Tuesday Topics-8 Goals For the Month

I know I'm a little late (like always...) to the party, but I thought this Tuesday Topics blog series looked like fun and would encourage me to write about things I wouldn't normally think of.

Since I'm late, I missed the first two Tuesday Topics in the list.  This week's Tuesday Topic is "Eight Goals for This Month."

1. Stick to my weight loss goals.

2. Write 2 more patterns for Little Owl Patterns and get them sent out for testing.

3. Finish at least a couple of those poor lonely blog posts that have been sitting in draft form for too long.

4. Print off the preschool pack for the kiddos to do this summer and do at least 2 other things from our Summer Bucket list.

5. Stick with the Flylady cleaning routine to keep my house under control and get out of C.H.A.O.S. (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)

6. Purge at least 5 areas on this list.

7. Make myself a skirt and another shirt.

8. Earn another five $5 Amazon gift cards on Swagbucks.  It would be really helpful to have an iPad for my business so I'm saving up my Amazon gift cards to buy one.

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Basic Bib Pattern-New Release

Introducing the Basic Bib Pattern! 

Except it's not really a basic bib pattern.  It's a bib pattern with 4 (count 'em, FOUR) different options to choose from, plus it can be reversible.

 

 
It has directions for a velcro closure, but you could also switch it up and use snaps if you wanted.  The pattern pieces include a one piece design and a pieced design (as shown in the first picture) to make it extra fun. 

It can be made in infant or toddler sizes and provides plenty of coverage for your messy little one.

The PDF pattern can be purchased here.


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Random Monday-June 3, 2013

A first for me last week...I got pulled over.  I was taking my little sister home at 10 pm after she'd helped me catch up on laundry.  We live at the top of a very long steep hill and as I neared the bottom, I saw a police car starting up the hill towards me.  I hit the brakes and checked my speed...10 miles over the speed limit.  Oh, shoot.  Then I saw the cop pull over to the side of the road and start turning around as he flipped his lights on.  Oh, shoot! Oh, shoot!!!  My little sister started laughing at me as I was freaking out.  I pulled over and was informed that not only was I going over the speed limit, but I also had a headlight out.  The policeman checked my record, saw that it was clean and gave me a verbal warning.   

I took Little Man to the doctor last week to recheck his heart murmur.  It was concluded that we'll continue to keep an eye on it, but that he should outgrow it in the next few years.  He also was referred to a pediatric orthopedic specialist for his feet because he's very pigeon toed.  Because his appointment was in a city 45 minutes away from where we live, I left the girls with my sister-in-law for the day so I could get some shopping done after Little Man's appointment.  My mom came along, which Little Man was pretty happy about.  I was excited to spend the day with my little guy since we don't get to do that often.  However, by the time we were done with his appointment, it was obvious that he wasn't feeling well.  We went to eat after finishing at the doctor's and a few minutes into the meal, he announced that he was tired and wanted to sleep so my mom helped him lay down on her lap and he fell asleep within seconds.  Being the good mom that I am, I decided to get some of my shopping done anyways while my mom stayed out in the van with Little Man.  He rallied mid-afternoon and they came in to find me in Target.  After checking out, I took him to the bathroom.  Like many 3 year olds, he belted a song out at the top of his lungs while in the bathroom.  His song of choice?  A Sunday School song that goes like this: "Running over, running over. My cup is full and running over."  Perfect bathroom song, right?

On that same note, my kids were singing the hymn "Victory in Jesus" together the other day.  It was unbelievably cute until they got to the line that goes, "He plunged me to victory."  Princess and Little Man interpreted it as "He punched me and kicked me."  Oh. my. word.  Kids, it is not a violent song!!           

I've been trying to lose the baby weight for a while now, but because I'm not accountable to anyone, but myself, it just isn't working.  Which is why I'm sharing my steps to losing the baby weight here, on my blog.  I'll be doing updates on the Random Monday posts.  My plan is to make small changes to my life that will add up and help me lose the weight.

Change #1: Make 1/2 cup of a chai latte instead of a whole one.  This will still satisfy my craving for a chai latte in the morning while cutting down on the calories.

Change #2: Limit myself to 1 can of pop a week.

Change #3: Drink more water!!  I'm not usually a big fan of water, but I am going to make an effort to choose water over something else when I'm thirsty.

