Trying something new...

As kids, we are always encouraged to "try something new". Try new foods, try new friends, try new activities....just try it, what's the worst that can happen? You don't like it, don't do it again.

As an adult though, trying something new comes with a different set of risks. There is very rarely a cheering section as an adult saying "go ahead! give it a shot!" So do you try? Or do you stay safely inside the confines of your comfort zone?

One of my creative abilities includes nail art/design. I usually freehand designs and use a sponge for blending. I very frequently can replicate a design or something similar if I have the picture. (The Monkey's Treehouse does sell custom fake nail sets. Contact us to order yours today.) Our monkeys love getting their nails done, especially Belle. She had been asking for days if I would do her nails and yesterday we finally had time. We went on Pinterest (yes, I am creating monsters...very closely supervised monsters) and she picked out a nail that had a gorgeous pink and black swirl design on it. She fell in love (so did I). Then I realized, this was not a freehand design. This was one of those crazy "put the nail polish in the water and then dip your nail in it and hope for the best" designs (yes, that's what they're called...at least in this house). We watched 2 different tutorials on how to do it...and then we got our supplies and gave it a try. Belle asked if I had ever done this before. "Nope," I said, "but what have we got to lose? Let's give it a shot."

Well we tried six different times with different techniques and different combinations of polish...none of them looked like the gorgeous nails on the tutorials. Belle looked at me and said "It's okay. She (meaning the lady in the videos) just has a talent that you don't have yet. Can you just do my nails the regular way?" So we painted, dry brushed, and freehand designed her nails and they look incredible. She loves them, and I love her so that's all that matters.

This was an example of trying something new. Were the risks high? Not at all. We tried, we laughed, and then we decided to go back to what we know. You win some, you lose some. But what happens when the stakes are a bit higher?

Mr. Incredible and I started The Monkey's Treehouse to create a way for me to follow my dreams and be home to take care of our monkeys. I am grateful to him for giving me that every day. But owning a business is "something new" for me and for us as a team. It is a risk we chose to take, to try something new. Every day we ask our fans, our followers, and our families to take a risk on us, to buy local from our business instead of buying from a box store, to trust us with their imaginations so that we might create a reality. But we also spend every day showing our monkeys that it is healthy to take risks and try new things, that the results are often worth the work and risk.

When was the last time you tried something new?

The lull

There is always a time period in businesses when there is a lull...mine seems to be after a busy period. A couple of weeks ago I had 11 orders on my board...11!...this week: Just 2.

It's like life though...there are ups, downs, and occasionally you get a steady flow. Just when you hit that steady flow though, something happens to throw you off.

Sounds kind of like parenting now that I think about it...

With five monkeys in our treehouse, we have a daily routine. There are things within our routine that have routines to them...it sounds OCD...it's not...it's necessary. Our monkeys thrive with routine. They behave better, they have less attitude, and they have less anxiety. No matter how they behave or misbehave, they know what is expected of them and they know that life is full of choices.

We took a trip to Canobie Lake Park on Monday with the monkeys and some family. The tickets were a birthday present to all of us from the family that came with us. So anyways, we had 5 kids and 5 adults. Our monkeys were prepared to stay together as a family and they all knew that there would be rides that they would have to wait at while their siblings went on. Family members decided to split off and take the two little monkeys while Mr. Incredible and I took the big monkeys. The idea being that they "shouldn't have to wait". I disagree but nonetheless, we did split up.

We met back up later and Mr. Incredible and I spent another hour or so at the park with all five monkeys. During that hour, the kids were WONDERFUL at waiting and actually asked why we couldn't have all just stayed together. They had fun separated, but they are used to waiting for each other and are learning to be patient. They enjoy seeing each other have fun and having fun together and our monkeys missed that during the time they were separate. Don't get me wrong, all of our monkeys can get impatient at times. But they are learning and are probably some of the most patient kiddos you'll meet (unless they are with people who give them permission not to be).

I'd like to say that I'm not bragging, in fact I wrote that just now, and then deleted it. I want to be honest with you. I am bragging a little. I am proud of our monkeys. I am bragging to say that our monkeys lasted all day at an amusement park, past bed time, outside of their routines a little (we tried to keep as much of it as we could), and they did really well. We used yesterday as a built in "recovery day" and just had some down time during the day. That worked for our monkeys.

It worked this time...we are in a bit of a lull. That lovely period of time when the kids understand the expectations and the parents understand the kids. It won't last long...in fact tomorrow could be a trainwreck...and then we will once again have to adjust and figure out what works. That's what parenting, life, and business is all about. Figuring out what works...for now.

No method will work forever.

Life is too fluid.

I can't be certain, but maybe that is where the phrase "go with the flow" comes from?

Take a moment and look at your life, your own monkeys, or your business. Do you have something to brag about? Revel in it for a moment. Be proud.

Big changes...

Yesterday was a big day in our treehouse.
Bugaboo and Peanut were both officially adopted by Mr. Incredible, Peanut slept in her big girl bed last night for the first time, and she also slept without a diaper or pullup. Like I said, big changes.

