The Train To Crazy

The essentials for your newborn

I have quite a few friends who are pregnant right now with their first baby.  Very, very exciting!  Considering I am parenting a baby again I've been thinking about what STUFF is essential and what stuff is nice to have.  Of course, there is a long list of "don't waste your time on this" kinda stuff too. 

Must Haves 

A baby bouncer/rocker.  This Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker is my favorite. For reasons I won't explain right now, we have 3 different baby bouncy seats and this is by far my favorite.  It reclines for newborns, vibrates if they like that, and becomes a seat for when they have better head control.  Bonus is that it can hold up to 35 lbs. so my older girls still love sitting in it.  It is important to have a safe place to lay baby down when you are say, in the shower, or cooking dinner. I found ours at a consignment store, gently used, for $15.

A carseat.  I've had a Graco Snugride and a Combi and I MUCH prefer the Graco. What you need to look for in any carseat, besides safety, is how easy the buckles are to adjust, if they get twisted, how easy it is to install, etc.  **UPDATED** The Chicco Keyfit 30 seems to be the most popular/safe car seat on the market these days. I wish we still had the Graco but sadly we don't.  I can't wait to move her out of it and into her Britax. As a convertible carseat I can only recommend the Britax Marathon or Roundabout.  We have 3 and love them.  Love them.  We had a Graco toddler carseat and hated it. Hated it. Don't buy a carseat used, if you can help it.  You don't know for sure if it has been in an accident. 

Swaddle Blankets.  Don't buy these if you can help it.  The kind you buy (labeled "receiving blankets") are usually too small to be effective past the first week.  Get yourself a 1.25 yard of flannel fabric.  A 44" square piece is what you need to work perfectly.  You can probably buy expensive swaddle blankets that are this size too. I would recommend 4 or 5 of these (at the least).  I wash mine every few days.

A baby thermometer.  Get the rectal kind.  They are most accurate.  Make sure it is a quick one.  You don't need to be waiting around 30 seconds to get a reading! Nobody is going to like that!  

A wrap/sling.  Not everyone will say this is a must have but I do.  Do your research, talk to friends.  Don't just buy the cheapest (or the most expensive).  For young babies I recommend a Moby Wrap.  For older babies and toddlers I recommend the Ergo.  I've also heard great things about Mei Tais and other structured carriers. A Baby Bjorn has its usefulness as well. I regularly use several different carriers for different needs.  

Burp Rags/Cloths.  I use prefold cloth diapers for this and prefer these to homemade ones.  If you are going to make one, make sure it has at least 4 layers of flannel.  I have a few that are 2 layers of flannel and with a spitty baby they soak through immediately.  I'd recommend getting 10-12 of these.  I thought this was an outrageous amount with my first two but with Maggie we go through them every couple days.

Onesies.  Plain white are fine.  I'd get a couple 6 packs.

Sleepers.  You know, the kind with feet.  Get cotton, no buttons or anything fancy because you won't want that at 2 a.m.  Get 6 to 10. You may go through 4 or 5 in one day, you might go through 1 a day.  Every day is different.

That's it.  These are the essentials.  There are a lot of other things that would be great to have.  Remember, all babies are different.  I'd say this is what all babies would need. I'll have another installment for things I really like having but aren't absolutely bare bones necessary.

What was essential for you when you had a newborn? 

Other related posts:

Not Quite Essentials for Newborns  

Essentials for Breastfeeding

The moving saga...

As many of you know, we are in the process of moving.  Moving from here to there, from near to far (I read way to many children's books).  We've been attempting to get the house ready to show.  It is amazing how much stuff we have to put away!  We've been selling a lot on Craigslist and taking loads to Goodwill.  We are trying to get rid of some toys but that has been a bit of a struggle with Naomi.  Our toy situation is a whole post in itself.  

We've met with a couple realtors about selling our house.  They've each done a market analysis and tell us our house will sell for a lot less than we bought it for. Depressing!!  It is really unfortunate but we are glad Arthur has a job and quite frankly, aren't that sad to get out of the real estate market right now.  Who knows how much lower it will continue to go.  Since our house has possibly depreciated 20+% in the last year it is conceivable it will keep going lower.  And, on the bright side, that money wasn't in the stock market like the rest of our retirement money...

I've been attempting to make progress daily on organizing the house and it is a s.l.o.w. process. So, if things are a little slow around this blog in the weeks to come, you'll know why!  We hope to have this place on the market in the next week or two and then keep us in your prayers that it sells for a decent price!  We will definitely miss this place since it is essentially our dream home (in an undreamy location).  I'm sure the place we live next will have charm of its own but the best thing about this house is how CONVENIENTLY laid out it is.  O.K. done with the depressing stuff.  I'm moving on.

So cute but useless...

You've seen them all over the blog world.  Cork boards covered in cute fabric... well I made some to spruce up our spare room/sewing area because we are getting ready to sell our house.  Now, can someone please tell me how to hang them up?  I attached the sticky things that come with them but they fell off shortly.  I'd show you a picture but what good is a picture of a blank wall!

