raising kids to have a healthy relationship with food

This topic has been on my mind for a loooooong time--I dunno, 3-5 years give or take. Since I realized my kids were going to turn out just like me if something didn't change. It comes from a place of struggling with trying to create a positive relationship with food after a solid 10 years of a very unhealthy relationship with food- from an eating disorder in high school, to binging in college, to constantly feeling guilty about eating things that were 'bad for me' and trying to cope with the realities of a post-partum body. I can only speak from my own experiences, but since it's taken a lot of time and a lot of mental energy to get to a place where I feel like I can finally say that- that food and I are on good terms- there is no guilt or shame in eating the cookie or the white bread over the wheat when I want it- I wanted to share some thoughts on the subject, since unfortunately this something we, as women, all struggle with way more often than I think we realize. Matter of fact, anytime something about that part of my past comes up in a conversation with a girlfriend, it almost inevitably ends up in "Oh my gosh, me too." Why is it so rampant? I'm tired of it. The trend has got to change. Thinking one of my daughters will have the same thoughts I did (constantly) about myself growing up is soul-crushing to me. So how do we change the dialogue? How do we help our kids from a very young age develop a healthy relationship with food? There are plenty of things out of our immediate control (helloooo media), but I have a few ideas that will make a big impact as early as tomorrow:

1. No food is "good" or "bad"

Have you ever had this conversation? 

"Mom can have another cookie?"

"How many have you had?"

"Three."

"Then no, too many cookies are bad for you." 

Or similarly, "too much candy is bad for you." 

Conversely, "Eat your broccoli! It's good for you!"

While our intentions with these statements are usually just fine (we want our kids to get the vitamins and nutrients they need to grow healthy and strong), here's why it matters:

Think about food in your adult life. Have you ever found yourself thinking, "I shouldn't eat this ice cream...it's so bad for me!" And then you eat it, and then you feel a little guilty about it or regret it completely. Why? Because you labeled that food as bad- you attached an emotion to it. When we say certain foods are good while others are bad, we attach positive feelings to healthy foods and negative feelings to unhealthier foods. We essentially shame ourselves for eating foods less nutritionally dense because we've labeled it as "bad". Your brain then makes the very small step to think, "I ate that, I'm bad." Or, in the very least, "I'm feeling bad about myself."

2. Don't verbalize negative feelings about consuming food--ever 

 

Maybe you haven't had that internal battle with yourself (I'd be surprised if at any point in your life you can honestly say you haven't), but try a little experiment and you'll be shocked when you start noticing...

Ever offer a girlfriend a treat and hear "Ohhh I shouldn't!"? Or maybe you're with a group of friends at dinner and you hear "I shouldn't have eaten that cheesecake!" or "We'll work it off tomorrow!" or "I've been so bad this week!" Seriously- next time you're with girls around food just listen. I can tell you at least 4 separate times I've heard something to that effect this week. It's disturbing how much emotion/guilt/shame we attach to eating food. 

Since when did food become a moral issue? Regardless of how you felt eating that brownie sundae, the minute someone announces they regret it you start to wonder if you should be doing the same. 

Your kids learn everything from you (or until they're about 13 and become more influenced by peers than parents), but for a solid 12-13 years YOU will shape their views- on everything- including how to feel about food. Do you make those kinds of statements when your kids are within earshot? Maybe you're at the mall and they're begging you for an ice cream (or an almond pretzel with caramel dip *insert heart eyed emoji*) and you say, "No! I'm trying to be good!" Or you do get the treat and as you're all sitting there eating, you turn to your husband and say "Well I was being good today," then roll your eyes.

Labeled. And your kids watched you do it.

Mom thinks it's bad. Should I? 

Younger kids don't have the meta-cognitive skills to make that connection yet, but hearing those phrases over time? You betcha. 

Check these out: 

Mothers who talk more frequently about their own weight, shape, or size are more likely to have daughters with lower self-worth and greater feelings of depression. Conversations focused on healthful eating are protective against disordered eating behaviors.

Mothers who make more frequent comments about weight are more likely to have daughters who use extreme weight control behaviors (such as using diet pills, self-induced vomiting, using laxatives and/or diuretics) and binge eat.

(from this article. This one is also good-- and these are just two- there are LOTS. Google it.). 

