Ransacked Goods

Back in the Sadle

Since my littlest one has been mobile for the last 3 months and now crawling, standing and cruising like a champ, my free time has gone out the window. It took me the longest time to figure out why I had no time for creativity - duh, mother of two? The days of a sleepy newborn are gone as she dabbles with toddlerhood and then there is my four-year-old burst with energy and fighting sleep at every corner.

So on the brink of my little Apple's first birthday I'm challenging myself to come up with the time and energy for some special sewing projects just for her. And while we might not be celebrating with the same fanfare we did with her older sister, I don't want her to be left out of the same special effort I gave the Chickpea. I keep reminding myself that are are only so many hours of the day and that I can make time for what is important. And some days the dishes, the clutter and a few missed phone calls can certainly wait.

More to follow, I hope!

Book: Cinderella Ate My Daughter

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture

Alright, just put this one in my queue at the library after reading an interview here with this local author. We don't play up the princess thing or the pink but let our nearly 4-year-old daughter choose her own interests. She's more interested in running around outside, playing doctor/ambulance driver/pilot, or tending to her flock of baby dolls. But pink fairies and the like are part of life for little girls regardless of what end of the parenting spectrum your on. I think my daughter at least feels like she should be into it because she sees other kids, but it's truthfully not striking a chord with her. Tonight she was telling me she's a t-shirt and pant kind of girl when I asked her if she wanted to wear a skirt to school. But the other day she told me "rockets aren't for girls" and I gasped a little and tried to turn it into a teaching moment. Can I wring the neck of whoever told her that -- wait a minute, that's society as a whole.... Where do kids pick up some of these ideas, what can you do besides empower them as much as possible at home? There's no way Hannah Montana is ever going to see the light of day in this house, that's for certain. But that doesn't mean my job is done.

I'd be interested if anyone else had read any good books on the topic, particularly one that aren't too alarmist.

Skirt Transformed

Sadly, maternity leave is coming to a close. I head back to work next week with mixed feelings. I'll miss being home every day with my little darlings, reading in bed, making soup, taking leisurely walks in the neighborhood chatting with friends. But I'll be gaining my sense of independence again, some quiet time to read on the bus and the confidence that I am providing for my family in a different way.

That said, I purged the closet hard, slash and burn. After 2 pregnancies let's just say I'm not headed back to the size 6 I was when we were married 7 years ago. And that's fine. I'm more forgiving and grateful of my body now that I used to be. It's good to be gentle with your self image, I'm feeling older and wiser these days. But there were a few pieces I didn't want to part with, I'm a pack rat at times. So I turned a few skirts and dresses into these drawstring bags. Sew them below the darts at the waist, trim off the waist excess, open the hem and pull a ribbon through, voila a nice bag for storing stuff (dress up clothes, travel laundry, toys...)

Maternity Leave

My maternity leave has officially begun and I'm a week in. It has taken a while to decompress and wind my way down into the transition much like going on a long vacation out of the country. It just takes time to settle into a groove and unplug your brain from another lifestyle. My body is grateful for the break but my brain is still having a hard time slowing down. All in good time. There is nothing like a newborn baby to change your pace to a near stop. My pre-baby  to-do list seems a mile long and growing but I do realize that it's all fairly unnecessary things that can always wait. I started knitting this blanket a few days ago as a way to force myself to quiet my brain and sit still. It's a lovely organic cotton I bought on a whim several months ago. Not like we really need another blanket in the house but that's not a reason not to make one.

I've been indulging in a few restaurants that have been on my must try list for far too long, like Bake Sale Betty and Ici. We are so lucky to have a pool of talented chefs who have worked at Chez Panssie opening up shop around here. Not to mention trying new found restaurants like Gather with friends.

 

Then of course there is sewing in between all of the house cleaning, organizing and prepping. I made this vinyl tablecloth from an Anna Maria Horner oilcloth, simply trimmed with some carrot bias tape. And while I originally bought it for easy clean up from kid art projects we use it all the time. We wondered why we didn't do something like this sooner to protect our table at meal time instead of messing around with place mats.

Big Girl Days

My daughter is only 2 1/2 but I just can't resist days when we're big girls together.We'll pack up for an adventure together, exploring new places. Some days we'll sit in a cafe and color with crayons sipping steamed milk and coffee or gather a pic-nic of some of our favorite foods to share on a blanket. She's a petite girlfriend of sorts. Of course I adore her but she's my little friend too, a confidant to share stories with, a companion in life and a person to admire. She is shaping me more than I could ever imagine. No doubt there are days when she bugs me and days when I can't get enough of her but our journey is still new and there is so much to learn and experience - for that I'm grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and all that your grateful for. Enjoy!

One Tough Rain Filled Morning

What to do when we're being hit with the worst storm we've seen in about 7 months? What to do when your curious and sleep deprived toddler has been up since 5:00am with said storm? Head to the post office in the pouring rain to submit passport documents and deal with government bureaucracy? Uh, yeah, not such a good idea - although when are we not faced with chores and obligations that don't coincide with things we can't control. So my little California Chickpea was terrified of the rain and refusing to wear her rain boots and rain jacket. Which left us with changing wet pants not once but twice and quite a few tears. Again, what to do to make that smile reappear? Pull over, slog in through the wetness and stop for brunch together.

With our tummies refueled and laughter regained we headed home to find better ways to spend our energy. Like calling public works to have the giant fallen tree branch removed from the top of some poor guy's dented car in front of our house. Or clearing the leaves that  dammed up the storm drain in front of our elderly neighbor's house. I wish I had a picture of the wet Chickpea watching me do that under her little "ubunda". Back inside our warm house we made time for coloring and stamping in between watching all the "fix-it men" out front cleaning up the carnage. I'll bet their morning sucked more than mine.

Today was just a reminder that Fall is here and that means being prepaired for rainy day activities to keep us all happy. So my plan is to stock up on some ideas from Kids Craft Weekly for next time. Any other suggestions for thing you love to do when going out is not an option?

That's My Stuff

In anticipation of starting preschool this week I bought the Chickpea some name stickers from Label Daddy. Man these things are brilliant, I don't know why I didn't get them earlier. You can stick them on clothes, water bottles, shoes and they'll make it through the laundry and dishwasher unscathed. They have customizable little combo packs in different sizes and colors, what fun.

I can handle loosing a ratty old t-shirt or some tupperware but I'll get a little annoyed if the expensive SIGG water bottle (which is the same as 4 other kids at the playground) goes missing. Kid stuff is an investment, so hopefully we'll cut our losses and hold on to it. 

Mommy Day

I love you in too many ways to count Little One.