Toddler and Preschooler Sleep Wisdom: Consistency

As a a mom that has been through most of the sleep problems you can imagine, here is a little bit more of the knowledge I've earned...  That's right, earned.  I'm just a mom who has been on this journey of parenthood and encountered some bumps to work though, has read nearly every book on sleep, and is by all means, not perfect.

***Keep in mind that I am talking about toddlers and preschoolers here, not infants and babies. ***  

Figuring out how to problem solve a nighttime sleep issue starts with CONSISTENCY. Like it or not, children thrive on consistency.  So, step 1 in creating healthy sleep for your child is to set up a bedtime and special nighttime ritual to take place every night before bed.  Staying up late can happen here and there but for the most part, this should be the daily routine.  I am also a HUGE advocate of the early bedtime.  Not only is this good for your kids, but it is good for your marriage as well.  

This is how we break down our BEDTIME ROUTINE.

1. Give a 10 minute heads up that bedtime is coming.  We often set the timer so they have a real idea what 10 minutes means and they can watch it count down. This also helps with kids who argue about bedtime.  The buzzer seems to be a higher authority than parents around here.  This also happens at about the same time every night.  

2. Bedtime hygiene, whatever that looks like at your house.  

3. Pajama time

4. Everyone climbs onto one bed for story time.  We usually read just one story before bed. 

5. All possible "needs" and excuses for leaving the bed are headed off by making sure everyone has a little water on the night stand, chapstick in their drawer and all the bedtime friends they need with them.  

6. Nightlight on and lights out.  We say "I love you, good night" and leave.  No negotiating about anything.  No giving in to changing sleep locations. We've learned that if you give in once they'll try for twice and if you give in twice you are doomed to have the debate every night and debates around here include screaming (Daphne) or sad tears (Naomi). 

Once those precious little ones have been put down for bed there are any number of issues that can arise.  The FIRST possible problem is the resistant child.  You know, the one who screams and holds you hostage?  This one is painful but simple. Give a very short explanation about why your little hostage taker must stay in bed and let them know you are not going to be sticking around because it is time for sleep.  Say "I love you" and give kisses then "goodnight" and leave.  Let the screaming commence and it will, eventually, stop.  During Daphne's height of bedtime terror she lasted quite some time doing this but take heart!  It will eventually stop and soon the day will come when it won't even start. Why was she doing it?  Because we were in a pretty huge power struggle that started with us getting off the routine and allowing her to chose where she wanted to sleep. 

The SECOND problem that may arise is the child that seems to have an eject button on their bed.  You have one of those in your house?  There are a few reasons this eject button may be pushed.

1. Child actually isn't tired.

2. There is something super exciting going on in the rest of the house that needs to be checked out (like cleaning or something equally as exciting.)

3. Someone is testing the limits.

4. There is a fear of some sort.

The first time your little space traveler jumps out of bed and wanders into outer space I'd recommend asking how you can help.  This is the point you listen to concerns or fears and attempt to problem solve.  This may look like this;

Wrangler: How can I help you?

Space Traveler: Ummm, ummm (thinking).  I need X.

Wrangler: You already have/had X.  Time to go to bed. (lead space traveler back to bed and re-tuck.

OR it could go like this;

Wrangler: How can I help you?

Space Traveler: Something is wrong in my room.

Wrangler: Can you show me what is wrong?

Space Traveler: (Tears)

Wrangler: It sounds like you are sad or scared.  Can you tell me about it? (this can, of course be a tool of manipulation but it might also be something real so be sure to explore the feelings there).

Space Traveler: You can see it when you lay over here

... O.K., you get the point, right?  Don't just assume it is all about defiance.  

We allow our girls to read in bed if they can't sleep.  Sometimes a long nap may cause difficulty falling asleep at the regular bedtime so this is very useful. We don't allow getting up and playing with toys.

If your child is scared of monsters, or something like monsters, think about getting yourself some monster spray.  If it is a lighting issue, get a good night light.  Be a problem solver, be creative.

If your space traveler is scared about nightmares to come, have a discussion about what kind of good dreams they'd like to have and say a prayer.  We've had great success with this.  Thanks for the suggestion Kelly!

I know some people recommend turning on music so kids that have a hard time falling asleep are comforted.  I'm not a huge fan of this but if it works for you, go for it.  I would suggest that if you do use music, use instrumental music on a timer. 

The second time your space traveler gets out of bed I recommend leading him back to bed, saying goodnight, then leave.

Third time just put him back in bed.  Fourth, ditto, etc.  Even if it takes 100 times, the next night will be better, I've been there.

How does bedtime go down in your house?  Anything special you do?  What kinds of problems have you had and how have you handled them? 

Hats off to Single Mothers and Military Wives

I just competed a few weeks of being husbandless and let me tell you, I don't know how those of you who do this on an every day basis stay sane!  O.K. it honestly got much better once Daphne stopped going through her raging twos and settled down but it still was very tiring!  My friend, Liz, has her husband home on R & R right now from Iraq.  Since he has been in the military for the past 4ish years she has been alone with the kids more often than not and I am surprised she is sane.  Hats off to you Liz! 

