Max's Milestone Birthday

a Double-Digit. Avengers. Surprise. Party

the boys were so excited to surprise Max that they didn't even wait until he actually got in the door!

this game got intense quickly

Singing along to Red Kingdom and Beastie Boys on repeat.

light, bright nursery turned bold & broody "big-boy" room

We have two rooms in our house that have needed repurposing for awhile now - our nursery and our playroom. The fear of change and what it meant to leave the "little" days behind had me paralyzed with indecision for nearly a year.  But it was getting ridiculous to have one totally vacant room and one barely used room and FOUR children living in this house.  We don't have the luxury of wasting space around here.

So about a month ago I stood in the nursery doorway with a can of black paint, taking in its sweetness one last time.  One final glimpse...

Disassembling the crib was the toughest.  I've laid four babies in there countless times over nine years and it was such a FIXTURE - a symbol of the phase of life I was in.  There was a point while in the trenches of it all that felt like I'd always be in this never-ending cycle of being pregnant and nursing and diapers and sleeplessness.  

Although that sequence of words being strung together sounds like a pretty brutal existence:)...leaving it behind is still hard.  That being said, I think this current season of my life is pretty incredible.  No more diapers and much more sleep. These boys amaze me every day and are becoming such cool people.   Watching them "become" makes me feel like the richest person on earth.

The swiftness with which time moves takes my breath away, though. But I've finally come to terms with the fact that it's time to move forward.  After all, keeping a crib in the house wasn't going to stop my boys from growing up.

Being excited about what I wanted the big boys' room to look like helped ease the growing pains.  And when I saw the most perfect dresser being placed on the curb with a "FREE" sign attached to it I knew it was the final push I needed to let go.

This solid mid-century beauty wasn't kicked to the curb for long....

Painting matte black over that precious Anthropology wallpaper stung a bit too. But blasting "Paint it Black" on repeat helped :)

From there everything else kind of fell into place. I found some vintage National Park posters and then discovered this super cool desk on Craigslist for $40!

The grey wool bedding was formerly our duvet cover.  A pair of scissors helped me transform it into two blankets for the iron beds I found here.

I had my heart set on Pendleton throw blankets, but they cost twice as much as I paid for the beds...so...nope.  But I found these look-alike ones that were a good compromise.

A nod to their Chicago heritage.

This basketball goal has gotten soooo much use already.

 

Sullivan loves the new digs.

The boys are responsible for keeping their plant alive:)

They SOMETIMES let Fletch in their room.

It feels like the boys are settled now.  Walking past an empty nursery every day made me feel like we were in limbo.  I'm glad I finally MADE A FREAKING DECISION about this space.  Now on to the playroom.  I don't have a clear vision for it yet, so I'll wait for inspiration to strike before I get started.  I can't quite decide how it would be best utilized as the boys continue to grow.  I'm open to suggestions, though...!

Un-STUFFing

just because this is one of my favorite Christmas pics ever...

I ghost-wrote a blog post for a client recently about "un-stuffing" the holidays and thought I'd share a few things here on my personal blog too. 

Simplifying the holidays has been a goal of mine since Max's first Christmas when I felt overwhelmed and a little ill with the number of things that Santa brought.  Totally self-inflicted "Baby's First Christmas" excitement, combined with family eager to spoil the new addition and generous friends...we were buried in so much stuff.

Moving forward we decided Santa would bring 3 gifts per kid...three Wisemen, three gifts for baby Jesus.  It made sense. But it still seemed like the toys were broken and abandoned by January.  Santa's generosity long forgotten.  And each of those lovely gifts soon became a chore for the kids to pick up/put away, which made them complain, which made me yell that "I'm donating every toy to charity if they're not put away NOW."  Things can escalate quickly around here:)

So last year I told them that *I* had written a letter to Santa and that I asked him not to bring any more STUFF into our house but give only things that would allow us to have new experiences as a family or explore our individual interests (see my 2017 Gift Guide here). 

I held my breath that Christmas morning expecting tears with the lack of tangible items under the tree, but the boys were thrilled that each gift gave them the promise of MORE anticipation (monthly subscription boxes, a trip to look forward to, cooking classes, etc). 

