The Train To Crazy

Creating something, anything. O.K. Not anything.

I love creating things. More accurately, I like sewing {some} things, I love taking pictures, I like cooking and love baking. The common denominator in these activities {besides "creating"} is TIME. This I don't have a ton of, or if I do I feel more like resting. I've been cooking and baking a bit more lately though. I have a laundry list of things I want to make. Well, let's not use the word "laundry" because that sounds like drudgery. 

I've been loving Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I can't say enough good things about this book. I've loved almost every recipe I've used so far. I REALLY need a good pizza peel though. Any ideas about where to get one? I'm still kicking myself for not picking one up at the Business Costco before I moved.

We made Heidi Swanson's Baked Doughnuts yesterday. Very good for baked. They took about as much time as making bread. We didn't have any cinnamon {how does that happen?} so we covered them in powdered sugar. Pretty good but I bet cinnamon and sugar would be better. I'm hoping to make the black bean brownies soon. Oh, and these too.

I made some hamburger buns this week as well. Very good. I think I'll try this recipe next time to see if it is as good. 

I'm definitely going to try making these thin mint cookies soon. 

I'm continuing my quest to find good mac n cheese. Alton Brown had a promising stove top creamy mac n cheese recipe that had exceptionally high reviews. Naomi first said she really liked it but then didn't eat much. Daphne had one bite. Hmmm... I wasn't that pleased with it either {but I'm not much of a mac n cheese girl}. I'm going to try this one next, and then this one. If these don't work I'm resorting to food coloring (which I'm trying to avoid considering the point of making it yourself is avoiding these things). What kind of cheese do you use? I hear that half cheddar, half jack is the creamiest. 

I'm in the middle of creating my duckling costumes. By "in the middle" I mean, I bought the fabric. 

Next up I'm making Arthur this lunch bag. But manlier. Any ideas?

Then I'm going to finish a few half sewn girlie clothes. Then I'm on to the shirt dress, Spring Ruffle Top, Child's Sleeveless Top which I'm hoping to make more like this, and a couple of these for the girls' water bottles would be great, some Produce Bags would be handy, and of course I should really make some of these labels.

And someday I'll make this sock monkey or finish the stuffed elephants I have planned for the girls that are from this book.

O.K. Maybe I won't get it all done, but I should dust off the sewing machine. 

Joy

Let's try this again. Here is pure joy people. I mean, imagine what it is like to see yourself in the mirror as a 6 month old. 

Can you you see the slobber all over that mirror? Seriously though, she is FILLED with joy. More "joy" at I Should Be Folding Laundry for this week's You Capture.

Ruby's Clips

Isn't it cute? I won this from Ruby's Clips. They have a ton of cute hair accessories for girls. Maybe you'll win too!

More gratuitous cute baby pics....

 

Hot time in the Boston Public Gardens

I like warm weather. Hot weather isn't my favorite. I really think 80 degrees is too hot for April. It's going to be in the 90's tomorrow! We took advantage of the nice weather and went to the Boston Public Garden on Saturday. The girls had fun but were a bit sweaty and tired by the end of our day.

We brought our lunch for a picnic.

Listened to the entertainment.

Saw our tax dollars at work.

An airplane is pulling this banner. Seems totally necessary.

Then we checked out the ducklings.

Then we begrudgingly made good on our word to take them on the swan boats. Did I mention it was hot? The line was long...

Maggie and I stood in line while Arthur and the other girls went to take a closer look at some real ducks. This is the moment Arthur realized his phone was no longer in his pocket. Don't worry, I noticed it had fallen out of his pocket as he walked away and had grabbed it... That look on his face is priceless.

Not everyone was upset to be waiting...

Finally on the boat!

Some cool treats to improve our moods...

Then we crashed.

I'll give it 5 Stars

Great reading this week

I've been touched by a couple posts this week in the blog world. I'll be enjoying the sun here. If it isn't quite as nice where you are you can sit inside and read these.

Are you BUSY? Thirsty for Him has a great post about Mary and Martha. 

"Serving Jesus, like Martha, was a good thing, but the best was sitting at His feet."

That's right. Martha was doing something good. She was actually preparing a meal to feed Jesus. Are you busy doing things. Doing good things like serving your family and loving people? Don't forget that the BEST thing is to sit at Jesus' feet.

Make and Takes has a post featuring Jyl from Mom it Forward about How to Raise Charitable Children. Definitely worth a look.

Need activities to occupy your toddler or preschooler? Trying to turn the TV off? The Homeschool Classroom has good links for how to keep preschoolers busy (and you don't need to be a homeschooler)

And I've been enjoying Mom's Toolbox's daily SOAP. A daily Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer.