Change #4: Exercise 4-5 days a week, using the exercise plan from Back On Pointe.  I'll also be adding some exercises that target the abs (my main issue)

Change #5: Eat just a little bit less of everything.  That means that when I dish my supper up, I'll take a little bit less than I normally would.  If I eat something that's preportioned, I won't finish it (yes, Mom, I know that's wasteful, but I would rather have food go to waste than to my waist!)  I also will be using smaller plates which helps portion control.

My stats as of June 3rd:
Weight: 158 pounds
Waist: 39"

My goal weight: 135 pounds


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Kathleen Circle Skirt-New Release

Introducing the Kathleen Circle Skirt Pattern!    

Little girls can't resist twirling when they're wearing this skirt.  Put a pettiskirt underneath it for extra fullness.

 The skirt can be made with your choice of 4 panels or 6 panels.

Because of the panels, it can easily be embroidered or appliqued.

Several different options for hemming the skirt are included in the tutorial section of the pattern.  

The skirt is a quick and easy sew and the difficulty rating is Confident Beginner.   

The tutorial includes 10 pages of detailed instructions complete with pictures and the pattern pieces are nested for easy printing.

The Kathleen Circle Skirt Pattern can be purchased here.

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2013 Summer Bucket List

Last summer was probably the most boring summer ever for the kids.  I was very pregnant, and it was the hottest summer on record in about 50 years.  I made a point not to leave the house or even get off the couch somedays.  There were no fun trips, no getting the blow-up pool out, no going for walks.  The most exciting thing I did was give them an ice cream pail full of water to play with on the porch.  This summer, I'm not pregnant and the baby is old enough to get in on some of the fun so I'm determined to make this summer a fun experience for me and the kidlets.

So, without further ado, I give you...our summer bucket list!  *applause, applause*

• Visit the zoo-Done!

• Set up the inflatable swimming pool-this is a feat in itself because the electric pump I bought brand-new last year works about as well as blowing the thing up by hand, er, mouth.

• Take the kids to each of the four playgrounds in town.

• Visit the local Farmer's Market.

• Catch fireflies-Done!

• Take a walk on the bike trail while Princess rides her bike.

• Visit the park in the next town over-it is seriously the coolest park ever.

• Bake cookies to give to a friend.

• Put shaving cream on the plastic slide and let the kids go crazy in their swim suits.

• Make root beer floats.

• Get a big cardboard box to play in.

• Make "hugs" to send to relatives who don't live nearby.

Source: tonsoffunpreschoolactivities.blogspot.com via Hannah on Pinterest

• Make crayon art

Source: Uploaded by user via Hannah on Pinterest

• Work through this Noah's Ark preschool pack with Little Man and Princess.

Source: 123homeschool4me.com via Hannah on Pinterest

I also have a list of goals for myself this summer.
My summer goals:

• Purge!

• Write at least 10 new patterns.

• Teach Princess my phone number and our address.

• Exercise regularly.  I've been too scared to do much exercise because I'd heard that it would make a diastasis worse and I was pretty sure I had one.  I checked and...no diastasis!  Which means no excuses! 

• Make myself at least 3 shirts and 2 skirts.  I have the Seafarer Top pattern from Sew Much Ado and the Amy Chevron Maxi Skirt pattern from Greenstyle Creations.

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Purging

After spending 2 hours this afternoon coaching, threatening, and yelling at the kids to clean up their toys, I've decided I'm done.

I'm done with little random toys all over my house from one end to the other.  I'm done with trying to find space for all the toys.  I'm done with spending an hour and a half every week organizing toys.

That's right, I watermarked that mess.  Just so everyone would be clear that it belongs to me.  Because that's important.  *Sarcasm implied* 

It's time to purge.  Be afraid, little toys.  Be very afraid.

This weekend, I am going to send the kidlets off to play with cousins or relatives of some sort (I haven't decided who to beg bribe threaten nicely ask yet) so I can spend the day purging toys to give to Goodwill.  If it isn't educational, imaginative, or doesn't go with a set of toys the kids love, it's gone.  No more worrying about offending a well-meaning relative when they come to visit and that push-the-buttons-and-watch-me-light-up toy is gone.  I don't care anymore.  I cleaned off a shelf in my bedroom closet which will be used to store about half of the remaining toys.  And, FYI...that shelf isn't as big as you think it is...