And now you may be thinking greeeaaat one more thing I can add to my laundry list of Mom-guilt! Don't. Pick one thing to change this week about how you're talking about food first- notice what you are saying about food. Can you catch yourself saying any of those phrases from above? Take a mental note when you do. You can't change what you're doing unless you know when you're doing it.

So what DO we say about food to our kids? What DO we verbalize about our own feelings about food when they're around? How do we teach them to have a healthy, satisfying relationship with food where they don't constantly criticize themselves--especially if we ourselves are struggling?

1. Food is fuel

Okay, so we as adults we all know what we're trying to say when we tell them "eating that much candy is bad for you"- we're saying it's a lot of sugar- and eating sugar in abundance has adverse effects on your health and can give you a stomach ache/headache/energy crash. But that's not kid-language. We want to teach them why nutrient dense foods like fruits and vegetables will help their bodies be able to grow taller and stronger, be able to run faster, learn better at school, and even see better. Foods we would consider to be treats we can still have and enjoy- even every day if we want- but we don't eat as much of them, because eating too many treats can lead to tummy aches- and tummy aches are uncomfortable! And that really applies across the board- not just treats (I'll get to that). We keep it as simple as that. Some foods help you grow and some foods are fun 'sometimes' snacks.

2. Keep it to yourself 

Even if you yourself are dieting, trying to lose weight, doing some type of cleanse or extreme diet- your kids shouldn't constantly be hearing about it. Even if you're losing weight in a healthy, responsible manner. Will they see you doing it? Sure, they watch your every move (even in the bathroom, amiright?). This doesn't mean you can't ever talk about it- all of this is about how you talk about it. It's one thing to say "I'm eating ___ for breakfast because it will help me get all the energy I need today" versus "I have to drink this shake because Mommy's trying to lose 5lbs!"

I exercise daily. I have a separate instagram account for sharing healthy recipes- my kids know. It's not a secret. I can only remember Jillian asking me once, "Mom, why are you going to the gym?" And I told her it makes me feel strong and happy. Saying something like "Well, I can't fit into my pants yet since I had your sister." Or, "Remember when I ate half the cake at your birthday party last night?" You never want them to draw the conclusion that exercise is a punishment for something you ate, not a reward for what your body is able to do.

If you are living a healthy lifestyle, this isn't to say you shouldn't draw attention to it- let's not confuse the two. We want our kids to learn from our healthy habits. For example, I try not to hide or sneak veggies into my kids food without them knowing just for the sake of them getting in some veggies- I want them to know they're eating a vegetable and actually enjoying it. I'll do this if I try a new recipe especially- "Did you know there are carrots in here? I didn't know carrots could have that flavor, did you? Carrots actually help your eyes to see better!" I think I actually used that exact wording once. Instead of--"Carrots are good for you- try it."

Semantics? Yep. But for good reason. Keep reading.

3. (Still focusing on you)- get the world SHOULD out of your vocabulary

I should really go to the gym this morning. (...but I can't)

I shouldn't be eating this big of a piece of cake (...but I did)

I should have picked the broccoli instead of the donut (...but I didn't)

I should lose 5lbs before our cruise this summer (...but it will be hard)

Over years and years of humans using this word- it now has a lot of really crappy baggage- guilt, shame. All of the phrases above make you feel guilty about what you either are or aren't doing. You're reinforcing all of the negative! Using the word "should" actually decreases your effectiveness. Instead, try focusing on the benefits of why you want to do that particular thing (or don't). 

 

I should really go to the gym this morning.

When I go to the gym, I feel great! 

I should have picked the scrambled eggs instead of the donut.

I will have more energy in a few hours if I eat eggs now and save eating a donut for another time.

(Even if 'another time' is a few hours from now).

 

If you're offered a treat and don't want it for whatever reason- don't say "No, I shouldn't..." For one thing, you are allowed to just say "No thanks." Or if you feel that may be rude just ask for a baggie to take it to go. 

I love this article on the word should and what to say/think instead.

How does this relate to modeling a healthy relationship with food? Everything! I shouldn't be eating that...You should eat your vegetables- all the things we say about food. We want our kids to think in terms of what they can do- what gets them closer to their goals, whatever those may be, instead of their first reaction implying something they're already not doing because they should be doing something else. Chances are, if we're doing it, they're doing it too. 

