This post is sponsored by Walmart and SheKnows Media. It’s been about 2 months since we moved and I’m happy to say that, for the most part, I’m back to work! Running this blog, Smart...
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We are so excited to welcome our guest, Angela Rose, who is here to show us how to easily stencil floor tiles – have you ever thought about trying something like this? Angela shares her awesome home projects on instagram @angelarosehome so go follow and see even more stunning ideas!
Do you have plain boring tile on your floors, fireplace, backsplash, or stairs? So did I…and I decided I was tired of waiting and saving for a big renovation, and I wanted to DO something about it. So for under $100, I STENCILLED my bathroom tile floor, and I am in love how it looks!
You can totally do this too, and I’m going to give you all the details so we can get rid of lame beige tiles forever!
First you need a tile stencil. I used this AMIRA stencil from Dizzy Duck Designs UK etsy shop. They have so many cute patterns to choose from, and you can even special request to have it cut the exact size of your tile. Make sure to measure your tile exactly (to the 1/16 of an inch even)!
To visualize what colors and combination I wanted to use, I tested out different options on spare tiles (you could also use cardboard).
Tile preparation is very important in order for the paint to stick, so don’t skip this step! I thoroughly cleaned my tile, used liquid de-glosser, and also sanded it with 120 grit to take off sheen and rough it up a bit. For floors, you can also use Zinsser 1 2 3 Primer for added durability.
Next, I took blue painters tape and taped off everything. And now you’re ready to paint!
Tip: You can use a blow dryer like a mini leaf blower to blow away tiny debris on your floors to keep them clean.
Start by painting your tile the base color (I used Rustolem Chalked Paint in Aged Gray). I used a high quality paint brush and only needed one coat, but you can do more if needed. Allow to dry completely.
Now here comes the fun part! Tape your stencil down with painters tape, and use a high qualify foam roller to roll on THIN coats. Roll off excess paint onto a paper towel. This is important! A thick application will bleed under the stencil, whereas thin coats make nice clean lines. I applied 2 coats of Rustoleum Chalked Paint in White Linen for the stencilled parts.
Tip: In between coats, you can use a blow dryer on the cool setting to speed up the drying process. Purchasing 2 stencils would also help speed up the process.
Move the stencil to different tiles making sure to not overlap with any wet parts. Once you complete all the square tiles, move onto the edges and tricky areas. This is where you get a little creative! To get these areas I bent the stencil up against walls, cut the stencil down to fit in smaller areas, and also used painters tape to do places where I couldn’t fit the stencil.
Finally, I took a small paint brush and touched up all the edges and places where it didn’t look perfect. A little time consuming, but totally worth it (I was also glad that I had really cleaned my toilet as I was really up close and personal with it!).
Sealing the tile is easy! I applied 4 coats of Polycrylic in satin with a high quality paint brush (with a light sanding between coats).
And that’s it! A perfect solution for revamping that boring tile, and an affordable way to get a custom tile look without the custom tile price tag.
Thanks for checking out this fun project with me! To see more of my home projects, follow me @angelarosehome. See you there!
The post Learn How To Easily Stencil Floor Tiles! appeared first on How Does She.
As I prepare for summer this year, (we are still in school over here) I am thinking about what has worked in the past (and what hasn’t) to keep our kids happy, healthy, and entertained – with as little screen time as possible – during our weeks spent at home all together.
In previous years, I’ve made check-lists of things for my kids to do each morning. The items on the list would include things like *Straighten Room and *Summer Workbooks for 20 Minutes. As I considered doing another similar list this year, I saw it through different eyes.
In the past, I was asking my kids to get through a few “chores”, usually so they could earn “Screen Time” which would include TV or Wii or games on the iPad.
Sometimes, one of the items needing to be checked off, was *Play Outside.
However, over the course of the last school year, we’ve been trying to make some changes as a family. Through lots of family counsels and discussions, and trying different things, we’ve been working on decreasing our dependence on screen time to keep us constantly entertained.
The problem with my previous Summer To Do List, is that it allowed for a short period of time for the good stuff (maybe 2-3 hours) and a loooong period of time for “vegging”.
If my boys wake up at 7 a.m.-ish and go to bed at 8 p.m.-ish, (bedtime always gets later and later as the weeks go by) that means I’m looking at, at the very least, a 13 hour day. Take out that 2.5 hours for chores, and another hour for eating lunch and dinner and we are at 3.5 hours.
If we subtract that from a 13 hour day, it means I am asking (sometimes begging) my kids to play outside for (usually) under an hour {and basically framing it as a “chore” that needs to be gotten out of the way} and allowing for NINE AND A HALF HOURS OF SCREEN TIME!!!!!