Many blended families go through big changes, in our home we have had nothing but changes for the last two years. Some days we jell and other days...well other days are less jell-er-ific. Mr. Incredible and I have learned some very important things while blending our family.

1. No matter how frustrating life gets, we are on the same team! Sometimes we have to remind each other of this when life gets to be overwhelming.

2. Bio, step, adopted...it doesn't matter. We are raising 5 beautiful monkies together and they are all ours.

3. We try REALLY hard not to call each other out if one goes overboard on a consequence. For example, "You are grounded forever and never doing anything ever again." Seems like a fair consequence...until 5 minutes later when we are talking and we go, "okay...so maybe that was a tad overboard?" Yeah...we talk about it after and process and then process with the kids. We never process in front of them, we back each other up and present a united front.

4. It is okay for us to tell our monkeys that we made a mistake (see #3). We are humans. We make mistakes. We teach our children to take responsibility for their mistakes by taking responsibility for our own.

5. We take time to calm down before distributing consequences for less than stellar choices.

Belle got caught lying yesterday (when will they learn that we always find out?). Mr. Incredible and I spoke with her about how it was unacceptable and how disappointed we were. A phrase we use a lot is, "We love you too much to let you grow up thinking that this is okay." Her consequence was not given until this morning. We told her that there would be a consequence but that she needed to give us time to cool down so that it wasn't unreasonable. When we gave her the consequence this morning (restitution), we talked again to make sure she understood that it was her choices that brought her to this place.

There are many other things we have learned but those are the huge ones. I am always looking for blended family parenting advice though. On Pinterest (I'm an addict), on Facebook, even just on Google...I'm always looking. Yesterday, as everyone in our family legally has the same last name now, I came across this blog post from The (Reformed) Idealist Mom. It had some great advice and was definitely a situation that many a frappucino family could relate to.

What's your biggest parenting challenge (blended family or not)? What's the biggest thing your kids have taught you?

Rain on my parade? I don't think so!

Last night before bed, I noticed we didn't really have anything scheduled today. I didn't really have errands to run. We didn't really have an activity planned. So I planned on having the kids get into bathing suits in the morning instead of getting dressed and we would go swimming at the YMCA.

I did not however, check the weather. Nor did I even consider weather as a factor. It is an indoor pool, the only time they cancel open swim is when there is thunder and lightning. Well, guess what I woke up to this morning. That's right! Thunder and lightning. (Well technically it was the squeals and screeches of Peanut (2) wanting to get out of her crib but...). 

So plan B. We are going to have a day at home. Those rarely end well. What to do, what to do. I needed to do some work, and the monkeys helped brainstorm the rest. They had breakfast, did their chores, and then Mister and Bean did their summer math assessments on TenMarks summer program. 

It is a free math program for First grade through Algebra 2. You register your children and then they take their assessment which allows the program to customize to your child. Belle will be doing it too but she hasn't gotten around to her assessment yet. 

While they did that, Bugaboo worked on some math and phonics games while Peanut and Belle played. Me? I got down to work and made Peanut a new headband. She loves to wear headbands and accessories like her sisters, but takes them off after about 5 minutes. So my mission was to make a headband that she would keep on. 

Introducing, The 'Tude band.

(Named such after Peanut modeled them and these are the photos I got.)

She kept the darn thing on all morning! The best part? I was able to re-purpose a pair of pants to make it! Get your own custom 'Tude Band here.

I absolutely love re-purposing things to fit our needs. It saves us money and gives us a unique product. Have something you would like re-purposed? Send us a message  and we will see what we can do for you! 

We don't just re-purpose physical items in this house...we do it with food too. A tight budget means that sometimes we get creative and use what's on hand to make something new. I like to think of it as "Chopped Champions: The Treehouse Edition". 

For lunch, Bean and Peanut helped me make Turkey and Cheese Pinwheels. Not a new idea, but also not something they have had before. They love roll ups with lunchmeat and cheese. They love pizza. We used our favorite pizza dough recipe (find that here), rolled it out on the table, and added chipotle ranch dressing, honey roasted turkey, and sliced american cheese. I rolled and sliced it like I do when I make homemade cinnamon buns (see the recipe I love and use here). We baked them and then let them cool slightly before eating them. Let me tell you, they were delicious. The monkeys loved them. I loved them. I only wish I had doubled the recipe so that I could have stuck some in the freezer. (Freezer cooking is a necessity with 5 monkeys, especially during the school year. I will post more on that later.) Next time you morsels of goodness, next time. 

It may be a gross, rainy day out today, but we will not let it rain on our parade. We are planning a movie night tonight complete with popcorn, cushions (from our other couch and the spare beds), and candy. At some point today I will probably lose my sanity from being caged in for the day, and at some point the monkeys will too. For now though, it's quiet time in our treehouse and my monkeys are sleeping or reading and we are all recharging. 

What happens in your treehouse when it rains on your parade?