[renos: Who's Idea WAS THis???]

Would love to show you some pics of the blasted renos - but alas, me & the boys are officially kicked out of our home - so the camera is packed away. Well, sort of. I took some shots of the hole in the entrance last night. Guys were working 'till after 11pm last night. UGH UGH UGH. At least our neighbours were so forgiving ...

There is no stove, floors, internet, cable or phone at our place. And the floors are the biggest issue with 2 wee ones. So, for the second day in a row - we're camping out in the afternoon at my folks place. That way, Siah at least gets his nap.

The hardwood will be done today. Carpets come in on Thursday - so I'm assuming that I'll be kicked out on Thursday and Friday. Not really a big deal - not like some renos that last for months and months ... just a bit tricky with a 2 year old wandering around ...

And on a COMPLETELY different note ... anyone watch "The Bachelorette?" My hubby and I have a "date" every Monday night and evaluate the show together. We pause it (it's always taped) and kill ourselves laughing, or freak out in disbelief. Ok. That'd be ME freaking out.

Like, last night (IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCH IT - AND WANT TO - STOP READING) .... could any of you believe that Mr. "E" was back??? And for those of you who don't know how much I wept when he left (seriously - hormones are killer right now at 30wks preggo) ... check out my comments on my friend's blog here. So when he came back, I REJOICED. Literally. Trust me - not a pretty sight, but still, the happy dance was needed.

How did I get to watch it, without tv?? iWell, it was running last night ... just disconnected during the day for the renos ...

Ok. Gotta get off mom's computer (what am I, 12??). Hope life's treating you well!!

[talk: A Bunch of This n' That]

I usually feel lead to write about one thing or another ... not today - today is just a "ok, here's what's going on" kind of a post ...

The fireplace. Had a few friends write me their thoughts, and we chose to tile the entire face around the fireplace, except the shelves - which will have molding and be painted out white. A guy friend reminded me to put "feet" on the bottom of the pillars - note taken, AT. And HS? An ELK? You're whacked, dude *grin*. Thanks everyone for all your advice *smile*.

The renos. Painting looks like it'll be DONE today - with the exception of the baseboards, which will be done once the flooring is in. Hardwood has arrived - installation starts on Monday.

Worship. I had the privilege of leading at another church 2 weeks ago, and am leading at a different church campus this Sunday, then at our home campus the following week. Feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of time needed to prepare for that ...

Friends. Had a LOVELY time with a good friend today. Perhaps some would think that she and I get together often - which is not the case. I see her in groups, but I cannot remember the last time we were together for a heart-to-heart. Such a great time of venting, learning, laughing ... and the kids played well too *smile*.

Baby. I've had a difficult week, after a friend lost her baby at 28wks recently. She just went to the dr. for a regular visit, only to find the baby had no heartbeat. Tragic. And yet another nagging reminder that none of us are safe from loss. I am taking another friend's advice, and trying to not walk in dread.

Hubby. He's been walking in his aircast for a week now. YAY!! Still - he can't get up in the middle of the night when our children need us, which is just HORRIBLE for me. Last night, Siah was up at 1:30am, my hubby woke me up and I had to oomph myself out of bed. Once I was up, the baby inside awoke ... then I couldn't sleep. So frustrating - can't wait for him to be able to do "night shifts". Hopefully before this new one comes, and I'm up anyways *wink*!!

Ok ... must run. Month end ... statements to balance, invoices to pay ... fun fun fun.

Have a good one!

[renos: HELP!!! This means YOU!!]

Ok ... TWO posts today ...

But this one is in a frantic rush - and I'm hoping I'll get SOME hits and comments *fingers crossed*.

Here's the thing ... the fireplace. I need to know WHAT to do!! Here's a pic of what it looks like today (kinda ruins the befores and afters ... but who cares *grin*).