Okay, maybe my math is off. Maybe this isn’t realistic.
We still do play dates and beach days and a week vacation to see family. But if I’m being perfectly honest, my way of coping with having five boys all together under one roof, all day every day, for weeks on end, has been to let screens do a lot of the heavy lifting. I’ve even discovered that if I sequester different boys in different rooms with different electronics, I can potentially have multiple minutes in a row of peace and quiet! (As long as all electronics are functioning correctly!) My husband and I have now resorted to this tactic multiple times including pretty much every single time we leave for date night (just to spare the poor babysitter.)
I remember when I was growing up, my mom was usually around. And when she was around, we were outside playing to avoid doing things like practicing piano. During the summer we drank from the hose and came in at dinner time; usually going back outside AFTER dinner for some Kick-The-Can in our cul-de-sac.
However, the days she was grocery shopping or running errands or doing whatever nebulous things moms needed to do in the 80’s, my older sister and I were more than happy to spend the entire day in front of the TV. We didn’t have cable so that meant very limited programming options, very few kid shows (and only during certain hours) with mostly just a lot of lame shows to choose from. Commercials provided breaks to run into the kitchen for snacks and boring shows provided, well, boredom. Our TV was TINY by todays standards, but we still sat all the way across the room from it. (Assuming the remote was working. If not, we were two inches away.)
Now, my kids can spend hours staring at a screen, be totally entertained the whole time, and never have to lift their eyes for a single second. (Which, as an aside, is increasing eye strain and vision related problems in kids.)
Now, like my mom, I have five kids. I’m usually around. My oldest was not allowed to watch t.v. until he was about 3 years old. My youngest…slightly different story.
A few years ago I got in the habit of handing the iPad to toddler Lincoln (the baby of the family) whenever I needed to hop in the shower, or do the laundry, or start dinner. I reasoned that watching Baby Einsteins on the iPad wasn’t any different than watching it on the TV. And one way or another I needed to keep that kid from wrecking havoc the moment my back was turned. However, I noticed that when I handed the iPad to him–with a cute little show all ready to go–he wouldn’t watch it! He would flip from show to show to show. Only pausing for a few minutes or seconds and then moving on. Simply because he could.
Yes, as a kid we flipped through channels, but when you found the one and only cartoon or “kid” show on right then, you usually stuck with it no matter how lame. (I’m looking at you “Tale Spin”.) It occurred to me, that in a family full of little boys already prone to ADHD, consuming endless cartoons in tiny snippets was probably not great for his tiny, developing brain.
So after the iPads snuck in and took over the family, I started trying to fight back by forcing “outside time”… to earn more iPad time. Over the years I’ve noticed that when I say “Play outside for X amount of time and you can watch a show.” The “play” becomes TORTURE!!!
“It’s too hot out here!”
“I need a drink!”
“I need to go to the bathroom!”
“There’s nothing to do!”
“I’M BOOOOOOOOORED”
The minute I put ‘outside play’ as something to get through to get to screen time, it becomes a chore. Just something they need to get out of the way so they can get back to Phineas and Ferb.
When did “Go jump on the trampoline!” become a chore? When did it become something I had to REQUIRE that my kids do for a certain (usually small) amount of time to earn the thing they REALLY want to do: Play Fortnight?
As is usually the case with me, I do not have a perfect solution, but I’ll tell you what I think is helping our family address the problem of screen addiction.
I do know that when TV is not an option–at all–the kids usually find a way to entertain themselves. Yes, of course there is whining and boredom, but they are getting better at it especially when there are clear and set limits. I’ve found them playing cards, I’ve found them building forts, and I’ve found them riding bikes. And the other day they built a cardboard robot costume and took turns wearing it. But, I usually ONLY see these things when the TV isn’t on to distract them.
I also know that since I’ve stopped using the DVD player in the car, my four-year-old, Lincoln, who at first needed my constant commentary to distract him from not watching a show, is now looking out the window and commenting on flowers and trees and clouds on his own. Yesterday he said “Mom! Look at the pretty orange flowers!” When he spoke, I realized he’d been quiet for a long time. Not because a show was on, but because he was looking out the window.
And I’ve noticed that since taking all the games off my phone and the iPads, the kids aren’t constantly begging for them, or even more annoying, trying to steal them the moment they see the lock screen is off.
My 8-year-old used to ask to play on the iPad multiple times daily. He never even mentions it anymore. My 11-year-old now takes pride in how much he plays outside. One Friday (when TV was an option) he told me “I didn’t watch TV or play a video game all day today Mom!”
