08.30.07
Forced into crafting
I am by no stretch of the imagination a crafty person. I admire those who are, and would like to be crafty, but I’m usually too impatient for the final outcome to actually take the time to do things properly. Instead, I end up cutting corners and then never being completely satisfied with the final product.
Case in point: when I was pregnant with Big Sister, had the sudden urge one afternoon to make a baby blanket. I stopped at the fabric store on the way home from work and picked up assorted flannels. I couldn’t find any blues that I liked, but there were a number of pink fabrics so I got those (it’s a good thing Big Sister didn’t end up being Big Brother). Anyway, I rushed home and began measuring, cutting and sewing. By the time Daddy Coole got home from work, my interest in the project was already waning, so it ended up being a doll-sized blanket. It’s actually quite nice, and we did tuck it around Big Sister in her car seat a couple of times, but now it’s used strictly for dolls.
Yesterday while playing with her dolls, Big Sister decided she needed me to make her a bigger version of the blanket. For not being a crafty person, I’ve certainly got all the right tools and supplies (thanks in large part to my mom’s old hand-me-down sewing machine and fabrics left from a few of my big ideas that never came to fruition). My fabric box doesn’t have enough scraps for the size I’d like to make, so we’ve raided Grandma’s stash of flannels and chenilles, and will likely start working on the quilt tomorrow.
I must try to be patient with this, no matter how long it takes because, once again, I’ve got big plans. This time they might actually even become a reality, if for no other reason than to see how much Big Sister will love it once it’s finished.
08.28.07
Good night, sleep tight
Big Sister was a light sleeper when she was a baby, so Daddy Coole and I would almost never check on her after we’d put her to bed for fear of waking her. One night, just before she turned a year old, we snuck into her room and watched her sleep for a few minutes. She was splayed across her crib mattress, breathing deeply and contentedly as only a baby can do. Daddy Coole and I smiled at each other as we whispered above her, wondering at this perfect little beauty sleeping under our adoring gazes. I remember my heart just swelling with wonder and pride in those few moments, knowing that we had created this little life, and I would do anything and everything for this child.
I still get the same feeling when I check on the girls before I go to bed. I do it nightly now, no longer worried if I might waked them; most of the time they sleep through it, but if they do happen to wake up, it means some bonus cuddles for the two of us. My heart breaks that Daddy Coole isn’t here to experience any of these wonderful moments that he cherished so, but it only leaves me more determined to make life great for our precious girls.
08.27.07
More Back to School goodness
Well, the weather here seems to have officially decided it’s fall, which I suppose is as good a way as any to get into the mood for getting ready to get back to school and gearing up for some back to school shopping this week.
Now that September’s pretty much upon us, we have all sorts of scheduled activities and appointments filling up our calendar… one of my favourite ways to keep organized is with my brand-spankin’ new momAgenda mini (running from August-August, great for moms with kids in school). I always love the newness of a breaking open a new planner for the first time before my life has taken over it’s pages… somewhat akin to opening your textbooks in September for the very first time. Already, my pages are filling up and I love the layout and extra features in the momAgenda – it’s almost as though they designed it just for me!
Here’s your chance to score one of your very own. Alyssa over at Life from my Laptop is giving away a momAgenda Daily Planner & Kitchen Folio. Head on over for your chance to win this great prize pack!
08.26.07
Back to School Shopping Guide
Those ever-fabulous fashion mavens over at Cool Mom Picks have done it again, this time compiling a great list of stylin’ Back to School goodies (or Off to School as it may be for some) for the young set. Be sure to check it out for the scoop on the latest and greatest clothes, accessories, supplies and fab finds for mom. And to top it all off, they’ve arranged for some great discounts on said stuff. Now that’s so cool, I declare it Coole.
08.25.07
Missing Daddy
In those lost few minutes before sleep takes hold as you lay in bed, Daddy Coole used to mindlessly twirl a lock of my hair around his finger. I think for him it was both comfortable and intimate. For me, it was really more of an irritant than anything – I like my space when I’m falling asleep. For the most part, I would let him do it, but there were a few times (when I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to curl up and drift off) that I rolled over while he was still twirling away. I think it surprised him when I did that, and I don’t think he ever knew it wasn’t something I was all that in to.
I’ll tell you, though, since he died, there is very little that I wouldn’t give to have him here with me, twirling my hair for hours on end.
Tidy Tray = Easy Clean-up
I love anything that’s multi-funcational, and this Tidy Tray from Lee Valley is no exception. Originally intended for gardening purposes, I’ve discovered it actually suits our craft time wonderfully. From painting to play-doh to moon sand activities and anything else even mildly messy, it keeps the chaos completely self-contained, in turn making clean-up much easier and quicker, in turn making Mama a much happier camper.
Now, if you leave your kids and their crafts unsupervised and the older one leaves a soaking wet painting hanging over the edge of the tray dripping onto your upholstered kitchen chairs, that’s a whole other story. But who in their right mind would have upholstered kitchen chairs when they’ve got young kids around, right?
08.24.07
The birds and the bees – and cats and dogs?
Yesterday Big Sister was asking about how babies are made. She knew that mommies and daddies made babies, and in her mind they put blood and bones together and build a baby. So I broke it down as much as I could for her 3-1/2 year old mind, taking about how mommies have eggs, daddies have sperm and they join up and start to grow a little baby.
So now she has a new idea of how babies are made, and apparently how everything else is made as well. This morning, she had decided that Baby was laying an egg and it was going to be a new kitty or puppy for them. Out of the mouths of babes… and back to the drawing board for me.