And I know a few of you would be interested in this blog. Missionary Moms. Wonderful blog.

And for those of you who sew, a new spring top sewing tutorial from Made by Rae. I love this top.

Now I'm out the door...

A week of giveaways!

There are lots of giveaways in the blog world this week. 

Little Birdie Secrets has some every day. All you have to do is leave a comment on a post to be entered into the drawing.

The KoDi shop is giving something away later today. Head over to Sarah Ellen's blog to win something cute.

Megan at Sorta Crunchy is giving away a gift certificate. Check it out.

Make and Takes is giving away a sweet treat.

Sew Mama Sew is giving away fabric! (but you have to make a fabric flower...)

Skip To My Lou is giving away an expensive charm necklace!

The Long Thread is giving away the book Sewing Green.

What other giveaways have you entered this week? Have fun! I hope you win

 something.

Oh, and I'm sorry that the blog changes daily. I'm still experimenting. I've been told by several people that having the content in the center column looks best. What do you think? 

You Capture: Letters. My Soapbox

This week's challenge for You Capture was to photograph letters. I thought of all sorts of cool ways to find letters in nature. You know, a tree that looks like an "f" and so on and so forth. I found this and decided to go a different way. I am a huge advocate of teaching your kids ASL (American Sign Language). I know baby signs are popular but I think the value of babies, toddlers, preschoolers learning real signs is huge. I've written about this before but when I see my girls actually able to have small conversations with deaf people (and witness the excitement of that person's face) it makes sense. Kids are sponges, they have the capacity to learn many languages. Why not sign? Knowing 20 signs is great and helps combat the whiny toddler phase when they are frustrated you don't understand them but it isn't necessary to stop there. My oldest daughter could sign hundreds. HUNDREDS of signs by the time she was 18 months. 

So here it is.

To see more photos about letters go to I Should Be Folding Laundry. 

UPDATE: Well, this is apparently NOT acceptable material for You Capture because I was booted off! Oh well.  Enjoy the photo anyway, it was taken at our local park. The playground is completely handicap accessible, which is awesome.

Changes, changes, changes

I've been tinkering around with the blog layout lately, you may have noticed. I'm looking for feedback! Let me know what you think (honestly). I'm considering going a different way for the banner on top so any creative ideas you have would be wonderful!!

A GREAT Dad

My husband doesn't get a whole lot of face time on my blog. I try to protect his privacy and what not but not today. He's a great dad. No matter how much he is working he always makes time for his girls. We love our computer time and TV time but when the girls are awake and he is at home he is with them.

We went straight to the park on Friday after he got off work because it was such a nice day. We ate our dinner there and played on the playground. He doesn't just sit and watch the girls play. He plays too. He demonstrates how to go down the pole...

Helps them put on their helmets...

(you can just hear her saying "ouch DAD" can't you)

Follows them on their bike ride

And holds their hands when they are a little scared.

Being a great dad doesn't come naturally to everyone. Many guys aren't good at parenting. Or maybe they were just never given the encouragement they needed. This one is good. He's learned how to be a good dad and he's excelled. He is patient when I am sometimes lacking in that department. He is always nurturing and finding ways to encourage their gifts and personalities. I know these girls will always have fond memories of all great times they had with dad during their childhood.

A long walk

Today was Patriots' Day. You've probably never heard of it. Today was the Boston Marathon. It's a holiday. I have to say that watching the marathon was one of my favorite things we've done here so far. Loved it. We watched at mile 20 and I can't believe how fast people were running. Well, I can believe it because if you can finish in just over 2 hours you've got to be sprinting the thing. I'm pretty sure I couldn't run a 400m as fast as they were running during their 20th mile. 

It isn't every day that you get to see this.

Or this

Yes, their packs were full. If I had to guess I'd say they were at least 50+ pounds. They were walking, mostly. I saw a couple of them running but I'm sure they didn't do that for too long. Wow. Wow.

The crowds were great.

At one point one of the runners in the top 200 stopped running. He walked for about 20 seconds and people started screaming and cheering him on and he started running again. The crowd immediately erupted in cheering. It was awesome to witness.

We walked to the race. It was about 2 miles there and 2 miles back. We didn't go straight back though so I'd guess we walked somewhere around 5 miles today with a stop at the race and the playground, a detour for food and to the pharmacy. I had Maggie in the Ergo the whole time so I was pretty tired by the end. I complained a bit on facebook and then was reminded of the men who were walking 26.2 miles with 50 pound packs on their backs and I stopped complaining.

Plus, she's cute. Way more fun to carry around than a backpack of bricks. 