But wait, why stop there?  If I'm going to purge the toys, why not keep going?  I decided to make a plan and of course, that requires that I blog about it.  Amiright?  So here is my official purge list:

Kids' coats and winter gear-No child needs 4 winter coats and 18 pairs of mittens.  It seems that the more mittens they have, the more they lose them.  The ones I do keep will have yarn sewn to each mitten to connect the pair so it threads between the sleeves of the coat.  Presto! No more lost mittens.

Hubby's farm gloves-seriously...three drawers stuffed full of ratty old gloves that he hasn't touched since we got married?  No.  Just no.

Dishes-There are dishes in my kitchen that I have never used.

Blankets-I swear they multiply when I'm not looking!

Bathtub toys and kids' towels-They play with the same 2 toys every time they get in the bathtub and I wash towels often enough that the bottom half of the stack hasn't been touched in over a year.  

My clothes-I'm hoping/planning/working on losing weight so I have a lot of clothes in limbo.  Seriously though, if I don't love it, it's gone.  IF I lose enough weight to fit back into the clothes I wore before getting pregnant with Princess, I will buy myself new ones.

Kids' clothes-They do not need 20 shirts apiece.  I do have a washing machine, and I wash their clothes weekly.  10 shirts is the maximum they need.  The same goes for pants.

Kids' shoes-Going on the same theme as the clothes, they simply don't need 12 pairs of shoes apiece.

Books and movies-I'm having a hard time fitting them all on their shelves so it's definitely time for a purge there as well.  Most of them, I can get at the local library so I don't need my own copy.

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My Favorite Place to Buy Fabric

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.  I was not asked to review fabric.com and all opinions are my own. 

I live 45 minutes away from the closest fabric store so I order most of my fabric online.  My favorite site to order fabric from is fabric.com.




I love the selection and prices, and the free shipping for orders over $35 is an awesome deal!  Plus, I am usually able to find a coupon code online which knocks another 10-15% off my order.

So what can you find at fabric.com?  Well, for starters, there's quilting cotton, fashion fabric, knits, sewing notions, laminated fabric, ruffle fabric, patterns (including some free downloads!), yarn, and so much more.

You can also earn frequent shopper points for each of your orders which can be redeemed for coupons.  For 300 points, you get a coupon worth $5, for 500 points, you get a coupon worth $10, 950 points equal $25 and 1500 points equal $50.  Let's just say that I've gotten a lot of free product that way...

One time, I ordered the wrong fabric by mistake and was pretty bummed about the money I'd just wasted on fabric I'd never use.  I emailed fabric.com to see if there was anything they could do and they sent me a shipping label to send it right back, no questions asked.  

So what are you waiting for?  Head over to fabric.com and browse their awesome collection! 




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Little Man - 3 Years Old!

Age: 3 years

Weight and height: 29 pounds and 37" tall.  He's in the 20% percentile for weight and the 36% percentile for height. 

Wearing: Size 3 clothes. 

Likes: Playing tractors, anything that has to do with music or instruments (especially stringed instruments), singing at the top of his lungs, farming with Daddy, playing with his sisters.  He's somewhat of a Mama's Boy, but not in a bad way (or at least I don't think so, lol).  If I've been gone for a while, even if it wasn't very long, he'll come running to give me a hug when I get back and repeatedly exclaim, "Mama!!!  I missed you!"
 
Dislikes: Being told no.  His tantrums have gotten better in the last year, but there are still usually several screaming fits a day.  He also hates naps.

This was my favorite picture from his portrait session

 
Sleeping habits: He needs an afternoon nap at least several times a week, but doesn't always take one.  He can fight sleep like no other!  Lately, he's been putting his pillow and blanket on the floor in his room and sleeping there.
 
Milestones/Accomplishments: His language skills are really good.  He knows all his colors and most of his shapes.  This summer, we'll be working on recognizing letters and numbers.  I am also thrilled to say that sometime after he turned 2, he finally started eating!!  

Other: He still has a heart murmur, but our family doctor isn't concerned about it and thinks he will outgrow it as he gets older.  He is very pigeon toed and will often trip over his own feet, especially when he runs.  He'll see a pediatrician soon to see if we need to do anything to correct that. 

Here are Little Man's birthday questions for the first time this year!

Q: How old are you?
A: 3 (holds up 4 fingers)

Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Orange. I like a orange.
*Orange has been his favorite color since he was less than 2 years old.

Q: What is your favorite toy to play with?
A: A tractor.

