Curtain Options for Corner Windows

Corner window

This is the asshole window via horrible cellphone photo.

I have a vampire aversions to the sun when I am sleeping and need some help with a problem. I am having what most would consider no big deal but to me it is on the verge of crisis.

Well, maybe not crisis, but I would like to find a solution to this ASAP. I need dark to sleep well. I need the sun to not be able to blind me and light up my room in the morning*. I used to be the person that literally pinned down the sides of my curtains so the sun couldn’t get through any crack.

My room was as dark as a vault and that is what I like. I’m pretty sure my then boyfriend, now husband thought I was weird. But over the years he has adapted and prefers the darkness too. But I haven’t had it dark in here since we moved in here and it is slowly driving me bat shit.

Every other window in the house we were able to hang curtains no problems except my bedroom. My room has a corner window making it angular and I can’t figure out how to hang drapes.

Thank god for the built-in blinds but they really only help battle morning sun and minimally at that since the sun rises on this side. I thought maybe we would hang the Ikea Dignitet wire hanging system with the corner support piece. We would have had  to attach the corner piece to the ceiling because of the way the blinds are.

I was excited by this solution until I realized that the ceiling was cement and the corner guide couldn’t be attached. When we tried to drill into the ceiling we ended up with small chunks of plaster breaking off which is not good in a rental so we stopped. Does anyone have any kind of creative solutions?

I am getting to the point where I want to just staple gun the curtains across the top of the blinds and call it a day. Which would be bad since we would damage the blinds and have to replace them when we moved.

 

*I can’t use a sleep mask because I find they make me breakout. Damn skin.

 

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The Rainbow After the Migraine

kids cleaning the kitchen together.

A rare team work photo. 

Last Tuesday I woke up with the beginning of a headache. You know that slight pulsating pain that runs up from your neck and radiates behind your ear that can get bad really fast. I’m positive it is a tension headache and one of the causes is because I am a jaw clincher.

My dentist gave me a mouth guard for sleeping during my late teens/early 20’s and it helped. Then I hit college where I spent an embarrassing amount of time partying and a mouth guard isn’t a priority as you are passing out so it became lost in the shuffle. It was expensive too, sorry mom and dad 🙁

Back to Tuesday though. It was an annoying pain but wasn’t terribly bad. I didn’t have any Tylenol or ibuprofen left so I just tried to up my water and drink caffeine since that sometimes helps me.

By that evening I thought it was going away. Nope. Wednesday morning I got out of bed with a wave of nausea, and a full-blown migraine. I couldn’t even walked standing up straight. So I went into Roo’s room hunched over and told her I had a migraine, was going to throw up, then going back and lay down.

She said “Don’t worry mom. Go back to bed”. So I threw up and went back to bed.*  The thing with my migraines is that they usually make me throw up for a minimum of half a day and this one was a doozy. Every 30 minutes for 12 hours straight which was tons of fun.

Roo was my champ that day and I am so thankful for her. She stepped up to the plate and took great care of Merle. She made them lunch and dinner, gave them snacks, dressed her, brushed her teeth, played with her, and got her ready for bed. They even did the dishes side by side.

There were several questionable things that I noticed when I got up like a bunch of damp towels scattered about. Plastics bags hanging off all the door knobs, and then I later discovered that one of them ate half of my Valentine’s chocolate. The perpetrator is still pending.

*For what it’s worth, our condo is only about 700 sq ft. My bedroom opens right out to the living room and when I lay in bed I can see directly through the living room into the girls bedroom. So although I was in bed most of the day I was no more than a sideways glance away.

 

What to Bring on the Plane – Kids Part 2

There is an updated version of this post that can be found here. Unfortunately when Polyvore shut down I lost the images to this post. I have since then learned to make my images in Photoshop as to avoid this issue. Sorry about the inconvenience.

This post continues from my last post What to Bring on the Plane – KidsIn part 1, I made a list of entertainment ideas of things that an older child (9 – teenager) who be interested to bring on an airplane.

Today is for a younger child. There is a slightly higher level of difficulty in entertainment for younger children since most of them have a short attention span. There is only so much you can bring to keep them occupied, especially things that don’t come with a million pieces or aren’t extremely noisy.

My suggestion is to bring some colouring items, a small game, and a tablet loaded with games and movies. This should help when the attention span starts to waver and you start to panic over pissing off the “children should not ride planes with regular society” people.

Don’t forget those headphones either. They are sanity savers from those annoying and repetitive game sounds. My other suggestion is to pack their favourite sleeping toy/stuffed animal in their carry-on bag.