Isn't anticipation the best part of Christmas anyway? Once all the unwrapping is over it's kind of a letdown, but giving the gift of anticipation...that's the secret.  It keeps the excitement alive throughout the year. In fact, our final subscription box from last Christmas just arrived this week.  Presents that keep on giving the whole year long...now THAT is a gift.

And this year each of the boys primarily asked for things that can't be wrapped without even realizing it.  Some things are totally unreasonable like new siblings and extravagant vacations, but at least they're thinking outside the toy box.

Here are a few things that Santa is bringing the Murray boys this year...

Universal Yums:

My boys love to eat, so I signed them up for this fun snack box that features treats from different cultures.  Each month they'll get a box full of goodies from a different corner of the world. Tastebud traveling is one of our favorite ways to explore. 

$5 off when you sign up here: Universal Yums

Homemade Coupons:

It may sound like a lame excuse for a gift, but these are the perfect stocking stuffer!  I make/print coupons for allll the things I say "no" to, repeatedly, throughout the year.  Things like..."Stay up Late with Mom & Dad", "Skip School", "Extra Dessert After Dinner".  My reason for giving these is two-fold...first, they're novelty things that kids REALLY want, but rarely get.  And by allowing these coupons I don't have to listen to the "...but you NEVER let me!!!" in their best whiny voice about any of these topics because...yes, I let you.  Once a year.  Because of Santa's magic coupons.

Wonderbly:

This company creates personalized "Where's Waldo?" type books.  My two littlest boys are mesmerized by search-and-find books.  Wonderbly places a look-alike face in the scenes to seek out.  I think search-and-find books are the perfect bedtime solution for littles who can't read yet.  Keeps them settled in bed with their head in a book without you personally having to read 17 bedtime stories every night:)

$7 off when you order here: Wonderbly

iFly:

We're always seeking adventure, but none of us (so far, at least) are adrenaline junkies (ie. I'd never jump out of an actual airplane for fun).  I cannot wait to see my boys (safely) airborne.  I never realized that the age limit for these shenanigans is pretty much non-existent...my three-year-old, most daring of all, can do this.  Family fun for everyone!

purchase gift cards here: iFly

Strengthen their interests:
I love the passion that kids have for so many things - cooking, baseball, art - there's a class or an outlet for just about any of those endeavors here in KC. Here are a few places on my radar...

For the artist...art classes at Wee Create Studio
For the lego-enthusiast...classes in the Master Lego Builder Academy at LegoLand
For the baseball player...one-on-one sessions with a pro at TeamWork Sports
For the chef...Junior Chef cooking classes at the KC Culinary Center
For the one obsessed with the show American Ninja Warrior...KC Kids Ninja Warrior Course

Quick Trips or Staycation:

our most recent trip to Big Cedar

As much as we like to travel (at the top of Milo's wish list is staying in an"Air B&B", which cracks me up:) it doesn't always make sense to go far. Here are our favorite quick getaways nearby...

Big Cedar Lodge - I really can't say enough good things about this place.  Once you arrive you never have to leave the premises because everything (arcade games, organized activities for kids, pools, restaurants, live music) is right there.  Their cabin pricing makes it seem like a bit of an unattainable quick destination, but my recommendation is to request a room in the Falls Lodge...you won't be disappointed.

St. Louis - we make the short trek at least once a year and we still haven't done everything on my to-do list.  We love how inexpensive and accessible so many attractions in STL are.  Our must-do's each visit are dinner on the Hill, City Museum, Fountain on Locust, the (FREE) Zoo and Magic House.  My list could really be sooo long.  And our home away from home there is the Chase Park Plaza in my favorite neighborhood, the Central West End.

The Plaza - if even STL seems like too much effort, book a room on the plaza and act like tourists.  Order room service, swim in the pool and get in the car and head home if things start to unravel. I've taken the kids on international trips and on "trips" literally down the street...and their excitement for both measures equal.

So those are the main things my kiddos will find under the tree and in their stockings. And I'm happy that none of them take up more than an inch of space in my home!  

LESS > MORE

Merry Christmas, friends.  I hope you all get what you TRULY want this year.

-SM