Q: What's your favorite fruit?
A: 'Nacks (as in fruit snacks) and apples

Q: What's your favorite vegetable?
A: pickles
*I googled it-pickles count as a vegetable!

Q: What's your favorite tv show?
A: Barney
*He's actually completely obsessed with The Fresh Beat Band and Bob the Builder right now.

Q: What's your favorite thing to eat for lunch?
A: Chicken

Q: What is your favorite thing to wear?
A: A shirt and socks
*No pants?  Really?

Q: What's your favorite game?
A: A dinosaur one on the 'puner (computer)

Q: What's your favorite snack?
A: Dinner
*Hahahahaha!!  What can I say? The kid loves to eat!

Q: What's your favorite animal?
A: Brown Bear 
*That would be Brown Bear from the Eric Carle book.

Q: What's your favorite song to sing?
A: Jesus Loves Me This I know
*I recorded him singing it and set it as my ringtone.  Too cute!

Q: What's your favorite book?
A: Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Q: What's your favorite thing to drink?
A: Water
*Yup, he really does love water.

Q: What do you like to sleep with at night?
A: My Brown Bear (the book) and my pillow and my John 'Neere blankies and my elephant blankie.

Q: What's your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
A: Dinner
*Again?!?! 

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Be a farmer with Daddy

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Random Monday-May 27, 2013

Happy Memorial Day to you all!  Hubby and I watched the annual Memorial Day concert on PBS last night.  I really enjoyed it although it made me miss my Grandpa Herb.  He served in WWII  and was an Air Force Engineer who built airships behind enemy lines.  He was also a nose gunner in a B-52 which was very dangerous since so many of them were shot down.  Unfortunately, he didn't tell us much about his time in the war, but we do know that he was a POW in the Santo Tomas Prison in the Philipines, which was known for its inhumane conditions, and that he liberated some missionaries imprisoned there.  Grandpa Herb passed away November 15th, 2003 and we all miss him very much.

 

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Being 22

I read this blog post over at Tiny Blue Lines about Taylor Swift's song "22" and it got me thinking.

When I was 22, I was married and having my first baby.  I was paying bills, cooking, cleaning, working, and overall, behaving like a mature responsible adult.   

Here's what Taylor Swift and a lot of other people in their early 20's are doing. 



I don't know...it kind of strikes me as sad.  For them, life seems to be all about having fun and partying.  It's not about growing up and becoming an adult because being an adult is boring.  Maybe it's just me, but making life all about having fun and all about yourself seems shallow and empty.   

Life takes on meaning and fulfillment when the focus is off of Numero Uno and on someone else.  That someone else can be a spouse, child, or even a complete stranger who you demonstrate an act of kindness or charity towards.  The point is to put someone else's needs before your own.  

I've seen marriages fail because of this.  People are so focused on "what's good for ME" and "how can I make ME happy", that they don't put their spouse's needs first.  A good marriage is one in which each person puts the other person first.  This extends into being a parent.  As a parent, you'll put your child's needs before your own even if it's to your own detriment.  I know a lot of parents today who don't do that, and it's so harmful to the children.

So where is this self-centered, "life is all about having fun" attitude coming from?  It's simple.  A lot of it comes from us, the parents.  Many parents I know make keeping their child happy their main goal as parents.  Kids are not given many responsibilities and are handed things they want instead of being made to earn them.  Parents are too focused on the here-and-now of parenting instead of focusing on the long-term goal which is turning children into functioning, mature, responsible adults.  Think about how a behavior or attitude in your child translates into adulthood.  For example, you're busy writing your latest blog post (or maybe that's just me? haha) and your 3-year-old son starts throwing a tantrum because he wants a snack.  You drop everything (don't drop the computer though! That won't end well.) and jump up to get him a snack.  How does this translate into adult behavior?  For starters, you just taught your son that if he wants something, he'll get it and he'll get it immediately.  Instant gratification is a huge problem with children and young adults today and, among other things, leads to unsatisfaction in life and debt problems.  You also taught him that his needs (ahem, wants) should come first which leads me back to the paragraph above this one about marriage.              

I checked this book out from the library and am about halfway through it already.  It's very insightful about the problem with the newest generation of kids which the author has coined "Generation iY"  and outlines how to deal with the problem, starting with your own kids.  If you have kids or are planning to have kids, this book is a must read as it really deals with the issues facing kids today.
  

    

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