You don’t want to risk its loss or any conniption fits if you stow it in any checked baggage you may have. I stated in part 1 that snacks are also a good idea for kids. Especially if you have any long layovers, but like I said before, some airlines do not allow you to bring snacks on board so always make sure to check with your airline carrier first. Listed below are the links and prices for the items pictured.

1. My Little Pony Big Girls’ Twilight Sparkle Hoodie • My Little Pony • $23.30
2. Skip Hop Zoo Pack Toddler Backpack • Skip Hop • $20.00 (various animal styles)
3. Badger in Vest • Little Circus • $38.00
4. Childs Sleep Mask • Amazon • $10.99
5. Crayola® Disney® “Frozen” Color & Sticker Book • Crayola • $6.99
6. Crayola 16 Ct. Crayons • Crayola • $2.79
7. Petit Collage Animal Jamboree Mix & Match Cards • $15.00
8. Apple® iPad Air 32GB – Silver/White (MF025LL/B) • Apple • $579.00
9. WESC Headphones Emerald • Wesc • $59.00 (various colours)
10. Skip Hop Zoo Kids Rolling Luggage – Ladybug • Skip Hop • $30.00 (various animals)
11. Skip Hop Owl Zoo Travel Blanket • Skip Hop • $20.00
12. Flight 001 Passport Cover • Flight 001 • $45.00 (various colours)

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What to bring on the plane – Kids

There is an updated version of this post that can be found here. Unfortunately when Polyvore shut down I lost the images to this post. I have since then learned to make my images in Photoshop as to avoid this issue. Sorry about the inconvenience.

Whenever we go out with the kids for any extended period we always seem to bring a lot of stuff with us. A lot of unnecessary stuff for entertainment purposes. Since the kids are six years apart this means that they have very different interests and needs which equals a lot of crap.

This is not so bad if we are in the car because we can just leave everything in there when we get out to go wherever we are going at that time. But in the case of air travel you have to be a little more picky and a lot more cut-throat with what you bring. No one wants to drag tons of bags with them.

What is even more fun is trying to carry bags while making sure that you have collected everything that your child/children have brought with them and decided to take out and scatter everywhere.

I love being that person that is holding up the line while trying to quickly grab everything that belongs to a wayward toddler/preschooler. All while trying to all keep the child from taking off on you. Please note the sarcasm there.

So I have put some thought into what we would need to bring with us for each child on an extended trip. This kids travel list is for my older child and is similar to what a teen would want to bring with them but at an appropriate age level. I picked things based on my daughters taste and favourite colours.

The travel blanket is more expensive than I would pay but it had the best picture for the collage that I could find. So please don’t think I would stuff a $300 blanket in her backpack 😉 In addition to this list I would add snacks, but some airlines do not allow you to bring snacks on board so always make sure to check with your airline carrier first. Links and prices are listed below.

1. My Little Pony Big Girls’ Twilight Sparkle Hoodie • My Little Pony • $24.00
2. Clouds Small Cotton Backpack • Cath Kidston • £48.00
3. Red Hood The Fox • $38.00
4. Flight 001 Passport Cover • Flight 001 • $45.00
5. Sofia Cashmere Cashmere Cable-Knit Travel Set • Sofia Cashmere • $300.00
6. Owl Raccoon Color Pencils • $8.95
7. Kate Spade New York Spiral Notebook • Kate Spade • $14.00
8. HAPPY PLUGS Earbuds • $24.99
9. Nikon J1 Camera with 10-30mm VR Lens • White • Best Buy • $396.95
10. Apple® iPad Air 32GB • Silver/White • Apple • $579.00
11. Delsey Helium Colours – 4-Wheel Carry-On Trolley • Delsey • $84.99
12. The Graveyard Book • Neil Gaiman • Amazon • $8.99

 

Carry-On Packing List for kids Part 1

There is an updated version of this post that can be found here for girls and here for boys. Unfortunately when Polyvore shut down I lost the images to this post. I have since then learned to make my images in Photoshop as to avoid this issue. Sorry about the inconvenience.

I’ve got pretty good at refining my own wardrobe and planning out outfits that allow me the most bang for my buck, but I seem to have had a harder time doing that with my kids.

There is just so many darn cute things out there. I need to pull in the reigns though, since it just seems so wasteful to me. There always seems to be items hanging in their closets that don’t get any wear at all. This makes it hard to pack since a lot of the pieces don’t seem to go together very well.

I was just thinking the other day of what I would pack for both kids if/when the chance arrives. If I left my 10-year-old to her own devices, she would end up with a bunch of clothes that weren’t weather appropriate, didn’t match,  and wouldn’t pack anything that would be suitable for dressier occasions.