The myth of the "Supermom"

There is a tendency, as a woman, as a mom, to read other people's blogs and think they have it all together. Or more together than you do. You see all the activities they do with their kids and think of all the days you are just happy to get them fed and clothed. You see the crafts and educational projects and think you should be doing more. You see the talk about them doing this bible study, or that one and think you should be doing that too. Read their daily schedule and feel yours is inadequate, or nonexistent. You see that their kid was potty trained by 18 months and slept through the night until 9 a.m. by 2 weeks old and you wonder what you were doing wrong. You know what I mean? I do.

The truth is, there is no such thing as having it all together. Nobody has it all. Even if it seems they do, they don't have your kids, your house, your partner, your job, etc. You know what I mean? We are all unique, with unique children and unique circumstances. We can learn from one another and hope to improve our attempts at motherhood, at marriage, but when it comes down to it, their lives probably aren't quite as rosy as their blog paints. Even if they don't mean to paint it that way. You know what I mean? So go ahead and give yourself some grace.

The oldest child

We are reading The Highly Sensitive Child and hoping this helps us understand our biggest baby a little bit better. She really couldn't be sweeter. A wonderful big sister. A bright, active, funny little girl. We love you baby!

What's the deal with mac 'n cheese?

My kids love boxed mac 'n cheese. They like it with regular noodles (as opposed to rice or whole wheat) and the cheddar cheese flavor. More specifically, the orange cheddar cheese flavor. They'll eat most mac n' cheese dishes when we go out to eat. I slave away shredding cheese and boiling noodles to make our own mac 'n cheese and do they eat it? NO they do not. So tell me, how do you make the homemade stuff seem more like the powdery goodness they like? No baking? No flour? What's the secret?

The middle child

Daphne has been having a lot of stomach aches lately. We've pretty much ruled everything out except for a desire for attention. It is hard having a baby sister, an older sister, and being two years old. We love you little one.

Six months

It is truly amazing how quickly the last six months have flown by. Maggie is officially half way to a year old. She is blossoming into a sweet, cuddly little baby. 

She is sitting, mostly. She does all the average developmental stuff like grabbing things and putting them in her mouth. She has become a lot cuddlier than she was in the past. She loves to give big slobbery kisses. She adores her sisters. When she sees them she lights up. 

She isn't close to moving around the room yet, thankfully. I can wait on that. We are just enjoying getting to know her. She is the most laid back little baby. She rarely cries, except when she is hungry or tired. She smiles all the time. She's a talker. Loves to hear her voice and loves to giggle.

So happy half birthday little one. We can't wait to watch you grow.

The "facts of life" as told by grandma

My mom has been staying with us for a few days. It has been WONDERFUL having her here. The girls love asking her to tell stories about when Uncle Rusty was "little." I'm not sure how this all started but they really like to hear stories about Uncle Rusty. Maybe because the stories about him as a kid are much more exciting than hearing about Uncle Scott writing computer programs as a kid or Uncle Ric... well, they'll have to ask Uncle Ric to tell his own childhood stories since we don't remember them.

Stories about Uncle Rusty usually revolve around some sort of accident or stitches or wild driving on a big wheel. Somehow the story today turned to bulls. I was eavesdropping on this story when I heard this;

Grandma: "bulls can be mean if you get into the pen with them."

Naomi: "Will they eat me?"

Grandma: "No! If they are mean to you I'll eat them!"

Then, for some reason Grandma continues like this...

"We will take the bull to the butcher..."

Then we heard some more Uncle Rusty stories which segued into stories about chickens. First Grandma told them about chicken eggs and how they can become chicks or how we can eat the eggs. Then I heard this...

Grandma: "When Uncle Rusty was little he used to help Grandpa get the chickens ready to eat." This is when I looked at Mom with the look of "where are you going with this?" And she smiled and said, "What? These are the facts of life!" So she continued the story and then ended with this. "Do you know that when a chicken has no head he keeps running around?" Of course the girls loved this story and kept giggling. I have to admit, I still laugh when I think about those chickens.

When your two year old potty trains herself...

My oldest was challenging to potty train. It was hard for her. We had many, many, many accidents. We finally stopped potty training and waiting another 6 months and tried again. It was a bit easier then. A bit. We've had our ups and downs but I am happy to say that we are accident free for probably 2 months. Yeah!

Our two year old was different. She started pooping on the potty when she was about 18 months old. On her own. No prompting. This was BEFORE her older sister did this... I give her credit for helping train her older sister. I've been putting off totally training her because of all the changes we've had in the past 6 months with a new baby, house for sale, move, etc. I finally bought her some "big girl underpants" though and she was SO excited. We just wear them at home for now because we are out and about quite a bit for the past few days but when we have a few days at home she'll be in them full time. It is SO much easier when they just do it themselves. We can honestly say that we had rarely ever even asked her if she had to go. She just started asking to go. 