We’re making slow progress over here. It’s not always easy. (Fine, it’s never easy to make massive painful changes.) But I think we are starting to turn a corner. My 11-year-old is doing more reading and my 8-year-old is actually finding things to entertain him in the backyard. My 13-year-old leaves his ‘dumb’ phone at home most days, and the 16-year-old…well, he is still 16. But the 4-year-old is actually showing more interest in Legos and I occasionally find him playing with toys not just dumping them out on the floor and ignoring them.
I’m starting to see some positive results and I’m really hopeful.
Technology is not the boss of me.
Technology will not control all of our lives.
Technology will not be the thing most valued by my kids.
I want to bring a whole day playing in the backyard and making mud pies back.
I want to bring neighborhood bike rides back.
I want to bring night games back.
I want to bring childhood back!
I think I can do it for my kids.
Who’s with me?
For more help on reducing screen time and increasing family fun time, check out these great ideas:
The post I Want To Bring Childhood Back. Who’s With Me? appeared first on How Does She.
I’m a talker. I’ve always got something to share. Sometimes it even spills out onto the internet. Embarrassing!
When the kids were little, this was great. My constant monologue was developmentally appropriate. “Ooo. There’s a cow. I’m picking up an apple now and I’m putting it in a produce bag. See how red it is? It’s kind of round, huh? Oh, no. You fell down. Jump up.”
But as my kids get older, their needs change. They need more listening and less talking. They need Shut Up Parenting.
Let’s be clear. I’m not saying you should never talk to your older kids. You just need to be more strategic the older they get. Especially with teenagers, it feels like the more you talk, the less they listen. If your wisdom comes in a constant stream, it becomes audio wallpaper and they just stop hearing you.
On more than one occasion I’ve over-pontificated to my children. Either they asked for my advice or I sensed they needed some guidance. Things started out pretty great, but their attention eventually started to drift. Dan gave me a look. And I said, “That went pretty well, right?” and he said, “Yeah. What you said was good, but it was WAY too long.”
Coco Chanel once famously said that you should look in the mirror before you leave the house and choose one accessory to remove. I try to do the same thing when I’m giving advice to my kids. How much can I remove from this conversation and still get my point across?
My daughter is 15, which feels simultaneously SO young and SO old. She’s two and a half years away from being a legal adult. If I dominate her life and decide everything for her, what will she do when she suddenly leaves home and has to fend for herself? And… we’d have a bumpy ride getting to that point because almost-adults don’t like being bossed around.
Don’t do all the thinking for your kids. Give them a chance to struggle with some hard problems and find their own answers.
You know that annoying friend who always knows EXACTLY how you should solve all of your most challenging life problems? But then her advice is sort of meh because, although her solutions may work for her, they don’t necessarily work for you. Because you are not clones. Your kids may share some DNA and a family culture with you, but they are also not clones.
Often, they can come up with better solutions to their own problems than you can. Encourage this by listening when they talk and asking questions to get them thinking, rather than offering up ready-made answers to life.
Sometimes I don’t know if I’m raising teenagers or being raised by teenagers. I learn so much about myself every day and some of the lessons are painful. My kids are some of my best friends. But there are times when we want to strangle each other. This parenting stuff is HARD.
If we’re having one of our bad days, choosing not to speak is often my best option. When I’m feeling defensive or angry or critical, I try to breathe through it and wait until my emotions are under control. Nearly every time I’ve done this, my kids have come to me first to make peace and apologize. And our follow-up conversation ends up being WAY more productive.
Growing up, I had a friend who could not handle any discord. So, if I was upset, she wanted to talk it out. It didn’t matter if I wasn’t ready or if I wanted a few minutes to think and be alone. She would force a resolution. It drove me crazy.
And now I find myself doing the same thing with my kids. I can’t rest until everything is all better. BECAUSE I LOVE THEM SOOOO MUCH. But their current life problems are bigger than a skinned knee or a disgusting preschool snack. And they take more time to process.
When we’ve had a fight, when they’ve had a hard day at school, or when they’re having friend problems, sometimes my kids just need me to tell them I love them and then be quiet and present.
If your kids really know you’re there for them when they want to talk, they’ll open up to you. This sometimes means long conversations when you have other things you’d rather be doing. It sometimes means sacrificing a little sleep.
However, if you shoot them down when they want to open up, it’s really hard to get them to spill when you have time for them. Make the time when they’re ready!
Sometimes your kids, being human people, go through a period where they shut you out. Whether it’s for a day or a year, this can be really frustrating. Obviously, you need to keep trying to talk to your kids.
But, if the conversations are never as long or as meaningful as you’d like, consider writing some thoughts out in a letter. Even text messages or sticky notes in their lunch boxes can help you connect with them.
Their eyes may roll, but kids feel loved when they read sincere loving words from their parents.