I’m sure it would be jeans, t-shirts, and several pairs of converse. So I wanted to challenge myself and came cup with a good list based on similar items that she already owns.

A nice mixture of clothes that can be switched up and layered to provide her with a lot of outfit combinations. The base colour is blue which is her favourite colour, and I added grey, black, and white pieces to tie it all together.

Links to items are listed under the picture with prices and where to find them. Let me know in the comments below if there are any must have items that you pack for your kids when you take a trip. I’m going to work on my 4-year-old’s list next because hers is going to be a little harder to figure out. She always makes things just a little bit harder for me 😉

What to Wear on the Plane

Appaman Fedora – Grey-Large (5-7 Years) • Appaman • $22.40
Converse Chuck Taylor® High Top Sneaker • Converse • $31.95–49.95
Girls Cropped Marled Sweaters • Old Navy • C$16.50
Ralph Lauren Girls’ Aubrie Denim Leggings – Sizes 7-16 • Ralph Lauren • $39.50
H&M – Patterned Tube Scarf – Neon pink – Kids • H&M • $7.95
H&M – Blouse with Lace – Light blue – Kids • H&M • $17.95

Shoes

Hunter ‘Original’ Rain Boot  • Hunter • $75.00
Ballet Flats • Boden • $16.20–37.80
Leather Sandals • Boden • $54.00

Clothing and Undergarments

H&M – Jumpsuit • H&M • $10.00–17.95 (various colours)
H&M – Biker Jacket – Black – Kids • H&M • $29.95
H&M – Skinny Fit Jeans – Denim blue – Kids • H&M • $19.95
Appleby Denim Shorts • Fat Face • £16.00
Epic Threads Girls’ Crochet-Shoulder Dress • Bright Blue
GB Girls 7-16 Floral Lace Swing Dress • Turquoise • $39.00
Girls Clip-Dot Hi-Lo Sundresses Dark Blue • Old Navy • C$24.00
elSage Designs Kid’s New Bike Tee • $24.00
Little Remix Mélange T-shirt • Little Remix • $25.00
Breaking Waves Turquoise Leopard 1-pc. Swimsuit • jcpenney • $22.40
Nevada®/MD Girls Crew Neck Sparkle Sweater • C$9.94 (x2 Both Black and Gray)
Ribbed Tank • Crazy 8 • $2.09 (x2 Black and white)
H&M – 7-pack Socks – Gray – Kids • H&M • $12.95
H&M – Jersey Tube Scarf – Natural white – Kids • H&M • $6.95
FOREVER 21 girls Loose-Knit Beret (Kids) • Forever 21 • $3.00
Girls Patterned Bikini 7-Packs • Old Navy • C$15.50 (various patterns)
Joe Boxer® Fox Open 2 Pieces PJ Set • C$14.94
Trimfit Girls’ or Little Girls’ Glitter-Stripe Tights • $10.00
Crewneck cardigan Black • Gap • $13.99 – $25.99 (various colours)

My Favourite Things on Etsy -1

I’ve mentioned many times how much I love Etsy. It’s filled with amazing things that make original gifts, perfect pieces for your home. I can get lost on there for hours browsing through pages and pages. My favourites list is growing rapidly and I always refer to it when it is time to by a gift for someone. Every once and awhile I am going to post a few of my favourites things from Etsy. Todays list includes some decorative pieces and epic wineglasses. The links to each piece are provided below the picture. Leave me a comment with your favourites findings from Etsy too, maybe you can help me add to my wishlist!

EtsyFavesHome1. Senet Board Game – from buxaina
I am a history buff. Actually, I am probably more than that. History is one of my favourite things in this world and if time travel ever came to pass I would be first in line. I like to have pieces of history integrated in to my decor and this replica Senet game is from Ancient Egypt and one of the first documented games.

2. Pink Elephant Bookend – by ShopFierce27
Animals and bright colour, some of my favourite things. This book end would add some fun to a white bookshelf or desktop.

3. Sagittarius Pillow – by mybeardedpigeon
Mybeardedpigeon is one of my favourite stores on Etsy. They have amazingly beautiful pillows of which I have bought several. I want this Sagittarius one because both of my girls are born under that zodiac sign. I also want every single one of their map pillows….

4. Antler Rack – by NearAndDeer
This rack would look awesome on my wall to hold purses, hats and jewellery. I really like the gold finish but you can message them if you want alternate colours to what they offer. I might want this one on a nice sunny yellow.

5. Handpainted Wine Glasses – Set of 4 – Golden Girls – by LoveGoodThings
Golden Girls, need I say more. How epically cool would it be do drink your nightly wine out of a Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, or Sophia. These would be treasured that’s for sure.