The crazy truth is, it wasn't all that bad.  I REALLY missed my husband and it drove me nuts at the end of the day not to get a little break or to just hang out on the couch chatting about nothing.  He hates when I say this, but the house has been cleaner.  I'm not sure exactly WHY this is but I have my suspicions.  It might have to do with me being up more hours in the day.  Arthur thinks I just cleaned more.  I'm not as convinced.  At any rate, I am ecstatic to have my husband home again and hope we don't have to be separated anytime soon.

All of your toddler and preschooler sleep questions answered

I know you are all dying to hear how Daphne is sleeping.  O.K., maybe not, but there are people out there googling about two year olds having sleep problems and coming to my blog for wisdom so I figure I should impart some of what I have recently learned about sleep.  

First the facts.  

I have a three year old and a two year old who have both had more than their fair share of sleeping issues including (but not limited to!);

• nightmares
• night terrors
• sleep walking
• power struggles going to bed
• pacifier attachment
• waking up screaming
• waking too early
• difficulty transitioning out of the crib
• unwillingness to get out of bed unless mom or dad comes (seriously, I'm not complaining but it gets old)
• wanting to sleep with someone
• being afraid of being alone (which is a bit different than the previous problem) 
• Waking up multiple times a night, having difficulty falling back asleep 

I am not an expert by any means but I have been through a lot and learned a lot.  I think I'll tackle each of these issues in chunks.  I would LOVE to hear from those of you who have been through some sleep issues as well.  The more wisdom, the better! 

In the rest of this series I'll talk about some of the basics of sleep as well as each of the specific circumstances I mentioned above and how we navigated our way through them.  If you have any wisdom to add to this discussion please leave comments or feel free to email me and I'll include you as a guest!  And I know many of you are very wise on this topic because you've already emailed me some pretty wise things to help me through my two year old problem.  By the way, Daphne is now sleeping in her own bed, in the same room as her sister, going down without an argument, staying in bed, only waking once a night, and most importantly not screaming! Everyone clap because it wasn't easy!

Roar like a lion

We love to sing and dance around these parts.  We've got a big stack of CDs that we rotate through regularly.  Daphne is even getting into making up her own songs, you know sophisticated two year old songs.  Her most recent would be titled "poop on the floor" and had such a catchy tune that I found myself singing it all day. Seriously, catchy.

We also have this Wee Sing and Pretend CD which I think is pretty great.  It is music with prompts for different things to act out.  We crawl around like lions and elephants and race around like cars.  Definitely worth it for the kids and don't forget to join in.  Let out that inner tiger.

What music do you like to play and dance to?

"It made me cry"

No, I'm not talking about the inauguration, though I did start crying (happens a lot these days).  We had pizza for dinner last night.  Naomi does not like sauce on her pizza.  When we make it we don't put sauce on her portion.  When we buy it we just hold our breath and hope she eats.  This was take out.  Thankfully the sauce didn't show through on this pizza.  She asked me about 4 times if it was cheese bread or pizza.  She's three and knows the difference so I attempted not to lie and said something to the affect that it was pizza with cheese and toppings... she didn't buy it but started eating it anyway.  As she got closer to the crust she noticed a bunch of sauce.  She started crying and screaming, "there's sauce, OH NO, there is sauce!"  She spit out the piece in her mouth and continued screaming.  Being the good mom I am, I didn't point out that the whole piece had sauce and she had been eating it and liked it...  Instead I told her she didn't have to eat the rest of the pizza since there is sauce and gave her a new piece.  She looked up at me with her big eyes and soft voice and said, "it made me cry."  She ate the second piece, until she got close to the sauce at the crust...

Where do you buy your fabric?

I've had quite a few people ask me lately where I buy my fabric for the clothes I make my girls.  Here is my short list.

JoAnn- There is one in nearly ever town.  Convenient, has sales and I get coupons in the mail.  The down side is there is a pretty small selection of apparel fabric.  They also don't sell most of the designer quilting fabrics.  Lots of quilting and crafting fabrics and tons of home decor fabrics though.  Of course, you can use quilting fabric for clothing.  In the fall and winter they also have a decent selection of corduroy that I like.  I just went yesterday and they had some cute summer fabrics... I picked up a few...

Here are a few of my favorite online resources, though I rarely buy online.

Etsy- There are TONS of women selling fabric on Etsy.  Check out Fresh Squeezed Fabrics.

Sew Mama Sew- This is a great site and I especially love their blog.

Purl Soho- Lots of fun stuff here as well.

Where Do You Put Your Money?

So now that you've found 50 ways to give, lets talk about where to give money. When money is tight and you can't give to all the charities you'd like, how do you chose? I think it is important to think in terms of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

First thing is first.  We must have our physical needs met.  This means give to programs that provide food to the starving, clean water, shelter to sleep, etc.