4. Teach your kids to listen to their bodies

 Let them dictate their portion sizes. I think the notion of "you're not leaving the table until you've cleaned your plate" is a little generational- I don't hear of that happening as much with parents around my age. But that mentality is teaching kids not to rely on their own body cues to tell them when they're done eating, they're relying on an external force. Kids are actually way better at knowing when they're full than we as adults are (when this actually switches, I don't know, but I'd love to find out so we can all fix it :-P) In our house we don't make them eat everything, but they do have to try everything. Daniel Tiger has a catchy little song "You gotta try new food cause it might taste good!" (I love Daniel Tiger and his cheesy but totally completely applicable life songs. If there's a show you shouldn't ever be annoyed with your toddlers watching, it's Daniel Tiger.)

Just a week or two ago, we got Panda Express for dinner on the way home from a busy day of errands. Jillian loves their orange chicken, so she ate quite a bit. After about 20 minutes, she was complaining about her tummy feeling "too stretched" and it felt like it was "up to her throat" (we all know that feeling, right? haha!). We had a quick and simple conversation about listening when her tummy was trying to tell her it was full, and even though it was really tasty, if we listen when our tummy is full then we won't get a tummy ache. And we can save the leftovers and eat them tomorrow instead. (Not once ever saying "Well, you shouldn't have eaten that much, huh?")

5. Take "No" for an answer

I did say we do have our kids try everything on their plate, but does that mean they have to like it? No. If they don't like it, I don't make them eat it. (As an adult how mad would that make you if you were forced to down something you genuinely didn't like?) Does that mean if they don't like it, it's the last time I'll serve it to them? Not a chance. Our taste buds change over time. Sometimes kids prefer a food cooked one way over the other. My kids hate cooked broccoli, but raw broccoli? They literally eat by the head. The prefer carrots cut into "crinkle chips" over baby carrots and eat three times as many that way. Letting them have a little more control about what they decide they like and they don't like helps them listen to those body cues. Studies show that kids need 5-10 exposures to a food before they actually even know if they like it or not. (You know like when your 6 month old gags on bananas the first time but then it turns into their favorite food?) They also just may need it served a little differently from how your adult meal is plated (my kids prefer things 'deconstructed' over mixed- like casseroles and salads). Experiment with the way you serve things, let them help in food preparations- these are all precursors in establishing healthy habits.

6. Positive body-talk

Focus on what your body can DO over what it looks like- always, always, always. For you and your kids. Instead of noticing your daughter has slimmed down after joining swim team, say "Hey I noticed your lap time has increased! You've been so dedicated with practicing." Even with yourself, if you lost 5lbs, cool, but focus on what you can now DO because of it- maybe you can do 5 more push-ups than you could last week, or hold a plank for 10 more seconds. Maybe it's even a simple as running up the stairs without getting winded. If your daughter looks smokin' hot in her prom dress (first of all, probably don't buy that one ;-), but tell her how confident, and happy she looks. 

WHEW. That was long. I could keep going, but those are the main things on my mind! We teach our kids how to tie their shoes, why it's not polite to push a kid off a slide, why it's important to go the dentist- why wouldn't we teach them about how to have a healthy relationship with food? Because the opposite? The effects of an unhealthy relationship with food are far-reaching, emotionally scarring, and impact every facet of your life- if you've been there, you know. I want more for my kids. Is it fire-proof? Will they still grow up thinking they're too fat, not as pretty as the next girl, hating themselves for the Oreos they ate? Maybe. We can't control it all, as much as we want to. But we can help change the conversation- and Mamas- it's GOT to start with us.

 

entry progress

We are 2/3 done with updating the entry way! I'm not sure if it's having three kids that makes finishing a project take a million years, or the fact that one of those kids is still a baby, or both (probably both), but sheesh! Everything just takes longer these days- from a load of laundry getting washed, dried, and put away to DIY projects- infinitely longer than planned or intended. So even finishing these two things felt like a huge accomplishment!  

Before: 

 Definitely in need of some character! I knew I wanted to do board and batten on that wall from the time we moved in, but figuring out what to do in that giant recess...that took some thinking. I knew I didn't want to put stuff up there...decor...just wasn't feeling that. I didn't want it to look cluttered, or too distracting and be a weird focal point that high on the wall. Not to mention there was a recessed light there like a shrine. 

After putting ship lap in our mudroom, I wanted to do the same thing up here, but didn't actually want to do it- haha. Seemed like more work than I wanted to get into on a ladder and with curves...then I saw a brilliant idea on Pinterest (of course):

fake ship lap. 

As in- drawn on with a pencil. 

Yep.