Here's hoping number three is as easy! (of course I know it isn't over yet...)

Time flying

I can't believe we've been here for 4 weeks. Wow, time seems to be flying by. Well, except for THOSE days, which are of course slow as molasses. I've been fairly unmotivated for the past couple weeks. With all the illnesses and other setbacks, we've been hanging out inside a lot. We've gotten out a few times though but sadly I haven't had the camera much. 3 kids and a camera just seems to be too much! 

Included on the LIST are different parks and walks I want to go on. We (my mom is in town) went to the Arnold Arboretum Thursday. I love it! It was a beautiful day and the park is beautiful, even when nothing is blooming. We walked for a couple hours until I we were all exhausted. If you are in the area I highly recommend it. I, of course, did not take the camera. Next time.

Happy Easter! I hope you are enjoying celebrating the resurrection! 

THE list

I'm making a "must do" list for things in Boston and New England. I've put the Mother's Day Make Way For Ducklings Parade on the list. What? Dress my kids up as ducks and parade them down the same streets as the ducklings in the book? Sign me up! How cute is that?! We love that book. Now to make a duckling costume... Anyone around here ever do that parade? 

We lived in NY/NJ for 3 years and never made a list and therefore probably didn't see all the things we should have. I am thinking a list is a good idea this time because who knows how long we'll be here. Best to get the important things done up front.

What else do I need on my list?

One of THOSE days

You know those days. The morning when your littlest one wakes up too early, after you've been up several times that night. You pour cereal into your bowl followed by soy milk. You don't like soy milk in your cereal. You get a chance to shower and you put conditioner on first. You clean up the toys and turn your back to do a load of laundry only to find all those toys and more strewn everywhere. Oh yeah, and the laundry you did yesterday is still in the washer and is super smelly so you had to run it again. The kids are constantly fighting and screaming and tattling and whining. You know, those days. I'm NOT having one of those days today, which is more notable than having one of those days. 

We went a whole week without a nap for our two year old. Just hours of screaming (with bursts of giggling thrown in) followed by hours of whining and general two year old behaviors at their worst. A whole week. Last week was one of THOSE weeks. I am ELATED to say that this week we've been 3 for 3 so far on the two year old napping and even 2 for 3 for the four year old napping!! I'm thinking I should pinch myself but I know I'm awake because I have that cough back. Ugg. 

Editing Photos

Do you like to take pictures and wish you could make yours look "professional"? Of course having a good camera and taking good pictures in the first place is a great idea but if you can't get that done, try a little photo editing. Picnik.com is a great FREE online photo editor. This is a photo I took of Naomi with my phone on her birthday.

Then after a little editing with the help from my new friend Picnik...

So even if all you have is a 2 megapixel camera with a super slow shutter, you can still have a little fun with your photos.

Here are some more fun ones.

It really makes a difference doesn't it!

The cutest prayer ever

Naomi's prayer before bed last night included this line;

"...and thank you for making shirts with pictures on the front so we know which way to put them on..."

The many uses of plates

This is beautiful. I found it here, via here. I could do this. 

The best neighbor ever (not that I don't love all of you "old" neighbors)

Do you have a favorite store? Maybe a favorite catalog that you like looking at and dreaming of ordering lots of things? Mine is Lakeshore Learning. I know, you were expecting Garnet Hill or something, right? O.K. So maybe it isn't my favorite store, but you know it is up there. There are only a handful of them around and I LIVE A BLOCK FROM ONE!! They want me to spend a lot of money there too because they have free crafts for kids every Saturday. We're in trouble. 

What are you reading?

I suppose I am like a lot of you. I read more than one book at a time. Often WAY more than one book at a time. I also have a problem that I don't always finish books. I brought some books with me that I am hoping to read in the next six months. Here is what I am currently reading;

In Defense of Food- So far really great and can't wait to read more

Sacred Marriage- I'm only 4 chapters in but so far so good

Give Your Child a Superior Mind- Excellent. I don't know why I haven't finished it. 

Here is a sampling of what I'm planning to read in the next six months.

Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood

Siblings Without Rivalry

The Highly Sensitive Child

The Five Love Languages of Children

The Art of Listening Prayer

The Sovereignty of God

Eva Luna

Why Can't You Read My Mind?

Looking ahead at what to add to my stacks I'm taking note of Beauty and Depravity's great list of 10 absolutely essential books for christians. Of course, A Place at the Table's list of books I wish christians would read is certainly appealing.

Now for my contribution. The blog I think everyone should be reading. The Journey. Read the amazing, AMAZING, life of faith of a 20 year old American girl living in Uganda raising over a dozen children. Read a few posts and let me know what you think.

What are you reading? Any essential books I need to read?