the eczema and allergies around me but I could channel my frustration in something positive rather than my kids seeing me break from the disappointment that I couldn’t’ help them. Doing “projects” was how I handled the stress. When I would paint or spray paint or fix something my thoughts melted away and I could shut my thinking off for a minute and I needed that sometimes. I didn’t let myself leave my kiddos often so it was a way for me to escape without being away and it was good for me.

The activities with my kids that we did were a part of this. Cleveland winter days can be long. I do what I can to keep my kids active and on the go. You can usually find us in the winter at the Rainforest, Aquarium or Chik-Fil-A Play land but some days you can’t get out.   When I was home with the kiddos I needed to keep my head out of the searching and writing and focused on them. I used Pinterest to try fun activities with them. We play with snow, used sensory table and painted often. I wanted to engulf my children in fun memories so that when they look back on their childhood they don’t remember all the doctor’s appointments or me stressed out. I just want them to remember the fun. That’s very important to me. I can’t tell you how many times Adalyn’s teachers tell me, “Ady tells us that Andrew screams and poops a lot.” Yeah, I know that all too well. But, at least she loves him and they play well together is all I can think and that we survived.

I am a big fan of Halloween!  I had 3 really cute hand me down costumes for my son to choose from this year including Mickey, a lion and a tiger.  Andrew refused to wear any of the three.  I was not about to waste the money on a new costume seeing as how he had no interest and the costumes are quite expensive these days.  So, I attempted to make my son a dump truck since that is all he talks about.  I used an empty computer paper box, yard stick for straight lines, children’s paint and purchased two thick straps from the fabric store.  I looked at a few of his dump trucks for inspiration and created a dump truck.  Unfortunately, while Andrew loved to look at it, he refused to put it on.  I tried to entice him even further by adding Bob The Builder pictures I printed off line and added his construction outfit to the costume.

Still, no dice.  We ended up finding a superman costume on clearance before Halloween that resembled pajamas and this was a win for us all!  I guess as long as it was not a costume he was happy.

I didn’t push the issue with the dump truck.  Maybe next year.  Funny thing about this was after returning from a trip to Florida in November Andrew came home and found the dump truck like he had never seen it before.  He spent the afternoon playing with it and wanting to wear it.  You have to laugh a bit at the irony there.

We had a Frozen party this winter at our church.  That had to be one of the nicest family events I have been to.  Of course, my daughter wanted to be Anna.  She  has been Anna so many times and loves everything Anna.  I didn’t know what to do for Andrew since I wasn’t sure if he would even consider putting on a costume.  So, I googled Kristoff costumes and with an old blue polo, hot glue gun, my husbands old tie, purple ribbon and some poor excuses for stitches (I can’t sew well) I put together a costume.  Believe it or not, he wore it and it cost nothing.  The evening was a blast and he was the only Kristoff there!

 

 

 

During those long Cleveland winter days we utilize our water table as a sensory table.  (Wipe it down before bringing into your home of course) I put a picnic blanket underneath for easy cleanup.  You can add anything you can find around the house.  I used old table jewel decorations we had from our wedding and rice as the filler.  Both worked great however after a day and a half there was quite a bit of rice on the floor.   Using toy trucks to dig was the biggest hit with both my son and daughter!

I wanted to make use of our winter snow but I was nervous about putting the snow in the water table.  To contain the mess I decided to try putting it in baking pans and tupperware and put the picnic blanket under the kids table for easy cleanup.  To my surprise they kept these activities very clean.  We tried painting the snow but that was not as near as big of a hit as playing with toys in the snow.  My son enjoyed using his trucks and my daughter liked having the Peppa Pig family build a snowman.  I highly recommend trying these!

 

When on a budget and need something new there is nothing more rewarding than refurbishing something old to make it look new and refreshed!  It is also a great stress reliever as I tend not to think about anything else when I dive into a project!  The cost savings is incredible when it comes to doing it yourself!  Here are some ideas and projects I have worked on!

Turning an old dresser into a buffet table simply with spray paint!  Supplies included about 6 cans of spray paint, tape, and tarp!  Several light coats is the key here!  Much more cost effective than buying a brand new buffet table!

 

Spray paint light shades instead of replacing expensive light fixtures.  Be sure to use spray paint that can handle high heat.  When moving into a new house it can get very costly making it your own.  By cutting costs with this simple trick it can really help your budget.

When looking online to find a cute walk hook bar for my daughter’s room I was surprised to find most were in the $30-$40 range.  I found an old laundry hook that I was not using in my basement.  With a little spray paint, cute ballerina and jewel stickers my daughter and I had a great time putting this together for a fraction of the cost!

My son sure loves his cars and trucks!  I kept the box from a set he got as a gift and painted it to be a display for room. The supplies included paint I had in the house and permanent markers for the cars and trucks I drew, colored then attached.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I utilize Pinterest to inspire our creativity, create great playroom art and have fun with my kids!