Tuesday 24 January 2012

Vacation Sewing Projects

I have been super excited the last few weeks since we booked our winter vacation.  We are so blessed to be able to get away for a while as a family.  I decided to go through the kids summer clothes to see what still fits from last summer.  Well, T is in a bit of trouble cause he does not have much that fits.  He is going to need stuff for the coming summer as well so I guess I will just have to do a bit of shopping on our vacation.  Woe is me ;)  L, on the other hand, has two pairs of shorts that we can make work and several t-shirts.  However, I am not going to fool myself into thinking that she is going to wear shorts and a shirt.  No way.  I am sure that the second we arrive in the warm weather she will be whining for a sundress.  I lucked out the other day at the new Carters/Oshkosh store and found cute sundresses for $7 so I picked two up.  Then I began thinking about the pile of material scraps I have in my laundry room and wondered if I could make anything for L out of them.  So I started looking online and came across the cutest wrap dress here and an adorable skirt here.  So, I pulled out the old sewing machine and spent a few afternoons making L two dresses and a skirt.  I taught myself to sew about two years ago so my knowledge is pretty limited. I have never sewn with a pattern nor have I ever sewn anything gathered so it was a learning experience.   Now L has a few new things to wear on our trip and I learnt some new things.  All in all, I am very happy with the outcome.

All the projects look pretty similar since I used the same fabric in all of them but since it was all left over from other projects it didn't cost me anything :)
This was my first attempt at the wrap dress.  I bought these fabrics almost two years ago to make a quilt for L's big girl bed.  The quilt never got made but I put the fabric to good use in several different projects.

This is my second attempt at the wrap dress.  The bottom material is from a Christmas dress I made L two years ago (my first sewing project) so it's a bit Christmasy but it's still cute :)

The thing I love about this skirt is that the top fabric is actually from some old pillowcases my parents had in the 70's :)

My crazy-haired model!

Thursday 19 January 2012

Shaking the Cabin Fever

Well, winter has finally arrived.  I was really hoping that we would keep our lovely mild winter but alas, this is Manitoba and it is January.  The hubster has been out of town most of this week for work so I've been alone with the kids and since it has been so cold, we have stayed indoors.  I have noticed over the last few weeks that the lack of fresh air and running may be having an effect on the kid's sleeping.  At the beginning of every summer I am always amazed at how well they sleep.  Between the fresh air, walks to the park, and playing in the backyard kiddie pool, by bedtime they are so exhausted that they sleep deeply until the next morning.  Then winter comes.  Last year at this exact time we started encountering sleeping problems with L.  Being cooped up indoors just doesn't exhaust her enough and she starts waking up during the night and early morning.  So today I decided to get a bit creative. 

My monthly addition of Thriving Family came in the mail today.  Inside they had an article called, "7 Cabin Fever Rescues".  I immediately opened it up and started to read.  Although most of the activities were for school aged kids (which was a little disappointing since it's those of us with kids under five that are stuck at home all day during winter) there were a few good ideas that I could use.  One of the ideas was to have a pool party.  The idea is to set up a kiddie pool in the middle of your kitchen and let the kids play.  My neat-freak side immediately perked up and said "no way" but then my practical side said "it's just water".  I am proud to say that my practical side won.  We don't have an inflatable pool so I just got a big bucket, some bubble bath, kitchen utensils, a few toys, and lots of towels.  I sent L to her room to change into her bathing suit while I set it up.  She did not know what was going on but she was ecstatic when she arrived in the kitchen to find that I was letting her play with water.  I should note that my kid LOVES water.  Whether it is in a cup, a sink, a bathtub, pool, or garden hose, if there is water, she will be entertained for hours.  This activity did end with water all over my kitchen floor, but it was worth it to see her have so much fun.  The best part was, when T woke up from his nap he was content to sit in his highchair and watch her. 

All in all, it was a fun afternoon trying something new.  I'm sure she will be asking for more tomorrow :)


Tuesday 17 January 2012

What Would I Tell My Pre-Baby Self?

I just watched a video that a friend of mine posted on Facebook.  It's on my page now, in case you are interested in watching it.  It's a youtube video called "Reflections on Motherhood".  Mom's were asked what they would tell themselves if they could go back to a few days before their first baby was born.  Pretty much every single thing written, I agreed with.  It got me to thinking, what would I tell myself? 

- Life as you know it will never be the same.

- Nothing will prepare you for this.  No book, no classes, not even your mommy friends.

- You have never really known what "love at first sight" is, but you are about to.

- You will cry.  Sometimes it will be for sleep, sometimes it will be for frustration, sometimes it will be for fear, sometimes it will be because you have no idea what to do.  Other times it will be out of joy, amazement, and blessing.  And other times it will be because you cannot find words to express how much you love that child.

- You will make mistakes.  Your child will be gracious.  Your spouse will be gracious.  God will be gracious.

- Your child will always be on your mind, no matter where you are, what you are doing, and who you are with.

- There are no words to express what it is like to look at a child who looks like you AND like your spouse.  Your child is the perfect combination of two people.

- From time to time you will feel like life is running in chaos and out of your control.  It is.  Just go with it.

- Time will go fast.  Much faster than you will want it to.  Cherish every middle of the night snuggle, because, as hard as it is to believe as you are sleep deprived, you will miss those.