Followed closely behind this we must have our safety and health needs met.  This means health care, jobs, etc.

I'd like to add spiritual needs.  Place it where you may but I believe it is supremely important, like breathing.

The next question is, do you decide who is in need of food MORE?  Is it less important to give to the food bank in the United States than in a third world country like Haiti?  Wow, this is difficult.  Do you think of your donations in these terms?  You do have to ration.  How do you decide?  And what about the neighbor's soccer team needing money for uniforms and the Girl Scouts selling cookies?  Are those worth our money?

Flat Front Pants Tutorial

This one is so exciting!  I can barely contain myself.  I made these pants in, wait for it... an hour!!  Can you believe it?  I found this basic tutorial and decided to try it and came up with my own improvements.  It is easy to convert this tutorial into a fully elastic waist pant.  See the comments in steps 9 and 10. 

What you'll need:

• A pair of pants that fits well (to make the pattern)
• Pattern paper, large tissue paper or a roll of wrapping paper 
• A pen
• Fabric scissors (and scissors to cut the paper as well)
• 3/4" elastic for waistband.  I prefer the no roll kind.
• Fabric & thread to match.  Feel free to reuse fabric from old garments, just make sure you have enough.

Making the pattern:

1.  Roll out your wrapping paper and turn your pants inside out.  Put your pants on it like so...

Notice this is the front of the pant sticking out.  See how I expose the crotch and leg seems on the left side?  Trace along the pants on the left.  Mark the top and bottom but remember you'll have to add to the pattern later to accommodate seems.

2.  Now pick the pants up and adjust the pants so that the backside of the pant is exposed, like so... Make sure the bottom of the legs are even with where the bottom of the legs were on the previous markings.  The waist will most likely be uneven, that is fine.  Most pants have a lower rise in front than in back to accommodate for the booty.

Trace along the right side of the pant and then pick the pants up.  

3.  Add an inch and a half to the top of the pattern and about an inch to the bottom.  Cut the pattern out.  It will look something like this.

Great!  You have the hardest part done.  Don't worry if it looks a little off.  It won't be symmetrical.

4.  Lay out your fabric.  It is important to make sure it has been washed and preferably ironed.  Pin the pattern to the fabric and cut it out.  Make two pieces. (one for each leg)

5.  Put pieces right sides together (that means the "pretty side" or the "finished side" together).  Pin around the edges of the crotch portion.  Sew both sides of the crotch together.  Do not sew down the legs yet!  You can finish the seems by using pinking sheers.

6.  Turn the pants like so...

Then pin the inside seems of the legs and sew them up!  Finish the seem with the pinking sheers.

7.  Make the elastic casing at the top of the pants by folding down the top 1/4", iron, then fold down another 7/8" and iron.  I usually don't measure I just eyeball it. 

8. This is not a necessary step but I find it to be very helpful!  Make a tag so you know which is the back and which is the front.  This helps kids figure it out on their own as well.  I cut a 1" piece of ribbon, fold it in half and pin it like so... (make sure it is in the back!)  You'll know the back because there should be more fabric in the back.

9.  Now figure out how wide the wearer of the new pants is.  These pants were for my daughter and her waist is 20".  I didn't have her here to measure so I guessed she was 8" wide, good guess.  Lay the pants out so you can see the front.  In this case, I put my tape measure at the waist so I could evenly measure 4" on each side of the middle seam.  Then I put a pin in each end.  **If you want an all elastic waistband, skip this step.

10.  Now, sew 1/8" from the bottom of the fold to make the elastic casing.  Leave the entire 8" opening in front open.  Measure your elastic and cut it.  I figured that my daughter's waist is 20", subtracted the 8" in front and came up with 12" of elastic.  In order to make the waistband snug, I subtracted a half inch and cut 11.5" of elastic. Using a safety pin, thread the elastic around the pant. Sew the elastic on one end where one of your safety pins was, making sure to secure the elastic in place well.  Then sew the other end of the elastic in place where the other safety pin was, securing it well. **For an all elastic waistband, leave only a 2" opening in the casing, thread elastic through, sew ends of the elastic together and then sew the casing closed.

11.  Finish sewing the casing closed.  There will be no elastic in the front of the pants.  The waist should look like this when you turn the pants right side out.

12.  Hem the bottom of the pants the desired length.  To hem, fold and iron the bottom 1/4" then fold and iron another 1/4" or whatever size desired to make the correct length of pant.  Sew the seem.  You are done!

Pants!

Please give me feedback! 

UPDATE: I'll keep this tutorial on this blog but from now on all my tutorials will be on my creative blog, hatch.

Play with your veggies

Fabulous

Sister Love

Family Fun

We got a Wii Fit a few months back.  The girls really love it.  They are super cute trying to do some of the games.

A Big Heart

Here is Daphne reading her "Bible" to Maggie.  She loves her so much.

3 Months!!

I can't believe Maggie is already 3 months old.  Want to meet her?