 We painted the back of it white, then when my parents were in town for Christmas my Dad used a level and a no. 2 pencil and drew lines on the wall like everything your Mom ever told you not to do as a kid. Now I probably wouldn't do this on a wall you could get up close to, but since it's this high up- you cannot tell the difference between this and the real stuff in my mudroom!  

No hassle involved. Well- maybe a little, a funny story actually. Mind you, my Dad and I drew the lines together. It's important to the story you know that he's a doctor and I'm a teacher. We started by marking lines up the wall every six inches. So we counted off: 6, 12, 18, 24, 32, 38...

Read that again.

We double checked it, then got to drawing the lines. Once we stepped back to see how it all looked, I noticed one of the "planks" looked bigger than the rest. We checked the measurements again. 

My Dad came to the conclusion it was an optical illusion because of the archway. 

I know...this is painful to read. 

It wasn't for several minutes as we were measuring for probably the 4th or 5th time that it finally hit me...6, 12, 18, 24, 32...wait....32? No. 32 is NOT a multiple of 6.

FACE PALM.

All I can chalk that up to is sleep deprivation, friends...for both of us, apparently.

 Ultimately we decided to leave it that way, because redoing it was going to be annoying! The varied widths just make it look more rustic. ;-) At least that's what we'll call it. 

 The light fixture is from Lowe's. I love that it creates some visual interest in an otherwise very empty space without being cluttered or 'decorated'- which was the whole point!

Not too bad for a total of $75 though! ($40 for the light, $15 for this recessed light conversion kit, and $20 for the MDF boards used in the board and batten). Huzzah!  

The last thing we'll do is update the chandelier. I'm not in as big of a rush to do that though because I want to finish the stinkin' laundry room! My attention span for DIY projects is small. I can't ever finish one thing completely before moving onto the rest- it's a problem! So at some point this year we'll revisit that.

 So until then, I'll just enjoy how it is now!

And laugh every time I look at that slightly bigger plank. ;-) 

Protein Muffin Recipes

Sometimes you just want to EAT your protein, not drink it...ya feel?

PB & J

1 banana, mashed

 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

2T pb2 (or just peanut butter protein powder instead of vanilla)

dash of baking powder

an egg white

dribble of vanilla

2T of almond milk to thin it out if needed. 

Bake in a large, well-sprayed ramekin for 18ish minutes at 350.  Let cool completely. The topping is 1T whipped cream cheese mixed with 1T sugar free raspberry preserves. 

WW Smart Points: 4 

Blueberry Lemon

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

1 mashed banana

1 egg white

1/4c oats (blended into a flour)

1/4c almond milk

1/2t vanilla

1/4t baking powder

lemon zest and juice to taste

 Bake in a large well sprayed ramekin at 350 for 18-20 min. When cooled, top with 1T whipped cream cheese mixed with lemon juice and fresh blueberries.

WW Smart Points: 5 

Chocolate Raspberry

 1 banana, mashed

 1 scoop or packet of chocolate protein powder

1T cocoa powder

1/4t baking powder

splash of almond milk 

1 egg white

dribble of vanilla

1t mini chocolate chips

 

Bake in a large well sprayed ramekin for 20 min at 350. Let cool completely. Mix 1T whipped cream cheese with 1T sugar free raspberry preserves.

WW Smart Points: 4

Banana Chocolate Raspberry

  1 banana, mashed

 1 scoop or packet of banana protein powder

1/4t baking powder

splash of almond milk 

1 egg white

dribble of vanilla

2T Kodiak Cakes power mix

Topping:

3T nonfat vanilla greek yogurt  

2T cocoa powder

bit of almond milk

1T sugar free raspberry preserves

Bake in a muffin tin (makes 3 muffins) for 15-18 minutes at 350.  When cooled, top with chocolate topping and drizzle with melted preserves and a few extra banana slices.

WW Smart Points: 4

christmas!

Snippets from our Christmas morning!

Is it just me- or does it seem like each year the prep leading up to Christmas gets a little more intense and the whole month of December seems to go by faster and faster?...this is not okay. I'm still (the week after) listening to Christmas tunes. Shhhhh. It's fine.

My parents were able to be with us the week of Christmas! My Mom usually had at least one of the two grandbabies in her lap at any given time- and sometimes both of them!

 My Grammy came out as well, so we had a big family dinner with all the cousins living out here. These are just a few of her many, many great grandkids!