- When you are up in the middle of the night with a screaming baby remember, there are other moms up with screaming babies too.  You are not alone, no matter how much you may feel like you are.  Pray for those other moms as you attempt to comfort your own baby.

- You and your spouse are allies not enemies.

- All fear, anxiety, frustration, fatigue, and failure will dissipate the minute you walk into that room and your baby looks straight into your eyes, smiles, and says "ma ma".

- Every expert has a different opinion.  Go with your gut.

- Once you get through a difficult phase, encourage other moms who are going through it right now.

- Relax.

- Enjoy.

- Smile.

Sunday 15 January 2012

When Bad Things Happen to Perfectly Good Sleepers

When L was first born she was very colicky.  And I mean when she was first born.   Our first night in the hospital she started to scream and it continued for about three and a half months.  The first week we were home from the hospital I got a total of five hours of sleep.  I won't get into details but it was pretty awful and involved a lot of anxiety and crying for all three of us.  Then, when she was around four months I put her in her crib after changing her diaper.  By the time I got back from washing my hands she was asleep, for the first time ever, by herself in her crib.  Hallelujah!  Ever since then, she has been a dream sleeper.  I would put her down for naps or bedtime, no matter where we were, and she would peacefully drift off to sleep.  Then she turned three.  Since then we have had some sleep issues on and off but they usually clear up within a week or two.  Well, it's been well over three weeks now of screaming at bedtime and hours of waking up in the middle of the night.  At first, she was telling us that she was afraid.  Swiper the Fox was to blame for that one.  Once we cleared it up that Swiper was imaginary, monsters were the new thing to be afraid of.  We have now overcome those monsters and it is simply, "I don't want to go to bed!"  She fights and she fights but once she gives in she is asleep in less than five minutes.  But, our girl, who for most of her life has slept 13-14 straight hours a night, now wakes up for up to three hours in the middle of the night.  It's really thoughtful of her to stagger her wake up time with her little brother, that way mommy can be up all night but only have one kid awake at a time.  Yes, that was very sarcastic.  I really do try to be loving and understanding but she is very stubborn and insists that she cannot sleep without ever trying to.  I am at a bit of a loss and just keep telling myself (like I've told so many other moms) that it is just a phase.  Well, phase or not, we all need some sleep around here.

Thursday 12 January 2012

Cute but Rough

I love having a little boy.  At first I was not so sure, but now I would not trade him for the world.  He is so much fun and OH BOY is he cute!  I just love those big puffy cheeks.  I have noticed over the last few months the remarkable difference between my two children.  Both of them were very active and pretty easy going for the most part as infants but I am noticing that T seems to be more adventurous.  L was an early walker and pretty fearless while T is more cautious but willing to take biggest risks after he has calculated them.  For example, L never ever tried to climb anything.  I was never concerned about finding her on top of things.  T is the opposite.  I find him on top of things that I dídn't even think he could climb.  He is also crazy strong.  I cannot believe how much force he has.  This brings me to the point of today's post.  T is a bit of a Mommy's boy (which I actually really love) so I find that he often crawls to me and wants to be picked up, just for a few seconds, and then he is good to go and play again.  It's really very sweet, except that I keep coming away from our little cuddles sessions with war wounds.  It's not that he means to be rough, but he sure is.  Either I'm getting headbutted, pinched, hit, or my hair pulled.  He does it all in the effort to cuddle in as close as possible but that doesn't make it hurt any less.  It's kind of like cuddling a porcupine.  He may want to be held and loved but no matter how you do it, you end up getting hurt. By the time T is a big boy and doesn't want mommy's cuddles anymore it probably won't matter since I will have been injured so many times I won't have any feeling in my upper body.  Just kidding ;)  Until then, I will keep giving him all the cuddles he wants and hope that eventually, with so much practice, he may get pretty good at it.

Seriously, isn't he cute!

Sunday 8 January 2012

Eyes in the Rearview Mirror

Over the last couple of years I have been lamenting my new wrinkles.  It feels like ever since I had kids I seem to be ageing at a much more rapid pace.  Perhaps it's the lack of sleep, poor diet consisting of coffee and half eaten grilled cheese, or the constant worry over how to get both kids to the grocery store, do my shopping and still get home for nap time.  Anyway you look at it, the wrinkles are adding up.  Yes, I know it's vain, but it still bothers me.

Then, last week, the strangest thing happened to me.  I was driving with my kids (on the way home from the grocery store) and I was looking in the rear view mirror at Lillian.  After seeing the silly face she wanted to show me, I caught a glimpse of my eyes in the mirror.  For a split second, I didn't think they were mine.  It's not that they were unrecognisable.  In fact, they were eyes I knew well.  They were my mom's.  Staring back at me in my rear view mirror were the eyes that I saw countless times as we drove in our family vehicle to church, sports practises, piano lessons, to school, home from school, long road trips, the grocery store, etc...  My mom spent hundreds of hours driving me all over the countryside allowing me to pursue my current interests, get me to school or church, or just to connect with my friends.  She gave up so much of her time just taking care of me.  Those eyes staring at me reminded me of the concern, sacrifice, encouragement, patience, and love that only a mother can provide.  Those eyes were staring at me in my rear view mirror and I realised that they were not my mom's eyes, they were mine and they were staring at my kids in the back seat.  My kids get to see in my eyes what I always saw in my mom's eyes.  Love, care, adoration, and pride.  And they get to see it because their mom had such a good mom.

Goodbye wrinkle cream.