Her likes;

Long walks, holding hands, snuggly blankets, fingers (preferably her own), singing and being sung to, stories, sisters!, laying on her back, and being held!  

Dislikes;

um, not much.  really.  Oh, doesn't like the "hug hold."  She isn't into cuddling.

Milestones:

She has an incredibly strong neck, always has.  She rolled over once at 13 days and then started rolling frequently at 5 weeks.  She smiles all the time and I have even heard a couple little giggles.  She is a total delight.  Can't wait to get to know her.

Sensory Tub: Shaving Cream

Feel like trying something that may not capture their attention for hours but there are multiple educational opportunities?  First I put the shaving cream in the tub and spread it around evenly and then we worked on tracing letters.  You know, I make a capital "B" and the girls attempt to trace it and Daphne starts crying because the shaving cream is sticking to her hands...  I've never worked with THAT much shaving cream before and it is REALLY annoying how much it sticks.  After we got Daphne calmed down she started enjoying the messiness.

After tracing letters we did a bit of a lesson about color mixing.  Using food coloring we made piles of yellow, red and blue and then mixed them up.  Naomi loved this and I was a bit surprised because she isn't much of a get your hands dirty kind of girl.  I'd give this exercise a B.  Clean up wasn't so bad.  Better than rice all over the floor!

Interested in other sensory tub activities? We've used straws, packing peanuts, suds n' TP, rice, screw on caps, beans and mashed potatoes.

I regret to inform you...

...that I spoke too soon. Too soon. Too soon.  Two nights was not enough I guess to start cheering. 

We've eaten well

These were good.  Too good.  I ate way too many of them.  This was my plate and trust me, I went back for seconds.

The girls made these (you might be able to tell that without me saying so).  Peanut butter cookies are fun to make the fork marks on.

Progress!

Thank you so much for everyone's thoughtful responses to my dilemma with D's sleep resistance.  You will all be happy to know that we have crossed back to the other side!  She still likes her blanket just so when she goes to bed and complains a little but stays in bed.  OR, if she doesn't, she gets her little buns back in bed when Mom says to and THEN she stays in bed.  Progress people, progress.  She has been waking up once a night but I go in and tuck her in and leave again.  Much better.  This I can live with, for now.

As an added bonus, she is much more obedient during the daytime too!  Woohoo!  She has her moment, of course.  She is two after all.  Here she was yesterday before nap.  I wouldn't put toothpaste on her toothbrush.  Mean mama.

In other temporary single mother news, the house is staying clean.  Isn't that amazing?  Well, it may not amaze you but it amazes me.  I thought I'd pat myself on the back for a moment there.

Are you having any progress in your neck of the woods?

Trials.

No progress.  Daphne's sleep issues, which we've established aren't really sleep issues, are continuing to plague our house.  Of course, this is an issue of Daphne wanting attention, control, however you want to express it.

Last night we followed the plan and did a bit of battle.  Bedtime routine went down as usual.  Jammies, teeth brushed, toilet used, chapstick on (yes, this is part of the routine) and books read.  We added our discussion about what kinds of good dreams they'd like.  To which Naomi replied, "I'll dream of good ants."  Poor girl, I wonder if she remembers any good dreams.  So we talked about all the good things she could dream about. Then we said our prayers.

Daphne was tucked into her bed in the room the girls share.  She insisted on the correct way of putting on her blanket.  I obliged and told her I wouldn't be back to fix them when they moved.  It was only a minute later when she began to scream about her blanket not being on right.   Screaming went on for quite some time, maybe an hour.  Then her tactics changed.  Daphne got up.  She came into the hall as if packed for a trip.  She had her dog, her elephant and her blanket.  She put on her sweetest little voice (which is a definite calculated effort for my loud child) and asked to sleep in my bed.  This began what Supernanny would describe as the "stay in bed technique."  I went up and down the stairs transporting her back to bed.  That went on for a while.  Finally she decided to stay in bed and just whine and talk.  After two and a half hours she fell asleep.  Ahhh. 

She slept 7 hours and then woke up, ready to battle.  Screamed for 45 minutes in bed (somehow Naomi slept through this) and then started the getting up and getting put back in bed thing, over and over and over again. Finally at 7 a.m. I called it quits and told her she could stay up.

Nap rolled around and after nearly two hours of the battle I gave up and she didn't nap.  Tonight she is back in the crib.  I'm done with this.  As I write this she just fell asleep on the couch.  AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Trial and Error

Well, I have gotten tons of advice about this sleep issue.  Thank you for all the comments and emails!  More is definitely welcome because it is FAR from solved.  Tonight we are trying some new things.

A. Both girls will be in their own beds (in the same room).

B. We'll discuss dreams before bed and talk about what kinds of good dreams they'd like to have and then we'll say a prayer for good dreams.  Great idea Kelly!

We'll do our usual bedtime routine and put THE blanket on properly and then let her get it back in place when she moves half an inch and it destroys her zen (which is pretty much what we've been doing).  

I'll let you know how it goes.

Aren't they cute?