 The days filled up quickly with different things going on (and nights were dedicated to finishing our playroom surprise!) so we didn't get to make homemade gingerbread cookies as per usual, but the girls didn't mind one bit. Homemade or from a mix, they still rolled them out to death and decorated the snot out of 'em. (And we weren't tempted to eat any of them because of it- so maybe it was a win/win!)

Christmas morning, Olivia was the first to wake up (as usual). She ran down to my room and told me Santa brought her stocking (we put them in their bedrooms to entertain them for a bit before we have to roll out of bed!). I told her to go wake up Jillian so they could look at them, but she didn't want to- she just went back to her room for a bit and ate all the candy out of hers! A few minutes later Jillian woke up and they spent the next 30 minutes oooing and ahhing over the trinkets in their stockings before coming back down to get us.

Then we opened gifts. Olivia is still in the phase where she wants to get one out of the box and just start playing with that one instead of being bothered to open another one. And Charlotte is just happy to eat the wrapping paper! Jillian kept everyone on pace, however.

Christmas with kids is just five thousand times better, seeing the magic of it all through their eyes! It really is the most wonderful time of year.

sushi and santa

Every Christmas we go see Santa at Riverwoods (I always appreciate Santas with real beards). This is the first year since Jillian was a baby that it was actually a different person playing Santa. Fortunately she didn't notice! She was too busy having a full out panic attack. I always wonder if "this will be the year!" my kids aren't afraid of the big man in the red suit, but we're not there yet (note: Olivia's face). For some reason merely telling him the presents you'd like to receive as he hands you a candy cane is horrifying, but the thought of him creeping into your house in the middle of the night while you're sleeping to deliver said gifts is A-OK.*shrug

Jillian asked to be surprised (well, she asked me to ask him) and Olivia asked for Moana toys and a pink drum. Charlotte was thoroughly confused about it all.

This year we added to the tradition and went for sushi afterwards! Over the past year or so Jillian has come to love it and is actually pretty decent with chopsticks. Olivia? Not so much, but most sushi places have "noodles" so she's happy with that. 

 

Charlotte was just happy trying to grab at all the things on the table! I love that she's big enough to sit up on her own now- it makes grocery carts and high chairs much more applicable.

After sushi, we made room for treats from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory!

 It was freezing, but always is one of my favorite traditions! 

And maybe, just maybe, next year will be the year my kids aren't freaked out by a real-live Santa!

free 'together' print

Sometimes you just need to whip up a cute print for your wall and you want to share it! So, here ya go. :-)

8x10

For best results, print on white card stock.

 

halloween

One of the best times of the year, if you ask me! 

This year we strayed from the tradition of trick-or-treating with some of our good friends in their parents' neighborhood (which is basically Halloweentown), to see what our new neighborhood was like! The girls had fun going around our neighborhood and got a ridiculous amount of candy. Towards the end, Olivia was asking to go home and go to bed!

The week of Halloween we changed our minds about costumes like three times. Every year I tell myself I won't procrastinate on costumes...I'm not sure why I keep lying to myself like that. Procrastination is just part of my DNA. But we finally settled on super heroes. I was pretty proud of my "super tired" idea, complete with sleeping mask. ;-)

^The cutest little heroines I ever did see!

There were a few houses with legitimately freaky moving/talking things on their porch. Jillian walked up to this porch and that zombie doctor thing (in the right corner) started talking and moving its arm in a stabbing motion. Then she was all "nope" and ran away- if I would have snapped this picture two seconds later you would have seen the mortified look on her face!

Though, the thing she was scared of most (and still is...) was actually MY fault! The night before Halloween we had a spooky dinner with my siblings (complete with feet loaf!) and I decided it would be a good idea to put on the Thriller music video so we could dance to it. It had been years since I'd actually watched it--and oops--it's terrifying for little kids! I think Olivia has since forgotten it, but Jillian has been requesting classical music to play while she falls asleep so she doesn't think of the "scary werewolf with yellow eyes." 
Maybe when you're 12, kid.

olivia's room

Olivia's room started with a fresh coat of paint- one of my favorite colors of all time- Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams (also the color in our half bath and laundry room). It's such a perfect light blue/green.

When we moved in, we played musical beds- so Jillian got a new twin, Olivia got the toddler bed, and the crib went to Charlotte's room. What I love about this bed (from Ikea), is that it slides out to be adjustable! It is currently at its middle length, but expands to be a the length of a twin by extending the frame and adding two mattress inserts. Nifty, right?!

