The Kitchen Remodel

My home was built in 1977. I love it and together with my family we have made some great memories over the past two years. But if there's one thing we could change, it would be the kitchen:

It's old. It's outdated. The fridge seems like an afterthought and it isn't a good use of space. And my biggest pet peeve - we do not even have a dishwasher!  Ugh. What a pain it's been to wash all my dishes in the sink.

My husband and I decided it was time. We had to renovate.

Our list of wants:

- A dishwasher (stainless steel inside and out. A thing of beauty)

- Glass backsplash (we like greys and blues and wanted a little splash of colour)

- Undermount sink (I refused to listen when the Home Depot said it couldn't be done with a laminate countertop)

Jacquie designed our new kitchen layout. We set a budget. I price matched on Black Friday to get some great deals on new appliances. We did the research and got cabinet quotes from six different cabinet makers (and yes - custom cabinets really are cheaper than stock cabinets) before choosing Elite Kitchens in Weyburn. We got quotes from an electrician and a plumber. We looked at handles, backsplashes, countertops and paint. And then my talented husband did all the work.

Bippity Boppity Boo!

It's not finished yet. Roger still needs to do the crown molding, light rail, toe kick, change out the light, finish the trim, put up curtains, and add the glass backsplash. But it's an amazing transformation and I couldn't be more excited. Probably should have cleaned off my fridge for the photo, but it works anyway.

Did I mention I have the best husband?

Welcome to my dream kitchen. You are welcome anytime!

Melanie

The bracelet

Shortly after Mya was born, Roger mentioned that he couldn't wait for the day when Mya would make him a friendship bracelet. It's one of the perks to having a little girl. He is a proud dad and said he'd love to wear it.

Today was that day.

Yesterday I took Mya shopping for some much needed craft supplies and we stocked up on buttons, sparkles, stickers, paper, glue, paint, and more. Mya was eager and excited and she exclaimed, "Oh mommy, I NEED that!" at almost everything in the craft aisle. She was most excited for a new, special item that we added to our shopping cart: a gigantic box of beads and some bracelet strings.

This morning we sat in her craft room and she choose the colour of her dad's bracelet (red) and all the beads. I watched as she patiently added each bead to the bracelet and carefully pulled it all the way to the bottom.

I knew Roger wouldn't believe that she made the bracelet herself, so I took this little video:
 

As of lunch time today, Roger is sporting a beaded bracelet on his wrist (it's tied on so he can't take it off). When he got home for supper Mya went running, "Daddy, you wearing your bracelet?"

He pretended to look surprised as he picked her up. "Oh? I don't know. Let's check" he laughed.

Yup. Still there. And he loves it.

Melanie

 

Good Cop vs Bad Cop

When it comes to parenting, is it always Good Cop vs Bad Cop?

Me? I'm the bad cop. Especially when it comes to discipline at bedtime. And I'm torn about whether that's actually a bad thing.
 
Mya is 2 years old, so we are at the beginning stages of learning to discipline her. We give her warnings, but she tests her limits (A LOT!) and eventually we have to follow through with a punishment. Her punishment usually means laying her down in her bed and explaining what she did wrong. Easy. She understands the message and that's what matters.

I complain and say that I don't like being the bad cop, but that's not always true. Being the bad cop doesn't make me a mean parent. I love my kids. But I want them to grow up knowing right from wrong. I want them to know they have boundaries and when they cross the line, there's a punishment.

Lately I've been the bad cop when it comes to bedtime. Mya has always been an excellent sleeper, but since we moved her to her big girl bed and she discovered that she can climb out of her bed on her own, she thinks it's fun to continuously come out to say hello.

"But I no wanna go to sleep" has become a nightly phrase in our house.

If we are home, her nightly routine is always the same: supper, playtime, bath, watch an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, brush teeth, potty break, read at least 3 stories, kisses and hugs and good night. Ideally she's in bed by 8:30pm, but sometimes as late as 9:00pm.

We've had to set some rules to prevent her from getting out of bed. After all, bedtime is bedtime. And if she gets up more than once (for anything other than to use the potty) then we close her door. She has this new fear of the dark and prefers to sleep with her door open. It's not a problem so long as she stays in bed. But, if Mya climbs out of bed after bedtime, I close her door. Most nights she goes right to sleep after that.

I felt bad the first few nights as we've been pretty lenient in the past. But bedtime has started to drag on for hours and if we don't enforce the rules, she won't learn. So I took on the role of bad cop and I'm happy to report that Mya has had a nap every day since Thursday and for the past few nights bedtime has went off without a hitch. She doesn't necessarily fall asleep right away, but she lays quietly in bed and plays her music bear until sleep overtakes her.

All that being said - I'm always the good cop when it comes to daily treats. Today I gave Mya a kid-sized glass of chocolate milk, the arm of a gingerbread cookie and three chocolate chips. Little treats throughout the day are offered so long as she doesn't tell her daddy on me!

Maybe it's not all bad.

Melanie

2013 Christmas card letter

My 2013 Christmas card letter:

Twas the year 2013 at the Pilloud family home
Jasper was born, while Mya obsessed over a gnome.
Roger began a new career with the WIT,
and Melanie enjoys her mat leave benefit.

Born premature, Jasper was hospitalized longer than expected,
From infections to jaundice the nurses made sure he was never neglected.
He finally came home to stay and made our family so happy,
And it was time as Melanie was getting so sappy.
He’s seven months now and is growing so fast,
the size of a one year old, but he’s having a blast.
Rolling and laughing and beginning to sit on his own,
He loves his big sister, you can tell by his tone.

Mya is potty trained, it started soon after she turned two,
And though there’s been accidents, there’s been very few.
She sings and she plays, but loves to dance the best,
So we enrolled her in dance class to put her skills to the test.
Our little chatterbox, she repeats every word,
Her speech is easy to understand even when she’s quite slurred.
She’s learning her shapes and colours and can count 1, 2, 3,
Her favourite is the alphabet and asks: “Won’t you sing with me?”

Roger is almost a year in his new position,
as a Grain Marketing Rep, he enjoys the competition.
At the end of the day is his favourite part,
As Mya runs into his arms – she truly holds his heart.
He frequently tackles our home renovations,
Including a front deck of his and his brother’s creation.
Next to come is a kitchen remodel,
With any luck it will go smoothly and leave us free of a squabble.
He spends his free time working out and watching sports on tv,
He’s recovering well from his knee surgery.

Although each day brings a new set of drama,
Melanie longs to be a stay-at-home momma.
She sews lots of blankets and cooks family grub,
And has recently joined another book club.
Writing is a passion as she started a new blog,
http://livelaughgiggle.blogspot.ca if you want to follow along.

We hope this Christmas finds you all cheery and bright,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!"

xoxoxoxoxo
Melanie