The girls posing on Grandma's couch in their new matching dresses.

At the End of Wit

I need help!  I've got two year old problems.  My lovely, darling, little Daphne has, quite frankly, gone crazy.  She's been walking on the other side of compliant for a few months now but yesterday she scared me.  If she wasn't my child I certainly... well, anyway...

Here is the back story.  Daphne has been sleeping all night since she was five months old.  Occasionally she'd wake up at night but only when she wasn't feeling well.  Enter Maggie, one lovely baby sister.  Daphne suddenly needed nighttime companionship.  Being the sensitive parents we are, we complied with that need of hers because adjusting to having a new baby in the house is hard for a new big sister.  Now we are stuck.  We got to a point when she was waking up too much and thus her father wasn't getting enough sleep.  As a parallel story, her older sister, was also having sleep issues and needed sleep companionship.  Arthur and the girls played musical beds for a few weeks.  So, here we are, the father not getting enough sleep.  Change must occur. 

We moved Daphne to our spare room bed and things seemed to perk up.  She liked the change from the crib.  Didn't seem to mind sleeping on her own, for a few days.  Then came the "sleep with me" mantra she would begin to chant at night.  Over and over, each time becoming sadder and harder to refuse.  Tired Father, also being loving father has difficult time hearing these cries and complies.  Tired Mother does not agree with Tired Father's methods but says nothing.  UNTIL, the "sleep with me" chant begins to invade nap time.  Tired Mother allows Emotionally Deprived child to chant all through nap time because Tired Mother cannot actually sleep with Emotionally Deprived child and take care of Baby Sister.  Upon arrival at home that evening, Tired Father hears what Tired Mother thinks of the situation. 

Tired Mother and Father collude to end the "sleep with me" chant with minimal success.  There are moments of greatness and regression.  After much battle, Emotionally Deprived child comes up with a new mantra.  "I need my blanket on my tummy."  Emotionally Deprived child loves her blanket.  No, she is IN love with her blanket.  The tummy/blanket thing was not new.  The chanting/screaming was.  Multiple times a night.  Tired father or tired mother would reenter room to fix said blanket and upon arrival hear in an ever so sweet and sad voice, "sleep with me."  

Back to the current events.  Yesterday the blanket obsession escalated from what was "I need my blanket on my cheeks" (which had been the mantra for a few days), to "I need my blanket on my face."  Tired Mother attempted to comply so that nap time could commence.  Unfortunately, Emotionally Deprived child was apparently not entirely, shall we say, sane.  Emotionally Deprived child writhed and screamed and sweated like a pig with fleece clothing and a warm minky quilt on her head.  Emotionally Deprived child was so wet she had the appearance of having bathed in her clothes.  Tired Mother could make no sense of Emotionally Deprived child's words, nor would she stop flailing and screaming to allow Tired Mother to understand what she wanted.  This went on for nearly 30 minutes.

Tired mother pulled out all the tricks with no luck.  No distraction, hugging, attempting to fix blanket, nothing would work.  There was no other option but to call All Knowing Grandma.  Emotionally Deprived child stopped screaming and flailing immediately and came out from under said blanket with a smile to talk with All Knowing Grandma.  All Knowing Grandma talked about the weather and other small talk.  Then All Knowing Grandma got Emotionally Deprived child to agree that her blanket shouldn't be on her face, but rather on her neck and said blanket doesn't have to be perfect.  Ahhhhh.... thanks All Knowing Grandma.  Nap occurs. 

Bedtime.  "I want my blanket on my neck!!" Tired Mother calls Out of Town Father for backup.  Out of Town Father calms Emotionally Deprived child immediately.  10 minutes later Tired Mother hears, "I want my blanket on my neck!"  All manor of screaming and flailing under said blanket commences and Tired Mother is reminded of how tired she really is.  Things happen, events occur, and Emotionally Deprived child has ONLY 5 night wakings with blanket issues.  Tired Mother is tired and really needs help here.  Parallel story has continued like this; Older Sister continues to have nightmares and comes in to wake Tired Mother nightly and often ends up sleeping with Tired Mother because she is too scared to return to the scene of the crime.  Tired mother is "at the end of wit."  On a lighter note, Baby Sister slept until 6 a.m. this morning!!!

Here are the non-negotiables

1.  Tired Father will be Out of Town Father for another one to two weeks.

2.  Tired Mother needs more sleep.

3.  Emotionally Deprived child cannot sleep in Tired Mother's bed.  

Now, advise me of what to do!!  

The ultimate list of ways your kids can give to others

Here it is folks. The LIST. Much of this was generated from all of you lovely people that gave me ideas for my 25 Days of Giving I did for Advent with my girls. Hopefully this will be useful to you as well.