I wanted to keep a lot of the decor I used in the girls' shared room in our townhouse, so her room is pretty much a recycled version of their shared room in our townhouse (linked in the last post about this room here)!

The two brass himmeli hangers are from Etsy. They came with two living air plants, which I tossed out a few days ago because they dried up and died. Apparently air plants need to be watered? That's just way too much commitment for me at this phase of my life. I may end up sticking some faux succulents in there and calling it good. Or maybe I like them empty...I dunno. But air plants- BOO. I wanted them to thrive on just air and air alone. Like a runway model.

^Messy hair and no pants...usually the norm for her.

Color meets whimsy- just right for this vivacious little three year-old! (Who is both cracking me up and driving me to my last nerve these days...simultaneously. She's very talented.)

jillian's mermaid room

I was a thousand months pregnant when we moved into our house. 

Okay, well it felt like it. (In reality it was almost 8 months). However enormous I was feeling, Jillian's room was already lavender and I didn't have it in me to paint her room in addition to Olivia's. Reasonable, logical me (...is there even such a version of me?) would have just waited until after I had Charlotte and things settled down to worry about Jillian's room, but very pregnant, slightly neurotic me wanted both of the girls rooms to be finished before I had her. I think I just wanted something to be settled. 

That was a really long explanation for- her room was lavender when we moved in, and even though it wasn't my first choice we decided to keep it that way and just go with it.

:-D

But I really love how it came together!

 I found her cute mermaid bedding at Target, along with the rug and some of the wall decor. I should really own stock in Target at this point.

 (Sheets/ comforter/ pillow case/ rug/ mermaid doll pillow/ framed string art)

 

Jillian looooooves arts and crafts. She could sit at the table for literally hours with paper, scissors, and glue. The hanging wire used to hang her artwork is from Ikea. It's not uncommon for me to also walk in and find things pinned up like dresses, socks, or food wrappers...

You do you, Jillian.


 The cubicle organizer is also from Ikea and something we had in our previous house, because they're so darn functional! The baskets and purple pom curtains are also from Target.

See that brown-headed American girl doll? That one was actually mine when I was little! I love that they've made a come back. My mom, in all her wisdom, decided to hang on to it along with many of the accessories I had. Apparently you can get a pretty penny on eBay for the originals, but at the end of the day nostalgia won.

We have a book hoarding problem at our house. #elementaryteacherprobz 

I can refuse to buy toys all day long, but show me a cute picture book and I HAVE TO HAVE IT. Oh and it also won a Caldecott? I wonder what else this author wrote...oooohhh look! -Me. Every time.

I try to only keep out about 1/3 of our collection between the girls two rooms at any given time, otherwise it just gets too messy with all of them. 

These wall bookshelves were here when we moved in and they've been so great!

Now that it's finished, I actually don't mind the lavender at all! And more importantly, Jillian loves it!

mudroom before and after

My first official project in our new house, part one of the mudroom, is done! James thought it was a pretty big one to tackle right off the bat, especially with a 3 month old. Originally I planned to start redoing the laundry room, but after about a month of living here, I realized how little the mudroom space was actually functioning- I needed way more space to put crap!! So that turned into priority number one. And once I get an idea...well...you've all read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...

Here are some before shots:
 

 With only that bench space, things were constantly piled on top of each other and falling off!

 The laundry door also swung inward, which limited the space to move inside the laundry room. Even though moving it from an inward to outward swing, it makes a HUGE difference when you're trying to move laundry baskets around! 

Originally I planned to get a door built for the laundry room, because trying to find a old door close to the size of your door frame is a bit tricky! But getting a custom door built like this was going to run me $500. No thank you!

 I found that yellow door at one of the coolest vintage flea markets I've ever seen in my life- Treasures Antique Mall in Springville (and for $50!). It was actually a wooden screen door, but it was the exact kind of door I was looking for, so I knew I could make it work! We just had to trim off some of the bottom so it would fit in the door frame.

I used a citrus paint stripper to remove the layers of paint, and gave it a good sanding, then a couple of coats of White Dove (Benjamin Moore). I'm still undecided if I should paint the door frame (which is currently pure white) to match the door and ship lap surrounding it--what do you think?