Here's what I need help with. The fireplace sits above the floor. There will not be tile on the floor, just the main, shag carpet. SO ... what do I do with the 4 inches below the fireplace? I thought of continuing the baseboards from the walls, all along the base of the structure. But then it'd have to be notched out when it hit the fireplace (the baseboards are 6inches or so ...). OR we could tile all the way around the fireplace (not around the shelving), including along the floor. Our painter says he`s never seen baseboards around a fireplace, that it should be separate from the wall, not blend in.

These are the tiles we chose:

They are black, not blue *smile*. And about 1inch wide ... small little guys. Love them. SOOOOO - dear ones - what should be painted out white (like the mantle), where should be tiled, what should go along the floor.

ANYONE. Please. Help.

[renos: Dah Dah DUUUUUUUUM]

Renovations. Such a gift, such a pain ... who's idea was this anyways???

Oh - that'd be ours. *sigh*.

So, we're at the end of week 3, I think, and nothing's really finished ... just a lot of projects that are half-way or almost done.

Let's see ... wait! Yes, the bedrooms are done - they only had mouldings to put up. And Josiah's new room is painted (hoping for the CARS bed to arrive tomorrow). REALLY want to get his room finished and have him move in there ... and get the baby's room ready!

The crown is done, the fireplace is about half-way finished ... the front room has the wainscoting up, but nothing's been painted ... the kitchen is painted, but the lighting is more like hanging wires than lighting. And today, demolition begins on the powder-room. Glad I'm not potty training over the next couple of weeks!

Hardwood comes tomorrow, installation starts Monday. And they'll be having to break the slate tile as well. May have to move out during the day ... ah well. Better than breathing dust.

Pictures? Nothing ready yet ... hoping that we'll get Siah's room DONE this weekend and I can post the "before" (Tijuana *smile*) and "after".

Ok ... off to the granite guy and sink/faucet guy ... have a good one!

[talk: The Fears of Parenting]

The more I hear other moms and dads talk about some of their struggles as parents, the more I start to fret about what the future holds for us as parents ourselves.

There are a couple of things that I've learned over the last 5 years of being a mom, and that is - there is NO "one" answer to protect, solve, alleviate or eliminate the possibility of heartbreak from a child.

Each home is it's own culture. Every mom and dad have their own stories of how they were raised, and how that motivates them to parent. Parent's personalities are so different - laid back, strict - patience levels vary, father/mother involvement varies as well. Some homes have only one parent, some have no grandparents, some have grandparents who are very involved ... it's all different.

And each child is different. How we discipline Tias is VERY different from how we discipline Siah. We can just LOOK at Tias and he'll well up in tears. Not so much with Josiah *smile*. And hw we express our love to the boys is also different ... Siah loves to be roughed around, tickled, played with ... Tias loves big hugs, words of affirmation, quality time spent ...

But as I hear parents talk about "not knowing what to do" with a child - it scares me. These are people who are intelligent, articulate, loving, Godly ... people who pray over and with their kids. So, thinking that I will come across a situation where my child rebels, defies or is simply doesn't care - it scares me. Do we all have to go through the "stage"? Can we avoid it all together??

For us, one thing that we feel has been important is having ourselves surrounded by like-minded families. People who care about our kids. People who, potentially, our kids could go to if they felt they couldn't come to us *heartbreak*. And people whom our kids respect and desire their respect as well ... I know for me, personally, this was a LARGE factor in how I was raised and it kept me from a lot of poor behaviour. I never wanted to disappoint "them", regardless of my mood towards a parent at the time ...

I think it's so important to listen to those who have done this before us. Not because they have all the answers, and we should follow their lead word-by-word. But because they have EXPERIENCE, perhaps even knowledge in what NOT to do ... or wisdom in letting us know what they would've done differently.

That's a question I frequently ask my mentors ... "what would you have done differently?"

So, if today you are pulling your hair out, if you`re at your wits end and think you might leave your child on the curb with a FREE sign attached to them ... stop, take a breath, know that you`re not alone, and seek out someone who YOU know to have some experience in raising good kids ... For me, I try to not be offended when someone suggests something to me. I know that they're just trying to help - and I am reminded that I don't have all the answers. So, so far from it.

Besides, they say it takes a village to raise a child? No?