Our new laundry room

View from the garage into laundry to the back yard.
View from the kitchen.

We ran out of money to put in proper shelving, so I am using our old changing table for storage. We brought in our old shoe bench, and everyone gets their own cubby. Also, you can't see from the pictures, but we each have our own coat hooks, and a strict rule of two jackets and two pairs of shoes per person. I can't imagine why anyone would dream up such a silly rule...

Another year, another project

Starting right after Christmas, Kevin started on the latest house project: turning the disgusting "bird room" into a real laundry room. The previous owners literally kept many birds in this lovely room, right off the kitchen and connected to the garage. The birds tore holes in the walls, shat everywhere, and seeped the un-sealed tile in grossness. We had been using it as a mud room and storage are, but I desperately wanted a real laundry room (washer and dryer were in garage), so Kevin obliged and did his manly magic on it. First off, he tore out the sink and cabinetry (not pictured), cleaned everything, stripped the walls, patched holes, primed and painted. Then he sealed the floor, and moved in the washer and dryer, hooked up the washer and dryer, put up lighting, wainscoting and trim. All in all, it took him about 2 months and $300 of supplies.

Sleep update

It's been a while since I gave a sleep update! I have great news: barring colds, coughs, trips, and nightmares, the entire Krentz Family reliably sleeps through the night! Each in his or her own bed! Wait-- there's more: both children go to bed at a certain time, and usually without a whole lot of fuss. We have a pretty elaborate bedtime routing, but once all the boxes have been checked off (story, jammies, snack, teeth, water, prayers, cuddles, kisses, hugs... ) there may be a few minutes of bargaining, but generally speaking, we have lift off. I don't even need to lie down with Jesse with his hand down my shirt till he falls asleep! Now here is the real jaw-dropper: JESSE NAPS. That's right, folks-- at home. Without a fuss. In fact, I set him up on the couch with his pillow and blanket, and he magically drifts off within minutes. Thirty-odd months of nursing or cuddling this sweet boy asleep, and now he covers me with kisses, whispers, "I love you!" and turns over. I never thought the back of his head could look so wonderful.

So this post is to mark a HUGE milestone in the lives of the Krentz Family. Sleep, beautiful, sleep, is now a routine part of our life. And the best part of it for me is that I achieved this huge, glorious, milestone in the way I wanted to, and in my own (our) good time. It wasn't easy, and it didn't happen as fast as some may have hoped... but it happened. Seriously, I think that dealing with sleep is the biggest challenge of parenthood in the first three or so years of life.

So, now that I have regained sanity, on to baby number three!? No, I'm not pregnant, but we are working on it. For those who indulge, prayers are appreciated! I'm no spring chicken!

Happy Birthday to Me

The best part of the day was a visit to Ellie's school for the annual "Lattes for Love" celebration. Moms and dads were invited to get served by their children in a show of love and respect. Elena greeted me at the door, invited me in, and then proceeded to crown me with a Love Crown, serve me a hot latte, then give me gifts-- fresh ground coffee (ground by the kids using a cowboy grinder), a pencil holder, and a valentine's card. It was all so adorable, I just about died.I also made the all-important free birthday visit to the Korean Women's Spa. It may look unassuming from the outside, but inside it is pure luxury. In a mere hour and a half, I got in a hot soak, steam room, dry sauna, two energy rooms, and a quick read through a trashy celebrity magazine. PERFECT.
Dad and Emily are visiting from Michigan, and got me my all time favorite picture book from my childhood: "The Fourteen Bears," by Evelyn Scott. I had been looking and looking for it, and Dad found a reprint from Powell's in Portland. They must have just started reprinting it because just a year ago, it was only available used for hundreds of dollars. It is just as wonderful as I remember and so happy to be able to share it with my wee ones.
I woke up to a lovely birthday table, with flowers and a brand new, bright red, Kitchen Aid mixer from Kevin! I may be an atrocious baker, but I will bake (poorly) in style.

Here I am, 37-years-old. All in all, a terrific birthday.

Chelsea House Birthday

In true Montessori style, Chelsea House does a "birthday ellipse" where the birthday child walks around a lit candle on an yarn ellipse the number of years they have "circumnavigated the sun". They also wear a crown and get to bring treats. When I got there, all the children had to formally greet me: "Welcome, Mrs. Krentz. My name is ___________." It was hilarious. And deadly serious (Notice, Elena does not crack a smile in any of the pictures.) One kid was too scared to talk, and Teacher Pasha made her watch everyone else do it, then chided, "It must not be that scary if everyone else can do it, huh?" Elena continues to thrive there, learning manners, respect, tradition, and ceremony along with all the other random trivia she comes home with (last week, she proudly named all the bones in her arms and legs..."this is my tibia!" )

How was the cake?

Well, the bad birthday cake curse strikes again. As you can see, the cake was rejected in favor of vanilla ice cream. This is what happened: My big sister emailed me a recipe for a 10-minute "no fail" birthday cake from the Silver Palate Cookbook. I guess the first red flag I should have noticed was the addition of one cup of wine to the batter. Generally, when one thinks of flavoring for a birthday cake for a 4 year old, you might consider chocolate, or vanilla, or lemon... not WINE. But nevermind-- I trusted my sister, mother to three lovely children, and one of the best cooks I know. The recipe called for dry white wine, and I didn't have any... so the next red flag should have been when I opted for a half empty bottle of red wine that had been sitting on the counter for about 2 weeks. Beware-- using red wine colors the pinkish, the recipe said. Perfect for my little girl, right? Well, it was pretty weird. And more like brownish purple. And definitely tasted like WINE. Old wine. It didn't help that I also tried making it in a heart shaped mold, and the middle was undercooked, and the frosting melted. Lovely texture... but after two bites, the birthday girl rejected it. Jesse, on the other hand, could not get enough! And Kevin liked it in a "I just ate a cake made of wine" kind of way.

Happy Birthday, Elena Clare!

The birthday table! This year, we decided to get Elena a modular doll house! Okay, truth be told, I got it online in a late night guilt attack. There was no "deciding" about it-- just: "&*&%, Elena's birthday is in 5 days I haven't gotten her anything, and to make matters worse, I work all the time, yell too much, fall asleep during story time, and reliably take her 10 minutes late to school each day." Luckily, this impulsive act ended up being a good one: the dollhouse was a big hit!! The rooms are all separate, so you can build any kind of house you want. And it came with super cute little furniture, and a lesbian couple (okay, I think one is supposed to be a man, but seriously, they both look very feminine/butch). I am not sure what planet these people come from, though, because the room with the most furniture is the fitness room, complete with dumbells, exercise bike, treadmill, and more! Elena had no idea what they were all for-- where's the office furniture? That's my girl. She also didn't know what the ironing board was for. ha!






What a fabulous girl we have! It is such a huge joy to watch her grow up. She truly has such a dear, loving, heart and a beautiful spirit. We love you, sweet girl!