The glass insert was ordered from Jones Paint and Glass in American Fork. I wanted to do a cool seeded glass or something, but the glass guy said he would recommend getting it tempered so it would be stronger, and all the cool glass doesn't come tempered. Wah-wah. But I'd rather have a functional, sturdy piece! (..most of the time..I'll live with it, is what I'm saying. ;-p ) 

Putting in the glass insert was a little annoying because the door opening wasn't perfectly rectangular, but the glass was! So we kept sliding it in and would see where I needed to sand off a little more to make it fit. Even without the silicone, that glass ain't goin' nowhere- it is THAT tight of a fit. 

Right now the door doesn't "click" close into anything, it just stays mostly shut. I'm still figuring out that part, because I do want it to have some type of catch.

The vinyl decal is from Etsy and the barn handle is from Amazon. 

 Now let's talk built-ins! One of our friends built this for us. We had him take out the tiles on the floor so it could sit flush on the bottom since we'll also be replacing the tile in here anyway (because that peachy color is just all kinds of wrong). You can see the 2" on the bottom left exposed there, but once we re-tile it will go flush up to the sides. I'm thinking large rectangular slate-like pieces. That will probably happen next year some time! 

Anyway, after testing several different stains and stain combos I couldn't find what I was looking for. I happened upon a picture on Instagram and knew instantly that it was the exact color I was after! It's called "weathered" by Old Barn Milk Paint. I used two coats then followed it up with two coats of satin polyurethane by Minwax.

 The larger hooks are from Target and the smaller ones are from Amazon. The baskets on the bottom are from Walmart. (And I just realized after looking at this picture, I forgot to caulk the seams at the top of the ship lap... so just pretend that's done ;-) amazing stuff, that caulk...

This space functions a million times better now! We have lots of space for bags and coats. I usually keep our big tote bag we take to church on the top shelf. In the winter it will also house a basket with hats and gloves, and in the summer- our pool bag!

And one of the biggest changes- I Joanna Gaines-ed the snot out of it and ship lapped the whole thing. It seems like an intimidating project, but it really isn't. This is actually faux ship lap- just pieces of plywood ripped into strips (as opposed to the real tongue and groove stuff). I dedicated most of a day to working on it, so I think I had the whole thing up in a few days time. There are plenty of tutorials out there on how to do this- just give it a quick Pinterest search!

I decided to do it on the wall outside of the mudroom too to kind of draw it out a little bit and make that wall more interesting. It definitely makes the whole mudroom so much brighter! I actually didn't want to nail anything into that particular wall, because I could hear water running down that wall, but nothing was coming up on my metal detector, so I knew there were some PVC pipes. To avoid hitting one, I ended up gluing all of the boards onto this wall. That did take a bit longer, but better that than a leak in my basement!

That open door is the half bath, which got a new coat of paint somewhere in this whole process (Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams, to match the laundry room). I'll share some pictures later when I've done a couple more things in there! 

The view from across the dining area..

 

Our dining table I refinished a couple of years ago (here) and the chairs are from Amazon.

(P.S. Major life hack- just about everything you see in stores, like these chairs, can also be found on Amazon. We have an Amazon credit card with 5% cash back that has been one of the greatest things ever- we've racked up a lot of free stuff because of it!) 

Our dining light fixture is from West Elm. It doesn't look like that exact one is available anymore, but they have some similar styles.

And since I'm in this space, might as well share my bar cart that I'm beyond obsessed with! (Also from...Amazon!)

It's actually gotten a lot of use over the few months that we've had it. Not like I needed to justify my purchase...I didn't. ;-)

My clock is from Hobby Lobby- and for $70...whaaa?! It comes brown, but I just unscrewed the numbers and slapped some white paint on there.

We'll have a hot cocoa bar for the next many months (because cold weather lasts forever here). I love these Torani drink syrups- something else we've gotten a ton of use out of! Our favorites for hot chocolate are toasted marshmallow, brown sugar cinnamon, and caramel. We have other flavors in our pantry too for sodas! We may have a slight drink addiction.

And as much as you'd think my kids would be all into this and constantly getting into it- they actually don't. I know- it surprises me too.

It was fun to do, but I'm glad this part is over!

So now that phase one is complete, I'm heading into the laundry room next.

I'll be removing the current sink and putting in a farmhouse style sink (that will likely by my Christmas present!), adding some open shelving, and then a subway tile back splash. And last but not least, we'll be redoing the tile flooring. 

Since I'm really ADD when it comes to house projects, I also have a few "in-between" projects planned along the way!