1. Put together a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child
2. Put money in a Salvation Army bell ringer’s bucket
3. Adopt a family through your local mission or shelter
4. Bake cookies for friends, neighbors, family & teachers
5. Tidy up the neighborhood
6. Make and send cards to family/friends telling them what they like about them
7. Do something kind for someone secretly
8. Shower family members with kind words
9. Place spare change in the missionary jar (at church)
10. Give food to local food bank- take it there themselves
11. Send handmade cards to the military
12. Visit a nursing or retirement home
13. Visit a local animal shelter and play with the animals
14. Donate food to a local animal shelter
15. Collect scarves and hats for the homeless
16. Make cards or drawings and give them to people in retirement homes
17. Let them pick out a new toy for Toys For Tots or similar program
18. Save their change and donate to a cause
19. Release a book somewhere that someone might want one. Leave a sticky note inside saying it is for whoever finds it.
20. Help a neighbor with a chore they need done.
21. Bake cookies and share them with the recipient.
22. Pick out a pair of shoes for "Soles for Soles"
23. Hot Cocoa/ lemonade stand to raise money for a cause
24. Volunteer at your church
25. Stay late in their classroom or nursery to help clean.
26. Choosing water at the fast food restaurant and giving the money saved for a cause.
27. Have a "pick up trash" day where you look for litter everywhere you go.
28. Do a story time at a local mission/shelter.
29. Sell something to raise money for a cause.
30. Buy a needy family a Christmas tree.
31. Draw little pictures and write notes- leave them around town for people to find.
32. Make craft kits to take to the children's hospital.
33. Visit elderly members from church.
34. Bring home baked cookies to Fire Fighters, NICU nurses, Police Officers on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
35. Make sandwiches and pass them out to homeless people.
36. Buy gift cards and put them under someone’s windshield wipers.
37. Hand out flowers to strangers- bus station, senior center, etc.
38. Have a car wash to raise money for a cause or wash cars for free.
39. Make cookies and have a bake sale to raise money for a cause.
40. Write notes to teachers or caregivers about what makes them special.
41. Befriend someone they don't normally talk to.
42. Bring hats to the hospital for children that have lost their hair.
43 Let them pick out an outfit from their closet to donate to a charity that gives clothes to needy children.
44. Sign up to sponsor a child through World Vision that has your child's birth date. Help them write letters.
45. Check with your local mission or shelter to find out what needs they have. Buy blankets or socks, etc. with your kids and deliver them to the shelter.
46. Have your kids help prepare a meal for a new mom or someone who is sick.
47. Mow an elderly neighbor's lawn.
48. Donate new crayons to the children's hospital.
49. Help your child organize a sponsorship drive for World Vision, Compassion International or other child sponsorship program.
50. Ask for canned food for the food bank in lieu of gifts at a birthday party.

Anything I left off? Help me expand the list!

Please feel free to use this list but give credit where credit is due! Thanks!

This is how we do it

Grandma has a doll house. When we stay there the girls like to wake up and start playing as soon as they can. Like Daphne's hair?

Here is the mom and dad and baby going for a drive.

Maggie has to just hang out and watch. Soon enough Maggie, soon enough.

Sewing: The Useful Stuff

Nicki over at Domestic Cents is hosting a series on the "Almost Lost Domestic Arts." This Wednesday she is discussing sewing. Head on over there and check it out. I got my first sewing machine for Christmas 5 years ago. I had grown up knowing some basic sewing skills. My mom is a sewer, though she says she isn't a sewer she is a "quilter." (I am hating the spelling of the word "sewer" now as I write it...) I wouldn't really consider myself a sewer either. I try. I make lots of things but I'm no expert. I mostly make clothes for my girls and other useful things (not that quilts aren't useful...). I should say I mostly make skirts, pants and dresses for my girls. I've only made one shirt and never made a jacket but I'd like to someday, like many other things. SOMEDAY! It's not like having a two month old, a two year old and a three year old keep me busy... For now I just look at my ever growing list of things I wish to make.

If you are a total beginner, or even if you know enough to make a few things, I would totally recommend the Sew Everything Workshop book to you. It covers everything from how to select a sewing machine to fit your needs to explaining different types of fabrics to teaching you how to actually sew and use patterns. It also includes bunch of great patterns. If you don't have a sewing machine yet, get the book first! I'd also recommend buying your machine at a sewing machine store because they'll show you how to use it!

I know patterns scare a lot of people but once you figure out some of the basics they aren't that scary. I have made a few things with patterns but I tend to gravitate toward a more "tutorial" style of sewing. You know, give me the dimensions and the directions. Don't make me pin a pattern onto fabric. Unfortunately, this does limit what you can make. Learning to use patterns is very useful. Another very useful skill is learning to craft your own patterns. Sew What! Skirts is a great book about how to make your own patterns to fit you perfectly. I highly recommend picking this book up if you want to make skirts for any age or size. Skip the store bought patterns and learn to make them exactly to fit you. You can also check out my easy skirt tutorials here, here, here and here. I intend to create a tutorial for this one soon as well.

There are tons of popular sewing books out there. I have a few of them. If you are interested in sewing knit fabrics check out Sew U Homestretch.