Above all, keep watching and trying. Watch for signs that they need your help and attention, even interference. Watch for moments where they may be ready to talk. Do your best and never give up.
The post Shut Up Parenting – Knowing When “Nothing” is the Right Thing to Say appeared first on How Does She.
We all want financial stability when we grow older, but the problem is, if you didn’t start like yesterday, you’re already behind. Never fear. It’s not too late to start fluffing up that cozy nest egg and if you start smart today, you just may be able to retire early and live your dreams of adventure and enjoyment.
The first rung in the ladder to financial freedom is to pay off your debt. Start with credit card debt and then work your way up to automobile loans, student loans, and mortgage loans. Along with paying down debt, another smart piece of advice is to pay yourself at the same time. For example, if you pay $100 to your credit card a month, also pay $100 to your savings account. This not only accumulates, but makes saving a habit. Pay your debt, pay yourself.
It’s tempting to want to live big—to splurge on top-of-the-line vehicles or the latest play thing. But if you’re serious about retiring early, then pull the reins. You don’t have to scrimp, but minimize your spending when it comes to unnecessary items. Do you really need an $80,000 vehicle when a $40,000 will suffice? Live conservatively now so that you can live comfortably later.
Most employers offer a 401K and if you haven’t started contributing to your future yet, start NOW. Your employer might even match a portion of your contribution which adds up. For example, a 401K with $10,000 deposited in it each year can grow up to $800,000 in 25 years. Use a 401K calculator to generate your potential growth.
Supplementing your main income with a few side jobs is a very smart idea. It will get you closer to retirement and provide you with skills and opportunities that might come in handy later. Many retirees find that they still like to dabble in hobbies—why not let those hobbies earn you a little extra moolah?
Once debt is managed and you’ve got a sizable chunk of change saved, it may be time for investing. Real estate is a solid investment that can yield a continual income (say you own a rental property) or can payout big time in the long run (like selling a piece of valuable property). Whatever investment you make, do your research, stay the course, and let your early planning pay for your future.
The post 5 Smart Things You Can Do Now To Retire Early appeared first on How Does She.
This post is sponsored by Popsicle® Fudgsicle S’mores Summer has unofficially kicked off with Memorial Day weekend here and we are SO excited! Summer is my most favorite time of the year because the days are...
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Is it just me or is it harder to get your children and/or spouse to talk about their day than it is to fold a week’s worth of laundry? I swear, I can get more information out of the grocery store clerk than my own sons. Nothing is more useless than asking, “how was your day?” I may as well be begging them to play the silent game.
Finding a good conversation starter for kids is tricky. Maybe it’s just the hover parent in me but I want to know every single detail of their day. Who they sat by at lunch, what book they read at reading time, if they had an extra curricular that day… heck, I even want to know how many times they went to the bathroom!
If you struggle with the same absence of verbal exchange then read more to learn about the one question you can ask your kids to spark genuine discussion about the day.
This is really more of a game than a question. We call it Sweets & Sours. The first thing we do as we gather around the dinner table is discuss our daily sweets and sours. I ask each person (and take a turn myself) to share the day’s sweet & sour. The sweet is the best moment of the day and the sour is the worst moment of the day. Some days are really great (like birthdays) and it is tough to pick just one sweet and it is hard to identify a sour. Then there are low days and it’s challenging to narrow down one sour or find a bright moment to highlight. This simple conversation starter will get your family talking about the day.
You can use this conversation starter anywhere. Somedays we are rushing from school, to practices, to stores & don’t have dinner around the table. Some days I notice my son is coming home in a bit of funk & resistant to talk. Because this game is so flexible you can use it anytime you need to open that door to expression. You can get more specific by asking for sweets & sours about a specific event, like a performance, school day, or playdate.
These discussions have added benefits beyond the opportunity to connect and converse. This little nightly dialogue has also added emotional health benefits. Every day has a high point and a low point. Getting your child to understand the constant emotional roller coaster life puts us through will make him more resilient to the lows that inevitably hit. He will be able to recognize that sours are only temporary and sweets are always around the corner.
These daily discussions also give your child the opportunity to self-reflect. They encourage analysis of one’s behaviors and choices. Talking about sweets and sours allows your child the chance to consider how the day could have been better. It also offers you the opportunity to add additional input. That my friends, is a win-win.
The next time you want to learn more about your family’s day ask them to share their sweets and sours. Do you have a way to crack the silence code with your children and/or spouse? I’d love to hear about it!
For more helps on getting those kids talking, check out these printable conversation starters which are perfect for around the dinner table:
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UTV plowing deep snow How much snow can a UTV push? Let's see if it can plow 8" of heavy wet snow on long runs over a gravel drive...