Here are some posts and tutorials that have inspired me;

Altering kid's clothes to make them more fun

Sewing your own crib set

An easy little library tote tutorial

Sock monkey tutorial

Bean bag chair

Nursing cover

Zippered top lunch bags

Want to make your own diapers? I have this pattern. There are tons of free patterns available though. I've never tried them but you can look here or here.

Do you like to sew? What types of things do you sew? Any books or tips you'd like to recommend?

Sewing Christmas Part 2

I realize now that I didn't take pictures of everything before giving them away. Here are the skirt and pants I made for my girls.

The pants are the same pattern as these ones but I didn't put the elastic in the leg. The skirt is my A-line skirt with what I like to call a "fancy ruffle." I'll make another one soon and add it to my tutorials.

Of course, I made Arthur's tie as well. I used the pattern in the Sew Everything Workshop book. I highly recommend the book for beginning sewers. It helped me learn a lot and has some great patterns in it as well. This is Arthur opening the tie on Christmas morning. I think the smile means, "wow, you made this? What great workmanship." I know it doesn't mean, "I love this tie!" Note the fire on the TV. My favorite part of Christmas... the Yule Log On Demand.

What Africa really needs

This article surprised me. An atheist, raised in Africa, saying Africa really needs missionaries and God rather than aid money. Go give it a read.

The New Year = Trying Harder?

I've never made New Years Resolutions. I don't know why. I can't remember my parents ever making any so I'm sure that is a clue. I have never really marked January 1st as a starting over of any type. I see my life more on a continuum so there really isn't any reason I need resolutions for a new year.

There are a couple posts out there that I want to point you towards. Ann at Holy Experience has a great post about how to set out into the new year. This post, like everything she posts, is beautifully written and will impact your day and possibly your life. Here is a glimpse that will make you want to go read more...

And this mingling aroma of sweet hope and putrid fear jolts me to kick self harder: "You simply must try harder.” Try harder to order my life: more organizing, more scheduling, more managing. Try harder to better educate our children: read more, create more, experience more. Try harder to be a heart after His: pray more, sing more, memorize more.

Try harder to tramp good tracks.

But the muddied mess of imprints over the last year attest to it: trying harder only results in harder trials. Self-striving nurtures self-hatred. Toiling in the flesh produces foiling in the soul.

Megan at Sorta Crunchy has a response post to Ann's words and her resolution to surrender to God instead of trying to do everything with more of herself.

And finally, while perusing Simplemom, like I do often, I discovered her 20 questions for the new year. I love these. I think I'd like to write down my answers to these. Go read them and see what you think. Of course if your birthday was yesterday you can toss out this one;

19. What is one thing you’d like to accomplish by your birthday this year?

Do you make New Years Resolutions or goals??

Better late than never

I got a new camera!! Naomi broke the old one and Daphne fixed it but it just isn't quite as good as it used to be... Arthur bought me a new one for Christmas and I finally found the cord to upload the pictures onto the computer!

So, here is how it went down.... We had snow, snow, and more snow! We were thankfully able to get out of our driveway and our neighborhood to enjoy Christmas with my family. My brother was not as fortunate so we saw him a few days later.

We spent Christmas morning at home. We always open stockings first and then the presents under the tree.

We then packed the car for hours and finally took off to go visit family. We put the snow shovel in the back along with our emergency supplies, just in case. We'd heard that the State Patrol was telling people it would be an 8 hour wait if you got stuck.

Here is my dad with Maggie

Classic Daphne

Aunt Mary was nice to put out crayons for Naomi

My niece, Mattie, put on a little show for everyone. She is just learning to play.

I love this one

This tie is what I made Arthur for Christmas. He calls it his Christmas tie because "I'll wear it on Christmas". Apparently it is too girly for him...

My mom made chocolate peanut butter balls. I'm pretty sure Mattie ate one.

Naomi tried to teach herself how to play the xylophone

The entertainment for the day came when someone drove their car into the ditch. We all watched and laughed from inside while two trucks tried to pull it out.

Then my dad and brothers decided to help. I guess if you have an excavator...

I guess the driver was a girl in her early twenties. We watched her drive off while holding her cell and talking... wonder how far she made it.

My brother, Ric, and his wife, Mary, prepared some games for the kids. I'm guessing Mary actually did the preparing...

Though, I'm pretty sure Ric helped prepare the "open a present with oven mitts" game because my present was covered in tape! I used my teeth but still didn't win. I don't have a picture of that ;)

The girls love their cousins. A little Ring Around the Rosey...

Daphne and Kobe

Christmas was a lot of fun. Just don't ask my girls if Santa visited them in front of your children!!

Sensory Tub: Beans

Beans. Pretty self explanatory. We put in 5 or 6 types of beans and some other fun things like an egg carton and scoops, cups, spoons, etc. The girls found all sorts of creative things to do with the beans. I thought they'd like sorting the different kinds but they weren't really interested in that. Beans were definitely a hit though.

Interested in other sensory tub activities? We've used straws, packing peanuts, suds n' TP, rice, screw on caps, and mashed potatoes.